It’s not something that classic rock fans like to dwell on, but the members of our favorite bands are getting older and having to deal with scenarios where the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Iron Maiden drummer Nicko McBrain is a case in point. After suffering partial paralysis following a stroke last year, McBrain was able to get behind the drum kit again after extensive physical therapy. A victory to be certain, but, according to the drummer, he was at about 70 per cent of his previous ability level.
Since then, McBrain has continued to improve, though some songs from the Iron Maiden repertoire still give him trouble. Fortunately, his bandmates have assured him that, if he can’t comfortably play a certain song, then the band won’t do it. In other cases, such as when a complicated drum fill proves to be too much of a challenge, McBrain just plays that part straight through without the fancy stuff. McBrain is sanguine regarding this recent development, saying to fans via Loudwire, “I’m sure 90 percent of you don’t give a fuck about that bit anyway!”
Ticket Alert
In the interest of maintaining journalistic integrity, we won’t take the cheap and easy way out here. We won’t talk about the fact that Nick Cannon has fathered 12 children. Nor will we speculate as to why one of his sons is named Legendary Love Cannon. No, we will merely report that tickets are on sale for his concert at Toyota Center on Saturday, October 5. Now was that wasn’t so hard, was it?
Musician and uber-producer (Los Lobos, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant and Alison Krauss) T-Bone Burnett will perform on Saturday, November 16, at the Heights Theater. It’s been 20 years since Burnett released a solo album, but his new one, The Other Side, is garnering excellent reviews. Tickets are on sale now, and they will go quickly.
Concerts This Week
If the sound of a Hammond B3 turns your crank, head for Under the Volcano tonight for McLemore Avenue, a band that celebrates the organ-driven sound of Booker T. and the M.G.’s, the band that produced classic instrumentals like “Green Onions” and “Time is Tight.” So, is there an actual McLemore Avenue? Glad you asked. That particular stretch of road is located in Memphis, and on McLemore Avenue during the ‘60s sat the headquarters of Stax Records, the label that was home to Otis Redding, Sam and Dave and, yes, Booker T. and the M.G.’s. Order up one of the Volcano’s famous frozen screwdrivers and get ready to shake it!
Most bands aspire to create something unique, a sound that is theirs alone. If that was their goal, Houston’s Los Skarnales have certainly achieved it. The “vatos rudos” have been refining their idiosyncratic brand of pachuco boogie ska for 30 years now, with no sign of slowing down. Don’t miss the band’s next pachanga, on Saturday at the Heights Theater, with Opie Hendrix and Tropicana Joe opening.
Koe Wetzel is no wannabe. As Clint Hale’s Houston Press interview with the singer details, Wetzel has spent plenty of time reveling in his rough and rowdy ways, creating an image that sits just fine in the pantheon of hell raisers that includes Hank Williams (senior, of course), George Jones, Johnny Paycheck and David Allen Coe. With a new album to promote (9 Lives), Wetzel is out on the road, stopping at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion on Saturday, with Pecos and the Rooftops and Kolton Moore and the Clever Few opening. He says that he has calmed down a bit over the past few couple of years, but we’ll see.
Zach Bryan will bring his “Quittin’ Time” tour to NRG Stadium on Saturday, rounding out the bill with Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit and Levi Turner. Bryan is riding high these days, with his brand new album The Great American Bar Scene reaching the No. 1 spot on multiple Billboard charts. There have been rumors over the past week concerning an alleged rift between Bryan and pop singer Noah Kahan, allegedly resulting from Bryan bailing out on a scheduled guest spot at Kahan’s recent show in Boston. Bryan dismissed the scuttlebutt with a post that is succinct if largely lacking in punctuation: “can you guys stop being weirdos on the internet, Noah is a brother to me and always will be what the hell man”.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
