02 Apr KOTO street party April 2 showcases live “Dinosaur” and “The 525s”: 3 p.m.
The things these two Telluride bands share are really big ones. I am talking about amps.
The cross-dressing Ralph Dinosaur and his Fabulous Volcanoes headline Telluride KOTO radio’s end-of-season FREE street dance/costume contest, tomorrow, Friday, April 2, 3 – 8 p.m.
“There is nothing in the world like a Telluride party,” said KOTO’s special event queen jumpin’ jan (zink), quoting Ralph from his original “Telluride Stomp.”
And now for something completely different. This year, at this party, for the very first time, Telluride’s favorite dragster shares the stage with a sizzling hot opening act, performers who might be coaxed into dresses for high school reunions, weddings, and funerals: the town’s favorite all-women rock ‘n roll band, The 525s.
How does Cheavens feel about performing side by side with the roaring Dinosaur?
“He looks better in lingerie than I do. That said, watching him all these years, I could not help but think how lucky Ralph was to do what he does and make a living. He’s introduced me to some of the coolest rock and roll songs out there.”
Which she brings inside: Cheavens channels the sounds of many of the priapic rocker gods to write all of the original music for the 525s.
“The process of writing a song is different every time. Sometimes the artists I love deliver a direct influence. The opening lyrics to ‘Follow Me Slowly’ are pure Bruce Springsteen.’C’mon darling, it’s been a heck of day …’ When I wrote that I heard him barking it out in that soulful lonely way he has. But once the band got hold of it, the song got prettier, but not less urgent. ‘A fire is burning. What’s taken you so long?’ The way Baerbel sings this song is what the song needs. It’s a matter of expressing want, not need. She can sing what I feel.”
Cheavens zeroes in on the evolution of one particular song, “Wednesday by Saturday.”
“The career I left behind was deadline-driven. At one of our open house/salons at the 525 Studio, we were singing songs with the days of the week and no one could think of a Wednesday song. I said if I had an assignment and a deadline, I could write anything. We had a rehearsal coming up that Saturday. Suz’s husband, Tomaz, said, ‘OK, write a Wednesday by Saturday.’ It was a Tuesday night. By Thursday night, I had this song and played it for the girls on Saturday.This time, the band made it dirtier and faster than I’d presented it. It’s our fiercest song, by far. We love playing this one. It surprises people with its speed and intensity.”
The following are the lyrics:
“Wednesday by Saturday”
Words and music: Suzanne Cheavens
Arrangement: The 525s
Show me how to do it, show me how to dance,
Show me how to do it, show me how to dance ……
I saw you walking in the neighborhood,
If that’s what’s happening, I’m feeling pretty good.
A flash of smile, up goes the brow,
We should have been together by now.
There’s so much to say, so much to do,
There’s no accounting for the likes of you.
Something certain this way blows,
A lot’s been written but nobody really knows.
Get here Wednesday by Saturday.
Come with your wine and your blues.
Get here Wednesday by Saturday,
Though any day will do.
Show me how to do it, show me how to dance.
You know I want to do it, take it to the dance.
I saw you walking in the neighborhood,
That’s what’s happening, I feel pretty good.
I knew it then and I know it now.
We’ve got to get together, together somehow.
To get a feeling for the group, watch Clint Viebrock’s iMovie.
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