While countless people marked news of the death of George Martin by playing albums by the Beatles last Wednesday, I joined about 400 aging rockers at a concert by the British hard-rock band UFO at the VooDoo at Harrah’s Casino. Martin produced UFO’s 1980 album No Place to Run.
Much of the nearly two-hour outing possessed a punchy, melodic attack that wasn’t too far removed from the Beatles songs like “Hey Bulldog,” “The Night Before” and “Taxman.”
Aside the showy guitar solos of Vinnie Moore (every one of his statements would have benefited from extensive pruning), UFO resembled a commendably humble pub rock band. Renditions of “Only You Can Rock Me,” “Rock Bottom” and “Shoot Shoot” were transformed into beery singalongs.
The unpretentious tone was accentuated by the goofy antics of vocalist Phil Mogg. He joked that his beer was “best glass of urine I’ve ever had,” mocked his wardrobe and feigned indifference about the band’s discography.
Andy Parker, the drummer who co-founded UFO with Mogg in 1969, ambled to Mogg’s microphone at the conclusion of the concert to acknowledge the passing of a legend with four words: “God bless George Martin.”
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I discussed Maria the Mexican on Local Listen last week.
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I wrote an extended preview of Basia Bulat’s appearance at the Riot Room.
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I write weekly music previews for The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine.
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I reviewed Alicia Olatuja’s concert at the Folly Theater at Plastic Sax.
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Louis Meyers has died. The co-founder of SXSX looked fit as a fiddle when I spoke to him at the Folk Alliance conference last month.
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Nana Vasconcelos has died.
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Ernestine Anderson has died.
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Keith Emerson has died. Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s 1977 appearance at Municipal Auditorium was one of the first rock concerts I attended.
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Nolatet, a group that features Mike Dillon, Brian Haas, James Singleton and Johnny Vidacovich, has released Dogs. RIYL: Charles Mingus, no holds barred, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey.
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Call it revenge of the (band) nerds. About half of the selections on Snarky Puppy’s Family Dinner, Vol. 2 are excellent. I'll no longer mock the enthusiasm of the collective’s rabid fans.
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Jim Rotondi’s mainstream album Dark Blue tickles my fancy. RIYL: Clifford Brown, contemporary bop that isn't boring, Claudio Roditi.
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La Santa Cecilia’s Buenaventura is RIYL: Lila Downs, the sun, Making Movies. Here’s ”Nunca Mas”.
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Vilde Frang’s Britten/Korngold is wonderful.
(Original image by There Stands the Glass.)
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