April 23-29, 2015
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APRIL 23-29, 2015 ---------------------------Feature • The Mersey Beatles ------------------------- Recreating the Fab Four By Michele DeVinney about them before that point, but I remem- Beatles fans, the opportunity to have a mu- ber I was so amazed and proud that these sical residency at the famed Cavern Club The phenomenon of tribute bands has cool guys were from my city. I wore out where the originals played all those years UPCOMING EVENTS continued to grow over the years, providing that Please Please Me album all that year, ago was a treat for The Mersey Beatles. fans of hard-to-see bands the opportunity for and I got Beatles albums for birthdays and Howard calls the experience “a real thrill a vicarious, and often uncanny, thrill that Christmas from that point on. It’s fair to say for any Beatles tribute. It still feels good. The might rival the real thing. No band has in- I have been fascinated by them ever since. club was a little different back then. Sweaty spired more tributes than The Beatles, how- I’ve seen Paul 11 times and Ringo twice.” and hot, really hot, just like in the 60s. It’s a ever, making it clear that more than 50 years Although that showing of Help! intro- bit more tourist-friendly these days, but it’s after they first burst onto still got a unique vibe.” the scene in 1964, the As with many tributes, Fab Four are as popular The Mersey Beatles and beloved as ever. cover all eras of the But not all Beatles band’s amazingly brief bands are created equal, era. Though only on the and The Mersey Beat- charts and together for les, who visit C2G next a little over six years, week, are decidedly a cut there are many musical above. The only Beat- and costume changes les tribute featuring an required to fully capture all-Liverpudlian cast of their full catalog. How- musicians – and the one ard remains devoted to described as the best by the album which first John Lennon’s sister, Ju- introduced him to the lia – The Mersey Beatles group while finding April 23 | 6:30p.m. served as the house band other music to satisfy his at the famed Cavern cravings. WILD KRATTS LIVE Club in Liverpool for a “I’m really into the decade, making it clear Please Please Me album that they’ve filled a void at the moment. So raw felt by Beatles fans for and joyful. The “White years. THE MERSEY BEATLES Album” is my go-to al- The group came together much as their 8 p.m. Friday, May1 bum. It was one of the last Beatles albums I predecessors did: school chums getting to- heard when I was 14. It just blew me away. gether to play music. Steven Howard (Paul), C2G Music Hall It sounded like a different band. ‘Strawberry Mark Bloor (Ringo) and Brian Ambrose 323 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne Fields Forever’ is my favorite song, and (John) were classmates and were eventually ‘Penny Lane’ is not far behind. John and joined by David Howard (George), Steve’s Tix: $20-$40 thru Neat Neat Paul were untouchable at that point in song- cousin. The four were able to recreate the Neat Record Store, Wooden writing terms. ‘Oh Darling’ is one of my fa- April 24 | 7:30pm sound of the early Beatles catalog, but were vorites to perform. I’m not saying I always stymied when it came time to include more Nickel Music Stores nail it because we do our set in the recorded April 25 | 2p.m. elaborate orchestrations. Unwilling to settle & www.c2gmusichall.com key, so I have to be really on form to take for pre-recorded music, the group added that one on, but it’s always fun. I have one or IN THE MOOD “fifth Beatle” Tony Cook, a keyboardist who duced him to the humor of Ringo, Howard two testers like ‘I’m Down’ and ‘Sgt. Pep- A 1940s Musical Revue was able to infuse the songs with the lush admits to being a bigger John fan at the on- per’ to rough the voice up, and then I give it element which became more prevalent in the set. As he got older, he came to appreciate my best shot.” Beatles’ latter years. Paul more, but there were more practical Being from Liverpool and even playing April 27 & 28 | 6:30pm “We got to know Tony through playing reasons he ultimately adopted the Paul per- at the Cavern Club gives The Mersey Beat- at Liverpool venues where he would DJ,” sona in The Mersey Beatles, though he does les an added shot of credibility, but it’s the JIM & JILL KELLY says Steven Howard. “At the time we only play bass with one significant difference. endorsement from Lennon’s sister that really played the early songs. When it came time to “My favorite Beatle changes on an al- suggests their superiority among other trib- Night of Hope branch out into Pepper [Sgt. Pepper’s Lone- most daily basis. I go through phases. Paul’s utes. ly Hearts Club Band] and beyond, we knew vocal came more naturally to me because I “Julia has been a friend of ours since we May 27 | 8pm we wanted to keep it live. Tracks were never have a high range, plus I could play bass and toured Australia together with a Liverpool an option for us, but a big orchestra was also sing. But we’re at our best when we harmo- delegation from The Cavern Club,” says ORDON out. We wanted to keep it 100 percent live, nize. I am not left handed. We always con- Howard. “She has a good sense of humor and G so Tony is our very own ‘Wix’ Wickens.” centrated on the music more than anything, was immediately one of the gang. There’s no The name of the group reflects the Liv- and we took inspiration from The Bootleg side to her, and she speaks her mind. We got LI G HTFOOT erpool origins of both groups, paying tribute Beatles [another Beatles tribute band] who on great. We played a charity event for Ju- to a river that runs through the town. How- had a righty Paul. I saw them on TV when I lia back in England soon after our trip. On John Mellencamp .................. June 6 ard says it “says who we are, what we do and was a kid in the 80s. It’s nice if you have a that night Julia told the audience that she had Buddy Nolan Tribute ...........June 14 where we come from.” The original focus on lefty Paul, but it’s not essential. The music is heard a lot of Beatles tribute bands, but we Behind the Screen ...............June 17 those beginning years not only reflects the all that matters in the end. were the best she had heard. Once we got Movie: Peter Pan ..................June 22 Liverpool connection, but also Howard’s “I’d love to try the John role for a laugh backstage I asked her if she had meant that own introduction to The Beatles. one day, but I don’t play drums very well so and she said, ‘Yes.’ I was so proud. She said “My older brother brought Please Please Ringo’s out, and I know I could never do we could quote her on it. I’ve never asked 125 W. Jefferson Blvd. Me home around October 1980. I was eight, George. He was like a secret ingredient in outright about The Beatles or John. Not re- Fort Wayne, Indiana going on nine. This was two months before the band. Deceptively difficult third harmo- ally our place. If you want to know about John was killed. I didn’t listen to it until they nies and tasty solos and riffs. All a bit too that you will have to read her book I guess. ticketmaster.com showed Help! on TV as a tribute to John on technical for me.” the night he was shot. I had not heard much Of course, as Liverpool natives and Continued on page 4 2 -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- April 23, 2015 300 E. Main St. Fort Wayne, IN 46802 whatzup 260.424.7195 | www.artlinkfw.com Volume 19, Number 36 SWEETWATER ou’re going to find lots of stuff to read in this issue of the Fort POPS Wayne area’s one and only arts and entertainment publication. Whether it’s our feature stories on upcoming events (IPFW’s pro- TH Yduction of Merrily We Roll Along, page 4; The Mersey Beatles at C2G 35 NATIONAL Music Hall, page 2; Fort Wayne Philharmonic’s Pops production of Pixar in Concert, page 7), area artists (IPFW actor Brady Schrock, page 5) or regional entertainment moguls (concert promoter Peter Kernan, page 6), there’s a lot of good reading within these pages. And that’s just the beginning. Keep going and you’ll find CD reviews, incuding Allan Craig Miller’s Between Saturday and Sunday, Catherine EXHIBITION Lee’s review of Greg Locke’s favorite new film, Evan Gillespie’s book review and Jeff Salisbury’s notes on all for One’s upcoming production of Around the World in 80 Days. Of course, the whole thing is anchored by the area’s best and most complete arts and entertainment calendars. If what you find here doesn’t go out far enough for you, you can find the complete, unredacted versions online at www.whatzup.com. Speaking of whatzup.com, you can also find some content there that never even makes it into the print version of whatzup.