Local band Wish will channel the legendary Liverpool group when they perform the Beatles’ “Abbey Road” album in its entirety. The show will take place Saturday at the Wild Duck Brewery.
Lead singer and guitarist Kent Goodman said the performance will be a trip back to the psychedelic age. The musician, who admits to lighting incense on stage, said the group is attempting to recreate the 1970s.
“We’ll have lava lamps and British flags,” Goodman said. “I’d like it if people came wearing bell bottoms. We’ll be dressing up.”
The classic rockers who make up Wish formed just over a year ago. The band is composed of drummer Scott Smith, bassist Erick Garman and keyboardist Tom Schonhardt. Also on keyboards and lead guitar is G.R. Eyman. All members contribute vocals, as well.
Goodman, who lived in England for a decade and moved to Eugene about a year ago, said he hopes to recreate the political feel of the late 1960s. He said the mood
today is similar to that of the Vietnam War era.
“The time is ripe again for action,” Goodman said. “I plan on getting a little political.”
However, he said the show isn’t just for aging baby boomers.
“The show is kind of timeless,” Goodman said. “People still like the music.”
The group said it decided to cover the Beatles because the members are all fans of the quartet.
“It was pretty much decided to do this when we first formed,” Smith explained. “We decided to learn ‘Here Comes the Sun,’ and we did it so well we decided to try the whole album.”
He also said the show springs from Wish’s reverence for the Beatles.
“I have an emotional attachment to the Beatles, and a lot of respect for their music,” Smith said. “We have such a love for the music and who they were. It’s a tribute to them, and to keep it alive.”
Smith said the band members were especially fond of the “Abbey Road” album.
“The entire album is connected musically,” he said. “The B-side, in particular, is one piece of music, kind of like a mini-symphony. I think it is one of the best Beatles albums.”
Goodman agrees.
When they made the album, “the Beatles were at the height of their creativity,” he said. “They were psychedelic and interesting.”
The members of Wish said they are looking forward to the challenge the performance presents.
“People have tried Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall,’” member Garman said. “So we thought, why not try ‘Abbey Road’ because the Beatles never attempted it.”
Wish will stay as true to the
album as possible in order to give the audience an idea of how the album was put together.
“Even though we don’t look like the Beatles, or act like the Beatles — we want to capture the feel,” Smith said.
If audiences don’t get their fill of the fab four from “Abbey Road,” the group will play a set of solo work from each of the Beatles after the first set.
Doors for the show open at 9:00 p.m. and advance tickets are $9; on the day of the show, tickets are $11. The Wild Duck is located at 169 W. Sixth Ave.