Walkabout Warren

Warren, Rhode Island, deserves credit for its dedication to revitalizing its downtown. So they had the "Warren Walkabout" on Sunday, which, fortunately, was beautiful weatherwise.

As you may know from reading this blog, from time to time I chronicle public art within driving distance of the Narrows. This kinda falls into that category, although I couldn't find any permanent public art.

Above is a photo of a sign outside a small storefront utilized by an active living painter. Your humble blogger wandered in and viewed his work, which looked pretty good. Unfortunately, he didn't have any business cards around and he was busy so I never got his name. He's on the main steet in Warren. You can't miss him.

Below is a photo of a guy playing in the "Off Center Coffee House" in downtown Warren. I did get his name: James Power. He's a talented oil painter when he's not strumming the guitar wearing what I think we can call a kilt. Cool!

Happy Halloween!

Pendragon Taking "Artistic License"

Sometimes Pendragon step dancer Kevin Doyle was too fast for the camera

Pendragon did a wonderful show at the Narrows Saturday night. They were "Celtic before Celtic was cool," but actually have more variety than that implies, in large part because of blues cat Ken Lyon, who also proclaimed the non-bluesy "A White Shade of Pale" as part of the English folk canon. The tune is included in Pendragon's new CD "Artistic License," which also features "The Ann & Hope Waltz," written by member Mary Lee Partington and "Dark Horse," written by member Bob Drouin and dedicated to the late George Harrison, a frequent visitor to Providence to see his son at Brown.

While Pendragon is based in Little Rhody, audience members came from CT and New Hampshire to take in the show, despite the first "shots out of the cannon" (not canon) of Old Man Winter. Icy rain. Went bye bye by late night.

If you are unfamiliar with their work, go to www.riverfolk.org and follow the Pendragon link.

Here and There

Some stuff, here and there:

--Pendragon, tonight (Saturday) at the Narrows. They were Celtic before Celtic was cool.

--When the snow's all melted, we'll welcome Richie Havens back to the Narrows. May 6. Get your tickets as soon as they become available. This one's not on the official schedule yet.

--Rumour: A Waterloo Sunset over the Taunton River? Watch this space!

--Had Friday night off from the Narrows. Went to the Coffee Depot in Warren looking for potential opening acts at their open mike. First time there. Nice place; in fact downtown Warren is happening. As for the performers: only interesting one was some kid who looked like he could be Joey Ramone's son. A real friggin' mess. Sang about needles and Providence or something. High voice. Hung out with his idiot friends after the performance, one of them wearing his hat backwards over his long hair. For two songs he was interesting (that's all they were allowed). Named Milo something-or-other. Keep trying Milo! Other than Milo, nothing floated my boat. Heard perhaps one of the worst versions of John Denver's "Leavin' On a Jet Plane" by a male/female duo who actually had some appeal. I guess it's all about how one edits oneself. Suggested new rule for open mikes: Only one act over the age of 45 allowed per night. My God, some of these people never give up! Make room for a new generation. The sixties are dead, baby. Also, no Bob Dylan songs unless you can do 'em better than Bob. That's setting the bar pretty low! One more thing, this time to the audience (which was largly made up of open mikers and their friends): Shut up, or at least whisper. Or better yet, go home. You just don't get it, jerk. A little respect for the performers, even if they're lousy. Whatever happened to good-old-fashioned manners? By the way, in case you were wondering: the performers do notice and want you to shut up too. I've played many, many open mikes, so I know.

--More people should cover Darrell Scott songs. If you're a performer, learn some. They will improve your show.

--See you at Pendragon!

Tom Rush, Leon Russell and More

Tom Rush--One of our favorites at the Narrows

Stuff not yet on the official calendar last we checked:

Nov. 26 Grace Potter and the Nocturnals

Dec. 8 Donna the Buffalo

Jan. 14 Leon Russell

Feb. 18 Fred Eaglesmith

March 10 Tom Rush

March 18 Walter Wolfman Washington

March 31 Richard Shindell

Any questions?

We Have a Winna!

Procol Harum photo from www.procolharum.com

Congrats to Joe & Lisa for correctly answering that Procol Harum did "A Whiter Shade of Pale," which is covered by Pendragon on their new CD "Artistic License."

In the CD booklet, Pendragon writes why they covered the song: "The debut single from English group Procol Harum was the surprise hit of the summer of '67 while Sgt. Pepper topped the British album chart. Ken (Lyon) has always said he thought that this song should be part of the English folk canon and we think he makes a good case for it here!"

Joe & Lisa have won tickets to Saturday night's Pendragon concert.

Join them! Tickets available by visiting www.ncfta.org.

Win Tickets with a Whiter Shade of Pendragon

Celtic heroes Pendragon visit the Narrows this Saturday, October 29th, with a cool new CD called "Artistic License."

Pendragon have enlivened the Rhode Island area for a long, long time. Their personnel has shifted a bit, but the mainstays are still around: Bob Drouin, Russell Gusetti, Ken Lyon and Mary Lee Partington. As the crew at the Narrows knows from doing at least one previous show (maybe more; I can't remember), these are some of the nicest, most down-to earth performers we've worked with. About a decade ago, your humble blogger helped produce a CD called "Invincible Summer" which included a track from Pendragon, and that's when I first got to know these folks. Talk about low maintenance! No egos, just caring.

And they now feature a step dancer--Kevin Doyle--and Josh Kane on whistles and flute.

Okay, now let's talk free tickets:

On their new CD they feature a cover of the song "A Whiter Shade of Pale." The first person who emails me at slouishug@comcast.net with the name of the group that did this song back in 1967--and you must spell their name correctly--wins a pair of tickets to Saturday night's Pendragon show.

Who Are You Revealed

Congrats to Neil from Canton, MA, for correctly answering that the mystery artist coming in January to the Narrows is none other than that guy over there: Leon Russell.

(Sorry, I don't have the exact date, but we'll post that soon.)

Neil gets himself an official Narrows Center for the Arts t-shirt, signifying that he is a man of wealth and taste.

Leon Russell was and is a true Renaissance music man. He easily associated with the hippest and squarest music makers as an instrumental whiz and producer during the 1960s and beyond. Whether it was Joe Cocker or Frank Sinatra, Leon was hip to what was going down. I've read that his work on the "Gary Lewis and the Playboys" records in the 1960s made those poppy confections from Jerry Lewis' son a lot better than one might expect.

And he wrote some wonderful tunes, including "This Masquerade," which was a hit for George Benson, but first appeared on Russell's "Carney" album in 1972, which hit the toppermost of the poppermost.

As I write this, I am looking at my copy of the album--record, not CD--from that period. I'm pretty sure I got it around 1972. It's on A & M.

On it are Leon's monster hit "Tightrope," "This Masquerade," and my favorite "If the Shoe Fits," which goofs on groupies and hangers-on, and has a lyric that goes something like: "We're from Rolling Stone, so it's okay."

Among the musicians on the album was Carl Radle, who played bass for Derek and the Dominos, but was actually a longtime friend of Russell's, even playing in Gary Lewis and the Playboys for a time.

One of the drummers was Jim Keltner, who also worked with Gary Lewis and the Playboys, but also the Rolling Stones, John Lennon and even Fiona Apple!

The Drams, Formerly Slobberbone, Debut New Material

The Drams, composed of most of the members of the now defunct Slobberbone, unveiled their new sound--less country, more rock--and lineup--new bass player and the addition of keyboards--Sunday night at the Narrows. Their first CD as The Drams should be released early in the new year.

The Drams are based in hot and dusty Texas, but group leader Brent Best commented he was enjoying the cooler weather during the band's Northeast tour. We're glad he is, but we're shivering!

Some photos:













The group, The High Strung, out of Detroit City, opened for The Drams, with a power pop sound reminiscent, at times, of the early Who.

Who, Who Are Youoooooooo?

Coming in January to the Narrows, a guy who:

--was part of the legendary "Wrecking Crew" of studio cats who played on a zillion records out of the Left Coast (Glen Campbell was also a member);

--wrote a song covered by "The Carpenters";

--wrote a song (maybe more; I'm too lazy to check) covered by Joe Cocker and toured with him;

--stole the show at the "Concert for Bangladesh";

--played with Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra (?), the Rolling Stones, Jerry Lee Lewis, etc.

--wrote a song that was a big hit for George Benson;

--sings a bit like the Disney character "Goofy" talks;

--confused everyone when he went country.

Who, Who Are Youooooooooo. If you email your guess to slouishug@comcast.net, we can contact you to give you an official Narrows t-shirt if you're the first one with the correct answer.

Putting the "Artist" Back in "Recording Artist"

It was a privilege to have Darrell Scott at the Narrows on Friday night. "Artistry" is the only way to describe the performance.

Photos for your enjoyment.

Narrows mainstay Louie Leeman opened the show with grace and musicality. Photo down below.

Deke Rocked This Town, Rocked This Town Last Night

Okay, so this one's a bit egotistical. But California dude Deke Dickerson is a guitar hero to your humble blogger, who attempts a manly strum on Deke's guitar in the photo above. The blue wristband, by the way, says "Knowledge is Power." Most importantly, it only cost your humble blogger a buck at the Providence Public Library.

Anyway he rocked the Narrows on Thursday night. Some photos for your amusement.

That's the famous "Sugar Balls" on drums, who lost a lot of weight since his last visit, and recorded his own CD featuring trucker songs.

Down below is the opening act, Lonesome Jukebox, out of the southern Boston suburbs. Gee, they didn't talk with a southern accent!

Darrell Scott: You've Got the Blogger's Guarantee

Friday night it's singer/songwriter/musician extraordinaire Darrell Scott, fresh off a live appearance on WUMB radio in Boston.

We guarantee that this will be an entertaining and uplifting experience. Darrell somehow mixes country and folk with a lot of bluesy and jazzy improvisation that never betrays the song.

As he said in the interview we published earlier: songs, songs, songs.

Bring a little money and purchase one of his CDs. Remember, this guy was ASCAP's 2002 Songwriter of the Year, so you pretty much can't go wrong.

See you Friday night?

Roots Rockabilly Star Thursday Night

Left Coast Rockabilly Dude Deke Dickerson makes a triumphant return Thursday night to the Narrows.

Tickets are still available.

Ever wonder where some of our artists go AFTER they play the Narrows?

Wonder no longer.

Here's the Dekester's schedule:

20-Oct
Narrows Center for the Arts
Fall River MA

21-Oct
South Paw (with Big Sandy and Los Straitjackets)
Brooklyn NY

22-Oct
Rodeo Bar
New York NY

23-Oct
The Fire
Philadelphia PA

24-Oct
Dangerous Pie Shop (with Monsters from the Surf)
Baltimore MD

26-Oct
Taphouse Grill
Norfolk VA

27-Oct
The Earl
Atlanta GA

28-Oct
Copper Rocket
Maitland FL

29-Oct
Emerald Bar
St. Petersburg FL

31-Oct
Chelsea's Cafe
Baton Rouge LA

1-Nov
Vortex
Beaumont TX

2-Nov
Continental Club
Houston TX

4-Nov
Casbeers
San Antonio TX

5-Nov
Continental Club
Austin TX

1-Dec
Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino
Central City CO

2-Dec
Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino
Central City CO

3-Dec
Fortune Valley Hotel and Casino
Central City CO

17-Dec
1160 Club at the Ramada Inn
Los Angeles CA

Darrell Scott On WUMB

Don't know the details, but according to their home page, our guy Darrell Scott is going to be featured during WUMB's morning show this week.

Don't know exactly which day and time. If anybody knows, please leave a note in the "comments" section. I couldn't find a schedule on the WUMB website.

WUMB, by the way, streams on-line and also can be heard in some areas at 91.9 FM.

Don't forget--Friday night, the guy who wrote hits for the Dixie Chicks and others will be at the Narrows.

Get your tickets ASAP.

By the way, you can hear an interview with Darrell on the "Nashville Nobody Knows." Scroll down the page to July 19 after you click here. Also, your humble blogger posted an interview with him right here on this very blog. Just scroll down to October 12.

Darrell is a musician's musician, and a songwriter's songwriter.

This is a guaranteed great show, even for those unfamiliar with Darrell. If you recognize and appreciate quality, imagination, creativity and good-old-fashioned talent, you'll love this show.

Ain't That A Shame: Fats Domino Home Wrecked

A number of news sources are reporting that rock pioneer Fats Domino returned to his New Orleans home last week to find it a terrible mess.

The Associated Press, for example, reported that his piano was "overturned among mud and debris," and his "electric keyboard sat against a wall cover in dried mud, mildew and mold..."

Fats is one of many New Orleans musicians suffering from Hurricane Katrina, which is why the Narrows Center for the Arts is supporting the "New Orleans Hurricane Relief Fund." When you go to our shows, we have a big bottle in which you can put money, or you can click right here.

Although we hope Fats has the resources not to have to tap into this fund, most musicians haven't had the professional success he had--and their income may be derived from club dates at clubs that no longer exist.

Cacophonous Avett Bros. Photos & Jimmy Ryan

The wild Avett Brothers brought their "cacophonous bluegrass" (my term) to the Narrows on Saturday.

As usual, your humble blogger used his digital camera for soul-revealing candids. Up above is Scott Avett. As you can see, he seems to have a different attitude than one might find at the Grand Ole Opry. But his brother Seth, below, would positively get hung from the rafters with that hat. (Is it me, or does he look like a young Barry Gibb in this shot?)

The "normal" Avett Brother is not even related (as far as we know). His name is Bob Crawford and his photo is down below:

Opening the show was Jimmy Ryan, who has played the Narrows many times. Jimmy wowed the folks with his fingerpickin'--a talent not unexpected since he's often tapped to be a sideguy either on record or on the road by various artists, including (the late) Warren Zevon, Sarah Borges and Catie Curtis.

Canadian Fiddle Whiz Photos

April Verch, along with her group, played the Narrows for the first time on Saturday night.

Her music is as vivacious as her smile.

Catch the Wind with Donovan

Flower power guy Donovan is raising his profile. He's got an art show, a record, and a memoir.

And you can hear an interview with him on NPR by clicking here.

Hey, maybe we'll bring him to the Narrows!

Would you come to a Donovan show? Leave a message and let us know!

April in October at the Narrows

Friday night the Narrows hosts Canadian fiddle champ April Verch. Tickets are very much available, last we heard.

So what's being said about April? Here's a sampling:

Toronto Star: “Playful and flirtatious, whimsical and wry, no longer the studious slave of her instrument, Verch is in peak form, having reached a transcendent level of musicianship where hard-earned technique can be safely abandoned. She even proves…that she has an absolutely captivating voice, as pure and naïve as her fiddle work often is, and tinged with the same kind of faint melancholy.”

Dirty Linen: “Canadian fiddler (and step dancer) April Verch is one of those enviable people who can seemingly play anything with skill and ease.”

Boston Globe: “Among the most promising new fiddlers in roots music today…Verch is never afraid to lace her playing with clever twists of bluegrass, blues, and pop.”

Darrell Scott: Songs, Songs, Songs

Who wrote "Long Time Gone" and "Heartbreak Town" for the Dixie Chicks? That guy with the beard over there, Darrell Scott. He also wrote stuff covered by Tim McGraw, Sara Evans, Garth Brooks (the anti-Hank), Travis Tritt, Patty Loveless etc.

On Friday, October 21st, we'll welcome him to the Narrows for the first time as a solo performer. He played the Narrows as a sideguy for Tim O'Brien a few years back.

Darrell is originally out of Kentucky, and cut his teeth as a player in his dad's band. Eventually he ended up in Boston, before locating to Nashville.

We recently emailed him some questions.


Q) You're seen as a songwriter and sideman. Are you seeking to add "solo performer in your own right" to this, or is the tour, the CDs more of a side project from the main gig?

If I am seen as a sideman and songwriter, it is because those who see me as such have not taken notice of the 5 solo albums (one as duo record with Tim O'Brien) that I have put out. Meanwhile, I am working on solo albums 6 and 7 which will be finished before this year is up. And still, I may be seen as a songwriter for others or sideman--go figure.

Q) You spent some years in the Boston area, which is 50 miles north of the Narrows. Were you a student up there? How did living there affect you?

I lived in the Boston area for 9 years. I graduated from Middlesex Community College in Bedford, Mass then graduated from Tufts University in '88. The education of poetry and literature--the arts--as well as being an audience member to great folk and jazz affected me nearly as much as the English degree.

Q) Your dad was a songwriter, is my understanding. What role has he played in your life artistically?

I was given a license to play music. It was an acceptable and encouraged way to make a living, and the exposure to great songs (my dad knew what great songwriting was) gave me a huge education in songs.

Q) When people come to see you at the Narrows, what kind of show might they expect? Upbeat; more of a ballad show. Country, folk?

All of the above--songs songs songs--I usually do not have a set list--I go by how I feel at the time and how it feels in the audience--I make it up as I go--extended improvised guitar solos/ bass solos--musical interludes between songs, sometimes running 2, 3 or 4 songs morphed together--mostly my own songs sometimes a cover of other's great songs--each night is pretty different--it is all singer/songwriter stuff with a lot of improvisation

Q) What artists are you listening to and recommending to others?

Loudon Wainright's new one (any of them for that matter)--Rodney Crowell's "Fate's Right Hand" is great--I have not heard his new one yet--Kevin Gilbert's "Thud"--I go through periods of not hearing much of other people's stuff--I am in one of those periods now

Q) Exactly how many instruments do you play?

On the road I may play 2 or 3 --I fool around on a lot at home or in the studio--no horns and not really any bowed instruments