Last Saturday, February 28, I attended a Tribute to
Ron Asheton at the
Blind Pig in Ann Arbor. The show was pretty well publicized via newspaper and radio interviews as well as on
IggyPop.org and
The Stooges Official Myspace page. So I wasn’t surprised when I arrived at 9:00pm (doors were at 9:30) to see a line stretching down the block and around the corner. At that point, I knew this would be a night to remember.
Indeed it was. This was really a true gathering of friends. Just about everyone involved has some connection with Ron, be it as a friend, bandmate or even relatives of friends and bandmates. Scott Morgan, who played in such bands as The Rationals,
Sonics Rendezvous Band and others, hosted the event along with his current band,
Powertrane. Besides Scott, who was a longtime friend, other members of Powertrane have connections to Ron. Chris “Box” Taylor, the bass player, who helped put together the event, was a friend and neighbor of Ron’s and drummer Al King is nephew of Rob King who played with Ron in a post-Stooges project called
Destroy All Monsters. See the connections? And that’s just the first band.
Powertrane opened the show with a bang. In addition to their standard lineup of Scott Morgan (guitar and vocals), Robert Gillespie (lead guitar), Chris Taylor (bass) and Al King (drums), this special event also featured
Hiawatha of the
Cult Heroes (another of Ron’s friends from back in the day) on vocals for the three Stooges songs they performed; Down on the Street, 1969 and I Wanna be Your Dog. Although they only played 3 songs, those songs rocked and really set the tone for the night.
The second band,
Kyoto Cutout, is also not without personal connections to Ron. The band’s bass player, Theresa Taylor was also a friend and neighbor to the late great Mr. Asheton. The band’s lineup also includes Karen Renko (guitar, vocals,) and Mike Arms (drums). Once again, this band drew from the past and present and included a couple of special guests when they played “Nobody Knows”, a Destroy All Monsters tune. For that song, Mike, the band’s drummer, stepped aside and Rob King, the original drummer from Destroy All Monsters, took to the skins. Chris “Box” Taylor (Powertrane,
Mazinga) played lead guitar and Al King (PowerTrane, Mazinga,
Dead Ringers,
Gorevette,
77’s) took the stage playing rhythm guitar. The result was powerful.
My Biography, the third band to take the stage includes Lawrence Miller who also played with Ron in Destroy All Monsters. Their set included two Stooges songs: Little Doll, and We will Fall.
Mazinga, a local punk band whose music draws heavily upon Stooges influence was the fourth band to take the stage. The Mazinga boys; Marc McFinn (vocals), Chris Taylor (guitar), Tony Fero (bass) and Al King (drums) literally blasted the audience with their intensity. Then Marc, the band’s singer, had a little surprise for us all when he removed his robe and ripped off his shirt to reveal the message “we love you Ron” scrawled upon his flesh. Then in an apparent homage to Iggy, he proceeded to douse himself with syrup and spread his belly with peanut butter. Now I love spectacle so I thought it was great because hey, the guy was showing love! Their tribute piece included a very interesting arrangement for which they too, had a special guest musician. Erin “Elvis” Cashin (
Chapstik), stepdaughter of Ben Miller from Destroy All Monsters, niece of Lawrence Miller joined the boys for a TV Eye sandwich. The arrangement began with their own original song, Thorium Orbiter, then halfway through, Mazinga powered right into TV Eye after which they went seamlessly back into the final portion of Thorium. It was very cool.
Up next came
The State; a hardcore/punk band that’s been drawing fans for 20+ years. Preston, Art and guest drummer Jef Jenkins (
Versificators) rocked the joint with a little help from sax player Gabe Heiss. Their tribute included Not Right, I got a Right and 1970. You’d never know that these guys have been rocking since the 70’s, they played with all the energy of 18 year olds.
Gorevette, a new Detroit band, was number 6 to take the stage. With a lineup that includes Amy Gore (
Gore Gore Girls) on guitar, Nikki Corvette (
Nikki and the Corvettes) on vocals, bassist Lianna Castillo (Gore Gore Girls) and drummer Al King, this band has been drawing lots of buzz around the D. They were absolutely adorable. Nikki’s bubblegum pop style juxtaposed with Amy’s rockin’ guitar creates a dynamic fusion that can be appreciated by rockers and popsters alike. In addition to their own songs, they played 2 Stooges songs; No Fun and Search and Destroy. Scenesters take note, this band is one to watch.
Last but certainly not least came the
Cult Heroes, featuring Al King on drums. The band’s singer, the delightfully outrageous Hiawatha is a force unto himself and although it was not the band’s usual lineup, they did not disappoint. The Heroes rocked the Stooges’ “Loose”. They ended the show in true Rock N Roll Hall of Fame style with an “all-star” jam of “I Wanna be Your Dog” in which friends grabbed instruments and took the stage. From my vantage point at side stage, I could see the whole crowd and I don’t think there was one person who wasn’t singing along. You could feel the raw emotion in the air and it was all love. It was electric….a passionate and powerful ending to the night.
This was probably the best show I’ve been to in years….seriously. Kudos to everyone involved, most notably Scott Morgan, Chris Taylor, Jeremy Wheeler and Al King who all worked hard to make the event the success it was. There will never be anything like it and I’m stoked to have been there.
