Rock veteran Greg Kihn, reunited
‘90s alt-rock band Gin Blossoms highlight festival
It’s not often when parents and their children can reminisce about their favorite music from high school at the same concert. But many will get the chance to do just that at this year’s 25th anniversary Morgan Hill Mushroom Mardi Gras at Community Park on Memorial Day weekend.
Ranging from the 1980s Top 40 pop melodies of veteran rocker Greg Kihn on Saturday and Sunday to the 1990s alternative country rock sounds of the Gin Blossoms on Sunday, the Mardi Gras Main Stage entertainment line-up is sure to be offer a blast from the past for rock ‘n roll fans of all ages.
On Saturday, after the cover band Sage opens at noon, festival-goers will get the chance to rock out to not one but two Kihns, that is Greg and his son Ry – whose band Big Fun will open for his pop’s beginning at 2 p.m.
Big Fun, with Ry Kihn as lead guitar and vocalist, is described as a Bay Area favorite rock party dance band playing covers from today’s hottest artists, including No Doubt, Avril Lavigne, Shania Twain, Aerosmith, White Stripes, and more, along with yesterday’s classics from Pat Benatar, Cyndi Lauper and Joan Jett, belted out by lead singer Cynthia Acevedo.
Ry Kihn also plays lead guitar for the Greg Kihn Band, which headlines beginning at 4 p.m. Saturday.
Featuring top hits from yesteryear such as “Jeopardy,” “The Breakup Song” (They Don’t Write ‘em Like That Anymore), “Love and Rock & Roll,” and many more, the legendary Greg Kihn Band’s live show has a well-earned reputation as an eclectic, and easily recognizable, collection of tunes from Kihn’s catalogue of popular tunes.
Leading into the Kihn-fest, the eight-member cover band Sage will warm up the crowd with familiar songs by Van Morrison, Steely Dan, Earth, Wind & Fire, Santana, the Blues Brothers, Tower of Power and Sly Stone, among others, playing R&B, rock, pop and music by contemporary artists as well.
Sage will officially release its newest CD in July, called “Some Assembly Required” and say they’ll share some of the pre-release excitement with fans at the Mardi Gras. Together since 1969, the band’s core style and instrumentation have stayed true to their original idea.
With charter members Frank on keyboard, Skip on trombone, Russ on drums and Craig on trumpet, with Bill on sax since 1974, the band has had time to solidify its style and pass it on to newcomers Joel on bass guitar, Lou doing vocals and Peter on guitar.
The band’s website shares “sage” words from the guys.
Craig, who plays flugelhorn and valve trombone as well, credited Wynton Marselis, his parents and high school and college teachers for guiding him to the good life.
“Always fun to see our audience having a great time listening and dancing,” Craig said. “It’s unusual to play in a band where the guys that you play with are not only musically talented, but great friends as well …”
On Sunday, after Pat Tinney’s PT & The Cruzers gets the show started at noon, the Greg Kihn Band will play at 1:30 p.m. just ahead of the Gin Blossoms, who play at 4 p.m.
The Arizona-born Gin Blossoms earned fame in the 1990s as a big MTV favorite with hits such as “Hey Jealousy,” “Found Out About You,” “Follow You Down” and “Till I Hear It From You,” among others.
The band, which broke up in 1997, has officially reunited for a 60-date tour this year across the country that includes the Mushroom Mardi Gras.
When asked about the band’s current tour, lead singer Robyn Wilson enthused, “The Gin Blossoms were always about entertaining people and having a good time, especially in the summertime. It just felt like the right time for us to be back out there doing what we do best.”
Described by their own lead singer as “a big slice of American cheese,” the band earned a reputation for timeless harmonies and power-pop driven songs, showing fans the happy, upbeat side of alternative music.
Drawing comparisons to R.E.M. and the Byrds, the Gin Blossoms’ musical backdrop and lead singer Robyn Wilson’s vocals wowed the band’s fans in the early to mid 1990s. In 1992, the Gin Blossoms went double platinum with their first full-length album, “New Miserable Experience.” At one point in the early ‘90s, the band toured with Toad the Wet Sprocket, Del Amitri and the Neville Brothers. In 1995, the band recorded its smash hit “Till I Hear It From You,” co-written with Marshall Crenshaw, for the soundtrack of the movie “Empire Records.”
The band produced a total of four albums during its heyday, including “Dusted,” “New Miserable Experience,” “As Long As It Matters” and “Congratulations … I’m Sorry.” The first two albums will be re-released this summer.
Sunday’s opener, PT & The Cruzers, has shared acts with Robin Trower, The Starship, Gary Hoey (who played Mardi Gras in 2003) and Eddie Money (from 2002). Besides Pat Tinney on guitar, Harold Martin on bass, Rick Spitaleri on keyboard and Andy Thrall on drums — they all do vocals — round out the group.
The band’s hour on stage should be packed with songs from “Cruzadelic” (Cruzadelic Boogaloo, Standin’ on the Corner) and “Get Up” (Life on a Shelf and Born to Suffer) — two album releases.
If six bands over two days on the Main Stage are not enough, The Wine Tent will also have its share of music.
Neither Greg Kihn or Gin Blossoms have dedicated websites but can be found by entering their names into a search engine such as Yahoo!, Google or Lycos. For details on Sage or PT & The Cruzers, visit www.sagemusic.com and www.ptcruzers.com
The Mushroom Mardi Gras will be held on Saturday and Sunday, May 29-30, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Community Park. Take Highway 101 to Morgan Hill, exit at Tennant Avenue, travel west past Monterey Road to Edmundson Avenue. The main festival entrance is located off Edmundson, west of Monterey Road. Details: www.mhmushroommardigras.com or (408) 778-1786.
