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WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND and that age old axiom couldn't be more evident than in the case
of Chris DeMarco. Chris started his music career in the 70's when CBGB's was the antithesis
of the Studio 54 crowd. Bowie was a hero Lou Reed was still walking on the wild side and Led Zeppelin were
breaking attendance records across the land. During this time, Chris and his band RIFF RAFF, which included band members
Ned Liben, Jimmy Lowell, Ray Hennigan and David Lanik were Island Record recording artists and part of that New York Music
Scene. From there, the music took him to Hollywood and around the world.
Chris has written the music for two
motion pictures, one of which was Troma's Wars (cult classic) and he has composed music for various documentaries,
television and radio commercials (kinda Like Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men, but different) as well as recently coming
around again, after a long hiatus to put out a new CD, Lost and Found on
Dreamco Records.
This work features contributions from a few of Chris's old friends like Dick Wagner(Alice
Cooper Band, Ursa Major) Tommy Talton(Gregg Allman Band), Ken Mazur(Robert Palmer Band) and Jim Fielder, one of musics great
unsung heroes who played bass for the likes of Buffalo Springfield and Blood Sweat and Tears and Frank Zappa and.....
If you have some fond memories of the 80's, this CD of original music should appeal to you. It has an elemental
80's techno-beat but intertwined throught the CD are Bluesy Licks and Jazz Noir a bit of Reggae on the song "Alive"
and an honest to goodness Country number "Unknown Soldier".
Go to Chris's website and check out music and photos. You might even want to Google some of the names and get
a crash course in music history.
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| Chris jammin' at Tasty world/ Athens '09 |
 Chris on his first world tour, which kicked off in Asia, with his band "Of Brothers". Unfortunately, they were never able to perform their hit song "Machine Gun Sally" for the crowd
as they were waiting for John Bonham to finish his "Moby Dick" drum solo and in the interim their visas expired.
They were certainly in the running for a grammy that year but Chris had to satisfy himself with a Purple Heart instead.
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GOOD FUN
HAD BY ALL
I was finally able to catch up with
Chris and his band at The Scene on Delk Rd in Marietta and I'm really glad I did. They had us up and dancing in
the aisles. I personally loved their cover of Bobby & Shirley Womack's "It's All Over Now",
a great song which was later made more famous by the Rolling Stones, and My BFF Miss Vickie let me borrow her
man as a dance partner. He's a fine dancer, thanks Miss Vick.
I also met Chris' youngest daughter
who flew in from the Northwest Coast to see her Old Man do his thing now that he's back in the swing and you couldn't
find a more enchanting young lady anywhere I'm sure. She's all tall and coltish but graceful at the same time. A Thoroughbred
. I found it to be a very poignant point in time as she she danced to her father's serenade. To me
there is nothing like family, folk, sharing music. It was sweet, and anyone with young adult children ( is that an oxymoron)
can appreciate the absolute specialness of a child appreciating anything a parent does that resembles a passion or talent,
much less responding to it in such a charming fashion. Sugar and spice and everything nice in army boots and a dress,
she was damn cute. Poetry in motion, without dolby sound.
Speaking of cute, Miss Vick and her man and I shared
a table with a couple of girls (women) who were in Chris's video "I'm Calling You" from his Lost and Found CD. They are just "Folk" like Miss Vick and myself and they were
having a real good time too. Dorthea and Cathy had us in stitches during the breaks and when the video flashed
up on the screen, they very enthusiastically pointed all of their bits in the film. Dorthea showed
up a lot but Cathy is a bit on the short side and bless her heart, most of her shots were of her forehead. If you
watch the video, look for Cathy's forehead, everybody. And a mighty fine forehead it is. Thanks for sharing
Cathy.
There have been a few changes in the band line-up and I don't know if the changes have been
reflected on Chris's webpage yet, but drummer Brandon Thompson and guitar player Dell Bolos are still hangin'
tight. "Loose but Tight" and the sound system really brought out the best in these guys, especially
when you consider how short of a period of time they have been playing together. I really like Chris's CD, but for
me, Chris and The Chris DeMarco Band Live are where it's at. They really sounded good.
I can't get
away before I talk up Charlotte, Sweet Charlotte, Charlotte who helps to make it all happen. Thanks Charlotte-Good
Fun Had By All
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