Monday, April 8, 2019

Lee Harrington

sunday 31 march 19. jay allen's messaround plough and stars. Tom Baker opened, then the Dogmatics did a Louvin Brothers song, goin' for THAT hillbilly-roots sound and quite excellent. Lee Harrington of Neighbourhoods "I'm nuts for anything with a British accent"; I'm the opposite BUT fuckin' "Soul Love" off Ziggy Stardust! i had a Bowie songbook back in '73 but i never learnt it as well as this performance. Dave Barton of Outlets did a slick country set, alt perhaps, tho I hate the term, with a Stomper on bass. Jay Allen (photo below) was of course his usual funny self. All this was "in the round", a maxi ep's worth of toons, another splendid Mess Around til Marathon Sunday. Our John Keegan drove me to Tavern at the End of the World open-mike. Trick Wallace and Bucky Bear dueting (photo at end of column), good to see guys who played with Asa Brebner/John Lincoln Wright (both RIP) continuing on doing good country/Celtic/folk (for lack of a better label). Trick Wallace enjoyed me pulling out "Prodigal Son" tho he and Buck did Steve Miller band's "baby's calling me home"! Rob Lynch doing Irish and AM radio 70s hits enjoyed solo acoustic "oh well" (I love singing "dont ask me what I think of you/I might not give the answer that you want me to"). Lastly, somewhere in there, MJ Quirk has been doing toons from Pink Floyd's More album and THAT is Hopelessly Obscure! Remember: EVERY Sunday Tavern End of World open mike and watch Boston's BEST pull out some Hopeless Obscurities from their record collection. and DONT forget Natalie Flanagan!"

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

day of Wodin 3 april 19. club linehan-ago-go practice. Joe Quinn on bass back from Ireland. My three songs were "empty heart" dedicated to Sir Mick after his recent surgery, "ramblin' gamblin man" and a John Keegan/Lady Caroline general consensus on the "Lou-grass" version of "pale bluegrass eyes". MJ Quirk ran down the calendar so next show for Club Linehan-ago-go in saturday 27 april 19, private party in Quincy. (I'll send you an invite; "write me"-aerosmith!). and with Joe Quinn "under my wheels"; R U Sirius? (radio!): James Brown's "shout and shimmy"!!!! "whaaaa!!!! Good God y'all!"

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

day of Frigga 5 april 19. back in '74, at a fanzine convention I met Scott Duhamel and Bob Bear Richert in New Netherlands. By 20 march 76,"Mean screen" had been written (my riff; eddie flowers and scott's words) and released on Bob's Gulcher label. fucken 45 years later still rockin! (fuck i am an olde 63 vs, an Olde 97). Cantab, Mass. Ave. Papa Joe band did "Beautiful Sunday" by Daniel Boone quite excellently and thank you to the guitarist for helping me tune and use of marshall; great guy! It was Jon of Butterscott birthday (which he shares with a Hollie!) and Butterscott are like a cross between the Rutles and Bonzo Dog Band. English music-hall with bizarro British humour and with four British grandparents, I dig it! otherwise "Two fingers pointin' at you" and I mean the UK way, not Seeds. Bassist Joel Simches gave me his 80s MONTREAL record Joel in '80s spandex. it was a good night for VARULVEN records alumni: Joel was in Smuggler (Bon Jovi kicked them out of dressing room so he could sing "let's get it on" with some "jailbait janet" at the Paradise) plus Lady Caroline plus MJ Quirk and I were on varulven comp #20. I never did an Ace of Hearts record but goddam: VARULVEN! club linehan-ago-go did a damn good show at 11 pm and there were even folks hangin'! i know I led off with stones 12x5 number "empty heart", MJ Quirk did chuck berry version of jimmy reed's "baby what you want me to do" in bflat, Joe Quinn (bass),Kev Linehan (drums) always tight rhythm section. John Keegan on sax and he sang Velvet underground "what goes on"; Al from Jetset liked my ringing/droning Middle eastern guitar riffin on such (not Screamin Lord Sutch) in D but our piece-de-resistsance was Lady Caroline doing Donovan's "Season of the witch". I know Blowfish liked me snd her rat beach partyy of Joplin' "Summertime" but yes! after 20 years I took Keith Beauniece's advice ("cant you play with some restraint" and me getting drunk and cussin' him out like Sonny Boy Williamson callin' Leonard Chess a "muthafucka";same living room as this column is typed!) Again Caroline sang huskily,meloically superbly and I tried selling my soul to Satan to copy Jimmy Page but ole scratch gave me a free walk through hell and G'day mate! I ended up in Oz-stralia with that gecko that thinks 'e's the craown jules"! (ernest borgnine as Roo, some movie i saw my trailer in south carwolina USMC). Night didnt END; John Keegan and i watched the soul band upstairs (drummer Diane Gately was in the Devotions in 90s) and they went from a Philly song into SLy's "family affair" as I bellowed and growled along....now THAT'S music!

Thursday, April 11, 2019

Friday, April 12, 2019

sunday 7 april 19: "tavern at the end of the world 5-7 pm matinee show. Frank Rowe did his originals, then I compiled a New Colony Six of me, Nat flanagan's guitar; Frank Rowe on a Delta steel thang (The Regressive Blues Expirement); Larry Newman, Lt USMC and Bunratty Kinks tribute band-bass; Captain Easychords-keyboards; Cal Cali-tambourine and Jon Butterscott-maracas. Bo Diddley medley including "say Man back again" ("you that thing i throw peanuts at"),"Boom Boom" (a lot of medleys coz i only knew one verse!), Fleetwood Mac's "oh well", 13th floor elevators "slip inside this house" (Rick Harte was impressed that I bulshitted my way through most of the lyrics quoting Roky; the rest was improv) and lastly velvet underground b-side "here she comes now". some folks said Dr Ken, the Night Tripper used "magic" coz these six had never played together before "you were the glue"....nay! to quote Philip berg's nephew Uriah Heap ("of shit"-editor) sang "The Wizard" off Demons and Wizards! ("dont quit the day job"-Ken Hensley/Ken Highland!). highlights I remember of open mike: Nat Flanagan singing Irish traditional "black velvet band" as Robbie Lynch sang onstage; NATALIE FLANAGAN!; and Bucky Bear and trick Wallace, two guys who miss John Lincoln Wright and Asa Brebner somethin' fierce, doing Town Line City Limits and swappin' tales....Trick had me on a couple songs. where I played lead acoustic quoting "mississippi queen" and "badge" as only I can....open mike tavern end of world EVERY Sunday 730 pm! BOB CENCI will be a nine pm feature he said! (ran into him North station the next day but we did NOT duet on Moto's "I hate my fucken job"!)"......