Psycho Depot Issue 404 Feb 25, 2005 Current # of subscribers: 188 (daily and digest) Subjects in this issue: Adrian Belew articles.... Flying Underground/Tickled Pink! Tickled Pink/Flying Underground! ++ psychodots ++ Date: Sat, 19 Feb 2005 19:57:44 -0500 From: Mary Bosken Subject: Adrian Belew articles.... Cincinnati Post February 18, 2005 http://www.cincypost.com/2005/02/18/belew021805.html Adrian Belew: Rock's renaissance man By Rick Bird Post staff reporter Northern Kentucky native Adrian Belew has seemingly done it all in the world of rock guitar. He's played with Frank Zappa's acid rock big band, toured with glam rocker David Bowie, worked on the New Wave of Talking Heads, played in the power pop quartet the Bears and the art rock of King Crimson. He's released more than a dozen solo albums in his 30-year career. Belew has a few other unexplored areas he's working on. He recently took up painting. And he has a dream of some day playing with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. For now, he's exploring the in-your-face sound of the power trio. Belew has just released "Side One," a CD of dynamic, experimental rock in which he rounded out his studio trio with bass player Les Claypool (Primus) and drummer Danny Carey (Tool). "It's aggressive," Belew said from his Nashville home. "Everybody in the band is playing full tilt all the time. We are overplaying. That's the idea." The prolific Belew will follow the release with two other CDs this year, "Side Two" and "Side Three." All are very different. Belew said the second is an experimental DJ format using drum loops and synthesizer pads and the third is "what didn't fit in the first two." The releases are typical of Belew's varied career. "One of the things I've always tried to do throughout my career is try on different hats. I found certain things work best in certain formations," he said. One of rock's true renaissance men, Belew is Northern Kentucky's most famous rock star. Yet he is barely known in his hometown. In the rock world, he is considered a guitarist's guitarist. The words "overlooked" and "under-appreciated" are often used to describe Belew's career. In fact, Rolling Stone editors committed a major omission last year when the magazine released a list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and somehow forgot Belew. "That's a huge mistake. He is a major influence on rock guitar players. Any living electric guitar player knows about Adrian," said Rob Fetters of Cincinnati's psychodots, Belew's guitar mate in the Bears and a friend of 25 years. "People who play the instrument, we all know. He is as iconic in his style as Jeff Beck is." Belew, 55, a Boone County High School graduate, was born in Covington and raised in Florence. He was born Robert Steven Belew (he would give himself the name Adrian in 1975 because he liked it). He started his music career as a drummer in high school marching band. Like a lot of kids in the '60s, he got hooked on rock after hearing the Beatles. Belew was in the high school band the Denims, which became one of the area's best Beatle cover bands. Belew has twice returned to town for a Denims reunion with bandmates Dave Behle, Robbie Workman and Terry Dalhovere, including a show at his Boone County High School 30th reunion in 1997. Belew remembered the days in a Bears song, "117 Valley Drive," immortalizing his parents' Florence address where the band would practice and hold neighborhood concerts. As Belew sings on the wistful piece: "Seemed like heaven when the band arrived/ With a couple of drums and a couple of guitars/ We'd play our hearts out in my back yard/ And the people came from everywhere to put their plastic chairs in the summer air down on Valley Drive." Belew says he's not sure what is in the Greater Cincinnati air, but he knows it produces a wealth of solid musicians. "There are certain hot spots around the United States that are like that," he said. "I always feel in the Cincinnati area there just seems to be a lot of great players. I never realized until I left. Then you go, 'Hey, most of these towns don't have that kind of influx of so many bands and cool players.' I really think it helped me a lot. It gave me a lifestyle to be a part of. As a teenager that's really important. That's how you get passion about something. You are around people who share that passion." Belew's big break came in a storybook way. He was playing in a cover band in Nashville. A chauffeur friend happened to be driving around the legendary Frank Zappa after his show and recommended he check out Belew's band. Belew remembers: "Frank walked in with his entourage, listened to us for 40 minutes, came up to the stage, shook my hand and said, 'I'd like to audition you.'" It was months later, but the call finally came and Zappa flew Belew to California, where he beat out 50 other guitarists for the gig. Belew toured with Zappa in 1978 (documented in the movie "Baby Snakes"). David Bowie was next to spot Belew and invited him to join his band touring the world. Belew later did guitar work on the Talking Heads' 1980 debut. In the early '80s he was asked to join a rejuvenated King Crimson and the band is still active. It is a gig to this day that Belew considers his "day job." In the mid '80s Belew joined former Raisin members Fetters and Bob Nyswonger and drummer Chris Arduser to form the Bears, a power-pop quartet. The Bears released two well-received albums. After a nearly 15-year hiatus, a third, "Car Caught Fire," was released in 2002. Anyone who has heard Belew's playing knows his guitar has a signature sound that Fetters calls "real swingy." And Belew never stops reinventing his work. "When he sees guitar players going in a direction, he instinctively goes in an opposite direction," Fetters said. "He's not criticizing a guitar player. He figures, 'OK, that base is covered so I'll go out here.' It's why he works so well with so many different types of musicians. He's like the left foot to someone's right foot. When you approach an instrument that way you come up with different things; it forces you to be inventive." Indeed, Belew has been a sought-after studio musician over the years, including playing guitar on Paul Simon's "Graceland." A short list of musicians he has worked with include Tori Amos, Laurie Anderson, Bela Fleck, Joe Cocker, Jars of Clay, Cyndi Lauper and Robert Palmer. Currently Belew is forming a trio with some other Nashville musicians to tour with his "Side One" project. He says he has hired a drummer and bassist little known outside of Nashville. "In the back of my mind, I always wanted to help someone like Frank helped me, if I ever could," Belew said. And Belew is still experimenting, which led to the power-trio concept. "I discovered a way to loop my guitar playing while I was playing," he said. "So, essentially I can be my own rhythm player. I thought, since I sound like two guitarists, maybe I should get a bass player and drummer." Belew is also picking up brushes, not just picks, these days. He took up painting a year ago. His art graces the cover of his new album. "It's just like discovering music and a guitar," he said. "I didn't know what I was doing or how to do it. All my paintings seem to look different and I try new techniques. It's wonderful. I'm really enjoying it." What's next? A new Bears album is 95 percent done and will likely be out late this year. Belew continues to write material and record with King Crimson. And there is that little dream about a symphony appearance. Belew has befriended Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tuur, who is writing a new symphony that includes a guitarist, set to debut this fall in Austria. Belew is hopeful he will be that guest guitarist. The CSO has already debuted a Tuur symphony and Belew hopes Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Music Director Paavo Jarvi might be interested in this one. "Playing with a symphony is different. I would really love to do that debut in Cincinnati -- in my hometown. That would be fabulous." ++ psychodots ++ Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 09:14:19 -0500 From: Mary Bosken Subject: Flying Underground/Tickled Pink! This was posted earlier in an update from Scott Covrett but bears mentioning again......below is an update from Brian Lovely. Mary ________________________ Greetings Underground, Brian Lovely's Flying Underground will be flamming and flailing once again with their set swapping pals Tickled Pink (Scott Covrett, Bob Nyswonger and Rick Bam Powell this Friday, February 25, 2005 at the Barrelhouse Brewery (22 E. 12th Street). Show starts at 9 pm. Cover $5. Alliterationally at Your Service, B. Lovely www.brianlovely.com OH!! P.S. This Thursday night from 6:30 until 9:00 at Tink's Cafe (3410 Telford Ave., 513-961-2585) marks the debut of psychedelic psongsters Troubadour Dali, featuring Annette Shepherd on vocals, Don Aren on bass and yours truly on whatever's lying around. Beatles to Kurt Weill to Jobim...he scores! Sorry; a little something to hold you hockey fans over. _______________________ ++ psychodots ++ Date: Wed, 23 Feb 2005 11:26:34 -0500 From: Mary Bosken Subject: Tickled Pink/Flying Underground! ______________________ Even though I've posted this info before, Scott Covrett's invite/latest update is worth posting again! Mary _____________________ Dear Friends, TICKLED PINK and BRIAN LOVELY'S FLYING UNDERGROUND will merge as one THIS FRIDAY, FEB.25th at the BARRELHOUSE BREWERY, 22 E. 12th St.(Cinti) at 9p. This is during Bockfest which boasts beer booths, a parade and lots of people. Should prove to be quite an event with hordes happily high on hops. I'm told this is the biggest weekend for the Barrelhouse. We'll look for you, Covrett _____________________ ++ psychodots ++ End of Psycho Depot 404 Feb 25, 2005 Comments, suggestions, postings, and administrative or the switch between digest and daily versions of the Depot (or be on both!): Mike Brown depot @ psychodots.com To order psychodot merchandise: contact Stan Hertzman of Umbrella Artists and Strugglebaby Records shertzman@cinci.rr.com 513 871-1500 Voice 513 871-1510 Fax and Hal Bernard Enterprises, Inc., 2612 Erie Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45208 For back issues (2 ways): Email: Tony Nowikowski tony@nowikowski.com or Web Site: http://home.insightbb.com/~p-dots/ Check out the psychodot Home Page at: http://www.psychodots.com Check out the graveblankets Home Page at: http://graveblankets.com Check out the Bears Home Page at: http://www.thebearsmusic.com Check out the Ricky Nye Home Page at: http://www.rickynye.com