At a birthday party for Michael Humphries in Warwick not long ago, I heard father-son duo Jay and Leigh Closser of Orange sing the sweetest harmonies, and I approached them afterward and said, “You guys are great! You should sign up for the Royalston Open Mic. It takes place the first Friday of the month from December to April.”
I’m pleased to report that Jay and Leigh have taken my advice, and will be on stage at Royalston Town Hall on April 6. The Open Mic there, which goes from 7 to 10 p.m., free of charge, will end its 16th season that night. Other musicians will be on stage, and the sponsoring agency, the Royalston Cultural Council, will offer some excellent soup (cooked by member Deb Nunes), as well as desserts and beverages.
The Open Mic has a cool history, and I got the story last Saturday from Phil Leger and Jim Bennett, while we all enjoyed the Chet Hall Memorial Scholarship Breakfast at Royalston Community School. The main characters in this history (all Royalston residents) are a mother, “who wanted to get her son out of her kitchen,” two drummers and a saxophone player.
The mother is Sonja Vaccari, then a member of the Cultural Council. The son, also a drummer, is Dan Vaccari, who liked the idea of performing and who later formed a band called Nobody’s Phat. The other drummer is Phil Leger, who has organized several garage bands since the 1970s. The super-talented tenor sax player is Jim Bennett, who is now the head of the council. Phil (who made the quip about Dan) and Jim are the main organizers of the talent. Phil is the on-stage master of ceremonies and Jim takes care of the sound system. Sonja likes to bake, so the idea of having refreshments available was added to the performance aspect.
Phil was also a longtime member of Melanie and the Blue Shots, a group that disbanded not long ago. The vocalist in that group was Melanie Mangum, Royalston town clerk, who now sings with another group, the Definite Maybes.
The Open Mic was started with various goals. One was to have something fun for townspeople to do in the winter months. Another was to “showcase young talent that hasn’t had an opportunity to perform in a public space,” Phil said, adding, “Dancing is always encouraged.”
Open Mic performers include people from all over the North Quabbin region and beyond, playing many styles of music. Hometown regulars have included Diane Lincoln a.k.a. Linq; folk singer Phil Rabinowitz; pianist René Lake-Gagliardi; and guitarist Carl Kamp.
One of the bands nurtured by Open Mic is LuxDeluxe, currently based in Northampton, but birthed in Orange by Ned King, the son of Manny and Mary King. Check out Lux Deluxe on YouTube. The website, www.luxdeluxemusic.com, described the successful band this way:
“Churning out high-octane shows that leave audiences sweaty, Lux Deluxe delivers a serious punch of supple Rolling Stones-y grooves, persuasive danceable hooks, and rock-solid old-fashioned craft. Flaunting like Jagger, with all the sensuality of Bowie, lead singer Ned King creates a spectacle rarely seen since the heyday of rock & roll.”
LuxDeluxe band warmed up a politics-oriented crowd of 10,000 for Sen. Bernie Sanders.
When Jay Closser and his son Leigh perform, the audience won’t get sweaty, but I think feelings of joy, calm and loving kindness are a more likely reaction.
Jay told me about himself in true email style, though I assure you this serious professional land appraiser (for LandVest, Inc.) can write full sentences. The email said, “I have been playing music all my life. Started with piano at 6. Played classical and loved Beatles songs. Learned a few blues in high school. Got a guitar at 18. Played both for several years. Played in clubs and bars for a year in the mid-1970s. Learned fingerstyle on the guitar; took some jazz lessons on piano from Nat Needle. Played at the Warwick Inn regularly in the 80s and 90s. Play at town gatherings, special events. Leigh and I started playing together a few years ago singing a few harmonies.”
Leigh has played piano and guitar and is serious about singing, having taken some lessons. He sang at the well-known (and recently closed) Cambridge jazz venue, Ryles. R&B (rhythm and blues) and pop are his favorite styles. You can see Leigh at work most days at the new Workers Credit Union’s Athol branch in the North Quabbin Commons, but his job description doesn’t include singing.
His mother and Jay’s spouse is Pat Smith, a member of the Ralph C. Mahar Regional School Committee and employee of the Franklin Regional Council of Governments.
Royalston also has a summer “music fest” that started as essentially “the best of the Open Mic,” according to Phil. It takes place in July in an outdoor venue, the Bullard Park at the edge of the historic Town Common. The Cultural Council also sponsors a blues night and the Follies. Jim urged townspeople to come up with ideas for the Follies for 2019, especially some humorous skits.
I’ll close this column with a little self-promotion. I’ll be on stage at the April 6 Open Mic for just a few minutes, reading some excerpts from my new autobiography, “Left, Gay & Green: A Writer’s Life.” Actually, while instrumentalists and vocalists predominate, the Open Mic has sometimes included the spoken word, too, welcoming poets and comedians. The historic Town Hall, jewel of the Historic District and Town Common, is worth a visit.
Soon, an elevator will be installed to make the hall accessible to all. For now, however, attendees must ascend a rather grand staircase with a graceful curve. The building was designed by architect Chauncey Chase and built around the time of the Civil War. Seeing the interior of the mansard-roofed building is an additional treat for those attending Open Mic.