(Karie Skogman and Craig Erickson: Photo: Scott Sanborn)
(Surf Zombies: Joel McDowell joins Brook Hoover and band, Scott Sanborn took the photo)
Here it is, the last official weekend of summer. Big story is the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and the 2017 inductees. And some of these folks I had the chance to play on stage with. The best known are the Surf Zombies, the band featuring the late Kyle Oyloe and still living and keeping the flame going on Brook Hoover. Karie Skogman, the Lita Ford of the Midwest, playing in bands such as Erotica and now fronts Lipstick Slick. Craig Erickson, who I thought was already in the IA HOF, one of the fastest playing guitar players in town. Gary Kellgren, famed recording extraordinaire who worked on albums by Jimi Hendrix and Fleetwood Mac and opened up three versions of The Record Plant in New York and L.A. David Sandler, who worked with Brian Wilson and American Spring and composed the one hit wonder Minnesota by Northern Light The Whitesidewalls, a cover band that has continued to be one of the more in demand oldies covers band still playing. And Tommy Allsup as well, Tommy was part of the ill fated Crickets band that played at the Surf Ballroom, but did not board the flight with Buddy Holly and others, he lost out on a coin toss to either the Big Bopper or Richie Valens. Stories have been conflicted over the years. Tommy would later become a producer to the stars (Asleep At The Wheel, Willie Nelson to name a couple) And a few more others have been inducted as well, most notably Steve Bridges (Sorosoff) of 99 plus fame but now has a more watered down I.E. corporate rock controlled position at KCJJ. https://www.iowarocknroll.com/
(Photo:Scott Sanborn)
Passings: Walter Becker, the other half of Steely Dan, died of a long illness, he was 67.
Dave Hlubek: Lead guitarist for Molly Hatchet that gave us Flirting With Disaster. He was 68
This weekend, I guest starred on 12 songs, helping out Mike Serbousek during the Julie And The Mad Dogs return to Rumors Friday Night. Before that Brass Transit played New Bo, during a problematic set that had constant feedback problems, Rob Wallace paying too much attention to himself but the band did do a good copy of Chicago songs. Inch 75 played outdoors at Union City.
Saturday, The Palomino Band played Aces And Eights, Doug Spinler, former Open Highway guitarist still plays the best Don Rich type of country guitar and Mike Eastman behind real drums holds down a steady beat. I didn't make to the Ellis Rocking Reunion but stories were that Cathy Hart and Denny Kettelson both had chest pains and had to go to the emergency room. And they too had PA problems but Kick It and American Classic put on a great show. I went to Walford to catch up on FLEX and Four Day Creep rocking the outdoors, Duane Connaughton, on vacation from his other band filled in on bass and managed to bring the rock and roll to the show.
Sunday: Rumors jam and Dr Z Experiment finished the New Bo Art Festival with a jammy three hour set. To which on Monday, I took a break from the band to go watch Cars 3 among with the kiddie choir. I am a fan of the Cars movies that did came out and thought that Cars 3 was better than Cars 2. And then rented the movie Whiplash, one of the most intense movies about drumming ever made. Even on a good day I couldn't never hit that drum solo to Caravan like the main character did at the finale. Highly recommended even if I had to pay 8 dollars for a used DVD of that movie. I been looking for it but couldn't remember the name of the movie. I do now.
And Iowa Hawkeyes started the football season with a 24-3 blasting of Wyoming Saturday. While the offense looked a bit unsure in the first quarter, the Iowa Defense tighten up and kept the Cowboys out of the end zone all game. Next up. Iowa State which throttled Northern Iowa 42-24 for the Cy Hawk trophy.
When Richie Blackmore said he was open to return to play with Deep Purple one last time, the rest of the band didn't think much of it. Ian Gillan commented that he didn't think Richie played great, Roger Glover mentioned that Blackmore had issues of Roger remastering of the early albums and Ian Paice said that this lineup of Deep Purple was his most favorite lineup and having Don Airey and Steve Morse made the band a lot more fun than ole Richie during the classic days. Make no mistake, while Richie gave Deep Purple that great guitar sound, Steve Morse has a better working bandmate and is can hold his own on guitar as his days with Dixie Dregs proven, and unlike Tommy Bolin didn't do drugs to kill himself either. Glover says never say never but in this context the guys say just stick with Rainbow and that medieval minstrel folk band he formed with his wife years ago. Everybody is more happier that way.
This week's Reviews: (Or every other week or when I feel like it)
Sara Cram/The Derelicts-Little Secrets (Self Released 2008)
If anybody reads into these reviews I tend to look at local acts more so than others. It's simple really; the major labels don't release anything worth a fuck anymore and I tend to look at No Depression with more suspicion than relying on them for anything worthwhile (Avett Brothers come to mind). Sara Driscoll now plays in a band called the Awful Purdies, but back in the 2000s she was part of the Diplomats Of Solid Sound and also The Derelicts which featured members of the Meekats/Surf Zombies, namely Kyle Oyloe and Brook Hoover. To which the Surf Zombies got featured in the Iowa Rock Hall Of Fame last weekend. Last album I reviewed, Sara put out her wounded heart and soul in a darken bit of acoustic folk that spoke from the heart. This time out she decided to have a backing band with her and it's a better effort. The secret weapon is Oyloe who adds his trademark of off the wall rock and roll and reverb driven guitar on songs like Hard Driving Man or I Got Friends. At times her vocals are in tune with a pissed off Natalie Merchant which gives Nervous and I Learned From You extra bite. Time has mellowed her since, she's gotten married and having children of her own and practices yoga out in New Bo the past couple of summers. But once upon a time, she did put a challenge to Amy Rigby in this sort of angry girl rock.
Grade B+
The Townedgers-Logic And Lies (Record Collect/Maier 2017)
For the fifth album in three years, Rodney Smith has been mighty busy on the local jam circuit and while this album was supposed to be half original and half covers, something happened that changed the outcome. And usually the big cause was another crash and burn romance. Sometimes it does bring out classic albums if done right, Pawnshops For Olivia was one of the better breakup albums of that time, Love Sucks from 1983 faltered when the second side of songs got over dramatic. And Drive In Blues (1992) fell somewhat in the middle. The promises of everlasting love turning out to be nothing more than a mirage and a broken heart to boot. While Pawnshops For Olivia was the best of the bunch, the album ends with the bleak Beyond The Sun. Since Smith is very good at making albums about relationship failure, it comes to no surprise that Logic And Lies was based on the hope of finding a new love late in his life, the emotions of rejection and lack of confidence comes into full frustration and an overactive mind that compounds the problems on songs like Drawn In The Dark and It's Just A Notion. Even though the self doubt, the songs do express hopefulness of convincing the love interest to give love another try on Love's Guessing Game and thinking in another world she is his man on All We Are. Through the 30 plus years of his recording life, Smith has never stayed in love and the songs wish that things would be different, he could never find the perfect one for him and if he did, he'd find out later that he was better off alone, as it was proclaimed on the lead off track from Fitting Finales two years ago. Major difference between Logic And Lies and Pawnshops is that the songs are better arranged, and benefited from full band participation, namely Geoff Redding who contributed more songs this time out since The Highway Home and even former Route 66 fill in Mel Strobie helped on two tracks. Even in frustration, the title track might be the most potent love song Smith has done in years to which the ever hopeful Rod Rocker still believes that he's found the right and he's hanging on for life but she keeps killing him emotionally. The Stevie Ray Vaughn inspired Let It Go is blues rock, But even with hope, The Promise Flower, Smith admits that like the wind you can't hold the love interest. And Mystery Girl is the damning answer that he doesn't want to hear. Despite the hopeless and failures of the songs that comprises Logic And Lies, the final song I'm On The Right Road Now, he finally found the girl of his dreams. To which, the girl of his dreams is just that before ending the album with an acoustic revisit of the title track. Logic And Lies continues the winning streak of listenable albums, although this does better Fitting Finales but not Forthcoming Trains. Terry Bainbridge, who helped shaped Jubilee, last year's live album, and worked with Smith on 1987's Tales Of The Red Caboose, did a fine job bringing out the vocals up front. Given that, the way things have been going, Rodney Smith may never find the girl of his dreams or anybody who could put up with him longer than one date, but one can't deny that when he gets his heart broken, nobody can write the breakup songs better than he. After all, he's had many years of practice.
Grade A-
Traffic-Far From Home (Virgin 1994)
Stacked up against the albums that Steve Winwood put out at that time, his reunion with Jim Capaldi turned out the be the much more weakest one he's ever put out and probably is the worst Traffic album of all time. First of all, it's too long at 62 minutes, second of all Winwood can't write a song under 4 minutes. At it's worst, Winwood sounds bored, especially on the title track, at its best, the songs work in a more weaker Roll With It sound. (This Train Don't Stop). If the listener hasn't given up by the final track, the best one (Mozambique) Capaldi and Winwood play it as a instrumental. Perhaps they should have gone that route more often then the plodding ballads.
Grade C
The Masked Marauders-The Complete Deity Sessions (Reprise/Deity 1969)
In the typical people would buy anything, this forgotten anti classic touted a secret jam session featuring Mick Jagger, John Lennon, George Harrison and Bob Dylan according to legend, but in reality was a made up hoax story by Greil Marcus that ran in Rolling Stone and people took it seriously enough to warrant an album. In theory this is more of a comedy album in the style of Spinal Tap (only Spinal Tap was more funnier and more rocking) Can't Get No Nookie has been mistaken for a outtake missing from Jamming With Edward (to which Mick Jagger participated with Bill Wyman and Charlie Watts with guest stars Ry Cooder and Nicky Hopkins, but Jagger had nothing to do with Nookie). Cow Pie is laid back mellow rock and then the joke wears thin, the John Lennon and Bob Dylan wannabes hacks and not very convincing and then they managed to suck the life out of Season Of The Witch. In typical parody style, Warner Brothers made the Deity label the only outlet for this album, laughed it off and claimed it as a tax loss. Rhino Handmade then reissued it in 2001 and Wounded Bird picked it up later on. As a curio, it's meant to be heard one time and then trading it in for something more useful. That said, Can't Get No Nookie is that one parody song that nails Mick Jagger in that time and frame. And would have been good enough to make it on Jamming With Edward. The rest, not so much.
Grade B-
Music of my youth: Steely Dan-Aja (ABC 1977)
Upon the passing of Walter Becker, I was drawn to see what kind of album that Steely Dan did would be worthy of inclusion to the tribute and talents of Walter, but you don't need me to tell you that with Becker's passing, the legacy of Steely Dan falls upon Don Fagen to maintain the cool jazz and pop swing of reeling in the years. As time passes on and as each new release gets release and hardly anybody notices it the week after release, it is the classic albums of the 60s and 70s that people continue to seek out and purchases all over again. Aja is one of those albums, bought on 8 track tape my first time and later four times on CD, I can't help but get drawn in on the jazz rock passages that this band cooks up. Plenty of session folks to help out. Rick Morrota provides the backbeat to Peg, legendary Pretty Purdie adds his beats to Home At Last and Deacon Blues, Paul Humphreys tackles Black Cow, Jim Keltner gets assigned to Josie but Steve Gadd wins out with his inventive drum work on the title track to which many a Steely Dan tribute band have tried to do but never duplicated. It's funny how this song warmed me up to watch the drum movie Whiplash, to which a drumming student takes on a dictatorial band leader, gets ridiculed, asks out a girl for a date only to drop her in favor of being the best drummer, then gets ridiculed by the demanding Fletcher (played by J K Downing), gets the drum throne only to lose it when he forgets his sticks at the rent a car place and hurries back to get them only get into a car crash and then punches out the instructor when he messes up. Later in the film he gets dictatorial instructor out only to make up with him at a happy hour gig. Then the instructor plots revenge on him by drafting him into the new jazz band he has forming, then ridicules him one last time before drummer boy goes off in a huff and then comes back to show the instructor up (or win him over) by doing the ultimate drum solo on Caravan. What's this to do with Aja is that Gadd's drum part on the middle and fade out and so damn complex but somewhat simple enough if you can follow sixteen triplet figures on bass and tom toms and Gadd is sharp enough to pull this off. The highlight of the album. The rest of the songs are just as good, Peg is probably the most pop rock of all songs but owes a bit to R and B, The Purdie shuffle on Home At Last is noteworthy too. I always got a kick out of the line I cried when I wrote this song, sue me if I played it too long and Robert Christgau mentioned that Sue me if I played it wrong would have been better to sing with. The only time a critic ever upstaged the band's original lyrical content. And then Mike McDonald adding backing vocal chops to Peg. The original grade was a B plus, as a high schooler I was more into harder rock and roll and looked at Aja as a passable diversion but 40 years onward and Aja has become perhaps the best jazz rock album and it did solidify Steely Dan's spot in music. For the other S.D. albums, I figure Countdown To Ecstasy the one to get, Can't Buy A Thrill as well, Pretzel Logic somewhat overrated outside of the title track and Rikki Don't Lose That Number Katy Lied underrated and The Royal Scan their weakest and Gaucho a close second. In the end Aja is absolute perfection.
Grade A+
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