My View of Life on the Dock
Think we have it bad here with the decline of the Fishing Industry? Look what is happening to songwriters in Iowa:
Bob Dylan Lays Off 2,000 Workers From Songwriting Factory
I moved here from Iowa. Maybe all those songwriters should move here. T Max, editor of The Noise Magazine, might be hiring. He has a new song about pets check it out here:
There is an amazing lineup of live music tonight from Christian Men’s Choir to Funbucket — and everything in between. Check out the full lineup here
For all of you who missed recent TV & Radio premieres and shows, here’s how you can catch up:
Henley Douglas premiered on Meg Griffin’s Sirius Radio show last Friday (see details in this post). Catch it again tomorrow (Sat) at 9pm. Then again Sun, Mar 3 @ 5pm and Mon, Mar 25 @ 4pm.
Charlie Farren premiered on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes on Wednesday (see details in this post) Catch him again on Sunday 2/24 @ 6pm. Then again on Wed 2/27 @6:30pm, Fri 3/1 @ 1:30pm and Sun 3/3 @ 6pm.
Chelsea Berry’s shows at Shalin Liu, originally scheduled for February 8 & 9 have been rescheduled to next weekend (Fri 3/1 and Sat 3/2). Saturday is sold out, but you can still get seats to Friday 3/1 here.
The Henri Smith / Charles Nevile benefit for Y Teens Rebuild New Orleans originally scheduled for Feb 8 has been rescheduled to Saturday, April 6. You can still get tickets and VIP Packages here.
Last, but certainly not least, this weekend you can choose from 2 dozen live shows all over Cape Ann — and plenty of them with start times early enough to bring the kids. See the complete weekend live music schedule here.
Swing by and say hi to Laura and try some of the new cheeses she will have on Saturday!
Well maybe all our talk about taking kids out to hear great music didn’t fall on deaf ears (pun intended). Plus there’s another bonus: the fact that some shows start early means you can get to more shows in one evening.
Weekend starts tonight with Just Like Newman at 7pm at Shea’s Riverside in Essex.
Dave Sag has been starting his Rhumb Line Blues Party at 8 instead of 9 for a couple of weeks now. This week he’s got Steve Chagaris & Justin Quinn Band. Check out this video from a few years ago:
Plus there are three excellent 9pm shows. See the complete live music schedule here.
Lisa Smith is a producer, director, editor, videographer, teacher, etc. at Cape Ann TV. Lisa and Andrew Love taught Robert Sherman, producer of the new Birding Show, everything he needed to know to get his project off the ground. Lisa also directs most of the Local Music Seen with Allen Estes shows that Vickie and I co-produce with Allen (see clips from some of those shows here) including the show featuring Boston rock star Charlie Farren that premieres tonight at 6:30pm (more about that show here).
It’s a great deal. For $20 a year, Lisa and Andrew will teach you everything you need to know about video production. Plus you get the use of their studio (where we tape Local Music Seen) and equipment. (We took their equipment on the road last year for Mardi Gras at Minglewood w/ Henri Smith & Charles Neville and then for the GHS Docksiders.)
Recently Lisa shot some blizzard video and put together a wonderful dreamy piece that just makes you feel OK about all the snow and grateful to live here. Check it out:
Boston rock star Charlie Farren (lead singer/guitarist for The Joe Perry Project & Farrenheight) has emerged as an outstanding solo acoustic artist, who has always been known for great songs and great singing. He proves why as the featured guest on Local Music Seen with Allen Estes, which premieres tonight at 6:30pm on Cape Ann TV Channel 12.
You may remember that a couple of years ago, Charlie teamed up with Jon Butcher (another Boston rock star – see Jon Butcher videos here) to form Farren, Butcher, Inc. (FBI). Perhaps you remember their spectacular benefit for the Cape Ann Vernal Pond Team at Cruiseport!
Here’s a sneak preview of tonight’s premiere with Charlie singing his smash hit You Are The Only One. Watch and you’ll know why he’s a star!
After you catch the show tonight at 6:30 there are excellent live music choices in town, making it very hard to choose. They’re all free and they start at 7,8 and 9, so you could try to catch some of every show. Check out the complete live music schedule here.
Check out this news release from Cape Ann TV’s Lisa Smith about a brand new show premiering Thursday @8:30pm.
Did you know that birds from the Arctic tundra and birds all the way down to the grasslands of Argentina visit Cape Ann each year? Join BirdWatcherTV host Robert Sherman, also producer, videographer and editor of this series, as he travels around Cape Ann in search of wild birds. Along the way, you’ll meet the people who watch birds, feed birds, study birds or who are just plain crazy about birds.
Gloucester resident, Robert Sherman is a naturalist, who works as a park ranger and natural history interpreter for Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation. His interest in ornithology/bird watching began during his college years when he was a geography major at UMass-Amherst. Robert has been leading birding tours in Massachusetts since the early 1990s. SEE PREVIEW HERE
In this new series Robert captures the natural beauty of Cape Ann and its stunning wildlife on camera. Robert was trained in television production at Cape Ann TV and used its editing facilities and field camera equipment to produce BirdWatcherTV. Cape Ann TV Production Coordinator, Lisa Smith states, “Robert is very dedicated to this project. He created this program over the past few months in his “down time” and made a remarkable first-time documentary on the birds that inhabit Cape Ann. You can really tell that this a labor of love. We are look forward to Robert’s next program highlighting the Cape Ann Winter Birding Weekend that occurred earlier in February.” Robert said he hopes viewers of BirdWatcherTV, “gain a greater appreciation of the beauty and diversity of what is so close to home, and I want to encourage people to get outside and enjoy nature.”
BirdWatcherTV premiers this week and airs on Cape Ann TV Channel 12 on Thursday, February 21 at 8:30 p.m.; Friday, February 22 at 3:30 p.m.; Saturday, February 23 at 8:00 p.m.; and Sunday, February 24 at 8:00 p.m.
Vickie and John painting bowls. There’s still time to come down and paint till 7:30
-pvn, sent from my phone
Check out all the action at Shalin Liu Performance Center (sent by Karen Herlitz)
March Brings A Variety of Concerts at Rockport Music
Rockport Music presents the highest quality of concerts and presentations year-round at the stunning, seaside Shalin Liu Performance Center. This March provides a variety of musical opportunities for people to enjoy—from classical to jazz to folk.
Classical Concerts
On Friday, March 15, at 8 pm, the East Coast Chamber Orchestra performs in its debut at the Shalin Liu Performance center with:
HOLST: St. Paul’s Suite :: PURCELL: Fantasias in 4 Parts :: STRAVINSKY: Concerto in D “Basle”
MOZART: Divertimento for strings in F major, K.138 :: Bartók: Divertimento for string orchestra, Sz.113
The East Coast Chamber Orchestra features soloist performers, principals in major American orchestras, and award-winning chamber musicians in a democratically organized, self-conducted chamber orchestra that thrives on the energy and camaraderie of classical music. Their fresh interpretations of new and old works have been received by standing ovations and critical acclaim from The New York Times hailing that, “The sound of the ensemble mixed the transparency and coherence of a string quartet with an orchestra’s warmth and heft.” To The Washington Post, “How did ECCO get such a huge sound from 17 instruments? These youthful players are helping form classical music’s future. Long may they ECCO.” The Washington Post Tickets: $39-$58
Classical guitarist Benjamin Verdery performs Sunday, March 17 at 5 pm. Described as “iconoclastic” and “inventive” by The New York Times and “one of the classical guitar world’s most foremost personalities,” by Classical Guitar Magazine, Benjamin Verdery is an internationally performing, prolific classical guitar composer with over fifteen albums since 1980. Chair of the guitar department at Yale University, he still tours internationally as well as records. Curator of New York’s 92nd St Y’s guitar series, he is a master of the serious art music of Bach, Janacek, and Strauss, but also blurs boundaries with his own solo acoustic interpretations of Jimi Hendrix. Tickets: $19-$34
Jazz, Folk, Pop, and World Music
On Sunday, March 3 at 5 pm, the Bill & Bo Winiker Sextet, a Boston musical institution, will perform at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. Bo and Bill Winiker were taught how to play music, and specifically jazz, by their father at a very young age. Now, over 50 years later, they have moved on to record with Billy Joel and perform with Aretha Franklin at President Clinton’s inaugural ball. With a repertoire of over 15,000 songs they cover for special occasions, they are also true jazz musicians. Fred Taylor, founder of Sculler’s Jazz Club, says Bill and Bo Winiker are, “…really underappreciated for their great jazz knowledge and performance.” Tickets: $15-$28
On Friday, March 8, at 8 pm, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with the world-renowned Celtic ensemble Cherish the Ladies, the most sought-after Irish American group in the country. For nearly 25 years, the six-member, all-female group has been collecting awards and accolades from fans and critics worldwide, including the BBC’s Best Musical Group and Top North American Celtic Group at the Irish Music Awards. They have shared the stage with celebrated entertainers like James Taylor, Emmylou Harris, and The Chieftains. On their latest release, Country Crossroads, they teamed up with stars Vince Gill and Nanci Griffith; and their recording with the Boston Pops, The Celtic Album, led to a 1999 Grammy nomination. “The band brilliantly…exudes a tremendous joie de vivre and deep nostalgia.” (The Irish Times-Dublin) Tickets: $27-$49
Dubbed a “folk-rock goddess” by The New Yorker, singer-songwriter Catie Curtis performs on Saturday, March 9, at 8 pm at the Shalin Liu Performance Center. A Lilith Fair alum and former tour mate of Mary Chapin Carpenter, this urban-folk powerhouse is one of the best singer-songwriters recording today. Many of her recordings have been featured on episodes of Grey’s Anatomy, Dawson’s Creek and other TV series. “With a clear, deceptively gentle voice, she can turn on a dime and thrill the listener with unforeseen power and emotion.” rollingstone.com Tickets: $18-$32
HD Broadcasts
On Saturday, March 2, at 12 pm, Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcast of Wagner’s masterpiece Parsifal is aired live with interviews and behind-the-scenes insight. Jonas Kaufmann makes his role debut as the title character in Parsifal, conducted by Daniele Gatti and directed by film and opera director François Girard in his Met debut. Tickets: $20-$32
On Saturday, March 16, at 12 pm, the Metropolitan Opera Live in HD broadcast of Zandonai’s early 20th-century melodrama Francesca da Rimini returns to the Met for its first revival in more than 25 years, in Piero Faggioni’s production. Marco Armiliato conducts Eva-Maria Westbroek in the title role of a noblewoman who is tricked into marrying the brutal Gianciotto, sung by Mark Delavan, instead of her true love Paolo, sung by Marcello Giordani. Tickets: $20-$32
National Theatre of London presents People in a HD broadcast on Thursday, March 21, at 7 pm.
In this hilarious new play, celebrated playwright Alan Bennett (Madness of King George, The History of Boys) takes a stab at modern society by examining the consequences of a self-serving government that turns a once-dignified nation into a “captive market,” with its people “rebranded as customers… available for easier exploitation.” Through satirical social commentary, People offers up “classic Bennett comedy with a Downtown tinge” (Daily Express). Tickets: $22 Adult, $15 Senior
For ticket information and details on these and other 2012-13 Season offerings, please visit our website at www.rockportmusic.org. Tickets are also available through the Box Office at 978-546-7391 or visiting 35 Main Street, Rockport, MA. The Box Office is open Monday-Friday, 10am-4 pm.
With all the talk about accents on GMG today, it’s clearly time to put forth our new Law of Life, or LOL for short. (You’ll notice we skipped our LOL last week due to all the fuss about Nemo).
This week’s LOL is based on Antoine Lavoisier’s Law of the Conservation of Mass, the same principle as our very first LOL, which was You’re more likely to gain weight if someone you know is losing weight (see the explanation here). Only in this case, Mass refers to Massachusetts and what we’re conserving is the letter R.
You natives may not notice, but people like Vickie and me, who didn’t grow up here, have discovered that whenever you take R off a word (Beer for example) you somehow feel compelled to add it to another one. So you say Peetser and Beah instead of Pizza and Beer.
But it doesn’t stop there. You guys add Rs to words even when you aren’t removing them from other words. For example, Tuner and Mayo (instead of Tuna and Mayo — although I doubt Joey mixes mayo with tuna, but that’s a topic for another post.)
It seems like you’ll jump at any chance to add an R, as if you’re feeling guilty for all those poh innocent Ahhs you’ve slaughtered during your lifetime.
So here’s the question: is there some sort of underground R accounting that only Boston area natives know about? Is there a website I can check to see what the R deficit is as of this very moment? Are you all secretly working together to help save your precious Rs from extinction — along with the great white shahk? Oops, did I just add to the deficit? Does something magical happen every time you add an R to a word where it doesn’t belong, sort of like the magic in this video?
The home page of today’s New York Times website features a story on Gloucester’s big debate about what to do with our waterfront (see story here).
Mayor Kirk is quoted a number of times promoting her vision of our port supporting both fishing and marine science, saying some of the $150 million Congress might appropriate should be used for “Programs that might attract those other uses that allow you to maintain a smaller fleet, and maintain an infrastructure for that fleet, and sit side by side.”
Everybody who’s seriously working on attracting marine science to Gloucester knows we need more than a port. We also need a thriving cultural economy in order to attract the workers that power marine science. Most of these workers are young, single PhDs who work very long hours and want to go out after work — and on weekends — for food, drink and music. They want to feel surrounded by culture. These people think they want to live in Cambridge. What they may not know is that Gloucester has a burgeoning cultural economy. Just look at all the live music available this weekend — and it’s supposed to be the dead of winter!
We’ve got momentum. But in order to grow a sustainable economy for Gloucester’s long-term, we have to grow our cultural economy a lot more. That’s where you come in. Think of Gloucester FIRST when planning what to do at night and on weekends. Not sure where to eat? Check out this HUGE list of restaurants. Check the live music schedule. You’ll likely find music for every taste. Want to enrich your life and the lives of your kids? Check out this impressive list of galleries, studios, museums, theatres, etc. Think you need to drive to the mall? STOP! Check this out and think again.
The secret to growing our cultural economy without losing our soul is to honor our past and embrace our future. That’s precisely what Fred Bodin does. His store honors our past by helping to keep the core of our history and culture alive. And now, he’s taken to filming the future. Here he is filming Jon Butcher with Dave Brown, Dave Mattacks and Wolf Ginandes at Jalapenos on Tuesday singing Sam Cooke’s classic Change is Gonna Come — how perfect it that! Boston rock star Jon Butcher moved to Gloucester. Let’s get out and support his decision, prove him right, boost our cultural economy and — most importantly — have a blast doing it!
Vickie S Van NessSent from my phone
Scientists are still trying to figure out what happened here . . .
Watch the Asteroid 2012 DA14 LIVE as it passes by Earth today. NASA will broadcast LIVE Video of the asteroid beginning at 2pm (click here) when it passes closer to earth than the GPS satellite you use to find your way around Boston. They say nobody on Earth is in danger . . .
Joey’s astute observation about our increasing overuse of euphemisms deserves more than a mere comment in support of his legitimate question. My favorite answer to this issue (and the funniest, too) was given by George Carlin some years ago. Check it out:
Now that the issue is settled, we can move on to the tremendous amount of fun we can all have this weekend. Given two dozen terrific live music choices — with plenty of them early enough to bring the kids (or little people, if you prefer) you’d think we were in the height of Summer! Check out the complete weekend live music schedule here. (I’ll be sitting in on drums tonight at the Walker Creek Band 30th Anniversary Celebration).
Temple Ahavat Achim (86 Middle St. in Gloucester, MA) continues to bring back its popular coffeehouse to sell out audiences, Café Shalom, on Saturday, March 2nd, from 7:00 to 10:00 PM, with an evening of contemporary acoustic music.
Café Shalom will serve hot beverages and snacks. All are welcome; there is no dress or age requirement and families are welcome. Refreshments will be available. Admission is $10 at the door, doors open at 6:30 PM.
The featured performer will be recording artist Fly Amero. Left-handed, upside-down guitarist/singer/journeyman Dennis “Fly” Amero finds his musical roots deep within the vast genres of the ’60’s pop revolution. Fly moved to New York City, joining in on musical projects with members of the pop/rock bands, Foreigner and Meatloaf. In the early 1980’s, Fly struck upon the start of what would become a lifelong friendship with the classic pop singer, Larry Hoppen of “Orleans”. He joined, toured and recorded with the famed group for the better part of 3 years before returning Gloucester to focus on his own writing. His remarkable versatility led to the writing and co-producing of Atlantic’s holiday comedy album classic, Twisted Christmas, which quickly became certified gold in 1995. Fly is currently touring as a member of “Orleans” and fronts the thrilling rock/blues act known as “The Big Strum”.
The opening performer will be Bob Kramer with Al Foucault on bass.
The duo plays a blend of acoustic rock/blues/jazz creating ‘rootsy, rockin’ & blue’ sound that echoes from the Delta to the urban landscape with its unique arrangement of cover songs and original songs. Bob and Al have opened for The Pete Best Band (original Beatles drummer), recording blues artists Paul Rishell and Annie Raines and host the open mic at the Grog in Newburyport. Bob has produced two CDs, a solo CD, Honorable mention in the Billboard Songwriting Contest and has performed at the Terra Blues Club in the Village in New York City.
Check out this news release from local radio star Meg Griffin:
To top this week of Mardi Gras 2013, the soulful funked up R & B outfit led by Sax Master, Henley Douglas Jr. will heat things up on the radio. NorthShore resident Henley Douglas Jr, is the co founder of the Salem Jazz & Soul Festival. He grew up within earshot of the early Tower of Power in San Francisco’s Bay Area.
Henley & his top shelf players have just recorded a session in Gloucester, Massachusetts at “Bang A Song” Studios with Meg Griffin of Sirius XM Radio.
Dig in for an hour on the Nationally heard Sirius XM series:
“Having Words With Meg”
..featuring HD R&B..featuring Henley Douglas Jr.
The Loft ~ channel 30
Premiers Friday February 15th at 5pm ET, with additional airings all month
ed. note: See Henley at Rhumb Line every Tuesday night. It’s always a great show!
Charlee Bianchini is Allen Estes‘ guest on Local Music Seen this week. Charlee’s distinctive voice and thoughtful lyrics capture the studio audience and will capture you too. Plus you will hear another one of Allen’s excellent new songs.
The show airs on Cape Ann TV Channel 12 on Wednesday 2/13 at 6:30pm. Then again on Friday at 1:30pm and Sunday at 6pm.
After you see the show, check out the great live music available in Gloucester.
How lucky we are to live in a town so full of musical talent!
Don’t worry, Valentine’s Day isn’t until Thursday, so you’ve got a full day and a half to keep on procrastinating. That’s what I do. If you remember, in this post I admitted that I spent Men’s Night looking at art, talking with friends and shopping for myself at the Cave while Vickie and John finished their Christmas shopping.
One reason I love the Cave is their idea of a Valentine’s Day Special is to offer it ON VALENTINE’S DAY. What a concept! No Preparation necessary, other than knowing about it, which is precisely why you read GMG, right?
So, on Thursday Glosta Joe’s and Roseanne’s Biscotti (another local business) will be at The Cave with free coffee & biscotti from 2-4pm. Buy a bag of coffee & win a chance at a beautiful gift basket full of coffee, chocolate, biscotti, mugs & more goodies from the table in the picture (plus cheese, of course).
That leaves you plenty of time to get ready for a night of live music at your choice of six venues in Gloucester (see the complete live music schedule here).
Today is MARDI GRAS. Check out what’s going on in New Orleans here.
Until four years ago, Mardi Gras in Gloucester was, for most of us, little more than another Tuesday in the dead of Winter. But when local YMCAs began taking teens to New Orleans on a service learning trip during April vacation to help rebuild the City, the YMCA MARDI GRAS BENEFIT was born. Last year they sold out Minglewood Tavern for a Mardi Gras concert featuring local New Orleans transplant, Henri Smith with Grammy-winning saxophonist Charles Neville (of the Neville Brothers).
This year, Latitude 43 and Minglewood Tavern are donating 10% of all food and beverage revenue from the entire day and night (starting at 11:30am RIGHT NOW!) to the YMCA trip. And The Runaround Sound has generously donated their performance at Minglewood Tavern tonight so we can have a Mardi Gras party in snowbound Gloucester! Here’s The Runaround Sound at the Middle East:
If you’re wondering what happened to the Henri Smith/Charles Neville concert — don’t worry, it’s been rescheduled for April 6 at the Larcom Theatre in Beverly (get tickets here).
Starting at 11:30am tomorrow TUESDAY (MARDI GRAS) 10% of all sales at Latitude 43 and Minglewood Tavern benefit the 4th YMCA service-learning trip where local teens help rebuild New Orleans as they broaden their horizons.
While you’re there you can get tickets to the April 6 Henri Smith / Charles Neville concert to benefit the trip — or you can just buy tickets to the concert here.
Good Morning Gloucester 