The Allman Brothers, like many other classic rock acts, left a legacy of beloved albums, members come and past and highly celebrated live performances.
While the group hasn’t performed since 2014, groups like Live at the Fillmore: A Tribute to the Allman Brothers carry the torch by recreating iconic performances such as the band’s live release “At Fillmore East,” an album often hailed by critics and fans as one of the greatest live recordings of all time.
Saturday they will perform at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin in-between stops in Virginia and Pittsburgh.
Lou Maresca almost inhabits the spirit of the laid-back southern rock persona that comes along with belting out songs such as “Ramblin’ Man” and after exchanging greetings said, “I haven’t had a bad day in my life.”
Fair enough.
He’s a classic rock aficionado, having worked with renowned acts like the Grateful Dead and given the chance will float between anecdotes about Jimmy Page in recent Led Zeppelin court battles or going to see King Crimson’s founding member Robert Fripp in concert. His stint in Live at the Fillmore has led him to brush shoulders with many of those close to the Allman Brothers, including their road manager and the author Alan Paul, writer of “One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band.”
Originally, Maresca formed what is considered to be the first Allman Brothers tribute band, Skydog, which gained its namesake from founding member Duane Allman who died in a motorcycle accident in 1971.
Almost 50 years later, his adoration for the band continues as Maresca plays in Live at the Fillmore.
Comprised of founding member Lou Maresca on guitar and vocals, Rick Baldassari on guitar and vocals, Barron Chandler on acoustic guitar, harmonica and vocals, Mike Mahomet on bass guitar, Jeff Quattro on piano and vocals, as well as Dennis Barth and Don McCormick on percussion duties, the group was formed sometime after Maresca was inspired by various live performances of the Allman Brothers’ original lineup in the early 1970s when they were still performing with all the original members.
Two of the original members died shortly after. Duane Allman died after crashing a motorcycle into a truck and Berry Oakley died after crashing a motorcycle into a bus, just a few blocks away from where Allman sustained his life-ending injury.
Why start a tribute band in the first place and why the Allman Brothers?
“What grabbed me was the interactions between the three guitarists,” Maresca said, adding that original bassist Berry Oakley’s melodic style of playing captured the bass guitar in a way only other bassists like the Who’s late John Entwistle could do.
“(Entwistle) was every bit as instrumental, no pun intended, in the band as Pete Townshend was, and the same could be said for Barry,” he said.
Maresca said he has lost count of the number of times he has seen the band, but his unwavering dedication led him to their final concert in 2014 at New York’s the Beacon Theatre.
As a tribute band, one might be inclined to think of the group as a small-time act that exists only to cater to street fairs and VFW halls, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
The band performs all around the country regularly as a national touring act, having played to crowds of 5,000 in Colorado recently as well as playing shows in Philadelphia, Roanoke, Virginia, and Chesapeake Beach, Maryland.
It’s no doubt that many tribute bands face scorn from critics and even some fans, but Maresca dismissed that and instead chose to paraphrase seminal Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi.
“As far as tribute bands go, authenticity isn’t everything, it’s the only thing. When the audience goes to see them, they want to suspend reality for the time they are there. They want to believe they are listening to the actual band play,” he said. “It’s similar as a cinematic metaphor where there are certain things in a movie where you have to suspend your disbelief for the sake of enjoying the film. That’s the hallmark of a great tribute band.”
One listen to Live at the Fillmore’s live recordings should dismiss any preconceived notions. They aren’t the bar-dwelling, sloppy cover band one might expect to see, they’re an amphitheater-filling authentic experience.
“There are times where we have listened to a recording of and up to a certain part that made us aware that it was us and not the actual Allman Brothers band, we didn’t know that it was us,” Maresca said.
When the band played at Live at Daryl’s House, a live performance show hosted by Hall and Oates’s Daryl Hall, they were stunned to walk up to the control room where Grammy award-winning sound engineer Peter Moshay was listening to a recording that Maresca believed to be the Allman Brothers.
When members of the band asked Moshay where the recording was from, he allegedly said, “That’s you guys from tonight.”
Maresca said that this led him to believe they were doing the best job possible of honoring the original intent and performances of the music.
“There’s a caveat to that and detractors of that would come back and say something like, ‘If I want to hear somebody play it just like the record then I’ll just go listen to the record.’ My answer to that is you get seven other guys together and have them play that song and have it sound like that record. Its a tall order to take that band on,” he said.
As a band noted for their intricate guitar work and extensive musical pieces, it’s a lot to take on, especially with artists that shined so brightly in a live setting.
As for his favorite member of the original lineup.
“Unquestionably, Duane Allman,” he said.
In the band, he and guitarist Rick Baldassari split duties between covering Duane Allman and Dickey Betts’ playing, something Maresca said can get a bit confusing at times.
“Rick is certainly more the Dicky (Betts) guy and I’m more the Duane guy, but sometimes you find yourself crossing over to the other side,” Maresca said.
With several members from Pennsylvania, Maresca said they are looking forward to their Saturday performance at the Barrow-Civic Theatre in Franklin.
“Our keyboard player Jeff Quattro, grew up in that area. I know Jeff is really looking forward to going back to where he grew up to play for family and friends in the area. I’m a Penn Stater, Chandler was also a Penn State grad so we have a lot of connection all over the state of Pennsylvania so we’re looking forward to friends from that area of the state to come out,” he said.
Live at the Fillmore plays at 7 p.m. after an unan an opening band plays at 5 p.m. Tickets are $20 and the event will be held after the BCT Faux5K wraps up its awards ceremony in benefit of the theater.
Tickets can be purchased at the Barrow’s box office at 1223 Liberty Street, by calling 437-3440 or by visitinghttp://www.barrowtheatre.com.
