MAGGI PICAYUNE

Opening up the evening with "Stoplight Roses"

A huge piece of music history visited Austin this week (May 8, 2012), well, Nick has graced us many times, I just finally got off my ass to see him after numerous missed opportunities. Nick Lowe is another musician/singer/producer I’ve followed since I was a little boy and the mere mention of his name is a litmus test. Either you receive a puzzled look or you see the other person’s eyes light up. When you explain the man’s past involvement in the bigger picture, then the former understand, thinking, “Oh, he’s a musician’s musician or a critic fave.” The comment could be seen as dismissive but Nick Lowe has contributed to the success of these acts: The Damned, The Pretenders, Elvis Costello and Squeeze; to scratch the surface. He was also married to Carlene Carter for some years, making him Johnny Cash’s step-son-in-law and/or June Carter’s son-in-law.

Music 101 lesson is over, you can read up about his long career in greater detail through allmusic.com or listen to recent podcasts he’s shown up on (Sound Opinions and Marc Maron’s WTF).

Nick hit the stage by himself first and did a couple songs. I only remembered “Stoplight Roses” which is on his current album The Old Magic. Then the band joined in for a mix of the new tracks and old favorites. Nick took a couple breaks to demonstrate that infamous wit I’ve heard many times in interviews, it’s also throughout his lyrics, listen intently to “Has She Got a Friend” and “Checkout Time. At 63, he’s still sharp. The key hits most people recognize were performed: “I Knew the Bride (When She Used to Rock and Roll)” and “Cruel to be Kind.” His most famous song, thanks to Elvis Costello making it a hit, “(What’s So Funny ’bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?” was saved for the end. Nick’s final encore will be permanently burned into my memory, just him and his guitar singing Costello’s “Alison.”

Seeing Nick Lowe brought some minor closure in life too. Twenty years ago, he was a member of Little Village, a supergroup of sorts, with John Hiatt, Ry Cooder and Jim Keltner. To promote their one-shot album, the quartet toured and Austin’s SXSW was a major stop. I had never heard of the annual showcase until then yet I was curious about everything as I tuned in for some snooty Chicago music critic’s take on WXRT. In short, the guy calling the radio station said Little Village didn’t live up to their hype. Maybe he would’ve changed his mind if he attended the Chicago appearance a pair of peripheral friends got to attend.

I can’t recommend seeing Nick Lowe in concert though. Austin was near the end of the tour which started around January. Should he kick off another leg in the near future, then go before he retires.

I hate to jump on the bandwagon because I personally could never get into the Beastie Boys’ material, namely…all of it. And please, don’t waste any electrons on trying to convince me I need to give Paul’s Boutique a chance. I don’t hear any “genius” in a giant cut and paste record, sorry, sampling extravaganza.

However, 25 years ago, Adam was one third of the biggest thing on Earth when I was a freshman at Marquette. Thanks to his band and Aerosmith, Rap music (the original name for Hip Hop) was now safe for White kids in the ‘burbs. The Beastie Boys managed to be the headliners for a huge show in Milwaukee of all places. You know you’ve arrived when you can practically sell out an arena in a large Midwestern city which has a reputation for being the land where John Bonham never died and Led Zeppelin still rules the airwaves. Translation? If it wasn’t Classic Rock (Van Halen) or Flavor of the Month (NKTOB), keep on driving to Minneapolis after you’ve played Chicago.

There was a guy on my floor who went to see them at the MECCA. The show he described sounded amusing, namely the onstage antics and the opener being Fishbone.

By the time the Beastie Boys came to Milwaukee (Spring of 1987), their novelty had worn off for me. License to Ill was funny, slightly dirty (pretty tame compared to now) and infectious. After hearing “Fight for Your Right” continuously during Christmas Break ’86, I was tired of them. I gave my vinyl copy away figuring they would be remembered as a Rap version of Weird Al or worse…Buckner & Garcia!

When they released their third album Check Your Head, I was impressed to hear the Beastie Boys playing instruments instead of sampling. I was aware of their previous Punk incarnation but few Punk acts could actually play when they started out (Sex Pistols anyone?). Their hybridization of Rap/Hip Hop with traditional Rock gear laid down the foundations for others to follow: Beck, 311 and Linkin Park. I didn’t say good bands necessarily arose from the Beasties’ example. This did get them out of the novelty-act category and on to becoming a staple of the Nineties and Aughts.

I do applaud Adam for several things other than his music. The most superficial one being an appearance on Futurama. His likeness is present but as per the commentary, he couldn’t make it for the recording so you’ll hear Mike or the other Adam (Ad Rock) do his speaking parts. The band had a sense of humor about how small their body of work was; this was due to litigation not by choice. They also used MTV very well when the network used to show music videos. You may not have liked the tune yet they had a great visual sense. “Sabotage” was at the forefront of the Seventies Retro movement with their parody/homage to gritty cop shows. Finally, Adam helped form a record label (Grand Royal) which brought another band to my attention, Luscious Jackson. The Beastie Boys’ influence was very apparent in Jackson’s DNA through hits such as “Naked Eye,” “Mood Swings” and “Nervous Breakthrough.”

It’s a shame to see a person his age die. However, Adam was a Buddhist (what Marc Maron jokingly calls a Jubu) so he must’ve known peace through this religion’s tenets of detachment before he passed. If not that, I hope Adam took comfort in how many millions of people he affected with his talents, including me.