Ray Charles Contest - 7CD Prize Pack In celebration of the digital release of 'The Ray Charles Cold Case Playlist' - songs from & inspired by the CBS television series, Raycharles.com, Concord Music Group & CBS are giving away seven classic Ray Charles recordings on CD including: 'Genius Loves Company', A Message From The People, Modern Sounds in Country & Western Music. Enter here to win a seven-CD Ray Charles prize pack!
The giveaway coincides with the new Ray Charles releases 'The Genius Hits The Road' - a deluxe reissue augmented by six bonus tracks, digital re-mastering with new liner notes by Bill Dahl alongside original notes by Rick Ward, and also 'Genius - The Ultimate Ray Charles Collection' - a chronicle of the high points in Ray’s career including 1955’s “I’ve Got A Woman”, plus “Busted,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Hit the Road Jack” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You.” All digitally remastered from the original tapes. (AllAboutJazz.com)
Hardly Strictly Bluegrass evolves into world-class musical festival - article - website
STAGES & SET TIMES ANNOUNCED! Fri Oct 2 (10:30am - Noon & 2pm - 7pm) The morning (10:30 - noon) on Star stage is a special educational program for local schools (and the general public) as part of the Daniel Pearl Foundation Music Days. The afternoon (2pm - 7pm) features very special guests on the Banjo stage. Star Stage * 10:30am The Fireants * 11:30am MC Hammer Banjo Stage * 2:00pm Poor Man's Whiskey * 3:00pm Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman * 4:15pm John Prine * 5:45pm Lyle Lovett & His Large Band Sat Oct 3 (11:00am - 8:00pm) Banjo Stage * 11:10am Laurie Lewis & The Right Hands * 12:10pm Dry Branch Fire Squad * 1:15pm The Tim O'Brien Band * 2:40pm Steve Martin with the Steep Canyon Rangers * 4:05pm Ricky Skaggs & Kentucky Thunder * 5:25pm Gillian Welch * 6:45pm Steve Earle & The Bluegrass Dukes Rooster Stage * 11:00am Marshall Crenshaw * 12:05pm Guy Clark & Verlon Thompson * 1:15pm Jorma Kaukonen * 2:30pm Boz Scaggs & the Blue Velvet Band featuring James Cotton, Austin de Lone, Nick Lowe, Buddy Miller, Derek O'Brien, Wes Starr, Jimmie Vaughan and Jack 'Applejack' Walroth * 3:45pm Songwriter Circle with Tom Morello, Dar Williams, Steve Earle & Allison Moorer * 5:25pm Richie Havens * 6:45pm Robert Earl Keen Star Stage * 11:00am Great American Taxi * 12:45pm Roger Knox & the Pine Valley Cosmonauts present the Aboriginal Country & Western Songbook * 2:30pm Dave Alvin & The Guilty Women (Christy McWilson, Amy Farris, Laurie Lewis, Sarah Brown, Lisa Pankratz, Nina Gerber, Cindy Cashdollar) * 4:40pm Nick Lowe * 6:50pm World Party Towers Of Gold Stage * 11:45am Buddy Miller * 1:35pm Okkervil River * 3:30pm Old 97's * 5:40pm Marty Stuart & His Fabulous Superlatives Arrow Stage * 11:00am Eliza Gilkyson * 12:00pm Hayes Carll * 1:05pm Austin Lounge Lizards * 2:15pm Reckless Kelly * 3:35pm Billy Joe Shaver * 5:00pm Rosie Flores with Jon Langford and the Pine Valley Cosmonauts * 6:30 The Flatlanders feat. Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore & Butch Hancock Porch Stage * 11:00am The Wronglers * 11:50am Abalone Dots * 12:35pm The Barefoot Nellies * 1:40pm Pamela Rose with Wild Women (and Other Friends) * 2:40pm The Claire Lynch Band * 3:40pm Natalie MacMaster * 4:40pm The Duhks * 5:45pm Dr. Magpie Sun Oct 4 (11am - 8pm) Banjo Stage * 11:00am Darrell Scott Band * 12:00pm Hazel Dickens * 1:25pm Doc Watson & David Holt * 2:45pm Earl Scruggs * 4:00pm Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys * 5:20pm The Del McCoury Band * 6:45pm Emmylou Harris Rooster Stage * 11:00am Kevin Welch & Kieran Kane & Fats Kaplin * 12:00pm Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 * 1:15pm Billy Bragg * 2:45pm Mike Farris & the Roseland Rhythm Revue * 4:00pm Mavis Staples * 5:30pm The Knitters * 7:00pm Old Crow Medicine Show Star Stage * 11:40am Elvis Perkins in Dearland * 1:15pm The Chieftains * 3:05pm Galactic * 5:20pm Neko Case * 6:50pm Amadou & Mariam Towers of Gold Stage * 11:00am Marley's Ghost with Special Guest Cowboy Jack Clement * 12:25pm Dr. Dog * 2:05pm Allen Toussaint * 4:10pm Marianne Faithfull Arrow Stage * 11:00am Moonalice * 12:15pm Booker T. & the Drive-By Truckers * 1:45pm Rodney Crowell & The Outsiders * 3:05pm Aimee Mann * 4:25pm Todd Snider * 5:40pm Malo * 6:55pm Little Feat Porch Stage * 11:00am ODC/Dance * 12:05pm Red Wine * 1:10pm Kimmie Rhodes * 2:15pm Jessica Lea Mayfield * 3:20pm The Brothers Comatose * 4:40pm Elizabeth Cook * 5:45pm Allison Moorer
Here is the broadcast schedule: Oct 3: Dave Matthews Band Oct 10: Ben Harper and Relentless7 Oct 17: Kenny Chesney Oct 24: Andrew Bird, St. Vincent Oct 31: M. Ward, Okkervil River Nov 7: Elvis Costello, Band of Heathens Nov 14: Willie Nelson & Asleep at the Wheel Nov 21: Pearl Jam Jan 9: Allen Toussaint Jan 16: Mos Def, K'Naan Jan 23: TBD, Heartless Bastards Jan 30: Steve Earle, Kris Kristofferson Feb 6: Them Crooked Vultures Feb 13: Madeleine Peyroux, Esperanza Spalding.
Mackenzie Phillips says she had sex with her dad CHICAGO – Former child star Mackenzie Phillips said Wednesday her father, John Phillips, who was a leader of the 1960s pop group the Mamas and the Papas, raped her when she was a teenager and that her sexual relationship with him later became what she termed "consensual." Mackenzie Phillips writes in her new book, "High on Arrival," that she had sex with her father on the night before she was to get married in 1979 at age 19, according to People magazine.
Phillips wrote in her book: "I woke up that night from a blackout to find myself having sex with my own father." She told "The Oprah Winfrey Show" in an interview that aired Wednesday that her siblings "definitely have a problem with this." Winfrey also read a statement from Genevieve Waite, John Phillips' wife at the time of the alleged abuse and Mackenzie's stepmother. Waite's statement said John Phillips was "incapable, no matter how drunk or drugged he was, of having such a relationship with his own child." Phillips, 49, who starred on TV's "One Day at a Time," said the sexual relationship with her father lasted a decade and ended when she became pregnant and didn't know who had fathered the child. She had an abortion, which her father paid for, and "and I never let him touch me again." - complete article
Creeque Alley John and Mitchy were gettin' kind of itchy Just to leave the folk music behind; Zal and Denny workin' for a penny Tryin' to get a fish on the line. In a coffee house Sebastian sat, And after every number they'd pass the hat. McGuinn and McGuire just a-gettin' higher in L.A., You know where that's at. And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass.
Zally said, "Denny, you know there aren't many Who can sing a song the way that you do; let's go south." Denny said, "Zally, golly, don't you think that I wish I could play guitar like you." Zal, Denny, and Sebastian sat (at the Night Owl) And after every number they'd pass the hat. McGuinn and McGuire still a-gettin higher in L.A., You know where that's at. And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass.
When Cass was a sophomore, planned to go to Swarthmore But she changed her mind one day. Standin' on the turnpike, thumb out to hitchhike, "Take me to New York right away." When Denny met Cass he gave her love bumps; Called John and Zal and that was the Mugwumps. McGuinn and McGuire couldn't get no higher But that's what they were aimin' at. And no one's gettin' fat except Mama Cass.
Mugwumps, high jumps, low slumps, big bumps--- Don't you work as hard as you play. Make up, break up, everything is shake up; Guess it had to be that way. Sebastian and Zal formed the Lovin' Spoonful; Michelle, John, and Denny gettin' very tuneful. McGuinn and McGuire just a-catchin' fire in L.A., You know where that's at. And everybody's gettin' fat except Mama Cass.
Broke, busted, disgusted, agents can't be trusted, And Mitchy wants to go to the sea. Cass can't make it; she says we'll have to fake it--- We knew she'd come eventually. Greasin' on American Express cards; Tent's low rent, but keeping out the heat's hard. Duffy's good vibrations and our imaginations Can't go on indefinitely. And California dreamin' is becomin' a reality...
The club's staff wore dress shirts. The guitar tech wore a tux. The bride wore all black, with knee-high, high-heeled boots -- and when she finished her vows, she went right into Rolling Stones and AC/DC songs. First Avenue nightclub played host to a royal rock 'n' roll wedding Friday night starring Grammy-winning alt-country singer Lucinda Williams. After a 90-minute performance with her band -- a surprisingly tight set, given the circumstances -- the Louisiana-bred tunesmith married her Minnesotan beau and manager, Tom Overby, in front of 1,500 fans.
"I thought I'd wear something besides jeans tonight," Williams, 56, joked to the crowd after she took the stage in a silky, tight skirt and matching blouse. Coming back out for the encore, Williams set the matrimony tone with solo performances of two blissful songs by singers not known for writing happy endings: Her own "Plan to Marry," followed by one she adapted from unrecorded Hank Williams lyrics, "I'm Happy I Found You." Hank's on-stage wedding to his second wife inspired Lucinda's spotlighted nuptials. She fought back tears singing his words. - complete artcle
Mary Travers of Peter, Paul and Mary dead at 72 (AP) Mary Travers, one-third of the popular 1960s folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary who were perhaps best known for their hit "Puff (The Magic Dragon)," died in a Connecticut hospital after battling leukemia for several years. She was 72.
Mary Allin Travers was born on Nov. 9, 1936 in Louisville, Ky., the daughter of journalists who moved the family to Manhattan's bohemian Greenwich Village. She quickly became enamored with folk performers like the Weavers, and was soon performing with Pete Seeger, a founding member of the Weavers who lived in the same building as the Travers family.With a group called the Song Swappers, Travers backed Seeger on one album and two shows at Carnegie Hall. She also appeared (as one of a group of folk singers) in a short-lived 1958 Broadway show called "The Next President," starring comedian Mort Sahl.
It wasn't until she met up with Yarrow and Stookey that Travers would taste success on her own. Yarrow was managed by Albert B. Grossman, who later worked in the same capacity for Bob Dylan. In the book "Positively 4th Street" by David Hajdu, Travers recalled that Grossman's strategy was to "find a nobody that he could nurture and make famous." The budding trio, boosted by the arrangements of Milt Okun, spent seven months rehearsing in her Greenwich Village apartment before their 1961 public debut at the Bitter End. Their beatnik look — a tall blonde flanked by a pair of goateed guitarists — was a part of their initial appeal. As The New York Times critic Robert Shelton put it not long afterward, "Sex appeal as a keystone for a folk-song group was the idea of the group's manager ... who searched for months for `the girl' until he decided on Miss Travers."
The trio mingled their music with liberal politics, both onstage and off. Their version of "If I Had a Hammer" became an anthem for racial equality. Other hits included "Lemon Tree," "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and "Puff (The Magic Dragon.)" They were early champions of Dylan and performed his "Blowin' in the Wind" at the August 1963 March on Washington. And they were vehement in their opposition to the Vietnam War, managing to stay true to their liberal beliefs while creating music that resonated in the American mainstream. - complete article
From JP's Music Blog - Now that summer's almost gone, and the kids are back in school, it is time once again for the Cromwell Record Riot. It has been 4 months since the last Cromwell Record Riot (I hope you saved your pennies). The Crowne Plaza in Cromwell, CT will once again be swarmed with vendors and collectors looking for that missing piece of music collection. This Sunday, September 20, is the date. The Crowne Plaza is located off exit 21 from I-91. Admission is $3. Come early (9:30 am - 3:30 pm) as not to miss out on some great deals on CDs, vinyl, DVDs, T-shirts, posters and more. Be sure to sign up for the mailing list to receive notices and admission discounts.
Now, if your Sunday is bogged down with picnics, parties and football, there is hope. On Saturday, September 19, there is the aptly titled "Back To School" Record Convention. It will take place at the Hamden Elks Lodge. Easily located off I-91 and Route 15 (Merritt Parkway). Admission is $3. The "Back To School" Record Convention will feature over 20 vendors, DJs, food and cash bar. This record show is open to ALL AGES from 10:30 am - 5 pm.
Both shows will be filled with plenty of music paraphernalia. So stop by either Saturday or Sunday or both days and check out all the great deals this weekend. If this weekend is bad for you because of poor timing, do not fear. The next New Haven Record Riot will take place Sunday, October 11 at the YMA Annex in New Haven. Admission is $3 and will run from 9:30 am - 3 pm. So, I don't want to hear any complaints that their isn't any good places to buy music anymore. Here are 3 reasons to go out and get some new music for your collections.
Interview on the Lionel Show (Air America)- Jim DeRogatis, author of the just-released The Velvet Underground: An Illustrated History of a Walk On the Wild Side. Makes me want to break out the "Banana" album again.
Publisher Comments: Hardly anyone bought the Velvet Underground's albums when they were released, but most everyone who did formed a band. This was the kind of influence the Velvets exerted, and it persists to this day in the sounds of groups as diverse as Patti Smith, Talking Heads, Sex Pistols, R.E.M., My Bloody Valentine, and Sonic Youth--all of whom claim the Velvets as their most important influence. And then there are such soundalikes as Yo La Tengo, Luna, and the Strokes, to name a few. Published on the forty-fifth anniversary of the Velvet Underground's founding, this is the first illustrated history of the band that rocked rock--one of the most inspired and influential rock 'n' roll bands of all time. The book follows this icon of Sixties rock from its heady first days with Lou Reed, John Cale, German chanteuse Nico, drummer Moe Tucker, and guitarist Sterling Morrison; through its management by pop artist Andy Warhol, who made the band the siren of his Factory and part of his traveling multimedia show, the Exploding Plastic Inevitable; to its later incarnations in the early Seventies. They opened wounds worth opening with brutal imagery, without apology, Patti Smith said, upon the band's 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. And this book offers a unique behind-the-scenes look at how the Velvet Underground did it.
Well, it's Trish again in the winner's circle. Gus, I'm disappointed in you. A complete lack of effort from the Stone(hill)man. Anyone remember Stoneman from PLR? Okay Trish, your prize for winning is The Complete Captain & Tennille set of CDs. Forever!
The Captain & Tennille stumped you guys until Trish finally got it. Still got game?
Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!
USC's Pete Carroll enlists Bill Withers (ESPN video, but you must endure a brief ad first):
Bill Withers singing 'Lean on me' This is taken from the long out of circulation 'Brothers and Sisters' Live in concert video, which is a film of the 1972 Save the Children benefit gig in Chicago:
You see, I have this informal list of cool things to do, some practical, some less so, and occasionally I actually do one! G-Man and I saw Sarah Borges at Joe's Pub (425 Lafayette Street in Manhattan) a couple years ago, and when I saw in the New Yorker that Allen Toussaint was playing a series of Sunday brunch concerts there, I promptly added it to my list. That was over a year ago. The Village Voice voted Joe's Pub the “Best Excuse to Let a Single Venue Dictate Your Taste”. Newsweek calls the club "one of the country's best small stages" and New York Magazine raves “you never know what you’ll find next at Joe’s Pub, but you can count on the fact that it will be good, very good." A perfect venue to experience solo Toussaint, whom I catch each Spring at Jazz Fest, generally with a funky, kick-ass band to accompany him. Joe's Pub would be different, a cool, cafe society setting. The Reet was less enthusiastic, but like the late Lowell George, she was Willin (presumably without the weed, whites and wine)."
So we headed down the Merritt early Sunday morning toward Bay Ridge, Brooklyn to 1) pick up Garrett and friend Yvette for the show and 2) to see Bobby Dylan, G's new kitten who, according to G, is nearly as easy to understand as the traditional Bob Dylan.
Toussaint performs a series of solo Sunday noon shows at Joe's Pub several times during the year. Found this vid of Sunday's concert on Youtube: Get Out Of My Life Woman
As the Mardi Gras Man, Toussaint brought out his bag of gifts for selected members of the audience.
Cheesecake anyone? We took Yvette up on her claim that Junior's in Brooklyn has the very best cheesecake anywhere!
From Wikipedia (so it must be true):- In the early 1960s he wrote and produced a string of hits for New Orleans R&B artists such as Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, Art and Aaron Neville, The Showmen, and Lee Dorsey. Some of his songs from this period were published under the pseudonym Naomi Neville. "Ruler of My Heart", recorded by Irma Thomas, is one example; the song would go on to be recorded by Otis Redding under the title "Pain in My Heart". In 1964 "A Certain Girl" was the first single release by The Yardbirds. The two-sided 1962 hit by Benny Spellman, including "Lipstick Traces (On A Cigarette)," later covered by The O'Jays also had the simple but effective "Fortune Teller," covered by many 1960s rock groups including The Rolling Stones, The Nashville Teens, The Who, The Hollies, ex- Searchers founder member Tony Jackson and recently (2007) by Robert Plant and Alison Krauss on Raising Sand. A significant early influence was the second-line piano style of Professor Longhair. Toussaint's piano and arrangements show up on hundreds of records during the early 1960's on records by Lee Dorsey, Chris Kenner, and scores of other artists.
Starting in the 1970s he switched gears to a funkier sound, writing and producing for The Meters, Dr John, and the Wild Tchoupitoulas Mardi Gras Indians tribe. He also began to work with non-New Orleans artists such as Robert Palmer, Willy DeVille, Elkie Brooks, Solomon Burke, Scottish Soul singer Frankie Miller and southern rocker Mylon LeFevre. He arranged horn music for The Band's 1971 album Cahoots, and arranged horn parts for their concert repertoire. Boz Scaggs recorded a Toussaint masterpiece "What Do You Want the Girl to Do?" on his 1976 album Silk Degrees which reached #2 on the U.S. pop albums chart.
Toussaint also launched his own solo career, which peaked in the '70s with the albums From a Whisper to a Scream and Southern Nights. It was during this time that he teamed with Labelle, and produced their highly acclaimed Nightbirds album from 1975, that spawned the Number One Hit, "Lady Marmalade". The same year, Toussaint collaborated with Paul McCartney and Wings for their hit album Venus and Mars. Two years later, Glen Campbell covered Toussaint's "Southern Nights" and carried the song to Number One on the Pop, Country and Adult-Contemporary Charts. Along with many of his contemporaries, Toussaint found that interest in his compositions was rekindled when his work began to be sampled by hip hop artists in the 1980s and 1990s. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998.
Black Keys reveal details of hip-hop collaboration (Reuters) NEW YORK (Billboard) – An album featuring the Black Keys and some of the biggest names in hip-hop will be released November 27 (the so-called "Black Friday" after Thanksgiving) under the name Blakroc, Billboard.com has learned. The project was spearheaded by rapper Jim Jones and sports contributions from Mos Def, Q-Tip, RZA, Raekwon, Ludacris, Pharoahe Monch, NOE, Nicole Wray, Billy Danze and the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Sessions got under way in early summer in Brooklyn, N.Y., with Mos Def's songs among the first put to tape. A video teaser featuring in-studio footage is now live at Blakroc.com. It is unclear who is releasing the project, although sources say hip-hop veteran Damon Dash will be involved. The Black Keys are off the road through the end of the year, but the group has begun work on its next studio album. In the meantime, drummer Patrick Carney starts a tour October 8 in Brooklyn with his side band, appropriately named Drummer, while singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach returns to the road with his self-named solo project on October 4 at the Austin City Limits festival in Austin, Texas.
Hepburn arts center kicks off performance schedule Old Saybrook - The building at 300 Main St. today comes alive, once again, as a theater. The Katharine Hepburn Cultural Arts Center will hold its first performance inside the theater tonight with a show by country rock band Pure Prairie League. And all 250 seats are sold out, said Chuck Still, the center's executive director. The big opening comes after years of anticipation and work to convert the old town hall and former home of the Old Saybrook Musical and Dramatic Club into a theater named for the town's famed late resident. Hepburn was a longtime resident of Fenwick and died in 2003 at age 96. While some have questioned whether the intensely private actress would have wanted her name used for the theater, Hepburn's family and estate executors have endorsed that use. - theday.com
Lucinda Williams Married to Her Music With three Grammy Awards to her credit, Lucinda Williams ranks among the top artists in Americana music, and she’s got an unusual concert plan slated this month for the night after the annual Americana Honors & Awards. Lucinda is set to marry Tom Overby on stage during a concert Sept. 18 at First Avenue in Minneapolis, The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Tom is originally from the Twin Cities area, though he and Lucinda both currently live in Los Angeles. They’ll tie the knot at the end of her regular set before she delivers the encore. It’s an appropriate way for them to make their commitment: Tom is Lucinda’s manager, and he co-produced her latest album, Little Honey. "We've had a lot of awesome shows with Lucinda over the years," First Avenue booking agent Nate Kranz told The Star Tribune, "but this one will probably be the most memorable." - complete article
The Irish Heart Beat (Jerry Lee Lewis) Last Man Standing Tip Your Way (The Felice Brothers) The Felice Brothers Baby Ain't That Fine (Bob Dylan) Genuine Basement Tapes Enchanted (Platters) Dean's Top 100- 1959 Til I Gain Control Again (Van Morrison) Pay the Devil The Sweeping Wind (Jonathan Richman & Modern Lovers) Roadrunner The Boys From Alabama (Drive-By Truckers) The Dirty South Rockets (Cat Power) Dear Sir B Minor Jam (Eric Clapton) 461 Ocean Blvd Let's Stay Together (Al Green) Greatest Hits Sunny Ray (Mambo All-Stars) Mambo Kings One Time Love (Fabulous Rhinestones) Freewheelin' All of Me (Johnny Ray) A Proper Introduction to... Dropsy (Holly Golightly) The Main Attraction
Longlived French Bookstore in Rockefeller Center to Close by Dave Itzkoff (NY Times) The Librairie de France, the bookstore and New York institution that has operated for 74 years from a storefront in Rockefeller Center, will close at the end of the month, its owner, Emanuel Molho, said Wednesday. Mr. Molho, 73, whose father, Isaac, founded the store in 1928 and moved it to its current location in 1935, said that his lease is set to expire on Sept. 30, and that his rent on the space had become too expensive. “There’s not a chance we can stay here,” Mr. Molho said in a telephone interview. “Even at the current rent, it’s a struggle. Everything that comes here, all the income we get goes to pay the rent here.”
Blues columnist and DJ Domenic Forcella will be offering “Blues: Music for the Spirit” beginning April 8th The goal of the course is to start with the early origins of the blues and follow its evolution to today’s formats and presentations. The course will assist the newcomer to the blues and enhance the experience for those familiar with it. Both the National and Connecticut scene will be examined and discussed. Materials for class presentation will include lecture/discussion, CDs, DVDs, and books. Liberal use of the instructor’s extensive photo collection will put the class right at many of the events being discussed. At the completion of the class, participants will be familiar with various incarnations of the blues and its growth.
Helping to round out the course will be inclusion of blues Record labels, the Blues Foundation and related organizations. The non-credit will run from 7 to 9 pm over 6 weeks. The course is 11983. For more information contact Dom Forcella at TWBlus@aol.com.
Lots of Labor Day celebrations this weekend. Great pizzas by Chef Maureen at Cheryl/Barry D's yesterday while listening to co-PHS Mark bullshit about his pool prowess (nonexistent). Next Jazz Fest, a clear headed Johnny Gumbo (this year he was, shall we say, e-harmoniously distracted) will be back in top form to help regain the pool hall title first captured at Polynesian Joe's in the Warehouse District, where the Pool Hall Studs claimed we won only because THEY were too drunk, and defended numerous times at Ryan's Pub before they removed the table for unruly patron behavior. Man up, guys. Chicago?
Saturday afternoon, post-golf, found The Reet and I venturing up I84/I90 to Framingham for the annual McGowan corn fritter fry. Red Hot Chili Peppers on the dusty radio as we (well, I observed) grilled up the corn batter into delicious fritters to be served with sliced tomato and bacon. Not sure it's on my approved listing of foodstuffs, but very tasty. Chatted with Sally W about New Orleans (her daughter Kiki/son-in-law derek live there). Derek played sax with the Iguanas, but recently split from them; saw him up in Northampton at the Iron Horse backing James Hunter a couple years back. Daughter Kiki makes jewelry and has a booth at Jazz Fest. Sally recommends that we dine at Bayona in the Quarter.
Still waiting for someone to solve the latest Chuck. Money is on former Westie Punk Gus. (Hint: count the catch)
Here's some mellow James Hunter for your Labor Day morning:
Here's the deal: My long lost golf/tennis partner has resurfaced! Chuck knows his music and wants to test you with these drawings. I know my vast audience (measured in the dozens) can do this. Respond in the comments section below (if it doesn't work for you, send your answer to johnnykmusic@yahoo.com and I will post it); the prizes for guessing right are extraordinary!
We met her mom at this year's Litchfield Jazz Festival. I'll be up in Framingham at Peter's annual corn fritter bash, but maybe Trish 'n George will be going?
from Buttonwood Tree website (8:00 PM, $10) With the arrival of her first EP, Danielle Elliott is set to challenge the music industry. Once the self-proclaimed “girl who can’t write songs”, she has proven the exact opposite. Fresh out of music school at The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music, she has managed to create inspired lyrics and distinctive music combined with a hip mainstream sensibility. Not bad for someone who just started writing a little over two years ago. Elliott grew up in Connecticut with mostly church and musical theatre experience. She decided to attend Western Connecticut State University to pursue a degree in classical voice, but after becoming friends with a group of jazz majors and falling in love with the music, she transferred into the jazz program in her sophomore year. A semester later, she transferred to The New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. Elliott graduated with a B.F.A. in jazz performance in 2006 and has been strongly influenced by the various genres she studied while in school. She has performed around New York City, whether featured or singing backup with many different musicians. Such artists include Junior Mance, Bobby Sanabria, Candido, Orly, Romero Lubambo, RAQ, and DJ Logic.
To quote one of Elliott’s teachers, the legendary bassist and educator Reggie Workman, “Danielle has revealed herself to be not only a brilliant and charming stage personality but a competent musician and vocalist. She is a new star on the horizon”.
Danielle Elliott-vox/keys Kevin Smith-bass Simon Kafka-guitar Adam Jackson-drums Tatum Greenblatt-trumpet Dylan Heaney-Tenor Sax
Ernie 'K-Doe' Kador: Emperor's clothes up for sale By MARY FOSTER, Associated Press Writer
NEW ORLEANS – Hundreds of glittery, gemstone-studded suits belonging to the late New Orleans rhythm and blues musician Ernie "K-Doe" Kador and his wife Antoinette are going up for sale. The suits in a rainbow of colors, accented with braids and sequins, will be sold starting Saturday. The couple's daughter, Betty Fox, says the suits, Antoinette's gowns, and "Ernie K-Doe For Mayor" T-shirts are reasonably priced for fans of the colorful New Orleans personality. Ernie K-Doe had proclaimed himself "The Emperor of the Universe" and wore outlandish capes and suits in the years before he died in 2001. His wife Antoinette, who died Feb. 24 on Mardi Gras day, launched New Orleans' famous Mother-in-Law Lounge in 1996. It was heavily damaged by hurricane Katrina in 2005.
"Red Stripe?" offered Pool Hall Stud MarkyMark as The Reet and I settled into our chairs in the VIP table section, up front and just to the right of the stage, for the Reach Music Festival in Simsbury on Saturday evening. Not a bad beer choice, big boy, I thought as I accepted his offer. Hooray beer! However, always a sucker for clever advertising, I subsequently trump him with my Dos Equis Amber and, oh yeah, everyone (we join hosts Barry/Cheryl, Mark/Maureen, Val/son) is suddenly hanging on my every word, even the prepositions! Missing from the party is one Johnny Gumbo, having relocated to Spokane, where his once eHarmonious relationship of the early Spring recently hit a sour note. Undaunted, reports have him quickly finding another to soothe his heavy heart. A classic toast to The Gumbo (glasses touched, then immediately set down). Cheryl is relaxing from her NYC Marathon training routine. In conjunction with the marathon, Cheryl is attempting to raise $5,000 for the North Shore Animal Clinic in memory of her dog, Phoebe- donate here.
While the early forecasts were ugly, it has turned out to be a cool, but dry night at the Simsbury Performing Arts Center, which has an impressive stage at one end of what seems to be an athletic complex. A large video screen has been set up to the left of the stage for those situated farther back. A decent-size crowd has turned out despite the weather to see headliners Earth, Wind & Fire supported by the Little River Band, Max Creek, the Kory Montgomery Band and opening act 3 Penny Acre. Grizzled local veterans Max Creek (yikes, brings back memories of the old Mad Murphy's!) are just finishing up their set as we arrive and none of our group heard 3 Penny Acre, but the Kory Montgomery Band got very good reviews.
Our co-host, PHS Barry D, breaks out dinner containers consisting of lobster salad on a yellow pepper and prime rib! How great is this! And this was his second choice, for he wanted to bring in a small grill and cook at the table.
Max Creek originated as a Grateful Dead clone but, as Barry notes, has broadened their set list over the years. Good band, great sound system here. The Little River Band follows with a serviceable, but fairly uninteresting, set of songs. Oh yeah, I think I remember that one! After a lengthy intermission, partially spent in the VIP tent (where we meet plenty of Southington people, for God's sake!), Earth, Wind & Fire finally take the stage. Sharie was so pissed at Thursday night's dinner at Anthony Jacks when she heard we were going to see E W & F. "You bastard, you always made fun of me liking them and YOU get to go," she whined (I think that was a direct quote, though I'll have to review my notes of the evening's dinner conversation). The current Earth, Wind & Fire is a huge ensemble, with three original members including vocalist Philip Bailey. And they sound great! No shortage of hits here as they roll out one after another. Lots of booty shakin' goin' on (not a pleasant sight, Mark, we're lucky you're with Maureen).
Thats the way of the world Plant your flower and you grow a pearl A child is born with a heart of gold The way of the world makes his heart grow cold
It's closing in on 11PM and The Reet is fading, so we forego the big finale, say our goodbyes and head out to beat the crowd. As we pull out of the parking lot, either someone started shooting at us or we heard fireworks! Stay thirsty, my friends!
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