Video playlist: Toggle below for Aztec Two-Step and the Lords of Liechtenstein
By Kevin Coughlin
Aztec Two-Step celebrated 45 years of musical magic in fine style on Saturday, with a hand from a young duo that hopes to carry the torch decades into the future.
As Rex Fowler and Neal Schulman invited openers the Lords of Liechtenstein onstage to share an encore at Chatham’s Sanctuary series, Shulman observed wryly:
“It’s great being a Lord…until the revolution comes. Then, not so very much.”
While brothers Dan and Noah Rauchwerk dug out their instruments, Shulman continued.
“It’s always great to see enthusiastic and exciting young singers,” he said. “Personally, I prefer my folksingers cynical, jaded and old, and slightly decrepit. But as far as the young ones go, you guys really are the best.”
And as far as the mature ones go, Aztec Two-Step is right up there, two. Fowler showed no signs of a month-long bout with laryngitis, singing with gusto. And Shulman’s stellar guitar work only improves with age.
“Tonight was as much fun as you can have,” said Fowler, who would like to shoot for a half-century for his duo. They have the following; Aztec plays 50- to 100-gigs a year.
“We’re still having fun and the audience is still coming. That’s the part of this that’s fun,” said Schulman. “If it was just the two of us, it would still happen once in awhile for fun. It’s the audience, we’ve got them as a partner.”
A new album is in the formative stages, too, noted Fowler, who debuted a new song, Naked, during the concert.
The Lords were taking mental notes all evening.
“We both found Aztec Two-Step to be consummate musicians and performers,” said Dan Rauchwerk.
“They not only know how to blend their voices perfectly while shredding on guitar, but they do it all with big smiles and boundless energy. They were very kind to us and we were lucky enough to spend some time swapping stories with them backstage.
“We learned that the most important feature in a successful band is the ability to get along with your bandmates. Aztec Two-Step has been around for 45 years and they still genuinely like each other. That chemistry really comes through on stage, and you can’t fake it.”
Videos:1. Aztec Two-Step, “Baking”2. Aztec Two-Step, medley: “Cosmos Lady” and “Dance”3. Lords of Liechtenstein: “Gorilla”4. Aztec & Lords channel Simon & Garfunkel for encore
Next up at The Sanctuary: Cheryl Wheeler with Mindy Schmitt, on April 16, 2016.
