Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Incredible Hulk Vol 1

 

I've been picking up a few of these Mighty Marvel Masterworks reissues in order to relive my youth since the issues where I originally read these stories are long gone (my older brother turned me on to Marvel in the early 60's, well before we knew to care for the comics). This is another Stan Lee/Jack Kirby collaboration, although other terrific artists were involved, particularly Steve Ditko, in some of these issues.

Naturally, being a collection of the first handful of issues, this includes the origin of the Hulk and his various early incarnations, starting as a grey monster and eventually turning green, and with various degrees of articulation, and, at one point, even being controlled by his teenage sidekick, Rick Jones. The Hulk had both the teenage sidekick and the love interest with, once again, a relatively helpless female (Betty Ross - could they have come up with a more all-American name) pining over Bruce Banner, but the love cannot be realized due to the Hulk. The villains include both Toad Men and the Metal Master from outer space, Tyrannus from the center of the earth, a Soviet Gargoyle, the Ringmaster and, on more than one occasion, the Red Chinese. Not always what we would consider to be politically correct these days, but fairly simplistic (and enjoyable) tales of good vs. evil, even if the misunderstood Hulk is often viewed as the bad guy by society at large and the military (and Betty father, General Ross, who is a little too eager to destroy pretty much everything he doesn't understand) in particular (misunderstood heroes are a centerpiece of Marvel's universe).

Of course, a healthy suspension of disbelief is needed as the laws of physics, science and even basic reality are bent - as weapons and various machinery can be created seemingly within minutes or hours - but, hey, these are comic books and are meant to be fun, bottom line. It may be partially nostalgia, but I still love this stuff!

Nico - Desertshore

 

I have always enjoyed Nico's drone-y, atmospheric, moody solo work and I owned this album for quite a while, but it seems to have disappeared. My good pal, Rob, has seen fit to grace me with a CD copy though - thank bro!

This is Nico's third solo album, once again produced by John Cale, who adds quite a bit to the musical mix - lots of extra instruments (besides Nico's voice and simple harmonium) and vocals. At the time she was involved with filmmaker Phillipe Garrel and several of these songs were included in his film La cicatrice interieure and the cover images are stills from the movie, as well.

The opening "Janitor of Lunacy" (amazing title) was dedicated to Brian Jones, a friend who had died the previous year, and and it is primarily Nico and her harmonium, with Nico in good voice - she seemed to be better at picking keys that fit her singing more than other songwriters were, which only makes sense - with a fine, melancholy melody. Cale adds more instruments to make "The Falconer" more symphonic, although keeping in Nico's delicate, almost religious, feel, and in "My Only Child", there are harmony vocals creating a lovely, old English style, ala Steeleye Span, in a way. "Le petit chevalier" is a short, childlike number, sung by a child (her son, Ari), before Cale comes in with his viola for a dramatic "Abschied", "Afraid" is highlighted by Cale's pretty piano work and strings, emphasizing the delicate melody, "Mutterlein" has a melodramatic, Germanic touch, and again, Cale's instrumentation and added vocals create an cinematic number, and the finale "All That is My Own" also has a film-like ambience, referencing the album title, with ebbs'n'flows creating a wave-like atmosphere, and once again, Cale's production incorporates the proper mood for the number.

I dare say that this record is practically commercial (or, at least, accessible) in comparison to some of her other works, but it is really an acquired taste. I love this stuff, and I would think that those who appreciated the 80's goth scene would enjoy (if that is a word to use for an album this somber) this. 

Nico - The Marble Index

The Marble Index is technically Nico's second solo album, but it is the first in which she had a hand in finding her own voice after the good, but somewhat contrived pop of Chelsea Girl. After an affair with Jim Morrison in which he encouraged her to write her own songs, once he introduced her to peyote and poets (the album title is taken from Woodsworth), she felt the desire to be taken seriously as an artist and bought her trademark harmonium and, along with changing her visual look from the 60's pop-art model to a raven-tressed, black-clad precursor to goth, she created a new sound. On this album John Cale is credited as arranger, but essentially produced the album, helping to mold what became Nico's trademark oeuvre. Per Wikipedia (for whatever that is worth), Cale has said he decided to avoid drone and raga (although I heard some of these elements in her work) in favor of a European classical approach, which has been compared to Germanic folk music, Gregorian chant, madrigals and more.

Opening with a simple, quietly atmospheric "Prelude", we are introduced to Nico's harmonium (mixed in with Cale's piano) in "Lawns of Dawns", in which Cale also adds some clamorous effects, for a disconcerting sound that almost detracts from the simplistic beauty of Nico's melody, but adds something unique. "No One Is There" does have a classical feel, especially with Cale's symphonic arrangement, I particularly like how the feedback works with and blends in with Nico's harmonium and Cale's viola in her ode to her son, "Ari's Song" and in "Facing the Wind", the arrangement creates a much more percussion sound than is common in Nico's work, making something unusual and somewhat jarring, even for her.

There is more of a medieval melodic feel in "Julius Caesar (Memento Hodie)" in which Cale works his viola against the harmonium once again to good effect, and despite Cale's apparent protestations, "Frozen Warnings" is very drone-y and again pits the harmonium against the viola for multiple interwoven drones, while "Evening of Light" reminds me a bit of the Doors, maybe not surprisingly, with the keyboards interacting with the harmonium and Nico's vocals taking a bit from "The End" (which she later covered, of course). The CD has a couple of bonus tracks, first "Roses in the Snow", which is more starkly just Nico, her voice and her instrument, as is "Nibelungen" in which she is almost playful in her melody lines - if that is a description that can be applied to Nico!

Again, I love this stuff, but I know it's not for everyone, but if you want to know what proto-goth (as opposed to proto-punk) is, then this is the place to go. "Tenebrous" is a word used by Wikipedia to describe this work, and while it is new to me, I think it is quite appropriate!

Mighty Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol 1

 

As I revisit these fun stories from the early 60's that I grew up with (but whose originals are long gone), one of the first things that I notice is how much wanton destruction even the heroes do to the cityscape - often for no real reason - it makes me glad that super beings do not really exist! There are also plenty of plots and subplots that really wouldn't fly in today's world - in pretty much every series from this time period there is a practically helpless woman who pines for the main character - in this case it is Sue Storm (who would later become one of the strongest characters in the Marvel universe, but here, her only trick is turning invisible), who actually cares for both Reed Richards and Namor, the Sub-Mariner - as one glaring example. But, if you can get past some of those cringe-worthy moments, there is plenty of fun to be had.

It is striking how the physicality of the characters evolved, as well - the Thing is particularly more grotesque early on and the Human Torch initially was drawn in the style of the earlier, Golden Age, Human Torch. But, right from the start, the foursome's iconic villains appear - the Mole Man, Dr. Doom, the Sub-Mariner, the Miracle Man, The Skrulls, the Puppet Master (who, funnily enough, lives in a dilapidated apartment but has the money to create endless puppets, including a giant robot that could fight the Thing!) and more! Wow! What a creative team at work back then, creating characters that live on 60 or so years later! 

Yes, life in the comic universe was simpler back then, but it was still quite enjoyable. I'll certainly be getting more of these are they are released. 

recommended gigs

 Thursday 2-24-22 - Marissa and the Hollenbacks at Red Dwarf

Friday 2-25-22 - Far Out Underground Rainbow with Kilfeather and the Cheeks at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 2-25-22 - The High Rollers Scooter Rally Weekender at the Usual Place with live music by the Double Whammys

Friday 2-25-22 - The Souvenairs at the Underground at the Mob Museum

Saturday 2-26-21 - Alive (Pearl Jam tribute with Ron from the Psyatics) with Wicked Garden and Throckmore at Taverna Costera

Sunday 2-27-22 - Cashed Out at the Dive Bar

Monday 2-28-22 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Club

Monday 2-28-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 3-2-22 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 3-4-22 - The Psyatics at the Usual Place with Green Fuzz and more

Saturday 3-5-22 - The Psyatics at Cemetery Pulp at 7:00 pm! Early Show!

Saturday 3-5-22 - late night - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-7-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 3-10-22 - Stoner, Kilfeather, Wizzerd at Soul Belly

Friday 3-11-22 - Monster Zero, Stagnetti's Cock, Santa Muerte at the Double Down

Saturday 3-12-22 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 3-12-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at Soul Belly

Saturday 3-12-22 - Monkey, Franks'n'Deans, Simple Minded Symphony, Robert Stokes Band, One Way to Paradis at Taverna Costera

Saturday 3-12-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf and late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-14-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-19-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki and Thee Swank Bastards late night

Saturday 3-19-22 - The New Waves, Mondo Vermin and Apollo 14 at the Double Down for a memorial for Scotty Bruns

Sunday 3-20-22 - the Freeks, Early Moods, Haxa at Soul Belly for Brian Moy's Birthday!

Monday 3-21-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 3-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 3-24-22 - Daikaiju at the Dive Bar

Friday 3-25-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-26-22 - late night - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-28-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 4-2-22 - late night - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-4-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 4-8-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Saturday 4-9-22 - Shannon and the Clams with Shanda and the Howlers and the Paranoyds at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 4-9-22 - Nova Babies, Deveros, Jerk, Negative Nancys at the Double Down

Saturday 4-9-22 - late night - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-11-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 4-10-22 - Murphy's Law at Evel Pie

Wednesday 4-13-22 - The Delta Bombers, The 40 Acre Mule and Los Malditos at the Space

Wednesday 4-13-22 - Shanda and the Howlers, Frankie Lee and the Infernos, Green Fuzz, Mozzy Dee and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar

Saturday 4-16-22 -The Unwieldies and Jeff Mix and the Songhearts at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 4-23-22 - The Psyatics and the Electric Ferrets (from LA) and the Scheissters at the Double Down

Saturday 5-7-22 - The Psyatics at Garehime Park - daytime show from noon - 4:00 - come down and skate'n'rock!

Wednesday 6-8-22 - Joe Jackson at the Smith Center

(Walt on the right with Joe Dodge on tour with Yard Trauma)

I had lost touch with Walt for a number of years, but he appeared again on Facebook and was a moderator/admin on the ultra cool Underdog - Obscure, Trashy and Kool Guitars and Amps Facebook page. He was the hot-shot lead guitarist for Yard Trauma in the late 80's/early 90's, he did a stint in our 70's cover band Donovan's Fairies, and he was just a damn good guy. I am truly getting sick of all of this death shit. Stay healthy everyone!

Queens of Noise - The Real Story of the Runaways by Evelyn McDonnell

 

I've been a fan of the Runaways since I picked up their first album at the same time as the Ramones first (and dug the Runaways more because it was more relatable to my rock'n'roll self at the time), and have followed the women's different careers throughout the years - although Joan's more than the rest, due to her more straight-ahead r'n'r proclivities. I've read a few books about the band and heard about this one through social media - in fact, I first thought it was by Kari Krome, but apparently it is not as McDonnell refers to her in the 3rd person but claims that she doesn't want her actual identity to be revealed.

In any case, McDonnell does her best to explore the origins of the band and gives an overview of LA at the time - sometimes a bit more info than is necessary, but maybe that's just my point of view from having lived there for decades. When it is the women themselves reminiscing, it's enjoyable, but basic background info seemed a bit extraneous, but again, maybe that's just me.

Of course, the story of the Runaways includes the story of Kim Fowley and McDonnell does her best to give an even-handed impression of this crazed impresario, from his broken home to his bouts (yes, two) of polio to his womanizing (and predilections for young girls). She rightfully admits that without Fowley, the Runaways would not have existed and he was the lightning rod that the girls revolved around and he was the one who managed them and got them their record deal.

Of course, nothing would have happened without the talent of the females involved, including lyricist Kari Krome, who is actually the first girl to contact Kim and who started the whole ball rolling, according to this tale. Despite some setbacks, things got moving pretty damn quickly, actually, although finding a bassist seems to have taken the most time, but then they were signed, started recording and put on high profile gigs and tours.

I dig that the LA underground press are referenced often - Phast Phreddie, Lisa Fancher, etc. - as they were the ones touting these heroines at the time, as are early punk rockers like Alice Bag and Don Bolles. McDonnell also quotes Jacky Fox regularly, who doesn't usually get her due, and she is intelligent and has a good perspective. Evelyn does her best to get the story from everyone's perspective and isn't afraid to mention when stories don't jive and kind of leaves it up to the reader to decide what the reality is.

The book's story ends with the break up of the band but there is a considerable epilogue as McDonnell talks about post-Runaways projects like Vicki Blue's movie Edgeplay and the 2010 big production flick based of Cherie's book, simply titled The Runaways as well as the members reactions to these. She also goes into Sandy's insane drug-addled life and death, Fox's successful career as a lawyer and Cherie's ups'n'downs as an actress and occasional singer, her drug issues and her latest career as a chainsaw artist!

While it's a fairly depressing story in many ways, it's a good read and gives a plenty of info that was new to me, anyway. Of course, the girls got screwed over in many ways, as did so many people back then, but considering that they were able to record on a major label, tour the world multiple times and considering the number of them that were able to make their careers in music, I certainly wouldn't have minded being screwed over like that, not to be flippant! 

Haunted George - American Crow

 

I am continuing to research the post-Beguiled career of my old pal Steve Pallow and came across this discovery - I had no idea that he had been doing a crazed one-man band that advanced the gothic/blues/ R'n'B/Bo Diddley/Headcoats/Cramps-ian sounds that the Beguiled started and the Necessary Evils pursued with even more abandon. This project is even more trashed out almost to the point of incomprehension at times, with fairly indecipherable lyrics that are truly disturbing when you read them in the booklet included (altho Steve was one of the nicest guys I've known). There is an "autobiographical" song about the Haunted George character showing Steve love for gothic horror in the best Hammer film style. 

Absolutely not for the weak of heart - this has the intensity of a garage version of death metal but it sounds more real, in a creepily, almost alarming way. Low fi to the extreme, trashier than a fuzzed out chainsaw, noisier than the Stooges "L.A. Blues", this is definitely only for those who enjoy embracing the madness. But those who do, will certainly embrace this!

Spirit - Original Album Classics

 

As I have said before, I have been a fan of Spirit ever since "I Got a Line on You" blasted out of the AM airwaves way back in '69, but I haven't had much of their output. I finally pulled the trigger on this 5-CD set compiling their first five albums after procrastinating for no particular reason for ages. 

They blend quite a bit into their sound - late 60's pure rock'n'roll intersperses with sweet acoustic numbers ("Nature's Way" is one of their best - I'm astonished that this wasn't it hit - it sends chills every time I hear it), a bit of late-psych and some proto-prog, if there is such a thing. They were certainly a huge influence on the up'n'coming Led Zep, who opened for Spirit, and not just in the fact that Page ripped off "Taurus" for "Stairway to Heaven" - although Spirit are not as overtly bluesy as LZ, the whole hard rock/acoustic/prog bits were certainly incorporated, as was the idea of a theremin, which Randy was using at the time - Zep even interpolated bits of "Fresh Garage" into onstage medleys.

Spirit were certainly not afraid to experiment, as with the sitar in "Girl In Your Eye", choral vocalizing in "Water Woman", among many other concepts,  and Randy California has a great lead tone throughout - sweetly sustained'n'melodic - and my faves are, not surprisingly, their more rockin' numbers, such as the afore-mentioned hit, along with greats like "Fresh Garbage", "Mr. Skin", "Dark Eyed Woman", "1984", "Nothing to Hide", "Morning Will Come" and even the somewhat whimsical "Animal Zoo".

Sometimes the slower, more atmospheric, light-jazz, pseudo-prog numbers drone on a bit without too much interest being generated, so there is definitely some filler here. But I believe that the good outweighs the bad by a wide margin, and there are lots of extras on all but the last CD, with alternative mixes, single versions, etc., adding to the value.

CHOP - (B.O.C.)

This is a crazy 7" that I had never even heard about but I was just gifted by our Vegas r'n'r pal, Jeff Murphy, as we have been discussing the merits of Blue Oyster Cult. I have no idea when this was done, but it is a collaboration between Mike Wyatt (bass), "Dezo" Cadena (guitar), Dave Markey (drums), Dave Peterson ("stun bass" - a takeoff on Eric Bloom's stun guitar) and Dave Travis (vocals, which everyone else contributes to, as well) doing two classic BOC numbers, "I'm On the Lamb, But I Ain't No Sheep" and "She's As Beautiful As a Foot". The playing is actually pretty spot on with both songs, which ain't necessarily an easy feat, and they stay pretty true to the original arrangements and even have some rockin'/wankin' guitar solos (I know Dez has always been good for that, ever since I saw him with Redd Kross covering Blue Cheer - hey, what's his fascination with "blue" bands?!). The vocals don't match BOC's originals, but these are a bunch of punk rockers, what do you expect? 

A wacky, fun concept (hell, I've covered BOC in my bands before, as well) and clever front cover picture sleeve (a combination of the Germs and BOC, for those not in the know) making up a cool project. I would love to know the story behind this one but I can't find anything online about it. No idea if it's available or not, but worth searching out!
 

The Runaways - Live in Japan

 

This was the band's last hurrah with the foxy Jackie Fox and Cherie Currie, but many people feel that this is the best Runaways album simply because it is the band as they should be - just raw'n'rockin', without any extra production tricks or added instruments, no one else playing any of the parts, just the group pretty much at its peak, unfortunately, just before they lost the aforementioned two members (and whether that was good or bad has been debated over the years).

They pull out some of their best numbers from the two albums that they had out at this time, along with a few new, otherwise unreleased numbers that are pretty darn rockin', as well. They open with their anthemic "Queens of Noise" - one of their best - and move right into a hyper fast "California Paradise" that highlights their under appreciated use of harmonies and Lita's Marshall-laden leads. "All Right You Guys" is a rockin' pop number written for them,  then Sandy West takes the lead vocals, which is not necessarily a good idea, for a monotone-ish take on the classic "Wild Thing", there's a metal-y Fox/Ford number subtly titled "Gettin' Hot" before they take on Detroit's version of Lou Reed's anthem "Rock'n'Roll" as an audience participation tune and do a damn fine job of it, too!

Joan's hard-hitting riff-rocker "You Drive Me Wild"  is extra raw'n'rockin' and is followed by "Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin" that show cases Cherie's vocals and Lita's shredding' leads, then another hard-rockin' Fowley number that fits Jett's sensibilities to a "T" - "I Wanna Be Where the Boys Are" (whether that be literally or sexually or what-have-you), and their most popular tune, a true anthem, "Cherry Bomb" before ending with one of their best hard-rockin' party numbers, "American Nights" and, oddly, yet another new rocker, "C'mon"

Yeah, this might well be the best Runaways album - it's really too bad this lineup fell apart after this tour. Fun, 70's rock'n'roll!

The Runaways - Born to be Bad

 

As I always say, I bought the first Runaways album when it came out and have been a fan ever since, and have been kinda fascinated by their crazy story (reading another book on their tale right now, in fact) and have known various females who graced their ranks (and Joan hit on my then-girlfriend backstage at the Whiskey one time). This 10" album compiles some early, low-fi demos and live cuts from when the band was simply a three piece - Joan on guitar, Sandy on drums and Mikki Steele on bass and lead vocals - she's actually a pretty good vocalist, although without Joan's future r'n'r spirit. Apparently, they did a number of shows with this line-up and the demos were used to help stir up more interest in the group, of course. But, it also became apparent that while Joan was solid on rhythm, she was no lead guitarist and Mikki didn't fit in, hence the change to the line-up that most people know with Lita, Cherie and Jacky.

There are previously unreleased songs here, such as the opener "Yesterday's Kids", which showed some promise - wonder why they didn't work on it for the debut? - along with songs we know from the official records like a primitive version of "Is It Day or Night" where Joan shows that she is NOT a lead player. Also new - to me, anyway - is the upbeat to the point of frenzy (especially in the drum break) "Let's Party Tonight" that also includes some neat call'n'response vocals. Surprisingly - although maybe not really, since they were 70's rock kids - they attempt Free's "All Right Now", a terrific song that doesn't really work in this embryonic stage, as they stumble over parts of even this simply number and do not even attempt the instrumental break. But, they come back with another original, "Thunder", that works well and is pretty well worked out and Mikki sings it well, and side one closes with their take on Mitch Ryder's Detroit's take on Lou Reed's "Rock'n'Roll", which, again, is pretty much already set up as they would later record it.

A couple more familiar numbers open side two, with reasonably together versions of their anthem "American Nights" (again showing that they really did need a second guitarist - sorry, Joan!) and "California Paradise", then another unreleased number, "I'm a Star" (sadly, not super memorable), before a strong threesome of "You Drive Me Wild", "Born to be Bad" (without Jett's overwrought faux conversation with her parents on the album version) and their cover of "Wild Thing".

Like I say, the sound quality is less than stellar, as you would expect from demos that never were supposed to 

see the light of day, but it is a fun record of the early days of the band. Obviously, for fans only, but fans will

certainly want to hear it.

(PS - there apparently are a number of different releases for this as I have seen at least a half dozen different

covers online, none of them being the cover that I own. So, it should be available if you're looking for it!)

The Devil's Duo, Jesse and the Hogg Brothers, Sidewalk Slam at the Double Down, Friday Feb 18, 2022

We're working to get the Devil's Duo out'n'about so that we can work out some kinks and get a bit more confident with our new banjolele/acoustic guitar duo so when we heard about Jesse and the Hogg Brothers coming back out (we had been asked to play with them with our other projects but it didn't work out) to the Double Down, we asked to get on the gig. We like to open shows, which can be good or bad, but this evening there was a good crowd early on and while we were pretty different from the other two acts on the bill, we got a good response to our brand of Americana/blues/country/whatever - even had a few people up'n'dancin' (thanks to our drum machine for helping us to keep a groovin' beat)! Thanks again to Ian and all of the crew at the Double Down for being so supportive to our act, even though it's not the usual fare for the club.

Although Jesse and the Hogg Brothers call themselves cow-punk, and there are some elements of that genre in their mix, they are overall pretty eclectic'n'goofy, with a truly warped sense of humor and a low-fi, trashy sound (cheap instruments that all went through the PA - even the electric drums) that made me think of the Fugs in their most twisted moments. Crude'n'rude, their bizarre antics'n'stage demeanor had the audience laughing and shaking their heads in disbelief at times! Wacky fun!

In another completely different set, Sidewalk Slam were a touring tight'n'loud thrash metal band with great players all around (two shredding guitarists - one male and one female), bass, drums and a lead singer, who was unfortunately a bit drowned out by the mayhem. I was pretty wiped out by the time they went on from an insane work week and life in general, but I enjoyed what I heard, even if it was not my usual cup of hemlock. Although I used to go along with the saying "if it's too loud, you're too old", I guess I'm now too old and the volume was a bit intense for the small club, but it was powerful.

Once again, thanks to the Double Down for yet another night of wild diversity! We hope to be back soon!

recommended gigs

 Friday 2-18-22 - The Devil's Duo with Jesse and the Hogg Brothers and Sidewalk Slam at the Double Down

Friday 2-18-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-19-22 - Franks'n'Deans, Jerk!, Happy Campers, Fall Risk at the Double Down

Monday 2-21-22 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Club

Monday 2-21-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 2-24-22 - Marissa and the Hollenbacks at Red Dwarf

Friday 2-25-22 - Far Out Underground Rainbow with Kilfeather and the Cheeks at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 2-25-22 - The High Rollers Scooter Rally Weekender at the Usual Place with live music by the Double Whammys

Friday 2-25-22 - The Souvenairs at the Underground at the Mob Museum

Saturday 2-26-21 - Alive (Pearl Jam tribute with Ron from the Psyatics) with Wicked Garden and Throckmore at Taverna Costera

Sunday 2-27-22 - Cashed Out at the Dive Bar

Monday 2-28-22 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Club

Wednesday 3-2-22 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 3-4-22 - The Psyatics at the Usual Place with Green Fuzz and more

Saturday 3-5-22 - The Psyatics at Cemetery Pulp at 7:00 pm! Early Show!

Thursday 3-10-22 - Stoner, Kilfeather, Wizzerd at Soul Belly

Friday 3-11-22 - Monster Zero, Stagnetti's Cock, Santa Muerte at the Double Down

Saturday 3-12-22 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 3-12-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at Soul Belly

Saturday 3-12-22 - Monkey, Franks'n'Deans, Simple Minded Symphony, Robert Stokes Band, One Way to Paradis at Taverna Costera

Saturday 3-19-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-20-22 - the Freeks, Early Moods, Haxa at Soul Belly for Brian Moy's Birthday!

Friday 3-25-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 4-9-22 - Shannon and the Clams with Shanda and the Howlers and the Paranoyds at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 4-9-22 - Nova Babies, Deveros, Jerk, Negative Nancys at the Double Down

Sunday 4-10-22 - Murphy's Law at Evel Pie

Wednesday 4-13-22 - The Delta Bombers, The 40 Acre Mule and Los Malditos at the Space

Wednesday 4-13-22 - Shanda and the Howlers, Frankie Lee and the Infernos, Green Fuzz, Mozzy Dee and Paige Overton at the Sand Dollar

Saturday 4-16-22 -The Unwieldies and Jeff Mix and the Songhearts at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 4-23-22 - The Psyatics and the Electric Ferrets (from LA) and the Scheissters at the Double Down

Saturday 5-7-22 - The Psyatics at Garehime Park - daytime show from noon - 4:00 - come down and skate'n'rock!

Wednesday 6-8-22 - Joe Jackson at the Smith Center

RIP Sandy Nelson

 Noted Drummer Nelson Dies

---

Another rock'n'roll icon gone. Damn, that's depressing....

Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band - Night Moves

 

I've been a fan of Seger's since "Ramblin' Gamblin' Man" hit the airwaves, but, as with most rockers with long-term careers, I dig his earliest stuff the best, although this record falls right on the cusp of his coolness factor, in my eyes. While it is pretty damn clean'n'commercial - I believe it is this record that really catapulted him into super stardom - there are still some hot moments here. It came out in the fall of 1976, just as punk rock was rearing its safety-pinned head, which means that I still had at least one foot in the classic rock'n'roll camp, and I could still relate to albums like this one, although I might have dismissed it just a few months later.

Seger was always a champion for the classic r'n'r sounds, which explains his writing a song like the Chuck Berry-ish "Rock'n'Roll Never Forgets" - certainly an anthem for the long haired rocker kids of the time. The title cut is one of Bob's impassioned acoustic memories of teen years gone by, with plenty of emphasis on sexual exploits (hence the title, natch), and speaking of sex, one of my all-time favorites of Seger's is his damn-near single entendre, "The Fire Down Below", with heavy guitars, a simple, rockin' riff and a great swagger. "Sunburst" is one of his patented power ballads that chugs'n'churns in the rockin' mid section before returning to the quieter side. This is followed up, appropriately, I suppose, by "Sunspot Baby", another Chuck Berry-ish choogler, that doesn't succeed as well as some of the others, although it's certainly not bad, just not particularly special. "Mainstreet" is a catchily melodic ballad in which Bob once again remembers his younger days (I actually just realized it is about stalking a stripper - go figure!) - it has gotten a bit too much airplay, but is still a good one. He gets downright funky and puts the Muscle Shoals rhythm section to good use (which he uses for about half the record, despite the cover just referencing his band) in "Come To Poppa", while "Ship of Fools" is a rather forgettable piece of mellowness but the finale, "Mary Lou", while a bit cliched, still works pretty well as another Berry-like, 50's-styled rocker with some nicely heavy guitars.

While certainly not raw'n'raucous, for those who enjoy radio-friendly 70's rock'n'roll, it's still worthwhile.

The Necessary Evils - The Sicko Inside Me

 

I kind of lost touch with my old pal Steve Pallow after the Beguiled broke up, and now that he has sadly passed away way too young, I am looking into some of his post-Beguiled work. This particular release I received courtesy of my pal, Rob - thanks buddy!

The NE's basically sound like a more extreme take on the Beguiled, with a bit less R'n'B and a bit more trash thrown in, with an over abundance of over-the-top fuzz, feedback, vibrato and shrieks from the underworld tempered by some occasional Farfisa-ish keyboards. The opening "Love Handles", Alcohol" and Man from Mars" are fairly crazed, but not everything is breakneck speed, as with "Get It Out Of My Brain", which is Cramps-ian/Exotica-ish, but "Glory Hole" (classy!) is beyond trash - it is basically a fuzzed-out garbage disposal of a song - not that that's a bad thing! "Halle Bop" is more of a mid-tempo stomp, but certainly no less noisy, "Play With Fire" is pure growl'n'fuzz, "Girl" is kind of a low-fi, wall of noize, garage-y take on Devo's "Mongoloid" mixed with the Music Machine, of all things! Low fi thrash is an understatement for "Butcher's Floor" while "Brainwasher" is another fuzz'n'shrieker with some hints of the Cramps, "Drag Pow Wow Drag" sounds like Thee Milkshakes run through a cement mixer, "The Gypsy Plays His Drums" I suppose is the Seeds' song, although you would never know it, and the proceedings come to a chaotic end with "An Accidental Does of Gamma Radiation", which is literally just noise - again, not that I have anything against that!

There definitely was a trend in the late 90's of low-fi, super-trashy garage-punk bands that I think I overlooked for the most part at the time, as I was in a somewhat different trip at the time, but for lovers of noise/trash, this is the place to go!

The Attack of the Nuclear Undead

 

I was one of the lucky non-mutants at the NU show last week to grab one of their CDs that were thrown into the audience by these radioactive freaks during their set of sci-fi/horror inspired instrumental rock'n'roll. Like our LA pals, the Black Widows, the Undead mix a lil surf, a lil new wave, a lil metal and whatever else comes into what is left of their diseased minds!

With titles like "Attack of the Atomic Zombies", "Blood Oath" and "245 Trioxin", you can tell that in their past lives they watched plenty of B-Movies and are still interpreting them into their twisted music - and stealing sound bytes from the flicks for song intros, as well. Real, melodic songs and not just riffs repeated over'n'over makes this a hip, happenin' digital slab and leaves ya wantin' more!

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Mighty Thor Volume One

 

Comics are never far from my purview and there have been many reminders of the coolness of Marvel's 60's and 70's outputs so when I discovered that Marvel was releasing reasonably priced compilations of some of their first superhero releases, I started to pick some up - this one being the first.

My older brother first got me hooked on comics in the early 60's when he started buying most of the superhero titles, so I have read many of these stories, but, since we no longer have the originals (unfortunately), it has been quite a while since I've even glanced at a reissue. 

This book compiles the Thor stories from Journey Into Mystery issues 83 through 100, chronicling Thor's first appearance through many adventures on Earth and in Asgard. The artwork is simple, comparatively, as are the plots, and the stories always have a lovelorn hero who cannot get the girl he loves due to his heroic responsibilities, and Thor's powers evolve and change throughout, sometimes seemingly at random. Of course, some of the storylines are way past being improbable - Dr. Don Blake creating a lifelike android, a mad scientist creating a ray that could magically duplicate anything from a building to Thor himself, and lots more. But, that's the fun of suspension of disbelief. No one ever thought that these stories could possibly ever come true - this was years before Marvel tried to be as realistic as possible. And, let's not even get into the politically incorrect characterizations and the good vs. evil politics themselves!

Regardless, this is all good fun and it's great to revisit these stories. I'll be looking forward to picking up more!

13th Floor Elevators - A Visual History - Paul Drummond

 

This huge, 300-page, coffee-table-sized tome is truly a labor of love and a massive undertaking, highly researched, with hundreds of rare photos accompanying the story of this psychedelic band from their earliest days to their demise. With an unhealthy love of drugs, especially LSD, right from the start they fell into trouble on a regular basis, with the local authorities repeatedly busting them, which led to intense personal troubles and singer Roky Erickson's stint in the madhouse, which haunted him until the day he died. Although they were a huge draw locally, the busts kept them from traveling out of state, got them banned from some venues and radio stations (regardless of the fact that their single was selling well and wildly popular) and also kept the band in a regular state of paranoia - legitimately and understandably. 

The rest of the story basically remains the same. They were able to go to California a few times and were highly respected there, but were not able to get to the east coast or elsewhere and their drug use and busts affected their work and, especially in Roky's case, their sanity. They were basically locked into playing the same places in Texas for money, but the continual law enforcement harassment meant that sometimes one or more members of the band would be under arrest - and sometimes dragged off the stage and taken to jail! Their record company kept asking for new recorded material in the hopes of the hit that eluded "You're Gonna Miss Me", and while I believe that Easter Everywhere is an exceptional album, it was difficult to make and was not well received, even by their fans who say that it did not match their live potential. After that, the final album, Bull in the Woods, was basically a solo album from lead guitarist Stacy (who was having his own drug, mental and law enforcement problems) and while there were a number of attempts to recreate some version of the band, it eventually fell apart completely.

Reunions were attempted, but everyone continued to have their own issues and they could not work together for long and one by one, members passed away to the point where there is no one left to carry the torch. Drummond only parenthetically mentions Roky's (reasonably) successful solo career, but that's understandable as the book is about the Elevators as a band and he only touches on anyone other groups - mostly to mention the members that would end up in some variation of the Elevators. 

It's a sad story, for sure, but one filled with lots of incredible music and terrific visuals - the materials that have been collected for this book are pretty mind-altering in and of themselves! A great endeavor and a huge thanks to my wonderful wife for this ultra cool Xmas present! 

recommended gigs

 Thursday 2-10-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 2-10-22 - the 7 year anniversary of TV Party Tonight at the Double Down with a special showing of Pink Flamingos and a live set by Stagnetti's Cock

Friday 2-11-22 - the Souvenairs at the Underground

Saturday 2-12-22 - The Unwieldies and Frankie Lee and the Infernos at the Gold Mine Tavern

Monday 2-14-22 - Goldtop Bob at the Founders Club

Friday 2-18-22 - The Devil's Duo with Jesse and the Hogg Brothers and Sidewalk Slam at the Double Down

Friday 2-18-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-19-22 - Franks'n'Deans, Jerk!, Happy Campers, Fall Risk at the Double Down

Thursday 2-24-22 - Marissa and the Hollenbacks at Red Dwarf

Friday 2-25-22 - Far Out Underground Rainbow with Kilfeather and the Cheeks at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 2-25-22 - The High Rollers Scooter Rally Weekender at the Usual Place with live music by the Double Whammys

Saturday 2-26-21 - Alive (Pearl Jam tribute with Ron from the Psyatics) with Wicked Garden and Throckmore at Taverna Costera

Sunday 2-27-22 - Cashed Out at the Dive Bar

Wednesday 3-2-22 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 3-4-22 - The Psyatics at the Usual Place

Saturday 3-5-22 - The Psyatics at Cemetery Pulp

Saturday 3-12-22 - The Unwieldies and Big Like Texas at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 4-9-22 - Shannon and the Clams with Shanda and the Howlers and the Paranoyds at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 4-9-22 - Nova Babies, Deveros, Jerk, Negative Nancys at the Double Down

Wednesday 4-13-22 - The Delta Bombers, The 40 Acre Mule and Los Malditos at the Space

Saturday 4-16-22 -The Unwieldies and Jeff Mix and the Songhearts at the Gold Mine Tavern

Saturday 4-23-22 - The Psyatics and the Electric Ferrets (from LA) at the Double Down

Saturday 5-7-22 - The Psyatics at Garehime Park - daytime show from noon - 4:00 - come down and skate'n'rock!

Wednesday 6-8-22 - Joe Jackson at the Smith Center

Jimmie Driftwood - Six Classic Albums Plus Bonus Singles

 

This is another one that I'm surprised that I haven't written about already (unless I have and just can't find it - Blogger's search function truly sucks), but this 4-CD set of Driftwood and his truly unique homemade guitar (made of fence post, ox yoke and his grandfather's bed!) is really worth the (discounted) price.

A little old school country, a little bluegrass, kinda folk, kinda Americana, kinda cowboy songs, a hefty dose of Civil War songs (both sides, actually, not just the Country and Western rebel side), lots of sailor songs'n'tall tales, and much more are included in this set. Having written more than 6000 (!) songs, hundreds of which were recorded by other musicians (Eddy Arnold, Johnny Cash, Odetta and plenty of others), it's unlikely that you have not heard something by this man, but just not been aware of it. I love his simple style - nothing flashy, just basic, well-written songs telling tales of the early days of this country. 

If you dig early Americana/folk/country/bluegrass, this is well worth the price! Dig it!

RIP Betty Davis

Betty Davis, Trailblazing Queen of Funk, Dead at 77 

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I'm really getting tired of all of this death shit. This sucks - Betty put out some of the best, sexiest, most rockin' deep funk albums you're ever gonna hear and then she disappeared. But gawddam, sorry to see her go and way too young.

IV and the Strange Band - Son of Sin

I picked up this single after seeing IV and the Strange Band the other night, as this is the only recorded music they have at the moment (although they had an impressive amount of merch! An album is due out in June, though!) and I was quite impressed by their sound and their show. IV is, as is advertised, the great-grandson of the incredible Hank Williams, although he does not go overboard in hyping that patriarchal connection. But there is still a geneological relationship and, while IV is certainly living in the modern world, there is still some musical touchstones, as well.

Coleman (IV) has his own unique style of playing on his beat-up, unique vintage acoustic guitar, and he writes a wild tune, with interesting'n'varied chord progressions over which he tells his tale of sin in his uniquely warbling (in a good way!) voice. One side of this 45 is IV all by himself and the other side is the full band tearing into the same tune (with fiddle instead of banjo, as I saw them), giving it a heavy rock feel, but with their own wild inflections.

It's definitely difficult to describe IV and his aptly named Strange Band, as they mix so many musical ingredients but there is some of the old Williams story-telling'n'sounds, but combined with a more modern, heavy rock feel. Fans of either should dig this, I would think, so look for it and look the the excellent'n'charismatic band to be touring now and again in the summer once the album is out!

The Savage New Sound of The Silhouettes

 

These British cats have totally done their research and learned to emulate the early 60's American surf/instro sounds down to a science with top tier playing, cool, moody riffs, plenty of dynamics 'n'starts'n'stops, and tons of the wonderfully obligatory reverb!

This 4 song EP - "Praetorian", "Date Night", "Margarita Meltdown" and "Sandrine" - is packed with tuneful licks and terrific musicianship and these cats would positively do well at gigs like Tiki Oasis, for sure! They have already finished their super-short, 4-gig whirlwind tour of the west coast (I believe that they are doing some recording while on the left side of the continent, as well), but they will be back next year, so keep an eye out for them! They were a blast when I saw them a few days ago! Any surf/instro fans should search this one out!

The Silhouettes, The Psyatics and Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down Saloon, Friday Feb 4, 2022

The Psyatics try to get to the Double Down once a month or so, and this time out we were able to add on our pals Thee Swank Bastards and, all the way from the UK, the Silhouettes!

 I've ranted'n'raved about Vegas' top notch surf/instro combo, Thee Swank Bastards, innumerable times here but for those not in the know, they are led by guitar master (certainly one of the best in town) Jesse Del Quadro, with a revolving cast of characters forming the rhythm section, giving each show a bit of a different feel and occasionally throwing curve balls to everyone involved, band'n'audience alike! While all of the different players bring their own talents and personalities, tonight's line up is one of the strongest, with seasoned pro Mark Bartschi smacking the skins (he gets a great sound of of his kit!) and Jason Aragon's flying fingers handling the bass chores. Jesse and Jason lock in on some fiery, rollickin' licks, while Mark keeps things steadily rockin' behind them. Most of the tunes are classic surf numbers done their own, eclectic way, but they are not above doing a medley of Black Sabbath or, as when dancer Ivana Blaze sat in on bass, numbers like the Ramones "The KKK Took My Baby Away"! Besides giving plenty of eye appeal, Ivana also acts as MC and at one point while Jesse was wandering the room (he does not stay on the stage for more than a few seconds at a time) and playing behind his head, Ivana arranged two chairs for him to stand on and he moved around on them and did the splits while Ivana posed between his legs! Fun times for sure!

Of course, I couldn't get any photos of the Psyatics playing, but here's a posed shot from John Armstrong - thanks John! Our set was our usual noisy, chaotic craziness with numbers from several of the albums as well as a couple new cuts that will appear on the next record, whenever that may be! Jack terrorized the audience while creating walls of noise from his Gretsch, new drummer on the block Ron locked in with Rob for a swirling rhythm section as Rob snarled'n'crooned on top of it all, and I did my best to keep up and add whatever i could to the mix! Good times, good crowd, good rockin'. We've got a bunch of gigs at various unusual places coming up so keep an eye on our page for the latest news!

All the way from the UK, with the help of local super-fan Nikki Ruffling, The Silhouettes treated the late night crew to a set of their own interpretations of 60's surf instrumental sounds. All are highly skilled players and got a great sound on borrowed equipment (thanks to the other guys in the Psyatics) as they ran through a plethora of originals with titles like "Fire Pit", "Spectre of the Gun", "Murdersville" and "Touch of Evil", to give you an idea of their themes - some to appear on their next record - along with covers like a reverbed take on Jody Reynolds "Fire of Love", "A Town Without Pity" and even Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear the Reaper", which made the Psyatics Ron jump up and grab his cowbell to join in! High quality stuff from these cats so check 'em out if they come near you (they're doing a couple shows in SoCal that I know of) and look for their records! (I got a 45 from them, so more on that as soon as I have a minute to give it a listen!)

As always, a huge thanks to the Double Down and their excellent crew for hosting the night, again, thanks to Nikki for bringing out the Silhouettes (literally - she drove to SoCal to pick them up and bring them to Vegas and then brought them back! What a trooper!), and to everyone who came out! 

RIP Steve Pallow

 

This is another super tough one...I met "Big" Steve Pallow back in the mid-80's when he was playing bass with the insane garage/RnB combo, the Beguiled, along with "Little" Steve Fish (drums), Dave Fish (lead vocals/harp/rhythm guitar), and the master of the echo'd lead guitar, Mike Ball. Mike was tragically killed by a drunk driver in the late 90's/early 00's and now I've just heard that Steve passed due to a heart condition. 

I had lost touch with Steve over the last couple decades, I suppose, but he always kept busy after the Beguiled (he even auditioned for the Tommyknockers, but we mutually agreed that it wasn't right for him), forming multiple primitive garage-ish combos like the Necessary Evils, Thee Cormans, and Haunted George and gathering fans worldwide - far surpassing our little LA garage scene that he came out of.

I wish that we had kept in touch more, but I'm glad for the time I knew him and for all the great music he was involved in. 

Fuckin' hell, I'm tired of all of the death these days....

IV and the Strange Band, Whiskey Breath, Nuclear Undead, The Devil's Duo at the Dive Bar, Thursday Feb 3, 2022

After having loads of fun at our debut a couple of weeks ago, the Devil's Duo were itching to get out again and when the Dive Bar was kind enough to offer us a spot on this hip'n'eclectic bill, we jumped at it. 

Obviously, we were not able to take any pix of ourselves and haven't seen anyone post any so far (if you have any, please post them on our page! Thanks!), but we again had a good time opening up the night on this Thursday eve. The Dive Bar's sound man was easy to work with and was able to get us dialed in with a great sound on stage so that we could really hear ourselves, which makes all the difference, especially in our vocals. Our acoustic guitar/banjolele-based set of old country, blues, Bessie Smith, etc, was well received and we got some great feedback from plenty of folks. Thank you to the Dive Bar for having us and hope we can do it again!

The Nuclear Undead were kind of the odd band out of the night, but I definitely don't mind a little diversity when the group is as good as these deviants. The masked mutants ran through a powerful set of catchy yet heavy instrumental music - not unlike our LA pals, the Black Widows - with horror movie sound bytes filling in the spaces between numbers. Crazy'n'unique instro songs - yes, actual songs - a good, yet simple stage look, and some fun audience interaction made it a great set! These excellent musicians also play in plenty of other projects in LV when they are not undergoing radiation treatment, so look for this and their other outfits whenever you can!

Whiskey Breath currently is one young man, Brandon, and his acoustic guitar, doing his own outlaw country/folk/ whatever songs, often about drinking (hence the name), such as "Jim Beam is my Home Boy", and relationships (and drinking), setting things on fire (and drinking) and even a very non-pc tale of domestic abuse, that is still a damn memorable number! He's cleaned up his old mountain man look and seems to be raring to continue gigging, so look for him around! He was so into this gig that by the end of the set he had broken three strings on the one guitar he had with him!

IV and the Strange band is fronted by none other than Hank Williams great-grandson, although he is not overly promoting that relation and his sound really has little relevance to that (amazingly talented) man. He's working to make a name for himself and with a terrific band, he seems well on his way.

The Strange Band is made up of four super nice guys - stand up and electric bass, downtuned, super heavy Telecaster guitar, flamboyant, excellent, charismatic drummer, incredible banjo player and IV leading the way with cool songs, a vibrato'd voice and a unique picking style on a unique electrified acoustic guitar. The banjo player was kind of a mind blowing player, but he did get a little buried in the heavy melee that made up most of the songs, but he was present and the rest of the musicians were top notch, as well, and really worked together to present IV's songs. Difficult to properly explain their sound, as it is such a conglomeration of different styles - certainly some old school country, but with plenty of heavy rock, a touch of bluegrass, a bit of folk, and whatever else they wanna throw in! It all works, though, and made up one of the better sets of electrifying rock'n'roll that I've seen in a while. The crowd loved them from start to finish and they even got an encore - a rarity at the end of a Thursday night - which IV did by himself. 

Their album isn't out until June, but I picked up a single (more on that when I have a minute) so we'll see how they translate to record, but in the meantime, I would highly recommend checking these cats out. I had a terrific time and they couldn't have been nicer or more supportive. 

Thank you once again to Nate and Angie of the Dive Bar, along with all of these great bands and everyone who came out!