Santa Cruz Sentinel from Santa Cruz, California • Page 67

10 Spotlight Santa Cruz Sentinel Friday, Nov. 18, 1983 I VH1 sir 4 1 xTis the season V4 v. for rock 'n' ro A vim' 1 By SHEILA RENE Sentinel Correspondent a I HE DAYS are winding down to a precious few. Halloween past, Thanksgiving ahead and the ChristmasNew Year season almost upon us. The San Francisco Bay Area has been the scene these past 11 months of some excellent music.

But wait! .38 SPECIAL: recording artists have new release, "Tour De Force" The best is yet to come! It was a hard secret ot keep, but I did it. The "Dance 3" scene was going full blast at the Kabuki club when Bill Graham sat down next to me and shared the news of the upcoming Dec. 1 benefit concert to be held at the Cow Palace for Ronnie Lane. Lane, the former Small Faces drummer, suffers from multiple sclerosis and was treated to another benefit held last September at the Royal Albert Hall in London. Graham told me of his phone call from the musicians who participated in the benefit.

They said they had so much fun, they wanted to do it in America, and since Bill was on his way to Europe anyway it seemed like a good time to make the arrangements. Graham told them he was interested only if they did some dates in San Francisco. Tickets for the benefit went on sale KOCk Nov. 9 at 1 p.m. and began selling at a brisk rate.

The concert planning will RGpOrt include more concerts here if the sales keep up the present pace. The musicians set to play this show-of-shows are: Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Stevie Winwood, Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts (from the Stones), Kenny Jones (from the Who), Chris Stainton. Andy Fairweather Lowe and Joe Cocker. Word so far is that if Ronnie Lane is in good enough health he could join some of the concert dates as they are played in Dallas. New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.

What a way to start December. Booking for the end-of-the-year Christmas and New Year's shows is in progress. ACDC just came through town for only one show this year. Last year we had three glorious nights. Oh, well, I guess that is the price of glory.

The 1983 "Flick of the Switch" tour showed off some great new lights, two new cannons (made in the L'SA) and a new drummer, Simon Wright. I spent time with Wright the day after the ACDC concert and found out that he hadn't played drums for some 11 months before reading an ad in a local newspaper for drummer auditions. ACDC had Wright try out the first time with a tape of other band's music. When they called him back for his second audition, there was only one ACDC song on the tape. Of course, Wright passed with flying colors.

"Playing with this band is very exciting for me," Wright said. "Only yesterday I couldn't make enough extra money to keep my drums working, and now After the interview, an invitation was extended to this reporter to join Simon. Malcolm and Brian plus their publicist Fifa and other members of the crew for dinner. Plans had already been made for the band to see B. Dirty." Tour plans are being made now.

Their stablemates and good friends. Motorhead, are already in the States working the East Coast. Pasha recording artists Quiet Riot who next week will topple the Police from the number one position on the charts just left the Iron Maiden tour to join up with Black Sabbath, They will tour with Sabbath until December when they pick up with Judas Priest in Europe. Spencer Proffer, their producer, has already reserved studio time for January. El Cerrito High School recently held its 20-year reunion at the Concord Inn.

The school hired the Blue Velvets for the gig, since the whole band graduated from Cerrito High. The Blue Velvets are Doug Clifford. Stu Cook and Tom Fogerty. three-quarters of Creedence Clearwater Revival. The band delighted the audiem with old '50s hits as well as some of the CCR tunes we still hum from time to time.

There are no plans in the works for any reunion of the band, just a good time and a fun niht to remember. Ted Nugent has begun working on the art work for his next record, then it's off to the pressing plant Nugent used various members of the Billy Squire band on his album, but will begin auditioning for his touring hand very soon. Europe will be the first stop around the end of January, then watch out USA, my "Nugie" has some surprises for you. The newly-reformed Yes has finished a video in England of the single, "Owner of A Lonely Hear' from the LP entitled Wonder what this number means? The band is now composed of former members Jon Anderson (vocals), Alan White (drums Chris Squire (bass), plus new members Trevor Raven (lead pillar and vocals, a real whiz. I heart from South Africa and tanner UK keyboardist, Eddie Jobson.

Look for Yes in the Slates by the first of the year. Huey Lewis and the News played two soldout ihl'IiIs at the Kabuki recently to warm up for their opening position on the new Kinks tour. King that same night at the Fairmont Hotel. There was some scurrying about for the proper dress, as you know these guys are known for their Levi's and t-shirts, not suits and ties. Brian and Malcolm were the most excited, singing B.B.

King tunes all day and speculating if he would do their favorites just as we speculate if ACDC will do ours. We'll have to wait another year to see this great band again. The Motels out with their latest and greatest release, "Little Robbers" on Capitol Records sold out two shows at the Warfield. In one week the group's LP jumped from 91 to 35 on the Billboard charts, and is destined for even higher numbers before it's over. Motels leader Martha Davis and her band were in unusual form on and off the stage.

The set, lights and especially the music was right in the groove, as they say. After the show I spent time with Ms. Davis and was curious about how she felt, since the tour was to be put on hold immediately after the San Francisco date so she could undergo some very necessary surgery. Martha was unnerved by the whole thing. "You have to take care of your body or there won't ever be a tour," she said.

"To do your best for the fans, you have to be at your physical and mental best I'll just be better when it's over." There are plans in the works for Martha to do some films in the future, and believe me, she is excited about that. too. Martha's two beautiful children can be seen in her new videos, another source of happiness in her very full life. John Mellencamp (nee Cougar) will only perform 20 dates in support of his new "Uh Huh" LP. His tour begins in January, 1984.

He will only play 5,000 capacity venues and says he is working up to the big ones slowly. John's in no hurry. The actual dates and states are now in the planning stages. "Play Dirty" is the title of the soon-to-be-relensed Girlschool LP. It was produced by two of the original Slade band members, Noddi Holder and Jim Lee Holder and Lee contributed some songs, as well.

The girls cover a great tune made famous by Marc Bolan, "Twentieth Century Boy." The Girlschool video of the Bolan tune is already on the airwaves, as is the title track, "Play I I Please see I'" BACKBEAT PRODUCTIONS WELCOMES 10 OFF Buy any pair of our hand-thrown ceramic lamps and receive 10 M4m off the regular price. 7- Valid for all size lamps, with coupon only Hundreds To Choose From Seascape Lamps 'T I i f1 SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 8 PM SANTA CRUZ CIVIC 150 advance, 11 at the door Ceramic Kitchenware, Planters, Vases Bathroom accessories Tickets available at Cymbaline Records in Santa Cruz, Blue Rhythm Records in Capitola, S.C. Civic Box Office all WHOLESALE TO THE PUBLIC BASS outlets including Record Factory. For more info. Daily 9:305:30 contact Box Office at 429-3444 190-C lt" Ave A 462-64 1 0 JjjJ Weekdays 11 5.