By Brad Quinn

NRBQ

"We're world famous, and if anybody thinks we're not, that's just because they've never heard of us." So quipped NRBQ founder and keyboardist Terry Adams at the band's 30th anniversary celebration last November.

Despite having all the logic of a Yogi Berra non sequitur, Adams comment is dead on. NRBQ have released over 20 albums and toured the globe countless times. They've been touted and covered by musicians such as Bonnie Raitt, the Long Ryders, Elvis Costello and Paul McCartney. They've appeared in feature films (most recently as the wedding band in the Sandra Bullock movie 28 Days and several years back as gut-munching zombies in George Romero's Day of the Dead), and last season -- in animated form -- they were on The Simpsons performing their version of the theme song over the closing credits. Without a doubt, they're the most famous band no one's ever heard of.

Of course, that's not exactly true. More often than not, musicians and serious Pop music fans know about NRBQ -- let me qualify that by excluding those Alt-Rock babies of the post-Pixies universe -- and most of them appreciate NRBQ as the national touring treasure they are. Live is where NRBQ make their bread and butter, and as anyone who has seen them can tell you, there isn't another group on the planet that has such absolute mastery of so many musical styles.

Having sufficiently pumped them up, I have to confess that there was a time when I was resistant to the sounds of "The Q," as their fans call them. That was partly because an acquaintance of mine made a nuisance of himself by insisting that they were greatest band in the world, an annoying habit of NRBQ devotees. On top of that, his musical tastes were made questionable by his impassioned defense of Huey Lewis and the News. I had even seen NRBQ a couple of times and didn't think much of them. There was something about them that just screamed "ADULT," and their goofy, novelty humor struck me as something that Jimmy Buffett fans might find funny-- which, by the way, is not meant as a compliment.

Anyway, to make a long, not-very-interesting story short, something changed around 1991, and I got with the NRBQ program. And with a convert's zeal I set out to convince everyone that, even if NRBQ weren't the greatest band in the world, they were still plenty great. Undoubtedly I lost the band a few fans along the way, but for the next few years I never missed another Q show when they were in town. My opinion of them had flipped 180 degrees from my original perceptions. Instead of sounding like "crap," as I had observed in the moussed-up '80s, I could hear that the group played with a looseness that only comes through absolute confidence. All of a sudden, their songs were irresistible and their humor was even charming. And besides, any band that would play Gordon Lightfoot's epic "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" twice in one night was OK by me.

It was great being an NRBQ fan in the early '90s. They had a high profile record, Wild Weekend, released on Virgin and it seemed like they were always on tour. But then NRBQ fans got some bad news in 1994. Al Anderson -- the band's guitarist of 20+ years, composer of some of their greatest songs and the big scowling presence on the left side of the stage -- was leaving the group. Although there was no doubt the band would still be good, Big Al would be missed. There was some sense of relief though when it was announced that Johnny Spampanato (brother of NRBQ founder and bassist Joey Spampanato) would be taking over for Anderson. NRBQ have always thrived on great musical chemistry, and so keeping it in the family seemed like a good idea.

Catching the band for the first time last year with the new guitarist at the Southgate House proved that NRBQ were still performing at full strength. The new Spampanato played great, and he had an enthusiasm for the group that had seemed to be missing from Anderson the last few times I saw them. Anderson always looked like he'd rather be somewhere else, and apparently he had. That the band performed so well with a new member was crucial, as NRBQ's reputation largely rests on their spontaneous and unpredictable live performances --you never know who will be with NRBQ when they show up onstage. It might be members of Sun Ra's Arkestra, wrestler Captain Lou Albano, or the band's sometime horn section, the Whole Wheat Horns, featuring the goofy but highly educational antics of Professor Don Adams.

However, it shouldn't be overlooked that the NRBQ have made some great records: At Yankee Stadium, Tiddlywinks and Grooves in Orbit, capture the band at their very best. And these albums include several songs which remain NRBQ concert staples: "Me and the Boys," "I Want You Bad," and "Green Lights" to name a few. However, those new to NRBQ should check out the band's 2-CD best-of compilation, Peek-A-Boo, from Rhino Records. It contains many of their greatest songs with just a small sampling of their novelty humor.

If you are a fan of genre-bending Pop music and you've never seen NRBQ play, you really shouldn't miss the chance. But be warned. To borrow a phrase from CityBeat: Not everybody gets it. It's just as likely you'll be puzzled as delighted at your first NRBQ show. Still, it's a taste worth acquiring. But don't take my word for it. Ask Homer Simpson. NRBQ are his favorite band!

E-mail Brad Quinn

'A' Is for 'Aloha' (April 27, 2000)
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