Tampa Calling

We all know the standard classic mixtape love songs – “Wonderful Tonight” by Eric Clapton,” Lionel Richie’s “Endless Love,” Stevie Wonder’s “Golden Lady,” “I Will Always Love You,” (Dolly or Whitney, you pick the version), “At Last,” by Etta James, most of the Beatles’ early catalog. But what about modern, 21st century love songs, i.e., those that came out after January 1, 2001?

Up until I started preparing this, I never really thought much about it, but surprisingly, I came up with a wealth of ideas, almost too many. The songs I thought up are not necessarily traditional ballads (though there are several), are not always romantic or saccharine or even very nice, do not always offer bold statements of devotion or everlasting ardor. But in each, the meaning is clear even if it isn’t always spelled out clearly.

“Fell in Love with a Girl,” The White Stripes, White Blood Cells (2001)
The song made stars of pasty, Detroit-based indie alt blues duo Jack and Meg White, both because it was nice and short and tasty raw, and because it has a really cool Lego video. Check it out, if you haven’t already seen it a few dozen times.

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How did my mom go from owning such a wide range of rock n’ roll records, from the Beatles to Black Sabbath, to devoting her ears solely to Celine Dion? Living in the land of oldsters and hipsters (some people are both), this question ultimately pervades every aspect of existence in Tampa Bay. Issues of marketed generation norms, like older people being more mild mannered and set in their ways and younger people experimenting with sex and drugs, maintain arbitrary divisions between age groups and sonic preferences. Generalizations of the 1960’s “Summer of Love” are quickly ripped to shreds in records by bored mutants like The Stooges. Their self-titled record in 1969 and Fun House in 1970 destroyed notions of the singular cultural experience by being nasty and unlearned instead of nice-sounding and well-trained. History has never been as cut-and-dry/black-and-white as we are led to believe. Likewise, our present continues to be very complicated.

All my life I’ve heard things like, “now that John Lennon could sing” or “Eric Clapton knows how to play real guitar music” or other such flapdoodle. People who make statements like those assume there’s a correct way to sing or play guitar, and other musicians who are inferior or get it wrong should do something else. Iggy Pop’s snarling vocals and Ron Asheton’s unsophisticated, immediate and exceedingly raw approach to the guitar challenged the notion of perfect technical skill as the ultimate goal in music. (Pictured: the late Ron Asheton, photo by Dena Flows.)

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Jacksonville’s Derek Trucks, 29, has established himself as the greatest guitarist of his generation: He’s a genre-hopping band leader/solo artist, key Allman Brother and while on tour with Eric Clapton a couple years back the kid named after Derek and the Dominos helped Slow Hand wonderfully recreate classics from Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Yeah, Trucks is the shit.

And so is his wife, Susan Tedeschi. She’s a feisty blues guitarist, an accomplished songwriter and excellent soul singer. Her new album, Back to the River, features her crushing on emotive originals – several cowritten with Trucks, who also lends his slide guitar fineness to the disc – steeped in the sounds of the Deep South. Tedeschi’s also a master interpreter of classic rock gems. One of the many highlights of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival 2008 was during the final moments when Tedeschi joined Derek Truck’s group for a tent-raising rendition of The Band’s “The Weight.” I get chills and a smile comes to my face just thinking about that very special performance.

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Repetition pounds rhythms and patterns into the human brain while pulsating through the body.  The rejection of complexity by bands like the Intelligence, which relies heavily on simple, grinding beats, guitars, keyboard, bass and exploding drums, represents a reaction against intricate learned music.  Rather than meandering schlock, the Intelligence favor lean, angular songs straight to the point and combine raw music with catchy tunes.  Intensity and conviction sloshed with simplicity fosters inspiration for new musicians: just look at the Ramones.  Still skoffed at in high brow music circles as unintelligent comic book schlock, they empowered more people to pick up guitars or drums or yowling than anyone of the top off my head.  Without specific or indoctrinated technical ability, these bands create more engaging rhythms than Eric Clapton could ever hope to pencil out after 10 years studying in a conservatory.

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Does the guitar god still got it? Judging by recent YouTube clips, especially from the tour Clapton did with Derek Trucks at his side, I think so. Let’s just hope he skips “Wonderful Tonight,” that annoying cover of “I Shot the Sheriff” and, well, pretty much everything from the 1980s — except “Pretending.” Always like that one the best when it comes to E.C.’s pop stuff. Pedal steel guitar whiz Robert Randolph, one of the most exciting live acts around, opens.

Here’s the skinny:

WHO: ERIC CLAPTON WITH: ROBERT RANDOLPH AND THE FAMILY BAND

WHAT: By the time Eric Clapton began his solo career with the release of his self-titled debut album in mid-1970, he was long established as one of the world’s major rock stars due to his group affiliations…

WHEN: SATURDAY, MAY 3, 2008, 7:30PM

WHERE: FORD AMPHITHEATRE
AT THE FLORIDA STATE FAIRGROUNDS TAMPA, FL

ON SALE: SATURDAY, MARCH 1, 2008, 10AM
AT THE FORD AMPHITHEATRE BOX OFFICE, www.livenation.com, AND ALL TICKETMASTER OUTLETS INCLUDING FYE AND SPEC’S MUSIC. OR CHARGE BY PHONE:
TAMPA: (813) 287-8844
ST PETE: (727) 898-2100
CENTRAL FL: (407) 839-3900

PRICES: $125.00, $85.00, $70.00 & $49.50 – RESERVED SEATS
$29.50 – FESTIVAL LAWN
All dates, acts and ticket prices are subject to change without notice. All tickets are subject to applicable taxes, and service and handling charges.

WEBSITE ADDRESS: www.livenation.com.