Singer-songwriter Kenny Loggins’ (see his story on page 17) favorite band is an alt-rock group, the Foo Fighters.
“It’s the smartest band out there right now. I love Dave Grohl’s voice. I love the melodic qualities and their chord structures are really smart. They remind me of a 21st century Police in the way they incorporate more complicated chords into a punk-and-metal format.
Formed in 1995 by ex-Nirvana drummer Grohl after that band dissolved following Kurt Cobain’s death, Foo Fighters turned a one-man project into a long-running and respected band.
The Foo Fighters will play Wednesday at KeyArena, touring with music from the complex 2007 CD “Echoes, Silence, Patience &Grace.” The single “Pretender” held the top spot on the Modern Rock chart for a record 18 weeks, the band’s third consecutive year to hit the top.
Rory Block: The contemporary country blueswoman always brings her A game to Seattle. She’s been singing the blues since she was 14 years old, by luck hitting the early 1960s folk-blues revival. A woman in a mostly male genre, Block learned from the best, including Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt and Son House. In the late 1990s, she won W.C. Handy Awards in four consecutive years, including Acoustic Blues Album of the Year.
Todd Rundgren: Progressive rock’s iconic singer-songwriter has been on the cutting edge for more than three decades. He’s reinvented himself a number of times, playing with a blues band, a garage band, psychedelic pop, experimental rock and progressive rock, even addressing cosmic themes.
Sara Gazarek: The Seattle native and vocalist is back for a two-night stand, complete with glockenspiel. Although she’s deep into jazz traditions, Gazarek feels comfortable enough to reach out to music of her generation. That shows in her selection for “Return to You,” which included contemporary standards by Leonard Cohen, Paul McCartney and Joni Mitchell.
One Hawaii: Several Hawaiian musicians are featured, including Keali’i Reichel, Na Leo, Ernie Cruz, Augie T. and Kaukahi. Na Leo is the most award-winning and highest-selling female Hawaiian group. Three childhood friends, now in their late 30s, are starting their 25th years in music and have released 19 studio albums.
Collective Soul, Live, Blues Traveler: Expect the rock-band trio to play familiar music, although Blues Traveler will play songs from “North Hollywood Shootout,” to be released late this summer. BT is best known for the hits “Run Around” and “Hook.” Collective Soul (“Shine”) has had several mainstream rock hits and still takes the keyboard-backed new wave path. Live has managed to keep its original musicians for more than 20 years.
Boston, Styx: No, Boston did not endorse Mike Huckabee during the primary, despite “More than a Feeling” being a campaign theme song. The rock band is still high on classic-rock radio on the strength of many hits, including “Amanda,” “Smokin’,” “Peace of Mind” and “Don’t Look Back” plus sales of more than 50 million albums. Styx has accumulated eight Billboard Top Ten singles but only “Babe” made the top spot. The band also has Top Ten singles in three decades, putting them in rarified company. Styx also has turned out a pair of million-copy singles, “Mr. Roboto” and “Babe,” although “Come Sail Away” may be more familiar.
Out and about: The three-year-old Beatles tribute band Meet Revolver performs hits from 1963-66, complete with classic wardrobe, accents and equipment (Saturday, Triple Door) … Saxman and composer Darren Motamedy, who has performed with The Rippingtons, David Lanz and Greg Adams from Tower of Power, performs in Shoreline-Lake Forest Park’s summer concert series (Wednesday, Acres Park, 206-417-4645) … The seven-piece Salsariba brings dance beats to salsa music, thanks to its founder Sammy Torres, who grew up around salsa and Latin rhythms in Peru (Thursday, Creekside Village Forum, Mill Creek) … Gary Reynolds and band perform slightly psychedelic indie-rock with a heavy pop twist (Saturday, Tractor Tavern) … Grammy-winning vocalist Steve Terrell starts a four-night stand Thursday (Jazz Alley).
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