"all people / no matter what creed / no matter what color skin / no matter what language an' no matter what land / all people laugh in the same tongue / an' cry in the same tongue / it's all endless / an' it's all songs / it's just one big world of songs / an' they're all on loan / if they're only turned loose to sing . . "
- Bob Dylan (Thanks, Jules)
THE RANGER REPORT - May 1, 2019 - The Official Newsletter Of The Mighty Manatees Medicine Show - "Celebrating 33 Years and 4000 Shows"
MOM'S VISIT! - Mrs. Eleanor Hodgson (my 88 year old Canadian mom), is flying down here to celebrate Mother's Day with us! She will be attending our show at Justin's in Skippack, PA, on Friday evening, May 10. God willing, this will be an outdoor show on the back stage. We will be joined by my 14 year old daughter Fiona Hodgson, who will be singing for her grandmother in the first set with us. It's a family affair! Showtime is 8:00 - 12:00 This a free, all ages performance. Pets welcome. http://www.justinscarridgehouse.net
BOB DYLAN BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE - On Friday, May 24, Bob Dylan will turn 78 years old. We will be celebrating with our annual Bob Dylan Birthday Tribute at the Rising Sun Barn in Telford, PA. It will be a night of Bob's words and music done by a variety of singers and musicians including: Karl "K-Jo" Frick, Joe "Jozo" Rizzo, Randy "Dee" Wagner, Ras Mykyl, Charlie Phillips, Dr. Ben Grisafi, and many more. C'mon out and honor the great American bard. Tickets $10 Showtime is 7:00 - 11:00 PM http://www.risingsuninn.net
RETURN TO PINNACLE RIDGE - The next day, Saturday, May 25, our five man electrical band returns to the legendary Pinnacle Ridge Winery barn in Kutztown, PA. This barn has gone through quite a few changes over the years since we first started playing there. Now it's a full size entertainment venue complete with a big p.a. system, a good sound man, and a nice light show. There is also wine. We love playing barns. We play barn music. C'mon out to our first barn burner of the year! Showtime is 5:30 - 8:30 http://www.pinridge.com Special thanks to Todd Fritsche.
THE FITZWATER STATION! - Every year, some of our favorite summer shows are at the Fitzwater Station in Mont Clare, PA. Free, Sunday afternoon, family concerts performed in a shady grove beside a cool canal. Pets, kayaks, and canoes welcome. Showtime is 4:00 -8:00 PM. No coolers please. http://www.fitzwaterstation.com Special thanks to John Pearson.
FITZWATER STATION FUN FACTS: Did you know that the Fitzwater Station is named after Abel Fitzwater? It's true! Abel was a fifth generation descendant of Thomas Fitzwater who came to America from England with William Penn. Abel Fitzwater is best remembered for his many heroic feats during the great Schuylkill River flood of January 1839. Abel put aside all thoughts of personal safety as he entered the freezing water time and time again among the ice floes to rescue inhabitants of homes that were cut off by the flood. But these daring rescues left Abel with a lingering disease which would claim his life within a year. Two decades later, The Fitzwater Station was a way-stop on the anti-slavery underground railway which flourished before and during the Civil War.
ENVIRONMENTAL TIP OF THE MONTH - Maybe stop idling your gasoline engines so much? Studies have shown that excessive engine idling releases undue carbon monoxide into our atmosphere. Yes, we love our heat, and our air conditioning, but please try to cut down on leaving your engines running needlessly. The air will thank you.
VIDEO CLIP OF THE MONTH - And speaking of Mother's Day...Let's go digging into the furthest corners of the vault this time: This clip is the oldest known footage of me playing music. It is from Mother's Day, Sunday afternoon, May 1982. It was filmed in Assiniboine Park in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, by a local community access TV station (VPW). From 1977 to 1983, my fellow Winnipeg musicians and I would host a free concert in this park every Mother's Day. The name of this band is The Big-Eyed Beans From Venus (taken from the Captain Beefheart song of the same name). We are playing an early version of a song I wrote about the 1978 Cowpoke Tour called, "No Trouble". Bad hair day for me. Special thanks to John Prentice.
The Beans:
Dave "Pud" Zilkie - guitar
Jennifer Fulton - vocals/percussion
Bill "Mac" Macpherson (friends since 6th Grade) - percussion
Ron Torpey (friends since 8th Grade) - drums
Wallace Landreth (father of The Landreth Brothers) - bass/vocals
& The late great Chris Anderson - keyboards
The Rumpled Rocketship Horn Section:
Glen Bergman (friends since 10th Grade) - tenor saxophone
Frank Moreau - soprano saxophone
https://youtu.be/GvsW9rJJQv8
That's all our news for now.
See you at a show.
- Ranger Will
Sent from my country pad
IN PASSING -
Ed Neiderhiser
Soni Methu
Damon Keith
John Singleton
Hate Crime Victims
MAY 2019 -
1 - Wed - West End Pub, Quakertown, PA trio w/ Mike Greer and Brett Andrew 7:30 - 11:00 PM
2 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn, Telford, PA acoustic quartet 9:00 - 12:30 AM
4 - Sat - Blue Bell Inn, Blue Bell, PA acoustic quintet 9:00 - 12:00 PM
10 - Fri - MOM & FIONA - Justin's, Skippack, PA acoustic trio 8:00 - 12:00 PM OUTSIDE
12 - Sun - MOTHER'S DAY
16 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn
17 - Fri - Hotel Fiesole, Skippack, PA Electric sextet 8:00 - 12:00 PM
18 - Sat - Mark's Birthday Party, VFW Breinigsville, PA electric quartet 8:00 - 11:00 PM
24 - Fri - BOB DYLAN BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE - Rising Sun Barn, Telford, PA 7:00 - 11:00 PM
25 - Sat - Pinnacle Ridge, Kutztown, PA Five man electrical band 5:30 - 8:30
26 - Sun - FITZWATER STATION, Mont Clare, PA acoustic quartet 4:00 - 8:00 PM Free, all ages OUTSIDE
30 - Thurs - Rising Sun Inn
31 - Fri - Faracos, Quakertown, PA acoustic duo 7:00 - 10:00
Be excellent to one another.
