A Ripple Roadtrip - The Way Back - Featuring Joey Ramone, the Bombay Royale, Corsair, White Light Cemetery, Jazzanova, and The Orb featurng Lee Scratch Perry

Not quite 30 hours after arrival - time spent taking Ripple inventory, eating burritos, doughnuts, and watching way too much bad sci-fi with my recuperating Ripple partner, the Pope -- and I found my self back on the road.  Early Sunday morning, up before the sun, desperately aiming to get through the quagmire of LA before . . .whatever.  LA just sucks.  Let me get through there as fast as possible. 

Which I did.  Man, I set a land speed record.  San Diego to downtown LA in 1 hour 15 minutes.  To the downside of the Grapevine in 2 1/2 hours and all the way home to SF Area in 6 1/2 hours.  Flying!

Not a lot of time for music, but the player was always going.  Here's what played.

Joey Ramone  - Ya Know?

Ok. We all know Joey Ramone.  A posthumous collection of songs can often be a dicey affair.  Were these quality songs left behind by a legend or crap demos rushed out by greedy record execs to capitalize on his still surging fame?   Fortunately, and undeniably, the former.  When Joey Ramone died from lymphoma in April of 2001 he left behind a cache of songs in various states of completion and fidelity. Some of them appeared on Don’t Worry About Me, released in early 2002.  Now a decade later comes another batch of Joey classics.   One cool thing is that the music itself was re-recorded by a handful of Ramone’s friends and collaborators over the years, including Joan Jett, the E Street Band’s Stevie Van Zandt and Plasmatics guitarist Richie Stotts.  Sure, they're a bit more produced than we'd expect from a Ramones release, but the quality of the songs deserves it and never do they suffocate under the production.

Instead, what we got are some slightly poppier than expected, but still full-on Ramones-esque cuts like, "Rock 'n Roll is the Answer, and "Going Nowhere Fast."  Joey's voice is perfect throughout.  That same voice we've known all these years, sounding strangely liberated, having fun, and more soulful at times than I'd expect.  All in all, songs that do the legacy of Joey proud and make us realize just how much we miss him.

The Bombay Royale - You Me Bullets Love 

As the Pacific Ocean began to fade away to my left side, and the sprawl of Orange County took over, Joey Ramone popped out of the player and this . . . this . . .  well, this way cool disc popped in.  The band name and album title kinda say it all.  Imagine if Peter Gunn took a rocketship to Bombay in the mid-60's.  James Bond in New Dehli.  Freaky cool spy-theme instrumentals mixed with Bollywood psychedelic cinemascopic dreams.   Trumpets, trombone, keys, sitars . . .it's all here.  Some violin, some almost flamenco sounding horn.  Even a beach guitar vibe.  It's just crazy cool.  A lost 60's spy-flick soundtrack in search of the perfect love-in groove-fest movie.  Put this on as the party starts and watch the eyebrows raise, the hips shake, and the lava lamps flow.  Groovy.  http://thebombayroyale.com/?clickthrough=1

Corsair - S/T

Another band I know well making the perfect accompanyment to my drive as I blow through LA.  And in case you can't tell by now -- I just can't blow through LA fast enough.  It was a while back that Marie Landragin dropped their debut EP into my lap, and now they're following it up with a ful-length.  Yep, everything I loved about the debut is still their.  That fantastic dual lead harmony guitar work, the raw and roughened production, the faint NWOBHM DIY feeling, all the way down to the self-printed CD cover.  Perhaps this one leans even more into the Thin Lizzy camp, with a track like "Chaemera," sounding like it could've been a lost outtake or demo, with the harmony guitar leads and the very Phil Lynott-voiced phrasing.  In truth, I'd love to see them bust a bit more away from the Lizzy blueprint and explore some of their own territory, but if you're looking for an old school, guitar rock album, look no further.  http://corsair.bandcamp.com/

White Light Cemetery - S/T EP

Ok.  LA is behind me.  Hell yes!  Open road ahead.  Time to rock.  In pops the new White Light Cemetery Ep and I'm groovin' just fine  Hands pounding the steering wheel in manical fits, head bopping dangerously away from watching the road, foot stomping on the gaspedal like a damn bass drum.  That's what WLC does to me.  A bit post-grunge, NOLA rough 'n ready rock.  Yeah, there's lots of COC in there and the songs aren't complicated, but who the hell says rock has to be?   This is balls out sludge-fest of gutty vocals  and pounding shit.  I know these guys.  I love these guys.  I put them on the Ripple Effect Presents: Volumen One, didn't I?  Now go listen to them.  http://www.reverbnation.com/whitelightcemetery

Jazzanova - Funkhaus Studio Sessions

Getting closer to home.  Ears starting to bleed.  Need to calm things down a bit.   Jazzanova have been around for years and years.  I've got lots of their chill-out jazz/soul triphop stuff lying around and I've always dug them.  This album is no exception.  A bit more R&B at first than I expected, but good R&B.  Not overly produced. Soulful with dynamite vocals.  Playful and fun.  It's allowing my ears to rest as the album plays out through moods of gentle dance, downtempo, funk, jazz and always soul.  Always soul.  Definitely worth checking if you dig R&B and can't believe what the producers have wrecked upon that once proud genre.   http://www.jazzanova.com/

The Orb - Featuring Lee Scratch Perry - The Observer in the Star House

Ok.  Home stretch.  Pulling off the 5 onto the 580 and close enough to home that I can smell my dogs waiting for me.  In pops the "scariest " CD of the batch.  What do I mean by that ? Well.  I know Lee Scratch Perry.  He's a well-deserved legend of dub and reggae.  And I know the Orb, and I've been less than impressed with their overly-synthed dance/trance stuff over the years.  So what happens when you combine a legendary producer/toaster with an electronic dance outfit that hits me like fingernails on a chalkboard?   Surprisingly, a damn fine dub record.   Fortunately, the album is all about Lee Perry.  His unique scratch of a voice, his tone, his phrasing.  In fact, it's not that different from the last Lee Perry album I reviewed.  But the Orb do make their presence felt, in very understated, wel-done effects, tones, and beats.   Swallowing the 20 billion beats per minute flavor of modern dance/trance, The Orb blend beautifully with the vibe of Perry's dub.  It all just flows and ebbs and does so seamlessly.  Diehard fans of the Orb's ambient house may hate this album.  But fans of experimental dub have nothing to fear.  A perfect ride to end my drive. 

That's all. . . until the next roadtrip.

--Racer

Ripple LIbrary - Commando: The Autobiography of Johnny Ramone vs. I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir

A few months ago I was flipping through a copy of New York magazine and was surprised to see they printed a chapter from the upcoming Autobiography Of Johnny Ramone. He died in 2004 and I had no idea he had ever written his life story. I've been a huge Ramones fan for over 30 years and was lucky enough to catch the band live close to 20 times throughout the 1980's. I'd read a lot about them and figured I'd heard most of the stories already so I skipped the book written by Joey Ramone's brother Mickey Leigh called I Slept with Joey Ramone: A Family Memoir that was published in 2009. But when I found out about Johnny's book I took a trip to the library and took out Mickey's book before reading Johnny's. I figured it would be good to read them back to back and see how their stories compared.

Mickey's book goes into great detail about their upbringing and how Joey was a total outcast due to his strange looks and even stranger behavior that was later diagnosed as OCD. Joey really couldn't have done anything other than be a Ramone. Something I never knew was that Mickey had played music with Johnny at some point before the Ramones started. I also had no idea that Mickey wound up marrying an ex-girlfriend of Johnny's. It's well known that Johnny's wife Linda was with Joey originally and the split caused huge problems for the band. Obviously, Johnny and Mickey's accounts of these events differ greatly. Mickey goes into way more detail on this topic than Johnny. Maybe too much, but he probably needed to get some things off his chest. The best parts of Mickey's book is when he talks about working for the band in the early days. He was a roadie for the band during the early years and gives interesting accounts of things that are well known in Ramones lore - opening for Johnny Winter in 1975, the first shows in the UK a year later and all the craziness of their early tours. I also had no idea that he sang backing vocals on the first Ramones album, notably on "Blitzkrieg Bop." Years later when the song was used for a Budweiser commercial he tried getting some money out of the band, causing a huge fall out with his brother. I Slept with Joey Ramone is a good read, but Mickey comes across a little bitter that his own music career never went anywhere and he's been stuck living in his brother's shadow.

Johnny Ramone was determined to live in no one's shadow. His book is short and to the point. Not surprising given his guitar playing and no bullshit attitude. Johnny was a total hard ass but if it wasn't for him the band would have never survived more than a year or two. Most Ramones insiders give Johnny a lot of respect but have gone on record that he was absolutely no fun at all. His book doesn't really dispute those claims at all. He talks about how much he enjoyed being angry and pissing people off. He also made sure the band worked hard and made money so they could all retire comfortably. His story of the Ramones is consistent with most of the others that have been published over the years but a few really cool stories stood out for me. I was very excited to learn that Johnny said the loudest band he ever saw was Grand Funk Railroad in the early 70's and one of the only people that ever intimidated him was James Williamson of the Stooges. Johnny's book comes in a very cool hardcover package with glossy pages and lots of excellent photos. The appendix at the end of the book contains lists of all of his favorite musicians, baseball players, movies, etc. I had no idea Leslie West was his third favorite guitarist of all time.

Both books end with chapters dealing with the cancer that took Joey and Johnny's life. Having lost a loved one recently to cancer, I wound up skipping over quite a bit of them. Having spent many months in and out of hospitals and doctor's offices I had absolutely no desire to relive any of that nightmare. Johnny and Joey never got along in life but managed to work together to create one of the greatest and most influential rock & roll bands of all time. It's so tragic that they both lost their lives to illness way too early in life. If you're a Ramones fan, you owe it to yourself to check out both these books.

--Woody

MC5 – High Time

When it comes to the MC5 I’m always ready to testify about any of their albums. If someone asks me which one is my favorite it takes a lot less than 5 seconds of decision. Kick Out The Jams rules and Back In The USA is great, too but High Time is IT. Always has been, always will. The MC5 are a prime example of what happens when very talented individuals combine forces and record collections in order to break thru the terminal stasis of boredom, classification and mediocrity. This can only be achieved through thousands of hours in the practice room and on the stage. Tons of weeed helps, too.

The history of the MC5 has been written many times before so there’s no need for me to recap it again for you. (Does anyone know what ever happened to Ben Edmonds’ biography No Greater Noise that was supposed to come out almost TWENTY years ago?) By 1971 the MC5 had proven themselves as a major force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, most people decided that their brand of mayhem was waaaay too much of a mellow harsher and they would rather not have the band spray their sweat all over them as they worked the stage. Ignoring the marketplace, the band created what was to be their final album High Time. Turns out it was creatively their most successful merger of pure Chuck Berry/Link Wray rock n roll, James Brown dynamics and the ferocious group improv of Sun Ra and the John Coltrane Quartet. Most bands can only attempt to move in one of those directions but the MC5 aimed high and went for a triple pronged attack.

Side one, song one - “Sister Anne” – BOOM! One of the greatest rock songs of all time. Starts off with a great, circular guitar riff and then the band comes crashing in with a monster boogie that makes the rest of your record collection seem kinda lightweight. At over 7 minutes, it never gets boring and you want it to keep going. Excellent lyrics written by guitarist Fred “Sonic” Smith delivered with a lot of heart and soul by vocalist Rob Tyner. Great guitar solos from Fred and fellow guiterrorist Wayne Kramer, a harmonica solo from Rob and even the Salvation Army marching band at the end. It’s such a shame that classic rock radio has ignored this song for so many years. What would happen if they played one less Meat Loaf or Bob Seger song once a week and played this instead? Would someone die? How much advertising revenue would they really lose? Their mistake means we just have to play it louder with the windows down so everyone else can hear it.

After that monolith comes the hyper boogie of “Baby Won’t Ya,” another winner written by Fred. On past MC5 albums all the band members shared songwriting credits equally but High Time is the first one with individuals noted. Fred dominates with four songs, half of the album and some of the best ones. The other Fred songs are "Over and Over” and "Skunk (Sonicly Speaking)." "Over and Over” deals with the frustration of war, society and inequality. Rob’s extremely pissed off vocals let you know he’s not fucking around. On the other hand, “Skunk” is pure rhythm and who knows what the lyrics are about. Fred wrote this one to show off the skills of Dennis Thompson, one of rock’s greatest drummers. “Skunk” starts off with Dennis pounding out a furious beat and is then joined by a bunch of others (including Seger) pounding on cans, bottles, cowbells, etc until Fred fires up another one of his classic riffs. Dennis has always said his two favorite drummers are Keith Moon and Elvin Jones and he makes that obvious here. His technique is incredible but he never sacrifices passion for it, and vice versa. Monster fucking drummer. Dennis’ partner in the rhythm section, bassist Mike Davis, is no slouch either although rumor has it he doesn’t play on all the songs here. Unfortunately, Mike had some drug problems that eventually got him kicked out of the band but he’s still alive and well. Very nice guy and I was fortunate enough to spend about an hour talking to him after one of the DKT/MC5 reunion shows in NYC back in 2005.

Dennis returns the favor and wrote “Gotta Keep Movin’” to show off Fred’s speedy guitar leads. Everything about this song is awesome. It contains some of the best belligerent “get out of my way” lyrics ever written, a violent groove and burning guitar playing. You will get a speeding ticket listening to this one in the car. Pure Motorhead music about 5 years before Motorhead existed.

"Future/Now" is the lone composition from Rob Tyner but it’s a killer, too. A great bass line starts it off then a killer drum fill cues the rest of the band in. Rob’s been described as the philosopher of the band and the lyrics bear that out – “the future's here right now if you're willing to pay the cost.” Turns out most of the hippies in the 1960’s weren’t willing to pay the cost, which is how we wound up with Richard Nixon as president and  Fleetwood Mac ruling the airwaves.

Brother Wayne Kramer contributes two songs. “Miss X” is a piano driven ballad that I’ve never much cared for but I’m not big on ballads to begin with. I was very happy to hear it turn up in an episode of HBO’s East Bound & Down, though. (Wayne works as musical director on the show). His other song is more my style, a full blooded rocker called “Poison” with some of his most blistering guitar work. He later did a great cover of this song with the Melvins on one of his solo albums.

After High Time the band unfortunately fell apart and was not able to realize its full potential. The MC5 should have been packing stadiums and blowing away the competition for many years after 1971. Like most pioneers, they took the arrows and paved the way for everyone from Aerosmith to the Ramones. The MC5 are often credited as a “pre-punk” or “proto-metal” band but the truth is they go way beyond either of those categories. Most punk bands never had a rhythm section as tight or could offer up the guitar fire power as the MC5, and only the Ramones delivered the triple Marshall stack attack on punk crowds. Metal bands took the volume and powertrip spectacle but made things too rehearsed and downright silly. At the end of the day the MC5 were, to quote Duke Ellington, “beyond category.” If you have a stereo with a volume knob, High Time better be in your collection.

--Woody

Buy here:  High Time
Buy here mp3: High Time

A Sunday Conversation with Paul Collins of the Beat

Some people go with no introduction.  I've been a fan of Paul Collins Beat since the album first came out in high school.  It was a staple on my turntable through college, and it's never left.  Needless to say, I had to fan myself like an excited schoolgirl about to meet the cast of Twilight, when Paul Collins stopped by, plopped himself on the red leather interview couch and talked a spell.

When I was a kid, growing up in a house with Cat Stevens, Neil Diamond, and Simon and Garfunkle, the first time I ever heard Kiss's "Detroit Rock City," it was a moment of musical epiphany. It was just so vicious, aggressive and mean. It changed the way I listened to music. I've had a few minor epiphany's since then, when you come across a band that just brings something new and revolutionary to your ears.
 

What have been your musical epiphany moments?

When I heard Big Girls Don’t Cry in 1963 when I was 6 & a half years old in a taxi cab in Saigon Vietnam in the pouring rain. That’s when I knew what I wanted to do.

Talk to us about the song-writing process for you. What comes first, the idea? A riff? The lyrics? How does it all fall into place?

I never know how a song will come out and some times it can be very frustrating! Right now I am putting together a new record and for about 3 weeks I could not write a single decent song! It was driving me crazy! Then one night I woke up at 4 am and sat on the couch and out popped this sing, “Come On Lets Go!” and it rocked!

Where do you look for continuing inspiration? New ideas, new motivation?

My main concern has always been the same, ever since The Nerves, writing good songs. Easy to say but very hard to do. That is why recording can be so difficult because as a writer you really want to make sure you are saying things that are worth saying lyrically and musically.

What is you musical intention? What are you trying to express or get your audience to feel?

It always comes back to the same thing good songs with great melodies and great guitar hooks that turn you on, the same way I was turned on when I was a kid and I would listen to the radio and it would blow my mind, literally I was so knocked out by what I heard, it became the quest of my life to make music that was as effective as that, which for me is rock n roll with pop sensibilities.

What makes a great song? 

Hard to say but you know it when you hear it! Usually a great melody with the right rhythm and the right treatment musically. 

Tell us about the first song you ever wrote?

"Working Too Hard", and it took me 2 years to write it! I had been in The Nerves for awhile and I was desperate to write songs as good as Jack and Peter’s. I really learned a lot form the both of them. I was living in the back of a school bus that Jack had and everyday all I could think about was trying to write a good rock song. Then one day I did and when I played it for Jack he said, “Yeah man now your talking!”

 

What piece of your music are particularly proud of?

Well the first record is always a very special moment I think for any musician and for me that  would have to be both The Nerves EP and The Beat’s first LP. I am very lucky to have been apart of both of those bands!

Who today, writes great songs? Why?

I don’t really listen to much new music, I am sure people are out there doing great stuff, but I come from a different era, a different sensibility so it’s hard for me to say.

Your career has spanned so many decades.  Talk to us about the early years when the Nerves and the Beat first broke out. You were part of the punk scene (playing with bands like The Avenerger) and the powerpop scene.  What was that like?  What bands did you hang with?  Fight with?

You are right, it was a long time ago, when The Nerves first started we kind of operated in a vacuum, there were hardly any other bands doing new music in San Francisco, we met The Avengers right before we left town and prior to that we knew of Crime and the Nuns but our music was not punk in the same way so we really didn’t bond with those bands. It is a shame but the truth of the matter is we felt completely ostersized on all sides, it was kind of lonely.

Talk to us about the exciting new vault find of the Breakaways album with Peter Case.  Any chance you and Peter will record again together soon?

I am so happy that these recordings have come to see the light of day! They have been sitting in Steve Huff’s (Bassist for The Beat) closet for some 30 years! I don’t know if Peter and I will do any recording, we really don’t see each other that much and Peter’s music has taken a departure from what we used to do together so I am not sure, one thing I do know is that Peter is one helluva great musician!

You and other powerpop legend, John Wicks of the Records have been doing a series of acoustic tours and house tours, how's that been going?  That's a great and new format for you to play.

The House Concerts have been great! It is a really fun way for John and I to get out and play our music in a dignified and financially rewarding way, it by passes all the bull shit that you encounter at the club level with promoters ect. I enjoy it lot and it allows us to go places we have never been to!

Come on, share with us a couple of your great, Spinal Tap, rock and roll moments?

Oh Jeeze lets see now! How about the first time we heard The Ramones….I was in The Nerves and we were rehearsing in our burnt out basement. Some how we heard that The Ramones (some new group out of NY) were playing at The Savoy in North Beach. We called up the club to see if it was true and the door man said yes but that they were doing there last song now. We begged him to just hold up the phone, and Jack Lee, Peter Case and myself all crowded around the receiver to listen to The Ramones for the very first time! Jack and Peter started to yell..”They’re not changing!...they’re staying on the D chord, I can’t believe it!” We were so knocked out to hear a new band making music that similar to ours…it was a breath of fresh air!

Vinyl, CD, or digital? What's your format of choice?

I don’t care just as long as what’s on it rocks!

What is the Beat Army?

The purpose of The Beat Army is to establish a network of people connected by their love of power pop, punk pop, new wave and rock 'n' roll to help ensure its success at the club level, where rock 'n' roll lives and breathes. Check it out on Facebook at The Beat Army.

Ask not what Powerpop can do for you, but what you can do for Powerpop!

Any final comments or thoughts you'd like to share with our readers, the waveriders?

Yes, I think it is very cool the way the internet has become a kind of jet fueled underground grass roots for rock n roll, it just goes to show you that things have not completely changed they just mutate, and that as far as I am concerned is a good thing! Keep on rocking in 2010! See you all out there!

Paul Collins and the Beat Army are hitting the road, with lot's of opportunities to see this legend. For more details, check out:  www.thepaulcollinsbeat.com

And don't forget the new album coming in August, The King of Power Pop on Bomp/Alive Records! 

JULY 12-26 THE SOUTH
July 15th Hattiesburg, MS
Thirsty Hippo Hattiesburg, MS (unconfirmed for sure about opener)

July 16th Oxford, MS
at Proud Larry's    The Neckbones

July 17th Memphis, TN
Hi Tone   The Neckbones

July 22  Egan's Tuscaloosa, AL
thee Hypnotic Chickens

July 23  Ole Tavern  Jackson, MS
thee Hypnotic Chickens

July 24  Saturn Bar  New Orleans
thee Hypnotic Chickens, and the Missing Monument
still a possibility Birmingham, maybe the 21st & Little Rock maybe the 18th

AUGUST 3-? NEW ENGLAND

AUGUST 10-14 CANADA
Tuesday, August 10 - HAMILTON, ONT
w/ Mother's Children, The Walnut Kids + Local Acts TBD

Wednesday, August 11 - LONDON, ONT
w/ Mother's Children, The Walnut Kids, The 905's + Additional Local Act TBD

Thursday, August 12 - TORONTO, ONT
w/ Mother's Children, The Walnut Kids + Local Acts TBD

Friday, August 13 - OTTAWA, ONT
w/ Mother's Children, Sonic Avenues & The Walnut Kids

Saturday, August 14 - MONTREAL, QC
w/ Mother's Children, Sonic Avenues & The Walnut Kids

AUGUST   25-29 MIDWEST
8/24 Minneapolis
-my buddy nato (nato coles & the blue diamond band) is gonna get this set up. i think he wants to get it rolling at the Turf Club. heard of that place?

8/25 Madison
-sent some emails/made some phone calls, nothing definite yet

8/26 Chicago
- kevin is trying to work Empty Bottle for us...not set yet though

8/27 Milwaukee
- kevin got Club Garibaldi. we'll open, obsoletes, paul collins beat

8/28 Green bay
- I'll be seeing Tom saturday (we are playing at this record store) but this sounds like itl'l be a go at The Crunchy Frog.

SEPTEMBER ? NYC KENNY’S

SEPTEMBER 24- OCTOBER 4 WEST COAST
Friday Sept 24th - San Diego
Saturday Sept 25th - Los Angeles The Echo
Sunday Sept 26th - SF/Oak
Monday Sept 27th - SF/Oak (for one of these SF/Oakland shows I wanna get you an in-store at Amoeba Records)
Tuesday Sept 28th - Sacramento
Wednesday Sept 29th - Off/Drive
Thursday Sept 30th - Portland
Friday October 2 – Seattle Fun House
Saturday Oct 4 - Vancouver BC