Safe Havens

Woodstock wonder: Richie Havens opened the iconic event and comes to Syracuse Oct. 21 for a free show at Onondaga Community College.

Although the spirit of Woodstock remains indelible—he appeared at the original site for the commorative events in August and recorded a new version of his on-stage improvisation “Freedom” for the movie Taking Woodstock —Havens’ post-Woodstock career has included movie and stage appearances, collaborations with other musicians, a busy schedule of tour dates, many of them in small, intimate venues, as well as charity and environmental work. His current CD, Nobody Left to Crown (Verve), includes originals and his personal spin on songs by Jackson Browne and Pete Townshend, among others.

Havens, 68, will perform a free concert at Onondaga Community College’s Storer Auditorium on Wednesday, Oct. 21, 7 p.m. For information and recommended reservations, call 498-2828.

Q. It’s hard to separate Richie Havens from Woodstock. Is that a problem for you?

A. Never. Not once. It’s this connection with people. Interestingly enough, by the time I got to Woodstock {laughs} I had done two major festivals. In 1966 I had done Newport, an audience of 9,000 people, and had recorded my first album. Woodstock was the largest audience that I had ever seen.

Q. You grew up in Brooklyn and got involved with doo-wop initially. How has the music scene changed since then?

A. I think Greenwich Village should be very happy that there is still that yearning to find something to play or to sing. Young guys still getting together to do that. Then rock’n’roll came in. All these young guys were playing rock instead of folk in cafes. That’s how I met Jimi Hendrix. He was playing uptown. I told him, “You need to go downtown.” The biggest change is beer instead of coffee {laughs}.

Q. You have recorded 28 albums, including many of your own songs. Do you have favorites?

A. Mixed Bag was my first in 1967. The two earlier albums were bootlegged, me trying to find a formula of songs that I could record later. I usually say the last one I wrote and recorded was the best one for me. I don’t sing for the entertainment, I sing for the internal forces, emotional forces. I’m not in show business since I got out of doo-wop; it’s the information business.

Q. You are usually described as a folk musician. Is that an accurate description?

A. I did sing some traditional folk songs between 1963 and 1967, songs a lot of other people did, some anti-war songs. To me it’s still about information {in the songs}. Only that has changed.

Q. You are an interpreter of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. What’s the attraction there?

A. He {Dylan} was one of the greatest poets that I ever heard. I came down to Greenwich Village for poetry. I didn’t play at that point. He was the epitome of a great artist and poet. The messages and the political impact was very clear. There were songs that Bob wrote that I sang. It took me eight days to learn {them}. He became two things in the end: a guy who could sing and tell you a story, capture your ear and teach you something. On the other hand he was a poet. He became a school to me. It was the same thing with the Beatles. It was clear information; they spoke the King’s English. And they wrote in the King’s English. I found such deep meaning in their songs. For instance on my first album it was “Eleanor Rigby.” I saw a homeless person when I learned that song.

Q. What other musicians have been influential in your music? Who do you listen to now?

A. I go back to the 1950s. Frankie Lyman and his brother Louie, some of the bands from the 1970s, Stevie Wonder, and James Brown. “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag.” There’s a brand new system going on here. All these guys became messengers.

Q. Do you pay attention to popular music today?

A. I don’t think I ever left listening to it all, from the 1950s when I started singing doo-wop until I got to Greenwich Village. The only thing for me was that I became educated and my playing became more sophisticated.

Q. You have been known to use an open tuning, and an energetic, percussive strumming as accompaniment. How does that work for you?

A. I still use that tuning. I haven’t learned any other. I used sing along in the audience to {folksinger} Freddie Neil {in Greenwich Village}. One day he gave me a guitar and said, “Here, go home and learn to play it yourself.” So I tuned it to a chord, and once I had that, I was able to sing any song any other folksinger could sing. I never thought about the rhythm; the guitar was my metronome. I never felt the need to learn a more conventional method. It’s on my Web site. Anyone can learn to play like I do. Move two fingers and I could play “In A Gadda Da Vida.” {Laughs.}

Q. What will you bring with you to OCC?

A. There will be two of us. I used to have a cellist, but I’ll have my guitarist, Walter Parks. He has feelings for everything from folk to jazz.

Q. What’s next for Richie Havens?

A. I can’t say that I’m going to change in any big way, because the biggest way is passing along information, learning from each other.