The New York State Senate just passed a resolution renaming all of Route 375, between Route 28 and Route 212, Levon Helm Memorial Boulevard! The resolution, which had previously passed the Assembly, now only needs Gov. Cuomo’s signature to become law! This is great news for everyone, and well deserved! I know I’ll feel better about not having Levon with us anymore when I drive down Levon Helm Memorial Boulevard!

     In other local news, has anyone noticed what a great job The Bearsville Theater has been doing booking bands? In the past year they’ve had Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Earle, The North Mississippi All Stars, Chris Robinson, Robert Randolph, CKS, Blue Chicken, Moonalice, The Kane Brothers, Python Soup, Dweezil Zappa, Richard Thompson, The Grandmothers of Invention, and The Duke McVinnie Band, and that’s just a partial list! Last Sunday’s Bob Dylan Birthday Bash, featuring every A-list musician in town, carried on the stellar tradition of the room. How bad could a night of Bob Dylan songs be? But when played by the likes of Larry Campbell, Marco Benevento, Jim Weider, Donald Fagen, Tim Moore, Amy Helm, Connor Kennedy, Teresa Williams, Jerry Marotta, Graham Parker, Jane Scarpantoni, Tracy Bonham, Don Byron, Aaron Freeman, and Happy Traum, you could only say the performances were stellar. Tim Moore delivered a very cool version of “Subterranean Homesick Blues” and Doug Yoel nailed “I Threw it all Away”, but young Connor Kennedy stole the show with a scorching version of “Idiot Wind”, with his compadre, Lee Falco, who’s giving Randy Ciarlante a run for his money as “the most in-the-pocket drummer in the Hudson Valley”, on drums! A great night from start to finish! Upcoming shows at the theater include Ian McLagan, Kal David, Richard Thompson, Dave Mason, CKS, and Albert Lee! Kudos also to WDST, who book a lot of the shows at the theater. Keep up the great job you’re doing!

     There was no column last week, but unless you were on Mars, you know by now that we lost Ray Manzarek of The Doors. Ray and Jim, together again! RIP Ray, but that probably ain’t gonna happen if you’re hangin’ out with Jim Morrison! LOL.

     And now, to the live shows.

     Wednesday, June 5 – We start the week off with a bang with three great shows. DAVE ALVIN is one of our national treasures! A founding member of The Blasters, Dave has gone on to quite a prolific solo career, while keeping The Blasters blasting. One of our great songwriters, guitarists, and rock n rollers, I feel honored and privileged to call Dave a friend. Tonight at City Winery. Saturday at Towne Crier in Pawling.

The night is crawling with national treasures! PATTI SMITH is at The Bowery Ballroom and PHIL LESH AND THE TERRAPIN FAMILY BAND are at Sullivan Hall in Manhattan for the second of three nights. Now folks, I’ve played Sullivan Hall, back when it was a small bar called The Red Lion, and lemme tell ya, my guess is that it’s still small! Very small! Which is why these shows sold out in ten minutes! But if you can snag a ticket, this will be a rare opportunity to see Phil in a tiny room, the likes of which no Dead related project has played in decades!

     Thursday, June 6 – PHIL LESH finishes up his run at Sullivan Hall, the world’s greatest dobro player, JERRY DOUGLAS, starts a four night engagement at The Blue Note jazz club in Manhattan, and, of course, MOUNTAIN JAM kicks off tonight and runs through Sunday. They have a great line up this year, with Phil and Friends, Primus, Warren Haynes (of course), and Widespread Panic headlining, and a whole slew of other noteworthy bands. More info at www.mountainjam.com.

     Friday, June 7 – PHIL LESH AND THE FAMILY BAND are playing The Infinity Yacht tonight, which, I believe, sails around Manhattan while the band plays. I’ve always loved bands on boats, and this should be awesome!

The first couple of Americana music, KELLY WILLIS, and her husband, BRUCE ROBISON, are at City Winery, MOUNTAIN JAM and JERRY DOUGLAS move into their second day, and, at The Bearsville Theater, the tradition of excellence continues with CHRIS STAMEY, whose band, The DB’s, were a spin off from Alex Chilton’s Big Star, who themselves were a spin off from Alex’s first band, The Box Tops! If you can’t make Mountain Jam tonight, here’s your alternative.

     Saturday, June 8 – The music keeps rockin’ in The Hudson Valley, with THE GREAT GUITARIST FROM The Blues Project, DANNY KALB, at The Bearsville Theater, DAVE ALVIN AND THE GUILTY MEN at The Towne crier in Pauling (soon to be relocating to Beacon), and PHIL LESH at The Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm Studios.

Downstate, SIR PAUL MCCARTNEY is at Barclay Center in Brooklyn for the first of two nights, and SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES are at BB King’s!

     Sunday, June 9 – PHIL LESH moves from Levon’s to Mountain Jam, to headline the closing night. What else do you gotta do, wash your hair? Of course, if you’re in the city, you can go see DICKIE BETTS at City Winery for the first of two nights!

     Monday, June 10 – Upstate, at The Bearsville Theater, THE DUKE MCVINNIE BAND continues their Monday night residency for June. I’ve profiled these guys several times, and regular readers of this column know that I think they are the most exciting new band I’ve discovered in quite a while, so be there! Downstate, SIR PAUL concludes his shows at Barclay Center, DICKIE BETTS finishes his gigs at City Winery, ZAKK WYLDE starts a three day run at Iridium (tonight with The Les Paul Trio, Tuesday and Wednesday, solo), and for you bass players, one of the masters of the instrument, VICTOR WOOTEN, stops by The Blue Note.

     Tuesday, June 11 – ZAKK WYLDE, who in case you didn’t know, is Ozzy Osbourne’s lead guitarist, at Iridium.

     Wednesday, June 12 – Rarely have I seen a performer as comfortable onstage as DELBERT MCCLINTON! Great songwriter, great player, great everything. At BB King’s.

     Alright, gotta run! Have a great week!

     Greetings, and welcome to this week’s Reservoir Music Notes! Not a lot of earth shaking news going on in the music world, so we’re gonna get right to this week’s live music picks.

     Wednesday, May 15 – I don’t usually recommend shows as far afield as Infinity Hall in Connecticut, but this week, I’m making several exceptions. Tonight, INDIGENOUS, a Native American blues rock band that I’ve known about for many years, is at Infinity Hall. The main attraction of this band is their amazing lead guitar player, who is the closest thing to Stevie Ray Vaughn that we’ve got left! Highly recommended! Also tonight, at The Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, the legendary ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS will be performing their string of gigantic hits, as well as other, blues and rock based material.

     Thursday, May 16 – Back to Infinity Hall, where the great Western Swing band, ASLEEP AT THE WHEEL, will hold court. Closer to home, the REGGAE IN RESIDENCE series continues at The Bearsville Theater, and THE SLIDE BROTHERS, a sacred steel band sponsored by Robert Randolph will be at The Falcon in Marlborough. Downstate, we’ve got JOE BONAMASSA at The Beacon Theater for the first of three nights, and the kings of all reggae bands, THE WAILERS, at Irving Plaza.

     Friday, May 17 – In the city, my first Pick Of the Week! The amazing Soul and R n B singer, BETTYE LAVETTE, is at Town Hall with the equally amazing BLIND BOYS OF ALABAMA! Bettye’s been around forever, and she is one of the best! The fabulous SHEILA E is at BB King’s, and upstate, JIM WEIDER’S PROJECT PERCOLATOR is at The Falcon, and Punk/ New Wave stalwarts, THE FEELIES, are at Club Helsinki in Hudson.

     Saturday, May 18 – The city of Beacon, NY is celebrating their centennial with something called BEACON ROCKS 100: A CENTENNIAL MUSICFEST, at Memorial Park. Don’t know who’s playing, but Beacon is a cool town, it should be a beautiful day for an outdoor event, so, why not? At The Falcon, ROB PAPAROZZI AND THE HUDSON RIVER RATS will tear the house down! Rob is one of the best harmonica blowers on the planet, and the only heir apparent to the late, great Paul Butterfield, who should be in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, along with all of his bands!

     Sunday, May 19 – Two shows, one upstate, one downstate. Upstate at Club Helsinki, JAMES MCCARTNEY, son of Paul, will probably be worth checking out, and downstate, the 13th ANNUAL JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY BASH is at a new home at Bowery Electric. Doesn’t matter who’s playing. This is always a great event!

     Monday, May 20 – Tonight marks the beginning of a 5 night run at The Beacon Theater for one of the most exciting, professional, and most rockin’ bands ever – TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS! If at all possible, catch at least one night. These guys are one of the best live bands around! The other dates are May 21, 23, 25, and 26. In case you didn’t figure it out, this is my #1 Pick of the Week!

     Tuesday, May 21 – PETER ROWAN at City Winery and SHOOTER JENNINGS, Waylon’s son, at Bowery Ballroom.

     Wednesday, May 22 – RAY WYLIE HUBBARD at Hill Country Barbecue, and something called STONES FEST NYC is at the Music Hall of Williamsburg tonight, and Bowery Ballroom tomorrow. Don’t know who’s playing or any more details, but, how bad could it be, right?

     Thursday, May 23 – TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS acoustic at The Bearsville Theater, and GEORGE JONES TRIBUTE at The Rodeo Bar.

     Gotta run. Have a great week!

     It’s been a busy week in the music world. In fact, it’s been a busy two weeks, which is why there was no column last week. Furthur at The Capitol Theater in Port Chester took up a lot of my time, and drained me physically, because I got the stomach virus that was going around the night of the first show, (which, of course, put a damper on my enthusiasm for the performance), and I caught the flu the night of the last show, which I am still suffering from now! It could have been worse. At least I didn’t faint onstage, like Bobby Weir did at the last Furthur show!

     Bobby was wobbly the whole night, and finally did fall, and had to leave the stage! The rest of the band carried on, after a brief pause. The good news is that I talked to some friends who saw them in Atlantic City, and they said Bobby came roaring back in A.C., and was once again in top form!

     Of the three shows I saw, the Sunday night was the best, with flashbacks to The Grateful Dead very prominent! Furthur is a good band, but I’m partial to Phil and Friends! More jamming, more experimentation, and more rockin’! Lesh is more!

     Of particular note to our friends in Woodstock (and everywhere), on the Friday night show, April 19, the one year anniversary of Levon’s passing, Furthur slipped “Tennessee Jed” into the first set, which Levon covered on “Electric Dirt”! Then, in the second set, they launched into “The Shape I’m In” followed by “Long Black Veil”, and encored with “Angel Band”! And they closed the first set with “Box of Rain”, which Phil Lesh famously wrote for his father when he was dying from cancer! A lovely tribute to Levon.

     Sadly, we lost two giants this week. George Jones, one of the best Country singers who ever lived, passed away at the age of 81. And Richie Havens also crossed over at the age of 72. Bob Dylan heard Richie sing his song, “A Hard Rain’s Gonna Fall” and told him it was the best he’d ever heard the song done! A vastly underated talent!

     The Rolling Stones pulled a surprise gig at a 700 seat club in LA last week. Tickets went on sale the day of the show for $20! Here’s the set list.

"You Got Me Rocking"
"Respectable"
"She’s So Cold"
"Live With Me"
"Street Fighting Man"
"That’s How Strong My Love Is"
"Little Queenie"
"Just My Imagination"
"Miss You"
"Love In Vain (with Mick Taylor)"
"Midnight Rambler (with Mick Taylor)"
"Start Me Up"

Encore:
"Brown Sugar"
"Jumpin’ Jack Flash"

     It’s kind of a slow week in the live music world, but as usual, there are still a few gems out there.

     Thursday, May 2 – City Winery is hosting two Woodstock artists tonight. AMY HELM, who rocked the house at WKZE’s Parlour Session a few weeks ago, and CONNOR KENNEDY, the young guitarist and vocalist, who continues to improve.

     Saturday, May 4 – MIKE AND RUTHY open for THE WYOS at The Bearsville Theater. I’m not sure the billing shouldn’t be reversed! I haven’t heard The Wiyos. They’re supposed to be an old timey acoustic band who sometimes goes electric, which sounds fine, but I have seen Mike and Ruthy several times, and they always impress! Though mostly acoustic, they manage to bring an edge to it. Highly recommended! Downstate, BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB are at Terminal 5.

     Sunday, May 5 – At The Bearsville Theater, TODD RUNDGREN returns to Woodstock. This show is sold out, but there is another on Monday, which tickets are still available for.

In  the city, the great DAN HICKS AND HIS HOT LICKS are at City Winery, and KINGS X are at Stage 48.

     Monday, May 6 – TODD RUNDGREN concludes his engagement at The Bearsville Theater, and in Manhattan, post-Pixies Deal sisters band THE BREEDERS are at Webster Hall, while out in Brooklyn, former Plimsouls frontman, PETER CASE, is at Knitting Factory Brooklyn, which, I think, is now the only Knitting Factory in New York!

     Tuesday, May 7 – One of the better hair bands from the 80’s, LA GUNS, is at Bowery Electric tonight.

     Wednesday, May 8 – STEVE EARLE AND THE DUKES with THE MASTERSONS opening are at Music Hall of Williamsburg. I just saw them at Bearsville Theater last night, and they were very good! Steve hasn’t been touring with a band much lately, so this is a treat.

     Thursday, May 9 – Tonight marks the first night of REGGAE IN RESIDENCE at The Bearsville Theater. Opening the series, which continues every Thursday in May, will be the highly touted BIG TAKEOVER.

     Well, that’s it for this week, thankfully. Now I can crawl back into bed and try to kick out this flu. Who ever heard of the flu going around in May! It’s the end of the world as we know it!

     See you next week!

     Water has finally found it’s own level in the Rock n Roll world! Ted Nugent is touring with REO Speedwagon and Styx! I suppose it should come as no surprise, as Tommy Shaw of Styx was in Damn Yankees with Nugent, but the point I’m making, is that as much as The Nuge has the Motor City Madman image, he’s really more at home with bands from the Midwest who sing in high voices, like REO and Styx! The Nuge is bottom billed, and here’s why.

     The Nuge is a great guitar player, but in my opinion, is not a much bigger star because of the quality of his songwriting, which is not really very good, with a few notable exceptions! One of the most memorable shows I’ve ever seen was Damn Yankees at a private party at The China Club in Manhattan, where they performed a series of Chuck Berry, Rolling Stones, and Beatles tunes. Awesome show! I’ve seen The Nuge on his own, and nothing came close to that show! Why? Songwriting! He showed me he’s a great guitar player, but he also showed me he’s not a songwriter!

     Now, “Journey to the Center of your Mind”, the second Amboy Dukes single, (and their only hit), was written by Nugent and The Dukes’ other guitarist, Steve Farmer, and that is a great song! It shows that Farmer and Nugent could have been a great songwriting team, in the style of Lennon and McCartney, where one brings the pop and one brings the rock, and the combination somehow results in the best of both worlds! But apparently, Farmer and Nugent couldn’t get on the same wavelength, and the group broke up in 1973. Other than “Journey to the Center of your Mind”, most of the Dukes material was written by Farmer!

     Anyway, enough about The Nuge, who, according to his own statements, will soon be dead or in jail, as he famously stated in 2012 that if President Obama is re-elected, he will be dead or in jail within a year! Bet you didn’t know that about The Nuge! I wonder if the FBI or Secret Service felt the need to investigate that! Haven’t heard anything about it!

     In other news, The Rolling Stones, who are great songwriters, just announced 18 more dates for their 50th Anniversary Tour. New York got theirs already, so there are no New York shows! The closest they’ll come is Boston and Philadelphia! If you want tickets, you’ll have to cash in your retirement account. Top price is close to $1000 and premium packages range from $1200 to $2000! And that’s for ONE ticket, not a pair! Having seen them at the height of their career many times, you will not ever find me paying that kind of money to see a band in the twilight of their career! But, if you’ve never seen them, and you’ve got the dough, this will probably be your last chance! How do you top a 50th anniversary tour?

     Okay, I’m way past my deadline, so let’s get to the live music picks, so this column can make it into the paper this week.

     Wednesday, April 17 – Tonight marks the third night of Bob Weir and Phil Lesh’s nine night FURTHER tour at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester. Tour continues here this weekend (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday), and next week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday).

The amazing ANA POPOVIC is at Iridium in Manhattan for a CD release party. Ana is a Yugoslavian born guitarist who has played with everyone, won dozens of awards, and is one of the most amazing female guitarists ever, and just amazing, period! You need to check her out!

     Friday, April 19 – FURTHER continues, but if you can’t snag a ticket to the sold out shows, there’s a lot more going on this weekend than just Further! One of the many Masters of the Telecaster, ARLEN ROTH, is at The Falcon in Marlborough, and in the city, ANA POPOVIC returns to The Iridium, and in a real blast from the past, UNCLE FLOYD makes a super rare appearance at The Cutting Room! Uncle Floyd was a wacky comedian who had his own TV show years ago. He masqueraded as a children’s show, but was really aiming his show at adults, along the lines of Soupy Sales or Pee Wee Herman. But what really set Uncle Floyd’s show apart, was that he had every cutting edge rock and punk band in New York on as guests! The Ramones, Madonna, Bon Jovi, and many others were guests, before they were famous, and Uncle Floyd, whose real name is Floyd Vivino, and who is guitarist Jimmy Vivino’s brother, counted John Lennon and David Bowie among his many fans! I have no idea what he’ll be doing at this appearance, but whatever it is, it should be worth the price of admission!

     Saturday, April 20 – One of the best and unique singers around, IRIS DEMENT, is at Club Helsinki tonight! Once you hear Iris, you’ll never forget her! Her voice is totally unique, in the same way Levon’s is. If you’re anywhere near Hudson tonight, just go to this! You won’t regret it! I’m not gonna mention every FURTHER show again, but they are playing all week, and the dates are listed in the first posting for Wednesday, April 17.

     Sunday, April 21 – The very funny KATHY GRIFFIN is at UPAC in Kingston tonight, and the very amazing JUNIOR BROWN is at City Winery. When Brown played in Woodstock a couple of years ago, every guitar player in town was in attendance, with their jaws on the floor!

     Monday, April 22 – Woodstock’s own CINDY CASHDOLLAR is at The Iridium with The Les Paul Trio, and the great old school soul singer, RYAN SHAW, is at The Cutting Room, both in Manhattan.

     Wednesday, April 24 – FLEETWOOD MAC reunion at The Prudential Center in Newark, the fabulous RYAN MONTBLEAU BAND at The Highline Ballroom in Manhattan, and FOUR GENERATIONS OF MILES, featuring former Miles Davis sidemen, JIMMY COBB, SONNY FORTUNE, BUSTER WILLIAMS, and MIKE STERN, begins a three night run at Iridium.

     Thursday, April 25 – The phenomenally versatile and talented guitarist, KAKI KING is at the very intimate Mercury Lounge in Manhattan tonight. Kaki’s accomplishments are too numerous to list here, but check out her Wikipedia page or her own website for a full bio, music clips, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaki_King or www.kakiking.com.

Also tonight, in a super rare appearance, the multi-talented JOHN SIMON pulls into Joe’s Pub in Manhattan! John is a songwriter, piano player, and producer, who is best known for producing The Band’s first two albums, but his discography is endless. As producer, he also worked with Janis Joplin (Cheap Thrills), Leonard Cohen, Simon and Garfunkel, Blood Sweat and Tears (first album), and the great Bobby Charles! As piano player, he worked with Clapton, Muddy, Howling Wolf, Dave Mason, and more! In other capacities, he worked with Dylan, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John,Joni Mitchell, Van Morrison, etc. Get the picture? If anyone was a sixth member of The Band, it was John! Check him out at www.johnsimonmusic.net.

     Well, that wraps up another week. Have a good one!

     Rock music criticism lost a true original last week. Paul Williams, the man who founded Crawdaddy magazine from his college dorm room  at the age of 17, passed away March 27, from complications arising from a bicycle accident that occurred in 1995! He was 64.

     Crawdaddy, whose first issue hit the streets in January, 1966, a full 18 months before the first issue of Rolling Stone, was the first national magazine of rock criticism, and Williams was the first journalist to take Rock n Roll seriously as an art form and write about it as such! The writing style Williams pioneered created modern rock criticism as we know it! Crawdaddy influenced every Rock magazine to follow it, and I’m sure that even writers like  Hunter S. Thompson had to be aware of it!

     Williams championed young writers like Jon Landau (now Springsteen’s manager and producer), Sandy Perlman (producer of The Clash), and Richard Meltzer! We used to breathlessly wait for each issue like it was The Word of God Himself! It’s difficult to understand how important Crawdaddy was at the time, living today in our always connected universe! Magazines like Crawdaddy were the distributors of information and the counter cultural lifeline to suburban hepcats in the making! They built bridges between regional scenes and brought record company attention to artists who otherwise would probably never get any. When a new issue came out, it was the highlight of our week!

     More than most rock writers, Williams lived the lifestyle, hanging out and partying with his subjects like The Grateful Dead, Jim Morrison, Brian Wilson, and David Crosby! After Crawdaddy’s initial 2-3 year run (Williams’ stats), Paul moved to Mendocino, where he ran Timothy Leary’s gubernatorial campaign, going with Leary to meet John and Yoko at their Toronto Bed-In for Peace, where he and Leary appeared as part of the background party for “Give Peace a Chance” and the song, “Come Together” was written overnight, based on Leary’s campaign slogan, “Come together, join the party”.

     Williams was the author of more than 25 books on music, counterculture lifestyle, and memoirs of his own life. He struck up a friendship with the Science Fiction author, Philip K. Dick, after writing a widely seen and highly regarded article on Dick in Rolling Stone, which many people, including  Dick himself, credited with the revival of interest in his work. After Dick’s death in 1982, Williams was named the literary executor of his estate, and oversaw Hollywood deals that led to “Blade Runner”, “Minority Report”, “Total Recall”, The Adjustment Bureau”, A Scanner Darkly”, and others, all based on Dick’s work!

     In the 1990’s, Williams returned to the helm of Crawdaddy, which he ran again for 10 years before selling out to Wolfgang’s Vault in 2006! The entire Crawdaddy archive is now available on Wolfgang’s Vault!

     In 1995, Paul suffered a spill on his bicycle, which incurred traumatic brain injuries that began a long slow decline, and from which he never recovered. He is survived by his wife, singer-songwriter Cindy Lee Berryhill, and their son. The financial burden on the family has been crushing, as Williams, like most self employed artists, lived without any structure of institutional support. Donations can be made on Williams’ website, www.paulwilliams.com/donations.html. While there, you can read up on Paul’s complete bio and accomplishments, which are too numerous to fully list here. If you can’t make a donation, please, at least, light a candle for this man! He created something out of nothing that helped change the world for the better! A true original! RIP Paul! And thanks for the memories!

     We also lost record producer Phil Ramone this week. Ramone worked with Sinatra, Dylan, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Tony Bennett, Aretha Franklin, Elton John, and Ray Charles, among others. He garnered the usual GRAMMYS, Emmys, and Lifetime Achievement Awards that one would expect from a producer of his stature. Ramone was 79.

     Wow! As I mentioned last week, we are on the cusp of an amazing summer of music, and it continues this week! In the next two weeks, there are over 30 live shows that I’m recommending! That averages out to over 2 a day, so you should be able to find something to your liking!

     Wednesday, April 3 – Hooray! We’re in April, Spring has sprung, and the weather is warm! Good vibes! Tonight is the second and last night of THE BLACK CROWES at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester! The Crowes are doing things with open tunings that rival The Rolling Stones! Catch ‘em if you can! Also tonight at The Cutting Room in Manhattan, original Sex Pistols bassist, GLEN MATLOCK, teams up with TOMMY RAMONE, original Ramones drummer, producer, and writer, for an unusual pairing that should be very interesting, to say the least. Finally, influential Arizona based band, THE MEAT PUPPETS, who counted Kurt Cobain as a fan, are at The Mercury Lounge in Manhattan for the first of two shows. Tonight’s show is an early one, starting at 6:30. Tomorrow is at a more normal time, 9:30.

     Thursday, April 4 – Second MEAT PUPPETS SHOW at Mercury Lounge. Also in the city, Cheap Trick lead singer ROBIN ZANDER at BB King’s, and The CAROLINA CHOCOLATE DROPS at Bowery Ballroom.  Upstate in Woodstock, at The Bearsville Theater, LINDSEY WEBSTER begins a month long Thursday night residency that is sure to pull ‘em out of the woodwork!

     Friday, April 5 – There is so much going on this weekend that I’m really feeling a bit overwhelmed, but, duty calls, so here we go! If you missed THE BLACK CROWES at The Capitol Theatre, you’ll have a second shot tonight and tomorrow at Terminal 5 in Manhattan. My recommendation however, is to save The Crowes for tomorrow, and opt for MARS BONFIRE at The Bitter End on Bleecker Street. Mars who? Bruno? No. Mick Mars? No. Mars Bonfire, the man who wrote “Born to be Wild”, who I have never heard of doing a live performance before. ever! Historically, this blows away everything this week! If you happen to be in Connecticut this weekend, there’s a cool double bill at Mohegan Sun Casino. ERIC CLAPTON with THE WALLFLOWERS opening!

     Saturday, April 6 – The iconic LEONARD COHEN is at Radio City Music Hall, BLACK CROWES finish up at Terminal 5, LIVING COLOR at Irving Plaza, ex-Captain Beefheart guitarist, GARY LUCAS, at Joe’s Pub, all in Manhattan, and LOW CUT CONNIE brings their Jack White approved rock n blues to The Rock Shop in Brooklyn. In Woodstock, The Bearsville Theater continues their great series, BEARSVILLE SESSIONS #6, which will focus on the roots of rock n roll. If you’re upstate and you want some schoolin’, this is for you!

     Sunday, April 7 – GREEN DAY at The Barclay Center in Brooklyn is a show that a lot of people have been looking forward to. So is LEONARD COHEN at Radio City Music Hall, which reprises tonight. So is The YEAH YEAH YEAHS at Webster Hall. Slide guitar master, SONNY LANDRETH, at Brian’s Backyard  Barbecue in Middletown, probably not so much, but it’ll be a  great show none the less.

     Monday, April 8 – Here’s another biggie – FLEETWOOD MAC at Madison Square Garden!

   

Tuesday, April 9 – Mandolin master, CHRIS THILE with BRAD MEHLDAU at Bowery Ballroom and RICKIE LEE JONES at City Winery.

     Wednesday, April 10 – RICKIE LEE JONES concludes her engagement at City Winery, and SONNY LANDRETH is at BB King’s. Sonny is doing several other shows in the northeast this month, so check your local listings for more info.

     Thursday, April 11 – A show starts a four night run tonight at The Beacon Theater called MY BROTHER MARVIN with ZEOLA GAYE. Don’t know if this is Marvin’s brother or sister, don’t know if it will be singing or talking, but I do know that it will be interesting, either way.

     Alright, that wraps up another week. Don’t forget to tune in every other Monday night to The Little Delaware Jamboree on WIOX, 91.3 FM, and on the web at www.wioxradio.org, where I do an on air version of this column, and more, as John Madeo’s guest. My segment usually airs at 8:30, but the entire show is worth a listen. Next show airs Monday, April 15.

     Have an amazing week!

     

     This is shaping up to be a great summer for music! Touring this Spring and Summer are Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones, Fleetwood Mac, The Black Crowes, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Further, and The Eagles. I’m sure we’ll hear more announcements, but I’d say that’s pretty impressive, so far!

     Also impressive, is the talent of a young guitarslinger whom I recently mentioned here, one Michael Johnson, of Grahamsville, NY! Michael is 17 now, and has been playing guitar since he was 9! Michael’s father has been taking him to open mics since he was 12, where he’s impressed the likes of Slam Allen, John and Chris Reddan, and just about everyone who’s heard him play! Slam Allen said Michael plays better than most adult guitarists!

     Michael loves the Blues, and his strongest influences are Jimi, Stevie Ray, Vernon Reid, and similar like-minded players. He can play anything he puts his mind to, and this week performed an acoustic version of Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” with his school orchestra, at the orchestra leader’s request! The electric Blues is where Michael shines though, and where he gets to really wail and put his heart and soul into his playing. It’s where he gets to really cut loose and play from the heart!

     Michael has won Battles of the Bands with throw together rhythm sections and no rehearsing! That’s how good he is! His classmates at Tri-Valley High School voted him “Most Musical” and he’s performed with the school jazz band and orchestra many times.

     Now, I have been playing with Michael myself a bit lately, and I’ve stretched his limits by making him play Rockabilly, Country, and roots Rock n Roll, and he’s stepped up and played those styles beautifully, even though his heart longs for the Blues!

     Michael is currently working on developing his vocal style so he’ll be in a position to lead his own band soon!

     Keep an eye out for this youngster. He just might be the next young guitar star to bend his way into your consciousness, and you will sit up and take notice!

     Michael graduates from Tri-Valley this year, and after graduation, will have the time to fully devote himself to his music career. I expect you’ll be hearing from him soon.

     Now for this week’s live music picks.

     Wednesday, March 27 – We start the week with a couple of Americana biggies. First, at The Beacon Theater in Manhattan, an all star bill with EMMYLOU HARRIS, RODNEY CROWELL, and RICHARD THOMPSON! These three together bring quite a bit of star power to the Beacon. I wonder if they’ll play together. My guess is yes! At Joe’s Pub downtown, we find one of the Masters of the Telecaster, former Commander Cody guitarist, BILL KIRCHEN, holding court.

     Thursday, March 28 – The critically acclaimed NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS will bring their huge cult following with them to The Beacon Theater tonight, and again on Friday and Saturday. Their music has been described by New Musical Express as “gothic psycho-sexual apocalypse” music, so if that sounds good to you, go check them out!

     Friday, March 29 – Former Pixie, Kim Deal, has re-united her spin off band, THE BREEDERS, for a 20th anniversary tour commemorating their album, “Last Splash”. Called LSXX, for obvious reasons, the original line up has come together and will be performing that album in it’s entirety on this tour, which arrives at The Bell House in Brooklyn, tonight!

     Saturday, March 30 – Two very important shows tonight, one upstate, one downstate. At BB King’s in Manhattan, the reunited MOVING SIDEWALKS, Billy Gibbons’ band before ZZ Top, will be playing one show, and upstate, at Club Helsinki in Hudson, one of our finest singer/songwriters, TODD SNIDER, pulls into town. Both these shows are highly recommended!

     Sunday, March 31 – Former Texas gubernatorial candidate, and leader of The Texas Jewboys,  KINKY FRIEDMAN, will bring his cigar smokin’, foot stompin’, sarcastic but hilarious music into City Winery in Manhattan tonight.

     Monday, April 1 – THE ROLLING STONES will be playing a double bill with the re-united BEATLES at The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock tonight. PSYCH! April Fool! We can dream, can we not? Don’t forget to tune in to John Madeo’s Little Delaware Jamboree tonight at 8:30 for my regular radio segment on WIOX, 91.3 FM, or online at www.wioxradio.org.

     Tuesday, April 2 – Pick of the Week! THE BLACK CROWES return from hiatus with two shows at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, tonight and Wednesday. These guys have become one of America’s best rock bands, and the only band to utilize open tunings as well as The Stones’ Keith Richards. Well, maybe not as well, but close, very, very close!

If you can’t make it to The Crowes, console yourself with Old 97’s frontman, RHETT MILLER, at City Winery in Manhattan!

     Wednesday, April 3 – More CROWES at The Cap, and a very unusual show at The Cutting Room in Manhattan. Original Sex Pistols’ bassist, GLEN MATLOCK, has teamed up with original Ramones’ drummer, Tommy Erdelyi/ Ramone (who has been playing Bluegrass music in recent years) for who knows what kind of music! Any way you look at it, this should be an interesting night. Recommended. Also recommended, extremely influential Arizona band, THE MEAT PUPPETS, who counted Kurt Cobain, Soundgarden, Pavement, and Dinosaur Jr. as fans, start a two day run at The Mercury Lounge in Manhattan. Tonight’s show is an early one, starting at 6:30. Tomorrow at 9:30.

     Thursday, April 4 – In Woodstock, THE LINDSEY WEBSTER BAND begins a month long Thursday night residency at The Bearsville Theater. Their shows here in the past have become a fun night with friends and good music, and April’s shows should continue this tradition.

     Have a great week!

     

     Alvin Lee first exploded into my consciousness on one of the most memorable weekends of my life! It was August 2nd and 3rd, a Friday and Saturday night. The year was 1968.

     Friday night, I had a 2nd row ticket to see a band from San Francisco that was generating a huge buzz, specifically about their singer, a young woman named Janis Joplin. The band, of course, was Big Brother and The Holding Company!

     The opening act was a band from England that I was unfamiliar with, but within 10 seconds of their opening riff, I was eager to become much more familiar with them! That band was Ten Years After, and their guitarist was the fastest guitarslinger in the land, up to that point! Alvin Lee was mindblowingly fast, yet always remained tasty and in the groove! I had never seen anyone like him, and I don’t think anyone else had either!

     Ten Years After went on to become one of the genuine Heroes of Woodstock ’69. The band became a huge international draw, but ironically got locked into playing “Going Home”, their Woodstock highlight, at blinding speed without much regard for the “Roll” in Rock n Roll, for the rest of their career! As an intelligent, well rounded guitar picker who liked to jam and swing as much as rock, this was anathema to Alvin, who left the band in 1973!

     Lee went on to record the collaboration with Mylon Le Fevre, “On the Road to Freedom”, which featured George Harrison, Steve Winwood, Ronnie Wood, and Mick Fleetwood as guests, and produced the huge international hit, “I’d Love to Change the World”!

     Although he remained active in the music business, that was his last big hit, and Alvin Lee passed away March 6, of complications from a routine surgery at the age of 68! He left us way too soon! RIP Alvin! Goin’ Home one last time!

     In news from the barely living (LOL), The Rolling Stones are about to announce an 18 city 50th Anniversary Tour of America for this Summer, with more dates expected to be announced in the UK.

     And Further, the Grateful Dead spinoff that features Phil Lesh and Bob Weir, just announced 8 nights at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester in April, all of which are already sold out! Info at www.thecapitoltheatre.com.

     Now for this week’s live picks.

     Wednesday, March 13 – If it’s March, THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND must be playing at The Beacon Theater in Manhattan! And they are finishing up this year’s run this week! Final dates are tonight, and this coming weekend, Friday through Sunday, March 15-17!

I’d recommend going this weekend, if you wanna see The Brothers, because tonight, there is a major show at The Brooklyn Bowl! Headlined by local resident, MARCO BENEVENTO, of Benevento-Russo, and DAVID HIDALGO of Los Lobos, the lineup also features LONDON SOULS, an amazing two piece guitar/drum combo, and a band I’ve never heard of, THE SHADY HORNS. I like their name, and if they’re the fourth band in this crowd, I’ll give ‘em the benefit of the doubt! Benevento-Russo is a great band of amazing musicians (Bandmate Joe Russo just finished touring with Phil Lesh, and is now on the road with Further), and Los Lobos have been rockin’ out of East LA for decades! This is an awesome quadruple bill, but if you go, get there early, and do not miss any of the bands, especially London Souls!

     Thursday, March 14 – Former local resident JACK GRACE will be playin’ some real Country music tonight at The Rodeo Bar in Manhattan. Jack’s funny, intelligent, and he rocks! Can’t beat that combo!

     Friday, March 15 – Tonight, up in Woodstock, BROTHER JOSCEPHUS AND THE LOVE REVOLUTION, bring their show to The Bearsville Theater. Now, I don’t know much about these guys, but they won the Independent Music Awards “Best Live Performance” award in 2011, the picture on the theater’s website looks totally amazing and high energy, and I have it from reliable personal sources that they are fantastic! So, go check ‘em out. I know I probably will! More info at http://www.bearsvilletheater.com/events-calendar/brother-joscephus-and-the-love-revolution-friday-march-15-2013.

Also tonight, we have a high powered Americana bill at The Capitol Theatre, with DRIVE BY TRUCKERS and OLD 97’S.

     Saturday, March 16 – As usual, there’s a lot going on Saturday night! DRIVE BY TRUCKERS and OLD 97’S move their show to The Wellmont Theater in Montclair, NJ. Also, our own GENYA RAVAN is at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. The biggest thing downstate tonight though, is DOCTOR JOHN AND THE LOWER 911 at Town Hall in Manhattan! Up in Woodstock, PROFESSOR LOUIE AND THE CROWMATIX bring it at The Bearsville Theater, but where I’ll be, is at a totally non-musical event! I will be indulging my second love, comedy! DIMITRI MARTIN is a very funny comedian, who started, at least for me, as a reporter on The Daily Show, but was quickly spun off into his own show, which was quickly cancelled after one season! Never mind that he was hilarious and he made you think while you were cracking up! On basic cable, Dimitri was too smart for the room! That shouldn’t be the case at The Egg in Albany tonight, where Dimitri will hold court and tell you some very interesting things that you didn’t already know!

     Monday, March 18 – The great ARLEN ROTH wields his axe at The Iridium in Manhattan!

     Tuesday, March 19 – An artist who hasn’t toured much in recent years returns to live performing tonight at UPAC in Kingston. GEORGE THOROGOOD had a string of rockin’, blues based hits back in the 80’s and 90’s, and, in my opinion, his cache has done nothing but increase during his inactivity. Those songs still stand up, even today! This show should remind everyone that this guy is freakin’ phenomenal!

     Wednesday, March 20 – STICK MEN, featuring Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto of King Crimson, at The Bearsville Theater in Woodstock.

     Don’t forget to check me out this Monday night, March 18, at 8:30 pm on John Madeo’s Little Delaware Jamboree on WIOX, 91.3FM, and online at www.wioxradio.org.

     See ya!

     

     As a weekly music columnist, there are many bands, musicians, and people who work with them, who come to my attention, and are deserving of being profiled in these pages. Articles are upcoming on many of these members of our musical community, including the band, Yard Sale, Michael Johnson, a fine young guitarist from Grahamsville, who just might be the next young guitar prodigy to come down the pike, and Justin and Kevin from Upstate Moving Images, who selflessly give of themselves to help up and coming bands produce video images of their performances! However, this week, we’ll be focusing on a group of people, led by Carmen Senski and Mor Pipman, who have been producing high quality music at The Old Glenford Church, which Mor and her husband, Eric Hurliman, currently live in!

     The series, dubbed Music Night at The Old Glenford Church,  just celebrated it’s third anniversary presenting original music at Mor and Eric’s home! Performers in just the past few months have included Deni Bonet, Yard Sale, D.B. Leonard, Todd Nelson’s TN3, Mamalama, and new Hudson Valley sensations, The Duke McVinnie Band! Upcoming shows include Robert Burke Warren in March and The Jonny Monster Band in April! Sound has been provided by Virgil Fowler since the first show!

     The music takes place on the last Friday of each month, and the series is a benefit for the Hudson Valley Sudbury School, which both Carmen’s and Mor’s children attended, and which brought them together and gave birth to this exemplary music series! The original idea was to have a big concert that would benefit the school, but in order to finance this idea, Carmen decided to have some smaller shows first. Mor volunteered the church, and Music Night at The Old Glenford Church was born!

     And it’s not just a music night. The music takes place in the house behind the church, where Mor and her staff whip up the most delicious meals on the planet in the kitchen, (which are also available for home delivery, for a nominal fee). In the church proper, Deandra Drew hosts movies for the kiddies (and the kid in all of us), while the grownups are digging the music! So, it’s a very family friendly event, and Mor and Eric are very community oriented, allowing various artistic and musical groups to use the church as an occasional performance space and community center!

     This is simply one of the best things happening anywhere! For a tiny admission fee, and a very reasonable price for food, you can come out to a place where everybody’s your friend, listen to some top notch music in a lovely venue, eat some yummy and healthy food, bask in the warm vibe, help support a great learning environment for the students at The Sudbury School, and go home feeling satisfied on every level! Maybe Carmen should invite The Rolling Stones to play at The Church. They might finally get some satisfaction!

     More information and scheduling is available at www.reverbnation.com/oldglenfordchurchandhall and HVSS Music Night on Facebook.

     And now for the live music picks. Not a whole lot going on, but here’s what there is, and it’s all in the city! Hudson Valley’s a wasteland this week!

     Wednesday, February 27 – SCOTT MILLER, former lead singer of The V-Roys, a great band out of Knoxville via Nashville, is at Hill Country Barbecue tonight.

     Thursday, February 28 – Big show tonight! THE WHO, or as I like to call them, Thee Oooh, are at The Theater at Madison Square Garden with ELVIS COSTELLO opening! Either one of these acts could headline in the main room, but The Who in a room this size hasn’t happened in decades! This is gonna be a great show!

               Also tonight, THE RED HOOK RAMBLERS are at The Knitting Factory Brooklyn. Never heard of these guys, but you gotta love their name! And at The Brooklyn Bowl, Ska legends THE SKATALITES!

     Friday, March 1 – THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND kicks off their annual month long party at The Beacon Theater. Check their website for exact dates.

     Saturday, March 2 – THE SKATALITES are back at The Brooklyn Bowl, and an amazing Hudson Valley RnB band, SISTER SPARROW AND THE DIRTY BIRDS, return to The Bowery Ballroom!

     Monday, March 4 – The immortal BOOKER T at City Winery (He’ll be at Bearsville Theater next week)!

     Tuesday, March 5 – The great New Orleans belter, MARCIA BALL, is at City Winery with local luminary CINDY CASHDOLLAR opening. This and The Who are my Picks of the Week!

     Have a great one!

     

     

     You know, it’s not always easy to write this column. I usually wait until Sunday night so I can write about the weekend’s shows, and sometimes I’m tired by then. Sometimes I just plain don’t feel like writing cause I’ve got too much on my mind, and my head is spinning! Tonight is one of those nights, but I’m gonna do my best to tell you something you don’t know, and then hit the hay!

     Well, the GRAMMYS were tonight, and there was a lovely tribute to Levon. Led by Elton John on piano, Mumford and Sons, Mavis Staples, T-Bone Burnett, and Alabama Shakes’ vocalist Brittany Howard traded verses on “The Weight”, Helm’s signature closer.

     There was also a Bob Marley tribute that featured Sting, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Ziggy and Damian Marley performing the Marley classic, “Could You Be Loved”.

     David Bowie has a new album coming out next month, his first in a decade! Titled “The Next Day”, the album features local residents, Gail Ann Dorsey, Tony Levin, and Earl Slick, amongst others. Bowie has been working on the record in secret for over two years!

     March also sees the premier of the HBO movie “Phil Spector”, starring Al Pacino as the troubled genius. Focusing mostly on his trial and conviction for murder, the film premiers on HBO on March 24. You can see the trailer here:

http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/videos/al-pacino-radiates-intensity-in-phil-spector-trailer-20130205

     Alright, that’s enough news for this week. Here’s a few shows to keep you entertained until next week.

     Thursday, February 14 – The only show in town for Valentine’s Day is guitar god, ALBERT LEE, at The Egg in Albany.

     Friday, February 15 – Ramble veteran and Levon Helm favorite, CHRIS BERGSON, pulls into The Bearsville Theater tonight with a band of musicians all associated with Helm, so you know it’s gonna be good! But if you had any doubts, know this – Bergson’s 2008 release was named #1 Blues CD of the Year by Mojo magazine, the most intelligent and thorough music magazine on the planet! And his 2011 release was named #2 for the year by Mojo! I think you probably wanna go to this! More info at http://www.bearsvilletheater.com/events-calendar/chris-bergson-band-friday-february-15-2013.

If your in the city, Woodstock’s own young guitarslinger, CONNOR KENNEDY is at The Rodeo Bar.

     Saturday, February 16 – A really cool band from the 80’s, SOUL ASYLUM, returns to The Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan tonight. They had a hit with “Runaway Train”, remember?

     Alright, that at least gets you through the weekend. Yer on yer own till Wednesday. Have a good ‘un!

     Last Friday night at The Bearsville Theater, The Duke McVinnie Band showed, yet again, why they are quickly becoming the hottest band in the Hudson Valley! Duke and the band brought their “A” game to Woodstock, playing the first set with guests, Malcolm and Sandrine Burn. All the elements the band’s mostly musician fans have come to expect were there: the tremolo drenched guitars of McVinnie and Matt Cullen, the haunting melodies, the unexpected changes, the tightness of the band, the psychedelic cello of Jane Scarpantoni, the virtuoso playing of everybody, and most of all, the world view of Duke McVinnie himself, which informs the entire project!

     Producer Malcolm Burns, looking like he stepped out of The Red Dog Saloon circa 1965, added a totally different, unique, and wild element with his organ playing, using his feet, elbows, hands, and whatever else he could hit the keys with, to create the cool sounds he was getting out of what sounded like a cheesy Farfisa or Vox Continental. However, I didn’t get a close enough look at it for a positive ID! His wife, Sandrine, provided beautiful background vocals for The Duke’s growly, Leonard Cohen-like voice!

     The Burn Family was gone for the second set, which signaled a return to the guitar oriented sound of the band. I am a guitar guy, so it was nice to have the focus back on guitar sounds, but Malcolm Burn is such a major talent, that in the overall scheme of things, he and Sandrine bring too much to the table to be ignored, and I hope they become permanent members soon! That said, it was refreshing to hear Matt Cullen’s surf-raga rock guitar take over, with help, as always from Jane Scarpantoni’s Jimi Hendrix-like cello playing, and The Man himself – Duke McVinnie! Don’t want the rhythm section to feel left out, so let me say that drummer Manuel Quintana, percussionist Tom Goss, and bassist Colin Almquist (of Voodelic), all played at the same high level of inventiveness, creativity, and musical chops, as everyone else in the band!

     I’m gonna go out on a limb here, and say that The Duke McVinnie Band is the most unusual combo in the Hudson Valley, and probably beyond! The way they combine the myriad different elements of McVinnie’s music to form one exotic, esoteric sound, makes them different from any other band I’ve seen in a long time! And please don’t think these guys are some sort of neo-classical, Woodstock folky, mellow acoustic band. No, everyone’s plugged in, and they rock! In their own way! Let me just say this, you will not be bored!

     If you yearn for something different, something that will lift you out of your blues-rock, singer-songwriter comfort zone, well then, you gotta check these guys out. If you can’t dig what The Duke McVinnie Band is layin’ down, you’re probably dead! www.dukemcvinnie.com, and here’s a link to a You Tube performance from a year ago. They’ve gotten even better since then. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KlP-g4F-gZE

     In other important news, The Man in Black, Johnny Cash, will soon be honored by the United States government with his very own postage stamp! Coming soon, as a “Forever” stamp, that will be one stamp that I, and I’m sure many others, will line up to buy. How cool would it be to send your mail with Johnny Cash in the corner of the envelope! Whoever opens that letter will do whatever you request! LOL.

     The ninth annual Mountain Jam will take place June 6-9 at Hunter Mountain. Line up will be the same as the other 8 Mountain Jams! No, just kidding! I’m pleased to say that Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead is the headliner, and there are a lot of new and exciting bands scheduled this year! Put it on your calendar now!

     I’m pleased to report that last week’s mid-Winter live music drought is officially over! There were more overall events this week then at any time since I started writing this column! And quite a few of those have found their way into my weekly picks. Here we go!

     Wednesday, February 6 – Local luminary and international woman of mystery, GENYA RAVAN will be making an extremely rare appearance at Iridium in Manhattan! This is a must see if you’re anywhere near mid-town. Genya was the driving force behind Ten Wheel Drive, produced The Dead Boys, and started the first female band to play their own instruments, Goldie and The Gingerbreads! Further downtown, the foremost proponent of John Fahey style trance-raga guitar, LEO KOTTKE, is at City Winery, and up in Albany, one of the best young bands I’ve seen, Ramble and Mountain Jam veterans, GRACE POTTER AND THE NOCTURNALS, are at The Egg, one of the best venues to see and hear music, anywhere!

     Thursday, February 7 – Another one of my favorite young bands, BLACKBERRY SMOKE, returns to Irving Plaza in Manhattan. I saw them here last summer, courtesy of Shore Fire Media, they were awesome, and I wish I could go again! I probably can’t, so why don’t you, and tell me how it was? BTW, Blackberry Smoke will also be at the first ever Hunter Mountain Country Festival this summer, along with Willie Nelson and a dozen modern country hat bands! Strange bedfellows indeed! Also tonight, Former MC5 guitarist, WAYNE KRAMER, one of Rolling Stone’s “Hundred Greatest Guitarists of All Time”, is at Bowery Electric, Asbury Park RnB singer, SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY and his new band, THE POOR FOOLS, are at City Winery, and music legend AL KOOPER begins a two night engagement at BB King’s, all in Manhattan!

     Friday, February 8 – AL KOOPER finishes up at BB King’s, guitarist extraordinaire, ALBERT LEE begins a three night run at Iridium, another awesome guitar player, TODD WOLFE, who played lead guitar for Sheryl Crow for five years before leaving to start his own Blues-Rock band (who are WAY better than Sheryl), at The Rodeo Bar, and up in Woodstock, NYC boogie woogie Rock n Roll band, LOW CUT CONNIE, who’ve been described as, “A cross between Jerry Lee Lewis and The Replacements” bring their Jack White and Rolling Stone magazine approved craziness to The Bearsville Theater! www.lowcutconnie.com. Oh, and, of course, I would be remiss if I forgot to mention that THE CHEATING HEARTS, the Alt-ered Country and Rock n Roll band featuring Jimmy Eppard, Just James, Chuck Cornelis, and Yours Truly, are back at Keegan Ales in Kingston for another 3 hour show with no cover! Come see what the fuss is all about!

     Saturday, February 9 – Very special ROCKABILLY RUMBLE AT THE RAMBLE at Levon’s barn, featuring Jimmy Vivino, Lee Rocker (of The Stray Cats), Earl Slick (David Bowie’s guitar player, who also replaced Brian Setzer in The Stray Cats to create a new band called Phantom, Rocker, and Slick), Marshall Crenshaw, David Letterman Band drummer, Anton Fig, and Rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon, who’s kept the torch burning for Rockabilly for decades! This will be awesome! In the city, ALBERT LEE continues his second of three nights at Iridium, and IAN HUNTER, late of Mott The Hoople, is at City Winery.

     Sunday, February 10 – Two shows, both in Manhattan, both the last of a two and three night run! ALBERT LEE at Iridium and IAN HUNTER at City Winery. Pick one and go! Sunday night’s a good night for live music!

     Monday, February 11 – Remember the band Cinderella? They had a few hits in the 80’s and 90’s, and then disappeared. My friend sang back up with them, and she told me that their target audience for their first CD was 12 year old girls. Target audience for their second CD was 15 year old girls, and by the time they got up to their third CD, 17 year old girls! Well, their first two CD’s were kind of teeny bopperish, but by the time they did get up to their third release, they had transformed into a mighty fine, blues-metal pop Rock n Roll band! Check out their cover of Janis Joplin’s “Move Over”. Lead singer TOM KEIFER, who’s performing at The Highline Ballroom tonight, sounds eerily like Janis! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPijkUKZc6Q

     Tuesday, February 12 – Wow! Busy night, especially for a Tuesday! I suppose that’s why every show tonight is in the city! We start with punk legends, THE DEAD KENNEDYS at The Gramercy Theater. RnB and Funk innovator, GEORGE CLINTON is at BB King’s, with THE P-FUNK ALL STARS. From Nashville, we have a fabulous Western Swing band, THE TIMEJUMPERS, who’s fiddle players both  were guests on the last Brooklyn Cowboys CD, at City Winery. At The Rodeo Bar, Levon’s piano player, BRIAN MITCHELL. At Joe’s Pub, Americana Royal Couple, BRUCE ROBISON AND KELLY WILLIS. And wrapping up the night, local resident, MARCO BENEVENTO, of the very talented Benevento-Russo Band, will be performing a highly, highly recommended Tribute to James Booker, the late New Orleans piano genius, at The Brooklyn Bowl. There were no Picks of the Week this week. Due to the extremely high quality of every show, it was impossible to pick any over any other this week, but this show, due to the historical importance of James Booker as a musician, and the fact that this may be a one time event, surely make this as close as we can come this week to a pick of the week!

     Thursday, February 14, Valentine’s Day – I wish there was more to recommend, musically, for Valentine’s Day. I guess y’all will have to settle for a romantic dinner for two, OR, you could take in ALBERT LEE at The Egg in Albany! Or both!

     Don’t forget, if you lose your copy of The Townsman, this column is also on the Web at www.reservoirmusiccenter.com, www.brooklyncowboys.com, and www.hvmusic.com. All columns are archived on the Reservoir Music site.

     And please don’t forget to check out my bi-weekly guest spot on John Madeo’s Little Delaware Jamboree radio show on WIOX, 91.3 FM, every other Monday night around 8:30. Next show is February 18. Also on the web and mobile devices at www.wioxradio.org.

     Have a great week!