Connacht Tribune

Life on the road with ‘gentle’ legend Brian

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Groove Tube with Jimi McDonnell – tribunegroove@live.ie

Brian Wilson’s show is the easily the most exciting gig coming to Galway this summer. As a member of The Beach Boys, Wilson wrote hits like Good Vibrations, Surfin’ USA and I Get Around. He also wrote, produced and arranged the classic Pet Sounds album, which he and his band will perform in full at the Absolut Big Top during this year’s Galway International Arts Festival.

Paul Von Mertens, who plays saxophone and a variety of other instruments in Brian Wilson’s band, talks to the Tribune from his home in Chicago, Illinois.

He has been playing with Wilson for almost 20 years, so how did he get the job?

“Brian lived in Chicago for a short time and while he was living there, he was working on an album,” Paul says. “His production and business partner called me and if I’d come out to the studio and play on some tracks. So, I ended up playing saxophone, flute, clarinet and a variety of instruments on that record. They decided to do some live gigs, and it’s just been going ever since. It was one phone call, and it turned into decades of playing and touring!”

Brian Wilson is a peer of The Beatles, but the skills he brought to The Beach Boys were like Lennon, McCartney and their producer George Martin rolled into one.  When he began his career, did Paul Von Mertens ever anticipate working with someone like Brian?

“No, it’s not something I imagined in a particular way,” Paul says. “I was aware of the Beach Boys music, but I was in my 20s when I heard Pet Sounds, and the album had been around for a long time.

“Before that I was aware of the hits and some of the more interesting cuts, like Sail On, Sailor. I wasn’t specifically a fan, though. I studied classical music and jazz, so it was something I grew into. But I was ready for the call when I did those sessions, because I was well-trained at that point, and I had good ear from working in a variety of contexts.”

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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