I spent the weekend at the Abbey Road on the River festival across the river from Louisville; if you're not familiar, you might surmise from the name that it's a Beatles thing. But it's expanded to encompass all the music of the 60s, much of the 70s, and a bit into the 80s.
Lots of Beatle cover bands, of course, from wig-and-suit bands of all Beatle eras (fewer wigs than in past years, I think), but also non-costume outfits that just play Beatles, some faithfully, others in reimagined arrangements. Usually a "real-thing" headliner or two from the era, some with few original members, others with more.
Probably 20-30 bands this year. You see a lot of gear. The most faithful Beatleers wield period-correct actual Beatle-associated instruments (some in original form, others reissue): Gretsch Jets, Gents, and Tennies; Rickenbacker 325s (and 4001 bass); Rocky-painted Strats, Casinos (both sunburst and stripped-to-natural, as the era dictates), an SG. No doubt a rosewood Tele for the Rooftop Concert set (though I can't confirm it). The players range from 20-something to old as the hills, but most of the cover bands try to stick to at least the look of the period instruments. You don't expect to see PRS.
But it turns out the actual bands-full-of-old-guys don't care about period correctness. So it was that headliners the Cyrkle ("Red Rubber Ball," "Turn Down Day"), took the stage with decidedly modern instruments. 79-year old lead singer/guitarist/head man Don Dannemann played a Jackson; another guitarist sported a Parker Fly - and the lead guy (probably a hired gun, but no spring chicken) played an SE Custom 22 Semi in Santana Yellow. Sounded good!
Lots of Beatle cover bands, of course, from wig-and-suit bands of all Beatle eras (fewer wigs than in past years, I think), but also non-costume outfits that just play Beatles, some faithfully, others in reimagined arrangements. Usually a "real-thing" headliner or two from the era, some with few original members, others with more.
Probably 20-30 bands this year. You see a lot of gear. The most faithful Beatleers wield period-correct actual Beatle-associated instruments (some in original form, others reissue): Gretsch Jets, Gents, and Tennies; Rickenbacker 325s (and 4001 bass); Rocky-painted Strats, Casinos (both sunburst and stripped-to-natural, as the era dictates), an SG. No doubt a rosewood Tele for the Rooftop Concert set (though I can't confirm it). The players range from 20-something to old as the hills, but most of the cover bands try to stick to at least the look of the period instruments. You don't expect to see PRS.
But it turns out the actual bands-full-of-old-guys don't care about period correctness. So it was that headliners the Cyrkle ("Red Rubber Ball," "Turn Down Day"), took the stage with decidedly modern instruments. 79-year old lead singer/guitarist/head man Don Dannemann played a Jackson; another guitarist sported a Parker Fly - and the lead guy (probably a hired gun, but no spring chicken) played an SE Custom 22 Semi in Santana Yellow. Sounded good!