Everyone wants to be on the cover of the Rolling Stone now, more than ever, which is why Ray Sawyer and Dr. Hook’s

 hit song will live forever and why poeple keep flocking out to hear him play it  almost 40 years after it catapulted Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show into infamy.

“No,  (I never get tired of playing the song) because the Rolling Stone is still what it is. People want to be on the cover. Heck, I still want to get my picture back on the cover,” drawled  Sawyer in his strong Alabama accent , who kicks off the latest  Ray Sawyer and Dr. Hook tour in Kamloops, Oct, 16, which will bring him to Scores North in Lethbridge, Oct. 21.

It could very well happen, what with his new CD, “Captain” about to drop.

“We’re just working on the CD cover and jacket,” he  said laughing it has been about 32 years since there was a new Dr. Hook album.

“It’s New Orleans R and B. It’s a different kind of R and B. It has a horn section,” he described.

“I grew up in Mobile, Alabama listening to it. That’s what I started playing,” he said adding the new CD doesn‘t  feature his touring band.

“I’m using  Chicago’s (the band) horn section and the bass player from the Stray Cats,” he continued adding he is also using a variety of studio musicians.

“Some people are really good live, others are really good studio guys, but it’s very seldom  that you find ones who can do both,” Sawyer observed adding his son Cayce plays drums in his band.

Girls, Girls, Girls played a wild  mid-week show  but had another poor turnout, Oct. 6.

The London, England based band were supremely tight, had a lot of energy and their gypsy punk/pop sound was a little reminiscent of the Clash, a touch of the Dickies, a smattering of  early ’90s Brit-rock with a lot of ’60s  R and B but with 10 times as much energy.

They even had a touch of the Plaid Tongued Devils gypsy vibe.

 There was some impressive guitar and bass playing and a drummer who kept everything in check.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

Everybody at Average Joes went Irish for  the Irish Descendants and to celebrate Alexander Keith’s birthday.

 I was glad the return of the Irish Descendants at  Average Joes started early, at 8:30 p.m, Oct. 5.

 Average Joes was full of green antler adorned  Newfoundlanders and people who wished they were Newfoundlanders, all of them were celebrating Alexander Keith’s birthday by drinking his special brew.

I arrived in the middle of a beautiful four man a cappella version of Stan Rogers’ Celtic classic  Barret’s Privateers.

For a special treat, former Rawlins Cross member David Panting  joined the Descendants on stage to play everything from bouzouki to banjo  and a little guitar with Duncan Cameron and frontman Con O Brien.

 Cameron showed his prowess on a number of instruments, but especially the fiddle and even sang  lead for  a couple numbers in the first set including a standout which I think was “Mickey Relligan’s Pup.”

The Irish Descendants played an array of sea shanties, drinking songs, and songs about pirates plus a lot of traditional Celtic music.

 Then ended with a  song about  the night  “Pat Murphy Died” and took a break.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

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With the long weekend approaching, there was a lot of opprtunities for Lethbridgians to get their drink on and listen to wide variety of  music.

Things started late on Monday, Oct. 4 at the Slice as local alternative rock/ screamo band Berserker welcomed the Phantom Creeps Tyler Brownfield as their new bassist, during their  performance at the Slice.

 They’ve really embraced a funky Rage Against the Machine sound mixed with a little Foo Fighters, with plenty of dissonant chords form the two guitarists who added a lot of sliding ocatves. Lead singer Jon Vornbrock   channeled “Sabotage,” era Beastie Boys, as he  bounded all over the stage and bellowed  like a  banshee into his microphone for a quick set of energetic modern rock.

 This was folowed by one of the  strangest sets I’ve seen from performance artist/ mad scientist Kettle Black.

 He hung a stuffed paper maché dinosaur head from a set of black curtains and set up  an array of keyboards, drums, a couple of guitars and a bass guitar. Someone descibed him as Nomeansno getting into a fight with a mad scientist, which was pretty accurate.

 With the stage completely dark save for the candles which surrounded him, he played a lot of screeching  keyboards and cacophonic bass chords while yelling lyrics or poetry into his mic. I couldn’t understand a word of it  but was stunned by it nonetheless.

— By Richard Amery, L.A. Beat Editor

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