Interview with Culpepper

Featuring Paul Leslie Culp (formerly of Shaky Hands) and Dana Lacona (formerly of Starlite Desperation), along with Joel Wasko and Paul’s song Max, Portland, Oregon’s Culpepper has recently released their outstanding new eight song debut Superreactor.  I recently had the chance to talk to Paul about the album, having a father and son in the band, their plans for the future (including an upcoming EP) and more. 

 

Can you give me a little background on the band?

Dana and I are from a shithole town in central California. This was pre internet when weirdo freak kids discovered music by talking to the weirdo freak adult who worked at the record store or drove to an open field to tune into the local AM college radio station. There wasn’t a lot of us so when we met we tended to run in packs. We listened to bands like Sonic Youth, Flaming Lips, Pixies, Spiritualized - things that sound great on drugs. Dana could play guitar and his brother played drums, so I learned how to play sloppy bass and we started a “band.”

 

Dana went on to form Starlight Desperation, moved to LA and played with bands like BJM, Yeah Yeahs, Makeup, and Detroit Cobras. I moved to Portland and played with a band called The Shaky Hands and my own band, Lonesome Radio Heart. We kept in touch here and there but rarely saw each other. 

 

Around 2018-19 I started Culpepper with Joel on bass and Max on drums. We rented an abandoned theater in SE Portland and started writing and recording. Then the pandemic hit and I was writing alone. I would send the bones of songs to Joel and Max and they added parts. Then I got sick and it all went on hold for 6 months. 

 

We started piecing it all together after I recovered but the mood and sound was so different from what we started with. We were wrestling with this when Dana moved to Portland. He joined the project and it came together real quick after that. We finished the album and started playing shows. 

 

The lyrics are credited to you and then music to everyone.  How does the songwriting process tend to work?

 

I write the bones of a song. Sometimes it’s just a raw acoustic song and sometimes it’s a rough demo with just enough accompaniment to get the point across. Then I bring it to the band and it gets ripped up and pieced back together. I think of it like we’re doing a cover of the demo. Just let go of the demo and see what happens. We usually end up with something completely unrecognizable. I think it’s more interesting when you take a little crafted pop song that you might find precious and then sacrifice it to the band. That precious song is somewhere in there but it’s no longer yours and it’s no longer obvious. It’s richer and augmented by fellow songwriters with their own influences. 

 

Your bio talks about a completely different set of songs that were being worked on when a series of life events occurred and a whole new set of songs became the album.  Did any of the original songs make it to the album and do you think we will ever hear any of those other songs?

 

Nothing from before made it onto the album. It was all new material. However, we recently recorded an EP at Alberta Abbey with Sean Flora, a fantastic producer and engineer (won a Grammy for The Shins, Wincing the Night Away) who helped us record two older songs and two new ones. But they also went through the Culpepper grinder and turned into something new. So we’re excited to put that out soon. 

 

To me alot of the lyrics have a bit of a tragic element to them and some seem a bit apocalyptic.  Would you agree and can you elaborate a little on that?

 

Yeah. My wife and I dissolved a 20 year marriage, my dad died, a good friend of mine died, and the pandemic hit. Everything was on fire. Centuries of racial injustice, government mistrust, white nationalism, batshit conspiracy theories turning mainstream, transphobia, wealth disparity, and the beginning of the collapse of traditional work culture.  We got tear gassed, chased by Nazis, and cops and the feds were abducting people in unmarked cars - absolute fucking insanity. We’re irreversibly fucked up because of it. That’s some long lasting collective human trauma. 

However, I have to note, I’ve always written in apocalyptic tones. It comes with the ticket. If anything, Superreactor is the least apocalyptic thing I’ve ever written. It’s just a matter of style at this point. 

 

There seems to be a bit of diversity from track to track, but then at the same time, it’s a very cohesive set of songs.  Was that something you strived for?

 

Thank you for saying that. Honestly I don’t know. They were all written in a short amount of time. Dana and I spent a lot of time mixing it ourselves. Something happened there to keep it together. Collective taste and influences go a long way in a band. 

 

In your press info there is a lot of emphasis on the indie rock and psychedelic aspect of your music, but I feel like there is a bit of an underlying alt country influence on some of the songs including the great Morricone flavored spaghetti western like guitar on “Big Bang” and “All Hands”.  Do you feel that’s accurate?

 

Yeah, you’re not wrong. I was raised on country. One of the first songs I learned was “My heroes have always been cowboys.” One of the first songs I wrote was called “Johnny Cash.” I knew Morricone before I knew John Williams. It’s baked in from a young age. 

 

Another tune that sticks out a bit from the rest is “Lilly Says”.  It has more of a spacy psychedelic sound that wouldn’t be all that out of place at a rave.  Can you tell me a little about that track?

 

I think the ravers would disagree. It’s a protest song. It takes place on a biblical scale so it’s naturally psychedelic. Otherwise it’s deadly serious. But you can dance to it, for sure. 

 

“Going Home” sounds like it has some horns in it.  Is that what I’m hearing?

 

That there is Joel on trumpet. He crazy. 

 

There is a really cool little acoustic guitar section in the middle of “Plague Champagne”.  Can you tell me about that?

 

I recorded that in a studio apartment. I wanted it to be electric guitar but all my stuff was at the theater, so I improvised. We all ended up liking the juxtaposition of the acoustic weaving in with all these big synths. Plus it’s an intimate song and it helps emphasize that, I think. 

 

I hear a little of Bowie’s “Heroes” influence on “Coming Awake”.  Is that something that you thought of when recording it?

 

Nope. We added that last. That was Dana having fun with keys. Otherwise it was way more Tom Petty than David Bowie. 

 

Can you tell me a little about the dynamic of having a father and son in the band?

 

Max and my two oldest kids, Sam and Erik, were both raised playing music with me and everyone else. Max and Sam have their own band, Weehawk, and side projects like Mannies, and Kill Michael. They were writing songs at six years old. We speak the same musical language and geek out about music like old friends and bandmates. When I bring a song to the table, Max knows what I’m going for. If not, all I have to say is “that part in that one Kinks song” and they know. Maybe that’s weird but it feels pretty natural to me. And I think it’s pretty fucking cool. 

 

I see you’ve been playing some live shows.  How have those been going?

 

Amazing. Playing live feels like home. We always want to put on a show, as opposed to going to see a couple dudes playing their songs staring at their shoes. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. That’s half of my favorite bands. But we appreciate a bit of theatrics and showmanship. Showing out like we mean it. We want to create memorable, live experiences that are worth the time and door charge. Worth getting a sitter, inviting friends, getting dressed up. That’s our goal. We’re just beginning. 

 

I didn’t see any mention of physical copies of Superreactor.  Is there anything available or in the works if not?

 

Vinyl albums will be here right after Christmas! They’ve been on back order for a long time but we’re excited to hold them and cuddle up to them at night. We’ll announce that and shirts, stickers, custom incense, sigils, homunculi, summoning rituals, and more soon on our Instagram and Bandcamp. 

 

Now that the album is out there what can we be expecting next?

 

We’re mixing a 4 song EP as I write this and are currently writing our second album. Also apocalyptic but with a positive spin and totally danceable. We’re also building a studio to record us and other local Portland friends and maybe grow that into something new. Either way expect a 2023 summer banger. 

 

Is there anything else you would like to share with readers?

 

Y’all are perfect just as you are. Just try to be better tomorrow. 

(Culpepper - Bandcamp)

The Rocky Valentines - The Rocky Valentines 

After contributing to the most recent album from his dad’s band Starflyer 59, Charlie Martin has now released the eponymous debut EP from his one-man project The Rocky Valentines.  As evidenced most notably on EP highlight, the laid-back “Shooting With One Eye”, with its contrasting pop melodies and slow, downtuned guitar, there is often a shoegazer undercurrent throughout the four songs.  He also meshes it with power pop on “Off & On”, a darker, almost punk edge on “Driving Blind” and the more straight ahead, alt rock of “Microphone”.  Definitely a promising start to his solo career and one I will be keeping an eye on.

(The Rocky Valentines - Bandcamp)  

Codename: Rocky - Blueprint

Initially forming in 1998 and releasing two albums before breaking up in 2005, Southern California’s Codename Rocky reunited in 2012, and in 2016 released album number three.  A year after its release vocalist Daniel Torres left the band and was replaced with new vocalist Justin Picon and guitarist Matthew Montoyo.  That brings us to the release of their latest EP Blueprint, the first with their new lineup.  While the four tracks all have their roots in ska punk they do a great job of keeping things diverse and fresh.  They kick the EP off in high gear with the hard-charging, in your face “Downswing”, a track that definitely emphasizes their punk side and has some great gang vocals in the chorus. “Post Prescriptions” then opens like a hardcore tune before moving in a punkier ska direction.  The band slows things down a little with “Best If Used By”, starting off with a laid-back ska shuffle before settling into a really nice midtempo ska punk groove.  Closing out the disc is “Silos”, a catchy track with a classic ska punk sound.  According to the band there is an album's worth of material already recorded, but they are releasing them in small doses and with Blueprint they are definitely off to a great start.  

(Wiretap Records)      

Senseless Things - The First Of Too Many (Expanded Edition)

Originally released in 1991, this new three CD box set marks the Thirtieth Anniversary of The First Of Too Many, the sophomore album from the English band Senseless Things.  While their debut Postcard C.V. was released in the UK on Way Cool Records, this was their first on the major label Epic Records.  Over the course of four albums and numerous singles they did have some minor hits in the UK, but they never really took off in the US and were dropped from the label there after this one album (this might explain why they haven’t been on my radar before now).  Along with a version of the original 1991 mix of the album, this set also includes a brand-new mix from founding members Morgan Nicholls and Cass Browne.  They went back to original two-inch 24-track master tapes and created a fantastic new mix that is crisper and cleaner and has a lot more punch to it.  Having said that it still hasn’t lost any of the charm of the original.  Sadly this is also a tribute to vocalist and songwriter Mark Keds, who passed away last year.

Often straddling the line between punk and pop, sometime moving more towards one or the other, and occasionally shifting in a completely different direction, the album is a really fun, extremely catchy collection.  The perfect examples of this are the opening tracks, which are two of the best on the album. “Everybody’s Gone” is a hook heavy pop punk tune with a hint of grebo (think Ned’s Atomic Dustbin or The Wonder Stuff) and “Best Friend” is a punchy pop tune with never ending hooks and great harmonies that’s just a little ragged around the edges and an absolute feel-good gem (the lyrics here are very bittersweet following Keds passing).  Driven by a thumping bass “It’s Cool To Hang Out” is an interesting cut that kind of sounds like a grebo band with Flea sitting in, while “19 Blue” shuffles along with an infectious melancholy groove only to be broken apart from time to time with brutal blasts of guitar and drums, and “Should I Feel It” is pure power pop, but with a punky edge.  On “Lip Radio” they completely shift gears with a gentle, jangly guitar driven tune that has a strong early REM feel, while “In Love Again” is another straight-ahead power pop tune that often channels Cheap Trick and actually has an intro quite reminiscent of “Surrender”.  The bass moves to the forefront again on “Got It At The Delmar”, a more dance oriented, Happy Mondays-ish grebo tune.  “American Dad” is a ballad that’s a little darker and heavier, treading a little too close to “grunge light” (a la Bush) and therefore one of the album’s weaker cuts in my opinion.  Thankfully they make up for that quickly with “Radio Spiteful”, a fun, extremely catchy pop tune that you will have a hard time not bopping your head to and “Wrong Number”, a ragged country punk track complete with a little banjo.  Things slow things down a bit to close the album out with the grungy ballad “Different Tongue” and “Fishing At Tesco’s”, a very mellow track that has a really nice laid-back groove.   

In addition to the two mixes of the album found on the first two discs, the third is a live recording of their performance at Camden Palace on June 22, 1991 during the tour supporting The First Of Too Many.  Initially recorded on a 24-track Mobile Recording Unit, Nicholls has restored and remixed these recordings as well and the results are outstanding.  In just over forty-one minutes the band tears through eighteen tracks including seven from The First Of… and four from their debut.  They sound extremely tight and energetic and they do a great job of pulling off the various styles of music, although for the most part they stick closer to the faster and punkier tracks.  Whether you are an old fan of the band or you’ve never heard of them before, I would highly recommend checking out this outstanding box set. 

(Cherry Red Records)

High Noon Kahuna - Killing Spree

After supporting each other through the years in various bands including Admiral Browning, Akris, Internal Void, The Larrys and Black Blizzard, three Frederick, Maryland musicians, Tim Otis (guitar), Brian Goad (drums) and Paul Cogle (bass/vocals) have come together as High Noon Kahuna.  Following their eponymous 2020 EP they are now back with Killing Spree.  With a foundation often, but not always, rooted in surf rock and spaghetti western, they add in elements of everything from doom, stoner rock and noise to punk, funk and jazz to create a refreshing set of songs.  “Parachute” kicks the album off and has a great surf rock intro mixed with a bit of fuzz and distortion.  Once the vocals come along the intensity picks up and really sets the tone for what’s to come.  “Danger Noodle” is a slower, more downtuned track that has a droning doom intensity with a bit of a stoner vibe, but still has a jaunty surf rock undercurrent.  The first of two instrumentals, “Sharktooth” is a heavier surf tune with a solid groove and a beat that has a bit of a funk feel to it.  Exploding with fuzzed out guitars and reverb, “Another Way Around” is one of the album highlights.  It’s more of a straightforward upbeat stoner rock track, but occasionally slips into a bit of a surf groove.  The second instrumental is “Black Lodge” and it’s a track that really sets itself apart from the rest of the album.  It almost feels like they are just jamming, opening with a slow, kind of lazy groove that meshes surf with a jazzier feel and then intensifying bit by bit before ending in a feedback laden blast.  Clocking in at just under ten minutes the aptly titled “Sand Storm closes the disc out.  After starting off like a classic stoner rock track with some really impressive guitar work, about halfway in they put the brakes on, and it slows down into a sludgy doom drone before turning into a pummeling wall of distortion.  This is quite an impressive release and I'm Really looking forward to hearing where they go from here.    

(High Noon Kahuna - Facebook)

Hard Meat - The Space Between - The Recordings 1969-1970

Considering they were only together for a little over two years, they only released two albums and are definitely not a band that most people have ever heard of, it would seem quite unlikely that Hard Meat would ever be given the box set treatment, but one listen to this three-disc set, The Space Between – The Recordings 1969-1970, and it’s obvious they are definitely very deserving.  The music is diverse and a bit ahead of its time with Mick Dolan’s impressive guitar playing, both acoustic and electric, leading the way, accompanied by his brother Steve on bass and some very creative drumming from Mick Carless (sadly all three have now passed away and never got to see this release).  The band formed in 1968, were quickly signed to Island Records and recorded an album set for release in 1969.  In preparation for the album’s release, they issued a single with a cover of The Beatles’ “Rain” on the A-side and the original “Burning Up Years” on the flip.  Even though the album was completely recorded, the band was dropped from the label prior to its release and with the exception of the two tracks on the single, it remained unreleased until its inclusion here.  Not long after being dropped the band signed with Warner Bros and released two albums in 1970 (both included here) before breaking up in early 1971. 

Instead of starting with disc one I’m going to jump ahead to disc three, which is the previously unreleased album that was set to be their debut and is now seeing the light of day thirty-three years later.  They open with two of the album’s three covers with their take on The Beatles “Rain” (also the A-side to the single that was to precede the album), and Dylan’s “Most Likely You’ll Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine”.  With The Beatles’ track they do a great job of respecting the original while still making it their own, especially with the psychedelic guitars, and the Dylan track has a bit of a rootsy feel to it with some piano that brings to mind The Band.  “Liquid Boats” is a gorgeous instrumental that is an acoustic guitar showcase with hints of a Spanish feel.  The horn-laden, bluesy rocker “Walking Down Up Street” is reminiscent of the early days of Chicago, although a little heavier.  The album’s second instrumental, the awkwardly titled “Erection”, is an interesting cut.  It is largely a drum solo with guitar and bass accompaniment (also with a little mouth harp) that merges prog with some jazz vibes (especially in the drumming).  Next up is the final cover and one that on paper seems a strange choice, but to their credit they really make work.  In their very capable hands “Strange Fruit” (of course most notably performed by Billie Holiday) is a very sparse acoustic version that is extremely haunting.  In the CD booklet Richie Havens is mentioned as an influence and that can really be heard on “Run Shaker Life”, which mixes acoustic and slightly proggy electric guitars with congas and an easygoing groove making it one of the album highlights.  “Burning Up Years” was the flipside to the single and is a solid rocker with a hint of prog, especially in the shifting tempos, along with some blues.  “Don’t Chase Your Tail” closes things out and is another rootsier tune that is really hypnotic and is again at times reminiscent of The Band. 

Not wasting any time, shortly after that album was shelved, they were back with their eponymous debut (disc one in this collection), which included new versions of two tracks from the unreleased album and five new tracks.  Kicking things off is “Through A Window”, ironically also the title of their second release, a tune that combines swirling acoustic and electric guitars with shifting tempos that give it an early prog groove.  “Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow” is a mellow, dreamy sounding tune full of swirling psychedelic guitar that at times have a hint of jazz, while “Space Between” takes the psychedelia in more of a blues direction.  Even though you would be hard pressed to find a bad track in this whole box, “My Time Shows No Face” stands head and shoulders above them all and should have been a huge hit.  It is an extremely catchy, hook heavy cut with a rootsier sound driven by acoustic guitar, gentle drums, piano and enhanced by flute from Mighty Baby’s Ian Whiteman.  “Run Shaker Life”, the first rerecorded track, is expanded here from its original four and a half minutes to over ten.  It still has the Richie Havens vibe but is a bit heavier and harder edged with a lot of jamming and is full of shifting tempos with some outstanding guitar work.  Closing out the disc are the laid-back psychedelic blues shuffle of “Universal Joint”, which is a bit reminiscent of Cream, and a new take on the Dylan cover “Most Likely You Go Your Way, I’ll Go Mine”, which isn’t too radically different here. 

Later in 1970 the band was back with their sophomore effort Through A Window, which is a little mellower than the debut, but just as strong.  Opener “On The Road” is a six plus minute track that has a loose jam feel to it with some hints of psychedelia and more great guitar.  Highlighted by strong harmonies, some gorgeous acoustic guitar along with some flute, “New Day” is a pretty ballad with an interesting upbeat, jam-like breakdown in the middle complete with congas.  The instrumental “Freewheel” is a laid-back track full of really great acoustic guitar and some light jazz influenced drumming, while “Smile As You Go Under” is a really catchy mellow rocker.  Next up are a couple of covers with the rocking blues of Graham Bond’s “I Want You”, which has some nice longer instrumental passages and “From The Prison”, a stark, acoustic folk tune written by Jerry Merrick and originally recorded by Richie Havens (Havens’ influence is very present once again here).   Perfectly titled, “A Song Of Summer” is just that, an upbeat track that is just a real feel-good song.  Gorgeous harmonies, a nice mix of acoustic and electric guitars and a little organ come together to create a powerful midtempo rocker with “Love” (credited in the liner notes to Bob Whale) and closing out the disc is “The Ballad Of Marmalade Emma and Teddy Grimes”, which was released as a single and again had all the makings of a hit.  Based on the true story of a couple of vagrants in Colchester it's an acoustic guitar driven track with a mellow, easygoing groove that's at times reminiscent of The Faces.

Following the album's release, the band did some US and UK touring, including opening for The Flying Burrito Brothers on their 1970 UK tour.  In January 1971, as they were preparing to do another US tour, Carless decided to leave the band, and shortly after the brothers decided to close the book on the band.  The brothers went on to form Big Front Yard, who were said to sound quite similar to Hard Meat, but only released one single.  Mick Dolan also went on to do a lot of engineering and producing at Millstream Recording Studio in Chelteham.  Rounding out the box is a very informative booklet with an essay giving a great history of the band and lots of pictures and memorabilia.  Esoteric and Cherry Red have done it again, giving another greatly underappreciated band their well-deserved just due.

(Esoteric Recordings)

The Plot Vs Damage Control 

Following the release of the three CD Solo Albums 2000-2004 box set, HNE Recordings gives us another batch of Pete Way related releases with The Plot Vs Damage Control.  This box set covers the sole release from The Plot, his collaboration with Michael Schenker and drummer Jeff Martin, and the two albums from Damage Control, which included guitarist Robin George, drummer Chris Slade (AC/DC, The Firm, Uriah Heep) and The Quireboys’ frontman Spike.

First up is the eponymous album from The Plot.  Rumors are that these recordings were just made for fun, but after a bootleg of the recordings was leaked, they decided to go ahead and officially release them.  “You and Me” kicks the album off and is a catchy rocker that is a little heavier than UFO, but not as raw and gritty as his Amphetamine album from a few years earlier.  Bringing to mind early GnR and Aerosmith, “Need Her Bad” is a bit more ragged and has a really cool breakdown in the middle.  Rocker “Take Another Shot” and the slower “Miss You Tonight” are a couple of really solid tracks that both add a little blues to the mix and have a bit of a Stones vibe.  After starting off with a short slide guitar intro “Shake Down”, a definite album highlight, shifts into a rocker that is again very reminiscent of early Aerosmith and includes some great guitar work.  “Señorita” is a slower track highlighted with some really nice acoustic guitar, but then halfway through explodes with a Schenker solo before taking it back down a step at the end.  On “Just My Luck” Way revisits his punkier side (a la Amphetamine), but it’s a little more polished and a little less ragged.  Another highlight is “Wild Wild Things” which jumps back and forth between being a punchy rocker and a laid-back acoustic guitar driven tune.  The disc closes out with a couple of high energy tracks with the Bo Diddley beat driven “Ain’t Got You” and the hard driving “Might As Well Go Drinking” which brings to mind Motorhead.

The collaboration between Robin George and Pete Way initially started with them getting together when Robin was recommended to work as a producer for Pete's band Waysted.  That eventually evolved into them playing songs back and forth for each other and then Damage Control.  The band released two albums, a self-titled debut and its follow up Raw, which comprise the other two discs on this box set.  While the majority of the music from Damage Control was more blues based rock, which was largely a bit of a shift for George and Way, they still managed to add a lot of elements that gave it some diversity.  Opening their debut release are a couple of gritty, down and dirty, blues rockers with “Dead Man Walking” and “Savage Songs”, the latter of which opens with some really nice bluesy acoustic guitar.  “Kicked Out” is a reworked version of “Crazy” from Way’s Amphetamine album, which is a little more polished and has more crunch and less grit.  The slow burning “Selfish” has some nice acoustic Spanish guitar from George and is also reminiscent of his early solo work.  “Born Again” and “Take Another Shot” brings to mind Free and Humble Pie, respectably, with the latter also throwing in a touch of glam guitar and a little cowbell.  Way then dips into his past again for “Victim,” a slow bluesy rock ballad that is a remake of Amphetamine’s “Hole”.  Two of the best tracks on the album are up next with “Raw,” a straight-ahead rocker with fuzzed out guitars, and “One Step Closer” with its relaxed, funk tinged blues groove and psychedelic guitars.  The Faces come to mind on the slow burning bluesy rocker “Redundant”, and “Seven Golden Daffodils” is reminiscent of Humble Pie.  Closing out the disc is “Bitching Blues”, a blistering boogie rocker reminiscent of The Faces with some outstanding slide guitar work.  

On Raw, the second Damage Control release, the band is pared down to a trio with George and Way handling all the vocals in place of Spike.  Of the thirteen tracks here, ten of them are re-recorded versions of songs from the debut.  Musically the re-recorded tracks aren’t really that drastically different from the debut, but the vocals this time around are of course much cleaner than Spike’s gruff vocals, giving them a fresh sound that ends up making them quite distinctive.  The three new tunes are all great and make welcome additions.  “Pray For You And Me” is an all-out rocker that would’ve sounded great live, and “Slaughtered” has a nice laid-back bluesy shuffle and a great combination of acoustic and electric guitar.  The final new track is actually a new version of “Spy”, an old-school Robin George tune that originally appeared on his solo debut album Dangerous Music in 1984 and has been a favorite of mine since I heard it back then.  The version here is a little rawer and bluesier but maintains the infectious pop-tinged rock of the original and has a great guitar solo.  While it seems like these three releases fell under the radar of a lot of Pete Way fans, as well as fans of the other contributing musicians, they are all well worth checking out and thanks to this box set are readily available for everyone to enjoy. 

(HNE Recordings)

Big River - Beautiful Trauma

Following up their 2019 full-length album, Big River are back with a new EP that also features their new vocalist and bassist.  Rooted in bluesy rock, the four cuts here show a lot of diversity that really keeps things fresh.  Since I haven’t heard their previous releases I can’t compare new vocalist Adam Barron to his predecessor, but I can assure you they did a great job choosing him.  The previous contestant on the UK version of The Voice has vocals that are a perfect match for their sound and could be compared at times to Robert Plant or Ray Gillen.  Opener “Don’t Hold Out” starts off unexpectedly with what sounds like a ukulele before rolling into an easygoing, kind of lazy, soulful blues tune with a really nice groove.  “The Long Way” is a foot stomping rocker that in certain spots brings to mind Badlands, while “Slow Burn” moves in a more bluesy rock direction, somewhat reminiscent of the early days of Whitesnake.  The acoustic based title track closes the EP out and is a slower track with a very emotional and soulful vocal performance from Barron that has a bit of a Free or Bad Company vibe.  I’m really looking forward to hearing more from these guys and according to their Facebook they have started working on album number two, so hopefully that will be sooner than later.   

(Big River - Facebook)

Pete Way - Solo Albums 2000-2004

Although he was a founding member of UFO and had released albums with the bands Waysted and Fastway, as well as a couple with his UFO bandmate Phil Mogg as Mogg/Way, in 2000 bassist Pete Way, alongside guitarist Walt James and drummer Scott Phillips, released his first solo album Amphetamine.  Unlike the music from his other bands, which were primarily on the melodic rock end of things, Amphetamine found him moving in a grittier, dirtier, rawer direction, often with more of a punk/garage rock sound, most notably found on tracks like “Hangin’ Out”, “American Kid (What A Shame)” and most notably “Crazy”, which sounds like a band at the end of the night after a few too many drinks.  While the whole album has that vibe, other songs like opener “That’s Tuff” and the slower “Fooled Again”, mix in a bit more of a bluesy sound (interestingly there are spoken word sections in “That’s Tuff” where his delivery is a little reminiscent of “Fight For Your Right To Party”), while “Hole” is a punked up country song and “Hole 2” is a stripped down, acoustic version of the same track.   The band closes things out quite impressively with “Hand To Hold”, a track that has a lot of dynamics that really aren’t found elsewhere and really showcases James’ guitar work.  Disc one also includes demo versions of three album cuts.

In 2002 Way, James and Phillips took the album out on the road and disc two is his set from the Revolution in Cleveland on October 4th of that year.  Along with playing Amphetamine in its entirety, the set that night also included four cuts from The Plot’s sole album (his collaboration with Michael Schenker and Jeff Martin), UFO’s “Too Hot To Handle” and Eddie Cochran’s “Somethin’ Else” (after hearing this cover you can definitely hear Cochran’s influence in some of Way’s songwriting).  The sound quality here is surprisingly very good and all the raw, raucous energy from the album is on full display.  The band sounds really tight and James guitar work is especially impressive.  Way sounds relaxed and seems to be enjoying himself, even breaking into a little of The Temptations’ “Just My Imagination (Running Away With Me)” and The Doors’ “Riders On The Storm” during “You and Me” and “That’s Tuff”.  There is a bonus acoustic guitar and vocal track “Paradise” at the end of disc two.  There is no information on this track, so I don’t know the details, but it is a nice, simple little track with a good vocal from Way.   

For his next album, Acoustic Animal, the last disc in the box, Way shifted directions completely, stripping it down to just his vocals and himself and Michael Christian on acoustic guitars.  In addition to six tracks from Amphetamine, there is a take on his Waysted track “Heaven Tonight”, another version of “Paradise”, which sounds almost exactly the same as the one at the end of disc two, and covers of Fats Domino’s “If You Need Me” and Lennon’s “Working Class Hero”.   While this disc is my least favorite of the three, there are some definite high points here, especially “That’s Tuff” and “American Kid”, both of which maintain the ragged grittiness of the originals, “Fooled Again”, “Hangin’ Out" and the aforementioned “Heaven Tonight”.  Unfortunately the same can't be said for the two covers.  They really don't work, and Way's vocals pretty much make them unlistenable.  Overall this is a very enjoyable box set and an interesting glimpse into this era of Way's career. 

(HNE Recordings)

Swing Out Sister - Blue Mood, Breakout And Beyond - The Early Years Part 1

Blue Mood, Breakout And Beyond - The Early Years Part. 1 is an outstanding new box set from Swing Out Sister that, over the course of eight CD's, covers the first eight years of the band and includes their first three studio releases, the live album Live At The Jazz Café, three discs of mixes, remixes and instrumentals and a disc of B-sides and edits.  

Initially a three piece consisting of Andy Connell (The Immediates, A Certain Ratio) on keyboards, Martin Jackson (Magazine, The Chameleons) on drums and vocalist Corinne Drewery, Swing Out Sister hit the scene with the single “Blue Mood”, and while it didn’t chart, the follow-up “Breakout” exploded and hit number 4 in the UK and 6 in the US.  Due to its huge success the band immediately went into the studio and recorded their debut album, It’s Better To Travel, an infectious collection largely consisting of jazzy, horn-driven, electronic dance pop highlighted by Drewery’s vocals and including the hits “Twilight World”, “Surrender”, “Fooled By A Smile” and the aforementioned singles.  Among the other highlights are the slower, atmospheric “After Hours” and “Theme (From - It's Better To Travel)”, an impressive instrumental that sounds like it’s right out of a Bond film.

Although he did contribute some drum programming and is credited on a couple songs, Jackson left the band partway through the recording of their follow-up release Kaleidoscope World.  From the opening strains of the outstanding opener “You On My Mind” it’s apparent there was also a slight shift in their sound.  Drawing from their mutual admiration for the work of John Barry they moved in a more orchestrated and cinematic direction and even worked with the legendary Jimmy Webb on the arrangements of the gorgeous, laid-back “Forever Blue” and “Precious Words”.  There are a few tunes that are more of a throwback to the debut, most notably “Waiting Game”, but overall this is a stunning collection that has really stood the test of time.      

Get In Touch With Yourself, their third release and last studio album in this collection, moves in more of a groove oriented soul direction, thanks in part to the influence of artists like Curtis Mayfield and Isaac Hayes, both of whom they were listening to at the time.  Along with their infectious cover of the sixties tune “Am I The Same Girl” (originally recorded by Barbara Acklin and Dusty Springfield a little later) and “Notgonnachange”, which became a big club hit, are highlights like “Everyday Crime” with its funky groove that sounds like it would fit in on a Shaft soundtrack, the jazzy “Circulate” and the title track.  While to me it’s a bit more polished and not as charming as its predecessor, there is still plenty to like about this album.

When they toured in late 1992 most of the song arrangements in the live show had largely evolved to suite the players.  Since no one would pay to record them, the band self-financed the recordings in December of that year that ended up becoming Live At The Jazz Café, which at the time was only released in Japan.  To me this album is the highlight of the whole box set.  The songs absolutely come to life with lively jazzy arrangements that strip away a lot of the studio gloss and replace it with refreshing organic instrumentation, exploding with improvisation.  Tunes like “Breakout”, which starts with a loose, jazzy instrumental section before moving into a funky take on the song, “Circulate”, with its Latin percussion, and “Notgonnachange”, with its slow burning groove, are given a whole new life. 

Over the course of thirty-eight tracks, the next three discs contain a variety of mixes and remixes of twelve of their songs.  While there are some mixes that are interesting and some completists will like having them all together, most people probably will skip over these discs after an initial listen or two with so many mixes of the same songs.  The last disc contains eleven b-sides and bonus tracks, plus a couple edited tracks and a live version of “Circulate”.  For the most part the b-sides are strong cuts that could have easily been album tracks.  Some of the really interesting songs include “Dirty Money”, which was the first track they ever recorded and interestingly has a bit of a funk groove that wasn’t really present on that debut album, “Fever”, a cut that emphasizes the electronic side of their sound and has a bit of a New Order vibe and "Taxi Town", one of my favorites here that is over half instrumental and really sets a mood with a movie soundtrack feel.  Other highlights are the Burt Bacharach flavored “Coney Island Man”, “Spirit Moves”, a soulful, laid-back tune with a funk groove and the gorgeous vocal and piano cover of “Windmills Of My Mind” that was recorded for a radio station appearance. Rounding out this outstanding box set is a very comprehensive booklet with interviews with Drewery and Connell that give great insight into this era of the band, the releases and also the remixes and b-sides.  While the band failed to hit the charts anymore after these three albums, they are still together and have released eight more studio albums, so hopefully there are more box sets to follow.  

(Cherry Pop)

Before The Day Is Done - The Story Of Folk Heritage Records 1968-1975

As British folk music took off in the late sixties, Alan Green founded the label Folk Heritage with the purpose of releasing albums by musicians who were primarily from the north-west England folk scene.  The releases from the label and its associated labels (Midas, Sweet Folk & Country, Westwood and Real) were very limited, no more than 2000 copies and often 200 or less and were only available at the club where the performer was a resident.  Due to this, many of these releases are extremely collectible today.  Grapefruit Records’ Before The Day Is Done (their third collection of British Folk following Dust On The Nettles and Sumer Is Icumen) collects together sixty-eight tracks from these albums, covering a diverse range from pop-oriented folk and folk rock to singer/songwriters and more traditional folk.  Unlike the prior two collections, which contained selections of better known and lesser known artists, no one here became a household name (a few of the artists here, like The Minor Birds, Folkal Point, Parke and Music Box also have tracks on those releases), but having said that you would be hard pressed to find one bad track in the bunch and you will most likely find yourself scouring the internet looking for more songs from many of them.  Also included is an outstanding booklet loaded with details on all the bands and the songs.  There is so much good music here and it’s a crime that these entire releases are not easily accessible to the masses.  Hopefully the next step will be for someone to start reissuing some of these releases in their entirety (HINT HINT!!!)

(Grapefruit)