The Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra’s third and final 10th anniversary concert Band In Boston proved to be as much fun as all of their presentations. Last night’s performance at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts, two nights before the Boston Marathon, raised some proceeds for the One Fund while celebrating the music of Hub acts Aerosmith, The Cars, and Boston.
Last night’s show had a special opening segment. URO lead Sal Clemente brought his daughter Lola Clemente on stage with her ukulele to highlight his ten years of concerts. His daughter Lola was only 4 when she went to her first URO concert. Now, she’s a teenager with a keen interest in playing a musical instrument. Lola Clemente, with her dad Sal Clemente on percussion, performed some selections from their favorite family television show Adventure Time. The youthful musician-singer played her ukulele well and she had a winsome voice.
After his daughter finished her set, Clemente called his URO band mates out onto the stage to begin the heavier portions of the show. The band and multiple singers went into their original “Child, Thy Name Is Rock” to much favor from the near packed audience. Clemente’s smooth vocal delivery and Tim Lillis’ eloquent piano tinkling suddenly turned into a bombastic, hard-charging rock anthem. Kyle Martin was the second lead vocalist on this tune, and he contrasted well with his more chirpy vocal.
Next up, “The Immigrant Song,” with it thumping, driving groove and throaty roars from the vocalists, was a hard rock show piece. Then, singer Fatima Elmi belted in true rocker style over the mad frenzied rhythms of “Helter Skelter.
The URO, after warming up their regular crowd with their usual bombastic British rock standards, went into their selections of songs from Boston bands. “Moving In Stereo” by The Cars was treated like gold by the URO. Its eerie minor chords and Clinton Degan’s haunting vocal delivery worked well with keyboard Tim Lillis who kept the wavy synth melody coming. The solid rhythm section was also important to keep this song afloat.
Jeff Munson was well suited to the lead vocals on The Cars’ “Let The Good Times Roll.” The backing vocalists also helped bring this number to three dimensional life. Kyle Martin, too, was a plus when he sang “You’re All I Got Tonight.” Matt Sullivan’s guitar work brought back fond memories of the summer of 1978 when The Cars were exploding onto the national scene with their bombastic guitar work, mounds of synth sounds, and the unmistakable voices of Ric Ocasek and Ben Orr. Sullivan, amidst swirls of Lillis’ synth sounds, nailed the twitchy nuances of Elliot Easton’s lead guitar approach.
Sal Clemente did justice to the lead vocal on the fun, bouncy pop song “Let’s Go,” perhaps one of The Cars more inventive songs. It didn’t hurt to have Lillis pumping out that familiar boing-boing-boing keyboard melody.
Soon, it was time for the URO to go into some Aerosmith, Degan riffed his way and blazed the band’s path straight into “Mama Kin” with Kyle Martin’s unique timbre filling in nicely for Steven Tyler’s vocal line. Mike Leonard excelled during the rapid fire lyrical delivery of “Walk This Way” with his stream of never ending cool. Both guitarists, Degan and Sullivan, served up a bracing thicket of guitar work, making sparks each time they rubbed lead and rhythm lines briskly against each other. Did I also mention that the song was danceable fun for the whole audience?
The URO actually got all of the Boston songs correct when they went into those Tom Scholz penned masterpieces. “Peace Of Mind” found Sal Clemente on acoustic guitar accompanying the two electric guitarists with Lillis on organ. Together, they recreated that seamless blend of instruments in the arcing, flowing melodies. The song demanded precision and the URO had it. Lead singer Christie Beaulieu sustained the heck out of a vocal note, making it hers while the band wove an impressive texture of sound.
Marie Mae Clemente sang with a lush, pristine vocal on “Hitch A Ride” and gave a soulful delivery of this prettiest song in the Boston catalogue. Clinton Degan’s tender guitar work fit in perfectly with the mellow feeling of the song,.
Kyle Martin and Christie Beaulieu soared vocally on “More Than A Feeling,” recalling the special emotive qualities of a very special singer who, sadly, is no longer with us.
The URO began their second act with some of their more familiar classic rock numbers. Kyle Martin and Mike Leonard were powerhouse lead singers on “Who Are You.” Bassist Mark Nigro was the man with the right touch in the right places when he made the audience feel his pulsating notes on “Under Pressure,” carrying all the singers and the other players on the back of his low end runs. Nigro is God.
As vocalist, Fatima Elmi, as always, made a strong impression.
Kyle was a smart singer on the elaborately performed “Mr. Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra. His gentlemanly, gliding vocal landed in the right place in this sweet, intricate number. Needless to say, Lillis was quite busy working his melodies, synth sounds, and vocal effects, and, the heavenly choir of backing vocalists made this a highlight of the evening.
Then, after warming up the crowd, the URO was back into their Band In Boston tunes. Mike Leonard was perfect on “Just What I Needed” as a wave of synth siren wafted by and a thumping groove carried it along. Sal Clemente chorded his way right into “Best Friend’s Girl” and the song’s sloping, moody melody made you feels something even thought it’s seemingly only a fun pop-rock song. There was something in the lonely guitar melody and tender synth line that the heart could never ignore.
“Last Child,” the Aerosmith classic with the bossy beat and badass bass line, found Marie Mae Clemente providing a lively take on the raw vocal line. Degan’s salty guitar phrase was another plus. “Sweet Emotion” was a perfect blend of percussion, sound effects, guitars and it all rolled out tightly interwoven, texture intact. Here, Matt Sullivan’s guitar line was a work of unwieldy power.
Christie Beaulieu mesmerized while singing “Dream On” with her edgy timbre during the song’s musical build up and heart felt ending. Fatima Elmi’s heartfelt rendering of “Take Me To The Other Side” was a surprise follow up to “Dream On.” This girl can belt with unusual range, power, precision, and she might likely be at least some people’s reason for coming to the URO. Matt Sullivan spearheaded “Pink” with authority on guitar as Sal Clemente delivered the words with a forceful, nuanced vocal line. Just when you thought Clemente was more impresario than performer, he impressed with this pitch perfect control of colors and tones, showing he is also an artist.
Last night’s show was another success for the Ultrasonic Rock Orchestra. Not only did they get a packed audience out for their third show, they kept the audience excited for the entire concert. They also donated a good chunk of change to the One Fund. The URO will perform their Summer Solstice concert, again at the Regent Theatre in Arlington, Massachusetts, on Saturday, June 21.
