Dayton artists to recreate classic concert film this weekend

It’s a daunting task to attempt to recreate a classic, regardless of the art form. But that’s what more than a dozen musicians will attempt to do this weekend at Odd-body’s Music Room in Riverside when they pay tribute to the Talking Heads concert film “Stop Making Sense.”

Originally released in 1984, the Jonathan Demme-directed rock film captures the innovative Rock & Roll Hall of Famers over three nights while supporting their “Speaking In Tongues” album.

Local executive producer Libby Ballengee, along with Dayton musician Patrick Himes, are shooting for the most authentic stage recreation possible with the This Must Be The Party! Talking Heads Tribute.

“Musically, we’re trying to get it as close as humanly possible. Some of the sets and lights are a little out of our budget, because this is a fundraiser,” Ballengee said.

Proceeds will benefit the Dayton Ballet Barre, an organization that supports the Dayton Ballet and its dancers. So, while the original was filmed on a budget of $1.2 million — raised by Talking Heads band members themselves — this event will have a considerably smaller bankroll.

“Most of these arts fundraisers (have) really big ticket prices, and that’s great because they raise tons of money. But this particular one we’re trying to make affordable so the musicians’ friends can come, but also so people in different economic groups can help support the arts as well,” Ballengee said.

The tribute idea sprung out of conversations Himes had with other musicians. Ballengee got wind of the notion and it all snowballed from there.

“We had kind of just been discussing how much fun this would be to do. I think word got out that we were talking about that,” joked Himes.

So in January, Himes began assembling musicians and conducting rehearsals while he and Ballengee plotted out how and where to make it all happen.

“It was pretty clear we wanted Oddbody’s, because they have the greatest PA and the biggest stage. We knew if were going to try and get as close as possible to the original, we’d need room to work and have a powerful enough PA to make it work. (Oddbody’s) has always been cool about stuff like that,” said Himes.

While the band, comprised of both local and out-of-town musicians, may be static, the part of Talking Heads singer and songwriter David Byrne will be handled by five different performers. The various takes on the enigmatic lead singer should be worth the ticket price alone.

“Jeff Opt (of Yellow Cab Tavern) said that’s been one of the ongoing issues — the energy level for one person to do David Byrne all night,” said Ballengee. “So (the part of ) Byrne is going to rotate.”

Given the holiday weekend, the show is scheduled to start at 9 p.m and end by 11:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased from Oddbody’s in advance or at the door the day of the show.

Ballengee also hinted that there could be a few surprises in store, with Dayton Ballet dancers also taking part.

“This is some of the (most fun) music to dance to, and we didn’t want to be in a venue that had seats that were going to make that difficult. So it’s kind of a dance party for the dancers.”