In My Life

There are many siblings and children of successful actors and musicians that have attempted to show that they are as talented as their famous parents, brothers and/or sisters. Sadly, most of the “second generation” never seems to fare as well as they would like.

For example, Roslyn Kind is the younger half sister of Barbra Streisand. While Ms. Kind is incredibly talented, she has never achieved the super stardom of Ms. Streisand. I have albums by Chris Jagger, brother of Mick; Simon Townshend, brother of Pete; Mike McGear, brother of Paul Mc Cartney and their talent in undeniable, and yet their fame falls short of their sibling. Dave Davies, brother of Ray who co-founded the Kinks with his infamous brother has never achieved the level of stardom as Ray.

As far as children of celebrities are concerned, Julian Lennon has had success, but his half brother Sean Lennon has struggled for success in the music business and neither can hope to match their father’s fame. Sons of Paul Simon, James Taylor and George Harrison are very talented, but each of their fathers cast a long shadow.

Back in the late 60’s, a guy named Arlo Guthrie burst on the scene with an album titled “Alice’s Restaurant.” The entire Side 1 of the album tells the story of the “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree” in which Arlo and his buddies enjoy a Thanksgiving meal with their friends at Alice’s. Afterward, they decide to go to the town dump to get rid of the garbage from that meal only to find that the site is closed due to the holiday. They decide to take matters into their own hands and get rid of the trash somewhere else. The next day, the local police arrest Arlo for illegally dumping trash and the story continues with his experiences in jail, the court, the military draft, etc. It all adds up to a most entertaining side 1 of an album. There was even a movie made commemorating the event.

Arlo is the son of folk legend, Woody Guthrie. Talk about casting a huge shadow. And although I have a couple Arlo albums and always enjoyed his music. I also have two albums of Arlo and Pete Seeger in my collection, as well. I had never seen Arlo perform in concert. So, my wife and I recently went to see him in a performance commemorating the 50 year anniversary of the Alice’s Restaurant Massacree at Strathmore Concert Hall in North Bethesda, Maryland.

The opening act was his daughter, Sarah who sang songs and told stories of her upbringing by her famous father and her famous grandfathers’’ friends who frequented the Guthrie residence. She was most enjoyable and set the mood for an evening that felt more like a visit to the Guthrie’s home than sitting in a concert hall.

Next came Arlo and among the members of his band on keyboards was his son, Abe. Truly, a family affair! Much like his daughter, Arlo mixes in stories and songs for a most enjoyable evening. After a brief intermission, Arlo returns and sings and tells the entire story of the “Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.” Although his dark has turned white, he still has that same voice that was and still is most entertaining.

Here is the current tour schedule. A most enjoyable evening.

02-27-2016 Biloxi, MS IP Casino

04-01-2016 Mesa, AZ The Mesa Performing Arts Center

04-07-2016 Santa Barbara, CA The Lobero Theatre

04-09-2016 Palo Alto, CA The Bing Concert Hall

04-10-2016 Chico, CA Laxon Auditorium

04-14-2016 Portland, OR Revolution Hall

04-15-2016 Olympia, WA Washington Center for the Performing Arts

04-16-2016 Seattle, WA The Moore Theatre

04-21-2016 Vancouver, BC, Canada The Chan Centre for the Performing Arts

04-23-2016 Spokane, WA The Bing

05-01-2016 New Orleans, LA New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival

05-04-2016 Annapolis, MD St. John’s College

05-06-2016 Albany, NY The Egg

05-07-2016 Newton, NJ Newton Theater

05-08-2016 Ridgefield, CT The Ridgefield Playhouse

05-10-2016 Port Washington, NY Landmark on Main Street

05-11-2016 South Orange, NJ SOPAC

07-02-2016 Canso, NS, Canada The Stan Rogers Folk Festival

07-29-2016 Plymouth, NH The Flying Monkey

07-30-2016 Rockport, MA The Shalin Liu Center