RIP Signe Anderson of the Jefferson Airplane, also

Signe Anderson, Original Jefferson Airplane Singer, Dies
 ---
Eerily, on the same day as Paul.

Jefferson Airplane Takes Off, the debut album featuring Signe is excellent and features many of the band's classic songs.

Truly sad - and sad that she has been overshadowed and his passing has not been reported in a more wide spread manner.

well motherfuck - RIP Paul Kantner

Jefferson Airplane’s Paul Kantner dies at 74 
---
I've always been a big JA fan - another taken far too young.

Go Betty Go - Reboot

I got this CD/EP at the same time/show as Worst Enemy and it has the same lineup here. If I were to guess, I would say that this is the newer recording, both from the title and the sound, which is improved (nothing wrong with WE, but this just sounds huge and bright), along with the songs that, while still basic pop-punk, have some more interesting vocal harmonies and progressions.

But, overall, this is Go Betty Go doing their strong pop-punk, with some cool dynamics, time changes, and riffs backing up the catchy melodies. Some songs are a bit slower than one might expect - though far from dirge-y! - but still rockin' and memorable. I do find it interesting that they maintain their Chicana heritage by singing one song per record in Spanish.

More good stuff by GBG!

Go Betty Go - Worst Enemy

When I saw Go Betty Go last weekend, I picked up the two CDs they had with them. I still don't know that much about the band, other than the fact that they started in the early 2000's, split up and have reformed. So, I'm not sure if this is a new or older CD (I don't see a date on the packaging), but this sounds like they did live, and that's a good thing!

The group consists of Betty Cisneros on guitar and backing vocals, Nicolette Vilar on vocals (and a fine, melodic yet strong voice she has), sister Aixa on drums and backing vocals and, on this CD, Michelle Rangel on bass, though I don't believe she was with them at the Dive Bar, unless her looks have changed considering since these photos were taken.

The sound here is tuneful punk-pop, tight'n'simple'n'powerful, with good dynamics and harmonies and catchy as heck. Nothing earth-shatterin' here, but it's not meant to be - just good music played well. Really dig the stuff - there's definitely that indefinable something here that keeps your attention. Get it'n'see 'em when ya can!

recommended gigs

Friday Jan 29 - the Legendary Boilermakers with Durango 66 at the Dive Bar
Friday Jan 29 - Killian's Angels at Brendan's Irish Pub

Saturday Jan 30 - Franks'n'Deans at the Golden Tiki
Saturday Jan 30 - the All Togethers at the Pioneer Saloon
Saturday Jan 30 - Killian's Angels at Brendan's Irish Pub

Monday Feb 1 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday Feb 3 - Franks'n'Deans at the Double Down

Thursday Feb 4 - the All Togethers at the Beauty Bar

Friday Feb 5 - the Blasters at Triple B with Shanda and the Howlers and DJ Lucky LaRue
Friday Feb 5 - Bernie Down the House - A Bands for Bernie Sanders event at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Feb 6 - Time Crashers, Swamp Pussy, Sector 7G, Bitches'n'Dudes, the CG's at Pandoras Lounge
Saturday Feb 6 - The Lucky Cheats and Eddy Bear and the Cubs at the Sand Dollar

Monday Feb 8 -  Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday Feb 9 - Howlin' King Crawdad at Saddles'n'Spurs

Thursday Feb 11 - Cash'd Out, the All Togethers, the Henchmen, Gamblers Mark, Yosemite Slam at Triple B

Friday Feb 12 - the Psyatics with the Swamp Gospel at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 13 - Van der Rohe, the Hexxers, the Desperadoes at Artifice

Saturday Feb 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Feb 13 - The Electric Ferrets with the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Saturday Feb 13 - David Bowie tribute at the Bunkhouse

Tuesday Feb 16 - the Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Chickenhawk, Alex and His Meal Tickets at Triple B

Friday Feb 19 - Toasters, Scoundrels at the Dive Bar
Friday Feb 19 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Feb 20 - Alan Six with Jerk, Radio Silence Jess and the Hogg Brothers at the Double Down

Monday Feb 22- Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday Feb 23 - the Mapes, Pluralses, Jerk at the Beauty Bar

Wed Feb 24 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday Feb 29 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday Mar 4 - the Punknecks at the Dive Bar
Friday Mar 4 - the Part Time Criminals and the Unwieldies at the Sand Dollar

Saturday Mar 5 - Eddy Bear and the Cubs at the Bunkhouse

Monday Mar 7 - Eddy Bear and the Cubs with Jackson Taylor and the Sinners at the Beauty Bar

Sunday Mar 13 - the Koffin Kats and the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar

Friday Mar 18, The Swamp Gospel, Melanie and the Midnite Marauders, the Gentlemen of Four Outs and the Psyatics at the Double Down

Saturday Mar 19 - the Queers and the Dwarves at the LV Country Saloon

Friday April 1 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Double Down

Friday April 8 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs at the Golden Tiki

Friday April 15 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Hard Hat

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

The LIfe of Riley - BB King documentary

I just found this documentary on Riley "Blues Boy" (B.B.) King on Netflix - a star-studded tribute to the King of the blues, a man who has influenced damn near everyone who ever picked up a guitar.

His story is told through narration (Morgan Freeman), interviews with the man himself, along with his lifetime friends and family. He grew up on a plantation picking cotton and driving tractors and learned guitar from friends and family who played. His trademark vibrato is due to the fact that he was never able to learn how to play slide guitar, so this was his way of imitating it!

After some false starts, he ran off to Memphis and started to make a living off of his music. Things really took off when he took a chance with a new producer and ended up with "The Thrill Is Gone" - one of the first, if not the first, blues song to incorporate string. He then got to tour with the Rolling Stones in 1969 - one of their biggest - and playing with U2 in the 80's, enlarging his audience even more. He eventually literally played for kings and presidents - Obama, Bush, Clinton and more - and became a true living legend.

Throughout this movie innumerable stars pay tribute - too many to name here - and there is a lot of great archival footage of BB, although some early stories are told with actors and stock photos - unsurprising as his family was quite poor.

The movie isn't quite as compelling as his incredible life deserves, but is still a fine telling of his story.

Mott the Hoople LIve - 30th Anniversary Edition

I know that I have ranted'n'raved about MTH innumerable times on this blog, as I have been a fan ever since "All the Young Dudes" first hit the airwaves. Although I was disappointed when guitarist Mick Ralphs left the group and thought that they were never the same after that, as he was a huge part of their sound, when I saw that there was an expanded 30th anniversary edition of this live record, I had to have it regardless.

Here new guitarist Luther Grosvenor/Ariel Bender is highlighted and he carries himself well, even if he doesn't have the soulfulness of Ralphs.

Starting off in the Uris Theatre on Broadway with a slightly out of tune Ian Hunter (backed by piano) singing part of "American Pie", they then blast into a blazing take on "The Golden Age of Rock'n'Roll" from their then-current "The Hoople" album. Terrific opener - everyone sounds right on the money - high energy, excellent backing vocals and Bender's overdriven guitar is ferocious. I always loved "Sucker" from the ATYD record and they change it up a bit for the live setting, followed with their single "Roll Away the Stone" which morphs into a bit of "Sweet Jane". They take things down considerably for the keyboard ballad "Rest in Peace" (Morgan Fisher on piano and Blue Weaver on organ) but then come back hard for the pounding "All the Way From Memphis", where Ariel gives a fine performance and they end by chanting the title over the "Walking With a Mountain" melody. "Born Late '58" continues with the energy and gives Bender a chance to show off some slide work before they do one of my faves, "One of the Boys" (which Ralphs used as the basis for the Bad Co. hit "Can't Get Enough of Your Love") - with a fun and funny breakdown.

"Hymn For the Dudes" is another ballad - they paced out the shows well at this point - and then their showpiece, "Marionette", during which large puppets descended on the stage. Another Mick Ralphs classic was "Drivin' Sister" which here joins a medley with "Crash Street Kids" and a bit of "Violence". Obviously, "All the Young Dudes" was the encore, and they give a terrific reading here, but they also include their rockin' "Walking With a Mountain" in order to give Ariel a showcase.

Disc two gives us the Hammersmith Odeon show in London (this one with Mick Bolton on organ) and here they open straight-ahead rockin' with a powerful "Drivin' Sister", "Sucker" and, for this show, a complete "Sweet Jane". "Sweet Angeline" rocks, as well, with a breakdown where Ian calls the female fans "slags" for not obeying his requests for hands up - good-naturedly, of course! On this gig, the piano ballad is "Rose" before returning to the rock with an excellent "Roll Away the Stone" and - already - a superb "All the Young Dudes". A massive medley follows, starting with a raucous "Jerkin' Crocus", a bit of "One of the Boys", a surprising (considering it was an early Mick Ralphs number) "Rock'n'Roll Queen", a short snippet of "Get Back", a tiny bit of "Whole Lotta Shakin' Going On", a reference to "Jean Genie" and finishing with "Violence". The encore for this show is another massive "Walking With a Mountain".

I definitely enjoyed this expanded version more so than the edited LP and do have new respect for Ariel Bender, although - no offence - he was not the "finest rock'n'roll guitarist" at the time. Regardless, the entire back is spot-on here, with tons of energy and lots of fun! Well worth it!

Rev. Edward W. Clayborn Complete Recorded Works 1926-1928

Document Record gathers some of the more obscure early blues, gospel and assorted recordings ever recorded and this is another fine example of their hard work. Rev. Clayborn's most well-known number is "Your Enemy Cannot Harm You", although I'd wager that few even know that one. But, he is a wonderful example of the early Guitar Evangelists that took the sounds of the blues (of blues took the sounds of the gospel, depending on how you want to look at it) and added sacred lyrics to create musical sermons. His style is simple, open-tuned acoustic guitar with nice, melodic bottleneck work and a strong, raspy yet tuneful voice which tells his Biblical stories.

There is an amazing 27 cuts here and yes, they can sound a bit alike after a time - these were meant as single recordings, not an album - but I find enough variations to keep my attention. I actually like this quite a bit and am very glad I was able to find this one, as it seems to be fairly rare and expensive, generally. Worth a listen for those who appreciate uncomplicated acoustic blues and sweet slide playing.

Go Betty Go, the Two Tens, Roxy Gunn Project - the Dive Bar, Saturday Jan 23, 2015

I've been hearing about the Two Tens from my pals in Los Angelesfor quite a while and missed them on their last excursion out here, so made it a point to get out this time to check 'em out.

Although this show had 5 acts on the bill, it started quite early and I was running a little late so I missed Kat Calling and the Negative Nancys - sorry! Got there in time for the Roxy Gunn Project, a snappily dressed, female fronted pop-metal band with a highly animated bass player and solid musicians all around. Lead singer Roxy played guitar as well and I dug the dual guitar harmony riffs she would play off of the lead guitarist. The Dive Bar was pretty damn packed by the time they went on and they received a resounding ovation.

The Two Tens are a duo from LA consisting of Adam Bones on guitar (split through a guitar and bass amp for a fuller sound) and lead vocals and Rikki Styxx on drums on backing vocals/scream. They were both quite animated, as well, and Rikki is a powerful pounder who filled out the sound as Adam thrashed at his Telecaster. Really good punk rock tunes with real melodies and interesting changes. I do find that these days bands have to be doing something interesting with their punk rock to keep me entertained and this duo have real songs that are far from the generic punk rock fodder that is all too common. Definitely see them if you can!

I was not familiar with Go Betty Go (so named for the chant the band would use to get their guitarist, Betty, to start a song) before this evening but apparently they formed in the early 2000's and did quite a bit before splitting up in the mid-2000's and now reuniting. They also have very melodic, punk-rock-ish songs, led by the excellent voice and hip-shakin' cuteness of Nicolette. I was standing on the bassist's side of the stage and was impressed by her playing and on-stage demeanor, though everyone was totally solid on their instruments and Betty and Aixo (drums) contributed superior backing vocals, as well. Again, far from standard punk rock, almost to more Power Pop, with at least one song reminding me of my old faves, DM3. Totally fun and entertaining and seemed like damn nice people, as well.

Thanks again to Nate and the Dive Bar and its crew (shout out to sound man John, for helping all of the acts to sound great) for yet another cool night of rock'n'roll!

The Other One - documentary

I was never a real Grateful Dead fan - I supposed I have had an album or two now and again though I could only name a few songs of theirs - "Truckin'", of course, my fave "Box of Rain" and I had some live record with a cool version of Muddy Waters' "Same Thing". But, they were certainly a big part of the 60's counter-culture and were a phenomenon.

Bob Weir joined like-minded Jerry Garcia in the Warlocks when he was just a baby-faced 16 year old and their chemistry clicked and they formed a life-long bond. This documentary has some excellent footage of their early days and of San Francisco in the 60's. The band went to the first Acid Tests - Weir says he took acid at least every week in 1965 - and decided that the Tests needed music and provided that, becoming forever intertwined with LSD. Footage of the Acid Tests, Ken Kesey's Pranksters, Neil Cassidy (who lived with the Dead for a while) and much more are some of the highlights of the film.

There are no regrets here - Bob says the Acid Tests were "impossibly fun" and that they "didn't have to fulfill expectations about music" which gave them an immense amount of freedom, of course. They moved on and played all around San Francisco - on the Haight itself, in Golden Gate Park, etc. and expanded their sounds whenever they could. Weir became enthralled with jazz musicians and did his best to interpret their comping behind Garcia's leads.

Of course, once they recorded their popularity soared with underground hits such as "Truckin'" and they toured constantly, gaining their touring fans, the Deadheads and their notorious parking lot parties. Time goes on and they even got a hit single in the 80's but then Garcia also started using heroin, which led to his death in 1995. The rest of the guys continued on in various forms and Weir still performs and records and seems to have a happy home life after a long life of a pretty boy in a popular rock'n'roll band.

I do wish that there had been a bit more about the band as a whole - I would have liked to have known more about Pig Pen, for instance - but, I suppose this doc is specifically about Weir and would have been much longer if they went off on the tangents. Still, a cool insight to a wild and wonderful time in rock'n'roll. I'd recommend it even if you're not a fan of the band.

recommended gigs

Thursday Jan 21 - the Pluralses, Jerk and Stagnetti's Cock at the Double Down

Friday Jan 22 - Squid Hat Records night with the Mapes, Dirk Vermin and much more at the Double Down
Friday Jan 22 - JD McPherson and the Delta Bombers at the Beauty Bar

Saturday Jan 23 - Squid Hat Records night with Franks and Deans, Tartar Control and much more at the Double Down
Saturday Jan 23 - Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Sat Jan 23 - Go Betty Go, the Two Tens, the Negative Nancys and Kat Calling at the Dive Bar
Sat Jan 23 - Rock for Street Teens at the Adrenaline with Mahogany Ridge, Jerk, Radio Silence and Punch Drunk

Monday Jan 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki
Monday Jan 25 - the Scounderls Video Shoot at the Dive Bar

Tuesday Jan 26 - Beau Hodges Band at Saddles'n'Spurs

Wednesday Jan 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday Jan 29 - the Legendary Boilermakers with Durango 66 at the Dive Bar

Saturday Jan 30 - Franks'n'Deans at the Golden Tiki
Saturday Jan 30 - the All Togethers at the Pioneer Saloon

Monday Feb 1 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday Feb 4 - the All Togethers at the Beauty Bar

Friday Feb 5 - the Blasters at Triple B with Shanda and the Howlers and DJ Lucky LaRue
Friday Feb 5 - Bernie Down the House - A Bands for Bernie Sanders event at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Feb 6 - Time Crashers, Swamp Pussy, Sector 7G, Bitches'n'Dudes, the CG's at Pandoras Lounge
Saturday Feb 6 - The Lucky Cheats and Eddy Bear and the Cubs at the Sand Dollar

Monday Feb 8 -  Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday Feb 9 - Howlin' King Crawdad at Saddles'n'Spurs

Thursday Feb 11 - Cash'd Out, the All Togethers, the Henchmen, Gamblers Mark, Yosemite Slam at Triple B

Friday Feb 12 - the Psyatics with the Swamp Gospel at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 13 - Van der Rohe, the Hexxers, the Desperadoes at Artifice

Saturday Feb 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Feb 13 - The Electric Ferrets with the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Saturday Feb 13 - David Bowie tribute at the Bunkhouse

Tuesday Feb 16 - the Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Chickenhawk, Alex and His Meal Tickets at Triple B

Friday Feb 19 - Toasters, Scoundrels at the Dive Bar
Friday Feb 19 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Feb 20 - Alan Six with Jerk, Radio Silence Jess and the Hogg Brothers at the Double Down

Monday Feb 22- Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wed Feb 24 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday Feb 29 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday Mar 4 - the Punknecks at the Dive Bar
Friday Mar 4 - the Part Time Criminals and the Unwieldies at the Sand Dollar

Sunday Mar 13 - the Koffin Kats and the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar

Friday Mar 18, The Swamp Gospel, Melanie and the Midnite Marauders, the Gentlemen of Four Outs and the Psyatics at the Double Down

Saturday Mar 19 - the Queers and the Dwarves at the LV Country Saloon

Friday April 1 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Double Down

Friday April 15 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Hard Hat

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

and RIP Gary Loizzo of the American Breed

Gary Loizzo, American Breed Singer and Engineer of Hit Records by Styx, Dies 
---

Not Buffin, too!

Ross-born Mott The Hoople drummer Dale 'Buffin' Griffin dies at 67 
---

Goddamit - Mott the Hoople has been a fave band ever since "All the Young Dudes" first hit the airwaves and Buffin was always an integral part of the magic that the band had.

First thing I said when I first heard the Sex Pistols was "this sounds like early Mott the Hoople". You can't tell me they weren't a big influence on punk rock.

RIP Blowfly

Legendary Artist Blowfly Has Passed Away 
---

recommended gigs

Friday Jan 15 - Time Crashers, Lambs to Lions at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 16 - the Astaires with the Generators at the Beauty Bar

Monday Jan 18 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday Jan 21 - the Pluralses, Jerk and Stagnetti's Cock at the Double Down

Friday Jan 22 - Squid Hat Records night with the Mapes, Dirk Vermin and much more at the Double Down
Friday Jan 22 - JD McPherson and the Delta Bombers at the Beauty Bar

Saturday Jan 23 - Squid Hat Records night with Franks and Deans, Tartar Control and much more at the Double Down
Saturday Jan 23 - Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Sat Jan 23 - Go Betty Go, the Two Tens, the Negative Nancys and Kat Calling at the Dive Bar
Sat Jan 23 - Rock for Street Teens at the Adrenaline with Mahogany Ridge, Jerk, Radio Silence and Punch Drunk

Monday Jan 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki
Monday Jan 25 - the Scounderls Video Shoot at the Dive Bar

Wednesday Jan 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 30 - Franks'n'Deans at the Golden Tiki

Monday Feb 1 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday Feb 5 - the Blasters at Triple B with Shanda and the Howlers and DJ Lucky LaRue
Friday Feb 5 - Bernie Down the House - A Bands for Bernie Sanders event at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Feb 6 - Time Crashers, Swamp Pussy, Sector 7G, Bitches'n'Dudes, the CG's at Pandoras Lounge
Saturday Feb 6 - The Lucky Cheats and Eddy Bear and the Cubs at the Sand Dollar

Monday Feb 8 -  Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday Feb 9 - Howlin' King Crawdad at Saddles'n'Spurs

Thursday Feb 11 - Cash'd Out, the All Togethers, the Henchmen, Gamblers Mark, Yosemite Slam at Triple B

Friday Feb 12 - the Psyatics with the Swamp Gospel at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Feb 13 - The Electric Ferrets with the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Saturday Feb 13 - David Bowie tribute at the Bunkhouse

Monday Feb 5 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday Feb 16 - the Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Chickenhawk, Alex and His Meal Tickets at Triple B

Friday Feb 19 - Toasters, Scoundrels at the Dive Bar
Friday Feb 19 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Feb 20 - Alan Six with Jerk, Radio Silence Jess and the Hogg Brothers at the Double Down

Monday Feb 22- Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wed Feb 24 - Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday Feb 29 - Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday Mar 4 - the Punknecks at the Dive Bar

Friday Mar 18, The Swamp Gospel, Melanie and the Midnite Marauders, the Gentlemen of Four Outs and the Psyatics at the Double Down

Friday April 1 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Double Down

Friday April 15 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Hard Hat

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

RIP Giorgio Gomelsky

The mad genius behind The Rolling Stones and Yardbirds, Giorgio Gomelsky R.I.P. 

---

He influenced 60's rock'n'roll, whether or not you've ever heard of him.

Eddy Bear and the Cubs, The Ditch Diggers, City Folk at the Bunkhouse, Saturday Jan 9, 2016

The Bunkhouse is now on its third (?) try, after a short-lived resurgence a year or so ago. This was an old fave haunt - and a fun place to play - so I hope that the new, improved Bunkhouse can continue on, as they now have a real stage and sound system.

This evening we had a very reasonable three bands playing and quite a number of people came out to support the scene. Opening were City Folk - apparently a new entity, as they don't even seem to have a Facebook page at this time. But I dug their folkie/singer-songwriter style, with electric backing, two backing vocalists (male and female - the gentlemen also played harmonica) and a somewhat Dylan-esque lead singer. The female drummer was strong, as well. Nice stuff - hope to see more of them in the future.

The (Sin City) Ditch Diggers were then up, with frontmen Roman and Rob (guitar & bass) leading the way and with a new drummer, whose name I didn't catch and who is not listed on their FB page yet. Certainly not a straight rockabilly act, these cats mix plenty of country and some blues into the pot to come up with a cool cow-punk sound.

Closing the night were one of my faves, the honky tonk heroes, Eddy Bear and the Cubs. They also debuted a new drummer this evening, who did spur things on a bit quicker than normal, not that anyone in the audience was complaining! The sound was full and strong and I love the twin guitar work between Wade (lead) and Larry (baritone guitar/vocals), along with Erik's swingin' acoustic. Davis' stand-up work keeps the rhythm rockin' and he's not afraid to just sit on the damn thing when there's a break in the action. I believe that there were new covers as well as originals and these Cubs gave them all a swingin' swagger. Always a fun party when they take the stage, so be sure to check 'em out whenever you can! Hope they were have a regular night here at the Bunkhouse and make it a new country watering hole!

RIP David Bowie

Legendary Artist David Bowie Dies at 69
 ---
Goddamit - this gentleman has been a part of my life since my early teens. Between his production on artists like Lou Reed and Mott the Hoople and Iggy Pop to his stellar work with Mick Ronson and more, he has been a constant in my r'n'r world.

Fuck cancer!

Franks & Deans Weenie Roast with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Double Down Saloon, Wednesday Jan 6, 2016

Local Rat Pack punk rockers Franks & Deans, along with swingin' DJ Professor Rex Dart, host a monthly Weenie Roast at the Happiest Place on Earth, the Double Down Saloon, on the first Wednesday of each month. This rock'n'roll variety show can include any and everything and always has an opening band, and for the first show of 2016, Melanie and the Midnite Marauders got to warm up the crowd.

This was our fourth show so far, and we pulled out our regular high-energy honky-tonk versions of Loretta Lynn, Ernest Tubb, Merle Haggard, Dave Edmunds and more and had a great time playing for a damn near full house - which only got more crowded as the night went along.

(MMM photo by Nikki Ruffling)

Up next (after some hep tunes from DJ Dart) were the men of the hour, Franks & Deans, with their punk-pop takes on Rat Pack favorites and other oldies, along with their beauteous dancing vixen, Nickole Muse, adding visual charm. Their tuxedo t-shirts are a bit of a hoot and I noticed for the first time that their guitar straps read - from left to right - "Franks" (guitarist Hoss), "&" (bassist Rob), "Deans" (guitarist Sampson - while drummer Pip has their logo on his bass drum)! The gents all are hot-shot instrumentalists and have great voices, pulling off some superior harmonies while playing tight, raucous, punk rock interpretations of songs like "Dream Lover", "The Lady is a Tramp", "Summertime", "King of the Road" and much more. They'll steal from bands like the Ramones ("King of the Road" is based on "Blitzkrieg Bop") and the Specials (for "Luck Be a Lady", I believe), add in some ska and reggae rhythms, and rock the house all while Muse interacts with the band and the audience.

After their first set, the crowd was entertained by the fur-rocious burlesque of Ms. Kitchy Koo, a lovely young lady in a fur bikini, who gave a wild performance and pulled out a chair to give a lucky gentleman from the audience a growling "lap dance".

For their second set, Nickole reduced the number of clothing items that she wore while pulling out some props such as a hula-hoop, which she excelled at. The boys' set included numbers like "You Rascal You", the great "Hats off to Larry" (Del Shannon), "Bang Bang" (Sonny and Cher - with MMM's Denise Heximer pulling out her six shooters), "What a Wonderful World" (seemingly influenced by Joey Ramones' version), "Do the Mess Around" (with friend Haanson playing harp), among others.

Another short break and we got the Baron of the Universe with his S&M based act which included dangling weights from various, uncomfortable parts of his body, and straining on different piercings - difficult for the squeamish to watch.

By this time it was late enough on a work night that we ended up leaving, but F&D was getting ready for yet another set! These cats and kitten really know how to put on a show with an evening's worth of diverse entertainment, which brings out a big crowd, even on a rainy Wednesday night. Get there when you can - you never know what you're going to see - and yes, there are free hot dogs!

recommended gigs

Saturday Jan 9 - the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Saturday Jan 9 - Eddy Bear and the Cubs, Ditch Diggers, City Folk at the Bunkhouse
Saturday Jan 9 - Quantum, MIdnight Clover at Triple B
Saturday Jan 9 - DJ's Cromm and Dakota from the Astaires and Rex Dart at the Golden Tiki

Sunday Jan 10 - Surfer Joe (Italian surf band) at the Golden Tiki with Rex Dart spinning discs

Monday Jan 11 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down 

Friday Jan 15 - Time Crashers, Lambs to Lions at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 16 - the Astaires with the Generators at the Beauty Bar

Monday Jan 18 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday Jan 22 - Squid Hat Records night with the Mapes, Dirk Vermin and much more at the Double Down
Friday Jan 22 - JD McPherson and the Delta Bombers at the Beauty Bar

Saturday Jan 23 - Squid Hat Records night with Franks and Deans, Tartar Control and much more at the Double Down
Saturday Jan 23 - Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Sat Jan 23 - Go Betty Go, the Two Tens, the Negative Nancys and Kat Calling at the Dive Bar

Monday Jan 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki
Monday Jan 25 - the Scounderls Video Shoot at the Dive Bar

Wednesday Jan 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 30 - Franks'n'Deans at the Golden Tiki

Friday Feb 5 - the Blasters at Triple B with Shanda and the Howlers and DJ Lucky LaRue

Saturday Feb 6 - Time Crashers, Swamp Pussy, Sector 7G, Bitches'n'Dudes, the CG's at Pandoras Lounge
Saturday Feb 6 - The Lucky Cheats and the Ditch Diggers at the Sand Dollar

Tuesday Feb 9 - Howlin' King Crawdad at Saddles'n'Spurs

Friday Feb 12 - the Psyatics with the Swamp Gospel at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Feb 13 - The Electric Ferrets with the Super Zeroes at the Double Down
Saturday Feb 13 - David Bowie tribute at the Bunkhouse

Tuesday Feb 16 - the Supersuckers, the Yawpers, Chickenhawk, Alex and His Meal Tickets at Triple B

Friday Feb 19 - Toasters, Scoundrels at the Dive Bar

Friday Mar 4 - the Punknecks at the Dive Bar

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Neil Young - Waging Heavy Peace

Waging Heavy Peace is an autobiography, with Neil following in the footsteps of his father, who was also a writer. Here, Neil gives us short chapters that bounces around chronologically, but cover different stages of his career, his love of model trains, his love of cars, his projects Lincvolt (an electric luxury car) and PureTone (a music listening system designed to give a full audio experience), his bands, his friends, his children and his wife. Oddly, he continually speaks of his intense love and admiration for his wife of many years, Pegi, even though not long after this 2012 book was published, he broke up with her.

There is much that is not covered here, and lots that I wish was covered in more detail (I always love to hear specifics about early years, gigs, recordings, etc.), but this is quite entertaining and moves quickly. He does say that he hopes to write more, which I believe would be equally entertaining, as he has always had lots to say, in one form or another.

Don't know if this book would win over any converts, but for a fan it is quite engrossing.

Glen Campbell - I'll Be Me (Documentary)

Glen Campbell is a music legend, having come up from the ranks of the legendary Wrecking Crew, where he played on innumerable hits, to break out on his own and create a highly successful solo career. He had a hit TV show, appeared in movies (True Grit is probably the most famous), he was a comedian, songwriter, terrific singer and insanely good guitar player. He has sold millions of records and has been a household name.

Unfortunately, he now has Alzheimer's disease, and this movie documents his final tour in 2012 - an impressive 150 shows - where he - and his band - struggled to get through many of the concerts. He depended on a teleprompter to remember the lyrics and keep his place in the song, but when he strapped on a guitar, you could pretty much always depend on a stellar performance. He might not remember the name of the daughter standing next to him (several of his offspring played in his touring band and were all exceptional musicians), but he could still improvise an intricate, melodic and blazing-fast solo.

Behind the scenes, life was very difficult for his wife, family and friends as they dealt with his forgetfulness, temper, paranoia and other related issues. The camera crew follows them as they go to doctors' visits, as he screams at loved ones, as he wanders off aimlessly and as he gives acclaimed performances and even wins a lifetime achievement Grammy.

Many musical friends are interviewed - most of whom have had to deal with Alzheimer's in their personal life - as well as politicians from Nancy Pelosi to Bill Clinton, who want to highlight the seriousness of the disease and help to fund research.

This is one of the most difficult documentaries to watch, but it can also be inspiring as you see how much music has helped Glen deal with the disease, and even keep it somewhat at bay (which makes me want to go and play my guitar, in the hopes that it will help keep my mind sharp).

Incredibly sad to see a man this talented going through something this personal and debilitating, but courageous of Campbell and his family to help bring awareness of how this affects everyone involved, not just the person suffering. Catch it if you can.