Friday, June 28, 2013

The Collins Kids - Hoy Hoy

The Collins Kids were a 50's country/rockabilly brother-and-sister dual whose talents far exceeded the exposure that they received. While they are known - rightly - in today's rockabilly circles as pioneers, they never really hit the national stage in their hey-day, despite regularly appearing on the LA TV show Town Hall Party. Lorrie Collins has a sweet voice, capable of ballads and rockers alike and Larry was a stellar guitarist (and superior harmony vocalist) and showman from as early as age 11! He was mentored by none other than Joe Maphis and received a double neck Mosrite like Maphis used (a tenor 6-string and standard 6-string) and could play flyingly fast!

A possible hindrance despite all of their talent may have been the material that was chosen for them - mostly novelty numbers referencing their relationship or simply silly tunes. When they sing love songs to each other it actually becomes a little creepy, even though it sounds great. You can't but think of the cliches of inbred country families as they stare into each others' eyes and say "move a little closer", "you're mighty cute" and the like.

This collection shows their versatility though, from soft ballads (the weakest material) to flat-out rockabilly numbers (their best) and lots in between. Certainly a good place to start with the Kids!

The Best of Bill Monroe - the Millennium Collection

Bill Monroe is commonly acknowledged as the "father of bluegrass"  and he is certainly the one to popularize the sound that we now consider to be bluegrass with the vocal tones, harmonies and instrumentation - first with the Monroe Brothers and later as he led his own Blue Grass Boys. This is fantastic starting point for learning about this gentleman and will most likely made you want more!

Every song here is a classic, from "Blue Moon of Kentucky" to "New Mule Skinner Blues" to "In the Pines" (yes, the Louvin Brothers were highly influenced by this man) to "I'm Working on a Building" to "I'm Sitting on Top of the World" to "I Saw the Light" and more! Monroe's superb high tenor voice and terrific mandolin playing is augmented by guitar, fiddle, bass and harmony vocals to give us a wonderful sound. Anyone who is interested in bluegrass at all should own this!

Thursday, June 27, 2013

recommended gigs

Thursday June 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday June 28 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Friday June 28 - The Lucky Cheats and the People's Whiskey at the Palms (!)
Friday June 28 - The Astaires, the Remedies, the Garage Boys - Bar 702

Saturday June 29 - last call at the Bunkhouse with Crazy Chief, Fuzz Solow, the All Togethers, Clydesdale, Big Friendly Corporation and more!

Wednesday July 3 - @ Hellpop! In the Arts Factory - Fuzz Solow, The Courtneys, Mass Distractors, the Terrible Figures

Friday July 12 - The Psyatics with Missing Persons at the LV Country Saloon

Friday July 19 - Tiger Sex at the Double Down with People's Whiskey

Saturday July 20 - The Swamp Gospel with Tarah Grace & Hold Your Horses and the All Togethers - E-String (Henderson)

Wednesday July 24 - Thee Swank Bastards - Double Down Saloon

Wednesday July 31 - Bob Log III, Black Jetts, Fuzz Solow - Dive Bar

Friday, August 2 - the Psyatics at the Dive Bar

Sunday, September 8 - The Psyatics at Triple B with Calabrese

Saturday Sept 21 - The Swamp Gospel 2nd Anniversary show at the Motor City Cafe

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

Eric Clapton & the Yardbitrds

This 2 CD set includes two Yardbirds albums with Eric Clapton - Good Morning Little Schoolgirl and I'm a Man. These are some of their earliest recordings and show them at their bluesy/r'n'b/rootsy best. Eric's tone had yet to evolve into the heavier sound he made famous in the Bluesbreakers & Cream and the sound here is as authentic as any of the British bands ever created!

Sonny Boy Williamson's "Good Morning Little Schoolgirl" is, along with Billy Boy Arnold's "I Wish You Would", the first two songs the band recorded - both included here - and while sounding a bit more innocent than the blues originals, these are solid takes on the tunes. Eric gets to show off his already formidable skills on "New York City Blues", and Keith Relf shows that he could blow a mean harp, as well.

As with all groups at the time, they had to record some covers and they manage to turn "My Girl Sloopy" ("Hang on Sloopy") into a bit of an r'n'b work out, though it is still, comparatively, a throw-away, even with their Beatles-esque "Twist & Shout" breaks and rave-ups.  Funnily, a highlight is the live, uncredited appearances of Sonny Boy Williamson on his "23 Hours Too Long" and "Mr. Downshild" - they backed him up at times during his first tour of England. There's also a brief, "Tequila"-like instrumental called "Slow Walk" that I'm unfamiliar with but is credited to "Williamson" so that might also be from that set. "A Certain Girl" is a oft-covered fun tune with the "what's her name/ I can't tell ya" call and answer bit.

Breaking out the slide, wah-wah and some more raves-ups in "I Ain't Done Wrong" and the inclusion of "Jeff's Blues" and their hits "Heart Full of Soul" and "Mister, You're a Better Man Than I" made me realize that this compilation isn't just Eric Clapton with the Yardbirds, but some cuts with Jeff Beck, as well. Guess they decided to re-issue the entire record as it was originally released (I assume), even though the CD set is hyping Clapton's playing with the outfit. Odd, but still great stuff, of course!

The jumpin' "Honey in Your Hips" is a fantastic r'n'b mover & shaker, as is "Pretty Girl", which leads into a powerful live version of "Smokestack Lightning". These, I believe, are all Clapton, but there is definitely some jumping back & forth between the two guitarists on these tracks.

The "I'm a Man" album starts out with the title song, their most famous rave-up number and, frankly, I'm not certain who is on guitar here since Beck played on many live versions of this, but I think this is Clapton, as it appears to be on most of this CD. "Five Long Years" is a smoldering, slow blues followed by a live take on Slim Harpo's "Got Love If You Want It" then another Sonny Boy Williamson collaboration, "Highway 69".

The definitive white boy version of "I Ain't Got You" is certainly the Yardbirds' - this is damn raw and a real stomper and the guitar is fierce and biting - stellar! The 'birds rivaled the Stones at super-sonic versions of Chuck Berry tunes and "Let it Rock" really does rock! White boy frantic-ness, no doubt fueled by the Mods predilection for uppers!

It's funny how the numbers with Sonny Boy are interspersed within the other songs on these two CDs and not all put together, but they're always a pleasant surprise! "Take It Easy Baby" seems almost like an answer to the mania of "Let it Rock" and shows that they boys could really control their dynamics. They continue with Williamson on "My Little Cabin" - all of his songs highlight his terrific harp playing, which is a real treat. They return to Berry covers with a swinging "Talkin' About You" and then give us an original instrumental, "Pounds and Stomps" before groovin' on the previously mentioned "I Wish You Would".

"Paff...Bum" is pure pop fluff, other than a stinging, all-too-brief guitar solo and "Like Jimmy Reed Again" is simply a blues jam that meanders a bit. The whole shee-bang closes with another Sonny Boy-led song, "Out on the Water Coast", so it ends on a strong note, even though, ironically, the song ends prematurely and Sonny Boy has to bring the boys back to finish properly!

Cool collection of overall excellent Yardbirds' work, even if the title is somewhat misleading. Unfortunately, the liner notes are miniscule and don't really give any information on the proceedings here. Regardless, this is well worth it!



Wednesday, June 26, 2013

The Leaves - Hey Joe

The Leaves blasted onto the 60's garage scene with their inspired, high-energy version of the classic "Hey Joe" - influenced many punks (and cover versions) to come! But, there is actually a lot more to these cats.

"Dr. Stone" is certainly a garage rocker, with its insistent, tremelo'd chords and bluesy harp, but lyrically and vocally (lots of cool harmonies) it almost leans towards later psychedelic sounds. But "Just a Memory" is almost 60's MOR though it is followed by a solid take on Allen Tousaint's "Get Out of My Life Woman". Unfortunately, there is another weak ballad in "Girl From the East" with a good, Turtles-esque folk-rocker, "He Was a Friend of Mine" next setting the stage for the amazing title number!

Positively frantic, with its moving bass lines, chomping chords, neat little lead lines and stompin' beat, and a totally original break, this is many people's ultimate version of "Hey Joe". Almost as good, though nowhere near as manic, is their stripped-down, garage take on the Monkees' "Words" - nice, bass-driven turnaround and fuzz in the breaks, too! Super cool!

"Back of the Avenue" is a groovin', upbeat instrumental number not unlike the Stones "2120 Michigan Avenue", which may be what the title is alluding to. They venture into very silly psychedelia in "War of Distortion", making it a true throw-away. It was almost obligatory to cover "Tobacco Road" and the Leaves seem to have taken their version from the Nashville Teens hit, though this isn't as strong. "Goodbye My Love" is a good, somewhat wimpy, pop song done originally by the Searchers, whose harmonies are replicated well here. The finale, "Too Many People", makes up for any previous weak spots and is probably my favorite song by the band. Another terrific garage monster!

Yes, it's uneven, but this is still another good example of the ultra-swinging 60's California garage scene!

The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction

The Count Five were, of course, the San Jose garage-punkers who hit big with the truly psychotic Yardbirds-influenced (rip-off?), "Psychotic Reaction". They cut one full length album, a couple singles and then faded into oblivion (despite what Lester Bangs wrote in Carburetor Dung). Though short-lived and short on output, the legacy that they left behind has definitely influenced many generations of garage rockers!

While the LP is uneven, as were most in the mid-60's when record labels forced bands to do songs that they would normally not do, there is also some true greatness here. The opener, "Double Decker Bus", pulls from the formula that made "Psychotic Reaction" a hit - stompin' beat, heavy chords, lots of fuzz, some trashy harp and rockin' rave-up.

"Pretty Big Mouth" has a groovy, bluesy beat, tremelo'd guitar and some genuinely cool guitar licks - and more fuzz! Another blues-ish number, as seen through the eyes of west coast white teenage boys is "The World" which is followed by a rather pedestrian take on "My Generation" - I mean, c'mon, how can you compare to the Who?! The very-poppish "She's Fine" - I'm assuming this was an attempt at a different kind of radio hit - has some intriguing half step chord changes, making it a bit more interesting than it might have been.

Of course, everyone knows the oft-covered title track and it still sounds pretty freeakin' great! Turn it up and dig carbon monoxide poisoning of this garage masterpiece! Damn near as great is "Peace of Mind" with its one note "hook", feedback, backwards guitar and pounding beat! I used to cover this in the Unclaimed in the early 80's and it still sounds primitively fantastic! The deliberately goofy "They're Gonna Get You" is more of a throw away - kind of a combination of "Muleskinner Blues" and "I'm Henry the Eighth" in a weird way. Emulating the feel of the title, "The Morning After" is a little unbalanced but has a cool guitar lick and is a neat, slower tune.

The energy and fuzz returns for "Can't Get Your Lovin'", a bit of an r'n'b raver and a swinging dance number. They close the album with another Who tune, this one a bit more obscure and not one of their best - "Out in the Street". Cool, but not great and not a strong closer.

Overall, though, a terrific example of 60's garage rock'n'roll. I would have loved to have seen these cats in concert, too - apparently they wore vampire capes ("counts" - get it?) and played weird guitars like the 12 string Bellzouki shown on the back cover (I have one of those!). Lots of fun!


In Close Harmony – The Story of the Louvin Brothers by Charles Wolfe

I bought this book after reading Charlie Louvin's Satan is Real and wanted to explore it right after finishing Charlie's tome, but it arrived late and so I read Bobby Keys' book in between. In any case, this is a nice compendium to SIR, though, naturally, there is a lot of the same information.

This one does go into a lot more background details on the brothers' influences, peers, and the area that they grew up in, as well some items that Charlie left out of his book, such as the fact that Ira used to dress in drag for a comedy segment as "Sal Skinner"! And while not particularly picayune, Wolfe gives more information about each recording session (Charlie gave almost none), including the players and when the songs were recorded and how they were released (i.e. single, album, EP, etc.)

So, while Charlie's autobiography is obviously a bit more personal and filled with anecdotes, this gives a bit more factual information and background and also has a list of people who have covered the Louvins. Another fine telling of the brothers' tale.

The Rolling Stones - Singles Collection - The London Years

What a groovy collection! This 3-CD set is a compilation of all of the Stones' singles from 1963 through 1975, all - or at least most - in the original single mono mix, including the Decca UK releases not issued in the US. This starts with the first 45, their version of Chuck Berry's "Come On" and ends with "Sympathy For the Devil" (so not completely in chronological order, as "Brown Sugar" & "Wild Horses" also appear - though I guess it was a B-side of a re-release of "Honky Tonk Women" that came out later) and includes Jagger's "Memo From Turner" (from the movie Performance) along with 4 singles from the Metamorphosis album that were released against the band's will initially.

Of course, this is 3-CD's worth of amazing music, including some comparatively difficult items to find, such as their take on "I Wanna Be Your Man", "Stoned", Who's Driving Your Plane", "Jiving Sister Fanny" and more. No, nothing that most fans haven't heard, but a nice to have everything in one place, in the original mixes. Comes with an extensive booklet, as well! Great stuff!

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

The Louvin Brothers - The Christian Life - The Definitive Louvin Brothers Story

I first encountered the Louvin Brothers due to the incredibly kitchy album artwork for there record Satan Is Real. For the longest time I thought of them as simply a joke band but have since realized that they were a very serious and very popular country act with many hits to their names. This 4-CD set is a collection of tunes from the very beginning of their career all the way through to their breakup.

They started their recording work while still playing with singer/guitarist Eddie Hill, and while the brothers take center stage on the first numbers here, it is with Eddie & his band, that included none other than Chet Atkins on guitar! My favorite country music is where it shows its bluegrass roots and blends the wonderful bluegrass-styled harmonies and instruments (fiddle, mandolin, banjo) with a somewhat more modern sound, and that is what the brothers do here. The Louvins always took older tunes - some as far back as early British and Celtic songs - and made them their own. But even their original material had that "older" sound - something that I enjoy quite a bit.

The brothers' genetic harmonies, and their creative use of them, is one of their major calling cards, but instrumentally they were quite talented, as well, especially Ira on the mandolin. The learned their lessons from the older musician, from Roy Acuff to the Blue Sky Boys to Delmore Brothers and more and learned how to create their own sound. While they were known mostly as a gospel duo, they did quite a bit of secular music, as well, from the afore-mentioned "old-country" tunes, to songs of the day to r'n'r-styled numbers.

Many artists were highly influenced by the Louvins, from Johnny Cash to Emmylou Harris to Gram Parsons, Dolly Parton, Kris Kristofferson, James Taylor, Merle Haggard and many more. Their songs have been hits for many of these singers as well as lots of others throughout the decades. This set shows them in their strengths and weaknesses, but most of it is high quality. If you appreciate the roots of country & bluegrass, this is a fine collection.



Sunday, June 23, 2013

RIP Bobby "Blue" Bland

Blues Legend Bobby “Blue” Bland Dies 
---
"Turn On Your Love Light", "Stormy Monday" and especially "I Pity the Fool" - he was one of the greats.

Thursday, June 20, 2013

recommended gigs

Friday June 21 - Tiger Sex at Artifice (David Bowie vs Stooges night - TS doing Stooges)

Saturday June 22 - The Lucky Cheats - Goldmine Tavern, Henderson

Sunday June 23 - Lucky Cheats hosting the Las Vegas Blues Society Jam at Saddles & Spurs 6:00pm

Wednesday June 26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Wednesday June 26 - The Psyatics at the Las Vegas Country Saloon

Thursday June 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday June 28 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Friday June 28 - The Lucky Cheats and the People's Whiskey at the Palms (!)

Saturday June 29 - last call at the Bunkhouse with Crazy Chief, Fuzz Solow, the All Togethers, Clydesdale, Big Friendly Corporation and more!

Friday July 12 - The Psyatics with Missing Persons at the LV Country Saloon

Friday July 19 - Tiger Sex at the Double Down with People's Whiskey

Saturday July 20 - The Swamp Gospel with Tarah Grace & Hold Your Horses and the All Togethers - E-String (Henderson)

Wednesday July 24 - Thee Swank Bastards - Double Down Saloon

Wednesday July 31 - Bob Log III, Black Jetts, Fuzz Solow - Dive Bar

Friday, August 2 - the Psyatics at the Dive Bar

Sunday, September 8 - The Psyatics at Triple B with Calabrese

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

Knights of Fuzz DVD

Timothy Gassen, of Tucson 60's-psych-styled band the Marshmallow Overcoat and head of Purple Cactus Productions, has compiled this DVD of video performances from a number of 80's garage bands as a addendum of sorts to his book, also called Knights of Fuzz. The DVD starts with a brief introduction to the scene and then gives us live and lip-sync videos of many of the bigger bands from the 80's through the '00's.

Obvious major bands like the Chesterfield Kings, Fuzztones, Miracle Workers, Cynics, Girl Trouble, Yard Trauma, etc., are side by side with others such as the Gruesomes, 10 Commandments, Untamed Youth, Plasticland, Woggles, and more, as well as Tim's own group. A band that I was completely unfamiliar with - the funnily-named Les Breatfeeders - were a pleasant, rockin' surprise and something that I need to look into more. Of course, everyone will think of someone who should have been included, and there are obvious omissions, like the Unclaimed and Thee Fourgiven (hah!), but some are probably due to lack of available footage.

There are a few bonus tracks and then, for DVD-Rom computer drives, there is an electronic version of the Knights of Fuzz book, along with articles, photos and a 26-song audio compilation! Seems pretty damn essential for any lover of garage rock'n'rolL!

Junior Wells - Blues Hit Big Town

Junior Wells came to Chicago as a teen, started playing in the local bars with local group the Aces, and when Little Walter left Muddy Waters' band for a solo career (to to capitalize on his instrumental hit "Juke"), Wells was drafted as his replacement. Walter informed the Aces of Wells' defection and ended up using them as his backing band! Confusing enough yet? Local music scenes apparently never really change - members drift back & forth between bands regularly then and now!

This CD is culled from a couple of different sessions, one using the Aces (they remained friends, as this was a year or so after Wells split from the group) - Louis Myers - guitar, Dave Myers - bass, Fred Below - drums (later to become a Chicago legend himself) - augmented by Johnnie Jones on piano and Elmore James on guitar! Other tracks have Muddy & his band - Otis Spann (piano), Willie Dixon (bass) and Odie Payne, Jr. (drums) - along with Louis Myers backing Junior.

Everything here is solid, 50's-era, Chicago-styled, harmonica-driven blues. Most are upbeat numbers (though there is some variety), giving good vehicles to Junior's rough-edged vocals and amp-fueled harp. Truthfully, this didn't connect with me 100% upon first listen - maybe the songs just aren't as strong as others or maybe it is the edge to Wells' voice - but as I listen more, I am really drawn in. Hot, passionate playing and the rawness in itself is attractive.

A good set of tunes that adds 4 previously unissued numbers, making it a attractive collection, especially for lovers of true Chicago blues!

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Fuzz Solow/Voodoo Organist - The Dive Bar, Las Vegas 6-18-13

It's rare that I will make it out for a weeknight show, but the Swamp Gospel actually opened this night simply because it was too good to refuse!


Fuzz Solow is our local one-man-band who has been making quite a name for himself lately and has been tearing it up everywhere he goes! A bass drum, high-hat, suitcase, a couple guitars (one is a homemade cigar box git that he uses for slide), a couple amps and a bunch of pedals, he creates a helluva sonic boom! Influenced by Hendrix, blues, and trashy rock'n'roll, the man is pure entertainment. See him!


For some weird reason, I had never seen the legendary Voodoo Organist before this night, despite his decades of dedication to the voodoo! He is another one-man band, though, obviously, his main instrument is the organ (did I really need to say that?), augmented by foot-pedal-bass and drum machine, as well as a theremin (which looks to be a vintage instrument and extremely cool)! So, with all of this, you would never know that it wasn't a "real" band if you closed your eyes! Real songs, cool lyrics, lovely theremin and lots of style! Sadly, the night caught up to me before he finished so I didn't catch the end of the set or get a chance to purchase anything, but will certainly be on the lookout for his return!

Thanks again to the Dive Bar for a fun week night of crazed rock'n'roll!

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Badfinger Live - Day After Day

There is very little, if anything else, available that documents Badfinger in a live setting other than this CD and their contributions to the Concert For Bangladesh album. This 1974 concert was recorded for a possible Warner Brothers live release (that obviously never happened) and somehow guitarist Joey Molland ended up with the tapes before he left the band. In the late 80's/early 90's he overdubbed his guitar and vocals, re-sequenced the songs and re-did the drums (poorly), meaning this is not exactly a "live" album, but it is as close as we get.

Anyone who knows anything about the Badfinger story has hear many horrible things about Molland and this release does seem to highlight his ego - all of his tunes are pushed to the beginning of the CD and, for good or bad, his are the ones that he worked on, leaving Ham's (superior) songs sounding somewhat weaker sonically. That said, Joey does rock out and does provide some fine lead guitar work and Pete's songs still stand out and his singing is strong and vibrant and guitar playing is right-on. Unfortunately, the bad drum sound that Joey added overpowers the tunes a  bit. Still, we get "Baby Blue", "Name of the Game" (which works surprisingly well in a live setting), "Day After Day" and a couple more - so half of the record is Ham, making you wish to hear more!

Far from perfect, but until something else surfaces, this is a good document for fans. As usual, novices should start with the studio records, especially Straight Up.


Badfinger - Straight Up

Badfinger were a fantastic rock/pop outfit whose hey-day was the late 60's through the mid-70's, during which they released several hit records including "Come and Get It", "No Matter What", "Day After Day" and "Baby Blue", as well as writing Nilsson's smash "Without You" (their version did not chart). Often compared to the Beatles - they were signed to Apple, "Come & Get It" was written by McCartney and Harrison produced and played on some of their recordings - some people even thought this was the Beatles incognito when they first appeared. But, Badfinger proved they had their own style and substance and while most of the records are terrific, this one is considered by many (including myself) to be the best.

While I have read that the group wanted to head into a more hard-rock sound, their songs were pop masterpieces and that is what comes across on this disc. Pete Ham was the undisputed leader of the band - at least until guitarist Joey Molland joined and his aggressiveness overpowered Ham, leading to friction between the members. But here, it seems, they were working together to create a fine sound.

Opening with one of Ham's organ-based gorgeous pop ballads, "Take It All", the record starts slow, but beautifully. One of their biggest hits follows, though, the amazing "Baby Blue' - pretty much pop perfection with big guitar chords, cool riffs, melancholy lyrics and wonderful melodies and harmonies. While Ham was probably the superior songwriter, he did let the others make their additions, such as bassist Tom Evans' "Money" & "Flying" (co-written by Molland). These are slow-to-mid-tempo numbers filled with harmonies and some more cool guitar work.

Molland provides a rocker in "I'd Rather Die", and this is probably the direction the band was talking about when they've said that they wanted to be harder, but Todd Rundgren's production, while sounding great, does not give this much of an edge. Pretty damn cool, regardless. Ham returns with another painfully lovely, piano-based tune, "Name of the Game", exquisitely crafted, tugging at your heart as it builds to the sad chorus. Joey replies with a funky rock number, "Suitcase", that has nice slide guitar riffage throughout, which he follows with a quite Beatles-esque "Sweet Tuesday Morning" (with hints of a more serious "Rocky Racoon").

One of their biggest hits is another gut-wreching tale of love from Ham, "Day After Day", complete with dual slide guitars from Ham & George Harrison and very Beatles-esque backing harmonies. Short and incredibly sweet, another wonderful piece of pop majesty. It's funny that I never really noticed the difference in the writing styles of Ham and Molland - Joey's "Sometimes" is another rocker with pop overtones, while Pete's tunes are beautiful pop tunes with a rock band backing. Another example of this is "Perfection" - mostly acoustic guitars and well-placed percussion, this again is one that pulls at the heart-strings - his passion is always apparent, while Molland seems like he just wanted to rock (which is fine in its own right). As simple as this is, though, it is an incredible song of pacifism  and a highlight of the record. Bassist Tom gets to close the official album with the appropriately title "It's Over".

This CD has no less than 6 bonus tracks - original versions (before Rundgren stepped in) of "Money", "Flying", "Name of the Game", "Suitcase", "Perfection" as well as the single version of "Baby Blue", with loud, reverbed snare drum giving it some AM Radio punch. The first three have added orchestration from George Martin along with somewhat different vocals and harmonies. "Name of the Game" does not sound as heartfelt here - in fact, while I dig hearing the differences, I think the official releases are all better. "Suitcase" is more of a rocker with more prominent guitar and "Perfection" lacks the cool percussion and adds a synthesizer.

This is not power-pop as it is described today, but it is an amazing pop/rock album with tons of harmonies and Beatles influences. A criminally under-rated band and record.


Saturday, June 15, 2013

Tiger Sex, the Lucky Cheats, the Black Jetts - the Double Down Saloon June 14, 2013

I was looking forward to this gig ever since I first heard about it! Rare that 3 of my favorite bands in Las Vegas play a show together, so even though it had been a long week, I made sure to get my ass down to the Double Down.

Opening this night was the new kids on the scene, Tiger Sex. Fronted by singer Kelly, this is her first band, though you wouldn't know it from her aggressive stage presence! Untethered from cords with her wireless mic, she prowled the entirety of the club, making friends and scaring the weak of heart! The musicians are all seasoned veterans, including one of my favorite guitarists-about-town Kei (from the Tinglerz) along with Brian Gathy rockin' on bass and a terrific drummer whose name I have yet to catch (sorry!). Great punk'n'roll with plenty of originals along with covers like "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and "Cherry Bomb"! They're getting lots of attention and lots of gigs, so be sure to check 'em out!

I rave about the Lucky Cheats every chance I get and they are always a blues-rock blast! They did some of their standards from their excellent album as well as their interpretations of classics like "Shake Your Hips", "Do the Do" and "I'm a King Bee" and even a couple of new tunes, including one with a cool, spaghetti-western vibe. They never fail to put a smile on your face and get your feet moving! See them whenever you can!


Monster drummer Larry Reha did double duty here - after pounding his heart out with the Cheats, he got his hard-rock ya-yas out with the Black Jetts! These cats (and keyboard-kitten) put out massive slabs of heavy chords and walls of feedback in real songs with good energy and presence. They were a bit loud for the over-worked DD PA system, but their instrumental sound was right-on and considerably better than the last night I saw them at the Triple B. Dig the sound, the riffs and the style - another superior LV group!

There's lot of good stuff happening in the Vegas music scene these days - be sure to get out and support whenever you can!

Friday, June 14, 2013

Goin' Mad Blues - 10 CD Set

This is a pretty damn phenomenal compilation at a discount price (listing at $19.99) - 10 CDs chock full of amazing, early blues - 200 songs! If you are a blues fan you will undoubtedly have some of the material, but as a set, this is a highly enjoyable listen and I'm pretty certain you will hear numbers you never have before!

Some giants are on here - Robert Johnson, T-Bone Walker, John Lee Hooker, Bessie Smith, Big Joe Turner, Mississippi Shieks, Lightnin' Hopkins, Leadbelly, and tons more - as well as some lesser-known, but equally great talents. This is early stuff, so don't expect more modern, electric blues or blues/rock, but for those who love the down-home, country-blues and the fledgling urban blues, you can't go wrong with this one!

Just FYI - this is a bare-bones comp - no booklet and no info on the artists, but damn, what music! There are others in the series that are equally rockin' deals, so search 'em out - fun stuff!

Thursday, June 13, 2013

recommended gigs

Friday June 14 - The Lucky Cheats, Black Jetts, Dirty Hooks, Tiger Sex - Double Down

Tuesday June 18 - The Swamp Gospel, Fuzz Solow and Voodoo Organist at Favorites

Wednesday June 19 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday June 21 - Tiger Sex at Artifice (David Bowie vs Stooges night - TS doing Stooges)

Saturday June 22 - The Lucky Cheats - Goldmine Tavern, Henderson

Sunday June 23 - Lucky Cheats hosting the Las Vegas Blues Society Jam at Saddles & Spurs 6:00pm

Wednesday June 26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Wednesday June 26 - The Psyatics at the Las Vegas Country Saloon

Thursday June 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday June 28 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Friday June 28 - The Lucky Cheats and the People's Whiskey at the Palms (!)

Friday July 12 - The Psyatics with Missing Persons at the LV Country Saloon

Friday July 19 - Tiger Sex at the Double Down with People's Whiskey

Wednesday July 24 - Thee Swank Bastards - Double Down Saloon

Wednesday July 31 - Bob Log III, Black Jetts, Fuzz Solow - Dive Bar

Friday, August 2 - the Psyatics at the Dive Bar

Sunday, September 8 - The Psyatics at Triple B with Calabrese

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

Saturday, June 08, 2013

RIP Arturo Vega

Another major loss for the punk and art world - Arturo Vega passed today.

Responsible for the Ramones iconic logo, as well as much of their look - it is even Arturo's belt buckle that gets the close up on the inside of the first Ramones album - Arturo was also an artist in his own right, as well as a fixture on the NYC scene.

Tis a sad day...

Here's a brief article on his passing.

Thursday, June 06, 2013

recommended gigs


Friday June 7 - Tiger Sex at the Double Down with Dirty Panties, Quitters, Seriouslys

Friday June 14 - The Lucky Cheats, Black Jetts, Dirty Hooks, Tiger Sex - Double Down

Tuesday June 18 - The Swamp Gospel, Fuzz Solow and Voodoo Organist at Favorites

Wednesday June 19 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday June 21 - Tiger Sex at Artifice (David Bowie vs Stooges night - TS doing Stooges)

Wednesday June 26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Wednesday June 26 - The Psyatics at the Las Vegas Country Saloon

Thursday June 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Friday June 28 - The Psyatics at the Double Down

Friday July 12 - The Psyatics with Missing Persons at the LV Country Saloon

Friday July 19 - Tiger Sex at the Double Down with People's Whiskey

Wednesday July 24 - Thee Swank Bastards - Double Down Saloon

Wednesday July 31 - Bob Log III, Black Jetts, Fuzz Solow - Dive Bar

Friday, August 2 - the Psyatics at the Dive Bar

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

I'll add more as I hear about them! Friends - lemme know and I'll list gigs here, for what it's worth!

Wednesday, June 05, 2013

Every Night’s a Saturday Night – Bobby Keys with Bill Ditenhafer

I’ve been a fan of Keys ever since “Brown Sugar” came blasting out of the pap-ridden AM radio in 1971 with Bobby wailing out the solo – this song is probably what gave me a fascination with the saxophone, as well, though that’s something that I’ve never learned myself. This autobiography tells Bobby’s story of how he escaped Lubbock, Texas (though not before seeing Buddy Holly play and becoming friend with the Crickets!) and managed to play with “the greatest rock’n’roll band in the world”.

As he admits, a lot of his story is simply happenstance, luck and being in the right place at the right time. He wanted to play guitar – he grew up just as r’n’r was hitting big - but couldn’t afford it and through school band, he was able to pick up the sax since that was the only instrument left. He worked hard, played as much as he could, did some session work and even got to play on Elvis’ “Return to Sender”, as well as Dion’s “The Wanderer” but apparently his track was wiped out and re-done by someone else because he was out of tune!

Every time I read one of these autobiographies from r'n'r cats who grew up playing in the 50's & 60's, I get more than a little jealous. Besides being an amazing time for great, great music, there was also a real gigging/touring scene where you could learn your chops by playing multiple times a day, every day. I never got that experience, although I always played as much as I could. By the time I hit adolescence, it was the 70's and the time of highly technical heavy metal - or terrible top 40 - and not really a breeding ground for youngsters learning. And, of course, I was in a small town, so there were even fewer opportunities. Anyway, back to Keys - he did as much as he could and got some good breaks - playing in the backup band on Dick Clark's Caravan of Stars and the like, meeting lots of people and ending up in Los Angeles in the 60's - a perfect place to be for music.

After gigging around LA in a blues band, Keys ended up with Delaney & Bonnie along with Jim Price, a trumpet player who would become his foil for years to come. D&B were friends with the likes of Eric Clapton & George Harrison, both of whom came on tour with the band at various points. After things came to an end with D&B, he immediately moved on to Joe Cocker's Mad Dogs & Englishmen and from there started working on George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album!

While taking a break from recording with George, Keys went to a pub and bumped into Mick Jagger, which caused him to end up on Sticky Fingers and recording one of the most iconic r'n'r sax solos of all time on "Brown Sugar" (apparently, taking the solo from Mick Taylor, who had already recorded one!). This started a life-long association with the band and Keith Richards, although Keith’s bad habits rubbed off on Bobby and he had to leave for a while.

He became part of the "Hollywood Vampires", the conglomeration of like-minded musicians who contributed to John Lennon's "lost weekend" (about a year, actually) and was partying hard until Lennon moved back to NYC, asked Keys to come out, and played on his Walls and Bridges album and on his biggest solo hit "Whatever Gets You Through The Night".

More trials and tribulations ensued after this and, after hitting some lows, he worked his way back up to touring with the Stones again – his dream gig – understandably, to say the least!


 He has lots of tales of rock stars, touring, groupies, drugs as well as just fun times, and all told in an engaging and conversational tone. This is a great read and will make ya want to pull out some of your old albums and listen to the horns!