The Paragraphs & Standard and Poor - the Double Down Saloon, Saturday Mar 29, 2014

Once again, this was a show that the Swamp Gospel opened and we were unfamiliar with the other bands on the bill and were only able to stay for the two after us - so I apologize for missing Money Penny and Water Landing (who seem like damn nice people - hopefully I will catch them somewhere soon).

Hailing from San Diego, the Paragraphs were finishing up a spring tour here at the Double Down and gave the club an energized dose of multi-layered rock'n'roll with some strong songwriting and influences ranging from early r'n'r like the Bobby Fuller Four to a little country to power pop. Lead singer/guitarist Jesse Lee Haufbauer has a nice, melodic voice that was capable of strong screams, as well, and drummer Mike Hunt (apparently, his real name) was a monster, who gave the group some nice dynamic touches. Their Facebook page doesn't give much specifics, but Abel and Adam are bass and guitar/keys (not sure which one was which - sorry guys - my mind can't retain names, as anyone who reads this blog well knows!) and give the tunes good flourishes. Really dug these cats a lot!

Riverside's Standard and Poor followed with a spirited and loud (it's always scary when someone wheels an SVT cabinet into the DD) set of 70's styled punk rock. Singer Shawn was a visual and emotional singer as the band blasted through some snotty originals and cool covers like Roxy Music's "Edition of You" and Iggy's "I Got a Right". More cool cats and fun times.

Again, sorry to the closers, but this old man can't stay out all that late any more. In any case, another fun night of varied r'n'r at the Double Down!

recommended gigs

Friday Mar 28 - the Delta Bombers w/Bob Wayne, Whiskey Breath and the All Togethers - the Dive Bar
Friday Mar 28 - the Unwieldies at Nosh and Swig

Saturday Mar 29 - the Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Sunday Mar 30 - the Unwieldies at LV Container Park

Tues April 1 - Bogtrotters Union - HellPop Comics

Thursday April 3 - All Togethers and Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit

Saturday April 5 - Swank Bastards at the Arts Factory
Saturday April 5 - the All Togethers at Triple B

Sunday April 6 - Swank Bastards at Artifice

Monday April 7 - Fuzz Solow, EON and Weed at HellPop!

Thursday April 10 - the Swamp Gospel with Cheetah Chrome and the Street Walkin' Cheetahs - the Dive Bar

Friday April 18 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday April 18 - the Psyatisc and Chop Tops at LV  Country Saloon

Saturday April 19 - Crimson Balladers and Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar
Saturday April 19 - Swank Bastards at Rat City Ruckus
Saturday April 19 - the All Togethers and Curse Words are Verbs at the Pioneer Saloon

Thursday April 24 - Crazy Chief and Leather Lungs at Velveteen Rabbit

Friday April 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Huntridge Tavern with Nina Coyote and Chico Tornado (from the Basque country)

Saturday April 26 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday April 26 - the Astaires at Triple Bs with David Haskins from Bauhaus

Monday April 28 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday April 30 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Sunday May 4 - Thee Swank Bastards at Artifice

Saturday May 10 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday May 19 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Tuesday May 20 - Wayne Hancock w/Eddie Bear & The Cubs and Whiskey Breath - Dive Bar

Wednesday May 21 - the Astaires, Laissez Fairs and Rosalyns at the Dive Bar
Wednesday May 21 - The Standells at the Cheyenne Saloon

Thursday May 22 - The Psyatics with Peter Murphy and the Dickies at LV Country Saloon

Wednesday May 28 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Tuesday June 3 - Supersuckers at the Dive Bar!

Thursday June 5 - Nashville Pussy at the Dive Bar!

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

Amber Corby, The Unwieldies, the Crimson Balladeers and Lydia Loveless - the Dive Bar Mar 25, 2014

The Dive Bar continues to combine quality local talent with cool, up'n'coming touring acts. Unfortunately, many of the nights are during the week - wish that touring acts would give us weekends more often, but such is life!

This evening started with Ms. Amber Corby, a local singer-songwriter who has worked alone and with a band and this evening shared the stage simply with her acoustic guitar. She previewed a number of new songs - getting tips from the back of her guitar once in a while - and some unfamiliarity did show at times. Subject matter varied from "Devil Got Voodoo" to "Perfect Murder" (supposedly taken from a roommates' plot to kill their ex) to pro-women numbers like "Vagina Rock" and "Sex". I think these would benefit from a full band as her guitar playing was a bit tentative at times - but again, that might have been due to the newness of some of the material. She did throw in some interesting, new-wave-ish tendencies in her vocals, giving some uniqueness to the mix. Hope to see her expand on what she has going on here. (Sorry, my camera must have just been waking up - better pix next time!)

Of course, the Unwieldies are always a quality act and tonight they seemed especially good - most likely due to the fact that they have been playing an exceptional number of gigs lately. Opening with Rob pounding his bass for percussion, Danielle's voice takes hold of "Everybody Knows" and captivates "everybody"! Tonight most of the set was from their CD, Let's Grow Old and Strange Together, with great tunes like "Shame", "You Never Bet the Devil", "Veronica", "Haunted" and more. Rob is obviously getting more and more comfortable with his stand-up bass and is becoming more animated all the time (or was that the pre-set whiskey, Rob?) and Jack's violin really adds a terrific, multi-layered dimension to this trio that truly complements the melodies. Tom Waits' "Chocolate Jesus" was thrown in this set and the audience really appreciated this one! Great job all around!

It's been a couple of months since I last saw the Crimson Balladeers and I must say that they've grown by leaps and bounds since then. Of course, it may have been that the previous show didn't have quite the same line-up, as this seems to be another somewhat-revolving group of folks, cemented by lead singer/guitarist/songwriter Ben Hale, acoustic guitarist/singer Erik Alesi and bassist/songwriter Ross Lillebo. Tonight they were joined by a new drummer (Rob) and a fantastic pedal steel guitar player, Joel Ferguson, who tended to steal the show with his wild leads. Ben and Erik provide fine harmony vocals, while Ben and Joel harmonize on their instruments, as they rocked through a set of country-tinged rock and Americana. This set was definitely more energetic than the previous set and the audience loved it all! Really well-written songs (including a couple of covers that I didn't recognize), lots of great playing and dynamics and a female guest singer on a rockin' blues tune. Hope that they will start doing shows more regularly now!

Headlining the night was new country/pop up'n'comer, Lydia Loveless and her band of ragged rockers, including, besides the standard lead, bass and drums, a pedal steel/12-string guitarist, who added some unusual textures. Although she has been hyped as a new country singer, to my ears, this was far more pop, in a Matthew Sweet/Mazzy Star kinda way. Lots of energy and attitude though from the gentlemen behind her, who certainly appear to come from a more punk/alternative/grunge (especially in their fashion sense) background than country or pop. Lydia has a fine voice and well-constructed tunes and everyone does their best to entertain. Good stuff, but definitely don't go looking for a country act - at least in any traditional sense of the word. This quintet is out to break the boundaries of the genre!

Thanks again to the Dive Bar for a highly entertaining night of fun and music!

recommended gigs

Friday Mar 21 - The All Togethers and Goodnight Texas at the Dillinger
Friday Mar 21 - the Astaires at Artifice

Saturday Mar 22 - the Psyatics and Voodoo Glow Skulls at the Dive Bar
Saturday Mar 22 - Royal Hounds @ Bar702
Saturday Mar 22 - Beau Hodges at Nacho Daddy

Sunday March 23 - the All Togethers at BB's Clubhouse and Event Center

Monday Mar 24 - the Crimson Balladeers and Zach Ryan and the Renegades at Artifice

Tues Mar 25 - Crimson Balladers, Amber Corby and the Unwieldies with Lydia Loveless at the Dive Bar

Wednesday Mar 26 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday Mar 28 - the Delta Bombers w/Bob Wayne, Whiskey Breath and the All Togethers - the Dive Bar
Friday Mar 28 - the Unwieldies at Nosh and Swig

Saturday Mar 29 - the Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Sunday Mar 30 - the Unwieldies at LV Container Park

Tues April 1 - Bogtrotters Union - HellPop Comics

Thursday April 3 - All Togethers and Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit

Saturday April 5 - Swank Bastards at the Arts Factory
Saturday April 5 - the All Togethers at Triple B

Sunday April 6 - Swank Bastards at Artifice

Thursday April 10 - the Swamp Gospel with Cheetah Chrome and the Street Walkin' Cheetahs - the Dive Bar

Friday April 18 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday April 18 - the Psyatisc and Chop Tops at LV  Country Saloon

Saturday April 19 - Crimson Balladers and Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar
Saturday April 19 - Swank Bastards at Rat City Ruckus
Saturday April 19 - the All Togethers and Curse Words are Verbs at the Pioneer Saloon

Friday April 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Huntridge Tavern with Nina Coyote and Chico Tornado (from the Basque country)

Saturday April 26 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday April 26 - the Astaires at Triple Bs with David Haskins from Bauhaus

Monday April 28 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday April 30 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday May 19 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday May 21 - the Astaires, Laissez Fairs and Rosalyns at the Dive Bar
Wednesday May 21 - The Standells at the Cheyenne Saloon

Thursday May 22 - The Psyatics with Peter Murphy and the Dickies at LV Country Saloon

Tuesday June 3 - Supersuckers at the Dive Bar!

Thursday June 5 - Nashville Pussy at the Dive Bar!

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

Link Wray - Bullshot

This 1979 release came on the heels of the punk rock rebellion and the revitalization of 50's r'n'r, in sound

and spirit. Link had worked with Robert Gordon previous to this album, so he was already "linked" to the punk/new wave revival and rockers who were far too young to remember his monumental 50's stompers were discovering just how great this man was. While he recorded sporadically throughout the decades, this was his "come-back" - and a damn fine one!

As "Good Good Lovin'" fades in with its incessant, chugging beat, you know you're in for a rockin' good time. LInk wasn't known as a singer, due to losing a lung to illness as a youth, but his voice is strong here and his playing is fiery! Yes, the guitars have a more modern edge, but I think this is essentially the sound he was looking for when he first pierced his speakers with razor blades to get his distortion! He reaches back to the old days for "Fever", but his take is filled with crunching guitar chords that belie the funky, almost disco beat. He is back to his roots with a remake of one of his oldies, "Swag", that sounds like it could have been lifted from one of his old records! "Just That Kind" is a cool but somewhat unexceptional rocker, but side one ends with the fantastic instrumental "Switchblade". Like an update on his previous work, this has a powerful groove, similar to "Peter Gunn", that provides the framework for Wray's pyrotechnics. Feedback, distortion, pick slides, tremelo'd chords and rockin' riffs - right up there with his best!

There are innumerable versions of "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue", but in Link's hands it is as good as it gets - melodic licks, driving rhythms, ringing chords and a truly wild solo! Some of his best playing here! He does another pretty authentic remake with "Rawhide", reminding people why he was so awesome in the 50's, before bringing in the kids to sing along with the appropriately-titled party tune, "Wild Party" - good, poundin' fun! There's a bit of a gospel feel to his vocal work-out "The Sky Is Falling" that somehow morphs into a high energy guitar solo that sounds like aural equivalent of the title! It all concludes with the 50's ballad "Don't", with Wray giving Elvis a run for his money with this great delivery.

This was a helluva return to a solo career that Link maintained up until his death. His 50's work is absolutely indispensable, but this is damn excellent and maybe even a safer introduction for those who may not be able to relate to the rawer production and tones of the early works.

If You Like The Ramones - Peter Aaron

I was unfamiliar with this series (with other titles ranging from If You Like Led Zeppelin to If You Like The Terminator) before I came across Aaron's contribution, though its doubtful that I would have much interest in reading any of the others. Peter was the frontman for the legendary Chrome Cranks as well as a music writer, editor and promoter and in this well-researched book he outlines a (large) number of different pop culture items that any lover of the bruddahs from Queens should be familiar with.

Obviously, the subject for this book means that the topics within are fairly music-dominated, with styles ranging from those proceeding the boys (rockabilly, 60's sounds [obviously], glam, Detroit pre-punk, heavy metal, power pop and plenty more) to their peers to those that they influenced. But there are also numerous TV shows, movies, artists and what-have-you that either owe some allegiance to the Ramones or who the Ramones owed a debt.

Also included is a nice listing of the many projects each member was involved in and while I was familiar with many of the musical entries, there are documentaries and even fictional films that I was not aware of (that are now on my Amazon wish list!).

For someone of my advanced age, who was listening to underground music for most of my life, a lot of this is more reaffirmation rather than revelation, but younger fans will discover plenty here and even those you have heard - or heard of - are given nice write-ups, good recommendations of starting points, and reasons for inclusion. I truly enjoyed Peter's style and appreciate his passion and enthusiasm as he writes about many different types of music and media. A super fun read! Get it!

damn, another icon gone - RIP Scott Asheton

 

SCOTT ASHETON DRUMMER FOR THE STOOGES DEAD AT 64 

---

Motherfuck, this man was a monster drummer and responsible for the big beat that transformed 60's rock'n'roll into punk rock. His drumming was the mainstay of the Stooges' sound and highly influential on most r'n'r drummers to come after him - whether they know it or not. A part of some of the best bands to come outta Detroit, this is a big loss to r'n'r.

The Royal Hounds, The Lucky Cheats, Eddie Bear and the Cubs - Triple B - Mar 14, 2014

I don't get out to the Triple B for shows very often- in fact, they don't seem to have shows very often - but it is a decent sized space with a real stage and PA, so I hope that they start doing gigs more regularly. This night they had the soundman, Noel, who used to work at the Bunkhouse and who I always liked, though he seemed to be having issues wrangling the sound at the beginning of the night, as evidenced by an extremely long sound check by the openers, the Royal Hounds. But once it was dialed in, it was pretty decent for the night.

The Hounds are a new combo (I believe this was their second show) made up of cats...er, "hounds"?...from various casino tribute acts - I didn't catch the drummer's other gig, but the bassist does Carl Perkins in the Million Dollar Quartet and the guitarist does George Harrison in another project. All are quite talented musicians, though the act isn't yet fully translating to dive bars/punk rock clubs - it's a bit staged and safe - though good, clean fun and quite visual. The bassist stands on his stand-up, plays it behind his head (quite a feat for an instrument that big), plays in the audience, has the guitarist climb on it, etc. and while I have nothing against staged acts - I do it myself - nothing really felt spontaneous. Again, they have some good ideas, but need to loosen up some. The set was also cover-centric, with lots of well-known, cool songs from "Catman" and "Black Slacks" to "I Love Paris" (very show-tune-y), "Bacon Fat", a surf medley, etc., and even had an Elvis impersonator come up and sit in on drums and lead vocals for one of the highlights - a pretty smokin' take on "Red Hot". Again, lots of talent here - just add a bit more edge to it.

Of course, I always love seeing the Lucky Cheats, and tonight they were really on fire and were rippin' it up right from the start ("Automatic") and the audience were diggin' it all and dancin' and boppin' throughout. There were a couple of very cool new songs by Luke (a country-ish tune "Don't Look Back" [I think] with a wild lead followed by a slow breakdown - and a swamp-themed number), a high-energy take on "Catfish Blues", a hyper-sonic "You Know It Ain't Right" with Jeffrey and Wade trading off some terrific licks, a new song of Jeffrey's ("Hollywood Love"?) that was pretty damn heavy - almost like the Jeff Beck Group - and they brought up lovely belter Shanda for a couple of tunes, as well. After a crazed version of RL Burnside's "Skinny Woman" they closed with their own "Going to Church". Excellent from start-to-finish!

The Lucky Cheats drummer, Larry Reha, has gotten his country project, Eddie Bear and the Cubs, going again, with Larry on acoustic guitar and vocals, Eric on the same, Davis on stand up and a somewhat revolving line-up - tonight with a new drummer (sorry I am so bad with names - think his name is Jim, and he is also involved with the Million Dollar Quartet, if I remember rightly) and with the Cheats amazing six-string slayer, Wade, sitting in! That alone would guarantee me wanting to see the set, even if this wasn't the coolest C&W act in town. But Wade was just the icing on this talented cake, as everyone here are top-notch players and singers and they bring a cool song selection - from the opening "Rumble", to "Tonight the Bottle Let Me Down", "Folsom Prison" and their cool adaptation of "Going Down", as their closer. The audience was appropriately inebriated by this set and was groovin' on every twang and harmony and everyone left with a smile on their faces!

Great night at the Triple B - hope that they have more high quality shows like this, as it is a good place to see live music.

RIP Gary Burger of the Monks

Gary Burger of the Monks passes away
---
Truly sad. Saw the Monks a few years back at a reunion here in Vegas and they were absolutely inspiring - probably one reason why I felt I could continue playing at my age. The band were amazingly unique and rockin' and crazed and wonderful.

Fuckin', goddam cancer again....

recommended gigs

Friday Mar 14 - Delta Bombers - Gold Mine Tavern, Henderson
Friday Mar 14 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday Mar 14 - The Lucky Cheats, Royal Hounds, Eddie Bear and the Cubs - Triple B

Saturday Mar 15 - Bogtrotters Union - Water St St Paddy's Day Parade
Saturday Mar 15 - Life Cube Project with the Astaires, Tarah Grace and more

Sunday Mar 16 - Bogtrotters Union - Water St St Paddy's Day Parade

Monday Mar 17 - Bogtrotters Union - McMullan's Irish Pub

Wednesday Mar 19 - Jay Arner, Tough Age, Wax Pig Melting, Trevor and the Jones - HellPop!

Friday Mar 21 - The All Togethers and Goodnight Texas at the Dillinger
Friday Mar 21 - the Astaires at Artifice

Saturday Mar 22 - the Psyatics and Voodoo Glow Skulls at the Dive Bar
Saturday Mar 22 - Royal Hounds @ Bar702
Saturday Mar 22 - Beau Hodges at Nacho Daddy

Sunday March 23 - the All Togethers at BB's Clubhouse and Event Center

Monday Mar 24 - the Crimson Balladeers and Zach Ryan and the Renegades at Artifice

Tues Mar 25 - Crimson Balladers and the Unwieldies with Linda Loveless at the Dive Bar

Wednesday Mar 26 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday Mar 28 - the Delta Bombers w/Bob Wayne, Whiskey Breath and the All Togethers - the Dive Bar
Friday Mar 28 - the Unwieldies at Nosh and Swig

Saturday Mar 29 - the Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Sunday Mar 30 - the Unwieldies at LV Container Park

Tues April 1 - Bogtrotters Union - HellPop Comics

Thursday April 3 - All Togethers and Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit

Saturday April 5 - Swank Bastards at the Arts Factory
Saturday April 5 - the All Togethers at Triple B

Sunday April 6 - Swank Bastards at Artifice

Tues April 8 - the Swamp Gospel with Cheetah Chrome and the Street Walkin' Cheetahs - the Dive Bar

Friday April 18 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday April 18 - the Psyatisc and Chop Tops at LV  Country Saloon

Saturday April 19 - Crimson Balladers and Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar
Saturday April 19 - Swank Bastards at Rat City Ruckus
Saturday April 19 - the All Togethers and Curse Words are Verbs at the Pioneer Saloon

Friday April 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Huntridge Tavern with Nina Coyote and Chico Tornado (from the Basque country)

Saturday April 26 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday April 26 - the Astaires at Triple Bs with David Haskins from Bauhaus

Monday April 28 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday April 30 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday May 19 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday May 21 - the Astaires, Laissez Fairs and Rosalyns at the Dive Bar
Wednesday May 21 - The Standells at the Cheyenne Saloon

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

The Fleshtones VS. Reality

I had lost touch with the Fleshtones for a while in the mid-to-late 80's when their trips to LA slowed down

and also lost track of their releases, but at some point I found this one and it is among their best! The playing is stellar, with plenty of fine horn work, lots of cool sing-alongs, excellent songwriting and the sound is terrific.

I'm listening to a homemade CD of this album and the order here is different from some I've seen on line, so I may have started with side two. In any case, there's a one-two punch of amazingness with "Our Own Time" and "Whatever Makes You Happy" - just try getting these songs out of your head. Unbelievably catchy and foot-stompin'-ly rockin'! Barely bringing it down a notch for the more reflective "Mirror Mirror", with its ultra-cool guitar lick and marimba (!) work they then they give us some true funkiness, propelled by Bill's pounding drums, in "The End of the Track". Quite groovy and lots of instrumental interaction with wah-wah and fuzzed guitars, saxes, sirens, and their patented group vocals.

They're downright cheery in the harmonica-pop of "Nothing's Gonna Bring Me Down", sound like they're partying in "Another Direction" and channel the Kinks (with their own twists - even Troggs-like ocarina!) for "Way Up Here". "Way Down South" brings Keith in for vocals on this high-energy southern rocker, complete with cool piano work, and then they get truly soulful for the Temptations' wonderful "Treat Her Like a Lady". "Too Late to Run" is still hard and heavy but with a hauntingly beautiful melody line in this tale of addiction and "The Return of the Leather Kings" is a dark Gary Glitter-ish stomper as only the Fleshtones can do - cool and memorable, chant-alongs, more bitchin' horns and infectious as hell!

As I said, this is up there with their top work, so be sure to get this one when looking into these mad geniuses of rock'n'roll!

The Fleshtones - Up Front

This 12" EP, 5-song EP has apparently now been reissued as bonus tracks to the fabulous Roman Gods on CD, so those of you who didn't pick it up when it came out can still partake!

Having brought Bill M. into the fold, here the group really starts gelling, they hit their stride on the previously mentioned album. None-the-less, this includes three cool patented Fleshtones garage-soul numbers - "The Girl From Baltimore", "Cold, Cold Shoes" and "Feel the Heat", along with an original take on the Stones' "Play With Fire" and their classic instrumental "Theme From the Vindicators". This is one of their best - catchy as all hell, great sing-along "heys!" and cool playing from everyone, including the (first?) appearance of sax master Gordon Spaeth (RIP), who added lots of wonderful sounds to these cats.

Glad that this is now available on CD - well worth it!

The Fleshtones - Blast Off!

This ROIR cassette release has apparently (and rightfully!) been reissued numerous times since it was initially

unleashed on the Fleshtones-loving masses. These are early recordings with the original drummer (before Bill Milhizer came on the scene) and are not as great as their later work, but still something that any Fleshtone-fan should own!

As they always would, here they mix garage and soul in their own unique blend and come up with something quite amazing and quite different from any of the other 60's-styled bands out there. There's some good variety here, with the self-explanatory "Soul Struttin"", their amazing anthem "American Beat", a Strangeloves covers ("Cara-Lin") and one of the best songs of all-time, "Shadow Line", whose live glory has never been adequately been captured in any recording - and they have done several. "Coming In (Dead Stick)" has Keith taking lead vocals on this frantic number while they bring in Alan Vega to sing on their garage-styled cover (dig Peter's harmonica) of Suicide's "Rocket USA".

"Atom Spies" was probably the first of the group's fantastic instrumental themes for movies-that-never-were, with Peter pounding the Farfisa for some extra added texture. Frat rock is represented in the original "BYOB" while "The Way I Feel" is blindingly frenzied and "Watch Junior Go!" is a rockin' dance number. Harmonica-driven garage-pop gets a go in "Judy" and Keith takes front and center again for the terrific "Critical List", a finely-crafted rocker, with a cool group count-off in the breakdown, sing-along at the end and plenty of energy to spare. At warp-speed, the band seems to think they have something to prove in "Rockin' This Joint", and they certainly do prove that they can do this! Wild times!

While this might not be as essential as albums like Roman Gods, this is still a fun insight to one of America's longest lasting garage groups! Get it!

DMZ - Live at Barnaby's - 1978

This 1986 Crypt Records release features what appears to be an entire live set by the great DMZ at the height of their power. The sound is good but not great, with the guitars mixed down quieter than I would prefer, but the propulsive drums (dig that drivin' kick!) are prominent and you can hear everything - just not in the proper proportions.

There's a large number of covers in the set, though that's hardly a bad thing, with a preponderance of great garage songs like "Cinderella", "He's Waiting", the Kinks' "Come On Now", "Nobody But Me", "Out of Our Tree", "From Home" and the now-inevitable "You're Gonna Miss Me" (that was unusual to hear anyone do at the time). Plenty of groovy, high-energy originals, as well, like "Watch For Me Girl", "Don't Jump Me Mother", "When I Get Off", "Destroyer", "Mighty Idy", etc. and even a nod to main man Iggy with a rollickin' "Raw Power". As I said, the sound could be a little more dynamic, but you can tell that this was a heckuva performance and these cats woulda been something to see in the day.

As I've said before, for starters I would get the great Sire self-titled album, but when you decide to delve further, this is another goodie!

DMZ - The First Time

This 10" EP is another compilation of rare oddities released by Voxx - who also released most of these songs in other versions previously - something that this label was known for. Gotta love 'em -
they gave us tons of music that we would never have heard otherwise, but they were certainly not afraid to repackage in order to make more money.

In any case, more great, primitive rockers here, from the opening cover of the Flamin' Grrovies "Coming After Me" to the "I Wanna Be Your Dog" (not even pretending to re-write this) goof "Bloody Englishmen" (a rant on British punk rock) to the fantastic, drum-fueled title track, that shows off just what an amazingly tight rhythm section this band had. Obviously, a rehearsal take - or live on the radio - is the Chuck Berry-influenced theme song for radio DJ and scene-maker, Oedipus.

Their righteous love for the Pretty Things returns with their punky take on "Rosalyn" and "Might He ID" is a funny way to write the title of this early version of "Might Idy" - maybe to make sure that Sire didn't give them any grief? But they have no qualms about another cut of the Troggs' "From Home" before going into their revved-up Chocolate Watchband homage "Are You Gonna Be There". This all-too-short EP ends with a slightly out-of-tune, minor chord, moody masterpiece "Pretty Girl".

Again, I have to say, start with the Sire album, but when you find yourself wanting more - and you will - these trashy releases are pretty damn terrific!

DMZ - Relics

I've been randomly going through my vinyl now and again and realized that I hadn't listened to this 12" in quite a while. This was a compilation of 7 inches/EPs/demos/what-have-you done before the release of the Sire Records album. So, the sound here is quite raw, but that's fitting for a punk/garage band like this one! Led by record collector fanatic Mono Man, this crew did some of the best garage rock'n'roll ever and influenced many to come.

Showing their love of Detroit high energy right from the start, they rip off "1969" for their own "Busy Man" - in the best tradition of garage rockers! "Can't Stand the Pain" is the great, moody Pretty Things numbers and of course there's "You're Gonna Miss Me" - though in their defense, this was long before every other band in the known universe covered it - in fact, they were probably one of the first to do so. These cats had a penchant for creating memorable one-chord songs, and "When I Get Off" is a salacious one with plenty of wild guitar work and while a different version of "Do Not Enter" did appear on their LP,  here Mono Man really gets to let loose on some crazed, Little Richard-esque piano.

"Guilty Child" is punky high energy and raw to the extreme, while "Shirt Loop" is like a frenzied Sonics number, with one of the wackiest concepts for lyrics that I've ever heard - but genius in its way! With some cool starts and stops and a bit of a 50's feel, "Lift Up Your Hood" is another barely-double entendre tune and the vinyl version ends with their take on the Standells fabulous "Barracuda".

Of course, any garage rocker worth their salt has the official album from these cats, but if you wanna hear what they sounded like in the bowels of clubs like the Rat, check this out!

The Unwieldies + Duane Mark - the Dive Bar 2-6-2014

I've gone on a number of times before about the Unwieldies, my favorite local acoustic act. Comprising of Rob and Danielle Bell on bass/vocals and guitar/vocals, as well as Rob's partner-in-noise in the Psyatics, Jack Ball (violin and guitar), this trio creates fine, harmony-based tunes in - for lack of a better term - a singer/songwriter vein. Danielle has a lovely voice, which is balanced by Rob's gruffer, though still melodic tones. Jack is now using an acoustic guitar for this project, so this is entirely wooden music now.

They tend to surprise with new songs at each set (or at least each time I've seen them) and had a couple that I didn't recognize tonight (and one that caught them up, as well, though they laughed and joked their way through it), though the set is dominated by numbers from their terrific CD. They closed with an old Yeller Bellies song, "Haunted", which had Jack moving from violin for the first part to guitar for the solo and ending. As always, nicely done and the audience were appreciative from start to finish!

Weeknights are always tough for an old man like me and I didn't make it for this whole night, but following the Unwieldies was Duane Mark, an acoustic singer/songwriter with a big, powerful voice, backed up by stand-up bass. Good songs, good playing, but the clock caught up with me and I had to leave before Rev. Red joined them, which was unfortunate, but necessary - I definitely need to move closer!

Once again, thank you to the Dive Bar for offering a diverse mix of music for this fair city of ours!

recommended gigs

Thursday Mar 6 - The Unwieldies at the Dive Bar w/Rev. Red and Duane Mark and the Get Down Bandits

Wednesday Mar 12 - The Lucky Cheats and the Royal Hounds at the Griffin
Wednesday Mar 12 - The Unwieldies at Wake Up Coffee Cafe

Friday Mar 14 - Delta Bombers - Gold Mine Tavern, Henderson
Friday Mar 14 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday Mar 14 - The Lucky Cheats, Royal Hounds, Eddie Bear and the Cubs - Triple B

Saturday Mar 15 - Bogtrotters Union - Water St St Paddy's Day Parade
Saturday Mar 15 - Life Cube Project with the Astaires, Tarah Grace and more

Sunday Mar 16 - Bogtrotters Union - Water St St Paddy's Day Parade

Monday Mar 17 - Bogtrotters Union - McMullan's Irish Pub

Friday Mar 21 - The All Togethers and Goodnight Texas at the Dillinger
Friday Mar 21 - the Astaires at Artifice

Saturday Mar 22 - the Psyatics and Voodoo Glow Skulls at the Dive Bar

Tues Mar 25 - Crimson Balladers and the Unwieldies with Linda Loveless at the Dive Bar

Wednesday Mar 26 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday Mar 28 - the Delta Bombers w/Bob Wayne and the All Togethers - the Dive Bar

Saturday Mar 29 - the Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Tues April 1 - Bogtrotters Union - HellPop Comics

Saturday April 5 - Swank Bastards at the Arts Factory

Sunday April 6 - Swank Bastards at Artifice

Tues April 8 - the Swamp Gospel with Cheetah Chrome and the Street Walkin' Cheetahs - the Dive Bar

Friday April 18 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Friday April 18 - the Psyatisc and Chop Tops at LV  Country Saloon

Saturday April 19 - Crimson Balladers and Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar
Saturday April 19 - Swank Bastards at Rat City Ruckus

Friday April 25 - The Swamp Gospel at the Huntridge Tavern with Nina Coyote and Chico Tornado (from the Basque country)

Saturday April 26 - The Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday April 26 - the Astaires at Triple Bs with David Haskins from Bauhaus

Monday April 28 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday April 30 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday May 19 - the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday May 21 - the Astaires, Laissez Fairs and Rosalyns at the Dive Bar

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

Suicide (debut album)

This minimalist duo consisting of vocalist Alan Vega and Martin Rev on keys (initially an old Farfisa and later

a synthesizer) and primitive drum machine appeared in NYC back in 1970 emerging from the glam scene, though their sound and look had little to do with glitter and glamour. Credited as one of the first - if not the first - to use the term "punk" to describe their music, they thrived on confrontation. Live shows were legendary, with Iggy-influenced Vega brandishing a length of motorcycle chain and threatening the audience - I've heard tales of people attempting to leave the shows and being cowed back into their seat by Alan.

Musically, they were minimal to the extreme - simple keyboard lines and a pulsing electronic drum beat - sounding like one that came in early keyboards, though I'm not sure if that's what it was. Regardless, the hollowness and quietness of the sound belied the often vicious lyrics.

This debut opens with "Ghost Rider", an ode to the comic book character (supposedly they got the band name from one of these comics, titled Satan Suicide), with insistent, repeating, fuzzed-out keyboard lines and a quickly throbbing beat underneath Vega's echoed vocals. "Rocket USA" follows in a similar vein, with some variations in the keyboard sound - there were definitely plenty of 50's and 60's influences for these cats, as evidenced by garage band the Fleshtones covering this without coming off as contrived. Proving that they were capable of tenderness as well as aggression is "Cheree", a love ballad that sounds like it could have been taken from a doo-wop song, though there are undercurrents of lust as well as love in Alan's delivery. "Johnny" is also based on 50's r'n'r, though the ultra-fast pace of the drum machine is almost disturbing - as if it were an amphetamine-fueled heart beat.

The more mid-tempo, almost samba-beat to "Girl" feels practically romantic underneath Vega's grunts and groans as he informs his object of desire how much she "turns me on". This blatant burst of lust makes previous r'n'r leches like Reg Presley seem downright tame! The epic "Frankie Teardrop" was based on a newspaper story of a factory worker who lost his job, murdered his wife and kids and then committed suicide. This tale was often improvised and stretched out and, while Rev kept a quiet beat beneath, Vega would shriek at the top of his lungs, like the madman he was describing. Truly unnerving. Somewhat less intense, though still menacing is the closer, "Che", with its descending keyboard riff and waves of white noise.

This is another case of a couple of oddballs who were far ahead of their time, as this record was rarely heard at the time but has become a highly influential album in sound and style. Not for the weak of heart or for the close-minded rocker, but this is a real adventure in frightening music, and its minimalism obviously led the way for the later 70's punk rock scene.

Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil - Don't Waste Your Time - No Money Here

This 6-song EP is the most recent release from this amazing duo and it picks up where Shallow Hearts left off - more wild rockin' blues-punk. At the show, Peter was telling me that he thought that this was more representative of their current sound and I can vouch for that - right from the start, "Firefly" sounds like the band at their live best. They use dynamics to great effect in "Badman's Love Song" while "Break a Man" is a primal blues stomp. Nice finger-pickin' highlights in "Share the Covers" and "Pack My Bags" is a smokin', sultry groover that adds some cool keys and it sounds like Lyndsay Johnson is back on vocals - a true treat. The title cut closes the disc, barreling out like a smokestack lightnin' locomotive.

Taking from traditions from Robert Johnson to Muddy Waters to Howlin' Wolf to Charlie Musselwhite to Led Zep to Gun Club and Poison 13, these two pull from the past but add their own heart and soul and come up with something truly exceptional. Really can't say enough good about this!

PS - Been driving me crazy, but I just realized that this kinda reminds me of some of the bluesier moments from Black Moses - Jim Jones' band between Thee Hypnotics and the Jim Jones Revue. Good stuff indeed!

Hopeless Jack and the Handsome Devil - Shallow Hearts - Shallow Graves

I saw this duo last week at the Dive Bar and was completely blown away by their high-energy, blues-

powered, explosive sound and set. While no recording can quite convey the mania of the live show, this record is a damn fine document.

Jack started out as a one-man-band-guitarist/drummer but added Peter (the "handsome devil") to make life easier and to expand his sound and show. This allows Jack more freedom to churn out the riffs as well as to frantically stalk the stage. Peter's wild drumming fits fantastically and the audio is so full that it's hard to believe that there are only two of them. But, on record, they do add some other friends on bass, organ and harmonica to round out the grooves at points in the proceedings.

This is down'n'dirty blues rock'n'roll, done as it should be - with originality and vision and terrific musicianship. Slide guitar abounds, giving it a different feel just from this aspect, as Pete pummels his kit. I do love the addition of Lyndsay Johnson's soaring background vocals on songs like "How High" and the dramatic, organ-drenched "Ashley's Song" - not unlike greatness like Merry Clayton on "Gimme Shelter". Though Jack himself has a fantastic whiskey'n'cigarette (though he does neither) growling voice and has no problem carrying things on his own.

These cats are absolutely one of my top finds of recent time - everything about them is top notch - love the songs, vocals, playing, dynamics, performance, energy - you name it, they got it! Check 'em out any time you can and be sure to pick this up if you love bluesy punk'n'roll.

The Astaires, the Laissez Fairs, the Sonic Archers - Hard Hat Lounge Mar 1, 2014

This small, neighborhood bar is quickly becoming a favorite hang out for me - convenient, nice people, cheap drinks, good food and now having some quality live music. They still need to work on the PA some if they plan on having full rock acts, but otherwise, a fun destination.

This night was an unofficial High Rollers show, featuring local garage/mod/rockers the Astaires (who couldn't play the official High Rollers event since they did so last year), along with John Fallon's new project with members of Trevor and the Jones, the Laissez Fairs and touring band (who did play for the High Rollers the night before), the Sonic Archers.

The Astaires opened the night, proving that four young, energetic rock'n'rollers might be a bit much for the, shall we say, "intimate" stage at the Hard Hat. They were definitely a bit much for the PA system, as the vocals were buried for much of the set. But the gents still gave a great set of rockin' garage and lead singer/guitarist Cromm's new line-up - Dakota (ex of the Remedies) on guitar/vocals, Jules on bass and Geordie on drums - is the best version of the group yet. The rhythm section is excellent - pounding drums and fluid bass lines, and Dakota adds a lot to the sound by filling things out and adding lead lines - and singing lead on their cover of "Do You Love Me" - a number that got everyone up and dancing. They do seem to be expanding a bit and while they are still gloriously noisy and loose, there were some psych elements, with moments reminding me of Spaceman 3, and a terrific sonic freak out at the end. Always dug these cats but they have improved immensely and will be taking over the scene!

 
Up next was the debut of the Laissez Fairs, who split the set between John Fallon's and Trevor's tunes, opening with John's latest, "Ain't Got No Money". Unfortunately, they didn't seem to have had too many practices as the tricky changes in this tune seemed to have gotten the best of them on this night - but they persevered and probably most of the audience never knew. Trevor sang lead on a couple tunes and the group seemed to know these the best - think that they were titled "When You Think It's Alright" and "Go Down" - and John played some cool lead licks. Guitarist Joe took the vocals for one while adding 12 string guitar to several. Steppes songs included "Drama Queen", "Bad Blood", "Master James", "Lonely Girl" and the finale, "No Name Yet For Henry", one of the best of the night, with Fallon turning up and blasting out some Townshend-esque chords and solos. Some tightening up is in order, but a cool combination of like-minded individuals who could make something really interesting and unique.

Rounding out the night was the Sonic Archers, from Denver Colorado, who had played an "official" High Rollers show the night before at the Beauty Bar, which might have explained their pretty low-key demeanor for this gig. While stylishly attired, there was not much stage presence, but the musicianship was there - dug the interplay between the Gibson ES335 and Rickenbacker. Again, the vocals were a bit low in the mix, but there seemed to be some real songs there, mixing mod and psych, although the delivery was lacking. Highlights were a version of the Jam's great "Time For Truth" and an original mod anthem "This Is It".

Thanks to Teresa Kidder, DJ Lucky and the Hard Hat for a groovy Saturday night!