Roots Review 33

As I write this roots review, HoneyBoy Dupree is driving us through Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument area, on our way to Mexico for bargains on smokes and apple juice concentrate. It is spiritually inspiring and beautiful - a 360 degree scenic postcard. BTW - Dupree says hello y'all!

Well, last week's American Roots Live was another fun packed week of hot music by some incredibly talented musicians!

ARL 33 at Crossroads in Garwood, NJ featured a solid line up of serious roots-passionate players including headliner and co-host John Powers, who, joined by JR Bradfield on banjo, put in a stellar set of his infectious, crowd pleasing originals.

Many thanks go to EJ Rice, Josh Gebhardt, Robert Zee, Bones Sanford, Mimi Nowak, Len Depiano, the young and awesomely talented Steve McIntyre, Jim Angelica, Mike Maino, Jeff Miller and Rob "Rock" Bianco among others - yes, even me - now that I'm wearing my new kryptonite belt!

We all appreciate the passion, determination and good will of Win, who has attended all 33 ARL shows since we started in April. Win, a talented photographer, brings his best 11 X 8 1/2 color prints and makes gifts of them to the deserving musicians he appreciates so much. Well... we appreciate Win and we thank him for his generosity, support and enthusiasm.

In Easton at the Bluetone Cafe Thursday, Billy K & the Pocono Players; Ed Moore and Chip Bush turned up the heat. There were dynamite performances by the Bixbys, hot-as- fire-pickin' by Doc Z and Roman on guitars, Vern Mobley, drums, Bones on bass, Paul Berger, guitar, the spirit of Jaimo Flynn and our young improvisational friend, Michael Lopresti, who all made for a great night of music in Easton.

I got home that night after the Bluetone about 3:30 AM - and given the fact that I was being picked up at 6:30 AM for an early flight out of Newark to Phoenix and still hadn't packed - I decided to pull an all-nighter.

I caught a couple of Z's in the air and landed in Phoenix 2 hours before showtime at the Dessert Ridge Market Place in Scottsdale, AZ with HoneyBoy Dupree & the Smoke House Players. What a cool venue. Dessert Ridge is a beautiful open-air mall - think Times Square with palms trees and a large concert stage in the middle of it all.

We performed for thousands of appreciative listeners. The Dessert Ridge has over 30 restaurants with mostly all situated around the stage area with diners and partiers sitting in individual bistro style outdoor dining areas with plenty of seats, tables and kiosks in a common area in front of the stage.

Most satisfying was the number of children crowding the stage dancing and reaching up to touch HoneyBoy's bass as he played.

Our American Roots message was heard loud and clear. One lucky participant named Dave, a bass player from Chicago, took home the grand prize package of a HoneyBoy Dupree & the Smoke House Player's CD, an autographed picture of me and Dupree performing together at our TV shoot during his Jersey visit in August and the current issue of Elmore Magazine and Elmore CD sampler.

Awesome performances by HoneyBoy, Big Mack Mason, Jim Glass and Dave Davis made for a night I will remember for a long time. Thanks to all the wonderful musicians we met.

The Phoenix metro area is a cool place for hot music. I'll tell you more about the trip when I get back and in Roots Review 34.

Many thanks to our venues, ownerships, staffs, players, fans, sponsors, supporters and volunteers.

We wish Ed Pampani a speedy recoverey and hope to have him back with us soon.

See you at Crossroads on the 29th and the Bluetone Cafe on the 30th.

Please be aware that there will be major changes coming for ARL in the very near future so please keep your eyes right here for the latest - you won't want to miss it! Thank you.

Keeping it real,

Ned

Roots Review 32

We love you Kelly Caruso! You GO girl.
We'll be watching.

American Roots Live 32 was nothing short of spectacular Thursday night at the Bluetone Cafe.



Billy K & the Pocono Players headlined, and joined by special guest Carl Van Camp, ARL 32 was a blast.

We kicked off with new comer, Michael Lopresti, who performed solo with acoustic guitar singing and improvising some cool original songs.

Then, stand-out performances by Johnny Charles, Bernie BB Brauswetter, Jaimo Flynn, Arne Englund, Vern Mobley, Dan Balde, George Kokolis, Sonny Young, Arlene Schar, Matt Roman, Dave Becker, Leo, Billy K, Ed Moore, Chip Bush and Mike P & the Joint Chiefs of Funk made for an electrifying evening in old Easton town.

It was a memorable evening for one 9 year old student guitarist, who (accompanied by his father of course), sat fixed on the stellar, pro-guitar performances of Johnny Charles, Arne Englund, Billy K and Sonny Young. We look forward to this young man bringing his guitar to American Roots Live in the near future to perform with us.


John Powers & friends, EJ Rice and Josh Gebhardt headlined Wednesday at Crossroads with stand out performances by Mimi Nowak, Bob Del Rosso, JR Bradfield, The Doctor, Ed Pampani, Bones Sanford, Robert Z, Walter Foot, more.

They reminded us all why our American Roots Movement is so significant and why each American Roots Live show so important.

I hope to see you at American Roots Live 33 at Crossroads Garwood, NJ on the 15th and the Bluetone Cafe Easton, PA on the 16th then ask you to look for Roots Review 33 to be posted from Phoenix, AZ during Thanksgiving week as American Roots Live and Elmore Magazine join our good friend HoneyBoy Dupree on stage on the 17th at Dessert Ridge Market Place and the Rhythm Room on the 19th and 26th - these are the two hottest venues in the Valley.

HoneyBoy Dupree & the Smokehouse Players, already 2002 IBC Award Winners, go for the 2006 IBC crown again on the 19th and we'll both perform with Paris James and others at the Rhythm Room on the 26th.

I'll let you know all about it in Roots Review 34 then I'll look to see you see you at ARL 35 the week after the holiday. Remember, there will be no east-coast ARL shows on Thanksgiving and the night-before Thanksgiving.

Did you know HoneyBoy Dupree also won a 2004 Arizona Blues Showdown Award?He also wants me to say hello to all of his friends in Jersey...

Many thanks to our venues, ownerships and staffs and all of the talented, dedicated musicians and singers who step onto our stage every week. Thank you to all American Roots volunteers and ambassadors, our sponsors, supporters and friends. And most of all our fans. We need fan support to keep our shows alive - so that we may keep the music alive. Please join us. Bring a friend or two, or an aspiring musician, young or old, and have yourselves a great time.


Keeping it real,

Ned

Roots Review 31

Do you know what Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, John Lennon, James Brown, Merle Haggard and Tony Bennett have in common? Not sure?

How about Count Basie, Ronnie Van Zant, Bill Monroe, Prince, Bob Wills or Elvis? Still don't know?

Wes Montgomery? DeFord Bailey? George Jones? Sugar Hill Gang? Ray Charles? Not sure?

The answer is simple, but complex, because they have little in common yet, they have everything in common. American Roots music.

These notables are all part of our root system and have everything to do with the shape and color of the leaves on our musical tree today.

And it all comes from the roots.

Unfortunately, the lack of mainstream exposure of American Roots music today is sad. With the exception of some current TV commercials, trying to appeal to baby boomers, you just don't hear it unless you know where to look.

Do your kids know the origins of their music?



Robert Z (pic) knows - as does Mike Dugan, that if not for a bunch of young British musicians in the sixties, many of us American urban/suburban boomers wouldn't know Muddy Waters or Howlin' Wolf.

So, we are drawn to the significant cause of promoting American Roots Music in an attempt to preserve the musical art-form for future generations.

WC Handy equals American Idol

Like Chris Daughtrey - the kid on American Idol last year who sang an arrangement of Johnny Cash's "I walk the line" that had Simon calling him genius - all right, maybe he was too nervous to admit in front of 100 million TV viewers that it wasn't his own arrangement, but his performance, none the less, illustrates my point.

Daughtrey listened to Lyve's version of "I walk the line" who heard Johnny Cash's, who listened to Muddy Waters, who heard Robert Johnson, who heard WC Handy.

As a musician and singer, everything I do is influenced by everything I've heard before - just like Robert Z - so like it or not WC Handy equals American Idol.

That's why we invite singers, songwriters, musicians and music fans of all styles of American Music; Blues, Jazz, Rock, Country, Bluegrass, Rock & Roll, Dixieland, Rock-a-Billy, R&B, Soul, Funk, Folk, Be-Bop or Zydeco, to come together with us to celebrate this significant indigenous, musical art form.

The birthplace of today's music; WC Handy, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, Duke Ellington, Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa, James Brown, et al, spawned Jay-Z, R Kelly, Trisha Yearwood, Black Eyed Peas and Kelly Clarkson - no doubt.

Whether your house smells like cigarette smoke or roses, influences your decision to open the window... or your nostrils... or your mind... or your calendar to mark American Roots Live into your schedule - in either of two great locations - twice a week.

Please join me - Nasty Ned and Robert Z, John Powers, Billy K, Johnny Charles, Bernie Brauswetter and some of the most talented players on the tri-state circuit as we come together twice per week to celebrate our American Roots hertitage.

Check it out. And bring a friend or two - or your kids - for a musical history lesson and some great entertainment.

Music is life.

Do you see life as art - music as life? Amelia Lange does, JR Bradfield does, so does Robert Z - and so do I. Come see it for yourself?

Keeping it real,

Ned