PREVIEW
Acoustic Strawbs
Where: Hermann's Jazz Club
When: Tonight, 8 p.m. (doors 6 p.m.)
Tickets: $35.50 advance, $40 door (hightideconcerts.net, Lyle's Place, Ditch Records or 250-386-6121)
Mention "prog rock" and most folks think of bands like Pink Floyd, King Crimson or Yes.
Don't forget the Strawbs. True, they weren't as popular as some progressive rock acts. Yet the British group, admired for their folk-influenced rock, had a following in the U.K. and North America.
They're the kind of band that attracts ultra-devoted fans. A U.K. site, strawbsweb.co.uk, chronicles the Strawbs' movements - both past and current - with fanatical zeal. (Wondering what the March 28, 1973, set list from New York City's Bottom Line was? That's the place to look.)
It's a pared-down Strawbs - the so-called Acoustic Strawbs - that touches down tonight at Hermann's Jazz Club. This is a trio version of the group featuring original members singer/guitarist Dave Cousins, singer/guitarist Dave Lambert and singer/bassist Chas Cronk.
Lambert and Cronk were there in the Strawbs' 1970s glory days. Cousins cofounded the band in 1964. It was originally a bluegrass group known as the Strawberry Hill Boys (later shortened to the Strawbs). Over their career, the Strawbs collaborated with many soon-to-be-famous folk. Former members include Sandy Denny (later of Fair-port Convention) and Rick Wakeman (later of Yes).
Cousins, phoning recently from a Toronto tour stop, said he still remembers the last time the Strawbs played Victoria. It was 1975 at the old Memorial Arena.
"I remember it was bitterly cold and there was a lot of snow," the 67-year-old said. "But it was a very pretty town."
Cousins maintains the Acoustic Strawbs trio is likely the best version of the Strawbs to date. It's partly because the toned-down volume allows audiences to hear the lyrics. And there's more intimate interaction with the crowd.
"The musicianship is very tight. The harmonies are very tight indeed. I tell stories to the audience ... give them the backgrounds to the songs," he said.
In 1979, Cousins gave up being a full-time professional musician and songwriter. He went into the radio business. He eventually became managing director of a station in southwest England, overseeing a staff of 32 employees. Over 20 years, he played rarely and wrote only seven songs (Cousin has penned 300 in total).
Ironically, it took a sprained wrist to get him back into music. In 2000, he'd stepped down from his radio career. One night, when his wife was away visiting relatives, Cousins visited a pub in the town of Deal, in Kent, where he lives. Returning home after too many pints, he tripped and hurt his arm.
Around this time, Cousins had returned to music in a low-key way, playing pub shows with former Strawb Brian Willoughby. He told Willoughby he'd have to cancel an upcoming gig because of his injury. So Willoughby contacted another former Strawb, Dave Lambert, to fill in.
After Cousins recovered, the three started to play as an "acoustic Strawbs" trio. When Willoughby dropped out, Cronk was enlisted, filling out the lineup that's coming to Victoria.
Cousins says what jumpstarted the trio's career was a three-night gig at the Edinburgh Festival. Encouraged by the audience's response, they recorded an album. The Strawbs were back. Since then, they've sold 100,000 albums on their own label.
"It's a totally new career that I didn't expect," Cousins said.
Longtime fans make up the bedrock of their following. Couples often approach the Strawbs after shows to reminisce. Typically, they'll say their music was the soundtrack for pivotal moments in their lives, such as weddings (particularly the songs Grace Darling and The Winter Long).
"I had some people come up last night, saying, 'My mother had a terrible stroke. And I cuddled her in my arms for two or three hours, and sang her the words of your song, over and over again. Gradually, she began to recover,' " Cousins said.
