In the Headlines...
Writers In The Raw -
Songwriters Sharing Their Music And Stories On The Jersey Shore
By Sharon Chapman
One of the most innovative additions to the music scene in the Northeast over the past year has been the Writers in the Raw concert series. The format of Writers in the Raw is simple -- four or five musicians take the stage, accompanied only by an acoustic instrument such as a piano or guitar, and they take turns playing their songs and telling stories about their music. With the camaraderie that develops when talented musicians get together, the other artists generally jam along and sing background vocals during these songs.
Writers in the Raw is the brainchild of musician and songwriter Gordon Brown and his partner, Barry Dorsey. Dorsey has experience in the intricacies of staging live shows, having worked at noted venues such as New York City's The Bottom Line and Harry's Roadhouse on the Jersey Shore. As Brown explains, "I used to go to writers' cafes in Nashville, and I would think, 'My God, we have such a great musical community in New Jersey, we should do something like that.' My partner Barry felt the same way -- it's magical when you get writers in the round in front of an audience. It leaves them with something that they don't soon forget. We wanted to make something like that happen here, where we come from."
Writers in the Raw had its Jersey Shore debut on December 10, 2003, at Harry's Roadhouse in Asbury Park, and there have been Writers in the Raw shows virtually every month since then. The most recent Writers in the Raw show took place on November 19, 2004, at the Starland Ballroom in Sayerville, New Jersey, and it was a unique and memorable music experience.
Audience members received a Rawbill when they
entered the door. Like Broadway's Playbill, the Rawbill provided
biographical information about the artists who performed that evening.
The Rawbill is a feature of all Writers in the Raw shows, and it helps
educate the audience so that they can more thoroughly appreciate the
music that awaits them.
As an appetizer, there was a half hour pre-show featuring Paul Rosevear from Readymade Breakup on the keyboard and TunedInMusic.com's November Artist Spotlight subject Val Emmich on guitar. The duo rocked the house, discussed their songs and provided an introductory version of the Writers in the Raw format.
For the main event, the featured artists took the stage -- David Mead; The Bacon Brothers (actor Kevin Bacon and his brother, Michael, who have been performing together musically since 1995); Patty Scialfa (better known to many as a member of the E Street Band, and also known as Mrs. Bruce Springsteen), who was accompanied by legendary guitarist and producer Danny Kortchmar; and newcomer Ari Hest. Michael Bacon took the part of emcee for the evening, introducing each artist and prompting them to talk about the songs they were preparing to play.
For the first round, each artist played an original composition. The second round was also comprised of original songs, but by that time the artists had begun to loosen up and were tentatively backing up their fellow performers.
In the third round, each artist tackled a cover song. Everyone responded positively to the familiar songs, and the performers were less timid about harmonizing behind the lead vocals. This was also the part of the show that Mead later described as, "the most surreal experience of [his] entire life" -- when it was time for the Bacon Brothers to perform, somebody from the crowd shouted out "Footloose" (for those of you who missed out on the '80s, Kevin Bacon starred in the 1984 film "Footloose," and the movie's title song, sung by Kenny Loggins, was a huge hit in its own right). Kevin Bacon basically said,
"Why not?" and he and his brother performed the song with everyone else backing them up. That was truly a moment of bonding both among the artists and between the artists and the audience -- everyone was laughing along with the irony of the situation while at the same time thoroughly enjoying the music.
For the fourth and final round, the artists went back to playing original compositions. Afterwards, the performers left the stage, but came back to play the Rolling Stones song, "The Last Time" as an encore.
After the show there was a post-Writers in the Raw concert by the Bacon Brothers. Although separate tickets were sold for the later show, the Writers in the Raw audience was invited to stick around for the performance.
This show marked the first time that Writers in
the Raw took place at the Starland Ballroom, and Brown was very pleased
with the first show in the larger venue. "The interaction between the
artists was unbelievable. This was the first encore where the artists
planned something, and the song choice was a perfect nightcap."
As for the artists, Brown had special praise for Kevin Bacon -- "He may be our most prolific actor in the last 40 years, and yet he's so humble. He's just a talented guy all around." Brown also noted breaking artist Ari Hest -- "I know that 500 people who had never heard of him before walked out of the show impressed. This is the main focus of Writers in the Raw -- to turn people on to new artists, and to turn veteran artists on to new artists. Things like this are what make us smile." For his part, Hest said, "It was an honor to be able to sing with these musicians. A real honor."
In the future, Brown is planning big things for Writers in the Raw. The shows are taped, and the producers are pitching it as a television series. "Think of 'Unplugged' and CMT's 'Crossroads' and 'Sessions on 57th Street.' It'll be a combination of throwing those things together on the Jersey Shore." In addition, Brown's "ultimate goal" is for Writers in the Raw to be a touring show, so that the camaraderie of bringing artists together can be enhanced by the regional influences of different localities.
In the meantime, as it concludes its first year, Writers in the Raw is an exciting series that gives performers and audiences alike a unique and memorable musical experience. For information about upcoming shows, be sure to check out http://www.writersintheraw.com/.
All photos by John Cavanaugh