PAUL WELLMAN
a&e | POP, ROCK & JAZZ PREVIEW
WILD ONES
POWER COUPLE: Steppenwolf frontman John Kay and his wife, Jutta Maue Kay, are pictured in their Montecito home. The couple, who celebrate their 50th anniversary this year, are fighting to end human- and animal-rights injustice through their Maue Kay Foundation. This Friday, Kay will continue paying it forward when he plays a solo set at SOhO as part of the venue’s ongoing fundraising efforts.
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very 15 minutes, a majestic elephant is killed for its we put our resources into the hands of those who work to tusks. Rhinoceros are slaughtered so their horns preserve what we feel has a right to exist on this planet,” can serve as alleged aphrodisiacs. Orangutans cling Kay says of his philanthropic work. The Kays’ desire to do to increasingly deforested habitats in Sumatra and something tangible was first sparked by a visit to Cambodia, where they witnessed the vestiges of the Khmer Rouge Borneo. Steppenwolf frontman John Kay is outraged by this. genocide. Most of the educated population had been The Montecito-based singer/songwriter, best known for murdered, and the country was still struggling to rebuild legendary hits “Magic Carpet Ride” and the presciently its school system. The Maue Kay Foundation was launched titled “Born to Be Wild,” is passionately committed to with the creation of the Tith Mom School in 2004, which helping people who, as he puts it,“have their fingers in the continues to flourish today. Over the last decade, the Kays continued to cherrydike” of wildlife extinction. In 2004, along with partner and wife Jutta Maue Kay, Kay established pick organizations that protect wildlife, the the Maue Kay Foundation, which provides environment, and human rights. The issues financial assistance to a collection of closest to their hearts now are the critically carefully curated organizations, many of endangered species of elephants, rhinos, which are dedicated to the eradication and orangutans. At the present rate of of human-wildlife conflict. slaughter, through poaching and habiKay’s music has always had an tat loss, these majestic creatures will undercurrent of social consciousness. vanish in the next 10-15 years. As a young boy, he escaped from East Despite the desperate situation, the Prussia with his mother and was later Kays are not defeatists. As Jutta points by Marilyn Gillard introduced to rock ’n’ roll while listenout, there is more information dissemiing to the U.S. Armed Forces radio in West nated now than ever before, and successful Germany. These early experiences left an indelible sanctuaries such as the Lewa Wildlife Consermark on the young Kay, paving the way for a commitment vancy in Kenya demonstrate the real possibility of reversto powerful music coupled with meaningful lyrics. This ing the damage. This world-renowned 62,000-acre, was further cemented in 1965, when Kay attended a topical high-security sanctuary has fostered the recovery of the song workshop at the Newport Folk Festival with the likes nearly extinct black rhino, engaging the local population and establishing nearby schools and hospitals to ensure the of Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs. With eight gold albums and worldwide sales of more continued support of the regional community. A self-proclaimed “news junkie,” Jutta is the keeper than 25 million records, Kay and Steppenwolf are bonafide rock stars. In their heyday, the appeal was enormous: of the Maue Kay Facebook page, constantly apprising Their music became the soundtrack of the Vietnam War, followers to issues of human rights, wildlife, and the environment. She’s also a gifted photographer, and her songs like “Monster” the anthem of protesters. More than five decades later, the eloquent and charis- extraordinary images portray the heartbreaking beauty matic Kay finds himself playing to “two and a half genera- of the disappearing species and their precarious surtions” of listeners. He often jokes that today’s Steppenwolf roundings. On the Maue Kay YouTube channel, John has is “five young men that happen to inhabit vintage bodies,” created a series of remarkable mini-documentaries, his though watching him perform, that’s not quite the case. slightly accented voice serving as a guide to these far-flung Limber with a full-throttle voice, Kay still inhabits the destinations. This year, John and Jutta celebrate their 50th stage with all the presence of a rock heavyweight. anniversary. The soft-spoken power couple will continue He limits himself to 10-12 concerts a year, which he to dedicate their time, money, and efforts to ensure more does primarily to fund the Maue Kay Foundation. This awareness and action on behalf of the organizations they Friday, January 30, Kay takes to SOhO for an acoustic vouch for and support. Now living here in Santa Barbara, set in support of the venue’s own ongoing fundraising they hope to inspire our community to get informed and efforts. “Instead of another house or something like that, involved, too.
STEPPENWOLF’S
JOHN KAY GIVES BIG
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mauekay.org.
John Kay plays a solo set at SOhO Restaurant & Music Club (1221 State St.) this Friday, January 30, at 8 p.m. alongside The Dirty Knobs. For tickets and info, call 962-7776 or visit sohosb.com. For more on the Mau Kay Foundation, visit
MONTECITO•SANTA BARBARA
APRIL 14TH At A 7Pm
TICKETS AT: SB BOWL BOX OFFICE / ARLINGTON THEATRE / CHARGE BY PHONE 800-745-3000 WALMART / TICKETMASTER.COM / NEDERLANDERCONCERTS.COM / SBBOWL.COM
independent.com
january 29, 2015
THE InDEPEnDEnT
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