| Cracker: Bred for Endurance by Lisa Burns |  |  |  |
| Written by Lisa B. Burns | ||||||||||
| Sunday, 27 September 2009 11:54 | ||||||||||
| Lisa Burns essays on Cracker's new CD SUNRISE IN THE LAND OF MILK & HONEY on 429 Records
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| Last Updated on Sunday, 27 September 2009 22:36 | ||||||||||
| hirley Alston Reeves and The Shirelles Live In Medford, Massachusetts | | | |
| Written by Joe Viglione | ||||||||||||||||||
| Sunday, 04 October 2009 12:18 | ||||||||||||||||||
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Direct link here: http://tinyurl.com/shirellesongemm Please note: Shirley Alston Reeves allowed us to conduct an interview, on camera, and videotape the show. The interview text and video footage will post sometime in the future as we build Gemm's unique look at Rock & Roll, from the sellers, the critics and the buyers, the core of what it is all about.
Wednesday, November 10, 2004
The Medford Civic Auditorium & Convention Center Commission - known simply as "The Commission" - is working diligently to bring about renewed awareness of this venue to the people of Medford and recognition to those who live and work beyond the city limits. How many of the estimated 56,000 people that live in the community have ever been in the auditorium located on 30 Forest St., right next to the Medford Post Office? People have to appreciate the historical importance of this room - a victim of the 1965 Medford High School fire which has stood the test of time and defied the flames. You can read more about the history on the Chevalier's Web Page where some of this information was obtained. Booking agent Warren Scott, president of Boston Event Works, and the company's V.P., Kevin Baker, praised The Commission when this writer again had the pleasure of being at the facility this October.
John Costas, a member of that commission, walked in on Friday, Oct. 29 with a huge poster for the upcoming Nov. 13 appearance of pioneering female vocalist Shirley Alston Reeves. These people definitely have a passion for the room and are working overtime to insure that the venue, placed on the National Register of Historical Places, generates interest and business to keep it vibrant for current and future generations of Medford residents. The room needs the support of the community to survive. Which brings us back to Shirley Alston Reeves, the woman whose name was combined with that of the group "The Chantels" to create a title for her visionary all-female band - "Shir" from Shirley and "els" from Chantels - expanded to create The Shirelles! This is the second chapter in The Chevalier's "The Women Of Doo Wop" series which began with The Marvelettes performing in the room on Oct. 15. Artists I've spoken with ask if the room was named after Maurice Chevalier - in fact, they feel comfortable playing a room that boasts the name of that veteran of stage and screen. The truth is that "the Theater was dedicated (upon its completion in 1940) to Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier, a resident of Medford who had distinguished himself in World War I as a naval hero and aviation pioneer."
What better way to respect Godfrey de Courcelles Chevalier than to support the shows coming into the room, starting with some of the greatest hits of the early 60s by the woman who originally sang them! Burt Bacharach and Hal David's "Baby It's You" went Top 10 for Shirley in 1962 and is such a phenomenal tune that it was covered by "The Beatles" and landed back on the charts seven years later, Top 5, for Gayle McCormack's group "Smith" in 1969. "Tomorrow" was a song by the great Carole King and her first husband, Gerry Goffin. Re-titled "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" it was Alston-Reeves first #1 chart topper after success with "I Met Him On A Sunday" (written by all four members of the original Shirelles) and the great "Tonight's The Night." The hits came fast and furious - "Dedicated To The One I Love" went Top 3 in 1961 - a re-release by the group which actually went Top 100 in 1959 (and inspired The Mamas & The Papas), "Mama Said" went Top 5 also in 1961, while "Soldier Boy" brought the group back to #1 in 1962, an appropriate song forty-two years later with the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq. "Everybody Loves A Lover", "Foolish Little Girl" and other songs - 12 going into the Top 40, about 20 titles hitting the R & B charts - make for a set that is going to be as much fun for this writer as it was when I first saw the singer in the 1970s at The Boston Garden and in the 1980s at Faces in Cambridge.
Shirley has lots of familiar material, The Beatles insured that even Shirelles album tracks like "Boys" became well known tunes, and another mainstay of the British Invasion, Manfred Mann, picked up on their "Sha La La" and brought it some popularity. The Chevalier Theatre is located at 30 Forest St. next to the Post Office, Exit 32 off Route 93. (THIS IS A REVIEW FROM 2004, ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE MEDFORD TRANSCRIPT. - (C)2004 Joe Viglione is the producer/host of Visual Radio-Television, a program which is on cable television. He has also written thousands of reviews for AMG, The All Media Guide. Check out his Web site at http://www.JoeViglione.com.
REVIEW OF THE SHIRELLES DVD on QUANTUM LEAP Quantum Leap producers Kim Lyon and Gary Peet could put a little bit more care and archival information into their releases; perhaps some better edits, paper liner notes, and extensive credits would do much to add to the value of the DVDs they churn out. This particular work, Will You Love Me Tomorrow, was canceled from release, at least in the United States, in the spring of 2007. Read more here: Direct link here: http://tinyurl.com/shirellesongemm | ||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated on Tuesday, 06 October 2009 19:11 |
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| GENRES: Girl Groups vs Space Age Bachelor Pad | | | |
| Written by Joe Viglione |
| Sunday, 04 October 2009 12:56 |
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Defining Northern Soul! Defining Space Age Bachelor Pad! Those genres have their sub-genres, but there's no doubt what the GIRL GROUP GENRE is about. It is NOT Eddie Holman singing "Hey There Lonely Girl" or Little Joe Cook with "Peanuts" in falsetto or Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons with "Big Girls Don't Cry" or "Lightning Strikes" by Lou Christie. Guys with falsettos are Guys with Falsettos while Girl Groups, unlike Ru Paul, are the Real Thing.
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| The Marvelettes | | | |
| Written by Joe Viglione |
| Sunday, 04 October 2009 13:33 |
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Genre: Girl Groups Editorial Note: Ahh, great thing about being editor, I pull out my old scribblings and get to post them again.
DAUGHTERS OF THE MARVELLETES (not really!) invade Medford, Massachusetts New Marvelettes bring show biz flair to Medford's Chevalier Theater By Joe Viglione It's been 44 years since Gladys Horton and Wanda Young brought their magic to the radio via the Motown hits "Twistin' Postman" and "Beechwood 4-5789," and as the All Media Guide's Richie Unterberger notes, they were, indeed - the label's purest girl group efforts. Unterberger also states that The Marvelettes went through "five different lineups", a trademark like the band "Chicago", created to be faceless. This could be lineup #7 or 8, and as this writer noted to an usher, featured gals who probably weren't born when the original hits rocked the nation. That's why I am surprised at how good the New Marvelettes were Friday night, October 15th, at the gorgeous and under-appreciated Chevalier Theater. The ladies who graced the stage, resplendent in flowing red gowns, had a real sense of showmanship - and an ability to work a crowd. Tracie singing Sam Cooke's #1 1957 hit, "You Send Me", and Angie doing the chores on "Forever" might be seven times or more removed from Gladys & Wanda, but they've got the pipes and the girl group shtick down pat. The purist in me might want them to call it "A Tribute To The Marvelettes" and maybe feature some video footage of the original pioneering women - or maybe go through some history during the onstage patter to give the audience a sense of the band's evolution. What the audience got was a first class re-enactment of the sound and feel of the 60s, even bringing a couple of gentlemen from the audience up to the stage - a major component of "Don't Mess With Bill" and a hit with the local crowd. As Laurence Fishburne said to Keanu Reeves in "The Matrix" - "What is real?" The backing ensemble consisted of Ted Stevens on guitar (of Rhode Island's "Ted & The Turbos"), Todd Stiles on keyboards, "Mad" Mike on drums, and musical director Dave Backer on bass. This particular group has backed the current versions of The Drifters, The Coasters, The Platters, even doing a tour with Chuck Berry in Russia - and they did a short three-song set before the headliners came out consisting of "Summertime Blues", "Last Kiss" and "Willie And The Hand Jive".
Backstage the musicians seemed rather reserved and not really wanting to talk about the gig or The Marvelettes. They provided an adequate re-creation of the hits which was played at a decent volume. The Al Vega Trio opened the program and the 83 year old local legend actually stole the show. The keyboards of Vega are accompanied, according to http://www.johnnysouza.com/AlVega.html , by bassist Dave Zox and drummer Harvey Brower. A singer named Steve joined them to perform "Fever" and other titles. Consistent and entertaining they did the hallowed halls of the Chevalier justice.
Warren Scott, equally legendary Boston area agent who used to book The Channel nightclub, brings shows to the room through his Boston Event Works company. With Scott and other New England area mainstays like David James of Concert Sound & Lighting working The Chevalier, this comfortable and atmospheric auditorium has a chance to be one of the major venues outside of Boston proper and inside the 128 belt. Shirley Alston Reeves, the original lead singer of The Shirelles, is going to be at the venue on Saturday November 13, 2004 singing "Soldier Boy", "Dedicated To The One I Love", "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and her other hits. Tickets are $18.50 advance, $20.50 day of the show at the box office or through ticketweb (866)468 7619. The Chevalier Theater is located at 30 Forest St. next to the Post Office, Exit 32 off Route 93. Their concertline is 781 391 SHOW. (C)2004 http://www.JoeViglione.com Joe Viglione is the producer/host of Visual Radio-Television, a program which taped and broadcast for many years from TV3 Medford. He has written thousands of reviews for AMG, The All Media Guide, and is editor of Gemmzine. LINKS |
| Last Updated on Sunday, 04 October 2009 13:42 |
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