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Leslie West & Co. Provide Peak Performance for Young Musicians on Their Way Up! A SoundPress.net Feature Article by Rich and Laura Lynch There was a legitimate legendary rock act in the house on Friday, April 28 2006, when Leslie West brought his Mountain to the Carl Pfeifer Performing Arts Stage in Wyckoff, New Jersey. Thanks to the opening performance by the troupe of students from "The School of Rock" there might have been several future rock legends in the house as well.
 Mountain circa 2006 in Wyckoff, New Jersey! Mountain has been touring extensively in 2006 to commemorate the 35th anniversary of their first release Climbing which contained their break-out hit, the AOR staple "Mississippi Queen". This was the first of their 3 gold albums and their hard driving approach went on to help birth the heavy metal scene while Leslie West's style influenced many other masters to come like Eddie Van Halen and Michael Schenker. Before this evening's 90-minute set was complete West had undoubtedly made an impact on several more aspiring guitarists. Joining West onstage was original Mountain drummer Corky Laing who commanded the audience's attention with his powerful double bass drumming technique still firmly in tact. Laing entertained all night long by throwing and popping out dozens of his drumsticks to the excited fans eager to catch a real piece of rock and roll memorabilia. Rounding out the lineup was Richie Scarlet on bass and vocals. West introduced Scarlet as a guitarist in his own right, although he wasn't going to let him show him up at a Mountain gig. Scarlet is a well-known musician who has toured with Ace Frehley and Sebastian Bach and has released several of his own solo projects as well. Throughout the show, this rhythm section and additional keys provided a powerful base for Leslie's loud licks and sonic chords that were presented at a high decibel level. Mountain is no stranger to the region having formed in New York City proper in 1969. In their first year as a group Mountain was invited to play at Woodstock, offering an hour-long set sandwiched between performances by Canned Heat and Janis Joplin. After an initial break-up the band reformed in 1973 but had trouble recapturing their initial momentum. Thanks to fellow New Yorker Howard Stern, himself a Mountain fan, Leslie West enjoyed a renaissance of sorts as a Stern Show regular on the popular morning radio program - often performing live on the broadcast as a solo act or with a band. Mountain opened their show with a strong three song blast of "Never in My Life", "Mississippi Queen" and "Theme From an Imaginary Western" from their first album as if to commemorate and honor the significant plate of vinyl that launched them long ago. The latter momentarily veered off into an exploration of the theme from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" that was itself a spacey and nostalgic journey back to the seventies. Having gotten these mandatory numbers out of the way West went on to showcase a jazzier and acoustic side via several crowd pleasing covers that included "Hit the Road Jack" and "Summertime".
 Leslie West takes a break from the sonic assault for an acoustic number! "I wish the president would listen to the words of this song," West said as he took center stage by himself for a respite from the blaring sonic assault to make a political statement with an acoustic guitar. He informed the audience that the band is working on an album of Dylan covers before playing a stirring rendition of "Blowing in the Wind" that featured a sing-along by some of the 600 in attendance. Shortly before launching into the final number West introduced his "best friend and partner for 35 years" Corky Laing to the crowd. Laing had just finished a drum solo in which he was attacking his kit, energetically knocking over cymbols and mic stands, keeping the roadie on his toes. The band then performed "Nantucket Sleighride" with West describing how the song was inspired by Moby Dick and the process of hunting whales. The "sleigh ride" was the trip that the harpooned and dying whale would take its hunters on in an effort to escape the inevitable. The live version included stirring whale sounds at the intro and the song included musical forays into Michael Jackson's "Beat It" and The Rolling Stones "Paint It Black". After a thunderous and foot stomping ovation the band returned for a one song encore of The Spencer Davis Group's "Gimme Some Lovin'" that ended Mountain's show on a festive and celebratory high note. Halfway through the show Leslie West took a moment to discuss his early experiences in the music industry. He described how when he was ten-years-old his mother wanted him to play guitar so "she could quit her job" so she sent him to guitar school. Later, his mother asked the teacher how his protege was doing and he said, "I don't think so." "I was crushed, I ate Oreos and Twinkies for the next three years," West said describing this early and traumatic rejection that probably helped lead to his mountainous proportions that he became known for. In his later teens Leslie formed a rock band, The Vagrants, with his brother and he described how he "dedicated" 15-20 minutes a day to practicing his chops for this outfit. Ultimately, they had an opportunity to see Eric Clapton's Cream at the Fillmore East together - a concert they experienced under the mind-altering influence of LSD. "Why don't we sound like that," West asked his brother, amazed by the tone and talent reflected by the vaunted English power trio. "Because we suck," was the brother's reply. West finished the story with, "So I practiced", before hitting the opening notes of the legendary "Crossroads" which contained ample blistering licks proving that practice pays off. Leslie's story about being a young musician - detailing how practice, passion and preserverance are important ingredients to success - was a perfect tie-in to the opening act which featured almost two-dozen aspiring young musicians known as "The School of Rock".
 Original Mountaineers Leslie West and Corky Laing! The Paul Green School of Rock is an interactive music school with the core belief that the best way to learn is by doing. Therefore, students at the School of Rock jump right in - playing loud and long with other budding musicians. The goal of the school is to help young artists recognize their potential and to get them out on stage playing live in front of as many people as possible. To attain the stated goals, Paul Green has established a highly competitive, challenging, yet thoroughly supportive environment. There are currently over a dozen Paul Green branches throughout the United States with one located in Hackensack, New Jersey. The students from that branch had the unique opportunity of opening for the legendary Mountain. Promptly at eight, a crowd of boys and girls, many sporting classic rock tee-shirts lined up at the front of the house as the first band of players took the stage. We were surprised to hear the opening chords to Pink Floyd's "Breathe" with two talented young ladies harmonizing on the leads. These kids were not playing simple three chord rock classics but started their set with a complicated Floyd song that they aptly handled. The show only kept getting better with different groups of students executing impressive versions of Rush's "Tom Sawyer", Black Sabbath's "Paranoid" and Deep Purple's "Highway Star". One of the best covers of the night was the Allmans' "Whippin' Post" - the young man sang with so much emotion and the guitar jams were fantastic that it earned them a well deserved standing ovation. There were at least three drummers who performed Friday night and all of them were powerful and they proficiently handled the dynamic rhythms that many classic rock songs require. The set closed on two high notes. The students tackled Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog" forcefully, as a pretty girl handled the sexy lyrics with passion. The last song of the school set was AC/DC's "Whole Lotta Rosie" sung by the youngest member of the ensemble. The charismatic nine year old took the stage and promptly whipped his shirt off and carried the song away with a commanding stage presence. Towards the end of the tune, the singer and one of the guitar players eased off the stage onto the shoulders of some of their fellow students, taking their singing and wailing on a romp around the venue. The performers from the School of Rock had a lot of confidence and many have already established a strong stage presence. We thoroughly enjoyed their show. It was fun to see these young people on their way up, bringing new energy to familiar classics, and winning over a group of hard core classic rocked fans who were genuinely impressed by their efforts.
 The talented kids from "School of Rock" entertained hard-core classic rock fans! Related Links: For more information on Mountain and the other organizations mentioned please visit the following links -- MountainRockBand.com | School of Rock East | RGiantMusic.com | WyckoffYMCA.org
(Originally Published on May 01, 2006) |
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