Monthly Archives: February 2009

Randy Weeks: Going My Way

Leave a reply

randyweeks_goingmywayCatchy Americana and pop from former Lonesome Stranger

Randy Weeks initially came to the public’s attention as co-leader of the twangy West Coast roots-rock group Lonesome Strangers. Their 1986 debut, Lonesome Pine, was produced by Pete Anderson, and the group played local clubs and road gigs with Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin and others of the Los Angeles roots-rock scene. They issued a second album in 1988, separated a few years later, and regrouped in 1997 for a one-off reunion album. Weeks subsequently embarked on a solo career that retains the group’s country-rock roots, but with more expansive and quirky explorations into pop, blue-eyed soul and southern flavors.

Singing alone, Weeks can deliver the deadpan style of Lou Reed by way of Ric Ocasek, such as with the opening “I Couldn’t Make It.” The spoken passages of “Going My Way” split the jazz-inspired style of Mark Knopfler and the quirkier readings of Northwest folkie Jim Page. But half-sung isn’t Weeks’ only speed, as the remainder of the album includes melodic country rock, blue-eyed soul and even some New Orleans grooves. Having relocated from Los Angeles to Austin, TX, Weeks was able to attract Will Sexton as producer, and pick up players that include guitarist Tony Gilkyson and drummer Rick Richards, resulting in an album of rootsy pop that brings to mind Ben Vaughn’s recent work with The Desert Classic.

Weeks writes catchy songs about love, but not always love songs. Sunny dedication and intimate secrets are balanced by mistreating mates, communication breakdowns, and relationships past their expiration date. He also writes clever tunes such as the insomnious “Little Bit of Sleep,” and the dispassionately remembered assignations of “Going My Way” Weeks offer up an Americana sequel to the Nails’ “88 Lines About 44 Women.” Touches of organ, fiddle, steel and accordion augment the core guitar, bass and drums, but even with this overt country-rock lineup, Weeks’ tuneful melodies and straight rhythms winningly make this as much pop as alt.country. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | A Lot to Talk About
Randy Weeks’ Home Page
Randy Weeks’ MySpace Page

The Nerves: One Way Ticket

Leave a reply

thenerves_onewayticketThe headwaters of mid-70s power pop

The Nerves – Peter Case, Paul Collins and Jack Lee – issued only one 4-song EP during their three year tenure, but that 1976 7” flew brilliantly in the face of then-dominant arena rock as well as the back-to-basics punk paradigm trailing in the Ramones’ wake. The Nerves mixed the pop melodics of the Beatles, Big Star, Raspberries and Rubinoos with the emerging DIY aesthetic to create music that had garage-rock intensity layered with the craft of AM-radio hooks. The EP served as a template for all three members’ subsequent solo careers, and drew a rock ‘n’ roll path that paralleled New Wave pop without surrendering to its badly aging musical affectations.

The EP was self-financed and thinly distributed, making it a collector’s item even at the time of its mid-70s issue. Two of its tracks, Lee’s “Hanging on the Telephone” and Case’s “When You Find Out” turned up on Rhino’s D.I.Y: Come Out and Play – American Power Pop I (1975-1978), and the previously unreleased “One Way Ticket” was included in the box set Children of Nuggets in 2005. The entire 4-song EP, along with the Plimsoul’s Zero Hour, and Jack Lee’s Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 turned up on the 1992 grey-market French CD That’s Totally Pop, but as Peter Case explains in this set’s liner notes, this is the Nerve’s first official full-length release. Included are the original four songs, two by Jack Lee, one by Case and one by Collins, augmented by a pair of tracks (Peter Case’s “One Way Ticket” and Jack Lee’s “Paper Dolls”) that were meant to be the EP’s follow-up on Greg Shaw’s Bomp label.

Paul Collins’ “Walking Out on Love,” which he later re-recorded with The Beat, is heard here in a frantic post-Nerves/pre-Beat version by Collins, Case and a pick-up guitarist. Case’s “Thing of the Past,” written for the Nerves, is performed live by an early version of the Plimsouls, and Jack Lee’s immediate post-Nerves sound is documented with the rockabilly-punk “It’s Hot Outside.” A rough demo of the Case-Collins “Many Roads to Follow” is sung to strummed acoustic guitars, combining the power of the British Invasion and Everly-styled harmonies. Demos of the group’s live staples “Are You Famous?” and “Letter to G.” show Jack Lee also had no shortage of fine material.

Also included are eight tracks recorded live on the group’s 1977 cross-country tour. The sound is listenable bootleg quality, which is better for getting a sense of the Nerves’ energy than a truly satisfying listening experience. No matter, the original EP is worth the CD’s full price, and the post-EP and post-Nerves tracks are great bonuses. Case moved on to form the Plimsouls, recording the brilliant debut Zero Hour and two immediate follow-up LPs; Collins formed The Beat, carrying on the Nerves pop-rock sound with the group’s eponymous debut; Lee unexpectedly found commercial success when Blondie covered the Nerves’ “Hanging on the Telephone,” and subsequently released a pair of albums in the 1980s. But it all started here – and all lovers of power pop should snap this up while it’s available! [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Listen to “When You Find Out”
The Nerves’ MySpace Page

On Tour: The Hot Toddies

Leave a reply

Oakland, California’s Hot Toddies hit the road to Southern California in March and the United Kingdom in April. Check out their version of Santa Baby, and visit their MySpace page for a bigger helping of their catchy pop.

California
March 11 San Francisco The Rickshaw Stop
March 19 Fresno Audie’s Olympic Tavern
March 20 Los Angeles Knitting Factory
March 21 San Diego Radio Room
March 27 San Francisco Red Devil Lounge

United Kingdom
April 2 Brighton Latest Bar (formerly Joogleberry)
April 3 London The Lexington
April 4 Portsmouth Edge of the Wedge
April 5 Exeter The Phoenix
April 6 Bristol Mother’s Ruin
April 7 Liverpool Bar Fresa
April 8 Preston Mad Ferret
April 9 Oxford The Cellar
April 10 Peterborough The Met Lounge

California
April 24 San Jose Nickel City Arcade

The Runaways: Live in Japan

Leave a reply

runaways_liveinjapanLive album shows just how this 1970s all-girl band could rock

After two albums for Mercury that produced mixed artistic results and few commercial gains, this Los Angeles quintet took their act to Japan and found itself welcomed as stars. Though the tour was reported to be very rough on all five members (and bassist Jackie Fox quit the band before the tour’s final show), this live recording shows just what they were capable of. Freed from the daily abuse of Kim Fowley’s svengali-like machinations and pumped up by adoring Japanese fans, the quintet unleashed their full rock ‘n’ roll spirit. Signature originals, “Queens of Noise,” “California Paradise,” “Neon Angels on the Road to Ruin” and “American Nights” finally became the teen anthems they were written to be, and covers of The Troggs’ “Wild Thing” and Lou Reed’s “Rock ‘n’ Roll” rock harder than their studio counterparts. Originally released in Japan, and subsequently in Canada, this was a collector’s item for nearly thirty years before seeing CD reissue.

As on their studio albums, Sandy West proved herself the motor of the band’s muscular rock. In contrast to their studio recordings, the bass and rhythm guitars push the band with plenty of bottom end, and Lita Ford’s lead guitar is more powerful for its restraint. Cherie Currie and Joan Jett are both in fine voice throughout, with Currie really acquitting herself as a true rock singer – albeit still a theatrical one. Those who saw the original Runaways quintet live know just how they were shortchanged by Fowley’s jailbait marketing and the anemic, sludgy sound of their studio albums. Playing live, even as Currie strutted the stage in her corset and fishnets the group never failed to rock. There are a few bum notes and miscues here and there, but this live album is proof that the Runaways were a lot more rock band than Kim Fowley initially envisioned or ever really wanted to admit. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

The Runaways’ Home Page

The Soul of John Black: Black John

Leave a reply

thesoulofjohnblack_blackjohnSeamless blend of blues, R&B, funk and soul

The third album from guitarist John Bigham (Fishbone, Miles Davis) continues to explore the intersection of blues, R&B, funk and soul. Having co-founded the group with bassist Chris Thomas for 2003’s eponymous debut, he assumed the lion’s share of artistic control on 2007’s The Good Girl Blues, and here provides the songs, vocals, guitar and production. Blues and gospel provide the underlying progressions, but this is anything but “straight eight,” with electric bass and piano guiding the music towards the blend of soul, R&B and funk heard on the group’s first album. But neither is this a mash-up of styles, as the elements are smoothly absorbed into the whole, rather than stitched together patchwork-style. Bigham’s guitar is here, but it’s his elegant and thoughtful vocals that are the album’s star, with elements of Al Green, Prince, Sly Stone Lenny Kravitz, and Isaac Hayes all figuring into the results. Fans of old-school funk, ‘70s soul and contemporary blues will all find this to their liking. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Black John (Radio Edit)
The Soul of John Black’s Home Page
The Soul of John Black’s MySpace Page

Outrageous Cherry: Universal Malcontents

Leave a reply

outrageouscherry_universalmalcontentsUltra-catchy Detroit pop that pines for ‘70s UK sounds

This Detroit band’s been kicking around since the mid-90s, minting a string of albums that span mid-60s garage, bubblegum and California pop, 60s/70s/80s British Invasion, and moody modern fuzz rock, all written thick with catchy melodic hooks. In the same way that the Flamin’ Groovies expanded upon the sounds of the ‘60s, Outrageous Cherry expands on the same base with added waypoints that include the autumnal melancholy of Badfinger, Marmalade and The Association , the glam-cool space-age jokiness of Bowie, Jobriath, Sparks and Slade, revivalists like the Barracudas and Flying Color, and dashes of bubblegum’s bright highlights and psych’s production touches. Several of the tracks, such as “This Song Belongs to Everyone,” have the homebrew heart that was so prevalent on indie power-pop singles on the late 70s. Fans of Shoes, Stars in the Sky, Denny Ward, the Neighborhoods, Heats, Moberlys, Punts, Zippers and the entire Bomp Records catalog will be reminded of the first time you slapped their wax onto the turntable.

The band’s ninth full-length offers up superbly crafted slices of pop-rock that are ready for radio of an earlier time, an era lamented in the aptly titled “It’s Not Rock ‘n’ Roll (And I Don’t Like It).” College DJ’s all over the world must surely be lining this up as the third part of a triptych that opens with Stones’ “It’s Only Rock ‘n’ Roll” and Rubinoos’ “Rock ‘n’ Roll is Dead.” Disappointment bred of a decade in the music business also threads through the lost-love song “This Song Belongs to Everyone,” and a general farewell to youth is painted as metaphorical dusk in “Feels Like Shadows.” The band stretches out to eight-minutes for the psychedelic guitar jam “Outsider,” and closes with a realization that fealty to the past may only retard one’s step into the future. There’s irony to be found in retro melodies accompanying lyrics like “you never bring me nothing new” or “your memories won’t make you wise / your memories are a thin disguise,” but with melodies as good as the originals, who really cares? [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | It’s Not Rock ‘n’ Roll (And I Don’t Like It)
Outrageous Cherry’s MySpace Page

Ted Russell Kamp: Poor Man’s Paradise

Leave a reply

tedrussellkamp_poormansparadiseCountry, country rock and blues with a loose ‘70s vibe

Ted Russell Kamp is an L.A. session player and regular bass player for Shooter Jennings who’s released a string of solo albums that began with 1996’s jazz session Dedications. Nine years later he returned as a front man with a whole new sound that combined roots and rock. The rustic inflections saw him through NorthSouth, Nashville Fineline, Divisadero and now his latest, Poor Man’s Paradise. Kamp sings in a voice similar to Rodney Crowell, but the loose vibe of his music has its roots in the 1970s, the free-swinging twang of Nashville, the laid-back cool of California country-rock, and the Southern inflections of Florida’s Criteria Studios and Alabama’s Muscle Shoals. He even adds a one-man horn section of overdubbed trumpet and trombone on a few tracks. Kamp writes frequently on matters of the heart, including departed lovers still too close to be forgotten, couples staring at one another across a chasm of faith, and the contentedness of having your soul mate by your side. In league with his talents as a multi-instrumental, Kamp’s a genre-hopping songwriter, offering up southern rock (“Long Distance Man”), talking blues (“Ballad of That Guy,” with Marvin Etzioni picking mandolin) and blue-eyed soul (“Never Gonna Do You Wrong”), in addition to country-rock. Though he’s best served by the ballads and mid-tempo numbers, just about everything here is nicely crafted and worth a spin. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Just a Yesterday Away
Ted Russell Kamp’s Home Page

Gurf Morlix: Last Exit to Happyland

Leave a reply

gurfmorlix_lastexittohappylandQuietly intense, rough-voiced, sweet-sounding Americana

Gurf Morlix has produced many of the who’s who of Americana, including Lucinda Williams, Robert Earl Keen, and Ray Wylie Hubbard. He’s added guitar to works by Buddy Miller, Jim Lauderdale, Peter Case and others, and crafted a low-key solo career starting with 2000’s Toad of Titicaca. Morlix sings with a bit of Buddy Miller’s moan and a bit of Tom Waits’ grit, but his confessional exhalations are more the parched tone of a dusty back road than the worn sidewalks of the bowery. He sings here with Patty Griffin, Barbara K and Ruthie Foster, but most impressively, he sings with his own instrumental accompaniment, as he plays everything but the drums (which, as on 2004’s Cut ‘n Shoot, are handled perfectly by Rick Richards).

In less capable hands, a one-man-studio-band can sounds manufactured, with the artist’s secondary instruments slaved in tempo and mood to their primary axe. But Morlix approaches each instrument as a native, insuring each instrument’s sound has individual depth and character as it’s blended into an organic band sound. If you didn’t know this was the product of overdubbing, you’d be inclined to think it was recorded live – such is the interplay between the “players.” The arrangements and production show the sort of sensitivity to Morlix’s songs that could easily be sacrificed in a self-contained project. It’s not unusual for a writer to hear a song’s musical concept in his or her head, but it’s much rarer for the writer to successfully play and produce that sound into reality.

The album opens with a one-time killer’s path from armament to remorseful condemnation, freeze-framing the fatal bullet’s path, examining it in lyrical detail and tagging it with the conscience-nagging chorus “one more second, was all it woulda took / another thought, a closer look / the thunder cracked, and blood ran cold / one more second, mighta saved my soul.” Morlix’s facility for description stocks “She’s a River” with a dozen metaphors, and the allusive path of “Hard Road” is set upon with the memorable introduction “I set out on my own, look out here I come / Whatever there might be, I was gonna get me some / Pure gun powder, I was ready to explode / The fuse was lit, I was out on the hard road.” That same road may be the one Morlix resolutely walks into the teeth of Hurricane Katrina in “Walkin’ to New Orleans,” and the Crescent City’s blues is heard in the restless soul, low-twang and wailing backing vocal of “Drums of New Orleans.”

The edge in Morlix’s voice works just as well against lighter backings, such as the Shel Silverstein flavored “Music You Mighta Made” and the closing duet with Patty Griffin, “Voice of Midnight.” His songs are shot through with fatalism, but their tunefulness and Morlix’s inventive production keeps this from devolving into complete darkness. This is a beautifully crafted album from a thoughtful singer-songwriter whose producer and musicians (all of whom happen to be Morlix himself) add perfect musical color to his limited, but deeply soulful, vocal range. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | Hard Road
Gurf Morlix’s Home Page
Gurf Morlix MySpace Page

On Tour: The Lonely H

Leave a reply

Recently graduated from high school, this Washington state quartet is a throwback to the classic rock sound of the 1970s, including influences of Queen, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Savoy Brown and others. They’re touring the West throughout March:

March 5 San Diego, CA The Casbah*
March 6 Lake Forest, CA The Gypsy Lounge
March 7 San Francisco, CA Kimo’s*
March 8 Sacramento, CA Old Ironsides*
March 10 Portland, OR Lola’s*
March 11 Seattle, WA The Comet*
March 12  Spokane, WA The Blvd.*
March 13 Moscow, ID John’s Alley*
March 14 Salt Lake City, UT Bar Deluxe*
March 15 Boulder, CO B-Side Lounge*
March 17 Dallas, TX Granada Theatre

* With Dirty Sweet

Press Release
The Lonely H’s MySpace Page

Michael Martin Murphey: Buckaroo Blue Grass

Leave a reply

michaelmartinmurphey_buckaroobluegrassCountry-folk rides onto bluegrass

Michael Martin Murphey is forever lodged in the memories of pop fans for his 1975 hit “Wildfire.” And those who checked the credits of the Monkees’ Pisces, Aquarius, Capicorn & Jones Ltd. would have found him as the writer of the Mike Nesmith-sung “What Am I Doing Hangin’ ‘Round.” In contrast to this brief flirtation with the pop charts, Murphey’s career, before and after “Wildfire,” has been extensive. He co-founded the Lewis & Clark Expedition, recorded an album for the same Colgems label that produced the Monkees, and supplied songs to Flatt & Scruggs, Bobbie Gentry, and Kenny Rogers. He recorded a string of country-rock albums throughout the ‘70s, and after peaking with “Wildfire,” returned with “Carolina in the Pines.”

Murphey’s success on the country charts took off in the ‘80s, stoked in part by re-recordings of his earlier works. “Carolina in the Pines,” originally a modest hit in 1976, became a full-fledged country top-10 with a 1985 reworking. As the ‘80s waned, so did Murphey’s country chart success, and in 1990 he waxed Cowboy Songs, the first of several albums mixing Western standards with original contributions to the canon. On 2001’s Playing Favorites he took yet another pass at “Wildfire” and “Carolina in the Pines,” setting in place a pattern of reinterpreting fan favorites. This time out, Murphey sets two new tunes (“Lone Cowboy” and “Close to the Land”) and nine earlier works to acoustic bluegrass arrangements, once again discovering new layers in the fan favorites.

Thirty years after his first pass at “Carolina in the Pines,” Murphey’s voice adds an appealing edge. Dropping the ‘70s drums and guitars leaves the banjo, guitar, bass and fiddle to create an earthier mood. The same is true for “Cherokee Fiddle,” whose 1976 original was turned into a hit for Johnny Lee on the Urban Cowboy soundtrack; as reworked here it’s a twangy concoction of fiddle, guitar, mandolin and banjo. Murphey reaches all the way back to 1972 for “Boy from the Country,” adding a fiddle and mandolin to the original singer-songwriter arragnement.

Others have taken Murphey’s songs for a bluegrass spin, such as Dwight McCall’s recent take on “Lost River,” but it’s a joy to hear Murphey cut his own mountain groove through the song with Rhonda Vincent singing harmony. His new version of “What Am I Doing Hanging Around,” written from life at the age of 19, is now a terrifically nostalgic memory at age 63. Murphey’s fans already know what a treat it is to hear him add perspective to his catalog, and those who lost track after “Wildfire” will find this a terrific reintroduction. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

Listen to Buckaroo Blue Grass
Michael Martin Murphey’s Home Page