Graham Parker & The Figgs Hit Bull Run Restaurant & Concert Series Sunday, April 22nd

April 5, 2012 - PRLog -- Bull Run, located at 215 Great Road, in the historic country town of Shirley, Massachusetts, about one hour northwest of Boston proudly presents Graham Parker & The Figgs, Sunday, April 22 at 7:00 PM.  Tickets at $25.00 in advance and $30.00 day of show can be purchased at www.bullrunrestaurant.com or call: 978-425-4311 or 877-536-7190.  A small ticketing service charge applies to all tickets on line as well as at the door; Bull Run Restaurant and its large concert hall known as the Sawtelle Room, are wheelchair accessible--and most of the big shows are in this room.

The pairing of Graham Parker with the Figgs seems like an appropriate, fateful combination. Parker, who, along with Elvis Costello and Joe Jackson, planted a caustic, pint-sized tongue firmly in the cheek of '70s new wave; and the Figgs, unsung champions of contemporary workingman's rock 'n' roll, absorbers of the pub rock preen and pose of the former's Howlin' Wind and Shooting Out Sparks.  Parker has just released a new CD:  Imaginary Television.

The Figgs--Mike Gent, Pete Donnelly and Pete Hayes--are the rough-and-ready backing band, a consummate example of the deferent accompanists.  They never flagrantly intrude on Parker's songs and supply the necessary gas to get from point A to point B.  Whether the song calls for a Stonesy sway, a reggae groove or in the case of "Chloroform," a decidedly Figgsian riff, they get the job done.

“Last Spring my recently acquired publishing administrators sent me an e-mail from the music supervisors of an upcoming TV sitcom," says Graham Parker. "They needed a 'Main Title,' otherwise known as a theme tune.  I'd never tried anything like this before but found myself intrigued by the idea of writing within a set of confines. Half an hour later, I had the tune and right away booked a nearby studio to record it.  Foolishly, they turned it down, even though I'd nailed that sucker."

"Two weeks later, another request came along and the same scenario repeated itself, this time with the added nuisance that the 'Folks At The Top' chose the most lame piece of work for the show you could possibly imagine. Enough of this, I thought, and went off to write treatments to my own imaginary TV shows which I would grace with the correct theme tunes, not ones chosen by idiots.  (Instead of lyrics on the album cover, you get plots!)  Hence, Imaginary Television,” stated Parker.

Long hailed for having a sharp wit and uncanny storytelling ability, Graham Parker might also be clairvoyant – or at least omniscient. Heck, this still-pretty-angry, not-so-young man has foreseen the future of the music industry!

In an era when artists are selling fewer records and being forced to tour until the wheels fall off, the most money and the most buzz is coming from licensing.  Sure, it might be almost unbearable to hear Roger Daltrey wailing on the radio these days after getting Who-blasted every time a C.S.I. spinoff is on, but for a lot of indie artists, getting a commercial placement is the difference between wallowing in semi-obscurity and at least having a little money in the bank.

On Imaginary Television, Graham Parker's fourth studio record for Bloodshot Records (and 20th overall in a 30+ year career), Graham Parker combines indelible hooks, a penchant for the British blues-rock revival with a touch of reggae and biting political commentary to produce an incredibly solid record. Channeling Them-era Van Morrison, New York style Lou Reed and the omnipresent Bob Dylan, Imaginary Television might be a concept record, but like American Songwriter wrote around Graham’s last record, he “hasn’t changed his sunglasses or his approach.” Bruce Springsteen once said that the only band he’d pay to see live was Graham Parker and The Rumour and Graham’s renegade spirit and ear for hooks have only sharpened over the years.

Songs like “Broken Skin,” which roundabout tells the story of hard-luck fork lift driver Brandine Van Hooven’s life in a Wyoming strip mining outpost, not only work as TV themes, but as instant favorites and declarations of sympathy for the working class.  As the lyrics go, “There’s not enough money in this whole world to pay for a break or two.” The Randy Newman-esque “Bring Me a Heart Again” puts listeners in the mind of a ragtag private eye, wandering the Lower East Side looking for the love he’s not even sure he’s capable of anymore and oftentimes working for clients who are as sleazy as the people they want investigated. “Snowgun” not only works as a theme for an IFC character-based drama about a snowboarding bum Hideo Smith and his crew of laid back associates, but as a slow burning Band-style jam, perfect for crisp days on the slopes.

The songs are far from literal, though.  Imaginary Television’s tongue-in-cheek lyrical takes on political differences, everyday life and even the constant but infuriating nature of the Weather Channel aren’t just astoundingly accurate boob-tube ditties, but sharp and very, very listenable epics as well. They are exactly what listeners have always expected from Graham Parker and exactly what he’s doing better than ever these days.

Graham Parker – Imaginary Television

Add Date: Week of 03/08/10 – Street Date: 03/16/10

Graham Parker – Imaginary Television

1. Weather Report
2. Broken Skin
3. It's My Party (But I Won't Cry)
4. Bring Me A Heart Again
5. Snowgun
6. Always Greener

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