Slaid Cleaves Sweating It Out

Slaid Cleaves earned the title as the "hardest working guy in show biz" Friday night as he literally sweated through his shirt as he pleased his fans.


Adam Carroll opened the show, and was called back by the crowd for an encore, a rarity at the Narrows.

Richard Thompson Tickets Coming Down To A Precious Few

Our 5th anniversary show with icon Richard Thompson in November is on its way to an early sell-out.

BUT--tickets are still available.

Go to www.ncfta.org ASAP.

Free Show Outside Sunday

It's the Narrows' gift to our supporters. Sunday outside the Narrows, a free concert featuring Sarah Borges, Grace Potter, Sonny Landreth and more.

Click here for more.

Shows Not Yet Posted

December 16
Savoy Brown

These British blues rock vets had Kiss and AC/DC open for them. They opened for Cream back in 1967 and backed John Lee Hooker that same year. Members of Fleetwood Mac, Foghat, Humble Pie, Black Sabbath and other prominent bands were once members of Savoy Brown. Learn more: www.savoybrown.com


February 10
Paul Brady

Bonnie Raitt covered his song "Luck of the Draw" and even named an album after it! In addition to Ms. Raitt, his songs have been covered by Joe Cocker, Santana, David Crosby, Cher (Cher?), Tina Turner, Mary Black, Lucy Kaplansky, etc. Learn more: www.paulbrady.com

March 9
Beolach

Beolach is Gaelic for "lively youth." Most appropriate for this young band out of Cape Breton which mixes Cape Breton, Scottish and Irish tunes. www.beolach.com.


March 23
Eliza Gilkyson/Mary Gauthier

What a double bill! Ms. Gilkyson's 2004 album was nominated for a Grammy, and she's in the Austin Music Hall of Fame. Bob Dylan plays Ms. Gauthier's music on his radio show. Need we say more? Okay, here are the websites: www.elizagilkyson.com and www.marygauthier.com.


April 14 Jonathan Edwards

Jonathan Edwards came to fame with his toe-tappin' anti-war anthem "Sunshine," which still gets played on the radio, decades later. He's one of the funnest artists to see in concert, which is why we've had him at the Narrows several times. www.jonathanedwards.net.

Meet Crooked Still

One of the hottest roots groups is out of Boston. It's called Crooked Still, and perhaps someday we'll book 'em at the Narrows.

Your humble blogger wrote a review of their latest CD for americanaroots.com. To read the review, please click here.

Ryan Rocks!

Mild-mannered, nice guy folkie Ryan Fitzsimmons proved he has a rock 'n' roll heart Saturday night as he fronted a band that turned his songs to rock anthems.
If you've attended more than a few shows at the Narrows you probably have seen Ryan open for a good number of big names.

But this time Ryan had an opener--the lovely and talented Maybees--who, in spite of their youth, are starting to show their stuff as a solid roots duo.

So How Was Dylan?

Rick Massimo from the Projo did a write up on the Dylan concert at McCoy Stadium.

If you'd like, add your own comments.

For Rick's article, click here.

They Don't Look Like Nobody's Uncle

Sunday night the Narrows was graced, for the first time, by the presence and talent of Uncle Earl, an all female bluegrassy group.

They announced that on Monday they were scheduled to meet with Rounder Records concerning their next record. They said they were worried the record company wouldn't like their new songs.

The Narrows crowd sure did.

Local faves, the Remnants opened the evening.

A Realistic Take On Johnny Cash

If you're like me--always looking to pop somebody's balloon--you might be uncomfortable with all of the belated Johnny Cash worship, in some cases by people who forgot all about him for decades.

Johnny Cash, the new pet rock. Yeeck.

In your humble blogger's opinion, some of the Rick Rubin-produced Cash stuff is just plain baloney. Yes, "Hurt" was a great track. But "Bridge Over Troubled Waters" was horrible, as were others.

That's why I particularly enjoyed a write-up in Slate that wrestles with the Johnny Cash fad. Check it out, if you dare, by clicking here.

Is It Flea?

It it Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers?

No, it's the bathrobed bass player for Ghorar Deem Express, a way out there progressive jazz combo that believes in giving "good visuals."

They brought their creativity and chops to the Narrows on Thursday night as our schedule begins to heat up after a short summer break.

See you soon at the Narrows?

Projo on Uncle Earl

The Providence Journal did a little blurb on our upcoming show with newgrassers Uncle Earl:

"On their debut record, She Waits for Night, the old-time folk quartet Uncle Earl honor classics such as 'Walking In My Sleep' and 'Ida Red,' and write new stuff that stands right up with them, such as 'Pale Moon' and 'Divine.'

"Banjoist-singer Abigail Washburn's solo performance (with cellist Ben Sollee) was one of the revelations of the Dunkin' Donuts Newport Folk Festival earlier this month, and the group is just as energetic, sinuous and fun. They're at the Narrows Center for the Arts, 16 Anawan St., Fall River, Sunday night at 8.

'Tickets are $10 in advance, $12 the day of the show. Call (508) 324-1926."

Thanks Projo for the plug!

NY Dolls: More Son Volt than Sex Pistols

Remember the New York Dolls? They're baaaack, and sounding great.

If you care, you can read your humble blogger's review by clicking here.

Shows Not Yet Listed

October 5 Jim Lauderdale (first time ever at the Narrows)

December 8 Atwater Donnelly Trio

December 29 Johnny A

New Acoustic Music Website

Came across this while surfing the web: www.acousticfriends.com

Review of Susan Cowsill's CD

If you're interested, you can read your humble blogger's review by clicking here.

Odds and Ends

Just some oddds and ends:

--If you'd like to see some Susan Cowsill and general Cowsill videos, check out www.youtube.com. You can go to the Cowsill page by clicking here.

--The Narrows is always looking for good volunteers. If you think you can "bring something to the table" at the Narrows, go to "help us" at www.ncfta.org.

--Our guys Chip Taylor, Slaid Cleaves and Darrell Scott are doing quite well on the Americana radio chart, which you can view by clicking here.

--One CD doing well on the chart is the tribute to Kris Kristofferson. Yours truly didn't like the CD, though, for whatever that's worth. Read your humble blogger's review by clicking here.

--The New York Dolls have a new CD out! Although they're viewed as punk, actually it's mostly mid-tempo sometimes bluesy rock. Could we get a good crowd if we booked 'em at the Narrows?

--Ollabelle has a new CD out. They're coming to the Narrows in November.

--Also coming to the Narrows in November is Sarah Borges, who starts work on a new CD in August. It's about time!!

--Dirty Linen magazine has a feature on Chris Smither, who is coming to the Narrows in January (brrrr!). Read an excerpt by clicking here.

--Last I heard, tickets are still available for the Richard Thompson show in November, when we'll be celebrating our 5th anniversary at our waterfront location.

--Next couple of weeks, no shows at the Narrows. But we have a fundraiser on August 4th at the Venus De Milo in Swansea. Some details by clicking here.

Susan Cowsill Returns To Her Roots

Susan Cowsill returned to her stomping grounds when she played the Narrows last Friday night.

Susan, of course, is of the famed Cowsill family, out of Newport. They had a bunch of national hits in the late 1960s.

After she grew up, she sang for a number of groups and was a member of the cult faves Continental Drifters, out of New Orleans, where she lives.

(For all of you Bangles fans, the Continental Drifters also included Bangle Vickie Peterson, who is now Susan's sister-in-law since she married one of Susan's brothers.)

Susan has just released her first solo record, and it's terrific! And her show was as well, featuring Continental Drifters songs and tunes from the new CD.

By the way, the show had former Continental Drifter--and her husband--Russ Broussard on drums.

Country guy Duncan Walters opened the evening with a solid set of music. He's out of Texas these days and is fairly new to the scene. But his voice and songs no doubt will be solid foundations for being around a long time.

Goths!!!!

Rasputina, the cello rock group recently performing at the Narrows, brought a slew of fans who dress in what might be termed a "gothic" style.

In other words, sort of spooky.

But despite their scary looks, we found them to be friendly and gentle, and even family-oriented!





A family that goes Goth together, stays together!

Not Yet Listed: Chris Smither

Narrows fave Chris Smither returns January 13.

Yeah, yeah, January sounds far away. But it's not, really. Sorry.

We've done a number of shows with this influential performer.

Don't miss him this visit!

Oh My Goodness!!

Cello-rock Gothic group Rasputina played to a sold out crowd at the Narrows Thursday night.

It was truly a Goth night, with loads of young people and even families donning black garments, nose pins, and other apparel to fit the mood.

More photos coming soon, including pictures of some members of the crowd who dressed as interestingly as the group.

Gubernatorial Candidate Visits Narrows

Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial candidate Deval Patrick visited the Narrows on Monday to hold a forum on the arts and other issues.

Narrows volunteer extraordinaire Deb Charlebois, on the left, gave him a tour and introduced him to various resident artists.

Narrows volunteers and representatives from arts groups asked the candidate a bunch of questions. To read the Herald News' account of the visit, click here (as long as the link exists).

The Narrows hopes other candidates for public office will utilize the Narrows as a place to meet the voters.

Buckner & Barn Burning on Saturday Night

Brooding songwriter Richard Buckner once again brought his guitar, voice and songs to the
Narrows' stage.




















Barn Burning (actually only half of Barn Burning) opened.

op

Fundraiser for the Narrows on August 4th

A Texas Hold 'em Poker Night will take place on Friday, August 4th at the Venus DeMilo Restaurant, 75 GAR Highway (Route 6), Swansea. It's a fundraiser for the Narrows.

Donations are $50.

Registration begins 5:00 p.m.

Tournament begins 6:00 p.m. Additional buy-ins available during tournament.

Must be 21 to play.

Pre-registration (highly recommended) can take place at the Venus during the weeks before from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. or at the Narrows. For more info: 508-324-1926.

Billboard Proclaims Johnny Cash #1

Johnny Cash's new release is the number 1 album in the nation, according to Billboard.

Learn more by clicking here:

Chip Taylor Sings with Brother Jon Voight

Chip Taylor, who has performed several times at the Narrows (with Carrie Rodriguez), happens to be the brother of actor Jon Voight.

You can see a video of Chip and Jon performing together by clicking here.

Chip has a new album out, by the way.

No, we don't have him booked at the Narrows at this time. But watch this space!

Concert Raises Nearly $1,500 for A Moveable Feast

Saturday night the Narrows hosted a fundraiser for A Moveable Feast, an organization that provides meals for people living with HIV/AIDS.

A bunch of bands performed. One of the highlights was the performance by the funky jam band Shipyard Wreck, and I've provided a couple photos.

Congrats to all the volunteers who helped to make the evening a success!

Red Stick Ramblers & Fireworks

The Red Stick Ramblers did their Cajun swing thang Thursday, with a brief break for Fall River fireworks, which had been postponed earlier in the week.

The Cottars On Cover of Dirty Linen Magazine

Celtic kids The Cottars made the cover of the latest Dirty Linen magazine.

They did a great show at the Narrows last year.

To read an excerpt from the story, click here.

Note: the Boston Herald has reported that The Cottars have broken up. Couldn't find a confirmation on their website, and they're still listed as touring.

Anybody know anything?

Red Stick Ramblers Tonight

Tickets are still available for the Red Stick Ramblers tonight (Thursday).

They had one of the big Americana CDs last year.

They play Cajun, Western Swing and more!

Don't miss this classic group from Louisiana!

See you tonight at the Narrows!

Judy Collins in Newport

Attended the Judy Collins show in Newport Saturday night as part of the Sunset Music thing. Have never seen her perform before, and not a big fan, really.

Can't stand the record "Send in the Clowns."

Nonetheless, your humble blogger thinks Judy was a delight. Accompanied only by her guitar and a keyboardist, "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" was charming, singing wonderfully and entertaining the crowd with her stories. She seemed very down-to-earth.

She did sing "Send in the Clowns." I hated it.

Nice to see Judy still getting the job done.

A guy who has performed at the Narrows, John Fuzek, was the opener but played so early that I missed his set.

FolksTogether Have It Together

Played hooky Friday night from the Narrows to attend the come-back performance of my buddies FolksTogether.

They played a benefit at the United Church of Assonet for a family struggling with illness and unemployment.

It was the first public performance of the group, which stopped performing many months ago due to illness in the band's family. It was particularly bad timing since they just released Pilgrims, their latest CD.

While health matters for the group have improved, guitarist/banjoist/singer/jack-of-all-trades Rick Bellaire recently hurt a crucial finger, so they needed to bring in Fred Wilkes to play guitar and banjo while Rick sang. Fred was terrific.

By the way, got word from them that their Pilgrims CD is getting airplay across the country and out of the country too. They're moving product despite being sidelined for so long.

Looking forward to seeing more of them in the weeks and months ahead!

New Shows Not Yet Posted

October 13 Jon Langford's Ship featuring Sally Timms

October 14 John Cowan Band & Darrell Scott (who has a new CD out which I just got in the mail). Darrell, by the way, is featured in the latest issue of No Depression magazine.

November 10 Left Coast Rockabilly Cat Deke Dickerson, always a crowd favorite.

There are others too. Keep an eye on this space, or visit the official schedule at ncfta.org.

Rock Posters from the Summer of Love

Your humble blogger was at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts Wednesday where they have a display of posters from the legendary Summer of Love.

Check it out by clicking here.

Groovy.

So You Were Thinking About Getting The Dixie Chicks' CD?

If you were, you might want to read a review.

Your humble blogger offers one right here.

What is Americana?

A new website for Urban Boomers has been developed with the address (What else?) www.urbanboomer.com.

Some content concerns Americana music, which is a lot of what we feature at the Narrows. Read more by clicking here.

(Full disclosure: the article talks about what Clear Channel is doing in the Americana radio field. Your humble blogger does some work for Clear Channel.)

The Hearing of the Green

Irish dudes Teada (pronounced tay-ta) returned to the Narrows Thursday night.

Celtic on the shores of the Taunton River.

Richard Thompson Tickets Moving Already!!

The words were barely out of your humble blogger's mouth Thursday night before people started lining up for tickets to see Richard Thompson in November.

That's right, November!

At this pace, I wouldn't be surprised if this thing sells out very shortly.

Get your tickets at www.ncfta.org.

Katahdin's Edge Images

Progressive jazz trio Katahdin's Edge pushed the musical envelope Saturday night at the Narrows while keeping their sense of melody.

If you're interested in learning how to play jazz, check out a website affiliated with Katahdin's Edge: jazzedge.com.

Fairport Fotos

Fairport Convention showed why they've lasted for decades, exhibiting their inspired musicianship and down-home showmanship at the Narrows Friday night.

These guys are from England, but seemed to be on a first-name basis with a good number of the fans. You would have thought they were a local band!

Apparently, some members of the audence have made the trek across the pond to the group's annual summer celebration Cropredy.

Tickets ARE Available for Fairport Convention

Plenty of tickets still available for tonight's show (Friday night) starring Fairport Convention.

Guys from Little Feat Photos

Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett from Little Feat visited the Narrows for the first time on Thursday night.

If you were there and have a couple nice photos to share, please email your humble blogger at slouishug@comcast.net.

Richard Thompson Coming November 4

It's true. Richard Thompson will play the Narrows for the first time on November 4.

Plenty of Tickets Available for the Guys from Little Feat

Yes, there are tickets available for Thursday night's show with Paul Barrere and Fred Tackett of Little Feat.

Go to www.ncfta.org for more info.

See you Thursday night!

Day Tripping: Visit Overlooked Newport History

When your humble blogger is not at the Narrows, he's rustling around the area looking for artistic and historic opportunities.

One is the Colonial African Burial Ground on Farewell Street in Newport. It's free and it's part of the history of Newport that has gotten traditionally little attention: slavery.

Keith Stokes, head of the Newport Chamber of Commerce, and his wife have made documenting and promoting this history one of their life's passion. Visit their very fine website at www.colonialcemetery.com.

Will Bruce Springsteen Save Folk Music?

Does folk music need saving?

If it does, Bruce Springsteen may be the savior.

Then again, maybe not.

Read your humble blogger's review of the Boss's latest by clicking here.

Saturday Night N'Awlins Style

Slide blues guy Jeremy Lyons opened a Saturday night of New Orleans music at the Narrows.

Jeremy relocated to Boston after Katrina did a number on his Crescent City home.

The evening's headliners The Iguanas--one of whom said his saxophone was under water for two weeks--got the crowd dancing with their mixture of rhythmic styles.

Janis Ian's Narrows Debut In October

Legendary folkie Janis Ian has been booked at the Narrows for Friday, October 20.

"At 17" and "Society's Child" were her big hits, if memory serves.

Billy Preston: RIP

Can't believe I have two RIPs in a row.

Billy Preston, the 5th Beatle (played on Let It Be sessions) has died. He wrote "You Are So Beautiful," for Joe Cocker and had his own hits such as "Nothing from Nothing."

Whew!

More from Rolling Stone.

Grateful Dead's Vince Welnick:RIP

The Grateful Dead's last keyboardist, Vince Welnick, died Friday, June 2.

Vince performed at the Narrows at least once.

For info from the Dead website, click here.

Charlie Musselwhite: Nasty Blues

Check this out: Blues guy Charlie Musselwhite has a cool new album.

Funny, people know his name but not his music--including me.

But I've been digging his new CD, which I got in the mail for my CD review duties for www.americanaroots.com.

You can listen to some samples by clicking here.

Do you think we should book him at the Narrows?

Dixie Chicks Hit #1--Without Country Radio

Though country radio won't play the Dixie Chicks' latest CD--because the Chicks jumped ugly (to use an I-Man term) with George Bush during wartime--the ladies are #1 pop and #1 country.

Yes, #1 country.

For the list, make a click.

Son of Narrows Featured in Podcast

If you've attended shows at the Narrows over the past 3 years, you might be familiar with a Rhode Island kid JJ Baron, who has performed as an opener and headliner a bunch of times. If memory serves, he's even played at our open mike night.

His latest CD has a cover of him photographed in the Narrows freight elevator. Anyway, he's featured in a podcast that you can check out by clicking here.