Writer's Notebook - James Rafferty Blog

Ode to the Last Allman Brother

The year before I went to college, a friend came back from his university with a new discovery -- a new group called the Allman Brothers Band.  My friends and I loved the music, but it was beyond the capabilities of the fledgling band we formed a few months later. The intensity of the dual guitars of Duane Allman and Dickie Betts were powerful and Duane's slide guitar work was like nothing I'd ever heard.  Younger brother Gregg wrote some fine tunes such as Whipping Post and the group quickly became one of my favorite bands.  

All of this came to mind when the news came that Gregg Allman had passed at age 69, some 45 years after his older brother Duane died. The Allman Brothers had been a big part of my musical roots and my passion for the band endured.  

When I went to college, I told all of my friends about the band, so we were excited when we saw the following poster about an upcoming live concert at Skidmore College, just about 30 miles north of our school RPI in Troy, New York as we approached the end of our freshman year.  

We didn't have a car, but managed to get some rides up to the concert area and were there when the band set up.  This was just weeks before the band released its Live at Fillmore East album. The music was phenomenal, even though we were hearing some songs like Elizabeth Reed and Statesboro Blues for the first time or in much more extended renditions than I'd heard on the studio versions.  My recollection was that they played two long sets.  Duane was clearly the leader and introduced all of the songs in addition to playing slide and lead guitars on his Les Pauls. Gregg's hair had grown long and blond, and he anchored the group on keyboards and vocals. 

That fall I returned to college after a summer break and bought tickets to see the band again in November, 1971. We were all stunned to hear the news of Duane's death in late October that year. We'd expected the band would cancel, but the remaining members re-grouped and played the concert as scheduled. On some tunes, both Dickie and Gregg played guitar, and Dickie filled in the missing slide guitar parts, but the loss of Duane was palpable.  

Tragedy continued to visit the band and by the next time I saw them in 1972, bassist Berry Oakley had also died. But the Allman Brothers Band carried on and forged a different sound with contributions from newcomers like pianist Chuck Leavell and bassist Lamar Williamson.  

Duane had created a framework that was designed to last and you could never forget that there had been two Allman brothers in the original band.  I saw the group several times during the next few years before they went through a period of breakups.  As a musician, I learned from both Duane and Dickie on guitar and also learned to play some of Greg's best songs such as Midnight Rider and Melissa. Gregg's first solo album worked well and he did a fine job both on his own music and on songs like Jackson Browne's These Days.  

During the Nineties, the band got new life as guitarist Warren Haynes joined the group and brought back the dueling guitars concept that had worked so well when Duane was in the band.  Later in the decade, a young player, Derek Trucks, started filling in as yet another amazing slide guitarist.  

I took my oldest son to see the band in 2007. This version featured both Warren Haynes and Derek Trucks on guitars -- both slide and electric -- and Gregg sang most of the vocals.  It had been thirty years since I'd seen them, but the band played wonderfully and Duane's spirit was still present in the the band's style and intensity. 

I've been in a rock group the last several years and I've brought in several of the Allmans' songs into the bands repertoire, including songs like "Statesboro Blues" and "One Way Out."  Just last week, I played on the porch with several musicians from my church and we jammed on acoustic instruments on songs like "Midnight Rider", "Rambling Man" and "Melissa."

And now the youngest Allman brother has joined his older brother in the ranks of the departed. The two men leave a rich legacy of music that will stand the test of time. The Allman Brothers Band created a remarkable blend of southern rock and blues and bought an improvisatory ethos into the world of rock. Gregg managed to carry the flag as the surviving Allman and it's hard to dispute how well the band turned out even as the membership changed over the years. And his songs also live on, telling tales of life on the road and both the light and dark side of life. He will be missed. 

 

Rocking the Night: Chestnut Street Revue - 2011

A week ago Saturday night, the rains came and driving was a slog through a dark night looking around the corners of hugh snow banks deposited by a month of snowstorms.   For those who braved the weather, the Chestnut Street Revue in Franklin, Massachusetts offered ample rewards, as about 25 musicians gathered in various combinations and played a wide variety of music at a fundraising event for the First Universalist Society of Franklin (FUSF).   My own group, B4 (short for Basement Blues and Beer Band) arrived at about 6:30 and we played a sound check.  The sound guys wanted us to turn down the guitars, so we worked out compromises and mostly went with the levels they suggested. 

The program started at about 7:40.  The first set featured a well-known local group, Critical Mass, which features vocal ensembles backed by a rhythm section of piano, bass and drums, with a mix of electric and acoustic guitars.  My favorite tune of their set was a fine version of the Traveling Wilburys song End of the Line, which featured vocalist Alec Danz who channeled the spirit of Roy Orbision's rockabilly tenor on the choruses.  This set also featured several smaller groups.  Amazing teenage violinist Tom Lazinski played, accompanied by his equally talented mother Michelle Kelley on piano, and they offered a jazzy rendition of a standard which alternated between slow and fast tempos.  Another highlight of the set was the work of vocalist Kay Kelly Hardt who sang an original, backed up by a subset of the band Victims of Gravity, and then cavorted through a humorous tune about young love at the local Starbucks, accompanying herself on piano.  

Our band, B4, led off the second set.  We normally field a lineup of 2-3 guitarists, keyboard, bass and drums, but on this night, we were joined by vocalist extraordinaire Pamela McIntyre and her son Seth, a fine saxophonist.   We led off with Stormy Monday.  Our version owed a bit to the Allman Brothers, but with Pam on vocals, the song went to lot of different places, as she built up tension over the course of the song and then closed out with a powerful last verse.  Along the way, Dave Kassay and I added in guitar solos and Seth added his own jazz-inflected spin on the song.  Here's what the group looked like with Pamela upfront on vocals:  

 

After that, we changed tempos and played If I Die Sudden from John Mellencamp, which started out slow, then built up lots of energy.  Our bassist, Chris Sternadore, belted out the vocals on this one, joined by harmonies on the final verse.  The lyrics were rather ironic considering the setting -- a church meetinghouse -- as Chris assured all of us that if worst came to worst, he wouldn't need a preacher around as he parted from this world.  

On the following song, Pamela rejoined us and we played a Canned Heat style blues called I Pity the Fool.  The song is built around a repeated groove, which started with sparse instrumentation, and then filled in as we went along.  On this song, I pulled out my metal slide and offered up a slide guitar solo on the third verse.   Pam once again brought the music up to a crescendo to take us out and guitarist Dave Kassay finished it with a cool bluesy turnaround.  

For our fourth and final song, we moved away from the blues and kicked off our rendition of Bob Seger's Fire Down Below.  The song began with a kick on the snare from our drummer Richard Fields, triggering a series of high bent notes from guitarist Roger Bouchard.  Our keyboard player, Larry Rapisarda, came in with a raucous lead vocal and the band settled into a classic rock and roll groove.  I had a lot of fun with this song, since I got to add in the Chuck Berry style double vibrato notes on the choruses and then played a more free form in the middle.   Toward the end, Larry yelled out the title one more time, then Roger offered a faux ending with a 4 bar lick.  As the notes echoed, Larry counted off 1, 2, 3, 4 and I jumped in to play a few more licks, taking it out with a two bar bent note turnaround ala Keith Richards.   Here's one more photo of the band: 

 

After this, B4 got to sit down, but the music kept on coming as several more musicians played.  Highlights included an intense version of Cause We've Ended as Lovers from the remarkable guitarist Dan Feerick, backed by a subset of his band Victims of Gravity.   Shortly after that, the rest of the Victims of Gravity came on the stage and finished the show with several tunes, including a full-throated rendition of a J Geils medley.  You can see several clips from VIG's set at the following link on You Tube.  

After that, most of the musicians gathered one more time on the stage and we did a quick version of Twist and Shout.  So ended a fine evening of rock and blues.  For many, the fun continued with parties afterward, but my wife and I headed home so that I could sleep a bit before heading off way too early the next morning for a business trip to Nashville.  I heard lots of music down there too, but that's a tale for another time.   The next time there's live music in your area, go out and take a listen.  I suspect you'll be glad you did. 

Writer's Notebook: A Night of Rock and Blues

Saturday night I played guitar and sang with a group called the Basement Blues Band at the Chestnut Street Revue in Franklin, Massachusetts.  We had a great time and I thought it would be fun to share a few pictures of our group in action. 

I'm the one with the black beret.  I'm playing with my friends Larry, Roger, Richard and Chris. 

 

 

If you'd like to see more, check out the church's web site, which just posted a slew of pictures showing everybody who played, including some fine shots of individuals.

Writer's Notebook: Playing the Blues

I'm taking a break from writing to play with my band, the Basement Blues Band, at a gig tonight.  We play a mix of blues and rock, with a variety of influences, including jazz.  If you are in the southeast Massachusetts area, come join us at the FUSF church in Franklin, MA at 7:30 (Saturday March 13) for the annual Chestnut Street Review.  Here's a link for more details.  There's lots of talented groups and individuals playing, plus great snacks during intermission.  I listened from the audience seats last year and had a great time.  This should be a lot of fun for all. 

Writer's Notebook: Downtown After Dark

I'm fresh back from a trip to Asheville, North Carolina.  We found it to be a remarkable cultural center that is conducive to producing art at the highest level.  

Friday night was all about music.  Three groups played on an impromptu stage set up under the I-240 overpass on Lexington Avenue -- all powered by a massive solar panel.  The series is called Downtown After Five. 

My son and I arrived around six thirty and the events were already in full swing, led by a group called Brushfire Stankgrass, which included electric banjo and guitar in their instruments.  The first impression was of a bluegrass group, but they quickly went beyond direction into an electric fusion more reminiscent of Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.  The mix in the audience also surprised me -- ranging in age from the young people you'd expect to see at an outdoor concert to many people in my own fiftyish baby boomer age group ... and beyond.  

 

Here is a shot of Brushfire Stankgrass in action.  

 

The banjo player and lead guitarist were both fine musicians and drove the band and the audience to very high energy levels.   They built songs step by step, increasing intensity until the solos reached a crescendo with a flurry of notes, before returning to the basics of melody and swinging rhythm.  

They ended around eight and we started thinking about dinner, but one group remained.   Twenty minutes later, an Australian guitarist, Geoff Achison took the stage and played two acoustic blues numbers.  Geoff can belt out a blues effectively, with a vocal approach reminiscent of Eric Clapton, but his guitar playing offered more flash than substance on these first two songs.  He then strapped on his electric guitar and his drummer and bassist joined to complete a power trio.  The trio sound kicked up the energy level, but Achison still played erratically and his body weaved around the stage as if he were hoping to get inspired by the movement.  

Another element was needed and arrived a few minutes later in the person of musical virtuouso Randall Bramblett.  Bramblett normally leads his own band, but tonight he played the role of sideman on soprano and tenor sax.   Achison said, "We're just jammin", but Bramblett's sax fills and solos gave the music much needed depth.  Song after song, Randall continued to elevate the music and really got the crowd dancing in the streets.   His energy pulled up the rest of the band and Achison had fine moments himself when he and Bramblett traded licks on material crossing the gamut from funky blues to shuffles to boogie and even reggae.  The quartet put on a great show and kept us boogying in the streets until darkness fell.  

Here is a shot of the band with Achison on guitars and vocal, and Bramblett on soprano sax.  

 

I wouldn't mind seeing Achison again; I sensed he's better than he showed this night and we got glimpse of that during his crossfire exchanges with Bramblett.  As for Bramblett, I'd love to see him again and see what his band is doing these days.  He played with soul and clarity.  This guy is a major musical talent.   He's touring across the South this summer.     

We had two other encounters with brilliant artists the next day in Asheville.  I'll write about that in another post.