Friday, December 31, 2021

ZZAJ - "10 Years After" (1990)

 
Here's my end of the years presentation, a 1990 tape by Dick Metcalf, aka zZaj called "10 Years After" I think, or maybe "Trillium Less One." It's zZaj, it's up to you to figure it out.

The musicians involved on this project are Atkins - Rhodes, Zzaj - Sampler, Bells, Glaude - Drums, Trumpet, Pepper - Percussion, Sax, and P. Atkins - Rhodes Adjustment. Side 2 has contributions also by Vale - D50, and Mark - Drums.
From the "Freeing The Natural" side.....Hold on to your hats......

Tuesday, December 28, 2021

AMAZING THRIFT VOLUME SEVENTEEN - "The Murder Of Two Men By A Young Kid Wearing Lemon-Colored Gloves" (1992)

 
Besides home produced tapes, and D.I.Y. magazines, there were art projects, mail projects, and nutty things like the "Amazing Thrift" compilation series put together by the Amazing Michael Gonzales, and his OOH OOH Music label in North Canton, Ohio.

 
 This series of tapes were compilations put together by people Michael knew or corresponded with that included cuts found on records found in thrift stores, hence the title.

 
The songs for this tape were chosen by yours truly, and included a cover of "Tell Mama" by the Stanford University Marching Band, the original horrid version of "My Little Red Book" by Burt Bacharach, an outlandish cover of "Yellow Rose Of Texas" by Hochpops, Voodoo Drums, Stan "The Man" Musial, and more.

 But one of my favorites among the bunch has got to be this wild jazz poem!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2021

LORD LITTER - "Just Blame Eddie" (2001)

 
Back in the early 2000's Steve Zimmerman launched his Orange Entropy label. Hermanos Guzanos had four CD's on his label, and Lord Litter had a few also. This one titled "Just Blame Eddie" is pretty close to a masterpiece in my humble opinion. Simple, yet very, very effective.

 
It's all done by Lord Litter himself, and if you want to know more about what he's doing today, you can always go to his website http://www.lordlitter.de/
And if you want to check out some of his killer radio broadcasts, you can also get lost at his Internet Archive site for a few days, or weeks, which I highly recommend!

I had a hard picking out a song for you to hear, but I got it down to two when I realized they were both the same song, but two distinctively different versions. So here you go, as the good Lord likes to say himself, Cheerz!!

Monday, December 13, 2021

GAJOOB SAMPLER - Issue #9, Sampler #5 (1993)

 
Issue #9 of Gajoob magazine came with five sampler tapes. Each tape included music that was reviewed in the magazine. and all the tapes in this series had this same artwork from my best pal Gary Wray! This cassette included a wide variety of acts from the Wallmen to The Blind Mime Ensemble. Mixed in between all that was music by people like the Lobelia Haymakers from North Carolina.
 I never had any direct contact with Lobelia Haymakers, but there were two cassettes reviewed in this issue, "Wish I Had Two Of 'Em," and "Life Among The Shimfs," and the general consensus was that this was "very good guitar rock 'n' roll with a definite good time garage element." If it all sounded like this song, I couldn't agree more!
"Words & music copyright D.W. Bostic, who also was the guitarist, bassist and vocalist, with help from vocalist Wahoo Willie Thibodeaux, drummer Tim Pyne, and engineer Chris Massie.

Thursday, December 9, 2021

ZAZERAC - "Peace" (2006)


 The whole freakin' world needs to chill right about now, and I can't think of a better way to do it than with some more Super Cool music from John Sanders and Zazerac.
This is a tune from 2006 when Zazerac were based in Memphis, and it features John Sanders on Keyboards, Aaron Northern playing Drums, Troy Isom on Guitar, Matt on Bass, Larry Randolph playing Saxophone, and it's perfect for this rainy day morning.

Friday, December 3, 2021

THE ARTISTRY OF WHITEY THOMAS PLAYING HIS "BODACIOUS" TRUMPET AND VALVE TROMBONE - (1960)

I've met a lot of interesting artists and musicians in my life, but none was any cooler than my good buddy Whitey Thomas. They called him Whitey because of his blonde locks. Whitey played trumpet with the Glenn Miller Army Air Force band, and when the war was over, he played with the Glenn Miller Orchestra. Whitey claimed he was the last man to see Glenn Miller alive, and I have no reason to doubt him.

When the war was over, and the big band days came to an end, musicians like Whitey became band leaders, or formed their own groups, and played in nightclubs and restaurants from Las Vegas to New York. Joining Whitey in this combo were Larry Kinnamon who had formerly played with The Harry James Orchestra, on piano and vibes, Jack Ordean who had played in The Stan Kenton Orchestra, on sax and clarinet, John Snyder, former Tommy Dorsey Orchestra member, on drums, and Roland Evans playing the bass.

Whitey landed in Bakersfield, California, and became a regular at a fancy French restaurant and steakhouse called Maison Jaussand. Back then, the highway still ran through town, and Jaussaud's as it was sometimes referred to, was a very popular place.

I was very lucky to find a copy of the original 1960's Maison Jaussaud menu on the internet.

I'm really hoping that's spaghetti sauce and not blood on the menu!

More than anything, check out those prices, you could get a whole lobster for $4.50, or a filet mignon for five bucks, and it came with Hors d' Oeuvres Maison, soup, salad, vegetables, bread and butter, and ice cream. Incredible, but not as incredible as this vintage music, which was obviously the last song of the night!

Monday, November 29, 2021

WESTERN MEDICINE - "Just A Spoonful" (2016)

 
Western Medicine is a young band from Bakersfield, California, fronted by my good friend Emile Antonell.

This CD called "Just A Spoonful" was independently released in 2016 when the band only had three members, with Emile on Guitar and Vocals, K. Scott Bjork on Bass, and Grant Burich on Drums.

The band evolved into a four piece unit when Emile met the love of his life, Rebecca Spickler, who now plays keys, and sings backup vocals.

These photos were taken earlier in the year when they performed a live steaming concert from The Fox Theater to an empty house because of Covid.

To access their full catalogue, go check out their Bandcamp page. But in the meantime, here's the first cut off of this CD!

Sunday, November 28, 2021

WEED SAMPLER 3 - "A Winfried Pickart Various Artists Compilation" (1988)

 
"Weed Sampler 3" was another various artists compilation put out in 1988 by my friend Winfried Pickart from Germany. I traded tapes with a lot of people, but most of it was just sending tapes back and forth, but some people like Winnie, I considered to be a friend, and wrote a lot more than others.

Winnie really believed in what he was doing, and it's a shame he is no longer with us!

I always felt lucky to be one of the only American bands on one of these various artists comps, along with such cool Euro bands and people like Local Scandal, No Authorized, Maffick, Klimperei, Deleted, Adrian Cox, Les Larmes, Andy Xport, Driven to Distraction, and Pol Silentblock, and that was only on Side One.

Side 2 delivered even more with Die Manner, Elephant Bangs Train, J.P. Espil and Totentanz, Meadow Meal, Cryptic Flowers, Gerfried Feistritzer, Die Rache, Areknuteknyerne, ZBZ, Gypsy, and Winnie's own band Rattus Rexx assisted by another very good friend, Lord Litter.
Here's a pretty cool representation of what you could expect to hear on a tape like this, from Side One....

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

JOE SHMOE - "Songs For All Occasions" (2014)

 
 Any holiday is a good time to go back to the CD by Joe Shmoe called "Songs For All Occasions." 
There is something on this disc to offend anybody and everybody for each and every holiday you can imagine.
"Never Before Collected Together On One Recording."
"Impress Your Family and Friends This Holiday Season,"
There is some vulgar language, so be forewarned, even Joe says... ADULTS ONLY!! 

Friday, November 19, 2021

BOB BUNCE - "Fondely - Maid Sounds" (1992)

 
"Fondely - Maid Sounds From Beyond Riddum Labs - '92" was a tape by Bob Bunce from Rochester, New York, but it was also kind of a compilation tape with some songs being other projects Bob was working on featuring other people. Officer Gordo is on here, along with Joe Schmo & The Shmuks, and The Mysterious Finks. I don't remember this tape at all, but on about half the songs, the basic tracks were by Hermanos Guzanos, such is the case with this one, and Bob singing and playing guitar on top of it!


Monday, November 8, 2021

ED DRURY - "The Next Time" (2021)

 
Ed Drury's latest is called "The Next Time" and it's just as good as The Last Time.

 
Ed's music is very soothing, which is really refreshing in these times of harshness and hatred, and there's much to enjoy here.
This song called  "Puzzles and Pens" is a classic example of a style of moody and introspective instrumentals that bring early Fleetwood Mac and Peter Green to mind.

Thursday, November 4, 2021

JOHN BARTLES - PSYCHEDELIC SOAP OPERA - "A Panaeolus Psycho-Pop Sock-Hop"

"Psychedelic Soap Opera" is one of the many CD's John Bartles has released over the years of songs from some of his other multitude of tapes and CDs.
 
Don't exactly know the year, but this is a fine assortment of John's work!

 
This CD has got some great stuff on it, and I'm going to play for you a side of John you might not have ever heard before. John is a real storyteller, can spin quite a tale, and with the backing of such superlative musicians as there are on this song, well, you just need to hear it to believe or understand!
 You're welcome!  

Sunday, October 31, 2021

HERMANOS GUZANOS - "X-13" (1989)

 
It's Halloween, so who better to celebrate the holiday with than those three bozos known collectively as The Worm Brothers (For those of you who don't speak Spanish), and one of their weirdest tapes, "X-13 - 13 Cuts From Beyond -X-."  Some of the other titles on this tape are "Toxic Dump," "Leaky Faucets," "Brain Eaters," and "Triffids!" Rats all you need to know!
 

Wednesday, October 27, 2021

REV. TOM FROST - "Every Goddam Thing To Hell" (2011)

 
I don't know why it's taken me so long to get around to this one, but the time is just right, even if it's ten years late. This is a very cool CD from my good friend Reverend Tom Frost, that he released on October 25, 2011, and was called "Every Goddam Thing To Hell."

Tom"s birthday was just two days ago, and this song and this CD are perfect for this time of the year.
You can get all the blessings you need, and listen to as much great music as you want on
In the meantime, here's something to get your blood churning! It don't get much Halloweenier than this!

Monday, October 25, 2021

THE KING IS DEAD - "Long Live The King" (1989)

"The King Is Dead - Long Live The King" was an Elvis tribute tape from RRRecords in Lowell, Massachusetts in 1989.
 
This was a various artist's compilation tape that included the likes of Signal 30. The Eberly Brothers, Wigglepig, Spit, Evan Cantor, Sick Room Serenade, Due Process, John Oswald, Don Decker, La Sonorite Jaune, Usward, Elvis Messiahs, and even a couple of short snippets from The King himself.

I don't know it for a fact, but I would imagine most of these contact addresses are defunct.

Here's the opening song on Side Two................

Monday, October 18, 2021

FRENCH WEREWOLVES - "The Barfbag Ventriloquist" (2021)

"The Barfbag Ventriloquist" is the latest release by the French Werewolves, and was released in 2021. The band is composed of Sockeye Dave formerly of Stow, Ohio, and now working out of Saginaw, Michigan, and is a dual release on his Wheelchair Of Old Men label, and is also available from Taco Rat Records!
 
 
There's also a one page interview that sheds a lot of light on how this band functions.

It might be just one page, but it's got two sides, just because that's the way Dave works!

There are eighteen enchanting cuts on this disc, so it was nearly impossible to choose just one. It was a real tough decision to make between the sentimental "Foul Ball Hits Mother in the Head and Kills Her,"and this other one, but after hours of deliberation I finally decided on the anthemic...

Friday, October 15, 2021

THE RUDY SCHWARTZ PROJECT - "Plastic Containers Retain Odors" (1988)

 
The Rudy Schwartz Project is the alto-igor of Joe Newman from Austin, Texas.

 
Joe sent me this tape in the late 1980's in a trade for one of our Hermanos Guzanos tapes.
This guy has got an incredible sense of humor, and an astounding body of work!

 
There are some guest musicians, but for the most part, this music is written, arranged, played, sung, excreted, and/or programmed by Joe (Have An Extra Special Day) Newman!

The Rudy Schwartz Project is one of the more popular of the 80's home tape artists, and has a massive catalogue on Amazon, with some free streaming songs, and some songs that can be purchased, and you can get the whole skinny right HERE!!
In the meantime, here's just a taste of that which is, the genius of Joe Newman! 
This song is dedicated to Carl Finch and Brave Combo.