Beale Street Music Festival-May 7-9 (Big Star, etc)
For those of you relatively close to Memphis this May, keep in mind that Big Star will be playing a very rare show at the aforementioned festival on Friday. Unfortunately, detail on bandmates is unknown at this time, but as long as Jody Stephens shows up, a splendid time is guaranteed for all. Los Lobos is also playing on Friday, as is a Stax Records Salute, featuring Booker T. the MGs, the Bar-Kays, Eddie Floyd, etc!!! On Saturday, the list of performers includes Wilson Pickett (who I have to imagine will have BT the MGs backing him up), Dr. John, G. Love Special Sauce, Bela Fleck the Flecktones, Cheap Trick, Koko Taylor, RL Burnside, Corey Harris, and a Sun Records Salute, featuring Billy Lee Riley, Paul Burlison, Sonny Burgess, Malcolm Yelvington, and a buncha others. Anyway, head over to www.memphisinmay.org/beale/ and check out the fest. Should be fun!! Lance . . .
Re: Beale Street Music Festival-May 7-9 (Big Star, etc)
Lance Davis writes: For those of you relatively close to Memphis this May, keep in mind that Big Star will be playing a very rare show at the aforementioned festival on Friday. Unfortunately, detail on bandmates is unknown at this time, but as long as Jody Stephens shows up, a splendid time is guaranteed for all. Word on the Posies list last week was that both Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer will be holding down their usual posts in the group; Ken on bass and vocals and Jon on guitar and vocals. --Jon Johnson [EMAIL PROTECTED] Wollaston, Massachusetts
Re: Big Star
Robin wrote: I forgot about Tommy Hoehn. Back in the late 70's I was managing a Sam Goody's in New York City, and two guys from another Memphis pop band, the Scruffs, were working there. They turned me onto Hoehn and a record he put out at the time, which I remember as being pretty good. As I recall, it was done at Ardent, home of Big Star (and Jim Dickson, producer extraordinaire). Losing You to Sleep, from 1978. Great pop album, and one I wish I still owned. Chilton plays on it too. Allen Baekeland *** Boot Heel Drag can be heard on CJSW 90.9 FM , Calgary,AB Tuesdays at 6:30 PM MST and on realaudio at www.cjsw.com.
Big Star
Hey there, Given... *5/6: BIG STAR AT METRO! I _think_ this is close to the original line up. Any thoughts on whether this will be an amazing chance to see a reunited band or a pathetic wank or somewhere in between? I saw Alex Chilton a few years back and it was pretty damn cool. Thanks. Later... CK Just because nobody understands you doesn't mean you're an artist. ___ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Re: Big Star
CK wrote: Hey there, Given... *5/6: BIG STAR AT METRO! I _think_ this is close to the original line up. Jody Stephens and Alex Chilton anyway. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the late Posies fill out the band. They did a live record (for a show they did at MU in 1993) that's pretty good, and I'd certainly see them if *I* had the chance. (sniff) Any thoughts on whether this will be an amazing chance to see a reunited band or a pathetic wank or somewhere in between? I saw Alex Chilton a few years back and it was pretty damn cool. Thanks. Ida been more worried about Chilton solo than the above band CK. But who knows. b.s. Later... CK Just because nobody understands you doesn't mean you're an artist. ___ You don't need to buy Internet access to use free Internet e-mail. Get completely free e-mail from Juno at http://www.juno.com/getjuno.html or call Juno at (800) 654-JUNO [654-5866]
Re: Big Star
In a message dated 4/13/99 8:25:36 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes: *5/6: BIG STAR AT METRO! I _think_ this is close to the original line up. Jody Stephens and Alex Chilton anyway. Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow of the late Posies fill out the band. They did a live record (for a show they did at MU in 1993) that's pretty good, and I'd certainly see them if *I* had the chance. (sniff) Isn't Stringfellow still touring with R.E.M.? Deb
Re: Big Star
Reply to: Re: Big Star I forgot about Tommy Hoehn. Back in the late 70's I was managing a Sam Goody's in New York City, and two guys from another Memphis pop band, the Scruffs, were working there. They turned me onto Hoehn and a record he put out at the time, which I remember as being pretty good. As I recall, it was done at Ardent, home of Big Star (and Jim Dickson, producer extraordinaire). NancyApple wrote: Jody and Alex along with a couple Posies. Chris was killed years ago in a car crash after band practice one night with a side band he was in with Tommy Hoehn. Tommy was on my radio show this week (which I have not gotten around to posting playlist etc.) and we talked about this. Tommy has a new record out with Van Duren (who auditioned with Big Star years ago).
Tommy Hoehn and Van Duren (was Big Star)
With all this Big Star talk, I thought I would post this article that we ran in this issue of Dateline, Memphis Tommy and Van both have a connection with Big Star, so enjoy Tommy Hoehn and Van Duren, Working Against All Odds by John Gaskill When Tommy Hoehn and Van Duren began writing the songs for their recently released CD Hailstone Holiday, they werent even sure that the project would get off the ground. Duren was a little skeptical when Hoehn and Frankenstein Records founder Mary-Shelley Jack approached him in 1997 about collaborating on an album. At that point, he said, I didnt trust anybody in the music business. But what else did I have to do? He continued, So I said, Sure, thinking, well see what happens. But the very fact that the project was not a sure thing appears to have made it a success, at least in the eyes of the two artists. Part of what made it easy was the fact that neither one of us believed that it would actually happen, Hoehn said. Both Hoehn and Duren are native Memphians and both have numerous musical influences, most notably the Anglo-pop of British Invasion bands like the Beatles and the Hollies. Although the two have known each other for years, their career paths have run parallel to one another, not really crossing until recently. In the early seventies, Hoehn worked with both Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, both of the legendary Memphis band Big Star. His first album, Spacebreak, released in 1977 by the local label Powerplay Records was picked up by London records the next year titled as Losing You To Sleep. Featured were some songs co-written with Chilton. His second album, I Do Love the Light, also on Powerplay, featured songs written with Bell, whom Hoehn considered a dear friend. Before the album was released, Bell was killed in an auto accident. We were actually rehearsing and he left my house and had his wreck, Hoehn sadly recalled. That was a bad thing. A year and a half later, Hoehn recorded Im So Afraid of Girls at Sam Phillips Recording. He describes the album, which was released by the local Race Records label, as kind of a lame record. In recent years, Hoehn has released Of Moons and Fools (1996) and The Turning Dance (1997), both on the Frankenstein label. Durens story includes some similar names but goes in a different direction. He and Big Star drummer Jody Stephens were friends and played together with Chris Bell (who had left Big Star after the second album) in a band called The Baker Street Regulars in the first half of 1976. During the recording of Big Stars 3rd in 1977, the band was looking for another guitar player and Stephens got Duren an audition. It went horrible, Duren said. I was nervous. He didnt get the gig, but it didnt matter since Big Stars days were numbered at that point. Shortly afterward Duren sold all his gear and bought a one-way ticket to New York City. He lived briefly with friends in Greenwich Village and then moved to nearby New Haven, Conneticut, where he recorded his first album. Are You Serious was released by New York-based Big Sound Records in 1978 and it received good reviews and airplay nationwide. A second album was made but never released because of financial troubles at Big Sound. After four years, Duren found himself playing clubs on the same circuit and things just ran out of steam. I could be doing that down here where my family was. He returned to Memphis in 1981 and helped found the group Good Question in 1982. The group released Thin Disguise, their only album, in 1986 and had some regional success with the single Jane. Since then Duren has continued to perform with Good Question, all the while pursuing various outside projects. Duren lost track of Hoehn from the time he left for the Northeast until 1995. Hoehn was organizing the Beatle Bash, a benefit for Make A Wish, to be held at Newbys that year. Van was the logical person for me to talk to, Hoehn said. Duren agreed to participate and after playing with him on the benefit, Hoehn knew he wanted to work with him. But it wasnt until the summer of 1997 that Frankenstein Records was in a position to make it possible for the two to make a record. The two started trying to write together in early 1998 and Duren, who had never had much success co-writing, was pleasantly surprised. We came up with a couple of songs that were actually not too bad, he said. They worked up four-track demos of those two songs with Brady Howle and Rob Crockett, bass player and drummer for the current Good Question lineup. The demos were good enough for Ardent to offer a reduced rate, Duren said. The lack of pressure made for an unusually smooth studio experience as well. The basic tracks for the first eight songs were completed in two and a half nights of recording, with two or three takes at the most on everything
