- April 25, 2024
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Wayne Nelson and the Little River Band will headline Palm Coast’s Rock ’N’ Rib Fest. Five other bands will take the stage.
Little River Band lead singer Wayne Nelson used to work with ice picks and sheet metal. He used to install air duct systems outside of tall buildings in windy, freezing Chicago.
Just remembering those days makes him cringe. “Ugh,” he laughed. “I don’t even like thinking about it!”
But, for him, the story of how he broke into music is typical.
“I’ve done everything from pump gas to install air conditioning (units),” he said. After work, he spent nights performing in countless club shows before he finally moved to Los Angeles, got an audition with Jim Messina (of Loggins and Messina) and eventually was chosen by the Little River Band to play bass and sing for them.
Almost 35 years later, he’s the only original member remaining in the band.
“It was the fast lane for me,” Nelson said. “From (hard labor) … to a top-five single (in “Night Owls”) right out of the box — it was one end of the spectrum to the other.”
After joining Little River Band, Nelson and the group traveled to the Caribbean, where they worked with Beatles producer George Martin. Then, Nelson sang lead for two singles off the “Time Exposure” album, which reached the top of the charts.
But after nearly 35 years and a full roster change, Nelson says not much has changed in the band’s creative process (“It still requires a little inspiration and a little sweat”). But the tools are completely new.
Virtual collaboration from home studios has allowed the Little River Band (four members from Nashville and Nelson in Florida) to record on the cheap. Working out of their homes is about 50% to 70% less expensive than renting studio space, he says: key savings, considering the band is currently at work recording its first batch of original material in about 10 years, set to release in early summer.
“A label came out of nowhere and decided they wanted another Little River Band album,” Nelson said. “This new one is brand new material aimed at radio airplay. … (But) we’re a band; we should be making music whether it gets on the radio or not.”
Little River Band last recorded a Christmas CD in 2011. In 2004, it self-produced another record, called “Test of Time.”
But, talking on his cell phone as he drove past a cornfield in Iowa, Nelson said he missed the “magic” of recording new songs.
“We are back in the throes of that part of our career,” he said. “At one point, we were playing big arenas with (tens of) thousands of people. … If we’re just going to play the same old 11 songs every night, that gets pretty old.”
Little River Band will headline Palm Coast’s Rock ’N’ Rib Fest, scheduled to perform at dusk, April 14.
“We treat our shows like a party: fun and interactive,” Nelson said. “The show belongs to the people who come to it. It’s their memories, you know?”
BAND LIST
Palm Coast’s Rock ’N’ Rib Fest, Saturday, April 14, will end with a performance by the Little River Band and then a fireworks show. But before the finale, five other bands are scheduled to take the stage:
Noon — Category 5 (classic rock)
2 p.m. — Wild Life Jungle Brass (rock hits, Chicago tribute band)
5:30 p.m. — The After While (rock and country)
6:45 p.m. — Spandex Super Heroes (80s pop/giant video show)
7:45 p.m. — Ben Torres and the Almost Unknown Band (pop and blues rock)
Dusk — Little River Band
There will also be pig racing at 1, 3 and 5 p.m. and Raptor Birds of Prey falcon-attack demonstrations at 2, 4 and 6 p.m.
