Richie Furay Blog

I am currently setting the stage and orchestrating the details for a site-seeing trip to Israel from Sept. 30th through October 12, 2010. I had initially opened up an invite to our friends on the Richie Furay email list and still have some spots available to join us on this trip.

I have not opened up one of my trips to Israel in the past but I felt led to open next years trip up to our friends out there who otherwise might not ever get an opportunity like this. This will only be open to a limited number of people; I have room for about 15 more people.

If you are interested in joining me for this exciting trip that will include travel to the Holy sites in Israel and also to the Rock City of Petra in Jordan please contact me at richie@calvarybroomfield.org and I can give you more information and refer you to the travel agent to get you booked for our trip.

Rock City Petra

This trip is a once in a lifetime experience and will fill up fast once it is opened up to a larger audience. If you are interested please respond with any questions or concerns.

I hope to get to meet some more of you real soon and please keep an eye out for exciting band news. We’ve just wrapped up a West Coast tour closing out on a show with Loggins & Messina at the Dodge Theatre in Phoenix.

Thanks for tuning in and please stay tuned!

RF

Yesterday Nancy and I drove up to Bethel Woods Arts Center (on the site of the Woodstock Festival) for a show I was doing with Poco opening for Loggins and Messina. We had a two hour drive that started out nice enough from our hotel in NJ but about ¾ of the way the skies blackened and then opened up with a massive thunder and lightening show. The GPS went out on the car and it was, as we say – always an adventure.

Once we arrived at the venue we had a tour of the Woodstock Museum (if you’re in the area, plan on it as a destination and enjoy the history of the time 40 years ago). I then did a live interview with my friend Pete Fornatale with a couple hundred folks in attendance. It was awesome.

Jeff Friedman image of Richie Furay and Paul Cotton

Sound check for the show was pretty much non-existent for Poco as things were understandably running behind time and, let’s face it, we were the opening act. We did what we could and then as they say – “flew by the seat of our pants” through an hour of music. It was fun and we had a good time and from what I’ve read and heard everyone else did as well. We didn’t stay around for the Loggins and Messina show as we had a two hour drive back to the hotel. We saw a fantastic shooting star on the way home – very nice.

Tonight’s show is in Holmdel, NJ and we’re getting ready to head out for another night of music.

RF

This morning I wrote in on the forum and wanted to share some other news with you here on the blog as well. This is exciting for me because I’ve been wanting to do this for quite some time now. Tomorrow, after church – Jesse, her husband Tom and I will be going to Nashville. We’re going to record some tracks for her which will be the beginning of a Jesse Lynch project.  She’s going to do Hard Country that Jack Sundrud wrote – as well as a song Aaron Sellen wrote called A Girl Like That and one Alan Lemke wrote for her called “Fallin’ Into Your Love” (these guys are talented).  We’re taking about eight songs with us for this trip, hopefully we’ll get six or seven of them done.  It’s an exciting moment for me even though I have no idea what’s going to become of it, but it was time to do it or stop talking about it.  I believe Jesse has talent that should be heard so we’re going to go to work on it.  Hopefully when we get back east this fall we’ll have a few of the songs ready share with you and give her a little more time in an extended set.  So that’s the news!  It’s going to be an exciting week for us!  We’ll keep you posted.

RF

You know I’ve been wanting to write some reflections on the Stagecoach Festival for several weeks now, but with all the other responsibilities I have I just didn’t have the time until now. I know it’s over a month since we played but I thought I’d just jot down some things that were special to me.

Poco was actually asked to play the year before when the Eagles performed but because the promoters wanted me to join in with the band (and I couldn’t commit because I had just had my 2^nd hip replacement), it was held off until this past April. As it turned out, it was a perfect timing that it happened that way – maybe it didn’t seem “perfect” at the time – but it was.

When the band was onboard and the date was set and Jimmy accepted the invitation it just seemed natural to reach out to Timothy. It was certainly going to be a “highlight” if he decided to join us and when he accepted everyone was very excited. I know when the word got out, Poco fans were beside themselves looking forward to the reunion.

There was a lot of preparation that went into making it happen with everyone busy with individual projects so we went about learning songs that none of us had played together before. But it all came together up in Santa Ynez where we got together for the first time in years. Timothy came up and joined us for the rehearsals and it was quite a reunion –old friendships were reaffirmed and new ones were established. We were all looking forward to the week ahead and especially that George Grantham was going to be there as well. It was during the rehearsals that Jack Sundrud told me he had been over to see George and he wanted to sing on “Pickin’ Up The Pieces”. If that could happen it was going to take our reunion to another level. After three shows (and a very long over night drive on JM’s bus) the week’s preparation was over and we were all gathered together in Indio for the reunion. All the anticipation and waiting was over and there we were, all on stage making music together that spanned 40 years – awesome. Not only that but George and Timothy sang on many songs no one anticipated – it was pure joy for all of us. (Had this happened a year earlier, it might not have happened.)

One thing about reunions – most of them come and go and for whatever reason something doesn’t click, there’s always drama. But I can certainly say (from my perspective and talking to everyone after it was over and just memory) this reunion was different – the music was good and it was played “from the inside”; but most importantly – the friendships were real and everyone really enjoyed our time together – both players and fans alike. It was probably just a moment in time that will never happen again but because it did – we sure had some fun and then some. Thanks to Paul at Golden Voice for making it happen.    

RF 

I think the fans at Wildwood lodge in Steeleville Missouri may have gotten a bit more than they had bargained for when they booked their weekend for two nights of the Richie Furay Band and POCO. This was the first time that Wildwood concert goers have seen the Richie Furay Band in it’s entirety. The trio (Richie, Scott and Jesse) have played there for the past couple of years giving a glimpse of the acoustic version of the RFB. However the band is “the band” and they are good for a reason!

Coming in right behind a pretty massive storm we were all blessed in our travels. There were major remnants of the storm still visible throughout the weekend like this road that flooded out on the river near where we stayed.

Aaron contemplates how he'll cross this road...

Here are what I think were the RFB set lists from both nights, according to Richie:

Friday Night:

Medley #2 (And Settlin’ Down, Hurry Up, Fallin’ In Love C’mon)

Just In Case It Happens

Callin’ Out Your Name

Sad Memory

Go and Say Good-by

Wake Up My Soul

Baby Why

Through It All

Just For Me And You

Crazy Eyes

Saturday night:

Crazy Eyes

Forever With You

On The Way Home

Real Love

Believe Me

Overflow

Medley#1  Flying on the Ground Is Wrong, Do I Have To Come Right Out and Say It, Nowadays Clancy ….

So Far To Go

Baby Why

Heartbeat Of Love

Richie With Poco:

Pickin’ Up The Pieces

Kind Woman

Child’s Claim To Fame

Good Feelin’ To Know

Honky Downstairs (2nd Night)

Richie, Paul Cotton and POCO play the HonkyTonk Downstairs

For the fans that made there way out to the small town where Rusty Young hangs his hat they witnessed something really special.

TL

5th Annual New Year’s Eve at Rock N Soul Cafe with Richie Furay

The Rock N Soul Cafe in Boulder Colorado hosted Richie Furay and his band for the fifth consecutive year as the headlining event to bring in the new year. Rock N Soul proprietors Sam and Sheryl Radenski set a great atmosphere for what turned out to be a bit of a rock history marathon. Richie and friends brought us through a veritable history of Richie’s past and present with a glimpse into the future of what’s is store for this talented gathering of musicians. Fresh off the independent release of the live album “ALIVE” The Richie Furay Band are sounding like a tight knit unit and most importantly are visibly having fun playing music.

Richie took on a tone of storyteller throughout the show with some great insightful tales and anecdotes that some of the most avid fans may not have even been privy to prior to this evening.

It was a great night for all the members of this talented group that Richie has gathered together which is more like a family unit than a band but in particular lead Guitarist Scott Sellen blew the crowd away as he tore through lick after lick with fluidity like a knife through butter. At one moment Sellen garnered a respectful comparison from Richie to Neil Young with his adept guitar prowess.

This was a great prelude of what Richie Furay and the band will have in store in this coming year ahead!

TL