Howard Jones Just Booked; Open Mic This Weekend at Tupelo!

September 1, 2010

Ticket Update
THE TUBES Oct. 21 Show SOLD OUT – Second show added!
THE ALARM- Only 12 tickets remain!
PAULA POUNDSTONE- Only 2 tickets remain!
CHRISTOPHER CROSS- Only 20 tickets remain!
MARIA MULDAUR - Only 22 tickets remain!
THE WEEPIES – SOLD OUT
CRASH TEST DUMMIES – Selling fast!
JUDY COLLINS – Selling Fast
LIZ LONGLEY with Seth Glier – Only 1 ticket remains!

This Week
Thursday, September 2 OPEN MIC NIGHT
A great, entertaining night out for only $5. You can sign up and play a couple of songs or just come watch. Either way, our Open Mic Night is always a lot of fun!

Saturday, September 4 KENNY NEAL and JOE LOUIS WALKER
Kenny Neal is known as a modern swamp-blues master and multi-instrumentalist, that draws musically from the sizzling sounds of his native Louisiana. Kenny has been honored with numerous awards such as: 2009 Monterey Bay Blues (MOBBAY) Artist of the Year Award; 2009 BMA (Blues Music Award) Winner for Song of the Year, 2009 West Coast Blues Hall of Fame Awards for Blues CD of the Year and “Blues Band of the Year”; 2009 Grammy entries for Grammy Nominations in 4 categories; W.C. Handy Blues Awards “Acoustic Blues Album”; and Grammy Nomination for Tribute to Howlin’ Wolf “Best Traditional Blues Album”.
Joe Louis Walker is a multiple Grammy and Blues Music Award-winner who garnered five nominations for the 2010 Blues Music Awards, including Album of the Year, Contemporary Blues Album of the Year, Song of the Year for “I’m Tide” from his recent release Between a Rock and the Blues, Instrumentalist-Guitar of the Year, and Contemporary Blues Male Artist of the Year.

New Bookings
October 20 HOWARD JONES
It was in 1983 that Howard Jones released his first single ‘New Song’ in the UK. The expectation was that it might sell a few thousand copies and introduce his fresh new music to an unsuspecting world. The reality was quite different. The single steadily climbed the UK chart to peak at No. 3.
The second single ‘What Is Love?’ reached No. 2 in the UK and the third, the enigmatic ‘Hide and Seek’, showed the spiritual side of Howard Jones’ writing. These were followed by his first album, ‘Human’s Lib’, which came straight in at No. 1 in the UK, eventually going platinum, taking the synthesiser and Howard Jones to a new plateau.
The second album ‘Dream Into Action’ was even more successful, spawning a series of hits including ‘Like To Get To Know You Well’, ‘Look Mama’, ‘Things Can Only Get Better’ and the classic ‘No One Is To Blame’, which reached No.1 in the U.S. singles chart and has since had over 3 million radio plays in USA. ‘Dream Into Action’ went platinum in the U.S. and lived in the top 20 album chart for the best part of a year, making Howard Jones one of the very few British artists to have comprehensively ‘broken’ America in the past 25 years.

May 6 OTTMAR LIEBERT and LUNA NEGRA
Grammy Nominated Ottmar Liebert has become one of the most successful instrumental artists of the past decade, thrilling audiences throughout the world and releasing a catalog of classic recordings. By 1989, he had founded the first incarnation of his band Luna Negra. Nouveau Flamenco began life as a self-produced local release called Marita: Shadows and Storms, copies of which local Indian artist Frank Howell distributed in his art galleries. When the record found its way to radio stations and began generating a buzz among programmers and an unprecedented response among listeners, Higher Octave Music picked it up and released a fully remastered version.

  • Share/Bookmark
By admin | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Pulled Pork and Peaches at Mack’s!

August 26, 2010

Pulled pork, peaches, and the Brooks Young Band will be the highlight for Londonderrians this weekend! A strange combination, yes, but not when, together, they will help send the Lancer’s Marching Band and Colorguard to the Rose Bowl. Appropriately named the Pulled Pork and Peach Festival, it will be hosted at Mack’s Apples and is sure to be fun for all.

This Saturday, August 28, from 12 PM until 4 PM, the Brooks Young Band will headline the festival. Opening for the band will be solo performer Ryan Ordway from Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. Described as “rock energized with a blues heart”, the six-piece band has performed in New York City, Boston, and Nashville. They have opened for Grammy Award Winner BB King. At 1:45 the Lancer Drumline will perform.

If not for the band, then come for the food! Available for purchase during the show will be pulled pork sandwiches from KC’s Rib Shack of Manchester, NH. The restaurant is a New England award-winning BBQ restaurant. Also during the show Mack’s will be selling amazingly fresh peach shortcake made from their own tree-ripe peaches.

The Pulled Pork and Peach Festival will be held rain or shine at the farm stand on Mammoth Road. For more information about the Lancer’s trip or make donations, click here.

Don’t miss the pork, peaches and music! Join fellow band supporters at Mack’s on Saturday from 12 PM to 4 PM!

Drumline to perform 1:45

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music, Schools | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)

New Shows Booked at Tupelo: Paula Cole, Rusted Root, and More!

August 25, 2010

Ticket Update
THE TUBES Oct. 21 Show SOLD OUT – Second show added!
THE ALARM- Only 14 tickets remain!
PAULA POUNDSTONE- Only 2 tickets remain!
CHRISTOPHER CROSS- Only 30 tickets remain!
MARIA MULDAUR - Only 35 tickets remain!
THE WEEPIES – SOLD OUT
CRASH TEST DUMMIES - Selling fast!
JUDY COLLINS – Selling Fast
LIZ LONGLEY with Seth Glier - Only 33 tickets remain

This Week
Thursday, August 26 BONERAMA
When Bonerama struts onstage with its four-trombone frontline, you can guess it’s not quite like any rock ‘n’ roll band you’ve seen. When they tear into some vintage New Orleans funk, there’s no questioning from which city these guys hail. And when those ‘bones start ripping into Hendrix and Led Zeppelin licks, all stylistic bets are off.
Even in a city that doesn’t play by the rules, New Orleans’ Bonerama is something different. They’re not a traditional brass band, but they’ve got brass to spare – even with no trumpets or saxes in sight. They can evoke vintage funk, classic rock and free improvisation in the same set; maybe even the same song.

Friday, August 27 NEW RIDERS of the PURPLE SAGE
New Riders of the Purple Sage got its start in 1969 as a vehicle for Jerry Garcia to practice his pedal steel guitar, a long strange trip that brought the band to the Palace Theatre for several shows in the early 1970s. But the Riders are back. They re-formed last year with original band guitarist/vocalist David Nelson and longtime group pedal steel player Buddy Cage in the fold. Sure, the Riders are rooted in the past. But they are much more than mere musical ghosts— All in all, the New Riders of the Purple Sage were enjoyable on Thursday night. This band is more than just a shadow of its former self; they continue to be the real deal.

Saturday, August 28 THE RON NOYES BAND
Ron Noyes has been called “One of the best American Songwriters—” (Radio Italy). With world-wide radio play, the Ron Noyes Band is described as emotive, unique, and timely. Their blend of roots rock, funk, singer-songwriter, and soul creates a sound that is touted in 12 countries. RNB fuses intricate melodies, meaningful lyrics, tight grooves, and intense instrumentation. Since 2002, The Ron Noyes Band has rapidly grown into one of the New England’s most highly acclaimed and talked about acts.

New Bookings
November 12 PAULA COLE
Born the daughter of musicians in Rockport, Massachusetts, Paula Cole grew up singing for fun: American songbooks, traditional folk songs, Christmas carols, and a cappella harmonies. While finding kindred spirits in records, she became a fixture in her school musicals, which catapulted her toward a scholarship for Berklee, where she studied jazz singing and improvisation.
While a senior at Berklee, she was offered a deal with a jazz label, but declined. In 1993, Peter Gabriel asked her to join his Secret World Tour, after Cole’s Imago debut, Harbinger. Throughout 1994-1996, Cole toured America extensively, building a foundation of support that then embraced her 1997 album, This Fire. It became a breakthrough smash, yielding the hits “Where Have All The Cowboys Gone?” and “I Don’t Want to Wait” (which was used as the theme song to the hit WB show Dawson’s Creek), and the 1997 Grammy for Best New Artist. In 1999, she released her third, spiritually soul-influenced album, Amen. After a seven-year musical hiatus, she returned in 2007 with a powerful album produced by Bobby Colomby, aptly titled Courage after her daily mantra. On Tuesday, September 21, Cole will be celebrating the release of her much-anticipated new album, Ithaca.

November 14 RUSTED ROOT
Rusted Root has sold more than 3 million albums worldwide. Formed in Pittsburgh by singer/guitarist Michael Glabicki in the early ‘90s, Rusted Root’s worldly style quickly charmed fans of roots music and world rock. After debuting in 1992 with the self released Cruel Sun, Rusted Root released the 1994 platinum selling breakthrough When I Woke, which featured the hit songs Send Me On My Way, Ecstasy and Martyr. Not long after, the band scored on tours with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Santana, The Grateful Dead, Dave Matthews Band, The Allman Brothers Band, HORDE Festival and, perhaps most notably, the highly coveted support role on the landmark Jimmy Page/Robert Plant reunion tour.

May 19 JON ANDERSON
An acoustic Evening with Jon Anderson, The Voice of “YES”.
Jon Anderson is undoubtedly one of the most recognizable voices in progressive rock as the lead vocalist and creative force behind Yes. Anderson was the author and a major creative influence behind the series of epics produced by Yes and his role in creating such complex pieces as “Close to the Edge”, “Awaken”, and especially “The Gates of Delirium” was central to the band’s success. Additionally, Anderson co-authored the group’s biggest hits, including “I’ve Seen All Good People,” Roundabout,” and “Owner Of A Lonely Heart.”

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Crash Test Dummies, Eddie Money and More Just Booked!

August 12, 2010

Ticket Update
LIZ LONGLEY Aug. 20 Show SOLD OUT. New Show added with Seth Glier!
THE TUBES Aug. 21 Show SOLD OUT – Second show just added!
DAVE MASON- Only 2 tickets remain for the August show!
THE ALARM- Only 38 tickets remain!
PAULA POUNDSTONE- Only 29 tickets remain!
CHRISTOPHER CROSS- Only 40 tickets remain!
MARIA MULDAUR - Only 39 tickets remain!
THE WEEPIES - Only 2 tickets remain

This Week
Friday, August 13 TUPELO NIGHT OF COMEDY
This week’s show features PJ Thibodeau and Jimmy Walsh. Two very funny guys. Our comedy nights are a lot of fun and not very expensive. Bring some friends and get a table.

Saturday, August 14 PRIVATE EVENT
We have a wedding this week at the venue. No show on Saturday.

New Bookings
September 10 BOSTON ALL STAR BLUES REVUE
Featuring Toni Lynn Washington, Monster Mike Welch, Brian Templeton, Lydia Warren, Mr. Nick and the Dirty Tricks! The Dirty tricks will be the “backing band” for all of these featured artists.

October 9 THE ASSOCIATION
It all started in 1965 with the breakup of one of the first folk rock ensembles called, “The Men”. What was originally an 11 member singing group, ultimately became the 6 man band named, “The Association!” In 1967, The Association made history being the first band anywhere to open a rock festival – the now historic, Monterey Pop Festival. One of the most successful bands to come out of the 60’s, they have sold over 80 million records, tapes, Cds and DVDs. They’ve earned a number of achievement awards as well as 6 gold records and 2 platinum records.
Original members are guitarists/vocalists Jim Yester, Larry Ramos & Russ Giguere. The group also features Larry’s brother Dell, and Jordan Cole, son of the late original member Brian Cole. This wonderful group has Seven Billboard Top 40 hit records including two #1s (“Cherish”, “Windy”), one #2 (“Never My Love”) & one #7 “Along Comes Mary”

November 28 EDDIE MONEY
In 1977, Money released his self-titled debut record and struck Double Platinum with hits such as: “Baby Hold On” and “Two Tickets To Paradise.” His follow-up album, Life For The Taking was released in 1978 and reached Platinum status again. In 1982, The Money Man topped the charts numerous times with singles “Shakin,” “Think I’m In Love” and “Take A Little Bit.” With over 28 million records sold worldwide, Eddie Money’s trademark raspy husky voice is easily recognized today. His most recent release, “Gimme Some Water” featured Vince Gill and was a top download in 2008.
This special show will include some of Eddie’s favorite Christmas songs intermingled with his classic hits.

December 9 and 10 CRASH TEST DUMMIES
There is no mistaking Brad Roberts’ voice. He may look like an average guy, now in his mid- 40s, but then he opens his mouth and his majestic baritone voice immediately conjures fond memories of such Crash Test Dummies hits at “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm” and “Superman.” Perhaps best remembered for the acerbic folk rock sound of 1991′s The Ghosts That Haunt Me and 1993′s God Shuffled His Feet, there have nonetheless been enough hits for the band over the years to merit a couple of greatest hits packages. Through it all, the band with Roberts at the helm has touched on funk and soul, folk, electronic music and even Christmas tunes. Yet it is Roberts’ voice and offbeat lyrical sensibility that have been this beloved band’s calling cards since their founding twenty years ago. “Androgynous”, “Superman’s Song”, and “Mmm, Mmm, Mmm, Mmm”

January 14 EILEN JEWELL
Boise-born and Boston-based, Jewell has quickly distinguished herself as one of the rising stars of a new generation of roots musicians. Her first two albums, Boundary County and Letters from Sinners and Strangers were astonishingly assured efforts, which matched Jewell’s understated yet insightful songs with a rugged blend of Americana styles. They were met with a great deal of acclaim, with No Depression raving that “Jewell is showing she can wander with the best of them, and write riveting song-stories about her adventures along the way.” Indicative of Jewell’s strong following in Europe, The Word in the UK described her as “A voice of real distinction [that] manages to transcend some powerful influences and pierce the fog long enough for her own point of view to emerge.”

January 20 ENTER THE HAGGIS
Over the past three albums and five years, Toronto’s Celtic rock band Enter The Haggis has found itself at the center of a grassroots success story ever teetering on the brink of mainstream success. From playing Celtic festivals to headlining them, and from the festival circuit to selling out multiple nights in rock venues, ETH has blazed a path with heavy and almost constant touring up and down the East Coast, to Canada, the West Coast and back again, winning over success one fan, one town, one region at a time.
The band has made waves in the genre, landing high Billboard and iTunes World Music chart positions as well as major television appearances on shows like Live With Regis And Kelly, A&E Breakfast With the Arts and PBS’ popular program Out of Ireland, with its multi-influence style of Celtic rock. It’s the kind of overall sound and devotion package that has created not only die-hard fans, but “Haggis Heads” that follow the band from gig to gig.

February 5 DON WHITE and THE LOOMERS
If you laugh and cry within the same ten minutes, you either need a vacation or you are sitting in the audience at a Don White show. This working class family man from Lynn, Massachusetts has emerged as the thoughtful songwriter of the decade whose relevance to our lives is evidenced by the powerful reaction he evokes at every concert.

February 13 KEIKO MATSUI
Keiko Matsui, born in Tokyo as Keiko Doi, is a Japanese smooth jazz/new age/Chill-out music keyboardist and composer whose career spans three decades, during which time she has released twenty CDs (in addition to various compilations) and has received international acclaim.

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Brooks Young Band to Perform for Londonderry Marching Band

August 11, 2010

The Brooks Young Band will headline a jammin’ fundraiser for the Londonderry Band, during Peach Festival Weekend August 28th at Mack’s Apples in Londonderry, NH. The six-piece, rock energized band with a blues heart, has performed in New York City, Boston and Nashville. They have opened for Grammy Award Winner, BB King.

The band is fronted by artist, Brooks Young, who plays lead guitar and is lead vocalist. Young has performed with renowned performer Johnny A. and is endorsed by Fender Corporation, the world’s leading guitar manufacturer. Opening for the Brooks Young Band is solo performer, Ryan Ordway, of Wolfeboro, NH.

The Londonderry High School Marching Band as they were performing in the 2004 Rose Bowl Parade.

The event is a fundraiser to help send the Londonderry High School Band to Pasadena to perform in the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year’s Day 2011. The Londonderry Band was selected to represent New England and New York State, and is one of only fifteen bands worldwide selected to perform before an audience of one million live spectators, over 40 million American television viewers and countless millions of viewers in 215 countries.

There is no cover charge for the Festival which runs from noon to 4 pm. Refreshments will be sold. Feature items are pulled pork sandwiches from New England’s award-winning BBQ restaurant – KC’s Rib Shack in Manchester, NH and peach shortcake made from Mack’s tree-ripe peaches. The event will be held rain or shine at the farm stand at 230 Mammoth Road in Londonderry, NH.

  • Share/Bookmark
By admin | Posted in Around Town, Music, Schools | Tagged , , , , | Comments (0)

Six New Shows Just Booked at Tupelo!

August 5, 2010

Ticket Update
LIZ LONGLEY-SOLD OUT. New Show added with Seth Glier!
THE TUBES - Second show just added!
DAVE MASON- Only 3 tickets remain for the August show!
THE ALARM- Selling Fast!
PAULA POUNDSTONE- Selling Fast!
CHRISTOPHER CROSS- Selling Fast!
MARIA MULDAUR- Selling Fast!

This Week
August 5 OPEN MIC NIGHT
Bring your instrument or just come by, sit back, and listen. The Tupelo “Open Mic night” is the best in the area and the musicians might just surprise you. How can you go wrong? A full night of entertainment for only $5.

Friday, August 6 SHELBY LYNNE
Her talent is as versatile as the accolades she has earned. She is a Grammy Award winning artist, writer, and accomplished actress. Performances such as her role as Carrie Cash in the blockbuster motion picture “Walk The Line” exemplify one overall theme for those who follow her career; taking a genuine approach to doing what she loves best, and following her heart.

Saturday, August 7 DAN LAWSON BAND
Growing up in a small Maryland Town at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, Dan was always around great family musicians, his Uncle Roy Parks was guitarist with Country Music Great “Tex Ritter” that’s where he got the “calling”. Dan does not just play guitar, his guitar tells a story of passion and soul! Dan’s music is a vast mix of Rock, Blues, Jazz, and Funk. He allows the music to speak for itself.

Sunday, August 8 ANA POPOVIC
The most impressive aspect of Ana’s music is her diversity of techniques and styles. Her blend of smoking electric funk slide guitar, jazzy instrumentals, tight blues groove, soulful feminine vocals and her incredible stage presence makes her an irresistible force in the music world. Her career has been meteoric, and shows no signs of slowing down. Ana is the first European ever nominated for ‘Best New Blues Artist’ at the W.C. Handy Award Show in Memphis, Tennessee (2003). She was also nominated for ‘Best Blues Album’ at the Jammie Awards in New York City, a three way nominee for ‘Best Vocalist’, ‘Best Guitarist’ and ‘Best Album’ at the French Blues Awards (2002) and she won the prestigious jazz award ‘Jazz A Juan revelation In Juan Le Pins’ (France 2004).

New Bookings
October 19 THE TUBES
Second show just added!
This San Francisco based band was known for its live performances that combined lewd quasi-pornography and wild satires of media, consumerism and politics. Their hits include: “Don’t Touch Me There,” “Young and Rich,” “White Punks on Dope,” “Prime Time,” “Don’t Want To Wait Anymore,” “Talk to Ya Later,” “She’s a Beauty,” “Tip of My Tongue,” “The Monkey Time,” “Piece by Piece” and many more—

November 27 JOHN SEBASTIAN
His group The Lovin’ Spoonful played a major role in the mid-’60s rock revolution, but what leader, singer and songwriter Sebastian had in mind was actually a counter-revolution. “We were grateful to the Beatles for reminding us our rock & roll roots,” John explains, “but we wanted to cut out the English middlemen, so to speak, and get down to making this new music as an ‘American’ band.”
You know the songs by heart: “Do You Believe In Magic?” “You Didn’t Have To Be So Nice.” “Daydream.” “Younger Girl.” “Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind?” “Summer In The City.” “Rain On The Roof.” “Nashville Cats.” “Six O’Clock.” “Darling Be Home Soon.” “Younger Generation.” These songs did more than simply answer the British invasion, they carried the musical tradition into the future.

January 7 LIZ LONGLEY and SETH GLIER
Liz is the Grand Prize Winner of the 2009 Rocky Mountain Folk Festival’s Songwriters Showcase. Liz was also honored as a co-winner of the 2009 Mountain Stage New Song Contest, a finalist at Texas’s 2009 Kerrville Folk Fest and an Emerging Artist in New York’s 2009 Falcon Ridge Folk Fest.
Seth Glier will grab you…if not with his powerful falsetto or his melodic prowess, then with what Performer Magazine calls his “intoxicating groove.” The 20-year-old singer, pianist and guitarist – who abandoned studies at The Berklee School of Music after one year because he “decided I should be playing for people and not for grades” – aims straight for the gut on his MPress Records debut, The Trouble With People.

January 21 JOHNNY WINTER
For over 30 years, Johnny Winter has been a guitar hero without equal. Signing to Columbia records in 1969, Johnny immediately laid out the blueprint for his fresh take on classic blues a prime combination for the legions of fans just discovering the blues via the likes of Jimmy Page and Eric Clapton.
Constantly shifting between simple country blues in the vein of Robert Johnson, to all-out electric slide guitar blues-rock, -Johnny has always been one of the most respected singers and guitar players in rock and the clear link between British blues-rock and American Southern rock (a la the Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd.) Throughout the ’70s and ’80s, Johnny was the unofficial torch-bearer for the blues, championing and aiding the careers of his idols like Muddy Waters and John Lee Hooker.

January 28 CHERYL WHEELER
You may not be familiar with Cheryl, but you have probably heard her music. She is very respected as a songwriter by her peers, which can be seen by how many of them record her songs. Cheryl’s songs have been covered by artists as diverse as Dan Seals, Peter Paul and Mary, Kenny Loggins, Garth Brooks, Suzy Boggus, Melanie, Bette Midler, Maura O’Connell, Sylvia, Kathy Mattea, and Holly Near. If they think she is great, then you owe it to yourself to learn more if you aren’t familiar with her.

April 1 JEFFERSON STARSHIP
Founders Paul Kantner & David Frieberg lead an all-star band into their 40th year. Along for the ride are longtime drummer Donny Baldwin, Grammy nominated Broadway star Cathy Richardson, lead guitarist Slick Aguilar, keyboardist Chris Smith & special guests Grateful Dead’s Tom Constanten and multi-instrumentalist Jeff Pevar from Phil Lesh & Friends and CSN.

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Tom Chapin concert, A missed gem

August 4, 2010

About 18 years ago, as I was walking through the elementary school that my son was attending, another volunteer was singing a song quietly to herself. The words went like this: “Don’t make me go to school today, oh mom, don’t make me go to school. I’ve got a high fever and my throat is sore, oh mom, don’t make me go to school.” The song continued, “Just let me lie here in misery, you go on to work, I’ll be fine… But I’m too weak to even watch TV, Oh Mom, don’t make me go to school. It’s not because of the test today or the homework I haven’t done, please let me stay, I’ll do the dishes, I’ll watch the dog, I could wash the dog, I could clean up my room, pick up my toys, sweep up and vacuum and dust, just don’t make me go to school today, oh mom, don’t make me go to school…cough, cough.” What made the song additionally interesting was the music it was sung to. The music was by Peter Tchaikovsky.

I’d heard the music before, though never with words. It was immediately familiar. When I asked my friend where she learned the song she told me it was by Tom Chapin. I’d heard of Harry Chapin, but not Tom. I zoomed to the store and bought my first cassette tape of his music, called “Family Tree” and I’ve been a fan ever since.

I bring this up because this past weekend Tom was in our backyard… Boston… at the Seaport Trade Center to help promote the “Planet Hugger” message: While we make an impact on our world just by being here, we can each do our part to make our impact smaller than it has been. Groups like the Sierra Club, GECKO (Global Eco Caring Kids Oasis), and the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society offered information and interactive workshops for visitors to enjoy. I learned about the event from Tom’s web site and was more than excited to learn that I could get a ticket for just $10 to get into the event if I purchased it online. I purchased it online! I bought one for my son who is 12, as well.

The event itself was a bit of a disappointment. There were interesting enough vendors there and also the ones I might expect to see if there is going to be a crowd: window manufacturers, basement remodelers and a few I was surprised to see. One artist had created handbags out of soda can tabs, not unlike the ones I’d seen a student present at a recent Advanced Study event at Londonderry Middle School, and another was asking folks to allow her to cut their hair so that it might be sent to the gulf to help absorb the spill. The disappointment came in the fact that my son and I were two of only about 70 people who showed up to the event. When I spoke to the vendors they said the reason there were so few people in attendance was because there wasn’t enough publicity. The key note speaker was Ed Begley, Jr., actor and environmental activist and apparently, in other cities, these events draw thousands. I believe this was the first in the east which might have accounted for the lack of attendance.

Regardless of the small audience…only about 15 of us were there when Tom finally came on the main stage…Tom was everything a professional artist should be. He and his collaborator, Michael Mark, played for an hour and sang songs that celebrate our environment and remind us of the importance of taking care of “This Pretty Planet”. Songs, including “R-E-C-Y-C-L-E”, “Someone’s Gonna Use It”, “Mother Earth’s Routine”, “Happy Earth Day” and “Good Garbage”, teach through the words and catchy tunes lessons on taking care of the environment. In the many years I was a pre-school teacher I used Tom’s songs to teach and entertain. In each of his recordings he includes a song written to a familiar tune or combination of tunes. For example, there is “A Day at Camp Decibel” which is written to 10 different camp bugle calls and “Christmas on the Mall” sung to a variety of Christmas carols. He is a marvelous story teller.

I would encourage anyone who has a chance to see Tom in concert to do so. If you don’t have the chance, check out his music on his web site http://tomchapin.com. Tupelos, are you reading this?

  • Share/Bookmark
By MWS | Posted in Around Town, Music, Performing arts, Schools, Youth 0 to 6, Youth 6 to 10 | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (2)

Roomful of Blues Booked at Tupelo!

July 26, 2010

Ticket Update
LIZ LONGLEY-SOLD OUT.
THE TUBES-SOLD OUT.
DAVE MASON- Only 12 tickets remain for the August show!

Our Next Shows
July 29 THE FABULOUS THUNDERBIRDS
For over 30 years, The Fabulous Thunderbirds have been the quintessential American band. The group’s distinctive and powerful sound, influenced by a diversity of musical styles, manifested itself into a unique musical hybrid via such barnburners as “Tuff Enuff” and “Wrap It Up”. Co-founder Kim Wilson, the sole original member, still spearheads the group as it evolves into its newest incarnation.
“We started as a straight blues band”, vocalist and harmonica player Wilson says. “We now incorporate a mixture of a lot of different styles. We’re an American music band and we’re much higher energy than we were before.”

July 30 KATIE HERZIG
In 2006, after several years of fronting the critically acclaimed Colorado-based band, Newcomers Home, Katie Herzig moved to Nashville to strike it solo. Before leaving Colorado, she single-handedly recorded and produced Weightless, a tour-de-force of innovative sonics and songwriting. Since then, Katie’s song “Heaven’s My Home” received a 2007 Grammy nomination and she has steadily become a fixture in Nashville’s up-and-coming indie music scene. Her songs have been featured on NPR, KCRW’s Morning Becomes Eclectic, Frito Lay and Honda commercials and many television shows including several episodes of television’s highest rated drama, Grey’s Anatomy. Katie has toured with the Ten Out Of Tenn tour, Hotel Café Tour, PASTE Magazine songwriter tour and has supported national acts such as The Fray, Brandi Carlile, Shawn Colvin, Aqualung and others. In 2008, Katie was featured in Billboard Magazine’s “Now Hear This” as well as one of PASTE Magazine’s 25 “Best of What’s Next” artists. She continues to out-do herself with each new musical endeavor.

July 31 SONNY LANDRETH
Southwest Louisiana-based guitarist, songwriter, and singer Sonny Landreth is a musician’s musician. “From the Reach,” Sonny Landreth’s ninth album, is the first to be released on his own Landfall label. On it, the guitar wizard does something unprecedented in his body of work, as he collaborates with five of the greatest guitar players on the planet – Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Robben Ford, Eric Johnson and Vince Gill – for some jaw-dropping performances. Also making a house call is legendary New Orleans pianist and singer Dr. John and iconic Gulf Coast troubadour Jimmy Buffett.

New Bookings
Oct 22 JON POUSETTE-DART BAND
Jon Pousette-Dart captained the Pousette-Dart Band through four albums for Capitol Records between 1976 and 1980, a run that acquainted a generation with his formidable gifts as a singer, songwriter, arranger, guitarist and all-around musical adventurer. During this time, the Pousette-Dart Band became one of the busiest touring groups in the U. S., working with such acts as the Byrds, Bonnie Raitt, Little Feat, James Taylor, Yes, the J. Geils Band, Eddie Money, Peter Frampton, Journey and Billy Joel.

Oct 23 ROOMFUL OF BLUES
Saxophonist Rich Lataille has appeared on all 18 Roomful of Blues albums, and he’s the only person who can come close to such a claim. The Rhode Island jump-blues outfit has long been a revolving door of musicians; the 39 alumni include Duke Robillard, Ronnie Earl, Greg Piccolo and Sugar Ray Norcia. The band’s new album, “Raisin’ a Ruckus” introduces a new singer, Dave Howard; a new bassist, Dimitry Gorodetsky; and a new drummer, Ephraim Lowell. The group’s longtime trumpeter Bob Enos died in January after the sessions for this disc. For all those changes, though, the band’s sound remains remarkably consistent, recapturing that transitional period of the late ’40s and early ’50s when American pop music was changing from swing to rock. Now under the sure leadership of guitarist-producer Chris Vachon, the current octet edition of Roomful of Blues swings as convincingly as it rocks.

Nov 20 JESSE COLIN YOUNG
Jesse Colin Young, critically acclaimed solo artist and lead singer of the legendary classic rock band, The Youngbloods, took the nation by storm when The Youngblood’s single GET TOGETHER became a worldwide Top 10 hit and a prominent soundtrack for peace. At 15, the blues were calling his name and the next few years were spent exploring the music of T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker and Muddy Waters for inspiration and consolation. Jesse recorded his first album in 4 hours, accompanying himself on guitar. That release was called THE SOUL OF A CITY BOY. A second album, YOUNG BLOOD, featured supporting musicians, including John Sebastian. These days, Jesse strives to recapture the state of grace that permeates his music and continues to spread his heartfelt message. Jesse’s musical accomplishments are many, including performing with Led Zeppelin, The Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin and touring with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Comments (0)

Benefit Concert Tonight at Tupelo

July 22, 2010

Tupelo Music Hall, in Londonderry, NH, will host a benefit concert tonight for a young local man who recently underwent brain surgery. The “all ages” concert is scheduled for 7 PM. It will feature three bands from New Hampshire.

The bands will perform on stage to raise money for Derek Ballum, a Litchfield man and graduate of Cambell High. Ballum recently had brain surgery due to a brain hemorrhage. The money raised tonight will help Ballum deal with the cost of medical bills and the loss of his job due to the surgery.

The three bands performing tonight, Color of Mind, Seek Zeros, and Myths of Darrah, have placed themselves in the “Rock” or “Alternative” categories of music. Seek Zeros also features two Londonderry boys, Chris and George Robinson. To learn more about the bands, find them on Facebook or ReverbNation.com.

Tickets will be available online or at the door, for only $15. Visit the Tupelo Music Hall website to learn about more upcoming concerts.

  • Share/Bookmark
By Jacklynn Weeks | Posted in Around Town, Music | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments (0)