Musician John Mock at Maine’s Owls Head Lighthouse (Photo by Bob Trapani, Jr.)
AMERICAN LIGHTHOUSE FOUNDATION ANNOUNCES “ALF ARTIST ADVOCATE” PARTNERSHIP WITH MUSICIAN JOHN MOCK…WILL RAISE FUNDS AND AWARENESS FOR THE FOUNDATION
Rockland, ME – December 2013 – The American Lighthouse Foundation is pleased to announce its partnership with renowned musician and photographer John Mock and has recognized him as the “American Lighthouse Foundation Artist Advocate”. This formalized relationship is the culmination of Mock’s long history of presenting concerts that benefit lighthouses and maritime-related causes, including annual benefits for the Maine Lighthouse Museum for the past five years. He performed at the ALF’s annual meeting in May and met with the group about how to use his art to help support their mission. “In a very personal way, the preservation of lighthouses has had a direct impact in my life,” commented Mock. “These structures have been a big part of the inspiration for my very livelihood as a musician, composer, & photographer. But even more important to me is for lighthouses to be preserved for the inspiration of future generations.”
John and his manager will establish relationships with retailers, restaurants and hotels in towns with a lighthouse supported by an ALF chapter. Those establishments, as well as the ALF website, will offer John’s CDs for sale and he will donate all proceeds to the foundation. There are also longer-range plans to launch a series of fundraiser “house concerts” called “The Keeper’s House Concert Series.” House concerts are intimate and exclusive gatherings in private homes and have become quite popular on the folk and singer-songwriter touring circuit. “The Keeper’s House” series will be underwritten by private or corporate donors who will cover the modest costs of the concerts, allowing all ticket and donation income to go straight to the ALF.
“We are very excited about this partnership with John Mock,” said ALF Executive Director Bob Trapani, Jr. “What makes this a special opportunity is that Mr. Mock is not only an accomplished musician and photographer, he also possesses a genuine passion for lighthouses and their preservation. Efforts of organizations like ALF are enhanced when talent steps forward with a willingness to make a difference, which John Mock has demonstrated. Teamwork is what it is all about!”
John Mock performed at ALF’s 2013 Lighthouse Gala in Portsmouth, NH (Photo by Ann-Marie Trapani)
A native of Connecticut’s eastern shore, John Mock’s work has taken him around the world. Widely sought after as a composer, arranger and multi-instrumentalist, he has worked with such notable artists as the Dixie Chicks, James Taylor, Nanci Griffith, Maura O’Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea and Mark O’Connor. As a solo artist the sea and its coasts are John’s muse. From New England to Chincoteague to Ireland, the Atlantic’s beautiful coastline and quaint villages, its wooden boats and whitewashed lighthouses, continue to inspire and inform his art. He captures in music and in photographs this heritage of the sea. He shares this with audiences everywhere through his elegant and unique concert presentation From the Shoreline, where he performs original instrumental compositions on the guitar, concertina, mandolin, and tin whistle. His own photography is projected onto a screen behind him, and his casual narration and storytelling tie it all together. John’s CDs The Day At Sea and The Keeper’s Companion can be found in many of America’s maritime museum shops and his concerts have been presented at a diverse array of venues on both coasts including the keeper’s house at Atlantic City’s Absecon Light, Maine Lighthouse Museum, Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, the Boothbay Opera House, Firehouse Center for the Performing Arts, and the famed Guthrie Center in Massachusetts, as well as orchestral performances with the Nashville Chamber Orchestra, the National Orchestra of Ireland, the Nashville Philharmonic, and the Southwest Michigan Symphony Orchestra.
The mission of the American Lighthouse Foundation is to save and preserve our nation’s historic light stations and their rich heritage. It is a 501c3 non-profit organization founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Rockland, Maine. ALF and its chapters have stewardship responsibility for twenty-two of America’s lighthouses and have invested over $2.2 million dollars in lighthouse preservation over the past decade.
Please visit www.johnmock.com for more information on John Mock’s concerts, recordings and photography, and for downloadable media assets, and www.lighthousefoundation.org for more information on the American Lighthouse Foundation. For information on hosting house concerts or carrying CDs to benefit the ALF, please email Brian Horner at bhorner@soundartistsupport.com.
MEDIA CONTACT:
Brian Horner
(615) 364-7656
