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Vinyl Music Hall rocks with Parr and GWAR

11:11 PM, Apr. 12, 2012

Written by

Michael Smith

GoPensacola.com

Filed Under

TOP 10

Jason Cook, Offshore Mate/Unlic engineer
1. "All Eyez on Me," 2pac.

2. "Greatest Hits," Foo Fighters.

3. "Wonder What's Next," Chevelle.

4. "A Beautiful Lie," 30 Seconds to Mars.

5. "Habits," Neon Trees.

6. "Tonight," Silk.

7. "Only by the Night," Kings of Leon.

8. "Sixteen Stone," Bush.

9. "Weezer" (aka "The Blue Album"), Weezer.

10. "Inkeeping Secrets of Silent Earth: 3," Coheed and Cambria.

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Share your all-time Top 10 favorite albums with the world! Email your list to pnjmusic@yahoo.com.

Saturday, John Parr performs at Vinyl Music Hall, 2 Palafox Place. The English-born artist has written with Meatloaf, toured with Tina Turner and wrote Roger Daltrey's biggest solo hit, "Under a Raging Moon" (a tribute to The Who's drummer, Keith Moon).

Parr's greatest contribution to pop culture is his biggest solo hit, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)," which topped the charts in 1985.

Parr explained the creation of his '80s classic.

"I wasn't getting very inspired by the movie to write the lyrics," Parr said.

Songwriting partner David Foster showed Parr a video of Rick Hansen.

"He had recently been disabled and was going to wheelchair around the world to raise money for spinal cord injury research," Parr said. "It was called the 'Man in Motion' tour."

Parr told Foster, "We have to write a song for him and put it in the movie."

The film company thought the song was about their movie, "but really, it's about Rick Hansen," Parr said. "The rest is history."

Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Saturday for the all-ages show. For details, visit www.vinylmusichall.com.

Bloody good fun

Leave your good clothes at home on Monday, because GWAR is invading Pensacola. Expect a bloody mess of metal as Oderus Urungus leads the band that has been raising a satirical mirror to the face of humanity since 1984.

With albums like "We Kill Everything" and "Lust in Space," the group's larger-than-life concerts take special meaning on this tour.

"It is a tribute to our departed brother Flattus Maximus," said Dave Brockie, the man behind the monsterous Oderus, referring to guitarist Corey Smoot, who died last year.

Brockie also promises a night of heavy rock.

"We're looking forward to your stinking hot, miserably humid, filth-ridden, nubile alligator wenches and swamp juice," Brockie said. "We love playing Florida!"

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Monday for the all-ages show. For details, visit www.vinylmusichall.com.

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Greenwell's inspiration

Last week, Grammy Award-winning artist, Tyler Greenwell discussed the Pensacola concerts and bands that influenced him on the road to becoming a member of the Tedeschi Trucks Band. Of all the shows he's witnessed, the greatest one took place at 319 N. Tarragona Street.

"Man, that Distant Silence show at The Handlebar, I'll never forget that," Greenwell said of the show at the local landmark. "That was one of the first concerts I ever went to. That changed my life."

Greenwell described the event.

"The energy was intense," he said. "They just were bleeding and sweating, going for it. That was the first show and probably the greatest show. Jimmy Lamar just blew my face off. That guy is the reason I play drums. I got a drum set after that show. I begged my mom for a drum set and she made it happen. And that's all I've done for the past twenty years."

Playing in local bands like WAVE, Greenwell joined Col. Bruce Hampton's band, which led him to Susan Tedeschi's band in 2006.

When discussing the city, musicians and concert that changed his life, Greenwell was filled with praise.

"Thanks to all of the musicians I've known and played with," he said. "I love all of them. I love Pensacola. Jimmy Lamar is still one of my heroes."

The Tedeschi Trucks Band performs next weekend at the Wanee Music Festival in Live Oak.

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