It worked for Streisand. And goodness knows Cher has gotten more than her share of mileage out of a seemingly endless string of "farewell" engagements.
But seriously, Lonesome Brothers, is your latest release, The Last CD, truly the proverbial studio swan song for the alt-country act that has captivated Valley residents for more than two decades now?
"Nah… we're the band that refuses to go away," demurs bassist Ray Mason. "The CD name was actually created by Jim Weeks, who recorded us, and it's more of a comment on the dwindling popularity of compact discs and the real possibility that we'll be recording in other formats from here on out."
As evidenced by the reverb-laden wrangle of disc opener "Fins On A Cadilliac," the barroom shuffle of "My Baby Never Saw Me Drunk" and the fuzz-infused, Hendrix-esque cluster chords of "Appreciated," Mason, guitarist Jim Armenti and drummer Tom Shea are still quite capable of churning out well-crafted, instantly accessible three-minute ditties utilizing current technologies. That said, the band's preferred method for delivering such tune-age to the masses is the live format. And on Saturday, Oct. 4, the Lonesomes will do just that with a CD release party slated for the Iron Horse with Jimmy Ryan (of Blood Oranges fame) in support.
Also this month, both Ray Mason solo and the Lonesomes will grace the region's newest stage—The Black Moon Caf? in Belchertown. The former comes in on Oct. 8 and the latter Oct. 24. The venue itself has enlisted the services of funk/soul septet Unit 7 for its grand opening Oct. 3 and promises seven different genres, one each night of the week.
On the flip side, Amherst's MERCYhouse held its "last show for the foreseeable future" on Saturday, Sept. 20 according to its myspace (.com/mercyhouse). A post goes on to cite "lack of time available and people involved" to keep what was one of only a handful of hardcore-friendly venues in the area operational.
Rounding out this installment's rundown of club life, it appears that Greenfield's Winterland Country Club—opened in December of 2006—is fighting for its life& or, more specifically, its entertainment license. Local residents have reportedly filed a petition seeking to shut down the proceedings, which they claim have caused excessive noise, litter and the occasional public urination.
The Greenfield Board of License Commissioners has scheduled a public hearing for Tuesday, Oct. 7 in response to said petition and will decide whether to renew, revoke, suspend, amend or alter the existing license.
In other news—yeah, the Geico gecko may be annoying, but there is at least one other reptile-related entity local musicians should become better acquainted with. It's Passim's Iguana Music Fund, which is looking to award small grants of between $500 and $2,000 to musicians with an affiliation to New England either by residence or tour history.
Applications can be found online at www.passimcenter.org and will be accepted through Nov. 15. All awards will be made by year's end and may be used to support "recording or manufacturing assistance, publicity and marketing efforts, instrument repair or replacement, additional equipment and instruments, special projects and other specific activities promoting artistic and/or professional growth" [i.e., not beer!].
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Last up… as Nickelback's Chad Kroeger croons, "we all just wanna be big rock stars." And on Friday, Oct. 10, the Enfield Public Library in Connecticut—in association with the local Best Buy—will give 13- through 18-year-olds that chance, courtesy of its "Rock Band" competition, wherein participants will utilize the popular gaming system for their chance to win a host of prizes. The contest begins at 1 p.m. and pre-registration is required. For more information, call (860) 763-7510."
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 698-9373 or email Garycarra@aol.com.
