There was a relatively unknown group out of southern California that had credits on hundreds of top 40 hits in the ’60s and ’70s. The unheralded artists were an all-star cast of session musicians known as The Wrecking Crew.
By providing services for groups like The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, and The Monkees, the Wrecking Crew provided the soundtrack to North American life in their era. And on Saturday, May 7, Hermann’s will host a tribute to The Wrecking Crew made up of local multi-instrumentalists who call themselves The Demolition Gang.
The Demolition Gang’s Gordon Lee Worden plays the keyboard and the mighty 12-string guitar, which he says really is the sound of California; he’s always loved The Beach Boys and The Byrds and anything with that California sound.
“Even though none of [the musicians] were actually from California, it sounds like sunshine and palm trees,” Worden says.
Worden says that because there’s such a wide expanse of songs by these studio musicians, it makes for a really interesting show.
“For the people who come through the door, we can guarantee that they’ll have a great time,” says Worden. “We draw from Ritchie Valens to The Association to The Carpenters, The Beach Boys… There are just so many songs you can do because it was the same musicians playing on every track.”
Worden, who grew up in Nanaimo, recently moved back to the Island after living in Nashville and spending about 12 years on tour with Victoria’s Ian Tyson (It’s not The Demolition Gang’s only claim to fame: drummer Bob Moffatt used to play in BC popsters The Moffatts).
“I toured around there and played a lot in downtown Nashville and COVID hit,” says Worden. “I spent about a year doing nothing and then figured I should just come home and hang out with my mom and watch my nephews play hockey. It seems like there is a lot more going on than there was when I left 14 years ago. Victoria seems to be really buzzing right now.”
So far, Worden says Saturday’s show is likely a one-off while they dust their instruments off after a two-year break.
“[The Demolition Gang guitarist] Kelly Fawcett is kind of the one who had his foot in the door at Hermann’s,” says Worden. “He approached me and it just kind of built itself from there.”
Fawcett says that the room will be filled with big local harmonies backed by some of the best musicians on the island.
“Honestly, we’ve got a great band,” says Fawcett. “We’re gonna be swapping off on bass and guitar. I love the music and I love having that range of musicality as opposed to focusing on one thing. They’re all interesting tunes and I’m having a blast checking them out. I think it might be interesting to be here and see the band pull it off. We’re trying to pay homage to the unsung heroes, to the geeky dudes that recorded in the studio and made the magic happen.”
There’s going to be an afternoon show for students that Worden says was designed with a younger audience in mind.
“They will for sure know the songs,” says Worden. “We made our setlists around the different shows. We’ll have some deep cuts that we’ll save for the night show, but the big hits will all be played for the students in the daytime because it’s a shorter show.”
In terms of venues that are supportive of the music community, Fawcett says Hermann’s is one of his favourite spots.
“Hermann’s allows musicians and audiences alike to go and listen to music where that is the focus,” says Fawcett. “You’re not going there to shoot pool or pick fights. We’re all there to listen to music. It has so much history. Wynton Marsalis has been on that stage. So many great players have graced the stage at Hermann’s and there’s just a magic in the room itself.”
The Demolition Gang
Special student matinee, 1:30 pm Saturday, May 7
$10, Hermann’s
Regular show, 7 pm Saturday, May 7
$25, Hermann’s
hermannsjazz.com