Okee dokee folks… May 3 marks the 100th anniversary of the birth of folk icon and social activist, Pete Seeger. Although Seeger passed away in 2014 at the age of 94, he is still an inspiration for folk musicians worldwide and celebrations of his life and music take place annually during the month of May. […]
Okee dokee folks… For some reason, the saying “you’ve got to pay your dues” has been bouncing around in my head. The late Richard Walton of Stone Soup Coffeehouse used to utter that phrase often when he was introducing musicians who had signed up for the “hoot” at the coffeehouse. I remember the first time […]
Okee dokee folks…I have watched the rockumentary Chicago: Now More Than Ever many times over. Chicago’s greatest hits was one of my early favorite albums. I remember getting it for Christmas in 1975 and having my father complain about their music. Ironically a few years back I took my parents to see Chicago in concert […]
Okee dokee folks… Have you noticed the illuminated message signs along our major highways and the annoyingly punny sayings on them? Personally, I think that these signs should be used for one thing only: emergencies. Instead, they visually shout stupidity at you as you pass. They are such a turn-off because they never seem to be turned […]
Okee dokee folks…On Thursday, March 28, Loudon Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche and Suzzy Roche will bring their All In A Family show to the Greenwich Odeum in East Greenwich. It took me a while and a lot of e-mailing, but I finally secured an interview with the patriarch of the Wainwright clan, Loudon Wainwright, and […]
Okee dokee folks… “It’s s time we stop, hey, what’s that sound, everybody look what’s going down.” This is from one of the most famous protest songs ever written, “For What It’s Worth,” by Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield). It was written more than 50 years ago in response to the Sunset Strip curfew riots in California […]
Here is a list of my favorite/the best protest/sociopolitical songs. It is important that this kind of music is written and heard. Some songs are in your face while some are more subtle. Either way, hear the messages! “Won’t Get Fooled Again” – The Who “Volunteers” – Jefferson Airplane “I Ain’t Marching Anymore” – Phil […]
Okee dokee folks… The Providence Performing Arts Center was bustling on a Tuesday night for the opening night of School of Rock in Providence. All ages filled the PPAC auditorium and even though it was a (regular) school night, junior theater-goers were strongly represented. Many of you may have seen or are familiar with the […]
Okee dokee folks… Lately one of my cats has decided that sitting on my lap while I am at the computer is his new thing to do. This makes working on the computer quite difficult, but it makes scratching his head quite easy. When I had dogs they would just lie next to the desk […]
Okee dokee folks… I find myself often starting sentences with the phrase, “When I was young.” Just one of the realities of aging, I guess. Anyway, when I was young, when we wanted to start a band we would just ask schoolmates who played the instruments we wanted to have in the group, we met up […]