Allyssa Ertz | A&L Assistant Editor
The band Emma’s Revolution made a statement at an ACES event for Buena Vista University on February 7. This group, which consists of Pat Humphries and Sandy O, wanted to make a difference through their music by standing up for their beliefs.
“We like to speak our minds,” said Sandy O. “Writing our own songs the way we do and being independent musicians means we can and we do say what we want in our songs. We don’t have to worry about what some musicians have to deal with dropping labels. There is a lot of freedom in what we do.”
Humphries and Sandy O, along with their percussionist Robin Bardulis, used their voices, acoustic guitars, and drums to address real world issues and motivate their audience to think about justice. A variety of current issues including refugees and women’s rights were covered in their music, which they hope ultimately leaves their audience with a sense of hope.
The core of their sound is two voices and two guitars with lots of harmony. Their sound ranges from folk to jazz to funk and everything in between. Sandy O feels that if the song needs a certain sound, that is what they aim for. The message steers the genre of the song.
Many of their songs focus on social and political issues, including war, racial justice, reproductive justice, women’s rights, and LGBT rights. The duo said they try to bring listeners into a different perspective and have them feel what an affected person might have felt in moments of injustice.
“The message is always about something that moves us that is going on in the world,” Sandy O said.
Dr. Swasti Bhattacharyya, Professor of Religion, coordinated the event. Bhattacharyya met Pat around 1992. Swasti was extremely impressed with the way that Pat combined musical talent with highlighting important issues for a variety of audiences. This is why she kept in contact with Pat and invited Emma’s Revolution back to Buena Vista University for this event. About 15 years ago, Pat and Sandy formed Emma’s Revolution. This was their third performance at BVU.
Bhattacharyya described Emma’s Revolution as people who practice what they preach and who have a passion for what they do. They truly use their actions to back up what their beliefs are.
“I’m an ethicist, so how one lives matters. Your message can be great, but if you are not living it, then what exactly is the message?” Bhattacharyya said.
Bhattacharyya wanted to bring back the band again now because they raise important questions about current issues in society. Emma’s Revolution use their songs to make others think about what they believe in more complex ways.
Bhattacharyya hopes that students who attended the show left with new insights or questions on their own perspectives. She hopes students examine their beliefs more carefully, and are able to show why they believe what they believe.
Emma’s Revolution came together when Sandy O met Pat Humphries through a mutual friend. This friend played one of Pat’s songs for Sandy, and she enjoyed it. Sandy then invited Pat on a tour that she had been organizing of a group of women musicians who were traveling to women’s colleges for Women’s History Month. Pat thought the world of Sandy’s music.
Pat agreed to go on the tour. After this tour, the two met at Sandy’s apartment in New York City, where they rehearsed together. They had a wonderful tour together, and performed after the tour together in a few gigs. Pat asked Sandy to come sing a song that she was planning to put out, and found that their voices matched perfectly together.
These two became friends for years, then were married for 13. They are no longer married, but they still love each other and making music together.
One of their favorite songs to play is “If I Give Your Name” which talks about the undocumented workers in the World Trade Center. They focused on the fact that these people lost their family members and were not able to look for them because they would get in trouble with the law. These people went through extreme pain and could not find their families.
“When I was growing up, the music that I always gravitated to most strongly, that moved me most deeply, was the music that seemed to do more in the world than just telling a story. It seemed that I could consider music a tool that could really affect the way people thought and felt about an important issue.” Pat vocalized.
Likewise, the duo’s hope is for audiences to be moved by some of their songs and discover new information from others. They want audiences to think about how they can contribute to the world in their own way and how they can make it a better world.
Emma’s Revolution has events posted on their website and Facebook page. Their latest album, “Revolution Now,” was released last month and is available for purchase and download on their website: http://emmasrevolution.com/.
Pat encourages people to go out and make a difference. She said, “One person on Facebook took action, and caused three and a half million people on the same day to react the same way. Your voice is powerful.”
Photo by: Allyssa Ertz
