Waddy Wachtel Band: Reviews and News


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Reviews and News - November 2008
Review: Waddy Wachtel Band at The Joint 11/24/08

Review by Nina:

We were all like thirsty travelers returning to the oasis of rock 'n' roll last night 11/24/08 when we walked into The Joint to see, hear and experience the Waddy Wachtel Band once again. The guys in the band were just as happy to be there as we were. Big smiles, warm hugs and excitement from everyone. If you were there, I know you felt it! If you weren't (poor pitiful you) I'll try to recreate it a bit for you.

One thing I want to say first....... Some guys who are in bands argue with each other a lot, and many of them say you just can't have excitement without the tension of bitching at each other. NOT! Waddy Wachtel, Phil Jones, Rick Rosas, Jamie Savko and all the wonderful friends who get up on that stage with them have chemistry. You can feel how much they like and respect each other. And it makes the music VERY exciting! Plus...... They love performing all those great classic rock tunes - for US! Purrfect symbiosis.

On with the night.........

As each person walked into The Joint, the energy level got higher and higher. Listening to the sound check, with Mark Nathanson working wonders on the knobs and sliders of the sound system, made us all know we were in for a longed-for treat.

After the band mingled with the audience for a bit and got their set list together, they hit the stage. Did I say "hit"? They blasted off the night with:

First Set:
1. "You Got Me Rockin'" (Rolling Stones) Bernard Fowler lead vocals. Yes, they got us rockin' right away. Waddy, Phil and Rick were a three-piece wonder backing Bernard. They wailed, and filled the whole room with delightful sounds.

2. "Jail Break" (Thin Lizzy) Bernard lead vocals.

3. "Dog Eat Dog" (AC/DC) Jamie Savko lead vocals. Jamie took center stage and kicked ass with his vocals.

4. "Rover" (Led Zep) Jamie lead vocals. Jamie sings Led Zep with as much ease as he does AC/DC, and Waddy played an incredible guitar solo. Killer!

5. "Bad Boy" (Larry Williams) Ivan Neville lead vocals. Waddy introduced Ivan as "an X-Pensive Wino - a VERY expensive wino". LOL Yes, Ivan toured and recorded with Waddy and Keith Richards in the Winos. "Now junior, behave yourself!" Ivan got the whole audience singing the chorus. Ivan usually plays keyboards, but he played a mean guitar on this one.

6. "Poor Poor Pitiful Me" (Warren Zevon) Keith Allison lead vocals. There ain't nothin' poor or pitiful about Keith. What a fantastic talent. And with Waddy on slide guitar...... they had us all praying - for more.

7. "C'Mon Everybody" (Eddie Cochran) Keith lead vocals. Nobody does Eddie Cochran like Keith.

8. "Like a Rolling Stone" (Bob Dylan) Waddy Wachtel lead vocals. Yes, he can sing too! What a treat whenever Waddy takes a lead vocal. Lovin' it. Keith Allison joined the band playing rhythm guitar, and Ellen and Greg sang harmonies from the audience on the choruses.

9. "All Down the Line" (Stones) Jamie Savko lead vocals. Great end to the first set! Waddy's harmonies were a perfect blend with Jamie's voice. Keith again on rhythm guitar.

Everyone was totally stoked by this point, and we waited out our usual break between sets talking about how glad we were to be there, giving the band lots of praise, and wide-eyed for the next round of mmmmusic.

Second Set:
1. "Lawyers, Guns and Money" (Warren Zevon) Waddy lead vocals. Waddy must have known we wanted more of his singing, and he gave it to us. Yay! We were back to the three piece band...... and with Waddy singing, playing rhythm and lead guitar. Did I say how extremely talented he is?

2. "Heroes" (David Bowie) Bernard lead vocals. Bernard kills on this song, and it's a real favorite with the audience. He got us all holding up our fingers..... "Just for ONE day."

3. "Shot Down In Flames" (AC/DC) Jamie lead vocals. The band just kept burnin' with Phil and Rick providing tinder for the flames of Jamie's voice. Rick is such a wonderful bass player, he provided the blues and greens of the flames.

4. "Bitch" (Rolling Stones) Jamie lead vocals. Love may be a bitch, but not the music we were hearing. Phil kept pounding the drums and making the earth shake.

5. "Wild Horses" (Rolling Stones) Bernard lead vocals. This is a tune the band hasn't played in a while, and it took on a new flavor. Ivan and Jamie sang background harmonies while Bernard sailed smoothly through his vocals, making everyone FEEL that even wild horses couldn't keep us away from our Monday nights.

6. "Pump It Up" (Elvis Costello) Keith lead vocals. Our Southern Man (Keith is from Texas) really got our hearts pumpin' with his bluesy rockin' voice and guitar.

7. "Eight Miles High" (Byrds) Waddy and Jamie harmony vocals. Keith on rhythm guitar. Now, this is a truly delightful blend of voices. Two guys singing a four-part harmony? Yup! Funny...... After the song, Waddy said he felt like he'd taken acid. It's a joke....... "Eight Miles High"? Hehe. We were all verrry high...... on the music.

8. "Honky Tonk Woman" (Stones) Jamie lead vocals. This is such a great song, and everyone loves singing it. Bernard, Ivan and Waddy joined on harmony vocals, and Keith played rhythm guitar. Full stage - full sound. Like it was soooo easy for them. Definitely easy for us to listen. And dance!

9. "Down Payment Blues" (AC/DC) Bernard lead vocals. By this time, we all might have had "holes in our shoes" from all the dancing and stomping we'd been doing all night. After hearing that song, everyone wanted to make a down payment on the next Monday gig. Gladly!

After hooting, hollering and clapping for several minutes, none of us wanted to leave. But we all knew we'd gotten something to be very thankful for on this Thanksgiving weekend. Waddy thanked us all for being there, told us to get home safely and said he can't wait to be back with us again. We shuffled off to our respective homes with big smiles. (Note: When I woke up this morning, my skin "glowed"! Seriously. The Waddy Wachtel Band DOES cure all your ills.)

A bit of sadness...... The band won't be performing next Monday 12/1/08. But Waddy said they're hoping to back rockin' with us again on 12/8/08. Keep checking back at this page, and I'll post it as soon as it's confirmed.

Other news:
Waddy has finished the music score for "Paul Blart: Mall Cop." It was a very huge job, and his talents never cease to amaze. He not only composed and played the instrumental parts for all the lengthy cues, but he conducted the live orchestra that was added and did the final mixing of the music. The film should be out early next year.

Rick will be touring with Neil Young the first 2 weeks of December and most of January and February. Neil needs the best bass player around. We'll miss Rick a lot.

Did I write too much? It's just so much fun reliving the great vibe last night.

See you all soon!

"Wild Horses"

Click any photo to enlarge.........

Waddy Wachtel, Phil Jones, Jamie Savko, Rick Rosas	Ivan Neville, Waddy Wachtel, Bernard Fowler	Ivan Neville, Waddy Wachtel	Ivan Neville
Phil Jones, Bernard Fowler, Jamie Savko	Ivan Neville	Rick Rosas, Jamie Savko	Waddy Wachtel
Waddy Wachtel	Waddy Wachtel	Waddy Wachtel	Phil Jones
Phil Jones	Rick Rosas