Adrian Belew will blow you away

A real-life guitar hero is coming to the Aladdin Theatre this Friday to show Portland’s players a thing or two about technique.

Adrian Belew—a.k.a. Frank Zappa’s protégé, David Bowie touring musician and, most notably, head oddball of progressive experimental band King Crimson—is assembling his Power Trio for another North American run, and Portland is in his sights.

Although Belew has played in King Crimson since 1981 (the band has been a trans-Atlantic institution since the ’60s), a lot of casual music listeners have likely never heard of the man, his Power Trio or King Crimson. However, the state of rock music owes much of its prosperity and creativity to the efforts of Belew and company.

Much of ’70s progressive rock music nods to King Crimson. Bands like Genesis borrowed heavily from the more progressive elements of King Crimson’s music—that is, Robert Fripp’s frenetic polyrhythmic guitar and Peter Sinfield’s ventures into electronic soundscapes.

Various now-household–name bands sprang forth from time served in King Crimson. Foreigner and Emerson Lake & Palmer were founded by King Crimson “alumni” Ian McDonald and Greg Lake, respectively.

Belew joined King Crimson in 1981, and King Crimson as a whole is best represented with the song “Elephant Talk,” released the same year. The song beautifully showcases each member’s incredible talents one by one, with Belew taking center stage as vocalist and one of two guitarists. Belew’s unconventional guitar work is on display here, with his ability to make the instrument sound like an elephant without
much effort.

When King Crimson performed the song live in December 1981, Belew captured the sound of an elephant using only an Electro-Harmonix Polychorus pedal placed right in the center of the stage on a stool. It is Belew’s ingenuity-within-simplicity that makes him such an astounding guitarist.

When he was bedridden with mononucleosis as a youth, he learned to play guitar while listening to records in his home. A naïve young man, Belew hear records full of studio effects, such as through-zero tape flanging, but Belew didn’t know that. His early dedication to guitar saw him attempting to use the guitar itself to replicate the studio tricks, a nearly unheard-of level of experimentation at the time, especially in the Kentucky town Belew grew up in.

Further experimentation led Belew to pursue the art of making sound effects with his guitar. After moving to Nashville, he was taken in by Frank Zappa. Belew bounced among Zappa, Talking Heads and David Bowie. Needless to say, he has a fine pedigree.

Belew’s strange approach to guitar has inspired legions of popular progressive and alternative metal bands.
Adam Jones of Tool, along with bands like Porcupine Tree, Between the Buried and Me and even Nels Cline of Wilco can be seen utilizing impressive and unconventional guitar methods copied straight out of Belew’s playbook. Cline in particular has become this generation’s Belew. By using his guitar to create songs and sounds far outside of the normal spectrum of rock music, and utilizing oceans of effects pedals, Cline’s style is very similar to Belew’s.

By these accounts, the 21st century music scene owes much to Belew. One such scene participant is Dr. Dog, a progressive-cum-psychedelic band from Pennsylvania. Drummer Eric Slick of Dr. Dog was hand-chosen by Belew (along with his sister Julie, a bassist) to comprise his Power Trio, which is the flavor of Belew that Portland gets this Friday.

The trio met when Belew performed with the School of Rock in 2006. Just a few months later, Belew made a formal announcement that he and the Slicks would be starting a band. Like Frank Zappa decades earlier, Belew is taking two future stars under his wing.

Is Belew this generation’s Frank Zappa? Perhaps. What’s more exciting are the chops that Julie Slick will gain from this experience when the cycle begins anew and these two become the next generation’s Zappa(s). Now won’t that be something?

Come see the beginning Friday night.