recommended gigs

 Friday 9-30-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-1-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 10-1-22 - Frankie Lee and the Infernos at the Pioneer Saloon

Sunday 10-2-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-3-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 10-5-22 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast with the Implosions for Nikki Ruffling's birthday!

Friday 10-7-22 - Trevor and the Swinging Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Queers, Venomous Pinks, Mercy Music, Jerk! at the Dive Bar

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 10-9-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-10-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Friday 10-14-22 - Trevor and the Jones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-15-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-15-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Monday 10-17-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Thursday 10-20-22 - Kepi Ghoulie and the Psyatics at Evel Pie

Friday 10-21-22 - Tin Can Screams and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 10-22-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-22-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 10-22-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at Downtown Beerfest

Saturday 10-22-22 - Kid Congo Powers signing his book New Kind of Kick at Writer's Block - 7:00 pm

Monday 10-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 10-26-22 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Devil's Duo and the Unwieldies at the Dive Bar

Thursday 10-27-22 - Agent Orange, Suburban Resistance, Nuclear Undead, ATS, Mondo Vermin at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-28-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Dia De Los Zombies at the Dive Bar with live music by Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Va Voom

Saturday 10-29-22 - the Hideaway at Red Dwarf

Sunday 10-30-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-31-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 11-12-22 - The Psyatics at Tecopa

Friday 11-18-22 - The Devil's Duo at the Double Down - Benefit for the Wild West Access Fund

Wednesday 11-23-22 - The Heiz at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 11-25-22 - The Psyatics and the Heiz at the Double Down for their 30th anniversary weekend!

Sunday 12-4-22 - Ryan Bingham with the Texas Gentlemen at the Dive Bar

Groovie Ghoulies - Born in the Basement

 

Another wild selection of the Ghoulies patented brand of "scary"-cartoon-bubblegum-pop-punk from one of their best line-ups of Kepi, Roach and Wendy. This is rightfully considered one of their classic albums and is chock-full of some of their best and best-known numbers.

This audio amusement park ride starts off with a short "Blood Intro" before forming an opening call to rock (idea kinda/sorta borrowed from Cheap Trick's "Hello There" - actually, the other way around as this is a cover of a Partridge Family song!) appropriately titled "Hello, Hello" that moves into a hip, punk rock cover of the 13th Floor Elevator's "Levitation" followed by a mutated Bo Diddley-beat-driven ode to "My Car" and then one of the GG's all-time fan-faves, the sing-along, boppin' beat (with truly clever lyrics) of "The Beast With Five Hands" ("I don't think we'll married cuz I can't afford five rings"! Genius!). 

They slow things down for a stripped down version of Love's "Message to Pretty" but bounce back for the peppy, Halloween-y "Pumpkin Head" and the rockin' back'n'forth progression of "Back to the Garage" that blends into a damn catchy, harmony-laden and relatable love song "I Wanna Have Fun (With You)". "Born in the Basement" changes course regularly from a cool, slow groove to a frantic rush, then Bob Dylan's "Walk Out in the Rain" is done as a mid-tempo punk-rocker, "Hell Time" is simplistic but melodic and I just found out that this almost-throwaway number is another Bob Dylan tune, written for the soundtrack of a movie called Band of the Hand and backed by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers! Weird! More successful - for the Ghoulies anyway - is the hypnotically sassy riff-rocker, "I Ain't Talkin' To You" that moves into the closing hyper-speed "Hyper Generate".

There is a "hidden track", a power chord ballad title - per the internet - "Think Of Me", a kinda Dylan-ish number - ironically, considering the two Dylan covers they already did on this album. As there are no credits, I presume this is an original and it's a good one!

Certainly among my favorite Ghoulies albums! Super fun stuff!

1+2 Records Beat Party!

 

(I came across this comp as we are rearranging/sorting our near infinite amount of media and trying to organize it all - there will probably be more as I discover other CDs that I haven't written about.)

Subtitled "Worldwide Power Pop Compilation", Japan's fab 1+2 Records put together a pretty darn fab compilation of power-pop and similar styled bands way back in the 90's - damn, I had forgotten how long ago this was! Literally gathering tracks from around the world, some are more punk-pop, so are more garage, some are truly pure power pop, but all are cool, melodic numbers from some truly hip bands from the time. LA is represented by Doorslammer and my own Egomaniacs, a ton of great bands from Japan, including personal faves Fifi and the Mach III and the Banana Erectors, a bunch from Spain, a slew from Australia (like the fab Chevelles), several from Spain, the Kwyet Kings from Germany, Sweden's Jack and the Beanstalk (doing a super take on the Lime Spiders "Slave Girl") and lots more!

While some of the cuts are from other records, a good portion of this comp is previously unreleased tunes, giving you lots of quality numbers that you won't hear anywhere else.

Totally fun set - find it if you dig what the 90's underground was doing with powerful pop rock'n'roll!

Jenny Don't and the Spurs - Fire on the Ridge

This one is the latest from the Spurs with Jenny and bassist/cohort Kelly joined by guitarist Christopher (he played with them when we saw them and is excellent at 6-string and pedal steel) along with their late drummer, Sam (more info on Sam at their website here). Here they continue with their trad-yet-original country/western sounds with Jenny's melodic vocals hovering over some fine playing.

Opening with the upbeat-yet-moody title track, we get a bouncy rhythm track layered with intertwining 6-string and steel guitars (riffs ranging from sweet country to Johnny Cash to "Ghost Rider in the Sky") and Jenny describing the scene. They slow down a little for the 50's-sounding slow dance of "California Cowboy", then we get a hot-boppin', Blasters-ish rockabilly number in "Be the Only One" (nice guitar riffin' here),  followed by a Patsy Cline-y melodic country/rockabilly tune in "Restless Moon" with Christopher showing off his skills on both guitars as he does to great effect on the upbeat country of "Foolish Lies" in which Jenny practically yodels in an old-country kinda way (this melody is taken from an unusual source but I'll be damned if I can place it right now).

"Train Ticket" is a frantic, almost punk-speed rockabilly ala Blood on the Saddle where Christopher continues to impress, sounding almost like Junior Brown at times, but then they slow down for the weepy "Friday Night' that has hints of the Delmore Brothers' "Blues Stay Away From Me" but with their own bits, of course, before moving on to the fast-paced rockabilly in "She's Not the One" - dig the changes from poppy verses to moody choruses. "Johnny Vagabond" is a melancholy, minor-key walk through early Americana with a steady, brooding rockabilly backing, then back to the speedy "Trouble on My Mind" before topping things off with the mid-tempo country of "Queen of the Desert", a strong piece of writing'n'playing - everyone's in top form here.

Really diggin' this combo and glad that we were able to gig with them again. Hopefully, they'll do another trek down from Portland to Vegas again before too long!

Jenny Don't and the Spurs - self-titled debut

 

After seeing the Spurs a little over a week ago, I wanted to pick up some music of theirs and seeing as I had a 20-spot and their CDs were 2-fer-ten, I grabbed this debut along with their latest. I totally dug their melodic country sounds and this album, while only consisting of half the bands I saw - Jenny, natch, and bassist Kelly (who's been around the musical block a few times in numerous congregations) though they now have a different guitarist and their original drummer Sam tragically passed away recently - still contains a similar feel as their current work.

Starting with the elemental "The Fire", we get Jenny's sweetly crooned vocals, a galloping beat and a riff somewhat reminiscent of the Gun Club - fine playing all around and nice writing with interesting melodic twists'n'turns. "My Love" is acoustically-based, but still swings at a good pace with some nice country guitar licks, while "Take Me To Jail" is kinda 50's country/blues in a Loretta Lynn way, with sassy lyrics in the vein of "Fist City", and "L.E.A.V.I.N.G." (you can't go wrong with spelling songs!) is sorta a slow rockabilly number with cool vocal/guitar interaction with a bit of a hillbilly hitch in the singing. 

Lee Hazelwood's "Lady Bird" is a moody, minor-keyed duet with a gruff-voiced gent simply credited as "Jerry A" that features some hip pedal steel adding to the texture, "Hot as the Desert" sways'n'shimmers lazily like the desert sun, "The Note" is a proper country weeper complete with sympathetic pedal steel and regretful lyrics, "Carry Me Home" is backed by a waltz-tempo with more catchy guitar licks, the pedal steel makes a welcome return and highlights "Goodbye Lonely Me", they speed up a bit for "Rattlesnakes and Dogs" which again reminds me a little a Miami-era Gun Club in feel, while "No Good" is upbeat, rhythmically interesting and varied in an old-fashioned, acoustic, Americana, murder ballad kinda way - this might be my favorite from this record. 

After that we get another slow, 50's-ish sob'n'wail in "My Blue Heart", also nicely constructed with passionate guitar work, "Trouble With the Law" is an bouncy take on outlaw country and for the closer they choose Hank Williams' "You Win Again" that they put their own spin on.

The Spurs produce old school country but with an identifying twist to it - really good stuff and great live!

Renegade - the Lives and Tales of Mark E Smith

 

Can't say that I'm a huge Fall fan, although I have liked what I've heard, but Melanie picked this up and lent it to me after she finished so I thought I'd see what Smith had to say.

Co-written/edited/what-have-you by Austin Collings, you get a sense of Smith's character right from the start as he describes his entire band leaving him a few days into an American tour. He does give both sides of the story (although he basically calls bullshit on the band's side) but regardless, he comes off as a hugely problematic, cantankerous, alcoholic prima donna, but that's just in the first few pages, so let's see how he progresses as the story continues. (Yeah, that never changes...)

Smith tells his story in a very curmudgeonly, conversational way, jumping around chronologically, going off on tangents, just giving his opinion about situations, and all with plenty of back street Britishisms that are often just barely comprehensible (if that) to a mid-western American like me. He also name checked people with the assumption that you know who he is talking about - and if you don't live in England, you probably don't. He's definitely a paranoid egomaniac and the book seems to simply be an excuse to rant about all of his perceived injustices and to complain about musicians, scenes, record labels, critics and the like.

(Good line though: “hard livers with hard livers” with “faces like unmade beds” - talking about Manchester barflys.)

His tangents truly are disjointed, as well, and if you don't know someone that he's referring to by name, well then, you're on your own and have to work it out - he's not going to explain who they are. He'll veer from music to sports to old friends to politics in a paragraph or two and leave you to figure out what's what - again, as an American who doesn't follow these things, it's like listening to a drunk at a dive bar with a heavy accent - ya never know where he's going to go next!

He goes on about soccer for a chapter - along with some tangents, of course - throwing out names that meant nothing to me and I didn’t really get it until he mentioned that a Fall song is used in conjunction with soccer somehow - and a song was used for a commercial, as well. Really is a different country there!

The ending comes abruptly, which somehow seems appropriate, as he is talking about Orson Wells later, drunken TV commercials, for no real reason, other than that Smith seems to have an affinity for him. 

For all my criticisms, I have to say that the book is engrossing and entertaining, although you certainly will not come out of it liking Smith in any way, shape or form, or necessarily even respecting him. He does not get into any real background of any of the music or lyrics, either, so fans will not be enlightened about any of his work, other than understanding his personality a little better. It's an odd one - not sure whether I would recommend it or not, but it's certainly something!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 9-22-22 - Cole Maxwell with the Hideaway at the original Sand Dollar 

Friday 9-23-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at Tiki di Amore

Saturday 9-24-22 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Damn Brewery

Saturday 9-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 9-25-22 - Suburban Resistance, Love Bombs, Dirty Licks, Talking Bombs, Celebrity Stalker at the Double Down

Sunday 9-25-22 - Daikaiju at the Dive Bar

Sunday 9-25-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 9-26-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 9-28-22 - Trevor and the Jones at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 9-30-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-1-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 10-2-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-3-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 10-5-22 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast with the Implosions for Nikki Ruffling's birthday!

Friday 10-7-22 - Trevor and the Swinging Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Queers, Venomous Pinks, Mercy Music, Jerk! at the Dive Bar

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 10-9-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-10-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Thursday 10-13-22 - TV Party Tonight at the Double Down showing Halloween with live music by Skeleton Crew

Friday 10-14-22 - Trevor and the Jones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-15-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-15-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Monday 10-17-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Thursday 10-20-22 - Kepi Ghoulie and the Psyatics at Evel Pie

Friday 10-21-22 - Tin Can Screams and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Saturday 10-22-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-22-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 10-22-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at Downtown Beerfest

Saturday 10-22-22 - Kid Congo Powers signing his book New Kind of Kick at Writer's Block - 7:00 pm

Monday 10-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 10-26-22 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Devil's Duo and the Unwieldies at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-28-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Dia De Los Zombies at the Dive Bar with live music by Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Va Voom

Sunday 10-30-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 10-31-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 11-12-22 - The Psyatics at Tecopa

Friday 11-18-22 - The Devil's Duo at the Double Down - Benefit for the Wild West Access Fund

Wednesday 11-23-22 - The Heiz at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 11-25-22 - The Psyatics and the Heiz at the Double Down for their 30th anniversary weekend!

Sunday 12-4-22 - Ryan Bingham with the Texas Gentlemen at the Dive Bar

Ralph Peer and the Making of Popular Roots Music - Barry Mazor

 

While probably most famous for recording the remote sessions that some call the beginnings of country music - the Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers - Ralph Peer had by that time already pioneered remote recordings (with the goal of releasing commercial records, not simply cataloging songs ala Alan Lomax), and been responsible for some of the earliest, seminal blues, hillbilly and jazz recordings and artists. He also revamped copywrite, publishing and royalties - for his own financial gain and well as that of the artist - and worked with some of the most successful artists and recording companies.

Starting as a teenager, Peer worked his way up with various early record companies until he was head of A&R for the fledgling "roots music" (to use our more modern term) divisions in more than one company and in doing so he was the man who brought us some of our most beloved musicians in these areas. 

As noted, he was also responsible for pioneering music publishing in various arenas and therefore a lot of the book is based on these innovations, which, while interesting in the fact that these were new ideas at the time (at the beginning of the 20th century), some of the details get a bit burdensome and not as exciting as hearing about musicians and the hit songs.

He did help pioneer and popularize what would now be considered "World Music", starting with Mexico - helping to create one of their major music stars - and moving into the European market. While the Great Depression was quite problematic for the industry, Peer managed to stay afloat due to his various innovations.

Having never been greatly interested in Latin music in general, his innovations in that field are a bit lost on me as is his apparently groundbreaking work in the field of horticulture, of all things. So, there are fairly large swaths of the book that are obviously important to the man’s story but not that fascinating to me personally. But, with Peer's ambition for creating a worldwide publishing network, he managed to work in numerous fields at once (due to his trusted employees, of course, many of which were, surprisingly for the time, women) and made inroads to rock'n'roll in the 50's, with Buddy Holly being one of his first major stars. Illness took him in 1960 but his wife and son (and extended family) took over the business and it continues to this day as the largest independent music publisher in the word and in that capacity, has worked with an impressive array of stars to this day.

As I said, I got bogged down with some of the details in parts of the book but overall, Peer was a fascinating and forward looking man who helped change the sound of music and his innovations continue to this day. Impressive, to say the least!

The Way Outs and the Psyatics at Red Dwarf, Saturday Sept 17, 2022

 

The Red Dwarf (named either for the British SciFi/Sitcom or the type of star) is one of Vegas' latest bars/music venues with a sorta tiki/nautical theme, Detroit-styled pizza and various, reasonably priced drinks. While I saw some friends, 16 Again, from LA play here a little while ago, it's taken the Psyatics a little time to get a show set up here, but we finally did.

Rob managed to get the Way Outs to open the night, who are a kinda offshoot of Big Like Texas (or it is the other way around?) doing instrumental surf music. A basic two guitar/bass/drums combo with fine players all around, nice guitar interaction, some cool effects, including a keyboard emulator, and a fun set list. Lots of classic surf tunes - "Apache", "Penetration", "Pipeline", "Walk Don't Run", "Diamond Head", "Surf Rider", etc. - were mixed in with traditional sounding originals and the occasional oddity such as a cover of a Shadowy Men From a Shadowy Planet cut! There seems to be room for more surf music in Vegas - there's only a couple bands that I know of currently - and with the emergence of tiki and similar themed bars poppin' up, I would think that another talented combo could make a mark. 

(Once again, between the lighting at the bar and my crappy camera on my phone, I have to apologize for the poor quality photos.)

Not much that I can say about the Psyatics, as I was playing guitar, but since there were only two bands and we had a few hours total to fill out, we were able to put together a fairly lengthy set encompassing tunes from the various CDs along with some brand new numbers that we're still working the kinks outta and that we're hoping to record by the end of the year.

But, fueled by alcohol and pizza, we managed to light-heartedly intimidate bar workers and patrons alike as we wandered the length'n'breath of the bar (the stage is fairly small, so we had to make do!) while making our musical mayhem. Patrons came'n'went throughout the set - the place already seems to be a new hangout for people in the area - but we got a good response and had a fine time. Hopefully, we can get back again soon!

(Photo by M.D. Martin)

Big thanks to the Red Dwarf and their friendly crew, to the Way Outs and to everyone who made it out!

The Devil's Duo, White Line Fever, Frankie Lee and the Infernos, Jenny Don't and the Spurs at the Dive Bar, Friday Sept 16, 2022

 

The last time that the Devil’s Duo played with Jenny Don’t our dog was having a medical issue that required regular medication so we missed seeing Jenny.'s set Thanks to promoter-about-town Pulsar (who also set up the previous show) we got another chance!

We always dig the gigs at the Dive Bar and this evening there was a reasonable amount of folks out early to catch our set of murder ballads/folk songs/the occasional country number/and covers from the likes of Tom Waits and the Velvet Underground! Acoustic guitar/banjolele/drum machine is an odd set up for the Dive Bar but the people were receptive and the set was fun, if a little loose - not uncommon for us! Thanks to the sound man Josh for helping us get our musical ideas across!

I’ve been wanting to catch Zach Ryan’s White Line Fever since he moved back to Vegas from Nashville so I was happy to see him on this bill, as well. With Zach on lead guitar and vocals, he is backed by our pal and smokin’ bassist Davis, along with an acoustic guitarist and a strong drummer. With covers like “Truck Driving Man” and “Driving My Life Away” mixed with some originals, a Merle Haggard ballad and an instrumental medley based on “Ghost Rider”, Zach got to show off his substantial bag of riffs’n’tricks (even playing behind his head, after doffing his hat, of course). Fantastic traditional Country’n’Western, but with their own added twists, natch! We’ll be looking forward to seeing them - and hopefully playing with them - again soon!

I’ve seen big-voiced Frankie Lee and her rotating band of Infernos at least a couple of times before and she’s always entertaining with a mix of old school R’n’B, r’n’r, country, pop and whatever else strikes her/their fancy. This eve there were some powerful takes on the likes of Riot on Cell Block #9”, “House of the Rising Sun” (nice twist when sung by a woman), “Your Cheating Heart” and even the Stray Cats “Rock This Town”! With a standup bass locking in with the excellent female drummer (who also sang) and a (new-ish, I believe) guitarist who wasn’t afraid to throw in some jazzy riffs, Frankie was amply backed for a fun set!

I spoke briefly with Jenny before their set (several of our friends are fans who had seen and played shows with her) and she couldn’t have been nicer and was supportive of all of the bands all through the night. Jenny leads the combo with her sweet vocals and rhythm guitar while backed by some terrific musicians - a stomping drummer, a wildly busy bassist and a guitarist who could strike out some fine leads from his Gretch, his baritone Dan Electro Longhorn and his steel guitar. all while looking mighty dapper Their sound is pretty straight melodic country with lots of energy and style throughout although their encore was more garagey in an almost "Psychotic Reaction" kinda way with some excellent fuzz guitar. I picked up a couple of their CDs so more on those as soon as I have some time. Great band - definitely see them if/when they come through your town!

As always, thank you to the Dive Bar for hosting the event and for their fine crew, thanks for Pulsar for promoting such a hip, happenin' gig, thanks to the bands and to everyone who made it out!

Nico - The Classic Years

 

This 1998 release is a compilation of Nico's work, starting with her Andrew Loog Oldham-produced solo 60's singles (represented by the orchestrated pop of "I'm Not Saying" and the acoustic folk number "The Last Mile") through her brief time with the Velvet Underground ("I'll Be Your Mirror", "Femme Fatale", "All Tomorrow's Parties"), selections from her initial post-VU solo album, Chelsea Girl, that included most of the Velvets yet harkened back to her earlier folk-y/pop work (two Jackson Brown numbers, one from Cale and one cowritten by Lou and Sterling), and the three subsequent releases that were her truly original, personal records, The Marble Index, Desertshore and The End. While I generally believe that her work should be experienced in the complete form, this is a nice overview of her various musical excursions up until the mid-70's for the novices.

While some people fault her low-key, almost baritone, almost monotone voice, I always dug it in a weirdly haunting way although I do have to say that it works better on her original material than it does on the songs written for her - I suppose she understood better than others how to utilize her vocals. That is not to say that the other songs are not good songs - in fact, the tunes written by others are more fully realized "songs", in a more mainstream "pop" sense, and are quite good - but when left to her own devices (with the help of John Cale's production), she truly came into her own. Backed by her droning harmonium, her melodies are fairly minimal, but are well-written, with poetic lyrics referencing her various lovers, situations, her son, and more.

This is a great place to start for those unfamiliar with Nico's work, but there are no real surprises or unreleased nuggets here ("All Tomorrow's Parties" is the single mix - that's the biggest variation), so if you're a fan, you probably already have everything here, although it's a pleasant mixed tape, in any case.

(The CD does include a small booklet with some photos and a bit of history of the singer and the album, as well.)

Nico - Chelsea Girl

 

Obviously, I never got completely caught up with reviewing the Nico albums that I have, so I am continuing to try to rectify that now.

Chelsea Girl is Nico's first post-Velvets album and although there were contentious issues with her expulsion from that band, almost everyone still came together to help Nico with this release - writing songs and backing her instrumentally. But, this is hardly another Velvets record - this sound on this one harkens back to her 60's folk days with several songs by Jackson Brown (another one of her lovers), Bob Dylan (ditto) and Tim Hardin.

The Jackson Brown songs are actually quite memorable, opening with "The Fairest of the Seasons" and "These Days", both with beautiful melodies and sparse, acoustic backing from Brown himself. Cale and Reed collaborated on "Little Sister" which is somewhat reminiscent of some of Cale's quieter solo work, while Cale's "Winter Song" is positively Baroque. Nico co-wrote "It Was a Pleasure Then" with Reed and Cale and it sounds a bit more like her later work, albeit without her trademark harmonium but with trademark Lou Reed feedback and groovy cacophony! The pluralized title song is a Reed/Sterling Morrison cowrite and while the melody is somewhat sparse, it is quite memorable and highly effective with lyrics describing the various habitants of the famous hotel - although Nico always hated the flute in it! Dylan's "I'll Keep It With Mine" returns to the folkiness (with some strings added, which, supposedly, Nico also cringed at), Brown's "Somewhere There's a Feather" is not as strong as his previous offerings, but Reed's "Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams" works well with the vocal melody intertwining with a nicely repetitive underlying riff and Hardin's closing "Eulogy to Lenny Bruce" has a delicate acoustic guitar backing (Jackson again?) while Nico's singing again has her later, droney edge to it, which I dig.

Another eclectic release by this chanteuse and while it works for what it is - basically a folk record - and has some classic tunes, it is not truly Nico being Nico - that would come with her next record. Still, I definitely am a fan of this one and it certainly deserves its place in musical history just for the musicians involved!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 9-15-22 - Thee Swank Bastards the Dive Bar with Onan Neutron and the Secret Friends and Little Kids

Friday 9-16-22 - Jenni Don't and the Spurs with The Devil's Duo, Frankie Lee and the Infernos and White Line Fever at the Dive Bar

Saturday 9-17-22 - The Psyatics and the Way Outs at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-17-22 - Life is Shit Festival at the Dive Bar with tons of amazing bands! Go there before and after the Psyatics show at Red Dwarf!

Saturday 9-17-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Monday 9-19-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Tuesday 9-20-22 - the Freeks, Fever Dog, Cromm Fallon at Soul Belly

Thursday 9-22-22 - Cole Maxwell with the Hideaway at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 9-23-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at Tiki di Amore

Saturday 9-24-22 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Damn Brewery

Saturday 9-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 9-25-22 - Suburban Resistance, Love Bombs, Dirty Licks, Talking Bombs, Celebrity Stalker at the Double Down

Sunday 9-25-22 - Daikaiju at the Dive Bar

Sunday 9-25-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 9-26-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 9-28-22 - Trevor and the Jones at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 9-30-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-7-22 - Trevor and the Swinging Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Queers, Venomous Pinks, Mercy Music, Jerk! at the Dive Bar

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-14-22 - Trevor and the Jones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-15-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-20-22 - Kepi Ghoulie and the Psyatics at Evel Pie

Saturday 10-22-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-22-22 - Kid Congo Powers signing his book New Kind of Kick at Writer's Block - 7:00 pm

Wednesday 10-26-22 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Devil's Duo and the Unwieldies at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-28-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Dia De Los Zombies at the Dive Bar with live music by Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Va Voom

Saturday 11-12-22 - The Psyatics at Tecopa

Friday 11-18-22 - The Devil's Duo at the Double Down - Benefit for the Wild West Access Fund

Wednesday 11-23-22 - The Heiz at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 11-25-22 - The Psyatics and the Heiz at the Double Down for their 30th anniversary weekend!

Sunday 12-4-22 - Ryan Bingham with the Texas Gentlemen at the Dive Bar

recommended gigs

Thursday 9-8-22 - Cromm Fallon and the P200, Some Hearts, Happy Campers at Red Dwarf

 Friday 9-9-22 - Igor and the Red Elvises with the Implosions, Battering Ham and Biff at Taverna Costera

Friday 9-9-22 - Trevor and the Swingin' Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Friday 9-9-22 - Marky Ramone, DI, Jerk! at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 9-10-22 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-10-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 9-11-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 9-12-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Thursday 9-15-22 - Thee Swank Bastards the Dive Bar with Onan Neutron and the Secret Friends and Little Kids

Friday 9-16-22 - Jenni Don't and the Spurs with The Devil's Duo, Frankie Lee and the Infernos and White Line Fever at the Dive Bar

Saturday 9-17-22 - The Psyatics and the Way Outs at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-17-22 - Life is Shit Festival at the Dive Bar with tons of amazing bands! Go there before and after the Psyatics show at Red Dwarf!

Saturday 9-17-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Monday 9-19-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Saturday 9-24-22 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Damn Brewery

Saturday 9-24-22 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Goldn Tiki

Sunday 9-25-22 - Suburban Resistance, Love Bombs, Dirty Licks, Talking Bombs, Celebrity Stalker at the Double Down

Sunday 9-25-22 - Daikaiju at the Dive Bar

Sunday 9-25-22 - Thee Swank Bastards Surf Brunch at Red Dwarf

Monday 9-26-22 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Goldn Tiki

Wednesday 9-28-22 - Trevor and the Jones at the Sand Dollar Downtown

Friday 9-30-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-7-22 - Trevor and the Swinging Johnsons at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Queers, Venomous Pinks, Mercy Music, Jerk! at the Dive Bar

Saturday 10-8-22 - the Souvenairs at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-14-22 - Trevor and the Jones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-15-22 - the Double Whammys at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-20-22 - Kepi Ghoulie and the Psyatics at Evel Pie

Saturday 10-22-22 - Shanda and the Howlers at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 10-26-22 - The Peculiar Pretzelmen with the Devil's Duo and the Unwieldies at the Dive Bar

Friday 10-28-22 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-29-22 - Dia De Los Zombies at the Dive Bar with live music by Frankie Lee and the Infernos and Va Voom

Saturday 11-12-22 - The Psyatics at Tecopa

Friday 11-18-22 - The Devil's Duo at the Double Down - Benefit for the Wild West Access Fund

Friday 11-25-22 - The Psyatics and the Heiz at the Double Down for their 30th anniversary weekend!

Sunday 12-4-22 - Ryan Bingham with the Texas Gentlemen at the Dive Bar

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 3

 

I'm sure I've mentioned it before, but naturally Spider-Man was one of my fave superheroes as a kid - a smart, geeky teenager who was constantly bullied by the jocks and hardly had any friends - sounded like me, for sure! But, he was a lot luckier with the girls than I was and, of course, he had crazy super powers! But, like Captain America, I appreciated his agility as well as his personal responsibility and ethics, although I had no interest in getting into fights constantly!

In any case, this volume compiles The Amazing Spider-Man 20-28 along with the second annual and it has fantastic artwork (no one is created for inking, so that could be his, as well) by Steve Ditko - might be heresy, but I think I dig his artwork better than even Kirby's, and their creativity is at least close to equal. Stan Lee, natch, wrote the stories - Ditko plotted a couple of them - with plenty of teen angst and love troubles to go along with the heroics and wild villains. And what a selection of foes here! The origin of the Scorpion, the Beetle, the Masters of Menace, the Green Goblin, Mysterio (undercover in a plot to drive Spidey mad!), the Crime-Master, the Molten Man, and more! There's even a team-up with Dr. Strange, most likely to bolster the latter's sales, and the initial appearances of Mary Jane Watson!

Sure, it's comics so there are plenty of stereotypical and sometimes trite plotlines, some goofy dialog, and unlikely situations, but the writing really is a step above other comics of the times damn if I didn't love these as a kid and love revisiting them now! The Mighty Marvel Masterworks series does a great job of reproducing these old comics - such fun!

The Unwieldies, Big Like Texas at the Huntridge Tavern, Saturday September 3, 2022

 

The Huntridge Tavern is always a fun, casual, intimate place to see - or play - a show so whenever friends are playing here, I make it a point to come out.  Of course, the Unwieldies are good pals and a terrific group, and while it's literally been years since the last time I saw Big Like Texas, I wanted to check them out again, so off we went!

Obviously, I've ranted'n'raved endlessly about the Unwieldies and their brand of alt-country/folk/songs of longing, love and loss, and tonight their were in top form with a great sound. Dani and Rob's vocals cut through with the proper amount of sweetness'n'gruff (respectively) as they ran through a reasonably long set of tunes from their excellent albums, covers from the likes of Leonard Cohen, Roxy Music and even Michael Jackson (of all people) along with a sprinkle of fine new originals. Always personable, fun'n'funny, at times sarcastic, other times touching, all times entertaining. On top of D'n'R's guitar and bass, there's terrific aural shading from Richard's dobro, Erik'c banjo and long-time mainstay Jack's violin ("don't call it a fiddle!"). Great time was had by all!

Big Like Texas is one of those bands that doesn't like to put any info on their Facebook page so I can't tell you who anyone is or anything like that nor do they give their own interpretation of their sound, and to top it off, this eve they were all acoustic, so a little different than an average set. I would also call them kinda/sorta alt-country/folk with maybe a hint of bluegrass (they do play a mandolin now'n'again) but with their own twist to it all, of course. With three guitars, a stand-up bass and a stripped down drum kit (and occasional washboard), they ran through a set of mostly originals although a couple of stand out covers were the Stones' "Dead Flowers" and John Prines' "Blow Up Your TV" (making me think of my recently deceased sister, as we used to sing this all the time, back in the day). and all highlighted by fine singing by all and lots of harmonies We both truly enjoyed the set and hope that we can see them/play with them again real soon.

Thanks to the bands, the Huntridge, Emilie and Buck and everyone who came out to support fine, live music at this hip, happenin' waterin' hole. 

House of Leaves - Mark Z. Danielewski

 

HOL is the 2000 best-selling, debut novel from Mark Danielewski, a fairly astonishing accomplishment considering how unusual the plot and format is and how dense the storyline is. Multi-lawyered, to say the least, the tale revolves around the narrator, a tattoo apprentice in Hollywood, who stumbles upon a deceased recluse's (named Zampano) report on an apparently fictional documentary called The Navidson Report, which reportedly documents a family's journey of discovery in a mysterious house that they just bought.

As the narrator, Johnny Truant, attempts to organize the Zampano's scattered notes, he becomes more and more obsessed with the story and he, himself, also becomes reclusive and, fairly literally, haunted by the tale. The chronicle is based on Zampano's description of the documentary but with copious footnotes from both Zampano and Truant (and, occasionally, an Editor), who describes his descent into mania as it relates to the plot, as well as his discoveries regarding Zampano's writings. Truant starts off as a basic Hollywood partier - he lists numerous clubs, bars and the like that we are intimately familiar with in real life from our rock'n'roll past - with a heavy dose of curiosity and some organizational skills, which gets him in the mess in the first place. His footnotes are highly conversational - to the point of using the annoying "should of" instead of "should have", and the like - and detail his detachment from reality.

Throughout the narrative there are massively extensive, often poetic, tangents from both Zampano and Truant, as well as occasional notes from the Editor, all of which helps to disorient you and cause you (at least, me) to lose your place in the original story. But you eventually learn that these tangents all have meanings - either great or small.

Interestingly enough, considering that even in the novel the documentary, The Navidson Report, is purported to be fictional, there are innumerable articles, essays and even books written about it, at least per Zampano. To say that this tale is multi-layered is more than an understatement! 

As Zampano reviews the Report and the explorations of the impossible in the house - sometimes with pages of footnotes that only consists of lists of names - Truant is going through his own personal madness and, as if to highlight his, the layout of the book suddenly becomes very fluid, with text appearing upside down, sideways, backwards and more. (Once again, it is fairly incredible that Danielewski was able to convince a publisher to print the books with these unusual layouts throughout - a testimony to the strength of the story, I suppose).

Some people are lost to the darkness, some are saved, and at the end, you wonder if any of them were ever real, even in the sense of the story. There are no firm conclusions and there is a large appendix to give you other possibilities to ponder.

As with the characters within, the reader can easily become infatuated to the point of compulsion with the tome - as the many online discussions will attest - and it is pretty haunting. You will most likely ask your friends to read it simply so you can discuss the potential prospects within. Certainly recommended but be careful not to lose yourself in it!