JN Entertainme
From Grass Roots To Rusted Root
from Celtic folk and — in the case of a tune like
"Food and Creative Love" — from rock bands
such as Talking Heads.
The group's ascent has also followed a Dead-
like, grass-roots approach. Formed during 1990,
Rusted Root released an independent album,
Cruel Sun, that sold more than 20,000 copies =-
thanks to diligent touring around the country.
The group also has its own mail-order mer-
chandise company, selling T-shirts, stickers and
other memorabilia.
Rusted Root and Joan Osborne perform at
7:30 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 3, at the State Theatre,
2115 Woodward, in Detroit. $15.00 general ad-
mission. All ages. Call (313) 961-5450. III
rope, and it spent the summer opening for the
Allman Brothers.
In the meantime, Rusted Root has been
pegged as one of the heirs apparent to the Grate-
ful Dead. That's not bad, considering the group
hails from Pittsburgh — a city associated more
with steel, football and gritty hard rock.
But Rusted Rootworks in the loose, rhythmic,
improvisational style of the Dead and kindred
spirits such as the Dave Matthews Band, Phish
and Blues Traveler. Like the Matthews Band,
Rusted Root works with mostly acoustic instru-
ments — guitar, flute, harmonica and a formi-
dable battery of percussion. Its polyrhythms swirl
under chorale singing and melodies that draw
hirling around the stage in their
scarves, bandanas and other gyp-
sy fashions, the seven members
of Rusted Root look like some
neighborhood band. You can almost imagine the
scenario: a couple of accomplished musicians •
write some songs together, then get their bud-
dies to come in and bang on tambourines, con-
gas, bongos and anything else that makes a
racket.
The result for Rusted Root has been a ma-
jor-label debut album, When I Woke, that has
sold more than 700,000 copies. The group opened
for former Led Zeppelin frontmen Jimmy Page
and Robert Plant in the United States and Eu-
W
This Weekend's Best Bets
20th Annual
Potters Market
The largest pottery show in the
country, sponsored by OCC.
Fri., 10 a.m.-8 p.m.
Sat., 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Sun., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
876 Horace Brown Drive, Madi-
son Heights. Dec. 1, 2 and 3.
(810) 544-4974.
Violinist
Maxim Vengerov
joins the Detroit
Symphony Orchestra.
Orchestra Hall.
Dec. 1 and 2.
(313) 833-3700.
Tom Chapin
Family concert for
ages 3 and older.
Music Hall Center,
Madison Ave. at
Brush, Detroit.
Dec. 2 and 3.
(313) 963-2366.
Sat., 11 a.m.
Fri., 10:45 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Sat., 8:30 p.m. Sun 5 2 p m .
I
.
The Bridge
Ensemble
Special perfor-
mance in honor of
Sunday,
3:30 p.m.
the 50th anniver-
sary of the
American Jewish
Committee. Tem-
ple Beth El. Dec. 3.
(810) 646-7686.
Royal Oak
Jam with
Peter
Himmelman
Sponsored by Fed-
eration's Young
Adult Division. 21
and over. Dec. 7.
(810) 642-4260.
Thursday 5
8 p.m.
For The Week's Best Bets See The Calendar On Page 84
INSIDE:
tri\T
ENTERTAINMENT
YAD presents Peter Himmelman.
page 78
Pewabic Pottery goes Israeli. page 88
STOMP, rattle and roll. page 90
Reviews, Eye Spy,
Best Bets and more.
77