recommended gigs

Thursday August 28 - Thee Mapes, Fuzz Solow, Child Endangerment and more at the Dive Bar

Friday August 29 - the Super Zeroes at the Hard Hat Lounge
Friday August 29 - Whiskey Breath at the Dillinger

Saturday August 30 - the Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday August 30 - Clydesdale and Eddie Bear and the Cubs at the Bunkhouse
Saturday August 30 - the All Togethers at the Pioneer Saloon

Thursday Sept 4 - the All Togethers with Candy's River House at the Velveteen Rabbit

Friday Sept 5 - Double Down Radio's 6th Anniversary Bash with Sheep On a Cliff, the Bitters, Fuzz Solow and the Pluralses

Saturday Sept 6 - the Weirdos at the Dive Bar
Saturday Sept 6 - Fuzz Solow with the Dirty Hooks at the Bunkhouse

Sunday September 7 - the Time Crashers with Mymanmike - the Dive Bar

Tuesday September 9 - The Clydesdale, Crimson Balladeers, the Badlands - Brooklyn Bowl

Friday September 12 - the Astaires with Generators and Tinnitus at Triple B

Thursday Sept 18 - the Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit with the debut of the Devil's Duo
Thursday Sept 18 - Junior Brown, Eddie Bear and the Cubs and the Lucky Cheats at Triple B

Monday Sept 22 - the Crimson Balladeers at the Beauty Bar with Blitzen Trapper and Cassorla

Friday Sept 26 - the Psyatics at Time Out Sports Bar with the Blooze Brothers
Friday Sept 26 - Crazy Chief, the Sonic Saints, the New Waves and Frank and Deans at the Double Down

Sunday October 5 - the Psyatics and Sham 69 at the Dive Bar

Saturday October 11 - Gentlemen of Four Outs perform for a benefit for the Huntridge (70th Anniversary!) at the Mesquite Club (702 St Louis) - details to follow
Saturday October 11 - the Angry Samoans at the Dive Bar

Tuesday October 14 - the Unwieldies with Wayne Hancock, Whiskey Breath and Eddie Bear and the Cubs at the Dive Bar

Friday Nov 7 - GWAR at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

Sunday November 16 - the Psyatics with Har Mar Superstar and Pizza Underground at LV Country Saloon

Saturday Jan 10, 2015 - the Psyatics with the Dictators at LV Country Saloon

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

The Time Crashers/The Phenomenauts - the Dive Bar, Saturday August 23, 2014

It's been difficult getting out lately but I've been meaning to see the Time Crashers for ages and had heard good things about the Phenomenauts for even longer, so took a nap and made it down to the Dive Bar.

Unfortunately, the nap meant that I missed Bloody Ale and 3D6 (who I found out includes a friend of mine - but I got their CD, so will review that when I have a moment) but got there just before the Time Crashers broke out from the space/time continuum back into our "present" to party with Las Vegas at the Dive Bar.

Singer Nikola Tesla introduces the band that he put together after inventing time travel and choosing fellow geniuses from the past - the twin guitars of Leonardo da Vinci and Francisco Pizarro, bassist Julius Caesar and drummer Carl Sagan - and off they go into a rampaging set of punk rock tunes about partying through the ages, pizza, Huns, Pompei and much more. Caesar is appropriately a megalomaniac, dancing around and hogging center stage to the extent that Leonardo has to call him out (see below). Great "shtick", great stage presence, fun songs, cool energy, and an all-around good time that had the audience bouncin' along right from the start. Definitely a band to see!

The Phenomenauts followed with an extraordinary stage set up with a bank of keyboards (including a Moog!), custom mic stands, lots of lights, a laser set-up and plenty of smoke! All very dramatic and fun to watch, but difficult to properly photograph and convey! Beyond the beyond visually - besides all of the above, they have matching outfits, a wacked-out bass that has been cut up with a pole added (to make it sorta like a stand-up bass (which apparently they used in the past), they dance around like maniacs and change instruments, and, at one point, they bring out a leaf blower/TP shooter to add to the mayhem!

Musically, they are a mix of poppy-punk and new wave and lots of other craziness. There's a 50's, doo-wop-styled ballad ("Only Chemical") that is backed by only keyboards, a "Great Big Kiss" steal, and a cool dance number, "Broken Robot Jerk", based on the guitarist in the helmet. The crowd loved them - one of the bigger turn-outs I have ever seen at the Dive Bar, even for major bands - and obeyed them when exhorted to crouch down, pogo, or what-have-you.

Great night at the Dive Bar, who continues to book a healthy variety of music (the night before was country/punk/rock/whatever) and this night even kept the number of bands to a reasonable amount, which meant a decent end time. Kudos all around!

Paul Stanley - Face the Music : A Life Exposed

I've been a KISS fan since I first saw them on In Concert back in the early 70's. I got their early records immediately, saw them play shows where we were literally close enough to touch them and then kinda lost interest in them after Destroyer (which I just thought was ok) and the advent of punk. Sure, I would hear about them and their drama and would see an occasional video in the 80's that would be embarrassingly horrific, but otherwise, didn't pay much attention to them. I haven't been to any recent shows so don't really know what they even sound like anymore, but I still listen to their 70's r'n'r and appreciate the absurdity of the band - and especially Paul. So, of course I wanted to read his book.

While this isn't some deep intellectual exercise (and who would want it to be?), Stanley (born Stanley Bert Eisen) does come off as a fairly intelligent soul who had a troubled childhood but knew what he wanted and was able to get it.

Born without his right ear, therefore deaf on that side, he nonetheless loved music and wanted to be a musician. The 60's gave him an excuse to grow his hair and cover his "deformity" and that and his experience with several groups helped give him confidence when he eventually met Gene Simmons and decided to form the band.

Of course, he goes into detail about their rise to fame and all of the challenges they faced and has many harsh words for Ace (drug and alcohol abuse) and Peter, who he claims could barely play, which just wasn't true early on, though I couldn't say anything about the reunions. There is even an accusation of anti-Semitism directed at them! He takes some jabs at Gene, his partner of 40+ years - mostly about him looking out only for himself. Paul makes himself seem the better person - not surprising - and talks of his drive and ambition and his desire to make the band truly democratic, which only went so far, as he also wasn't afraid to lay down the law if something didn't go the way that he wanted it to.

There are plenty of stories along the way - some fun, some depressing. Funnily, he was surprised when their audience dwindled as punk came along and as KISS starting churning out disco tunes like "I Was Made For Loving You" (after the absurd pap of "Beth") instead of the guitar rock'n'roll they were known for. Little kids and parents were coming to gigs instead of r'n' teens and twenty-somethings and shows got smaller and failed to sell out.

But, Stanley is honest about how poorly things were going as they went through their personnel problems and put out more terrible records. Gene began to drift away a bit, leaving Paul in the leadership role, which is why some people were surprised to find out how much Simmons sang in the early days - including their first hit. They did have a resurgence in the 80's, without the makeup and with some truly atrocious music, and then he complains about grunge and the way it took the audience away from hair metal - showing a complete lack of understanding of the style - before the group realized that it needed to go back to its roots and re-connect with the people that dug their early music.

Of course, there is plenty about his personal life, his foray into musical theater (!), his marriages and kids, and his work with About Face, a group for kids with birth defects. At the end he says that he believes that KISS could continue without him or Gene. Now maybe I overestimate their audience, but I would think that people still pay the big bucks to see the two of them, not just a tribute band. But, who knows, maybe any four schmucks could be up there as long as it was a big budget show - it's not like plenty of major artists don't just lip-sync their shows these days - and people spend plenty of money to watch "DJs" "play" their iPods! So, I suppose anything is possible.

In any case, it's an entertaining tale of perseverance and drive and ambition and I am damn impressed that he still performs as he does at 62! No one can deny his hard work. Let's hope he continues to "rock'n'roll all night" for years to come!

(I forgot one of my favorite anecdotes is that the Move's "Fire Brigade" inspired "Fire House"! He did like cool 60's music!)

recommended gigs

Friday August 22 - Whiskey Breath at the Dive Bar with Whitey Morgan and the All Togethers
Friday August 22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday August 23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday August 23 - the Phenomenauts and Time Crashers at the Dive Bar
Saturday August 23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Pioneer Saloon for Roxy's Burlesque Car Show
Saturday August 23 - Jinxy Bear, Water Landing and more at the Cheyenne Saloon

Sunday August 24 - the Singles and the Astaires at the Beauty Bar

Tuesday August 26 - Puddles Pity Party at the (new) Bunkhouse

Wednesday August 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Thursday August 28 - Thee Mapes, Fuzz Solow, Child Endangerment and more at the Dive Bar

Friday August 29 - the Super Zeroes at the Hard Hat Lounge
Friday August 29 - Whiskey Breath at the Dillinger

Saturday August 30 - the Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday August 30 - Clydesdale and Eddie Bear and the Cubs at the Bunkhouse
Saturday August 30 - the All Togethers at the Pioneer Saloon

Thursday Sept 4 - the All Togethers with Candy's River House at the Velveteen Rabbit

Friday Sept 5 - Double Down Radio's 6th Anniversary Bash with Sheep On a Cliff, the Bitters, Fuzz Solow and the Pluralses

Saturday Sept 6 - the Weirdos at the Dive Bar
Saturday Sept 6 - Fuzz Solow with the Dirty Hooks at the Bunkhouse

Sunday September 7 - the Time Crashers with Mymanmike - the Dive Bar

Tuesday September 9 - The Clydesdale, Crimson Balladeers, the Badlands - Brooklyn Bowl

Friday September 12 - the Astaires with Generators and Tinnitus at Triple B

Thursday Sept 18 - the Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit with the debut of the Devil's Duo

Friday Sept 26 - the Psyatics at Time Out Sports Bar with the Blooze Brothers
Friday Sept 26 - Crazy Chief, the Sonic Saints, the New Waves and Frank and Deans at the Double Down

Sunday October 5 - the Psyatics and Sham 69 at the Dive Bar

Saturday October 11 - Gentlemen of Four Outs perform for a benefit for the Huntridge (70th Anniversary!) at the Mesquite Club (702 St Louis) - details to follow
Saturday October 11 - the Angry Samoans at the Dive Bar

Tuesday October 14 - the Unwieldies with Wayne Hancock, Whiskey Breath and Eddie Bear and the Cubs at the Dive Bar

Friday Nov 7 - GWAR at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

Sunday November 16 - the Psyatics with Har Mar Superstar and Pizza Underground at LV Country Saloon

Saturday Jan 10, 2015 - the Psyatics with the Dictators at LV Country Saloon

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

The Who - A Quick One

The Who's second album was an ode to pop art, from the record cover to the ultra-cool "pop" music within,

showing a growth from the debut, with only one cover tune and songs written by all band members. The initial idea was to be two songs from each person, but that didn't really work out, and Pete claims to have "really" written Keith & Roger's songs (or at least polished them considerably). Regardless, they were definitely moving away from an r'n'b cover band to something unique and original.

While the opener, "Run Run Run" may not be one of their best known, it is quite cool, with its biting chords, chuggin' rhythm and vocals harmonies, not to mention Pete's cool fuzz runs. John's most famous song is undoubtedly his "Boris the Spider" and he really creates a style with his bass runs and extremely low-register singing. "I Need You", by Keith, is actually a superior pop tune, although the spoken middle break is an odd addition. The "cowboy" ending is an interesting foreshadowing of the song "A Quick One". Entwistle returns for his alcohol-influenced "Whiskey Man" - also very strong. The sole cover here is "Heat Wave" - nice job even if it's not a stand-out. Truly bizarre, as befitting its author (Moon), is "Cobwebs and Strange", a goofy instrumental with plenty of histrionic drumming and each member playing a wind instrument - french horn, penny-whistle, trombone and tuba! Demented soundtrack music!

Back to Pete with the sweet, melodic pop of "Don't Look Away" (with an interesting country-ish solo) and then Roger's sole entry, "See My Way" - another fine one (with John contributing french horn again) that I could easily imagine Pete having a hand in. Somewhat lesser known, but no less brilliant, than some of the hits is "So Sad About Us" - about as good as it gets with fantastic singing and harmonies and ringing guitar chords. This is Pete at his power-pop best, as evidenced by the number of people who have chosen to cover this. Of course, the title track is famous for being the suite of songs that was later called the "mini-opera" which gave rise to later works such as Tommy and Quadrophenia. Actually, this consists of snippets of songs joined together in a theme of cheating and forgiveness. The parts truly do work and blend together and it is a bit of early genius, showing just how far the band had come since the first album.

There is an abundance of bonus tracks on this extended single-CD edition starting with their Who-ified "Batman" (quite different), leading into "Bucket-T" and "Barbara Ann", showing Moon's enthrallment with vocal surf music ala Beach Boys/Jan and Dean. The effects-laden "Disguises" is fun pop while Entwistle's "Doctor, Doctor" is more of his silliness and he goes vaudeville for "I've Been Away". John and Keith joined forces for the Jan & Dean stylings of "In the City" (wonder where the Jam got their ideas from?) that they recorded without Pete or Roger, though Townshend later added some guitar. There's a previously unreleased acoustic version of "Happy Jack" (the original was a bit of a hit in the States - though I don't remember it on the radio - so the US label released this album with the song in place of "Heat Wave"), which is quite different from the "official" tune and then a superb take on the Everly Brothers' "Man With money" - another example of the Who making a song their own - as they later did with songs like "Summertime Blues". Everything concludes with "My Generation/Land of Milk and Honey", a bit of producer Kit Lambert's wackiness that no one else really got.

Another amazing reissue - any fan would definitely want the bonus material here - as well as the terrific booklet!

The Who - My Generation (Deluxe Edition)

The Who's debut album may have been a bit of a sanitized version of their bombastic stage show, but it is still a terrific 60's r'n'r record that shows the variety of their influences and includes some fantastic material.

Opening with Townshend's "Out In the Streets", Pete does attempt some of his guitar acrobatics, with his use of the pickup toggle switch and a little bit of feedback. This is a pretty special opening for any band, though - plenty of big chords (even with the weaker studio sound), Moon's crazed playing, Entwistle's cool runs and lots of vocals. Considering that they are really known for Pete & Keith's craziness and power, there is a lot of emphasis on harmonies and backing vocals. This is evidenced again in their cover of James Brown's "I Don't Mind", which also shows their love for soul and r'n'b, which was a big part of the Mod scene that they emerged from (or glommed onto, depending on how cynical you are). Pete returns for a cool pop number, "The Good's Gone" with its ringing Rickenbacker riffs and smashing chords in the break. "La-La-La Lies" is a bit of a minor vocal number, as is "Much Too Much" - both nice, but not particularly special. But then we get the groundbreaking title cut! Wow! What a statement, lyrically as well as musically! A rallying cry for the Mods - and all rock'n'rollers to follow - and a Kinks-like rocker with Entwistle taking the leads that Pete really couldn't do, giving the song a unique edge. Quite amazing all around!

How could you follow that? With yet another Mod anthem, "The Kids Are Alright", a fantastic pop/rock song with lyrics about how your mates are more important than your girlfriend! The instrumental middle break, made up of ringing chords interacting with the bass and especially the drums, creates more excitement than most virtuoso's guitar solos. Another James Brown number, "Please, Please, Please" kinda shows just how white they were, despite their best intentions. Another of Pete's, "It's Not True", follows, and then their take on the ubiquitous "I'm a Man" - not the best ever, but with some cool Nicky Hopkins piano (who adds keys throughout). Townshend takes lead vocals for "Legal Matter", a diatribe against marriage, with good interaction between Hopkins and Pete's guitar licks. The instrumental, "The Ox" (John's nickname), features Pete's fuzz guitar being de-tuned, Keith bashing with all his might and Hopkins keeping a melody running through it. Actually damn good fun! "Circles" is an early, reasonably undiscovered gem - one of the better tunes that didn't become a hit - and John gets to play his french horn! Bonus tracks on disc one include the exceptional "I Can't Explain" (if this debut song was the only thing these guys ever did, they would go down in r'n'r history, as it is so incredible!), "Bald Headed Woman" (not bad, but nothing special) and "Daddy Rolling Stone", one of their better r'n'b ravers.

Disc two opens with their fantastic take on "Leaving Here" (right up there with the Birds), then a fun "Lubie (Come Back Home)" and "Shout and Shimmy". Their version of "Heat Wave" is pretty hep and "Motoring" grooves while "Anytime You Want Me" is a nice, soulful ballad. There's an alternative mix/version of the stupendous "Anyhow, Anywhere, Anyway", then the doo-wop-inspired "Instant Party Mixture" that's actually pretty forgettable and silly before another take on "I Don't Mind" as well as another "The Good's Gone". The instrumental backing track of "My Generation" is a fun oddity, but not terribly exciting, and the a capella "Anytime You Want Me" is also gimmicky, but it works a bit better and shows that they really could sing when they worked at it! The last two numbers are monaural, with guitar overdubs: "A Legal Matter" and one more "My Generation" (it is the title track, after all!).

A bit inconsistent, sure, but still a damn cool debut and the bonuses here make this edition one to pick up!

The Del McCoury Band - The Promised Land

I have just recently discovered the Del McCoury Band (thanks to my lovely wife) even though he has been a

bluegrass staple for over 40 years! Starting in the legendary Blue Grass Boys in 1963 before going solo, he has since influenced countless musicians and bands and has appeared on many festivals and TV shows. His band consists of two sons - Ronnie and Rob on mandolin and banjo respectively, along with Jason Carter on fiddle and Alan Bartram on upright bass. Their music is timeless, traditional bluegrass done with great playing and amazing, genetic harmonies. It is little wonder why he has such a strong fan base that they are known as Del-Heads!

This CD is his first-ever gospel record and he keeps his style pure here and while the message is religious, there is plenty of fun and energy and fine playing abounding. No one steps on anyone else's toes, but all of the musicianship is top-notch and the singing is pretty darn terrific.

Regardless of your religious affiliations, if you dig quality bluegrass music, check this out, along with any of Del's recordings. Fine, fine stuff!

The Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street

Of course, this iconic album has to be in the collection of anyone who digs rock'n'roll, but the expanded 2-CD set adds to its coolness with old, unfinished material now completed and rockin'!

The original record (2 vinyl album set) was not highly received, though as years have gone by, it is now considered one of their best. Everyone knows the story of its conception - the Stones being tax exiles and recording under odd circumstances in France. But they came up with some of their best material here. Horn-driven rockers like the lewd "Rocks Off" and "Rip This Joint" are joined by covers like "Shake Your Hips" and the somewhat more laid-back "Casino Boogie". Of course, there's the classic hit "Tumbling Dice" and then the acoustic section, starting with the fantastic, country-ish sing-along "Sweet Virginia". "Torn and Frayed" (nice pedal steel), "Sweet Black Angel"(quiet ballad), and then "Loving Cup" concludes that section and we rock again with Keith's hit "Happy". The horribly named "Turd on the Run" is actually a fun, churnin' boogie while "Ventilator Blues" is a groovy, slide blues and "I Just Want to See His Face" is a quiet, electric piano number with Mick's lyrics pretty much unintelligible. There's a gospel element to "Let It Loose", "All Down the Line" simply rocks while "Stop Breaking Down" is a swinging blues and the closers, "Shine a Light" is pretty darn gospel-fueled and "Soul Survivor" is basic Stones' rock'n'roll.

The "new" stuff features two "undoctored" outtakes, while the rest have been newly augmented with Jagger's vocals and some new instrumental work, as well. Wikipedia explains it all in detail here. "Pass the Wine" is a standard Stones' groove, with cool horns, female backing vocals, harp (apparently all the harmonica is new) and Jagger's swagger. While Mick Taylor adds new guitar to "Plundered My Soul", I'm not thrilled with Mick's vocals here - as he aged, he got more and more over-the-top in his affectations, something that even Keith noted in his book. "I'm Not Signifying" works better, with its slower blues groove, nice slide work and horns and Nicky Hopkins appears on piano on "Following the River", a slower key-driven (organ, also) ballad, which isn't far off from "Loving Cup", though I could do without the strings. Keith's guitar propels "Dancing in the Light", not unlike it does in "Honky Tonk Women" and in his new guitar work in "So Divine" he re-works the "Paint It Black" lick to good effect. They spliced two takes together for an alternative "Loving Cup" and the additional "Soul Survivor" has Keith's place-holder vocals, that are a bit ragged and sloppy - in a cool way! This and "Good Time Women" (kind of an early "Tumbling Dice") are the two that are unadorned with new overdubs. It all finishes with "Title 5", actually from 1967, but it is a wild'n'wooly instrumental with Keith experimenting with his guitar sound and the band chuggin' around him.

Of course, this is available as a 2-CD set, but the powers-that-be were smart enough to know that most Stones fans will have the original, so the bonus CD is also sold separately. Definitely a cool buy!

(PS - I got this from the library so don't know if a booklet is supposed to come with it.)

Jimi Hendrix - People, Hell and Angels

Due to Jimi almost compulsively recording everything he and his friends would do at Electric Ladyland

Studios, there has been an abundance of unreleased material that is still being released to this day, as evidenced by this album. Although fans may recognize many of these tunes, these are all different versions with (mostly) different line-ups from previous issues.

Amazon has a good run-down of the songs and the personnel, but numbers here include a studio take of "Earth Blues" with Billy Cox and Buddy Miles and a terrific blues, "Somewhere", with amazing playing by Jimi, backed by Miles and Stephen Stills on bass! Always loved "Hear My Train A-Comin'" and this one is super-solid and is followed  by Elmore James' "Bleeding Heart" - both with fantastic blues licks from Jimi. One stand-out here, due to its unusual nature and the fact that no version has ever been issued, is "Let Me Move You", a rockin' r'n'b duet with sax-man Lonnie Youngblood, with Lonnie singing and both men blowing their hearts out! Great, great stuff!

"Izabella" was always a highlight of Woodstock II and this studio version (recorded after the festival) is a little more controlled than the live take and includes rhythm guitarist Larry Lee, who also joins him on the laid-back and cool "Easy Blues". The original "Crash Landing" is unearthed as well as "Inside Out", an early working of "EZY Rider", with Hendrix playing through a Leslie speaker. "Hey Gypsy Boy" is the basis for "Hey Baby (New Rising Son)" with some especially sweet and melodic playing and then he adds his talents to his friends, the Ghetto Fighters, for their soulful "Mojo Man". It all ends with the cool instro he did at Woodstock, here titled "Villanova Junction Blues", showing that it wasn't simply a jam, but a song that he had worked on long before the festival.

As with most of his posthumous work, this is really for fans, but it is a strong album, none-the-less, and something that you will want if ya dig the man's work. Lots of mind-boggling playing and real songs.

(PS - I got this from the library so don't know if a booklet is supposed to come with it.)

The Sonics at the Hard Rock Live on the Strip - Thursday August 14

The Swamp Gospel was thrilled to open this show for the living legends, the Sonics! Currently composed of original members Jerry Rosalie (vocals/keys), Larry Parypa (guitar/vocals), Rob Lind (sax/harp/vocals) and relative newcomers Freddie Dennis (bass/vocals) and wildman drummer Dusty Watson, these cats made their first appearance ever in Las Vegas last night and those that showed up are damn glad they did. Those who missed it missed the show of the year (decade?)!

Opening with Parypa's monstrously huge guitar chords (he is heavier than ever!), the band blasted into "Cinderella" and knocked everyone out right from the start! Jerry is obviously saving his voice so he doesn't sing every song, so bassist Freddie took this one and blew everyone away! What a voice he has! Turns out, among other groups, he played with other Northwest heroes, the Kingsmen in the past, so he is well aware of the sound and style of this group.

They never let up on the intensity, moving into Larry's riff on ""Shot Down" and then everyone's favorite ode to Satan, "He's Waiting", both with Jerry taking the lead and sounding amazing. He still pounds the keys as well, and adds some great piano and organ sounds to the tunes. Freddie took "Dirty Robber", back to Jerry for "Have Love, Will Travel" and then a new number, "Sugaree", sounding just like it could have come off of one of their old albums! All the new numbers were stellar - unfortunately, they had sold out of the new record already! Rob picked up his harp and blew and sang lead on the stomper, "You Got Your Head On Backwards Baby" and then another new one, "Be a Woman", which sounded even heavier than the rest, if that's possible, and it was sung in harmony with both Jerry & Freddie throughout.

Showing that they haven't lost their demented sense of humor, another new one was called "I Got Your Number (and its 666)"! "Keep a'Knockin'" and then another newbie, "Bad Betty", before every car cruiser's (and there were a few there last night!) fave "Boss Hoss". Freddie took "Hey Little Sister", then "Money" and their pre-heavy-metal take on "Louie Louie", which had the guys laughing at some private in-jokes - always cool to see the band having as good of a time as the audience! "Psycho" closed the set with Jerry coming in where Larry should have taken a solo, much to his humorous consternation.

The crowd stomped and shouted for more and the guys complied with "I Don't Need No Doctor" (a cool surprise) and then the one-two punch of "Strchynine" and "The Witch"! Wow!

Everything about the show was awe-inspiring and a rockin'n'rollickin' good time! Yes, they're older, grayer and a bit paunchier (and Jerry was reading lyrics from a music stand with reading glasses!), but they dressed snazzily for the show and everyone's playing was beyond top-notch! Loved the sax, the rhythm section were excellent (drummer Dusty was a blast to watch and hear - sorry that my camera couldn't get a good pic), Larry's guitar playing was better than ever - he certainly has lost nothing over the years (I feel old in comparison!) - and hearing Jerry's shrieks live were spine-tingling!

If you ever have the chance, catch them while you can - everyone in Vegas is saying that it was the show of the year!

recommended gigs

Thursday August 14 - the Sonics with the Swamp Gospel at the Hard Rock on Las Vegas

Friday August 15 - Deep Purple at Fremont Street Experience 3rd St Stage 9:00pm
Friday August 15 - Whiskey Breath at Goldmine Tavern
Friday August 15 - the All Togethers at Boulder Brewing Co

Saturday August 16 - The Psyatics with the Rick Agnew Band at Triple B
Saturday August 16 - Whiskey Breath at House of Blues
Saturday August 16 - The Chicken Shack at the Double Down presents the Blooze Brothers
Saturday August 16 - the All Togethers at the Hard Hat
Saturday August 16 - Jinxy Bear at E-Strings

Sunday August 17 - the Loud Pipes and Zig Zags at the Dive Bar

Wednesday August 20 - Duane Peters and the Loud Pipes at the Dive Bar
Wednesday August 20 - Bogtrotters Union with Forum Walters at Artistic Armory
Wednesday August 20 - Crazy Chief with Blast and FSP at Triple B

Friday August 22 - Whiskey Breath at the Dive Bar with Whitey Morgan and the All Togethers
Friday August 22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday August 23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday August 23 - the Phenomenauts and Time Crashers at the Dive Bar
Saturday August 23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Pioneer Saloon for Roxy's Burlesque Car Show
Saturday August 23 - Jinxy Bear, Water Landing and more at the Cheyenne Saloon

Sunday August 24 - the Singles and the Astaires at the Beauty Bar 

Tuesday August 26 - Puddles Pity Party at the (new) Bunkhouse

Wednesday August 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Thursday August 28 - Thee Mapes, Fuzz Solow, Child Endangerment and more at the Dive Bar

Friday August 29 - the Super Zeroes at the Hard Hat Lounge
Friday August 29 - Whiskey Breath at the Dillinger

Saturday August 30 - the Psyatics at the Double Down
Saturday August 30 - Clydesdale & Eddie Bear and the Cubs at the Bunkhouse

Friday Sept 5 - Double Down Radio's 6th Anniversary Bash with Sheep On a Cliff, the Bitters, Fuzz Solow and the Pluralses

Saturday Sept 6 - the Weirdos at the Dive Bar
Saturday Sept 6 - Fuzz Solow with the Dirty Hooks at the Bunkhouse

Tuesday September 9 - The Clydesdale, Crimson Balladeers, the Badlands - Brooklyn Bowl

Thursday Sept 18 - the Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit with the debut of the Devil's Duo

Friday Sept 26 - the Psyatics at Time Out Sports Bar with the Blooze Brothers
Friday Sept 26 - Crazy Chief, the Sonic Saints, the New Waves and Frank and Deans at the Double Down

Sunday October 5 - the Psyatics and Sham 69 at the Dive Bar

Saturday October 11 - Gentlemen of Four Outs perform for a benefit for the Huntridge (70th Anniversary!) at the Mesquite Club (702 St Louis) - details to follow
Saturday October 11 - the Angry Samoans at the Dive Bar

Tuesday October 14 - the Unwieldies with Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar

Friday Nov 7 - GWAR at Hard Rock Cafe on the Strip

Sunday November 16 - the Psyatics with Har Mar Superstar and Pizza Underground at LV Country Saloon

Saturday Jan 10, 2015 - the Psyatics with the Dictators at LV Country Saloon

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

Blue Oyster Cult - Some Enchanted Evening

As anyone who has ever read this blog knows, I am a huge BOC fan, though I kinda lost touch with them after Agents of Fortune. Of course, "Godzilla" was such a big hit that I couldn't miss it, but I was unaware of some of the other numbers that they later made famous. This 1978 live album (their second, after On Your Feet or On Your Knees) was their best selling record and this CD reissue includes 7 previously unreleased bonus tracks and a live DVD from the time, as well. I have a DVD from an earlier show (from the same tour that I saw them on) that I'm surprised that I haven't reviewed, as I prefer that one, but this DVD is fun, as well.

Using perfect r'n'r logic, here they open with "RU Ready 2 Rock", a good mix of hard rock and pop with its "who will rock with me" repetition making it a worthy anthem for audience call'n'response. "ETI", from Agents of Fortune, is nice and powerful here and the vocals and harmonies (if they truly are live) are pretty exceptional, as is Buck's lead playing, as they extend the ending into a rockin' jam. They quiet things down a bit for the organ-drenched ballad "Astronomy", though it does build in intensity and the middle break's staccato guitar chords and shouted "Heys!" are head-banging-ly groovy. Showing that they had good taste, they kick out "Kick Out the Jams" - one of the first cover versions that I was aware of (besides my own bands!). This is a LOT slicker than the MC5's take, of course, and has organ included, but is mighty rockin' and, naturally, Buck rips on his lead.

Side two of the album opened with the monstrous (sorry) hit, "Godzilla", done pretty much like the studio recording (which means it is stompin') and that leads right into the biggest hit, "Don't Fear the Reaper", with Buck singing lead. Also great, but also not much different from the album, other than a bit more of a workout at the end. Surprising, at least for me, was the final album cut, a hard rock take on the Animals' "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", that almost sounds like a  latter day Eric Burdon doing it!

The bonus tracks are generous, from the vicious "ME262" and "Harvester of Eyes" to a smokin' "Hot Rails to Hell" to one of my faves, a raw "(This Ain't The) Summer of Love" with an extended ending that goes into the self-explanatory instrumental "5 Guitars", where everyone (except bassist Joe, who gets to start things off with his own cool solo) creates such a piercing noise that I think I still have hearing damage from seeing them in 1975! This moves right into their ravin' revival of "Born to be Wild" with some bonus noise at the end (most likely Buck & Eric scraping their guitar necks together, along with Alan's synth) - countless bands have done this but I'd say other than Steppenwolf, this song is most closely associated with these guys. The festivities finish up with another take of "We Gotta Get Out of This Place" - not much different that the "official" one.

All in all, quite good, considering that I felt that they were softening up in the studio by this time. Still, go for the earlier stuff first, but this is diggable!

Innocent When You Dream - the Tom Waits Reader - Edited by Mac Montandon

This book is a compilation of articles, interviews and assorted writing on Tom Waits and his career. Set is relatively chronological order, we get press releases and scribbles from the outlying press such as Creem and Zig Zag when many of the "normal" press was ignoring the man. Though before long Rolling Stone shows up, as does NME, the Washington Post and even the New Yorker. Interestingly enough, since Waits often cited him as an influence, there are even a couple of Charles Bukowski poems here, which I find fitting as I would often have Waits in the background as I read Buk in the early days.

The book is split into three section - the "Early Years", of his beat phase, followed by the "Middle Years", as he starts his change into the noise-meister and actor that began to receive real acclaim. Here everyone from the LA Times to Playboy gets involved, along with odd tangents like Thrasher and conversations with Jim Jarmusch and Elvis Costello. Oddly, I didn't care for the piece with Costello, I guess cuz Elvis talked so much about himself, though I'm sure that's how it was meant to be.

In "These Days" we catch up to the 2005 printing of the book with many tales of Waits' disappearances and long breaks between records, which garner the same (or similar) responses in many of the articles. In a way, it's interesting to see that he really did have stock (silly) answers that he continued to give, but it does get a bit repetitive, as you know what he's going to say.

Overall, though, a quite enjoyable read which does gives some insight to and information on this man who likes to avoid the limelight. Definitely a good one for fans.

recommended gigs

Thursday August 7 - the Boss Martians, Nu Waves and Surf Coasters at the Double Down
Thursday August 7 - the People's Whiskey, Tarah Grace and the Magnetics and Big Like Texas at Vamp'd

Friday August 8 - the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Friday August 8 - the All Togethers at the Dillinger

Saturday August 9 - The Unweildies at the Dillinger
Saturday August 9 - Tarah Grace and High Horse at the Hard Hat
Saturday August 9 - the Moanin' Blacksnakes at the Sand Dollar

Wednesday August 13 - the Lucky Cheats at Stoneys Rocking Country
Wednesday August 13 - the All Togethers at the Griffin

Thursday August 14 - the Sonics with the Swamp Gospel at the Hard Rock on Las Vegas

Friday August 15 - Deep Purple at Fremont Street Experience 3rd St Stage 9:00pm
Friday August 15 - Whiskey Breath at Goldmine Tavern
Friday August 15 - the All Togethers at Boulder Brewing Co

Saturday August 16 - The Psyatics with the Rick Agnew Band at Triple B
Saturday August 16 - Whiskey Breath at House of Blues
Saturday August 16 - The Chicken Shack at the Double Down presents the Blooze Brothers
Saturday August 16 - the All Togethers at the Hard Hat
Saturday August 16 - Jinxy Bear at E-Strings

Sunday August 17 - the Loud Pipes and Zig Zags at the Dive Bar

Wednesday August 20 - Duane Peters and the Loud Pipes at the Dive Bar
Wednesday August 20 - Bogtrotters Union with Forum Walters at Artistic Armory

Friday August 22 - Whiskey Breath at the Dive Bar with Whitey Morgan and the All Togethers

Saturday August 23 - the Phenomenauts and Time Crashers at the Dive Bar
Saturday August 23 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Pioneer Saloon for Roxy's Burlesque Car Show

Tuesday August 26 - Puddles Pity Party at the (new) Bunkhouse

Wednesday August 27 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Thursday August 28 - Thee Mapes, Fuzz Solow, Child Endangerment and more at the Dive Bar

Friday August 29 - the Super Zeroes at the Hard Hat Lounge
Friday August 29 - Whiskey Breath at the Dillinger

Saturday August 30 - the Psyatics at the Double Down

Friday Sept 5 - Double Down Radio's 6th Anniversary Bash with Sheep On a Cliff, the Bitters, Fuzz Solow and the Pluralses

Saturday Sept 6 - the Weirdos at the Dive Bar

Tuesday September 9 - The Clydesdale, Crimson Balladeers, the Badlands - Brooklyn Bowl

Thursday Sept 18 - the Unwieldies at the Velveteen Rabbit

Friday Sept 26 - the Psyatics at Time Out Sports Bar
Friday Sept 26 - Crazy Chief, the Sonic Saints, the New Waves and Frank and Deans at the Double Down

Sunday October 5 - the Psyatics and Sham 69 at the Dive Bar

Saturday October 11 - Gentlemen of Four Outs perform for a benefit for the Huntridge (70th Anniversary!) at the Mesquite Club (702 St Louis) - details to follow
Saturday October 11 - the Angry Samoans at the Dive Bar

Tuesday October 14 - the Unwieldies with Wayne Hancock at the Dive Bar

Sunday November 16 - the Psyatics with Har Mar Superstar and Pizza Underground at LV Country Saloon

Saturday Jan 10, 2015 - the Psyatics with the Dictators at LV Country Saloon

What have I forgotten? Lemme know!

Willie Dixon - The Chess Box

This 2-CD compilation highlights the master American songwriter, Willie Dixon, and 36 of his contributions

to the world of music, which has crossed over from the blues to rock'n'roll and even C&W. It is somewhat phenomenal that one man is responsible for all of this amazing music. A true great!

Of course, the huge hits are here - starting with Little Walter's "My Babe" and also including his "Mellow Down Easy" - though there are some that weren't quite as gigantic, such as The Big Three's swingin' "Violent Love" (later covered by Oingo Boingo!) and Eddie Boyd's sad'n'lonesome "Third Degree". Willie Mabon does a truly groovy "Seventh Son" and Dixon himself performs a few numbers here - "Crazy For my Baby", "Pain in My Heart", "29 Ways" and "Walkin' the Blues". Of course, Muddy's monsters are here - "Hootchie Coochie Man", "I'm Ready", "I Just Want To Make Love To You" as well as the lesser-known, but equally cool, "Young Fashioned Ways". Also mandatory is the Howlin' Wolf, represented on the first disc simply with the amazing "Evil". Piano man Jimmy Witherspoon sways in "When the Lights Go Out", Bo Diddley brings his beat to "Pretty Thing" (which is where the iconic British band got their name) and Lowell Fulson's T-Bone Walker vibes works on "Do Me Right" and the staccato "Tollin' Bells".

Disc 2 has lots more greatness from some of the best. The Wolf gets a number of huge hits: "Spoonful", "I Ain't Superstitious", "Little Red Rooster", "Back Door Man", "Hidden Charms", "300 Pounds of Joy" and "Built For Comfort"! Whew! Otis Rush appears with "You Know My Love" and Bo Diddley returns for "You Can't Judge a Book By Its Cover". Of course, Muddy is back, as well - "You Need Love" (sound familiar to you Led Zep fans?), "You Shook Me" (ditto) and he smolders on "Same Thing" (fantastic performance by the whole band on this live version). Little Walter does "Dead Presidents" and Sonny Boy Williamson hits with "Bring It On Home". Willie performs his own "Weak Brain, Narrow Mind", a quiet, slow blues that is as powerful as it understated and Koko Taylor is amazing on "Wang Dang Doodle" and her take on "Insane Asylum" (dueting with Muddy) is pretty damn incredible, as well. Interesting that they use Little Milton's (also great) version of "I Can't Quit You Baby" rather that Otis Rush's hit, but I guess they were trying to represent as many artists as possible.

Most blues fans will have many of these songs elsewhere, but this is a pretty terrific compilation that shows how prolific this genius was.

Monster Magnet - Mastermind

Changing gears again, I recently picked up this 2010 MM release, another heavy, stoner-rock slab'o'madness that doesn't let up during its entire run. The packaging is great - a hard cover sleeve with a full color lyric booklet included. The line-up here is main man Dave Wyndorf along with guitarists Ed Mundell and Phil Caivano (the former who left after this record was finished), drummer Bob Pantella and bassist Jim Bagling.

Musically and lyrically, this is more of MM's heavy metal (with the emphasis on heavy) stoner rock'n'roll - a mix of old school 70's rock and current punk'n'roll, with trippy lyrics based on drugs, comic books and sci-fi. The guitars are huge and noisey and often down-tuned to increase the heaviness. There are similarities to their previous releases - hardly surprising - with nods to records dating back to Spine of God and up to more current ones like Powertrip. Not everything is high energy, but everything is head-bangingly powerful and exists to smash your skull to pieces. There is less emphasis on the psychedelic than on many of the other records, although "The Titan Who Cried Like a Baby" and "Time Machine" are more atmospheric. Lots of crushers though, and "100 Million Miles" is right up there with their best! Mundell is riffing like a madmen on everything here, as well!

The album as a whole is not as good as some, but is still a tenacious and forceful contender. Start with the afore-mentioned Spine of God for a blast of psych-fuzz goodness and Powertrip for a more modern, heavy metal take on the concept, but this is a goodie.

Red Simpson - Hello, I'm a Truck

On a fairly different note from my previous post, I just discovered C&W singer Red Simpson when I was in Bakersfield recently and found out that this man, who wrote "The Highway Patrol" that was a hit for Jr. Brown, has had a long country career, concentrating on truck-drivin' songs. I didn't see him, but I understand that, even at 80, he is still playing at the Bakersfield honky-tonk, Trouts, on a weekly basis.

I'm usually not a fan of corny/silly songs like "Hello, I'm a Truck", but there is something endearing about the almost childlike simplicity of this - and the band is solid behind him, as it is for "Highway Patrol" - and, as much as I dig Jr. Brown, I do prefer this version. "Roll, Truck, Roll" is a bit poppier and even more corny (as he talks about the truck driver being away from his family for long periods of time) and not quite as successful though "I Burn Up the Roads" works better as a straighter country tune with some nice guitar licks throughout. "Don't Fall Asleep At the Wheel" is, again, a bit corny as Red gives advice to a younger trucker, but has a fun, up-tempo chorus. There's some cool pedal steel guitar and honky-tonk piano in the ballad "Endless Black Ribbon" and a fairly raucous and lewd number in "Beaver on my Lap, Bear on my Tail". Similar in theme is another upbeat country rocker "Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves" followed by another rockin' (in a country way) number, "California Turn-Arounds". He is genuinely funny in the closer "My Name is Simpson" as he talks about fans confusing him with other country artists.

This is obviously a low-budget compilation that was probably usually sold at truck stops, but it is a fun record of silly, but well done, C&W tunes. Think I'll have to check out more by the man!

Crosby, Stills and Nash

Growing up as a folkie in the 60's, I was quite enamored by this "super-group" and was very impressed by

their mix of musical talent and amazing vocal abilities. I know that these cats and their egos were a big part of what punk was rebelling against, but I still find this music absolutely listenable.

Opening with Still's ode to Judy Collins, "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", this includes just about everything that these cats did from here on - incredible melodies and harmonies, lovely folk/rock music, clever changes and hippie lyrics. I'm not the biggest fan of Nash, compared to the other cats (though, of course, he did some good stuff), so his "Marrakesh Express", although it was a hit that spoke to the times, really does not resonate with me. However, Crosby's "Guinnevere" is a wonderfully lovely piece of acoustic folk, with Nash providing his unique harmonies throughout. Stills does some fine acoustic guitar work in "You Don't Have to Cry" and very cool backwards guitar in Nash's "Pre-Road Downs", one of his better songs, a fun pop number with counter-culture lyrics like "be sure to hide the roaches".

Crosby's "Wooden Ships" (co-written with Stills and Jefferson Airplane's Paul Kantner - who also recorded it) is an anti-war classic of the times, brought to prominence by its appearance in the Woodstock movie. This is an electric number and while not exactly a rocker, it is a powerful guitar and organ workout. This is offset by Nash's quiet ballad "Lady of the Island" and then Stills' "Helplessly Hoping" and its spine-tingling harmonies. Also highlighted in Woodstock is Crosby's politically-charged "Long Time Gone", another electric number with some excellent leads from Stills and more fantastic, passionate vocals from everyone as they trade leads and perform their patented harmonies. The vinyl closed with Stills' "49 Bye-Byes", an odd, multi-part number mixing a light verse with a strong chorus that became his calling card song (in a stripped-down version) on their tours.

The CD gives us four bonus tracks, a nice acoustic tune from Stills ("Do For the Others"), Crosby & Nash harmonizing on Crosby's "Song with No Words", their version of the Midnight Cowboy theme "Everybody's Talkin'" (actually not as good as the original, though with some interesting twists) and Nash's demo of "Teach Your Children".

Obviously, not for everyone, but fine folk/rock music for those not afraid of acoustic guitars, hippies and their ideals.

Muddy Waters - King Bee

This 1981 release was the third album in the trilogy of studio records ( Hard Again and I'm Ready - plus one live album) that Johnny Winter produced for Muddy, and the final record that Waters did before his untimely death in 1983. The man's health was deteriorating at this point, though his voice is still strong throughout, and the band was fracturing due to the lack of gigs that his illness caused. In fact, the group broke up either during or immediately after this record. Despite the tensions - which caused many of the participants to shun this album - the performances from these professionals are still top notch, even if it doesn't sound quite as "fun" as the other two from this series. But, this is the blues, after all.

The opening title track is quite the blues stomper, and the group gives solid, steady readings of "Too Young to Know", "Mean Old Frisco Blues" and "Forever Lonely". Winter fleshed out the proceedings with a couple of outtakes from Hard Again, the acoustic re-make of "I Feel Like Going Home" with Johnny doing what he does best with his slide. The enthusiasm here is palpably different from the sadness shown in the rest of the cuts. A live favorite, "Champagne & Reefer" follows, with the band - Luther "Guitar Jr." Johnson and Bob Margolin (who again provides his insider perspective on the liner notes) on guitars, Jerry Portnoy on harp, Pinetop Perkins on piano, Willie "Big Eyes" Smith on drums and the bass duties divided between Calvin Jones and Charles Calmese - all getting in some licks. Always dig hearing Waters' stinging slide, as we do on "Sad Sad Day" and the other outtake from HA is "(My Eyes) Keep Me in Trouble", which Margolin seems to think is more eccentric that I do, but maybe this is done a bit differently than they normally did. The pulsating harp does give it a slightly odd rhythm, but otherwise, it is a groovy blues. The interaction between these cats really shines on "Deep Down in Florida" and the vinyl closed with the short'n'to-the-point "No Escape From the Blues". We get two bonus tracks here, the swingin' "I Won't Go On" and the slow'n'sultry "Clouds in My Heart".

All three of these Winters-produced records are solid and well worth owning - damn fine work here!

The Sloths at the Double Down Saloon, August 2, 2014

Last night the Swamp Gospel got to open for 60's Back From the Grave legends the Sloths, as they continue to take over the world with their return to the life of rock'n'roll after far too many years. The current line-up includes singer Tommy McLoughlin, guitarist/bassist Michael Rummans, guitarist/bassist Mark Weddington, our old LA pal Pat DiPuccioon guitar and Ray Herron on drums.

The sound now is a mix of 60's garage and classic 70's punk, with Michael and Mark trading instruments and both providing biting leads throughout, while Pat mainly holds down the rhythm, Ray smashes'n'crashes the drums and Tommy runs rampant through the crowd.

Opening with Love's "7&7 Is", they then blasted through a set of 60's covers, new originals, and, of course, their BFTG smash "Makin' Love". McLoughlin literally had a box'o'tricks with him to help illustrate each tune, from the blow up dolls in "Never Enough Girls in the World", to the noose in "End of my Rope" to dancing with girls in the audience in "Lust" (another one of the 7 deadly sins, along with "sloth"), to the velvet jacket he wore in the 60's to sparklers emitting from his hands to his stabbing himself in the heart for the closer "Gloria"!

Absolutely excellent musically and plenty'o'fun visually, these cats are not a novelty nostalgia act, but rockers that still know how to put on a wild show with energy and style. Make sure to check 'em out if they come your way!

You can check out their Bo Diddley-esque garage monster "Makin' Love" here.