Hip-Hop Review: Spocka Summa’s Progression
Spring in Rhode Island has to be one of my favorite things ever. Part of the reason is, through all of the sporadic rain, we begin getting music that breathes along with you. Insert Spocka Summa & Last Child’s The Progression 001 into the winds of change.
Pressing play for the first time and hearing “what is life without progression” already evokes some serious thought, but hearing the brass behind it gives it even more impact. That’s what this project is full of: luscious sounds painting great pictures over the grand soundscape of instruments, accompanied by Spocka’s you-‘bout-to-get-these-bars attitude. Song by song, The Progression 001 provides some phenomenal transitions. My favorite sequence lets my ears slide as Spocka & Last Child move us from the ironically warm sounding “Winter” to the cooler “Used to Be.” The top three songs carry more weight and appeal than the bottom three, but it all combines together to serve the purpose.
Seeing the fact it was recorded and mixed at B08 Studios also helps me feel the amount of care he put into this project. It’s truly the little things when it comes to music at any level, and being able to notice those little things only adds to the music.
Listen for yourself to catch the dope narrative throughout The Progression 001 and read the comic he’s releasing to provide visual understanding of this project.
Stream the album, read the comic, and see upcoming performances: spockasumma.com
Roots Report: Concert Alternatives to Boston Traffic and Parking
Don’t forget New London
Okee dokee folks… A couple of months ago I found out Kris Kristofferson was coming to the Wilbur in Boston. My girlfriend loves him and we bought tickets to the show. Going to Boston for concerts is a pain in the ass, to put it lightly, because of traffic and parking. Sometimes a performer only books a Boston show, but a couple of weeks later I found out Kristofferson is playing in Connecticut. Ticket prices and the theater are comparable, but the trip is so much easier.
The Garde Arts Center in New London should be inserted into your concert radar as an alternative to Boston. For me, Boston and New London are almost equidistant: Boston is 55 miles and new London is 61 miles. It’s easy to forget because it’s in another state, but the Garde is presenting great shows: David Crosby, Robert Cray and – the one I am really exited about – Donovan, who is only doing a handful of US dates. On June 3, the Garde hosts Donovan’s Sunshine Superman 50th Anniversary Tour! I already bought the Kristofferson tickets, so I’ll deal with Boston when I could have gone to New London. D’oh! You live, you learn. For more about the Garde, Mellow Yellow to: www.gardearts.org
Upcoming shows
On Saturday, May 6, local performers will pay tribute to the legendary Pete Seeger at Sandywoods Center for the Arts in Tiverton. Bob Kendall, Tom Perrotti, Mike Fishman, Tracy Jonsson, Kate Mick, Jan Luby, Camille and others will play songs written, made famous by, or inspired by Pete Seeger. Partial proceeds will be donated to the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. Also coming up at Sandywoods: The Bohemian Quartet on May 12 and the Magnolia Cajun Band on May 13. For more: “Turn, Turn” to www.SandywoodsMusic.com
The Wailin’ Jennys are Nicky Mehta, Ruth Moody and Heather Masse. They are three distinct voices that together make some amazing harmonies. Starting as a happy accident of solo singer- songwriters getting together for a one-time-only performance at a tiny guitar shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, The Wailin’ Jennys have grown over the years into an international folk act. They are renowned for their live performances, and their folk-roots recordings have been critically lauded. The Wailin’ Jennys have made many appearances on Garrison Keiller’s “A Prairie Home Companion,” sharing the stage with luminaries such as Bonnie Raitt and Meryl Streep. The trio will be at the Park Theatre in Cranston on Sunday, May 7. For more, “Swing Low, Sail High” to: www.ParkTheatreRI.com
For 35 years, Tryworks Coffeehouse provided New Bedford, Mass., and beyond with a venue for folk, traditional, contemporary, original and classical music. Tryworks Coffeehouse opened May 14, 1967, and closed in 2002, one of the oldest, continuously run coffeehouses in the country. A three-day 50th anniversary celebration will be held May 12-14 at the First Unitarian Church of New Bedford, 71 Eighth Street. Friday, May 12, doors 6pm, show 7pm: Open Hoot with songs, music and stories from and about Tryworks Coffeehouse. Saturday, May 13, 5pm potluck, show 7pm: Open Hoot with special guests. Sunday, May 14, 11am: church service. Guests are encouraged to arrive early for all events. Throughout the weekend reprints of the original song books, commemorative T-shirts and buttons will be available for sale. There will be a Memory Board available for anyone to add photos or memorabilia, or they can be emailed to [email protected]
Discover Mashapaug Pond at the 10th and final Urban Pond Procession on May 13 (rain date May 14) from 5:30-9pm. Join the procession and celebrate Mashapaug with costumes, puppets, music, and art, starting with the sounds of the Eastern Medicine Singers near the Mashapaug Pond Boathouse behind Ocean State Plaza, 361 Reservoir Ave, Providence. Marchers are welcome, no registration required. Participants can select costumes, props and banners for the one-mile walk to Mashapaug Cove and Alvarez High School. The Extraordinary Rendition Band, What Cheer Brigade and Big Nazo puppets will lead the way. There will also be drumming and accordion from Mike Capeles and Phil Edmonds, Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts, food and more. The evening will conclude with a multimedia work. For more, parade to: www.UPPArts.org
Closing out Common Fence Music’s 2016-17 season is the talented multi-instrumentalist and singer- songwriter Mark Erelli on May 13. Experienced in a collection of American music styles ranging from western swing and bluegrass to lullabies and socially conscious folk-rock, Mark is an example of how the modern-day folk artist can translate the age-old tradition of storytelling into a mindful and relevant art form for newer audiences. His songs are timeless, uncomplicated and honest. Erelli’s dedication to his craft has brought him well-deserved notoriety as one of the hardest working solo artists in New England, earning him a reputation as a virtuoso musician, respected producer and sideman. He worked with Lori McKenna, Paula Cole and Josh Ritter, opened for Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, and performed everywhere from Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry to London’s Royal Albert Hall. For more, get your “Tired Eyes” over to: www.CommonFenceMusic.org
Live (or relive) Summer of Love Experience on May 13 at the Stadium Theatre in Woonsocket, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the “Summer of Love” in 1967. “All You Need Is Love!” The concert focuses on the iconic music from the ‘67 release of The Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band to Woodstock in ‘69. Travel back in time to tunes by The Rolling Stones, Dylan, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Joplin and Hendrix to name a few. Joined by 12 or more performers including a horn section, strings, keyboardists, percussionists, background vocalists and an incredible rock rhythm section, the Summer of Love Experience recreates “note for note and absolutely live” the songs, and the psychedelically flavored spirit, of the Woodstock Generation. On May 19 you can keep heading back in time when The Bird Dogs present a tribute to The Everly Brothers. And on May 20 it’s Multi-platinum selling country singer and songwriter, Sara Evans. For more, Groove on over to: www.StadiumTheatre.com
Finally here are a few more for your consideration. Brother Sun’s final New England performance at Stone Soup Coffeehouse is Saturday, May 6, at Slater Mill in Pawtucket. At the Courthouse Center for the Arts in Kingston on May 6, it’s Custard Pie, a Led Zeppelin tribute, and, on May 13, it’s Brothers of the Road, an Allman Brothers tribute. Blackstone River Theatre in Cumberland has Matthew Byrne on May 13. At the Narrows in Fall River on Friday, May 19, New Orleans group The Subdudes finally get to play their show of “cheeky rock and roll attitude and folky social consciousness” that was postponed from a couple of months ago.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com
Alt-Nation: Tim Davis, R.I.P.; Plan 9 Interview
I want to start with a few words about Tim Davis who recently passed away. I first got to know Tim from him doing a show on the internet radio station 990WBOB. Then he was booking shows at the Spot Underground and more recently at Alchemy (in the old Jerky’s) downtown. In addition, he wrote a jam- band column for us at Motif.
I can’t think of a stronger testament to all Tim brought to the scene than all the bands posting on social media that “nobody gave us a chance ‘til Tim.” It might be a band that had never played a show with no discernible draw, but that didn’t matter to Tim. He just loved music and was willing to give any band a chance. My goes out to Tim’s family and friends, and to all that he touched. It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but every day and every note is a gift: Just play those notes a little bit louder for Tim. Godspeed, my friend.
Plan 9 – A Tonic of Puffer Fish (All About Zombies) Plan 9 were first described to me as a South County band that started out playing garage rock that metamorphosed into this crazy psychedelic beast that by the ‘90s just kept adding guitarists. At least one blurb I read about Plan 9 called them a “traveling psychedelic commune” but that was never substantiated.
Plan 9 started big playing their first show at a Sire Records showcase in New York City and never really looked back. They released a slew of albums and EPs which are still available at www.plan9ri.com. Plan 9 toured all over North America, often traveling in a school bus, to kick out the jams. While sonically steeped in ‘60s garage and psychedelic rock, Plan 9 also mixed in the kick-in-the-ass thump of ‘70s punk to create their own weird-yet-wonderful wail.
As the ‘90s approached, like their lineup Plan 9’s sound expanded to include elements of free jazz, further tripping things out. Whether it was a concession to adulthood, or just that it was financially impossible to break even with a band that could at a given time have up to seven or eight members, Plan 9 became prone to hibernating for prolonged stretches since the end of the century. Plan 9 may only do a show every few years, but their legend continues to grow. It just so happens that Plan 9 were at work concocting a new record when the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame induction came down the pipe.
In conjunction with that induction, Plan 9 will use the occasion to celebrate the release of their new record, A Tonic of Puffer Fish (All About Zombies) available at plan9ri.bandcamp.com/releases. A Tonic of Puffer Fish is a sprawling 17-song psychedelic rock odyssey. From the first blast of “Pentagon Champagne Room,” Plan 9 weave webs that twist and turn but mostly just rock. “Dot 7” flows free in a jazz-like trance mixed with Jefferson Airplane. “Positivity” combines the swagger of Lou Reed with soul backing vocals echoing the title – which was the one thing Reed never sang about. “Gianna’s Vagina” is garage rock, buzz saw, tripped out mess. “Axe The Navigator” takes the opening beat of The Who’s “I Can’t Explain” on an acid trip. “Missile” is one of my favorites that sounds like a blend of the Dictators meets The Chocolate Watchband.
Sometimes Plan 9’s jams can ramble on a little too much for my “don’t bore us, get to the chorus” tastes, but that’s psychedelic rock for you. Overall, A Tonic of Puffer Fish makes for a nice new chapter in the long and winding trip of Plan 9.
In advance of Plan 9’s induction to the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame and the release of A Tonic of Puffer Fish (All About Zombies), I spoke with guitarist/vocalist Eric Stumpo from Plan 9 about the band’s history.
Marc Clarkin (Motif): How did Plan 9 get started?
Eric Stumpo: We got started in Wakefield [RI], in South County. Deb [keyboardist Deborah D] and I had a workshop at a music store there. Some of the people that came into the store were guitarists and what not. We all just started playing together and jamming. That sort of evolved into starting a band. Deb and I had been record collectors for a while of ‘60s psychedelic stuff, so we focused on that and then it just took off from there. There were six or seven of us because there were always three or four guitar players.
MC: In the early 80’s new wave and post-punk were the big things. How did people react to Plan 9 showing up as a six- or seven-piece band? ES: We didn’t play locally ‘til after we had done our first album. The first gig we had was in New York at the old Peppermint Lounge, and that was put on by Bomp and Sire Records. The reaction was good to that show. It was a big show. Prior to that we didn’t have any gigs in Rhode Island because we were in South County and there wasn’t really any place to play down there. We already had our record deal with Bomp, so we just worked on our recordings.
MC: How did the sound of the band evolve after you put out a couple of records and signed to Enigma? I read where one person described the band as a “traveling psychedelic commune.”
ES: Once we signed a record deal, we obviously started doing all original songs. Stylistically, I like a lot of different styles besides ‘60s stuff, so I think it was a natural thing to spread that all out in different directions. The other thing was Enigma was a pretty great label for us because they never asked us to maintain any kind of status quo. We could pretty much do what we wanted to do and they were accepting of that. What we would try do to is filter these different styles through our songs so that they would have no limits. Enigma allowed us to do that, which I know a lot of times labels do not allow you to do. Some people didn’t like those changes and were like “now they’re a rock band,” but my answer to that would be that is what we were in the first place. Most people and critics, too, were appreciative of the style change.
MC: How did you get on Enigma Records?
ES: I was looking through this magazine, Boston Rock, looking at the indie survey, and noticed that Enigma had like 10 of the top 50 albums. So I called Enigma to see what was going on and the woman that answered the phone, “Oh you are from Plan 9, we want to sign you.” We had just won College Music Journal’s Best New Artist award in whatever year that was, ‘84, with our record Dealing with the Dead getting a lot of airplay. Enigma was putting out a horror soundtrack and they wanted a track, but the guy with our label refused to give them a track. We ended up signing with Enigma, anyways, eventually.
Plan 9 will be playing a record release show for A Tonic of Puffer Fish (All About Zombies) at the Met Café on April 29 as part of the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame inductions. Fellow inductees Throwing Muses and Neutral Nation will also be performing. A Tonic of Puffer Fish (All About Zombies) will be available for purchase at the show.
Email music news to [email protected].
Album of the Week: Woods’ Love Is Love Woods’ Love is Love
With the current political and social situation in the United States sparking fear and division, numerous musicians and bands have been speaking out through their music. In an effort to process what’s happening in the era of a Donald Trump presidency while offering a therapeutic outlet, Brooklyn indie folk act Woods released their 10th album Love Is Love via the band’s label Woodsist on April 21. The record is an urgent response to the tumultuous 2016 presidential election and it gives hope in a bleak landscape. Each track offers something different musically, and the album also showcases vocalist and guitarist Jeremy Earl‘s excellent songwriting.
Woods’ latest release presents a message of unity and triumph, and that love can conquer all. Earl’s soft and smooth voice brings more meaning to each song lyric. There’s a theme to the album that is greater than the album itself or any singular track within it. A ray of sunshine is coming through the cloudy day that is America in 2017. The album is confronting hate, misery and sorrow in brilliant musical fashion.
Love Is Love is one of many releases that have political undertones that, in today’s climate, are hard to ignore. Just look around: When you walk on the street, pick up a newspaper or log on to the internet, you’ll find something that doesn’t seem right. That something will make you want to speak out and that’s what Woods is doing with their new album. For a closer look, lets check out my top tracks off of the Album of the Week.
Earl’s voice starts off “Bleeding Blue” in mesmerizing fashion with saxophonist Alex Spiegelman and trumpeter Cole Kaman-Green taking everything to new heights. It’s an anthem for love and peace in times where every aspect of life is uncertain, combating despair with uplifting positivity. “Lost in a Crowd” is a dreamy pop track that features John Andrews‘ excellent skills on piano, organ and a Wurlitzer. It also calls out the current political climate on lies and deception. With a psychedelic vibe, “Spring Is in the Air” is a bit jazzy with an extended structure that seems like it’ll never end.
Woods will be rolling through the New England area for a couple of dates at Brighton Music Hall in Allston, Mass., on July 2 and at ArtsRiot in Burlington, Vt., on July 5. If you get the chance to go to either show, please do. Earl and the gang are amazing live and they’re definitely worth checking out. Before they take the stage at your friendly neighborhood music venue, grab a copy of Love Is Love from Woods. It’s a wonderful record from an act who are visionaries when it comes to DIY culture and musical harmony.
Stream Love Is Love via Bandcamp: woodsfamilyband.bandcamp.com/album/love-is-love
Woods’ web site: www.woodsist.com/woods
2017 Southeast New England (SENE) Film, Music and Arts Festival
SENE 2017
The Southeast New England (SENE) Film, Music and Arts Festival showcases amazing films across all genres, live music, art exhibits and much more. Continuing to expand in its ninth year, the festival will run April 25-29, bringing exciting opportunities for Rhode Islanders to experience vibrant new ventures in film, music and arts.
The action is centered around cinema, and this year the festival will offer more than 100 screenings from filmmakers from all over the nation and the world, including more feature films and 16 short film presentations, showcasing the genres of drama, comedy, animation, documentary, LGBT interest, and horror. More than 30 submissions are from local directors.
Narrative and documentary features have been selected from more than 550 submissions by a panel of local experts charged to find films that convey powerful stories and hold interest. Narrative features include three entries by local directors: an adaptation of the Shakespeare classic A Midsummer Night’s Dream by director Richard Griffin, On the 7th Date by Massachusetts-based director Chris Goodwin, and Trinity by director Skip Shea.
The documentary features include Not Black Enough, a film about class warfare and the struggle of African-Americans within their community, and Arlette: Courage Is a Muscle, conveying the story of a 15-year-old girl from Central Africa.
SENE
Film showings and activities take place at venues across the state, including the Columbus Theatre and Rhodywood Studio in PVD, at the Warwick Center for the Arts, and at the Arctic Playhouse in West Warwick. Three concerts will coincide with film showings. A juried art exhibit will be held at the Warwick Center for the Arts, “Exploring Abstracts,” for which tickets are $15 advance/$20 door including complimentary wine, beer, hors d’oeuvres and dessert. There will also be multiple parties and networking events.
The sponsoring 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Southeast New England Film, Music and Arts, was established by co-founders of the festival Phil Capobres and Don Farias. Alhough their main work is the planning and execution of this substantial festival, the organization has grown to be an important funding source for creative projects throughout New England and to provide programming for the annual Boston Comedy Festival.
This five-day festival is packed with fun, diverse events and activities. Most single film screenings are $10, available at the door. Passes and tickets for multiple days, multiple screenings, special film programs and parties are available in advance. The entire schedule, film descriptions, and advance purchases of passes and tickets are at the SENE Festival web site www.senefest.com.
Roots Report: Cable Access, Graham Parker, Garry Tallent
Cable access shows
Okee dokee folks… When I first started this column, somewhere I wrote, “Love is fleeting but cable access is forever.” Once you record a show for cable access it seems to be in reruns indefinitely. I have recorded episodes that still pop up after ten or fifteen years. The other day I was fortunate to be a guest on one of the longest running and most popular cable access programs in RI, An Hour With Bob. That show is always fun and, when you are the musical guest, you feel like Doc Severinsen on The Tonight Show.
Another show that I have been on a couple of times is called The Song, produced in Deerfield, Mass., by Mary Wheelan, the mother of the RI Songwriters Association having started it in 1993. Mary used to be a Pawtucket resident but escaped and moved to Western Massachusetts. Wheelan started The Song in April 2012 and the most recent episode, the 158th, features Rhode Islander and multiple Motif Award-winner Joanne Lurgio. The program has presented over 100 songwriters, and Rhode Islanders featured on the show include Kim Trusty, Mike Laureanno, Jim Palana, Matt Fraza, Ellyn Flemming and the late Billy Mitchell.
Wheelan said, “The show is about 20 minutes of performance and about 8-10 minutes of interview. The original version of The Song focuses on songwriting and the songwriter. There is now also a version called The Song: Voices of Dissent which focuses on the power of song and spoken word to help bring about positive social change. There have been two episodes of the new version, one featuring Gloria Matlock and the other featuring Tom Knight.”
“I’m not sure how long I will do [the show]. I was beginning to get tired of it but, with the new version, I have renewed enthusiasm and energy. I will still occasionally do the original version of the show for those artists who do not have material suitable for the new political version,” Wheelan said.
The Song airs on Frontier Community Access Television and can also be found on YouTube at www.youtube.com/fcatmedia.
Upcoming
I had phone interviews with two performers coming to the area soon: Garry Tallent, of Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band, who will be appearing at Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Mass., on Thursday, May 4, and Graham Parker who will be at the Greenwich Odeum on Saturday, May 6. Full interviews will be on-line.
Graham Parker [see the full interview here]
Graham Parker and The Rumour emerged from the ashes of demised London pub rock bands in the mid 1970s and quickly garnered fans and critical acclaim. Songs such as “Local Girls,” “Temporary Beauty,” “Get Started, Start a Fire” and “I Want You Back” have cemented a loyal fan base and a solid reputation as an enduring talent.
Graham Parker and The Rumour were featured in Judd Apatow’s 2012 hit film This Is 40. Though Parker has retired The Rumour, he still records and is touring with Brinsley Schwarz, a remnant of The Rumour, and will be “squeezing out sparks” at the Greenwich Odeum on May 6.
Graham Parker rang me up from London. I asked, “You and Brinsley have been playing together now for forty-two years?” Parker replied, “We have been playing since the Rumour. and I made a couple of albums without him, or maybe just one, and then I brought him back in and we toured significantly and made albums with him on guitar… with Brinsley it seemed to be a no brainer to do a duo [tour] with him.” I asked if it was two acoustic guitars with harmonies. “No, he plays electric, I play acoustic. So it’s basically a sort of soundscape from his delightful electric playing and it flows around my acoustic, and, yeah, he does some backing vocals…”
What could we expect at the Greenwich Odeum? “Well, I don’t want to give any set lists away yet because nothing is complete until we do some rehearsal… there’s plenty of ‘70s stuff because most of the fans – let’s face it, well, acts of my era, the stuff that hit them is when they were twenty years old and those songs hold up totally as if they were written yesterday… so there’s plenty of that… there’s one or two from the newer albums and some ‘80s stuff so, most people will be happy…”
A final comment: “Really looking forward to the show at the Odeum, and if you are curious what we do look it up on YouTube. I am sure you will find something badly recorded though there might be a few good things on there…”
For more, “Stupefaction” to www.GreenwichOdeum.com
[see the full interview here]
Garry Tallent [Read the full Garry Tallent interview]
For forty-six years Garry Tallent has played alongside his “Boss” Bruce Springsteen and was happy to be in the background. Besides Springsteen, he is the only original member of the E Street Band. Now, at age 67, he is embarking on a solo tour to promote his first solo album.
Garry Tallent called me from his Nashville home. About his CD, Break Time, he told me, “It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for twenty years, but I got busy producing other people and got busy raising a family, and then I got busy on the road and, you know, finally I got a break and I had a chance to actually go through songs that I have written and co-written, and figured out which ones would make a good album in 1959 and then cut it as if it were 1959. That was the motivation behind it… really trying to recreate what made me fall in love with rock and roll in the first place.”
I asked him what and who will make up the the band that he will have at the Narrows? “Piano, which is Kevin McKendree, a local friend here, he also tours with Brian Setzer; Mark Winchester, who plays stand-up bass, also with Brian Setzer; Eddie Angel, of Los Straitjackets, on guitar; and Jimmy Lester, also from Los Straitjackets, he plays drums; and then Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose… Fats Kaplin, he kind of plays everything – banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, steel guitar – he’s kind of our utility guy; and he’s married to Kristi Rhodes, who does a duet on the record with me… She’s with us doing vocals and actually she will be singing ‘Promise To My Heart’ because she sings it so great, and that way I get to do the Duane Eddy guitar part on it so that’s a win-win.”
What made him want to step out from the background? “Sometimes it’s good to force yourself out of your comfort zone, and I’ve done a lot of things to do that and this is one of the last ones really… this is really my last ‘glass ceiling’ to break, I guess, and really get out there and perform my own songs so I’m going for it… Part of the reason was raising kids. You know you tell them they gotta take chances – if you start something you gotta follow through and all these things – and once in a while they come back at you and say ‘Well, Dad, you started this thing, when are you going to finish it?’”
To see and hear the results of Tallent finishing this project, get to the Narrows on May 4. For more, “Ooh, La, La” to www.NarrowsCenter.org [Read the full Garry Tallent interview]
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com
HxC: Busy Spring Leads to Busy Summer
Apr 21 The Met Balance and Composure, From Indian Lakes, Queen of Jeans Apr 23 Firehouse 13 Degrader, In Depths & Tides, Values, Sedatives, Proxies Apr 29 AS220 Empty Vessels, I Am Become Death, Worst Days, Implosion Crusade May 23 AS220 Iron Lung, Woundman, V-Sect, Hardware May 24 Firehouse 13 Gideon, Invent Animate, Ghost Key, The Worst of Us
The next few months in PVD are full of shows featuring great local acts. Each year, spring seems to be a teaser for the major tours that come through the city in the summer. This year is no different and most venues are hosting some of the local favorites.
On April 29, AS220 is hosting one killer show with locals from all over Rhode Island. Empty Vessels is a longtime favorite in PVD along with I Am Become Death, Worst Days and Implosion Crusade. Each band takes noise to a whole new level, leaving their audience always expecting something crazy and different each time.
Leading up to the month of June, Gideon will be taking the stage at Firehouse 13 on May 24. Although they aren’t exactly punk or hardcore, they put on a great performance and are definitely worth a listen.
With the summer being right at the tip of our finger tips, we are in for some great shows come June and July! Keep your eyes peeled for upcoming tours from big acts and all the locals.
Experiencing the Glory Days of Vinyl
Editor’s note: Record Store/Vinyl Appreciation Day is April 22, 2017. For participating stores in RI: http://www.recordstoreday.com/Stores?state=RI – there is also more info below this article.
There was a point in time when listening to your favorite album was an actual experience rather than just an accompaniment for your car ride or wallpaper behind a study session in your college dorm.
This unique type of experience required you to sit down by a record player, maybe put on some headphones for maximum musical teleportation, and give your undivided attention as you entered an imagined world of musical exploration. A key component of this (possibly literal) “trip” was something now considered an ancient artifact of years past: liner notes. Whether you were following along word for word with the lyrics to each song or browsing acknowledgments during the solos, there was often much more to discover than just the music flowing through your speaker cables. In fact, much of my arguably useless but extensive knowledge of music trivia is attributed to studying the producers, engineers, musicians and songwriters on each – I started to say “track,” but that’s a CD thing with place in this article – “cut,” I believe is the correct word.
Before social media became a magnifying glass into every celebrity’s life, there was this added element of mystery. The album artwork and inside sleeve were sometimes the only way we could get a glimpse into the studio sessions, who worked on the album, and in some instances what the band actually looked like! Sure there was the occasional magazine poster/article from popular music magazines such as Creem, Rolling Stone, Billboard and Circus, but you also had to go to a physical store and purchase them. These days every thought, idea and bathroom trip from an artist involuntarily pops on your news feed. This definitely can be a good thing when you are obsessed with a certain band and can’t get enough information about them, but ultimately what it does is take away the mystery that always made the music listening experience a magical one about the music itself. It can even turn you off when they tweet something you don’t agree with, political rants or a preference for ketchup on their toast.
I will never forget and fondly look upon growing up in the 1980s, which I consider the glory days of vinyl. Around 1986 or so, cassettes dominated the marketplace and pushed vinyl to the back of the musical listening chain. In defense of the cassette, although the sound quality was significantly worse, at least the inner sleeve including liner notes was still intact as with vinyl.
I would often discover a band from an MTV video of a song and patiently wait for the album release date. Walking into a record store at that time was a magical feeling. Looking around at all the wonderful and intriguing album covers on display, I would see so many blockbuster albums that are now considered classics all together in the new and recent releases section. These included Synchronicity by The Police, Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, 1984 by Van Halen, Thriller by Michael Jackson, Seven and the Ragged Tiger by Duran Duran, Heartbeat City by The Cars, Kilroy Was Here by Styx, Like a Virgin by Madonna, Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution, and I could go on and on but you get my point. MTV became a huge part of this experience: The visual, outward accompaniment to the internal listening experience. MTV was almost single-handedly responsible for launching so many of these artists to superstardom.
Though I did follow the various other subsequent mediums that music has morphed into over the years – cassette, CD, MP3 – I never lost my affection for those days of mystery and discovery. The last few years, with newfound interest and manufacturing of albums in the vinyl format, have enticed my longing for that forgotten and missed listening experience that I once had growing up. Although I do indeed listen to music digitally, it is for convenience on the go. My home listening preference has come full circle to strictly vinyl, and I have significantly increased my record collection since then, but I must confess: Every time I walk into the many used record stores I frequent across the country, it is primarily for one reason – to get that magical feeling back and experience those glory days once again.
Record Day Specials and Events:
Saturday, April 22 (sales and releases vary from store to store) Ed Note: Record Store Day is an organization that requires participating stores to sign a pledge in order to take part. There are plenty of additional great record stores like Round Again and Analog Underground which are sure to honor vinyl while not specifically participating with the RSD organization (recordstoreday.com).
Armageddon Shop: Along with sales and specials, they will have an exclusive release by Tor Johnson, a local label. They’ve made only 60 copies of Ratstab, 5 tracks of raw d-beat punk on 7” vinyl with mylar sleeves, silscreened and very collectible. “We wanted to get back to the brick & mortar roots of RSD and put out something rad and limited enough that it would be sold out in a day,” says producer Paul Dichichio. 436 Broadway, PVD 02909, (401) 521-6667
In Your Ear: 462 Main Street, Warren 02885, (401) 245-9840
Kangaroo CD’s and Tapes: 1759 Mineral Spring Avenue, North Providence 02904, (401) 353-5480
Looney Tunes: 562 Kingstown Road, Wakefield 02879, (401) 782-9860
Music Box: 160 Thames Street, Newport 02840, (401) 849-6666
Newbury Comics: 74 Providence Place, Providence Place Mall, PVD, RI 02903, (401) 383-0044
Newbury Comics: 1500 Bald Hill Road, Warwick 02886, (401) 821-3170
Olympic Records: 580 Wickenden Street, PVD 02903, (401) 301-9266
What Cheer Records & Vintage: Celebrating its 10th Record Store Day, with special sales, Limited edition releases, and live music by Tall Teenagers, Allysen Callery, The Low Cards, Kate Mick and more (wait, isn’t live music the opposite of vinyl?). 180 Angell Street, PVD 02906, (401) 861-4244
Vinyl Guru Record Shop: 152 Broadway, Newport, RI 02809, (401) 374-0760
Garry Tallent: full interview
See the April 19 Roots Report for details on Garry Tallent’s appearance on Thursday, May 4, at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River, Mass.
Garry Tallent: Hi, John. I’m sorry I didn’t get the first call, I had my ringer on so low that an old man can’t hear it!
Motif (John Fuzek): You’re not that old. You’re only 68.
GT: Don’t push it, I’m only 67 [laughs]. I will be 68 this year though. It’s all good though, I don’t feel a day over 65.
JF: Well, you can collect Social Security soon. GT: Well, I guess in a couple of years I have to. At 70 they make you take it.
JF: So, you are in Nashville, Tennessee, now? I looked at your tour and it doesn’t start until next week.
GT: Right!
JF: You’ve got quite an ambitious tour going on.
GT: Well, it’s really just sticking my toe in the water, but then, when I get to England, the agent there really got carried away. I’ve got, like, six in a row. That’s going to be interesting, traveling then playing. It’s going to be like the old days when I was 26.
JF: Well, you’ve been doing it with Springsteen all along.
GT: Yeah, but that’s a little different than everyone in a van, driving, lugging your own equipment. I have to admit I’ve been a little bit spoiled – this is not that kind of tour, trust me – but I look forward to it. It’s kind of like starting over. There’s something very exciting about it.
JF: So you started all this solo stuff when?
GT: I don’t think there is any beginning date. It’s something I’ve been thinking about doing for twenty years, but I got busy producing other people and got busy raising a family, and then I got busy on the road, and you know finally I got a break – “Break Time” – and I had a chance to actually go through songs that I have written and co-written, and figured out which ones would make a good album in 1959 and then kind of cut it as if it were 1959. That was the motivation behind it, really trying to recreate what made me fall in love with rock ‘n’ roll in the first place.
JF: Are you playing guitar or bass on this tour?
GT: Guitar.
JF: Did you start on bass or guitar? Or tuba?
GT: [laughs] I think I started in school on the flute? Clarinet? In fourth grade they put an instrument in your hand and say, “Okay, try this.” I went through a bunch of them and some how wound up a tuba player.
JF: Is your tuba going on the road with you?
GT: Not a chance!
JF: I did read that you play it occasionally? Did you play it during the Seeger Sessions with Bruce?
GT: No, I wasn’t on that tour, that was a completely different band. They did have a tuba player, I think. I didn’t see that tour. When we had the horn section on the previous tour, and Clark Gayton would play trombone and also played tuba, I tried to get him to take over “Wild Billy’s Circus Story” but Bruce wouldn’t have it. I had to play – that is something that you have to practice, you just can’t pick up a tuba after not playing for two years – the lips need to be maintained, horn players have to practice every day for hours at a time, and I was never that conscientious of a tuba player. I was very happy to switch to electric bass.
JF: What kind of bass is it that you play?
GT: That is a Paul Reed Smith bass. I’ve known Paul since back in the ‘70s and he built a bass for me, back in the ‘70s, and it was very heavy – like a Les Paul – so I got him to build one to my specifications and it makes for a very nice instrument. It sounds good, it plays good, and, to be honest with you, it’s like a glorified Danelectro Long Horn: the neck is modeled after it, the scale length and everything else.
JF: What is the guitar that you have in the promo photo?
GT: That’s a Kaye from late ‘50s, early ‘60s.
JF: Is that the guitar you will be playing on the road?
GT: No, I am afraid to take it on the road. I have never seen another one. so if something happened to it I don’t know how I would replace it, and that’s the problem with traveling. even with the bass. I stopped bringing the Danelectro on the road because I didn’t want something to happen to it, and I had a bass custom built and then something happened to that. What am i going to do? It doesn’t make any sense. So, meanwhile while the Danelectro is in storage and being kept and taken care of, Nashville gets flooded and the bass is in the flood. You can’t win. It was in the 2010 flood here in Nashville. A lot of instruments were destroyed. Nobody expected that kind of flood here. It’s never happened before.
JF: So this is your debut project and it’s has a 1959 kind of feel like you said. I only heard one song, “Promise To My Heart.” Is everything in the feel of that song, or is it rockabilly, or–?
GT: Well, that’s a 1950s kind of ballad, but most everything is upbeat: rockabilly, some Cajun influence. I always loved New Orleans and Cajun music and a little bit of country – that’s how I would describe it – all the influences, Chuck Berry. All original songs, but all kind of borrowed from the classic records that I always loved.
JF: What is the instrumentation for the band that you will have at the Narrows on May 4th?
GT: Piano, which is Kevin Mckendree, a local friend here, he also tours with Brian Setzer; Mark Winchester, who plays stand up bass, also with Brian Setzer; Eddie Angel, of Los Straitjackets, on guitar; and Jimmy Lester, also from Los Straitjackets, he plays drums; and then Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose. Fats Kaplin, he kind of plays everything – banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, steel guitar – he’s kind of our utility guy; and he’s married to Kristi Rhodes, who does a duet on the record with me. She’s with us doing vocals and actually she will be singing “Promise To My Heart” because she sings it so great, and that way I get to do the Duane Eddy guitar part on it so that’s a win-win. That’s the one we’re going to change up live.
JF: Cool, not many folks would give up their lead on a song. GT: Well, like I said, I get to do my Duane Eddy impression so it’s not completely selfless. I always get to have fun, don’t worry.
JF: Los Straitjackets are the band who play in the wrestling masks, right?
GT: Yes, you’re gonna see them without the masks [laughs]. Oh, I don’t know, maybe I’ll let them wear the masks.
JF: So I read that you’ve always been a stay-in-the-background kind of person?
GT: That’s me. I’ve had the best job in the world for the last forty-something years.
JF: What made you want to step out from the background to do this?
GT: Sometimes it’s good to force yourself out of your comfort zone, and I’ve done a lot of things to do that and this is one of the last ones really. I played in bands when I was a kid and we all took turns. I’ve played with Bruce since 1971 and, you know, the thing that’s always worked there is that Bruce and Clarence and Steve and everyone – my job was just keeping the rhythm section going – and I found that I liked it, and it’s really good in that I can go anywhere and do anything and I’m not recognized, and still I get to enjoy being in a band that plays to 80 thousand, 100 thousand people at a time. It’s a kick. During the ‘90s I mostly just worked in the studio and I loved that bit, too. I love it all, I want to experience it all. So this is really my last ‘glass ceiling’ to break, I guess, and really get out there and perform my own songs. So I’m going for it, and part of the reason was raising kids. You know you tell them they gotta take chances – if you start something you gotta follow through and all these things – and once in a while they come back at you and say, “Well, Dad, you started this thing, when are you going to finish it?” And I go, “Well, okay, you got me.” And so, there you go.
JF: So are your kids musicians?
GT: I hope not [laughs]. They play but – well, my son would like to be a rapper – I don’t know. I don’t discourage him, but also he knows that it’s not the easiest thing to pull off. Now that he sees me starting all over again – he wasn’t born until the Reunion Tour, he missed the Born to Run tour – so he never really saw me work.
JF: I heard that you kicked off the Born to Run Tour in Providence. A friend of mine who used to write for a Newport paper said that he saw that show and met you all afterwards, July of 1975, and said that you had just finished the album that morning.
GT: That’s very cool. I don’t remember that, but I do remember that up until a few years ago I still had my Lupo’s T-shirt and my daughter discovered it and she stole it from me. She loves that shirt. You remember that place: T-shirt has a picture of Elvis on the front.
JF: Yes, I do. I know Rich Lupo, too. I will ask him to see if he has another one.
GT: My daughter loves it. She says, “It’s the best shirt that I have ever seen.” Lupo’s has been gone a long time, hasn’t it? JF: No, he has a new place.
GT: Is that right? I want to play there someday!
JF: So, will you be you be doing a four-hour show?
GT: You won’t see me doing a four-hour show, but we do have a warm-up act that is really great. Everybody will be entertained, but, no, back when we only had one album out we were doing half-hour shows. I think this show will be clocking in at about an hour and a half, which is about my attention span. I don’t know about anybody else. I wouldn’t imagine anybody would be jumping up and down for four hours. Even when we were out last time we shortened it to three hours.
JF: The show I saw last January was about three hours and twenty minutes.
GT: It got to the point where people were holding up signs wanting more than four hours and we realized that people were after quantity not quality, so we figured: we’re not here to set time records, we are here to entertain.
JF: Why were you dubbed the “Tennessee Terror?”
GT: I don’t know. It sounded good: you know, good alliteration.
JF: No story behind it?
GT: Not that I know of. I moved to Tennessee in ’89 so, by the time the Reunion Tour came around, I had been in Tennessee for quite a while. Well, even before, the guys made fun of me because I liked country music, and I worked with people like Steve Earle and had Roseanne Cash come in as a guest at a show. So I was basically the “hillbilly” among all the “Jersey-ites.” So, I don’t know, you would have to ask Bruce. He just likes alliteration, and “Tennessee Terror” sounded good.
JF: Bruce gave it to you?
GT: Yes, he was just introducing the band one night. It didn’t really stick but people remember it. I mean, I have been called the “Thunder from Down Under” and everybody thought I was from Australia all of a sudden. He just likes to make up things on the fly. Usually you can tell how long someone has known you by which nickname they know you by.
JF: OK, this may seem strange but sometimes you go by “Garry Tallent” and sometimes by “Garry W. Tallent.” Why is that? The reason I ask is because I used to use my middle initial, “W,” all the time but dropped it.
GT: The only thing that I can come up with on that, is that Bruce started calling me “Garry W. Tallent” because in the mid ‘70s when we earned a gold record for Born to Run and they were doing the plaques – and everyone was known by nicknames and they were going to put “Miami Steve” and “Mad Dog Lopez” and “The Professor” – and I said I want my name on it, “Garry W. Tallent.” I want this to not be a joke I want this to be a big thing. I think that Bruce just picked up on that and said this is Garry W. Tallent. I am guessing that is where it came from. I just didn’t want my first gold record to have some silly nickname that would be forgotten. JF: What does the “W” stand for?
GT: “Wayne,” just like all serial killers [laughs]. I was born in Wayne County, Michigan, and I think my mother realized that she needed a middle name and realized that she was in Wayne County General Hospital and thought, “‘Wayne,’ that sounds good” [laughs].
JF: Do you still have a studio in Nashville?
GT: No. I mean, I still have my own studio, but I don’t have a commercial studio anymore. That became a rich man’s hobby. The studios in this town are just folly for people who have way too much money who want to hang around with the musicians. I hang around with enough musicians, I don’t need any more of that [laughs]. There was a time when it was a good commercial enterprise but those days are gone. You don’t need a $200,000 budget to make a record anymore. I like to say it’s my label and not only am I a client but I am the president as well [laughs].
JF: When I do these interviews, I always post questions to my Facebook page and I get questions from them. You kind of answered this already, but someone asked if you still play a Guild bass?
GT: I still have my Guild bass. That’s the one that I use. I pulled the frets out of it, so that’s my fretless.
JF: Was that Guild made in Rhode Island?
GT: No, actually it was before Rhode Island. It was in Hoboken, New Jersey, so mine is a Hoboken Guild.
JF: Someone asked about a Global Jam for Peace and mentioned that you are playing that? I don’t know what that is.
GT: I don’t know anything about that. I did a charity record back in ‘86. It was called “J.A.M.” – Jersey Artists for Mankind. I don’t know if that’s what they are talking about, but that was 30 years ago. That was kind of, like, when they were doing all the charity records, and ours was probably the one that broke the camel’s back and none were done after that.
JF: Okay, this one is from a bass player and I will read it verbatim because he was specific: “How did he feel about moving from the funkier, rubbery, more free-spirited playing of his on the first couple of Springsteen albums as compared to the later, seemingly more regimented, oriented-toward-arena- performance recordings?”
GT: I think it is as simple as you play with people that you are playing with. Vini [Lopez] – who I played with since high school, we went to high school together – and Vini had a certain style that you play a certain way together. And then we changed to Boom Carter for a while and he’s more jazzy, and we played a lot together. And now Max and I have played together for forty years. You play differently in different situations, and it was just a different situation. And you adapt and, hopefully, when you are playing with a band you play something that fits. That’s how I see it.
JF: Someone asked about when people hold up signs at a Springsteen show asking to play a certain song. Has anyone ever held up a sign and you hoped that you wouldn’t have to play that song because you haven’t played it in a long time, and you hope that Springsteen doesn’t decide to honor that request? Is there any song that you would dread playing because it’s been so long since you have played it?
GT: Um, yes [laughs]. Let’s just say, yes. Well, there are certain songs that I just didn’t play on. I see people holding up signs for “Maria’s Bed.” I don’t even know if I have ever heard the song. I don’t know what song they are talking about so apparently it’s something they did on Devils and Dust or something. I don’t even know. So, luckily, Bruce knows. He picks the songs that he wants to do: you can hold up whatever sign you want but he’s always going to pick “Louie, Louie” before he picks “Maria’s Bed” [laughs].
JF: Okay, well, is there anything that you would like to add that would encourage people to come out and see your show?
GT: I am just hoping that people do come out. I’d love for them to listen to the record. I’m not saying buy it – it’s on YouTube, it’s on Spotify. If you wanted to buy it, hopefully it’s around – if not we’ll be selling them at the show – but mainly come out and it should be a fun night. I hate to say that they are great songs because I wrote them, but, I mean, they hearken back to when rock ‘n’ roll music was just more fun than anything else. There may not be a big message but there’s going to be a good beat.
JF: Did anyone from the E Street Band play on this record with you?
GT: Nils Lofgren, harmony on one song. Because Phil Everly had moved back to Tennessee and he was going to do it and then he passed away, and I was really upset about that but Nils filled in for him and he sings on the opening cut. But, no, it’s pretty much all of my Nashville pals.
JF: Will you be approachable after the show? Can people stop and say “Hi” to you after the show?
GT: Absolutely, I will be at the merch table signing anything that I played on. I won’t sign sign certain things, but the best thing they could do is buy the CD and I will be glad to sign it. And look forward to talking to and meeting people.
JF: Great! Well, thanks for talking and hope to see you at the show.
GT: Thanks for helping to get the word out! Bye, now. Record Store Day Invades RI
It’s a day that’s a music junkie’s paradise. Each year, local record stores become hives for special releases and sometimes in-store performances, and this celebration of everything that is good in the music industry is held all over the world. Record Store Day (RSD) is happening once again on April 22: In Rhode Island, the annual event will be making its presence felt throughout the state.
Providence label Tor Johnson Records will be releasing a lathe-cut vinyl of hardcore punk act Ratstab’s RSD 2017 7-inch only available at Providence record stores Armageddon Shop and Olympic Records. “This release is about bringing the idea of Record Store Day back to its roots,” said Tor Johnson Records owner and operator Paul Dechichio. “Back when RSD started, it was a chance to get people back into brick-and-mortar stores. I wanted to put out something rad and limited enough that it would be sold out in a day, but only available at actual stores. That’s the entire belief behind this release.”
In Your Ear Records
A few record stores will also be having live in-store performances. There’s going to be a party at In Your Ear Records on Main Street in Warren with Tiverton funk upstarts Bochek and Newport surf jazz trio The Z-Boys performing during the afternoon. The Bucket Brewery will be serving up delicious brews and lunch will be provided by Nectar De La Vida. DJ Dave, Deejay Kellan and DJ Bakeshop will also be spinning records before, after and in between acts. It promises to be a time that no one in the East Bay region should miss out on.
Over on Thayer Street in Providence, What Cheer Records & Vintage will be having live music in their store all day. A stacked lineup features banjo player Kate Mick, folk artist Allysen Callery, indie folk stalwarts The ‘Mericans (led by What Cheer co-owner Chris Daltry), dirty blues trio The Low Cards and alt-rock noisemakers Tall Teenagers. All used goods within the store will be 25% off and all new goods, except for the Record Store Day exclusives, will be 15% off. Narragansett Beer will be providing free tall boys as well. It also might be the last time anyone would be able to see an event like this at What Cheer as Chris and his wife Jennifer are planning on closing up their shop on May 31.
There’s plenty of fun going on for Record Store Day on April 22. If you’re in Rhode Island, feel free to use this article as a guide. If you’re somewhere else, make sure to head to your local record store and show your support by purchasing something good. Record Store Day: www.recordstoreday.com
Record Store Day 2017 @ In Your Ear Records: www.facebook.com/events/1326790794066756
Record Store Day 2017 @ What Cheer Records & Vintage: www.facebook.com/events/1843797772576178
Tor Johnson Records’: www.torjohnsonrecords.com