“It’s a Good Feelin’ to Know” Richie Furay LIVE! at the Tabernacle

By Spotlight Central. Photos by Love Imagery

Mount Tabor is a 19th century village located in the hills of northwestern New Jersey. Established in 1869 as a Methodist summer camp meeting ground, Mount Tabor is now a full-time residential community. Filled with gingerbread Victorian cottages, the town is also home to several historic buildings, notably the Tabernacle, which was erected in 1885 and is still used to host large community events. For over twenty years, this historic structure has been the setting for an ongoing live concert music series called At the Tabernacle.

The list of past At the Tabernacle performers reads like a who’s who of the music industry and includes such well-known artists as Roger McGuinn, Melanie, Southside Johnny, Shawn Colvin, Aaron Neville, Loudon Wainwright III, Buster Poindexter, David Bromberg, and many more. In 2009, the band, Hot Tuna, even recorded a live album at the Tabernacle.

On Saturday, March 17, 2018, the legendary Richie Furay presented a concert at the Tabernacle along with his opening act, singer/songwriter Dean Friedman. Furay, 73, is an Ohio-born musician who has been honored with induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Furay started his professional music career as a member of the Au Go Go Singers, the house band at the famous Cafe Au Go Go, a Greenwich Village nightspot.

In the 1960s he formed Buffalo Springfield with several other up-and-coming musicians including Stephen Stills and Neil Young — both of whom went on to achieve success both independently and with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young.

Buffalo Springfield’s biggest hit, “For What It’s Worth,” became an anthem for the ’60s, but the band’s three albums — all recorded in the span of just two years — consisted of outstanding original material as well, notably Furay’s original composition, “Kind Woman.” Furay’s crisp, clean vocals earned him the nod as the group’s lead singer and, as such, it is his voice which carries many of Neil Young’s early compositions.

In the late ’60s when Buffalo Springfield disbanded, Furay teamed with Jim Messina in an effort to fuse the sounds of rock and country in a new musical style. In the process, they worked with several others including Randy Meisner in their group, Poco, creating a groundbreaking genre of music called “country rock” — Messina continuing his experimentation with Loggins and Messina and Randy Meisner with the Eagles. It is said that at an Eagles concert in Denver, band leader Glenn Frey once pointed out Richie Furay in the audience and announced, “If it wasn’t for you, we wouldn’t be here.”

In the mid-1970s, Furay left Poco to form The Souther-Hillman-Furay Band with songwriter J.D. Souther and The Byrds’ Chris Hillman. Their self-titled debut album was certified gold, and they also produced a top forty hit with Furay’s song, “Fallin’ in Love.”

After moving from L.A. to Colorado, Furay created The Richie Furay Band. He also formed an alliance with producer David Geffen and, in the late-’70s, his song, “I’ve Got a Reason,” helped to establish him as a pioneer of Christian Rock.

In the ‘80s, Furay made the shift from musical innovator to pastor of a Christian church in the Denver, Colorado area. He still continues to tour as a solo artist, however, opening in the mid-2000s for acts like America and Linda Ronstadt, and headlining his own concerts today. In 2015, Furay released his latest recording, Hand in Hand.

Singer/songwriter Dean Friedman was raised in Paramus, NJ. He purchased his first guitar at the age of nine from Manny’s music store in New York City with a bag of quarters he had saved and put it to use writing original songs. As a teen, he played weddings and bar mitzvahs with Marsha and the Self-Portraits. He later majored in music at City College of New York where one of his teachers was David Bromberg.

In the mid-1970s Friedman scored with a Top 40 hit, “Ariel,” which stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five months. Other songs of Friedman’s have charted in the Top 40 in countries like Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

Friedman’s compositions have been recorded by such artists as The Barenaked Ladies and Ben Folds Five. His music can even be heard on television series including NBC’s Eerie, Indiana.

Here in pastoral Mount Tabor, NJ, on this lovely St. Patrick’s Day afternoon, the locals know there’s going to be an At the Tabernacle concert this evening as the venue’s famous portable will-call booth is already set up outside the historic octagonal venue, known to musicians far and wide for its amazing acoustics.

Music fans line up by the booth at the top of the winding path just past the Tabernacle — a building which also happens to house the town’s post office and the local fire company of Mount Tabor!

The mountain air is crisp and clear as lovers of ’60s and ’70s music wait for their invitation to hear today’s sound check and get a chance to attend a “meet and greet” with Richie Furay.

Debbie from Rockaway is the first person in line for today’s festivities.

A long time fan of Furay and his music, Debbie, a radio DJ, says, “I can’t begin to count how many times I’ve seen Richie Furay,” noting, “I went to concerts non-stop in the ‘70s!”

“Watching him sing, he’s so refreshing and real,” comments Debbie. “He’s so sweet, too — a nice guy — and so good to his fans,” adding, “And he’s also a pastor. I’ve often watched his morning services streamed online from Colorado,” before exclaiming, “I just love everything about him!”

Working the will-call booth today is Aline Miller, who not only handles concert ticket sales, but also sells concessions and merchandise at the Tabernacle.

Miller gives us a brief tour of her mobile box office and shows us where various artists who have performed here have placed their autographs on the inside and outside of the booth including Richie Havens, Felix Cavaliere, Graham Nash, Willie Nile, the Smithereens’ Pat DiNizio, and many more.

She points out how some performing artists — including Hot Tuna — have even created original visual artworks to accompany their inscriptions!

Miller — who enjoys being a part of the At the Tabernacle experience — also tells us about various highlights she’s experienced while working at the venue stating, “Once I got to interview Art Garfunkel for a school music project,” before noting with a smile, “but then I gave his autograph to my teacher!”

Soon, the big green and tan Tabernacle doors open and a small cadre of fans is invited inside for today’s “meet and greet” with Richie Furay.

Inside the wooden tent-like structure, the air is filled with the beat of the drums, the strumming of guitars, the booming bass, and chords played on an electronic keyboard. Here, Furay and his musicians warm up and the venue’s audio engineer perfects the band’s sound in preparation for tonight’s performance.

Normally, the Tabernacle is unheated but, on chilly concert days, heat is piped in. Silent ceiling fans turn overhead, keeping the warm air from rising in this historic structure.

Getting a chance to hear bits and pieces of songs from different points during his career, Furay’s eager fans listen intently while drinking in the sounds. As they enjoy the music, a video camera operator winds through the hall recording the day’s activities for an upcoming documentary on the influential musician.

Following the sound check, Furay wanders down into the audience to welcome his fans asking, “So what are we doing here?” before jokingly answering his own question by stating, “I’m meetin’ and greetin’!”

Happy music lovers line up to get autographs, one fan even giving Furay a bouquet of flowers. Furay smiles as he chats with them all as if they are old friends.

“The smile of the fans says it all,” says Tabernacle stage manager David Hull, about this “meet and greet” and the upcoming concert experience tonight, emphasizing “That’s what this is all about!”

Hull is one of many volunteers who helps to bring the At the Tabernacle concert series to life at this unique venue.

“Since this is a residential area, we are allowed four shows per year,” explains Hull. “There are about 250 houses here in Mount Tabor,” the enchanting NJ village which he affectionately describes as “being like Harry Potter meets Hansel and Gretel.”

During the “meet and greet,” we also have an opportunity to chat with Mark Daley, another volunteer here at the Tabernacle. A musician for 45 years, Daley used to emcee shows here.

Daley shows us a guitar which he’s had autographed at many of the concerts he’s attended. Signed by Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Jack Cassidy, and more, he tells us that one highlight of his time at the Tabernacle even included an impromptu backstage guitar lesson from Donovan.

“This is a groovy place!” explains Daley — a venue where audiences can experience “real musicianship from people who have a message and stories to tell.”

Following the “meet and greet,” outside the band’s dressing area, we get a couple of minutes to talk with a member of Richie Furay’s band, Jack Jeckot. Jeckot — a resident of South Jersey — tells us he’s been performing with Furay for four years playing keyboards, guitar, and harmonica.

Originally a tuba player, Jeckot made a living for the past four decades as a music teacher in South Jersey, but he recently retired to go on the road with Furay.

When asked what that transition has been like for him, Jeckot smiles and says, “It’s just a pleasure to work with Richie.”

Outside the dressing area, we additionally get a few moments to chat with Richie Furay himself, who warmly greets us before sitting down to tell us a bit about his life as a musician.

When asked about his childhood musical influences, Furay reveals, “I was not from a musical family. My mother sang, and my dad listened to music. My sister was not musical. My dad bought my mom a tape recorder and I confiscated it and used it to tape the radio!”

And just what type of music was the young Richie Furay attracted to?

“Rockabilly,” explains Furay, specifying such favorites as “Ed Cochran, Carl Perkins, and Ricky Nelson from the Ozzie and Harriet television show,” revealing, “When Ricky sang ‘Be Bop Baby’ on the show, I thought, ‘I want to do that!’”

When questioned about his first musical instrument, Furay remarks, “When I was eight, I wanted a guitar for Christmas and my parents bought me one — it was puke green with cowboys all over it and gut strings — and I told them I wanted a real guitar! So they took me to the music store to get a guitar, but in order to have it, I had to agree to take lessons. I can still remember my teacher — Lois Northeim — but I have to say that I didn’t learn all that much from her, because I mainly taught myself how to play by ear.”

Going on to discuss various highlights of his musical career, Furay says, “I’ve played with a phenomenal amount of people! I talk about it in my book, Pickin’ Up the Pieces. Just to think I got to play a significant role with people like Jim Messina, Paul Cotton, Timothy B. Schmit, Randy Meisner, Chris Hillman, and Gram Parsons — and I also got to be a part of a group with Stephen Stills and Neil Young.”

After this statement, Furay pauses before confessing, “At the 2010 Buffalo Springfield reunion concert, I had to satisfy my own peace of mind — to prove that I could hold up my end and didn’t ride into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on my bandmates’ coat tails.”

As an artist, Furay talks about his constant striving to create new material, commenting, “I want the new music to hold up — it’s gotta make a statement,” providing numbers like “Hand in Hand,” “Wind of Change,” and “Don’t Lose Heart” as examples of contemporary compositions that — along with earlier works like “Kind Woman” — can endure the test of time.

Wrapping up, we ask Furay to share his thoughts about performing as a part of the At the Tabernacle concert series, to which he happily replies, “This is our first time here — and we’re sold out!” before adding, “That’s pretty cool” and noting, “This place has a really nice vibe — and the sound is good, too!”

Inside the Tabernacle auditorium, the concert is about to begin as Furay’s opening act, Dean Friedman, takes the stage.

With his acoustic guitar in hand, Friedman opens with a humorous number entitled “It’s My Job.” Written for anyone — especially his own wife — who wonders what a musician does all day long for a living, Friedman sings with his clear voice ringing out, “It’s my job to make you feel good and I’m never gonna stop/ It’s my job to love you and I love my job.”

Announcing, “I grew up just a hop, skip, and a jump from here — in Paramus, NJ,” Friedman performs an original number that recalls his experiences as a student commuting to City College and seeing “homeless people in the bus station — with attitudes.” Lights reflect off his guitar as Friedman sings his ballad entitled “Shopping Bag Ladies,” a piece which — in terms of its harmonic structures and lyric content — sounds somewhat reminiscent of a Stephen Sondheim composition.

Following up with the result of being, as he explains, “obliged to write a love song, even though I didn’t want to,” Friedman performs a clever piece called “I Never Really Liked You That Much.”

Then, he moves to the keyboard to perform a highlight number of his set entitled “Saturday Fathers.” On this tuneful, yet very poignant song about the effects of divorce, Friedman sings, “Scooter, I can’t come out and play/My daddy’s coming today/He’s taking us all away, hey/Listen, he’s gonna be here soon/I’ll wait all afternoon/My daddy’s coming, it’s Saturday.”

Following ardent applause, Friedman performs an amusing number — one he describes as “my ode to good community relations” — his song, “Death to the Neighbors.” He follows that up with a unique story song about a historic event which took place in Ireland called “The Ducks of St. Stephen’s Green.”

Moving on to a self-described “revenge song,” Friedman performs “A Baker’s Tale” — his musical response to composer Nigel Blackwell of the English rock band, Half Man Half Biscuit, for recording and releasing a song called “The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman.”

Taking out his bright blue ukulele, he performs a touching number written for “a friend who was battling an illness.” Entitled “Under the Weather,” Friedman gently vocalizes the song’s message of “It’s gonna be ok.”

Back at the piano, Friedman concludes his set with another highlight, his 1977 Top 40 hit, “Ariel.” Rocking the Tabernacle with his piano playing, Friedman sings his heart out — hitting every one of the stratospherically high notes on the song’s infectious chorus spot on!

The audience responds with enthusiastic cheers and applause, and after a short intermission, Richie Furay takes the stage.

Furay greets the audience by saying, “What a beautiful venue! There’s no turning back now. We’re gonna have a great night — a lot of songs, a lot of history.”

Opening with a number he wrote for Poco — “Pickin’ Up the Pieces”— Furay sings, “Well there’s just a little bit of magic in the country music we’re singin’/So let’s begin.” His rich full voice never sounding better, Furay tells his story, perfectly accompanied by the rhythmic strumming of his acoustic guitar.

Following fervent applause, Furay promises, “We’ll do more Poco later on.” For now, though, he performs “the first song I ever recorded,” explaining, “I was in college and I thought it would be the end all,” before noting, “But I met a new girl and have been married to her for 51 years.”

Here, Furay launches into a solo version of his Buffalo Springfield song, “Sad Memory,” a lovely ballad featuring his beautiful falsetto.

Announcing, “My daughter, Jessie Lynch, won’t be singing with us tonight,” Furay explains, “She is due to have a baby on March 26, so we thought it best to leave her at home.”

At this point, Furay introduces his band — Scott Sellen on guitar and banjo, Alan Lemke on drums, Aaron Sellen on bass, and Jack Jeckot on keyboards, guitar, and harmonica — as they take the stage.

Lemke starts to play an eighth-note rhythm pattern on the cymbals and the audience starts to clap along as the other musicians join in, creating a wave of sound throughout the room. Performing the up tempo Buffalo Springfield song, “On the Way Home,” Furay and the band rock the house.

Following a rhythmic rendition of “Callin’ Out Your Name,” Furay explains, “That song is from The Heartbeat of Love, a special CD which all my friends sang on with me — Stephen Stills, Neil Young, Timothy B. Schmit, Mark Volman of The Turtles, Jeff Hanna, Rusty Young, and more.”

He and the band follow up by launching into his Souther-Hillman-Furay song, “Fallin’ In Love,” the band rockin’ along as they play.

Acknowledging, “Most bands have professional people who do this,” Furay takes a short time-out to tune his electric guitar. Then, he introduces a song which he wryly says was “a Top 40 hit — which made it to #38!” Here, he performs “I Still Have Dreams,” with solid guitar, bass, drums, and keyboard accompaniment supporting the musicians’ tight harmony vocals.

After vigorous applause, Furay asks, “How about a little Poco music?” and follows up by saying, “I’ll bet ten songs went through your mind and this wasn’t one of them — it was only recorded on Deliverin’.”

Here, he and the band perform “A Man Like Me.” Singing, “Oh, slow down the weather’s hazy/Baby you’re drivin’ me crazy/You know nobody ever gets home a-ridin’ free/And you’ll never find another man/A man like me,” Richie and Scott Sellen rock out on their electric guitars.

Slowing down for the bluesy Poco number, “Anyway Bye Bye,” Aaron Sellen plays a bass solo while audience members snap their fingers. Jack Jeckot is featured on a jazzy piano solo. This is followed by a Scott Sellen guitar solo, and then Jeckot follows up with an organ solo. The crowd responds with applause and cheers, after which Furay exclaims, “A couple of Jersey boys — Jack Jeckot and Scott Sellen — soloing!”

Putting down his electric guitar and picking up his acoustic, Furay announces, “This is a medley we did on the Alive CD which comes from the first Buffalo Springfield album. It’s a medley of songs which Neil Young wrote that I sang,” adding, “I hope I can remember the words!”

Here, he and the band perform one of the highlight numbers of the evening — a medley of three early Young compositions including “Flying on the Ground,” “Do I Have to Come Right Out and Say It,” and “Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing.”

Featuring Jack Jeckot on harmonica and an electrifying Scott Sellen guitar solo, Furay and his stagemates are clearly happy to be playing — loose and carefree as they perform — the audience enjoying every note!

“We love you!” shouts an audience member, to which Furay replies, “We love you more!”

Moving on to some good ol’ fashioned down home music, Sellen picks up the banjo and the audience claps along on Stephen Stills’ bouncy composition for Buffalo Springfield, “Go and Say Goodbye,” complete with a fast country coda ending.

The audience continues to clap along with the band as the musicians segue into another highlight number of the evening — Furay’s brilliant “A Child’s Claim to Fame” — a Buffalo Springfield number acknowledged as one of the earliest examples of country rock, and featuring a cool guitar hook to boot!

On the Richie Furay/Scott Sellen number, “Wake Up My Soul,” the audience happily joins in singing, “Wake up my soul/Wake up early in the day/Wake up my hands/And the instrument I play/Wake up my voice/Let the world hear me say/You are worshipped and exalted here today.”

The audience claps along as they sing on this joyful tune which elicits whoops and cheers from the enthusiastic crowd.

Announcing, “I’ve been a worship leader — a pastor for 35 years,” Furay discloses, “I just retired this year.” Exclaiming, “We’re thankful for the gifts of God — we thank him for those gifts!” a Jack Jeckot piano intro opens “Overflow,” a beautiful rock ballad on which Furay invites the audience to sing, “For all you’ve done/For all you do/For what I have/I thank you.”

His heartfelt performance profoundly appreciated by the audience, Furay segues into a slow number from Hand in Hand entitled, “Wind of Change,” a powerful country rock ballad which features a twangy guitar coda.

Declaring, “I wrote this next song reminiscing about Poco,” Furay acknowledges, “and as I was writing it, it just came out.” Here, the group launches into “We Were the Dreamers” a song which transports the listener back to 1969 when Poco first performed on the stage of one of L.A.’s premier music destinations, The Troubadour.

On this nostalgic rocker, Furay sings, “We were the dreamers/Shooting high for the stars/Making rock and roll music/Playing country guitars/ We blazed a trail for generations to come/Yeah, we were the dreamers/Just some kids having fun.”

The audience responds with cheers and whistles before Furay and the band perform another song from Hand in Hand entitled “Some Day.” With Lemke’s driving backbeat behind them, Jeckot is featured on piano and harmonica as Scott Sellen, Aaron Sellen, and Richie rock out together.

At the conclusion, the audience rises to its feet, cheering for Richie Furay and his band!

After leaving the stage, Furay and company return to the stage for an encore. Announcing, “This is a new song which is like ‘Kind Woman,’” Furay says, “It’s a simple song about my wife of 51 years and our journey together.”

Launching into the title song from Hand in Hand, Furay sings with passion, “I couldn’t love you anymore/I couldn’t tell you anymore/But every time I see you/The more I know I need you.”

Following heartfelt applause, Furay segues into his Buffalo Springfield classic, “Kind Woman,” the audience happily swaying along to the music.

Concluding his portion of tonight’s concert with Poco’s “It’s a Good Feelin’ to Know,” Furay and the band rock and roll their way into every audience member’s heart.

“Let’s do it again sometime!” shouts Furay to the cheering throng.

As the crowd makes its way out of this historic venue and back into the village of Mount Tabor, we chat with several audience members who share their thoughts regarding tonight’s At the Tabernacle performance by Richie Furay and Dean Friedman.

Comments Helen from Garwood, “Richie Furay was fantastic, as usual! I’ve seen him before — my husband and I are long-time fans — and we loved it,” before adding, “And Dean Friedman was phenomenal also!”

Marcus from New Brunwick agrees, calling the performance “Terrific!’ and stating, “The Tabernacle is such a nice venue in such a beautiful setting.”

Carl from Chester Township says, “This was a phenomenal show! Richie Furay was rockin’! I really liked how he put a different spin on some of his familiar songs — and ‘Hand in Hand’ is such a touching song about his wife.”

Alan from Montclair concurs, remarking, “Richie Furay has a really great band with an especially fine guitarist and keyboardist.”

Lastly, we chat with Mitch from Piscataway — a long-time fan here tonight for his very first Richie Furay concert — who exclaims, “It was really an honor to finally get to see Richie — I’ve been following his music since the 1960s! His voice is so strong and the sound in this room is perfect; I can’t wait to see him again,” before disclosing, “but next time I’m not going to wait a half century to do it!”

To learn more about Richie Furay, please go to richiefuray.com. To find out more about Furay’s upcoming June 13, 2018 concert at SOPAC in South Orange, NJ, please click on sopacnow.org/richie-furay. For more information on Dean Friedman, please check out deanfriedman.com. Lastly, to learn more about the At the Tabernacle concert series, please go to atthetabernacle.com.