Goosebumps

So, as I parked my car in Asbury Park, this big goose calls me from across the street. "Hey, you, with the tie-dyed shirt and that beautiful woman. Take my picture. Take it now, before the sun sets!" 

So, I did.

Ray Davies versus the autobiography, part 2

Leave it to Ray Davies to take on an autobiography as a creative challenge.  Twice.

Rather than give his fans a chronological account of facts and anecdotes about his life, the former singer and songwriter of the Kinks has twice chosen a different approach.  Almost 20 years ago, he authored X-Ray, which can be described as a semi-fictional autobiography.  Late last year, he released Americana, which presents the British star's experience in the United States.  Of course, they are both great reads.

In Americana, Davies explains the influence US music and films had on his artistic development as a child in suburban London.  He goes on to describe the Kinks first US tour in 1965, on the heels of the British Invasion, and their comeback tour in the fall of 1969.  Comeback from what, you might ask, since the Kinks continued recording and releasing good music in the intervening years?

Davies' mind, now almost 70 years old, isn't quite so sharp on this point.  At various points in Americana, he writes he doesn't know why the Kinks were banned from performing in the US for four years in the late 1960s.  Near the end of the book, however, he indicates it was probably because of an issue with a concert promoter.

Davies goes on to describe how important the US music market was for the Kinks as the band continued evolving during the 1970s, switching labels and management and, by the 1980s, playing venues as large as Madison Square Garden.  He recalls forcing Bill Graham to keep his word when the Kinks took the stage in front of hundreds of thousands of people at the US Festival in San Bernardino in 1982.

Davies also writes with pride about being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and playing at its inaugural concert at Cleveland Stadium in 1995 -- which turned out to be the final Kinks concert in the US.  Davies did return as a solo performer 10 years later, reading excerpts from his X-Ray autobiography and playing stripped-down versions of Kinks songs.  I was fortunate to catch him at the McCarter Theater in Princeton in 1997.

A significant part of Americana, however, centers around New Orleans.  Specifically, Davies writes much about his experiences in this unique US city, including the shooting which almost ended his life in January of 2004.  It's these passages about New Orleans, which break up the chronological order in which he presents his American experience, which are the most telling.  They're a ray of light into his mind and soul, with a poignancy about his life, the muse he followed, the ambitions he harbored, the relationships he valued, not stated elsewhere in his writings, but understood and appreciated by Davies' fans.  He also provides new insights into the unique lure of New Orleans.

Reading Americana had me thinking about the times I saw the Kinks in concert.  In late July of 1979, they played a great show at the Asbury Park Convention Hall, a venue for a 1977 performance Davies describes "like playing Southend-on-Sea at an English seaside resort.  Great audience; say no more.”

In July of 1987, the Kinks played one of the last concerts at the Capitol Theatre in Passaic, New Jersey, located in a part of town in which one or two old movie theaters screened pornography, which was also accessible from surrounding shops.  Davies introduced a new Kinks song, "Welcome to Sleazy Town," by alluding to these facts.

Having played at the Capitol Theatre at least five other times since 1972, I'm sure Davies was familiar with Passaic, where I also saw Elvis Costello, the Ramones, Patti Smith Group, the Who, Joe Jackson, the Clash, Pretenders, Adam and the Ants, Missing Persons, the Thompson Twins, REM and others.  British or American, it's questionable if anyone from these acts can write about their experiences on these shores like Ray Davies -- who has inspired many of them in the nearly 50 years since the Kinks first landed at Kennedy Airport.

Will Davies ever pen a conventional autobiography?  If so, would it be as interesting as X-Ray or Americana?  A definite maybe...you really got me...he's one to give the people what they want...not just a face in the crowd...but already a well respected man...one of the survivors...a 20th century man...killing time...hoping for better things...as his life goes on.

Art to smile about

Demetrius Patterson is a fine artist. He's also an exceptional observer of people. The combination results in his unique style of acrylic paintings that make all kinds of people smile.

A lifelong Jersey shore resident and graduate of Monmouth Regional High School and Brookdale Community College, Demetrius can often be seen during summer weekends with his originals, prints, magnets and cards for sale at art fairs around the state, including Red Bank, Long Branch, Asbury Park and, on June 15, in Ocean Grove. He takes advantage of the chance to study people as they stop to look at his works.

"Sometimes they're kids who stop to show their parents something that catches their attention," said Demetrius, who lives in Tinton Falls. "Other times, it may be an old person who seems to be in some pain that stops and smiles at something they see."

Painting has been a lifelong passion for Demetrius, who strives to make each of his pieces "personal, meaningful, enjoyable."  He recalls his teachers and parents noticing how prolific and talented he was at a young age.  He considered himself a loner, and often painted to cheer himself up.

It wasn't until about a dozen years ago that he began exhibiting and selling his works.  Initially, he painted scenes with entertainers, everyday people and animals. The expressions of his subjects, often crystallized in their eyes, and use of color caught the attention of audiences.  Some people describe his style as "comic-like;" all agree it is different.

His resume includes exhibits at the Monmouth Museum, Art Alliance Studio & Gallery, Red Bank Public Library, Riverview Medical Center, and Monmouth Medical Center.  His originals typically fetch hundreds of dollars, but he sells prints for a fraction of that cost and, against the advice of some people close to him, cards and magnets for under $15 or $10.

"I'm attracting more collectors, some who have four or five of my originals, but I want to reach people at all different levels, including the little guy," explained Demetrius.  "Some people can't afford to spend much money on art, but they want to have some of the things I've done.  They may buy a few magnets, put it in their kitchen, and they're happy.  And, their friends talk to them about it."

Demetrius has in recent years expanded his portfolio to include scenery with flowers and urban landscapes, some without the expressive characters that were a trademark of his early paintings.  He typically has about five paintings in some stage of development at the same time, he explained recently while unveiling a new piece showing a diverse group of everyday people at a bustling diner.  They continue being done in his own special way, and the effect remains the same: people smile.

"People want something they can feel good about," said Demetrius.  "If I can do that in my own unique way, it's very satisfying."

An edited version of this writeup with a new photo appeared in the June 14 Asbury Park Press.

Marshall Tucker Band headlining Rockin’ With Spirit event at Stone Pony to benefit Spirit of a Child Foundation

Asbury Park, NJ – They’re rebels with a cause.

The Marshall Tucker Band, one of the major Southern rock bands of the ‘70s with hits such as “Heard It In a Love Song,” “Fire On The Mountain,” “Can’t You See,” and “Take The Highway,” return to Asbury Park for the first time in 12 years on Sunday, June 16. They will be headlining the Rockin’ With Spirit concert event at The Stone Pony that evening to benefit the Spirit of a Child Foundation.

The Nick Clemons Band, featuring the son of “Big Man” Clarence Clemons, and Donovan Chapman, a former elite Special Operations Command Pararescue who served in the US Air Force for 11 years before pursuing American country music professionally, will also perform at the Rockin' With Spirit concert event, which will be only the second appearance in Asbury Park by The Marshall Tucker Band during the past 20 years.

Formed in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1971, The Marshall Tucker Band’s style combines rock, country and jazz. The group has issued 37 albums, four of them earning Platinum and five Gold sales status. Still led by founding member and lead singer Doug Gray, the group has continued to write, record and tour, and entertain fans from around the world.

“After being around for over 40 years, it is an honor and gives us great pleasure to support the Spirit of a Child Foundation and the families they help,” said Gray. “Giving back to these organizations is the least we can do for the people who have been our family and friends for all these years. Looking forward to seeing old friends and our new families there.”

“The Stone Pony was chosen to host the event in order to help bring business back to the local economy of the Sandy-savaged Jersey shore,” said Spirit of a Child Foundation President Sharon Wynn, a former resident of Wall.

“I have been watching the devastation in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. If this had been Myrtle Beach, Charleston or any of our coastlines we would be so sad to lose family, memories and property,” Gray wrote on Facebook three days after Superstorm Sandy struck last autumn, shortly before The Marshall Tucker Band’s semi-truck full of relief supplies headed north. “I have donated and will continue to work to help these people, many of which I know and love. They not only have supported the band forever but also support our beaches and South Carolina by visiting and having homes here.“

The Rockin’ With Spirit event will help fund the Spirit of a Child Foundation’s 2013 Parent-Child Project, a nature retreat for low-income families to participate in environmental education and activities that require family members to work together and build healthy communication skills on July 26-28 at NorthBay Adventure Camp in Elk Neck State Park, Maryland.

“The criterion for the participating families is that they are in a situation of financial hardship, such as a parent living with cancer, a family living in extreme poverty or a military family adversely affected by combat who may suffer from a physical or emotional injury, including post-traumatic stress disorder or a loss of a parent,” said Wynn.

Ten families will investigate and learn about the ecology of the Chesapeake Bay wetlands, which includes access to hiking trails within Elk Neck State Park. They will also experience the highest ropes course in Maryland, a newly-constructed low ropes course, 500-foot zip lines over the Chesapeake Bay, and an indoor and outdoor rock climbing wall. In addition, the Spirit of a Child Foundation will sponsor a country music concert during the weekend.

This year, the Spirit Of A Child Foundation has sought families in dire need of help because of Superstorm Sandy from Operation Homefront Tri-State, which serves New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut, and from UrbanPromise in Camden to attend the Parent-Child Project.

ABC’s 20/20 news magazine program with Diane Sawyer joined the Spirit of a Child Foundation in Colorado in 2007 to film footage for its special “Waiting on the World to Change,” which featured Camden as one of the country’s poorest and distressed cities.

More information on sponsorship packages, which include a pre-concert reception with The Marshall Tucker Band, is available at http://www.spiritofachild.org/rockinsponsor.htm. Tickets to the show can be purchased directly from the Spirit of a Child Foundation at www.spiritofachild.org.

# # #

Media contact:
Charley Bruns; Charles Anthony Communication, Long Branch NJ
charley@charlesanthonycomm.net, 609.529.7801

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The news announcement above was issued today to local media.

An artistic mission

She jumped inside the taxi
both relieved and tense.
Snow was falling in Long Branch
at the end of a long train ride,
and the station was bustling
with people walking,
cleaning off their cars,
or looking for their ride home.

"How long will it take to
get to Asbury Park?" she asked.
"Where?" the driver asked.
"717 Cookman Avenue,
the Parlor Gallery," she quickly answered.
"Hmm, maybe 20 minutes --
it's hard to know because of the snow,"
the driver answered.

Concerned, she looked at the
two other passengers and asked,
"Should I take a train?"

"Hmm, this is probably faster,"
one fellow passenger replied.
"The train makes a couple of
other stops before getting to
Asbury Park,
and then you have to walk."

The taxi moved slowly
out of the station.
She looked up and asked,
"Should I get my own cab?"
"That's probably not an option
at this point," the other passenger said.
"This isn't Broadway in New York."

"By the time we get there,
I'm going to have only ten minutes
to see the exhibit," she said.
"I was hoping to have more time,
but the train was delayed."

The fellow passenger encouraged her
to enjoy dinner at one of
Asbury Park's fine restaurants,
near the art gallery.
Her response after a silent pause
was simply to inquire whether
the Asbury Park train station had
an indoor seating area.


The taxi continued south
on Ocean Avenue,
preparing to drop off
the first person who,
before wishing his
fellow passengers well,
asked the woman:

"What artist could make someone want
to ride a train for almost two hours
just to see their work for ten minutes?"

"Jill Ricci."

No shore thing

During the first month after superstorm Sandy struck, much was said about about rebuilding the Jersey shore to be better than ever. Governor Christie, municipal officials and others across the region articulated how the beaches, boardwalks, attractions and businesses along the shore would be back for everyone to enjoy as always. A noble sentiment and the proper way to advance hope, certainly -- but no sure thing, realistically.

Can Seaside Heights ever be the same again? How about Point Pleasant and Keansburg? Or, Sea Bright? Long Beach Island? Can they really be rebuilt better than ever?

The mayor of Seaside Heights has mentioned the possibility of keeping the damaged roller coaster, the image of which will remain in many minds for years to come, partially submerged in the ocean as a tourist attraction. No matter how much money is invested in rebuilding boardwalk businesses to open in time for next summer, the crippled roller coaster is already being valued as a way to remember Seaside Heights' heyday -- as if its post-Sandy future may never top its past.

Could the same fate befall Point Pleasant, which in recent years has been challenged to retain its longstanding appeal to families? It's also difficult to imagine the mix of attractions in Keansburg retaining their appeal as an affordable family outing.

Its vulnerable position between the Atlantic Ocean and Navesink and Shrewsbury rivers cruelly exposed by Sandy at a time when global warming theorists are saying "we told you so," will most home and business owners in Sea Bright rebuild in a way to rekindle their best memories of years past?

Older Long Beach Island homeowners and some of their baby boomer children have been through this before. The Ash Wednesday storm of 1962 destroyed thousands of homes on the island, part of which was uninhabitable until that summer. The island rebounded, with some new homes built several feet off the ground for protection against future storms. Fifty years later, Sandy's winds and flooding brought a new round of destruction on Long Beach Island, and the cries to rebuild are being heard again.

Fortunately, some seaside towns were lucky to escape the worst effects of Sandy. Wildwood was unscathed, and all businesses in Long Branch's relatively new Pier Village, including its boardwalk restaurants, reopened within three weeks. Asbury Park will take more time to recover, but is expected to be back to normal well before next summer.

Today's children and the next generation will enjoy the replenished beaches, new boardwalks and contemporary attractions of a rebuilt Jersey shore. Some may appreciate stories about how things were before Sandy, but with each passing year find them less interesting.

People with a lifetime of wonderful Jersey shore memories will be grateful for all the efforts to rebuild the places they cherish. Like old family photographs destroyed by Sandy, however, it's no sure thing the Jersey shore they grew up with can ever be replaced.

What do you think?