SKF NOTE: That this classic, musical band is carrying on Gordon Lightfoot’s music in his absence is a musical gift to listeners, and the ultimate tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.
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We should continue on’: Lightfoot Band returns with first tribute show to honour Gordon Lightfoot’s legacy Jan. 27 show at Toronto’s El Mocambo set to pay homage to iconic singer-songwriter
By Yoyo Yan Markham Economist Sun Wednesday, December 6, 2023
The musical legacy of Gordon Lightfoot,…lives on through the Lightfoot Band’s upcoming performance, “The Songs of Gordon Lightfoot.”
The band, known for its decades of collaboration with Lightfoot, is set to pay homage to the iconic songwriter on Jan. 27, 2024, at Toronto’s renowned El Mocambo, starting at 7 p.m.
Featuring the original Lightfoot touring band — comprising Rick Haynes (bass), Barry Keane (drums), Mike Heffernan (keyboards), and Carter Lancaster (lead guitar) — joined by their newest member, lead singer and rhythm guitarist Andy Mauck, the show will showcase selected songs from Lightfoot’s illustrious career.
SKF NOTE: This morning I started re-listening to an Andy Newmark interview drummer Max Weinberg and I did in NYC the early 1980s. My goal is to see what, if any part of that interview can be made available here.
Meanwhile, I came across this brilliant excerpt with John DeChristopher and Andy Newmark talking about Jim Gordon.
Why brilliant?
Well, Andy tells the story of being in the studio with Carly Simon’s road band to record her “No Secrets” album. The producer decides Jim Gordon is a better drummer for the song, “You’re So Vain.” Newmark’s reaction to that news is, to me, amazingly professional. He isn’t threatened, his feelings aren’t hurt.
Instead, Newmark introduces himself to Gordon, asks if Gordon is okay with Newmark watching him from the drum booth, and Gordon says okay.
And that experience, Newmark tells us, “opens the door” to his looking anew at his own drumming; at how, moving forward, he, Newmark, has to modify his NY/East Coast drumming style.
Thank you, to DeChristopher and Newmark for sharing this.
SKF NOTE: In 1988 I interviewed Jason for a profile in the July/August Drums & Drummingmagazine.
This interview, a year later, was meant for publication in a new project writer Chip Stern was launching; a combination percussion magazine and audio cassette.
Unfortunately, Stern’s project never got off the ground. Jason’s interview tape sat in a box for 34 years until I digitized, and a friend did a great job in ridding the original audio file of background noise, and in making Jason’s voice and mine audible.
This interview with drummer Jason Bonham happened on September 1, 1989. Our key topic was Jason’s new band, self-titled Bonham, and release of Bonham’s first album, The Disregard of Timekeeping.
I hadn’t heard the full album at the time of this interview. As I mention to Jason in this interview, Epic Records sent me partial album tracks. Jason explains here that was because a leaked version of the album was getting airplay two weeks before the album’s release. To clamp down on that, Bonham’s record label stopped distributing the full album.
Bonham fans who liked The Disregard of Timekeeping, which I did, should enjoy this discussion on the formation of the band, the song writing, the album recording, and Jason’s unique approach to drumming on The Disregard.
There are also some insightful stories about Jason’s dad, John Bonham, and the members of Led Zeppelin.
SKF NOTE: Drum Channel‘s Don Lombardi, in the video with this post, introduces drummer George Marsh as an “unsung hero” who “should be world renowned.”
My introduction to Marsh was first through his Modern Drummer Advisory Board membership. Then through his well-respected drum method book, Inner Drumming. Plus, he’s recorded a number of albums with excellent musicians such as Denny Zeitlin, Dave Grisman, and Mose Allison.
Marsh has recorded on many albums. His own and others. You can buy and/or listen to them on Marsh’s website.
Keen-eyed SKFBlog readers can compare Marsh’s cymbal set-up in this circa 1982 Zildjian promo piece with Marsh’s set-up on the Drum Channel video.
A thoughtful, swinging player with deep traditional roots, and a permanent curiosity about new approaches to drumming, be sure to check out George Marsh.
SKF NOTE: For a brief period, after stepping down as Modern Drummer‘s managing editor, I worked as the Northeast Sales Representative for the Gretsch Musical Instrument Co. These two “Gretsch Percussion Artist” lists were included in a three-ring-binder full of Gretsch product info and pricing. When retailers asked how much it would cost to buy a Gretsch drumset, an individual drum, sticks – anything. The answers were in my three-ring-binder.
These 1983 artist lists vary slightly. My guess is the list without the “Class” column is newer.
The only Gretsch Drum Clinic I managed was with Harvey Mason in Connecticut. But common sense tells me the “A” class Gretsch artists are the better known drummers. The asterisks (*) next to drummers’ names indicate the players interested in doing drum clinics.
Interesting that a majority of drummers didn’t want to do clinics.
I remember talking with Karl Dustman, a well-respected drum industry pro working at the time for Gretsch, about this list. Imagining a Tony Williams clinic was exciting until Dustman said, “Tony Williams is Gretsch‘s most expensive non-working clinician.”
Going strictly by memory, Harvey Mason’s clinic fee in 1983 was in the $800 range. That’s $2,516 in today’s dollars.
Tony Williams’s Gretsch clinic fee was $1,200 or, in today’s dollars, $3,775.
When a drum retailer wanted to host a drum clinic, the dealer was required to cover the clinician’s fee. (I’m not sure about expenses for travel, meals, lodging.) Retailers were also required to have at the clinic a Gretsch drumset matching the clinician’s specifications: number of drums, specific drum sizes, hardware, and specific color.
If you were a large retailer with a big Gretsch drum inventory you might have a clinician’s drumset on hand.
But for smaller drum retailers, having a, say, Harvey Mason clinic, would mean paying the $800 fee plus buying a brand new Mason Gretsch drum set with hardware. Maybe cymbals.
In theory, the drum clinic would inspire attendees to buy from the retailer enough new Gretsch drums to make the venture profitable.
In my very limited drum selling experience, that theory did not hold true for smaller drum dealers. I would be interested in seeing profit-and-loss clinic data from drum manufacturers, not just Gretsch.
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