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Music As Catalyst For Community - Conspiracy of Beards on Amoeblog Nicely done history and description of this men’s group in San Francisco that performs only songs of Leonard Cohen. Also, see previous post for video of performance. Two excerpts follow:

Peter Kadyk, who died in 2002, was the inspiration for the group. And Daryl Henline, the Conspiracy of Beard’s musical director, described him as, “A shining inspiration for a lot of us. He died at age 30 of HIV….Over the years, when we were all hanging out in his kitchen playing music, Peter used to say ‘You know we should start a men’s choir singing the songs of Leonard Cohen and it should be called A Conspiracy of Beards.’ And after he died Pete’s wife Annah said to Pete’s brother Pat and I ‘Why don’t you guys put that choir together.’” So they did. In 2003, a year after their muse’s death, eight of them formed the Conspiracy of Beards with the intention of doing a one-off event in a Mission District club.

“Singing Leonard Cohen’s music has changed us as people,” insists musical director Daryl. “Even though he might be ironic in some of his words and things. But what we’re doing is not ironic at all. If we were just singing the songs of Foreigner or Van Halen or whoever it wouldn’t be the same. But Leonard Cohen’s music has a very special connection to men. At least to guys like us….It flavors. It infuses what we do.” And who are the ‘guys like us’ in the Conspiracy of Beards? “Just guys from many walks of life; tradesmen, computer programmers, people who work in shops and stores, whatever,” said Daryl who is a carpenter by trade but has been singing in choirs since age five and as such is the most musically trained of the Beards. Many had no training whatever before joining, he said. “And seeing them transform themselves into performers that sing and interpret these words and these songs is really cool and something I think Pete would be behind.”