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I was halfway through my first two-hour interview with the guitarist, producer, songwriter, journalist, and author Lenny Kaye, about as educated and enthusiastic a student and participant of the New York City music scene as anyone could ask to meet. Ostensibly, we had reached the point in our conversation where we were talking about the New York Dolls and why, despite their considerable influence over both the short and the long term, they had imploded so quickly, barely making it through two albums.

“New York is a city that’s not going to tell you no,” said Kaye, which I thought to be perhaps the most perceptive—and oddly poetic—single sentence I heard during thousands of hours spent discussing my subject matter over a five-year period. “It’s only you who can tell you when you have to go home and go to bed. So unless you have a great sense of personal responsibility, you can get lost here.” He was only partly alluding to the various problems that brought the New York Dolls to their knees, which is why he went on, “It’s not just the usual sex and drugs, etc. You can be so swamped by the amount of cultural material. Where does your art end? How do you define this? Are you going off on some wacky side road? All of these things come into play.”
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Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band at Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC), New York, August 25

1) The Boss will be sixty years old next month. At SPAC, he performed 2 hours and 45 minutes (a solid 20 minutes longer than last time I saw him), without – as ever – leaving the stage for as much as a toilet break. I call this leading by example.

2) Lawn tickets were $41 (before surcharges). With 26 songs in the set, that worked out at just $1.50 per song, or, at 165 minutes, 40 cents a minute. There are a lot of rip-offs in the world of entertainment, but Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in concert is certainly not one of them.

3) Empty sky. Coming towards the end of a horrendously wet summer, we were graced with a beautiful, cool, clear evening. Watching the Big Dipper emerge from the sky over the course of the concert made up somewhat fo our distance from the stage. (The lawn seats were general admission; given that we had a 100-mile drive each way, we wrote off the idea of getting there early enough to claim a good vantage point. I figured, this one time, I’d just go with flow. The playa provides and all that.)

This clip from the XCel Center in St. Paul, this past May, shows the “stump the band” request slot. It also features Jay Weinberg on drums.

4) Like any good Union man, Bruce employs from within. Max Weinberg’s seat at this show, as with several others on the current tour, was taken by his 19-year old son, Jay Weinberg, whose “dynamic tension,” good looks, and aggressive fills were more reminiscent of a certain Keith Moon than of his old man. “You’re not meant to be able to do that at 19,” said the Boss of the New Kid after an especially rousing “Rosalita,” a song originally released fifteen years before the drummer was born. Well, actually, you are meant to be able to do that at 19 – it’s doing it at 59 that’s so much harder. And with all due respect to Max (who is fulfilling his commitments to the Conan O’Brien show), the E Street Band was all the better at SPAC for Jay’s youthful presence.

5) The career-ranging set. This summer tour appears less a promotional opportunity for Working On A Dream – arguably the weakest E Street Band album of all time – than an opportunity to celebrate one of rock’n'roll’s deepest repertoires. Accordingly, and unlike any other act of similar longevity I have seen, tonight’s set drew at least one song each from every album Bruce has recorded with the E Street Band, with the lone exception of the often overlooked Tunnel of Love. (The set also drew from Nebraska and the Seeger Sessions.) The absence of 1990s material may have made for a chronological leap, but the E. Street Band’s involvement with almost all the original recordings ensured, musically at least, ties that bind.

6) The random factor. The original set-list for SPAC – as published on Bruce’s web site the following day, and shown below – bears little resemblance to the songs that were actually performed; Bruce keeps band and audience alike on their toes in a manner that only Bob Dylan, of his peers, can rival. The question marks around songs 12 and 13 refer to the “Stump the Band” interlude. As the group jammed behind him, Bruce leaned down to gather up some of the front rows’ many hand-drawn requests and lay them out on the stage to ponder. (That action, of course, drawn out and exaggerated as per Bruce’s inherent showmanship.) He ultimately opted for a furiously-paced cover of “Summertime Blues,” a more convincingly rendered “Two Hearts,” the inexcusably awful “Surprise Surprise” from the new album (hey, it was somebody’s birthday), and – making the most of a home-made Wheel of Fortune which allowed for “Bruce’s Choice” – a welcome rendition of his co-authored Patti Smith hit single “Because The Night.” Compare this set list, if you like, to the one from two nights earlier; they’re about 50% different. No wonder people are obsessed about seeing multiple Bruce Springsteen shows.

7) The cock-ups. I’m not used to seeing the E Street Band make mistakes. But they managed to lose track of two songs in a row – “Rosalita,” very briefly, appeared to drop the beat, and the subsequent “Girls In Their Summer Clothes,” as beautiful a pop song as Bruce has recorded in the last decade, started as if in several different time signatures at once, necessitating a more urgently-shouted second count-in by the Boss. Were wages deducted? I doubt it. To be honest, the Boss’s voice is no longer what it was, either. Time takes its toll on the singers more rapidly than it does the fingers.

8) Dancing In The Dark. Twenty-five years after its mid-1980s ubiquity, Bruce still brings people up on stage to dance with him – and while there were no shortage of pretty young(ish) women in the front rows, and while a couple of them did get their moment in the limelight, all credit to the Boss for also pulling out a woman much his own age for the slow dance. The lady in question made the absolute most of it, stealing several snogs during their brief on-stage dalliance. And if there was something a little off-putting about watching old people kissing in public, the audience appeared to recognize, in a moment of collective consciousness, the emotional integrity of this moment – that this woman had probably dreamed of such a moment for 35 years or more, and that we can’t all age as gracefully as the Boss himself. Indeed, the roar of approval was just as loud as it had been, earlier in the evening, when Bruce pulled a twelve-year old boy out of the crowd, who promptly took a chorus of “Waiting on a Sunny Day” with the complete lack of self-consciousness we all had when we were that young. Call me overly sentimental, but at a point that we can no longer pretend that rock’n'roll is a form of teenage rebellion, there’s a huge satisfaction at seeing it shared through the generations.

9) Specific highlights: a ramped-up “Johnny 99,” Nils’ Lofgren’s guitar solo on “Because The Night,” the interaction between Charles Giordano’s organ and Roy Bittan’s piano on “Racing In The Streets” (all the more poignant for the absence of long-term organist Danny Federici, who succumbed to melanoma last year), and the celebratory rendition of “American Land,” which holds special meaning for this particular immigrant. (You can read why, here.)

10) The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Regular Bruce fans know that the Boss invites local food banks and other worthy regional charities to collect donations at his concerts. They may not be aware that Bruce matches those donations dollar for dollar. I certainly wasn’t, perhaps because I haven’t always been a good boy and sought out the rattling bucket. But doing so on this occasion – I figured I could donate some of the beer money I might have spent if not driving 200 miles – I was happy to hear as much from the volunteer for tonight’s food charity, The Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York. Obviously, we all know Bruce can afford to match our funds, just as he could afford to perform for free, for the rest of his life, if the mood so took him. And he’s not beyond making major credible/commercial mistakes, such as the Wal-Mart exclusive Greatest Hits last year. I don’t seek to deify the man. I just know that, 34 years after buying Born To Run, 24 years after seeing him in concert for the first time, I still get a kick out of watching Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band that only one other performer of his age (or older) can match. Early in the show, introducing a song from his first album, released back in 1973, Bruce went into his preacher persona and demanded to know, “Can you feel the spirit?” Two hours later, the answer was evident.

This past weekend (Aug 21-23) I had the pleasure of attending three different local events (out of the dozens on offer), each of which exemplified the depth of talent in our community, as well as the spirit of volunteerism, that makes our part of the Catskills a special place to call home.

Friday saw the opening night of the Shandaken Theatrical Society’s new Play Fair festival. Featuring six short plays by six local playwrights, drawing on the considerable acting skills of local residents, directors and producers, Play Fair had my teenage son and myself laughing hysterically throughout. It seems a little unfair to single any play out, as they were all marvelous, but Tom Cherwin’s “Psychotherapy” was above and beyond, easily good enough for the national stage. Play Fair runs until August 30; tickets are $12 and lower for two hours, a bargain compared to the average movie (especially allowing for the Theater’s $1 home-made snacks). Attending an event at the STS, on Church Street in Phoenicia, is not only good value, but it’s interactive and supports the arts in the community.

The scene in Phoenicia Park Saturday evening for the Opera In The Park. Fortunately, the organizers had the good sense to erect tents for the inevitable rain.

On Saturday, the Phoenicia Park saw a possibly unprecedented event: a gather of world-class (but locally based) singers and instrumentalists performing, under a tent, to a crowd of around 300 people, as what many of us hope will prove only to be the first Opera In The Park. This fund-raiser, for the purpose of replacing the antiquated playground equipment in the Park itself, was a success on so many levels, including the fact that it brought opera to the (relative) masses; that it was humorous as well as being classy; that it sought to incorporate show tunes and piano pieces; that local restaurants supplied freshly-made food at family-friendly prices… and that the thunderstorms stayed away until the concert was over. Credit is due to the community members who not only envisioned this idea but then had the sheer audacity (and wherewithal) to see it through. Hopefully, we will soon see the results in the playground itself.

Locally based, internationally renowned (and all round good people) opera singers Louie Otey and Kerry Henderson (at back), Maria Todaro (front left) and pianist for the evening Jennifer Peterson. Two local choruses – one long established, one that came together especially for the event – also participated in the performance, as did pianist Justin Kolb.

We were not quite as lucky with the rain on Sunday at Kidstock on Belleayre Mountain (an event that also served as a fund-raiser for local animal charity Friends of Snuffy): a massive storm in mid-afternoon curtailed some of the outdoor activities. But the rain couldn’t dampen the crowd’s spirits. The hundreds of kids (and their parents, of course), merely focused their attentions from the Musical Woodland Journey, and the Rock’n'roll Fashion Show, and other outdoor events and stalls, and headed indoors to hear local musicians like Uncle Rock, and the School of Rock All-Stars, and participate in the Kids’ Pet Poetry Reading and Air-Guitar contest, with one fortunate kid winning a genuine electric guitar. A spirit of child-like wonder rained – sorry, reigned – throughout the day.

John Lennon in his Sgt. Pepper period could be found entertaining local kids as part of the Musical Woodland Journey.

Janis Joplin and John Lennon in a rare moment backstage at Kidstock

These were only some of the weekend’s myriad activities. There was modern opera at Mount Tremper Arts, a live show by Uncle Monk on Main Street in Phoenicia, the ongoing exhibitions at Arts Upstairs and Cabane Studios, not to mention the dozens of others shows, concerts, movies, gallery openings, and various performances taking place all the way up and down what we sometime call “the Route 28 corridor” but which we can also consider, more poetically, the Heart of the Catskills. We are, truly, blessed to live in such a thriving area.

The teenagers from Paul Green’s School of Rock (the influence for the Jack Black film of that name) closed out Kidstock with their tribute to the music of the original Woodstock Festival. (Complete with The Who’s “Sparks.”) Gene Simmons from Mini Kiss joined them. It was that kind of day. More pictures from Kidstock can be found at the Belleayre Music Festival’s web site.

CASTELLO DI AMA TOSCANA ROSÉ 2008
My thanks to Andy Shernoff at Le Du’s Wines in Manhattan for recommending this all Sangiovese rosé, right at the point I was giving up on them for the year. A vibrant salmon pink, it offered up a bright cherry nose, accompanied by what I might have considered a Provencal-style herbal smell of but for the fact that it hails from a whole country away. Maybe those classic European holiday destinations all have a similarly summery aroma in their roses? Very soft and enticing up front, with juicy acidity and a well-rounded body, it had lovely orange rind thing going on in the middle of the palate, with hints of nuts, and a light but long finish. Priced around $15, mildly high for a rosé, but in this case absolutely worth the extra couple of bucks for fullness of flavor and ease of drinking.
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JACOB’S CREEK SPARKLING ROSE, NV, AUSTRALIA
The power of corporate wine-making allows Jacob’s Creek to make this méthode champenoise from an 80-20 blend of Australian chardonnay and pinot noir, ship it across the world, sell it for barely $10 and still offer something that, while notably short on finesse, is the very definition of a wine bargain. With copious strawberry/raspberry notes (as opposed to the apple or cherry you might expect from the relevant grapes), this was a little headier than its 11% alcohol might suggest, but at a time where champagnes are looking (once more) like luxury items out of mere mortals’ price range, it’s impossible to argue with the price point.
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ALAIN RENARDAT-FACHE, BUGEY CERDON ROSÉ DEMI-SEC
…Then again, if it’s character you’re looking for, and you’re willing to spend just a few dollars more, you’d be well advised to hunt down this “Méthode Ancestrale” sparkling wine from the Bugey area of eastern France, alongside the Alps. A bottle showed up at the after-party for our recent Opera in the (Phoenicia) Park community concert and I jumped right on it. Produced from a minimum of 50% Gamay and the little-known, early-budding, pale-skinned Poulsard, the wine is fermented in chilled vats, when the alcohol is only 5-6%. It is then bottled, along with its active yeast and unfermented sugars, which leads to “spontaneous fermentation” (a.k.a the “méthode ancestrale”) in the bottle. (Méthode champenoise, by comparison, completes its initial fermentation before it is bottled, and then goes through a secondary fermentation while in the bottle.) By this process, the wine gains not only another couple of degrees alcohol, but also its bubbles. But the fermentation never fully completes, which is why it is demi-sec (i.e. semi-sweet). The end result, in this case, was a wine so fizzy you’d have marked it as a soft drink, a dark pink beyond the scope of most rosés, with aromas of sweet candy apples and fruit cakes, and a rustically sweet raspberry palate that, while unrefined by the standard of most sparkling wines, absolutely oozed authenticity. It was also ludicrously (and deceptively) low in alcohol, a mere 7.5%, partly due to the fact that it does not have additional sugar added as per most other méthodes. I thought it a tragedy that all the other guests in the park chose Barefoot’s anonymous fake American champagne over this example of ancestrale French wine-making – but then, as you may have surmised, it meant all the more for me.
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MACARI SETTE, LONG ISLAND, NORTH FORK, NV
I never got round to writing up the Long Island reds I sampled at the industry tasting in Manhattan back on my birthday: sorry dudes, but I was more into the whites that day anyway. I was glad to get my teeth back around this one, anyway. A non-vintage blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, the “Sette” again reveals Macari’s excellence. Surprisingly dark, almost black in fact, it has a very very dark berry nose, plenty chocolate in there amongst the berries, and yet a perfectly soft and friendly palate. Drinking this on quite a hot night, I found myself tasting more of the Cab Franc peppery vegetal tobacco elements when the wine warmed up; when I cooled it back down again, I tasted more of the friendly plumminess of the Merlot. This is the kind of unpretentious blend that New York can excel in, from Long Island up to the Finger Lakes – and in which Macari clearly does so, already. Worth every penny of its $16.
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VINA ROBLES WHITE 4, 2008, PASO ROBLES, CALIFORNIA
This classically Californian – as in, absurdly idiosyncratic – blend of white grapes had my name all over it. Why would I NOT try a mix of Verdelho (a Portugese grapes increasing found in Australia) and Italy’s Vermentino, mixed in with France’s classics Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier, all of them raised in one of my favorite American appellations – especially for a friendly price like $14? What surprised me about this wine was the extent to which the Viognier – which accounted for all of 11% of the wine – appeared to dominate in aroma, taste and flavor. I say “appeared” as I might have been experiencing the Verdelho, which I have limited experience of, doing its thing. According to Oz Clarke’s Encyclopaedia of Grapes, Australian Verdelho has “intense flavours of lime cordial and honeysuckle, tending to oiliness at the the riper end.” Certainly, I caught lemon-and-lime citrus notes in the aroma, and bucket loads of acidity; after that, however, it was all apricots and peaches, perfume and cream. An attractive and enticing wine, not as overly powering as some Californian whites can be, though ultimately, not as unique as I hoped.

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J. M. BOILLOT, 1er CRU “Mei Cadot” RULLY, BURGUNDY, FRANCE, 2005
And just in case you think I’m no longer having any “hallelujah” moments, let it be known that this white Burgundy from Rully in the Côte Challonaise, made (from pure Chardonnay of course) in a particular stellar year, served to remind how much more profound an experience a great white wine offers for the palate than an average wine. Indeed, when you taste something like this, you stop, pause, look at the bottle, note it down, and wonder whether you dare look up its price when you get home. Jean-Marc Boillot, who also produces wine from Pommard and Volnay, began working for his father, Henri, went to the esteemed Olivier Leflaive for several years, and set up on his in the late 1980s; his credentials are evident. And while Rully is not one of the more esteemed areas of Burgundy, in a solid year like 2005 that means it’s only that much more likely to offer great value; this wine, from the 1er Cru Mei Cadot vineyard, was full of ripe apple and melon flavors, lively acidity, and a ripe, rich, mouth-filling succulence that was all about fruit and texture, not oak. The finish went on for ages; it was a simply gorgeous experience. The British can find this Rully for about £16 a bottle, the Americans for about $30, and while that might be beyond one’s everyday table wine range, it’s infinitely preferable to over-oaked California Chardonnays in a similar price bracket. Or put it this way: here’s your opportunity to fall in love with Chardonnay all over again.

Killian Mansfield July 9, 1993 – August 20, 2009