If You're in South Florida on Saturday, Why Not Come to a Concert?

Sure, it's a bad time of year for a concert--everyone is overextended with holiday parties and end of year financial duties and upcoming visits, and we're all busy, busy, busy. All the more reason why we need to come to a concert and have some time to decompress.

The award-winning, folk music duo Alathea will be in Pembroke Pines on Saturday, December 19--we're lucky to be a stop on their Christmas concert tour. They'll appear at Trinity Lutheran Church, 7150 Pines Blvd., just across the street from the South campus of Broward College. The concert starts at 7:30 p.m. Bought in advance, tickets cost $12 for adults and $5 for children ($15 and $7.50 at the door); call the church to buy the tickets in advance (954-989-1903). You can stay afterwards to enjoy dessert and the chance to meet the duo and buy CDs--great for your last minute shopping.

Don't let the fact that they're appearing in a church throw you; this show won't be an insipid, thinly disguised preaching/evangelizing event. These women play a multitude of instruments: guitar (of course), banjo, mandolin, dobro, dulcimer, violin, and about 10 or so others. And sure, it's a Christmas tour, so there will be some Christmas music, but even if you're from a different religious tradition (or no tradition at all), there will be some music for you. If you like folk music, if you like bluegrass, if you like holiday music, you'll like this band. You don't need to be Lutheran--everyone is invited.

So why not carve some time out of your busy schedule and come to a concert? You'll support two, young independent musicians, but more important, you'll have a chance to remind yourself why we first loved this season, before it became consumed by commercialism.