Record Stores - Electric Kitsch and Jordan Pries

 

 

 

Celebrate Record Stores

Jordan Pries

 &

Electric Kitsch

 

I’ve known Jordan Pries for several years now. Initially I rode his heavy metal wave with Beast in the Field. His band played White’s at least a half dozen times and each show was successful from any angle through the looking glass. They had plenty of fans and the music was simply stunning, hard core and melodic. He was thoughtful and articulate, not just a raver in a rock & roll band. I made a few trips to Electric Kitsch, his record store and I was struck by his mild manner, gift for gab and his love for vinyl. As we made tentative steps toward friendship, I invited Jordan over to my home to sell him some vintage vinyl including the MC5, SRC, Manfred Man and the Spencer Davis Group. I was amazed at his vast knowledge of classic sixties rock & roll and his academic interest in the value of these long forgotten nuggets. Jordan knew I was gradually disengaging from my collection and helped me determine the value of my collection of 45’s, EPs and those wondrous long players, round black plastic with a hole in the middle. I loved the cover art, liner notes and the printed lyrics. I could pick up the cover and read it like a book scouring for any true hint about the character of my heroes. I see Jordan Pries as the keeper of the flame. Electric Kitsch is now in a class by itself, ready for the next big thing.

Celebrate The Record Store. Vinyl is alive and well!

Do you see record stores as an anachronism?
I really don't see them as being archaic, or old-fashioned, as some would say. Music is an art, people will constantly, and consistently be creating it. Record stores will always be an outlet for that art. Nothing is more satisfying than walking into a Record Store, searching for that lost treasure, or an discovering a new treasure. Records have been printed for over 100 years (in its current form), there is an endless supply of them. There isn't enough time to find them all, or listen to them all, which is why I think Record Stores will always be relevant. People will continue to search for them. Not only is this a record store, but it's a community. One of my favorite stories (names changed to hide identity) is this one: When we opened the store, even before we opened, this gentleman, we'll call him Jack, came around every day to say how excited he was about the store. Jack has been a regular patron since we opened. People who thought Jack moved away from Bay City years ago, had no idea he was still around! He was reunited with friends, more people started coming around, hanging out, communing at the local record store! How cool is that!?

 

Do you believe that record stores are being systematically wiped  out by digital downloads, internet mail orders, big box stores. (Think Walmart), supermarkets?)
I don't believe that these sources you mentioned can wipe out record stores. People, like me, and you, love the tangibility of objects. There is a feeling you get when you hold something, you can touch it, feel it, discover it. The ones who enjoy that feeling, are immune to the instant "gratification" the internet may provide. I am completely indifferent to YouTube, mail orders, eBay, etc... I don't even care they exist, and there are others who feel the same way.

 

 

Does it seem odd to you that so many major record chains are outside of the USA incl HMV, Virgin Megastores, FYE, Tower etc?
-I believe the US has always been behind Europe in the arts/music. It seems like they are more important overseas, and even in Canada. Certain countries actually give money to artists and musicians who are serious about what they do. It's promoted to an extant where artists can make a living at it. And I think that is why Europe is having success with record stores, festivals, etc... it's more mainstream, and considered important.

 

• In your view Why have so many US record stores (big and small) folded including Tower, Sam Goody have closed there doors and yet Rough Trade is expanding stores in London and New York?
-I believe there is a time, and place for everything. Some trends catch on quicker than others. Where there are trends, people gravitate to. New York and London have always been places for people to look for trends, they are places where people make things happen on a larger scale. That's why they are some of the most visited, revered cities in the world.

 When did you open your record store? Did you have other stores
We opened the doors at Electric Kitsch on June 22nd, 2012, and had no idea what we were doing, but did it anyway. It's our only store, but we're hoping to have a larger location in the future.

  What do/did you pay distributers for new vinyl releases
We pay what they charge! The cost is different from label-to-label, distributor-to-distributor. Going with smaller labels, and distributors will get you a better cost, but sometimes the convenience of a One-Stop (a large distributor carrying many, many titles) is key,, but you'll pay more 

Do you buy and sell you used records. What do you usually pay for used records?
We definitely buy, and sell used records. It's the bulk of our business, and usually the biggest money maker. Sometimes buying them is difficult, for many reasons. We'd love to give people as great of deals as we can, but many folks just don't understand that we to make money, and it can get frustrating. For the most part, we have to buy records at a low, low rate, unless it is something incredibly rare, and valuable. People also don't realize this: Say I buy a record for $1, but it's worth $10. Some might consider that a rotten deal. The thing is, now I have to sell it. It might sit for months, and months, and then maybe get marked down, and still not sell. So now I've been sitting on this record for five months, and while I only have $1 into it, is it even worth it, to sell for $6 or $7? Should I have bought it for even less? It's a really tough task, and it's delicate, because you can't explain the business and logistics to someone selling you records in ten seconds. The risk is all on me. If you want cash for your records, I can give you cash. But I can't pay you what I don't have, and usually record stores don't have much.

 What do you gauge their value you on?
There are several things, condition, and rarity. But sometimes you have to take into consideration what people want. If something is a hot seller, it doesn't matter how rare, or not rare it is, the price has to stay high. Take for instance Beatles, Zeppelin, Pink Floyd. While there millions, and millions of those records out there, everyone wants them. The demand must meet the price, which is why you see those records sell consistently for $25+, depending. 

 What do you pay for the purchase a big collection of vinyl – LPs,  78’s or 45’s
If someone is looking to get rid of the whole she-bang, the price has to be low. Record prices change day-to-day. You always have to buy for the lowest price possible, no matter what. In this area, the demand for 45s and 78s are so low, that I rarely buy them unless it's really sellable.

 

 It seems that vinyl records may be here to stay in contrast to CDs Do you agree? Why did CD/’s fall from grace?
I think the reason CDs have had their time is that CDs were marketed as "sounding better", and "lasting longer" than vinyl, and they don't, in any regard! They sound harsh, shrill, lifeless, terrible low end, and they actually start to break down. I almost get dissatisfaction when holding a CD. It's plastic, it's small, it seems like the cases are always broken, haha. Plus, there are just so many more records out there than CDs! 

How do you determine value of these products, memorabilia CDs, Vinyl 
There are a number of factors, internet sales, online databases, and the area you are in. I would say the cost of living in an area can also determine prices, and how many customers one store generates. 

Do you use eBay or Amazon or other online sources to buy or sell product?
-Sometimes one must use evilbay to get the most out of a particular product.  

Do you use media to promote your store?
Social media has played a large factor in promoting the store, especially Facebook. We can make updates, post pictures, events, and it goes out to thousands of people. However, word of mouth, to me, is still the best advertising.

Tell me about the influence of Record Day in April?
Record Store Day seems to have extreme pros and cons. On one hand, it's Christmas x 10 for Record Stores. On the other hand it, has turned record collecting into a piranha feeding frenzy for people who generally don't care about your store, making you want to pull out your own teeth. But I'll always participate.

What does Record Day mean to the collector?
Is this going to be anonymous? I don't think it's really for collector's, to be extremely ugly, and honest. It seems to be for people following a trend. I understand the hypocrisy behind that statement, because I own a record store that participates in the 'holiday". I like the idea behind it, getting people OUT to local record stores, supporting the small people, and businesses of the world. But there are always push-backs, too. People wanting to hoard all the releases, selling them on eBay, stores putting releases on eBay before RSD! It's almost a little too much.

Do repackaged records and boxed sets have value?
Yes, of course. For people who love music, that don't care about original pressings, imports, etc... that just want vinyl to listen to, they are wonderful. I own my represses simply because originals are too pricey, and I just want to listen to the darned thing. 

Do you make money on record day?
Record Store Day is the only "day" we make money.

 How much product do you sell? do you make money (ballpark) –
Total product, including tax for this past year was $5,885.18.

 Is it profitable?
Profit wasn't all that much, just over a grand, after all the expenses, food, drinks, paying out the bands that played, etc..

 Are you a vinyl history buff - can you speak to the history of  record stores as you know it and the ascendance of 12 inch and 45rpm records as well as the physical pleasure of holding a record and record cover in your hand?
I like to think that I am. I generally look for different things that most people don't look for. I would say 99% of music listeners just want to listen to what they're familiar with. For me, that's not good enough. I want weird percussion albums, Latin American Harp music, Turkish Psych, I want it all! I have a friend who hunts on YouTube for all these underground bands. For me, that does nothing, it's boring and it's trite. I want to have it in my hands. Anyone can go on YouTube and search "Mexican Psych", and find hundreds of videos. But that is hogwash as to holding the LP in your hand! I want the physicality of it. 

 Can you talk about the collecters thrill of finding an LP or 45 that that you’ve searched for years and finally found it?
I've definitely had those moments before! It's like finding that "great, white, whale", something you thought you'd never see, and then there it is, right in front of you! The most recent treasure was finding an absolutely mint copy of Edgar Broughton's "Sing, Brother, Sing", in the grossest garage I've ever been in. That was, like, a beacon of light, you know, when the choir starts singing!

Jordan Pries Electric Kitsch - Owner, collector, musician!

Scott Morgan is Back

                                                       

2014

Music in Review

…or else

 

Writing about notable events in American music is like kissing the Donkey’s ass too often. Take a look at the Country Music Awards; which one is better, which one is best. There is the CMA, ACM and the CMT and they all have their own websites. You need to grease a lot of palms to stroke it good. You may notice that in most of these country superstars are good looking, slender and down home nice, especially those dudes who wear a cowboy hat and play electric guitar. The country musicians who back it all up never miss a beat or a squeal and provide just the right amount of synth colorations to make it sound pretty. The sledge hammer, rock & roll rhythm section is an integral part of overall sound yet it’s buried in the mix, go figure.

So, from my perspective as a working class curmudgeon the current status of popular music in general is a shambles. It is all pre-empted, co-opted, and recycled.   How many times can you listen to Pharrell William’s song Happy without getting a sour tummy? He sings it like he means it…

It might seem crazy what I'm about to say

Sunshine she's here, you can take away

I'm a hot air balloon, I could go to space

With the air, like I don't care baby by the way

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you know what happiness is to you

Because I'm happy

Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do

 

 

I don’t buy it. Like Madeline Albright says “the world is a mess.” And as music became a distraction instead of platform for truth, peace and beauty we seem to be recreating the bread and circuses of the ancient Roman Empire. We are insular and beaten down and the world refuses to wake up. It’s a weird alchemy that reduces music to notes without a deeper meaning. Deciding not to scalp the enemy is a step in the right direction and I think we can find it across the world, in pockets of enlightenment where music and the arts flourish. We have it here in the Great Lakes Bay Region of Michigan.

Venues have dried up a bit yet the survivors keep pumping out great music from notable bands. The Hamilton Street Pub is # 1 in my book, great food and drinks and even better music. Motts Place is a newcomer in the area but they hit the road running by booking Sprout & the Orange, John Krogman, Matt Besey and others. The Baywood Lounge is coming into it’s own as a venue that cares about good music. They might book Matt Besey and follow-up with Day 8… very cool. Bemos is my favorite people and they book the best bands around. They are the anchor for Bay City’s music scene along with favorite son Andy Reed.  We are kindred spirits and it feels real good whenever I get a chance to talk with Luann or Andy… because it’s real.

The musicians are the seasoning in the stew. They make it all work despite long hours and little reward. John Krogman is forever a dreamer and he keeps on playing beautiful original music with a message. Zydeco Ziggy and White Crow are an inspiration to us all, digging deep into the caves and crevices of ancient acoustical music that gives voice to the everyman. Honesty Elliot, Mani Layne and Dani Vitani are simply incredible, blending their strong, soaring voices into a heavenly elixir. They should be superstars. Mel Curry and Michelle O’ Neill are quietly taking the scene by storm, their rich voices blending perfectly and providing the backdrop to the everyday people that support the acoustic rhythms and harmony that provide us all with a sense of our homeland. Jazz and blues have been resurrected from the ashes and the Phoenix has risen. Larry McCray just released a fabulous new CD and he’s gigging locally. We need Larry McCray, he’s the new messiah of the blues and he wears it well. Donny Brown opened up the Red Room and proved to be more than a Freshmen. He’s a great singer, songwriter and a talented multi-instrumentalist

Donny Zuzula and the Tosspints create some of the most dynamic and daring music on the planet. His lyrics give you an idea of his existential angst. Zuzula means what he says and he will step up and step in it when something sucks. He famously confides “you can’t fix suck.” Bryan Rombalski along with Ryan Fitzgerald and Loren Kranz shifted Three Worlds into high gear. The energy and mastery is breathtaking. Kedree Young and Kyle Mayer are performing solo on a regular basis and they still fill up the tank to take Thick as Thieves on the road. Thank god. My vote for the most engaging and original artist is Tim Avram and his band the Mongrels. Avram has become an auteur of the dark side of life, vampires and deep cesspools pain. The abyss calls but Avram won’t give it his face, he knows better. He has already crafted an album of punk classics to be added to the Mongrels’ catalog. I can’t wait to get my filthy mitts on that little treasure trove of truth from the dark side of the street.

The are two extraordinary bands that left an indelible mark on my senses and set me free. I felt like I did when I first heard the Bossmen and the Byrds at Daniels Den in 1966. First off is Greta Van Fleet. This quartet of teenage rockers has the goods, from their age to their looks and their awe-inspiring mastery of craft. These teen wizards channel Robert Plant and Led Zeppelin yet they have their own unique sense of who they are. It seems as if they are wise beyond their years yet they are supported by good management and an extended family that cares. This is a band that has a chance to make it beyond the corridors of Mid-Michigan. Good luck and good sailing boys. The next artist is the legendary Scott Morgan. His rise to fame with the Rationals and the Sonic Rendezvous Band was nothing less that spectacular. Morgan’s extraordinary soulful voice helped the world wake up and embrace peace and harmony. He joined up with the Sights, another great Detroit Band and began gigging in earnest. He made a recent stop @ White’s Bar and put on a performance of a lifetime. His set list included three of his Rationals’ hits I Need You, Guitar Army and Respect. But his show promised and delivered so much more including Nutbush City Limits, Barefootin’, Mississippi Delta, Shake and Bring it in on Home to Me. Along the curves and crevices Morgan channeled Sam Cooke, Otis Reading, Tina Turner and the Staple Singers. It was an incredible gift of music. It took my breath away!

In the name of peace and love…

Bo White

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mandi Layne is on the Run

                                                  

                           

Mandi Layne & The Lost Highway

Country to the Bone

Aka

 The Dark Side of the Moo

I’ve been a fan of country music  since Hector was a pup, and whenever I stepped up to this piss pot in Bradley’s Barn, he would growl and snarl  like he wanted to go first. Hector was a first rate pissant when I look at it from the long view. I truly appreciated country music innovator Owen Bradley and his vision of melding rock and country and establishing a whole new genre called Country Rock. Sure the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers copped a feel on the breast of new wave but it was Michael Nesmith from the Monkees who gave it sepia-toned realism.  In 1968 The Beau Brummel recorded a masterpiece right then and there and they named their LP Bradley’s Barn, go figure. It received an incredible outpouring of critical acclaim as a unique and bold musical statement that fused rock and country with more originality than the young hippie-dudes who tried too hard to sound like the Louvin Brothers.

Fast forward to 2007 when Mandi and the boys won the 98.1 Rising Star competition. It was the beginning of a long and fateful journey for Mandi and her musical partner Greg Kervorkian. From the very start the band has insisted on core instrumental precision and great vocals. The band has virtuoso abilities with the use of electric and acoustic guitars, mandolins, banjo slide, pedal steel, drums and dobro. The most alluring instrument of all is Mandi Layne’s incredible voice. She has a great range and can sing low and sexy or hit the higher registers like a banshee conjuring up a spirit. She is not afraid to belt it out soulfully, channeling Janis Joplin singing Down on Me or goofing on Loretta Lynn’s down home wisdom. She’s got the gris gris and it is a powerful notion!

The disc contains 11 original songs that cherry pick what’s best in modern country music. Mandi Layne can hold her own with anybody in the biz. She’s got powerful lungs; a willing diaphragm and can sing from the gut to the back of her throat. Case in point is the opening track, Summer Song. Layne’s pure alto soars with the music and lifts the song into the whole beach vibe. She’s backed up by organ flourishes and jangly guitar. Mandi and her pals Greg Stryker and Kervorkian wrote the music and lyrics that evoked a perfect summer’s day…sun and sand and the deep blue water. They do not stand on their laurels instead they shift gears like a NASCAR pit crew. Speck on the Map is a little tone poem about hometown boys, stock car races and Sunday church. This tune cranks out a powerful musical landscape that gets plain folks dancing to rock & roll and country and getting a righteous groove on. Gary Rivers’ Hammond B-3 pulls it all together in a powerful blues vibe. Before Summer’s Gone provides a rich metaphor for growing up and starting to realize that life is not what it seems, our parents aren’t perfect and neither are we. It is a sweet melancholy when leaves turn brown and winter is on the horizon. But Layne stays in the moment, building her memories and her safe place. The melancholy gradually shifts to triumph that scaffolds the acapella verse at the coda. Sweet!

Our First Last Kiss recalls Kid Rock tickling Cheryl Crow’s fancy with his crooked finger and crooked mind. He’s moaning about three damn days. WTF. But Layne turns it around in a sentimental way; and in doing so, evokes the bygone era of George Jones and the Possum Holler. This is a great duet between Layne and Kervorkian. It works despite a link to the mega hit Picture. Hot Mess is an all out assault on musical ennui. This is a rocker that takes no prisoners. The throbbing bassline alone is a sensory attack on your loins and a slug in the chest. The top notch rhythm section pulls it all together. This should be a #1 hit with a bullet but…can you say slut in a country song? Mandi may be hot but she’s got some outlaw in her too. There is a sense of growth and taking chances. This could be a new direction for the band. They are hitting on all the cylinders with that naughty Bo Diddley inspired beat and the driving rhythms on the Hillbilly Stomp. The drummer Mark Sutton is in the pocket throughout the disc. His expert shuffle on Made Me Change My Mind was the glue that held it all together. Mandi Layne & the Lost Highway are proving their mettle and actively seeking musical partners such as Matt Bigler, Chuck Alzanian and Richard Dodd. The engineering and mixing was done in Nashville and Franklin Tennessee. The album ends with There Goes the Neighborhood, a Cool Hand Luke failure to communicate but it’s all of kidding on the square. The song has plenty of humanity and Mandi Layne is in top form in this musical spoof. She’s channeling Shania and Patsy Cline with a little Loretta on the side and having good old country fun from cow tipping to name dropping. It’s like cheering on Billy Joel when he’s spent and out of breath during We Didn’t Start the Fire but he just can’t stop. Cultural milestones are tagged including Daisy Dukes, J. Geils, Ford Fairlaine, Gomer Pyle, Ragweed, Shotguns and Rebel Flags. It’s a crowd pleasing flourish of name dropping and kidding on the square that should go down well with the fans. Kudos to Matt Bigler’s clean, crisp production that leaves space for the music to breathe and never too busy but has enough stops and starts to make it interesting. This is a great body of music from one of the hardest working bands in Michigan. You can purchase the CD at www.mandilayne.com and is also available in all digital formats.

 

 

 

 

Andy Reed's Odds & Sods

                                                         

Andy Reed

 Scores

&

The Little Girls Understand

Reed never ceases to amaze me. He keeps me off balance by his sheer balls to the walls, manic productivity, this dude is prolific. He has enough spunk and verve to actually believe in what he is doing. Reed likes to poke around like a musical Columbo, unassuming yet brilliant. He molds his craft through a prism of multiple influences from the Beatles and Beach Boys to the deep secret naughtiness of Alex Chilton…yet he’s so polite. Just play softball with him once and you know what I’m talking about. He’ll swing and miss and then hit one out of the park. Don’t let Reed fool you, he’s been in the game for over 14 years and he’s an astute musician. He knows how to play the game to win and won’t back down from any opportunity to elevate his craft. He has made melody and harmony a lifetime quest and he always seems right on the verge of ascending to that class of middle class musicians who tour all over the country and create lovely pet sounds with rubber soul and revolvers. He hooked up with Steve Eggers and shared a true believer vision quest evoked by the sounds and lyrics created by the Bee Gees and Roger Hodgson (Supertramp). These were heady times as Reed made his hesitant steps toward greater collaboration as he worked bigger and better stages to advance his craft. Eggers brought-in Mike Viola who did the music for the movie That Thing You Do. It was a great song and a great movie that captures the short-lived promise of many teenage rockers who dared to do it right.  Reed stretched out a bit with Detroit popmeisters Chris Richards and Keith Klingensmith in a band known as the Legal Matters. They emerged from the ether, fog swirling around the three singers until they got it jolly what right. They didn’t assume English accents like fake Zombies or Beatles instead they sang close two and three part harmonies in crafted little pop symphonies that evoked the ghost of Brian Wilson. This ambitious 23 track disc includes songs by the Haskels, American Underdog, Hotel Buzz and Andy Reed’s solo work. This would be a great 2-disc volume fit to be pressed onto vinyl. The resurgence of vinyl is simply heartwarming and Reed is one of our local supporters of vinyl LPs, especially American Underdog’s  Always on the Run.

The disc spans the years 2001 through 2014 and though the disc spans eleven years of recording the musical vision is seemless. It starts out with a cover of Thunder Island, a show stopper by former Spirit singer/guitarist Jay Ferguson. Reed gives it the treatment and the result is stunning. It was recorded and released in 2013. Good Girl and Always on the Run anchored the musical landscape of American Underdog. Reed’s association with Hotel Buzz  (2005) is represented by Make up Your Mind, a guitar based rocker with a triumphant beat and a great Reed vocal. Hotel Buzz  has one more  track entitled On My Way. It is a hard rockin’ mama with a big bottom and a tough rhythm section. Reed is in the pocket with this great unknown song. Attitude is a superb power pop confection from 2002 with pounding drums and Kinks power chord explosions. Extraordinary Boy is an understated gem from the Reed Brothers archives and Comic Book Hero is the Haskels at their rocking best. It is a pounding rocker that sounds like Dan Kozuch doing his best John Bonham. The lead and harmony vocals are spot on. Summertime is from the American Underdog sessions. Inexplicably it is corseted with a riff taken from the Blues Magoos’ song We Ain’t Got Nothin’ Yet. Reed’s solo output is represented by seven songs from 2007/2008.  The Criminal is totally Reed. On this tune, he sounds like the Cyrkle, one of the great unknown bands of the sixties. Novocaine and Smile Look and Listen are gilded treasures with layered harmonies band a solid Reed vocal. Smile, Look and Listen sound like a Cars outtake. It rocks like a landslide and has a difficult waltz time on the middle eight. The Show Must Go On from American Underdog is a meditation on Love and has cool effects that recall Strawberry Fields by the Beatles. World of Make Believe is an emerging anthem. It has a descending riff that sounds like Sunny Afternoon by the Kinks. The disc ends with a 1-2 punch to the solar plexus with Things Only Get Better and Beautiful Dreamer, poppin’ basslines, echoed harmonies and swirling keys. The deep synth accents at the end of Beautiful Dreamer recall the deep felt spiritual longing on the Bee Gees Odessa album. It is a stunning statement and a perfect closer for this incredible collection of odds and sods from the vision of Andy Reed. 

 

 

Ted Nugent Live @ DTE 2014

                                                      

Ted Nugent

Live @ DTE

July 19^th, 2014

 

DTE is quite a venue for live music, plenty of seating in a large pavilion with a few acres of lawn behind the pavilion that allow concert goers to stretch out and watch the show with the aid of huge screen. For the most part you cannot see your heroes up close and personal either inside the pavilion or outside on the lawn. You have to trust that they are actually onstage and they are not just televised images in a time warp. Once the headliner (Nugent) hit the stage everyone stood up and they remained standing the entire show,  even though they can only see sweaty backs, round heads and a sea of arrhythmic dancing. I’d like to believe I was actually a part of the experience though I still have my doubts. Concession stands were packed with hungry concert goers, $16 strawberry vodka lemonade (only $1 per ounce), $4 thumbnail buckets of stale eat-at-your-own-risk popcorn, thin on corn and hip to the kernel. I heard one hungry native son grabbed a hot dog without paying and was summarily executed for his crimes against humanity and profit. Old people and bikers shuffled in - slowly, quietly as if this was there last chance to remember what it was like in the sixties when they were young and had something valuable to say about love, life and peace. These booters are old for sure, me too. I’m in a post mid-life timeline, building my 401K, knowing all along that it’s not enough. As I pondered my very existence and wondered what the hell was I doing here anyway, the first band took the stage.

The Rockets are a powerful 6-piece band led by Michigan Rock legend Johnny Badanjek, one of the greatest drummers of all time. It is well known that most of our rock & roll heroes have experienced tough times, poverty and illness. Life is not fair and our heroes were exploited by businessmen, record executives, music publishers and attorneys. Johnny B knows the score. He never got paid but he never gave up. Case in point was his performance with the Rockets. He was in the pocket like Buddy Rich on speed. His strokes were powerful and elastic. If that was not enough he also sang back up harmonies. The lead singer was a slightly overweight middle aged dude with an incredible voice. He wore John Wayne cowboy fringe and danced around the stage like Joe Cocker on a good night of boozing and pill popping...it wasn’t just a fashion blip, it was a statement of purpose and honor. The organ player barely scratched the surface and the guitarist was like caterpillar that turned into a butterfly. He sure enough had the gris gris and never gave up hope for a better tomorrow when his e-string proclivities would be admired and he would land a better paying gig. The Rockers are an excellent band and the songs are rockin’ gems. Songs like Desire, Taking it Back have all the elements of fine craftsmanship, stops and starts and impeccable timing. Badanjek reconstructed Mitch Ryder’s deconstruction of Lou Reed’s masterpiece Rock & Roll. The singer even sounds a bit like Ryder. The next tune, an old blues gem entitled Whiskey Hand was a tribute to the late great Johnny Winter. Johnny B did the intro, “much peace, lots of love.” The Rockets had a hit with Peter Green’s masterpiece “Oh Well” and they re-created the vibe with a knockout cover of the song. It was the Rockets only hit. Johnny B kept it all together. It was an exceptional performance

Brownsville Station without Cub Coda is like Paul without John or Mick without Keith. It just doesn’t work very well Mike Lutz is the only original member but he is a firebrand. He hits all the right notes and takes over Cub’s vocals and stage patter with great felicity. The set was stacked heavy with goodtime rock & roll, good vibes and tight pacing. They opened with Bare Footin’ (the B-side to Smokin’). It was evident that the diminutive singer/guitarist Arlen Viecelli (from Salem Witchcraft) had all the goods. . He took on Cub’s role as the high priest of good times and peripatetic overdrive. He jumped from then floor to the drum stand and flew across the floor. The band was in command, the longtime drummer Henry “H-Bomb” Weck kept a tight grip on the rhythm section giving lots of room for the players to make their own musical statements. Viecelli possesses a magnificent tenor that gives legs to a love song like She Put the Light On. Though it was a minor hit, Martian Boogie gained steam as Lutz did Cub Koda’s rap about greasy diners serving grease bombs with no catsup and no mayonnaise. Cub Coda is missed - big time. This is a band that went from a roots rock band to being a show band, after the success of Smokin’ in the Boys Room. You gain some; you lose some. Lutz did a good job in preserving the memory of Brownsville Station. The Kings of the Party was their last hit novelty song. It had a cool fifties vibe and they played it to the hilt. This was an excellent high energy set. However, the band may not be able to advance past the oldies circuit with an aging hits repertoire.

Ted Nugent was the headliner and he did not disappoint. If you like your style of sound, music and rap to be outrageous, totally off the hook and just this side of incoherence then Nugent is your man. He walked onto the stage with a spectacle of lights that recall the roar and explosiveness of a 4^th of July junket consisting of lots of beer, dope and speed to get everyone juiced up for a rumble. Nugent opened with a heavy metal supersonic warp speed version of Street Fighting Man. Nugent screams “DO YOU FUCKING GET ME.” I screamed back “no” but he never heard me, instead he listened to his adoring fans who screamed and clawed to get a closer look. Everyone was standing up blocking the view of everyone behind them, though I could occasionally glimpse a glimmer of our semi-beloved antihero. He segued into Gonzo a musical atomic bomb that attacked the senses and destroyed most people’s hearing.  It was feedback so powerful it made Iggy and the Stooges fans cringe with horror. Nugent  co-opted, recycled and reimagined the Stooges metal/punk shtick as a nuclear holocaust. This was war - notes were flying faster than a silver bullet, disorienting masses causing serious disorientation and mind numbing. Suddenly ten thousand concert goers were mumbling and shuffling aimlessly down the aisles of the pavilion like walking dead while Nugent intoned “well, well, well, what do we have here.”  He laughed diabolically as he sucked their blood. He beckoned his tribe, “C’mon, C,mon, C’mon as a frenzy of feedback exploded the ten high set of speakers all set to the max. Nugent revealed his philosophy in a cryptic spoken word passage, “God, American, Flashback, Drop.” The crowd screamed to their guru and he replied, “Yes it’s what the doctor ordered. Repeat this ten times… No Shit Bitch. Lord have mercy, mercy on my motor city soul.” The crowd roared their delight despite the fact that they didn’t understand a single word he said. Free For All got the show back on track. It’s a great song, Nugent could play it in his sleep. Nugent stopped the show and opined, “Motor City Madman…PERFECT. What would you do if you were me? (Spoken three times). Nugent has perfected his version of Detroit’s  industrial, discordant music makers and shakers – those rockers who give a damn about truth.

Nugent continued to rap. “July 19^th 2014 I am back with my blood brothers. I’m 66 years old, maybe I should tone it down a bit. Tonight I will perfect love, that love in the motor city. Share the love. Do you feel the love?”

 The crowd roared their approval. Nugent introduced the next tune as the most important love song of all time and begins that familiar riff, Wang, Dang Sweet Poontang.

Derek St Holm is Nugent’s right hand man. He is both a great guitarist and a great singer. He has a rich full-bodied tenor that compliments Nugent’s baritone. He is Nugent’s secret weapon, the go-to guy whenever the show needs a little lift. I can’t Quit You Baby is a cover of an old blues standard by Otis Rush. Nugent plays it straight but segues into a rap about people who have influenced him from Johnny Winter to Wayne Kramer. He states, “I’ll never forget where I come from.” Derek St. Holm sings I Can’t  Quit You Babe. His powerful tenor carried the song. Impressive!

Nugent completed a trifecta of great songs that were all glued together near the end of the show, each one was a monster – Fred Bear, Cat Scratch Fever and Stranglehold – a great way to make the night memorable. DTE was totally jam packed by the time Nugent came onstage. The crowd roared their approval. Me, I had a headache.

 

 

 

Seger Live in Saginaw 2014

                                        

 

 

Bob Seger

 &

The Silver Bullet Band

Live @ the Dow Event Center

 

Bob Seger is a true American Icon. At 69 years of age he is showing no signs of fading into the goodnight of his career. It’s been a long road since those halcyon days in the mid to late sixties when Seger was punching out those funky rock & roll anthems like East Side Story, Heavy Music, 2+2=, Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man and Lucifer. I was able to hear Seger in his youthful fury at Daniels Den, laying out all his early hits with a few covers like Hey Jude (Beatles) and Holiday (Bee Gees). I was there when Seger opened for the Kinks @ the Eastown Theatre, a few years later he was rockin’ the dance floor at the Brewery in East Lansing. In my mind’s eye it was those early hits that cooked-up that witches brew that later percolated into the more introspective side of Seger’s catalog. On this night Seger eschewed any mention of his younger self as he performed the nucleus of his hit making era with Capitol Records. I couldn’t argue with Silver Bullet Seger’s song selection, it all turned to gold.

I admit it was quite difficult for me to rock & roll on a weeknight. I was struggling to get comfortable and get my groove on, even took off my shoes and stretched out my toes… and this was during the opening act, a Nashville based group who covered Tom Petty (Don’t Back Down) and Led Zeppelin (Rock & Roll). The lead singer was a beautiful woman who could jump and shout and work it on out, sexified and sincere, the Nashville way.

 

 

He opened with Roll Me Away followed in quick succession with the soulful Tryin’ to Live My Life Without You Babe and the rockin’ Fire Down Below, the country influenced Devil’s Right Hand and the spectacular Mainstreet, an ode to the street life of Ann Arbor. Seger did not play an instrument on this show allowing a focus on his singing and pumping up the crowd. His enthusiasm was contagious. It was clear that the close to sellout crowd adored Seger, the folks on the main floor remained standing throughout the show and they did their best version of sing-a-long with Mitch, remembering every lyric in every song. In this day and age people are more and more a part of the show. It is both annoying and heartfelt. These nattering nabobs are at one with the rock & roll godhead, in essence they become Seger’s image, never stepping on his shadow. Seger was relentless, dusting off one hit after another. Old Time Rock & Roll (a reconfigured Heavy Music which was the bastard sister of Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man) segued to the funked up Come to Poppa and the sensuous Her Strut. The Band was incredible, Donny Brewer of Grand Funk was on drums, a 5-piece horn section provided the funk and the pianist was economical yet could rip off triplets as well as powerful Max Middleton syncopation. Three lovely women did the mighty percussion effects and sang harmonies. The band was Smoking O.P.’S!  Travelin Man, Beautiful Loser was followed by incredible renditions of Detroit Made (a great new song!), Turn the Page and my favorite Katmandu. This show was not an oldies act, five new songs from the Ride Out LP were introduced and they fit seemlessly into the setlist. Seger was on fire and his voice was sturdy. He doesn’t have the power he once possessed but he can sing in the pocket with that instantly recognizable Seger grit.  There were two encores the first included Against the Wind and Hollywood Night. The second encore brought it all home with the incredibly nuanced Night Moves and Seger’s anthem to our fading youth Rock & Roll Never Forgets. The show was a triumph from start to finish, well-conceived and executed.

I often wondered why Seger picked Saginaw to open several of his tours. I recall seeing Seger at Daniel’s Den in 1968 talking to Frank Patrick, one of the owners and they seemed to have a good rapport Years later I talked with Bob Parsons, another owner of Daniels Den (along with Alan Schmid) who had a nodding friendship with Seger as they both lived in the same town in northern Michigan and would sometimes see each other at a local restaurant or watering hole. Perhaps it’s true, rock and roll never forgets.

 

 

 

Scott Morgan Interview -

           
                                               

Scott Morgan & the Sights

Let’s Get Rational

David Fricke calls Scott Morgan one of the great voices in rock & roll and it is no exaggerated boast. Morgan has been singing soulful rock & roll since he was knee-high to a grasshopper in the early sixties. By the time he was 16 years old Morgan formed his own band, The Rationals and he began a long hit-making journey through the mid-sixties and into the seventies. Their manager Jeep Holland was instrumental in helping the young band develop and find their own distinct voice. Morgan’s soul deep version of the Otis Redding chestnut Respect predated Aretha Franklin’s version by several months. It was rumored that Atlantic Records boss Jerry Wexler was inspired to have Aretha record the song after hearing the Rationals punk garage version on A2 Records. It was bought out by Cameo Parkway in 1967.  From then on in the floodgates were wide open, anything was possible. The Rationals released a stream of blue-eyed soul hits that rivaled anything on the national scene including such spectacular songs as Hold On Baby, Leaving Here, I Need You. They toured extensively with several notable bands including close alliances with the Yardbirds and the Rascals. They opened up for the Rascals in 1966 at Daniel’s Den and were invited to tour with them in Florida. They were kindred sprits with Al Kooper and the Blues Project who were labeled New York’s Jewish Beatles. A few years later Kooper asked Morgan to join his new band as the lead singer as well as reaching out to Dick Wagner to become the band’s lead guitarist. Both Wagner and Morgan declined the offer. Kooper eventually named the band Blood Sweat & Tears.

In 1968, The Rationals were re-working several different cover songs including Sugar Babe, 16 Tons, Hit the Road Jack, Good Morning Little School Girl, I Put a Spell on You, Fever and a medley of Moby Grape tunes. In 1970 they released their eponymous LP for Crewe Records. It is a forgotten treasure that revealed the Rational’s growth as mature artists. The LP contained a hodgepodge of R&B, Soul, Jazz and Motown. The song list included Barefootin’, Temptation ‘Bout To Get Me, Guitar Army, Handbags & Gladrags and the closer HA-HA that incorporated jazz, rock and an avant-garde flute solo by Scott Morgan.

By the end of summer the Rationals parted ways and Scott Morgan began a musical journey that was as inspired as it was organically pleasing. He continued gigging with people from the Detroit scene that he knew and trusted. It led from his work with Guardian Angel to a series of events that led to the formation of the legendary Sonic Rendezvous Band. Morgan and Sonic Smith’s partnership was a match made in rock & roll heaven. They complimented each other’s craft in an effortless manner building upon each others musical strengths. From there Scott joined forces with ex-Mc5 guitarist Wayne Kramer as Dodge Main, followed by an album and a tour with the Dutch punkers the Hydromatics. In early 2004, Scott released Medium Rare, an incredible LP of music that re-established Morgan as one of our greatest R&B singers in America.

In an Exclusive interview with Review Magazine, Morgan took a look back at his storied career and talks about his collaboration with the Sights, one of Detroit’s great rock & roll bands in the new millennium

 

Scott How did radio influence the career of the Rationals?

There was a big change in radio because all playlists went from singles to albums and from regional markets to national programming, and at the same time ham radio was dominated by, what’s the word, AM radio was 50,000 watts but it was amplitude and modulation so you could hear it at the WKNX or WSAM in Saginaw. You could hear it the entire eastern half of the United States until sunset when the regulations just completely dissolve, and you can broadcast and signal just about any place in the world. At the same time FM radio took over. It has about a 50-mile radius, and it was programmed by a major programmer so that complete radio markets like Taz, you would have a market that would be the same in Memphis that it would be in Flint or Detroit, so that made a big difference to everybody because that way you’d be making singles.

 

When did you decide to record the album?

At that point we decided that we really needed to make an album so we could compete in the burgeoning LP market. We went in and we recorded an album at Artie Field’s studio, and we did it ourselves. We hired a producer named Fred Saxon and we worked with our manager at the time. We’d been managed by Jeep Holland. He did our singles recording up until the album. Our new manager was Roy Feldmann who we met at the Grande Ballroom…From the “Swingin’ Time,” the TV Show.

That was also syndicated. There were two services in the area. One was “Swingin’ Time” in Windsor which pretty much covered the same area, the radio station that was syndicated, and then the other one was “Upbeat” in Cleveland. That was very similar. It was also syndicated. The license was from the United States. So we recorded the album, and we tried to do pretty much what we’d been doing with our singles but, you know, in the long form, 12 songs or whatever. So we recorded some originals including guitar lead and a lot of like soul covers. We did a Don Jon song, we had a Howard Parker song. We did a cover of “Handbags and Gladrags,” which was a British song as well as “Ha-Ha” a song we wrote that was somewhat avant garde and I actually played flute on that cut.

So, you play several instruments

I took flute lessons. My sister had a flute, and she had used it and played it in high school and then stopped using it. So I took it and started teaching myself and taking lessons and then I put a pickup on it so you could eventually play it through an amplifier, and an Echoplex which is a, it’s a really nice tape-delay unit that uses real tape. So you got a real nice sound. When I played harmonica, I played that through an amplifier like Paul Butterfield and that had a nice sound to it… I played the saxophone for a while. I played a lot of percussion. I played some drums. I played those on stage. I moved on to piano.

 

Would there be gigs where you’d play several different instruments during the gigs? Sure. My main instrument was guitar, but I, you know, just for color I added, you know, the flute and the harmonica and Italian drums and electric piano. Yeah, My father was a music teacher, and so he had to teach all the instruments in the band and so I think I inherited some of his talent.

 

 Can you tell me a story about Guitar Army?

Oh, it was just something that I cooked up. It was during the Viet Nam War. I was only 16, and the MC5 were talking about, you know, revolution and everything, and I was trying to come up with a … It was kind of like an answer song to like “Motor City’s Burnin,” you know, the idea of like burning everything, destroying everything, like how about if we took guitars and made an army out of that, kind of like a musical alternative to like war.

John Sinclair used the title of my song for his book.

For a year or two he had a company called the Rainbow Company. They managed us…hat would’ve been about ’71, ’72.

 

Well, you probably hear this all the time. I really loved your 45s, the Rationals, “Respect,” Hold On Baby.” Respect predated, you know, what’s her name, Aretha. “Leavin’ Here,” “I Need You.” Can you comment on those, what your thoughts are?

 

Otis Redding wrote the song for Jackie Wilson and so they decided to put it out themselves with another singer but it was never a hit, though everyone was convinced that it could be a hit. We tried it twice actually, second time was a charm

 

“Hold On Baby.”

“Hold On Baby” was after “Respect,” and we were looking for something strong in terms of soul music. “Respect” was written by Otis Redding and then we recorded it and then Aretha Franklin recorded it after us and we had to compete with her, and it was a great arrangement. I think her sister, Carolyn did the arrangement. She was kind of peaking at the time she did recorded it. She was just getting started with Atlantic Records, and so it was perfect for her. “Hold On Baby” was arranged at a different studio, Tera Shirma Studio in Detroit. We had them produce the harmony on it. Bob Seger was a great singer, and at the time he had a really strong voice. You know, he was pretty young when he did that and so his vocal comes out real strong. Oh, let’s see. I was trying to figure out who wrote what. Jeff Berry and Ellen Greenwich wrote it. They were a New York songwriter team.  So after “Hold On, Baby” we did “I Need You.” That was originally by Chuck Johnson. “Hold On Baby” was originally by Sam Hawkins.

 

You sang your ass off. “I Need You” is just terrific. You nailed it.

 

The Chuck Johnson song wasn’t one of his big hits. We decided to cover that, and it did pretty well in Detroit. Everything was regional back then, so just because it was a hit in Detroit didn’t mean it would be a hit in New York or Los Angeles.

 

 I couldn’t understand that, those were all just wonderful 45s. I don’t understand why they didn’t go farther. Do you think there was a problem with promotion?

 

Well, something happened around the time that we did “Respect.” All of our records had come out on A-Square Records which was Jeep Holland’s label, and we had broken records like on KNX and TNC, … and then we would try to break the records in other Midwest markets like Cleveland or Chicago or Lansing. At the time that “Respect” came out, we followed it with “Hold On Baby,” and then our record company, which was Cameo Parkway, dissolved and there were a bunch of us that were on the label. Bob Seger was on the label, Question Mark and the Mysterians were on the label and the Rationals were on Cameo Parkway records, so we were all without labels, so Bob and the Rationals went to Capital where we recorded “I Need You” and the sound that was real famous in Detroit. We released that on Capital and Bob went to Capital too. So we both went from Cameo Parkway to Capital. He stayed with it, and we didn’t. We decided not to stay on Capital. We went to Guitar Army because things, everything was changing so much that we wanted to do something a little more modern and break out of the shadow of soul music, the direction that we’d been going in which was a great direction, but we wanted to do something, you know, a little more rock-oriented.

 

Do you think it confused your fan base?

Yes, quite a bit. It did things to everybody, the radio stations, the fan base.

 

What were they saying?

Well, the radio would just say, “Well, we don’t know what to do with it because your last record was Cameo Parkway and your next record is Guitar Army, and we’re trying to figure out, we don’t know what to do.” We didn’t really have a label when we put that out. We did it on a local label in Detroit, so it wasn’t really released nationally until we signed an album deal with Crewe Records to release the album.

 

 

Who was your producer, arranger, the background guys for you for that album?

We recorded at Artie Field’s studio. That is where the MC5 recorded “Cryin’ Time,” their last album for Atlantic Records. We went back again when we formed the Sonic’s Rendezvous Band  and recorded “City Slang.”  

 

Now were you were close enough with the MC5 and some of the others, would be on each other’s recordings?

Sure. We were on the “High Time” record and the very last songs, kind of a percussion intervention. And it’s me and Terry Trabandt from the Rationals, my brother, David, Bob Seger, and a few other people. We just all grabbed percussion instruments and played right at the beginning of the song. So you know, all the bands, the tour bands at the time, were very close…at first he played on the second version of “I Need You” that we recorded…our manager was thinking that was going to be a hit, so he recorded it a second time. It still wasn’t a hit.

 

You have this incredible voice. How did you find your voice, your true Scott Morgan voice?

Well first we didn’t sing at all. We played our own instrumentals. Like we would cover the Ventures version of “Walk Don’t Run,” obviously the Chuck Berry song, “Walk Don’t Run,” a jazz song by Johnny Smith… We didn’t really sing, and then by the time the Beatles showed up, we figured that we could, you know, add that to our show, to sing, and so we started singing. The first song I sang in public was “Money” by Barrett Strong.  Then we started, you know, covering other songs, the Kinks and Zombies and all that great stuff. We really liked all that stuff.    

 Eventually we got into rhythm and blues and singing, you know. We liked more blues stuff. Originally we probably would be singing like “High-Heel Sneakers” or something like that, and then we started writing after that. I kind of ended up being the lead singer and Steve Carell and Terry Trabandt sang the harmonies, and they were really good at it. We worked with Bob Dell quite a bit at Mt. Holly. He played our records, and we played one of the main places to play in the area, Fenton Armory. Those would have been the main places, you know.

 

I heard that the camaraderie was really striking, that you guys did hang out together, did play some touch football.

Yeah, everybody got along back then. As a matter of fact, we would sit in one of those bands, you know, when we were kids coming out into the market. They’d be willing to hang out with you, you know, especially with the local bands. There was a lot of interaction going on between the bands.

 

I want  to talk about Sonic’s Rendezvous Band.  Did any of these record companies, agents, whatever, did they ever do right by you, any of these companies?

I could say both because, you know, you had Cameo Parkway and A-Square Records. You know we didn’t really have a lot of business success. We didn’t have somebody like Punch Andrews who was willing to invest all of his family fortune in Bob. Bob did work really hard. He toured incessantly, and so he deserves all the success that he’s got. Question Mark, I think he kind of got like thrown by the loop when Cameo Parkway broke up because he made like three albums for Cameo Parkway?

 

 

Two and a third one that was unreleased.

Okay, and then the Rationals did move on but we broke up in 1970.

I was the only one who kind of kept going. Terry Trabandt and I formed Guardian Angel which was the band with Pete Andrews, no relation to Punch Andrews. He was the SRC’s manager. He took over our management, and then when John … got out of jail, John joined them on a tour… so they did a pretty good job. Then after that I was ready for another change. That’s when I formed Sonic’s Rendezvous Band. Fred Smith and MC5 had broken up, and we’d been acquainted and I went down and I did the final Grande Ballroom show with the MC5 and Bob Seger. It was their last show ever. He was like a guest and I was a guest. I did “Part-Time Love.”

It was somewhere like around ’70, ’71, something like that. I think I had just left the Rationals. I had just started Guardian Angel, and then I met Fred. We weren’t really close and then we started hanging out together and eventually it led to Sonic’s Rendezvous Band and it led up to, you know, a lineup of playing through the rest of the ‘70s with Scott and Fred and myself and we ended up playing until 1980.

We only recorded one single. That was “City-Slang” and “Electrophonic Tonic.”

Everything else was live or demos.

 

You’re with the Sights now. When did you get together I love them. How did you join forces?

I was laid up for about two years, and I couldn’t really do anything. I couldn’t sing. I couldn’t work. I had a lot of bills. Some people did some benefits for me, you know, to keep me afloat. When that was over, you know, I started thinking, “Well, I’m going to have to go back to work, so… you know, I had lost my voice just from like chronic abuse and my body was going through a whole bunch of changes, but I came out fine without having to have any major surgery like I thought I was going to have. The Sights came up with an incredible amount of energy and creativity. It was a good fit.