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Union-News (Springfield, MA)
February 2, 1989
The Scene
Author: CHRIS HAMEL
STAFFUNION-NEWS (Springfield, Mass.)

THE SCENE

British singer/songwriter Richard Thompson has become an adopted son in Western Massachusetts.

On Friday, he will join a genuine native son, Taj Mahal, formerly of Springfield, and multi-talent David Bromberg for what should be a meaty show at the Paramount Performing Arts Center in Springfield (see "best bets").

Thompson is looking forward to the event as much as any ticketholder.

"They (Mahal and Bromberg) are people I like to see myself," he said by telephone last week from Louisville, Ky.

"We haven't worked together lately. But they're people I know. It should be a very enjoyable night."

Thompson speaks softly, in a thoughtful, sometimes hesitant, manner. Once the lead guitarist for Fairport Convention and later half of a duo with then-wife Linda Thompson, he has carved out a shining solo career as a singer, instrumentalist and composer.

While he feels that his guitar work outweighs his vocal talent, he said that he sometimes thinks his songwriting rates above the guitar playing. While his songs often show a dark side, he said that his personality isn't gloomy.

"I'm usually quite 'up,' " he said. "What comes out of your imagination isn't always who you are. I'm more interested in writing about people who are in more desperate situations. It's a more true picture."

Thompson will appear here without his band, a format he is using throughout a brief tour that will last into the middle of the month. He used a band during his last outing in the fall.

"I don't really mind working solo," he said. "There are nice things about both formats. I'm happy to do both. Each is a rest from the other."

He has a rabid following here and in other ports, and his star has been steadily rising. As he put it, his fans could be called either a "large cult or a small mainstream audience."

Northampton has been his concert base here.

"We always play the Iron Horse Coffeehouse," he said. "It's such a great club. The show always does well. It's a well-run place and a good crowd."

Thompson said that at best, he won't be back in the recording studio until late in the year. He will concentrate on performing in the interim.

He plans to return to England later this month and the next project may be a tour of Canada with Crowded House. Other plans are also tentative, but they may include a spring tour of the U.S. with Bonnie Raitt, a European tour with his band and stops in Japan and Australia.

On the road, Thompson takes notes for songs, then sits down to a daily writing regimen for a week or more, when the roadwork stops and the songs need finishing.

"I write a lot more that way," he said. "Touring is an erratic life. I do bits and pieces on the road."

For recreation, he plays tennis and bowls. His offstage life also includes his three children, ages 6 through 15.

But, he said, "It's amazing how much time music takes up."

In one instance - the annual Fairport Convention reunion - work and fun seem to merge.

"We do it every year in England, in Oxfordshire," he said. "It's a reunion festival. It's been getting bigger. We had 15,000 (fans) last year. It's a pleasant occasion, with the band alumni coming, whoever can turn out."

But Thompson said that he does not pine for the old days with the group.

"Once a year is fine," he said. "If it's any more, you remember the reasons you left."

Yes, fans, the Dustmen will appear in concert during the coming St. Patrick's season - but neither at Springfield Civic Center nor the Greek Cultural Center, as they have in past years. The local lads have signed to open for the Clancy Brothers and Robbie O'Connell March 12 at the Paramount and to headline at Tilly's Restaurant in Springfield March 17 and 18.

The show with the Clancys will be something of a historic moment in the Dustmen's lengthy tenure. While members of the Dustmen know some of the Clancy clan, the two groups have never shared a stage.

Further, the original Dustmen repertoire and wardrobe were based on those of the Clancys, according to Dustman Bruce Fitzgerald.

"They were who we envisioned ourselves to be," he said last week. "As teen-agers, we had Irish sweaters like the Clancys and we sang their music."

For all the coming dates, the Dustmen's lineup will include Michael "Mixie" Clarke of Galway, Ireland. Tickets for the Paramount event will go on sale Monday.

However, at last check, details of the show, including ticket prices, were still pending - stay tuned.

The downtown Springfield concert scene will be red-hot in the coming weeks, but there will be big doings on the Northampton/Amherst front as well. The student-run Union Program Council at the University of Massachusetts has announced new shows, including Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers at the campus' Fine Arts Center Feb. 21 at 8 p.m.

Tickets ($15; $12 for UMass students) will go on sale Tuesday at the Fine Arts Center box office. You can also charge tickets by telephoning the box office.

UPC will present the fabled New Orleans-based Radiators Feb. 10 in the campus' Student Union Ballroom at 8 p.m. Tickets ($8; $6 for UMass students) are on sale at Tickets Unlimited on campus, Main Street Records in Northampton and For the Record in Amherst.

The Iron Horse Coffeehouse will present several shows outside its confines. On March 16, the Horse will bring Lyle Lovett and His Large Band to John M. Greene Hall at Smith College in Northampton. Ace guitarist Leo Kottke will open at 7 p.m.

On March 5, the Horse will bring singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn to Greene Hall for a concert at 7 p.m., which will benefit Physicians for Social Responsibility.

Seating is general admission for both concerts. Doors will open at 6:15 p.m. and you should contact the Iron Horse for ticket information.

Looking way ahead to May 4, Nanci Griffith will return to Greene Hall, in another Iron Horse presentation. No further details are available yet.

The Horse will also bring a rock doubleheader, starring Jane's Addiction and Grave Goods, to the Universal Joint downstairs at the club Pearl Street in Northampton March 2. This will be an "all ages" event and doors will open at 7 p.m. Ticket information will be released later.