We're taking "Prine: A Tribute Concert" to Chicago!

For those of you who gloriously followed our "Pure Prine" project, we have great news to share: the new touring-friendly. concert-only production "Prine: A Tribute Concert". Same tremendous line-up of 30-plus John Prine compositions, and same tremendous cast - with one notable exception: the very talented (and very pregnant) Jenni Gregory has been replaced by delightful Chicago-based singer-songwriter Megon McDonough. Lou Harry, in the Indianapolis Business Journal, just listed "Pure Prine" in his "Ten Best Of The Year" column, and here's what he says:

"The Phoenix Theatre not only staged, but created. “Pure Prine” transcended the usual jukebox musical to such an extent that it was brought back for a revisit just months later. It’s also likely to have an afterlife, with a concert version opening this month in Chicago. See what happens when great raw material, a first-rate cast, and an ideal set are managed by a talented director with a passion for the material? This one made it look easy, but anyone who knows theater knows it wasn’t. Kudos to all involved. Some of the “Pure Prine” crew were also involved in the infectious, surprisingly joyful “Hoosier Dylan” at the Athenaeum..."

The shows run Friday, Saturday (two shows) and Sunday, starting January 14th. (No show on Jan. 29). Hope you can make it! Who doesn't love Chicago in the winter, you babies!

Different Beat Radio #7: "That Time Of The Year: 2010 Holidaze Edition"

Peace on Earth and Goodwill Toward Men, everybody! Different Beat Radio returns just in time to close out the year with the long-awaited "Episode #7: That Time Of The Year: 2010 Holidaze Edition." A cornucopia of seasonally aural delights of all creeds and denomination, including:

+ "That Time Of The Year", the original recording of Tim's holiday chestnut that appeared on the 1995 WTTS-FM "Overeasy Xmas" CD that also featured holiday fare from Matthew Sweet, Lisa Germano and Henry Lee Summer...

+ Two tracks produced by Tim for the Phoenix Theatre "A Very Phoenix Xmas" franchise: "How Do You Spell Channukkahh" (written by Adam Gardner of Guster fame) and "Toys", from a sketch written by Tim and Bryan Fonseca for this year's "Regifted" production...

+ A wonderful "found" gospel medley courtesy of Emmett Cooper and Lloyd, Avanell, Bertha and Floyd, recorded in southern Indiana sometime in the early to mid-1940's...

+ The quirky "I Saw Santa Driving A Hearse" from Louisville's quirky "Rock and Roll Grandpa" Lynn Charles (Chuck) Foster...

                                                                                                                             and....

+ The soon-to-be-holiday-classic "May Your Light Shine Brightly" from Detroit's Rosetta Pebble, from their upcoming album which may or may not be titled "Three"...

Plus, a holiday gift for you from Ben Wah Salami,

and information on the upcoming January, 2011 Chicago production of the new "Prine: A Tribute Concert".

(2010, approx 30 mins.)

Pre-empted at Scotty's Lakehouse

Just a quick note: I have been pre-empted for awhile at Scotty's Lakehouse. So no gig tonight or on 11.18. The return of "Thursday Night Football" means I can work instead on all the music that is due soon for the upcoming "A Very Phoenix Xmas #5: Re-gifted", which opens the day after Thanksgiving at - of course - the Phoenix Theatre. More on all of this later - hopefully back at Scotty's after football season! And don't forget to thank all the folks in your life who've served in the Armed Forces today .....

"Pure Prine" November 19 and 20 in Madison, IN!

   Our little musical, "Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine" will hit the road for the first time later this month in a stripped-down, "theatrical concert" version debuting November 19th and 20th at the Riverrun Theatre in Madison, IN. Presented by the Cultural Continuum of Madison, and co-produced by both the Phoenix and Riverrun Theatres, the show will differ somewhat from the original Phoenix production of earlier this year - mostly in the lack of the elaborate bar set (we'll suggest the bar on a mostly-bare stage with some tables, a jukebox, etc.) Also, lovely and talented Jenni Gregory (waitress "Angel" in the show) must be pretty darn well showing her marvelous pregnancy by now, which is going to add in interesting dynamic to the various overlapping love triangles onstage.
   As you may know, "Pure Prine" was conceived by Phoenix Artistic Director Bryan Fonseca, a near life-long Prine fanatic, and it tells the interwoven stories of six characters in a bar, playing and singing approximately 30 Prine classics, with no dialog - the songs tell the story. Besides myself and Jenni, the rest of the cast is: the marvelous talented couple of Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas-Grimm. Bloomington singer-songwriter Bobbie Lancaster, and Phoenix stalwart Michael Shelton.
   Showtime is 7:30PM each night, and the Rivverun Theatre is at 125/127 E. Main in beautiful, downtown Madison. Click here or the title of this entry - to get your tickets now. In related news, a deal is in the works to bring "Pure Prine" for a run in Chicago early next year (it's coming right up, you know...) Stay tuned for details.

Todd Rundgren/Daryl Hall : Can We Still Be Friends?"

When I saw Todd Rundgren last year at Depauw U., he mentioned recently being on Daryl Hall's internet TV show, "Live from Daryl's Place". I finally looked it up. Wow. Great band, great arrangement of this great song from Todd's great 1978  "Hermit Of Mink Hollow" LP. Both of these guys still possess amazing voices, eh?

The List.

It varies. It's a life work in-progress.  It's whatever little musical bender I'm on at the time. It's a hell of a lot of fun. We've gotten to a place in the band where some shows we throw THE LIST of tunes we can do out there and let the audience call the show. (Inspired, I mean ripped-off, from my brother Chuck's favorite bar band from Vancouver BC, The Bobcats.)  Tried it for the first time in a Broad Ripple bar last week at the Monkey's Tale, and it was a bloody blast, moments of the true cosmic throb, cel phones were ignored. Rock and Roll is like democracy, it's a participatory sport. (We're back at the Tale, 10:30PM, on October 9th - which would have been John Lennon's 70th - and the 22nd.)

1         A Long December COUNTING CROWS

2         A Song For You LEON RUSSELL

3         Across The Universe BEATLES

4         Ain’t Too Proud To Beg TEMPTATIONS

5         Alison ELVIS COSTELLO

6         All Along The Watchtower DYLAN/HENDRIX/DMB

7         All I Want Is You U2

8         All Over Now ROLLING STONES

9         Ain’t No New Girls Around TB AND THE BH

10     America SIMON AND GARFUNKEL

11     Androgynous REPLACEMENTS

12     Amoreena ELTON JOHN

13     Ash and Blame (One Day, Jack) TB AND THE BH

14     Baby, It’s You BEATLES/BURT BACHARACH

15     Babylon DAVID GRAY

16     Back In The USSR BEATLES

17     Bang A Gong (Get It On) T. REX

18     Behind Blue Eyes THE WHO

19     Bennie and the Jets ELTON JOHN

20     Brandy LOOKING GLASS

21     Carolina In My Mind JAMES TAYLOR

22     Casey Jones GRATEFUL DEAD

23     Cinnamon Girl NEIL YOUNG

24     City Of New Orleans STEVE GOODMAN

25     Close To You CARPENTERS/BACHARACH

26     Country Road JAMES TAYLOR

27     Crazy Mary PEARL JAM

28     Dancing With Myself BILLY IDOL

29     Daydream LOVIN’ SPOONFUL

30     Dead Flowers ROLLING STONES

31     Doctor My Eyes JACKSON BROWNE

32     Don’t Think Twice DYLAN

33     Domino VAN MORRISON

34     Downtown Train TOM WAITS

35     Drift Away DOBIE GRAY

36     Duncan PAUL SIMON

37     Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere NEIL YOUNG

38     Fire BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN/POINTER SISTERS

39     For What It's Worth BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD

40     Friend Of The Devil GRATEFUL DEAD

41     Good Morning, Hackensack TB AND THE BH

42     Gone Daddy Gone V. FEMMES/GNARLS BARKLEY

43     Got To Get Back Home TB AND THE BH

44     Hallelujah LEONARD COHEN

45     Have A Little Faith In Me JOHN HIATT

46     Have I Told You Lately? VAN MORRISON

47     Here Comes A Regular REPLACEMENTS

48     I Ain’t Ever Satisfied STEVE EARLE

49     I Am A Patriot JACKSON BROWNE/LITTLE STEVEN

50     I Can't Tell You Why EAGLES

51     I Saw Her Standing There BEATLES

52     I See You In Everything TB AND THE BH

53     (I Want To Give To) Charity TB AND THE BH

54     I Wish I Was Your Mother MOTT THE HOOPLE

55     I Won’t Back Down TOM PETTY

56     I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight DYLAN

57     I’m A Believer MONKEES/NEIL DIAMOND

58     I’m On Fire BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

59     I’m So Tired BEATLES

60     If Not For You BOB DYLAN/GEORGE HARRISON

61     Into The Great Wide Open TOM PETTY

62     Is She Really Going Out With Him? JOE JACKSON

63     It’s Only Rock and Roll ROLLING STONES

64     It’s Over (The Fat Gal Is Singing) TB AND THE BH

65     Jumpin’ Jack Flash ROLLING STONES

66     Just Breathe PEARL JAM

67     Lay Down Sally ERIC CLAPTON

68     Lay Lady Lay DYLAN

69     Let It Bleed ROLLING STONES

70     Levon ELTON JOHN

71     Like A Rolling Stone DYLAN

72     Lodi CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL

73     Lola KINKS

74     Long Distance Love TB AND THE BH

75     Long May You Run NEIL YOUNG

76     Lost Highway HANK WILLIAMS

77     Man On The Moon REM

78     Man Out Of Time ELVIS COSTELLO

79     Mary Jane’s Last Dance TOM PETTY

80     Melissa ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND

81     Message In A Bottle POLICE

82     Mighty Quinn, The DYLAN

83     Mr. Bojangles DIRT BAND

84     Never Been To Spain THREE DOG NIGHT

85     North Dakota LYLE LOVETT

86     Oliver’s Army EVIS COSTELLO

87     Only The Good Die Young BILLY JOEL

88     Ophelia THE BAND

89     Out Of Control DAVE ALVIN

90     Paradise JOHN PRINE

91     Photograph RINGO

92     Prove It All Night BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

93     Radio, Radio ELVIS COSTELLO

94     Rain BEATLES

95     Raspberry Beret PRINCE

96     Reckless With Love TB AND THE BH

97     Revolution BEATLES

98     River, The BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN

99     Rock and Roll LOU REED/VELVET UNDERGROUND

100  Rocket Man ELTON JOHN

101  Scientist, The COLDPLAY

102  She Can Take Me For A Ride TB AND THE BH

103  Should I Stay (Or Should I Go?) CLASH

104  Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay OTIS REDDING

105  Sitting, Waiting, Wishing  JACK JOHNSON

106  Sixteen Days WHISKEYTOWN/RYAN ADAMS

107  Slow Turning JOHN HIATT

108  Something In You TB AND THE BH

109  Step In Peace (Tic Tac Toe) TB AND THE BH

110  Sunny Afternoon KINKS

111  Sunshine Superman DONOVAN

112  Sweet Jane LOU REED/VELVET UNDERGROUND

113  Sweetheart Like You BOB DYLAN

114  Tangled Up In Blue DYLAN

115  Tequila Sunrise EAGLES

116  Under The Milky Way THE CHURCH

117  Up On Cripple Creek THE BAND

118   Wagon Wheel OLD CROW MEDICINE SHOW

119   Waiting On A Friend ROLLING STONES

120    We Were High TB AND THE BH

121    Weight, The THE BAND

122    When You Were Mine PRINCE

123    While My Guitar Gently Weeps BEATLES

124    Who Says? JOHN MAYER

125    Wild Horses ROLLING STONES

126    Willin’ LITTLE FEAT

127    With A Little Help From My Friends BEATLES

128    Workin’ At The Car Wash Blues JIM CROCE

129    Yellow COLDPLAY

130    Yes, It Is BEATLES

131    You Always Were The First TB AND THE BH

132    You Can’t Always Get What You Want STONES

133    You Wreck Me TOM PETTY

134    You’ve Got A Friend CAROLE KING/J.T

All Hail WITT-FM!

I have been incredibly remiss in not congratulating Jim Walsh and all the folks at our (relatively) new community radio station, WITT-FM, for recently celebrating their first year on the air. An incredible achievement of pure dedication by longtime hip broadcaster Mr. Walsh, and an excellent implementation by all involved! A-Squared Radio, Matt Masters' Rock N Rhythm Revue, and Stuck In The Psychedelic Era are my current fave shows. I hope to track the hosts down and interview them soon. Thanks, folks - for brightening our lives!

Different Beat Radio #6: "Pure Prine" returns, The Elect, Punkin Holler Boys, Simon Brawl, Lon Ohnder

Different Beat Radio returns with the long-awaited Episode #6! Tim gives you the rundown on the remounting of "Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", which is playing now thru September 12, 2010 at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis. The show features Tim playing and singing with amazing cohorts Michael Shelton, Jenni Gregory, Bobbie Lancaster, Tim Grimm and Jan Lucas. Tickets are available at www.phoenixtheatre.org. 

The cast of "Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine"

Plus, fabulous music from three acts from The Wilds Of Indiana:

The Elect is an incredibly tight 6-piece rock band from Indianapolis. Listen to the groovin' cut "Use Me Up", from their latest LP, "In Your Heart There's A Light". 

The Elect

The Punkin Holler Boys are a long-running singer/songwriter collective who have just released a career-spanning retrospective, "Tin Ears (Ten Years)". Listen to to fabulous Ralph Jeffers-penned "You Changed Your Mind."

The Punkin Holler Boys

Simon Brawl is a loud and wild rock trio, featuring Kentucky-born guitarist/vocalist Garson Combs. Now living in Indy, check out Garson's sprawling epic inspired by his grandfather, "Head To The Mountains".

Garson Combs of Simon Brawl

Plus, (in honor of the release of the Major Motion Picture "Howl" - featuring James Franco as Allen Ginsberg) spoken word from poet/painter/singer/songwriter Lon Ohnder. Dig his poem, "Life".

Lon Ohnder

Different Beat Radio, Episode #5:"Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", danny flanigan, Paul Matthew Lauck and Richard Torres, 4.30.10!

The latest episode of my new "Different Beat Radio" show/podcast is up and out. You can read all about it here, listen by right-clicking on the title to this entry, or go to www.differentbeatradio.com and subscribe. Or subscribe via iTunes. It's all so damn confusing, I hope you can figure it out and give it a listen!?!? (I still think the easiest way is to subscribe at the DBR site, and it will just show up in your e-mail!) Happy Spring, all.......

Different Beat Radio, Episode #5:"Pure Prine: The Music Of John Prine", danny flanigan, Paul Matthew Lauck and Richard Torres, 4.30.10!

Brought to you by Greek's Pizza!

Ah, Episode #5, an eclectic offering rather quickly compiled by the currently rather time-crunched Mr. B. Featuring a quick preview of the upcoming "Pure Prine: The Music of John Prine", a theatrical concert experience at the Phoenix Theatre conceived and directed by Bryan Fonseca, starring Tim Grimm, Jan Lucas, Michael Shelton, Jenni Gregory, Bobby Lancaster, and the currently rather time-crunched Mr. B. We don't want to give away to many details, but it is going to be an enlightening and entertaining overview of the work of Mr. Prine, one of the wittiest and warmly wryest American singer/songwriters of the past 40 years. We believe it's going to be a pretty wild acoustic rock and roll theatre ride, Jim! There are 7 performances - May 7-9, and then May 13-16. Click and go to the Phoenix Theatre website for tickets!

                                      

In honor of Mr. Prine, we then feature music from two area singer/songwriters continuing the classic American singer/songwriter tradition. danny flanigan (he prefers lower-case, like e.e. cummings) is a Louisville, KY resident, and Paul Matthew Lauck is from Greenfield, IN. As you'll hear, they both know how to write a pretty damn good song. Then, a good bit of a little post-bop tenor from Tim's long-time saxophonist colleague Richard Torres, with "L.A. Stomp" of off his "From Kenton To Now" release with sometimes Steely Dan drummer Peter Erskine!

And news of our new sponsor, Greek's Pizza, who besides sponsoring Different Beat Radio, is now featuring Tim performing outside on their groovy, vibe-laden Broad Ripple outside deck Wednesdays and Sundays at 6PM (and Paul Matthew Lauck on Thursdays). We aim to reclaim Pottersville. people! Approx. 25 minutes, 2010)

Different Beat Radio, Episode #4: Low Flying Helicopters, Tom Gulley. Plus: Our 212th Download!

   Episode #4 of our new Different Beat Radio show/podcast is live and on-the-air for you to listen to or download at www.differentbeatradio.com! (Or click on this entry title.) Go subscribe at the DBR website, will ya? This episode features a fabulous new rock band, Low Flying Helicopters (featuring the songs, voice and guitar of Ray Lincks) and comedy segments from noted Mad Man/broadcaster Tom Gulley.
   Plus, we just passed a milestone - our 212th download. To celebrate, we shall drink some delicious Bell's Beer.

The Passing Of Claude Sifferlen.

 With deep regret, I share the sad news of the passing of Indianapolis jazz piano great Claude Sifferlen, at the age of 69. Claude was a musical hero of mine, who I first saw perform in 1986 at the Chatterbox. His playing - the pure beauty of his other-worldly harmonic architecture, the intellectual power and spiritual grace of his improvisation, and his simultaneous fathomless complexity and quiet simplicity - was one of my favorite things in the world. Claude was an inspiration that truly altered my life's trajectory, and that of so many others. I will never forget the moments of brief grandeur he found - and shared - with us.

   I did not know him well as I would have liked to, but I heard him perform probably hundreds of times through the years and had the sublime opportunity to record him on a session at Hit City a few years ago. The fact that he even knew my name was a great pleasure to me. Claude was a true gentleman and one of those rare virtuosos whose ego did not overshadow his amazing gifts. I would like to offer my condolences to his family, collaborators and friends, and let you know that there are two musical celebrations scheduled (to both honor his infinite spirit and pay some earthly medical expenses): March 31 at the Jazz Kitchen, and at the Chatterbox on April 8.