You need some Speedball Baby
Again from the “I’m a sucker for a cool band name” file comes Speedball Baby.
Formed in New York in the early 90s, Speedball Baby combines psychobilly and grit with street poetry for a sound best described as “the dark blues of the messed up and clueless.” Speedball Baby’s actual bio lies buried somewhere in a New York City walk up; the only remaining clues are as off-kilter and unpredictable as the band’s music. “Speedball Baby...(fuse) the primordial slurp of rockabilly with a broken-homegrown hybrid of gospel testimony and punk mayhem. They harness hysteria – pounding out a thrown drink conniption fit as exuberant as a St. Vitas dance.”
In a 2001 interview with NYC’s
OffOffOff.com, guitarist Matt Verta-Ray described his first meeting with singer and songwriter Ron Ward: “I heard Ron do these spontaneous monologues, almost like poetry – I wouldn't say beat poetry, but it was definitely inspired by Burroughs,” he said. “It was very abrasive and not very musical at that time.”
Verta-Ray and Ward recruited bass player Ali Smith and drummer Dave Roy, before independently releasing two EPs in the mid-1990s. Speedball Baby recorded one album for MCA records then decided the corporate music world was not to their liking. They returned to an independent label, where they remain. Several musicians, including Jon Spencer, have contributed to the Speedball Baby legend, with Ward and Verta-Ray being the only constants.
Today’s music comes from a collection of the Speedball Baby EPs I recently got hold of. As far as I can tell, these were released during the mid-to-late 1990s.
Annie Anytime.mp3 Don’t Turn Blue (Tonight).mp3 Speedball Baby.mp3 Milking Stool Blues.mp3 T.B. Sheets.mp3Labels: psychobilly, punk, rockabilly
Billy Powell, 1952 - 2009
I just learned this evening that Lynyrd Skynyrd keyboard player William Norris “Billy” Powell died earlier today at his home in Orange Park, Fla., of an apparent heart attack. Powell, one of Skynyrd’s original members, as well as a survivor of the band’s tragic 1977 place crash, was 56.
For more information, Jacksonville’s newspaper,
The Florida Times-Union, has a good obit, along with some other Skynyrd-related links.
In tribute to the passing of Billy Powell, I thought tonight would be an appropriate time to share this old Lynyrd Skynyrd show I’ve had on my hard drive forever. The recording comes – as I understand, anyway – from an unreleased King Biscuit Flower Hour show recorded Nov. 6, 1975, in Cardiff, Wales.
This would also be an appropriate time to raise a shot of whiskey.
So, Mr. Powell – salute.
Double Trouble.mp3 Ain’t the One.mp3 The Needle & the Spoon.mp3 Saturday Night Special.mp3 Gimme Three Steps.mp3 I Got the Same Old Blues.mp3 Simple Man.mp3 Whiskey Rock & Roller.mp3 Call Me the Breeze.mp3 T for Texas.mp3 Sweet Home Alabama.mp3 Freebird.mp3Labels: classic rock, current events, live music
Doing Favours for Sailors
I’ll tell you what appeals to me about London-based quartet Favours for Sailors: They’ve got a guitar-driven, very catchy sound reminiscent of Television, and they describe themselves as “Becks-fueled.” Becks being my beer-of-choice at my gentleman’s club-of-choice (pay no attention to the blatant attempt at landing a sponsor).
Favours for Sailors comes from London, where they formed in late 2005 after Alex Bratt arrived in town and reunited with university friend Jon Crawford. The two started practicing together in an old leather factory, forging an early post-hardcore sound of unplayable, mathy songs about chance encounters between witches and cowboys.
Over the next couple of years, Favours took shape as guitarist Matthew Hayward (aka Maltese Falcon) joined up with Bratt (aka AKDB, the bassist) and Crawford (aka JRC, guitars and vocals). Drummer Daniel Starza (DSS) is the band’s most recent member.
Currently, Favours for Sailors is touring the southern UK with Dananananaykroyd. On March 2, Favours will release their debut disk,
Furious Sons on Tough Love Records. Tonight’s music is a preview of what you can expect from that album. Good stuff.
I Dreamt That I Dreamt That You Loved Me.mp3Labels: "alternative", indie, new stuff
“A Little Sailboat Named Annie”
I recently ran across an old Heart boot that I found interesting for a couple of reasons: One, that it’s
really old; and two, because there are some interesting choices in Led Zeppelin covers.
The Wilson sisters are no strangers to Zeppelin covers, of course. Their acoustic side project, The Lovemongers, recorded a version of “The Battle of Evermore” for the Singles soundtrack. “Rock and Roll” is the closing number on the 1980 album
Greatest Hits Live. And a quick Google will pull up a few others.
On this recording of Heart’s June 1, 1976, show at the Aquarius Tavern in Shoreline, Wash., they picked some tough songs: “The Rover,” “Stairway to Heaven,” and “You Shook Me.” I’ve opted to include only the version of “You Shook Me” (which is part of a medley) because “The Rover” got cut somewhere in the recording process, and this version of “Stairway” just seems blasphemous. It’s one of those songs no one but Zeppelin should do. I’m a purist like that.
The other two are Heart songs – just a couple I happen to like. I’m not much of a Heart fan, but I do enjoy a couple of their old songs. If you have any interest in hearing the entire recording, drop me a note and I’ll let you know where to get it.
Mother Earth Blues / You Shook Me (medley).mp3 Crazy on You.mp3 Dreamboat Annie.mp3Labels: classic rock, covers, live music
Evan Voytas Lives His Life Here for You
I just got this creepy/cool version of “Never My Love,” reworked by L.A.-based singer and instrumentalist Evan Voytas. His take on the Association’s 1967 hit fully exemplifies Voytas’ range of influences: “Something that sounds like Burt Bacharach and Bjork collaborating in a bedroom studio.”
The 25-year-old Voytas comes from rural Pennsylvania, where he was raised on a diet of oldies. As a teenager he discovered jazz and moved to New York to cultivate that love. Studying music at the City College of New York, he started his own quartet and began making a name for himself in the modern jazz scene. Then he decided he needed a change and headed west.
After a few months exploring pueblos in New Mexico, Evan returned to New York City, shaved his beard, and found himself playing lead guitar and singing back-up for teen-pop phenom Teddy Geiger.
Evan began recording as a solo musician last year, releasing a 7-song EP,
Introducing Evan Voytas. He just signed a deal with
RCRD LBL and released a two-song single. You can download it for free from the label’s site.
In the meanwhile, check out this cover of “Never My Love.” To me, it sounds kind of Radiohead-ish, but see what you think.
Never My Love.mp3Labels: covers, indie, new stuff
Some Pop-O-Pies maybe?
A few days ago, when I was sorting through my inbox for the “Music from My Mailbox” post, I came across an email from Licorice Pizza reader Pat.
He had sent along a couple of songs from a band called Pop-O-Pies. Unfamiliar with the band, I kind of skimmed the email and had intended to include one of the two songs with that group post. Looking for some quick info about the band, I found out Pop-O-Pies is not only
not a new band, but their history was interesting enough to warrant a little more attention.
It turns out Pop-O-Pies was the brainchild of Joe Pop-O-Pie. He started the San Francisco-based band in 1981. For two years, Joe was the only regular band member, so Pop-O-Pie’s live performances consisted of one song: A cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Truckin’.” He picked “Truckin’” because Pop-O-Pies’ version was, for several months in a row, the most requested song on local college radio station KUSF.
Eventually, Pop-O-Pies gelled into a band with permanent members, although Bill Gould and Mike Bourdin would soon depart to found Faith No More. Joe Pop-O-Pie also did a short stint as Faith’s first singer, before returning to his own band. Future Mr. Bungle members Trey Spruance and Danny Heifetz would also pass through the hallowed halls of Pop-O-Pies, playing in the band’s last incarnation.
A couple of other interesting items: Jerry Garcia did hear the Pop-O-Pies version of “Truckin’” and apparently liked it enough to become a big supporter of the band, going so far as to pose with them for a 1983
Rolling Stone pictorial.
And in case you were wondering, the name Pop-O-Pies comes from “A Nation of Pinheads,” which is a Zippy the Pinhead comic written by Bill Griffith. However, in the comic it’s spelled “poppo pies.”
Today’s music (thanks again, Pat!) comes from
The White EP, Pop-O-Pies' 1982 debut release.
The Catholics are Attacking.mp3 Truckin’ (Grateful Dead cover).mp3Labels: covers, punk
U2 & MLK
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.’”
It’s fitting that Barack Obama will be sworn in as the United States’ first African American president at nearly the same time our nation honors the birth of Martin Luther King, Jr. It shows that, despite our other flaws, most Americans can look beyond race and see that all men are truly created equal.
On this day and on the eve of a historic presidential inauguration, I turn again to U2 for the appropriate soundtrack. Both of these songs reference Dr. King’s life and legacy and both appeared originally on the 1984 album
The Unforgettable Fire.
This version of “Pride (In the Name of Love)” comes from a November 1984 show in Dortmund, Germany; “MLK” is from the 2002 Super Bowl halftime show at the New Orleans Superdome. This version of “MLK” was played as an intro to “Where the Streets Have No Name,” so it’s a little shorter than the original and seems to suddenly drop off, but that’s actually where U2 go into “Streets.”
Pride (In the Name of Love) (live).mp3 MLK (live).mp3Labels: current events, live music, U2
Music from My Mailbox
Once again time to dig through the mess that regularly describes the Licorice Pizza mailbox. I got a lot of stuff over the holiday season and tried to get as much of it up as I could – particularly since it was Christmas-oriented, so kind of time sensitive.
What’s left over is – as always – a large mix of goodies. My friends at Mary Shelley Overdrive sent me some new music, which I’m always happy to see/hear. There’s also some “indie” stuff for those of you of that persuasion.
Also a couple of things that are miles outside of my usual listening habits, but that I thought interesting enough to share. The first is Ok_Ma’s take on the Pretenders’ “Brass in Pocket.” Then you’ve got that Bowie / ELO mash up, which was weird enough to warrant inclusion here. I was into mash ups for about a week once, but every now and then I’ll hear one I don’t mind. The thing with a lot of these is that you’ve grown so accustomed to the original songs that it just doesn’t sound
right mixed with something else. And that often proves too much of a distraction for me.
Also, be sure to check out the Katalin song, “Come and Go.” Katalin is a German sort-of-electronic band that recorded a sort-of-country version of one of their songs. The result is pretty interesting. By the way, the band is named for singer Katalin Kleeman, but the woman in the picture is the lovely bass player Katharina Dommisch.
Like always, follow the links for more info.
Mary Shelley OverdrivePost punk / Psychedelic / Glam
From: Columbia, S.C.
Band
MySpace The Lament of Janos Skorzeny.mp3 Ok_MaNu-Jazz / Hawaiian / Glam
From: London, UK
Band
MySpaceBrass in Pocket (Pretenders cover).mp3 (ft. Lea Lea Jones)
LehtMoJoeAlternative / Electronica / Hip Hop
From: Dallas, Texas
Band
MySpace Suffragette Woman (David Bowie vs. ELO).mp3 
KatalinElectronica / Alternative
From: Berlin / London
Band
MySpaceCome and Go (country version) .mp3 IllinoisIndie / Folk Rock / 2-step
From: Bucks County, Penn.
Band
MySpace Are You Coming With Me.mp3 Lower HeavenIndie
From: Silverlake, Calif.
Band
MySpace Lose it All at Once.mp3 Funeral PartyIndie / Rock / Alternative
From: Los Angeles, Calif.
Band
MySpaceCarwars.mp3Labels: "alternative", covers, electronic, folk, hip-hop, indie
Nothing like a good Crackwhore
I noticed that when my posts have titles like the one today, I get hits from an interesting mix of Googlers. For instance, a year ago I wrote about Miami punkers
Boy Prostitute. I still see hits to this page from people – apparently – actually looking for boy prostitutes.
Also last year, I wrote about
Chalant, who have a great and greatly hilarious song titled “Suck My Pussy.” I had the wisdom to call the post “I Can Still Taste the Urine,” which I took from something on the band’s MySpace. I’ve since learned that when you combine the words “urine” and “pussy” in a single post, you’re going to attract some traffic you may not have normally seen.
So let’s see what today’s post brings.
Crackwhore is another hard rockin’ band from Down Under. When those Aussies rock, they rock – no messin’ around. Coming out of Melbourne, and led by singer XStacy Gazoonga and guitarist James Rotten, this five-piece took influence from the Divinyls, kicked it up a notch, and added a dash of Bikini Kill and the Stooges for some American flavor. Crackwhore has been described as “dirty rock with a garage punk influence.” They’re every bit of that and then some and it would suck if they never got any attention here in the U.S.
The band has been together since May 2002 and have released a handful of singles and a couple of EPs, as well as being included on some Australian compilations. Crackwhore released their self-titled debut disk last January on Aussie label
Turkeyneck / IODA Records. If you like your rock real and brutal, then, like the band says, “Pick up a Crackwhore and take it home.”
Go.mp3 Big Shot.mp3Labels: Australian, garage rock, punk
Havana 3am
The other day I found something very cool that heretofore I had not known existed. (Really, how often do you see the word “heretofore” in the common blog?)
I had always considered myself a pretty knowledgeable fan of the Clash, but I did not know that after the Clash split, Paul Simonon started a band called Havana 3am. Named after a 1950’s album by Perez Prado, the Cuban “King of Mambo,” Havana 3am consisted of Simonon on bass; Gary Myrick on guitar; Nigel Dixon from the British band Whirlwind on lead vocals; and Travis Williams, a drummer they found through a newspaper ad.
Havana 3am recorded a self-titled album in Japan in 1991. Following Dixon's death in April 1993, and the departure of Simonon, who resumed a career in art, Gary Myrick put out one more album with different line-up, but by 1996, the band had called it quits.
The band’s
Wiki entry describes Havana 3am as rockabilly with a heavy Latin influence. I think some reviewers make that call based on the horns in some of the songs or simply on the band's name. Havana 3am is not to be confused with salsa or merengue. Rather, it’s similar to the Clash’s forays into roots rock, with a twist of spaghetti Western for atmosphere. The horns merely add a touch of
spice, if you will.
Along with not knowing Paul Simonon did this project after the Clash, I wasn’t aware either that post-Havana 3am, he returned to art, which he had been doing before joining the Clash. In 2008, after an eight-year break, Simonon began
exhibiting paintings again with a show at Thomas Williams Fine Art in London, where Lily Allen reportedly bought one of his paintings for £23,500.
Reach the Rock.mp3 Death in the Afternoon.mp3Labels: punk, rockabilly, the Clash
Obsessing about Garbage
I’ve been obsessed with Shirley Manson since she started appearing last season as Catherine Weaver in “Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.” Something about that emotionless beauty appeals to me. Her and Summer Glau.
Anyway...
Yesterday I heard a Garbage song that I had not heard for some time: “#1 Crush.” I wasn’t sure what album it was on, and it took me some time to find it, but in keeping with my OCD, I wasn’t about to give up until I found it. It turns out the song has shown up as a couple of b-sides and on the soundtrack for the 1996 film Romeo & Juliet. I don't think it's actually on a Garbage album at this point.
I can tie this whole post together very neatly if I tell you what Shirley said about the song: “All real love is a form of obsession; if you love someone more than anything else, that degree of exclusivity requires an abnormal amount of passion and care.”
And while we’re tying things together, I also found “Samson and Delilah,” the Blind Willie Johnson song Shirley sings during the opening scene of last season’s first episode of “Terminator.”
#1 Crush.mp3 Samson and Delilah.mp3Labels: covers, industrial, rock, TV
This is Miami - Not So. Fla.
Sorry for the late notice, but I just found out about this yesterday: Churchill’s Pub, over in NE Miami, is putting on a hardcore fundraising event tomorrow (Friday) night.
Seven local punk/hardcore/thrash bands are scheduled to play to raise money for the opening of Goo, Miami’s new all ages venue.
Scheduled are Lowlife, Maldito, Homestretch, Maruta, Merkit, Consular, and Shitstorm. The first band takes the stage at about 8:30 p.m. Best of all, this night of sonic mayhem will set you back only $6.00.
Churchill’s is at 5501 NE 2 Ave.
Fittingly enough, tonight’s music is from a couple of the bands you’ll be able to see live tomorrow night. Definitely check this show out if you can.
Learn Your Lesson.mp3 ~ Lowlife
Vanitas.mp3 ~ Homestretch
You Don’t Like Me.mp3 ~ Maldito
Labels: local stuff, punk, thrash, upcoming shows
A Stripped Companion
My friends, this is my
FIVE HUNDREDTH POST.
As such, I thought it might be appropriate to dig around the back corners of my hard drive and see if I could find something kind of special to mark the occasion.
What I came up with is a Rolling Stones boot, known as the
Stripped Companion. I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that
Stripped was the Stones’ 1995 acoustic live album. This unofficial “companion” album is a compilation of outtakes, “B” sides, and a couple of other miscellaneous unplugged tracks, all from the 1993-1995 era. A listener review written on
Bootleg Zone called the
Companion disk “Amazing,” and said, “This is what boots should always do: Surpass the original.”
Recording info:1-6: Toshiba-Studio sessions: Tokyo. March 3-5, 1995
7: Backstage rehearsals, Olympia, Paris. July 3, 1995
8: Paradiso, Amsterdam. May 26, 1995
9-10: Brixton Academy, London. July 19, 1995
11-13: Paradiso, Amsterdam. May 27, 1995
14-15: Brixton Academy, London. July 19, 1995
1.
Honest I Do.mp3 2.
Let’s Spend the Night Together.mp3 3.
No Expectations.mp3 4.
Beast of Burden.mp3 5.
Memory Motel.mp3 6.
Let It Bleed.mp3 7.
Tumbling Dice.mp3 8.
Gimme Shelter.mp3 9.
Live With Me.mp3 10.
Black Limousine.mp3 11.
All Down the Line.mp3 12.
Dead Flowers.mp3 13.
Shine a Light.mp3 14.
Sweet Virginia.mp3 15.
Rip This Joint.mp3Labels: live music, outtakes, Rolling Stones, unplugged
Some Ghetto Love from Brody Dalle
Rock babe Brody Dalle is back, with her first official release since the Distillers called it quits in 2006.
Brody and her new band, calling themselves Spinnerette, released the
Ghetto Love EP Dec. 11, via the band’s
Website. For fans of the Distillers, this disk is a big departure. One listener review went so far as to compare Brody to Pink. I can’t go that far, but the music is much more – I hate to say “commercial” – but, well, the music is more commercial than the Distillers.
The songs and rhythms are catchier than her previous work, no doubt somewhat influenced by Brody’s marriage to Queens of the Stone Age front man Josh Homme.
Former Distillers guitarist Tony Bevilacqua played on
Ghetto Love, along with drummer Jack Irons, and QotSA guitarist Alain Johannes. In an interview posted on UK Website
Teletext, Brody said she plans on using different musicians when she tours. “Spinnerette isn't a band,” she said. “It’s me and whichever musicians I want to work with at the time.”
Ghetto Love.mp3Labels: new stuff
“Nothing changes on new years day”
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And never brought to mind?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
And days o' lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my jo,
For auld lang syne,
We’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
For auld lang syne.
Sure, it’s the obvious choice, but what the hell.
This is a live version of “New Year’s Day,” from U2’s 1989 New Year’s Eve show in Dublin, Ireland. Excellent sound quality, as it originally comes from either a television or radio broadcast.
If there’s any enthusiasm for it, I
could post the whole show at a future date.
New Year’s Day (live).mp3Labels: classic rock, U2
Again from the “I’m a sucker for a cool band name” file comes Speedball Baby. 
Verta-Ray and Ward recruited bass player Ali Smith and drummer Dave Roy, before independently releasing two EPs in the mid-1990s. Speedball Baby recorded one album for MCA records then decided the corporate music world was not to their liking. They returned to an independent label, where they remain. Several musicians, including Jon Spencer, have contributed to the Speedball Baby legend, with Ward and Verta-Ray being the only constants. 
