If television wasn’t aimed at the lowest common denominator, drummer Ian Wallace would be a preferable alternative to Ozzy Osbourne to star in a reality TV series. With Wallace, a British-born musician who currently lives in Nashville, the show’s “rock ’n’ roller as regular guy” concept would instead be that of “regular guy as rock ’n’ roller.”
In his hilarious and unpretentious diary entries (available on his Web site, at www.ianrwallace.com), Wallace casually tosses out the names of buddies like Mick Fleetwood, Joe Walsh and fellow Nashvillian Adrian Belew among rock-savvy humor and beleaguered tales of runaway dogs and water moccasins coiled on his front porch. You can be casual about such famous acquaintances, of course, when you’ve spent your life working alongside them. The touring drummer of choice for the likes of Bob Dylan, Don Henley and Eric Clapton, Wallace has also recorded with David Lindley’s El Rayo-X, a demanding gig that required facility in styles ranging from reggae to Cajun to Tex-Mex. And then there’s Wallace’s work, during their early ’70s heyday, with art-rockers King Crimson.
Wallace recently revisited his art-rock roots by joining the 21st Century Schizoid Band, a group comprised primarily of members of Crimson’s first two lineups. He’s been touring overseas with the band, reprising classic Crimson tracks for concertgoers in Europe and Russia, where progressive rock maintains a stronghold. There, Wallace found a potential audience for his solo debut, Happiness With Minimal Side Effects, a disc that’s likely to baffle listeners accustomed to hearing music in radio-ready packages.
Written and produced by Wallace, the album contains prog-rock influences—lengthy tracks, off-kilter time signatures and nontraditional song structures—but emerges as a personal statement not exclusive to any one genre. Wallace’s lead vocal performance, his first, is serviceable; his lyrics, however, stand out, running the gamut as they do from yearning inquiries to tongue-in-cheek critiques of contemporary culture. The record’s supporting cast includes fellow British-born local Clive Gregson, former King Crimson alum and Foreigner co-founder Ian McDonald and session pros Michael Rhodes and Kenny Vaughan (who had to love playing so far outside the roots-rock box for a change).
—Steve Morley
