Page 70 June 20, 2014
ARTS & ENTERTAINmENT
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This Beat Goes On: Corky Laing and Kate Mueth
F
rom the beach drum circles and Samba de Boom, to the recent Chad Smith vs. Will Farrell drum off, the East End moves to a drummer’s pulse. Smith, the drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, lives in Montauk and often sits in at local music spots. He is chairing the big Montauk Playhouse Gala; a resident rock star drummer for the Hamptons. Not to be out-drummed by the South Fork, the North Fork can lay claim to a super star rock and roll drummer of their own. For the last three years Corky Laing from the classic rock group Mountain has made Greenport his home base. I will confess to not knowing very much about Laing or his work. I’d certainly heard of Mountain and knew their biggest hit “Mississippi Queen”
but my knowledge, and to be brutal, my interest ended there. Then the opportunity to interview Laing, along with one of my favorite East End artistic types, Kate Mueth, presented itself. Mueth is an actress, producer and choreographer who many may know from her theatrical group The Neo-Political Cowgirls. At the moment, Mueth is also directing Laing in his show Under the Rock at the John Drew Theater. My interest was piqued when I saw the show publicized as “A tour-de-force personal odyssey through some of the Corky laing most amazing concert moments of the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s.” What exactly is this about?
Rogers Memorial Library Foundation Presents a Benefit Concert
A Summer Evening of Jazz
The minute Corky Laing sat down across from me, smiled, rattled on a bit and admitted that he was having something of a “blood sugar plunge at that moment” I liked him. His rapid-fire history on who he was, what he’d done and where he was coming from did not lend itself to note-taking for writing an article but I was riveted. He touched on how his lecturing at universities, covering things as wide ranging as ethics in the music industry and the need for performers to have solid self-esteem started to lead to the show he’s working on now. Laing is intense in a comfortable way, articulate even when he’s jumping from one subject or era or band reference to another and he’s very entertaining. When asked what inspires him to stay in the music business, Laing’s reason was “to keep reaching out and giving back.” He clearly feels a deep passion about connecting people to their past through music and his experiences. “I’m just pointing out a dot,” Laing said as he placed his finger on the table at LT Burger and dragged it across the surface “and people take their journey.” The journey for those who lived through the 60’s includes insights and stories about some of the musicians who changed the face of rock music as we know it today. Laing knew these performers “before they were Gods.” For those who were born beyond this time frame, it’s an opportunity to live it through the eyes of someone who was there. The relationship between Mueth and Laing is full of humor, and they joked and finished each other’s sentences. Laing has taken to the “theatrical attitude” that he says Mueth has brought to the show. After letting her tell him what to order, he jokingly admitted he’d turned himself over to her direction. “It’s my life, but she gets to tell me what to do.” Their vision for the show includes bringing drummer Laing out from behind the safety net of his “kit” while taking the audience on a journey through some riveting rock history. They also revealed there is a plan to show us yet another side to the evening’s special guest, Montauk rock and roller Nancy Atlas. I don’t want to give away any of the show’s specific secrets. I even stopped Laing from telling me too much. I heard enough to know that I would urge any rock music lovers out there to get tickets now. This Corky guy has seen and heard a lot of amazing stuff for someone who was stuck behind a drum set all those years. Courtesy Guild Hall
By ellen dioguardi
Under the Rock will be performed at Guild Hall in East Hampton on Friday, June 27 (admission $30– $50), For more information, visit guildhall.org or call 631-324-0806.
with The Judy Carmichael Trio Sunday, June 29, 2014 6:30 PM Concert Cocktail Reception Immediately Following Hors D’oeuvres Courtesy of The Riverhead Project Tickets: $100 x Rogers Memorial Library 91 Coopers Farm Road • Southampton, New York For reservations or more information, call 631-283-0774 ext. 582 No tickets will be sent. Your name will be held at the door. Rain or shine. Parking on Library site.
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