BEHIND THE SCENES AT THE GRAMMY SALUTE TO THE BEACH BOYS: PART 2 with Probyn Gregory

Playing in the house band by Probyn Gregory — Exclusive to ESQ online

Just after Christmas, I got an email from a person I had never heard from before, Danny T. Levin, saying I had been recommended by a mutual friend as a multi-instrumentalist and might I be interested and available to do a televised live Beach Boys tribute. Naturally, I jumped at the chance and got in touch with the MD (musical director), Mike Elizondo, whom I also had never heard of before. I had to look him up online, where I found he had been involved in a variety of roles with several Grammy winners, branching out from his rap/hip-hop roots into pop and jazz. It turned out this wasn’t just any tribute, this was going to be a Grammy’s official salute to The Beach Boys, following in a tradition where many other artists had been so honored over the years (though usually not a whole show devoted to one artist). I was to be part of the large and talented house band, which already had two guitars, two keyboards, drums, percussion, bass, two winds, and me on whatever was left to add. Some of the players I had met and occasionally worked with before ( were Abe Laboriel Jr., Paul McCartney’s drummer; Jason Falkner, St. Vincent, and Beck’s guitarist; and Roger Joseph Manning Jr.

House Band:
Musical Director: Mike Elizondo, Bass Guitar
Abe Laboriel, Jr.-Drums
Vanessa Brown-Percussion
Roger Manning-Keys/Vox
Jamie Muhoberac-Keys
Jason Falkner-Guitar, Vox
Max Townsley-Guitar, Vox
Probyn Gregory-Guitar/Horns/Theremin/Vox
Katisse Buckingham-Sax/Flute
Danny Levin-Trumpet/Brass
David Moyer-Sax/Woodwinds
Kara Britz-Vocals
Baraka May-Vocals
Steve Mackey-Sax/Flute
Alisha Bauer-Cellist

Soon the charts started arriving by email [see my chart of “Wouldn’t It Be Nice”], very detailed, with all the notes and rhythms written out. I was privy to all song parts including vocals and even though I knew these weren’t going to be exactly like the original records, depending on how the star vocalists wanted the song, I noted that some charted musical elements didn’t quite jibe (usually the melodies were wrong, or they had certain chords near but not precisely right). I did not want to exceed my bounds or step on anyone’s toes with this large team of producers, arrangers, and players/singers, so I tread carefully. Luckily, when I gently pointed these discrepancies out to the MD, with whom I was in regular contact, he was open to suggestion/correction, and I ended up being consulted many times about “what do The Beach Boys, or the Brian Wilson Band do here?”

Finally, the day came when the house band was to meet all together for the first time, at Center Staging in Burbank, CA. This was ‘only’ an 11-hour workday (show day ended up being fourteen hours). We all met, and the group was quite convivial, which relieved me, as I didn’t know what to expect – I have been in some situations where a prima donna can ruin the whole ensemble. We all set up our gear and mine took quite a bit of space, as my assignments had me playing five different types of guitar (including pedal steel), trumpet, French horn, trombone, and tannerin, as well as singing the high part in the background vocals most of the show). Because this was for TV broadcast and there would be some chance of editing the audio should it not be perfect at the live show itself, after we ran through each song to make sure it jelled, we did what they call a ‘pre-record’ meaning that we recorded an entire song take, in case that had better bits to be edited with what went down at the live show itself. On the first day we recorded “Help Me, Rhonda,” “Wouldn’t It Be Nice,” “God Only Knows,” “Sloop John B,” “Sail on Sailor,” “You Still Believe in Me,” and “Do It Again.” Some of these songs changed a bit, either in key or arrangement depending on what the star artists wanted.

The group Foster the People had a nice idea for the end of “Do It Again” where they added a 2/4 bar with some ascending rock chords – very effective. On the second day the band managed to get down “Surfer Girl,” “Good Vibrations,” “Darlin’,” “Surfin’ USA”/“Fun, Fun, Fun” medley, “In My Room,” “Warmth Of The Sun,” “California Girls,” “Barbara Ann” and “Caroline No.” At this point, we still hadn’t seen any of the actual lead singers. This was all just prep work for the background unit. Though the workdays were all long, the band was relaxed and joked around in between run-throughs. The guitarist next to my station, Max Townsley, was an excellent mimic of several different singers and had us laughing with his impressions. Once in a while, the band would spontaneously break into some riff or song chorus from some obscure tune from the past, which kept the mood light.

After a well-deserved day off, we regrouped at the Dolby Theater in Hollywood, not two blocks from where I spent 30 years of my life on Las Palmas Ave. Now lead singers and bands showed up and we started to see how things were going to actually be at the show. Some groups were standalone (no house band/singers involved) such as Weezer, while others like St. Vincent were doing the ‘traditional’ chanteuse and backing band thing. Being a comparatively old guy, of the many slated singers, I knew who maybe half of them were. People I was particularly impressed with were Norah Jones, doing a barrelhouse piano version of “Warmth Of The Sun,” and Pentatonix, who essayed a lively a capella version of “Heroes and Villains.” Brandi Carlile’s big voice was also noteworthy.

The Dolby Theater is huge and easy to get lost in, as I later found when I was trying to meet Al and Mary Ann Jardine prior to the show in the green room. Deep in the bowels of the building was the lair of the stylists who by and large dictated what we wore (I had on a green short-sleeved shirt, chinos, some deck shoes, and a fisherman’s cap in honor of Nick Walusko), and I wasn’t the only band member to have a “Hello Cleveland” Spinal Tap moment of wandering around lost when I was trying to find either the dressing room or the stylist or even the stage. At one point I took out my cell phone and used it as a compass, but this was of little aid in the labyrinth.

Finally, show day, Feb. 8 arrived, and we were bid to come in much earlier than on the schedule to make sure every vocalist got to run their tune. This was also the day that the camera people were doing exactly what they would be doing on stage during the show later that night, meaning that things were WAY more crowded than at the rehearsals. A few times when the band was ‘tacet’ (silent) we were asked to go off to the side of the stage, but it was a rat’s nest of crossing cables from the cameras, making it very hard in the low light to navigate on foot. Luckily, I was not asked (as I feared I would be) to move my perfectly situated musical instruments to accommodate the cameras, but my pedal steel guitar and trumpet were the most exposed and prone to big heavy rolling cameras crashing into them in the semi-darkness. One of the cameramen and I agreed on a hand signal I would give if disaster was looming. The entire cast and crew ran the show once, most of another time, then suddenly after a crazed 15-minute dinner break (catering was outside in a giant parking lot) the show was on, and I could look up from my vantage on stage left and see the living Beach Boys (Brian Wilson, Al Jardine, David Marks, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love) in a booth up off to the side, getting a fair amount of screen time between songs. Everything flowed smoothly, with one hiccup during the first take of “Good Vibrations,” singer Beck got off by an 8th note and couldn’t make his way back, so we restarted. I was nervous on a few numbers where I was playing very different parts than I do with Brian, particularly pedal steel on “Surfer Girl” and classical guitar on “Caroline No.” Each singer I thought really gave it their all, though one group to me was the king of the hill – Michael McDonald and Take 6 doing “Don’t Worry Baby”: so soulful and even if they changed a word or two, still, the superior harmonies they added and the vibe they captured, as Jeff Foskett would say, ‘Stock! Mint!’

All too soon the concert was over, and I was wandering around lost again looking for the cases for my instruments, having just been a part of a show of twenty songs, often with entire bands and their equipment being changed on/off stage. I finally got home about 1:30 AM, having left at 8 AM, my car completely chockablock with instruments, I considered tying one or two to the roof but they just BARELY fit.

Read David Beard’s review of Grammy Salute To The Beach Boys HERE

Read Eric Breslow’s behind-the-scenes backstage account of the Grammy Salute To The Beach Boys HERE

Read John Tilden’s review of Grammy Salute To The Beach Boys HERE