This week’s edition of Local Spins Live featured the Grand Rapids vintage rock band performing a couple of Stones classics on the air as it prepares for a Saturday extravaganza. (Podcast, video)
Loads of Fun: Hazy Past relishes the opportunity to uncork Rolling Stones classics.
For Hazy Past, embracing the music of The Rolling Stones – and playing their songs live – is all about the “raw grittiness of their music.”
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Getting Gritty: Hazy Past performing during Local Spins Live. (Photo/Anna Sink)
“It’s a lot of fun, especially that early ’70s stuff. We like to focus on a lot of slide guitar and especially deep in the blues like ‘Exile on Main Street’ songs,” said Brian Haik, guitarist and frontman for the Grand Rapids rock band which has made a name for itself in recent years for performing tributes to classic rock groups such as Led Zeppelin and The Allman Brothers.
Hazy Past will unleash its take on The Rolling Stones – including about half of the material on “Exile on Main Street” – at 8 p.m. Saturday at Rockford Brewing in downtown Rockford. Admission is free.
To pull off the special evening, the vintage rock band – Haik (formerly of Afro Zuma, Skankadank), bassist Mark Svekric (Arganik, The Willeys), multi-instrumentalist Lee Bristol (Badenya Drum Ensemble), keyboardist/guitarist Tim Bober (Afro Zuma, Oracle, Skankadank) and drummer Tim Maletic (Afro Zuma) – will also feature special guests Rolly Smith on saxophone and Jamie Kosmicki on vocals. (Devin Weber from Devin & The Dead Frets is expected to join in as well.)
PODCAST: Local Spins Live with Hazy Past
The band visited Local Spins Live on News Talk 1340 AM (WJRW) this week to chat about the project and perform a couple of songs on the air. Listen to the podcast here; check out a video below.
On the Air: The band during this week’s episode of Local Spins Live. (Photo/Anna Sink)
With the popularity of tribute bands soaring in recent years, especially those covering classic rock outfits, musicians such as those in Hazy Past are finding real joy and inspiration in revisiting and embracing the music of these influential artists.
“I really think it’s awesome,” said Bober, who’s been performing with Hazy Past for more than six years. “These are some of the most fun projects that I do … It’s a load of fun.”
Indeed, the band’s Allman Brothers tribute was so much fun for the audience, that Rockford Brewing co-owner Seth Rivard asked the band to consider other tribute shows, including Led Zeppelin and The Rolling Stones. The band already had performed 1972’s “Exile on Main Street,” from start to finish, at Founders Brewing in 2012, so expanding that tribute to include other Stones tunes wasn’t a stretch.
Get more information about Hazy Past on its Facebook page and details about Rockford Brewing’s entertainment lineup online at rockbrewing.com.
VIDEO: Hazy Past, “Loving Cup” (The Rolling Stones)
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