Commander Cody & his Modern Day Airmen
10-17-2014
Storming out of Ann Arbor, MI in the late sixties, Commander Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen arrived in San Francisco in 1969, just in time to catch the tale end of the summer of love. They were 8 pieces strong, with the Commander (a.k.a. George Frayne) on the piano, 3 guitarists, fiddle/sax, pedal steel guitar, bass and drums - out of which 4 sang lead.
Ripping through a good-time mix of almost any music to party by: 20 FLIGHT ROCK, red neck country; TRUCK DRIVIN' MAN, boogie-woogie; BEAT ME DADDY 8 TO THE BAR, Cajun; DIGGY LIGGY LO, swing/jazz; SMOKE, SMOKE, SMOKE THAT CIGARETTE, plus their self-penned party anthems; TOO MUCH FUN, I'M DOWN TO SEEDS AND STEMS AGAIN, and LOST IN THE OZONE. Basically, they represented the essence of American roots music.
Eventually, they signed to Paramount Records, and the twangy HOT ROD LINCOLN was a runaway hit, reaching the top ten in 1972. A few more tunes breached the top 40 as they hit the concert trail, playing the legendary Fillmore Auditorium, and finding themselves on bills with the Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Jefferson Airplane, Alice Cooper, Led Zeppelin and The Eagles. They also backed up legends Gene Vincent, Link Wray and John Lennon. Later, their 1974 album "Live From Deep in the Heart of Texas" was named as one of Rolling Stones 100 Greatest of all times!
As always, the Commander himself is behind the piano, leading the musical mayhem and controlled chaos, sporting his legendary antics and sparking up even the toughest crowds. His Modern Day Airmen are: Steve Barbuto (drums/vocals), Rick Mullen (bass) and Mark Emerick on lead guitar and vocals and Chris (Tiny) Olson on pedal steel guitar. Harking back to the instrumental virtuosity and spontaneity of the original band, Cody & Co. are still cranking' down the road. Come on in and hang on to your hats as the Commander lands in Shirley once again!
OPEN: Jeff Root - Jeff's brand new album, "The Pig in the Python" with Zach Root and Chris Forgione is just out and this show will be packed full of great news songs.