DAMNATION DANCE PARTY: rebel musics

2012-01-14T10:45:00.000-08:00

John Guster

"bits and pieces from..." (Blue Lake)

Swiss rockabilly powerhouse Juan Rodriguez led his country's 1990's trio The Thunder Jets. He later took studio matters in hand, realizing both JCR Recording Service and the Blue Lake label.

Blue Lake has since issued more than 30 hot releases, by storied acts including the Rockets, King Louie Combo, Kick'em Jenny, and Mars Attacks (members of which guest, here.)
Doubtless, readers have by now guessed that Juan Rodriguez and John Guster are one and the same.

A remarkable abundance of skilled rockin' jumps up, in these 10 cuts - and it's big beat motivatin' of the old-school. The rule is spare and rollicking. At first, one is just plain knocked out by the overall rightness. In time, though, distinct contributory elements emerge: a sure-footed and nimble rhythm section, warmly comfortable vocals, appropriately sparse production, and enough adept Telecaster broadsides to rock listeners one and all off their feet.

These are the good old days!

Recommended "Go Go V-8 Ford," "Am I Right?" "Gotta Get Another Girl," "The Cats Were Jumpin'"

http://www.jguster.bluelake.ch/
http://www.facebook.com/johnguster
http://www.bluelake.ch/

2011-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

The Brains
"Drunk Not Dead" (Stomp)

"Ladies and Gentlemen: Welcome to the El Diablo Coliseum, here in the spectacular 5th layer of Hell! Tonight's bout is for the Super Heavyweight Championship of the Underworld!" (From "We Are the Brains")

The Brains will never be crowned Canada's official cultural representatives (though legions of rip-n-stitch wreckers would doubtless heft them unto exactly such distinction). Swaggering, mohawked, and distemperous - demolition chords hustled aboard an amphetemine rocket - this psycho triad spews defiantly exultant outsider rage-psalms with towerblock amps on angry 11. Their chosen boneyard-playground stares up from shattered mirror-shards somewhere betwixt the Meteors and Mad Sin; they share the former's predilection for netherworld narratives, and the latter's careening style. Damnation sounds like fun.
"Never in all my years in this business have I witnessed a bloodbath of this magnitude! Two titans clashing, not only for eternal glory - but for their very souls!"

- DC Larson

2011-11-10T13:13:00.000-08:00

Karling Abbeygate
"Christmas With Karling" (self)

Mindful of the yule-season's bouyant imperative, flawless-toned Karling decks these halls with lissome jocularity, her every caress endearing. The cheered listener is struck by the first-chair professionalism - this thanks not only to Karling herself, but also to the dedicated toils of Bob Gother, Jason Eoff, Russell Scott, and Johnny Palmer. (Additional vocals are lent by Big Manny Gonzalez.) Lighthearted melodic frolickings suit this warming moment, as loved chestnuts are mixed with wonderfully-apt originals. Laughing beauty gambols amongst evergreen wreaths and sparkling, variously-colored decorations. Cock your cap, slug down your nog, and kick up your mucklucks!

Recommended "What's In the Box," "Christmas Party," "The First Noel," "Angel Tears," Santa's Got a Crush On Me," "Auld Lang Syne"

http://www.karlingmusic.com/
http://www.facebook.com/karlingabbeygate

Video: http://youtu.be/D3vCJLgTymQ (This is an earlier tune)

2011-10-22T11:23:00.000-07:00

Black Pussy
"On Blond"
by
DC Larson

A nimbus-planed soaring wah wah-rocketship, tricked out with all the fun-cool of early '70s sub-cult-in-the-sun young narratives audacious and daring to be actual. Not some benign time capsule, but an exhuming of that sparkly moment's salvational vibe -- with steadily-pumped today swerve.

Recommended "Marijuana," "Can't Take Any More," "Blow Some Steam Off"

http://www.blackpussy.bandcamp.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Black-Pussy/127305757295752
http://www.xopublicity.com/

2011-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

Red Hill Ramblers
Getting By (Spine PunchMusic)

by
DC Larson

This rough-and-tumble threesome wisely mixes the time-tested teachings of 'billies before (traditional and generally easygoing bop) with a modern, serrated blade-edge. Just as listeners are digging smooth grooves, up jumps a howling proclaimer. And that's when you know something serious came in from the back alley to prowl the hardwood. Fireplug guitarist/singer Steve and double bass-beatin' Mike Mallon, and hard-wired drummer Joe Covell have much of which to be proud.

Recommended "Jaded," "Pink Slips," "Hot Rod For Sale," "Look Out"

http://www.redhillramblers.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Red-Hill-Ramblers/162962863742515
http://www.spinepunchmusic.com/

TO BUY CD http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/redhillramblers

VIDEO "Hot Rod For Sale" (live) http://youtu.be/7DM95_9epGY

2011-09-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

Dex Romweber Duo
"Is That You In the Blue?" (Bloodshot)

by
DC Larson

Only from within the demonstrative Dex dimension can one best appreciate its duality. Ethereal, echoed intonings, voodoo-pulse toms, "kitchenware" that rattle-clanks like skeleton-rib percussion, and striking word-murals tear back the curtain hiding strange terrains most oft untrod. At once, though, Dex and Sister Sara vent uber-sized, the gutter-blast blusterings and fraught guitar rampages seized up from a familiar and lava-loved rock'n'roll cauldron. It seems our 'real world' and a funhouse zone more shadowy and tilted were as one, all along. No one gets out. No one desires to.

Recommended "Jungle Drums," "The Death of Me," "Midnight Sun," "Brazil," "Climb Down," "Is That You In the Blue?"
VIDEO: "Jungle Drums" http://youtu.be/IV_fG7as1VQ
http://www.myspace.com/dexromweberduo
http://www.rockandrolltshirts.com/RNR_Store/Dex-Romweber-Duo
http://www.ruraltone.com/dex
http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/

2011-08-18T12:49:00.000-07:00

Buzz Campbell
"Shivers & Shakes" (self)

by
DC Larson

I've followed Buzz's ear-arresting endeavors through much: Hot Rod Lincoln, Lee Rocker, Sha Na Na, and solo turns. His loud and strapping guitar, with which he handily revs roots bents into modern-cat style, could conquer single-handedly. But it doesn't have to: tower-tumbling standup and drums -- plus Buzz's own vocal pipes-of-persuasion and razory writing pen -- dispatch juking listeners all into the Fracture Zone. Of course, critical praise is a poor stand-in for listening.

Recommended "Rawk-A-Billy Fever," "Scot Mo," "Rockabilly Heart," "Crazy When She Drinks"

http://www.buzzcampbell.com/
http://www.facebook.com/#!/buzzhotrod
Buy CD: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/shivers-shakes/id436205635
video, "Scotmo" at Revival Festival (Austin) 2010: http://youtu.be/cNmkEhlttLg

end

2011-07-22T11:47:00.000-07:00

There are pies, and then there are pies
by
DC Larson

By this moment, all have heard about it: Rupert Murdoch, testifying before Parliment, unceremoniously decorated with a shaving-foam pie. It's been the topic of hard infotainment chatter --assailed by some, cheered by others.

From a tactical standpoint, it was counterproductive. It shifted focus from larger and more substantial matters, making Murdoch a sympathetic figure (for some), casting his wife Wendi as heroic defender, and giving the Fox friends something else about which to fill airwaves.

Remember, though, we're dealing here with people who've amassed international fortunes from manipulating images, constructing "realities," channeling public sentiment, and choreographing photo ops to arouse desired emotions. It's what they do and they're quite good at it. They know well its effectiveness.

Behind that, is it really hard to conceive of Team Murdoch, their characteristic Jolly Roger a-flap in the political-press current, contriving the attack? After all, the wizened, media baron bullfrog couldn't have hoped for more felicitous results. Yes, critics and investigators continue to hound him. But he has melted some hearts.

Now, it is true that the simplest answer is often the correct one. And perhaps it was just as it appeared: an unknown comic, seeking the front page-moment's luster, uncaring as to circumstances or his shenanigan's impact on weighty issues.

But maybe -- just maybe -- we've all been played again. Duped onlookers to the latest example of news media diversion, Rupert Murdoch style.

end

2011-07-18T13:19:00.000-07:00

2011-07-18T12:39:00.000-07:00

Psycho-DeVilles
"Night Prowler" (self)

by
DC Larson

"Hot Rod" Walt Richards found it -- the all-important, pulsating energy center that is the heart of all joyous and free-for-all rockabilly; that wondrous and maddeningly-elusive-to-pretenders union of passion and sneer, switchblade and grope, flame and deliverance. It could be heard, yes, on earlier releases like "Supercharger." But its been cultivated further still for this all-originals declaration of fracture intent. The toxic-tipped sideburn swagger. The jumped-up, affable obstreporousness. All out on this rebel hardwood, dancing in carbonated euphoria. Small wonder Walt and thrill-bent compadres the uber-aggressive Paul "Stubbs" Diffin and punk sparkplug Steve "Burnout" Barnett have established themselves as festival must-sees.

Recommended "Victory Curls," "Better Man," "Burn Baby Burn," "Chopped Down and Hopped Up"

http://www.psychodevilles.com/
http://www.facebook.com/psychodevilles
"Victory Curls," live

2011-07-08T11:47:00.000-07:00

DVD: JUDAS AND JESUS (Inkarnatoons)

by
DC Larson

Edge-dancing auteurs Olaf Encke and Claudia Romero grind into satiating union taboo whimsy and intellectual adventurism, the scarlet storytelling crafting images of a fleshly past clerical sorts doubtless would find abhorrant -- but would probably secretly dig. The artwork is marvelously rendered -- colors, figures, and shadows loom with declarative presence. Too, the writing is of a markedly superior caliber. (Additional plus: a rocking soundtrack that features the Meteors, P. Paul solo, Crazy Cavan, and Moe Jaksch.) A headlong and hobnail-booted thrill-jaunt up into a saucily-splayed good/bad intimate realm.

(Note: This wickedly funny and rocked-out treatise is playable only on PAL-formated players.)

"Judas and Jesus" comprises the film itself, running some 15 minutes; optional comments (in English, German, French, and Spanish); a gallery; 15 minute storyboard; 15 minute layout; and 15 minute "ruff animation."

Corresponding with Olaf by email, I raised the point of the impressive intellectual heft apparent between shards of scandalous hilarity.

"Unfortunately there exists a scholarly or school masterly part in my personality," Olaf responded. "(Just like in our Jesus!) I tried to get rid of it, but it kept coming back. So I made a preachy kind of film with a strong message, but it is preaching immorality. Hee hee.

"Don't forget to have a look at the commentaries on the extras of the DVD. They explain a lot of what it is all about except the entertainment."

Olaf Encke, inkarnatoons:
http://www.judasandjesus.com/

To Order DVD:
http://www.interfilm.de/shop/

end

Mars Attacks "Recaptured" (PART)

2011-06-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

Deutschland gone-squad always honors rockabilly's halcyon primitivism, wringing tons of sweat a-flyin' fracture from the time-tested hollowbody lead/drums/standup/vocals w/acoustic (and trumpet -- reminding of Sonny Burgess and the Pacers). For those late to Mars Attack's austere and driving oeuvre, the band has re-recorded 26 originals and covers from their earlier and out-of-print discs. SEE SAUCERS FILL THE SKIES! THRILL TO SOUNDS OF FEVERISH ABANDON! LAUGH AS SQUARES FLEE!

Recommended "Mars Attacks," "Doggin' My Steps," "The Way I Bop," "Why, Jimmy Bill"

"Doggin' My Steps" vid: http://youtu.be/Yj3d0jrbJ8E

http://www.myspace.com/partrecords

Rhythm Dragons "Chomp Chomp Chew Chew" (self)

2011-06-16T11:39:00.000-07:00

Perhaps Arizona's surest wager for neo-billy success writ big, this decade-strong hollowbody blast-cell balances reliably old-school bop with headturning creative courage; unafraid to fence-hop over orthodox genre boundaries, Anthony Vincent, Josh Gihle, and Chris Redfield ensure that every note matters, each rhythm rolls. Look for them on a stage near you, and know that the cats and kittens will be pickin' 'em up and puttin' 'em down.

Recommended "Pin Up," "Chomp Chomp Chew Chew," "113 Degrees," "Miserable Rain"

Live in Phoenix: http://youtu.be/C6Okpkjo3Tk

http://www.rhythmdragons.com/

Gary Setzer and Barry Ryan "Rockabilly Express"

2011-06-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Gary Setzer and Barry Ryan
"Rockabilly Express" (Raucous)

Fortunately, everything one would hope for from this formidable-talents pairing -- neo-rockabilly as fleet and trenchant as it is ever-cognizant of melody. Diverse American roots idioms rub shoulders in fraternal congress. Old is fast-forwarded into today by distorto-stomp. Smashes clean through surrounding pop-foppery.

Recommended "Las Vegas Blues," "Hot Train To Hell," "Barry's Breakdown," "Hot Head, Cold Feet"

"Hot Train To Hell" vid: http://youtu.be/qoxi6XReCa4

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=121538831241662
http://www.raucousrecords.com/

American Patrol "The American Way"

2011-06-16T11:00:00.000-07:00

American Patrol
"The American Way" (American Patrol Records)

"Truth, justice, and liberty, good folks stand by what they say," reads the liner, articulating the general traditional values-vibe. That this uplifting, western-swing 'billy actually is true to early rockers' 'I'm so glad I'm livin' in the USA' patriotic spirit -- and that twang-committed co-captains Jerry Sikorski and Jim Leslie number Ray Campi and Stevie Ray Vaughn among previous colleagues -- is all you need to know before buying. And that this works.

Recommended "The American Way," "Greatest Love," "Big Time Boogie Woogie Shuffle," "Glory Hallelujah"

http://www.reverbnation.com/americanpatrolfeaturingjerrysikorskiandjimleslie

"The American Way" vid: http://youtu.be/sgR9x0WY5To

2011-05-18T10:49:00.000-07:00

Stephanie Schneiderman
"rubber teardrop" (Zerone Music)

Stephanie wins out, sculpting into oneness notes, thoughts, beats, and passions. Her art soothes and stimulates; it pleases while provoking to upper planes. Her guitars gambol nimbly, and her keys pirouette across hypnotic passages. The finest jewel, though, is her tender and frank whispering.

As strikingly beauteous as this creation is, it importantly never projects aura downward, instead reassuringly springing from our own level. Stephanie is both singular and one of us. And we, in turn, feel much better for the association.

Recommended "hush now (remix)," "rubber teardrop," "wide open"

http://www.stephanieschneiderman.com/

- DC Larson

Set for RM #49

2011-05-07T12:08:00.000-07:00

THESE REVIEWS WERE ORIGINALLY WRITTEN BY ME FOR ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE #49. SADLY, ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE HAS GIVEN UP THE GHOST. (It may return in online-only form.):

The Tremors
Demon Boogie Fever (Brain Drain

North Carolina's Tremors are lurching into their own.

True, previous discs "Scourge of the South" and Invasion of the Saucermen" already distinguished the slapped-up/stripped-down trio from bop contemporaries: the former reveling in hectic and gruesomely-technicolored fracture, the latter venturing into B-monster macabre.

It may be difficult to make 'old' sound new. But the Tremors did it, with stark and freakish hillbilly terror.
New CD "Demon Boogie Fever" passes by its predecessors, careening into a tilted romp 'n' stitch dimension not found on conventional maps. Sure, the basic sound is more pronounced traditional hillbilly than before. But it's what they do with that past -- twisting and contorting it into a strange new creature of unspeakable visage -- that accounts for its wonder.

"One of the things that really makes the Tremors different from a lot of our contemporaries is our unpolished, rural sound," says guitarist/yelper Jimmy Tremor. "It seems to become more rural with each record.

"We listen to a lot of primitive small label rockabilly, hillbilly/country from the late 40's and 50's and it's just so genuine & heart-felt that you can't help being influenced by it and wanting to play music that resembles it. The cover shot of us in the cornfield was just kind of the icing on the cake."

Tremors inimitable material, unsurprisingly, is the snarling/writhing product of combined effort.

"Usually, Slim or I come in to practice with the basic idea of a song," Jimmy says. "In some cases the songs are fully written, sometimes they need to be fleshed out. but every song is different in it's creation, and that of course, adds to it's personality.

"'Sweet Lovin' Man' originated from a loose jam while we were rehearsing. With 'Devil's Eyes' and 'Late Night Drive-In Monster Show' from 'Invasion.' Slim wrote the words and I wrote the music. Sometimes we'll add phrases to the other's song. but by the time that everyone's worked out their part and the arrangement is set, it really a band collaboration and reflects our unique stance as a band. That's why we always credit our tunes as group collaborations.

"Most of the covers that we put on records are songs that we've been playing since we started the band seven years ago. We learned tons of authentic rockabilly tunes to play long gigs and really immersed ourselves in it. But we worked up 'I Got It' and 'Big City' just for the record though.

"The covers that make it to a record are the ones that are closest to the songs we write ourselves, or songs we feel that we pull off a decent slant on. Some of them are songs that i wish that i had written myself (especially 'Drive-In' by Mack Vickery from the 'Uranium Rock' EP)

"I guess what it all comes down to is that we choose covers by how well they fit in with our identity as a band.

"We've been really lucky to have been able to work with someone like Steve Graham at Steve's House of Funk as our recording engineer/co-producer for so long. He worked with us on the 'Uranium Rock' EP and 'Invasion of the Saucermen,' previously. He really knows how to get the sound we're looking for. He's like a fourth band member in the studio. He's changed buildings since 'Invasion,' and I think the smaller room in the new studio really works better for the rockabilly sound. The whole band feels that this is our best sounding record to date.

"When i was calling around to get the mechanical rights for the cover songs, I called Knox Publishing concerning 'Rock Boppin Baby". The man who answered the phone said they didn't handle it there, but was curious about which song I was interested in. When I told him, he said, "That's an old song. I played on that".

It turns out that I was talking to with Roland Janes. I couldn't believe it. He seemed like a very nice, humble guy who had no idea of how extremely important his music really is."
http://www.thetremorsrockabilly.com/

6

Steve Hooker
"Before the Rooster Crows" (HKM)

"Oh, it's over, and it's not coming back," John Mellencamp recently told USA Today, of rock'n'roll. "The music is now fifth or sixth generation, and the farther you get away from the original, the worse it gets."
The pop notable hailed early Beatles, Stones, and Dylan, asserting that just as once-famous big band leaders are today largely forgotten, so eventually would be most rock'n'rollers.

England's Steve Hooker has been at rock'n'roll for decades -- he's gigged and recorded with pegged personages like Robert Gordon, Wilko Johnson, Boz Boorer, Johnny Thunders, and Levi Dexter. I emailed him for his thoughts on Mellencamp's bleak prediction.

"You caught me at a good and bad time," Steve responded. "I was just about to go to the studio to record with Levi Dexter, feeling unprepared and crazy!"

All such aside, though, he had at hand a ready idea-arsenal:

"[Mellencamp is] wrong in the first instance," he began. "Because of the Internet and other modern recourses people today are far more aware of the origins of roots music than they were in the 50's and 60's - I doubt if many teenagers over here knew the Beatles and the Stones were covering Arthur Alexander or that Dylan dug Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps any more than some American kids realized Pat Boone had pissed Little Richard off big time!

"Conversely - the problem I have with this authenticity obsession is that just like the song says 'you gotta move' - Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent didn't want to play beaten up old blues men's boxes - they wanted space rocket Fender fucking Stratocasters - even Bruce Sprinsteen didn't want to be the next Bob Dylan - he wanted to mix it up and be Mitch Ryder and Gary U.S. Bonds as well and he was!

"John wouldn't get that in the same way as I do - I can go out of an afternoon, sit in a bar and talk to ordinary people about this stuff and I can tell you their taste and knowledge is in advance of newspaper writers and media personalities."

His latest is what we'd expect from the RockabillyBlues/SoulMan. From the gut, thoroughly genuine. A corrupting beat-trove of slide-guitared dirty fun. The way taboo rock'n'roll (in its varied and thorny/horny countenances) sounded in its early years. And the way that, Mellencamp's dismalness to one side, it can still come over.

"I can't play in any other way than what's true to me," Steve wrote. "I guess this type of rhythm 'n' blues hybrid music became 'Mid Atlantic' when I was a kid - I can't and don't want to play or sing anything except what is deep inside of me - for instance I don't often refer to cars, automobiles or motorcycles except in passing because I don't have a drivers licence. I wouldn't sing that I was born Mississippi - but I might write about a girl in Tennessee or Las Vegas because I just spoke to her by email. It's all around us."

Sterling recommendations are "40 Dollar Picture (In a Priceless Golden Frame)," "Jeannie With the Dark Blue Eyes," and "Sugar Devil." (The video for this last, on Youtube, features Bernie Dexter.) The songs bounce and drive, crazily cool, sliding and swaying wonderfully in straight-on and rough-grained rock'n'roll rudeness. Bluesy harmonica swipes pack out the rollicking blast.

Special guests on some tracks include longtime Hooker pals Boz Boorer, Wilko Johnson, and Levi Dexter. Other familiar names joining Steve on "Before the Rooster Crows" are bassist Terry and drummer Eddie, who also helped out with Steve's earlier "Stagger Lee Is Back" and "Boptown."

Too, previous line-up the S.T.s are featured on "Motorcycle Ditch," and Rizlaz men Tetsuji and Hiroshi also pop in.

Think of basic, guitar-led romps of the sort the Rolling Stones gave up, back in the day. Or early Faces.
Steve agrees with that assessment. "I think we all drink from the same well. Obviously the Stones draw on the whole history of American music and growing up in the fifties with the development of television. I was influenced by the same things."

Steve digs that it isn't only the raucous sound but the brash attitude, the way our music makes you live and love and yell and dance and feel -- inside and out -- that won't ever go away. Can't ever go away.

Hell, he won't let it.

http://www.stevehooker.co.uk/

6

Hillbilly Casino
Tennessee Stomp (Hobolight)

HC's blooming anti-Industry bootstrapism -- entailing self-recording /booking/
everything -- grows organically from the band's above-all calling: taking rock'n'roll (in all of its sundry aspects, including honky tonk and punk) to barrooms full of hoarse-throated, mug-waving true believers. And now, the group is even better than before. Take that, Handlebar.

Recommended "Tennessee Stomp," "The Ballad of Psycho Steve"

thehillbillycasino.com

5/5

Eddie Clendening featuring the Modern Sounds
"is...Knockin' At Your Heart" (Ventrella)

A lean and hungry cat -- trim sports jacket, trucker sideburns, talent in wicked abundance -- snaps open like a hipster's jacknife. Slicing off echoey slabs of flair is Chicago's uber versatile roots spellcasters Modern Sounds. If not royalty reborn, Mr. Eddie heads the shadow line.

Recommended "Long Tall Lou (from Louisville)," "Respectfully, Miss Brooks"
http://www.eddieclendening.com/
http://www.myspace.com/eddieclendening
http://www.myspace.com/joelpaterson

5/5

Karling
"Bound For Nowhere" (self)

A finer runway showcase for Karling's purring pouts and creamily sleek Grand Ol' Girlisms couldn't be designed. The tunes are skin-fitting, the players -- including Joel Morin, Joey Altruda, Wally Hersom, and Jeremy Wakefield -- steady and calculating. CMT should trashcan the prefab 10-gallon pop ooze and exalt this unabashed real country.

Recommended "My New Man," "Cowboy In Red"

http://www.karlingmusic.com/
http://www.myspace.com/karlingabbeygate

5/5

The Chop Tops
"Deadly Love" (Swillbilly)

No surprise that these three cruel cats drew impressive fan numbers at Viva. As grit-stocked punk pools tilted outlook with country/ska/blues/verboten Sun psalmizings, pomaded thugs furiously kick-dance on a switchblade's razor: fists curled, 'fuck-you' eyes aflame.

Recommended "Hard Luck," "Nothing For Something"

http://www.thechoptops.com/
http://www.myspace.com/thechoptops
http://www.facebook.com/thechoptops

5/5

Jimmi Accardi
Cry of the Wild Guitar (self)

Before broaching this all-instrumental picker's holiday, understand that there are no genre distinctions impervious to muse's free beckonings. Jimmi roams expansively, as naturally expressive within and attuned to twanged roots tips as more radical, provocative inclinations. Such is our reward.

Recommended "Cat Man Blues," "Funk Juice Part 2"

http://www.jimmiaccardi.com/

5/5

Carolina Chocolate Drops
Genuine Negro Jig (Nonesuch)

Clap hands, bend knees, and know that it's good to breathe. Raise dust 'round the porch to these upturned hearts anthemizing a jump-down, turn-around people -- and that's all of us, this being a chunk of America's heart. Yesterday/today seamlessness locates actualization via banjos, fiddles, leg percussion, and "computer hard drive 'triangle.'" Humanity steps it down.

Recommended "Your Baby Ain't Sweet Like Mine," "Cornbread and Butterbeans"

http://www.carolinachocolatedrops.com/
http://www.nonesuch.com/

5/5

Truly Lover Trio
"Bullseye" (Twinkletone)

Suavity, enthrallingly gentle melodicism, implicit ebbulliance -- these rank prominently among TTT's identifiers. Affectionate and winsome nods to the Wink Troubador elevate Bullesye tall o'er less graceful and clambering roarers. Refinement, it seems, offers a strength not accessible to unthinkingly cacophonous cut outs.

Recommended "Twice Sorry," "You"

http://www.trulylovertrio.com/

5/5

Kings of Nuthin'
"Old Habits die hard" (Sailor's Grave)

Having crossed the line between college kicks and bill-paying proposition, the Kings articulate matters that require living. Amid raucous-as-ever, punk-splayed and hyper-sudsy r&b (still the group's finest weapon) are a mature-perspectived can't-go-home essay, an aware, seasoned blast at the corporate music industry that routinely crushes musicians, and a markedly pensive piano/violin/cello moment in which strained-angst throat pipes nod toward Tom Waits.

Recommended "The List," "Congratulations"
http://www.myspace.com/kingsofnuthinboston
http://www.sailorsgraverecords.com/

5/5

Howitzer
"Police State" (Hazard Hill)
Laced up, splenetic and politically aware trio agitpunk, cut in 2006. (A congratulatory review of the latest Howitzer disc appeared earlier in these pages.) "They took our freedom with the Patriot Act...One world run by corporate greed" is, sadly, no less relevant in the Obama years as the Bush ones. Boots on!
Recommended "Inciting a Riot," "Some Gave All"

http://www.howitzer.us/
http://www.hazardhillrecords.com/

5/5

Hot Rod Hillbillies
"You Wanna Race" (HRHB)

Galloping down into town from the highest ridge is fatal thunder: The Xavier Ortiz Gang rides again. At the Lone Star string-strangler's elbow, their Colt's spitting flames, are Tony Slash, David Cisneros, Al Martinez, Dave Irish. As always, it's a crashing bar-chord hoedown. There'll be one helluva pit down at the old corral tonight...

Recommended "Good, Bad, Ugly," "Probation"

http://www.myspace.com/hotrodhillbillies
http://www.facebook.com/hotrodhillbillies

5/5

Mystery Train
Enjoy This Boogie! (Goofin)

New film Deuce of Spades features this resurrected 80s Fin 'billy phenom in its soundtrack -- which handily recommends the cinema. Smoothly-phrased, bouncing bop with swing in its light step. Sonorous harmonies glide on melodic breezes. Smoldering. Surefootedness bespeaks rockers of letters.

Recommended "Boogieman," "Keep Up the Beat"

http://www.myspace.com/mysterytrain77
http://www.goofinrecords.com/

5/5

The Whiskey Daredevils
"Introducing..." (Drink N Drive)

Too rarely does one encounter players so enjoying their work. Atomic blast country-rock'n'roll plows recklessly into pixilated cheer. Superior songcraft, from unreined, flashing neon muse.

Recommended "West Akron Shakedown," "Me and My Black Eye"

http://www.whiskeydaredevils.com/
http://www.myspace.com/whiskeydaredevils

5/5

Gino and the Lone Gunmen
s/t (Caspian See)

It is in its original moments (which predominate, 8 to 2) that this rollicking set shines coolest: envigorating neo-rockabilly that swings with bouyant jive. Gino Meregillano's assured voice and crazy-legged Gretsch sweep up to dizzying Everycat Acme. And Jonny Bowler (Guana Batz, Buzz Campbell Band) and Hal Smith (New Eldorado Jazz Band, Carl Sonny Leyland Trio) are the roundhouse rhythm team that will not be denied. Grab her tight -- gotta move.

Recommended: "Carolina Shag," "I Need A Drink," "North Park Swing," "Rockabilly Girl"

http://www.myspace.com/lonegunmen1959
http://www.myspace.com/gino1771

4/5

Las Vargas
Shivers (Crazy Times)

Some communicate intensity with hurtling desperation. But that acute quality is here cultivated and polished to high, tasteful gleam with nuance, lilt, and matured measure. As diverse tempos are ushered, Miss Black Vargas offers dulcimer tones and assured deploy most crowning.

Recommended "La Chica Alborotada," "He Ain't Mine No More"

http://www.myspace.com/lasvargaslive
http://www.crazytimesmusic.com/

4/5

Billy Hancock
"For Rockabilly Fans Only - The Lost Tapes" (Turkey Mountain)

Fever-shaker Billy's pegged bonafides as 2nd Wave neo-rockabilly master, long since established, are reasserted by red-hot early 80s (plus one 2006) studio and live cuts. Additional attractions include Danny Gatton, Dave Elliot, Bob Newcaster, Evan Johns, Johnny Castle, and Pete Ragusa. Legends out loud.
Recommended "Not Enough Rock'n'Roll," "Heart Beatin' Woman"

http://www.billyhancock.com/
http://www.myspace.com/billyhancockmusic

4/5

Misterio
"10 Year Old Zombie" (Nacional)

This is the same Senor Flavio who fronted million-sellers Los Fabulosos Cadillacs. Hailed today as a founder of the Latin Alternative movement, he works his guitar like a shiv, deftly opening and laying exposed psycho, surf, and even relaxed ballads. Hip in espanol. Multi-hued, variously textured, important.

Recommended "Muertos Vivos," "Mandragula"

http://www.nacionalrecords.com/

4/5

Marty Allen
The Sun Sessions

Honesty breathes fully in this vintage-tailored "Honky-Tonk Rockabilly" newly cut on historic Union Ave. It hooks immediately. Marty's deep, life-lined everyman voice and hand-tooled guitar feel like old friends.

Recommended "Find Me a Woman," "I Got a Dog"

http://www.martyallenband.com/

4/5

Sarah Blackwood
"Wasting Time" (Stomp)

Such is the crackling furnace psycho blast of Canada's Creepshow that one might never suspect fetching frontwoman Sarah harbors a suppler side. Oh, but she does. Often acoustic and sweepingly luxuriant, in an affable, elbow-caressing fashion. Velvety expressiveness. We are pleased.

Recommended "Drags Me Down," "These Are the Days"

http://www.myspace.com/sarahblackwood
http://www.stomprecords.com/

4/5

Memphis Morticians
"1,000,000 Delinquents" (Space Hearse)

Even amid vaunted psycho nobility, the Morticians shone eerily on Rockin' Raven's 2007 "God Save the King" comp. Digging and throwing spades-full of ground-glass resting soil, adorning the seething pile with strangled haranguings, they flail and twist in bimstone bacchanalia.

Recommended ""Trash Devil Rock," "Roll them Bones"

http://www.memphismorticians.com/

4/5

Cosins Kids
Country Boy (Get Hip)

Mother Tammy and son Shin (aided by father Tetsuya on "wood bass" and Ta-Bo on drums) recreating
Lorie and Larry may fill seats, but miles and miles of jaw-dropping picking ala Joe M. from 11 year-old Shin helps keep them that way. All hands involved kick in their own jaunty right.

Recommended "Just Because," "The Rockin' Gypsy"

http://www.myspace.com/thecosinskids50s

4/5

Viktor Huganet and his band
Come Back Train" (Big Beat)

Twanging guitar-led trio neo-rockabilly at a roof-shaking extreme. The massive, downfalling platinum quiff is not the only tip France's Viktor has copped from early-80s Brian S. The solos, the songs, the brash swagger -- all echo the S. Cat in his salad days. But what might otherwise seem rote derivation then skyrockets with its own personality.

Recommended "School of Rock'n'Roll," "Rock Around With Ollie Vee"

http://www.viktorhuganet.com/
http://www.bigbeatrecords.tm.fr/

4/5

The King Baker's Combo

"The Crest Sessions" (Crazy Times)

Covers account for all but one of these 15, revealing affinities for genre salad days austerity and Teddy Boy cheek. Individuality flashes between familiar postures, particularly in the soloing of picker Jim Berrehouc.
Recommended "King Baker's Boogie," "Blue Blue Day"

http://www.crazytimesmusic.com/

4/5

Hard Fall Hearts
To All Believers (Double Barrel)

Claims to sound association with The Rev, Living End, and Tiger Army are validated the moment this disc is spun. Those who missed the HFH's debut (present writer included) can now join the unabashed ferment. Nimble and bracing, its head-thrown-back punk/rockabilly recalls, too, the Strays. This will be a frequent choice.

Recommended "Someone In My Head," "Stay"

http://www.myspace.com/hardfallhearts
http://www.facebook.com/hardfallhearts
http://www.doublebarrelrecords.com/

4/5

The Boppin' Gliesers
"Gliese Attack" (Crazy Times)

Sideburns beyond the stars. Fractured aliens ripped up planet after spinning planet, as this Paris trio blasted out frenzy sufficient to forestall even the most hideous intersteller conquest scheme. The Gliesers succeeded, which is why you are reading these words.

Recommended "Jenny Beauty Jenny," "If I Rock the Blues"

http://www.myspace.com/boppin39gliesers
http://www.crazytimesmusic.com/

4/5

The Brains
"Zombie Nation" (Stomp)

These Canadian risen remind a bit of of Zombie Ghost Train. Their often hyper, calcium-splintering works boast similarly shadowy funeral parlor vibes. But there are also individual zestfulness and eviable ardor.

Recommended "We Gotta Go," "Zombie Nation"

http://www.myspace.com/thebrains
http://www.stomprecords.com/

4/5

Morry Sochat & the Special 20s
"Eatin' Dirt" (Galaxie)

Postwar Chicago blues included full drums and liberated fervor to rival ambient city noise. Said exultant raucousness is reposited here. Morry et al sway, rock, bump, holler, and seethe with visceral vim. Jagged blues strikes where you live.

Recommended "Empty Pockets," "Riot Up In Here"

http://www.special20s.com/

4/5

Crispy Jones
"New Day" (Apocalyptic Productions)

Chris excels at alluringly tuneful neo-rockabilly. And in simplicity breathes strength. Elevated by crack playing, infectious arrangements sweep with bubbling purposefulness. Powerful, to be sure, but never at good humor's expense.

Recommended "Dig the Wig," "Die Eine"

http://www.crisyjones.de/

3/5

Skye Paige and the Original Recipe
"Whole Lotta Woman" (self)

Knuckly, balled-fist hooks are thrown at runaround tomcats, to confident honky tonk. This is the gut-level, good-sounding stand-up woman revenge road previously taken to reward by rockin' country queens of bouffant and claw.

Recommended "Paint the Town Red," "Stick a Fork In Me I'm Done"

http://www.skyepaige.com/
http://www.myspace.com/skyepaigeandtheoriginalrecipe

3/5

Crazy Rocket Fuel
"Vol. One" (self)

Four clawing kittens gone bad. Perpetual rockabilly gyration. Hip-swinging, fist-throwing.
Recommended "Tacheedah Bound," "(Who My) Baby Daddy"

http://www.crazyrocketfuel.com/
http://www.myspace.com/crazyrocketfuel

3/5

Better Off Dead
"Girls Guns and Money" (Garageland)

Rockin' blues of infectious, loose-limbed timbre is an ensemble proposition. (It takes a group to raise a ruckus.) Each player knows the score, slicing hip meat on the smoker. Guitarist/singer VD King, though, is the good-foot master of ceremony, penning all but one here, giving up bluesy conversational vocals reminding of "Full House"-era Peter Wolf.

Recommended "Back To Memphis," "500 Miles"

http://www.betteroffdead.com/
http://www.garagelandrecords.com/

3/5

Standard and Poor
What's In the Big Black Bag? (Unrepentant)

While S and P locate resounding moments in pile-up chorded moss-gathering (with occasional Johnny echoes -- Thunders, Ramone, and Rotten), spiky directors to new relevance loom, too. Especially when underlining the meretricious hate-church/$ nexus.

Recommended "I Wanna Go Back," "Religious Right"

http://www.myspace.com/standardandpoor
http://www.unrepentantrecords.com/

3/5

The Running Kind
"The Girl For All the World" (Bossanova Music)

For all the primitivist luster on deck -- reflective, sure-picked six-string, jaunty hardwood rhythms, assertive keys, promenading pedal steel -- it's when satin-voiced Leslie Ann Bosson takes wing to higher ranges that majesty doffs its cloak. This is how you keep them down on the farm.
Recommended "Two Roads," "I Still Love You (Like I Loved You Before )"

http://www.therunningkind.net/

3/5

He's the Hero
EP (Blue Duck)

Discerning appreciators of melodies within acerbic guitar punk will hurriedly note that 1) said tunefulness rides high on the arm of gravelly explosivo, and 2) economy is the keyword here. Meaning no unnecessary notes. Each punctures.

Recommended "Sirens," "Villains"

http://www.myspace.com/hesthehero
http://www.blueduckrecords.com/
http://www.itunes.apple.com/us/artist/hes-the-hero/id349438387

3/5

Jarrett Fenlon
"Sprung"

Assurance welcomes. Impressive singer/songwriter Jarrett is oh-so-smooth when appropriate, tough as the hard life when such is summoned. Strutting through newly wrought blues, country, and jazz gems, stellar players hip to the tip roll each arrangement homeward in Cadillac style. Major labels used to sound this good. Sometimes.

Recommended "Love Slave," "Mean-Hearted Woman"

http://www.jarrettfenlonmusic.com/

3/5

V/A
"Night At the McPike Mansion" (Brown Bag Propaganda)

Clever angle: gnashing psycho perpatrators join cruel forces to fuel restoration of historic and reputedly haunted Illinois manse. 19 participants, including the Koffin Kats, Psycho Charger, the Outsiders, Stellar Corpses, Lugosi's Morphine, and the Henchmen. (For another prize moment in rockers-as-philanthopists lampooning, see the McClaren-era New York Dolls' 1975 'benefit for Euthanasia.') Scowled paeans and distemperous schizzing guitars abound, as do water-torture rhythms. Chain-dragging ghosts, hatchet-hefting psychos -- we're all Frankies.

http://www.myspace.com/brownbagprop

V/A
"Elvis Tribute" (Big Beat)

Eight US/English/French acts caught at 2007's Rock Brune Festival in France. Maybe no one can touch The King's rock'n'roll magic -- or could such idealistic fatalism wrongly condemn as superfluous all post-Union Ave efforts? CD/DVD set commemorates only-in-America icon Elvis' 75th birthday, this anniversary observed by a French label. American labels, where were you?

Recommended "Devil In Disguise" (Robert Gordon/Red Hot), "A Fool Such As Il" (Little Tony and Friends)

http://www.myspace.com/robertgordonmusic
http://www.myspace.com/littletonyofficial
http://www.bigbeatrecords.tm.fr/

Back In the Day: 1998

Paul Burlison
"Train Kept A-Rollin'" (Flying Fish/Rounder)

The erstwhile Burnette Trio six-string sensation roared anew from the Pantheon. A host of talented admirers including Los Lobos' David Hidalgo and Cesar Rosas, Mavis Staples, Kim Wilson, and Rocky and Billy Burnette helped Paul re-establish himself as raw cat royalty. And the Tele screamed.

Recoomended "She's Hot," "Train Kept A-Rollin'"

http://www.rockabillyhall/paulburlison.html

end

2011-05-07T11:43:00.000-07:00

One Night Standards
sunset (Weapon of Mass Destruction Records)

Davenport, Iowa instrumental surfbilly, emphasizing reverbed Mosrite and general party beach-vibe. Yes, much is familiar. But such is to be expected in retro endeavorings, and is hardly disqualifying -- not when laced with spiritedness, as is here the boon. Fun, and fun alone. Nothing wrong, there...

Recommended Tracks blast off, sunset
onenightstandards.com

http://www.myspace.com/theonenightstandards

- DC Larson

(THE ABOVE REVIEW ORIGINALLY APPEARED IN ROCKABILLY MAGAZINE #46.)

2011-05-03T11:23:00.000-07:00

Bettie Page: Sweetheart Eternal of the Fishnet Underground
by
DC Larson

"We'll all always love her, and I imagine it will be no different for future generations. She will always be the best, there will never be another."
- Heidi Van Horne
"Bettie will always be our sweetheart!!! We love you Bettie!"
- The Rumblejetts

In December, Bettie Page succumbed to the black fate mortality promises. But the deliciously taboo and perennially desired 1950s Teaser Girl will never be completely gone.

Review electric throngs at rockabilly festivals and hot rod shows. How many arrestingly magnetic Bettie-banged hair-teases flip and fly? How many fever-wracked rock'n'roll psalmists have celebrated her, since the Queen of Curves first enflamed a nascent Fishnet Underground?

Bettie was and remains the American male's feminine ideal on 6-inch, black leather stillettos. A riveting, wild-side enchantress, she combined the wholesome loveliness of a Sunday School teacher with the crazy curves of a bad girl. In undraped splendor, she seemed at utter ease.

But she was much more than deliciously alluring, opiatic pulchritude. Her twinkling eyes, flirty winks, and dazzling smile -- full, reddened lips spread wide, perfect teeth agleam --sang of fraternity unconditional.

The two-dimensional dream-unlaced and her page-thumbing beaus were as one.

And in 1955, historic rebel noteriety was assured her. Joined by censorious governmental officials, US Senator Estes Kefauver, of Tennessee (Bettie's home state, also) launched a subcommittee dedicated to combatting the alleged causal link between girlie snapshots and juvenile delinquency.

Though subpeonaed, Bettie was never called. But her employer, Irving Klaw, did appear before the inquisitors; as a result, his professional fortunes suffered irrevocably.

(Incidentally, while Page herself preferred the spelling "Bettie," her name did sometimes appear in film loops and magazines as "Betty" -- a version that occasionally echoes, still.)

Following the 1977 passing of The King, one commentator remarked that surely every man had, for at least one moment, wished that he were Elvis Presley. It is hardly preposterous to suppose that women fans of the vaunted Bettie knew similar yearnings.

But even if they could not be the seductive sensation, countless young women wanted to follow her unafraid example. And sought her experienced counsel.

"Young women write me untold numbers of letters," Bettie said in a 2005 CMG marketing firm release. "They look up to me. They thank me for helping them see how they can be themselves, or how they can reinvent themselves, assert themselves, lose their inhibitions, and come out of their shells. Of course just posing for pictures I never intended to do any part of that, but I am gratified to see that what I did so long ago has meant something to so many."

"I don't care about fashion trends, or how the World Series ends/
You can keep your success and fame, her fresh lips drive me insane!"
- "Bettie's Kiss," Danny Dean and the Homewreckers Rockabilly Lover (Delirium 2007)

During the suffocatingly straight-laced Ike era, Bettie didn't appreciate the significance of her spectacular, fleshly flauntings. Nor did she guess that the carnally spurred would in decades hence hold her scarlet images in steamy esteem.

But venerate the voluptuous and racy lass, subsequent generations nevertheless have.

A Rockabilly Magazine comment request brought immediate responses. Everyone, it seemed, loved and respected Bettie, and leapt to offer intimate testimonies of admiration, gratitude, and grief.

Among the fetching contemporary pin ups in whose works Bettie's deliriously naughty imprint bares itself is model and RM Kitten, Dayna Delux.

"I would be honored to say a few words," she emailed.
"It's heartbreaking to know Bettie is gone. A lady who has influenced so many people and paved the way for us all. She has left a lasting impression on everyone for the past years and I'm sure for decades to come. It would be an honor for any of us if we could leave a mark in our lives as she has in hers. She may be gone but she will never be forgotten."

"Visual, tangible, sweet exotic realm/a ship on fire, with desire at the helm"
- "My Baby Looks Like Bettie Page" Wes Pudsey & the Sonic Aces

Australian rockabilly Wes Pudsey recorded his upbeat anthem for Curtis, in 1998.

"Yeah, I've heard the news," he wrote us, "and it's a real shock...Bettie's natural, buoyant beauty will always be iconic; her look is so trademark Bettie Page; but just the same, playing that ol' song I wrote will never be the same again.

"Bettie has clearly inspired so much of the modern burlesque and pin-up scene," Wes continued, "and the image of the girl with the black bangs and dazzling smile will no doubt continue to inspire rockabilly gals, pin-ups, photographers and even songwriters for a long time to come.

"Right now, though, I feel so very sad to think someone so individual and special has left our world. I know the generation that inspires the modern rock'n'roll fan is aging and passing away, but what a loss to us who've gained so much from their creativity and their originality."

The international character of Bettie's purple shadow was also exemplified by Brigitte Handley and Dark Shadows. Australians, like Pudsey, all three members spoke to RM:

"Bettie Page was an original who stood out from the rest," said singer/guitarist Brigitte. "She was confident, sensual, playful, dangerous, and different.

"There was something really dark, wild and mysterious about Bettie that always appealed to me. She was the alternate to Marilyn and the mainstream and stood out on her own as an individual with fantastic style.

"Her pictures really illustrated and captured that same raw, raucous energy that drew me into underground rockabilly music and culture. Nobody wears back-seamed stockings and 6-inch heels like Bettie Page!"

Dark Shadows bassist Carly Chalker enthused, "The most photogenic gal of all time with the loveliest curves, bangs and smile!"

"Bettie Page was one sexy gal," agreed drummer Nerida Wu.

"If you don't look like Bettie Page, if you don't move me like Bettie Page/
If your hair doesn't grow black to the roots, you can go kiss Bettie Page's boots --
Like I do..."
- "Betty Page Is Back" Gretschen Hofner (Blueyedog 1992)

"Bettie Mae Page -- an iconic figure in pop culture who had a great impact on society," avered model/RM Kitten Victoria Vengeance. "Her lack of inhibition in front of the camera will continue to be an influence and an inspiration. Freedom of sexuality and expression at its finest. R.I.P."

"Trend setting!" was the pithy commendation of Bettie sent by longtime California-based singer and guitarist Jerry Sikorski, of 1980s American Patrol and current Jerry Sikorski Combo.

Model Kim Falcon showered praise. "Betty was a huge influence in my life and my work! She will never realize what a great impact she had on this earth! She will be greatly missed! May God bless her!"

"Bettie Page was both overexposed and underappreciated," lamented singer/guitarist Kim Lenz. "Sure, you find her pictures everywhere, but I don't think most people stop and realize what an effect her persona had not just on the rockabilly scene but on mainstream culture.

"She was a true 'modern' woman, comfortable with her power and sexuality in a way that was WAY ahead of its time.

"Thanks for paving the way, Bettie..."

"I first became aware of Bettie Page in the late 1980s," said Darla Crane. "Way before I started modeling. A girlfriend of mine had just landed a gig editing a magazine called "Bondage Life" and she loaned me a stash of Bettie stuff she found crammed away in a corner of her new office.

"I was already familiar with Bettie's likeness (it seemed to be plastered across half the t-shirts in Los Angeles) but this was the first time I had a name to go with that amazing face and body and I was smitten.

"When that same girlfriend finally convinced me to model in bondage, I took my cues from Bettie and tried to convey the "sweet, naughty tease" of it all. Bettie was also one of the first celebrities I was able to impersonate and my Bettie lookalike work led to wonderful relationships with GlamourCon, Golden Apple Comics, Dave Stevens, and Olivia De Berardinis.

"I was eventually able to give Bettie a few promo shots of myself done up as her and the handwritten thank you note she sent me is one of my most prized possessions. Simply put, I would not have the terrific life I live today without Miss Bettie Mae Page."

"Bettie, Bettie, where can you be? I ain't seen the likes of you in Hustler magazine"
- "Bettie Bettie," BR5-49 Live From Robert's (Arista 1996)

The same brashness and estrogenic self-confidence so distinguishing Bettie's tease and bondage pictorials positively seethe in the hopped-up oeuvre of wildcat siren Josie Kruezer.

"I am saddened by the passing of Bettie Page as it marks the end of an era," Josie told us. "Her daring free-spirit, brazen sexuality and her girl-like innocence inspired so many women to gain sexual independence in a very repressive time.

"Her legend lives on as she continues to inspire the girls and women of the X, Y and now the Z generation as they begin to discover their own sexuality and feminine power. She is an icon who will be truly missed."

"The thing, above all else, that always stood out to me about Bettie Page," said actress and model/RM Kitten Heidi Van Horne, "was the attitude- that look coming from behind her eyes, the fact that she was in on the joke. Yes, she was hot, yes, she had a great smile, killer curves and a great haircut- but the strength behind the eyes is what makes her images stand out, and what makes them just as stirring today as they were when they were first captured fifty years ago."

"Bettie Page will never be forgotten - while my friend Bernie Dexter is still struttin' her stuff!" emailed veteran English guitar rocker Steve Hooker. Famed retro model Dexter was, in fact, a scheduled speaker at Bettie's funeral. The pin up was ultimately laid to rest near glamour peer Marilyn Monroe.

Independent film house Cult Epics released Bettie Page, Dark Angel, in 2004 (predating by a year major-budget biopic The Notorious Bettie Page). Paige Richards starred.

"I was saddened to hear the news of Bettie's passing," Paige told RM. "However, grateful for all that she has done for all of us.

"When I was cast in the movie Bettie Page, Dark Angel I was able to get to know her through research for the movie. I did not know her personally but felt like I did through her work, I think that is how she made us all feel.

"There is just no one like her and never will be. She quit modeling 50 years ago and still no one has pulled at our heart strings quite like Bettie. I feel that she will live on forever through her work...and her inspiration. No one has influenced modern pop culture like Bettie.

"I am grateful that she was able to realize the influence she was having on, well... everything. I am also thankful she has able to see how much she was appreciated and loved by all us fans."

Cult Epics recently scheduled theatrical showings for Dark Angel. As was noted in an earlier RM review, the film recreates such prized Bettie dance and bondage 16mm loops as ""Whip Dance," "Fighting Girls," "Dominant Betty In Black Corselet," and "Bound and Gagged."

"Queen of Pain, Queen of Pain/ I love your metal bra that points"
- "Queen of Pain" The Cramps Big Beat From Badsville (Epitaph 1997)

Dark Angel was the product of auteur Nico B. "Bettie Page as an icon is the visualisation of the perfect female; sexy with beautiful curves, innocent but naughty, and my favourite attribute: black hair," Nico recently told RM.

The film's fanciful and rollicking rockabilly soundtrack moments were dreamt and realized by plectrum Paganina Danny B. Harvey.

In a previous RM interview, Harvey had mused, "Bettie Page's influence over both men and women alike is off the Reichter scale, as far as I'm concerned. Girls all over the world dress like her, walk like her and cut their hair like her. Her look is timeless and will always be in style.

"I would think that if some future civilization uncovers pictures of her, when digging through 20th and 21st Century archeological digs, it would only be a matter of time before the females in their civilization would start dressing like Bettie Page. How could she not be an inspiration?" ("Have Guitar, Will Travel, part II" RM June 2005)

In addition to Dark Angel, Cult Epics collected Bettie's 16mm loops with full-length featues Teaserama, Striporama, and Varietease in top-shelf, DVD-format box set. Released prior to its subject's departure, it stands as indispensible.

"I was about 8 or 9 years old when I saw a picture of Bettie in a magazine at a friends' house," RM was told by veteran Rockat-turned-solo guitarist/singer Barry Ryan. "I got a raging hardon but I had no clue about what to do.The memory lives on. RIP Bettie."

"Talk to me like you talk to them, let me hear it in an 8x10/
Spell it out in monochrome, things I never would have known"
- "Hey Miss Betty," Chris Spedding Guitar Graffiti (RAK 1979)

Barry's fellow Rockat ( now Detonators leader), singer Dibbs Preston, was insistent. "Bettie Page is still alive in her sexy, fun and mysterious pictures.''

Founding Sha Na Na drummer Jocko Marcellino penned tribute "Betty Page" for Buzz Campbell and Hot Rod Lincoln, also playing drums on their studio version. "She was the goddess of the rockabilly movement," Jocko said, "almost single handedly setting the female fashion style."

As heartfelt as were those thoughts from modern day Bettie-hued sorts, though, the most touching issued us came from 1970s drive-in icon Tura Satana (Faster Pussycat Kill, Kill, The Astro-Zombies, and others):

"It seems that 2008 was the year of losing a lot of very wonderful and gracious entertainers," Tura said. "When I heard about Bettie Page passing, I really began to feel my own mortality.

"I know that she lived in seclusion towards the end of her life and I am sorry for that. She was a trend setter of her time and she always seemed to enjoy that little touch of mischief that she displayed in all of her photos. She brought a lot of happiness and smiles to our servicemen overseas and to the youths that grew during her era.

"The world is a sadder place for all of the wonderful actors and actresses that have passed this year and they will all be missed. I am sad that Bettie never got to know that she was still loved long after the bloom of youth had left her cheeks. But her fans and supporters over the years will always hold her very dear.

"Bettie, I know that your fans and friends and family will always miss you and I know that they are sorry that they didn't get a chance to say goodbye to you.

"Goodbye Bettie, even though we have never met, I think that you are smiling now for all the joy you gave over the years."

The example left by Bettie is that of the vibrant nonconformist daring to stride freely. For that, she merits catagorization with Elvis Presley and Lenny Bruce, other post-WWII touchstones in the annals of the unrespectable disrupting popular culture for the better.

Philosophical waxings to one side, though, this essay's introductory assertion remains of foremost import: Our Bettie will never truly be gone.

At least, not from the hearts of the Fishnet Underground.

"When I go down to the juke joint, all the girls look like you"
- "Betty Page" Buzz Campbell & Hot Rod Lincoln Runaway Girl (King 2006)

bettiepage.com
cultepics.com

end

CD REVIEW: Blacklist Royals "Semper Liberi"

2010-09-21T11:38:00.000-07:00

The truest rock'n'roll bands have always been gangs, proudly living coolness out loud in the startled face of unsympathetic propriety. Early Stones, Dolls, Ramones, Clash, Social Distortion.

And Blacklist Royals. They merit addition to that shameful/shame-free record, flinging heedlessly as they raucously do technicolored, kicks-larded, and punchy rock'n'roll that defies dismissal, that by its raw power upends and obliterates beneath boot polished pretensions. Challenging guitars muscle at this music's fore, in LOUD and brash mien -- and, of course, formidable beats drive this funny-car pile-up -- but a satisfying abundance of variegation and lapel-seizing depth issue from swerving, spashing keys.

The primal spirit of genuine rock'n'roll breathes, still: Springsteenish everyman psalmizing, detonative punk, pixilated guitar-party bombast. The Blacklist Royals have a stake in The Music That Changed The World, and they're no less agressively in love with it than were any of their storied street-corner forebears.

RECOMMENDED "Howling At the Moon," "Rock'n'Roll"

http://www.blacklistroyals.com/
http://www.myspace.com/blacklistroyals
http://www.facebook.com/pages/blacklistroyals/96096115311

-- DC Larson

CD REVIEW: Laura Cortese

2010-09-19T12:32:00.000-07:00

"Acoustic Project" (self)

There are beguiling sauciness, whisper-of-truth articulations, and knowing winks in this elegant string quartet effort. Tender, quietly formidable violin reigns from its midst. Laura spins Celtic-air webs that reward as abundantly as they impressively promise.

Herein are lofted too-rare delights: a laughing lilt to this moment, an arch maneuver to the next. Spirited frolic, leaving a glow of good fortune.

Laura is marvelously aided by Hanneke Cassel, and Natalie and Brittany Haas. As one, the four contrive enthralling melodic charms that beckon through both olde manners and effectively of-this-moment assertions.

Amazing, the force alurk in dancing strings, delicate voicings, and hearts quite open.

Recommended "Overcome," "Women of the Ages"

http://www.lauracortese.com/

-- DC Larson

2010-07-17T10:24:00.000-07:00

FOR THE RECORD:

LYINHEART

The band authorities fear

Ted Smalley - vocals, keys
Chris Levine - guitar
Kodie Krypt - bass, vocals
Daniel Dekay - drums, vocals

Tracks: "No One To Blame," "Make Me Crazy," "Break All the Rulz"
(Source: band My Space page. See address below.)

The Lieutenant ripped the dispatch from the printer and ran to the chief's office.

"Chief! Chief!"

The grizzled 30-year veteran looked up from his paperwork. "Boy, you know better than to run in here..."

"I know, sorry! But --" the aide gulped for breath. "But this is BIG!"

The chief reclined. "Let me be the judge."

His hand shaking, the Lieutenant handed him the dispatch.

"LYINHEART?" The chief nearly fell off his chair. "LYINHEART IS COMIN' HERE?"

His shoulders slumping, the Chief trudged to the window. His voice was forlorn, a whisper. "Real peaceful little town, we used to have..."

The four-man metallic crush-league known to quivering officials and raging club-goers alike as LYINHEART erupted in buccolic Iowa -- a technicolored explosion of blood-eyed rock'n'roll fury. And the serrated obstreperousness of their Level 5 sound perpetration is matched spike for mohawk by eye-grabbing visual edge.

"We have a cool show coming up opening for Adler's Appetite at Spicoli's August 13th," Daniel enthused to me. I mentioned I'd be reviewing here the first three songs on the group's My Space page. "Those are actually the 3 songs we have recorded with the new lineup," the drummer said, adding that they had just put up newly-mastered versions. "We also re-recorded bass and drums for 'Make Me Crazy' and I just uploaded that version as well."

The ominously mid-tempo "No One To Blame" prowls on outsider feet. Chris's guitar crunches splenetic threats as Daniel and Kodie keep up spooky, hypnotic voodoo poundings. Ted's masterful vocals soar beyond the universe.

"Make Me Crazy" registers as a sinister tale of tortuous devotion. Another sinister mid-tempo narrative, this one addictively anthemic with crafted-in hooks that linger long after the last notes fade.

Of the three tunes reviewed here, "Break All the Rulz" is perhaps the strongest. It's a full-on metal cheer-anthem. (And when I caught LyinHeart at Waterloo's 13th Step, it was a crowd favorite.) Six strings on fire with chip-on-shoulder passion, high-energy vocals stabbing ever upward, a guitar solo as knowingly articulate as screaming and confrontational.

(The LyinHeart My Space page also features 7 other tracks.)

(Daniel emailed answers to For the Record questions):

1) What's the coolest place(s) to hang out in Iowa?

Our singer Ted should answer this cuz he would likely say strip clubs since he dj's in them!!!

2) Where's your favorite place to play? (Is it the answer to Q1?) Favorite recording studio?

We play Spicoli's Grill/Reverb Rock Garden a lot in Waterloo. They have always been good to us and have given us a lot of great shows with 80's bands. A new bar in Waterloo called The 13th Step is a great little place as well. Favorite studio is definitely Christian Brown's studio outside of Cedar Falls. That's where we always record.

3) Favorite fast food? Favorite beer/drink?

Probably BK and Budweiser!

4) Law you'd most like to see overturned? New law you'd like to see enacted?

I always speed so they should take down all the speed limit signs! No more laws!

5) Other IA bands you'd recommend?

We play with a lot of bands. Trash Platinum, Grave Corps, Beneath The Palace are very close to us!

6) Philosophy of life (in 10 words or less)?

Always believe in what you do, otherwise don't do it.

Band http://www.myspace.com/lyinheart

Fans http://www.myspace.com/lyinheartfans

Video of LyinHeart performing "Hate You" at Spicoli's (Cedar Falls, Iowa):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHRzQ6dn-a4

Video of Failure of Progress and LyinHeart at Club Pyramid (Decorah) 2009:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyB17SKuoWc

end

2010-07-08T12:27:00.000-07:00

FOR THE RECORD

THE KNOBS

Derek Billick, vocals, guitar
Nathaniel Byerly, guitar
Justin Richardson, bass, vocals
Nathan Moody, drums

Latest Release "Rough Cuts," from upcoming album "Everyone Gets a Turn"

tracks: "Zero To Ten"
           "Evicted"
           "Everyone Gets A Turn"

True heartland high-energy heroes. Last May, Oskaloosa's The Knobs opened for Ratt at 7 Flags, and later found themselves on the Summer Jam stage.They rocked out in hectic, sweaty form between Warrant and LA Guns. I caught them at Waterloo's 13th Step a few weeks ago, and was knocked out by their boundless exuberance and the jagged, flashy rock'roll excitement they chainsawed and splayed into every corner of the packed club.

No one in the crowd even cared about the downpour outside!

In just 3 tracks, "Rough Cuts" presents them as a loose-jointed and bombastic outfit well worth rank with the genre luminaries beside whom they rock audiences into delirium. Drawing on 70s and 80s metal influences, they craft an at once distinct and dynamic sound that all but blasts from speakers. Equally adept at high-speed and more measured and sinister tempos, the group already has one boot on the next plateau.

Band http://www.theknobsrock.com

http://www.myspace.com/theknobsofiowa

http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Knobs/212714431009

Management/booking http://www.sandsentertainmentonline.com, bsites@hotmail.com
                                        (mgr Brett Sites)

(Thanks to Brett for assisting with this interview. Answers by Justin.)

1) What's the coolest place(s) to hang out in Iowa?

The coolest place to hang out in Iowa is in front of a stage in some bar somewhere where a great band is playing tunes you love!

2) Where's your favorite place to play? (Is it the answer to Q1?) Favorite recording studio?

My favorite place to play is (at this point) 7 Flags Event Center. Whenever we play there we always have a great time and the crowd is always outgoing and receptive.

3) Favorite fast food? Favorite beer/drink?

As far as fast food goes, I must admit I am an Arby's fan. I'm too young for alcohol, so my favorite drink has got to be good old Dr. Pepper.

4) Law you'd most like to see overturned? New law you'd like to see enacted?

I would love to see same-sex marriage laws enacted throughout the United States. The tyranny has gone on far too long!

5) Other IA bands you'd recommend?

I would definitely recommend Dark Mirror, Steve Robinson & the Foundation, and the Brothers Green. They all rock, in their own, unique way.

6) Philosophy of life (in 10 words or less)?

Live free, have fun, and don't hurt anybody. :)

7) QUOTE (on any topic):

"The hell with the rules. If it sounds right, then it is." - Eddie Van Halen

video: "Zero To Ten" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XG_2GD6CjFE

end

2010-06-30T12:40:00.000-07:00

CHEETAH CHROME INTERVIEW

L-R: Syl Sylvain, Cheetah Chrome

I recently exchanged emails with legendary punk guitarist Cheetah Chrome. His comments follow these reviews of his latest recordings.

Batusis
"s/t" (Smog Veil)

The countless bands to stalk and stagger in the New York Dolls' and Dead Boys' wake have, most often,
focused on capturing similar swerve/edge/growl. And some have pulled it off quite handily.

But what many have missed -- what the originals had and what the Batusis give out in full-throated abundance -- is the joyfulness of the outsider, the swinging, careening fun that matched fury step for step.

Meaning, that deep in the marrow of this bombastic assault against all-that-snores is a happiness-for the -
hell-of-it, foot-stomping, grinning exuberance that exalts the serial wiseass rock'n'roll beyond mere dime-a -dozen social disrupter to the higher status of self-signifier: We're here, and we're as valid as any a-youse!"

The four smoking, jet-train to a carbonated hell-of-delights cuts here include Davie Allen's "Blues' Theme;" a rollicking, swaying, party called "What You Lack In Brains" (which Syl sings, offering what Creem once called a "sailor-on-shore-leave whistle" recalling the Dolls); the crunchy and menacing "Bury You Alive"
(sinister vocals by Cheetah); and the instrumental "Big Cat Stomp," in which guitars are loosed from leashes. They gallop and sideswipe in glorious mettallic distemper.

Rocket From the Tomb
"I Sell Soul" / "Romeo and Juliet" (Smog Veil)

New wax from RFtT, a reassembled pre-Dead Boys/Pere Ubu Cleveland band. "Soul" is the more alive of this single's tracks, rousing in a way the more lethargic "Romeo" isn't. Guitars (by both Cheetah and ex -Television Richard Lloyd) merit regard, charging as they do without regard for public safety. And David Thomas's cultivatedly eccentric vocals -- a stylized moan-chant -- lend unmistakeable distinction.

The Batusis and RFtT recordings are available from: http://www.smogveil.com/, http://www.hearpen.com/

Rocket From the Tombs VIDEOS:

"I Sell Soul"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5D_6fTUk
"Romeo and Juliet"
http://www.youtube.com/watch/v=1_fmnYORAyU

THE CHEETAH CHROME INTERVIEW:

1) The head-chopping guitar method you exercised with the Dead Boys endures -- savage, exciting, raw, swerving, intense. (Indeed, we heard it on "Alive In Detroit") And it can be heard on the new Batusis disc. "Big Cat Stomp" really lets it off the chain! Are you satisfied with the latest recordings?

I probably like the EP more than anything else I’ve recorded; I love the sound of it, and the feel. Usually there’s something that bugs me, just some little thing that no one else even notices, but there ain’t one on this! Ken Coomer and Charlie Brocco deserve a lot of props, they really did a great job.

2) You co-wrote 3 of the Batusi disc's 4 tracks, and both cuts on the Rocket From the Tombs vinyl. (I've done some checking back, and found you did a good deal of writing on the first Dead Boys LP, as well as 3 of the 10 songs on the 2nd DBs LP.Oh, and 11 of "Alive's" 12 tracks.) Do you have a particular writing modus operandi? If so, please describe it.

Usually I just will be playing, not even trying to write, and I’ll play a riff and say “Hmmm……what was THAT?” and I’ll go back and work with it. But I’ve written music while looking at a set of lyrics on a piece of paper, and while sitting around with RFTT when we thought we were tapped out and came up with one of our best riffs ever. I guess it all boils down to picking up the guitar in the first place – best way to start! But for the most part they just sort of appear, out of the ether.

3) Tell readers some about your and Syl's accompanists in the Batusis.

Well, Thommy Price I’ve known for years, we played in different bands together in the CBGB scene. We both played on Ronnie Spector’s first solo album. We’re good friends and we like to play together, that simple. I ran into him and the other Blackhearts (Enzo and Dougie) at LaGuardia Airport on the way home form a gig, and he suggested that the Blackhearts back me up at some NYC shows. We did several of those, and when it came time to do the EP he and Enzo were the first guys I thought of for the rhythm section. I love the Blackhearts; they’re one of the best bands out there. Dougie Needles is a monster on guitar.

Since those guys are Joan’s band, we had to find some replacements for them in order to tour, and I don’t think we chose too badly. We have Lez Warner, formerly of the Cult, on drums; I had met Lez in Las Vegas a couple of years ago and we got on well, and I kept him in mind for future projects. When the drum stool opened up, he was the first guy I called.

On bass we have Sean Koos, a former Blackheart, who came highly recommended by Thommy and Enzo, which is all the recommendation I need! We’ve only been able to play together a couple of times, but he’s working out great.

4) What guitars amps do you use? Same in the studio as live?

You want me to bore you with that? Sure!! I have a couple of Gibson SG’s and a Les Paul BFG that I use live, usually through a Line6 Flextone III 2x12 with a Bassman extension cabinet. I’ve replaced the Celestion speakers in the Flextone with Eminence Redcoats, and put the Celestions in the Bassman.That’s the rig I use live for most part, though sometimes I just rent a Marshall halfstack if it’s going to be easier.

In the studio I use a Marshall MG15ms, the Zakk Wylde model, usually with my Gothic SG. For some stuff I use a Danelectro I have, which is too fragile to use live.

5) Future plans?

Touring, then recording, then touring, then recording. In between I’ll be out promoting my autobiography, which hits stores 9/15. Then probably some more touring or recording....

end

CD review: Judge Jackson

2010-06-18T13:04:00.000-07:00

"Drive" (Curtis Joe)

When a red-rimmed buddy turns up on your doorstep, a shameless party you'd once sworn would never end erupts, anew. Action guitars at the fore, a muscular rock'n'roll attack team in the spirit of Velvet Revolver and GNR howls. There is much joy to be had kicking out all jams. Let the almighty, experience-centering riff be your guide in a tilted land of crunch and exultation.

http://www.judgejackson.net/.

2010-06-08T10:24:00.001-07:00

THE GEORGE DUBOSE INTERVIEW

Photographer George Dubose executed several classic Ramones LP covers, including "Too Tough To Die," "Brain Drain," and "Mondo Bizarro." He recently published a collection of beautiful b/w and color photos of the band, plus his own invaluable first-hand recollections of the photo shoots and what it was like working with punk's first band.

George now lives in Germany. See his email at the interview's conclusion, to order his fantastic book!

1) I see you began in photography around '77 (or was it earlier?) and that among your pre-Ramones subjects were Lydia Lunch and Kid Creole and the Coconuts. Were they good to work with? Any other early subjects/credits you'd care to mention?

I moved to NYC to apprentice myself to fashion photographers to gain training to be a portrait photographer, a la Yousef Karsch. I was invited to see the B52s at Max's Kansas City and fell in love with the band's music from the first two bars. They played "Planet Claire" the music of which was "The Peter Gunn Theme" from my childhood's exposure to that television show.

Funny enough, Lydia Lunch and Teenage Jesus and the Jerks was the opening act that night at Max's and I didn't care for them at all. I didn't understand what punk rock was at that time.

I asked the B's to come to the studio where I was an apprentice, for a photo shoot that I wanted to present to Andy Warhol's magazine "Interview". Unfortunately, Cindy Wilson had returned to Athens, GA, so Maureen the manager stood in for her in the photo. Interview published the photo and licensed it to a Japanese magazine called "Studio Voice".

The next time I got the B's to come to "my" studio, the band was complete and I printed 1000 16 x 20 B&W posters, gave half to the band and sniped some of the rest to advertise the band's upcoming gigs. The posters, however, were stolen as fast as I could tape them up (I didn't know about wheat paste). I started selling the posters for 52 cents each or two for a dollar.

Two years later, I was contacted by Tony Wright from Island Records and asked to show my collection of the band photos I had from concerts and in the photo studio. I didn't know that the band had already decided on one photo from the second studio shoot.

Tony asked me to sepia tone the B&W photo and the he cut film overlays to colorized their clothing.

Tony hated the group and used the pseudonym "Sue Absurd" as the art director's name.

2) You did a number of cool covers for the Ramones. Any one particular favorite?

Roberta Bayley's first cover photo was how they really were, Too Tough to Die is how the band saw themselves and Mondo Bizarro is how I saw them...

3) Quoted in the introduction, Daniel Rey called you "one of the few people allowed access to recording sessions, rehearsals, video and other 'insider' events" related to the Ramones. Any story not in your book you'd like to share?

Funny Daniel Rey mentions this. I once had a creative meeting for the cover of "Brain Drain". The band didn't want a photo this time, so we contacted Matt Mahurin and bought an image from a painting by him, the back cover was a video still from the video "Lobotomy". While I was at the recording studio, Bill Laswell was producing this LP and wouldn't allow anyone in the control room AT ALL. Not even the band.

I was "upstairs" in a lounge area shooting billiards with Monte Melnick, the tour manager and I looked through a window down into the large recording room and I saw someone playing bass that wasn't Dee Dee. I asked Monte who was that and he said it was "just Daniel Rey adding a bass track". About an hour later, I looked through the window and saw Daniel playing guitar. Again, I asked Monte what was going and he pulled down the window shade and said, "You've seen enough!"

Daniel Rey is a great musician, producer and guitarist. I studied guitar myself for years and always thought that Johnny could have been easily replaced in the group. Little did I know he was the leader and owned the name "Ramones".

A lot of musicians contributed to Ramones albums without credit. Joey's brother, Mickey Leigh was a classic example...

4) You write that you had the best personal relationship with Joey. Was he individually creative? Could he have had a rewarding solo career?

I saw Joey performing with other musicians several times. I thought that Joey always performed 50s and 60s rock'n'roll covers superbly. I often told him that he should just do a solo album of covers. He never got around to it, unfortunately.

5) I know different jobs require different equipment. Do you have a favorite camera? If so, what do you value about it, in terms of what you can do with it?

To me, the camera is a tool, I am not emotionally attached to any camera. I like to work in a square format with a Hasselblad, but no one is willing to pay film costs in these digital daze. Making a great photo is different than taking a great photo, you can take a photo with any camera, making a photo is the idea. Sometimes the cheapest cameras take the coolest shots.

6) What's Germany like? How long have been living there?

I am not living here for the weather. It wasn't a great career move. I have a beautiful German wife and two great little boys I am raising with American spirit.

I don't want to rag on Germans or any other Europeans, but I am not a socialist. The tax situation in Europe is really bad, up to 22% sales tax is some countries. The price of gasoline is absurd. I remind the Europeans that Americans started a war over taxes...anyone remember the Boston Tea Party?

7) In ending the text section, you write "They quit, I haven't." What're you doing, these days? (Still doing photo work?)

I am doing some of the best work of my career, Kukoo da Baggabonz's "Da Grustler" is one of my best ever covers. I have worked with the Traceelords on several packages and do shoots for hip hop and rock magazines. I am working on a series of books that tell the stories and show the outtakes from shoots I did throughout my career.

I have a lot of exhibits all around Europe and have a lot of photo sales in Norway.

8) Any new photographic styles/approaches you're trying, these days?

I only experiment when I have a job. Some of my best shots have been accidents. Throughout my career I have always adapted my approach, the location or environment, even the choice of film according to the needs of my subject. I don't do landscapes, baby or dog photos. Photography is not my hobby, it is my job.

9) Where should interested fans go to purchase your book?

At the present time, I have two books of my work that I have released. These two are part of the series, "I Speak Music". The first is "I Speak Music - Ramones" and the second is "I Speak Music - hip hop - Old School Volume One". There will be 5-6 hip hop books in chronological order, then there will be more rock books beginning with the jazz artists that I shot before I discovered new wave and the B-52s.

I print my books "on demand". The printer charges a small fortune for single books or runs of 100, so I have to ask for 30 bucks plus shipping per copy. You CAN buy the Ramones book on Amazon, but by the time I get my 10 bucks and the printer makes a markup and Amazon makes a markup, the book is over 50 bucks.

Buying directly from me is cheaper and I can sign the book to the buyer or a friend.
Contact me at boss@george-dubose.com, check my website at www.george-dubose.com.
I sell fine art prints from any of the images on my website or in my books. Thanks for reading this. Hey ho, let's go!!!

Easter Monkeys "Splendor of Sorrow"

2010-04-23T11:34:00.000-07:00

The scene was Cleveland. The era, early 80s. The sound, punk swagger (meaning against-skull guitars) with expansive ideations. Why not plunge into jagged environs of greater complexity than many contemporaries (retaining all the while the brash mien)? Throw in blues swipes. It worked then. It works now. 15 vintage cuts, plus accompanying club gig DVD.

RECOMMENDED "Underpants," "My Baby Digs Graves"

-- DC Larson

http://www.smogveil.com/

Bonedome "Thinktakubator" (Summer Break)

2010-04-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

Charged and deliriously ebullient lead-on "sandman" bursts in fully technicolor and cleverly collated spectacle. It rockets stratosphere-ward, only to shower/bombard reeling listeners with neon tonal sparks. Shards of felt hues jut from surrounding sod. Moods, paces, and inclinations whirl past like scattershot kaleidoscopic emissaries from plateaus uncharted yet universal. Progression with steely ambition, gold pot.

Recommended "Sandman, " "Steven"

-- DC Larson

http://www.bonedome.net/

http://www.myspace.com/bonedome

2010-04-22T11:48:00.001-07:00

2010-03-02T12:16:00.000-08:00

FOR THE RECORD: DD SPARKS
(Reprinted CD review, following interview)

WHAT'S THE COOLEST PLACE TO HANG OUT, IN IOWA?

The Coolest place to hang out in Iowa may not come across as cool to other people, but to me cool is wherever I feel most ceneterd and at home. Chic is a state of mind....that said...the Greenbelt trail in Clive Iowa is where I go to walk for miles and miles all by myself to work outthings both creativly and personally and be close to nature during the barable seasons. I can don a big pair of sunglasses and go all Greta Garbo when I "Vant To Be Alone".

NAME YOUR FAVORITE (SO FAR) PLACE YOU'VE PERFORMED.

My favorite place to perform to date has been The Knitting Factory in NYC. I had the amazing honor to meet downtown legends as Deborah Harry and Joey Arias. The crowd was receptive. The venue was electic in energy, and the steep stairs leading to the stage...treturous in platform boots.

FAVORITE DRINK?

My favorite drink is easily Pantela "De Luxe Cigar Blend" Gautier. This is an Imported Cognac and, of course, impossible to find. So if anyone is thinking of gift ideas for me.....

WHAT LAW WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO SEE ENACTED?

Law I'd like to see enacted...I'd have to think about. I'd probably have to say stronger punishment for abuse to animals. I was really saddened by a judge in a recent case in Sioux City Iowa in which a man beat a puppy to death, and in sentencing the man to only 30 days in jail, the judge was actually quoted as saying, "we must remember this wasn't a human being." I was horrified by his lack of vision and scope when in regard to suffering and murder.

OTHER IOWA BANDS YOU'D RECOMMEND?

Other bands that I would recommend...truth be told I'm not all that hip to a lot of the other bands around here but I'd have to say that Strick9 has been pretty entertaining when I've seen them. Great hooks and clever lyrics.

WHAT'S YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE (IN TEN WORDS OR LESS)?

My philosophy for life is still developing, thankfully. How's this?...Always be the star of your own life, never a supporting player.

http://www.ddsparks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ddsparks

DD Sparks
"Maximus Aquarius"(Magic Cabinet Records)
reviewed byDC Larson

(That DD Sparks, creator of the "Maximus Aquarius" character, is my brother in no way moves my critical hand.)

Craft is the thoughtful choreographer of creative impulse. Lacking it, one has only unfocused spark, unproductive energy.But braced by craft's intuitive calculatings, virginal musings assume perspective.

On each action strasse here located, one upturns treasures alurk: Shadow-draped glacial movements, fizzy percolations, spectral intonations -- each distinct shard locks into unseamed correspondence.

(And while head may be above-clouds, feet are maintained to terra firma by trenchant six-string coloration and reassuringly familiar sax testimonies.)

About, one spots splinters of Roxy Music, T Rex, and ELO. But only splinters. Influences are subservient to Aquarius's own striking demeanor.

At once darkly sagacious and wit-flecked, the observational time-trifler character -- a technicolor pastiche of Victorian elan and fantastic consciousness -- imprints the whole with uncanny lilt and commanding presence.

Craft revels in its peculiar reward.

RECOMMENDED "Cutting In the Blue," "Beloved Nemesis," "trick of the light," "dangerous angels"

end

2010-03-02T11:12:00.000-08:00

VERA RAMONE KING INTERVIEW
-Author, "Poisoned Heart: I Married Dee Dee Ramone" (Phoenix Books)

Vera was married to Dee Dee throughout the punk legend's years with the Ramones. Their union ended only a couple of weeks before he left the group.

His imimitable songcraft -- uber-catchy pop hooks-as-urban angst/cartoonishly mannered yet touchingly poetic lyrical narratives -- contributed to the group's sonic/attitudinal definition and helped ensure its enduring legacy.

A few years ago, they were inducted into the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame. One today hears Ramones guitars in everything from contemporary punk combos to (as Vera herself points out) TV commercials.

After years of silence*, Vera now tells the story of those golden years. And while it's always interesting (for different reasons), it's sometimes more than a bit depressing. Recounted in sorrowful detail are Dee Dee's addiction-related travails -- which twisted both his personal and professional lives -- and occasionally abusive tendencies.

* In their introduction to Vera's book, former Talking Heads Chris Stein and Tina Weymouth (NYC friends and colleagues of Dee Dee and Vera) note that one legal requirement of Dee Dee and Vera's divorce was that he not speak publicly about her; that explains her total absence from his own book, "Poison Heart."

http://www.veraramoneking.com/

Recently, Vera spoke to Damnation Dance Party.

DDP: You write that Dee Dee "totally freaked out," when served with your divorce papers, and
that you feared he might stalk/attack you. I just read new statistics showing domestic
abuse up, with women being the primary victims and attempts to leave abusive
situations the leading cause.

Even given that potential danger, would you recommend women so victimized remove
themselves from the situation? (I don't mean to make you responsible for anyone's
circumstance, just interested in your informed insight.)

VERA: Everyone's situation is different and people have to make their own choices. In my case there were no children involved and it was much easier for me to remove myself if I believed I was in any danger. For others it's not so cut and dry to make that decision. I only did what I thought was the best for myself under the conditions I was living in.

DDP: You mention Dee Dee kept journals (at least for a time). Do you know if these (and/or
unused lyrics) still exist?

VERA: Actually, yes I still own a diary that he kept while he was on the road with Ramones that details what he did and what went on that particular tour. I believe it to be the ONLY one if it's kind in existance today.

DDP: Do you still have many friends from your days in the scene? Any you'd like to name?

VERA: I still have many good friends that I've kept in touch with over the couse of the years. Mickey Leigh (Joey Ramone's brother) and his wife Lene, Marky and Marian Ramone are also very close friends and Ritchie Ramone and his wife Annette Stark have also stayed close. Joey's girlfriend of many years has remained one of my best friends for the last twenty five years. Then of course there is Monte Melnick , their longtime road manager. I owe my life to that man!! There are others but too many to mention at this time.

DDP: In their intro to your book, Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth note that Dee Dee asked to
rejoin the Ramones, after having quit in '89. I'd never read that, before. Comment?
(Several things might have turned out differently -- not necessarily better, but different.)

VERA: Dee Dee quit the band 2 weeks after we split up. I told him that it was a BIG mistake at the time but he was no longer on his medications and there was no reasoning with him or logic to what he was doing.

He did after a six months or so ask to rejoin the band but CJ Ramone had already taken his place by then and he was a lot less trouble to deal with; they didn't want Dee Dee back without me because he was completely uncontrollable at that time. Too hard to deal with and his erratic behaviour became something no one wanted to deal with anymore.

DDP: In Dee Dee's own book, he claims to have left when End of the Century was going to be
recorded, and to not know who ultimately played bass on that record. Your book
recounts him recording on it. Did he only play on some of it?

VERA: Dee Dee played on EVERY album until his departure in 1989, despite what you may have read or heard. He may have threatened to leave , but NEVER did! Besides, he wrote most of the songs on the albums and he even sang a lot of them towards the end.

DDP: Did he play on all other Ramones studio LPs?

VERA: Absolutely, positively!!! It was ALL Dee Dee playing!

DDP: From your account of the Ramones (and from others, including Dee Dee's), there
certainly seemed to be great storm and stress between the members. Did they
basically like each other? Why did they remain a band for as long as they did?

VERA: As with many bands, when you stay on the road together for So long at a time , it is only natural that it becomes a ground for hostility. There were also ego clashes and some differences of opinions regarding music and other things. However, at the end of the day they would always get up on that stage and play to their many fans. They NEVER wanted to let their fans down! After So many years together it was more than "just a band".

It became their business and their livelihood. It was WHAT they did! Plain and simple.

end

2010-02-24T11:17:00.000-08:00

For The Record

2010-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

THE AFTERDARKS

"The Afterdarks represent something that's gone from America -- an unwavering, unapologetic oath to self that a certain level of brutality thrives inside all of us and if it's forced to linger for too long, you're gonna get some kick ass rock'n'roll."
- Brian Krans, Rock Town Press/author, A Constant Suicide

PERSONNEL: Papa D - upright/electric bass, vocals
Dr. Nasty - guitar, vocals
Smokehaus - drums

BIO: Illinois/Iowa-based punkabilly outfit began in 2003. Has produced 4 EPs, 3 full-length
CDs.

LATEST RECORDING: "Blood Sweat & Gears" (self) 2009

WEBSITE: http://theafterdarks.com/

What's the coolest place to hang out, in the Quad Cities?

"We really like Rascal's Rock Memorabilia Club when we want to relax. Ken, the owner, runs a great sound, and is a former musician himself. RIBCO also stands high with Al Dimeo on sound."

Where's your favorite place to play? (Same as answer to Question #1?) Favorite recording studio?

"Same as #1. We record in our own studio to do the rough mix. Papa Darkness also has recorded other bands as well in the studio."

Favorite fast food? Favorite beer/drink?

"Nachos -- PBR -- hands down!"

Law you'd most like to see overturned?

"We are not really politically motivated, however child abuse tops our list. Strengthening and enforcing existing laws is great for us."

Law you'd like to see enacted?

"PBR must be the drink of choice at every dinner."

Other IL/IA bands you'd recommend?

"The One Night Standards, The Surf Zombies, Sarah Cram and the Derelicts, ZED, and a great bunch of kids in Marmaduke who do Led Zeppelin the way it should be done!"

Philosophy of life in 10 words or less?

"Performing is not a joke! It is an expression of self!"

Review: The Burning Hotels "Novel"

2010-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

by
DC Larson

It's not even necessary to enjoy all 11 tracks here to understand that the Burning Hotels' great accomplishment -- indeed, the quality that most persuasively touts them -- is the creation of consistently engaging pop melodizing that grabs up listeners and throttles them into bliss: jangling guitars, harmonies that endear, infectious constructions, and indefatigably shiny movement. Blindingly vivid, giddily animated. One appreciates participating.

(PS. Thanks to Kaytea xo for the tip!)

2009-11-02T11:42:00.000-08:00

Viva (Cult Epics 2008)
a film by Anna Biller

WINKING CAUTIONARY TALE
byDC Larson

To experience delightful sexploitation comedy Viva is to be immersed in arch-stylized 1970s cuts and colors. Indeed, all involved are enthusiastically aboard the technicolored retro train: loud, gaudy ensembles, feathered, fluffed, and lovingly laquered tresses, calculatedly cardboardish (and always effective) acting, the moment's pop culture-choreographed, hipness-ho posturing.

Panache radiates in neon.

Important to Viva's sensory effect as syle is, though, the saucy narrative scores its substantial points through clever plot-craft. Anna Biller as forsaken and frustrated "Barbie" dips a bared toe into the Sexual Revolution, only to be swirled away into its swinging maelstrom of drugs, modeling, delicious licentiousness, and hidden personal costs.

With impressive flair, Anna sported multiple hats in the construction. Writer, director, set and costume designer, starring actor. (She also composes, choreographs, and edits.)

During a post-screening interview, Anna was asked why she had decided to make the fim."I wanted to do a realistic story about a woman who's a scapegoat of the sexual revolution," she responded. "[Someone] who endures everything in the name of being liberated. She's just going with the flow, and it's such a dangerous and demonic world of predators out there, and she's completely unprotected. I thought it was very funny and also a very real kind of story."

Anna claims a BA in art from UCLA and an MFA in art and film from CalArts. While the impressive Viva is her first feature, audiences already know her from several short films and stage musicals; both have been shown at international festivals and art spaces.

Awards Anna has received for Viva include Best Style in a film at the Moscow Film Festival (Vogue magazine), and Best Director, Atlanta Underground Film Festival.(Viva's more than 30 other festival selections include the B Movie, Trash, and Underground Film Festival, the London Lesbian and Gay Film Festival, the Transylvania International Fim Festival, and the San Antonio Underground Film Festival.)

Like the mini-skirted era Anna affectionately sculpts, Viva looks stunning while flirting with fleshly perils.

http://www.lifeofastar.com/viva.html
http://www.cultepics.com

VELVETEEN VISIONS: DD Sparks "Maximus Aquarius" review

2009-10-07T11:37:00.000-07:00

DD Sparks
"Maximus Aquarius"
(Magic Cabinet Records)

reviewed by
DC Larson

(That DD Sparks, creator of the "Maximus Aquarius" character, is my brother in no way impacts the below judgements.)

Craft is the thoughtful choreographer of creative impulse. Lacking it, one has only unfocused spark, unproductive energy.

But braced by craft's intuitive calculatings, virginal musings assume perspective.

On each action strasse here located, one upturns treasures alurk: Shadow-draped glacial movements, fizzy percolations, spectral intonations -- each distinct shard locks into unseamed correspondence. (And while head may be above-clouds, feet are maintained to terra firma by trenchant six-string coloration and reassuringly familiar sax testimonies.)

About, one spots splinters of Roxy Music, T Rex, and ELO. But only splinters. Influences are subservient to Aquarius's own striking demeanor. At once darkly sagacious and wit-flecked, the observational time-trifler character -- a technicolor pastiche of Victorian elan and fantastic consciousness -- imprints the whole with uncanny lilt and commanding presence.

Craft revels in its peculiar reward.

RECOMMENDED "Cutting In the Blue," "Beloved Nemesis," "trick of the light," "dangerous angels"

http://www.ddsparks.com/
http://www.myspace.com/ddsparks
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dd-sparks/276113375360?v=info

Review: UNKNOWN INSTRUCTORS

2009-06-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

Unknown Instructors
Funland (Smog Veil)

This neither respects industry-proffered strictures nor reflects appropriate sympathies.

Good.

Ambitiousness of this scope is not found on top marketing charts. Too "self-indulgent," says
Suit One. Too "experimental," agrees Suit Two.

Besides, holds the A&R chorus, tilted atonality that kicks aside standard maps and mass-accessibility formulas to dance on uncharted soils has never known numerically significant embrace.

Of course, self-indulgence is not necessarily a negative. Of what benefit to anyone is the stifled imagination?

Contributors Mike Watt, George Hurley, Joe Baiza, Dan McGuire, Raymond Pettibon, and David Thomas follow without inhibiting commercial heed the muse's seductive siren into leisurely and notion-laden episodes.

Only through bold experimentation can unlikely concepts be unwrapped and assembled. Experiments do not always succeed, but they sometimes do -- with occasionally startling appropriateness.

One at once respects the daring and is impressed by the realizations. High-minded intentions that might otherwise fall are well-raised by agile interpretation. Musicians assembled for this work are of a lofty caliber; their expressions animate creative ideation, giving it practical form.

It is true that no compositions present lend themselves to ringtone-excerpting. Just as it also is so -- and with Funland, again asserted -- that such is not art's purpose.

Recommended Maji Yabai, Later That Night, Frownland, C'mon, No Chirping.

- DC Larson

They're writing those Depression songs, again

2009-03-05T07:36:00.000-08:00

by
DC Larson

As credentialed experts strive to gauge national economic condition, they should cast beyond standard criteria like GNP and Wall Street permutations to appreciate popular music's public mood mirroring. They would do well to begin with Viper of Melody (Bloodshot), by Wayne 'The Train' Hancock.

Wayne is widely-regarded as perhaps today's pre-eminent purveyor of the bold and bouncy, steel-guitared, upright bassed-Western Swing popularized in the '40s and '50s by Bob Wills and Speedy West, the sort animated and charged by country-jazz guitar legend Jimmy Bryant.

With dependably solid accompanists Anthony Locke, Huckleberry Johnson, and six-string wizard Izak Zaidman, the leathery-voiced Hancock imbues the in turns jumping and swaying proceedings with a magnetic, Everyman tenor.

But of the disc's 13 winning tracks, it is the sorrowful "Working At Working" that most resonates and best articulates fast-emerging national hardships and despairs.

"Well, the rich folks call it 'recession,' but the poor folks call it 'Depression' / Everybody's hittin' the street, with the low-down blues" chronicles the song's protagonist. "I wonder if the President knows how I feel / I've stood in every soup line around."

That sentiment has been sung across America, before.

"They used to tell me I was building a dream, with peace and glory ahead / Why should I be standing in line, just waiting for bread?" asked lyricist Yip Harburg, in 1931's "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"

Harburg wrote "Brother" together with Russian-born American composer Jay Gorman. And while its mournful,
minor-key melody was reportedly based on a traditional Russian lullaby, the blue travail of which it told was very much of that ongoing catastrophic moment.

"When Bing [Crosby] recorded this song in October, 1932," chronicles a San Francisco State University text, "one out of every four Americans who wanted work could not find work. The banking system was near collapse."

In "Working At Working," Hancock portrays our own, unsettlingly similar contemporary calamity:

"Well, it's gettin' awful hard, to keep livin' this way, stayin' on the edge from day to day / And, if I don't find somethin' soon, I'll be highway bound."

It is fitting, both musically and spiritually, that Wayne ends "Working At Working" with a blue yodel, ala the Great Depression's 'Singing Brakeman' Jimmy Rodgers.

Yip Harburg, Jimmy Rodgers, Wayne Hancock -- the appropriateness of their fraternity is at once wonderful and terrible.

END

(DC Larson, of Iowa, is CD Review Editor for Rockabilly Magazine. Among his freelance credits are Goldmine, Blue Suede News, No Depression, and Rock & Rap Confidential.)

2009-03-05T07:01:00.001-08:00

2009-03-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Richie Booker, Randevyn CD reviews

2009-01-17T06:10:00.000-08:00

Richie Booker
"Shine The Light" (SKD/Synkronized)

A less creative and adventurous artist boasting Richie's familial link to reggae legend Bob Marley might well be inclined to simply recycle the stylings of his famed brother, hoping for similar reward. But Richie's provocative and inspirational "alternative reggae" is of individually topical character, layering its technicolor, textured world party with rock and pop diversity, and intriguing studio effects. New reggae for the new age.

FROM DANCEHALLAREAZ.COM: "In addition to singing and acting (Palmetto, with Woody Harrelson), Booker produces the annual Bob Marley Caribbean Festival, where for the past 15 years, he and his family have brought together talented musicians as a fundraiser to help feed and shelter the homeless."

Recommended Tracks "Wow," "U Ain't From Around Here," "Station Revelation," "Deja Vu"

http://www.bobmarleymovement.com/
http://www.myspace.com/richiebookermarley

Randevyn
"The Randevyn Project" (Earthtone Music Group)

"I aspire to utilize my art to create positive, thought-provoking music that inspires and strengthens humanity," Randevyn says. Such life-affirming ambition abounds not only in the meaningful narratives ("This is my country," he declares in "Jena Tree." "I got a right to be here."), but no less so through equally moving, sophisticated music that often cherishes lush keyboards at its center.

And when he asks, rhetorically, "What if there are really no walls, at all?" you appreciate the wonderful ramifications -- and second that emotion.

Recommended Tracks "Jena Tree," "American Drum," "Dear Diary," "(The Dash In Between)"

http://www.randevyn.com/
http://www.myspace.com/randevyn

To Smear a King

2008-12-31T13:43:00.001-08:00

To Smear a King:
Crossing swords with the power of myth
by DC Larson

It has become something of a tradition, albeit a regrettable one. As the August anniversary of Elvis Presley's 1977 death approaches, self-righteous hectors villify him as "racist."

It is a false claim, though for some one not requiring that examinable evidence ever be produced. But putting one's hands on contrary testimony is easily done.

The myth-debunking website Snopes.com (on its "Urban Legends Reference Page") details the origin of the counterfeit claim. The site cites Michael T. Bertrand's book "Race, Rock, and Elvis."

Bertrand had found that the April 1957 issue of the white-owned Sepia magazine contained the article, "How Negroes Feel About Elvis." The piece noted that, "colored opinion about the hydromatically-hipped hillbilly from Mississippi runs the gamut from caustic condemnation to ardent admiration." It offered views allegedly collected from both celebrities and "people in the street."

Snopes writes, "Presumably from the 'people in the street' came the infamous and uncredited quotation, "The only thing Negroes can do for me is shine my shoes and buy my records."

Sepia sought input from African-American Minister Milton Perry. "I feel," Perry told the magazine, "that an overwhelming majority of people who know him speak of this boy who practices humility and a love for racial harmony. I learned that he is not too proud or important to speak to anyone and to spend time with his fans of whatever color, wherever and whenever they approach him."

It was not long, though, before the anonymous, 'people in the street' comment was being falsely attributed to the singer, himself. Again, Snopes. "The rumor grew and spread throughout 1957. It mattered not that the story came cloaked in impossible details, such as Elvis supposedly making the statement in Boston (a city he had never visited) or on Edward R. Murrow's Person To Person television program (on which Elvis never appeared)."

Unable to source the rumored comment, the website records, Jet magazine sent reporter Louie Robinson to interview Presley on the "Jailhouse Rock" set. ("The 'Pelvis' Gives His Views On Vicious anti-Negro slur" Jet, August 1, 1957)

"I never said anything like that," Presley told Robinson. "And people who know me know I wouldn't have said that."

A number of fellow musicians, whites and blacks, came to Presley's defense at the time. Notable among them was R&B singer Darlene Love, who had backed Presley with vocal group the Blossoms. "I would never think that Elvis Presley was a racist," Love was later quoted as saying in a 2002 article. "He was born in the South, and he probably grew up with that, but that doesn't mean he stayed that way." ("False Rumor Taints Elvis," Cox News Service, August 16, 2002)

(Other contradictory direct evidence exists on Charly Records's 2006 "The Million Dollar Quartet, 50th Anniversary Special Edition." In 1956, Sun Records alum Elvis joined Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis and Johnny Cash at the Memphis studio for an impromptu session. Prior to a loose, collective retelling of his then-chart hit, "Don't Be Cruel," Elvis related seeing Billy Ward and the Dominoes's recent cover performance of it. "Much better than that record of mine," Presley concedes. He describes Ward's onstage energy: "He was hittin' it, boy!" Jerry Lee responds, "Oh man, that's classic!" Performers naturally admiring a fellow performer; not a hint of color consciousness to be found.)

Myths, though, are of a seductive quality -- often for cultural reasons other than themselves. This popular legend-based anti-Elvis sentiment persists, with recent illustrations including Public Enemy's "Fight The Power" (1989) and Living Colour's "Elvis Is Dead" (1990).

(To his credit, Public Enemy's Chuck D. later expressed a more complex and nuanced opinion. He told a reporter, "As a musicologist -- and I consider myself one -- there was always a great deal of respect for Elvis, especially during his Sun sessions. As black people, we all knew that...My whole thing was the one-sidedness -- like, Elvis's status in America made it seem like nobody else counted. My heroes came before him. My heroes were probably his heroes..."Chuck D. Speaks on Elvis's Legacy," Associated Press, 8/12/02.)

As noted in an 8/11/07 New York Times op-ed ("How did Elvis get turned into a racist? ") by author Peter Guralnick, singer Mary J. Blige also cited the scurrilous myth as if it were at all based in fact.

Of course rock'n'roll existed prior to Presley's 1954 recording debut at Sun Records in Memphis. It was in some cases electrifying and wondrous in ways known only to audiences and subsequent vinyl collectors.

But the national stage appearance of Crown Electric Co. truck driver Elvis marked -- not an example of white culture appropriating something blacks had already developed but for which they were denied credit -- but the emergence of the hitherto-unrepresented working class into popular culture visibility.

In early years, Elvis did perform for segregated audiences in the pre-Civil Rights-era South. But for critics highlighting that to be fair, they need to note that segregation of public facilities was then a matter of civil law and not of performers's choosing.

Some might hold that, that being the case, performers had a moral duty to refrain entirely from public performance. But that would have made performing impossible for all musicians, black as well as white. And for many, it's as much a calling as a profession.

A Memphis, Tennessee contemporary of Presley's, Paul Burlison first earned renown as lead guitarist for Johnny Burnette and the Rock'n'Roll Trio. I interviewed him for a 2000 Goldmine article. He shared something of what the situation was like for working musicians in that time and place.

Paul was in a country band in 1951, when he caught the attention of blues man Howlin' Wolf. He began backing Wolf on the latter's radio program, though due to racial codes, Burlison's name could not be cited in group introductions.

"The reason I didn't play in the clubs with him was because of the racial thing back then," Paul told me. He recalled having to enter black clubs through back doors and said of Wolf, "It was the same with him if he came up to where we were playing. We would have liked to have [played clubs together], of course. It just wasn't permitted in those days. Not in Memphis, anyhow."

(Before his death in 2003, Paul's credits included not only rockabilly genre pioneering giants the Rock'n'Roll Trio, but international solo work and a 1990s showcase at the Smithsonian Institution.)

The "Elvis was racist" article-of-faith mantra is an offshoot of the larger fiction holding against evidence that rock'n'roll is exclusively black in origin. But Tennessee rockabilly guitar man Carl Perkins did not sound like venerated shouter Big Joe Turner, nor did the frantic storms of Jerry Lee Lewis recall the risible and urbane stylings of Fats Waller -- though all helped develop the music.

In his invaluable volume, "Unsung Heroes of Rock'n'Roll," veteran music writer Nick Tosches noted that the burgeoning sound which spread across 1950s America began in regional pockets and was of mixed parentage.

"Rock'n'roll was not created solely by blacks or whites," wrote Tosches. Earlier, after dispatching mono-racial rock'n'roll creation arguments, the author observed, "One could make just as strong a case for Jews being the central ethnic group in rock'n'roll's early history; for it was they who produced many of the best songs, cultivated much of the greatest talent, and operated the majority of the pioneering record companies."

Difficult as it would be to construct an exhaustive review of early rock'n'roll without citing Doc Pomus, Mort Schuman, Les Bihari, or Sid Nathan, it is telling that many of today's race-as-creative-qualification theorists might not even be able to identify those men, significant to the style's germination though they were.

Rock'n'roll was more than just music, it acted as a socially-unifying wing of the growing civil rights movement, uniting people on the dance floor just as others would come together in polling places. (Not to paint an overly-rosy portrait. It was not the entire solution. But it did help immeasurably to spur the phenomenon.)

It is flatly anti-creative to argue as some do that an individual or community can "steal" art from another, and that instances of blended creation be discouraged and reviled. That's how art is created. One artist inspires another, an idea is raised up, turned around, and new art is born.

Concepts like ownership, territoriality and separatism are wholly foreign to the phenomenon. (Which is not to argue that these invalid notions are still not useful for some; indeed, Mos Def founds the narrative of his 2002 "Rock and Roll" upon that very sand.)

Too, this involves a fundamental issue, that of reason versus emotion. There is evidence -- which merits intellectual regard and can convert the unsympathetic -- and there is self-righteously uncritical passion. It is the latter that animates the "Elvis was racist" lie.

That untruth is comfortable within a cultural posture that pronounces it acceptable and proper for genuine histories of oppression and appropriation to be universally assigned so as to include any specific instance or individual the speaker might select.

It is a model in which an argument's merit turns not on soundness, on actual provability, but merely on the identity and cause of the arguer; in which unfounded partisan sentiment assumes all the legitimacy of objective fact and demands respect as such.

There is a long and reprehensible history of struggling artists being denied rightful due. And both black and white musicians were so victimized, indicating that the matter is one perhaps more of business predation and of class than racial prejudice.

Critics are correct to point out that elements of white-dominated mass popular culture have at times assumed and reinvented black culture-born idioms, while paying neither due acknowledgment nor recompense. Deserving artists went unnoticed -- and that was criminal.

But such critics expose themselves as intellectually illegitimate and unethical when they seek to superimpose that tragic broad reality upon every specific target that might be tactically magnetic, without benefit of evidence. (And yes, it is ironic that while Presley's 1950's white racist detractors despised his music's multi-racial sensibility, many of his contemporary ones castigate him for the identical reason.)

Elvis was one of many talented men and women whose music helped American popular culture become representative of all the country's people. To ignore that today and instead proffer slanderous myths is an affront not only to his contributions and the prize of racial unity but to the intellectual ideals of honesty and reason.

END

(A shorter and substantially different version of this piece ran in Counterpunch, in 2007.)

CD Reviews Oct 2008

2008-12-31T13:37:00.001-08:00

October CD Reviews (copyright 2008, DC Larson)

Bloodshot Bill
"All Messed Up" (Hog Maw)

Everlastingly shined and good-timing, pomaded hants bounce off the tumble-down, paint-peeled walls of a possessed honky tonk. Sandpaper-throated one-wild-man band Bill beats Hell out of his acoustic and urges all to depths of scandalous delirium as hillbilly trash'n'roll busts against steamy night air.

Recommended Tracks "Ice Cream," "Here I Am, Drunk Again"

http://www.bloodshotbill.com

hogmawrecords@yahoo.fr

V/A
"Revenge of the Hot Rod Zombies" (Boss Beat Records)

Psychobilly is too combustible and urgent to have ever risen from a masses-mindful industry's drawing board. (Try selling designer perfume to a rampaging zombie darkside tale.) And if it never is appreciated by everyone, so what?

Recommended Tracks "Teddy Boy Stomp" (The Chop Tops ), "Evil Never Dies" (Black Rose Phantoms )

http://www.thechoptops.com
http://www.theblackrosephantoms.com
http://www.bossbeatrecords.com

Dive Bar Stalkers
"Rock the House" (self)

What some might term "70s hard rock" -- vigorous arena dynamics and bluesy decisiveness getting down as one -- has actually never gone out of fashion in blue collar America. As long as people need to party, boogie ain't goin' nowhere.

Recommended Tracks "You Got What It Takes To Make Me Go," "Hit It On the Highway"

http://www.thedivebarstalkers.com

Old Bull
"Manifesto" (Big Blender)

The rich, warm sound is of an emotional/cultural clime unsullied by artificial corporatism - hell, it throws down a challenge to it. Real people and their lives count. Banjo, mandolin, guitars, accordian, piano, string bass and drums unite as a floor from which harmonies and humanities rise.

Recommended Tracks "Monsanto," "Dead In Your Grave"

http://www.oldbull.net

Kick 'Em Jenny
"Untamed!" (Blue Lake)

Runaway European neo-rockabilly that cleaves to scruffy US lineage. Pushed centerward by frantic cohorts, Jenny epitomizes the raunchy and hip-shaking lipsticked rocker, singing down storms and battering her acoustic with ecstatic fervor.

Recommended Tracks "Take Me Down," "Maybe You Don't Care"

http://www.myspace.com/kickem
http://www.bluelake.ch

God's Revolver
"little black horse where are you going with your dead rider?" (Exigent)

Unholy communion of metal, psycho and gothic western (with haunting prairie flute cameo). It gallops, crashes, and kicks down barn walls, ending up in a desert of rage. Daubs arresting tableaus of existential storm.

Recommended Tracks "Scratch Dealt Me a Dirty Hand," "Preacher's Flask"

http://www.myspace.com/godsrevolver
http://www.exigentrecords.com

AL HENDRIX "Monkey Bite 2007"/"Never Stop Rockin'" (Rush Publishing) Austere, magnetic styling continues the rock'n'roll hop Al began in 1957. Producer/co-writer/multi -instrumentalist Jimmy Accardi proves a fitting accomplice...HOWITZER "Turncoat" + 3 (Hazard Hill Records) Anthemic hardcore/oi punk more relevant to 2008 proletariats than anything the industry's tarted up poseurs could or would ever muster. "My brother died fightin' this bullshit war."

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/alhendrix
http://www.myspace.com/howitzercore

end

CD Reviews Oct 2008

2008-12-31T13:36:00.001-08:00

October 2008 CD reviews (copyright 2008, DC Larson)

Miko Marks
"It Feels Good"
(Mirrome Records)

If calculated disingenuousness is the current Giant of contemporary, corporate radio-tailored country (Toby Keith radiates all the sincerity of Dick Cheney), constitutionally authentic Giant Killer Miko is much needed -- and appreciated. Distinctions paid to the silk-and-suede voice from New Music Weekly to Ebony to the Independent Music Awards (which pronounced her debut "Freeway Bound" 2007's Country Album of the Year) to Country Weekly have been no more than her earned due. First-chair accompanists shine, their executive labors enabling at-turns carbonated and aching articulations to roam and flower. What honest country music sounds like.

Recommended Tracks "Double Dog Cheater," "Locked and Loaded"

http://www.mikomarks.com/
http://www.mirrome.com/

Jackson United
"Harmony and Dissidence"(AcetateRecords/MVD Audio)

Up-volume punk anthems that grab, laced with politically conscious agitprop. Charged with the insistent exuberance of purpose. Yes, Clash imprints lurk. So do others. Promo lit reaches back to Stiff Little Fingers, but a fresher compatible is Australia's Living End. Foo Fighter Chris Shifflet is abetted by steady mates Scott Shifflet (Face To Face) and Doug Sangalang, with cameos by Foo Fighters Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins. (New drummer Mighty Mighty Bosstones expatriate Joe Kid joined subsequent to recording.) Tour with Flogging Molly looms.

Recommended Tracks "21st Century Fight Song," "The Land Without Law"

http://www/jacksonunited.com
http://www.myspace.com/jacksonunited
http://www.acetate.com/
http://www.mvdb2b.com/

प्ले CD Review

2008-12-31T13:34:00.001-08:00

Play CD review by
DC Larson

Play
"s/t" (drb)

Discs like this recall rock'n'roll's purest promise, and
why we first fell for the outrageous music. From defiance
rises optimism. It showers listeners with exuberant lilts,
cascading choruses, rainbow-streaming voices, and stunning
six-string pyrotechnics. Play cites the Who, Cheap Trick,
and the Velvets. And if they're not in that league, they're on
familiar track. Bonus points for inviting Glockenspiel into the
glorious madness.

Recommended Tracks "Entropy," "Window"

playpdx.com
myspace.com/playbandpdx

Paul Zone interview 2008

2008-12-31T13:32:00.000-08:00

Paul Zone's underground
by
DC Larson

I owe Paul Zone a major apology. About 2 weeks ago, I arranged an interview with the singer/photographer. And he kept up his end of things, calling me and speaking for several minutes about his career and recent activities.

But before I could assemble it all into a time-sensitive blog entry, life got in the way (a new job, various other responsibilities). So, I am late in posting this. Better late than never, I can only hope...

I spoke with Paul by phone on a late July evening. His adopted city of L.A. had earlier suffered a 6.0 earthquake. "Right where we're going to move," the soft-spoken Zone laughed.

We compared weather stories. He'd heard news accounts of the flooding that had recently plagued my state of Iowa. It's tough all over.

He shared with me information about his now-underway photography showing at L.A.'s drkrm gallery. "Paul Zone - The New York Underground Scene 1972-1977" will run there until August 31. "It really focuses on the dark, uninspired days between Glam and Punk," he said.

Of Zone and his gallery showing, blog Art Star Press noted, "Back in the day, Paul Zone documented New York life, catching all sorts of superstars from Dee Dee Ramone to Debbie Harry, Divine, Iggy Pop, and the New York Dolls. Working as a photographer for Warhol’s Interview mag, Circus, and Rock Scene, Zone has managed to catalogue some superb scenes form the seventies."

In the 1970s and 80s, Paul was the lead voice for New York's Fast. That rock'n'roll street gang also boasted his brother guitarist/songwriter Miki (who'd co-founded Fast with singing and synthesizer-playing brother Armand).

They defied catagorization, spanning the Glam and Punk eras and interpreting both in their own inimitable way.

In the early 80s, Fast released two (now scarce) LPs, "The Fast For Sale" (Recca '80) and "Leather Boys From the Asphalt Jungle" (Recca '81). Both document Fast's amphetemine way with a fetching pop hook and Miki's tunecraft mastery and storming six-string prowess. Sadly, Miki never received the acclaim due him for those talents.

Songs to investigate include "Kids Just Wanna Dance," "Coney Island Chaos" and "It's Like Love" from the first, and "Jaguar In the Jungle," "Ride On the Wild Side" and "Ritual Sacrifice" from the second. (See videos of "Kids Just Wanna Dance" and "It's Like Love," as well as other Fast footage, on YouTube.)

Unfortunately, Fast's NYC fame never translated to big picture success. But vinyl collectors and scholars of those days know the Zone brothers's significance. (And it's an importance that endures, too. Listening today to vintage Fast recordings, one is at once struck by the material's rocketing soundness and knowledge that no contemporary band could -- or should even attempt to -- impressively cover it.)

Following their undersung triumphs as Fast, Paul and Miki relocated to Europe, finding new and heightened renown as dance club sensation Man 2 Man. (See "Hottest of the Hot" clip at youtube address, below.)

In 2008, Paul (now sadly, the lone survivor of the three Zone brothers) is recalling his singular pre-Fast efforts. He was on the NYC scene, snapping photos of celebs-to-be like the Ramones and Blondie, before the world had caught on to them.

According to its website (http://www.drkrmgallery.com/), the "drkrm gallery is an exhibition space dedicated to fine art and documentary photography, cutting edge and alternative photographic processes and the display and survey of popular cultural images." All Drkrm gallery events are free and open to the public. Prints of Paul's unique candid shots are available as posters, and prices are listed at the drkrm site.

He mentioned that the L.A. showing's opening attracted between 400 and 500 people, including the celebrities who have for decades been part of his scene.

He plans additional nationwide showings following the L.A. debut. And his photography can now also be viewed on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlq4WtgG1fe.
("Paul Zone - The New York Underground Scene 1972-1977 @ drkrm.")

"I am in the process of doing a couple of book deals," he said, adding that he plans to continue with public showings before committing with a publisher.

During those pre-Fast years, besides attending countless shows and concerts with his camera ever at the ready (Paul saw Bowie debut his Ziggy Stardust character in a NY showcase concert), he also worked as photographer for journalist Lance Loud and assisted numerous NY bands as hairdresser and stylist.

He relates that Fast mini classics are today available on ITUNES, adding, "I think it's about time to get a new CD release" of the band's singular material. CDBaby.com lists a Fast "Best of" that includes numerous non-LP tracks. But that reissue collection is old, and may be hard to locate.

So, reason exists for a new Fast compilation. And interest in the 1970s NYC scene is evident not only in the attendance seen at Paul's drkrm showing, but on the big screen, too. He says that Lion's Gate Films is doing a documentary on legendary NYC rock'n'roll club/subculture haunt Max's Kansas City. "They've interviewed a lot of people for it," he says.

Including, of course, himself.

.

*** ONLINE***:

"Paul Zone -- The New York Underground Scene 1972-1977 @ Drkrm"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlq4WtgG1fe

Drkrm http://www.drkrm.com/zone.html

Paul on MySpace http://www.myspace.com/man2manthefastpaulzone

Fast page http://www.geocities.com./fasthomepage/aboutfast.html

Fast "Kids Just Wanna Dance" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=+MuERBZ_L_W

Fast "It's Like Love" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cPFwvM4C_w

"Best of the Fast" http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/fastband

Man 2 Man "Hottest of the Hot" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZxDWBTsFJY

Armand Zone and Ozone http://www.youtube.com/watch?vhRZUTgyOIIY

Scott Kempner "Saving Grace" review

2008-12-31T13:31:00.001-08:00

Scott Kempner
"Saving Grace" (00:02:59 Records)
by
DC Larson

A photo of Scott on his 1992 "Tenement Angels" depicted the former Dictator and Del-Lord
kicked back on the fire escape outside an apartment window: playing a guitar, oblivious to grimy reality.

Apt, indeed.

Scott is a True Believer in the transformative power of rock'n'roll, a six-string apostle for whom the music is more than a mere collection of notes, chords, progressions and melodies. In the hands of the sanctified it is a vital, breathing articulation of every joy and upset that jumps in the animal night.

"Saving Grace" is an altar call. It testifies to the bloodline-consciousness and profundity of the man's faith, offering up flashes of impeccable inspirations from moments passed like a nod to Four Tops leader Levi Stubbs, a Supremes reference and the sort of upbeat, tuneful and jangly rock'n'roll that once blared from teenagers's transistor radios across America.

While the CD includes many august cohorts -- including veterans of the Del-Lords, Smithereens, legend Dion DiMucci (whom Scott has backed) and famed Motown rhythm section Mach II -- Scott impresses mightily as the disc's sole guitarist, assaying both acoustics and electrics to motivational effect.

Entering on pounding drums and pulsing bass, "The Secret Everybody Knows" blooms into rich and vivid guitared splendor. "Stolen Kisses" reminds strikingly of the hard-riffing, roots-embracing Del-Lords, its crunching guitars charging headlong through reinvented old school-type changes.

"Baby's Room" and "Heartbeat of Time" (this last co-written by Dion and Fern Carle) sweep with stirring majesty, their massive presences fortified by sinewy guitars and echoing background choruses.

New Frontier-era anthemic emotional confections are recalled by "Love Out of Time," while "Passion Red" is a slow-motion and sultry blues that invites Scott's deadly dirty soloing.

He rocks with authority. He's been to the mountaintop.

Two factors indicating rock'n'roll's health and eternal life present themselves. One is "Saving Grace." The other is the likelihood that somewhere in America tonight, a kid will fall in love with his first guitar.

Maybe on a fire escape.

CD Reviews 2008

2008-12-31T13:27:00.000-08:00

CD reviews
by
DC Larson (copyright 2008, David Larson)

Catfight!
"In Stereo" (self)

Carbonated hijinx lured through a
kaleidoscope of upbeat melodies and exuberant
ruminations. Tends toward light, when some
other modern-times, rock'n'roll grounded alt-pop
combos favor heat.

Recommended Tracks "Ready Steady Go," "Sheila"

http://www.wearecatfight.com/
http://www.myspace.com/2Catfight

Brian Pepper
"Lost Days" (Ten-O-Nine)

Brian pens tunes straight from the heart, recalling
some of Bruce's more reflective motivational
ballad moments. All tunes here are originals, which
argues further for artistic regard. Brian's vocals are
both poignant and ground-level expressive. And
when the sweeping guitars, declarative keys and
decisive rhythms are joined by violin and cello,
"singer/songwriter" -- though eminently apt --
fails to convey the sheer force.

Recommended Tracks "Lost Days, "Louisiana Bound"

myspace.com/brianpepper

Sic Fu*ks
"Live, October 13, 2006 - The Bowery Collection" (MVD)

1970s NYC's raging punk deviants probably got
as far professionally as they ever could have.
Their demeanor was too coarse and rude for
the corporate, Don Kirshner outside world. (Blondie
had the charm and the game-playing smarts.)
This reunion disc captures the self-defining cool,
the wanton posture, and the bared scars.

Recommended Tracks "St Louis Sucks," "Insects Rule My World"

myspace.com/thesicfcks

Eleven Hundred Springs
"Country Jam" (Palo Duro)

In which a crack assemblage of knowing players
demolish the false notion that country is sedate
and 'out of it,' This is real, knock-down country,
raw and sparkling, and it moves. Look for cameos
by Lloyd Maines, Nick Curran, others.

Recommended Tracks "Every Time I Get Close To You," "Whose Heart Are You Breaking Tonight? "

elevenhundredsprings.com

CD Reviews: Rockabilly Magazine 2007

2008-12-31T13:26:00.001-08:00

CD REVIEWS: Rockabilly Magazine #34 2007 by DC Larson (copyright (c) 2007 Rockabilly)

Jerry Lee Lewis
"Last Man Standing" (Artists First)

"There are those rare pioneers within whom the
fires burn only more brightly in seniority," the
sage imparted. "For them, advancing years bring
additional glories."

"But," ventured the acolyte, "suppose such were
to be paired with younger, more accessible
colleagues. Would not the old seem obsolete
beside the new?"

The elder eyed him. "Boy, are you crazy?"

Recommended Tracks "Hadacol Boogie" (w/Buddy
Guy), "That Kind of Fool" (w/Keith Richards)

http://www.jerryleelewis.com/

Link Wray and his Wray Men
"White Lightning, Lost Cadence
Sessions '58" (Sundazed)

The guitar that savaged the world, leaving an
upright generation in tatters and urging its upstart
successor to new delirium. Link's pioneering, DIY
distortion and scramble chords threatened global
domination. Mission accomplished.

Recommended Tracks "Comanche," "Creepy"

http://www.linkwraylegend.com/
http://www.sundazed.com/

Boz and the Bozmen
"Dress in Deadmens' Suits" (Raucous)

Bracing, in-your-face tumble from the international
guitar hero, whose hillbilly inclinations enjoyed
spotlight on this 1987 Bozmen debut LP. Basic in
conception and combustable in presentation, with
spirit nods to Eddie Cochran and Marc Bolan. Steve
Hooker brought the surly R&B swerve.

Recommended Tracks "Mars and Jupiter Stomp,"
"Wild Heroine" (Steve Hooker)

http://www.bozboorer.com/
http://www.raucousrecords.com/

Davie Allan and the Arrows
"Restless in L.A." (Sundazed)

As much trebly vehemence as you'd hope for from the
fabled King of Fuzz Guitar, whose early works included
proud outsider biker flick soundtracks and downshifted,
pensive ruminations. A mostly instrumental set in which
Davie's ambitious lead narratives, endorsed by acrobatic
Arrows, voice more emotion than many singers.

Recommended Tracks "Toxic Terror," "Wicked Woman"

http://www.davieallan.com/
http://www.sundazed.com/

The Sharks
"Ruff Stuff" (Raucous)

'83 alternates and outtakes. Ripping ghoulish strut from UK
Strat/standup/snare. Grisly cheek. More blade-slash than
average psychos, and certainly more gallows punchlines.
Among the first and best.

Recommended Tracks "Deathrow," "Take a Razor to Your Head"

http://www.the-sharks.co.uk/
http://www.raucousrecords.com/

The Tremors
"Invasion of the Saucermen" (Brain Drain)

Their spooky, riveting creature-bop is loved by
legions of the finger-popping undead. GASP IN
HORROR at sparks-throwing trio rockabilly from
the great B-movie beyond. Every cemetery is a
juke joint in the skewed dimension of the creepy
cool.

Recommended Tracks "World War III Boogie,"
"Late Night Drive In Monster Show"

http://www.tremorsrockabilly.com/

Dale Watson
"Whiskey Or God" (Palo Duro)

Holy Fire and alcoholic escape share more than visceral
palliative benefit. Each leaves both the haunting spectre
of last night's respite and the new morn's reality of
enduring hardships. Limber-legged old school country
acknowledges that while both spirit and spirits may be
weak, the flesh remains willing.

Recommended Tracks "Sit and Drink and Cry,"
"Whiskey Or God"

http://www.dalewatson.com/
http://www.palodurorecords.com/

Wayne Hancock
"Tulsa" (Bloodshot)

While the moods and rhythms vary, encompassing
handy western swing, forlorn country blues and
jostling jukers, the heart never wavers. An all-originals
songlist so emotionally pregnant and skillfully crafted
deserves -- and here receives -- nothing short of First
Chair interpretation.

Recommended Tracks "Tulsa," "Gonna Be Flyin' Tonight"

http://www.waynehancock.com/
http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/

The Astro Zombies
"Burgandy Livers" (Raucous)

Sweaty and frantic live sample of gnashing French demons,
including skanky stutter-stepping beside the welcome,
hyper-speed bar chord crash/bash. Fury-fueled fun. The
strange and wonderful product of punk/psycho pile up.

Recommended Tracks "You Are Shit," "666 Racing"

http://www.theastrozombies.com/
http://www.raucousrecords.com/

Buzz Campbell and Hot Rod Lincoln
"Runaway Girl" (King)

Gretsch slung low, Buzz barnstorms across rootsy
overland. Fina and fiery cover from Ty Cox and Tim
Butler. The thundering stompers may first claim your
attention, but it is the swinging and swooping muses
that will bind it.

Recommended Tracks "Joint's Gonna Jump,"
"Walk Away"

http://www.hotrodlincoln.net/

The Bluejays
"A Hundred Songs" (Hithouse)

It is the desired destination of countless musicians,
the point at which alluring strains, siken harmonies
and trusted roots stylings collude with thoughtful
verse. Real world music grounded in human experience,
but reaching still for the fantastic. For the Bluejays,
that rainbow's-end reward is but the starting line.

Recommended Tracks "Anytime," "Devil in Disguise"

http://www.the-bluejays.com/

The Silvermen
"The Silvermen Attack" (self)

Succeeds as foray into complex jam territory, never
losing strident rock'n'roll identity or succumbing to
self-indulgent seriousness. Dynamic and flourescent,
with alert instrumentation more than equal to the task
charted by artfully busy arrangements.

Recommended Tracks "ronky donk machine,"
"one of the things"

http://www.the-silvermen.com/

Trent Summar
"Horseshoes and Hand Grenades" (Palo Duro)

Contemporary country generally smothers its own
potential by denying heritage in favor of latter-day pop
envy. Not so, here. Kicking Average Joe anthems
honor both moment and memory. Full band swings,
storms and even cruises, as appropriate. A rudely
fun party.

Recommended Tracks "Louisville Nashville Line,"
"He Stopped Loving Her Today"

http://www.myspace.com/trentsummar
http://www.palodurorecords.com/

7 Shot Screamers
"In Wonderland" (Big Muddy)

Evolution morphed St. Louis phenoms from de
riguer neo-billies to full-blown modern rock'n'roll
personalities modeling rip-and-stitch panache.
Ear-splitting flash becomes nuanced gentility
becomes technicolor conflagration sporting a
lopsided grin. One seconds Morrisey's "rockabilly
meets the New York Dolls line.

Recommended Tracks "World Domination Ball,"
"Hand of Glory"

http://www.7shotscreamers.com/
http://www.bigmuddyrecords.org/

The Derailers
"Soldiers of Love" (Palo Duro)

Seldom are fetching tunefulness and hard-knocks
poeticisms so cleverly conjoined, especially with
the welcome plus of time-tested hardwood twang.
Harmonies, hooks, jangly six strings and story-telling
heart for the midnight masses. The sound of living.

Recommended Tracks "Soldier of Love,"
"Hey, Valerie!"

http://www.derailers.com/
http://www.palodurorecords.com/

West Side Winders
"Snaken Not Stirred" (95 North)

Guitarist Dan Peters also adds hearty vocals and
pens all originals, wisely expanding soloing beyond
the familiar Sun vocabulary and instilling remarkable,
blast-force neo-rockabilly with topical sensibility. A
whimsicality looms at times, a jutted jaw at others.

Recommended Tracks "Little Doggies," "Keep it in
the Family"

http://www.westsidewinders.com/

Colin Winski
"Rock Therapy" (Takoma)

L.A. shouter Colin didn't so much replicate fires that
preceded as loose the mighty blaze naturally within.
Born of legendary indie Rollin' Rock and possibly the
most uproarious of 70s/80s voices (and performers),
he was equally comfortable with heartsore country
psalms.

Recommended Tracks "Love Me," "Burnin' Desire"

http://www.rockabillyhall.com/ColinWinski1.html

DVDs:

"Dark Angel" (Cult Epics)
Story, Production and Direction by Nico B.

Paige Richards recalls the innocent sinfulness that ensured
Bettie's fame. Brief, faux verite color vignettes are intercut
with stylized b/w recreations of classic 16mm loops like
"Whip Dance," "Fighting Girls" and "Bound and Gagged."
Danny B. Harvey charges each. Extras include photo
gallery and nude shoot. Accompanying soundtrack available.

http://www.bettiepagedarkangel.com/
http://www.cultepics.com/

V/A
Psycho Ward (Split Seven Records)

Pro-shot club footage. The Henchmen offer a trio of
bone crunchers, followed by 5 tracks of sturm und drang
from UK/US Phantom Rockers. Highlight: 4 songs by
raging L.A. metallic grotequeries the Hellbillys. Also here,
the Slanderin, the Phenomenauts and Los Creepers. Extras
include Phenomenauts's video "The Mission" and Devil Doll
interviews.

http://www.splitsevenrecords.com/

Two Tons of Steel
"Two Tons Tuesday Live from
Gruene Hall" (Palo Duro)

Freewheeling reminder that the division between honky
tonk country and orthodox rockabilly is negligible.
Colorful, whirlweind 15-song live DVD, accompanying
15-song CD. Classic covers ("Little Pig," a video version
of "Red Hot") mixed with romping originals including
"Unglued" and "Stinking Drunks."

http://www.twotons.com/
http://www.palodurorecords.com/

"Psychobilly Sickness" (Hardball 8/Stay Sick)
Directed by Ryan Davis and Duncan Garcia

Psychobilly's origin and import are explored through
narration and interviews with notables like P. Paul
Fenech, Kim Nekroman, Pip Hancox and Nick 13.
Covers psycho's global spread and impact. Acts
glimpsed include Demented Are Go, the Koffin Kats,
12 Step Rebels and the Starlite Wranglers.

http://www.psychobillysickness.com/
http://www.myspace.com/staysickpictures
http://www.hairball8.com/

David Bowie "Live Santa Monica '72" review

2008-12-31T13:23:00.000-08:00

David Bowie
"Live Santa Monica '72" (Virgin)
by
DC Larson

An unexpected visitor turned up in my Monday mail.

Due for July 8 issuance (as a limited edition CD and double vinyl LP, including show photos and a related Robert Hilburn/Los Angeles Times review), this release presents David Bowie's first live US radio appearance: a broadcast of his Ziggy Stardust tour's Santa Monica Civic Auditorium show.

Bowie was never severely innovative (which would necessarily have been counterproductive to making cash registers ring out); only enough so to seem swirled when most around was vanilla. If anything, his knack was the hallowed one of the shrewd vendor, intuiting market tolerances.

More narratively ambitious and stylistically diverse works were to issue from the under-appreciated Sensational Alex Harvey Band ("Vambo," "Next," "Cheek to Cheek," "Tale of the Giant Stone-Eater," "Tomahawk Kid"). And the proposition of theatrics on the rock'n'roll stage would in short order be given the boot by the rip-and-stitch punk rock class of '77. (Though the phenomena did endure -- witness KISS and GWAR.)

Such naysaying having been committed to the page, though, there is cause to recommend this work. "Hang On To Yourself" and "Suffragette City" compel as much now as then by validating the conceit that rock'n'roll's veteran fires can indeed singe Now listeners. The songs are brash and they rocket in headlong extreme.

"Ziggy Stardust" illustrates why even preening narcissism couldn't strangle dominative riffing and the power of the bar chord. "Width of a Circle" merits notice for its wise accomodation of guitar master Mick Ronson's sparks-shooting exploits. In an extended bit of leg-stretching, he articulates intelligently and in soaring spectacle. His efforts unfurl and extend the geography of the electrified six string within the era's rock'n'roll.

It is, in point of fact, Ronson whose resources most raise these proceedings from the dustbin of pop culture history, there being no statute of limitations on unstilted instrumental fervor.

And in turn, much contributive reason for his own triumphs can be laid at the doorsteps of band mates Trevor Bolder (bass), Mick Woodmansey (drums) and Mike Garson (piano). An agile and vigorous company, they and Ronson made Bowie the affected-show biz-construct palatable to 1972 concert-goers more attuned to rocking out than posturing up.

All of which is, on reflection, quite a bit to find in the mailbox.

END

Nazi Rockers - Fuck Off!

2008-12-31T13:21:00.000-08:00

NAZI ROCKERS -- FUCK OFF!
by
DC Larson

"Punk ain't no religious cult,
Punk means thinking for yourself
You ain't hardcore 'cause you spike your hair,
While a jock still lives inside your head"
- "Nazi Punks Fuck Off," Dead Kennedys, 1981

The infiltration into various 1970s/80s rockabilly and punk scenes of incongruous racist and homophobic ideologies served to despoil those interests and threatened to destroy them. And while similar noxious perspectives are in the drastic minority in current communities, that they exist to any degree is cause for concern.

In 1970s England, the punk scene was partially hijacked by the facists of that country's neo-Nazi National Front. Nazi skinheads also attached themselves to the social phenomenon that was not their own. (Effective opposition was mounted by non-racist punks and Skins.)

Similar elements plagued in 1980s California punk and international rockabilly circles.
To the extent that bigoted thinking may lurk in some quarters of the current rockabilly scene, it is not at all consistent with the subculture but flatly oppositional to its defining spirit of defiance and freedom.

Examining the meaning of rockabilly's 1950s's origin points up the style's innate foreigness from divisive hate agendas. And it underscores those philosophies's ill-fit in contemporary neo-roots musics communities.

Rock'n'roll was born from a multiplicity of racial and cultural idioms including r&b, hillbilly country, blues, bluegrass and gospel. Proudly embracing that taboo diversity, it thrust its middle finger into the aghast mug of stilted, button-down propriety. (I speak here of the raw, original item, and not subsequent, commercially-cultivated replicas.)

It acted as a socially-unifying component of the growing Civil Rights movement, and brought people together on the dance floor just as others would unite at polling places.

Not to paint too rosy a picture. It wasn't the entire solution but it did help spark the crucial process. And its service in helping to usher away racial segregation should not be forgotten.

Remember, too, that among the rhetorical brickbats hurled at the burgeoning form by Officialdom were non-veiled racial ones like "jungle music." Rock'n'Roll History Online observes that the late 50s/early 60s White Citizens Council in Birmingham decried the "race-mixing" potential of the upstart sound's "raw, savage tone."

Unfortunately, humanity being at times illogical, some golden-era rank-and-file fans probably clung to existing prejudices. And it is not impossible that this or that original rocker might have held regrettable racial views.

But the law of probability can be applied positively, too: Given numerical quality, there surely were gay 1950s rockers (even if pressures in that day precluded openness.). With increased social acceptance, gay rockers are today visible in the scene, Blues shouter Candye Kane being just one example.

Together with the booming Latino rockabilly fan base, that bespeaks increasing progress toward demographic diversity. All good news.

Still, despite manifest reasons against it, there may yet breathe some degree of intolerance in some sectors of today's rockabilly scene.

One wonders if individuals who today indulge racial and sexual bigotries -- all the while thinking themselves as "of the rockin' scene" -- understand that they are reflecting rock'n'roll's early critics, and not its true pioneers.

CMT.com recalls the 1960s touring travails faced by legendary singer Wanda Jackson, whose band included pianist/vocalist Big Al Downing. Despite sometimes hostile, racist accomodations managers, they creditably rocked on.

And one does wish people would stop adorning neo-rockabilly items with the Confederate/
Slavery South Stars and Bars -- it predated the music's birth by about 100 years, and is the natural symbol of choice of some distinctly foul and un-rock'n'roll racist interests.

"You think Swastikas look cool,
The real Nazis run your school
They're coaches, businessmen, and cops,
In a real Fourth Reich, you'll be the first to go"

The racially-segregated world longed for by the Stars and Bars Confederacy would inhibit the multi-racial development of rock'n'roll. Real rockabillies were the enemies of that order. They acted in rebellion against then-prevailing strictures.

The phenomenon of the individual daring to think for her or himself and rebelling against imposed values undergirds today's authentic rockabilly community, just as it fired the original.

By the way: The caution to exercise intellectual independence and not uncritically accept proffered viewpoints? It also applies to readers of the previous piece.

end

CD Reviews: Nov/Dec 2006

2008-12-31T13:16:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEWS November/December 2006
by DC Larson

(All reviews copyright (c) Rockabilly Magazine, reprinted with permission)

Three Blue Teardrops
"Rust Belt Trio" (self)

Returning to the studio 14 years subsequent to sterling
debut "Poised To Hate," the 2006 Teardrops evince
all of their salad days's rambunctiousness, now with
matured assurance. Come for the playing, stay for the
songwriting.

Recommended Tracks "I'm Still Standin' Here,"
"Damage Control"

threeblueteardrops.com

Restless
"Rock'n'Roll Train, Best of the Madhouse Years" (Raucous)

Since the 1980s, England's Restless has enjoyed due
reverence as master neo-rockabilly icons. Their superb
efforts unionize careening drive and artfully variegated
construction. That singer Mark Harman is as well a deft
guitarslinger and enabled by fierce partisans (including
brother Paul) further enriches.

Recommended Tracks "The Face," "Mo Mama More"

rockabillyhall.com/restless.html
myspace.com/betternotvanish
raucousrecords.com

Truly Lover Trio
"Dance" (Twinkletone)

Were only the clever crafting of such trippingly attractive
pop/rock'n'roll material as easy as multi-instrumentalist
Marcel Riesco makes it seem. Indigenous, appealing
hooks abound in this steamy-hot record date. Know too
that sparkling, fun-forward personality is a cheering
constant.

Recommended Tracks "Baby Come On," "Spring Fever"

trulylovertrio.com

Shaun Kama and the Kings of the Wild Frontier
"Dear Scarecrow" (Boston Crown)

To call this simply an exuberant exercise in rambling,
country-grounded narrative weaving would be to
neglect the chilling psychobilly factor. Big, loud and
darkly-rendered. Ominous visitors include members
of Three Bad Jacks, Fishbone and Demented Are Go.

Recommended Tracks "Lost Lonely Road,"
"Ghost of the Twilight Storm"

kingsofthewildfrontier.com

Resurex
"Beyond the Grave" (Fiend Force/Cargo)

The outrageous soundtrack demanded by singer /
guitarist Daniel DeLeon's psycho diatribes and
ghastly eroticisms comes from a crew including
former Tiger Army and Nekromantix perpetrators.
"She's a laser-whipping creature and a one-eyed
beast / dancing in the graveyard, makes me weak
in the knees." Who the Hell left the gate open?

Recommended Tracks "Devil Woman From Outer Space"
"Zombie Girl"

resurex.com

P. Paul Fenech
"The 'F' Word" (People Like You)

Other psychos handily tailor that style's orthodox cut,
but UK idiom pater familias Fenech reimagines it.
Thus, Spanish guitar, Dee Dee Ramone outsider poetry
and metallic manifestos collide center-stage in force -
fit fashion. Others may be Fenech's peers. No one is
his superior.

Recommended Tracks "Aggarondo La Guittara Del El Diablo,"
"Angel Song"

kingsofpsychobilly.com

Los Creepers
"City Streets" (self)

In 1967, a clerical popular culture-scold hyperventilated,
"Rock'n'roll music is part of man's attempt to drive from
his mind the consequences of his evil living." To such a stiff,
full-on punk/psychobilly this potent surely promises particular
brimstone. The rest of us have a lot of fun living to do.

Recommended Tracks "Devil vs. the Mooks," "Bandidos"

myspace.com/loscreepers

Roy Orbison
"King of Hearts" (Virgin)

The Wink troubador's legendary status was long-since assured
by the time of this largely pacific CD's 1987 issuance, but his
inimitable operatic range and infallible instinct for stirring country
pop majesty remained as pristine as when in their Sun youth.
Sympathetic strings, elegant saxophone and busy guitars collude
on common territory. The listener believes.

Recommended Tracks "Heartbreak Radio," "Careless Heart"

royorbison.musiccitynetworks.com
virginrecords.com

CD Reviews: Sept/Oct 2006

2008-12-31T13:15:00.001-08:00

CD REVIEWS September/October 2006
by DC Larson

(All reviews copyright (c) 2006 Rockabilly Magazine, reprinted by permission)

Demented Are Go
"Hellbilly Storm"
(People Like You/Hepcat)

Founding psychos DAG return from the grave (again)
with razored hooks, cockeyed melodicism, open -
throttle arrangements and hardcore up-amp guitars.
Metal goes crash and 'billy splinters. For the
embittered sociopath who has everything. Screw
bed check.

Recommended Tracks "Out of Control," "Someone's
Out To Get Me"

Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys
"Turntable Matinee"
(Yep Roc)

So nimble and confluent is the A-list musicianship that
the material's folksy artfulness might elude first-time
listeners. Cherished elements of not only rockabilly and
western swing but bossa nova, spanish strings and
brass-fortified 60s Stax soul are intelligently intercut
with novel reckonings.

Recommended Tracks "Haunted Heels," "Lonesome
Dollar"

Jack De Keyzer
"Silver Blues"
(blue star)

With the wisdom of a superior bandleader aware of
his every player's significance, guitar master Jack
cedes soloing opportunities to piano, organ, trumpet,
sax and flugelhorn. His own slicing, straining and
emotionally-evocative six-string statements shine
blindingly in the thoughtful and layered arrangements.

Recommended Tracks "Cinderella," "Rock 'Til We
Drop"

Danny B. Harvey
"Live In Montreal"
(Raucous)

Eruptive, scintillating guitar-led rockabilly that
spans blues, country and primal rock'n'roll. None
wilder on offer. Mixed in with the rave-up tri-chord
flammables is flabbergasting instrumentation of
adventurous mien. Hendrix hot rodded? Listen
and learn.

Recommended Tracks "Buckshot," "I Get So
Excited"

Thee Exit Wounds
"Bad Day!"
(Wolverine)

Caring not a whit for redeeming social values,
these exuberant malcontents (including 3 ex-DAGs)
vent at peak volume. Headslam psycho on the
excruciating metal-punk edge. Harmful if taken
eternally. Damnation dance party, tonight.

Recommended Tracks "Evil," "If I Was Satan"

13 Cats
"Live In Las Vegas"
(Raucous)

A decidedly relevant supergroup (Rockats, Polecats,
Stray Cats), 13 Cats stitch unfamiliar vintage rockin'
flesh with modern-day sci fi/ fantasy to father
a psycho creation of formidably threatening character.
Caught here in 1997 salad days, they are full of verve,
strut and paternal swell.

Recommended Tracks "Sex Hex," "Rockaholic Baby"

Grizzly Family
"The Spirit of the Mountains"
(Calavera)

Backwoods, Cajun-flavor from France. High -
stepping, engaging reels enlivened by a host of
instrumental spices including accordian, tifer,
maracas, harp, kazoo, brossoir, lap steel, piano
and mandolin in addition to guitars, drums and
acoustic bass. There's a whole American Music
world out there beyond 706 Union Avenue.

Recommended Tracks "Frenzy In the Jungle,"
"The Spirit of the Mountains"

CD Reviews: July/Aug 2006

2008-12-31T13:13:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEWS July/August 2006
by DC Larson

(All reviews copyright (c) 2006 Rockabilly Magazine, reprinted by permission)

Fats Domino
"Alive and Kickin"
(Tipitina Foundation)

New Orleans-based Fats lost both
homestead and prized gold records to
Katrina and was himself missing for
days. But rather than falter in the face
of tragedy, the 78 year-old legend
produced this remarkably-bouyant
testament to the resiliance of musical
muse and human spirit. Piano-key
sprightliness and conversational vocal
stylings are complemented by rich,
sweeping brass and infectious French
Quarter syncopation. All proceeds
benefit the Tipitina Foundation's Big
Easy musicians-support efforts. That's
called, "giving back."

Recommended Tracks "Four Leaf
Clover," "I'll Be Alright"

tipitinasfoundation.org

Elvis Presley
"Concert Anthology 1954-1956"
(Stardust/Cleopatra)

This handsomely-packaged 2-disc set
combines vintage live tapes with priceless
contemporary rewardrobings of classics.
The former feature pioneers Scotty Moore
and Bill Black; enabling the latter's success
are Danny B. Harvey, Slim Jim Phantom
and Lee Rocker.

Recommended Tracks "I Don't Care If the
Sun Don't Shine" (old), "That's All Right
Mama" (new)

elvis.com
cleorecs.com

Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers
"Down To Kill"
(Jungle)

Lurking amidst the cultivated junkie -
vagabond iconography was a singular
proto-punk stylist of exquisite rock 'n'
roll pedigree, one whose swiping and
swaggering forever tattooed the global
underground. 2 CDs/DVD offer rare
audio and professional video, arresting
personality and volatile substance
preserved for the ages.

Recommended Tracks "Born To Lose"
(demo), "All By Myself" (live)

thunders.ca
jungle-records.demon.co.uk

The Kings of Nuthin'
"Over the Counter Culture"
(Sailor's Grave)

The Kings continue to strut the line
between Wynonie Harris and wrecking.
Rollicking 88s, honking party saxes and
slap-happy standup join declarative
guitar, driving skins and exhorting vocals
to contrive bachanalian fireworks. Psycho
R&B gon' get your mama.

Recommended Tracks "Only Time,"
"Quick Fix"

kingsofnuthin.com
sailorsgraverecords.com

Guitar Wolf
"Golden Black"
(Narnack)

Some 18 years ago, search-and -
destroy punk power trio Guitar Wolf
detonated over Japan. This incediary
retrospective collects vividly-wrought,
hyper exercises in thunderously-metallic
songcraft spanning a career of spectacular
evil. RIP, Billy Basswolf.

Recommended Tracks "Wild Zero,"
"Invader Ace"

guitarwolf.net
narnackrecords.com

Speedbuggy USA
"The City That God Forgot"
(Split 7)

Old-ways hinterlands rhapsodizing
with ripe voicing. Mandolin and lap
steel find welcome beside guitars,
bass, drums and harmonizing voices.
But as with Fats, the socially-conscious
group intends more than just sparkling
musicality. "All profits from this CD
will be donated to Habitat for Humanity -
Katrina Relief Fund"

Recommended Tracks "Engine #9,"
"Bitter Man"

speedbuggyusa.com
split7media.com

Mad Sin
"Dead Moon's Calling"
(Sailor's Grave)

Craftsmanship is the conscious
governor of the creative impulse.
And, though frenetic in actuality,
these stellar tunes owe their
successes to authorial aptitude.
Psycho vent with dashes of whimsy
and irk. Sweet for midnight pentagram
hoedowns.

Recommended Tracks "Plastic Monsters,"
"TCS"

madsin.com
sailorsgraverecords.com

Koffin Kats
"Straying From the Pack"
(Psychobilly US/Hairball 8)

Hard-driven, smash up minimalist
psycho with "fuck you" aplomb.
Distorted guitar delirium not for the
weak of spirit. CNN reports graveyard
wrecking outbreaks; eight reasons why.

Recommended Tracks "March of the Waynos,"
"For Hire"

thekoffinkats.com
psychobilly.us
hairball8.com

Popa Chubby
"Stealing the Devil's Guitar"
(Blind Pig)

Perhaps the direst, most flame -
annointed blues guitar on this
upworld side of the proverbial
crossroads. Love, lust, desperation
and damnation come in for wry
lyrical examination as does (remarkably)
universal hopefulness. A sharpness to
cut through men's souls. Popa keeps it
real, harsh though it sometimes can be.

Recommended Tracks "In This World,"
"Long Deep Hard and Wide"

popachubby.com
blindpigrecords.com

Jerry King and the River Town Ramblers
"A Date With..."
(self)

Affable, punchy late-50s-type rockin', which
means the emphasis is on melody as much as
vim. As able a group of proponents as on
offer in this age and smoothly-insinuating into
the bargain.

Recommended Tracks "You Forgot Your Name,"
"The Price of Love"

rivertownramblers.com

Jimmy Thackery
"The Essential..."
(Blind Pig)

Jems from the Nighthawks-founding
guitarist's subsequent solo years on
Blind Pig. Sparks by the gut-bucket load,
but also impressive, thoughtful sidetrips
into complex articulation. Two-fisted
blues with strategy.

Recommended Tracks "Jump For Jerry,"
"Wild Night Out"

blindpigrecords.com

Coachwhips
"Peanut Butter and Jelly Live At
the Ginger Wing"
(Narnack)

Forcible obstreporousness and headlong
cacophony may be inimical to the punk
ethos, but they are only parts of the
necessary whole. Energy and largely unfocused
bombast abound, though little centering sense
is discernable. Reason may come with time.
Today, brazen impulse journeys alone.

Recommended Tracks "Letter 2 London," "Ya
No Ya Wanna"

coachwhips@hotmail.com
narnackrecords.com

CD Reviews: May/June 2006

2008-12-31T13:11:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEWS May/June 2006
by
DC Larson

(All reviews copyright (c) 2006 Rockabilly Magazine, reprinted by permission)

The Royal Crowns
"After Dark" (Royal Crown)

Great White North hepsters contrive heat from
coolness. Gently rhythmic, good-humored.
Swaying steel guitar lends particular piquance to
nimbly-twanged Gretsch, stolid standup and
busily ambitious drums. A train called rock'n'roll.
All aboard.

TheRoyalCrowns.com

The Hypsterz
"Live At the Longhorn" (Bomp)

1980s Minneapolis quadrophonics who
reread vintage R&B and garage punk
classics with Ramones-era conciousness.
High-speed, guitar-led, austere sonic
bombardments. Fiercely and defiantly
boisterous. Reissue includes their live
(and only) discs, 1979's "Hypsterz Live"
and 1981's "Hypsterization," plus 15
hitherto unreleased live tracks and three
new 2004 cuts. The hardest working live
band of the era. I was on that scene
and I know.

bomp.com

Easy Bill & the Big Beat
"Stay Tuned!" (Rhythm & Roll Enterprises)

Not unlike a sideshow medium raising
dormant spirits amidst low-rent games of
chancery, Easy employs his guitar to evoke
decades-still Blues and R&B voices,
testifying in dance-worthy and salacious
ambiance. Of course, carnys are merely
conning. "Stay Tuned!" bespeaks an
authenticity grifters can but pretend at.

BigBeatBlues.com

The Living End
"State of Emergency" (EMI/Capitol)

Australia's burning. As apparent as ever
on their new CD, this volatile trio weds brash
punk anthemic spirit with topical and acidically -
critical social commentary of Clash-like
universality: "Sick of all the laws/and we want
more." 14 melodic Molotovs hurled with insight
aforethought.

thelivingend.com
myspace.com/thelivingend
musichead.com.au

Th' Legendary Shack Shakers
"Pandelirium" (Yep Roc)

An intriguing odyssey through a
kaleidoscopic funhouse mirror of
angles, influences, perspectives and
creative strains. Old European muses
like polka share dance-floor real
estate with American rock'n'roll
exuberance. A rewarding United
Nations of song, with boundless
(and boundaryless) adventurousness.

theshackshakers.com
myspace.com/legendaryshackshakers
yeproc.com

Various Artists
"Liquor Brand Vol. 1" (People Like You)

Rival primal urges to create and to destroy enjoy
joint expression in psychobilly. None of which
discounts the mongrel genre as legitimate art, if
of a specifically inartful demeanor. Assembled here
are 20 mayhem squads of varying bent -- some
mellifluent, others corrosive, but all of lethal calibre.

liquorbrand.com
peoplelikeyourecords.com

Stitch Hopeless & the Sea Legs
"Stuffing Coffins Since '77" (Psychobilly US/
Hairball 8)

As magnetically-revolting a psychopunk endeavor
as you're likely to witness above-ground. Relentlessly
buzzing guitars and storming rhythm section offer
hateful backdrop for growled/shouted/sneered
antisocial rants. More kicks than a backyard cage
match.

stichhopelessandthesealegs.com
myspace.com/stitchhopelessandthesealegs
psychobilly.us
hairball8.com

Hellbats
"Dark 'n' Mighty" (Psychobilly US/
Hairball 8)

Rampaging in throes of metallic psycho
distemper unforgiving, seedy apostles of
angst rage against the human machine. Musings
broaching poetic spheres luxuriate against rash
thrash countervail. Existentialism gone wild.

myspace.com/hellbatsofficiel (sic)
psychobilly.us
hairball8.com

Alan Vega
"s/t" (Ze/PVC)

None since have surpassed this compellingly
adventurous 1980 rockabilly fireworks/
moderne techdrone crossbreed. Ex-NYC
synthesizer/vocals duo Suicide frontman Vega
took his signature Brando/Elvis/Iggy stance and
street corner poeticisms to uncharted climes.

Warner Brothers in 1996 retitled this "Jukebox
Babe," coupling it on CD with Vega's 2nd solo
disc, "Collision Drive."

CD Reviews: Mar/Apr 2006

2008-12-31T13:09:00.000-08:00

CD REVIEWS Mar/Apr 2006
by
DC Larson

(All reviews copyright (c) Rockabilly Magazine, reprinted by permission)

Johnny Cash
"Legend of Johnny Cash" (Universal Music)

And the flesh was made music. 1950s Sun thrust
flows easily into 1960s Columbia and post-millennial
Rick Rubin-produced work. Johnny was indeed an
American Music legend. Make that "is."

Recommended Tracks "Get Rhythm," "Jackson,"
"One Piece At a Time," "Hurt"

http://www.johnnycash.com/

The Knitters
"The Modern Sounds Of..." (Zoe)

Rather than trawling impersonal archives,
scholars intent on preserving the popular
record would do better to sift common
experiences. For amid miscellaneous
aspirations, despairs and dreams lies
definitional character. The Knitters
understand as much and affectionately
honor the soundtrack that was.

Recommended Tracks "Give Me My
Flowers While I'm Living," "Long Chain
On"

http://www.theknitters.net/

Phantom Rockers
"On The Loose" (Split 7)

World-class Metallic KO hooky psycho
with punk snarl and sinew means guitars
on 11 and volcanic drums forward. Mark
Burke beats a brick doghouse and howls
moonward as befits a possessed soul.
Innocents beware.

Recommended Tracks "Dr Lector,"
"The Boogieman"

http://www.phantomrockers.com/

Los Super 7
"Heard It On the X" (Telarc)

Rock'n'roll hails many fathers. An
all-star cast enriches this paean to
50s/60s multicultural Pirate Radio.
Fiesta jubilance, Texas two-step
provocation and deep blues
resignation commingle like long -
separated bloods at a joyous reunion.
E Pluribus Unum with a beat.

Recommended Tracks "I'm Not That
Kat (Anymore)" (John Hiatt), "My Window
Faces The South" (Lyle Lovett)

http://www.lossuper7.com/

Social Distortion
"Sex, Love and Rock'n'roll" (Time Bomb)

Survivors of the 80s California Punk Uprising,
Social D now temper welcome ferocity with
instrumental maturity. Mike Ness's narratives
have grown wise, whereas they once were
naturally wiseass. Punch with perspective.
Comes from surviving.

Recommended Tracks "Reach For the Sky,"
"Highway 101"

http://www.socialdistortion.com/

Southern Culture On The Skids
"Doublewide and Live" (Yep Roc)

Like a 60s beach wig-out flick cut with a 50s
JD rampage, SCOTS come off as concerned
primarily with careening experiance rather than
medium niceties. Which is, of course, exactly as
it should be for those so wailing-bent. And qualified.

Recommended Tracks "The Wet Spot," "Liquored Up"

http://www.scots.com/

Kirk Fletcher
"Shades of Blue" (Delta Groove Productions)

From somewhere way down deep, this college-age,
old school blues acolyte hefts genuineness that
transcends rote footstep-following. Respectful nods
to forebears preface personal muse orations. Kirk's
strings-on-fire testifying bespeaks stirring potency.

Recommended Tracks "Blues For Boo Boo," "Club
Zanzibar"

http://www.kirkfletcher.com/

Boneyard Brawlers
"the blood red ep" (Lude Boy)

Behind his battered desk, the Lieutenant
stabbed out a Lucky. "What else you got?"

Opening the last folder, the Detective ticked off
offenses. "Stalking, hate guitar, homicide, beat-down
drums, demonic debauchery, ritual bass-slapping. You
know, Animal rock'n'roll." Looking up. "These guys"
waving a photo "are the Boneyard Brawlers. Just plain
evil."

The Lieutenant squinted. "Sound pretty dangerous."

"That ain't the half of it."

Recommended Tracks "blood red," "no reflection"

http://www.boneyardbrawlers.com/

Back In the Day, 1983

American Patrol
"Backseat Boogie" (Vanity)

Swing, jump blues and rockabilly, joined. Roll -
back-the-rug material is impelled by a fluidic
guitar/sax cooperative. Leader singer/guitarist
Jerry Sikorski offered a mature, diversified approach
that drew judiciously on 40s/50s flair. An unsung
gem.

Recommended Tracks "Shake the Roof," "Texas and
Pacific"

http://www.myspace.com/americanpatrol
http://www.jerrysikorski.com/

Website writing: Robert Gordon

2008-12-31T13:08:00.001-08:00

WRITING NEWS, ROBERT GORDON WEBSITE

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by legendary rockabilly singer Robert Gordon's European promoter and asked to review several tour promo CDs for display on the singer's website. A longtime fan, I accepted and have reviewed 4 of Robert's discs.

This was an exceptional professional opportunity for me and I was glad to add it to my credits.

To read my reviews on Gordon's site, go to: http://www.robertgordon.dk/news/news.html.

Scroll down to:

"review essential r.g."

"reunion tour review"

"born to rock"

and

"lotta lovin' review."

- DC

Liner notes: Barry Ryan CD

2008-12-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

LINER NOTES: New Barry Ryan CD

In 2007, I penned the extensive liner notes contained in the booklet of Rockats guitarist Barry Ryan's first solo disc, "And God Said: 'Let There Be Rockabilly,'" it is available on New Jersey's Blues Leaf label.

Here's an excerpt:

"This dynamic solo disc is infused with the same distinctive styling Barry made so crucial to the Rockats's oeuvre, styling that drew on American popular music's blues and country roots and crafted a glorious pastiche at once familiar and excitingly new. (Should you need further testimony to his inimitable fretboard skill check with singer Robert Gordon, who often selects Barry to back him live.)

"Heady, rollicking passages spotlighting his infectious soloing and bubbling with the effervescent fun we all need in our lives are amply represented. They alone would win attention. And for the first time he handles all vocals, demonstrating muscular flair and enhancing the material's uniqueness...

"The electrifying sum is one of articulation as much as instinct, nuance as much as fury...

"Barry's hard-earned experience -- the global touring, the midnight stages, the simultaneous uncertainty and exhilaration of the rock'n'roll life -- informs each twanged, thrashed or elegantly touched-off note."

- DC Larson

Rick Larson: Greatness At the Margin

2008-12-31T13:03:00.000-08:00

GREATNESS AT THE MARGIN
by
DC Larson

A guitar is buried in Marshalltown, Iowa. This is why.

A flash point is possible in grassroots-level live music. An organic, vital moment in which emotional and sensory phenomena coalesce in a connected soloist's muse articulation. The spark surges through the crowd, electrifying the atmosphere and leaving listeners viscerally touched.

Skin crawls. Grins erupt. Shouts ring out. And all is right with the world. At least for that moment.

Marshalltown's Rick Larson found his way into that magical moment of greatness -- more than once, if truth be told -- as had so many unsung beat champions before him.

My brother, he knew his life's purpose from an early age. He got his first guitar when 12, and devoted himself to single-minded pursuit of earthly calling.

The demands of post-teen life typically compel would-be players to pursue 9-to-5 careers, relegating live music to weekend sideline status, if even that. But Rick never stopped.

Because he and music were of a piece. And to him, no other pursuits mattered.

He never cut an album, shot a video or graced a magazine cover. What he did was infinitely more important. A veteran of the bar band culture, he helped to keep blues and rock and roll alive before average people every night.

For them, plagued by trials throughout the work week, the release and revelry offered by live bands is positively salvational. A person can be put down by a boss during the day, but they can be ten feet tall on the midnight dance floor.

Songs to which grassroots, blue collar crowds today shout and thrill have roots in America's rich cultural mosaic and wonderfully diverse heritage. Tempos, melodic inclinations, and engaging rhythms from a score of shores met here and became new and as one.

American songs derive from the Appalachian Mountain country, and humming streets of Chicago. They hail from the highways that crisscross the land, and from the farmlands. From the cities, swamps, and suburbs. And they are born from common experiences, telling of human struggles, aspirations, pains, and triumphs.

It is through the efforts of anonymous players that folk stories and voices survive from generation to generation. A country's music serves as both popular record and expression of singular character.

Rick was professionally active in Central Iowa from the 70s through the mid-90s। Indeed, the area live music circuit was richer for his indefatigable participation.

He co-founded numerous Central Iowa groups: Amo, Armed and Dangerous, Party House, Ice Age, the Vipers, Commotion. And too many more to mention. Accompanying players came and went, too, though singer/harp player Mark Goodman and drummer Frank McDowell were usually in the mix.

Of course, sometimes, formal names or line-ups were not even needed। If a sudden gig opened up or a last-minute party jam presented itself, Rick would be there. Guitar in hand, amplifier on.

No prisoner of stylistic convention, he was as likely to rock the house as finesse a melody. He made all the right stops, from red-hot jumpin' to cool-blue orating. His intoxicating soloing interpreted heartache, passion and kick-out-the-jams exuberance. Lesser players were made conscious of their limitations.

Stevie Ray Vaughn, Keith Richard, Chuck Berry, Buddy Guy - these were his influences. He played the music that spoke to him, and it became important to his audiences.

Rick had something crucial to worthwhile musicianship: an absolute and unfeigned direct line between his heart and his art. He believed in each note he touched.

True, a few of the better chart songs sometimes crept into the late night sets. But only the better ones. For Rick, ignoring his instincts and selling out his musical integrity were simply not options. The gold ring mattered less than the music. The moment.

Devoted grassroots musicians like Rick who realize that all-important moment are infinitely more significant to real world listeners than is the trendy WRIT LARGE corporate music-product industry that takes them for granted.

For every transient and fabricated chart sensation, there are innumerable unsung authentics. And greatness belongs to them, too. Probably most of all.

For, it is indeed possible to reach greatness in isolation from the 'big picture,' without the whole world's being aware.

Rick did।

His guitar fell silent in 1998. We laid to earth with him the cherry wood-grain, Gibson SG Standard that had been his earliest performing guitar. It was only right that they remain together into perpetuity. Together, they had realized the moment.

That is how I know that greatness can indeed flourish at the margin.

And that is why a guitar is buried in Marshalltown, Iowa.
END