By Randi Bjornstad
Ever hear of a group called The Wrecking Crew? Marisa Frantz (who happens to be the stepdaughter of Shirley Andress, one of The Shedd Institute’s core group of vocalists, as well as an accomplished singer in her own right), says that if you remember Let the Sunshine In by The 5th Dimension, or Monday, Monday by The Mamas & the Papas, or Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkel — or for that matter myriad other popular songs of the 1960s and ’70s — you have heard The Wrecking Crew.
Frantz says they were a loose-knit group of musicians “that recorded on virtually every hit during the 1960s in Los Angeles. They influenced the music landscape with their incredible musicianship, arranging, soloing, songwriting, and producing.”
She has put together a show that will be onstage at The Shedd Institute on Jan. 31 and Feb. 2, with a stop in between at The La Sells Stewart Center in Corvallis on Feb. 1.
The show will include the songs listed above plus many more, such as Close to You (The Carpenters), Unchained Melody (The Righteous Brothers), Be My Baby (The Ronettes), Strangers in the Night (Frank Sinatra), I Think I Love You (The Partridge Family), I Got You Babe (Sonny & Cher), and God Only Knows (The Beach Boys), and on and on.
Of course it takes a lot of musicians to make this happen, and the crew that will do it includes:
Vocalists: Marisa Frantz, Shelley James, Tab Houston, and Gene Newbold
Musicans: Vicki Brabham (piano), Scoop McGuire (bass), Kenan Edler (drums), Matthew Taylor (reeds), Steve Arriola (guitar), Paul Hobbs (guitar), and Julia Frantz (violin)
When and where:
- 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 31, at The Shedd Institute, 868 High St., Eugene
- 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the LaSells Stewart Center, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis, on the Oregon State University campus
- 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 2, at The Shedd Institute, 868 High St., Eugene
Tickets: Eugene: $11.75 to $32; Corvallis: $16 to $32; available at the box office or online at theshedd.org
