Chris Isaak |
 |
|
Thu. July 23.1998 3:02 AM EDT |
||
James Calvin Wilsey Returns, Shrouded In MysteriesHis new band's sound is hillbilly music thrown into the Space Age. by Contributing Editor Teri vanHorn |
||||
|
||||
 |
James Calvin Wilsey (pictured) played guitar with country-fied rocker Chris Isaak for 12 years. ( ) |
|
||
LOS ANGELES -- James Calvin Wilsey is singing Chris Isaak's song "Wicked Game." But his mouth is closed; his lips aren't moving. Wilsey's voice is being borne on the strings of his guitar. And as he stands there on the small stage of
These days, "Wicked Game" (RealAudio excerpt of Isaak's version) has been renamed "Wicked Thang," as it exists in the repertoire of Wilsey's new, western-rock outfit, the Mysteries. Wilsey, who played with Isaak for 12 years, from 1979-91, has spent the eight years since he left the country-fied singer's band sailing the South Seas and trying to decide what direction to point in next. That's when the Mysteries appeared on his horizon. The all-instrumental foursome -- which also includes Telecaster and pedal-steel guitarist Chris Lawrence, bassist Chuck Morris and drummer Bogie -- is making its debut at an unannounced show at Al's Bar. Though it has a dress-rehearsal kind of vibe, you wouldn't know that the Mysteries are playing their first-ever show unless you counted the number of people there. At a max moment, there are 30 -- not bad, considering it was a Tuesday night in downtown L.A., which is really more like nowhere L.A., full of warehouses and industrial buildings. Dressed for the occasion in brown leather pants, an orange shirt, a leather vest and a cowboy hat, Wilsey leads the band through 10 tunes in their growing repertoire, more of which, including an original by Lawrence called "Saddle Up," will be featured at their first official show, at Jack's Sugar Shack on Friday. The small crowd watches intently as the quartet delivers covers ranging from classic-rocker Jeff Beck's "Beck's Bolero" to soundtrack guru Elmer Bernstein's "The Man with the Golden Arm." They also played one original, Wilsey's "Tierra del Fuego," a western rocker that the guitarist wrote nearly 20 years ago. "It's pretty exhilarating to stay strictly instrumental," Morris reflects after the show. "It was like going back to our roots as musicians." Sounding like hillbilly music thrown into the Space Age, the Mysteries' highly stylized sound is achieved through a taut, watchful musicianship. During their cover of the Shadows' "Land of Mystery," Lawrence works his pedal-steel magic while keeping a close eye on Wilsey; as do Morris and Bogie while they hold down the rhythm. "I've heard all the elements sound good separately; and tonight I heard it sound good together," Wilsey says after the show. "We're getting there." As they perform, Dez Cadena, former guitarist for the legendary punk band Black Flag, acts as stagehand, doling out Rolling Rocks and adjusting guitar chords. Cadena, who used to watch Wilsey play in the punk band the Avengers in the late '70s, met the guitarist at Al's Bar only four months ago. The two have since taken up Sunday rounds of guitar karaoke, in which they play along to the jukebox. "I give them a 92 [percent] because they didn't wear any glitter," Cadena cracks after the show. "It definitely lived up to what he's been talking up … I thought it was great." In addition to Cadena, other musicians in the crowd are equally impressed by the Mysteries' debut. "Usually, instrumental bands wind up being boring before too long," says Richard Redmond, who plays bass for country-rocker Neil Mooney. "But these guys are extremely talented and held my interest the whole time." As part of their plan to release an album before the end of the year, the Mysteries will record a few songs at a studio on a ranch in Irvine, Calif., next week. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  |
 |
Valentine's Day Playlist: Top 10 Make-Out Songs |
|
Photographer/ Video Director Herb Ritts Dies At Age 50 |
|
J. Lo Steps Back, Enrique Iglesias Leaps Forward On Billboard 200 |
|
Bon Jovi, Sambora Riding Steel Horses To My VH1 Music Awards |
 |
 |
 |
|
Receive Free Music News Daily Via Email |
|
Receive Free Artist Updates Via Email for Chris Isaak |
|
All news for Chris Isaak |
|
Breaking Music News |
 |
Add VH1 News to My Yahoo |
|
