Bill O Writes

Long before Cheech Marin co-starred in TV’s “Nash Bridges” and several decades before Tommy Chong was a guest star on “That ’70s Show,” Cheech and Chong were two of the biggest comedy stars of the ’70s. The cannabis kids hit it big with “Big Bambu” and other comedy albums and “Up in Smoke,” among other popular movies.

America’s favorite drug duo, Cheech and Chong, brought their Get It Legal Tour (their second reunion tour since 2008) to the surprisingly smoke-free Cape Cod Melody Tent on July 11.

Tommy Chong’s wife, Shelby, opened the show with some drug humor and provided some support when the duo needed an extra voice. Some of her material was a bit past its freshness date (Michael Phelps’ bong photo; Sarah Palin’s view of Russia), but she also had some funny lines.

Shelby claimed smoking pot makes food taste better. “I know because Tommy thinks I’m a fabulous cook,” she said.

She and Tommy have two sons. “Tommy has got both the boys into farming. It’s not that big of a farm. It’s the size of a closet.”

After her 10-minute solo routine, Shelby introduced Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong and asked them some questions she’d collected from the audience.

Someone asked which was which, and they pretended like they weren’t too sure. Chong recalled being awakened in the middle of the night by Shelby saying, “Cheech, Cheech – Chong will be home any minute.” He shrugged and added, “I was halfway down the driveway before I realized I’m Chong.”

The pair used the classic “Dave’s Not Here” routine as a starting point for a newer skit showing Dave getting busted. It wasn’t as funny as the original material, but it gave the two a chance to revisit some favorite themes: the pleasure they get from marijuana and their frustration with anyone who wants to suppress what they see as a harmless substance. “It’s the little green flower that gives us the power” is one of their mottos, and they say they find support in the Bible, where God is referred to as “the most high.”

The duo devoted about half the show to musical bits, which featured appearances by some memorable characters: Basketball Jones, Blind Melon Chitlin and Alice Bowie. Cheech is limited as a vocalist, but he can sing well enough to get the punchlines across.

Chong, on the other hand, is a decent musician, as he proved in the role of ancient blues singer Chitlin. In the ’60s, Chong was part of Bobby Taylor & the Vancouvers, a group that signed with Gordy Records, an offshoot of Motown. Chong co-wrote “Does Your Mama Know About Me,” which was a hit for his group and later was recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes.

Between some impressive blues riffs on the guitar, Chitlin shared some of his life philosophies. “When you’re blind, there’s only two kinds of women: those that smell good and those that don’t. I love them both,” he said.

Many of the funniest lines, especially those by Cheech’s alter ego Red (from the movie “Cheech & Chong’s Next Movie”), are too R-rated to appear here. While the pace wasn’t as relentless as on their old comedy LPs, there were plenty of laughs over the course of the night. Whether or not Dave was around, it was good to have Cheech & Chong here.

Some highlights from the Cape Cod Rhythm and Roots Festival at the Cotuit Center for the Arts (July 10).

“I want to introduce the band before we continue the assault on tonight’s music,” Barrence Whitfield said midway through his set with the Monkey Hips. “Don’t be afraid to dance to any of these songs because they want you to.” I bought one of Whitfield’s LPs in 1984 or ’85, but it’s taken me until now to see him in action. My loss. On “Bip Bop Bip,” Go Ahead and Burn” and other originals and a cover of “I Put a Spell on You,” Whitfield showed himself to be an amazing soul man. Whether he was howling, screaming or crooning, Whitfield was riveting.

Cape-based band Tripping Lily has long been one of my favorite local bands, but they’ve taken it up a notch since I last saw them do a full show. The harmony vocals of Monica Rizzio and Demetrius and Alex Becrelis are still at the core of the quintet’s sound, which finds a thoroughly satisfying middle ground between pop and bluegrass. The recent addition of banjo player Gary Dawson enriches the group’s sound.

Randy & the Oak Trees is another Cape band that keeps getting better and better. The group combines Sun Studio rockabilly, Wanda Jackson’s sass and the Stray Cats’ playfulness. The rhythm section of Ron Siegel on stand-up bass and Liam Hogg with his loose swagger on drums provides a solid foundation. Guitar player Dave Harmon gives things some Blasters-style edge. Boom-voiced Randy McDonald and the charming Sarah Swain take turns on lead vocals. Just plain fun.

Danielle Miragila’s voice is a bit reminiscent of Bonnie Raitt’s, but Miraglia’s blues style is rootsier than Raitts’ and more rocking than Rory Block’s. Her cover of Bob Dylan’s “Meet Me in the Morning” – part Son House, part Black Keys – was one of the best moments of the day.

I remember seeing the Boogaloo Swamis about 15 years ago when they did some Mardi Gras shows at the community hall in Marstons Mills. The cajun/zydeco group is still one of Boston’s most entertaining bands. Mickey Bones is a maniacal frontman for the high-energy band.

Other performers: 3 Cats and a Dog, Crab Grass, The Mighty Houserockers, Les Sampou, The Boston Boys and Mwalim.

There’s a new entry on my list of favorite Cape bands.

I saw the Flakes, a quintet of mid-20s guys, perform recently at the Lost Dog in Orleans. I first caught the group when they performed two songs (covers of Christmas songs by the Ramones and Ronnie Spector) at a holiday fundraiser for the homeless last December and I was greatly impressed. When I finally had a chance to see them do a full show, they met my expectations (which were high).

The band’s sound is three parts Americana roots rock and one part New Wave. It’s a really cool mix that works perfectly on a bunch of well-chosen covers. The Flakes play songs by the legends, but for the most part they pick lesser-known songs, or at least songs that haven’t been played to death by other cover bands: “Lip Service” by Elvis Costello, “Hang Fire” by the Rolling Stones and “The Kids Are Alright” by the Who.

Most of the band’s songs date back to the ‘60s and ‘70s, which means the songs are older than the performers. I think Wilco’s “Outtasite (Outta Mind)” from 1996 is the most recent song I heard. The band pulls out some real gems: “Temptation Eyes” by the Grass Roots, “Fisherman’s Blues” by the Waterboys and “When I Write the Book” by Rockpile, among others. I’m guessing someone in the band has access to a really fine, vintage vinyl collection.

Part of what’s impressive about the Flakes is that they sound great, but their sound is hard to describe. They sound a little like early R.E.M. but faster. They sound like the Byrds but less twangy. They sound like early Elvis Costello but with a Cape Cod accent. They sound a little like Vampire Weekend but with the Afro-pop vibe subtracted.

It’s a mix that works well, even when the songs are a little more familiar (“Satisfaction” by the Stones, “Wild World” by Cat Stevens and “Shop Around” by the Miracles).

The Flakes will be back at the Lost Dog in Orleans on June 25, July 23 and Aug. 6 and 20. They also have some gigs coming up at Joe’s Bar & Grille in Orleans on July 9 and Aug. 13, and the Flying Fish Cafe in Wellfleet on July 16.

How do you like your soul music?

Old-school style? Aretha Franklin is a master of that, as she proved on “Chain of Fools.”

With a little bit of funk? Franklin can do that, as she showed with an energetic version of “Think.”

With a sexy R&B attitude? She can do that, too, as she demonstrated with a cover of “It’s Just Your Love,” a song written by Luther Vandross.

Franklin opened her June 18 show at the Cape Cod Melody Tent with “Respect,” the only one of her four dozen Top 40 hits to make it to No. 1 on the charts. It seemed like she was holding back a little on the song, and, sure enough, she apologized multiple times for being hindered by a cold.

No problem. If her voice was at 95 percent – or even 90 – of her late-1960s prime, she can still outsing any of today’s pop divas. Franklin may not have Mariah Carey’s range, but she has a hugely greater feel for how to use vocal showmanship to make an emotional point.

Franklin’s singing is aimed more at your soul than your ears. At times she stood with one hand resting on the piano, as if she needed just a little support to pour that much emotion into a song.

The Queen of Soul looked elegant in a black taffeta sleeveless gown with a long, ostrich-feather-trimmed train. A veil-thin scarf was draped over her arms and a string of fat pearls disappeared into her cleavage.

Franklin’ set list was a little heavy on ballads. The highlight among them was a cover of “The Way We Were.” Accompanying herself on the piano, she sang it with so much passion and made it so personal that you could easily forget that some other iconic singer (Barbra somebody?) once recorded it.

Another highlight was a cover of “New York, New York.” It takes some guts to sing that song in Red Sox country, but the crowd loved her gentle, jazzy version. When she sang “If I can make it there,” it was with a certain dreaminess, as opposed to Frank Sinatra’s cockiness, which helped make the song her own.

Late in the show she sang the opera aria “Nessun Dorma,” a song that she added to her repertoire after she filled in at the 1998 Grammy Awards with less than half an hour’s notice for the ailing Luciano Pavarotti. In concert a dozen years later, it’s still stirring stuff and compelling evidence that Rolling Stone magazine made the right choice when it placed her at the very top of its list of the 100 greatest singers of all time.

South Shore singer Les Sampou opened the show with a selection of songs from her new CD, “Lonesomeville.” Sampou is a blues singer at heart, but mixes things up by bringing in a folk sound on some songs and rocking out on others. Mark Cunningham, who added some standout slide guitar work on several songs, shared the vocals with her on “Lonely Nights & Lonely Days.” The joint vocals on the ballad emphasized the point that an ache in your heart is something that can befall anyone. Sampou showed a lighter, more playful touch with her closing song, “My My My.”

Sampou has played in just about every coffeehouse on the Cape, and it was good to see her connecting with a larger audience at the Melody Tent. She’ll perform Aug. 7 at the Cape Cod Rhythm and Roots Festival at the Cotuit Center for the Arts.

Toots Hibbert doesn’t take any time to build the pace when he hits the stage. The reggae legend ripped right into his best-known song, “Pressure Drop,” when Toots & the Maytals performed on June 5 at the Cape Cod Melody Tent.

“Pressure Drop” appeared on the 1972 soundtrack “The Harder They Come,” which introduced many American listeners to the Maytals. It provided an instant sing-along – “It is you-oo-oo, oh yeah-ah-ah” – at the Melody Tent.

The pace and energy rarely flagged for the rest of the 92-minute concert. The seats at the Melody Tent may have been the most underutilized chairs in town, as most people in the audience spent the entire show on their feet.

It was the last show of a U.S. tour, and Hibbert’s band showed all of the tight musicianship you’d expect from a stint on the road, but none of the nonchalance you might find on the last night. The highlight of the night was “Funky Kingston,” with its irresistible beat, one of the band’s most recognizable songs. The concert version is an extended jam, with most of the band members getting a turn to solo.

Hibbert’s thick Jamaican accent made the lyrics of the Kingsmen’s old garage-rock song “Louie Louie” even more indecipherable, but the message of John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” got through. Whether you’re from Jamaica, Hyannis or anywhere else, a longing for home is a universal sentiment.

While Toots & the Maytals is one of the world’s most prominent reggae bands, it’s easy to overlook that there’s a strong funk flavor to the group’s sound. Hibbert, who is 64, even showed a few James Brown moves on “Country Roads.”

More highlights: “Reggae Got Soul,” “54-46 Was My Number,” “Sweet and Dandy” and the always fun “Monkey Man.” During a newer song, “Light Your Light,” Hibbert invited the audience to help illuminate the arena. There were far more cell phones than lighters swaying in the air. Times change.

Opening the show was the Martha’s Vineyard-based musical collective Entrain, which played a 40-minute set. Entrain kicked things off by having all seven members jamming on percussion instruments. From there the band played songs that drew on all kinds of rhythms, pulling from the music of Africa, Jamaica and New Orleans, along with some Bo Diddley beats.

The guys in Entrain are a versatile bunch. New member Kose Yamaguchi plays saxophone and clarinet. Keyboard player Tony Falcetti picked up the accordion on a couple of songs. Sam Holmstock played congas on most songs, but also played trombone and washboard.

After 17 years, it’s good to see Entrain is not just surviving, but thriving.

The audience was a mix of boomers and young adults, as well as some boomers who were there with their teenage or young adult children. There was also a guy dressed as a pirate (or maybe he really is a pirate).

Faces in the crowd: Todd and Beth Marcus, owners of Cape Cod Beer; Joe and Bev Dunn, owners of the Island Merchant restaurant in Hyannis (nice to see them having a night off), Hyannis artist Meaghann Kenney and Little Beach Gallery owner Jen Villa. And was that expert baseball commentator Peter Gammons?

50 things I’ve learned

(some through experience, some through observation)

You meet interesting folks on the road less traveled.

If today feels like the worst day ever, the odds are really good that tomorrow will be better.

When you get wet, you eventually get dry.

When you get cold, you eventually get warm.

There aren’t too many things more fun than dancing with a bunch of friends.

A pint of Guinness goes well with just about anything.

Usually, you’re more in need of evolution than revolution.

When you work really hard, things seem to fall into place.

When it comes to exercise and cooking, there’s always a payoff when you try going a little farther than you’re used to.

Righty tighty, lefty loosey.

A broken heart never fully heals, but that doesn’t mean it has to break the rest of you.

Love is simple at first.

Then it gets complicated.

Then, if you’re really lucky, it gets simple again.

Playing with children always makes you feel better.

They like it, too.

Almost every guy looks likes a stud in a tux.

Almost every woman looks sexy in a little black dress.

My best advice for writers: All killer, no filler.

There’s no such thing as too much revising, but eventually you have to say, “I’m done.”

There’s nothing wrong with being a defensive driver.

Every generation thinks it invented getting drunk.

Whether it’s with family or friends, you have to have a sense of belonging.

If your gut is telling you that you should, you probably should.

If your gut is telling you that you shouldn’t, you definitely shouldn’t.

There’s nothing to cure the pain of the death of a loved one, so the best you can do is to live in a way that would make them proud.

There are few sounds better than an electric guitar, a canyon wren or a waterfall (just not all at once, please).

When playing poker, fold or raise.

But sometimes you have to switch gears.

There aren’t too many things that can’t be made better by some Pearl Jam.

For the rest, try some Rolling Stones.

After that, maybe some pizza will do the trick.

When all else fails, a walk on the beach should help.

In the age of the Internet, don’t do anything anywhere unless you’re OK with it being seen by everyone everywhere.

It’s not usually true that the smaller the bar, the better the band, but it’s usually true that the smaller the bar, the better the time you’ll have hearing the band.

Almost everyone on the dance floor is more concerned with whether they look dorky to be paying attention to how you look.

Even if you are the dorkiest person on the dance floor, you’re probably having more fun than anyone else out there.

It’s OK to call it an early night.

Good blueberry pie is hard to find, but it’s worth searching for.

Spending a couple hours hiking or paddling makes any day better.

A friend in need has friends, indeed.

When you really need a friend, you’re usually surprised who it is that shows up, but you’re sure glad they’re there.

Someday, today’s crisis will be just one more story you tell.

You don’t have to go very far to have a good road trip.

Eyes and ears open; mouth shut.

Don’t forget to breathe.

People who have no regrets have no morals, are forgetful or have been living too carefully.

Baseball is better on radio than TV.

You’re capable of more than you think you are.

The answer usually is not as elusive as it seems.

You pretty much know what you’re going to get when you see the lead guitarist in Groovy Afternoon — a long-haired guy wearing a fringe vest and a tie-dyed shirt.  A glance at the band’s logo — which uses two bare feet as the o-o in Groovy — confirms that it’s flashback time.

Unlike some cover bands, which focus on recent hits you’re tired of, Groovy Afternoon plays songs you never get tired of: no-dispute classics from the ’60s and ’70s. Last night’s show at Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub in Hyannis included “Paint It Black” by the Rolling Stones, “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, “Born to Be Wild” by Steppenwolf and a medley of the Who’s “Pinball Wizard” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again.”

Lead singer Christine Mascott gets help from three band members on backing vocals, but she doesn’t need it. Merging a voice reminiscent of Janis Joplin’s with Grace Slick’s stage mannerisms, Mascott is a compelling frontwoman for the quintet. Her husband, Paul Mascott, ably recreates the guitar work of Hendrix, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page. Tracy Ferrie, who played with Stryper,  is the most animated bass player I’ve ever seen, holding his instrument upside down on some songs and spinning in circles on another. Andrew Ianniello, a veteran of the local music scene who was one of the co-founders of 57 Heavy,  plays drums with just a notch less ferocity than Keith Moon. Rhythm guitarist Byrd helps give the band a full sound.

The band members have the confidence (or is it nerve?) and the skill to take on iconic songs and even extend the instrumental breaks on some of them. As for Christine Mascott, she’s got a classic rock voice that can handle covering songs made legendary by Roger Daltrey, John Fogerty and Lennon and McCartney. Early in last night’s third set she tore into “Ramble On,” a Led Zeppelin song that the band recently added it to its set list, with such passion that it was hard to believe she’d have anything left for the rest of the show. But she followed it up with covers of songs by CSN&Y, the Stones, the Monkees, Cream and the Guess Who.

If I have one quibble, it’s that “Ohio,” a CSN&Y song about the killing of four college students at Kent State in 1970, may be an important song of the era, but it’s a definite bummer as pub music.

The band has a bunch of gigs lined up for the summer, including some free, outdoors all-ages shows that are part of the Citizens Bank Summer Concert Series. As they said back in the day, far out!

Click here for a link to Groovy Afternoon’s web site and here for a link to the band’s Facebook page.

I mostly stick to pop culture, particularly music, on this blog site, but I just saw a video that I had to share. It’s gone viral, so maybe you’ve seen it already. Someone very dear to me died who might have survived had she been wearing a seat belt. Ever since, I’ve buckled up every time I get in a car, and so has every passenger who’s ever ridden in my car. If you have people who care about you, buckle up for their sake.

It’s been a bit over a week, so most Cape rock fans have heard by now that Suzanne Tonaire was let go by WPXC (Pixy), a longtime favorite of classic-rock fans. Suzanne’s “Homegrown” show was a great chance for local bands to get exposure on a major commercial radio station. Suzanne also boosted the local music scene by coordinating “The Cape’s Most Dangerous Band” contest, an annual battle of the bands that’s been won by 57 Heavy, Flydown and 6 Foot Sunday, among others.  The local music scene has had its ebbs and flows. Suzanne was always one of its biggest boosters. Things won’t be the same without her on the air.

It’s not all bad news. The Cape Cod Musican’s Social, a staple of the local scene in the early 2000s, is making a comeback. Cat Wilson, host of “The Cheap Seats,” a local-music show on WCIB, pulled together a show at 8:30 p.m. April 1 at Tommy Doyle’s Irish Pub, 334 Main Street, Hyannis. Performers will include Andy Milk, Meghan Trainor, Danny Lyons, Rob Carr (who coordinated the earlier shows), McCarthy & Legge, and Huxster, plus members of Incline & the Favela Family and Gold Star Boulevard. There’ll be a jam session at the end of the night.

And here’s a show that ought to be a killer: the debut of the Catbirds, the Cape’s newest supergroup. Combine Chandler Travis (of the Incredible Casuals and the Chandler Travis Philharmonic), Steve Wood (the Greenheads and Lester), Rikki Bates (the Casuals and CTP) and Dinty Child (Session Americana and CTP), and you have as fine a quartet as you could hope to pull together in these parts, or just about any parts you’d care to name. Showtime is 9:30 April 2 at Tommy Doyle’s in Hyannis.

Things are happening on Cape Cod. In addition to some fine established bands, newer groups such as Funktapuss, What Would Johnny Do? and Groovy Afternoon are tearing it up. Get out there and give them some support. And while you’re at it, raise a glass for Suzanne. Thanks, Rock Babe, for fighting the good fight! Hope to hear your voice real soon.

My buddy Dan started a Facebook page called Everybody Writes: 100 Words on the Word of the Day. I’ve been an inconsistent participant, but on the days I took part, I decided to revisit historical moments, telling a tale in as close to 100 words as I could get. Be advised: These are my fictional accounts of real events (in the case of a famous murderer, I changed the day of the big event, just to have a little fun).

March 10 (word of the day = giggle):

Buzz watched as Neil stepped from the ladder to the ground. “I should slam the door and hit the engine button,” Buzz thought. He couldn’t help but giggle at the image of a quickly shrinking Neil waving frantically in a thick cloud of dust.

“Why’d that stiff goody-two-shoes get to be the first one? Everyone’s going to remember him. I’m the afterthought who’ll be forgotten.”

But Buzz was a West Point man through and through. He’d follow the orders, every last one of them. What the hell? Being the second man to walk on the moon wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Feb. 5 (bitter):

“Hey, thanks for calling. What will I do next? People have been asking me that a lot the last few days. You, too, I bet. I’ll just hunker in for a while with the wife and the kids – catch up with some reading, watch some movies, maybe grow a beard just for the heck of it. Some people would be bitter, but that’s not my style. Yeah, things might have been different if you weren’t in the race, but don’t worry, Ralph. I’m not the type to hold a grudge. Tipper, on the other hand, you better steer clear of her.”

Feb. 4 (trick):

Someone was knocking at the door. She stopped and listened. Nothing. She went back to work.

Wait, more knocking. A loose wisp of hair tickled her nose, so she wiped her sticky fingers on her apron and tucked her hair back under her bonnet.

More knocking. Mother of mercy, what was going on out there?

Ax in hand, Lizzie walked to the front of the Borden home, threw open the door and saw three short figures on the doorstep: a fisherman, a nurse and a ghost.

The children shouted out, “Trick or …” and stopped, mouths open, eyes huge, as they stared at the warm blood dripping off the ax.

Feb. 3 (stand):

They were trying to get everyone gathered into the church tent, but there were too many people to fit in there all at once.

Two of the kitchen workers were lugging a big bucket into the tent. A guy with coke-bottle glasses tapped on the microphone and fiddled with a plug, as Rev. Jim stood behind the lectern, waiting for the right moment to speak. He looked agitated.

The pretty girl I liked, the one who worked as the nurse’s assistant, tapped me on an elbow.

“Don’t just stand there,” she said. “Hand out some of these paper cups.”