April 26, 2008

A LEGACY ROLLS ALONG....

SARAH LEE GUTHRIE & JOHNNY IRION
IN CONCERT!
Sunday May 4th, 2008




















Before we closed KOOL BEANZ Coffeehouse 6yrs ago we were going to have SARAH LEE GUTHRIE (yes, Arlo's daughter & Woody's granddaughter) perform In Concert for us, but she had to bow out due her being pregnant at gig time.

Well, now she has a wonderful daughter Olivia, and a great (and talented) husband JOHNNY IRION, and I have the pleasure to announce that we are finally bringing them to Brevard - NEXT WEEK! As far as I know, Sarah Lee (whose parents have a home in Sebastian) and Johnny have not yet been presented in concert in our area since her solo debut CD in 2001.



















The wonderful folks over at the APPLESEED HEALTH FOODS (Rene & Kurt) and I will present Sarah & Johnny at Appleseed on Sunday May 4th! This is the exciting debut for Live Music at the Appleseed. Rene and Kurt plan to present a healthy buffet prior to the show, and some dessert items after the gig (included in the ticket price). I'm also pleased to report that Kurt (aka Hootie) with members of his old band BIG RED & THE BUS will perform a short set to open the show.












the poster I designed for the show
(click to enlarge)
....on CafePress







Last year I had to pleasure of interviewing Sarah Lee, and Arlo on my Acoustic Record Radio Show. Following that interview Arlo invited "Java" Jen & I to see the 'Guthrie Family Legacy' Tour in West Palm at the Kravitz Center....wow, what a night! I love Arlo in concert and have seen him a half dozen times, but the real treat that night was Sarah Lee & Johnny (and little Olivia) as 4 generations of Guthrie shared the stage (they played a snip of a recently found recording of Woody in concert too). This will be a kool night, hope to see you all there...or as many as we can fit!

(The show is limited to 60 seats, so it's best to get them early! )
Tickets Available At APPLESEED
1007 Pathfinder Way Suite 110, Rockledge, FL 32955
(321) 631-1444 www.appleseedhealth.com
(you may call in and order with your credit card)

Below are a few MP3s in case you are not familiar with Sarah & Johnny. First the title track from their disc Exploration, then "Lazy Tongue" from Sarah Lee's first solo disc, you'll hear a snip from my interview with Sarah last year, talking about one of my favorite songs they do - Johnny's "Brush You Teeth Blues #56", and then that track from Johnny's recent solo disc. Below that is a live YouTube clip of them performing "Holdin' Back" on television...enjoy.





















































SARAH LEE AND JOHNNY IRION

APPLESEED HEALTH FOOD

ARLO GUTHRIE

WOODY GUTHRIE

KOOL BEANZ

April 24, 2008

THE BEATLES on SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE!!

For only $3000!
We wish......









On this weekend in 1976 (April 24th to be exact) , Paul and Linda were hanging out with John and Yoko at his New York Dakota apartment and watching Saturday Night Live. Lorne Michaels (the shows producer) came on air and made an offer asking The Beatles to come down and play three songs live....NBC would be willing to cough up $3000 (The Beatles were now broken up for 6 years, and at this point people were already offering millions for the band to reunite).













Lennon and McCartney talked about hopping a taxi over to NBC studios to blow their minds (how sweet would that have been!), but they decided they were too tired and it was too late. Sadly, this we the last time John Lennon and Paul McCartney would see each other face to face.

Later (on May 22nd) Lorne came on again and upped the offer to $3200 plus hotel accommodations. Then in the first half of the next season (on Nov 20th), George Harrison showed up and tried to claim all the money himself. Michaels said that if it was up to him, George could have the money, but NBC wouldn't agree.

Here is the video of the original offer. Below is the audio alone.




When Paul McCartney appeared on the show on February 13th, 1993 he and Lorne were seen talking about the offer during the monologue.

Paul was also on SNL May 17th, 1980.
Ringo Starr hosted the show on the anniversary of John's death on December 8th 1984.
Sadly, John Lennon never appeared on SNL.

Also on April 24th (in 1968), The Beatles brand new company Apple Records turned down the offer to sign a new artist: David Bowie.

Below is a few mp3s...the SNL offer, The Beatles rehearsing "Two of Us" (first slow acoustic, then fast electric), and a rehearsal of "Stand By Me" from the very last time John and Paul were in a studio together in on March 28th 1974) more info on that session here.















THE BEATLES

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE

JOHN LENNON

PAUL McCARTNEY

GEORGE HARRISON


RINGO STARR

April 22, 2008

EARTH DAY









RARE EARTH DAY!


















In honor of Earth Day, and our efforts in going green, I just wanna...Get Ready....I Just Want to Celebrate! I'll celebrate by introducing to you (or reminding you of) a few tracks from one of my all-time favorite Live Albums (Top 5) - RARE EARTH IN CONCERT!



















This is actually the very first LP I every bought with my own (lawn mowing) money. "I just want to celebrate" was the hit, but I quickly fell in love with the whole album. Get long jams on original tunes and a few Motown classics (Rare Earth were actually the first Caucasian band on a subsidiary Motown label to have hit records).












The now dilapidated Miami Marine Stadium. She suffered major damage during Hurricane Andrew in '92.

The double album, also known as the "backpack album", was largely recorded at the Miami Marine Stadium in 1971 (a few tracks were from Jacksonville) was a favorite on FM radio at the time. Mostly because of it's loose & groovy vibe (listen to the rap at the beginning of "Hey Big Brother") and fine musicianship.

I later became a big fan of concerts at the Marine Stadium, what a beautiful venue at the time. I saw Peter Paul & Mary, and Chuck Mangione there, and was there the night Jimmy Buffett filmed the cocert that was to be relesed on video called "By the Bay"...you might have seen it on PBS.

Enjoy the tunes, check the links below...and maybe petition Motown to officially release Rare Earth In Concert on CD!










RARE EARTH

EARTH DAY NETWORK

GO GREEN

TREEHUGGER

ROCK THE VOTE

BOB MARLEY - ONE LOVE PEACE CONCERT

Today Marks the 30th Anniversary of Marley's Legendary Concert for Peace in his homeland Jamaica.

















Portions taken from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia:


The infamous One Love Peace Concert was held on April 22, 1978 at The National Stadium in Kingston, Jamaica. This concert was held during a political civil war in Jamaica between opposing parties Jamaican Labour Party and the People's National Party. The concert came to its peak during Bob Marley & The Wailers' performance of "Jammin'", when Marley joined the hands of political rivals Michael Manley (PNP) and Edward Seaga (JLP).





my portrait of Bob Marley












Also performing at the event was Bob's former Wailer's bandmate Peter Tosh, who played a blistering set that included: "Igziabeher"; "400 Years"; "Stepping Razor"; "Burial"; "Equal Rights"; "Legalize It"; and "Get Up, Stand Up". ("Get Up, Stand Up" was very often performed at Marley's concerts, often as the last song, it was also the last song Marley ever performed on stage, on September 23, 1980 at the Stanley Theatre in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.)

Other artists that shared the bill that day: The Meditations; Althea and Donna; Dillinger; The Mighty Diamonds; Junior Tucker; Culture; Dennis Brown; Trinity; Leroy Smart; Jacob Miller and Inner Circle; Big Youth; Beres Hammond; Ras Michael and The Sons of Negus.

When Bob and the Wailers finally took the stage, they treated the crowd to: "Lion of Judah"; "Natural Mystic"; "Trenchtown Rock"; "Natty Dread"; "Positive Vibration"; * "War"; "Jammin'"; "One Love / People Get Ready"; and "Jah Love".

Bob Marley said (sang) the following as he called the two politicians onstage, and while he held their hands above his head and said while improvising on "Jammin'":

"Just let me tell you something (yeah), to make everything come true, we gotta be together. (Yeah, yeah, yeah) and through the spirit of the Most High, His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I, we're inviting a few leading people of the slaves to shake hands. . . To show the people that you love them right, to show the people that you gonna unite, show the people that you're over bright, show the people that everything is all right. Watch, watch, watch, what you're doing, because . . I mean, I'm not so good at talking but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. Well, I'm trying to say, could we have, could we have, up here onstage here the presence of Mr. Michael Manley and Mr. Edward Seaga. I just want to shake hands and show the people that we're gonna make it right, we're gonna unite, we're gonna make it right, we've got to unite . The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead. The moon is high over my head, and I give my love instead. "
HERE IS THE CLIP:



The last time Bob was in Jamaica was 14 months earlier for the The Smile Jamaica Concert held on December 5, 1976, at the National Heroes Park, Kingston, Jamaica. Only 2 days before Marley had almost been killed by gunmen in his house, but survived and was driven up in the Blue Mountains. Nevertheless Marley agreed to perform one song for the 80,000 people in attendance, but it turned into a whole 90-minute performance despite his injuries. The set list for the show was as follows 1. War/ No More Trouble/ Get Up Stand Up 2. Crazy Baldhead/ Positive Vibration 3. Smile Jamaica 4. Rat Race 5. TrenchTown Rock 6. Keep on Moving 7. Want More 8. Them Belly Full 9. Jah Live 10. Rastaman Chant 11. Rebel Music 12. So Jah Seh



The One Love Peace Concert was captured on film, it's available on DVD, and is called Heartland Reggae. Altough it's a fascinating document, it's a rather poorly made film.









One of my great music related regrets is not having seen Bob at any of his Miami appearences. Below are a few tunes from the One Love Concert (including "Jammin'" with the above speech), "Get Up/Exodus" from Miami '78, and a rare take of "Redemtion Song" with a full band.
There is tons of great Bob Marley CDs out there...if you don't have some, do yerself a favor mon, go get'cha some.










BOB MARLEY

HEARTLAND REGGAE

HAILE SELASSIE

PETER TOSH

RASTAFARI

April 20, 2008

Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam,

Spam Spam Spam Spam, Spam Spam Spam Spam!
MONTY PYTHON'S SPAMALOT On Tour!

I'm not sure if I've yet made it clear here how huge a Monty Python fan I am.....












It all began on an (not Anne), an Elk farm outside Cadbury Castle, near the River Cam, in Somerset, England. A land surrounded by plains and forests, and..no, no, No - WAIT...start again.....
....It all started for my in the summer of 1975. I was visiting with my deer Aunt Jerry & her 9 elks, sorry - kids in California for the summer. My cousin Kevin turned me onto the album MONTY PYTHON'S PREVIOUS RECORD (their best!)...I wore the damn thing out, and I haven't been bloody right since!

A few weeks later, Kevin had a special surprise for me:



















Ol' KevBud took me to The Plaza Theatre in L.A. for the West Coast World Premiere of THE HOLY GRAIL (simultaneously, a premiere was occurring in Chicago, and NYC). What a blast! Free coconuts, and laughter so strong we missed half the jokes.
Joining us after the show, outside the lobby were Eric Idle & Terry Gilliam! Eric was holding a big bucket of popcorn, handing out single pieces to us folks not lucky enough to get a coconut,
saying "nobody walks away from a Monty Python movie empty 'anded"! Then Eric and Terry hung around, leaning on a limo, and told jokes & signed autographs.

I've often looked around online to see if I could find press clippings from the event. I've had no luck yet - but I did find the above ad for the show in the wonderful 2003 book The Python's by The Pythons.














Fast forward 33 years later, for Christmas '07 my wife surprised me with tickets for the first National Touring Cast of SPAMALOT (the Broadway Musical based on the HOLY GRAIL motion picture).



















The play is the brain child of none other than (the troupe's self proclaimed Greedy Bastard) Eric Idle himself. Perfect gift for this lifelong fan!! Thank you baby (my wife..not Eric).












Wow! What a performance. Even my wife (who disliked the film) loved it! Although much of the play follows the (already loose) storyline of the Holy Grail, the writers threw in a fantastic mix of of gags and songs from that film and other Python films; records; and TV, and even some contemporary and local references (such as name dropping Orlando Mayor Buddy Dryer).





The only way Spamalot could have been better, would have been actual Monty Python members in the cast! It is an enchanting (though a bit surreal) evening out, very colorful and The only thing that could have made SPAMALOT terrifically funny. A must see for all...bring the whole family!!












SPAMALOT

MONTY PYTHON

ERIC IDLE

April 17, 2008

La la la la la lovely Linda...

....with the lovely flowers in her hair.

LINDA McCARTNEY
September 24, 1941 – April 17, 1998



















10 years ago today Paul McCartney lost his one true love of thirty years. They said that the only time they ever spent apart in all those years, was the few days that he spent in a Japanese jail (for the infamous pot bust).

Prior to meeting Paul, she had become a respected Rock n Roll photographer, first shooting The Rolling Stones during a record promotion party, then she was asked to be the house photographer at the Fillmore East concert hall. She has shot iconic photos of such artists as Bob Dylan, Simon and Garfunkel, Janis Joplin, Aretha Franklin, The Who, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton, Simon and many others.












just a few of Linda's famous photos...of course Paul, Beatles, Janis, Jimi, Dylan, Lennon and Stills.



I personally became a big fan of her work when her first international Gallery Tour opened in Miami in 1982 in support of her wonderful first book "Photographs". A beautiful book, and a beautiful show, I only regret missing the McCartneys on opening weekend!



















Besides being Lady McCartney, and an internationally acclaimed photographer, Linda was a well known vegetarian and author of the health food books "Linda's Kitchen". Linda also supported many charitable organizations such as PETA, Friends Of The Earth, and the League Against Cruel Sports.

Oh yeah, and although she's taken a ribbing in the press for some bad background vocals in concert caught on tape, she was on third of the core group WINGS with Paul and Denny Laine... playing keyboards and background vocals on many of the bands biggest hits (and lending vocals on records by the likes of James Taylor, Ringo Starr, and Mike McGear).

She was outspoken about pot, stating that hard drugs were disgusting, but marijuana "is pretty lightweight". Linda was arrested in Los Angeles for possession of marijuana in 1975, In 1984, Paul and Linda were arrested in Barbados for possession of weed and were fined $200, when they arrived home at Heathrow Airport, Linda was arrested again on charges of possession. Ooops.

People will say what they will about the Beatle's wives, mostly Linda & Yoko, but the fact remains Paul and Linda were indeed soul mates, and it's evident that for Paul even 10 years later, Linda's his one true love.

Linda passed away from breast cancer that too soon grew worse and spread to her liver.
Paul suggests that fans remember her by donating to breast-cancer research charities that do not support animal-testing...."or the best tribute — go veggie!". See the links below.













"Seaside Woman", a single record released in 1977 by an obscure band called Suzy and the Red Stripes, was really Wings with Linda McCartney on lead vocals.
Wide Prairie, Linda's only solo album, (which included "Seaside Woman"), was released posthumously in 1998.

Here is "Cook of the House" from Wide Prairie, and Linda reading a few of her recipes on her "Cook of the House" segment on Paul's syndicated radio show OobuJoobu, these are really fun to listen to.
Rest in Peace Lovely Linda.














Linda McCartney® frozen Vegetarian Meals

THE LINDA McCARTNEY CENTRE

Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation

Paul McCartney

PETA

New Linda McCartney Gallery Showing



WINGS

April 15, 2008

FREEBO!

Freebo Live.
Melbourne, FL
4-19-08



















YES!~
World Class Musician, and Friend FREEBO makes what seems his 10th appearance here in Brevard in about as many years. And we always welcome his return with open arms!

Freebo, if you don't already know is a top bassist/sideman (having worked with Bonnie Raitt, John Mayall, CSN, Maria Muldaur, Ringo Starr and many others). He's also an award-winning singer/songwriter (L.A. Music Awards “Best Folk Artist”, winner ’07 South Florida Folk Festival Songwriting Contest, 5 nominations in 5 categories JPF Awards, 2 songs in top 10 of International Songwriting Contest).










We had Freebo perform at Kool Beanz several times. The first time sharing the stage with John Hall and Robbie Dupree, then debuting the first solo disc of his career "The End of The Beginning". If you've not had a chance to see him, this show is a must. Besides being one the most talented musicians I know, Freebo is funny, warm, outspoken, and has a great command of the stage.

Since then, he has release several more wonderful discs including "Dog People", and "Before the Separation".


















THIS Saturday April 19th – 7:30 pm
Freebo in concert -
$15 at door or sdaly4@cfl.rr.com
Unity of Melbourne, 1745 Trimble Rd., Melbourne

Buy Tickets online! here (scroll to the bottom of their page)


The Concert features not only FREEBO.....
THE HIGHER SOUND Choir (of which my wife, Java Jen is a member) opening the show!
















Last year when I had the pleasure of interviewing Freebo on the Acoustic Record radio show. We talked about his long career, his work with Bonnie Raitt, John Hall and others, politics and much more. Here are a few performance clips from the interview for your listening pleasure. If you like what you hear, I hope we get to see you all at the show...if you are not near by, visit www.freebo.com and pick up some of the man's music!








....and one for you by the Higher Sound Choir





Visit Freebo On-Line:
FREEBO

April 06, 2008

Home Away From Home......

KOOL BEANZ!



















It was six years ago this weekend that we closed the doors on what John Hall called "that great cultural experiment - Kool Beanz".

My wife Jen and I opened our beloved coffeehouse/music venue in early 1998, and closed it's doors in 2002.
















In between those years we made a thousand friends, and had nearly as many musicians play for us. Some of the musical highlights: our CD recording party, Magda, Diane & Marianne, Sam Pacetti, Jerry Daze, John Hall w/ Freebo & Robbie Dupree, Hootenanny Sundays, Chief Jim Billie, Lagoonapaloooza, Denny Doherty, Spider John & Dave Ray, The Night of The Living Deadbeats, Lorin Rowan, Victoria Williams w/Mark Olson & the Creekdippers, all of our local friends...and the list goes on.

I was looking for some pictures to share with you all, then I remembered the collage I made that hung by the front door, and thought that would be perfect. Below, is a full shot of the collage, then below it some close ups. Lots good time, old friends, young friends, and lost friends. (click on the pics to enlarge).




















Below are a few of the 17 tracks we recorded over two nights in 1999 for our Kool Beanz CD. In the future I will post other tracks, and some info on where many of these artists are today.




















Diane Runion came to visit shortly after we opened and sat in with our Sunday Hootenanny. The next Sunday she came back to our Open Mic and played this song, the song that became the title track to our CD the next year.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME:






















Before we found out what a talented multi-instrumentalist Bryan McCahill was, we all knew him as the guy who played the kool ukulele songs.
DANCE OF THE SUGARPLUM FAIRIES:









































Janet Reedy was known for her beautiful voice, long hair, and great parodies of songs. She claims she really only ever wrote one song, this one - in her sleep!
DIRTY KISS:








































Dave Grooms played for us nearly every Tuesday night for four years, he also helps me co-ordinate the Jerry Daze concerts...these two feature him and his band The HoneyBucket HillBilly Band.
HESITATION BLUES/TODAY








































Our friend from the old Java The Hut Days, Terry Kelly has written dozens of great songs, but at Kool Beanz everyone howled for this one!
WHEN I WAS A DOG:





































we also knew Steve Hodak from "the Hut", a great guy, and one of my favorite songwriters, ever, This one will rip yer heart out.
BUTTERFLY MOON:






























Nick Caffeine (aka Terry Kelly) wrote a little radio jingle for us....it ended up being the backing for the intro track on the Kool Beanz CD, where Willie and Kevin overdubbed outtakes from the stage over Terry's rap.
NICK CAFFEINE AND THE COFFEEKATS:





















Denny Doherty, Java Jen & I


All the love and thanks must go out to my lovely bride Jennifer, without whom our Home Away From Home would have never been possible.

Although I don't think I really want to do the coffeehouse thing again, I've never admitted it...but every time I drive by a closed business, I wonder....hmmmm, that might be a good place for another KB.....



PLEASE Feel Free to Leave to any Thought or Remembrances of Kool Beanz in the comments section below. If you don't have a copy of the CD, I'll give one away to one of the people who leaves a comment....just make sure you leave me your e-mail address so I can notify the winner.