 | Writer, speaker, encourager Wendy Vickers has been an active supporter of local musicians in the Twin Cities music community and elsewhere for several years. Her online newsletters, podcast and other media and music-related features can be found on her website at www.wendyv.com .
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I guess you could call me a road warrior. Some wouldn't think so, being that I own a 1996 Geo Metro with 15,000 miles on it. When it comes to hitting the road, trains, planes and buses are my preferred mode of travel. I've been to about 15 states over the last 20 years or so. Much of that travel has been for the love of music…I've gone coast to coast and in between for concerts, and hooking up with friends to, you guessed it…go to concerts. Some people have criticized me for flying halfway across the country just to go to a concert. But what do they know.
No doubt about it, the road has inspired a lot of great music, and road stories. The performers shared much of both in this year's Saturday night version of Cabaret, "The Road Show: Songs For Wayward Lovers", making this production yet another big winner.
The Dan Chouinard and Julie Madden routine this year? Well, Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz once made a movie called "The Long, Long Trailer". Here we find Lucy (Julie, complete with authentic Lucy wail) and Desi (Dan) booked in what they thought was a church, but "no—it's a gym with a disco ball!" The cast opened with "I've Been Everywhere" and Jerry Rau with a credible Willie Nelson rendition of "On the Road Again".
Among the great driving and car songs heard were:
- Old 55 – the Tom Waits sons made popular by the Eagles, given a great rendition by Pat Frederick
- Cadillac Ranch – Peter Mayer rocking out on the Springsteen tune
Trains were also popular with the performers:
- The crowd pleasing Cyril Paul conga line hopped on the "Last Train to San Fernando"
- Michael Monroe did a very tasteful version of "Peace Train."
A fan's road story, part 1:
In 1984 I made my first big trip away from home, on a train from New Haven, CT to Niles, MI to meet others like myself who planned to converge on a small 4H fair because a famous rock star was showing his horses there. On my way home from this adventure, I waited on a train platform in South Bend, IN one rainy night during thunder and lightning along with a gentleman with three young sons. At one point, he turned to me and asked, "How would you like to help raise these three?" or something like that. Wonder what would have happened if I'd said yes?
Some of the famous travel locations came up over the evening:
- Billy McLaughlin sent us on a journey along the Santa Monica Freeway
- Gary Rue paid tribute to the late, great Gene Pitney with "24 Hours From Tulsa", horn section and all provided by Jim TenBensel and Joe Chouinard
- Paul Peterson reprised his "Mambo Italiano" performance of earlier this year with a classy version of "I Left My Heart in San Francisco"
- Dennis Spears took us down Route 66 (and 62, 63, 494, Hennepin…)
- Bobby Schnitzer took the jazzy way to the Hotel California
- Gwen Matthews(right) brought us along the "Freeway of Love", and brought the house down.
- Jim TenBensel, with some memories of Louis Armstrong, showed us what it means to miss New Orleans
A fan's road story, part 2:
Also back in the 80s, a friend and I took a Greyhound bus from New Haven to Providence for a concert. Halfway from home, my friend realized she forgot to pack some critically important eye medication. When we got to town, she made frantic phone calls to try to find a pharmacy that would fill her prescription in Providence. We found one and called a cab, taking a wild ride around a city where we had no idea where we were at or where we were going. Fortunately for us, we had a great cabbie that turned off the meter while we were in the drugstore, and we made it to the concert.
Some artists showed us how to travel by water:
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Jerry Rau(right) did a lovely acoustic version of "Moon River"
- Lee Vague took Johnny Cash's "Big River"
- Sima Shumilovsky made Cabaret her birthday party and gave us a tale of finding love on the sea
Every year, the question is asked: what will Rachael Kroog do? This year, the "character" wasn't so much Rachael herself, but her little old puppet friend Frederick. Rachael chose to take us down "Blue Bayou", but Frederick had other ideas…a lament about tracking down his toupee which, ahem, blue by you….have you seen it?
For many, it wasn't about how you got there…it was about the journey itself.
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Robert Robinson knew where he was going and how he was getting there as he declared "I'll Fly Away"
- Ann Reed offered up an ode to certain driving habits, like eating while driving, with "Meals On Wheels"
- Deb Harley gave us a rare rocking performance with "The Road's My Middle Name"
- Fred and Anna Mae Vagle hitched a ride with "Me And Bobby McGee".
- The barbershop quartet Company of Four (featuring John Chouinard, dad to Dan and Joe) posed the question "How Can I Miss You If You Won't Go Away?"
- Carin Vagle made a lovely "Wayfaring Stranger", making a stop in India with "Chaliya".
- Maria Jette proved there was no difference between good love and good travel with "Love and
Travel," poem by Howard Kaplan, music by Russell Platt and "Evangeline Passes", by Herbert Bedford
- Faithful folkie Steve Kremer gave us "July, You're A Woman"
- On his third gig of the evening and "having more fun that I can stand", Peter Ostroushko charmed hearts with "Girl From the North Country".
- Prudence Johnson led us down Pat Donohue's "Road To Kingdom Come"
- We went wandering with Mark Stillman's accordion and sat on the "Dock of the Bay" with T. Mychael Rambo(right), fresh from "Ain't Misbehaving"
- Larry Long shared the "Monarch Butterfly" with us (starring Cyril Paul as the butterfly), written with some children out at Lake Nokomis
- How many of us remember impressing those first dates? Michael Hennessy once again engaged the audience with a charming mime performance.
When it's all said and done, eventually it's time to come home. The Frantzich Brothers(right) led the way with "Homeward Bound". The cast wished us a "Sentimental Journey" and "Happy Trails" and closed as they opened, reminding us where they've been.
A fan's road story, part 3:
I traveled to Minnesota 17 years ago from Connecticut and stayed, because of the music. The journey exceeded my wildest expectations, thanks to the music and the music makers. I've learned though, that the world is much smaller that it seems, because of the common bond of music, and now technology. So as the journey continues, to here, to Nashville, or wherever I travel…hope you'll come with.
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| Ric Rosow has worn many hats at St. Joan of Arc. He is currently chair of the parish Finance Committee. He has also spoken several times at Sunday Mass and was on the Fellowship of Reconciliation trip to the Middle East in 2003. His wife, Vicki Underland-Rosow, is currently a member of the Pastoral Council.
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