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Introducing Dave
Monday, April 13, 2015 at 01:40PM | Share Article 
Hello! My name is Dave Lishansky and I’m currently fortunate enough to be interning with Calling All Crows for a semester. Just a bit about me: I’m currently finishing my last couple of semesters at Northeastern University, studying Music Industry with focuses in recording and ethnomusicology. A few of my favorite things include walking my dog/best friend Toby in the woods of Concord (my hometown), playing music with people who love to sing their hearts out, and dancing late into the night using mostly my wrists and elbows (a move that’s been lovingly dubbed “the Dave” by those closest and most embarrassed for me).
I came upon Calling All Crows’ work via some friends on Facebook and, after doing a bit of research, realized that Chad and Sybil’s vision to channel the positive energy and goodwill surrounding live music into social activism was a cause I simply had to be a part of. After attending the Music and Lecture Series at this past year’s Annual Benefit Weekend, I knew there was no turning back.
Both at ABW7 and our most recent Music and Lecture Series event celebrating International Women’s Day, I understood exactly how the work that Calling All Crows does is supremely important. Watching the intimate gathering of people totally absorbed in conversation, music, and one another, I realized that the most profound result of the work being done is the community that is produced when people interested in changing the world gather. This community comprises new and old crows—family, friends, and, at this last lecture series, freshly edified advocates for reproductive justice armed with information from All* Above All and the sweet spirit of Chadwick Stokes and Darren Buck’s songs.
Groups just like this connect at every Calling All Crows event. Those who give, volunteer, fundraise, and join in for our causes are simultaneously strengthening the bonds and spreading the virtues of this community every day, and anywhere that crows come together, the wonderful rewards of these necessary labors are enjoyed.
While the problems of the world might not be solved by raising funds for a few winter kits for Syrian refugee camps or educating people on reproductive justice alone, I strongly believe that when communities’ foundations are structured around mutual appreciation for art and compassion for humanity, the world is strengthened in a positive way. Communities that care for one another, that accept and include all who wish to join, and respect and recognize those that don’t, whose harmony is palpable at every gathering, and who’s gatherings are built on the sharing of music and education—these communities can and do help heal the world. Calling All Crows is an enthusiastic, growing, and full-hearted example of such a community that I am truly proud and incredibly lucky to share a part in.
"Communities that care for one another, that accept and include all who wish to join, and respect and recognize those that don’t, whose harmony is palpable at every gathering, and who’s gatherings are built on the sharing of music and education—these communities can and do help heal the world."
My greatest hope for my work over the next few months is to help more and more musicians and fans realize their power to take action for change in whatever causes move them. The work of Calling All Crows has proven that the excitement of a show and love of music is a regenerative source of energy that, when channeled into the right outlets, can lead to tangible progress and sustainable solutions to any issue. The warmth and wholeness we receive from the music we care about is ours to put back into the world however we can, whether it be to create change through volunteerism, self-education, awareness building, or whatever we are moved to do—this is our gift as music lovers, and our defiant answer to anyone who says that some problems are simply too big to tackle.
What I’m listening to:
