To paraphrase the old Dunkin’ Doughnuts commercial, “Time to write the column”. I’m not sure if anybody is reading this (or writing it, for that matter), but I do put a lot of care, time, and research into creating this column, and I haven’t heard anything from anyone in the way of feedback since the first week, when I did hear from about 3 people. But since then? Nothing! So, I repeat, does anybody read this column and find it useful? If yes, why don’t you let me know? I can be reached at The Townsman, at my store, which is Reservoir Music Center on Route 28 in Shokan at Winchell’s Corner, or online at Facebook, where I and the store both have a page. You can also email me at reservoirmusic@gmail.com.

Unfortunately, I missed a once in a lifetime opportunity to have an “End of the World” sale last week, but I am in the mood to deal anyway, so if anybody needs any instruments or gear of any sort, come see me and I will still honor the “End of the World” prices!

As long as we’re on the subject of shameless self-promotion, please go to www.reverbnation.com/ brooklyncowboys and check out my band’s page. While you’re there, stop by my friend TJ Colatrella’s page and our band page, The Manchilds. TJ is a great songwriter and The Brooklyn Cowboys, TJ, and The Manchilds have owned the #1 spot on the Reverb Nation charts in The Hudson Valley for the past year in our respective categories, country, folk, and blues. If you like what you hear, please become a fan.

Wow, what a great week of music we had last week, and this week’s pretty great too! Starting tonight, Thursday, May 26, there’s no better way to start the weekend than by going to see a band who were just voted the #1 band in the Hudson Valley, THE REDDAN BROTHERS BAND (www.reddanbrothers.com or on MySpace at www.myspace.com/johnreddan) at The Falcon in Marlborough, where there’s usually no cover charge. There is no other band more worthy of this distinction. These guys are great! They’ve played about ten shows for me over the past few years, and, in fact, I was the first person to book the Brothers in Ulster County. I’ve seen them grow as a band and I strongly recommend this show. John and Chris Reddan are both masters of their instruments and it’s rare that you see this level of musicianship at such a young age. Neither one is out of the 20’s, but they’ve got about two decades of roadworthy experience between them, John with The Bill Perry Band and Chris with Popa Chubby. You can’t go wrong here folks!

On Friday, May 27, we’ve got some kind of day! No matter where you are, there’s some great music. Upstate, downstate, eastside, westside, all around the town. Starting with hometown favorite LEVON HELM, who will be celebrating his birthday with his adoring fans at UPAC in Kingston, along with special guests, Donald Fagen, Natalie Merchant, and Marc Cohen. The show is sold out, but if you can snag a ticket somehow, it will be worth it! If you’re left out in the cold for that one, there are numerous ways to console yourself. ROSEANNE CASH brings her bad self to the Paramount in Peekskill for a night of Americana and rockin’ country. If country ain’t your bag, PHISH starts a 3 night run at Bethel Center for the Arts and if you’re in the city, tonight is WAVY GRAVY’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION at The Beacon Theater in Manhattan. The line up at The Beacon is pretty awesome, and a testimonial to the good will Wavy has created in the musical community over the last 45 years. The man who was the MC at the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Fair has gotten Crosby and Nash, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Steve Earle, Allison Moorer, Dr. John, Bruce Hornsby, Jorma Kaukonen, Steve Kimock, and Buffy Saint-Marie to come to his birthday party, which is a benefit for Seva Foundation, a very worthy cause. Look it up!

Saturday, May 28, PURPLE K’NIF returns to Market Market in Rosendale. These guys rock and are the best surf band in the Hudson Valley, as they proved so aptly when they opened for Roy Loney here last winter.

Sunday, May 29, THE BEARSVILLE SESSIONS continue with the third in the series. This week, the focus is on The Rolling Stones. The house band is kickass, and this promises  to be a great night, especially if you’re a Stones fan.

In closing, I’d like to welcome my friend, Charlie Blumstein to The Townsman and announce the date of The Reservoir Music Fifth Anniversary Party at The Bearsville Theater. Charlie will definitely give you a POV outside the mainstream, and as such, should be presenting some interesting issues in his column, which I recommend you read. As for the celebration, the date is July 15, 2011. I’ve already booked some impressive talent, but am still working on adding more, so I hope to be able to tell you who exactly will be playing by next week. Stay tuned and keep those cards and letters coming!

All right people. Strap yourselves in and hold on to your hats, because the summer concert season has begun! This week, there is more live music within 50 miles of your home than you can shake a stick at! The weather is beautiful so now’s the time to support the arts! I know gas is $4 and you have no money anyway, but if you can budget a night out with your honey to rock out, trust me, it will be worth it!

It was for me last night, as I had a thoroughly enjoyable evening at Levon’s Ramble, followed by a nightcap at Harmony in Woodstock, where I got to see some friends and wind down from the work week. Unfortunately, I forgot that my week ends on Sunday and I still had one day to go before my weekend actually began! I really did not feel like going to work this morning, but, trooper that I am, I arrived only 10 minutes late.

Anyway, it was worth it, because I got to hear some of the best music I’ve heard in Woodstock in a dog’s age! It was two- thirds of EGO (Joey Eppard, Alana Orr, and Chris Gartman). (Hope I got the spelling right, Chris. Apologies if not). It was Joey and Chris, as Alana just had an adorable baby and is kind of busy right now. I think I only caught the last song, so I can’t say anything about the whole set, but that last song was freakin’ fantastic! Not to take anything away from Joey, but Chris stole that song. The drum groove he laid down was captivatingly rockin! I’ve heard a few songs from this group before, but nothing ever caught my ear like this song. So, that’s it!They’ve got it! Now they’ve gotta reproduce it.

Levon’s was a treat, as always. Kinky Friedman opened the show, and he was hilarious and musical, as always. Levon’s band ran through a selection of chestnuts from The Band catalog and rock n roll history, and a splendid time was had by all. (By the way, I define the term, “rock n roll” to mean any country, rockabilly, blues, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, or other kind of music that rocks!). Y’all should do it once (or more). Like a night out with your honey, it’s worth it!

The date for the Reservoir Music Fifth Anniversary Party at The Bearsville Theater has been finalized. I’ll announce it here next week. I don’t want to keep you in suspense, I just want to line up some of the talent first. But I will tell you this. It will be in mid-July.

Enough rambling. There’s so much going on this week that I better get to it.

Thursday, May 19

Well, the top event tonight is the Joey Ramone Birthday Party at Irving Plaza in Manhattan. I told you about it last week. It’s been going on forever and is always great. It’s always good to remember the man who, along with the rest od The Ramones, is what, according to Little Steven, the entire Underground Garage radio show is based on. By way of explanation, Little Steven says that everything he plays either influenced The Ramones, is influenced by The Ramones, or is by The Ramones, and I think that sums it up pretty well. BTW, Little Steven’s Underground Garage is broadcast on WDST Radio Woodstock,100.1FM, every Sunday night from 8-10pm, and on Sirius/XM satellite radio 24 hours a day, and is the best radio show on the planet. Or as Steve might say, the coolest radio show in the world. Check it out!

If you drive all the way to the city, only to find that Joey’s party is sold out, you can console yourself at the Robert Randolph and the Family Band show at The Brooklyn Bowl, a former, bowling alley in Brooklyn that’s been converted to rock club. Randolph plays pedal steel guitar like Jimi, if Jimi had played pedal steel guitar instead of the Stratocaster. He comes out of the ‘sacred steel’ tradition, which came from African-American churches that couldn’t afford an organ, so they bought what they could afford, and used it in the service of The Lord. In this case, they could afford a pedal steel guitar. If you can’t get in to Joey’s party, you’ll still be a happy camper if you wind up here. Randolph will also be here on Friday.

Friday, May 20

In addition to the previously mentioned 2nd night of Robert Randolph at The Brooklyn Bowl, tonight also offers another chance to catch the Levon spinoff group, Blue Chicken, at The Towne Crier in Pauling. I’ve written about Blue Chicken before. It’s a side project for Levon Helm band members Jimmy Weider, Brian Mitchell, and Byron Isaacs with Randy Ciarlante, former Band drummer, and sometimes, Sid Maginnes, guitar player from The Letterman Band. Sounds good to me.

Saturday, May 21

ZZ Top and Lynyrd Skynyrd at The Times-Union Center in Albany. Does anything need to be said about this program of first class Southern Rock? I’ll tell you this. You will never go wrong with ZZ Top, whom I liken to The Rolling Stones, if The Stones were from Texas.

Another great night of music will be Bill Kirchen at Club Helsinki. The former Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen lead guitarist has kept his career vibrant and lively, and boy, can he play that Telecaster!

It’s also Bob Dylan Birthday Night at The Woodstock Byrdcliffe Guild with an all-star cast of local musician’s and Popa Chubby is at The Towne Crier in Pauling.

Sunday, May 22

Sunday night is a good night to spend with Eric Anderson at The Towne Crier. The veteran folkie was one of the best of that genre and he also wrote “Violets of Dawn” for The Blues Project, one of their best records.

Tonight is also the first night of Elvis Costello’s 3 night run at The Beacon Theater in Manhattan. Always interesting, at worst. He’s there through Tuesday.

Wednesday, May 25

Former Doors keyboardist, Ray Manzarek at The Ridgefield Playhouse in Connecticut sounds interesting to me for some reason. Manzarek was one of the two stars of the band, in some ways even eclipsing Jim Morrison. He’s kept his integrity since Jim died, and I’ll bet he’s got something to say still. I’d really like to see this show.

There were no picks of the week this week because everything is great this week. I’d have to pick them all. You really can’t go wrong this week, and it doesn’t slow down next week. Get ready, because we’ve got Levon at UPAC, Roseanne Cash, Wavy Gravy’s birthday party, and Phish, all coming up next week. Start working out because we’ve got a lot of rockin’ to do!

See you next week.

Well, the draught is over, and I’m not talking about the weather. Thankfully, we are back to a full calendar of music this week, so that should make everyone happy.

At the last minute, I changed my mind about going to see Ralph Stanley last Friday, opting to stay closer to home and taking a chance on Jackie Greene at The Bearsville Theater, and I was not disappointed. Jackie rocked pretty good, and even though half his set was Grateful Dead songs (not a bad thing), he made them all his own, playing “Sugaree”, “Deal” and others with an aggressiveness that The Dead rarely did. The guitar playing was tasty and inventive, and all in all, I would now highly recommend Jackie, especially if you’re a Grateful Dead fan.

My store, Reservoir Music Center, just celebrated it’s 5th anniversary, and I’m planning a party sometime in July to thank the community for their support. Details will be announced here as they become available.

Since we have such a full calendar this week, let’s get right to it.

TONIGHT, Thursday, May 12

NEKO CASE AT The Bearsville Theater. Neko is one of the Americana Queens-in-Waiting, along with Elizabeth Cook, Allison Moorer, Joy Lynn White, and quite a few others. Of course, the reigning Queen of the genre is Lucinda Williams, but that’s another story. Neko’s got good songs, sings great, and contributed heavily to the last Jakob Dylan album, so her bona fides are firmly in place. She’s appeared on Leno, Letterman, Conan, Fallon, and Elvis Costello’s TV shows, and has sung with (other than Dylan) Roseanne Cash, Nick Cave, and Costello. I probably shouldn’t even mention this, but she was also voted the sexiest babe in indie rock by the readers of Playboy.com, and was invited to pose for the magazine, but, to her credit, declined.

ROSS RICE at Market Market in Rosendale. Best known for his keyboard playing with local faves, Voodelic, this transplanted Memphian (that is, Memphis native) seems to be everywhere and plays every style equally well. Don’t know if this is a Very Sexy Trio gig, solo, or what, but whatever it is, you will be entertained.

Friday, May 13

RHETT MILLER at Market Market. Rhett is the man behind the Old 97’s, a really good Americana group, and I believe he lives in New Paltz, which is probably why he’s playing this tiny venue instead of the larger clubs and theaters he usually plays. A great opportunity to catch him in a very intimate venue. This has to be one of my Weekly Picks.

LEVON HELM BAND with ARLO GUTHRIE at Ommegang Brewery in Cooperstown. Nobody here needs an introduction. This is an anti-fracking benefit, and if you don’t know what fracking is, check out the movie, “Gasland” for more info.

SHEMEKIA COPELAND at Club Helsinki in Hudson. Shemekia, daughter of the late, great Texas guitarslinger, Johnny Clyde Copeland, is crown princess of the blues, following in the footsteps of Koko Taylor and Etta James. If you dig the blues, you’ll dig Shemekia.

 

Saturday, May 14

MIDNIGHT RAMBLE with KINKY FRIEDMAN. Kinky was a fixture at the old Lone Star Café in Manhattan when I used to hang out there. The former head of Kinky Friedman and the Texas Jewboys, he’s now best known for his mystery novels and his campaign for Texas governor, which was unsuccessful, but was endorsed by Willie Nelson and just about every other Texas musician. Kinky’s music combines great songs with comedy, with titles like, “They Ain’t Makin’ Jews like Jesus Anymore”, “Asshole from El Paso”, and “Waitret, Please Waitret (come sit on my face)”. He ain’t been around for a while, so I’m really looking forward to this. Might even bring him a cigar, if I can fit it into the budget.

Tuesday, May 17

TONY TRISCHKA at The Linda in Albany. In keeping with this week’s royalty theme, let’s call Tony one of the Kings of Banjo. More traditional than Bela Fleck, but equally talented, he’s been all over the bluegrass world for 40 years. Pick of the Week.

Thursday, May 19

JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY PARTY at Irving Plaza, NYC. Technically, this belongs to next week, but since it’s not nearby, I thought I’d give you a heads up this week, in case you needed to get a babysitter or something. This annual event, a tribute to the dearly departed lead singer of The Ramones, is always great, always rockin’, and always has a great line up with special guests the norm. If you like rock n roll, make the trip.

Have a great week.

Hi everybody and welcome to this week’s Reservoir Music Notes. This is going to be a short column because for the second week in a row, there’s almost nothing going on musically in our local area. If you want to drive to Brooklyn or Bethelwoods or Manhattan or Irvington or Ridgefield, Connecticut or Peekskill or Pawling, there’s plenty of live music, but in our neck of the woods…. Nada.

The only noteworthy events this week for us are JACKIE GREENE at The Bearsville Theater on Friday and The Midnight Ramble at Levon Helm Studios on Saturday, which is where I am going to be on Saturday night. On Friday however, I will probably forego Jackie to take the drive to Peekskill for a show of monumental historical proportion. That show will be DOCTOR RALPH STANLEY AND THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS. Now, not to take anything away from Jackie Greene. That should be a great show too, but Dr. Ralph Stanley is the last living picker from the golden days of bluegrass, and his career has enjoyed a resurgence in the last ten years. This could be the last opportunity to see this living legend perform in our area, and I do not want to miss it. The show is at The Paramount Performing Arts Center, and is my Pick of the Week.

Now about Jackie Greene. Jackie made his bones playing guitar with Phil Lesh of The Grateful Dead. The other guitarist with Phil at that time was our own Larry Campbell, and for my money, that was the best group Phil’s had since Jerry Garcia died. Jackie and Larry’s guitar pyrotechnics together were on par with The Dead’s Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, and in some ways, even surpassed those two legends, because both Jackie and Larry could play lead guitar, so the fretwork interplay was amazing. Jackie’s own music is more folky and Americana style, so don’t expect a hard rockin’ show, but it will be good, especially if Larry drops by to jam, which is highly likely.

We lost a great singer this week in Phoebe Snow. Phoebe performed in Woodstock often and was a frequent guest at Levon’s Rambles. She will be missed.

As I sat down to write this column, it came over the TV that United States forces in Pakistan had killed Osama Bin Laden. Even though I usually leave the political commentary to my friend Frank Commando, I couldn’t let a story of that magnitude pass without comment. Hopefully the terrorism era that started with 9-11 can now be brought to an end, and please remember, George Bush had 8 years to get Osama and failed. Obama succeeded in 2 years.

Have a great week.