REVIEW OF MIKE SMITH'S ROCK ENGINE
AT WATER STREET MUSIC HALL
ROCHESTER NY USA, MARCH 19, 2003
(MORE PICTURES AT BOTTOM OF PAGE)
Intro / Sound
Check / The Band / The Songs / The Venue
/ The Sound / The Crowd
/ The Opening Act / After the Show
INTRO - "Mike Smith's Rock Engine" lived up to their name: powering
through twenty-two exciting songs before an appreciative crowd at the Water Street Music Hall in Rochester NY,
USA. Many fine reviews have already been posted on various message boards, and so I'll try not to duplicate too
many comments here. Suffice to say that it was a very very special night for all of us.
SOUND CHECK - I drove to the show with my wife Cindy, and with our good friends
Bill & Debbie Topor. They've been married for nearly thrity years, and they "courted eachother" to
DC5 music. Both can sing all the words to about all of the songs. So Bill insisted we get there at 6PM for the
7PM show. And there we were: 6PM, no crowd in front of the door, a cool breeze blowing through downtown, and the
place locked up tight. An employee stuck his head out of the building to tell us the doors won't open until seven,
and so any senbible person would have departed in search of food. But Bill was like a little kid about the whole
thing, and insisted we hang around. The women waited in the car, as Bill tried to peer through the plastic covering
the window. He finally poked a hole in it (the plastic, not the window), and was rewarded with a blurred view of
the band taking the stage for sound check. "Gimme Some Lovin" began reverberating through the old brick
building. At this point, the owner of the place showed some mercy, and opened the door. "I'll let you in for
the sound check if you promise not to let anyone else in, no matter who bangs on the door." he offerred. So
to heck with our wives in the car, we were IN-like-Flynn, standing by the sound board at the back of the hall.
The sound was immediately full and crisp, dynamic and invigorating. We were treated to preliminary versions of
"Hungry Heart" and "Try Too Hard" before the sound check was complete. The band left the stage,
but Mike then headed back towards us - well, actually back toward his wife (Charlie) who was standing near us.
But we of course assumed he'd rather say hello to us, and so we stepped forward to shake his hand. He greeted us
kindly, we thanked him for coming to Rochester, and then he and Charlie headed off. This reminded Bill and I that
we also had wives, and that they were still in the car. I suggested that if we wanted our marriages to last another
30 years, it might be prudent to go find our women. But a small crowd had gathered outside the door, and Bill was
quick to point out that if we went to get our wives now, we could loose our opportunity to get the first-come-first-served
front row seats. So I went out to get the girls, and Bill went up front to drape himself over as many seats as
possible. A great night was about to get under way.
THE BAND - So there we were, Bill & Debbie, Cindy & myself, our good friends
Carl & Debbie, and some new friends, Terry & Pat, : front row at the closest thing there has ever been
to a DC5 concert since 1970. Four band members came out ahead of Mike: Guitarist Doug Lean
took up his position immediately in front of our seats. He was tall and strong, with very good posture (something
guitarists sometimes let get away), and so he had excellent stage presence. Typical of the whole band, he played
the music "close to home" until released during appropriate interludes for wailing and thrilling leads.
These leads could have been amplified a bit more, and some of the quickly-played notes lost their definition in
the cavernous building. But it was still just great. Doug is obviously an experienced professional. My wife felt
he was "a bit stiff", but I don't quite agree. Frank Mead played two saxophones
and harmonica (no, not all at once). This guy certainly has the ability to steal whatever show he'd like, since
he's been a studio musician or touring partner with members of Pink Floyd, The Beatles, The Stones, Phil Collins,
and others. To hear someone of this caliper play his heart out just a few feet away was a memorable thrill. His
interpretation of the songs made sense, and like Doug, he played along patiently until given many times to explode.
He always came through: from the softer inflections that made "Come Home" into a whole new song, to the
many R&R standards calling for dynamite: he blew everybody away. The drummer is Paul
Skelton. Now I had read that he was allegedly the band's "weak point", so I wasn't expecting a
lot. But honestly, I thought he was fine. He worked his tail off, that's for sure. He stayed with some of the DC5
style, certainly using it where it was essential (after all, you can't re-invent "Glad All Over"). But
he had his own very fitting style that I thoroughly enjoyed. And who in their right mind could ever get all of
the stops-n-starts right in "The Girl Can't Help It" anyway? He smiled, and he drove home a great show.
(And does anybody think Dave Clark was a technically superior drummer?) My personal favorite had to be Curt
Sandell, the bass player. I had read that he was an amateur musician who was getting to live out a dream
by playing on this tour. That made him easy to relate to, and he just beamed as he played. His style fit the songs
perfectly, and his animation (his stage movement: how he gets into the songs) was great. To my amateur ears, he
played like a pro. And then there's Mike Smith. How can he still sing like that? With
a minor cold? And sitting down? His passion for the music carried him through the magnificent night. His fingers
found that none of the keys had moved since the songs had been long-ago penned. His style was as it has always
been, including the classic sweeps of the top keys, while his dominating voice commanded attention to rock songs
as though they were anthems. His comments between the songs were very brief: I wouldn't say he's a natural front-man
in that regard. I guess he'll just have to rely on his God-given talent. Fortunately, he's got lots of what they
call "the most".
THE SONGS - A list of the songs follows this review. "Gimme Some Lovin"
may seem an odd opener to you if you're reading the set list for the first time. But it's a perfect fit for Mike
& Co.: as a full-sounding long-note keyboard trumpets the crowd to rally for rock-and-roll. The strong beat,
and the interactive chorus and "HEY!", these all create the proper launch. Then it's right into a DC5
standard, "Do You Love Me", also interactive, and getting the DC5 purists hooked. But Mike Smith's Rock
Engine is NOT the Dave Clark Five. The next four songs establish them as a distinct entity, as they tip their hat
to other standard pieces of yesteryear. I've always loved Fats Domino's "I'm Ready", and in fact my own
amateur band "The Boltons" does a humble cover of it. Simple and great fun. "I Hear You Knockin'"
and "Great Balls of Fire" were predictably wild. I haven't heard more definitive covers anywhere. And
my other favorite from Mike's solo album: "The Girl Can't Help It" was over-the-top. I've about run out
of superlatives (English is like a second-language to me) and there's too many songs left to talk about. Into the
DC5 material: "Catch Us If You Can" provided an appropriate change of atmosphere, and had everyone singing
on the chorus like little kids. And then they did "Come Home", which to be honest, I never really liked.
Too dry sounding. But not this time. This version was fuller, more dramatic, and then accented by Frank's soulful
sax. Downright romantic. More hits were pounded out, and as others have said "Having a Wild Weekend"
somehow rose about the rest, combining the classic sense of the R&R numbers with the essence of the old Dave
Clark Five. The march of hits took a pause for a beautiful rendition of "Free As a Bird". This is an
artistic treasure from the Smith-D'Abo period. Loved it. Four more hits, and then "Lawdy Miss Clawdy",
which was a late album cut. And then Steve Van Zandt's beautiful "Everybody's Got a Hungry Heart". This
song's got a great great melody: which is what makes 60's-style music the best, and why it fit so well here. "Because"
made the women swoon, of course, and provided a breath-catch for the encore songs. "Bits & Pieces",
"Glad All Over" and "Any Way You Want It" overflowed everybody's thrilling night, getting the
crowd up and dancing. Although we didn't get all of the songs in Rochester, (I've been reading about other venues
getting "On Broadway", "What'd I Say?", and others), no one left un-satisfied. Mike has written
too many great songs, covered too many rock classics, and captained too many DC5 winners to possibly pay tribute
to them all. That's a good problem to have. (More review below)
Songs Played: (In order) GIMME SOME LOVIN (Spencer Davis Group) DO YOU LOVE ME? (DC5) I'M READY
(Fats Domino)(& Mike's Solo album) I HEAR YOU KNOCKIN'(Fats Domino)) THE GIRL CAN'T HELP IT (Little Richard)(&Mike's
Solo Album) GREAT BALLS OF FIRE (Jerry Lee Lewis)CATCH US IF YOU CAN (DC5)COME HOME (DC5) CAN'T YOU SEE THAT SHE'S
MINE (DC5) YOU GOT WHAT IT TAKES (DC5) HAVING A WILD WEEKEND (DC5) FREE AS A BIRD (Smith & D'Abo) NINETEEN
DAYS (DC5) I LIKE IT LIKE THAT (DC5) OVER AND OVER (DC5) TRY TOO HARD (DC5) EVERYBODY"S GOT A HUNGRY HEART
(Steve Van Zandt) LAWDY MISS CLAWDY (Elvis & DC5) BECAUSE (DC5) BITS & PIECES (DC5) GLAD ALL OVER (DC5)
ANY WAY YOU WANT IT (DC5)
THE VENUE - The Water Street Music Hall is easy to get to in downtown Rochester.
It's in an old brick building at the end of Water Street, right near the expressway. Inside, the place is a big,
dark, bar. Fortunately they had a great sound system. A couple hundred plastic folding chairs were set up in rows,
leaving plenty of room in the back for socializing. The acoustics are good if the sound level is kept sensible.
I'm told that not all bands keep it so, but Mike's Smith's band was loud and clear enough. Ownership wants to bring
in more 60's,70's or 80's acts, and expects to serve food in the near future. The crowd at MSRE drank lots of coke
and ginger ale. Future events will need to be better promoted. The local Oldies radio station didn't do much, including
no mention on their website. But they did have a guy run down to the show, put up a couple banners promoting their
station, and then leave. I would return here for the right artists.
THE SOUND - As was said, loud and clear. The drums are equalized to saturate the
bottom end with a thundering beat beyond what most bands do. Fine with me, and fitting for this music. My internet
friend Paul Maringelli was correct to point out that in the DC5: the guitar was clean-sounding and the sax was
"dirty". In MSRE, it's more the opposite. I would try to bring out the lead guitar rifts more. Mike's
vocals were mixed just right, as were the competent backing vocals.
THE CROWD - Less than 100 provided for an intimate setting, but still a good party.
On a Wednesday night, not everybody was as ready to rock as might be the case on a weekend. The crowd was polite
and appreciative. My friends and I were in the front row, but we didn't want to stand and block people's view (I'm
tall anyway, which makes that worse). By the end, everybody was up. Good to finally meet internet buddies Rob M,
Gabby and Tom from the Buffalo NY area.
THE OPENING ACT - A Rochester-area duet called "Rockin' Red" (I never
heard of them) played competent blues, covering Sonny Boy Williamson, Jerry Reed, Lightning Hopkins and others.
The harmonica player was astounding, and the singer-guitarist decent . Twenty minutes of them would have been just
right, but they wore everyone out for fourty-five minutes or more. And they showed little personality, followed
by zero interest in the upcoming feature act. Just before their last song, the guitarist said, "And be sure
to stay around for...(turns and awkwardly reads the name off the drum set) Mike Smith's Rock Engine." Then
they finished and then they left. Goodbye.
AFTER THE SHOW - I wish the whole band had come back out, but for some reason
they didn't. Mike did, and it sure was a delight to meet him. What impressed me the most was his thankful and humble
attitude, so rare in "rock stars". He spoke to each of us like we were personal friends, as he signed
CD covers, posed patiently for pictures, and respectively kissed the lady fans. As Bernie Medina said in his review
"It's nice to be important, but more important to be nice." Mike's wife Charlie was also kind-hearted
and down-to-earth. For me, a highlight of the aftermath was showing Mike a bootleg CD I had aquired that included
him singing some of his rare songs: stuff that never was released like "China Blue", "Just a Little
Love", "Love You All of My Life" and others. It brought back some memories on his part, I could
tell. He said he didn't have copies of those songs anymore, so I gave the disc to his wife later, believing he'll
find the listening meaningful. (Meanwhile I'm counting on my friend Carl to make me a copy of the copy I gave him
a few months ago.) As we departed the place, my wife confessed her final conversion to "my music", and
now that she's on board with the DC5, The Searchers, Mike Smith's Rock Engine, and of course The Boltons, I'm sure
we'll make it another thirty years. Oh, and my friend Bill Topor utterred the words "Now I can die.",
a silly thing to say of course, and I'm sure he asked God's forgiveness later. But seeing Mike Smith LIVE did bring
a sense of completeness to a special chapter of life that began in 1964 when we were first Glad All Over. - (Review
by Rob Bolton, 3/03)
MORE PICTURES:
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Upper Left: Doug Lean. Upper Center: Frank Mead. Upper right: Curt Sandell. (Sorry, couldn't
get Paul Skelton)
Lower Left: Mike Smith singing "I'm Ready". Lower right: Mike Smith with Rob Bolton
(who is obviously up past his bedtime.)