Tag: WRUR

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Fly Into The Sun

Amy Rigby solo gig at Abilene in Rochester, New York
Amy Rigby solo gig at Abilene in Rochester, New York

We packed up our gear as quickly as possible last night and headed across town to Abilene where Amy Rigby was doing a solo set. Game 2 of the World Series wasn’t enough of a conflict for Margaret Explosion, Amy was playing at the same time as Margaret Explosion. Rochester was the first stop on a tour celebrating the 20th anniversary of her “Diary of a Mod Housewife” cd with a first-time vinyl release. We were thrilled o find her still on stage, performing a new song, but it was the last song of her encore.

She did a booming business at the march table after the show and posed for photos with fans and then showed us one of the silk-screened towels that she and Eric made for the people who contributed to the campaign to fund her record. It was beautiful and we wanted one but we’ll have to wait until more are printed.

Rick Simpson has a weekly show on WRUR called “Gumbo Variations” and he plans his shows around musician’s birthdays or the anniversaries of their death. It has been three years since Lou Reed’s death and he he asked Peggi and I if we would put together a few sets of his music. We chose “Perfect Day”, “I Love You, Suzanne”, “Walk On The Wild Side”, “Last Great American Whale”, “Pale Blue Eyes” and “All Tomorrow’s Parties” from the Velvets period and then “Fly Into The Sun.”

I was a little leery about how the big 80’s drum sound in “I Love You, Suzanne” aged but Peggi lobbied hard for it. We’re listening to his show now.

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Wish You Were Beer

Further at Highland Bowl in Rochester, New York
Further at Highland Bowl in Rochester, New York

Our friend, John Gilmore, won a pair of tickets to the Further show at Highland Bowl. He was the ninth caller to Scott Regan’s WRUR morning show. He already had tickets so he gave them to us and encouraged us to go. He was there early enough to hear the sound check and stake out the perfect spot for his chair. We got there just before the show and wandering around looking for him for whole first set. The Bowl was packed, wall to wall tie dye, and if that was Frederick Douglas instead of a statue of him looking out over the crowd he would be stunned at what post emancipation looks like. We watched a guy pass out as he walked. He fell over a group of people who were sitting on a blanket spilling a woman’s beer. She jumped up and said, “That beer cost me seven dollars.”

Further at Highland Bowl in Rochester, New York

The band opened with Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away.” We had just seen a “Not Fade Away” t-shirt and another one that said, “Wish You Were Beer.” The smell of pot filled the air, not the old fashioned scent but pungent, skunky stuff. The band was playing Traffic’s “Feelin’ Alright” when a group of kids in front of us asked if we had seen a bone bowl. I could barely hear with my earplugs in and said, “What?” “A small bone bowl pipe. I just had it a second ago.” The band sounds like the Dead on steroids doing athletic versions of their classics and crazy covers like “Strawberry Fields” and Pink Floyd’s “Time”. The sound was fantastic. The intermission music was all James Brown.

Phil Lesh and Bob Weir’s band includes a guitar player from a Dead cover band who sounds like Garcia when he sings and sort of sounds like him when he plays and a piano/organist who is the musical foundation. They do an admirable job of carrying on the Dead legacy. I’m glad we were beer.

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Dinner Recording Mode

Zazie drawing of Peggi Fournier and Ken Frank playing with Margaret Explosion
Zazie drawing of Peggi Fournier and Ken Frank playing with Margaret Explosion

I mentioned that I invited Sheriff Patrick O’Flynn to my opening of the CrimeStopper portraits. He emailed this morning that he was going to be in Albany earlier in the day but he said he would try to stop by. He said he was looking forward to seeing my paintings.

Jaffe, who played keyboards with Colorblind James for many years, sat in with Margaret Explosion last night at the Little. He fit right in and the band sounded pretty good. Five year old Zazsa, the daughter of Franzie Weldgen who has his art on the walls this month, danced for most of our set and then did drawings of the band. The one above is the drawing she did of Peggi with her sax and Ken with his stand up bass.

Scott Regan and Sue Rogers from WXXI were there and they reminded us that the audio from the Margaret Explosion performance on “On Stage” would be broadcast today at 6pm on WRUR and then Saturday at 3pm. The bad ass blue ray hi def picture and sound will be broadcast at seven on WXXI TV. I’m kind of afraid to look at myself in hi def. I had my eyes closed for most of the hour while we played.

I launched Audacity when the radio show started tonight and I grabbed the streaming signal from WXXI’s website. It’s the first time I’ve used the program and when I listened back I heard Peggi and her mom and I eatting dinner and commenting on the performance. Guess I left the mic input on.

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