“Stars That Speak”: een wandeling door het oeuvre van Willy DeVille [Dutch review]

gezien & gehoord in: Kennemer Theater, Beverwijk
band: Jimmy Sterman “Stars That Speak” - Try-out - Tribute Willy DeVille [Mandance productie]
datum: woensdag 6 januari 2016
review & video door: Giel van der Hoeven
foto’s door: Johan Sonneveld © [hier alle foto’s]
voor: DeVille Int. Fans; VDH-online; The Blues Alone?

 

De Amerikaanse zanger en songschrijver Willy DeVille (1950) overleed in 2009 maar verwierf ver daarvoor al de legendarische status. Het is dan ook niet verwonderlijk dat de muziek van Willy- en Mink DeVille ook na zijn overlijden nog enorm leeft bij de bescheiden maar fanatieke fanbase. In de afgelopen zes jaren werden en diverse tributes en memorials aan DeVille gewijdt. Hiervan was de DeVille Memorial Night 2010 (als afsluiting van het bestaan van de Mink-Willy DeVille fanclub met bijgaande CD & DVD in Hellendoorn een bijzonder indrukwekkende. En later in datzelfde jaar was er het meest memorabele moment, de Willy DeVille Birthday Celebration Show met bijna alle ex-Mink DeVille bandleden plus surprise-act Peter Wolf in de B.B.King Club in New York City.

 

Daarna zouden er nog diversen initiatieven volgen om één van de laatste iconen van de rock ‘n roll te herdenken. Zoals de Willy DeVille Memorial Tour Germany 2010 met Mink DeBand en Erik Neimeijer and Friends; de originele bandleden Boris Kinberg en Freddy Koella. En zoals gebruikelijk na het overlijden van een artiest kwamen er diverse albums en dvd's uit als re-releases of verzamelaars. Waarvan de 3-CD ‘Collected’ uit 2015, het complete overzicht van de veelzijdige carrière van Willy & Mink Deville, een must-have is voor iedere muziekliefhebber. En gelukkig is de grootmeester van de rauwe romantiek niet in de vergetelheid geraakt. Onlangs nog konden we weer twee singles van hem terug horen in de jaarlijkse Top-2000 en zo nu en dan komen uitgevers, muzikanten of fans weer met 'iets nieuws' op de proppen.

  

Maar een Willy DeVille theatershow was nog niet eerder gedaan, tot afgelopen woensdag dan. Zanger entertainer Jimmy Sterman heeft een selectie gemaakt uit het omvangrijke repertoire van Willy DeVille. Dit heeft geresulteerd in het "Stars That Speak" project: een theater-tour die in het seizoen 2016/2017 zal plaats vinden plus de release van een gelijknamige CD met 10 DeVille tribute-songs en 1 eigen nummer. Samen met fotograaf Johan Sonneveld en voormalig Mink-Willy DeVille fanclub voorzitter Gurrie van Brug en zijn vrouw waren wij uitgenodigd om de try-out bij te komen wonen. Dus gingen we met hooggespannen verwachtingen naar het Kennemer Theater in Beverwijk. Sterman is als 'ouwe rot' én groot Willy DeVille liefhebber geen onbekende in de Nederlandse popscene. Hij werkte o.a. samen met Herman Brood en treedt nog regelmatig op met zijn eigen band Jimmy’s Gang.

    

Het eerst dat opviel bij binnenkomst van de theaterzaal was dat er aan de podiumaankleding aandacht was besteed. Met een grote horizontale- en drie verticale projectiebanners en diverse lichtspots op hoogte, sober maar doeltreffend. Ook stond er een uitgebreid instrumentarium klaar en uiteraard mocht de van Willy bekende barkruk met bijzettafeltje niet ontbreken. De rozen die in de Mink DeVille periode om de microfoonstandaard werden gedrapeerd en later met het akoestische trio in een vaas op het podium stonden, ontbraken wel. De show starten met het voetstappen-intro zoals dat ook te horen is op de song 'Stars That Speak' van Willy DeVille's laatste officiële studioalbum 'Pistola' uit 2008. Voetstappen die tijdens iedere gesproken song-aankondiging een terugkerend thema werden, bij wijze van wandeling door Willy's carrière en oeuvre. Leuk gevonden. Op de achtergrond was de skyline van New York te zien. De stad waar Willy's loopbaan midden jaren '70 vorm begon te krijgen.

   

Vanuit het donker sprak Jimmy Sterman dat intro in, waarop hij elegant gekleed in stemmig zwart het podium kwam opgewandeld en de band 'I Must Be Dreaming' inzetten. Vervolgens 'Maybe Tomorrow' en 'Cadillac Walk', waarbij direct al het functionele gitaarspel door Robin van Rijswijk in het gehoor sprong. Hiermee werd ook duidelijk dat er niet voor een chronologische volgorde van het oeuvre gekozen was. Wat voor de vaart in de show alleen maar een terechte keuze bleek te zijn. Dit werd met meeklappen al snel door het publiek bevestigd toen Willy's eerst hit 'Spanish Stroll', inclusief castagnetten en de Spaans gesproken zinnen tijdens de break, werd gespeeld. Het ging zeker niet allemaal foutloos - daar is het ook een try-out voor - maar de bedoeling was duidelijk en de beleving was er. Sterman en band waren van plan een tribute concert in de geest van Mink-Willy DeVille als eerbiedwaardige productie neer te zetten. 

Eén van de vele unieke aspecten aan Willy DeVille was zijn gruizige stemgeluid. Gelukkig probeerde Sterman dat live niet met allerlei trucjes en maniertjes na te doen. Een duidelijk pluspunt. Jimmy Sterman heeft een eigen stemgeluid dat soms best Willy's zangstem benaderde (o.a. in 'So So Real'), maar als respectvol liefhebber wist hij regelmatig zijn eigen gevoel erin te leggen zónder de originele composities en teksten geweld aan te doen. Mede door een fantastische band die het authentieke DeVille-geluid wél regelmatig tot in de perfectie wisten te benaderen. Oké, er waren dan geen zangeressen of saxofonist bij, de vleugelpiano, het elektrische orgel en de accordeon (Marco Hoogland) en de uitgebreide percussie-set (Jeroen de Rijk) maakte veel goed. Ook de ritmesectie met drummer Pieter Voogt en bassist Cees van de Laarse was goed op elkaar ingespeeld. Waarbij laatstgenoemde ook regelmatig de staande contrabas hanteerde en deze bij de wonderschone ballad 'Heaven Stood Still' zelfs met de strijkstok bewerkte.

 

Tijdens die ballads, waaronder ook 'Mixed Up Shook Up Girl', 'Nightfalls', 'Around the Corner' en 'Heart and Soul', werd de situatie d.m.v. akkoestische instrumenten, licht en visuals geraffineerd aangpast, waardoor de sfeer ook lekker 'mellow' werd. Wat dan weer een voordeel blijkt te zijn in een theater met stoelen. Maar bij rockers als 'Savoir Fair', 'Love Me Like You Did Before', 'Soul Twist' en 'Steady Drivin' Man' waande je je gewoon weer in een concertzaal. En met de New Orleans Mardi Gras originals 'Jump City' en 'Who Shot The La La' en later ook met 'Demasido Corrazon' kreeg de band zelfs enkele bezoekers uit de stoelen om ritmisch mee te swingen op deze zwoele klanken. Verrassende keuzes waren er met 'Heart of a Fool' van het Loup Garou album (1996) - een song die Willy zelf zelden live speelde - en Sterman's eigen compositie 'Answer Me' geheel in de lijn van het DeVille repertoire. Zelfs de cajun klassieker 'Mazurka', gezongen in het Louisiana-Frans, kwam er overtuigend uit.

  

Met de afsluiter, de filmische rocksong 'Lilly's Daddy's Cadillac' kwam nog maar eens aan het licht hóe goed Willy DeVille ook als tekstschrijver was. Hij wist in pakkende verhalen perfect de realiteit te verbeelden en toch veel aan de fantasie over te laten. Maar altijd rauw en romantisch. En Sterman heeft getracht die fantasie in zijn eigen muzikale realiteit weer te geven. Dat is wat ons betreft behoorlijk goed gelukt. Natuurlijk, over details (keuze en volgorde van visuals), sentimenten en de song-keuze valt altijd te (soul)twisten, maar zoals Sterman zelf meerdere keren aangaf: "die man heeft ook zóveel mooie liedjes geschreven!" Daarom ook is project “Stars That Speak - A Tribute to Willy DeVille”, een verzameling van de mooiste en beste stukken samengesteld door Jimmy Sterman, een persoonlijke ode geworden aan de rasartiest Willy DeVille... the artist, the creator. Een keuze waarin iedere rechtgeaarde muziekliefhebber zich ongetwijfeld kan vinden. Binnenkort te bewonderen in diverse theaters in het land, ga dat zien en horen! 

De band bestaat uit: Jimmy Sterman: zang, mondharmonica en gitaar; Pieter Voogt: drums en percussie; Robin van Rijswijk: gitaar; Cees v/d Laarse: basgitaar; Marco Hoogland: piano, toetsen en accordeon; Jeroen de Rijk: percussie.

 

SET1: Stars That Speak Intro; I Must be Dreaming; Maybe Tomorrow; Cadillac Walk; Spanish Stroll; Mixed Up Shook Up Girl; Savoir Fair; Heaven Stood Still; Answer Me [J. Sterman]; Angel Eyes; Love Me Like You Did Before SET2: Bamboo Road; Easy Street; Soul Twist; Heart of a Fool; Nightfalls; Around theCorner; Jump City; Steady Drivin' Man; So So Real; Who Shot The La La; Mazurka; Heart and Soul; band introductie; Demasido Corrazon; Lilys Daddys Cadillac.

  

Playlist “Stars That Speak - Willy DeVille Tribute” CD 01. Stars That Speak - 2008 - Pistola 02. Bamboo Road - 1992 - Backstreets Of Desire 03. I Must Be Dreaming - 1985 - Sportin' Life 04. Cadillac Walk - 1977 - Cabretta 05. Easy Street - 1985 - Sportin' Life 06. Savoir Faire - 1980 - Le Chat Bleu 07. Heaven Stood Still - 1980 - Le Chat Bleu 08. Answer Me - 2016 - Stars That Speak by Jimmy Sterman 09. Angel Eyes - 1987 - Miracle 10. Heart and Soul - 1987 - Miracle 11. Maybe Tomorrow - 1981 - Coup De Grâce

De eerste CD's werden die avond gepresenteerd en overhandigd aan Gurrie & Giel van de voormalige Willy-Mink DeVille International Fanclub en het DeVille Int. Fans blog.

Willy DeVille Collected - Mpodia review (NL)

Willy DeVille - Collected (3cd)
maart, 2015
door Roelof Noorda - Mpodia.nl 
Willy DeVille – Collected (3cd)
Label: Universal
Eindoordeel: 8,5

Hij zag er uit als een gipsy en zwierf de hele wereld rond om een eigen band te formeren. Uiteindelijk beland William Borsey via Engeland terug in San Francisco. Hier leerde hij veel muzikante kennen door de blues scene kreeg uiteindelijk zijn band bij elkaar. Als zanger nam bij de naam Billy aan (verkorte naam van William). Billy de Sade and the Marquis traden voornamelijk in louche bars. Om verder te komen had men een naamsverandering in gedachte. Over de naam DeVille doen diverse verhalen de ronde, maar Billy werd Willy omdat men hem hiermee aansprak. Uiteindelijk werd de naam van de band Mink DeVille.

De band krijgt met hun rocksound een vaste plek in de CBGB nightclub in New York. De band valt op door hun blues rock sound waar de latin en gipsy sound in verwerkt wordt. De zanger in zwart pak en gouden tand past helemaal in deze tijd van de punkperiode. In deze tent waren Blondie en The Ramones de andere huisbands.

In de periode van 1977 tot 1985 bracht Mink DeVille 6 albums uit waarvan de eerste twee de originele bezetting van de band kent. “Cabretta” sloeg in 1977 in als een bom. De verfrissende rocksound met zydaco en een vleug je latin steeg boven de punksound van toen uit. Het bracht hen ook direct de hit waar men van droomt. “Spanish Stroll” werd een kaskraker en de band veroverde USA en Europa in no time.

Hij bleef rondzwerven en woonde tijdelijk op Boulevard de Magenta in Parijs. Hier schreef hij de songs die dicht bij hem stonden. Het album “Return to Magenta” met Dr. John op piano zou een goede opvolger moeten zijn van het succes van het debuut. Maar de hits werden gemist. “Le Chat Blue” werd opgenomen in Parijs. De band werd gewisseld met sessie muzikanten en de spirit w. as terug. “This Could Be The Night” werd een hit waar DeVille naar snakte. Het album ademt de rock met de Franse cultuur. Accordeons, cajun sound en de stem van DeVille pasten perfect. Hij is ook een van de beste album uit de begin jaren 80. Met “Coup De Grace” doet hij het lichtjes over. “Maybe Tomorrow” werd een goede hit en het succes lacht hem toe. Dit blijkt toch iets te doen met mensen waardoor de band hem de rug toe keert. Zijn heroine verslaving gaat parten spelen, maar kiest met zijn nieuw album terug te gaan naar basis. “Where Angels Fear To Tread” kent de hit “Demasiado Corazon” . De latin sound is helemaal terug in het album. Tevens scoort hij nog een hit met het prachtige "Ëach Word Is A Beat Of My Heart”.

Zijn laatste album onder de naam Mink DeVille wordt het matige ‘Sporting Life”. Hier moest hij wederom een hele nieuwe band voor samenstellen. Dit, en het faillissement van de band, deed hem besluiten om vervolgens onder zijn eigen naam Willy DeVille te spelen. Hij was uiteindelijk alleen.
Samen met Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) werkt hij aan het album “The Miracle”. Een batterij aan bekende musici passeren de revue. Jeff Porcaro, Chet Atkins, Guy Fletcher en Vicky Brown zijn enkele die meewerkten aan dit album. Het vervolg was dat Willy DeVille de jaren er op weinig hits scoorde, maar prachtige albums als “Loup Garou” en “Crow Jane Alley” heeft uitgebracht. Twee van de mooiste live albums “Live” en Acoustic Trio Live In Berlin” ons heeft achtergelaten.

Willy DeVille overleed 6 augustus 2009 op 58 jarige leeftijd aan alvleesklierkanker in New York.
Met dit overzicht is de 3 schijven album van “Collected” een juweeltje en prachtig overzicht van de muzikale carrière van Willy DeVille. Op extra cd zijn o.a. de 2 meter sessies terug te vinden. Het is niet alleen een album voor de fans maar ook voor ieder die de rock een warm hart toedraagt. Voor degene die eens lekkere popmuziek wil dat de grenzen overgaat en latin cajun zydaco en Franse klanken durft te combineren. Gewoon een must-have van deze legendarische man, die nog steeds gemist wordt.

Remember: Last Willy DeVille concert in Holland July 7th 2008 [Dutch]

Ontspannen Willy DeVille vermaakt Carré met uitstekend optreden

Door Serge Julien met foto's van Berbera van den Hoek [cultuurpodium.nl] Gezien: Willy DeVille in Carré, Amsterdam op 7 juli 2008 [laatste optreden van Willy in Nederland].

Willy DeVille in Carre? Hoort deze man niet thuis in het clubcircuit? Het is even raar maar tijdens het optreden wordt al gauw duidelijk dat DeVille prima uit de voeten kan op een podium als dat van Carre. The Alternative heeft de legendarische man naar Nederland gehaald voor een optreden in het legendarische theater aan de Amstel.

DeVille heeft een nieuwe plaat uit getiteld Pistola dat voortborduurt op het beproefde concept van een mix tussen latin, blues, country en rock. Vaak ademt het de broeierige sfeer van de New Orleans sound wat niet zo raar is gezien DeVille daar woont.

In Carre betreedt DeVille iets na negenen het podium nadat een intro is gespeeld waarin Watermelon Man voorbij komt. Hij ziet er redelijk goed en als gewoonlijk gaat de voormalige frontman van Mink DeVille gekleed in een voodooachtige zwart wit outfit en een hippie brilletje op zijn neus. Hij zit met regelmaat op zijn barkruk, sippend aan een frisje hoewel er later iets sterkers voor hem klaarstaat. Zijn de bezoekers genoodzaakt om bij behoefte aan een sigaret zich te begeven naar het buitenbalkon van Carre, DeVille steekt op het podium de een na de andere sigaret op… hoezo anti-rookbeleid?

DeVille en diens zeven uitstekende begeleiders spelen een afwisselende set van recent en ouder werk. Er wordt opvallend weinig gedaan van zijn laatste CD waarvan alleen een mooi You Got The World In Your Hands en So So Real worden gespeeld. Zijn voorgaande album Crow Jane Alley is vertegenwoordigd met het aanstekelijke Chieva en een broeierig Muddy Waters Rose Out Of The Missippi Mud.

Man’s humeur kan heel wisselend zijn maar in Carre is hij op zijn gemak en spraakzaam en in voor dolletjes. Met zijn rokerige en rauwe stem reageert hij op het aanvankelijk wat rustige in het rode pluche zittende publiek: “This place looks like a library”. White Trash Girl introduceert hij met: ”This is one of the best songs I ever wrote, very dumb, very simple but very good”. Grappend naar het anti-rookbeleid: “Don’t put your cigarettes out in the seats”. En als altijd dolt hij met zijn vaste roadie die hem van alles voorziet. DeVille lijkt een aardig stukje entertainment te kunnen opvoeren en het publiek geniet er zichtbaar van.

Naast de relaxte interactieve benadering van DeVille is er ook plaats voor de publiekfavorieten als het onvermijdbare Spanish Stroll, Demasiado Corazon, Hey Joe en Savoir Faire. DeVille speelt afwisselend akoestisch en elektrisch en klinkt daarin zuiver. Een pluspunt ook voor Carre dat bekend staat om een uitstekende akoestiek.

Willy DeVille geeft het publiek een uitstekend afwisselend ongeveer twee durend optreden waarin duidelijk wordt dat man’s liedjes uitstekend passen in een theater setting. Hulde aan de Alternative!

De band
Willy DeVille – zang en gitaar
Kenny Margolis – toetsen en cajun-harmonica
Boris Kinberg - percussie
Mark Newman – gitaar
Bob Curiano – bas
Shawn Murray - drums
Dorene Wise – achtergrond zang
YaDonna Wise – achtergrond zang

Lees ook: Willy DeVille in Carré Amsterdam 07/07/2008

Live At CBGB’s with ‘Mink DeVille’ [TLT blog]

Source: The Lost Turntable - Thursday, September 13th, 2012

If I told you I had a compilation album from 1976 called Live At CBGB’s, what would you guess would be on it? Blondie? Talking Heads? The Ramones? Dead Boys? Televsion? Nope. Try Tuff Darfs, Manster, The Miamis and Sun, to name a few.

Why are there no big-name acts on this LP? Well by 1976 the majority of those bands, including almost all of the ones I mentioned, were either already signed to major labels or in the process of being signed to the majors, leaving only the lesser-known (but still good…for the most part) bands left behind and available for a compilation like this.

Even though nearly all of the acts on this group vanished into thin air, that doesn’t mean they’re totally without merit. In fact, I’m glad this compilation focuses on the lesser-known and more obscure acts of the CBGB’s club scene. I think it helps to paint a much more accurate picture of the groups that were playing there during that era. It wasn’t all punk, new wave and art-rock. As this compilation shows, there were a ton of power pop, blues-influenced guitar rockers, and even one straight-up metal act playing to enthusiastic audiences at the “punk” club. Discovering these lesser-known obscurities makes me love the now-lost venue even more. I hope you feel the same way after giving these tracks a listen.

Tuff Darts
All For The Love of Rock ‘n Roll
Head Over Heels
Slash
The Tuff Darts did manage to release one album in 1978, although by then they had lost their original lead singer, Robert Gordon, in lieu of replacement vocalist Tommy Frenzy. I think this is the only recording of the group ever released that features Gordon. The band isn’t very punk, isntead they have a slight glam element to their sound. I could totally see Bowie of the era adding some flourish to a track like “All For The Love Of Rock ‘n Roll.” The most punk track of the bunch is “Slash,” a dark, macabre number about preferring suicide over going on a second date with a girl from hell. Speed this track up half a beat and you’d totally have a Ramones number. Tuff Darts are just one of many bands on this album who are still around in some form or another, check out their official site here.

The Laughing Dogs
I Need A Million
It Feels Alright Tonight
The Laughing Dogs are a power pop band, which of course means that they never found any modicum of mainstream success. I can’t even imagine that they found much of a following in the CBGB’s scene, they’re way too poppy and “fun” when compared to a lot of the other bands of the era. The group released two albums in the late 70s/early 80s, and although they never took off they’re apparently still around and performing live, and good for them.

Manster
Over, Under, Sideways, Down
I’m Really Not This Way
I don’t know if you could ever really call a cover of a 60s blues-jam “post-punk” but these guys sure straddle the line with their version of The Yardbirds’ “Over, Under, Sideways, Down,” thanks largely to the batshit manic vocals of lead singer Warren Stahurski. “I’m Really Not This Way,” a heartbreaking song about being homeless, is even an even weirder tune. It sounds like a lounge act tune from hell. What the hell happened to these guys? It sounds like they were a bit nuts. Love it.

The Miamis
We Deliver
Another power pop act. This song is so damn cute I want to hug it. You can find out more about the group, and buy their only record, at their official website.

Mink DeVille
Cadillac Moon [MP3]
Change It Comes [MP3]
Mink DeVille started out as a band, but as they progressed into the 80s they pretty much became a vehicle for lead singer/guitarist Willy DeVille, who became somewhat of a successful musician in the 80s and up until his death in 2009(!). Mink DeVille remain a cult band to this day, and I know more than one record nerd who swear by them. I’ve never really gotten into the group, too much of a soul sound for me. They sure as hell don’t fit in on this record. That’s not to say they’re bad, they just stick out like, well, a blues/soul band on a punk/rock compilation.

The Shirts
Operetico
Poe
A.V.M.
One of the most interesting acts on this album, The Shirts have a sound that’s part new wave, part power pop and part 70s rock ‘n roll. And there were apparently like nine people in this group at one point, so I guess there were plenty of genres to go around. “Opertico” is a good tune with an amazing riff, “Poe” is a punky little rocker that fits in with the kind of music one would expect to hear at CBGB’s at the time, while “A.V.M.” is a six-minute banger that definitely has its roots in traditional 70s rock music. All are good tunes.

Another group that hasn’t gone away, The Shirts are still kicking it after 30 some years. You can check out their site here.

Stuart’s Hammer
Everybody’s Depraved
Stuart’s Hammer never got a record deal but they sure seemed to be a mainstay at CBGB’s back in the day. At their official website you can find a few posters advertising their gigs from back in the day, as well as some other cool nuggets from the era. Based on this tune I really wouldn’t call them punk, but they’re good.

Sun
Romance
This is one of the cases where the story/members of the band is far more interesting than the song itself (although I do dig the song).

First of all, if this song is any indication, Sun was a straight-up metal band. No pretense of punk or art-rock here. These dudes loved themselves some crazy guitar solos and howling banshee vocals. They sound like a band out of time and place on this record. They belong in 1983 LA, not 1976 NYC.

From what I could dig up, Sun went through a number of line-up/name changes during its short run. The guitarist in this line-up was a man by the name of Niki Buzz, who some may know for his work with the 80s rock groups M-80 and Vendetta. A more notable contributor to the band, however, would be their bass player Bill Laswell. While that name may not ring a bell for some of you, Laswell is one of the most influential and experimental bass players and producers of the past 30 or so years. He played a key role in Herbie Hancock’s electronic phase of the early-80s, and he formed the experimental rock outfit Praxis in the 90s, a supergroup that had a revolving door line-up that included Mike Patton, Iggy Pop and Buckethead.

I don’t know how long Laswell stuck around in Sun, but at some point the group lost him and Buzz and then changed their name to Son. Then, I assume after more line-up changes, they became Getaway and released a pair of albums in the early 80s for A&M records, one of which included a slightly different version of “Romance” under the name “Getaway.” Someone from the band is on YouTube today, and he has more than a few videos featuring the band in its various incarnations. Check out his channel if you’re interested in learning more about the group.

Mark Newman with the John Oates Band in the Boerderij Zoetermeer, The Netherlands

Growing up in New York, Mark Newman’s musical journey has taken him around the world several times as both sideman and singer/songwriter. This ace stringsman (guitar, lap steel, mandolin, dobro) and accomplished songwriter is the type of singer whose warm and expressive voice sounds like an old friend. He put it all together on 2006’s Must Be A Pony (Danal Music, LLC). Now, he takes a quantum leap forward with the stunning Walls Of Jericho (Danal Music. LLC).

Sharing the stage with such notables as soul legend Sam Moore, the late Willy DeVille and Sam The Sham, has given Newman the perspective to craft an individualistic sound framed in straight-from-the-hip rock’n’roll, simmering with the subtle flavors of blues, R’n’B, funk, folk and soul.

Newman has learned his lessons well. “Willy DeVille could say more in one note than most people could in 20,” he says. “I learned so much from him. He didn’t necessarily play to the audience. He let them come to him. And, boy, did they! He was in his own world on that stage. He never compromised. By way of tribute, Newman covers one of DeVille’s most beloved songs, “Mixed Up Shook Up Girl,” playing the dobro that the singer’s wife, Nina, gave to him upon his death in 2009. Longtime Willy DeVille percussionist Boris Kinberg is also on the track.

On Sunday April 22nd Mark Newman was back in The Netherlands! This time as a bandmember of the John Oates Band with a gig in Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer (near The Hague).

There were sociable dining bistro tables dropped. In advance therefore was already known that it wouldn't be a crowded room in the Boerderij Zoetermeer. The concert was not sold out, not at all. Actually pretty incomprehensible. John Oates sure is 'a name' in the history of music. He wrote with Daryl Hall (Hall & Oates) multiple hit songs and they are in the top 100 best songwriters ever. And thus you would expect in such a small-scale music venue the Auditorium should be easily filled.

John Oates came around 09:30 PM on stage, but immediately put in with a few classics, such as 'Maneater' and 'Alone Too Long'. I noticed that John Oates' voice sounded very well and that the band was also perfectly attuned in harmony. The sound in the room and the alternation were good, with a build-up from the '70's and 80's to songs from the new album 'Mississippie Mile' and finaly a classic. Delicious soul, country blues and rock were subtly blended into each other. And the band played also a brand new song in Zoetermeer.

The interaction with the audience was great to watch, and even request songs were performed. Nice anecdotes, such as a trip to Jamaica and a taxi driver as an intro to the song 'Six Men Are Gonna Lay You Down', it was very entertaining. And although in the beginning of the gig the sound wasn't perfect, that was later corrected, it was a very fine gig in The Netherlands.[Angelo van der Klift]
More photo's here.

Mink deVille - Noorderligt Tilburg NL [Dutch]

Mink deVille in Noorderligt Tilburg NL 1984 en 1988 / bron: www.noorderligt.nu

Willy de Ville was de sprankelende man van Mink de Ville, een eigenzinnige door de smeltkroes van New York City gevormde band die in de beroemd punk club CBGB's furore maakte met oa Spanish Stoll en Cadillac Walk. Later liet hij zijn haar groeien en ruilde de stad in voor het platteland. Dat was na zijn heroine verslaving. Hij is helaas nog niet zo lang geleden gestorven. Hij heeft verschillende malen in Tilburg op het podium gestaan, in Noorderligt en ook later in 013. De eerste keer was verbluffend, degene die erbij waren zullen het zeker beamen. Hij kwam het podium op met een roos tussen de tanden, strak in het pak, opwindende bewegingen, vrolijke lach en een spetterende band. Latin lover, romantische charmeur met een punky attitude. Leuke anekdote is nog dat wij in de haast om zijn pakken te laten stomen die dag ik terug kwam met te veel kleding, bleek dat er enkele damesjurken tussen zaten die Willy vervolgens in de kleedkamers met veel hilariteit showde ! Het jaar erop ging het al een stuk moeilijker voor hem en dat zagen we met leden ogen aan. Hoe dan ook: Willy de Ville was een echte ster. [Reactie van Frank van Iersel op 12 Februari 2011]

Dat jaar erop waar Frank het over heeft was ik bij. Om half 10 stonden we al vol spanning op de vloer. Rond 23 uur kwam Fons en plein public mededelen dat bijna aan de eisen van meneer DeVille was voldaan en dat hij na het nuttigen van een halfje wit met de eerste set zou beginnen. Dat deed hij inderdaad om half 12, achterstevoren in zijn schoenen, begeleidt door een prima band op een Oost-Duitse op kolen gestookte PA. Veel piepen, kraken en rondzingen dus. Meneer DeVille: Nonchalant, laconiek en soms irritant. De magie was weg en dat was jammer. Telkens als ik nu een plaat van Mink DeVille op zet, moet ik toch aan doe avond denken. Noorderligt heeft wat dat betreft tot op vandaag een plaatsje bij mij. Associaties.[Reactie van Jürg Bertens op 13 Februari 2011]

[DeVille posters Noorderligt 1984 en 1988]

Good old Willy, idd een gemis in de muziek wereld. Tikkeltje ordinair, macho maar zo'n geweldig artiest. De zoenen van (voormalig) vriendin Toots na een optreden blijven mij dan weer bij. Alleen als het optreden 'goed' was kreeg hij zijn kus. Toch charmant die vuurrode lippen op zijn wang bij de toegift. En geweldige muziek![Reactie van Hetty Kerkhof op 14 Februari 2011]

Het PA systeem van het 2e optreden (1988) is ook alleen maar in Noorderligt gebruikt,zoals Willy het s'middags tijdens de Soundcheck al verwoordde " who owns this shit ,somebody got a gun ? ". Slecht optreden inderdaad maar 2 jaar (1990) later heeft hij weer 'n goed optreden gegeven en deze keer ook zonder dat het podium vollag met grote vellen waar hij zijn teksten op had staan,omdat hij ze of niet meer wist of niet kon onthouden. Desalniettemin 'n memorable avond,alleen al omdat hij tijdens onze gebruikelijk doorzak zijn nieuwste tattoo ('n hele grote spanish rose ) liet zien op zijn armpje (ongeveer de helft in doorsnee van de mijne) en begon te praten over opgroeien tussen hoeren en transsexuelen tot hij mij 'n keer goed aankeek en zoiets had van tegen wie zit ik nu eigenlijk te praten en er vlak daarna een door zijn nieuwe vriendinnetje vanaf het podium gegild WiiiiiLLiiiieeee !!!!! door de zaal klonk en Willy die kant op ging. [Reactie van Jan Jansen op 14 Februari 2011]

Mink DeVille - Le Chat Bleu [Overlooked Albums]

By Angel Aguilar

One could picture the blanched faces of Capitol Records executives when Willy DeVille explained the concept for his band’s third album. He wanted to record in France, using the string-arrangement skills of Jean Claude Petit to capture the Continental sounds he heard in his head. It sounded risky and expensive. The sensible course for a fledging, unproven band was to record in New York, as quick and cheap as possible, but Willy DeVille was not a sensible man.

Unique among CBGB’s regulars, Mink DeVille was an electrifying band that mixed punk attitude with rhythm and blues nuance. Frontman Willy DeVille carried himself with a dandy’s flair, his soulful voice conveying many emotions, easily moving from aching ballads to lusty blues. At that point their first two records, though well received by critics, were chart-bottom dwellers. So far, the group’s biggest success was a modest UK hit with Spanish Stroll, further explaining Capitol’s reluctance.

The first two albums were models of spare, no-frills rhythm and blues. Le Chat Bleu was a grander concept, taking the music back to the Latin-tinged arrangements heard in classic songs by The Drifters and the melodrama of European cabaret songs. Three of the album’s ten songs were written in partnership with songwriting legend Doc Pomus, all standout tracks that could be mistaken as Brill-Building standards. Pomus could put together a story with a few choice lines. A case in point is Just To Walk That Little Girl Home which, from the first note, conveys the mood of a closing bar, deep romantic longings, and late-night lonely strolls. There’s no detachment here, no ironic distance. This music is meant to be felt, capable of disarming hardened cynics. DeVille, who learned his lesson from a master, follows this emotional tread throughout Le Chat Bleu.


This Must Be The Night opens the album like an electric storm, with DeVille and a female chorus capturing the excitement of a first date, climaxing with a delirious sax solo by Steve Douglas. Savoir Faire and Lipstick Traces are hard-driving rock ‘n roll songs about obsession. There are two sides to it; the former has a man in thrall of a French beauty, thrilled by the chase, and the roles are reversed in the latter, with the man trying to get out of a suffocating relationship.

The tempo slows to adagio on That World Outside, a song about the power of love helping to cope with a harsh reality. You Just Keep Holding On speeds up the tempo with a full Spector sound, complete with castanets and soaring strings.

There are two well-chosen non-originals; Bad Boy is an obscure doo-wop track from 1957 that fits perfectly with DeVille’s persona while Mazurka is an accordion-driven zydeco song by Queen Ida which points forward to DeVille’s latter career as a New Orleans revivalist. The song was replaced in the U.S. version of the album by the guitar-driven Turn You Every Way But Loose. If you find the album’s expanded edition, you’ll get both.

Slow Drain is another highlight, a danceable cha-cha track with Latin horns and percussion. The lyrics, drawn from personal experience, are about people losing their will to drugs and having no-one to blame but themselves. If Lou Reed had grown up in the barrio, he’d sound like this. Heaven Stood Still caps the album with melodrama, a French chanson in the Jacques Brel style. Maybe it was the audacity of these songs that scared Capitol executives, who refused to release the album in America. To this day, it’s easier to pigeonhole an artist into one niche, branding them as a commodity for public consumption. DeVille never played by those rules.


Le Chat Bleu was hailed by many critics as the best album of 1980, which didn’t sway Capitol until import sales shot up. This belated, grudging release made little impact on retail sales, and the album stalled at number 167 on the U.S. charts.

After losing his battle with Capitol, DeVille went on to record for two other major labels, keeping a strong fan base in Europe. In America, he remained a low-profile artist. It certainly didn’t help that for years he was a heroin addict, going through rehab cycles until he was finally clean.

The strangest moment in DeVille’s life came about when he was nominated for an Oscar for Storybook Love, a song he’d written with Mark Knopfler that appeared in The Princess Bride. It was thrilling to watch DeVille perform on the Oscar ceremony stage, but destiny didn’t keep him out of the fringes for long.

After a move to New Orleans, DeVille started recording for small labels, spearheading a revival of local music. A resurgence of sorts came around 1992 when he toured Europe with New Orleans musicians, and his records began to chart over there. He still took time to explore new musical vistas, including music connected to his Native American roots. Given this gift for musical exploration, it’s not surprising that his highest-charting hit was in France with a mariachi version of Hey Joe.

DeVille died of pancreatic cancer in 2009, leaving a legacy of 14 studio albums, eight released as a solo artist. It’s a legacy that’s still underappreciated to this day, but that could be remedied. If you love passionate, intimate, and heartfelt music, listen to Le Chat Bleu. It’s all there in the grooves.
[3 January, 2012 - 20:48 — Angel Aguilar]

Come A Little Bit Closer - the best of [pre-listen]

WILLY DEVILLE The Best Of: Live - Come A Little Bit Closer (2011 - CD album) - The late Willy DeVille was one of the finest American songwriters of his generation. Drawing influences from blues, rock, Cajun, latin, country and more he created a rich blend of music that acknowledged its roots but was uniquely DeVille. He was also a consummate live performer with a style, charisma and presence that few could match. This new compilation brings together these two elements to giveyou the Best Of 'Willy DeVille Live'. Tracks are taken from performances ranging from Amsterdam in 1977, through concerts at Nijmegen and Montreux in the 80s and 90s and into the 21st century with concerts from Berlin and back to Amsterdam in 2005. The album gives a true reflection of just how good Willy DeVille was as both songwriter and performer and what we have all lost with his passing. Includes 'Spanish Stroll', 'Cadillac Walk', 'Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl' and the Oscar nominated 'Storybook Love').

Pre-listen tracks:
01 Venus of Avenue D [DeVille] 5:47
02 This Must Be the Night [DeVille] 3:24
03 Love and Emotion [DeVille] 4:09
04 Savoir Faire [DeVille] 3:14
05 Just to Walk That Little Girl Home [DeVille, Pomus] 4:42
06 Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl [DeVille] 5:16
07 Slave to Love [Ferry] 4:23
08 Slow Drain [DeVille] 4:56
09 Demasiado Corazon (Too Much Heart)[DeVille]4:47
10 Little Girl [Berry, Greenwich, Spector] 4:37
11 Storybook Love [DeVille] 4:04
12 Can't Do Without It [DeVille] 4:06
13 Hey Joe [Roberts] 4:39
14 Just Your Friends [DeVille, Nitzsche] 3:30
15 Steady Drivin' Man [DeVille] 6:05
16 Cadillac Walk [Martin] 5:05
17 Spanish Stroll [DeVille] 5:03
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Come A Little Bit Closer - Examiner review by Sterling Whitaker

On Tuesday Eagle Records released Come A Little Bit Closer: The Best of Willy DeVille Live. The 17-track CD features material compiled from concerts in Amsterdam in 1977 and 2005, interspersed with other tracks from the Eighties, Nineties and into the new millennium from tour stops in the Netherlands, Montreux and Berlin. "Venus of Avenue D" immediately introduces the listener to some of the hallmarks of DeVille's writing, with the big dynamic shifts that often characterized his dramatic live shows. "This Must Be the Night" is a perfect marriage of melody and rock and roll that begs the question, did DeVille influence Bruce Springsteen or was it the other way around? It's ironic that two artists who seemed to have many elements in common had such disparate commercial fortunes, but then again, DeVille's outlandish personal style, not to mention his impossible-to-characterize range of songwriting, must have made him considerably more difficult to market than Springsteen's Everyman persona. Other standout tracks include "Just to Walk That Little Girl Home," a perfect example of DeVille's penchant for marrying unusual percussion tracks to instrumentation like accordions and horns. The sheer range of his writing is apparent throughout. "Demasiado Corazon (Too Much Heart)" explores a Latin feel with saxophones, while "Just Your Friends" is underpinned by acoustic guitar and percussion before violins and harmonicas join in with another trademark dramatic dynamic shift. "Hey Joe" is a very unusual mariachi arrangement of the Jimi Hendrix classic, while "Can't Do Without It" is a bluesy lament with female background vocals. "Storybook Love" is a restrained piano ballad that got DeVille and Mark Knopfler nominated for an Academy Award. The set closes with "Spanish Stroll," a rocker with slide guitar solos.

If you don't like Willy DeVille, this collection is unlikely to convince you otherwise. It is what it is: a series of snapshots from the career of one of the most uncompromising singer/songwriters ever to emerge in the rock idiom. DeVille's music and idiosyncratic persona were undoubtedly a little much for some fans. But if you're a fan of Willy DeVille, the New York rock scene, or just diverse singer/songwriter material, you should find a lot to like about Come A Little Bit Closer. An audio CD can't capture what DeVille really brought to the stage, but it can sure remind us all why he was so well-regarded as one of the stronger writers and peformers of his era. [Sterling Whitaker is a Nashville-based journalist and author]
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- It’s simply an amazing collection any music lover and or music player would be proud to own. Definitely check it out. [Shakefire]
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The songs on this collection are well chosen. They are lively, effortlessly reflecting the quality of DeVille’s music. I do not envy the work of those who pored over the countless selections, those who had to choose the best of many. Come A Little Bit Closer is an enviably representative set of the best Willy Deville offered via his many Live performances. [MusicTAP ... essential]

Brilliant, Shook-Up Guy

[DAPR/Zuma Press - Willy DeVille inspired British pop invaders Tears for Fears and Culture Club]

British teens in the late '70s grasped the importance of singer-songwriter Willy DeVille way before the pierced rockers at New York's CBGB or Max's Kansas City. Mr. DeVille's originals were intricate mashes of blues, soul and rock, and he struck an emotional chord with the English, who identified with his hypnotic melodies, lovesick lyrics and tortured stage persona.

Virtually forgotten today, Mr. DeVille—the late founder and frontman of the American punk-art band Mink DeVille—is now being reconsidered with the release Tuesday of "Come a Little Bit Closer: The Best of Willy DeVille Live" (Eagle Rock). As the 17-track CD demonstrates, Mr. DeVille was a composer and belter of enormous complexity.

Recorded between 1977 and 2005, the new compilation features live performances in Berlin, Montreux and the Netherlands. All of the remastered selections are breathtakingly contemporary and offer fresh insight into Mr. DeVille's gritty rock romanticism.

Mink DeVille recorded six albums between 1977 and 1985—including three produced by Wall of Sound mastermind Jack Nitzsche. After the original band broke up, Willy DeVille continued to perform and record with a backup group known as the Mink DeVille Band, attracting strong audience reaction in Europe. From 1987 on, he appeared as Willy DeVille.

In some respects, Mr. DeVille's music was too earnest and artsy for the States. Rail-thin, he often appeared with a thick pompadour, rat's-tail moustache and open shirt—the personification of a gigolo at a cheap resort. In later years, his look was given a Zorro-esque overhaul.

But there was creative heat and pain in Mr. DeVille's eerie, edgy look and sound. While his punk-roadhouse fusion sailed over the heads of many at home, his approach inspired many British pop invaders of the '80s, including Tears for Fears, Human League and Culture Club.

Born William Borsey Jr. in 1950 in Stamford, Conn., Mr. DeVille was a chronic collector of obscure R&B and rock records. After dropping out of high school, he moved to London for two years before returning to New York and the punk scene. He started Mink DeVille in San Francisco but relocated the band to New York in 1975, where it built its reputation.

Deep down, Mr. DeVille was a passionate collagist. His songs tastefully flicked at past references and artists such as Van Morrison, Bruce Springsteen and Ben E. King without ever lingering long enough to be considered derivative or retro.

For example, "Little Girl" on the new CD incorporates motifs from The Drifters' "Under the Boardwalk" and Arthur Alexander's "Anna (Go to Him)." On "Venus of Avenue D," there are hints of the Temptations' "My Girl" bass line blended with riffs from Fats Domino's "Little School Girl."

On "This Must Be the Night," his vocal soars with growls but then it dips down for a gospel confessional on "Storybook Love," which was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987 as the theme to "The Princess Bride."

Perhaps Mr. DeVille's best-remembered song is the haunting "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl." And his Tex-Mex barn-burners "Demasiado Corazon" and "Spanish Stroll" go so far as to incorporate doo-wop and Dylanesque folk touches. Also on this collection is a muscle-bound version of "Slow Drain," one of Mr. Deville's most dynamic and experimental recordings.

A onetime heroin addict, Mr. DeVille died at age 58 in 2009 from pancreatic cancer. As this new album makes clear, he was a punk eclectic with a heart of golden oldies and Joe Cocker's pipes. A seedy sophisticate, Mr. DeVille was decades ahead of his time, and on this new CD, his music still gleams like old chrome.
[By MARC MYERS / source: Wall Street Journal|A&E]

Music Review: Mark Newman - Walls Of Jericho

[Review by Richard Marcus]
It's a long walk to the centre stage microphone from either the right or left side of the stage where a band's lead guitarist usually hangs out. Oh sure it might not look like a great distance physically, but to make the trip from being a sideman to fronting a band involves much more than just taking a few steps in one direction or the other. Think of all those times you've been impressed by either a background singer or a lead guitarist in a group and then compare that with how many of them have ever gone on to have a really successful solo career. To be honest the only one who springs instantly to my mind is Ry Cooder. I can't begin to count the number of people who've made me think, "Wow I'd like to hear them do something solo", only to be disappointed by what they produce on their own.

There's a big difference between being a really good musician and being a front person for a band. He or she will be the focus of an audiences' attention no matter where they are standing or what they are doing while on stage. Even when the spotlight temporarily leaves them to focus on another's solo, it always seems like they are only lending the attention to the other and things only return to normal when the spotlight finds them again. Call it charisma, call it a certain je ne sais quois, call it whatever you like, but there just seem to certain people who are made to be in the spotlight and others who are destined to support them.

The first time I saw or heard Mark Newman was on a telecast of a concert given by the late Willy DeVille on his last European tour. Newman wasn't a regular member of DeVille's touring band and in fact had never played with them before. What impressed me the most about watching Newman was seeing how he didn't try to copy the work of the man he was replacing, but had the confidence in his own abilities to bring his own interpretations to the material. It's very difficult to parachute into a band and replace somebody who has played with them for years, but not only did Newman not look out of place, he brought a new flavour to familiar material while remaining true to DeVille's distinctive sound. DeVille must have been happy with him as well, because after his death his widow presented Newman with her husband's dobro.

Aside from playing with DeVille and others over the years, Newman has also been forging his own solo career and his first release, Must Be A Poney, came out in 2006. Not having heard the previous CD I was intrigued enough by what I had seen him do in the telecast to check out his brand new release, Walls Of Jericho, and see if he was as capable a front man as he is a sideman. As ten of the twelve tracks on the disc are his own material it should provide a good indication of his ability to live in the spotlight rather than just sharing it for a few seconds a song.

For anyone who has seen Newman play guitar it should come as no surprise that right from the first track, "Until The Morning Comes", his playing is what grabs your attention. Yet it's not because he's doing any of the typical guitar hero stuff involving playing a million notes at high speed or tearing a hole through the middle of a song with any of the other pyrotechnics that seem to be the stock in trade of lead guitarists. Instead what you'll notice about his playing is its clarity of tone and how he has integrated it into the overall flow of each song. His songs aren't simply excuses for him to unleash blistering guitar solos or to show off in any manner, they are fully crafted pieces of work made up of more than just his own talents on stringed instruments.

[photo credit: Bo Streeter]
I say stringed instruments because Newman is not only a highly skilled guitar player, but also shines on pedal steel, mandolin, and bass and slide guitars. No matter which of these instruments he happens to pick up he plays it with the same clarity of tone and restraint that was so appealing on the opening track. Of course there's more to songs and an album than just someone's ability to play their instrument; there's a couple of things called lyrics and vocals which go a long way towards making or breaking a tune. To be honest, Newman's vocal abilities don't jump out and strike you immediately as there's nothing that marks his voice as instantly distinctive. On the other hand he's not one of those people who initially impress you with some specific vocal quirk but who lose your attention after a song or two when you discover they have nothing else to offer, including sincerity.

What you'll learn about Newman over the course of listening to the recording is that while there doesn't seem to be anything particularly remarkable about his voice, you can't ignore it. Like his guitar playing his vocals aren't about wowing you, but about being in service to the material. Whether he has a particular message he's trying to put across, like "Fire On The Water" and what it has to say about oil spills caused by the recklessness of oil companies, or is being a little more abstract as is the case with the haunting "White Bird", he doesn't have any trouble holding your attention. The only exception for me was the 7th track on the disc, "Vacation" and that was just a matter of personal taste as it wasn't the type of song I like. That's not to say it wasn't as well written and performed as the rest of the disc, it just wasn't my cup of tea.

Anyone who has heard Mark Newman play guitar, or any of the other instruments he is so highly proficient with, will be well aware of what a talented sideman he is. After listening to Walls Of Jericho you will see he's equally capable of taking the large step from the side of the stage to the centre. His abilities as a singer, songwriter and interpreter of other people's material, including a cover of his former band leader's, Willy DeVille, "Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl", are such that he can more than hold his own in the bright glare of the spotlight. Even better is how he uses the light in order to serve the material and not his ego, sharing it with others, like his duet with Naomi Margolin on "White Bird", so that the listener is able to get the most out of a song as possible. Mark Newman may not be a name everybody recognizes as a band leader right now, but after listening to this album you can't help but think that will change in the not too distant future.


(Article by Richard Marcus first published Oct. 2010 as Music Review: Mark Newman - Walls Of Jericho on Blogcritics and Leap In The Dark)

Track Listing: 1) Until The Morning Comes 2) Don’t Get Me Wrong 3) Taking Pictures 4) Fire On The Water 5) Mixed Up, Shook Up Girl 6) Walls of Jericho 7) Vacation 8) She’s The One 9) Medicine Marie 10) I Wanna Know 11) White Bird 12) Under The Sun


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Until The Morning Comes @ Amazon.com
Listen album tracks @ Reverbnation

WILLY DEVILLE B-DAY CELEB. SHOW - VERSLAG [23 augustus 2010]

Verslag [Dutch] van de WILLY DEVILLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SHOW met Mink Deville Bandleden 23 aug. 2010 in de BB King Blues Club te New York (USA) - door Gurrie 'Hurdy' van Brug (voormalig Willy DeVille Int. Fanclub voorzitter)
[The English review is below this Dutch review]

<< Hurdy & Willy in the early days in Holland.


Vooraf stel je jezelf de vraag: “heeft het zin als ik voor het concert dat de Mink DeVille bandleden op 23 augustus 2010 in BB Kings Club in New York geven om er dan heen te gaan” Alle DeVille pro’s komen snel voorbij, maar ja wie gaat er dan zingen?
Het enthousiasme groeide en het rationele werd snel verbannen. "Gewoon op emotie er heen gaan en laat het gebeuren". Dat was de tip van mijn vrouw en ik hoefde helemaal niets te regelen en kon gewoon genieten. Zou ik dan niet te kritisch zijn naar de bandleden?

Voor je het goed en wel door hebt, sta je bij BB Kings Club voor de deur on W42 Street. Groots aangekondigd onder 'Willy DeVille Birthday Tribute w/Mink DeVille Band + Richard Lloyd' hingen er posters bij BB Kings Club. Dat was toch wel kicken.
’s Middags was het een drukte van belang in de club. Het was een komen en gaan van Mink DeVille band leden. Uit iedere Mink DeVille periode waren er bandleden aanwezig. Tijd om te soundchecken was er nauwelijks, enkel om even te horen of het geluid voldeed. Samen inspelen kwam er niet van. De leeftijdsverschillen waren best groot onder de bandleden, toen Darin Brown geboren werd, werd Mink DeVille zo’n beetje opgericht. Hoe zou dat gaan? Al die gasten met hun eigen Mink periode, zouden die uit de voeten kunnen met elkaar? Zoals gezegd niet te veel denken, laat het gebeuren.

En het gebeurde. Vanaf de eerste tot de laatste song hebben wij genoten. De zaal was goed gevuld, een leuke club zeker de moeite waard om er heen te gaan als je in N.Y. bent. Het enige nadeel vind ik de manier waarop die Amerikanen de concerten beleven. Zittend aan tafels en ondertussen ook nog eten. Wat een wereld van verschil met Europa!

[photos (c): Dino Perrucci]

Maar dan nu het concert. Als eerste op het podium verscheen de complete band van 1976/1977; Louie X Erlanger, Bobby Leonards, Ruben Siquenza, ja, die van Rosita!! en Thomas T. Allen (Manfred). Als of ze dagelijks met elkaar speelden werd Cadillac Walk gebracht. Manfred zong en niemand die kon merken dat het bijna 25 jaar geleden was dat zij elkaar voor het laatst gezien en gespeeld hadden. De toon was gezet. Verrassend, Manfred zong en dat klonk goed. Natuurlijk had ik vooraf besloten om geen enkele vergelijking met Willy te maken (dat zou een onmogelijke zaak zijn). De ene na de andere Willy song werd gespeeld en op het podium steeds wisselende bandleden. Wie speelden er allemaal mee: Louie X Erlanger, Bobby Leonards, Ruben Sequenza, Thomas T. Allen (Manfred), Ricky Borgia, Joey Vasta, Tommy Price, David J. Keyes, Boris Kinberg, Shawn Murray, Kenny Margolis, Darrin Brown, Mark Newman, Seth Farber, Bobby Curiano, Steve Conte, Yadonna Wise en Saxofoonspeler Crispin Cioe. What een Mink DeVille History geweldig, dit was uniek. Gezongen werd er door Ruben, Yadonna, Kenny, David, Mark, Steve, Ricky en Bobby. Dan denk je dat je ze allemaal gehoord hebt, maar nee hoor ook Boris moest eraan geloven en hij zong Lilly’s Daddy’s Cadillac. Voor hem was het zeker de eerste keer dat hij de zang op zich nam. Het klonk allemaal even goed. Bobby heeft een hele, goede en mooie stem. De rest zong met hart en ziel. Yadonna – kippenvel!!

Er waren 2 gastoptredens, een van Richard Lloyd (Television) hij speelde en zong White Trash Girl met de band. Television (ook uit de CBGB´s periode) stond in het voorprogramma in Berlijn (Willy´s DVD Live in Berlin) daar heb ik ze toen ook gehoord en ik kan de gemaakte keuze White Trash Girl begrijpen. Peter Wolf, de zanger van de J. Geils Band, zong Steady Drivin' man. Ook een echt podium dier een prachtige vertolking. Willy zou trots geweest zijn. Af en toe werden er enige woorden gezegd over het verleden en tot Willy gesproken. De reactie, op een geweldige manier werd Willy daarbij nagedaan; “Are you crazy guys” was 100% op zijn plaats.

De grote stimulator achter dit concert David, hij deed een mooie vertolking van Story Book Love, genoot zichtbaar. Het was heel wonderlijk hoe soepel en goed alles verliep. Vele wissels op de bühne maar de sfeer was zo relaxed. Een bijzondere avond.


Zonder al te lyrisch te worden kan ik toch wel zeggen dat de Spanish Stroll uitvoering één van de hoogtepunten van de avond was. Naast originele Rosita vertolker Ruben stonden alle bandleden op het podium. Willy zou trots geweest zijn.

Nu alweer bijna 2 weken later blijven de mooie herinneringen en ben ik blij dat ik het rationele aan de kant heb kunnen zetten. Was dit het? Mensen die mij beter kennen weten dat zoiets weer iets bij mij ingang zet. Het hele concert is opgenomen en nu gaan we eraan werken om het op dvd uitgebracht te krijgen. En het zou natuurlijk prachtig zijn om dit gebeuren ook naar Europa te halen. Wij zijn alweer bezig te kijken of dat haalbaar is. Wie weet eind 2011. Mocht er een grote sponsor zijn of mocht je die kennen dan hou ik mij aanbevolen. Mijn voorkeur is namelijk om geen deel van de groep maar om alle Mink DeVille bandleden naar Europa te halen, ook al zijn dat er een heleboel. Het is gewoonweg de moeite waard en een fantastisch eerbetoon aan Willy. De vraag: “wie moet er dan zingen?” die is voor mij wel beantwoord: DE BANDLEDEN met 1 of 2 gast-zangers. Laten we hopen dat de prille initiatieven uitgroeien tot een aantal concerten in Nederland, Duitsland, Frankrijk en België. Je ziet je bent nog niet van mij af.

Willy & David w/ Acoustic Trio 2005 in BB Kings' Blues Club New York City (NY).
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REVIEW IN ENGLISH:

Review of WILLY DEVILLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SHOW w/Mink Deville Band Members Aug. 23th 2010 - BB King's, NYC by Gurrie van Brug (former president of the Willy DeVille Int. Fanclub)

Pre ask yourself the question: “does it make sense if I was at the Mink DeVille band members concert on August 23, 2010 at BB Kings’ Club in New York?“ All the former DeVille pro’s are there, but who is about to sing? The enthusiasm grew and my rational thought was quickly banned. Just go on emotion and just let it happen! That was the tip of my wife because me myself had nothing to regulate and could only benefit. But wouldn’t I be too critical to the band members?

But before you are aware of it, you’re in front of BB Kings Club at W42 Street New York. `Willy DeVille Birthday Tribute w / Mink DeVille Band + Richard Lloyd` was announced by big posters that hung at BB Kings Club wall. That sure was cool!
In the afternoon was a buzz of interest in the club. It was a coming and going of Mink DeVille band members. From each Mink DeVille period were band members present. There was hardly time for the soundchecking, only a (too short) rehearsal. The age differences were quite large among the band members, when Darin Brown was born Mink DeVille was pretty much set. How would that go? All those guys with their own Mink period, could they work together on stage? As I said before; not too much thinking, just let it happen!

And it happened. From the first to the last song we have enjoyed it. BB Kings Club was well filled, a nice club worthwhile to go if you're in NYC. The only drawback I find is the way that American public experience this kind of live concerts; sitting at tables and eating food. What a world of difference from Europe! But now the concert. The whole band of 1976 / 1977 first appeared on stage; Louie X. Erlanger, Bobby Leonard, Ruben Siquenza, yes, Rosita! and Thomas T. Allen (Manfred). As if they played together daily, Cadillac Walk was played. Manfred did the vocals and nobody could notice it was almost 25 years ago that they played together. Amazing, the show was put! Manfred sang and sounded surprisingly good. Of course I had previously decided not to make any comparison with Willy (that would be an impossible matter). One after another Willy’s (Mink’s) songs were played on stage and band members constantly changing. Who played all along were (see also below setlist): Louie X. Erlanger, Bobby Leonard, Ruben Siquenza, Thomas T. Allen (Manfred), Ricky Borgia, Joey Vasta, Tommy Price, David J. Keyes, Boris Kinberg, Shawn Murray, Kenny Margolis, Darrin Brown, Mark Newman, Seth Farber, Bobby Curiano, Steve Conte, Yadonna Wise and Saxophonist Crispin Cioe. What a great Mink DeVille History, this was unique. Lead vocals by Ruben, Yadonna, Kenny, David, Mark, Steve, Ricky and Bobby. And just you think you've heard them all, Boris came up with the lead vocals in Lilly's Daddy's Cadillac. For him it was certainly the first time he took on the leads. And it sounded good! Bobby also has a very good and beautiful voice. The rest of them did well and sang with heart and soul. Yadonna - goosebumps!

There were two guest appearances, one of Richard Lloyd (Television), he played and sang White Trash Girl with the band. Television (also known from the CBGB's period) was the support act in Berlin (Willy's DVD Live in Berlin) a concert I joined also. And I can understand the choice White Trash Girl. Peter Wolf, lead singer of the J. Geils Band, sang Steady Drivin’ Man. Also a real stage-animal, a wonderful interpretation. Willy would have been proud. Occasionally there were some words said about the past and talked to Willy above. And a great Willy DeVille voice imitation: "Are you crazy guys?!" The response was really in place.

David Keys was the main stimulator behind this concert, he did a beautiful rendition of Storybook Love, He enjoyed it clearly. It was amazing how smooth everything went. Many member exchange on the stage but the atmosphere was so releaxed. A special evening.

Without going to be lyrical I can say that the Spanish Stroll encore was one of the highlights of this evening. Besides Rubin who did the original Rosita rap all band members and guest performers were on stage. Willy would have been proud.

Now - almost two weeks later – I cherish the beautiful memories and I'm glad I wasn’t rational at the right moment and decided to go. How come? People who know me well will know that events like this ensure that I will be active again (even though the fanclub has been lifted). The whole concert was recorded and now we are working on it to get it released on DVD. And naturally it would be wonderful this celebration can be done also in Europe. We are aiming at autumn 2011. I keep myself recommended for sponsors to arrange this event. Again with all of the Mink DeVille band members (and some guests) at venues in Europe, even though there a lot. It's just way worth it and a great tribute to Willy. The question of who should be there to sing? That’s been answered for me! The BANDMEMBERS themselves with 1 or 2 guest singers. Because they were great in NYC and they will be in Europe as well! Let’s hope that the fledgling initiatives also become a serie of concerts in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Belgium. You see you're still not rid of me ;-)

Setlist:

1. Title: HARLEM NOCTURNE
Kenny Margolis - Keys
Joey Vasta - Bass
Thommy Price - Drums
Rick Borgia - Guitar
Crispin Cioe - Sax

2. Title: THIS MUST BE THE NIGHT
Rick Borgia - Lead Vocal and Guitar
Kenny Margolis - Keys
Joey Vasta - Bass, Vocals
Thommy Price - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Crispin Cioe - Sax
David J Keyes - Backing Vocals

3. Title: MAYBE TOMORROW
Bobby Curiano - Lead Vocal
Joey Vasta - Bass, Back vocals
Thommy Price - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Kenny Margolis - keyboards
Rick Borgia - Guitar, vocals
Crispin Cioe - Sax

4. Title: SHE'S SO TOUGH
Kenny Margolis - Lead Vocal, Organ
Joey Vasta - Bass
Thommy Price - Drums
Rick Borgia - Guitar
Paul James - 2nd guitar
Crispin Cioe - Sax

5. Title: CADILLAC WALK
Louis X Erlanger - Guitar
Manfred TR Allen - Drums, Lead Vocal
Ruben Sequenza - Bass Guitar
Bobby Leonard - Keyboards

6. Title: VENUS Of AVENUE D
Louis X Erlanger - Guitar
Manfred TR Allen - Drums
Ruben Sequenza - Bass Guitar, Lead Vocal
Bobby Leonard - Keys
Rick Borgia - 2nd guitar

7. Title: GUNSLINGER
Louis X Erlanger - Guitar, Lead Vocal
Manfred TR Allen - Drums
Ruben Sequenza - Bass Guitar
Bobby Leonard - Keys
Rick Borgia - 2nd guitar

8. Title: I MUST BE DREAMING
Bobby Curiano - Lead Vocal
David J Keyes - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Seth Farber - Keys, Vocals
Rick Borgia - Guitar, Vocals
Crispin Cioe - Sax

9. Title: YOU BETTER MOVE ON
Bobby Curiano - Lead Vocal, Acoustic Guitar
Joey Vasta - Bass, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Darin Brown - Piano (Rhodes), Vocals
Rick Borgia - Guitar, Vocals
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

10. Title: WHITE TRASH GIRL
Richard Lloyd - Guitar, Lead Vocal
David J Keyes - Bass
Shawn Murray - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Mark Newman – Guitar
Seth Farber - Organ
Darin Brown - Piano

11. Title: LILLY'S DADDY'S CADILLAC
Boris Kinberg - Lead Vocal
Crispin Cioe - Sax
Shawn Murray - Drums, Vocals
David J Keyes - Bass, Vocals
Seth Farber - Piano
Darin Brown - Organ
Ricky Borgia - Guitar
Yadonna Wise - Vocals

12. Title: CAN’T DO WITHOUT IT
Yadonna Wise - Lead Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
David J Keyes - Upright bass, Vocals
Louis X. Erlanger - Guitar
Rick Borgia? - Guitar
Seth Farber - Piano
Kenny Margolis - Organ

13. Title: JUMP CITY
Yadonna Wise - Lead Vocals
Mark Newman - Guitar, Vocals
David J Keyes - Electric Bass
Seth Farber - Piano
Darin Brown - Organ, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums, Vocals
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Crispin Cioe - Sax

14. Title: JUST YOUR FRIENDS
David J Keyes - Acoustic Guitar, Harmonica
Bobby Curiano - Acoustic Guitar, Vocals
Joey Vasta - Bass
Shawn Murray - Drums
Kenny - Organ
Seth Farber - Accordion
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

15. Title: EVEN WHILE I SLEEP
Dave – Lead Vocal, Bass Guitar
Bobby and Mark Newman - Guitars
Darin Brown – Keys, Verse harmony vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Seth Farber - Accordion
Yadonna Wise - Vocals chorus

16. MUDDY WATERS ROSE...
Mark Newman - Lead Vocal, Slide Guitar
Bobby Curiano - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Yadonna Wise - Vocals
David J Keyes - Bass, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Darin Brown - Keys, Vocals
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

17. MIXED UP SHOOK UP GIRL
Steve Conte - Lead Vocal, Guitar
Louis X. Erlanger - Guitar
David J Keyes - Upright Bass
Bobby Leonard - Piano
Ken Margolis - Accordion
Shawn Murray – Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

18. Title: STEADY DRIVIN' MAN
Peter Wolf - Lead vocal, Harp
Mark Newman and Lou X. Erlanger - Guitars
David J Keyes - Upright Bass, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Kenny - Organ
Seth Farber - Piano
Boris Kinberg – Percussion
Yadonna Wise – Background Vocals

19. TEARDROPS MUST FALL
Rick Borgia - Lead Vocal and Guitar
Joey Vasta - Bass and Vocals
Thommy Price - Drums
Crispin - Sax
Ken Margolis - Organ
Seth Farber - Piano

20. LOVE AND EMOTION
Ken Margolis - Lead Vocal and Accordion
Seth Farber - Piano
Thommy Price and Shawn Murray - Drums
Joey Vasta - Bass
Ricky Borgia - Guitar
Crispin Cioe - Sax
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

21. Title: BAMBOO ROAD
Darin Brown – Lead Vocal, Piano
David J Keyes - Upright Bass, vocals
Slide Guitar – Mark Newman, vocals
Shawn Murray – Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion
Thommy Price - Percussion
Yadonna Wise – Background Vocals

22. Title: HEART AND SOUL
Yadonna Wise – Lead Vocal
David J. Keyes – Upright Bass
Kenny - Accordion
Rick Borgia or Mark Newman - Nylon and Acoustic Guitar
Seth Farber - Keyboards
Shawn Murray - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

23. Title: SAVOIR FAIRE
Mark Newman - Lead vocal
Joey Vasta - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Ricky Borgia - Guitars, Vocals
Shawn Murray - Drums
Kenny Margolis - Piano, Vocals
Darin Brown - Organ

24. JUST TO WALK THAT LITTLE GIRL HOME
Kenny - Lead Vocal, Accordion
Ricky - back vocals, Nylon Guitar
Ruben Siguenza - Bass
Lou Erlanger - Electric Guitar
Shawn Murray or Thommy Price - Drums
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

25. Title: DEMASIADO CORAZON
Darin Brown - Lead Vocal
Seth Farber - Keyboard
Joey Vasta - Bass
Crispin - Sax
Ricky and Mark Newman - Nylon Guitar
Shawn Murray - Drums
Thommy Price - Percussion
Boris Kinberg – Percussion

26. Title: SPANISH STROLL (ENCORE)
Steve Conte - Guitar, Vocal
Lou Erlanger - guitar
Bobby Kenny and Seth and Darin - Pianos and Organs
Ruben Sequenza - Bass Guitar, Spanish rap
Shawn Murray & Thommy Price - Drums
Manfred TR Allen - Percussion
Boris Kinberg - Percussion

WILLY DEVILLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SHOW [Aug. 23th 2010]

Pics and reviews of WILLY DEVILLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION SHOW w/Mink Deville Band Members Aug. 23th - BB King's, NYC.

Musicians on stage at BB Kings' NYC August 23rd 2010 to honour Willy DeVille:

The Original Mink DeVille
[Time period: Cabretta, Return To Magenta, Le Chat Bleu]
Louis X Erlanger (guitar), Ruben Sequenza (bass), Manfred TR Allen (drums), Bobby Leonard (keyboards)

The Mink DeVille Band 1982
[Time period: Coup de Grace, Where Angels Fear To Tread, Live At Montreux 1982 dvd]
Ricky Borgia (guitar), Joey Vasta (bass), Thommy Price (drums), Kenny Margolis (keyboards), Crispin Cioe (sax)

Willy/Mink DeVille Band 1987-1992
[Time period: Miracle, Victory Mixture, Backstreets]
Bobby Curiano (bass), Shawn Murray (drums), Boris Kinberg (percussion), others joined them.

Willy/Mink DeVille Band 1993-1994
[Time period: Live, Live At Montreux 1994 dvd]
David J. Keyes (bass), Shawn Murray (drums), Boris Kinberg (percussion), Seth Farber (keyboards), others joined them. And... YaDonna Wise (unfortunately her sister Doreen wasn't there).

Willy/Mink DeVille Band 2002-2008
[Time period: Crow Jane Alley, Pistola, Berlin dvd, Lowlands dvd]
Mark Newman (guitar), Darin Brown (keyboards), Bobby Curiano (bass), David J. Keyes (bass), Shawn Murray (drums), Boris Kinberg (percussion), Kenny Margolis (keyboards).

Special Guests: Peter Wolf (J Geil's Band), Richard Lloyd (Television), Steve Conte (DeVille Band '03/New York Dolls/The Crazy Truth). Freddy Koella (who had other liabilities this memorial day, went to join Bob Dylan for a couple tours in '03/04 so Steve replaced him). And of course his last wife Nina (who got the flowers handed). All the musicians joined the encore at 'Spanish Stroll'.

Thanks to initiator of the Wdv B-day celeb. show ánd bassplayer David J. Keys (who had to leave the band due to cancer diagnosis at fall 2006. But Willy and Dave worked together at Willy's place on the album Pistola despite the heavy treatments, he's a real surviver!
Thanks Dave).


Quotes August 24th:

Cyn-Dee [visitor]: "It was the bomb last night! Mingia muerta.. went off the hook! They were all there: former Mink DeVille amici Bobby, Ricky, Kenny, Tommy, Seth, Shawn, Dave, Mark, Boris, Darin, Louis, Joe Vasta, Crispin Cioe, Steve Conte and many many more... a coterie of talented guests and surprises (Peter Wolf!) celebrating the DeVille legacy at B.B.Kings joint! The ruff went off! I've got such a woo-lee (W!lly) for a calzone!!"

Anonymous said... "A great night! Came up from Baltimore for the tribute and had so much fun---and shed a few tears along the way. We miss Willy! But what a wonderful tribute for a sensational artist."

Steve Conte [DeVille Band '03/New York Dolls/The Crazy Truth]: "Tkng my wife & son back 2 Holland 2nite. I always miss home/NYC when I'm away. ths'll b tough, 'specially after such a nite @ BB King's..."

Joseph Vasta jr. [Mink DeVille, played Bass on the albums Coup De Grâce 1981 and Where Angels Fear To Tread 1983]

To DeVille Soc. Network: "It really was a great night to play. Only hope that Willy heard us I miss this man. You should only know the guys played there heart out last night. Sounded freakin' great! Every one who took part played very well. Did you know that it was recorded and filmed too? Soon to be put out, as far as I know. Mink might be back, keep your fingers crossed okay. I think for a band that only played twice in the last week we did fine! I will put up some pictures from backstage for you when I get the time. Playing around takes up so much time you know. But we all were very glad the turnout we had. We might be doing this again with a smaller band, key guys from Mink DeVille with Peter Wolf singing for the frontman! Let's see what happens, hang in there okay?! I will let you know from time to time to let you in what's going on. Till then, peace out world and all you Minkers out there. Love to you. Joey V. jr."

To DeVille Fans: "Hi there Gillespy, that's right! I also played with Billy Idol too. I didn't do the album at the time, I did Willy's album instead. No I was not at the lowlands gig. We are making a new record now with Thommy Price, his own record, look for it soon. We are still working on it in New York City. It will be done most likely by the end of the year, but what I could do is send you a song off the album if Thommy agrees with that. So you could hear what we are doing, okay? I will let you know when it is a good time or when we get back recording it. Thommy Price is out with Joan Jets' Black Hearts right now in Canada. Thanks hun, talk later okay have to go tonight, see you tomorow. Joey V. jr. Mink-on!!"

Mink Deville - BB King's, NYC 8/23/10 [photo (c): Dino Perrucci]

Surprise - Peter Wolf gets on stage and performs Steady Drivin Man. It was wild, everyone went crazy! BB King's, NYC 8/23/10 [photo (c): Dino Perrucci]


THE MAC WIRE MINI REVIEW: by Anne M. Raso - THE MAC WIRE

I had one reason and one reason only to go to the Willy DeVille Birthday Celebration held at BB King's in Times Square this past Monday night (only two nights from what would have been the legendary singer-songwriter's 60th birthday): I wanted to see the original Mink DeVille back together and I wanted to see them jam with some of Willy's later sidemen. I actually lost track of Willy and the boys after I interviewed them backstage at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ in Spring 1978 (and had actually hung out with the band sans Willy circa Summer 1977 in Franklin Lakes...their manager's mom was friends with my mom in Franklin Lakes, NJ, now made famous as the setting for Real Housewives Of New Jersey). The original band seemed to get unceremoniously dumped while in LA to record the third Mink DeVille album (rumor has it the producer was at fault) and as purveyors of the punk scene will tell you, they were phenomenally talented but kept it more raw and pure rock 'n' roll than Willy's later ensembles. I thought bassist Ruben Siguenza was an especially down-to-earth person and I remember his wallet disappearing from the Capitol Theater dressing room and when I talked to him after the BB King show on Monday night, he didn't seem to remember this. But that was my main memory from that night other than Willy's gold tooth and his wife Toots' piercings (I had never seen either of those things before, to be perfectly honest). As for Monday night's show, put together by DeVille's multi-instrumental sidekick David Keyes, it provided some great blasts from the past and to see the original Mink DeVille group do "Gunslinger" (with a few of Willie's later partners in crime nearby) was a very special moment, possibly not ever to be repeated. Special guests included "mad scientist" axeman Richard Lloyd of Television fame (who played with Willy on several occasions), guitar slayer Steve Conte who did extensive touring with Willy and J. Geils crazyman howler Peter Wolf (who was basically just a Willy uber-fan). Original Mink DeVille axeman Louie X. Erlanger (who recently brought his bandmates back together for a phone-in conference on his radio show to discuss the old days), probably summed up Willy best by saying, "I admired Willy because he always stuck to his guns" before he and the rest of the "old Minks" performed (appropriately enough) "Gunslinger" from the Cabretta album. The encore featured "Spanish Stroll," probably one of DeVille's Top Five most famous songs and it was touching to see so many talented people together who had played behind this misunderstood and tragic musical genius (about 25 great musicians seemed to be enjoying themselves immensely as they fought for just enough space to play on the small BB King's stage). Willy DeVille said he never would be fully appreciated until after he was gone, and this crowd's reaction to this show might just be an omen of things to come in terms of Willy reaching "legend" status (many die-hard fans are circulating petitions online to get him nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well).
THE MAC WIRE RATING: 4.5 OUT OF FIVE STARS.

The splashy encore of "Spanish Stroll" undoubtedly had enough "savoir faire" to have Willy smiling from the rock and roll heavens above [photo: Anne Raso] Watch video


Some of the boys with Willy (vocals, guitar)in the early days: Rick Borgia (guitar); Kenny Margolis (keyboards); Louis Cortelezzi (saxophone); Joey Vasta jr. (bass); Tommy Price (drums).

More reports here...