Tuesday, August 31, 2010

ROSIE COMES TO ELDORADO


Rockabilly filly Rosie Flores will perform at Mike's Music Exchange in Eldorado, Sunday, Sept. 12. The show starts at 7. Tickets are $20

Apparently she'll be here with a band, so that's great news.

I wrote about Rosie's latest album, Girl of the Century, (with Jon Langford's Pine Valley Cosmonauts! ) a few months ago.

HERE's the link.

And speaking of music in Eldorado, on Friday Sept. 10, Chipper Thompson, Terry Diers and Ron Whitmore (I confess, I'm not familiar with Ron's music) will be doing a Writers -in-the-Round at Mike's Music Exchange. That show starts at 7:30 p.m. and costs $10.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 29, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Baby Don't You Tear My Clothes by The Raunch Hands
Samson & Delilah by Edison Rocket Train
Lorraine by Th'Empires
Monkey Paw by Eddie "The Chief" Clearwater & Los Straitjackets
Bum My Trip by Dirtbag Surfers
Ain't Life Strange by Pierced Arrows
Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby by Syndicate of Sound
Come On Lil Dolly by The Ding Dongs
Kickboxer Girl by Black Smokers
Scarum Harem by The Spook Lights
Scatty Cat by Bob Bunny

Rosalyn by Pretty Things
Burning Hell by John Lee Hooker & Canned Heat
Heidi's Head by Urban Junior
Walk Boys by Kult
Lion Tamer by Arrington de Dionyso and the Old Time Relijun
Big Fuckin Part by The Devil Dogs
Almost A God by Movie Star Junkies
Do the Clam by The Cramps
Chop Suey Rock by The Instrumentals

Nobody But You by Mark Sultan
Get Happy by Simon Stokes
Bad Luck Charm by Luck of the Draw
Found a Peanut by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds
Traitor by The Jackets
Chicken Back by King Salami & The Cumberland 3
Get Outta Dallas by The Malarians
Go Ahead and Burn by Barrence Whitfield & The Savages

Scavenger Hunt by Stan Ridgway
Bold Marauder by Drywall
Short Fat Fannie by Wolfman Jack & The Wolf Pack
Old Man of the Mountain by Phil Alvin
This Is It by The Treniers
My Man Called Me by Big Mama Thorton
Seasick Boogie by Seasick Steve
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis


Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Friday, August 27, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 27, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Jawbone by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
Pay the Devil by Van Morrison
Keep Your Motor Hot by Sam Nichols With The Melody Rangers
I Like Drinking by The Gourds
Fisherman's Friend by Shinyribs
Death in the Morning by Phil Alvin
Oh Those Tombs by Roy Acuff
In the Pines by Charlie Feathers
Waymore's Blues by Waylon Jennngs
Baby Doll by Jimmy Dale

Freeway Ballet by Chipper Thompson
Twice the Lovin' (In Half the Time) by Jean Shepard & Speedy West
Hogs on the Highway by Bad Livers
Lone Cowboy by Michael Martin Murphey
Liquor Store by The Meat Purveyors
Worried Man Blues by Ralph Stanley
Hey Joe by Jerry Douglas

Hello Trouble by Buck Owens
Arizona Rose by The Waco Brothers
Walk Hard by Dewey Cox
Bad Actor by Merle Haggard
Fan It by The Swift Jewel Cowboys
Honky Tonk Affair by David Serby
Maybellene by Marty Robbins
Gettin' Drunk and Fallin' Down by Hank III
Wild Man Boogie by Ray Batts
Talking Hot Pants Blues by The Hickoids

You Wanna Give Me a Lift by Eilen Jewell
Wings of a Dove by Dolly Parton, Tammy Wynette & Loretta Lynn
This Orchid Means Goodbye by Carl Smith
Steel Guitar Heaven by Ry Cooder
When You're Finally Done Drinkin' by The Stumbleweeds
There's a Tear in My Beer by Big Bill Lister
I Love You Because by Elvis Presley
You Don't Have to Be a Baby to Cry by Ernest Tubb
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets


Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

Thursday, August 26, 2010

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: RIDGWAY'S NEON MIRAGE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 27, 2010


Even before he formed Wall of Voodoo back during the New Wave scare, Stan Ridgway had a cinematic perspective on the music he makes. Many of his songs — the instrumental “Heat Takes a Walk,” epic meditations like “My Beloved Movie Star” — sound like they were ripped from celluloid. Even some of his albums, the noirish The Big Heat being the most obvious, seem like soundtracks.

So when I popped Ridgway’s new one, Neon Mirage, into the CD player and heard the opener, “Big Green Tree,” it occurred to me that all his musical work might be considered one big soundtrack of his life.

Here was a recurring theme. The song first appeared on Ridgway’s 1995 album Black Diamond (as “Underneath the Big Green Tree”). It’s a wistful, bittersweet tune, more first-person confessional than Ridgway usually gets (especially back in 1995).

“Is there a home, a home for me?/Where the people stay until eternity?/Is there a road that winds up/Underneath the big green tree?”

It seemed like a fitting song for Black Diamond. That was Ridgway’s first solo album on an independent label, and he undoubtedly was feeling somewhat chewed up and spit out by his experience in the majors. And indeed, it seems appropriate for Neon Mirage, an album that, as Ridgway has explained, was forged when several people close to him — including his father, an uncle, and one of the musicians who plays on some of the tracks — died.

“Events like that can’t help but have an impact on the music you’re making at the time,” Ridgway said in his blog. “You’d be lying to yourself — and your listeners — if you thought otherwise. I’ve probably confused people with my music, my choices, the albums, and the changes in direction from year to year. But I can’t help it. There’s a weird old American jukebox in my head, and it still plays everything that’s ever got under my skin.”

In the new version of “Big Green Tree,” produced by Dave Alvin, it’s amazing how Ridgway’s voice has matured since the first one — not that he was a spring chicken in 1995. But now his voice sounds richer, more wizened, sadder, and wiser.

And singing background harmonies is Amy Farris, the violin player who committed suicide last year before the album was completed.

The new songs on Neon Mirage are pretty remarkable too. “This Town Called Fate” features the Western — well, probably spaghetti Western — sound that Ridgway has done so well since his Wall of Voodoo days.

The melody of this one sounds like it was influenced by Ridgway’s friends The Handsome Family. It’s a song built around a metaphor of impending death, fearing that “final knock on the door.” But it’s not without Ridgway’s wry humor.

“Now don’t pick up the phone, just wait until I’ve run the test/Unplug all these computers now, we’ll burn them with the rest/We’ll leave this hard drive by the tree, yes as policeman’s bait/Here in this town they call Fate.”


That classic Ridgway story line about small-time criminals and drifters running from the law — and one another — pops up in the song “Scavenger Hunt,” which features a jazzy flute by saxman Ralph Carney and a fuzzy, bluesy guitar by longtime Ridgway collaborator Rick King. We never find out exactly why the narrator’s wife has flown the coop, but there are all sorts of fascinating clues — broken dishes, a treasure map, an interstate underpass “where your uncle hid the briefcase on our wedding day.”

“Desert of Dreams” is an enlightened take on what is termed “easy listening,” with sinister touches of exotica. Images of cocktails by the pool will fill your head. But the sweet daydream starts to turn downright crazy right near the end when Carney starts blowing wild, like Pharoah Sanders ripping out pages of the Creator’s master plan. It’s like he’s trying to abduct the listener and break out of the whole vision. It’s one of the most remarkable moments on the album.

“Turn a Blind Eye,” is a smoky little rocker about the world going to hell — Ridgway’s answer to The Temptations’ “Ball of Confusion”?

Then “Like a Wandering Star” sounds like a stray show tune. It’s a bouncy little number with a subtle steel guitar and string section in the background. (Ridgway says this is his stab at the Owen Bradley countrypolitan sound.)

There are some sad, pretty, introspective songs here. “Behind the Mask” is perhaps the best example. It’s atmospheric in a Daniel Lanois way, starting off with a violin solo by Farris and ending with some psychedelic guitar by King. “Who am I behind the mask?” Ridgway croons throughout.

Neon Mirage includes a Dylan cover. It’s “Lenny Bruce,” an early 1980s song Dylan wrote for the late comic renegade. But the album ends with an original song that sounds even more like a Dylan tune — “Day Up in the Sun” has a Planet Waves vibe to it. Pietra Wexstun’s keyboards here can’t help but remind you of Garth Hudson. It’s a big, upbeat production that ends the album with a note of optimism.

If this album were a movie, the credits would be rolling during “Day Up in the Sun” and everyone would be filing out full of hope, gratitude, and popcorn. But as Ridgway fans know, this is just an intermission.

This movie ain’t over yet.

Here's a video from the album:



RIDGWAY & ME

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

TAKE A BITE OUT OF THE NEW BIG ENCHILADA PODCAST

THE BIG ENCHILADA

PODCAST 26

It's a Hillbilly Pig Out this month on The Big Enchilada, a delicious high-cholesterol feast of Dixie-fried rockabilly, hickory-smoked honky-tonk madness, pickled bluegrass, meaty backwoods boogie and crazy country side dishes. So loosen your dadgum belt, sit back with your favorite moonshine and prepare to stuff your ears.





DOWNLOAD | SUBSCRIBE

Here's the play list

(Background: Porky's Boogie on Strings by The Rhythm Boys)
Hogtied Over You by Billy Bacon & The Forbidden Pigs with Candye Kane
Diggin' For Gold by The Stumbleweeds
Pine Box Rotten by Crankshaft
Done Gone Crazy by Ray Condo & The Ricochets
Give It To Me, Daddy by Hartman's Heartbreakers
Brain Damage by The Austin Lounge Lizards
The Genitalia of a Fool by The Cornell Hurd Band featuring Justin Trevino

(Background Music: Feather Your Nest by The Washboard Wonders)
Hogs on the Highway by Bad Livers
Yodel Til I Turn Blue by Johnny Dilks & His Visitacion Valley Boys
Nothin' Clickin' Chicken by The Down Homers
Little White Pills by The Meat Purveyors
Hillbilly Blues by Ronnie Dawson
Ed's Place by Horace Heller

(Background Music: Texas Playboy Rag by The Pine Valley Cosmonauts)
Too Much Pork For Just One Fork by Southern Culture on the Skids
Sweet Singin' Daddy by Jimmy & Johnny
Countin' the Years by Yuichi & The Hilltone Boys
Who Puts The Cat Out When Papa's Out Of Town by Sam Nichols & The Melody Rangers
You've Never Been This Far Below by Freakwater
The Wings of a Dove/God Said I'll Be There by Retta & The Smart Fellas

You like this hillbilly stuff? If so, then you'll probably like some of my previous episodes like:

Episode 22: Honky in a Cheap Motel
Episode 16: Hillbilly Heaven
Episode 10: More Santa Fe Opry Favorites
Episode 8: Santa Fe Opry Favorites Vol. 2
Episode 2: Santa Fe Opry Favorites

Listen to this podcast 7 p.m. Mountain Time Tuesday August 24 on Real Punk Radio

Sunday, August 22, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 22, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org


OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Bitch Slap Attack by Lovestuck
Fire on the Moon by The Bell Rays
Easy to Cry by The Little Darlings
Mister Down Child by Sonny Boy Williamson with The Yardbirds
What's Your Name by Nathaniel Mayer
I Don't Like the Man I Am by Thee Headcoats
Panic in Georgia by Deadbolt
Sorrow's Forecast by Dead Moon
Mary Louise by Ichabod Strangelove
I Got Worms by Archie & The Pukes
Roly Poly by Joey Dee & The Starliters
The Pigmy Grind, Pt. 1 by Sonny Dublin

Woman Cops by The Ding-Dongs
Ten of Hearts by Mark Sultan
Anala by The King Khan & BBQ Show
Honey Hush by Big Joe Turner
Tiger Man by Rufus Thomas
Rocker by Nick Curran & The Lowlifes
100 Days, 100 Nights by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings
Find Me a Home by Detroit Cobras

R.I.P. Richard "Cannibal" Lopez

Zulu King by Cannibal & the Headhunters
Land by Patti Smith (Live 2005 version)
Land of 1000 Dances by Chris Kenner
Cannibal Girls by The Hydes
Whittier Boulevard by Thee Midnighters


Mark of the Unnamed/Budos Band Theme by The Budos Band
I Told You So by The Dirty Robbers
Idiot From Here by Kult
Under the Marble Faun by Movie Star Junkies
Please Ban Music/Gegen Alles by Country Teasers
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Friday, August 20, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 20, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
One Cup of Coffee by Glen Glenn
Honky Tonk Merry Go Round by Lucky Tomblin
Pawn Shop Guitars by Al Anderson
Tore up and Loud by Hank III
Sweet Singing Daddy by Jimmy & Johnny
Honky Tonk Man by Sleepy LaBeef
Hootin'-Nanny Papa by The Buchanan Brothers
She Likes to Boogie Real Low by Ray Condo & His Richochets
Lovin' Ducky Daddy by Carolina Cotton
Down the Bar From Me by Kell Robertson

Cherokee Fiddle by Michael Martin Murphey
Tennessee Boogie by Zeb Turner
Driving Nails in My Coffin by Hank Thompson
I Hold the Bottle, You Hold the Wheel by Reckless Kelly
The Window Up Above by George Jones
That Mink On Her Back by Hank Penny
Mental Cruelty by Buck Owens & Rose Maddox
Don't You See That Train by The Delmore Brothers
Side by Side Doublewides by The Hickoids

Right or Wrong by Willie Nelson & Asleep at The Wheel
Until I Die by The Ding Dongs
I Get Nothin' From My Girl by Mark Sultan
Fire's Still Burnin' by Hipbone Slim & The Knee Tremblers
Endless Sleep by The Frantic Flintstones
You Tell Her, I Stutter by Jimmy Lee Prow
Hi De Ho Boogie by Al Dexter
I Ain' Got Time For the Blues by Bill Kirchen with Maria Muldaur
Mean, Mean Man by Wanda Jackson

This Town Called Fate by Stan Ridgway
Death Valley Days by Jon Langford & Skull Orchard
Sittin' & Thinkin' by Ray Price
Cheap Living by Eric Hisaw
Ain't No Cane on the Brazos by The Band
Faded Loves and Memories by Blaze Foley
Last Days of Tampa Red by Ronny Elliott
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

TERRELL'S TUNEUP: LOVING THE LOWLIFE

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 20, 2010


Be careful if you listen to the album Reform School Girl by Nick Curran & The Lowlifes while operating a vehicle at night. Those of you old enough to remember 1950s radio might slip into a reverie. If you get caught up in the spirit, you may think you’ve traveled back in time to when crazed DJs unleashed their sinister communist plot of corrupting America’s youth by playing wild, primitive sounds oozing with sex and rebellion.

No kidding. Nick Curran plays some of the roughest, rawest R & B/rockabilly this side of Barrence Whitfield. Raspy voice, banging piano, wailing sax. A guitar that sounds as if Chuck Berry used it in voodoo rituals. And Curran is coming to Los Alamos on Friday night for a free outdoor show.

After being blown away by Reform School Girl, I was shocked to learn that Curran wasn’t even alive in the ’50s. Or the ’60s. Or even most of the ’70s. Also he’s from Maine, a state I admit I don’t know that much about, but I never associated it with gritty rock ’n’ roll.

But Curran has an impressive musical résumé. While still a teenager in the late 1990s, he was in rockabilly titan Ronnie Dawson’s band. Later he toured with Texas rockabilly princess Kim Lenz and honky-tonk hero Wayne “The Train” Hancock. He was also a member of The Fabulous Thunderbirds and the roots-punk group Deguello.

While Curran’s previous albums have more of a contemporary blues sound, this one is low-fi all the way. He seems to be channeling the ghosts of Gene Vincent and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. Among the highlights are “Psycho” (not The Sonics’ classic but an equally hopped-up thumper); the slow, spooky, greasy, sleazy “Dream Girl,” which sounds like it’s waiting for a David Lynch movie to pick it up; and “Lusty Lil’ Lucy” (the title says it all).

He even does a retro-rock version of an AC/DC song, “Rocker,” though this sounds a lot closer to Little Richard than Angus Young.

And one of my personal favorites here is “Flyin’ Blind,” a duet with Blasters frontman Phil Alvin, who’s still in fine form.

Despite his primitivist leanings, Curran also reveals that he’s got a Phil Spector/Shadow Morton side. The song has a distinct “Leader of the Pack” vibe to it.

Nick Curran & The Lowlifes are playing up in the Nuke City, as part of Russ Gordon’s free Los Alamos County Summer Concert Series, at 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20, at Del Norte Credit Union, 1000 Trinity Drive.


Also recommended:

* The Ding-Dongs (self-titled) and $ by Mark Sultan: So you like stripped-down, retro, low-fi stuff? Here’s how they do it in Canada.

Bloodshot Bill is a one-man rockabilly wonder. With The Ding-Dongs, he joins forces with Mark Sultan, aka BBQ, probably best known as half of the King Khan & BBQ Show.

First, some gossip. King Khan & BBQ, following some personal differences while touring in Australia and Korea in June, have split up. So don’t hold your breath for a new KK & BBQ album in the near future. Some good news, though: Bloodshot Bill also occasionally teams up with Khan under the name Tandoori Knights. They have a new album coming out in the next few weeks on Norton Records, the company that is also responsible for The Ding-Dongs.

As for the music on The Ding-Dongs, it’s unabashed, bashing fun. The two principals are joined on some songs by Bloodshot Bill’s crony Cadillac Al. (His solo on “She’s a Tiger” might be his best moment here.)

The sound is closer to what you’d hear on a Bloodshot Bill album than to King Khan & BBQ. It’s less scatological and has a more traditional rockabilly sound. It reminds me a little of Norton Records’ Kicksville series, which features low-fi, scratchy, old rockabilly records by cut-rate Eddie Cochrans at their most spirited. The record starts off with “Ding-Dong Party,” which sounds like a cool place to be.

The Ding-Dongs must like girls in uniform. Among the songs here are “Woman Cops” and “Military Mama,” which owes a musical debt to Johnny Otis’ “Willie & the Hand Jive.”

My one complaint is that Sultan’s amazing voice isn’t at full force here. He’s frequently compared to Sam Cooke and is capable of amazing sounds. He channels Buddy Holly on the tune “Worried Man” and does a respectable job on the countryish “Until I Die.” But nowhere does his voice really soar.

So if you want more Sultan, check out $, his latest solo album, which was released earlier this year. Not only will you hear more Sultan, but you’ll also get a greater diversity of sound.

Compared with his previous solo album, The Sultanic Verses, $ is far more experimental. For instance, the kickoff cut, “Icicles,” is a six-minute-plus opus with a lengthy instrumental section marked by layers of fuzz guitars and faux Middle Eastern music (think “Paint It Black”). The first few moments sound like a Black Sabbath LP warped by the sun. I almost expected Sultan to declare himself to be Iron Man.

Is BBQ going prog rock? No, the album retains an admirable homemade, blues-slop appeal.

“Ten of Hearts” is a vehicle for one of Sultan’s fondest obsessions — doo-wop. That’s followed by “Status,” a fast-paced stomper. Either Bloodshot Bill or, dare I say, King Khan would have fit in nicely on this track. Strangely, the song “Go Berserk” is one of the least berserk songs here. It rocks, though.

As of now, my favorite song on the CD is another doo-wop-fused boiler called “I Am the End.” It begins with Sultan pleading like a wounded soul man with only percussion and what might be a toy piano in the background.

The final track is another six-minute epic. It starts off with some psychedelic madness and throughout has some crazy guitar cacophony brewing in the background. But the basic melody could have been written by Smokey Robinson. And Sultan’s voice is at its soulful best.

Sunday, August 15, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 15, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Seven Gates of Hell by The Monsters
Flatfoot by Thee Milkshakes
Nudie Watusi by The Spooklights
Porcupine People by Kevin Coyne
Mrs. McKee by The Boss Mustangs
Man on the Run by Urban Junior
(Find You In)by El Paso by Deadbolt
I Like It Like That by Chris Kenner
Born Loser by Murphy & The Mob
Heebie Jeebies by The Boswell Sisters

Rocker by Nick Curran & the Lowlifes
Military Mama by The Ding Dongs
Nobody But You by Mark Sultan
Idol With the Golden Head by The Coasters
Pin Up Girl by Luck of the Draw
Parade of the Horribles by The Circle Jerks
Nothing To Do by Figures Of Light
The Walnut Tree by Movie Star Junkies
Bridget the Midget by Ray Stevens

WE NEVER LEARN, GUNK PUNK UNDERGUT SET
Memphis Creep by The Oblivions
Wish That I Was Dead by The Dwarves
Your Fat Friend by The Raunch Hands
A Girl Like You by The Mummies
She Said Yeah by The Rip Offs
Bless You by the Devil Dogs
Spanish Rose by Cheater Slicks
Pussy Time by Nashville Pussy
Gold Eldorado by Didjits
Eliza Jane by Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
Dragstrip Riot by New Bomb Turks
Detroit Breakdown by The Gories

Outcast by The A-Bones
Good Times by The Plimsouls
Nature's Wrath by The Budos Band
Jubilee Train by The Blasters
Big Green Tree by Stan Ridgway
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Friday, August 13, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 13, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org


OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Mama Says It's Naughty by The Maddox Brothers & Rose
Mercy Mercy Percy by Joe Penny
Liver Lover by Zeno Tornado And The Boney Google Brothers
Shadow My Baby by Ray Condo & His Ricochets
Hepcat Baby by Eddy Arnold
The Dirtiest Drunk in the History of Liquor by The Stanfields
Grandpa's Boogie by Grandpa Jones & His Grandchildren
Bartender's Polka by Hank Thompson
Tag Along by Wayne Hancock
Lost in Oklahoma by Hank III
I Hate Your Goddamn Trains by Kell Robertson

Crazy Ex Boyfriend by Rev. Horton Heat
Truckin' Song by Splitlip Rayfield
Been Down Too Long by Scott H. Biram
Jesus Loves a Jezebel by Goshen
DTs or the Devil by The Rev. Peyton's Big Damn Band
There Ought to Be a Law Against Sunny California by Terry Allen
Diddy Wah Boogie by Al Dexter
Harper Valley PTA by Jeannie C. Riley

Ladies Love Outlaws by Waylon Jennings
Live Fast, Love Hard Die Young by Faron Young
Tall Tall Trees by Roger Miller
Hanky Panky Woman by Kelly Hogan & The Mellowcremes
Rock Me by Little Jimmy Dickens
Another Man Loved Me Last Night by Eilen Jewell
Big Swamp Land by Johnny Paycheck
I Don't Work That Cheap by Bill Kirchen with Commander Cody
Everybody's Clown by Skeeter Davis & NRBQ
Trucker From Tennessee by The Starline Rhythm Boys
Jug Band Boogie by Louis Innis & His String Dusters

Dolores by T.Tex Edwards & Out On Parole
Apartment #9 by Tammy Wynette
Phantom 309 by The Last Mile Ramblers
Wondering by Webb Pierce
Wasted Days and Wasted Nights by Rex Hobart & The Misery Boys
16th Avenue by Lacy J. Dalton
I'm The Man That Rode The Mule 'Round The World by Charlie Poole
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets



Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

SETBACK FOR TRUTH IN MUSIC

The state of New Jersey's Truth in Music law suffered a legal blow last week in a federal appeals court, the Associated Press reported.

The State of New Jersey has been handed a setback in a case involving the Truth in Music Act, though advocates of the law said Monday that the ruling would not materially affect its effectiveness.

A federal appeals court ruled last week that the state Attorney General's Office must pay attorneys' fees to the promoter of groups calling themselves the Platters and the Cornell Gunter Coasters.

The case stems from 2007, when then-New Jersey Attorney General Anne Milgram sought a restraining order to force the groups to call themselves "tribute" bands when they performed in Atlantic City. The groups sued, and the state eventually conceded in U.S. District Court that it had enforced the law incorrectly.

The Truth in Music law, passed in 2007, was aimed at preventing the unauthorized use of the names of groups like the Platters, who recorded "The Great Pretender" and other hits in the 1950s and '60s.


State Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, who sponsored a Truth in Music bill in the New Mexico state Legisalture, recently said he'll try again next year.

I wrote about the issue last week in a story about a group calling itself "Billy Richards' Coasters" playing the Clovis Music Festival.

Thursday, August 12, 2010

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: GUNK IT UP!

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 13, 2010


Here’s a music movement/era/subgenre/subculture you’ve likely never heard about: gunk punk.

Don’t feel too shamefully unhip if you haven’t heard of gunk punk. Nobody else had either before Eric Davidson made up the term to describe bands that, as he puts it, “unknowingly reestablished punk rock as — surprise, surprise — fast, funny and furiously fucked-up rock ’n’ roll.”.

Davidson was the singer of a Columbus, Ohio, band called New Bomb Turks, which roamed the Earth between the early ’90s and early ’00s. Davidson, now an editor at the music-business magazine CMJ, recently published his first book,We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001 (Backbeat Books).

So what is this gunk? Davidson explains in the introduction:

“In the early ’90s, where it’s generally assumed that Nirvana, R.E.M., Marilyn Manson, and The Offspring brought ‘edgy’ to the mainstream, there was a fringe on the fringe, an exponentially growing gaggle of low-rent rockers who, owing to their innate retrograde preferences, were never fashioned into a marketable moment by a Spin article or an Entertainment Weekly sidebar. And even if some critics lazily tagged these bands as ‘just’ more punk, that helped little since by the early ’90s ‘punk’ mostly meant leftover, unsmiling, hardcore, or candy-coated skate-punk. ... It seemed that ass-shaking rock ’n’ roll was about to be washed into history’s moldy basement — which, of course, is as good a place as any to start a party.”

Davidson documents this party by interviewing fellow musicians from perpetually below-the-radar bands like The Lazy Cowgirls, Pussy Galore, Dead Moon, The Supersuckers, The Oblivians, the Candy Snatchers (who did a song that provided the title for this book), and dozens more plus folks from labels that purveyed the gunk — Crypt, Norton, Sympathy for the Record Industry, In the Red, Epitaph (which was better known for its skate-punkers but was also home for a while to New Bomb Turks).

Often the music Davidson writes about is classified as “garage” or “garage punk.” Many of these musicians admired what came to be known as garage bands of the mid-’60s. But Davidson turns up his nose at retro “Beatles boot” bands. “Bands like The Fuzztones, Chesterfield Kings, and others were practically devolving into nostalgic tribute acts,” he writes.

Like the book’s subtitle suggests, the glory days of gunk were done shortly after the turn of the century. Many of the bands had broken up, and many others were on the verge.

And yet this was about the time the mainstream press started yakking about the “garage revival,” thanks mainly to groups like The Strokes, The Hives, and The White Stripes. “The Strokes were being described as ‘raw’ based on the fact that you could hear a guitar,” Davidson wryly observes. “It was neato in a way to see big mags like Rolling Stone, Spin, etc., mentioning bands like The Sonics and The Stooges in articles about the trend. But once the wave really crested around late 2001, a natural knee-jerk response among gutter-rock fans was to feel exasperated. Rarely was there a mention of all the previous bands and scenes that these hyped acts came from.”

Jack White of The White Stripes declined to be interviewed for the book, instead sending a cryptic email about Edgar Allan Poe, Davidson said.

Though the book has a tendency to get rather inside baseball-ish, there are plenty of great stories, funny characters, and wish-I’d-been-there moments. And while most of these groups aren’t full-time endeavors anymore, We Never Learn gives you the feeling that as long as young rockers are willing to go out and on the road and play in weird little clubs or moldy basements for very little cash, the spirit of gunk will live forever.

Put down the book. Let’s rock! Davidson has a bonus for those who purchase We Never Learn. It’s a 20-track download of MP3s from the bands he writes about in the book: The Devil Dogs, Clone Defects, The Cynics, The A-Bones, Death of Samantha, The Digits, Archie & The Pukes, and of course New Bomb Turks.

Most of the selections are obscurities: demos, live recordings, alternate takes, cuts from compilation albums, and so on. As a collection, the downloads provide a reader with a good idea of the basic sound Davidson is writing about — fast, furious, sloppy, primitive, lo-fi, and lots of fun.

Among my favorites here is “Your Fat Friend” by The Raunch Hands. It’s a hyper boogie — Canned Heat succumbing to “Amphetamine Annie” — with a wailing sax solo.
THE MUMMIES!
From The Oblivians there’s “Memphis Creep,” a pounding put-down of a would-be scenester from the group’s hometown who has “a creepy pony tail” and will “get you high and steal your wife.”

You can almost smell The Mummies’ sweaty gauze costumes on the lo-fi, Farfisa-heavy instrumental “Mashi.”

The Dwarves show why Davidson loves them so much with an explosive version of “Throw That Girl Away.” The guitarist, known as “He Who Cannot Be Named,” sounds like he’s on fire.

“There but for the Grace of God Go I” is from The Gories’ final album Outta Here (1992). It shows the trio was pretty much at its peak of primitive glory when it disbanded, though when I saw the reunited Gories recently in New York, they proved they’ve still got that flame.
THE GORIES RISE AGAIN
“Girl from ’62” by Thee Headcoats is a classic slab from British poet/painter/garage-rock priest Billy Childish. Fans frequently argue over which of that eccentric genius’s bands were the best. I’ll vote for Thee Headcoats, which was his primary outlet during the late ’80s and the ’90s.

Davidson, in compiling this collection, made sure his own band didn’t get shortchanged. In fact, New Bomb Turks’ “Slut,” a live version of a tune written by fellow Ohio band Scrawl, might just be the strongest one here. It’s a four-minute burst of raw energy that starts out with someone giving Davidson a flower onstage. I’m not really sure why he’s screaming “Sympathy for the devil” by the end of the song, but it works.

Gunk online: For an interview of Davidson by the goons at Real Punk Radio, CLICK HERE.

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

JEFF VEE RESPONDS TO COASTERS STORY


Today I received a response from Jeff Vee, who is organizing the music for the Clovis Music Festival, regarding my story on The Coasters that was published in Sunday's New Mexican.

Also, I got word from Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, last night and he said he'll be sponsoring the Truth in Music bill again in next year's Legislature.

Here's what Mr. Vee said:

Hi Steve-

I regret missing your call Friday as our office was closed and I was not actually aware you had called until this morning and had first seen your story yesterday. For what it is worth, however, I thought I would follow up as a professional courtesy and to let you know our feelings about the situation as it pertains to your article.

First off, with my father being 60's singer Bobby Vee, we have always been serious advocates for "Truth in Music" by keeping the fake groups off of shows we are involved with where and when possible. They are a detriment to the real artists still performing and a disservice to fans. This we fully appreciate as it effects our business very directly.

Billy Richard's group was formed by Bobby Nunn who was an original Coaster as well. Believe me, I know that a PHD thesis could be written on the this and the many other groups that have splintered and morphed over the years. Billy Richards actually grew up performing with his uncle's group "The Robins" which later became the Coasters. After the Coasters split Carl and Bobby each formed groups within their legal rights and Billy went on to front Bobby Nunn's show for years. As with many groups of that period there were a lot of versions, some legitimate, many not (Drifters, Platters, etc). As an aside, Bobby and Billy's version of the group were the Coasters of choice for many years for Dick Clark's revival shows. I myself go back over 30 years with the group and my Father much further. We have fond memories of Mr. Nunn as does my entire family and many friends in the industry. It was always a wonderful and first class show and still is. When Bobby passed, Billy filed for the legal rights to continue the legacy of what had been his livelihood for over 40 years. A judgement was made in a court (attached) that Billy did in fact have a right to continue to perform as "Billy Richard's Coasters." The bottom line fact today is that there is not an "original" Coaster performing in any group. It is quite clear that there are two legal Coasters groups, Carl's & Billy's. As you may be aware, there have been many others over the years, and I'm sure still are. These are the bogus groups and are an entirely different story, and yes: a major problem.

We understand there are hard feelings that remain between these two groups, however, we feel the festival just got caught in the middle. Everyone involved with the Clovis Festival was made clearly aware of the two groups and the differences before Billy Richard's group was booked. There was a mistake made when the show was listed on the website that unfortunately flew under our radar, however, was quickly revised when we realized this.

BIlly's group did not appear out of nowhere. It is and has been working consistently for over 50 years. It feels to us that the Santa Fe paper has allowed itself to be a vehicle for someone's personal vendetta and did not hear and report the whole story. In our view Billy's connection to the Robins, added to his lengthy history with The Coasters/Billy Nunn makes his the most authentic and credible show going today.

The Clovis Music festival has a mission statement that simply states a goal of bringing first class entertainment into it's community in the form of rock and roll to celebrate the city's musical history and the legacy of Norman Petty and his world famous studios. This is something we feel the entire state of New Mexico should be very proud of. My Dad first recorded with Norman in Clovis in 1960. Our history with the city, the studios and the event is very special to us. We feel with total confidence that we are on track with festival's mission statement. Our only goal is to preserve and to promote a great piece of American pop culture and a history that is also part of our personal fabric by doing what we know how to do: produce and perform in shows.

While the 'Coaster' story makes for interesting news, it will undoubtedly affect the music festival and the city of Clovis adversely.

Best Regards,

Jeff Vee


(Click image to see 1997 court document to which Vee referred)


Monday, August 09, 2010

THROW AWAY THE KEY!


Mark David Chapman, the stalker who murdered John Lennon 30 years ago, once again is seeking parole. The New York parole board has denied this request five times previously.

As she has been in the past, Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, is opposed. ""I am afraid it will bring back the nightmare, the chaos and confusion once again," Ono wrote in a previous letter to the parole board. "Myself and John's two sons would not feel safe for the rest of our lives."

I don't want Chapman released either. But I'm willing to compromise.

I say transfer him to California's Corcoran State Prison and let him be cell mates with another famous Beatlemaniac: Charlie Manson.


Sunday, August 08, 2010

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, August 8, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell

Webcasting!
101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
96 Tears by Big Maybelle
I'll Be Back by ? & The Mysterians
Buy a Gun, Get a Free Guitar by Deadbolt
Virginia Avenue by Kid Congo Powers & The Knoxville Girls
Sex Cow by Teengenerate
Ikebukuro Tiger by Guitar Wolf
Chicken Thighs by Andre Williams
She's a Tiger by The Ding-Dongs

Break the Spell by Gogol Bordello
Idiota StÄ…d by Kult
Cantina by Pinata Protest
Sally Go Round the Roses by The Jaynettes
Too Many Fish in the Sea/Three Little Fishes by Mitch Ryder & The Detoit Wheels
What You Lack in Brains by Batusis
You Got the Love by The Cynics
Cannibal Girls by The Hydes
Shopping For Clothes by The Coasters

Deep in the Sand by The Budos Band
Be Kind, Be Foolish, Be Happy by Chuck Barrister & The Voices of Darkness
All Night Long by Bongos Ikwue Bongos Ikwue
Rough Rider by The Hygrades
Freaking Out by Mondo Topless
Doing the Crawdaddy by Bo Diddley

D.O.A. by The Fuzztones
Bird Brain by Kevin Coyne
Lost Girl by The Troggs
Underdog Backstreet by Warren Lee
Soul Man in the Underground by Jon E. Edwards
Take My Hand Precious Lord by Pinetop Perkins & Willie "Big Eyes" Smith
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

Subscribe to The Big Enchilada Podcast! CLICK HERE

More Yakety Yak About Truth in Music

I'm not sure whether to post this one in my music blog or my political blog. Guess I'll do both.

Today The New Mexican published my story about Veta Gardner, wife of Carl Gardner, the last living member of The Coasters, being upset about an imposter version of The Coasters playing The Clovis Music Festival. Initially the festival advertised that The Coasters were playing, but after complaints, the festival website was changed to reflect that these Coasters are "Billy Richards' Coasters."

As Mrs. Gardner points out, the website still says Richards' Coasters "breathed life into classic Leiber & Stoller songs like: `Charlie Brown,' `Yakaty Yak,' (sic) `Love Potion No. 9' and many more." She also said using the phrase "Clown princes of Rock 'n' Roll" is a copyright infringement.

Richards was a member of an early '60s Coasters offshoot, started by Bobby Nunn, an original member who Veta Gardner says was fired from the band in the late '50s. But he didn't record with the actual Coasters on those songs listed above or "Along Came Jones," "Searchin'," "Youngblood" or any of the Coasters hits you might remember.

The story of "the man with the big cigar" ripping off rock 'n' roll artists in the '50s and '60s is well documented. "Imposter" bands is just another way to screw the artists who created the music.

This issue -- a phenomenon that has been going on for decades -- was discussed last year in the state Legislature. (Here's my column about that .) The House passed the "Truth in Music Act," sponsored by Rep. Al Park, D-Albuquerque, and the bill made it through the Senate Judiciary Committee. But the session ended before the full Senate could vote on it. Maybe next year.


A little story-behind-the story: The issue of The Coasters at the Clovis Music Festival was first brought to the attention of Veta Gardner, the festival, myself and anyone else who would listen by a lady named Virginia Pritchett. Though she lives in Texas now, she's a former College of Santa Fe student who was raised in eastern New Mexico. Virginia is a record collector, an "oldies" fanatic who used to be a DJ at an oldies station in California. She's genuinely concerned about imposters harming the livelihood of the musicians who created the music.

She pointed me to this 1997 article in the New York Observer about Carl Gardner's long struggle against imposters.

And here's the link to the Vocal Group hall of Fame Foundation, which is leading the effort nationwide for "Truth in Music" legislation.


Here's a 2007 report on this issue by ABC's 20/20 featuring a confrontation between a real Drifter and a fake Drifters group.




Here's a video of The Coasters

Saturday, August 07, 2010

eMusic August

* The World Ends: Afro-Rock and Psychedelia in 1970s Nigeria by various artists This is the latest collection from the incredible Soundways Records. I spent nearly half my monthly credits on this cool collection, but it's worth it.

In the early '70s, following the bloody Biafran civil war, Jimi Hendrix guitar and James Brown funk invaded Nigeria.

Fuzz and wah-wah seized control of African guitars. Slinky organ sounds crept into the music. And the African drum was stronger than ever.

Bands like The Hykkers, Cicada and The Semi Colon created funky little masterpieces. In "Ottoto Shamoleda" by a band called Colomach you could hear a little Santana. The Hygrades' "Rough Rider" would fit in the soundtrack of any decent Blaxploitation movie.

And I like the advice of Chuck Barrister & The Voices of Darkness: "Be Kind, Be Foolish, Be Happy."


* Reform School Girl by Nick Curran & The Lowlifes. I owe Los Alamos music fiend Russ Gordon for turning me on to this band.

Basically Curran plays some of the roughest, rawest R&B/rockabilly this side of Barrence Whitfield. This album has a lo-fi, '50s car-radio sound to it. Curran sounds as if he's channeling Little Richard filtered through the ghost of Ronnie Dawson, the late rockabilly rowdy, with whom Curran used to play.

But the title song reveals a Phil Spector side. Probably Shadow Morton would be a more apt comparison, as the song has a distinct "Leader of the Pack" vibe to it.

Curran & The Lowlifes are playing up in Nuke City as part of Gordon's Free Concert Series on Friday August 20.

PLUS:

* The 35 songs from The Very Best Of by Hoosier Hot Shots that I didn't get last month. (This only cost me five credits though because the eMusic price was 40 tracks for 12 credits and I downloaded seven tracks last month. What a deal!)

Basically these Indiana cut-ups, who started recording in the early '30s, were the harbingers of Spike Jones. The slide whistle (played by Paul "Hezzie" Triesch) was an important part of the Hot Shot sound, as was the clarinet, played by Gabe Ward.

Among the tunes in this collection are whizbang versions of American standards like "The Band Played On," "Sioux City Sue," "Toot Toot Tootsie," and "I Wish I Cold Shimmy Like My Sister Kate."

There's also some bizarre obscurities by the quartet. My favorite is "I've Got a Bimbo Down on The Bamboo Isle." I found a scratchy old 1920 version of this tune by Frank Crumit on the Internet Archive a few years ago. It's about a swell gal who "all she wore was a great big Zulu smile." As I wrote of this song in a column a few years ago, "A ship wreck never sounded so sexy."


* 9 tracks from Hillbilly Classics. Talk about deals ... This is a 73 (!!!) song collection of mostly obscurities from the '40s and '50s. Costing only 12 credits, it's definitely one of the biggest bargains I've stumbled across on eMusic for some time.

My favorites of the ones I nabbed for now are "Nothin' Clickin', Chicken" by The Down Homers and "My Dreamboat Hit a Snag" by Louis Innis & The String Dusters." I'll start downloading the rest of this when my account refreshes.

ATTENTION ACOUSTIC PICKERS

My old friend Amy Airheart Bianco (who I first met when she was a DJ at the venerable KFAT Radio in Gilroy, Calif. in the early '80s) just sent me this. She's looking for acoustic musicians.

I know you're out there. Check it out!


Calling New Mexico’s Acoustic Musicians!

The third annual New Mexico Women Author’s Book Festival is taking place this October 2nd and 3rd in downtown Santa Fe at the New Mexico History Museum. During this free event, over 100 women authors will read from their works and over 3,000 people are expected to attend during the two days.

Festival Organizers are looking for 10-12 acoustic acts to perform Saturday or Sunday inside the New Mexico History Museum. Solos, duos, trios and quartets are encouraged to apply. Acts featuring women performers are also encouraged to send in audition materials. The performance area will be upstairs, with some seating and will be acoustic with no p.a.system. (this is due to noise restrictions in the building.) The performance area has very bright sound and will attract people coming from the café and the exhibit areas. A small stipend ($50.00 per act) is available for each act to help defray travel costs.

Acoustic acts from around the state are encouraged to apply. Sets up to 50 minutes in length will be booked and the stage will be open from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 pm both days, with the last set ending by 4:50 p.m. Artists are welcome to bring their CD’s to sell during and following their sets, on the day of performance.

Please submit audition materials no later than September 1 to: Amy Bianco c/o MNMF Shops, P.O. Box 2065, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2065. For more information call (505) 982-3016 x 21.

Friday, August 06, 2010

THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST

Friday, August 6, 2010
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell


101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org

OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Hot Rodder's Lament by Deke Dickerson
Drinkin' Ain't Hard to Do by Hank III
Rated X by Neko Case
Fist City by Eilen Jewell
Backstreet Affair by Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn
Mr. & Mrs, Used to Be by Ernest Tubb & Loretta Lynn
Super Boogie Woogie by Jerry Irby with His Texas Ranchers
Chickenstew by The Sixtyniners
Room 100 by Ronny Elliott

Corn Liquor Made a Fool Out of Me by Bad Livers
Chug a Lug by Mojo Nixon & The World Famous Blue Jays
Shelly Hopped That Train by The Cedarsqueezers
A-11 by Buck Owens
Amazing Disgrace by Dollar Store
1234 Ever by Jon Langford & Skull Orchard
The Girl On Death Row by T.Tex Edwards & Out On Parole
Mike the Can Man by Joe West
Meet Me By The Ice House Lizzie by Hoosier Hot Shots

TRIBUTE TO THE AMERICAN WAITRESS
The Waitress Song by Freakwater
Ravishing Ruby by Tom T. Hall
Mr. Sellack by The Roches
The Beautiful Waitress by Terry Allen
Diesel Daisy by Killbilly
Sweetheart (Waitress at a Donut Shop) by Dan Hicks & His Hotlicks Waitret Please Waitret by Kinky Friedman
Tip That Waitress by Loudon Wainwright III
Highway Cafe by Tom Waits

Goodnight, Dear Diary by Joe Ely
Don't Touch Me by Eleni Mandrell
I Wish It Had Been a Dream by The Louvin Brothers
I Push Right Over by Robbie Fulks
Clouds That Won't Rain by Clothesline Revival
Tom Dooley by Snakefarm
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets

Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list

SHARON JONES COMING TO LENSIC

Looks like Daptone Records is making inroads into Santa Fe. First we learned The Budos Band will be playing Corazon on August 19.

And now, Jamie from Fanman Productions informs us that the mighty Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings will play the Lensic Performing Arts Center on Sept. 27.

No word on ticket prices yet. All I know right now is that a band called Grace Potter & The Nocturnals will be opening.

Jones' show is scheduled 10 days after Barrence Whitfield is supposed to play at Santa Fe Brewing Company.

That's a lotta soul for this little town.

I wrote a quickie review of Jones' last album I Learned the Hard Way. You can find it HERE (scroll down.)


Thursday, August 05, 2010

TERRELL'S TUNE-UP: WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
August 6, 2010


Here’s what I did last week on my summer vacation.

I spent several days last week in New York City. The major chunk of my time was spent at musical events (and riding the subways to get to them).

It was a near-impromptu trip, an impulse vacation. What sparked it was something I saw on the internet about The Detroit Breakdown, a free outdoor show at Lincoln Center sponsored by The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation. On the bill were two bands that rocked my reality as a junior high kid: Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and ? & The Mysterians.

Even more interesting were slightly more recent Detroit groups including garage/punk heroes The Gories and Death, a resurrected proto-punk group.

Here’s the magical part. Only moments after I made my plane and hotel reservations, I got an email invitation from the promoters of another free show: Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds — led by a guy who’s been a member of The Cramps, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and The Gun Club — who were playing at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn.

To me, this was a cosmic confirmation from the universe. Then later I learned that Gogol Bordello would be playing with Primus the night before the Detroit Stomp. Glory hallelujah!

Here’s a rundown of the music I saw last week:? & LOUISE MURRAY

* Sweatin’ to the oldies: ? & The Mysterians and Mitch Ryder offered a sharp contrast in their different approaches. And I have to say that ? and his band kicked major rump. From the moment he bounced onto the stage wearing a cowboy hat and a pink-and-purple jacket with Buffalo Bill fringes, ? was a psychedelic sprite belting out his rock ’n’ soul.

The Mysterians included all their original members — five Chicanos who grew up hanging out and playing music with one another. They’re tight and yet have an easy way together. They’ve done all these songs a jillion times, but they still look like they’re having the time of their lives playing them.
Mitch Ryder
Ryder, on the other hand, had a bunch of new players who looked young enough to be his grandkids. These Wheels weren’t even hub when Ryder was tearing up the charts with “Devil in a Blue Dress” and “Jenny Takes a Ride.” All were proficient musicians, but they lacked that warriors’ bond that comes from years on the road.

But the main difference between the two is that ? and crew have retained their garage-band spirit, while Ryder’s band had a classic-rock edge. Ryder’s band even had a big production number that started out with tinkly-winkly piano versions of Rolling Stones songs like “Ruby Tuesday” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” leading with epic guitar crescendos to an overwrought version of “Gimme Shelter.” (I left during the drum solo. I just couldn’t take it.)

On the other hand, The Mysterians did a version of The Stones’ “Satisfaction.” But there was nothing grandiose about it. They played the song as I imagine they did in 1965.

The Mysterians got a little outside help. Soul singer Louise Murray of the Jaynetts dueted with ? on “Sally Go Round the Roses.” Murray sang on the original recording of this cool tune. But more impressive, the one and only Ronnie Spector joined the group on their big hit “96 Tears.” It was an unbelievable moment. She basically vamped on the “you’re gonna cry, cry, cry, cry” outro, teasingly adding an occasional “be my baby” to the proceedings.

Hey Hey, We're the Gories* The Gories: This was Mick Collins’ group before The Dirtbombs. Collins along with fellow guitarist Dan Kroha and drummer Peggy O’Neill started out in Detroit in 1986 and lasted until the early ’90s. They got back together last year for a reunion tour with The Oblivions. And The Gories still sound fresh, crazy, and aggressively primitive. Beginning with their unofficial theme song, “Hey Hey, We’re the Gories,” they bashed their way through a high-energy set that included Gories favorites like “Thunderbird E.S.Q.” and “Nitroglycerine,” as well as covers of John Lee Hooker’s “Boogie Chillun” and Eddie Holland’s “Leaving Here.” They even went No Wave for a minute and did a cover of a Suicide song.

* Death: Talk about a band that was ahead of its time. Death was a trio of black kids from Detroit, back in the early 1970s, combined the soul and R & B they’d grown up with the Detroit rock of the day.
Give me death!
The son of singer/bassist Bobby Hackney, discovering one of his dad’s demo tapes in the attic, convinced his dad to reform the group. Death’s only studio recordings were released by the indie label Drag City as a CD called ... For the Whole World to See.

Death still roars. The band even did a song it wrote inspired by Richard Nixon, “Politicians in My Eyes.”

* Gogol Bordello: This international band of maniacs lived up to its reputation of playing intense and crazy live shows. It’s led by Ukraine-born Eugene Hutz, who immigrated to New York City in the early 1990s and recently moved to Brazil.
HUTZ!
Gogol, whose members are from all over the world, play a high-charged rocking fusion of traditional Gypsy music — violin and accordion are important elements — other traditional European sounds, reggae, and more recently samba, creating a sound they modestly call “Gypsy punk.”

At their show on the Brooklyn waterfront, the musicians did some old favorites — “Not a Crime,” “Wonderlust King,” and “Start Wearing Purple” — plus a lot of their latest album, Trans-Continental Hustle.

Primus* Primus: Following Gogol would be a heavy task for anyone. So, sadly, Primus was pretty much a major letdown. I’m a Primus fan and was excited about seeing the group. But after the group’s opening act, Les Claypool and the boys seemed plodding and spaced out.

* Kid Congo & The Pink Monkey Birds: Kid Congo Powers is a hero in the garage-punk sub genre, which doesn’t place the highest value on instrumental virtuosity. Nevertheless, he’s an amazing guitarist who doesn’t need 15-minute solos to prove it. One of his encore tunes was an instrumental I didn’t recognize that sounded like a wild cross between Duane Eddy and “Psychotic Reaction.”

Opening his hourlong set with “I Found a Peanut,” a Thee Midnighters cover and the funniest song from his latest album, Dracula Boots, the Kid let rip with tunes spanning his career, including The Gun Club’s “Sex Beat” and two Cramps tunes, “I’m Cramped” and an extra-sinister “Goo Goo Muck.”

BLOG BONUS!

My snapshots of most these shows (and other things) can be found HERE.

Even better, here's some YouTube videos I found from some of the shows I saw. (The first two are from my GaragePunk Hidout pal allison levin's friend Corwin Wickersham.)


DEATH



THE GORIES



? & THE MYSTERIANS with RONNIE SPECTOR



MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS



GOGOL BORDELLO



KID CONGO POWERS & THE PINK MONKEYBIRDS

Sunday, August 01, 2010

BATTLE OF THE DETROIT BANDS

RONNIE SPECTOR & ?

If The Detroit Breakdown could be considered a battle of the bands between two groups that rocked my world back when I was in junior high – back in the mid '60s when there used to be actual battles of the bands – there was a clear winner Saturday night.

? & The Mysterians kicked major rump on Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.

Of course it wasn't a “battle.” Music is the expression of the soul, which touches the spirit and lifts the soul in harmony with the world and shouldn't be perceived as a childish competition.

Screw that. ? & The Mysterians kicked ass! No disrespect to Mitch. Like I say, I've loved his music for nearly 45 years. In a year of flower-power excess, Mitch got back to the gritty rock 'n' roll basics .
MITCH RYDER
The Detroit Breakdown is what sparked my impulse vacation to New York City. The event, sponsored by The Ponderosa Stomp Foundation, was held at The Lincoln Center. The evening portion of the show not only included these '60s acts, but more recent Detroit groups including the wonderful Gories and Death. (More on these two bands later.)

The Mysterians got a little outside help. Soul singer Louise Murray of the Jaynetts dueted with ? on “Sally Go Round the Roses. She sang on the original recording of this cool tune.

But more impressively, the one and only Ronnie Spector joined the group on their big hit “96 Tears.”

Allow me to repeat that: Ronnie Spector sang “96 Tears” with ? & The Mysterians!
IMG_0868
But even without this added star power, The Mysterians would have ruled the night. From the moment he bounced onto the stage wearing a cowboy and a pink-and-purple jacket with Buffalo Bill fringes, ? was a psychedelic sprite belting out his rock 'n' soul.

Here's the main differences between them and Mitch Ryder. First of all, The Mysterians included all their original members. In other words, five Chicano guys who grew up hanging out and playing music with each other. They're tight and yet have an easy way with each other. They've done all these songs a jillion times, but they still look like they're having the time of their lives playing them.

Ryder on the other hand had a bunch of new players who looked young enough to be Mitch's grandkids. These Wheels weren't even hubcaps when Ryder was tearing up the charts with “Devil in a Blue Dress” and “Jenny Takes a Ride.” All proficient musicians, but lacking that warrior's bond.

But the main difference between the two is that ? and crew have retained their garage-band spirit while Ryder's band had a classic-rock edge. There was even a big production number that started out with tinkly-winkly piano versions of Rolling Stones songs like “Ruby Tuesday” and “You Can't Always Get What You Want” leading up with epic guitar crescendos to an overwrought version of “Gimme Shelter.” (Full disclosure: I left during the drum solo. I just couldn't take it.)

On the other hand, The Mysterians did a version of The Stones' “Satisfaction.” But there was nothing grandiose about it. They played the song as I imagine they did in 1965.
THE GORIES!
Besides ?, my favorite band of the day was The Gories. This was Mick Collins' group before The Dirtbombs. Collins along with fellow guitarist Dan Kroha and drummer Peggy O'Neill started out in Detroit in 1986 and lasted until the early '90s. They got back together last year for a reunion tour with The Oblivions.

True confession: I've dug The Dirtbombs for years, but I'm a relative newcomer to the pleasures of The Gories. Both are amazing bands.

And they still sound fresh and crazy. Starting out with their unofficial theme song, “Hey Hey, We're The Gories,” they bashed their way through a high-energy set that included Gories favorites like “Thunderbird E.S.Q.” and “Nitroglycerine,” as well as covers of John Lee Hooker's “Boggie Chillun,” Eddie Holland's “Leaving Here” and the R&B classic “Early in the Morning.” They even went No-Wave for a minute and did a cover of a Suicide song.
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Also a lot of fun was Death, a Detroit hard-rock trio who back in the early '70s combined the soul and R&B they'd grown up with the Detroit rock of the day.

At one point Death singer/bassist Bobby Hackney gave shout-outs to some of their influences: Alice Cooper. Iggy & The Stooges. And Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels.

Check my snapshots of The Detroit Breakdown HERE

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

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