Remembering Rick Derringer. —Ed.
I don’t know about you, but I spend plenty of time thinking about the words I want engraved on my headstone. They’re going to be there for eternity, after all, so you want your epitaph to be both eye-catching and memorable. Over the years I’ve gone from E.M. Cioran’s, “Only one thing matters; learning to be the loser” to “Futility Lies Here” to “This is all your fault.” But I always come back to the aside Rick Derringer tosses off in the middle of “Rock and Roll Hoochie Koo,” to wit, “Did somebody say keep on rockin’?”
“Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo” is one of rock’s greatest songs, and Derringer’s version is decidedly superior to the one recorded by Johnny Winter in 1970. Winter’s version is surprisingly sluggish, and it took Derringer, an axe-slinger more attuned to pure rock’n’roll than the blues, to really press down on the accelerator. And Derringer’s rock chops are what make his 1973 LP, All American Boy, so wonderful.
The ex-McCoy—you know, the band that gave us “Hang on Sloopy”—has very impressive bona fides as a sideman and hired gun. He has had a quasi-incestuous relationship with the Winter Brothers and participated in various of their projects, played on several Steely Dan tunes, was responsible for the guitar solo on Alice Cooper’s “Under My Wheels,” and played on Todd Rundgren’s best albums, including Something/Anything. And I’m just cherry picking here.
But it’s the solo (and star-studded) LP All American Boy that is his finest hour. It’s all over the place, but most of its songs work, and what we’re looking at here is a sadly neglected album of great merit. He certainly brought in the talent: Edgar Winter plays keyboards, David Bromberg plays guitar and dobro, Joe Walsh throws in on electric guitar, Bobby Caldwell handles drum chores, Suzi Quatro plays bass on those songs that Kenny Passarelli doesn’t, and Toots Thielemans even contributes on harmonica.
Amagansett, NY | Vinyl Vibes and Rock Legends: How Innersleeve Records Became a Cornerstone in Amagansett: Amagansett’s Main Street is home to InnerSleeve Records, the only record store east of Patchogue. The name of Craig Wright’s business pays homage to a tiny record shop he owned in San Francisco in the early 1990s. Wright has been in business for over 13 years, first in the Amagansett Square and then moving to Main Street, making InnerSleeve Records one of the longest-lasting brick-and-mortar shops in the hamlet. “I’ve been in the music business for most of my life on both coasts,” Wright said, while standing behind the counter of his shop, getting his ducks in a row for his annual Record Store Day event, which is held on April 12 of each year. Record Store Day is when certain releases are only available at independent record shops. ….“I wasn’t actively looking to open a record store, but I always wanted to do something musical,” Wright said. “It was 
Amarillo, TX | How one venue owner is helping to keep the torch (or lighter!) burning for area live music fans: …Nestled in between a tattoo shop and vintage goods store on 6th Avenue is High Fidelity Records. While it has a lot of great music on offer in the form of vinyl, CDs and other physical media, High Fidelity also hopes to continue carrying the torch of record stores past through hosting small underground shows that appeal to those of many different walks of life. Ray Wilson, owner of High Fidelity, sat down with me in a cozy corner of the shop to discuss 
Hoo ha, said I. Sure, Time Out of Mind was a marked–no, make that very marked–improvement on the rather desultory couple of albums he’d released before it. So if you wanted to call it a resounding comeback, that was fine by me. But masterpiece? Forget about it.
We recently spoke about her upbringing in a Pentecostal family in Appalachia, how she first discovered the ’80s Goth subculture, our shared love of Depeche Mode, and her unending energy to create environments that support lovers of darker and synth-driven sounds from multiple genres without barriers. We both agree that there should be more women everywhere.
Birmingham, UK | Birmingham vinyl record store reopens in historic arcade: IGNITE record Store—the indie vinyl destination founded by local music legend Rich Perri—has found a new home in Birmingham city centre. For lovers of classic vinyl and Birmingham’s music scene, there’s now a new reason to visit historic Great Western Arcade. IGNITE has relocated there from the closed Oasis Market for a minimum eight weeks’ pop-up. The music store is now surrounded by some of Birmingham’s best independents and boutique stores. Rich is no stranger to the city’s music scene—he worked at the city’s legendary Tempest Records for 12 years from the age of 18, before founding IGNITE at Oasis Market in 2010. IGNITE’s relocation to Great Western Arcade ensures there continues to be 
Callander, ON | Callander Bay Records bring the vinyl to the Bay: Vendors from across the province convene at the Elk’s Lodge this Sunday. Prepare to dig through some stacks, because the North Bay Spring Record Show returns to the Elk’s Lodge in North Bay this Sunday, May 25. “Everything is going great, the room is ready to go, and the vendors are looking forward to the event,” said Jamie Strawn, who along with Kristi Pearce, organizes the event. Pearce and Strawn run Callander Bay Records on Callander’s Main Street, and twice a year, Spring and Fall, the two organize a large record show in North Bay. This year, Strawn said there are plenty of vendors from across the province, and there will be a large display of retro video games as well, which is new for the show. Rest assured, there will still be near-endless stacks of vinyl to sift through, so odds are you’ll be able to scratch a few titles off your must-have list. Either way, expect to see plenty of LPs, 45s, CDs, and many collectibles as well. Plus, 
