Repercussions

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That same man stops on his way into the performance to tease my four-year-old in a very grandfatherly way. There's something I don't see too often in "the city" — older men initiating friendly interactions with my kids. Most men are annoyed by children or, at best, ignore them.

I wonder how these quaint village locals will respond to Repercussions, five women in shimmering clothes who play drums fiercely and sing for the Spirits. For fifteen years Repercussions, all of whom have day jobs, have been sharing their obsession with world music, rhythm, and instruments with audiences all over Michigan. And now they're in Stockbridge.

Babies, children, young teens, couples, and older folks fill the auditorium. We've missed the beginning because I had to take my son to the bathroom, but from the basement of the 103-year-old building, we heard drumming, singing, and a fine roar at the finish.