Narrows' Nuggets--Gossip and Other Musings

• Graham Parker may be small in stature, but he's big in sales. His recent performance was an easy sell-out. And the audience loved him. We heard many, many compliments afterwards.
• Roger McGuinn's concert sold out during Graham Parker's show.
• Some people get extremely frustrated when they come to the Narrows and the show is sold out. Sometimes the show isn't sold out until the doors are open for a half hour or so. We never know if the remaining tickets will move. Most people, though, are pretty good sports.
• We're starting to sell Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks tickets. They're coming in June.
• One of Dan's backup singers, one of the Licketts, is an entertainment attorney in Mill Valley, California.
• The men's room at the Narrows has been repaired! Unfortunately, our volunteers couldn't do it, so we had to pay somebody to come in and take care of it. Anybody want to donate $300 to help cover the cost?
• I'm worried the audiences don't know who Kris Delmhorst is. She's coming to the Narrows in May. One of the best singer/songwriters you'll find.
• Our buddy, singer/songwriter Ryan Fitzimmons, who opened for Graham Parker, uses a photograph of a Fall River landmark in his latest CD's jewel case--Al Mac's Diner on President Avenue. Several other pictures seem to have been taken at the diner. Ryan, out of Syracuse, New York, is an aficionado of diners.
• Speaking of Ryan, his woman friend is not only beautiful, she's interesting and fun to talk to. He's a lucky guy!
• I don't run the Narrows--Patrick Norton is the guy behind all of the musical events (and the Jerry Garcia art show). He's often the sound guy during the shows, and he helps set up and take down the equipment, he books the acts, handles promotion, etc. etc. etc. In other words, Patrick brings the music to Fall River--I just host the shows and get all the credit. Not a bad arrangement.
• Did you go to the Kris Delmhorst link above? Please do and find out about this wonderful performer. Or why not just click here?
• Peter Belanger and his wonderful wife are unsung heroes at the Narrows.
• Okay, so are Deb, Marilyn, Mark and Kathleen. Don't forget THE MAN, Bert Harlow. And Patrick's wife Maggie and their two boys also help get the job done. I know I've forgotten somebody. I've forgotten a lot of somebody's!
• Barnes Newberry, who does a Saturday morning show at WUMB, Boston, is a class act.
• We love The Slip!
• Bluesman extraordinaire John Hammond comes from music royalty. His late father, also named John Hammond, was involved in the careers of Bob Dylan Leonard Cohen, George Benson, Bruce Springsteen, Pete Seeger, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Robert Johnson, Sonny Terry, Count Basie, Benny Goodman, Charlie Christian, and others. He was also fighting for civil rights for African-Americans as far back as the 1930s, and got in trouble with the U.S. military for continuing to fight segregation during his time as a soldier during World War II. He was a writer, producer, concert promoter, talent scout and a semi-talented classical musician. He didn't like Frank Sinatra, hated the Benny Goodman movie starring Steve Allen, and never liked jazz's bebop phase, feeling it was too technical and complicated just for the sake of being technical and complicated. He also thought some modern recording techniques (such as studio wizardry to cover talent shortfalls) were fraudulent and probably deserved to be investigated. He was also very proud of his sons John, who was nicknamed "Jeep," and Jason, who apparently has not pursued a music career.
• Please turn off your cell phones during the shows. I keep forgetting to mention that from the stage.
• Please visit this blog several times a week. I update it a lot. And tell your friends!
• That's all for now! Except, please click this to learn about Kris Delmhorst!

Submitted by Steve the Emcee, from his hideaway in Simsbury, CT.