Playing to the Crowd

My Granddad - a comedy writer in the Golden Age of Radio - always said: "Know your audience."

Richard Horner played to the crowd when he chose Chuck McCabe's song, "I'd Rather be in Redding" for the Redding Senior Idol Contest. He took second place in the contest, on stage at the Cascade Theatre in front of a sell-out crowd.

We heard him sing this at the Post Office -- backed up by songwriter Chuck McCabe - and Horner did a terrific job.

Enjoy:

On Thursday "I'd Rather be in Redding," Again

They're back!

In town from the Bay Area: Blah Blah Woof Woof. If you like smart, well-crafted songs, you'll show up at the Post Office in Redding's Downtown Mall on Thursday evening (8ish) and enjoy some first-rate songwriting and excellent musicianship from Jay Howlett, Chuck McCabe and Rolfe Wyer.

Chuck was nominated for the Just Plain Folks New Folk Album of the Year for his last release "Creature's of Habit in a World of Change," and his song "Minimum Wager" won the Woody Guthrie Songwriting Competition. Jay Howlett was a finalist in the Kerrville New Folk Competition and wrote the West Coast Songwriters Song of the Year. The stories are compelling and delivered sincerely - with emotion that makes listening a true pleasure. And the three of them seem to have a grand time playing together.

C'mon out and hear Chuck's local anthem: "I'd Rather be in Redding." And maybe this pretty one from Jay:

Poetic Weather

In June of 2008, far Northern California was hit by a beautiful, awful summer storm - there was no rain, but incredible flashes of Dry Lightning touched down and ignited hundreds of wild fires. Many burned throughout the long smokey summer. That dismal season left the land scarred and black and gave me the metaphor that inspired this song.

Bonus: I also learned -- once and for all -- how to spell "lightning."

6:59 AM -- And now I've JUST discovered that Bruce Springsteen has a song called "Dry Lightning" -- Ah, well....his is better. Surprise.

Youtube is suddenly being very flakey with embedded video. Here's a YouTube link to the song: Dry Lightning




Dry Lightning

Words and music © Erin Coombs Friedman

He looks like a cool drink of something fine
To a heart that suffered years of drought
But he’s a dangerous storm in the summertime
A dark cloud that hides
Dry Lightning inside
He strikes and you can’t put that fire out


Dry Lightning
A storm without the rain
Dry Lightning
A flash of blue - then the flame
Dry Lightning strafes the ground
Already parched and brown
Rolls away when the thunder sounds


I lay down in the path of his destruction
Mesmerized by the fiery display
Fell for that devil’s seduction
He’s all slash and burn
Take it from a gal who learned
Save yourself or there’ll be hell to pay

Dry Lightning
A storm without the rain
Dry Lightning
A flash of blue - then the flame
Dry Lightning strafes the ground
Already parched and brown
Rolls away when the thunder sounds