Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Alan Graf Of the Sarah Arthur Project Is Helping To Change Our World
Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new stuff. Playing the same old stuff will make you stiff and stodgy. The greatest performers and musicians gave up playing cover tunes and played their music.
As a part of our series about stars who are making an important social impact, I had the pleasure of interviewing Alan Graf of the Sarah Arthur Project.
Alan Graf, the creator of the Sarah Arthur Project has been on a mission starting before he was born with the escape of his father Bernard from Nazi Germany in 1938. Alan was born in NYC and from that point combined music, activism and the law to fulfill his mission to change the world for the better. Alan looks at his music and his law degree as tools in his activist tool box for his personal fight and struggle to make a difference in both a beautiful and cruel world.
Thank you so much for joining us on this interview series. Can you share with us the backstory that led you to this career path?
I started playing music at the age of 12 as a classical pianist. When I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan show I knew that not only the world had changed but my life changed as well. My mom agreed that I needed a guitar and my music took off from that point. At age sixteen I played in a band for three years called the Long Island Sounds. One of the singers, Gene Klein, wanted to learn how to play bass, so I taught him the first steps. I later took off to college and the Long Island Sounds became Kiss, with Gene changing his last name to Simmons. In college I jammed regularly with the Soft White Underbelly, which later became the Blue Oyster Cult. I started a band with their old bass player called the Ananda Band. After college I joined a hippie commune for a number of years and then left to go to law school. When I became a lawyer, I continued to practice civil rights law at the same time writing music which reflected my beliefs about law and equality. I moved from Portland Oregon after being there 19 years where I won a number of national civil rights awards. I continued all this time writing protest songs and songs of conscience that linked with my law practice. The Sarah Arthur Project is a culmination of years of songwriting interwoven with the story of a woman that seeks spiritual meaning. The story is fictitious but has some elements of my own story in it.
It has been said that our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
At one time, I was playing prisons with a band on The Farm, a hippie commune. We ended up playing for a Youth prison in Nashville. As we started to play, all the young prisoners started chanting Free Bird (Lynyrd Skynyrd) tunes. So we broke into it. Everyone stood up and started cheering. Well, the cheering went to my head, and at the end of the song, I jumped up in Pete Townsend mode, doing a pinwheel on my guitar and landing back down hard on a thin plywood stage. I crashed through the stage, and there I was up to my belly with my legs under the stage and the guitar resting on the stage. The youth prisoners started screaming, “Tear the place down,” and the warden quickly jumped up on the stage and lifted me out of the hole I played in. The lesson was to make sure you have a solid stage before you pretend you are the Who.
What would you advise a young person who wants to emulate your success?
My success has been threefold: music, activism, and the law. I put together a business model where I supported my music and my activism through the business of law. That way I didn’t depend just upon music, which is known to be not too reliable when it comes to paying the rent and paying for food. I kept up the activism (making the world a better place) through the three components, music-law-activism.. It worked, and the business model should work for others. There is an old saying, “Real musicians have day jobs.”
Is there a person who made a profound impact on your life? Can you share a story?
I got to play lead guitar for an entire gig with Michael Franti. He played acoustic guitar, and I made a connection with his manager, who said I could play a few tunes with him. I played those tunes, and he ended up liking my licks so much he asked me to stay and play the entire set with him. I really appreciate his dedication to peace through his music. I look at him as a role model for how music can effect change.
How are you using your success to bring goodness to the world? Can you share with us the meaningful or exciting causes you’re working on right now?
Besides Sarah Arthur, the Spiritual Journey of an American Jewish Woman, a folk musical, which has the intent of bringing to the forefront the struggle of refugees in America and the quest for freedom and peace, I have also continued to practice law. Recently, here in Asheville, North Carolina, we were hit with a terrible hurricane, Hurricane Helene, which killed many people and devastated and destroyed houses and businesses. I spent several months being a volunteer lawyer and got to help out and get to know a lot of great people. I helped them with rental issues, FEMA issues, and other stuff. In the process, I traveled around North Carolina and was blown away by the devastation. But more importantly, I got to see people, no matter what their political beliefs, work well together to bring themselves up off the ground. It was a joy to see and reminded me how great Americans can be, particularly in times of need.
Can you share with us a story behind why you chose to take up this particular cause?
The Sarah Arthur story addresses several timely causes and issues: refugees, craziness in politics, searching for one’s place in the world, and working for change not only by fighting the system but living your beliefs: Walking the Talk. As told in the Sarah Arthur story, Sarah’s parents and mine both escaped from Nazi Germany before World War II. They were welcomed here and became model contributing citizens. The Sarah Arthur story reminds us that most everyone who comes here is valuable, is legitimate, and can contribute to our country. That is the story of my dad, similar to the refugees of today.
Can you share with us a story about a person who was impacted by your cause?
When I first got to Asheville, I was asked to defend some journalists who had been arrested for videotaping the police as they tried to break up a homeless encampment. They were members of the Asheville trans-community and were just wonderful people. In the process of going to trial, we all got to know each other and got to respect each other for the part we played in the cause. We ended up losing the trial, but their punishment was just a fine. But the bottom line was that we were there for each other and came out of the experience knowing that even if the government gets brutal, there are always people who will fight the fight and resist.
Are there three things, or are there things that individuals, society, or the government can do to support you in this effort?
I put together the Sarah Arthur musical with the hope that many, many people would listen to it, enjoy it and be affected by it. It contains a consistent message of love, peace, and the celebration of differences. The project can be supported by people, basically spreading the word about the project. This is not just a musical. It could be a movement. Are you on board?
Why do you think music in particular has the power to create social change and create a positive impact on humanity?
Music can be magic. It is our spirit mind singing to itself. Lyrics and music together can move mountains. I am reminded of the Dylan song–The Times They are a-Changing. That is a powerful tune that played a part in the movement for peace and civil rights in the sixties. There is also a famous quote from the activist Mother Jones, who said I don’t want to be part of your revolution unless I can dance. Music keeps us alive, sustains joy, and helps nurture our sense of humor. Without it, any revolutionary change will become dull and lifeless. That’s what happened in Russia with the Bolshevik Revolution. It lost its love and life and became soulless communism. If you want change to happen and stay happening, music and the arts are an essential part of any long-lasting change.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started”?
- Practice, practice, practice
- Stay focused on having fun with your music and art
3 If you become good and well-known, remember how you got there. You are ultimately a voice for the people, not for yourself.
4. If you can play quality instruments. Your tone and sound are the carrier wave for your message.
5. Don’t be afraid to experiment and try new stuff. Playing the same old stuff will make you stiff and stodgy. The greatest performers and musicians gave up playing cover tunes and played their music.
You’re a person of enormous influence. If you could start a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger.
I have been trying for years to find the right lever and place to move the planet. Archimedes said as much. I think the biggest immediate challenge we face now is the climate catastrophe. I would team up with Greta Thunberg to try to raise humanity’s awareness about the impending issue of global warming. We are facing extinction as a species, and yet we pretend like nothing is happening, and we continue to warm and pollute the planet. We need more people in the streets, on the internet, playing and writing music and poems about saving and cherishing the nest.
Can you please give us your favorite life lesson quote? And can you explain how that was relevant in your life?
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For indeed, that’s all who ever have,” and “What people say, what people do, and what they say they do are entirely different things.” Margaret Meade. Again and again, I have run into situations where people feel powerless against powerful, oppressive governments. And I remind them of the famous word of Margaret Meade. If you look at history, you will find that it has been a few dedicated people again and again that changed the course of human history. One example is the story of Rosa Parks and her seat on a bus. That incident, where she was arrested for sitting in an all white section, was meticulously planned out for over a year to create the greatest effect. And it worked, her story and actions changed the laws and affected several people who didn’t even think about the injustice of white only seating or sections.
We are blessed that some very prominent names in Business, VC funding, Sports, and Entertainment read this column. Is there a person in the world, or in the US, with whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch, and why? He or she might just see this if we tag them.
You know that is a tough question. My first thought would be to have lunch with someone who thinks a lot like me. But that might be a waste of time, wouldn’t it? I would like to have lunch with Elon Musk, who to me seems brilliant, but is a lost soul. He has let power and money destroy his decency. And he has or had some decency and vision for humanity. But the money, power, and fame has sidetracked his life and vision to uplift humanity. I once owned a Tesla, but I traded it in because I didn’t want to be associated with its bad karma. But, maybe, he might hear me if we spoke one-to-one.
Thank you so much for these amazing insights. This was so inspiring, and we wish you continued success!
About the Interviewer: Stanley Bronstein is an attorney, CPA, and author of more than 20 books. However, he doesn’t consider any of those his greatest achievement. His most significant accomplishment was permanently losing 225 pounds and developing the personal growth system that made it possible — The Way of Excellence. As a catalyst for change, he has dedicated his life to helping others maximize their potential, transform their lives, and achieve optimal health. To learn more, you can download a free PDF copy of his latest book, The Way of Excellence Journal, at HYPERLINK “https://thewayofexcellence.com/”https://TheWayOfExcellence.com.
Music Stars Making a Social Impact: Why & How Alan Graf Of the Sarah Arthur Project Is Helping To… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.