Video: The DOGS of MHS, teachers who rock

Students at Morristown High School got a rare treat last Friday.

A DOG-gie treat.

No, we’re not referring to the early school dismissal. We’re talking about  heart-thumping punk rock from four faculty members who call themselves The Dogs. 

They played their maiden gig in a benefit for the school station, WJSV 90.5 FM.

The Dogs feature English teacher John Madden on lead vocals. Broadcast teacher Mike Butler plays drums, Latin teacher Mark Gutkowksi handles lead guitar and station engineer  Steve Woodruff plays bass.

Check out our video for their vibe. And peruse this slide show to see some of the fine student bands in Morristown.

‘Don’t call us a cover band!’ Morristown High teachers ready to rock, May 18

They call themselves The Dogs, and they will be howling together for the first time tonight, May 18, at Morristown High School.

It’s a familiar venue for Mark Gutkowski, Mike Butler, Steve Woodruff and John Madden–as teachers, not rock stars.

But at 7 pm they will join a bunch of student bands in a benefit concert for the school radio station, WJSV 90.5 FM.

The show will go on as scheduled, despite a smoky electrical malfunction on Friday morning that sent students home early.

We want to emphasize that there is absolutely no evidence to rumors–started here–that the faculty members, overcome by stage fright, somehow were behind this incident.

For the record, The Dogs feature Mark, a Latin teacher, on guitar; Mike, head of the broadcasting department, plays drums, while Steve, the station engineer, handles bass. As an English teacher, John was a natural choice for vocalist.

The last time we saw Mark, he was refereeing a chariot race by toga-phobic members of the Latin Club. We asked him to describe a Dog’s life. Here’s what he revealed:

“Yeah, being in a rock band is tough work with all the practicing and those grueling hours in the studio arranging and mixing, especially when you are trying to prepare lesson plans and grade tests for the students at MHS,” said Mark, who teaches advanced students in the school’s Classics Academy.

“The 7:30 am school start is rough on a rock musician. We’re treating this as a reunion show of sorts, even though we’ve never officially ever played a live show together. Our extreme popularity has really been a result of social media and the Millennials who have adopted us, middle-aged rockers, as the music for their generation.

“Again, I need to stress that we’ve never played live before but our music has been extremely influential. I’m a little concerned about our first show because I’m afraid that people are going to label us a cover band. But all of the songs that we are playing are our original material.

“I’m probably violating a number of contracts that we’ve signed since the late ’60s, but we have indeed ghost-written material for a number of bands like the Ramones, Iggy and the Stooges, and Wire. We have been in three lengthy (not to mention expensive) lawsuits with the Rolling Stones about copyright infringement on our first album.

“I’m not allowed to comment further on the lawsuits as the trials are still pending, but I’m feeling that we have a strong case, especially with the song Satisfaction.

“Anyway, many people in the community think that we teach in school for the fame and money. I hate to say it, but all of it has really been a necessity for us to fund the Rolling Stones lawsuits. The rock? Well, that’s just in our blood.”

The Dogs will share the cafeteria stage with Captain Lung, Autumn of My Days, Destination Downfall, Angry Politicians, Tristan Catania, Jenna Fairey and Brian Pezzuti. Tickets are $3 per person, or $5 for two people, or $400 for 999 people.

Captain Lung starts busy weekend with rock show at Morristown High, May 18; faculty tunes up, too

Captain Lung, prizewinners at the 2012 Morristown’s Got Talent competition, are among the student acts lined up by WJSV 90.5 FM for a benefit rock show at Morristown High School on May 18.

The show runs from 7 pm to 10 pm in the cafeteria and also features Autumn of My Days, Destination Downfall, Angry Politicians, Tristan Catania, Jenna Fairey and Brian Pezzuti.

As a bonus attraction, students will get a chance to grade their teachers–when MHS faculty members Steve Woodruff (bass), Mike Butler (drums), Mark Gutkowski(guitar) and John Madden (vocals) take to the stage as The Dogs.

Tickets are $3 per person, or $5 for two people. Proceeds benefit the school radio station.

The Lung — Travis Fielding, Johannes Burger and Andy McNally–also are scheduled to perform at MHS on Sunday afternoon, May 20, for the 40th anniversary celebration of the Morris School District.

 

 

Kids will love Travels with Tricksters, free lunchtime performance in Morristown this Friday

Bring the kids this Friday, May 18, to Fridays-on-the-Green at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown!  The program, starting at noon, features a special performance for children – Travels with Tricksters, presented by the Bond Street Theatre.  Journey with famous explorers and globetrotting adventurers, Michael McGuigan and Joanna Sherman, as they delight the audience with tricks, skills and stories from their encounters around the world.   There will be visual treats from many cultures to flavor the show, including juggling, magic, acrobatics and stilt dancers – and don’t be surprised if the players ask audience members to join in the fun!

After the show, which is free and lasts about 40 minutes, reasonably-priced lunches are available for purchase in the back hall of the church.  C’est Cheese is providing special kid-friendly treats in addition to the sandwich and salad selections which are available every Friday.

Video: Art of Play at the Apollo, round two

 

Art of Play, the eighth-grade rockers from Greater Morristown, put on a good show last week at Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.

Although they did not advance in the Amateur Night competition, the boys can hold their heads high–as you can see in this video from the band. 

Domenico Randazzo sings lead and plays guitar, accompanied by Ricky Webber on keyboard, TJ Coon on bass and Tyler Volk on drums.

Special kudos to Domenico’s Cousin Fred, who was called onstage to show off his dance moves.

Hanna Neil, the sixth-grader who sang so well at Morristown’s Got Talent!, also was invited to sing a couple of lines and acquitted herself well.

Coro Lirico to perform Cavaleria Rusticana, some Pagliacci, in Morristown, May 19

Coro Lirico continues its 2011/2012 Season with Cavaleria Rusticana and excerpts from Pagliacci on Saturday, May 19, at Morristown’s Episcopal Church of the Redeemer.

The performance starts at  7:30 pm, at 36 South St., under the direction of guest conductor Francesco Santeli, with orchestra and soloists Emily Johnson, Marc Deaton, James Bobick, Rebecca Schuessler, and Sarah Miller.

Tickets are $30 and $25, with a $5 discount for students and seniors.

A reception will follow the concert.  For tickets and further information, call 973-887-6336. Interested and experienced singers are invited to attend the rehearsal. For more about that, call 732-412-6668.

MORE ABOUT CORO LIRICO

VIDEO: CORO LIRICO PERFORMING ‘AGNUS DEI’

You can’t win ‘em all…Morristown’s ‘Art of Play’ ends great run at Apollo Theater

You can’t win ‘em all.

The eighth-grade quartet Art of Play brought a busload of fans and two priests from Morristown to cheer for them Wednesday at Amateur Night in Harlem’s famed Apollo Theater.

But there would be no divine intervention this time, as the boys ran into a singer possessed: 10-year-old Hannah Richardson of Pennsylvania sang like someone three times her age. The audience chose her to advance in the $10,000 competition.

“She was pretty good. She had good showmanship and a great voice,” said AOP keyboardist Ricky Webber.

In hindsight, bass player TJ Coon said maybe the band should have tried another tune (they did the Michael Jackson version of the Beatles’ Come Together) and “moved around more.”

But his mates, who scored with that song in February at the Apollo, took the evening in stride.

“I think we had a great performance,” said guitarist Domenico Randazzo, who got consolation kisses from some adoring young ladies.  “We had some tough competition. What can you say? We played the Apollo. It’s pretty cool.”

“You don’t always win every time,” said drummer Tyler Volk. “You gotta keep going with your dream and never give up.”

The world hasn’t heard the last from Art of Play. Next time, the competition won’t have a prayer.

 

Suzy Bogguss rewards intrepid concert-goers in Chatham

How good was Suzy Bogguss at the Sanctuary on Saturday night?

She made hoary folk songs such as Red River Valley, Shenandoah and Careless Love sound shiny and new. It was like hearing them for the first time.

“Red River Valley…wow, that’s a catchy number!”

Please click icon below for captions.

The Nashville singer is on a mission to keep those tunes alive. Nashville should be on a mission to keep her tunes alive.

Suzy’s hits from the late 1980s and early ’90s — Aces, Outbound Plane, Someday Soon, Hey Cinderella, Cross My Broken Heart and Letting Go, for starters–are tasty treats, especially when served with help from her traveling aces, William Paterson College alumnus Pat Bergeson on guitar and harmonica and Charlie Chadwick on bass.

The evening also included a nifty, spare cover of Chicago’s If You Leave Me Now, along with a dollop of Merle Haggard and a pinch of Johnny Cash, from an album Suzy recorded with country guitar legend Chet Atkins.

A bubby personality, Suzy autographed CDs for an hour after the show at the Presbyterian Church in Chatham. She joked about how country music scares people in these parts.

Most Nashville acts we have seen have been scary, all right–scary good.  Every note pulls its weight; nothing is wasted. That’s how it was with the Suzy Bogguss Trio. They complemented each other superbly. Pat Bergeson’s harmonica solos were like the icing on a sinfully delicious three-layer cake. Another serving, please!

Next up at the Sanctuary: Ramblin’ Jack Elliott on May 12, followed by the killer twin-bill of David Wilcox and Susan Werner on May 18. Both shows are $25. Call 973-376-4946 for more details.

 

 

Flute and vocal concerts this weekend at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown

 

The aim and final end of music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul.  –Johann Sebastian Bach

 Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent. –Victor Hugo

 This Friday, May 4, the Fridays-on-the-Green concert series returns to The Presbyterian Church in Morristown with a performance by flutist Melissa Baker accompanied by pianist Charity Wicks. F ridays-on-the-Green is a music series held during the lunch hour on Fridays in March, May and October.  The free series features a wide variety of musicians from PCM, the New York metro area and around the world.  Each performance is held in the church sanctuary from 12:00 to 12:35 p.m.  Lunches prepared by C’est Cheese are for sale in the back hall after each concert.  This week’s performer, flutist Melissa Baker, specializes in Baroque music but with a modern twist.  She received critical acclaim for her dissertation, “Thinking Forward to the Past,” a treatise on Baroque performance practice and its application to modern instruments. All are welcome to take a break from the rigors of the week and enjoy this free concert. More concerts – violinist Shannon Merlino, Travels with Tricksters for children, Steve Hess Jazz Band with saxophonist Rob Middleton – are planned for the remaining Fridays in May.

On Sunday, May 6, the last presentation in the First Sundays concert series at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown features baritone Drew Santini accompanied by pianist Charity Wicks at 4 p.m.  Canadian Drew Santini’s “lively and engaging work” (New York Times) and “pure baritone and natural musicality” (London Free Press) have made him a sought-after artist on the opera and concert stage as well as an interpreter of new music.  Drew has performed in several opera productions at Juliard in NYC.  The First Sundays monthly series was introduced by Interim Director of Music at PCM, Dr. Charity Wicks, as a showcase for talented musicians from the New York metro area with whom she has connected as conductor, music director and rehearsal pianist on Broadway.

We welcome all to join us for these musical events as well as our weekly services at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown.  To learn more about our church community and the fresh traditional perspective we offer on faith, please visit our website and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.     

 

Video: Peter Moffitt Medicine Show in Morristown

The Peter Moffitt Medicine Show celebrated the start of our two-week MG Kids Art Show on Friday with a finger-snapping jazz concert at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, where more than 300 student art works are on display through May 13.

This video clip captures some of the excitement. The band features Peter Moffitt on piano, his daughter Nina Moffitt on vocals, Arnold Lee on sax, Jack Hill on bass and Alex Ritz on drums.

Please return with us to St. Peter’s on Tuesday, May 1, for WordPlay II, an evening of poetry and improv.  The fun starts at 7 pm in the church Great Hall at 70 Maple Ave. in Morristown.  Here’s a map, in case you’re coming from out of town. Last year’s WordPlay was full of surprises; we expected the unexpected once more.

MORE ABOUT THE MG KIDS ART SHOW

Next Page »