Author: Michael Witthaus

The Music Roundup 22/01/27

Local music news & events

• Open-ended: A monthly series of improvisational rock, The Cyrus Sessions is hosted by Slack Tide’s Chris Cyrus, who brings the bona fides for a night of jamming. The upcoming gathering features a fellow band member of Cyrus’s, drummer Jake Smith. The venue is an Italian steakhouse offering craft cocktails and “elevated pub fare,” and the event takes place in a recently renovated music and function room. Thursday, Jan. 27, 6 p.m., Luk’s Bar & Grill, 142 Lowell Road, Hudson. See slacktideofficial.com.

• Real deal: Settling into New England like a weather front, Keb’ Mo’ performs several shows in the region over the next month, including one in downtown Portsmouth. Following that, he’ll join fellow bluesman Joe Bonamassa on a cruise to the Bahamas. The five-time Grammy winning singer/guitarist’s shows are soulful, evocative affairs; he recently released a new album, Good To Be, with an infectious title track. Friday, Jan. 28, 8 p.m., The Music Hall, 28 Chestnut St., Portsmouth, $48 to $159 at themusichall.org.

• Tom tribute: Anyone looking for the heart of Saturday night will enjoy the Tom Waits Tribute organized by Granite State of Mind maven Rob Azevedo, with local musicians covering the L.A. bard. Todd Hearon will do “Ol’ 55,” while Chris Peters takes on “Downtown Train” and “Jersey Girl.” Other performers include Keith Sanders, Chris Howe, Joe Clark Beaupre, Paul Driscoll and the lovely duo Rockwood Taylor. Saturday, Jan. 29, 4 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, facebook.com/theshaskeenpub.

• London calling: Performing via livestream from London’s Docklands District, The Smile is Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, along with Tom Skinner of British jazz group Sons of Kemet. Playing in the round, it’s the first time the trio will do new music live. Yorke said the name comes from a Ted Hughes poem – “Not the smile as in ‘ahh!’, more ‘The Smile’ as in, the guy who lies to you every day.” Saturday, Jan. 29, 7:30 p.m., O’neil Cinemas, 24 Calef Highway, Epping, $20 at oneilcinemas.com.

• Shock rock: Among music’s many subgenres, horror punk is exemplified by Blitzkid, a West Virginia band led by TB Monstrosity, a singer-guitarist who calls to mind Popeye’s Bluto at the end of a long weekend. The group formed in the late 1990s and broke up 10 years ago, but they’re back for a reunion show at a venue that on Saturday, Jan. 29, will also host a benefit for an employee who lost all her belongings in a house fire. Wednesday, Feb. 2, 7 p.m., Jewel Music Venue, 61 Canal St., Manchester, $17 to $250 at eventbrite.com.

Rascal remembers

Ahead of biography, Felix Cavaliere performs

Felix Cavaliere’s voice powered hits like “Groovin’,” “I’ve Been Lonely Too Long” and “It’s A Beautiful Morning” into the cultural zeitgeist, landing his band The Rascals in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. He’s still on the road, satisfying fans who never stopped craving the group’s signature brand of blue-eyed soul, even though they split after less than a decade together.

At the relentless urging of E Street Band guitarist and satellite radio impresario Steven Van Zandt, The Rascals reunited in 2012 for the multimedia show Once Upon A Dream. It ran on Broadway and toured North America the following year. As the group swung through press conferences in different cities, Cavaliere decided to start work on an autobiography.

“They would ask us questions individually, and everybody had a different answer,” he said by phone recently. “I said, ‘Wow, was I there or did I dream this?’ It’s kind of like when you tell a joke and somebody repeats it, it’s never the same. … I thought, I’ve gotta make sure, for my sanity if nothing else, that I write down my story.”

Memoir Of A Rascal arrives March 22. A big part of the book covers their time with Atlantic Records. The Young Rascals were one of the first rock groups signed by the legendary R&B label. They made the deal after turning down an offer from producer Phil Spector.

Their decision to go was driven by a desire for creative control.

“I knew that if we went with Phil, we wouldn’t sound like what we sounded like,” Cavaliere said. “We would sound like Phil … that big wall of sound. But Atlantic said, ‘Yeah, you guys can produce yourselves,’ and I was adamant about that.”

The unanticipated presence of Atlantic co-producer Arif Mardin, who decades later helmed Norah Jones’s chart-topping debut album, made a big difference, Cavaliere said.

“Then good fortune comes into the picture,” he said with a laugh. “You can’t really put into words the addition that was to our music. … It’s like The Beatles with George Martin. This gentleman not only became one of my dearest friends, but like wow, man, was he talented! He was phenomenal.”

Working at the home of artists like Ray Charles, Otis Redding and Aretha Franklin was “just a joy,” Cavaliere said. “First of all, my record collection at that time was three quarters Atlantic, and one quarter Motown. To be on that label was not only a treat, but that place was all about making good music. They made it so easy and comfortable for us, [and] for that I’ll always be grateful.”

Cavaliere spent most of the past year and half in Nashville, where he’s lived for several years, finishing his book and making an album called Then & Now, which pairs classic favorites with newly written tunes.

“Out of the two million songs that interest me, I chose five and re-recorded them. … I did Jackie Wilson’s ‘Higher and Higher’ and Ben E King’s ‘Spanish Harlem,’ and I wrote five new ones that were influenced by that,” he said.

In October he made a tentative return to the stage at a tribute concert for Lee Greenwood. Though it was an odd pairing for Cavaliere, whose liberal resume includes co-writing “People Got To Be Free” and working for Robert F. Kennedy’s presidential campaign, the two go back to their early days as musicians.

“He’s an old friend, and he’s done well for himself,” he said. “We are on opposite poles of the universe, but that’s OK, he’s a good guy.”

The two initially connected when Cavaliere and future Rascals drummer Dino Danelli first played together at the Dunes Hotel in Las Vegas, backing Sandu Scott, a forgotten singer bankrolled by her hotelier husband. Greenwood was with a group that approached him with an offer. Scott called her band Her Scotties, and for the duration of their brief run Cavaliere and Danelli wore traditional kilts on stage.

“Hey,” said Cavaliere, “everyone’s gotta work.”

An Evening With Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals

When: Friday, Jan. 21, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Palace Theatre, 80 Hanover St., Manchester
Tickets: $50.50 and $60.50 at palacetheatre.org

Featured photo: Felix Cavaliere. Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 22/01/20

Local music news & events

• Local lights: A music-friendly taphouse and grill kicks off a new weekly series, NH Music Collective Artist Showcase. The first show offers singer-songwriter Paul Driscoll, one-man band Ryan Williamson and country singer April Cushman, riding high on the release of her new album, The Long Haul. NHMC shines a light on the region’s original music, as well as providing booking services, artist development and production. Thursday, Jan. 20, 7 p.m., Area 23, 254 N. State St. (Smokestack Center), Concord, thearea23.com.

• Soulful time: Dance away the winter/pandemic blues with Mica’s Groove Train, a six-piece R&B band with an edge. The band is led by charismatic singer and keyboard player Yamica Peterson, a ubiquitous presence on the regional scene with solo and ensemble shows, a collaboration with guitarist Don Severance in the Mica-Sev Project and the father-daughter duo Family Affair, with fellow scene fixture Pete Peterson. Friday, Jan. 21, 8:30 p.m., Strange Brew Tavern, 88 Market St., Manchester. See micasgroovetrain.com.

• Slight detour: While sipping the house special, mimosa-adjacent Sledgehammer, enjoy Paul Wolstencroft on keys for an early event, dubbed Slightly Stoopid Brunch after the band he joined in 2013. Their history dates back to SoCal’s early surf punk scene; late Sublime singer Bradley Nowell discovered them during a stint at a rehab clinic run by the mother of co-founder Miles Doughty. Wolstencroft also plays with Organically Good Trio. Saturday, Jan. 22, 9 a.m., The Goat, 50 Old Granite St., Manchester, goatnh.com.

• Original play: For their first hometown appearance since last summer, Married Iguana is joined by regional standouts The Humans Being and Earthmark for a rollicking event presented by local promoter Jigs Music. Their debut EP includes one of the best songs to come out in 2021; “Go With The Flow” chugs along like a rolling party bus, aided by scorching guitar licks from front man and main songwriter Brett Higgins. Saturday, Jan. 22, 8 p.m., Shaskeen Pub, 909 Elm St., Manchester, $10. See facebook.com/JigsMusic.

• The junction: Learn about the intersection between classical music and jazz at Up Close & Personal, a six-concert series featuring a sumptuous prix fixe dinner and chamber music from the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. The upcoming event’s centerpiece is Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” arranged for piano quartet, performed on the venue’s Steinway by Boston pianist Tianhong Yang. Sunday, Jan. 23, 5:30 p.m., Jimmy’s Jazz & Blues Club, 135 Congress St., Portsmouth, $75 at ticketmaster.com.

Raised that way

Corey Rodrigues headlines Tupelo Night of Comedy

The world is full of comedians who entered the craft after being inspired by another standup, but Corey Rodrigues came to it through the crucible of a barbershop owned by his family. Making the customers laugh came naturally, and the more he did it, the clearer it became that he was destined for bigger crowds.

However, Rodrigues was the last one to know about his career in the making.

“I never thought I would be a comedian,” he said in a recent phone interview. “People used to say I should, but I was like, that’s stupid. I don’t know how to make people laugh [who] I don’t know, and I don’t want to … I’m not a clown. I didn’t even know how that could be possible.”

So Rodrigues became a comic by acclamation, as classmates, coworkers and others urged him to give it a shot.

“It’s just in me, I’ve always been this person,” he finally realized. “There’s a funny angle at which you look at things … someone else may have thought it, but they just don’t know what to do with it. That’s not their mindset. … The blessing and curse of a comedian is you’re constantly finding something funny.”

After suffering through a few tough shows early on, he did begin to study other comics.

“I was like, I could eventually get to that … it looks easy enough,” he said. He eventually became aware of another critical standup survival skill. “If you’re delusional, you’ll stay in this business. … You have to have a level of delusion.”

Rodrigues was raised in Milton, Mass., after his troubled mother sent him and his brother to live with their grandparents — he described it as an act of mercy in an Epix Unprotected Sets episode filmed last year.

Early on, he sharpened his edge at Boston’s Improv Asylum, later winning several competitions. A key break came in 2018, when his Dry Bar Comedy Club special garnered over 40 million views, leading to a Late Night With Conan O’Brien appearance the following year.

The Dry Bar special required Rodrigues adhere to PG content, which wasn’t a difficult pivot for him, as he already had a long resume working on cruise ships.

“I do churches, colleges, corporate gigs, everything,” he said. “If you have enough material, you could talk about your balls and something very vanilla at the same time and still make it funny. It was probably one of the best experiences I ever had. … I killed that set.”

He’s done some other unconventional things, like appearing on Mike Huckabee’s show in Nashville a few months back.

“I want to make it [out to] be worse than it was, but it was actually pretty cool,” he said of the experience. “I don’t agree at all with what he said after, when we talked, but he knew my jokes [and] everybody’s gotta laugh.”

Further evidence of Rodrigues’s inclusive comedy was found in Corey’s Stories, a family-friendly livestream he did with his son in the early days of the pandemic. The two read books together, told jokes and invited their audience to call in to answer trivia questions for prizes.

“I had a lot of friends complaining about being stuck at home, kids getting on their nerves and everything, so I created something to kind of give people a break,” he said.

Does Rodrigues have plans for his son to follow in his footsteps?

“I’m not really grooming him for that, but he already knows how to hold his own,” he said. “He showed me that in the show, which was pretty awesome.”

Corey Rodrigues, Kyle Crawford and Alex Giampapa

When: Friday, Jan. 14, 8 p.m.
Where: Tupelo Music Hall, 10 A St., Derry
Tickets: $22 at tupelohall.com

Featured photo: Corey Rodrigues. Courtesy photo.

The Music Roundup 22/01/13

Local music news & events

• Comedy tonight: A solid lineup of local standup is led by snarkmeister supreme Jay Chanoine, with support from Mike Gray, Ronnie Partridge and Claremont comic Chad Blodgett. Mona Forgione of event presenter Gone Rogue Productions hosts the gathering, and there’s no better remedy for the Omicron Blues than an evening of jokes, as giggling past the graveyard is easier than whistling. Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m., Backyard Brewery, 1211 S. Mammoth Road, Manchester, $15 at eventbrite.com.

• Twisting tunes: Adding music to a made-in-heaven blend of artisan pretzels and craft beer, Jessye DeSilva is among the regional performers slated to appear through March in downtown Manchester. Upcoming in the weekly series are Ramez Mataz (Jan. 21), Paul Nelson (Jan. 28), Jim Dozet (Feb. 4) and Kevin Horan (Feb. 11). Local treasure Alli Beaudry stops by for a solo appearance on Feb. 25 and is joined by Nick Phaneuf on March 11. Friday, Jan. 14, 7 p.m., The Hop Knot, 1000 Elm St., Manchester, thehopknot.com.

• Holiday redux: Keep the seasonal spirit alive with Morgan James: A Very Magnetic Post Christmas, rescheduled from early December. The singer draws from her album, containing skillfully curated nuggets like William Bell’s “Every Day Will Be Like A Holiday” and “Backdoor Santa,” the latter from the 1968 Atco Records holiday compilation Soul Christmas, along with standards and a few winning originals. Saturday, Jan. 15, 8 p.m., Rex Theatre, 23 Amherst St., Manchester, $25 to $65 at palacetheatre.org.

• Remembrance: Though the show happens just below the borderline, Rock In Peace – A Tribute To Chucky Tester is very much a New Hampshire happening, as four of the state’s bands gather to honor a beloved member of its music community, who passed too soon. Prospect Hill, A Simple Complex, Mindset X and Blindspot all perform, which proceeds going to the late drummer and band leader’s family. Sunday, Jan. 16, noon, A-Brews Tap & Grill, 1794 Bridge St., Unit 1A, Dracut, Mass., $20 at ticketleap.com

• Jam together: Led by the woman who put the Mama in Mama Kicks back when, Monday’s Muse is back, an open session topped by a local artist every week, with a house band including Lisa Guyer, John Mederios, Geoff Bates, Nate Comp and Steve Baker. This week’s featured guest is Devin Cordeiro; with Bob Vose on Jan. 24 and bona fide rock star Charlie Farren closing out the month on Jan. 31. Monday, Jan. 17, 7 p.m., Stumble Inn Bar & Grill, 20 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, stumbleinnnh.com.

No stopping her

Country singer brings debut disc to Concord

Following a Covid-caused delay of more than a year, April Cushman finally released her debut album, The Long Haul, in November. The country singer celebrated in front of a hometown crowd at Milford’s Pasta House — she grew up in nearby Brookline. The event sold out weeks in advance.

The new record is one of the best of the genre to come out of the Granite State in recent years. It’s filled with great songs, from the modern country rocker “Soundtrack To My City” to the could-have-been love ballad “Once Upon A Time” and the tender ode to her father (who makes a cameo introduction) closing things out, “Take My Hand.”

Cushman purposefully selected the album’s leadoff track. She wrote “Ain’t No Stopping You” after being laid off and resolving in that moment to go all in on the music career she’d dreamed about and chased since childhood.

“Losing a job is never an emotionally easy thing to go through. … I was trying to switch the mindset of having it be a bad thing,” she said in a recent phone interview. “You have dreams — get your friends and family together [and] paint the town red. Make sure there’s no stopping you from reaching the goals that you want to reach.”

It’s a daunting road described deftly in the title cut. Penned by New Hampshire singer-songwriter turned Nashville expat Amanda McCarthy and a few other locals who moved south, “The Long Haul” describes the shock of being “a big fish in a small town” set loose in an ocean of like-minded aspirants.

Cushman jumped on the song when it was pitched to her.

“The line that really hits me the hardest is, ‘entitlement pays a price,’” she said. “A lot of people think, ‘I’m hot stuff around here.’ Then they move and realize there is so much talent…. It’s a very ignorant mind-set as an artist. I have to admit, I’ve probably been there at some point.”

Making it is often a “10-year turnaround” — or even more for established stars like Chris Stapleton, who toiled for nearly two decades before getting his big break.

“You’re basically starting from the top of where you came from, going to the absolute bottom [and] starting over…. It takes a lot of elbow grease,” Cushman said. “In such an instant gratification world, if we don’t see complete success in five years or less, a lot of people will say, ‘This isn’t for me.’”

Though Cushman will head to Music City at some point to do some songwriter showcases, she has no plans to relocate permanently, as many New England country performers have done.

“I’m focusing on the album right now, and preparing for potentially touring,” she said. “Once we’re ready, we will certainly make our way down there.”

While she continues to play mostly covers at bars and restaurants, Cushman has resolved to do at least one original gig a month. Next is a full-band performance at Bank of NH Stage in Concord.

“This is our first straight music venue, our first theater headlining show,” she said. “We’ve never done something like this before, so it’s very exciting.”

Due to the pandemic, it’s a hybrid event; fans can purchase in-person tickets or pay to stream it online. Cushman considers the latter choice a silver lining, since her song with the most Spotify streams initially took off in the U.K.

“People have the option, depending on where they are in life, what’s going on in the world and where they’re located, to be part of the show,” she said.

Cushman and drummer Adam Soucy recently began a weekly residency at the old Club ManchVegas space now occupied by The Goat. It’s an opportunity to spread the word about her music between familiar hits, and occasionally slip in one of her own tunes. “I’ll say, ‘Hey, you guys have been requesting Morgan Wallen, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBride and Carrie Underwood all night. … Now here’s my song.”

Though aware it’s a continuing journey, Cushman is grateful to be this far along.

“Going from a kid just doing something that made me feel good and was kind of my emotional outlet, to being an adult looking back at the last 25 years … holy cow,” she said. “It feels like a very full-circle moment to have this record out; I’m looking forward to the next one.”

April Cushman, Live and Livestreamed

When: Thursday, Jan. 13, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bank of NH Stage, 16 S. Main St., Concord
Tickets: $34.99 in person, $17.99 livestream at liveonfestival.show

Featured photo: April Cushman. Courtesy photo.

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