2009 Summer Series Sponsored by
NBT Bank

&
Preferred Mutual Insurance

Free Concerts!
West Side Park, Downtown Norwich, NY
All shows are 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
all shows are free!

Click here to see pictures taken at our summer shows this year!

This project is also made possible with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, Administered by the Chenango County Council of the arts.

Gus Macker Show
Saturday July 11, 2009
4:30 - 6:00 Dub State
7:15 - 8:45 Mutron Warriors

Dub State

Rebel Reggae Music

Mutron Warriors

The Mutron Warriors formed as a trio in the fall of 2006 as a funk band featuring the vocal stylings of Ithaca DJ Brian Mlodzinski (djGOURD). As members were added, the band migrated toward afrobeat style songs with hard drums, funky breaks, and big horn lines. Learning songs and drawing inspiration from vinyl records and music that comes from all over the globe. The band continues to dig deeper into funk, soul and afrobeat music that keeps the crowd movin' on the dance floor.

Now with eight members to round out their sound, the Mutron Warriors perform regularly in the Ithaca-area to rave reviews. This fresh Afro-Funk has fans begging for more.

The Mutron Warriors is comprised of some of the area’s best musicians, including Elisa Sciscioli on vocals and saxophone (Solstice), drummer Steve Reichland, Mark Weinand (Thousands of One), Adam Gold on keys (Syracuse’s Sophistafunk), Lee Hamilton (J-San and the Analogue Sons) and original members Brian Mlodzinski (djGOURD), bassist Chuck Janvrin, and lead guitarist Stefan Myers.

Donna Jean Godchaux

Donna Jean Godchaux
Born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, Donna Jean was a vocalist at both Muscle Shoals Sound Studios and Fame Studios, home of the legendary “Muscle Shoals Sound,” on records like Elvis Presley’s “Suspicious Minds,” Percy Sledge’s “When a Man Loves a Woman,” and Boz Scagg’s eponymous first solo album. She moved to San Francisco, married Keith Godchaux, and spent the 1970s as a vocalist in the Grateful Dead as well as the Jerry Garcia Band. After life with the Dead, she and Keith created the
Heart of Gold Band with drummer Greg Anton and guitarist Steve Kimock. Following various side trips, she resumed serious focus on her singing in the ‘90s, recording a new Heart of Gold Band album, At the Table, and singing with Phil & Friends and her own Donna Jean Band.

Jeff Mattson
Jeff came to prominence as the lead guitarist, primary vocalist, and leader of Long Island’s legendary Grateful Dead-influenced jam band, the Zen Tricksters. Over the course of thirty years, his supple, elegant playing reflected a fusion of rock, blues, bluegrass, country, jazz and folk stylings, along with a healthy dose of psychedelia.
His songwriting credits include the exquisitely mournful “Shelter” (co-written with Donna Jean), as well as “Travelin’ Light,” (co-written with Melissa Marston), “He Said/She Said,” (with Donna Jean), and “A Prisoner Says His Piece,” all for Donna Jean and the Tricksters. He also contributed “Leave Me Out of This” to Phil Lesh and Friends’
There and Back Again. He played with Phil Lesh and Friends in 1999.

David MacKay
David hails from Marin County, California. As part of the emerging Bay Area music scene of the 70's, he was a founding member of the popular band the "Tasmanian Devils" and recorded and toured with Michael Nesmith, playing bass on the first Grammy-winning video, "Elephant Parts." He was a member of both the original and reformed "Heart of Gold Band." Most recently, he has played bass with the Muscle Shoals-based group "The Fiddleworms."

Joe Chirco
Joe Chirco knew he was born to be a drummer from the Christmas Day, aged five, that he received his first drum set. What makes him positively unique among drummers has been his need to play in many different genres. As most working musicians do, he’s a member of a number of different bands – but few could list bands that have Jazz, Latin, Reggae, and Rock as their main styles. This subtle versatility, along with the soulful power that every rock band needs, has brought him to the DJGBwJM.

Mark Adler
To put it mildly, Mark Adler is not a conventional rock keyboard player. In fact, he is a distinguished film composer (he scored last summer’s indie hit “Bottle Shock” and the upcoming feature documentary “Food, Inc.”) He succeeded Keith Godchaux on the keys for the original, early-80s Heart of Gold Band, and was in the revised HOG Band in 2004. He also worked as a music editor for people like Milos Forman, David Lynch, and Francis Ford Coppola on projects like “Amadeus,” “Blue Velvet,” and “Godfather III.” He’s a regular at the Sundance Film Festival and has won an Emmy. He’s also exceedingly happy – as is Donna Jean – to return to playing next to Donna Jean Godchaux once again.

Webb Wilder

There are roots rockers, and then there's Webb Wilder.
Hardly a purist, he has described the music he and his band, The Beatnecks, make as, “Rock for Roots fans and Roots for Rock fans.” In essence: Rock and Roll. There’s nothing new about combining R & B, Rock and Roll, Country, Blues, Pop and Rock. The Rolling Stones and the Beatles proved that it can yield marvelous and diverse results. I said he wasn’t a PURIST. I didn’t say he wasn’t very PICKY about the quality of the music. That includes everything from the sonics of the recordings, the choice of players, the influences he draws on, the songs he chooses to cover, or how attentive he is to the craftsmanship of his own songs.
The self-proclaimed “Last Of The Full Grown Men" hasn’t limited his creativity to the music business. There’s the picture business. His critically acclaimed indie films made him a cult hero and led to a major motion picture (Peter Bogdonavich’s “The Thing Called Love,” Paramount). He’s done guest appearances on other’s albums (Ben Folds, Jason Ringenberg, Farmer Jason, William Shatner, Maura O’Connell), and a Disney produced duo of companion CD’s for the animated movie “Cars.” His smooth baritone has been used for voice-overs on countless radio commercials; he even did a stint as one of America’s FIRST Satellite DJs on XM Radio for four and a half years. Using all manner of media, Webb Wilder has been impacting Popular culture (and it him) for way over 20 years, all the while maintaining a devoted worldwide fan base through a relentless, never ending tour schedule.

More Like Me, his first collection of new material since 2005, is classic Webb - an exciting blend of bedrock American music and bittersweet ballads incorporating a host of influences. Not forgotten is his ever present irreverent attitude and wit. According to Gibson Guitar magazine, this “gives Wilder's music a sense of fun and imagination often lacking among his peers.”

A native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Wilder moved to Austin, Texas in 1976 with his boyhood friend, Bobby “Crow” Field. Incorporating a British Invasion influence (among others) into their then double time tunes separated Wilder’s music from the pack. After moving to Nashville, Wilder and Field formed the Beatnecks in 1985. As Nashville moved toward unapologetically commercial fare, Wilder and Field were busy crafting their signature brand of rock 'n' roll, founded on classic influences from both sides of the pond. Wilder's debut, It Came From Nashville, a brazenly rocking bar-band rave-up, seems even more unlikely now than it must have seemed then. His subsequent albums (Hybrid Vigor, Doo Dad, Town & Country, Acres of Suede, About Time and Born To Be Wilder (live)), have continually maintained the high standard set by the first, becoming textbooks for aspiring roots rockers and showing there was (and is) a vibrant market for their hybrid brand of Southern musical gumbo.

In concert, Wilder spikes the punch between songs with potent doses of rustic wit and character, transcendent mediations, incantations, and codes by which to live. Webb’s first Blind Pig release, Born To Be Wilder captured that on-stage alchemy with a set featuring favorites such as “The Human Cannonball,” “Tough It Out”, “Miss Missy From Ol’ Hong Kong”, “Louisiana Hannah,” and others, at their rockin’ best in front of a sold out enthusiastic crowd. Elmore Magazine called Born To Be Wilder “a generous helping of fresh, tasty rock 'n' roll that will leave the listener asking for seconds," while American Songwriter said it “highlights the musical attributes that make him appealing and unique."

Music critics have always warmed up to the Webb Wilder juggernaut. The Associated Press described the band's music and stage performance as "a glorious amalgamation of grunge chords, killer grooves, Screamin' Jay Hawkins theatrics, a healthy sense of humor, and great pop melodies." It's "full of wit and personality, and devoid of technological or conceptual gimmickry," added the Houston Post.
The early films (Webb Wilder, Pvt. Eye: The Saucer’s Reign, Horror Hayride) have become underground cult classics. They were recently compiled on the Webb Wilder's Amazing B Picture Shorts DVD released in 2008. The DVD also features some WW related bonus material as well as some fine (non-Webb) films from acclaimed Webb Wilder cinematographer, Steve Mims.

The new studio album, More Like Me, is a potent collection that blends all the humor, wistfulness, urgency, soul, grease, heartache and humor that runs through the great Blues, Country, Pop, Soul and (most of all) Rock and Roll that Webb loves, lives and breathes into a sound that is just a little, well…”Wilder” than the rest. Fans of Wilder’s fretwork won’t be disappointed, as Webb gives his guitar plenty of attention on tracks like the Rock ‘n’ Roll rave up “She Said Yeah,” the heavy Hillbilly Boogie of “Honky Tonkin’ (In Mississippi),” as well as his low-fi and low DOWN (“Howlin Wolf meets The Cramps”) take on Roky Erikson’s, “Don’t Slander Me,” just to name a few. Always working in the two guitar format live, Webb includes long time axe men associates, George “the Tone Chaperone” Bradfute, Bob Williams and guitarist/co-producer, Joe V. McMahan to paint colors not otherwise provided by his own six string brush strokes. Bob provides textures that extend beyond the typical tenets of twang, like the electric sitar heard in “Pretty Is As Pretty Does.” His contributions don’t end there, either. Joe V. is all over the place and not only as a brilliant guitarist, co-producer and engineer. He and Bob both play pedal steel on one song each for instance. George joins Webb and Joe (all three do some “string stranglin’) on “Slander,” as well as providing the beautiful resonator mandocello on” “She’s Not Romantic,” also featuring atmospheric accordion (Michael Webb), one of the many NON-guitar spices seasoning the stew throughout the record. There are other guests, but every track is anchored by longtime drummer Jimmy Lester and Beatneck bassist, Tom Comet. Tom even got WAY involved with the cover art turning Webb’s concepts into reality. Along with “Romantic,” More Like Me contains some of Webb’s most irresistible tunes yet, like “Come Around” and “Too Cool For Love.” There are five Webb originals altogether with infectious melodies and left of center but, right on target lyrics that should appeal to anyone with a ticket to ride on the “mystery train.”
Webb Wilder is an evangelist for real Rock 'n' Roll. As a singer, guitarist, bandleader, film actor, songwriter and humorist, he may be roots-rock's only true Renaissance man. More Like Me will no doubt find favor with Webb’s devoted legion of fans, but with its affecting songs and masterful performances, it’s sure to bring many newcomers into the fold.

"Work hard, rock hard, sleep hard, eat hard, grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."

Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas

Nathan Williams plays zydeco, the fast and furious accordion-driven dance music of the Creole people of South Louisiana, a relatively modern style that emerged after the Second World War. With its trademark rubboard percussion, electric guitars and R&B influences, zydeco is distinct from the fiddle-driven music of neighboring Cajuns.

Zydeco is now a familiar sound to many, heard in commercials for mainstream companies such as Burger King and Toyota, and there are pockets of devoted zydeco dancers throughout the world. Yet, after its flush of national popularity in the late 1980s, which saw soaring sales of both zydeco and Cajun CDs, zydeco has in many ways faded from popular consciousness, retreating to the South Louisiana dance halls and festival gigs that sustained it all along.

If zydeco was a one-trick pony, that might be well and good. However, in the hands of a dedicated musician and songwriter such as Nathan Williams, zydeco is one of the most expressive sounds in roots music. NathanÕs down-home parables are delivered with surprising musical turns and a distinctive Caribbean lilt that reaches back to the very beginnings of Creole culture in Louisiana.

Growing up in a Creole-speaking home in St. Martinville, Nathan eagerly sought out the music of zydeco originators such as Clifton Chenier. When he was too young to actually attend a Clifton Chenier dance at a St. Martinville club, he hovered by the window-sized fan at the back of the building to hear his idol, only to have the bill of his baseball cap clipped off by the fan when he leaned too close. Later, while recovering from a serious illness, Nathan decided to dedicate himself to learning the accordion. That dedication blossomed into an illustrious career, encompassing seven albums and spanning close to two decades.

The music of Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas is the expression of a remarkable South Louisiana family. Dennis Paul Williams, NathanÕs brother, brings his jazz-influenced guitar chops to the band. HeÕs also a well-known painter whose work has been shown throughout the country, and who contributed the cover and tray card paintings for their new album, Hang It High, Hang It Low. Keyboardist Nathan Williams Jr. is enrolled in the music program at the University of South Louisiana, while he leads his own band in the Lafayette area. Rubboard player Mark Williams is a cousin who has been with the band since its inception. Manager Sid El Sid O Williams, the eldest Williams brother, is an entrepreneur who has built a remarkable network of businesses in Lafayette, while honing his skills as an accordion contender himself.

Rounding out the Cha Chas is the exceptional rhythm section of bassist Robert LeBlanc, who has been with the band for more than five years, and drummer Herman 'Rat' Brown, who held the drum chair with Buckwheat Zydeco for many years.

In the world of contemporary African-American music, roots styles are easily categorized as old music, good for sampling maybe, but not music that relates to the lives of mainstream American people. Nathan and the Zydeco Cha Chas might make us think twice about this assumption, for here is uplifting, new music that remains connected to its place in history. If you haven't heard what's happening in zydeco lately, here's your chance!

Tab Benoit

With all the makings of an American music icon, Tab Benoit has become one of the premiere roots stylist of the century. Tab has paid his dues as a road troubadour playing 250 nights a year performing at venues across North America, honing his guitar chops and becoming part of Louisiana folklore and legend.

Way down in the heart of steamy South Louisiana there's a run-down shotgun-style, brick building where magic is known to happen on any given night. Many of the town's people don't venture into the area, but those who do, order from a hand written menu containing such misspelled delicacies as "hot sawsage poboys" and "fried swimps",. After a good, greasy meal, they are treated to the most authentic blues around. It's here at Tabby's Blues Box and Heritage Hall in Baton Rouge, Louisiana where Tab Benoit played to gain acceptance among the true blues fans and players of the down and dirty genre, while earning the customary thirteen dollars a night.

"We weren't allowed to bring in our own equipment", Tab recalls. "We always just made do with what was there... that's the Blues Box way." Tab has fond memories of the leaky roof, the outdated PA system (a 1970's bass amplifier), and the appreciative crowd; a mixture of LSU students and neighborhood regulars. But mostly, he remembers a piece of advice from Tabby Thomas, the club's proprietor, who told him, "If you play the blues, you'll always have a job."

Tab has taken Tabby's advice to heart, maintaining his blues roots while hitting the road--hard. For the past several years he's been performing his own brand of cajun rock 'n blues, night after night, while watching the size of his audience steadily increase. This grueling tour schedule has paid off, as he now plays for standing room only crowds across the country, from major music cities to small town blues bars.

Born in Baton Rouge in November 1967 and raised in the oil and fishing town of Houma, Louisiana (where he lives to this day), Benoit barely remembers learning to play guitar. "I had a book that showed you how to play chords", he said. "After I learned the first three, I got rid of the book."

Since that time, the music has seemed to come naturally to him. He began playing gigs around town -- weddings, local Cajun festivals, and rock and roll shows – anything to make a living and get the chance to play music. For Tab there was a natural progression from rock 'n roll to the 70's to the Cajun rock 'n blues he now plays since all of these genres are firmly rooted in the blues.

He soon ventured off to New Orleans and met Barbara Becker, commonly known as B.B., and then manager of the Legendary Dr. John. She remembers the days when she would go see Tab and be the only person in the audience. When Justice Records president called her for a recommendation for an upcoming project, they set up a meeting at a local bowling alley (the now-famous Mid City Lanes - Rock 'n Bowl). Tab was playing there in a blues jam contest. Even though he came in third, it was his blues that got signed to participate on Justice's "Strike a Deep Chord: Blues Guitars for the Homeless". Everyone was so impressed with his contribution, a heartfelt blues number called "Nice and Warm", that they signed him to a multi album deal.

Tab also struck a deep chord in the television industry, getting several songs placed in prime time shows including Northern Exposure, Melrose Place, and Party of Five. Even the most watched show in the world, Baywatch, chose Tab to perform (this time on camera) on the premier episode of the spin-off series, Baywatch Nights. Other artists featured on the show include Buddy Guy, B. B. King and Robert Cray.

Everything Tab does, he does on the spot. He rarely rehearses, making each performance a new experience for both the band and the audience. He likes things simple, and approaches life with a laid-back reverence. Whether it's his uncanny ability to fix things (he's been known to repair a tour bus with a Swiss Army Knife), his winning performances racing dirt track stock cars, or his emotional, yet restrained, approach to playing music, Benoit believes in spontaneity and the importance of the moment. Benoit just does what comes naturally.

Even though Tab has been compared to some of the greatest bluesmen and guitarists of all time, he doesn't aspire to be the "next" anybody. But there's one thing he does know...he'll always have a job. That's the Blues Box way.

The New Riders of the Purple Sage

The New Riders of the Purple Sage Ride Again

The long-awaited return of The New Riders of the Purple Sage has fans in a psychedelic head spin. Original members David Nelson (guitar and vocals) and Buddy Cage (pedal Steel) along with Michael Falzarano of Hot Tuna (guitar, mandolin and vocals), Johnny Markowski of Stir Fried and The JGB (drums and vocals) and Ronnie Penque of Ripple and The JGB (bass and vocals) will treat various parts of the US to the NRPS Renaissance. Once called the greatest cosmic, psychedelic-country folk rock & roll band in the universe, the new lineup of NRPS will revive its legendary reputation.

Veterans David Nelson and Buddy Cage have put together a smokin band to perform its timeless music to fans both old and new. "David and I will be playing our NRPS catalog," says Buddy Cage who replaced Jerry Garcia on pedal steel in the band's earliest lineup in 1971. Original bass player Dave Torbert and drummer Spencer Dryden have passed away and are now a part of the ethereal band. They will undoubtedly be smiling down as their music lives on. Co-founder John Dawson cannot lend his considerable talents due to ongoing health problems although he will be there in spirit.

Formed in 1969, The New Riders were signed to Columbia Records in 1971 by Clive Davis and its eponymous first album, New Riders of the Purple Sage, was released in September of that year to widespread acclaim. For the next 13 years the band continued to tour and release over 12 albums, selling over 4 million records. The two bands that helped define country rock as we know it are The Eagles and The New Riders of the Purple Sage. If the Eagles were the Beatles of country rock, then The New Riders of the Purple Sage were The Rolling Stones - rockin', rowdy and genuine.