The Boy With the Amplifier Head feat. Sal Baglio of The Stompers ~ 2017 October 21 ~ 9 Wallis ~ Beverly, MA
Sal Baglio, vocals, acoustic and electric guitars; Jeff Keithline, acoustic bass, electric bass, vocals; Todd Brunel, saxophone, clarinet; Robert Rivera, cello; Dave Mattacks, drums, piano
Set List
[Sal solo] Happiness is a Warm Gun {Beatles} - Watercolors - Goin' Nowheres - American Fun {Stompers} - [Jeff joins] Ana Lee - A Fair - Susan Kissed Me On the Cheek - [Todd joins; Dave joins on piano] Whiter Shade of Pale {Procol Harum} ... intermission ... [full band] Star Boy - Boy With the Amplifier Head - Butterfly Twins - The Summer We Wore Clogs - She Wore Summer - Phone Call / Walk On By {Dionne Warwick} / Diamond in the Back {Curtis Mayfield} - Hobo Song - Train to Liverpool - 45
Review
Sal Baglio and his band played a two hour show showcasing his melodic and lyrical songwriting of the last twenty years. A half dozen songs came from the four solo albums that Sal has released in the 2000s, and others were songs not yet recorded. The band consisted of guitar, drums, electric and acoustic bass, clarinet or saxophone, cello, and piano on one song ("Whiter Shade of Pale"). There is a strong element of jazz in the way the "Amplifier Head" band presents Sal's creations. Todd Brunel's clarinet or saxophone is the lead instrument in many of the songs.
Sal opened the show with a short solo set that included covers of songs by The Beatles and by Sal's band The Stompers (a melancholy reinterpretation of "American Fun"), and a song that was sad and funny at the same time, an ode to Sal's native East Boston called "Goin' Nowheres."
Frequent collaborator Jeff Keithline joined Sal for the rest of the show on bass and vocals. Sal and Jeff have a fabulous vocal blend and a really nice rapport on stage. They played one song they had just written, a true story of Jeff meeting Susan Cowsill ("Susan Kissed Me On the Cheek"). They took a brief intermission and the full band joined for the rest of the show. A few of the songs toward the end of the show segued from a Sal original into a known classic of the rock 'n' roll era. Most of the songs were medium tempo, but there was one real rocker that I hope will make it onto a Sal recording, called "The Summer We Wore Clogs." The audience sang along enthusiastically on several of the songs.
Sal's band included four very talented musicians as well as himself. When introducing the band, Sal referred to drummer/pianist Dave Mattacks as the "world's greatest living Englishman." Turns out Dave was an original member of Fairport Convention. Stage manager Zeus, who usually helps with Stompers shows, was on duty, and Sal's wife Karen worked the merch table.
9 Wallis in the lovely coastal town of Beverly is a very nice place to hear a concert, with tables seating four arranged in front of the stage, and rows of seats along the side. This show was well attended, but not quite sold out, and I think for a sold out show the venue would feel crowded. The stage is a couple of feet off the floor, allowing good sightlines for all. There are numerous good restaurants within a few blocks of the venue on Cabot Street (Concert Going Partner and I ate in a Peruvian restaurant), but the venue also brought in pizza and subs from a nearby eatery.
More Sal
Here is a page with a handy list of links to all pages on this website with content relating to Sal Baglio and his band The Stompers.
Click for 2017 Concert Page with links to all 2017 concerts ... Click for Main Concert Page with links to all years