Two really cool things happened this week. Well, three, if you count The London Souls playing at Club Helsinki in Hudson last Friday night! The other two are that Metallica played a two hour set at the legendary Apollo Theater in Harlem last Saturday night, and from all accounts shredded the place, then burned it down! The concert was broadcast live on Sirius/XM Radio, so you might be able to find it. Read all about it here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/metallica-shred-through-greatest-hits-at-the-apollo-theater-20130922

     And the third really cool thing that happened this week, actually, on Monday, is that the iconic Ray Charles got his own United States postage stamp as a birthday present from Uncle Sam! Ray’s Forever stamp will coincide with the release of Ray Charles Forever, a compilation album being released the next day. The artwork for the stamp is a beautiful full color picture of Ray beaming onstage! As soon as I saw it, my first thought was, “I wanna send all my letters with that stamp”! The only problem is, who sends letters any more? LOL. Read more here http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/ray-charles-honored-on-u-s-postage-stamp-20130922

      Alright, so I’m still in recovery mode from all the excitement of the first half of September, but I’ve got a feeling I’d better hurry up and get ready for the weekend, cause it starts Wednesday, and it don’t let up on Sunday, so, here we go!

     Wednesday, September 25 – EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE are already into the second of two nights at The Beacon Theater, and GRAHAM NASH is onto the second of three nights at City Winery, but I’m really looking forward to THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS at Bearsville Theater! Never heard these guys before, but they look cool, they’re funny, talented, they have a hit record, and they look like they’re going places! More info at www.bearsvilletheater.com. With The Hope-Gold Duo opening.

     Thursday, September 26 – Well, THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS are at Hill Country Barbecue, and JOE SATRIANI and STEVE MORSE are at The Beacon Theater, but if I was in the city tonight, I’d be at NEKO CASE at Radio City Music Hall! This lady is peaking right now, her new song, “Man” rocks, this is the first time she’s headlined a venue of this size and historical importance, and she is going to rise to the occasion! I wouldn’t be too surprised if special guests showed up for this show, either! She’s worked with a lot of them on record!

     Friday, September 27 – Lots of great stuff going on this weekend. Let’s start with the great BEN E. KING, he of “Stand By Me” and “Spanish Harlem” fame, former lead singer of The Drifters, and Rock and Roll and Vocal group Halls of Fame inductee, who’s making an extremely rare appearance at BB King’s in Manhattan! Our friends in THE ALEXIS P. SUTER GROUP are at Iridium for the first of two nights. Moving up to the Hudson Valley, THE ANCHOR in Kingston is open for its second weekend, and they have a good line up tonight! It’s MEGAN JEAN AND THE KFB, with THE OLD DOUBLE E, and TRAIL LIGHT REBELLION, opening. Now, the only one of these bands that I’ve actually heard, is The Old Double E, which, I assume, gets their name from Ed Butler and Little Earl from Voodelic, two of the principals of the outfit, but I could be wrong. It could be something old and arcane! If you come to The Anchor tonight, you can ask them yourself! But, I digress. I know The Old Double E are good, if you like old timey bluegrass, country, rockabilly, and folk n roll, and THEY told me that Megan Jean is amazing! Is that enough of a recommendation to go on? I think so. Anyway, I’m looking for The Anchor to become one of those places where it doesn’t matter who’s playing, because it’s always someone good! Over at The Bearsville Theater, they’ve got a very special performance by two artists who play together only rarely, DAVID BROMBERG AND LARRY CAMPBELL! It seems like they will be playing together tonight! These two are both Masters of their various instruments, so this should be exciting. And up in Hudson, the fabulous EILEN JEWELL will return to Club Helsinki, hopefully with her amazing guitar player, JERRY MILLER, who’s just released a terrific solo album himself! Highly recommended!

     Saturday, September 28 – The weekend hi-jinx continue with SEAN LENNON at BSP Lounge in Kingston. Yes, that would be John Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s son, Sean. Can’t vouch for the musicality of Sean, but I’ll be there none the less! Will we get John, Yoko, or a hybrid? Stay tuned. In Woodstock, MOONALICE is at The Midnight Ramble, with The M.R. Band, and Woodstock comes to Hudson in the form of young guitarslinger, CONNOR KENNEDY, who’s at Helsinki tonight. Downstate, the great BILLY JOE SHAVER pulls into Hill Country Barbecue, JONNY LANG is at Irving Plaza, and the immortal JIMMY CLIFF is at Webster Hall, and lemme tell ya folks, Jimmy Cliff’s still got it! Recommended! Any one of these three will be great!

     Sunday, September 29 – It’s a quiet Sunday night. You’re exhausted from being out late Friday and Saturday. Runnin’ on fumes. How ‘bout New Orleans guitarist, ANDERS OSBORNE, solo acoustic, at City Winery?

     Monday, September 30 – STEELY DAN open a 7 night in 9 day engagement at The Beacon Theater that will probably be really good, even if you’re not an SD nerd, but tonight, tonight we will be at City Winery with JAMES COTTON! His new stuff is awesome, and I’m betting this show will be too! And if you’re home tonight, don’t forget to tune in to John Madeo’s “Little Delaware Jamboree” at 8pm EST, on WIOX, 91.3 FM, where you will hear some great music, and, at a little past 8:30, you can listen to John and I discussing music, both live and recorded! My segment usually lasts until 9 pm station ID. Also online at www.wioxradio.org.

      Tuesday, October 1 – John and Alice Coltrane’s son, Ravi Coltrane, will be taking up residence with his band, THE RAVI COLTRANE QUARTET, at my favorite jazz club, The Village Vanguard, tonight through October 6! I did mention Ravi Coltrane’s heritage, but we would be recommending him if his last name was Smith! The man can blow! Expect some great music during this run! The Village Vanguard is the last remnant of the New York jazz scene as I imagined it was in the 1950’s! Minus the smoke, of course! LOL. A basement room down the stairs. Last time I was here, I saw Tony Williams! Good times!

     Wednesday, October 2 – Up in Oneonta, The B Side Ballroom celebrates it’s first anniversary with a very special appearance by a lovely man, BILLY JOE SHAVER! This should be fantastic! Catch it if you can!

     Thursday, October, 3 – Opening night for The Woodstock Film Festival. Check local listings or woodstockfilmfestival.com for more.

     As always, if you give away your copy of The Townsman, this column is online at www.reservoirmusiccenter.com, www.brooklyncowboys.com, and www.hvmusic.com, and archived on www.thetownsman.com.

     See ya next week!

     Whew! It’s been a whirlwind week, or, I should say, weekend, and I’m still recovering! It’s tough to write a column when you should be lying in the sun somewhere with your mind turned off, but with Captain Kirkian inspired will power, I shoulder on!

     Friday night, I moseyed on over to The Anchor, a brand new spot that was having it’s grand opening at 744 Broadway, in the space formerly occupied by The Basement, and folks, my mind was blown! Finally, the Hudson Valley has a music nightclub! You know, where the lights are low, there’s a bar up front, darker music room in the back? The optional dining room is there also, off to the side. I didn’t check the menu, but the food is probably the same as the owners had at the Roundout Music Lounge, their other spot, now closed, which was good, especially for late night, around here! But you’re not there for the food! You’re there for music! And The Anchor delivers! Opening night they had Pitchfork Militia, Lara Hope and The Arktones, and a couple other bands. Saturday night of opening weekend, they had Grape and the Grain, Tigeriss, Clover, and The Blind Ambassadors, and for Sunday brunch, Jonny Monster! Pretty impressive job of booking by Brandy! From the looks of the rest of the shows they’ve already announced, the booking policy will lean towards, Rockabilly, Punk Country, Rock n Roll, Heavy Metal, Honky Tonk, and Americana, which is everything I like, just about!

     The important thing about The Anchor, and why it’s so ground breaking, is that it’s a real music room, and a cool club, with good food and a good crowd, and it’s a place that national acts could play, as soon as the sound system is upgraded, which is in the works! And please don’t pre-judge The Anchor by Roundout Music Lounge, which was not a great room, and was nothing like The Anchor!

     The Anchor has to be experienced! This weekend they’ve got a great schedule of Outlawbilly, Country Metal, Honky Tonk, and Americana. Sounds like fun. Stop by for a drink. I’m betting you’ll stay and be back. On music nights, admission is only $5, and all the money from the door goes to the bands!

     “The Anchor’s brought some class to the neighborhood”  - Peter Head

     “Every step of the way, they did the right thing”  - Dustin Bryant

     “You don’t have to walk over the stage to get to the bathroom anymore” 

-         Kris Leterg

     Saturday night, I was planning to go to The Anchor again for the second night of their Grand Opening Weekend, but, as they say, the best laid plans, etc., etc. That afternoon, I noticed that The Byrdcliffe Barn was hosting an event that started at 7:30, much earlier than The Anchor, so I decided to go there first. The Byrdcliffe Barn is another fantastic venue that should be utilized more often! It’s part of The Byrdcliffe Colony, the oldest still surviving arts and crafts colony in the USA! The barn is a wonderful old building, and when it’s filled with music, it’s magical!

     The show was a record release party for Burnell Pines. I didn’t read anything more, just decided to go. Didn’t know who Burnell Pines was, but it sounded good, so off I went! Imagine my surprise when I arrived to find that Burnell Pines is Jeremy Bernstein, and the band was essentially Stoney Clove Lane, updated and modernized! I know I should have known this, but as I said, it’s been a whirlwind week, and I wasn’t paying attention! I hadn’t even noticed Adam Widoff standing around before the show (Adam is the other half of Stoney Clove), but as soon as he started playing, I knew it was him, by his guitar tone and style alone! Adam is one of the Hudson Valley’s best guitarists, and should be more widely recognized as such! Simi Stone also guested on violin and vocals! Not sure of the other musicians, but I think David Baron, Tim Bright, and Ben Perowsky were there as well!

     In any event, this was an awesome show! This band, Burnell Pines, is one of the best around! Great playing, vocals, songwriting and performance! This is the standard to which all bands must rise! There were moments, and even complete songs, where I thought, this is as good as it gets! Burnell Pines is now on my can’t miss list, and I can’t wait to hear the new CD, which has been proclaimed as a masterpiece! Burnell Pines. Goin’ places!

     Running out of time, so I gotta get to this week’s live music picks, cause there’s a lot of ‘em!

     Wednesday, September 18 – WILLIE NELSON AND FAMILY ride into The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester for the first of two nights. THE PIXIES start a three night invasion of New York at Bowery Ballroom that sees them back here on Friday, and out in Brooklyn, at The Music Hall of Williamsburg on Thursday. The very funny, very talented, and very entertaining, ROBBIE FULKS is at Mercury Lounge in Manhattan, and the great SHEMEKIA COPELAND is at Iridium for the first of four nights, ending on Saturday.

     Thursday, September 19 – Buncha stuff in the city. LEFTOVER SALMON at Brooklyn Bowl, DAVE MASON at BB King’s, JESSIE CAROLINA AND THE HOT MESS at Radegast Hall and Biergarten in Brooklyn, MICHAEL FRANTI AND SPEARHEAD at Terminal 5, and, amazingly, THE YEAH YEAH YEAHS at The Barclay Center, plus the continuing events from Wednesday! Upstate, IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK are at Bearsville Theater.

     Friday, September 20 – This week’s Pick of the Week is LONDON SOULS at Club Helsinki in Hudson! London Souls are friends of mine from Brooklyn who just got done touring with The Black Crowes (see last week’s column for a review of that), and are doing a few small shows, like this one, before going back out with Tedeschi –Trucks and Govt. Mule! In fact, they’ll be heading straight for The Beacon Theater in Manhattan after this show, where they’ll be opening for Tedeschi-Trucks on Saturday! Next time you hear about these guys, they’ll probably be headlining their own shows!

     TEDESCHI-TRUCKS actually start at The Beacon Theater tonight, with one of our best songwriters, TODD SNIDER, opening. PATTI SMITH GROUP is about to become the first American rock band to play at The Metropolitan Museum of Art! Oh, I know they’ve had a few European alternative and art-rock bands, but Patti is the real American grown Rock n Roller, and what a great venue – The Met! Awesome! I’d make this a Pick of the Week if tickets weren’t so expensive. Also tonight, all in the city, THE SELECTER at Gramercy Theater, BODEANS at BB King’s, and former Mott the Hoople lead singer, IAN HUNTER, for the first of two nights, at City Winery, with WRECKLESS ERIC AND AMY RIGBY opening! A great double bill! For the after work crowd, there’s what promises to be a great show at Williamsburg Park in Brooklyn. THE DAPTONE SOUL REVUE, featuring CHARLES BRADLEY will start at 5:30! Further upstate, The Capitol Theatre is hosting LEFTOVER SALMON, ASSEMBLY OF DUST and THE INFAMOUS STRINGDUSTERS, in a really good triple bill!

     Saturday, September 21 – FARM AID at SPAC, and MICKEY HART BAND at Capitol Theatre. Either of these shows will be fun, but Mickey is at the top of his game right now! Catch him if you can! And, of course, TED-TRU with LONDON SOULS – Beacon Theater!

     Sunday, September 22 – The immortal LEE ‘SCRATCH’ PERRY at Le Poisson Rouge in Manhattan!

     Tuesday, September 24 – GRAHAM NASH starts a three night run at City Winery! I’m startled by this show. Graham Nash, in an intimate venue? Awesome! Also, the only 70’s Soul/RnB band that mattered, EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE open a two night engagement at The Beacon Theater.

     Wednesday, September 25 – A new band, for me, THE HOWLIN’ BROTHERS, are at The Bearsville Theater, with GOLD- HOPE DUO opening. Between them, The Howlin’ Brothers play seven traditional instruments and all three sing. Hope Gold is Lara Hope and Matt ‘The Knife’ Goldpaugh. I really like The Howlin’ Brothers! Check ‘em out on YouTube, bearsvilletheater.com, or their website. Should be a good night of old timey, traditional, roots Rock n Roll, Rockabilly, stripped down RnB, Country, and Americana! What’s not to like? If you’re in the city, they’re at Hill Country Barbecue tomorrow night.

     Thursday, September 26 – For you guitar geeks out there, JOE SATRIANI, with STEVE MORSE opening, at The Beacon Theater, and for the men (and women), the beautiful and talented NEKO CASE, at Radio City Music Hall! I’m betting this will be great for the following reasons: 1) She’s really good! 2) She’s peaking right now! 3) Her new song, “Man”, is at the top of my playlists right now! 4) Her first time in an historic venue of this size in New York City! Always brings out the best in any performer! Neko Case. I would love to be at this one!

          Alright! Gotta run! See you next week.

     Greetings, and welcome back to Reservoir Music Notes! It’s been a fun summer, (especially the last two weeks, which we’ll get to in a minute), but now is the time to put aside dreams of the sun, tighten up, get back to work, and get ready for the winter! In other words, it’s time to start writing this column again! My battery is recharged and I’m ready, willing, and able to rock n roll all night, or at least as long as it takes to write this column!

     In the past two weeks, I have seen not one, but two, of the best shows of the summer, and a third that wasn’t half bad either! A man must know his limitations, and there were tons of great shows this summer that I just couldn’t attend, but I’m sure glad I got to these two! It all started August 30 at The Bearsville Theater, a performance I had been looking forward to since the day it was announced! The amazing Albert Lee wowed the crowd in attendance, which should have been much larger, but, hey, if you snoozed, you lost big time! Albert is without a doubt, one of the premier guitarists on Earth, and has been for a long time! I was surprised there weren’t more Woodstock guitarists at the Theater for Albert. When Junior Brown was there, every guitar player in town came out, and all had their jaws on the floor for Junior, as they should have! And as they would have for Albert, but most were conspicuous by their absence! Well, most guitar players could learn a thing or two from Albert Lee. He’s probably my second favorite living guitarist, after Jeff Beck! Go look at his YouTube vids, and you’ll see why!

     Albert told us right where it was at with the first song of the night, Fats Domino’s “I’m Ready”, proclaiming his preparedness, desire, and ability to rock all night, and he mostly did, with the notable exception occurring when he sat down at the piano for a few songs, which slowed it down for a minute and gave the audience time to breath!

     From there, Albert ran through the gamut of the type of stuff he’s renowned for, country, roots rock n roll, and rockabilly, mostly. Standouts were a couple of Gram Parsons’ tunes (“Wheels” and “Luxury Liner”), but every song was great and all displayed awesome guitar playing and soloing. Lest you think that Albert was the only soloist that night, his keyboard player (and rhythm section) were exceptional, and, as is his habit, Albert graciously handed off the first solo to the other musicians, before stepping up, and as good as he is, he never overshadows the musicians he’s playing with! Rather, he’s complimentary in his playing, and it all fits together so nicely! I would go see Albert Lee anytime I could, and so should you!

     My thanks to Jodi Sleed and the staff of the Bearsville Theater for making it possible. Keep up the great work guys! You’re doing a fabulous job bringing awesome music to Woodstock!

     The following night, I went to my first Midnight Ramble since before Levon passed, which was emotional for me, but the great William Bell called me out and delivered some Stax style RnB, backed by The Midnight Ramble Band, with Steve Forbert opening. Forbert’s a good songwriter and performer, but I would have loved to see HIM backed up by the MR Band! Guess he’s gotten so used to touring solo that it might have just been easier for him to go that route, but Steve may have forgotten the excitement and energy a full band can produce!

     After a short break, and a few chestnuts from Levon’s band (hope you don’t mind if I still occasionally call them that), Mister Bell hit the stage! Resplendent in a silk suit and shades, and looking every inch the Soul crooner that he is, Bell launched straight into some kick ass Otis style rockin’ soul tunes, complete with horns, backup singers, and Steve Cropper style guitar solos from Larry Campbell and Jimmy Weider! This could have been my moment to die in peace, but it wasn’t my day yet!

     After a few minutes, Bell slowed it down and ran through a set of the type of crooner ballads he’s known for, including, of course, his major hit, “You Don’t Miss Your Water”, which was a highlight! All in all, a pleasant night with friends, and a splendid time was had by all.

     One of the musicians in Crazy Horse injured himself, forcing the cancellation of the rest of Neil Young’s tour, which, of course, meant the cancellation of the Neil Young and Crazy Horse/ Patti Smith Group double bill at The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, so all I had left to look forward to was the last great concert of the summer, at a venue I’ve been trying to get to for a long time, Brewery Ommegang in Cooperstown, for another fabulous double bill – Black Crowes and London Souls, and it was a great experience on many levels!

     First off, beautiful location! You think you’re going to Cooperstown, which is itself a lovely, quaint village, but Ommegang is 8 miles outside of Cooperstown in a picturesque country setting! You park in a field and then walk into the concert area, which is in a natural amphitheater behind the brewery. There’s no seats or walls, just a big field and a large stage with a great sound system, and that’s the way I like it!

     London Souls, some friends of mine from New York, kicked it off with their high energy brand of Rock n Roll and did not disappoint! These guys are a great, stripped down guitar trio that could draw comparisons to White Stripes or Steve Wynn and The Miracle Three, but they’re really their own men. Playing originals and obscure covers, they were the perfect beginning for the evening! London Souls have opened for Tedeschi-Trucks, Umphrey’s Magee, and Govt. Mule, and they’re playing at Club Helsinki on September 20, so, that’s obviously the place to be, then! www.londonsouls.com for all things London Souls!

     Originally billed as a triple bill with Tedeschi-Trucks, I had not heard the news that they had cancelled, so when The Black Crowes suddenly appeared on stage, the energy level ramped up real fast! The band started off kinda laid back and nice n easy, but started simmering before long and quickly built up to a rapid boil with Crowe stalwarts like “Thorn in my Pride”, “Jealous Again”, and “Remedy”, and covers of The Velvet Underground’s “Sweet Nothins” and Lowell George’s immortal “Willin”!

     The original core band, Chris and Rich Robinson with drummer, Steve Gorman, are joined on this tour by the very capable and fluid, Sven Pipien, on bass and vocals, Adam MacDougall on keys, and, most importantly, guitarist and vocalist, Jackie Greene! Jackie brings something to The Crowes that is rare indeed! Not many musicians have this gift. Chris Robinson might, and it’s probably no coincidence that Chris and Jackie have both been hanging out with The Grateful Dead, because what they both have, is what Jerry Garcia had, which is the ability to take you to another level, another world, if you will! One which you might not even have known existed, but could end up more real than the world you think is real now!

     When Garcia played with The Dead, listening to his guitar was the best way to listen to the band. Everything fell in place naturally, and so it is with Jackie Greene! I’ve seen him do it numerous times with numerous bands and now it can officially be called a pattern. Jackie Greene can take you to the Promised Land! I will make an effort to go see any project that Jackie Greene is a part of! He separates the men from the boys with Phil Lesh, and tonight The Black Crowes flew to new higher heights on the wings of Jackie Greene’s guitar playing! And Rich Robinson’s no slouch either! Between the two, and London Souls’ Tash, Brewery Ommegang was guitar player’s paradise for a night!

     The crowd appreciatively lapped up the juice the Crowes was fe’mentin’, and responded in kind, on their feet, dancing, stompin’, whoopin’ and hollerin’, just like a good Rock n Roll audience should! When the last strains of Little Feats, “Willin” had faded to silence and the crowd was heading for their cars, I don’t believe there was a single unsatisfied fan in the bunch! Can’t wait for next year’s summer concerts at Ommegang! They far exceeded my expectations as a venue. And the beer is delicious too! My thanks to Allison Capozza at Brewery Ommegang for her hospitality.

          Now to this week’s live music picks!

     Wednesday, September 11 – Coupla excellent, blues based Rock n Roll bands tonight in Manhattan, one from England and one from Memphis. At BB King’s, we have the current incarnation of THE YARDBIRDS, led by drummer, Jim McCarty, and ably joined by the new members. Trust me, these guys are good, so if you’re a fan of the band that spawned Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy Page, you might wanna check ‘em out! And downtown, at Irving Plaza, we have THE NORTH MISSISSIPPI ALL STARS in residence (that’s right, Memphis is the northernmost city in Mississippi! Whaddya think? It was in Tennessee?). These guys have the heritage to bring it, and they do!

     Friday, September 13 – Be scared! Be very scared! That’s right, it’s Friday the 13th again (mojo hands available at Reservoir Music lol)! Well, if you are upstate for the weekend, I recommend you make a beeline for the Bearsville Theater, where they will be presenting the very blueswailing RHETT TYLER, another Texas guitarslinger who can kick some serious butt! And if you’re in the city, I recommend the highly anticipated double bill of BIG SANDY AND HIS FLY-RITE BOYS/ BARRENCE WHITFIELD AND THE SAVAGES at The Bell House in Brooklyn! Should be a great show!

     Sunday, September 15 – What can you say, except YOKO ONO AND THE PLASTIC ONO BAND! Doubt she’ll be bringing Eric Clapton, Klaus Voormann, or John, but, some other interesting people may, just may, show up! At Bowery Ballroom, in Manhattan, of course.

     Tuesday, September 17 – Tonight is a night that everyone for miles around should come out and support a member of our musical community who lost everything in a fire recently! MICHAEL “CLIP” PAYNE is a keyboardist and vocalist who’s been a member of the Parlia-Funkedelicment Thang since 1977! His house burned, he lost everything, he needs assistance! Do you really need to know anymore? I’ll see you there! Bearsville Theater! More info at www.bearsville theater.com.

     Wednesday, September 18 – WILLIE NELSON AND FAMILY ride into The Capitol Theatre in Port Chester for the first of two nights. In the city, the venerable PIXIES are at Bowery Ballroom.

     Thursday, September 19 – Close out the week by funkin’ it up with IVAN NEVILLE’S DUMPSTAPHUNK! Neville, of New Orleans musical royalty Neville family, has put together a pretty rockin’ little outfit with Dumstaphunk. They’ve been doin’ it for a while, and they keep getting’ better! Bearsville Theater.

     Alright! That’s it! I’m exhausted. More later!