Following in the footsteps of a pop star or musical legend is difficult enough, but imagine the consternation when the original artist in question is either a parent or sibling.
Two musical acts trying to step out from the shadows of famous predecessors will arrive in Salt Lake within five days of each other.- FOR THOSE WHO WANT THEIR REGGAE MUSIC to come from its most well-known source, Bob Marley, a Saturday night concert might be just the ticket they've been waiting for.
Ziggy Marley and the Melody Makers, four of Marley's many children, have been recording music since 1984. However, the band became better known to U.S. audiences after their 1988 release, "Conscious Party.'
Some critics complained that the album, which was produced by former Talking Heads rhythm section Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth, sounded too smooth and was too conscious an effort to follow in their famous father's footsteps.
However, the band's newest effort, "Jahmekya," produced by the band and engineer Glenn Rosenstein, shows the band taking influences as diverse as dancehall stylings, funk and psychedelic rock and weaving them into a cohesive whole. The New York Times proclaimed with the release that the Melody Makers have stepped out of their father's shadow and "have added a new streak of playfulness and a clear dance imperative."
Salt Lake audiences will get their chance to hear the new material Saturday, Sept. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Triad Amphitheatre.
Opening the show will be newcomer Crystal Waters.
- FORMER SPLIT ENZ SINGER NEIL FINN effectively silenced some critics when he picked up his career from the ashes of that adored and afore-mentioned band, especially with his Crowded House work.
However, a subsequent release after Crowded House's eponymously named debut album faded with little airplay, and again critics hounded Finn about his former band, which at one time was led by his older brother, Tim.
For the group's third release, "Woodface," the two Finn brothers were reunited, bringing back the rich tenor harmonies that enlivened Split Enz's twisted pop songs. Not too surprisingly, the critics responded favorably, comparing the album to the finest in Split Enz's catalogue.
Both People and Interview magazines compared the Finns' songwriting to Lennon and McCartney, with the former saying "Woodface" is "the sort of irresistably fun stuff that must have Paul McCartney shaking his head and muttering, `Oh yeah, so that's what I used to be able to do!"'
A Sept. 12 show will feature the first Utah appearance by the reconstituted band, at the University of Utah's Kingsbury Hall.
Opening the 7:30 p.m. concert will be Richard Thompson, whowill treat Utah audiences to his second performance in the state this year, this time playing a special acoustic set.
As a founding member of the seminal folk-rock group Fairport Convention, Thompson established himself as one of the finest and most influential guitar players/songwriters to surface, and his latest release, "Rumor and Sigh," has been praised as one of the year's best albums.
Tickets for the Ziggy Marley show are $17.50 ($20 the day of the show). General admission tickets for the Crowded House are $15, with no price change for tickets purchased the day of the show. Balcony seats may be available at a reduced price.
Tickets for both events are available at the door and from all Soundoff Records and Graywhale CD locations, Raunch Records, Smokey's Records, Stargazer, Logan's Blowfish Records and the Salt Palace box office.