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| The Beatles' SGT Pepper to be Performed Live by the Fab Faux On September 15th, The Fab Faux will perform The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, in its entirety. Considered one of the most significant albums of all time, Sgt Pepper's presents The Fab Faux with the opportunity to show why Rolling Stone Magazine Senior Editor David Fricke described them as “the greatest Beatles cover band...” For those of us who never got to see The Beatles perform live, we're fortunate to have five of the best musicians around - The Fab Faux - dedicate themselves to faithfully recreating some of the most extraordinary music ever written. The sold-out concert at The Beacon Theater in New York represents a milestone for The Fab Faux - their largest headlining concert ever, the biggest venue they've sold-out, and their largest New York concert-to-date as well. The evening will commemorate the 40th Anniversary of the 1967 release of Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. As a special bonus for the audience, a rare Q&A with Geoff Emerick, the Grammy Award-winning Sound Engineer behind the seminal album, will precede The Fab Faux's concert. Emerick's Q&A will be conducted by Howard Massey. Known for their spot-on recreations of the most demanding Beatles music, The Fab Faux will incorporate many of the actual instruments used to create the distinctive sounds of Sgt. Pepper's, including bass harmonica, sitar and more. The Fab Faux will be joined at The Beacon by The Hogshead Horns, Crme Tangerine Strings, Erin Hill on harp and New York City's Third Eye Visuals performing a psychedelic light show. In addition to featuring the full Sgt Pepper's album, the concert will include a second set of mixed Beatles favorites. The Fab Faux brings together the talents of five of New York's most respected musicians: Will Lee of Late Show with David Letterman, Jimmy Vivino of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Rich Pagano, who has performed with Rosanne Cash and Ray Davies, Jack Petruzzelli, who tours with Joan Osborne and Rufus Wainwright, and Frank Agnello, whose musical credits include Phoebe Snow and Marshall Crenshaw. A pair of Webster Hall concerts in March garnered a broad range of coverage for The Fab Faux, as they performed 'Hot As Sun - a Beatles Album That Might Have Been'. From ABC- TV World News Tonight with Charlie Gibson to REUTERS Newswire to NY-1 Whipple's World to The New York Times, coverage praised the band's ambitious song selection, and their ability to recreate the most intricate studio creations of The Beatles. Ben Sisario of The New York Times noted: “There are Beatles tribute acts, and then there are Beatles tribute acts. This one, featuring the bassist Will Lee (of the “Late Show With David Letterman” band) and the guitarist Jimmy Vivino (from “Late Night With Conan O'Brien”), recreates even the most complex studio work of the later Beatles without breaking a sweat.” ABC World News Tonight interviewed band members Will Lee and Rich Pagano, and the segment may been seen here: http://video.yahoo.com/video/play?vid=1111043830 . NY-1's George Whipple interviewed the band for a feature segment as well, and raved: “When it comes to Beatles tribute bands, there is no one better than the Fab Faux.” Amnesty International's global music activism project, INSTANT KARMA - the Campaign to Save Darfur, launched June 12 and has been the Top Compilation Album for two weeks, according to Billboard.com. Earlier this year, in conjunction with Instant Karma, The Fab Faux were honored to be authorized by Yoko Ono and her organization to record the John Lennon song “I Don't Want To Face It.” The overall Instant Karma project includes a CD featuring more than twenty Lennon songs recorded by artists such as U2, Green Day, R.E.M., Jackson Browne, Aerosmith, and more, plus additional songs available exclusively for download (and that's where the Fab Faux's effort comes in): “I Don't Want to Face It” got such a strong response that the Fab Faux were asked to make a video of the song, to be downloaded from iTunes. With a commitment to the accurate reproduction of The Beatles' repertoire, The Fab Faux treat the seminal music with unwavering respect, and are known for their painstaking recreations of the songs (with emphasis on the later works never performed live by the Beatles). Far beyond a cover band, they play the music of The Beatles so impeccably that one must experience it to believe it. Imagine hearing complex material like “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “I Am the Walrus” performed in complete part-perfect renditions; or such harmony-driven songs as “Because”, “Nowhere Man”, and “Paperback Writer”, reproduced not only note-for-note, but with extra vocalists to achieve a double-tracked effect. The musical virtuosity of The Fab Faux - in actuality five of the hardest working musicians in NYC - completely up-ends the concept of a Beatles tribute band. Far beyond being extended sets of cover versions, their astounding shows are an inspired re-discovery of the Beatles' musical magic, as The Fab Faux tackles the group's most demanding material live onstage in a way that has to be experienced to be believed. Calling them, “the greatest Beatles cover band - without the wigs,” Rolling Stone senior editor David Fricke wrote, “the Faux invigorate the artistry of even the Beatles' most intricate studio masterpieces with top chops and Beatlemaniac glee.” Approaching the songs with the intent of playing them live as accurately in musical reading and in spirit as possible, The Faux's breathtaking performances tend to dispel all concertgoers' previous notions of a Beatles tribute act. The Fab Faux is a labor of love that was born in 1998 when neighbors Jimmy Vivino, guitarist/arranger for Late Night With Conan O'Brien house band the Max Weinberg 7 and Will Lee (who's played with all 4 Beatles), bassist for Paul Shaffer's CBS Orchestra on the Late Show With David Letterman kicked around the idea during an elevator ride in their NYC building. Rounding out the line-up are lead-singing drummer/producer Rich Pagano (Rosanne Cash, Patti Smith, Ray Davies, etc.), guitarist Frank Agnello (Marshall Crenshaw, Phoebe Snow, etc.) and ace keyboardist/guitarist Jack Petruzzelli (Joan Osborne Band, Rufus Wainwright). All five principals contribute vocals, making the Faux's soaring harmonies as resonant as their multi-instrumental chops, which are further enhanced by the four-piece Hogshead Horns (with Blues Brothers, Blood, Sweat & Tears and SNL band alums) and Creme Tangerine Strings. The Faux's high energy shows have generated serious buzz not only at top NYC venues including Hammerstein Ballroom, the Nokia Theatre and Webster Hall - with Beatles fans, movie stars and world class musicians in attendance - but at major dates in Atlanta, Las Vegas, Park City, Utah (Sundance), Philadelphia and Toronto, among other locales. They've headlined 4 of the last 5 years at Liverpool's annual Beatle Week, playing before 35,000 Beatle fanatics - while in England, they had the rare honor of recording an original song at Abbey Road Studios - and also delighted the masses performing live on the Howard Stern Show. Benefit and corporate dates have included events for JVC, the N.B.A. and the Michael J. Fox Parkinsons Research Foundation. “It's not just a cover band,” says the Faux's Pagano. “This is the greatest music ever written, and we're such freaks for it.” Imagine the instrumental complexities of “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “A Day in the Life” performed part-perfect with an orchestra. The lush, multi-layered harmonies of “Because,” and “Eleanor Rigby” sung note-for-note. The adrenaline rush of “Helter Skelter” and “Paperback Writer” delivered spot on, down to the barnyard sound effects... write your comments about the article :: © 2007 Jazz News :: home page |