Originally published in The
Aquarian Weekly
photo
by Mike Black
GRAHAM PARKER
AND THE
LATEST
CLOWNS/MAYBE
PETE/The Wonder Bar/May 5
by Ken Shane
“What were they thinking
When they dug that
hole
And bulldozed that
town down
Wall by wall
Laying the asphalt
and
Diverting that
rolling river
So there’d be water
for us all
I got some
photographs
I don’t know if they’re
us or not
Ah but my memories
fading fast
They might as well
take that too
It’s no use to me or
you
I guess it was not
designed to
last”
—Graham Parker
“The Other Side
Of The
Reservoir”
to believe that Graham
Parker
didn’t write “The Other
Side Of
The Reservoir” with
in mind. When he sang
it in front
of a packed house at
The Wonder
Bar, there were a
lot of heads
nodding in agreement with
the
sentiments of the song which
appears on his latest
album,
Don’t Tell
was drawn by Parker’s
reputation
as an outspoken
songwriter, and
by the fact that he
was appearing
in
the first time in many
years.
By his own account,
the last
time that Graham Parker
played
with a band in
appeared at The Stone Pony
and
came on after Southside
Johnny
And The Asbury
Jukes. Their set
began at
thankless task didn’t faze
Parker,
and it’s hard to
imagine anything
that would. His image
has always
been that of an acerbic,
bitter
musician, and although age
may
have mellowed him
somewhat,
it’s had no effect on
his caustic
wit or his brilliant
abilities as a
songwriter and performer.
Parker delighted the
audience
with a veritable tour
through his
career. His set included
songs
from every phase of his
career,
which opened with the
R&B
sound of “Howlin’ Wind” in 1976
and continues strong
right up
through his latest album. Certainly
there were people there
to hear
songs from his biggest
seller,
1979’s Squeezing Out Sparks.
Parker seemed to be
keenly
aware of this, and he
satisfied
them with three songs
from that
classic album, “Waiting For
The
UFOs,” “You Can’t Be
Too Strong”
and “Nobody Hurts You.”
But the
majority of the audience was
with
him for every song of
the nearly
two hour set.
the real deal when it
comes to
rock and roll, and it
was in
evidence on this night.
The Latest Clowns,
while never
quite rising to the level
of Parker’s
legendary band, The Rumour,
did quite well in
presenting
sympathetic interpretations of
his songs with their
tasteful and
intelligent playing.
Maybe Pete are from North
husband and wife team of
Frankie
and Kelly McGrath who
have
earned a strong reputation
on
the
with their roots
oriented approach
to basic rock and
roll. Their high
powered performances have
been winning them new
fans at
every show, and as the
opening
act for Parker, this
show was no
exception. Frontman Frankie
McGrath is a dynamic
performer,
and it’s hard to take
your eyes
off him. The band
presented
some selections from
their
second album, which they
are
presently recording for
release
later this year. “Another
Cigarette,”
a song McGrath claims
to have
written for his cat, was a
standout
of their set.