Archive Review: The Suburbs’ Viva! Suburbs! (1994)

Way back when, during the glory days of American alternative rock, in the early moments of a Reagan era that seemed to spawn such things, came forth legendary bands like Hüsker Dü, The Replacements, and Soul Asylum. Preceeding all of these, however, was the Suburbs. The first of many bands to come from the much-vaunted early ‘80s Minneapolis music scene, The ‘Burbs were a product of both English new wave and good old-fashioned U.S. punk. A handful of albums on a like number of labels brought the band heaps of critical acclaim but only modest commercial success. The Suburbs sadly faded away before the end of the decade.

History seems to have passed the Suburbs by. As lesser lights get their own tribute discs and homage paid them by the cream of the pop charts, the Suburbs’ influence is heard, more than felt, in the present-day world of alternative music. The band mixed punkish intensity with new wave sensibilities and were never afraid to cross musical genres, throwing in a white-hot funk number here, a soulful horn arrangement there, every song always delivered with a great deal of energy and vigor.

With the release of Viva! Suburbs! (Live At First Avenue), the band has come back to Twin Tone Records where they began, and you fanboys are afforded a second chance to grab onto one of the greatest unknown bands of the last decade. Recorded live at the legendary First Avenue Club in Minneapolis during a 1993 reunion, this 20 track, hour plus set includes all of The Suburbs’ best-known material as well as a pair of brand-new, never-before-heard cuts.

The Suburbs’ built their own little myth around songs like “Waiting,” “Every Night’s A Friday In Hell,” “Love Is the Law,” and “Rattle My Bones,” and they run through this set of songs like it was 1983 again and they were on top of the world. Viva! Suburbs! is highly recommended...grab it before some wet-behind-the-ears alternative band covers “Cig Machine” or “Drinkin’ With An Angel” and all that old Suburbs’ vinyl now gathering dust in the $1 bins begin fetching collector’s prices. Don’t come cryin’ to me when it happens... (Twin Tone Records, released 1994)

Review originally published by Review & Discussion of Rock ‘n’ Roll (R.A.D!) zine...

Archive Review: The The’s Hanky Panky (1995)

Who would have thunk it, eh? Concept albums, by their very nature, are increasingly passe...after all, in a music world that runs the gamut from rock to rap, metal, thrash, hardcore punk...what is there that we haven’t seen? Well, how about alternative favorite The The releasing an album of Hank Williams songs? After all, if you look at Hank’s life, his rebel attitude, his obstinate refusal to compromise his artistic brilliance, the arrests and his tragic youthful death, hell, Williams had more cajones than a lot of today’s alternative idols.

Hanky Panky is exactly that, a collection of Hank Williams covers delivered perfectly by Britain’s The The. Matt Johnson, the brains behind the band, has done his homework well, brilliantly selecting an inspired list of Williams’ classics. Cuts like “I’m A Long Gone Daddy,” “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” and “I Saw the Light” receive a rather reverent treatment, Johnson’s echoing vocals representing the technologically-enhanced nineties equivalent of Williams’ hillbilly twang. The cuts are fat with sound and life, altering only the song’s arrangements, not their underlying emotion or poetic accomplishments. It’s an experiment that works, Hanky Panky an excellent tribute to one of the music world’s greatest artists. (550 Music/Epic Records, released February 14th, 1995)

Review originally published by Review & Discussion of Rock ‘n’ Roll (R.A.D!) zine...

Archive Review: Faith No More’s King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime (1995)

I first saw Faith No More some 7 or so years ago, around the time of their first disc, when “We Care A Lot” was on its way to becoming steady college FM fare. They played here in Nashville at a well-known club on a Thanksgiving night, opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The two bands rocked the small club, a mosh pit was in full force, and my brother and myself, bolstered by several pitchers of cheap beer, tried to pick up a couple of leather-clad female beauties who were stationed smack dab in front of the right speaker column. Turns out that the lovely duo had their eyes on the band, however, and dragged Faith No More to their West Nashville abode for an evening of Nyquil intoxication and who knows what else. I ended up going to work the next morning with a dreadful hangover and significant hearing loss, but also, strangely, happy.

Faith No More made a name for themselves by cranking out a funky blend of hardcore and hard rock on stages in small clubs a couple of hundred nights a year. Their albums, no matter how good they might have been, took a back seat to their awesomely intense live performances. With King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime, Faith No More head into a slightly different musical direction. They don’t entirely turn their backs on the chunky metallic hooks, roaring six strings and manic vocals that earned them a solid rep, but rather add an exciting bit of experimentation to the pot alongside their traditional rock frenzy.

“The Gentle Art of Making Enemies” mixes a hard Peter Gunn-styled guitar undercurrent to what is almost a jazzy, big band arrangement with swinging vocals while “Evidence” is a low-key ballad with a soulful, slightly funky backing rhythm. Cuts like “Cuckoo For Caca,” with its random syncopation and wild vocals, or “Digging The Grave,” chockful of harried guitar riffs and shouted lyrics return the band to their traditional roots. Overall, however, King For A Day, Fool For A Lifetime represents an important musical departure for Faith No More, one that serves them well, showcasing a more mature and more polished outfit. Bet the material would sound great live, too! (Slash Records, released March 28th, 1995)

Review originally published by Bone Music Magazine...

Archive Review: Tommy Castro’s Painkiller (2007)

Since his electrifying live 1994 debut album, Tommy Castro has rocked the blues music world with his powerful vocals, fiery fret-bashing, and signature “rock-n-soul” sound. Over the course of seven studio albums and a pair of live rockets, Castro and his crew have become one of the genre’s premiere houserockin’ bands, with such musical legends as B.B. King and Carlos Santana singing their praises. With the release of Painkiller, his tenth album, Castro has delivered a seriously rocking, once-in-a-lifetime achievement.

Castro and crew crank it up from the first note with the chooglin’ “Love Don’t Care.” With a stabbing guitar riff and some mighty fine horn-blowin’, the band breaks into a vaguely Latin-flavored rhythm as T.C. croons his soul-blues lyrics concerning Cupid’s lack of consideration. A brief lick taken straight from the Chuck Berry playbook opens the lush, big-band R&B revue-styled “I’m Not Broken,” Tony Stead’s nimble-finger ivory-bashing bringing a Jerry Lee vibe to the song’s bluesy roots.

Tommy Castro’s Painkiller

The album’s title track is a soaring blues-rocker with top flight hornplay, a passionate vocal turn by Castro, a fast-walking rhythm, and a red-hot six-string solo in the middle to tie it all together. “Big Sister’s Radio” is a throwback to the early ‘60s, the sort of R&B-steeped roots-rocker that they were kicking out of the Crescent City studios at the time. Keith Crossan’s sax solo is especially effective, evoking memories of a simpler time and a more innocent world, a perfect match to the song’s nostalgic lyrics.

Guitarist Coco Montoya joins Castro on a delightful romp through Albert Collins’ “A Good Fool Is Hard To Find.” The two respected blues musicians swap vocals and compare notes with spry solos that display each man’s respective talents. It is, perhaps, the album’s high point: a raw, rockin’ cover of an already tuff-as-nails song. Things slow down a bit for the moody “Err On the Side of Love,” a silky-smooth number that perfectly recreates an early-1980s blue-eyed soul vibe. Castro’s seductive vocals are complimented by his otherworldly guitarplay.

The first few notes of a gale-force blast of funky sax let the listener know that “I Roll When I Rock” is going to be a blustery R&B rave-up, and Castro does not disappoint. The entire gang struts and swaggers through the song, the energetic rhythms nearly overshadowed by the cameo solo spotlights of guitar, saxophone, and piano. Guest vocalist Angela Strehli lends her considerable pipes to a particularly fine reading of the great Freddie King’s “If You Believe (In What You Do),” dueting with Castro and providing a bluesy sheen to the song’s slow-rocking roots.

“Goin’ Down South” mixes a barrelhouse piano undercurrent with Castro and Teresa James trading verses on the vocals on this Dixie-fried travelogue that name checks traditional music-oriented cities as Memphis, Tennessee; Austin, Texas; and San Diego, California. A dark-hued storm cloud descends on “Lonesome and Then Some,” a mournful tale of looking for love that features an appropriately winsome vocal performance set against a haunting keyboard backdrop. Castro’s fretwork here is stunning, capturing the song’s many shades of emotion.

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

Every now and then even the most jaded music fan will find an album where all the pieces just fall into place. That’s the case with Painkiller, Tommy Castro and his band firing on all cylinders as they roll through this spirited collection of blues, rock, R&B, and soul. Producer John Porter (Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Santana) has created a bright, beautiful mix for these songs, allowing Castro’s charisma and the entire band’s talents to shine right through your speakers. Painkiller won a 2008 Blues Music Award as “Contemporary Blues Album of the Year,” and for good reasons…this album rocks! (Blind Pig Records, released February 2nd, 2007)

DVD Review: The Groundhogs’ Live At The Astoria (2008)

The Groundhogs, who hail from mid-’60s England, hardly even rate as a cult band on U.S. shores. A pair of critically-acclaimed releases during the dawn of the ‘70s – Thank Christ For the Bomb (1970) and Who Will Save the World? (1972) – were hits in the U.K. but flew beneath the radar on this side of the pond. The band’s track record speaks for itself, however: working with blues legend John Lee Hooker, kibitzing with John Mayall, better than four decades of recording and performing…but outside of a few red, white, and blues diehards, the Groundhogs have always been invisible in America, and are thus ripe for rediscovery by music lovers seeking a new flavor.

Groundhogs vocalist and guitarist Tony (T.S.) McPhee has been fronting the band seemingly since kindergarten. An old-school Brit blooze-rocker…one of the oldest, in fact…through the years he’s lead revolving line-ups through a variation of blues, hard rock, and psychedelic styles, sometimes with progressive overtones, but usually playing it straight down the (party) line. The Groundhogs’ Live At The Astoria DVD represents the band’s first full-length concert taping, the cameras capturing a 1998 show in support of their Howlin’ Wolf tribute CD, Hogs In Wolves’ Clothing. The double-disc set includes a CD of the concert as well, so you can take the ‘Hogs with you in the car, or slap it in your stereo for an instant good time.

McPhee leads a classic power trio into battle, the exciting guitarist backed by bassist Eric Chipulina and drummer Pete Correa. Putting on a display of good ole-fashioned six-string strangulation in front of an enthusiastic audience, McPhee pulls every stunt at his command out of his decades-old bag o’ tricks. Although sometimes lapsing into the clichés of the blues-rock form, McPhee’s talent and on-stage charm manage to transform even the most pedestrian of songs into a boozy party. Brick-by-brick, Live At The Astoria delivers plenty of down-n-dirty cheap thrills that you’ll happily take a shower after hearing to wash off the grime, the cue it up on the box again.

“Eccentric Man” hits the listener between the ears like Cream on steroids, a heartbeat bassline and powderkeg drums ignited by McPhee’s six-string pyrotechnics. Longtime fan favorite “Split, Part 1,” from the band’s 1971 album of the same, is a vintage rocker with randomly-injected riffs, shifting time signatures, and surprisingly fluid fretwork balanced by screaming eagle solos. A blobby, lava-lamplike tapestry is projected on the wall behind the band, so that when McPhee launches into a whammy-bar-crazed solo, he sounds like a cross between Hendrix and Buckethead, with a Hawkwind chaser.

McPhee tries out his finest falsetto on an abbreviated reading of “Cherry Red,” swarming guitar notes blistering like the stings of an entire beehive, while “Still A Fool” is a greasy, slow-burning blues tune with plenty of built-up frustration and denial, and a bottom-heavy solo with notes as thick as a rhino’s hide. The band encores with its signature “Groundhog Blues,” a throbbing slice o’ Delta-inspired booger-rock that would do John Lee proud. With a heavy walking riff and salt-cured vocals, McPhee happily casts his lot with the long-gone ghosts at the Mississippi crossroads.

A merry band of musical luddites, the Groundhogs crank out the type of dino-stomp that went out-of-fashion with the loom, and doesn’t exist these days outside of the British Museum, on display beside the Rosetta Stone. McPhee and the lads seem to be more the pub type, though, and Live At The Astoria is a fine representation of the band’s timeless – and out-of-time – sound. (Eagle Rock Entertainment, released September 23rd, 2008)

Review originally published by Blurt magazine…

 

Book Review: Stanley Booth's Rythm Oil (2000)

Writer Stanley Booth is best-known for his 1984 book, Dance With the Devil, a chronicle of his time touring with the Rolling Stones. A frustrated novelist with an eye for detail, a naturally florid use of language, and a classic literary slant to his work, Booth’s best work has been in the field of music, especially the incredible essays that he wrote for publications like Esquire, Playboy, Rolling Stone, and the Village Voice, among others during the 1960s and ‘70s.

Booth’s Rythm Oil, subtitled “A journey through the music of the American South,” collects twenty of the writer’s best music-related pieces, the ambitious scope of the work covering everything from country blues and early rock ‘n’ roll to Memphis soul and 1970s-era blues-rock. Named for “rythm oil” [sic], an alchemical modern voodoo potion sold in the Beale Street shops of Memphis, the book itself is some sort of magical tome that really does provide a literary journey through the music of the time.

While Booth’s “Standing At the Crossroads,” an imaginative fictional flight of fancy that recounts Robert Johnson’s legendary meeting with the Devil, falls flat in its ambition, it’s the only hiccup that the reader will find in Rythm Oil. “Furry’s Blues” does a fine job of illustrating the poverty and racism experienced by country blues great Furry Lewis, while “Been Here and Gone,” Booth’s account of the funeral of Mississippi John Hurt, is poignant in its description of the event. “Blues Boy” offers a look into the life and career of the great B.B. King, while other chapters cover such artists as Al Green, Janis Joplin, Gram Parsons, James Brown, ZZ Top, and Elvis Presley.

Written with an autobiographical bent – Booth is an important participant in these stories – the format allows him to provide personal insight and emotion into the essays. Tying the music pieces together are strong articles that touch upon the city of Memphis, racism, and the South itself. Booth writes beautifully, with a real sympathy for his subjects, and no little knowledge of both the music and the history. If you want an entertaining education on both the South and its music, a snapshot of a certain time and place in pop culture history, Rythm Oil is the book for you. Highly recommended. (Da Capo Press, published October 1, 2000)

Bootleg Review: Frank Zappa’s Kreega Bondola (1997)

Although he sits comfortably outside of the “Top Five” of bootlegged artists, Frank Zappa has always been a favorite target of bootleggers, nonetheless. This fact particularly galled Zappa, who took great pride in bringing the same sort of intensity and passion to his live performances as he did to his studio recordings. In an attempt to try and “beat the boots” at their own game, Zappa even gathered up a number of fine, but unauthorized recordings of his work and released them himself through his association with Rhino Records. As a result, aside from the plethora of illegitimate recordings that continue to surface, there are a number of highly-recommended “authorized bootlegs” covering a significant portion of Zappa’s lengthy career, that are currently available through mainstream retailers.

Kreega Bondola, however, is not one of those releases, serving instead as a fine example of European bootleggery. A double CD set taken from a 1984 show at the Saratoga Performing Arts Centre, the release captures Zappa performing with one of the best of many bands he’d used throughout his career. The mid-‘80s were arguably the most prolific of Zappa’s 30+ years, as he developed and/or refined a number of themes that would continue to serve him well throughout the decade, including censorship, sexual politics and religious hypocrisy (aimed at the rising tide of televangelism). Releases of the era like Them or Us or Broadway the Hard Way, as well as his subsequent battle against the PMRC and Congressional testimony found the iconoclastic Zappa in the awkward position of being considered an “elder statesman” of rock. His relationship with the media at the time was an especially fragile one.

Little of the controversy that he was to become embroiled in is evident on Kreega Bondola. The performance is typical Zappa – incredibly tight, orchestrated, and well-choreographed. A lot of Zappa’s between song commentary has been “airbrushed” out in the studio, as has a lot of audience reaction to the material. You can hear the audience at times, but they’re kept very low in the mix (which isn’t necessarily bad, just extreme). As such, the band seems as if they’re performing in a vacuum. For the most part, the performances are short and succinct, seldom allowing Zappa and the band to cut loose and play. Zappa’s maestro-like mastery of the guitar kept on a short leash, FZ throwing a few bones to the audience in the way of solos, and only the title cut and “Illinois Enema Bandit” really showcase what the band was capable of musically with extended musical passages.

Overall, Kreega Bondola offers a good performance by a great artist and band. A soundboard recording, the sound quality here is top notch, with the mix leaning heavily towards the instrumentation and vocals. Although there’s little here to attract the casual rock fan, Kreega Bondola is a significant addition to any Zappa fan’s musical library. (Triangle Records, Italy, released 1997)

Review originally published by R Squared zine, "Grey Edition"

Archive Review: Gary Moore & Scars' Scars (2002)

Guitarist Gary Moore earned his bones as a blues assassin, mentored by Fleetwood Mac founder Peter Green and fronting the late ‘60s British “blooze-rock” posse Skid Row. After a handful of albums and mid-chart singles, Moore left the band to tool around Europe as part of the jazz-fusion outfit Colosseum before becoming a heavy metal hero as the primary axeman for Phil Lynott’s Thin Lizzy. A series of metal-tinged, hard rockin’ solo albums like 1984’s Victims of the Future and 1987’s Wild Frontier made Moore one of the best-loved cult guitarists in rock, but for the last decade or so, the chameleon-like artist has returned to the blues with a handful of critically-acclaimed releases.

With his new band Scars, featuring former Skunk Anansie bassist Cass Lewis and Primal Scream drummer Darrin Mooney, Moore enjoys the best of both worlds, blending hard rock energy and his mastery of the blues, updating the Skid Row sound for a new millennium. Scars, the trio’s self-titled debut, burns with a white light/white heat that will blister your eardrums and tickle your id, Moore’s tortured six-string wailing like a metal machine monster. Copping his best Jimi Hendrix/Robin Trower attitude, Moore kicks off Scars with “When the Sun Goes Down,” an electrifying riff-fest that had this humble scribe believing that it was 1973 again.

“Wasn’t Born In Chicago” rolls right off the tracks, Moore howling like he’s got Robert Johnson’s hellhounds on his trail, the band hitting a funky groove and driving it like an out-of-control big rig down the listener’s throat. Another six-string lovefest, “World of Confusion,” conjures up the ghost of Hendrix (think “Manic Depression” and you’re in the right ballpark) while “Ball and Chain” is a powerful blues rave-up that will have you swaying your head and stomping your feet in spite of yourself. A strong effort that showcases Moore’s ability to both blast out power riffs and deliver subtle blues virtuosity, Scars is a reminder that sometimes an old blueshound doesn’t need to learn any new tricks to get by... (Sanctuary Records, released September 10th, 2002)

Review originally published by Alt.Culture.Guide™ music zine...

Archive Review: Ray Bonneville’s Goin’ By Feel (2007)

Born in Canada, but raised in America, singer/songwriter and self-professed “blues poet” Ray Bonneville considers himself to be a “North American.” The itinerant musician has traveled constantly throughout the three decades of his career, from Boston to Seattle, from Arkansas to Alaska. Yet, Bonneville will be the first to tell you that no location has been more influential to his music than the city of New Orleans. Listening to Bonneville’s Goin’ By Feel, it’s easy to hear his musical and spiritual connection to the Crescent City.

The Sound of New Orleans

Although New Orleans has a grand tradition in jazz music, the city also has a rich heritage in the blues. After all, the mighty Mississippi River runs south from the Delta, through the city, and into the Gulf of Mexico. Many Delta bluesmen made their way down the river through the years and landed in New Orleans, bringing their country blues style and sound to “The Big Easy,” mixing it up with the city’s native jazz, Cajun, and ragtime styles.

More than anything else, however, the sound of New Orleans is that of rhythm. Most of the city’s music incorporates a distinctive rhythmic pattern of one sort or another, whether it’s the rhythms of a brassy jazz band or Professor Longhair’s raucous piano pounding. Most importantly, however, is the rhythm of slowness…it’s hot in New Orleans in the summertime, and humid, too, and nobody is in a big hurry to get anywhere or do anything. There’s a slower pace to the sounds of New Orleans, one that you grow, as a listener, to appreciate over time.

Ray Bonneville’s Goin’ By Feel

If Ray Bonneville has taken anything in the way of influence from New Orleans, it’s the city’s languid feel. With Goin’ By Feel, Bonneville’s sixth album, the singer and producer Gurf Morlix have managed to capture the sound of kudzu growing and cypress creaking. The songs here are saltwater-drenched, with an undeniable bluesy vibe that is reinforced by Bonneville’s soulful, gruff vocals and rich six-string pickin’. This is music as atmospheric as the fog on a Louisiana swamp at daybreak, and performed with a casual, laid-back style that is in no hurry towards its destination.

Bonneville is a natural-born storyteller, and beneath the gorgeous music on Goin’ By Feel is a raft of brilliant story-songs. An erudite songwriter with one foot in the South’s literary tradition and the other firmly planted in the narrative style of the blues, Bonneville conjures up characters and situations out of whole cloth with his vivid imagery and finely-crafted use of the language. His lyrics, when combined with the wide, loping groove of the music, create an almost fictional sense of space.

Not that Bonneville is afraid to ramp it up a bit when necessary. “What Katy Did” builds on spry rhythms with quick, dark-hued vocals and sparse, elegant fretwork. A love letter, of sorts, to New Orleans, “I Am the Big Easy” offers clever lyrics that tie together the city’s cultural wealth with the tragedy of Hurrican Katrina. By contrast, the stark “Carry the Fallen,” is a brilliant anti-war song that lyrically brings home the cost of the war in human terms.   

The Reverend’s Bottom Line

 
A gifted songwriter and skilled guitarist, Ray Bonneville brings the expansive worldview created by his travels to every word he writes and each note he plays. Incorporating elements of folk, country, soul, and blues into his distinctive sound, Bonneville weaves pure magic here with his intricate story-songs. Goin’ By Feel is a thoughtful, intelligent work of immense beauty, sincerity, and honesty. This isn’t your usual blues music, but then Ray Bonneville isn’t your average blues musician, either. (Red House Records, released April 16th, 2007)

Buy the CD from Amazon: Ray Bonneville’s Goin’ By Feel