“Snakes! Guillotines! Electric Chairs!...My Adventures in the Alice Cooper Group” by Dennis Dunaway, Alice Cooper’s bass player in his original ‘60s-early ‘70s band, is a must-read. Not only because it will send you scurrying like a musical retro-rat to the dusty box at the back of your closet to dig out Alice Cooper CDs with names like Easy Action and Love It to Death and Billion Dollar Babies, but because this book also has the Black Juju power to send you out the front door to the nearest dive bar in search of live music. Really. At least it’s true if you held a lighter instead of a smartphone in the air at arena rock shows. It might even be true if an old person gave you the book for your birthday, and you’re actually trying to read it because they grounded you, and took your phone away for doing something really fun and really stupid, and you’re bored. People do lots of fun stupid things in the book. Dunaway could have added a whole extra set of exclamation-pointed words to the title: “Drugs! Sex! Chickens!” He disinters an era of music and demented goings-on that deserve to be relived. And the music needs to be heard, because of its quality. In that box at the back of my closet, along with the best of Alice Cooper, are CDs of The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, The Rolling Stones, MC5, Lou Reed, and Paul Butterfield. Dunaway knew many of the musicians in these bands personally. His stories about them, especially Jim Morrison, are highlights in the book. So are his accounts of the girlfriends, groupies, GTOs, and assorted freaks and geeks of Hollywood Boulevard. But it’s obvious he still holds a special love for his own Alice Cooper group. Especially for his high school buddy Vince Furnier (aka Alice), and guitarist Glen Buxton. According to Dunaway, Rolling Stone Magazine named Buxton one of the hundred best rock guitarists. Listen to the Love It to Death album and judge for yourself. Read the book and judge that for yourself, too. I think you’ll be glad you did both. -George Goner (Host of The Haunted Cabaret on RI Free Radio) Providence, RI: WaterFire Providence announces the details for a full lighting on Saturday, August 25th, 2018. The full lighting is sponsored by our season sponsor The Providence Tourism Council. Sunset is at 7:31 pm. The fires will be lit shortly thereafter and burn until midnight. Wind down your summer with WaterFire Providence! WaterFire Providence has benefited from the support of the Providence Tourism Council for many years and is pleased to have their support again in 2018 as a lead fire sponsor. "The Providence Tourism Council is excited to partner with WaterFire and welcoming visitors to the City of Providence to enjoy the enchanting sites and sounds of this unique art installation of WaterFire on August 25. As an organization, we strive to increase the engagement of visitors through the development of events and programs like WaterFire that transform our rivers and energize the core of our city," says Alexis M. Gorriaran, PTC Board of Directors Chair. A boat naming dedication for our Access Program boat will take place prior to the lighting ceremony at the guest boat dock adjacent to Memorial Park and the College Street Bridge at 6:30 pm. The public is invited to celebrate with us as we toast to the new boat and reveal its dedication. Access Boat donor Mark Scott and representatives from Bryant University, its Graduate, & Physician Assistant Programs will be lighting the wall and the Access Boat will officially receive its name Sandra Jane. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza, in partnership with Bryce Studio, is happening again on Washington Street from 6:00 - 11:00 p.m. This outdoor artisan fair will showcase some of the great artwork created in Rhode Island in mediums such as glass, photography, sculpture, jewelry and more. The WaterFire Arts Festival Plaza will offer visitors the opportunity to purchase artwork by Rhode Island-based artists. Live Music returns to WaterFire at the Steeple Street Unplugged Stage, Bernard John will be performing a mix of folk and rock in two sets on Steeple Street between 8:30 and 10:30 pm The Trinity Brewhouse beer tent also returns to Steeple Street for this lighting. The Starry, Starry Night Installation will shine brightly in Memorial Park. Join thousands of WaterFire visitors in Memorial Park where the public is encouraged to add their own light to the night. For a small donation to WaterFire, you can make a wish upon one of our stars or place your very own message and luminaria candle lantern in the park. The park will be aglow with hanging blue stars and a constellation of twinkling luminaria candle lanterns below. WaterFire’s favorite characters are back!
WaterFire is an independent, non-profit arts organization whose mission is to inspire Providence and its visitors by revitalizing the urban experience, fostering community engagement, and creatively transforming the city by presenting WaterFire for all to enjoy. The powerful work of art is installed on the three rivers of downtown Providence as a moving symbol of Providence’s renaissance. To learn more about WaterFire Providence or make a donation visit https://waterfire.org or https://www.facebook.com/waterfireprovidence. The Grateful Dead are more to blame than the Rolling Stones for the concert at Altamont, and the murder of Meredith Hunter by the Hells Angels did not take place during ‘Sympathy for the Devil”, but four songs later during “Under My Thumb”. These are the two major takeaways from Saul Austerlitz’s new book, “Just A Shot Away: Peace Love and Tragedy with the Rolling Stones at Altamont”. So the Stones lose a bit of evil lustre. There goes the satanic ritual/human sacrifice angle so dear to the hearts of suburban 16-year-olds listening to “Beggars Banquet” in the 1970s on their cassette players, arguing about which rock band was the most evil. The illusions of youth must die sometime. Austerlitz describes the Stones as disinterested, not diabolical. The Hells Angels are brutal thugs. The concert organizers are both incompetent and self-interested. The audience of 300,000 is drunk, high, and delusional. All the elements for what the author calls a ‘misbegotten’ show are in place (great word, if used too many times). The book is fascinating. Who knew the Grateful Dead were responsible for most of the organizing, and that they turned chicken and ran to a helicopter to escape the violence they’d helped bring about? Or that they and others behind the fiasco tried to put together a major event in less than a week? Or that Marty Balin of Jefferson Airplane got punched in the face for swearing at a Hells Angel who complained the fans were knocking over and vandalizing the Angels’ motorcycles? Or that Meredith Hunter, the murder victim, was a junkie and not such a nice guy? Almost 300 pages of entertaining incidents and details. Good job so far. Then, Austerlitz goes astray. The story of Altamont has holes in it. Facts that will never be known. Of course it does. How could it not, when most of the witnesses to the event are guilty of criminal or at least irresponsible behavior, stupidity, and being loaded with alcohol, weed, and acid? Unfortunately, Austerlitz chooses to fill in the narrative gaps himself. He puts thoughts in people’s heads, words in peoples’ mouths. Describing the last moments of Meredith Hunter’s life, with music playing at rock concert volume amid screams of enthusiasm and terror, Austerlitz claims the dying Hunter, lying on the ground after being stabbed six times, said, “‘I wasn’t going to shoot you.’” He further claims the dying man said this “softly”. No source is given for this direct quote. It’s a shame Austerlitz chooses to discredit himself this way as a writer of fact, while writing about a subject he claims to care so deeply about. Read the book, but don’t trust it too much. Just like Meredith Hunter and several other violence-and drug-induced casualties at Altamont learned the hard way not to trust all those professed ideals of peace and love preached by the ‘60s counterculture. -George Goner (Host of The Haunted Cabaret on RI Free Radio) Who doesn’t love a good music festival? We do, for sure. And if it is happening in the summer – things tend to get even better. Many of us are waiting for them impatiently, but there is a slight chance you have missed some of them while making your summer vacay plan. Don’t worry – that is why we are here today! Keep on reading, and learn more about East Coast music festivals you shouldn’t miss this year! Let’s start from the beginning – Billboard Hot 100 Fest If you are planning on visiting NYC this summer, make sure you visit it at the right moment. Billboard Hot 100 Fest is happening, and it is going to be crazier than ever! August 18 & 19, Long Island, NY – here we come! It is going to be a crazy Saturday, and maybe even crazier Sunday. And all you have to do us to choose what fits you the best. But, the chances are – you won’t be able to. So, the smartest thing you can do is to get tickets for both days. And the best news is that these tickets will allow you access to all 3 stages! AFROPUNK BrooklynBattle of bands sound nice? If it does, this festival is definitely your cup of tea. AFROPUNK is a festival that celebrates the diversity and people in general. It is very accepting, and it doesn’t even matter if you are black – if you accept others and are ready to get connected to them through music and rhythm – this festival is something you should not miss. Electric ZooIf you haven’t heard about this electric utopia before – make sure you don’t miss it this year! This year’s Labor Day Weekend will be hotter than ever, and we advise you to get your tickets as soon as possible. People are saying that the Electric Zoo is the wildest festival NYC has ever seen, and we are sure you don’t want to miss on it! Are you planning on enjoying yourself this summer? If you are – you must visit these 3 festivals! The predictions are that it will be crazier and hotter than ever, and the chances are – if you miss out on them, you will be more than sorry. Especially after seeing your Instagram feed. Every hot headliner is going to be there, and if you are a big fan of music and dance – you must be there to see and hear it! Additional advice: Make sure you get your tickets on time, many people are planning on attending these festivals, and as the days go by, there are less and less tickets in stock. These are the East Coast music festivals you shouldn’t miss this year, and we advise you to start preparing as soon as possible! What about the people that are planning on moving this summer? Summer is a season for moving, and many individuals are doing it. An average American moves around 11 times in his or her life, and the chances are – you might be one of them this summer. If you are – don’t worry about it. Visiting these shows and moving at the same time is possible. Even if it doesn’t seem that way now. All you need to do is to prepare yourself. Moving or not – you should make a solid plan Attending so many festivals this summer means you will need to prepare in advance. And even more importantly, you will need to make a detailed plan. From packing your suitcase to reserving your hotel rooms – you must think about every aspect in advance. And if you are planning on moving – you will need a strategy as well. If you decided that Brooklyn is a perfect place for your new home. You will need to take your mind off things, and what better way than enjoying this show? All you have to do is to make a strategy and complete your tasks one by one. This way, you will have enough time on your plate for everything – even summer music festivals! What about some assistance? If you are planning on moving and visiting all East Cost music festivals at once– we advise you to find some moving assistance. This way you will allow yourself to enjoy your summer vacation, and to move stress and hassle-free. U. Santini Moving and Storage Brooklyn is a professional moving company that can help you move quickly and easily. All you have to do is to give them a call, and they will take it from there. There is no need for you to stress about moving when you can enjoy East Coast summer festivals. Let professionals take care of everything regarding your move, and relax. We all know how stressful things can get, and letting yourself relax once in a while is always a good idea. No matter what. You need some time to yourself, and when you can take it – you should. Explore the East Coast and everything that it has to offer. And once you do – you won’t be sorry. There are many East Coast music festivals you shouldn’t miss this year – so you better start preparing for your trip right away! We hope you have and enjoy your free time! |
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