Monday, January 10, 2022

Aidan O'Connell Trio

Saturday 8 Jan 22, Elvis's birthday. I cant say ENUFF about the New! Improved! Cantab/Club Bohemia! (especially coz they musta used New! Improved! Blue Cheer on the NEW loo!). Staff and all very friendly, just have your vax cards, ya moddafockas, or as Mickey Bliss sez "you'll be 86ed!" (actually my life is BETTER than 1986, so glad THAT got 86ed!). opening was AIDAN O 'CONNELL jazz band; follow them on facebook! He plays upright bass with a guitarist and drums. My jazz knowledge isn't as such as a Berklee grad (though I teach at Beserkley!) but Wayne Shorter's "Fe Fi Fo Fum" (on youtube) was done. Hard Bop? Be-Bop? baby Bop? (you had to get wasted and watch barney in the '90s like I did...)..this 1966 toon, til the Saturday Hopelessly Obscure, predates my 4 July 70 purchase of Miles Davis Bitches Brew and also, on the Wayne Shorter toon, Elvin Jones drums, he being a Mitch Mitchell (Hendrix) influence. The cantab's "story' has a brief shot of Kenne Highland Air Force doing "Be More Flamboyant". From a Wednesday phone call from a Micky Bliss cancellation to a Saturday squadron formation, I assembled a quarter (like Rat Patrol fighting the Afrika Korps, which we did (the band!)) I had me guitar/vocals, captain easychord-keyboard, Larry Newman-bass, Al Hendry-drums. cantab quotes: "Kenne this is your best band yet! Some really good guitar playing on that John Lee Hooker version of Stooges "down on the street": Micky Bliss, Esquire (Dewey Cheatum and Howe). "You sound and look like Roky Erikson"- the bartender dude ("I know many faces but few names"- Harold Madison Jr to Miss Lyn, early '80s Allston). Ok, I'll take it! All they ever had in the Erie canal (my back yard in the '60s) was carp, a garbage fish, so aint like I'm fishin' fer compliments...AND! some young ladies from the upstairs came downstairs and started dancin' to the more Stones-groove songs! WITH Andy Pratt! That truly got MY Ya ya's Out (no yia-yias though, thought if it were a Greek picnic and my Yardbirds bouzouki solos woulda made you say Opa!, Winfrey...)...So, Andy Pratt, opened with "avenging Annie", did some solo piano BUT, old dawg, new tricks, him on acoustic guitar! "Tim Buckley meets Roky Erikson with weird tunings"- Ken Highland in O. rextasy: the Brooklyn Groupie News! Again, Cantab staff helped ROADIE Andy's gear to the Captain's ship on wheels, asking how we doin', how was our night..cf. to Channel/ Rat "it's hotel or motel tyme but you cant stay here!" "DEAD BOSTON CLUBS" and mein schaudenfreud says even the ones I got banned from are now closed! (do I win?) Andy Pratt has same zip code as BGN, though in colonial Watertown, his Pratts and Dad's Kilbournes had same, only ben Franklin not yet BORN in 1630s to become first postmaster of those bluidy colonies...A GREAT night at Cantab and like General macArthur "I shall return!" "old Gizmos never die, they're just eternally on the guest list"......take on Stooges "Down on the Street" .

Tuesday, January 11, 2022

Thursday, January 13, 2022 "day of Wodin 12 Jan 22. A twelve inch almost GLUED to my turntable be The Great Rap Hits, which was five dollars at Somerville Grooves. ($1.85 on discogs). Six great early hip-hop toons as Hello World by the Korps (Gulcher!) plummeted down the charts. Let's start out with "Spoon'nin' Rap" from 1979, a $1.50 45 by Spoony G. whosampled.com, yeah yeah yeah...."Blue suede shoes" Carl Perkins ("one fo' the money"), "Rapper's Delight" (it's a Chic riff! OR do quote the late, grate on your nerves great Solomon Gruberger: "I know who they're ripping off!"). THE TRUE GEM, as in Hopelessly Obscure 45 is "Patty Duke" by Cloud One, a 1979 45 NOW going for $308.22 which is $8.22 more than my G (Gruberger)- Boyz from Crooklyn! Best description: "Space funk"! Just the synth sounds alone over a funk groove...And let's give it up for Spoonee Gee (born 27 May 63 Harlem versus July '60 Jay Grubeberger Brooklyn)...His uncle was record producer Bobby Robinson who owned a cooler-than-Skippy White record store. Wikipedia photo: "Bobby Robinson in front of his record store (Bobby's Record and Tape center) 1977". EVERY 1959-1962 "oldie" he produced! (Wikipedia). Kansas city/dedicated to the one I love/the happy organ/fannie mae/ elmore James "sky is crying"/"yaya"/tossin' and turnin/every beat of my heart/soul twist/"wiggle wobble" by les cooper; half those oldies I had on Art laboe's Oldies But Goodies comps I got up the Brockport NY plaza early '70s (I was discovering 50s "oldies"). 1979 his 16 year old nephew wants to do a rap record and the label; Sylvia Robinson DID sing as half of Micky and Sylvia on 1957's "Love is strange", where a the NY Dolls on "trash" stole a certain quote and I, Ken Highland, third generation re-quote, say "aw; how you call your lover boy" on "I'm in Love" off Asa volume two! Buy Asa cds and dudes....that ole Sugar Hill vinyl man...since in 1976 I did "lo-fi" vinyl for Gulcher and Oral records, "lo-fi" funk/hip-hop "NY Groove' whatever...it's da ballz!"......

Friday, January 14, 2022 "day of Thor 13 jan 22. second cut on The Great Rap Hits is "To the Beat y'all" by Lady B; a 1979 45 going for $12.95. She was a pioneer rapper AND dj and you CAN follow her on facebook, thank you Mort Zuckerberg (oops on purpose I did it again; Mort Drucker did mad magazine, MARK Zuckerberg stole Facebook but to me they one and the same). who sampled: "Rapper's Delight" (again!), "Jack and Jill" (1765 traditional folk though Bo Diddley was rhymin' nursery rhymes a score and ten before 1979 rap: "say man back again" : "you that thing I throw peanuts at") AND always the hidden gem: "Rap-O Clap-O" by Joe Bataan. Doin' the Reader's Digest version (do your own goddam rock archaelogy!) jOE bataan was doin' boogaloo records from 1967 onward on local Latin NY labels....well, guess I'll be occupy Harlem on youtube with boogaloo records for about a minute"....

Saturday, January 15, 2022 "Freitag 14 Jan 22. Cantab Underground I think is new name, no longer Club Bohemia; iregardless, fun WAS had! Phantom Ocean opened, a White Stripes-y duo with traces of the Shaggs and O. Rex. I enjoyed the low-fi grunge and slide guitar on "house of the rising sun" and Leadbelly's "In the Pines" (Big Belly watches Leadbelly!). Kenne Highland's Air Force flew as a quintet this tyme with me on Richard Mirsky's Strat and the house marshall amp and "Yes I am Experienced" though if anything, I heard a lot of Mid-east yardbirds modal stuff or whatever I teach at Beserkley...on my right: Captain Easychord! with a Cantab night sat 22 Feb 22 with captain/ frank rowe solo/larry newman solo and Mad painter. to my left doing the grace Slick "High Flying Bird" at Monterey harmonies was Gee Julie, on bass Larry Newman,drums-Al Hendry and Pete Loaf of Stigmatics guitar on "down on the street" (stooges) done John Lee Hooker style INTO Canned Heat's "on the road again"! (WCMF Rochester NY FM listened to Brockport Ny released 24 april 68, so I heard this AFTER I saw Blue Cheer on TV!).

The Stigmatics, as usual. were fantastic, doing Creeper that album I produced plus Kinks "Im not like everybody else" and Heartbreakers "born to lose". Captain easychord thought drummer Bob Whitelock (he was in THE LINES; check discogs!) favoured Charlie Watts and "Bobby WAS good tonight, in't he" and those Stonesmatics DID indeed keep a-rollin' all night long. Johnny Plankton: New! Improved! A GREAT rhythm section and on guitar, my friend of forty years 13 march 82 (that was Hopelessly Obscure and the Accidents at Cantones; doorman? M. Bliss, Esquire, now at Cantab?) PLUS "surprise surprise" (you should hear Lulu's version!) Kevin of Miles Deathmuffin and I'll take Linda Bean for 500,Alex! (OR: "in the beginning was Miles Dethmuffin, whom begat Permafrost, whom begat Frigate, whom begat Chelsea Curve, whom M. Bliss DOES want to play cantab!). ok, I "picked up" the set list (my Knotts ancestor was a convicted felon and jewel thief transported to the Virginia colony before the mayflower; ok I STOLE it and missed becoming Australian by 200 years): "homicide" (999!), "essence rare" (gang of four I think) "queen bitch"-bowie, personality crisis: dolls; Rich Mirsky sang Replacements "unsatisfied" EXTREMELY well, "pretty vacant" (pistols) and "Jet Boy" (Elton Motello or some such) and a bunch of monosyballic titles I forgot. "dancin' Fool" b/w "Shake Yer Bootie" was Captain easychord who coulda be dancin' to a early '80s college band out in UMASS or, in my case, THIS is Bunratty's/Great Scott/Gladstones when I lived in Allston 1980-1982 (I could walk to the Underground but rat/cantones was a bit on the ole tube).Fun WAS had, I DID remember laughter, forget "Bad News" (Cat Mother and all night newsboy b-side) see you all Cantab Underground the Saturday next!"...….