Thursday, December 28, 2017

recommended gigs


Friday Dec 29 - Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions, Alex Squared at the Double Down

Sunday Dec 31 - Johnny Zig and the Highlighters at the Double Down

Sunday Jan 7 - the Rhyolite Sound, Billy Don Burns and Bob Wayne at the Dive Bar

Saturday Jan 13 - the Delta Bombers with Will and the Hi Rollers at the Bunkhouse
Saturday Jan 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Jan 13 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday Jan 17 - Dead Country Gentlemen and Kid You're No Fighter at the Griffin

Wednesday Jan 24 - the Psyatics, the Pine Hill Haints, Slow Motion Cowboys at the Double Down
Wednesday Jan 24 - the Rhyolite Sound with the Reeves Brothers at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 27 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs at the Huntridge Tavern
Saturday Jan 27 - the New Waves at the Double Down

Thursday Feb 1 - Rev Horton Heat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Shanda and the Howlers at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Thursday Feb 8 - Go Betty Go at the Beauty Bar

Friday Feb 16 - HaHa Tonka, the Unwieldies, Paige Overton at the Beauty Bar
Friday Feb 16 - Daijaiku, the Swank Bastards, the New Waves, Dr. Phobic at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 24 - the Implosions, Shieks of Neptune and more at the Dive Bar

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Thursday, December 21, 2017

recommended gigs

Friday Dec 22 - Whiskey Breath with I Got Nasty and Sissy Brown at the Double Down

Saturday Dec 23 - the Pluralses, Stagnetti's Cock, Negative Nancys and Jared Lord at the Double Down

Friday Dec 29 - Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions, Alex Squared at the Double Down

Sunday Dec 31 - Johnny Zig and the Highlighters at the Double Down

Sunday Jan 7 - the Rhyolite Sound, Billy Don Burns and Bob Wayne at the Dive Bar

Saturday Jan 13 - the Delta Bombers with Will and the Hi Rollers at the Bunkhouse
Saturday Jan 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Jan 13 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday Jan 17 - Dead Country Gentlemen and Kid You're No Fighter at the Griffin

Wednesday Jan 24 - the Psyatics, the Pine Hill Haints, Slow Motion Cowboys at the Double Down
Wednesday Jan 24 - the Rhyolite Sound with the Reeves Brothers at the Bunkhouse

Saturday Jan 27 - the Gentlemen of Four Outs at the Huntridge Tavern
Saturday Jan 27 - the New Waves at the Double Down

Thursday Feb 1 - Rev Horton Heat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Shanda and the Howlers at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday Feb 16 - HaHa Tonka, the Unwieldies, Paige Overton at the Beauty Bar
Friday Feb 16 - Daijaiku, the Swank Bastards, the New Waves, Dr. Phobic at the Dive Bar

Saturday Feb 24 - the Implosions, Shieks of Neptune and more at the Dive Bar

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Monday, December 18, 2017

RIP Keely Smith


Revered jazz and pop singer Keely Smith dies at 89
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Thursday, December 14, 2017

Jessie Mae Hemphill - Feelin' Good

Hemphill is a recent discovery for me, but as soon as I heard her mix of country blues, fife'n'drum and early Chicago style, I was hooked! This CD is (mostly) a reissue of a 1990 album, with a couple of tracks from an earlier 45 added on.

Jessie Mae has a minimalistic sound, not unlike John Lee Hooker, although she claims Howlin' Wolf as one of her biggest influences. As I said before, she does remind me of RL Burnside, as well, with simple'n'catchy, mesmerizing boogie-blues. She sings of relationships good'n'bad and freely talks of sex, such as in the title track, "Shake It, Baby" and "Cowgirl Blues" (covered excellently by Chicken Snake on their Unholy Rollers LP). She "borrows" from Arthur Crusddup's "Mean Ole Frisco" for "Streamline Train", does a cool take on "Baby, Please Don't Go" and "Rolling and Tumbling", waxes autobiographical in "My Daddy's Blues", gives some boogie-ing holiday cheer in "Merry Christmas, Pretty Baby" and shows herself to be a true Christian in the chain-gang-like chant "Lord, Help the Poor and Needy".

I love this style of blues anyway and have been knocked out by Hemphill's take on it all. Really great!

recommended gigs


Thursday Dec 14 - TV Party at the Double Down showing The Green Room with live music by Jerk!

Saturday Dec 16 - The Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Monday Dec 18 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday Dec 20 - Goldtop Bob at the Double Down

Saturday Dec 23 - the Pluralses, Stagnetti's Cock, Negative Nancys and Jared Lord at the Double Down

Friday Dec 29 - Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions, Alex Squared at the Double Down

Sunday Dec 31 - Johnny Zig and the Highlighters at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 13 - the Delta Bombers with Will and the Hi Rollers at the Bunkhouse
Saturday Jan 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger
Saturday Jan 13 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday Jan 17 - Dead Country Gentlemen and Kid You're No Fighter at the Griffin

Wednesday Jan 24 - the Psyatics, the Pine Hill Haints, Slow Motion Cowboys at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 27 - the New Waves at the Double Down

Thursday Feb 1 - Rev Horton Heat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Shanda and the Howlers at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday Feb 16 - HaHa Tonka, the Unwieldies, Paige Overton at the Beauty Bar

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Reverend Gary Davis - Pure Religion and Bad Company

I have ranted'n'raved about Rev. Gary Davis ever since I first discovered his fleet-fingered, solo acoustic fretwork that surpasses most other guitarists from any genre. Although he has often been classified as a blues player due to some of his earliest recordings, the Reverend considered himself a man of religion and refused to play secular music in front of an audience for a good portion of his career. But, his gospel music was all blues-influenced (or was it the other way around?), so it is a matter of splitting hairs, unless you are worried about your eternal soul.

His rough-hewn voice projects considerable emotion into his gospel numbers, while his playing brings awe to the listener. Most of the numbers here are religious, although he sneaks in tunes like "Candy Man" and "Cocaine Blues" from his younger days. "Pure Religion" opens, where he intones that "you must have the pure religion" before sermonizing in his song, with his guitar adding a second, counter-point voice to his. The instrumental, "Mountain Jack", shows off his expertise in a blues-based setting (although, since there are no lyrics, maybe it's considered ok), "Buck Dance" demonstrates many of his tricks'n'quick runs and then he continues his proselytizing in numbers like "Right Now", "Devil's Dream", "Runnin' to the Judgement", the mournful "Moon Goes Down" and many more. Davis' finger-pickin' technique gets a work out in "Hesitation Blues", "Seven Sisters" and the exuberant  "I Didn't Want to Join the Band" as well as in the semi-title cut sermon, "Bad Company". This CD has two songs that was previously unreleased, although with all of the subsequent compilations of Davis' work, I can't say that they are unique to this CD any long. In any case, "Time is Drawing Near" and "Crucifixion" are both fine numbers and easily equal to many of his other songs.

I am a huge fan of this man's incredible talent and output and his blending of gospel with acoustic blues and have not found any releases that were not well worthwhile. This one is certainly a great one, though!

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

John Lee Hooker - Whiskey & Wimmen

John Lee Hooker is an unlikely musical hero. His simplistic guitar lines, off-kilter rhythms, lack of structure and of rhyming lyrics make for a blues-based jumble sometimes. But gawdam is he doesn't have one of the most hypnotic blues styles ever. Simple, yes, but catchy as hell, with guitar playing that is deceptively elementary, yet truly creative. His songs are not necessarily based on a standard blues format, which means that when he uses a backing band, they have to really watch out to keep up - and sometimes they don't succeed, but that can be part of the charm. His style is immediately recognizable and groovy and his career was one of the longest running of the early electric bluesmen.

There are seemingly zillions of compilations of Hooker's work (this one has numerous covers) and they invariably overlap, but this is another good one, covering some of his early solo numbers as well as his work with various backing musicians. All great stuff!

Included here are both "Dimples" and "Boom Boom" - extremely similar numbers that we both covered extensively by the British Invasion bands. Full band boogies like "Love You Honey". "I'm So Excited" (with some of his cooly awkward phrasing and an ending that apparently surprised his group), the title cut with its snarling guitar, "I'm Going Upstairs", "What Do You Say" (where he really challenges the band), the "Tequila"-like "She's Mine", "Drug Store Woman" (cool, Screamin' Jay-like sax on this one), "Send Me Your Pillow", "This Is Hip" (more strained lyrics/non-rhymes), the swingin' "Big Legs, Tight Skirt" and the ballad (complete with female backing vocals) "Don't Look Back" vie for attention with solo numbers like "Solid Sender", "My First Wife Left Me", and "Dirty Ground Hog" that sometimes exceed the full band tunes as they free Hooker to go wherever his mind leads him with haunting guitar licks and expressive vocals. Sometimes the backing musicians lay back as in "No Shoes", the murderous "I'm Mad Again" (sequel to "I'm Mad Like Jesse James"), "One Way Ticket", "Bottle Up and Go" keeping it super straightforward and letting John take front and center and control the boogie. In all cases, the groove is there and the songs are powerful.

Any and all early Hooker is well worth the cash and this is another great set!


Blues Music Various Artists Part II

This is another compilation that I picked up just because it looked interesting and had at least a few numbers that I didn't already own. It turns out to be a pretty darn cool mix of styles and oddities from a wide range of blues artists.

Opening with a cool electric blues, "Part Time Love", from Little Johnny Taylor, where he gives us some sharp guitar wranglin'. He kinda reminds me of Albert King, whose "Finger on the Trigger" follows and is obviously a sequel to his hit "The Hunter", and has excellent, piercing lead guitar work. "Sweet Fingers" is a groovin' instrumental while "More Bad Luck" (clearly a reference to his "Born Under a Bad Sign") is a funky blues with more fine guitar. Jimmy Witherspoon's "I Had a Dream" is a slowish, organ/guitar-based gospel-y sound which continues in the threatening "Whose Hat is That". Sunnyland Slim comes in with an upbeat piano boogie, "It's You Baby", augmented by a swingin' horn section and an organ offsetting his piano. The same instrumentation remains in the slower "Brownskin Woman" and then we get Lonnie Johnson's fantastic, jazz-y fretwork in "Another Night to Cry".

I don't think I've heard Homesick James before but his stingin', Elmore James-ish slide guitar in "The Woman I'm Lovin'" certainly makes me want more. Memphis Slim's superior piano playin' drives "Blue and Disgusted" while Otis Spann melds piano, harp and guitar on his low-key "The Blues Never Die" and the mid-tempo "Must Have Been the Devil". There's terrific guitar highlighting Shakey Jake's leisurely "Things Are Different Baby" while Mercy Dee Walton jumps'n'jives in the harp-driven "Five Card Hand". Roosevelt Sykes grooves on his piano with the help of some sassy saxophone on "Miss Ida B" and "Pocketful of Money" and for a closure we get Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee's mournful "Sportin' Life".

This is a fine'n'varied comp of some excellent blues artists. I got it at a greatly discounted price - well worth it if you see it!

Thursday, December 07, 2017

recommended gigs


Friday Dec 8 - The Riflemen, Box Cutters, the Reckless, Lambs to Lions, Infested, Analog Law at the Dive Bar
Friday Dec 8 - Will and the Hi Rollers, Elvis Cantu at the Artifice

Saturday Dec 9 - Barnyard Stompers, Franks'n'Deans, Whiskey Breath, Sector 7-G, False Cause, the Negative Nancys at the Dive Bar

Sunday Dec 10 - the Rhyolite Sound with the Barnyard Stompers at Hogs and Heifers
Sunday Dec 10 - The Creepshow, Shanda and the Howlers at Eliphino Dive and Dine
Sunday Dec 10 - Pluralses, Queens of Noise, The People's Whiskey, the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar

Monday Dec 11 - Time Crashers, MC Chris, Mega Ran, Late for Dinner at the Beauty Bar

Thursday Dec 14 - TV Party at the Double Down showing The Green Room with live music by Jerk!

Saturday Dec 16 - The Swamp Gospel at the Double Down

Saturday Dec 23 - the Pluralses, Stagnetti's Cock, Negative Nancys and Jared Lord at the Double Down

Friday Dec 29 - Franks'n'Deans, the Implosions, Alex Squared at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 13 - the Delta Bombers with Will and the Hi Rollers at the Bunkhouse
Saturday Jan 13 - the Unwieldies at the Dillinger

Wednesday Jan 17 - Dead Country Gentlemen and Kid You're No Fighter at the Griffin

Wednesday Jan 24 - the Psyatics, the Pine Hill Haints, Slow Motion Cowboys at the Double Down

Saturday Jan 27 - the New Waves at the Double Down

Thursday Feb 1 - Rev Horton Heat, Voodoo Glow Skulls, Shanda and the Howlers at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday Feb 16 - HaHa Tonka, the Unwieldies, Paige Overton at the Beauty Bar

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Wednesday, December 06, 2017

The Wynonie Harris Collection 1944-47

Another of the great, early R'n'B, jump-blues shouters, Wynonie had a number of fantastic, pre-rock'n'roll hits ("Who Threw The Whiskey in the Well" was his first), although he is probably best known for bring Roy Brown's "Good Rockin' Tonight" to the top of the charts and therefore influencing the mighty Elvis. This 2-CD set gathers all of his early recordings for several labels and his work with greats like Lucky Millinder, Johnny Otis, Charles Mingus (!), Bill Doggett, Big Joe Turner and plenty more.

He jumps'n'jives, belts'n'croons and delivers a plethora of energy-packed bop'n'roll throughout this collection. Of course, it's not all one-dimensional and there is variety within the confines of bluesy/jazzy guitar work, bouncin' horns and well-delivered vocals. But he is at home with fast or slow, and still gives the songs his all and impacts a finesse of animated liveliness no matter what the tempo.

More great jump blues with an astounding 44 songs in this selection alone! What a career!

Terry Graham - Punk Like Me

Terry is, of course, best known for his time drumming with the Gun Club, although he was also in the seminal punk band the Bags and contributed (briefly) to the Cramps, as well. Terry joins the many other early LA punk rockers who have written their tales of the 70’s scene. His voice is a bit Beat Generation-y, with wild descriptive terms, somewhat non-linear sentences and plenty of hep talk about sex, booze, drugs and rock’n’roll.

His early years include a dead-beat dad who took off on his mom, traveling about, a step-dad who turns out to be pretty cool, an attempt at being a juvenile delinquent, an early interest in drums that waxed and waned, a first girlfriend who turns him on to sex, literature, cinema and even more music, and plenty more. After getting bored with Texas and, incredulously, a girlfriend who turned him onto countless coolness and countless screwing, Terry picked up and moved to California in the hopes of somehow working in film.

That hope didn’t last long, but he ingratiated himself into the fledgling punk scene and, after sleeping on floors of punk squats and going to The Masque, the Whiskey and the Starwood in search of punk rock, he eventually becomes the drummer for the Bags. Since he arrived in town a couple of years before me, it’s interesting to read his take on the first wave of bands and he is happy to give his opinion, good or bad, on these musicians. Funnily, he dates Jane from the Go-Gos and, in a very un-punk way, criticizes them for their lack of musicianship and declares that they won’t go anywhere. 

Instead it’s the Bags that break up – dissolve over the much-feared “personal differences” and everyone’s other activities. (He does mention the Bags shows that I made it to after arriving in LA in 1979, though.) Of course, then comes the Gun Club, which he joins along with Bags’ bassist/guitarist Rob Ritter in its infancy, with Brian (Kid Congo) still wrenchin’n’slidin’ the 6 strings. Brian, of course then joins the Cramps, they get Ward, record Fire of Love and – crazily enough – go on a wildly successful tour of the east coast in front of packed houses! Of course, not everything goes as well, although they do a lot (LOT) of touring (I wish that I had their booking agent back then!) and end up on Blondie’s label Animal Records for their new album, Miami. Kinda fascinating to read Terry’s opinions of the songs, which are overall pretty different than mine, as I thought there was a lot of improvement on this record and he didn’t care for it, overall. Another record (The Las Vegas Story), endless touring (I know that it can be a slog, but I'm jealous of the amount that they were able to do and surprised by the number of pretty big shows that they played) and constant bitchin' about singer Jeffrey Lee Pierce and eventually Terry skulks out of a hotel in Paris and leaves the band before the end of a tour (kinda petty and truly un-professional, but he did what he felt he had to do). His book ends with the end of the band - I suppose he assumes that no one is interested in his post-rock'n'roll life, which does tend to drag down a lot of rocker's tomes.

In general, I liked the initial part of the book where Graham talks about the burgeoning LA punk scene as a whole rather than his tour stories  – although those are interesting, as, again, I had no idea how popular the Gun Club was outside of LA. But, a surprisingly good read - I dug it a lot more than I expected that I would. Recommended for those who are interested in the early LA scene.


The Chronological Roy Brown 1950-1951

Best known for writing "Good Rockin' Tonight" (a hit for him, Wynonie Harris and, natch, Elvis), Brown was one of the originators of jump-blues, the exciting, pre-rock'n'roll, upbeat blues sound that influenced everyone to come. His fiery R'n'B delivery comes from his early gospel days, but the sounds sizzle with sinful soulfullness. Excellent bands behind him on these numbers, with superb blues guitar and exciting horn-blarin' sections.

Of course, I have long known about Brown and his legacy and had previously found a 10 song compilation of some of his biggest hits, but wanted more. This 22 song CD collects a couple of early years' worth of jumpin'n'jivin' tunes that will keep you boppin' and a-rockin'! Fine stuff.

Monks - Five Upstart Americans

Of course, by now everyone knows the story of the Monks - 5 American ex-GI's stationed in Germany start a Beat-Music band, their management convinces them to become something more (a lot more!) original and the noisy, bonkers result was the Monks, whose sole album, Black Monk Time, became a much-collected classic decades later. These recordings were the first they did as the Monks, to be used as demos for the recording contract that they eventually got with Polydor.

Although not overly different for the final versions, these takes are a bit rawer and wilder, with more screech'n'blurt and, while extremely tight, it does kinda sound like 5 wacked-out Americans performing without sleep after playing an 8 hour set in a club! Two songs that didn't make it onto the official release are "Pretty Suzanne", a simplistic, repetitive, rhythm-stomper with a fantastically chaotic solo section, and "Hushie Pushie", a demented Tiger Rag (mostly) instrumental with a catchy guitar line throughout.

"Higgle Dy Piggle Dy" is certainly more primitive (hard to believe!) with another wonderfully, maniacally unhinged lead section - love it! There are a few more spoken introductions to the songs and even a couple of tunes recorded as the Torquays before becoming the Monks.

And goddamn if I didn't just realize that these are the same recordings as The Early Years, that I reviewed last year! Somehow to me, this sounded different and more crude, in the best possible way. Well, in whatever package, be sure to get these tunes - incredible stuff!

Monday, December 04, 2017

The Psyatics and the Swamp Gospel at the Huntridge Tavern, Saturday Dec 2, 2017


Despite, or because of, it's small size, the Huntridge Tavern is one of my favorite places to play. Intimate in the extreme, it's run by terrific people and generally populated by an enthusiastic and well lubricated audience. All three members of the Gospel performed under the influence of various stages of a nasty cold, but it was a soul cleansing experience, plenty of fun, and I think everyone felt better afterwards! Thanks to everyone who came out early to see us despite the infinite number of other gigs happening.


(Above pix by Nikki Ruffling)


(me attacking good sport Danielle Bell of the Unwieldies - pic by John Armstrong)

As I have said many a-times, the Psyatics are one of my fave bands in town, a trio of talent, with songs of drunken murder'n'lust in a noizy garage-fueled vein. Unfortunately, my phone take shitty photos and I didn't grab my real camera because I'm lame. In any case, they were spot-on, fierce'n'ferocious with a number of terrific new tunes mixed among their older fare. Always a good time playin' with these cats! A new album is in the works, so catch up on their current three and dig 'em on record as well as live!