Happy happens in Carson City. And those attending Concert Under the Stars, A Benefit for The Greenhouse Project headlined by WAR and its leader of more than 40 years, Lonnie Jordon, will have two women to thank when John Street adjacent to Café at Adele’s in Carson City, becomes a happy place of sorts July 9.
Growing up in Compton, Calif., Jordon may have spent more time listening to the old guys who were gathered on porches playing music than he should have, a fact he’s quick to say he’s not proud of.
“My school had an orchestra and a beautiful, perfectly-tuned piano that I wanted more than anything to play,” he said. But because his grades weren’t where they needed to be to allow his participation, Jordon’s playing of said piano was relegated to stolen moments before he would inevitably get caught and sent back to class or home.
“I was angry about that and so I spent a lot of time on the streets listening to the old men playing blues, bottles wrapped in brown paper bags and I knew it was booze – heck, you could smell it on them – and I also was at my grandmother’s where she would have people over to the house and they’d play gospel music, you know church folks,” he said. “And I loved it.”
Seeing this love for music and piano in him, Jordon’s mother eventually found him an old, hand-me-down, out-of-tune piano and brought it home.
“I just made do with what I had,” he said. “I found myself playing blues, R & B and country – Hank Snow, The Everly Brothers, Patsy Cline and I found I could go anywhere, play anything, people loved it and that’s what it still is today - universal street music.”
The world has reaped the joyous rewards of this legacy since 1969 when WAR hit the stage with its blend of blues, reggae, Latin and jazz with the hit song, “Spill the Wine,” followed over time by numerous other hits including “Why Can’t We Be Friends” and “Low Rider, ” which covers just the first few years of WAR’s history.
Today, WAR’s audiences are multigenerational reflections of parents passing on their passion for this universal street music to their children and the younger crowd realizing how the legacy of this band has helped influence performers and their music.
“Kids come up and they play alternative music or whatever, a lot of them have covered our music and they are sophisticated and smart,” Jordon said. “And because of all the technology available to them, they have found the lazy way out, ‘hey, I’ll have this robot play this for me,’ kind of thing, when the old musicians, we worked hard.
Making great music used to take a lot of work and hippies came together and leaned their heads on one another’s shoulders and supported one another, and while so many great things have come from all this technology, I believe computers have taken the place of community.
“Community and love is what matters, it’s what we do and seeing all those generations in the audience is a beautiful thing.”
Jordon continues to write songs that inspire and bring happiness and, he said, ideas for them come from anywhere.
“It could come from what I see, something that happens, a thought,” he said. “And I type it down, write it down, just get it down … could start with a title or a sentence, be a lyric or a melody, there’s no set way, but I gotta get it down.
“Remember also, the fans really write the songs, I just pick up the pen.”
Always finding ways to spread the message of peace and joy, WAR has recently taken “It’s Only Rock & Roll,” what Jordon describes as a movie- or Broadway-inspired show featuring Tower of Power and Cheech and Chong, on the road.
“It’s been a lot of fun, because we’re intermingling comedy and music,” Jordon said. “It is a happy place.”
The band was also recently nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, a fact that makes Jordon happy, but doesn’t drive what he and the band do.
“It is good to be thought of that way, absolutely,” he said. “But what really matters is the fans. I am a reflection of the fans who have allowed me to make music, who come to our shows and bring me to a happy place.”
Everyone is invited to visit WAR in their happy place during Concert Under the Stars and can visit www.wartheband.com to follow current happenings.
Premium tickets for Concert Under the Stars cost $60 and general admission tickets cost $40. For tickets, visit www.carsoncitygreenhouse.org or Café at Adele’s at 775-882-3353. Concert Under the Stars will feature both live and silent auctions, with proceeds from the latter going to support CHS’s FFA program. Creative Planters made by local notables will be available for bidding on.
Gourmet food trucks, one of which is Mama Saki’s, will provide healthy offerings.
For more information about sponsorship, call Karen Abowd at 775-232-8626. Café at Adele’s is located at 1112 N. Carson St., Carson City.