Fort Worth Star-Telegram from Fort Worth, Texas • 82

44 44 I L4 SHANNON DAWSON: NIGHTLIFE DALLAS A field of reggae in Dallas Arts District POP The woman of the hour takes the stage in Dallas 4 1 I- music 511AHHOH DAWSON: NIGHTLIFE DALLAS POP A field of reggae in Dallas Arts District The I 4m1 er 0 I 4-' GI I woman 1 I I I 11 of the hour 14 i t- 4 takes the 1 41 I 40 '1'1 li ''-'i i a in 7 sr i I 1 I 1- 4 I Dallas 1 1 4' lt '7 fT'Y's I 1 lit lit 1 71 1- ti 4k 4 -4 II' 1 '1 i I l'7 i' I All the way from Oklahoma comes Reggaefest 1991 a touring event coming to a field in Dallas on Friday and Saturday The lineup features Jamaican reggae star Half Pint Infrared Rockers Austin's Michael Johnson and the Killer Bees and others Reggaefest will be at Festival Field at Woodall Rogers Flora and Routh streets in the Dallas Arts District Gates open at 4 pm both days and admission is $5 For those who keep up with such things 7-Up (including 7-Up products like Dr Pepper) is currently the target ofa boycott by self-described "rock and rap lovers" The boycott will last until 7-Up pledges publicly not to give any more money to the Parents' Music Resource Center Boycott organizers including representatives from Philadelphia's Free Music Coalition the Rock Roll Confidential and others urge participants to write letters expressing their disapproval of the way 7-Up spends its money to John Albers President 7-Up 8144 Walnut Hill Lane Dallas 75231 All the way from Oklahoma comes Reggaefest 1991 a touring event coming to a field in Dallas on Friday and Saturday The lineup features Jamaican reggae star Half Pint Infrared Rockers Austin's Michael Johnson and the Killer Bees and others Reggaefest will be at Festival Field at Woodall Rogers Flora and Routh streets in the Dallas Arts District Gates open at 4 pm both days and admission is I For those who keep up with such things 7-Up (including 7-Up productslike Dr Pepper)iscurrently the target ofa boycott by self-described "rock and rap lovers" The boycott will last until 7-Lip pledges publicly nnt tn give nnv mnre mnnev tn thP Pnrente Mimics 47: 7 i 1--'' kI '''''4 i 4 i Star-spangled Whitney By CONNIE BENESCH FORT WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM Grammy Awards American Music Awards Emmy Awards Two record-breaking albums with 30 million in sales The only artist with seven consecutive No 1 hits surpassing even the Beatles and the Bee Gees We're talking Whitney Houston Houston who performs Friday night at Starplex Amphitheatre has come to even more attention of late with her soulful (and platinum) rendition of The Star-Spangled Banner This road to recognition began when Houston was a preteen singing gospel numbers under the tutelage of her mother By age 15 she was singing background vocals for such artists as Chaka Khan and Lou Rawls By 19 she'd signed with Arista Records Now at 27 Houston has released her third album I'm Your Baby Tonight Whitney Houston performs at 8 pm Friday at Starplex Amphitheatre Fair Park Dallas Tickets are $20 for lawn seats and $2750 for reserved seats at Rainbow-TicketMaster outlets Savage Garden recently released Gothadelic Groove and announced its decision to abandon the search for a fifth member What you see is what you get y'hear? Quit hoping for that french horn or accordion player Tapes available at some Sound Warehouse locations as well as Bill's VVV Direct Hit Deep El lum Sound and other locations Natural American Music (NAM) released its own recording May 17 for more information go to Michael Johnson plays at Reggaelest 1991 this weekend Dave's Art Pawn Shop on Friday and ask them where to get one Shannon Dawson covers Dallas nighdife in a weekly column for the Dallas Observer DAVE FERMAN: THE MUSIC BEAT Dry spell for Nils Lofgren's solo career ends with 'Silver Lining' 1 i 41' 4oye''''-'- -) t'- -4Af t- ----( I vt Ir 'L1 4 Nils Lofgren When he went into the studio last October to craft SilverLining his first solo effort in six years Nils Lofgren had two goals in mind: Keep it raw and I keep it live "We did it very i17Fr quickly all live 4-: in the studio as Ak much as possi- We" says Lofgren one of the quintessential American rockers who besides recording a batch of excellent solo albums has played with Neil Young (on After the Gold Rush) Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band and of course Bruce Springsteen "The songs were the best things I'd written over the last six years and we spent very little time on any one song The songs that came to life the quickest were the ones we recorded" Lofgren says "I just wanted to sing the songs that meant the most to me I've tried not to edit my writing anymore" Those songs from the gorgeous Valentine (with Springsteen helping out on the choruses) to the gritty Trouble's Back and Girl in Motion sound like classic toughbut-tender Nils who fashioned a successful solo career on the strength of songs like Cry Tough No Mercy Across the Tracks Keith Don't Go (an homage to Keith Richards) and a tremendous cover of Carole King's Goin' Back Now back on a brief tour (he hits Dallas Alley on Monday in a free concert beginning at 7:30 pm) he's concentrating on rekindling that solo career with a band that includes brother Tommy and Larry Cragg doubling on keyboards and guitar Ronnie Newmyer on bass and Johnny Bee Badanjek on drums Badanjek you might remember was the original drummer for Mitch Ryder's Detroit Wheels "It feels great there's a real feeling of accomplishment" says Lofgren "Playing bars every night is different Sometimes the PA is terrible whatever and the audience is right there in your face and they're involved immediately The real challenge is to make it work every night and it keeps you focused on the show all day" While Lofgren is happily embarked on his solo career once again he says his times with Young and Springsteen were "very good for the soul Those kinds of opportunities are very rare! mean if you're a guitar player and Bruce Springsteen asks you to play on a couple of Jhundred sonally I dig the truth some of the press tried to make definitive statements none of which were true As far as I know Bruce is making a solo record" So is old buddy Ringo Starr with whom Lofgren toured in 1989 Lofgren says he'd be happy to contribute to that effort and the ensuing tour depending on how the schedules work out But right now Nils Lofgren is concentrating on Nils Lofgren "I'm not on Ringo's record yet" he says "mainly because I'm hitting six cities a week and living on a bus you know? If I get a break I'll be there But right now I'm promoting my own record Sure it's almost like starting over but I think the real fans will always be out there" Cock-a-doodle-doo Roosters fans! Johnny "Red" Latham who led the Fort Worth perennials from 1980 to 1985 is back Beginning Friday night at JR's Latham is taking the reformed band (now including guitarist David Millsap bassist Chuck Rainey and drummer Randy DeHart) onto the local club circuit for what he hopes will be gigs "two or three nights per month" Yes the Roosters will still be playing all that good old blues but you can expect something a little different this time around: Latham who became a Christian in 1985 and subsequently gave up a number of bad habits has been playing "kick-butt gospel music" in church since and plans to add some to the Roosters' sets "I want to get my message to people who don't go to church" Latham says "God is real to me In one night in my living room he took away my cocaine addiction I woke up the next morning and didn't want any more crank or coke or anything "We're doing upbeat positive songs I don't believe in that damnation fire-and-brimstone religion I'm not going to be preaching to people I'm going to let the songs speak my message" Fatso's in Arlington welcomes Bill Tillman Friday and longtime Texas party hog Joe "King" Carrasco Saturday Over in Dallas Club Clearview brings in Austin ites Joe Rockhead Friday At Trees Throwing Muses and Anastasia play Friday and Screaming Trees headlines a great triple bill with King Missile and Das Damen on Saturday 1 1 shows with him you're gonna turn that down? I've been very lucky" Speaking of Bruce Lofgren says he's not happy with reports that the Street Band was fired or that its members will never work together again "Bruce has been my friend since 1970 and I love him unconditionally" he says "The truth is I don't know what'll be happening a year from now and there's no point guessing But Bruce didn't fire the band the truth is much more ambiguous than that "Nobody knows what will happen including the writers who made those stories up And per Pag 1b7 8rth graiFiiday Mi14 '991:.