|
07 Nov 09 - 10:13 PM (#2761871) Subject: Peter Lang fund raiser From: open mike I got this today about Prter Lang... and a fund that is being established for his expenses due to multiple medical problems. I know that these are hard times for many people. I know that it is a difficult time to reach out for help. But it is also a time when we need to join together to care for one another as a community. For Forty Years, Guitaist Peter Lang has been a fixture in America's traditional music scene. Over the last 18 months Peter has been battling a number of serious medical emergencies and their mounting expenses. He is asking for out help. I am writing you to let you know that a fund has been established to assist Lang. I am hoping that you will help get the word out about Peter and about the fund. The purpose of the fund is to help Peter with his mounting medical and living expenses during the short term. At the fund's site six of Lang's albums have been made available for download as a partial thank you to all those whom have so generously contributed. They represent over 30 years of Lang's recorded work from 1975 to 2002 The Lang Fund Peter's Story: In May of 2008 Peter Lang was involved in an Automobile Accident. He suffered neck and back injuries including nerve impingement which has affected the use of his left hand. His no fault insurance provider has refused to cover medical expenses and they continue to accrue. His medical insurer will not cover his expenses as they consider them the result of the automobile accident. The auto insurer has taken the position that the problems are due to preexisting conditions. It is presently in tthe court system. In the meantime Lang's expenses continue to mount. Following the accident Lang struggled for six moths with a major infection in his ear and skull which In February necessitated the removal of bone from behind the ear and reconstructive ear surgery. Two motnhs later Lang faced hip replacement surgery. Needless to say his performance schedule has been decimated, and may continue to be based on the ongoing issues with his auto injury. Whatever you might be able to do, will be greatly appreciated by Peter and his family. Again, if you can help get the word out, and whatever else you and your associates might be able to do will be greatly appreciated by Peter and his family. Thank you! Sincerely, Steve Kaarlson Horus Music http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Lang_(guitarist) http://peterlang.org/ http://www.langfund.org/ http://www.mudcat.org/thread.cfm?threadid=41547#599791 |
|
08 Nov 09 - 10:43 AM (#2762098) Subject: RE: Peter Lang fund raiser From: open mike Peter's guitar style is similar to these other pickers: Leo Kottke, John Fahey, Robbie Bashio, and others. Maybe i should have put another title on this thread... such as "injured" or health problems.. does anyone have any more information about Peter? He has recorded at least 9 albums, and co-written the book on finger-style guitar playing. here is an excerpt fro the April/May 2006 music magazine Dirty Linen: Peter Lang The Power of Expression by R.J. Pales When Peter Lang returned from a six-week East Coast tour in December 1980, he had $600 less than when he started. He also had just won drawn-out contractual disputes with two record labels and had seen his close friend, the lawyer who had helped extricate him from those contracts, die suddenly of a heart attack. Demographically programmed radio had become the norm, pushing Lang's esoteric guitar style off most airwaves. In addition, his then-wife had given him an ultimatum a year earlier: continue flailing away in the music industry or raise a family. He promised her if things didn't pick up, he'd quit. Emotionally drained, Lang kept his promise. He put his guitar in the closet for the next 18 months and went looking for a job. "Everything that had to do with the business had turned to poison," Lang said of the days surrounding his departure from the music business. Twenty-one years later, Lang returned to the music business and released two albums to critical acclaim. He rediscovered his reason for playing and performing in the first place: to process his experiences and connect with others. "Music has been the only constant in my life," he reflected. "Relationships come and go, children grow old, parents die, but the music has always been there." Lang's gift lies in expression. He projects an emotional force in his playing more similar to Beethoven or Tchaikovsky than to anything mainstream today. When he talks, it is with a wisdom about his craft that can only be attained only through living and learning. It is these experiences, and his ability to express them, that have brought Lang back into public consciousness. |