Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Little River Band appearing Thursday in St. Charles

The Little River Band, known as the band from Australia, really hasn’t been an Australian band for a number of years, says lead singer and bassist Wayne Nelson.

“The band did originate in Australia, and had their greatest success in America,” Nelson said in a phone interview on Monday. “They were put together with the United States in mind.”

The band will appear in two shows, 7 and 9 p.m. Thursday, at the Ameristar Casino in St. Charles.

Nelson, a native of Kansas City, Mo., grew up in Rome, Illinois, a suburb of Peoria. He joined the band in 1980 as bass player and sang lead on the group’s hit “Night Owl.” He has been a constant in the band since then, and is current lead singer and bassist, and manager.

“It was a difficult time for the band after I joined,” Nelson said. “Everybody in the band wanted the group to go in their own direction, and for whatever reason, a compromise was never worked out. Then, people were dissatisfied and came and went like a revolving door. Myself and Stephen Housden were the constants that stayed on.”

Housden quit the band in 2006, leaving Nelson to carry on.

“I give the group the credit they deserve as a band, with all of the great hit singles that came out of their tenure,” Nelson said. “It is some of the best music that was ever made in rock and roll.”

Nelson, though, is the one that assumed a leadership role in the group.

“When I got started with this band, I was only it in for about a year or so, and the powers that be asked me to take over the lead,” Nelson said. “I knew that I was not ready for that -- at that point. However, as the years went by, I grew more and more into the role, and have assumed the role as band leader, not just lead singer.”

Nelson works partly as the band’s manager (although not alone) and makes most of the band’s major decisions, and the group still tours more than 100 dates per year.

“We have been very lucky in the fact that we have a solid fan base in the markets that we play, some numerous times per year, like the Ameristar at St. Charles,” Nelson said. “We have a strong base in St. Louis, and the Midwest for that matter. We had songs that rocketed to the top in the St. Louis market, that were not as popular in other regions of the country.”

For instance, Nelson said, the group is not as popular in Chicago as it is in the St. Louis area.

“Our music typically gravitates toward the rural metropolitan audiences,” Nelson said. “I’m not saying that St. Louis isn’t a thriving and progressing city, because it is. The metropolitan area of St. Louis is made up of numerous other communities, who are closely tied to St. Louis itself.

"Chicago, on the other hand is a city in itself that has cities that surround it. We aren’t as popular there. We aren’t really popular in New York, but we are in Kansas City. It’s because, I think, that we appeal to the working-class, everyday people of this country.”

Nelson said that the stigma of being an Australian band is not close to what the band is.

“Yes, the band originated in Melbourne, but we are not as popular there as we are here in the states,” Nelson said. “We really have always been an American band. Look at the lyrics of our songs. There are a couple of references to Australia, but not many at all.”

The Little River Band will be celebrating its 35th anniversary next year, and some big plans are being made. But nothing is set in stone.

“We are looking at putting out our first-ever DVD, and embarking on an anniversary tour that will have some special things, hopefully,” Nelson said. “We haven’t got a lot of that worked out yet, so I can’t say a lot. We are just looking forward to celebrating that anniversary with a big tour.”

In the meantime, fans can get new LRB music from a Christmas album that was released last year entitled “We Call it Christmas."

“We might even include a song this appearance at Ameristar,” Nelson said. “The closer to the holidays we will be throwing some more of those in.”

Nelson said that the band, is working on a new song called “Out Back,” which may be included on a future album.

“It’s a great song, that we may put on an album that a label in Europe is discussing putting together,” Nelson said. “Otherwise, our latest material can be purchased from our website.”