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