Greetings loyal and faithful readers, and all of you others too! LOL. Well, I had a small flood in my basement due to the torrential rains yesterday, and right now, I really do have more primary things to deal with than writing this week’s column, BUT, I know how many of you now depend on me to sort through the chazarai of live music choices y’all have every week and put it all out into a nice, neat little package for you all in one place, SO, the show must go on, as they say! But due to the nature of the fact that my life is a little messed up and disorganized right now (like my basement, which is where my office is), this will be an abbreviated column, mainly focusing on the live music picks.
One thing I do want to mention is that last weekend was the anniversary of Watkins Glen, the historic concert in 1973 that featured The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, and The Band, which more people attended than any musical event in history, even more than the original Woodstock Music and Arts Fair! Next year’s the 40th anniversary. Any ambitious promoters out there who wanna recreate history? What about investors who might want to make this happen? That’s right, just step forward now please! I’ll handle all the details once you fund it.
Speaking of festivals, last weekend was festival heaven, with the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, The Gathering of the Vibes, and The Rosendale Street Festival all on the same weekend! Missed ‘em all, but I know the people who went had themselves a good ol’ time! Speaking of live music shows, here they are!
Wednesday, August 1 – The week starts off with a bang when DONALD FAGEN, MICHAEL MACDONALD, AND BOZ SCAGGS roll into The Beacon Theater in Manhattan. Now, I don’t know about you, but IMHO, Boz Scaggs is the main attraction here, but together, these three guys should kickass! MacDonald never did much for me, except when he sang Motown, which is exactly why he should be good with Fagen and Scaggs. And Boz has the coolest gear of anyone except Tom Petty!
Friday, August 3 – The big show tonight is GARLAND JEFFREYS at The Rodeo Bar in Manhattan. AT THE RODEO BAR???!!! Get there early or you’ll never get in! There’s no cover charge, and the place is small, so it will definitely be SRO, if you can even get in the door! Garland could be playing much larger venues. This is a treat!
JACKSON BROWNE is also in town, at The Beacon Theater tonight and tomorrow. Now, I don’t recommend this show, but Jackson used to be great, and I know a lot of people never noticed that he kind of sucks now, so they still really really love him, so, for them, I mentioned that he was playing, but IMHO, this will be a snooze fest.
Further north, slide guitar master SONNY LANDRETH returns to Club Helsinki in Hudson. Saturday he’s doing a parlor session on 98.1 WKZE at Noon! Set your dials!
Saturday, August 4 – The great and very funny SANDRA BERNHARD makes an incredibly rare small club appearance at Club Helsinki. Put aside your preconceived ideas and check her out! She’s very smart and very funny! The also great DEL MCCOURY brings his Bluegrass stylings to The Prospect Park Bandshell In Brooklyn, a fantastic place to see a show if ever there was one! And in Manhattan, an up and coming bluegrass band who someday could be the new Del McCoury Band, THE HACKENSAW BOYS, are at Sullivan Hall.
Sunday, August 5 – The legendary jazz guitarist LARRY CORYELL sometimes plays gigs with his son, local resident MURALI CORYELL, and tonight, they’re at The Iridium in Manhattan.
Monday, August 6 – We’ve got two really big shows tonight in Manhattan! LUCINDA WILLIAMS invades New York! Tonight and tomorrow, she’s at The Bowery Ballroom, which is a fantastic place to see her! Wednesday, she’s out in Brooklyn at The Music Hall of Williamsburg, and next week, she’s comin’ upstate to play at Levon’s! Wow! Also tonight, a fabulous Sixties show, THE ZOMBIES and THE LEFT BANKE at BB King’s!
Tuesday, August 7 – Wow again! The great GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS are making a rare club appearance outside of Delaware at BB King’s! This is gonna rock your sox off! The RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND is at City Winery, and BOTTOM DOLLAR is at The Mercury Lounge in Manhattan. Now, I never heard of Bottom Dollar before, but I just love their name! I’m gonna check them out! I’ll bet they’re good!
Wednesday, August 8 – THE GRANDMOTHERS OF INVENTION, older refugees from Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, hobble into The Bearsville Theater with their wheel chairs and walkers, where they will be cured by the power of Rock & Roll!
Thursday, August 9 – THE B-52S bring their party hilarity into Irving Plaza in Manhattan. Again, these guys probably haven’t played a place this small in a long time, so this is really cool!
Have a great week!
One thing I do want to mention is that last weekend was the anniversary of Watkins Glen, the historic concert in 1973 that featured The Grateful Dead, Allman Brothers Band, and The Band, which more people attended than any musical event in history, even more than the original Woodstock Music and Arts Fair! Next year’s the 40th anniversary. Any ambitious promoters out there who wanna recreate history? What about investors who might want to make this happen? That’s right, just step forward now please! I’ll handle all the details once you fund it.
Speaking of festivals, last weekend was festival heaven, with the Grey Fox Bluegrass Festival, The Gathering of the Vibes, and The Rosendale Street Festival all on the same weekend! Missed ‘em all, but I know the people who went had themselves a good ol’ time! Speaking of live music shows, here they are!
Wednesday, August 1 – The week starts off with a bang when DONALD FAGEN, MICHAEL MACDONALD, AND BOZ SCAGGS roll into The Beacon Theater in Manhattan. Now, I don’t know about you, but IMHO, Boz Scaggs is the main attraction here, but together, these three guys should kickass! MacDonald never did much for me, except when he sang Motown, which is exactly why he should be good with Fagen and Scaggs. And Boz has the coolest gear of anyone except Tom Petty!
Friday, August 3 – The big show tonight is GARLAND JEFFREYS at The Rodeo Bar in Manhattan. AT THE RODEO BAR???!!! Get there early or you’ll never get in! There’s no cover charge, and the place is small, so it will definitely be SRO, if you can even get in the door! Garland could be playing much larger venues. This is a treat!
JACKSON BROWNE is also in town, at The Beacon Theater tonight and tomorrow. Now, I don’t recommend this show, but Jackson used to be great, and I know a lot of people never noticed that he kind of sucks now, so they still really really love him, so, for them, I mentioned that he was playing, but IMHO, this will be a snooze fest.
Further north, slide guitar master SONNY LANDRETH returns to Club Helsinki in Hudson. Saturday he’s doing a parlor session on 98.1 WKZE at Noon! Set your dials!
Saturday, August 4 – The great and very funny SANDRA BERNHARD makes an incredibly rare small club appearance at Club Helsinki. Put aside your preconceived ideas and check her out! She’s very smart and very funny! The also great DEL MCCOURY brings his Bluegrass stylings to The Prospect Park Bandshell In Brooklyn, a fantastic place to see a show if ever there was one! And in Manhattan, an up and coming bluegrass band who someday could be the new Del McCoury Band, THE HACKENSAW BOYS, are at Sullivan Hall.
Sunday, August 5 – The legendary jazz guitarist LARRY CORYELL sometimes plays gigs with his son, local resident MURALI CORYELL, and tonight, they’re at The Iridium in Manhattan.
Monday, August 6 – We’ve got two really big shows tonight in Manhattan! LUCINDA WILLIAMS invades New York! Tonight and tomorrow, she’s at The Bowery Ballroom, which is a fantastic place to see her! Wednesday, she’s out in Brooklyn at The Music Hall of Williamsburg, and next week, she’s comin’ upstate to play at Levon’s! Wow! Also tonight, a fabulous Sixties show, THE ZOMBIES and THE LEFT BANKE at BB King’s!
Tuesday, August 7 – Wow again! The great GEORGE THOROGOOD AND THE DESTROYERS are making a rare club appearance outside of Delaware at BB King’s! This is gonna rock your sox off! The RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND is at City Winery, and BOTTOM DOLLAR is at The Mercury Lounge in Manhattan. Now, I never heard of Bottom Dollar before, but I just love their name! I’m gonna check them out! I’ll bet they’re good!
Wednesday, August 8 – THE GRANDMOTHERS OF INVENTION, older refugees from Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, hobble into The Bearsville Theater with their wheel chairs and walkers, where they will be cured by the power of Rock & Roll!
Thursday, August 9 – THE B-52S bring their party hilarity into Irving Plaza in Manhattan. Again, these guys probably haven’t played a place this small in a long time, so this is really cool!
Have a great week!