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Another stroll with Walter Egan

24 Wednesday Feb 2021

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Apocolypso Now, Boogie Nights, Fascination, Fundamental Roll, HiFi, Magnet and Steel, Myth America, Not Shy, Raw Elegant, True Songs, Walter Egan, Walternative, Wild Exhibitions

Edgy powerpop guitar god Chris Church hepped me to a new release from Walter Egan. That surprised me a bit as Egan is neither very power poppy nor edgy. But, hey, it’s good to be surprised. The tip sent me down a research rabbit hole of discovery, scouring Egan’s whole back catalogue and the results were delightfully surprising. Like many people, Walter Egan was essentially that one killer single for me, “Magnet and Steel.” When I re-heard it on the 1997 Boogie Nights soundtrack it totally transported me back to 1978 AM radio and that slick but oh-so-addictive California melodic-rock sound of Fleetwood Mac, Warren Zevon, Egan and others. Kinda made me wonder what else he’d been up to over the years. Well two decades later I’m here to report that Egan was and is much more than a ‘one-hit wonder.’ Over the course to 12 albums or so he’s amassed an impressive collection of memorable tunes.

Let’s start with Egan’s new album Fascination. Man, he’s still got it. The opening bars of “I’m with the Girl” sound so Asylum Records 1977 and once the vocal harmonies kick in it’s like anything Linda Ronstadt or the Everly’s might have put out in the period. Meanwhile “A Fool in Love” bolts out the gate like any should-be hit single will do, the songwriting strong and the arrangement a winner, carried by a relentless guitar hook. Now this record is not some late in life career revival for Egan. Really, he never went away. But his recorded output does seem to be limited to three distinct periods: early career releases from 1977 to 1983, a spate of LPs turned out from 1999 to 2002, and a more recent cache of records from 2011 to the present. The albums try out different styles but never stray far from a California pop meets retro rock and roll formula. And I’m Ok with that.

I’m with the Girl
A Fool in Love

Egan’s 1977 debut Fundamental Roll was produced by Lindsay Buckingham and it shows, all shiny acoustic guitars, tasty electric guitar lead lines, and exquisite background vocal support from Stevie Nicks, the latter nicely showcased on the majestic “Won’t You Say You Will.” His breakthrough 1978 album Not Shy is so much more than just “Magnet and Steel.” “Hot Summer Nights” has a stop-what-you’re-doing cool opener that builds incredibly, helped by those ghostly background ‘oohs’. The vibe from this track so reminds me of John Stewart’s “Gold” from the same period. 1979’s HiFi was supposed to solidify Egan as a hitmaker but the record seemed to fall between audiences. Personally I love the tentative new wave sprinkled throughout this record, and very apparent on “Like You Do” with its interesting song structure (particularly the twist in the chorus). Record labels would give artists a bit more rope back in the day but the clock was ticking for Egan to get back on the charts. Alas neither 1980s The Last Stroll or 1983’s Wild Exhibitions did the trick – but it wasn’t for lack of trying. Both records had great songs, like “Motel Broken Hearts” on TLS or “Fool Moon Fire” from WE.

Won’t You Say You Will
Hot Summer Nights
Like You Do
Motel Broken Hearts
Fool Moon Fire

The 1980s and 1990s witnessed Egan mostly contributing to other people’s tours and albums. But 1999’s Walternative kicked off a recording comeback, the first of a quick trio of albums that saw Egan charting some new musical territory, like the reggae-infused pop of “There Goes My Girl.” Or the very Fleetwood Mac Rumours acoustic twinge all over “The Loneliest Boy” from 2001’s Mad Dog. 2002’s Apocalypso Now carried on with the acoustic theme on songs like “Time and the Rain” and the beautiful instrumental “Lullaby” but also rocked out with solid hooky singles like “The Reason Why.”

There Goes My Girl
The Loneliest Boy
The Reason Why

Egan’s most recent recording period emerged in 2011 with Raw Elegant, a record that is largely unavailable. Even Egan’s website admits it’s a rarity! 2014’s Myth America has a great title and artwork (featured above) and songs that might best be cast in the Americana tradition. Egan’s vocal on “Time the Master” has a lovely vulnerable quality that suits the low key melody. By 2017 Egan was back to an acoustic feel on “Old Photographs” from True Songs.

Time the Master
Old Photographs

Walter Egan’s a musical survivor. He had a gargantuan hit that movie-makers still reach out for to paint that perfect late 1970s tableau. But he’s a whole lot more than that one song, as his sporadic recording career ably demonstrates. Take a stroll with Egan’s new record or any of the albums featured here and hear it for yourself.

The painting above (which adorns the Myth America album) is actually by Walter Egan. What a beauty!

This is Steve and Ed: Swallowing the Sun and “Paper Boats”

21 Sunday Feb 2021

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Cycles, Ed Woltil, One in my Tree, Paper Boat, Steve Robinson, Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil, Swallowing the Sun

Steve Robinson and Ed Woltil, two great tastes that go great together. Or separately. Their 2015 duo release Cycles was pretty special, particularly “Love Somebody” and “The Boy From Down the Hill.” Since then they’ve released solo work, like Ed’s fab 2020 album One in My Tree. And sources tell me (thanks Ed!) that a new duo record is in the works. But right now both men have got great solo efforts worthy of a deep thesaurus dive to find the appropriate superlatives.

Robinson’s Swallowing the Sun just gives me a good good feeling, like a snatch of warm sunshine somehow embedded in song. With help from Woltil, XTC’s Dave Gregory and others, the sound ranges from mid-period Beatles to XTC to classic English folky pop. The album kicks off with “Sorry Amsterdam” whose chorus sounds so mid-1970s Wings to me. From there Robinson spends a lot of time working a Beatles/XTC axis, a bit of Revolver on “Wild God” and oh so much Harrison pedal steel guitar throughout “Quiet One,” or a Mummer vibe on “Make You Mine” or Nonesuch for “Smiling Delirious.” Sometimes the two sonic pallets collide, as when Robinson has a “Lady Madonna” piano driving the playful XTC feel of “Mr. Empty Head.” “Needle in the Red” changes things up with a more Neil Finn/Crowded House style. And then there’s the folk side Steve Robinson. “Milk and a Dash” reminds me of just about every mid-1960s English beat group – Herman’s Hermits, Manfred Mann, The Hollies, etc. – whose records usually included some obligatory R&B and classic folk workouts. But they always had a delightfully earnest – very listenable – pop quality to them. ‘Bah, bah, bah …’ indeed! But then “Proud of Our Love” shifts folk genres, mining a sophisticated English folk scene I associate more with the likes of Roy Harper and John Martyn. Ten years is a long time to wait for a Robinson solo album but if Swallowing the Sun is the end product, so be it. Seems you just can’t rush this kind of good thing.

Meanwhile, as well as contributing to Steve’s just released record, Ed’s got his own album to do. In fact, all this year Woltil plans to release a new single every month, culminating in an album drop by year’s end. The project is off to a great start with the endearing slice of retro songwriting captured in “Paper Boat.” This is a kind of stylistic impressionism we might link with Paul McCartney or Billy Joel, though the song itself has an emotional depth I associate more with Randy Newman’s soundtrack work. Truly, a perfect little song given a masterful, under-stated performance.

Get closer to Steve and Ed and spend a little time with these recordings via their respective solo and joint internet properties hyperlinked above.

Meet the Blendours!

14 Monday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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In the Living Room, No Respect, The Blendours, Trevor Treiber, Wrong Generation

This past month it seems like the Blendours are everywhere, featured on a host of podcasts and music blogs. Who are these guys and why is everyone suddenly discovering them? Ok, the latter half of the question escapes me but the first part is easily researched. Iowa’s newest hitmakers are actually old pros on the pop punk scene with releases stretching back to 2011. Meeting the actual band won’t take long – they are essentially songwriter, singer, main (often sole) musician Trevor Treiber, with guests from time to time. Reckoning with their extensive catalogue – 15 or so albums, depending on how you count them – is more daunting. But here you can relax as yours truly has needle-dropped his way through all the albums to curate a special collection of the band’s material. I wouldn’t claim this is a definitive collection but there’s more than enough featured here to meet the Blendours!

The early Blendours’ records embody what commentators have called ‘Ramones-core,’ a sound capturing the urgent yet simple rhythm guitar attack of America’s favourite punk band. Yet there has always been a sweet goofiness to the Blendours output too, enhanced by Treiber’s penchant for harmony vocals.  You can hear the fun ‘I’m not taking this too seriously’ approach on tracks like “Miley and Me,” “Cheapskate” “Comic Shoppe,” and “Fastfood Queen.” But at the same time you can also spot the serious attention to strong structure as the band nails the early 1960s melodrama sound on “Now That’s He’s Gone” and “I Miss You Baby.” There’s more than a little of Gene Pitney’s histrionics on “More Than a Game” or a total American Grafitti vibe to “Trail of Broken Hearts.”

As the albums pile up the songwriting gains melodic depth. There is something very Magnetic Fields about songs like “I Blew It Again” or Edmunds-Lowe/Rockpile-ish on “I’m in Love with Mary-Sue.” Guitar leads start to take on more prominence on tracks like “She’s My Girl” and “A Girl Like You.” Then there’s really creative efforts that stretch the limits of conventional song structures like “99 Lives,” “Cut My Hair” and “Throw My Brain Away” (the latter with a nice Beatlesque twist). Meanwhile, Treiber’s love of doo wop and fifties motifs run throughout his career on songs like “Toddler Stomp” and “Metal Rebel.”

The Blendours more recent albums bring all their many influences together in a dynamic, more polished synthesis. 2016’s In the Living Room is like Beach Boys Party meets Jonathan Sings! in its combination of an easy groove, catchy melodies, and a new lyrical sophistication. Treiber’s pop punkster is giving way to a new millennium reincarnation of Buddy Holly on tracks like “She’s Got Another One” and “Listen to Your Heart.” And then there’s 2019’s Wrong Generation – man, I’m in love with this record! In a way The Blendours come full circle here, returning to mostly acoustic guitar strumming and inspired vocal interplay to carry the day but somehow managing to sound like so much more. The title track is rocking boogie number that reads like Treiber’s musical manifesto. There’s an vocal vulnerability animating “My One and Only” that gives the song so much more impact. This is a band not just goofing off anymore. Meanwhile “Different Kind of Love” nails an early 1960s pop country sound. If you were to buy only one Blendours album, you wouldn’t go wrong with Wrong Generation. It’s the band’s most fully realized piece of creativity. On the other hand, if you prefer punk, the band can still punk out. Check out “What To Say To You” from 2017’s No Respect.

As the band say on their Facebook page, their “sound will make you feel like a teenager cruising the strip before your high school dance.” You can make that your car soundtrack by visiting the Blendours on bandcamp.

The splendiferous Nick Frater

04 Friday Dec 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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59 Vignettes, Fast & Loose, Nick Frater

Nick Frater certainly keeps himself busy. In the summer he launched an ambitious video and audio project 59 Vignettes, an endeavor that reminded me of John Dos Passos’ USA Trilogy in its effort to recalibrate fiction along emerging cinematic lines. Few of the contributions here exceed one minute and the accompany videos highlight the fragmentary, impressionistic feel of the pieces. There are a few more fully formedl song sketches on the record, tracks like “Number Name Unknown” and “In Another Song.” Some vibe McCartney on “Pay You Next Time” or even the Rolling Stones on “Fading Stones.” Other efforts are more experimental, like “Chiff Intermission” and “The Pelican Song (Wow and Flutter version).” Then there’s some fairly straightforward poprock numbers, like “Under Hogarth Skies.” But, given what came later, 59 Vignettes was clearly just a bit of fun, a diversion before Frater dropped his 2020 album proper.

On his more conventional record release for 2020 Fast & Loose, Frater lets his 1970s pop sensibility fly in grand style. The opening title track is practically a love letter to those 1970s TV themes. Then he kicks in with “Let’s Hear it for Love,” an anthem for our times that draws from a decidedly early 1980s ABBA vibe. Shifting gears, I love how the organ shots on “Luna” propels that song along. From there Frater showcases his talent for 1970s motifs with a bit of McCartney on “Cocaine Girls, some ELO on “So Now We’re Here” (with that great organ solo), and a spot-on 1970s pop feel to “California Waits.” But there are a few surprises, like the older ballroom sound on songs like “Endless Summertime Blues” and “That Ship Has Sailed.”

It’s always a splendid outing with Nick Frater. From the design, to the production, to the solid songwriting the results are routinely both eye and ear-catching, stylish and substantive. Mosey over the Frater-ville and you won’t miss a thing.

Nick Lowe’s Abominable Showmen Revue

13 Friday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Bill Kirchen, Brinsley Schwarz, Christie McWilson, Dave Edmunds, Elvis Costello, Esther Rose, Kippington Lodge, Little Village, Los Straightjackets, Martin Belmont, Nick Lowe, Paul Carrack, Rick Shea, Rockpile, Ron Sexsmith, Wilco

Nick Lowe definitely likes having a crew to hang with. His many solo records often feature the same names popping up again and again, some from former bands like Brinsley Schwarz and Rockpile, or just people he’s picked up along the way like Paul Carrack and Bill Kirchen. Now if only we could bring them all together in a huge Nick Lowe ‘abominable showmen’ revue …  What a show that would be! Well, given the present pandemic state-of-the-world and myriad contractual conflicts and obligations that such an undertaking might bring up, my dream show seems unlikely. But nothing is stopping us from showcasing all that talent right here.

We kick off the show with Nick, of course. He’s got a fantastic new single, a cover of Garnet Mimms and the Enchanters’ 1963 tune, “A Quiet Place.” It’s another example of Nick’s amazing ability to breathe new life into rare oldies, backed once again by his recent stellar backers, Los Straightjackets. Compared to the original, Nick takes the song out of its original Sam Cooke-soul register, pushing a more Arthur Alexander country-soul feel. It’s a delightfully mellow and melodic rendition, highlighting Lowe’s masterly of the ‘roll’ side of rock and roll.

Career-wise, it’s clear that Nick’s a joiner. He’d just got a look in on the pop psychedelia of Kippington Lodge and wrote their only decent single of original material, “I Can See Her Face,” before the band morphed into Brinsley Schwarz. Fairly quickly, Lowe became their main singer and songwriter. But listen to their cover of The Hollies “Now’s the Time” from 1974’s New Favourites of Brinsely Schwarz to hear him working closely on the vocals with Ian Gomm, the band’s other main singer/songwriter (who famously cowrote Nick’s biggest solo hit, “Cruel to be Kind”). Nick’s next band was Rockpile, a group that recorded either one or six albums, depending on how you count them. Basically, contractual difficulties meant that most ‘Rockpile’ albums were credited to either Lowe or Dave Edmunds as solo artists with only 1980’s Seconds of Pleasure an official release. From the 1976 Edmunds release Get It Nick and Dave nail an updated 1960s-meets-new wave sound on “Here Comes the Weekend,” a song they co-wrote. Nick’s last stab at joining a group involved John Hiatt and Ry Cooder in the ill-fated Little Village project. The high hopes for a band with this combined talent failed to materialize, record-sales-wise. Too bad – Nick’s “Take Another Look” definitely showcases the band’s considerable talents.

Kippington Lodge – I Can See Her Face
Brinsley Schwarz – Now’s The Time
Little Village – Take Another Look

Outside of joining bands, Nick loves duets and guest appearances. He’s played on countless records by other people and they’ve returned the favour. He produced, performed on, and co-wrote a number of songs for Paul Carrack’s super solo album, Suburban Voodoo and Paul appeared in Nick’s backing band throughout most of the 1980s. I love their duet on “Wish You Were Here” from Nick’s 1983 record The Abominable Showman. Another artist Nick has spent a lot of time with over the years is Elvis Costello, producing his first five albums and one more later on. The two do a lovely cover of The Shirelles/Beatles song “Baby It’s You.” Old Brinsley Schwarz friends like guitar player Martin Belmont also reappear on Nick’s solo records. In return, Nick does the vocals on a somewhat different version of “A Man in Love” (a song from Nick’s 2007 At My Age record) on Belmont’s 2009 album, The Guest List. And then there’s people like Bill Kirchen, former member of Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen and early Americana performer. His collaborations with Nick stretch from the 1970s to the present. “Shelly’s Winter Love” is a trio performance featuring Kirchen, Lowe and Carrack on vocals. The title sounds like classic Nick wordplay but it’s actually a cover of a Merle Haggard song from 1971.

Nick Lowe and Elvis Costello – Baby It’s You
Martin Belmont and Nick Lowe – A Man in Love
Bill Kirchen, Nick Lowe and Paul Carrack – Shelly’s Winter Love

Our show will need opening acts, of course, and here’s a chance to showcase artists that may not have worked with Nick officially but have either joined him live or delivered great covers of his songs. Two Nick Lowe tribute albums give us some direction here. Christie McWilson and Rick Shea offer up a lovely country-fied performance of “Never Been in Love” from 2005’s Lowe Profile: A Tribute to Nick Lowe while Ron Sexsmith puts his distinctive stamp on “Where’s My Everything” from the 2012 collection, Lowe Country: The Songs of Nick Lowe. Of course, if we’re aiming big, we could try to get Wilco to show with their 2011 take on Nick’s “I Love My Label.” More recently Esther Rose offers up an inspired reworking of one of Nick’s more recent songs, “Blue on Blue” from his 2019 EP Love Starvation/Trombone. Of course, if such an event as this could be pulled off the most appropriate opening act would be Los Straightjackets. Their 2017 album of guitar instrumental versions of choice cuts from Lowe’s catalogue, (What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding, is outa-sight.

Christie McWilson and Rick Shea – Never Been in Love
Ron Sexsmith – Where’s My Everything
Esther Rose – Blue on Blue
Los Straightjackets – (What’s So Funny About) Peace, Love and Understanding

I got to see Nick Lowe live in each of the past three decades, on the Impossible Bird tour, playing solo with Geraint Watkins, and more recently with Los Straightjackets, and every time was special. My ‘abominable showmen’ review is unlikely to ever ‘tread the boards’ as Nick might say, but I’ll always have the records and the memories of those great shows. In the meantime, visit the above mentioned artists and don’t forget to drop in on Nick too.

Elvis Costello’s (Punch the) Clockface

01 Sunday Nov 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Elvis Costello, Hey Clockface

Elvis Costello’s 31st album will undoubtedly divide fans. If you liked the more somber mood of Imperial Bedroom, The Juliet Letters, Painted From Memory, and North then Hey Clockface is probably going to work for you. Fans of Elvis’ rockier material do get a look in here on “No Flag,” a driving vamp not unlike “Tokyo Storm Warning” but with a few more melodic twists. But that’s about it. The rest of Hey Clockface is a cross between a jazzy beat poet-like spoken word slam (“Revolution #49,” “Radio is Everything,” and “Hetty O’Hara Confidential”) and a master-class in delicate songwriting craft and performance. As reader David Blumenstein cleverly quipped, the record is more ‘Eclectic Costello than Elvis.’

Most of the tunes here effortlessly conjure up a scene. “I Do (Zula’s Song)” sounds like a noir novel reads, with horns that transport you to some foggy late-night street scene somewhere. The once angry young man is now a master of the light touch, hanging clever lyrics over a very spare approach to instrumentation on lovely tracks like “What Is It That I Need That I Don’t Already Have?” and “They’re Not Laughing At Me Now.” But Costello really saves the best for last with the gorgeous piano ballad, “Byline.” The song is just one vivid example on this record of Costello’s still impressive vocal stylings. Listeners expecting another Armed Forces or Spike won’t find it here. But fans willing to grow with their artist will find in Hey Clockface a challenging collection of dynamic, sometimes jazzy, often tender songs and performances from an artist that now certainly warrants the appellation ‘mature.’

I Do (Zula’s Song)
They’re Not Laughing At Me Now
Byline

It’s not hard to find Elvis Costello. Hey Clockface is a chance to get reacquainted with a master who’s still got game.

Playing The Outfield

28 Wednesday Oct 2020

Posted by Dennis Pilon in Artist Spotlight

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Play Deep, Say It Isn't So, The Basball Boys, The Outfield, Your Love

The sudden death of The Outfield bassist/vocalist Tony Lewis recently had me pulling my vinyl copy the band’s 1985 debut Play Deep for renewed turntable attention. Man, I loved that album, particularly the record’s first single and opening cut, “Say It Isn’t So.” Despite a rather heavy-handed 1980s production sound, the LP is eminently listenable, chock full of hooky poprock tunes. To read the media notices of Lewis’ passing you might think the band only had one hit, their lone US top ten single, “Your Love.” But over the course of seven albums they actually hit the charts numerous times, though arguably never with the same impact of that first release. Today I’m playing The Outfield to highlight some overlooked deep cuts and worthwhile alternative versions of their hits.

Let’s start at the beginning with a recently released album of early demos named after an early incarnation of the band, The Baseball Boys: Early Demos and Rare Tracks. The recordings here feature a more straight ahead, less bombastic version of the band, shorn of most of those 1980s production tricks that can make the era’s records sound so dated. Check out the fresh sound on this version of “Say It Isn’t So” or the jangle on “Looking for a Girl” or the indie vibe on “Don’t Tell Me.” Not only do these recordings show the band as great players but they demonstrate how any band can go in multiple directions, depending on circumstances, fashion and luck.

Say It Isn’t So (early version)
Looking for a Girl
Don’t Tell Me

If people know The Outfield, they probably know Play Deep. As the rest of the catalogue remains a mystery to most fans, let alone the occasional listener, let’s focus there. From the band’s second album 1987’s Bangin’ I like the spare airiness of “Better Than Nothing.”  1989 brought Voices of Babylon with its title-track single but I’m more drawn to the straight up hooks of “My Paradise.” By the early 1990s the band had shifted from Columbia to MCA records but the basic poppy shimmery-guitar-plus-harmony-vocals formula stayed the same. From this period, I love “Young Love,” a song that tweaks the formula, sounding a bit like 1970s-era April Wine in hit mode. By the late 1990s the band released an album to their fan club (later released commercially) with a looser, less produced sound, apparent on great tracks like “My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend.” Two more albums followed in the new millennium, still delivering on the band’s signature sound, showcased nicely “There She Goes.”

Better Than Nothing
My Paradise
Young Love
My Girlfriend’s Girlfriend
There She Goes

Main songwriter John Spinks died in 2014 and now with the death of lead singer Tony Lewis The Outfield’s story has definitely drawn to a close. But, as demonstrated here, there’s more to the story than a one-hit wonder. Who knows, more recordings might emerge, like this recently-released, nice acoustic version of their mega-hit “Your Love.”

Your Love (acoustic)

And, of course, you can visit The Outfield online, probably forever.

Mike Viola’s Creepster

22 Thursday Oct 2020

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Creepster, Drug Rug, Godmuffin, Lurch, Mike Viola

Mike Viola has a new album coming out in early December but we can’t wait for that. What with a spooky seasonal event nearly upon us, how can we not draw attention to Viola’s wonderfully creepy melodic side. Now I’m taking some liberties here but it seems to me that Viola has a thing for monsters, particularly the biting kind. And he was a Candy Butcher, after all. As such, I’m assembling a few Viola tracks into a completely unsanctioned EP I’m calling Creepster (nicely rhymes with T Rex’s “Jeepster”).

Just look at the evidence. Viola’s new album might bear the angelic-sounding title Godmuffin but the advance single features him as a vampire lurking around California swimming pools and abandoned streets. “Drug Rug” is a slow burn earm-worm, it sneaks up and lashes out with a subtle killer hook in the chorus. Speaking of creepy, another track from the new album is just called “Creeper,” a loving tribute to his late friend Adam Schlesinger. Then there’s “Bitten and Cursed,” a single he put out in 2018. Here the protagonist has a ‘bed like a hearse’ but ‘doesn’t sleep’ because ‘tonight I’m changing’ with ‘blood on my shirt’. Not hard to paint a picture here. Even the b-side, the wonderfully guitar-ringing “It Does a Number on My Brain,” sounds pretty spooky. Then casting back to Viola’s most recent prior album The American Egypt there’s a song about “Bat Girl Panties.” No, I don’t really know what it’s about but it mentions bats and Halloween so it’s in.

Bitten and Cursed
It Does a Number on my Brain
Bat Girl Panties

I came to Mike Viola’s work through Lurch, his 2007 poprock tour de force. I loved the McCartney-esque turns on “Stawberry Blonde” and especially the hooky “So Much Better.” Since then Viola has embarked on a series of musical adventures that have taken him a bit far from that 1960s melody-drenched sound. However, as the evidence from my rogue Viola EP Creepster demonstrates, the hookster is definitely back in town. Can’t wait for the new album!

Check out Mike Viola at his website and Facebook page. Don’t make him come looking for you.

It’s 1965 again with The Rockyts

16 Friday Oct 2020

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Come and Dance, The Rockyts

Drop the needle on The Rockyts debut album and you’d think the basic operating system for this band is The Beatles “I Saw Her Standing There.” They’ve got that early Beatles’ rock and roll rhythm down. But before long the opening cut “All of the Time” has morphed to include a distinctly American take on the Beatles that’s akin to work from the Beau Brummels and the Cyrkle. Throughout its brief 25 minutes, Come and Dance works this trans-Atlantic beat music seam brilliantly.

Forget the Barracudas 1985 album (I Wish It Could Be) 1965 Again, with The Rockyts it is 1965 again. The combination of originals and covers are so authentically mid-1960s in style and performance it hard to believe the band are barely old enough to drive. Lead songwriter Jeremy Abboud’s originals really capture the period, without sounding merely derivative. The new songs are like stumbling over some great lost singles from one of your fave artists. The covers are equally inspired, bringing a new ferocity to some past classics. And there’s a cheekiness here too. I love how the band drop a hint of “I Want to Hold Your Hand” into “I Want To Be With You” (a hooky tune that adds Buddy Holly inflections to a driving Beatles rocking beat) or a flash of “Twist and Shout” during “Come On and Dance.” And then there’s “Break My Heart Again,” a should-be hit single to my ear with its great guitar lines and fab harmony vocals.  

I Want to be With You
Break My Heart Again

It’s interesting to compare The Rockyts’ covers to the originals. Their version of the Gestures 1965 minor hit “Run Run Run” adds a bit more garage grit to the performance while their take on The Sonics “Have Love Will Travel” is smoother and more solid. Personally I think the band’s version of the Dave Clark Five’s “Can’t You See She’s Mine” adds a bit more life to the song. The covers of The Knickerbocker’s “Lies” and The Easybeats “She’s So Fine” both capture the dance fun of the tunes. All the covers are from 1965 but the Dave Clark Five single (which charted in 1964). I can’t wait to see what the band make of 1966!

Run Run Run

Come On and Dance is a driving slab of mid-1960s Beatlesque excitement. The future of the past is in good hands with these boys. Check out The Rockyts on their website and Facebook.

Go Go’s going solo

12 Monday Oct 2020

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Belinda Carlisle, Charlotte Caffey, Gina Schock, House of Schock, Jane Weidlin, Kathy Valentine, The Blue Bonnets, The Delphines, The Go Go's, The Graces

Taking apart The Go Go’s and exploring their solo work really highlights how much the band is a synthesis of their different and very talented individual musical personalities. No one is free riding here. Everybody is pulling the band’s music in a slightly different direction, which helps explain how they arrive in such a unique space creatively. It’s why The Go Go’s are an amazing band. But solo, each Go Go is pretty damn good too. In this whirlwind take on The Go Go’s going solo, we’ll eschew the hits to focus more on some special deep cuts from the various releases.

Rhythm guitarist and contributing songwriter Jane Weidlin was the first to leave the band and the first to release a solo album, both in 1985. Scanning her solo records it’s clear that Weidlin was the quirky alt and art rock influence on The Go Go’s. Think Sparks, the Talking Heads, Television – that sort of stuff. From her self-titled debut I like her cover of Wire Train’s “I Will Wait For You.” You hear a strong Kate Bush tinge to her vocals. On 1987’s Fur “Give” grabs me, probably because it’s the most Go Go’s-ish of the songs, with guitars more up front than the rest of the album’s more synthy polish. 1990’s Tangled features at least two marvelous deep cuts, the beautiful co-write with Cyndi Lauper and Richard Orange on “Paper Heart” and the wonderful jangly “Big Rock Candy Mountain” (no relation to the folk song). 1998’s Very Best of Jane Weidlin includes a lovely stripped-down version of “Our Lips Are Sealed.” Weidlin’s vocal has a brittle intimacy, revealing further nuances of a song she co-wrote with Terry Hall of The Specials.

Jane Weidlin – I Will Wait For You
Jane Weidlin – Give!
Jane Weidlin – Paper Heart
Jane Weidlin – Our Lips Are Sealed

No one was really too worried about a Belinda Carlisle solo career. Band vocalists are up front and, rightly or wrongly, often seen as the star of any band. Then again, Carlisle was the only member not to contribute much in the way of songwriting. But she hit the ground running in 1986, charting numerous hits over the next decade. Carlisle’s solo career marks her as the most commercial influence on the Go Go’s. From her self-titled debut album I love the Motown-esque “I Never Wanted a Rich Man.” From her monster hit album Heaven on Earth, I’d select “Should I Let You In” with its Go Go’s guitar resonance. Then turning to her many subsequent albums I’d single out Real, a record that reunited her with Caffey as her principal songwriter. That resulted in a slew of great song performances like “Goodbye Day” and “Lay Down Your Arms.”

Belinda Carlisle – I Never Wanted to Marry a Rich Man
Belinda Carlisle – Should I Let You In
Belinda Carlisle – Lay Down Your Arms

Lead guitar player Charlotte Caffey wrote the lion’s share of the Go Go’s material, which makes her slight solo releases somewhat surprising. She certainly wasn’t idle, regularly contributing material to Carlisle’s solo albums as well as other performers. Her biggest solo endeavor was as a member of the Graces whose 1989 album is possibly closest thing to a Go Go’s album from one of the band members. The 1989 LP Perfect View has two bona fide should be hits, the title track “Perfect View” and “Lay Down Your Arms.” Personally, I love the guitar rumble and vocal work on “Should I Let You In.” Given all these great contributions, an actual solo album from Caffey would have been most welcome.

The Graces – Should I Let You In

Bass player Kathy Valentine’s solo work underlines how she clearly brought an indie and roots-rock influence to the band. Her prior work to the Go Go’s with The Textones certainly illustrates this, particularly on the original version of “Vacation.” Valentine’s two post Go Go’s bands showcase her versatility with The Blue Bonnets “Don’t Pass Me By” exuding the rough charm of Chrissie Hynde’s early Pretenders work while The Delphines has a smoother melodic rock feel on tracks like “Crazy.” Her 2005 solo record Light Years had a nice spartan Go Go’s feel, particularly on songs like the Beatles-y “Getting By.” More recently Valentine has been taking her work in a more experimental direction. In 2016 she put a beat poet swagger into the single “In My Closet” while in 2020 she created a full-on book/music synthesis with the autobiography/album All I Ever Wanted: A Rock ‘n’ Roll Memoir. Check out the hooky cut-and-paste technique animating the chapter 17 song selection “Regular Format.”

The Blue Bonnets – Don’t Pass My By
Kathy Valentine – Getting By
Kathy Valentine – Regular Format

Drummer Gina Schock kept busy after the Go Go’s initial break up, playing with other bands (guesting on drums with Norwegian band a-ha, among others). People worry about drummers when a band breaks up because, typically, they’re not the songwriters or the vocal focus of the band. I mean, even Ringo’s career took a dive when the quality material from John, Paul and George dried up post-1975. But Schock impressed a lot people when her new band House of Schock released a pretty polished album in 1987. Give “Middle of Nowhere” a listen and see if you don’t hear elements of The Motels’ sophisticated style here and there. She went on to become a songwriting powerhouse for a wide variety of performers.

House of Schock – Middle of Nowhere

Checking out the Go Go’s solo work really underlines how the band functions as a team, with each member contributing something important to the mix. They’re all musicians, songwriters, singers and kick-ass live rock and roll performers. They made history as the first all-female band writing and playing their own songs. But they’ve remained popular because they’re great by any measure. Can’t wait for the new album!

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