Let the Music Play On

By Kathi Caldwell-Hopper

If you ask Chuck Farrell the recipe for his success in the music business, he would likely laugh and say, “It’s five percent talent and 95 percent luck!”

While being in the right place at the right time probably helped, Chuck got to the “right place” by talent. As a musician for many years, he has played guitar with such notables as James Montgomery, Jon Butcher and others.

After growing up in the seacoast area of New Hampshire, Chuck headed to the West Coast and specifically, San Francisco. “That was in 1990,” he recalls from his home in Center Tuftonboro. “I went there because it was the farthest I could get from New Hampshire!”

This is said jokingly, but what Chuck really means is he needed to get out on his own, try a different music scene and network with other musicians.

While living in California, Chuck worked with a variety of musicians, some he recalls, were bands he had admired since he was a kid. Later, back on the East Coast, Chuck worked with James Montgomery, Diane Blue, as well as former members of Boston, Joe Cocker and Tina Turner, to name a few.

After 9/11, when the world changed for most people, Chuck says it was a wake-up call for him as well. “I am not shy in saying I was living a decadent lifestyle,” he explains. No one can live that way forever without some amount of burn-out. “The eventual move back to New Hampshire was a good one,” he adds.

The many contacts and friendships made with musicians around the country have endured, and even after Chuck and his wife, Dina, moved to the Lakes Region of New Hampshire, he continued to tour seasonally with members of those bands.

Chuck sings the praises of his wife, who runs a wonderful farm property called The Olde Ways at Mustard Seed Farm. He says he helps her with some farm chores, but she is the driving force in the farm, which keeps her very busy while he continues in the music business.

How did the couple meet? Chuck laughs as he recalls that it was a long-distant relationship for quite some time. While he met plenty of women in California, there was a deeper, more satisfying connection with Dina and eventually she traveled to the West Coast for a visit. The couple clicked and were married in 2003, settling at their Center Tuftonboro property.

Never one content to rest on his former fame, Chuck decided, a few years ago, to bring some of his friends to the area for concerts. He saw a need in the area for the sort of concerts many found appealing: southern rock, blues and now and then, acoustic.

“We settled on dong shows in Wolfeboro, because the Inn on Main Street has a great barn venue that fit our needs perfectly. It has plenty of indoor seating and we could offer dinner to those attending the shows,” Chuck says.

Musicians who will perform for an acoustic concert on Aug. 21 & 23

Well received, the concerts brought such talented musicians as Jon Butcher and Diane Blue, among others, to the area. Chuck sometimes plays with the performers, but always he is there to coordinate the events and offer support to the artists. He puts it all together via his company, Can You Hear Me Now Productions.

This year, however, the pandemic has created a different environment with many events throughout the area being cancelled or postponed. Chuck has altered some of his plans as well, but found there are ways to keep the music going.

An upcoming August 21 and 23 concert to be held in Alton, coordinated by Can You Hear Me Now Productions, will be a unique and entertaining event featuring members of bands Chuck knows well and has played with in the past. Titled Once an Outlaw featuring Chris Anderson of The Outlaws and Chris Hicks of the Marshall Tucker Band with Jeff Howell of Foghat, the concert will be held at a beautiful country location, Cold Spring Farm Estate, in Alton, where there is plenty of room for social distancing.

The concert, with a dinner and champagne reception, will be an acoustic show. The musicians have a loyal following in the area, and only 100 tickets will be sold for each of the two evenings of the event. A meet-and-greet will also be featured and will allow concertgoers a chance to chat with the musicians.

At a time when the pandemic has created little to celebrate, the concert is a way to bring a bright spot to the Lakes Region, all done within safety guidelines.

Chuck says the tickets are selling well, due to the loyal fan base and the uniqueness of the event.

“We also may be back in the area for an electric version of the concert on Columbus Day weekend. It would be an outdoor event as well,” says Chuck.

He adds that he thinks the audience will enjoy the acoustic show with a style that is a bit different than an electric concert, and there will be no end of songs from which to choose. You can expect to hear music from Marshall Tucker, Blackfoot, Foghat and of course, The Outlaws.

The mission for Chuck, who loves the Lakes Region where he now resides, is to bring big shows to intimate settings. He has certainly succeeded in doing so with shows in Wolfeboro; the Alton concert is one more opportunity to “keep the music coming” as Chuck would say.

The musicians who will be playing in the concert have been in the Lakes Region in the past, many performing at Meadowbrook in Gilford. All loved the Lakes Region and are excited to return for the August concert.

Marshall Tucker were scheduled for a 30 city farewell tour with the late Charlie Daniels in 2021. With the recent passing of Mr. Daniels, Chris Hicks’s schedule, as well as the schedules of other members of the band, allowed for a new project. Once an Outlaw decided to have the first round of rehearsals in the Lakes Region around the Alton shows and the second round in Nashville after the first of the year for spring/summer dates in 2021.

The owners of the Alton venue have a desire to bring great music to the area and the location is stunning. With a delicious catered dinner before the show, the upcoming August 21 and 23 shows are decidedly upscale, but in a personal way that gives a nod to the great rock music of the bands Chuck has played with for decades. (Chuck will be playing at the concert as well.)

Chuck has settled into a life that offers him the best of all worlds (although the word “settled” might not appeal to a rock ’n roll musician who has toured with some admitted bad boys of rock over the years). He has a beloved wife and children, a family farm, a peaceful community and area in which to reside and a chance to continue to tour with the bands he has been part of for years.

While the pandemic may have altered lives, the Once an Outlaw upcoming concert is happening because of Chuck’s hope to see the music, in times good and difficult, play on.

For tickets/information about the upcoming August 21 and 23 concerts, visit www.ticketleap.com, or call 603-387-0246. You can also purchase tickets at Black’s Paper Store in downtown Wolfeboro (603-569-4444).