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).