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December 26, 2006 | 1 Comment

Dear Garrison,
I HATE singing in church. I just can't stand it. I am afraid when I sing in church that everyone will hear a shrill noise, turn around, and disdainfully stare me down as I attempt to sing some 19th century hymn. I attended the 12/23 show at the Town Hall, however, and found myself joyfully singing along with the crowd without fear of criticism. I'm not sure if it was you, Odetta, or the Powdermilk Biscuits, but for the first time in years I was not afraid to sing in public. Thanks for a lovely Christmas show. And thanks for inspiring me to sing.

Sincerely,

Alana C.-F.
New York, NY

It's dark in Town Hall and that helps and of course Odetta is inspiring. She is 76 and has that sweet steely voice and you listen to her and you feel like you'd do anything for that woman. So when I asked the audience to sing for Odetta, they all did, including you. It wasn't for ourselves that we did it, it was for her. She sat, head bowed, and listened to "O Holy Night" and "Silent Night" and sang along with you.

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