The Surprise of Brett Dennen


Brett Dennen performs in Birmingham, Alabama, on Oct. 20th, 2011. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

By TherraCat

Brett Dennen can be deceiving. At first listen the singer/songwriter with the vivid red hair, charmingly reedy voice and sing-along tunes comes across as an exceedingly pleasant talent in a modern music world airbrushed and autotuned to perfection and populated by incessant competitive posturing. He’s refreshing, is Brett Dennen, and his newest album, Loverboy, is easy on the ears and addictive in its sweet complexity. It’s been number one on my playlist for the last few months and with every listen I find more to like about it. So, naturally, I couldn’t wait to see him and his band perform live.

I figured it would be, you know, refreshing.

The Loverboy tour stopped last week at Workplay in Birmingham, Alabama so I jumped into a surf blue PT Cruiser and hurled myself westward to “The ‘Ham” as locals sometimes call the city. Workplay is a great venue in which to see live music so I was pleased. It had been a long week.  I was ready to be refreshed.

Brett took the stage among cheers from a loyal and loving crowd of about 200 people and without greeting or fanfare the 5-piece band launched into the first few songs. Not surprisingly, he was good. Really good. I was happy.

Then, somewhere in the middle of the fourth song Brett Dennen turned into a black woman jazz singer.

The gawkily graceful Dennen, who, as one friend once told me, “is, like, 7 feet tall” (he’s not, but trust me, the dude is tall) showed off his considerable vocal chops as he scatted and sang his way through the number and with eyes closed he displayed an intensity that drew me in.  He did more than just perform the song. He channeled it. I went from refreshed to fascinated in about five seconds. As a singer and songwriter Dennen has been compared in the press to the legendary Van Morrison but I can just about guarantee that Morrison, for all his immense ability, has never transformed into a black female jazz singer in the middle of a song.

This is what I meant by saying Brett Dennen can be deceiving. A casual Californian in every way, Dennen appears to border on being a throwback to a hippie-er time. In reality he possesses a timeless quality that not only infuses his softer offerings (“Frozen In Slow Motion”) but also his rocker side (the superbly engaging “Queen Of The West Side”). He seems to morph from song to song - at different times seeming very young, then old, accessible, remote, shy, then sensual. In all forms he seems prepossessed and completely comfortable with himself. He’s compelling and fun to watch. Where some performers burst onto a stage and throw their charm like a cloak around the audience, Dennen makes you come to him. He draws you in with his sweet songs and small smile and then hits you over the head with his considerable vocal and musical capabilities. His band is no slouch either and together they make for  a really great musicial evening.

Brett in Birmingham. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

For my friends of all ages who do nothing but complain about the Britney Spears, Kanye Wests and Ke$has of the world I have your antidote and his name is Brett Dennen.

Brett Dennen in Birmingham, Alabama. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

Brett Dennen. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

Brett Dennen. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

Brett Dennen. Photo by Therra C. Gwyn

SEE/HEAR Brett Dennen sing “Darling Do Not Fear” from the Birmingham show here.

I’m A Believer. After reading Eric Lefcowitz’s “Monkee Business”, you may be too.


posted by Therracat

As anyone who geeks out for a TV series, artist, band, book or genre can attest, you can take a lot of abuse from “non-believers” who don’t share or understand your passion. Fans of the Monkees have certainly gotten their share of slagging over the decades, both from the media and from those who fancy themselves rock and roll purists.

 The popular ’60s show has been named by TIME as one of the 100 Best TV Shows of All Time and the Monkees reunion tours have been bankable successes. The lads, now all lads over 60, still draw crowds (and teenagers) to their solo shows, so, for the sake of argument,  lets assume they at least have had staying power, shall we?

 Oh. Do I have an attitude? Is it showing? When people who obviously didn’t get it would, over the years, question my mad Monkee love I always wanted to snap back, “Shut up. They weren’t made for you. They were made for me.” In truth, the Monkees were likely “made” for girls older than me, those with bras and bumped-up hair, but when they exploded onto the scene I was 6 or 7 and I had a very real sense of what I liked, music-wise. And I liked the Monkees. I put them next to my Hollies and Bee Gees and Rolling Stones albums and plotted grade school ways to get to from England to California, ways that didn’t involve me getting in trouble with my parents or missing too much school. For I was sure that was where I would find them, in sunny SoCal, in that bitchin’ beach house, driving that badass GTO.  I was young and to me, ”The Monkees” was a reality show.  I’d never been to the United States. It looked and sounded like the promised land to me.

Despite a certain amount of teasing and eye-rolling over the years by people who liked to rib me about my devotion to the Monks I still had enough knowledge and music cred in my arsenal to take on any purists in a duel. If I didn’t win, at least I dented the argument that the Monkees didn’t matter.  No more worries on that.  If people give me a problem about my hot Monkee love  I now can just hand them Eric Lefcowitz’s new book

 Author Eric Lefcowitz  (“Rhino History of Rock and Roll: The ‘70s”, “Buy American: Buy This Book”, “Tomorrow Never Knows: The Beatles’ Last Concert”, and more) has taken on the history, making, un-making and re-making of the group once before, in his book “The Monkees Tale”.  So much has happened in Monkee-ville since that book was released fourteen years ago that he’s added some new thoughts directly from Michael Nesmith, brought us up-to-date on the drama (and make no mistake, there IS drama) and added photos and new news to the history of the made for TV band that many refer to as the “pre-fab four” (pre-fab as in “built to order” not pre-Beatles era). “Monkee Business, The Revolutionary Made For TV Band” is a perfect book for those who love the Monkees and/or  those who love the messy, magical, musical 1960s. Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Stephen Stills, Janis Joplin, Neil Diamond,  Frank Zappa, Carole King, they’re all in the book and play a part in the history of  the Monkees, or vice-versa. It’s well–researched glimpse into a true show business phenomenon complete with fabulous photos by legendary photog Henry Diltz .

Eric was kind enough to answer a few questions about the band and his new book and in the process, gave me even more info to lob at non-believers.

Therra C. Gwyn: Like a lot of writers I know, you are fluent in several genres. You’ve written about popular music and you have an extensive knowledge of the subject.  What, to you, is the importance of chronicling the life and times of the Monkees, over another band from that time period? Why the Monkees?

Eric Lefcowitz: Not to get too cosmic about it all but I feel the Monkees, in a way, represent all of us. There’s a human element to their story that transcends all the trappings of their fame. They were four eager young guys who happily signed on for the ride and then found out the destination was not quite what they were anticipating. For me, their rebellion is what clinched the deal (in terms of my fascination with the group). It would have been so much easier to just go with the flow. Their effort to express themselves within the confines of their “gilded cage” was an extraordinary development. That DIY-spirit that informs “Headquarters” is so honest and pure. Artistically that album may be miles away from “Sgt. Peppers” but as a statement of purpose I think it’s still quite valid. Both albums were released at the same time and of course the Beatles got the lion’s share of the credit but if you gave me a choice I’d rather listen to “Headquarters.” Within its own context, I think it holds up better. Yes, I said it. The other part of their legacy that sealed the deal for me was “Head.” There is something so wonderfully weird about that movie. It almost dares you to hate it (especially the first few scenes) but the more you watch it the more you begin to detect its genius. The fact that it was totally ignored by the public doesn’t matter now and I’d rather watch “Head” than “Let it Be” any day. Now I’m hardly trying to stoke an argument about which band (Beatles/Monkees) is better–that would be foolhardy. I love them both. But in terms of cultural relevance today, I think the Monkees–the brand and the band–tower over many of the so-called hipster bands of their day. And the reason for that makes for a fascinating story.

Therra: You outline in the book the many talented people who contributed material to the Monkees success (Carole King, et al). How important do you think famed songwriting duo Boyce and Hart were to their hit-making machine at that time?

Eric: Boyce and Hart were really the unsung heroes of the Monkees. Let’s face it; if the Monkees’ first records stunk they would just be a curio today. But those early Boyce and Hart tracks were amazing. They were absolutely the right guys at the right time. The theme song is a nifty bit of craft work, an instant identifiable ear worm (even little kids know it today) but also ever-so-slightly subversive. The same thing goes for “Last Train to Clarksville.” I heard Bob Dylan talking about that song on his radio show and he said something to the effect that the best way to be subversive was to not let anybody know you’re being subversive. I had no idea that there was an anti-war message built into “Clarksville” when I first heard it but there was something desperate in Micky’s delivery that hinted at it. It’s a classic, as are “Steppin Stone,” “She,” etc, etc. There isn’t a duff track that Boyce and Hart did with the Monkees and it’s a shame they didn’t do more (in my opinion). Also I’ve been lucky enough to meet and talk to Bobby Hart a few times and I have to say he is probably the nicest guy I’ve ever met in show business. Plus, if I recall correctly, he had a swimming pool shaped like a guitar at his house. How cool is that? 

 Therra: Pretty cool. And now I want one. Okay, In “Monkee Business” you touch on the big debate about whether the Monkees should be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame. Do you think they deserve to be there?

 Eric: That they deserve to be there is without question but I feel even discussing the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (which has left out many, many other worthy bands) plays right into Jann Wenner’s trap. It’s all about the canonization of a certain Baby Boomer mentality that just turns my stomach and Wenner is the epitome of that bullsh*t (if I can say bullsh*t in print)! We should all move on because it isn’t going to happen, at least not while Wenner walks the Earth. I do think all Monkees fans could work to see that Boyce and Hart are inducted into the Songwriting Hall of Fame, however. That is much more likely to happen and they truly deserve the honor.

 Therra: Finally, if you had to use one word to describe Davy, Micky, Mike and Peter, individually, what would that one-word-per-Monkee be?

 Eric: Davy: Showbiz. Micky: Natural. Peter: Heartfelt. Mike: Seeker

‘Scuse Me While I Read This Book


Posted by therracat 

 I’m not the kind of person (but have nothing against those who are, mind you) who gets the image of an idol tattooed on my body. I don’t have tat of Jesus, or Buddha, or MLK or Lennon or Che or (in one extreme case I saw on television recently) Weird Al Yankovic. But if I did have a forever drawing of someone on my person, that person, without a doubt, would be Jimi Hendrix. 

 Ah, Jimi. Beautiful, electric Jimi. We hardly knew ye. But with the release of a new book by Steve Roby and Brad Schreiber there’s another delicious chance for devotees or the merely curious to delve into the life of the guitar legend. The book, now out on Da Capo Press/Perseus Books is “BECOMING JIMI HENDRIX: From Southern Crossroads to Psychedelic London, the Untold Story of a Musical Genius.”  I wondered, is there really anything  left “untold” about Jimi Hendrix at this point?  Surprisingly, there is.  Roby and Schreiber take us back into the early days of Hendrix’s troubled and short-lived military career. They give the reader the opportunity to follow him as he learned his craft while traveling and recording on the South’s well known and well worn “Chitlin Circuit”, all the way to the verdant 1960s  Greenwich Village scene where his musical identity was furthered with the help of Keith Richard’s then girlfriend. There’s also much ado about his time in Nashville, which influenced Jimi far more than many of us realized.  We all know where Jimi finally ended up – on the radio, on the stage, in the history books, in our hearts. What many don’t know is how he got there. “Becoming Jimi Hendrix” can help you with that. 

 Rolling Stone liked it and so do I. They gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars. 

 I often prefer to let writers talk about their books rather than talk about them myself. By the time a book is researched, written, re-written, edited and released authors are so intimate with the subject matter it’s as much a part of their DNA as hair and eye colour. I slightly know co-author Brad Schreiber.  Among the many things this tireless author/journalist/career multi-tasker does is sponsor The Mona Schreiber Prize for Humorous Fiction and Non-Fiction, a yearly literary award given in memory and honor of his mother. In 2008 I entered the literary contest, my first, and won 3rd place for Humorous Non Fiction. I was thrilled to place in any capacity and Brad was so nice, encouraging and in the single conversation we had I recognized him as a generous and energetic spirit. I was really jazzed to be in touch again to ask him about this new work chronicling a man and talent the likes of we’ll not see again anytime soon. We get to see Halley’s comet, with its  75-79 year trek around the sun more often than we see than a talent like Hendrix. 


 Therra C. Gwyn: You have a varied catalog of books you’ve written and I could talk about those all day, but I’m especially interested right now in why you decided to write a book about guitar great (some say god) Jimi Hendrix. He’s been written about fairly exhaustively, although he is still a mystery to many. What can you and co-author Roby add to what is already out there? 

Brad Schreiber: For starters, we learned that Jimi and fellow band member Billy Cox were arrested at a lunch counter civil rights demonstration in Nashville. There is a strong strand on Jimi’s racial identity that has never been fully explored in other work. Also, we have many great stories about his life on the road and his split identity between Harlem and Greenwich Village in New York City. 

Therra:  Why do you think it took England to recognize Jimi’s genius? Why didn’t America catch on faster? 

 Brad: Jimi had not fully realized his singing and songwriting potential until he got to England. Also, the English newspapers reached more readers than a New York Times of 1966. And manager Chas Chandler knew that England would love both his technique and his blues acumen. 
 

Therra: You write in your book about Jimi’s early days touring in the South. How do you think this shaped the performer he was to become in a few short years? 

 Brad: Jimi said himself that playing in Nashville really improved his technique because the competition was so fierce. Touring with DJ Gorgeous George also taught Jimi how to deliver an engaging stage show while playing guitar. 

Therra: Tell me a little about your sources for this book. 

Brad:  Steve Roby interviewed over 100 people as sources. I came in on the last dozen or so but loved talking to Richie Havens and Jimi’s younger brother Leon, who lives here in LA. Most importantly, Steve has exclusive info from Lithofayne Pridgon, Jimi’s girlfriend when he lived in Harlem. Much of what she told us has never been published before. 

  Therra: Are you aware of the book by James Wright (former roadie for Hendrix) that makes the claim that Michael Jeffery, Jimi’s manager, murdered the star? He claims that Jeffery confessed this to him in a drunken moment a year after Jimi’s death. Any thoughts on this? 

Brad:  I’m not a conspiracy theorist. I’m a conspiracy scientist. There is strong forensic evidence he was murdered, as his lungs were filled with red wine, something he could not have accomplished by himself. I believe Jeffery and others forced the wine and sedatives down his throat because Jeffery knew Jimi wanted to end their association. The presiding doctor in London who first examined Jimi’s body confirmed the lungs were filled with wine and also suggested foul play. 
 

Therra: When is ”Becoming Jimi Hendrix” going to be released and how can fans get a copy? 

Brad: It’s available from Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk right now and in stores the first week of September (2010). I have tour schedule, videos, informational posts and pictures at:www.redroom.com/author/brad-schreiber 

 Therra: Thanks much, Brad! 

 Brad: Many thanks, Therra, for letting me spout off about a great musician/composer and compassionate man who was taken from us too soon.

Great “Gospel”


The much lauded "Gospel At Colonus" is on tour this summer.

Posted by Therracat 

 It may be one of the coldest places in the USA much of the year, but the temperature will soar this summer in Minnesota when “ The Gospel At Colonus” explodes into St. Paul’s Ordway Center the first week of August.  First produced in NYC in the early 1980s with a pre-Miss Daisy Morgan Freeman in the original cast, this durable  roof-raiser is a classic begat by a classic.  I could make this post short and sweet, telling you everything you need to know by simply writing, “Go. For God’s sake, go!”  but that might not suffice if you’re not familiar with the great “Gospel”.  Better to take a moment to give you a few of many reasons to spend your valuable time and entertainment dollars.  “Gospel At Colonus” is the Sophocles classic “Oedipus at Colonus” re-told in an African American church through the blues and rhythm of gospel music, to great rousing effect. This latest production, stopping in St. Paul for 6 days,  features the incomparable Blind Boys of Alabama, the aptly named Soul Stirrers and the glowing talent of one of  Georgia’s gems, powerhouse vocalist Bernardine Mitchell. I’ve worked with Bernardine several times and thanks to her talent, it wasn’t work.  I always felt lucky to be within listening distance when she was performing. Atlanta has long had a love affair with this divine diva. Go see “Gospel” and fall in love too.      

“ The Gospel At Colonus”  was conceived,  adapted and directed by writer/director, Lee Breuer. Breuer is an integral member of the ever-fine Mabou Mines, probably one of the most creative companies I’ve ever come across and certainly the most wildly inventive group of artists I’ve had the chance to work with. I was lucky enough to be  PR and Marketing Director at Theatrical Outfit when then interim Artistic Director Sharon Levy brought them to Atlanta to serve up “Shaggy Dog Animation” for both a small and appreciative and larger not-quite-ready-for-the-avant-garde-stuff-y’all, Deep South, public. It was one of the last stage plays RuPaul did before becoming a household name. In true fact, he might not have become a star in way he did without “Shaggy  Dog”, for it was during that happily creative cacophony that Sharon put Ru and the future songwriter and producer of “Supermodel of the World” ( Jimmy Harry) in the same room. They didn’t know each other previous, Ru having already gone to NYC and Jimmy having not yet left Minneapolis. Sharon brought them, all of us at The Outfit and a whole cast of true characters together for a memorable, wonderful time. “Shaggy Dog Animation” deserves its own separate post chronicling  the madness, magic and music that was the process and production. Stay tuned.    

Sharon soon left us behind and by no small coincidence  is also the producer of this current tour. She now heads her own  New York City-based production company, Dovetail, and continues to spread the gospel (no pun intended) of creativity and the promise of new works across the globe. She is  the woman I directly credit for a mantra I hold dear today and that is “Say yes to art”. Don’t worry if  your “yes” makes no sense in a logical world, say yes anyway and see where the spark takes you.  I can’t count how many times an artist would come to Sharon during the formative stages of a production and propose something that many theatre heads would have nixed, either for financial, time, or artistic constraints - or, as sometimes happens, reasons connected to ego. What mattered to Sharon was always the art – where it could go, what it could do, who it could touch.  She almost always said yes. She was many an artist’s best friend in this way.  Those were the early days of my career and I’m not sure I knew what a visionary she was then. I’m glad I know now. Thanks for the mantra, Sharon.    

 Okay…so back to the beauty of ”Gospel At Colonus”. The music that will have you on your feet is composed, arranged and directed by the wholly talented Bob Telson, probably best known for his Academy Award nominated score for “Bagdad Café“. He’s a multiple award  nominee (Grammy, Tony) and his musical landscape is vast, including classical, gospel, rock and roll, theatre and being band mates with artists as varied as Phillip Glass and Tito Puente. Telson’s gift for lifting music and audiences up is well showcased here. Step back non-believers, reviewers often gush about this musical, using words like “dazzling”, “special”, “brilliant”. Writer and critic Stephen Fried once wrote in Philadelphia magazine about how a friend entreated him to see ” The Gospel At Colonus”. “I can’t really explain what to you what it’s like,” his friend told him, “but if you don’t come up here and see it you are making a  terrible, terrible mistake.”  That was 1985. It still holds true today.    

    

 Don’t make a mistake.  See “Gospel” at the Ordway August 5- 11th or at the Edinburgh International Festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, August 21-23.     

The Art of Protest


“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead 

Actor/musician/artist Vincenzo Tortorici and pal Trickster support the arts in Georgia by joining fellow protestors on the Capitol steps.

 

 Posted by Therracat  

This week I did something I almost never do:  joined a protest line and marched to city hall (well, in this case, the Georgia Capitol) and demanded  lawmakers make a change. Or rather, change back a change they made.          

Let me explain.          

Late last week the hateful  news spread like wildfire through the arts community of the decision by Georgia lawmakers to dismantle the Georgia Council for the Arts, leaving us alone on the range, the only state without a statewide arts council. Embarrassingly, even with the substantial dollars that the arts and her artists bring to Georgia by way of what I call “commerce culture” and funds from the National Endowment For the Arts through the GCA, the House Appropriations Committee voted late last week to eliminate the Georgia Council for the Arts budget for fiscal year 2011.  This move would directly affect artists, schools, businesses and organizations from the coast to the mountains and everywhere in between.          

I can go into a lot of reasons why that was a bad idea, even in these unsure economic times, but let me skip to the action part of the equation. Georgia’s artists, arts educators, writers, musicians, playwrights, actors, dancers, technicians, designers – you name the discipline – weren’t standing for it. My friend Keif, who was helping Malina  Rodriguez’s Dance Truck support the artists in the fray, called me early on Friday and with some amount of urgency in her voice asked me to get involved.  I immediately sent out a somewhat rushed press release to as many media outlets as I could reach before they left for the day on Friday. My hurried release pointed to a Facebook event page, started by artist  Ismail Ibn Connor, who invited – nay, demanded – that artists march through downtown Atlanta to the Capitol the following Monday to express their full displeasure about the decision. By early evening of the day he put the page up, some 600 artists and supporters had RSVP’d in the affirmative with hundreds more sending “maybe” as their answer, waiting to see if they could get out of work or other commitments. Sign-making parties were organized. For artists who some people  thought might not be good at math, they sure seemed to know the power of numbers.          

I hurriedly contacted several artists I  knew and asked for comments on the situation and happily tossed the following in the press release for good measure:          

“For current working artists in Georgia and for future artists in this state, this is a situation that cannot stand,” said John Jaramillo, an international dancer/performing artist and Arts in Education instructor who is part of the prestigious  Wolf Trap Institute for Early Learning through the Arts through Atlanta’s Alliance Theatre at Woodruff Arts Center. John is a full-blooded Native American from New Mexico who makes his home and much of his living working in the arts in Georgia and the SE. “I have traveled and performed all over the world. I could easily choose to live and work somewhere else. I chose Georgia for the opportunities the arts presented, the wonderful cultural artists I have met here, the arts in education in the schools and the superb teachers that support the arts. Atlanta is supposed to be the pride of the South. What sort of ‘jewel of the New South’ is without a state arts council?” He went on to say, “I come from a culture (the ancient Pueblo Indians of the Southwest) where our songs and stories and dances and art have never been allowed to die out no matter how dire the outside circumstances. I have seen for over a decade now how artists support and enrich their communities in Georgia. I hope Georgia will support her artists, too.”          

John Stephens ( Theatre Gael founder and Artistic Director of  Worldsong  and the Academy Theatre for Youth) had this to say:
After these many years, I am convinced that every child is an artist. It then becomes the responsibility of the citizen artist to do everything within their power to nurture that creative spirit for this coming generation. It is in the moment of creation that human beings are most alive, most sane, most connected, and most fulfilled. When we share our own unique artistic vision with others and encourage the emerging artistry of our children, we are, I believe, creating a future where the value of the arts and the inherent worth of the individual will no longer be an issue.”          

I agree with both of them.  Artists are citizens too. We pay taxes, buy a house in your neighbourhood, teach your children, bring visitors in from other parts of the country, create new work, bring fresh voices to old favourites, and yes, we also entertain, enrich and preserve culture. And on Monday, we marched. Georgia’s artists, per usual, did their job well and with usual aplomb. I was proud to be in their numbers. See below how the march shaped up that sunny afternoon:          

Artists in Georgia take to the streets.

 

March organizer Ismail Ibn Connor urges arts supporters to speak out to their elected officials.

 

Georgians for the arts and against dismantling the GCA gather on the Capitol steps.

 

Young Maggie Housworth makes her case for arts in Georgia.

 

A message for the governor of Georgia.

 

Facts on arts in Georgia.

 

Glass harpist Brien Engel beams his support for the GCA.

 

Nobody kicked her, but lawmakers should have been kicked for such a jello-headed decision to begin with.

 

Artists speak out, loud and proud.

 

And who doesn’t love a happy ending? See below.

MEDIA RELEASE
April 21, 2010

          

          

Contact: Jhai James
Public Information Officer
404.685.2 

          

          
 
 

 ATLANTA – The entire Senate has voted to approve the Appropriation Committee’s recommendation, which includes the $890,735 restored to Georgia Council for the Arts. This enables the agency to match its federal grant and retain regional funding that, combined, equals more than one-million dollars. 
 
     Georgia Council for the Arts Executive Director Susan Weiner communicated the agency’s gratitude : ”The entire arts industry of Georgia – from for-profit filmmakers and galleries, to nonprofit museums and performance groups, to arts education providers, and to our entrepreneurial artists – is deeply grateful.”
 
     One more hurdle remains before a final budget reaches the Governor: the Conference Committee, which is made up of an equal number of Representatives and Senators.  This Committee’s purpose is to reconcile the differences between their different budgets.
 
      Georgia Council for the Arts is the state agency that provides support for nonprofit arts organizations in Georgia. Established in 1965 as the Georgia Commission on the Arts, its mission is to encourage excellence in the arts, support the arts’ many forms of expression and create access to the arts for all Georgians by providing funding, leadership, programming and other services. Funding for Georgia Council for the Arts is provided by appropriations from the Georgia General Assembly, the National Endowment for the Arts and other public and private sources.
 
#   #   #

           
 

Georgia Council for the Arts   260 14th Street, NW   Atlanta, Georgia 30318    404.685.2787

           
 

 

Backstage at the Resurrection with James Lee Stanley


posted by therracat          

If you don’t know James Lee Stanley, I’m not going to raise a “Where have you been?” eyebrow, but I am sending out a clarion call that if you are a fan of the thinking traveling troubadour type you might want to pay him some attention. If you like James Taylor or JD Souther you will enjoy James Lee Stanley. If you like your singers to have a grand voice and a spot-on wicked sense of humour, you will enjoy James Lee Stanley. If you’ve ever wondered what it was like to be kicked off a tour while opening for a major act because you opened too well, you may want to ask James Lee Stanley.          

 I first met James when I was writing for a paper in Georgia and he was performing with an old buddy of his, Peter Tork (yeah, of Monkees fame) at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va. The occasion was a tribute to the wonderful John Stewart, who not only penned the #1 hit “Daydream Believer” for the aforementioned Monkees but was a member of the Kingston Trio.  He had a hit of his own in 1979 with ”Gold”, from what is surely a record with one of the all-time great album titles, “Bombs Away Dream Babies”.  The tribute to him was a great night in so many ways and one I’ve revisited fondly in my memory banks since Stewart passed on.  He was still alive in 2001 (note: kudos to the Birchmere for holding these things while the tributee is still with us).  A lovely human, John Stewart could not have been any nicer to me, which I appreciated because meeting a legend can be nerve wracking for anyone who has watched and listened to them for years. Meeting famous people can be one of those things you revel in or regret, depending on the celebrity and that’s just a fact. Stewart was genial and kind. He put his arm around me and introduced me to his family, acting as if he’d known me for years and as if he was genuinely happy that I was there. This fan’s grateful heart did a jig.  

 Fabulous femmes  Nanci Griffith, Eliza Gilkyson, and Rosanne Cash were there to pay homage to Stewart. I was walking around talent central it seemed, and about to get a bonus.  James Lee  introduced himself to me in the press room that afternoon as I was talking to a member of  Nanci Griffith’s band about his friend/my longtime crush, Nick Lowe. Not many people could have pulled my interest away from that conversation but I liked James immediately and rather wanted to follow him around. It’s kind of hard not to like him. He’s tall, with an open face and expressive eyes. He could pass as your favourite college professor or, in the right light, like a clean cowboy you would take home to mom (who would soon tell you he was “keeper”).  James was solicitous and amusing this particular evening ( indeed, Peter Tork has oft referred to James as one of the quickest and funniest people he knows). Later that night James kindly introduced me to Noel Paul Stookey (Paul of Peter, Paul and Mary). I remember thinking, who is this guy? He knows everyone.          

Photo by Andrea Cross

 

  One specific memory I have of that event is of James and me backstage in the late afternoon, not talking, kind of involved in individual thought when the door flies open and Nanci Griffith strides in. She’s moving fast, toting her guitar, beautiful in profile, a lit cigarette in her mouth, smoke floating in a wake behind her like a wispy entourage.  I was stunned but quiet as she disappeared into the dressing room. “Wow!” James said out loud, “Nanci Griffith smokes!” I loved him from that moment on.  James says things out loud.        

 He hasn’t stopped touring, writing or recording in decades, lucky for his fans, and he’s on a creative tear putting together a new CD, “Backstage at the Resurrection”.  I had a chance to ask him some questions recently and he was kind enough to assuage my curiosity.          

 Therra: Your new CD “Backstage at the Resurrection”, to be released later this year, is somewhat different from your previous releases, isn’t it?  Tell us a little about it.          

 James Lee Stanley: Well, it was recorded over the past year and last year I began taking guitar lessons, (after forty years of self-taught stuff, I thought it was time to learn something) so the guitar work is different.           

Secondly, during the reign of terror on the constitution that was the Bush era, I was evidently depressed all the time.   I know that the whole world is turning to caca right now, but when Obama got elected, I got happy.   The cd’s I released during the appointed president’s reign were all informed by my sadness and helplessness in the face of what he was doing to the economy, the environment, our world standing, the surplus, the constitution, etc.  Once we got that bastard out, I just got happy.   This is a happy cd, you will be dancing your buns off to this one.          

Thirdly, I have some great rock guitar playing on this cd in the form of Lenny Ruckle from Santa Cruz.   He did a great job and took the recording someplace else.  I can’t wait for you to hear this puppy.          

 T: Your live performances are a treat, because you not only have a wonderful singing voice, you are exceedingly funny. You appeared to have the “Storytellers” format down pat long before it became a  fixture on VH1. Is there any story you have just not been able to retire because people want to hear it every time they see you?          

 JLS: There are actually a bunch.   People still want to hear the digitalis song and story;  the cookie monster story (with the blue shag bathroom) will never go away evidently, and my Star Trek adventures from when I was on Star Trek Deep Space Nine also seem to be perennial favorites.          

I did some dates with a remarkable raconteur named Gamble Rogers and he is the one who told me that my stories were like my songs in that people would want to hear them again and again and that they would bring their friends to hear them.   He was the inspiration to work on them just like I do my songs or my recordings.          

I try to tell all the stories during the course of a year to keep them fresh in my mind.   And I’ve started documenting what I did where so that when I come back I can do something else…unless they specifically request a story they’ve heard.          

  T:  James, You’ve been in this crazy creative business for a while. I almost fell over when you told me you knew Jennifer Warnes, such a fan of her am I. You have been featured in a famous syndicated cartoon (“Cathy”) because the creator was a big fan of yours, you’ve appeared on “Star Trek- Deep Space Nine”, and you’ve toured with some famous folks, recorded with some well known musicians and hung around with some household names. Tell a little about the best and/or even the worst experience you’ve ever had with these people who we all seem to know. Obviously you don’t have to name names if you’re gonna diss someone, but you have some great tales, James, of the good, the better, the bad and the ugly in show business, it’s a fact. Give us some dish, darling.          

 JLS: Well I must be discreet here and I don’t want to be telling tales out of school.  I quit one tour with a major star because he was simply too much of an a—hole.    Wouldn’t allow me a spotlight or an announcement and frequently demanded I start my portion of the show within minutes of the doors being opened, so I was mainly playing while everyone was looking for their seats.  I finally quit.  Bonnie Raitt, who didn’t have the big hits yet, replaced me.  She quit after two gigs.   I did five.  (I needed the money, but finally decided I’d rather have the self-respect of blowing this bozo off).          

 On another tour, the other main act left his guitar in another state on a brief break and we had to drive across the state to retrieve it.   He couldn’t quite remember where the place was and then no one was home, so I had to second story it and break in.   Came out the front door while he was standing there wondering what to do.  I told him he owed those folks a window.          

 Did another show with a major star as the opening act, of course, and on the first show got four encores and a standing ovation…and got fired off the tour.  But enough about me…what do YOU think…about me.          

  T:  Here’s what I think. You did a wonderful recording with John Batdorf called “All Wood and Stones”. I want to know how that came about.           

 JLS: At a friend’s wedding the band took a break and someone suggested that I go up there and do a tune or two.  Two other songwriters were there as well.   So the three of us went up there…and discovered that we each only knew our own songs.   Then Rod MacDonald asked me if I knew” Ruby Tuesday”.  I said I knew the chorus.  I took the low harmony, George Merrill took the high harmony and we took off.   The wedding party literally came up to the stage while we were doing it.   Ran up actually, like a Disney movie or something. On the way home I said to my wife, you know, no one has really presented the songs of the rolling stones in their most favorable light.   They wrote some great songs.   So I decided to do the project.  I invited my pal, John Batdorf, to do it with me and the rest, as they say…          

 T: You also write a very informative and popular blog for performing artists. You’ve had over half a million hits on the site already. Congrats, by the way, as that’s no small feat. Tell the readers where they can lay eyes on your wit and wisdom for artists on the web and what prompted you to start writing it.          

 JLS: The blog, is a free artist resource site called Datamusicata.   You can find it at:   www.datamusicata.com   and I write a column for it two to three times a week, about everything from how to string a guitar to mic technique to practicing to touring to house guesting.   Everything I can think of that might help folks do this music thing.   Or… any artistic  venture.   It came about because my wife told me that I probably knew more about touring than anyone, having been at it for decades.  She said I knew things I didn’t know I knew and I should start giving back to the community.   So I tried it and we’ve just crested 700,000 hits.   Seems to be helping someone.          

 I also invite any other people who have something to add to post and I put up their websites and pertinent info.     I would like it to be someplace that anyone can go and find out anything about any end of the music business.          

 And I have a search engine on the site.  Type in a topic and every article pertaining to that will show up.   And there is also a comment section at the end of each article.  I read and respond to all the comments.          

Photo by Cindi Byrkit

 

Touching Wombat


posted by therracat  

Do you remember the skits that the great Gilda Radner did as character Emily Litella on Saturday Night Live back in the day? Eager, opinionated and hard of hearing, Litella would rant about some offensive thing that (she thought) had been said in news editorials and she would rant until the SNL Weekend Update anchor (first Chevy Chase, then Jane Curtin) would set her straight. She was totally upset when she thought the government of the U.S. was considering  “making Puerto Rico a steak” and she railed at the Supreme Court about the “deaf penalty”.  She warbled angrily on about these affronts and others until she was interrupted and corrected. Then she would “get it”, sweetly smile at the camera and say, “Never mind!”  

I think of Emily Litella often these days because I am mis-reading or mis-hearing things on a regular basis and confusing myself and others mightily.  I used to think she was too funny and now I think she’s too real.  Perhaps she’s a character… ahhhhhh but perhaps she’s a condition. Everything is a ”condition” now. I think whenever I wander into “I heard that so wrong” territory, I should be able to pass it off on my ”condition”  because  to say to others, “I have ELS (Emily Litella Syndrome)” sounds soooo much better than “constant distraction”, ”early senility” or “hard of hearing because I was up front at too many rock concerts in the 70s.”  

Not long ago I thought the Weather Channel was advertising a show coming on in the next hour to tell people how to avoid incest as the weather gets warmer. I was so upset I dropped what I was doing, walked over and  gave the TV my full, if completely disapproving, attention. I soon found out it was “insects”. How to avoid insects as the weather gets warmer. Never mind.    

I had big jolt one day hearing a local club/restaurant doing heavy radio advertising for their weekly “crap boil”.  I was repulsed until I realized (pretty quickly, thank you) that they were pushing a community crab boil.  Never mind dude. My appetite immediately returned and because I was smart enough not to tell anyone (until now) of my mistake, I rolled down the road my dignity intact.  

The title of this blog post today is something (I thought) my husband said to me last night when we were talking about my writing.   

 When the terrible earthquake hit Haiti early this year and the news channels were reporting on it, seemingly, around the clock,  I was sitting at my desk writing and I could hear the TV in the other room. That seems to be the prime time for ELS to flare up.  I could hear people, with a tinge of desperation in their voices, asking that Barbara Walters be sent to Haiti. I thought, huh, that’s ridiculous, why on earth would anyone want her there? She’s 70 and surely the heat would not be good for her or her coif. Shouldn’t she do more good raising money over here? Sanjay Gupta being there I understood, Barbara Walters…not so much.  But the demands continued over the next 15 minutes: ”Send Barbara Walters to Haiti!”  ”Haiti needs Barbara Walters!”  Finally I lost my temper completely. “That’s insane!” I screamed, feeling highly offended both for the people and situation down there. ”"All she will do is take resources and  attention from the people who really need both! ” I got up and went to watch the CNN idiots who were making this  impassioned plea . Once in front of the TV it took a moment to realize what they were asking for was “bottled water”…not Barbara Walters. Never mind.  

I never did ask my husband what he meant by “touching wombat”.  I  just couldn’t. If you have any idea, please, interrupt me at any moment and clue me in.  

 

Emily Litella and Chevy Chase, whom she referred to as "Cheddar Cheese".

 

                                                                        Emily Litella