Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band will be performed at the Wildhorse Saloon. Photo by Leah Bouchier Hayes

Article content

Last summer, actor Hank Azaria received a text message from a dentist’s office that contained a video.

Article content

It seems the dentist is a mutual friend of both Azaria and his musical hero, Bruce Springsteen.

Article content

Article content

Springsteen was in the chair suffering from a bad toothache but wanted to send the actor a message about a YouTube clip he had seen of Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band in concert.

Article content

Article content

“I got a surprise one day by Bruce,” says Azaria, in a phone interview with Postmedia before offering a pitch-perfect imitation of The Boss: ” ‘I’m sitting here with a terrible toothache and while I’m sitting here with a toothache, I was fabulously entertained by your version of Prove it All Night.’ ”

Article content

Article content

It was a monumental moment for the busy actor, who is best known for the multiple characters he voices on The Simpsons. It may even lead to what of one of Azaria’s dream scenarios since he began the project, which is to have Springsteen join the band on stage. For now, he will have to settle for The Boss’s nod of approval from a dentist’s chair.

Article content

Azaria will be bringing the tribute act to Wildhorse Saloon for a July 8 performance during the Calgary Stampede, part of a tour that will also bring him to the Ottawa Bluesfest on July 10. The project began back in 2024, when Azaria was set to celebrate his 60th birthday. He announced a party at New York’s City Winery and told his friends that a Bruce Springsteen tribute act would act as entertainment. Hank Azaria and the EZ Street Band rocked out in front of hundreds of his friends but it was hardly an impromptu show. Azaria specializes in voices and imitations, of course, but has said that mastering Springsteen’s singing voice required more work than any role he had prepared for in the past.

Article content

Article content

“I told all my friends that I had a Springsteen tribute band coming, but I didn’t tell them that I had been working a long time to front it,” he says. “And then I just kind of sprung it on people. We played for an hour and a half and it gave me a vocal project to work on that I could obsess on instead of just focusing on turning 60.”

Article content

The band has since taken on a life of its own, becoming the subject of feature articles in Rolling Stone, Interview, The New York Post, Vulture and Billboard. This is clearly not a comedy bit, but an all-encompassing passion for the actor. He told Rolling Stone that he has turned down acting roles to concentrate on the band and his vocal performances.

Article content

The shows raise funds for Azaria’s 4 Through 9 Foundation, a social justice and education charity he founded with his wife, Katie Wright. The performances include not only The Boss’s biggest hits but also a storytelling aspect, an element that has always been key to Springsteen’s marathon concerts.

Article content

“The talk part is the easy part,” says Azaria, briefly slipping back into his Springsteen imitation. “I’m a mimic, I’ve been imitating everyone I can since I was a kid. To sing like Bruce, that’s a whole different thing. I sing a lot in my career but never did I take it very seriously. So, singing like Bruce actually requires actual singing lessons and taking it seriously and learning to make them sounds and breathe properly and not destroy your own voice. I’ve really been loving that as well. It’s a big part of what has been fun for me.”