Aztec Two-Step was a folk-rock duo in the same vein as Seals and Croft or America. Their finely blended vocals and quirky story songs garnered them considerable critical raves. As evidenced in this recording taken from a three-set run at New York’s Bottom Line, the duo eventually increased to a full band.
Formed in Boston in 1971, Aztec Two-Step landed a record deal with Elektra Records, the home of Joan Baez and the Doors. Their song, “The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty,” got them a reasonable amount of FM radio exposure, but the band never crossed over to become a…entire summary
Rex Fowler - acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
Neil Shulman - acoustic and electric guitar, vocals
David Gross - bass
Michael Finkelstein - drums
David Sleight - lead guitar
Gordon Cohen - keyboards
Aztec Two-Step was a folk-rock duo in the same vein as Seals and Croft or America. Their finely blended vocals and quirky story songs garnered them considerable critical raves. As evidenced in this recording taken from a three-set run at New York’s Bottom Line, the duo eventually increased to a full band.
Formed in Boston in 1971, Aztec Two-Step landed a record deal with Elektra Records, the home of Joan Baez and the Doors. Their song, “The Persecution and Restoration of Dean Moriarty,” got them a reasonable amount of FM radio exposure, but the band never crossed over to become a strong commercial success. They moved to RCA in 1974 where they made four more records before recording their later albums sporadically for various indie labels.
This set, taken from the second night they played the Bottom Line, features strong harmonies and a tight band. The rhythm section of David Gross on bass and Michael Finkelstein on drums is right in the pocket and allows lead guitarist David Sleight and keyboardist Gordon Cohen to supplement the vocals and acoustic guitars of Fowler and Shulman.
This show features material from all three of Aztec’s albums released through 1977. They open with “Give It Away” and lead the band through a set of solid material that also includes “Finding Somebody New,” “Dancers All” and “Looking Through A Looking Glass.” “Cockroach Cacophony” is an ode to life in dingy New York City apartments, and “Ballad Of Humpty Dumpty And Cinderella” tells the story of a seedy Times Square hooker and her “John.” Aztec Two-Step continued to record for RCA through the early 1980s. Their last record was independently released in 1995.
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