NITE Boom boomer Local music news & events
Pat Travers keeps rocking
By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com
• Comedy clinic: A well-rounded comedy showcase includes headliner Dave Rattigan, with support from Nita Dunn, Bill Campbell and rising star Josh Day. Greg Boggis, who organizes the monthly event, hosts. Rattigan is known as Professor in comedian circles; his classes in public speaking have helped many standups get to the next level, and he’s a funny guy in his own right. Go Thursday, Sept. 29, at 8 p.m. at Fody’s Tavern, 9 Clinton St., Nashua. Tickets are $5 — call 732-2845. • Hometown boy: Since heading south to Nashville two years ago, Tom Dixon has kept busy writing and performing. His latest album is Songwriter Unplugged, inspired by the time he spent watching the similarly named MTV while growing up in New Hampshire, so it’s fitting that Dixon is returning home to launch his first self-produced CD with a release show. Go Friday, Sept. 30, at 9 p.m. at Stumble Inn, 20 Rockingham Road, Londonderry. See facebook.com/tomdixonmusic. • Helping hands: The fourth annual NH Rocks for a Cure features an all-day lineup of area musicians performing to raise money for a Make-A-Wish style charity helping breast cancer patients. The Razzles, returning for another year, and Fatha Groove close out the night. Other performers include indie rock trio Blindspot, Ajar Project, Ripple Effect, 21st and 1st, Brad Bosse and Tim Soucy. Go Saturday, Oct. 1, at noon at Murphy’s Tap Room, 494 Elm St., Manchester. $10 in advance at brownpapertickets.com, $15 at the door. • Mighty gumbo: Hot on the heels of their third studio album, New Orleans Suspects return to New Hampshire with rhythm support from new bassist Charlie Wooten (Royal Southern Brotherhood). The band is an A-List of Crescent City players, creating a sound described as “psychedelic funk.” The new disc, Kaleidoscoped, extends the swampy, soulful brew delivered on 2014’s Ouroboros. Go Sunday, Oct. 2, at 8 p.m. at Flying Monkey Movie House, 39 S. Main St, Plymouth. Tickets $24 at flyingmonkeynh.com. • Angst bank: New Jersey band Titus Andronicus drew their name from Shakespeare, with inspiration provided by front man Patrick Stickles, the only original member left (though guitarist Liam Betson is semi-permanent). The indie rockers’ most recent album, A Most Lamentable Tragedy, is a five-act rock opera that stares down the barrel of turning 30. Go Wednesday, Oct. 5, at 8 p.m. at 3S Artspace, 319 Vaughan St., Portsmouth. Tickets $17 at eventbrite.com. Want more ideas for a fun night out? Check out Hippo Scout, available via the Apple App Store, Google Play and online at hipposcout.com.
By Michael Witthaus
mwitthaus@hippopress.com
Pat Travers is known for incendiary guitar licks, full-throated vocals and pullout-the-stops concerts. His biggest hit is a live recording — “(Boom Boom) Out Go the Lights,” from 1979’s Go For What You Know. With heroes like Jimi Hendrix, Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton, this is a guy who loves to rock. Offstage, however, Travers’ listening tastes often travel back in time — to the 19th century. “I like to listen to Beethoven; he really makes you think musically,” Travers said recently. “There’s no drummer, it’s not being beaten out for you. You have to count it in your mind. I don’t want to sound snobby, but it’s kind of music for your head.” Plugged in, Travers isn’t a cerebral performer by any measure. He returns to Tupelo Music Hall on Oct. 1 with a new, stripped down Pat Travers Band. For the first time in a while, he’ll work in a trio. The move was born of necessity, when longtime PTB guitarist Kirk McKim was no longer available. “We had gigs scheduled and I really didn’t feel like trying to replace him just for a month, so we just did the shows three-piece,” Travers said. “I got a really, really good response ... so I decided to stay with that and now I’m feeling really good about it. I’m doing all my fills on the guitar while I’m playing and singing — I’m busy!” He’s energized by the demands of the new configuration, with Tommy Craig on bass and drummer David Astoria. “I’m really looking forward to performing with these guys,” he said. “They seem to be able to read my mind really good and it shows, even though it’s just the three of us. It’s pretty impressive.” Travers relishes handling all the guitar chores, the way he did when starting out in the mid 1970s. “When I’m doing all the vocals, I’ll tend in that situation to start giving away guitar parts to the other guitar player,” he said with a laugh. “Just because I want it to sound balanced ... over time I start to not play as much guitar.” The return to a traditional format follows an interesting detour for Travers. In 2015, he made Retro Rocket, a studio album whose creation resembles an exotic game Pat Travers Band When: Saturday, Oct. 1, 8 p.m. Where: Tupelo Music Hall, 2 Young Road, Londonderry Tickets: $40-$50 at tupelohall.com
HIPPO | SEPTEMBER 29 - OCTOBER 5, 2016 | PAGE 58
Pat Travers Band. Courtesy photo.
of Guitar Hero. “It was the strangest thing,” Travers said. “A guy who I coordinate with from time to time said, ‘Hey, I got these backing tracks ... would it be possible for you to put some guitar and lyrics on them?’” Inspired by a 1957 Les Paul Goldtop loaned to him by a friend, Travers got to work. “I was really loving this guitar — it was a reissue, but exactly like a 1957,” he said. “So I went into the studio, rolled the backing tracks, plugged in and just jammed along with it as if the players were in the other room and came up with some cool stuff.” He’s not looking to repeat the feat, however. “It was just these backing tracks somebody in Las Vegas did, who I still have never met; just weird,” Travers said. “One of the problems of course was if I was going somewhere with a vocal line or whatever, I couldn’t change the music behind it ... I had to stick with what was already recorded.” Born in Canada, Travers caught the music bug the same way many of his contemporaries did, when he watched The Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan show in 1964. “I think you will find a lot of musicians my age who’ll say that ... was the fuse that started
it all,” Travers said. “The Beatles dramatically changed everything, because they wrote it and arranged it. Those four guys had everything to do with what they were doing, unlike the rest of the music business at that point.” Such inspiration came with a price, however. “Unfortunately for me, that’s my bar,” Travers said with a rueful laugh. “The same with guitar, because we had all these iconic guys — you could tell in exactly two notes who you were listening to. So that bar has also been pretty high.” He’s proven up to the task, with confidence to match. Travers spoke of his collaboration with drummer Carmine Appice, whose credits include Jeff Beck, Rod Stewart and Vanilla Fudge. “Carmine was always a big huge superstar, but when I met him we hit it off right away; I never felt star-struck,” he said. “I’ve been lucky. ... When I was young and getting started, I always felt like I was one of the boys. I don’t know why; it wasn’t ego-driven. I just felt that’s where I’ll be comfortable. Making big records and on the stage playing great shows. I felt that’s just where I should be.”