Published: July 02, 2008 03:45 pm            

MUSIC: Kansas carries on to Artpark

After more than 35 years in existence, Kansas carries on.

The band, best known for classic rock hits such as “Carry On Wayward Son,” “Dust in the Wind” and “Point of Know Return,” brings its time-tested brand of heartland prog-rock to Artpark on Tuesday.

The band has sold more than 20 million albums in the United States alone. A new, expanded edition of the band’s 1978 live album, “Two for the Show,” was released Tuesday.

Kansas guitarist Rich Williams spoke to Night & Day in a phone interview in May about the band’s progress.

“It’s going great,” Williams said of the current tour. “This is going to be one of our busiest and best years.”

The band’s biggest fans, the “Wheatheads,” will always be at the shows, Williams said. But Kansas has found quite a few younger fans in recent years, possibly due to the appearance of “Carry On Wayward Son” in the popular video game “Guitar Hero II.”

“(Guitar Hero) has added an army of 10- to 11-year-old kids in the front row,” Williams said. “That’s awesome.”

Williams tends to use a lot of words like “awesome.” It soon becomes clear that his gusto for the band and the live performances hasn’t faded away over time. Connecting with fans is what keeps him going, he said.

“Personally, for me, it’s exactly that,” he said. “I hope I don’t get so callous and bitter.”

Williams has no problems playing the hits thousands of times, especially when he’s playing a song like “Dust in the Wind.”

“Everybody has a story to tell about it,” Williams said of the song. “I’m just a part of this whole thing. There’s no experience like that.”

Williams admits that he and the other band members have tossed around the idea of recording new material at times. The band’s last original studio album, “Somewhere to Elsewhere,” was released in 2000, though the band has released numerous live albums since then.

But Williams is realistic about the chances of a new Kansas studio album succeeding.

“The record company tries to hold the money from you, and radio won’t receive it,” Williams said. “The reality of it is, it won’t matter much.”

He also understands why most people would be interested in attending a Kansas concert.

“We’re about nostalgia,” he said. “When the Stones play their new stuff, people go to the bathroom.”

Lately, when it comes to hearing new music, Williams just doesn’t have the time.

“Life is so busy for me, I don’t get the opportunity to sit down and listen to anything,” he said. “When I do, I go back and listen to stuff I like.”

There’s something else Williams finds more enjoyable, something that takes up a fair share of his time.

“Playing guitar in Kansas,” he said. “That’s what I like.”



IF YOU GO

* WHAT: Kansas in concert

* WHERE: Artpark, 450 S. Fourth St., Lewiston

* WHEN: 6 p.m. Tuesday

* MORE INFORMATION: Call 754-4375 or visit artpark.net

        

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