Bread produced a string of hits between 1970-7, including "Make it With You", "If", and "Guitar Man" (not to be confused with the Jerry Reed composition of the same name that was a hit for Reed and for Elvis Presley) before singer David Gates scored his first solo hit with the title song from the movie, "The Goodbye Girl".
In March 1978, the band flew to London to record a concert special for the BBC. Almost all the hits are here, plus a cover of Little Richard's "Long Tall Sally".
Showing posts with label In Concert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label In Concert. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2020
Saturday, January 28, 2017
On Stage: Around the World with Lilac 94 (Troy NY, 1/28/17)
Harps in music are often associated with "chamber" or classical music. However, in the Golden Age, comedian Harpo Marx was proficient enough with the instrument, such that it was worked into at least a couple of Marx Brothers movies. The Beatles used harps on some of their later records, but harp is also a slang term for harmonica, and that's what the Fab Four used.
Lilac 94 are a pair of young ladies, one from New York, one from North Carolina, who met at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, a few years back, and found a common ground with the harp. Their current tour brings them to the home town today for a matinee that is part lecture, part concert, total enlightenment.
In the course of 45 minutes, Lilac 94 took a nearly full auditorium at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on a world tour through Ireland, Japan, South America, India, Africa, and, of course, back home in the good ol' USA. It should be pointed out that the harps Lilac 94 and other artists use should not ever be confused with simple harmonicas, which blues and folk artists often refer to as, ahem, harps.
Unfortunately, the Arts Center didn't provide programs for today's event, and ye scribe wasn't smart enough to bring a notebook, so I could have everything written down. Yeah, a sign I'm getting old. Whatever.
Let's give you a sample of what these ladies can do. The clip comes from a 2015 show in Albany, as Lilac 94 performs the Indian track, "Tum Hi Ho".
There was a 5 minute Q & A session, and, as I left, some folks decided to take a closer look at the harps. Not enough kids in attendance, mostly older folks my age and up.
Rating: A.
Lilac 94 are a pair of young ladies, one from New York, one from North Carolina, who met at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, a few years back, and found a common ground with the harp. Their current tour brings them to the home town today for a matinee that is part lecture, part concert, total enlightenment.
In the course of 45 minutes, Lilac 94 took a nearly full auditorium at the Arts Center of the Capital Region on a world tour through Ireland, Japan, South America, India, Africa, and, of course, back home in the good ol' USA. It should be pointed out that the harps Lilac 94 and other artists use should not ever be confused with simple harmonicas, which blues and folk artists often refer to as, ahem, harps.
Unfortunately, the Arts Center didn't provide programs for today's event, and ye scribe wasn't smart enough to bring a notebook, so I could have everything written down. Yeah, a sign I'm getting old. Whatever.
Let's give you a sample of what these ladies can do. The clip comes from a 2015 show in Albany, as Lilac 94 performs the Indian track, "Tum Hi Ho".
There was a 5 minute Q & A session, and, as I left, some folks decided to take a closer look at the harps. Not enough kids in attendance, mostly older folks my age and up.
Rating: A.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
On Stage: The US Army Field Band Jazz Ambassadors at Troy Music Hall, 10/29/16
Up until a couple of years ago, it was an annual tradition for one of the military bands to play the fabled Troy Savings Bank Music Hall on the eve of the annual Troy Flag Day Parade, and The Record would sponsor the distribution of free tickets to the event.
On Saturday night, the US Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors brought their current tour to the Music Hall. Tickets were free, either available at the box office or online. Of course, that all but ensured a sellout, as there were a handful of empty seats.
In the course of 85 minutes, the Ambassadors played an eclectic selection of jazz standards by legends such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and George Benson. Master Sgt. Marva Lewis, on her farewell tour, sang the national anthem, and put a jazzy spin on the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You". She closed the evening with a cover of Lee Greenwood's patriotic anthem, "God Bless the USA".
In between, a trio of students from LaSalle Institute joined the Ambassadors on stage for a rendition of "Mister Timmons", off one of the Ambassadors' "Perspectives" CD's. Tom Hoffman, Jr., father of saxophonist Patrick Hoffman, uploaded the following video:
Patrick Hoffman, Tom Ryan, and Michael Corlew blended right in with the Ambassadors. There just wasn't a down moment in the entire show. Sgt. Lewis, however, all but stole it with a 3-song mini-set that included "Close to You" and "On The Street Where You Live".
All I can say is, let's make this an annual tradition.
On Saturday night, the US Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors brought their current tour to the Music Hall. Tickets were free, either available at the box office or online. Of course, that all but ensured a sellout, as there were a handful of empty seats.
In the course of 85 minutes, the Ambassadors played an eclectic selection of jazz standards by legends such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, and George Benson. Master Sgt. Marva Lewis, on her farewell tour, sang the national anthem, and put a jazzy spin on the Carpenters' "(They Long to Be) Close to You". She closed the evening with a cover of Lee Greenwood's patriotic anthem, "God Bless the USA".
In between, a trio of students from LaSalle Institute joined the Ambassadors on stage for a rendition of "Mister Timmons", off one of the Ambassadors' "Perspectives" CD's. Tom Hoffman, Jr., father of saxophonist Patrick Hoffman, uploaded the following video:
Patrick Hoffman, Tom Ryan, and Michael Corlew blended right in with the Ambassadors. There just wasn't a down moment in the entire show. Sgt. Lewis, however, all but stole it with a 3-song mini-set that included "Close to You" and "On The Street Where You Live".
All I can say is, let's make this an annual tradition.
Sunday, September 27, 2015
Maurizio w/Eric Margan & the Rodeo Barons @ the Hangar, 9/26/15
A quick history lesson before we begin.
The Hangar is Troy's best kept secret these days. A converted medical supplies building on River Street, the venue has begun booking concerts in addition to hosting monthly burlesque shows (no lie; they're trying to bring burlesque back a few years after the movie "Moulin Rouge" should've done that). The building also is so named because the roof resembles an airport hangar. Get it?
On Saturday night, hometown talent Maurizio had the premiere party for his solo debut CD, "Before The Crowd", which we'll get to soon enough. He accurately described the evening as a "family affair", and it was, in more ways than one. Co-producer James Gascoyne also played with both opening acts on the bill.
Eric Margan went on first at 8:30 (show was advertised for an 8:00 start, but almost nothing starts on time in these cases), and warmed up the small, appreciative, enthusiastic crowd with a smart, soft 20 minute set that had ye scribe wishing it could've gone longer. He's that good.
The Rodeo Barons went on stage at 9, and played about 45 minutes of driving alt.-folk-rock. Guitarist-vocalist Chris Carey would probably blush if someone said he was the love child of Conan O'Brien and the late Dave Madden (Reuben from The Partridge Family). Carey said he had CD's of his own for sale in his truck, and never brought them into the Hangar. Would've sold like hotcakes, trust me. Would like to see these guys again. It's been years since I've done the club scene (20, in fact) with any regularity, and that could change, thanks.
Carey, Gascoyne, and drummer Sam (I Am) Zucchini stayed on to play behind Maurizio, who played "Before The Crowd" in its entirety, in track order. With a voice that falls into the Bob Dylan/Tom Petty/John Mellencamp range with a healthy dose of retro-Motown soul (i.e. Marvin Gaye), Maurizio looked and sounded like he was having fun, even as he shared the story of the four year process in preparing the album. The show ended at 11:05 after 65 minutes of solid rock. While engineer Frank Moscowicz took a quick curtain call, if he had stood up any longer, he might've been mistaken for one of the guys from The Big Bang Theory (It's the hair, as Maurizio deduced, that makes Moscowicz a ringer for actor Johnny Galecki. No lie. If enough people notice, maybe he'll change his name to Leonard!).
Sadly, the local papers whiffed on promoting the show, even though The Record's long time music critic, Don Wilcock, also contributes to the Nippertown website. The Record, Times-Union, & Metroland all focused instead on the next show at the Hangar, guitarist Wayne Hancock, coming up on Wednesday. Nippertown may have, in fact, been the only place folks would've known about the show. Posters were readily visible in sections of downtown for weeks, but the audience consisted almost entirely of family & friends. All this critic can say is, more, please. What a night!
The Hangar is Troy's best kept secret these days. A converted medical supplies building on River Street, the venue has begun booking concerts in addition to hosting monthly burlesque shows (no lie; they're trying to bring burlesque back a few years after the movie "Moulin Rouge" should've done that). The building also is so named because the roof resembles an airport hangar. Get it?
On Saturday night, hometown talent Maurizio had the premiere party for his solo debut CD, "Before The Crowd", which we'll get to soon enough. He accurately described the evening as a "family affair", and it was, in more ways than one. Co-producer James Gascoyne also played with both opening acts on the bill.
Eric Margan went on first at 8:30 (show was advertised for an 8:00 start, but almost nothing starts on time in these cases), and warmed up the small, appreciative, enthusiastic crowd with a smart, soft 20 minute set that had ye scribe wishing it could've gone longer. He's that good.
The Rodeo Barons went on stage at 9, and played about 45 minutes of driving alt.-folk-rock. Guitarist-vocalist Chris Carey would probably blush if someone said he was the love child of Conan O'Brien and the late Dave Madden (Reuben from The Partridge Family). Carey said he had CD's of his own for sale in his truck, and never brought them into the Hangar. Would've sold like hotcakes, trust me. Would like to see these guys again. It's been years since I've done the club scene (20, in fact) with any regularity, and that could change, thanks.
Carey, Gascoyne, and drummer Sam (I Am) Zucchini stayed on to play behind Maurizio, who played "Before The Crowd" in its entirety, in track order. With a voice that falls into the Bob Dylan/Tom Petty/John Mellencamp range with a healthy dose of retro-Motown soul (i.e. Marvin Gaye), Maurizio looked and sounded like he was having fun, even as he shared the story of the four year process in preparing the album. The show ended at 11:05 after 65 minutes of solid rock. While engineer Frank Moscowicz took a quick curtain call, if he had stood up any longer, he might've been mistaken for one of the guys from The Big Bang Theory (It's the hair, as Maurizio deduced, that makes Moscowicz a ringer for actor Johnny Galecki. No lie. If enough people notice, maybe he'll change his name to Leonard!).
Sadly, the local papers whiffed on promoting the show, even though The Record's long time music critic, Don Wilcock, also contributes to the Nippertown website. The Record, Times-Union, & Metroland all focused instead on the next show at the Hangar, guitarist Wayne Hancock, coming up on Wednesday. Nippertown may have, in fact, been the only place folks would've known about the show. Posters were readily visible in sections of downtown for weeks, but the audience consisted almost entirely of family & friends. All this critic can say is, more, please. What a night!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
In Concert: Newsboys w/Seventh Day Slumber, Me In Motion, & Bread of Stone, October 11, 2009, Albany NY
The Newsboys are regarded as one of the premier Christian music acts going today. Currently touring in support of their new CD, the Newsboys' "The Way We Roll" tour hit Albany's Washington Avenue Armory on Sunday night.
Before I get into the review, I have to share this with you. My girlfriend & I bought our tickets 2 1/2 weeks prior to the show. The Newsboys are one of her favorites, and she acted as if she was a 12 year old going to a Jonas Brothers show. She was that giddy with excitement and anticipation. 3 1/2 hours before we were to leave for Albany, she called me at home. When I picked up the line, she nearly blew out my ear with a loud shriek. She just couldn't contain the excitement any longer.
Anyway, when we got there, there was already a long line forming outside the doors of the armory, almost extending to the library next door. We went in, and settled into our seats. Normally, the average concert doesn't start on time. There is usually a delay of about 5-10 minutes before the show actually starts in order for fans to find their seats after hitting the concessions. In this case, the first band was on six minutes early!!! The program actually started around 6:50, when the local radio station's reps came out to do a warmup for the crowd. At 6:54, Bread of Stone, a relatively new 4-piece combo, took the stage.
Bread of Stone, if I understood the intro correctly (The sound system still needs to be addressed, as the volume is a wee bit too loud for mere talking), are or were based out of Indonesia, and are making plans to return there after the current tour to help with relief efforts after recent disasters. Due to the excessive volume, I couldn't follow most of the lyrics during a 5 song, 21 minute set.
In between acts, a video would play of the Newsboys helping build homes in Baja Mexico, among other charitable efforts. Another newcomer, Grace Campbell, came out as an unadvertised bonus act and did 1 lip-synched dance pop number with a pre-recorded backing track that took just under 5 minutes. She's cute and all that, so we may be hearing more from her sooner than later.
Next up was Me In Motion, another new combo. 23 minutes of power pop-rock (it wouldn't be fair to classify them as punk rockers, a la Green Day), and this time it was a little easier to understand the lyrics, even though for the life of me I couldn't tell you the song titles.
Seventh Day Slumber opened with a cover of MercyMe's 2001 hit, "I Can Only Imagine". It took me a while to recognize the song, which was a highlight of their set, clocking out around 30-35 minutes. I'm interested in seeing these guys again.
But it was the Newsboys that everyone wanted to see, and there were a few who'd been spending the majority of their evening roaming the merchandise booths and concession stands before rushing toward the stage. The Newsboys hit the ground running with "Something Beautiful" & "Everywhere We Go". New lead singer Michael Tait (ex-DC Talk) acquitted himself well, putting his own stamp on the hits. "Breakfast" was a real crowd pleaser, but it was a bit of a surprise that other songs like "Shine" were relegated to a mid-set medley during which the band moved to a smaller stage at the end of the runway. For the encore, the band closed with DC Talk's signature song, "Jesus Freak". Coincidentally, Tait's former bandmate, TobyMac, closed his show in the same building 2 years ago with "Jesus Freak" as well. If you're a regular listener to the syndicated K-Love radio network, "Freak" is usually used for short interstitals about Christians throughout history, usually narrated by Tait.
The lone disappointment was that the ballad, "In the Hands of God", wasn't included, probably because Tait hasn't learned the lyrics yet, though I can't say for sure. Maybe next time.
Before I get into the review, I have to share this with you. My girlfriend & I bought our tickets 2 1/2 weeks prior to the show. The Newsboys are one of her favorites, and she acted as if she was a 12 year old going to a Jonas Brothers show. She was that giddy with excitement and anticipation. 3 1/2 hours before we were to leave for Albany, she called me at home. When I picked up the line, she nearly blew out my ear with a loud shriek. She just couldn't contain the excitement any longer.
Anyway, when we got there, there was already a long line forming outside the doors of the armory, almost extending to the library next door. We went in, and settled into our seats. Normally, the average concert doesn't start on time. There is usually a delay of about 5-10 minutes before the show actually starts in order for fans to find their seats after hitting the concessions. In this case, the first band was on six minutes early!!! The program actually started around 6:50, when the local radio station's reps came out to do a warmup for the crowd. At 6:54, Bread of Stone, a relatively new 4-piece combo, took the stage.
Bread of Stone, if I understood the intro correctly (The sound system still needs to be addressed, as the volume is a wee bit too loud for mere talking), are or were based out of Indonesia, and are making plans to return there after the current tour to help with relief efforts after recent disasters. Due to the excessive volume, I couldn't follow most of the lyrics during a 5 song, 21 minute set.
In between acts, a video would play of the Newsboys helping build homes in Baja Mexico, among other charitable efforts. Another newcomer, Grace Campbell, came out as an unadvertised bonus act and did 1 lip-synched dance pop number with a pre-recorded backing track that took just under 5 minutes. She's cute and all that, so we may be hearing more from her sooner than later.
Next up was Me In Motion, another new combo. 23 minutes of power pop-rock (it wouldn't be fair to classify them as punk rockers, a la Green Day), and this time it was a little easier to understand the lyrics, even though for the life of me I couldn't tell you the song titles.
Seventh Day Slumber opened with a cover of MercyMe's 2001 hit, "I Can Only Imagine". It took me a while to recognize the song, which was a highlight of their set, clocking out around 30-35 minutes. I'm interested in seeing these guys again.
But it was the Newsboys that everyone wanted to see, and there were a few who'd been spending the majority of their evening roaming the merchandise booths and concession stands before rushing toward the stage. The Newsboys hit the ground running with "Something Beautiful" & "Everywhere We Go". New lead singer Michael Tait (ex-DC Talk) acquitted himself well, putting his own stamp on the hits. "Breakfast" was a real crowd pleaser, but it was a bit of a surprise that other songs like "Shine" were relegated to a mid-set medley during which the band moved to a smaller stage at the end of the runway. For the encore, the band closed with DC Talk's signature song, "Jesus Freak". Coincidentally, Tait's former bandmate, TobyMac, closed his show in the same building 2 years ago with "Jesus Freak" as well. If you're a regular listener to the syndicated K-Love radio network, "Freak" is usually used for short interstitals about Christians throughout history, usually narrated by Tait.
The lone disappointment was that the ballad, "In the Hands of God", wasn't included, probably because Tait hasn't learned the lyrics yet, though I can't say for sure. Maybe next time.
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