Around twelve noon yesterday I received a text from my man, Godlis, telling me that Graham Parker & the Rumor (or some approximation thereof) were going to play the Lakeside Lounge on Avenue B. Despite some bumps & tricky negotiating, I managed to meet up with him, and we made the show. Needless to say, the joint was packed, but we managed to get there early enough to get a decent spot from which Godlis snapped these shots. I'm not exactly sure why all of these guys were in town, but I'd guess that it had something to do with Nick Lowe's three night stint further down & across town at the City Winery. On hand were Martin Belmont (guitar), Bob Andrews keyboards), Steve Goulding (drums), and Jeremy Chatsky (bass). 
A very loose & casual affair, the set lasted about an hour. It included a bunch of R&B standards, a couple of Johnny Cash tunes, as well as some Parkerilla nuggets like "White Honey," "Lady Doctor," and "Fool's Gold." They also did a nice take on Nick Lowe's "I Love the Sound of Breaking Glass" (co-written by Steve Goulding). It definitely wasn't a return to the barn burning days of yore, but a chance to see these guys do this sort of thing in such an intimate setting was certainly worth the time & trouble of getting there. Parker has such a great voice...he's one of those guys who just opens his mouth, and out comes this distinctive & cutting soulful sound that, when singing the words he's known for, cuts right to the heart of things.
Special thanks to Godlis for the photos - all are by him & used with his permission. Seen on the scene: Roberta Bayley, Dave Robinson (Stiff Records), Andy Schwartz, Doug Wygal, Jahn Xavier, Scott Schinder, and probably some others I'm forgetting.
2 comments:
They were in town for the premiere of a documentary on GP that took place on Friday. That I was at.
Oh, thats right! I've donated to the film as well...looking forward to seeing it. I got to meet the director briefly at the gig.
Post a Comment