June 16, 2000

The Wave

Feel Good
by Chris Casey
News Tribune staff writer

 Leighton offers antidote for runners’ aching bodies

gb Leighton has rocked the Grandma’s Marathon show tent so many times he’s got the role of guitar-slinging Dr. Feelgood down pat.

It begs the question:  Does the Minneapolis native, who this weekend makes his fifth appearance under Canal Park’s big top, feel the collective pain of the crowd? 

“Oh, no.  I wake up when the physical pain is over,” he said with a laugh.  In other words, Leighton likes to sleep in on marathon morning.

And while Leighton is a fit guy – he’s got a rather buff Bruce Springsteen build – running a marathon is nowhere on his radar.

“Ohhh, no,” he said.  “I mean I’ve run before, but, no, I would not do a marathon.  No way.”

Leighton know something about keeping things moving, though.  Take the opening track on his latest CD, Live From Pickle Park, for example.  There’s a propulsive quality to Leighton’s ramped-up version of Lou Reed’s ‘Sweet Jane.” 

“People like hearing that one, definitely,” said the Grandma’s headliner.

Other crowd favorites on the album, recorded live in 1997 at Bunker’s Bar & Grill where Leighton’s band is a Wednesday-night fixture, are ‘Baby,’ ‘Shag,’ ‘One Foot Over,’ and ‘Pickle Park.’  All of those tunes are originals by Leighton, who plans to release a new album in August. 

The energy Leighton brings to the stage – he performs some 280 shows annually – is the signature style of his idol, who hit the scene about 30 years ago with Greetings From Asbury Park, NJ. 

“He’s the guy who got me going,” Leighton said of Springsteen.  “I guess it was about having fun.  And there always seemed to be a (Springsteen) song that, no matter what mood I was in, you know, that I could find and it would either pull me out of a bad time or enhance a good time.”

“And so that’s kind of what I’ve always tried to have my music be – just certain aspects of life.”

Leighton is building on the popularity he’s established in the Twin Cities, where his five piece band also frequently plays at O’Gara’s  and Fine Line Music Café.  He’s also performed at the Minnesota State Fair and in Duluth clubs, such as the Tap Room and Schooners.

“It’s starting to grow all over,” Leighton said of his fan base.  “We’re starting to travel a little more to St. Louis and Chicago and Kansas City – trying to grow in those markets now a little bit more.”

As for Duluth’s annual marquee event, Leighton is happy to keep his tapping feet on stage while members of the crowd have their aching dogs on ice.

“It’s not a bad gig,” Leighton said.