Roots Report

Okee dokee folks… It’s Only Life After All. I may be a little late to the game with this one, but the documentary It’s Only Life After All has just arrived on Netflix. It’s Only Life After All is a documentary about Indigo Girls. In the late ’80s, their music popped onto the radio, and my ears perked up. They were a sound that I always loved acoustic duos like Simon & Garfunkel, The Everly Brothers, and Aztec-Two-Step. I was doing the duo thing during the same time as the Indigo Girls. I was thrilled they were so popular. They even headlined the Newport Folk Festival for many years during the ’90s. While watching the documentary, they talked about many things I identified with. The one that resonated most was when they discussed plugging in their guitars instead of mic-ing them (which most of the folk rooms at the time preferred) and dealing with an edgier sound than folk folks were used to. In fact, in a newspaper article about the duo I was in, Fuzek-Rossoni, we were dubbed “too rock for folk and too folk for rock.”
Back in the early ’90s, when Bob Jones ran things at the Newport Folk Festival, he graciously would give backstage passes to some of the area folk acts. Mary Ann Rossoni and I were granted access to several early ’90s festival weekends. The first time we received the passes, we were waiting to be escorted in, along with four other women who also had passes. As we talked, we learned that one of the women was the sister of one of the Indigo Girls, Amy Ray. We all decided to share a blanket. Back then, things were more laid back. We could actually spread out on the grass. After their set, we went back into the trailer. We were introduced to the Indigo Girls themselves, Ray and Emily Saliers. We chatted about music,
guitars, duo sounds and such. That day, my friend snapped a photo of me with Amy. Strangely enough, at the end of It’s Only Life After All, a picture flashes of Amy in front of the Newport Folk Festival stone wall, her outfit the same as it was on that day years ago. Besides that, nothing was referenced about Newport
Folk Fest, even though they were a big part of it many times. After the set, Amy came out and sat on the
blanket with her sister and the rest of us. After a bit, when fans noticed and swarmed, Amy retreated to the safety of backstage. Over the years, I’ve met Indigo Girls on many occasions.

I have become good friends with Michelle Malone, one of their friends/collaborators/bandmates and a fellow Georgian. Purely coincidentally, Michelle Malone will perform at the Rhode Island Folk Festival in August. The It’s Only Life After All documentary is a good watch for those who are Indigo Girl fans and appreciate their music, are interested in the duo’s story and their support of social and environmental causes. They pack a lot into the two-hour film. Check it out!

Banjo Hall of Fame member Alison Brown will be at the Narrows Center for the Arts in Fall River on August 8. She will be appearing with the long-time members of her touring Quintet: John Ragusa (flute), Mason Embry (piano), Garry West (bass), and Bryan Brock (drums). She is a frequent musical collaborator with actor/comedian/banjoist Steve Martin. Their newest single went to #1 on the Bluegrass Radio Chart. Also at the Narrows will be Blues Music Award winner Sue Foley. She will perform her high-energy, guitar-driven Texas blues at the Narrows on Thursday, August 15. She will be joined by her band, The Pistolas, who will also play a solo acoustic set featuring songs from her latest album, One Guitar Woman. The recording is a solo, acoustic album that is a tribute to the female pioneers. On that disc, Foley performs all the songs on one guitar – a nylon-string acoustic guitar. For more, get the pluck over to narrowscenter.org

Glenn Dewell and the Usual Suspects will gather on the deck at Java Madness to support Mark Cutler and his Same Thing Project on Monday, August 12, from 11 am until 3 pm. Pete Vendettuoli, Richard Ribb, Joe Parillo, Peter Bortolotti, and other special guests will join us during the Rhode Island Monday holiday. Donations will be collected for the Same Thing Project, which has brought Rhode Islanders together to write original songs in a group setting. Java Madness is located at 134 Salt Pond Road in South Kingstown, right on the water. For more, percolate over to javamadness.com

We are about a month away from the Rhode Island Folk Festival. The fest relies entirely on grants and donations to operate and keep it FREE!. Their GoFundMe campaign, as well as a Venmo and PayPal account, is where you can contribute. Get the folk over to RhodeIslandFolkFestival.com, www.gofundme.com/f/rhode-is-land-folk-festival-2024, or @HearIn-RhodeIsland.

IMPORTANT! It doesn’t matter who, JUST VOTE BLUE this November. Keep the orange stain away.

That is it for now. By the way, my band, Forever Young, will be performing an acoustic show featuring the music of Neil Young, with special guest Nicole Gauthier playing the songs of Joni Mitchell at The PumpHouse in Wakefield on August 10. If you haven’t seen Nicole sing Joni, you’re missing something special! (pumphouse-musicworks.com). •

Remember to read Motif to keep up with the latest shows. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/ rootsreportpodcast and find my concert photographs at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks. johnfuzek.com