WHEN I WRITE about music, it’s not with any expertise. I can’t read a single musical note. I can’t carry a tune. But I do know when I like a song. And most of my “likes” hearken to my youth, when music boomed from the radio. Or, in the case of Simon & Garfunkel, flowed.
Fast forward more than 50 years to a 7 pm Friday, November 14, concert at the historic Cathedral of Our Merciful Saviour, 515 Second Avenue Northwest in Faribault. Vocalists Barb Piper and Pauline Jennings will present “Feeling Groovy: A Simon & Garfunkel Tribute with a Twist.” The “twist” is that the vocalists are women, not men. But four men, Craig Wasner, Mike Legvold, Mike Graebner and Steve Jennings, back the pair.
From my favorites “The Sound of Silence” and “Bridge over Troubled Water” to many more, this group performs a lengthy list of Simon & Garfunkel songs in addition to some Paul Simon favorites. I’ve never heard this tribute band, but I’ve been told, and read, that they are outstanding. Or, in 1960s and early 1970s lingo, I might say they are cool, groovy, far out.
The Feeling Groovy tribute to Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel is part of the Cathedral Concert Series. While the concerts are free, donations are welcomed for the Cathedral Preservation Fund. The massive stone cathedral, built between 1862 and 1869, is on the National Register of Historic Places. Bishop Henry Whipple, prominent in local and state history for his outreach to Indigenous Peoples, led the church at the time.
It’s a beautiful structure. And the acoustics inside the massive sanctuary are perfect for a concert that also features audience participation. I expect when Barb Piper and Pauline Jennings step up to sing, the audience will feel immersed in the lyrics and in the groovy sound of music, not of silence.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
that is going to be a wonderful tribute concert and I’m sure the acoustics will be amazing in that sanctuary. Simon and Garfunkel are one of my very favorite bands of all time, I love their lyrics, their voices together, and their spirit.
We are so fortunate to have this level of talent here in southern Minnesota. I may not make the start of the concert as I have another obligation. But I hope to see most of it.
This sounds like a fun time. We might try to squeeze it in before we go, if we get packed in time.
I hope to be there for most of the concert.
Oh Audrey. I. wish I could attend. I love s&g
I would love to attend this concert with you…if only PA wasn’t so far from MN.
Simon and Garfunkel are some very good artists. Oddly enough I was schedule to attend one of those concerts. One song struck me in a very dark and sad way. That was The 7 O’Clock New and Silent Night. This was a (bad) news over the background of the song Silent Night, First time I heard it, I thought my radio was messed up. OK, above 20 Below – my car will start, below 20 below, walk to school! What is with the radio? George Carlin was on the radio in the afternoon, and he has given me some insight and wisdom. “W, I N, O – Wonderful Wino! Whatever radio station he was impersonating. Just the thought of those days harkens all the music I listened to. It was a long walk to school!
At the concert I attended, the singers provided backstory to some of the songs, including Sounds of Silence. A friend of either Simon or Garfunkel (I don’t recall which) was visually-impaired, thus the reference to darkness and friendship.