In an industry in which longevity should be measured in dog years, a decade and a half of existence is no small accomplishment. As Tor Krautter made the media rounds in anticipation of reaching that coveted musical milestone—an achievement he will officially celebrate on Saturday, Feb. 26 at Mazzeo’s in Pittsfield—the Crawler couldn’t help but lead off with a question Krautter has undoubtedly fielded countless times.
True to form, the man affectionately known as “The Reverend” stuck to his talking points.
“I have always considered the jams to be conversations between the players,” he says of the secret behind his band’s longevity. “If everyone is listening and has something of substance to add, it can get very deep and fulfilling. The nights that that happens, or knowing that it can and will happen again, is what keeps me going.”
Also attending and participating in the Feb. 26 festivities are no less than Grateful Dead keyboardist Tom Constanten and phrequent-Phish-collaborator Gordon Stone, as well as the reunited 1996 Rev. Tor Band and Jarrod Valenti of Fungus Amungus, to name a choice few.
Tickets are $15 and available in advance at Brighter Daze in Great Barrington (413-528-5888) and The Earth Shoppe in Lanesboro (413-447-3939). This is a 21-and-over show.
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In other news, congrats to Ashfield’s own Ray LaMontagne on nabbing the 2011 Folk Rock Album of The Year Grammy for his God Willin’ And The Creek Don’t Rise. While the darling of the 2010 Grammies—Taylor Swift—failed even to secure a nomination this year, sales of her latest studio effort, Speak Now, speak volumes for her starpower: more than one million copies were sold in its first week of release. No small feat in this day and age, and tickets for her June 22 stop at Hartford’s XL Center are expecting to move just as Swift-ly. To obtain yours, visit ticketmaster.com or call (800) 745-3000.
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Rounding out our winning combination this installment is Sunderland’s own Joe Skutnik. As previously reported, Skutnik is best known as one-half of the dynamic hip-hop tandem All Out, but recently entered a solo effort into Country Nissan of Hadley/Country Hyundai of Greenfield’s “Write Us A New Jingle” contest. After some 160 submission and 13,000 votes, Skutnik’s upbeat ditty bested the competition, putting him in the driver’s seat of the grand prize, a 2011 Nissan Versa. To hear Skutnik’s 30-second masterpiece and view the Super Bowl commercial that served as the official announcement of his victory, kindly point your browser to countrynissan.com.
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Last but not least, your friendly neighborhood Crawler is happy to report that he has not yet earned the distinction of—or the corresponding stigma associated with—turning 40. That said, he won’t be able to make that claim too much longer. And that’s something he will celebrate this Saturday, Feb. 26 at The Nightcrawler Birthday Bash at Joanna’s Cafe on Rt. 190 in Somers, Conn. from 8 p.m. until midnight.
The evening will consist of performances by the decibel-delivering Johnny Sixgun and the Crawler’s own Summer’s High as well as specially priced shots and an area for bands to drop off CDs and press materials if they so desire (might as well save some stamps if you’re coming, right?). Admission is $6 at the door.
Catch the Nightcrawler every Wednesday at 8:50 a.m. on the Steve Cantara Radio Show, WRNX 100.9 FM. Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, PO Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
