Sonic Reducer Ain't No Loser (But Is an Advertisement)

The Dead Boys, not the Pretty Boys

I was watching a National Football League game (OK, it was the Buffalo Bills) Sunday when I was pleasantly shocked by a commercial.

Suddenly, the intro to the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer" started, and the song kicked in a bit as the video showed...Stiv Bators and the freaking Dead Boys. The advertisement was for the Sonos Playbar, a wireless television music/sound bar; as I researched this, I found out the ad has been out since about the start of November.

Even with the surprise of seeing and hearing music from the Clash, the Sex Pistols and Gang of Four on commercials in recent years, hearing and seeing the Dead Boys is a pleasant surprise, although I wish that someone had gotten around to doing this while Stiv Bators was still alive.

In the spirit of cooperation, might I recommend to advertising agencies considering using, say, Television's "Marquee Moon" for a sleeping product, X-Ray Spex's "Oh Bondage! Up Yours" for adhesive products or "Your Phone's Off the Hook (But You're Not)" by X for telephone service?

Gurf Morlix Plays the Sportsmen's Tavern September 25

          

            Western New York native singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Gurf Morlix returns to what has become his favorite Buffalo honky tonk when he performs a solo show at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, September 25, at the Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst Street near Grant Street in Buffalo.

            The admission will be a rather low $15, and Morlix will be playing songs off his new CD, “Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense” (Rootball Records) as well as older material. While Morlix’s tales still sound grim, dry and honest with the search for hope or happiness a long-term tale, he jokes that “the body count is lower on this CD, maybe just two people die.”

            While best know for his work as guitarist, arranger, producer and more with Lucinda Williams (her self-titled album and “Sweet Old World” remain classics), Morlix has taken part in many fine collaborations, from producing to performing, with Warren Zevon, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Slaid Cleaves, Mary Gauthier, Ian McLagan, Buddy Miller, Patty Griffin, Jim Lauderdale, Robert Earl Keen, Blaze Foley and Michael Penn, as well as lifelong friend, very early band mate and occasional collaborator Jim Whitford and the Pine Dogs. And if you’re a movie fan, Morlix was one the major contributors/interviewees in the Blaze Foley documentary, “Duct Tape Messiah,” and was featured in Tom Weber’s great “Troubadour Blues” documentary.

            On “Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense,” many of the songs have spare accompaniment, which still fleshes things out a bit more than the starkness of several of Morlix’s previous releases.

Among the stronger songs on this standout CD are “Series of Closing Doors,” in which he sees his choices and the chances of getting out of a bad situation few and far between; spare organ and electric guitar sweeten the song just as much as is needed, as Morlix figures out how to squirm out of this situation. “Present Tense” is a tough, basic roots rocker on which Morlix notes that no one, from individuals to countries, seem to be able to get along anymore, making everyone uneasy; again, Morlix’s electric guitar and organ from either Ian McLagan, Nick Connolly or Patterson Barrett, add the right touches. “Bang Bang Bang” has some light jangly guitar and organ as Morlix sings of how early the glorification of guns and violence reaches a child, in this instance, early cowboy/western television programs and movies: “We’ll shoot anything that moves…we’re a bunch of card-carrying fools.” “These Are My Blues” comes out of virtually nowhere with burning, crushing, foreboding blues and rock, letting us know the song is up to no good: “These are my blues, I’m gonna wallow in them all night long.”

For more information, you can visit www.sportsmenstavern.com or www.gurfmorlix.com

Peter Case Plays Live at Larkin September 18

            Peter Case and his all-star Buffalo band will perform again in the Live at Larkin Wednesday Music Series at Larkin Square, 745 Seneca Street, Buffalo, on Wednesday, September 18, in what is becoming a fine summer tradition.

           

Peter Case, right, with Mark Winsick
Photo by Val Dunne/Barkloud Productions

            The Grammy Award-nominated Hamburg native, best known for his solo electric and acoustic music as well as membership in the Plimsouls (the classic “A Million Miles Away) and the Nerves, will be joined by Buffalo Music Hall of Fame members Mark Winsick on guitar and vocals, Jim Whitford on bass and vocals and Rob Lynch on drums and vocals. Winsick and Whitford are childhood friends of Case, who will sing, play guitar, harmonica and probably some organ.

            Leroy Townes, well-known to Live at Larkin attendees and WNY music fans, will open the show at about 5 p.m. Case’s Live at Larkin concert last summer was not only a great rock and folk show itself, but in my opinion was one of the best shows of the 2012 Buffalo concert schedule.

            It would take an entire article or so to appropriately describe Case’s musical history and influence (hell knows, I’ve written several), but, after leaving Hamburg like fellow troubadour and rather talented musician Gurf Morlix, Case played in several bands, probably the first of note the Nerves, who released several recordings, the most prominent “Hanging on the Telephone,” made a hit by Blondie (my favorite Nerves’ song is “When You Find Out”). Case found some success and renown later with the Plimsouls, including a radio and alternative hit with his song “A Million Miles Away,” featured in the movie “Valley Girl” and covered by several bands, including Buffalo‘s the Goo Goo Dolls.

            After the Plimsouls ended, Case went solo and turned from the power pop/rock sound to more folk and folk rock, in both band and solo formats. His first two albums, the first self-titled and the second “The Man with the Blue Post Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar,” with great songs such as “Walk in the Woods,” “Poor Old Tom” and “Two Angels.” There are really too many excellent Case songs and albums to name, and other musicians agree, recording a tribute album of his songs, “A Case for Case,” which helped to pay for his medical bills when he had open-heart surgery but no health insurance a few years ago.

            Case’s last regular studio CD, “Wig!” was a very cool return to 1960s soul flavored rock and roll songs and rave ups, with “Words in Red” my favorite, a slightly twanging rocker on which Case calls out hypocrites who try to force the Bible down people’s throats but don’t follow much of it themselves, without mocking the actual beliefs. Case was also one of the main focuses of Tom Weber's fine 2011 documentary, "Troubadour Blues."

            People should get to the show early and maybe bring lawn chairs if last year’s heavy attendance is any indication. Let me use this opportunity to thank Seamus Gallivan and the people at Live at Larkin for not only another very good concert schedule, but creating a fine place to attend shows and see friends in a great atmosphere.

Cover These Songs...With Dirt

When he hears the cover, only Alice cries

In the past few weeks, two covers of songs have particularly annoyed me to the point where I need to vent.

The first song, which I have heard WAY too much, is a slow, painfully bad version of Alic Cooper's classic "School's Out" that was used in advertisements for Staples. The song is slowed down to a soporific crawl with synthesizer swirls, and uses those incredibly annoying, not-even-cool-for-two-minutes affected/affectless vocals from a female I have not yet been able to identify. You have to be very talented and creative to take on this over-the-top, let-it-all-out hard rock anthem and make something good, interesting and fun of it, and the performer and producer do neither.

Irony, shmirony; this interpretation says nothing and does nothing for the song or performer, the identity of who I have yet to discover despite several attempts.

Kurt still feels the pain of the new version

The other painful cover I started hearing a few days ago was that of Nirvana's "Come As You Are," again by an unknown female singer. This version of the song is being used as part of a campaign by the Lifetime Network for several programs, including "Witches of East End," which is what I saw and heard when I was subjected to this dreck. In this cover, a female sings the song at a dirge-like pace, similar to the original, but with none of the emotion, urgency or intensity of the late Kurt Cobain. Quite frankly, I wonder if anyone at Lifetime actually listened to the lyrics.

On top of really disliking this version of "Come As You Are," I am annoyed that Lifetime all but forced me to show way more interest in this program than I had planned (zero), and I hope someone makes some money off of this who needs it (I remain confused over the control and licensing of Cobain's/Nirvana's music, as in how much goes to Courtney Love, Dave Grohl and/or Krist Novoselic).

Patti Smith, 'Just Kids' and My Heroes

             As I let magazine subscriptions end in recent years, I have been reading many more books; my tastes run almost entirely to non-fiction (although I am intermittently reading a book of Joseph Conrad stories), including history (World War II to present my main focus) and music. Because I wanted to keep this blog musical, I have not written about most of these books.

But one book that I just finished is not only a great book, it is a relatively recent release and is music oriented, that being “Just Kids” by Patti Smith (HarperCollins, 2010). The book is about the years that Smith and her best friend, sometime lover and often muse, Robert Mapplethorpe, spent living, loving and creating together, one way or another.

As well as a fascinating description of Smith’s growing up, moving about and eventual relocation to and maturing in New York City, it depicts just how close the singer, poet, songwriter and music journalist was to not succeeding. It also shows in rich detail how fortuitous it was for she to have met and fallen for and in with Mapplethorpe, the vastly talented but conflicted and controversial photographer, and how fortunate he was in turn.

Their support of each other, artistically, romantically and eventually as friends, free souls and artists, is also the story in large part of the New York art and music scenes in the late 1960s through the early 1980s, when Smith married MC5 leader Fred “Sonic” and moved to Michigan. Their growing up and maturing as most people do includes many events most people encounter, seen through somewhat different lenses.

The stories of successes and failures, estrangement, chance taking and eventual notoriety and fame are framed in a sweet, almost innocent voice by Smith, whose memory of and eye for detail draws the reader into stories time and time again. You can see the photography and other artwork, and hear the poems and later songs, as if they are there in front of you, and you can sense her confusion and acceptance as her former lover Mapplethorpe realizes, embraces and portrays his sexuality, for all of its raw context.

Jesus died for somebody's sins, but not mine

I had looked forward to reading this book since I got it as a birthday gift last year, but didn’t get around to it until this summer. As a massive Patti Smith Group fan and avid reader about her, Mapplethorpe and so many related artists and musicians for years (mainly through subscribing to The Village Voice from about 1979-2000), I was interested in this story as what I eventually recognized as a central point of my appreciation of music and art that was out of the mainstream. Smith’s depictions of people for exactly what they are, sometimes colored a bit by romantic recollection, don’t hide any warts or realities, but also do not condemn people, something Smith has been the target of too much of for years.

Having written about music for more than 30 years, I have some serious favorite bands and performers, but until now, I have only really had one hero, Clash singer/guitarist Joe Strummer. The more I realize how I feel about her music, what she exemplifies and how she communicates it, I believe Patti Smith has become my second musical hero, and reading “Just Kids” has helped me realize it.

The Women of Robot Holiday at Larkin Square July 31

(Most of) The Women of Robot Holiday, accompanied by some bunch of guys they found at the last minute to play at Larkin Square. Does anyone here buy off the rack? Photo by Val Dunne/Barkloud Productions

        It may have been the perfect night for a show at Larkin Square, with the weather sunny and in the low-70-degree range, Amy’s Truck serving dinner and me off of work/political volunteering for an evening. But what made it even better was the performance of The Women of Robot Holiday (and backing musicians).

        Robot Holiday, the brainchild of bassist, producer, songwriter and too-funny-for-his-own-good guy Jonathan Hughes and friends, has been recording and releasing new, original holiday music for several years, and playing shows at The Sportsmen’s Tavern and Larkin Square in particular for the last few holiday seasons. With all of the talented musicians involved, happily someone or several people came up with the idea of displaying this talent besides during the holidays, and featuring the many female musicians was a very smart move.

        The show featured Dee Adams on vocals and guitar, Cathy Carfagna on keyboards, vocals and guitar, Alex Lynne on guitar and vocals, Joelle Labert on vocals and Katy Miner on vocals, all singing lead and backing roles. If you had heard any one of these musicians before, you’d know this would be a fun show, but blending all of this talent with the added backing of Jim Whitford on guitar, Hughes on bass and Rob Lynch on drums should have told you that this was a show not to miss.

        The show began with a really good sultry, funky and lusty number by Adams, which grabbed attention, and Labert added her rootsy, yearning lead vocals to the next tune. Miner, the only Robot Holiday woman performing I had not witnessed in her solo act before, contributed a fine, low, slinky funk song, aided nicely by Carfagna’s keyboards and Hughes’ bass. Carfagna then took center stage with a funky rocking version of “Tumble Down,” a song she recorded on her “Turn Your Face to the Sun” CD as well as with one of the bands she plays with, The Outlyers. 

           Lynne then sang a county and western flavored song with some real nice guitar interplay with Whitford possibly entitled "If I Were Lucky," where she is missing that special person; Adams followed with a chiming pop rocker, "Coming in for a Landing," where she seems to be seeing where things will lead. Labert and the women then sang a real nice C&W song with Carfagna supplying on-the-mark accordion, and Miner contributed "The Best of Me," slower and a bit dreamy. Carfagna then sang "Turn Your Face to the Sun," which sounded even better vocally here than on the CD due to the Women of Robot Holiday.

          

Cathy Carfagna singing, playing accordion and avoiding a snarky caption.
Photo by Val Dunne/Barkloud Productions

               I wish I caught the title of the next song, sung by Adams, which was a slower, smoky, bluesy country number with Carfagna's accordion and a good Whitford solo near the end standing out; Lynne continued the feel with a sinister, brooding cover of "Jolene" she recorded as part of Opaline with Hughes and guitarist, singer and songwriter David Mussen (who is also a big part of Robot Holiday).

               The evening came to an end with four more songs, a very danceable tune sung by Miner (with serious funky bass from Hughes and a disco guitar line from Whitford), Labert singing a cover of David Meinzer's "Right There in Your Eyes," Carfagna appropriately performing "Last Day in July," Adams and Lynne dueting on Michael Oliver's "Tell Me What You're Dreaming" and Adams then singing lead on the finale, a cover of "Hard Candy Christmas" from "Best Little Whorehouse in Texas," which has been performed at previous Robot Holiday shows.

             Also deserving credit is Seamus Gallivan, who MCed the show and has been one of the contributing factors to the high quality of musical programming at Larkin Square and helping gain further support for the Robot Holiday cause, which again benefited the Food Bank of Western New York.  

Where Do You Dare Me to Draw the Line?

Cream would have written a more clever caption than this

As I finish writing the review of the Women of Robot Holiday and receive the photos, I had to mention an, um, interesting concert bill my wife Val mentioned to me today.

She said she was talking/writing with her friend Nikki, an expat Buffa

lonian in California working in television and movie industries. It seems she was waiting to go to a concert at the county fair, the double bill being Hall & Oates and Air Supply.

Air Supply - No, the night's aren't better

I hadn't recently felt my colon clench so fast; while I am a major Hall & Oates fan, Air Supply is WAY too pappy, schmaltzy, treacly and downright boring for me, even to sit through for a band I really like, from the "now I'm happy, really I am" of "Even the Nights Are Better" to the flat-out bathos of "All Out of Love," a song too many overemotional teens turned to when that one guy or girl dropped them.

I imagine hundreds, nay, thousands of people carefully scheduling their arrival and departures from this show so as to miss being subjected to Air Supply while not missing Hall & Oates. It would be tragic beyond words to miss Hall & Oates in any way, but to Air Supply? No can do.

The Fixx & Wang Chung at Buffalo Canalside July 25

            No doubt most of us attending the July 25 concert by The Fixx and Wang Chung at Buffalo Canalside were there for the memories, the admittedly large number of great older tunes by these bands.

            But both bands have relatively new CDs of original music, and one of the most interesting things to come out of the show was the two approaches taken to being in bands whose biggest moments commercially, and many of us would say artistically, occurred 25-30 or more years ago.

The Fixx 2013

            I don’t know of The Fixx was the entire tour headliner or if the bands are alternating the honor, but the Fixx headlined in Buffalo. The band opened with several songs off of their new CD, “Beautiful Friction,” displaying their approach, that of a band that may have been most popular 3 decades ago continuing to treat itself as a band recording new music and ideas and prominently including the material in their set. Singer Cy Curnin and the band performed the newer songs as tunes to be appreciated and not just as separators between the classic hits.

            I do not have The Fixx’s new CD, and Curnin did not introduce several of the newer songs by name, but some of these tunes sounded pretty good; the second song of the set had some cool atmospherics, followed by a song with some real energy and punch. Another song that was not introduced by name had a very strong gothic sound and feel, and Curnin’s vocals went off into very interesting Peter Murphy territory.

            The Fixx waited until the eighth song of the set before digging into the treasure chest, coming out with a spirited and seriously crowd-pleasing version of “One Thing Leads to Another.” After a pretentious, worst of U2-sounding new song, the band next played a really good version of one of my favorites, “Stand or Fall.” After a couple more new songs (one featuring some seriously good and heavy guitar), the band ended its regular set with a fun, extended version of “Saved by Zero.”

            Even during the encore, The Fixx stuck with its approach, with some newer material before ending with a strong version of “Red Skies at Night.”

Wang Chung 2013

            Wang Chung opened the part of the show we caught (apparently, Buffalo Canalside shows have taken the unusual step of starting opening acts on time, so we missed the first band); singer/guitarist Jack Hues (who looked and sounded ridiculously good and similar to his 1980s self) told the crowd before the show started that “We’re going to do some wanging and some chunging tonight,” so you could see where things were heading, even though the band released its first CD of new material, “Tazer Up,” in December. Original bassist/vocalist Nick Feldman also remains in the band and was apparently having a blast onstage.

            The band opened up with the first two songs from the new CD, “City of Light,” which kicked nicely, and “Lets Get Along,” a poppy sounding tune that had some punchy Tears for Fears touch. The sing-along chorus went from the song itself to the first insertion of the back catalog as Hues switched it to “Wang Chung tonight.”

            The next song, “Space Junk,” has been heard by some from the first episode of “The Walking Dead” on AMC, and Wang Chung followed with their first US single, “Don’t Let Go,” sounding both a touch dated but really good; no need to update the sound when it sounds good. Sadly, the next song, “To Live and Die in LA,” from the film of the same name, sounds both dated and still rather boring, the one Wang Chung song I can do without hearing again. I always thought the song was somewhat overwrought and boring, and it still sounds that way to me; somehow, the synthesizer had that real bad 1980s sound as if it hadn’t been played since the 1980s and was just removed from a time capsule. Hell, at least get a new floppy disk for it.

            Wang Chung returned to better songs with a strong trio to end their set, starting with a lively version of 1986’s “Let’s Go,” building to “Dance Hall Days” and ending with the international smash and beer commercial soundtrack (I bet lots of tour buses, studio time and mortgages were paid with it) “Wang Chung Tonight.”

            As if a nod to the 1980s when both bands made their biggest marks on the charts and to fans, both bassists played…Steinberg basses. Something you don’t see a lot of any more.

The Good, Michelle Weber and the Word Girls - Spiral Scratch Records July 20, 2013

While the other members of The Good continue to rock, vocalist He Who Shall Not Be Named is apparently off to hunt for a copy of Who Put the Bomp. Photo by Val Dunne/Barkloud Productions

            If Spiral Scratch Records and impresario Dave Anchovies (with wife Marisa Palumbo) aren’t careful, they will become possibly the coolest place to see and host of Buffalo bands.

            Val and I spent the vast majority of Record Store Day in Spiral Scratch, mostly its basement, listening to cool bands, and we caught a really good three-band show, namely The Good, Michelle Weber and the Word Girls July 20.

            The Good headlined the show and provided a fun, hard rocking, sometimes 1960s flavored sound in a slightly smaller format; guitarist Biff Henrich was not present, so guitarist Scott Michaels and Bob Kozak (who normally plays keyboard and guitar) made up for the change with some crunching and melodic riffs. He Who Shall Not Be Named added his usual high-energy, excitable vocals and worked the crowd a bit more than usual, including some mugging for the still and video cameras. Bassist Russ Steinberg continued providing bad jokes and support, while drummer Roger Nicol remained quiet between songs and powerful during them.

            Along with classic Good songs such as “Walk Around the World,” “Message From My Heart,” “Judy” and “Clouds,” it was great to hear the band reach back into the archives and play one of my favorites, “My Time to Leave.” HWSNBN also dedicated a song to Mary Moser, wife of Buffalo Music Hall of Fame member Bruce Moser, who is recovering from a serious medical situation.

            Michelle Weber opened the show and played both older and newer songs, including a few tunes from her classic “Cripple Head” cassette. The standout older tune was “Cut Them Off,” where Weber not only shows how far she will go to maintain a relationship but also demonstrates how far women are too often expected to sacrifice for others. Her guitar playing is still crisp and direct, blending melody and rhythm, and her voice shows signs of getting older/maturity in good ways, so that she doesn’t have to virtually scream or yowl in certain places to still make her point. One new song was a poignant piece on how she is processing the death of her father and the interesting situations that are generating memories.

            The Word Girls (for whom Anchovies plays bass), led by songwriter extraordinaire and guitarist Bill Nehill (also a Spiral Scratch employee), performed a startlingly good set, at times combining influences such as Jonathan Richman, Johnny Dowd and Nick Cave with battered but fascinating arrangements. The songs often focus on love and relationships sought, barely held onto and lost, and Nehill’s vocal delivery is mostly direct and dripping with emotions from happy to desperate and depressed. He has the uncanny knack of pulling you into a song, regardless how scary or hopeless it may sound, and his lyrics are powerful statements of someone trying to not only make sense of his world but trying to justify its, and his, existence in it. It had been too long since I caught Nehill live on stage, and I hope it isn’t so long until the next time.

             

Linda McRae Plays Sportsmen's Tavern May 31

           
            Linda McRae will return to Western New York for another fine performance with her Buffalo band, the Ragged Hearts, at 9 p.m. Friday, May 31, at the Sportsmen’s Tavern, 326 Amherst Street near Grant Street in Buffalo.

            McRae, first well-known for her time as bassist and vocalist with Spirit of the West, has become a seriously talent roots/Americana singer, songwriter and banjo player, and will feature songs from her most recent and fabulous CD, “Rough Edges and Ragged Hearts.” The Rugged Hearts are made up of Jim Whitford on standup bass and backing vocals, Mark Panfil on Dobro, accordion, harmonica and backing vocals; Doug Yeomans on guitar and backing vocals, and Randy Bolam on drums and backing vocals.

            McRae’s show is part of the Sportsmen’s Tavern’s Concert Series, and she calls the Sportsmen one of her “all-time favorite venues in the world.

            The CD, on 42 RPM, takes McRae’s rootsy sounds, from country, bluegrass, old-timey and rock, and blends them in the natural development of a talented musician catching her stride and taking her music to the next level. McRae, always an honest storyteller with little use for fantasy, has a thematic event she pulls from, her love and marriage to her husband, writer and poet James K. Whitmire. She sings of the ups, downs, laughter, sadness, confusion, hopes, dreams, nightmares, dread and simple everyday events that love and partnerships with people bring. She and Whitmire wrote several songs together on “Rough Edges and Ragged Hearts.”

            Several songs and passages on the new CD are powerful standouts, including “Higher Ground,” describes an alcoholic who knows he is dying talking to possibly the only person left who will listen to him, telling of his search for little more than a quiet, dignified place to die. “Hope It Lasts Through Supper,” mainly McRae’s voice and banjo, expresses the fun of two people actually liking each other’s company and being amazed something may come from it. The title song explains that people who’ve been through the romantic battles still feel love and need compassion, regardless the scars. “Deck of 52”features some mournful fiddle from Marc L’Esperance and nicely picked guitar from Stephen Nikleva as McRae sings of a lonely traveling Texas singer (dedicated to the late Townes Van Zandt).

 

            “Three Midnights,” a dark but eventually hopeful song co-written by McRae and Whitmire about “addiction, recovery and hope,” features the amazingly poignant couplet “I just bought a house with no windows/and it’s darker than three midnights in a jar.” (Whitmire has celebrated 25 years of sobriety.) The CD closes on a wonderful note,  “Be Your Own Light,” a somewhat rocking country gospel number on which McRae implores people to not be victims but to make their own joy and share it with others. The intro is twisted enough that you could hear Tom Waits joining in on it.

            42 RPM can be contacted at 3329 Lodmell Road, Victoria, British Columbia (BC), Canada V9C 3C1, or email at 42management@gmail.com, but you really should come to the show Friday and buy it from McRae and Whitmire in person.

It Isn't Feist, But the Music Still Sucks, OR Hall & Oates Shouldn't Have to Go For That (No Can Do)

Driving to run errands about a week ago, I was listening to WBNY 91.3 FM out of Buffalo State College when I heard a painfully bad, or at the very least uninspired, cover of the Hall & Oates classic "Private Eyes."

The wretchedness of the song, with the now way overdone, cliched affectless female lead vocal, apparently annoyed me enough to make me check for the song on YouTube. It turns out that the band is The Bird and the Bee, and this was one of what I would guess is too many songs off of "Interpreting the Masters Volume 1 - Hall  & Oates."

It's bad enough that this recording reminded me of the enormously overrated Feist, but I have now discovered that there is an entire CD of Hall & Oates covers by these two and, by the looks of the title, a threat to record more "tributes." I also noticed a certain indie pop pedigree of "The Bee," producer, keyboardist, etc., Greg Kurstin involving bands that are very least irritants (Beck may be the exception).

And yes, as you might imagine, I fall on the "you've got to be kidding me, where is the talent?" side of the Feist question, which each song of her's I hear causing one or more of my arm and hand hairs (forget my bald skull) to turn to grey or fall off altogether. Frankly, I am not sure that Apple Computers use of Feist's music in its advertising wasn't an even worse move than the company's calisthetics to avoid paying US taxes.

Also, I am a major Hall & Oates fan from the 1970s, and if I have the radio on in the car, absolutely crank any of their songs I hear. No, I do not consider enjoying Hall & Oates' music a guilty
pleasure, because there is nothing to be "guilty" or ashamed of; indeed, that is a topic for an upcoming post here.

Seeking the Freedom of Music on the West Side

A random event/encounter on Buffalo's West Side Saturday gave me encouragement and a sighting of the element of wonder, as well as some unneeded discouragement.

While I did my weekly shopping for several items at Price Rite that cost much less there than Wegmans or elsewhere (bananas, rolls, milk, cereal, applesauce), I had to go the aisle at the far end of the story, which offers bakery items, frozen foods and soda pop. A family of five, mom, dad and three kids, were shopping, with nothing standing out except some well-mannered behavior from the kids.

Suddenly, the oldest son, a Latino boy of about age 8-10, sees one of those displays with rails for corners and thinner wire on the sides to hold items in, most often used in toy and department stores to hold rubber balls. Instead of picking up and throwing any of the balls inside, he starts playing the wires like bass strings, immediately picking out a pretty decent, funky rhythm.

I stopped my rounds to watch and listen to this, both impressed and amused, when the boy discovered the different notes and started picking out a melody of sorts. I was amazed, and looked around, but saw no one but the family and me in the aisle. I was disappointed that no one else was present to witness this.

My listening was interrupted when the father went over to his son and said, "That's enough. How many times have I told you about doing this in stores?" First, you have talked to your son about playing bass this good on a store display before? Second, thanks, Mr. Killjoy; I hope you don't always show this lack of support of your son's and family's talents. Maybe you can't let him play on every display in every store, but a little bit of encouragement would be nice.

The Return of West Side Musical Notes

I used to have a blast when during our long walks, our beloved late dog, Walker Evans, and I witnessed some interesting musical activities on Buffalo's West Side. But last summer was spent getting over Val and my loss, and those posts (from a previous blog) ended for a while.

Fortunately, Harold and I have bee

n able to get out on some pretty serious travels around the West Side (Harold has a major walking motor), so it's time to start our musical walking blog observations again. Remember, Buffalo's West Side is an incredible melting pot of cultures brought here by rather recent immigrant populations, and has a very large Latino community.


About a week ago, Harold and I were walking on Chenango Street between Rhode Island and Massachusetts streets (just past a Buffalo Fire Department station) when we saw a man about age 25 with a guitar standing in front of three other same-age males sitting on a bench, with the middle guy holding a guitar and the other two guys intently watching. I could hear the first guitarist offer some instruction, including "after the first three, the fourth goes down here," and then he played what he was discussing, the full introduction to Heart's "Crazy on You."

Two days later, around the corner from that residence on Massachusetts Street, I could hear a full band rehearsing from an upstairs apartment/rehearsal space with a window open about halfway. It was loud without being overbearing, and as Harold and I closed in on the apartment, I recognized the song, Ozzy Osbourne's "No More Tears."

I didn't realize how popular hard rock and heavy metal still were on the West Side, and I hope to catch a wider variety of music there if/when the weather improves.

A Belated Public Thank You

A friend and former colleague, Barbara Cattrall Wallace, died March 16, after a long battle with cancer at age 61. We worked together for years at Bee Newspapers, and she later worked at the Internal Revenue Service and served as a lay commissioned pastor at several Presbyterian churches.

Barbara was also a U.S. Army veteran and journalist for the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service, including in Germany. This is where the musical portion of the story connects. Barbara purchased a good number of vinyl albums in Germany during her service there, and eventually, she stopped listening to some of them. One day at work, knowing my musical geekdom and writing, she asked me if I wanted some of them, some of the more rock-oriented albums, making sure I knew that none of them were too recent (this was the late 1980s). I said of course I would take them.

A couple of days later, she brought a bag with about 10-12 albums in it to my desk and told me to enjoy them; I thanked Barbara and barely waited until I got home to check them. There were several Rick Wakeman albums, then a Bebop Deluxe album (cool), and the last two I pulled out of the bag were "Autobahn" and "Radio-Activity," both by Kraftwerk. There were two copies of "Autobahn," one in German and one in English, as well as the English version of "Radio-Activity," despite its German print on the cover. I profusely thanked Barbara the next day, and later thanked her again when she left Bee Newspapers.

But despite my writings over the years, I don't think I properly thanked Barbara, because I have enjoyed the Kraftwerk albums in particular an awful lot, and hold them as rather prized items in my larger than I ever expected vinyl collection. That was the kind of person Barbara was, doing good, kind things for other people because they were good acts and made people's lives a bit better.


Barbara is survived by her husband, Sherman C. Wallace Jr.; a son, David Cattrall; a daughter, Deanna Wallace, and three sisters, as well as many friends and colleagues who were kindly touched by her presence.

The Continental Reunion Party 2013

            Let’s not try to use too many clichés, such as gathering of the tribe, reliving old glories for one more night, or getting together the old gang again.

            That being said, the Continental Reunion Party 2013, celebrating what many would say is Buffalo’s classic punk/new wave club formerly located at 212 Franklin Street downtown, will be held Friday, March 15, at the Town Ballroom, 681 Main Street, Buffalo. Doors will open at 8 p.m., and the bands and DJs will start right away (ahem). Bud Redding, Hard Management and Mammoth Recording Studio are producing the Continental Reunion Party 2013, which will foremost be an evening of fun, friends and great music.

Tickets are available at tickets.com, or The Town Ballroom box office, (that’s where I bought mine) open every day from 12 noon till 5 pm.  The cost is $10 presale, $20 the day of show.

The show will feature these legendary Buffalo bands: The Fems Fatale (former Fems members-plus), the Irving Klaws, Terry Sullivan (featuring music of The Celibates), The Old Toys, Nullstadt, Funk Monsters & Woman, and Bobo. New bands Garda and Rustworm will also perform, satisfying the crowd’s need of new music.

The following original Continental DJs will also perform:  Andre’ Frazier, David Hall, Ken Cox, Arca Tek, Matt Hatten, Karl S, and Oldskool, and the futuristic Nekrotique. The bands and DJs are intended to cover the spectrum of the club’s eras, from 1980 till closing in 2006.

            I was able to ask Redding several questions; Bud is one of the people who may have seen every side of the Continental short of ownership, having been a fan, onstage performer, DJ, booker and virtual manager, and he took some time from arranging the show to answer.

KJH: How did the idea for a Continental reunion come to be? Were you surprised at the interest?

BR: The idea of a Continental reunion has been being floated around for awhile, and there were some half-hearted attempts to do it, but I wanted to do it right, and to really recreate the vibe from the club (i.e., needed a venue that could simulate the upstairs/downstairs feel), The Town Ballroom was the only venue in town that would work. I wasn't surprised at the interest in the show; I thought that if it was done right it would succeed. Facebook and this Continental page that Jennifer Shanley Clark started made it possible. I have tried hard and timed this to make it work.

KJH: Why do you think the Continental holds such a strong spot in many people's hearts after so many years?

BR: Good question - tough question. The club was so much for so many people, all with different reasons; music, friends, music, DJs, bands, friends, the staff (Marty, Dale, Mikey, etc), the variety of music (punk, wave, electronic, metal, grunge, weird...) and the girls and guys! It was a great place to hook up. I met my wife there, grew up there. It was the first club that many people snuck into with fake ID...it was the birthplace of the Goth scene in WNY...girls dressed sexy...boys dressed like girls...the music was different and usually original...it felt like Buffalo...we went there even when it was snowing like a bitch.

KJH: You make what I think is a smart point of noting that there were people who were upstairs, dance and DJ-oriented fans, there were downstairs people, mainly there to hear bands, and that many people moved back and forth between the two. Why did this come about?

BR: To me, this was the best part of the club, and what set it apart from all others. The alternative scene had two diverse parts - Dancing to the music from London, NYC, Berlin, and other points, plus the local original alternative bands. The layout of the Continental made that cool, fun, different, and exciting. (Owner) Bud Burke supported the local scene to the max, brought in some great touring acts (999, Billy Idol, The Bangles, etc.) and pushed the DJs to bring new music to the upstairs. When I started booking the bands (around 1990, I tried to do the same thing - I was very selective about touring acts, but tried to really push and nurture the local scene...I brought in KMFDM, Pigface, and a few others, but concentrated on local and regional stuff, or bands out on their first tour that would fit at the club. The DJs always brought in great new music and many people came just to dance. I loved (when I wasn’t working) to go back and forth between the two scenes, as I was both a local musician and a DJ. If it got boring downstairs, you went upstairs, or visa-versa. The stairs were tough at 3 am!

KJH: Between DJing, playing onstage, booking and virtually managing the Continental, you did just about everything there. Was there anything you didn't do or didn't want to do, and what did you take from it? Was it difficult to lessen your role there?

BR: I do not like to brag, it's not my thing, but I know I was the only person to play in a band, book the bands, and DJ at the club. And yes, during a tough time at the club, after Bud Burke died, I did kind of manage the place. The only thing I didn't do was schedule the bartenders and order the liquor! There was nothing that I didn't get to do that I wanted to, except for buying the place...if only I had the cash! When I left the club, they owed me a LOT of money (which I never got) and I was working 18 hours a day for a local NHL team as the Building Services Manager - doing major concerts like Metallica, Neil Young, Justin Timberlake, Rush, Phish, etc, as well as getting the arena ready for 40 NHL games, indoor soccer, lacrosse, and wrestling events...I really didn’t have time to go to the club, and only stopped in there on the rare occasion...I did miss it, but was so busy that it just didn’t matter. In 2003 I bought some new recording equipment and got back into the local music scene. (Bud sings, plays keyboard and write songs for Cowboys of Scotland.)

KJH: How far away are people planning to come from for the Continental reunion? Are there people you were surprised to hear from? What should people expect?

 

BR: There are people coming from California, Texas, NYC, Connecticut, and Florida, and that is just the ones I know of!! Yes, there were a few surprises in that list - I am so excited and grateful that people are going through so much to come to this party!! I am planning on making a donation to the Wounded Warriors Project after the event, so all this enthusiasm and support is much appreciated!! People should expect music, friends, drinks, the beautiful people, and a few surprises!!! (Just like the Continental!!)

(In addition to everything else he did, Bud Redding is a United States Marine Corps combat veteran.)

The band and DJ schedule is:

Band Schedule (Town Ballroom Main Stage)

8:00 pm – Garda

8:45 pm - BoBo

9:30 pm - Old Toys

10:15 pm - Nullstadt

11:00 pm - Terry Sullivan (With a Special Performance by The Celibates)

11:45 pm - Funk Monsters & Woman

12:30 am - Irving Klaws

1:15 am - The Fems Fatale

2:00 am – Rustworm

DJ Schedule (Town Ballroom Banquet Room)

8:00 pm - DJ Karl S

8:30 pm - Paul Hojnowski "DJ Oldskool"

9:00 pm - Matthew Maingley "DJ Matt Hatten"

9:30 pm - DJ Ken Cox

10:15 pm - DJ David Hall

11:00 pm - Andre' Frazier "DJ Brother Dre"

11:45 pm - Amy "DJ Nekrotique"

12:30 am - Jeff Naughton "DJ Arca Tek"

1:15 am - DJs Andre', David, and Bud

2:15 am - Jeff Naughton "DJ Arca Tek" till close...

            I’m not going to turn this post into a maudlin, here are my memories post; that will be saved until the reunion itself and my review of the show. But I will thank Bud Redding for his cooperation, as I did so many times over the years at the Continental, and mention that it is no coincidence that my wife, Val Dunne, and I spent so many years at the Continental, shooting and writing about bands, drinking and living our lives.

The Music of Your (My) Life?

I made my weekly visit to Guercio's on Grant Street on Buffalo's West Side today; for those of you who haven't been there or aren't from Buffalo, it is a great Italian market and deli with some very high-quality ethnic foods and deli choices, as well as some very good and very inexpensive coffee beans.

It is also home of a very fun and interesting staff that enjoys certain music, from Italian crooners and American versions (including Frank Sinatra, Jerry Vale, Dean Martin and Al Martino), and classic hits, which are what the stations are mostly tuned to when I go there. I rather enjoy the days the crooner stations are on (who doesn't enjoy some early to mid-period Sinatra), and there is a photo of Elvis Presley in Las Vegas "choking" a family member from the early 1970s near one of the cash registers.

Today, when I got there, I went to the deli first, as usual, and took my number; seeing it was crowded and I was 10 numbers away from getting served, I went to get my coffee beans. When I returned, the area I was standing in was directly in the middle of the area where you could hear the station the store was playing and the music or station the women working in the deli were playing.

So, I heard David Bowie singing "Golden Years" on the store station, while Hall and Oates were singing "Kiss on My List" on the deli station, finishing a two-song set that classic hits station was featuring this weekend.

The next set? Making an, um, riveting segue, the station played two songs by Andy Gibb, "I Just Want to Be Your Everything" and "Shadow Dancing." Boy, howdy, just what I wanted to hear, but apparently, I was in the minority. A couple of deli workers and customers sang along to the late Mr. Gibb, and one customer, a woman about age 40-45, began slowly swaying and dancing to "I Just Want to Be Your Everything," and picked up the pace to "Shadow Dancing."

I smiled and said nothing about it; at least they were enjoying the music.

Mohawk Place Memories

             It is sad, but maybe not too surprising with the way things in the Buffalo bar, club and music industries go, that after a long run (20-25 years for me, as far as I can remember), that the legendary Mohawk Place, 47 East Mohawk Street in Buffalo, will be closing later this month.

            It has been interesting and bittersweet to read all of the recollections of shows, events, people and other occurrences that have been written and posted online, in print and so on, and because I don’t want to repeat too much, I have waited to write about some of my strongest memories of Mohawk Place.

            There is no question that there have been tons of great local and national bands and acts featured at Mohawk Place, anywhere from the likes of Scott Carpenter and the Real McCoys, girlpope, Dollywatchers, the Irving Klaws. Bobo, Oui73 and the Steam Donkeys, as well as reunions of the Jumpers, Ramrods and several of the above bands, to Rosie Flores, Steve Wynn and the Miracle 3. the Fleshtones, Two-Cow Garage, Lords of the Highway and the Cowslingers. The annual Joe Strummer tributes were also memorable events.

            But I want to focus on two events that are more unique or at least personal for me. The first was a simple, fun and momentarily horrifying event; one New Year’s Eve in the 1990s, Scott Carpenter and the Real McCoys were tearing things up. When midnight approached, Scott called Val Dunne and me onstage to sing “Auld Lang Syne;” at this point, Val and I were only good friends and years away from dating. We staggered up on stage (I was still drinking at this point) and warbled out the song as best we could; having been known for, um, honest, full-contact reviews of live acts, I wondered if anyone would notice my lack of singing skills, but it seems the Real McCoys drowned out my attempts.

            The Americanarama music festival found its eventual home at Mohawk Place, after starting at the Pierce Arrow (I think that is where the first one was held). The 2000 Americanarama, at Mohawk Place, was where Val and I went from being good friends to romantically involved; in particular, due to the music, the atmosphere and efforts of two friends, Alexandra Lynne (Arnold, Manias) and Toby Sachsenmaier. While most of the music was performed on the outdoor stage, the last couple of bands were moved inside Mohawk Place, and as the Irving Klaws ended the night, Val and I kissed, um, a lot. To continue the tradition, I proposed to Val exactly one year later (at home), during the then-two-day Americanarama, and announced it to all there. One year to the date after that, we were married June 23, 2002, in Las Vegas.

            So, as you can see, along with the music, Val and I will always have a rather warm, special place in our hearts for Mohawk Place. We also value the friendship of so many people working or formerly working there, such as Pete Perrone, the owner through most of the club’s glory days whose health we wish for improvement, as well as Marty Boratin, Renee Roberts, Mikel Doktor, Tim Saracki, Bill Nehill, Chris Malachowski and Robyn Conniff (sorry to anyone I missed). Man, will Mohawk Place be missed.

Christmas Music for ELP Fans: Oh, Joy to the World

For those of you asking, no, I didn't get holiday cards from the Trans-Siberian Orchestra or Mannheim Steamroller this year, or past years, for that matter. It could be my comments on their musical wretchedness.

As I told one person on Facebook this year, their awful music sounds to me like Emerson, Lake and Palmer on amphetamines, and as another friend wrote, just what they wanted in their Christmas/holiday music, more bombast. But while I wrote one several times in my head, I simply don't have the wish to write a major piece on this topic...again, I suppose.

Sorry, Been Busy, Blah, Blah, Blah

As a few of you probably noticed, I have been pretty slack in updating The Hosey Report. I started this blog to be able to write about music and music-related items at my pace, but that pace should not have been slower than Republicans realizing they are on the wrong side of history.

While I am not a New Year's resolution kind of person, I plan to get back into a much higher gear with the blog, and have a couple of stories and posts already in mind. If I fall back again, you fine readers are given permission to metaphorically kick my ass. In the meantime, enjoy this hideous photograph of me from 1976-1977. Maybe now you'll understand why I chose to be on the other side of the camera lo, those many years ago.