Monthly Archives: May 2014

“I first grabbed a hold of vinyl at the age of four, and I remember having a deep connection with The Lovin’ Spoonful’s “Do You Believe in Magic?” I don’t know why exactly (could have been that autoharp), but maybe it was because I did believe in the magic of vinyl.”

“My prized possession at the time was a Fisher Price record player my parents had bought for me. They are both music lovers, so I had an extensive collection of 45s and LPs at my fingertips. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here writing about my story on vinyl, or playing music for a living.

As a child, my daily ritual was jumping out of bed, sitting on the ground, and rocking back and forth to the mellifluous sounds coming from this black circle spinning in front of me. I started off with 45s before I graduated to LPs. From The Beatles and soul to Motown and the Leaders of the Pack compilation, this was a whole new world to me. Before it was only playgrounds and toy trucks. It was as if my life really began the moment I first used that record player.

I learned how to read with the help of 45 labels. For a while, I had this morning routine of entering my parents’ room with a different record in my hand, and would ask them, “Does that say ‘Tossin’ and Turnin’’ by Bobby Lewis?” They would respond, “Yes, Kev, now go back to bed. It’s 5:00 a.m.”

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Leslie Winer’s Witch, first heard in 1990 as a white-label LP but not released legitimately until three years later, rates as a highly-esteemed document, one regarded by some as a lost classic. A large part of the lingering allure relates directly to its status as a harbinger of Trip Hop; while that relationship is surely evident upon listening, Witch’s nine tracks, out now on limited edition vinyl from Superior Viaduct, portray a narrative that’s much more complex.

Though she quickly and understandably bristled against the designation, Leslie Winer is easily most renowned, outside of modeling circles anyway, as the “grandmother of trip hop.” That bold title was awarded to her by England’s New Musical Express in response to a record that’s considerable impact on individual listeners suffered complications of exposure and sadly never translated into a big splash.

Indeed, the late great Brit DJ John Peel was moved enough to play cuts on his radio show from the original issue, with that white-label curiosity credited not to Winer but to ©, a copyright symbol with an ouroboros (or for those rusty on their ancient Greek lingo, a snake devouring its own tail) as the circle around the c.

NME fervor aside, Winer was consistently plagued by label ineptitude. Though she’d continued to make music in the intervening time, until Witch was rediscovered at the front of the c section of Peel’s formidable collection, its owner reportedly cataloging it as “the definition of a hidden gem,” her artistic fate was mainly obscurity.

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For your illumination, a shameful tale of gross and inexplicable prejudice. To wit, I spent most of my life refusing to give the Jefferson Airplane a break, because of what they would in time become—namely first the fishy Jefferson Starship, and then plain old loathsome “We Built This City on Rock’n’Roll” Starship. I was so busy judging the Airplane by their checkered future I never bothered turning back the page to take in these lyrics from Volunteers: “We are all outlaws in the eyes of America/In order to survive we steal cheat lie forge fuck hide and deal/We are obscene lawless hideous dangerous dirty violent and young.”

Those may be some of the most defiantly punk lyrics ever written, but I never heard them. How could I have? I was so anti-Jefferson Airplane I jokingly declared the anniversary of Altamont “Punch Marty Balin in the Mouth Day.” But just recently, goaded by some inexplicable impulse, I gave 1969’s Volunteers a listen. And I was dumbfounded by how goddamn day-glo good it was. From its plethora of cool vocals to Jorma Kaukonen’s brilliant guitar playing to its extraordinary lyrics, Volunteers is a triumph.

More overtly political than their karmically resigned compatriots in the Grateful Dead, and smarter-assed (and just plain smarter) than their brethren in CSN&Y, on Volunteers the Jefferson Airplane launch razor-sharp barbs against straight society, from sarcasm-laden opening track to inspirational closer. Whether you call them idealistic, naïve, or just plain deluded, the Volunteers-era Jefferson Airplane—Grace Slick on vocals, piano, organ, and recorder; Paul Kantner on vocals and rhythm guitar; Marty Balin on vocals and percussion; Jorma Kaukonen on lead guitar and vocals; Jack Casady on bass; and Spencer Dryden on drums and percussion—expressed a commitment to revolution and the radical transformation of American society.

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“Vinyl has always been the best way to listen to music.”

“There really is no substitute that sounds quite as good. I believe it’s because what you are hearing when you listen to vinyl is the actually recorded waveforms of the music. There is no simulation or loss of quality due to the conversion to ones and zeros.

I remember when I was first getting into vinyl, freshman year of college. I would go to Reckless Records almost every other day in search for my favorite band’s vinyl. I’m pretty sure I sacrificed more money on vinyl then on groceries each week.

I’m not really sure why vinyl records became so cool again in an age of convenience and electronic devices capable of holding double of your personal music collection, but I’m sure glad people are enjoying them again. Out of all the fads and hip things that come and go in and out of style, it’s nice to see something get popular that actually has quality.

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With Ancestor, Stone Jack Jones’ third release after a lengthy absence, the Nashville-based West Virginia native has crafted a fine slab of dark-hued and occasionally psychedelic Americana. There are surely elements of Southern Gothic in evidence, but across 11 songs Jones wisely keeps his influences in check and delivers an outstanding LP.

According to the brief biography offered on his website, the musician Stone Jack Jones has lived a rather eventful life. In fact, it’s loaded with so much activity that Jones, raised in a coal miner’s company house in Buffalo Creek, West Virginia but for quite a while now living in Nashville, serves as a plum example of the maxim “the truth is stranger than fiction.”

Indeed descended from four generations of miners, Jones was dismissed from Vietnam War service due to epilepsy. Electing against pursuing the family trade he chose to wander instead. Along the way he reportedly worked the carnival circuit and performed as an escape artist, ballet dancer and professional player of the lute; while in Atlanta he operated a briefly flourishing late night performance art club/boho safety zone in the shell of a former strip bar.

If all these doings did happen to be the byproduct of someone’s imagination, there’s a good possibility the creative writing workshop instructor would recommend toning down the action just a little bit, though in reality Jones was even busier; during the early-‘80s he played in an Atlanta rock unit called Kaos, and after landing in Nashville he struck up friendships with Patty Griffin, Lambchop’s Kurt Wagner, and noted producer Roger Moutenot, who helmed both his debut Narcotic Lollipop and his sophomore effort Bluefolk.

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Press Play is our Monday morning recap—this week on Tuesday—of the new tracks received last week—provided here to inform your vinyl purchasing power. Click, preview, download.

Katalina Kicks – Kings of America
Unicycle Loves You – Jaws
Mikey Omega – Snow Bunnies
Algernon Doll – Suicide
Miami Horror – Colours In The Sky (That’s Nice Remix)
Redvers – Impressions
Douga – Blue is Nothing
Circulatory System – Stars And Molecules
Orangatang – That’s Where I’ll Go
Coldplay – A Sky Full Of Stars (X-VERTIGO & Arthur White Remix)

TVD SINGLE OF THE WEEK:
What Moon Things – The Astronaut

SAMUEL L COOL J – Slip And Slide
Static Shock – Till Death
Steve Strong – Wide Open Spaces
Naughty Boy ft. Sam Smith – La La La (White Panda X Gazzo Remix)
Ace Reporter – Year Of The Tiger (St. Vincent Cover)
The Provincial Archive – Son Of Sam (Elliott Smith Cover)
The 1975 – Robbers(Shadow Child Remix)
Doja Cat – So High (Kodak To Graph Remix)
Candidedid – Scaredy Cat
Smoke Season – Badlands

7 more FREE TRACKS on side B!

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Thank you to the men and women who have served and continue to serve in our armed forces.

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I used to hate long holiday weekends. I thought those three-day breaks were for the squares—working types who spilt the city and fucked up Sunday nights. Seems my shit attitude came from years of owning bars and clubs. I could never wait until those long, boring weekends ended.

All this changed ten years ago today. While killing Memorial Day weekend time, I happened upon a girl I knew as “Steve’s chick.” She was long and beautiful with big hair and a smile that revealed her flawless white teeth. Upon this chance encounter, I immediately asked her out. She laughed at me.

“Fuck you,” she said…

…but she blushed and gave me the happiest of smiles.

Ten years to the day, Susan and I are The Sidels. Happy Anniversary, baby! I love you—and now feel a lot better about holiday weekends. Memorial Day—long weekend—here we come.

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