Toronto Sun

[sadie65]

Yes, I know this has been discussed before...but it's still interesting...

http://torontosun.com/Entertainment/Mus ... 1-sun.html

Want to hire an old band for a private function? How about Two Dog Night? Or Eric Burdon and the Animal? Or, literally, The Guess Who?

By JIM SLOTEK, TORONTO SUN



As you read this, Jerry Jeff Walker and Todd Snider will already have revealed themselves to be the surprise musical guests at last Thursday's party at the Kee To Bala for a certain mining company.

Walker, of Mr. Bojangles fame, just happens to be one of the favourite artists of my friend Kerry, with whom I go back to journalism school and who was smart enough to figure out shortly after graduation that there was no money in journalism.

Which is why he's a big deal in molybdenum (look it up), and has the resources to pay to have legends play his company's anniversary bashes. The last time around, the party was at Toronto's Revival Lounge, and the surprise guest was Eric Burdon and the Animals, who could be had for a surprisingly modest five-figure salary plus airfare and sundries.

This time, things fell into place well enough that the budget could include Walker as well as warmup act Snider, the caustic satirical singer-songwriter (one of my favourite of his ditties is the red-versus-blue-state name-calling anthem Conservative Christian, Right-Wing, Republican, Straight, White, American Males, which manages to tweak both the title demographic as well as "Tree huggin', peace lovin', pot smokin', porn watchin' lazyass hippies like me.")

But how he ended up with those two was kind of a funny process of elimination. He was determined that whoever he ended up with boast the original vocalist. Eric Burdon had but one of the band's original members with him, which led to jokes that it was Eric Burdon and The Animal. But Kerry got to hear Sky Pilot as it originally sounded, and was more than satisfied.

But originals cost on the industry/party circuit. Kerry's first idea was The Allman Brothers band, or what remained thereof. Problem was Gregg Allman and Dickie Betts have separate bands, only the latter of which was in our price range. Hey, if Dickie Betts had married Cher, he'd be the one asking six-figures to play your rec room.

Bands that are almost entirely intact after 30 years or so want big money -- like Heart (believe it or not) or Loverboy, one of whose members boasted recently that a private gig the band played for an Alberta oil company paid most of his bills for the year. Yes, many are still on some kind of concert tour or another (Eric Burdon and The Animals are on this year's Hippiefest tour, which hit Toronto 10 days ago). But the real fans are the ones willing to fork over theirs or their company's money for a private show. (It was related to us that Barenaked Ladies would want more than $200,000 to play a private show. I suspect that price might come down, especially if it's with, say, Jian Ghomeshi replacing Steven Page).

Want to hear Blood, Sweat & Tears with David Clayton-Thomas? Well, tough. They can be hired with Chuck Negron of Three Dog Night as their lead singer (as a bonus, the band backs up Chuck on some TDN hits, which is entirely separate from the fact that Three Dog Night can also be hired -- again in the five-figure range -- with two original members, neither of whom is Chuck Negron). David Clayton-Thomas, meanwhile, is still going solo, having left Blood, Sweat & Tears in 2004.

Confused? Hey, it doesn't stop there. Styx is still a band-for-hire with Canadian '80s hitmaker Lawrence Gowan (Strange Animal) filling in for the long-gone lead-vocalist/keyboardist Dennis DeYoung. And Grand Funk Railroad was within the budget, but without the Mark (Farner) of Mark, Don and Mel.

And as an ex-Winnipegger, to me the greatest atrocity out there is a version of The Guess Who, in which the biggest names are bassist Jim Kale and drummer Garry Peterson (which is why Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman have to perform as Bachman-Cummings). And don't get me started about that recent version of Bachman-Turner Overdrive with brother Robbie Bachman at the wheel.

On the other hand, my wife and I are celebrating our birthdays together soon, and I just might be able to afford to hire that version of the Guess Who to play my backyard.

If I had Kerry's budget, though, it would be Johnny Rivers, no contest, with money left over to reunite The Stampeders as the opening act.

[Ehwmatt]

The version of The Guess Who is by far the biggest atrocity out there. Even the Bad Company that's touring around at least has the original guitarist, whatever his name is. BTW, Randy and Burton rock.

[Jodes]

Ehm, they aren't calling themselves Bad Company though..

They are calling themselves X-Com, big difference.

Its Mick Ralphs, Dave "Bucket" Colwell, and Robert Hart doing a few gigs. I guess Simon Kirke will join them eventually, but he's busy on another project.

The reason why Mick Ralphs, Simon Kirke and Paul Rodgers are doing the gig as Bad Company this month is to try and stop former lead singer Brian Howe touring as "Bad Company".


Something Brian has been doing for years.. I know when he played a club gig here back in 02, the club booked him as "Bad Company".

[LordofDaRing]

Lets not forget the Beach Boys that currently tours...Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and ????????????

[Rockwriter]

Lets not forget the Beach Boys that currently tours...Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and ????????????

This is kind of off-topic, but since you brought him up, I just have to chime in here and say, boy, is Mike Love a huge prick. And I don't say that about many people.

Ahhh, it feels good just to get that off my chest! LOL.


Sterling

[Jodes]

Jesus I need to clean my classes..

Sterling, I thought you said "Mike Love HAS a huge Prick"..

No back to your regularly scheduled bashing of Froy..

[Rockwriter]

Jesus I need to clean my classes..

Sterling, I thought you said "Mike Love HAS a huge Prick"..

No back to your regularly scheduled bashing of Froy..

LOL, oh no! No no NO!

That's funny.


Sterling

[Zan]

Jesus I need to clean my classes..

Sterling, I thought you said "Mike Love HAS a huge Prick"..

Wrong author.

[LordofDaRing]

Most people would agree with you Sterling. How about that god awful speech he gave at the Beach Boys induction to the Hall of Fame where he trashed everyone from Diana Ross to Paul McCartney?

[Ehwmatt]

Lets not forget the Beach Boys that currently tours...Mike Love, Bruce Johnston and ????????????

How could I forget that atrocity. Mike Love is a fuckin dick.

[Rockwriter]

Most people would agree with you Sterling. How about that god awful speech he gave at the Beach Boys induction to the Hall of Fame where he trashed everyone from Diana Ross to Paul McCartney?

LOL, I didn't even see that. I have met him a few times in the course of my career; never interviewed him, he has just been around at events and such. Every single time, without fail, he has been deliberately unpleasant to everyone around him. And for what? It's not like he's some giant talent, either. A very marginal talent with a huge ego. My respect for guys like that is zero.

I hope all is well.


Sterling

[LordofDaRing]

Yep he was lucky enough to be Brian Wilson's cousin.