* Sin & Soul... And Then Some by Oscar Brown Jr. I sought this album out mainly for a song called "Mr. Kicks." It portrays the devil as a one snazzy, jazzy cat with a slick, bongo-beatin' early '60s style. "Permit me to introduce myself ..." the narrator says. I bet The Rolling Stones heard this before they wrote "Sympathy For the Devil" a few years later.

But that's just one of  the great songs here. It starts off with "The Work Song," which Brown co-wrote with trumpeter Nat Adderly. There's also a vocal version of Mongo Santamaria's "Afro Blue" (I'm most familair with John Coltrane's version) and  a song called "Watermelon Man" -- which isn't the Herbie Hancock standard, which came out around the same time (later becoming a hit for Santamaria.).

 And most stunning is "Bid 'em In" This is an a capella song, except for occasional drum beat, in which the narrator is a slave auctioneer. "She's healthy and strong and well-equipped/ make a fine lady's maid when she's properly whipped," he sings of one of the slaves on the auction block.

Before he was a recording artist, Brown was a journalist and political activist. As a teenager in Chicago, he was a writer for Studs Terkel's radio show Secret City. In 1944 Brown hosted Negro Newsfront, America's first black radio news broadcast. He ran for Illinois state Legislature and for U.S. Congress, but lost. He'd been a member of the Communist Party but left -- or kicked out -- in the mid 1950s, partly because of his concerns over the puritanical nature of the party and what he considered their stifling of creativity and art. But Brown, who died in 2005, remained active in protesting the Iraq War.

This album is a great introduction to this fascinating artist.

* Curry Up It's The Tandoori Knights by The Tandoori Knights. Canadian rockabilly Bloodshot Bill might be the logical person to step in and heal the rift between King Khan and BBQ.

After all, just this year he's released records with both -- recording as The Ding Dongs with BBQ (Mark Sultan) and as The Tandoori Knights with Khan. Maybe he could instigate the melding of the two -- a trio called "The Tandoori Dongs."

If I had to choose between the two, Tandoori Knights would get my nod. It's got the same spirit of lo-fi rockabilly zaniness as The Ding-Dongs. But there's also a flavor of East Indian exotica here.

Plus I like their sour-grapes dismissal of DIck Clark on the song "Bandstand."


* The Kudzu Ranch by Southern Culture on the Skids. Some folks dismiss Southern Culture on the Skids as a novelty act. I’ve probably done it a couple of times myself.

After all, for more than 20 years the musicians have cultivated a goofy faux-hillbilly image wearing funny hats, cheap sunglasses, backwoods/thriftshop clothes — and singer/bassist Mary Huff sports a beehive that would frighten most bees.

The only thing is, while they’re plenty funny, these North Carolinians are real musicians. As a trio (most of the time), SCOTS is a tight little outfit, playing a unique blend of country, rockabilly, surf, swampy R & B, garage, occasionally bluegrass, and exotica. Huff has a voice as big as her hair (I always hope for more songs where she sings lead), and Rick Miller is a fine rock ’n’ roll guitarist.

See my full review HERE

Plus
I spent a more than usual amount of my credits on stray tunes instead of full albums like I usually do.

* Two songs from Rare Rock N' Roll Masters, namely "Monster's Holiday" by The Plainsmen (a rocking version of my favorite Buck Owens novelty Halloween hit) and "Mojo Workout" by Larry Bright, just so I could share it with my pals on Real Punk Radio's Mojo Workout show. There's some other interesting looking stuff on this collection, as well as some crap ("Bingo" by Pat Boone for instance. Why was he trying to lead the children astray into the dismal world gambling addiction?)

* Speaking of Halloween, I downloaded three tunes from Halloween Classics: Songs That Scared The Bloomers Off Your Great-Grandma just for my radio shows. I got "With Her Head Tucked Underneath Her Arm" by Rudy Vallee & His Connecticut Yankees (a Henry VIII satire); "Ghost in the Graveyard" by The Prairie Ramblers; and "'Taint No Sin" by Fred Hall. which ha almost a western-swing feel to it. Tom Waits, using William Burroughs on vocals, revived this bizarre little ditty for The Black Rider back in the '90s.

* "The Ex President's Waltz" by David Massengill. I heard this strange little folk tune 3 or 4 times on KUNM back in the mid '80s and have been looking for this song for years. It has a verse for each living ex-president at the time -- Carter, Ford, Nixon, plus one for JFK and one for the then-current president. Funny, yet touching in a weird way. Great song for election season.

* "Collegiana" by Waring's Pennsylvanians. I always loved The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's version on their 1968 album Rare Junk. It's a snazzy little 23-skidoo number about college life in the '20s. "Danced til I dropped, and I'll never stop!" It's on a compilation called Collegiate 1920s that has some other cool Roaring '20s jazz craziness. I might pick up some more tracks someday.

* Two of the three tracks from Take A Good Look Bonus Tracks Super Rock! I picked up "Time Will Tell" and "Le Mistral." I already had "Bigger and Better." This reminds me -- Take a Good Look was The Fleshtones' previous album and that was in early 2008. Good news is they've been working on a new one, and apparently Lenny Kaye is involved on at least a few tracks. Meanwhile, you can watch this documentary about the band, Pardon Us for Living but the Graveyard Is Full for free right HERE.

* The five tracks I didn't get last month from Phosphene Dream by The Black Angels. And they're just as good if not not better than the first ones I downloaded. Read my full review

Tonto & The Renegades: Little boy blue, just before the guitar solo!!!!

Intro to T.V. Eye popped into my head first as well, that's wild. Then I scrolled down before I hit "add reply" and saw that this was a common answer. I Got A Right(intro) too.
Dead Boys-Caught with the Meat in your Mouth.

La Dama Demente said:

Great podcast! :D

Without wanting to sound boring you need to look at some scale work first. That's what happens with all my students. Look for the pentatonic minor, the blues pentatonic minor, some blues progressions and the good old boring ass major scale. They're good scales to get you going and there are a lot of songs that use those scales. Once you get a grip of how they sound you can start trying to work out how the songs go.

Also, just start writing yer own tunes. Don't worry what others think about them, if you like 'em then that's all that matters.

It's a pain in the arse trying to find garage songs tabs especially the bass tabs.

Go hard and have some fun!

I found a few guitar tabs for these kind of songs. But i'm just getting started with bass so i don't understand the guitar tabs. I was hoping someone has bass tabs fot these kind of songs.

I haven't seen a garage rock guitar tab site, much less a bass site. Try to goggle the song you want to learn and add "bass tablature" to it. Try it with "tab" and "tablature" also, you may just find the guitar version, but at least you can get the basis of the song. Once you have that you can figure it out yourself, it will make you a better player if you start to learn by ear. Good luck.

Hello,

I just installed my bass guitar (DanElectro '63)

I tuned it with the help of a little tuning machine and now i want to practice with some bass tabs.
The problem is that i coudn't find any bass tabs of the garage classics on the internet  (Psychotic Reaction, Pushing Too Hard, You're Gonna Miss Me etc).

Is there any bass player out here that has some of those tabe?



Thanks

Haven't seen it yet, waiting for Netflix, I can tell you Howard Stern gave it 2 thumbs up!

It's opening today here in Pittsburgh at the Manor Theater in Squirrel Hill.  I'm going to see it tonight.

John, With all your history this is the only thing you got for me? Can you give me one thing from your travels that really sticks out in your mind? I'm just busting your chops, but if you think of something, let me know. John Carlucci said:

Windows & mirrors are the worst thing you can put into a club for acoustics. It makes for high end distortion.

It's funny because it's true! If you want to get some great natural reverb, there's your place.

LOL, Dave! I love that image of the urinal.

DammitDave said:

At one venue, I played in a go go dancer cage (there was one on either side of the stage). I would rather it had been occupied by an attractive young lady but...

The Mutiny in Chicago has the world's largest urinal (20 degrees colder inside). It's big enough for two people (assuming you have very low personal space).




That's not a glass of beer, its a pitcher! If it's good enough for Andre the Giant, it's good enough for me.

At one venue, I played in a go go dancer cage (there was one on either side of the stage). I would rather it had been occupied by an attractive young lady but... The Mutiny in Chicago has the world's largest urinal (20 degrees colder inside). It's big enough for two people (assuming you have very low personal space). That's not a glass of beer, its a pitcher! If it's good enough for Andre the Giant, it's good enough for me.

A patio outside the venue is really nice....you can cool off after seeing a really hot band and give your ears a break from the inside noise levels. It's also a great place for the smokers to hang out, weather permitting.

Another thing i really like in a venue is friendly staff....nothing turns me off faster than a dick for a doorman or beer slinger...it's also conducive to fights at the end of the night.

A sign of some sort at the entrance to say who is playing, approx times, and how much to get in. It's little things like these that help bring in the people who aren't really sure if they want to come in...and nowadays you gotta get as many people as possible in the doors.

Free parking nearby is always nice, or at least some kind of nearby parking for the out of towners coming to your place.

A dancefloor, or just an area to stand in front of the stage....not tables right up to the stage. You want people to come in and jump around and have fun if you're having live bands. And spaeking of a stage, yes, not just the band on the floor. Any kind of a stage that makes the band visible over the people standing at the front's heads....even just a foot or 2 high. And speaking of the dancefloor....NOT carpet, one place i go to has fucking sticky carpet on the floor that is impossible to dance on...

A good sound systems is essential with a sound booth way at the back of the venue facing the stage...plus a good soundman...it may just be garage punk, but you still need that person that knows what they're doing to make it sound great.

Bar at the back of the venue, or preferably not beside the stage...

Best of luck with your venue....

BTW, you'll have to click the "photos" link at the top of the page. For some reason, that link won't take you straight to that page.

MikeL said:

Here's a link to the photo page of one of my favorite local venues, the 31st Street Pub here in Pittsburgh, PA...

http://www.31stpub.com/home.html

For me, it's about memories. I got my first taste of garage rock at this place, i.e. Cynics, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Fleshtones. I also discovered Manda and the Marbles and the Paybacks at this place, and I also saw the Dictators for the first time at the Pub. My all time favorite local band, the Science Fiction Idols, played frequently at the Pub, along with the Ultimatics and the Cheats. The Takeover UK, another all time favorite band of mine, played there a few times (They were more into the Brillobox scene), but they were still enjoyable at the Pub.

As for the layout and atmosphere, it looks and feels somewhat like a homegrown version of CBGBs, minus the history and prestige. The stage is way in the back, the bar is along the right side, and the place has a very weather beaten look to it. It's also in a rather isolated area, which I kind of like because that gives it an enclave feel.

I hope this helps you out. This is probably one of the most interesting questions ever asked at this place.

Here's a link to the photo page of one of my favorite local venues, the 31st Street Pub here in Pittsburgh, PA... http://www.31stpub.com/home.html For me, it's about memories. I got my first taste of garage rock at this place, i.e. Cynics, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Fleshtones. I also discovered Manda and the Marbles and the Paybacks at this place, and I also saw the Dictators for the first time at the Pub. My all time favorite local band, the Science Fiction Idols, played frequently at the Pub, along with the Ultimatics and the Cheats. The Takeover UK, another all time favorite band of mine, played there a few times (They were more into the Brillobox scene), but they were still enjoyable at the Pub. As for the layout and atmosphere, it looks and feels somewhat like a homegrown version of CBGBs, minus the history and prestige. The stage is way in the back, the bar is along the right side, and the place has a very weather beaten look to it. It's also in a rather isolated area, which I kind of like because that gives it an enclave feel. I hope this helps you out. This is probably one of the most interesting questions ever asked at this place.

Windows & mirrors are the worst thing you can put into a club for acoustics. It makes for high end distortion.

I'm helping a friend design a local live music club. I'm interested in your input, what is one or two things about your favorite club that makes it special to you. Please don't just say "the music", I'm looking for ideas. Maybe it's the one foot stage or the way the bar is set up. Maybe you like the fact that there are no windows, or do you enjoy seeing people walk by. If your favorite club has a website, please put the name in your post so I can look it up. Is the name really important to you? list some ideas like "Garage Mahal", anything helps. Just pretend you have the money to build it from the ground up, but capacity will be about 200 people. Thanks in advance for your help.

Beat Happening sometimes fall into this category, as well as, the Sex Clark Five

Unless you live in Iowa or are a Chicago blues enthusiast, chances are the name James Kinds will be an unfamiliar one. Since being proclaimed "the best new voice in Chicago" by Living Blues over three decades ago, Kinds career has suffered a series of misfortunes that have kept him out of the spotlight, although he has apparently made quite a name for himself in his adopted home of Iowa. As such Love You From the Top, his new album on Delmark Blues, is the first nationally distributed release in a career going back to 1962.

Love You From the Top wonderfully skirts the borders of blues, R&B, and rock without ever really stopping in any of those territories for more than a song or two. Its the sort of album you must listen to several times to really get the gist of it and it will continue to grow on you with each listen. The musicianship is excellent throughout with Anthony Dotson and Claude L. Thomas holding down the rhythm section and sax legend Eddie Shaw appearing on four tracks. Even Kinds himself plays a mean rhythm guitar, but the main attraction of the album is undoubtedly his voice.

Kinds possesses the sort of emotive voice that manages to sound forlorn and dejected on even the most upbeat of material and one gets the feeling that he has listened to his share of Wilson Pickett and Junior Wells records in his time. Yet his voice also contains rugged quality in the delivery of the smooth vocals and the experience and passion that can't be found simply by emulating your heroes.

The songs themselves range from pure blues such as the resolute "Crack Headed Woman" and "Katie" to pure Southern soul tunes like "Take a Look at Yourself" and the despondent ballad "Johnny Mae" that gives one reason to believe that had Kinds tried his luck in Memphis rather than Chicago he may be a legitimate superstar today. There are also several songs here, most notably the vicious "I Got a Woman" and "Peggy Sue" that can only be classified as rock (and, in case you are wondering, they are not Ray Charles and Buddy Holly covers).

Still, Kinds songwriting is at its best when he is discussing his own life and there are at least two numbers hear that are undoubtedly about his own experiences. The first, "Mason Dixon Line Blues" is a nearly-seven minute slow blues detailing his journey from Mississippi to Chicago and how he learned to play the blues. The second is the Jimmy Reed-inspired "Body Slam," which in decades past would have been a hit.

This album and Kinds himself is best summed up by the track "I Didn't Go Home." After some nice guitar riffing, Kinds' plaintive voice begins telling of how after a night of drinking he accidentally drove his "other woman's" car home. On the surface, the situation seems funny, but once you've heard his delivery you can't help but believe it and even feel sorry for him.

In my opinion, Delmark's brilliant rediscovery of Mr. Kinds is some of the best news to hit the blues and R&B world in quite some time and I hope that they will also consider re-releasing his other albums, which were previously available only to Iowans. Kinds' distinctive blend of Chicago blues, Southern soul, and a dash of early rock melds together perfectly to create the recipe for the best electric blues album of the year and, hopefully, the success he has long been denied.

Interesting interview but no one mentions them playing "Do The Ringo" on the Munsters show!

Here's a little "Gotta Move" for you... click on the link! http://www.youtube.com/lwilkers#p/a/u/1/qZqVJKc_8oM

First track I played on the first episode of Way Past Cool [March 17th 2009]! Badda-Bing!

I think many of the bands I/we love have a similar sound to their songs. It's a vibe. Link Wray, The Cramps, etc. When it's that fucking cool why complain?

After seeing them live and being blown away, that only made me like them more. I don't like to critique a band too much when they've only made 2 albums though...

After listening to them a few more times since my last post, I do have to say there's definitely a serious similarity shared by all of their songs. Not that this is a bad thing -- the music rocks hard and it's really fun -- but it's a little repetitive. Nonetheless, I think the best way to describe their sound is what you'd expect to hear if Little Richard began his recording career after the invention of punk rock. Can't complain about that!

Alex said:

I've heard them popping up on a bunch of podcasts lately. The singer's voice is absolutely fearsome. "Elemental" is a pounder.