Documentary Watch- PBS: In Their Own Words- Chuck Berry

PBS recently did a Chuck Berry episode of their In Their Own Words show. I suspect it’s as a good of a telling of the Berry story as anything out there. Berry, of course the hero and villain of his story. His notorious problems got him in legal trouble. But he was the architect of rock n roll, one of America’s premier art forms and I suspect his life would have been different if he was white like Elvis. He was notoriously hard to work with and he valued making money over all other pursuits. One of the most interesting appearances is Keith Richards who ends up saving Berry from himself when he finally gets a proper tribute in the Hail Hail Rock N Roll film. Another revelation is that Berry’s classic song streak ends when he leaves Chess (and his production and studios) for the bigger label. I’m not familiar with this series, which implies that it is mainly from the artist’s mouth. Instead, some great interviews from Berry’s wife, Richards, Robert Cray and other important people in his life. This would not be a bad spot to start if you wanted a brief bio of Berry. It’s all here- prison, the difficult artist who expected every musician to know how to play his music, the ambitious performer who took over Johnnie Johnson’s band. The doc won’t change your mind on Berry, though it does seem to confirm that most of us can forgive the stereotypical difficult artist, and Berry is that on all accounts. But he’s also history- it’s hard to say there is a Beatles or Stones without Chuck. Before Berry, there was Country and Blues, but after Chuck, there’s Rock n Roll. Ironically, although I lived in the St Louis area for many years, I never saw Berry at his famous Blueberry Hill residence, but I did see eventually see him elsewhere at age 82. I won’t deny the criticism that came with live Berry- forgetful and a bit out of place, in unforgiving surroundings. That said, I suspect I will be that way at that age too, and Chuck had energy in abundance enough to still put on a worthwhile show.

Documentary Watch- Gone with the Wind: the Remarkable Rise and Tragic Fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd

I’m sometimes uncertain with my opinion on Lynryd Skynyrd who get classified as a southern rock band, but I think I often fall into the thinking that I love them. Their image is such that the early media's classification as America’s Rolling Stones no longer seems apt, but they do have an influence on a certain Southern population of indie rock- bands like Nashville Pussy, Kings of Leon and Drive By Truckers. I watched the documentary Gone with the Wind: the Remarkable Rise and Tragic Fall of Lynyrd Skynyrd. It looks a bit low budget but it is actually really good. The biggest absence is Gary Rossington’s involvement - the cofounder and guitarist- but otherwise it’s an interesting group- friends and early management, producer Al Kooper, Ed King, Bob Burns and Artemis Pyle. This doc tells me one thing that I have noticed in a lot of recent viewing, to be successful you need to practice and Skynyrd practiced hard. An interesting fact was that singer Ronnie Van Zandt wanted to emulate Paul Rogers in Free. The doc does a good job telling the band’s story. Like so many bands, it seems that just being friends in high school isn’t enough to be able to navigate the hard waters of rock n roll. Also, being a successful 70s band was not easy with the strenuous schedule of constant touring, recording and then repeating. I liked how it told the story of the band, their music and the crash. It’s not overly sentimental or critical. It doesn’t spend too much time in any one area. It made me appreciate the band all the more and it’s interesting how the band created the Southern Rock image, sometimes downplaying it (when it looked like they might overshadowed by the Allmans) but ultimately deciding to embrace it to reach icon status for their fans. The three guitarists and the three backing vocalists contributing the unique mixture behind Ronnie’s Everyman lyrics and towering presence and baritone was really something special, and that most of that was lost (the doc mentions Skynyrd version 2 thought doesnt spend much time on them) with what feels avoidable (given hindsight) in the air crash.

What I am Listening To- Caleb Landry Jones

I’m so out of the loop on movies that unless it’s Disney, if it has come out in the last ten years, I have no idea. So I really don’t know Caleb Landry Jones except he seems to be a young actor who takes those adventurous roles. Of note, he has released two albums for the excellent Sacred Bones record label, which apparently stems from a recommendation from one of my favorite indie movie directors Jim Jarmusch. The idea reminds me of other esoteric actors and their (usually for completists only) projects- Crispin Glover, Keanu, Depp, Russell Crowe, Jason Schwartzman, Scarlett Johansson and others. Sonically, it reminds me of when a band member wants to go solo and Beatlesque. Say Dead Kennedy bassist Klaus Flouride, Swell Maps drummer Epic Soundtracks or Fresh and Onlys guitarist Wymond Myles (and dare I even suggest Pavement drummer Gary Young). There are similarities in many of the artists that I mentioned. One is that they seem to gravitate naturally towards Lennon psychedelica with Syd Barrett whimsy and Brian Wilson melody. They also tend to be records are that cult hits - weirdly engaging masterpieces or more often than not -cacophony. So Jones two records including last years Gadzooks Vol 1 are very much in line with a tradition of eccentrics. It’s not that you can’t give it a standard review- critics have compared him to everything from the Vines to Legendary Pink Dots- since you could make comparisons to chameleonic bands like Foxygen, Lemon Twigs and the Allah Las. That said, as one can expect from an album where Jones sings from time to time in falsetto or mock British accent, it’s a love it or hate it affair. It can also (despite Gadzooks short running time) seem repetitive. It’s probably fair to say at times that it moves from Baroque Pop over the line to sheer White Album worship. For me, though, I think I have fallen in love. It doesn’t always make me tingle but at various points (“I Dig Your Dog” off the first album and “California” on the second) really nails it. Now, I don’t expect everyone to have the same reaction, of course, but I also won’t be shocked if you find something here that you like.

Album Review- Mystic Braves - Pacific Afterglow (2022)

2014’s Desert Island could truly be a Desert Island disc. Though the alternative press wasn’t pushing a Garage Rock revival like they had a decade before, there definitely was one with The Mystic Braves joining the Allah Las, Tijuana Panthers and The Growlers as the newest era of garage rock (with surf and psychedelic overtones). Mystic Braves tend to be closer to the slick production of the Allah Las than the rough and tumble Growlers. What is of interest is that generally garage nostalgia bands dig into a time frame, say 1965 and make a dozen albums that sound like 1965. The career of the Braves seems to not follow that and strangely they seem to be growing as if they existed at that time. Did I confuse you? What I mean is Desert Island sounds out of the mid 60s, but the next album -Days of Yesteryear- aped late 60s sounds instead of staying in the same spot. Almost a decade after Desert Island, the band sounds a decade later. The garage aesthetics are replaced on 2022’s Pacific Afterglow with early 70s AM Rock beach vibes. What does that mean to the listener? Well, whether you lived or hated the band on Desert Island, there are only enough traces here that tie it back. In interviews, the band is citing the otherwise unexpected influence of Gerry Rafferty. There are times the Allah Las have gone in that direction, but it’s an unlikely muse for a garage rock band. I don’t mean this to be rude, but I don’t expect this record to be picked up and reviewed by many, and to be praised, hardly at all. But I really dig the uniqueness and will not be surprised if it shows on my Year End Best.

Album Reviw- Yard Act- The Overload (2022)

One of the most exciting bands of 2021 was Yard Act. As part of something music writers dubbed “The Summer of the Fall”, Yard Act didn’t necessarily remind me of the Fall, but now I can’t seem to I hear it. More accurately for me, they sounded like a band that grew up on Fall influenced bands like Franz Ferdinand (and the Arctic Monkeys and Libertines). Interestingly, the 2022 debut does not include “Dark Days” or some of the 2021 songs that put them on the map. Normally, that would be a mark against, but this is a pretty solid set of songs even without the best songs of their young career. Interestingly, the other artist that shows up the most in the reviews is quite sonically different, though born from the same fabric as Pulp. But while the band maintains their own identity, spot the similarity reigns throughout. “Pour Another” is the most Lydonesque of songs from a band that regularly uses the PiL template. And I suppose they will be featured in some inevitable “rock n roll” is back article but on opener The Overload, singer James Smith veers into Mike “The Streets” Skinner territory. Elsewhere I think of early 21st Century alt-rapper Scroobius Pip. “Rich” is almost a spoken word poem that needs to be heard, while “Land of the Blind” isn’t that much different but stands up for repeated listening. More songs lean toward that kind of experience. Which is weird for me. The last generation was into more traditional rock acts like The Clash and the Smiths. But this band like the very sonically similar Sleaford Mods draw comparisons to Half Man Half Biscuit and Ian Dury. That’s possible, anyone growing up these days can listen to a Gang of Four album or those early The Fall records, and I’m not saying they didn’t, but I also think this generation has taken all in that came before it - whether it’s classic rap or Madchester or the all of the politically charged records of the last few decades. NSFW language

What I am listening to- Welcome to Zamrock compilations

I have been spending time with 2017s Welcome to Zamrock Volumes 1 and 2. This was a discovery off of a review by Uncut magazine. That said, I know there is a recent documentary as well. There are several places to read about it in on the internet, but the most basic description is that it is Zambian rock from the 70s. As part of the nation’s birth in 1964, the country’s President Kenneth Kaunda implemented content rules that dictated 95% of the music played on the radio had to be Zambian in origin. Much of the genre’s rise and fall also coincided with the country’s success and crash tied to copper mining. The AIDS epidemic also hit the country and the artists hard as well. What interests me is the sound. As an American rock fan, the first thought of 70s African rock is Fela Kurt and Afrobeat. There have been some successful compilations in recent years capturing the best bands from Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon. These East African bands have a very strong funk influence. Although there is some funk in Zamrock (the genre’s first major band Musi-o-Tunya is funky for sure), Zamrock’s sound has its own style which is more in line with late 60s/early 70s protometal. The influences here are Cream, Blue Cheer, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Hendrix. Fuzzy guitar, uptempo bass, psychedelia, blues and simple production all contributed to the sound. I’ve been listening to it alone and with the boy. It is like an alternate universe of American classic FM Rock radio. Except for hearing overplayed standards, it’s the sounds of Zambian legends WITCH (We Intend To Cause Harm) but the feeling is the same. I will leave some WITCH here for you, but check out Blackfoot (not the Southern rock band), Five Revolutions and Born Free as a start.

PJ Harvey- Let England Shake demos

PJ Harvey released one of the more interesting debuts of the 90s. Her sequel Rid of Me is a career defining masterpiece. She released several more acclaimed albums before and after 2000s Stories from the City Stories from the Sea which is a career defining masterpiece (I’m open to adding any of the others as classics. Uh Uh Her has both a terrible cover and name but is pretty great). In 2011, she released Let England Shake a career defining masterpiece. She followed it up with 2016s Hope Six Demolition Project which might be my favorite Harvey album to date. At this point, any comparisons to Patti Smith or Nick Cave should be focused less on the influence and more as a legendary peer. Let England Shake was an apex of politics and noise and pop and poetry- a callback like Iggy that you don’t have to be under 25 to raise a holy racket. It rightly found its way ok many Year end best of lists. PJ has been re-releasing her albums and unearthing the demos that were the basis of them. The Let England Shake demos are a revelation. The title track is birthed from the Four Lads 1953 hit “Istanbul (Not Constantinople), and while the correct decision was to divorce the two, but the original is no less mesmerizing. Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” works itself into “The Words that Maketh Murder” but once again the blueprint is as fascinating as the final product. Niney’s reggae classic “Blood and Fire” is the basis of “Written on the Forehead”. Elsewhere, where songs are missing that backing track, guitars are pounded and vocals are strained. These demos reveal an even rawer version of a raw album, musically and vocally. Yet while we generally listen to demos to see where an album came from (or perhaps in some cases before it started to go wrong), this album not only accomplishes that, but also serves as a kind of book end to the final album. Put together, I’m as excited about this album as if it was brand new and not a decade old.

What I am listening to - Donnie and Joe Emerson

The story of the Emerson brothers sounds a bit like the Shaggs. A father with the ultimate faith in his children, to the point he built a recording studio for them. In 1979, they self-recorded and produced “Dreamin Wild” but their story took a weird course. Discovered by record collector Jack Fleischer in a Spokane antique shop, they would be covered by Ariel Pink and the record would be released by Light in the Attic. Their story has been covered everywhere- Uncut, The Guardian, Pitchfork- so I will try to keep it short. Unlike the Shaggs, Dad Emerson was right and the boys had talent. In this brave new musical world, his feeling was true and the band (like so many lost artists) has been streamed millions of times. Like so many, it captures me with its mystery. A mix of Lo-do and self-production meeting the sounds of the time -yacht rock, soul, funk, psychedelia, power pop. In its nostalgia, it unexpectedly sounds as much in line with modern backward-looking bands than contemporary peers. Of course, why do I live the post-Sub Pop, post-Spotify, post-Pitchfork post- everything feel. If the Brothers had a name producer and a big budget, would it still hit the same. Would they have been huge with the right amount of guidance. And would I still find it a similar experience. It’s a fantastic conversation to think about. Even the album cover feels like some alternate history greatest hit. As opposed to the Caveat Emptor of “Philosophy of the World”, it’s not hard to imagine this cover sitting somewhere in the racks between Pablo Cruise and David Cassidy records Like Eddie and the Cruisers, there is a sequel. The brothers did record a bunch of songs for a follow up and Light in the Attic compiled those into a disc as well. (As an aside that I don’t know where else to stick, I venture through a lot of internet music conversations and a hit spot is “outsider” music which has certain qualities and is not synonymous with music that outsiders like. I was very bummed by the “ gatekeeping” in the discussion of music that I feel should be in its very definition, open-minded and inclusive. Outside of that bad experience, I am often reminded that I am available to have some fantastic discussions in some internet spots and am very grateful for that)

Album Review- The Stranglers- Dark Matters (2021)

The Stranglers are a favorite band. I’m not sure where I rank them but I certainly continue to listen. Famously, even outcasts in the outcast world of punk -an early string of great albums was followed by a career of solid singles. When singer Hugh Cornwall left in 1990, one would assume that would have been the end, but the band continued on. The band released a largely unheralded string of albums until receiving acclaim for 2004’s Norfolk Coast album. In 2006, Baz Lahrne took over lead vocals for the Suite XVI album. The possibly now-deleted 16th album was one of my favorites or that year. It really captured the classic Stranglers sound. I think it deserved all the attention and acclaim that came with 2021s Dark Matters. The Stranglers go into 2022 a seemingly different band. Keyboardist Dave Greenfield passed near the end of the recording session. Drummer Jet Black has retired though it sounds like he generally has his eye on things. Even then, Dark Matters didn’t immediately grab me. Now “And if you Should see Dave” was a great tribute but paired with “If Something’s Going to kill me (it must be love” it seemed the album might be too nostalgic. But it was “The Last Men on the Moon” that was the hook. Resembling a mid period classic Stranglers song like “Duchess”, the song is a keyboard workout, not quite punk, but aggressive in its own way. It’s a revelation that it’s not an album to give up on. While there’s not another song quite as strong, the songs hold well together. “This Song” feels like a more (but reassuringly barely more) mature version of the band who recorded Rattus Norvegicus. Ironically, it is Warne’s vocals that feel the closest link to the Spirit of 77. The aforementioned songs leave a pretty high bar for the band, and they don’t always get there. Still, it is worth the time and stands as a worthwhile entry in the career of a legendary band.

Album Review- Cody Jinks- Mercy (2021)

I have heard Cody Jinks described as the biggest independent musician on the planet. Now, I don’t quite now what that discussion looks like, or where it starts or ends, but it seems that he is in that conversation. Which is amazing given he has a booming voice and a head for country lyrics that he hasn’t made a clearer path for himself. But here he is, trailblazing his path until signing with Rounder Records to release Lifers, as realized as an album as one could reasonably expect. Going back to independently produced and distributed route, he released two albums in 2019. Now, two albums in two weeks is the kind of thing that trips up even the Bruce Springsteens and Princes. As a critic, I would have suggested less is more but who am I to criticize (and there were some strong songs in that mix). In 2021, Jinks didn’t slow down. He recorded an acoustic version of his 2015 Adobe Sessions album and in November, new music in the Mercy album. Mercy kind of cements that previous feeling of cutting the disc down to a smaller set of songs. It at least sounds that way. Jinks’s background is metal, and his voice seems like an affectation at times- a swaggering figure that is as much Toby Keith bravado as it is Merle Haggard attitude. But can just as easily criticize Hank Williams for playing up his image. Songs like Like a Hurricane (not the Neil Young song), Hurt You and All it Cost Me was Everything are stompers. The irony of Jinks is that you hear the slower numbers (it applies to the fast ones too) like Dying Ain’t Cheap and like Steve Earle’s first two records, you can’t say where there is any difference in them and 90s radio country. Just the Rehnquist “ I know it when I see it”, there’s something magical about Jinks. Unlike the group you would call his peers, Jinks doesn’t try to sound like Merle or Waylon. He fully embraces what I would call the Mike Ness side of Country. Like Hank 3, Cody would just as soon play metal. I suppose that’s an aesthetic that comes through. But Mercy doesn’t sound like an artist who has walked away from the industry and is doing things on his own to diminishing returns (think Glenn Danzig recently), he’s just putting out Nashville quality product without anyone telling him what to do. Jinks is surely headed into the conversation of the best in Outlaw Country. He already has a strong enough catalog to prove it and enough potential that it doesn’t look like he will stop soon, which makes Mercy a hard album to categorize. For me, it’s a worthwhile addition that does what it’s supposed to do. It adds a few songs to anybody wanting to make a best of compilation. It does likely benefit from a shorter run time. But I have seen negative reviews which argue the production isn’t that good or that is trying to be too much like Radio Country. I generally disagree (the title track does seem like evidence for the latter, though). I won’t argue it’s a perfect record or even his best, but it’s a winner and another milepost for one of the more interesting musicians today.

Album Review- Brian Setzer- Gotta Have the Rumble

One of my favorite albums of 2021 was Lee Rocker’s Gather Round. As a rockabilly fan, I hold Rocker in the highest esteem- musically, vocally, lyrically, etc and is one of my favorite musicians. So, saying that I feel like I’m giving an unintentional slight to Brian Setzer. That is not my intention. For one thing, Rocker is pretty free of the critical and commercial expectations of Setzer. I also don’t intend to criticize Setzer’s career direction of the last quarter-century, but it doesn’t fit my preferences. But that’s not up to me. Setzer’s Big Band career has surely satisfied - if not artistically (and I’m not saying it wasn’t) certainly financially. There are some great moments there and even some surprises- Brian’s album of classical pieces performed as a Big Band (from 2007) is better than you might expect. Nor would I dare say Setzer wasn’t the perfect frontman for his more famous band (every bit of the iconic well-coiffed blonde as Sting and Billy Idol). In any case, Gotta Have the Rumble is Setzer going back to make a rockabilly record. You probably can guess what it is like. Like the Stray Cats reunion disc from 2019- it’s all been done before. Still, it’s a fun listen. Setzer really doesn’t push himself out of fairly traditional rockabilly - pretty much Gene Vincent or Everly Brothers kind of stuff. Not psychobilly. Not horrorbilly. Not punkbilly or trashabilly or gothabilly. But at this point, you either know Setzer or you don’t, and at the end of the day, you probably do; and while you know exactly what you are getting, when he throws in some nuance like the slow dance Drip Drop, you buy in.

Album Review- Baba Ali Memory Device

Baba Ali is one of my favorite “new” artists. Championed by Danger Mouse and Jamie Hince of the Kills, the UK-via-New Jersey artist is hard to describe. Skimming through his Last FM “Similar Artists” profile, I see a ton of legendary artists, none who do a good job of describing Ali. I suppose there is something in mentioning Amy Winehouse- a pop artist with indie sensibilities seeped with funk and R&B history. Nick Cave, Fela and Stevie Nicks pop up in Ali’s byline but that is because he mentioned them as influences. Elsewhere, it’s Prince, Alan Vega, and New Order. You might get closer to pinning a label when you realize producer Al Doyle was a member of Hot Chip and LCD Soundsystem. If indietronica is a thing, then Ali is a great purveyor of it. If Dance Punk is a thing, then Ali is in the lineage.

Album Review: Jason Ringenberg- Rhinestoned

It wasn’t that long ago that I was talking about Jason Ringenberg (best known as lead singer of Jason and the Scorchers) but he does have a new album out. I enjoyed 2019’s Stand Tall and Rhinestoned feels like an appropriate follow-up, even if Jason attributes it to Covid downtime. I realized with Stand Tall, that he’s a bit of an acquired taste. He has a voice that you don’t really hear except on the fringes of the radio (think Jimmie Dale Gilmore). Many of his songs are stories and told in a way that generally only exists in Bluegrass or pre-WW2 country music. But if those things don’t bother you, you will be richly rewarded. Rhinestones are the prevailing theme here on two songs. As in Stand Tall (and not that far removed from his Farmer Jason kids singer persona), he digs into history- most specifically on The Freedom Rides Weren’t Free” and “I Rode With Crazy Horse”. That last song is one you might steer away most artists from attempting, but Jason takes the take of the famed Lakota’s cousin and gives it a furious build up. Elsewhere, you might have some songs that are to be expected. “Keep that Promise” sounds like a Scorchers classic. Jason records his version of the oft covered “You Win Again”. Then there’s “Christ, the Lord is Risen Again” which is kind of both. It’s a traditional hymn and it also veers a bit into Scorchers territory. Even in an environment where terms like Americana and Outlaw Country are well established, Ringenberg is still a bit of a hard to define outsider. He is still making interesting music and long May he play.