Monday, November 23, 2009

Tonight!

MONK on THE TONiC! Live Radio!

If you are local and have some time to tune-in I will be fill-in hosting "The Tonic" on CKUW95.9 fm tonight between 1930 and 2100...or for you less military types 7:30 p.m. until 9 p.m.
This is live radio, liver than you've ever been and promises to be a fine time chock full of great music selected by yours truly.
Also available via the old interjet (streaming) at ckuw.ca so check that out.
And if you need more or you miss the show completely tonight the archive will be there at the same web address. Just click on PROGRAM SCHEDULE at the top, scroll down MONDAY until you see THE TONIC. Click on AUDIO and choose November 23 and whether you want to stream (listen now) or download to listen later and ...forever. I also hosted November 2nd show if yr really a glutton for enlightenment.
Have fun and be safe out there.

Two Dollar Pistols and putting the "U" in Country Music...from 2004


Two Dollar Pistols
Hands Up!
(Yep Roc Records)
Website: www.twodollarpistols.net
North Carolina’s Two Dollar Pistols deal exclusively in authentic, Bakersfield-bred, twangy honky tonk roots music. Their version of rollicking hardwood floor-filling seein’-double-you weepers and shuffles is classically built using the  established old school formula of fancy guitar pickin’, hearty basslines, swing-inflected drums and soaring steel guitar. The outstanding baritone vocals of John Howie Jr. are a wonderfully pleasing cross between X’s John Doe and country music legend Ernest Tubb and it really doesn’t get any better than that. The typical backside of life topics are all broached lyrically-guy meets girl in bar, guy spends best night of his life with girl, girl eventually leaves, guy writes sad song about the whole damn event. The album was recorded at the same studio (Rick Miller’s Kudzu Ranch Studios) that Southern Culture On The Skids use to create similar magic giving “Hands Up!” a distinctive southern stank. Y’all get some.
MONk 2009 View - This album and a few others by this hot combo still retain places of high esteem in the MONk archives. There is defo something about the righteous twang that gets me a huh-huh hankering for more and even more of their fine git down delicacies. They release albs rather sporadically and whenever I come across their cds in some dusty used product bin I make sure I grab them. John Howie Jr.'s deep warble is of the classic kind that speaks of a grown man's emotions spoken with a vulnerability that is often lost in today's country music. Hell, it hardly even exists so  who am I kidding here. There are a lot of contemporary country cats that could learn a dirty lesson or two from the hard scrabble roots tone these guys lay down but if'n you like the current crop of hat acts and trimmed beardo ladies' men that pass for country music singers these days then I don't wanna know you. You know who you are and you need to keep moving. Or jump on this freight train of goodness and toss those cute'n'cuddly boys out the back screen door into the hog shit where they belong! Git to it!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

John Mayall Live In Winnipeg November 18, 2009


John Mayall 
and Band

LIVE!
I was lucky enough to get fifth row, center seats for quite a nice concert last night here in Winnipeg at the venerable Pantages Theatre.
British blues god (sorry to all you Christians reading this-it's just a saying) John Mayall (Born 29 November 1933) and his upstanding band hit the stage last night right on time at 8 p.m. and right from the get go it was completely apparent that Mr. Mayall and crew were going to be darn entertaining.
How did I know this?
It's pretty simple, and folks, just because a blueser like John Mayall has been in the biz a long time (like, a grandpaw's length) does not ever necessarily equate to a show like the one this band produced last night.
Not by a long stretch.
Mayall strode onto the stage all by his lonesome, said a brief and friendly hello (again, it must be the grand dad of the blues thing) and proceeded to sing and blow some pretty fantastic harp.
I play a bit of harp and believe me when I say this guy is good. He's no Magic Dick, rather more a stylist hitting some sweet and delicate notes and melodies. Nice.
Then he strolled over to the Korg keyboard and while he played those sharp harp melodies accompanied himself with some on the spot right-handed piano chords. Superb.
He invited the band out and as they slowly moved into position and started in it was easy to see that these cats were ready to work with the master, not just back him up.
With songs from the latest Mayall album "Tough" interspersed between classic Mayall gold the night just got better and better with each song. All the players shone and were each allowed their own time in the spotlight and they each, to a man, came across as skilled without being pedantic and seemed to be enjoying themselves greatly.
Mayall has always been a proponent of bringing new talent forward and watching him groove while the other players soloed was a treat. He genuinely got into it and it made the audience that much more attentive to what the players were doing. There was a short intermission and there was absolutely no loss of power or finesse when the quintet hit the stage after watering the horses. The crowd was super receptive and Mayall seemed genuinely pleased with the loud applause and more than a few standing O's. He deserved every handclap, whistle and cheer-for real folks. John Mayall is no young lion yet he is still capable of bringing a roar to the stage, with the help and support of a fine set of players there to do much more than play charts and hit their marks. These guys are welcome back any time.
for further reading please see: http://www.uptownmag.com/2009-11-12/page4841.aspx

(1933-11-29)

Saturday, November 14, 2009

from 2001-an Interview with Adrian Maxwell Sherwood

 MONk 2009 preamble - this is a long one kids. If you are a reggae music fan of any weight then you already know about Adrian Sherwood and his On-U-Sound label.
If not, then start looking for some of these releases as you will not be disappointed.
I haven't really kept up with Mr. Sherwood. I am sure he's doing fine and music is still a premier daily activity for him and his crew. Settle in for this one kids. And enjoy. Feedback (i.e. volume knobs turned to eleven) is always appreciated. Jah Lives.
Language warning.

 


Did You Get Any On-U? or
The Return of Adrian Sherwood. a.k.a. Did He Even Go Away?

As the British music scene exploded with the white heat of punk rock in t
he late 1970’s a young English kid, enamored with the freedom of expression the new musical style supported decided to become involved. Adrian Sherwood chose not to align himself with the clanging, Chuck-Berry-on-speed edge of the new rebellion, but instead focused his energies on spreading the vibes of his first musical love - jamaican reggae and dub music. He started young, first by mixing current JA hits into his soul and pop deejay sets in school as a young man. The spirit of the music and it’s adherents in the large immigrant community in London allowed him the ready market and easy access to very talented players. Eventually he built the On-U Sound label which released some of the hardest dub and reggae music of the time. Merely name checking his roster doesn’t do justice to the high level of skill and overt dread power these wicked sides oozed. You have to hear them. While Sherwood has never really left music, his less-than-high profile of late has left fans wondering what happened to this talented producer, mixer and engineer? The following interview was done with Mr. Sherwood via phone at his home in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire which is about 45 minutes outside of London. He was at his own studio, working on his first ever solo album. He was in a talkative mood as you will see. There will be a full slate of On-U Sound re-issues in 2002 as well as new titles on the umbrella labels Green Tea and Pressure Sounds. These albums are regarded by both critics and fans as some of the best sounding, roots reggae and dub music made anywhere on the planet. Look for them and buy them. You won’t be disappointed....

November 12, 2001-Tuesday CST 15:30

Phone rings, special long distance tone.


Adrian Sherwood: ’Ullo
Jeff Monk: Hello, this is Jeff Monk calling for S****s Magazine.
AS: Hi Jeff
JM: Is this Adrian Sherwood?
AS: It is, speaking (slight giggle at the formality)
JM: How are you s
ir?
AS: (more giggles) I’m very well Jeff how are you?
JM: Good, I’m glad I got you. The first time I dialed there was a problem getting through or something and I got nervous about missing the time.
AS: We’re here.
JM: Do you have a few moments?
AS: Yeh, sure...um hang on a few moments Jeff....(inaudible)
Sorry.
JM: Everything okay?
AS: Yeh, we’re just in the studio, it’s actually my house and we’re in the studio as well.
JM: And what are you working on, there’s a good place to start.
AS: Umm, I’m actually working on about four projects simultaneously, I haven’t made any records myself for four years.... three and half years.
JM: Right, and word has it that, and the whole reason I’m talking to you is that you are on the verge of something big, I heard five new releases and some number of re-issues is that correct?
AS: What we’re doing we’re um...I’m making a solo album, in my own name, which sounds a bit mad but  basically I’m using ragga beats and hip hop beats all blended together at about ninety or a hundred beats per minute or whatever. You can play it in clubs. Kind of like Tackhead with vocal cut ups, big fat bass and wah wah pedals with distortion pedals and everything. It’s a great big fucking noise is what it is and what it sounds like, really. I’m putting a single out on my own label which is Green Tea, which is a division of Pressure Sounds my reggae label. That label is going very well. We just released a Burning Spear album that’s doing very well. On-U has been asleep for awhile. What my intention is that the new albums I’ve been making in Europe I want to put them out on a new label. It’ll still be, the mother company, it’s just like in America you’ve got a corporation so your corporation might have different labels but it’s still the same corporation. So I might record as Freaks-R-Us, like Toys-R-Us, y’know, or find some fucking new name for it y’know. Now in Europe I’m going to release my own solo album, I’m going to release a new Little Axe album-which is absolutely stunning, we spent a long time making that-I’ve got another project which is called Too (Two?) Bad Card and the Ghetto Priest which again is mad ragga and Irish music and distortion stuff all fucked up together. 

JM: And the mother corp. is On-U yes?
AS: Yes. The company is On-U Records Sound Limited which has been trading for about twenty years now as of this year. By March there will be a fantastic new On-U website up with information on what I’ve been doing for the last four years. It seems I’ve been quiet but I’ve produced everyone from Placebo to Sinead O’Connor and from Primal Scream to Junior Delgado. I’ve actually been very busy but because nothing’s on my own label, my own imprint, my visibility has been quite low.

JM: I’ve got a compilation cd here that looks like it’s from 1998....
****at this point a very loud pakistani yodel starts emanating from the background on Sherwood’s phone line......
AS: ’Ang on
a sec Jeff...Nick, oi, Nick...the machines playing!...Stop that Indian c*nt noise will you! (laughs) Sorry! (laughs) Sorry!
JM: I’ve got some new stuff as well as old stuff but since the station has only been broadcasting on the airwaves for nearly three years there’s still a backlog of classic stuff that I want to expose listeners to.
AS: The worst thing is people going into a shop, they hear a record by - I shouldn’t mention names - but these certain people and they think it’s going to be a good record and they end up buying something and it’s rubbish. People need to be educated about what is actually really fucking good.
JM: You started off when punk did in England. How does a white kid even think that they can do anything in the reggae music industry?

AS: You can do anything in the world you want to. I mean you’ve got Adam F., he’s producing fucking big American acts at the moment like Chaos and that stuff. There is no reason a white English kid couldn’t go to Jamaica and work on a reggae record. I think if you are really motivated and you love it enough and want it you can do anything in this world in music.
JM: And this was the case when you started then?
AS: Yeh, when I started it was wide open, it was kind of like virgin territory and I was very fortunate to meet some great musicians from Jamaica and great artists.
JM: And how did that come about?
AS: Well I left school and I was working with a Jamaican friend who had a club who previously worked for Pama Records, which was a pioneer reggae label in England. I worked in a record shop on my summer holiday from school and when I left school I started buying and selling records. Then I started recording musicians for like next-to-nothing and putting out tapes from Jamaica. The I started doing my own sessions.
JM: You were dealing with some pretty serious dreads right? Hardcore rastafarians?
AS: Listen, humans are humans, y’know. Mike Tyson might be a looney, but you and Mike Tyson might get on very well. Um, that was very bad analogy but there’s no reason why anybody should not get on in the world if they’re interested in each other. The real problems that you’ve got with people is misunderstanding, or the inability to relate to one another. You’ve probably got very little in common with a kid from Bedford-Stuyvesant , where I think Tyson came from or whatever, and he’s probably got nothing in common with a kid that grew up in High Wycombe, Bucs, (Buckinghamshire, England where Sherwood lives) but if you met you might get on well or you might find there’s a common thing just for some strange reason where humans get on with humans from another part of the world or whatever. Music, at the moment, is on the planet to heal people. I’ve got my own views on world politics and everything to the degree that I can understand why the situation in Palestine or Israel or whatever you want to call it, why there’s so many angry people and why the current affairs are going on. 

JM: How did you hook up with Prince Far-I for instance?
AS: I had already released a tape of his. Someone offered me a tape, business-like, like I was buying or selling a fucking car. I said, “I like that, I will give you an advance for that.”. I mean generally if you’re passionate about something...people’s work or if it’s some mad hobby they’ve got or anything, you will get on with people as long as you’re mad and you’ve got fun and mischief yourself or something...you can deal with anybody! You, this minute, even though we’re a bit older, if you were twenty years younger, or I was, and you were obsessed with hip-hop, I could walk into any ghetto in America and deal with the people in the right way and you go “Look, I love this fucking shit. Move out the way I’m quite a serious geezer I’ve haven’t come here to see you, fuck off, I’ve come to see a man here and you know what? I've got a reason to be here.” Do you know wot I mean? You can carry it through. It’s like if you walk into somewhere, stoned off yer tits and say (making stoner voice) “Oh I love reggae, I want to go to Kingston.” You’re gonna get mugged! Do you know wot I mean? (laughing) You know like, “Who’s this silly fucking like white fucking rasta coming down here with some silly ideas about what’s going on? ”. I have got no silly ideas about how Jamaica is. It’s a very, very tough society to thrive in if you’re black. The whiter you are, the better you’re treated. The darker you are...your almost like, you’re born to suffer. It’s a fucked up place. I don’t care if I ever go there in my life again. I’ve been there a couple of times and still now I’ve got love in Jamaica and I had a great time when I was down there. But it’s not a matter of I’ve got something to prove or I wanna be black or fucking whatever.

JM: It’s the love of the music.
AS: Yeh.
***We talk about various On-U releases from the back catalog and Adrian gives me his capsule reviews of a few albums discussed.

JM: Any of these re-issues getting North American distribution?
AS: The re-issues are all being handled by EFA (Garo) in Los Angeles. All the mid-price stuff is available, it’s very underground, it’s quite old but there’s some good stuff like Dub Syndicate, there’s all kinds of tracks you can buy. Compilations like Pay It All Back Volume 3 that’s a very good one. It’s a good introduction to the old school On-U stuff.
JM: (getting geeky) Do you remember an album called “Wild Paarty Sounds Volume 1”?
AS: Well Jesus! That album was made for about $2000 in the space of about four days, twenty years ago. It’s got it’s moments, but it’s not the best album on earth. It’s got the solarized sleeve.
JM: I’ve also got a friend that has a few of the ten inch vinyl dub plates.
AS: They’re very rare.
JM: Then Pressure Sounds is the current label to look for?
AS: The latest one is a Burning Spear album. It’s been out for a while. It’s sold about thirty thousand so far, it’s a fantastically successful album. It’s called “Spear’s Burning”. And then there’s an album of King Tubby’s productions, which is very very rare.

JM: Are you familiar with the “Blood & Fire” label?
AS: That’s my friends, they’re my very close friends. Well, Blood & Fire and Pressure Sounds, are probably the best two re-issue labels from England. We’re not really rivals or anything, we’re very good friends. We’ve known each other for a donkey’s years.
JM: You both are finding these old tracks....
AS: It’s like the blues really. Basically you’ve got this legacy of incredible music that is being re-packaged and re-introduced to a public that isn’t even aware of it. With reggae the difference is the immigration that happened. You’ve got original people that left the Caribbean, settled in Canada, settled in England and they settled in the United States and the music became part and parcel of the people who were living there prior to their arrival. So the influence Jamaican music had on ourselves is very great. It’s down to the wealth of the former British Empire (laughs).
JM: Any stories of someone giving you an unmarked box of tapes an finding some gold?
AS: With Pressure Sounds basically it started with our relationship with Prince Far-I’s widow who let us release some of his back catalog. Keith Hudson, again another person I knew. Israel Vibration. And Lee Perry of course another person I worked with. We’ve not had actually people turning up. The only real rarity is the Prince Far-I album “Health and Strength”. It had been lost for years and a friend of mine found a cassette off the master in a box twenty years after everyone in the world thought it was lost forever, which I think is an amazing story. That album is amazing and it's amazing that there’s even a copy of that available.
JM: Who produced that?
AS: Prince Far-I produced it.
JM: Do you tnk you started industrial music with Gary Clail and Tackhead Sound System and such acts on On-U?
AS: I think there are other bands around who might disagree with you (laughs)! Lots of people. I worked with Mark Stewart, who I think is a genius.
He had the Pop Group. The thing is what we were doing at the time was very, very noisy, very, very angry. We were doing lots of speed at the time and if you’re doing speed every day you get very angry and you write stuff like.....“we wanna conquer the world - listen to this you c*nts!” (laughs) That was how we felt. I was working, luckily, with some of the best funk musicians in the world in Keith LeBlanc, Doug Wimbish and Skip McDonald. They had been the house band at Sugarhill Records. We hooked up and decided to form a partnership...that turned into Tackhead, Mark Stewart and the Maffia and Fats Comet in that period. Keith and I did the first Nine Inch Nails hit “Down On It” which was Trent Reznor’s first hit. We actually put that together for him.
JM: So it’s as easy as walking into any situation with the right attitude that makes these magical musical moments happen?
AS: Anybody can do anything now if really want it or it somehow takes your spirit over, I think the rules now are there to be broken.
JM: Are you personally hearing things these days that surprise you as far as chillout music or the newer....
AS: Chillout music?
JM: The newer dub stuff?
AS: I think a lot of people have tacked the word “dub” onto anything. I don’t think that it’s true. I think some fantastic stuff still comes from Jamaica. I still buy all the new singles that come out of the country.
JM: I know you’re familiar with drum’n’bass....
AS: Well drum’n’ bass, the English blokes and girls or whoever is involved in it are very proud of it. It’s probably the first kind of rebel music from England since punk days. There’s guys like Timbaland who have copied the phrasings and things on drum’n’bass, done their own programming around it and pulled the groove out of it that’s how a lot of those tunes are put together.
JM: Does that stuff make sense to you...?
AS: Well I’m more your age group so I’m very much locked spiritually into the spirit of early, the seventies reggae from thirty years ago where it’s the message of the lyrics tare strong, the Last Poets, the countless things from America. I immediately..., one thing I want to say is.... ’ang on, these c**ts in the Taliban have got to check themselves... they’ve banned music. Any society that bans music, as far as I’m concerned, is preventing healing of their own people. My main thing, what I can always go back to, what I can completely rely on is the vibe of the stuff from the ghettos of Jamaica. I don’t know why. I mean I don’t want to go there or be part of that. I’m just not interested. I have quite a comfortable lifestyle and I like that. I don’t want to  go live in a fucking tin shack in some shitty little dangerous place with a lot of horrible people and a few nice ones. But what that place has conjured up, from this place that on one hand is extremely radical, and the other is extremely conservative is beyond comprehension and that’s what held me all these years. It’s the same with America! I love coming to the States. I’m like a voyeur watching a carnival when I come to America.
You’ve got this society that’s completely ghetto-ized, well not ghetto-ized but segregated...you’ve got your Blacks here, your Jews there your fucking poor people there, your Italians there, your Hispanics over there it’s like... mad! But somehow it manages to work. I coming to do a show on Sunday.
JM: New York?
AS: Seattle. I’m doing a show with Lee Perry, Scientist, Mad Professor and Mikey Dread. We’re doing a dub show at that Jimi Hendrix place, I can’t remember the name...it’s at a university or something. It’s where they’ve got King Tubby’s mixing desk or something.
JM: Experience Music Centre?
AS: Yeh. But I’m back in England on Monday. I’ve got to do my own show.
JM: What’s your view on the current war in Afghanistan?
AS: What happened on September 11th is appalling, and any c*nt that doesn’t listen to music is a fucking..., there’s something very sinister about. It’s the manifestation of a lot of anger. No one does what they did without being very, very, very, very, very, very angry. That is what needs to be talked about and no one is talking about that. They just talk about retribution. Retribution after retribution. Do you not agree with me?
JM: Yes. I heard someone on CNN say that the Muslims believe that they are God’s chosen people and if that is the case they are also wondering why their lives are such shit, and their shit lives are in a hostile environment on top of it, while the so-called “godless Americans” have all the luxuries in life. They feel like they’re getting the short end of the stick if you will.
AS: It’s fucking hard to sort this out. If you had leaders that had a bit of vision....people don’t always see things the way a white anglo saxon with a teddy bear does! They don’t. They think “Oh that’s not christian to do that.”. But hang on a minute. We’re gonna torture you for three days until you die in agony. It’s like, that’s what we do. Do they actually like to do what people are saying? No! I think there is a lot of injustices done to indigenous people. L
ots of things haven’t been addressed. You know the atrocities of the settlers in the United States against the indigenous people of America or the British settling of Australia or whatever. Those things have been almost swept under the carpet but people have been pushed to the brink of annihilation. Anyways, it’s been very nice talking to you.


Monday, November 9, 2009

Dub Stylee 2001...


Dub Syndicate
Acres of Space
(Lion & Roots)
This new album of dub reggae mayhem courtesy of Lincoln “Style” Scott and his crew of master blasters should win an award for most accurate album title. Scott is an acknowledged modern master in this style having worked closely with On-U Sound impresario Adrian Sherwood on many recordings. Dub Syndicate has now fallen almost exclusively under Scott’s control (Sherwood is credited with mixing and adding samples) and it’s his vision and skill that drives these dozen radiant grooves. Every track ripples with earthy beats, atmospheric aural adornments and atmospheric bass. The guest vocalists (Capleton, Big Youth Little David, Jah Bless and especially Luciano) adorning some of the tracks give this album more of a commercial flavor than is usual for Dub Syndicate, but thankfully they avoid the staccato-stutter delivery that currently drives Jamaican pop music. The aspect of aural space in a recording of this nature is paramount and Scott proves that at this point in his career he rightfully deserves respect for his production skills. It probably helps that he is a top grade drummer since it is the purity of the rhythm section that makes this kind of music so appealing. Excellent as usual.
Jeff Monk



The MONk 2009 View: Truth be told I have always been a huge roots dub and reggae music fan. It came mostly from punk rock but even before that Bob Marley, Lee Perry, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer and many others were all on my radar. We're talking the early 1970's folks and when punk went two-tone a few years later it all really made sense to skank and pogo all at the same event. All these years later I still have the same tunes on my personal playlist and as the decades progressed dub and reggae has seemingly only got better. That along with the copious amounts of high-level re-issues on cd and dvd make collecting and enjoying this music all the better. Weed or non-weed accompaniment completely optional! Jah Guide! Oh, and ps - you can't be a white rasta. No matter how much weed you smoke or how many Jamaican pals you may have it's just simply not possible so please DON'T TRY...it's just embarrassing.

Friday, November 6, 2009

Wail! 2003 style....


Chuck Willis Wails
The Complete Recordings 1951-1956
Sundazed SC11122/2CD (71:23 • 26 tracks - 66:24 • 25 tracks)

Not too many artists can get away with wearing a turban. Nice guy rhythm and blues singer Chuck Willis had the kind of respect from his peers and fans that made his choice of eastern-influenced headgear a non-issue. It was just a way to hide his rapidly thinning hairline.
Willis died in 1958 and for a cat that’s been dead nearly 45 years it proves a testament to his greatness that  a full bore, career compilation would be released at this late date. Willis only recorded for ten years and during that time he not only had success with his own recordings of his songs but additional recognition later for versions recorded by Ruth Brown (“Oh What A Dream”), Elvis Presley (“I Feel So Bad”), Little Milton (“Don’t Deceive Me”) and Otis Redding (“You’re Still My Baby”).  The songs range from big orchestra jump blues to late-at-night, barstool’n’bourbon weepers of the highest order. Willis had the kind of vocal skill that is rarely ever matched by more common singers-clean enunciation, soulful delivery and emotional thickness. Sundazed should be commended for re-issuing these magic sides in such a respectful fashion. Fans of revivalist bands like Roomful Of Blues will instantly swing lively to tracks like “Take It Like A Man” and others. After recording one single for Columbia, Willis moved to the recently rejuvenated wartime label Okeh. The sweet 51 track set is culled from those archives and gives a wonderfully deep look at his work, putting this one in the must-own category. Great liners by Bill Dahl and a cleanly designed package round out the handsome set that adds additional weight to the enduring legacy of a fine singer and stylist.


The MONk 2009 View - erp, orp, thwack! You have just gots to own some Chuck Willis. Sure, it's "old" music-wartime, big bands and all that. But the soul that emanates from this music is of the balming sort if yer know wot I mean? Sitting back and soaking in these at times wild sides will take you another simpler time and place and if you truly have the ears to listen my dear friends, it will make you feel all gooshy inside and indeed, get a smile on yr face for real dig? Trust New and Notable right here, right now! Happy Friday yuh all!

Thursday, November 5, 2009

...why does 2005 seem SO LONG AGO?


What we do here is rock. Okay so it may not always BE rock but in some fashion, and this includes some groovy people too, the good ones rock. It's practically indefinite but it exists. James Blood Ulmer rocks when he plays his bluesy guitar on his latest "Birthright". It's a feel-they used to call it soul. And soul is in there too. Big ass-grinding soul that makes you feel like you are going to pleasantly p-o-p. The curious know where to find it and when they do they want and wish for more and more and wonder when the rest of the world will get it. But they won't, and the way this whole thing is set up, they aren't supposed to anyhoo. Enjoy it while you can, you lovers of today, rock as if there is no reason not to. Cos there ain't and you should.

Electrophonic Tonic Playlist July 18-2005 
artist-track-cf
1. Sonic's Rendezvous Band-Electrophonic Tonic-Motor City's Burnin' (Alive)
2. David Bowie-Queen Bitch-Hunky Dory (Ryko)
3. Sarah Lee Guthrie and Johnny Irion-Exploration-Exploration (New West)
4. Andre Williams and the Sadies-Psycho-Red Dirt (Blood Shot)
5. Godovitz and Segarini-And Your Bird Can Sing-It Was 40 Years Ago Today (Bullseye)
6. Phil Angotti-I'm Only Sleeping-It Was 40 Years Ago Today (Bullseye)
7. The Lackloves-Hey Bulldog-It Was 40 Years Ago Today (Bullseye)
8. Neil Young-Vampire Blues-On The Beach (Crazed)
9. Bob Dylan-The Groom's Still Waiting-Shot Of Love (Columbia)
10. Johnny Thunders-All By Myself-Live at the Lyceum (ABC)
11. Al Green-Love Ritual-The Dance Sounds of Hi (Hi)
12. John Hiatt-Love's Not Where We Thought We Left It-Master Of Disaster (New West)
13. The Nils-Freedom Come Freedom Go

the nine-o-clock DUB break
14. Augustus Pablo-Road Block-Ital Dub (Trojan) 

15. Jackie Mittoo and Ernest Ranglin-Jericho Skank-Studio One Scorchers (Soul Jazz) 
16. Richie Spice-Jah Lift Me Over-Morgan Heritage Family and Friends (Heartbeat)

17. Humble Pie-Buttermilk Boy-As Safe as Yesterday Is (A&M) 
18. The Faces-My Fault (Live)-Five Guys Walk Into A Bar (Rhino)
19. Jeff Hatcher and the Big Beat-Eye of the Needle-Cross Our Hearts (Upside)
20. Betty Everett-My Love-Cobra Records Story (Capricorn)
21. Dwight Twilley Band-You Were So Warm-Sincerely (Shelter)
22. Hal-Play The Hits-Hal (Rough Trade)
23. The Rumour-Have You Seen My Baby?-Not So Much a Rumour (Stiff)
24. The Pirates-Going Back Home-Out Of Their Skulls (Westside)
25. The Lovemasters-Girls Walkin'-Pusherman of Love (Sir Aquarius)
26. Intercontinental Playboys-Exit Sign-Sonic Seducers (Off The Hip)

The MONk 2009 view: As I review this playlist all these years later it is obvious, to me anyway, that I have pretty good taste. If you were a fan of this radio show you probably have some eclectic tastes yrself and for that you should feel proud, and maybe even a little broke. Looking back I see that there are more than a few tracks that still move me. The Faces, Bob Dylan, Dwight Twilley, Sonic's Rendezvous band, The Pirates and even the Sarah Lee Guthrie still move me to shufflin'. Hit me with an email if you need anything fleshed out. I love to aid those that need some kickapoo joy juice in their musical day. The groom is still waiting at the altar....

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

another gem from 2K



Rosco Gordon
Memphis Tennessee
www.stonyplainrecords.com


This first-rate album from rocking rhythm and blues godfather Rosco Gordon represents a long over due return to the recording scene. Gordon started in music early in life and by the tender age of 17 had hits on the r&b charts nationally in the U.S. Touring in the segregated south took it’s toll on the young player and upon meeting his future wife, Gordon suddenly left the music industry (after laying some important groundwork towards the birth of rock and roll), got a day job and proceeded to raise his family. All this by the time he was only twenty-six in 1960.  Fast forward to the present and we have the glory of a brand new record by a man that still knows how to perform with style and energy. From the opening rolling whomp of the title track, Gordon makes it plain that he’s been itching to do this for some time. Rosco’s voice is gloriously tattered around the edges and the sympathetic backing of kindred spirit (and honorary Canadian) Duke Robillard and his band make a strong case to call this set classic. The 50’s Gordon hits are here (No More Doggin’, Just a Little Bit) a few slow burning blues numbers and to round out the disc there is a seventeen plus minute interview segment with label boss Holger Peterson that is at once poignant and funny. The package is presented with a fannish enthusiasm that shows a great respect for Gordon’s important past and his powerful current state. Welcome back Mr. Gordon.

Jeff Monk



The 2009 MONk view: Rosco finally passed in 2002 and the world is somehow musically a less better place without him around. He wasn't prolific during his career but he was surely influential. That is the mark of a true genius I think. If you find any RG albums in yr travels, do yrself (and yr soul) a gigantic favour and get to listenin'. It jes can't be bad!