‘Royal Scam’ to be perpetrated
Show to focus on the music of Steely Dan
A ragtag band of session players that successfully struck out on their own in the 1970s, Steely Dan’s music consistently incorporated elements of jazz into their offbeat brand of rock.
Forty-five years after “Do It Again” made the pop charts, a North Jersey tribute band called The Royal Scam is keeping an appreciation for Steely Dan going. Their name comes from the title of a 1976 Steely Dan album that has the fan favorites “Don’t Take Me Alive” and “Kid Charlemagne.”
Royal Scam keyboardist Gino Amato named the latter song as one of the most difficult Steely Dan songs to master. “The bass part is a funky bass part, along with the rhythms. The guitar part is intricate,” he said, also mentioning the song “Aja” as a hard one to successfully perform in concert.
“When this first started, I said: ‘If we’re gonna do it, we’re gonna do it right, and we’re gonna make it sound as close as possible to the record’,” said Amato, admitting that he thought The Royal Scam would only last “a year of two.” “The crowd is very appreciative. We almost give them their first memory; like when you first dropped the needle on (the album) ‘Aja’.”
According to Amato, the band relishes playing the Berks Jazz Fest, which he says is a well-known event throughout the Northeast. “We always come away with such a good feeling of being accepted and appreciated,” he said. “Some bands and really top notch musicians I know play there. ‘We see you played Berks.’
‘Yeah, we know Berks.’ ‘You guys must be great’.” Their show is April 7 at the Inn at Reading in Wyomissing, and will feature hits like “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number,” “Reeling in the Years” and “Peg.”
Amato said that for the occasion they would also be trying out some deep cuts for the first time, such as “The Royal Scam” track “The Fez,” “Daddy Don’t Live in That New York City No More” and the Donald Fagan solo interpretation of the Dion top-10 from 1963, “Ruby Baby.”
For tickets call Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or go to www.berksjazzfest.com.