Check out the new alt-culture rag here in Prescott, Arizona. A promising start, a fresh new approach and a sick, sick advice columnist. Pop Rocket: What the Hippest Person in the Room is Reading.
Click on the radio player below to listen in on this week's show, recorded in Studio A at The Raven Cafe and originally heard on KJZA 89.5 FM/90.1 FM.
We’re headed into May. Another crop of seniors prepares for graduation, and tourists, like turtles, are beginning to sun themselves on our lawn. At the Raven, we maintain a steady course, and plan another great week for you.
Monday: Pizza, Pitcher and a Picture night continues during our second week of Bike Month. This week’s movie, “American Flyers,” stars Kevin Costner. The absence of his Oscar nomination for this film is shameful when you see Kevin’s natural bike skills. 8pm
Tuesday: Ben is putting together a menu of his favorites. He’s never made anything that wasn’t one of my favorites, so I’m excited. Music will be performed by Paul Asaro, a ragtime style pianist, who is taking time from his tour with Leon Redbone to perform for us. 7pm
Wednesday: If you love burgers, Wednesday night is your night. Local band Shady Grass will be performing with Alaska’s own Matt Hopper . Matt is a returning favorite of ours, and a few special appearances are expected. 8pm
Thursday: From Minneapolis, The Chris Koza Band returns to the Raven. Chris’ performances are always exceptional, and his band is extraordinary. 8pm
Friday: Last time Fire Ridge Bluegrass played at the Raven I was out of town. I got so many e-mails, phone calls, and notes, that I’ve been working double time to get them back here. I definitely won’t miss this show. 8pm
Saturday: Tapas done Raven style. Music is TBA so I’ll let you know as soon as I get everything worked out.
Sunday: Don’t forget about brunch. Mimosa’s and pancakes sound like a good Sunday morning to me.
Your Album of the Week: Fred Neil was a legend of New York’s folk scene in the 1960’s. Bob Dylan cited him as a personal influence, and Bob’s got good taste. Check out his album “Bleecker and McDougal”.
A birthday is always a special thing for us at The Raven Café, but the birthday of the business itself is by far and away the most special.
Tuesday marks our second official year of being in business, and we couldn’t be where we are if it weren’t for you.
So, we are inviting everyone down for our birthday celebration. That’s right, believe it or not, the Raven Café is two years old, and we’ve got a full week of events planned.
Monday: Pizza, Pitcher and a Picture night celebrates the beginning of Bike Month with a Bike In Movie. Over the course of the month we will be showing BMX Bandits, American Flyers, Quicksilver, Breaking Away, and finishing the month out with Pee Wee’s Big Adventure. We are big supporters of alternative transportation and hopeyou will come out to support bicycling in Prescott and see a great film while you are at it. Tonite, its "Quicksilver." 8pm
Tuesday: It’s our birthday party. Ben and Miguel are planning a special menu that will include some of their favorites they have made over the past year and a few new things as well.
We will be running celebratory specials on Beer and Wine and… Debbie made us a birthday cake, which I’m not allowed to see until Tuesday, but then again, I have a problem with eating most of her desserts before they ever make it to the menu board, so it’s probably for the best. I hear there is a lot of Chocolate involved.
DJ Brian Angelo Scavone will be spinning from 4 til 8 and then The Moving Edge Ensemble will take the stage for an evening of great dance music. We can’t wait to see you there. All Day Long.
Wednesday: From Sedona…Kim DeLacy will be returning to our stage. She sent a bio over, so I’ll save you my interpretation and just paste in her thoughts. “ Kim experiments with many different styles, leaning towards folk rock, that are seamlessly blended to create a unique sound experience. Influenced by Ani DiFranco and many others.” 8pm
Thursday: From Portland, Oregon…Norfolk andWestern with John Weinland. Years ago I was turned on to Norfolk and Western as an accidental discovery. I’ve been working to get them here since I started doing booking and we are super excited to be hosting this show. Between tours as N and W each of the players actively tours as backing band members for M. Ward, Bright Eyes and The Decemberists. When able, they come together to create some of the most beautiful roots based Americana rock to come out of the Northwest. John Weinland is reminiscent of the Red House Painters mixed with the quieter side of Neil Young. Together these two bands will put on an amazing show. Not to be missed. 8pm
Friday: A few months ago I was in Tucson and heard an amazing band playing at a street festival. Proudly, we were able to work out a show to host them at The Raven. Tom Walbank and The Ambassadors are the best blues band I’ve yet to come across in Arizona, but blues doesn’t rightly explain their sound. They are a little Howe Gelb meets Django Reinhardt meets Son House with a whole lot of sound that could only come from the low desert. This show will be absolutely awesome. 8pm Saturday: Jackson-Jones Jazz Trio returns for an evening of the best local jazz in town. Who will be their special guests this time? Who knows, but they a realways amazing. 8pm
Sunday: After a long week like that you’ll be needing to have a leisurely brunch. Jonathan Best will be on the Old Upright.
Newt asked Moving Edge, the improvisational band with Tom Fleishner on drums, Jesse Pursley on Trombone, Conch, Didgereedoo and vocals and Me on keys, looper and vocals to play for The Raven Cafe's 2nd anniversary celebration this Tuesday from 8 to 11. We said yes. It also happens to be Earth day.
I just put up a couple of videos on youtube.com They were filmed at the Prescott Community Access Channel's Award Ceremony, January 19th at Yavapai College's Performance Hall. Check em out and feel free to add comments.
This beautiful Sunday morning, and every Sunday morning, I'll be playing piano at The Raven Cafe from 10 to 1. Their brunches just keep getting better.
May Day I'll be in New York at the Nagin's House Concert.
May 9th I'll be at the Granite Peak Folk Sessions at the Unitarian Church at 7 pm. I'll be sharing the bill with Guitarist Michael Young & Phoenix Songstress Jeordie.
May 16th I'll be playing with Matt Lavoire and Jesse Pursley at The Raven Cafe from 8 to 11 and from the sublime to the outacontrol.
By the way, We're putting together a latin band with 4 horns, 2 percussionists, 1 bass player and one piano player and we need a spanish singing singer. Know anyone?
And if you're thinking of taking piano lessons, now is a great time because I'm loving teaching more than ever.
If you didn't get to see "Night at Our Museum," the recent production at Sharlot Hall Museum by their unique in house historical theatre group, Blue Rose Theatre, here's your chance!
Click here and you will be taken to a radio drama production of the play done by the original cast in Studio A at The Raven Cafe building, Prescott, Arizona.
"Night at Our Museum" tell the story of the infamous James Reavis - the so-called “Baron of Arizona” - and swindler extrordinaire who attempted a landgrab for major portions of the Arizona Territory in the late 1800's.
This Show was originally aired on KJZA 89.5FM/90.1 FM and KYXS-LP AM1670.
It’s“International Beautiful Weather Week” unless of course you live in Greenland, in which case you are set for another 12 months of cold weather. Around here, it really couldn’t be much nicer and we couldn’t be more thankful. Therefore, we celebrate.
Monday: It’s Pizza, Pitcher and a Picture night with great prices on the best pizzas, pitchers of beer or water, and “Weird Science” starring Anthony Michael Hall and someone else. It’s about every young man’s fantasy and how those fantasies sometimes run amok…8pm
Tuesday: Ben and Miguel are planning a special“New York Deli” menu…Reuben, Cheese Steak, Eggplant Parm and a bunch of other goodies. Jonathon Best will be looping again…If you haven’t seen one of these performances…Well, you just haven’t lived yet. 7pm
Wednesday: It’s burger night and Verde Watershed Wednesday. Think education meets performance art, and it’s all for a good cause. 7pm
Thursday: Erin Weaver is an amazingly talented singer-songwriter who once resided here in Prescott. She is making her first return appearance in several years with her sister. They are songbirds in the purest sense of the word. 8pm
Friday: Legendary and bordering on Mythological…King Bee and The Snappin’ Turtles will return for a rare performance. Starring Ben Dickey of Blood Feathers, and Newt Lynn and Adam Schrader of Dance, Old Scarecrow. They will be joined by special guest Quinten Stoltzfus from Philadelphia. Quinten has worked with Mazarin, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah,The Walkmen, Apollo Sunshine, Black Stoltzfus and a host of others. This will be a big night of moving and shaking. 8pm
Saturday: A Raven favorite, Dustin Hamman returns from Portland, Oregon. He’s ten instruments in one, sounds like a Colorado summer afternoon, and is impossible to ignore. 8pm
Sunday: Every Sunday Morning we serve up the best Brunch in Town with a solid offering of favorites and an ever-rotating menu of specials. Jonathon Best will be playing the old upright starting at 10am.
Your Album of the Week: Terry Allen started out as a conceptual artist from Lubbock, Texas in the 1970’s. His first album, Juarez, was made as a soundtrack to an art instillation. Demand for copies of the album were so high that he immediately became an underground country cult phenomena. His second album, Lubbock (one very thing), is nothing short of a work of genius, and has been called by many songwriters, “The best country album of all time.” I don’t know if that’s true or not, but it’s definitely in the top 5.
Thanks to everyone who came out last week for Musee Mecanique. They said they had a great time, and are looking forward to coming back soon. We’ve got a full week ahead with something happening every night…
Monday: Pizza, Pitcher, and a Picture night continues with “Real Genius”…It’s sort of like Weird Science meets Spies Like Us starring Val Kilmer before anyone knew who he was. 8pm
Tuesday: Dinner on Tuesday is going to be a mystery…Ben and Miguel are planning something special, and guarantee you it will be excellent…it’s living on the edge, but we promise some risks are worth taking…especially when The Prescott Playboys will be here performing a dinner and dancing set…Music starts at 7pm
Wednesday: From San Francisco…Saul Kaye returns. 8pm
Thursday: Our first evening to host The Raven Café Jazz Jam Session. If you play or just love listening to great jazz, this is the night to come down and get involved. Starts at 7pm.
Friday: Jackson-Jones Jazz Trio with Steve Annibale…8pm
Saturday: From Utah…David Williams is a great songwriter in the vein of Band of Annuals. He is making a return with Phoenix favorites, The Via Maris…8pm
Sunday: Brunch with Jonathon Best on the old upright.
Your Album of the Week: Jimmy Lee Williams "Hoot Your Belly"...It's rough, it's blues, and you need to hear it.
Check out the new alt-culture rag here in Prescott, Arizona. A promising start, a fresh new approach and a sick, sick advice columnist. Pop Rocket: What the Hippest Person in the Room is Reading.
