Thursday, March 31, 2016

recommended gigs


Friday April 1 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki
Friday April 1 - Alan Six, Radio Silence, Leather Lungs, Prince at the Dive Bar

Saturday April 2 - Water Landing, Red Seduction at the Zombie Apocalypse Bar
Saturday April 2 - Michale Graves (of the Misfits) at the Dive Bar
Saturday April 2 - Guantanimo Baywatch with the Van Der Rohe and more at the Bunkhouse

Monday April 4 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tues April 5 - Nekrogoblikon, Swamp Pussy, Firewater Folklore at the Dive Bar

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

Monday April 11 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

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

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

Monday April 25 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 27 - the Swank Bastards at the Double Down

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

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

RIP Andy Newman


Andy 'Thunderclap' Newman dead at 73
 ---
"Something in the Air" is a wonderful song - always a favorite.

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Liquid Generation - Quarter to Zen

I've been pals with Bob Blackburn, who played guitar in Bellevue, Washington's Liquid Generation, for several decades now, but never got to see the band, as it broke up before Bob moved to Los Angeles in the 80's. Bob actually played in a garage band in the 60's in Portland before moving to Bellevue and joining LQ in the early 80's. The rest of the band was comprised of John "Sky" Branin on lead guitar, John Conrard on bass, Jeremy Meyer on vocals and Randy Nash on drums, along with a few miscellaneous other musicians appearing here & there. Their sound was a fusion of raw garage and 60's psych, with an emphasis on fierce covers of older tunes, but with a few wild originals mixed in.

This CD is put together with tracks from several recording sessions, starting with the original title track, which is a rockin' piece of fuzz-garage with some psychedelic attributes, wild lead guitar and cool harmonies. Snotty vocals highlight their take on "We're Pretty Quick", insanely overdriven guitars give the Remains' "All Good Things" a completely different feel from the original, the Wailers' "Hang Up" is equally crazed, with demented vocals provided by Jeremy, who held a can opened blade to his fingers to get the proper "painful" sound! Their "She's Mine" is a slight let-up in intensity, but is pretty damn frantic and the lead is fuzzily deranged. The Troggs' "From Home" gets a fine reading, the Wailers' "Out of Our Tree" has some frenzied rhythm guitar by Bob, and they bring us another one of their own creations in "This is the World We Live In", another combination of fuzz/psych.

Back to the Remains for a bit more traditional take on the fab "Once Before" and then the Kinks' "I Need You" (though with their own idiosyncrasies thrown in) before they give us a manic, punky, low-fi version of the Syndicate of Sounds' "Little Girl" (one of their first recordings,with a psychotic lead break owing nothing to the SoS version). "Til the End of Time" is another of their own, which reminds me of bands like the Gonn, incorporating more psych licks into their fuzz, then another oldie with "Nothing", the Easybeats' "Going Out of My Mind", Blackburns' "I Love You" (you would think it was a 60's classic - dig the percussion break and ravin' fuzz guitar) and ending with another one of Meyer's, the organ-dominated, mid-tempo "Endless Summer".

These cats could easily have fit in with LA's 80's garage scene (though from the photos, they couldn't find as good of clothes as we did in LA thrift stores - hah!) with their fine playing and vocalizing and interpretations of 60's tunes. I think that this is a limited edition so get it quick (Green Monkey Records in Seattle) before it disappears if you dig 80's garage madness!

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

RIP Patty Duke

Patty Duke, Oscar Winner and Sitcom Star, Dies at 69 
---

 No, she wasn't a rock'n'roll singer, but The Patty Duke Show was a staple for any 60's kid. Once again, far too young...

Thursday, March 24, 2016

recommended gigs

Friday Mar 25 - Killian's Angels at Railroad Pass Casino in Henderson

Saturday Mar 26 - LeDomiNiki at Artifice
Saturday Mar 26 - the All Togethers at the Pioneer Saloon

Wednesday Mar 30 - Dickies at HOB

Friday April 1 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki
Friday April 1 - Alan Six, Radio Silence, Leather Lungs, Prince at the Dive Bar

Saturday April 2 - Water Landing, Red Seduction at the Zombie Apocalypse Bar
Saturday April 2 - Michale Graves (of the Misfits) at the Dive Bar

Tues April 5 - Nekrogoblikon, Swamp Pussy, Firewater Folklore at the Dive 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

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

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 May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday May 21 - The Swamp Gospel, the Rhiolite Sound, The Mapes and more TBA 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, March 23, 2016

The Swamp Gospel, Gentlemen of Four Outs, Melanie & the Midnite Marauders, the Psyatics at the Double Down, Friday Mar 18, 2016

OK, I played in 3 out of the 4 bands this night, so not much that I can say, other than Thank You to the Double Down Saloon for hosting Richapalooza and letting us take over the bar for an evening and thank you to everyone who played. We had a great time and hopefully, everyone else did, as well. The Psyatics, who I have mentioned innumerable times on this blog, were smokin' as always, though by their set, I was a bit out of it from playin'n'drinkin' so I didn't take notes! They are on their way to Japan for a short tour and hopefully they will give me a report for this blog. In any case, thank you also to everyone who came out and for all of the photos below - I will try to give credit where credit is due!


THE SWAMP GOSPEL:


(photo by Nikki Ruffling)


(photo by Clay Heximer)


(photo by Nikki Ruffling)


(on top of the pool table - photo by Mark Bartschi)


(Rob Bell [Psyatics/Gentlemen] singing "Strychnine" - photo by Nikki Ruffling)

THE GENTLEMEN OF FOUR OUTS:


(photo by Nikki Ruffling)


(photo by Nikki Ruffling)


(photo by Kalani Weldon)

MELANIE AND THE MIDNITE MARAUDERS:




(MMM photos by Nikki Ruffling)

THE PSYATICS
(photos by me)





Thursday, March 17, 2016

recommended gigs


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
Saturday Mar 19 - Water Landing at Adrenaline Sports Bar
Saturday Mar 19 - The Rhiolite Sound at Saddles'n'Spurs 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Wednesday Mar 23 - the Two Tens at the Beauty Bar
Wednesday Mar 23 - Stump Tail Dolly, the All Togethers and El Banjo at the Dive Bar

Friday Mar 25 - Killian's Angels at Railroad Pass Casino in Henderson

Saturday Mar 26 - LeDomiNiki at Artifice

Friday April 1 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki
Friday April 1 - Alan Six, Radio Silence, Leather Lungs, Prince at the Dive Bar

Tues April 5 - Nekrogoblikon, Swamp Pussy, Firewater Folklore at the Dive 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

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

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 May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Saturday May 21 - The Swamp Gospel, the Rhiolite Sound and more TBA 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

Tuesday, March 15, 2016

The Sonics - 8

I just discovered this EP on You Tube (thanks John!) today and don't own it, but this apparently is the latest release from the reconstituted Sonics - singer Gerry, guitarist Larry (who also produced this), sax-man Rob, along with bassist/singer Freddy and drummer Ricky, also joined here by Larry's brother Andy on the studio cuts (though Freddy is singing). This sounds as potent and vicious as their latest full length, This is the Sonics, and has several live takes, as well as new studio cuts.

While the lyrics are fairly silly to "Cheap Shades" (no relation to ZZ Top's "Cheap Sunglasses", though thematically the same), Gerry is raw'n'fierce, the rhythms are poundin' and Larry & Rob fill out with power chords'n'licks. The riff-rocker "Bad Attitude" (not the DMZ song) follows, with Freddy sellin' the lead vocals and Larry givin' some wild leads and interesting progressions. Ricky lays down the mid-tempo beat for "Don't Back Down" (not the Tom Petty song!) and Larry adds some sparsely huge'n'menacing chords over it and "Vampire Kiss" is a minor key, swingin', groover that, oddly, reminds me of some Rick Derringer solo work - which I dig! More great'n'clever lead playing from Larry here!

These studio cuts are all quite cool, but then we get several live tracks that are absolutely ferocious! A smokin' "Cinderella" (where Rob adds a harp solo), a wild'n'toxic "Strychnine" (two solos from Larry and chant-alongs from the audience!), a surprising and quite cool live version of the not-so-common semi-ballad "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" and a fine piece of mania in the classic "Psycho" where it sounds like the entire crowd is singing along with Gerry!

I think that's all that's supposed to be on the vinyl release (hence the title, I suppose), but apparently there's also a version with the boss "Boss Hoss" (great sax!) and another surprise with "The Hustler" (another somewhat uncommon number that the Chesterfield Kings did a fab version of on their first LP),

Yeah, the newer songs aren't quite the same as their 60's material, but they are all still solid rockin' numbers and the energy and power that these cats put behind it all makes these releases well worthwhile! Love the live stuff, especially!

Monday, March 14, 2016

The Nomads - Demolicion!

Sweden's Nomads are a legendary garage/ punk /rock'n'roll band that started in the early/mid 80's and continue on to this day and this live recording from Madrid in 2014 shows that they haven't lost any steam in the ensuing years!

When they started, they covered plenty of 60's garage numbers, but still had some fantastic originals such as "Where the Wolf Bane Blooms" that appears on this release. Since then, they have put out innumerable records and so have a large repertoire of originals to choose from. I haven't been keeping up with all of their latest albums so I was not familiar with all of these songs, but they are all strong bursts of melodically catchy punk'n'roll with singer Nick in top form and lead guitarist Hans still screamin' the strings with the best of them!

While most of this set is fast'n'furious, they also show their moody side with the slower, tremelo'd guitar-driven "The Bad Times Will Do Me Good", but smoke it out with the fabulous "Knowledge Comes With Death's Release" and the new-ish "Don't Kill the Messenger", along with the rest of the show. The closer, "Lowdown Shakin' Chills" blows it all out of the water and surely knocked the audience for a loop!

These cats influenced the entire Norway/Sweden/Scandinavia scene (Hellacopters, Gluecifer, Turbonegro, Hives, Strypes, to name a few), as well legions of garage'n'roll bands around the world. Still setting' 'em on fire wherever they go - everything they do is worth having! This is a limited release that a friend was kind enough to copy for me, so grab it if ya find it!

Friday, March 11, 2016

Ben Edmonds, too!

Music journalist Ben Edmonds dies at 65 
---

RIP Keith Emerson


Keith Emerson dead at 71
 ---
Can't say that I was a big fan, but his music was definitely part of my youth and some of it was quite cool. And, he was a heckuva performer. Again, why so young?

Horrible if this update is true:

Keith Emerson's Death - Gunshot to the Head ...Looks Like Suicide
 ---

Thursday, March 10, 2016

The Peculiar Pretzelmen - Uncanny Eyes

Going back even further in time to 2007, this PP release (the CD that I have has vastly different artwork) includes the duo of Kevin and Deacon, of course (who perform live these days), as well as Marrquin Riverboat Gonzalez, Party Paul, Anna Godwin Graves and Adam Zygmunt. This recording possibly reminds me a bit more of Kevin's work with Soda and His Million Piece Band though with his own unique stylings. Deacon's percussion work creates the basis for the proceedings which again combines sea shanties, gypsy rhythms and 20's/30's Tin Pan Alley to form something weird'n'wild.

While K&D are always terrific live, I do dig the additional instruments on the recordings - usually more oddball ornamentation that you will have a hard time pinning down, but effectively augmenting the tunes.

I know I always mention Tom Waits, because I'm not very creative like that (and damned if "Pretty Eyes" doesn't sound like it could have come off of Rain Dogs), but there are also hints of Dr. John New Orleans-hoodoo, as well as the afore-mentioned similarities to Soda's work ("Undertaker" particularly reminds me of something that could have appeared on one of his records with its mandolin and accordion work), some sorta-kinda Dylan-folk ("New York Girls"), maybe a touch of Leonard Cohen in "Pass the Kerosene" and plenty of other influences.

Again, fine stuff - haven't heard anything of theirs that I haven't liked. Dig 'em!

The Peculiar Pretzelmen - Innumerable Seeds of Calamity

It can be difficult to describe the Pretzelmen without evoking Tom Waits - at least for me - as that is the most similar musical token that comes to mind. This duo - percussionist Deacon and multi-instrumentalist Kevin Incroyable - are joined here by a number of other musicians, including very effective horn sections, vocalists, and who-knows-what-all to create a sound that is old-timey hobo-jazz mixed with gypsy rhythms, blues, folk and anything else that comes to mind. Sometimes you'll think you're listening to 30's cartoon music, sometimes Romanian campfire tunes, and other times drunken sailor shanties.

This CD was recorded in 2010, so I don't know if Kevin did not have some of his current hand-made instruments (the film canister banjo and uke, to name a couple) or if it simply the recording techniques, but the stringed instruments sound more organic here, which I like. The horns are of the less common clarinet/oboe variety (as opposed to sax/trumpet/etc.), which adds to the nostalgic feel. But, Incroyable's songwriting has enough oddness throughout to keep you from ever quite knowing what to expect next and his vocals range from a croon to a howl. Deacon's highly creative percussion compliments the stories that Kevin tells and is often another voice for the lyrics.

While I use Waits as a touchstone to give an idea of the style, the Pretzelmen really just sound like themselves - and they have quite a bit of variety within their idiom. All of the CDs - and there are a number - they are quite prolific - are great and they're highly entertaining live, so see 'em/hear 'em whenever and however you can!

recommended gigs


Friday Mar 11 - The Mapes, Black Camero and lots more at the Neon Reverb Festival at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Mar 12 - Yosemite Slam, 3d6, Jerk, Durango 66 at The Rockin' Dead Zombie Apocalypse Bar
Saturday Mar 12 - the Astaires, Party Baby, Quitters, Sad Girl, Tijuana Panthers - Neon Reverb Festival at the Beauty Bar

Sunday Mar 13 - the Koffin Kats and the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar
Sunday Mar 13 - Chuck Ragan, Jeff Mix and the Songhearts, Eleanor Friedberger, Dusty Sunshine, Paige Overton, the All Togethers at the Neon Reverb Festival at Triple B

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
Saturday Mar 19 - Water Landing at Adrenaline Sports Bar
Saturday Mar 19 - The Rhiolite Sound at Saddles'n'Spurs 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Wednesday Mar 23 - the Two Tens at the Beauty Bar
Wednesday Mar 23 - Stump Tail Dolly, the All Togethers and El Banjo at the Dive Bar

Saturday Mar 26 - LeDomiNiki at Artifice

Friday April 1 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Tues April 5 - Nekrogoblikon, Swamp Pussy, Firewater Folklore at the Dive 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

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

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 May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Wednesday, March 09, 2016

RIP George Martin


George Martin, Producer and Arranger for The Beatles, Dies at 90
 ---

Tuesday, March 08, 2016

RIP Andrew Loomis from Dead Moon


R.I.P. Dead Moon Drummer Andrew Loomis
 ---

Johnny Cash - Walking the Line: The Legendary Sun Recordings

Truthfully, for most of my life I have not been a big Johnny Cash fan. When he first came to pop
prominence with "A Boy Named Sue", I thought that the song was goofy and his voice was terrible. I have come to appreciate his voice for what it is (powerful, but certainly not a traditionally "good" voice in any sense of the word) and appreciate his contributions to the world of rock, country and pop. This 3-CD compilation of his work with Sun Records is among my favorite recordings of his, where he - along with the other early Sun artists - blended country, r'n'b and rock'n'roll to create their own sounds. His is a bit more country than some, which may be why I wasn't a fan for a while,  but I definitely dig it now!

Right off the bat we get the title cut, one that should need no introduction to anyone who knows anything about country or r'n'r. His minimalist approach - with the Tennessee Two, Luther Perkins of the sparsely melodic lead guitar and Marshall Grant on stand-up bass - is pretty different from the fuller sounds of rockers like Jerry Lee or Elvis, but is infectious regardless. He spits out rapid-fire lyrics in the upbeat "Get Rhythm", get a bit slower on "There You Go", continues with his train-rhythm in "Train of Love", gets a cross-over hit in the catchy "Cry! Cry! Cry!", raves-on in "Hey Porter!" and "So Doggone Lonesome" but then stalls with corny backing vocals on "Ballad of a Teenage Queen". He's back in the saddle with the rockin' rockabilly of "Big River", kinda has a Marty Robins' feel in "Guess Things Happen That Way", kinda of an Elvis style with the backing vocals in "The Ways of a Woman in Love", a country ballad in "I Forgot to Remember to Forget", there's the novelty-ish "Sugartime", "It's Just About Time" and "Katy Too", a rockabilly/gospel blend in "Belshazzar", a "Walk the Line" soundalike in "Life Goes On" and the first CD concludes with the love ballad "You're the Nearest Thing to Heaven".

The classic "Folsom Prison Blues" shows why it is one of the most covered songs of all time, with it's melodic guitar lines and lyrics that are both boastful and regretful. In a similar vein is the autobiographical "Luther Played the Boogie", while "Straight A's in Love" is a bit more straight rockabilly, "Home of the Blues" is more ballad-y (with Luther adding some by-now familiar-sounding riffs), Johnny trades vocals with himself on the slow, traditional-sounding "Port of Lonely Hearts", he goes for the lower reaches of his baritone in the somewhat more upbeat "Come In Stranger", "Country Boy" swings in a country style, and they sound pretty conventionally country in "Wide Open Road". Luther's muted guitar lines carry the slower "Don't Make Me Go", they get a bit jokey in the short, anti-liquor "Leave That Junk Alone" (in which, Johnny ironically sounds drunk), and go for the rockabilly rhythms in "Mean Eyed Cat", and mid-tempo Cash-styles in "Next in Line" and "Give My Love to Rose", they do a fine readings of a group of Hank Williams' tunes: "Cold, Cold Heart", "Hey Good Lookin'", "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You", "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still In Love With You", and "You Win Again".

CD 3 begins with several more traditional songs, such as Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene", "Goodbye, Little Darlin', Goodbye", "The Wreck of the Old '97", "Blue Train", the skiffle hit "Rock Island Line", the gospel number "I Was There When It Happened", a ballad in "Remember Me", Jim Reeves' country hit "I Love You Because", the mellow "Born to Lose" that Ray Charles made famous, the bouncin' "New Mexico", a bit of corn in "Down the Street to 301" with kind of annoying backing vocals, the mid-tempo "Fools Hall of Fame", the snappy rockabilly of "If the Creek Don't Rise", Flatt and Scruggs' bluegrass hit "Doin' My Time", Charlie Rich's country number "Thanks a Lot" (not Ernest Tubb's), Don Gibson's hit "Oh Lonesome Me" (that he, ironically, did with June Carter), the maudlin "Story of a Broken Heart" and wrapping up with yet another train song "I Heard That Lonesome Whistle".

I really enjoy the sparseness of these early recordings, although I must admit that without drums, the songs are not as exciting as some of his contemporaries' releases. Still, fine examples of how much country and rock (and blues) crossed over in the early days of rock'n'roll.

Monday, March 07, 2016

The Peculiar Pretzelmen at the Golden Tiki - Mar 6,2016

The Peculiar Pretzelmen are a Los Angeles based duo, that will at times add other members for special projects, but generally tours as the two-piece, for obvious economic reasons. This evening they appeared at Las Vegas' latest tiki joint, the Golden Tiki, on their small stage by the back of the room. Evolving from Soda and His Million Piece Band, their sound is a mix of Soda/Tom Waits/Dylan/whatever-else-they-can-think-of. Very cool and very unique.

A late-ish start - a little after 10:00pm - on a Sunday night meant not a whole lot of people were in attendance, and the fact that the bar stopped them during a pregnant pause in one of their numbers to inform them that they had to stop for a half hour so that filming could take place for a reality TV show (shades of the Pioneer Saloon!) meant that some people had to leave before seeing a full set. But the PP were professional and good-natured about it all and still put on a great show.

I only manged to stay through the two-part first set, which included numbers like "Mr. Rabbit", "Rabbit Foot Blues", "Pobrecito" (the songs that was interrupted - they picked up exactly where they left off when they returned to the stage), the traditional "Tom Dooley", and several others that I was not familiar with, including the opener that was reminiscent of "Desolation Row" and the set closer where Deacon mimiced the banjo riffs on his percussion kit.

Although the space is fairly small, the feeling is not quite as intimate as the two times they have played at the Huntridge Tavern. Still, this folk/noise combo never fails to entertain with their high-quality tunes, home-made string instruments (film canister banjo and ukulele - sorta/kinda) and car-parts percussion. They plan to be back to Vegas over the summer so plan on seeing them! They have a number of CDs available (I picked up two more this time out) so buy some souvenirs of the show, as well!






Saturday, March 05, 2016

The Rhyolite Sound, Nellie Wilson at the Bunkhouse, Friday Mar 4, 2016

This evening was the first of a series of "Honky Tonk Women Ladies' Night" at the Bunkhouse, hosted by the newly christened The Rhyolite Sound - formerly Eddy Bear and the Cubs. The club was packed for the night with dancin'n'drinkin' couples, so there seems no doubt that there is an audience for this type of entertainment.

The night began with Nellie Wilson, which is Paige Overton from The Clydesdale singing Willie Nelson numbers, backed by members of the Rhyolite Sound. The group consisted of the frontline of Wade on lead guitar, Erik on acoustic guitar and backing vocals, Davis on stand-up bass, Larry on drums (always good to see him bashin's the skins - a great player!) and Joel on lap steel - all fantastic players giving Paige a solid foundation. She has a fine voice and they ran through a number of tunes that I was not familiar with (I am not all that knowledgeable about Willie), but I recognized "Whiskey River", "Help Me Make It Through the Night", "The Last Thing I Needed This Morning" and the closer "On the Road Again". It's always fun to see Wade and Joel interact musically - both amazing players spinnin' intricately clever riffs'n'licks - while Larry & Davis held down the fort and Erik added some excellent harmonies. There was a lot of variety in the songs - fast, slow, different tempos, key changes, etc. Great set with much of the crowd dancin' up a storm throughout- will definitely see that again!









I think this is the first show I've seen as the Rhyolite Sound, but the boys haven't changed their sound and are just as good as ever! They had a sit-in drummer this night (anyone wanna commit to this band? Nice guys and good music - there's gotta be a talented drummer in town that wants to honky-tonk the night away!) and Joel added pedal steel to their set, as well - love hearing this sound in their set, especially by such a superior player! Lots of great tunes like "Got You On My Mind", "Little Sister" (with Wade wailin' away), some originals, a song introduced as a ZZ Top cover that I didn't recognize, "I Lie When I Drink" (especially good interaction between Wade & Joel), "Turn It Up, Turn It Loose", "Ooh Las Vegas" (with Paige sitting in on vocals), "The Bulge in Satan's Pants", (shots were being passed around the stage by this point, as people bought the boys a number of rounds), Wayne Hancock's "Neon Lights", "Folson Prison Blues", "I Think Too Much When I Drink Too Much" and just when we thought they were going to end, Wade & Joel went off on dueling leads and led into Slim Harpo's "Hip Shake Thing" (that the Lucky Cheats also cover) with Wade singing. Amazingly fun set with plenty of folks two-stepping the night away!










Thanks to the Bunkhouse for hosting a cool night of desert honky-tonk! Looking forward to this being a regular thing!

Thursday, March 03, 2016

recommended gigs


Friday Mar 4 - the Part Time Criminals and the Unwieldies at the Sand Dollar
Friday Mar 4 - James Intveld with the Centuries, Pyro Surfers and the Ditch Diggers at Triple B
Friday Mar 4 - the Rhyolite Sound with Nellie Wilson at the Bunkhouse
Friday Mar 4 - the Super Zeroes at the Village Courtyard
Friday Mar 4 - the All Togethers at the House of Blues

Saturday Mar 5 - the All Togethers, Legendary Boilermakers, Water Landing at Bonnie Springs Ranch - starts at 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM

Sunday Mar 6 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen at the Golden Tiki
Sunday Mar 6 - Pussyrama with the Pussyrammers at the Double Down

Monday Mar 7 - The Rhyolite Sound with Jackson Taylor and the Sinners at the Beauty Bar

Friday Mar 11 - The Mapes, Black Camero and lots more at the Neon Reverb Festival at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Mar 12 - Yosemite Slam, 3d6, Jerk, Durango 66 at The Rockin' Dead Zombie Apocalypse Bar
Saturday Mar 12 - the Astaires, Party Baby, Quitters, Sad Girl, Tijuana Panthers - Neon Reverb Festival at the Beauty Bar

Sunday Mar 13 - the Koffin Kats and the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar
Sunday Mar 13 - Chuck Ragan, Jeff Mix and the Songhearts, Eleanor Friedberger, Dusty Sunshine, Paige Overton, the All Togethers at the Neon Reverb Festival at Triple B

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
Saturday Mar 19 - Water Landing at Adrenaline Sports Bar

Wednesday Mar 23 - the Two Tens at the Beauty Bar
Wednesday Mar 23 - Stump Tail Dolly, the All Togethers and El Banjo at the Dive Bar

Saturday Mar 26 - LeDomiNiki at Artifice

Tues April 5 - Nekrogoblikon, Swamp Pussy, Firewater Folklore at the Dive Bar

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

Saturday April 9 - the Lucky Cheats at the Sand Dollar
Saturday April 9 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger

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

Friday April 22 - the Rhyolite Sound at the Bunkhouse for Honky Tonk Ladies Night

Saturday May 14 - the New Waves at the Pioneer Saloon

Monday May 28 - Joan Jett at Fremont Street Experience

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Kokomo Arnold - Old Original Kokomo Blues

Kokomo Arnold was a travelin' bluesman, who was born outside of Atlanta, GA, but moved around throughout the North, working in the steel mills, before settling in the Chicago area. There he recorded a number of sides for Decca in the 30's, including his iconic "Milk Cow Blues" and "Old Original Kokomo Blues".

In this compilation we also get his first recordings - a couple of tunes he did as Gitfiddle Jim, which showed his proficiency at acoustic slide guitar years before his more famous sessions. Besides his exceptional guitar work, he has some fine lyrics and melodies, strung together in his own unique and interesting ways. His work was influenced by his friend Tommy Johnson and he, in turn, impacted Robert Johnson.

The songs are all strong, as are his performances, making me wonder why this man isn't more well known. Possibly due to the fact that he did not go out of his way to promote himself and seemed just as content to work as a janitor than to play shows. Regardless, any fan of acoustic blues should hear this!