With 43 years of recording and touring experience behind them, Tower of Power announce their return to London with a headline show at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire on Sunday 18th November. Tickets available from www.alt-tickets.co.uk The group still garners rave reviews, and leaves the audiences dancing in their seats in the arenas, theatres, and outdoor venues they play year 'round. Melding soul, jazz, funk, and rock in a way no group ever has, the ten-piece outfit is, according to the Hollywood Reporter, "tighter than a clenched fist." The late great James Brown was quoted in HEEB magazine about Tower of Power, as saying, "There's no black group that plays my stuff as good as them." Well known in the '70s for tunes such as "What is Hip?" and "You're Still a Young Man," Tower of Power toured with Santana, Sly Stone and Credence Clearwater Revival, eventually creating traffic jams when they headlined their own shows. They performed on records with Elton John, Smokey Robinson, Rod Stewart, Aerosmith, and Dionne Warwick, influencing a generation of musicians (including Sting, who has told Emilio Castillo, founder of the group, that he once had a "Tower of Power clone band" before he formed The Police). In the 1980s, they backed Huey Lewis and the News, Heart, Eurythmics, and Little Feat, just to name a few. Tower of Power, after 40 years, is experiencing more popularity than ever before as they tour year 'round packing venues in the United States, the Pacific Rim, and all over Europe. Former Tower saxophonist Lenny Pickett, current musical director for the Saturday Night Live band, said, "TOP is the world's best rhythm and blues band." In reality, TOP's horn-driven, in-your-face sound is all its own. VibeRide was there to see Tower of Power raise the roof at Koko earlier this year and we had a blast. If you haven't seen Tower of Power before then get yourself a ticket for the upcoming gig in November because it'll be an experience you'll never forget! To give you a taste of what TOP are all about, check out our video below.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
listen to latest mix
follow on mixcloud
featured
mix tracklistsMy Life In Songs seriesview all gig reviews
Looking for something on the old VibeRide blog? Click here
|