We didn’t know that a video of a choir of senior citizens singing a dramatic rendition of Phish‘s sweeping Billy Breathes original “Free” was what we were missing, but now that we’ve seen it, its kind of hard to imagine life without it. Really–just try to watch this extra-seasoned group of singers bring some old school vim and vigor to the Phish favorite and not crack a smile (via Stand For Jam):
That group of beautiful human beings is known as the “Young @ Heart Chorus,” a rotating group of senior citizen performers based in New England who tour the world with their pop music-centered variety shows. The video above comes from the Y@H and Friends performance at John M Greene Hall on the grounds of Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts in 2011.
While it may be comprised of people your grandparents’ age, this group is totally hip to the mindset of the artists that they cover. As the group’s website explains, they do not have a strict songbook or arrangements. “We have an amazing band and we make it up as we go along. One of the best things is to see how songs change as we continue to sing them.”
Several of the artists Y@H Chorus has covered have reached out to work with or recognize their work. “David Byrne invited us to join us at a forum on bicycles that he curated for the New Yorker Festival, we performed at the Town Hall and he joined us the next day at the Paris Bar” explains the Y@H website FAQ. “Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane/Hot Tuna has been in touch and Sonic Youth put our version of “Schizophrenia” on their website.”
Below, you can watch the trailer for the award-winning Walker George-made documentary about the group, Young @ Heart, which won tow Rose D’Or awards and the LA Film Festival Audience Award when it was originally released in 2006, and which screened at Sundance in 2008 followed by a brief national theatrical run (via Fox Searchlight):