The Beatles tribute band American English will return to Herculaneum this weekend for a pair of concerts for one good cause.
Proceeds from the shows on Friday and Saturday, sponsored by the Herculaneum Fire Department, will be used to create Kade’s Playground, a recreation area for children of all abilities to be built at Herculaneum City Park.
American English headlined the Herculaneum Bicentennial celebration in 2008, and Eric Michaels, who plays the Paul McCartney role in the band, said he and his mates recall that gig fondly.
“I remember that night exactly,” he said. “People were excited to see us. It was one of our great concerts that year. We met some wonderful people, and we had a great time. We’re looking forward to coming back.”
Shows will begin at 7 p.m. both nights at the Dunklin R-5 Theater on the Herculaneum High School campus. Tickets are $25 each.
The band, which was assembled more than 20 years ago, is based in Chicago. Michael said he was recruited about a year after it was formed.
“The guy they had playing Paul didn’t sing very well, and he didn’t look very much like Paul, either,” Michael said. “I have those things going for me, plus I have very good hair,” he said, laughing.
It didn’t take him long to assume a leadership role with the band. He now performs most of the business functions of running the group.
“Just like Paul used to do,” he said. “Paul was the one who would get the guys together.”
The lineup has changed over the years but now includes Frank Canino (John Lennon), John Paul Lynch (George Harrison), Tom Gable (Ringo Starr) and keyboardist Ken Zemanek, who takes Beatles producer George Martin’s persona on stage.
Michael said the addition of Zemanek allows American English to perform a totally live show, unlike other Beatle tribute bands.
“All of our music is done on stage live. It’s amazing what sounds can come out of those keyboards – horn parts, strings, tubas. We don’t do any of the recorded stuff the other bands do. It’s all done as authentically as we can make it. When we do ‘Yesterday,” I play the guitar left-handed upside down, just like Paul does.”
American English, which plays hits from the Beatles’ entire career as well as some songs from the members’ solo catalogs, has played all over the world, including several venues where the Beatles appeared in their early days.
He said the group was playing at the famous Cavern Club in Liverpool, the owner approached them about playing at the International Beatles Week in Liverpool in 2002.
“That was quite an experience, playing for 50,000 drunken Irishmen and Englishmen,” Michael said.
“I told him that we would do it, but the only thing we really wanted was to have a full day recording at the Abbey Road Studios in London. He said, ‘O.K., I can make that happen.”
Michael said he and his bandmates were in awe of the studio, which included much of the equipment used by the Fab Four.
“There was a natural reverence to it. It was a great place to record,” he said.
The band laid down tracks to an album they called “What If,” which included Beatles solo efforts such as “Maybe I’m Amazed,” “Imagine,” “Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey” and “It Don’t Come Easy.”
“We performed them as we imagined how the Beatles would have performed them if they had not broken up, as if Paul was singing with John,” Michaels said.
He said the enduring popularity of the Fab Four can be traced directly to their music.
“Their songs are so melodic, young kids today are still drawn to them,” he said. “Teenagers like their music, too. A lot of indie bands today will say how much they’re influenced by the Beatles, and you can hear it in their music.”
He said he hopes the two shows will be a success.
“We’ve played around the world, but in addition to Chicago, St. Louis has always been a stronghold for us. We played a lot of shows at the Casino Queen (about four years ago), and always drew big crowds. We’re counting on those fans to come out this weekend.”
Proceeds from the concert will benefit the drive to build Kade’s Playground.
The playground, which is proposed for Herculaneum City Park, has been named in memory of Kade Bauman, the son of Josh and Annette Bauman, who died at the age of 3.
According to the family’s website, Kade started having seizures when he was five months old and was diagnosed with epilepsy, Cortical visual impairment, global developmental delays, development encephalopathy and a suspected mitochondrial disease. During his short life, he was confined to a wheelchair.
His parents and family have been working to establish a playground that is accessible to all children.
To order tickets by telephone, call 636-475-4447. Tickets also will be sold at the door.
For more information on Kade’s Playground or to donate, call 636-475-4447, 636-475-5476, 314-852-4964 or 314-550-1550.