---------------------------------Feature • Ambrosia -------------------------------- A Ticket for the Music Bus By Deborah Kennedy up the charts, and the album was nominated land. It flopped, and Ambrosia disbanded. for a Grammy. Fortunately for loyal fans of this end- Ambrosia. The official food of the Greek According to Drummond (the band’s lessly eclectic act, Ambrosia reformed in gods. Legend had it that if you were lucky drummer), those were amazing days. 2000 for a 30th anniversary tour and have enough to get your paws on this potent stuff, “It was a great time,” he said. “For me it pretty much been treating audiences to their you’d be rewarded with immortality. was an age of innocence. We were just play- greatest hits ever since. (Incidentally, in more earthly kitchens, ers in the game, but we had great chemistry, Drummond said that, while they’re miss- “ambrosia” often refers to a salad of mayon- the four of us, just insane chemistry, and it ing original member David Pack, Ambrosia naise, Cool Whip, maraschino cherries and, was that chemistry that allowed us to come are bigger (literally – they’re a quintet now) in our family at least, marshmallows, served up with some really creative stuff.” and better than ever. With maturity has come up by Grandma and eaten by the soup spoon In the early years of Ambrosia, Drum- a greater appreciation for the opportunity to full.) play their music How is this for fans around in any way rel- the U.S. and the evant to a discus- world, many of sion of the band whom tell the Ambrosia? I’ll guys how a par- tell you. Am- ticularly Ambro- brosia the food sia tune or album is delicious and literally changed magical. As the (and even saved) chosen repast of their lives. the gods, it de- “It’s actually fies description. 100 percent bet- We don’t know ter today than what it tasted it was when we like, what it was were just star- made of and how ing out,” he said. many calories it “We have a ma- contained. We turity now we only know that it didn’t then, an helped fuel Zeus’ understanding of constant supply what a privilege of thunderbolts. it is to do what As for the we’re doing, and sound and aesthetic of Ambrosia the band, we’re able to play our songs at a much more best known for its string of incredibly popu- AMBROSIA refined level.” lar hits in the 1970s and 80s, it too defies They play it all now, the entire catalogue, easy categorization. Thursday, July 14 • 8 p.m. and given that much water has flowed un- When the four original members – Joe C2G Music Hall der the bridge, prog-rock fans now forgive Puerto, David Pack, Burleigh Drummond 323 W. Baker St., Fort Wayne Ambrosia for exploring all of their creative and Christopher North – got together in Tix.: $25 adv., $30 d.o.s., thru sides. 1970 in San Pedro, California, they weren’t “Today we include everything in our interested in being labeled. Their musical www.c2gmusichall.com, Wooden set,” he said. “It’s surprising how well it tastes and interests were varied and wide Nickel and Neat Neat Neat records goes over. I guess time heals all wounds.” ranging – from Crosby, Stills, Nash and 260-426-6464 Ambrosia will be in Fort Wayne Thurs- Young to King Crimson, the Beatles to the day, July 14 when they take to the C2G Beach Boys – and what mattered wasn’t the mond and his mates experimented a great Music Hall stage starting at 8 p.m. If you’re genre. The song, according to Drummond, deal with lush orchestrations and progres- at all worried that being in the audience at was the thing. sive arrangements. Their unique approach to an Ambrosia show will be a lot like sitting “A lot of critics considered us America’s their songs earned them a number of die-hard next to your radio or record player, hearing answer to King Crimson, Yes and Genesis,” prog-rock fans, and the love lasted through the hits in exactly their original form, think he said when I caught up with him by phone the 1976 release of Somewhere I’ve Never again. These veteran musicians are dedicat- recently. “We were America’s prog-rockers, Traveled and 1978’s Life Beyond L.A. It was ed to putting on the kind of live show that but, while this might sound blasphemous, 1980 when relations became strained. That’s leaves both new and old fans energized and, we thought we were the Beatles. We could when Ambrosia released One Eighty, the most importantly, transported. play anything really, our backgrounds were name of which many fans assumed hinted “I hope anyone who comes to our show so varied. We grew up playing R&B in bars, at the band’s 180-degree change in artistic experiences the joy of music that we’re feel- and we were influenced by everything. To direction. Actually, it simply referenced the ing when we play,” Drummon said. “We re- us, the song came first. It was the melody, fact that the album was recorded on January ally, really do enjoy what we do. We don’t the lyrics. It was our job to fulfill the song as 1, 1980. just phone it in. I have a theory about playing best we could.” Suddenly, America had to get used to live. Your role as an artist when you perform And could they ever. The guys managed, the fact that their answer to King Crimson is to go somewhere, to travel somewhere even after a rather bungled audition (during suddenly sounded more like a soul group. else. The audience is there for you to trans- which, it was rumored, the guys were three Large parts of the listening public ate it up. port them. If you don’t go, they can’t go. sheets to the wind; they weren’t), to get a “Biggest Part of Me” and “You’re the Only You’re the bus, and it’s your job to say, ‘Hey, deal with 20th Century Fox Records, and Woman (You and I)” were some of the big- let’s take this journey together.’ If you’re not in 1975 they put out their self-titled debut gest hits of the year. into it, they can’t go along with you.” with legendary producer Freddie Piro. Two Sadly, what can sometimes seem like a Get on the Ambrosia bus. Chances are it’s standout singles – “Holdin’ On To Yester- zenith also has a way of signalling the end. bound for somewhere you’ve never trav- day” and “Nice, Nice, Very Nice” – soared Two years later, Ambrosia released Road Is- eled. July 7, ’11 ------------------------------------------------------------------------www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------7.