*MAY 10, 2008* "Jefferson Airplane originator Marty Balin will perform with members from the original band, who have not played publicly together since 1965.
The historic event in Astoria, Oregon will bring together vocalist Signe Anderson (now Signe Ettlin), bassist Bob Harvey, and percussionist Jerry Peloquin reuniting with the man who started it all, Marty Balin.
Their set will morph into a 'family' band featuring members from The Jefferson Starship and the seldom seen Great Society, the band where Grace Slick began her singing and writing career. Darby Slick, Craig Chaquico, Slick Aguilar, and keyboardist Barry Flastwill all be in the 'family.' Other performers will be announced, while surprise guests will not.
The three day festival ticket includes parking, camping, music, and access to gourmet organic food concessions, has much more than a reunion of a lifetime planned.
The spacious meadow, outlined by lush woodlands, also brings Country Joe McDonald, The Great Society, The Holy Modal Rounders, The Freak Mountain Ramblers, Alice Stuart, David & Linda LaFlamme and their band (four band members have 25 to 40 years in the band) playing the music of It's A Beautiful Day, Marty Balin Band, Craig Chaquico Band, and much more."
Information and ticket sales can be found at: www.concertforbigred.com
When: August 22, 23, 24
Where: Clatsop County Fairgrounds, Astoria, Oregon
What: Benefit for the Net Loft Arts Center and Lady of Honor Signe Ettlin |
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| Teen A Go Go: Currently wrapping post-production and coming soon! |
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*APRIL 27, 2008* Now available on CD Baby: "Priceless rarities for collectors of 60s and early 70s Minnesota Rock ‘n’ Roll: “The lost basement tapes” highlight The Batch, featuring Barry Thomas Goldberg and Gary Paulak of Candy Floss fame, and vocalist Arne Fogel.
The Batch – The story of The Batch is really the story of the songwriting team of Barry Thomas Goldberg and Gary Paulak, and the 5-piece band that became the principal means through which Goldberg & Paulak’s songs were introduced, for over seven years. With antecedents in the original Goldberg-Paulak garage band The Shambles, and through the duo’s invaluable apprenticeship/junior partnership arrangement with Peter Steinberg and Dale Menten of Candy Floss Productions, The Batch represented something unique in the history of Twin Cities Rock of the late 60s - mid 70s era: They were one of the very few groups of their day to enjoy continuous, immediate, non-ending access to the top recording studios in town.
This is not to say that the group didn’t spend time with home recording equipment as well. Dozens of performances exist, featuring the group as they experimented with two-track and four-track performances of considerable breadth and variety, as recorded between 1968 and 1971, several of which serve as the 'Prime Cuts' of Transistor, the Lost Basement Tapes of The Batch. Herein lies the continuing saga of Barry Thomas Goldberg and Gary Paulak, and their post-Candy Floss career.
....And these tapes highlight the evolution of The Batch...Struggling with their instruments and arrangements early on, This proto-garage outfit gradually masters them as well as their arranging and recording chops, as the chronology of the disc unfolds. Always, however, the group is performing the works of Goldberg & Paulak, the Twin Cities most gifted young songwriters of the era. This lends even the earliest tracks an air of originality, spark, and pop majesty. These recordings were never meant to be heard by the general public, and as such they are priceless rarities for collectors of this moment in Minnesota music.
The Batch accented the lead vocals of the principal songwriters, as well as those of the group’s other main vocalist, Arne Fogel, and the luxurious two-and-three-part harmonies crafted by this trio of singers. Added to this was the solid, yet melodic bass playing of Goldberg’s boyhood pal Jay Lee, and the remarkably gifted Gary Whip Lane on drums.
The best place (the only place!) to catch The Batch now, of course, is on disc or through the internet, where their recorded legacy sparks with freshness and fun, power and profundity, and more than a few laughs along the way." |
*APRIL 24, 2008* "In our May-June issue, Shindig! Magazine has persuaded Andy Partridge and Dave Gregory to talk about their heartfelt love of British psychedelia and why XTC developed the alter-ego The Dukes Of The Stratosphear in the mid-'80s...
* We take a look at what was happening in San Francisco in 1966 in our second part of Johnny Black's day-by-day chronology of the city's vibrant musical scene. Featuring The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & The Holding Company and Quicksilver Messenger Service.
* Blue Ash were an amazing American power pop band whose roots lay in the psychedelic '60s. We survey the career of this cool-looking but unfortunate group and give them the full re-appraisal.
* The Zombies and The Sonics get marked on their recent reformations for better and for worse.
* And there's a whole lot more too, including The Story (fabulous new folk music in the psychedelic British tradition), a copious amount of reviews covering the latest re-issues and the new bands that other magazines do not cover, book reviews and DVD reviews of all of the subjects that appeal to us and our growing legion of readers." |
*APRIL 10, 2008* Voyages Records has just completed the second volume in their new series, Voyages Into The Bottomless Pit and once again it lives up to the high quality standards we have known to expect from all the Voyages releases. Familiar names to garage fans like The Enemys, The Factory and Neal Ford & The Fanatics have new non comped tunes featured along with some serious obscurities from Chapter VI, Space, Tony & The Bandits and The Tombstones. Last year the first volume in this series was released and featured great contributions from The Lost Tribe, The Back Alley, The Merrie Motor Company and Rainbow just to name a few. The Bottomless Pit series is a follow up to the 10-CD set of Voyages into... Garage, Psychedelia, Folk Rock, Pop-Psych and Rock genres. However, The Bottomless Pit is more of a hodge-podge presentation with multiple genres arranged so the result is like riding a wave of styles and sounds. As a swan song to the previous series, The Best Of Voyages Volumes 1-10 has also been made available and is a great sampler for those not sure if they want to take the entire Voyages plunge. The recording quality on all Voyages CD's is excellent and the liner notes are extremely well researched and informative. For those unfamiliar with the Voyages project, the mainstay of the site is a master jukebox list of about 2,700 songs (and counting) that have been digitized and are available for collectors to compile custom CDs with 25 of their own picks. It's definitely the only Web site of its kind so check it out if you haven't had the opportunity.
*APRIL 2, 2008* Press Release "George Butticaz and Jim Borgmann are pleased to announce Geezerpalooza 2008 scheduled for Saturday, August 9, 2008. It is being billed as 'The Ultimate South Florida '60’s Rock and Roll Band Reunion'. This concert is a tribute to Rick Shaw for the many years of listening enjoyment he gave those of us who were fortunate to grow up in south Florida. Rick will be your host for the evening.
This concert is slated to be a significant musical event.
All profits from the concert will go to The Majic Children’s Fund of which Rick is the President. In the weeks ahead you will hear more about the concert on WMXJ, Majic 102.7 FM.
You already know that south Florida was and still is a fertile area for popular music, starting as far back as the 1960s and continuing today. In the '60s, teen dances were prevalent all over Dade and Broward counties, in fact all over the state. Rick Shaw was involved with several of the venues that showcased many of the most popular national groups of the day and he provided a springboard for an untold number of local bands.
Our location for this once in a lifetime show? The grand daddy of all Friday and Saturday night dances…the historic War Memorial Auditorium in Fort Lauderdale. Tickets will be available through Ticket Master and also at the War Memorial Auditorium box office. On sale date will be April 9, 2008. In addition, VIP tickets will be available for purchase. This special ticket will get you into the show early and into our VIP area where you can meet the bands, take pictures, get autographs and reminisce about the old days.
We have five of the most popular south Florida bands from the 1960’s scheduled to perform at Geezerpalooza 2008:
• Geekus
• The Dead End Kids
• Dr. T & The Undertakers
• The Montells
• The Birdwatchers with a special guest appearance by Steve Alaimo
In addition we will also have several special guests appearing including Bob Gordon, WFUN DJ from the '60s and Tony Segreto, news anchor and on air personality, WTVJ NBC6, South Florida."
*MARCH 17, 2008* Benji Futrell, son of Ben Futrell of Florida's The Shy Guys ('Black Lightening Light'), is completing a documentary entiteld Where Are The Shy Guys? According to Benji, "the story behind the band is very unique and amazing." A soundtrack is also being worked on. We hope to have more information soon, including possibly an interview with Ben. Watch this space.
*MARCH 16, 2008* Next up from Gear Fab Records is The Monocles: The Spider, The Fly & The Boogie Man. "As promised in the liner notes from Psychedelic States: Colorado In The '60s, here is the complete story of The Monocles and their later incarnation, The Higher Elevation. 31 Tracks, many of them never before released, from the Greeley, Colorado band that used to drive around in a Hearse! Hard rocking and psychedelic music from 1966-1970!"
*MARCH 15, 2008* Teddy and The Pandas will play live at the Vitorri Rocci Post on April 19th, 2008! This will be the first public live show by the five original 1966 recording and touring members of Teddy and The Pandas in over forty years! The show is highlighted by 97 North and Replay, but members of The Warlocks and Teddy & The Pandas will perform as well. More information is available at the Teddy & The Pandas' Web site. |
*MARCH 11, 2008* A new documentary about the legendary Wrecking Crew is one of the highlights of this year's SXSW festival. From an interview with director Denny Tedesco (son of Tommy Tedesco), "The Wrecking Crew were a group of studio musicians in Los Angeles in the '60s who played on hits for The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra, Sonny and Cher, Jan & Dean, The Monkees, Gary Lewis and The Playboys, Mamas and Papas, Tijuana Brass, Ricky Nelson, Johnny Rivers and were Phil Spector's Wall of Sound. The amount of work that they were involved in was tremendous.
They were also involved in groups that I like to call, The Milli Vanilli's of the day. A producer would get the guys in and lay down some instrumental tracks. If it became a hit, they would record an album and put a group together to go on the road. This happened many times with groups like The Marketts, Routers, and T-Bones. The next day they would do the same thing and call it another name. Same musicians, but different group name.
At the time the record industry was primarily in New York, London and Detroit in the late '50s and early '60s. Then there was a surge towards the mid-'60s that pushed the recording to the west coast. So these musicians were recording around the clock for a good eight years. Its hey day for this group was in 1967 when the charts turned to the west."
The film will also play at the Buffalo/Niagra Film Festival on March 28th and in Nashville on April 24th. For more information, visit www.wreckingcrew.tv. |
| *MARCH 9, 2008* Check your local PBS station for a new My Music special entitled My Music My Generation: The '60s. Although it's really a concert (although "hosted" by Michelle Phillips) featuring classic '60's songs performed by the original artists (and sometimes complete bands) there are some vintage performances interspersed throughout, including The Lovin Spoonful' doing 'Do You Believe In Magic' and Barry McGuire doing 'Eve Of Destruction.' On stage peformances include Rick Derringer ('Hang On Sloopy'), Roger McGuinn ('Mr. Tambourine Man'), Dennis Tufano ('Kind Of A Drag'), The Zombies ('Tell Her No'), Eric Burdon ('It's My Life'), The Association (the original line-up doing 'Never My Love'), Iron Butterfly, Vanilla Fudge and, most surprisngly, the original line-up of We Five performing 'You Were On My Mind.' The special was broadcast as a means to raise funs for PBS, and offered an 8-CD set (with many garage rock classics) and a 2-DVD set. Not essential viewing...but probably interesting enough for anybody that regularly visits this Web site to be entertained for a while...and the line-up is certainly impressive enough. It's unfortunate that not more complete vintage performances were shown. |
*MARCH 6, 2008* Courtesy Alec Palao comes news on a other must have Ace / Big Beat release,
A-Square (Of Course) - The Story of Michigan's Legendary A-Square Label:
• Hugh ‘Jeep’ Holland was in many ways a major catalyst within the Detroit rock revolution of the late 1960s. This enigmatic individual graduated from running hip record store Discount Records in Ann Arbor to his operating his own label and management stable, as well as booking every major Michigan act that played during that heady era. Many musicians in the state still single him out as the true steward of '60's Detroit rock.
• "A-Square (Of Course)", named for Jeep’s booking agency, chronicles the fascinating career of this lovable rogue whose reputation preceded him. It draws principally on the vaults of his A-Square label, so beloved of '60's garage collectors, but also includes rare recordings by some of the groups that Jeep managed and/or booked.
• Goodies on the collection include the MC5's super-rare 1968 single ‘Looking At You', actually issued by the band on A-Square without Jeep's knowledge; early cuts by The Scot Richard Case (SRC) including an amazing unreleased 1967 take on 'Midnight To Six Man'; and several tracks by A-Square stalwarts The Thyme, most of which are previously unreleased. Of great interest to Stooges freaks will be a live 'I'm A Man' by the rarely heard Prime Movers, featuring a snotty young Iggy on drums and lead vocals, circa 1966.
• Collectable items by The Up, Apostles, Bossmen/Frost, Rain and others round out the set, which is profusely annotated and illustrated with items from Jeep's personal archive. A-Square (Of Course) finally and definitively documents a major chapter in Detroit rock history. Coming later in the year on Big Beat will be a 2-CD anthology dedicated to the A-Square career of Ann Arbor's favourite sons, the mighty Rationals.
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*MARCH 5, 2008* Beatle Bob has provided the lowdown on some upcoming '60's garage band events that he'll be hosting:
Freddie Steady's Frontier A Go-Go: 8th Annual Rock 'N Roll Hootenanny
Where: Antone’s Records (2928 Guadalupe)
Time: 1 p.m.
Bands: Kenny & The Kasuals, Fever Tree Rising, The Freddie Steady 5 w/ Chris Gerniottis & Mike Claxton, The Ugly Beats, Eve & The Exiles, Jenny Wolfe and The Pack, The Boss Martians
RSVP: Free and open to public.
Roky Erickson's Ice Cream Social Thursday, March 13 during SXSW
Where: Threadgills
Time: 1:00 p.m.
Bands: Roky Erickson & The Explosives, Freddie Steadie 5 and Jenny Wolfe
Cost: To be determined |
*MARCH 4, 2008* On the lighter side of the "garage" comes news on a new Now Sounds/Rev-Ola release: "The Parade were Murray MacLeod (also a member of The Roger Nichols Trio/Small Circle of Friends), Jerry Riopelle (Phil Spector protégé and former Philles staff producer), and Smokey Roberds (songwriter and actor). Originally signed to A&M Records, The Parade not only created a definitively West Coast pop sound but also unknowingly helped establish the sunshine pop genre via their 1967 Billboard Top 20 hit, 'Sunshine Girl.'
This first-ever complete collection of the trio’s records Hal Blaine, David Gates, and other L.A./Wrecking Crew luminaries. The gorgeous 16 page full-colour booklet also includes rare, previously unpublished photos and comprehensive liner notes that feature the participation of all original band members. Now Sounds, the brand-new imprint from Cherry Red has been established by Steve Stanley - producer of over 50 Rev-Ola titles." |
| *FEBRUARY 23, 2008* Out now from Gear Fab Records: The Rugbys: The Lost Sessions, the fifth installment of our Louisville Music Series featuring the great vocals and song writing talent of Steve McNicol. The Rugbys had a local hit with 'You, I' but the rest of this material has never before been released. Their sound is harder-edged than The Oxfords and more in tune with Soul, Inc. From 1966-1972 and taken off the original master tapes." |
| *FEBRUARY 23, 2008* The March-April issue of Shindig will be out in about a week."Well bloody hell. We've gone and done it. Our best issue yet hits the stores, shops and online abodes of the world! Shindig! Vol 2 Issue 3 will blow the minds and trip the light fandango of all who touch it! And man, if you read it you'll never come down! Starting our San Francisco Scene trilogy we kick off with a detailed timeline of what went on in '65; accompanying this is a HUGE interview/history with THE CHARLATANS. Elsewhere we look at UK psych-pop lords THE FAIRYTALE, naughty girls THE GTO's, DYLAN AND THE BAND, garage teen rebels GONN, overlooked/undervalued albums by THE 13th FLOOR ELEVATORS, THE HOLLIES, SANDIE SHAW and YES. We close the distraught tale of MOBY GRAPE and the Lama travles to deepest Africa to soak up the psychedelic sounds of WITCH and AMANZ. Throw in the usual eclectic review section and a new look magazine that leaves the competition at the starting line and you're onto a winner." |
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| Tommy Racthford and The Laymen will be performing at the Fireman's Hall Ball in late April. Click on the poster to read Ratchford's '60's Pensacola recollections. |
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| *FEBRUARY 18, 2008* Big news on The Quests ('Scream Loud') front: The band has recently reunited to record several new original songs which are now available on a new CD entitled ReQuested: Back To The Garage. The CD also includes the band's Fenton singles as well as previously unreleased recordings from the same sessions. To read 60sgaragebands.com's complete interview with Bob Fritzen, click here. You can also learn more about the group, and order the CD, via the band's just launched Web site. | |
*FEBRUARY 15, 2008* The Minnesota Rock & Country Hall of Fame has announced its 5th Annual Music Event of the Year for May 2nd and 3rd at the Medina Entertainment Center. Some of the groups/bands honored and/or performing include the Candy Floss Connection (not a band but a label: Peter Steinberg, Barry Goldberg, Ken Paulak and Dale Menten), C.A.Quintet, Steve Wroe & The Furys, Mike Wagonner & The Bops, The Morticians, The Kandells and Mike Glieden & The Rhythm Kings. Check out the Events page for more information...
*FEBRUARY 7, 2008* We've just been informed about a new label (?) named Garage Greats: "Garage Greats is a new label dedicated to reissuing the best and rarest 1960's garage 45s from around the world. Each 45 has been re-mastered at the world famous Abbey Road Studios with the intention of reproducing the original singles exactly; the only changes were raising the db levels to give maximum playback enjoyment. These records are wild garage and are meant to be played loud. The original labels have also been reproduced. Each release is a hand numbered limited edition of 500 in the generic garage greats house bag." We're not sure about the legitimacy of all this, but featured bands included The Fe Fi Four Plus 2, The Headstones, The Heard, The Lost Agency, The Nomads, The Plague, The Sound Barrier, The Spiders, The Stoics and The Thunderbirds.
*FEBRUARY 6, 2008* Press Release "The lineup is set for this year's Kansas Hall Of Fame show! It looks like we'll have another great show, with most of the inductees performing. Following soundchecks in the afternoon, the doors to Liberty Hall will open to the public at 6:00, with inductions beginning at 6:30 and the music should start around 7:00. Each act will play for about 30 minutes, and the evening will wrap up with an all-star jam of 'Shake, Rattle and Roll.' The acts performing will be: Beth Scalet, Friar Tuck & The Monks, The Soul Express, Chet Nichols, Garry Mac & The Mac Truque and The Classmen.
This year's other inductees are: Ann Brewer & The Flames (attending, but not performing), Big Al Downing (deceased), The Fabulous Four, and Pat Metheny (will accept by pre-recorded video). Our Directors Award inductees are the late Lou and Betty Blasco, and the first Bob Hapgood Award inductee is Bill Post. A merchandise table at the back of the house will have Hall of Fame t-shirts and DVDs available and items from many of the past and new inductees.
Tickets to this year's show are now on sale! All tickets are general admission and cost $35. Tickets are available from Liberty Hall in Lawrence (785-749-1972) or Ticketmaster (www.ticketmaster.com). Liberty Hall does not accept credit cards, and there is a service charge on tickets purchased through Ticketmaster. There will be no reserved seating except for the inductees and their guests.
40 rooms have been blocked at the Lawrence Holiday Inn/Holidome, 200 McDonald Drive, for those attending the 2008 Kansas Music Hall of Fame induction ceremony at Liberty Hall, 642 Massachusetts Street. Reservations can be made by calling 785-841-7077. Mention the Hall of Fame to get the special group rate of $59.00 per night. The free 'unplugged' show will be held in the hotel's bar on Friday evening." |
*FEBRUARY 6, 2008* According to the Wildflower Web site, a CD is forthcoming containing "The recorded history of The Wildflower circa 1965 thru 1972. The heart of the San Francisco sound in previously unreleased cuts and recordings." We hope to have more information soon...
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| Here They Come...The Green Fuz is back! L-R: R.E. Houchens, Jim Mercer, Les Dale, Mike Pearce, Randy Alvey and Bob Gobber. According to Dale, "Our new song is called 'Back From The Ashes.' The first time it will be played will be in New Oleans (at Ponderosa Stomp). Maybe we can do some studio work this summer. We have some dates in the Dallas area and hope to continue through the spring and early summer." |
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*FEBRUARY 1, 2008* There is a lot of news recently about several legendary groups reuniting for some big time performances:
"1960'S FLASHBACK: THE DANTES AND THE VALLEY DALE TO REUNITE ONE MORE TIME
What does one of Columbus's most historical landmarks have in common with the ultimate local garage band of the '60's? The answer is a one-night, Rock `n Roll Dantes Reunion to be held at The Grand Valley Dale Ballroom, Friday, May 2, 2008 from 7 p.m. – midnight. All five of the original Dantes (Lynn Wehr, Barry Hayden, Dave Workman, Carter Holliday and Joe Hinton) will be appearing along with The Gas Pump Jockeys, Hurricane Jerry and Stormfront, and The Neighborhood Boys.
Forty years ago, The Valley Dale was the place to be on a Sunday afternoon to hear the best Rock `n Roll music in the area and The Dantes was the band to see. Teenagers from every high school in Central Ohio and beyond came to hear their favorite band. Forty years later, The Dantes and The Valley Dale are still standing and are going to meet up once again for a night of great old music and lots of dancing.
The Dantes were high school buddies at Worthington High School. They were the ultimate garage band and performed together from 1964-1968. The Dantes recorded three hit singles 'Can't Get Enough of Your Love,' 'Under My Thumb,' and 'Connections.' Their first big break came as the opening act for a Byrds concert in Dayton, Ohio. The band went on to win many battle of the bands contests and opened for such great groups as Neil Diamond, Roy Orbison, Bobby Goldsboro, The Turtles, Them, and J. Frank Wilson. On Sunday, March 3, 1967, The Dantes were the opening band for the Jimi Hendrix Experience at Veteran's Memorial Auditorium. It was a wild experience with Jimi joining the band after the concert at the band's house. The band broke up during a national tour with the English band Them (of 'Gloria' fame) in 1968.
Two of the band members, Lynn Wehr and Barry Hayden, are still living in the Columbus area. Dave Workman returns frequently to Columbus from his home in San Francisco, where he is a well known blues guitarist. Carter Holliday lives in Virginia and Joe Hinton has lived in Oregon for many years.
The Event: The Dantes Reunion Tour 2008
The Grand Valley Dale Ballroom
1590 Sunbury Road
Columbus, OH 43219
Friday, May 2, 2008
7 p.m. – 11 p.m.
Sponsor: WODB FM Oldies 107.9
Tickets: Tickets Galore, Inc.
58 S. High St.
Dublin, OH 43017
614/889-2989
1/800/829-8457
www.USAseats. com
$12 in advance
$15 at the door"
Courtesy The Dirty Water Club: "The Sonics are confirmed for Friday 21 March 2008 – live @ the Forum, 9-17 Highgate Road, Kentish Town, London, NW5. There is also an ‘official Sonics after show party,' free for those with weekend or Friday night tickets, at The Venue, 229 Great Portland Street, London W1 (opposite Great Portland Street underground station). This is all part of Le Beat Bespoke, a three day festival organised by the folks of the New Untouchables, featuring great live acts from all over the world, all-night parties with three dancefloors and an international line-up of DJs, with go go dancers, a record fair and huge retro market!"
As mentioned previously, The Green Fuz and Roky Erickson headline this year's Ponderosa Stomp.
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*JANUARY 26, 2008* Thanks to Alec Palao comes news on the next Ace/Big Beat garage release: "Memphis’ Ardent Studios is one of the most respected recording facilities in the world. Everyone from Led Zeppelin to ZZ Top to REM have journeyed to make music within its hallowed halls. But despite the studios many credentials, it is Ardent Records the label that inspires legendary awe amongst pop aficionados, as the imprint that begat pop cult heroes Big Star. Thank You Friends: The Ardent Records Story celebrates this singular imprint with a deluxe 2-CD anthology on Ace/Big Beat that ranges from the label’s earliest mid-'60s garage studio recordings to the halcyon days of the early 1970s, when a distribution deal with Stax established Ardent as a purveyor of the finest pop-rock. Studio owner John Fry had an eclectic yet completely professional approach to his facility, encouraging experiment but always resolutely focused on sonic quality.
The compilation’s contents are neatly divided between the two eras of the studio/label. Disc One (the 1960s) features a mind boggling range of rare garage singles and unissued psychedelic delights, with items by The Ole Miss Downbeats, Lawson & Four More, Avengers, Wallabies, Bitter Ind, 1st Century, Honey Jug, Goatdancers and Badgers, as well as the earliest studio experiments of Big Star’s Alex Chilton and Chris Bell, including several tracks by the legendary pre-Big Star groups Rock City and Icewater. Disc Two (the 1970s) examines the Stax era and beyond, with selections from Ardent acts Cargoe and The Hot Dogs, and no less than 14 rare or unissued Big Star cuts, most of which have not been on CD before. |
| *JANUARY 25, 2008* There will be another East Bay Garage Band Reunion this Sunday,January 27th,at Vinnie's in Concord, California. Among the groups scheduled to perform are Niteshift, RaveUps, Nite Owls, Haymarket Riot, Solar Wind, Savage Resurrection, Trees, Chaos, Tempests and Qweecks Qweeg. An all-star jam will conclude the reunion. |
*JANUARY 16, 2008* We received word from Jamie Anstey from Regenerator Records that original November release date for Chad Allan & The Reflections: Early Roots CD ("early roots" refers to the fact that the group became The Guess Who in 1965) was delayed but that they are now available for ordering. The release is a limited edition of 1000 CDs and 500 LPs and will be available via Neptoon Records in Vancouver or directly from Jamie. Cost is $20 postpaid for U.S./Canada orders, or $23 postpaid for international orders. | |
*JANUARY 14, 2008* As previously mentioned, Sundazed's February line-up has several interesting and even must-have titles:
The IN Sounds of '60's Connecticut: Don't Press Your Luck: Garage & Psych Howlers From The Vaults of Trod Nossel Studios (1966-1968) (CD / Double LP Vinyl Set) - "The pounding garage-rock din emanating from the jungles of deepest Connecticut could overwhelm the senses, causing the weary NY commuter to become disoriented! Who knew that the most deranged ‘66-‘68 teenage mayhem imaginable would come from Wallingford’s Trod Nossel Studios, whose owner/producer Thomas 'Doc' Cavalier (a former dentist) recorded top-flight acts as diverse as the tough ‘n’ melodic Shags ('Don’t Press Your Luck'), the R&B-consumed Wildweeds ('No Good to Cry,' featuring a Pre-NRBQ Al Anderson on vocals) and fuzzed-out punks The Bram Rigg Set ('I Can Only Give You Everything). Sundazed presents, on double-LP vinyl and compact disc, the high-impact, garage-rock havoc—at least two-thirds of it totally unreleased—that finally tears the lid off Connecticut’s best-kept rock ‘n’ roll secret!" Interestingly...in an unusual twist...the double-LP set will contain tracks not found on the CD version.
The United States Of America: The United States Of America (12" Vinyl LP) - "The United States of America, led by respected modern classical avant garde musician Joseph Byrd, cut a wide swath through the 1968 world of rock, just then comfortably settling in to its backwoods dreams of country-rock to find the debut U.S.A. album howling like an infant terrible on its front doorstep. At the center of the U.S.A.’s fiercely experimental universe were the icy-cool vocals of the beautiful Dorothy Moskowitz, keeping this tumultuous sound from spinning out-of-control in every direction. Almost predictably, the U.S.A. disbanded before it could record a second album, but its brilliant, self-titled effort was certainly one for the ages."
Pretty Things: S.F. Sorrow (12" Vinyl LP) - "By 1967, The Pretty Things, the long-haired English group whose shocking, maraca-rattling, R&B-fueled sound and outrageous antics had made parents of teenage music fans long for the good old days of The Rolling Stones, had breathed in the perfumed air of psychedelia—and they’d moved on! Cut in the same studio where The Beatles and Pink Floyd were changing the world of pop music daily, S.F. Sorrow was the enthralling, cradle-to-grave saga of Sebastian F. Sorrow, a landmark release now credited with being the world’s first rock opera—a full year ahead of the Who’s Tommy."
Del-Vetts: Del-Vetts (10" Vinyl EP) - "While the Windy City produced plenty of pop chart acts in the sixties, the real story of Chicago’s garage band era golden age was rock-hard suburban teen club heroes like The Del-Vetts. Under the guidance of legendary producer Bill Traut, these North Shore guitar gods issued four singles across numerous labels (including Dunwich, Seeburg) and two names (A/K/A The Pride & Joy). They’re all here, including arguably the greatest Chi-town garage record of ‘em all, 'The Last Time Around.'"
Druids Of Stonehenge: Druids Of Stonehenge (10" Vinyl EP) - "The unearthly, savage, Rolling Stones/Pretty Things-inspired treatment of R&B classics as interpreted by The Druids of Stonehenge on Sundazed ten-inch vinyl is a phenomenon that quite simply has to be heard to be believed. When frontman David Budge cuts loose on such familiar ‘60s staples as 'Who Do You Love,' 'I Put A Spell On You,' Pretty Thing' and 'Bald Headed Woman,' it’s almost as though he’s being strangled by Bo Diddley’s “cobra snake necktie” with eyes popping, cartoon-like, out of his skull. The New York-based Druids cut one album after they’d moved to Los Angeles, but these six early sides, tracked at famed Nola’s Penthouse studios in Manhattan, are truly the stuff of garage R&B legend!"
Headstones: 24 Hours (Everyday) / Bad Day Blues (7" Vinyl Single) - "Of the countless studios cranking out garage band crudity coast to coast circa 1966, few were as off the beaten path as Jimmy Nicholls’ 2-track studio in McAllen, Texas, near the Mexican border. Yet J-Beck Records artists from Corpus Christi such as The Bad Seeds, to cite just one example, cut their toughest sides at this red hot recording outpost. Of a similar remarkable quality was McAllen’s own Headstones who recorded for Nicholls’ Pharaoh Records. '24 Hours (Everyday)' was the ravaging, 'Gloria'-styled B-side of their debut single. While The Headstones achieved top ten status locally with their two singles on Pharaoh, it is this track and another Farfisa-drenched flip, 'Bad Day Blues' that seal The Headstones’ reputation as one of the great Texas garage bands." |
| *JANUARY 13, 2008* Coming soon from Mike Stax, Rick Brown and Ugly Things is a new book titled Like, Misunderstood: "A gripping autobiographical novel about the early life of Rick Brown, detailing the story of The Misunderstood and their evolution from local garage band heroes to trailblazing psychedelic icons living in the heart of Swinging London. Read how the band's heart was ripped out on the eve of their success when Rick was drafted into the U.S. Army, about his daring desertion from boot camp, his escape to a new life in a primitive ashram in North India, and his subsequent adventures as a hunted fugitive. Befriended by India's elite but forced from sanctuary as U.S. authorities close in, he climbs the Himalayas, taking shelter in a secret ruby mine guarded by 115 year-old Kali Baba. Torn between the love of two competing gurus, as well as Kali Baba and beautiful Tanny, he is driven over the edge into the mysterious Asian underworld. Bummer! This is NOT the same material that appeared in Ugly Things magazine, but a humorous and thrilling first person narrative in Rick Brown's own words, written with the collaboration of Ugly Things' editor Mike Stax. This beautifully presented 566-page hardcover book was printed in a limited first edition of just 950 copies, so it's sure to become an instant collectors item." |
| *JANUARY 12, 2008* Snapper is releasing Never Ever Land - International Artists Singles Collection): "This 3-CD set collects classic tracks from the label’s flagship acts like The 13th Floor Elevators, The Red Crayola, The Bubble Puppy and Golden Dawn alongside a host of sought-after lesser known gems from the likes of Thursday’s Children, The Chaynes, The Rubayaat, Sterling Damon and The Shayds. Quite a number of these tracks are here making their CD debut, several not having seen the light of day since their first release forty years ago. The accompanying 48-page color booklet is lavishly illustrated and presents a detailed account of the label’s rise and fall, biographies of the artists with track notes and a full discography. It Includes Jon Savage’s interview with Lelan Rogers which accompanied the 1980 compilation double album, Epitaph For A Legend." Expect it in a week or two. |
| *JANUARY 6, 2008* Available now on CD Baby, The Reekers: Meet The Reekers: "Garage rock, as played by Washington D.C.'s infamous '60's rock band. The original master recordings. Includes cover versions of their 1966 #1 hit 'What A Girl Can't Do' (The Hangmen/Monument Records)." | |
*JANUARY 5, 2008* The Daybreakers and The Coachmen (actually from Lincoln, Nebraska, but regular performers in Iowa) head the 2008 roster of inductees into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Other inductees include IBTC, Nick Lane, Wayne Johnson, Enoch Smokey, Terra Firmer, Sky Dancer, Marvin Ross, The Establishment, Silver Strings, Billy Rat & The Finks, The Petites, Kip Stafford, Vicki Lutes, Smokey Smith, the Woodcliff Ballroom, Music City Presentations and KMA Radio. You can read more here. |
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