This week’s Reservoir Music Notes column will not appear due to the Easter and Passover holidays…and the fact that there’s not a single musical event of note that I can recommend this week, unless you feel like driving to Brooklyn on Friday for STEVE WYNN’S BASEBALL PROJECT at The Bell House. Opening this show will be Wynn’s other project, THE MIRACLE 3, who I strongly recommend. Wynn is the former leader of The Dream Syndicate (not to be confused with the British prog-metal band, Dream Theater). I caught The Miracle 3 a couple of years ago at a large private party, and, I gotta say, it was one of the most intense musical tours-de-force I have ever witnessed. According to the blog, Now I’ve Heard Everything, The Miracle 3 are “The best live rock band in America, and probably the world”. I may be forced to agree. Guitarist Jason Victor’s performance at the show I attended was equal to Jimi at Monterey, Jeff Beck at The Fillmore East, Jimmy Page at The Village Theater, or Jerry Garcia back in the day. I’m not kidding!

The Baseball Project is a tribute band to America’s Favorite Pastime with Peter Buck from REM. They’ve been touring and have recorded a couple of albums,  so they’re gonna be good, but for me, the act not to miss is The Miracle 3!

And if you’re going to brave the drive to Brooklyn, you might as well hang around overnight and stay for ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO’S show the next night at the same venue. Make it a Brooklyn weekend! Alejandro’s been around forever, and is part of the Latino-Rock royalty family, The Escovedo’s, whose members include Sheila E and Coke Escovedo from Santana. I remember Alejandro from the San Francisco punk scene in the late 70’s and early 80’s, when he fronted The Nuns and later went on to found one of the first and best cowpunk bands, Rank and File. After moving to Austin, Texas in the 80’s, Alejandro formed The True Believers, before embarking on his solo career in the 90’s. He’s now managed by Bruce Springsteen’s manager, Jon Landau, so expect an upswing in his career very soon.

You know, it’s really sad that, for a town that’s world famous for music, there is so little actual music in Woodstock, as evidenced by this week’s dearth of shows locally. Could someone please step up to the plate before I’m forced to do it myself? Actually, Woodstock never was a music town, which is why the precursors to the original 1969 festival, the Soundouts, had to be held in Saugerties. The powers that were, and still are, in Woodstock, hate music, and would prefer that town residents be composed of lawyers, doctors, and stockbrokers who spend their weeks working in NYC and come up here for occasional weekends. Yeah, I said it. Woodstock is a fraud! There’s very little actual music to be found there. Very little, with the exception of The Bearsville Theater (not actually in Woodstock), and Harmony, what is there, really? Which is why I’m working with a couple of new venues in Kingston to bring some world class musical acts to our area. Stay tuned for further details.

Have a great week. 

Howdy folks, and welcome to another Reservoir Music Notes column. This week, I’m profiling the hardest working band in Ulster County, The Ben Rounds Band. Ben is a serious musician who plays, guitar, bass, mandolin, harmonica, and lap steel, but is also one of the most conscientious bookers I know of. His band is booked almost every weekend, sometimes with 2 or 3 gigs in a single weekend, so there’s ample opportunities to catch these guys somewhere near you. They’re not afraid to travel, so The Ben Rounds Band might show up anywhere within a hundred miles of here at any time, but the easiest gig to remember is their Monday night residency at The Catamount Restaurant in Mount Tremper (which, by the way, also has great food, and Monday is their 35 cent wing night). The BRB will be at The Catamount every Monday night from May 23 until August 29.

Rising from the ashes of The Famous Lees of Krumville, The Ben Rounds Band have existed in their own right for just over 3 years, with greater success each year. Their first year, they played around 40 shows. The second year they upped that figure to 60, and this year, they’re on track for 100 shows, showing remarkably steady growth in a tough economy and when most bands are bemoaning the lack of places to play, these guys are out there doing it.

The band consists of Ben, of course, on guitar and vocals, longtime drummer, Bob Schnitzer, who also sings, and newest member, Jim Wegrzyn on bass and vocals (with a tip of the hat to recently departed bassist, Dennis Swauger). The new configuration gives the band more versatility, as everyone sings and there are ample opportunities to display their lovely 3 part harmonies, something that IMHO, separates the men from the boys musically.

The band’s roots are in rock n roll and old school country with an emphasis on danceability. Their set lists are an eclectic mix of those genres, drawing from obscure and well known covers and original songs. Amazingly, Ben is also a square dance caller, which gives this band a diversity not found in many modern bands. Their shows are a 3 hour vacation from the troubles of life, while you listen to the troubles of others, forgetting your own for a time.

The Ben Rounds Band is currently recording a CD of original songs which will draw from the driving energy of Chuck Berry and the emotional intensity of Hank Williams, Sr. More info at www.benrounds.com.

This week’s live music picks are as follows:

Tonight, Thursday, April 21, 2 original members of THE FLAMING GROOVIES, ROY LONEY and CYRIL JORDAN, bring their brand of high energy rock n roll to The Bell House in Brooklyn. I know it’s a drive, but this is their only US gig this year, and it will be worth it, as anyone who was at Roy’s sold out gig at Market Market in Rosendale knows. The Groovies combined the energy of punk with the roots of 50’s rock n roll and 60’s British pop, were way ahead of their time, and have become a most legendary band. There are also 3 other bands on the bill who look promising, and admission is only $15. This is easily my PICK OF THE WEEK.

Friday, April 22, you’ve got a difficult choice. At the beautiful Club Helsinki in Hudson, we’ve got the hottest local reggae band, THE BIG TAKEOVER. These guys are authentic and have been steadily increasing their visibility for the past year. Definitely worth checking out. But, the same night, we’ve got THE ALEXIS P. SUTER BAND, at The Falcon in Marlboro, which, I’ve heard, is also a beautiful spot for music, and with no cover (donation requested however). Alexis and her great band are veterans of countless Midnight Rambles, so that should give you an idea of their credibility and talent. However, Alexis brings her band into Club Helsinki the following night, Saturday, April 23, so it might be fun to make it a CLUB HELSINKI weekend, with The Big Takeover Friday and Alexis Suter Saturday. Hudson’s a beautiful town, and it’s not far, so get there early and do some shopping and sight seeing.

For those of you who want to stay closer to home, The Bearsville Theater presents SHAWN MULLINS on Saturday, April 23rd. Shawn writes catchy, melodic songs that, I have to admit, are infectious and hard to get out of your head once you’ve heard them. They just keep growing on you. If you like Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, you’ll like Shawn.

Also on Saturday, April 23rd, The AVONDALE AIRFORCE appears at Market Market in Rosendale. Now, I have not heard this band, but I know their singer, Peter Aaron, and I respect his taste in music, so they’re probably gonna be good. Peter seems to show up at most of the events I go to. Don’t know if that’s because he’s a music writer for just about every publication in Ulster County, or we just like the same bands, but either way, Avondale Airforce is probably worth checking out.

Closing out the week on Wednesday, April 27, is my second PICK OF THE WEEK, JOHN PRINE at UPAC in Kingston. John is one of America’s (and the world’s) finest songwriters and has not appeared in the Hudson Valley for a long time. Highly recommended!

Enjoy your week and the warm weather that’s been rolling in. See you here next week.

The weather is warming up, and the musical faire is a bit limited this week (although, don’t get me wrong, there is still some worthwhile stuff going on), so why not take advantage of that and go to a MIDNIGHT RAMBLE at LEVON HELM’s this week? Or next week or the week after that? For the next 8 weeks, Levon will be home at The Barn every weekend, including a special Friday night Ramble on April 22 and Levon’s Birthday Bash on May 21, and tickets are still available for all but 2 of those nights. This is the time to gather up your pennies and buy some memories before the summer festival season starts and Levon is on the road most weekends. Visit www.levonhelm.com for more information and to buy tickets. A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

Other than that, here’s what else is going on this week.

Friday, April 8 – LUCKY PETERSON at The Bearsville Theater. Lucky was discovered at the age of 5 by the immortal Willie Dixon and had a very nice career going until personal problems caused his fall from grace. However, in the last 2 years, he’s made a comeback, and his most recent album, produced by Woodstock’s own Doug Yoel, and featuring local all-stars Gary Burke and Scott Petito, and international multi-instrumentalist par extraordinare Larry Campbell (also part of our local community), was greeted with critical and popular success, and nominated for a 2011 Blues Music Award for Acoustic Album of the Year. I’ve seen some clips of Lucky’s recent shows at The Iridium in NYC, and it was anything but acoustic. In fact it was rockin’, and many of the guests from the album sat in that night. There is a Ramble the next night, and Larry’s got to be here to play with Levon, so who knows, maybe he’ll reprise his appearance from The Iridium, and folks, you do not want to miss that, which is why this is one of my 2 PICKS OF THE WEEK. Lucky’s producer, Doug Yoel will be opening the show with Doug Yoel and Friends.

Also of Friday, April 8, is my good friend JAY COLLINS AND THE KINGS COUNTY BAND at The Falcon in Marlboro. If you’re short on cash but have gas in the car, it’s only a short drive to The Falcon, where there is never an admission charge. Jay is Levon’s son-in-law, and often appears with The Levon Helm Band, but he didn’t get that job by being the boss’s son (in-law). Jay is a regular with The Gregg Allman Band and The Organiks (profiled here a few weeks ago), has toured with James Hunter, and man, can he blow the saxophone!. He’ll be leading the Kings County Band through a rockin’ set of blues, r n b, and jazz tunes, and is definitely worth the ride.

On Saturday, April 9, there’s a smorgasbord of fine musical faire, starting with my second PICK OF THE WEEK. They’re calling this outfit the CHARLES JAMES BLUES BAND, but any band that features JIMMY EPPARD, RANDY CIARLANTE, and CHARLIE KNICELY can’t be anything but great. Jimmy and Randy are my two local favorites on their respective instruments, as regular readers of my column know, and Charlie’s no slouch either. The music starts at The High Falls Café at 9PM, so be there!

Also on Saturday, April 9, is a show of historical import, if nothing else, but will also probably be pretty great in the world of the present. BERNARD PURDIE was a top level New York session drummer and played on literally thousands of hit records over a half century in the music business. His work crossed all genres and he’s even rumored to have played on some Beatles records. BERNARD “PRETTY” PURDIE and FRIENDS at The Falcon will take you to school. Old school!

Finally, on Saturday, April 9, there’s a show at The Bearsville Theater with 2 bands that I’m not really familiar with, but they look eclectic and unusual, and might be worth a listen. The bands are The Caravan of Thieves with opening act Ragbird. Caravan plays a kind of gypsy-jazz with acoustic instruments and from what I’ve been able to determine, Ragbird is kind of similar. Can’t give this one an unreserved recommendation since I don’t really know the bands, but it caught my eye and looked interesting, so I thought I’d pass it along.

Have a great week, and don’t forget about Miss Angie’s Karaoke every Thursday night at The Bearsville Theater. It’s not your father’s karaoke!