Photo provided by Dale Sechrest Dale Sechrest performs live in an undated photo.
Just like Harry Chapin’s song “Circle,” it’s all coming full circle for local musician Dale Sechrest.
The singer-songwriter, a fan of the legendary Harry Chapin since he was a teen, has had his mind on performing folk legend Harry Chapin’s music live in concert for about three decades now. However, the opportunity never presented itself.
That is, until now.
YES Cinema will be holding “An Evening with the Music of Harry Chapin Featuring Dale Sechrest,” in the Sarla Kalsi Conference Center on Jan. 16, starting at 7 p.m. For Sechrest, it’ll be more than a concert, but an accomplishment and with an organization that does the work Harry Chapin would have done.
“I’ve wanted to do something like this and the directors, Randy and Linda Allman at YES Cinema and the staff there, they have been so great and encouraging me to do this and they just opened the door for me,” Sechrest said.
Tickets cost $25 in advance or $30 at the door. Tickets can be purchased at yescinema.org.
A guitarist since he was 13, Sechrest plays and writes Americana and Christian music. Though he’s been a singer-songwriter for about 40 years, Sechrest said his career’s become more steady in the last 20 years. In that time, he has stuck to performing mostly locally and has become more focused on ministry.
“Locally, I have worked with St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, I am actually currently working with the Hope Moravian Church, with Sandy Hook United Methodist Church, the Disciples of Christ in Seymour and Peace Lutheran in Seymour,” Sechrest said. “So a lot of various churches that I’ve worked with, providing worship, providing music.”
His music has seen widespread success, with the title track of his first CD “Speed of Light” playing on full rotation on many radio stations. One station even played the CD continuously for six hours, according to his website.
His song “With All My Heart” was also used in national outreach by the Catholic church a few years back and has been played by ministries across the country. Sechrest said he likes to draw people in with his music.
“I think that a lot of the music that I play, whether it is some of the classic rock or Christian music, I like to play the songs that everyone can relate to, songs that people not only know, but songs that they can relate to, that they can find themselves in, as well as songs that can bring them some hope and a little bit of joy,” Sechrest said. “And so because of that, I think people are receptive to that.”
Sechrest also plays in a band called the Peace Band, performing a mix of classic rock and Christian music in pop up gigs, though they’ve recently taken a break due to busy schedules. Some members from that band, drummer Tony Garrison and bassist Mark Fisher, will be performing at the upcoming Chapin show. They will also be joined by cellist Grover Parido.
“Just about every Harry Chapin song includes a cellist… and then, there’s one song in particular of his that requires a baritone singer, and so my son Andrew is going to be joining us on that particular song,” Sechrest said.
Many of the songs Sechrest and the others will be performing are ones Sechrest has been playing since his teenage years. Sechrest said he loves Chapin’s storytelling, an aspect of his songs that really set him apart from other artists of his time, and believes his songs connect deeply with human experience. He hopes to be able to convey the messages that Chapin would have wanted through the songs.
“His songs talk about everyday people, taxi drivers and waitresses, people that audiences can identify with. People that can even find themselves in these songs,” Sechrest said. “And so his storytelling… at times, they can evoke some strong emotions and I think that makes the audience, since they can relate, connect, that makes them feel seen and understood.”
Sechrest hopes audience members find themselves in these songs and walk away feeling like they had a little bit of an escape from the world. At the same time, he hopes they have fun through the songs and feel that same joy and compassion he felt when he saw Chapin live in concert.
“I would like people to walk away feeling like they know a little bit more of his music, that they walk away feeling like they’re perhaps a little lighter, that there’s hope and they just had a good time,” Sechrest said.
