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.

Ringing the Fern

Text © Robert Barry Francos
Images from the Internet

Recently, I went to a meditation group to check it out. I am not saying I am enlightened, or am seeking, enlightenment, or am even some kind of Dharma Punk. Yes, I still like my music faster and louder and yes, rock’n’roll made a man outta me, as the Dictators proudly posited, but it was pleasant to sit still and just be for 40 minutes. Perhaps I am old enough to appreciate it, but that was not always so.

In the early 1980s, my friend Jim Downs was dating Dr. Gerri Leigh, who was both a high-end professional psychic and deep into what is then known as the New Age movement. For the unaware, New Age was a nearly cult-level belief system in the healing power of crystals, pyramids, charkas, and usually being vegetarian (if not vegan). The followers were as avid as the punk straight-edgers of the same period, except a whole market came out of it worth millions of dollars, including scents, charms, and especially books (it pretty much started the whole glut of self-help writing that even thrives today). Whole gatherings and expos were devoted to the methods of “betterment.”

Gerri was, as I stated, deeply entrenched in it, for that was her main client base as a professional psychic: upper middle class (and higher) whites with disposable income, who were looking for some kind of piece of mind, no matter what the cost. Back then, Gerri’s service was $100 per “hour” (50 minute sessions). Using various methods, she would tell her patrons whether the time was “right” to enter business deals, if they would find love, or when they would reach some kind of happiness or success.

She offered to “read” me gratis a few times, but I always refused because not only didn’t I believe it, even if I did I wouldn’t want to know. I liked Gerri as a person; hell, she even had worked for Joe Franklin as a producer on his show before her full-time New Age gig. But I didn’t believe in her psychic abilities, and felt her talent was as a great listener.

One thing Gerri did do for me was set up a date with her assistant, Fern Ring. Fern was a pretty avid follower of the New Age psyche, more so than even Gerri, and believed in Gerri unquestionably (as far as I could tell). For example, Fern would “do” her tarot in the morning, and if she had a “negative” reading, she would stay home.

On our first date, we went out to eat at a vegetarian restaurant (her choice) and then came back to her apartment on the Upper East Side. It was just about 11 PM, so we sat on the couch to watch The Honeymooners – and she promptly fell asleep. I woke her when the show was over, and went home.

Fern was a smart woman, having graduated Cum Laude from some upstate college, but she was also unassuming and claimed it was no big deal. At the time, my ego didn’t understand that attitude, but I respected it.

For full disclosure purposes, I must admit that I was a bit strong headed and somewhat closed minded about some things at that time in my life, especially toward the whole New Age thing. While I still have problems with some of that mentality – much as I do with fervent straight-edge – I am much more open minded to try new things before “poo-pooing” it.

There were signs right from the start that things with Fern would not work out, and not just because I was on the rebound from another relationship. For one thing, my humor escaped her completely. For example, the phone went off and I said, “Oh, I think I hear the fern ring.” Not only did she not find it funny, but also it led to our first argument.

Fern was a strict vegetarian. In that period, vegetarian food was not as interesting as it is these days. In fact, I found it awful. Seemed that almost everything was either green or gray: green if it was raw, gray if it was cooked. With my life-long very limited sense of smell, the food was also so bland that I was bored after a few bites. Or, if it was very spicy, all I tasted was the spices and not the object. Obviously, Fern liked vegetarian restaurants, but I kept pulling for places that served meat as well (or, as I crudely put it then, “I hope they have some dead animal flesh”).

Gerri made the rounds on television since New Age was a populist fad, showing up as a frequent guest on The Joe Franklin Show and other news magazine kinds of programs. Once she was even featured on a segment of The Morton Downey Jr. show, which was an “expose” of New Age. At one point, Fern was at the Loudmouth podium shilling as one of Gerri’s clients, but not identifying herself as Gerri’s assistant. She did the same on some feature news program segment about Gerri.

Toward the end of the short-lived relationship, I went with Fern to one of Gerri’s parties. Gerri threw them occasionally for her clients, essentially for them to bring their friends, hoping to farm new clients. In my punk, stripped-down attitude, I was not impressed with this navel-gazing crowd. Here are a couple of true conversations from that party:

Woman: What’s your sign?
RBF: Lobo, the Wolf [a Bugs Bunny reference for those who don’t get it]
Woman: No, really.
RBF: I’d rather not be judged by when I was born, but if you guess, I’ll say so.
Woman: [five guesses later] Taurus?
RBF: Yes, May 10th.
Woman: I knew it!

Man: How do you know Gerri?
RBF: I’m a friend of her boyfriend.
Man: Has she ever done a reading for you?
RBF: She’s offered to do them, but I said no.
Man: How much did she ask for?
RBF: Nothing.
Man: [Angrily] Nothing? I see her three times a week [meaning $300 per week, $1200 per month, in early 1980s dollars] and she offers them to you for free and you turn her down?!
Then he stormed off in disgust, though I’ve never found out if he was mad at me for turning it down, or her for offering it to me for free. Either way, he kept seeing her.

One evening after a dinner, we were getting cozy, when the phone rang. She went to another room to answer it, and when she came back, she said, essentially, I just don’t do it for her, so goodbye. A bit shocked by this turn of events, I left and never saw her again. While hurt, I was not heartbroken. And it truly was for the better of everyone involved. It certainly was good she realized it early.

Jim soon also split from Gerri, and eventually married Denise Nadvornik. It was a lovely wedding. A few years later, Gerri went into the “next big thing,” channeling, which was popularized by JZ Knight / Ramtha. When I heard that Gerri passed away in 2003 of cancer while in her 40s, I was saddened by the news. She worked with 9/11 survivors, and I wonder it that may have been a factor. Here is some info on her: www.themetaarts.com/archives/200306/drgerri.html.

As for Fern, the last I heard anything about her was in the late 1980s. This is the story as I heard it, which sounds plausibly to me: seems she was dating an acquaintance of a friend of mine. The guy was mugged one afternoon, and Fern got mad at him, demanding to know what he did, on a karmic level, that caused him to get attacked later in the day.

Yet as strange as all that was to me, Fern was at heart a good person who was devoted to her beliefs and definitely well meaning. I wish her well.

Theater Review: I, Undertow (Beckmann Theatre)

Text © Robert Barry Francos
Images from the Internet

In the staging of his latest play, I, Undertow, prolific playwright and Emmy winner Blake Bradford once again focuses his characters in rural western North Carolina, where he was raised.

[Blake Bradford, playwright]
In this Phare Play Production at the Beckmann Theater at 314 West 54 Street (through April 5), he focuses on the return of a favored grand/son, a budding painter on the verge of fame who had left his home a dozen years before to move to New York, and has now arrived home to see the ailing matriarch’s last days. The relations to whom he returns are sprawling, including some extended family folks. Along the way, he brings with him his lusty and out-of-comfort-zone British art dealer, directly after a one-night fling.

[Attending services]
The Morgan family is deeply spiritual, with many scenes depicting services either in or around the church, and the characters throughout sing many hymnals, especially during scene breaks as transitions. Bradford explains in the program, “I grew up in a small community of religious conservatives and although I decided hot to live my life in the same manner as these people, I do understand them. I have seen how beautiful a church service can be and how lives can be changed through religious communities.” He brings that made flesh to the audience.

[Michael Weems, expatriate painter Justin Morgan]
We are first introduced to the main protagonist, Justin Morgan, as he begins his night of passion with his agent and art dealer, the sophisticated Monica LeTourneau. Justin is a wounded soul who has a memory gap from his teen years that drove him away, leading him to New York. He is about to head back home when the call that his dearly loved and superbly strong willed grandmother is approaching her time to leave this veil. Michael Weems subtly underplays Justin as someone who has become more sophisticated than his family on some levels, but still humbled by his background. Plus there is a mystery about why he left, which of course will be made clear by the end of the two hours.

[Sara Lerner, art dealer Monica LeTourneau]
As the lust interest who travels down to the small town with Justin for a lark (and to secure her latch on him for commission security), Sara Lerner is long and slender in a part that was seemingly written for her (though I don’t really understand why Monica is British, except possibly to make her all the more alien and alienated from anyone else; being a high-brow New Yorker probably would have worked just as fine). Although initially not sure of her place in the family (or even with Justin, for that matter), which is keenly expressed in a bean-snapping scene (literally and figuratively), Monica slowly comes to appreciate the slower pace and the good heart of the Morgan family.

[Carol Neiman, matriarch Eunice Morgan]
As the ailing mother of two sons and two grandkids, Carol Neiman plays Eunice Morgan with dignity and respect. She is a woman of her era, who knows how little time she has left and has the strong desire to set everything right – as she sees it – before death comes a-knockin’. She is one of the many catalysts in a play about resilient women who have strong opinions, and are not afraid to make them clear. Eunice is the loving center of it all, and I saw the gentleman in front of me wiping away some tears at a tender moment near the final act, which attests to both the writing and the talent of Carol, who came to the acting field later in life.

[Bill Purdy, religious leader Paul Daniel Morgan]
The elder of Eunice’s two sons is the pastor at the local church, Paul Daniel Morgan, played with conviction by Bill Purdy. For most of the play, Paul Daniel is present as spiritual leader, brother, and uncle, and it is not clear until much later what pivotal role he has in the story. His place appears to be guidance to the family, to help them through their troubled times, though he has some quandaries of his own with which to deal.

[Laurence Waltman, father Grayson Morgan]
Paul Daniel’s brother Grayson, ably played by Laurence Waltman, is in a hard place: while still in love with his repressed wife, he also is coming off an affair with a much younger employee, and is penitent for it. Despite the Jerry Springer moment, Grayson is actually a warm-hearted character who easily has the audience on his side, despite the dastardly deed (performed and ended way before the play starts). It would be quite simple to make him a pitiable milquetoast or the flip of that, a womanizing swine, but his affair comes out of pain, and Laurence plays that character well.

[Peggy Queener, lonely wife Deborah Morgan]
Bored with her surroundings and angry at her cheatin’ hearted husband, Deborah Morgan is looking for something to spark her quiet, unfulfilled life. Peggy Queener is excellent as Deborah, who runs the gamut of anger to expressing her excitement in a most public forum. Armed with a DVD collection and bolstered by face time with the sophisticated Monica, Peggy delivers a strong monolog, which is one of the strangest and funniest moments of the play. Completely likeable, Peggy gives Deborah a dignity that could have been lost in the shrill anger of her frustrated character.

[Emily Fitzpatrick, sibling rival Nicole Morgan]
As the sister of the prodigal son, Nichole Morgan has had to endure knowing that she comes second in her family to her runaway brother, Justin, which has echoing effects on her life (and possibly her marriage). For years she has had to swallow her pride, but especially when he comes back. Luckily, Emily Fitzpatrick is up for the task of making Nichole a clear voice, and is especially strong during her agitated monolog midway in the second act. Emily does a wonderful slow burn, emoting with her face all the anger and anguish that Nicole feels.

[Molly Church, hospice nurse Katie Gouge]
Playing the girl from the past who got away, Molly Church breathes life into Katie Gouge, a long time acquaintance of the Morgan family, and Justin’s ex- who he left behind when he mysteriously left for New York. There is no mystery about Katie’s allegiances and feelings, which Molly plays with quiet pride, giving her a deep strength. She is not just the spurned ex-love interest, she holds an important key to Justin’s secret, and her crucial character shows that she’s not just a dancing donkey nurse’s uniform. There is a subtle focus to the character that Molly embodies.

[Susanne Gottesman-Traub, family friend Aunt Lizzie]
Most people know an Aunt Lizzie, the person in the neighborhood who everyone calls “Aunt” (or “Ma” or “Granny”), but is not related to anyone, but is still part of the family. Susanne Gottesman-Traub personifies this role in a warm, gimme-a-hug way, but under this is one of the strongest of women in the play, who makes a life-changing decision that affects nearly every other character. No, I won’t give it away, but I would like to say that we all need an Aunt Lizzie, and if she were as Susanne embodies her, well, we’d all be better for it.

[Katie and Justin rally round Eunice]
Although this is a play with a male central character (Justin), it is actually the women in the play that are the driving force as the agents for change. The three males are not necessarily weak, but are unsure and unstable, even when in leadership roles. They are either insecure about what is behind them, where they stand presently, where they are going, or any combination. It is the women who take a stand, project their needs, speak their minds, and cause things to happen. Whatever actions the males take, it is through the catalyst of the proceedingss of the women. Stay married or not? Figure out the mysteries of the past? Resolve the problems of the present? It’s the women who are the strongest. Fortunately the female cast members are certainly up for the job of portraying their characters as fierce without being harridans, and the male actors are strong enough to play their men as, well, distracted without making them clowns.

While I understand that religion is an important part of family and relationships in this play, perhaps it was used a bit too freely. For example, as the scenes change from one to another and the cast members change the set props, they sing (quite lovely, actually) hymns to reflect the bond between the characters and their faith. However, occasionally as scene separators, the church is “set up” and the hymns are sung while they sit there for the length of the song, and then the set is broken down again. While I understand and appreciate that seat placement during these vignettes is telling (for example in the Grayson / Deborah relationship), this was perhaps a little overdone, and actually slowed the story flow down rather than pushing it along. That being said, I do like the way Bradford infuses the beliefs of this extended family without hitting the audience over the head with it.

Though he is prolific, I have only seen two plays by Blake Bradford, the other being Gay Slave Handbook, reviewed earlier this month in this blog. Both were departures for him (Gay contained a three-person cast when he usually write for ensembles, and this play is, in his own words, “my first attempt at a love story”), but there are some overlapping themes. For example, both plays have violent fights between close loved ones, a strong belief in faith (in either one or all characters), sexual impropriety, and at some point the action takes place in New York.

To sum up, this is a perceptive ensemble cast who takes the fine material and makes it even better. I look forward to seeing many of these actors in future productions.

Phare Play Mission statement (in part) : The name Phare Play says it all. On one hand it reflects our desire to be the beacon of light in the Off and Off-Off Broadway community. We work to be the lighthouse that artists can find as a home for exploration of their creativity. The second meaning is participation on equal terms (fair play). We are true believers of the power of the ensemble and allow everyone that works on our productions the ability to make their voices heard. Our purpose is to provide a top-quality public arena for the professional implementation of the philosophy and aesthetics our ensemble wishes to explore. Through the collaboration of artists, resident professionals and audiences, we examine the theatrical event and the methods used for its realization in contemporary performance. We explore playmaking in and of our time. We produce a broad variety of material, from classic to contemporary. We encourage both up and coming talent and our seasoned veterans to join our journey. We believe these artists that contribute to our mission will grow with us while stimulating all of us to grow as well. Our artists will always find a home to explore, engage, and entice.

Public Reading: JD Glass and Sarah Schulman, March 25, 2009

Text and live photos © Robert Barry Francos
Book cover images from the Internet

It was a cold evening last night, March 25, as I drove to the feminist-focused Bent Pages bookstore at 391 Van Duzer St., on Staten Island. It is directly across from the Cup (nee the Muddy Cup), and diagonally from music scene legendary bar, Martini Red.

This spot is a sort of trifecta for JD Glass: Her band, Life Underwater, has performed at the (Muddy) Cup, she had DJ’d at Martini Red, and now she has read from her newest book, X, at the Bent Pages.

When I arrived, JD was deep in discussion with co-speaker Sarah Schulman at a local restaurant, so after dropping in to say hello to her, I spent some time hanging out with her friend that I had met just a few minutes earlier in the warmth of her car, waiting for the magic moment.

At 7:30, as JD and Sarah arrived, we disembarked from the car and all headed into the compact bookstore, which was packed. All were eager to hear the speakers read.

First up was Sarah Shulman, a multiple award winning author and activist who was reading from her newest novel, The Child. Currently, Sarah teaches at the College of Staten Island (CSI), where JD attended for a while a few years ago. Sarah is a prolific writer of novels (The Mere Future [forthcoming 2009], The Child, Shimmer, Rat Bohemia, Empathy, People In Trouble, After Delores, Girls, Visions and Everything, The Sophie Horowitz Story), nonfiction books (The Twist: Familial Homophobia And Its Consequences [forthcoming], The Gentrification Of The Mind [forthcoming], Stagestruck: Theater, AIDS, and The Marketing Of Gay America, My American History: Lesbian and Gay Life During The Reagan/Bush Years), and plays Carson McCullers, Manic Flight Reaction, The Burning Deck, and Enemies: A Love Story.

In The Child, from which Sarah read a chapter, a gay man is entrapped by the police after a sting in a bathroom. It was humorous and terrifying at parts.

Then JD Glass read a chapter from her newest novel, X. She is also the author of Lambda Literary Award finalist Punk Like Me, its follow up Punk And Zen, Lambda Literary and Ben Franklin Award finalist Red Light, and American Goth (I have read – with enormous pleasure – all of these previous novels). She also has the forthcoming Yuri Monogatari 6 anthology with a side story from American Goth (Sakura Gun (London)), and graphic novels Sakura Gun, and Legacy Of Stone, an anthology work in progress with fellow author Gabrielle Goldsby.

This new book, X, is different from her previous exercises in a number of ways. The first four were dark modern gothic novels with a supernatural bent. This new one is more of a cyberpunk mystery. Also, as JD pointed out to a round of humor and applause, this novel is not in first person narrative (the crowd reaction a positive acknowledgement of growth of the author’s style). I look forward to reading it.

Next, Sarah came up and read the acknowledgement part of the book, which focused on her struggles to get it published, followed by an open discussion with JD and Sarah over many topics, such as JD’s separation from her present publisher, the media, government, and cultural changing views of lesbians and gays in the Obama era, and what I found most interesting, the question of what makes a fiction “lesbian” (e.g., the author, the story, the characters), and on which store bookshelf should it be found. Sarah also described her debt of thanks to musician Diamanda Galas for her contribution in getting it out. It was a lively discussion from the authors and many in the audience.

For an interview this blog did with my good friend JD Glass, check the FFanzeen Blog archives: December 8, 2007 (Part 1); February 19, 2008 (Part 2).

[JD Glass and Sarah Schulman discuss over dinner]
[The book table]
[Sarah Shulman reads a chapter]
[JD Glass reads from her book]
[Sarah's acknowledges]
[JD leads the discussion]

Wording the Pet Peeve

Text © Robert Barry Francos

In an episode from an earlier season of Family Guy, Stewie takes over the government and as a demand has a list of words or expressions he is banning, such as “irregardless.”

We all have words that are pet peeves. For me, it is not necessarily just words or expressions, but the overuse of them. Truly, words have always been overused: if not the “f-bomb,” which some of my friends seemed to discover as they went into Junior High (usually called Middle School now), there is the usually space fillers like, well, “like,” “y’know,” and “Know what I’m sayin’?”

I started to strongly notice this when I worked for a Fortune 500-based management-consulting firm. Around 1991, the word “synergy” starting being used to the point that nearly every document I worked on had this word thrown in to show some (or any) aspect of the tork of growth.

The overused word that is currently “grinding my gears” is “history.” Obama’s election is historic. While I would dread the alternative, are they trying to say that if McCain had won it would not have been historic? It would not have been written about in history books because he is an elderly white man? No matter who won it would have been “historic.” Obama’s election was a singularly important historic event, but it was not just “historic.”

Another case is, say, the current economy (or lack thereof). “It’s a(n) historic market.” Well, as a culture, we keep records of all the stock market results, don’t we? That means no matter what the market is doing, it’s history, or historic. Again, it’s a noteworthy moment in history, but no matter what the DOW is doing, it is “history.”

History means an event in the past. Lynn Sherr, in her 2006 book Outside the Box, comments how the word is used in broadcast media as any story that has been aired, no matter how long before, from years to seconds. While this use of the word may be her bane, I find it to be accurate. Any event, after it has happened, is history. When something amazing happens, it is as much history as is the mundane “man bites dog” event. There needs to be a new word that will apply to a singular or precedent breaking event.

The current expression that makes me grrr is referring to someone as “a statistic.” Some event happens, and it is said they are “now a statistic.” We are all statistics in today’s information heavy world. Picture a pie chart that is segmented into, say, “women who become teen mothers” at 40% (I’m making these numbers up) and “women who do not become teen mothers” at 60%. Well, both sides are “statistics,” if you are a mother or not. Referring to someone becoming a “statistic” because they became pregnant is only one side of the equation. Even if they do not, they are part of the statistic of those who avoid the situation.

We are all statistics in every single thing we do. We are in at least one group or another: those who do, those who don’t, or those who do not apply. The use of calling someone a statistic is usually in a negative connotation (accidents, crime, and so on), but we truly are all statistics in some form or another, whether the negative or the positive side. My favorite pie chart from that management firm, written by someone who apparently needs an ESL brush-up, had one side as “men” and the other as “non-men.” Of course, I fixed this, but kept the original hand-drawn because it was just too amusing.

Perhaps I’m being too grumpy, or sensitive (or, as my pal Alan recently called me, a curmudgeon). On a large scale, I know this is not important past a pimple on culture’s butt, and certainly I am not going to do a Stewie and take over to enforce my pet peeve, but…take heed!

CD Reviews: A Blast of Sounds

Text (c) Robert Barry Francos
Images from the Internet
Originally published at www.jerseybeat.com/quietcorner.html

Named after a bar in Grand Central, New York-based THE CAMPBELL APARTMENT has released Insomniac’s Almanac (Blacktop Records, RR#4, Langton, Ontario N0E 1G0). A popish trio, vocalist/guitarist Ari Vais shows a bit of imagination with his songs, which covers such topics as being unreciprocated in his being in love with someone else’s wife (he names the someone, but not the wife) in “Wife,” stating how “Long Distance Relationship (Is a Four Letter Word),” and how they are (like the Diodes) “Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired.” There is also a strong sense of humor with cuts like “Addicted to MySpace.” Ari’s vocals are a bit rough, but the message gets through, is fun to listen to, and isn’t that what’s important?

I had never heard of ANI DiFRANCO the first time I saw her play the Falcon Ridge Festival around the time Not A Pretty Girl came out. Since then, she’s become a one-woman-from-Buffalo indie industry, thanks in part to the success of her own label, Righteous Babe (who has Hamell on Trial among its roster). Continuing in her prolific work(wo)myn way, now comes Red Letter Year (righteousbabe.com). One of the things that make her so special is that her music is so uncategorical. Yeah, she plays folk festivals, but putting her solely in the category of folk, or singer/songwriter…or ANY single slot is just not possible (at least not and be accurate). She sticks her toes into many genres (well, maybe not hardcore), and she’s not afraid to use some ambience and electronica in the blend. Her sound is sort of a Milligan’s stew of styles. Here, there is a lot of dissonance, and strange mixtures of sounds that puts the listener as slightly off-center as she is, especially considering how beautiful her voice is in the middle of it. Most of her songs are first person, with an occasional first and third thrown into the mix. All are with a bright light on the topic and no shadows, exposing all flaws and lines in a sense of purpose towards revealing the human in herself, and of others. The image may not always be pretty, but it is in a form that is consistently just stunning. Not a bad cut here.

Honestly, I don’t know what to make of All the While by the sextet FRANCES (giganticmusic.com), who have been called “chamber pop”. They sort of remind me of a more straightforward version of the finally appreciated They Might Be Giants, with many more hands in the pot. Let me start at the top and work my way down: Frances is the brainchild of bandleader Paul Hogan, Ph.D. in Music. His voice is sweet and clear-cut, singing about the mundane and the odd (songs include “The Brain,” “Lighthouse,” “Telephone,” “The New Decoy”). Along with the vocals, he also handles the keyboards. And then there is all the rest, including (but not inclusive) guitars, violins, “glockenspiel, a Suzuki Omnichord, and a Tennessee high school marching band,” a “litany of (literal) bells and whistles,” a ”field of tubas” and “sundries” (according to their press release). Anyway, through all of this mishugas, it usually works. Occasionally there are the parts that sound a bit rinky-dink or dissonant to the point of annoyance, but mostly it’s well orchestrated and definitely different than most releases I’ve heard recently. Gotta give ‘em that, big time.

One of the aspects that has endured (and endeared) about the 28-year-old FUZZTONES is how they can take the genre of voodoo garage and stretch it, as they have with their new release, Horny as Hell (ElectriqueMud.com). Leader Rudi Protrudi lives in Germany and has adopted a version of garage that is prevalent there, which includes horns and female chorus, giving the sound a bit more of a soulful edge. In this tweaked form (which is basically the old one with a new layer, I’m actually happy to say), there is still an ecstatically high energy level on the rank of the Fleshtones, the Cramps, and the Chesterfield Kings (even though they all use a similar foundation, each lives in a separate building). Along with updated versions of some of their classic hits, such as “Ward 81”, “Highway 69,” and “She’s Wicked,” there are also quite a number of newer tunes and covers. There are way to many to list them all, so I’ll just posit that every cut here on this nearly hour-long release is worth a listen. But if you do, be sure you wear your dancing shoes. Just TRY to sit still during numbers like “Third Time’s the Charm”!

What year is this, again? RACHEL HARRINGTON‘s City of Refuge sounds like it came off a John Lomax recording from the Appalachian area during the FDR era. Which is why the timing is so perfect for this new CD (skinnydennis.com), as we face a new Depression. Seattle-based Rachel pays tribute to lots of icons here, including a stubborn old man named Harry “Truman,” who died on St. Helen’s when he refused to come on down, traditional orality in music with a superb medley of two religious standbys, “Old Time Religion/Working on a Building,” and even a nod toward country with Bobby Gentry’s “Ode to Billy Joe.” There is a heavy reliance on banjo and fiddle, giving this an even sweeter sound, completely complementing Rachel’s exquisite voice. A couple of my fave cuts are the original opener, “Karen Kane,” about a woman who took off to the Yukon to look for gold, and the traditional “I Don’t Want to Get Adjusted to This World.”

Rather than playing every instrument, as he did on his first release, BRETT HARRIS has a band backing him on Side Two (EP) (brettharris.com). It was worth the effort by the 4-song, 16-minute end result, which is solid ‘80s style power pop. This could have been the Romantics, or one of those new wave kinds of pop bands that were so big around the start of MTV. The standout is “Red Dress” (two different version here), which was such a flashback, with that electronic wall of sound feel, crashing on the beats. This would have been a big hit at some of the larger, more general clubs back then, like Hurrah’s.

Yes, this is the same IAN LLOYD who did “Brother Louie” with his band Stories. He’s had a couple of other hits, but he’s mostly remembered for that. I wonder if he gets tired that just about every review mentions it. Perhaps not, because even in this new release, In the Land of O-de-PO (machinedreamrecords.com), he covers his own hit. But more on that later. All these years later, I actually believe his voice may be strong than it was back then. That being said, this release is produced with a heavy hand, tripped out in an excess of sounds, especially its opening cut, “Wonderful World” (that is, after the introduction of “Frogpond,” which is just what the title implies). This is certainly radio friendly for classic rock and even some dance stations, but there is not enough of his Steve Tyler-ish power that made him such a strong RnB flavored rocker. Without saying anything here is bad, because the potential is right there, it desperately needs to be scrapped down to more of its bare essentials to focus on Lloyd’s voice and growl, not on the “wooga-wooga” of synthesizers, overdubs, and not just a wall of sound, but a tsunami of it; it is just too distracting. It’s like the game “Operation”: you worry more about touching the sides than the actual task of removing the bone (or whatever). “Rip It Out” is the closest to actually showcasing his voice rather than the production; many other cuts like “Heat” are so overdone that they have an ‘80s feel (can anyone say Animotion?). The CD officially ends with a disco-y version of “Brother Louie,” and who needs that? It sounds a lot less committed than the hit from years ago, which is what made it such a hit. There are two bonus tracks (why are they called bonus tracks? Is there another version of this CD?), “Sensetize” [sic] and “Island,” both of which are actually a good songs, despite the washing-machine rhythm track of the former. I’d like to hear this entire CD redone without synthesizer and rocked the fuck out.

PHIL MINISSALE is sparkling and friendly, youthful and enthusiastic. Then he plays his music, such as on his new CD, Home to Me, (myspace.com/philminissalemusic), and one is tempted to think, is this the same guy? Yep, it is. Singer/guitarist/songwriter Phil’s sound is solid delta blues, with a jangle in a House Son steel string style to rattle the roof. All but the first cut are originals, and LI- and PA-based Phil shows he has was not a one-EP wonder. There is the sprightly “Just Getting Started” somewhere in the middle, but most cuts are pretty straightforward blues. While his group ably supports him here, special notice should be given to mouthharper Ken “The Rocket” Korb. Yeah, one can hear the white on him, but Phil blows a lot of white blues artists away, even at his age. He should be playing at places like the House of Blues or B.B. King’s regularly. If your muse is blues, or if you just want to choose to hear what’s what, check this out.

It has been 10 years since I first interviewed the Staten Island-based PROFESSOR and MARYANNE, after their second release. They have continued to put out music, and now their latest is Every Day is a Good Day…If You’re Breathing (professorandmaryann.com). For those uninitiated in PandM, the duo consists of vocalist Danielle Brancaccio and acoustic guitarist / vocalist / songwriter Ken Rockwood. Danielle has one of the more amazing, and easily identifiable voices around today, with a vocal style that is lazily seductive and equally charming. She lulls the listener in, and by the time one realizes just what Ken’s words are saying, the trap is already sprung. Ken also has a sweet, welcoming voice, though he only sings two of the cuts here (love her, and yet would like to see him sing more as well). The melodies are whimsical without being slight, and the lyrics are uncommon songs about love, passion, and death (I teased him once about the latter). Ken is actually a strong songwriter in a Jacque Brel sort of way, in that the songs are more intense than one may expect from the music, but they both play off each other so symbiotically.

Folk music is as varied a genre as any other. Calling CHRIS STEWART and BACKCOUNTRY Americana is probably a bit more accurate. Their CD Crooked Man (christstuart.com/crookedman) is more traditional than most, with an occasional slip into country. This is chock full of fiddles, banjos, pennywhistles, mandolins, and the like. Chris handles most of the vocals and songwriting, with Janet Beazley writing and singing two of her own here. Despite two songs about the Canadian Maritimes, the band hails from California (though a few of them taught at a workshop up there). There are lots of different blends here, from traditional Kingston Trio type through the King George period, and ending with a modern gospel ballad. It’s all done extremely well and is exceedingly listenable, if one enjoys this kind of sound (and I do). Stylistically, I can easily imagine them playing the Newport Folk Festival in the early ‘60s. A lot of good work in here.

Hailing from Omaha, McCARTHY TRENCHING has released another living room self-recording, Calamity Drenching (team-love.com). His reason for this method is “there is so much snow-shoveling to do during the winter.” Despite this collection more or less being about varying shades of rejection by others to him and vice versa, there is also a strong sense of black humor that runs throughout the recording. His voice is a bit off kilter, sort of like a cross between Greg Brown and Russ Tolman (of the Totem Polemen), but in this case it just makes it more personal. The style is mostly leaning toward Brown, but MT has some singer-songwriter, blues, alt country, and even a bit of jazziness in there sometimes. It’s for certain an interesting listen.

UP FOR NOTHING has been going for half a decade now. Their first release, 7-songer Keep It At That (myspace/upfornothing1) was a self-release, in a totally different incarnation as a solid foursome of pop punk (punk pop?). And yet now that they are a power trio, their new full release put out by Boston punkers the Dimwits, We’re Singing Our Last Breath, (myspace/winterstreetrecords) is possibly even more solid, due in part to the manic drumming of Jesse, and the bass and vocal counterpoint of Steven. But it’s the consistency of vocalist/guitarist/backward-hat-wearing Justin that is the lynchpin in this group. His vocals are just the right of yell and pop. While most of the songs are told from a personal perspective, I would hardly call this navel gazing as much as life observation, i.e., it’s not overly sentimental. What you have here consists of solid Brooklyn punk playing, singing, and songwriting. Remember, UFN = FUN.

Despite some personnel changes, it is so worth checking out the New York hardcore WORLD WAR IX and their 7” vinyl 4-song EP, Brown Bagging It (Red Black and Blue Records, PO Box 982, Vernon, NJ 07461). They come from a solid GG Allin influence - as do a so many other bands lately, like SQNS, Chesty Malone and the Slice-Em-Up, Kissy Kamikaze - except that these later bands are more focused than GG ever was (his recordings were great, but his shows, not so much). In typical WWIX fashion, the songs here are quite humorous, with one half being the Drinks Side, and the other the Other Side. All four tunes are fast and loud, and luckily mostly legible. The standouts are actually from the Other Side, “Jesus Freak” and the LMAO “Employee of the Month.” The other two are also very well written and performed. And when you’re done listening to this, check out the comic books about GG Allin (and others) by the band. Now, GO!

Married couple WRECKLESS ERIC and AMY RIGBY has released their first collaborative, self-titled CD (stiff-records.com). By themselves, both are a bit quirky, and together, they blend into an overlapping skewed pop-singer-songwriting duo. Lyrically, American Amy holds her own to the Brit Eric, though stylistically he seems to have the upper hand. I don’t mean this to sound like some kind of contest, just that both are a bit different in their solo presentation. Amy has rocked out power pop rock (e.g., “Dancing With Joey Ramone,” “I Don’t Wanna Talk About Love”), but here she is showing a softer, sometimes goofy side (“Astrovan”). I’m more familiar with her stuff than his (even though he’s one of the original Stiff artists in the ‘70s), so I don’t know where he compromised. I do know there is a strong electronica overlay (e.g., oscillator, talkbox, mellotron, synthesizer) that I find kind of distracting, especially on the “Revolution #9”-ish “Trotters.” There are a few memorable tunes here though, such as “The Downside of Being a Fuck-Up,” “Please Be Nice to Her,” and “Round.” I will add that vocally, they quite complement each other, and – er – make beautiful music together.

Theater Review: Gay Slave Handbook (Wings Theatre Company)

Text © Robert Barry Francos
Play logo photo by Brooklyn Scalzo (brooklynscalzo.com)
Actor photos from the Internet

Gay Slave Handbook is the latest play staged by prolific writer and director (and Emmy winner) Blake Bradford. It is nearing the end of its run at the Wings Theatre, home of the Wings Theatre Company, at 154 Christopher Street, in New York.

The title is a bit misleading for a play that is actually quite an intimate study of three friends who are brought together in high school by a tragedy in rural North Carolina, and follows them over the next 12 years through three non-intermission acts.

[Justin Maruri plays Sebastian]
We are introduced at first to Sebastian and Jimmy at the funeral of a teen (who dies before the story begins, via a fire). Sebastian is played intensely by Justin Maruri. From the first moment, the audience’s eyes are drawn to him. He emotes well just by moving his face in reaction without overreacting, the sign of strong performing skills in this reviewer’s opinion. Sebastian is a bundle of nerves, and the heart of the trio. Though he is out, he holds secrets that bring his life into turmoil by the second act. His is the driving force that moves the characters into action, sometimes for the better and, well, sometimes not.

[Peter Carrier is Jimmy]
Jimmy is introduced as someone who is a gazer in life. He is a devout Mormon, and tries to stick to his beliefs though his heart is with Sebastian. His church’s strict, homophobic tenets force him into a conflicted closet. Jimmy is the spiritual and childlike part of the trio, and is as confused as everyone, but in a more obvious way. Boston-born actor Peter Carrier presents him as quiet, but in a bubbling under, constricted way, until the last act (don’t worry, I won’t divulge too much). Peter has a wide range, from the blank deer-in-headlights self-blinding innocence, to the thunderous realization of what the effects his suppression has on others.

[Jackie Byrne is Giulia]
As the dead teen’s best friend and emotional id of the bonded trio, is Giulia, a natural force played by Jackie Byrne. While she is loud, vulgar and speaks her mind (often at the top of her lungs), it is a simple stare near the end of the first act that brought tears to my eyes. Jackie plays her at full speed, as her character is trying to get past her emotions and bad health, and especially her fears of being alone, through bravado and self-medication. Jackie portrays her unabashedly, without making her a joke (though she does have some of the best comedic dialog, she never becomes a clown, which would cheapen the character). I’m not quite sure why, however, she is the only one with an accent.

These three strong characters fade in and out of each other’s lives, sometimes for the betterment, and at others for the detriment, but they all need each other. For, you see, they have no problem being brutally honest with each other, but it seems they cannot be honest to themselves, and need the others to hold up their own mirrors.

[Blake Bradford, writer/director]
The first act, which takes place in 1997, is a series of vignettes, taking place over the first months of the relationship between the three. While it develops the core affection between Sebastian and Jimmy, and how they interrelate with Giulia, it shows their growing bond and sets the grounding for what follows. Despite a couple of cliché moments (e.g., Giulia threatening Jimmy if he hurts Sebastian, which I can remember as far back as the film Bed of Roses in 1996), the story line keeps one’s attention to the lives to these recent high school graduates as they try to find themselves by finding each other.

The next act takes place in a solo location a few years later, which is an apartment in New York City, as they are in young adulthood, still on the path or trying to realize what their place is in the world, or in one case, if there even is such situation. But even that turns into something else that places a catalyst in the story for the third act, but I jump ahead. While there are still some funny moments, such as a Giulia meltdown during the 2003 blackout, this act is a lot more serious as information bursts into the forefront, and where some characters can handle this and grow from it; others have further problems because of it.

The final act, and I won’t give it away, takes place in the present. It has a sort of redemptive quality for one character, but sort of leaves others in self-made limbo. This act finds the humor level in the middle, with some very humorous moments, and some blatantly shocking ones. The play leaves off on a sort of dissonant tone, but in a way that makes the audience wanting more, even after an hour and a half.

I would like to make a quick kudo about the set design, which varied from both simple to eloquent, and the designer handled them both well.

This was the first production I have seen at the Wings Theatre, and I congratulate them for acknowledging this work, which is a new play that had only been staged before (to crucial acclaim) at the Scottish Fringe Festival. Meanwhile, Blake is already busying his next project, which includes actors Sara Towber and Molly Church, with whom I shared a drink after we saw this play. I look forward to seeing them all work together.