IN CONCERT
What: Russell Earl Marsland and Lovestruck: A Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan
Where: Charlie White Theatre, Sidney
When: Thursday, May 17, 7:30 (doors at 7)
Tickets: $45 by phone at 250-656-0275, online at marywinspear.ca, or in person at the Mary Winspear Centre box office, 2243 Beacon Ave.
The idea for a tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan had not occurred to Vancouver鈥檚 Russell Earl Marsland before he was approached by a concert promoter.
鈥淗e approached me and said he saw something in me that I probably didn鈥檛 see myself,鈥� Marsland said with a laugh. The promoter, Murray McVay, was bang-on about one thing 鈥� Marsland didn鈥檛 see the connection. 鈥淏ut he was convinced.鈥�
Marsland was intrigued. He had all the work he could handle with Vancouver鈥檚 Rhythm and Blues All-Stars, which he co-founded in 1978, but said he would give the idea some thought. It wasn鈥檛 until the concept of playing a legendary blues figure met Marsland鈥檚 criteria that he signed on for the project, Lovestruck: A聽Tribute to Stevie Ray Vaughan.
鈥淚 made a deal with myself. It had to feel honourable and it had to be respectful, and not cheesy in any way. If I had any doubts, I wouldn鈥檛 do it.鈥�
Lovestruck differs from a lot of tribute shows in one strict sense. New Westminster-based Marsland, who turned 64 in April, is only six months older than what Vaughan would be had he lived. So Marsland plays Vaughan as he would be in 2018 鈥� not as he was, at age 35, in 1990, when he died in a helicopter crash. 鈥淚 wonder, what he would be like today? It鈥檚 an interesting position to stand in,鈥� Marsland said.
He chose the set list carefully, knowing that Vaughan devotees are among the most diehard music fans. He added some Jimi Hendrix and Dick Dale to the set, a tip of the fedora to a pair of artists who greatly influenced Vaughan鈥檚 playing.
鈥淚 try to turn it into a storytelling thing. We go on a little journey, and the journey starts with the Kings [blues legends Albert, Freddie and B.B.] and ends up with a bunch of things that maybe the audience doesn鈥檛 know about, in terms of his influences.鈥�
Marsland is an accomplished guitarist, so his first focus was on Vaughan鈥檚 playing. He found the right tone and feel, thanks to a replica of the most famous guitar used by Vaughan, a Fender Stratocaster with a 1963 body and a 1962 neck, complete with Vaughan鈥檚 initials in reflective lettering. Every detail and nuance of the replica was modelled after Vaughan鈥檚 original, right down to its unique nitrocellulose finish, Marsland said.
鈥淚 wanted to make the Stevie experience more realistic. It鈥檚 kind of eerie, because it even has Stevie鈥檚 signature on the back, like the original did, which he carved with a pen knife. When you look at it, it鈥檚 kind of creepy.鈥�
His performance tonight at the Charlie White Theatre in Sidney will be one of only a handful he has done under the Lovestruck banner. He debuted the project in January with four sold-out shows at Blue Frog Studios in White Rock. It was an emotional experience for both Marsland and the audience, which consisted of more than a few leather-clad bikers who were moved to tears at the memory of the blues great.
That was mission accomplished for Marsland. 鈥淭he idea of the show is to remember him, and let people know that he is not forgotten. The emotion that he rips out of those tunes, man, you鈥檝e got to own that as a performer.鈥�
It wasn鈥檛 difficult for Marsland to adopt Vaughan鈥檚 manner of playing, having played the guitar in various forms for close to 50聽years.
And having met Vaughan, Marsland had a bit of a feel for who the Texan was offstage, too.
But he wasn鈥檛 prepared for the physicality of Vaughan鈥檚 playing style. 鈥淗e was in a trio, so he was hitting all the guitar parts, while soloing on top and singing. He just never stops. He can鈥檛 stop. It鈥檚 like you鈥檙e being shot out of a cannon. After 90 minutes, you鈥檙e a pile of sweat.鈥�
