Forty years ago this fall, the Beatles released what many feel to be their magnum opusóAbbey Road. To mark the anniversary, the Catawba College Vernaculars will perform all of Abbey Road live, something the Beatles never even attempted.
Audience members will have the added treat of enjoying the remarkable voice of Lisa Lowell, longtime background singer for Bruce Springsteen, as she joins the band.
Free and open to the public, the concert will be held in the Hedrick Little Theatre Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m.
Rare among college and university ensembles, the Vernaculars is dedicated to the performance of contemporary popular (aka vernacular) music. The group’s instrumentation includes lead and background vocals, electric guitar, bass, keyboards, and drums. Jimm Mosher directs the band.
Musical guest Lisa Lowell has had a long and successful career as a solo vocalist, songwriter, and rock n’ roll back-up singer. She has shared the stage with and appeared on records by BB King, Sheryl Crow, Stevie Wonder, Macy Grey, Jon Bon Jovi, Stephen Bishop, Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes, and a host of other well-known acts. While a successful artist in her own right, she is perhaps best know for her years as a back-up singer with Springsteen.
Two new Vernaculars will open Saturday’s show. First will be Urban Sol, performing a set of urban numbers, including “Bag Lady” by Erykah Badu and “Love Light in Flight” by Stevie Wonder. Technophobia will then take the stage with turntables and loops to scratch out their own set of music.
According to Dr. David Lee Fish, director of the college’s music business/popular music degree concentration, “Both of these new ensembles help fulfill Catawba’s mission to be musically inclusive in the fullest sense. The Abbey Road performance will include such well-known Beatles hits as “Come Together,” “Something,” “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer,” “Here Comes the Sun” and “She Came in Through the Bathroom Window.”
All Vernaculars performances are open to the general public free of charge. For more information about the Abbey Road concert or about how your organization can host its own Vernaculars performance,Dr. Fish at 704-637-4280 or dlfish@catawba.edu.