a dream line up for a benefit..... hhhmmmmmm...

Robert Earl Keen, Greg Brown to play concert to help high school sports Posted: Monday, Aug 18th, 2008BY: TODD GUILDWhen Watsonville High principal Murry Schekman took a look at the massive cuts facing Pajaro Valley Unified School District sports programs, he decided he would tackle the problem head on.He enlisted the help of KPIG disc jockey “Sleepy” John Sandidge, who founded Snazzy Productions, a music promoting organization.Snazzy was in the midst of planning its 25th anniversary celebration, and Sandidge had lined up Americana Music powerhouses Robert Earl Keen and Greg Brown for an October show.“We’re pretty proud we survived for 25 years,” Sandidge said.After negotiations between Schekman and Pajaro Valley High principal Frank “Pancho” Rodriguez, a portion of the proceeds from the show will now go to sports programs at Pajaro Valley and Watsonville High schools.Schekman spearheaded the “$86,000 Committee,” to help raise the amount cut from PVUSD school sports programs last spring after the board of trustees was forced to cut about $8 million districtwide.If not somehow funded, the cuts could force the schools to lose their assistant coaches and curtail some sports programs“We’re not going to stop until we’ve raised $86,000,” Schekman said.Schekman joked that he is considering singing a song in the show with Rodriguez, possibly with one of the performers.“Pancho is a good singer, and he’s concerned about singing with me,” laughed Schekman. “But too bad.”The concert will mark the first time Brown and Keen have played together, virtually guaranteeing the show will quickly sell out, organizers say, despite a sluggish economy that Snazzy’s organizers say has been slowing ticket sales.“It was sort of a miracle they were both available on the same day,” Sandidge said.Brown, who on Friday was traveling to Lyon, Colo., to perform in a folk festival there, said he is excited to share the stage with Keen.“I’ve never played with Robert, but I think it should be a good show,” he said during a phone interview.Brown said that when Sandidge asked him to do the show, he readily agreed. He hadn’t heard the funds would be going to high school sports, but the news pleased him. Instead of discussing the upcoming show, however, he wanted to talk politics. He had strong words for the Bush administration, which he blamed for schools across the U.S. being under-funded“Hopefully we’ll get someone else in there,” he said, in his mellow, lilting baritone voice. “Their level of stupidity has been astounding.”Brown has performed in the Santa Cruz area several times over the years, and said he usually gets a place by the beach, where he walks and writes.Brown added that he is currently working on a new album that combines songs and the distinctive storytelling for which he’s known.“I’ve got several things on the stove,” he said. KPIG is also gearing up to celebrate the 499th broadcast of its live Sunday show, “Please Stand By.” The show will be open to the public in the station’s parking lot on Oct.12.Why celebrate the 499th show?“We’re KPIG,” laughed Sandige. “We don’t celebrate the way everyone else does.”•••••••••••••••••••••••••••(Published in 8/18/08 edition)