Support Ukraine | NPS now on Substack! 

At Home

Betty and i moved with our three daughters to the coast of maine over forty years ago. since then, i've done the occasional benefit concert - from fort kent to portland - but have never done a concentrated tour of the state in one season. until last year. from ogunquit to eastport (check THAT out on a map), i recorded (and subsequently edited and authored) these 24 music videos for the DVD and (amazingly) all 24 of the songs fit on the accompanying CD.

The songs represent a broad range: THE CABIN FEVER WALTZ (homage to the rigors of enduring the lengthened winter in maine), a new version of WHATSHERNAME (a bittersweet jazz shaded reminiscence of a middle-aged man in denial) originally recorded on the PP&M 1700 album, FAMILIA DEL CORAZON (a new song that speaks to the immigration issue in compassionate rather than political terms), WEDDING SONG (with the 'original' lyric and a spoken introduction) and THE LADY SAYS SHE DON'T LIKE JAZZ (a commentary on a common misperception of the creative process).

I hesitate to call this a memoir - though it does span 50 years of my music - but i DO appreciate the fact that 1) it's all about the music - 95% of the visual is 'in performance', 2) the camera work is intimate - both fixed and handheld coverage by videographers sharing the stage during performance and 3) it's as relaxed and 'stookey' as it can get - what with no accompaniment except my guitar.

'Sort of what you'd expect if we were together AT HOME...

Peter, Paul & Mary sang with an intimacy and truth that many of us had never heard before, but their enormous fame forced us to view them from afar. We could only hope they were the people they seemed to be.

In the intimate At Home, Noel Paul Stookey offers us the close-up peek we’ve always wanted. Performing at local venues near his Maine home, we see him as we would in his living room. Eye to eye, his fluid voice and supple guitar are even more impressive, his songs as lovingly and honestly crafted as a Shaker chair, full of real-life wisdom and the friendly humor that always drew us to him. Finally, we can know what we always hoped––Noel Paul Stookey is the same brilliant, caring, and homespun man we want him to be.
Scott Alarik
American author, folksinger, journalist, radio programmer, advocate, activist, and music community leader. He covered folk music in the Boston Globe for over 20 years.
"The vocals and guitar were perfect. So masterful would be my one word comment if I only get one word. If I get more than one word then I’ll say your choice of songs are perfect, you are guitar playing, and voice deliver them and exactly the right way – which isn’t always easy to do as a solo – and the overall effect is intimate and professional at the same time. Which isn’t surprising given your tenure as a presenter of beautiful and life-changing music."
Kitty Donahue
Singer/songwriter There are No Words
These songs are a delightful surprise; a collection of wonderfully written and sung stories. "Jean Claude" is exquisite; the most powerful and my favorite. I listened to every word of “America the Beautiful“ and was moved. Thank you.
Ysaye Barnwell
“Stookey changed my young life. He gave me the wish to sing, to own a guitar, to write songs with heart and depth and humor. The songs you see and hear here are the perfect example of his art... charming, wise, soulful, a blessing for anyone with ears. Queue the moon!!!
Amanda McBroom
Singer/songwriter the Rose
"In this day of loud noise, these songs are quiet. In this day of flash bang, special effects, these videos are calm, intimate, and forthright. In this day of clicks and tweets and the shortest possible attention spans, the songs you write and sing, and the heart you endow them with, is the truest kind of communication. I’m so grateful for this music.
Mary Katherine Alden