| January 18th, 2006 04:24 PM |
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| Ten Thousand Motels |
Janis Joplin Birthday Bash set for Jan. 28
Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame to induct Beaumont’s Johnny Winter
BY AMY PEARSON SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL
The 19th Annual Janis Joplin Birthday Bash, due to Hurricane Rita, will take place Jan.28 at Lamar State College-Port Arthur, rather than at the Civic Center.
Something’s old, something’s new and something’s got a lot of blues at the 19th-annual Janis Joplin Birthday Bash Jan. 28, in Port Arthur.
This year, something old is Amby Martin, who will be returning to the Gulf Coast to give her "electrifying" rendition of Joplin tunes.
Something new is the venue: in the past, the birthday bash has always been held at the Port Arthur Civic Center, which was destroyed during the hurricane. This birthday bash will be held at the Carl Parker Multi-purpose Center on the campus of Lamar State College Port Arthur, 1800 Lakeshore Dr.
And something blue is none other than this year’s inductee into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame, Johnny Winter.
Winter, the "international ambassador for rocking Texas blues for more than 30 years," will not only be given a place of honor in this local museum, but he’ll perform for more than 90 minutes on the night of the bash itself.
WINTER
"It’s going to be great," said Don Ball, producer of the concert. "The bash is a Southeast Texas tradition that people love and enjoy."
Johnny Winter was chosen to be this year’s inductee into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame for his ties and loyalty to the area.
"And because of his excellent body of work," Ball said. "He’s had hit after hit, record after record and album after album."
For more than 30 years, Winter has rocked the country with Texas-style blues, including his Grammynominated "I’m a Bluesman." album from Virgin/EMI records. Winter grew up in Southeast Texas listening to J.P. Richardson on the radio and playing with his first band, Johnny and the Jammers. He befriended Clarence Garlow, a deejay at KJET in Beaumont and saw B.B. King perform at Beaumont club called The Raven. He went on to perform in Austin and around the country.
On Nov. 18 of last year, Winter and his brother, Edgar, were inducted into the Southeast Texas "Walk of Fame" at Ford Park for their contributions to music and their lifetime career accomplishments.
THE BEAT DADDYS
Evoking Janis herself, Nederland-native Amby Martin returns by popular demand to portray Joplin at the birthday bash. First appearing three years ago, the requests for a Martin reprisal have been frequent, Ball said.
"People have been calling and asking for her to come back." he said.
Martin, a 1989 graduate of Nederland High School and a former Queen of the Tulip Festival, now lives and works in Portland, Ore., where she has staged onewoman shows. Martin has toured with national productions of "Hi!" and has performed as a soloist and duet vocalist with the Oregon
Ballet Theater. Her self-produced solo shows have premiered in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, New York City, Amsterdam, Mexico and here in Texas.
But more importantly, Martin loves doing Janis and is looking forward to being home and performing for a local crowd.
"I’m excited to come home and share my art with the people I come from," she said in a phone interview from Portland. "It’s always good to be home again. There’s nothing quite like Janis in front of a crowd of people who love her."
Amby Martin will returns as the Janis Joplin tribute.
Martin has been somewhat of a lifelong study of Janis Joplin.
"I grew up with Janis," she said. "My mom loved her, so we used to sit side by side on the couch and watch her on re-runs. I could see my mom was enjoying it and I enjoyed it as a result."
But a 5-year-old Martin was somewhat frightened of the raw emotion Joplin exuded. But instead of letting that turn her off to the Southeast Texas songstress, Martin channels that energy and let’s the power take over.
"Doing a night of Janis Joplin is kind of like taking a razor blade to your throat," Martin said.
As someone who usually pampers her vocal cords and takes good care of her voice, Martin spends weeks preparing to sing Janis.
"I work my voice up to it," she said. "I sing at full volume every day to prepare. Janis was more of a possessed singer, not a trained singer. I have to take better care of my vocal cords!"
Although Joplin died about a month before Martin was even born, Martin has studied old television shows Janis appeared on and watched footage of her performing.
NAVASOTA-RIO
In fact, something struck Martin when she was watching Joplin perform at the Monterey Pop Festival.
"There’s a move she does as she’s leaving the stage," Martin observed. "It’s EXACTLY like the way the Port Neches-Groves Indianettes move off the field."
The move, a "Nativeperforming American style shuffle," was a favorite of the drill team’s in Martin’s day.
"I think Janis was inspired by the Indianettes," she said. "But you have to see the concert and judge for yourselves."
All the preparation and study can only take one so far, however. Right before Martin goes on, she "says a little prayer that Janis will be present in the room when I’m performing."
"And I think she has been," Martin said.
The evening wouldn’t be complete without some more Southern Blues. The Beat Daddys and Navasota-Rio will round out the event.
The Beat Daddys have been described as "Johnny Winter and Carl Perkins meet Bob Seger and Mitch Ryder." The band has toured with such artists at B.B. King, Delbert McClinton and Robert Cray.
Navasota-Rio, from Houston, is a diverse band of "hellbilly" musicians. An offspring of the 70s rock band Navasota, Lindsey Minter, Stephen Pahl, Darrell Owens and Mike Adair hope they’ve "supercharged" their original sound.
Tickets for the 19th-annual Janis Joplin Birthday Bash are on sale now and cost $20 ($23 at the door the night of the show) for adults and children under 12 are free. Advance tickets can be purchased at Swicegood Music, The Penny Record and the Museum of the Gulf Coast.
The show starts at 6:30 p.m. on Jan. 28, at the Carl Parker Multi Purpose Center. Johnny Winter’s induction into the Gulf Coast Music Hall of Fame will take place at 2:30 p.m.
[Edited by Ten Thousand Motels] |
| January 18th, 2006 04:29 PM |
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| Candace Youngblood |
Sounds like Queen of the Tulip Festival is a far cry from Ugliest Man on Campus.
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