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Two-first-names tour
I saw it out on that World Wide Web thingy so it must be true! Billy Bob Thornton opening for David Allan Coe at the Cascade Theatre in Redding in September!
I wish I hadn’t worked in newsrooms for nearly two decades. I’d just go with the story. Alas, I called the Cascade and they hadn’t heard about the famous actor on the bill. So I called the Los Angeles promoter of the show, Jim Agius, who said: “No, I haven’t heard that and I’d be the one who would.”
Thornton, who actually has a pretty interesting sound as a musician (I’ve listened to his “Private Radio” album a bit), is playing a few dates with Coe in the Los Angeles area. Agius, who promoted a Blue Oyster Cult show at the Cascade recently, did mention that Thornton might be a good fit for a gig in Redding.
All of this Billy Bob stuff brings up the topic again: Why is it all actors want to be musicians and all musicians want to be actors? Sometimes it works out. Other times it goes all Bob Dylan.
Other notes:
• Woofstock 2008 (ahh, the cutest name, don’t you think?) happens 10:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Saturday at Anderson River Park (Gaia Hotel Amphitheater). Musical artists include Austin, Texas’ Monte Montgomery, Sonoma’s Gator Beat, Chico’s Rube and the Rhythm Rockers and Redding’s Bruno Grossi, Shasta Blues Revue and The Potentials. The event is a fundraiser for homeless animals.
• The Shasta County Arts Council is putting out a call to artists. The council is looking for cover artwork for its Fall 2008 edition of “Artazine,” a print and online publication. For details, check here.
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Hi Jim - Hey, did you know that Billy Bob Thornton actually played Britt Festival on July 12 this year? Check it out:
http://www.brittfest.org/performances/billybobthornton
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Billy Boy sold out the Big Room in Chico last year in about 30 minutes. Would be cool to see him in Redding but I ain’t holding my breath….
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Billy Bob appeared July 11th at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma. He sucked. Here’s the text of a review as published by the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.
“Film Star Thornton Lost On Music’s Stage
Props are everything in physical comedy, and Friday night at the Mystic Theatre, Billy Bob Thornton had all the essentials: The cigarette lit in the dark, the Bud Light held high for the most applause of the first three songs and a box of Kleenex on a pedestal.
But it was hard to tell whether to laugh or cry.
After a low-budget animated sequence starring Black Bart and caricatures of his band, the Boxmasters, the Oscar-winning “Slingblade” actor took to the mike, stiff and wooden, with all the stage presence of a Hollywood cardboard cutout.
The six-piece hillbilly band, decked out in Beatles suits circa 1964, raced through the opening trio of songs like a bull out of a chute as Thornton tried to keep up, pulling on his cigarette between verses.
The opening song, “She’s Lookin’ Better By the Minute” — a whirlwind ode to beer goggles — hit upon the apropos line: “She looks like a movie star.”
And there he was, looking like the bonafide movie star, but a little lost on a music stage.”
Maybe it was just an off night.
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BOC played the Cascade? Oh, man. Go-Go Godlilla!
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Yes! B.O.C. rocked the Cascade Theatre in July.I sat in the 4th row balcony.NOBODY sat on the floor level. That’s right, from the first chords of “Ozzy” tribute band “Izzy Osbourne” to the last chords of “The Red and the Black” the entire floor level was on it’s feet or on it’s knees.Izzy had the whole crowd singing on “War Pigs”. Long time fans of Blue Oyster Cult were disappointed with the absence of founding member Allen Lanier,but not for long.Founders Eric Bloom and Don (Buck Dharma)Roeser led the band through a blistering set of old and newer music.Longtime hard rocker Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot,
Whitesnake,Ozzy Osbourne) handled the Bass lines like he was born to do it.Unfortunately I didn’t catch the names of the Drummer or the Guitarist/Keyboardist,but both were TOP-NOTCH players. Buck gave the “other guy” plenty of solo time and he did not dissappoint. HE SHREADDED! It was a great show, start to finish. The only sad part was that ,unlike most bands
that play at the Cascade,B.O.C. declined to come out front and talk to remaining fans or sign C.D.s.Well like thier song from thier first album “Stairway to the Stars,we’ve got better things to do.”The last time that I posted a comment here I mentioned that Weaverville Coffee House “Mamma Llama had a whole bunch of concerts lined up for the summer.I stopped in there to buy tickets for Doors tribute band “Wild Child” at Hayfork’s “UnseenArena”and talked with Steve and Donna. It seems that there are some shmucks traveling all over the Northstate threatening bar and coffee house owners with HUGE fines if they allow any band to perform that even thinks about playing songs that they did not write.Although Steve hires bands that write and perform thier own music,he felt forced to cancel all concerts or pay a fee to these shmucks that say that they represent
B.M.I. and other music publishing firms. SAD SAD SAD.
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