Chicago Stage Review

Review & Photo Essay by Venus Zarris

For close to ten years I was in a wonderful relationship with a Beatles devotee. Long stretches of time would go by where Beatles music was all that we listened to. Even when other music was in the mix, the Beatles were always a heavy part of the rotation. This was fine by me as Beatles music is terrific. As a result of my “decade with the Fab Four”, I consider myself an inadvertent aficionado of their music. Even though my Bealtes consumption has dwindled off considerably, I can still tell you which albums most songs come from and would be a good “Who Wants to be a Millionaire” lifeline call if you were stuck with a Beatles trivia question.

All that to say, the Beatles’ music was the soundtrack to a good chunk of my life. There have been and will always be Beatles cover-bands. When I heard that a group called BEATLEGRAS was covering the Beatles music with a bluegrass approach, I was more than a little intrigued.

On July 31, 2010, BEATLEGRAS made their exclusive Chicago land debut at the charming Wilmette Theatre, a terrific venue for unique live events as well as movies. George Anderson (Bass/Vocal), Milo Deering (Mandolin/Fiddle/Vocal) and Dave Walser (Guitar/Vocal) took the stage and after a brief bit of charming banter they began to play. The crowd was there for reminiscing, delightfully receiving the Beatles songs as if they were dear old friends. This is the initial draw.

Pop classics quickly turned to into tightly delivered hoedowns. The crowd didn’t mind, as the playful transitions plugged the standards into a fresh musical energy source. It was well-executed and good fun. Then something extraordinary happened.

A resplendently complex jazz-metered intro began, lifting us up and out of this trip-down-memory-lane-with-an-Appalachian-slant. This was no longer a familiar oldie with a hook, but rather this was an inspired arrangement that transcended the already remarkable Lennon/McCartney composition. Ethereal violin movements floated over the splendidly syncopated improvisational bass line. This was not a simple combination of musical genres. George Anderson’s arrangement of Norwegian Wood re-imagined the atmospheric standard into a completely new incarnation.

BEATLEGRAS is no one-trick-pony, but rather a collective of three tremendous musicians. In tuned with each other, their song choices and their musical deviations; they deliver innovation as well as homage. At their best, the music of the Beatles becomes the playground for these children from other musical times and other musical locations. They reinvent the swings and slides of this playground, bringing their own games to the park with brilliant bluegrass and exceptional jazz.

Hints of Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, echoes of Windham Hill artists and a touch of Leo Kottke can be heard but BEATLEGRAS its own unique musical creature.

A valid argument can be made that this is too much gimmick and the band needs to make up its mind. There is enough blatant audience pandering to make this observation stick, especially when they launch in the mercifully brief (albeit joyfully received by the audience) oldies medley of James Brown’s “I Feel Good”, Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” and the Monkey’s “I’m A Believer.” This was the band’s most obvious “K-TEL moment.”

This also illustrated the only sad aspect of BEATLEGRAS. That is; while working so hard to please the crowd with familiarity, the band sells its incredible musicality short. These are quite simply too good of musicians to resort to jukebox sing-a-longs. While the jazz and bluegrass they create are fantastic, the Beatles songs don’t always organically fit. Rather, they sound at times like an unnecessary justification. The few original songs that BEATLEGRAS share are wonderful. More of their own composition and more of the dazzling bluegrass/jazz fusion would make for a night of true musical genius. It is hinted at, often times even achieved.

BEATLEGRAS puts on an undeniably entertaining performance. The potential is there for a consistently beguiling show. These are extremely gifted and likable artists that need to trust themselves and their talent, pander less and play more. For the moments of true greatness though, and there are several, a chance to hear BEATLEGRAS should not be missed.

3 ½ STARS

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BEATLEGRAS concert images by Venus Zarris.

BEATLEGRAS: live in concert! @ Wilmette Theatre

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@ Wilmette Theatre