Sunflower fest taking bloom May 4
When it comes to legendary guitarists, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter is acclaimed as one of the most accomplished. Besides being a former member of Steely Dan and the Doobie Brothers, his impressive credits include playing with Eric Clapton, Rod Stewart, the Beach Boys, Ringo Starr, Joni Mitchell, and Elton John.
Baxter will perform with an ensemble of leading musicians dubbed the Licorice Pizza AllStar Band at the 2024 Sunflower Farm Music Festival, which benefits Maui non-profits, Common Ground Collective, the Maui Hub, and Grow Some Good.
The All-Star Band includes Beach Boys’ co-founder Al Jardine, Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist Gilby Clarke, former David Bowie bassist Carmine Rojas, Stray Cats’ co-founder/drummer Slim Jim Phantom, Tower of Power drummer Russ McKinnon, musician/composer Larry Dvoskin (Sammy Hagar, Bad Company), Eagles of Death Metal bassist Jennie Vee, sunflower festival producer/musician Kerry Brown (Smashing Pumpkins, Miley Cyrus), and American Idol finalist Julia Gargano.
Also on the bill are Mathew and Gunnar Nelson, John Cruz, George Kahumoku Jr., Tavana, Marty Dread, Gretchen Rhodes, Benny Uyetake, Gail Swanson, and Pito & the Kid.
Baxter has previously performed with several members of the All-Star Band, including recording with the Beach Boys on their final studio album, “That’s Why God Made the Radio.”
“Carmine Rojas and I toured with Julian Lennon,” Baxter explained. “I still go out and play with the Nelson brothers. I used to play with their dad (Ricky Nelson). Slim Jim is a very good friend. His son is my godson.”
As for what songs the Licorice Pizza musicians will play, he said, “We’ll probably pick one, two or three that each of us are known to play. Half the fun is going to be doing each other’s music. We’ve got a lot of songs to learn.”
On his impressive solo album, “Speed of Heat,” released in 2022, Baxter paid tribute to his time with Steely Dan revamping “My Old School,” and recording a super cool, laid-back instrumental version of “Do it Again.” “The idea was to just try something really twisted and different,” he said.
And in a nod to his time with the Doobie Brothers, Baxter collaborated with Michael McDonald for the terrific, new soulful ballad “My Place in the Sun.” “I brought him into the band actually,” he noted.
Other artists on board includ
ed country star Clint Black singing on the rocking “Bad Move” and blues musician Jonny Lang tearing it up with Baxter and sounding like Prince on the funky “I Can Do Without.”
A review in Guitar International Magazine lauded the album’s “host of brilliantly crafted originals co-written by Baxter and his musical partner CJ Vanston, as well as inspired versions of classic tunes.”
“He’s one of the greatest guitarists,” praised Doobie Brothers’ co-founder Pat Simmons about Baxter. “He’s just an amazing player. I think he kind of raised the bar for us.” After playing on the Steely Dan albums “Can’t Buy a Thrill,” “Countdown to Ecstasy,” and “Pretzel Logic,” Baxter joined the Doobie Brothers playing guitar on some of their most popular albums including “Minute by Minute” and “Takin’ It to the Streets.”
“The members of the Doobie Brothers were and are fantastic musicians,” he said. “Pat (Simmons) is an amazing guitar player, and (the late) Tiran Porter is probably the most underrated bass player on the planet.”
Baxter’s remarkable resume includes playing briefly with Jimi Hendrix in Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, touring with James Brown, appearing in the “Blues Brothers 2000” film, and joining Elton John on stage at Wembley Stadium.
On working with Ringo - “It was fantastic. A sweetheart number one and down to earth. A great personality, and a great guy to work with in the studio.”
Asked about any favorite records he played on, he cited working with Donna Summer on her Grammy winning hit. “One record that I really enjoyed playing on was the Donna Summer stuff. I really enjoyed ‘Hot Stuff.’ That was an interesting opportunity to play whatever I wanted. (Producer) Giorgio (Moroder) wanted to move Donna from this disco focus into the rock genre. That was fun to play.”
Looking forward to playing on Maui, he said, “I’m thrilled to be involved. It’s an honor. Sponsors like Hawaiian Airlines and the Four Seasons stepped right up, and hopefully we’ll raise some dough. I think we may make it an ongoing endeavor because any way that we can keep feeding the ability to make this grow and to help Maui.”
The 2024 Sunflower Farm Music Festival is presented on May 4 beginning at 11 a.m. at the Pacific Biodiesel Technologies Sunflower Farm, located on Honoapiilani Highway. General Admission tickets are $100, available at www. eventbrite.com. Parking will be available for a minimum $5 donation (cash only) per car at the gate to benefit the American Red Cross. A “Night Before Experience” on Friday evening of dinner and music by Taimane, plus festival entrance, is available for $250.