APRIL 24-30, 2014 ----------------------------- Cover Story • 38 Special ---------------------------- Staples of Southern Rock Friday, April 26 • 7pm • $5 By Evan Gillespie SWEETWATER’S You know that one-hit- BIG KID ROCK NIGHT wonder band from the 80s that’s coasting into the 21st Late Arrivals, What About Joe century on the back of its meager discography? Well, Friday, May 10 • 7:30pm 38 Special are not that band. On the contrary, 38 Special SWEETWATER’S are the band from the 80s that redefined Southern TEEN ROCK NIGHT rock and are storming into $3 Admission the 21st century on the strength of its catalog of gi- ant hits. The band came togeth- er in Jacksonville, Florida in 1974 when Don Barnes and Donnie Van Zant start- ed playing together. Van Zant’s older brother, Ron- nie, had co-founded Lynyrd Skynyrd 10 years earlier, and that band was nearing its pinnacle; they’d opened 38 SPECIAL for The Who the year be- w/THE MARSHALL TUCKER BAND fore, and in 1974 they’d release their 7 p.m. Friday, May 2 – and keyboardist Bobby Capps has been Second Helping album, with its break- an official member of the band since 1991, out hit, “Sweet Home Alabama.” Embassy Theatre although he’d been playing with them for Friday, May 16 • 8pm The country was more than ready, it 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne three years already at that point. Even seemed, for an onslaught of Southern Tix: $29-$59 thru Ticketmaster, Gary Moffatt, the newest member of the STRING SHIFT rock, and Barnes and Donnie Van Zant band aside from Jundstrom’s replacement, were happy to supply it. Embassy box office, 424-5665 Barry Dunaway, has been playing drums $16 Adv., $25 D.O.S., $30 Gold, It would take a few years and for 38 Special for 17 years. $15 w/Student I.D. a few albums, though, before 38 Special no stopping 38 Special; the hits kept com- “When a couple of guys who’ve been managed to make their presence known ing – ”Somebody Like You” (1986), “Rock there from the beginning aren’t there on the to a broad audience. Fortunately, the band & Roll Strategy” (1988), “Second Chance” bus any more, aren’t on stage, you start to was possessed of a relentless work ethic, a (1989), “The Sound of Your Voice” (1991) – understand what the loss is,” says Chauncey. drive to work that translated, by the time the and over 20 million records were sold before “Donnie’s energy and personality on stage band released its third album in 1980, into it was all said and done. were huge, but Don has always been a lot of music that appealed not just to Southerners, Once Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen the band’s energy on stage, too. He’s the guy but to rockers across the country. If Lynyrd Spirit” hit the airwaves in 1991, there was who sang most of the hits. He’s the kind of Skynyrd were the Southern rock version no going back to the heyday of Southern guy, if he sees an opening on stage that needs of Led Zeppelin, then 38 Special were the arena rock, and 38 Special had to adjust to to be filled, he’s going to step up and fill it. Southern rock version of Journey. Barnes the times. Barnes was absent from the group It’s instinct for him.” and Van Zant figured out how to transform between 1987 and 1991. When he came The live performances have never the album-oriented appeal of Southern rock back, the band released Bone Against Steel, stopped, but new records have been sparse heavyweights like Skynyrd and the Allman but that would be its last album until 1997’s of late. Drivetrain (2004) was the band’s last Brothers Band into the kind of popular rock Resolution. studio album, but their most recent recording that sold out arenas and rocketed to the top If the top of the charts was out of reach, effort was a new live album, something that of the charts. Skynyrd occupied a niche – al- the time had come for the band to reap the the band saw as a high-tech way to revisit beit a spacious one – but 38 Special made benefits of all its of hard work and success. the 1999 live recording, Live at Sturgis. rock for the masses. A decade of touring on their own culminated “We’re all proud of Sturgis, but on a few The band’s third album, Rockin’ into in a nostalgic tour with Lynyrd Skynyrd – different levels there were things we wanted Saturday, June 21 • 8pm the Night, produced a title track that didn’t at this point, fronted by Donnie Van Zant’s to do differently,” Chauncey says. “That make it into the Top 40, but it got plenty of little brother, Johnny – and Hank Williams show, it was within Gary Moffat’s first 10 attention and set the stage for 1981’s follow- Jr. in 2007, then a tour with fellow 80s rock- shows. We gave ourselves two days for post- JARS OF CLAY up album, Wild-Eyed Southern Boys. The ers REO Speedwagon and Styx in 2009. production, and that turned out to be just not $20 Adv., $25 D.O.S., $40 Gold album was the band’s breakthrough, and it In 2012, Donnie Van Zant retired from enough. When we go on stage, we have an produced a Top 5 hit with “Hold On Loose- touring because of nerve damage in his inner experience; the audience has an experience. GO TO OUR WEBSITE ly,” as well as a couple of moderate hits with ear, and in 2013 he officially left the band It’s energy and drama. It’s a large thing that “Fantasy Girl” and the album’s title track. altogether. Earlier this year, bassist Larry doesn’t necessarily come across when you FOR TICKET INFO & MORE From there, the band went on a tear. Jundstrom, who had been with the band just put a microphone in front of something. ALL SHOWS ALL AGES Special Forces (1982) was their third al- since 1977, retired as well. When we did the new album, we were able bum in two years, and it cracked the Top 10 Just because Barnes is the only original to explore how we get from raw tracks to on the album chart and delivered another member of 38 Special still in the group, that something that captures that experience, Top 10 single (“Caught Up in You”). Then doesn’t mean the current lineup consists and it’s a long process. It was a journey that, came Tour de Force (1984) and two more of newcomers, however. Guitarist Danny this time around, we had the luxury of going Top 20 singles (“If I’d Been the One” and Chauncey has been in the band for more on.” “Back Where You Belong”). Throughout the than 25 years – he was, in fact, the replace- Continued on page 7 rest of the 80s and into the 90s, there was ment for Barnes when he left back in 1987 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------- April 24, 2014 whatzup Volume 18, Number 37 inally, we can talk about something besides the weather (knock on wood), so let’s get right to it, shall we? F The Embassy Theatre’s been busy this year, and there are no plans AN EMBASSY THEATRE to back off the venerable venue’s aggressive scheduling of big national acts. This week it’s Southern rock legends 38 Special, and Evan Gillespie FUNDRAISING EVENT FEATURING gives you the backstory in this week’s cover feature on page 2. Beyond that, on might consider this our “teacher issue,” as the rest of JOHN CURRAN AND RENEGADE our features this week touch on education in one way or the other. First PERFORMING is Heather Miller’s profile of Matt Mabis who not only teaches at the University of Saint Francis, but is a student there is well. Then there is LUKE BRYAN Ashley Motia’s story on the friends of the late musician Damian Miller and their efforts to launch a music education program in his honor. Finally, Dana Berkes writes about IPFW’s Community Arts Academy which offers instruction in a variety of disciplines. Taken together, these stories illustrate BLUE BIRD REVIVAL PERFORMING this community’s dedication toward building on its strong foundation of arts and culture for many years to come. MIRANDA LAMBERT There’s more, of course, as there always is, and we invite you to pore through our calendars, reviews and columns to find what catches your interest. Then get out and have some fun, and tell ’em all whatzup sent you. CHEYENNE PERFORMING • features DIRECTOR’S NOTES ...................... 18 1984 FARE WARNING ............................ 20 BROOKS & DUNN 38 SPECIAL ................................................2 TRF: The 90s Come a Callin’ Staples of Southern Rock CURTAIN CALL ............................... 22 MATT MABIS ..............................................4 Into the Woods Student, Teacher, Artist ON BOOKS ..................................... 22 DAMIAN’S HOUSE OF MUSIC .................5 My Wish List Creating a Lasting Legacy SCREENTIME ................................ 22 COMMUNITY ARTS ACADEMY ...............6 That Capt. America Guy Rawks Nurturing Young Artists • calendars • columns & reviews LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ...................8 SPINS ...............................................7 Shiny Shiny Black, Jakob Skott KARAOKE & DJS ...........................12 RECKON BACKTRACKS ..................................7 MUSIC/ON THE ROAD ...................13 PERFORMING Peter Gabriel, So (1986) ROAD TRIPZ ..................................15 OUT & ABOUT ...................................8 MOVIE TIMES ................................16 JASON ALDEAN Burn Some Miles High Tunes Free ART & ARTIFACTS .........................18 ROAD NOTEZ ................................. 13 STAGE & DANCE ...........................19 FLIX ................................................ 16 Captain America: The Winter Soldier THINGS TO DO ..............................20 MARSHALL LAW BAND PERFORMING DIRECTOR’S NOTES .....................