HALF-ASSED DRUM CIRCLES, TAKE NOTE

There's a bunch of street musicians of all sorts in the neighborhood I live in. There's one group that plays all of the songs that I hated from the mid-seventies with about a half a dozen singers all singing at once, with relentless tamborine bashing. There's the bluegrass-ish group that have a revolving cast of surprisingly good pickers (one with "Fuck the devil" painted on his banjo. I dig that.) And then there are the percussive groups, the worst of which (gutterpunk drum circle, I'm talking to you) couldn't carry a beat in a bucket. When I walk past the latter, it just makes me think "nice try, but you need to get serious if you're going to do this" and consider what a more caring person might do. They'd load up an mp3 player with Konomo No. 1 and explain to them what it means to be really resourceful.

Konomo No. 1 take DIY to whole new level. Just about every instrument, including their microphones and amplification, were fashioned from, literally, junk. Their thumb pianos form the basis of their music, with car parts used as percussion, an carved wood microphone (amplified with the aid of an alternator magnet), a whistle here and there, some vocals over bull horns...you get the idea. All of this is played at a volume that can be heard over the traffic and noises in the urban settings that they play in. This can lead to distortion, which they embrace, partly out of necessity and partly because most of the musicians came from outlying areas and have not been exposed to slickly produced music.

It's been said that Konono No. 1's music is a primitive form of trance, but that's selling them short. The origins of trance were primitive. In other words, they're a crudely amplified version of the real deal. While it isn't the type of music that you pour over every note, when it's on for a few minutes you find yourself getting into the rhythm of whatever the hell it is that they're banging on, and groove to it as a whole.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

From their debut "Congotronics":
Konono No. 1 - Paradiso mp3 (right click to save) at FMLY
From their newest album "Assume Crash Position":
Konono No.1 – Guiyome mp3 (right click to save) at Rollo & Grady
Konono No. 1 - Fula Fula mp3 (right click to save) at Passion of the Weiss
Misc:
Konono No. 1 video at YouTube
Konono No. 1's page at Crammed Discs
Konono No. 1 page at Wikipedia
Public Service links:
Raise Hope For Congo: Learn more about conflict minerals and violence against women in the Congo
Run For Congo Women
Women For Women International

MANDATORY

I heard "Here Comes the Sun" yesterday, twice. That's a song that just sort of gets under my skin. I think it all stems from seeing some hippy playing it, sitting cross-legged in the school quad, a long time ago. It was after the sun came out, after days of rain. (I know, just fuckin' gag me.). It was that, or the whole "deeet-um-doo-ba" thing.

I've found myself in this situation before. and one song that could wipe the slate completely clean was "Rumble," by Link Wray. It worked, but that was after only hearing "Here Come the Sun" once. Last night, I added "Blue's Theme" by Davie Allan & the Arrows as a chaser, just to play it safe.

These are mandatory listening if you're not already familiar with them. Not "highly recommended" or "essential," but mandatory. And, should you find ever yourself at a party, and there's no Bluto available to work his magic, these should do the trick.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Link Wray - Rumble mp3 (right click to save) at CoopStuff
The Link Wray Story at Perfect Sound Forever
Dave Allan and the Arrows - Blue's Theme mp4 at the Pop Sucker

NO MORE HOT DOGS

I recently came across a post on Living in Stereo, in which the author wrote about a day when he mentioned to his class of college composition students that it was Chuck Berry's 80th birthday (the post was from 2006). He was dismayed that not one of them knew who he was. It was a great post, and it got me thinking; not of Chuck Berry, but for some reason, my brother Tim and Hasil Adkins. A weird correlation, I know, but follow me here.

My brother loved to do things just to tweak a person's everyday experience. An example: one time I was in Tower Records with him, and he was an aisle over. He walked up to a total stranger, with an album picked at random, and said "You should really get this one. It's an excellent record. I think you'll like it." Of course, the person had a totally puzzled look on his face, and may have thought my brother was a kook. This didn't matter a bit to Tim. All he cared about was that the guy undoubtedly walked away wondering what the fuck that was all about.

It was when my brother's prankster switch turned on. Opportunities to change a person's preconceived notions of what's normal. Wouldn't it have been great, I thought, if Tim had the opportunity that this college teacher had? After finding out the students had no clue who Chuck Berry was, he probably would have done something like convince the impressionable students, with no knowledge of early rock n' roll, that Hasil Adkins was, in all actuality, a significant rock n' roll figure. Their ignorance essentially left them as blank canvases, and, knowing Tim, he would have taken full advantage of that. Not just to fuck with them, but to send them out into the world thinking that Hasil Adkins was the shit. Which, of course, he was. Tim convinced me of that long ago. Hasil Adkins was a significant figure, not Chuck Berry significant, but significant nonetheless.

He and I first heard about "the Haze" in the pages of Kicks magazine, which had a decent run of about thirteen years (79-92). It was crudely laid out, with the feel of a scrapbook, but with incredibly informative and often hilarious text. There were only seven issues, but they were packed. The folks that put it out, Billy Miller and Miriam Linna started a record label, Norton Records, and reissued oddball records, including Hasil Adkin's early stuff. They really had the goods (and still do). Tim bought the "Out to Hunch" LP, and was off to the races. He loved turning people onto it.

I have a picture of Hasil Adkins on my bulletin board, that was put there, conservatively, about 19 years ago, right about the time Hazemania hit Chatsworth Blvd. It was from an old Kicks magazine. Back then, I wrote "Cut yo head off" on it, because that was a line in "No More Hot Dogs," which was one of Tim's favorites, and that was a line he often repeated. Often. Oh yeah, another endearing quirk of Tim's was repeating the odd lyric, or even a line from a friend's dialog or prank phone call, out of context, and often. "Mr. Egyptian, you're a goddamn liar." "You look like a clown." "It would be an honor sir." "No Nazis in the ice cream!" "Let's go somewhere else to mix the drinks." "Pertainin' to..." "No go diggy di." He had a lot of them. And more than a few came from Hasil Adkins.

Hasil Adkins - She Said, and The Hunch mp3s at Kogar's Jungle Juice
Hasil Adkins - No More Hot Dogs mp3 (+ video) at Fuck Yeah Go Team
Hasil Adkins - The Great Lost Album at Beware of the Blog
Hasil Adkins' Official Site Hasil Adkin at Wikipedia
The Hasil Adkins Hazequarters: Interviews with Billy Miller and Miriam Linna, and Hasil Adkins
Norton Records
Norton Records at Wikipedia

THUNDER SOUL

Ever had a music teacher who cared? I did. In Junior High, Mr. Wells told the class that there was a new band that he had read about, called Blood, Sweat & Tears. He then played the LP for the class, pointing out different parts that he thought were of note. In a matter of months, every kid in that class would be saturated with the music he played, courtesy of Top 40 stations that ended up playing them relentlessly. But he taught an important lesson that day; he taught us how to really listen to music. That said, he wasn't unique. There are music teachers everywhere who perform at all different levels of giving a shit. Some really, really give a shit. Conrad Johnson was like that.

Conrad Johnson was not really just a music teacher. To hard core funk fiends he's known as the teacher who catalyzed the Kashmere Stage Band, transforming them from a ordinary high school band into a world class funk powerhouse. He taught them to play, took them into the studio, and produced their (now highly collectible) eight LPs and three 45s. Between 1969 and 1977, they won 42 out of 46 band competitions. In recent years, their music has been sampled and reissued, elevating the once tightly guarded DJ secret to legendary status. Today, many of the former members are still professional musicians. That's a music teacher who cares.

If you have any doubts that their music merits attention, wait until you hear them. Below are links to three pages, with a song on each. "Kashmere," an original, is the bands signature song. "Thank You" is a Sly cover, and "Take Five," is an awesome reworking of the Dave Brubeck hit. (Really, though, I recommend getting the two disc compilation "Texas Thunder Soul 1968 - 1974.") The other links are worthwhile too, all of them. Dig in.

Kashmere Stage Band - Kashmere mp3 atMotel de Moka
Kashmere Stage Band - Thank You mp3 at LifeSignsProject
Kashmere Stage Band - Take Five mp3 at CarlSandburgVisits
Kashmere Stage Band Movie Premiere Reunion story and video at Soul Sides
Thunder Soul, the movie, official web site
High Resolution image of the movie poster

Kashmere: A High School Band's Staying Power at NPR.org
Kashmere Retakes the Stage, article about a 2008 benefit reunion at the Houston Chronicle
Conrad Johnson's Obituary at Stones Throw
Kashmere Stage Band discography

BACK, BY NO DEMAND!

Just what you wanted, right? More half baked soul from Wayne Cochran. I give him credit. He tried. And there wasn't anyone quite like him..but, gawd...

Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders - Sleepless Nights, Going Back to Miami, and Harlem Shuffle mp3s and a video at Aquarium Drunkard (NOTE: Right click on song titles to save)
Earlier post with more Wayne Cochran here

HERE'S SOME EARLY REGGAE

For the past 40-plus years, UK label Trojan Records has licensed reggae from Jamaican labels, re-releasing them occasionally in their original version, sometimes with overdubs, and quite often in compilations. The results have been mixed (particularly the overdubbed records), but chances are, if you lived in the UK, and you were/are into reggae, Trojan product has crept into your crates.

The Trojan Story was a 1972 three LP set that traced the years from 1961-1971, which is a great time span if you're at all into hearing the development of pre-roots reggae. For instance, the first cut, Laurel Aitken and the Carib Beats' cover of "Bartender" (1961), is a great example of how early ska adopted rhythms from R&B, particularly New Orleans style R&B. It's a pity that there isn't a compilation putting together the early pre-reggae sound system selections, because that was a whole other ball game. Operators would travel to the states and bring back obscure jazz and R&B records in order to have them as exclusives, featuring them at their outdoor dances (but not before scratching out the artist and title). This was serious stuff, with each sound system employing spies, enforcers, and sometimes gangs to disrupt other sound systems' dances.

Back to the set in question: Dinosaur Gardens posted the entirety of the 48 song Trojan Story, in individual mp3s, each listed with the year of release. These were posted in 2008, but the links are still live, so dig in. Oh, and another thing. The Infinite Wheel link below is a definite go-to link if you ever wanted to fuck around with dub, but didn't want to commit to a career change. There's a lot of exploring to do there. Just click away; after you learn the label-less navigation, it's really a hoot.

The Trojan Story, 48 reggae mp3s at Dinosaur Gardens
Trojan Records site
Jamaican Label Art, a comprehensive gallery of Jamaican reggae record labels
Infinite Wheel's Dub Selector, the ultimate time suck for wanna be dub mixers

"OH, HOW DELICIOUSLY DANGEROUS"

You know how, a few years ago, you started seeing well-off middle aged women with their highlighted shag Quatro-cuts, and their accessorizing (pre-fab distressed jeans, scarfs, boots, etc.) and you're sure they think that they're pulling it off? (There's a male version of the poseur-rocker too, usually with a Harley or something suitably "dangerous.") Imagine that same brand of clueless-ness, in the mid-sixties when they find out that that crazy Campbell soup artist is staging a happening, with droning music, a weird light show and dancers with whips.

At the time, Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable probably seemed like the hippest, "let's be daring" thing going. Today, it's interesting in an anthropological sense, but not nearly as threatening. Granted, there had to have been some genuine freaks at the shows, you know that with Warhol's name attached to it, there were more than a few rich wives and their "not-so-sure-about-this" husbands. This is all just speculation (because, to be honest, I'm too lazy to research), but I'm willing to bet that Warhol's crew of crazy kids (Velvet Underground , et al) genuinely thought this was some sort of mind expanding freakout statement. And Warhol may well have been laughing all the way to the bank. Even if he didn't make much on the actual shows, it paid dividends in what it did for his brand/image, and that's gotta add to the value of traded art.

Whatever, we still look to it as a reference point. And it's thirteen minutes of some noisy-ass shit.

Andy Warhol's Exploding Plastic Inevitable with The Velvet Underground at UbuWeb (1966) VIDEO
Two more clips! at Plaztikmag (1967) VIDEO

THE SLITS LIVE 2010

If you would have told me thirty years ago that I'd be posting a link to a legal download of a May 2010 live set by the Slits, recorded at a festival in Barcelona, I would have asked if people got there in flying cars and jet packs. Seriously, it seems so odd to even be mentioning the Slits long after they were the goofy kid sisters of the UK punk scene. But, listening to the between song comments of this set, they still seem like goofy kid sisters. And therein, to me, lies the appeal.

I found the link to the set on WFMU's Beware of the Blog, always a deep well of esoteric shit. They posted the set, among others, on the Free Music Archive, a site with legal downloads of all sorts of oddball acts, including one by the Almighty Defenders, a stuporgroup made up of Black Lips, King Khan & BBQ (which gives me the excuse I've been waiting for to post the photo below of the Black Lips in North Ocean Beach, significant only because I pass by that very spot every night on my way to a swim).

~ NOTE: ONCE AT THE FMA SITE, CLICK ON THE DOWNWARD POINTING ARROW TO THE RIGHT (NEXT TO THE "+" SIGN) TO DOWNLOAD ~
The Slits, Live at the Primavera Sound Festival
The Almighty Defenders, Live at the Primavera Sound Festival
The Free Music Archive

RIGHT PLACE, WRONG TIME

One thing that continually amazes me, because I'm of the pre-internet generation, is the ability to find people with like tastes, halfway across the world. There are a few blogs that I always check out, and two I link to quite often are Diddy Wah (UK) and Spread the Good Word (France). The hosts of these two sites seem to have tastes parallel to mine, which means that I'm constantly finding stuff that, for one reason or another, I've never added to my physical music stash (not to mention, getting turned onto stuff I've never heard).

"Right Place, Wrong Time" is one that I've always loved. A hit for Dr. John in the seventies, it's probably his best known song, and, as far as I know, the only one to chart. The fact that it did is kind of amazing in itself. The intro is killer, with a clavinet (I think) starting for a couple measures, followed by the drums and horns, then the bass and congas, and finally the guitar. An excellent cut of funky seventies New Orleans gumbo. Turn it up, loud and crank up the bass!

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time, and I Been Hoodood mp3s at Diddy Wah
The Meters - Right Place, Wrong Time mp3 (+ 2 others) at Ear Hole
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Right Place, Wrong Time at Soundtracks.cz

SURF MUSIC FOR KILLJOYS

"...summer is ruined. Now you have to share your summer vacation with everybody. I hate to share my time with working slobs. Summer has had it. You have to share it with everyone else. Now I hate summer: for four months out of the year now, I have to sweat it out.” ~ Miki Dora

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
The Belairs - Mr. Moto mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Pyramids - Penetration mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Miserlou mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Let's Go Trippin' mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
The Sentinals - Latinia, Tor-Chula, Exotic, The Bee mp3s at Rock n' Roll Ichiban
The Chantays - Pipeline mp3 at Everybody Taste
The Lively Ones - Surf Rider mp3 at Snuhthing Anything
Video:
Dick Dale and the Deltones - Miserlou, from a "A Swinging Affair" (1963) at YouTube
The Chantays - Pipeline, from the Lawrence Welk Show (1963), at YouTube
The Ventures - Diamond Head and Caravan, from Shindig (1965) at YouTube
Dick Dale's advice for up and coming musicians, at YouTube

EARLY TOM WAITS: LIVE

Above photo by Virginia Curtiss (1974)

Back when I was in high school, I had a buddy whose Dad was really into folk music. For a few years running, he'd pile his son, me and my brother, into his car and take us out to the San Diego Folk Festival. I don't have many memories from the shows we attended, but I do remember that it was the first time I'd heard of Lou Curtiss and his record shop, Folk Arts (then at the end of India St., where Gellato Vera is now). To those not from the San Diego area, Lou Curtiss is probably not a familiar name. But, if you lived here, you'd likely know that he's been championing roots music for a long, long time. He opened his record store and organized the first San Diego Folk Festival in 1967, and just kept going. He later helped book music for the early Adams Avenue Street Fairs and, after that, the Adams Avenue Roots Festival. He writes a column for The Troubadour, and has a radio show, "Jazz Roots," on the local jazz station (heard live on 88.3 FM and online, Sundays from 8:00 to 10:00 Pacific Time). All this and he's an active archivist and researcher for the Smithsonian and Library of Congress.

Folk Arts was, and still is, a magnet for those looking for out-of-print recordings. Shop visitors run the gamut; past customers include Muddy Waters, Horace Silver, R. Crumb, Joan Baez, and local boy-done-good Tom Waits. Waits, a store regular back in the day, said of his friend, “Lou Curtiss is a heroic curmudgeon, entrepreneur and keeper of the flame.” Which brings us to the impetus for this post. When I ran into a post on Captains Dead, with Tom Waits from the 1974 Folk Festival, I had to post a link, for a few reasons. The fact that this is early Waits, without a full band, accompanying himself on guitar and piano, was reason enough. Then, there's chatter between songs, which is really, really, funny in places. And the excellent quality of the recordings didn't hurt. The big reason, though, was to publicly thank Curtiss, for doing what he does, humbly, and without tooting his own horn, for so many years. He's every music lover's cool older brother. The man is a local treasure.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Tom Waits at the 1974 San Diego Folk Festival at Captain's Dead NOTE: As of 11/8/11 these links are dead, but the ones on the link below are still live:
Another live Tom Waits set from 1979, 20 mp3's at Captain's Dead (Right click song titles to download)
Folk Arts Rare Records, Curtiss' record store
The 4th annual SD Folk Festival mp3s at Folk Arts, Sam Chatman, Sam Hinton, Merle Travis and others
Samples from the Lou Curtiss Sound Library
"Lou Curtiss keeps American roots music alive here" at SignOnSanDiego

Above photo of Tom Waits by Virginia Curtiss (1974)

PARIS, NEW YORK, NASSAU, AFRICA

Sometimes you just sort of gravitate towards someone's music, without really over-analyzing why you like it. Lizzy Mercier Descloux is like that for me. Her first solo album was on ZE Records (home to the Contortions and James White & the Blacks), which is how I may have first become cognizant of her. Or maybe it was because she was friends with Patti Smith and Richard Hell. It certainly wasn't because she was French and easy on the eyes. Regardless, her first record flopped, and when it ended up in cut-out bins, I took the plunge; and I've been listening to her music ever since.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Lizzy Mercier Descloux- Funky Stuff mp3 at Waves at Night
Lizzy Mercier Descloux - Mission Impossible mp3 at Cover Freak
Lizzy Mercier Descloux -Fire mp3 at PopDose
Lizzy Mercier Descloux- Larousse Baron Bic mp3 at Clumsy & Shy
Lizzy Mercier Descloux, Patti Smith and Nicky Skopelitis - Morning High mp3 at the Cargo Culte
Richard Hell on Lizzy Mercier Descloux
Lizzy Mercier Descloux at Wikipedia

SALAD BOWL OF SOUL

Here you go. A mish-mash of soul music, some old, some new, some weird. What had started as a quick post about Eli "Paperboy" Reed's newest single "Explosion," became a couple hour long troll for random soul shit. First, about Reed: Up until now, everything I've heard of Reed's has been straight up soul, even his reworked version of Motorhead's "Ace of Spades." He's got an extraordinary voice, and his band is reliably retro, and the new one, "Explosion" follows that pattern. Though a bit of a faster paced Reed, he's still sticking to the formula (which must have been working because he's now signed with a major). But then I just ran smack dab into a oddity. Reed on a track by, of all people, Basement Jaxx. Make of it what you will. (A reminder: there's a little comment link below that is begging.)

Another current/retro soul act, Kings Go Forth are, well, more than a little influenced by Curtis Mayfield, though there's a little early Gamble & Huff thing going on too (think Archie Bell & the Drells "I just Can't Stop Dancing"). They're based in the soul hotbed of...wait...Milwaukee? Having never gigged beyond Indiana before being signed, leave it to Luaka Bop to get them. Semi-related: There was a thing in the New Yorker recently, about Go Forther Andy Noble in an NYC record store.

An interesting side story is about the Kings Go Forth album cover. There's been much ado about eccentric, primitive, outsider and oddball art. Little has been celebrated about the artistic music-loving hyper-prolific teenager. I encourage you to read the story of Mingering Mike. Because, this is pre-computer music geek godhead.

There's a couple Otis Redding cuts here, because they're from a new album, recorded live at the Whiskey a Go-Go, and because they're Otis.

And then, there is Wayne Cochran. "The White Knight of Soul," poster child for weird white soul dudes. The dollar bin James Brown. That's him, at the top of of the post, with the big hair. Crazy looking; check out his moves on the YouTube clip.

And, because it's her due, Sharon Jones. She's finally getting the attention she deserves, this time on the network news. Good for her.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~
Eli "Paperboy" Reed - Explosion mp3 at Dr. Mooney's 115th Dream
Kings Go Forth - One Day mp3 at Far From Noise
Kings Go Forth -Now We're Gone mp3 at Aquarium Drunkard
Kings Go Forth - I Don't Love You No More mp3 at KEXP.org
Kings Go Forth at Luaka Bop
Soul Slam: Andy Noble goes to a record store, at the New Yorker.
The Home of Mingering Mike
Basement Jaxx with Eli "Paperboy" Reed - She's No Good mp3 at Audio Drums
Otis Redding - Satisfaction and Security mp3s (live) at the Adios Lounge
Wayne Cochran and the C.C. Riders - Get Down With It mp3 at The Soul Girl
Wayne Cochran and the C.C.Riders - Going Back to Miami video at YouTube
Wayne Cochran bio at Roctober
Sharon Jones on CBS News (6/6/10)

ANDREW W.T.F.

I've always had a soft spot for Andrew W.K., despite being somewhat indifferent about his music. His debut leaned heavily on simplistic headbanger anthems, but, still, you kinda knew there was something different about the guy. First off, he was always wearing a white T-shirt and white jeans, pretty much the complete opposite of what you'd expect. And there was his preoccupation with songs about partying: "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," and "It's Time to Party,"...the kind of stuff that makes "Margaritaville" look like a May Pole dance. That was just an initial impression, but enough to keep him on the radar.

Shortly after hearing his debut (and it's subsequent relocation to the "can't see this ever bearing repeated obsessive listenings, so might as well sell it" pile), I was lurking in a record store, talking to a shopper (that's a person who actually buys things) who said that he had hung out in Andrew W.K.'s trailer at a recent Warped Tour show, and that he was a really, really nice guy. He elaborated, adding that a fan had come up to the trailer door and, while conversing with W.K., happened to mention that he was having trouble paying his rent. Without being asked, W.K. got out a checkbook and wrote the kid a check.

Every subsequent thing I've heard about him has been just as confounding. He's obsessed with Johan Sebastian Bach, he produced Lee Perry (?!?), toured with a string quartet, appeared as a motivational speaker, and hosted a kid's show on the Cartoon Network (the awesomely named "Destroy Build Destroy"). That's just a few, but still a pretty big bag of tricks.

There really are no two sides to Andrew W.K., there are a zillion sides. He's got a lot of quirks; enough to keep things interesting, if not always listenable. Here's a few:

Exhibit A: The party songs: "It's Time to Party," "Party Hard," "Party 'til You Puke," "Party, Party, Party," "We Party (You Shout)," "Big Party," and "The Party God;" seven variations on a theme, mp3s at Metal Bastard

Exhibit B: The Tiny Desk Concert: Two long improvisations, a very different version of "I Get Wet," and a beautiful cover of Jimmy Webb's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress," all with just vocals and electric piano: The Andrew W.K. Tiny Desk Concert (video) at NPR.org
Exhibit C: Destroy Build Destroy at the Cartoon Network and YouTube
Exhibit D: Andrew W.K. on Bach at NPR.org
Exhibit E: "Wolf Eyes Rule" mp3, a song by a band, Wolf Eyes, that he produced, guesting on vocals, at The Walrus
Exhibit F through Z: The Further Misadventures at the Andrew W.K. Official Site

DENNIS HOPPER 1936 - 2010

The dude seemed everywhere. For the last several decades, he was always lurking somewhere. In a movie, at an art opening, Cannes, taking photos, hobnobbing with A-list artists, Venice... Even though he was known primarily as an actor, he really was one of us, and by that I mean culture junkies. The difference was that he created and digested. He never really stopped either. Even when he wasn't working on a film, Dennis Hopper was taking pictures, making art, or hanging out with like-minded friends.

"There are moments that I've had some real brilliance, you know. But I think they are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are enough. I never felt I played the great part. I never felt that I directed the great movie. And I can't say that it's anybody's fault but my own ... I am just a middle-class farm boy from Dodge City and my grandparents were wheat farmers. I thought painting, acting, directing and photography was all part of being an artist. I have made my money that way and I have had some fun. It's not been a bad life."

He really did just about everything...but music. Which made it hard to justify this post, on a music blog. But, my hesitation was quickly overridden when I found an mp3 of my favorite line from "Blue Velvet" (see link below).

Dennis Hopper (re: beverages) mp3 sound bite, from "Blue Velvet"
(I would turn this one up all the way, so the whole office can hear it.)
The Byrds - Wasn't Born to Follow mp3 (from "Easy Rider") at Groovers Paradise
(NOTE: The quote above was lifted from Groovers Paradise)
Roy Orbison - In Dreams mp3 (from "Blue Velvet") at Fuck Yeah, Go Team
Steppenwolf - The Pusher mp3 (from "Easy Rider") at KinoSport
More Blue Velvet soundbites at LynchNet
Dennis Hopper : Photographs 1961 - 1967 at Taschen Books
(Check the index to skip to his photography)
Dennis Hopper article at the N.Y. Times
Dennis Hopper obituary at the N. Y. Times

STONES AT CHESS

The Stones were just getting their wings when they entered Chicago-based Chess Studios in 1964, and they had to have been humbled. In the first two days alone, they were visited by Chuck Berry, Willie Dixon and Muddy Waters; three men without whom they may not have had careers.

They recorded at Chess on four dates (three in 1964 and one in 1965), netting 20+ cuts, mostly covers. Captain's Dead recently posted 25, including alternate versions of "Time is on My Side" and "2120 South Michigan Ave." Go get 'em.

Rolling Stones Chess Sessions mp3s and zip file at Captain's Dead
(NOTE: Right click on titles for mp3s)
Chess Records, with roster of artists, at Wikipedia
History of Chess Records

I'M TRYING TO COOL IT, I SWEAR

Listen up. I don't ever do back-to-back posts about the same artist, but in this case an addendum to my last post wasn't going to do it. It was lacking the one particular song that really made me drool. I'll try not to overstate this: "Baby You Crazy" is the best new rock n' roll song I've heard in a very long time. If it doesn't grab you, then I give up. Mantovani has won.

Everything about the song is dead-on. The vocals, the instrumentation, the production, the lyrics,...hell, even the length of it. If this doesn't get you to put aside your adult issues for a couple minutes and relish complete rock n' roll abandon, there is no hope.

Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Baby You Crazy mp3 (Note: Right click title to save) at Licorice Pizza (Ignore, if you will, the somewhat stupid look of the photo that accompanies their post. I can get past it, so you should too.)

RELIEF IS HERE

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes are the hottest shit I've heard in a while. I should probably leave it at that... Really, I'm surprised that I never heard of them. At first listen, they reminded me of Don & Dewey, an early rock n' roll duo (and label mates with Little Richard). That's probably a little obscure as a reference point, so in trying to come up with something a little more universally understood (rather, less obscure), I narrowed it down to Gerry Roslie (from the Sonics), fronting a hopped-up Blasters, and recorded in an old vintage studio.

As it turns out, I only had to go to their MySpace page to see it all spelled out for me, with the "Official Nick Curran Cocktail Recipe." They name all of the ingredients, and I wasn't far from the mark. Amongst others, they name Little Richard, Glenn Danzig, Gerry Roslie (!), Johnny Watson, Cliff Gallup, Angus Young, 50's B.B. King, and Johnny Ramone. No mention of the Blasters or Don & Dewey, but guess what? Curran is pals with ex-Blaster Phil Alvin, who (of course), covered Don & Dewey's "Justine." So the circle is pretty much complete. (Okay, that's a stretch...) Seriously, if you like high energy, somewhat irreverent, old school rock n' roll, with someone who isn't afraid to shred his vocal chords, this is it.

Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Kill My Baby mp3, and interview at MOKB
Nick Curran and the Lowlifes - Five videos at Electro Groove Records (NOTE: Start with the last one, "Baby You Crazy,' loud.)
Streaming preview of latest album,"Reform School Girl," (again check "Baby You Crazy") at Electro Groove (bottom of page)
Don & Dewey - Justine mp3, Little Richard - Lucille mp3, and about two dozen other songs the Blasters have covered at Beware of the Blog

Nick Curran & the Lowlifes MySpace page

PROTO GEEK COOL

Oooh yeah, Kraftwerk. The band that always had your rock-only friends scratching there heads ("you like this shit?"). Say what you will, no one has been able to fully replicate their sound: German, mechanical, synthetic and oddly soothing. It's hard to say when they first became acceptably "cool." Back in 1974, when a severely edited "Autobahn" was played on FM stations, stoners and proto-geeks delighted. A few years later, when Bowie and Iggy were recording in Berlin, they were gushing all over them. Bowie went as far as naming a song after Florian Schneider, one of Kraftwerk's co-founders ("V2 Schneider"). Then there was Afrika Bambaataa sampling them in "Planet Rock," an early rap milestone. (It pretty much started the whole "where the fuck did they get that?" brand of unlikely samples). And there's one somewhat refreshing reason to like them: they're not fame whores. They do what they do, exceedingly well, without excessive flash. They pretty much keep their mouths shut and let everybody else try to make sense of it. Those smart passive-marketing Germans...

I came across a handful of videos on Mojo's site, and, if you're into Kraftwerk, a couple of them are noteworthy. There's an early one ("Tanzmusic") when the were still using regular instruments (Florian on flute!), yet still sound like Kraftwerk (pretty amazing how contemporary even that sounds). There's a clip from Top of the Pops, of them playing "Autobahn" (with some slightly annoying voice-over narration). But the humdinger in my book, is just a short part of the "Showroom Dummies" video. Are you ready for this? At 2:07, it's 24 seconds of...Kraftwerk dancing! It's fucking hilarious, had me in stitches, all ten times I watched it. It's some sort of constrained "running man" dance. While they may have been trying to dance like machines, all I could think of was "Wow, they even invented bad dancing."

Kraftwerk's Greatest Clips at Mojo Magazine's site
Kraftwerk - Trans Europe Express mp3 at Loft and Lost
Kraftwerk (early) - Ruckzuck mp3 at The Walrus (+ two Neu!)
Kraftwerk - Man Machine mp3 at Golden Bloggen
Kraftwerk - Radioactivity mp3 at KinoSport
Kraftwerk's Official site
List of sampled Kraftwerk cuts at The Kraftwerk Influence
I Believe the Truth is Out There, another fan site

CHECKIN' IN WITH WANDA

I was entering a chain book/music store about seven years ago, when I was stopped dead in my tracks. Over the sound system, usually reserved for bland current releases, they were playing what sounded like Wanda Jackson. It was "Let's Have A Party," a song I knew well, but it was a different version, so I asked one of the clerks what was playing, I was pleasantly surprised to hear that it was, indeed Wanda Jackson, and that it was a new release. The album, "Heart Trouble," was a return to rock n' roll for Jackson, who for the past several decades had been singing primarily country & western and gospel. After a look at the back cover, and seeing the song listing included collaborations with, amongst others, Dave Alvin and the Cramps (actually just Lux & Ivy), I headed straight to the register. While it wasn't quite as energetic as her records from the late 50's and early 60's, her voice was remarkably the same. (And the addition of Lux & Ivy on "Funnel of Love" makes it sound ten times creepier than the original, which, of course, made it worth the price of admission.)

Since then, she's has been back out playing live, enjoying her "old fart is hip again" period. Well, good for her. Like a lot of my friends, I've dug her for decades (crazy, considering our introduction was well after her "Rockin' With Wanda" days), so it's kinda comforting to hear that familiar voice again. Especially if you thought she'd thrown in the rockin' towel for good. Now comes word that Jack White has produced some new material. The only one I've managed to find is a cover of Amy Winehouse's "You Know That I'm No Good", that sounds exactly like you'd expect, if you know the song and you know Wanda Jackson. In other words, it sounds like Jackson backed by the Daptone horns (which doesn't bode well for White's originality, but sounds swingin' nonetheless).

If you don't know Wanda Jackson's music, you better run yourself right down to the record store and pick up one of the budget priced reissues of her early work. This is essential stuff we're talking about. Oh, and if you're already a Wanda freak, did you know that you can get an autographed 8 x 10 at her website for a paltry seven bucks? Go on, git!

Wanda Jackson - You Know That I'm No Good and Whirlpool mp3s at Tastes Like Caramel
Wanda Jackson - Fujiyama Mama, My Big Iron Skillet, Honey Don't mp3's at 27 Leggies
(Download links at top right of second screen)
Wanda Jackson - Funnel of Love mp3 (right click) at Clumsy & Shy
Wanda Jackson's Official Site
Wanda Jackson's channel on YouTube
Wanda Jackson at the Smithsonian Channel