MEMORIAL BENEFIT : A TRIBUTE TO TWO NELSON BAND MEMBERS

The emotional center of Wednesday night’s memorial show at the Lingerie came when James Intveld joined the Knitters in singing Merle Haggard’s ballad of farewell “Silver Wings.”

The reflection on a loved one’s departure by plane--”Silver wings, taking you away and leaving me lonely”--took on an extra, chilling dimension because the people being saluted were Patrick Woodward and Intveld’s twin brother Rick, members of Rick Nelson’s band who died in the singer’s plane on New Year’s Eve.

Both musicians were active on Los Angeles’ rockabilly music scene. Woodward played on lots of recording sessions and worked with Billy Zoom. Whenever Intveld wasn’t busy with Nelson, he’d be helping out bands around town.

It’s not surprising that the close-knit Los Angeles rock community would respond to the tragedy, but it was especially heartening to see this major gesture of support at a time when alternative music is shut out of the mainstream, and rock in general is smeared as a haven for degenerates.

Eleven bands, including the Blasters and Lone Justice, participated, and organizer Art Fein said he had to turn down many others. The Lingerie also donated its facilities, and Fein reported that the event raised $3,500 for the pair’s survivors. Among the other participants were the Lonesome Strangers, Chuck E. Weiss, Ronnie Mack and Rip Masters.

Most of the acts played snappy, 20-minute sets, and except for “Silver Wings” and brief dedications, there were few overt references to Intveld and Woodward. During Lone Justice’s acoustic segment, Maria McKee recalled that the band played its first show four years and one week ago--on Elvis’ birthday--as an opening act for James Intveld’s band. That led into a gripping vocal on a ballad of solace and benediction.

But the message was clear enough. From the Wild Cards’ swinging rock and wiggy dancing to the Knitters’ ad hoc folk-rock, from the rockabilly of Billy Zoom and the Rockin’ Rebels to the straight country of Dwight Yoakam to the sanctified rock ‘n’ roll of the headlining Blasters, it said that anyone whose life was tied up with people and music like this had it pretty good.