Johnny D’s owner Carla DeLellis, right, with her mother Tina, who died in 2008.
Alas, this is the last weekend of Johnny D’s Uptown, the venerable, homey Somerville restaurant and music club that booked a broad range of such off-the-beaten-path styles as zydeco, ska, roots-rock, jazz fusion and Afro-beat for four decades. It was where a young Alison Krauss got her feet wet, where Neil Young sat in with then-wife Pegi’s band, and home turf for local rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef. And it was a community-conscious business run by the DeLellis family, whose surviving owner Carla has chosen to close the venue and renovate the space for commercial and residential use. But not before an Open House Weekend with free admission for blues harp ace James Montgomery and Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau on Friday night and a Saturday blowout with country-folk act Yani Batteau and the Styles (4 to 4:30 p.m.), zany Dixieland/omnipop ensemble the Chandler Travis Philharmonic (5 to 6 p.m.) and funk band Neon Grandma (8 p.m. to midnight). Finally, on Sunday, the club will open at 4 p.m. for sets by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble and Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band before DeLellis and the musicians lead a 5:30 p.m. second-line procession out the doors into Davis Square.
Of course, there’s also plenty of other stuff going on this weekend. Atop the list for Friday are Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House with its spectral seduction at House of Blues, the compositionally rich and elegant pianist Fred Hersch and his trio of bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson at Scullers Jazz Club, and the jazz/dub/world collective Club d’elf with former Frank Zappa vibes player Ed Mann at the Lizard Lounge.
Saturday’s options include the inspirational mainstream pop of Newton native Rachel Platten at Royale as well as fine indie-pop purveyors Air Traffic Controller hosting a record release party at the Sinclair, and roots-rock guitar favorite Duke Levine leading his band to Atwood’s Tavern. And on Sunday, Northampton haunting alt-folk group Winterpills celebrates its latest album on a bill with ex-Low Anthem member Jocie Adams’ band Arc Iris.
Weekend Ideas: March 11, 2016
By Paul Robicheau | Photo by Paul Robicheau | March 11, 2016
Johnny D’s owner Carla DeLellis, right, with her mother Tina, who died in 2008.
Alas, this is the last weekend of Johnny D’s Uptown, the venerable, homey Somerville restaurant and music club that booked a broad range of such off-the-beaten-path styles as zydeco, ska, roots-rock, jazz fusion and Afro-beat for four decades. It was where a young Alison Krauss got her feet wet, where Neil Young sat in with then-wife Pegi’s band, and home turf for local rockabilly legend Sleepy LaBeef. And it was a community-conscious business run by the DeLellis family, whose surviving owner Carla has chosen to close the venue and renovate the space for commercial and residential use. But not before an Open House Weekend with free admission for blues harp ace James Montgomery and Boston guitarist Barry Goudreau on Friday night and a Saturday blowout with country-folk act Yani Batteau and the Styles (4 to 4:30 p.m.), zany Dixieland/omnipop ensemble the Chandler Travis Philharmonic (5 to 6 p.m.) and funk band Neon Grandma (8 p.m. to midnight). Finally, on Sunday, the club will open at 4 p.m. for sets by the Revolutionary Snake Ensemble and Second Line Social Aid and Pleasure Society Brass Band before DeLellis and the musicians lead a 5:30 p.m. second-line procession out the doors into Davis Square.
Of course, there’s also plenty of other stuff going on this weekend. Atop the list for Friday are Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House with its spectral seduction at House of Blues, the compositionally rich and elegant pianist Fred Hersch and his trio of bassist John Hebert and drummer Eric McPherson at Scullers Jazz Club, and the jazz/dub/world collective Club d’elf with former Frank Zappa vibes player Ed Mann at the Lizard Lounge.
Saturday’s options include the inspirational mainstream pop of Newton native Rachel Platten at Royale as well as fine indie-pop purveyors Air Traffic Controller hosting a record release party at the Sinclair, and roots-rock guitar favorite Duke Levine leading his band to Atwood’s Tavern. And on Sunday, Northampton haunting alt-folk group Winterpills celebrates its latest album on a bill with ex-Low Anthem member Jocie Adams’ band Arc Iris.
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