Touched for the very first time...

It is both your privilege and your responsibility to vote. So do it.

Okay, I know you don't give a shit, but who gets into the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame this time around?
	Madonna
	Leonard Cohen
	Donna Summer
	Chic
	John Mellencamp (does his John Cougar material count?)
	Beastie Boys
	Afrika Bambaataa,
	The Ventures
	Dave Clark Five
	Where the hell is Neil Diamond, people!
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Harp Magazine article on Sarah Borges....

Sarah Borges: Songwriter We’d Like to Get to Know Better
By Duc Pham (Harp Magazine)

If Boston-based roots-rocker Sarah Borges ever gets sick of touring, she has a bright future in marketing. Told how Harp heard her album while a hostage in a huge traffic jam, she says “it’s too bad we couldn’t force that situation upon everyone we want to hear the record, like make their car stop or stall so they have to listen. We could call it Engine Disabler!” That’s exactly the kind of captive-audience marketing idea the big media suits like to hear—but lucky for Borges, she and her band the Broken Singles don’t have to resort to such tactics. Rooted in roadhouse roots rock but mindful of everything from KISS to the Replacements to Reigning Sound, and wet with Borges’ gorgeous Kelly Willis/Mary Weiss vocals, Diamonds in the Dark (Sugar Hill) is required listening you’ll demand to hear.

Diggin’ Uncle Q - “The Day We Met” sounds like it has NRBQ’s Big Al Anderson written all over it. Borges says her bandmates hipped her to the goofy High Geniuses of American rock ’n’ roll. “Our guitar player Mike, he’s from New York and he’s seen NRBQ [innumerable] times…[and] he started bringing all the NRBQ records into the van. There ain’t nothin’ like driving down the American highway listenin’ to NRBQ’s Live at Yankee Stadium.”

She Works Hard For The…Tangible End. “Part of the reason that people make art is there’s something that they’re trying to work out or work through. I don’t know if you really know what that is until the end of it, and maybe there isn’t an end—but at least a song is a tangible, 3 1/2-minute end. You’re a little bit further along at workin’ out where you’re at in your life in the 3 1/2 minutes than you were before you wrote it.”

Uncommonly Good! Harp’s own David Sprague says there’s an “impossibly infectious hook secreted in every song.” Sounds like a Keebler cookie, eh? They are, of course, uncommonly good. “[laughing] Yeah, I know. Of course it makes you laugh hysterically when you read stuff that’s been written about you. Not that you feel like it’s untrue, but other people’s assessments of what you’re saying is always a little bit suspect. But that’s a flattering thing to have said, but it does conjure up Keebler elves or puppies.”

Dan Stevens and the Fiery Band ....

Live at the Southington Apple Harvest Festival Friday night to kick off the two weeks of entertainment (schedule). Good mix of blues and rockabilly, including a rousing That's Alright, Mama. Since our plans for the Naugatuck Blues Train fell through, I plan to check out the British Invasion cover band English Beats tonight at the Festival with Keithie.

Dan Stevens will be appearing again at the festival at the Elks Club beer garden on Sunday, October 7th from 4-8pm. A glimpse of last night's performance below:

Everybody's workin' for the weekend....

Wall of Sound walks - Okay, girls, you can start dating Phil Spector again. - mistrial story

Be sure to say hello to Johnny Gumbo as he scurries importantly about the Southington Apple Harvest Festival this weekend. Expect a very good show tonight with Dan Stevens & His Fiery Band. If you get to the Festival this weekend, DO NOT forget to load up on some tasty Rotary french fries and frozen apple cider (we are right next to the apple fritter booth).

Planning to ride the Naugy Blues Train Saturday night with the Dashing Valentes. Ride features The Scissormen along with The Sawtelles. Food/drink, too!

Recommended by johnnyk....

Levon Helm and The RCO All Stars at Keene State College 7/2/77

From Wolfgang's Vault: Less than a year after the Band broke up, drummer Levon Helm brought an exceptional ensemble of musicians to Keene State College in New Hampshire. Featuring Paul Butterfield, Dr. John, Donald Dunn, Booker T. Jones, and more, this show boasts a range of material, from early Band numbers, to horn-driven arrangements, to old school blues songs. Now available for download, this All Star show is a gem from a bygone era. - To listen/concert summary

The lineup!!!!!!
Paul Butterfield - harmonica, vocals
Fred Carter - guitar, vocals
Steve Cropper - guitar
Donald Dunn - bass
Dr. John (Mac Rebennack) - piano, guitar, vocals
Levon Helm - drums, vocals
Howard Johnson - tuba, baritone sax
Booker T. Jones - organ
Tom Malone - trombone
Lou Marini - tenor sax
Alan Rubin - trumpet

Yalies on Cafe Nine....

Cafe Nine adds flavor to Elm City’s music scene Kate Aitken (yaledailynews.com)

Dimly lit, with concert posters, gumball machines and a jukebox lining the open-faced brick walls, Cafe Nine is a cozy mixture of underground and vintage. The only bar in New Haven featuring live music every night of the week, Cafe Nine has been a staple of the New Haven music scene for nearly two decades. While Rudy’s features live music on Saturdays and Toad’s is known for more mainstream concerts and infamous Saturday Night Dance Parties, Cafe Nine has always been dedicated to making live music available to the beer-drinking public whenever they want it.

“There’s always something going on here,” said Edward Zaretskiy, who has played at Cafe Nine with his band Mr. Ed and the Horses in addition to frequenting the bar as a customer. “It’s the only place around that’s real anymore.” Cafe Nine devotees like Zaretskiy say owner Paul Mayer — who bought Cafe Nine in 2003 — has invigorated the bar and its nightly lineup, drawing on rock and roll, indie and “insurgent country” talents and boasting guests like Junior Boys and Wolf Parade.

Mayer said he has remained focused on the bar’s original mission: giving live music a home in New Haven. - complete article

Your mama is a jam band....

Don't know what that means, but it is scrawled on the paper towel dispenser in the basement bathroom of the Iron Horse Music Hall last night where we ventured to see Sarah Borges and her Broken Singles. For clarity, they were performing upstairs in the music hall, not in the basement bathroom. SB&BS had been at Cafe Nine the previous night, but the post-11pm show time made the trip north to Northampton the more attractive option. I thought of power napping and sneaking down on Friday, but a Friday afternoon of golf at Tallwood and an early Saturday starting time at Timberlin nixed that idea.

The features that make Keith, Sharie and The Reet dislike Cafe Nine (small, crowded, limited seating, difficult sight lines, etc.) are what I love about it. It has a chaotic, yet relaxed feel to it - it's the "Musicians' Living Room!" But, I must admit, those late showtimes are wearing. So, off to the Iron Horse Music Hall (with its 7pm showtimes) we go. Doors open at 5:30, so we plan to get there around five to grab a well-situated table in front, not too close to the stage. While standing in line, bassist Binky pops out and chats with us for a bit, noting that they missed us Friday night at Cafe Nine. I feel obligated to tell him of the showtimes dilema. He nods sympathetically. We agree that Northampton is a great place to stroll around; Binky tells of a great record store, Dynamite Records on Main Street (yes, he had visited Turn It Up!) that I should check out.

Once inside, we order up some drinks (Harp Lager for me, Corona for Sharie, diet Pepsis for Keith/The Reet) and food (black bean burrito, don't remember the rest, sorry) and wait for opening act, John Cate & the Van Gogh Brothers. Cate, who looks a bit like a cross between John Denver and Randy Newman, plays some good country/rock type material together with bandmates Paul Candilore (electric guitars and backing vocals) and Steve Latt (pedal steel guitar, fiddle & mandolin). According to the website there are more members, but tonight there are hired guns on bass (from the Lonesome Brothers) and drums. Keith gives them a "they were okay, but he tries too hard to be Dylan" review. I loved Latt's mandolin/fiddle playing. To be fair, a half-hour set doesn't allow for much variety.

Short break allows for the usual tasks- bathroom, drink refills, opening act reviews. Also a chance to say hello to The Headliner, who ALSO mentions that we had not been at Cafe Nine last night. My plea of Yankees game fares poorly, but Sarah gives me a pass on the late night. Introduced me to Ron Borges, retired mail carrier, avid golfer and very proud papa, with whom I chat until showtime.

We've seen the band quite a few times now - Peter and I at the Narrows Center, Cafe Nine about four times with various groups of friends, up in Cambridge with friends/family at the Lizard Lounge and with Garrett at Joe's Pub in Manhattan in June. The Music Hall is not filled, as it was when we caught James Hunter, and Keith is disappointed. But the crowd is respectable, if laid back. The songlist is quite familiar, both from an album and concert perspective, but a new song is showcased along with a very nice Charlie Pride number. It's great fun, with the Sarah/Binky banter and all, but I'd selfishly love to see them stretch out more on some of the songs instead of sticking to the album version. I'm glad that Mike Castellana is now taking his guitar solos standing instead of sitting behind his pedal steel - it's only rock 'n roll, Mike! Okay, maybe it's alt-country or whatever, but you gotta stand. The single off Diamonds in the Dark is The Day We Met, but my recent favorite is Stop And Think It Over, which Sarah does much better than Mary Weiss (lead singer of The Shangrilas), who performed it on Letterman. Great driving-in-my-car fare. Dave, give Sarah equal time! The set must end by nine since there is another show at ten. Sharie voices her pleasure with the encore choice - Open Up Your Back Door. Deadpan.

Keith, pick you up at 7am for our 7:37am starting time. Night all.

Sarah is the second of three great concert dates on my schedule. Saw Ben Harper with Jonathan/Garrett at Radio City Music Hall and booked to see Lucinda Williams at Town Hall on October 4 with Keith/Sharie.

But johnnykmusic readers knew!!!!!.....

1,2,3,4, Tell Me Who You're Searching For by Erik Gunther

Now in heavy rotation, the commercial for Apple's new iPod Nano has struck a chord with searchers. As the new colors of the squat 'n' skinny Nano flip by, the video of a cute chanteuse singing a simple tune has a sort of magical quality. Queries on "ipod nano commercial song," "ipod nano song," and "ipod nano commercial" all jumped over 350% over this past weekend. Seems everyone wants to know who possesses the enchanting voice behind the raspy "1, 2, 3, 4."

The woman in question is none other than indie darling Feist. Searches on the singer soared 165% yesterday and related queries on "leslie feist," "feist lyrics," and "feist videos" have blossomed. As for the tune, queries on "1234," "feist 1234 lyrics," and "feist 1234" have all hit high notes. Folks unsure of the song's title have resorted to searching on entire phrases from the tune. Queries on "1 2 3 4 tell me that you love me more" jumped 272% yesterday as curious couch potatoes tried to find out more about the mysterious Feist. - Article with various links - Feist on Letterman recently; same song, very cool arrangement. Check it out.

Here's the whole video from the commercial:

Johnny Gumbo announces 2007 Apple Harvest Festival entertainment....

2007 ENTERTAINMENT FROM THE MAIN STAGE ON APPLE ALLEY

Friday, Sept. 28
7:00 – 8:15 Dan Stevens & the Fiery Band
Saturday, Sept. 29
4:30 – 6:00 THE BRITISH BEATS
7:00 – 8:15 Wild Notes
Sunday, Sept. 30
5:15 – 6: 30 Harmony Incorporated
Friday, Oct. 5 – Family Night
6:00 – 7:15 TBA
7:45 – 9:00 Karaoke show
Saturday, Oct. 6
2:15 – 3:30 384 East
5:00 – 6:15 Mammoth Jack
7:00 – 8:15 The Coconuts
Sunday, Oct. 7
2:30 – 4:00 Redstone Ridge
4:00 – 6:00 Stage music

Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins......

Each time I log into Blogger to update this blog, I see Google's blogs of note. One that caught my eye was learning curves, a blog of a female calculus professor with a penchant for 3.5" stiletto heels.

"Walking around the lecture hall also gives the class a chance to see my shoes. Most of the time my shoes are hidden behind the lab bench, as I teach in the chemistry lecture hall.* Today I wore black patent leather pumps with 3.5" stiletto heels. I need more students to chime in on Rate My Professors with positive comments about my shoes. Style over substance is the name of the game."

This has nothing to do with music, except that she listens to Joe Frank (who appears occasionally with Judith Owens) on her iPod. Broadcaster and performance artist Joe Frank began his radio career in 1977 at WBAI in New York City and a year later served in Washington DC as co-anchor of National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."

I wanna be Bob Dylan.....

For those of you who have absolutely no self-esteem, here's a great place to go - a fantasy camp with washed up rock-n-rollers! (In my very best Johnny Carson voice, "I kid you not!") Okay, guitar stud, go to rockandrollfantasycamp.com and give them your scorching version of Freebird. All you have to do is bring the sex and drugs.

At right, Roger Daltry putting the moves on a star-struck camper.

In addition to being the theme for Kentucky Fried Chicken....

Lynyrd Skynyrd song to be tourism theme (AP)

At the start of "Sweet Home Alabama," Lynyrd Skynyrd singer Ronnie Van Zant shouts "Turn it up!" And that's what the state of Alabama plans to do with its new tourism campaign. Gov. Bob Riley has announced that Alabama's tourism agency will use the line "Sweet Home Alabama" to market the state in 2008. State Tourism Director Lee Sentell said the line — used first in the Lynyrd Skynyrd song in 1974 and then in the 2002 movie starring Reese Witherspoon — will be featured throughout the state's $4.5 million marking program next year. The campaign symbol is a red, blue, yellow and white logo with the words "sweet" and "home" flanking the stylized word "Alabama."

Sentell said tourism marketing campaigns often spend millions on brand recognition. "This one is instant," he said Monday. But just to be sure, the tourism agency had Luckie and Co. of Birmingham research the phrase along with others. Some 71 percent of out-of-state residents and 65 percent of Alabamians favored the phrase over the other choices, Sentell said. Sentell said the agency plans to sell Sweet Home Alabama T-shirts and caps in retail outlets. Besides a $25,000 licensing fee, it will pay Universal Music a 6 percent royalty on logo merchandise, he said. No decision has been made on incorporating the song into the campaign, officials said.

Video of Lynyrd Skynyrd doing Sweet Home Alabama at San Francisco's Winterland in 1975:

Oh those Sawtelles, busy again....

SEPTEMBER

FRI 21st Grady Tavern w/Shrinnirs and Can Kickers. Middle Tpk Manchester. Beer/wine/good food. This show is put on by the Rock Yer Socks folks and it’ll cost you TWO dollars for 3 bands. 9pm

SAT 29th Blues Train information:
WHERE: Naugatuck Valley Railroad, 242 East Main St. (Thomaston Station), Thomaston, CT
WHEN: Saturday, September 29 — 5:30 p.m.
WHAT: Blues and Vintage Express — a two hour round trip on a historic non-profit railroad through the foliage of the Connecticut hills, with an abundance of great music, wine, soft drinks, snacks and deserts
TICKETS and INFO: 860-283-7245 or www.rmne.org and www.scissormen.com

Ride this one-of-a-kind vintage train, a luxurious trip through scenic foliage and into the past when bluesmen rode the rails entertaining passengers on our nation’s railroads. This is the fourth annual Blues Train on the Naugatuck, featuring Nashville, Tennessee’s internationally touring juke joint blues kings Scissormen and their guests Plantsville’s own Sawtelles.

OCTOBER

MON 1st Beatnik 2000 café nine state street, new haven. 10pm. We might be doing some slide-action for our slot.

TUE 2nd the SSP blow into Daniel Street and shore up the bill that includes Phil Conine and Rod Mitchell. Should be a really wacky nite of music. Come see J’s new music stand. $5 and 9pm. Daniel Street club is on duh, Daniel St , in Milford right near the train station.

See the myspace.com/thesawtelles site for all of the rest of our upcoming gigs.

They call it stormy monday.....

Thee Mike Crandall Band won the 2007 CTBS Blues Challenge on Saturday at the West Hartford VFW. They will be representing the Ct. Blues Society at the International Blues Challenge in Memphis. Good Luck. Check out the 14 year old phenom drummer for the Mike Crandall Band at danielbanks.net.

Dineen, got a report??

Ben loves NY...

Busy day. Up at six to play golf (poorly) in the rain, always a treat, then a quick lunch of hot (but not HOTTEST) wings at Slider's before returning to home base around 1:30pm. Going to see Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals tonight at Radio City Music Hall and must pick up Jonathan/Garrett in Bay Ridge. Quick power nap, last minute instructions from The Reet (Don't you DARE try to drive back here tonight!) and I'm off down the Merritt to Brooklyn. The Yankees/Red Sox game (NICE win Friday night!) comes on at four, so I want to get to NYC to see the game before the concert. Cross over to the CT Turnpike in Milford to maximize speed/lanes. Got the UConn Huskies football game on the radio. WHAT? The Huskies are struggling with dreadful Temple, leading only 22-17 in the 4th quarter and the pompous Joe D'Ambrosio (hey, look at me, I'm the voice of the UConn Huskies!) is getting on my nerves. Cruising along at just above the allowable speed limit and making fab time. SCREEEEEEECH to a halt.

WTF! The best laid plans.... Stuck in traffic for a full half-hour while crews clear a badly damaged Winnebago from the pavement. Looks pretty nasty. Oh well, squeezing in front of some guy who keeps giving me the finger and I'm off again! Joe D (not to be confused with Joey Dee) is frantically describing how Temple's final pass into the end zone, for what would have been the winning touchdown, was incomplete, but they are reviewing. OMG, Pompous Joe yelps, I think he's IN! But the officials rule that the call stands despite evidence to the contrary and the Huskies remain undefeated! And THAT, my friend, is why you play home games!

Almost to Bay Ridge when Derek Jeter pounds one into the centerfield bleachers for a 1-0 Yankees lead in the first. I pick up the guys and head into through Battery tunnel into Manhattan to park, find a pub, eat some grub and watch the remainder of the game. After a no-thank-you parking offer of $61 near Broadway, we venture over to 10th for a more reasonable $12 and start walking and looking. The Snug on 8th between 50th/51st will do. But the Yankees suck today and we cross 9th Ave for some pizza (I wanted the Brazilian beans and rice, but nooooooo!).



The Art Deco-style Radio City Music Hall (some history), at the Avenue of the Americas between 50th/51st, is a pretty cool place and G-Man secured us good seats in the orchestra section. Piers Faccini, an interesting guitarist/singer backed by bass and drums, was the opening act and the crowd actually paid attention to him. After the opening 45-minute set and a break, Ben took the stage, sharply dressed in a vested suit (the concert was billed as "seated and optional dress up"), to a loud ovation and responded by declaring his love for New York audiences. The early stages of the concert were good, but low-energy, mixing accoustic/electric guitars with the Innocent Criminals (keyboards, bass, lead guitar, drums percussion) backing him in understated fashion. I must admit that at this point fatigue was setting in and I was being mellowed, albeit entertainingly, to sleep. But, thankfully, Ben turned up the throttle as the set progressed. Very good concert, although G-Man mused that John Butler was possibly even better. After a few photos shots of the Radio City facade, we head back to our parked vehicle hoping my golf clubs are still available. Passed a handsome cab and we wondered if Kramer had fed the horse a Price Club serving of Rice-a-Roni (It's the San Francisco treat, Jerry!).

Dropped G-Man off in Bay Ridge and headed home. Asleep by 3.

Concert highlights:

Opening up with accoustic "Take My Hand" from the album There Will Be a Light

Crowd pleasing rendition of Bill Withers' Use Me

The Dylan oft-covered "Masters of War"

A brief snipit from last night courtesy of guerra2104

I need a lover who won't blow my cover....

From Sarah Borges' website blog:

"And Monday we taped a radio show and then we were off on the 15-plus hour drive home. Moving in a vehicle for that long will make you batty. Binky and I became entrenched in a game we made up involving naming all songs with the word 'lover' in the title or lyrics of the song. You know, 'Part-time Lover', 'Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover', all that jazz. Post 'em on the guestbook if you got 'em, we're curious."

Got some?

Lovers' Concerto (The Toys)

Wives and Lovers (Burt Bacharach)

Freaky Friday.....

Got an email from Ticketmaster about upcoming area concerts.....Yikes! Burt Bacharach! at Mohegan Sun Cabaret Thu, Oct 25, 2007 7:30pm. I recently saw him on a commercial and he looked to be just about dead.

FLAT BUNS, I LIKE FLAT BUNS....and here is an outrageous commercial, insulting to the teaching profession, selling Carl's Jr flat buns hamburgers. Thought you'd want to stay informed. Related story.


And I'm sure Dineen will be at the CT Blues Challenge on Saturday at the VFW in West Hartford. Admission is $8, 2fer $15, under 16 free. Can't beat that!

2:00pm- The Supertones

2:45pm- Johnny Feds and Da Bluez Boyz

3:30pm- Fade To Blues

4:15pm- The Mike Crandall Band at 4:15,

5:00pm- Own Rendition

5:45pm- Ozzie Williams and the Marion Street Band.
After the competition is a special Connecticut Blues Society jam session. ctblues.org

Off to the Big Apple tomorrow to see Ben Harper at Radio City Music Hall with the boys.

Amy Winehouse turns 24 years old today. She made it this year, but no bets on next. Sad.

OJ stole my Little League trophy! - story

The New Yorker Festival - October 5,6,7 - some music-related sessions...

The annual New Yorker Festival returns the weekend of October 5, 6, 7 at venues throughout the city. "Schedule

Fiona Apple talks with Sasha Frere-Jones: A Conversation with Music
Girl with a torch.

Fiona Apple made her recording début in 1996, at the age of nineteen. The record, “Tidal,” went triple-platinum and included the song “Criminal,” for which she won a Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. She released her second album, “When the Pawn…,” in 1999. (The full title, a ninety-word poem, holds the world record for longest album title.) Her most recent album is “Extraordinary Machine.”

Sasha Frere-Jones became the pop-music critic for The New Yorker in 2004. He wrote about Fiona Apple for the magazine in 2005.
(Sat 10/6) 7:30 p.m. Brooklyn Lyceum ($35), 227 4th Avenue, Brooklyn

Rosanne Cash talks with Hendrik Hertzberg: A Conversation with Music
Another country.

Rosanne Cash was born in Memphis and began her music career as a backup singer for her father, Johnny Cash. She has produced fourteen albums and eleven chart-topping country singles, including “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me,” which won a Grammy Award in 1985. Her books include “Bodies of Water” and “Songs Without Rhyme: Prose by Celebrated Songwriters.” She is working on a memoir, which will be published next year.

Hendrik Hertzberg was a New Yorker Talk of the Town reporter from 1969 to 1977 before moving to Washington, where he served as President Jimmy Carter’s chief speechwriter and then as editor of The New Republic. He returned to The New Yorker in 1992 as a senior editor and writer and is the principal contributor to the Comment section of the magazine. He is the author of “Politics: Observations & Arguments.”
(Sat 10/6) 7:30 p.m. Highline Ballroom ($35); 431 West 16th Street

Dick Dale, Billy Gibbons, Vernon Reid, and Omar Rodriguez-Lopez talk with Nick Paumgarten: A Conversation with Music Guitar gods.

Dick Dale released “Surfer’s Choice,” the album that launched the California sound, in 1962; the album included “Misirlou,” which later became the title theme for the film “Pulp Fiction.” His next album was titled after his nickname, King of the Surf Guitar. He collaborated with the instrument developer Leo Fender to create Fender’s influential line of Showman amplifiers and is credited as the first guitarist to use reverberation. Four of his albums were recently rereleased on the Sundazed label.

Billy Gibbons is the guitarist for the rock trio ZZ Top, which he formed in 1969 with Dusty Hill and Frank Beard. His guitar, which he named Miss Pearly Gates, is a 1959 Gibson Les Paul. The group’s fourteen albums include “Afterburner,” “Recycler,” and the multi-platinum-selling “Eliminator,” which contains the hit songs “Legs” and “Sharp Dressed Man.” In 2004, the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Vernon Reid was born in England and grew up in Brooklyn; he started playing the guitar when he was fifteen. In the mid-eighties, he founded the trio Living Colour, which won two Grammy Awards and has sold more than four million records. He released a solo album, “Mistaken Identity,” in 1996. His many collaborators have included DJ Logic, B. B. King, Mick Jagger, the Ramones, and Tracy Chapman.

Omar Rodriguez-Lopez grew up in Puerto Rico and Texas, where he became a member of the post-hardcore band At the Drive-In. After the group split up, in 2001, he formed the Mars Volta, whose albums include “De-Loused in the Comatorium,” “Frances the Mute,” and “Amputechture.” He later moved to Amsterdam and toured with the Omar Rodriguez-Lopez Quintet. He released his second solo album, “Se Dice Bisonte, No Bùfalo,” in May.

Nick Paumgarten has been writing for The New Yorker since 2000. He wrote about Billy Gibbons for the magazine in 2005. His most recent article, “The Tycoon,” a Profile of Mort Zuckerman, appeared in the July 23rd issue.
(Sat 10/6) 10 p.m. Highline Ballroom ($35)

YIKES!!!....Gimme less!

Britney bombs at VMA awards - blog

Jonathan's fav Boston band in the news....

Dropkick Murphys get back to blue-collar basics by Mikael Wood (Reuters)

Ken Casey of the Dropkick Murphys admits that Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" has earned the hearty Celtic-punk crew a great deal of interest. The use of the band's "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" in the 2006 Boston-set crime drama drew listeners who otherwise wouldn't have paid much attention to the act. (According to Nielsen SoundScan, "Boston" has racked up 239,000 paid downloads, while the album that contains the song, "The Warrior's Code," has sold 189,000 copies since its release in 2005.) The singer/bassist even acknowledges that buzz from "The Departed" caused the Boston-based group to speed up production on its new album, "The Meanest of Times," due September 18 through the Murphys' own Born & Bred Records in partnership with Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group (ILG).

Meyer also hopes to continue the band's relationship with the Boston Red Sox, who regularly use "I'm Shipping Up to Boston" to announce the entrance of relief pitcher Jonathan Papelbon. Red Sox executive vice president of public affairs Charles Steinberg says that if the team makes it to the playoffs this year, he plans to offer the Murphys the opportunity to perform the national anthem at a game. The band is always on hold for the Red Sox," Meyer says. "We're on an unpaid, unscheduled, last-minute retainer." - complete article

Lucinda starts her ALBUM TOUR on the left coast....

Lucinda Williams at her most revealing. Her five-albums-in-five-nights El Rey stand sheds new light on the singer and her songs. by Ben Wener (Orange County Register)

Lucinda Williams was only four songs into the rather rigidly planned first of her two sets Thursday night at L.A's El Rey Theatre when a guy near me curiously shouted out a request. "'Metal Firecracker'!" he hollered when the devoted hundreds on hand were at their quietest. Apparently someone didn't get the memo. "That's not on this album," drummer Butch Norton muttered. (Least I think it was Butch.) "We'll do that in the second half," Lucinda promised, unruffled by the guy's unawareness. "We're doing this entire album here." Doing "Essence," to be exact – the second of five albums the acclaimed singer-songwriter is currently playing across as many nights at El Rey, reviving and re-examining nearly two decades of on-again-off-again work in reverse chronological order.

She began Wednesday with "World Without Tears" (2003), then moved on to Thursday's gem from 2001. Saturday night, at perhaps the most eagerly anticipated show in this series (soon to be repeated in New York), she will tackle her adored breakthrough "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road," arguably the most lauded album of 1998. And then she will make her way through two collections loaded with songs she hasn't played in ages, "Sweet Old World" (1992) on Sunday and, the next night, "Lucinda Williams" (1988), which, though actually her third album, was the one that established her as something more than just another acoustic folkie stuck in the wrong era. At this point in the retrospective – the sort of rewarding undertaking many other veteran songwriters should consider – a revealing journey toward Lucinda's, er, essence is emerging, via 61 songs of sparse lyrical intensity and richly rootsy musicality whose totality reasserts Williams' ranking among the finest songwriters of the modern rock era. - complete article

Dined out with Judi and The Reet at Kess' Cafe...

Message from the Chef:

HI guys, this is your friendly neighborhood chef announcing that we opened for business on May 29th. I'd like to thank the residents of Plantsville for their warm welcome, and we look foreward to serving you to the best of our abilities. Our website is currently under construction, and you will soon be able to view our menus, pictures, and announcements online. Please come down and see me," psycho chef Kess," and enjoy our food at Kess Café! TRY IT! - Kess' Cafe website

Fat lady sings for the big guy....

Italian tenor Pavarotti dies at age 71 by ALESSANDRA RIZZO (AP)

ROME - Luciano Pavarotti, whose vibrant high C's and ebullient showmanship made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar, died Thursday. He was 71. His manager, Terri Robson, told the AP in an e-mailed statement that Pavarotti died at his home in Modena, Italy, at 5 a.m. local time. Pavarotti had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year and underwent further treatment in August. "The Maestro fought a long, tough battle against the pancreatic cancer which eventually took his life. In fitting with the approach that characterised his life and work, he remained positive until finally succumbing to the last stages of his illness," the statement said. - complete article

Record-Journal article features the Sawtelles...

Note worthy: Safety patrol tunes in to students. Husband and wife bring safety messages to schools through songs. by Stacy L. Graham-Hunt (Record-Journal staff)

SOUTHINGTON — A local mar­ried couple has been spotted on tele­vision, playing instruments in a bath­tub wearing backpacks and bright orange safety patrol belts. This cou­ple calls themselves School Safety Patrol, but they aren’t helping kids cross the streets or get onto buses safely — though they might sing about it.
Peter Riccio, 43, and his wife, Julie, 42, make up the School Safety Patrol band, which they created over dinner at Bertucci’s last year.

The band sings about anything and everything that can go on in a grade school setting, such as math class anxiety, getting teased by classmates for having parents who serve on the PTA, and snow days. Peter Riccio said, “We started cracking each other up with what we were writing.” Julie Riccio said their music ap­peals to people of all ages. Peter Ric­cio said both kids and adults could relate to their music, because they are either currently having the expe­riences the band sings about, or be­cause they have gone through it at some point in their lives.
At their performances, School Safety Patrol hands out the lyrics to their songs in blue exam booklets used in schools. “Knowing what we’re saying is an integral part,” Peter Riccio said. He said audience members will sing along with them or shout out the lyrics to songs they may want the band to play.

School Safety Patrol does not usu­ally perform in bathtubs, but Julie Riccio said they performed on Ken Safety’s show on public access to em­phasize that their instruments were so small they could be played any­where. Peter Riccio plays an 18-inch electric ukulele, which fits into his backpack, and Julie Riccio plays a popcorn 8-inch snare drum, one tong, and one symbol, which she said could fit into a small suitcase. School Safety Patrol is one of five bands that this husband and wife duo have created together. Julie Riccio said their other popular bands are the Sawtelles and the Poptelles. Peter Riccio said it was essential to have the School Safety Patrol be its own band, because it was a whole concept with uniforms and school-related themes.

Julie Riccio said she and her hus­band have jobs outside of their five bands. She said she works for the state, and Peter Riccio is a mixer for a wholesale baking company. They also have a 22-year-old daughter, who is a college student, who Julie Riccio said is more conservative than she and her husband. Both band members said they write songs and perform for fun and enjoyment. However, Peter Riccio said doing performances in schools about safety is in the back of both his and his wife’s minds. “Wherever it takes us, it will take us somewhere we’ve never been be­fore,” Peter Riccio said.

Email from Julie:
This pic was taken in conjunction with the Poptelles taping their "rails to trails" ken safety cable access show. The previous week on the ken safety show the schoolsafetypatrol bathtub episode was aired and one of the editors from the record-journal paper saw it and wanted to interview us. After the newspaper photo shoot was wrapped up the Poptelles commenced their bike path tour stopping at various points along the way. The show will air in a few weeks on cox cable ch 15 in cheshire, plantsville, and meriden once the editing is finished. Visit our myspace pages for all of our updated gig listings into November. We've got this month: farmer's markets, taverns, trains, and outdoor festivals. - Sawtelles

She's a damn trainwreck, but....

Amid the continuing (and possible lifethreatening) drug-use, she's up for the Mercury Prize album of the year. Here's a clip of her a few years ago before the Christine Ohlman behive hairdoo and tattoos persona, performing on the Jools Holland show.

UPDATE: The Klaxons win UK Mercury Prize - article

Pond Scum readies new album.....

Rising from the wasteland better known as West Haven, heavy metal icons Pond Scum burst onto the CT metal scene in 2002 with their debut album, Yeah, I'm a Westie...Gotta Problem? The band's latest album, Never Up, Never In, fuses Vinny Valente's deafening growls and Keithie A's inventive bass with The Rick's thunderous atmospherics to fabricate a disc overflowing with technical masterpieces. With standout tracks like "Bernie Is My Mentor," dominating radio airwaves far and wide, Pond Scum is an essential addition to any music lover's library. Look for the supporting Busking Sucks, But We Have To tour early in 2008.

Rock stars more likely to die prematurely - article

Missing Rhythm and Roots this year...

2007 Rhythm and Roots Festival at Ninigret Park in Charlestown, RI this weekend. Sadly, we will not be able to attend this year.

FRIDAY, AUG. 31

MOHEGAN SUN MAIN STAGE
5:00 Ray Bonneville
6:00 The Buddhahood
7:00 Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans
8:15 Racines
9:30 Natalie MacMaster
DANCE STAGE
5:00 Red Stick Ramblers
7:15 Pine Leaf Boys
9:30 Creole Cowboys

SATURDAY, SEPT. 1

MOHEGAN SUN MAIN STAGE
12:00 Pine Leaf Boys
1:15 Red Stick Ramblers
2:30 Creole Cowboys
3:45 Paul Cebar & the Milwaukeeans
5:00 Los Straightjackets w/ Big Sandy
6:15 Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys
7:45 Donna the Buffalo
9:15 Susan Tedeschi
(Between some sets, the Hot Tamale Brass Band will play through the audience)
ROUNDER RECORDS WORKSHOP STAGE
1:00 Creole Stranger: Dennis & Jennifer Stroughmatt
2:00 Blues: Ray Bonneville & Johnny Nicholas
3:00 Cajun Gypsy Swing: Red Stick Ramblers
4:00 Fiddle: David Greeley, Linzay Young, Kevin Wimmer, Tara Nevins, Cedric Watson & Dennis Stoughmatt
5:00 Accordion: Steve Riley, Wilson Savoy, Joel Guzman, Jesse Lége & Jeffery Broussard
6:00 Cajun & Creole Jam: Jesse Lége, Ed Poullard & Friends
DANCE STAGE
12:00 Zydeco Dance Instruction: Jim Christensen & Li'l Anne and Hot Cayenne
1:45 Cajun Dance Instruction: Ed Slattery & Magnolia
3:30 Pine Leaf Boys
5:30 Corey Ledet
7:30 Creole Cowboys
10:00 Fais Do Do: Red Stick Ramblers

SUNDAY, SEPT. 2

MOHEGAN SUN MAIN STAGE
12:00 Red Stick Ramblers
1:15 Gandalf Murphy & the Slambovian Circus of Dreams
2:30 Corey Ledet
3:45 Johnny Nicholas & the Texas All Stars
5:00 James McMurtry
6:15 Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys
7:45 Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives
9:15 Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
(Between some sets, the Hot Tamale Brass Band will play through the audience)
ROUNDER RECORDS WORKSHOP STAGE
1:00 Creole Stranger: Dennis & Jennifer Stroughmatt
2:00 Musician Blues: Pine Leaf Boys
3:00 Fiddle: David Greeley, Linzay Young, Kevin Wimmer, Cedric Watson & Dennis Stroughmatt
4:00 Goin' to Louisiana: Cedric Watson & Corey Ledet
5:00 Accordion: Steve Riley, Wilson Savoy, Jesse Lége & Joel Guzman
6:00 Cajun & Creole Jam: Jesse Lége, Ed Poullard & Friends
DANCE STAGE
12:00 Zydeco Dance Instruction: Jim Christensen & Li'l Anne and Hot Cayenne
1:45 Cajun Dance Instruction: Ed Slattery & Magnolia
3:30 Pine Leaf Boys
5:30 Corey Ledet
7:30 Red Stick Ramblers
10:00 Fais Do Do: Steve Riley & Friends