All-star musicians come together to revive Big Star's 'Third'
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| Posted on April 24, 2016 at 07:39:54 | ||
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TONITE IN SF By Aidin Vaziri April 20, 2016 The Posies' Jon Auer (left) and Ken Stringfellow are among an all-star band of 37 reviving Big Star's "Third." Big Star, a Memphis band that lasted from 1971 to 1974, never got the attention it deserved. But every few years, a group of musicians who are deeply indebted to the group's mix of Southern rock and dirty boogie come along to loudly sing its praises. On Sunday, April 24, the Fillmore will host an all-star tribute to the group's multilayered "Third" album, featuring an ensemble headed by the group's only surviving member, Jody Stephens, that includes R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Chuck Prophet, Wilco's Pat Sansone, John Vanderslice, the Kronos Quartet and others. We spoke with Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer of the Posies, who helped organize the concert and for years performed as auxiliary members of Big Star. Q: You started playing with Big Star in 1993, the first time the group was rediscovered. Are you surprised it's still going more than 20 years later? Ken Stringfellow: Musicians understand the quality of that music and the criminality of a band that didn't get its due. It's so improbable that Big Star didn't break through. The recordings are incredible. The music is incredible. The songs are incredible. Jon Auer: Someone seriously dropped the ball back in the day. Q: There seem to be a lot of parallels with the Posies story. KS: The difference is we sold half a million records. Yes, we will potentially never be a household name; we're definitely a band for musicians. JA: We were outside of what was happening because we came out in the era of grunge. We didn't scream enough. Years later, there were bands on Sub Pop like the Shins and Death Cab for Cutie. Q: How difficult is it to pull off an all-star concert like Big Star's "Third"? I imagine there are quite a few emails flying around. KS: There's two sides to it. There's the musical concept, which was by Chris Stamey. It was his idea. He picks the people and puts it together. I do all the logistics. I book all the flights and hotels. I find places for people to stay. I organize the personnel and crew. I've gotten 10 emails in the time we've been talking. It's relentless. There are 37 people in the band. Q: "Third" is already a complicated, multilayered album. How do 37 people find their place in the music? KS: There's a core band that generates the bulk of music. The classical players, and brass and woodwind have their parts. Then we have the guest singers. Q: What is it about that particular album that makes it ripe for reinterpretation? KS: I always found the album a little jarring, a little dreamlike. In the mix, a lot of the more chaotic bits are pushed to the front. We play the songs in a slightly more balanced context. It's not haphazard at all. There's an erudite way of thinking behind Big Star. They weren't just dumbass band dudes. JA: What's cool for me is watching people who didn't get into that record suddenly get it. These people are really doing it justice. It's so impressive to see. Aidin Vaziri is The San Francisco Chronicle's pop music critic. Email: avaziri@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @MusicSF Big Star's "Third": 8 p.m. Sunday, April 24. $30. The Fillmore, 1805 Geary Blvd., S.F. www.livenation.com.
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