FEB. 13-19, 2014 ------------------------------------------- Cover Story • Down the Line ------------------------------------------ Embassy Series Pairs Local Talent Iconic Rockin’:with Rock n’ Roll’s Greatest Acts By Steve Penhollow belts. Hell, I was 18 when I first joined the band. I’m 36 Heaven’s Gateway Drugs didn’t intend to pay tribute to now.” a deceased rock icon. Jason Bair says the mu- Things just turned out that way. sical chemistry he shares When the band was approached last year to take part in with his brother is uncanny. the eighth edition of Down the Line at the Embassy Theatre, “My brother and I don’t the almost instant consensus among its members was that even need to look at each they should perform the music of Velvet Underground at the other,” he says. “We know event. what each other is going to Before the band could get the go-ahead from the Em- do.” bassy’s front office, a period of “radio silence” ensued. “He’s really like an- Then Lou Reed, Velvet Underground’s guitarist and other appendage,” Eric principal songwriter, died last October. Bair concurs. “He knows “When Lou passed, we felt even more of an obligation what I’m thinking before [to play his music],” Derek Mauger, one of the band’s guitar- I’m even saying it when ists, says. it comes to music. So I’m Down the Line is a venerable event at a venerable venue crazy looking forward to that honors venerable musicians, but the local acts that par- practicing and rocking the ticipate are not cover bands per se and they always put their stage with him again. He’s own spin on the material. an outstanding amazing Still, patrons can expect some verisimilitude. drummer and a beautiful “I sing exactly like Nico,” C. Ray Harvey, one of the human being.” Phil’s Family Lizard decidedly male vocalists of Heaven’s Gateway Drugs, says Harvey says he has par- of Velvet Underground’s female lead singer. Down the Line: Legends from Locals, happening DOWN THE LINE Wayne, but Down the Line isn’t interested in mim- at 7 p.m. Feb. 22, will also feature the Hope Arthur Or- HOPE ARTHUR ORCHESTRA, LITTLE GREEN MEN, icry. chestra performing the music of David Bowie, the Riv- Harvey says Heaven’s Gateway Drugs erbottom Nitemare Band performing the music of AC/ RIVERBOTTOM NITEMARE BAND, PHIL’S FAMILY LIZARD couldn’t impersonate Velvet Underground even if DC, Phil’s Family Lizard performing the music of the & HEAVEN’S GATEWAY DRUGS it wanted to. Allman Brothers and Little Green Men performing the The band’s recordings are resistant to imita- music of Van Halen. 7 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 22 tion, he says. Little Green Men, who opened up for many of the Embassy Theatre, 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne “They’re purposefully terrible,” Harvey says. big touring rock acts that made their way through Fort “We had to ask ourselves, ‘How are we going to be Wayne in the 90s, will reunite for the show. Tix: $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. thru Ticketmaster and box noisy and not have people who aren’t familiar with Drummer Jason Bair says he went to a Down the office, 260-424-5665 Velvet Underground thinking we’re just bad?’ It’s Line event last year and enjoyed himself. like telling a joke in a foreign language. ‘Get it?’” But he had one misgiving about the event. ticipated in Down the Line events twice before with other Misunderstood jokes come in many varieties. “I thought, ‘You know what this is missing?’” he recalls. bands, but this will be the first time he is friends with and Riverbottom Nitemare Band guitarist and vocalist Pete “‘It’s missing a Little Green Men reunion.’” fans of all the musicians who are scheduled to be on stage. Dio says only half of the members of his band are hardcore Jason’s brother Eric, who now lives in Brooklyn, New Usually, Heaven’s Gateway Drugs has a strict “no cov- fans of Bon Scott-era AC/DC. York, is coming back to town for the gig. ers” policy, Harvey says. So Dio decided to break news about the Down the “It’s gonna be a great time,” guitarist Eric Bair says. The fact that the band will suspend that policy for this Line”gig to his bass player, Matt Belcher, as gently as pos- “It’s been 12 years since this lineup last played together. event says a lot about the philosophy of Down the Line. We’re older, wiser ... we have more experience under our There are lots of cover bands and tribute acts in Fort Continued on page 12 Heaven’s Gateway Drugs Riverbottom Nitemare Band 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ----------------------------------------------------------- February 13, 2014 whatzup Volume 18, Number 27 t wasn’t enough that we were blanketed with a foot or so of snow over the past week. No, we had to have our mettle really tested, and on Friday this past week, Indiana Michigan obliged by knocking out our power for about nine hours. While thisI made for an interesting week, it didn’t prevent us from delivering to you yet another stellar issue of the Fort Wayne area’s one and only arts and entertainment weekly. Just how stellar is this issue? We are so glad you asked. For starters, there’s our cover story on the Embassy’s Down the Line series penned by Steve Penhollow, a name Fort Wayne newspaper readers might recognize. Penhollow’s story is on page 2. We also put the spotlight on some local artists – one very young and three sorta heavy. First, Jen Poiry profiles Chance Parker, a student actor who is grabbing some notice for his starring role in the IPFW Department of Theatre’s upcoming production of Gint. That story, on page 4, is followed one page later by Kathleen Christian’s feature on the very talented 1 Ton Trio, a band that first got our attention at the whatzup/Wooden Nickel Battle of the Bands X. Then we have the first installment of what we’re calling our “movers and shakers” series in which we profile not artists, but the people who make it happen in our com- munity. We start with Susan Mendenhall, the new executive director of Arts United. Michele DeVinney has the story on page 5. There’s more, lots more, but we’re out of space, so you’ll have to start flipping through pages and finding stuff on your own. We’re sure you’ll find something entertaining to do, and we know you’ll tell everyone you meet and greet while you’re out and about that whatzup is where you’re going to find what there is to do in and around Fort Wayne, Indiana. • features CURTAIN CALL ............................... 19 The Princess and the Goblin FARE WARNING ............................ 21 DOWN THE LINE .........................................2 How To Become a Better Cook Iconic Rockin’ ON BOOKS ..................................... 22 CHANCE PARKER.......................................4 The Circle Right Where He Belongs SCREENTIME ................................ 22 1 TON TRIO ..................................................5 This Lego Movie’s a Blockbuster Heavy Hitters SUSAN MENDENHALL .............................5 Arts New Booster • calendars • columns & reviews LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ...................8 MUSIC/ON THE ROAD ...................13 SPINS ...............................................6 ROAD TRIPZ ..................................15 The Andrew Kratzat Singers, Russian Circles, Blank MOVIE TIMES ................................16 Realm, Tilbury, Sister KARAOKE & DJS ...........................18 BACKTRACKS ..................................6 REO Speedwagon, REO Speedwagon (1976) STAGE & DANCE ...........................19 OUT & ABOUT ...................................8 ART & ARTIFACTS .........................20 70s Faves BOA Return to the Fort THINGS TO DO ..............................20 ROAD NOTEZ ................................. 14 FLIX ................................................ 16 August: Osage County Cover design by Greg Locke February 13, 2014 ------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 BROUGHT TO YOU BY: ------------------------------ Feature • Chance Parker ----------------------------- 3 Rivers Co-op Natural Grocery & Deli .................10 20 Past 4 and More .................................................21 The Alley Sports Bar/Pro Bowl West ....................15 all for One/The Princess and the Goblin ....................19 All That Jazz ..............................................................10 Right Where He Belongs Beamer’s Sports Grill .................................................8 By Jennifer Poiry-Prough Pete has a hard time committing to anything correct.” C2G Live/The TV Show .............................................22 and would much rather run from responsibil- Parker himself would advise young ac- C2G Music Hall..........................................................13 Chance Parker is one of the most ity than face it head on. He is a very clever tors to keep an open mind. “You have to Calhoun Street Soups, Salads & Spirits .............11 grounded young actors you might meet. The person, though, and extremely resourceful. make sure you are doing [theater] for the IPFW Department of Theatre student comes Those talents are what help him get his way art,” he says, “and are willing to go through CLASSIFIEDS ............................................................23 from a professional performing background, out of situations.” a lot of work to learn the craft. You need to Columbia Street West ................................................9 which might explain his maturity and sense He calls Pete “a very gray character,”