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| an American Band |
Grand Funk Railroad
is one of those classic rock bands that seem to always maintain their
existential elasticity. Their performance Saturday, January 26, 2019 at the
Bluegate Theater in Shipshewana Indiana
And as great as all
of the musicians were, as fantastic as were the drums, guitars, keyboard, I
found myself paying attention to Mel Schacher as the sounds of reverberating
thunder were released by the pluck of his fingers. It seemed an almost
intuitive relationship between bassist and instrument.
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| "God of Thunder" Mel Schacher |
No wonder his fans fervently
refer to him as “The God of Thunder”!
Ah, to be so
revered in your craft as to acquire from amongst your devotees such an honorific
as “God of Thunder”!
I suggest for myself
the tag “Parson Extraordinaire”. I choose the term “parson” so as to emphasize
my admirable degree of humility.
But, back to Mel…
The God of Thunder
stands on stage much like a well-disciplined sentry in protection of the
musical integrity of the performance. Only a periodic and mischievous
half-smile betrays his statuesque face indicating to the crowd that he enjoys
this more than he wants to convey.
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| eager fans before the show |
But there was no
masking the enjoyment of the crowd as Mel plucked from his strings the sonic
medium through which the other instruments would be manifest.
Each pluck of a
string echoed from the walls to greet subsequent bass notes to create a
fullness of sound, feel, and ambient attitude in the room. The rubber-funk
sounds of Mel’s bass seemed to accentuate my heartbeat reminding me of what age
eighteen feels like again!
Yes, indeed, his honorific of “God of Thunder” is well
deserved!
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| Andrew and Alec |
But, speaking of
eighteen, or at least being that young, I happened upon two brothers, Andrew
Bencsics, 21, and Alec Bencsics, 17 who declared themselves classic rock fans,
Kiss loyalists, who very much are into Grand Funk.
Andrew said he had
purchased “E Pluribus Funk”, on vinyl, and immediately became a fan. Alex has
collected all of Grand Funks albums on CD.
But these guys are
not only spectators of the thunderous sport of rock; they want to perform it as
well.
Andrew plays guitar,
rhythm or lead, while Alec plays bass. They need a drummer to fill out their
three-man-group. Perhaps they could be the next Cream, Jimmy Hendrix
Experience, or Mark, Don, and Mel!
Anyway, it was a great concert!
Tour information for Grand Funk can be found at:
Catch a show! And tell them Mike sent you!
