September 28, 2010
July 29, 2010
Block 16 "Guide to Living"
Never order a frozen drink in a place that serves pickled eggs. Actually, never order a frozen drink.
April 8, 2010
The Spirit of the King
Nearly 43 years ago - on May 1, 1967, Elvis and Priscilla married in a private ceremony at the Aladdin Hotel in Las Vegas. Your Host likely will commemorate the event next month, but to get a taste of what's to come, I've posted a review of an Elvis tribute show I had the honor of experiencing a couple years back by Chicago's own Mark Hussman. Enjoy...
Telling someone you’re going to see an Elvis show is tricky. Thousands of hacks have tried to capture the essence of the man who – more than anyone – embodied popular American music for the second half of the 20th century. The best they could come up with has been a bloated, mumbling caricature of the King, an embarrassment to Presley’s legacy as a performer.
Look around. Every town has its “Elvis impersonator,” some middle-aged white guy with sideburns the size of sirloins and a one-dimensional persona: bad. And they all seem to be channeling the same Elvis era – the early-‘70s kitsch when, honestly, the fame had caught up with him, and he wasn’t in the best shape of his life both professionally and personally.
And that’s exactly why tribute artists such as “Elvis Spectacular” creator Mark Hussman deserve a look.
Chicago’s favorite Elvis doesn’t actually “do” Elvis. That’s left up to the amateur impersonators.
Hussman doesn’t even sound entirely like The King, but he’s got a heck of a capable voice and a range that allows him to segue smoothly from the tuneful “Blue Spanish Eyes” to yearning “The Impossible Dream.” He doesn’t even entirely resemble Elvis, except for the full – and natural – hairdo. He is who he is: Mark Hussman. And the guy excites in the passion of performing.
That was evident with the sold-out crowd at the Beverly Arts Center Friday night who packed the theater to see what is likely to become a tradition of sorts the weekend after Presley’s Jan. 8 birthday. The crowd didn’t show up hoping to see The King alive again. No way. They showed up with a little fun in their hearts, a little love for the music and a whole lot of appreciation for a damn good show – and Hussman & Co. perform a darn good show.
Hussman was backed by the 10-piece ExSpence Account Showband, the Elvis tribute band selected by Elvis Presley Enterprises/Graceland to perform at the official 30th Anniversary Elvis show in Memphis. Clad in pink and black, the EAS sounded superb – not uncommon for musical acts at the Beverly Arts Center, one of the classiest performance venues in the area.
And the crowd: It’s quite a feat to sell out to an audience rowdy enough to stick around after a two-hour first set, even for those who have chosen to carry Presley’s legacy – and I’ve seen performers of all sorts: that nutty band of broads known simply as the Wayniacs who religiously follow Mr. Las Vegas across the country from one gig to the next, Neil Diamond’s rabid faithful and the feral females who toss their unmentionables Welsh stud Tom Jones.
But Elvis? I know, I know. He was the first performer ever to sell out Madison Square Garden, and he had more gold albums than the Beatles. Still, the guy’s been dead for 30 years, yet his tribute shows still pack the house. And his own fans – in this case ranging from toddlers to hip-shakin’ seniors (irony-obsessed twenty-somethings were thankfully absent) – go nuts for guys like Hussman, who’s found his own orbit in the Elvis universe. The Mount Prospect native was tops of the Chicago All-Elvis Championship in 1993 and has performed during Chicago Bulls games and at the House of Blues during his own wildly popular Elvis Spectacular at the House of Blues.
He treated the audience to a first (he had never before performed “Walk a Mile in My Shoes”) as well as a host of stuffed teddy bears (during, well, you guessed it) and leis (for his Hawaiian set that included “Blue Hawaii” and “Rock-a-Hula Baby.” Hussman rarely performed an entire song, ever-aware that he had hundreds of eyeballs watching and feet waiting to tap a new tune. He also didn’t hog the stage, thanking pretty much everyone involved with the show, plus friends and Presley contemporaries from Ann-Margret to Brigitte Bardot.
Hussman mines deep into the Presley songbook, from rock ‘n roll to country to hymns and ballads. His are arena-style interpretations that sounded quite at home at the 420-seat Beverly Arts Center. The gig was typical of a Hussman bonanza, which combines Presley’s famed ‘70s-style concert format with The King’s film performances – spectacles in themselves.
Owing allegiance to Elvis’ popularity as a rock performer, Hussman wasn’t shy in pushing the BAC’s sound system to its limits, once even demanding: “Crank this (microphone) until we hear feedback!” after an enthusiastically received rendition of “My Way.”
After nearly two hours without a break, Hussman and the band performed an inspired “An American Trilogy” followed by the “Star-Spangled Banner,” during which his Margrocks dancers – a Vegas-style troupe reminiscent of Elvis’ dancers during his movie musicals of the 1960s – distributed American flags to the more than 400 audience members against the backdrop of a stage bathed in red. The crowd rose to its feet and joined him, waving flags and singing solemnly, turning the BAC into Las Vegas Hilton, circa 1972.
But don’t be mistaken. This is the Elvis of the 21st century: With references to MySpace peppering his dialogue with the audience, the early-‘70s vibe ends where the naval piercings begin (seriously – one of Hussman’s backup dancers shimmied with a sparkling belly chain). And there’s no problem with not convincing oneself that you’re in Nixon-era Sin City, because Hussman is a tribute artist – not an impersonator – and he’s less concerned with creating a facsimile of The King’s snarl and karate chops than he is with bringing his passion to his audiences.
Still, Hussman’s own contribution to Presley’s music is entirely worth the price of admission.
During a fabulously soulful “In the Ghetto,” Hussman wisely kept the stage to himself during what was one of Elvis’ most socially conscious tunes. That led into an impromptu “duet” with the audience after he crooned just the first couple notes of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” – at which point the crowd joined in and didn’t stop until the final verse.
Following Elvis favorites such as “Viva Las Vegas” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” the Hussman and the band broke into a gorgeous rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The number left no doubt about a band that really is in its prime and a vocalist who, after a marathon three-hour set, still had it.
- Jan. 26, 2008 “The Southwest Observer”
Telling someone you’re going to see an Elvis show is tricky. Thousands of hacks have tried to capture the essence of the man who – more than anyone – embodied popular American music for the second half of the 20th century. The best they could come up with has been a bloated, mumbling caricature of the King, an embarrassment to Presley’s legacy as a performer.
Look around. Every town has its “Elvis impersonator,” some middle-aged white guy with sideburns the size of sirloins and a one-dimensional persona: bad. And they all seem to be channeling the same Elvis era – the early-‘70s kitsch when, honestly, the fame had caught up with him, and he wasn’t in the best shape of his life both professionally and personally.
And that’s exactly why tribute artists such as “Elvis Spectacular” creator Mark Hussman deserve a look.
Chicago’s favorite Elvis doesn’t actually “do” Elvis. That’s left up to the amateur impersonators.
Hussman doesn’t even sound entirely like The King, but he’s got a heck of a capable voice and a range that allows him to segue smoothly from the tuneful “Blue Spanish Eyes” to yearning “The Impossible Dream.” He doesn’t even entirely resemble Elvis, except for the full – and natural – hairdo. He is who he is: Mark Hussman. And the guy excites in the passion of performing.
That was evident with the sold-out crowd at the Beverly Arts Center Friday night who packed the theater to see what is likely to become a tradition of sorts the weekend after Presley’s Jan. 8 birthday. The crowd didn’t show up hoping to see The King alive again. No way. They showed up with a little fun in their hearts, a little love for the music and a whole lot of appreciation for a damn good show – and Hussman & Co. perform a darn good show.
Hussman was backed by the 10-piece ExSpence Account Showband, the Elvis tribute band selected by Elvis Presley Enterprises/Graceland to perform at the official 30th Anniversary Elvis show in Memphis. Clad in pink and black, the EAS sounded superb – not uncommon for musical acts at the Beverly Arts Center, one of the classiest performance venues in the area.
And the crowd: It’s quite a feat to sell out to an audience rowdy enough to stick around after a two-hour first set, even for those who have chosen to carry Presley’s legacy – and I’ve seen performers of all sorts: that nutty band of broads known simply as the Wayniacs who religiously follow Mr. Las Vegas across the country from one gig to the next, Neil Diamond’s rabid faithful and the feral females who toss their unmentionables Welsh stud Tom Jones.
But Elvis? I know, I know. He was the first performer ever to sell out Madison Square Garden, and he had more gold albums than the Beatles. Still, the guy’s been dead for 30 years, yet his tribute shows still pack the house. And his own fans – in this case ranging from toddlers to hip-shakin’ seniors (irony-obsessed twenty-somethings were thankfully absent) – go nuts for guys like Hussman, who’s found his own orbit in the Elvis universe. The Mount Prospect native was tops of the Chicago All-Elvis Championship in 1993 and has performed during Chicago Bulls games and at the House of Blues during his own wildly popular Elvis Spectacular at the House of Blues.
He treated the audience to a first (he had never before performed “Walk a Mile in My Shoes”) as well as a host of stuffed teddy bears (during, well, you guessed it) and leis (for his Hawaiian set that included “Blue Hawaii” and “Rock-a-Hula Baby.” Hussman rarely performed an entire song, ever-aware that he had hundreds of eyeballs watching and feet waiting to tap a new tune. He also didn’t hog the stage, thanking pretty much everyone involved with the show, plus friends and Presley contemporaries from Ann-Margret to Brigitte Bardot.
Hussman mines deep into the Presley songbook, from rock ‘n roll to country to hymns and ballads. His are arena-style interpretations that sounded quite at home at the 420-seat Beverly Arts Center. The gig was typical of a Hussman bonanza, which combines Presley’s famed ‘70s-style concert format with The King’s film performances – spectacles in themselves.
Owing allegiance to Elvis’ popularity as a rock performer, Hussman wasn’t shy in pushing the BAC’s sound system to its limits, once even demanding: “Crank this (microphone) until we hear feedback!” after an enthusiastically received rendition of “My Way.”
After nearly two hours without a break, Hussman and the band performed an inspired “An American Trilogy” followed by the “Star-Spangled Banner,” during which his Margrocks dancers – a Vegas-style troupe reminiscent of Elvis’ dancers during his movie musicals of the 1960s – distributed American flags to the more than 400 audience members against the backdrop of a stage bathed in red. The crowd rose to its feet and joined him, waving flags and singing solemnly, turning the BAC into Las Vegas Hilton, circa 1972.
But don’t be mistaken. This is the Elvis of the 21st century: With references to MySpace peppering his dialogue with the audience, the early-‘70s vibe ends where the naval piercings begin (seriously – one of Hussman’s backup dancers shimmied with a sparkling belly chain). And there’s no problem with not convincing oneself that you’re in Nixon-era Sin City, because Hussman is a tribute artist – not an impersonator – and he’s less concerned with creating a facsimile of The King’s snarl and karate chops than he is with bringing his passion to his audiences.
Still, Hussman’s own contribution to Presley’s music is entirely worth the price of admission.
During a fabulously soulful “In the Ghetto,” Hussman wisely kept the stage to himself during what was one of Elvis’ most socially conscious tunes. That led into an impromptu “duet” with the audience after he crooned just the first couple notes of “Are You Lonesome Tonight?” – at which point the crowd joined in and didn’t stop until the final verse.
Following Elvis favorites such as “Viva Las Vegas” and “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain,” the Hussman and the band broke into a gorgeous rendition of “Bridge Over Troubled Water.” The number left no doubt about a band that really is in its prime and a vocalist who, after a marathon three-hour set, still had it.
- Jan. 26, 2008 “The Southwest Observer”
April 5, 2010
Tiki party recipe
4-5 lbs. meaty spare ribs
1 ½ tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tbsp. ground fennel seeds
1 tbsp. Chinese five-spice powder
1 tbsp. salt
3 tsp. minced garlic
2 tbsp. honey
2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
¼ cup soy sauce
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Combine paprika, brown sugar, fennel seeds, five-spice powder, salt and 2 teaspoons garlic and coat ribs with rub, preferably the night before cooking. Place ribs concave-side down on baking sheet and place in oven. Combine remaining garlic with honey, vinegar and soy sauce to make dipping sauce. When ribs are tender, after 1 ½-2 hours, slice between bones. Serve with dipping sauce. Yields about 4 servings.
March 21, 2010
March 19, 2010
The Versatile Vaudevillian
Although he wasn’t technically a better singer than Sinatra – who himself acknowledged that he had borrowed his vocal style from the Italian bel canto style – Bobby Darin was a better performer.
Released in 1960, the "Darin at the Copa" album is one of Darin’s best live recordings.
Recorded at the standing-room-only engagement at Jules Podell's Copacabana club in New York City, Darin speak-sings his way through the set, meandering through mellow, jazzy tunes such as “Love for Sale
But even his most popular song, “Dream Lover,” is sung with the maturity of a performer who has finally understood what it is to be successful in his versatility. The tune is backed with a snappy but still loungy band full of soft horns and constant class.
"You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To” is performed uptempo, jazzier and less introspective than other contemporary renditions. It’s all about balance, and Darin has realized it fully with this performance. He is, arguably, at the peak of his career. Considering that this was a performer whose only goal was to be all things to all people, we’re also listening to a man who was at the prime of his life.
He even picks up the mallets for a hand at the vibes in “Alright, OK, You Win” and does it solo at the piano for “I Got a Woman.”
“Mack the Knife” and “I Have Dreamed” are highlights, an illustration of what made Darin such a memorable performer – soft voice with a full vibrato complemented by an approachable stage presence that allows for a seamless segue between – and even within – numbers.
The melody is a medium through which the meaning of a song is communicated, and Darin intelligently switches hats as spiritual leader, folk master, soul searcher and courtly gentleman, depending on the song.
This is a must-have of any faithful Darin fan and a gem if you're a newcomer. Either way, it's not to be missed.
January 31, 2010
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