I don’t know in what world a video on YouTube can be considered rare, but I hadn’t seen this video of this, perhaps greatest Clash song of all.
Category Archives: peter
Bebeca Garcia, “Accredita Em Mim”
So this Brazilian song sounds like a Stones song that has a completely different arrangement (and obviously Garcia singing in Brazilian is different than Jagger in English). What is that song? I’m blanking right now. But I’m sure in the morning we’ll all get it, unless it was on Metamorphosis.
When we figure it out I’ll post the Stones song, to complete the blend!
Deadstring Brothers, “Sacred Heart”
Had some friends over for dinner tonight, and when the talk turned to music this band came up. This is the first song I found from them. The appeal is obvious, but how much of the appeal comes from copping a great sound?
Upper Crust at Bowery Electric. Late Night Report Updated.
UPDATE: Tech issues made posting last night a nightmare. Here are a few quick notes this morning before work.
Went out to dinner with Mrs. Rotoman and two friends, Lisa and Terry, at a tasty and crazy Bengladeshi place off Sixth Street. Good food, good fun.
Walked over to Bowery Electric in the cold, and got hands stamped (always fun). As showtime approached we met another friend, Walker, and headed into the charming room downstairs. The crowd was mostly middle-aged rockers, probably 150 or so souls. I didn’t feel old, for instance, but I did feel preppy.
The UC emerged at 10:47, two minutes late. Count Bassie kept his pinkie extended, politely. The crowd cheered. The band plugged in, Lord Bendover said, “we are here to roq-cue you,” and they played Let Them Eat Rock.
Another early fave was “Little Lord Fauntleroy.” Bendover introduced “Badminton” by saying it light of the impending summer they would play a song they rarely played live. It was a rare song in which the vocals weren’t crisp and clear, which was too bad, since they’re delightful.
Other highlights were the Duc d’Stortion-sung I Shall Winter Elsewhere, a lively ode to winter holidays set to a Chuck Berry riff, and Count Bassie on vocals for the Small Faces’ like Come Hither Fair Youth, followed by the stomper I’ve Got Class Up the Ass.
Yet another friend, another Lisa, had arrived a bit late. I found her upstairs on the mezzanine. The show wound down at midnight, with one encore that came after they took off guitars but didn’t leave the stage. “We must conserve our energy,” Bendover said while remounting.
It was a great fun show by a most unusual band. Who knows why they keep doing it, playing smallish clubs has to be a hassle and not that remunerative. But they are a tight rock band playing songs in a variety of hard rock styles with truly clever and funny lyrics and stage patter. That never gets old.
Here’s a bad clip (and big file that will take some time to load) to give just a taste. I’ll find more on the rocking web and post later.
The Moving Sidewalks, “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”
There are some reasons to grok ZZ Top. Or dig, if you prefer.
Hard guitar sounds and rockin’ blues are virtues. But this cover of the Beatles hit, by the Moving Sidewalks, which included Billy Gibbons, is an excellent reason to question his taste and ideas.
The Beatles wrote a great pop hit song. The Moving Sidewalks take that song and add a lot of Hendrix moves that add, um, zilch. Right?
Comment if you disagree, but this is so profoundly awful it can’t go uncommented on.
22 Hours Left: The Upper Crust, “Eureka! I Found Love”
Funny lyrics are standard with the UC. Latin and Greek, too. Because that’s funny.
The popish impulse here falls short, these guys have a hammer, not a Merseybeat, but I’m looking forward to seeing them live.
The Upper Crust, “Badminton”
Two days to our epic visit to Bowery Electric to see The Upper Crust. They go on at 10:45pm, I’ve learned, if you want to skip the Grannies. #RockRemnantsMeetup
What I know is some folks I’ve played Badminton with will be attending. Though we’ve played croquet and tennis, too. Should be quite a show!
Rock Remants Meet Up! Let them eat rock!
Okay, Lawr and Gene and Tom won’t be here, but this Thursday night, Steve and Peter will be rocking our asses off to the sounds of the Upper Crust at Bowery Electric (which is a place for music in New York City).
In case you don’t know the Upper Crust, here is a clip. More links to come.
Courtney Barnett, “Avant Gardener”
We all agree that great rock songs don’t need great lyrics. But sometimes I’m sucked in by a singer/songwriter who is clever and fresh lyrically, even if the music isn’t particularly distinctive or original or rocking.
Courtney Barnett is a bit of a critic’s darling right now, which is how I learned about her. Her lyrics are funny and probing, revealing and cleverly opaque, with enough pop sense to suck one in if one listens enough. Which I did, and now I’m a fan, even though as I listen I can’t help but hear the drone of Lou Reed in her delivery. And hearing that drone, I can’t help but think about the way Reed dressed his songs up in surprising and hard hitting ways, which Barnett doesn’t.
That puts her more in the neighborhood of all those 90s alt-rock bands, who didn’t really alt that much while not really rocking that hard. Bands/artists who lived on the sharpness of their lyrics.
Live From the Guitar Center!
Noah Wall has spent some time at the Guitar Center, using hyperdirectional mics to record people trying out their instruments. I haven’t listened to all of it, but what I have listened to has beens surprisingly listenable in an ambient kind of way.