Mary McBride is one of those performers who takes real action to make a difference in people’s lives.
If you go
An Evening With Mary McBride
Where: Iota Club, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington
When: 8 p.m. Monday
Info: $35; 703-522-8340; iotaclubandcafe.com
Consider her current tour, “The Way Home,” that includes stops at women’s shelters, long-term health care centers, homeless shelters, prisons and houses in low-income communities. Places many people call home. “The great thing for me is that it tapped into my main interests,” McBride said. “Music is my main interest and I also am involved in also community organizing.”
McBride grew up in Washington and was well on her way to a career in theater and worked in community organizations before she wrote the songs on her first album as a tribute to New York City following the Sept. 1 terrorist attacks. The 2002 debut album “Everything Seemed Alright” was released and caught the ear of bluegrass legend Del McCoury, who asked her to join his tour.
Since that time the singer-songwriter with the rock-blues-country sound has often used her music to inspire others to action.
That’s the case with her latest album “The Way Home,” which will be released June 22.
“I come from Washington and come from a long line of nonprofiteers,” McBride said. “We are thinking about — and I’m grateful that I’m from this kind of family — that is always looking for ways to give back.”
The tour, which kicked off June 1 at Louisiana’s infamous Angola prison, has dates scheduled into August. McBride said she hopes her shows and music will inspire dialogue about various homes people occupy and how to better some situations.
The idea for “The Way Home Tour” sprung from conversations McBride had with community organizers in Washington and elsewhere. When in Washington, McBride will play at an intimate one-on-one show for the homebound elderly.
“It was ‘Home,’ which inspired this record and which made me want to go on the road again — in an entirely different way,” McBride said. “This time around, we wanted to put the burden on ourselves to travel to people in communities who ordinarily do not get a chance to hear live music. We hope the concerts will, in some small way, honor the inherent dignity of all people, no matter where they have come from or where they are now.”
