My friend, Misisipi Mike Wolf (he's from Biloxi, and can spell it any way
he wants), is putting together a Shel Silverstein tribute for the 24th, at
a local club. The band will be him, me, and my bassist, pedal steel guy, and drummer from
Gayle's band. Essentially, it's Misispi Mike and the Hired Hands, And each of a bunch of our friends from the Bay Area alt
country scene will take a shot covering their favorite recordings of Shel
songs. And the songlist gives an amazing picture of Shel's scope
as a writer. Here's what we've got so far:
Boy Named Sue (Cash, of course) - Stephen Grillos from Hang Jones
The Unicorn (Irish Rovers) - Gayle Lynn
In the Hills of Shiloh (Judy Collins) - Bhi Bhiman
Cover of the Rolling Stone (Hook) - Mike and Cree from Misisipi Rider
Queen of the Silver Dollar (Buck Owens) Maurice Tani from 77 El Deora
Stoned and I Missed it (Hook) - Cree Rider
One's On The Way (Loretta Lynn) - Gayle Lynn
Freakers' Ball (Hook) - Me and Cree
Couple More Years (Willie Nelson) - Mike Wolf
Ballad of Lucy Jordan (Marianne Faithful) - Denise Funari of Yard Sale
Marie Lavaux (Bobby Bare) - don't know the singer yet
True Love - Me doing the version I put together 40 years ago.
Michaelangelo (Hook) - Me
Jennifer Johnson and Me - (Robert Earl Keen) - Paul Oguin
We had a rehearsal of just the band last Tuesday and it was way more fun than it was work.
Next Tuesday we schedule in the singers, a couple at at time, due to space limitations, and firm the thing up, and we unleash the thing on Saturday. I have homework to do. Pray for us.
27 comments:
Forgive the formatting. I cut and pasted much of that from the Well.
I love our alt country scene. It's totally supportive and non-competitive. Reminds me a lot of the Paradox, only with grownups.
Well, we're all kids at heart.
How I WISH I could be there. This sounds fantastic!
You'd feel right at home, Diane.
By the way, besides being a great songwriter, Mike does superb posters, and this one is one of his.
Very cool to honor Shel for his huge contributions.
Poster takes me right back to the 60s. I hope you can record and post some of this for those of us that can't make it. Rock on Rik!
I hadn't thought about this in ages. It's a remembrance I wrote for salon.com about 10 years ago, right after Shel died.
http://www.salon.com/people/feature/1999/05/27/shel
Really great piece of writing and a fitting tribute to the man. I hadn't realized how close you were.
Yeah, I would be there if I could. Probably would anyway if I could squeeze another ticket on my credit card. Next time!
I second Gary's comment about the tribute to Silverstein you wrote. Very nice! Funny, I may have read that at the time. I was a huge fan.
You need to start writing your memoirs, Rik. We all do!
Really wish we could make it, however Bob is doing a gig at the farmers market the next morning, so not possible...
Hopefully they'll have so much fun, they'll do it again. With enough warning, I might be able to come down.
I think it sounds GREAT.
Yes Rik, after this gig you'll have it down, do it again.
Where are you Tom?
Maybe an annual memorial Songs of Shel celebration?
Good luck with this one, and be sure to send photos!
I want us to have a picture too....Can you put on up for us Diane, or Gary?
Can we get a CD of The Shel celebration?
I (Helen) just turned 73, ouch! I'm just not ready for the rocking chair, shawl, and corn cob pipe......
Hopefully Rik and/or Carol can post a photo or two (or three) for us here.
Good luck with the concert, Rik. Wish I could be there!
Whatever happened to Rand? Maybe he can come up for the show?
Well Rik, we're all waiting to hear how the tribute turned out?
Well Rik? Bet you haven't got up yet. Did someone record it? Is that still the correct term?
Short answer? We killed. People had driven in from Oakland, San Jose and the like, and the place was jammed. Decent sound, with good dynamics and the singers had all done their homework.
To be honest, I was a bit worried. We'd done one rehearsal with just the band, and then another with 4 of the 7 guest singers. But wonderful things happened when we actually got to play these things at band volume instead of living room volume. Stuff that had been iffy in rehearsal fell in solid onstage.
People were still talking about it at a party that I played last night.
So we're looking at doing it again in 6 months or so, maybe at a bigger venue, and knowing what we know now.
Hooray! And CONGRATS Rik.
Hopefully you'll have enough notice next time that there will be time for a Paradox contingent to make a good showing. Sounds like another mini-reunion in the making....
We will be there.
Woo hoo, how I would have loved to have been there -
I WAS a tad disappointed that no one did "Never Bite A Married Woman on the Thigh" - I have Shel's first album with that on it that I bought at the Mad Platter in Tustin when was in 7th grade - um, wonder what the folks thought of that.
I haven't been checking in - I surely appreciate how you foks just keep having fun.
I remember that album of yours! I can still hear him singing "oh my..."
Watch out. If Rik et al. goes to a bigger, longer venue, you may get enlisted as one of the performers.....
Shey, I've got to hear that one! Probably good advise though....
Hi Tom
I have had mixed success biting un-married woman on the thigh.
Rik, did you get to record any of the show?
Some nice guitar here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7o2O7m9m5RI
Great looking venue, too.
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