Program

Peter Lehndorff will present a series of his funny folk songs and the stories behind them. He has been compared to John Prine and Tom Lehrer. Expect to sing along! Lyric sheets or projected lyrics will be provided. Zoom offers the opportunity for questions and answers.

PETER LEHNDORFF writes folk and jazz songs about everyday life. Most are humorous. A few are serious. They are stories and observations about the things that happen to him and the things he sees. He was once called “skewed” by the Springfield (MA) Republican, but he considers that a compliment.  He writes Stand-up Folk: off-beat songs that poke fun at the things we generally overlook. He talks about what we drive, what we eat, where we live and the things that most of us are too afraid to admit they are afraid of. His CD, Love on the Line includes Yellow Datsun, a duet with Dar Williams is a road song about life in Colorado. His song East Longmeadow looks at suburban life, commuting to Hartford in a station wagon and trying to get back home again. Paranoid is an anthem to fear. He goes to heaven but gets lonely in I Wish You Were Dead. The title track Love on the Line is a hilarious story about a long distance relationship. The couple marries during a conference call. Peugeot is about French engineering and was featured on NPR’s CarTalk. It was their music on hold for a time. 

More recent songs like Marriage of Convenience talk about a relationship that blossoms at a little store. And Don’t Be Discouraged encourages you to embrace disappointment. 

♦ Performances: Peter has opened for Martin Sexton, Robert Earl Keen, Arlo Guthrie, Dar Williams, and the late Bill Morrissey. More recently he opened for Tom Paxton and appeared at the Farmington (CT) Acoustic Festival.
♦ Boston Acoustic Underground: Finalist in competition. Everything Takes Longer released on a compilation disc.
♦ Folk Next Door: Performed on three concert compilations for the University of Hartford. East Longmeadow received national folk airplay.
♦ Love on the Line (originally on Signature Sounds Recordings): Received national airplay on college and public radio. Includes Yellow Datsun, a duet with Dar Williams. 
♦ CarTalk: Several car-related tunes were part of the NPR radio show. Peugeot was included on one of their compilation CDs Disrespectful Car Songs. 

For several years, Peter was his late wife Kathy’s full-time caregiver as she battled Huntington’s Disease, the genetic brain disease that took the life of Woody Guthrie. He stopped performing but continued writing songs and recording them in his attic. A new recording is in the planning stages that will feature his friends Jim Henry and Tracy Grammer. In addition to his humorous songs, a few newer songs deal with his journey as a caregiver.  Those can be included for adult audiences. But humor is the best medicine.  

“His lyrics are wry but have an honest, lived-in, everyday quality.” 
—WWUH-FM Hartford (CT)

“Tom Lehrer with chops.” 
— John McLaughlin, WESU-FM, Ohio

“The Pioneer Valley’s version of John Prine.” 
— The Valley Advocate, Northampton MA.