It had been a long time since they rocked ‘n’ rolled around these parts—almost a year to the day, to be exact. And for a moment, it looked like Mother Nature was going to smite Northampton on the night of the return of our Hammer of the Gods.
But she forgot… we come from the land of ice and snow, too, and weren’t about to let a little thing like inclement weather squash our Zeppelin fix.
“God, I Iove you, New England. You guys never disappoint,” Get The Led Out lead singer Paul Sinclair declared before a packed house at the Calvin on the snow-filled Saturday night of Jan. 21.
While standing ovations after percussionist Adam Ferraiolli’s take on John Bonham’s signature “Moby Dick” and bassist Billy Childs‘ showpiece “The Lemon Song” proved that the feeling was mutual, on the whole the 2012 set list by the land’s top Led Zeppelin replicators was not so inspired. Rather, the band played it closer to its ruffled vest—opting for tried and true staples like “Living Loving Maid (She’s Just A Woman)” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll” over resurrecting chestnuts like “Ten Years Gone” and “Achilles’ Last Stand,” as it has in years past. Still, close your eyes at any minute during the two-plus hour performance and it was as if someone had dumped the Zeppelin boxed set into your 10-carousel CD player and hit “random play.”
“It’s all about the studio versions for us, if you haven’t figured that out yet,” Sinclair would later point out to the uninitiated.
A hauntingly executed “Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You” would give Sinclair the opportunity to really air out his powerhouse howl. And the blazing fretwork of guitarists Paul Hammond and Jimmy Marchiano took Jimmy Page’s infamous “Heatbreaker” solo to the Mississippi Delta and back in spectacular fashion.
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While Sinclair and company celebrate the sounds of days gone by, folk-rock faves Aztec Two-Step have scheduled a stop at Noho’s Iron Horse Feb. 4 in honor of four decades and counting of music making. In fact, the iconic duo of Rex Fowler and Neal Shulman released its 15th studio effort, Cause & Effect, earlier this month.This Saturday, they’ll be joined by Northampton’s own Stewart Lewis (formerly of Acoustic Junction) on select tunes.
Tix for this special show are $25 in advance, $30 at the door and available at iheg.com.
In other news, bands including The Winterpills, Aloha Steamtrain, Fancy Trash, Sun Parade and The Fawns lend their sizeable sonic talents to a benefit for local promoter Donal Rooke at The Elevens Feb. 4.
“As many of you know, Donal suffered a heart attack last month and is currently still on the mend,” local musician/event organizer Brian Marchese notes. “[He’s] a sweet, funny and generous man with a heart of gold and a love for local music. We thought it only right to throw our support behind him, as he has done for us.”
Suggested donation is $10 at the door.
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Last but not least, speaking of The Elevens, John St. Onge of Swillmerchants notoriety checked in to report that he is trying his hand at booking the popular Noho club.
“My focus is optimism—booking high-quality entertainment and then actively promoting the events that are booked,” he declares, citing his online blog at http://musicattheelevens.blogspot.com as proof of the latter. “And to be honest, it’s already working. For example, now, at The Elevens, you can enjoy rock, dance parties, hip-hop, comedy, jazz… you name it, any given night.”
St. Onge adds that in addition to the vast array of talent found “in our own backyard,” future plans call for hosting touring bands whenever possible and even bringing in national acts.
For more information on upcoming shows or chances to perform, email MusicAtTheElevens@gmail.com.
Send correspondence to Nightcrawler, P.O. Box 427, Somers, CT 06071; fax to (860) 394-4262 or email garycarra@aol.com.
