Manchester Underground Music and Art hosts a Save the Speakeasy benefit with the Carpenter Ants, Larry Groce, and friends, along with Chris Buhalis, for a night of soulful musical communion.
Save the Speakeasy with Manchester Underground Music and Art
Our friends at Manchester Underground Music and Arts and River Raisin Distillery used their monthly music series to help raise money to Save the Speakeasy and bring our friend Johnny Williams home. The show sold out in minutes, leaving just enough space for a few stragglers in the standing-room side of the stage.
If you aren’t familiar with the Save the Speakeasy campaign and the plight of our friend Johnny William, please take a look at our coverage from the first Save the Speakeasy benefit concert at the Art in January. In a nutshell, Johnny’s house burned down in 2022, and his insurance has failed to live up to the policy he purchased. The end result is a legal fight. To help Johnny in his fight, his friends and the local music community have joined together under the banner of Save the Speakeasy.
Chris Buhalis and Dave Keeney
Opening up the show was Chris Buhalis with Dave Keeney (Hoodang). Chris is a masterful songwriter and a true Michigan treasure. Your mileage may vary, but for me, Chris is a genuinely powerful storyteller. He is right up there with Bruce Springsteen and Townes Van Zandt. The impact of these stories is accentuated and elevated by his voice. It is a beacon on the shoreline drawing you into safe harbor. His clean and crisp arrangements allow the story to seep deep into your soul.
What made Chris’s performance tonight glow with a shimmering luster was the beautiful dobro playing by Dave Keeney. The slide on those guitar strings was a warm caress on a summer’s eve. At the end of this performance, I felt thankful to have experienced it.
The Carpenter Ants and Friends
If you are a goober like me, you might see that a band is from West Virginia and think – “Oh shit, it’s time for some hillbilly music.” I’ll be honest with you: I wasn’t familiar at all with the Carpenter Ants. Steve Girbach had sung their praises, saying they were an uplifting and soulful R&B band. What I heard is that this band is from West Virginia, and this is going to be a night of hillbilly music. Now, I love bluegrass and country-western, but I had a nagging fear of hours of Appalachian folk music. Not that there’s anything wrong with that style of music; it is just not my jam.
If you are familiar with The Carpenter Ants, then you won’t be shocked to learn that I was floored by the band as soon as they started. Steve had been telling me, and I wasn’t listening. Now my ears were open, and the love started to seep into every pore. If you are clueless like I was about The Carpenter Ants, they are Michael Lipton (vocals/guitar), Jupiter Little (vocals/drums), Ted Harrison (bass), and Mark Bates (vocals/keyboards).
An Evening with Friends
The Carpenter Ants were joined on this special evening by Jackson Smith (guitar), Jay Lapp (mandolin), and Larry Groce (vocals/guitar). You may remember Jackson playing guitar with Zachariah Malachi a few years back at Manchester Underground, or you know him as co-host of Song from the Trail (with Steve Girbach). Jay Lapp is a hell of a player, and you may know him from Steel Wheels. Finally, Larry Groce is a legend. Yes, I did pay attention here as Larry was the founding host of Mountain Stage, a West Virginia public broadcasting music show syndicated on NPR. Larry was the host for 38 years, turning over the reins in 2021.
Joyous, soulful, vivid, uplifting, and sensational are words that came to mind as I experienced this electric performance by the Carpenter Ants. They played with passion, radiating warmth and bliss. The vocal harmonies were pure magic.
While Jackson and Jay hadn’t played with the Carpenter Ants (at least in some time), you’d never guess it. With some cues from Michael Lipton, they blended in seamlessly. I personally would have been a wreck trying to keep up with these masterful players.
Larry Groce
Larry Groce joined the band during their second set. He has a clear and present voice that sounds comfortable and welcoming. He shared stories with each song, which helped frame them and give you some history behind them.
Remember when I said I was worried about hillbilly music? Well, the Carpenter Ants did a couple of Appalachian folk songs – “The Wild Hog” and “The Cuckoo.” They put their rhythm and blues with plenty of gospel feel into each song. In the end, I was hollering with joy. They capped off this excellent show with a song that Michael Lipton mentioned they typically played at the end of a show at Johnny’s Speakeasy called “All Night, All Day (Angels Watching Over Me).”
Celebrating Community
It was heartwarming to see a room full of live music lovers and supporters of Johnny Williams come out in force. While this show is a benefit to help a friend in need, it also celebrates the power of music and community. Many thanks to the awesome crew from Manchester Underground Music and Art, as well as the great team at River Raisin Distillery, for this musical opportunity.
Pictures
We’ve got a gallery full of pictures from the Save the Speakeasy benefit with The Carpenter Ants and Friends.
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