“Mozart, Strauss, Wagner, Brahms. And Lemmy. Patrons of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra know those first four names,” writes Chris Varias in Sunday’s (9/1) Cincinnati Enquirer (OH). “But Lemmy Kilmister’s work, such as the heavy-metal anthem ‘Ace of Spades,’ is not typically in the mix of the CSO’s repertoire. Owen Lee, principal bass of the symphony, hears the beauty in it all, from Mozart to Motorhead…. His current pop gig is playing keyboards with Electric Citizen…. On a recent August weekend, while the symphony was on break, Lee flew to Nevada to play with Electric Citizen at Psycho Las Vegas, a rock festival with bands on the bill like the Misfits, High On Fire and Opeth…. ‘There are times when Mozart is extremely fast and energetic and sometimes even manic and aggressive, but I can’t say the opposite for Motorhead,’ says Lee…. ‘I think of music as this one big blob of pleasant stuff to listen to, be it classical music or rock music or jazz or hip-hop or you name it. If it was an alien species coming to observe human beings, … they’re not going to think, “They’re listening to jazz or listening to classical.” It’s just all music.’ ”
Posted September 3, 2019
