Across Their Universe

	1. Across The Universe - Doctor X Tim Casey: vocals and all instruments, including clocks and BBQ racks. Produced and engineered on vacation in a tiny cottage on Cape Cod, August 2009. Additional recording and mixing at Kon Tiki Lounge, Boston, MA. The idea for the album was hatched by Kris the night before I left for a week's vacation down at Cape Cod. I had brought my laptop, a small USB keyboard, and a USB mic and one day started this recording by rubbing a metal skewer over a BBQ grill rack. Then I recorded the old alarm clocks in the cottage and adjusted the tempo to fit the song. After that, the song took off with a life of its own. Apparently this was one of John Lennon's favorite songs ("sheer poetry") and he complained that the Beatles never got around to recording it right, so I took a 1967 "Beatlesque" approach to the arrangement, using harpsichord, piano, acoustic guitar, sitar, and mellotrons. Hope you like it! - Tim Casey
	2. Honey Pie - Glenn Williams Glenn Williams: vocals, ukelele. Andy Hollinger: guitars, mandolin. Tim Casey: bass, drums. Produced and engineered by Tim Casey at the Kon-Tiki Lounge, Boston, MA. Additional recording by Andy Hollinger at Chez Hey Studio, Roslindale, MA Glenn's had a mojo going for the ukele for quite awhile now. I thought maybe he should use it to cover "Honey Pie", and he came back the next day with this version which put a smile on everyone's face. Once again, he and Andy have created a beautiful audiophile recording sung by the master of smooth. - Tim Casey Glenn Williams
	3. You Can't Do That - Andy Hollinger Andy Hollinger: vocals, guitars, dub entendre. Glenn Williams: bass, political savvy. John Nourse: drums, percussion, deep thoughts. Produced and Engineered by Andy Hollinger at Chez Hey Studio, Roslindale, MA. We did this live a few times before anyone had an idea of what Andy really wanted. After he had recorded the basic tracks, he said he didn't think it would need my keyboard - I was heartbroken! But then I heard what he had done and I had to agree with him. What a great piece of dub! This song is still stuck in my head, two months after hearing it. - Tim Casey
	4. Not A Second Time - Mr Curt Ensemble Marty White: lead vocals, bass. Michael Macrides: electro-drums, vocals. Clara Kebabian: electric scree-violin, vocals. Mr. Curt - electric guitar, vocals. Produced by Mr. Curt. Engineered by Bill Mason at Second Story Studio, Roslindale. Additional recording at Open Hand Studio, Hyde Park. Michael picked this one when we sat down to display our choices as a group. Though I wanted him to sing, he declined, so the spotlight went Marty, who nailed it with his beat-noir style. (I’ll never hear it any other way again!) Clara chose the Tom Tom Club groove and I wanted the three-part harmony vocals The Beatles rarely did, used as a Greek-chorus theme. Be it so. - Mr. Curt
	5. Don't Let Me Down - Bird Mancini Ruby Bird: vocals, accordion. Billy Carl Mancini: guitar, harmony vocals, bass, drums. Produced and engineered by Bill Mason at Second Story Studio, Boston, MA. We've been doing "Don't Let Me Down" in our live act for some time. The chord structure and melody always reminded us of the Abbey Road song "Sun King". So, we turned it into a little medley. Both of our songs on this compilation were originally conceived as demos to give to our friend Sal Baglio as sort of an online rehearsal for our occasional gigs together. They were recorded live in the studio. When Tim Casey came to us and asked if we wanted to be on his Lowbudget Records Beatles' compilation we kind of had a head start. Just added a few more instruments and vocals, tweaked the mix and voila! - Billy Carl Mancini Bird Mancini on myspace Bird Mancini on facebook Bird Mancini web site
	6. Tell Me Why - The Daly Blues Peter Daly: voice, harmonica. Robert Black: guitar, bass. Produced by Robert Black and Peter Daly. Robert had this all worked out as a straight cover with a blues shuffle. Peter came in a recorded what you hear. I swear he's got it down pat. Even when he says "tell me what, and I'll apologize", you know he's being sarcastic, even more so than Lennon! I love this track and its groove. - Tim Casey
	7. She's Leaving Home - Allen Abate Allen Abate: guitars, bass, drums, keys. Tim Casey: vocals. Produced and engineered by Allen Abate and Tim Casey. I grew up with Allen, who is one of the two most naturally talented musicians I've ever known. He was always a monster guitarist from day one (I remember him borrowing our guitar one evening to "figure it out" and coming back the next day playing, if I remember correctly, "Whole Lotta Love" very close to perfectly). He recently found me on myspace and got in touch with me. He had a bunch of recordings that needed vocals. The first result, "Sorry, I Just Don't Feel Right" will be available in the coming year as part of an Allen Abate album, and the second result, "She's Leaving Home", is here right now for your listening pleasure. - Tim Casey
	8. I Will - Mitch Golner Mitch Golner: guitar, vocals. Mark Dennison: flute. Produced and engineered by Mitch Golner, assisted by John Faulding. For Deb.
	9. Fixing A Hole - Thea Hopkins Thea Hopkins: vox, guitar. Bruce Kaplan: mandolin. Gerry Bellegarde: bass. Arranged by Thea Hopkins. Produced and engineered by Gerry Bellegarde at Belltower.net. Thea Hopkins
	10. Long Long Long - Pastiche Ken Scales: vocals. Ron Marinick: multi-keyboards. Mr. Curt: acoustic guitars, E-bow, fx. Brad Hallen: Hofner bass. Produced and engineered by Mr. Curt at Open Hand Studio, Hyde Park Many people seem to forget this George tune, buried on side three of the Beatles White Album. Always loved the vibe and it certainly is unique with its psychedelic-waltz characteristics. Perfect for our current subdued approach. >> Thanks to Brad Hallen for wonderful Hofner bass (even though Paul played a Rickenbacker) and Rick Lynch for suggesting some piano arrangements. Both gents are former Pastiche members. - Mr. Curt Pastiche
	11. No Reply - T Max T Max: classical guitar, voice. Nate Zane: Hammond organ Recorded by Jason Duguay at Project Sound, Haverhill, MA. This dark, less-is-more, arrangement of "No Repy" brings the Beatles’ jovial boy-next-door pop song into the 21st century where the singer is more likely a disturbed stalker. As soon as I got "No Reply" recorded (my first song at Jason Duguay's Project Sound) I emailed it out to five friends. One, Chuck U Rosina, played it the next day on WMBR (Cambridge, MA), while another, Al Janik, heard it on the radio and was totally grooving to it, trying to remember if Tom Waits ever recorded this cover. At the end of the song, Chuck announced, "That was T Max's version of "No Reply," and Al went all kinda crazy remembering that I sent him an email that he had set aside. He got home, downloaded the song and called me with the most excited admirable message. It made my day and reminded me of one of the wonderful benefits of sharing your music with friends and fans. - T Max T Max is editor of the long-running Boston Music Scene publication, The Noise, and is also the creative force behind the anti-war movement Dreamers Wanted.
	12. Eleanor Rigby - Bonnie Gordon Bonnie Gordon: vocals, piano. Tim Casey: sound effects, tubular bell, theremin. Produced and engineered by Tim Casey at the Kon Tiki Lounge, Boston MA. A rainy rainy ride up to Boston for this recording... (grey skies holding hostage the sun...) Seemed a day that perfectly mirrored this delicate little song... - Bonnie Gordon I originally had a Philip Glass-type version of Eleanor Rigby going for Bonnie to sing to, but then she showed me what she had done with it on the piano and I thought it suited her much better (the orchestral version sounded too aggressive). The released version mirrors her new album perfectly in tone and style. - Tim Casey click here to hear the rejected version of "Eleanor Rigby" Bonnie Gordon
	13. Blue Jay Way - Clara Kebabian Clara Kebabian: vocals, electric violin. Marty White: bass. Michael Macrides: drums. Mr. Curt: keyboards, percussion, fx. Produced by Mr. Curt. Engineered by Bill Mason at Second Story Studio, Roslindale, MA. Additional recording by Mr. Curt and Clara Kebabian at Open Hand Studio, Hyde Park. One of George’s mesmerizing tunes, placing tone & drone right up front. Clara arranged this in a classical motif (a 10-piece electric-violin section - yowsa!) and we pedaled along behind her. A bit of her demure voice in the chorus and - voila - pure magic! - Mr. Curt Clara Kebabian
	14. Within You, Without You - Chillgroove Hayim Kobi: drone, tabla. Kerry Maxwell: backwards guitar. Tim Casey: vocals, guitar. Produced and engineered by Chillgroove at the Kon-Tiki Lounge, Boston, MA. We played this once at a rehearsal a week before a gig. Hayim's Handsonic percussion - complete with a tamboura drone in C - fit the vibe so well that we played it the following Friday. The audience was blown away! Recently I heard a cover version by Patti Smith; other than that, I don't know of many other covers of this beautiful song by George Harrison. It's truly one of my favorites. The compostion, lyrics, orchestration and even stereo mix on "Sgt. Pepper's" are blissful. (my guitar is tuned to E-A-C-G-C-E, enabling the first four strings to be constantly strummed whilst fingering the melody.) - Tim Casey In 1993, my folk group, THE EXI’s, released their third cassette album, “Set Like a Jelly”. At this stage of our career, we were promoting a “tribal folk” sound, due to members’ proclivity for ethnic instruments, unique sounds, and alternate tunings. Each of our albums always contained a cover tune; for this, we chose to present an instrumental rendition of George’s tune, which featured tabla, didjeridu, and fantastic 6 & 12-string guitar interplay. And this was years before I met the Lowbudget crew, so now I’m gonna hafta play it for them. - Mr. Curt
	15. Yesterday - Margaux Glenn Williams: guitar. Margaux Skalecki: vocal. Produced and engineered by Glenn Williams at Studio 99, Boston MA. Margaux's web site
	16. Birthday - Bird Mancini Ruby Bird: lead vocal, harmonica. Billy Carl Mancini: guitars, backing vocals, knees, washboard, glasses. Produced and engineered by Bill Mason at Second Story Studio, Boston. Our friend Marty White (bassist with Mr. Curt Ensemble) was throwing himself a 50th birthday party at Club Bohemia in Cambridge and we thought, "What better song to do for him than Macca's Birthday?" But we wanted to change it up a little (a lot!) since we've all heard the original a few hundred too many times. I always liked the slowed down version of Lennon's "Revolution 1" and decided to give Birthday the same treatment. Again, this was recorded live in the studio. We've only performed it live once, at Marty's Party. - Billy Carl Mancini Not only does "Marty's Party" rhyme well, but it sounds great when you hear it in a Boston accent. - Tim Casey Bird Mancini on myspace Bird Mancini on facebook Bird Mancini web site
	17. Revolution 9.5 - Chuck U. Assembled and manipulated, mangled and regurgitated, recorded and produced by Chuck U Rosina. Thanks to Jamie McLaughlin, Tim Casey and Dave Goodman for providing some source materials. No actual Beatles/EMI/Apple samples were used in this recording, so please don't come after us. We can't afford it.
	18. A Day In The Life (live) - The Lowbudget Allstars Billy Carl Mancini: guitar and Lennon vocals. Tim Casey: piano, orchestra, and McCartney vocals. Ruby Bird: backup vocals and maracas. Dave Kulick: drums. John Bridge: bass. Recorded live at Bill and Ruby's 14th Annual Back Yard Jamboree, 07/29/2006. Produced and engineered by Bill Mason under duress at Second Story Studio, Boston, MA, assisted by Tim Casey. Every year Ruby & I host a big backyard party and invite all our musical friends to play and our non-musical friends to listen. In 2006 we went to the trouble to record the event. I ran a 24 channel snake back to my studio and with the help of Tim Casey recorded the entire 6 hour event. One the highlights of the day was this performance of "A Day in the Life". There were no band rehearsals for this one so this is the one and only performance with this lineup. Imagine if we had rehearsed! - Billy Carl Mancini
	19. Let It Be - Terry Kitchen Terry Kitchen: guitar, vocal. Seth Connelly: bass. Brice Buchanan: slide. Laura Wood: percussion. Alizon Lissance: Hammond B3 organ. Recorded at Wellspring Sound by Eric Kilburn. Terry Kitchen

REVIEWS:

It was a different scene when I released Boston Does the Beatles in 1988. But this next generation variation succeeds in achieving my two original goals: to showcase the depth and diversity of the local scene to listeners across the world, and to allow the included talent to twist and shout a universally-known catalog into their own creations. And some of the stars really shine: “Honey Pie” (Glenn Williams) with its vaudevillian splendor, “Not A Second Time” (Mr. Curt Ensemble) with its avante and dramatic delivery, “Don’t Let Me Down” (Bird Mancini) and “Fixing A Hole” (Thea Hopkins) interpreted with great female vocals. “Tell Me Why” (the Daly Brothers), done rockabilly. The hypnotic “Long Long Long” (Pastiche). The sonic gloom of “Eleanor Rigby” Bonnie Gordon). The bluesy version of “Birthday” (Bird Mancini) that Lennon would have loved. “Let It Be” (Terry Kitchen) done with a fabulous B-3 organ. “No Reply” with T Max doing Tom Waits doing the Fab Four. And the ambitious “Day In the Life” (Low Budget Allstars) with the ending suspended chord, too. Question for conceptualizer Tim Casey: Does that song also include the silent dog whistle?

- A. J. Wachtel, The Noise, November 2010

The Beatles broke up four decades ago, but the spirit of the Beatles is alive and well. And not just through reissues, movie musicals, radio shows and Cirque du Soleil. The Fab Four are still being reinvented in the recording studio.

Last fall, a group of musicians were at a party in Roslindale. “Seems like everybody here knows some Beatles songs,” the wife of one said. “You guys should make an album.”

The result is “Across Their Universe,” a collection of 19 Beatles titles by 18 local artists. Its release will be marked by a show at Johnny D’s in Somerville on Tuesday featuring performances of almost every track.

Four of the players - including three who remember seeing the Beatles perform on “The Ed Sullivan Show” - sat down together at the Hyde Park home of Curt Naihersey. Mr. Curt, as he’s known, covers “Not a Second Time” on the album, while his band, Pastiche, does “Long, Long, Long.”

“I sent an e-mail to local musicians, saying anybody who wants to contribute can,” said Lowbudget Records owner Tim Casey, who produced the album and contributed versions of “Across the Universe” under his moniker Doctor X and “Within You, Without You” with his band Chillgroove. “But everybody had to do their own recordings and send them in.”

Billy Carl Mancini, half of Bird Mancini, is still amazed that none of the musicians involved chose the same songs to record.

“It really speaks to the Beatles that all of these people chose all different songs,” he said.

Guitarist and bass player Glenn Williams wasn’t sure what song to record.

“But Tim insisted that I do ‘Honey Pie’ on the (ukelele),” he said. “I didn’t know it, but I got my songbook out and a couple of days later, we recorded it.”

The album runs a gamut of styles. Andy Hollinger’s “You Can’t Do That” has a reggae flavor. Allen Abate gives “She’s Leaving Home” a screaming metal edge. Thea Hopkins goes the folkie route on “Fixing a Hole.” T. Max reinvents “No Reply” as an exercise in jealous anger.

Two tunes that stand out, partly because of the audacity of the people who recorded them, are the blues-drenched “Tell Me Why” by the Daly Blues and a truly funny, updated “Revolution No. 9.5” by Chuck U.

“That’s Chuck Rosina, who’s a deejay on (radio station) WMBR,” said Mr. Curt. “He’s famous for doing cutups and sound collages.”

Any thoughts of another album covering songs by a different group?

“It’s really hard to pick a band where every single person knows a song they want to do,” Casey said. “It was so easy with the Beatles. It was like low-hanging fruit.”

- Ed Symkus, Boston Herald, 4/12/2010 (this link probably won't be there forever)

VARIOUS ARTISTS. Across Their Universe. Glenn Williams, Tim Casey, et al. Available through www.lowbudgetrecords.com.
Rating: ****

You really have to listen to this CD twice, the first time rapidly followed by the second. Why? There's always the initial shock of hearing a well-known song covered by someone else. You may say to yourself, "It doesn't sound like the artist who originally covered it!" Only when you hear the songs a second time do you begin to allow for an artist's original interpretation. Over the years there have been many Beatles tribute albums by "various artists," but none like this one. It is funky, bluesy, gritty, and, above all, inventive.

The title cut, sung by Tim Casey, manages to channel John Lennon’s voice in an eerie way, British accent included. I like the use of “BBQ racks” and clocks. One of the CD’s surprises is Glenn Williams playing “Honey Pie” on ukulele—a perfect instrument for this song. Why didn’t the Beatles think of it? Williams, in forging his own approach to this song, actually enhances the retro sound the Beatles strove for on The White Album. “Don’t Let Me Down” by Bird Mancini dips deeper into the blues trough than the Beatles ever did. (I always thought Lennon strained his voice a bit in this song.) Peter Daly’s “Tell Me Why,” an early song from Hard Day’s Night, has Daly’s killer harmonica accompaniment, adding an intriguing layer of funk.

I’v never been sure about “Revolution 9”: it always seemed like a failed experiment by John and Yoko, their earnest attempt to top the brassy attitude of John Cage or Edgar Varèse. That said, Chuck U’s 7-minute cover (called “Revolution #9.5” here) is every bit as good as the original. “A Day in the Life” is a delight and feels right in its approach to the song’s crescendos and mystery-- until that final famous E-Major chord is interrupted by applause. Ah, the perils of live recordings. If you like gravelly voices like I do, proceed directly to Alan Abate’s “She’s Leaving Home” and T. Max’s “No Reply.” Max offers a highly individuated take on this song, which is significantly slower than the Beatles' version and may even be revealing scars from the barbed arrows of experience. I love Thea Hopkins’ “Fixing a Hole,” which displays an edgy attitude I never knew the song had. Another pleasant cut is “I Will” by the velvet-voiced Mitch Golner. Bonnie Gordon does a good job on “Eleanor Rigby” with Tim Casey adding bizarre touches with tubular bells and theramin, instruments not in the original but ones the Beatles may have approved of. There was a real Eleanor Rigby, by the way. She died in London on 10 October 1939 at age 44. Recently a 97-year-old salary register from Liverpool City Hospital with the name E. Rigby was sold at auction for $250,000. What a world.

This CD is a must for all Beatles fans.

- Peter Bates, Stylus

Friends of Tim Casey and his Lowbudget Records label come together on this compilation for a tribute to rock & roll's greatest act of the 20th century: The Beatles. Casey personally opens the album with a beautiful rendition of the trippy "Across the Universe" complete with ticking clock and the tinkling of BBQ racks. Glenn William's "Honey Pie" takes on a vaudevillian slant that works perfectly. Andy Holliner's dub/reggae spin on "You Can't Do That" gives a new face to the classic original. Mr Curt's Ensemble takes "Not A Second Time" for a ride around funky town. Bird Mancini [Ruby Bird & Billy Carl Mancini] turn in a beautiful rendition of Lennon's plea to his longtime friend and bandmate, Paul, to accept his and Yoko's love in the song "Don't Let Me Down". The Daly Blues, featuring Peter Daly, hands in a bluesy rendition of The Beatles' popular early hit, "Tell Me Why". "She's Leaving Home" becomes a huge production in the hands of guitarist/bassist/drummer/keyboardist Allen Abate along with the lead vocals of Tim Casey. Singer/guitarist Mitch Golner remains true to the original song's form with his gorgeous interpretation of "I Will"; Mark Dennison plays flute. Thea Hopkins' soulful delivery of "Fixing a Hole" sheds a whole new light on the song. "Long Long Long" gets tastefully treated by the members of Pastiche. T. Max delivers "No Reply" in a unmistakable Tom Waits fashion; Nate Zane adds Hammond organ. Bonnie Gordon's "Eleanor Rigby" boasts her beautiful voice and piano playing, while Clara Kebabian serves up an eclectic "Blue Jay Way" resplendent with electric violin, bass, drums, and keyboards. Chillgroove maintains an Eastern vibe on the hit "Within You Without You". Singer Margaux Skalecki turns in a sweet version of "Yesterday" with Glenn Williams' deft accompaniment on the guitar. Billy Carl & Ruby love The Beatles and their cadence-bending cover of "Birthday" is hip and sexy. Chuck U. manipulates, mangles, and regurgitates "Revolution #9.5" into a trippy aural event. The anthemic "A Day in the Life" is faithfully covered by The Lowbudget Allstars featuring Billy Carl & Ruby, Tim Casey (piano), Dave Kulik (drums), and John Bridge (bass). Terry Kitchen closes out the album with an inspired rendition of "Let It Be", filled with superb guitar work and vocals; Seth Connelly on bass, Brice Buchanan plays slide, and Laura Wood on percussion. Whether remaining faithful to the originals or straying with creativity, Across Their Universe is a most entertaining accomplishment.

- Doug Sloane, Metronome, April 2010

Tues. April 13 What the world needs now is ... another Beatles tribute? Tim Casey, one of the guys who's put together a compilation CD "Across Their Universe" and a multi-act Beatles show at Johnny D's Tuesday April 13 has an answer: "Of course, there are an awful lot of Beatles tributes out there," he e-mails us, "but the Beatles canon is so strong that re-interpretations of their legacy tend to stand up well, especially as the decades go by and the original recordings start looking more like works of art and less like hit records. Many of the covers on 'Across Their Universe' are radically different interpretations of the originals, sometimes having totally different chord structures (Thea Hopkins on 'Fixing A Hole,' Terry Kitchen with 'Let It Be') or completely different styles (The Daly Blues with the bluesy 'Tell Me Why,' Allen Abate with a heavy metal 'She's Leaving Home'). There's even a cover of "Revolution No. 9" by Chuck U that manages to have a Boston vibe to it with the inclusion of a (disappointed) Red Sox crowd."

Which, in our mind, answers the question about what these guys - Abate, Bird Mancini, Chillgroove, Chuck U, The Daly Blues, Doctor X, Bonnie Gordon, Andy Hollinger, Thea Hopkins, Clara Kebabian, Kitchen, Margaux, Mr. Curt Ensemble, Pastiche, Glenn Williams and The Lowbudget Allstars - are doing on the CD. Reinventing what we all know pretty well, putting a different spin on classics and, well, some not so classics. "Revolution No. 9"? Not a song I'd thought see covered. Come to think of it, in these MP3 download days can you imagine that as a download purchase? Yes, I'll spend $.99 for this! Of course, you do get a lot of minutes, bang for the buck. I remember playing this when I was a college radio DJ - ah, the days - both forward and backward (for the Paul is Dead clues, and there were some believe me) and thinking in its throwaway/avant-garde way it's as much a key part of the White Album as "Honey Pie," "Back in the USSR" or "Helter Skelter," the Manson Family theme. (Sorry, couldn't resist; if you grew up in those days you can't take the White Album outta Manson and Manson outta the White Album. Not that Charlie's creepy crawlies could spell the world Helter right, but that's another topic ...)

But what about this CD and this night of music? Casey, who runs Lowbudget Records says, "The idea for the CD came about when a friend, Kris Liberman, noted that we all seem to include at least one Beatle tune in each of our live acts and wouldn't it be great to collect them all on one album? It'd be a great way for each artist to get his music out to a wider audience, and it'd also be a great way of illustrating the strength of the Beatles' compositions. Everyone immediately got busy in their studios and started polishing the tracks." Casey took on the role of executive producer and the two-track mixdowns of all the songs started trickling into his Kon Tiki Lounge studio, where he mastered and sequenced the CD.

"One of the highlights of both the Johnny D's show and the CD is the live recording of 'A Day In The Life,' a note-for-note copy of the famous Sgt Pepper track, including the orchestral crescendo and the famous piano chord at the end. It's a bit of a shock to hear the crowd go wild after the first crescendo, since it sounds so much like the original studio recording."

And so, Casey continues, stating the obvious, "Let's face it, a night full of Beatles is almost always guaranteed to be a splendid time for all. And considering their hectic schedules, it's amazing that all but two of the artists on the CD will be able to make the gig."

Starts at 8.

- Jim Sullivan, www.jimsullivanink.com

REVIEW OF "ACROSS THEIR UNIVERSE: LIVE AT JOHNNY D'S APRIL 13TH, 2010

MR. CURT ENSEMBLE,
BONNIE GORDON,
THEA HOPKINS,
BIRD MANCINI,
ANDY HOLLINGER,
GLENN WILLIAMS,
DOCTOR X
and more
Across Their Universe Record Release Party
Johnny D’s, Somerville, MA
4/13/10
I have great interest in coming to this release party because 22 years ago I put out Boston Does the Beatles, with more than 30 local artists contributing, and I can’t wait to see how this next generation of local artists interpret the Beatles—and I am not disappointed. Nineteen local bands get onstage and tear the club off its foundations. The place has a large crowd of enthusiastic supporters and from the beginning when Doctor X does “Across The Universe” the energy of the club keeps increasing. “Honey Pie” by multi-instrumentalist Glenn Williams on uke, is stunning in a nouveau-vaudevillian way and is typical of some of the B-side hits that were chosen to be interpreted. “Long Long Long,” “Blue Jay Way,” and “Within You Without You” are some of the other lesser-known Beatles compositions that are covered extremely well. I notice that the Beatles songs picked and being performed don’t stick to one era of the Fab Four’s collective career, but are chosen from the early: “You Can't Do That”, the middle: “Eleanor Rigby”, and the end: “Don’t Let Me Down” (done by a red-hot Bird Mancini). And the artists also do these songs in two ways: totally interpreted differently than the original, like Mr. Curt Ensemble’s “Not A Second Time” with that great “no, no, no, no, no, no, no” created by the ever-avante Mr. Curt, to more deliberate straight covers of their songs like “Yesterday” by Margaux. Both types go over great with the cheering people. Thea Hopkin’s acoustic version of “Fixing A Hole” led by her great vocals also is a standout. This night is a lot of fun and I’m grinning from beginning to end from the impressive line-ups I’m watching pay homage to the mop-tops. The only thing missing tonight is Yoko Ono screaming “Give Peace A Chance.” Relying on public transportation causes me to exit early. Apologies to those who came on later.

- AJ Wachtel, The Noise

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