Music Worth Noticing

Text and still images © Robert Barry Francos
Videos from the Internet

There is a lot of great music out there, though there is a far larger amount of stuff I never need to hear again. That being said, I am listing here a half dozen plus two songs and musicians who never really received the attention they deserved. Many are cult status and definitely have their fans, but never to the level of where they would be appreciated on a mass level. There is something to be said that perhaps it is better that way because then success would not “tarnish” them, a punk sentiment that is sometimes wildly wrong (such as with Husker Du) and sometimes right on (Blondie comes to mind). There is no particular order in which these are listed, and I have no idea how long the links will last, but here ya go:

[B-Girls at CBGBs, 1978]
1. The B Girls – “Fun at the Beach”
The first I saw this Vancouver band play at CBGB was in 1978, opening for the Runaways (just after Cherrie left). Like the band they were opening for, the lead singer would soon leave, and the band would fall apart. This is a shame because similar to the ‘60s surf bands that didn’t surf (e.g., The Trashmen), the B Girls embodied a California sound that they adopted and adapted. Their releases on Bomp! Records are pure pop powerhouse fun.

2. John Otway and Wild Willy Barrett – “Really Free”
Back in the late ‘70s, I had the opportunity to interview John Otway for my fanzine, FFanzeen, thanks to the wonderful Janis Shacht. Wild Willy didn’t come for the U.S. tour, which is hardly surprising since it was to promote John’s first non-Willy release, on Stiff. His show at the Ritz (if I remember correctly) was very lively and filled with motion. Otway is definitely a bigger cult hero in the U.K., with a few hits, and never made much of a dent here. Some of my fave cuts are this one, and “Beware of the Flowers Coz I’m Sure They’re Gonna Get You (Yeah).” A few years ago, Otway came out with a greatest hits album, which has become a regular on my car system, and worth seeking out.

3. Her and Kings County – “My Backyard”
This New York group is young and viable, having recently released their second CD. While listed under the country category, I would hardly call them C&W. This is a fun tune about growing up in the Bronx, being “Fifteen feet from the highway…A million miles from Nashville.” I am glad to have had the opportunity to get to hear them.

[Kim Kane of the Slickee Boys, at CBGB, late '70s]
4. The Slickee Boys – “Ya Gotta Tell Me Why”
I got to watch the Washington D.C.-based Slickee Boys play CBGB a few times in the ‘70s, and they always came across as exciting, in a Fleshtones kind of way (easily seen in this video). Vocalist Mark Noone and guitarist Kim Kane had a driving pop melody that very few have matched.

5. Lopez Beatles – “Bitchen Party”
I’m not sure where I first became away of the Lopez Beatles. It may have been this video airing on Videowave, or the Friday Night Videos program ABC used to air, when Ric Ducommun ran it – or perhaps Tom Kenny – and they showed many off-beat selections (like “”Dog Police” by the Dog Police [youtube.com/watch?v=0359hSerDeE] and Billy and the Buttons “Whole Fam Damily”). These brothers are very off kilter in a California punk pop way that make this simply charming and energetic.


[Paula Pierce of the Pandoras, at Irving Plaza, early '80s]
6. The Pandoras – “Hot Generation”
The show where they played Irving Plaza in the early ‘80s was killer. Paula Pierce was fierce in her post-garage period (before the band went more mainstream metal), fueled by Bomp! and the California surf scene. Unfortunately, Paula died of cancer at a very young age, and they never got to reach the level they were probably destined to achieve. Their most popular song is “Stop Pretending,” written about an ex-boyfriend who was a fanzine editor in NYC (and a total dick to me more than once), but this one is closer to the period when I saw them.

7. Sophe Lux – “Target Market”
This video takes a while to get going, but it is most certainly worth the wait. I first became aware of the band when I reviewed their CD for a paper that is long gone. They are certainly Baroque and ethereal, but they certainly don’t come across as pretentious to me. Again, this band is still going strong, and I am sorry to have missed them when they played in New York last year at Joe’s Pub.

8. The Cynics – “Girl, You’re On My Mind”
The Cynics are still going strong after a number of years and personnel changes, though vocalist Michael and guitarist Greg have been steady throughout. I’ve seen them play a few times in New York (and at Maxwell’s in Hoboken). The last time was with Mystic Eyes, led by Bernie Kugel, who coincidentally wrote this song (Mystic Eyes are also on Greg’s Pittsburgh homed label, Get Hip. Just about anything on that label is worth seeking, and this song especially. This is just one of the many amazing videos to be found on the documentary DVD, The Knights of Fuzz.

CD Reviews: A Wild Bunch

All album covers from the Internet
Live FFoto (c) Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

Wow, looks can be deceiving. When you meet PHIL MINISSALE, he is a nice, sweet lookin’ kid, but don’t be fooled because he is also a very talented folk blues guitarist and vocalist. It’s a well-known local secret that Huntington, Long Island is a hotbed for this sound (including the likes of Michael Soloway). On his self titled EP (myspace.com/philminisallemusic.com), Phil does four tunes, which shows not only an incredibly strong flash guitarwork, but he has a gravel voice that is mature beyond his years. His songs range from a dark humorous look at his life and how he imagines it is going (“Blues Boy”) to an appropriately named instrumental “Marsh Creek Tickle”. Though only 14 minutes, this is worth seeking out if you’re looking for someone of this style. This guy has mucho potential.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

J-WALKERS is a side-group project led by the New Mastersounds’ Joe Tatton and the Capri’s Benson Walker, and they have released another CD, All We Can Do (glp.caprimusic.co.uk). Their style, as is typical of this Leeds-based label, is a hot R&B funky sound with a bit of rock thrown into the mix. While this is a fun release, that I highly recommend, I must admit I like the material led by Walker a tad more. It definitely has an earthy sound, and Walker’s growl is just what this style needed to feed it. They start of very strong with “When I Got You In My Life”, a tune that could have easily come out of the Stax catalog (oh, wait; they’re British, so “catalogue”). Also strong is “You Don’t Know Me.” More of the songs are by Tatton, who has a very sweet voice that is more Motown, and he brings a softer side to the music. I’m in more of a gritty mood these days, I think. That being said, one of the strongest songs here is the finale, “There’s a Place,” which is, of course, one of Tatton’s. Go figure.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

THE JOLLY ROGUES of Boston return with a new collection of olde ditties, 14 Miles to Boston (www.jollyrogues.com). As with their last release, this is a mixture of British and New England music from the Revolutionary War period, and before. Again, this quintet is more a bunch of friends sitting around the living room singing the kind of music they enjoy, more than a slick, packaged group (e.g., Renaissance), which gives it a more personable feel, and in the long run is more accurate than filtered through a multi-million dollar studio. There is a lot of interesting music sounds, like “Revolutionary Tea”, “The Road to Boston”, “Martin Said to His Man”, and “Rakes of Mallow”. There are some classics here, too, like “Bonnie Charlie” and “The Fox”. An interesting listen and a bit of a music history lesson mixed in.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

MIRAH AND SPECTRATONE INTERNATIONAL has done something I have never heard before, which is cool. On Share This Place: Stories & Observations (krecs.com) they take a musical look at the lives of insects. But I get ahead of myself. Sweet-sounding vocalist Mirah is joined by Linda Goldstein (cello), Jane Hall (percussion), Kyle Hanson (accordion), and Kane Mathis (oud, which is a predecessor of the lute). Each cut takes a look at life from the perspective of a minute creature, including “Love Song of the Fly”, “Gestation of the Sacred Beetle”, “Emergence of the Primary Larva,” “Luminescence” (fireflies), and “Community” (ants). Stylistically, this alt pop flitters around genres like a bee, if you’ll pardon the allusion. The collection is very sweet, with Mirah’s sweet voice over the off-beat use of classical instruments. This can be a nice listen for a sunny afternoon.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

After listening to My Piano (darrellelondon.com), I want to offer Toronto-based DARRELLE LONDON a big hug. This is such a personal document that is so basic, so simple, that it just fills the room. Darrelle and, well, her piano, sings about seeking companionship in her instrument (sort of an “At Seventeen” vibe that is more touching than depressing), post-relationship personal growth, and of a plaintive love. Darrelle’s voice is so comfortable, so waif-like (without sounding weak), and so personable, that she comes across as accessible and touching. All six cuts are recommended.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

Yo, youse ever hear-a HER & KINGS COUNTY? Yeah, these guys are from New York, a center of alt country (especially Hank’s Saloon, in Brooklyn), though trying to pin down a descriptive phrase is unlikely. City Country (herandkingscounty.com) definitely has some country, but it’s not country. These songs have some strong rock phrasing, but they aren’t rock. They have a lot of fuck you punk attitude, but they are not punk. There is an element of pop (in a good way), but they can hardly be called pop. But somewhere between all of that is where they sleep, “15 feet from the highway / a million miles from Nashville”, as they state on their opening cut, “My Backyard”. And that distance from Tennessee is just as esthetic as in driving time. A perfect example of this mix is the title cut. Vocalist Monique Staffile looks like she stepped out of a “Catholic High School Girls in Trouble” video with her high hair and leather jacket, and a powerful voice that could be at home in just about any music style. Lyrically, they slide around styles as much as the music. One minute you’d expect a dog-truck-hoedown, and the next Monique screams out in a finger-poking way, “I ain’t your fuckin’ daughter!” As the front person Monique is going to gain the most attention, but please note that this is one talented band from end to end.\ There is some extremely cool stuff, with lots of fave cuts here, like the aforementioned “My Backyard,“ “Troubles”, “You Will Lay”, and just continue on through the last cut, “Roll Back Down.” I’m looking forward to hearing their next release, “1609”.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

REW* was one of the core founders of the Girls Rock Girls Rule tour, and I had the opportunity to meet her at a College Radio conference in her home burg of New York. That led to this opportunity to review her solo project (she’s also in the group RewBee), that*S*rite (luvrew.com). Backed by musicians like Television’s Billy Ficca, Rew* has a sound that’s slightly off-kilter in an endearing way. This would have fit in the pre-Brit punk heady days of CBGB’s, before much of the scene became more stratified. The songs here are pop rock with punk attitude, and are extremely earnest in a mostly stripped down sound. There’s nothing really complex, cryptic or opaque, and all is laid bare: it’s usually either “Something Rite” or simply “U Annoy Me”. Yet it does get mixed up sometimes, like on “U Suck”, the centerpiece of this release, in which Rew* states, “U suck / When can we fuck / again?” Rew*’s vocals are “unconventional” which brings what’s she’s saying right to your psyche because it makes it all that more accessible.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

It’s not often you get to see an African-American woman front a full-on metal band, but not only does MilitiA do that, she rocks the joint. SWEAR ON YOUR LIFE has released a 5-song EP, Burn My Crosses (swearonyourlife.com), which keeps the heavy in the metal. Crushing guitar (Marc Reischer), a bass (Ed Strohsahl) that rocks steady, a pounding drum (Chip Thomas), and MilitiA on a loud, yet somehow unconventional sounding vox, which enhances the experience. Her voice is clear throated rather than growling, which is a nice touch. And having met her, she definitely adds a lot in personality as the front of this band. From what I was told, they have since added an additional guitar, so look forward to that much more of a full sound. From the title cut through “Vengeance is Mine” and “Hate Out Loud”, this is – if you’ll pardon the cliché – a full-throttle engine revving on high octane, going 100 down a narrow road.
- Robert Barry Francos/FFanzeen

[Please note that these reviews originally appeared at www.jerseybeat.com/quietcorner.html]