12/16/2013

I am naming this column "Ken Highland At Large" in honour of Jay Gruberger (RIP),bass for O.Rex/Afrika Korps.

   12/7 Saturday, Pearl Harbour Day (and Mark Giroux's birthday) I caught Moose and the Mudbugs at Store 54,Allston. counted EIGHT Kenne records in local bin and told Wayne I'd GLADLY autograph them! ($96 value!) Moose showed some ole films, one was at BU spring '76, Gizmos at IU. This MAY be Moose's best lineup: Ken Kaiser plays like he did in Korps in '78 and rhythm section is like Afrika Korps live at Cantone's 1977! I finally figgered Ed is nuthin' more'n Jay Gruberger with a kazoo with his stories! plus some folk-rock harp and a Beacon Street Union psych-song. Now,for all you Scoopies: Wayne sez "we'll talk" when I offered me and Ken Kaiser (who agreed!) to do Korps Hello World unplugged at Store 54! Reed Lappin, IN Your Ear records, asked for "wild Mouse"; Kaiser said "we'll do requests from ALL those albums!" Wayne booked til February BUT will keep y'all posted!

   Wednesdays is a couple good options: I've played Scottish hootenanny at Bostons ONLY Scottish theme bar,The Haven, Jamaica Plain, near Brendan Behan and Milky Way. But if in Quincy, Mari's Place tra la la karoke is place to be! last week sang animals version of "boom boom" and "i put a spell on you" and biker dudes liked my big-ass boomin' blooze voice; last night sang Boxtop's "cry like a baby", Montrose's "rock candy" (covered by Johnny Black and Cam Ackland's new Band!) and George Jones "she thinks i still care"; made a lady biker friend who likes country and blues, so another muscial project poppin' up JUST so i can be in 13 bands! and heinken?.....fuck that shit! Pabst blue ribbon $3,Mari's Place, Quincy,Washington street next to post office! (replete with bikers of BOTH sexes,flamboyant dudes whom WOULD go "MISSS Lyn" in '75 AND drunken postmen! John Waters COULD dream this place! Quincy is Boston's Hampton and I'm.....Pecker?)....

   Thursdays at Tavern at the End of the World, Charlestown (next to Townline liquor!) is Natalie Flanagan! GREAT jukeobx of blues/country/glam/punk (heard lotsa Ray Charles last night); caught Captain Easychords, solo piano, Captain and Tenille hat and a Zappa-type grossout toon about a hangover; plus Janet Connerney doin' traditional Irish, acoustic, bass and fiddle. Figures on a Beach members talkin' 'bout seein' Ron Asheton of Stooges grocery shoppin' AND look for Kenne gigs here! Highland/Flanagan do Velvet Underground covers ala 2002! oh, and $3.50 PBR (how much were they at the Jim Ten?)....(probably 75 cents -Editor)

   Friday the 13th was my rent party benefit at Granite Rail, Quincy, Mass. since "they cut the SSI on me" (to the toon of "TV Eye"). AJ Wachtel covering this for The Noise, but since Miss Lyn's "fake Indian" granny was M. Max, here's my take on the show: Pat on piano (Patty O. could pass for my Celtic twin!); Stoughton Rock Ensemble (very talented kids taught by Mike Rubin); Preacher Jack (71 and STILL rockin' maniacally like Jerry Lee!); Tokyo Tramps (amazing all-Japanese blues trio;"Goin' Down" by Memphis Moloch was a TRUE treat!); Kenne Highland Clan (Kenne and Jody toons, of course and MJ Quirk sang Gizmos "cavewoman" but my FAVOURITE was jammin' out on Fleetwood Mac's version of "Pumpin' to playboy" aka "Rattlesnake Shake"!!!!); then Gravedancers, that's two ex-Harlequin and when I sang "under my wheels" and "18",which I did 3 july 73 with O.Rex (RIP), you woulda swore they sounded like Ken Highland's Old Band (Jumper Cables);lastly, Bayou Orchestra; Geezer was in the Rule, played Chet's with Dogmatics and Classic Ruins in '80s,but this was EVERYBODY playing Cajun zydeco and/or Stones songs done hillbilly with yours truly on A/C/D harp (Rat beach party in Hull, I added Ed "Moose" on kazoo and he was PERFECT!) There was NO stoppin' us cretins from hoppin'! It was a room full of Captain PJ's! Bob Colby from Frenzy showed up! "it sure is a lot different down here"...like less pretentious and less scensters fulla themselves!?!? "oh, yeah, pal...well you can eat my fuckin' shit as far as I'm concerned!"-the ORIGINAL Taz! oops, i dun it agin....