Simon at Sundance

[Brian Cady]

>From The Clarion-Ledger at:
http://tinyurl.com/3bapm9

 
Who are you? Simon Townshend reveals another side at Sundance
By Anita Modak-Truran
Special to The Clarion-Ledger

The Star Bar on Main Street in Park City, Utah, feels like a neighborhood pub.

Pleasantly familiar, cozy and warm, it's one of those places where everyone knows your name - or at least can read it off your Sundance pass. (Most people milling about Main Street establishments have Sundance Film Festival credential hanging around their necks. Half the fun is seeing if you can read who they are.)

In its ninth year, the American Society of Composers, Authors an Publishers hosts a stellar lineup of musicians who rock the stage and razzle dazzle the crowd at the Star Bar.

It's an ode to the collaboration between music and film.

Simon Townshend, younger brother of Pete Townshend and a familiar face to fans of The Who, headlined two nights at the Star Bar.

Accompanied by son Ben, Simon crooned beautiful ballads, strummed rock 'n' roll tunes to the stomp of his boots and received a standing ovation after a double encore.

A woman next to me wore a big smile the entire time Simon was singing.

She whispered, "I like him. He reminds me of a regular bloke at the pub. He's a good guy."

"Who are you? Who, who, who, who? I really wanna know ..."

Simon's a humble fellow, the kind of guy you wouldn't mind having a pint with and discussing the meaning of life. But he hails from British music aristocracy.

Dad was a saxophonist, Mum a singer and Pete a rock star. A bit more sedate than the guitar-busting Pete, Simon still can turn from the cool dude next-door into a rock star.

It's not about a black leather jacket paired with skinny pants. Simon's got his own flair.

"Music is what I know, what I do, what I want. I can't do anything else," he said.

Simon described his lyrics as subjective. I wasn't sure at first what this meant until I heard him sing Girl in New York, which is smooth, translucent, vulnerable and accessible. It's a quality that runs through his work.

Simon started writing music at age 9. By 13, he cut his first single, When I Am a Man. A year or so later, Simon sang the part of the Newsboy soundtrack for the rock opera film Tommy (1975).

More than 30 years later, with five critically successful CDs of his own music and after 10 years as a guitarist and vocalist in The Who, Simon wants to bring his music to film, perhaps even to a James Bond picture he jested from the stage.
 
-Brian in Atlanta
The Who This Month!
http://www.thewhothismonth.com

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