Back on December 14,2019, I was lucky
enough to be invited along to take pictures at Mr. Smalls Theater
when, The Clash tribute band, The Guns Of Brixton reconvened to
celebrate the fortieth anniversary of London Calling
being released.
The Guns Of
Brixton is loaded with players from various bands from different
parts of the Pittsburgh music scene. Witnessing load in and sound
check immediately made my aching back appreciate that I was only
there in a capacity to take pictures.
There were four
guitar players, a bass player, three singers, two drummers, a
keyboard player and a horn section with four or five people. Damn
near every microphone and wedge monitor that could be found in the
building was put to use.
The
reasoning behind showing up with a small army's worth of musicians
was due to the task at hand of playing London Calling
from beginning to end. The Clash spared no track on the mixing board
when London Calling
was recorded and it was jam packed with so many sounds that if you
listen to the record carefully, you can hear the kitchen sink in the
mix.
Beings that I
wasn't even ten years old when The Clash broke up, I did not have the
opportunity to see them on the two occasions that the band came
through town. I have heard mixed accounts of both shows from
different people that were there so I'm glad that I still have the
mental image intact of what I think it would have been like to see
The Clash at the height of their powers.
Joe Strummer never
came through Pittsburgh with The Mescaleros and I did not have a
chance to travel to Cleveland or Washington DC when they toured in
the late 90s. Any excuse that I had for not making those trips was
rendered immediately regrettable when the man passed in December of
2002.
The
Guns Of Brixton opened the show with a set of songs off of The
Clash. A few songs in, it
became evident to me that the hours of practice over the weeks
leading up to the show were hours well spent. I was able to steal a
few moments from taking pictures to close my eyes and let the music
sink in while I listened.
Eleventh
Hour hit stage next and played Give 'Em Enough Rope
from front to back. I'm not sure who anybody in Eleventh Hour is but
the way they attacked those songs, I will definitely try to track
down what they do on a regular basis. They were another example of
what can be accomplished after several hours of practice.
After
a brief change over, The Guns Of Brixton came back out to fulfill
their mission of playing London Calling. From “London Calling” to “Train In Vain,” being in a room
while those songs were being played live was mind bending. I have
several hours of Clash bootlegs, from almost every era of the band,
and none of them have the dynamic range compared to actually being in
the room while it was happening.
As much as the
glut of cover bands in the Pittsburgh area drives me crazy, that is
not the intention of The Guns Of Brixton. They aren't going from
watering hole to watering hole playing the greatest hits to scrape
together beer money. They get together once every several years to
honor Joe Strummer and The Only Band That Matters. Whether people
were in the band or in the crowd, almost everybody in Mr. Smalls that
night had The Clash in their DNA and needed to hear the music treated
with the reverence it deserves.
For me, Joe
Strummer and The Clash loom large over my life and who I am as a
person. If the man were alive today, I can't help but think that
he'd be leading the charge against the awfulness that seems to be
surrounding us. In his absence, it's up to all of us to figure out
how we're gonna come while they're kicking at our front door.
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