Get Tickets Now to the Season's Best Performances - Rapid River ...

R A P I D R I V E R A R T S & C U L T U R E M A G A Z I N E
music
The Eternal Sunshine of
Jonathan Richman
If Dick Clark is rightfully known as
“America’s Oldest Teenager,” then
Jonathan Richman is certainly poised
to someday accept that role. Richman
has been writing songs, making records
and performing live for most of his life,
winning fans and making friends around the
world with his guileless honesty and playfully
catchy compositions.
He’s revered by countless fellow artists,
and has built a remarkably loyal international
audience through his tireless touring. His
deceptively straightforward songs embody
timeless qualities of humanity, optimism,
emotional insight and a boundless sense of
humor, untainted by cynicism or transient
notions of what might be hip and cool.
The many (more than thirty and counting)
records that Jonathan Richman has
made over the past 30 years have long held a
special place in the hearts of his fans.
He began playing guitar as a teen and in
the early 1970s formed the beloved Modern
Lovers; their raw, minimalist sound and
emotionally forthright songs helped to lay
the groundwork for punk rock and countless
bands to follow. But by the time the group’s
landmark debut album (including the muchcovered
“Road Runner,” a Top Five single in
Europe) was released in 1976, Richman had
already moved on to a quieter sound and a
gentler lyrical focus.
Since then, he’s continued to record
and tour prolifically, first with a series of
Modern Lovers lineups, later on his own,
and eventually as a duo with drummer
Tommy Larkins.
Over the years, Jonathan’s music has
absorbed a multitude of influences, from
doo-wop to country to a variety of interna-
tional styles, without sacrificing the
artist’s effervescent personality.
Richman’s fans have remained
fiercely devoted
over the years, and his
audience expanded
substantially in the
1990s, thanks
to his frequent
guest spots on
TV’s Late Night
with Conan
O’Brien, his
prominent appearance
in the 1998 film comedy
smash There’s Something
About Mary, and the inclusions
of his Modern Lovers
classics “Ice Cream Man”
and “I’m A Little Airplane”
on Sesame Street.
For much of his career,
Richman has toured nearly nonstop around
the world. “Traveling and playing for new
people in new places is one of my favorite
things,” he tells me via a brief phone
interview.
“It’s great playing places that are off the
beaten track. You can learn a lot when you
play in a little town in Holland or Western
Australia, and you learn different things
than you would learn playing a big city. Last
year we played in Extremadura, which is
the southwest of Spain —we were the first
American entertainers ever to play there. My
next dream is to play the Canary Islands.”
“Playing shows and making records
keeps getting easier and more fun,” he
states, adding, “Me and Tommy play totally
different than we played just two years ago.
Jonathan Richman
BY JAMES CASSARA
We already
play a different
style
than we played
on our live DVD,
and the way we played then
was totally different from the
way we played three years
before that. I still feel like
we’re just starting out, and
I still learn new stuff every
night. Each one is different,
which is what keeps it
alive and real.”
Indeed it does: Richman
has played our town
many times over the years – for nearly
a decade he was a semi-regular at the
now defunct Vincent’s Ear – but each
time brings something new. What
doesn’t change is the adoration of his
fans, the excitement and energy he
delivers, and the eternal youth that has
marked his musical career.
IF
YOU
GO
Jonathan Richman and
Tommy Larkin at The
Grey Eagle. Thursday,
February 24 at 9 p.m.
Tickets are $15 for the
show. It is standing room only so
bring those comfortable shoes and be
ready to party!
The Big Daddy Bluegrass Band “The Next Generation”
The Big Daddy Bluegrass
Band rides again! It has
been five long years since
the band has taken the
stage.
Steve “Big Daddy” McMurry,
front man and founding member
of Acoustic Syndicate, returns to
the world of bluegrass music with
a formidable arsenal of hot, young
pickers.
Jason Flournoy, formerly
of Larry Keel & Natural Bridge /
Shanti Groove, is highly respected
in all genres of music across the nation.
Jay Sanders is the long time bass man for
Acoustic Syndicate and former bass player
for Donna The Buffalo.
The Big Daddy
The Big Daddy
Bluegrass Band
Producer, engineer and
dobro virtuoso, Billy Cardine,
formerly of The Biscuit Burners,
is one of Jerry Douglass’ favorite
new dobro men. He has shared
the stage with Edgar Meyer at
Carnegie Hall, and his recordings
are featured on the BBC, PBS,
and the History Channel.
Robert Greer, front man
for Town Mountain, will also be
joining the band, adding nizing vocals and guitar.
harmo-
The Big Daddy Bluegrass
Band is a vehicle for good times, fun music
and fellowship. There are always great guest
musicians at their performances — you never
know who will turn up to play. Some past
guests include Wyatt Rice, Larry Keel,
Jenny Keel, Curtis Burch, Billy Constable,
Danny Knicely, and Darol Anger.
IF
YOU
GO
BY ERIN SCHOLZE
The Big Daddy
Bluegrass Band,
Saturday, February 12.
Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
Show begins at 8:30 p.m.
$10 in advance, $13 at the door.
Valentine’s VIP Package: only $40
(advance tickets only!) Phone (828)
669-0190. Pisgah Brewing Company,
150 Eastside Drive, in Black Mountain.
Visit www.pisgahbrewing.com
“THE NEXUS”
SPREADS ITS WINGS
BY CHRIS CLOONAN
The Spiritual Rez reggae funk
dance experience is an unabashed
display of musical
virtuosity. When paired with a
deep, sub-sonic groove, and powerful
heartfelt vocalization, crowds are left
dancing and screaming for more.
Over the past 8 years, these six
men have relentlessly toured the
country to share their music and
appreciation of the arts. Rooted in
rock, reggae, and funk; their diversity
exemplifies their love and desire to
put on a live experience that will not
only cut to your core, but also ignite
the inner flame that exists in us all. It’s
this power, this creative desire, that
has fans traveling across the nation to
experience this raw and intoxicating
display of musical bliss.
Their latest album, The Nexus
(2010), was created by combining
elements from a multitude of
influences gained from years on the
road. The result is an album that
showcases how they have grown into
a primed party machine; ready to
churn out hard-driven guitar solo’s,
inspiring vocals, and powerful, funkified
dance grooves.
The Rez has been lucky enough
to share the stage with artists such as
Gregory Issacs, Toots and The Maytals,
Steel Pulse, and Barrington Levy.
Showing their diversity as artists, The
Rez has also rocked with George Clinton
and The Parliament Funkadelic,
Golgol Bordello and Jah Wobble.
For more information on the band
visit www.spiritualrez.com
IF
YOU
GO
Spiritual Rez,
Saturday, February
19. 21+ show begins
at 8 p.m. at the Emerald
Lounge, 112 N.
Lexington Ave. in Asheville.
Phone (828) 232-4372 or visit www.
emeraldlounge.com for more details.
Vol. 14, No. 6 — RAPID RIVER ARTS & CULTURE MAGAZINE — February 2011 23