Lucy Kaplansky with her daughter, Molly
Richard Shindell
Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell, two-thirds of the former super folk group, Cry Cry Cry, came eclipsing along into the historic Paramount theatre in Peekskill, NY on February 20th, 2010 with a paralyzing performance! Kaplansky & Shindell were like 2 veteran boxers much like Larry Holmes with his traffic stopping stinging jab & George Foreman with his gut wrenching anchor type hooks to destroy the kidneys. The only differences between the pugilists of the hurt game of Holmes & Foreman, & the pugilists of the folk realm is that Lucy Kaplansky and Richard Shindell age like fine wine as their performances seem to bloom exponentially with every bout! First at the plate was Lucy Kaplansky. She delivered an emotional 11 song set. You see, Lucy’s daughter, 6 year old Molly was in attendance along with her husband Rick. They rarely attend Lucy’s performances & she got emotional as a monkey when she talked about Molly who was adopted from China. Lucy had also turned 50 last week so she was glowing with glee that the anticipation of that big day was over with. She jokingly celebrated tonights performance by wearing a pair of sexy slacks instead of her usual jeans as well as sport some Sarah Palin like glasses in her second vortex of life. Now, onward to the show! Lucy was on fire with her performance! Her voice was on point & she radiated with pure energy! I’m sure her daughter & husband had something to do with this. Lucy’s set included Manhattan Moon, Mothers Day, Don’t mind me, Life threads, This is home, Hallelujah (a Leonard Cohen song) on the grand piano, and a fun cover song called “God will” by Lyle Lovett. Richard Shindell came out to help Lucy on the guitar with Scorpion, Ten Year Night, & a chilling performance of “Speaking with the Angel”, a Cry Cry Cry song. Richard Shindell provided awesome harmonies for Lucy & he truly is a master guitar player, both on the electric & acoustic! Lucy ended her set by dedicating “This is Home” to her daughter Molly which was very touching. At the end, Lucy owed Molly $60 dollars because they had a deal, everytime Lucy cried, it would cost her $20. She cried about 3 times!
Richard Shindell anchored the night with his spiritual & hypnotic self. He was accompanied by Lincoln on bass & Sara Milanovich on violin. Shindell played a 14 song set including cow blues, A juggle out in traffic, There goes Mavis, You stay here, Reunion Hill, Darkness Darkness, Are you Happy now, & the Ballad of Mary Magdalen . My favorites of the night included Before you go, Transit, Darkness Darkness, & Get up clara, a song about a mule in the Roman times. Shindell folked the house down with Cry Cry Cry’s, “By Way of Sorrow” & “Cold Missouri Waters” of course, accompanied by Lucy Kaplansky! I truly admire the lyrical madness of Richard Shindell. His songs are spiritual in nature often containing tid bits of self help & self realization. Theology & religion seem to be a common denominator for the basis of his lyrics which comes to no surprise since he went to a seminary, but the wit of writing songs from God’s other creations’ points of view such as cows, birds, & mule’s are hilarious & Noah’s Ark mindful! Shindell often writes from the persona of a soldier as well. He is a great storyteller, writer, & master of the guitar! Richard Shindell’s baritone voice is “10-4” & “over & out”, firm & clear! In my planet, & I hope I don’t give y’all a heart attack with my statement, Shindell’s storytelling gives me the same haunts as Blastmaster KRS One’s Emcee’ing! These 2 musical geniuses in my book are extreme polar opposites, but they both tell an interesting tale when words emit from their mouths! “Lucy Kaplansky is down with us….Richard Shindell is down with us….Blastmaster KRS is down with us….makin’ funky music is a must, I’m #1 ” ! Planet Chocko martians enjoy both folk & hip hop…word to the mutha!
–Mr. C
Planet Chocko Zine 