Thursday, July 5, 2007

Helpful Links

Just to keep you all well informed:

For info on the Rhode Island Film Festival, go to: www.RIFF.org

For The Cutlass Three's latest gigs: www.myspace.com/thecutlassband

For Scott Allen's music, info, and downloads: www.milomusic.com

For more on Martha Davis and The Motels: www.marthadavis.com

For truly twisted humor: http://rantsfromrockyhill.blogspot.com

For Dick's incredibly insane sci-fi novel (I get $3 a copy!!!):
Go to www.Xlibris.com
Got to homepage, click on bookstore
Enter title: Winworld

I'll keep adding to this in the future.

Monday, July 2, 2007

Shameless Self Promotion Part 1

In recognition of the fact that the two things I like to write about are music and humor, I've begun another blog (After all, it's free, and there's no freelance markets anymore anyway). The title is "Rants From Rocky Hill. The correct web address is http://rantsfromrockyhill.blogspot.com/

I've decided that, in order to maintain quality, I will now do posts on both blogs in two week intervals (For the two or three of you who read this !).

I am also going to focus the music blog on artists I know that I think deserve more exposure, so, in two weeks, you can read all about a truly gifted practioner of traditional music, a friend since the age of 18 named Bruce Burnside.

Last but not least before I get off the soapbox and get back to reality, if you'd like to contribute to the Big D. Retirement Fund, why not check out my totally insane scifi epic "Winworld" and maybe even buy your own copy. Just go to the Xlibris site and search by the title.

That's it for now - peace out from your trusty correspondant.

Only the Lonely

I can't recall a year in my life in which I've experienced so much emotional pain. My close relationships have been colored by death or disease or misinterpreting someone else's emotions due to my own desperate need for light at the end of the tunnel. So much of my life has been spent alone that I've turned to specific songs over the years for solace, to somehow fill the void. These tunes don't necessarily cheer me up, but they help me hold on until the pain softened and the tears stopped, which they eventually do.


I first heard The Motels back in the early 80s when I was working at a suburban Boston radio station, surrounded by relationships but unable to form one myself.The song on their 1981 album "All Four One" (Capitol) that had the most impact on me was Martha Davis' existential LA lament "Only The Lonely" (Not to be confused with the Roy Orbison song). Fortunately, she is still recording; you can get the latest information about her and the band by visiting http://www.marthadavis.com/. One part of the site has excerpts from an interview with Martha, in which she describes herself as a child: "I was a loner...awkward and self-deprecating. Not much has changed.."( (c) 2007 The MotelsMarthaDavis ) Most people I know would agree that this fits me perfectly.


Only The Lonely created a vision for me, evoking the emptiness of the so-called modern world, the existential groping between people trying to connect. Her dramatic vocal paints a picture of a lost relationship: "We walk the loneliest mile / We smile without any style/ We kiss altogether wrong / No intention". ( Martha Davis / Clean Sheets Music/BMI) My interpretation was the sensation of waking up in a relationship, realizing , as so many people do, that you've pushed yourself or been pushed into a love affair that was a mistake from the beginning, but you cling together out of fear. As the refrain echoes" It's like I told you/ Only the lonely can play" (Martha Davis / Clean Sheets Music /BMI) .

So often in life we drift aimlessly from one failed attempt at love to another, allowed ourselves to be bruised because we feel we need companionship. The older I get, the more I realize how important it is to see things for what they really are. At times like this, I appreciate the insight of artists like Martha Davis.

Thursday, June 21, 2007

The Evidence is Clear

I've rarely met someone who had the courage to act on their convictions, as well as unbridled creativity, a low key, laid back personality and incredible energy, but Scott - Doc - Allen combines all of these elements. I met him in a writers' group in Providence about a year ago, but had previously seen his name in the Providence Journal. After spending seven years as Medical Director for the ACI in Cranston, Scott resigned in protest over the mishandling and cover up of the beating of a mentally ill inmate housed in isolation. His moral stance made headlines, making me wonder how someone could be brave enough to sacrifice his job to make such a definitive statement.


Scott then shifted his focus, joining Physicians for Human Rights, working on their Campaign Against Torture. Doc Allen reviewed and published the causes of death for over 100 detainees primarily at "Gitmo" Bay in Cuba, and collaborated with major medical associations in helping develop ethical guidelines for health professionals relative to abuse and torture, which included testifying before the American Medical Association's annual meeting. PHR is on the verge of releasing a report co-authored by Scott detailing the likely health consequences of waterboarding, sleep deprivation, prolonged isolation, stress positions - the still permitted "enhanced interrogation techniques" - which are , in fact, torture and should be outlawed.


You might ask yourself how Scott Allen finds the time to make music, especially his CD "The Evidence", recorded entirely in his home studio in Cumberland, Rhode Island over a seven year period. I used to shudder when I heard the words "home studio" during my rock and roll radio days, never knowing if the battered cassette submitted by some wannabe rock stars would be brimming with off key vocals and badly mixed instruments, but "The Evidence" is a polished, high quality production. Scott explains in the accompanying notes that the 12 songs on the CD represent his experiences during the prison years.


The opening song - "The American Way" - is a freewheeling indictment of the cynicism, corruption and hypocrisy that pervades the system, focusing on the way things work in Rhode Island, which I've always thought is not much different from any other state - just small enough so that things are more obvious. Scott's vocal is very Dylanesque, world-weary yet playful, accompanying himself on acoustic guitar and harmonica, with percussion as well.


"You Ran" combines acoustic and electric guitar, organ and drums, as well as lead vocal and backing harmony with a bluesy feel, bringing new meaning to the phrase "one man band". It refers to a relationship, repeating the line "tears flow to the sea" and the "lightness/darkness between us", perhaps suggesting that any close interaction between two people is multi-dimensional.


Scott documents the prison routine in "Tuesday Morning", accurately describing the absurdity of the situation, the mistakes that are routinely covered up, the daily indignities that are part of the system, and the fact that he is supposed to cure the sick. The question is, who is sicker - the convicts or the people who keep them there? Doc Allen mixes electric guitar with piano riffs and percussion to give the song a bouncy, rockabilly feel.


"Help Me Make it Through This Day" is a love song about two people who need and comfort each other, the closeness that comes with time, the realization that your partner/companion/spouse is the one true thing in your life that sustains you. Scott's lead guitar on this song is exceptional, providing a slow rock and roll feel reminiscent of those heavy metal ballads by Aerosmith or Guns and Roses, leaving a powerful emotional impression.


Travelling Show" starts with a thunderstorm, then describes a lonely trip to another city where it "rained for hours between office towers" although the singer longs for the way back home. I felt an overwhelming sadness in the lyrics, the plaintive desire for more familiar surroundings.

In describing the music, Scott says that " the working title for this project was 'Flattened', a term used by inmates to describe finishing their full sentences..." Luckily, he managed to spend his time behind bars observing and reflecting and ultimately resisting the realities of the American penal system. Most of us are content to sit back and talk about making a difference; it takes a courageous, unselfish, modest human being like Scott Allen to stand up and actually do something about it.


For more information on Scott and his music, visit http://www.milomusic.com/



Friday, June 15, 2007

You Say It's Your Birthday

This week is my birthday, so I always allow myself to look back on where my life has taken me so far and where I have to go from here. Since my birthday is in the summer, I usually celebrated it on the Island, so I thought I'd share a few tunes that reflect both the passage of time and the influence MV has had on my life. No matter how many houses are built, regardless of how many daytrippers visit with one set of clothes and a ten dollar bill (As some people used to say, they visit the Island with both, but don't change either one while they are there) it is one of the most beautiful places in the world.


Joshua Gone Barbados - Tom Rush
When I was a gawky, fat kid at the age of 16, I made about $15 a week at the Chilmark Community Center working for my brother who was the director (Talk about nepotism!). I would spend most - if not all - each week at the Mooncusser Coffee House in Oak Bluffs. That's where I first heard this song. Although it is quietly understated, it documents the brutal suppression of sugar cane workers on the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent. Rush's exceptionally fluid guitar playing intertwines with his plaintive vocal to capture the mood of subdued acceptance.


Born in Chicago - Paul Butterfield
If you've read this blog more than once, you know how obsessed I am with Paul Butterfield. He was really my introduction to the blues. At the age of 19, a few friends and I formed the Phoenix Blues Band , so named because it rose from the ashes before each performance. Our first "gig" was at the Vineyard Haven Yacht Club, and this was one of the ten songs we knew. Unfortunately, by the time the break came around, we had gone through our entire repertoire, realizing we still had another hour to go. We devised the incredibly clever idea of simply reversing the order, so we started back up, turning "Born in Chicago" into an endless jam. Nobody noticed it was the same tune we had just played BEFORE the break. Fortunately for the music industry, I abandoned my career as soon as that summer was over.


Amazing Grace - Judy Collins
Considering all the times I really pissed my mother off, she claimed she cried when I dedicated this song to her during a special birthday show I did on WVOI , the "Voice of the Islands". Let me start by dispelling the typical male myth that I have spent my life looking to replace her. We had more than our share of violent arguments over hair, clothes, language - you name it. I didn't want anything to do with her for years, but, as is frequently the case, the more I looked at her as a human as opposed to an authority figure, the more I began to like her. She had been a star athlete in high school and worked as a gossip columnist in the 1920s. She had a razor sharp wit and always wanted to be an actress, but her specialty was entertaining people, which she did very well. My birthday present to you, Mom, is that I forgive you for constantly referring to me as "that big dummy." I probably should have mentioned that her name was Grace.


Desolation Row - Bob Dylan
It has taken me a long time to appreciate Bob Dylan, but there is no disputing his status as a cultural icon, producing some of the best imagery of the Twentieth Century. I could spend hours dissecting the references in this particular song, but it is significant in the rise and fall of WVOI. One Friday afternoon in October, 1975, as I was doing my show, one of the station stockholders walked in and informed me that my career was coming to an end in 24 hours because the station was shutting down. Consequently, when I did my last show the following morning, "Desolation Row" was the last song I played before the station went dead. Talk about poetic justice!



Happy birthday to you whenever it occurs. Personally, I don't want any presents this year, because I given myself the best one of all - I no longer hate myself. As some famous rocker once said: " I was so much older then/I'm younger than that now."

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Delaney & Bonnie

I'm back - barely - from the _______ reunion. Sorry I've neglected you, but the good news is I've got some new music to tell you about in the weeks to come, including tunes from my friends Scott "Doc" Allen and Bruce Burnside. I was wrong about drinking, shouting and clapping to "Gimme Some Loving" at the reunion, but pleasantly surprised when I put on a homemade Delaney & Bonnie CD and got a positive reaction to a handful of cuts from "On Tour with Eric Clapton".

Delaney and Bonnie Bramlett's credentials were solidly established before the album came out in 1970, Delaney as a studio musician in LA, and Bonnie as the only white "Ikette", performing with the Ike and Tina Turner Revue. Apparently, the duo met Eric Clapton when they were opening for Blind Faith. There's a pretty clear linkage between the "Tour" lineup and Derek and the Dominos, since Clapton put the Dominos together during that same year, using at least three musicians from the "Tour". 1970 also saw the release of "Mad Dogs and Englishmen", including "Friends" alumni Leon Russell and Rita Coolidge as well.

The opening cut - "Things Get Better" - is a prime example of what happens when the best session players get out of the studio and grind out the same tightly wound sound, the vocals, horns, drums and guitars blending perfectly in this uplifting tribute to love. "Poor Elijah - A Tribute to Robert Johnson" is a showcase for Clapton's slide guitar and Delaney's impressive vocal range, making you think that, if Robert Johnson had played electric guitar, it would sound like this.

"Only You Know and I Know" showcases the perfect blending of Delaney and Bonnie's voices, backed by a soaring horn section. The real killer on this quartet of songs is Little Richard's "I Don't Want To Discuss It". This closed out the tour, and it is nonstop, gradually rising to a frenetic climax, Delaney begging "somebody help me" as Clapton just keeps on jamming away.

There are six other Delaney & Bonnie albums, including one of my first records - " The Original Delaney and Bonnie - Accept No Substitutes" . This music is positive, uplifting and always provides a good time, probably because the affection between the two singers shines through every song.

See, reunions aren't ALL bad (just the food!).

Thursday, May 31, 2007

Time Marches On

I really hate to talk about age, but I'm taking a break next week to go to my _________ reunion. I decided to list some of the tunes that were popular then. Unfortunately, if you do a little research, you'll be able to determine the answer as to when they were recorded. Identify the year correctly, and I'll let you submit a guest column. Second prize is a trip to the annual Buzzard Festival in Hinckley, Ohio or the cash equivalent. Thanks to Billboard for the following list:

Gimme Some Lovin' - Spencer Davis Group
Still some SERIOUS rock and roll. Isn't that Stevie Winwood laying down those punishing organ riffs? Did you know that Muff Winwood was also in the band (What's next - Buffy Winwood? Why is it I get the feeling Muff's career was somewhat abortive?) Is it true that every time this song plays on the dancefloor with a group of over 50 types who've had too much to drink that they feel compelled to shout off key and clap haphazardly? Stay tuned.

Soul Man - Sam and Dave
The Muscle Shoals gospel sound bursts onto the charts, with the duo's seamless shouted vocals ably backed by those staccato horns. It doesn't really bother me that the tune was covered by the Blues Brothers, but I drew the line when they played it at Dole campaign rallies (I'm an OLD man - duh duh dut da dada da)- etc.

Groovin -Young Rascals
The ultimate bar, beach party, summer weekend and all around get high anthem from Felix and the gang. Blue collar pop that cuts across all socio-economic lines.

Happy Together - The Turtles
This song is a lot like cotton candy - fluffy and sweet but it doesn't last long. It seems so naive - but then so were we.

The Letter - The Box Tops
This tune is all about the importance of snail mail - I mean, why write your baby a letter when there's instant messaging? - and the tired, Mick Jaggerish quality of the vocal. Still,you get to hear a plane engine.

Incense and Peppermints - The Strawberry Alarm Clock
I know, I know - this is supposed to be the precursor of psychedelic rock, etc. etc., but it just takes itself too seriously. It's so PROFOUND.

Respect - Aretha Franklin
Who knew this song would turn out to be the theme of the latter half of the Twentieth Century? Aretha is the original feminist.

Windy - The Association
This song has a special place for me. I really hate the Association, but this tune is forever linked to someone who meant a lot to me that I'll never see again.

Did you figure out the year yet? Keep me posted.