Fab Four

Normally I wouldn't have any interest in seeing a pop revival group, but my brother and sister have seen the Fab Four several times and they absolutely insisted that I spend an evening under the magical spell of the Beatles. So Steve and I saw the Fab Four at the Rialto Saturday night.

As we were sitting down, we realized my favorite escrow officer, Paula Trimmer, was in the row in front of us. I told Paula if these Beatles impersonators can get us to scream, we will know they were good. As it turned out, part of the screaming was generated by "Paul's" tee shirt toss, and Paula was the winner.

The boys opened with their first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show. I was immediately struck by the attention to detail. "Paul" was playing a left-handed Hofner bass. The backdrop was the Ed Sullivan set I remember so well from that February night in 1964, those huge arrows pointing to the lads. "John" stood with that bent-kneed, wide stance of Lennon's. "George" usually looked intense, and only occasionally flashed a quick smile that put vertical creases in his cheeks, just like The Quiet Beatle. Did these guys have plastic surgery or just a lot of makeup to get these effects?

When "George" wasn't frowning or grimacing, he affected the snarl that George had. "Paul" was always looking up at the balcony, his tilted head wide-eyed and angelic. "Ringo" was slightly hunched over, teeth clenched, shaking his Beatle hair cut like a bobble head. Their singing voices, accents, mannerisms and costumes were quite convincing. I was very impressed.

I thought I found one deviation from authenticity. I thought Ringo played drums with the traditional grip. I asked Steve, who learned to play traditional grip in the '60s, and he thought Ringo played traditional grip, too. This "Ringo" was playing match grip. I just looked it up, and found that Ringo was one of the innovators of match grip. When he started playing that way, the rest of the drumming world followed.

The Ed Sullivan impersonator was great. His skits were taken directly from the Ed Sullivan "Shoe". He introduced the "youngsters from Liverpool" and waved a congratulatory telegram that had been sent to the show by Elvis and his manager "Colonel Sanders". "Ed" showed us how Ed got that stiff-backed demeanor when he pulled a wire coat hanger from the back of his jacket.

















"John" announced that the music was completely live and all performed on stage, without CDs, which prompted "Paul" to ask, "What's a CD?" During the Sgt. Pepper set, "John" and "George" played synthesizers, but I can't believe they got the whole orchestral effect of "A Day in the Life" with a synthesizer.
Here's "John", playing "Imagine" in the Army shirt he wore on The Dick Cavett Show.
Steve didn't know about John's Dick Cavett appearance with Yoko Ono (who was played by Tom Hanks in "Forrest Gump"). Steve said John Lennon wouldn't have worn an Army shirt during the Vietnam War. I told him I had a Navy pea coat and an Army jacket from War Surplus when I was in junior high in Massachusetts. He said the only thing he bought at War Surplus was camping equipment. I was surprised to learn that New England was ahead of Steve's trend-setting L.A. with the ironic War Surplus fashion statement.

Here's a neat trick. The Fab Four wore the Nehru jackets that the Beatles wore for their Shea Stadium appearance. While a movie of Paul playing "Yesterday" was projected on the backdrop, "Paul" played "Yesterday" on the same model guitar, matching Paul gesture for gesture.

Neither of us saw the Beatles, and we didn't feel that this was at all the same as the real thing, but it was still wonderful to be immersed in memories of a more optimistic and thrilling time. We're glad we went.

I Was There When Levon Turned 70

If you look up the definition of gentleman in Webster's, you will see a picture of Levon Helm.

In May, my sister and I went to Levon's 70th Birthday Bash at his barn studio, which is attached to his home in beautiful Woodstock, NY.

CNN was there, too. Here's the video.

Oh, what a night!

Cowtown Keeylocko

Last night Steve and I drove out the Ajo Highway past Three Points to Cowtown Keeylocko. This is a working cattle and horse ranch owned by Ed Keeylocko, who bought the land after returning from the Vietnam war. Ed loves the Wild West myth, and has built a small town that he proclaims is "The Way the West Really Was".
Actually, he has improved on the way the west was and is, because his house rules require a level of civility that has never been seen in the real world.
The Blue Dog Saloon is a barn with a sand floor and two bars. Suspended from the ceiling, hanging on the walls and crowded onto every surface are saddles, ropes, photos, animal heads, a baby buggy and an accumulation of decades of dusty old stuff.

Inspired by the movie "Lonesome Cowboys", filmed by Andy Warhol in southern Arizona, French-born Tucson singer Marianne Dissard filmed part of "Lonesome Cowgirls" at Keeylocko last night. Thanks to incorrect directions in The Tucson Weekly, we missed the filming, which must have been fun. By the time we finally found this ranch at the end of six miles of dirt roads off Highway 86, the costumed actors, including Tucson's own magical Flam Chen, were busy drinking and listening to Marianne crooning in French.

Keeylocko is a delightful Tucson treasure that reminds me of Valley of the Moon. Generous, imaginative men of vision created their versions of utopia, and then invited the world into their homes.

Guess Where I Went on Saturday?

Hey rock and rollers, do you recognize this house?

"Why Didn't Someone Tell Me About This Place Before Now?"

Steve and I went to see "A Prairie Home Companion" at Tucson Convention Center Arena last night. Steve has never been a PHC fan, but I have been following the news from Lake Wobegon for over 25 years. Steve didn't realize that so much of the show was music, and he was really impressed with the three bands.

Fifteen minutes before the show went on the air, Garrison Keillor and Andra Suchy, a soprano from North Dakota, walked around the audience and sang three songs. Paul Simon's "Under African Skies" got delighted applause at the line, "Take this child, Lord, from Tucson, Arizona...".

Invoking his reticent and non-demonstrative Lutheran upbringing, Garrison introduced the next song by saying that if we were sitting next to someone we love, we could sing along, and the person we love might overhear, and we wouldn't have to make eye contact or anything. Steve and I sang along to "I Can't Help Falling in Love with You", a song that has been dear to us ever since we heard Arlo Guthrie sing it many years ago.

They finished, sort of inexplicably, with "I Saw Her Standing There", which was fun when we sang the falsetto notes.

Garrison couldn't get over how wonderful Tucson is. He marveled, "A flowering desert, surrounded by magnificent mountains. Who knew such a place existed?" He told the world about Mt Lemmon, El Charro, San Xavier del Bac and the colorful adobe houses. "Why didn't someone tell me about this place before now?" he wondered. I have a feeling, given his impression of our fair city, and the packed house at TCC, he will be back.

Garrison introduced us to a local Latino band call iMAS. they were just terrific. Gillian Welch is part of the Dave Rawlings Machine, and she led the audience in the closing song, "I'll Fly Away". You may remember her rendition of this song with Alison Krauss in "O, Brother Where Art Thou?"


As the happy crowd left the Arena, feeling proud to live in this place that charmed the radio man from Minnesota, we found a lovely winter sunset illuminating the buildings around the TCC Plaza. On the sidewalk people were singing, "I'll Fly Away". I heard a sweet white-haired woman in the ladies room at El Minuto singing that old bluegrass tune, and I joined her in a chorus. What joy.

Carnivaleros CD Release Tour

Speaking of Jim Lipson, check out his article in the Tucson Weekly about another of my favorite clients, Gary Mackender, squeeze box operator and leader of the amazing Carnivaleros.

You can find Doc Squeeze and his cohorts tonight at 9 at Plush on 4th Avenue; Sunday at Boondocks on 1st Avenue at 6, and on Sunday, June 13, they will be at the scene of the crime, Triangle L Ranch in Oracle.

Wayback Machine at 17th Street Market

This just in from my client extraordinaire Jim Lipson, percussionist with Wayback Machine.

This Saturday, the Wayback Machine will violate one of its sacrosanct rules: performing before the noon hour. They make an exception for their debut at the World Music store in the 17th St. Market.

For almost three years, the Market has enriched Saturday shopping by showcasing live music from 11:30am to 3:30pm. If you have not yet been to the 17th St. Market or Music Store, do yourself a favor and check it out: fresh produce, fantastic fish market, extensive array of Asian groceries, acoustic instruments, local CDs, and lots more.

The Market is at 830 E. 17th. St. just west of Euclid Ave., in the old warehouse district close to the train tracks. Take Euclid south from Broadway, turn west on 18th St., then follow the signs north and west to the Market.

For this acoustic gig they'll be joined by Shanti Foster on violin, mandolin and guitar and Mike Begala on guitar and mandolin.

An Original Rock Opera Here This Weekend

Graphics and Poster design by Maria A Sans Fuentes .

Another talented client, Hoshin Gupta, has co-written a rock opera that will be performed in concert with the Zuzi Dance company this weekend.

His musical ensemble, Water on the Rocks, has teamed up with Zuzi! to put on "Like a Lotus Resting in Fire: The Great Dance" a theatrical production to benefit Casa De Los Ninos. Come see an amazing show, enjoy an evening of music, dance and poetry, and help support a great cause.

Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings, May 15, 16 and 17 at 7:30 PM and Saturday and Sunday matinees, May 16 and 17 at 2:00 PM.

General Admission $20; Students and Seniors $15. Advance Tickets are on sale at ZUZI! Dance Company (520-629-0237). Tickets can also be purchased at the door before the shows at ZUZI’s Theater in the beautiful and historic YWCA at 738 N. 5th Avenue, just south of University Boulevard.