New England Music Scrapbook Newsletter
Alan Lewis, Editor

Our Corner of the Rock 'n' Roll Life

May 24, 2008
Issue 2008:276
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We've got Thrills, chills, Dirty Water
. . . What more do you need?
When the big beat hits ya
Comin' from your transistor
. . . Like the T at full speed
When the big beat hits ya...

"Boston Lullaby," Dudick/Naihersey.
. . . Copyright c. 1980 by Camaraderie Music, BMI.
. . . All rights reserved. Used with permission.

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BRATTLEBORO, VT, May 24 - After Wednesday of last week, news e-mails
sent to us dropped off sharply. Welcome to the slower-paced scene of
early summer.

Personally, I attribute the annual early-summer slowdown to the
closing of the spring semester, in the academic world, and to the
start of the outdoors recreation season. When I took summer courses
in graduate school, they ran for the first half of the season, giving
faculty and students the second half of the summer off for lighter
pursuits. Almost any pursuit would have been lighter. Possibly our
summer school schedule is common. Either way, a slowdown that runs
through June and normally most if not all of July has been an annual
event for us. The big surprise so far is that the slowdown started
quite late this year.

Everything sent to us this week that, in my view, is NEMSnews-like is
included in this newsletter issue except one lone item: details of
Aimee Mann's planned Northeast appearances later this summer. (That
gal can plan ahead!) So, let's get straight to the news at hand.
.


SORRY, I DIDN'T GET TO LISTEN to any new records this week. My
efforts got deflected by occurences that could be variously
characterized as good news and bad news. The main piece of bad news
was that our computer came in contact with a malicious script, a
little jot of programming which whacks people's computers. Norton
caught it, but not until after my PC ran ragged through the first work
session on this newsletter issue. All is well, but we had a bumpy
ride getting here.
.


THIS WEEK'S PRESS RELEASES, and similar items, include:

<> A release about a new book, "A Freewheelin' Time," by Suze Rotolo.
Rotolo is a multidimensional individual, but most of us still are
aware of her primarily from the days when she and Bob Dylan were a
couple and her photo and his graced the cover of the album, "The
Freewheeling Bob Dylan."

Since that record, along with select others, is protected by an act of
Congress, Suze Rotolo's photographic image, in turn, is protected by
an act of Congress. It is a distinction few people ever achieve.

<> An announcement that an important Vermont vocalist and songwriter,
Patti Casey, is joining the Woods Tea Co.

<> A posting with some details about Guitar Hero 4. This is by no
means a press release; but it is informative, and I think it will be
of interest to a number of our readers.

<> A press release from The Weepies that, unfortunately, I did not get
to read. But you can see it for yourself by scrolling down toward the
bottom of this newsletter issue.

- - -

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND!

Memorial Day, as you may know, was commonly known in the nineteenth
century as Decoration Day, an occasion for honoring and beautifying
the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers who fought in the United
States Civil War.

When I was a kid, my parents saw Memorial Day as a great opportunity
to care for the graves of loved ones who had passed on from this life.

No matter how you may choose to celebrate this holiday and the long
weekend, may it be a happy and fun time for you.

- - -

TONIGHT? Did you say, What's happening tonight?

BOBBY KEYES TRIO
. . . and
THE MYSTIX
At the Acton Jazz Cafe

<> Though I have heard individual members of The Mystix many times -
guitarist Bobby Keyes in particular - I have never heard the group.
But I sent a copy of a Mystix announcement to Jeanne French, she gave
these guys a listen, and I take her highly favorable response to be
something better than an endorsement. So here are details of a show
evidently worth enthusing over.

The ACTON JAZZ CAFE PRESENTS:

Saturday, May 24
Special for Memorial Day Weekend!
$10 cover for the whole evening!
7:30 p.m.

The Amazing Bobby Keyes Trio opens!
http://www.bobbykeyes.net/
9:30-midnight

The Mystix!

"Boston's heavyweight, all-star band"

http://www.themystix.com/

Jo Lily/ vocals/ slide and acoustic guitar
Bobby Keyes/ lead guitar
Tom West/ piano
Marty Ballou/ bass
Marty Richards/ drums

For more information and directions go to http://www.actonjazzcafe.com/

Visit http://www.themystix.com/

SOURCE: The Mystix, "The Acton Jazz Cafe Presents," May 22, 2008.

- - -

NEWBURY COMICS LIST OF NEW RELEASES
A Few Excerpts

<> Newbury Comics listed the following new releases and re-releases,
which I recognize as being by New England-connected artists: The
Dresden Dolls, Pat Metheny, Donna Summer, Dan Zanes.

Each of these recordings was intended to be issued this past Tuesday.

DRESDEN DOLLS-No, Virginia-$12.88

METHENY,PAT-Tokyo Day Trip: Live EP-$9.99

SUMMER,DONNA-Crayons-$12.88

ZANES,DAN-Nueva York!-$14.99

The following is a small scattering of Tuesday releases by other
artists. One or more of these may be of interest to some of our readers.

CALIFORNIA GUITAR TRIO-Echoes-$11.88

CURE-Only One-$2.99

PETTY,TOM-Greatest Hits(Remaster)-$9.99

3 DOORS DOWN-3 Doors Down-$11.88

SOURCE: Newbury Comics, "May 19 Newbury Comics Coupons and New
Releases," May 19, 2008.

- - -

MARK ERELLI
"Delivered" Massachusetts CD-Release Shows

<> "Two nights of shows previewing the new CD, 'Delivered,' which will
be on sale at the venues. Both nights feature members of Josh
Ritter's band, who played on the new CD, including producer Zack Hickman."

Fri May 30th - Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton MA
http://www.iheg.com 7 pm

Sat May 31st - Passim Center, Cambridge MA
http://www.passimcenter.org TWO Shows 7 & 10 pm

SOURCE: Mark Erelli, "Last-minute Newsletter Addendum," May 15, 2008.

- - -

GARY SHANE

<> Gary Shane, solo, has a return engagement at

. . . Spirits
. . . 300 Derby St.
. . . Salem, Massachusetts
. . . Saturday, June 7

SOURCE: Concert poster sent as an attachment to an e-mail.

- - -

FOREVER YOUNG
At the Sustainable Living Festival
Coventry, Rhode Island

FOREVER YOUNG:
A Tribute to the Music of Neil Young

FOREVER YOUNG IS: becky chace, mark cutler, john fuzek, dan lilley,
pete vendettuoli, john amitrano and phil hicks

SUNDAY, JUNE 8th 3pm
SUSTAINABLE LIVING FESTIVAL
COVENTRY, RI

http://www.apeiron.org/slf_fest_2008/slf_web_08_home.html

www.ForeverYoungNeilYoungTribute.com

also playing that day
Josie Crosby and Signs of Life
Diamond Eyed Jacks - Tribute to the Grateful Dead

SUNDAY

Noon: Jan Luby- RISA
12:30pm: Terry Kitchen-RISA
1pm: Signs of Life (Josie Crosby)-MAIN
2pm: Jimmy Town Juke (Ed McGuirl & Mike Fishman)-RISA
3pm: Forever Young-MAIN
4pm: Lisa Martin-RISA
4:30pm: Diamond Eyed Jack-MAIN

SOURCE: John Fuzek, "Stone Soup, Sustainable Living, Forever Young and
More," May 14, 2008.

<> FOREVER YOUNG HAS REALLY TALENTED MEMBERS, and this is one group I
would very much like to hear. A lot of what we know of this outfit
comes from John Fuzek mailings, and we do appreciate him keeping us
informed. - Ed.

- - -

JOSH RITTER
Concert on National Public Radio

"NPR Morning Edition Online: Stream the Entire NYC Concert with Hilary
Hahn

<> "Yesterday, NPR stations across the country and on the web aired a
segment during their popular "Morning Edition" show that featured a
story about the recent collaborative concerts Josh and Grammy Award
winning classical violinist Hilary Hahn have been turning heads with.
Catch it during your morning commute, perhaps?

"We are THRILLED to inform everyone though that not only can you hear
that segment on NPR's website, but you can stream Josh and Hilary's
ENTIRE NEW YORK CITY CONCERT there! Josh's solo set, his songs with
Hilary, her complete mesmerizing set, their collaborative encore, AND
four different interview segments: you can hear it all on the NPR site."

SOURCE: Josh Ritter News, "NPR's Morning Edition, Hear Full Concert
With Hilary Hahn, Andrew Bird and More," May 23, 2008.

- - -

TODD THIBAUD
. . . and
THE RADIO KINGS
At Toad

<> Is this the 1990s back at'cha? Are these guys as contemporary as
this minute? The best way to find out would be to leap-frog over to
Toad on June 11.

Toad
1912 Massachusetts Avenue
Cambridge MA 02140
In the heart of Porter Square across from the Porter
Square T
617-497-4950
NEVER A COVER!!
Open 5:00 - 1:00am Sunday - Wednesday / 5:00 - 2:00am
Thursday - Saturday
http://www.toadcambridge.com

. . . . .

Wednesday, June 11
THE EARLY SHOW @ 7:00 featuring
TODD THIBAUD
http://www.myspace.com/toddthibaud
followed at 10 by
THE RADIO KINGS
http://www.myspace.com/theradiokings

SOURCE: Billy Beard, "Toad Listings June 2008," May 16, 2008.

- - -

DENNIS BRENNAN
"Go West! Young Fan, Go West!"

<> My memory on this is not perfect, but I am reasonably certain
Dennis Brennan said that bookings at the Iron Horse Music Hall in
Northampton, Massachusetts are a new thing for him. So not only is
the Horse one of the plummiest of plum New England small city
engagements, but also there may be an element of novelty to this show,
as Brennan builds an Iron Horse following.

Dennis Brennan's latest CD, "Engagement," not only stands up well to
repeat playing, it practically demands it. Material and performances
of this sort are commonly called "classic," but it seems to me the
phrase, "TIMELESS rock," is more apt. People who listen to
"Engagement" a few times at a good healthy rock 'n' roll volume are
going to want to be at the Iron Horse, if they can possibly make it,
on June 18. This show ought to sell out and sell out early.

Saturday, June 14
THE DENNIS BRENNAN BAND
The Iron Horse Music Hall
20 Center St.
Northampton, MA
413 584-0610
JOHN CATE opens.
Head west for the ones you love!

http://www.iheg.com/

SOURCE: Dennis Brennan, "Brennan Blab Monday Edition," May 12, 2008.

- - -

APOLLO SUNSHINE
To Reign in the United Kingdom

<> "Apollo Sunshine is headed to the UK this summer to perform on the
4th of July at Hyde Park in London. This will be Apollo's first trip
overseas in the seven years we have been a band!

"In a time when the United States of America's relationship with our
world needs some serious healing and in a time when questions of
freedom and liberty here at home are at an all time high, we are
honored that the cosmos have aligned us to be performing on the
anniversary of our nations independence in the very country whose
tyranny and oppression we fought against some years ago.

"In all our years of touring endlessly throughout all the corners of
this great nation, we have soaked up so much amazing energy and
culture from all of you, and we are excited to share this wisdom of
love and understanding with more of the world. We are also real
excited to be performing alongside Beck and Morrissey. Woooo Hoooo!!!!"

SOURCE: Apollo Sunshine, "Apollo Sunshine in the UK," May 19, 2008.

- - -

DRESDEN DOLLS
The New Record Is Out

<> "[T]omorrow, our new record "No, Virginia...' comes out. All of
the reviews so far have been stellar and it's been getting a loving
little reception across the globe. Last week the record was the
most-added record on college radio. We're very excited about that.

"We hope that if there is still a record store standing in your town
(and if you haven't pre-ordered) that you hop on your skate- or
hover-board first thing in the morning and go buy it. If they don't
have it, overturn their cardboard display of the latest Coldplay
record and make a scene. Demand the Dresden Dolls, dammit. If you've
already obtained your free copy on the internet somehow, we applaud
you for living in the present, where music is free and plentiful. Now
go buy the real thing and make us feel wanted."

SOURCE: The Dresden Dolls, "'No, Virginia' Out Tomorrow," May 19, 2008.


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BRIEF ITEMS :
.


NEWBURY COMICS
Thirtieth Anniversary

<> "Newbury Comics will be celebrating it's 30th Anniversary this
year...."

SOURCE: Newbury Comics, "May 19 Newbury Comics Coupons and New
Releases," May 19, 2008.

CONGRATULATIONS AND HEARTFELT thirtieth-birthday best wishes to
everyone at Newbury Comics from the NEMSnews gang! - Ed.
.


SLAID CLEAVES AND MICHAEL O'CONNOR
Head North for a Mid-June Rendezvous With Fans

<> "Slaid Cleaves and Michael O'Connor will be plying the northeastern
corridor for two weeks in mid June. We had some cancellations and
late-breaking bookings, but it's all sorted out now.

. . . . .

"Scheduled shows with Guy Clark and Ramblin' Jack Eliot in Annapolis,
New York City and Albany were reluctantly cancelled so that Guy Clark
can fully recover from a broken leg. We are working on rescheduling
the shows in the fall."

SOURCE: Karen Cleaves, "Nor'easter," May 21, 2008.
.


ROSE POLENZANI
July Singing Trip With the Indigo Girls

"Indigo Girls: July 11 - 19

<> "I'm thrilled to be going out to play with Indigo Girls again this
summer!"

SOURCE: Rose Polenzani, "Rose Polenzani ... Indigo Girls," May 23, 2008.
.


STEVEN TYLER
Of Aerosmith

Yahoo News Headline, posted in the Wednesday-Thursday
overnight:

. . . Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler
. . . reportedly enters rehab
.


GUITAR HERO

Yahoo News Headline, Late Thursday Afternoon:

. . . 'Guitar Hero' video game
. . . to add drums and microphone

Some details appear below, mixed in with the latest press releases.
.


end BRIEF ITEMS

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- - -

SUZE ROTOLO
"A Freewheelin' Time"

<> Suze Rotolo is the lovely young woman who appears with Bob Dylan on
the cover of his early-1960s album, "The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan."

She is also great friends with my great e-friend, Susan Green. Susan
sent the following press release about Suze Rotolo's new book, "A
Freewheelin' Time," and added that Anthony de Curtis did an
outstanding job interviewing Rotolo for the Sunday, May 11 issue of
the New York Times.

Rotolo's specialty is in the area of viewing books as works of art.
This is not unlike the Boston Athenaeum, where the collection reflects
a real interest in sheet music covers as works of art.

Without further ado, thanks to Susan Green and here is the Suze Rotolo
press release:

--------------------------------------------
Title: A Freewheelin' Time
Author: Suze Rotolo

Format: Biography & Autobiography - Composers & Musicians
Imprint: Broadway (Random House)
# of pages: 240
Price: $ 22.95
--------------------------------------------

ABOUT THIS BOOK:

<> A Freewheelin' Time is a moving account of the fertile years just
before the circus of the 1960s was in full swing with Bob Dylan as the
anointed ringmaster. Suze Rotolo chronicles the backstory of Greenwich
Village in the early days, when Dylan was honing his skills and she
was in the ring with him.

Set during the time when Dylan was writing the soundtrack to the
cultural revolution of the 1960s, this is a wonderfully romantic story
of their sweet but sometimes wrenching love affair and its eventual
collapse under the pressure of Dylan's growing fame.

A shy girl from Queens, Suze was the politically active daughter of
Italian working-class Communists. Her story is filled with vivid
memories of those turbulent years of dramatic change and poignantly
rising expectations when art, culture, and politics all seemed to be
conspiring to bring our country a better, freer, richer, and more
equitable life. And like Joyce Johnson's classic Minor Characters, A
Freewheelin Time forthrightly describes the sometimes frustrating
experience of being a woman in a male-dominated artistic milieu before
women's liberation changed the rules for the better.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY:

SUZE ROTOLO is an artist who specializes in Book Art - the
reinterpretation of a book as an art object, constructing
three-dimensional mixed media pieces. She lives in New York City with
her family.

- - -

PATTI CASEY
To Join Woods Tea Co.

"Greetings to the fans of Patti Casey,

<> "Welcome to the Woods Tea Co. family. As you may or may not know,
our friend and colleague Patti Casey has decided to join 'America's
Hardest Working Folk Group' the Woods Tea Co, as a full time member
beginning in 2009. Until then Patti has been scheduled for a bunch of
shows and we will be recording a new group CD for release in early 2009.

"If you are not familiar with Woods Tea - please check out our website

http://woodstea.net/

for our schedule, our CD's and other totally useless information.

"We are honored that Patti has joined us. Woods Tea has always been
about having fun - and bringing joy and music. Our next show together
will be in Dorset, Vermont on Sunday June 22 at 4:00PM. It is a great
outdoor show at "The Barrows House" (with a indoor location). Finally
we will be performing in Braintree, Massachusetts on June 28th from
6:30-9:30PM as a quintette with fiddler Pete Sutherland."

SOURCE: Woods Tea Co., "Welcome Patti Casey Fans," May 22, 2008.

- - -

GUITAR HERO 4
A Few Details

From Gamespot:

<> Earlier this week, rumors surfaced that the the June issue of Game
Informer would be jam-packed with details of Activision's Guitar Hero
4, due out this fall. That issue has since arrived in subscribers'
mailboxes, confirming the accuracy of the original post and providing
more details on developer Neversoft's second crack at the rhythm
gaming franchise.

As initially revealed by Activision CEO Bobby Kotick in a recent
interview, Guitar Hero 4 will add drums and vocals a la Rock Band.
Game Informer's feature includes a shot of the referenced drum kit,
which includes three pads, two elevated cymbals, and a pedal (as
opposed to Rock Band's four pads and a pedal). For those keeping
track, that means the Guitar Hero 4 kit has one extra input than the
Rock Band equivalent, raising compatibility questions for the two
series' instruments yet again. The developer is going wireless with
Guitar Hero 4's drum pads, and will be making them pressure-sensitive
so the game can tell if players are wailing on the drums or meekly
tapping them.

- - -

THE WEEPIES
Press Release That I Did Not Get To Read
So It's a Surprise

May 21st, 2008

THE WEEPIES TEAM UP WITH SOCIAL NETWORK IMEEM TO GIVE AWAY THEIR
$10,000 VIDEO BUDGET

<> The Weepies got a lot of breaks on their path to success. In 2006
and 2007, the band topped the digital download charts, country hopped
from festival to festival, were nominated for the Shortlist Music
prize, wrote an album with Mandy Moore, and landed songs in national
ad campaigns as well as on favorite primetime television shows. So
when it came to making a new video for their album title single,
"Hideaway," The Weepies decided to pass on a big break of their own.

"Lately the most creative and interesting videos that we've seen have
been small budget and sometimes home-made, put up on the internet by
people who clearly love making them as an art form," they explain.
Today the Weepies announced a video challenge prodding fans,
independent filmmakers, and passionate people to craft the official
music video for first single, "Hideaway." Hosted by social network,
Imeem, the video challenge offers a $10,000 cash prize, premier and
feature promotions through Imeem, video servicing to major television
and online video outlets, and of course, attention as a professional
film maker.

The Weepies' video challenge comes on the heels of their recently
released and critically acclaimed album Hideaway. The record landed
The Weepies on the Billboard top 200 for the first time ever, claiming
the #31 spot and showing an even stronger presence on the iTunes Top
10. And as The Weepies continue to enjoy the success of a billboard
hit album, don't expect the momentum to slow down; The Weepies music
is set to appear in the upcoming Sex And The City: The Movie at the
end of this month!

As the video contest gets underway, The Weepies are just hoping to
inspire and encourage great film making. "The next great filmmaker is
probably quietly creating at home with a flip camera - that's who we
want to make our video!" say The Weepies. Scorsese who?

For more information, visit http://www.imeem.com/weepiesvideochallenge


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NEMSnews

New England Music Scrapbook
Brattleboro, Vermont

E-MAIL us via:
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Please do NOT click the Reply button. Clicking Reply sends your
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<> If you have friends who would be interested in any of the items in
this issue, please forward this newsletter to them. Thanks! We
believe this is one of the main ways we pick up readers.
.


<> As a rule, we do not post SHOW LISTINGS. The reason is quite
simple. Though our name is the NEW ENGLAND Music Scrapbook, probably
an easy majority of our readers are based outside the six New England
states. The great majority of show listings would be of no interest
at all to the great majority of our readers.

We make exceptions when show listings are part of an item of more
general interest. CD-release events are great examples. For us, the
main point of an item of this sort is that an act has a new record.
The show being announced is of secondary interest to us - if that - as
far as the contents of our newsletter goes.

In the very few, truly exceptional instances where we post show
listings...
.

... Shows can be canceled, sold out, or even moved to another date or
location. We recommend checking the Web, calling ahead or otherwise
confirming details.
.


To SUBSCRIBE to this newsletter:
http://www.geocities.com/nemsnewz/subscribe.htm

E-MAIL us via:
http://www.geocities.com/nemsbook/fred.htm
(Please do NOT click the Reply button.)

NEWSLETTER's Yahoo Groups Home Page:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/uridfm/

General CONTACT Information:
http://www.geocities.com/uridfm/contact.htm

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Issue 2008:276

Published no less often than monthly.
We're guessing eventually we'll settle
into an every-other-week schedule.

Copyright © 2008 by the New England Music Scrapbook. All rights reserved.

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