Top: The Band shown during their 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,’’ at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Above (clockwise from right): Ad Frank, the Rationales, and Mike Verge are on the bill for the “Cover-Up’’ series at the Lizard Lounge.
(Ross Halfin (Top Left); Johnny Arguedas (Bottom Left))
They have it covered
Local artists lovingly pay tribute to the Band’s ‘Last Waltz’
Top: The Band shown during their 1976 farewell concert, “The Last Waltz,’’ at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco. Above (clockwise from right): Ad Frank, the Rationales, and Mike Verge are on the bill for the “Cover-Up’’ series at the Lizard Lounge.
(Ross Halfin (Top Left); Johnny Arguedas (Bottom Left))
In less loving hands, the idea might have been too much weight to bear. The premise, as “Cover-Up’’ series co-organizer Andrea Kremer recalls, was to assemble a clutch of Boston’s best bands to rehearse 25 or so songs from “The Last Waltz,’’ the Band’s farewell album and one of rock’s most revered musical (and film) documents - and then perform those tunes together in front of an audience, also tackling material made famous by folks named Bob Dylan and Neil Diamond, Van Morrison and Joni Mitchell, Muddy Waters and Neil Young.
The fact that the original “Last Waltz’’ concert was held Thanksgiving day in 1976 in San Francisco made the timing of the latest installment of “Cover-Up’’ ideal, Kremer says. The high jinks start tonight at the Lizard Lounge, with more than a dozen artists scheduled to perform during the course of the evening.
During “Cover-Up’’-themed shows, which Kremer and co-promoter Brendan Boogie launched about a year ago, local artists pay tribute to their favorite acts - Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, Queen - by covering their music, with varying degrees of seriousness and silliness mixed in.
“In many ways this is the show Brendan and I have both been looking forward to all year,’’ Kremer writes in an e-mail interview conducted while she recovers from a bout of the flu that has seized most of her speaking voice. “The Last Waltz was planned for a few reasons: the sheer number of musical icons involved, the perfect fit of the format to our series, and also just because it seemed fun.’’
“For each ‘Cover-Up’ show, we’ve combined full-band sets and featured guest vocalists, often with a big ensemble finale, so obviously the Last Waltz was kind of perfect for this. And the guest vocalists really get into it, too - I’d be willing to bet you’ll see a giant white fedora on ‘Bob Dylan’ ’’ - a.k.a. Brendan Boogie - “and it’s anyone’s guess what ‘Joni Mitchell’ ’’ - a.k.a. John Powhida - “will wear. We want it to have the same kind of big, celebratory vibe that the original concert had. It’s our way of giving thanks for being a part of the amazing community that is the Boston music scene.’’
All of the artists Kremer contacted expressed an abiding fondness for the Band and the music of “The Last Waltz.’’ “When people heard we were planning this show, the most common reaction was ‘Oh man, I want to be in that!’ ’’ Kremer writes. “It was this instantaneous familiarity and enthusiasm, a real tangible love for this material.’’
Andy Cambria, singer-guitarist for the Boston bluegrass outfit the Broken Blossoms, calls the Band his “absolute favorite group of all time’’ and credits them with sparking his interest in vintage folk music. “What sticks with me most about the movie and recording,’’ Cambria says, “is their amazing versatility as musicians - how they’re able to shift styles so effortlessly and make great music with the different vocalists they accompany.’’
Singer-guitarist Mike Verge will cover the Neil Young and Eric Clapton tunes. Verge once had a band called Virgil Cain, named after the lead character in the Band classic “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.’’ On one fortuitous occasion, Virgil Cain opened for the Band’s Levon Helm, and then met the man afterward.
“He told me that if the name Virgil Cain didn’t work out for us, we should choose Jack My Dog, a lyric from ‘The Weight,’ ’’ Verge recalls. “Levon actually watched our set from the side of the stage, which I thought was very cool, though nerve-racking.’’
During their set, the Phil Aiken Army is scheduled to back singer Pip from the Blizzard of 78 on a pair of Van Morrison covers, as well as Fuzzy’s Chris Toppin on an Emmylou Harris number. Aiken says he once had the great good fortune to share a stage with members of the hallowed group.
“Having taken piano lessons as a kid, I stumbled into a popular cover band as a keyboard player,’’ he says. “The third time I played out, which was my third gig, period, I opened for the re-formed Band. I was star-struck and wide-eyed, hanging out on stage during sound check, and backstage with them between sets. Their management rented my piano for the show, and I stood next to Richard Manuel while he tried it out. Levon [Helm] and Rick [Danko] in particular were extremely gracious and friendly. Garth [Hudson] was kind of cantankerous and aloof, but I enjoyed that, too. It was two weeks later that Richard Manuel took his own life. I was devastated.’’
But the Band’s music and legacy live on. Come tonight, new life will be breathed into old classics like “The Weight,’’ “Up on Cripple Creek,’’ and many more. That’s the plan, anyway.
“We’ve been planning this for six to eight weeks, so folks have had some time to rehearse - though of course there are the inevitable last-minute changes and additions, just to keep it interesting,’’ Kremer says. “No matter how much you rehearse and plan, the real magic happens in front of the audience. In organizing these shows, Brendan and I generally take turns freaking out and reassuring each other that it will all come together. And in the end, it’s always even more amazing than we had hoped for.’’
© Copyright 2009 Globe Newspaper Company.
