THEN AND NOW: Lyon in 1960 and 2006. |
Why is that we install a stop light after an accident? In music circles, why do we wait until someone’s laid up with a serious illness before we pay tribute with a benefit? Why not show them the respect they deserve when the subject of the tribute can fully participate and truly enjoy what’s being done in their honor?
Now in his fifth decade of music-making, Ken Lyon is one of those artists who deserves to be recognized. Few musicians have had the legs he’s had to make the trek from upstart enthusiast to seen-it-all vet. And he’s done it with the kind of style and class that has allowed him to build, rather than burn, many dependable bridges along the way.
During his odyssey, Lyon has indeed been there and done that. Starting his professional career as a folk performer, he enjoyed a few brushes with stardom, including getting his single, “Fallen Idol,” played on Dick Clark’s American Bandstand back in ’61 and performing at those classic record hops of the early rock ’n’ roll era. From there he moved to Cambridge to try his hand at the budding folk music scene, where he befriended the likes of Tom Rush and Richie Havens. He played all the legendary folk clubs in Greenwich Village, and was among rarefied musical company. From there, he continued making inroads, sidling over to the blues, with the original Tombstone Blues Band. He recorded for Columbia, toured with Mott the Hoople and Queen in 1973 and, despite gaining momentum, fell on tough times brought about by regime changes at the label.
The Ken Lyon Tribute this weekend, an event occasioned by his 66th birthday, will be a kaleidoscopic trip through the guitarist’s back pages. Lyon will revisit each phase of his musical career, from the Brill Building pop of New York City to the coffeehouses of the Northeast and the concert halls of the world with the Tombstone folks. Musicians from every era of his musical history will be joining him in the fun. Whether it’s pop, folk, blues, or rock you dig most, Lyon has played it and you’re gonna get some. The night will feature Lyon in solo/acoustic mode, the Mark Taber Trio, Pendragon, John Cafferty and Beaver Brown, the new Shoefly Orchestra, the Tombstone Blues Band, and probably a whole bunch of “this-is-your-life” special guests. Be there to catch the start of Lyon’s next incredible chapter,
“An Evening with Ken Lyon” | April 14 | Stadium Theatre, Monument Sq, Woonsocket | 401.762.4545
Area C
It’s not ideal trying to pull off an experimental or electronic/ambient music act in a traditional club. The crowd’s not always up to it and it’s hard for performers to emit and sustain the right vibe. So Erik Carlson of Area C had an idea. He began a search for alternate venues. “There’s a lot of great experimental music going on in Providence and it’s often under the radar,” he says. “The standard live venues aren’t always the best places to experience this music, so I thought it would be cool to feature experimental music in interesting venues, while exposing people to some cool places around the state.” With a RISCA grant in hand, he’ll be staging a handful of shows at the Cormack Planetarium in the Museum of Natural History at Roger Williams Park. “The idea is that the shows at a venue like this will really enhance the music.”
Carlson, who is also an architectural designer, will put on four live multimedia performances at the Planetarium; each will feature Area C in collaboration with a different adventurous local crew, presenting a new body of work that will emerge from their collaborative interaction and the performance space itself.
Apr 19 Area C + Mudboy | April 19 Area C + Eyes Like Saucers | May 7 Area C + Mem1 | May 15 Area C + Black Forest/Black Sea | Doors 7 pm, performance 7:30 pm | Free | 401.785.9459
Anomalous
In one form or another since 1997, Anomalous has taken it upon itself to wreak holy havoc on the local music scene. With the recent departure of crazed singer Pat Woods, the band now soldiers on as a trio on the eve of the release of their new CD, Gently Smiling Jaws. “We wanted to move into a new direction vocally,” says the band’s Rob Cinami. “We wanted to break into a style where the vocals would better complement the music.” Jaws is heavier and more serial-killer-esque than anything the band has done so far and the new approach has resulted in some reputable loud rock labels sniffing around. The new album will be distributed by Relapse. The new Anomalous builds on the band’s established sound of driving chaos, freakish intensity, and a fusion of punk, jazz, and metal. And it helps that they can pull it off as musicians, too. Rather than beat their instruments with ham-handedness, Cinami, Mike Janelle, and Josh Jencks conduct a calculated rampage, characterized by equal doses of chaos and creativity. They’ll be celebrating their newly minted incarnation this weekend.
