Let me tell you, I get a decent bit of music in the mail thanks to this gig right here and although every day brings a package with a little bit of melodic lovin’ inside, there are days where the bounty is just so fucking cool it makes me glad I decided to become a music writer. The day I received this fat package of music from the Alive label was one of those great days. Alive is one of the few labels left which is dedicated to keeping rock and roll…ahem…alive in many ways, but most importantly in spirit. The label is a throwback to the days when substance meant more than anything else and sticking by your bands while they grew and matured was more important than milking them for one monster hit. I mean, while I am sure Alive would love to sell a ton of records and have a huge fat hit on their hands, they seem incredibly loyal to their bands and are nurturing their roster as each band builds their own reps and fanbases which will eventually help the label as a whole. As it is, the label has one of the best young rosters out there and will soon be able to compete with any other label out there is the discs contained in this package is any clue. Since they sent me so many wonderful releases, I am splitting this article into two parts so I don’t hit you with too much good stuff at one time. This is, of course, the second part!

Black Diamond Heavies – A Touch of Someone Else’s Class
Alive

Whew! From the first song, a hellacious cover of the Ike and Tina Turner song Nutbush City Limits that Ike would no doubt approve as it has an extra large helping of STANK on it for sure, you are suddenly transported to a backroads juke joint in Mississippi circa 1968 where the shine flows and the smell of weed grows until you are engulfed to the point your sense of time and place has eroded and it is all about the NOW, baby. It is exactly at this place where the Black Diamond Heavies conduct their business, and business is indeed looking up, as they say! James Leg nee John Wesley Myers (vocals, all keyboards) and the rest of his band (Van Campbell – drums/percussion and U.S. Justin – background vox/maracas) plus some guests including the Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach have mastered the art of voodoo R&B – you know, a little bit of garage rock, psyche, soul, church and blues all mixed until the genre lines are blurred – and are set to cast their spell on all music freaks (emphasis on freaks) who want to have their live changed, souls saved and brains fried up good and crisp like! Count me among the converted for sure as this record has as much soul-stirring power as anything I have ever heard in my life! The band has it’s origins in Nashville and started turning heads and frying minds since the band formed in 2004. While Nutbush does indeed start the album in a powerful way, to me the best song is Bidin’ My Time, which is a simple little soul song that could sound formulaic if done by someone with no soul. Thankfully, Leg does it up right and his interesting vocal style (a little Leon Russell here, a little Dr. John there with a little Tom Waits, Willy Deville and Screaming Jay Hawkins mixed in) and offbeat phrasing manages to turn this song into a latter day R&B standard that I could see Wilson Pickett or Ray Charles covering in their prime. The song’s blue notes hit your gut at all the right times and it is an emotional powerhouse that may live on past the band itself. The rest of the songs are great too, don’t get me wrong – most sounding like old rock and roll/R&B standards revved up by the Heavies but in fact are Heavies originals excepting one T-Model Ford and Nina Simone cover each, making the songs even more remarkable. Damn, these fuckers need to do a live album NOW!! I have rarely heard a band bring down some of the most fiery and hellacious gospel rock and roll psyche garage like I have here. Dare I say this album is incendiary? Shit, I’ve said it! Now, back to listening to it!

Radio Moscow – Brain Cycles
Alive

If Jimi Hendrix had been cryogenically frozen in ’68 with the rest of The Experience and then revived today this is exactly how the band would sound. I listen to a lot of psychedelic music, both from the rock sub-genre’s heyday back in the late ’60′s to a lot of the self-indulgent twaddle that passes for psyche today and let me tell you – this is the most brain-searing, mind-expanding shit I have listened to in a long while! It’s the kind of CD I wish I had listened to a lot sooner so I could have been the first to tell you about it. Then again, maybe I am. Blasting out of the Ames, Iowa area, Parker Griggs (singer, songwriter, guitarist and drummer – whew!) went to a Black Keys show and gave Black Keys mainman Dan Auerbach a demo tape of songs. Needless to say, Auerbach was immediately stoked by Griggs’ songs and signed them to Alive immediately and helmed their first album. On this, their second CD, Griggs and bassist Zach Anderson prove their sound is theirs alone as Auerbach is nowhere to be found yet this set rocks like few bands have ever rocked before. This CD also marks a record for people wandering around my CD player and telling me this band sounds like you should be dropping acid while you listen to their music. While I am not condoning such actions, I will remind that about ten people have heard me playing this CD and every one of them have mentioned the word “acid” while discussing the band. That alone is some kind of seal of approval. If you want to be ROCKED, this is the CD I recommend. They also have another coming soon so stay tuned because as soon bas the flashbacks and trails stop, I am gonna review that one as well!

Outrageous Cherry – Universal Malcontents
Alive

Matthew Smith and the rest of the OC have yet another new album coming out in a couple of months but I though I would remind you of this very overlooked psych gem that came out about a year ago. While a band such as Radio Moscow play more brain searing hard rock, Outrageous Cherry have more than a little Sgt. Pepper in them. They bring the rock, don’t get me wrong, but a lot of their tunes are on the more poppy side, which I really dig as the melodies are really infectious and the songs have a ton of intricate parts you have to really listen for, making them cool headphone records – which there aren’t too many of nowadays, you know? While Smith is the main man behind the OC sound, his bandmates Sean Ellwood (bass/vocals), Samantha Linn (drums/vocals) and Larry Ray (guitar/vocals) are sympatico with Smith’s vision, supplying the necessary backing to let Smith’s tendencies for vintage rock sounds achieve fruition. While this album tends a little more towards ’70′s rock than the band’s usual ’60′s psyche influenced pop-garage, there are definitely enough tinges of past Outrageous Cherry greatness to keep old fans happy and impress newbies interested in classic rock sounds done with a modern touch. Smith may just be rock and roll’s most impressive unsung hero, and where poseurs like Lenny Kravitz get the glory, Smith just keeps on creating great album after great album in the shadows. Still, greatness doesn’t stay hid forever. Check this out and spread the word!

Henry’s Funeral Shoe – Everything’s For Sale
Alive

This band proves quite adept at the two-man blues rock blueprint thought by some dullards to have been begat in the modern era by The White Stripes but which actually originated back in the beginning of the 1900′s. Also, in my opinion, the
Flat Duo Jets (look them up, newbies) did it better than Jack and Meg but the hipster kids have spoken I guess. Though everything on Henry’s Funeral Shoe has been done both before and to death, the band’s two members Aled Clifford (guitar/vocals) and Brennig Clifford (drums/vocals) do a decent job here and come up with some great riffs and elastic beats. It amazes me with this band as well as other bands like this that the bass is not missed at all. If you’re a fan of this style of rock you may as well pick this up. The bloom is off the rose as far as the coolness of it, which peaked in about 2003 I guess, but this shit rocks like hell so there’s at least that going for it. I amso have to give some props for the band name, which is intriguing to say the least. While this didn’t quite buzz me like Brimstone Howl, this band is still certainly worth your time and if you like bands like Brimstone Howl and most of the other bands omn the Alive roster, this band is certainly up your alley.

Brian Olive – self titled
Alive

Vocally, Olive sounds like a young Tom Petty and, at least on the first cut, the band does a good job of ape-ing The Heartbreakers as well, circa Let Me Up I’ve Had Enough but with a bit more punk edge. As the album goes on, more comparisons with Petty are apparent, obviously because of the vocal similarities but also because of Olive’s sound. It’s easy to close one’s eyes and imagine Petty singing some of these songs. Keeping the Let Me Up era alive on the next song are some slide guitar and horns, which when considered separately mean nothing, but when put with Olive’s Petty-ism’s sound just like mid-period Petty right down to Olive’s Mike Campbell-style guitar solo. One cool thing is Olive’s about as talented as all the Heartbreakers put together, handling a lot of guitar and all of the piano, organ and saxophones himself. Olive enters more original territory beginning on the third song Echoing Light, which is a dreamy number similar melodically to something recorded in the 40′s with some rock touches added to make it sound a little more hip. The song Stealin’ ventures even further away from the Petty-isms as the song has a great New Orleans second-line drum beat and seems tailor-made for a Mardi Gras march. A glance at the liners shows he song has been around for awhile but Olive has added new lyrics and updated the arrangement a little. This is ending up as way more than a Petty-fest thanks to each song revealing more of Olive’s own personality and talent. Possibly what I would have done is split up the first two songs, as the one-two Petty punch kind of hits you hard and a person listening casually may paint this with an unfavorable brush. As it is, I am liking this album more and more as it goes on as the songs are very strong lyrically and melodically and the performances by Olive and his guests are dead on. Very impressive CD from a great new artist. I hope you check this out as Olive has turned me into a fan and will probably convert you as well, if you give his CD a chance.

Plimsouls – Live: Beg, Borrow and Steal
Alive

Legendary proto power-pop combo The Plimsouls get some much-deserved props with this new disc featuring vintage live tracks recorded nearly thirty years ago. Those who are fans of power pop no doubt are well aware of The Plimsouls through the many bands they influenced during their brief existence, but for those new to the name the band featured a young Peter Case in a leadership role for the first time. The band’s effervescent mix of roots rock, punk and (believe it or not) ’60′s soul styles proved an interesting mix which coalesced into a bright, shining pop-rock spotlight which almost instantly wowed the jaded audiences in L.A. The band was formed from the ashes of the equally excellent Nerves after a quick stopover for Case in the band The Breakaways, where Case first tested the waters as a songwriter. Things really moved quickly in those days and the band formed in ’79, recorded an EP in ’80 and a self-titled album in ’81. Taking matters into their own hands, the band pooled their own money and released a single entitled A Million Miles Away which eventually became a power pop classic after being included on the soundtrack to the cult flick Valley Girl. The band recorded one last album in 1983 before disbanding. Over time, the band has reunited and released one final album (so far) in 1998 entitled Kool Trash which saw none of their chops or energy to have deteriorated over the years. In fact, it sounded as if they had never stopped playing together. These live cuts, though, are from a show recorded during the band’s heyday – a gig at the famed Whiskey A Go Go on Halloween Night in 1981 and the show smokes. With an eclectic mix of covers and their own sparkling originals, The Plimsouls have come up with an album that not only bolsters the legend, but also expands it. All fans of energetic pop roick should own this disc!

The Breakaways – Walking Out On Love: The Lost Sessions
Alive

While The Breakaways only really served as a stop-gap band between Peter Case and Paul Collins’ tenures in The Nerves and The Plimsouls (and, in Collins’ case, The Beat) if the band had survived a bit longer there is no doubt they would be spoken of in the same hushed tones reserved for Case and Collins’ other projects. Certainly, the songs were there, which no doubt probably surprised Case and Collins more than anyone else. When Jack Lee decided to leave the Nerves, Collins and Case felt a huge rush of energy and freedom as they would finally get the chance to showcase more of their own songwriting abilities as Lee had written the bulk of The Nerves material. After several false starts with guitarists who came and went faster than it takes to break a high E string, Case and Collins decided to handle the guitar chores and finally got together with bassist Steve Huff and drummer Mike Ruiz. This edition of the band was the most prolific, playing the most live shows and recorded the most demos though all of the incarnations had done at least some gigging and a demo or two. Soon, however, Case and Collins visions started to differ and Case would found the Plimsouls while Collins would take the rest of the band and form the first edition of The Beat. Despite the band’s short lifespan, this disc shows the almost limitless potential of the band, if only the participants had stuck together a little longer. While not an essential release, I would recommend this CD to any fans of power pop.

Alive is one of the few labels left which is dedicated to keeping rock and roll…ahem…alive in many ways, but most importantly in spirit. The label is a throwback to the days when substance meant more than anything else and sticking by your bands while they grew and matured was more important than milking them for one monster hit. I mean, while I am sure Alive would love to sell a ton of records and have a huge fat hit on their hands, they seem incredibly loyal to their bands and are nurturing their roster as each band builds their own reps and fan-bases which will eventually help the label as a whole. As it is, the label has one of the best young rosters out there and will soon be able to compete with any other label out there is the discs contained in this package is any clue. Since they sent me so many wonderful releases, I am splitting this article into two parts so I don’t hit you with too much good stuff at one time.

Nathaniel Mayer – Why Won’t You Let Me Be Black?
Alive

Though christened with what could be misconstrued as a controversial title, this CD is nothing more (and certainly nothing less) than one of the coolest R&B singers ever firing it up one last time for the enjoyment of his fans. Sadly, Mayer passed away in 2008 and this, the second posthumous release issued by Alive, should be the last “new” release Mayer will ever have aside from whatever live recordings can be unearthed from Mayer’s legendary club gigs in his hometown of Detroit and elsewhere. This CD’s title came from a remark Mayer made while being served some food in Europe during one of his tours there. Tiring of the never-ending platters of cheeses and French bread waiting for him backstage at every show, Mayer shouted the title line in exasperation due to his longing for some home-cooked American cuisine. On board this go-round are guitar players Matthew Smith of Outrageous Cherry and Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys who also share in the production chores for this album, wrapping up their friend’s last known studio tracks in fine style. The centerpiece of this set is two live tracks Mayer and Smith recorded together while doing a radio interview/performance in 2007. They are Mayer’s only known acoustic performances and show Mayer could be funky under any circumstances. Though his voice was ravaged after years of “personal issues” (check out Mayer’s first hit Village of Love from 1962 to hear one of the sweetest R&B voices ever recorded that didn’t belong to Sam Cooke) there was nothing strong enough to hold back his immense soul and I find just as much to like about his latter-day vocal style than I do with his voice during his earlier years. If you have never heard him before, this CD will be a revelation. If you have, then you know you already need this CD.

Brimstone Howl – Big Deal, What’s He Done Lately
Alive.

Wow. Just…wow. You know, I’d like to be in the room when bands pick out their names. You know? Just be a fly on the wall because a lot of bands have the craziest names that don’t make any sense or are just simply unrelated to the music they make. And it’s not just recent bands. It’s been a funny thing throughout time to check out a band’s name, listen to their album, and discover that the music you thought the band was going to be about because of the name they chose is totally 100% wrong. Not this band. Not Nebraska’s Brimstone Howl. This band (Nick Waggoner – guitar and vocals, John Ziegler – guitar and vocals, Calvin Retvlaff – drums, and a guest bassist) lives up to it’s name by sounding pretty much like a garage band from hell. And that’s not just an expression. They sing and play as if they are actually living in hell and only playing guitars and drums as fast and loud as possible is the only thing to get them out. The term ‘gutbucket’ does not do it justice and “frenetic” doesn’t justify the pace of these songs. I mean, Jack White should just quit right now as Brimstone Howl has perfected what Jack and Meg have been only partially succeeeding at for the past ten years. In fact, the title itself could very well be referring to Jack White as far as I am concerned. Think the Ramones tearing apart the corpses of Jack and Meg and you’ll get the idea where this album is going. Some of the fiercest rock and roll I have ever heard in my life. If you buy this CD, tie yourself to your chair before you put it in the player or you’ll just get blown clear through the walls of your house. The MC5 sound weak compared to this band. Okay? I said it. You buy it!

Buffalo Killers – Let It Ride
Alive

Some heavy Hendrix/Clapton-circa-Cream-style guitar sounds here with a sort of country-rock edge to the band, at least on the first song Get Together Now Today. The Buffalo Killers consist of Zachary and Andrew Gabbard along with Joseph Sebaali and this rocking threesome manages to conjure up some great fucking blues riffs! This, their newest release, is produced by Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys (damn, this guy gets around, doesn’t he?) who ingeniously tempers the band’s muscular rock with the Gabbards’ sibling harmonies, adding an extra dimension to their homespun psychedelic Southern blues rock! Whew, think I hit them all! Sounding incredibly like a Southern rock version of Cream, the band’s swirling drums, pulsating bass and brain slicing guitar have an enormous power and energy to them which makes you want to jump up and begin dancing in full-force Trustafarian boogie mode. Excellent stuff, and while not groundbreaking in the least, this is music best listened to outdoors as the band’s songs just have sort of a rustic, pastoral rock sound to them that suggets you almost have to have no walls around you to listen to them properly. I would compare them to My Morning Jacket with the reverb removed. Very cool stuff. This will be played a lot at my house this summer, especially when dusk hits and I am chilling outside. Perfect for parties too!

Left Lane Cruiser – All You Can Eat
Alive

If you like your blistering mind-searing rock with a little bit of Southern gospel fervor and righteous country flavor, this is a band you’re going to want to check out. To be sure, it ain’t your parents’ country rock. Nothing as stodgy and boring as The Allman-Skynyrd Band here and the Cruiser has obviously beaten the moisture out of poor Wet Willie who was then dried up and rolled into a big fat doobie smoked greedily by some hasbeen Outlaws while the emasculated Sea Level slides slowly back to the oblivion that band deserves, ok? This shit is Black Oak Arkansas on speed combined with Albert Lee on acid and R.L. Burnside with an ass pocket of rocket fuel! More staggering is the knowledge this “band” is only a two-man assault team comprised of Freddy J IV on guitar and vox and Brenn “Sausage Paw” Beck on drums and background vox. That this much ruckus could be caused by just two musicians puts most other bands to shame. Jack White himself should probably hang his head (and guitar) in shame and Meg White, well, she was never much of anything, anyway, was she? Not compared to Beck, who can actually drum in a John Bonham-in-a-haystack kind of way while Freddy J. need take a backseat to no one on guitar, having the chops to chicken-pick like the best of them only to then turn around and hit some vicious runs which would make Page, Van Halen, Satriani, Vai and any other guitar god you know take notice. Anyone who thinks the nasty has been taken out of rock and roll need to hear the tones Freddy pulls out of his guitar. Between him and Beck, Left Lane Cruiser is a careening, runaway rock and roll ride straight into the bowels of hell. And I love it!

Hacienda – Loud Is The Night
Alive

When checking out the picture of the band on the back of their CD, I thought this CD was going to be one of those modern bluegrass-themed things as the picture shows the members of the band standing together in a backyard of sorts holding stringed instruments such as violins and acoustic guitars. Well, imagine my surprise when I pop this sucker into the player and hear some of the most gloriously rocking, 60′s influenced pop this side of the Zombies? In fact, make that Zombies crossed with The Who as the first cut, She’s Got A Hold On Me is quite guitartastic and bassbombasteriffic, if I may coin some new terms. Socking punk bass on a swinging pop tune? Say what? This band’s delightful mix of chamber pop and guitar blast make for some quite delicious songs, all produced and engineered by Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys. Not quite pop delicate, not quite punk overpowering, Auerbach and the band have found a great, if wonderfully skewed, mix of musical elements to draw from for these songs. Every song seems like a new genesis, and two new disparate influences are shoved into the music blender and out comes something gloriously melodic and beautifully twisted. No two of these songs sound alike yet they are all obviously anchored in ’60′s pop then seemingly “scuffed-up” by Hacienda and made into something new yet old, but catchy as hell. Vocal harmonies by the band are also gorgeous, probably because the four-piece band includes three brothers and nothing beats a great set of sibling harmonies, just ask The Everlys. Take for example the song “Hear Me Crying” – Flawlessly sung doo-wop mixed with The Sir Douglas Quintet then made modern. The band also does an admirably straight take of Sonny Bono’s classic ’60′s chestnut Baby Don’t Go and makes the oldie relevant once more. Damn! I am thinking only Sloan could match what this band is doing. Take that for what it’s worth. Each of these songs will stick in your brain as much for the intrinsic construction of the tunes as for their melodic grip on your earhole and brain. A wondrous album. I hope you already own it, but if you don’t, you just gotta pick it up!

The Telescopes – Untitled Second
Alive/Bomp

I’ve never been a huge, huge fan of dream-pop but I always liked the way The Jesus and Mary Chain conducted their melodic business and I’ve hearted My Bloody Valentine for a long, long while. Consequently, I feel I am able to give The Telescopes their just due as it’s obvious from their albums they’ve been enthralled by those same bands. Untitled Second sees the band starting this set of songs in a kind of dream-pop-derivative shoe-gazing way but one thing I’ve noticed about The Telescopes is their songs are a cut above the normal cookie-cutter shoegaze band. In fact, the songs sound as if they’ve seemingly gone back in time past their regular influences and embraced a more psychedelic kind of vibe, anchored in the ’60′s but given a post-modern twist both unique yet comfortably familiar. Maybe it’s a subtlety present in their songcraft which most bands never learn (and can’t really be taught), maybe it’s the wildly eclectic combination of influences giving their songs a special quality rarely heard. I’m not sure, but I know that I am digging it immensely. Sadly, the secret I’ve withheld about this record is that it was recorded way back in 1991 and has just been re-issued by the Bomp label in the US. So, the Telescopes, like most great bands, are defunct (take that, U2) yet this classic will (and should) live forever thanks to knowledgable music hounds like those at Alive and Bomp who know timeless music when they hear it. If you are a fan of this type of music you owe it to yourselves to check this album out, as it’s definitely one of the best I have heard in this subgenre and stands up to anything the Verve or Mojave 3 ever released.

Part 2 coming soon!!

Alive Records Natural Sound

Yessir, that little Groovies record, and the joyous singles (and albums) (and magazines) Bomp faithfully sent my way throughout the Ford and Carter administrations – while those less fortunate amongst us were stuck listening to the Cars and pondering the fate of J.R., just to put things in their improper hysterical perspective – duly inspired this here Rock and Roll Report-er to start my own fanzine. Then my own band. Then even my own record label! You could say, then, that “You Tore Me Down” single-in-handedly spared me from a life of University study and squarely set me down the road to where I type today.

And then, when Bomp founder / mastermind / domo-major Greg Shaw Himself actually blew my way in early 1978, his raw, unbridled enthusiasm instantly swept aloft all of us riding the then-new Toronto punk wave, in turn inspiring such things as, oh, off the top of my once-buzz-cut scalp, Teenage Head (the band), SCTV (the television show), and possibly even Maggie and Ronnie (the weekend that almost brought down a Canadian Prime Minister, via that guy in the once-Rolling Stones).

So! Just who was this Greg Shaw fella then, you might well be asking?

He was born in San Francisco in 1949, raised on a healthy diet of Elvis, Fats Domino and sci-fi zines, and when not hovering backdoors at the touring Rock ‘n’ Roll Revues of the day could be found not only hanging with such folk as Robert Silverberg and Philip K. Dick, but immortalizing all of his thoughts and adventures of same in a series of crude, mimeographed broadsheets he fearlessly circulated to an ever-growing circle of friends, fans and followers.

Why, he’d soon published over 200 such “fanzines,” as today they’d be called, one of which (entitled Entmoot, an early Tolkien epistle) even earned him a write-up in the Saturday Evening Post! But lest Greg end up just another Trekkie-in-training, come 1966 he happened upon a nearby street-corner labeled “Haight” and “Ashbury.” Talk about yer crossroads: needless to say the next Shaw fanzine, Mojo-Navigator Rock & Roll News, became no less than the socio-musical template upon which another local rag, Rolling Stone, was soon to be intrinsically based.

Too bad. As usual, Greg was there first. But the scene, and the spoils, went Jann Wenner’s way. Drat!

Blueprint ruthlessly high-jacked, but energy and enthusiasm stubbornly unbowed, Greg by the Seventies had joined that elite-and-then-some tiny circle of scribes (alongside such hallowed personages as Ed Ward, Nick Kent, and – pause for reverence – Lester Bangs) who not only knew, but actually wrote about such things as Raw Power and the still-New York Dolls …and in publications that us fellow music addicts could actually unearth and devour at the neighborhood newsstand! Consequently, Greg’s newest publication – and soon label – Bomp! quickly found a rabid, wide-eared audience which truly transcribed the globe …and then some. And it should also be remembered right about here that for most of the musical events now considered pivotal during this era (very roughly speaking? the first Nuggets album, the creation of the Runaways, and the Sex Pistols’ first paying gig) Shaw was There. No, not Malcolm McLaren. Not even Kim Fowley. And CERTAINLY not Rolling Stone. No. It was Greg Shaw.

Lest those ill-informed now be wont to cast all things Bomp onto the nostalgia heap alongside “I Hate Pink Floyd” t-shirts and Sid Vicious EP’s, here’s a short-list of just some of the bands Greg helped bring to our attention in those long years since that oh-so-fateful Summer of Hate. Ready?

Devo, The Plimsouls, The Romantics, The Barracudas, The Shoes, The Soft Boys, Black Flag, Redd Kross, The Pandoras, The Chesterfield Kings, Bad Religion, Lazy Cowgirls, Ray Campi, Spacemen 3, Ant Bee, Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Black Keys.

OK then: some names therein you may not be intimately familiar with, but each and every one of ‘em are without a doubt acts which have proven, and shall continue to prove, instrumental in laying groundwork for most every pop ‘n’ rock genre-du-jour (ie: Goth, Grunge, Hardcore, Rave, Industrial, alt. C&W, Power Pop, insert your own pigeonhole here). And once again, each and every one of those acts, to varying degrees, owe their influence – not to mention their initial recording contracts – to, do we note a pattern developing here, Greg Shaw.

Closing words? They should really belong to The Man Himself. Listen closely, all of you (especially those who deign to nurture musical talent in whatever capacity yourselves). For here was a man who knew of what he spoke:

“I guess I’d most like Bomp to be remembered as a label utterly dedicated to the people who care most about music: the fans and collectors. I think it comes down to the fact that Bomp is an outgrowth of my love for music. Where many would view it as a marginal business that barely breaks even, I prefer to see it as a hobby that’s profitable enough to allow me to build my life around it. The opportunity to make more money elsewhere has never once tempted me – but it has drawn many talented people AWAY from this business.

“But we’re still here, doing what we want, on our own terms, answering to nobody, dealing with people in an old-fashioned “mom and pop” kind of way. It’s a satisfying life that I’d never trade for, say, David Geffen’s.

“If nothing else, maybe we’ve set an example that might offer an alternative to this increasingly corporate, impersonal society. Or maybe not. At least we’ve had a good time trying…

“…and we’re not done yet.”

Greg Shaw passed away five years ago, October 19th.

http://www.bomp.com

http://www.GaryPigGold.com

In the late spring of 2010, Versailles Records will release ‘Time Warp: A Metal Tribute to the Rocky Horror Picture Show’, which will feature metal renditions of the full film soundtrack, featuring current/former members of Lillian Axe, Fuel, Mountain, Steelheart, Megadeth, Alice Cooper Band, Black Sabbath, My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Pigface, Macabre, Ozzy Osbourne Band, L.A. Guns, Warrant, the Cro Mags, Kiss, Badlands, and others to be announced. The Tribute will additionally include a bonus CD entitled ‘Horror Rock Vol. 1/2′, featuring original bands whose sound could include any variety of Industrial Metal, Death Metal, Goth Metal, Rocky Horror-esque tribute band (with original music), Black/Progressive Metal, Rocktronica (i.e. Rob Zombie, etc), Punk-Rock, Post-Punk, or any other genre of hard rock or metal with a darker theme to the song/sound. Interested groups in the bonus sampler should email a myspace link to horrorrock09@yahoo.com.

RRR: How long has the label been around?

The first Perris Records release was my band CHERRY ST. 1992. The band broke up in 1993 and I started doing Perris Records full time as a job.

How did it get started?

It started because of me doing the band business and I set up distro through Important/Relativity records distroed our Cherry St. 3 song tape that sold over 8000 tapes. So we started our own label to release our music to have 100% control over the business.

Once the band broke up I just started signing bands and it grew from there.

RRR: What kind of music does the label release?

Hard rock and melodic rock and glam.

RRR: How many bands call Perris Records home?

I’ve had well over 150 bands since I started.

RRR: Name some of the best-known bands on the label.

Roxx Gang, L.A. Guns, Helix, Enuff Z’nuff, Stephen Pearcy, Bang Tango all of these were on major labels in the past.

RRR: What are some of the current releases being promoted right now by the label?

Dynazty (Sweden), XXX (Sweden), Seventh Rize (USA), Dirty Looks (USA), I sign many bands from Sweden as there are great music writers there.

RRR: What releases are going to be released in the near future?

Next release now won’t be till Jan. and Feb. of 2010 I’m promote and work the releases for 6 months before signing and new bands.

RRR: How does the label release its music (music formats)?

CDs and digital

RRR: Biggest plans for the future of the label?

Pushing bands in my newspaper and TV show ROCKNATION.

RRR: The industry is going through some trying times with CD sales dropping. How does Perris deal with this?

I started my own newspaper and TV show. The TV show is nationwide on Time Warner/Comcast and other cable networks in many major cities more details below. I don’t have to rely on anybody else as I created my own network to promote my bands.

RRR: What sets Perris apart from other labels?

I don’t know of any labels that have a TV show or newspaper

RRR: What should rock and roll fans know when checking out your bands?

It is just great music that gives you energy when you listen to it.

RRR: Do you accept demo submissions from bands? They can send me a myspace link first before sending anything.

I actually find most of the bands with my worldwide network of people I know. Since I started Rocknation I get hundreds of bands a day I don’t have time to check them all out. Almost every band I’ve signed has been because they knew somebody I know and checked them out because they were recommended.

RRR: Anything you want to add?

Here are the details of Rocknation and RockNation TV:

ROCKNATION TV

Rocknation TV is a weekly 30-minute metal program featuring videos such as Halford, Devil Driver, Lamb Of God, Jetboy, Megadeth & more. The TV show is online and aired nationwide on Time Warner, Comcast, Service Electric and Charter Communications. Some of the cities airing the show include Manhattan-NY, Houston-TX, Anaheim-CA, Chicago-IL, Austin-TX, Denver-CO, Atlanta-GA, Cleveland-OH, Dallas-TX and Sacramento-CA.

Rocknation TV has had exclusive TV interviews with Judas Priest, Shinedown, Duff McKagan’s Loaded, Buckcherry, Heaven and Hell, Blue October, Testament, Deep Purple, Black Stone Cherry, Static X, Halestorm, Saliva, Story Of The Year, MXPX, Dream Theater and more.

ROCKNATION FREE MUSIC NEWSPAPER

Planned circulation is: 100,000 copies

ISSUE 13 will feature a exclusive interview with SAMMY HAGAR regarding his new band CHICKENFOOT. Also LOADED featuring DUFF MCKAGAN, Swedens newest rock sensation DYNAZTY, ROCK ON THE RANGE feature with SHINEDOWN, BLUE OCTOBER, SALIVA, STATIC X, ALL THAT REMAINS, HOOBASTANK, FRAMING HANLEY, ROYAL BLISS and more.

Rocknation is a free music newspaper which features notable names and up and coming artist the music scene. Past issues have had interviews with Judas Priest, Buckcherry, Linkin Park, 3 Doors Down, Halford, Disturbed, Hinder, Seether, Three Days Grace, Lamb Of God, Lit, Joe Perry, Shinedown, Puddle Of Mudd, Finger Eleven, Shadows Fall, Machine Head, Symphony X, Black Tide, Devil Driver, Nightwish, Heaven And Hell, Enuff Z’Nuff, Dirty Looks, Chimaira, Queensryche, Clutch, Otep, Hellyeah, Testament, Triumph, Sebastian Bach, Warrant and members of Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Dio, Megadeth, Dokken, David Lee Roth and Alice Cooper. ‘Rocknation’ has featured exclusive concert photos of Foo Fighters, Linkin Park, Hinder, Papa Roach, Buckcherry, Evanescence, Stone Temple Pilots, Dragonforce, Mudvayne, Saliva, Trivium and Alice Cooper

http://www.perrisrecords.com/

Rock and Roll Report: How long has the label been around? How did it get started?

Ivan Pena: I formed MBR in March 2008 out of need. I got tired of waiting for a label to come discover my band, so I put my business and marketing knowledge to work.

RRR: What kind of music does the label release?

IP: So far our releases have been Alternative and Rock mostly, but we hope to expand into Jazz and Hip Hop soon. It is my opinion that a label should never limit itself to a genre. I try to keep a Tony Wilson in “24 Hour Party People” approach in that MBR is an experiment in human nature and creativity. But we have contracts.

RRR: How many bands call Mohawk Bomb home? Name some of the best-known bands on the label.

IP: We have 2 types of bands: roster bands (Soulfound, The Redlight Stare, Rise of Saturn, Ascending to Avalon) and compilation bands (among them 900 Pound Gorilla, Drew Street Mary and Bull Lee). We are mostly working with local bands trying to build up the profile of their music scenes.

RRR: What are some of the current releases being promoted right now by the label? What releases are going to be released in the near future?

IP: Our Spring releases were Soulfound “Live at Zen Recording” EP and our No Lip Vol. 2 compilation. In the summer, we hope to have a release from Ascending to Avalon and from Rise of Saturn, plus I have begun working on No Lip Vol. 3. Bands can submit to be on No Lip Vol. 3 through Sonicbids: http://www.sonicbids.com/nolipvol3

Also, The Redlight Stare is working on recording and releasing 1 song per day for the entire month of May, but we are not sure if that will fly yet. We are working out logistics and how to monetize it.

RRR: How does the label release its music (music formats)?

IP: We usually press at least 1,000 CDs to send to press and to use as giveaways and incentives for people to come to shows/CD release events. Our bands are trying to take advantage of the digital revolution as much as possible. We offer distribution on iTunes, Napster, Amazon, etc…

RRR: Biggest plans for the future of the label?

IP: To make Tampa Bay into the “Austin of the East” through our releases, bi-monthly showcases and innovative promotions strategies.

RRR: The industry is going through some trying times with CD sales dropping. How does Mohawk Bomb deal with this?

IP: Going digital helps cut costs, but thankfully our artists still sell CDs at shows. This has not impacted us as much as we have not had a big revenue stream from CDs. They are usually giveaways for us. Our revenues are low right now, but we are still developing our business plan and have big plans for 2009.

RRR: What sets Mohawk Bomb apart from other labels? What should rock and roll fans know when checking out your bands?

IP: Mohawk Bomb Records is a new kind of records label, focused on sharing all music with the World using social networking and Web 2.0 technologies. Also, we are an artist-centric promotions and advertising house designed to help new and unsigned artists spread the word about their music. We are driven to succeed on our own terms and bring new texture to the bland pourage that is the pop music sonicscape. We believe in 1) open communication 2) transparent accounting 3) using technology to drive music distribution and 4) reinvesting in our bands. Our motto is “Enjoy. Share.”

RRR: Do you accept demo submissions from bands?

IP: Always. For info on how to do this, go to http://mohawkbomb.com/about/

RRR: Cool name! What’s the story behind it? Can you even tell it? LOL

IP: Not much of a story. When I was brainstorming for names, I wanted something punchy and unique. I was hanging with my buddy Shane from Knowing Stu (band) and he had a mohawk and I was like… “what about… Mohawk Spike…. Mohawk Blast… Mohawk BOMB!”. I did want to call is “No Lip Records” but the .com was taken.

RRR: Anything you want to add.

IP: We are currently working on a South by Southwest style conference in Tampa in June called the “Homemade Music Symposium”. If it goes according to plan, it will be the biggest and best represented music conference to ever happen in Tampa Bay. I will be part of panels, we will have a demo listening session and 2 or 3 venue showcases. Please visit the website www.artistsandwritersgroup.com for more information.
RRR: Thanks Ivan!

IP: Thanks!

http://mohawkbomb.com/

Versailles Records is excited to announce the release of ‘Rock & Roll Train: A Millennium Tribute to AC/DC,’ due in the fall of 2009 in stores nationwide. The record will feature current/former members of the Alice Cooper Band, Guns N’ Roses, Dangerous Toys, Lillian Axe, Circle Jerks, Fuel, Steelheart, Heart, Michael Shanker Group, Warrant, LA Guns, White Lion, MC5, Slash’s Snakepit, Mountain, and others to be announced shortly. The tribute also features a bonus CD Sampler featuring millennium rock/metal bands influenced by AC/DC who sound derivatively alike or similar to AC/DC in some manner (be it songwriting, vocal range, riffs, etc) performing an original song. Interested bands should email acdctribute09@yahoo.com with a myspace or related web link.

Later in life, after I had absorbed tons of music from the so-called “big names” in soul music I had started searching more obscure artists out. Each name led to another. Al Green led to Willie Mitchell and his other Hi Records acts, Stax led to Muscle Shoals which led to Eddie Hinton and tons of others – tons of obscure soul artists who made music that would rip your heart out it was so good. When I was young these records were very hard to find, almost impossible – until rap came along. Now, I love all kinds of music but there’s little about rap I can stomach. The one good thing about rap is that the real good DJ’s and crate diggers used obscure soul samples that made soul fans like myself want to dig up the original records and listen to them. Smart record labels realized there were more people like me and thankfully started reissuing old soul by the bushel full. Now, thanks equally to the great reissue labels and the internet, these formerly rare releases are a lot easier to find. Dusty Groove is one of these great reissue labels. Already they have reissued about thirty very hard-to-find essential rare groove soul releases that are must hears for any true soul fans. The two I have chosen for this review are a couple of the best (and my personal faves) from that big batch: Ronnie McNeir and Johnny Pate!

A self-taught piano player from his teens onward, McNeir left Detroit for California and musical fame and fortune. Picking up a job as a church keyboard player, McNeir eventually met former Motown star Kim Weston who allowed him to use her studio to record his first album, the self-titled Ronnie McNeir, which Dusty Groove America has just re-released. On the strength of this album, McNeir was eventually signed with Motown and released one album for that label and several more decent but poorly-selling albums over the next thirty-plus years. In between his sporadic solo albums, McNeir also became a respected session musician, songwriter, producer and served as the musical director for The Four Tops for many years. A true R&B journeyman, McNeir has nonetheless carved out a niche for himself that has led to him being involved with several decent hits for other artists while maintaining his own separate career which has made him a marketable commodity in Europe, if not famous in the US. Hopefully the re-release of his very first album will rectify that and put McNeir in a loftier echelon. Probably won’t, but the music business is never fair is it? This album is so widely loved because it’s more like a concept album than a collection of songs, though it is definitely the latter but McNeir’s talent at sequencing and flair for adding little interludes to make the songs flow make it seem like a cohesive work. Only 22 when the album was recorded, McNeir’s keyboard prowess and sweet tenor was in full effect and the songs show a maturity much older than his chronological years. The only thing the album lacks is a snappy single, the album possibly too smooth for it’s own good, though the crate-diggers and deep soul fans know how good it really is and have kept the demand for original vinyl copies high (as is their price when auctioned). Thank God Dusty Groove America have seen fit to make this available on CD for the first time. Though no one would consider this the best soul album ever, there is very much to love about this album and one listen will tell why it is held in such high regard by soul freaks.

Pate had a childhood filled with music, learning the piano and tuba as a child and eventually learning to play bass and arrange music while serving in the Army. Following up his term of service with more service, this time for bandleaders Coleridge Davis and Stuff Smith in the late ’40′s, Pate eventually signed with the Federal label and scored a decent hit for them in 1957 with the song Swinging Shepherd Blues under the name of The Johnny Pate Quintet. On the strength of this hit, Pate was lured away from Federal by the Okeh label, who signed him to write arrangements for their roster of artists. Soon, Pate was working with Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions and helped them with several singles, the most notable being Keep On Pushing in 1964. The label heads liked what they were hearing and the money they were counting and promoted Pate to head of A&R in the label’s newly-opened Chicago office. While singing acts like The Marvelows and Betty Everett, Pate’s work with Mayfield and The Impressions continued with hits like People Get Ready, Women’s Got Soul, We’re A Winner – and many, many others. By the end of the ’60′s, Mayfield had hired Pate to work for the Curtom Label where he stayed until 1972 when he left to work freelance for other artists/labels and movie soundtracks. Pate has worked with tons of heavyweights on sessions ranging from blues to soul to pop and all the while releasing solo albums throughout his career, of which his 1970 release Outrageous is probably the best – bridging the gap between Pate’s early big-band and orchestral experiences with his later years spent toiling as one of soul music’s most prolific arrangers. The music is written, arranged and produced by Pate, who was required to record at least one album under his own name by MGM while working for the label. Knowing some of the best session players in soul music, Pate called a bunch of them in on this recording: drummer Bernard Purdie, guitarists Joe Beck and Cornell Dupree, bassist Chuck Rainey – to name but a few of the ringers on this great album. Using a thirteen piece orchestra to create his musical magic, Pate delivers a masterstroke of R&B and jazz, using the players perfectly and exquisitely and making the album his own despite not playing a note on it himself. Quincy Jones would give his soul to create an album this good and Pate makes it seem so easy, each flute or sax solo perfect, the electric guitars creating stabbing rhythms or scintillatingly funky leads, Purdie playing hit kit as if it was to be his last session. You simply must hear this for yourself. I thought I had a soul collection until I heard this album and realized it wasn’t shit without Outrageous in it.

I thank God for labels and websites like Dusty Groove whose faithful employess work tirelessly to seek out and re-release the best of America’s obscure soul music. There are so many great artists who never got their due yet who made music just as good and deep and soulful as any of the well-known acts who sold tons of records and received massive amounts of airplay. These are but two of them. I am sure you know about some yourself. Keep the faith and until your faves get their props, check out these releases and many more from Dusty Groove and “dance until the world gets right”. Or something like that.

http://www.dustygroove.com/

Scott