Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 We've been touring with one of my favorite songwriters and performers ever, and I do mean ever. I don't know how many of you are familiar with Peter Case, but he's one of those guys who's always flown just under the radar in spite of being just an incredible talent. Most people who've heard of him at all seem to know him as the former frontman for the Plimsouls, a seminal 80s L.A. power pop band who had a hit with "A Million Miles Away" back in 1983. Not everyone realizes that Peter's solo career since the Plimsouls split in 1985 has been even more remarkable. He's been nominated for 3 Grammys, he's rated as a favorite songwriter by people like Springsteen and Elvis Costello and Richard Thompson, he's shared stage and studio with more luminaries than you can imagine. And yet... a lot of people still don't know who the hell he is. Until they see one of his live shows, that is... then they don't tend to forget, after that. I've been seeing the guy perform in various incarnations for about 30 years now, and his live performances have never failed to blow me away. So, needless to say I was kind of psyched when he asked me if my band could be his backing band for the southeast dates on his latest tour. He's been touring solo for lo these many years, so it's unusual for him to have a band these days anyway, but hey - if he's going to, I say it might as well be us. And, indeed, we've had an absolute blast, and the shows have been really well received! We have one more gig booked in Nashville, on Friday, and after that, who knows... but it's been an amazing time. A few photos from our show in Charlotte, NC... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Here's some audience video from our show here in Atlanta. It was at a venue that normally features acoustic music, so we had to rein it in a little compared to some of the other shows, but you get the idea. "Old Blue Car"[YOUTUBE]cJdqn_T1jt8[/YOUTUBE] "Somebody Told the Truth"[YOUTUBE]hvq2_4jlPI8[/YOUTUBE] "A Million Miles Away"[YOUTUBE]Xl6LWazzLEI[/YOUTUBE] "Banks of the River"[YOUTUBE]Prj81qiaDVU[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Also, Peter's label asked him to do a little promo announcement for our show in Carrboro, NC, so we did this in my living room (shot on my iPhone): [YOUTUBE]Vr5JioBktpg[/YOUTUBE] Then we figured, maybe they could use something more serious, too, so he did this song from his new album... love this song. [YOUTUBE]ygPfPytoh9M[/YOUTUBE] Last but not least, while we were visiting the label headquarters in the wilds of North Carolina, I decided to do a little "Behind the Music" video. Warning: not safe for work, small children, or much of anyone really. [YOUTUBE]8CkYX-ZWll8[/YOUTUBE] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sharkbait Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Very cool, good for you! I actually searched for and checked some of these performances out when you mentioned the tour here a few weeks ago- wanted to see what sort of music the contributor of all those consistently rational HC thread responses made. You guys sounded great. Nice Siamese in the background too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Thanks! Yeah, my dog and cats have a way of sneaking into most photos, video and whatever else... they've been on our studio recordings, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kmart Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Very cool. Know his music quite well, and Million Miles Away is in our current active playlist, in fact. Congrats on a sweet series of gigs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 A lot of pretty weird {censored} happened on this tour... well, Peter has a way of being a magnet for weird {censored}. The show we were supposed to play at the Carrboro Arts Center (as mentioned in the above video) didn't happen because the venue had an electrical fire the day before the gig. Took out some of the power and all of the HVAC. Amazingly, the Arts Center folks were able to relocate the gig to another venue - even though the gig was on a Saturday night and it was on one day's notice. So, instead we did the show at The Cave in Chapel Hill. Actually worked out really well, because the crowd were largely college age kids who just wanted to get drunk and rock. So we were happy to oblige them! And they went berserk. We were constantly getting shocked by the mics and a few other technical difficulties, but it didn't take long to just forget about all that and go for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember the Plimsouls, and the guys I was playing with at the time and I listened to them a lot. Peter Case looks a lot different, but I guess we all do. Funny, a conga player I know who lives in LA just posted on facebook about also doing some gigs with him recently. Super great gig for you and your band Lee. Congrats!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Unfortunately, I'm old enough to remember the Plimsouls, Why unfortunately? I'm glad I was around to see them! I actually sat in with the Plimsouls at their last gig before they split up. New Year's Eve 1984-85. Crazy. Peter Case looks a lot different, but I guess we all do. I don't much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cooterbrown Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 A lot of pretty weird {censored} happened on this tour... well, Peter has a way of being a magnet for weird {censored}. The show we were supposed to play at the Carrboro Arts Center (as mentioned in the above video) didn't happen because the venue had an electrical fire the day before the gig. Took out some of the power and all of the HVAC. Amazingly, the Arts Center folks were able to relocate the gig to another venue - even though the gig was on a Saturday night and it was on one day's notice. So, instead we did the show at The Cave in Chapel Hill. Actually worked out really well, because the crowd were largely college age kids who just wanted to get drunk and rock. So we were happy to oblige them! And they went berserk. We were constantly getting shocked by the mics and a few other technical difficulties, but it didn't take long to just forget about all that and go for it. College kids usually go for the cool, old, wisened hipsters. I wish y'all could have come to Auburn or Birmingham. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 I wish y'all could have come to Auburn or Birmingham. We still might. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChordGirl Posted September 6, 2010 Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 SWEET, Lee! If y'all ever decide to swing north a bit towards St. Louis, check out Beale on Broadway, which is known for roots rock and blues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 6, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 6, 2010 Peter did play in St. Louis, at a place called Off Broadway. He did that one solo I believe, or might've had a local percussionist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MartinC Posted September 7, 2010 Members Share Posted September 7, 2010 That a better way of looking at it for sure:thu: Must have been a great gig back then and very cool that your playing with him again. Why unfortunately? I'm glad I was around to see them! I actually sat in with the Plimsouls at their last gig before they split up. New Year's Eve 1984-85. Crazy. I don't much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Christhee68 Posted September 7, 2010 Members Share Posted September 7, 2010 Nice video clips. That looks like a pretty tight band. Well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gtrbass Posted September 8, 2010 Members Share Posted September 8, 2010 Lee, Congrats on a summer excursion with a remarkable guy like Peter. I've done shows with him back in the Madame Wong's West days (God, I am getting old). He is truly great!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Lee Flier Posted September 24, 2010 Author Members Share Posted September 24, 2010 Lee, Congrats on a summer excursion with a remarkable guy like Peter. I've done shows with him back in the Madame Wong's West days (God, I am getting old). He is truly great!!! (oops just now seeing this post) Yeah, he seriously is (and Madame Wong's West... ha). "Remarkable" is a good word. He's always had so much energy and passion, and these days he seems to have cranked that up a notch, even, having had a narrow brush with death a year and a half ago. I see in your location that you're "planning to escape from L.A." - bout time. Where you planning to go? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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