Wednesday’s Valhalla Boathouse show is positively Loud as Folk.
Punk rock luminaries Vic Ruggiero, Lauren Napier and Kepi Ghoulie will perform with host Spike McGuire, an event that was postponed a year ago due to nearby wildfires.
“I thought we missed our only chance to get those three stars but somehow we did it again,” said McGuire, who will bring his Reno based monthly acoustic anthology to Valhalla Tahoe for the second time.
“With Loud as Folk, you never know exactly what it’s going to be and that even extends to me,” McGuire said. “Vic and Lauren and Kepi are all very close friends and have been for a long time so I made a point of leaving the format of this show open.
“There are so many shared characteristics between punk music and folk music, the chord structures, lyrical content and the focus on community.”
Beat Generation-inspired Ruggiero is best known for his New York City ska and soul band The Slackers, which has a new album, “Don’t Let The Sunlight Fool Ya” high on the charts. It’s such a singular achievement that Billboard has qualified The Slackers as a “New Artist,” reminding folks to never trust a magazine to define a band over 30 years old.
Formed in 1992, The Slackers brought an edge to the popular happy-go-lucky ska movement, with messages more in line with conscious reggae. The band toured with Bay Area punks Rancid, a group with which Ruggiero later played and recorded.
Ruggiero often has performed with Napier, a songwriter, model and journalist.
Ruggiero and Napier recorded Volume 6 of McGuire and Greg Gilmore’s Loud as Folk Record Club sessions during Covid’s live show lockdown.
“(Napier’s) a very cool renaissance woman with all sorts of artistic pursuits,” McGuire said.
Kepi Ghoulie is the constant member of horror-movie inspired band the Groovie Ghoulies.
“The Groovie Ghoulies have cult-status fame,” McGuire said. “Kepi’s a ball of energy who writes really fun songs. His favorite band of all time is the Ramones and that definitely comes through in his songwriting.”
Valhalla notes: After a reduced 2021 season, Valhalla Tahoe is in full swing. The Tahoe Improv Players perform Tuesday, Aug. 2 in the Boathouse Theatre. There will be Wednesday night Boathouse shows every week in August … The parking area is expanding from 32 to 73 spots. The project is scheduled for completion on Aug. 25. … On Sunday, Red Dirt Ruckus played upbeat brass-grass music on the Grand Lawn. The ensemble, the core of which formed at New Mexico State University, contains a tuba and trumpet along with violin, acoustic guitar, electric bass and a drum kit. The original songs have a familiar flavor, even to first-time listeners, and are highlighted by bassist Dan “Mad Monk” Abbott, whose vocals are outstanding. His jokes are OK. … The performance was delayed twice by rain. The large, local audience was undaunted, and most stayed for the entire show. … Accustomed to replacing a snowblower’s shear pin in a blizzard, packing and evacuating due to a wildland fire and even waiting so long for a slow-moving intersection sidewalk project to be completed that The “Y” advances to a “Z,” South Lake Tahoe folks have no issue with hanging out until a rainstorm passes.
-Tim Parsons
Loud as Folk: Lauren Napier, Vic Ruggiero, Kepi Ghoulie, Spike McGuire
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 3
Where: Valhalla Boathouse Theatre, Tallac Historic Site, South Lake Tahoe
Tickets: $35 LINK
