B.B. King Lulu’s Friday
April
12
by Eddie Butt and Adam lhiedzic special to Imprint ne of the last remaining great bluesmen made another appearance at
0
25
ARTS
Friday, May 3, 1996
IMPRINT,
Lulu’s during the winter term exam period. I don’t think they offer a course more important than seeing “the ambassador of the blues,” B.B. King, play his unique blend of blues, jazz, and gospel. After some brief warm up music by one of the most talented backup bands I have ever seen, 8.8. strode up, picked up
Lucille, and played. Beginning with Freddie King’s “Five Long Years,” he whipped the audience into a frenzy with his soulful stinging vibrato.
voice
and
His own YPaying Cost To Be the Boss” packed a foot-tapping groove that
is better than a whole string of that particular Friday muttered under his breath “I am just a guy who has
experience like Marvin Gay&s bassist, the drummer from Frank Zappa’s Mothers of Invention, and a sax player who has backed
been
bbth
notes. On he casually trying
to learn
the blues
Last
em-
barrassed any studio version that I have ever heard. B . B . showed that he can still croon with the best of them on a relaxed “Guess Who?” and, of course, finished up the two hour set with “The Thrill is Gone.” That song was the one that broke B.B. out of the small time and into mainstream popular music. Recorded just after a divorce to his second wife, Sue, in 1966, it continues to be his signature song to this day. Riley (his given name) was ,born in Indianola, Mississippi in 1925. Early on in his life he moved to Memphis to be with his
for
Elvin
Bishop
and
Charlie
of the
Bluesmen
father
after
the
death
of
48 years.” The show was attended by 2300 people, who were treated to Mel Brown’s usual antics to start, followed by a band called Deacon Jones. It is worth mentioning that they were a versitile bandandveryentertaining.
with
Musselwhite, it should be expected. The billing given to B.B. by my friends who had seen him before was satisfied, and then some. I definitely recommend the meagre investment involved in creating so many memories.
his
mother. It was here that he got the famous nickname while playing on Beale St. for change in his teens. It didn’t take long for him to be touring America with a thirteen piece backup band in as many as 300 dates a year! Over the years he has honed his style that can be characterized by saying that he knows when to play the right note and when silence
The ambassador of the Blues phato
The Shannon Ljmn Pop Explosion w/My
Neighbour
Ned
The Volcano
Friday
March
29
Wilkins Imprint staff
by Patrick
by Peter Lenardon
performance ataparticular time, leaving themselves open for comparison.MyNeighbourNedfares quite well under those standards. This time he brought local guitar genius Matthew Osborne with hi& After a few solo songs, in-
eluding “I Need” (frequent first song for his live shows),
r. Shannon Lyon and his Pop Explosion return triumphant from a WORLD TOUR!!! I (of Western Canada), and Kitchener-Wa-
hA
terloo \&corned on the last Friday
thr3 boys back of March. Lo
cal singer-songwriting Neighbour
Ned
animal My (this
writer
refuses to submit to the tyranny of mismatched capitalization) opened. The two have at least one thing in common: new CDs. The SLPE’s was unveiled at their release partyFebruary22nd, and My Neighbour Ned’s were in stores as of March 29th. It’s interesting to compare their performances in the light of the existence of pre-recorded slabs of acetate (or whatever CDs art: made of these days). It’s alwavs a danger to record a CD -
theartisttakesasnapshotoftheir
King
Lyon
a beau&
ful version of “5 AM,” a not-asbeautiful version of “Idea” (lacking Christine Deneau’s accompaniment found on the CD), Matt (oh he of the magic lepre chauns) ascended. Not a bad team-the harmonies, both vocal and guitarical, were excellent. Both performers also have the ability to show utmost enthusiasm in front of even small crowds. Their version of “I Lie Awake,* in which My Neigh-, bour Ned plays whilst Mr. Osborne provides a running repeti tive commentary in the background, suas nothing short of magical. What can one say about Shannon Lyon? The man’s an
excellent musician, with some great songs (“Mods Rule” even made April’s 1?@a<tcompilation CD). And no local act can
get a
until a verse and a half into one song until I realized that itwasn’t an alternate-lyrics version of “Would You Agree?“. There was a tendency for everything to sound too similar, music snapping in and out of focus as the show progressed. Maybe it’s the curse of the CD - being so farniliar with the Pop Explosion’s it’s easy to find
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crowd moving quite like Shannon. Once again, the place was packed, and Shannon’s bright clothing outshone even the beautiful, gorgeous, ravishingly wonderful Volcano background. And yet, being fimiliar with the music of the Shannon Lyon ’ Pop Explosion, some minor points come out in their live show. For example, I listened
music, ties.
Iig:.:iiyy.z.’ TABLES
similari.
But as I’ve said before, such technical problems are a far second to the primary issue of Shannon Lyon’s rock music -its pure visceral quality, one that ensures an active dance floor and brisk sales at your local HMV. M&s R&is still in regular rotation in my CD player, and Shannon Lyon still puts on one hell of a show.
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