Michael Wilk, keyboardist and studio engineer for the band John Kay and Steppenwolf, said he got his start in music once he moved to Los Angeles and, armed with his music theory degree, hit the ground running.
“Practice four or five hours in the mornings, recording sessions for whatever I could get in the afternoons, then gigs at night,” Wilk said. “Rinse and repeat.”
Wilk, alongside Steppenwolf front man John Kay, will present a lecture and performance Monday at 7:30 p.m. inside the University’s Moody Music Building Concert Hall. The event is non-ticketed, free and open to the public.
The lecture, however, will be a nontraditional one, Wilk said.
“We intend to explain who and what we are, play the set, then probably take questions,” he said. “This probably won’t be a lecture in the traditional sense, definitely no PowerPoint presentations. Rock n’ roll doesn’t exactly fit into that category.”
Wilk said the band, which is most well known for hits including “Born to be Wild” and “Magic Carpet Ride,” continues to be successful today because some of the songs are more timely today than the day they were written.
“Now we present them with accompanying video, so the message in the lyrics gets driven home even more,” he said. “Every generation is ‘Born To Be Wild,’ and we find ourselves gaining more and more fans and listeners of classic rock.”
Charles Snead, director of the School of Music, said the band’s performance is an exciting opportunity for the School of Music to present something of high quality that demonstrates their commitment to music.
“[John Kay and Steppenwolf’s] performance will show the diverse nature of what we’re all about,” he said. “It gives us the opportunity to showcase a different genre of music and learn from their tremendous amount of experience and expertise.”
Snead said he hoped students attending will leave the performance with a better understanding from the perspective of someone who has successfully navigated the industry.
“A lot of what’s going to come out on Monday could benefit students in communication, business and a large span of other fields on campus,” he said. “The lecture portion of the night will feature who they are, what they’ve been through, how they became successful, the ups and downs of the industry and more. It should be fascinating.”
Following Monday night’s performance, during which Wilk said the band will be debuting a brand new video for the show, Wilk said he’ll continue working to develop videos that go with the band’s music.
“Practice a lot, and play as often as you can, the very best you can, for as many people as you can,” Wilk said, speaking on how UA students aspiring to launch successful music careers can be successful. “Rinse and repeat.”
If You Go:
What: Lecture and performance by John Kay and Steppenwolf
Where: Moody Music Building
When: Monday at 7:30 p.m.
Cost: Free
