Post by Jonel on Aug 27, 2004 8:40:32 GMT -5
Kindred souls team up to get down in joint concert
Friday, August 27, 2004
Gary Graff
Special to The Plain Dealer
White men can't funk?
Don't tell that to Daryl Hall and John Oates and the other participants Michael McDonald and the Average White Band in the duo's inaugural Rock & Soul Revue, a tour that's dedicated to the proposition that soul has a color all its own.
"There's certainly some form of statement we're making in putting these three bands out there," explains Hall, 54. "It's not about race. Soul music is something about our culture, what we grew up with.
"When white people are doing it, it shouldn't be called blue- eyed soul. It's soul, period."
The tour stops Sunday at Tower City Amphitheater in Cleveland.
All three Rock & Soul Revue acts have managed to eclipse musical barriers throughout their careers, scoring hits on both pop and urban radio formats and charts.
Hall & Oates, who started recording in 1972, gleaned inspiration from Philadelphia's rich R&B heritage and reeled off major runs of hits in both the '70s and '80s including "She's Gone," "Sara Smile," "Maneater" and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)." In the mid- '80s they also became patrons of former Temptations David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, performing with them at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and at the Philadelphia edition of the 1985 Live Aid concerts.
The duo recently finished work on a new studio album, its follow-up to 2003's successful "Do It For Love."
St. Louis-born McDonald grew up a Ray Charles devotee who worked with Steely Dan before souling up the Doobie Brothers' sound in 1975 with hits like "Takin' It to the Streets" and "What a Fool Believes"; last year he had a surprise million-seller with his "Motown" covers album, and he recently finished a sequel that will be released this fall.
And the Average White Band, hailing from Scotland, actually surprised many listeners who assumed horn-drenched mid- '70s grooves like "Pick Up the Pieces" and "Work to Do" were the work of a black group.
"Whether we like it or not, we're kind of old school these days in a way we represent a certain era," notes McDonald, 54, whose "Motown 2" will feature collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Toni Braxton. "But it's great. The audiences seem to like the music. All three bands have their built-in following, so it's in a way bringing three different audiences together under one roof, which is kind of interesting." Hall is also happy with "the mix of people" in the Rock & Soul Revue audience and con tends there's a wide age span though, he concedes, it's primarily "people who actually care about music, which is our generation."
The idea for Rock & Soul was hatched two years ago, when Hall & Oates toured with fellow Philadelphian Todd Rundgren. They ended each show by performing together, not unlike the Motown and Stax tours of the '60s. And while Hall & Oates enjoyed last year's tour with the more pop-oriented Kenny Loggins, they had an appetite to re- create the experience they had with Rundgren.
"This is something we want to turn into our own mini version of Lollapalooza," explains Oates, 55, who released a solo DVD, "Live at the Historic Wheeler Opera House," in May. "We'd like to see this become a trademark an annuity, so to speak. We believe this package we've put together is superstrong, and we plan on taking this to another level."
In fact, Hall adds, the field of potential Rock & Soul tour mates is wide open and not limited either to white performers or to artists of the same vintage.
"We want to have people who are kindred spirits, musically white, black or whatever," explains Hall, whose last solo al bum, "Can't Stop Dreaming," came out in 1999. "We're all of the same generation on this run, but I'd like to mix it up with young ones as well as old ones. Somebody like Usher he's doing fine, he doesn't need to be on our stage but the Roots or somebody like that.
"I just think anybody who taps into the same kind of tradition we do would be great for this."
Graff is a free-lance writer in Beverly Hills, Mich.
Article courtesy of Cleveland.Com
Friday, August 27, 2004
Gary Graff
Special to The Plain Dealer
White men can't funk?
Don't tell that to Daryl Hall and John Oates and the other participants Michael McDonald and the Average White Band in the duo's inaugural Rock & Soul Revue, a tour that's dedicated to the proposition that soul has a color all its own.
"There's certainly some form of statement we're making in putting these three bands out there," explains Hall, 54. "It's not about race. Soul music is something about our culture, what we grew up with.
"When white people are doing it, it shouldn't be called blue- eyed soul. It's soul, period."
The tour stops Sunday at Tower City Amphitheater in Cleveland.
All three Rock & Soul Revue acts have managed to eclipse musical barriers throughout their careers, scoring hits on both pop and urban radio formats and charts.
Hall & Oates, who started recording in 1972, gleaned inspiration from Philadelphia's rich R&B heritage and reeled off major runs of hits in both the '70s and '80s including "She's Gone," "Sara Smile," "Maneater" and "I Can't Go For That (No Can Do)." In the mid- '80s they also became patrons of former Temptations David Ruffin and Eddie Kendricks, performing with them at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem and at the Philadelphia edition of the 1985 Live Aid concerts.
The duo recently finished work on a new studio album, its follow-up to 2003's successful "Do It For Love."
St. Louis-born McDonald grew up a Ray Charles devotee who worked with Steely Dan before souling up the Doobie Brothers' sound in 1975 with hits like "Takin' It to the Streets" and "What a Fool Believes"; last year he had a surprise million-seller with his "Motown" covers album, and he recently finished a sequel that will be released this fall.
And the Average White Band, hailing from Scotland, actually surprised many listeners who assumed horn-drenched mid- '70s grooves like "Pick Up the Pieces" and "Work to Do" were the work of a black group.
"Whether we like it or not, we're kind of old school these days in a way we represent a certain era," notes McDonald, 54, whose "Motown 2" will feature collaborations with Stevie Wonder and Toni Braxton. "But it's great. The audiences seem to like the music. All three bands have their built-in following, so it's in a way bringing three different audiences together under one roof, which is kind of interesting." Hall is also happy with "the mix of people" in the Rock & Soul Revue audience and con tends there's a wide age span though, he concedes, it's primarily "people who actually care about music, which is our generation."
The idea for Rock & Soul was hatched two years ago, when Hall & Oates toured with fellow Philadelphian Todd Rundgren. They ended each show by performing together, not unlike the Motown and Stax tours of the '60s. And while Hall & Oates enjoyed last year's tour with the more pop-oriented Kenny Loggins, they had an appetite to re- create the experience they had with Rundgren.
"This is something we want to turn into our own mini version of Lollapalooza," explains Oates, 55, who released a solo DVD, "Live at the Historic Wheeler Opera House," in May. "We'd like to see this become a trademark an annuity, so to speak. We believe this package we've put together is superstrong, and we plan on taking this to another level."
In fact, Hall adds, the field of potential Rock & Soul tour mates is wide open and not limited either to white performers or to artists of the same vintage.
"We want to have people who are kindred spirits, musically white, black or whatever," explains Hall, whose last solo al bum, "Can't Stop Dreaming," came out in 1999. "We're all of the same generation on this run, but I'd like to mix it up with young ones as well as old ones. Somebody like Usher he's doing fine, he doesn't need to be on our stage but the Roots or somebody like that.
"I just think anybody who taps into the same kind of tradition we do would be great for this."
Graff is a free-lance writer in Beverly Hills, Mich.
Article courtesy of Cleveland.Com
