Okee dokee folks… Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra famously said, “It’s deja vu all over again,” and this certainly applies to this year’s RI primary elections. So why am I writing about elections in a music column? Two reasons: It’s my damn column and maybe if enough people talk about what happened more folks will participate in future elections. The turnout for this year’s primaries was pitiful and once again gave us Gigi vs. Fump.
There were better choices in the primaries, but since most of you didn’t vote, we won’t have those superior choices come election day. This brings me to another Yogi quote, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” In ’85 Richard Pryor starred in a film called Brewster’s Millions. Pryor was a baseball player who stood to inherit $300 million based on many strange contingencies. One was that he spend $30 million in a month, but it couldn’t be on himself. So he funded a “None of the Above” candidate in an election. None of the Above won and forced a new election with new candidates. We desperately need a “None of the Above” choice because our candidates are pathetic.
Another Yogi Berra-ism states: “Even Napoleon had his Watergate.” While we wait for a full-blown Watergate to purge this country of its national embarrassment in the White House, let’s avoid acquiring one in the State House. I’ll close with one of Berra’s most famous quotes: “It ain’t over till it’s over.” If there are any philanthropists out there who love Rhode Island and want to save it from its bleak fate, please sponsor a “None of the Above” choice in November’s elections! We need a cleansing, WHITE Wave. Back to our regularly scheduled subjects. Read on…
So the story loosely goes: A 17-year-old kid headed to Laurel Canyon and knocked on Neil Young’s door. The result marked the beginning of Nils Lofgren’s involvement with Young’s albums and his band Crazy Horse. Later he would sign on as part of Bruce Springsteen’s E-Street Band for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Lofgren has had countless other collaborations as well as a lengthy and successful solo career. He is known for his songwriting and multi-instrumentalist skills, and at one point he was known for incorporating acrobatics into his shows. But years of flips and his age resulted in a double hip-replacement. Right now he is out on the road doing his own thing and will be somersaulting into Fall River on Wednesday, September 26 for a night at the Narrows Center for the Arts. Also coming to the Narrows this month are Mark Cutler & Becky Chace on September 29 and The Weepies on September 30. For more, “Shine Silently” to narrowscenter.com
For the first time in 25 years, Common Fence Music will take their award-winning concert series on the road! While their Portsmouth Mainstage is undergoing renovations, CFM is stepping out into the broader Aquidneck Island community, bringing live music to alternate venues. They also will continue the Warren Sessions series, established in September 2017 at Hope & Main in Warren. Common Fence Music’s 26th Fall Season kicks off on Friday, September 21, at 8pm with a special outdoor event in the Schoolyard at Hope & Main on 691 Main Street in Warren. Featuring the country-folk duo of Cowboy & Lady and Brazilian-psychedelic folk band SÃ Sol, this fresh air event will be the perfect way to celebrate the start of fall. Their concert season will continue through December 31. For more information about CFM;s concert season, cornucopia over to commonfencemusic.org
From the “Read It and Run” section. John Davidson will appear as part of the Route 44 Music Series at the Harmony Lodge in Harmony on Thursday, September 20, at 7:30pm. You may remember him from TV’s “Hollywood Squares” or “That’s Incredible” or his recent appearance at PPAC in the Broadway musical Finding Neverland. And yes, it is THE John Davidson. For more,”Daydream” to hearinrhodeisland.com
At the Columbus Theatre on Sunday, September 30, at 7pm, a group of musicians will perform a show called Through the Night: An Evening of Lullabies to Benefit RAICES. RAICES promotes justice by providing free and low-cost legal services to underserved immigrant children, families and refugees in Texas. Performers include: Allysen Callery, Glenna and Jillian Van Nostrand, NOVA ONE, Cardboard Ox, Mountainess, Morgan Johnston, Kate Mick, Avi Jacob and more. Rock-a-bye to facebook.com/events/233110
That’s it for now. Look for my review of the 33rd annual Farm Aid concert at motifri.com/farmaid2018. Thanks for reading. JohnFuzek.com
