Features
Big Star’s Albums To Be Recreated At L.A. Event
Aimee Mann and members of several bands, including R.E.M., The Bangles and Semisonic, will gather at a one-night-only concert in Los Angeles where they will perform two Big Star albums, with proceeds benefiting the Autism Think Tank.
Photo: AP Photo
Presented by pop culture website Trunkworthy.com and the Wild Honey Foundation, the Sept. 27 show at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre will feature fully orchestrated renditions of Big Star’s Third and #1 Record.
Representing Big Star will be the band’s only surviving original member, Jody Stephens, along with latter-day Big Star musicians Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, who now spend their time making music in The Posies. R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Let’s Active’s Mitch Easter, Chris Stamey from The dB’s, Yo La Tengo’s Ira Kaplan are also on the lineup.
But wait, there’s more. Designated as “guest vocalists” are Aimee Mann, The Bangles, Pete Yorn, Los Angeles-area band Grouplove, Semisonic’s Dan Wilson, Dean Wareham of Galaxie 500, actor/musician Jason Schwartzman, Jason Falkner, Tommy Keene, Brett Harris, Sarabeth Tucek, Django Haskins and Skylar Gudasz. Joining them will be a full chamber orchestra led by the Section Quartet performing the original scores created from the original multitrack tapes from Ardent Studios in Memphis.
Wild Honey Foundation’s roots go back to 1993 when music fans Paul Rock, David Jenkins and Andrew Sandoval held a Beach Boys tribute party in Rock’s living room in 2003. One year later they held a Brian Wilson tribute/benefit at Santa Monica’s Morgan-Wixson Theater that included The Beach Boys along with Big Star co-founder Alex Chilton playing songs from Pet Sounds and Friends. Since then Wild Honey has produced similar events based on albums by The Hollies, The Everly Brothers, Elvis Costello and others.
(l-r) Jody Stephens, Brent Baldwin, Chris stamey, Ken Stringfellow, Brett Harris, Mitch Easter, Skylar Gudasz and Charles Cleaver.