It isn’t everyday that a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member comes to town. But when one as talented as Ian McLagan comes without much advance word, you have to worry if he’ll attract the sizeable audience he deserves.
McLagan was the keyboardist for Small Faces, huge British hitmakers of the late 1960s whose “Itchycoo Park” is an American Top 40 classic. After singer Steve Marriott left, McLagan, Ronnie Lane and Kenney Jones teamed with Rod Stewart and guitarist Ronnie Wood to start up Faces, one of the great British bands of the 1970s. Small Faces and Faces together were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2012.
So a lot of Rock & Roll history will be on stage with McLagan in his almost-solo appearance here (he’ll be joined by Jon Notarthomas, bassist with his backing group, the Bump Band).
But there will also be a lot of good new music. McLagan has been recording his own albums off and on for decades. But in 2009, responding to the death of his wife of 28 years in an auto accident, he made his best to date, Never Say Never, which is full of beautifully reflective and melodic songs. That caused Yep Roc Records, home to such mature but still-vital singer/songwriters as Nick Lowe, Robyn Hitchcock and Dave Alvin, to release McLagan’s new and excellent album United States. As a result, he’s busier and better now than anytime in recent memory.
A full interview with McLagan is on CityBeat's music blog here.
IAN MCLAGAN plays Southgate House Revival Wednesday. Tickets/more info here .
