Nathan East Leaves ‘Em Listening on Comics Show

The weekly “Sunday Comics,” an hour-long TV potpourri of stand-up comic bits and comedic film shorts that debuted in April, has a very visible San Diego connection. But it’s not a funnyman. The local focus is the show’s house bandleader, bassist extraordinaire Nathan East.

Local rock and jazz buffs will identify East, 35, as the funkster who, years ago, had a band at Crawford High School called Power, which included Fattburger keyboardist Carl Evans Jr. and saxophonist Hollis Gentry. Since moving to L.A. in 1979, East has become the most ubiquitous bass player in contemporary music, recording with such heavyweights as Mark Knopfler, Phil Collins, Elton John, Peter Gabriel, Barbra Streisand, Michael Jackson and others.

In 1986, East performed on legendary guitarist Eric Clapton’s album, “Behind the Sun,” thus initiating a professional relationship that continues to this day. As a member of Clapton’s touring band, East was given his own solo spotlight during a May, 1990, concert before a hometown crowd at the Sports Arena.

The two will be reunited Sunday when Clapton makes a rare television appearance to perform with the “Sunday Comics” house band, whose other members are keyboardist Randy Waldman, guitarist Michael Thompson, drummer Mike Baird and saxophonist Danny Pelfry. The show airs at 10 p.m. Sundays on the Fox network (Channel 6). It will mark Clapton’s first television showing since his 4-year-old son, Conor, was killed in a fall from the balcony of a New York high-rise last year.

To accommodate Clapton’s appearance, the show will feature longer “bumpers”--those musical segues into and out of commercials--and will close the show by showcasing the all-star band in a special performance.

Most famous performers keep all but those in their entourage at bay after a concert, both because they’re tired and because they need time to wind down, dry off, change clothes and generally assume a “normal” posture. But after Bonnie Raitt finishes her Oct. 9 concert at the Starlight Bowl, she will host a backstage reception for a limited number of fans who purchase special admissions.

To get into the Golden Circle Reception, at which gourmet desserts and coffees will be served, you need to buy preferred seating and reception tickets at $100 each. Only 100 of these double-whammy tickets are being sold. An additional 100 tickets, priced at $65 each, will be sold for concert-only preferred seats that do not include admission to the reception.

Although receptioneers will have an audience with Raitt, the behind-the-scenes soiree is not an ego-driven, touch-the-star event. Proceeds from the premium seat-and-meet ducats will benefit the El Refugio Project of the San Diego Interfaith Task Force (SDITF) on Central America. The SDITF works both to educate North Americans on Central American issues (pertaining to U.S. foreign policy in the region and the plight of refugees) and to provide social services to refugees, including free shelter, food, clothing and legal services.

Regardless of the outcome of this event, one fact emerges from the mist: Raitt is one rock ‘n’ roller who can be counted on not to develop amnesia when it comes to the humanistic political values of the ‘60s. With her career on an upward curve in recent years, Raitt (along with such pals as Jackson Browne and Graham Nash) still finds time to devote to worthy, humanitarian causes.

Those interested in purchasing either the $100 or $65 tickets can call SDITF at 698-1150, or Laura Clark at 280- 9475. After subtracting the promoter-fixed admission amount of $27.50, the remainder of the cost of these special tickets is tax deductible.

If you didn’t get enough rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia at the June 5 “Celebri-T-Shirt Auction” to benefit the San Diego Youth and Community Services organization, you’ll have another chance to score when 91X-FM hosts the second-annual “Save the World Radiothon” this weekend.

The focus of the event will be a round-the-clock stretch of air time, from 1 p.m. Friday to 9 p.m. Sunday, during which live deejays will interview celebrity “drop-ins” and solicit pledges and auction bids between songs. In all, more than 300 items will be auctioned, including a Stratocaster guitar used by the band Jesus Jones, a quilted jacket from Living Colour, and an acoustic guitar wrested from Ziggy Marley while he was here to perform Saturday night at SDSU.

Those who wish to participate more actively are invited to attend a recycling party, which will be held on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, from noon to 5 p.m., in the parking lot of the 91X building at 4891 Pacific Highway (across from the California Highway Patrol headquarters, off Sea World Drive). Attendees will be able to donate recyclables, check out some of the auction items, and partake of free food and entertainment.

Members of the band Fishbone and former English Beat-General Public vocalist-guitarist Dave Wakeling will be hanging out there on Saturday, and rocker Joan Jett will personally auction off her black leather jacket (as this went to press, Jett hadn’t confirmed whether she’ll be there Saturday or Sunday.)

The beneficiary of all this largess will be “I Love a Clean San Diego Inc.,” the nonprofit organization (financially supported to a large extent by the city and county of San Diego) that oversees coastal and beach cleanups, environmental education and recycling programs (the same people who organized last weekend’s extremely successful local beach cleanup). For more information, call 270-8393 or 291-9191.

GRACE NOTES: (Tickets for the following concerts will be sold at all TicketMaster outlets unless otherwise specified). Performer-songwriter Stephen Bishop, another Crawford High alumnus who made good in the music business, will perform a free concert Saturday at the annual “Harbor Days” celebration in Chula Vista. Sources say the Bish will perform at 11 a.m. at the Marina. . . On Oct. 5, locally based Worldbeat Productions will present a “Peter Tosh Memorial Concert,” featuring Israel Vibration and the Roots Radics, at Bogey’s Night Club in Mission Valley (tickets are on sale now at Lou’s Records, House of Africa Imports and Cafe, Trade Roots, Jamaica Place and Irieations (SDSU), and by calling 452-SEAT. . . .

The super-cool, neo-psychedelic-pop trio, Stress, has been signed to open Lenny Kravitz’s Oct. 15 show at Symphony Hall. . . .

Tickets are on sale for the Bob Marley 10-Year Reunion Concert, which will bring Rita Marley, Marcia Griffiths, Andrew Tosh and the Wailers to Iguanas on Oct. 28. . .

The Pixies will perform a Halloween gig at SDSU’s Montezuma Hall on Oct. 31 (on sale at 3 p.m. Friday).