30 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY AUGUST 15-21, 2024 www.montereycountynow.com MUSIC “Music has never let me down,” says veteran San Francisco singer-songwriter Chuck Prophet, who notes that he and his wife met while playing music together. He’s excited about his new album, Wake The Dead, recorded with the Salinas-based Cumbia band ¿Qiensave?. Together, they perform at Folktale Winery on Aug. 21. The title is double-edged: Prophet came through a life-threatening diagnosis of Stage 4 lymphoma (and a couple of bouts with Covid). He did so with help from Latin rhythms that provided fresh inspiration. “During the pandemic, I did a radio show from my apartment and got into Cumbian music,’’ Prophet adds. “There’s also a lot of psychedelic Cumbia music, young bands coming out of Mexico and Texas.” He first heard ¿Qiensave? when they were doing a soundcheck in his Mission District neighborhood. “My manager said, ‘You’ve got to hear these guys,’” he recalls. “I listened to them play, and it was glorious. So I asked if they wanted to jam sometime and they said, ‘Sure—come on down. A lot of us live in this big house in the farming community where we can play as loud as we want.’” A standout track, “Sally Was A Cop,” co-written with Alejandro Escovedo, addresses the damage done by Mexican narco cartels with dark humor. “The socialites and psychopaths are dancing with each other/from the crooked politicians to the mercenary lovers.” Prophet, who took on Donald Trump in an earlier song, “Get Off The Stage,” has some choice words for Elon Musk in a new tune, “In The Shadow (for Elon).” “These tech guys—Peter Thiel, Elon—have got some growing up to do,” he muses. “[Musk] should be required to take ballroom dancing lessons.” The last cut, “Good To Be Alive,” celebrates his recovery in plainspoken verse. “I love the mundane, like [poet] Miller Williams, Lucinda’s father,” Prophet says. “Can’t wait for Kamala and Tim Walz to move into the White House. I wonder who they’ll name Poet Laureate?’’ Gigging with ¿Qiensave? adds a secret sauce to Prophet’s already eclectic repertoire. “The sound is a little more working-class,” he says. “It’s not meant for people sitting in their rooms.” Chuck Prophet and ¿Qiensave? 6pm Wednesday, Aug. 21. Folktale Winery, 8940 Carmel Valley Road, Carmel Valley. $50. 293-7500, folktalewinery.com. KORY THIEBEAULT Prophetic Sounds A musician finds a new lease on life through cross-cultural collaboration. By Paul Wilner The release date for Wake The Dead is not until late October, but you can check out the title track video at chuckprophet.com now, or hear him live at Folktale Winery. FRESH. LOCAL. TASTY. Fisherman’s Wharf FRESHEST SEAFOOD with PANORAMIC VIEWS Open Daily at 11:30am • At the end of Fisherman’s Wharf #1 www.rockfishmonterey.com • 831.324.4375 VIDEO game ARCADE game repairs and mods used games and more ARCADE SHOP 2 PLAYER 398 FOAM ST. STE A, MONTEREY SAT/SUN 12-9 W-F 2-9 (831)324-0669 2playerarcade.com 2playerarcade new fall arrivals carmel plaza carmel-by-the-sea (831)625-8106 shirting outerwear sport coats trousers leather and more!
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