It Takes a Village: Town crier talks music and medicine

Okee dokee folks … I honestly thought that we would be beyond pandemic discussions by now, but we’re not. GET A F**KING VACCINE!!! We have the capacity to eradicate the virus, but it takes a village and we are learning that the village has more than one idiot. It has throngs of them. As long as the unvaxxed walk among us, the virus has human fuel to burn and MUTATE. This is on you now — science has done its part. Smarten up or everything is going to get locked down again. I don’t want to live in a bubble with no live music again. I am fine with natural selection weeding out the covidiots, but seriously enough is enough. GET A VACCINE so we can ALL be safe and get back to normal. Thank you. Now read on…

The 7th annual Rhode Island Folk Festival (formerly the Providence Folk Fest) will take place on Sunday, August 29 at Rose Larisa Park in Riverside (East Providence). It’s right across from the carousel so you can dash over for a painted pony ride between sets. This year’s fest features three stages of music with over 40 acts, and best of all, it’s FREE. There will also be food and crafts. For more, get the folk over to RhodeIslandFolkFestival.com There is still time to donate $$ to help fund the fest!

The Rhythm and Roots Festival will take place Labor Day weekend at Ninigret Park in Charlestown. Though this year’s fest will be a bit smaller due to the pandemic, the Motif award-winning event will still retain the charm and fun of previous years. This year’s line-up includes Richard Thompson, John Hiatt, Donna the Buffalo, Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys, Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi, and way too many more to list. R&R has instituted safety protocols: “To gain admittance, all attendees entering the campgrounds and/or the festival grounds will be required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test result taken within 72 hours.” For more, root-a-toot to RhythmandRoots.com

The Providence Performing Arts Center will be presenting shows once again! On Friday, August 20, Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes will be having a party and you’re invited! This Jersey band formed in the ’70s and had a close association with Springsteen. They are known for their horn-driven renditions of “The Fever,” “Walk Away Renee,” “Talk To Me” and, of course, “Havin’ a Party.” Their shows are always a lot of fun and they are bringing along Jon Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band to make it even more so! I had a chance to speak with John Lyon, aka Southside Johnny, and you can read that interview at MotifRI.com/southsidejohnny. PPAC is back in action and there are lots more shows to come. Elvis Costello was just added to the calendar! For more, palace over to PPACRI.org

The chartbustin’ Robin Lane comes to Providence on Saturday, August 14, to perform a benefit in support of her nonprofit, Songbird Sings, which helps trauma survivors heal through songwriting and music. The show will be at Dusk and besides Lane will feature performances by Kid Gulliver, Justine and The Unclean, Nightspell, and The Jacklights. To learn more about Robin’s organization, tweet over to SongbirdSings.org. For more about the show, dash over to DuskProvidence.com.

The Z in New B has shows for FREE! The City of New Bedford in partnership with The Zeiterion Theatre present Summer Sound Series, free concerts in Custom House Square in downtown New Bedford! The beer garden opens at 2pm, with live music from 4–7pm. Bring a lawn chair and lounge in the park, or sit under the tent and have a drink from the on-site bar. On the schedule is Kim Trusty on August 12, The Jethros on August 19 and Rebecca Correia on August 26. For more, X, Y over to the Z at Zeiterion.org

Even though John Chan is retiring and getting out of the food/music biz, there are still great shows happening at his venue. Blues-rock singer-guitarist Mike Zito will be performing with special guest Anthony Geraci on piano on Thursday, August 19 at Chan’s in Woonsocket. With numerous Blues Music Award honors under his belt, Mike Zito just released his new album with Hillside Global, Resurrection, on July 16, and recently won two Blues Music Awards from The Blues Foundation. Also at Chan’s: The Peacheaters, Michelle Wilson & the Evil Gal Orchestra, Duke Robillard Band, Diane Blue & Friends,Confounded Bridge and much more! Order up to ChansEggRollsandJazz.com for more.

That’s it for now, thanks for reading. Please, please, please get vaxxed. Don’t be part of the reason we shut down and raise the COVID numbers again. Be part of the solution! www.JohnFuzek.com