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By Lookout Staff
July 26 -- Rock legend Patti
Smith will play what promises
to be one of the highlight shows
in the Twilight Dance Series’
23 years at the Santa Monica
Pier Thursday night.
Although Smith has had limited
commercial success, she is considered
one of the most influential
artists in rock history: Inducted
into the Rock and Roll Hall
of Fame this year, Smith was
ranked by Rolling Stone magazine
at number 47 in its list of
the 100 Greatest Artists of
All Time.
A poet, artist, writer and
musician Smith has long been
heralded as the pioneer of punk
since her debut album “Horses”
was released in 1979. The landmark
album is widely regarded as
having laid the foundation for
the movement.
Produced by John Cale of the
Velvet Underground, the album
fused rock, and “proto-punk”
with the spoken word and kicked
off with a cover of Van Morrison's
"Gloria."
Smith’s opening words
-- "Jesus died for somebody's
sins ... but not mine."
-- became one of the most famous
rallying cries in rock, and
the cover photograph by Robert
Mapplethorpe is one of pop music’s
best-known images.
Known for mingling the traditional
and new in her music and being
a vocal political activist,
Smith has released ten studio
and three live albums.
Her band is considered one
of the great rock bands of our
time, with Lenny Kaye on guitar;
Tony Shanahan, bass and keyboards,
and Jay Dee Daugherty, drums
and percussion. Her new album,
“Twelve,” is a collection
of Smith’s favorite songs
and traces the history of rock
and pop music.
Urged her friends Michael Stipe
of R.E.M. and poet Allen Ginsberg,
Smith began touring again after
the deaths of her husband and
brother, appearing with Bob
Dylan in 1995.
An active supporter of Ralph
Nader's 2000 presidential campaign,
she toured with the candidate
in late 2004 and early 2005
to hold rallies to end the war
in Iraq war and impeach President
Bush.
The Santa Monica Pier is located
at the intersection of Colorado
Avenue and Ocean Avenue in Santa
Monica. The Pier strongly recommends
walking, biking and using mass
transit to get to the concerts
as parking near the Pier is
limited. The concerts will offer
free valet bike parking to our
patrons at the western entrance
to the shows.
For those who insist on driving,
parking is available in beach
parking lots located at 2030
Barnard Way and 1550 PCH, both
accessible off Ocean Avenue
south of the Pier. The 2030
lot is a short walk up the beach
path from the Pier.
For bus information, please
visit www.bigbluebus.com and
www.MTA.net
or call 310-451-5444.
For more information about
the concerts, visit www.twilightdance.org
or call the Pier information
line at 310-458-8900.
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