From Led Zeppelin to Stevie Wonder, the 1970s offered a revolutionary and eclectic array of music unlike anything before or since. A tribute concert, CultureFix’s What’s Goin’ On, pays homage to that era at the Kimball Theatre Saturday night, featuring the Michael Clark Band, Jonny Waters and Co., On the Verge and the Hark.
“The ’70s is definitely my favorite era in music, without a doubt, hands down,” said Liana Dagmar, the Hark’s vocalist, praising the absence of contemporary music staples like electronic sounds and voice altering. “I think that the sound is true. The rock ‘n’ roll and the music of that time and times before that was very pure.”
Dagmar and her band take influence from the likes of Queen, Zeppelin and Barry Manilow. She lauded the technique and prowess of her guitarist, David Waltrip.
“He can play anything,” she said. “He can make one guitar sound like a symphony.”
The Hark’s sound complements the groovy funk and soul influences of the Michael Clark Band, who will cover artists such as Stevie Wonder and Earth, Wind and Fire at Saturday’s concert.
“They’re fabulous,” said Danny Lubertazzi, the guitarist and vocalist for On the Verge.
His band, formed in 1990, plans to take on the likes of Jimi Hendrix and Marshall Tucker at the tribute show.
“The songs, they’re just going to stand the test of time,” Lubertazzi said, critiquing the inconsequential “bubblegum stuff” he said populates the radio today. “I just enjoy the ’70s style of music, so this is perfect for me.”
He praised the creativity, spontaneity, melody and dynamics of the music of his youth, when he would hear new releases from the Allman Brothers or the Outlaws and learn to play those songs as quickly as he could. He and On the Verge keyboardist Tony Cicero have been playing together since 1978.
What’s Goin’ On is the culmination of decades of music appreciation and plentiful practice.
“It’s going to be a neat night,” Lubertazzi said. “I’m playing with some really great guys.”
Dagmar was equally excited about the show, eager to share the music with the audience.
“I hope that they take away a sense of excitement about music, nostalgia about the era and if they’ve never been introduced to the music, I hope the introduction will be a fantastic one,” she said.
Want to go?
What’s Goin’ On goes down 7 p.m. Saturday at the Kimball Theatre. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, available online at bit.ly/2gNL2MG.
Birkenmeyer can be reached by phone at 757-790-3029.
