The Roots Report: Indigo Girls
Okee dokee folks… Thursday night the enduring duo Indigo Girls performed a show, accompanied by Francisco Noya and the RI Philharmonic, to an enthusiastic audience of about 2,300 at Providence Performing Arts Center. The Indigo Girls dominated the Newport Folk Festival during the early ’90s and were a fan favorite for most of that decade. They have played the area many, many times over the ensuing years and this recent show had 65+ musicians playing along with them. I believe this is the second (maybe third) time that they have performed this show at PPAC. Each time they present this show it is a treat. Thursday night was no exception. The “Girls” played a 17-song, two-set show that included selctions from some of their 30+ year catalogue of recordings: Swamp Ophelia, Beauty Queen Sister, Poseidon And The Bitter Bug, One Lost Day, Rites of Passage, 1200 Curfews and, of course their eponymous release Indigo Girls. Unfortunately, performing with a band of such size and type has its limitations and restrictions — no requests, no encore, much to the dismay of the screaming fans — but on the other end you hear songs with strings, brass and woodwinds like you have never heard them before. Though the orchestra rehearses the arrangements in depth before the performance, they only get a once through rehearsal with the Indigo Girls in advance. Amy Ray goofed a little during one song, she stopped and they all started over again. It was all fine and they had a laugh. The song of resistance, “Go” took on the feeling of a Bond theme with the help of the Francisco Noya and the RI Philharmonic. The biggest songs of the night were, of course, the more popular ones such as “Galileo,” which brought the first set to a close with the audience singing along so loudly it almost drowned out the large band. Other songs such as “Kid Fears,” “The Power of Two” and “Chickenman” were also big hits with the audience. There was quite a bit of “hooting and hollering,” something that you would not normally hear at an orchestral show. The musicians just happily drank it all in! No Indigo Girls show would be complete without their signature song, “Closer To Fine.” This one always has Indigo Girls turning a verse or two over to the crowd to sing and they never miss a word. That ended the 90-minute show to the dismay of the legions of fans who wanted more, but as I mentioned before there isn’t much wiggle room when an orchestra is involved! I have been a fan of the Indigo Girls since I first heard their music back in 1988. I saw them open for Neil Young around that time and they were still just performing as a duo. Though the duo is still my personal favorite incarnation I enjoy all they do and have seen them live maybe 30 or more times in 30 years. As with any musical act time takes its toll and unfortunately Emily Saliers’ voice is starting to falter a bit. She still has power and showed it by belting out a long note but her vocals were somewhat wavery. Oddly, on the other hand, Amy Ray’s voice seems to have gotten stronger and more powerful over the years. Regardless the duo still sounds great and the vocal and guitar interplay compensate for each other. Their songs are still strong and have stood the test of time. Hopefully they can endure for many years to come.
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: (Made-Up) Words of Wisdom: Have a little pride, people!
Okee dokee folks… Last night I coined a new word, “gignity,” in reference to musicians who will play anywhere, anytime, and under any conditions for little to no pay — these people have no “gignity.” I will just say this: It is better for you and for the music community as a whole if you don’t play shitty gigs. Read on…
Are you constantly searching for your lost shaker of salt? Are you inclined to wear loud shirts and grass skirts? If so, then you might be a “Parrothead” and should be in attendance at The Providence Performing Arts Center for Jimmy Buffet’s Escape To Margaritaville the musical! The plot revolves around a part-time bartender/singer who falls for a tourist. The show features music and lyrics by Buffett and runs through October 5. For more, “Bama Breeze” to PPACRI.org
The Common Fence Music Series kicked off in the newly renovated Hall on Anthony Road in Portsmouth. Woody Pines played to a packed house full of folks eager to get back into the regularity of concerts in the community hall. The place has been beautifully remodeled with a large foyer and wall- sized corner windows, and the main entrance has been moved to the side with deck-like stairs and a couple of Adirondack rockers placed up top for atmosphere. An elevator has been added and the kitchen has been updated. CFM has quite a few great shows coming up! On Saturday, October 5, Radio Jarocho plays rowdy, upbeat music born in the countryside of Veracruz and mixed with the sounds of urban New York. The Fall Moon Festival returns on November 2, Front Country is November 16 and The Sweetback Sisters return on December 14 for their annual Christmas Sing-a-long show. Don’t forget the Friday Night Hope & Main shows! For more, overhaul over to commonfencemusic.org
The Empire Revue, one of the best monthly shows in this state, will present its October edition on Sunday the 6th with The Wicked Show (in RI we say “wicket”). Keith Munslow and The Sparkling Beatniks always have something new brewing for each revue. Comedy, music and skits are all part of the fun, and y.ou will get plenty of bang, err, laughs, for your eight bucks! To purchase advance tickets and find out more about the show, banana over to fb.com/EmpireRevueProvidence
The Knickerbocker in Westerly always has something good going on, and October is no exception. Andrew Victor curates the Folks For Now Series in The Tap Room that brings Allysen Callery on Oct 3, Thor Jenson on the 4th, and Russ Connors on the 6th. The main room hosts a Hurricane relief benefit for the Bahamas with Hope Road, a Bob Marley tribute, on October 5 and on October 6 it’s Women’s Voices 3: A Concert to Benefit the Institute for the Musical Arts Rock and Roll Camp for Girls. This show features the amazing Christine Ohlman (The Beehive Queen from SNL), Rebel Montez, Daphne Lee Martin, Arlene Wow and Sue Mead & Friends. For more, paddywack to KnickMusic.com
We now have 3 billion birds fewer in this country since the ’70s; ecosystems are collapsing. The Norman Bird Sanctuary in Middletown helps the avian population by preserving and protecting habitats and providing environmental education. Every year they hold a Harvest Fair to raise money and awareness. This year, the event runs from 10am until 5pm on October 5 and 6. Bob Kendall has lined up some great music to provide a soundtrack at the fair, including Silverteeth, John Faraone, Long Trees, Smith & Weeden, and The CarLeans on Saturday; and Melissa Chaplin, Andie Belle, Mark Cutler, The Weisstronauts, and Los Duderinos on Sunday. For more, fly over to: NormanBirdSanctuary.org
If you are someone who works for the weekend then you will definitely want to hear that anthem performed live at Twin River’s Event Center on Saturday, October 12. Loverboy has been “Working for the Weekend” and playing shows around the world since forming in 1978. The band includes original members Mike Reno, Paul Dean, Doug Johnson, and Matt Frenette. Ken “Spider” Sinnaeve, a former member of Dean and Frenette’s pre-Loverboy band, Streetheart, replaces the late Scott Smith on bass. To find “Heaven In Your Eyes” get to twinriver.com for more. Also coming up at the event center are The Stylistics, Harold Melvin’s Blue Notes & The Delfonics on October 11.
Tiverton Four Corners presents Trio Camino, made up of guitarists David Grimes, Gregory Newton and Michael Nigro, on October 11 at The Meeting House. Their imaginative classical guitar programs are impressive. Check out what they do and Tirando to TrioCamino.com For more about the show, take the square root to FourCornersArts.org
Fellswater will be making their debut at Linden Place Mansion in Bristol on Sunday, October 20, at 2pm. The Boston based Celtic band includes three Rhode island members: Chris Myers, Diane Meyers and Kyle Forsthoff. The ensemble performs a wide range of music that draws from the heritage of all the Celtic nations. For more, reel over to LindenPlace.org
From the “It’s All About Me” department, I have two important shows coming up! On November 2, my band, Forever Young — A Tribute To The Music of Neil Young, performs a RARE, stripped-down (not naked), intimate (again, not naked), acoustic show at the Pumphouse Music Works in Peacedale. These performances are a blast and we have wanted to do one of these again for a long time! For more, “Hey, Hey, My, My” to ForeverYoungNeilYoungTribute.com The show that I am most excited about is the 30th anniversary celebration concert of my duo Fuzek-Rossoni at The Blackstone River Theatre on November 16. If any of you remember the ’90s folk boom, Mary Ann and I rode it high all over the East Coast and beyond. Hard to believe it’s been 30 years. Put this one on your calendar and come celebrate with us! For more, “Tumbleweed” to FuzekRossoni.com
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Crystal Anniversary: Celebrating 15 years of folkin writing Okee dokee folks…I have been so busy over the past couple of months that I almost forgot that I recently passed the 15 year mark writing for Motif! When I was asked to contribute to the fledgling magazine for their third issue, I was skeptical that it was something I could do. I wasn’t a writer and had never even entertained the thought. I was a songwriter but that, to me, was entirely different. I have learned over the years that they really aren’t very different. In fact, the two sides have helped each other and made me, hopefully, a better columnist and songwriter. I have also been able to use my experience as a performer/producer and share what I know with other musicians, and when I conduct interviews with well-known artists I converse with them more as a colleague than an interview subject.
Last year I began adding photos to my reviews and concert wrap-ups. In another life I was a photographer and used to teach, but gave that up when the digital age took over. It is very rewarding to have an outlet and use all of these skills in one place. I feel it has given me a unique insight into the world of music that I attempt to convey to my readers. I am always humbled when a stranger approaches me and tells me how much they love what I write. I only hope that I can continue to please and entertain my readers. As always, I thank you for reading, I honestly do appreciate it. Read on…
We are heading into one of the most important election cycles of this country’s history. The disaster in chief has done nothing but undo much of the progress that has been made in the last 50 years. While the current healthcare system is not perfect, it is something. Efforts to dismantle it are inhumane. What this country needs is universal healthcare, otherwise we will continue our slip into third-world country status. US citizens either die or go bankrupt when illness strikes, and this needs to change. Here is yet another reason why. In May, Uriah Donnelly of The Collaborative in Warren and son of local folkie Elwood Donnelly, met with a surprising cancer diagnosis, requiring months of treatment. Friends have been fundraising to ease the financial burden of medical bills and time out of work for both Uriah and his wife and caregiver, Janet Moscarello. No one should have to do this, but until progress is made, fundraising efforts such as this will need to continue. On September 21 at Market Street Pub in Warren will be a benefit show for Uriah. The event starts at noon, and music commences at 2 and runs until 9ish. Raffles and silent auctions will be part of the effort. If you cannot attend but would like to help out, collaborate to facebook.com/donate/1328263247329780
The Greenwich Odeum always has great show slated for your entertainment pleasure! Don Felder, the guy who was bounced from the Eagles twice but nonetheless is an amazing guitarist, will bring the sound of the Eagles to The Odeum on September 27. In addition to the tunes on his Eagles heavy set list, he usually includes his solo hit “Heavy Metal” and a couple of choice covers. Folk legend Tom Rush makes a stop on October 3. Ottmar Liebert & Luna Negra share the world of world music on October 5. Almost Queen on October 12 is almost sold out, so if you want to relive the days of Freddie, you’d better hurry! One of the best songwriters ever, Jimmy Webb, known for “Wichita Lineman” “MacArthur Park” and “Up, Up and Away,” will entertain with his stories and solo performances of his classic hits on October 25. If you remember the teen mall concert queen then you will want to hit the Odeum on November 7 for and evening with Tiffany. There’s so much more coming — go see for yourself! Hit up greenwichodeum.com for the calendar.
If you read this regularly then you know how excited I was about the recent performance of Firefall at Twin River. As with most bands, a few of the original members were missing from that show’s line-up, and while I was performing at the Spire Center in Plymouth the other night, I discovered that two of the ones who were missing will be doing a rare performance at the Spire on October 12. The Spire is a beautiful re-purposed church in Plymouth just an hour from PVD. If you are the adventurous sort, then you will want this venue on your radar. Also coming up are Steve Forbert, Peter Wolf, Gibson Brothers, New England’s 40th Anniversary show and John Sebastian. For more, reach up to spirecenter.org
The Local Brew Fiddle and Folk Festival on September 21 at Haines Park in Barrington will present music, food, storytelling, craft vendors, weather and kids activities. This 9th annual festival is a fun, family-friendly event and best of all, admission is FREE. The festival features, from noon until 5, Old Fiddler’s Club, Drownville Station, Len Cabral, Ed Desjardins, The Vox Hunters, Lost Set of Keys, Old Dog Daddy and the Dagnabbits, Hollow Turtle, The Lazy Sundays and Oak Hill, and Michelle Kaminsky will host a fiddlers jam session from 10:30 until noon. For more, rosin up to Local Brew Fiddle and Folk Festival on Facebook.
The Narrows Center for the Arts will present Unnatural Acts, an unusual event that celebrates the diversity of music and the arts through a mashup of styles and sounds. From 4 – 11pm on Saturday, September 21, Unnatural Acts features Ward Hayden & The Outliers, The Proletariat, Errol Strength and the Conscious Band, Ken Clark Organ Trio, Julie Rhodes, La Neve, Wire Lines, and Christopher Johnson. The genres range from punk and pop to reggae and spoken word. Voter Choice Massachusetts will be present to educate and advocate for Ranked Choice Voting. They advocate for the expanded use of Ranked Choice Voting (RCV), which allows voters to rank the candidates on the ballot in order of preference. Also coming up at the Narrows: Los Lonely Boys, Cowboy Junkies, Steve Earle, Justin Hayward, Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals, Marty Stuart, Vanilla Fudge, and as always, so many others! For more, consolidate to: NarrowsCenter.org.
Music in the Gallery brings in dynamic singer and songwriter Laura Love on Friday, October 4 at 7:30PM in the James Arnold Mansion, which houses the Wamsutta Club, 427 County Street, New Bedford. Music in the Gallery is presented by the music directors of the New Bedford Folk Festival, who bring the music of the festival to audiences all year. Laura Love is an African-American singer/songwriter/bassist with a love of all deeply rooted American music. She is known for her colorful style embracing blues, jazz, folk, gospel, bluegrass, reggae and country. Love has opened for such luminaries as John Lee Hooker, Lyle Lovett, Bo Diddley and Karla Bonoff. She has been invited to perform at a number of folk and eclectic music festivals including the Newport Folk Festival, Merlefest and the New Bedford Folk Festival. To snap up a tic, folk on over to brownpapertickets.com/event/4193734 The Garde Theatre in New London, Connecticut, just a short, easy drive from RI, presents a Night with Janis Joplin on Friday, September 20. Tony Nominee Mary Bridget Davies embodies the music legend. This is not a tribute concert; it’s a full-on musical with incredible talent and band on stage that bring a whole different level of energy to the show. Other performers in the musical channel Janis muses Aretha, Odetta, Nina Simone and Bessie Smith. Also on the Garde calendar are Graham Nash, Dr. Ruth, William Shatner, Justin Hayward, Randy Rainbow and Pink Floyd’s The Wall. For more lower your guard to gardearts.org
If you are a fan of the legendary Boston venue Passim, then you will want to take note of Passim’s 60th Anniversary Celebration with Patty Griffin, Josh Ritter and Dar Williams, taking place November 14 at the Shubert Theatre. Palmer over to bochcenter.org for more.
I would love it if you came out to Sandywoods on September 21 for a show I am doing with Pete Vendettuoli and Sean Finnerty (both from my band Forever Young). We will be performing our original music and probably a few Neil tunes as well. Joining Sean with be Selena Wilson on vocals!
From the read it and run portion of my column, head to the Harmony Lodge for the Michelle Malone show on Thursday, September 19 at 7:30pm. She really is amazing! hearinrhodeisland.com
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Record Setting Sesh: A quick report on folk to see in the fall
Okee dokee folks … I am going to try to set a record today for the fastest column I have ever written. I am hyped up on my elixir of life: Red Bull. Actually, three cans. I am sitting in a friend’s RV backstage at Rhythm and Roots Festival, and I am taking a break to squeeze in some writing before I get back into my skull-adorned “Death Mobile” and continue driving endless laps while checking on the four stages at Ninigret Park. I have one bar of internet reception with the festival wi-fi. Do they make Red Bull for wi- fi? I discovered that if I hold the laptop up in the air it gets a better signal, but it’s a little tough to type that way.
So I will inform and entertain you for a bit and then I must scurry back into the unwashed masses at the park. While I have your attention, I would like to thank the folks who came out to this year’s Providence Folk Festival. We were all absolutely floored by the attendance and the response we received this year. Rose Larisa Park in East Providence was a HUGE hit. And thank you also to all who volunteered, sponsored and performed! We are excited to already be working on the 7th annual folk festival for 2020. Keep an eye out as we are more than likely going to rename the festival because of the new location — many folks were confused as to why the Providence Folk Festival was in EP! So, this being the Fall Guide Issue I guess I should guide you on how to fall. Oops, sorry — that’s the Red Bull talking! Read on… Michelle Malone is returning to RI on Thursday, September 19. If you are a fan of Indigo Girls, Sheryl Crow or Bonnie Raitt, you will love Malone. She has been performing around the world for more than 30 years, including touring with the Indigo Girls and writing songs with them. Malone is an amazing and dynamic performer, and you will walk away totally wowed after her show. She only gets up this way from Georgia once every couple of years, so take advantage of this show. Malone will be performing as part of the Route 44 Music Series at The Harmony Lodge on Route 44 in Harmony. Make sense? Get there early and have dinner. The show starts at 7:30 and will be over by 9:45, so it gives you plenty of time to get home and get a good night’s sleep. Performing a short opening set is RI’s own Dan Lilley in a rare solo appearance. For more, “Flagpole” over to hearinrhodeisland.com
On Saturday, September 14, The RI Music and Arts Festival takes over India Point Park. The festival advertises “Little State, Big Music,” and this year will present The Felice Brothers, Adam Ezra Group, Kung Fu, Bumpin’ Uglies, Six Fox Whiskey, Colby James, West End Blend, Phil Adams Group, Aubrey Haddad, Mease and Rival Roots. For info, Revolutionary Route over to littlestatebigmusic.com.
The Rhode Island Songwriters Association has a couple of events coming up this month. Their Semi- Annual Summer Showcase takes place on Saturday, September 7, at Sandywoods in Tiverton. This installment is produced by Jack Moore and features music from Ed McGuirl and friends, Mike Laureanno and Morgan Johnston. On Wednesday, September 11, at AS220, the monthly Songwriters In The Round show happens with songwriters tackling the theme of “recycled dreams.” To hear what they all came up with, head over to the Empire Street venue by 7pm. For more about these shows and RISA, compose over to risongwriters.com
The East Bay is hosting more great events to close out the summer festival season. The 2019 Warren Folks Festival is September 8 at 30 Cutler St in Warren. This year’s lineup includes John Faraone’s curated songwriter stage, Coma Coma, The Glory Girls, Conseulo’s Revenge, Cactus Attack, The Bear Fight Club and The Low Cards. Besides the talent there will be food, music and beer. For more, get the folk over to thecollaborative02885.org/warren-folks-fest2019.
The 9th annual Barrington Local Brew Fiddle and Folk Festival takes place on Saturday, September 21, from noon until 5 at Haines Park. Fiddlin’ and Folkin’ this year will be Old Fiddler’s Club, Drownville Station, Len Cabral, Ed Desjardins, The Vox Hunters, Lost Set of Keys, Old Dog Daddy and the Dagnabbits, Hollow Turtle, The Lazy Sundays, and Oak Hill, and Michelle Kaminsky will host a fiddlers jam session from 10:30 until noon. For more, rosin over to Local Brew Fiddle and Folk Festival on Facebook.
A few more for you. The Vinnie Earnshaw Memorial Concert happens at The Met on Sunday, September 8. Paying tribute will be The Bickersins, Heidi Nirk Band, Greg Allen’s Fringe Religion, Neal and the Vipers, Bob Angel All Starr band with Duke Robillard, Time Taylor, Gary Cummings, Jack Moore and more! Doors are at 2 and the free show starts at 3pm. For info, slide over to themetri.com.
Stone Soup is reheating a fall season this year and comes out of a two year hiatus. Joanne Lurgio and Mike Laureanno will perform for the rekindled coffeehouse. The show will take place at 88 Meeting St in Providence. For more grind over to stonesoupcoffeehouse.org
The River Bend Songwriter Festival will weave into Slater Mill on Saturday, September 7 as part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival. The Sea The Sea, Vance Gilbert, Catie Curtis , Michael Graham Ryan Fitzsimmons, Kim Moberg, Bernard John , and Grvcelyn sing the songs from noon until 7pm on the grounds at the mill. For more, industrially revolute to facebook.com/events/426520577961253 There’s lots more to come this fall. Keep on reading! JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Barefoot and Strumming: Stage fashion rules (and you know what rules are made for)
Okee dokee folks…Most of you probably know that I hate summer. It’s the heat — I am not a fan and being in the sun actually drains me. So to stay cool, I wear shorts as often as possible, but I WILL NOT wear them on stage! There has been a meme floating around that dictates when wearing shorts at a gig is appropriate: only if you are Angus Young (AC/DC) or a toddler. If you are a professional musician, then shorts are not proper attire on stage. I must confess that many, many years ago I wore shorts at a show. I don’t know why or what I was thinking, but I do know that I wasn’t taking music very seriously then, and my wearing shorts showed just that. Nowadays the only time I break that rule is when the mercury is closing in on 100 degrees and I am performing outside.
While I am on the topic of what is proper to wear or not wear on stage, let me add sunglasses, baseball hats, and bare feet. If you are outside on stage on a sunny day, then sunglasses are fine, but inside take the shades off. Audiences want to see your eyes because they are part of your stage expression. And baseball hats. Are you 12 and playing baseball? If you cannot answer yes to both of those questions then take the baseball hat off while you are on stage. If you feel the need to wear a dome cover, then at least invest in a stylish chapeau — a fedora, fez, beret, cowboy hat, a bowler or even a pith helmet … something with style and individuality that shows that you actually tried to find a decent stage bonnet. And finally, playing a show barefoot should be a no-no. You are not Graham Nash, and at his age even he should invest in some of those Velcro strap, senior citizen sneakers. Being barefoot on stage is not only a turn-off, but it could be dangerous. You could get an electrical shock. You could step on something mid-set and start bleeding profusely from those hooves of yours, and unless you are Gene Simmons or Alice Cooper, the whole gushing blood on stage thing doesn’t work. Be mindful and considerate of your audience, they are there to enjoy what you are doing. Sometimes they are drinking and eating while you are doing it. You want what you do on stage to help it go down easily, not to make it come back up! Read on…
The sixth annual Providence Folk Festival takes place at its new home at Larisa Park in Riverside on Sunday, August 25. This free festival will present music on two stages from artists Dan Lilley and the Keepers with Amy Bedard, The Joint Chiefs, Flowers and Rain, Cardboard Ox, Hollow Turtle, Lisa Couto Trio, Chris Monti Band, Quahog Quire, Ryan Lee Crosby Trio, Allysen Callery, Bob Kendall, Lisa Bastoni, Kala Farnham, John Faraone, Ric Allendorf, Lara Herscovitch, Swimming Bell (Katie Schottland), Andrew Victor and Seatbelt. For more, get the folk over to providencefolkfestival.com
The Rhythm and Roots Festival, this year’s Motif Music Award winner for best RI festival, is coming up Labor Day weekend. Do yourself a favor and check it out. You will surely get hooked and make the Rhythm and Roots Festival an annual tradition just like thousands of others! For more about the fest, zyde-go-go to: rhythmandroots.com
Local songstress Joanne Lurgio has completed her much anticipated CD, Crossing Jordon — songs of faith, comfort & healing. She will be hosting a celebratory concert on Sunday, August 18, from 3 – 7pm at St. Kevin Church, 333 Sandy Lane in Warwick, and many of the musicians on the recording will join her on stage, such as Bryan Barrette, Aubrey Atwater, Cathy Clasper-Torch, Elwood Donnelly, Pamela Lowell, Joe Lurgio and Joe Potenza. An opening set will be performed by Alice Pace & Ned Quist. For more, traverse to joannelurgio.com
Common Fence Music and Hope & Main present Robertico Arias Y Su Alebreke on Sunday, August 18, at the Hope and Main Schoolyard Market from 10am – 12:30pm. Robertico Arias Y Su Alebreke has toured internationally with such bands as Los Hijos del Rey, El Equipo de Dioni Pernandez, Boni Cepeda, The New York Band and La Gran Manzana, and recorded with such artists as David Byrne. For more, cornucopia to commonfencemusic.org
Motif’s Fall Guide will be our next issue. If you have events taking place this fall, please send the info to me now! Don’t say you weren’t warned!
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Rap Battle: How I learned to stop worrying and love the hip-hop
Okee dokee folks… Last week I was fortunate to attend a production of the musical Hamilton at Providence Performing Arts Center. I knew very little about the show prior other than the fact it was touted as “epic,” so I did a little research by watching a documentary and a few YouTube videos. After digesting what I had seen I thought to myself, “I’m not sure that I am going to like this.” The main reason being that I am not a fan of rap music.
The night of the show, PPAC was the busiest that I have ever experienced. At 7pm the lights went down and the show leaped out of the starting gate and began its three-hour sprint. From the minute it began I was captivated. Right away I realized that rap was used in place of actual dialogue and that it was pretty amazing. This was a high-energy history lesson. It was intense, inventive and inspirational. Revolution, rivalry and romance are the basis of this fact-driven story revolving around Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette and King George all have memorable moments in this production as well. The king’s song, “You’ll Be Back,” a serenade for the colonies, told them “And when push comes to shove, I will send a fully armed battalion to remind you of my love!”
Many times their words bridged into today’s social issues, such as when the lyrics pronounced, “Immigrants get things done!” or when Hamilton sang “My Shot,” which encourages people to “Rise up!” This production blows the dust off, shakes things up and defies the typical, white bread, Broadway musical in ways that Jesus Christ Superstar did 50 years ago or Gilbert & Sullivan did in Victorian England.
Hamilton makes history a happening evening of entertainment! I realize that this show has been reviewed to death, but I included it here because this show needs to be seen by everyone! Young and old alike will be moved by Hamilton. It is seriously going to “make some folk’s heads explode,” but looking at our past through Hamilton is showing us our future! Tickets are still available and well worth every penny. The show runs through August 11. Don’t be singing, “What’d I Miss!” Bounce over to PPACRI.org Read on…
This past March I caught Jim Messina’s sold-out show at the Narrows Center for the Arts. A four-piece band of stellar musicians backed up Messina (who sang, played guitar and mandolin) with lush harmonies, guitar, violin, sax, flute, bass and drums. His set included classics such as “Watching the River Run,” “Danny’s Song,” “Thinking of You,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Traveling Blues,” “You Better Think Twice,” “Lovin Me,” “Make Your Woman Feel Wanted,” “Peace of Mind” and “Angry Eyes.” Besides the great music, he told interesting and amusing stories between numbers. I had a long chat with Messina last week about his upcoming show at the Greenwich Odeum on Sunday, August 4. Read it at motifri.com/jimmessina If you are a fan of Loggins & Messina, Poco, or Buffalo Springfield, you will want to be at the Odeum on August 4. For more, Full Sail to: greenwichodeum.com
The Narrows Center for the Arts offers up a stellar schedule of shows in August. On August 2 is three time Grammy nominee for blues, Ruthie Foster. On August 3 its The Conjuring – Mysterious Items of the Occult. This special event will be hosted by Tony Spera, director of the New England Society for Psychic Research and son-in-law of paranormal investigators Ed & Lorraine Warren. August 7 brings Grammy winner Shawn Colvin. August 8 and 9 is a two-night stand with Tab Benoit. August 9 is already sold out, so don’t miss out on tix for the 8th! August 14 brings Robert Earl Keen, on the 16th is Walter Trout and on August 17 it’s the legendary British Blues player John Mayall. “Don’t Fear The Reaper” or you will miss Blue Oyster Cult on Aug 22. You can celebrate the 50th anniversary of that deaf, dumb and blind pinball wizard when The Who’s “Tommy” is performed by The Collective. Close out the month with The Zombies on August 27 and Danielle Nicole of Trampled Under Foot on the 29th. Phew! That’s a lot of great entertainment. For more, squeeze over to narrowscenter.org.
That’s it for now. I am always adding to my concert photos at facebook.com/motifri. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
Roots Report: An Interview with Jim Messina
Okee dokee folks…This past March I caught Jim Messina’s sold-out show at the Narrows Center for the Arts. A four-piece band of stellar musicians backed up Messina (who sang and played guitar and mandolin) with lush harmonies, guitar, violin, sax, flute, bass and drums. His set included classics such as “Watching the River Run,” “Danny’s Song,” “Thinking of You,” “House at Pooh Corner,” “Traveling Blues,” “You Better Think Twice,” “Lovin Me,” “Make Your Woman Feel Wanted,” “Peace of Mind” and “Angry Eyes” and other gems. Besides the great music he told interesting and amusing anecdotes between numbers. I had a long chat with Messina last week to talk about his upcoming show at the Greenwich Odeum on Sunday, August 4. Here is just some of what we talked about.
One of the things that intrigued me was Jim Messina’s newest release being issued on a flash drive. I asked him about how this came about.
Jim Messina: The Access All card was created because my wife came home with a new computer and I asked where the CD drive was and she told me that it doesn’t have one, so I asked her how she was going to get music into it and she said that everyone listens to Pandora and iTunes, and you just download it to your computer and I said, ‘Wow, that is the end of it for us as musicians because it’s already so controlled by the powers that be’ so I started thinking how can we deal with this issue and around the same time I bought a new truck that had a USB connector in it and one day we were in Las Vegas I think and my wife handed me a card that looked like a credit card or hotel room key, I asked he what it was and she told me that it was a USB card, when I got back home I wondered if it would hold MP3 files so I took one of my albums and put it on there…then I plugged it into the USB port and pressed play and sure enough the first song played…I started playing around with some ideas…I thought about vinyl for a release but I couldn’t get it all on one…it would take three because vinyl only holds about 16-20 minutes on each side…so it just wouldn’t fit… then I thought that I could use the card…as I got into it I thought I could put MP3s on it but I want people to be able to burn a CD so if I put a folder on it called ‘Audio Files’ that has the whole album in 24/48 bit audio files and they could load it on their computer and the computer would automatically convert it to files that they could burn into their own CD …then I thought if we used a larger USB card, double the amount, we can add video, song lyrics, photos, something that would have added value that you would have gotten in the old days for the same price as a CD or a DVD…so we decided to go with the All Access card and put all of it on there, which gives the consumer the opportunity to play it in the car like a CD or plug it into their computer and play it or load it in and burn your own CDs…however they wanted to listen to it…and if you wanted to you could erase the music from the card, once you’ve copied it of course, and keep it in your wallet and use it for storage! …and, if we put them on lanyards then that becomes their ‘meet and greet’ pass that gets them to the front of the line the next time that we do a show…and they could download more music to it at the next show and we could give them a discount on it! People seem to like it and seem to be using it and it doesn’t turn out to be a coaster like a CD would”
JF: When I met Jim and his publicist at the Narrows we talked about a future interview and his PR person mentioned that I should ask him about the night that he spent in jail with Eric Clapton. So I did!
Jim Messina: We were rehearsing one night at Stephen Stills house, it was supposed to be a Buffalo Springfield rehearsal and apparently he (Stephen) had run into Eric (Clapton) a couple of days before…Stills had rented a house in Laurel Canyon and he felt that it was the country and that they should be able to play loud usic but the police had been out a couple of times and told them that they are making too much noise and people are complaining and you have to stop by ten…unfortunately the night that was the Buffalo Springfield rehearsal was the third night, third times the charm…we were rehearsing and Eric Clapton had come to visit so they were jamming and we were sitting around waiting to start rehearsal, some gals were there and Richie had brought his wife, it was a family thing and all of a sudden the Sheriff’s Dept started busting in from every orifice in that house, apparently the two gals had some marijuana in their purses, in those days if one person had any illegal substance they just arrested everybody, so we all got rounded up and put into the squad cars and they took us down to the LA County Jail, started taking blood tests and spraying us with bug spray and poor Eric, they singled him out, he had long hair in those days and he had some pink boots, then we were all in our underwear and our shoes, they were having a field day with him unfortunately, anyway, we spent the night in the ‘county can’ and they separated all of us but it ended up Eric and I being in the same ‘tank’, it was about 3am, there was no place to sit, the room was full of a lot of folks that didn’t look very kind, Eric and I ended up laying down on the floor, the only pillows were some phone books, I think that we were laying back-to-back, ‘booty-to-booty’, basically protecting ourselves from any foul play that may go on at that time…but that was the first and last time I saw him (Eric) and it wasn’t under great circumstances, but we got out of there, the hard part was my mom, and my family were all in law enforcement and when the word got out that I was accused of being a ‘druggy’, for being in the same room as someone who had drugs, it was tough because I had to explain it but when I did go to trial the blood test showed that there was nothing in it so instead of being found guilty of felony possession of narcotics I was found guilty of disturbing the peace for playing my guitar too loud…I guess all’s well that ends well, right?
John Fuzek: So you didn’t keep in touch with Eric?
Jim Messina: No, I don’t know that that experience would have been very bonding! One of these days we’ll meet again under better circumstances.
John Fuzek: You have been in three very well known bands, do you have a preference for any of them?
Jim Messina: They were all different experiences with different tasks… I started out as the engineer for the Buffalo Springfield on Buffalo Springfield Again putting all those pieces together for that album, on their third album my job there was to produce them…the band wanted me to produce them and I had produced records before, it wasn’t new to me but it was to be working with a band that had some success… I loved the band’s music, Stephen Stills was a real innovator on the acoustic guitar and vocally was a very soulful singer and a great songwriter, Neil was blooming in that area as well and Richie was starting to come along…I had worked with a lot of musicians as a recording engineer before I got involved with The Buffalo Springfield…my job was really to get that last album made…it was kind of like herding cats, it was really impossible to get them into one place at one time…I ended up working with Stephen by himself and Richie by himself and Neil had quit there somewhere in the middle so putting all the piece together and getting the album together was difficult…I was able to get Stephen’s and Richie’s stuff cut and Neil brought in ‘I Am A Child’, he had done that on his own…after I had gotten it all together it was very eclectic, whenever you record music in different studios and try to put it together it is always a challenge…it was exhausting but all the guy’s were great and respectful…Richie had written ‘Kind Woman’ for that particular album which is one of my favorite songs which is why I recorded it…from there, I had spent a lot of time with Richie and we had become friends, Neil had gone off on his own and Stephen had gone off to do Crosby, Stills and Nash, and Richie didn’t have a direction, we were in a taxi cab one day and I said that the Springfield is going to bust up, what are your thoughts? He said, ‘I really don’t know but I would like to work with you but instead of doing folk rock we should tie some country into it’…when we were recording the steel guitar part on ‘Kind Woman’ for that album I looked over at Richie and said maybe that idea of country rock might work…so, that recording of ‘Kind Woman’ with Rusty Young playing steel was really the seed that would become Poco…Rusty, myself, Richie, and we later would find a bass player…Richie knew Randy (Meisner) and Rusty had George (Grantham) in his band in Colorado so we brought those guys in and started rehearsing with them and that was the beginning of Poco.
John Fuzek: Were you still with the band when the Eagles took Randy (Meisner) for their band? How did you feel about that?
Jim Messina: First of all they got a great bass player, second of all Richie did something very stupid, Randy had come to the studio to hear the mixes on the album and he wouldn’t let him in…Richie said they didn’t want anybody in here while we were mixing, Randy said that if he couldn’t come in the studio then I am not part of the band and if I am not part of the band then I am leaving an he quit…shortly after that the Eagles picked up Randy and put him in their band and then we got Tim Schmidt who did a great job…Tim came in just about the time that we started to tour, we never really got the album finished until that situation with Randy and if you notice with Picking Up The Pieces, Randy is not on the cover, Richie had them paint a dog in his place, that is why their is a dog on the cover!
John Fuzek: Did you aspire to be an engineer or a musician?
Jim Messina: I played music all through high school, played in bands, had my own band called The Jesters, at the end of high school I was hired to work at Ibis Records…when I finished at Ibis I didn’t know what I was going to do, all the musicians there like Hal Blaine, Carol Kaye, Glen Campbell were all such phenomenal players and readers and I figured that I was never going to have a chance…I apprenticed as an engineer, learned how to wire patch bays, build consoles and all those kind of things, I figured I would be an engineer, I didn’t think I would have an opportunity in music again…but it was a way that I would eventually become reintroduced to playing…my fate that wound up becoming my destiny.
JF: You wound up in three iconic bands- Buffalo Springfield, Poco and Loggins and Messina! And after Loggins and Messina you had a great return with Poco’s Legacy album
Jim Messina: That was a good album, I was glad to do that and as it turned out it was great for me to reconnect with Rusty, and the album In The Groove has him as a guest artist on it…we can go back and perform ‘Kind Woman’ and ‘You’d Better Think Twice’…but there was a lot of drama in the (Legacy) situation, Richie had become a minister, he fought us all the way in terms of what we could write, what we could say and what we could sing and what he would want to play on…that was hard…who we are and what we bring to the situation can cause conflict, it’s so hard anyway to get music recorded, done, and done well.
JF: You did a Loggins and Messina reunion tour about ten years ago, is there a chance of that ever happening again?
Jim Messina: I don’t know, the tours were very successful, it all just depends on where Kenny’s head is at, he’s going through some personal changes himself and with his health…the last time we did something together was a PBS special, he had been given some prescription meds to help him and it was not great medicine and it really messed him up…he was having problems with his neck and it was hard for him to play or hold guitar for any length of time so he’s been having more people sit in and play for him, I’ve seen him do some singing projects and I think his voice is still in great shape…the Loggins and Messina stuff takes a lot out of us because the music is intense, lot of parts, lot of arrangements, I know because I still do them on stage.
JF: One thing I noticed about the show was that the band was stellar and the song selection was great!
Jim Messina: I work at making the show and the arrangements flow where people get a chance to experience all of those songs they so enjoyed…one of the reasons that I start out acoustically is because I don’t want to beat people up with sound and that is why I keep the volumes low, we start off acoustically so we can slowly build the set…so by the end of the evening when the music does come up in intensity you’re not beat up from having been there for an hour already…As for the band, we’ve been together for quite a while, Craig Thomas for instance, we’ve been working together on and off since 1977-78, Michael Brady worked with me in the 80’s… and Gary Oleyar I met in the early 90’s and by ’94 we were doing an album called Watching The River Run…Dave Beyer, we have been working together on and off since 2004…they all know the music and they have all been a part of it…Gary was part of the Loggins and Messina reunion in 2009…pretty much everybody who is in that band are not drug users, they’re not alcoholics, it’s kind of nice working with people that are stable, it makes the music work, not having all that excess baggage…at this point in our lives if you haven’t gotten over that go do it somewhere else…I’ve been around people who’ve had issues with it and it makes it difficult to work, communicate, get things done…it just didn’t fit into to what inspired me most which was the work that I was doing, the engineering, the playing, it gets in the way of all that, if anything gets in the way of me doing what I need to do as a professional it just doesn’t fit…it’s a business, if I want to party I can party at home…I keep it away from my work.
JF: One last thing, can you tell folks what to expect from your upcoming show?
Jim Messina: Well, I will certainly try to get to as many Loggins and Messina songs as I can, that have been popular, Poco songs, I bring in a great group of guys that love to perform, you’ll get some great performance from people who want to be there! I do and I am looking forward to it!
Jim Messina will be at the Greenwich Odeum on Sunday, August 4th. If you are a fan of Loggins & Messina, Poco, or Buffalo Springfield you will want to be at the Odeum on August 4. For more, Full Sail to: GreenwichOdeum.com
That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: An Interview with Kurt Vile
Credit: Erik Kabik Photography
Okee dokee folks… A few months back my bandmate Dan Lilley came to rehearsal with a CD in his hand and said, “This guy is on Neil Young’s website as a recommended listen.” A few weeks later we were playing at City Winery in Boston and I went into the bathroom, well, you know what for. Music was playing on speakers in the bathroom; I personally find that odd, but, anyway, I really liked what I was hearing. I went back to the green room and mentioned it to Dan. He told me that was the CD that he had brought to rehearsal. That artist was Kurt Vile. This was the song, “Pretty Pimpin”-check it out on YouTube (youtube.com/watch?v=y26OdHnif7U).
Vile is known for his solo work and has recorded eight studio albums, but was also a member of the band The War On Drugs (from ’05-’09). Vile’s music is guitar-driven rock and has a bit of a Tom Petty/Lou Reed feel to it. Have a listen to the song “Loading Zone” from his latest CD, Bottle It In (youtube.com/watch?v=7mbh43HgT4U). I had a chance to speak with Kurt by phone the other day in advance of his upcoming show at the Columbus Theatre in Providence on July 27.
John Fuzek (Motif): Hi Kurt, where are you calling from? Kurt Vile: I am in Philadelphia, that’s where I live. JF: You have pretty much always lived there, except for Boston for a bit, correct? KV: Yeah, long time ago, like 2001-2 JF: You started out doing “Lo-Fi” recordings about 20 years ago, what were you doing these on? KV: Um, well, honestly, since my teens I was just recording in my bedroom or people were recording me at their house. In my bedroom in my teens I was just using a tape recorder, but you know, I guess, anything that I released from my early 20s on was recorded on a Roland digital eight track … it took Zip discs… JF: So you were doing multi-track recording by then, I thought you might have had an old Fostex cassette four track or something similar. KV: That would be cool, I never had the cassette four track, I’m into cassettes and reel-to-reel, I have some various reel-to-reel recorders in my basement; it’s nice on the brain to not be looking at a computer screen when I record, I was never good at computers…I like the simplicity of tape, I’ve tried to get into the computer recording at home but there’s always just something popping up, some message, some error, you know? There’s always some kind of upgrade, all these things, your computer is connected to, social media, you can’t focus, that’s why I like reel-to-reels, I’m trying to get back to a place where I’m making really great reel-to-reel recordings in my basement, that’s where I’m at now, that’s my goal the next year or two to have a fully functioning studio down there JF: I wish I still had my reel-to-reel eight track, I went from a cassette four track to that and then to digital stuff KV: Yeah, the problem with the digital stuff is that it becomes obsolete, right, they upgrade and then, I’m in the same boat, I really got to, I like like the idea of getting an archive together, not unlike Neil Young’s archive, except just not make it available to the public, I’ve got to unload that digital eight track, I’ve got to unload those Zip discs before it’s too late, I have an Otari half inch eight track and I do love to turn that thing on…I also have various quarter inch machines and stuff, it’s funny, too…I use computers, especially when someone knows what they’re doing, I know that’s the highest fidelity that you can get with Pro Tools, it’s hard to tell the difference, still, when I’m working with tape in my basement there’s no denying you can just saturate the tape, make sure the input is up, even if it clips it will most likely sound cool anyway, it’s pretty pure sound just going onto that tape, keep things simple for a while until you can clear your head, it’s just some form of getting away from the real world anyway, really… JF: So, is it an actual studio down there or just a basement with a lot of gear? KV: It’s in the works, I would say that the control room, if you can call it that, is coming together for sure, but like the room where I can crank some amps and stuff, that side needs some work, it’s definitely a “vibey” work space for sure, I can definitely record in there, yeah JF: You mentioned Neil Young and his archives, the reason I became aware of you was in a roundabout way through the recommendation on his website. KV: Well, I think it was the people that work his archive were just being nice, that would be amazing if Neil himself wanted you to but that’s the beauty of Neil, he really doesn’t listen to anybody until you can’t ignore them, you’re name just has to get thrown around there a lot, but the people at the archive knew I was a big Neil fan and I have opened for him, I am buddies with (his current backing band) Promise of the Real, but Neil himself, no… JF: You have actually opened for him KV: Once, but I also played with Promise of the Real at Willie’s (Nelson-father of Lukas & Micah Nelson of Promise of the Real) ranch, they played with me on “Pretty Pimpin” and a cover of Bob Dylan’s “Roll On John” at the ranch, that was magic, too, those are sort of my connections with the Neil Young world JF: That’s cool, I play in a Neil Young tribute band and, don’t laugh, but the first time I actually heard your music was when we were at a gig at City Winery in Boston and was in the bathroom and the music was being played over a speaker in there, I told the guy in my band about it and he told me that it was your CD that was playing in there… KV: Ha! Cool! JF: I was getting into it, I like guitar driven music, I’m a guitar player, I like guitar driven, it’s very organic music, you get into the groove and play, it flows KV: Thanks, man! JF: When I was listening to your stuff I sensed a Lou Reed and Tom Petty influence there KV: I would say that Lou Reed is my earliest of the classic rock, he influenced me in my teens, yeah, Tom Petty, I always loved him, too, kind of interesting, I re-watched his Running Down A Dream Documentary and they asked him what are your influences and he said, “uh, the radio”, what I was going to say was that there are certain Tom Petty songs that I loved as a kid, there was this diner jukebox at your table and I would always play “Learning To Fly”, I still that’s one of the greatest Tom Petty, classic songs in general, so yes, they were various dimensions from my high school upbringing or whatever, influences JF: I saw that you were a fork lift operator, did that life influence your music? KV: That was definitely where I embraced Classic Rock Radio, you know doing repetitive tasks at the brewery, working in the box room, once in a while there would be a college radio show that played more obscure stuff but the best thing on the radio that you would settle for would be Classic Rock, and yes, it does have a blue collar sense to it JF: Who else would you say influenced you? KV: So many, do you mean Classic Rock? Since we are talking about Classic Rock Radio, Springsteen, Stones, Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen, but then my dad, I grew up with my dad playing Bluegrass music and old time stuff JF: Is that why he gave you a banjo when you were young? KV: He got me a banjo because he probably wished that I’d become a bluegrass musician, his favorite song to this day of mine, which is on the banjo is “I’m an Outlaw” from the I B’lieve I’m Going Down album. When I play my banjo it has an ethereal, hypnotic quality that you can’t quite get out of the guitar because of the high drone string…almost like a sitar, or Appalachian folk JF: You have kids so is being on the road tough for you? KV: Definitely at first, it was intense for a while but the the tours are winding down and getting a little shorter, the previous tour of Europe was 6 weeks and some lengthy States tours…and Australia…they visited me when I was on tour in Australia, and Norway in the middle of the last tour…but when I am home I am around 24/7 JF: That is cool that you have toured the world, how is your fan base in other countries? KV: It varies but I would say that Australia is one of my favorites and we always do well there, I would say that it’s going good everywhere! We’ve been trucking along for ten years professionally…it gets a little better very record…this one we’re selling out venues… JF: Do you want to add anything about what to expect from the show? KV: Man, I am excited just to come back there, it’s definitely an epic Rock and Roll show, it will definitely be better than last time we were there…and I hope that you can make it out ’cause if you are in a Neil Young Tribute band we have to stick together!
Kurt Vile and his band the Violators will be at the Columbus Theatre on Saturday, July 27. For more about Vile and the show take the “Freak Train” over to: ColumbusTheatre.com or KurtVile.com That’s it for now. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Send in the Crowds: Fuzek lauches his latest rant
Okee dokee folks… I have a hard time comprehending the crowd-funding phenomenon. Maybe I should rephrase that, I have a had time understanding the things are are funded by crowd-funding. Most of what I come across that folks are looking to fund are personal CD projects. I guess because we live in America people are entitled to put their dollars where they want to, but should they just because they can? I know I am going to go into another “get off my lawn” rant, but hey, it’s what I do, so here goes!
I have always funded my recordings myself: as a solo, duo and producer. The first “albums” I put out were with my duo, and we worked hard, played gigs and saved our money to pay for the projects. Neither one of us had money, but we didn’t ask anyone for it and we only recorded when we had enough saved. When I produced the Twelve Steps of Christmas CD I borrowed a couple of thousand to enable the production. It didn’t turn a profit, and I had to pay that money back on my own so that project cost me money. Even though the holiday compilation lost money, in the big picture it was a winner because the various artists’ songs received a lot of airplay and the disc wound up in top holiday playlists every year for many years after. I learned the hard lesson that the window of opportunity for working with holiday albums was very small, and learning lessons is part of what makes you a wiser and better person.
I tend to be a do-it-yourself type of person, consider myself fairly resourceful and often practice sweat equity. We did the album art ourselves, and to save money, we folded and inserted our own tray cards and booklets into the cassettes and CD cases. Basically we had a lot of ourselves invested and worked for every bit of what it took to make things happen.
Nowadays, people routinely think nothing of asking for $10,000 to fund a CD project and, as I see most of the time, they do raise it. I have used crowd-funding to try to pay for things, but NOT for my own gain. I have used it to fund public events — namely The Providence Folk Festival (PVD FF).
Now this is why I have a hard time understanding crowd sourcing. In Star Trek’s The Wrath of Khan, Spock says, “Logic clearly dictates that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.” Logic doesn’t always prevail. You would think that an event such as this that benefits MANY local, regional and national musicians and is FREE and open for anyone to attend would be a sure hit in the crowd- funding world. Well, I have news for you, it’s not. And it’s hard to understand why some events get funded and others don’t.
Anyway, what is my point? As usual I don’t really know, but we do need a lot more damn money to fund the Providence Folk Festival! If you want to learn more or help, then get the folk over to: ProvidenceFolkFestival.com. End of rant. Read on…
A few months back my bandmate, Dan Lilley, came to rehearsal with a CD and his hand and told me that “this guy is on Neil Young’s website as a recommended listen.” A few weeks later, we were playing at City Winery in Boston and I went into the bathroom, well, you know what for. Music was playing on speakers in the bathroom; I personally find that odd, but, anyway, I really liked what I was hearing. I went back to the green room and mentioned it to Dan. He told me that was the CD that he had brought to rehearsal. That artist was Kurt Vile. I had a chance to speak with Kurt by phone the other day in advance of his upcoming show at the Columbus Theatre in Providence on July 27. To read that interview take the “Freak Train” over to motifr.com/kurtvile
That’s it for now. I am always adding to my concert photos at fb.com/motifri. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
The Roots Report: Sunshine Tour Heads to Twin River
Okee dokee folks… “Soft Rock” came about late in the ’60s and perfectly mellowed in the ’70s. That era spawned many great bands and songs that are still heard today. Three groups that rocked us gently then will be casting their light sounds in Lincoln when the Sunshine Tour pulls into Twin River on Friday, July 12. Pablo Cruise, Orleans and Firefall, the pinnacle players of the soft rock genre, will be bringing their many, many hits and more to the casino’s Event Center stage.
I have been a fan of these three bands since the mid ’70s. So much of a fan that last year I booked John Hall (and Fly Amero) of Orleans to headline the Providence Folk Festival. I used to call these bands a guilty pleasure of mine but nowadays, I consider myself a proud fan. The instrumentation, catchy melodies and lush harmonies are what gave these bands and their songs over 40 years of staying power. Last week I spoke with founding members of each Sunshine Tour band about what they have been up to and what to expect from the show.
Pablo Cruise released its first album in 1975, but it wasn’t until 1977’s A Place In The Sun that they gained widespread notoriety with songs such as “Whacha Gonna Do” and “A Place In The Sun.” The Bay Area band consisted of David Jenkins (guitars, vocals), Cory Lerios (keyboards, vocals), Bud Cockerel (bass, vocals) and Steve Price (drums, percussion). When asked about the band name their response was always, “’Pablo’ represents an honest, real, down-to-earth individual, and ‘Cruise’ depicts his fun- loving, easy-going attitude toward life. Original bass player Bud Cockerel had previously played with the band A Beautiful Day, known for their song “White Bird.” Bud left the band in ’77 to start a new project with his wife, Patti Santos, who also had been in A Beautiful Day. Bruce Day was brought in as the new bass player, and his first album with the band was 1978’s Worlds Away album, which spawned the hits “Love Will Find a Way,” “Don’t Want to Live Without It” and “I Go to Rio.” In 1985 the band took, what turned out to be, a 20-year hiatus.
In 2005, they got back together and have been touring and recording ever since. Today the band consists of original members Corey Lerious, Steve Price and David Jenkins, as well as new members Larry Antonio and and Robbie Wyckoff. I called founding member Corey Lerious at his SoCal home and we chatted about his work and the band. When asked what he did during the hiatus Lerious replied, “I worked on TV and film scores…I am a composer, you never stop doing that! One thing I did a lot of work on was ‘Baywatch’…they have all just been re-released in HD to over 120 countries!”
I wondered about the new members of the band and Corey told me, “Robbie was on tour with Roger Waters and sang all of the David Gilmour parts, he also worked on Disney projects… Larry is a top session bass player and is in high demand and is extremely busy but always makes time for Pablo Cruise …the band we will be playing with is the best we have ever had and we still have three original members!”
When asked about new material, Corey talked about their latest single “This Time” and he added, “It’s always nice to keep bringing things out, especially with the band we have now!” As for what we should expect from the Pablo set on the 12th Corey said, “We play the cream of the crop of the repertoire…there is also a lot of comedy, we have great chemistry in the band…it’s a fun and friendly show!” For more, luxury line to: PabloCruise.com
The band Orleans, originally formed in Woodstock, NY, by John Hall, brothers Lance and Larry Hoppen, and Wells Kelly, has been performing fairly regularly, with founding and new members since 1972. The band produced chart-topping hits including “Dance With Me,” “Let There Be Music,” “Love Takes Time,” “Reach” and, of course, their most famous, “Still the One.” Over the years, original members Larry Hoppen and Wells Kelly passed away and other members have come and gone, but the core of the band still remains. Today, Orleans includes John Hall on guitar, vocals; Dennis “Fly” Amero on guitar, vocals; Lance Hoppen on bass, vocals, Lane Hoppen on keyboards, vocals; and Brady Spencer on drums, percussion, vocal. I spoke with John Hall via phone just after Orleans’ soundcheck for a show they were playing in New Jersey.
We talked about the current line-up of Orleans and John mentioned, “We have Lance and Larry’s younger brother, Lane, on vocals and keys…they have that ‘family blend’ of voices…I have been singing with Hoppens since 1972…and Fly is a terrific guitar player and singer and quite a character…we still have the vocal harmonies and this group is a great blend.”
Many people may not know that John Hall has connections to Janis Joplin, so I asked him to recount that story to me. “Johanna (John’s wife at the time) was writing for The Village Voice and she had just interviewed Janis and she and Johanna came back to our flat, it was around Christmas time, and we sat around singing blues versions of Christmas carols…then I played her one of my songs and she said that it sounded like a song by a young guy and then she turned to Johanna and said, ‘You’re a writer; why don’t you write a song for me’…it was the first song that Johanna and I wrote together…when Janis Joplin says ‘write me a song’ you don’t say no!…she played the song every show until she died.”
The song that they wrote was called “Half Moon” and it was included on Joplin’s posthumous Pearl album, and was also recorded by the Fifth Dimension, Chaka Kahn as well as being included on the first Orleans album. I said to John, “I know that you are not a politician anymore (he was a Democratic Senator from NY 2006-10) and I know that you are still socially active, but I have to ask what you think about the current state of things in the US, do you have any feelings on it?”
“How could I not?” John immediately replied. He continued, “I spent a lot of time working directly on political and environmental causes, right now I’m on the sidelines, but I can still be the peanut gallery!…every record we ever made had at least one environmental or political song on it…I am proud of that…in ’73 we had a song called ‘It All Comes Back Again.’” John began to recite the lyrics to me, “There’s a man in the White House selling everyone a used car…” He added, “We had a song called ‘Wake Up’ on the second album…it was an environmental gospel song…people have been telling me how timely it is… Johanna and I wrote it and we were talking about it and she said, ‘too bad it’s so timely’…we thought by now we would have solved all of these environmental problems!”
I asked Hall what an Orleans set list consists of. “There are 18 albums of Orleans stuff…we do a couple from the first album…Fly, Lance and I wrote a song called ‘Beautiful World’, I think we played it at the Providence Folk Festival, that will probably be in the set…’Crazy’ from my solo band and ‘Power’ from the MUSE concerts have been in the set as well…and of course the hits!” For more, dance over to: OrleansOnline.com
Firefall‘s origins can be traced back to bands such as The Byrds, The Flying Burrito Brothers and Spirit. One Firefall founding member, Rick Roberts, had sung (uncredited) on The Byrds “Untitled” LP and replaced Gram Parsons in the Flying Burrito Brothers. Later Roberts signed with one of Stephen Stills’ song publishing companies and recorded a solo album. A song he’d written with Stills and Chris Hillman (Byrds), ‘It Doesn’t Matter,’ was recorded by Stills. Another founding member, Jock Bartley, was a member of Gram Parson’s band The Fallen Angels. Roberts and Bartley connected and soon put together a band with bassist, ex-Spirit member, Mark Andes, and singer-songwriter Larry Burnett. They added ex-Flying Burrito Brothers / Byrd’s drummer, Michael Clarke and Robert’s high school friend David Muse on flute, sax, keys and harmonica. The name Firefall was taken from a summertime tradition of dumping a cascade of flaming embers off Glacier Point in California’s Yosemite National Park. The mid-70’s began the string of hits produced by the band. Songs such as “You Are the Woman,” “Livin’ Ain’t Livin,,'” “Just Remember I Love You,” “Strange Way,” and “Cinderella” were radio mainstays.
I spoke with two of the original members of the band about the Sunshine Tour show coming to Twin River on July 12 — Jock Bartley and David Muse. Speaking to Dave Muse by phone he told me it’s a good time to see the band as bassist Mark Andes will be out of commission starting in August for 6-8 weeks with a hip replacement. I asked Muse about his health as he has had his fill of medical issues, cancer and heart. He told me, “For an old guy I still get around a lot!…playing music is the fun part but getting there is the hard part…I get paid to travel but I play music for free!” He spoke of touring and flying and added, “When I was with Marshall Tucker we traveled by bus…I hated that…it was like riding in a Navy submarine and you couldn’t get out until you hit port.”
I mentioned to Muse that I thought his flute solos were an integral part of the Firefall sound and he replied, “Everyone plays a part…like the spokes of a wheel…Ricky sang, Jock played guitar…I was the last guy they brought in so maybe I was the icing on the cake, I guess?”
Since there are three bands and a lot of great musicians on this tour I was curious if sitting in with other sets is something that happens. Muse says, “I have but it depends on logistics…sometimes we are back at the hotel after the set…anytime I get a chance to play with someone, I do…it’s always a possibility but it hasn’t happened much for this tour.” Muse told me that the show is packed with hits and “If you haven’t seen Firefall now is the time…the rest of the bands are really good as well…but if you like Firefall and like the hits I think you’ll really like what we do!”
I also had the opportunity to talk by phone with another founding member, Jock Bartley. He had gotten in late the night before from a show in Alabama, “My flight back to Denver was nearly canceled but wound up delayed 5 hours…hey, it’s rock and roll, shit happens!”
I had read so many names coming and going from the Firefall line-up that I mistakenly thought Bartley had come and gone from the band as well, I stood corrected. “I have been the one guy who has been in the band for 43 years!… Firefall is lucky to have three original members currently in the band…a lot of ’70s touring bands don’t even have that many…I was the one guy who never, ever left and when the dust settled I guessed I was it…”
Firefall has been part of package tours and special occasion shows such as the Rock and Romance Cruise. Jock told me that they are a lot of fun and you get the opportunity to meet other bands that you never had the chance to in the past. “We’ve played, on these cruises, with America, Orleans, Little River Band, ELO and so many others…half the bands get on in Fort Lauderdale and play on the way to Cozumel and then they get off and the other half gets on and plays on the way back!” He added, “It’s a pretty charmed life I live…coming out of the ’90s, Firefall was just another band from the ’70s that had hits…we started playing these package tours and were originally closer to the bottom of the bill, but we were soon pushed to the top because people started remembering the hits and then they would hear Dave’s flute solo on ‘Strange Way’…that’s the highlight of a Firefall show.”
I revealed to Jock that Firefall was originally a “guilty pleasure” band of mine and that folks used to roll their eyes at me when I would mention them. Jock confessed, “’You Are The Woman’ is our biggest hit but in my mind it’s the lamest, white bread song that we do when we have songs like ‘Cinderella,’ but thank God we have a hit that big…for a while people were going ‘Firefall, you’re the ‘You Are The Woman’ band and they would look down their noses at you…but we prevailed…the musicianship was great and that song has withstood 40 years but believe me I have to play that same solo every night but it’s the song that everyone knows!”
One of my personal favorite Firefall songs is “Sweet and Sour” and when I informed Jock he thanked me as that was his first song to be included on a Firefall album. I expressed that I have never had the chance to see Firefall live and have always wanted to and was excited when I heard about the show so I changed my own gig so I could attend. He told me, “You’re smart to do that! There’s a lot of of history and a lot of hits especially with a line-up like Pablo Cruise, Orleans and Firefall!” I gave Jock the final word for the interview and he added, “We will probably play about 45 minutes and we will play the hits, we have to…people buy tickets to hear the hits…the cool thing about Firefall is that besides the hits we still can jam…you’ll get flute solos and extended guitar solos and it’s a lot of fun…we are so honored and happy to still be doing it…we haven’t played in RI for a long time so come on down!” For more, ember over to FireFallOfficial.com
Firefall, Orleans and Pablo Cruise will be at Twin River on Friday, July 12. Show starts at 7pm. This is a not to miss event. For more about the Sunshine Show, beam over to: www.TwinRiver.com. That’s it for now. I am always adding to my concert photos at www.facebook.com/motifri. Thanks for reading. www.JohnFuzek.com