Aztec One Step

rex fowlerOne Saturday morning Rex Fowler came in early to WRUR on the day of an Aztec Two Step show. They were playing at 8 pm. The previous year he and Neal Shulman, the other half of the duo, came in. Great to hear them together doing some new songs and older ones I remember from college.

This time Rex was exposed as a solo artist. It felt like a secret we weren't supposed to talk about in public...

"When popular duos go solo."

He brought his guitar and some cds. They were cds of his solo stuff. In a very endearing way he explained "you know, it's all about me." The secret got more fascinating.

He played some things live, opening with One Too Many Mornings, the Dylan tune. I brought it up for some reason, he did his best to remember it. 

The musical highlight was a song he sang from music for and about Elvis from the film 200 CADILLACS. Local guitarist, songwriter, Steve Piper of Watkins and the Rapiers, was also there. Steve was visibly moved by the guitar part in particular, and the song in general. 

The 200 Cadillacs soundtrack is a great collection of songs, many written by Rex, performed by various artists including Carl Perkins, The Cucumbers, Jon Pousette-Dart, and Heather Eatman. Rex also does a few. 

Rex spent over an hour on the air that day. It was also our Open House on State Street which added the dimension of crowds of people looking into the fish bowl like studio 280. One thing I never realized until just now, the fin of a Cadillac really does look like a shark. There are two detail photos on the cd's cover, one of the Cadillac logo plate on the grille of the car, and one of a fin. 

Until this very moment I could not understand why there was a picture of a fish on the cover of an Elvis-themed recording. I hope Rex returns so I can point this out to him, and ask him more about Heather Eatman.