Rockin' roles

This was write-up about 3 tribute bands in our area.

Wittingly or unwittingly, these groups are tapping into an international phenomenon, one that was highlighted in the recent film Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg. The number of tribute bands is said to be in the tens of thousands worldwide. And it's not just the usual Beatles, ABBA or Elvis imitators: These days, bands are aping everyone from '70s punk greats the Sex Pistols to contemporary pop heartthrobs the Backstreet Boys.

What's behind the boom? "It could be an economic thing. People can't go into the city and spend $30 or $40 to see their favorite band," explains Lenny Mann, a California guitarist who launched a Web site devoted to tribute bands (www.tributecity.com).

A tribute band becomes a cheap alternative to the real deal. And in the case of groups inspired by artists from the '60s, '70s and '80s, it's a way for fans to celebrate a musical moment that has passed. "One would say the new music hasn't taken hold for some people," Mann adds.

But in the process, the idea of what constitutes a tribute band has changed. It's no longer just a group of guys in authentic garb, doing note-for-note replications of recordings. It's more about tapping into the spirit of a band -- and using that as a starting point for your own brand of creative expression.

In the case of the Santana Tribute Band, the brainchild of Delray Beach-based recording engineer Galo Rivera, there's also the ability to tap into a body of songs that begs for reinterpretation. After all, what is Santana but a great global jam band, one that fuses Latin and rock rhythms into an intoxicating musical stew? Rivera describes his seven-piece band's goal in much the same way as does the hippie-influenced Carlos Santana. "It's not a musical thing. It's a musical experience," says Rivera.

But Rivera also approaches the tribute-band phenomenon with a bit more of a businessman's logic. He's eager to get his group on the high-paying corporate-gig circuit -- and to do that, he makes sure to program not just Santana's classic material (Oye Como Va, Black Magic Woman), but also his recent hits (Smooth, Maria Maria).

And Rivera is willing to play up the whole copycat aspect, although in Santana's case, the look is easy to pull off. Just before a rehearsal begins, Rivera ducks into the bathroom, changes into a T-shirt and dons a black, Santana-style hat. "That's all it takes to be Santana, man," he says.

By Charles Passy, Palm Beach Post Music Writer
Thursday, May 2, 2002