In the entertainment world, there are lots of times we’re told an event is “one night only” or “see it now while you still can.” I felt that way sitting in the audience as Brian Wilson performed “Smile” and, to a lesser extent, when Simon & Garfunkel hit the road again.
In reality, each of these moments could be re-experienced with little trouble. All you needed was a few days off from work, some wheels and tickets to the next show. That’s not the case with the Muswell Hillbillies, a band formed exclusively to play the 1971 Kinks record of the same name.
I feel pretty confident telling you that the group’s Aug. 1 gig at B.B. King’s in New York might be one of their last.
That’s because they’re not a normal band. They’re led by Dave Simons, a geezer like me, and his Kinks compatriots drummer Dave Sokol and guitarist Bill Howard. But they’re also made up of a group of kids from a high school, Hopkins Academy: Trumpeters Nate Aldrich and Chris Leveille, saxophonists Hayden Durand and Michael Leveille, and trombonist Emily Eagan. She’s 16.
In other words, this a band built to break-up. These kids gotta go to college!
Quick back-story of how I met the Hillbillies. Dave heard about “Do It Again.” He lives out in Western Massachusetts and told me about his kooky idea, to form a band to perform, in its entirety, “Muswell Hillbillies.”
I considered asking why. I love the songs “Muswell Hillbilly” and “20th Century Man,” on the record but something about the LP has always seemed too samey to me. “Muswell” certainly couldn’t stand up to my big five: “Face to Face,” “Something Else by the Kinks,” “The Kinks are the Village Green Preservation Society,” “Arthur (And the Decline and the Fall of the British Empire),” and “Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One.”
But I did find Dave’s idea intriguing. Somehow, it seemed cosmically aligned with my bizarre mission. I also knew I had an important screening coming up at the Independent Film Festival Boston. I had hoped to find a band to play our after party. Dave’s price was right. Would the band be good? Dave e-mailed me a recording of his group playing “Waterloo Sunset.” It sounded decent, but I know it’s easy to manipulate a recording. I had to bring in the Hillbillies based on faith.
The good news is that there was really nothing to worry about. You’ve got the mustached Simons, in his ‘50s, serving as lead singer and Kinks ambassador. You’ve got Howard, his next door neighbor, channelling Dave Davies with his gritty, spot-on guitar work and then there’s Dave Skelly, a 2006 Hopkins graduate who plays multiple instruments and sings backup.
Considering how dysfunctional the Kinks proper are, I also kind of like the family connections, with Dave’s wife, Paula, singing backup and his son, Jack, playing bass.
But let’s get back to the point. The point is that I’ve seen these guys twice, at the Boston party and a few weeks later at the Iron Horse in Northampton. For me, they’ve brought an underappreciated record to life. They’ve also gotten much tighter than the first show. “Do It Again” – and please find me another band that covers that song – was a bit ragged in Boston. It came alive in Northampton. So did “Victoria” and “Waterloo Sunset” and Sokol’s vocal turn on “I’m Not Like Everybody Else.” Sitting there, I felt as if I were at a celebration, a concert and a family sing-along.
Don’t believe me? Head to B.B. King’s and hear for yourself.
