Carrie Potter Devening - Author of For Music's Sake
July 2013
Special Feature
From Carrie:
"For Music's Sake is essentially a music history book. But more than just a way to share & document a time or place where significant "super star" artists of today began, its my attempt to say what you and the rest of the ones like us are saying. That breaking genre barriers,and giving every artist a fair chance is the only way to move forward and stay creative. The story in my book reveals a group of kids of all ethnical and musical backgrounds coming together to invent art of all types during the worst time of civil unrest the world has ever seen and against all social norms. What they did was amazing. The sound and music movement resulting from their coming together rocked the nation, and eventually the world.(considering the massive amount of impact the players from the club have had collectively) all because of a mind set, an attitude,and a creative explosion set in motion in 1968 by my grandfather and his wife Margaret. My grandfather's story, and the immense success of his efforts, are a strong testament to what is possible to achieve thru Hip Rock and other organizations that keep this same attitude alive. It is my hope that readers are inspired by the book to go out and do the same thing you are already doing in their own communities be it art, poetry,theatre, or music. I hope you feel the same way about my book!"
With that, I began in quiet anticipation of receiving the book through the mail. I went about my days doing what I do and finally that day came. So I quieted myself, propped myself up on the broken loveseat in the living room where I'm staying and took my first steps into music history. And after I present to you my review we'll read Carrie's bio to get a glimpse of what this beautiful, artistic writer really is about!
This month I'm going to give you a special treat. The lovely Carrie Potter Devening comes from a creative, artistic and musical family whose roots go, well, at least to the 1920's. Here I am going to give you a book review on a quaint club in Ausbury Park written, designed and produced by Carrie. Then, I'm going to post her excellent bio so you can get a feel from her. I actually contacted her personally to take on the task of giving you a first hand look at who Carrie is and why you should care about this book!
To order your copy of this finely crafted piece of art and historic non fiction head to - http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000411026/For-Musics-Sake.aspx
Long ago in a galaxy far, far away... wait. Wrong story. Decades ago on a shoreline not so far away (Jersey Shore) is an area that musicians from back in the 60's would probably recall if they were travelers. In Asbury Park there was a unique set of venues, the Upstage Club and the Green Mermaid Café. These venues were very special because they catered to young musicians not of age as well as others. This was due, mostly at first to Tom and Margaret Potter.
Carrie Potter Devening pens this historic tale that describes this bustling after hours club where musicians could come in and just play whatever they wanted to. Musicians would even switch off so others could play. And it was catchy. Others who really benefited were young teens. There was no age limit for playing and the club stayed open after others closed. This was awesome!
Don't believe me? There's hundreds of people who would support that statement. I'm not just talking about the thousands of locals who made these clubs part of their every day life. Even many celebrity musicians such as Bruce Springsteen, the future E Street Band Members, and many others checked these places out.
Currently, there is an effort to restore these historical buildings and the purchase of the book is one way to help out. Music consumers need to band together to rally for this preservation project in full support of Carrie's story and this great idea. But what kind of book is this for outsiders?
When I first received this book I was impressed with its thickness. It was heavy, indeed. As I turned through the pages for a quick glimpse, the art style was fantastic. It wasn't a typical layout. In beautiful historic fashion many pictures of the celebrities and common folk that went to the club in its heyday were spread throughout. Plenty of Tom Potter's artwork was present with interesting photos and tasteful nudes (Not the XXX kind). Plus, pictures of the way things looked around the shoreline, the club itself, and newspaper clippings were plentiful. It was a great nod to the difference between then and now. This was definitely going to be awesome, I was sure of it!
The book starts out telling the reader that it is, in itself, a piece of art, much like one of Tom Potter's incredible abilities. This I already knew from the amazing look of the cover and the variety of classic artwork photos contained within. Carrie also lets you know it's not a chronological story but uniquely structured to give the feel of authenticity and enough interesting tidbits for coffee table conversations. It was set up to let you know valuable rare pieces of information on why this place is so important to music history and the town of Asbury Park. Next, she lets us in on some awesome charity organizations that provide services reminiscent of what the club once inspired. Some of these founded by the same visitors who graced the original upstage club,and that her grandparents would be proud to participate in. One of those, Musicians On Call, goes around bringing music to the bedside of hospital patients and another one is Dr. Phil, who helped shine the light on Urban Entertainment Institute. She began and ended the book with an emphasis that the whole world wide music community is pretty focused on rejuvenating this city by the sea and its stationary music icons. This combo of information made me excited to continue further.
As I began, unlike the opening statement, there was a chronological order. This was appropriate though as I might have been lost without it. It tells of mostly Tom Potter and explains his interest in art, beauty school, a brief about the military and includes details of his life in those areas and more. It also tells of the meeting of his love and how they combined forces to bring ideas to life, eventually resulting in the Upstage Club and Green Mermaid Café. Margaret had a popular band and, well, I'll let you read about how this all came about.
This, I suppose, is where I was first torn. For a book about the Upstage Club it seemed more of a tribute to Tom Potter than anything. While he was an interesting man and the warming up to him being likable was great it had a documentary flair that began to get a little boring. Soon, however, it transitioned into mostly about the two clubs.
This is where things got more interesting in a different way. Instead of Carrie actually writing the book it's as if a wealth of Upstage Club regulars took over. There were many pages of quotes from a variety of supporters of the clubs who were around during the 3 or 4 years that the clubs thrived. This provided awesome angles you don't get much in other historic stories. It also provided variety as each of these many interviews went back and forth talking of their memories of Tom ,memories of the club, and of course the amazing music. I can only imagine the amount of personal work Carrie went through to gain this information. It was easy to tell that this book came about over a course of nearly a decade of research, interviews and many wonderful conversations. Lucky girl!
In the end, I was impressed with the overall read. If you're into historical information about what life was like back when rock music became stronger and when young people were able to stand out, this story is for you. If you'd like to hear of a focused, artistic man with a passion for having dreams come true and touching people’s lives, this is for you. If you were looking for more of a story that had a deliberate outline and remained as a typical documentary you won't find it easily. This sets the book apart. Combined with the artwork and design this is a solid hit!
To recap, it's featured in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I believe this should be in a classic rock history lovers' book collection. Even if you didn't live in Asbury Park it really is like listening to seasoned musicians, and happy seniors talking about the good old days when music and creativity went hand in hand. Life sure is different today than it was back then. I'd love to see something like the Upstage Club and the Green Mermaid Café exist today. But let's face it, we are different people now and this golden generation has gotten away from us. With any luck, maybe these important buildings can be renovated and breathe fresh air into a musical generation where talent, creativity and brotherly love has a reputation for being mostly missing. If you agree, buy your book or download it today at this link:
http://bookstore.authorhouse.com/Products/SKU-000411026/For-Musics-Sake.aspx
Be sure to go Like and Share the For Music's Sake Facebook Page, and Follow it on Twitter to keep up with the progress! Good luck Carrie, and bravo on a job well done!
Daniel C. Morrison - Hip Rock Magazine
About the Author
Hi. I'm Carrie! Not to be confused with Harry Potter (he's no cousin of mine!) Or the movie 'Carrie', although sometimes I do have a temper, and yes, my friends say I AM just like the character Carrie from Sex and the City. Only prettier (yes, like the Miranda Lambert song.) Mostly I'm just really creative,& love to have fun and rock n roll. (yes just like the songs)I have devoted my life to several things.
First, being a diligent bible student and teacher. Second, wife and mother. Third, sharing a huge wealth of memorabilia left to me by my grandfather with the music loving world. And more than occasionally I volunteer to refinish, faux finish, redecorate, photograph, paint, write, or create whatever artsy needs my friends, family, or clients present. I tend to be like "I love Lucy", in that I get myself into some crazy situations that are funny and downright hilarious. (For example: one time, I made a funny half joking remark on a friend's facebook page about volunteering to be an emergency model in a bridal show. The next day I was fitted and strutting the catwalk for the first time in my life!)
I was raised to love nostalgic music and tv. So albeit I'm an 80's baby, I can probably name bands, songs, or stars like a pro grandparent. And since my parents are 50% south, and 50% north, I'm still a young whipper snapper, my interests in media vary from classic rock to classic country ,to modern rock and New age country. But don't forget, my grandfather, the one that inspired the book, also instilled a love of poetry, opera, and symphonic classics as well. I actually play the flute (not as much as I would like, busy mom here). And I can hold my own to carry a tune. I was raised in the country and I still live in the boondocks where I'm currently raising my babies with my husband and high school sweetheart. So I'm not scared to touch a fish, shoot a gun, catch a chicken, throw together some southern soul food, or go on an impromptu overnight river trip in a canoe with a cooler and my sparkly flip flops. That about sums me up or at least what I'm willing to admit to anyways.
I really enjoyed putting the book together. It has been in my creative storage since I was born. Although I never saw the struggle that is namely marketing coming. It's one thing to write or create an awesome work. It's a whole other story letting people know it exists.
All through my childhood I could tell I had something special on visits to my grandparents. I just didn't know what to do with it. I would always think to myself, "this family history cannot be normal." Then, when I turned 21, I realized how many books were out on the subject, and my past in art, and yearbook in high school came flooding together to start this project. I had to do it from scratch. No one could or would tell me step by step how to do it. I relied on my junior high teachers turned adopted parents for resources. Together we made this thing materialize. We used Google to research and made our own rules since we couldn't find any. I looked at the other coffee table books out. I used them as references for font size, technical layout do's and don'ts and then did what I thought was cool.
I have always envisioned the building being saved, reopened, and operated exactly as it once was to the benefit of today's budding music generation. I hope that people everywhere get inspired to open small businesses that provide safe and healthy venues, tools, and environments for young people to be creative. The upstage club was like Rock of Ages meets School of Rock meets American Graffiti. Mark my words, one day there will be an amazing movie about it. You can't make this stuff up. It's truly a gem. It's only a matter of time before the right person gets wind of the story, history, and people of this place.
Hip rock magazine is one of the things I hope this book and whatever stems from it empowers. The publication is very much an example of what the upstage supported, originality and creative expression. I am so grateful that the editor took the risk and read the book. And in true Carrie fashion, I volunteered to help anyway I can, so you might just be seeing a few articles in future issues, by yours truly!
