Songs of Protest 2 Photos

Cindy Lee Berryhill
photo by Steve Covault

Last month, a concert was held called SONGS OF PROTEST 2: An Evening with the Songwriters Featured at Neil Young's Living With War Site. Photos of the concert by Steve Covault are now posted.

From LOS ANGELES CITY BEAT by Alfred Lee on the concert and event organizer Cindy Lee Berryhill:

Berryhill organized the event, hoping to offer a dose of reality in this town known best for heralding escapism. “This show is a great alternative to a month’s worth of entertainment awards,” says Berryhill, who plans to donate half the proceeds to the nonprofit Bridge School for handicapped children (Bridgeschool.org), a favorite Young charity. “I read an article by a guy, a soldier who came back from Iraq, and what he kept saying was, ‘I just can’t believe life is going on like normal here.’ You know, when it’s just such a mess over there.” Among the performers will be John Hughes, whose “Bring ’Em On” is the site’s most clicked-on selection; John Hisle, who served two tours of duty in Iraq; L.A. songwriter Jenny Yates; John Doe of X; and Berryhill herself. “I chose people [who] I felt had some kind of conviction,” she says. “For me, it’s not just about being some kind of bleeding-heart liberal. I have a nephew who just turned 19, and he’s in Baghdad right now doing 14- to 15-hour days. They’re overworking these guys.” Berryhill’s conviction extends even beyond her nephew, however. “My husband had a brain injury 11 years ago,” she continues, “and a lot of these soldiers – more than 16,000 – have come back with head injuries. This is the most brain injuries that have happened in any war. I know what these families are going through, because I went through it, too.”

See photo gallery by Steve Covault for all performers.