How do you get a bass player off your porch?
Pay him for the pizza, silly.
John Sauter picked up the bass guitar when he
was 14 years old. Over the next few years, he scored backing gigs
with such Chicago blues greats as Otis Spann and Sam Lay and rock
& roll legends Bo Diddley and Chuck Berry. He also worked
steadily with Corky Siegel and was a full-fledged member of Mitch
Ryder’s band. During the late ’70s and early
’80s, he landed a high-profile gig with Ted Nugent, covering
bass duties for the Motor City Madman both live and in the studio.
Since then Sauter has stayed busy, always playing the bass for some
band or another. For years he backed Springfield Shaky, and lately
he’s hooked up with his old pal John “Catfish”
Evans of Decatur.
In June, Sauter sustained a stroke that left
him unable to play music for several months. It also left him with
huge expenses for recovery, mountains of medical bills, and all the
usual financial strain that comes with loss of income. Being a
self-employed musician, he had no health insurance, retirement
fund, or pension plan or even much stuffed under the mattress, for
that matter.
Didja hear about the musician who was worried about his savings? He still had several drinks to
go to reach his 401 keg.
If you’re wondering whether
you’ve ever seen Sauter (nicknamed “Polar Bear”)
perform, believe me: If you did, you’d remember. He’s
the skinny guy with the tattooed arms, flailing on a standup bass
like nobody’s business. Once in a while he’ll pull out
a bottleneck slide for a zip-and-dip on the old doghouse — to
my knowledge, he’s one of the few bass players to use a
slide. Sauter says he’s feeling much better and doing what he
can. We can expect a gradual return to full-time playing over the
next several months. Send donations to John Sauter, 984 W. Packard,
Decatur, IL 62522.
What would happen if you gave a musician a
million dollars? He’d keep playing until the money ran out.
Friends, fans, and fellow musicians are
holding two benefits this weekend at the AIW Hall, 2882 N. Dineen
St. in Decatur. The first show, 8 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 5,
features Charger, the River Bottom Band, Mr. Natural, and Honest
Pod. The second show, Sunday, Nov. 6, begins at noon and goes
“until the end” with music by Springfield Shaky, the
Soundations, Triplex, the Groove Daddies, and Anti-Everything.
The late, great
Johnny Cash is the subject of a four-part program on WUIS (91.9
FM), 7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, Nov. 7-10. Cash, the Legend incorporates
commentary and music to tell the tale of Cash’s life, with
the artist’s career divided into four periods: “How
Great Thou Art,” “Ring of Fire,” “The Man
in Black,” and “The World Needs a Melody.”
Alan Smithee, a
California band on the rise, has critics and fans conjuring up
comparisons to Train and U2. The traveling band is obviously
working the bigger-than-life rock-song emotions quite well. See the
Next Big Thing at Marly’s Pub (9 W. Old State Capitol Plaza,
217-522-2280) 10 p.m.-midnight Thursday, Nov. 3. Then you’ll
be able to say that you saw them back when they were still playing
bars. No word on where in the heck they got that name, though.
I hear that something
called the 2005 Music Marathon is going on this weekend, but
because nobody tells me anything, I don’t have any specifics
on it. All I know is, someone said that seven bars are involved,
and I think you get to ride a bus (I hope so) and go from bar to
bar, listening to different bands, without paying separate cover
charges. Then again, it may not be that at all. I suggest that you
ask around or look for a flier in your favorite nightclub. Some of
the bands and clubs involved, so I’m told: Ultraviolet at the
Curve Inn, the New Goat Ensemble at the Underground City Tavern,
Early Warning at Third Base, and Rockhouse at the Four Seasons.
Sounds like a hoot — kinda like a pub crawl or something.
Happy two years in
the bar business to Reier Deloney at Mojo’s (225 E. Monroe
St., 217-544-3400). Anyone who has had anything to do with the
business knows the time and energy consumed in operating a
nightclub. Here’s to many more years of music, fun, and
alcohol sales. Posamist, which held a regular Thursday-night gig in
the early days of the bar, makes a comeback for the celebration, 9
p.m.-1 a.m. Nov. 3.
Paying for bass playing
John Sauter needs a little help from his friends
John Sauter
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