Thursday, April 28, 2016

recommended gigs

Thursday April 28 - Black Csmaro, the Unwieldies and more at the Bunkhouse

Saturday April 30 - Punk Rock BBQ at the Bunkhouse with Franks'n'Deans, Agent 86, Lambs to Lion, War Called Home, Rayner, The Civilians, the Last Gang, Happy Drunk Cartel, Oceanside Sound System, Radio Silence and Joni's Agenda - starts at 7:00 pm

Wednesday May 4 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down with the People's Whiskey

Thursday May 5 - Super Zeroes at the Dive Bar

Friday May 6 - the Super Zeroes and Sex Room at the Double Down

Saturday May 7 - Water Landing, 3d6, Strange Mistress at the Double Down

Wednesday May 11 - Shannon and the Clams at Triple B
Wednesday May 11 - The Rhyolite Sound with Durango 66 at the Griffin

Saturday May 14 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders with Alan Six and more at 11th Street Records
Saturday May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon
Saturday May 14 - the Lucky Cheats and All Togethers at the Sand Dollar

Thursday May 19 - Whitey Morgan and the 78's at Vinyl

Friday May 20 - the Sloths, the Astaires, the Van Der Rohe and the Lasses Fairs at the Bunkhouse

Saturday May 21 - Rich's birthday show with The Swamp Gospel, the Rhyolite Sound, The Mapes and the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday May 27 - Franks'n'Deans at Mickey Finnz

Saturday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience
Saturday May 28 - the Kingsmen, Box Tops, Standells, and the Happenings at the Cannery

Saturday June 4 - Ritchie Ramone at the Dive Bar

Friday June 24 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders and more - venue to be announced

Friday July 22 - Eagles of Death Metal at the Hard Rock

Sunday July 24 - Bob Log III at the Golden Tiki

Friday August 12 - Shooter Jennings back by Waylon's Band at Fremont Country Club

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Sunday, April 24, 2016

well goddammit - RIP Billy Paul

'Me and Mrs. Jones' singer Billy Paul dead at age 80

The Swank Bastards, Leather Lungs, the Psyatics at the Double Down April 22, 2016

As usual in Las Vegas, there were a number of good shows this evening - as opposed to the nights when you cannot find anything that you want to do - but I ended up at the DD for this cool line-up.


The Swank Bastards are the surf band that will seemingly play anywhere at any time, but are always entertaining and fun - sometimes despite, rather than because of, their corny, dirty jokes. For this set they opened with several of their own swingin' numbers, showing off their instrumental dexterity and guitar-man Jesse's showmanship - not to mention the lovely Ivana Blaize's dancing - before bringing on Daddy O Grande from the Straightjackets. Together they played a number of covers, several Bastards tunes and even a few from the Straightjackets. While there were some cool moments, Daddy seemed a bit uncomfortable or unfamiliar with much of the material. Still, it was a fun time and the crowd - and there was a large number of people there early on - dug it all. The Bastards went on to do a few more songs after O Grande left and gave the people a heapin' helpin' of quality instro coolness.







I don't believe that I had ever seen Leather Lungs before but was kinda fascinated with their brand of low-fi (the guitarist broke a string on the first number and never bothered to replace it), punky, garage-grunge. I was reminded of a trashier, less lead-centric Blue Cheer, while their look reminded me of 80's/90's LA garage-punk bands like the Supercools. The rhythms were fast-paced and frantic and got some of the crowd to form a faux slam pit that even DD's Cactus joined in on!



Of course, I'm a big fan of the Psyatics and they never fail to put on a fine show filled with interesting musical lines, cool lyrics and varied rhythms within the context of their own brand of garage punk. A good portion of the set was from their two albums, though they did pull out a new original rocker - "I Like To Die", I believe - before closing with their unique take on the Velvets "I Can't Stand It Any More". Ivana gave some visual interest to their set, as well, and a good time was had by all.




Unfortunately, it being the Friday of long week, I wimped out on seeing my pals, Water Landing with our friend Nikki sitting in of mandolin, but heard that they went over well, also. Another great night at the DD!

Friday, April 22, 2016

Nothin' But the Blues compilation

There are countless blues compilations these days and I will occasionally pick something up
randomly if it seems to give a good band for its buck - like this 3-CD set that I grabbed for $9.99. Apparently, this title has been used many times, but this one comes in a cool, unusually shaped tin - although only a song listing included. There is lots of obvious stuff here that I already own, but I dig having a selection that someone else has chosen and there are some oddities here.

The giants make their appearances here - Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin' Hopkins, Leadbelly, etc. - as well as some unexpected surprises. Memphis Slim is always great for piano-blues, the legendary Billie Holiday doesn't often show up on these things, but is nice along side the rest, Louis Armstrong is also unanticipated but cool, and then there's more predictable - though none-the-less great - Jack Dupree, Jimmy Witherspoon, Jimmy Rushing and Big Joe Williams. Sonny Terry's harp is a fine inclusion, Jabo Williams is a bit jazzier, Smokey Hogg gives us bluesy piano, Lowell Fulson always has a cool groove, and we get deep blues with Roosevelt Sykes, Bessie Smith and Big Bill Broonzy.

On CD 2 we get a particularly bluesy Ray Charles, more of the fantastic Big Bill Broonzy and others previously mentioned (the booklet says that Muddy Waters is performing the piano'n'horns "Disatisfied", though it sure don't sound like him), King Oliver gives a New Orleans-styled blues and Memphis Slim performs "Good Time Roll Creole", John Lee is particularly haunting in "My First Wife Left Me", and Sonny Terry's "Ham and Eggs" is almost a field hollar. Charles Brown has a nice, groovin' piano'n'guitar blues, Linda Hayes in unknown to me but sings in a cool, early r'n'b style, Jimmy Rushing is also a smooth r'n'b crooner, Cow Cow Davenport performs ragtime piano boogie, Arbee Stidham's piece is a mix of gospel, roller rink organ and blues, Brownie McGhee does his own interpretation of "How Longs Blues", Ike Turner blends together an incredible number of famous songs in the aptly-titled "All the Blues All The Time" and CD 2 finishes with Leadbelly's full "Black Betty" (made famous in the 70's by Ram Jam).

CD 3 is a star-studded and stellar intro with Muddy, the Wolf (an alternative - London Sessions? - take on "Commit a Crime"), Billie Holiday (sultry'n'sexy), Jack Dupree, Elmore James (master of the slide), Ma Rainey (amazing old school blues), Sarah Vaughn (smooth jazz/blues), Hooker and more! Jimmy Witherspoon returns, Della Reese gives another polished blues, Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Carmen McRae and Bessie Smith gets jazzy, we get more grit with big Joe Williams and Lightnin' Hopkins, Broonzy reprises a song for some reason, Ester Phillips is a raw blues belter and the whole shee-bang closes with a cool blues from Irma Thomas.

Overall, a really fun and diverse comp, with everything from raw, solo performances to smooth jazz and just about everything in between!


T-Bone Walker/Lowell Fulson - Blue on Blues

These Blue on Blues compilations combine two similar styled blues musicians in a single CD set of a handful of songs each - 6 in this case. Not exactly greatest hits packages, but more of a "here's some tunes you might not have heard before" set. I have enjoyed all of these that I have found, and this is another good one!

Of course, I am a huge fan of T-Bone Walker and his flashy playing and performance style. His cuts here stem from sessions in the mid-60's to 1970. "T-Bone's Back" was an obvious declaration of his hope for refound popularity. It fades quickly and oddly, almost in the middle of the song, after a solo by second guitarist Joey Long. He gives us a swingin', soulful take on "Baby Please Don't Go", that's also far too short, and then an excellent jump-blues workout in "Louisiana Bayou Drive" that showed that he was still in fine form at this point. "Please Come Back To Me" is a haunting, minor-key, organ-driven slow blues with more fantastic signature licks from T-Bone. There's a return to groovin' jump-blues in "Sometimes I Wonder" before concluding his section with a "Stormy Monday"-like slow blues in "(You'll Never Find Anyone) To Be a Slave Like Me".

Lowell Fulson's numbers also come from 60's/70's sessions, as opposed to his earlier hey-day, and certainly sounds more modern than even T-Bone's work from a similar time period. Fulson was definitely influenced by Walker and both, in turn, influenced BB King, and this session sounds similar in tone to something that BB would have done at this time. "Henpecked" is actually fairly funky and Lowell duels with his second guitarist here to good effect. A slower blues, "Deep In Love", follows with some gospel-esque choral backing and an intense vocal reading by Lowell. Movin' like a fast-runnin' train, "Stop and Think" is a bouncin' rocker with cool guitar runs and some nice harp work. The soulful instrumental "Bluesway" sounds like it could have come from a Stax session with the MG's - complete with funky wah-wah and cool horns. "Take My Hand" is funky and soulful with more fine guitar work and his set ends with the horn-driven "Sleeper", which also gives a funky groove to back Fulson's guitar.

Probably not the best place to start with these artists - their early work really shows off their talents -but still a great little comp. These are usually discount priced and worth the bux!

Thursday, April 21, 2016

RIP Lonnie Mack

Alligator Records press release...

recommended gigs

Thursday April 21 - Leather Lungs, Black Camero, the Bitters, Strange Mistress at the Bunkhouse

Friday April 22 - the Rhyolite Sound at the Bunkhouse for Honky Tonk Ladies Night
Friday April 22 - The Psyatics, Water Landing, Thee Swank Bastards, Leather Lungs at the Double Down
Friday April 22 - Monk and the Po Boys at the Sand Dollar
Friday April 22 - Part Time Criminals at the Dillinger

Saturday April 23 - the Mapes, the Dammit Jims, Projected Left at Tenaya Creek Brewery

Sunday April 24 - Bob Wayne with the All Togethers at the Dive Bar
Sunday April 24 - the Delta Bombers at the Sand Dollar

Monday April 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Thursday April 28 - Black Csmaro, the Unwieldies and more at the Bunkhouse

Saturday April 30 - Punk Rock BBQ at the Bunkhouse with Franks'n'Deans, Agent 86, Lambs to Lion, War Called Home, Rayner, The Civilians, the Last Gang, Happy Drunk Cartel, Oceanside Sound System, Radio Silence and Joni's Agenda - starts at 7:00 pm

Thursday May 5 - Super Zeroes at the Dive Bar

Friday May 6 - the Super Zeroes and Sex Room at the Double Down

Wednesday May 11 - Shannon and the Clams at Triple B
Wednesday May 11 - The Rhyolite Sound with Durango 66 at the Griffin

Saturday May 14 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders with Alan Six and more at 11th Street Records
Saturday May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Thursday May 19 - Whitey Morgan and the 78's at Vinyl

Friday May 20 - the Sloths, the Astaires, the Van Der Rohe and the Lasses Fairs at the Bunkhouse

Saturday May 21 - Rich's birthday show with The Swamp Gospel, the Rhiolite Sound, The Mapes and the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday May 27 - Franks'n'Deans at Mickey Finnz

Saturday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience
Saturday May 28 - the Kingsmen, Box Tops, Standells, and the Happenings at the Cannery

Saturday June 4 - Ritchie Ramone at the Dive Bar

Friday June 24 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders and more - venue to be announced

Friday July 22 - Eagles of Death Metal at the Hard Rock

Sunday July 24 - Bob Log III at the Golden Tiki

Friday August 12 - Shooter Jennings back by Waylon's Band at Fremont Country Club

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

RIP Prince

BREAKING NEWS: Prince, 57, dies at Minnesota estate just days after he was rushed to hospital from private plane with 'severe flu' 
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Can't say that I was ever a fan, but I can't deny his influence and he did have lots of the correct influences himself. Sad that he was taken so young.

Wednesday, April 20, 2016

None But the Righteous - The Masters of Sacred Steel

I picked up this comp on a whim at our local Zia records since I love cool gospel music and love steel guitar. Wasn't really sure what to expect, but this exceeded my expectations! Hoppin', old-school gospel with some steel guitar experts providing the melodies!

Opening with Sonny Treadway's "Jesus Will Fix It For You", we get an upbeat gospel/blues with some wild steel playing - just can easily picture the congregation on their feet and dancin' in rapture for this one! The Campbell Brothers sing along with the singin' steel in "I Feel Good" - not the James Brown number, but not that far removed! "Call Him By His Name" is a slower, bluesy instrumental by Glenn Lee and peppy, percussive clapping starts off Aubrey Ghent's wild, high-energy "Praise Music", with frantic and distorted steel driving the tune. Another soulfully slow number, Willie Eason's "Little Wooden Church on a Hill" follows and then more boppin', bouncey blues as Glenn Lee returns with "Joyful Sounds". Ghent reappears with "Just a Closer Walk With Thee" and truly make the steel guitar sing with plenty of inflection and style. Maurice "Ted" Beard Jr. gives a live, preachin' version of "The Train", where he imitates the iron horse to accentuate and punctuate his sermon. Another frenzied piece of fallin'-out gospel comes from the Campbell Brothers in the appropriately titled "Jump For Joy" but Beard Jr. comes back for a leisurely groove in "I Want to Go Where Jesus Is". Ghent gives an almost jazzy interpretation of "Amazing Grace", The Campbell Brothers give their take on the vocal "Morning Train" where the steel is mostly in the background, but does give a terrific lead section and Treadway's "At The Cross" is almost country-esque. Ghent's suggestively titled "Can't Nobody Do Me Like Jesus" is more church-y/organ driven, but Aubrey still tears it up in the solos! A new arrival, Calvin Cooke" gives us the slow soul of "Since I Laid My Burden Down", Treadway gives another individualistic reading of "Amazing Grace" and closes (appropriately) with a chorus joining in on "God Be With You".

I love this combination of gospel and steel guitar - surprisingly it works amazingly well! Fine, fine compilation!

Sunday, April 17, 2016

Shot in the Dark - book by David Arnoff

I'm not sure where or when I first met David Arnoff in the early 80's, but I was always impressed by his photography. He had a personal style and a fine eye for composition, angles and a proper use of black and white. He took photos of my band, Thee Fourgiven, that we used on our first album and we often hung out until he moved to England in the mid-80's, where he would occasionally give me scene reports and hipped me to bands like the Scientists and Thee Hypnotics.

This is his first book of photos and is a terrific look at the LA punk rock scene from the mid-70's through the mid 80's, along with sporadic photos from England and elsewhere. The Cramps were certainly a breakthrough band for David, as he shot the cover for their signature album, Songs the Lord Taught Us. But he worked with many, many others, from his first major concert photos of Patti Smith, through the Damned, Ramones, X, Gun Club, the Bags, Dream Syndicate, Nick Cave, Lydia Lunch and on and on.

This book is high quality, with superior reproductions of his striking shots in at least close to his 8x10 format. There is a short interview of him by Lydia Lunch at the end of the book and some remembrances by his subjects.

Truly excellently done and is an essential document of this exciting time. Highly recommended!

Saturday, April 16, 2016

Vegas Rumble at the Hard Hat Lounge Friday April 15, 2016

Set up as an alternative to the Viva Las Vegas rockabily shows and highlighting some of the best and more diverse talent in bands that actually hail from Las Vegas, the HardHat Lounge's Vegas Rumble was a super-fun, if somewhat sparsely attended, show. Though the people that did show up were treated to some great music and they were energetic and appreciative.

Opening the night on the outside converted bus was Vegas' longest-running, ubiquitous, and talented surf/instrumental band, the Swank Bastards. We got there a little late so missed a good portion of their set, unfortunately, but always a good time!



Up next on the inside stage were a couple of my own combos, Melanie and the Midnite Marauders high-energy honky-tonk and the Gentlemen of Four Outs' Prohibition Jazz. We enjoyed ourselves and the audience seemed to, as well. (Photos by unofficial Rants'n'Raves photographer Nikki Ruffling)








Back outside on this uncharacteristically chilly April evening were the Rockabilly/Country/roots-rockin' Sin City Ditch Diggers. Despite the cold and the new (sit-in?) drummer, they did a strong set with a good amount of variety within their chosen genre.



Closing the night inside were the Unwieldies, with their harmony-driven folk/singer-songwriter tunes led by Dani & Rob, accompanied by Jack on the violin and Richard on dobro. Due to some technical difficulties the set was a bit loose, but that just adds to the charm of this intimate combo. Plenty of talent here and I always dig their sound.



There was a lot else going on in town on this night, but those who made it to the Hard Hat got to experience the variety that Vegas has to offer these days.

(Sorry that my camera wasn't up to snuff this evening)

Friday, April 15, 2016

Getting Nowhere Fast – book by Ray Brandes

The San Diego and Los Angeles music scenes have always been well intertwined and it seemed especially so in the late 70’s/early 80’s as bands from both cities made the drive up or down the freeway multiple times every week. It is no surprise that as the guitarist/keyboardist for one of LA’s first garage bands (the Unclaimed), I was fairly intimately involved with the cast of characters in Ray’s book. I played shows with a good number of the bands here and many slept on the floor of my trashy Hollywood apartment. So, of course, it is good fun to read Ray’s reminiscence of these times.

Even so, there are some combos that I did not know – Glory was too early for me and I don’t remember the Dinettes (although they only lasted a couple of years, so that could explain that) – but many were integral in the Los Angeles scene due to their many excursions into town. The Zeros were among the first bands I ever saw in LA – at the infamous Hong Kong Café – although I didn’t get to know those cats until much later – and their tale of being very young teenage punks is awesome. The Crawdaddies were a terrific band (or bands, as members came and went) but, as Ray admits, they were very difficult to deal with personally. They were, however, among the first bands (along with the Unclaimed in LA and others on the east coast) to perfect a 60’s look and style as well as sound – in fact, San Diego was always known for their dedication to cultivating their look exactly, as opposed to LA,, where bands were a bit more free in their adaptations.

Although I got to know the Unknowns somewhat – and was a huge fan – I didn’t know the details of their story, which is fascinating. They are given a decent-sized chapter due to all of their twists and turns and life post-Unknowns – a truly original band at a time when new was clashing and mixing with old. I never knew much about the Beat Farmers, so the band’s prequel – the All Stud All Stars (that for a time included Mark from the Unknowns, among many others) – while interesting and certain integral to the SD scene, didn’t mean a lot to me. Manual Scan, on the other hand – San Diego’s first (according to Brandes, anyway) Mod band – did play in LA often and played with the LA garage bands since the material they were mining was from a similar time. Mods generally did not care for the wilder and more untamed and unkempt garage bands, though, which did cause some friction within the factions.

The chapter on the Nashville Ramblers includes a bit of the members’ histories, and I was surprised to find that the Mystery Machine – with Rambler Carl Rusk and author Ray – only played three shows and I saw the one in LA, which certainly stuck with me, as they were excellent. The Ramblers were one of the best bands of the day – great playing, amazing harmonies and wonderful songwriting. Highly melodic pop but far from wimpy – plenty of power and dynamics involved, as well. Of course, the legendary teenage garage combo, the Gravedigger V, is given its due before the book ends with Ray’s own incredible Pretty Things-styled Tell-Tale Hearts and its own convoluted history of pre and post bands.


Thoughts and Words Press is obviously a small-run release with a few punctuation, grammatical and editing errors (I should talk!) but Ray does a terrific job of telling the story of this local scene and all-too-short time span of excellent SD music. Obviously, there is lots more that can be told about the town’s musical endeavors so hopefully this will be well-received enough for Ray to author a sequel. Essential for lovers of 80’s garage!

Thursday, April 14, 2016

recommended gigs

Thursday April 14 - the Lucky Cheats at the Foundation Room

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

Saturday April 16 - the Delta Bombers with Tiger Army at the House of Blues

Sunday April 17 - Dr Phobic and the Phobic-tones at the Hard Hat

Monday April 18 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday April 21 - Leather Lungs, Black Camero, the Bitters, Strange Mistress at the Bunkhouse

Friday April 22 - the Rhyolite Sound at the Bunkhouse for Honky Tonk Ladies Night
Friday April 22 - The Psyatics, Water Landing, Thee Swank Bastards, Leather Lungs at the Double Down
Friday April 22 - Monk and the Po Boys at the Sand Dollar

Saturday April 23 - the Mapes, the Dammit Jims, Projected Left at Tenaya Creek Brewery

Sunday April 24 - Bob Wayne with the All Togethers at the Dive Bar
Sunday April 24 - the Delta Bombers at the Sand Dollar

Monday April 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday April 30 - Punk Rock BBQ at the Bunkhouse with Franks'n'Deans, Agent 86, Lambs to Lion, War Called Home, Rayner, The Civilians, the Last Gang, Happy Drunk Cartel, Oceanside Sound System, Radio Silence and Joni's Agenda - starts at 7:00 pm

Friday May 6 - the Super Zeroes and Sex Room at the Double Down

Wednesday May 11 - Shannon and the Clams at Triple B

Saturday May 14 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders with Alan Six and more at 11th Street Records
Saturday May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday May 21 - Rich's birthday show with The Swamp Gospel, the Rhiolite Sound, The Mapes and the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday May 27 - Franks'n'Deans at Mickey Finnz

Saturday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

Saturday June 4 - Ritchie Ramone at the Dive Bar

Friday July 22 - Eagles of Death Metal at the Hard Rock

Sunday July 24 - Bob Log III at the Golden Tiki

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Friday, April 08, 2016

Last Exit to Brooklyn (book) - Hubert Selby Jr.

This 1957 book is kind of a combination of novel and short stories, as the seemingly stand-alone chapters eventually intertwine and characters from different parts of the book interact. Written in the Beat style - if there is such a thing - Selby eschews most punctuation and depicts the characters dialogue phonetically as he tells his tale of petty thiefs, violent hoodlums, drag queens, druggies, harpy housewives and plenty more. The subject matter is pretty forward for the time - ala many of the other Beat writers - and he progressively refers to drag queens with the female pronoun, although he does depict a man who discovers that he is homosexual assaulting a child - but that probably had more to do with the low-life character of the man rather than a condemnation of homosexuality.

You do get the feeling that Selby has lived in these neighborhoods where your hear and see most everything in the adjoining apartments and you know far more than you care to about neighbor's lives. Unwanted kids, cheating husbands, screaming wives, alcoholics, drug addled men and women, prostitutes, jazz-lovin', hop-head queers and straights all mix in the hood. Few, if any, of the characters are empathetic but the story is told in a compelling and unique way that keeps your interest and always makes you want to find out what happens next - which doesn't always happen.

Selby is new to me, but really dug this one and will certainly be looking for more. While not exactly rock'n'roll, certainly the same kind of soundtrack that you would hear in your head while reading Kerouac, Ginsberg and the rest.

Thursday, April 07, 2016

recommended gigs


Thursday April 7 - the Swank Bastards at the Beauty Bar

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

Saturday April 9 - the Lucky Cheats with Shanda and the Howlers at the Sand Dollar
Saturday April 9 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger

Sunday April 10 - the Scoundrels with the People's Whiskey at the Dive Bar

Monday April 11 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 13 - the Swank Bastards at the Atomic Style Lounge

Thursday April 14 - the Lucky Cheats at the Foundation Room

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

Saturday April 16 - the Delta Bombers with Tiger Army at the House of Blues

Sunday April 17 - Dr Phobic and the Phobic-tones at the Hard Hat

Monday April 18 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday April 22 - the Rhyolite Sound at the Bunkhouse for Honky Tonk Ladies Night
Friday April 22 - The Psyatics, Water Landing, Thee Swank Bastards, Leather Lungs at the Double Down

Saturday April 23 - the Mapes, the Dammit Jims, Projected Left at Tenaya Creek Brewery

Sunday April 24 - Bob Wayne with the All Togethers at the Dive Bar
Sunday April 24 - the Delta Bombers at the Sand Dollar

Monday April 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday May 6 - the Super Zeroes and Sex Room at the Double Down

Wednesday May 11 - Shannon and the Clams at the Beauty Bar

Saturday May 14 - Melanie and the Midnite Marauders with Alan Six and more at 11th Street Records
Saturday May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday May 21 - Rich's birthday show with The Swamp Gospel, the Rhiolite Sound, The Mapes and the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

Saturday June 4 - Ritchie Ramone at the Dive Bar

Friday July 22 - Eagles of Death Metal at the Hard Rock

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Wednesday, April 06, 2016

RIP Merle Haggard


RIP: Merle Haggard, country music icon, passes away on 79th birthday
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Not exactly rock'n'roll, but a musical icon none-the-less....

Saturday, April 02, 2016

The Psyatics Japanese Tour Diary (guest blogger Rob Psyatic)


As anyone who has ever read this blog knows, Las Vegas' Psyatics are one of my favorite local bands. Their mix of garage rock'n'roll with post-punk noise is unique yet catchy and their musicianship and songwriting is pretty damn exceptional. Damn nice guys too! So, when they got a chance to go to Japan for a short tour with the Heiz, I asked if they would like to do a diary for this blog and here it is! Hopefully, I'll keep the photos more or less in order and won't mess it up too much with my limited formatting within Blogger. Dig it!
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3/26/16  ZHER THE ZOO: It was a beautiful, slightly overcast 46 degrees in Tokyo, Japan as we made our way from Akasaka Mitsuke to Zher The Zoo in Yoyogi for tonight’s show.  All the local clubs seem to be basement bars, with soundproof doors reminiscent of a bank vault.  Tickets for the shows were 2000 yen in advance, 2500 yen at the door (around $23), and the venues seem to hold around 50-60 people max.  Prior to soundcheck, all the bands meet for an introduction and to show thanks for being there.

All the Tokyo clubs provide backline for ease of switching acts and the limitations of space to store equipment (full drum kit, Marshall stack, Ampeg bass cab and Hartke head).  This club setup was unique from the others, as they had a secondary stage set up for bands to play the intermission during change over.  Shows begin and end early, with tonight scheduled from 5:30p to 9P, 30 minute sets with 15 minute change-overs/sets on the secondary stage.

 Charlie Brown and the Snoopys

5:45P-  ‘Charlie Brown and The Snoopys’-  the opening act was The Heiz (a GREAT Japanese rock and roll trio, as well as our hosts) backing pompadoured singer Charlie Brown, faithfully playing through a set of American Graffiti soundtrack tunes:  Rock Around The Clock, 16 Candles, Joey Dee’s Peppermint Twist, Surfin’ Safari (complete with dance lessons that the crowd ate up!), Only You and At the Hop.  Impressive playing with sweet dance moves by Charlie.  Fun renditions and a great way to start off the night!  The in-between sets ranged from acoustic acts to a full band banging out classic 50s tunes like Good Golly Miss Molly and Johnny B Goode.  Most banter is in Japanese, but the happiness and love for the music is obvious!

Murock O'Clock

6:40P- ‘Murock O’Clock’- A four man band with all originals, sung in Japanese.  The group meshed genres, but predominantly had the feel of an 80s Sunset Strip rock and roll band, while holding slight hints of the Who, lots of rock guitar solos and a keyboard who’s patch lightened up the vibe- bringing some Hives into the mix.  Devil horns were thrown and a good time was had by all.


Psyatics soundcheck


Psyatics gig

7:35P- ‘The Psyatics’- We take the stage, playing a set consisting of songs from each of our two albums and a cover of “I Can’t Stand It’ by the Velvet Underground.  A great response, and lots of fun to perform there.

8:30- ‘The Heiz’- these cats are the real deal!  A 3 piece rock and roll trio steeped in Chuck Berry riffs, duck walking and infectious joy on stage as they rip through covers like Rock and Roll Music, Tooty  Fruity and equally great originals like 16 Reasons, Black Pepper Girl, Dead (sung by Asako-bass player), Whole Lotta Pizza (sung by Kim Ramone-drummer) and Hurry Up Baby.  Singer/guitar player Shak is in strong form, with stellar musicianship and their exuberance shining through in the performance!  Tonight is also Asako’s birthday, and celebrations continue all night, culminating in an impromptu double kit drum jam with Jimmy from The Psyatics joining Kim to end the night!  A great time to be out, and it wrapped up early enough to hit the bars before letting jet lag take us down.  Thanks to all the bands, and Zher The Zoo for hosting the night.



3/27/16  SDR: Tonight we play a venue called SDR in Machida, about a 45 minute train ride away.  The city seems a very accessible place with the help of a Pasmo card and a great rail system.  This is another basement club, but the feel is more intimate, like a house party.  This eve is loaded with stellar acts, so I’ll try to remember all (as I throw down some locally brewed Japanese IPAs).

The first thing I want to point out is how great these band meetings before gigs are!  We all congregate in the center of the room, introduce ourselves, applaud and bow for each of tonight’s performers.  The respect for sharing talent is inspiring.  On a side note, it is an interesting  to observe that EVERYBODY smokes here.  In between bands, everyone congregates to the bar or  the merch tables to chat and have a cigarette, although they are put out by the time the next band takes the stage, I only assume to respect and give attention to the performers.

Railroad Steel

Summertime

The first band up was ‘Railroad Steel’- great rock and roll…hear shades of The Hellacopters and Jim Jones, with guitar riffs that echo “Bad To the Bone” and Motello’s “Jet Boy, Jet Girl”.  A fun act that concludes with “Whole Lotta Shakin’” (the Japanese REALLY love that 50’s rock and roll)!  The second act, roughly translated as ‘Summertime’, are a three piece punk band, playing catchy, sing-along (if they weren’t all sung in Japanese) songs that recall Rancid, Buzzcocks and Vice Squad.  Talking with these young kids afterwords, they cite Ramones, Sex Pistols, Green Day and The Devil Dogs?! as influences.  Whole lotta fun!!

All OK

Up next was the band ‘All OK’.  Another 3 piece band, with a sound similar to a Sub Pop 90’s rock, then segway into an interesting mixture of Flea style slap bass against Blues Explosion guitar riffs.  They effortlessly change course again for 50’s balladry and Stones grooves.  The talent of these players is immense, and I dig the wide range of styles.  Although it may come across as odd, it somehow works in the context.


The Heiz

I’m always psyched to watch ‘The Heiz’, especially on their own turf, and the never disappoint.  Summertime Blues, 3-4-7, Keihin NO.3 and more are given a good beating, Kim pops up from behind the kit to sing Blitzkrieg Bop and ripping solos from Shak through Too Much Rock and Roll Business!  Not only are their shows rocking, awe inspiring performances, but they make it seem so effortless.  Worth the price of admission alone!!

The Psyatics


Jello Kids

The Midnight TV Programs

‘The Psyatics’ take the stage next, doing what we do best:  making lots of noise!  Our funnest night so far!!  A group which I BELIEVE was called ‘Jello Kids’ were up next- with impressive country finger picking, Chet Atkins style over train beat percussion, while simultaneously referencing New York Dolls and T-Rex.  Very enjoyable!  ‘The Midnight TV Programs’ channeled that classic 50’s American rock and roll to great effect, playing tight, well-structured songs, great harmonies and capping it off with “Roll Over Beethoven”…genuine nice guys and just helluva musicians.

Wasurette Motels

The final act tonight was at trio called the ‘Wasurete Motels’- translates roughly to the Please Forget Me Motels…one of my fave acts of the night, and hard to classify.  Punk speed rock and roll, which ran a spectrum of sea chanty songs to the Specials ‘Monkey Man’ type rock and ska beats…songs at home on the Animal House soundtrack as well as Aladdin Sane.  Fast rocking, fun, and amazing to watch- they had the crowd mesmerized until the last song was done.  So in awe of the talent of these local, gigging musicians here, and I feel extremely lucky to be a part of it all.


HANKs

3/28/16  Hearts+:  Every day is a short train ride and transfer to another part of Japan, and today we travel to Otsuka to play Hearts+.  Tonight is only four bands, with another touring act joining us from the UK.  Doors open at 6P, with the first act being a young 3 piece punk band called ‘HANKs’.  Playing harmony driven, punchy songs reminiscent of Ramones, Michelle Gun Elephant and Sex Pistols- they bang through a rocking 30 minute set, and crank up the energy in the room!
 
Another Eden

‘The Psyatics’ took the stage second, switching things around with the inclusion of Bad Man by the Oblivions and original Oncoming Train to great reception.  ‘Another Eden’ from the UK played next, and out of all the music I heard on this trip, this was the only band that was not my cup of tea.  90’s rock, reminding me at times of Mad Season, Pearl Jam or Alice in Chains performed by a group of local backing musicians for hire, while the singer ran through numbers about Trump, Wiretapping and the virtues of his Sensei.  It all gave the feel of a performance from Aldous Snow in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Not my thing-



The Heiz

Luckily, ‘The Heiz’ brought the house back to rights with a damn fine set, filled with R&R done right, taken from the 50’s songbooks, improved upon and handed back to us ;)  Originals like Hurry Up Baby, Dead End, Don’t Let Me Down and Wait Wait Wait sit right at home with classics like Rock and Roll Radio.  Couldn’t think of a better way to end the night!!

Psyatics, Heiz, HANKs



This trip was a full-on blast, with plans to do a much more extended tour next year, travelling outside of the city to more remote areas already in the works.  Next, we sightsee, enjoy the rest of our time in Japan and concentrate on the next album, reenergized and reinvigorated!

If you haven’t heard ‘The Heiz’, do yourself a favor and pick up the new album- a ‘best of’ collection released on the Vegas-based Squidhat Records label.  Essential stuff!!!

And thanks to Rich for letting us spout out on his forum!    

Akasaka

Otsuka
                   

Best, Robt- The Psyatics

http://www.squidhatrecords.com/