"Yes, these are difficult times...it will take great courage to fight the forces of death and destruction...you must deal with it every day and never give up the struggle...but always knowing that life will go on somehow...and you are very life itself...and if you lose faith, you will become the enemy...without faith, you will join those forces of death...so use your head, stoopid, and quit feeling sorry for yourself! It makes me sick to hear you whine!! Now get out of my sight and don't come back until you've cleaned up this goddamned hell-hole!!"
- Mr. Natural (R. Crumb)
THE RANGER REPORT - September, 2019 The Official Newsletter Of The Mighty Manatees "Celebrating 33 Years Of Musical Liberty"
The Mighty Manatees had a pretty good summer this year. We set attendance records at several venues and got some nice press. Well, the summer may almost be over, but there's still a little fun yet to be had. We intend to squeeze the last few drops out of these remaining days!
MIGHTY MANATEES @ MILO'S MEETINGHOUSE - This Friday, September 6, we will make our world debut at Milo's Meetinghouse in Germantown, PA. Drummer Ras Mykyl just played there with Pure Jerry and said the p.a. system there is excellent. Showtime is 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM http://www.milomeetinghouse.com
CHARLESTOWN DAY! - This year The Mighty Manatees have been asked to play the annual Charlestown Day in beautiful Charlestown Park (100 Academic Way, Phoenixville, PA) on Saturday, September 14. There will be many different kinds of family activities and foods. This is a free, all-ages, outdoor, pet friendly gig. Charlestown Park is just south of Phoenixville at the corner of Coldstream and Township Line Roads. Special thanks to Chris Lawrence and the Friends Of Charlestown..
LAST FITZWATER STATION SHOW OF THE YEAR! - The Fitzwater Station is one of the venues where we set an attendance record this summer. On Sunday, September 15, we will return for one last summer show. This is another free, all-ages, outdoor, pet friendly gig. Join us for an afternoon of music in the shady grove. Special musical guests. Just don't bring any coolers, please. Showtime is 3:30 PM to 7:30 PM Special thanks to John and Amy. http://www.fitzwaterstation.com
VIRGO BIRTHDAY PARTY! - There are many Virgos in this Mighty Manatees organization. Tim Hooper's birthday is on Sept. 13, Randy Wagner's birthday is Sept. 14, and my birthday is Sept. 19. Not to mention Manatees sax man Tom Brunner's birthday is Sept. 7 (same day as my daughter Jules), and Manatees banner man Charlie Juneau's birthday is Sept. 22. That's a lot of Virgos. We will be holding our annual Virgo Birthday Bash on my birthday, Thursday, September 19 at The Rising Sun Barn in Telford, PA. The usual, and the unusual, musical guests will be playing whatever songs they want. There will be edibles, incredibles, balloons, and merriment. Let them eat cake. Showtime is 7:00 - 11:00 Go Virgo, Go Virgo, Go Virgo... http://www.risingsuninn.net btw Rising Sun Barn's Chef Fred narrowly missed the Virgo boat by being born on Sept. 30.
RETURN TO PINNACLE RIDGE - In last month's Ranger Report, we included a newspaper review of a wild show we did this spring up at the Pinnacle Ridge Winery near Kutztown, PA. Well, we'll be heading back up there again on Saturday, September 21 (Brian Roberton's birthday), to play some more of our special blend of "barn rock". Showtime is 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. http://www.pinridge.com Special thanks to Brad and Todd.
THE BRIDGEPORT RIBHOUSE - One of the most happening musical spots in the whole area is the legendary Bridgeport Ribhouse. Melissa and her crew have live music almost every single night. Over the years many musical notables have played on this hallowed stage. We will appear there on Saturday, September 28. Showtime is 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM http://www.ribhouse.net
MANA-TV VIDEO CLIP OF THE MONTH - Well folks, this is one of my very favorite Manatees video clips of all time. This is from back when we were just The Manatees electronic duo. It takes place during our Festival Of Noises which we held at the fabled Fox Barn in Great Valley, PA in the summer of 1989. It was an all day, and all night event. We had jugglers, magicians, prizes for the best noise makers, and other musical acts including Andrew Roblin & The Poconos Mountain Boys, and The Mudmen. We even had a red-haired bagpiper, and she played "Amazing Grace" at sunset. We went on last and this is one of the songs from that set. The music is a groove I wrote called "All Heaven Broke Loose". What makes it a favorite is the fact that we're using 2 different programmed drum machines with an Ensoniq sequencer, and they're all playing in 7/8. Ray Adkins is playing a stereophonic Rickenbacker electric 5-string in a Keith Richards tuning, and I'm playing an old sunburst Stratocaster electric 6-string with a whammy bar. We are accompanying our poet-in-residence Art Chandler as he performs a spoken word piece that he and Manatee wizard Michael Jones had written earlier that day. If you look hard you can see Albert Kaufman playing congas in the background. Dig this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnWNwGHplPg
Well that's all for now.
See you at the shows.
Jah Love,
Ranger Will
IN PASSING -
Toni Morrison
Stephen Bednar IV
Peter Fonda
Chris Kraft
Paul Krassner
D. A. Pennebaker
Nick Buoniconti
SEPTEMBER - 2019
4 - Wed - West End Pub, Quakertown, PA 7:30 PM - 11:00 PM
5 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn, Telford, PA 9:00 PM - 12:30 AM
6 - Fri - Milo's Meetinghouse, Germantown, PA 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM
7 - Sat - PRIVATE PARTY, Harleysville, PA 2;00 PM - 6:00 PM OUTSIDE
7 - Sat - Blue Bell Inn, Blue Bell, PA 8:00 PM - 11:00 PM OUTSIDE
13 - Fri - Justin's, Skippack, PA 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM OUTSIDE
14 - Sat - CHARLESTOWN DAY!, 100 Academic Way, Phoenixville, PA 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM OUTSIDE
15 - Sun - Fitzwater Station, Mont Clare, PA 3:30 PM - 7:30 PM OUTSIDE
19 - Thurs - VIRGO BIRTHDAY PARTY!, Rising Sun Barn, Telford, PA 7:00 PM - 11:00 PM
20 - Fri - Hotel Fiesole, Skippack, PA 8:00 PM - 12:00 PM
21 - Sat - Pinnacle Ridge Winery, Kutztown, PA 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
26 - Thurs - PRIVATE PARTY, Conshohocken, PA 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM
27 - Fri - Faracos, Quakertown, PA 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM Acoustic Duo
28 - Sat - Bridgeport Ribhouse, Bridgeport, PA 9:00 PM - 1:00 AM
