Rock and soul keeps me up too late...

I have been too excited to sleep tonight because the new incarnation of the band is very satisfying. We mostly worked on vocals tonight - and figured out a few forms - for the August 17th gig.  And when you put the new/old line up of the band in concert with our guests...! It will be in-freakin-credible. The three women's voices are so close in sound quality and at the same time have a distinctive timbre, too. In this they are the New England equivalent of the Wailin' Jennys - and we'll be closing the first "wooden music" set with "One Voice." But that's not all during the first set: we'll do a little Indigo Girls to kick it off, add some Pete Seeger sing-a-long songs (after all this IS a fund raiser for the Berkshire Environmental Action Team), tip our hat in honor of the 45th anniversary of Woodstock with CS&Y's "Helplessly Hoping" followed by Eva Cassidy's take on Joni Mitchell's anthem "Woodstock" and fill things out with some Herbie Hancock, Paul Simon and a soulful acoustic take on Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man" by our guest and friend, Rebecca Leigh.  I even think there will be a little bit of Mose Allison along with some tunes from our other guests Linda Worster and Weez McCarty, too. (They are both local singer/songwriter performing artists in the Berkshires)
The way I figure it, the first "wooden music set" will take about 60 minutes. There will be a little break, a pitch to raise funds for BEAT and then back for another set of "electric rock and soul." Now I was blown away tonight when I found out that in addition to the others songs, we're going to close the show out with Rebecca's take on Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart." That has been one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE songs and it fits the groove just right. 
Other songs in the electric set include originals by Linda Worster, "Jesus Just Left Chicago" by ZZ Top, "Born on the Bayou" by Creedence, "Feelin' Alright" by Joe Cocker, "Long Train Running" by the Doobie Brothers, a little "Blue Monk" by one of our young players, Ethan Wesley" and another killer 60s essential:  Les McCann's "Compared to What." One of the REAL joys of this show is that in addition to my friends and musical colleagues Andy Kelly and Jon Haddad, one of the regions true master's of the woodwinds, Charlie Tokarz, will be in the house. And Mr. Tokarz transforms everything he touches. He is musical gold - and it is privilege that he'll make this benefit on a Sunday afternoon.
This show will be a total gas.  Here's the church band line up:  Dianne De Mott, Elizabeth McCarty, Eva Perri and Jon Grenoble on vocals, Brian Staubach on vocals, guitar and congas, Dave McDermott on guitars and vocals, the MAESTRO himself - Cartlon Maaia II - on keyboards and vocals, and myself on upright and electric bass and acoustic guitar and vocals. If you love music and care for the environment - if you are curious just how GOOD a church band can really sound - and if you want to see how rock and soul works in a sweet old neo-gothic cathedral-like sanctuary: come on down to First Church on Park Square (27 East Street, Pittsfield, MA) on Sunday, August 17th at 3 pm.