By Joe Viglione / recordreview2001@yahoo.com
Posted Sep 18, 2009 at 12:01 AM
Updated Sep 18, 2009 at 6:16 PM
https://www.wickedlocal.com/article/20090918/NEWS/309189316
Driving up Route 95 to the ocean on Saturday night, Labor Day weekend 2009, and off the exit to the road to Salisbury Beach, it was hard not to notice the big yellow neon sign that read, “Adam Ezra Group,” followed by another glowing post with the group’s name in lights as you headed onto Broadway and the beach area.
Driving up Route 95 to the ocean on Saturday night, Labor Day weekend 2009, and off the exit to the road to Salisbury Beach, it was hard not to notice the big yellow neon sign that read, “Adam Ezra Group,” followed by another glowing post with the group’s name in lights as you headed onto Broadway and the beach area.
And rock the beach this group did with frontman Adam Ezra on guitar and vocals, Malden’s own Josh Gold on keyboards, Robin Vincent Soper on bass and the mysterious “Turtle” on percussion.
Adam Ezra Group will be at the Mercury Lounge in New York on the Friday, Sept. 25 before they come back this way for the Calling Planet Earth Festival in Rhode Island on Saturday, Sept. 26 and Sunday, Sept. 27. For more details visit
myspace.com/adamezra
.
There was quite a crowd as the band played many titles from their myspace.com/adamezra page, and when a tune like “Basement Song” has 27,784 spins you know there’s something special happening with this hard-working touring ensemble.
Live on the ocean’s edge — quite literally as the fellows were on a stage with canopy that was directly on the main entrance to the water — Ezra’s appearance coincided with the reinvention of Salisbury Beach, a conscious effort by the town and its business community to bring to the area year-round entertainment. And why not? The town’s official Web site notes that the area, located “about 45 miles north of Boston on what is commonly known as the North Shore, is home to 7,800 year-round residents, many of whom work in local shops and businesses.”
So as Adam Ezra performed tunes like “Western Man” (with 32,627 plays on the MySpace as of this writing), I looked around and took “inventory” (to quote a line from the song) of Joe’s Playland and the exquisite club, The Upper Deck, which overlooks Broadway, the beach and the live entertainment staging area. If you were on the second floor at The Upper Deck you’d have a superb view of Adam Ezra Group...many a folk artist having performed on the deck itself during summer days at the beach.
The night was perfect for an outdoor rock concert, the percussive sounds and driving keyboards of the musicians like a contemporary Doobie Brothers meets Steely Dan, only with a bit more of an uptempo folksy punch. The group might not appreciate that summation, Dan Fogelberg-gone-hip in the new millennium with talented side mates helping bring the message across, but it is an honest assessment and is meant to be high praise for this hard working and more than competent crew.
The Adam Ezra group is at its best when it is experimental and though “Home Again Soon” borrows much from The Beatles’ keyboards on “I Am The Walrus” and even more from the melody of Christine McVie’s lost classic “Wish You Were Here” (from Fleetwood Mac’s Mirage disc), it veers off in the right places and has that superior pop elegance that this ensemble is so capable of. With over 175,000 spins of eight songs on the MySpace it is obvious they have the potential to reach a wide audience beyond the underground and smack dab onto the mainstream.
So the Observer thought we’d catch up with the local boy making good, keyboardist Josh Gold, with the pertinent questions to fill in the gaps.
Malden Observer: When did you move to Malden?
Josh Gold: I moved to Malden about five years ago, just before the Red Sox won the World Series. You might say that my fiancé and I were actually indirectly responsible for the Sox winning that year. On her “lucky birthday” before that season started we decided we’d end the curse and created a ritual that involved us walking around the outside of the park nine times (nine players, Ted Williams #9). There was also wine involved, and bagels, anyhow, it worked.
MO: When did you join Adam Ezra Group?
JG: I started playing with Adam not long after that. We’re long lost cousins and hadn’t connected much since we were three or four or so. Turtle (the percussionist), who was already playing with Adam at the time, wanted to add keys to the group, (Adam didn’t want to), and he found my info randomly online. He passed it along to Adam who said, “I have a cousin named Josh Gold, wonder if it’s the same guy.” Anyhow, Adam sent me this long, detailed (and meandering, much like this response) e-mail about his music, and many trials and tribulations later, here we are.
MO: What groups were you in before joining Adam?
JG: Before I played with Adam, I was with the band Wheat. That band was signed on the Aware / Columbia label and we did tours with Liz Phair, Okgo, and The Counting Crows. We were supposed to play Lollapalooza the year it got canceled. I was in the airport heading home from the last date of a tour when I first talked to Adam about playing with him.
Before Wheat, I was in a band called Soulwork, a pop soul, groove band. I also played in a trance fusion group called Nikulydin, and I used to live in New Orleans where I played in a group called Honeypot with “Mean” Willie Green from the Neville Brothers and Kofi Baker (Cream drummer Ginger Bakers son). I’ve been lucky; every one of these groups was made up of amazing musicians. That’s how I’ve learned to play, from playing with them.
MO: Does the group play Honey Fitz, Number 9 Ale House and other Malden venues? The Library (they have concerts upstairs), or the access channel, MATV?
JG: So far the only Malden venue we’ve played in has been my basement. When we’re around Boston, we play at venues like the Paradise, the Middle East, and the Roxy. Our next Boston show will be an all ages event at the Paradise on Saturday, Jan. 16. Till then, we’re touring around the country, trying to build this thing up one show at a time. I’d love to play an event in Malden someday. We’ll have to make that happen; and we’d love to do something with MATV too.
MO: How did you personally like the Salisbury Beach event and the fireworks after the show?
JG: Salisbury was fun. A bit of a departure from our normal event(s), right on the beach, outdoors. Not the same “sweaty club” vibe that we’re used to, but I liked it. We did have a beautiful night for it.
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