Chris Buhalis organizes the annual Concert for Peace

Lon Horwedel | AnnArbor.com

For the ninth year in a row, some of the top names in local music will donate their talents for the Concert for Peace.

The event, Thursday, Dec. 9 at The Ark, is sponsored by Michigan Peaceworks and is a benefit for the local activist group.

Scheduled to perform are several familiar names on the local scene, including Dave Boutette, Dave Keeney and Sophia Hanifi, Dick Siegel, FUBAR, Jay Stielstra, John Latini, LaRon Williams, Laz and Friends, Mr. B, Stella and Stewart Francke.

Longtime local roots musician / singer-songwriter Chris Buhalis will handle the host duties as well as perform. Buhalis has been organizing the event since its inception, with the help of Brian Lillie and Geoff Michael early on.

Newcomers to the Concert for Peace include the Ann Arbor Bicycle Choir, the musical group Stella and indie-folk singer-songwriter Hana Malhas.

“Hana, she’s from Jordan, so she has a different perspective in that she didn’t grow up in the United States,” said Buhalis. “We always try to be as diverse as possible within the confines of the show. … Stella is a band that has Jo Serrapere and Jen Sygit; they’ve both been at the show in the past but not in this particular configuration.”

The Ann Arbor Bicycle Choir is a group of from four to 25 (or more) people who sing, often in four-part harmony, as they ride through the streets, performing tunes adapted to sing the praises of bicycle transportation and communities that embrace it.

Buhalis said knows full well the Concert for Peace won’t end war; however, the need to raise public consciousness is more important than ever.

“We just went through a whole election cycle and nobody talked about the war at all,” he said. “It was a non-issue. I know the economy is bad and everything, but it’s pretty obvious that all these things are tied together.

“We want the war to end, that’s the ultimate goal. I don’t have any illusions that this is going to be the thing that does it,” he added. “The more things like (this concert) happen, the awareness, keeping it in the public eye — I think if people really knew what was going on they wouldn’t have the stomach for continuing the war. At least I like to think that. … We don’t think doing this show is going to end the war on it’s own. But the anti-war movement hasn’t gone away regardless of what either party thinks.”

The fundraising goal for the concert is around $6,000, said Pat Rodgers, Michigan Peaceworks board member.

“We don’t have quite the turnout and support we had when Bush was in power — Obama has kind of taken a little bit of the wind out of our sails. But we still feel there’s a big need for peace. We put this on as a fundraiser for our organization, to try and bring people together of like minds and try to find a better way,” he added.

Rodgers agreed with Buhalis about needing to keep awareness of the war in the public eye.

“In this election, the only things of merit (discussed) were jobs and deficit spending. Jobs I certainly agree with. Republicans spent out the wazoo for these wars, that’s why we’re so much in the hole. We have to remind people that people are dying there every day and there’s a better way,” said Rodgers.

Buhalis said there’s no shortage of willing performers for the Concert for Peace. “There’s 50 people who want to be in the show every year and we’ve got room for 15.”

According to Buhalis, the program will consist of more than just protest songs.

We give (the perfomers) a platform to say whatever they need to say to add to the conversation,” Buhalis explained, adding “we’ve yet to have a pro-war song in all the years we’ve been doing it … that’s like finding folk songs where politicians are the heroes. “I don’t know what people are going to play — that’s part of the fun for me,” he added. “Outside of the politics, it’s been a great show every year and I’m really proud to be part of it. There are a lot of high-caliber people in this area in just about every walk of art. It’s nice the music community can get together about something that in a lot of ways is so divisive in other places."

Rodgers agreed.

“This is kind of a celebration. So many of the things we do are like marches and somber and serious speakers. This is a fun, light, feel-good event. We hope everyone can come and bring 10 friends,” he said.

Roger LeLievre is a free-lance writer who covers music for AnnArbor.com.