Local songwriter retells “A Christmas Carol” with fresh folk music
From staff reports
Traverse City songwriter Steve Clark and a lively band of acoustic musicians are bringing an original version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to Leelanau and Benzie counties this holiday season.
Performances are scheduled for Friday, Dec. 1, at 7 pm at the Old Art Building in Leland; Friday, Dec. 15, at 6:30 pm at the Oliver Art Center in Frankfort, and Sunday, Dec. 17, at 5 pm at the Willowbrook Mill in Northport. Tickets can be purchased at HauntingOfEbenezer.com. Prices vary from $15-$25. Clark will be joined by singers and musicians Mark Goike, Sara Hartley, Karl Hartley, Debbie Hershey, Dane Moeggenberg, Kristen Stewart, and Mackenzie Vance.
The performance is an acoustic concert retelling of Dickens’ classic tale. These 16 original Americana songs guide a listener through Ebenezer Scrooge’s haunting and transformation. The lively band, playing folk instruments and singing in harmony, embraces the ghosts and regrets, the love and joy that has made A Christmas Carol such a beloved and enduring holiday tradition. The Haunting of Ebenezer is part concert, part musical theatre, and all holiday cheer.
Every Christmas, local songwriter Clark is searching for the “true spirit of Christmas.” That’s why he wrote “The Haunting of Ebenezer”; to help himself and others remember what it is that makes Christmas magical: the music, the laughter, joy and merriment, coupled with sense of community, family, and helping one another. Clark recognizes how perfectly Dickens captured the holiday spirit with A Christmas Carol, and has updated the story with his own modern take on the piece.
Clark, who has been writing songs for over two decades, feels that rooting the story in modern folk music helps people connect with the characters. While England in the 1800s can feel distant from the realities of Michigan in 2023, the acoustic sound and heartfelt songs make the story accessible for today’s listeners.
The Haunting of Ebenezer was born in the Irish pubs of Chicago. For years, when he was living in Chicago, Clark and his band would play through the story of Ebenezer Scrooge in bars with fireplaces. Throughout the show, three featured singers, Sara Hartley, Karl Hartley, and Kristen Stewart, portray the various characters in Dickens story. For example, the Ghost of Christmas Past is sung by Kristen Stewart and Sara Hartley in gentle, angelic harmony. The Ghost of Jacob Marley is sung by Karl Hartley, donning chains and singing in a powerful, aggressive tone. In between each song, the narrator Debbie Hersey reads excerpts from A Christmas Carol while the band improvises music. The band has four musicians: Steve Clark on acoustic guitar, Mark Goike of percussion, Dane Moeggenborg on acoustic bass, and Mackenzie Vance on banjo.
The Haunting of Ebenezer runs about an hour and 15 minutes.
