Rocking for the River

A benefit at Havana in New Hope will support the Riverkeeper’s efforts to protect the Delaware.

By: Susan Van Dongen

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TEN FOOT TALL


   Defending and advocating for the health of the Delaware River has been the purpose of the non-profit Delaware Riverkeeper Network for more than 20 years. Led by Maya K. van Rossum, the environmental advocacy group suffered a setback last spring when its boat, The Riverkeeper, was stolen and vandalized.
   The group can celebrate a recent success, however: preventing the U.S. Army from dumping the waste of VX gas, one of the deadliest nerve agents ever produced, into the Delaware River. Based in Bristol, Pa., DRN also has been, for years, part of the fight to protect the Red Knot rufa, a subspecies of shore bird vital to the health of the Delaware Bay, and the birds’ diminishing food source — horseshoe crab eggs.
   One recent face-off is the issue of deepening the Delaware, which would allow a new generation of larger freighters and oil tankers to come upriver but would wreak havoc with the wetlands and watersheds impacted. DRN has been active in fending off this potentially disastrous change.
   And, as anyone who lived through the floods of 2005 and 2006 knows, the flood plain is already stressed enough and does not need any more development. DRN is keeping its eye on this issue as well. In addition, DRN works to restore local streams damaged by erosion, invasive plants and acid mine drainage.
   But advocacy requires funds, and that’s where the planners of Rock the River come in. On Aug. 19, Ten Foot Tall, Snapperhead Zydeco, Justin Pope and the Swiss Guard, Paul Plumeri, and the trio Jeff Kline, Ed Wall and Steve Guyger will jam the afternoon away at Havana in New Hope, Pa. Money raised will benefit the Delaware Riverkeeper Network.
   Jeanne Yarrow, who sings with Ten Foot Tall and planned the event, says the abundance of talented musicians in the Lambertville area made Rock the River easy to coordinate. She had originally hoped to bring in bands from a larger area but decided to keep it local.
   "I liked the idea of having only local musicians who had some connection to the river," Ms. Yarrow says. "That just felt like the right thing to do. Most of them love living here, so close to its banks. Some, like Jeff Kline, have endured several floods but continue to feel that bond to the Delaware. So I wanted to keep it on that intimate level."
   A naturally gifted vocalist who has been singing since childhood, Ms. Yarrow is a late-bloomer as far as performing in front of an audience. She says she was 39 when she started her own band and knew nothing about performing. Being so naive might have been useful, though, because she went at it with utmost optimism.
   "You have a lot of hope when you’re starting out," Ms. Yarrow says. "I was able to build up a network of musicians and friends — I know so many of them."
   Without any formal training — just one semester at Westminster to improve her upper register — Ms. Yarrow practices just by singing, in the shower, in the car, along with CDs, wherever. Growing up, she’d sing when doing chores, and she says her parents missed the "human radio" when she left her childhood home in Connecticut. It didn’t occur to her to turn her joy into a profession, however, and she opted to work in payroll administration. She is payroll manager at Church & Dwight Co., Inc., in Princeton.
   Ms. Yarrow names Bonnie Raitt, Etta James and Emmylou Harris as major influences, but loves and can sing just about any kind of music.
   "I like blues and rock but go the other way and sing old time country, or Emmylou-style bluegrass," Ms. Yarrow says. "I’m all over the place. Singing makes you feel good."
   Ten Foot Tall is essentially a jam band with guitarist Jim Popik and Jeff Page trading phenomenal guitar licks, reminiscent of the Allman Brothers.
   "Jim is also a jazz musician so there’s that element, and we also do some funk," Ms. Yarrow says. "You’ll hear a bunch of stuff rolled in together — Southern rock bands, the Band, Little Feat, the Radiators, just a medley of sounds. We’re best heard live, though."
   The name of the band comes from a shout-out from an audience member who hollered that he was "ready for some 10-foot tall blues."
   Mr. Popik lives in Hopewell and Ms. Yarrow lives in West Amwell, just one mile from the river. Nature lovers and environmentalists, they’ve been friends for years and both treasure the bodies of water, forests and open spaces in Central New Jersey. Ten Foot Tall also played the benefit for the Sourlands a few weeks ago.
   "I’ve been an environmentalist for quite some time, and we’ve enjoyed the outdoors for such a long time," Ms. Yarrow says. "I wish people would stop and think about what a gift the river is. It’s such a benefit to living here.
   "When I got the mailing about DRN’s boat being vandalized, I was incensed that it should be so hard for organizations like this to be able to do their work, scraping for money, for example," she continues. "There has to be a better way. We all want to keep the river clean and functioning instead of destroying it."
Rock the River features Ten Foot Tall, Snapperhead Zydeco, Justin Pope and the Swiss Guard, Jeff Kline, Ed Wall and Steve Guyger, at Havana, 105 S. Main St., New Hope, Pa., Aug 19, 2-7 p.m. Donation: $10 at the door. Benefits the Delaware Riverkeeper Network. (215) 862-9897; www.delawareriverkeeper.org. Ten Foot Tall on the Web: www.tenfoottallband.com