ARL Roots Review 57

American Roots Live 57 was another fun night of good friends and great music as we packed our bags down at the station and hit the road heading for the hills.

We heard our old friend Dean Shot tear off a few with Johnny Charles and Freddie Mac - Bradfield and Piano layin' it down with Powers - Bones plunkin' bass with Robert Zee and more.

The spirit of the players is what it's all about - everyweek - everywhere at ARL.

Thanks to John Powers, JR Bradfield, Len DePiano, Ed Pampani, Mimi Nowak, Johnny Charles, Bones Sanford, Robert Zee, Roy Macnamara, Josh Gebhardt, Brandon Kurzawa, Metal Bob, Freddie Macarone, Ron Michaels, Dean Shot, Walter Foot, Cal Ritchie and Byron J, our last night at the Rail rocked.

We're all excited to be opening American Roots Live on Sunday, June 3 in Stirling at Orphan Annie's, a venue that's been featuring live music since the 1970's. Rick Romano and BluezKid Productins has been running "open jams" on Sunday nights for years hosted by the likes of Bernie Brausewetter and many others. It seems fitting that American Roots Live will be taking over that slot.

So tell yo mamma and yo pa, and all your aunts, uncles and cousins, too that American Roots Live 58 with Nasty Ned will be lighting it up on Sunday night at 8 pm sharp with the Wiliamzboy, JR Bradfield, Roy Macnamara, Len DePiano and many other of the hottest players in three states.

Those coming from the Bound Brook area just head for the glow in the northern sky...

Keeping it real,

Ned

ARL Roots Review 56

Our open mic celebration of American roots music is really spreading its wings. Week after week American Roots Live gets better and better and gains more and more notoriety among musicians and music fans as people from far and near continue to stream in.

There really is no other show like it anywhere!

As we gear up for HoneyBoy Dupree's return to our stage from Phoenix, Arizona in July, we've played host over the last two weeks to players from NYC, Allentown, PA, Cherry Hill, NJ and all whistle stops in between.


As was American Roots Live 55, the Royal Memorial for BB, this past week's ARL 56 was spectacular. Player after performer after picker after participant - each as impressive as the one before.

What astounds us all is not only the abilities of these fine musicians who make the pilgrimage each week, but the joy and passion they bring to the stage. With each show the sweat music of our immensely talented All Stars fills the room and - matched by the energy and ability of our newcomers - this is what marks American Roots Live as the premiere open mic show anywhere.

American Roots Live may be habit forming.

John Powers' love of song and enthusiasm for performing is contagious. JR Bradfield's tireless dedication to the live show is invaluable and tantamount to our success. Len DePiano, Mimi Nowak and Ed Pampani - invaluable to ARL and a joy to watch. Each is the type of warm, engaging person that is a pleasure to meet. Come out and get to know them. Play with them. You'll be hooked - you'll want more.

Arl 56 featured captivating performances by half of the Congregation, Johnny Charles and Tommy Fuller, Nancy Coletti, Roy Macnamara and Bob Del Roso, newcomers Roz King and Earl Fonnastock, my boys; the Noo Dogs, and many, many more.

Roots rockin' fun at its finest!

Here's the playlist in no particular order including those mentioned above. Keep in mind some of these folks make both Thursday's and Sunday's shows: John Powers, JR Bradfield, Len DePiano, Mimi Nowak, Ed Pampani, Chuck Wegman, Evil Dick, Bones Sanford, Randy Marinelli, Freddy Macarone, Arlene Schar, Lee Fink, Mike Flynn, Gene Downin, Jake Jar el, Robert Zee, Johnny Charles, Roy Macnamara, Brandon, Kurzawa, Metal Bob, Carlo Trentacosta, Tommy Fuller, Ron Michaels, Bob Giglio, Saxaphone Joe, Dennis Macarone, Nancy Coletti, Roz King, Earl, Fonnastock, Mike Carol, Bob DelRoso and myself joining many to blow and sing and get a cardio work-out behind the drums.

Wishing our friend Win a speedy recovery and looking forward to his return to ARL soon. Many thanks to all who make ARL a success each week and special thanks to the Bound Brook Area Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and Bound Brook Mayor and Town Council for their efforts in helping us plan and take the right steps toward organizing the Bound Brook Spirit Festival tentatively scheduled for a Sunday in July. More on Spirit Fest as it develops. Thank you.

Keeping it real,

Ned

ARL Roots Review 55 - BB's Royal Memorial

Thoughtfully, Arlene Schar, violinist and American Roots Live All-Star; Hellertown, PA, circulated a mother's day card among ARL 55 participants on the first of Bernie's Memorial nights Thursday at the Rail in Bound Brook, NJ.

Then, Friday, she "over-nighted" the mother's day card full of our signatures and well wishes to BB's mom with my phone number on the back.

As Arlene had hoped would happen, Bernie's mom got the card on Saturday and decided to come to 55 for the second night of the Royal Memorial for her son on Sunday.

Before the second show, as the Rail filled with players, friends and fans my cell phone rang.

Mrs. B arrived that night, driven by Bernie's good friend Dawn, just as the evening's music was starting. She appreciated all of the talented, dedicated players who showed up on both nights in her son's honor, and so do I.

They came from near and far.

Just off his tour of Holland and England, our friend Jake Walker came in from New York City on Thursday to join 28 other performers at the Royal Memorial.

On Sunday, it was our friend the King of the Rust Belt Blues; Mike Dugan from Allentown, PA with bass player and ARL All-Star Rob Fraser joining 21 others to play and pay tribute.

Yes, the hottest players in the area made it to our stage to honor BB. And though he has left the building and his stool sits empty on our stage, Bernie Brausewetter will remain in our hearts and our minds and our ears.

Many special thanks to all who took part in American Roots Live 55; John Powers, JR Bradfield, Len DePiano, Mimi Nowak, Johnny Charles, Jamo Flynn, Billy K, Nancy Coletti, Arlene Schar, Ed Pampani, Sonny Young, Jimmy Somma, Jake Walker, Mike Carrol, Jake Jar el, Bob Del Roso, Bones Sanford, Roy Macnamara, Snakeman Runyan, Chris Porto, Randy Marinelli, Carlo Trentacosta, Jack Powers, Mike Caruso, Dennis Macarone, Vern Mobley, Arne Englund, Robert Zee, Alan Rogoff, Metal Bob, Aaron, Ramir, Gavin Lawrence, Freddie Macarone, Ron Michaels, Rusty, Walter Foot, Bob Giglio, Mike Dugan, Rob Fraser, Tony Goncalves, Chris O'Sullivan, Chet Smith, Cal Ritchie, Big Nancy, Richard Skelly, Russ Allison, Susan, Noah, Dawn and of course Mrs. Brausewetter. (Pic with Bernie below.)












Remember, it was on the morning of Bernie's passing, April 15th, that the sky started crying and flooded 7 feet of water into downtown Bound Brook. It rained for three days putting the Rail and hundreds of other businesses and residents out of commission, including American Roots Live for three weeks.

ARL wants to help the Bound Brook Area Chamber of Commerce to help those businesses and the historic Bound Brook Theater back on their feet. Please watch this page and your email inbox for information about upcoming fund raising events including an American Roots Live spear-headed Spirit Festival downtown in July.

It all starts with a Somerset Patriots baseball game Monday, May 21 at Commerce Ballpark in Bridgewater, NJ.

Purchasing tickets for that game (and the fun activities prior to the game) from the Bound Brook Area Chamber of Commerce will assure the monies go to the downtown folks affected and will greatly help the efforts of restoration undertaken by so many.

To attend the game and festivities for the sake of the cause, please call Mafalda at Versatile Printing for tickets. Her phone number is 908 489-4753 and tell her Nasty Ned told you to call.

I'd like to see you at the ballpark on Monday as the Somerset Patriots celebrate their tenth season while helping Bound Brook, in a game against the Bridgeport Bluefish.

Thank you.

Keeping it real,

Ned

C'mon 55

We've had to deal with a lot of adversity over the first year and a month of American Roots Live with Nasty Ned.

There was the repaving on Main Street at ARL 3 where the parking lot at the Rail was not accessible to vehicles and we had to carry all the equipment in from a parking lot across the street, dodging trucks, tractors and machines spewing hot tar - and the show went on. Duane Chez will remember.

There was ARL 8 almost being cancelled after flames shot from the manhole covers on Main Street after a speeding train blasted past the station blowing a transformer - but the show went on.

There was the difference in visions with old management that sent ARL 18 thru 28 scrambling into two different venues. Then, the last minute cancellation of our night-before-Thanksgiving show because one of those venues insisted on doing something else, so we took the show to Phoenix, AZ with HoneyBoy Dupree and Paris James - yet ARL continued uninterrupted another week. Then upon returning from Phoenix finding the aforementioned rogue venue had pulled the plug on us altogether - and still American Roots Live went uninterrupted because we had already expanded to Thursday nights at the Bluetone Cafe in Easton, PA.

Thanks to Win who talked to Mike and Lynn at the Rail who agreed to give us asylum on Sunday nights in Bound Brook - back where we started.

Yes, American Roots Live has had its share of adversity - and joys and triumphs, too - now expanded to two nights per week at the Rail with our consecutive weeks streak unbroken all the way up to ARL 54.

Then a force so great, known as mother nature, spilled millions of gallons of water over the banks of the Raritan River and into the streets of Bound Brook drowning Main Street under 7 feet of water and ARL 55 with it. Thankfully, because the Rail sits highest on Main Street, our stage was an island.

As if the sky was crying over the loss of our late brother Bernie Brausewetter, the rain continued for days turning downtown Bound Brook into what looked like the ninth ward - thank God no life was lost to the water.

Well, we can't reverse mother nature. But we can dry ourselves off - clean up the mess - and get back to work, and that's exactly what we're going to do.

Please come to the Rail as we bring back the music Saturday night with yours truly joining Johnny Charles & the Straight 8 Blues Kings and Sunday night for the return of American Roots Live!

55 has finally arrived and we couldn't be happier - but on such short notice, we've decided that the Royal Memorial Show for BB will be next week, both Thursday and Sunday at American Roots Live 56.

Many players pledged to be there as tribute to the big man when we thought we'd be open two weeks ago, so I'm asking you all now to be there May 10th and 13th to play in Bernie's honor.

Now, a little lost in the shuffle was ARL 54 because I was in no condition to write a proper Roots Review, following those tremendous nights of music, as we had just learned of our dear friend's passing. So I'll use this space today to recognize some of those incredible musicians who made American Roots Live 54 the incredible musical extravaganza that it was - we were all on an all-time high!

Kickin' off with John Powers and all our fantastic regulars, proper kudos must go out to a 16 year old song bird named Brianna Beatie making her ARL debut.(pictured)
















Veteran performer Nancy Coletti, who sings the Sea World commercial on TV, accompanied the youngster on piano then sang and scatted up a storm for us and brought the house down. (pictured)

















Ron Michaels, TV's Mr. Aleeve, wailing on his trumpet and fluggle horn. JR Bradfield, Mimi Nowak, Len DePiano, Jaimo Flynn, Roy Mcnamara, Arne Englund, Dennis Macarone and on and on - it was wild. (Please scroll down a bit to see the entire roll call. Everyone was great.)

Hope to see you all Sunday at 55 - the Rail really needs our support!

Keeping it real,

Ned