The Spin Doctors are a perfect example of the old rock ‘n’ roll axiom that if you tour long enough and hard enough, eventually you’ll break through. With some 500 gigs under their collective belt since the release of their 1991 debut album “Pocket Full of Kryptonite,” the funky foursome watched their tireless roadwork pay off as the album went on to sell more than 3 million copies in the U.S.
The New York-based group will headline a bill Saturday at the World Music Theatre that also features the Gin Blossoms, Cracker and Vinx.
It took a while, but album rock radio eventually fell in love with the singles “Two Princes” and “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” which, like many of the Doctors’ tunes, feature vocalist Chris Barron free-associating over bassist Mark White and drummer Aaron Comess’ funky grooves, while guitarist Eric Schenkman adds some bluesy grit. In fact, the album was so successful that the resulting roadwork sidetracked the band from returning to the studio for a follow-up. Released in the interim to placate the band’s hard-core fans was a live album.
After finally taking a break from the stage, the band came up with the newly released “Turn It Upside Down.” While the album probably won’t make converts out of those who have labeled their style as “suburban funk,” it ought to please the growing legions of Spin Doctors fans.
“I was a bit worried about this album, because of everyone talking about the sophomore jinx,” said frontman Barron, calling from home. “By the end of the process, though, everybody was really psyched about the music we made. It was done in a really carefree, easy manner, and everybody thinks it sounds great. It feels really fresh, and there’s a lot of fun in the music. We went for a joyful sound.”
Barron needn’t have worried, as “Turn It Upside Down” cracked Billboard’s top 50 chart within a few weeks of its release, and the first single, “Cleopatra’s Cat,” has already become an album rock radio hit.
The group’s massive success in the last couple of years also caused something of a problem. While the Spin Doctors had garnered a strong following since their formation in the late ’80s through playing clubs, suddenly they found themselves playing in front of huge crowds who had just discovered them. The transition was not without some problems.
“Last summer we had a storm to weather regarding our old guard and our new guard,” said Barron. “We were playing these huge places, and were discovering that a more coherent style of play was needed to be successful in front of 15,000 people. We were also having some problems with our old guard, who knew all of our old material. We found ourselves playing to 14,000 people who had never seen us before and maybe 1,000 who had. We had to stick to what we call our `white bread’ hits, the music that was familiar to most of the audience. Now with the new album out we’ll have twice as much recorded material to play.”
The other acts on the bill ought to give the good Doctors a run for their money. The Gin Blossoms’ radio-friendly hits “Hey Jealousy” and “Found Out About You” (as well as three “David Letterman” appearances) helped make their “New Miserable Experience” album a million-seller. The edgier Cracker have a winner with their “Kerosene Hat” album and its radio hits “Low” and “Movie Star.”
Other concerts of note
Stone Temple Pilots, the Meat Puppets and Jawbox, Friday at the UIC Pavilion: That Stone Temple Pilots’ new “Purple” album immediately hit the No. 1 spot on the album charts tells you more about hype and marketing in rock ‘n’ roll these days than artistic merit. For those of you who have trouble telling the difference between STP and Pearl Jam, STP is the group whose lead singer was last seen with purple hair. Opening this sold-out show are Jawbox and the Meat Puppets-the latter act a key influence on many of today’s so-called “alternative” rock groups.
Sara Hickman, Friday at Schubas: Singer-songwriter Sara Hickman’s new “Necessary Angels” album on Discovery Records is aptly titled, as she enlisted the help of her fans/supporters/angels to help her buy back the master tapes to an album rejected by Elektra Records, which subsequently dropped her. Many of those songs have surfaced on “Angels,” an album that spotlights Hickman’s invitingly warm vocals and first-class songcraft. Highly recommended for fans of Shawn Colvin and Rosanne Cash.
The Tragically Hip, Friday and Saturday at Metro: Unfortunate name aside, the Tragically Hip have everything they need to achieve wider acclaim: memorable songs, a charismatic frontman in vocalist Gordon Downie and a powerful live show. All they need is a breakthrough song like fellow Canadians Crash Test Dummies’ “Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm.” Opening is Vancouver’s Spirit of the West. Friday’s show is sold out.
“Finnish Fever Tour,” Saturday at the Old Town School of Folk Music: While the idea of folk music from Finland may sound hopelessly esoteric, there’s nothing academic at all about the music of accordionist Maria Kalaniemi and the group JPP. With their five fiddlers, JPP in particular play an entrancing blend of classically based folk music whose melodies at times are reminiscent of traditional Irish and bluegrass music.
Vince Gill and Patty Loveless, Saturday at Poplar Creek: Vince Gill is country music’s current fair-haired boy, a triple-threat as a singer, songwriter and guitarist whose dominance of the 1993 Country Music Association awards cemented his status in Nashville. That said, Gill’s penchant for ballads and mid-tempo tunes can make his show bit too low-key, making you wish he’d cut loose on lead guitar a little more often. Ultra-fine vocalist Patty Loveless most recently scored with the weeper “How Can I Help You Say Goodbye.” Opening is former Restless Heart singer Larry Stewart.
Stevie Nicks and Darden Smith, Sunday at Poplar Creek: Now devoid of both Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie, Fleetwood Mac has been reduced to an opening act for Crosby, Stills and Nash. My, how the mighty have fallen. As for Nicks, her new “Street Angel” album should impress disenchanted Mac fans with its accessible, radio-friendly fare. Opener Darden Smith is a first-rate singer and songwriter whose 1993 “Little Victories” album drew critical raves.
Freedy Johnston, Monday and Tuesday at Schubas: If you like people like Matthew Sweet, Jules Shear and Sam Phillips, Freedy Johnston’s new “This Perfect World” album will be precisely your cup of tea. While his music has an upbeat, jangly pop sheen to it, if you listen closely to his bittersweet lyrics you’ll find Johnston is, metaphorically, a long way from his home state of Kansas.
Iris DeMent, Wednesday at FitzGerald’s: The first time you hear Iris DeMent, you may think she’s putting you on with that hickory-smoke warble that sounds like something out of an obscure Appalachian Mountains hamlet, circa 1920. But DeMent is for real, and if you can get past her vocals you’ll be rewarded with some of the purest country-folk tunes you’re likely to hear, which, while contemporary, hark back to a less-complicated America.
