Emma's Revolution

Pat Humphries had a solo career as a folksinger and songwriter, recording two albums before forming Emma's Revolution with Sandy Opatow. Opatow had been part of another folk duo, Petronella, when the two met. The duo is named after the statement attributed to Emma Goldman that "If I can't dance, I don't want to be part of your revolution."

The NPR program All Things Considered devoted a feature story to the Humphries song "Swimming to the Other Side," calling it "an underground anthem."{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1143767|title='Swimming to the Other Side'|last=Partridge|first=Marika|date=22 May 2002|work=All Things Considered | publisher=National Public Radio | access-date=November 23, 2018}} The NPR story described how, even without standard commercial success, the song became widespread and influential. Pete Seeger told NPR that "Pat's songs will be sung well into the 22nd century." Humphries would later perform "To My Old Brown Earth" on Seeger's album Seeds - The Songs Of Pete Seeger: Volume 3{{Cite web|last=Pete Seeger & Friends|title=Seeds: The Songs Of Pete Seeger, Volume 3|url=https://www.amazon.com/Seeds-Songs-Pete-Seeger-3/dp/B0010W958K/ |access-date=2018-10-14 | via=Amazon}} Emma's Revolution later performed many times with Seeger, including at the Unitarian Universalist General Assembly in 2005, and they were chosen to deliver what The New York Times called{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/22/arts/music/musicians-join-in-a-seeger-tribute-at-lincoln-center.html |title='You're Not Sailing Alone': Saluting the Seegers in a Hootenanny|last=Jon|first=Pareles|date=21 July 2014|work=The New York Times|access-date=November 23, 2018}} a "fervent, heartfelt tribute" at a memorial for Pete Seeger and his wife Toshi at Lincoln Center.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}}

Emma's Revolution has released four albums of their own music between 2009 and 2017, as well as the album "We Came to Sing," with musician and activist Holly Near.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ladyslipper.org/archive/rel/v2_viewupc30c2.html?storenr=53&upc=ctm0009cd00|title=Holly Near with emma's revolution - We Came to Sing! | work=Ladyslipper Music | access-date=2018-10-11}} They have performed at the Parliament of the World's Religions in Salt Lake City in 2015,{{Cite podcast|url=https://www.unityonlineradio.org/soulstream/parliament-worlds-religions-emmas-revolution|title=Parliament of The World's Religions, With Emma's Revolution | date=November 11, 2015 | work=Soulstream | publisher=Unity Online Radio| host=Kristin Powell | access-date=2018-10-11}} and have been involved with Charter for Compassion{{cite web|url=https://charterforcompassion.org/partners/education/76-partners/the-religion-spirituality-and-interfaith-sector/religion-spirituality-reports-and-documents|title=Religion & Spirituality: Reports and Documents|website=charterforcompassion.org|accessdate=23 November 2018}} Five of their songs are anthologized in the 2016 songbook Rise Again (the sequel to Rise Up Singing).{{Cite web|url=https://www.riseupandsing.org/artistcomposer/emmas-revolution|title=Emma's Revolution – Songs Performed, Recording/Performances by this artist | work=Rise Up and Sing | access-date=2018-10-11}}

They have composed songs for social causes including: School of the Americas Watch; Code Pink, the Refugee and Immigrant Women's Network, Black Lives Matter, the Rachel Carson Center, and the Chesapeake Climate Action Network.{{Cite web|url=https://www.ladyslipper.org/archive/rel/v2_viewupcf097.html|title=Ladyslipper Online Catalog & Resource Guide of Music by Women - emma's revolution/Pat Humphries : one x 1,000,000 = change|website=www.ladyslipper.org|access-date=2018-10-14}}{{Failed verification|date=November 2018}}

Emma's Revolution performed the night before Occupy D.C. began in 2011. David Montgomery of The Washington Post noted how "new movement music" such as Emma's Revolution "identifies deeper streams that seem to link disparate cultures of rebellion in the United States and other parts of the world."

Both Humphries and Opatow are featured in American artist Robert Shetterly's Americans Who Tell the Truth portrait series, which travels the country.Americans Who Tell the Truth profiles:

• {{Cite web|url=https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/pat-humphries|title=Pat Humphries | work=Americans Who Tell the Truth | access-date=2018-10-12}}
• {{Cite web|url=https://www.americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/sandy-o|title=Sandy O | work=Americans Who Tell the Truth | access-date=2018-10-14}}

Emma's Revolution wrote the song "Peace, Salaam, Shalom," for a peace march in New York City following the 9/11 attacks. In the journal Music and Arts in Action, Jeneve R. Brooks of Fordham University wrote that the song was mentioned repeatedly as an effective group sing-along. "Respondents noted that the universal nature of the song's framing (i.e., appealing to peace in different languages) and its catchy and simple chorus made it a particular favorite during anti-war efforts."{{Cite journal|last=Brooks|first=Jeneve R.|date=2010-02-15|title="Peace, Salaam, Shalom": Functions of Collective Singing in U.S. Peace Activism|url=https://www.musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/antiwarsongs/|journal=Music and Arts in Action|language=en|volume=2|issue=2|issn=1754-7105}}

Emma's Revolution has recorded music reflecting on their experiences as queer women.{{Cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-2QEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA64 | title=Music Reviews – Unsigned on the dotted line | magazine=The Advocate |last=Davis|first=Mark| date=9 November 2004 | publication-date=November 9, 2004 |publisher=Here Publishing|pages=64–65|language=en}} Humphries and Opatow married unofficially in 2001, before marriage equality was legal. In an interview with Curve in 2013, Emma's Revolution talked about the "impact their music is making on changing the cultural view towards LGBT individuals."{{Cite news|url=http://www.curvemag.com/Curve-Magazine/Web-Articles-2013/Watch-Our-Interview-with-Dee-Meredith-Krissy-Krissy-and-Emmas-Revolution/|title=Watch: Our Interview with Dee Meredith, Krissy Krissy and Emma's Revolution|last=Minero|first=Emelina|date=21 October 2013|work=Curve |access-date=2018-10-14 }} Humphries and Opatow later separated as a couple,{{when|date=November 2018}} but continue to play together as a duo.{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}}

In 2018, in response to the United States Senate Judiciary Committee hearing for the Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court nomination, Emma's Revolution released a song and video entitled "#IBelieveHer" in support of Christine Blasey Ford, who spoke out against Kavanaugh for allegedly sexually assaulting her 36 years prior. The song was publicized on the news program Democracy Now.{{Cite AV media|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2018/10/2/kavanaugh_schoolmate_urges_georgetown_prep_grads|title=Kavanaugh Schoolmate Urges Georgetown Prep Grads to Break Silence on Sexual Assault, Party Culture|date=2 October 2018|work=Democracy Now | access-date=23 November 2018 }}

Emma's Revolution has participated in many activities for the Unitarian Universalist church community. Their song "Love Reaches Out" was the official theme song of the congregation's General Assembly in 2014.{{Cite web|url=http://prideshowcase.blogspot.com/2014/06/emmas-revolution-love-reaches-out.html|title=Emma's Revolution - Love Reaches Out|last=Bill|date=2014-06-27|website=Pride Showcase|access-date=2018-10-11}}{{cite web|url=http://katewolfmusicfestival.com/emma-s-revolution/|title=Emma's Revolution - Kate Wolf Music Festival|website=katewolfmusicfestival.com|date=December 2014 |accessdate=23 November 2018}} Emma's Revolution songs are included in the Unitarian-Universalist Tapestries of Faith curriculum,{{Citation needed|date=November 2018}} and in the Unitarian-Universalist hymnals "Earth and Spirit Songbook," and "Las Voces del Camino."{{Citation|editor-last=Herman|editor-first=Ken|year=2009|title=Las Voces del Camino:  Un complemento de Singing the Living Tradition|isbn=978-1-55896-553-9|publisher=Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations|chapter=Hymn Number 28, Vamos todos adelante / Sin volver atrás|type=Softcover|language=es}}

Emma's Revolution won a 2003 Grand Prize for folk music in the John Lennon Songwriting Competition for their co-written song "If I Give Your Name," about undocumented workers killed at the World Trade Center on 9/11.{{Cite news|url=https://www.heraldnet.com/uncategorized/just-plain-folk/|title=Just plain folk | first=Sharon | last=Wootton | date=February 29, 2008 | work=The Herald | location=Everett, Washington | access-date=2018-10-02 }}

In 2012, at the 27th Washington Area Music Awards ("The Wammies"), Emma's Revolution received nominations for Folk – Contemporary Duo/Group, Folk – Contemporary Recording, and Artist of the Year; and was given the 2012 Special Award for Fan Favorite.{{Cite web|url=https://sites.google.com/view/wama-dc/home/wammie-awards-2006-2015/27th-wammies-2012?authuser=0 | title=27th Wammies (2012)| author=Washington Area Music Association| author-link=Washington Area Music Association| year=2012 | work=Washington Area Music Association Archive | via=Google Sites | access-date=2018-10-14}}

In 2016, Emma's Revolution was given the inaugural Phil Ochs Award by the organization A Still Small Voice 4U, noticing that the group has "worked tirelessly for social and political justice giving their voices and their hands and hearts to support the environment, gay and lesbian rights, farm workers and American Indians."{{Cite web|url=http://www.assv4u.com/awards-etc.html|title=Awards Etc|work=A Still Small Voice 4U | access-date=2018-10-02}}

• One x 1,000,000 = Change {{aka}} One (2004){{cite web|url=https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/emmas|title=♫ One - Emma's Revolution. Listen @cdbaby|website=cdbaby.com|accessdate=22 November 2018}}
• Roots, Rock and Revolution (Moving Forward Music, 2007){{cite web|url=http://www.ulsterpublishing.com/view/full_story/11402329/article-Dancing-at-the-revolution?|title=Dancing at the revolution | first=Cheryl A. | last=Rice | date=May 8, 2008 | work=Hudson Valley Times | publisher=Ulster Publishing | accessdate=22 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.syracuseculturalworkers.com/products/cd-roots-rock-and-revolution-emmas-revolution|title=CD - Roots, Rock and Revolution - Emma's Revolution|website=Syracuse Cultural Workers|date=21 December 2012 |accessdate=22 November 2018}}
• Revolutions Per Minute (Moving Forward Music, 2011)
• Revolution Now (2017){{cite press release | url=https://madmimi.com/s/3ab4a9 | title=Emma's Revolution "Revolution Now: CD Release Concert at The Freight | via=Mad Mimi | date=February 22, 2017 | first=Lisa | last=Geduldig | accessdate=22 November 2018}}

• We Came to Sing by Holly Near with Emma's Revolution (Burnside, Calico Tracks Music, 2009){{cite web|url=https://www.goldenrod.com/product/holly-near-with-emmas-revolution-we-came-to-sing/|title=Holly Near with Emma's Revolution – We Came to Sing (2009) | work=Goldenrod Music | accessdate=22 November 2018}}{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/we-came-to-sing!-mw0000831647|title=We Came To Sing! - Emma's Revolution, Holly Near - Songs, Reviews, Credits - AllMusic|website=AllMusic|accessdate=22 November 2018}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{Cite web |url=http://nodepression.com/interview/quick-q-and-emmas-revolution |title=Quick Q and A with Emma's Revolution |last=Sands-Boehmer |first=Kathy |date=September 19, 2012 |website=No Depression |access-date=November 23, 2018}}

{{cite web|url=https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2012/01/emmas_revolution_mixes_politic.html|title=emma's revolution mixes politics, music and humor| date=January 10, 2012 | first=Keith | last=O'Connor |website=MassLive |accessdate=22 November 2018}}

{{Cite web|url=https://meandthee.org/OldSite/blog/txp/quick-q-and-a-with-pat-humphries-and-sandy-o-emmas-revolution|title=Quick Q and A with Pat Humphries and Sandy O (emma's revolution) |date=May 1, 2008|website=Me and Thee | first=Kathy | last=Sands-Boehmer | access-date=2018-10-14}}

{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/occupy-wall-street-inspires-a-new-generation-of-protest-songs/2011/10/14/gIQAANnqpL_story.html|title=Occupy Wall Street inspires a new generation of protest songs|last=Montgomery|first=David|date=16 October 2011|newspaper=The Washington Post|language=en}}

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• {{Official website|https://emmasrevolution.com/}}

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Category:American folk musical duos

Category:American political music groups

Category:Musical groups established in 2001

Category:American LGBTQ musicians

Category:Musical duos from California

Category:Female musical duos