mvyradio @ Chicago 2005
Find out why the city's blues label Alligator Records is named for the gigantic reptile! What album did Barbara reach for on her first day in Chicago to play on Dee's turntable? What song brought down the house at the Bonnie Raitt/Maia Sharp show at The Chicago Theater? Read on.....and listen!
Sunday, November 6th, 9:30 am
It's time to say goodbye for now to Chicago. What a whirlwind! So many great peoplewelcomed us with open arms----the folks at the Old Town, the Bad Dog Tavern, Bonnie Raitt and Maia Sharp, Susan Tedeschi [website][performance] and Jackie Greene, Tim and Bruce from Alligator, Suzanne and Casey from Verve, Meg McDonald, The Sons Of the Never Wrong, Corky Siegel, Shemekia Copeland, Stacy, Dee, Marty, and our Chicago listeners Gary, Sue, David. Thank you PJ, Megan and Todd for your indispensable help back home!!! Special thanks and love to sound man, photographer and all-around magnificent guy Gary Guthrie!!!! Thanks and love always to Joe. We'll definitely be back and we'll journey to other places with mvy On The Road to discover and explore the music and the people who work hard to make it and those who joyfully support it!Sunday, November 6th, 12:30 am
It was just a short ride to W. Armitage and Park West. We went in and met Mike who does the sound for Susan Tedeschi. They were just getting started with their set-up and Mike told us to come back in an hour or so to get our equipment ready for sound check. Gary and I took a long walk in search of a Starbucks or some kind of place to sit for a while. After seeing a Starbucks on almost every block, we couldn't find one nearby but we did find a spot to have a coffee and a bite to eat. The weather for our visit has been wonderful--warm and mostly clear. Today it was cloudy and we had a few showers but it didn't matter. Yellow, orange, red and rust colors filled the leaves on the trees and the ground and we walked happily through the neighborhood. When we got back to Park West, Mike was ready for Gary to set up for recording the show and for me to do my interview with Susan Tedeschi. When I walked into Susan's dressing room, she recognized me from her early days on the Vineyard and wondered what I was doing in Chicago. We reminisced and then got started. Susan talked about her new album "Hope and Desire", being on the road, being a mom and her commitment to making great music and offering a message of hope in the songs that she chooses to record and perform. When we finished they were ready for Susan to join sound check. It was great to hear her lone voice on the stage mic with that characteristic throw-your-voice-out-there-Bessie-Smith style delivery.
As Susan continued sound check, I found Jackie Greene and his manager/drummer Ben and we went up to the same dressing room to chat. Jackie has finished a new album that is set to be released early next year. It's a band album and he's clearly excited about the songs and the sound. He talked about growing up in California and listening one day rifling through his mother's old records to discover Ray Charles and Mississippi John Hurt. Tom Waits opened his eyes to the possibility of writing songs and playing guitar and piano.
The show was packed and both Jackie and Susan wowed the crowd. It was especially wonderful to see the response that Susan got to her songs "Rock Me Right" and "It Hurts So Bad". The avid fans up front were singing every word!
Saturday, November 5th, 9 am
Clouds have rolled into Chicago today as we get up and going. Gary and I will head to Park West for sound check at about 2. For now it's good morning and time to get the equipment ready for recording the Jackie Greene/Susan Tedeschi show.
Saturday, November 5th 1AM
Well, Bonnie Raitt and Maia Sharp [website][performance] in Chicago in the fall of '05 will go down as one of my all time favorite shows! Outstanding!!!!!!! The historic Chicago Theater was sold out and the energy and just plain good vibe in the place was palpable. Maia wasn't feeling her best (80% according to her) but you would never know it. She was relaxed, funny and sounded fantastic. Bonnie Raitt has become a huge Maia fan and she came out mid-set and sat in on one tune. The crowd went wild when they heard the first note of Bonnie's slide guitar. Later on Maia returned the favor several times during Bonnie's set. Maia contributed three songs to "Souls Alike", Bonnie's new record and they performed them all tonight. "The Bed I Made" turned out to be a show-stopper during one of the encores ( I think there were three!) with Bonnie reaching into everybody's heart with her absolutely breath-taking vocals. That with John Cleary's piano playing and Maia's sax at the end re-defined the soulful ballad in an instant. The world's a better place with Bonnie's immense musical talents and joyful spreading her love of music and life.
Friday, November 4th 1:30 PM
Another early start today. Gary and I got set for my show at my friend Dee's loft in Lincoln Park. We are certainly learning quite a bit about the how to do this--get out on the road, take in the culture of a legendary city and bring it out to you. Now we're going to put together Uncharted Waters for Sunday night. We'll pull out some of the performances and interviews from the last two days and send them back to the station. The Sons, Corky Siegel and Shemekia. We also found this track from Buddy Guy and Tracy Chapman- a new version of Bill Wither's "Ain't No Sunshine When She's Gone". Buddy and Bill are both from Chicago. Tonight, it's off to the Chicago Theater to see Bonnie Raitt and Maia Sharp!
Thursday, November 3rd 5PM
We were camped out in the Resource Center at Old Town all day today. I made a stop at Starbucks on the way in and got some fuel for the day and then Gary and I got set up. Bob Medich stopped by to talk about Old Town's forty eight year history, their programs, and their new record label. What sets the Old Town School of Folk Music apart from other music teaching programs is the philosophy that music is for everyone. The founders wanted the School to be a place where, as founder Frank Hamilton said, "teacher and student would be partners in learning." This philosophy is still in place and the Old Town School continues to be a place that gives people the tools to make their own music.
The Sons Of The Never Wrong arrived with guitar, mandolin and jimbay in hand for an acoustic set for What's New For Lunch. Bruce Roper, Sue Demel, and Deborah Lader all live in Chicago and they played a couple of the songs from their new album Nuthatch Suite. Evidently this was the first time that there was an actual performance in the Resource Center the gospel influenced "Standing In The Dust" was a fitting inaugural outing for the room that so many use to research and study the music that inspires them. A little later on Bruce Iglauer, the founder and president of Alligator Records arrived to talk about his life's work of bringing the blues to the world. So why is Alligator called Alligator? It's Bruce's nickname because when he likes a track that he's listening to, he clicks his teeth in time to the tune. He decided that it would work just fine as a name for the label he started 35 years ago as a 23 year old "hippie" who quite simply loved the blues and the way it made him feel. He shared memories of Muddy Waters, Howlin' Wolf, Big Bill Broonzy and Koko Taylor and offered so many insights into the musical art form that at it's heart is a way a of life for many, a way to find happiness in a world of hurt. We'll have the full interview available here at mvyradio.com next week.
Corky Seigel and Shemekia Copeland stopped by with our good friend Tim Kolleth from Alligator. Both artists make their home here and once again offered so much insight into the joy, hard work and talent that goes into a career in music. If you can, listen to Uncharted Waters on Sunday night (11/6) at 9PM. I'll feature part of the Shemekia interview, a great live track form Corky that we recorded in the Old Town's performance space, and songs from other artists that live here or who are passing through here this weekend.
Thursday, November 3rd 7AMGary and I are headed over to Old Town for the day. We will welcome Bob Medich and other staffers and The Sons Of The Never Wrong. They're a great acoustic trio from Chicago who will visit with me for What's New For Lunch. Old Town has offered up a great archival track for us to play today. It's John Prine doing "You Never Even Call Me By My Name" recorded at a Steve Goodman concert in 1997. Both John Prine and Steve Goodman went to Old Town along with a young Roger Mcguinn. We'll play some Goodamn and McGuinn, too. Our listener party is this evening between 5:30 and 7P at the Bad Dog Tavern. If your in Chicago please come and be our guest! The Bad Dog is on Lincoln Ave right across from Old Town. We'll have tickets to Bonnie Raitt/Maia Sharp and Susan Tedeschi/Jackie Greene.
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 11PM
What a day! 65 degrees, sunny and mild. Stacy, a friend from Chicago picked me up at the airport with all my gear. I can testify to the level of security at the Providence airport. I thought with all the equipment I would 
get some extra scrutiny and I did. When I went through, they checked all of my suitcases with our mics, laptops, mixers, an external hard drive---they wanted to make sure I was cool. I felt good that they were checking so carefully and at the same time realized that I had some serious equipment. We want to get it down--Chicago. What's this city all about? Who makes music here? We were on our way to West Wrightwood where I would be staying at my friend Dee's apartment. Dee has a turntable (yeah!!) and I as I got settled I went to the stacks and pulled out Ry Cooder's Bop 'Til You Drop--"Little sister won't you please, please, please......." What a sweet sound in the warm Chicago day! After a while we were ready to head to The Old Town School Of Folk Music on Lincoln Avenue where we will be broadcasting from tomorrow. Our own Gary Guthrie was there wandering the halls and we convened in the Resource Center. We found Bob Medich who is the Media Director for Old Town. He has been our contact here, getting everything ready for our visit to Lincoln Park. It was great to walk down Lincoln Avenue toward the place that I had imagined all this time as was talking with Bob. Kids and adults alike were coming through the doors with guitars and other instruments in hand for classes. I was struck by the look in one girl's eyes who seemed so delighted to have a guitar in her hand as she walked in the door of the Old Town, which by the way is the old Chicago Public Library. Old Town moved to this location in 1998 and 1600 students a week come through the doors each week to study, play, and experiment with music. It has the feeling of a well established, thriving and comfortable place. We are so looking forward to our time there tomorrow!
Wednesday, November 2, 2005 11AM
Up, up, and on my way to Chicago! I got the wake-up call at 5:30AM this morning at the Holiday Inn In Falmouth. I turned on the small table top radio next to the bed and heard PJ talking about my trip. Okay, I better get up so I make it to T.F. Green airport in Providence for my 9 AM flight. I wouldn't want to make PJ a liar! I've gotta get to the windy city, the second city, two descriptors for this wonderful place that is so magnificent when you see it as you fly in form the north over Lake Michigan. The sun was high over the water as we flew in with downtown Chicago on the left. A gigantic body of water that looks like the ocean but it's not the Atlantic or the Pacific! Jake from New Bedford was sitting beside me in the window seat. He was a little nervous about flying and was trying to figure out where his gate was for his flight to Hong Kong. We looked at the in flight magazine and sussed it out. When we finally hit the ground and I made my way to baggage claim I found my first mvyradio fan. She saw the lobster sticker on one of my cases and said "mvy, that's my favorite radio station!" This is a good sign! I have definitely arrived in Chicago!
Audio: 
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Bruce Iglauer, President of Alligator Records
- Interview, Chicago, 2005 
Corky Siegel
- Interview w/ Performance, Chicago, 2005
Maia Sharp
- Performance, Chicago Theatre, 2005
Shemekia Copeland
- Interview, Chicago, 2005
Sons of The Never Wrong
- Performance, Chicago, 2005
Susan Tedeschi
- Interview, Chicago, 2005