Despite steady rainfall on Friday evening, music lovers made their way to the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center for an evening of folk songs, storytelling and music history.
The October installment of the Music Heritage Series featured local group Save the Tunes.
Save the Tunes is a group of musicians dedicated to preserving and performing traditional
American folk music. Through storytelling, the group members also give the audience a full sense of history during their performances.
Save the Tunes has been performing for 37 years, says founding member Marti Pizzini, of
Chesterton, and one interesting fact is that they do not practice – they just show up.
“We have been performing together for a long time and can put together these events,” said Pizzini, noting that the group has seven members, who perform together as often as they can.
It didn’t take long for the audience to join in the singing, as Pizzini began singing the familiar folk tune, “Along the Mountainside.”
“Joan Baez at the beginning of her career sang this song,” said Pizzini, “and these folk songs and her versions of them were often part of her concerts.”
Group member Jim Nelson performed a song using only voice and hand clapping called “Ola Tveiten,” the name of a fictitious road construction worker. Nelson met the songwriter,
Lillebjørn Nilsen, briefly at the local pub while studying at the University of Oslo.
“I sang with a Norwegian male chorus in Norway for 10 years,” said Nelson. “We had several CD albums and included several of Nilsen’s songs on one. His music was extremely popular in Norway, and I listened to them often, which inspired me to translate three verses of the song.”
Nelson, of Chesterton, has a doctorate in Scandinavian languages and literature, and has translated songs to perform from Norwegian as well as Swedish and Danish.
Husband and wife Gary and Susan Brown, of Valparaiso, performed several duets, including the popular sea chanty, “Leave Her Johnny Leave Her,” by an unknown composer.
“When you were on a voyage, you were not allowed to complain until the last day,” said Susan Brown, “so this song was about ending the journey.”
The Browns play autoharp, guitar, Appalachian dulcimer, penny whistle, Irish drum and
harmonicas, along with other rhythm instruments, and are known locally for their vocal harmonies of historic tunes, often performing in costume dating from the 1600s to the Victorian era.
Marilyn Spencer, of Chesterton, was one of the audience members and has attended many
performances of Save the Tunes.
“Tonight we were challenged by some of the history of the Scandinavian songs and thrilled
with the artists’ performances,” said Spencer, a retired music teacher.
Attending with Spencer was Liz Nobles, of Valparaiso, who said she has tried to make every
performance for the last three or four years.
“Every night is different and enjoyable,” said Nobles. “The music is so important, and it can
make you smile, and can even be something that is really moving to hear.”
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“We perform songs from a time before television and AI, from a time when people were trying to make sense of their world,” said Pizzini. “All throughout history, people have used music to find their way, to express emotions, and to show a different way of looking at the world.”
The next local performance of Save the Tunes will be November 20, 2026, featuring maritime songs. For more information, visit nps.gov and search for Music Heritage Series.
Deena Butterfield is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.