Steve Riley & the Mamou Playboys

By Emily Edelman

Due to the fact that Mardi Gras is coming up soon, my musical attention has been turned toward Cajun styles. I grew up with a certain amount of familiarity with a number of Cajun bands, but one of my favorites has always been Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys.

  The band has been around for about 25 years and I find it to be one of the most accessible Cajun bands, both in terms of the music (lots of traditional tunes and rhythms) and the way it has with its fans: Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys performs at many different types of venues and festivals across the country, proving that music is the ultimate unifier. The band’s most recent studio release was 2011’s Grand Isle, an album based around the emotions and hardships stemming from the 2010 oil spill off the coast of Louisiana, which is even more confirmation of how dialed-in the band is to its roots.

   Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys will perform at Infinity Hall on February 26, less than one week shy of Mardi Gras.

Tickets still available!

http://www.infinityhall.com/events/steve-riley-and-the-mamou-playboys/

An Interview with Brett Dennen

by Author Griffin

All around, in every sense and way, Brett Dennen is good folk. He’s a perennial master of the love song but I’ve always appreciated him most for his social commentary. Brett Dennen thinks of others empathetically and sings about it. Well, I might add, and what’s not to like about that?

Brett called me on my birthday to give me this interview. Of course it was a complete coincidence that the day he called to do the interview happened to be my birthday, but did Brett Dennen call you on your birthday?

No? I didn’t think so.

Brett was kind enough to dialogue with me about his new record, his tour, PBS, Paul Simon and, most exciting for us, his upcoming show at Infinity Hall on February 27th, which will be taped for the freshest installment of Infinity Hall Live. Enjoy the article and do not miss this show!

Griff: Brett, you’re doing an expansive piece of touring in support of your new album ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ which has you on a cruise ship to Grand Cayman with Train, then not only circling the lower 48, but taking it across the pond for a full European leg with The John Butler Trio. Awfully impressive, brother, and we at Infinity Hall are super excited to be included on your odyssey so welcome and thanks for taking the time to speak with us.

Brett: Sure, thanks.

Griff: Any new ground you’re covering in 2014? First time appearances in any cities? Other than ours, of course.

Brett: Well yeah, I’ve never been to Infinity Hall but it’s something that I’d like to do a lot more of. I’m definitely not tired of them but I’m definitely looking for ways to do more than just play in the big cities. I think a good way for people to get burned out is to put out a record and then go play the same towns. I would rather go play in places where people live that would normally have to be the ones who have to travel a couple of hours to go see a concert. I would rather just go play to them, you know, bring the music to them instead of making them come to me in where ever… New York City or Boston, whatever the city may be.

Griff: That’s great, man. They will be taping your show on February 27th for Infinity Hall Live, to be broadcast on CT Public Television. That puts you in good company with other recent installments to Infinity Hall Live from artists like Tori Amos, Rubblebucket, Ben Taylor and Barenaked Ladies to name a few. Does live taping add another element to a show for you? Ups the ante a bit, maybe?

Brett: Yeah it definitely does. I think I still play well enough but that’s more the product of the hard work of rehearsing, being consistent with rehearsals and just getting into good habits with how you practice. So even if I still think I sound ok, I get in my head a little bit more just because there are cameras all over the place and I like to just really connect with the music and sort of get in a zone with the crowd and it’s a little harder to do that with cameras. If I did it more often, I’m sure I’d get used to it, but I think most artists would agree, it’s one thing to be playing in front of a crowd that’s loving it, it’s another thing to add cameras, but it’s a really cool trade off to be on television.

Griff: Well we do appreciate the extra effort, thank you. So ‘Smoke and Mirrors’; I hear a bit of the Brett Dennen social commentary I’ve come to know and very much appreciate, but also some polished love songs, the cornerstone of all good folk pop, all nicely packaged in a record with a natural look and feel. What should we be listening for in ‘Smoke and Mirrors’?

Brett: Well I don’t really want people to listen for anything, I just want it to be a record that people can listen to and not exactly have to pay too much attention. I want it to go down easy and be something that people can sing along to. First and foremost I try to make the songs very ‘sing-alongy’, ‘sing-songy’ but if you want more there’s more there. Like if you want to have an emotional connection there’s songs that have me being more honest with myself than I’ve ever been in music and if you want songs with lyrics that make you think, then you can listen for that and certainly find it. There’s definitely little moments here and there in just about every song where there’s a line or two that I think could get people thinking. And then if you want to hear… if you want to dig and just listen to what’s happening musically, sort of just take a trip listening to the musicianship and the production, I think it has enough of that too for people to really go to that level. So I think it just depends on the listener and I think it depends on how deep people want to really get with it. On one hand I tried to make it a record that’s easily accessible where if you’ve heard it a couple of times you can sing along, even after the first go-round of a chorus, and the second time the chorus comes around you pretty much get where the song is going. Then, if you want to listen a little more, there’s a level that some people are drawn to.

Griff: Now I absolutely love your ‘Wilderness Tips’ videos. Funny, funny stuff and you do a pretty good Bob Ross impression, that one is my favorite…

Brett: (laughs) How great would it be for my Infinity Hall show to be played on PBS right after The Joy of Painting with Bob Ross?

Griff: (laughs) I gotta see who we know at public television that can make that happen for you, brother. Anyone who hasn’t seen them needs to go to brettdennen.net and check them out, but tell us about them. Where were they filmed? How’d you come up with the ideas?

Brett: Well, first of all, they definitely come from public television. The character is based on two shows that I watched a lot as a kid on PBS. One was ‘Wild America’ with Marty Stouffer and the other was a more local show in Northern California called ‘California’s Gold’ with this amazing host who actually just passed away this year, his name was Huell Howser. He had the show for a long time and he wasn’t just going to the obvious places, like lets do a show about the Golden Gate Bridge or the Santa Monica Pier or Hollywood. He would go to all these old ghost towns or go to a cheese factory and he was just so into it… or like hey, these ladies in this town grow their own llama wool and make it into sweaters. And that would be the whole show. It would be some town you’ve never heard of in California and he would be interviewing people, dragging a camera around like he’d just discovered Pompeii or something. (laughs) It was so cool. So the concept comes from those two shows.
I’m really into being in the mountains and I do a lot of camping and backpacking and fly fishing. It’s definitely become a part of my lifestyle branding, it’s influenced my music but I’m starting to be more associated with it outside of music too and I wanted to have some fun with it and make these videos and not take ourselves too seriously doing them. So we filmed them up near my house up in Northern California in the Sierra Nevada mountains and spent a couple days driving around, writing these concepts about each segment, myself and three other friends with a camera and some sound equipment.

Griff: That’s awesome, brother, and also a really nice tribute to Huell Howser too.

Brett: Yeah you should check him out, YouTube him. Huell Howser, ‘California’s Gold’

Griff: I’ve read a little about your work with The Mosaic Project and I think it’s commendable. I’m a big proponent of highlighting folks’ good deeds, so care to tell us a bit about the NPO? I know you all released ‘Children’s Songs for Peace and a Better World’ in 2003, anything currently in the works with The Mosaic Project?

Brett: I’m on the board of directors so I’m going to be spreading the word about Mosaic for as long as I can. We’re a very localized organization based in the Bay Area. We work with kids in the local schools and we provide a setting, a camp for kids with very different backgrounds to come together with their classrooms and meet each other. And these are kids that wouldn’t normally ever have the opportunity to meet kids that are different from them, at least not while they’re young. We give them a chance to explain to each other who they are and where they come from and start to break down things that keep people separated, and I’m not talking geographically, I’m talking about stereotypes, prejudice, forms of discrimination. Getting kids to connect and build relationships, build communities and friendships across differences and stereotypes. Open people’s minds and watch them go back into their communities, their schools and their families even and take the lessons they learn with them. It’s all about getting kids to open their minds when they’re young and make and keep friendships and not fall into patterns of things that perpetuate stereotypes and prejudice.

Griff: That’s great stuff, man. You guys should franchise to every city.

Brett: Well we’re starting to, we have a lesson book, a whole curriculum we’re working on to send out. I think part of the magic of the program is that we do it at this really cool place out in the woods, this really cool camp where the kids stay in cabins, away from the cities where they’re not getting caught up in daily pressures, habits and patterns. We remove them from that environment and really start all over so you do need the right spot.

Griff: Nice. Let’s talk Paul Simon. I’ve read he’s an influence of yours and, frankly, I’ll use any excuse to talk Paul Simon so settle in, we could be here a while. But seriously, here is an artist, an absolute master of songwriting, who is putting out meaningful, relevant records in his late 60’s. Born in ’41, so he was 65 when ‘Surprise’ was released in 2006 and just about 70 years old when he put out ‘So Beautiful or So What’ in 2011. My question to you is, is that the goal? Is that the aspiration? Looking ahead, is it your hope that 30 years from now, you can still be making an impact like you are today?

Brett: Oh God, that would be a dream come true. And I think it’s such as in life, you know, if you live your life only with friends your age, whatever age you are, if you only hang out with contemporaries then that’s really all you have and you don’t have that other perspective. Like you said with Paul Simon, you really need to keep a perspective of how old he is and how he’s still meaningful, still relevant and important. Perhaps more important depending on where he’s at and where he’s coming from. It’s the same thing as like, if you never spoke with someone in their seventies, if you never made friends with someone in their seventies then you just really have no perspective on life other than your own. And you need that perspective to realize, oh, life doesn’t end when I’m old. I think people our age worry too much about doing things now, like we gotta get this in because we can’t do it when we’re old, and it’s just not the case, as he’s showing us.

Griff: Brett, can’t thank you enough for taking the time to speak with us and I know we’re all very much looking forward to seeing you at Infinity Hall on February 27th.

Brett: Thanks.

Holly Williams

By Emily Edelman

A good songwriter is often also a good storyteller and singer-songwriter Holly Williams certainly has a lot of stories to tell. She is the granddaughter of country music legend Hank Williams, Sr., and the daughter of Hank Williams, Jr., and could probably fill an album or two with songs and references to her famous family. But she doesn’t invoke her family legacy too often (on her latest release, The Highway, she mentions her musical heritage only once), preferring instead to stand on the merit of her own accomplishments.

And speaking of her own accomplishments, Holly Williams has plenty of those: in addition to being a successful musician she is also the owner/operator of a clothing boutique and a lifestyle blog, and has other poignant life experiences that she draws from when writing her songs. She took a little time off from music to focus on those two activities plus her new marriage, but a musical life on the road connecting with audiences was something she greatly missed, hence the writing and release of (and probably the naming of, too) The Highway.

Holly Williams will perform a matinee show at Infinity Hall on February 23.  More information on the show here.

 

Johnny Cash — The Life — by Robert Hilburn

Little, Brown and Company  — 679 pages  —    2013

Review by David C. Parks

  Most music personality biographies, unfortunately for the music personality,  follow a similar narrative:  Childhood, personal demons, early signs of talent, personal demons, struggle to make it in the music world, the inevitable drugs, booze, and divorce, and then more circling of the personal demons. The End.  It would be pleasant to read a white picket fence story about a superstar but it is not to be found.  It does not seem to exist. And any ideas that they’re just like anybody else would be a grand error.  Most of us don’t end up covered in drug caused lesions (David Crosby),  stay awake for nine days on stimulants (Keith Richards), or end up dead in a bathtub (Jim Morrison).  There is the old expression that “Art must suffer” which includes all creative pathologies, but “Music is masochistic” has a nice ring.  It is possible that these agonies actually enhance the song writing abilities of a musician.  Live the lyrics then hum a tune to go with it.  But the performance side can become a gruesome act of self immolation.   And some Phoenixes do not rise from the ashes.  They stay down in the ashtray of unfulfilled promise.  The fans hear the compelling recorded song and then witness the horrific spectacle of the burned out remnant.

      And so we now examine the life of Johnny Cash.  At his long awaited Carnegie Hall debut he is described as “just downright filthy, dirty, really nasty”. The culprit are diet pills (Dexedrine).  He had no voice and can only mouth the words.  It was in Johnny’s own words, “a nightmare”.  The personal demons had come to roost.

Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison, 1968

 Robert Hilburn conveys this to us in a style appropriate for the subject;  simple and unadorned. As a journalist he had more access to Johnny than anyone else.  The life of Johnny Cash needs no embellishment.  From gravel roads in childhood Dyess, Arkansas, to the Betty Ford Center in Palm Springs,  Johnny’s life trudges on.  He writes and sings ballads that sell out venues from coast to coast and Hilburn has the common sense to let the story play out like one of his heart wrenching songs.  His songs are perfect little dramas and his baritone delivery is a pared down human voice at the edge of the soul. Johnny Cash survived a devastating childhood flood and years later wrote “Five Feet High and Rising”.  The perfect example of experiencing the suffering, then re-creating the narrative,  and being blessed with the voice than can convey the distress and pain.

     This book stands out as chronicle of addiction and the life of one of America’s best loved singer/songwriters.  Read it on either level and reap the rewards.

Rosanne Cash and her three sisters are the children by Johnny and his first wife, Vivian.  The long suffering and abandoned family weigh heavily in the Johnny Cash biography.  Rosanne Cash and her husband, John Leventhal,  will be appearing at Infinity on Thursday, February 20, 2014.  She stands independent of her father in the music world but her history is unavoidable.  She is a very welcome performer at our hall.

An Interview with Denny Laine

Denny Laine

Denny Laine was an original member of The Moody Blues,  and a founding member of Wings with Paul McCartney. Denny is headed to Infinity Hall, so Emily Edelman sat down to chat with Denny about  his life in rock and roll and about his forthcoming album:

Denny will be playing the entire “Band On The Run” album (beginning to end) at Infinity Hall on Saturday February 22. Tickets are available ! Call 1-866-666-6306, or go to :

http://www.infinityhall.com/events/denny-laine-paul-mccartney-guitarist-and-co-founder-of-wings-performing-the-entire-album-band-on-the-runand-some-of-his-moody-blues-as-well/

‘Wild Tales – A Rock & Roll Life’ by Graham Nash

CSN at Criteria Recording Studios, 1977 (Joel Bernstein)

 Book Review by David C. Parks

Pages four and five, yes, that early in the book, in a sort of teaser intro of things to come, David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash sing together for the first time at Joni Mitchell’s little house in Laurel Canyon, August 1968.  Joni is cooking dinner and three “harmony freaks” fresh from Buffalo Springfield, The Byrds, and The Hollies give birth to that sweet sound.  This is the first time that all three had been in one room together.  They’ve been in this room for just a half hour.  They’re smoking pot and strumming one guitar and the harmony is created.  Oh, to be a fly on the wall 45 years ago in that room.  This music lover is only on page six and I have to put the book down and contemplate that scene for a few minutes.

    This book is so personal, so enthusiastic. Many pages contain a little gem, some small engaging detail such as when Nash and his childhood friend wait for hours to meet their idols, The Everly Brothers. They actually discuss music with their musical heroes.  Pages 43 and 44, “Holy shit!  Did that just really happen?  Man, I can’t believe it.”  The reader shares this thrill and hangs on for the ride that is yet to come.

Graham with Joni, backstage at Carnegie Hall, February 1, 1969 (Joel Bernstein)

    The details are amazing.  I had some knowledge of David Crosby’s drug habits but had no idea about the extent.  And we all know that Neil Young is just a bit difficult to deal with but when the story is told again and again of his bizarre actions it makes for breathtaking reading.  So the reader gets it all; the music story, the personalities, the fringe characters, the drugs, the business side, and the dysfunctional romances.  This is the type of book that expands the readers interest in a band and the individual members of that band.  I will never listen to a classic C,S,N, & Y song again without this book influencing my thought process.  An informed reader becomes an informed listener.  You already understand your passion for this music and now you can back it up.

Graham Nash performing Solo, 2010 ( Buzz Person)

Before I go I just want to put in one more plug for a book that I reviewed a while back.  “Life” by Keith Richards is the outrageous party that you would expect.  It’s not only got the gory details that you want (Keith’s personal record of staying awake for nine days on a drug fueled binge – trust me, it doesn’t end well – How could it?) but more importantly it actually has some rather detailed writings about musicianship, song writing, and communicating with you fellow musicians. I would recommend this book to musicians just for the educational parts. Keith Richards, educational?  That’s a concept.  There is a lot to be learned regarding the art and craft of song writing.  One might expect that an autobiography written by one of the most prolific drug takers in history would read with the cohesiveness of an overflowing ashtray but, surprisingly, it is quite straight forward and readable. I learned more about the technicalities of Rolling Stones music that I ever knew before.  This memoir has the early forming of the band written by perhaps the only author that could tell the story without too much hype.  Honest, brutal, but I would not call it unfair or catty.  And Anita Pallenberg, don’t get me started…

 Graham Nash  —   Wild Tales – A Rock & Roll Life    —-Published by Crown Archetype in the USA   —   copyright 2013, 360 pages

Shawn Colvin

By Emily Edelman

I think I can honestly say that I owe my love of cover songs to Shawn Colvin. One of my favorite albums of the mid-1990s was one that she released called Cover Girl, a collection of twelve tunes that were originally written and recorded by other artists. My favorite track on the album is her version of “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic” by the Police. I wasn’t familiar with the Police when I first heard the song but sought out the band’s music afterwards (thus also beginning my love affair with 1980s New Wave music). Also included on the record are beautiful, stripped-down, emotional versions of Tom Waits’ “(Looking for” the Heart of Saturday Night” and the Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place (Naïve Melody).”

It makes sense that Cover Girl is such a fantastic record: Shawn Colvin began her career singing other people’s songs and it was a while until she found her own voice as a songwriter. She has released eight studio albums to date and published her memoir two years ago.

Shawn Colvin will appear at Infinity Hall on February 23 and I’ll be interested to hear any cover songs she chooses to perform.

Tickets: http://www.infinityhall.com/events/shawn-colvin

The Delta Saints

By Emily Edelman

When listening to an album for the first time, I usually begin, not with the first song, but with the title track if there is one; I like to know what it is about that song that caused the band to define the whole album by it. I listened to the title song from the new record Death Letter Jubilee by the Delta Saints four times in a row before being able to decide that I liked it. The song is loud, rocking, and upbeat with a prominently placed harmonica and memorable refrain. The lyrics are a little uncomfortable, though, as they recount how it feels to be pleased by someone’s death.

Like most people I don’t particularly enjoy feeling uncomfortable, but I do appreciate when a song does something unexpected. Death Letter Jubilee, though very different from what might normally catch the ear of a listener, is intriguing to me because of that. I appreciate that the band took a risk with the subject matter and am glad that risk ended up as a contemplative, powerful, and very catchy tune. And the rest of the record is also worth listening to, as it’s filled with blues-infused instrumentation and thoughtful lyrics.

The Delta Saints formed six years ago when the members met as college students in Nashville. They come from varied musical backgrounds, but southern rock, blues, and bluegrass seem to be driving forces, as is evidenced by the inclusion of the dobro and aforementioned harmonica as two of the band’s core instruments. The Delta Saints tour more or less incessantly, playing over 200 dates per year, which gives them plenty of time to discover what works with a crowd.

I see a lot of live music, but I’m definitely looking forward to the Delta Saints’ performance at Infinity Hall opening for Taj Mahal on February 12. The band has done something with its music that I’m not used to and I want to hear more.

Buy Tickets:

http://www.infinityhall.com/events/taj-mahal-2/

Taj Mahal

By Emily Edelman

When I was 14 years old, I was learning to play guitar at the same time as one of my friends. She often played and sang a song called called “Fishin’ Blues” and, when I asked her about it, she said she’d heard it performed by a blues musician called Taj Mahal. The song was catchy and easy to sing and I was introduced to a fascinating genre of music.

Taj Mahal may have started out playing blues, but he is just as well known for his forays into other world and roots musical traditions–Caribbean, Latin American, and Hawaiian to name a few. He has done quite a bit to transform and broaden the sphere of blues music in his career and, with his blending of it with the aforementioned styles, has delivered new recognition to and a fresh take on a classic genre.

Out of all of Taj Mahal’s albums, my favorite is the first one I ever owned. Shake Sugaree was given to me as a present in 1995 and it consists of songs chosen with the intent of introducing children to blues and roots music and instilling in them a love and respect for traditional songs. It definitely worked for me, as I have been a fan ever since.

Taj Mahal will perform with his trio at Infinity Hall on February 12.

Tickets still available:

http://www.infinityhall.com/events/taj-mahal-2/

Pete

Pete Seeger, May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014

We did not have the good fortune to have Pete Seeger up on the Infinity Hall stage, but his music and influence have resonated from our stage through his many friends and followers that we have hosted over the years.

  Two years ago Arlo Guthrie was performing at Infinity Hall and he told a story about  playing with Pete at Symphony Space, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It was  the fall of 2011, the height of the Occupy movement and after the concert was over Pete turned to Arlo and said,

   “Come on Arlo, let’s get everyone to march downtown to join the kids down in Zuccotti Park”.

  “Pete “, said Arlo, “That’s like 90 blocks away and you’re walking with two canes!”
But Pete was not about to be dissuaded.  He joined the march and walked nearly 2 miles with hundreds of protesters, sharing his energy and optimism with another generation of activists.

   Dar Williams and the Nields  both paid tribute to Pete during their concert here last week . They spoke about his music of course, but it was Pete’s courage and strength in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee that they both focused on.  The Neilds and Dar implored the audience to go read the transcripts from the hearings. Dar said she once got an entire summer camp to read the transcripts . After the kids finished the reading, a ten year old boy turned to Dar and said,

“It sounded like the congressmen were the ones on trial by the end of it.”

  Janis Ian, who has played several times on the Infinity Stage, was close to Pete. Upon hearing of his passing she wrote:

“One of my earliest childhood memories was being dangled on Pete’s knee, while his banjo rested on the other. I cannot imagine a life without Pete. He informed my moral and ethical being, through his songs, through the righteous life he led. He took on giants, and he beat them. And through it all he remained approachable and human. As an artist and a human being, I would be proud to leave that kind of legacy.”

Another favorite of Infinity Hall, Tom Paxton, was a friend to Pete. “What I learned from Pete was how electric he was”, said Tom. “That energy came from his belief in music, an unwavering faith that this was something worth doing. That this was a game worth the candle, as Dave Von Ronk would have said. He believed in all his heart in the power of song.”

I grew up listening to Pete Seeger. Singing his songs in school, in church, around campfires.  Like Janis Ian, I have a hard time imagining life without Pete. He taught us a lot about music, about courage and humility, about passion and conviction. I saw him play a few times; one time I even had a close encounter. It was at the Clearwater festival; the music on stage had ended and as I was walking past the food booths I turned a corner and found myself face to face with Pete. He had his famous banjo slung around his neck. He said hello and then he swung the banjo around and began to play “If I had a Hammer”. A crowd gathered and pretty soon a  spontaneous chorus was belting out Pete’s song; kind of a folk singing flash mob. A verse or two later Pete disappeared, leaving us singing on our own. When the song was over we looked around and laughed; Pete had inspired us all to get together and sing and then he quietly slipped away, leaving us to carry on.

By Jon Riedeman