Light My Fire roasting The Doors' repertoire

Psychedelia, flower power, the sexual liberation, rocking the establishment, racial equality and lo and behold the Vietnam War. Who epitomized the sound of that era? This was circa 1967-1970: well, the LA-based band The Doors created a dynamic, colorful and vivid soundtrack that did capture the essence of that period. And yet, their flaming creative burst petered out way too soon when their lead singer and controversial Dionysian poet Jim Morrison fatally overdosed on pills/and or drugs and booze in a Paris bathtub in 1971.

To this day, the legendary vocalist, poet and sex symbol continues to have a legion of die hard fans both male and female. Jim Morrison's tenor timbre, the memorable and often surreal images evoked by his lyrics and the loose-limbed strutting and inebriated dancing on the floor of many a stage have become the stuff of famous rock and roll dynasty.

Jim Morrison was one of a crew of four. Discovered by fellow UCLA film school student and keyboard wizard Ray Manzarek, the strength of Jim's avant-garde poetry was enough to convince Manzarek to start an adventurous chart-topping rock band. Flamenco guitar prof Robbie Krieger and jazz-influenced drummer John Densmore completed the original musical lineup.

Now, nearly 40 years after The Doors' explosive successful run, Light My Fire, an Ottawa Ontario based band pays tribute to the repertoire of The Doors. Their chief imperative is to reproduce the sound of the Doors as it has been preserved on their 6 original LPs. Yes, those 33 and a third vinyl long plays that are now a collector's staple of that lost era.

I was priviledged to witness a private show of Light My Fire in Ottawa, January 2009 at the Lester Auditorium and this concert was, simply, as they say nowadays; Awesome!

Light My Fire comprises Lee M. Keeley who embodies the spirit and boisterous essence of Jim Morrison on vocals; Stephen Tippet, a keyboard veteran for hire who tickles the ivories and interprets the imaginative keyboard melodies of Ray Manzarek; Mark Sudworth, an imaginative rocker who plays Robbie Krieger's complex string-plucking arrangements; Brian Butler, a well-seasoned rock band veteran who plays the fun and colorful bass grooves and vintage session drummer Rick Houle who plays the creative drum beats imagined by John Densmore.

Their set list includes pretty much all of the known hits by The Doors and also several obscure B-sides that certainly are worth revisiting. The blues rocker Love Me Two Times is a crowd-pleasing foot stomper; LA Woman an anthemic rock classic with shades of jazz containing a mid-section samba rhythm and a slowed down tempo clearing the way for AKA Mr. Mojo Rising; Alabama Song is a cheery Bavarian beer mug saluter; Break On Thru (To The Other Side) begins with an inspired boss nova beat and cuts to a heavy and raunchy guitar riff which is always a perfect audience rouser; Soul Kitchen, Roadhouse Blues, Love Her Madly, the rebellious Back Door Man; all original rock standards worthy of re-interpretation. Light My Fire lives up to that task remaining faithful to the Doors' vinyls.

Lee M. Keeley recites with conviction some of Jim Morrison's esoterical poetry between songs; reflections on mortality, existentialism, spirituality with shades of nihility, love conquests and the spectacle of life. His singing also comes amazingly close to the range and tone of Jim Morrison in pieces such as the mysterious Riders On The Storm, the whimsical Love Street, the introspective People Are Strange and the ecologically-themed rocker Not To Touch The Earth.

Stephen Tippet on keyboards perfectly channels the vibes of Manzarek in the mystical Riders On The Storm, the latin-flavored hit Light My Fire, the moving and haunting The Crystal Ship, the psychedelic mind-tripper Strange Days and the fiery funk Peace Frog.

Mark Sudworth assumes the challenging chore of interpreting the underrated guitar licks of Robbie Krieger. From the rocking chords of Twentieth Century Fox to the wailing solo in Five To One, from the country flavored plucking in Easy Ride to the the blues-driven Back Door Man, Mark interprets all of the Doors' axeman's riffs with seemingly effortless precision and above all, warmth.

Brian Butler fills in as the multiple bass players who have contributed all the wonderful bass grooves on those studio recordings but have never toured with the Doors; (Manzarek would play the bass riffs with his left hand). Judging by the middling results of the Doors' live recordings, a contributor on bass in the studio recordings surely helped. Live, Brian Butler's bass playing is a true necessity on classic tunes like Break On Thru, Roadhouse Blues, LA Woman, Not To Touch The Earth and The Changeling. Brian also performs a touching legato bass riff in the sombre You're Lost Little Girl.

Finally, drummer Rick Houle completes the rhythm section as the thunder and lightning in the music of the Doors; the pulse of the African tom grooves in Touch Me, the gentle ride cymbal trickling like rain in Riders On The Storm, the dazzling latin patterns in Break On Thru and LA Woman, the syncopated funk beat of The Wasp (Texas Radio and the Big Beat) and the grooving rock beat of Take It As It Comes. Rick Houle plays with taste and finesse, all the while driving the vehicle of the Doors on a highway of jubilant nostalgia.

It is refreshing to see and hear a group of musicians play the sound of that wonderful era with such passion and fervor. It harks back to a time of adventure and musical exploration that we will likely never see again. The Doors incorporated elements of blues, jazz, latin, rock, country, instrumental and soul into their music; it was daring and always vital. Light My Fire wishes to bring that back; and they do once that first identifiable note reverberates across the stage.

Get your flashback to the sixties and catch Light My Fire on a stage near you. The sound of that era now is likely as important as it was then.

Stephanie Maples (essay writer for Modern Culture Review 2009)