Up & Coming Weekly

8 UCW OCTOBER 14-20, 2009 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM "What the people need/Is a way to make 'em smile/It ain't so hard to do if you know how…" * And The Doobie Brothers will bring that musical know-how to Fayetteville on Saturday, Oct. 24, at 8:00 p.m. at the Cumberland County Crown Theater. The sure-to-be-a-high- energy show, part of an 80-date tour across the U.S., Canada and Japan, kicks off the 2009- 2010 Community Concerts series, now in its 74th season. Tickets are $22-$36. Let's face it. Many folks look forward to retirement after 30 or 35 years on the job. But after nearly 40 years of creating and playing their signature sound, worldwide sales of more than 50 million records, 27 chart singles, 16 top-40 hits, two number-one hits, 13 Gold albums, 11 multi-Platinum albums, a Diamond Award for the sale of 10 million units of Best of the Doobies: Vol. 1, multiple Grammy awards, and performances to countless sellout crowds over the last four decades (deep breath), The Doobie Brothers are still, in a word, busy. "That's a fact," said original band member Tom Johnston in a recent phone interview from California. In addition to the tour, which started in May, the band returned to the studio to record their fi rst disc of original material in over 10 years, reuniting with Ted Templeman, who produced all 12 of their classic Warner Bros. albums. "We've basically done 95% of the recording," Johnston said. "A few songs have been mixed and actually been shopped in Japan for international marketing. We came back from doing the better part of two weeks in Japan, and now we're going to go out for a little over two weeks." That leg of the tour brings the Doobie Brothers to Fayetteville, fronted by co- founders Johnston and Pat Simmons on guitars and vocals, along with John McFee on guitar and original drummer Michael Hossack. The core lineup is assisted by Skylark on bass, Guy Allison on keyboards, Mark Russo on saxophone and Ed Toth on drums. Fans will no doubt rock out to hits like "China Grove," "Black Water," "Long Train Runnin'," "Takin' It to the Streets," "Jesus Is Just Alright" and of course, "Listen to the Music," as well as a sampling from the new disc to be released in the fi rst half of 2010. And just what can one expect from the new recording, which features brand-new material by Johnston and Simmons and has been described by Johnston as "stretching out into some new territory"? "Well," said Johnston, "speaking personally, I've written two or three songs on keyboards rather than guitar, and that's one of the big differences. Stylistically, it's different, especially for those songs. There are some style differences even on a couple of the guitar tunes that are not something that we would normally do or places we would normally go, and actually, that's been a breath of fresh air for me. It's kind of been fun." And it's that exploration and musical diversity that partly fuels the band's remarkable success and longevity. "The band's basically a combination of several different styles," Johnston said. "I call it 'American Band,' not to sound corny or trite or anything else. It seems like the most viable description. It utilizes everything from R&B and blues to bluegrass to Travis picking, which is also known as fi nger picking, to almost Hawaiian in some spots, to you name it. The band incorporates just a lot of styles—and the rock and roll of course." Still, 40 years is more than a good, long time in the music industry. The band's present incarnation is 20 years old, but Johnston and Simmons have worked together since 1969. Maintaining such a successful musical career over four decades is a testament not only to the appeal of The Doobie Brothers' music, but also the energy and excitement of the band's concert performances. "We've been very fortunate in that respect. We've had a lot of radio play, and the crowds are still showing up at the shows," said Johnson. "We just enjoy what we do. We have a good time on stage. To me, that's imperative. If you're not having a good time, I don't think you should be up there. I really don't because I think you're cheating the crowd if you're not having a good time 'cause they're expecting to be not only entertained, but to be taken to another level. That's our job. That's what we do. "Keith (Keith Knudsen, who was the drummer for the Doobie Brothers from 1974- 1982, rejoining the band in 1993, died in 2005) had a saying that I thought just summed it all up beautifully. 'We get paid for the 22 hours it takes to get to the gig, and we play for absolutely nothing.'" Visit one of the many fan blogs and reviews of the band, and one will discover a passion for a band never holds back, giving its all in every performance, no matter what the venue. "The crowd is the crowd," Johnston said. "The reaction you're looking to elicit from the crowd and the show you're looking to give them is the same no matter where you're doing it." And the Doobie Brothers––what do they take away from each performance? "Oh, that's an easy one to answer," said Johnston. "What I personally take away and I would guess everybody else takes away is the satisfaction of watching a crowd get up and have a good time. That is very gratifying. I mean, to get people up and excited and moving and involved and clapping and singing along with you is really gratifying." Doobie Brothers fans old and new won't want to miss this opportunity to "listen to the music." Tickets are available from the Crown Center or online through ticketmaster. For more information, call (910) 438-4100 or visit www.crowncoliseum.com/events.aspx. Community Concerts is an all-volunteer, nonprofi t arts organization whose sole mission is to bring the fi nest in top-notch entertainment to Fayetteville. For more information or to purchase a Season Membership, please call (910) 323-1991 or 433-4670. *"Listen to the Music," Tom Johnston ©1972, 1973 Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp. All Rights Reserved Still "Rockin' Down the Highway" The Doobie Brothers Bring Four Decades of Music to Fayetteville by KAREN POPPELE Beginning Teacher of the Month Beginning Teacher of the Month Congratulations to Jessica Brown Beginning Teacher of the Month for Cumberland County Schools Nominated by Assistant Principal Karen Bridges Jessica Brown is a fourth grade teacher at Stedman Elementary School. Miss Brown is in her third year of teaching. She was raised in the Stedman community and attended the Cape Fear district schools. Jessica is a proud graduate of East Carolina University with a BS in Elementary Education. Jessica recognizes her grandmother as the nurturer for their family when she was young. Her Granny had such a strong in- terest in Jessica and her little sister; she put them fi rst. Jessica feels that her love and interest for the children refl ects what she learned from one of her biggest fans - her grandmother. Jessica's biggest revelation as to why she want- ed to become a teacher came to her when she was helping her younger cousin with her times tables. She gave her a trick to help her memorize her 9 times tables. It was a simple concept; however, when her cousin fi nally understood, Jessica's feelings of ac- complishment made her want more. She wanted to be a teacher. Miss Brown is enthusiastic about life and relates her positive energy to her students daily. Jessica believes there is no greater feeling than being in front of her class. Jessica and her students are a team. Sponsored by: Federal Transition to Teaching Grant and

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