June 17 events, Acoustic Americana Music Calendar & News 2008

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"Tied to the Tracks"
ACOUSTIC AMERICANA
MUSIC CALENDAR & NEWS
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Events for June 17, 2008
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copyright (c) © 2008, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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June calendar, as a continuous read, is now at http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com, along with each day’s updated post of events, and our newest popular feature, the anniversaries of things that happened on that date.
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Each day’s updated events and anniversaries is still at www.myspace.com/laacoustic – for the time being. Because Myspace is suddenly accepting only short posts, we must go through the ponderous process of listing events there in small blocks, usually one day at a time – so, the calendar will move to another site, and that will happen soon.
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FUTURE EVENTS are posted into 2009 on our myspace site, where reading them curiously requires that you use the “Older Entries” button that appears when you click “View All” – going “back” to the future… just one of the many myspace aberrations.
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LATEST NEWS FEATURES were posted separately on June 13 and appear on both sites; previous news features posted June 7 on myspace, where earlier editions are still available by using the “View All” button, and if you want to journey farther back than recent editions, use the “Older Entries” button as many times as necessary to go all the way back to when acoustic music was made by indigenous natives pounding on hollow logs with rocks.
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TUESDAY, JUNE 17
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Today’s anniversaries:
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FRANCIS DRAKE claimed California for England on this day in 1579, naming the land “Nova Albion,” amidst a prolonged raid in the Americas against the Spanish New World. Queen Elizabeth would knight him aboard his round-the-world ship, The “Golden Hind,” in 1581. He is most famous for leading the English navy to defeat the mighty Spanish Armada off the southern coast of England, but his global navigation yielded invaluable information.
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THE BATTLE OF BUNKER HILL, and neighboring Breed’s Hill, in 1775, produced the line, “Don’t fire until you see the whites of their eyes,” purportedly spoken by Patriot General William Prescott as British General Howe’s mass of troops advanced. The battle toi determine who would occupy Boston was lost by the rebelling colonists, but represented a substantial moment of commitment and morale-building for an America not quite sure what to do.
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BATTLE OF THE ROSEBUD was fought this day in 1876, as warriors from the rebelling Cheyenne and Sioux Nations who refused to accept reservation life, led by Sitting Bull and Crazy Horse, attacked and defeated the pursuing US Army force under General George Crook, which had been moving-in from the south. The army’s defeat on this day would seal the fate of the converging “pincer forces,” General Gibbon’s force from the west, and General Terry’s command from the east, including its advance force of the 7th US Cavalry commanded by Colonel George Armstrong Custer. Custer’s command would meet their fate at the Battle of the Little Bighorn eight days later, without combining forces with other army units. Alas, Crook was retreating following his defeat, without that fact being known to Custer and the 7th. Still, it was clear that Custer, upon discovering the Native American Indian’s location and regardless of other concerns, was determined to attack to prevent the Indians from dissolving away in all directions with no ability to corner them, as often happened in Plains conflicts.
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Composer IGOR STRAVINSKY was born in 1882 in Oranienbaum, Russia.
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The STATUE OF LIBERTY arrived this day in 1885, as gift from France, aboard the ship “Isere.” Formally know as “Liberty Enlightening the World,” Auguste Bartoldi’s monumental creation had first arisen over Paris, and Parisians fought its disassembly and crating for shipment to America. There was no place for it when the gift was first announced, until a small island, to be named Liberty Island, in New York harbor (actually in New Jersey), was eventually designated as its home. Many have cited the ironies that the Statue is among America’s most famous immigrants, yet it is evoked as a symbol of “all-things-American” by those who have most vehemently opposed immigration.
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Singer RED FOLEY was born in 1910 in Blue Lick, KY.
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STRINGBEAN, aka David Akeman, was born in KY in 1915; He would be famous on TV’s “Hee Haw” for his banjo and cornpone humor.
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JAMES BROWN was born in 1928. He would be one of modern music’s most enduring figures.
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SMOOT-HAWLEY TARIFF was signed by President Herbert Hoover on this day in 1930. The protectionist measure, adding huge taxes to imported goods, was opposed in a petition signed by over 1,000 economists. Hoover signed it anyway, placating those who opposed imports. The Great Depression was only 8 months old, and the tariff deepened the misery, as other nations reacted with their own high tariffs, effectively ending America’s ability to sell exports. The tariff would be a major issue in the 1932 election, when FDR defeated Hoover with the most comprehensive set of economic programs in US history, and an uplifting campaign song, “Happy Days Are Here Again.”
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TRUMAN INQUIRY OF WW II DEFENSE SPENDING STOPPED BY FDR in 1943, as then-Senator Harry Truman and his committee probed war profiteering. The White House asked Truman to halt questions about a mysterious and expensive defense plant in Pasco, Washington. It was part of the super-secret Manhattan Project, to develop the atomic bomb. A year later, Truman would be FDR’s choice for vice president in the 1944 election. Truman’s cooperation in not asking questions in 1943 resulted in him having no knowledge of the atomic bomb until he became president, upon the sudden death of FDR, in 1945.
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BARRY MANILOW was born in 1946 in New York City.
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SOVIETS CRUSHED EAST BERLIN RIOTS on this day in 1953, as East German workers protested increased work schedules, poor wages, and demanded free elections. The totalitarian nature of East Germany’s repressive communist government would remain until the government fell in 1989, leading to the reunification of Germany.
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THE KINKS continue the British Invasion, arriving in NYC in 1965 to start their 1st US tour.
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BARBRA STREISAND performed “A Happening in Central Park” in 1967.
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Special Anniversary Feature Story:
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THE WATERGATE BREAK-IN happened this day in 1972 when DC police, alerted by a security guard to the presence of a door lock held open with duct tape, captured the perpetrators. The botched “third-rate burglary” at the Democratic National Headquarters in the Watergate Hotel complex in Washington, DC, was perpetrated by employees of the Republican’s Committee to Re-Elect the President (officially abbreviated as CREEP) and of the Nixon White House.
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Legendary pursuit by Washington Post journalists BOB WOODWARD and CARL BERNSTEIN, aided by the mysterious “DEEP THROAT,” with staunch support from editor BEN BRADLEE, and parallel investigations by CBS, directed by news anchor WALTER CRONKHITE, eventually produced enough evidence of connections and illegal money-laundered funding that Congress acted with a landmark series of SENATE WATERGATE HEARINGS.
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The Senate committee members became famous overnight, with chairman SAM IRVIN (D, NC) and HOWARD BAKER (R, TN) becoming cultural icons. The Hearings’ bombshells included White House Counsel JOHN DEAN describing his conversation with PRESIDENT NIXON, warning there is a “cancer on the presidency” because of White House crimes and cover-ups. Dean’s testimony would be proven when FAA Administrator ALEXANDER BUTTERFIELD revealed to the committee the existence of a secret taping system in the White House, and the tapes were obtained after a Constitutional crisis.
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Eventually, the HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES prepared ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT against Nixon, who resigned on August 9, 1974, and only after it was clear that the votes were more than sufficient to convict him.
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A most bizarre aspect was that Nixon was able to hand-pick his successor amidst the crisis, because elected Vice President SPIRO AGNEW had also been forced to resign in the face of separate criminal prosecution. Thus, Nixon’s appointed Vice President GERALD FORD became the nation’s only president who had never faced a national election to gain office in the Executive Branch. President Ford’s subsequent pardon of Nixon for crimes “he committed, or may have committed” brought public outcry, and Ford was defeated by JIMMY CARTER in the 1976 election.
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The single most popular question from Watergate, “Who is Deep Throat,” was not answered until the 21st century, when former FBI Deputy Director W. MARK FELT stepped from the shadows in 2005 to reveal himself as the key source of information for Woodward and Bernstein’s investigation.
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One Watergate burglar, an official in, and participant in many other crimes for, CREEP and the Nixon White House, G. GORDON LIDDY, would become a popular neo-con conservative radio talk show host who is on-the-air to this day.
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One of Hollywood’s best-ever political films, “ALL THE PRESIDENT’S MEN,” was based on Woodward & Bernstein’s book about Watergate; the film starred Robert Redford and Dustin Hoffman.
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Many key figures from Watergate would author books, with Woodward, Bernstein, and Dean the most popular and prolific, into present times. One of JOHN DEAN’s recent books is “WORSE THAT WATERGATE,” a scathing appraisal of the GEORGE W. BUSH administration. A postscript on Watergate and the lessons we should learn from it comes from SIR WALTER SCOTT (1771-1832) who wrote, “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive.”
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Finally, on this day,
KATE SMITH died in 1986, at age 79. She was famous for singing “God Bless America,” the Irving Berlin song that she introduced in 1938. She had dozens of other hits in her long career, and raised over $600 million for Americana GIs in WW II.
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TODAY’S EVENTS:
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Tue, every week; in Loma Linda:
9-11:30 am “LOMA LINDA UKULELE STRUMMERS” welcomes all, every Tuesday at the Loma Linda Senior Center, 25541 Barton Rd (behind the Civic Center), Loma Linda. (Senior Center is at the far end of the parking lot.) Everyone welcome. They say, “Although we meet at the senior center, we are not exclusive: vacationing or off-track school children, their teachers, moms whose children are in school at that time, singles, whomever, will be welcomed with open arms. If you don’t have an instrument as yet, we can help you get an inexpensive one to start with. You will purchase the music book and receive new music thereafter with no added expense. Each member donates $1 every week. We have a birthday party each month, and every 3 months go out together for lunch, using the money from the treasury.” Info, www.lomalindaukestrummers.org. Contact, Ginny Stone, 909 795 3841 or harryginny@hotmail.com.
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Tue, Jun 17:
Noon-2 pm GILLI MOON brings her award-winning original singer-songwriter music to the “Pershing Square Lunchtime Concert Series” at Pershing Square, on W 5th St between S Olive St & S Hill St, L.A.; www.laparks.org/pershingsquare/concerts.htm. Ride the Red Line subway to the Pershing Square Station and avoid expensive downtown L.A. parking. Grab a take-out lunch across the street, and enjoy a FREE lunchtime concert downtown.
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Tue, every week:
4:30-6 pm SON JAROCHO CLASSES at East Side Café, 5469 Huntington Dr N, L.A.; 323-583-5113. Learn to play Jarana, a string Instrument from Veracruz; dance Zapateado; sing & compose Sones-songs; gain knowledge of Son Jarocho music; work sound & lights. Open to adults, children and teens. No cover, donations are accepted.
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Tue, every week:
6 pm Weekly BLUEGRASS JAM at Curley’s Café, 1999 E Willow (at Cherry), Signal Hill; 562-424-0018.
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Tue, every week:
6-8 pm ARANA MUSIC LESSONS at IMIX Bookstore, 5052 Eagle Rock Bl, Eagle Rock; 323-257-2512; www.imixbooks.com. For beginners to experts music lessons focusing on the arana and Son Jarocho, presented by Caesar Castro, El Jarochelo.
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Tue, every week; in Menifee:
6-8:30 pm SANDII CASTLEBERRY & RON DAIGH, folk fest faves, at Giovanni's, Pizza, Pasta & More, 26900 Newport Rd #112, Menifee 92584; 951-672-8080. Sandii says, “New venue, every Tuesday night starting April 15. It’s much closer for many of you to come than Idyllwild, so I thought you would like to know about it! This restaurant has great Italian food, with very reasonable prices, beer, wine, salad bar, and a very casual family atmosphere. The owner and his wife are the nicest people! He has a Karaoke rig set up, so during the band’s breaks, he walks around the restaurant with a hand-held cordless microphone singing Frank Sinatra and other standards while he busses tables. What a hoot! His son works there, as well as his grand daughter. It’s really fun to be there. We’ll be playing some bluegrass, and all the other musical styles we do.” Menifee is about 15 minutes north of Temecula, right off the 215 Fwy at Domenegoni Pkwy. (Off the 215, exit at Domenegoni Parkway, go W about 1 mile. It’s just Past Newport Rd on the right side, in the strip mall with Blockbusters Video.)
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Sandii played the enormous STAGE COACH COUNTRY MUSIC FESTIVAL in May ‘08, and she plays Arriba’s Mexican restaurant in Idyllwild every Saturday night and several times a month at Café Aroma in Idyllwild. Artist info, www.sandiicastleberry.com.
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Tue, every Tue:
6:30-11 pm SONGMAKERS “SOUP JAM,” country & bluegrass jam, at 3240 Industry Dr, Signal Hill 90755. Info, Don Rowan, 562-883-0573; http://songmakers.org. Acoustic instruments only, floating mic for voice, soup, donuts, coffee & tap water served. Loc is 1 mile S of 405 Fwy, 1.2 mi S of Long Beach Airport. Lakewood Bl South exit from 405, immediate right onto Willow for 1 mi (W), left on Redondo for 3/4 mile (S), right onto Industry Dr for 0.2 mi (W), building is 1st entrance for last building on the left; a fair-sized industrial building with high ceilings.
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Tue, Jun 17; every Tue, Jun 3-Aug 26:
7-9 pm FRANCISCO AGUABELLA plays this week’s “WINE, JAZZ & MOONLIGHT” 5th annual summer series at the Hollywood & Highland Center. Enjoy free concerts by some of the country's top jazz performers on summer Tuesday evenings in the central courtyard of Hollywood and Highland Center. The event is FREE to the public and a wine tasting donation with wine provided by Wente Vineyards benefits Project Angel Food. Come early, and grab some dinner at one of the local restaurants.
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Tue, Jun 17:
7 pm DEVON WILLIAMS at Amoeba Music, 6400 Sunset Bl, Hollywood; 323-245-6400. He performs tonight with a string quartet. His new CD, “Carefree” is out now on Ba Da Bing Records. “...Williams is unique in that he refuses to be another psych-folk-blues musician in Los Angeles. He's just not having it. Instead, Williams writes refreshingly light tunes tinged with Westerberg-like self deprecation that could have been fitting on the soundtrack of any My So Called Life episode: songs for being distraught, but laughing about it.” - LA Weekly. Free.
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Tue, every week:
7-10 pm OPEN MIC - Music, Comedy, Spoken Word, at Synergy Café Lounge, 4437 Sepulveda Bl (just S of Culver Bl), Culver City; www.synergycafelounge.com; 310-482-3490. An eclectic open mic night. Bring your instruments, poetry, comedy, and anything else you'd like to share during your 8-10 minute set. Great atmosphere, excellent opportunity to see and meet other performers. No cover, food / drink purchase expected. Info, contact MC Jackie, jackielievense@yahoo.com.
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Tue, Tue, every week:
7 pm “MAIN STREET SONGWRITERS SHOWCASE” brings JAMES HURLEY and DEANNA D’AMICO-WHITE this week to Café Bellissimo, 22458 Ventura Bl, Woodland Hills; 818-225-0026. It’s a nice format, always with two recording artists, each doing a half-hour set, followed by an open mic; info, www.garretswayne.com.
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JAMES HURLEY brings delightfully original music, in a seductive blend of styles that reaches well beyond the traditional scope of "acoustic singer-songwriter." He’s performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” where his song, “The Sun and The Moon,” from the album of the same name, was selected as a "Listener Favorite of 2006." It was also the runner-up “Song of the Year” at the 2006 DIY Festival. An elegant, masterful guitarist and passionate singer whose music has been described as "Americana on the rocks with a twist," James crosses stylistic boundaries with impunity while reflecting a romantic optimism that is truly refreshing in this age of callous cynicism. Just returned from a tour up north, James is in town for a short respite before heading out to tour the Southwest, and later to return to the UK. Whenever his schedule permits, James continues production on his upcoming third solo CD. MSSS host GARRET SWAYNE says, “He's consistently compelling, yet an understated performer, an artist who paints in song, a picture of the hopes, dreams, and observations of an ‘everyman’... always inspiring to listen to.” Artist info, www.jameshurleymusic.com.
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DEANNA D'AMICO-WHITE with KURT "KEYS" FRIES perform tonight as a country-folk duo. Born and raised in L.A., Deanna D’Amico-White was handed a guitar at the age of six by her Aunt Gloria , a professional entertainer who awoke in her the passion to perform. Her journey began with her appearances in several films, television, video and stage productions, and commercials. She has performed as a singer and dancer for NATALIE COLE in Nashville, as a member of the YOUNG AMERICANS, and as Disney animated heroines ARIEL, JASMINE, and POCAHONTAS at Tokyo Disneyland. When she returned from Japan, Deanna entered and won a local talent contest and began gathering new song ideas with other co-writers. That led to her first CD, “A Song For Me and You.” Collaborations as writer and producer with KURT "KEYS" FRIES have resulted in her latest release, “When I Play My Guitar.” She now performs with Kurt and her band at various venues around Southern California. MSSS host GARRET SWAYNE says, “Deanna brings a fresh, energetic approach to the music, with stories and personal experiences lending positive authenticity to her insightful, uplifting songs.” Artist info, www.myspace.com/deannadamicowhite .
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No cover, but venue expects a minimum $10 food / drink purchase.
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Tue, Jun 17; third Tue, every month:
7:30 pm WINDY RIDGE BLUEGRASS BAND are this month’s performing artists at the monthly “BLUEGRASS AT THE BRAEMAR,” BASC (Bluegrass Assoc of Southern Cal) show at Braemar Country Club, 4001 Reseda Bl, Tarzana 91356. (Take 101 Fwy to Reseda Bl, exit S, go 2 1/2 miles up the hill to the entrance on the right.) Show is free; dinner is an optional pasta buffet, complete with soup, dinner salad (you can add chicken breast), rolls, butter, coffee, tea and dessert, $14 (tax and tip included). Buffet served beginning at 6:30 pm. Bar service available. Ample seating, safe, secure free parking. Info: contact Joy Felt, Bluegrass Association of Southern California, at 818-705-8870 or bascinfo@socalbluegrass.org.
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Tue, recurring:
7:30 pm Weekly OPEN MIC at Hallenbeck’s General Store, 5510 Cahuenga Bl, North Hollywood; 818-985-5916; www.hallenbecks.com. Venue offers sandwiches, coffeehouse fare. No cover.
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Tue, Jun 17:
8 pm ANNA BENTHOLM-JENSEN at 14 Below, 1348 14th St, Santa Monica; 310-451-5040. Anna is from Denmark, making her second US tour. We heard her last time she was in L.A., and she has some fine original songs, in English.
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Tue, every week:
8 pm OPEN MIC at Viva Cantina, 900 Riverside Dr, Burbank; www.vivacantina.com; 818-515-4444.
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Tue, Jun 17:
8:30 pm LEE HARPER at the Cowboy Palace Saloon, 21635 Devonshire St (Devonshire & Owensmouth), Chatsworth 91311; www.cowboypalace.com; 818-341-0166. Live music 7 nights a week, sometimes acoustic, sometimes electric. Preceded by free swing dance lessons with Ed, 7-8:30 pm. No cover.
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Tue, Jun 17:
9 pm MARINA V plays the Hotel Café, 1623 N Cahuenga Bl, Hollywood; 323-461-2040; www.hotelcafe.com. The charming and talented singer-songwriter-composer-keyboard & guitar player has performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks,” and she’s performed internationally and at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood. Expect songs from her newest album, “Modern Fairytales.” Check with venue for cover (usually cheaper if you go earlier).
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Tue, Jun 17:
10 pm CHRIS VALENTI will get you in FREE for his show at The Improv, 8162 Melrose Av (just W of Crescent Heights), Hollywood 90046. Chris is that wonderfully funny comedic singer-songwriter who is the self-proclaimed poster child of the failed relationship. He’s performed live on radio’s “Tied to the Tracks.”
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Chris is headlining a night called “Rock Comedy All-Stars,” even though he plays acoustic. He says, “This is pretty huge for me. Unexpected, but - WOW - I'll take it. Everyone [else] in the show will get the normal 6-8 minutes. I get 20 minutes - basically a full set, at the Improv. I'm headlining at one of the major L.A. comedy clubs. Holy crap! Someone's giving me a shot. Very cool. Well, they're also giving me an UNLIMITED GUEST LIST. It's $13 at the door, UNLESS YOU KNOW THE HEADLINER. Yep. And you do. Wanna come? For free? Want to shock them? Want to be one of the 200+ people who catch the Improv off guard? I've already got 20 on the list and I haven't even sent an e-mail out yet.”
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To accept Chris Valenti’s invitation and see the show for free, email him to be placed on his guest list, at Chris@ChrisValentimusic.net. Artist info, www.ChrisValentiMusic.com.
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View all of June at http://acousticamericana.blogspot.com, or listings continue at www.myspace.com/laacoustic with chronological date listings, as separate posts. On myspace, use the “view all” and then, curiously enough, the “older” button to see into the future, all the way into 2009. The calendar will be moving soon, where we won’t need to post events in small increments, and we’ll let you know when and to where. Meantime, the most recent info, both events and news, lives on both the myspace and the blogspot pages.
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copyright (c) © 2008, Larry Wines. All rights reserved.
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