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LORD ROCHESTER 20/20 VISION CLIP... It's A HIT!

What's happening? Not much but y'ken...

Sometimes I think I might try and post stuff here more often and then more often than not something else comes up. The will to procrastinate is so strong that any sign of distraction is seen as an excuse. There’s some good stuff around that I should probably try and write about but aren’t you overloaded with information as it is. As guff as my angle might be though, it was never my intention to neglect the blog as much as I have been doing.

Just recently, Eddie Flowers asked me to contribute to the upcoming Vulcher print venture. I asked him if I should handwrite it and he said yes. Being that I hadn’t broken out the pens in a while, that was quite a culture shock. Not least because a semblance of an arthritic condition has crept over me so holding the writing utensil for any length of time was uncomfortable. I’d also forgotten all about the need to blot and not to smudge the ink. That made for some expletive filled outbursts along the way.

Forgetting is another thing I do a lot of. I’ve come to excel at that. Like a whole bank of memory tapes have been erased. Of course, all of this is down to aging. I’m under no illusion about that or the fact that it’s likely to get worse. At this point I’m well in advance of punk rock at 40 – this all of a sudden worthy commodity that some ne’er do wells can wring some cash out of cashing in on.

But what the hey, if someone is buying then they likely deserve to be taken. In the same way that anyone would even consider going to see Springsteen at Hampden fucking Park in Glasgow. Far be it from me to get in the way of what could only turn out to be the polar opposite of a real cool time. And I truly hope that Iggy will have made enough money to retire soon so that he can maybe hit the talk circuit and stop playing that post-Trainspotting gash. 

Now that - I’d pay to see. 

DAHLMANN-IA!

In the interest of full disclosure, I am very close to this release but I’m also very excited about it. This latest instalment by The Dahlmanns is their best yet in my opinion. If ever there was a definition of hit pop smash then these two songs are surely the sonic illustration of such a premise.

One original, one cover. I swear that I thought Line had written “Do You Want Crying” and had no idea it was a Katrina and the Waves song. In that time honoured tradition of picking material – and adding to it – this was a master stroke. “Play It (on Repeat)” is an original that stands up alongside any of your anthems. “Faking unaffected” just won’t cut it. I challenge anyone in radio to programme it as an antidote to that anodyne urban slop that they dole out on a minute by minute basis. 

“... Crying” is a tour de force. When the guitar outro comes in at then all bets are off. The first time I heard it, I was gasping for breath so hard that I almost needed oxygen. And that sensation has continued – on repeat – every time I hear it. The expression “on fire” is often overused but this is an incendiary a guitar run as I have ever heard. And I do mean EVER.

They really upped the ante on an already high-fallutin’ catalogue with this one and yes, there will be a vinyl edition coming down the pike. Meanwhile you can get a CD-ingle or a download (via CD Baby) from those savvy folks at the Pop Detective imprint out in New Jersey, USA. 

WRECKLESS ERIC - The MAKEOUT ROOM - SAN FRANCISCO

Wreckless Eric and Roy Loney

Thanks to a stalled Mission Street bus I was a little late for the show... got there just as he started "Reconnez Cherie" which has always been my fave of his. The joint was pretty well full near the stage so I sidled up to the bar and was halfway down my gin and tonic when I realized Roy Loney was sitting next to me. Roy told me I missed about 4 songs. Eric had an acoustic guitar (which he later told me was an Alvarez) with a ton of distortion and echo on it like the Stones Beggars Banquet sound.  

He sometimes switched to a beat up old Telecaster. These went through an old tube Guild combo amp that I’ve never seen before and didn't know existed. Very big and warm sounding.  He talked a lot between songs as he does (these bits are nearly as good as the songs themselves) and went on about naughty (but "undocumented") things going on in the North London Holloway public loo before performing “Joe Meek”. He did a lot of stuff off his recent album “AmERICa” which is his best ever by the way including “Several Shades of Green”, “Transitory Thing”, “Days of My Life”, “Boy Band”, “Sysco Trucks” and the absolutely sublime closer from the record, “Have a Great Day”.  

Opening band, The Mantles, joined him for “Whole Wide World” and came up and joined him again for “I Wish It Would Rain”. They were excellent and it was just fantastic to hear him with a band.

Eric graciously met and gret afterwards signing LPs and CDs (including my copy of AmERICa).  

Roy waited patiently to say hi while he took photos with fans. I helped him out with the gear and hitched a ride in his Buick Le Sabre up to the entrance of the Bay Bridge. His next stop was Portland but he said he was staying over in Chico.  

Eric really was in great form... I'd say he was as good - if not the best - I've ever seen him. 

Report by Don Ciccone (not pictured) / Eric and Roy Loney Pic courtesy of Bram Balam

The Mantles back Wreckless Eric on Whole Wide World from The Mantles on Vimeo.

So long (Gary) Sperrazza!

I heard today via my friend David Wolin that another old co-conspirator has left the crease.

Does the name Gary Sperrazza! (with exclamation mark) ring any bells? He latterly ran a store called Apollo Records in Buffalo, NY and quite possibly continued to sell records after it closed. We started off as pen/type-pals when he wrote for Bomp! and established a friendship over the years. His zine, The Shakin Street Gazette was a magazine that covered great music before pigeonholes ruined things. If I remember correctly, and this is a big thing – he was the one that introduced me to what was going on down Springfield way in Missouri as well as a host of other things. He was a huge soul fan and I discovered all manner of gems through Gary. 

I may never have hooked up with Lou and co if it hadn't been for this guy.

Sperrazza! was a character and on paper he seemed like a very decent geezer. I went to his home town of Buffalo to meet him during my first trip to the USA with my then wife Gail. Big mistake. That was the end right there because we were treated pretty shabbily. It was the rudeness more than anything else. However, I learned a valuable lesson out of that experience. I learned that if someone takes time to meet with you then one should give him, her or them full attention. To always go that extra mile to make sure they had a good time. It was sad because I really hate to lose friends for whatever reason.

There was a positive outcome however, because after that 36 or 48 hours of relative hell (it was good to see David who really was a youngster back then when he was in The Splatcats), Gail and I hopped on the bus to Rochester and hooked up with my lifelong pals Kevin and Corinne Patrick. That was when I also met the Rt. Hon. Greg Prevost at the fabled House of Guitars too. 

So all was well that ended well.

Gary was a complicated person and according to reports not always that easy to get along with. One comes to learn that people are people and sometimes they have a reason for acting the way they do. I don't know whether he did or not but I plan to unearth some of the cassette tapes he sent me this weekend and will endeavour to remember him the way I thought he was before we met.

My condolences to any friends and family that might stumble upon this. I don’t know if he had any but I know that you can read some of his writing on Rock’s Backpages.

FANTASTIC FUNTASTIC NEWS!

h

I'd never heard this before Friday!

Do it for JOE!

You can now score Andy Shernoff's ode to Joey HERE!

All Nett proceeds go to the Foundation for Lymphoma Research in the big fella's name.

A Mad-Toon Must-Visit!

Joey's Got The Power!

RUN DOWN LOVE BATTERY!

GRC! GLESGA ROCK CITY...

The folks at Glasgow Music City Tours asked me to put something together for their blog. 

Come visit, let them take you for a wander.

From LAKESIDE by Eric 'Roscoe' Ambel...

REMINDER... ALVIN ACTION THIS COMING TUESDAY!!

Don't forget! The Alvin Brothers and their Guilty co -conspirators are at The Art School, Glasgow on Tuesday next. (19th). 

They'll be on at 8pm and there is no opener. 

Just wall to wall D + P. 

Excellent news!

Tickets here!

Where did that last 15 years go exactly?

To be or not to be is the question unceasingly...

Thanks to Barbara Garcia- Bernardo via facebook.

It's A Hit!

Descent into the Central Scotland Maelstrom...

Radio Birdman. Not in Glasgow. Nor in Edinburgh. The Warehouse in Falkirk on Saturday June 25th.

This is not a hoax. 

It's happening. Join the gathering of the "Yeah Hup" clan.

Details and ticket info here.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS DONUT APPLY - AVAILABLE NOW!

Prior to Mr Cruickshank’s untimely exit, he completed a bunch of recording with his long-time musical co-pilot Wilf Smarties. The first instalment of the reactivated Mowgli and the Donuts oeuvre is available now on CD entitled “Terms and Conditions Donut Apply”. You can order your copy here and it'll set you back £7.99 including UK postage. Overseas folks can enquire via that same portal. Copies can now be found in discerning music emporiums in Glasgow and Edinburgh and hopefully further afield in the not too distant future.

The band grew out of a remarkable friendship struck up at school, between Wilf and Stewart. Formed spiritually nearly 50 years ago in 1967, M + TD started in earnest as soon as they could both play 3 chords. Wilf gravitated to lead guitar, Stewart to rhythm and the two began to write songs soon after.

The band gigged regularly for a decade in various formats and locations, playing sets of original material. Wilf went on to run Planet Recording Studio in Edinburgh during the 80's. He produced Wet Wet Wet and ended up accidentally writing for Kylie. Stewart’s Mowgli moniker was Gilmore Wines in the old days, prior to becoming a producer at the BBC. Post millennium, the two old worthies began to have some very eccentric, off the beaten track adventures and it was mooted that they should record songs for posterity. A little over 3 years ago Wilf returned to Edinburgh and this move kicked off this final phase.

They recruited former Donuts - Keith Froude from our “East Anglian” period (drums) and also Andy Munro aka Mr Boom (drums) and Iain B. Veitch (bass) from the later “Edinburgh” era. The voice of Lorraine, Stewart's widow, is set to be heard on subsequent releases.

The songs are a mixture of the romantic, idiosyncratic, observational and political, in roughly equal amounts, many set here in their native Scotland. Musical influences are broad but the peel of the 60's West Coast sound is most prevalent. Stewart and Wilf grew up in the age of the concept album. They would reverentially listen to an LP all the way through and that’s how “Terms and Conditions” should be enjoyed.

The tracks are not available for download and shuffle play is not encouraged.