Don Covay Has Left the Building

 Posted by
Feb 032015
 

I’ll need to get some time and write out my thoughts in some detail after hearing the news that Don Covay has died. I’ve loved Covay since discovering the man behind so many songs I first knew by other artists, thanks to a collection put out by the record label owned by a friend’s brother. My friend E. Pluribus Gergely and I, with whom I argued over who was better, Covay or Joe Tex (he was on Team Tex), went to a soul revue in Atlantic City about 10 to 15 years ago. Lloyd Price took a moment, at one point, to note his friend Don Covay in the audience. He made Don stand up and take a bow. A big guy in a white suit did as instructed. He was about 5 seats down from us. We so wanted to leap over the people beside us and hang with Covay!

Covay was probably the most rocking of R&B guys (see “Sookie Sookie” among songs rockers covered with ease and success) – not in an over-the-top “white” way but in terms of playing guitar-based rhythms that perfectly bridged the slight gap in the ’60s of “white” and “black” music. Graham Parker & the Rumour‘s live cover of “Chain of Fools” comes to mind. His knack for out-Stonesing the Stones continued into the early ’70s, with the amazing song “Hot Blood.” I can’t find it on YouTube just now, but it could easily pass for the best song on Black and Blue. So much great stuff that overcame a degree of hokiness, such as “I Was Checking Out (While She Was Checking In)”. I wish I could crank up “We Can’t Make It No More” right now. Hey, maybe I just took the time I needed to write down my thoughts.

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Satan Movie Rock!

 Posted by
Jan 292015
 

“What is that?!?!” my wife said across the kitchen table one evening last week, as we each picked away at some work on our laptops. I was playing an album by Clinic in the background.

“I should have known you wouldn’t like them,” I said, “They appeal to my love of ’70s Satan movies.”

“Yeah,” she said, “it sounds like the Cure doing the soundtrack for a Satan movie.”

My wife shares a lot of my music tastes, but she doesn’t like creepy music. Or creepy movies or books or paintings, for that matter. She couldn’t believe how excited I was, recently, to tear through a new book on Charles Manson. The rare times she makes the mistake of being in a room with me while I’m watching a movie like The Omen and cackling with laughter she’s shocked at my ability to a) enjoy such schlock and b) laugh at the scary bits.

You know what Beatles song she doesn’t like, a song I assume all Beatles fans (which she is) likes? “Come Together,” because she says it creeps her out. I love the cult vibe behind that song. I love what I call Satan Movie Rock: Clinic, Psychic TV, individual songs like “Come Together” and “Season of the Witch”… I’m not talking about stupid songs about Satan, but songs that Satan might hum in a private moment.

How do you get your Satan on?

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The Future of Rock ‘n Roll

 Posted by
Jan 192015
 


Rock ‘n roll will never die, as this peak into the future confirms. Spock, however, looks about as convinced as my close, personal friend Andyr, when he’s watching a band from the front of the stage.

What do you see for the future of rock ‘n roll?

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Cool Movie Cameos

 Posted by
Jan 162015
 

We have a sick boy at home, so that means movie time—and he’s young enough (7) to watch just about anything that shows up on TCM without much complaint. Earlier this week, a movie called Hootenanny Hoot was on—and who pops up but a young Johnny Cash, looking pretty doggone cool.

The movie, which is sort of a cash-in on the early ’60s folk movement, isn’t very good, but does include a couple of great performances by Judy Henske. She kind of steals the show for me because they only have the one Cash song. I’d never heard of her, but she seems like a precursor of Janis and Grace Slick. I guess her most famous song is an early version of “High Flyin’ Bird,” which predates the Jefferson Airplane cover by 3 years or so.

I also like movies that pop in surprises—like Marshall Crenshaw playing Buddy Holly in La Bamba  or Aimee Mann in The Big Lebowski.

What are some of your favorite artist cameos: musical performance or acting?

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Last Man Standing: Identify the Friends of Sleater-Kinney in Their New Video

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Jan 162015
 

Miserable old farts of Rock Town Hall, in today’s Last Man Standing I want to test our collective ability to identify the friends of Sleater-Kinney appearing in their sing-along video for “No Cities to Love,” the title track from the magically reunited (and as powerful as ever) band. Here’s the deal:

  1. As with any Last Man Standing, please limit yourself to one entry per post. In other words, DON’T BOGART THIS THREAD.
  2. Please don’t cheat. You’ve been known for your honesty and integrity in these Last Man Standing competitions over the years; this is a sterling opportunity to show the world that you have maintained those high standards.
  3. Feel free to add commentary regarding the Friend of S-K you have identified, including your thoughts on his or her performance, their own body of work, or something as petty as the individual’s Look.

I look forward to you helping me identify the few Friends of S-K I’m unable to identify. First Townsperson to inspire the return of Alexmagic gets a special prize.

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