Barrence Whitfield and the Savages

i had the pleasure of stepping into the time machine on Saturday 9/7. I used to see Barrence and the original Savages when I was in my 20's. I once saw him walk up a wall, amongst other mind boggling moves back in the early 80's. It had been about 12 years since i last saw him on stage or off. He hasn't changed much in that time. He hasn't lost any strength in his voice, though he isn't quite as wild physically on stage as he once was. He still holds the audience in the palm of his hand from the first note, with his self effacing demeanor in between songs, and his possessed singing, shouting and screaming during each song. He becomes the song, massaging it gently and then going full throttle as called for. Now reunited with original Savages Peter Greenberg and Phil Lenker along with Tom Quatrull and Andy Jody, they are a force to be reckoned with.

Downbeat 5 @ the Middle East 9/7/2013

it's been far too long since last posting. i actually got out and did some shooting last saturday night. a killer quadruple bill of Muck & the Mires (finally got to see them after all these years), the Downbeat 5 (must've been a decade since i last saw them), Jittery Jack (fine rockabilly band) and local living legend Barrence Whitfield & the Savages (reunited with Peter Greenberg on guitar and Phil Lenker on bass).

Anyway, Downbeat 5 is co-fronted by the talented, lovely JJ Rassler and Jennifer D'Angora. She's also lovely and talented. They rocked the house. They're on Facebook if you want to know more about them.

next: Barrence

Jimmy Webb

I've been busy this summer, co-coordinating my daughter Ruby's schedule both for camp and social life. She's on her way to Nevada today to ride horses for a week.

I've taken a few opportunities to check out some live music. Most recently, I had a chance to see Jimmy Webb perform at the Guthrie Center in Great Barrington MA. Both Jimmy and the center have well known history, Jimmy as a songwriter of renown and the Center as a historical landmark.

For those of you who remember Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant", the Center is the former church where Alice lived. It was immortalized in the song's lyrics; "Now it all started two Thanksgivings ago, was on - two years ago on Thanksgiving, when my friend and I went up to visit Alice at the
Restaurant, but Alice doesn't live in the restaurant, she lives in the Church nearby the restaurant, in the bell-tower, with her husband Ray and Fasha the dog."

The church has since been purchased by Arlo and turned into a performance space. It's open from Spring until Fall and is a well known stop on the folk circuit. The Guthrie Center was set up as a non-profit foundation.

My friend Mark Galeo and I quickly found out that the place has no a/c as we went on 7/19, in the midst of our heat wave. It was warm, but it could have been much worse. If you want to help the center raise funds for air conditioning, go here; guthrie center donations
A very worthy cause.

Jimmy Webb is an extraordinary songwriter. Not only did he pen some of Glen Campbell's biggest hits (Wichita Lineman, By the Time I Get to Phoenix, Where's the Playground Susie, Galveston) Jimmy also wrote some other songs you might know; Macarthur Park, Up, Up and Away, The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, The Highwayman and many more.

Having the opportunity to see Jimmy perform many of these tunes while accompanying himself on piano was a real treat. I grew up on all of those songs. Many are still all time favorites.

 

 Mark Galeo and Jimmy Webb

Indians on display

If you're passing through Sudbury during the month of June, please stop by the Starbucks in Shaw's Plaza on Route 20. 10 of my Mardi Gras Indian photos will be on display.

Now that those are done, I'll try to start posting again with greater regularity.

i was just thinking...

when i first joined fb, i was informed by a fb friend that this was just for fun things, nothing serious, like how you feel. i've had my share of fun.

but i also found a way to express feelings, in particular how this country is really going to hell in a handbasket. How much i want justice, peace and harmony. how screwed up our priorities are. how the party of No is out for themselves and no one else. Not even those who voted them into office.

every ideal and value I held sacred, because my parents taught me there were such things, are no longer in existence or for sale. sadly, i believe our president is no more than a tool for those who really run this country now. How can this man think about cutting back entitlements, never mind say it aloud in public.
we earned that money. i don't see anyone in the House or Senate giving up the perks they passed laws to provide for themselves. Obama gave up what, 10% of his salary as a symbolic gesture. How will they ever survive on $360K? He's already a millionaire. But for for the rest of us, we're on our own. who out there has a pension to look forward to in the 21st century?

how about cutting our defense budget by 1 or 2 trillion dollars so we can retire on what we paid into Social Security. let's feed, clothe and shelter those less fortunate. let's put people back to work so they can regain their pride and motivation. Cutting entitlements is not the way to go. Obama, get a backbone. It's long past time for you to just say no. Prove to us you are truly the agent of change you sold us. You have nothing to lose now.

but that's just the tip. towards the end of April, it dawned on me that Stacey had been gone almost 11 months. May & June were always busy months in this household. Mothers Day and Stacey's birthday (she would have been 46 on tuesday), our wedding anniversary, Fathers Day and then my birthday all fell into a period of 4 or 5 weeks. It kept us busy and me worrying about how we'd pay for all those occasions. it's an odd feeling that Mother's Day is tomorrow and there is no Mother here, and no birthday celebration forthcoming.

i fell into a funk, thinking about the past 11 months, what the future holds for us all, in particular my children.

but we're still here. My son is getting one more opportunity to stay in school. Maybe this will help him hit his stride. My daughter is rocking the world. look out, here she comes. my kids dealt with a lot over the past 7 plus years. Thankfully they have big love in their hearts. may that never change. may they never become bitter, cynical and jaded.

i believe everything happens for a reason. For all the bitching, whining and complaining, I'm an incredibly lucky person. i have to believe that we can make a difference in this world by doing the right thing and treating others like fellow human beings, no more, no less. respect all life, because life in short.

i believe that if you wake up in the morning, it's a good day. make the most of it (easy to say), because you never know when your number will come up. if you try something and it doesn't work, find another way. Make the most of what you have. Enjoy the fact that you have it, whatever it is.

if you made it this far, i love you and wish you and yours the very best. love your families & your friends, they'll always love you back. keep things in perspective, don't forget or lose sight of what's important. don't ever take anything for granted, because whatever it is, it may not come around again.

can't get enough of that good stuff

hi,

2 weeks ago I returned to New Orleans to photograph an event known as West Fest. A unique Mardi Gras Indian event started by Chief Tyrone Casby of the Ward 15 (Westbank, Algiers) Mohawk Hunters. It's the day when Mardi Gras Indians from the other side of the river, where most gangs reside, come accross to parade for the people of Algiers. Other Mardi Gras subculture groups parade as well. this year I know there were some #Baby Dolls participating. If you're intrigued by the concept of Baby Dolls, i would strongly urge you to seek out this book (shameless plug);

The "Baby Dolls": Breaking the Race and Gender Barriers of the New Orleans Mardi Gras Tradition by Kim Marie Vaz

Ms. Vaz has written a fascinating, enjoyable, readable book tracing the Baby Doll Mardi Gras subculture from the beginning to present day.

ok, back to shameless self promotion. No Indian pictures this time. Those are being saved for a later date. I stayed an extra day and took a few photos around the City that Care Forgot. I hope you like them 

these were shot in several neighborhoods of the city. in order; Algiers, the Garden District, Ninth Ward (2), Prytania St. in the lower Garden District, and Upperline St. in the Garden District/Uptown.

there's a plan in place to return to nola in late June, with my friend Danny Cohen. As always, I look forward to my next visit with great anticipation. It will give me the opportunity to show Danny more of the city than he's previously experienced, allow me to add to my collection and get some work done on my book.

i have my first authentic photo shoot today, thanks to my friend Maria Oullette. I'll be shooting for the Blood and Marrow Transplant Information Network. The group is involved in advocacy and education for patients who survive blood and marrow transplants.  Patients who have faced things like leukemia, lymphoma and myeloma for instance.
Every year they put together a calendar of transplant survivors from across the country, to serve as an inspirational piece for other people facing transplants.  The transplant centers around the country nominate a survivor that they think should be in the calendar. I'm shooting with a survivor from Lancaster MA. Some of those exposures will be posted over the next week.

stay tuned

Wayne "the train" Hancock

i've been a fan of wayne hancock+ for a long time. Amongst Americana aficionados, Wayne's first album "Thunderstorms and Neon Signs" is considered a classic. Wayne's sound is a throwback to Hank, Lefty, Carl Smith+, Faron Young+, Moon Mullican+, a touch of Bob Wills+ and other country singers from the 40's into the early 60's.

last night i had the opportunity to see Wayne at the Middle East in Cambridge. the last time i saw him was in the late 90's at SxSW.

he's playing with a stand up bassist and a really talented guitarist, i wasn't able to catch their names. Wayne on acoustic rhythm guitar and vox.

the man has stuck with his retro formula through the years, but manages to make it sound entirely original, not a clone of those who blazed the trail he's on.