Hot tickets: Another green light for Traffic lovers
By GINA VIVINETTO
Published May 13, 2004
[Publicity photos]
Dave Mason
Rick Springfield
Local fans of Traffic (the band, not the rush-hour problem) have been trucking in their favorites lately, with Steve Winwood's recent performance and, now, the return of the band's co-founder, Dave Mason.
Mason and Winwood have been bickering over the Internet about who contributed more to the legacy of Traffic, inducted this year into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but the two have long had a volatile relationship.
Mason, who turned 60 Monday - Winwood turned 56 Wednesday, making them both stubborn, bull-headed Taureans! - is responsible for the gems Hole In My Shoe and Feelin' Alright?
Once solo, the singer-guitarist came up with the terrific We Just Disagree and other minor hits, although some of his finest songwriting is found on underrated albums such as the remarkable Dave Mason & Cass Elliot (1971).
(P.S. Did you know Mason played guitar along with Jimi Hendrix on the original recording of All Along the Watchtower? Mason rerecorded the tune on his self-titled 1974 solo album.)
Team Pop hears very good things about openers Ghost Riders, whose drummer is named Pug, which is just awesome.
Dave Mason performs with Ghost Riders and the Complacents; doors open at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Bourbon Street, 4331 U.S. 19, New Port Richey. $20 advance, $25 day of show. (727) 843-0686.
Springfield, 'Jessie's Girl' together again
Rick Springfield made nearly every girl in middle school swoon. That was back in 1981 when he played Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. Then Springfield pulled off the unthinkable: He made a big splash in the world of pop music with the mega-hit Jessie's Girl, which asked the musical question, Where can I find a woman like that?
Actually, Springfield was already a singer at home in Australia. After Jessie's Girl made him big in the USA, he scored another hit with I've Done Everything For You, then Don't Talk to Strangers and Affair of the Heart, hanging up Dr. Drake's scrubs and stethoscope for good.
Let's face it, Springfield could write the catchy pop ditty, no? (Our Rick fared much better than other soap stars who wanted to rock, such as Jack Wagner and John Stamos.)
Unfortunately Springfield then made that stink-o movie Hard to Hold, which proves what Team Pop is always advising hubris-filled entertainers:
Act. Or play music. You must focus.
Springfield has been out of the limelight for such a long time, we're assuming he's focused on the music and is ready to rock our world again. Which is great. Jessie's Girl still sizzles.
Rick Springfield performs at 8 p.m. Saturday at Ruth Eckerd Hall, 1111 McMullen-Booth Road, Clearwater. $35-$50. (727) 791-7400.
Rousing roots music
Roots fans rejoice! Plenty of the twangy stuff can be heard here next week.
Catch the Flatlanders, the supergroup of Texans Joe Ely, Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock. Since 1970, the boys from Lubbock have been plugging away, although this year's Wheels of Fortune is only the third proper album the band has released.
The album is not as terrific as 2002's Now Again, but it features enough twangy guitar, Gilmore's sweet tenor, Ely's bluesy bite and Hancock's fine storytelling to keep fans happy for a spell.
Trek to the Beach Theatre for some live roots music - that's right, the theater is beginning a venture into live music and kicks things off squarely with Ramblin' Jack Elliott, one of folk music's finest. Elliott, 72, is a legend in his genre and gets props from Pete Seeger, Odetta and Bob Dylan.
Elliott's famous for his storytelling, and his long-windedness. It was Odetta's mother who gave him his nickname. "Oh that Jack Elliott," she is said to have exclaimed. "He sure can ramble!"
The Flatlanders perform at 8 p.m. Monday at Skipper's Smokehouse, 910 Skipper Road, Tampa. $17. (813) 977-6474.
Ramblin' Jack Elliott performs at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Beach Theatre, 315 Corey Ave., St. Pete Beach. $25. (727) 360-6697.
