Ralph Santosuosso

House Management - Ralph Santosuosso, 978.453.5755rls@caposfolk.com

Ralph Santosuosso, Capo's owner, is planning to have well known folk talent on weekends and is using the booking agent associated with Passim's in Cambridge to obtain them.

Her son, Ralph, who runs Capo's folk club in Lowell, doesn't want this to happen to someone else's mother.

"It's 99 percent curable if caught early.That's why it is so important to stop it before it spreads," he said.

To get the word out, a group of local musicians are putting on a show Saturday to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Education Awareness Network, an educational outfit at Mass General Hospital that seeks to educate people on the disease.

Ralph Santosuosso at Capo's on Middle Street in Lowell. sun/michael pigeon
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"It's going to be a loose thing with some jams and overlap," said Santosuosso, who was amazed at the outpouring of support he received from the singers he contacted.

Most responsive was Lowell blues hound Frank Morey, who met Betty at the first show he played at the Middle Street club.

"He just loved her.Right away she said to him 'you are going to play here every night,'" said Ralph.
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That's what is so great about this," said Ralph, who hopes to raise $5,000 and make the event annual.

Betty's supportive presence in her son's life still echoes through the club."She had those curtains made and really added a nice touch to the place," said Ralph, looking around the ornamented, brick-walled room.

The benefit was put together a bit hastily, but that's because Ralph and his sister and father wanted to hold it on what would have been Betty's 63rd birthday.

"The reason why she loved this place was that she loved celebrity stuff.She always wanted to be on stage," said Ralph.

This time, the stage is coming to her.

LOWELL After too many nights of musicians playing to too few patrons, Capo's owner Ralph Santosuosso has closed the Middle Street folk club for the rest of the month to reassess its future.

Santosuosso made the decision at the end of business Wednesday and canceled the scheduled shows for the rest of the month.

"I've been trying so hard to stretch this out, but I couldn't do anything," he said.

Those who ordered tickets in advance for shows have had their money refunded, Santosuosso said.
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And many times in the last few weeks the room was filled with "nine people drinking water," Santosuosso said.
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It's especially difficult because I have so much passion and love for this club," said Santosuosso, who opened Capo's in the Institute Building two years ago, at a time when the downtown arts scene was beginning to revitalize.
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Santosuosso is meeting with advisers and club investors to decide where to go from here.