Jammin' at Joe Val

The Joe Val Bluegrass festival is held at a 6-story Sheraton hotel that resembles a castle.
Upon entering this bluegrass kingdom, you are in for an experience that may at first seem more like a conference or convention than a festival because of its indoor setting, but as soon as you arrive, you realize this is no ordinary hotel experience. The entire hotel is filled with bluegrass musicians and fans, and there is usually a jam or two taking place right in the main lobby.

When one thinks of elevator music, it usually brings to mind some bland, boring background music meant to relax, but invariably having the opposite effect (at least to me). But at the festival this past weekend in Framingham, MA , the term "elevator music" took on a whole new meaning. As you ride the elevator between floors, you can hear the sounds of banjos and mandolins getting closer and closer and then surprise! The doors slide open to a pickin' party. Don't care for that rendition of "Old Home Place"? Step back in, go up or down a floor and find another group playing "Foggy Mountain Breakdown". This is what turns a 3-day concert into a real bluegrass festival, since bluegrass is a type of music where a high percentage of the audience are musicians themselves. You can just travel between floors listening to or taking part in endless jams all weekend.

Of course, these spontaneous jams are just one part of the 3 day event, the main focus of which is to present high quality bluegrass music from a wealth of national and regional bands. This year's festival seemed to be skewed more to the traditional side of bluegrass. On Friday night, Miller's Crossing, from NY, sang about a Cabin in the Pines and other such classic bluegrass subjects, and Mike Cleveland's aptly named band Flamekeeper closed out the night with their hard-driving music to a very enthusiastic crowd. Even though that was his only official set on the main stage, he joined several others the next day. It is such a joy to watch Michael play fiddle. After that I was in no mood to settle in for the night so I went wandering the halls in search of more music, and it was easy to find. Just step into aforementioned elevator, press the button and see what happens.

The next day, after a visit to the fitness center, I decided to try a yodeling workshop, and apparently I wasn't the only one intrigued by this, as it was standing room only in one of the conference rooms on the lower level. Have you ever heard of harmony yodeling? I wasn't sure I had, but it sounded very nice when Alan Kaufman and his partner demonstrated it, and all of us weekend cowpokes were eager to try it as well. Yodel-lay-ee-hoo!

After that I went to hear Frank Wakefield Band upstairs in the main room - he has a unique style, and is quite entertaining to watch, impishly playing his mandolin in his band-mates' ears while they are trying to take a break. He seemed to be having a great time up there, but I was pretty far back during that set, and got to appreciate his antics from a closer angle at a workshop later on. I also went downstairs to the vendor's area to hear some bands on the showcase stage. The whole lower level of the hotel has been renovated, so it is less maze-like and more open, so it was easier to listen to the bands on the showcase stage. Representatives from Grey Fox bluegrass festival had a table set up there, with pictures and info on the new site for that festival, and most people stopping by seemed receptive to and excited about the new digs in Greene County, NY.

My favorite band on Saturday was the Steeldrivers, a band with a traditional sort of name, but one of the less "bluegrassy" sounds, even though the instrumentation was traditional string band. The guitarist/lead vocalist had a bluesy, outlaw-country style, and harmonized beautifully with the female fiddle player. Looking forward to seeing them at other festivals this summer.

Steeldrivers	Steep Canyon Rangers

Audie Blaylock and Redline, then the Steep Canyon Rangers, got things back on the hard-driving bluegrass track. Veterans Seldom Scene closed out the night on the main stage. I enjoyed another night of jam-hopping, though I was not inspired to join in with my bluegrass accordion, since some of my usual cohorts were missing. One sign of the festival's success is that the hotel sells out so quickly, months in advance, so not everyone that would like to attend can make it. Sure there are other hotels in the area, but if you want to participate in the after hours jams, it is best to stay on site.

Sunday was a mad scramble to get everything packed up and ready to go -then downstairs for more music. My favorite band on Sunday was a family group called the Abrams Brothers, 14 and 16 year old brothers from Canada, with a cousin on bass and father on guitar, plus Bob Burtch on Mandolin and Brandon Green on banjo. They were amazing instrumentalists and did a varied set of bluegrass, gospel, progressive instrumentals, and some covers of Arlo Guthrie and Bob Dylan songs from their upoming recording.

Reminiscent of the time the Grascals filled in for someone due to illness a few years ago, the
surprise set of the afternoon was a last minute substitution. The band Dailey and Vincent were snowed in somewhere and couldn't make it, so James King and Audie Blaylock's bands joined forces for a rousing set of double-barreled bluegrass in the style of Jimmy Martin, the Stanley Brothers, and other classic material. It was a great unplanned set. Here's a little snippet of them doing "How Mountain Girls can Love":




Blue Highway wound things up for the weekend, with their dobro accented bluegrass and thoughtful country songwriting. And speaking of Stanley Bros, they augmented their set with some very funny Ralph Stanlely impressions, including a mock rendition of Led Zeppelin's Black Dog. As usual the weekend went by much too fast, so we're Goin' Down the Road feelin' Bad, like this guy:

But thanks to the magic of digital photography and youtube we can already start reliving it! Some of my other photos of the 2008 Joe Val festival can be viewed here. And it won't be long now til festival season is in full swing. Next weekend there is more festive living on tap at the RI Mardi Gras Ball. See, winter's not so bad!

Grey Fox finds a Home

Uncertainty has been in the air the past few months, ever since the news came out in December that the Rothvoss Farm in Ancramdale, NY, was to be sold. Where would our beloved Greyfox Bluegrass festival, which has taken place at that same location every July for the past 30+ years, be moved to? After much rumor and speculation, an official announcement was made today on the Greyfox website, naming Walsh Farm in nearby Greene County, NY as the successor to the Rothvoss Farm. This should ease any doubts in the minds of some potential festival goers who may have been on the fence about making plans without knowing where we would end up. The new location, with its camping described as being "on the level" sounds promising. While I will miss the beautiful sunsets and overall atmosphere of the old location, I will not miss many of the challenges of festing on a hillside - walking on a slant all weekend, constantly trying to keep things in camp from rolling away, digging the tires in, worrying about people parking their cars the wrong way, getting stuck up top or down below when the road is closed due to r**n. It is still in the mountains of upstate NY, in the Hudson Valley, an area known for its natural beauty and laid back atmosphere - home to Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. An article in a local newspaper, the Independent, says it is "right off the Thruway (I-87), ... and also comes with a stream for wading", which will be great for those hot July days. I am looking forward to finding out more about the new site in the coming months, and possibly at next weekend's Joe Val Festival, where there will undoubtedly be some more info to be shared. Move it on over!

New Orleans Jazz Fest Schedule Releasead

The performer list for the 2008 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was released earlier this week. For Jazzfest enthusiasts, the release of the daily schedules, or "the Dailies", is like Christmas Morning - the only day greeted with more anticipation is the release of the "Cubes", which list in grid format who is playing when on each of the 11 stages. Because we've had our fest plans set for some months now (after coming across an unbeatable hotel deal in the fall) we are already set for first weekend and a few days after, so the schedule doesn't really factor into our plans. This year's "Big Name Acts" or BNA's include Robert Plant & Alison Krause, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Jimmy Buffet, Tim McGraw, Santana, Steel Pulse, Elvis Costello & Allen Toussaint, Randy Newman and O.A.R. (apparently a Big Name but unknown to me). Those are some of the names I will likely toss around when people unfamiliar with New Orleans ask me who's playing the fest this year, and while I plan to check out some of them, I am most excited about just being there and taking in the full atmosphere, racing from stage to stage in an attempt to experience as much as possible, making new musical discoveries, enjoying old favorites, (especially the only-in-New Orleans bands that don't come up this way too often), stopping to sample delectable food offerings, parade a little bit, and chat with friends along the way. When I saw the schedule I simultaneously thought, "So glad we're going first weekend!", and "aww too bad we're not going second weekend." Especially now that they've added the second Thursday back, providing a seventh full day of festing, and the Neville brothers are scheduled to close out the fest in their first New Orleans appearance since 2005. Unless you plan to stay for 2 weeks, there's no way around it, whichever weekend you pick you're bound to miss something, but must console yourself with the thought of all the great music, food and friends you will get to experience- any time at Jazzfest is better than none at all. Plus, even when you are at the fest, you will miss something no matter what. Since I've had a little time to study the list, here's a short list of who I plan to see at this year's fest:
"BNA's":
Robert Plant & Alison Krause - I've always liked Led Zeppelin, have seen Robert Plant once solo, and have followed the music of Alison Krause and Union Station since she first starting appearing at the RI Cajun & Bluegrass festival when she was about 15 years old. People have been buzzing about a Jazzfest appearance by these two ever since the duet album, produced by T. Bone Burnett, came out last year. I have listened to it, and while much of it sounds dreamy and slow (not usually something I usually look forward to at a Jazzfest performance), it will be interesting to see these two together, plus maybe T Bone and other guests will join them.

Billy Joel - I have not always been a Billy Joel fan, (too "top 40" for me...) but have grown to appreciate him more in recent years. He is one of those artists who has an incredible catalog of hits, and it is sure to be a performance with a lot of audience participation and familiarity. Because it will be at the New Orleans Jazzfest, and he is the Piano Man, I am hoping he includes some guest appearances by other New Orleans piano greats, like Dr. John or Allen Toussaint.

I am most looking forward to the following acts, some of which are only-at-fest type of collaborations: Leo Nocentelli’s “Rare Gathering” feat. Bernie Worrell, Doug Wimbish & Will Calhoun; Doyle Bramhall with C.C. Adcock & the Lafayette Marquis; Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars; Ponderossa Stomp Revue feat. Tammy Lynn, Archie Bell, Roy Head, and Dennis Binder, Big Jay McNeely, Warren Storm w/ Willie Tee & the Cypress Band; Twangorama

And a whole host of real New Orleans bands that I know and love- Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Davell Crawford, Walter Wolfman Washington, Big Sam's Funky Nation, Trombone Shorty, and Shamarr Allen, who sings in Meet me on Frenchmen Street, "they got jazz bands and trad bands, funk bands, and brass bands - whatever your heart desires", Mardi Gras Indians and others we don't usually get to enjoy so often around these parts - too many to list here. Every time I look at this list, I see more to love, and just wait 'til the grids come out! (I'm trying not to look at second weekend, but you can...) A couple more months to make elaborate plans, which usually get laid to waste as soon as we walk through the gates and decide to follow a parade instead of camping out at the big stage- that's the way it goes at Jazzfest. The common question is "who did you miss to see who you saw?" So I don't feel too bad about being there for only one weekend, I can only be at one place at any one time anyway!

First Night with Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Cha's

First Night Boston is an arts celebration that takes place in many different venues around the city. I have been to similar events in Providence and Newport, but this was my first visit to the original one, in Boston. It is rather spread out, but there are clusters of venues, like churches and hotels. What attracted me to this year's celebration was Nathan and the Zydeco Cha-Cha's, but since this is a festival of many different kinds of arts we decided to sample a few other acts to round out the night. One was Birdsongs of the Mesozoic with baritone Oral Moses. They did some avant garde spirituals in a church, and the vocals /arrangements were interesting, but it was a little too serious for my mood. We only stayed for a few, then out to the parade (which looks better on TV than in real life, as it is difficult to get a good viewing spot). But it was fun to be out amongst all the revelers, who were getting ready for the early fireworks on Boston Common. Nathan was scheduled to start the first of 3 sets at 8pm, and shortly before that, the line was snaking all down the block, so we decided to check out some of Valerie Smith, a singer who tries to recreate Nina Simone. It was sweltering in the hotel conference room where she was performing, and she had to keep wiping sweat off her face that was getting in her eyes. She was a good, soulful singer, but not very convincing when she had to read the words of a Bessie Smith song. Out of there and across the street, they were already lined up for Nathan's 2nd set. It was in a huge cavernous space that used to be an armory. Apparently many of the people from the first set just filed right out and got in line for set #2. (They do that at First Night to give everyone a chance to get in.) At first,the audience was tentative, and most people were seated - all the chairs were taken and some were sitting on the floor. But with each song more and more people got up to dance. It's always so much fun to see people's reaction to zydeco music, when they aren't really familiar with it. I kind of take it for granted, but it is a new discovery for many people, especially in this part of the country. The sound was pretty bad in the drafty, high ceilinged armory. But Nathan's spirit was unstoppable, and the band's music is so infectious it is hard to sit still. I was interested in seeing a piano player back at the church a few blocks away, but we knew Nathan was a good bet so we went outside a few minutes before it ended to get back in line for the 3rd set. At the time there was no one else lined up so it felt kind of foolish but as soon as the set ended, more and more people who had been inside went out and re-joined the line. This made it look very desirable to passersby, so even more were attracted. The break was only about 10 minutes and the 2nd time in we got a better seat, which I wasn't in for very long anyway. This time even more people were dancing - some as couples, and others more free spirited moving and shaking, just reacting to the music more than trying to do the prescribed dance steps. As Nathan said towards the end, "If you don't shake a leg at a Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-Cha's show, call the undertaker, 'cause you must be dead!" And as he so often says in his shows, when he gets a warm reception, "I'm from Louisiana, but I feel like I'm home". When there's a first-rate zydeco band from Louisiana at a First Night celebration, I feel like I'm home too. I mean, puppet shows and poets are ok, but when it comes to celebrations, there's nothing more upbeat than some good down-home zydeco, and what better way to welcome in the New Year.

Here's a little video plus a link to some photos of the evening's festivities.

Happy 2008 and here's to another year of festive living!

Festive Living 2007 Year in Review

I started this blog in July, in the middle of Festival Season.... now it's time to catch up with a look back at all of the festivals we attended in 2007:

February

Joe Val Bluegrass Festival, Framingham, MA - This year, we had booked the room/ tickets for Joe Val months ahead of time, without realizing it was the same weekend as the RI Mardi Gras Ball. What a dilemma! I considered leaving the Joe Val fest Saturday to hit the MG Ball, but you know, the bluegrass fest is a fun time too and we were already there, as were many of our friends. So we stayed and had a great time, "camped out" in the hotel with our brother & sister-in-law - thanks to her, we already have our reservations for Joe Val 2008, which is set for Feb 15-18 . I didn't bring my accordion this year since much of the picking at this festival leans more toward the traditional bluegrass style. But it is hard for me to resist joining in,once things get going, and luckily my friend Paul happened to have his accordion with him, which he let me use. Thankfully next year, JV is NOT the same weekend as the Mardi Gras Ball, so I hope to be able to catch both events in 2008.


April

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage festival (1st weekend + daze between)

The premier event of the season, my favorite "far-away" festival in my favorite city with some of my favorite people. This year, we were in town from the Thursday before first weekend until Wednesday after, and stayed at the Holiday Inn Chateau LeMoyne in the French Quarter. Musical highlights of the fest were Tab Benoit, Lucky Peterson, Bonnie Raitt, Bonsoir Caitin, New Orleans Social Club, and more. Somewhere I have the daily grids with all the bands circled...a visit to Rock'n'Bowl to see Kermit Ruffins, The Wild Magnolias and Bonerama made a full day/night on Saturday. The best part of the whole week was the 3rd annual Threadhead Party that takes place on the Tuesday between weekends at a private home in the Marigny. Five bands provided entertainment - John Boutte & Paul Sanchez, Gumbohead, The Underdawgs led by Shamarr Allen, Papa Mali, and the Radiators - it was like a mini festival, complete with a surprise appearance from the Hot8 Brass Band. Besides being a fun-filled gathering of friends, food and music, the event is also a fundraiser for the New Orleans Musicians clinic. This year over $17,000 was raised for the cause through ticket sales and an online raffle.

Some of our pictures from this year's Jazzfest
and some video from the patry on youtube.

June

Crawfish Fest- Augusta NJ (Sat-Sun)

After hearing about it for years, we finally made it to this New Orleans style festival in rural New Jersey. Read more about it here.


Strawberry Park - Blast from the Bayou - This is a great place to camp, but we were only able to attend on Sunday this year, so we drove down for the day. We got to see Travis Matte and the Zydeco Kingpins in his first Northeast appearance. He was surprised we knew some of his material, but that's the magic of the internet - We listen to KBON all the time and they play him on there alot. We grooved to Donna the Buffalo in the shady grove, and ended up the day dancing to Chris Ardoin.

Moodus Zydeco & Cajun fest at Sunrise Resort. Another great place to camp - more relaxing and free-spirited than Strawberry Park - but again we were only able to attend on Sunday this year. We visited with friends, and got to see Brian Jack, who rarely comes up this way, Keith Frank, and the Basin Brothers. They ended the day with a big jam, maybe 7-8 fiddles up there all sawing away... but as it often happens in these big jams, one lone accordion (played by Jesse Lege) was able to stand up to all of em! ( That's why squeezebox kicks a**!)



July

New Bedford Summerfest was like old home week - we caught up with friends and family at this annual summer festival that takes place on the streets of historic New Bedford, by the waterfront. Beppe Gambetta, a guitar player from Italy, was a highlight this year, and Benoit Bourque, the perennial favorite from Canada delighted the crowds with his foot-stomping accordion playing music "from the kitchen" as they say.


GreyFox Bluegrass Festival - Maybe it was the nearly perfect weather, or the fact that I got there one day earlier than usual, on Tuesday, and had more time to settle in and soak up the vibe, or the stellar musical lineup... Whatever, this festival was magical for me this year, and is the one that inspired me to start this FestiveLiving blog, as a way to gather and share all my memories in one place. Here's the original post from the blog archives. I have heard that the Greyfox festival may be moving to a new location in 2008, so I am glad to have documented it more than usual this year.

The rest of these are also in the blog archives:

August

Newport Folk Festival (Saturday only)

Fall River Celebrates America (Sat & Sun)

Providence Summer fest (Saturday only)


September

Rhythm & Roots (all 3 days)

Pawtucket Arts Festival

Narrows Festival of the Arts


October

Festival Acadiens, Lafayette, LA

Other Live Music Events

In between festivals, we go to as many live music events as possible. Since I started this blog halfway through the year I haven't included everything, but here's a recap of some of the musical performances we enjoyed this year apart from the festivals.

The place we visit most is the Narrows Center for the Arts, since it is close, intimate, inexpensive, and has so many diverse, excellent shows all year long. With its wooden pews, it's like a joyous church, a place to catch up and socialize with friends before and after the spiritual uplift of the music. In 2007 we caught 15 shows at the Narrows, not counting the outdoor festivals they produced.

January: Remnants & Back Eddy, two local bluegrass/ folk bands; Dave Alvin & James McMurtry February: Kettle Joe's Psychedelic Swamp Revue - featuring Donna Jean Godcheaux from the Grateful Dead - pretty vocals, 3-4 part harmony. Their version of "Ripple" had me close to tears. March: John Cowan Band - (Bluegrass/ Newgrass); Mark Hummel's Blues Harp Blowout w/ Kim Wilson, Charlie Musselwhite + more), Ruthie Foster w/ Pat Boyack; Elana James and the Continental 2 April: the Waybacks , David Lindley June: Walter Wolfman Washington October:Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet November: Crooked Still, Tony Trishka Double Banjo Spectacular; Savoy Brown
December: Alison Brown Quartet , Drunk Stuntmen



If I had to pick a few favorites, they would be (in chronological order)
1) Dave Alvin & James Mc Murty -not only were they both good performances, but I was quite surprised to hear JM tell a story from the stage about the bouncer / hot dog vendor at the Continental Club in Austin who turned out to be a relative I had not seen or heard from in quite some time! Not having seen Jeff at Rhythm and Roots in a few years, I had wondered what happened to him....come to find out he was selling wieners in the land of hot tamales. This prompted me to get in touch with other family members who know him. Aside from that, I really enjoyed both James McMurty's song writing (more about him in the Rhythm and Roots recap) and Dave Alvin's rockin' tunes, some of it reminiscent of his days with the Blasters, but also some more country sounding material.


2) The Waybacks - Bluegrass/ newgrass/ Grateful Dead/ Jams- I love this band! Many of their shows, including this one from the Narrows, are available for streaming/ download on the internet Archive .


3) Walter Wolfman Washington - I always love to see some New Orleans style funk close to home, especially after Jazzfest. Relatively unknown around here, Wolfman is all over New Orleans, at clubs, in-stores and fest. He has a funky horn section and keeps people moving - it is one of those shows where it's hard to sit still in the pews, you just have to get up and shake that thang! After Katrina, he was one of the first musicians to bring live music back to the city playing at the Maple leaf with a generator in Sept of 2005.


4) Crooked Still - one of the last shows featuring the wild and eccentric Rashad Eggleston on cello, this was one of the group's most energetic shows that I have seen, especially the second half.

The other shows were all good too - it's never a bad night at the Narrows- where else can you bring your own refreshments, and sit or stand relatively close to the performers, overlooking a beautiful historic scene of the Battleship Massachusetts on the Taunton river under the Braga Bridge (love those sunset shows in the spring!) - not to mention the ever changing visual art displays.

Elsewhere, a favorite discovery this year was Fred Eaglesmith, at the Common Fence Point in January. He was very entertaining and funny, almost like Cheryl Wheeler with his storytelling. A sort of Canadian redneck, he had the whole audience in stitches most of the time, except for the few who took offense at some of his not so politcally correct remarks and left.

Another place to see great live music and DANCE between festivals is the German Club, courtesy of Sal's productions, which I've written about elsewhere in this blog. Just the other night we enjoyed a sumptuous Christmas feast with music by Magnolia, then Dexter Ardoin, a Creole accordion player, backed up by members of Magnolia. We've also enjoyed Candye Kane, Duke Robillard, Bryan Lee, Leroy Thomas, and other zydeco bands there this year.

Tab Benoit, one of our favorite New Orleans blues guitarists, paid a few visits to Chan's , the Chinese restaurant where he always plays when he comes to RI. We went to see him on a Thursday night in August. He arrived in a big ol' tourbus, no more pickup truck - and the guys from Leroux were with him. What a fun show, almost like a comedy act. He jokes around alot when he plays there, gets a little silly - or maybe that's the cognac talking. Tab even took a turn on drums. Anyway the sellout crowd of under 200 people loves him there. The only drawback is it's tough to get up and dance or move around because of all the tables - you just might knock over a waitress carrying pu-pu platters and scorpion bowls! But I did manage to break out of my table/chair prison after a while and find a spot towards the back to boogie a bit.

Once in a while we'll head to Boston for a club show. We are somewhat spoiled by the early start and end times of shows at the Narrows and these other venues, so it's really got to be someone we want to see, like a New Orleans band - Rebirth Brass Band at Harper's Ferry on my birthday, then just a few weeks ago, we saw Big Sam's Funky Nation at a place called Copperfields.

With all these great smaller, local venues around, who needs big impersonal concerts, that cost about the same as 5-6 shows at a place like the Narrows or Sal's? Well, we do make exceptions when its someone who just will never play in a small intimate venue, like Elton John, who we went to see in March at the Providence Civic Center . That same week we also saw Willie Nelson with Ray Price and Asleep at the Wheel at Mohegan Sun. More on those shows here.

We're planning on Boston for first night this year, where Nathan & the Zydeco Cha-cha's will be playing three sets indoors, followed by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble, a NOLA-esque costumed band, outdoors, leading up to the midnight fireworks. There are also dozens of other acts scheduled to perform at various venues around town, so we'll end 2007 and welcome in 2008 with one last fest. Happy Holidays and live festively all year long!

Upcoming event - Joe Val Festival, Feb 2008

This indoor bluegrass festival is a really fun way to get a festival fix in the dead of winter. Presented by the Boston Bluegrass union, it is held at the Sheraton in Framingham, MA, Presidents day weekend. The next one is scheduled for Feb 15-18, 2008. Rooms at the Sheraton hotel sold out with a few hours, but there are still some available at nearby hotels, linked on the festival website . Months later, I don't even remember much about what transpired on the mainstage this year... But like most bluegrass festivals, the mainstage performances are only a part of the experience - there is a lot of off-stage and after hours jamming going on. It is quite a sight, when you ride the elevator and the doors open to a full-blown jam, then you go up or down another floor and there's another one - The entire hotel is taken over by hillbillies, spilling out of people's rooms and into conference rooms, around the clock.

Like any outdoor bluegrass festival, the Joe Val festival features headline performances in a large ballroom as the main stage, plus a few smaller, more intimate "workshop" stages, and bluegrass themed movies some of the other conference rooms. Food and drinks are available for purchase, plus many folks bring their own coolers and snacks for their rooms. Because it's in a hotel, it looks like a conference, but feels like a camping festival, only you don't have to contend with the elements and other hassles of camping outdoors. It is like the best of both worlds.

A Pair of Queens

Festive Living kind of slows down this time of year, but just because there haven't been any festivals around here lately doesn't mean there is a shortage of good music to be enjoyed. Earlier this month I got to see an old festival favorite, Candye Kane, at the German Club. She is a big blues mama who sings her heart out, backed by a band that rocks, and includes her son on drums. They were a couple hours late due to traffic, but everyone who came was treated to a lively performance reveling in her uniquely bawdy style. With songs like, "I'm on a Bender", "Eat it all night long", "Who do you love (it's OK) ", "White Trash Girl", and "Estrogen Bomb", it makes me think of Led Zeppelin's, Living, Loving, She's just a Woman", because those are the recurrent themes in her music. Throughout the show she tells stories of how writing songs was like her salvation, and a way to feel good about herself through tough times. She may have seemed like a novelty act in the past, playing the piano with her boobs and all....but she makes no apologies and showcases her singing, which is as robust as ever.

A couple of days later Wanda Jackson performed at the Towers in Narragansett, backed by the Lustre Kings from NY. I was not sure what to expect from the 70 year old rockabilly star from the 50's, but she was great! At only 5'2" she is a little dynamo of a singer who still enjoys performing and loves to rock and roll. Sparkling in a silver jacket, she pulled out one hit after another, and also shared many stories of touring around the world, hanging out with Elvis, visitng Japan, where they loved her song "Yokohama Mama", and even finding salvation in Jesus.

Even though in some ways she's the opposite of Candye Kane, because of her small size, they really have alot in common - both started out their careers as country singers, but preferred the more energetic genres of rockabilly and blues, which are mostly male dominated. And they both have big hair, love to perform and tell stories, and aren't afraid to be themselves. So I was not surpised when searching on Rhapsody a few days later for both of these artists, I found Candye on a tribute to Wanda Jackson CD!