Okee dokee folks… Parking. That is what is on my mind today. In my opinion, if a venue – or any business for that matter – does not take easy parking access into consideration as part of their operating scheme, then they are missing the big picture. Nowhere is this more important than in this little state of ours.
Many times, whether playing a show or just going to an event, I have had folks say to me that they drove around for a half hour, or more, to find a parking spot and were quite aggravated OR I would find out afterwards that they gave up looking for a spot and just went home. I have done both. Back in the ’60s we took the bus downtown. There were lots of stores there, and the city was where folks shopped. But as the ’70s rolled around, the stores moved out to more rural locations and there were huge parking lots that made these shopping mall ventures convenient. Folks outside of the city and of a certain age want convenient parking, and they don’t want to pay $30-40. Providence is not Boston, though the traffic is beginning to take on the feel of a bean town excursion. I have been thinking of a simple solution for this problem, one that we use at the Rhode Island Folk Festival – a shuttle! If a concert venue is hosting a big event and expects an audience in the 100s or 1,000s, they should connect with an off-site lot and hire a shuttle bus to ferry folks to-and-fro for the event. It’s like a “group Uber.” This can only help attendance. Venues that book classic rock shows in Providence should really think about what they are doing and who they are trying to draw. The older demo, to which I belong, is not making a foray into PVD if we can’t easily or cheaply park, plain and simple. Venues should start thinking more about the big picture first, instead of the big profit. If you solve one, the other should follow. Read on…
Local musician Matthew Fraza has heeded the call for protest music and sent in his poignant contribution to share with you folks. In the song “Wake Up,” Fraza sings, “Wake up, everyone, From this long night, Wake up, we’ve got to make it right, Wake up, don’t let them steal your time. Wake up, the future’s on the line, Wake up, Wake up, Revolution in your spirit, Rebellion in your mind. Take back your attention, Stop wasting precious time.” You can watch Matthew perform it in his video posted to YouTube!
If you want to get more involved and learn more about protest music, you should consider a trip to Somerville to Which Side?: A Protest Music Event. Which Side? is a concert and discussion series celebrating all forms of protest music. The event is inspired by author James Sullivan’s book Which Side Are You On?: 20th Century American History in 100 Protest Songs as a launching point for live performance and conversation about how music gives voice to resistance, advocacy, and change. Six guest artists tackle classic and contemporary protest songs and the meaning behind them. Rick Berlin, Will Dailey, Thea Hopkins, Aaron Perrino (The Sheila Divine), Cliff Notez, and Chad Stokes (Dispatch), will each be performing two songs –- one inspired by the book, and one of their own. They will be backed by house band The Paid Protesters — Ed Valauskas (music director), Anthony Kaczynski, Paul Buckley, Magen Tracy, and others. The show happens on Tuesday, Oct 28, 8pm at The Burren Back Room in Somerville. For more, rally over to: 24hourmusic.com
The mango moron and his imbecilic minions must be stopped and removed, soon. He is openly defying the Constitution and breaking laws. On Saturday, Oct 18, the NO KINGS DAY protests will happen in over 2000 locations. They NEED to be the biggest demonstrations in US history. We must rise up and defy this criminal regime in every way possible! For more, march over to: nokings.org, indivisible.org, or fiftyfifty.one
After you protest, head over to Channing Memorial Church in Newport for Newport Live’s concert with the Steve Dyer Quartet on Oct 18. Dyer is a South African composer and musician driven by the profound philosophy that no single culture owns a monopoly on human wisdom, and that all humans are equal. Also coming up for Newport Live is An Entire Evening with John Wesley Harding on Nov 8. For more, bridge over to: newportlive.org •
That’s it for now. Send me your protest songs! (RISongwriters@yahoo.com). You can listen to my podcasts at motifri.com/rootsreportpodcast and find my concert photographs at motifri.com/fuzeksfotos. Thanks for reading and listening.