Credit: Rob Shanahan
Credit: Rob ShanahanDerek Smalls, bassist for the legendary mock-rock band Spinal Tap — a.k.a. comic actor Harry Shearer — has lined up four West Coast solo concerts this fall in support of his star-studded 2018 debut solo album, Smalls Change (Meditations upon Ageing). He’s being joined by an equally star-studded lineup of backing musicians for the shows.
At the concerts, scheduled for this November in Los Angeles; Seattle; Vancouver, Canada; and San Francisco, Smalls will be joined by three virtuoso guitarists will be joining Smalls: Toto‘s Steve Lukather, Dweezil Zappa and longtime Stevie Nicks guitarist Waddy Wachtel.
In addition, several celebrities will take part in the concerts — dubbed Lukewarm Water Live! — via satellite link-up, among them Steely Dan‘s Donald Fagen, guitar whiz Steve Vai and actress and comedian Jane Lynch. Also joining the musical festivities remotely will be the Snarky Puppy Horns and the Hungarian Studio Orchestra.
“Playing live with a symphony orchestra and some of the greats in rock music was never anything I could even hope to dream of,” says Derek in a statement. “But I can now!”
At the concerts, Smalls will be performing tunes from the Smalls Change album, as well as selections from the Spinal Tap catalog. More guests are expected to be announced soon.
The four shows will be the precursor to a major world tour that Smalls is planning to mount in 2020.
Smalls Change featured guest appearances by such well-known musicians as Fagen, David Crosby, Peter Frampton, Rick Wakeman, Lukather, Wachtel, Dweezil Zappa, Paul Shaffer, Joe Satriani and Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith.
Derek recently debuted an official video for the Smalls Change track “Gimme Some (More) Money.”
Here’s the full list of concerts:
11/6 — Los Angeles, CA, The Wiltern
11/9 — Seattle, WA, Moore Theatre
11/11 — Vancouver, BC, Canada, The Vogue Theatre
11/14 — San Francisco, CA, The Warfield Theatre
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