GOGOL CONQUERS BROOKLYN

Well actually Gogol Bordello started out in New York, so a lot of locals probably would say they conquered it a long time ago.

But they didn't fail to work the crowd into a frenzy and it didn't take 'em long.

They played some of old favorites -- "Not a Crime," "Wanderlust King" and, later in the set, "Start Wearing Purple." And they played a lot of their latest album Trans-Continental Hustle.

I realize that there are lots of people who are uninitiated into the pleasures of this band. So here's a quick primer:

Head Gogol Eugene Hutz, a native of the Ukraine, immigrated to New York City in the early '90s. There he fell in with like-minded musicians, many of them immigrants like himself from various parts of the world.

Together they crafted a high-charged rocking fusion of traditional gypsy music -- violin and accordion are important elements -- other traditional European sounds, reggae, South American sounds they modestly call "Gypsy punk." Recently Hutz moved to Brazil and traces of samba could be heard on the group's latest album

I wasn't immediately taken by the new Rick Rubin-produced Trans-Continental Hustle. But hearing it live Friday convinced me that the new songs stand proudly by the old.

My only disappointment was that they didn't play "American Wedding." But I didn't feel cheated.

I almost felt sorry for the headlining act of this show -- Primus. I'm a Primus fan. I love "My Name is Mud" and "Wynonna's Big Brown Beaver" and lots of their other songs. I was happy to hear that Les Claypool and the boys had reunited and I'd get to hear them.

But following Gogol Bordello would be a heavy task for anyone. (My buddy Chuck suggested that Shane McGowan in his prime might be able to pull that feat off. But not many others.)

So sadly, Primus was somewhat of a letdown after Gogol. Claypool does some interesting music, but after their opening act, it just didn't seem all that exciting.

Speaking of interesting -- the very first band to play Friday was a rocked-out jazz-fusiony/No Wavish trio called Dead Kenny Gs. They have a sax man (who doubles on keyboards) a bassist and a drummer who also plays vibes. They were lots of fun and left me wanting to hear more.

On the subway trip home when we transferred trains at the 14th Street station, Chuck noticed that Gogol's accordion player, Yuri Lemeshev was there, posing for pictures with fans. One of them was me.

Check my snapshots of Gogol Bordello HERE

But

CONGO ROCK

Brian Tristan, better known as Kid Congo Powers, has an impressive recording history having served time in The Cramps, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and The Gun Club. And his solo work, like last year's Dracula Boots, are full of under-recognized gems.

But you really haven't heard Kid Congo until you've heard him live.

I did just that at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. Congo played there with his band The Pink Monkey Birds as part of a free show sponsored by Vice Records. Congo has a new split single with Hunx & His Punx, who opened the show, coming out in the near future.

Mr. 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 does'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 hour-long set with "I Found a Peanut," a Thee Midnighters cover and the funniest song from Dracula Boots, Congo let rip with tunes spanning his lengthy career. There were several others from Dracula Boots, including "La Llorona," (which I know would be a favorite in Santa Fe if he ever comes here), "Black Santa" and "LSDC." There were several songs from an upcoming singles compilation on In the Red Records (I believe he said the name of that's going to be "10 Greasy Pieces") and older tunes like "La Historia de un Amour."

And, yes, he did a Gun Club song, a tough version of "Sex Beat," and two Cramps tunes -- "I'm Cramped" and an extra-sinister "Goo Goo Muck."

I got a chance to yak a little wit the Kid before the show. He said he's excited because he's been asked to sing "Found a Peanut" with Thee Midnighters at the Ponderosa Stomp in New Orleans in September. I wish I could be there for that.

(No, I didn't take that photo at the top of this post. My camera was in my suitcase, which hadn't arrived before I left for the show, thank you very much, American Airlines!) So I stole that picture from my pal and fellow GaragePunk podcaster Michael Kaiser, who saw Kid Congo in California last year. Thanks, Michael.)

NEW YORK HERE I COME!

As those of you who have heard me ramble in my recent radio shows and on the latest Big Enchilada podcast know, I'm headed to New York for a bunch of concerts and fun.

The biggest event to which I'm going is the Detroit Breakdown, a free outdoor show Saturday sponsored by The Lincoln Center and the Ponderosa Stomp. Among the acts performing there are a couple of groups I've loved since junior hight, Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels and ? & The Mysterians. Plus, the reunited Gories will be there as well as Death, a proto-punk band that also recently got back together. (Check this NPR report on them.)

Also I'll be going to see a Gogol Bordello/Primus show in Brooklyn Friday and, assuming my plane gets in on time, Kid Congo Powers at The Knitting Factory.

Watch this blog for reports, photos, etc.

TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST

Sunday, July 25, 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
The Lowlife by Nick Curran & The Lowlifes
Sugar in My Hog by Fred Schneider with Shadowy Men on a Shadowy Planet
Bitch Slap Attack by Lovestuck
Toilet Duck by Scared of Chaka
Treat Her Right by Los Straitjackets with Mark Lindsay
Repo Man by Iggy Pop
Baby Who Mutilated Everybody's Heart by Thee Mighty Caesars
I'm In With the Out Crowd by Sam the Sham & The Pharoahs
Juimonos (Let's Went) by Little Richard Elizondo Combo
All These Things by Art Neville

Jenny Take a Ride by Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels
Devil With the Blue Dress by Shorty Long
C.C. Rider by Bobby Powell
Smokes by ? & The Mysterians
Ghost Rider by The Gories
La Llorona by Kid Congo & The Pink Monkeybirds
Troubled Friends by Gogol Bordello

Rockin' My Boogie by Charlie Musselwhite
Annie Mae/Memphis by Alex Maryol
Friday Night Dance Party by Bunker Hill
Baby Doll by The Del Moroccos
Memphis Chiken by The Gibson Bros.
Dizzy Miss Lizzy by Larry Williams

Never Go West by Seasick Steve
Shortnin' Bread by The Cramps
Flying High by Country Joe & The Fish
Adeniji by The Budos Band
The World Ends by The Black Mirrors
A Mission in Life by Stan Ridgway
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis

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ROD DOES BUCKLEY IN NYC

Hipsters, flipsters and finger-poppin' daddies ...

While stumbling around the Internet for information on the Detroit Breakdown, which I'm going to in New York City a week from today, I learned that Santa Fe's finest Lord Buckley channeler Rod Harrison is playing at the same venue the next day.

Unfortunately, I'll be flying back to New Mexico when Rod takes the stage.

He's playing at the Lincoln Center Out of Doors series. On the same bill is David Johansen, Sandra Bernhard and Steve Cuiffo, who does with Lenny Bruce what Rod does with Lord Buckley.