DVD Review: Johnny Winter with Dr. John – Live in Sweden 1987

Text © Robert Barry Francos / FFanzeen, 2016

Images from the Internet

Johnny Winter with Dr. John: Live in Sweden 1987

Produced and directed by Leninart Wetterholm

Gazell Records AB / MVD Visual

59 Minutes, 1987 / 2016

www.gazell.net

www.mvdvisual.com

It will soon be two years since Johnny Winter shed his mortal coil and went to join the other blues rock guitarists that both preceded him, and others that left after. Boogie blues musician Dr. John (nee Mac Rebennack) is still with us at age 75, though he only appears on a bit more than half of this DVD, which is probably why they call this With, although the original program was And. But I jump ahead of myself.

There is a brief pre-show overdub interview with Winter talking about the effect of Blues in his life and what it means to play it, over footage of the band preparing to perform for a Swedish television broadcast. What is especially nice is that you know the sound quality is going to be good as it could be controlled better in a recording studio at that point, rather than an auditorium. There definitely is a graininess to the visual, probably originally recorded on PAL format and transferred to either direct to digital, or to VHS and then digital. That being said, this DVD looks better than most of the leaked videos I’ve seen so far, so I’m going to assume it was taken from the PAL master. Also, being television of then rather than now, the image is square to fit the old-style tubes, rather than widescreen, as is used nowadays.

When I saw Winter play live at Louie’s in Saskatoon in 2011, he sounded great if a bit detached, but looked pretty bad, being mostly blind by then, and pale in both skin and spirit (even beyond his albinism); yet even here in 1987, he looks skeletal at best, like you could knock him over with a deep breath. At the 3:45 mark, it even seems like an audience member appears to be miming that he seems like he’s near demise.

Everything is stripped down on this show, from Winter’s weight to the first part of the show being his band made up as just a trio, with Jon Paris (still looking like his Link Ray/Robert Gordon rockabilly phase) on bass and harmonica, and Tom Compton on drums, with Dr. John jumping in towards the middle.

The show starts off strong, with the Winter trio belting out a bluesy version of the zydeco classic “Sound the Bell.” The band has obviously been playing this number a while because they seem quite at ease with it, yet never letting its proverbial throat go throughout. Johnny sways around the stage like he’s caught in a breeze, just shredding his custom black headless Lazer guitar, which he uses for all the songs albeit one.

Lee Baker Jr.’s “Don’t Take Advantage of Me” is pure blues rock, starting with a growl and a strong rhythm pulse. Northern Blues, but definitely with a southern twist, they add some solid rock into the mix towards the end of the song. Switching to his 1963 Gibson Firebird, he swings into a slide version of J.B. Lenoir’s [d. 1967] Son House-meets-Nawleans-style acoustic-gone-electric slow burn boogie Blues of “Mojo Boogie.”

Of course, this song is a perfect way to set up the introduction of Dr. John’s version of the boogie that made him so popular among the Creole set. A few rattling tinkles on the keys, with Winter back on his Lazer, and they break into a Dr. John original, the cheatin’ number, “You Lie Too Much.” The boogie here – er – lies with the piano, though Winter does get his riffs in. Even with the mixing some of styles, they fit like two gloves with fingers intertwined. John does take the lead on the vocals for these numbers, with Winter and Paris doing back-up. For their second song, they equally share Muddy Waters’ upbeat “Sugar Sweet,” alternating verses and licks.

Together yet, they break into the slow burner “Love, Life and Money” (originally recorded by Little Willie John), again share duties by alternating the song, split down the middle, growl for growl.

There needs to be some kind of rave up after a soul pulling number like that, so to rev it up for the finale they cover “Jumpin’ Jack Flash.” I’ve never seen a Johnny Winter set without at least one Rolling Stones cover, and this is one of his strongest choices. I always wondered if Keef was a bit jealous of Winter’s agility on the fretboard. John and Johnny both sing on the chorus and it’s a not always a pretty blending, but they play it so well, with such gutsy enthusiasm, it’s easily forgivable. Winter prowls the stage especially aggressively on this number (when I saw him, he was chair-bound, which I am assuming he found frustrating, leading to said detachment to the moment), and takes command both vocally and on the solos. That does not surprise, however, as this is one of his tried-and-true numbers over the decades. That’s not to say that Dr. John just sits still, as he adds some really nice fill to the sound.

The real smile-inducer and wow-factor was when Winter played the chords on Paris’ bass while plucking his own guitar, and at the same time Paris played the chords on Winter’s guitar and the plucked the notes on his own bass, as Winter stood behind him with their arms intertwined.

CD version

They go out on this number, which is perfect for a wanting-more moment for the very blond(e) and white audience. What the small crowd here doesn’t get – but we do – is one more in the extras section, which is a live clip from 1972 of Winter and his band playing a clip of Robert Wilkins’s “Prodigal Son.” It sounds great, but looks like it was filmed in 16mm. Still, it’s pleasing to see Winter looking healthy, as well as in better voice for its 2:08 length. It seems to be a promo for his 1970 Johnny Winter And album.

This Swedish show is also released as a CD now, though the extra song is not included. Still worth it.

Band:

Johnny Winter: vox/guitar

Tom Compton: drums
Jon Paris: bass

Song List:
Sound the Bell
Don’t Take Advantage of Me 

Mojo Boogie 

You Lie Too Much

Sugar Sweet 

Love, Life and Money 

Jumpin’ Jack Flash 

Bonus:

Prodigal Son 

Dash Rip Rock: Dixie Fried Rock and A Bottle of Jack Daniels at Every Gig

Photos from the Internet

This is the seventh part of a series of articles or interviews that have been published before in magazines that no longer exist. This one was originally in Oculus Magazine, Aug/Sep 1997; an update follows.

Dash Rip Rock: Dixie Fried Rock and A Bottle of Jack Daniels at Every Gig











Southern rock has come a long way in the past few decades, progressing through the influence of a lot of brothers: Burnettes, Everlys, Allmans, Van Zandts (aka Lynyrd Skynyrd), Slater and Doobie. Okay, the last two maybe pushing it, but the point is that southern rock as a form is constantly in flux and is currently circling back to its rockabilly roots.

Over the last decade, bands like the Stray Cats provided the listening public with the equivalent of Pat Boone doing “Tutti Frutti.” Recently, however, what is emerging from the underground is a rockabilly hybrid with large doses of punk and DIY sensibilities. In other words, it kicks butt.

In this vein, out of New Orleans comes Dash Rip Rock, a power trio if ever there was one. The band’s present incarnation includes founding members Bill Davis on guitar and most vocals and Hoaky Hickel on bass and “Jack Daniels” (as Davis explained, “It’s in [Hoakey’s] contract that he has a bottle at every gig.” The new kid is Kyle Melancon, on drums.

Davis often says, “We’re faster than [Reverend] Horton Heat, we’re wilder than the Cramps, and we’re better lookin’ than Southern Culture on the Skids.” These details are irrelevant, because while those other bands also have the talent, they don’t necessarily have the flexibility of musical styles.

Witness their latest release, Dash Rip Rock’s Gold Record (Naked Language). The band manages to flex their musical muscles over 15 numbers (plus one hidden cut, based on “Stairway to Heaven”) without contradicting themselves – a rare feat, indeed. After a rave-up cover of the instrumental “Rawhide,” they knock the listener down with a tale of rock’n’roll casualty/suicide, “Johnny Ace” (a much different and less romanticized take than Paul Simon’s “The Late, Great Johnny Ace,” which David contents he’s never heard). Other original songs on the CD contain a fine mix of pop sensibilities (“Isn’t That Enough”), a downright bizarre tale of love (“Liquor Store”) and a rockin’ social commentary about their home town of New Orleans (“DMZ”). In a number of odes written throughout their dozen years, Dash Rip Rock describe their love/hate relationships with the town in which they live. “We go to shows and meet all these people who moved away, and they love hearing these songs,” says Davis.


They also do quite a few covers, or should I say interpretations. Their latest collection includes two Hank Williams numbers: a Cajun version of “Jambalaya” and a speedy “I Saw the Light.” “No one,” Davis declares with a laugh, “expects us to play it that fast.”

Yes, Dash Rip Rock is very comfortable with covers. “When we played in Maine,” Davis adds, “they didn’t want to hear any originals, so we did every cover we knew. About 70 of them.” He continues: “In the small towns, the people are there to socialize, have a beer and dance, and we can play as sloppy as we want. The big city audiences are there to see the band. We are more careful about how we play.”











He emphasized this point by describing the band’s last gig at Brownies, one of their favorite New York venues (in which I was in attendance). “We knew there would be a lot of press there, so we went out to play well.” He continues, “Sometimes when we play we just go out there and let it all out.” Davis also remarked that either way, the band enjoys what they’re doing. They proved that by playing over two hours of rowdy fun. Despite the promoting for more “punk rock” by the opening band that night, The Cash Registers, Dash Rip Rock played a balanced set, mixing punk, pop, rockabilly, country and the kitchen sink.

Lots of stage antics go into a Dash Rip Rock set, and the fun never stops. Someone from the audience is picked to play tambourine, and Hickel shares his bottle of Jack (“unless he wants to get drunk.”). Though not “choreographed,” the act contains certain bits that have been standard for a while. Case in point: Melancon’s striptease during “Let’s Go Smoke Some Pot,” which is done to the tune of “At the Hop,” one of those mocking songs that gets accept ed by mockers and mockees alike. It may also become their breakthrough song on college radio.

Dash Rip Rock’s roots are all over their music. Hell, Davis’s been to Graceland more than two dozen times (“every time we pass through Memphis”). But they also exhibit other influences that expand their vision and increase their talents and showmanship, way beyond the levels achieved by most other bands.

NOW:
Bill Davis is currently the only original member of the bad, though DRR is still recording. Their latest album, Country Girlfriend, on Abitian Records, was released in 2008. The current line-up is Bill Davis as singer/guitarist, Patrick Johnson on bass guitar, and Eric Padua on drums

Discography
Country Girlfriend (2008)
Hee Haw Hell (2007)
Recyclone (2005)
Live From The Bottom Of The Hill (limited release, 2003)
Sonic Boom (2003)
Ned, Fred and Dickhead (limited release, 2001)
Hits and Giggles (2000)
Paydirt (1998)
Dash Rip Rock's Gold Record (1996)
Testosterone (Australian-only release, 1995)
Get You Some of Me (1995)
Tiger Town (1993)
Boiled Alive (1991)
Not of This World (1990)
Ace of Clubs (1989)
Dash Rip Rock (1987)

www.dashriprock.net