The Magic Band

Petra wrote: The Magic Band played an amazing gig last night at The Wedgewood Rooms in Portsmouth. The band is now fronted by John' Drumbo' French who was the original drummer for the band during the Captain Beefheart years starting back in the 60's. They kicked of with 'safe as milk' from the Strickly Personal album and  played many favourites from albums including 'Trout Mask Replica', 'Safe as Milk' and 'Clear Spot', highlights tracks were a brilliant rendition of ' Moonlight on Vermont' and 'Electricty'. John French's vocals and style are incredible and if you closed your eyes you would think it was the legend Beefheart singing and howling himself! With their mix of avant-garde blues and jazz rock they verged on crazzyness but these talented musicians including Mark 'Rockette' Boston on bass and Gary Lucas and Denny walley on guitar show that even though they maybe of more mature years they can still play with the energy and intensity of a band 30 years younger. They had to be literally draged off stage they were enjoying themselves so much playing, which of course infected the  crowd and the atmosphere was fantastic!

Thanks for that Petra

Gary Lucas is a friend, and spent Bank Holiday Monday with me and my family in Leicestershire (Gary has threatened to put a photo or two up on his blog) - this was a day off between the Magic Band's Stoke gig (80 people) and the Nottingham gig (almost a sell out). Gary was at a low because of couple of things, including the poor attendance at Stoke - and we spent time finding somewhere open and prepared to sell him some Glenfiddich  for French (Gary has always been TT btw) - it seemed he was wondering if pulling the Magic Band together for a second tour of the UK had been a wise move. I'll send him you review, which should go some way to reassure him. He is back in NYC now doing the occasional show with the second Beefheart "tribute" band, the more jazzy Fast'n'Bulbous - apparently to appear at the Kntting Factory very soon (if not already).  And check out the 20's German experimental silent movie The Golem for which Lucas has written the music and been promoting  at festivals for over a decade (some of the early versions of the music for the Golem are on his first solo album Skeleton At The Feast):

http://www.garylucas.com/