The concert was almost two weeks ago, but I’ve been too busy to get the photos ready until now… I have wanted to see Gordon Bok in concert since I was a child, so it was great to finally have the chance! And “Three Sheets to the Wind” are a great group to hear and to sing with. It was a wonderful evening of music!
Chelsea Berry with her Parker Fly (Joe Cardoza at left on bass, Michael Thomas Doyle at right on guitar)
A bright red Parker Fly guitar rests comfortably on its wooden stand, like a Siren luring Chelsea Berry to the rocky coast we all know is behind the stage.
Chelsea enters alone and smiles at the audience, gracefully accepting the ovation she receives before singing a note.  Then she begins … a capella.  No mic, no amp, no guitar, nothing but her gorgeous, powerful, soaring voice carried with perfect clarity to the Shalin Liu’s very last row by the concert hall’s perfect acoustics.
Chelsea’s loving, dramatic, musically brilliant performance of Dave Sudbury’s King of Rome brings the story to life, sending chills up my spine.  If the concert had ended right then, I would have felt fulfilled.  Then I wonder, when’s she gonna play that red guitar?
Migrating to piano, acoustic guitar and finally, the red Parker Fly, Chelsea Berry sings and plays her hits, accompanied by her young, enthusiastic, well-rehearsed band with grace, humor and an enchanting professionalism that endears her to her audience. Â This is a show. Â It has a beginning, middle and end, like a good story — an arc, you might say.
All through this show, the sound remains nearly perfect — even when the band barrels in, full force on her rocker Lonely being Lonely, which she takes just a tad slower than she did at North Shore Music Theatre last summer, giving it even more ironic power and guts.
After a wonderful encore of crowd-pleasing favorites (Leonard Cohen’s Hallelujah and her own You Me And Mary) Chelsea invites the entire audience upstairs for a party and gathers the band for a Broadway style bow to a standing ovation.
Chelsea Berry & Band bow on Saturday at Shalin Liu ~ photo by LouiseBill Winn
Lots of our friends are at the after-party, including T Max, who spies sound legend, Bill Winn, having seen him only in a tiny picture from this book review T Max published in the February issue of his Noise Magazine.  T Max introduces himself to Bill and then introduces me, at which point I’m thinking, what’s Bill Winn doing here?  This guy wrote the book, literally, on live concert sound (you can get it here) and has engineered for Whitney Houston, Joni Mitchell and Herbie Hancock, just to name a few.
Then Chelsea comes over and gives Bill a big hug, “Thank you, Bill. Â The sound was great!”
We tend to bat the word “pro” around carelessly most of the time, but I don’t use it lightly, here, when I say that choosing Bill Winn as her sound guy was one of a string of highly professional musical and business choices Chelsea Berry has made of late, proving that she has earned the position of Headliner!
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Last week, the Mari Martin Trio (Mari Martin, Ken Steiner, and Mark Retallack) gave a fantastic, free, hour-long concert at the Gloucester Lyceum and Sawyer Free Library. (A wonderful institution, but have they considered renaming the place to something that can be said with fewer syllables?) Â Here are some photos.
Check out the matching shoes and beret!
This library and this trio are just a part of the cultural wealth of Cape Ann!
On Saturday night, Temple Ahavat Achim offered a Cafe Shalom event, with Henry Allen and the New Swingset as the opener and the Judith Murray Trio as the headliner. Â It was an evening of beautiful jazz! Here are a few photos. The next Cafe Shalom is on February 9th at 7PM, with “The Blackwood Ramblers” and Daisy Nell.
David Wesson is the MC and organizer of Cafe ShalomHenry Allen and the New Swingset
Last Thursday, St. Ann School had its Christmas concert.  Kudos to their choir director, Lori L’Italien, for her great work with the kids!  The cuteness factor of the little kids was off the charts.  Here are a few photos:
Last weekend, Fred Bodin and I were both at a great Christmas party / sing-along with a lot of other guests. Â I guess I was feeling lazy, because I didn’t bring my camera. Â Fred, on the contrary, was on top of things and he used his camera to grab some video of our caroling. Here is a medley I put together from his footage. Â The last part is a snippet of a traditional Christmas Gregorian chant I sang with Kevin McDermott.
On Saturday night, I went to Chorus North Shore’s Christmas concert at Our Lady of Hope in Ipswich (almost Cape Ann), which featured Vivaldi’s Gloria, “Christmas is Coming: a festive cantata”, and other songs of the season.
Chorus North Shore (which includes many Cape Ann residents) performed together with the Honors Youth Choir and the Festival Orchestra.
Gloucester resident Don Roby, besides singing in the choir, had a reading part and headed up The Boar’s Head carol (pun intended):
Either the boar’s head is hollow (or made of styrofoam), or maybe Don has been hitting the gym. He held that huge boar’s head aloft until the whole verse was over.
Alexander Thompson (of Ma’s Brands fame, who has an amazing voice, but does not sing in this choir) was in attendance with pencil and paper – not taking notes, but drawing:
The concert was great! Kudos to all the performers, the director, the technicians, etc.!
The first band was “The Blueberries”, consisting of Fozzie Hill, Dave Brown, and Wolf Giandes. Great folk/blues vocals and guitar!
Then came Klezwoods, a Boston klezmer band (whose leader, Joseph Kessler, is a Gloucester local). They play a sort of fusion of traditional klezmer with jazz and other middle-eastern music. I had no idea what this would be like. Although I expected it to be good, I was still blown away! They play with fantastic energy and skill. I bought their CD without hesitation about half-way through their set.
For more photos of both bands, click on the block of thumbnail images below:
Music Director Jane Ring Frank, front row-center, will lead the Cantemus Chamber Chorus in its first 30th-anniversary year concerts on December 1 in Hamilton and December 2 in Newburyport. “Twilight in New England: A Celebration of New England Composers” features music by William Billings, Randall Thompson, Amy Beach, and Gwyneth Walker, with James Woodman’s “The Midwife’s Tale” as its centerpiece.
Cantemus will perform “Twilight in New England” on Saturday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m., at Christ Church of Hamilton-Wenham, 149 Asbury Street, Hamilton; and on Sunday, December 2 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Paul’s Church, 166 High Street, Newburyport.
Tickets are available online here, or fans can save $2 on advance tickets purchased at The Book Rack in Newburyport, Nazir’s of Wenham, Norris Gallery / MiXtMedia in Ipswich, the Book Shop of Beverly Farms, Toad Hall in Rockport and Gloucester Music.
Tickets at the door are $20 for adults, $17 for seniors. Admission is free for students 21 and under. For details, visit the Cantemus website, or phone 1-888-CHORUS 1.
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Tomorrow 9/20 is the world premiere of a limited theatre event: Hungarian Rhapsody Queen Live in Budapest and believe it or not, Cape Ann Community Cinema is one of the theatres!
But it gets better, because this premiere screening is followed by a LIVE SET by the all-female Queen tribute band, Gunpowder Gelatine!
CALLÂ (978) 309-8448 to be sure you have a seat.
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A week ago today, the group that formerly met at The Annie every Wednesday (7:00-9:30PM) to sing together had it’s first session at it’s new home, The Inn at Babson Court.
It was a perfect evening, weather-wise:
It was also a perfect evening for singing. We had a great turn-out, and Paul and Don gave us a great welcome to their inn, which provides an elegant and intimate setting for an evening of music.
Come and join us! We sit in a circle and take turns singing songs of any genre, with or without acoustic instruments. Â We often join in with the songs if we know them, harmonizing or just singing the refrain. Â No formal training or professional experience expected or required – the group includes everything from pros to people who usually only sing in the shower. Â Or, come along just to listen! BYOB, and snacks to share are a welcome contribution. Â A $5 donation is requested.
On Saturday, Sept, 1, during the Schooner Festival, there was a pot-luck supper and sing-along on the schooner Adventure, docked on Rocky Neck. It was a great time! Â I was there last year too, and this is the sort of the thing that makes me so glad to be in Gloucester!
Come join the fun at The Annie every Wednesday night at 7PM for two and a half hours of musical sharing. Â We sit in a circle in the Art Parlor and take turns singing (or playing acoustic instruments, or both), and if others know the song, they join in. Â All genres are welcome! Â Prior experience singing in public is NOT necessary – it’s just about sharing our love for music, whether you are a pro, or usually only sing in the shower… It’s a very informal setting. People can also bring snacks or beverages to share. There is a $5 recommended donation per person. Â We have a pretty steady group of regulars, but there is also many people who come whenever their schedule allows. Â Here are some photos from past “sings”:
Michael Foley (below) is not only a musician, but also a stone carver.
Alexander Thompson brought some of his new organic variety of “Ma’s Brand” tomato marmelade:
In between his turns to sing, he was designing the label for the jars:
Ernie Pigeon, the organizer of The Sing:
When it’s not our turn for singing, some of us also do other artsy things while we listen, like knitting, drawing, or origami! Â Or you can just sit and listen and admire the art show in the art parlor.
If you were not at the Cape Ann Museum Summer “After Hours” event last Thursday, August 16, you really missed out!  This museum is one of the under-recognized jewels in Cape Ann’s cultural crown.
There was great music, great food from Alchemy, Â live music/dance pieces featuring Sara Slifer, Kristen Miller, and 3rian King… and the personable staff and breathtaking art that you can always find at the Cape Ann Museum. Here are some photos.
Elyssa East, author of Dogtown: Death and Enchantment in a New England Ghost Town, will discuss Hartley’s sixteen-year relationship with Cape Ann and how it changed his life and work. $10 Museum members; $15 nonmembers. Reservations are required; to make a reservation please call (978)283-0455 x16 or email info@capeannmuseum.org. Dogtown Lecture series generously sponsored by Cape Ann Savings Bank.
This French proverb is printed on T Shirts and hangs over the door at The Cave — 44 Main St.  For some reason, it took Vickie and me 3 weeks to get there, but we finally made it yesterday and boy are we glad we did.  Then we took our bounty to a friend’s house.  The best way to  enjoy good food is with good friends, each being enhanced by the other.  Check out the video to see what we got and how it tasted.
Laura, who owns The Cave, tells me she’s got a 3 year lease and they will be open year round. Â Sounds like a plan to me. Â Vickie and I will be in again soon.
Just as The Cave has something for every palate, tonight there’s music for every possible taste on Cape Ann from string quartet to bluegrass to rock, soul, reggae, pop, New Orleans jazz, blues, metal, singer/songwriters — you name it. Â Don’t stay home. Â Check the live music lineup and get out on the town!
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No, you can’t see them all.  You’re just gonna have to pick your favorites.  We can help.  First, you can see a complete live music lineup here.  And if you’re not sure who you might like, you can  see 15 Artists of the week in over 75 videos too.
Here are a very few suggestions in various genres (this is NOT an exhaustive list of who you might enjoy — see that here)
If you’ve never seen rocker Ned and the Big Babies, you should  catch them tonight at the Rhumb Line.  You’ll be dancin’ — believe me.
If you missed The Runaround Sound high energy ska, reggae, punk-rock band at the Boulevard on July 3, you can catch them tonight at Capt Carlo’s and tomorrow at the Rhumb Line.  You’ll get a workout if you go to both shows, so no need to go to the gym this weekend.
If you like New Orleans Jazz & Blues and you missed Henri Smith opening for Aaron Neville on June 30, you can catch him at the Brew Pub on Saturday (see Henri Smith videos here) Â Henri is also opening the Gloucester Blues Festival on August 11.
Also on Saturday is the latest in T Max’s concert series at the Dog Bar. Â This time he mixes bluegrass from Tom Eaton & Pick 3 with singer/songwriter Jon Waterman and his own style that’s a must-see but impossible to peg.
On Sunday music begins at 10:30am at Seaward Inn in Rockport and continues all day with two free outdoor concerts: Michael O’Leary’s Celtic music at Halibut Point State Park at 2:30 and the Compaq Big Band at Stage Fort Park at 7pm.
Remember this a very small list of a few highlights. Â Check all shows before you decide where to go.
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Gloucester has been featured on Chronicle once again and this time they focus on tourism, art, fishing & Fiesta — mostly the greasy pole.  And while the show sheds a fairly good light on Gloucester, it misses one of the our City’s main attractions  — Gloucester’s burgeoning music scene (see tonight’s live music lineup here).
That’s why we’re so lucky to have lured T Max here — publisher of The Noise (New England’s longest running music magazine).  The new issue features stories about music on Cape Ann as well as music on that shark-infested cape named after a fish.  (On the web, the stories are after the features on Brad Byrd from Cape Ann and The Parkington Sisters from Cape Cod).
I was going to thank T Max for the honor of being chosen to write the story about Cape Ann (read it here), but instead I’ll  complain that what I had feared has come to pass: good musicians whom I neglected to mention are asking me why I left them out.  There’s no good answer to that question.  My only excuse is that with limited space and time to write I simply couldn’t include everyone who’s good.  Lame, isn’t it.  Sorry.
Perhaps the next Chronicle story on Gloucester will include at least one segment on Gloucester’s music.  I keep that hope alive given that they referred to Fiesta as Gloucester’s own Mardi Gras, which is, of course, a musical metaphor.
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Here’s some (almost) live blogging: 3-year-old Drew Rodolosi (of Gloucester) dances to the music of Johnny Carwash in the Minglewood Tavern parking lot among some classic cars and bikes this afternoon. Â Wish I could do that!
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On Thursday, May 31, St. Ann School had it’s “Celebration of Art”, which included both a show of visual artwork produced by the students (which I covered yesterday) and a concert in which all the students participated. Here are some photos and video!
Some excerpts:
Some students waiting for their turn…
Several students also read essays they had written about what the American flag means to them.
