recommended gigs

 Friday 3-1-24 - The Bitters, CNTS, Hands of Oblivion, Deafening at the Dive Bar

Friday 3-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels

Saturday 3-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Golden Tiki

Monday 3-4-24 - Les Lullies, Glass Eye, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at Red Dwarf

Wednesday 3-6-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 3-8-24 - Shanda and the Howlers with the Hi_Jivers at the original San Dollar

Saturday 3-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-11-24 - The Psyatics and Joecephus and the George Joneston Massacre at Fat Cat

Wednesday 3-13-24 - Twin Temple at House of Blues

Friday 3-15-24 -  the Psyatics, the Way Outs and Fuzz Solow at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels and late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 3-19-24 - IV and the Strange Band at SoulBelly BBQ

Wednesday 3-20-24 - the New Waves at Red Dwarf

Friday 3-22-24 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Friday 3-22-24 - Blvd Bullies and VaVoom at Rusty Spurs

Saturday 3-23-24 - The Implosions and Freezing Hands at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-23-24 - Big Barkin' Block Party at Cemetery Pulp with live music, food, vendors and pet adoptions 2PM - 9PM

Sunday 3-24-24 - The Out There, Evelyn's Casket, Dr Phobic and the Phobic-Tones at Red Dwarf

Monday 3-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-29-24 - Suburban Resistance with Dio Rising at OYO Casino

Friday 3-29-24 - The Knee-Hi's with the Implosions, Indigo Fuzz and Deacon Hill at The Griffin

Friday 3-29-24 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-31-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 4-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 4-1-24 - The Unwieldies with Noelle and the Deserters at Fat Cat

Thursday 4-11-24 - The Hangmen at the Dive Bar

Saturday 4-13-24 - The Unwieldies, Pitchfork and more at the 2024 Bluegrass Festival in Centennial Hills Park

Wednesday 4-17-24 - pre-Viva show at the original San Dollar hosted by Shanda and the Howlers with the Blue Ribbon Boys, Rayford Brothers, Mozzy Dee and Angela Tini

Wednesday 5-1-24 - The Monsters from Switzerland with the Implosiions and the Psyatics at the usual place

Friday 5-24-24 - Redd Kross and more at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 5-25-24 - Guitar Wolf, the Schizophonics, the Shakewells and Lords of Altamont at the Usual Place

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - Thor - Volume 3

 

Of course, being a fan of the original Norse legends, The Mighty Thor was certain to captivate my young mind. As a humble, lame doctor found a walking stick that transformed into a hammer that also turned Dr. Don Blake into a literal god of thunder (what young wimp did not desire a magical way to become a powerful hero?) Thor would go on to save Earth and Asgard many times over.

In this collection, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby combine their immense talents once again to bring us the other-worldly exploits of Thor. Whether he be on Earth, fighting super-powered humans such as Mr. Hyde, the Cobra, the Grey Gargoyle or the Absorbing Man, or in his homeland of Asgard facing the villainy of his half-brother Loki and his comrades, Thor faces his challenges as a god should. Loki continually attempts to sway Odin's favors from his beloved son, and sometimes temporarily succeeds, but the goodly Thunder God must always prevail.

There are times when the worlds collide in a way, such as when Thor must fight Odin's supreme weapon on Earth, the Destroyer (always wondered if this creation was the inspiration of DMZ's song of the same name) or when Loki send the Executioner and the Enchantress to terrorize Don Blake's love interest (and nurse) Jane Foster. There are also tales of the brothers in their youth and of various legends of Asgard in general.

Kirby is in top form here, with his imaginative visions of godly-living, and Lee's soliloquies are intelligent and heroic, as befitting a god, and the plots - sometimes based on the original myths - and the villains are always creative. Of course, it's not great art, but it is great comic book story-telling!

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - Captain American Volume 2

 This collection compiles Cap's adventures while he was still sharing an issue with Iron Man so naturally, the stories are a little shorter than a full comic's tales, but that doesn't mean that they are not action packed! Kirby is still manning the pencils here (except for a couple of issues where Gil Kane subbed), so there are no complaints about the artwork and Stan "The Man" Lee is writing, so there are plenty of wild'n'wooly raucousness'n'craziness!

Nick Fury makes an appearance - the two knew each other back in WWII - along with the not-so-nefarious sounding group of scientists and spies simply called "Them" - somewhat affiliated with AIM (Advanced Ideas Mechanics) - but also working with none of than the original cap nemesis, the Red Skull! On top of that we get the origin of the Cosmic Cube, the Adaptoid and Super Adaptoid, Mordok, Power Man, the Swordsman, a cameo by the Avengers, a love interest for Cap and more! 

Sure, there's some more-than-unlikely scenarios - even for comic books - but suspension of disbelief is certainly necessary for any super-hero tale. But it's all in good fun, the hero wins in the end and while there is the obligatory angst, good wins over evil - something that I wish would happen in the real world a little more often these days. These 60's Marvel tales are always a good time! And for an extra bonus, there's a Captain (Charlie) America episode of Not Brand Ecch! included!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 2-22-24 Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-23-24 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Broke In Vegas, Destined to Fail, Santa Muerte at the Founder's Club

Friday 3-1-24 - The Bitters, CNTS, Hands of Oblivion, Deafening at the Dive Bar

Friday 3-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels

Saturday 3-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Golden Tiki

Monday 3-4-24 - Les Lullies, Glass Eye, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-11-24 - The Psyatics and Joecephus and the George Joneston Massacre at Fat Cat

Friday 3-15-24 -  the Psyatics, the Way Outs and Fuzz Solow at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels and late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 3-19-24 - IV and the Strange Band at the Dive Bar

Wednesday 3-20-24 - the New Waves at Red Dwarf

Friday 3-22-24 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Friday 3-22-24 - Blvd Bullies and VaVoom at Rusty Spurs

Saturday 3-23-24 - The Implosions and Freezing Hands at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-23-24 - Big Barkin' Block Party at Cemetery Pulp with live music, food, vendors and pet adoptions 2PM - 9PM

Monday 3-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-29-24 - Suburban Resistance with Dio Rising at OYO Casino

Saturday 3-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-31-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 3-31-24 - Bob Wayne at the Dive Bar

Monday 4-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 4-11-24 - The Hangmen at the Dive Bar

Saturday 4-13-24 - The Unwieldies, Pitchfork and more at the 2024 Bluegrass Festival in Centennial Hills Park

Wednesday 5-1-24 - The Monsters from Switzerland with the Implosiions and the Psyatics at the usual place

Friday 5-24-24 - Redd Kross and more at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 5-25-24 - Guitar Wolf, the Schizophonics, the Shakewells and Lords of Altamont at the Usual Place

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Avengers Volume 3

 

While I've always been a fan of the Avengers, I have never really been a fan of Don Heck's penciling and here, even with some superb inkers (even Wally Wood, surprisingly enough), Heck just doesn't impress. His layouts are good and dynamic, but his style overall never really clicked with me.

So, with that out of the way, here we get the continuing adventures and the mighty Avengers, as they continue to evolve, here with the "new" team of Captain America, Hawkeye, Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch eventually joined by the Wasp and Goliath (previously Giant-Man and Ant-Man). Of course, there are plenty of personal trials'n'tribulations - it wouldn't be Marvel if there weren't - and rivalries'n'jealousies, especially with the continual sub-plot of Hawkeye wanting to wrest leadership from Cap, while still respecting him and understanding that he is a good leader. 

They fight a wide array of villains, from the Enchantress and Power Man - created by the same machinery that made Wonder Man - to the Swordsman to Attuma (Sub-Mariner's nemesis) to Kang and Doc Doom himself to the Black Widow (brainwashed by the "Commies") and more! Lots of close calls and Goliath suffers a huge setback but, of course, they always end up winning - or at least defeating the evildoers' plots.

Of course, I dig all of the 60's Marvel titles and while this is not the strongest period for the Avengers, it's still more than worthwhile.

Corporate Rock Sucks - Jim Ruland

 

I was never a big fan of most of the bands that SST released, but I decided to pick up this book once I found out that my friend Linda Aronow has photos in it. Turns out, it's a great read!

Because I already read Keith Morris’ fine autobiography (that Ruland also co-wrote), I’m somewhat familiar with the early history of Black Flag, but this book also expands on the role of other related early So Cal bands, such as the Last (Morris gives them plenty of kudos, as well, and there’s a terrific tale of Joe Walsh helping them out early on!), one of my fave bands of the early scene, and, of course, the history of the SST label. 

The Ginns family history is particularly fascinating and Ruland gives plenty of information about their upbringing, background and familiar support, as well as tidbits about how Raymond got his nom de plume and his first comic/zine release.

SST Records evolved out of Greg Ginn's Solid State Transistor business and his bands, starting with Panic! and morphing into Black Flag. Ginn comes off a bit dictator-ish, but he had a vision and, while it may have changed over the years, he stuck to his own guns. Of course, the story of SST Records is also the story of innumerable bands from SoCal, as well as the rest of the country, even into Canada. While, as I said, I am not a fan of many of the groups mentioned, it is a fascinating tale and more open-minded than I would have expected, which makes me want to research the groups that I am not familiar with.

Ruland is a fine, descriptive writer and has a way of making bands whose music I do not care for sound more inviting as well as making me think of their works in different ways. He keeps the story flowing and readable even as he jumps around with the various groups'n'characters, always bringing it back to the SST fold.

It is interesting to me that the really oddball bands - Sacharrine Trust, Minutemen, Husker Du, Meat Puppets - sold tens of thousands of records. But then again, Sonic Youth appears in the story and ends up on SST and look what happened with that unusual band! Of course, being based in SoCal, some friends of ours appear in the story, from bands like the Leaving Trains to writers like Eddie Flowers to photographers like Linda Aronow, along with a long list of bands that appeared on the same bill as my groups over the years. There's also quite a bit of drug use and even a connection to Nancy Pelosi, of all people!

The number of records that SST released is fairly mind-boggling - at times surpassing major labels! - and the number of records by the same band that they would release simultaneously or even in the same year is pretty phenomenal and possibly self-defeating. Of course, it's never a good idea to over-extend your business and once a few major distributors shut down, SST was hit hard and had to do some major down-sizing and lost some important personnel. This, along with Ginn's headstrong ways, along with some lawsuits, essentially ends the SST label as a strong independent and while they still exist, the label is no longer the powerhouse it once was.

Really much more compelling then I expected - definitely recommend, especially for those who dig the early LA scene.

recommended gigs

 Thursday 2-15-24 - Negative Nancys, Happy Campers, Sundogs, Biff at Evel Pie

Thursday 2-15-24 - TV Party Tonight at the Double Down showing Caddyshack with live music from Bear Supply 

Friday 2-16-24 - Suburban Resistance and Mismiths at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-25 - The Psyatics with Stagnettis Cock and VaVoom at Founder’s Club

Saturday 2-17-24 - Junkyard at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-24 - Late night -Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-18-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf

Monday 2-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 2-21-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Thursday 2-22-24 Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 2-23-24 - Thee Hypnotiques at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Broke In Vegas, Destined to Fail, Santa Muerte at the Founder's Club

Friday 3-1-24 - The Bitters, CNTS, Hands of Oblivion, Deafening at the Dive Bar

Friday 3-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels

Saturday 3-2-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Golden Tiki

Saturday 3-9-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-11-24 - The Psyatics and Joecephus and the George Joneston Massacre at Fat Cat

Friday 3-15-24 -  the Psyatics, the Way Outs and Fuzz Solow at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-16-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Mabels and late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-18-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 3-19-24 - IV and the Strange Band at SoulBelly BBQ

Friday 3-22-24 - The Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Saturday 3-23-24 - The Implosions and Freezing Hands at Red Dwarf

Saturday 3-23-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-25-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 3-29-24 - Suburban Resistance with Dio Rising at OYO Casino

Saturday 3-30-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 3-31-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 4-1-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 4-11-24 - The Hangmen at the Dive Bar

Saturday 4-13-24 - The Unwieldies, Pitchfork and more at the 2024 Bluegrass Festival in Centennial Hills Park

Friday 5-24-24 - Redd Kross and more at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 5-25-24 - Guitar Wolf, the Schizophonics, the Shakewells and Lords of Altamont at the Usual Place

Stomp and Shout - Kenny Daniel and Richard Parker

 

The similarity (exactly) to the title of the book on the Northwest Garage scene that I just read brought this tome to my attention and I was intrigued by the thought of a book on a fairly obscure Texan garage band, Kenny and the Kasuals. Of course, I know their terrific garage/psych raver, "Journey To Tyme", and I know that I have a full LP of theirs that I haven't listened to in a while, but I know I enjoyed (and reviewed it and dug it once again). In any case, this seemed like an interesting read and it was inexpensive so I grabbed it.

Kenny co-authors the book and as he explains in the intro, this will be an exploration into garage bands in general along with his in particular. He starts with an overview, natch, and goes into the beginnings of his musical endeavors. His writing style is very casual - again, I wouldn't be surprised if he was simply talking and reminiscing and Parker transcribed and organized it all - and this self-published (small press?) book has some repetition throughout, but has a lot of fun stories. Daniel talks about all of the dances that his school (second largest in Texas, apparently) would put on near-constantly (way more than anything I ever heard about, including before classes in the morning!) and the various groups that would supply the entertainment. His combos joined in on the fun early on and became a local fave along the way.

A minor annoyance is that they do not list song titles consistently - sometimes the title is just written out, sometimes italicized, sometimes in quotations (the standard way) - so the reading can be a bit confusing. Kenny also gives an unnecessary (but brief) history of the Beatles, and also makes lots of lists of local bands playing around at the times. Yes, it's good to know that there was a lot happening, but, again, it's kind of unnecessary.

After a lot of local success and some high hopes in NYC, the band came home, Kenny was drafted, there was a name change that didn’t help matters, Kenny came home and then tried West Coast Country, that failed (a little too late, apparently), another return home to dry out and do a Kasuals reunion. The newly form Kasuals were a bit more punky (per Kenny's description) and played with a truly impressive list of punk/new wave stars, from the Boomtown Rats to Patti Smith, and dozens in between.

There's lots of cool stories of a rising garage combo poised for national success - the ALMOST opened for the Beatles - only to return to the origins and split due to the usual reasons - draft, musical differences, scool, jobs, family and all the rest. But, Kenny persevered and while he did take on a "straight" job, he kept the Kasuals going over the decades. 

This story could have used a little more tightening up, although that would have shortened the book, but still, there's plenty of tales of the trials, tribulations, and fun times of a 60's garage group! Not amazing, but worth checking out if ya dig the genre.

The Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 3 - Mighty Marvel Masterworks

 

I love revisiting these 60's Marvel Masterworks, which compile a number of original comics in one reasonably priced package. This one has the Amazing Spider-Man #29 through #38 and features the debut of Gwen Stacey, Harry Osborn and more, and, among others, has the epic Master Planner storyline with the classic scene re-created for the cover of this collection. Other villains include the Scorpion, the Cat, Kraven the Hunter, the Meteor Man and much more! Of course, J. Jonah Jameson continues to hound the hero, and Peter Parker starts college while literally trying to save his aunt's life and so alienates his peers because he has no time for them - he never really gets a break, does he?

The incredible Steve Ditko illustrates and he is in top form throughout - amazing layouts, penciling and inking - and Stan Lee was also at his peak as a writer. Great stuff! I doubt that I'll ever get tired of these fine tales!

Stomp and Shout - Peter Blecha

 

Of course, I've been a fan of the Pacific Northwest sound ever since first discovering the Sonics and similar bands - or maybe even before, considering that I was a fan of Paul Revere and the Raiders in their hey-day in the 60's (and still am, for that matter). My pal Bob Blackburn, who is from the area, hipped me to this book, so, of course, I picked it up as soon as I found it.

Blecha opens with a young, unknown Ray Charles appearing in Seattle in 1948 and gives a bit of background on the area's musical and cultural leanings. As he moves on with some history of the burgeoning R'n'B scene, we also get a lesson in the area's segregation policies and their eventual breakdowns, thanks to open-minded promoters and business owners (and integrated bands, of course), as R'n'B morphs into R'n'R.

Moving from the hip R'n'B scene - played by both Blacks and Whites - there then evolved a younger, more purely rock'n'roll sound, championed by Tacoma's The Wailers. I had no idea that this savage, fuzzed out garage combo started in the early R'n'B scene! They were also the first to put out a garage version of "Louie Louie" that sold amazingly well in the NW but they couldn't get the national push to make it the smash that the Kingsmen later got with their copycat version. 

This point in the story is where it gets fascinating for me, with the start of bands like the Wailers and the breakthrough success of Paul Revere and the Raiders, along with their contemporaries. Of course, although I know it logically, it's interesting to find a chapter on Jimi Hendrix while we're still talking about the early/pre-Beatles R'n'B-morphing-into-R'n'R bands, but that's when'n'where he started! 

There’s a great chapter on the competing versions of “Louie Louie” from the Kingsmen (of course) and Paul Revere and the Raiders - both taken from the Wailers cover of the Richard Berry number. The Sonics don't really appear until towards the end of the book, but it sounds like they were as frantic live as their blistering records would seem. Apparently, the NW produced unparalleled, raucous, phrenetic live acts!

As the days of the mid-60's garage bands faded, Blecha takes one last look at Hendrix's success before closing this chapter on the NW sounds, although harkening to the later emergence of the Sub Pop bands.

I really enjoyed this one - a nice history lesson of the early R'n'B greats and a fascinating emergence of the crazed rock'n'roll that came from the area. Certainly recommended!

recommended gigs

 Friday 2-9-24 - The Implosions, Las Nalgonas, the Hideaway at Cemetery Pulp

Saturday 2-10-24 - the Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Saturday 2-10-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-11-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf Sunday Brunch

Monday 2-12-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-12-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Thursday 2-15-24 - Negative Nancys, Happy Campers, Sundogs, Biff at Evel Pie

Thursday 2-15-24 - TV Party Tonight at the Double Down showing Caddyshack with live music from Bear Supply 

Friday 2-16-24 - Suburban Resistance and Mismiths at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-25 - The Psyatics with Stagnettis Cock and VaVoom at Founder’s Club

Saturday 2-17-24 - Junkyard at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-24 - Late night -Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-18-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf

Monday 2-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-11-24 - The Psyatics and Joecephus and the George Joneston Massacre at Fat Cat

Thursday 3-14-24 - The Silhouettes at the Double Down

Friday 3-15-24 - the Silhouettes with Fur Dixon and the Psyatics at Red Dwarf

Tuesday 3-19-24 - IV and the Strange Band at SoulBelly BBQ

Saturday 3-23-24 - The Implosions and Freezing Hands at Red Dwarf

Thursday 4-11-24 - The Hangmen at the Dive Bar

Saturday 4-13-24 - The Unwieldies, Pitchfork and more at the 2024 Bluegrass Festival in Centennial Hills Park

Saturday 5-25-24 - Guitar Wolf, the Schizophonics, the Shakewells and Lords of Altamont at the Usual Place

The Decibels - Create Action

 

The Decibels were (are?) a 1990's Sacramento power pop/mod band full of great tunes, lots of harmonies, singalong songs, and plenty of fun! Got to see and play with them a few times over the years and they were nothing but cool and always put on a great show. With Dean Seavers, Joe Pach, Brian Machado, and Brent Seavers, they kept the power in the pop - and the modern in mod - by looking snappy while rockin'n'harmonizing through fun sets. This 13 song album is filled with short, infectious, energetic tunes with jangly guitars and a rockin' rhythm section, reminiscent of 60's numbers without being derivative, and plenty of tortured relationship lyrics, as is pretty much required of power pop!

If ya dig power pop with a mod tinge (maybe like an American, less mod-centric Secret Affair), you need to dig these cats. There's no reason why they didn't get bigger than they did, other than the fact that the music biz sucks!

Bob Dylan - Oh Mercy

 

This CD was gifted to me by my old pal Kenzo - thanks buddy! - and is a 1989 release that was hailed as (another) Dylan resurgence after a few failed albums. Recorded in New Orleans and produced by Daniel Lanois, it was called a return to form (again, that has happened often enough in Dylan's career to question what form anyone is referring to) and even gave him a strong chart showing.

Although he hadn't been considered a protest singer from decades, he does delve into it a bit for the upbeat, bouncey "Political World" - pretty damn catchy and a hip, insistent groove and some fine playing all around - good opener! He slows down for a country-ish ballad "Where Teardrops Fall", followed by one of my faves, the bluesy "Everything Is Broken" that Neil Young covered successfully and noisily but here has nicely tremelo'd guitars, acoustic harmonica and another cool groove. "Ring Them Bells" is a gospel-tinged piano ballad, "Man in the Long Black Coat" is a nice ballad, but not overly memorable as is the end-of-a-relationship song, "Most of the Time", and continues with the sparse and self-deprecating "What Good Am I?". "Disease of Conceit" continues with the sparseness, they pick up the pace slightly for "What Was It You Wanted", although it also has ethereal, tremelo'd guitars and light, breathy harmonica and ending with the country/folky "Shooting Star" that harkens a bit more to his earlier days.

It's a good, atmospheric record, even though the songs aren't quite as enduring as some of his previous work. 

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - World Record

 This 2022 release was Young's 43rd (!!) studio album and his 15th with Crazy Horse (along with Nils Lofgren adding a number of instruments), produced by Rick Rubin and released as a three sided vinyl set (the fourth side being an etching) and a 2-CD set with the second CD supplying a whopping two songs! I know that Young likes his fidelity and I got this one from the library so I don't know for sure, but I sure hope that he priced this as a single CD and not a double! (According to Wikipedia, he released this on cassette, as well! Wacky!)

Opening with a kinda hokey, old-fashioned, piano-led, 50's-ish pop tune "Love Earth", the record does not have a strong start to my ears, but this was chosen as a single, so Young must have liked it. "Overhead" is a bit better, as a mid-tempo song with plenty of Neil-isms, also piano-led, with a semi-psych mid section! Interesting and different, even for him! From there we get some Crazy Horse crunch on the guitars in "I Walk With You", although it is still basically a ballad - I could hear this as an acoustic number, although I dig the distortion, the fairly stompin' mid section and hip Neil electric solo. "This Old Planet" - the Earth, its wonders and its fate, is basically the album's theme - is another piano ballad, then they pick up the pace for "The World (Is In Trouble Now)" that has a pump organ as its dominant instrument (outside of the insistent drums), giving it an odd, but cool flavor - maybe a little soul/R'n'B, somehow. 

Nice washes of distortion'n'feedback on "Break the Chain", with a call'n'answer melody, making it all sound like more "traditional" Crazy Horse (a good thing, to be sure!), while "The Long Day Before" is another pump organ ballad with choir-like choruses, "Walkin' On The Road (To The Future)" continues with pump organ'n'mouth organ'n'big choruses, and for the finale of disc 1, "The Wonder Won't Wait" has even more pump organ but in a more rhythmic way, giving it kind of a 60's garage feel (sorta/ kinda).

CD 2 opens with the 15+ minute ode to his beloved cars, "Chevrolet", that is an electric Crazy Horse epic with some great guitar work and plenty of Young-ish distortion, showing that he can still write a hip song and perform it with the same edge he always has had! The closer is a very, very quiet reprise of "This Old Planet" that is barely longer than a minute (if that), making this CD extraordinarily brief, but that's Neil for ya! 

Wile certainly not the best thing he has done, it it still totally listenable with some fine highlights - not bad after 50 years or so!

Dark Shadows (movie)

 

While I watched the original Dark Shadows TV series when it aired, I don't remember much about any plot that ran through that soap opera - really just remember Barnabas and the fact that there was occasional supernatural beings appearing throughout the series. Tim Burton's 2012 movie remake (with Johnny Depp in the lead role) doesn't seem to have much to do with the original show other than the characters - the movie even takes place in the 70's, after the TV show went off the air.

But, as with any of Burton's projects, it looks good, Depp plays the character with a bit over-the-top silliness (not necessarily a bad thing) and the rest of the characters at least somewhat resemble people from the original. I don't remember how the original Barnabas was cursed, but here an eternal witch caused him to become a vampire after murdering his lover because he spurned the witch. When he returns in the 70's, she has practically destroyed his legacy, and his vengeance - and her continual animosity towards him - is the basis of the plot.

Ghosts and werewolves also appear, and Alice Cooper serenades a party they throw, which was a nice touch - his band is made to look like the original AC group, down to correct instruments - and they perform "No More Mr. Nice Guy" and "Ballad of Dwight Frye", which is especially fitting for a particular sub-plot. Of yeah, an Iggy song plays in the background earlier in the movie, although it's a tune that wasn't released at the time, but what the hell....

Far from any sort of seriousness, it's a fun romp, looks great, and has some excellent music in the soundtrack (although the Carpenters also appear on TV and as background music). 

RIP Wayne Kramer

Wayne Kramer of Detroit Rock Legends MC5 Has Died at Age 75

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I've had some issues with some of the legal battles that he chose to start, but I cannot deny the influence that the MC5 has had over me for the past 50 (!!) years. He and Sonic were an incredible team. Sorry to see him go, although I suppose he lived longer than he probably thought he would, considering the abuse he put his body through in his younger days.

Hit Girls - Jen B. Larson

 

Subtitled "Women of Punk in the USA 1975-1983", this gives a pretty accurate description of the concept of the book. Funnily, Larson is a youngster who wasn't born until well after this time period and who knew little about punk or women in punk until researching the past. It will be interesting to get this kind of second (third? fourth? fifth?) hand perspective.

While not wanting to promote more well-known musicians, Larson opens with Niagra and Destroy All Monsters - hardly obscure! - but immediately follows with The Welders, A St. Louis band from the mid-70's that I had never heard of. Then we get Bomp's Nikki and the Corvettes (had to laugh at the young author asking why it wasn't cool to be covering the MC5 and Stooges in the 70's!) followed by Flirt, another Detroit band I'd never heard of, whose singer had previous sang backup for Bob Seger on "Katmandu"! So, lots of variety, mixing basically complete unknowns with underground icons.

Lots of mid-west bands are featured - not surprising considering how many groups there were all over the country at the time - including bands like Chicago's Bitch, who I used to see in small clubs in Indiana, along with groups like the Waitresses, who actually got airplay and a fair amount of attention. As a funny aside, Larson quotes Cincinnati's The Dents singing "Do the Boob", but doesn't mention that it's a Real Kids song! (She also mentions someone doing "Cock in My Pocket" and while I didn't research it, I can only assume that is the Iggy song.) The LA bands - and west coast in general - are also relatively well-known by comparison and for the east coast she includes the likes of Lydia Lunch and even the Plasmatics! So, while there are LOTS of truly obscure combos, there's also lots that even the average fan of underground rock'n'roll are going to be familiar with - maybe that's on purpose for marketing despite saying that she was going to leave out the more well known? Ironically, I dug the section on the West Coast bands because I knew or had at least seen most of the bands listed, but Melanie thought that Larson didn't do a deep enough dive and dig up more obscure bands!

Interestingly, there are very different views on how women were or were not accepted and how the non-traditional-sex roles were either embraced or vilified. I suppose some of it depends on the time (years or even months could make a difference) and some on the place, but even in San Francisco, different bands had very different experiences. I do appreciate that almost to a person, everyone lamented the coming of hard core and the uniformation of punk rock and how free it was (overall) when it started and how it could be almost anything. Of course, I agree with that, as well, and hated the later punk bands, while I still listen to 70's punk religiously.

In any case, no matter how immersed you are in underground rock'n'roll, Larson will certainly inform you of some groups that you've never heard of. Not perfect, but certainly informative!

recommended gigs

 Thursday 2-1-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Friday 2-2-24 - The Bitters, Mondo Vermin, Red Moon One, Noize Complaint at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Saturday 2-3-24 - The New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-3-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-4-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 2-4-24 - the Minges, the Out There and War Peggy at Red Dwarf

Monday 2-5-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-5-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Wednesday 2-7-24 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast at the Double Down

Friday 2-9-24 - The Implosions, Las Nalgonas, the Hideaway at Cemetery Pulp

Saturday 2-10-24 - the Unwieldies at Boulder Dam Brewery 

Saturday 2-10-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 2-11-24 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf Sunday Brunch

Monday 2-12-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-12-24 - Fuzz Solow at Fat Cat

Friday 2-16-24 - Suburban Resistance and Mismiths at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-25 - The Psyatics with Stagnettis Cock and VaVoom at Founder’s Club

Saturday 2-17-24 - Junkyard at the Dive Bar

Saturday 2-17-24 - Late night -Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-19-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 2-24-24 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 2-26-24 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Monday 3-11-24 - The Psyatics at Joecephus and the George Joneston Massacre at Fat Cat

Thursday 3-14-24 - The Silhouettes at the Double Down

Friday 3-15-24 - the Silhouettes with Fur Dixon and the Psyatics at Red Dwarf

Tuesday 3-19-24 - IV and the Strange Band at SoulBelly BBQ

Saturday 3-23-24 - The Implosions and Freezing Hands at Red Dwarf

Thursday 4-11-24 - The Hangmen at the Dive Bar

Saturday 5-25-24 - Guitar Wolf, the Schizophonics, the Shakewells and Lords of Altamont at the Usual Place