MUSiC: Back On Drums!

Well, this is good! I recently set up my Gretsch Catalina Club Jazz kit. All my kits had been packed away, for quite a number of months. And I hadn’t been playing for a good long while prior to packing them up.

A few fairly recent events in my life had precipitated the worst depression of my life so far. And I’ve had a few such episodes over the years, alas. Both energy and desire had vanished from my life.

It was all I could do to survive, from day to day. There was nothing left in the tank for such past passions as musical creativity, or even just maintenance level practice.

I’d decided it was all just a delusional waste of time and energy. I was crushed, and beaten, by the vicissitudes of life. I’d come to the conclusion I should jack it all in.

And as a result of such thinking, and poverty, I’ve already sold quite a substantial chunk of gear. Some of which decluttering is probably a good thing. But I’ve also parted with stuff I’d far rather have kept.

But I feel that I might be gradually emerging from the slough of despond. The desire to set up my kit and play it came upon me. And it feels good. I’m rustier than a… erm, rusty thang!?

But you gotta start where you’re at. Ain’t no place else one can start from!

ARTS & CRAFTS: Plasticene Napoleonic Figure

Out of the box…

I first tried my hand a clay figures as a kid. Donkeys years ago. Including an attempt at a stop frame animation (an orc cleaving a boulder in twain!).

More recently there’s been my claymation Curtis. I made that two or three years ago. Going back a bit further, but not as far back as childhood – maybe around ten years? – I made this Napoleonic Frenchman.

New bits: backpack and greatcoat roll.

I found this in a box, with some plasticene in it. The figure had fallen to bits. This tends to happens where blocks of plasticene meet. It’s a fault one waiting to part. So first think was to reassemble him.

Then I finished two incomplete parts: his rucksack and greatcoat roll. And added them to the figure. Sadly he’ll most likely fall to bits again. But I’d like to finish him, and maybe animate him a bit. Perhaps not as a stop-motion film.

More likely I’ll just clean him up – the colours tend to transfer, annoyingly (the blue here is esp’ irksome that way) – pose him a bit, and then dispatch him to Valhalla.

I’d like to find a way to make figures that won’t degrade. Perhaps from some kind of rubber, over a workable armature? These primitive plasticene hobbies don’t seem to have a durable shelf life!

MUSiC: Uncle Walt Fever!

Ok, so I’m having a real ball listening to Uncle Walt’s Band. I’ve ordered all three of their self-released official albums. I was a bit unsure about getting this anthology, ‘cause I have most of it already.

But I’ve caved in. They’re so good, I simply have to have it all. There’s a couple of tracks at least that I can’t get elsewhere, ‘Getaway’, an original, and the ol’ timey classic, ‘Sitting On Top Of The World’.

Can’t wait!

RELATED NEWS: The Contenders, 1978

The original vinyl version (‘78?).

My mania for all things Walt, Champ (and David) does have limits, though. As I’ve discovered on listening to the above. Walt and Champ were part of The Contenders, a short lived group who released just the one album (see above).

I love the Walt and Champ stuff, but not much else, alas. The album opens with ‘Lean On Your Mind’, which I know from the (superior) UWB version. But when tracks by non UWB members come on, I’m unmoved.

Tommy Goldsmith, Walt, Champ, Steve Runkle, Jimbeau Walsh.

And I’m not too taken with the drummer. Which, as a drummer myself, is an issue. Sorry, Jimbeau! Walt’s sister Kathy occasionally played drums with UWB (she might even be on some of their recordings?). But I like them best sans drums.

I’ve only managed a partial listen to The Contenders. Maybe it’ll grow on me? But somehow I suspect not. It’s been re-released. And allegedly the sound is much improved. So maybe I ought to check out the reissue?

The reissue, with a new cover design.

Hmmm!?

MUSiC: Uncle Walt @ Austin City Limits, 1980 (& more!)

Just lovin’ Walt & co! One of the best concerts I’ve ever seen on video is Tom Waits at Austin City Limits. And that’s available online in very good definition.

Sadly this video isn’t great, in terms of graphics. The definition is rather poor! But the music? That’s a whole ‘nother Turkey shoot. Fabulous.

Setlist:
Shine On
Honest Papas Love Their Mamas Better
Don’t You Know
Seat of Logic
Green Tree
Getaway
For The First Time
Snowing Me Under
Sitting On Top Of The World

I wonder if this is available anywhere in better definition? Such beautiful music deserves better. Still, that said, I’m terrifically grateful to the person who shared this VHS recording.

Wonderful stuff!

And if, like me, you just can’t get enough of this good stuff, you’ll dig the above video. An hour long live recording of the dudes, from 1975.

Tillman Hall, 26/2/‘75
1. Seat of Logic
2. Billy Goat Hop
3. Your Tender Kiss
4. Can’t You Hear Me Callin’ (Sweetheart of Mine)
5. Every Road I Pass
6. Getaway
7. The Spittoon
8. Don’t You Think I Feel It Too
9. In the Night
10. Beauty in the Flesh
11. Aloha
12. Amethyst (Walter’s solo spotlight)
13. Bach guitar piece (Champ’s solo spotlight)
14. Brisk Young Widow (David’s solo spotlight)
15. Under the Boardwalk
16. As the Crow Flies
17. Whatever Reason
18. Dish Wiped Clean
19. Sittin’ on Top of The World
20. Undecided

The venue for the latter concert recording is, alas, named for Benjamin Tillman, a white supremacist. I wonder what he’d have made of these three white boys playing ‘Under The Boardwalk’?

Indeed, I heard David Ball saying, in an interview (Patrick Scott Armstrong, Lone Star Plate?) that when he’d mentioned liking ‘Hot Fun In The Summertime’, by Sly & The Family Stone, Walter and Champ learned it, and the group played it live several times.

They play plenty of blues (not so much on this gig tho’), and plenty of what was once called ‘race music’, in the US of A. And if Ben Tillman saw this (below), he’d be spinning in his grave so hard he’d drill his racist ass straight to Hell:

Now that makes these cats the kind of good ol’ southern boys I can really get behind.

MUSiC: Getaway, etc, Uncle Walt’s Band

I was hoping that I’d find this fabulous track on one of the Uncle Walt albums I’ve already acquired. But no! It’s not on either. They had a third album, which was all live stuff. Perhaps it was on that?

Another Omnivore expanded reissue.

But nope, ‘Getaway’ isn’t on this either! Not to worry. I’ve ordered it anyway. I love them so much I can’t imagine not loving this one as well as the others. How am I going to get Getaway, though? Not sure about buying the Omnivore comp’, Those Boys From Carolina, They Sure Enough Could Sing, just to get one track!

DAYS iN (& OUT): More Music, & Sherlock Holmes

Listening to this again…

Rather annoyingly, during my shift today the leaflet in the above CD fell out of the car. I’ve only had the CD a day or two, and now it looks like it’s years old. Damn!

And this one too…

One song that jumped out at me today was ‘Early Riser’, a live track included as an extra on the Omnivore reissue of their debut (above). It appeals to me as antidote to another of their tracks, ‘In The Night’.

Whereas ‘In The Night’ celebrates the wee small hours, ‘Early Riser’ finds our handsome hirsute hero turning in nice and early! I do that, and I love it. I haven’t mastered the other part, the part that gives the song its title.

And in the evening, afore bed, we watched Pursuit to Algiers, with Basil Shinbone and Nigel ‘the Bruce’. Ah, what formulaic fun.

A red herring?

I do love the combo of Basil and Nigel. Not very Conan Doyle, admittedly. Esp’ Bruce’s bumbling buffoonery! But I grew up watching these, and they’ve carved a little niche in my heart.

Crimes at sea? It’s not all black and white.

Who really cares about the silly plots? It’s all about the heroic pair, and their chemistry. Rathbone’s Holmes is always clipped, often earnest, and frequently in a hurry. Bruce’s Doc’ is slower paced, hankers after food n’ drink, a bit of sport, and comely dames.

Will Holmes solve the case, whilst simultaneously sending up Watson, and still charm the pants off everyone, inc. the Doc’? Of course. He always does. It’s not the destination, be it Algiers or elsewhere. It’s the trip.

DAYS iN/HOME: Tidying The Blue Room (Again!)

View from the doorway.

As ever, we’re just chasing clutter around the house. I am selling stuff, slowly. In the last year or so I’ve probably sold about £3Ks worth of musical gear. Alas, for less than that. Prob realising about £2K on it.

And sadly that’s just money to stay afloat. A slow process of asset attrition. Not ideal at all. And not selling because I want of the stuff, but because of a combo of poverty and lack of storage space!

The same view from the window end.

We might let the blue room. We’ve been thinking about it for ages. I’ve been really set against it. Not wanting to share our home now we’re in our 50s! But this time the possible tenant is family. And that makes all the difference.

I really ought to clear this table as well!

These are the ‘before’ pics. I’m taking a coffee break. Listening to Dorothy Ashby, with Chester sat beside me. In about 15 minutes I’ll tackle the table. Then I’ll take the ‘after’ shots.

This area really needs addressing.

The above area is a bit of a dead space at present. I really want to do something better with it. One idea is a box-shelf/cupboard type construction, atop the fridge (but attached to the walls.

The microwave ought to come down off the fridge, as well. So perhaps another box-cupboard thing to the left of the fridge, with the microwave sat on it?

The most improved aspect.

The best work I did, of a short term sort, I guess, moving the drum kits off the bed. But they’ve remained in the room. They’re cluttering up a different area now. As you’ll see below.

Looking from the window towards the door.

I actually improved on the above, by removing most of the clutter off the chest o’drawers. The drum bits are now behind where I was stood taking the above snap. And a few other bits (eg headphones), are elsewhere now, as well.

Cleared the table about 60-70%.

I managed to remove about two thirds of the stuff off the tabletop. Which is good. I’ve just bunged it on our bed for now. I’ll have to deal with it properly later, or tomorrow.

Uh-oh! Drums aplenty.

My Ayotte and Mapex kits are mostly (but not completely, as can be seen above) bagged up. And are stacked separately. The Mapex is hiding the Ayotte! You can still access the fridge. Which is a necessity, as we already use it as a backup to our other fridge and freezer set up, downstairs.

Even better!

Finally got the table (more or less) completely cleared. And I’m glad we did. As Antonio, our prospective tenant, and (former?*) brother in law, sat down at it to test our WiFi, and see if it’s up to snuff for his work.

He seems pleased, and it looks like we’ll have a tenant for a while, from mid-April.

MUSiC: The Other Side of Abbey Road, George Benson, 19??

This is one of the many GB albums I don’t yet have in a ‘hard copy’ format, yet. Indeed, I don’t think I’d ever even listened to it until now.

Having been totally blown away by the Rick Beato George Benson interview, I’ve been delving into areas of Benson’s back catalogue I’d not explored before.

And, unsurprisingly, it’s proving a rich and rewarding experience. This disc is interesting for numerous reasons. First of all it’s unusual, in popular music, for an artist to release an entire album covering just one other artist.

Secondly, later on in Benson’s career he’d get a lot of flak for ‘selling out’, as he began introducing vocal numbers. But, as he says when talking to Rick, he’d always sung, since childhood. And this album precedes the ones – Breezin, In Flight, etc – that drew certain folks’ ire.

Personally I absolutely love these recordings. What’s not to love? Excellent songs, reinterpreted by equally excellent musicians, but in a different vein. The blend of jazz, R’n’B, popular song, and terrific classical influenced arrangement, all add up to a Fab whole.

MUSiC: An American in Texas, Uncle Walt’s Band, 1980

A short while back I discovered Uncle Walt’s Band, and bought their self-released debut, reissued by Omnivore, with lots of bonus material. It’s superb.

I love it so much I’ve now got their follow up (also self-released), An American in Texas. This is another Omnivore reissue. Also packed to the gills with extras.

The group actually took a bit of a hiatus, between albums one and two. According to the liner notes for this album, Champ Hood took up violin between the recording of the first and second album. There is violin on the first disc, however. So I wonder about that?

What’s certain is that the violin plays a more prominent role here, later on. For example, the title track itself is a violin lead instrumental.

My initial reaction is that whilst American is brilliant, I slightly prefer their debut. What’s intriguing is that the extras on American are phenomenally good.

The upshot is that both collections, albums one and two, when taken together with the extras, are utterly fabulous.