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Ladyhawke: we called it! Pittsburgh Slim: not so much.
You've performed in Tampa Bay a number of times; do you have any favorite spots in the area that you like to frequent? Can fans expect to see you there after you perform at the Rays Summer Concert Series?
We have two shows the next day, afternoon and evening, so we're going to be coming in for the game, doing the show afterwards, and then afterwards, I mean the next day, we'll have to head out. But, we always look forward to coming to that area, you know like St. Petersburg. For instance, we're already set to come back down in March to Sarasota, but just a little theater out there. So uh, we're very familiar with the Florida area and, and it seems like every year we're always getting the opportunity to come there, but we don't often get to play in a stadium after a game. We've done many major league stadiums; with concerts after games...people call them "Double Headers" (Laughs). We really look forward to it. It's a great chance to, you know; see a bit of Americana-it's a great family event. Music and baseball together is a spectacular Americana event!
The Beach Boys have often been referred to as "America's Band" so it only makes sense that you would go hand-in-hand with America's favorite past-time. Are you guys' big baseball fans? Do you have a favorite team?
Exactly! Well, you know what? I have a favorite basketball team. You know my nephew, Kevin Love, is with the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was at UCLA for one year and then got an offer to go into the NBA. So, right at the moment, the family is more fixated on basketball. So, you know I know that Tampa Bay was American League Champions last year and they're playing Detroit, and they're remarkably close you know, in terms of wins and losses. So, it ought to be a pretty exciting game.
Can you tell us about what was it that made the Beach Boys unique in the creation of their songs?
Well, the background of it is, we loved harmonies. We loved the Everly Brothers, we loved the Four Freshmen, and we loved all the Doo Wop groups. Our style, it was a synthesis of a lot of those things (along with a bit of influence of Chuck Barry, and so on). But, the subject matter of the Beach Boys is pretty unique. I mean, who else sang about surfing, cars, and our high school life? You know the beach kind of life. We did a song called "Do It Again" in the late 60s, which was a reminiscence then, of going surfin' with my high school buddies, and stuff. You know, there's a lot of subject matter there that's unique to the Beach Boys.
Can you give us any insight into your upcoming concert and what songs fans can expect to hear?
When we do our shows, we'll start usually with our surfin' songs, and then we'll do our car songs, and then of course we'll do our Pet Sounds stuff, you know "Wouldn't it be Nice". I mean, these are pretty classic songs. Then we do "Help Me, Rhonda" and "Barbara Ann," "Fun, Fun, Fun," and "I Get Around" and "Surfin' USA". There's so many great songs that have a lot of great harmonies, but also the subject matter, it's not, you know generally, I mean we'll get a little moody every once and a while like with "In My Room," but it's mostly uplifting, fun, positive stuff that people of all ages can relate to.
Like my youngest daughter. She came home from school three years ago and she's telling me "Dad, my fourth grade class' favorite song is ‘Wouldn't it be Nice". So, "Wouldn't It Be Nice" came out on the Pet Sounds album exactly 40 years before she said that, but the subject matter, the lyrics, "Wouldn't it be nice if we were older? Then we wouldn't have to wait so long" appeals to those young kids, who maybe have a crush on each other, or what have you.
Have you developed any pre-concert traditions or rituals?
You know, uh, not traditions per se as a group, but what I'll do, is I'll meditate. I'll do Transcendental Meditation I learned from a Maharishi in '67, and have done it every day since, and so I'll meditate well before we do a show. So, that's sort of my habit, I don't know about tradition, but it's definitely something that has helped me tremendously over the years.
What other people are saying...
mrfabuloso from emerald pointe - September 04, 2009 at 4:31 PM
I so much wanted to see the Beach Boys once again but have to work. It is a great Labor Day when you have a job so I'm not complaining. I saw the...
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