Classic Albums Live-attn: CT area Ledgies

[Livia]

They're doing Rumours on March 31

http://www.theday.com/eng/web/news/r...6-F24F00D46A5C

Deep Cover Shows Recreate — Exactly — Classic Rock Albums

IF YOU GO
WHAT:Classic Rock Live “Led Zeppelin II”

WHERE:Wolf Den, Mohegan Sun

WHEN:4 and 7 p.m. Sunday

ADMISSION:Free

VISIT:www.mohegansun.com

By RICK KOSTER
Features
Published on 1/24/2006

The exchange rate for evaluating classic rock albums has fueled many a debate over the years. “I wouldn't take three ‘Magical Mystery Tours' for one‘Houses of the Holy'!”

“You're insane! Would you trade ‘Piper at the Gates of Dawn' and ‘Queen II' for the first Steely Dan and ‘Quadrophenia'?”

“Throw in a Spooky Tooth to be named later and I'd think about it.”

The point is, there are dozens of truly classic rock albums out there, and others that at least show up on a lot of lists. But there are precious few of the original artists left to recreate the albums on stage.

A Toronto musician named Craig Martin believes, in a literal sense, that these masterworks are the classical music of tomorrow — not just the classic rock of today. In either case, he figures, there is a tune-starved demographic that would love to see these albums performed onstage.

Through Martin's company, Classic Albums Live, he's bringing letter-perfect renditions of many of the LPs to an increasingly large slice of audiences across North America. Over the next few months, a series of the performances comes to the Mohegan Sun Wolf Den, starting with free 4 and 7 p.m. shows Sunday of “Led Zeppelin II.”

One performance a month will follow in the Wolf Den, including “Who's Next” (Feb. 26), Fleetwood Mac's “Rumours” (March 31), Pink Floyd's “Dark Side of the Moon” (April 28), The Beatles' “Abbey Road” (May 26), and the Rolling Stones' “Let It Bleed” (June 30).

“We do whatever it takes, musically, so that it sounds exactly like the album does on your stereo,” says Martin last week from Sydney, Nova Scotia, where one of four touring Classic Albums Live companies was performing “Dark Side of the Moon.”

“If we need a marching band or a children's choir or five guitarists, that's what we bring in. A sitar player. Symphony orchestra. The whole point is to recreate the listening experience in a live setting, and sometimes that's a massive undertaking.”

Martin is also happy about the multi-generational aspect of the shows, explaining that the original fans are bringing their kids — many of whom apparently know and love the material.

But he stressed that the visual aspect of the concerts is secondary to the music.

“These are not tribute bands,” he says.

Rather, musicians dress in black and perform in stationary positioning. There is no between-song banter or “How ya doing, Connecticut!” exhortations.

Albums by acts such as KISS have been considered and discarded because those groups' visual and bombastic stage shows are often a bigger part of their reputation and draw than the music.

“I truly think Classic Albums Live is the start of something that will be around a long time,” says Carl Labate, who manages and books Classic Albums Live for the Rainbow Talent Agency in Rochester, N.Y. “In the sense that people go to see orchestras perform classical music today, so will people in the future go to see companies perform classic rock albums — as a recital, so to speak. That's what we're doing.”

Three years into existence, Martin and CAL have employed more than 150 musicians, recreated more than 30 albums and have up to four companies on the road throughout Canada or the U.S. at any time. In April, Martin is headed to Europe to begin booking tours. He ultimately anticipates up to 10 different companies touring simultaneously.

Though there has been an overlap of players from one album or tour to the other, Martin says he hires the musicians he needs to best replicate the spirit and sound of the work in question. As such, the personnel performing “Led Zeppelin II” is definitely not the same folks he hired to do Bob Marley's “Legend.”

There have been as few as seven players onstage — for AC/DC's “Back in Black” — whereas more complex albums like Queen's “A Night at the Opera” (18 musicians and vocalists) and The Beatles' “Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (22 onstage) require more.

“I was thrilled when I got this job,” says Derek Bellefontaine, a Toronto native and the drummer on the current “Dark Side of the Moon” tour. “It's actually a very prestigious gig; Craig will only use top-notch musicians. It's also cool because I love the album, and it's so much fun to watch the crowd get into it when they realize we really are going to pull it off.”

Some albums, Martin says, prove tougher to pull off than others. “You expect a Queen album to be difficult,” Martin says, “but (the Eagles') ‘Hotel California' really threw us. We thought it'd be like learning campfire songs, and instead it was really hard. They have such dense and layered harmonies, and there's a lot more going on musically than you might think.”

A life-long musician who these days usually runs sound on one of the tours, Martin conceived the project, appropriately enough, in a van going from one gig to another. The stereo played several cuts in a row from the Rolling Stones' “Exile on Main Street,” and it occurred to Martin that, not only would it be fun to play a few of the album's cuts on stage, but it might be fun to do a whole side of the record or even the whole album.

More recently, Martin expanded his concept by starting an offshoot company called Modern Classics Live, which updates the strategy with more modern rock CDs such as Radiohead's “OK Computer” or Nirvana's “Nevermind.”

The curious might be interested in precisely how far Martin and company take this “classic rock” construct. What about backstage? Are there carousels of groupies, booze, deli trays and narcotics?

Martin laughed. “You know what? Yeah, there is a case of beer and a bottle of wine. But that's about it. We don't overdo it.

“These guys are long-term professional musicians who are studio players or sidemen. They're not iconic rock stars, and they've developed careers by not pretending otherwise and by delivering consistently. So we have fun, but we take it seriously, too.”


© The Day Publishing Co., 2006
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[WelshWitchPMD]

Hmm. if my friend wants to go and I can get that night off from work I might check it out. I went to the Wolf Den last weekend and saw Mickey Thomas from Starship or ex-Starship and it was pretty good.
My friend wanted to leave to go gamble. I was not too happy about that so I am a bit hesitant to go there again.
I will try and post what few OK photos that I took.

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Here's the home page:

http://www.classicalbumslive.com/

Although they claim not to be "tribute bands", clearly some of the musos are sourced from tribute bands.

Check out the David Gilmour, Paul McCartney [Edit: Wings not Abbey Road] and Jimmy Page clones.