Wednesday, June 2, 2004

The Sound of America

By LINDSAY BIANCHI
lbianchi@ThecitizenNews.com

Crossover artists were rare in the music business back before compact discs replaced the platter. Today’s musical landscape sees many singers and musicians melding genres into something new. Everything is up for grabs nowadays. Pop blends with rock. Rock blends with country. Country, in turn, blends with pop again. A hundred subcategories of sound rest in-between. Within this complex hierarchy of musical expression, America, the radio-friendly trio whose warm, familiar tunes include “Ventura Highway,” “Sister Golden Hair” and “Tin Man” will always have a special place to call their own.

Gerry Beckley and Dewey Bunnell, who carried on after third member Dan Peek left in 1977, kept the sound alive through the 80s and beyond. They continue to charm audiences around the globe to this day. On Friday and Saturday, they will do just that at the Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater in Peachtree City.

Join their many fans and sing along to their hits that seem, at once, nostalgic, timeless and refreshingly up-to-date. In a time when music can be crude, rude and downright lewd, America proves that melody and a poetic lyric “can do magic” and never go out of style.

In a press release, Beckley, who credits the British Invasion for his rich pop rock style explains, “I think that the ingredients of the American sound are the basic fundamentals that translate internationally. The Italians are huge fans of dance music, but they also love a ballad. They’re romantic at heart. It’s the same in the Far East. A lot of times in these countries, we see people singing along, and they don’t really know what the words mean. Music truly is the international language.”

If you haven’t kept up with their journey since their heyday, check out the 1998 release, “Human Nature” or the boxset, “Highway” released in 2000 to see where they’ve been and where they are heading. Singer, songwriting partner Bunnell elaborated in the press release.

“We’ve grown up in a world of show biz, seen styles change, seen technology change, but basically Gerry and I have stayed very much the same. We still have those standards in songwriting that we were hoping to establish. We’ve lived pretty full lives and managed to hold on to some sanity, although the would seems crazier every day.”

True, America (the country, that is), is not quite the same as in 1972 when these boys first charted with “A Horse With No Name.” However, one can still feel the glow of those days when the grooves were real and “Groovy!” was a compliment. It’s time, once again, to dig the kinder, gentler sound of Beckley & Bunnell.

To guarantee specific seating, purchase your tickets in person at the Amphitheater Box Office, 201 McIntosh Trail in Peachtree City. Office hours are Tuesday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To order by phone, call 770-631-0630. For more information on ticket orders or future events, visit www.amphitheater.org.

WHAT: America, classic pop/rock duo

WHERE: The Frederick Brown, Jr. Amphitheater

WHEN: Friday and Saturday, June 4 and 5, 8 p.m.

HOW MUCH: $45 per seat

FOR MORE INFO: visit www.amphitheater.org