Monthly Archives: May 2019

Detroit-based outfit Bus Stop Poets pull from disparate threads of Motown’s storied past, oscillating from tight 3 piece to a full-blown sextet, complete with doo-wop, girl group harmonies.

One can pick up hints of other Big D luminaries like MC5, The Stooges, and The Raconteurs, but BSP seem less burdened by the confines of genre, choosing to step outside their comfort zone of pop rock to explore Americana and alt country.

TVD is pleased to premiere the band’s lead-off single, “Blow”—a gut punch of a lost love song from their forthcoming LP Leave it to the Kids. The single has a distinctly aboriginal feel, a bit like Crosby, Stills and Nash (Down Under), with a rich assortment of ace harmonies couching John Mabilia’s formidable vocals. These guys are clearly seasoned musicians with a clear artistic vision, and the songwriting has a lilting narrative quality that conjures up mid-70s Eagles.

Leave it to the Kids will arrive digitally in late July, followed by a limited vinyl pressing.

Many folks place singer and guitarist Lee Moses in the ranks of the worthy one-and-done artists, as he only managed a solitary full-length release, Time and Place, for Maple Records in 1971. However, deep soul fans likely know that starting in the mid-’60s, Moses cut a handful of smoking if obscure 45s for a few small labels; How Much Longer Must I Wait? Singles & Rarities 1965–1972 rounds up those platters, adds three unreleased songs, and is a soul lovers’ delight. It’s out now via Future Days Records with a red and tan color version available through Light in the Attic.

Aside from the three unreleased tracks, the music on How Much Longer Must I Wait? has been reissued before, specifically by Castle Productions roughly 12 years ago, though that label’s expanded Time and Place, which dropped this material onto a second LP, has been selling for stupid money for a good long while. As Future Days has kept their wax reissue of Moses’ sole LP in print since reissuing it back in 2016, the inflated prices attached to the Castle edition should return (hypothetically, at least) to the realms of the sensible.

Lee Moses’ life has been described more than once as an enigma, but he’s far from a cipher. He was born in Atlanta and had a successful band there in the ’50s but moved to NYC in the middle of the following decade where he hooked up with producer Johnny Brantley and worked as a session musician. This included some material with Jimi Hendrix (released under Hendrix’s name as Moods).

The connection with Brantley helped Moses land his first single, “My Adorable One” (a Joe Simon tune) b/w “Diana (from N.Y.C.),” which came out on Lee John Records (the combined enterprise of Moses and Brantley, natch). According to some sources the record hit racks in 1967, though this LP says ’65; as Pat Thomas served as co-producer here, I’m going to assume this earlier date is correct.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | There Was a Light: The Cosmic History of Chris Bell & the Rise of Big Star, the captivating new oral history by Michigan-based author Rich Tupica, hit stores earlier this year via HoZac Books and quickly garnered praise for its in-depth research and insight on the legendary Memphis-based rock band Big Star, a group described by Rolling Stone magazine as “one of the most mythic and influential cult acts in all of rock & roll.”

The Chicago Tribune says: “Rich Tupica sets the record straight … The 400-page oral history covers everything from Bell’s beginnings in the Memphis garage-rock scene of the ’60s to the completion of what would be his posthumously released solo debut, the brilliant I Am the Cosmos.” Meanwhile, acclaimed Memphis-based author, journalist and filmmaker Robert Gordon says: “Rich Tupica gets into Chris Bell’s cosmos through the people who occupy it. These voices take us way deep—specifically into Memphis music of the 1960s and ’70s, but also more universally to creative scenes, how the webs are woven and what tears them apart. Many of these witnesses have passed away, but Rich’s book preserves their voices, the complexities, and the excitement.”

From Big Star’s masterful 1972 debut, #1 Record LP (Ardent/Stax) to the band’s still growing cult fandom, there’s no doubt a lot to talk about. With the band’s co-founder—the late Chris Bell—at the center of the story, There Was a Light contains both new and archival interviews with all members of Big Star, including Bell and the band’s iconic co-founder Alex Chilton, bassist Andy Hummel, and drummer Jody Stephens. The book also mines stories from dozens of people closest to the band: from friends and exes to roadies and co-workers.

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VIA PRESS RELEASE | The Hollywood Stars’ Mark Anthony and Kim Fowley wrote and recorded “King of the Night Time World” and “Escape,” which would later appear on platinum-selling albums by Kiss and Alice Cooper.

The Hollywood Stars, a group originally assembled by rock impresario Kim Fowley in 1973, have announced the first-time issue of a “lost album” recorded in 1976. Sound City arrives on CD and digital download via Burger Records on August 23, 2019. A month prior to the album release, the newly-reformed Hollywood Stars will headline the world-famous Whisky a Go Go in Hollywood, a venue at which the band was previously a top draw.

During the 1970s, The Hollywood Stars toured with The Kinks (for Sleepwalker, 1977) and played support gigs to such legends as The New York Dolls, Bo Diddley, The Ramones, Iggy Pop, and disco star Sylvester. In turn, a cavalcade of newcomers opened shows for the Stars, including Van Halen, Journey, The Runaways, The Knack, and Quiet Riot, among many others.

There have previously been three lineups of The Hollywood Stars. The newly-reformed 2019 version features Scott Phares (vocals), Ruben De Fuentes (guitar), and Terry Rae (drums) from the original group, alongside Michael Rummans (bass) from the second roster. Chezz Monroe on rhythm guitar is a 21st century recruit to the ranks.

The original group (1973-1974) was managed by Fowley. He secured a deal for the band with Columbia Records and the Stars recorded their debut album at the height of the glam rock era. Due to management shuffles at Columbia, the album was shelved at the time but later surfaced in 2013 as Shine Like a Radio: The Great Lost 1974 Album (Last Summer/Light in the Attic). Upon its release, Record Collector magazine bestowed the album five stars and called it “one of the most vital reissues of the year.”

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For a long time, the earliest records by Brooklyn’s expansive yet primal rock groove machine Endless Boogie were frustratingly expensive in physical form. Happily, this pricy circumstance is no longer a reality, as No Quarter is offering their first two releases as a 2LP set in a snappy gatefold sleeve. The limited color vinyl option has sold out as quickly as the originals did back in 2005, but the flat black edition is still available, as are 2CD sets (if that’s how you roll), but I somehow doubt they’ll be around forever; folks into raw bluesy psych-tinged rock with nods toward raga, Detroit, Germany, and a humid dive bar late on a Saturday night should grab Vol I, II without delay.

The sound and the concept captured on Endless Boogie’s Volume 1 and Volume 2, both released in the middle of last decade on their own Mound Duel label, the first in an edition of 500 and the second totaling 299, is essentially the same. Concept? Well, yeah. It is the documentation of an endeavor undertaken primarily for the enjoyment of those directly involved, and then released in finite amounts for others with a predilection for what’s been created, and of course the inside scoop that it exists.

Captured with two mics and a tape deck, Vol. I, II is decidedly lacking in commercial polish; some might even suggest it sounds like a practice tape. If so, I’ll add that it hits my ear like a practice that transformed into a late-afternoon jam, going down on a Saturday in the company of roughly a dozen friends. A quarter century later, they still reminisce about its impact. Yes, not quite 15 years have elapsed since these half-dozen selections emerged on wax, but there’s a timelessness to Endless Boogie’s approach that suggests perseverance over time.

The fact that the band has thrived while generally eschewing a careerist path only reinforces the possibility of continued longevity and relevance. These tracks, two each on sides one and three with the long jams on the flips, were memorialized shortly before guitarist Jesper “The Governor” Eklow, bassist Marc “Memories from Reno” Razo, drummer Chris “Grease Control” Gray, and guitarist-vocalist Paul “Top Dollar” Major departed for the UK to play All Tomorrow’s Parties in 2005. That may read like a big deal, and no doubt it was, but the festival was also curated by Slint.

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We’ve closed up the shop for the Memorial Day holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our free Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?

Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Tuesday, 5/28.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Featuring interviews with Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Diane Warren, Lionel Richie, Suzanne de Passe, David Geffen, Jerry Moss, Sir Lucian Grainge, Cicely Tyson, and Jamie Foxx, among others.

For decades, the world’s most high profile entertainers, athletes and politicians have turned to a single man for advice during the most pivotal moments in their lives and careers, including Grammy Award® winners, Hall of Famers, a Heavyweight Champion of the World, and two U.S. Presidents. That man is Clarence Avant. The Black Godfather charts the exceptional and unlikely rise of Avant, a music executive whose trailblazing behind-the-scenes accomplishments impacted the legacies of icons such as as Bill Withers, Quincy Jones, Muhammad Ali, Hank Aaron, and Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton.

Driven by a sense of equality, loyalty, and justice, Avant left the Jim Crow south behind to emerge as a powerhouse negotiator at a time when deep-seated racism penetrated every corner of America. Avant defied notions of what a black executive could do, redefining the industry for entertainers and executives of color and leaving a legacy of altruism for others to emulate.

Directed by Academy Award® nominee Reginald Hudlin and featuring interviews with Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, Bill Withers, Snoop Dogg, P. Diddy, Lionel Richie, Suzanne de Passe, David Geffen, Jerry Moss, Cicely Tyson, and Jamie Foxx, among others, The Black Godfather pulls the curtain back on the maestro himself, projecting a spotlight on the man who’s spent his entire career ensuring that it shined on others.

VIA PRESS RELEASE | Available June 28th via Standard Black Vinyl 45, a Daptone Logo Die-Cut Picture Disc, and digital single.

Daptone Records has just announced the release of its 100th 45–an unprecedented collaboration of talent from its legendary roster of artists–available June 28. The A side, “Hey Brother,” is a song written by The Frightnrs and originally performed on their acclaimed LP, Nothing More to Say. In the wake of the tragic loss of singer Dan Klein to ALS just before the album’s release, Daptone felt it would be a fitting tribute to re-imagine the tune as a soulful collaboration between the dynamic vocalists on the label. The song features Charles Bradley, Sharon Jones, Naomi Shelton, Amayo (Antibalas), Saun & Starr, and more! What started as a thank you to the label’s beloved fans has now also become a loving tribute to their lost Brothers and Sister: Charles Bradley, Dan Klein, Cliff Driver, and our eternal Queen, Miss Sharon Jones.

On the flip is “Soul Fugue” by The 100 Knights Orchestra, a massive ensemble composed of every horn player the label has ever worked with (really!). Recorded on the rarest of days, February 29th, 2016, they all crammed into the studio simultaneously to perform the epic composition composed and arranged obsessively by Bosco Mann, based on the Fibonacci series and the number 100. Anyone who was lucky enough to catch Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings’ final performance at Prospect Park Summerstage was lucky enough to see/hear this stunning piece of music in real time.

“Soul Fugue” is an epic battle between two massive orchestral armies. From the left speaker, a battalion made up of all of Daptone’s many brass players is lead by the great Dave Guy on first trumpet to the beat of Dap-King legend Homer Steinweiss on drum set. From the right, all of their woodwind players charge into battle behind Ian Hendrickson-Smith on lead alto saxophone with Dap-Kings stage drummer Brian Wolfe pounding the kit. The 100 Knights Orchestra features current and past members of The Dap-Kings, Antibalas, The Budos Band, Menahan Street Band, The Extraordinaires, The Soul Providers, and the Daktaris who all absolutely devoured this gargantuan instrumental in the studio.

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“My first date was in December of 2015 filled with awkward silences, small talk, lingering eye contact and sweaty palms… with my record player.”

“But after the first flip of the vinyl, and onto the next side of Joni Mitchell, I realized the deep love I already had for the static sound coming out of this box on my floor. I fell in love instantly with the grooves and scratches that made each record unique—they had a life of their own before they graced my bedroom.

The angelic, old sound that came from each record became my relaxation in a world of Beats, UE Booms and Alexas. I’ve had many first dates since that and have fallen for old artists and fairly new artists such as Birdy, 1975, Ben Howard, and the classics like Billy Joel and Fleetwood Mac.

I grew up with half of my childhood in sunny California and the other half in cold, windy Chicago so my music has a flare for the dramatics. The sadder the song the better, I say. I want to feel something, and if you can’t make my heart race or make me question my existence, the universe, and everything in between in our first date, you may not be the one for me. Like I said—flare for the dramatics. I love men the way I love my music, mysterious and downright frustrating at times.

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