Victor Bailey: March 27, 1960 to November 11, 2016

Rest in peace, Victor.

Mick Kolassa – Taylor Made Blues | Album Review

Mick Kolassa – Taylor Made Blues

Swing Suit Records

www.mimsmick.com

12 tracks / 48:09

Mick Kolassa has been a bluesman for decades, and over the years he has become an accomplished singer, songwriter and guitarist. But his waters go a lot deeper than that, as he is also on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation and all of the proceeds from his latest album, Taylor Made Blues, will be going to the HART Fund and Generation Blues charities that are administered by the Blues Foundation. If you are not familiar with these organizations, please look them up as they help artists in need and kids that are getting into the blues.

Kolassa’s latest CD is a solid set that includes eight Kolassa originals and four really neat cover tunes. This project was recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis and it was produced by Jeff Jensen -- this was the successful formula for his last release, Ghosts of the Riverside Hotel). This disc features a host of Mick’s friends, including Jensen, Victor Wainwright, Bill Ruffino, Reba Russell, Chris Stephenson, “Long Tall Deb” Landolt, and more. Of course Kolassa plays his acoustic guitar and handles most of the vocals too. The album title is a play on Mick’s hometown of Taylor, Mississippi, which is just an hour and a half south of Memphis.

Kolassa shares his love for all kinds of blues in his original songs, and one of my favorites is the title track, a slick piece of laid back swampy blues that extolls the joys of sticking a little closer to home and living in a small town. Likewise, “My Hurry Done Broke” is a humorous country blues song that bemoans the impatience of others, especially when they are younger than you. And “I’m Getting Late” is a clever play on words that describes getting a little too close to the tornado that the gig scene can be. By the way, Bill Ruffino and James Cunningham hold down the backline throughout, and one could not hope for a better rhythm section.

But not every track is loaded up with chuckles and grins, as Mick uses song to express all kinds of emotions. For example, “Left Too Soon” is a sweet piece of jazzy blues that is used to convey regret for things that were left undone. And the closer, “Raul Was My Friend,” is a poignant tribute to a cherished friend, and this ballad is simply gorgeous.

The cover tunes are an interesting lot too, as they have been re-imagined a bit from their original versions. Graham Nash’s quirky pop tune “Prison Song” has been converted to slow-grinding blues with updated lyrics and gorgeous guitar work, including some baritone guitar from Colin James. The late Townes Van Zandt’s 1969 folk tune, “Lungs” is now suitable for a cocktail lounge, and Chris Stephenson’s piano really helps to set the mood. The Temptations’ funk masterpiece “Can't Get Next to You” is now a smooth blues rocker with backing vocals from Russell and Landolt, B3 from Stephenson, and guitar from special guest Castro “Mr. Sipp” Coleman. But the most fascinating of these is not even really a cover song, as Mick set Frank Lebby Stanton’s poem “Keep a Goin’” to a country blues / gospel soundtrack, complete with a vocal solo from Long Tall Deb.

If you just listen to the content and the musicianship, you will find that Mick Kolassa’s Taylor Made Blues is a really neat album that would make any blues fan happy. But, when you throw in the fact that the proceeds will further blues music education and help out musicians in need, this CD should be at the top of your purchase list. Why don’t you start your holiday shopping early, and pick up a copy today!

Leonard Cohen: September 21, 1934 to November 7, 2016

Rest in peace, brother.

Good News: 2017 Winter NAMM Show

Greetings!

I have attended the Winter NAMM show in Anaheim many times, but I have always had to beg for passes from friends and associates in the music business. Well, the show is coming around again and I started going through the contacts list in my phone, and I had a moment of clarity during which I said to myself “Why can’t I get a media pass to the show?”

It really does make sense: I have a blog with almost a million hits that focuses on reviewing music and musical equipment – maybe the National Association of Music Merchants would allow me to attend and write about the cool new gear that will be introduced. Apparently they agreed and they have issued Rex and the Bass a credential!

This made me as giddy as a schoolgirl, and I look forward to the show. Of course I will be sure to let you all know what new and exciting stuff is coming up for 2017, and will snap a few pics too.

Mahalo!

(photo credit, Getty Images for NAMM)

Review of Celine Dion at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace

Hello!

Well, this may surprise some of my loyal readers, but during this month’s trip to Las Vegas I just had to go see Celine Dion’s stage show at the Colosseum inside Caesar’s Palace. Why? She is one of the most popular entertainers on the planet, and she has an amazing voice. ‘nuff said.

The Wednesday night show was pretty full, but it was easy enough to get a ticket in the first mezzanine. Unfortunately service charges for the ticket were over 30% of the ticket price. And, it was kind of a nightmare to get into the hotel and across the crowded casino floor to get to the theater, but once I got there the staff was great. There will call line moved quickly and the ushers were super nice.

The interior of the Colosseum is around the size of a typical large Broadway house, and it seemed like all of the seats had a really good line of sight. Show time was scheduled for 7:30PM, but the lights did not go out until 8:00PM. Then there was a brief video introduction of Dion’s history with Caesar’s, which goes back to 2003, and this was her 1002nd show here.

When she kicked the show off, it was nothing but Vegas spectacular. The stage was huge, and Celine had it filled up with risers and a 30-piece orchestra. She is close to 50, but here voice is amazingly strong and you can hate her all you want, but she can really sing. Of course Dion did the expected power ballads, but she can do strong jazz and scat too. I never saw that coming.

”First rate” is the only way to describe the musicians in the show. The show was broken up into blocks, so there were portions with the full orchestra, with a jazz trio, and an acoustic set. During costume changes the band would do medleys of popular tunes, and they would sit patiently as Celine yakked with the crowd. These folks were 100% professional.

During all of this there were clever uses of multiple video screens to convey a sense of history and to add to the artistic content of the stagework. The lighting was also fantastic, and the movement of the risers around the stage was neat as it provided a visual break between the sections of the show.

The content is probably about what you would expect, with a few surprises. There was a Prince tribute, where Dion covered “Kiss” and “Purple Rain,” complete with a killer solo from her guitarist. And to close out the show she did "My Heart Will Go On" (that one from the Titanic movie) and Queen’s “The Show Much Go On.” I never saw that one coming, it was quite a jaw dropper and she did a good job with it.

The show ran about 90 minutes, which seemed like just enough Celine for me. As an added bonus, the show got out just in time to watch the last out of the World Series on the big screens at Caesar’s sports book. Congratulations Cubs!

If you are ever in Sin City, I have to recommend that you see Celine’s show, even if you cannot stand her. She has an amazing voice, the musicians are incredible, the lighting and sets are to die for, and it is pure Vegas. Trust me!

Mahalo!

1984 Ibanez RB630 Roadstar II Electric Bass Review

Aloha!

Today we are looking at a gem of a bass that I recently picked up, a 1984 Ibanez RB630 Roadstar II Electric Bass. This is one of the great instruments that were being built by FujiGen Gakki’s Japanese factories back in the 80s.

The Roadstar II is, unabashedly, a copy of the venerable Fender Precision Bass. Yeah, it has a goofy headstock shape, but the body shape, electronics, playability and sound are P-Bass all the way. For starters, look at the body profile. The basswood body is carved into the distinctive Precision profile, and it is finished in a nice thick and shiny black coat of what appear to be poly. These were also available in burgundy, if I remember correctly.

The body has a 3-ply W-B-W pickguard, and it is loaded up with a “Super P4” pickup that is wired through the expected volume and tone pots. Sadly, the original “Sure Grip II” knobs for these are missing, and they have been replaced with really inappropriate looking Stratocaster knobs. Also missing are the funky “Dead End” boomerang strap pins, as somebody has installed pathetic little strap buttons. Boo.

The fellow that sold this bass to me told me it was a 1983 model, but in 1983 Roadstar basses still had two-on-a-side tuners, and this one has the 1984 style 4-in-line tuners. The headstock is kind of big and ungainly, but at the time Ibanez said it was designed this way to “provide a more balanced distribution of sound vibration.” On the back of the headstock is a set of “Hercules B” open gear tuners. They must be strong, and don't worry -- this is the last of the crazy Ibanez part names I will be throwing at you today.

Like all of the RB630 basses, this one has a maple fretboard, and there are 21 fairly chunky frets sunk into it. Truss rod adjustment is at the heel of the neck, but there is a really nice cutout in the body and pickguard so it is not too hard to get to. Like a P-bass, the neck is pretty fat, and it is about 1/5/8 inches wide at the nut. This is a 34-inch scale bass, and it balances well on a strap, which is good because it is a tad heavy, coming in at around 9.3 pounds.

Other than the changed parts (including that black plastic nut), this Ibanez is in pretty good shape, with not much fret wear and only a dings and chips on the body. 33 years have been pretty kind to this thing. It has a fresh set-up with DR strings, and I is really a nice player. They neck is comfy, and the tone is very good. Oddly enough, the tone knob actually seems to do something on this bass. Usually on P-basses I dime the tone knob and forget bout it, but on this instrument there are actually a few usable tone settings that are either more warm or more edgy.

This thing is awesome, and I have to say that I have never played a bad Roadstar. These basses are one of the last great values from the golden era of Japanese guitar manufacturing. Check one out if you get the chance!

Mahalo!

Musical Theatre West’s Memphis | Theatre Review

Hello!

I have been a season subscriber to Musical Theatre West for a few years, and have almost always been pleased with their offerings. But, I was a little nonplussed when I saw that Memphis was on the schedule for the 2016-2017 season. Maybe it was because the other three shows in the season are all solid classic musicals, and this one seemed like the odd man out. Anyway, I saw it this past weekend and it turned out to be awesome!

Musical Theatre West has been around since 1952, when they started out as the Whittier Civic Light Opera. Their productions evolved over time, and they went from being an all-volunteer operation to producing full seasons, currently under the capable leadership and vision of Executive Director/produce Paul Garman. Their big shows are hosted by the Carpenter Performing Arts Center at Cal State Long Beach, which is a lovely venue with plenty of conveniently located parking (by the way, the price for parking went up to $7 this year). The theater still has only has two restrooms for 1000 people, in case you were wondering...

Memphis has been around for more than a decade, and it played on Broadway from 2009 to 2012, where it earned four Tony Awards, including Best Musical for 2010. The plotline is kind of based on the story of Dewey Philips, a white DJ from Memphis who was a pioneer in bringing “black” music to “white” audiences back in the 1950s. You might think that there would be lots of recycled 50s rock in this show, but surprisingly all of the major numbers are originals and they fit in well with the period that is being portrayed. Credit for this goes to David Bryan (music and lyrics) and Joe Di Pietro (book and lyrics), who put together a passel of really catchy tunes.

The plot follows the careers of Huey (a DJ and promoter) and Felicia (a singer who is on her way to the top). They enter into a mixed race relationship, with all of the accompanying tension and drama that would be expected of this type of union in the 1950s. These themes from Memphis still feel relevant, as all of these tensions are still here today, which is a shame because you think we would have learned a few things in the past 60 years.

This story is told by a cast that is mostly new to MTW, but that does not mean they are not experienced. In fact, I would have to say that Memphis features the best singing and dancing that I have seen in a show from this company. Michael Monroe Goodman (Huey) and Krystle Simmons (Felicia) both have powerful voices, and their acting was above par too. The writers also included secondary characters that were generally likeable, including Delray, Felicia’s brother (Michael A. Sheppard), Huey’s racist mom, Gladys (Julia Cardia), the station’s janitor, Bobby (Jay Donnell), and the station’s boss, Mr. Simmons (James Campbell).

The ensemble also turned in a solid performance, and they were amazing dancers who made good use of Edgar Godineaux’s choreography. Though this is the first time I had seen this show, it was immediately obvious what an important role the ensemble plays, as they do quite a lot of the singing and dancing. Their men’s costumes were not exactly inspired, but Karen St. Pierre did a wonderful job of outfitting the women, as their dresses were awesome.

Visuals for Memphis were very nice. Stephen Gifford’s sets included a pair of building pillars on the side, a bandstand that could be hidden away in the back, and a series of roll-on platforms that included a DJ booth and a bar (among other things). This was a minimalist way to present the stage, but it worked very well and everything was properly visible thanks to Eric Larson’s lighting design. Also, there were cool video elements that were included, but I am not going to spoil the effects if you happen to decide to see the show in person.

The sound was also very good. There was a small onstage band under the supervision of musical director Darryl Archibald. Unfortunately the musicians were not credited in the program, and I have no idea if they were union or not. The sound engineering was also pretty good, and with so many strong singers on stage it must have really kept the sound guys on their toes.

All of this came together well for solid performance. Musical Theatre West did well and Memphis is a worthy show with fine production values and a well-chosen cast. If you have the chance you should get out and see it before it is gone, but leave the little kids at home with a sitter. This is a long show and they will be squirming in their seats a long time before the final curtain falls (it clocks in at 2 ½ hours), not to mention a few decidedly mature scenes that you may have to awkwardly explain to them on the drive home.

If you want to see Memphis at The Carpenter Center you had better hurry as it closes this weekend. There are not many tickets left, so grab them while you can. And, be sure to check out tickets for the remaining three shows of this season: Evita, Carousel, and Mary Poppins. These are all classics, and you can’t beat the value!

Mahalo!