Sometimes the most ingenious combinations truly are the most obvious ones, and the pairing of Paul Collins and John Wicks for a joint tour is an absolute no brainer. Call 'em the other John and Paul if you catch my drift. As prime movers for power pop innovators The Beat and The Records respectively, Paul and John set the world afire more than they'll ever know, even though the world at large may not know or for that matter overtly appreciate them. This dynamic duo kicked their careers off separately in the mid '70s, with Collins igniting the fuse in L.A. with The Nerves, and Wicks setting off some fireworks of his own in the Kursaal Flyers. As thoroughly respectable as those combos were, especially the Nerves, the horizon would gleam even brighter when they embarked on their aforementioned subsequent projects. With the Records, Wicks and Co. penned some of the genre's preeminent anthems in the indelibly melodious shape of "Starry Eyes" and "Hearts in Her Eyes." As for the Paul Collins Beat, "Rock 'N Roll Girl" and "Walking Out on Love" would become mantras for lovelorn punks the world over.
Fast forward to 2009. With both men having recently released solo albums, but drawing smaller audiences than their late '70s/'80s halcyon period, Wicks and Collins explored a burgeoning live forum for touring songswriters and musicians - the "House Tour" circuit. This rather self explanatory performance phenomena has worked well for established artists like Pat Dinzio of the Smithereens and Mark Eitzel of American Music Club. With this new modus operandi in mind Paul and John kicked their tour off in May 23 2009...at a bar called the Thunderbird Cafe. Ok, that was a slightly unorthodox way to commence a house tour, but the remainder of those dates, from what I understand were held in more residential environs.
The gigs went well enough to prompt more joint shows this fall, however most of the US tour dates will feature Paul Collins only. If you're in Italy or Spain, you have a better chance of catching the duo in action (all gig info provided below), with some potential French dates to be added. And don't forget those Power Pop Kings dates in October in Spain featuring Wicks, Collins and Eric Blakely.
Since a lot of you on both sides of the pond can't make it to these dates, I empathetically offer a pair of live shows from 1979, one from debut album era Records, and the other from debut album-era Paul Collins Beat . Enjoy. Check back, as I may be adding some video clips to this post. And one more thing. Go to Power Pop Criminals to partake in a live session John and Paul did for WFMU's Cherry Blossom Clinic show. The next joint tour date date is at:
SU 8.23.09 McCabes Guitar Shop 7 PM
Paul's Fall West Coast DatesOn September 11 Paul Collins sets out on his early Fall West Coast Tour with The Avengers and Pansy Division. John Wicks may join Paul for a date or two. The schedule is as follows:
SA 9.11.09 Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
SA 9.12.09 Portland, OR @ Dante's
SU 9.13.09 Medford, OR @ Musichead
TU 9.15.09 Sacramento, CA @ Fire Escape
WE 9.16.09 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Blue Lagoon
TH 9.17.09 Oakland, CA @ The Uptown
FR 9.18.09 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
SA 9.19.09 Santa Ana, CA @ the Galaxy (w/ John Wicks)
SU 9.20.09 Echo Park, CA @ The Echo (w/ John Wicks)
TU 9.29.09 Bresia, ITALY @ Lio Bar (http://www.myspace.com/liobar)
WE 9.30.09 Cesena, ITALY @ Club to be Confirmed
TH 10.01.09 Roma, ITALY@ Club to be Confirmed
FR 10.02.09 Thiene, ITALY (VI) @ Yourban (http://www.yourban.org/)
SA 10.03.09 Placenza, ITALY @ Madly Pub (http://www.myspace.com/madlypub/)
SU 10.04.09 Domodossola, ITALY (VB) @ Oste live (http://www.myspace.com/ostelive/)
SA 10.10.09 Viveiro - Teatro SPAIN - (Paul Collins & Eric Blakely)
Power Pop Kings Tour (John Wicks, Paul Collins, & Eric Blakely):
TH 10.15.09 Bilboa, SPAIN @ El balcon de Lola
FR 10.16.09 Madrid, SPAIN @ El Sol
SA 10.17.09 Valencia, SPAIN @ wah wah
Remember to check here for the latest concert info. Onto the bootlegs!
Paul's Fall West Coast DatesOn September 11 Paul Collins sets out on his early Fall West Coast Tour with The Avengers and Pansy Division. John Wicks may join Paul for a date or two. The schedule is as follows:
SA 9.11.09 Seattle, WA @ The Funhouse
SA 9.12.09 Portland, OR @ Dante's
SU 9.13.09 Medford, OR @ Musichead
TU 9.15.09 Sacramento, CA @ Fire Escape
WE 9.16.09 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Blue Lagoon
TH 9.17.09 Oakland, CA @ The Uptown
FR 9.18.09 San Francisco, CA @ Bottom of the Hill
SA 9.19.09 Santa Ana, CA @ the Galaxy (w/ John Wicks)
SU 9.20.09 Echo Park, CA @ The Echo (w/ John Wicks)
TU 9.29.09 Bresia, ITALY @ Lio Bar (http://www.myspace.com/liobar)
WE 9.30.09 Cesena, ITALY @ Club to be Confirmed
TH 10.01.09 Roma, ITALY@ Club to be Confirmed
FR 10.02.09 Thiene, ITALY (VI) @ Yourban (http://www.yourban.org/)
SA 10.03.09 Placenza, ITALY @ Madly Pub (http://www.myspace.com/madlypub/)
SU 10.04.09 Domodossola, ITALY (VB) @ Oste live (http://www.myspace.com/ostelive/)
SA 10.10.09 Viveiro - Teatro SPAIN - (Paul Collins & Eric Blakely)
Power Pop Kings Tour (John Wicks, Paul Collins, & Eric Blakely):
TH 10.15.09 Bilboa, SPAIN @ El balcon de Lola
FR 10.16.09 Madrid, SPAIN @ El Sol
SA 10.17.09 Valencia, SPAIN @ wah wah
Remember to check here for the latest concert info. Onto the bootlegs!
The Records - Live at the Palladium, Dallas 1979, KZEW broadcast01. Paint Her Face
02. All Messed Up and Ready to Go
03. Insomnia
04. Hearts in Her Eyes
05. Vamp
06. Girl
07. Girls That Don't Exist
08. The Same Mistakes
09. Affection Rejected
10. Have You Seen Her
11. 1984
12. Rock & Roll Love Letter
13. Teenerama
14. Starry Eyes
Paul Collins Beat - Jabberwocky's, NYC 12-15-79
01. Rock 'n Roll Girls
02. I Don't Fit In
03. Little Suzie
04. I Will Say No
05. Different Kind of Girl
06. Don't Need to Lie
07. You Won't Be Happy
08. Walking Out on Love
09. Workin' too Hard
10. Across the USA
11. Work-a-day-world
12. On the Highway
13. Don't Wait for Me Tonight
14. I Will Say No
The Records: Hear
The Beat: Hear
2 comments:
Hi, there. Would it be possible to re-up the two live sets? Thank you!
thanx
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