THE BEAT
Rick Robbins' Return; The Kerry Boys
by Seth Rogovoy(WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass., Nov. 21, 1997) -- There aren't many relative unknowns who could hold their own on an album's worth of songs alongside the likes of Rory Block, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Arlo Guthrie, John Sebastian, Eric Weissberg and Larry Campbell. But the Berkshires' own Rick Robbins pulls off the seemingly impossible feat on his new CD, his long-overdue, first full-length recording, "Walkin' Down the Line."
What allows singer/guitarist Robbins to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with veteran vocalists and instrumentalists like Block, Elliott and Weissberg is his obviously deep and abiding commitment to the material.
About half of the songs on the CD are traditional folk tunes and half are modern songs by the likes of Woody Guthrie, Guy Clark and Bob Dylan. Robbins' gritty voice delivers chestnuts like "Handsome Molly" and "Yankee Clipper" with the authority of lifelong familiarity. He credits his longstanding friendship with Arlo Guthrie, clinched when the two met as students at the Stockbridge School in Interlaken in 1962, as a major influence on his appreciation of singers like Woody Guthrie, Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry.
The recording of the CD represents a return to public performance for Robbins, who put music aside in favor of carpentry work and architectural design more than 20 years ago. Robbins is planning to tour behind his CD -- a booking agent is currently putting together a series of shows for him -- and he has been talking with record labels about distributing his new album. He is already making plans for a follow-up recording.
On "Walkin' Down the Line," Robbins' vocals and guitar are accompanied by those of Rory Block on most tracks, with occasional mandolin, dobro and fiddle supplied by Weissberg and Campell and harmonica by John Sebastian. Elliott duets with Robbins on Clark's "Desperado's Waiting For a Train," and Guthrie -- with whom Robbins performed in the early- to mid-'60s -- contributes guitar and vocals to "Low and Lonely."
The CD was produced by Block and recorded at various studios, including Derek Studios in Dalton. For information on how to purchase "Walkin' Down the Line" write to Robbins at Box 291, Housatonic MA 01236, or send E-mail to RICITY@bcn.net
Robbins will perform along with Anson Olds, John Sellew, John Humphrey and Steve Ide on Nov. 29 at 7:30 at the Monterey Church of Christ, in a concert to benefit the Monterey Meeting House renovation.
Kerry Boys
When Irish-music duo Pierce Campbell and Mark James showed up at the Lion's Den in Stockbridge for a gig a few years ago, they found themselves billed as "The Kerry Boys," after James's native county in Ireland. The name stuck, and the two Connecticut-based performers have continued to take time out from their solo careers to perform traditional, Clancy Brothers-style Irish songs like "Tom Dooley" and "Molly Malone," which are both included in their eponymous CD. The Kerry Boys will be joined by Noel Kilkenny on mandolin and tenor banjo at the Dalton American Legion Hall on Sunday, Nov. 23, at 6. Call 442-4791 for more info.
Backstage bits
Local reggae band Dredi has been in the studio putting finishing touches on its long-awaited CD, which they hope will be out before Christmas. The band has a new logo and reportedly a juiced-up live show. Catch them at the Quality Inn in Lenox tonight....The Studio in Pittsfield returns to the concert business next Saturday night with a show by neo-hippie jam-rockers Max Creek. Also on tap for the former England Brothers venue is a comedy show on Dec. 5....
U2 or the Rolling Stones? Spice Girls or Hanson? Fiona Apple or Paula Cole? It's time to start thinking about your favorite albums and concerts of the year. Take part in our annual reader's poll by E-mailing us your top picks of 1997....
Next week in The Beat: Music for holiday listening.....
[This column originally appeared in the Berkshire Eagle on Nov. 21, 1997. Copyright Seth Rogovoy 1997. All rights reserved.]
Seth Rogovoy
rogovoy@berkshire.net
music news, interviews, reviews, et al.
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