Saturday, March 23, 2019

Andre Williams & Dick Dale & Shows # 765, 766, 767


Andre Williams:

Andre Williams career has spanned many decades. His role in music was also influential, but in a different way. Williams began working at Fortune Records in Detroit in the late 1950’s. There he would record and write over 200 songs for the label. It was here that the young Andre Williams would establish his own, gritty and often seen as risqué lyrical prowess. In 1957, Williams released “Bacon Fat”, which sold so many records Fortune Records signed a deal with Epic Records to help it achieve wider distribution. Some of his other popular early songs included “Jail Bait”, “The Greasy Chicken” “Pass The Biscuits Please” and “Goin’ Down to Tijuana”. In 1968, Andre Williams signed with Chess Records, releasing hit singles “Cadillac Jack” and “Humpin’, Bumpin’ and Thumpin’”. Williams recorded and collaborated with many musicians in his R&B circle such as Stevie Wonder (co-writing his first song “Thank You For Loving Me”) and he co-wrote the song “Shake A Tail Feather”. He has recorded and worked with so many artists it is often difficult to keep track. In the 1970s, Williams wrote songs for Parliament and Funkadelic as well as producing Ike Turner.

In the 1980s, Andre Williams became homeless due to issues with drugs and alcohol. During this time he lived in Chicago, Illinois. His career would have a resurgence when he began working with Bloodshot Records in the 90s. In 1996, he released the album Mr. Rhythm, which featured new renditions of early Fortune Records classics. In 1998, he worked with Mick Collins and Danny Kroha of the Gories to produce the album, Silky. The album ventured into R&B, early rock and roll and garage rock. Despite Williams being 65 at the time, the album showed that he could still produce a wildly vulgar and energetic garage rock album for a new generation and audience that also drew on his R&B roots. Williams recorded and released two albums with The Sadies as his backing band (1999’s Red Dirt and 2012’s Night & Day). Williams continued to perform and record music up until his passing in March of 2019. In 2016, Andre Williams released the album I Wanna Go Back To Detroit City. The album, which would turn out to be his last, featured collaborations with Dennis Coffey, Danny Kroha and Mathew Smith.

Dick Dale:

Dick Dale was a pioneering guitarist who had an influence that spanned decades. Beginning in the late 50’s Dale helped to pioneer what would eventually be known as surf music. At the age of 17, Dick Dale learned to surf and combined his love of surfing with music to create something unique at the time. He experimented with sound, reverb and volume to create a sound that was similar to the sound of crashing waves. Dale’s 1961 single “Let’s Go Trippin’” is often viewed as one of the first songs to be released. Although he has often stated that he had no technical training, Dale’s music often drew on Middle Eastern music scales. He worked closely with Leo Fender to help create the first 100-watt amplifier. Since Dale played so loud he would often blow up amplifiers on stage. The amp that was created would be known as the Fender Showman. He also helped to popularize the Fender Stratocaster guitar. A gold one was given to him by Leo Fender himself and nicknamed “The Beast”.

In addition to this his influence reached different audiences influencing all sorts of music and genres. Artists such as The Beach Boys, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, The Surfaris, and The Ventures to name a few. Dale himself was nicknamed “The King of Surf Guitar”. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones appear in the 1963 Beach Party movie and the 1964 movie Muscle Beach Party that occurred around the height of the 60’s surf craze. He would later have resurgence when his signature song “Misirlou” was featured in the opening credits to the 1994 Quentin Tarantino movie Pulp Fiction. Around this time Dale began to tour again, which he would continue to do until his passing, often to help pay for his medical bills. Dick Dale would still record and release music. Not counting compilation and live albums, Dale released out four studio albums from 1993-2001 (Tribal Thunder (1993), Unknown Territory (1994), Calling Up Spirits (1996), and Spacial Disorientation (2001)). Dale continued to tour until his passing at the age of 81 in March 2018.

For more info on Dick Dale check out a longer post that I did on him many years back.

Show 767 Playlist (Originally Aired On March 23rd, 2019)(Dick Dale & Andre Williams):


1. Dick Dale - Misirlou
2. Dick Dale - Take It Off
3. Dick Dale - Surf Beat
4. Dick Dale - Taco Wagon
5. Dick Dale - Tidal Wave
6. Dick Dale - Banzai Washout
7. Andre Williams - The Greasy Chicken
8. Andre Williams - Goin' Down to Tia Juana
9. Andre Williams - I Still Love You
10. Andre Williams - Lookin’ Down At You - Lookin’ Up At Me
11. Andre Willaims & The Sadies - She's a Bag of Potato Chips
12. Andre Willaims & The Sadies - I'll Do Most Anything for Your Love
13. The Robots - Robots Rock
14. Kiwi Jr. - Wicked Witches
15. Mark Wynn - Lovers Picking Scabs
16. Pink Noise - Half Life
17. Mark Sultan - Ophelia
18. James Brown - I'll Go Crazy
19. James Brown - It's a Man's World
20. Chain Wallet - World I Used to Call Mine
21. Stephen Malkmus - Victor Borgia
22. Motherhood - Sweet Kid
23. Black Jaspers - Snot Queen
24. Louder Than Death - New Stains
25. Lou Reed - Future Farmers of America
26. Brian Jonestown Masacre - A Word
27. 13go - Pointe-Claire
28. Mark Sultan - Spinning Ceiling
29. Mike Kroll - Left for Dead
30. Klark Kent - Thrills
31. Stranglers - Straighten Out

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 23.

Show 766 Playlist (Originally Aired March 16th, 2019)(Karen O, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Link Wray):

1. The High Dials - Foreverish
2. Guided by Voices - Jam Warsong
3. The Ar-Kaics - She's Obsessed with Herself
4. Karen O & Dangermouse - Leopard's Tongue
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Black Tongue
6. Bikini Kill - Speed Heart
7. Sonic Youth - Sugar Cane
8. Priors - Call For You
9. Preoccupations - Continental Shelf
10. Chacal - Way Back Home
11. Pottery - Hank Williams
12. Bloodshot Bill - Drowning
13. B.A. Johnston - Discount Bacon
14. South River Slim - Girl Trouble (Alt. Version) (Acoustic CJAM Session)
15. Townes Van Zandt - All I Need
16. Black Flag - Wound Up
17. Bad Brains - Banned in D.C.
18. Soul Motivators - Mindblastin'
19. King Khan & the Shrines - Welfare Bread
20. Mexican Knives - Spider
21. Terrible Truths - Lift Weights
22. David Chesworth - Music Speaks (DJ Version)
23. Coathangers - 5 Farms
24. Link Wray - Five and Ten
25. Link Wray - Law of the Jungle
26. Chacal - Jackals in the Moonlight

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 16.

Show 765 Playlist (Originally Aired On March 9th, 2019)(Bloodshot Bill, B.A. Johnston, The Rolling Stones):

1. Bloodshot Bill - Take me for a Ride
2. Bloodshot Bill - Know Myself Come
3. Ray Condo & His Hard Rock Goners - Willing and Ready
4. Rolling Stones - Rip this Joint
5. Cass McCombs - The Great Pixley Train Robbery
6. Deer Tick - Old Lady
7. William Tyler - Our Lady of the Desert
8. Thee Headcoatees - When The Night Comes
9. Thee Headcoats - All My Feelings Denied
10. Pop Rivets - Beatle Boots
11. Julianna Hatfield - Alright, Yeah
12. B.A. Johnston - Flintstone Vitamins and Jamesons
13. B.A. Johnston - Stare into the Void
14. Whispering Sons - Alone
15. EggS - I Fell in Love
16. Guided by Voices - Carapace
17. Frankie & The Witch Fingers - Work
18. No Fix - Still Goin' Down
19. Soupybeard - I Got a Friend
20. Harlem - All Men Are Dogs
21. Plumtree - Regret
22. Esther Grey - Fried Blood
23. Motherhood - Way Down
24. Carambolage - Soupeur
25. Mike Krol - An Ambulance
26. Girlpool - Pretty
27. Slits - Face Place
28. Night Beats - Her Cold Cold Heart
29. Rolling Stones - Turd on the Run

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 9.

Saturday, March 02, 2019

An Interview with Shana Cleveland & Show # 764


With a title inspired in part by Sun Ra’s Night of the Purple Moon, Shana Cleveland releases her second solo album, Night of the Worm Moon in April 2019 on Hardly Art Records. Her first solo album was released in 2015 and entitled, Oh Man, Cover the Ground. It was credited to Shana Cleveland & The Sandcastles. Night of the Worm Moon was recorded in 2017 shortly after the recording of La Luz’s Floating Features (her other band). Like Oh Man, Cover the Ground, the album draws more on folk textures musically. Just from hearing the first two songs released from this album (“Don’t Let Me Sleep”, “Face of the Sun”), listeners can hear the songs take on a cosmic folk atmosphere, blending folky acoustic rhythms that move mysteriously mixed with more psychedelic elements.

“Don’t Let Me Sleep” starts off with a lone acoustic guitar resembling a Leonard Cohen influence before the vocals and other instrumentation cascade into the song’s landscape. With jazz sounding bass, keyboards and layered vocals, the song displays an internal paranoia lyrically. The music video adds further textures and layers to the possible meanings behind this song as an otherworldly alien explores a planet, searching for answers to what they are seeing. “Face of the Sun” features prominent acoustic guitar as electric guitar lines that blur the line between psychedelic and surf rock surface throughout various points in the song. Lyrically, the song shows a character that is trying to break free from their past, while still being blinded by the light from their past glories. Night of the Worm Moon creeps and crawls with cosmic and otherworldly themes, while at the same time still being grounded within the internal and introspective elements of daily life.

Check out my interview with Shana Cleveland:



Show # 765 (International Women's Day 2019 Playlist & An Interview with Shana Cleveland):

1. The Delmonas - Peter Gunn Locomotion (Dangerous Charms - Big Beat Records - 1985)
2. E.S.L. - Girls (Eye Contact - Jericho Beach Music - 2008)
3. Thee Headcoatees - Davey Crockett (Gabba Hey) (Davey Crockett (Gabba Hey)/Young Blood Single - Damaged Goods - 1992)
4. Cub - Surfer Girl (Betti-Cola - Mint Records - 1993)
5. Maow - Woman's Scorn (The Unforgiving Sounds of… - Mint Records - 1996)
6. Cherry Glazerr - Wasted Nun (Stuffed & Ready - Secretly Canadian - 2019)
7. The Courtneys - K.C. Reeves (The Courtneys - Hockey Dad Records - 2013)
8. Fifth Column - Donna (36 C - K Records/Denon Records - 1994)
9. Dum Dum Girls - Bhang Bhang I'm a Burnout (I Will Be - Sub Pop - 2010)
10. The Curious Mystery - Up in the Morning (We Creeling) (We Creeling - K Records - 2011)
11. La Luz - Brainwash (Brainwash/T.V. Dream Single- Suicide Squeeze Records - 2013)
12. La Luz - California Finally (Floating Features - Hardly Art - 2018)

SHANA CLEVELAND INTERVIEW

13. Shana Cleveland & The Sandcastles - Holy Rollers (Oh Man, Cover the Ground - Suicide Squeeze Records - 2015)
14. Shana Cleveland - Don’t Let Me Sleep (Night of the Worm Moon - Hardly Art - 2019)
15. Bikini Kill - Rebel Girl (New Radio - Kill Rock Stars - 1993)
16. Le Tigre - Hot Topic (Le Tigre - Mr. Lady Records - 1999)
17. Elastica - 2:1 (Elastica - Geffen Records - 1995)
18. Siouxsie & the Banshees - Love in a Void (The Peel Sessions - Strange Fruit Records Ltd. - 1989)
19. B-Girls - Hearts In His Eyes (Bad Not Evil - Bomp Records! - 2017)
20. PONY - Healthy Brain (Do You - Buzz Records - 2017)
21. The Beaches - Ramblin' (The Beaches - Fontana North Distribution - 2013)
22. Jale - Not Happy (Dreamcake - Sub Pop - 1994)
23. Pale Lips - Hiding from the Moon (Pentagon Black No. 1 - Pentagon Black - 2016)
24. Sleater Kinney - The Fox (The Woods - Sub Pop - 2005)
25. X - Breathless (More Fun in the New World - Elektra - 1983)
26. X - I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts (More Fun in the New World - Elektra - 1983)

Download/stream this episode here.