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.

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

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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



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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.

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.

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.

“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.

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)

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.