There have been countless acts to emerge from the bay area scene over the past 50 years. From Journey to Metallica to…well…I’ll end the list there because it’ll never end if I don’t. But one of the more streamlined and grand acts to come out of San Fran is the one and only Huey Lewis and the News. One of the most metal non-metal bands of all time.
So what makes Huey Lewis and his cohorts so ‘metal?’ There’s an endless list of reasons. From the bands relentlessness to Chris Hays’ G3 level of guitar playing. From the no nonsense nature of their shows to bassist Mario Cipolinna’s calm, yet intense stage presence. Plus, there’s so many catchy riffs it’s hard to keep track of. Songs like ‘Hip To Be Square’ and ‘I Want A New Drug’ bring out a hard rock element of the band that helped skyrocket them to megastardom. Not only that, but they were big supporters of 80’s hard rock bands like Ratt and L.A. Guns. Oftentimes headlining bills that featured such bands. Like their 1988 Tokyo concert. They even give a huge nod to the scene in their one of many eponymous hits ‘The Heart of Rock ‘N Roll.’ Which is a song that we need now more than ever.
Another element that makes this band worth of the ‘metal’ world is their authenticity. If there’s something metal heads can appreciate it’s authenticity. I mean, it’s one of the main reasons we’re attracted to the genre. It’s real, played with real instruments that the artists had to actually learn. And Huey Lewis and the News define authenticity. When you watch their shows you’ll notice that there are no digital in ear plugs on any of the bands members. And they nail everything perfectly live 100% of the time. Of course, it’s resulted in massive hearing loss for Huey Lewis. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that this band is real, all the way to it’s core.
And that’s what we need now more than ever in our current state of popular music. Real musicians who play their instruments and write their songs. Not this manufactured pop crap that day by day seems to be pushing real musicians out of the way. But as long as there’s bands like Huey Lewis and the News inspiring people, there will always be real music.
My kind of music love it 👍👍