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Travers & Appice

Live DVD

Review by Gary Hill

Anybody remember the power trio? Well, have to say that I do, and I generally found that when a power trio was on - they rocked! Well, these guys are on! Looking at the lineup it shouldn't really come as a surprise, though - the three men in question here are all awesome rockers.

The first of the two artists whose names grace the disc is Pat Travers. In the 1970's Pat Travers was one of the bluesy hard rocking guitar heroes who were so popular. For those who were listening to rock radio in those days he's probably best known for his live performance of "Boom Boom (Out Go The Lights)." The truth is, he always showed a lot of ability with the fret board, some tasty song writing and a certain musical ethic that set him above many of his compatriots. It's that sort of a true artistic element that he brings with him to this group.

Carmine Appice is the second name in the group, but that doesn't mean he's any less important - either in terms of his musical history or his contribution to this outfit. His first real band was the proto-prog Vanilla Fudge, but even with that illustrious beginning, Appice has never been content to rest on his musical laurels. He later was the drummer and co founder of two bluesy groove rocking bands Cactus, and Beck, Bogart and Appice in addition to working with other artists like Rod Stewart.

Rounding out the trio, although not listed in the name, is T. M. Stevens. In some ways he has the most impressive resumes of the bunch. In addition to his solo career (starting in the 1990's), his incredible funky bass talents have graced the music of such people as Joe Cocker, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Squier, The Pretenders, Billy Joel, Tina Turner and James Brown. The man can rock out with a killer funk sound and brings it all home on this release.

The group put in just what one would expect from them a killer, bluesy hot rocking show that really smokes. All three of these guys are among the best in their field, and this show is just plain hot! Most of the material here comes from their first studio album as a band, but they also include some tunes from all of their pasts including Travers' "Crash and Burn" and the quintessential "Boom Boom" and "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" from Appice's Stewart days. For those who like any of these musicians or the funky, bluesy groove of a classic power trio sound, this one is a must have. It is well filmed and you can't get a lot better than these three guys for this brand of rock and roll.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2005 Year Book Volume 3 at https://garyhillauthor.com/Music-Street-Journal-2005.

 
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