Sunday, April 25, 2010

“Meet the Beatles impersonator” plus 2

“Meet the Beatles impersonator” plus 2

Meet the Beatles impersonator

Posted: 25 Apr 2010 01:32 AM PDT


Of all of the fads and fashions of the 1960s, the music of the Beatles is one of the most enduring.

The iconic quartet's music has staying power due in large part to the remarkable ingenuity and growth of its two principal songwriters, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Without any formal musical training, they took the band in just five years from basic four-chord tunes to unexpected, imaginative harmonies and instrumentations that have influenced composers of all stripes ever since.

It's a remarkable musical journey that will be recounted Friday night at Powell Symphony Hall in a two-hour show that has the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra accompanying a quartet of Beatles impersonators in the "Classical Mystery Tour."

Jim Owen, the show's producer, also plays John Lennon. He offered a few thoughts on the program.

What's your musical background?

A — I came from a classical background; that's all I heard at home. I started with piano at 6; I wanted to be a classical composer. I heard the Beatles at 8 and I picked up a guitar. I did it the same way: somebody else's music, but played faithfully. I kept with it, and I'm able to do it full time and make a living at it.

How did "Classical Mystery Tour" come to be?

A — When the Beatles broke up in 1970, (people were) offering them astronomical amounts of money to do a concert, and wondering "Aren't they going to get together and record more things?" That's what gave rise to the Broadway show "Beatlemania": They decided to play to their popularity, with four people who looked, sounded and performed enough like John, Paul, George and Ringo.

In 1996, I decided how much fun it would be to play a lot of the music that the Beatles recorded with orchestra — and do it live, with orchestra. I play John Lennon; I play rhythm guitar, piano and do vocals. I'm able to make my voice sound pretty close to his. I think that's one of the things that sets the Beatles apart: their lead vocals.

Do you age in the show?

A — Yes, starting off in 1964, with their black suits. The show opens with an overture for orchestra, a medley of Beatles songs. We do our best with the costuming, wigs, the full regalia. I'm able to wear my own hair for the early John Lennon.

How far back do you go?

A — We touch on a couple of the early songs, but they're tough. There's not much orchestra, if any, and one thing we didn't want to do was arrange them for orchestra. We try to duplicate exactly what they did, changing for "Sgt. Pepper" and moving into "Magical Mystery Tour." After intermission, there's another costume change for the "White Album," "Abbey Road" and "Let It Be." We also do some of their solo songs, like "Imagine."

Who's conducting?

A — We bring our own conductor, Martin Herman. He's the one who did the really hard work of transcribing all our charts for us, listening to the recordings and writing it all down, note by note. I think it took him six or nine months to get the first batch done.

Is this your first time in St. Louis?

A — We played there a few summers ago. That time, it was with about 30 members of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra. This time we've got the full orchestra, one of the really great orchestras. I'm really looking forward to it.

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Paul is ... drunk? California Beatles impersonator Ted Felicetti busted for DWI

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 09:36 AM PDT

BY Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Saturday, April 24th 2010, 11:36 AM

Paul is dead ... drunk?

A California Beatles impersonator took a magical misery tour to a local lockup after his arrest for failure to appear on a DWI charge.

Ted Felicetti, who portrays Beatles bassist Paul McCartney, was busted Friday after a live appearance at a San Diego television station, said police in Carlsbad, Calif.

Felicetti, 54, played in the appropriately named "Help!" with three other ersatz Liverpudlians.

The cuffs went on just after the band finished its cover of "I Am The Walrus."

The bassist was singing a different tune - probably not "Drive My Car" - once in custody.

After posing for a mugshot, he was jailed on $130,000 bail for skipping out on his December 2008 court date.

Police said they tracked Felicetti down through the band's Facebook page, which advertised the appearance promoting an event this weekend.

For the record, the arresting officers were Corporals Scott Meritt and Tyler Mazzocco - with no help from Sgt. Pepper.

lmcshane@nydailynews.com

 

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The Beatles: Rock Band value bundle for 360 just $51 on Amazon

Posted: 24 Apr 2010 03:09 PM PDT
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