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This week we’re off on a tangent, but first a quick plug for a show. Local singer Mandy Meadows is presenting ‘Piaf – The Legend’ in Baycourt’s Addison Theatre on Saturday, August 12. That’s before taking it around the rest of the North Island through September.
There’s a six-piece band – naturally including an accordionist – and even dancers. I haven’t seen the show but there are videos online and it looks terrific. I am, of course, an absolute sucker for anyone singing in French and particularly anyone singing Edith Piaf songs so it certainly butters my baguette. And as well as the music you’ll get to learn about Piaf’s life, which was nothing if not eventful.
Tickets are $60 or $70.
Moving on, in recent days I’ve been struck by the number of musical offspring, the next generation of musicians, who have been popping up.
Locally there are a few examples: Trevor Braunias fronts the TJS Blues band; his son Stefan, once part of the hardcore scene with Threat.Meet.Protocol, plays drums.
John Michaelz and the Black Brothers Band have just released a remix of their debut single, created by John’s son Dylan Israel from high-flying indie band Summer Thieves, though in the band he goes under the name Izzy Bones. That song was recorded at Welcome Bay’s Colourfield Studio, run by Tim Julian, whose son Joe is now playing drums on studio sessions.
Oscar Laven
I’m going to skip right over Oscar Laven, son of Robbie Laven and Marion Arts, only because I’ve previously written about him. He’s still in Wellington and is pretty much the first person you call for saxophone, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bassoon and just about every other instrument that requires blowing.
There has also been a rush of albums by Sons of Famous People. It’s been quieter for daughters, though there are
just as many, even just adding up offspring of the Carter/Cash family, including Rosanne Cash, Cindy Cash, and
Carlene Carter...
Leonard Cohen’s son Adam produced his father’s final work and is a very good singer-songwriter in his own right. Paul Simon’s son, Harper, has released two solo albums, the last being in 2013, and has since moved more into working in film.
But he’s done a bunch of fascinating things including performing for a two-week run in 2016 at the Adelaide Festival in Eric Mingus’ re-imagining of ‘The Who’s ‘Tommy’, which was produced by the great Hal Willner.
Photo: Harper Simon. Supplied.
Tommy Prine
New to the scene, with a debut album earlier this year, is Tommy Prine, youngest son of the late great John Prine, who took the step into music only after his father’s death from Covid-19. ‘This Far South’ is very much a confessional singer-songwriter album, personal, honest and vulnerable.
Photo: Tommy Prine. Supplied.
It was produced by Gena Johnson and singer-songwriter Ruston Kelly, who worked on John’s last album ‘The Tree of Forgiveness’, though Tommy is luckily not cursed with sounding like his father (Harper Simon, on the other hand...). ‘This Far South’ is well worth checking out, and I feel an obligation to plug that final John Prine record. It’s one of the rare albums I know where every song is essentially a classic that will be played in folk clubs till the end of time.
Bloody marvellous.
Meanwhile Lukas Nelson, son of Willie, is going strong. He’s played in his Dad’s band on and off for years and has his own outfit called Promise of The Real who have, amongst other things, had a long collaborative partnership with Neil Young.
Photo: Lukas Nelson. Supplied Shervin Lainez.
Lukas also co-produced the music for ‘A Star Is Born’, writing songs with Lady Gaga after originally being hired as an ‘authenticity consultant’ for Bradley Cooper. Lukas Nelson & Promise of the Real appear in the film as Cooper’s band.
And I’ve just about run out of time for Duane Betts, son of Allman Brothers Band founder Dickey Betts.
He leads Duane Betts & Palmetto Motel, and is also a guitarist and singer for Dickey Betts & Great Southern, led by Dad.
Last month he released a solo album, ‘Wild and Precious Life’, featuring along with other notable guests, Derek Trucks on guitar.
