This is the
story of how rocker Willie "Loco" Alexander played Halibut Point State
Park a few years back. I wish I'd been there.
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John Ratti photo
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Park
Interpreter John Ratti set it up. He'd heard Willie at 'The Rat' (Rathskellar)
in Boston's Kenmore Square in the Seventies. Now Willie was back living in
Gloucester. John felt he would add "a certain amount of provenance"
to the Park's concert series, "a legitimacy, hopefully, because of his
enormous and significant musical history. Willie to me is just the greatest."
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John Ratti photo
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Willie was
pleased to be asked. "You're open to the elements. It seems more
conductive. Maybe that's the magic part of it. And there's birds. You can play
along with them. They can play along with you. It's the world-famous seagull
opera, here in Gloucester, always."
"We had
complete freedom. It was great. You see families. You get to play for babies. You
get to play for senior citizens. You get to play for whoever shows up. It's
always good to win the kids over, because they can either take you or leave
you."
"Sometimes
that will inspire you, to get 'em going, to see the smiles on their faces or a
kid dancing, or a person tapping their feet. To me, that's why you do it.
You're doing it for communication. When you get that chance, make the most of
it."
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John Ratti photo
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The
following year John added into the program Rockport's father-son saxophonists Rikki
and Alek Razdan, "because who wouldn't want to play with Willie Alexander?
Here we had the young up-and-coming generation, the local noteworthy musician,
and the old punk rock & roller whose history goes back to the Nineteen
Sixties with such significant bands - Velvet Underground, The Bosstown Sound,
The Boom Boom Band - all of that! You had both ends of the spectrum."
Yes, sitting
in with a rock icon sounded good. Rikki recalls, "we showed up there, and
oh wow, it was really cool. The natural beauty of the place is staggering. It
was a memorable gig. I've played thousands of them, and that's the one I
remember."
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Moose Savage photo
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The concert
led to other collaborations and to their current recording project.
"Playing with Willie is great. He's one of those people where nothing can
go wrong. Even if it sort of does, it all comes back and is okay....With Willie
we don't think about chords and keys and notes. There's a vibe going on that
you play into, which is really fun. Once you've had it happen a few times you
want it always."
"Having
the Razdans come down and play - it couldn't be better. I'm so happy to be part
of that family. It seems like I'm an unofficial Razdan."
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John Ratti photo
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"I may
change direction at any moment. I'm just going along for the ride myself. I
don't know what's going to happen. Usually the mistakes are what drives the
thing, makes it good....It's a thrill for you to make that contact and actually
win somebody over, make somebody like your music that never heard you before."
_____
August 13, at 7:30pm
the Gloucester Writer's Center will present
Willie Alexander’s One
Night Only Rock & Roll Songwriting Workshop
See the GWC
website for information and registration.
Bravo!
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