Random Ramblings from Your Backstage Blogger

Your humble Backstage Blogger, aka BSB, has been nosing around a bit, looking for scraps of info to pass along to the readers.

Here we go:

• The guitar auction benefiting the Narrows should begin on Wednesday on Ebay. A wonderful benefactor has donated many beautiful guitars for this auction, which is likely already creating a buzzzzzz among guitar aficionados. If you've attended a Narrows' concert recently you may have picked up the flyer so you can purchase a guitar at the minimum bid price. Keep an eye on http://www.ncfta.org/, the Narrows website, for more information over the next 48 hours or so.

• While your BSB missed the Friday night show with Donna Jean, formerly of the Dead, I did emcee the Greencards' show on Saturday night. Good crowd showed for the first-time appearance of this highly acclaimed Aussie/Brit roots ensemble. The opener was a Cape Cod group of youngsters called Tripping Lily, who charmed the audience with their songs and personalities. Both the Greencards and Tripping Lily look to be folks in their twenties, more or less. It's great to see that today's roots movement is being driven by young musicians (Think of Ollabelle, Uncle Earl, the Mammals--all kids in the eyes of your BSB).
  

• But the old guys (and women) get the job done too. Tony Trischka, coming to the Narrows on Friday, has a terrific new CD out this year. Your humble BSB has toiled at his real job with "Tony Trischka's Double Banjo Bluegrass Spectacular" on the CD player a time or two. Very tasty stuff. Your BSB believes one doesn't have to be a bluegrass fan to dig it.
  

• Parking for a visit to the Narrows is usually not a big deal. It was a bit challenging on Saturday night because--we hear from a reliable source--that our friends at the Battleship Massachusetts held a sleep-over on the Battleship for youngsters.

• Don't forget the elevator fund. Last I checked we raised about $15,000 for the $40,000 last-stage-of-the-project. Go to http://www.ncfta.org/ for more info.

• New suggestion: If you bring it in, please take it with you. A member of the audience suggested this awhile ago. If you bring bottles etc. to the Narrows, kindly take them with you for final disposal. You don't have to--we have trash barrels etc. But, remember, clean up (and everything else except for the music and art) is performed by volunteers.
  

• Our buddies Louie Leeman and Cheap Sneakers are opening for Savoy Brown in the final hours of November. Make sure you arrive early enough to catch Louie and the crew. Solid musicians who know how to entertain. Special salute to the group for helping your BSB at a charitable event put on by the Providence Rotary back in September.
  

• From our "Would Hank Have Done It This Way?" Department--Bob Dylan, Jack White and others have put music behind Hank Williams Sr. lyric sheets that may have been with the Hankster when the 29-year-old "stepped on a rainbow" (as Kinky Friedman would put it) more or less on January 1, 1953 in the back of a Caddy. More info from Paste magazine.

• Nice to see Kinky on Robert McNeil's "Do You Speak American?" on PBS. Kinky was on a segment about talk deep in the heart of Texas. Btw, I notice some people call Robert "Robin." Anybody know what's up with that?

• A belated farewell to Porter Wagoner, who died recently. He never got the respect he deserved from us hipsters until the very end of his life. We elites embraced his last CD which came out earlier this year. Your BSB has yet to get an earful, though. It's called "Wagonmaster." When your humble BSB was growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr. Wagoner's show used to come on to the TV. We, of course, got up from our chairs and changed the channel. Mostly because he dressed in rhinestone outfits and slicked his hair back in a rather odd way to our eyes. Porter, btw, helped make Dolly Parton a star.

• Speaking of opening acts, don't miss Mark T. Small opening for Johnny Winter in January at the Narrows. He puts on an energetic show and is very swift with his fingers on the fretboard.
  

• Wanna work off the turkey and stuffings? Come to the Sarah Borges show Saturday after T-Day. An energetic time is guaranteed for all!

That's it for now. Hope to post some photos from the Greencards show soon.