The 2004 season of Celebrate Brooklyn kicks
off another summertime of live music and movies in the Prospect
Park Bandshell on June 16 with two music industry insiders with
decades of history in the biz – legendary record producer Clive
Davis and Los Lobos.
The Grammy Award-winning band is on tour promoting their new,
self-produced album on Hollywood Records, "The Ride,"
and their performance at the bandshell on Wednesday will be their
first New York-area gig.
And it’s free.
The suggested admission, however, is $3, and for those with a
love of music performed al fresco, the preceding dinner, a fundraiser
that benefits the performing arts series and honors Clive Davis,
is $250 a ticket. That’s a small price to pay to rub elbows with
Los Lobos, Davis and fellow honoree NYC Landmarks Preservation
Commission Chairman Robert Tierney.
Because Los Lobos has been rockin’ for 30 years, they were in
a position to invite a roster of guest musicians to collaborate
with them on their latest album. And they are thrilled by the
stars who RSVP’d to their record-making party. "The Ride"
features appearances by Elvis Costello, Tom Waits, Ruben Blades,
Mavis Staples, Bobby Womack, Richard Thompson and Little Willie
G among others.
"The reason why they’re on there is because these are people
we admire and respect and kind of worship," explained Los
Lobos saxophonist-keyboardist Steve Berlin in a telephone interview
from his home in Seattle. "To have them show up and be part
of our deal is huge for us."
Los Lobos collaborated with Cafe Tacuba, who played Celebrate
Brooklyn last year, on "The Ride’s" first track, "La
Venganza de Los Pelados," which loosely translates to "Revenge
of the Underdogs" from Chicano slang, explained Berlin,
who said his band invited Cafe Tacuba to be part of their record
after playing with them in September 2002.
"The stars just kind of align so that people showed up when
we needed them," recalled Berlin. "Even ones on tour,
like Elvis, actually came and did the work anyway. Elvis, Tom
and Tacuba, they were able to do work from home or the road.
"Technology these days is so portable. Basically anyone
with a laptop has a studio with them all the time, so it’s really
not that difficult to get things like this accomplished, especially
when you’re just looking for a vocal or something like that.
It’s much easier than it used to be – even five years ago."
When Los Lobos hits the stage in Brooklyn, they won’t have those
other stars in their constellation.
"All we can do is try to represent the intent of the song
the best we can," said Berlin. "Clearly none of us
can sing like Mavis or play guitar like Richard Thompson or Cafe
Tacuba, so all we can do is represent the song as well as we
can. In some cases it works, and when it doesn’t work, we don’t
do it." Berlin doesn’t rule out the possibility of those
guest performers meeting up with them on stage if their touring
schedules allow.
Los Lobos’ own tour includes lots of outdoor venues, said Berlin.
"I like them. It’s fun because people are generally looser,"
he said. "If there’s alcohol, they’ll be drunker. Generally
it’s a lot of fun. We play quite a few outdoor venues, and I
kind of picture myself out in the audience while we’re doing
it. In a club, you can’t really see the faces or get a sense
of what’s actually happening out there. If it’s the right time
of night [outdoors], you get a visual, a more interesting sense
of what the audience is experiencing."
It was an outdoor music festival, the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival,
that changed the life of record producer Clive Davis. That’s
where he was so moved by a performance by Janis Joplin and her
band Big Brother and the Holding Company, that he signed them
– discovering a legend process.
The 70-year-old Davis, who grew up in Crown Heights, has since
launched numerous superstars from Barry Manilow to Bruce Springsteen
to Whitney Houston to Alicia Keys, and he’s now the chairman
and CEO of BMG North America.
Many, including Berlin, agree that Davis has a golden ear that
enables him to hear star potential.
"I actually produced the first Crash Test Dummies album,"
said Berlin, recalling his own collaboration with Davis. "They
had a hit called ’Mmm mmm mmm’ and that was their first record
on Arista, and I had made the record for literally next to nothing.
It was so cheap it was ridiculous.
"Clive called me and said, ’You know, one of these songs,
I want you to remix it. I want you to add strings and make it
a big thing.’
"It started off as a really humble song, and he wanted to
turn it into something much larger. And I said ’fine.’ And they
gave me a bunch of money to do it. I spent it all, and I handed
it in. And he goes, ’You know what? I liked the other version.
The other version sounded what I think it ought to sound like,
so don’t worry about it. Thanks anyway.’
"I tell you, that really doesn’t ever happen in the music
business, If someone spends the money, they bloody well use the
stuff they spent the money on, if for no other reason than to
cover their ass. It’s kind of the way it usually works.
"And it turned out to be a pretty big hit for them. So he
definitely has got ears, there’s no two ways about it."
Davis, who now lives in Manhattan, is being honored by Celebrate
Brooklyn for his work in the music business. Although he’s already
been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and been bestowed
with a lifetime achievement Grammy, Davis is glad to come to
his old stomping grounds and celebrate both Brooklyn and music
festivals in general.
"They celebrate music, and I think it’s good for the record
industry," Davis told GO Brooklyn in a telephone interview.
"I think the fact that it is well attended and often 50-
to 100,000 or more show up to celebrate music is great – any
event that gives artists and musicians a chance to play in front
of a large audience."
Davis, who appeared on FOX’s "American Idol" as a guest
judge last month, lauded that television show as another vehicle
that exposes artists to a giant audience.
"I think that [’American Idol’] has been good for pop music,"
said Davis. "There’s rock, hip-hop and urban, and I think
it’s helped America reawaken its interest in pop music … And
it’s obviously captured America like no other new program in
years."
On the show, Davis suggested contestant Fantasia Barrino sing
"Greatest Love of All," a song Houston made famous.
(Davis told GO Brooklyn that he would be meeting with that diva
in a couple of weeks to begin talks about a new album.) Not content
to rest on his laurels, the septuagenarian is still harvesting
and launching new talent. Davis’ label J Records will release
"I Believe," sung by "Idol" champ Barrino,
on June 22.
And this is just the beginning of the talent Celebrate Brooklyn
is bringing to Prospect Park this summer.
Celebrate Brooklyn presents Los Lobos
on June 16 at 8 pm. The gala benefit preceding the performance,
honoring Clive Davis and Robert Tierney, begins at 5:30 pm. Gala
tickets, which include reserved concert seats, cocktails, dinner
and dancing, begin at $250.
Admission to the concerts is $3. The Prospect Park Bandshell
is located at Ninth Street at Prospect Park West in Park Slope.
For information visit www.celebratebrooklyn.org.
