Roots Report

Okee dokee folks … Music venues seem to be an ever changing landscape in Rhode Island. They come and they go. Some open with big promises of support and shows, but just crash and burn on the runway. Others surprisingly flourish like a weed through the cracks of a sidewalk. Around here, it’s very hard to predict what won’t work and what will, and for how long. Before the drinking age was raised to 21, there were lots of places to catch live music. Yes, alcohol played and still plays a big factor in the survival of venues. Hell, even colleges had clubs on campus. When I went to my orientation at Rhode Island College they bought our group a keg of beer! While I was still underage I would often sneak into nightclubs to hear bands – things were a bit looser back then. Two of the more popular nightclubs in Rhode Island were Gullivers and The Library – both in rural (at the time) Smithfield, but they had a strong base of clientele from Bryant College. I would often go to these clubs as well as the crazy frat parties that used to take place at Bryant. This was about the same time as the film Animal House was in theaters, so you can only imagine…

As the raised drinking age began to take its toll on the crowd, some nightclubs closed, and if they didn’t close, the live music was replaced with DJs and dance music. Fortunately, the raised drinking age didn’t affect me and my access to the clubs. Places started to crack down on underage patrons – more coffee houses began to pop up, and for a time, there was quite a network of acoustic venues around the northeast. The ‘90s folk performers could eke out a living playing the coffeehouse and college circuit. These venues often had a solid, built-in fan base, and shows were frequently well attended. As the ‘90s and 2000s carried on, folk fell out of fashion and those rooms began closing as well. Jump ahead to the pandemic: that messy situation did some serious damage to venues and the music scene. What we’ve learned, as if we needed a refresher, is that nothing is permanent. Greedy landlords, mismanagement, financial issues, location, nearby road construction, city/state policies/laws, fads, inconveniences and tragedies are all factors in the lifespan of a venue. For example, tonight I played my last gig at a place I have been playing for two years. When they reemerge from their transition, the whole menu will change, and they won’t present live music anymore. All I can say is enjoy each place while you can, and just go out and find a new one when they’re gone. It’s just the way things are and probably always will be – a never-ending game of music venue musical chairs. Read on…

If you are a fan of Bluegrass music then you should probably get over to Nic-A-Nees, 75 South Street in Providence, and hear some of the fine picking that happens every Wednesday at 8:30pm when Sal Sauco presents the Bluegrass “Throedown.” Sauco brings in only the finest local and regional Bluegrass acts. Scheduled for the next few weeks are: 9/4 South County Rounders, 9/11 Chris Luquette & Shane McGeehan Band, 9/18 To Be Continued, 9/25 Hope Valley Volunteers, 10/9 Poor Monroe, 10/16 Ragged Union, and 10/23 Mudsills. For the latest updates of the pickin’ and a grinnin’ happenings, mow over to bluegrassthroedown.com

Here’s a new one for you! East Providence Heritage Arts is partnering with the Rhode Island Songwriters Association (RISA) to produce a new coffeehouse that will be located in the cafeteria of the East Providence Senior Center at 610 Waterman Avenue in East Providence. The first show will take place on Friday, September 13, at 7pm with Louise Mosrie headlining and Tom Smith opening the show. Singer/songwriter Louise Mosrie has won several performing songwriter awards and has a talent for story-telling in every song. Tom Smith, a well-known talent in the New England folk scene and beyond, has been described as “a combination of Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Robert Frost and Kermit the Frog.”

The second show of the season will be Friday, September 27 and will showcase the four rotating hosts of the RISA, now in its 21st season: Allison Rose, Joanne Lurgio, Jim Tata and Jan Luby. For more compose on over to epheritagearts.org, facebook.com/ epheritagearts, risongwriters.com, or facebook. com/risongwritersassociation..

Multi-award winning blues/rock musician, Colin James and his band will be performing at The Greenwich Odeum on Thursday, September 19. James has released 20 studio albums, won 8 Juno Awards, 31 Maple Blues Awards, and amassed multiplatinum record sales. His upcoming release, the 21st studio album, Chasing the Sun, features musical guests Lucinda Williams, bassist Darryl Jones, and drummer Charley Drayton (who have backed Miles Davis and The Rolling Stones), Charlie Musselwhite, and gospel artists Ann and Regina McCrary. Also coming up at The Greenwich Odeum: Los Lonely Boys, Howie Day, Lez Zeppelin, Satisfaction, Damn The Torpedoes, Imagination Movers, Vic DiBitetto, Robert Cray, Band of Brothers, Bruce Cockburn, The Legendary Wailers, Almost Queen, and much more. Go-de-over to greenwichodeum.com for more.

This November please remember to VOTE BLUE, not orange! If you know ANYTHING about Project 2025 or its many pseudonyms it is VERY BAD for this country. We CANNOT let ANY of this happen!!! •

That’s it for now. You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast and find my concert photographs at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening. johnfuzek.com

Photo: Louise Mosrie