Nome that tune

Musicians find success in many different ways, but how Athol's Derek Drowne parlayed a stint as a popular performer in Alaska into having one of his songs placed in a high-profile daytime soap opera is one of the more interesting versions of career connect-the-dots.

Drowne had been playing in various rock bands around Central Mass and working at radio station WAAF when an opportunity arose in 1990 to head to Alaska where his sister was starting an entertainment company.

"I brought karaoke to the Aleutian Peninsula," he jokes. But more importantly, Drowne met a lot of musicians, some who specialized in the region's native folk music, others who were simply good players.

"In Alaska, I was a sponge that took it all in. Native drumming, throat singing, you name it. It really opened me up as a musician," he says. "I even built an electric guitar because I was bored."

Drowne makes his first appearance at the Coppertop on Friday playing from 3 to 5 p.m. during the Pass Holder Appreciation activities slated for the mountain that day.

His time in Alaska led Drowne to Nome, where he played six nights a week with a band that held down the house gig in a trading post saloon.

"In Nome, you can play music, drink, and go to church," Drowne says. "I didn't go to church."

But he became a pretty skilled musician.

While in Alaska, Drowne recorded two CDs of original material. The song "Breakfast in Paris" caught on as a regional hit. Drowne performed around the state and opened for members of the Beach Boys when they toured in the region.

Through a series of connections the singer-songwriter made touring and working with radio stations, Drowne's songs came to the attention of the music director for a few of ABC's soap operas, who flew the singer to New York to see what they could work out. That's how "Breakfast in Paris" landed in a scene of "All My Children" in 1998.

In 2001, Drowne moved back to Massachusetts. He developed a solo-acoustic show that mainly features his interpretation of popular songs. He is also writing material for another CD.

"When people go out to a club show, I think they like to hear songs that they know. But I've learned a bunch of songs from all different genres and put my own spin on them," Drowne says. "For me, if the song has a good hook, I'll usually love it and learn it."

He even surprises himself sometimes with songs that find their way into his set.

"I hated Bon Jovi's  'Dead or Alive.' When I worked at 'AAF, the song was so overplayed that I just got sick of it," he says. "But now I love playing it live. And when you hear me, it's definitely my own version."

Pass holder party and sneak peek of breakout artist

Pass holders have a party in their honor this week and a perennial performer returns, though on this trip to the Coppertop she is on the brink of a big career breakthrough.

Bruce Jacques kicks off the Coppertop shows this week, bringing his energetic routine to the mountain Thursday for an 8 p.m. show.

On Friday, Wachusett has bargains on food, drink, gear and lift-tickets for friends for all Century Pass holders, as well as two shows. Derek Drowne will perform a solo set from 3 to 5 p.m., and Trebek is on tap starting at 8 p.m.

Saturday has another two-fer with Brian and  AJ playing the afternoon apres session and Katrin Roush performing at 8. Katrin, as she is more commonly known, has played many times at the mountain, even after she shifted her base from Central Mass to Boston. Her years of hard work are paying off with the release of a stellar new CD called "Frail to Fearless," which already has a lot of buzz around it due to the heavyweight players involved in its production. We'll have more on Katrin later this week, but check her out in the video above.

And it looks like blues band Rugged Road is taking the Sunday afternoon slot after a scheduling snafu with a previously booked act. Again, check back to make sure this is ironed out.

Men at Work to Metallica

Josh Briggs works in the restaurant business, but he never lost his appetite for being a working musician too. The band he sings in and plays guitar for, Five on Friday, has been staying busy in the area, and as a solo artist Briggs recently released the CD “Back to Bliss.” It’s as a solo performer that Briggs returns to the Coppertop Sunday for a 4 p.m. show. Briggs answered a few questions about his concert-going experiences, and reveals a bit of his eclectic tastes. Here’s what he had to say:

What was the first concert you saw and what do you remember most about it? “Harry Chapin in ’82 or ’83. I was 9 or 10, and really the only thing I remember is that everyone was smoking ‘funny smelling’ cigarettes, and I thought it was weird that he just sat on a chair the whole time. As opposed to my second concert Men AT Work! I was on my father's shoulders the whole show and decided right then and there that I had to play the saxophone. I spent about one year trying that until I realized that bass guitar was cooler.”

What was the best concert you’ve seen, and what made it the best? “Without question, it was Fishbone at the Berkshire Performing Arts Center. I had never really seen a band put every ounce of energy into performing while at the same time just being absolute masters on their instruments. I still think about that show when I go to concerts.”

What was the worst concert you’ve seen, and what made it so bad? “I guess I have two that really stand out. The first is when I went to see The Cult open for Metallica at the old Centrum.  I was a huge Cult fan and didn't really know or care about Metallica. The Cult were so terrible, however Metallica blew me away. I think that night changed me forever. I had a similar experience when I saw the Smashing Pumpkins at Lollapalooza. I thought they were going to kill it, but they followed The Beastie Boys on the ‘Check Your Head’ tour and they just couldn't come close to comparing.”

If you could see any artist from any time, who would you pick to see? “This one is tough. I have so many shows that I would have liked to see, but I guess if I had to pick one, I would like to have seen Jimi Hendrix perform the night that ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band’ came out. I guess Sir Paul and Eric Clapton were in the audience and Hendrix played the title track. I'm sure that was pretty fantastic.” 

Country singer's rock roots explored

Glenn Stewart is back in the Coppertop Saturday night at 8 to deliver his “country that rocks.”  Like other Coppertop performers this week, Stewart answered questions about his own experiences seeing live music. And now it's clear where the "rock" in his sound comes from. Here’s what he had to say:

What was the first concert you saw, and what do you remember most about it? “Kiss was my first concert. It was the 1983 ‘Creatures of the Night’ tour. I remember sitting there blown away. Now remember, this was before the Internet and the modern day computer, so we had to rely on MTV and Hit Parade magazine to get our rock and roll gossip. I remember sitting there thinking to myself, ‘Did Ace Frehley change his make up?’  Later we found out he was fired and Vinnie Vincent was the new guy. This show was at the Centrum in Worcester.”

What’s the best concert you’ve seen, and what made it the best? “The Kiss reunion show, seen from the front row. Of course for this one I was a bit older than the ‘83 show. I felt like a little kid all over again. I was looking at this band on stage, back in make-up, and all the chrome so super shiny, and the crowd losing their minds over four old men in make-up and high heels. Sounds like something from ‘RuPaul's Drag Race’ lol!!”
 

What’s the worst concert you’ve seen, and what made it so bad? “Worst concert had to be a Scorpions' 1989 Love at First Sting show. I remember the lack of energy from the band. They were just standing there. Hell, one of them was even yawning. Total waste of my time, and totally disrespectful to the audience who paid the 20 dollars for the show.”

If you could see any artist from any time, who would you pick to see?  “I would love to have seen Johnny Cash and his concert at Folsom Prison. It’s classic.”

Fullerton recall

Sean Fullerton is an in-demand solo artist whose audience has grown as his own musical journey has matured. This week, artists playing in the Coppertop are weighing in here on their own experiences seeing live music. Fullerton, who performs at 8 p.m. Thursday, has this to say:

What was the first concert you saw, and what do you remember most about it?  “My very first live concert was Janet Jackson at the Worcester Centrum, I believe around 1990.  Not my first choice, but a buddy of mine and his sister had an extra ticket and invited me.  I was amazed at the whole concert experience, and actually seeing a Jackson live, but it still wasn't my first choice for a concert. Then she performed her rock hit ‘Black Cat,’ and after that, I was a fan. What a song!”

What’s the best concert you’ve seen, and what made it the best? “ I've seen a ton of great shows _ Van Halen, Paul McCartney, John Mellencamp, Rolling Stones, The Eagles, Chicago with Earth, Wind & Fire_ but hands down the best concert I ever saw was a solo acoustic performance by my modern-day blues hero John Hammond, Jr.   My favorite music is the old Delta style blues, one singer, one guitar, maybe a harmonica, maybe light percussion. I'd been playing and writing rock/pop tunes for 12 years professionally up to this date.  After this show, I knew what direction I wanted to go musically. Besides being blown away by the show, I got to meet Mr. Hammond afterwards, and he was over-the-top gracious with his time and attention to my seemingly endless questioning of him. I play the blues and the harmonica because of him.”

What was the worst concert you’ve seen, and what made it so bad? “Although the line-up was all-star caliber_ Amos Lee, Elvis Costello, Bob Dylan_ the show wasn't to my liking at all.  The best part of the night was Amos Lee. I was psyched to see Elvis Costello, but he played acoustic through amp, and the distortion covered a lot of the words. Finally, I just couldn't understand one single word Bob Dylan sang with his electric band.”

If you could see any artist from any time, who would you pick to see? “I would've loved to have seen The Beatles last official concert at Candlestick Park in San Francisco, August 29, 1966.  Their last ever concert show before recording ‘Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band.’"

Fullerton also notes a personal best from his career, saying, “Besides having people enjoy my performances, I had the opportunity to open for my ‘80s hero Colin Hay of Men At Work back in 2004 at his performance at the Lucky Dog Music Hall in Worcester.”

No vacation for returning performers

February Vacation Week is a favorite time of year for skiers and riders, and the Coppertop has some of its favorite performers coming back in to entertain throughout the week,.

Things begin on a one-two shot of blues, as Sean Fullerton plays Thursday night and Hoodoo Revelator hits the Coppertop stage Friday night. Both shows begin at 8 p.m.

Though blues in the base, Fullerton and Hoodoo (shown in video) head off in different directions. Fullerton is a solo performer with a feel for the rootsy, country side of the blues, while Hoodoo Revelator likes the big chug of electric blues.

Glenn Stewart brings his rocking brand of country back to the mountain on Saturday. And Five on Friday front man Josh Briggs does a solo show at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Now, since these artists have been previewed in this space before, something different will unfold this week. Because this is all about enjoying live music and being out and about, this week's performers will share some recollections of their own experiences in the audience and talk about great (and not-so-great) shows they have seen.

So check back (you're on vacation, you have the time) before coming up.

Carrying it all

Jay Graham never knew how good he had it playing in a band until he started doing solo acoustic gigs. During a period in between being in the Arthur Dent Foundation and taking his current spot playing guitar in Soulstice, Graham developed a solo acoustic show.  He honed his act with a long-running Thursday residency at Funky Murphy's in Worcester, playing 40 to 50 tunes over the course of a night.


"It made me realize how much work it is to carry a song 100 percent. But it made me a better player and singer, and it made me a better teacher," says Graham who also teaches guitar at Union Music. "Now I can better explain to my students what needs to be done to carry a song 100 percent."

You can catch Graham carrying the ball Sunday afternoon in the Coppertop, starting at 4 p.m.

While Graham has some original material that he is preparing for a CD now being mapped out, the guitarist and singer says he prefers to be an interpreter of others' songs with his solo show. And rather than cover the usual fare from the singer-songwriter canon, Graham champions more contemporary sources.

"I'll plays songs by Ray LaMontagne and David Gray, and do some Radiohead and Kings of Leon," he says. "But I do older songs too, like stuff by the Beatles and Johnny Cash."

Graham says he has been surprised_ and pleasantly so_ by the reaction to his set lists, and thinks the whole notion of "standards" may be expanding.

"I  was playing in this little townie bar, and I went in expecting to be playing classic rock all night," Graham recalls. "But it wasn't the case at all, and people were requesting these modern songs all night. So you  never know at all what you're walking into."

But this vet of the Central Mass club circuit has covered a lot of ground, playing jam-band material, soul and R&B classics, reggae, and rock as well as the acoustic material. So it's safe to say he's ready to handle whatever curves are thrown his way.