Sam Coffey Interview & Show # 605

Photo by Murad Erzinclioglu

This week’s episode of Revolution Rock featured an interview with Sam Coffey of Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs. The band played a show at Phog Lounge in Windsor, Ontario on Saturday March 19th, 2016 along with The Holy Gasp and The Greedy Echoes. The band is currently working on finishing up their follow up to their 2014 release, Gates Of Hell. Check out the interview that I did with Sam and videos of “Calgary Hill” and “We Da Best” by Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs below.

Check out my interview with Sam Coffey here:



Videos:





Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Marvelettes - All The Love I Got
2. The Contours - The Stretch
3. Charles Bradley - Good To Be Back Home
4. Iggy Pop - She's A Business
5. John Cale - Reading My Mind
6. Nap Eyes - Stargazer
7. James O-L & The Villains - Back Then
8. The Holy Gasp - The Love Generation
9. The Greedy Echoes - Ancients (Demo)
10. The Lounge Lizards - Bob And Nico
11. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Violent Girls

Sam Coffey Interview

12. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Have A 100
13. Flesh Rag - Electric Dream
14. The Good Things - Ring Of Fire
15. Milk Toast - The Dirtiest Apartment In The Petite-Parrie
16. Hinds - Warts
17. The Beatles - Blackbird
18. The Beatles - Think For Yourself
19. The Beatles - Help (Takes 8 & 9)
20. The Beatles - The Night Before
21. The Beatles - And Your Bird Can Sing
22. The Cure - Play For Today
23. Visitors - Electric Heat
24. Patti Smith Group - So You Wanna Be (A Rock 'N' Roll Star)
25. Ty Segall - Squealer

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Slits, Dion Lunadon & Show # 604

The Slits - Typical Girls



Taken from their 1979 album Cut, "Typical Girls" was a song that blended punk and reggae/dub elements. The song itself questioned the stereotypical pre-set gender roles of women and is still relevant today. Cut as mentioned mixed elements of punk, reggae, dub, should and other genres. It is often referred to as post-punk. Still fairly new to their instruments around the time that this album was being created, The Slits took the punk attitude and ethos and reached beyond its borders into the realm of world music. With Ari Up's erratic vocal style, sarcastic, humorous lyrics and the band's DIY attitude, this album exemplified a certain intensity. The album is also an important one as it helped set forth the foundations for females in punk rock music.

Dion Lunadon - Com/Broke



A new single appeared recently from Dion Lunadon. Previously known for his work in the New Zealand garage rock band The D4 and current bassist in the New York based band A Place To Bury Strangers, Dion wrote this song and several others during a short break in the APTBS touring schedule. Limited to 400 copies "Com/Broke" is as Dion stated "about being anti- what's expected of someone entering their mid-life. Most people mellow out, but I don't want that. I want to create music that is even more ugly and more real. Lyrically, it’s from the perspective of me being resigned to giving up and essentially giving in. Negative.”

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Slits - Typical Girls
2. The Raincoats - Fairytale In The Supermarket
3. The Mo-Dettes - Two Can Play
4. Nico - Winter Song
5. Quilt - Searching For
6. Dr. Dog - Good Grief
7. Fat White Family - Hits Hits Hits
8. The Cave Singers - That’s Why
9. Wired Minds - Where You End And I Begin
10. Iggy Pop - In The Lobby
11. Martha & The Muffins - Echo Beach
12. The Dishrags - Carry On
13. !Action Pact! - People
13. The Dirty Nil - Wrestle Yu To Husker Du
14. The Evaporators - United Empire Loyalists
15. Tea Leaves - Empty Head
16. Run Coyote - Stranger (In My Own Home)
17. Sawhorse - Thinking Of You, Drinking For Two
18. The Byrds - One Hundred Years From Now (Rehearsal Version Takes 14 & 15 - Gram Parsons On Vocals)
19. The Moths - Snake Eyes
20. The 427’s - Fake Betty
21. The Special Edisons - Fresh Pots
22. Light Bulb Alley - Mary
23. Gazebos - Maintenance
24. Minotaurs - Weird Waves
25. The Gories - Ghostrider
26. The Cramps - Voodoo Idol
27. Dion Lunadon - Com/Broke

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Instrumental Surf Sounds Of Pulp Fiction & Show # 602

In the days when movies actually had soundtracks that were sold and purchased, there was the Pulp Fiction soundtrack. Released in 1994, it accompanied the equally influential Quentin Tarantino film of the same name and many of the songs in the film were from the 50s and 70s. Shades of R&B, soul, 50s rock n’ roll and surf rock music coloured in the sonic landscapes between the frames of Pulp Fiction. As opposed to having a standard film score, Pulp Fiction featured songs from what many may have thought were lost eras of music which was seen as unconventional at the time. Tarantino did this not only with Pulp Fiction, but also with his first film Reservoir Dogs. The title sequence features the song “Misirlou” by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones. This track as well as other instrumental surf oriented rock n’ roll tracks were used partly due to budgetary restrictions for the film’s soundtrack. The other reason this type of music was used in the film was as Tarantino has stated, surf music is reminiscent of a rock version of the Spaghetti Western music created by Ennio Morricone.

The unconventional story is told in a non-linear order in Pulp Fiction and the characters exemplify an intensity that is at times characterized by violence and drug use. The music selected for this film is often contrasted with the music selected for the Forest Gump soundtrack, which features several more conventional selections from similar time periods. And although both films have had an impact on popular culture, the soundtrack to Pulp Fiction is still being talked about. When it was originally released, several of the tracks featured in the film were not on the soundtrack. For example, Link Wray’s “Rumble” is not on the soundtrack, The Robins “Since I First Met You” and “The Marketts “Out Of Limits” are not on the original soundtrack album that was released in September 1994. Seven songs in total were not on the original soundtrack. Dusty Springfield’s “Son Of A Preacher Man”, Kool & The Gang’s “Jungle Boogie”, Chuck Berry’s “You Never Can Tell” and Al Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” were all featured in both the film and on the soundtrack and resulted in resurgences of interest.

Urge Overkill’s version of Neil Diamond’s “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon” helped launch them into the mainstream subconscious. They were also one of the only modern bands at the time to be featured in the film and on the soundtrack. Another interesting fact about this film and soundtrack is the song “Waitin’ In School” is performed in the film by Gary Shorelle and is not available commercially. The song was originally recorded by Ricky Nelson and released in 1957. It is often seen as one of Nelson’s best contributions to the rockabilly genre. Most importantly, surf/instrumental music was in high concentration in the film and on the soundtrack. The Tornadoes “Bustin’ Surfboards”, The Lively Ones “Surf Rider”, Link Wray’s “Ace Of Spaces”, The Centurions “Bullwinkle Part II”, The Revels “Comanche” and of course “Misirlou” by Dick Dale & His Del-Tones all were featured in the film and on the soundtrack. Following the release of this film surf music enjoyed a new sense of resurgence and popularity even appearing in commercials.

By 1996, the Pulp Fiction soundtrack had sold over 2 million copies. With this soundtrack surf music was reintroduced to a new generation of film and music enthusiasts. In the film Vincent and Jules have a conversation about how a lot of things are similar in Paris and Europe, but are done differently. Beer can be purchased at McDonald’s and a Quarter Pounder With Cheese is called a Royale With Cheese in Paris. Pulp Fiction’s soundtrack is a bit like a Royale With Cheese and being able to drink a beer at a fast food establishment. It was a film with a soundtrack featuring a collection of music that had been around for a while, but people may not have been aware of it. Pulp Fiction was a film, but it was a film that was done differently. This wasn’t just another soundtrack and film. It was more than just your average hamburger.

Revolution Surf Playlist:

1. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - Miserlou (Summer Surf - 1964/Pulp Fiction Soundtrack - 1994)
2. The Mel-Tones - In Praise Of The Lime (Surf Sensation - 2004)
3. Marell's Marauders - The Maurauder (Surfin' In The Midwest Surf Vol 3 - 1998)
4. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Zombie Compromise (Savvy Showstoppers - 1988)
5. Luau Or Die - Coldwar Cowboy (Dead On The Floor Vol 1 - 2015)
6. Yuzo Kayama - Black Sand Beach 94 (Black Sand Beach - 1994)
7. The Bambi Molesters - Long Gun (Dumb Loud Hollow Twang Deluxe -2003)
8. The Mongols - Nautoloid Reef (Time Machine: The History Of Canadian 60's Garage Punk & Surf 1985-1995 - 1996)

Surfphony of Derstruction 2000 Segment:

9. The Mighty Swells - Zissou Twist (Jaguar Shark Mix) (Off The Top With The Mighty Swells! - 2015)
10. The Fathoms - Fathomized (Overboard - 1998)
11. Takeshi Terauchi & His Blue Jeans - Movin' (Surfing - 1963)
12. The Apeman - Crash (Are You Being Surfed? - 1994)
13. Dick Dale & His Del-Tones - Banzai Washout (Summer Surf - 1964)
14. The Lively Ones - High Tide (High Tide/Goofy Foot -1963)
15. The Hollywood Tornadoes - Moon Dawg (Moon Dawg/The Inebriated Surfer - 1963)

16. The Ghastly Ones - Werewolves On Wheels (Unearthed - 2007)
17. Lee Kristofferson - Night Of The Werewolf (Dinner With Drac - 1977)
18. Tarantula - The Tarantulas (Tarantula/Black Widow - 1961)
17. Link Wray - Ace Of Spades (Ace Of Spades/Hidden Charms - 1963)
18. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Having An Average Weekend (Savvy Showstoppers - 1988)
19. Trout - Bite The Tow (Salty Waves/Bite The Tow - 2014)
20. This Machine Kills Robots - Tidal Wave From Beyond The Grave (A Horrid Heart Still Beats In Its Mummified Remains - 2013)
21. The New Waves - Surf Macabre (Surf Macabre - 2009)
22. Atomic 7 - Save Your Fork There's Pie (Gowns By Edith Head - 2002)
23. The Sadies - Lay Down Your Arms (Stories Often Told - 2002)
24. The Replacements - Buck Hill (Hootenanny - 1983)
25. Beachmover - Directed Energy (Do The Microwave) (Beachmover - 2014)
26. X-Ray Cat Trio - The Buzzard's Claw (Out For Blood - 2015)
27. The Bell Peppers - The Spray (Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers - 2013)
28. The Revels - Comanche (Intoxica/Comanche - 1964/Pulp Fiction Soundtrack - 1994)
29. La Luz - Hey Papi (Weirdo Shrine - 2015)
30. The Lively Ones - Surf Rider (Surf Rider! - 1963/Pulp Fiction Soundtrack - 1994)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

As a side note and for those keeping count, episode 603 of Revolution Rock was a repeat episode that originally aired earlier in February 2016. You can download that episode here and find the playlist in this post.

Music From The City Of Roses & Show # 601

Located South of Detroit, Windsor, Ontario was first established as a city in 1892. Being a border city Windsor has a diverse and storied history. In the 1920’s when prohibition was instituted in Michigan, alcohol was still legal in Windsor, Ontario. As a result rum running became common practice. In addition to this Windsor and Detroit also share a history with the automotive industry. Sometimes known as the “Automotive Capital of Canada”, Windsor has been and still is a major contributor to Canada’s automotive industry. Musically, Windsor has an early history being involved with choral and orchestral music. In the 1950’s Windsor began making a transition to more rock and roll oriented music. Prior to this there were also several big band musical acts.

While it hasn’t always been the best documented, Windsor’s independent music scene saw several influential bands in the 1980s. The Spy’s were one of these influential bands. They were a short lived punk band that only ever released one single “Underground/Machine Shop” in 1980. Several other bands were around at that time as well in the vein of 70s punk rock such as The Dry Heaves among others. The late 80s brought bands such as The Prehistoric Cave Strokers and The Lost Patrol. Other notable bands in Windsor’s history include 50’s rockabilly artist Jack Scott (who was born in Windsor, but raised in Detroit), Luxury Christ (a more of a performance art piece band from the 90s), Hung Jury, Toast, What Seas What Shores, Orphan Choir, The Locusts Have No King, The Golden Hands Before God, Johnny West, Measured In Angles, Citywide Vacuum, Mr. Chill & The Witnesses, James O-L & The Villains, Tara Watts and many others. Windsor’s independent music scene continues to strive and provide a wide range of diversity today ranging from punk and heavy rock bands, to folk, country, blues, acoustic, post-rock and numerous other types of genres. Being South of Detroit, Windsor and Detroit definitely share a sense of diversity in their arts communities. This episode of Revolution Rock focused on some of the more obscure music from Windsor’s past and present independent music scenes.

Windsor Past & Present Playlist:

1. Orphan Choir - New Rituals (Orphan Choir - 2009)
2. Measured In Angles - Method Of Tenacity (Lo Standards For Hi-Fi - 2005)
3. Dry Heaves - I Can’t Puke (Shoot Yourself - 1981)
4. The Prehistoric Cave Strokers - Sold Out (Live At The Coach & Horses - 1991)
5. The Hung Jury - Swingin’ By My Neck (Where The Horse Bit Me EP - 2007)
6. Tara Watts - Pack My Bags (Pale Blue Moon - 2014)
7. Tea Leaves - I Want To Live In The Dirt (Wooden Hands - 2015)
8. The Space Plan - High Noon In Death Valley (The Space Plan - 2000)
9. Luxury Christ - You Could Have Been Nice (Buy Our Love - 1993)
9. The Moon Patrol - We Don’t Care (From The Basement To The Bedroom EP - 1999)
10. GWD - There Is No Us (The Sessions from Stellar - 2002)
11. James O-L & The Villains - One Horse Town (On The Banks Of The Detroit River - 2014)
12. Middle Sister - East 80 (Live CJAM Session - 2016)
13. The Golden Hands Before God - The Ladder (Here EP - 2007)
14. Jack Scott - Leroy (Jack Scott - 1958)
15. Dorothy Collins - It Doesn’t Matter (Everything I Have Is Yours/It Doesn’t Matter - 1959)
16. What Seas What Shores - Gugelhupf (Spiritual Nap Machine - 2015)
17. Elk - Untitled Song 3 (ELK Demo - 2005)
18. Lost Patrol - I’m Not The One (Lost Patrol - 1988)
19. The Nelsons - A Cool One (Unreleased Song - 1980s (Date Unknown))
20. The Ronald Reagan Story - Colorado Drifter (Demo - 1982)
21. The Spy’s - Underground (Underground/Machine Shop - 1980)
22. The Locusts Have No King - Weapon Of Choice (Live Off The Floor At The Walkerville Brewery - 2013)
23. Magic Hall Of Mirrors - Coke MTN (Garage Demo EP - 2010)
24. Paul Jacobs - Mouldy Love (Mouldy Love EP - 2014)
25. Hairspray - I Go To The Ridge (Hairspray Demo - 2004)
26. Cellos - The New Religion (The Accident - 2012)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 20. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Safe As Milk & Show # 600

Released in 1967 on Buddah Records, Safe As Milk is the debut album from Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band. Prior to this Captain Beefheart released two singles for A&M, one of which was their gritty, soulful cover of Bo Diddley’s “Diddy Wah Diddy”. Captain Beefheart’s voice, an instrument in itself has been said to have the ability to sing in eleven different octaves and is demonstrated here in many different forms. On Safe As Milk, the band line-up changed slightly from the earlier A&M incarnation of the band. For this album John French was added on drums and a young Ry Cooder on guitar. The album shows Beefheart’s deep love of the blues and R&B, which caused a young Don Van Vliet and Frank Zappa to share a friendship, is apparent here. Along with the blues influence found here, there are also the elements of experimentation that Captain Beefheart would be known for. The result is music that has been called psychedelic, blues, pop and garage all at once.

“Sure 'Nuff Yes I Do” opens Safe As Milk with a blistering, sliding blues guitar lick and with the lines “I was born in the desert/Came on it from New Orleans/Came upon a tornado/Sunlight in the sky/I wait around all day with the moon sticking in my eye”. The lyrics and the song are based on Muddy Waters “Rollin’ And Tumblin’” and its earlier incarnation by Cannon’s Jug Stompers. However, these lines also reference the atmosphere that would be created on Safe As Milk. They also show Captain Beefheart taking elements of his past to make his own form of the blues. He creates his own myth here, one that would change and perpetuate mysteriousness and strangeness throughout his career. The hazy rhythms and erratic, jumping basslines by Jerry Handley waver in amongst the drum patterns of John French, Ry Cooder & Alex St. Clair’s guitar interplay and Captain Beefheart’s gritty voice.

“Zig Zag Wanderer” drifts with a psychedelic, R&B rave-up fashion. The song which many feel reference the rolling papers of the same name has also been said to feature a combination of three bass parts recorded by Jerry Handley, Ry Cooder and engineer Gerry Maker that at times overlap each other. In addition to the supposed meanings of this track’s lyrics, they also reference a lost, presumably homeless character trying to find their place. “Call On Me” travels into an R&B and soul groove, “Dropout Boogie” features heavy basslines and fuzzy guitar lines that drop in unison with Captain Beefheart’s vocals. It’s hard not to refer to this song with its rough and gritty energy as garage rock. “I’m Glad” slows down the pace venturing into doo-wop and soul territory, “Electricity” blends elements psychedelia with the blues and Captain Beefheart’s shifting vocal range in an unconventional way. If there is any proof of his ability to sing in different vocal ranges it is on this track that was also rumoured to get the band booted from A&M for being too negative. In addition to the eerie Theremin featured on this track, during the recording of Beefheart’s vocals for “Electricity” the microphone shattered.

Side two starts with a person describing a reference tone with sound effects that sounds like they could have been lifted from an episode of Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone TV program before we settle into the song “Yellow Brick Road”. A more upbeat and dreamy piece, this song features a shuffling rhythm, bluesy guitar slides and a tale that seems to reference the very same yellow brick road from The Wizard Of Oz, telling a tale of loss of innocence.

“Abba Zaba” is where Safe As Milk really goes into a different musical direction. The music on this track is dominated by African rhythms, bass & guitar work by Ry Cooder, additional percussion by Taj Mahal and of course the puzzling lyrics by Captain Beefheart. While the lyrics repeat themselves in what upon first listen could seem nonsensical to the average listener, “Abba Zaba” apparently is a song about evolution. It also references the candy bar of the same name. Originally, Safe As Milk was to be titled Abba Zaba however Captain Beefheart & Co. couldn’t get permission to use the name and logo. On the back cover of this album, it is peppered with the very same yellow and black-checkered pattern that is featured on the candy bars packaging.

The dirty Delta blues assembly line groove of “Plastic Factory” ventures into garage rock territory, while lyrically this song, credited to Van Vliet and bassist Jerry Handley, contrasts monotonous factory life with nature imagery. “Grown So Ugly” is the only cover featured on Safe As Milk. Originally by Robert Pete Williams, this track is notable for its deep, biting groove that was rearranged by Ry Cooder. “Autumn’s Child” ends the album. This track with its slithering Theremin parts changes time signatures several times and drips with psychedelia and surreal lyrics.

At first look, Safe As Milk may seem to be just another album from the 60s, but it is much more than that. The album flirts with the delta blues, R&B, in a style that can be called garage-punk, among other things. The lyrics are at times surreal and the music explores odd time signatures. Captain Beefheart would explore this more extremely on 1969’s experimental Trout Mask Replica. For those that pay attention the songs on Safe As Milk leap out of the front cover that looks very similar to The Rolling Stones UK album Big Hits (High Tide And Green Grass). It provides listeners with a refreshing alternative to the other sounds that were being created in 1967. Safe As Milk sounds just as fresh and different today as it did when it was originally released in 1967.


Captain Beefheart Playlist:

1. Frank Zappa - The Birth Of Captain Beefheart (1964 Demo) (Mystery Disc - 1998)
2. Frank Zappa - Metal Man Has Won His Wings (1964 Demo) (Mystery Disc - 1998)
3. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Dropout Boogie (Safe As Milk - 1967)
4. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Click Clack (The Spotlight Kid - 1972)
5. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Party of Special Things to Do (Bluejeans & Moonbeams - 1974)
6. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - My Head is my Only House When it Rains (Clear Spot - 1972)
7. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Love Lies (Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller) - 1978)
8. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Bat Chain Puller (Bat Chain Puller - Recorded 1976 released 2012)
9. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - My Human Gets Me Blues (Trout Mask Replica - 1969)
11. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Moonlight On Vermont (Trout Mask Replica - 1969)
12. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Ashtray Heart (Doc at the Radar Station - 1980)
13. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Ice Cream for Crow (Ice Cream for Crow - 1982)
14. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Full Moon Hot Sun (Unconditionally Guaranteed - 1974)
15. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - I Love You, You Big Dummy (Lick My Decals Off, Baby - 1970)
16. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Petrified Forest (Like My Decals Off, Baby - 1970)
17. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - On Tomorrow (Strictly Personal - 1968)
18. Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band - Grow Fins (The Spotlight Kid - 1972)
19. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Electricity (Safe as Milk - 1967)
20. Frank Zappa - Willie The Pimp (Hot Rats - 1969)
21. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Old Fart At Play (Trout Mask Replica - 1969)
22. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Yellow Brick Road (Safe As Milk - 1967)
23. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Just Got Back From The City (1966 Demo) (Grow Fins: Rarities 1965-1982 - 1999)
24. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Diddy Wah Diddy (The Legendary A&M Sessions - 1984)
25. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Sure ’Nuff ’N Yes I Do (Safe As Milk - 1967)
26. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Zig Zag Wanderer (Safe As Milk - 1967)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 13. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Lead Belly "The King Of 12-String Guitar" & Show # 599

Deep in the grooves of a time period long, long ago Huddie William Ledbetter was born. He came into this world in January of 1888 in Mooringsport, Louisiana. The facts of Huddie’s life are often times conflicting, although many things have been written about him. Better known as Lead Belly, he first began his foray into music at a young age when his uncle Terrell taught him accordion. He would also learn other instruments such as piano, mandolin, violin, and of course guitar. The guitar that Lead Belly is most known for playing was a 12-string guitar that he named Stella. It was with this guitar that he would project his loud booming voice and captivate audiences with his pure, raw emotion that was displayed when he played music. Rooted in a variety of genres such as folk, blues, spiritual songs and country, Lead Belly would often adapt traditional songs (as have many folk and blues musicians) in his own unique way. Around 1912, Lead Belly met Blind Lemon Jefferson with whom he would play music around Dallas, Texas. Jefferson often called the “Father Of The Texas Blues”, introduced Lead Belly to the 12-string guitar.

In addition to his musical background and his life in the Deep South, there are other factors of Lead Belly’s life that caused him to become more recognized for his musical abilities. Ledbetter worked as a farmer, a sharecropper and he had his share of troubles, having been in prison several times on some pretty serious charges. But it was in prison where he would be discovered by John and Alan Lomax. These two would have an effect on the outcome of not only of his release from prison, but his future in music. As part of the Library of Congress the Lomaxes went around to prisons to find and document folk music that was not contaminated by modern blues and jazz of the day. In the early 30’s they first recorded twelve songs with Lead Belly and in 1934, Lead Belly was pardoned from prison after writing a song for the governor and recording it with the Lomaxes. His recording granted him a pardon on July 25th, 1934. This was the second time that Lead Belly had written a song for a governor and received a pardon for his songwriting and musical abilities.

Lead Belly would go on to make recordings for many different labels such as the Library Of Congress, Folkways, RCA, Capitol Records and others. He worked odd jobs, appeared on the historic and groundbreaking CBS radio show Back From Where I Come From as a regular guest, was a radio host on his own and of course recorded and performed music. His music attracted the likes of Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger and others during the later parts of his life. His influence slowly infiltrated the mainstream populous. While many things have been written about Lead Belly, several conflicting and incorrect, some not, his name is often misspelled. The name Lead Belly is sometimes spelled as one word when it is in fact two. He performed that way and it is spelled that way on his tombstone. The origins of his name are just as fascinating as the tales he spun from his 12-string acoustic guitar.

In December of 1949, Lead Belly passed away due to complications with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease). It was believed that this was caused due to his background of hard labour working on farms, and prison life. In 1950, The Weavers covered Lead Belly’s version of the song “Goodnight Irene”. This song became a huge hit going on to sell over two million copies. Sadly, Lead Belly escaped the recognition that he desired in his lifetime. Since this initial song by The Weavers countless artists have gone on to cover and adapt the songs that Lead Belly recorded and performed. Many artists have covered the songs that he was known for, such as “Goodnight Irene”, “Cotton Fields”, “Midnight Special”, “Black Betty”, “Boll Weevil”, “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” and numerous others. In 1968, friend and folk musician Pete Seeger did an entire album of Lead Belly songs entitled Pete Seeger Sings Lead Belly. CCR covered “The Midnight Special”, “Black Betty” was covered by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds”, “Cotton Fields” was covered by The Beach Boys and Nirvana did a rendition of “Where Did You Sleep Last Night?” for MTV Unplugged. There are many other stories behind the songs and the man that are not mentioned here, but his story lives on like a great folk tale through the songs that he once played and the words that have been written and are still being written about him. Known as “The King of 12-String Guitar”, the music that Lead Belly once performed rings just as loud today as when he was originally performing it on the strings of his guitar.

Lead Belly & His Influence Playlist:

1. Lead Belly - Midnight Special
2. Lead Belly - Where Did You Sleep Last Night
3. Lead Belly - If It Wasn't For Dicky
4. Geeshie Wiley - Skinny Leg Blues
5. Blind Mamie Forehand - Honey In The Rock
6. Blind Lemon Jefferson - Chock House Blues
7. Son House - John The Revelator
8. Lead Belly - We Shall Be Free (With Woody Guthrie & Cisco Houston)
9. Lead Belly - Howard Hughes
10. Lead Belly - Blind Lemon
11. Neko Case - Nobody Knows When You're Down And Out
12. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Black Betty
13. Tom Waits - Goodnight Irene
14. Nirvana - Where Did You Sleep Last Night (1990 Boombox Demo)
15. The Jury - Ain’t It A Shame
16. CCR - The Midnight Special
17. The Triffids - In The Pines
18. The Fall - Bourgois Town
19. The White Stripes - Boll Weevil (John Peel Session - July 25th, 2001)
20. B.B King - Every Day I Have The Blues (Live At The Regal)
21. Bukka White - Shake ‘Em On Down
22. Mississippi Sheiks - The World Is Going Wrong
23. Lightnin’ Hopkins - Automobile Blues
24. Blind Willie McTell - Delia
25. Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee - You’d Better Mind
26. Lead Belly - What You Gonna Do When The World's On Fire (With Anne Graham)
27. Lead Belly - Roberta

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for February 6. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

As a side note and for those keeping count, episode 598 of Revolution Rock was a repeat episode that originally aired back in January 2016. You can download that episode here and find the playlist in this post.

Coming Up On Revolution Rock in 2016!

Upcoming shows in February:

Back in 2011, I began doing a month of theme based programming in February. It was an expansion of my annual surf rock program, which began airing at the end of February in 2007. At the time it was just a temporary thing to drum up interest and add variety to my usual programming content. It has continued ever since. Revolution Rock airs every Saturday from 7-9 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM in Windsor/Detroit.  It can be streamed live at www.cjam.ca and downloaded via the very same website afterwards.

Here is the scheduled line up:

The Music of Lead Belly & His Influence: Revolution Rock Celebrates Black History Month
February 6th, 2016
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Every February CJAM FM celebrates Black History Month by featuring special programming from different programmers. On Saturday, February 6th, Revolution Rock joins this cast of DJ’s and will feature a program focusing on the music of American blues/folk musician Lead Belly. The content of his work covered a wide array of topics such as the news of his day with songs about Franklin D. Roosevelt, Howard Hughes, as well as songs of liquor, prison, gospel blues, women, cowboys, and dancing to name a few. Join host Dave Konstantino and co-host Adam Peltier on this date for a selection of recordings from “The king of the 12-String guitar’s” catalogue, covers of his songs as well as a collection of other blues and folk musicians from different time periods.

Zig Zag Wanderer: Revolution Rock Captain Beefheart Music Special
February 13th, 2016
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

While many of his works have been labeled as art rock, Captain Beefheart’s music combined elements of blues, psychedelia, rock, jazz and experimental/avant-garde music. Born Don Glen Vliet, he adopted the stage name Captain Beefheart and its origins have been said to come from a variety of sources. The origin of the name was once described on The Late Show with David Letterman as being Captain Beefheart because he has “A beef in his heart with society”. His name also has a connection to his high school friend Frank Zappa, who would share both a collaborative friendship and mutual rivalry with Beefheart. On this special episode, hosts Dave Konstantino and co-host Adam Peltier delve into the catalogue of Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band and the lasting influence of his music.

Music From The City Of Roses: Revolution Rock Windsor Music Special
February 20th, 2016
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Windsor, Ontario’s music scene has always had a diverse and unique landscape. Partially due to its location to neighbouring and highly influential Detroit, Michigan, this episode of Revolution Rock will focus on music from Windsor’s past and present. Along with current music content, several rare recordings from bands in Windsor’s independent local music communities will be featured on this program. It will all coincide with exclusive recordings made at CJAM FM with Windsor, Ontario’s folk rock band Middle Sister. A video for these songs will also be posted online to add a visual element to these CJAM Session recordings.

Pulp Fiction: Revolution Surf (The 10th Edition)
February 27th, 2016
7-9 PM
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

2016 marks the 10th annual Revolution Surf radio special. Started back on a cold evening at the end of February in 2007, the 10th edition of Revolution Surf will feature a selection of surf music that was featured in the movie and on the soundtrack to the 1994 cult classic Pulp Fiction. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, The film and its soundtrack helped to re-introduce surf music to a new generation. The program will also feature a variety of other surf and instrumental music from the past and present. In addition to this there will be special guests such as Derk Brigante of The Surfphony of Derstruction 2000, which now airs on Surf Rock Radio, Carley of the CJAM program Everything’s No Good and more! Tune into this very special edition of Revolution Surf on February 27th, 2016 from 7-9 PM.

David Bowie (1947-2016) Shows # 596 & # 597

On January 10th, 2016 just two days after his 69th birthday David Bowie passed away after a battle with cancer. On January 8th Blackstar, Bowie’s 25th full-length album was released. For this album he experimented with elements of jazz and hip hop, among other influences. Blackstar was produced by long time producer Tony Visconti in secret, as was his previous album The Next Day. Many of the themes on Blackstar deal with a man battling his own mortality and fittingly the two music videos released for this album, “Blackstar” and “Lazarus” also reflect these themes. David Bowie was known for his ever evolving and changing characters/fashion that reflected the music he was creating. His perhaps best-known ones were Ziggy Stardust used in conjunction with the highly influential glam rock sound created with Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars in the early 1970s, his Thin White Duke period where he experimented with soul and funk and the Berlin Trilogy from 1976-1979 where he delved into electronic and Avant-garde sounds.

In the 80s Bowie drifted towards a pop and new wave sound, from 1989-1991 he formed the hard rock band Tin Machine, he continued making music as a solo artist in the 90s/2000s and in 2003 he released Reality. This would follow with a retirement from touring in 2004. He would not release another album for ten years. David Bowie was a highly influential musician and artist that has also acted in several movies such as The Man Who Fell To Earth, Labyrinth and The Prestige. His influence on music was vast. David Bowie was never afraid to try something different, never afraid to go to different places musically. Perhaps this is what people identify with, Bowie’s fearlessness in his approach to music. He was a true artist and in 1998 he was even part of an elaborate hoax of the invented artist Nat Tate. David Bowie has released approximately 121 singles and 25 full-length albums, not counting compilation albums. Blackstar became his first number one album on Billboard Top 200 album charts in the US and 19 of his previously released albums appeared on the UK top 100 album charts during the week of January 22nd, 2016.

Show 596 Playlist:

1. Midge Ure - The Man Who Sold The Word
2. The Polecats - John, I”m Only Dancing
3. David Bowie - Queen Bitch
4. Green River - Queen Bitch
5. Beat Happening - Teenage Caveman
6. Rooms - You And The Wall
7. Paul Jacobs - Trippin’ In The Park
8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close
9. Melted Faces - Hope Jamieson
10. Ricked Wicky - Jargon Of Clones
11. David Bowie - What In The World
12. David Bowie - Blackout
13. David Bowie - Boys Keep Swinging
14. Papa Ghostface - The Devil Wants His Car Back
15. Neil Young - Look Out For My Love
16. The Sadies - It’s Nothing To Me
17. The Ramblin’ Ambassadors - Hairless Cat
18. Chair - Cloudscape
19. David Bowie - Hang On To Yourself
20. David Bowie - Cracked Actor
21. David bowie - Sue
22. David Bowi - Dollar Days
23. Frank Black - Old Black Dawning
24. Frank Black - Ten Percenter
25. Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band - Autumn's Child

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 16. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Show 597 Playlist:

1. The Rationals - I Gotta Go Now (Out On The Floor)
2. Pangea - Blue Mirror
3. White Fence - Pink Gorilla
4. Kim Gray - Slow Medication
5. Run With Kittens - Blow The Horn
6. Ty Segall - Squealer 2 (Squealer Man)
7. So Young - Speak Slow
8. James O-L & The Villains - The System
9. Nirvana - Swap Meet
10. Mudhoney - Need
11. Chelsea Wolfe - Demons
12. Iggy Pop - Gardenia
13. Woods - Sun City Creeps
14. Psychic Youth - Step In Time
15. Handsome Brutes - Guys Like Us
16. Public Image Limited - Low Life
17. PJ Harvey - The Wheel
18. Savages - Surrender
19. The I Spies - Talkshow
20. The Evaporators - Brainwashed
21. Beliefs - Drown
22. Nervous Talk - Flush My Phone
23. Obits - I’m Closing In
24. The Outcasts - Magnum Force
25. Young Rival - Let’s Get Together
26. David Bowie - TVC15

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 23. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister (1945-2015) & Show #595

Lemmy Kilmister, best known for his role as bassist/vocalist in the band Motorhead, passed away on December 28th, 2015 at the age of 70. Earlier in 2015, Lemmy released a new album with Motorhead, which would wind up being their final full-length album. It was entitled Bad Magic. Born Ian Fraser Kilmister in 1945 in the UK, Lemmy first began as a guitar player. After seeing The Beatles perform at The Cavern Club in Liverpool, England he learned guitar at the age of 16 playing along to the album Please Please Me. He had been involved in many bands prior to the formation of Motorhead, most of which were of the garage and psychedelic variety. Lemmy first joined The Rockin’ Vickers in 1965 and played guitar on the 1966 single Dandy/I Don’t Need Your Kind. The A-side of this single was a cover of The Kinks song of the same name, but it is the single’s B-side “I Don’t Need Your Kind” which features heavy guitar distortion, especially for 1966. Following a stint as a roadie for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Lemmy joined the psychedelic rock band Sam Gopal and recorded an album with them titled Escalator in 1968. For this release, Lemmy is featured on both vocals and rhythm guitar on all tracks.

From 1971-1975, Lemmy Kilmister played bass in the space rock band Hawkwind. Drawing heavily on a psychedelic music and lifestyle, Lemmy joined this band as their bassist with no previous bass playing experience. As a result, he came up with his own style inadvertently due to his guitar background. Lemmy did sing vocals on several songs most notably the song “Sliver Machine”. This song was a single released in 1972 and reached number three on UK Singles Charts. In 1975, Lemmy was arrested at the Windsor, Ontario/Detroit, Michigan border for drug possession. He reportedly spent five days in jail and as a result, he was fired from Hawkwind. Although Lemmy has stated that he never would have left Hawkwind if he wasn’t fired from the group, it was his firing that led him to the formation of Motorhead.

Inspired by the final song that he wrote for Hawkwind, Motorhead blended elements of what some would call heavy metal with the energy and attitude of punk rock. The band would be known for changing it’s line-up (minus Lemmy), but from 1975-1982 the “classic” line-up of Motorhead featured “Fast” Eddie Clarke on guitar, Lemmy on bass/vocals and Phil “Philthy Animal” Taylor on drums. With this line-up Motorhead would rise to success with albums such as Overkill, Bomber, Ace Of Spades and Iron Fist. Motorhead would continue off and on consistently releasing music and touring until Lemmy’s passing in December 2015. Lemmy’s goal was to create simple, loud, fast, raucous “speedfreak” rock n’ roll. The influence left by his music and band is vast ranging from fans of metal, rock, punk and beyond.

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. Metz - Eraser
2. Ty Segall Band - The Bag I'm In
3. TV Freaks - Thirteen
4. Stone Temple Pilots - Art School Girl
5. Sunwolf - Let It Out
6. Juice Box - Champagne Problem
7. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Babakganoosh
8. The Rockin’ Vickers - I Don’t Need Your Kind
9. Sam Gopal - It’s Only Love
10. Hawkwind - Silver Machine
11. Motorhead - Pay Your Price (I Won’t)
12. Motorhead - Love Me Like A Reptile
13. Papa Ghostface - Situations
14. Super Visas - The Sun
15. Leonard Coen - Lady Midnight
16. The Saints - No Time
17. Spirits - Almost There
18. The Avantis - Gypsy Surfer
19. The Mighty Swells - Mr. Infiltrator
20. The Wayouts - Wild At The Beach
21. Yachts - Suffice To Say
22. Swell Maps - Let's Build A Car
23. The Dead Boys - Ain’t Nothin’ To Do
24. The Count Bishops - Teenage Letter
25. Jack Scott - Burning Bridges
26. Eddie & The Hot Rods - 96 Tears (Live)
27. The Sonics - Boss Hoss
28. The Rezillos - (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures
29. 999 - Me And My Desire
30. Generation X - From The Heart
31. Private School - Rock & Roll Radio
32. The Replacements - Waitress In The Sky (Alternate Version)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for January 9. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

2015 Highlights (Shows # 593 & # 594)

This year to count down my favourite releases for Revolution Rock, I did something a little be different. Me and my occasional co-host Adam both picked 15 of our favourite releases from 2015 and did two programs focusing on them. Below are a list of our top 15 albums, a short write up on some of these albums and the playlists/download links to the two episodes of Revolution Rock that focused on our favourite releases from 2015.

Dave’s 15 of 2015:

1. Dead Ghosts – Love And Death And All The Rest
2. Pow Wows – Broken Curses
3. Young Rival – Interior Light
4. La Luz – Weirdo Shrine
5. Thee Oh Sees – Manipulator Defeated At Last
6. What Seas What Shores – Spiritual Nap Machine
7. Middle Sister – Cries Of The Wild
8. Diamond Rugs – Cosmetics
9. Mick Futures – Banned From The Future
10. The King Khan & BBQ Show – Bad News Boys
11. Thee Rum Coves – Thee Rum Coves
12. Courtney Barnett - Sometimes I Sit And Think And Sometimes I Just Sit
13. Fuzz – II
14. The Famines – Too Cool & Other Songs
15. Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect

Adam’s 15 of 2015:

1. Tame Impala – Currents
2. Viet Cong – Viet Cong
3. Courtney Barnett – Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit
4. Titus Andronicus – The Most Lamentable Tragedy
5. Sleater-Kinney – No Cities to Love
6. Mount Eerie – Sauna
7. Destroyer – Poison Season
8. Ought – Sun Coming Down
9. Father John Misty – I Love You, Honeybear
10. Deerhunter – Fading Frontier
11. Jim O'Rourke – Simple Songs
12. Waxahatche – Ivy Tripp
13. Protomartyr – The Agent Intellect
14. Wilco – Star Wars
15. Kurt Vile – B'lieve I'm Goin’ Down

A few write-ups from a selection of our top 15 of 2015:

1. Dead Ghosts - Love And Death And All The Rest

Love And Death And All The Rest is the third full-length album released by Vancouver’s Dead Ghosts. Dead Ghosts first formed in 2007 by guitarist/vocalist Bryan Nicol and guitarist Andrew Wilkinson. They then added Mike Wilkinson on drums and Maurizo “Moe” Chiumento on bass to complete the group’s line-up. The band drew influences of 60s garage rock, blues, country, 50’s rock and doo-wop, but blended those influences with a lo-fi aesthetic. Although you can break it down several different ways, when discussing their sound Bryan Nicol describes it just as “rock n’ roll music”. On Love And Death And All The Rest, Dead Ghosts take their lo-fi rock n’ roll sound adding psychedelic R&B frequencies and broadcast twelve songs with an organic groove. Despite being recorded in a barn with a non-traditional studio atmosphere, the production on this album is cleaner and the best that Dead Ghosts have sounded on record to date.

2. Pow Wows - Broken Curses

In 2011, Pow Wows served up a potent fizzy cocktail with Nightmare Soda. In the mix we found the ingredients were made up of garage, punk, surf and R&B influences. 2012 and 2013 brought singles to quench our thirst, but with Broken Curses Pow Wows have shaken things up yet again. The fizzy cocktail that was once served to us in 2011 has now exploded in a ten-track blast. Like a dried up soda that has crusted over, this album offers a new grittiness in the spirit of the cyclic fuzz driven sounds of Davie Allan & The Arrows, garage, punk and surf music all in a modern context. With Broken Curses, Pow Wows provide us with their own unique garage noir lyrics and musical style in ten tracks that has a dizzying cohesiveness to it.


3. Young Rival - Interior Light

Interior Light is the third full-length album by Hamilton’s Young Rival. Released on Toronto’s Paper Bag Records, the sounds on this album have been described as “Roy Orbison tripping on acid with Ray Davies and Bradford Cox.” Found on the back of the LP this description goes perfectly with the term that Young Rival coined to describe the music created during the recording of this album, croon-psych. Produced by Graham Walsh and Young Rival guitarist/vocalist Aron D’Alesio, the band took their time when creating the sounds for Interior Light. Even the album’s cover has an interesting backstory. It was adapted from an old stained glass window from 1987 by Benjamin Nelson in collaboration with Young Rival bassist John Smith. This design was mixed in with an array of colours that compliment the music found on Interior Light.

4. La Luz - Weirdo Shrine

Recorded in an old surf shop by Ty Segall, La Luz’s second full-length album comes off with more of a hazier mood to it as opposed to this Seattle band’s first album, It’s Alive. In addition to the hazy feeling that glides across all of the tracks on Weirdo Shrine, the lyrical subject matter is also darker. Inspired by the Charles Burns graphic novel Black Hole, many of the themes that were found across its pages seep their way into Weirdo Shrine’s lyrics and overall mood. La Luz’s undeniable 60s surf rock influence from bands such as Dick Dale and The Ventures are still apparent, but the band combines this with their strong vocal harmonies ala The Shangri-Las or The Ronnettes, adding a bit of doo-wop and subtle soul influences in with their love of surf music for a sound that is uniquely their own.

5. Thee Oh Sees - Mutilator Defeated At Last

Throughout Mutilator Defeated At Last’s nine tracks, Thee Oh Sees dig into a groove so deep that it will burn holes in your speakers. John Dwyer arrives energized with his new incarnation of Thee Oh Sees, who despite having mostly new members still sound like Thee Oh Sees. There is an undeniable sound to Thee Oh Sees, perhaps it is similar to the mysteriously creepy feeling expressed by the sneaky creature knocking on the palace door in the album’s closing track. With Mutilator Defeated At Last, John Dwyer and Thee Oh Sees knock on another door, yielding different results that at times draws a similar effect to the sounds explored on 2013’s Floating Coffin. Regardless of which door the band chooses to venture to, Thee Oh Sees are once again victorious.


6. What Seas What Shores - Spiritual Nap Machine

T.S. Eliot’s “Marina” evokes a vast array of emotions and themes said to be associated with being reunited with someone you never thought you would see again. The first line of this poem is where Windsor, Ontario’s What Seas, What Shores draws their name. What Seas, What Shores ambient, post-rock instrumental sounds are experimented with more so on Spiritual Nap Machine, their highly anticipated second full-length album. Spiritual Nap Machine features songs that drift in dream-like quality (“Texas”, “Invisible Architecture”), to more aggressive sounds (“Gugelhupf”, “The Ibex”). Breaking down the music on this release you can hear the influences of post-rock, progressive, math rock and several elements of ambience throughout. “Czar Bomba” simmers with a brooding fiery intensity, while the album’s title track flirts with experimental ambient textures. Like the “Woodthrush calling through the fog” in the last lines of Eliot’s “Marina”, the music on What Seas, What Shores Spiritual Nap Machine calls out to the listener with an emotive musical depth that differs from the generic fog of modern mainstream music.

7. Middle Sister - Cries Of The Wild

Cries Of The Wild is the new album made by Windsor’s Middle Sister. As each song progresses something different reveals itself within its construct. Their 2014 EP was described as “mid-century folk rock and chamber pop, whose sounds are flush with Canadiana,” Cries Of The Wild isn’t far off from that description. The line-up on this recording consists of singer/guitarist Colin Wysman, Kaitlyn Kelly (piano/mandolin/vocals), James Oltean-Lepp (bass), Stu Kennedy (violin/guitar) and Nate Gelinas on drums. Dave Dubois plays bass in the band’s current line-up. Recorded by Mark Plankce at Sharktank Studios on analog tape, the sounds found here strike a chord with the influences of Bonnie Prince Billy, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Simon & Garfunkel and the sounds of post rock.

8. Diamond Rugs - Cosmetics

What do Deer Tick’s John McCauley, Robbie Crowell, Ian St. Pe (formerly of The Black Lips), Hardy Morris of Dead Confederate, Bryan Dufresne of Six Finger Satellite, Steve Berlin of Los Lobos and a trash bag used as an instrument all have in common? You can find all of this on Cosmetics, the sophomore album by the band Diamond Rugs. The term supergroup is tossed around in articles about this band that seems to focus on all the outside elements that make up this band and while that is important, it is the songs themselves and their content that make this album and band so striking. Building on 2012’s self-tiled fourteen-track release, Cosmetics adds more groove, soul and chemistry to Diamond Rugs aesthetic.

9. Mick Futures - Banned From The Future

Banned From The Future is the debut full-length album by Sudbury’s Mick Futures, a pseudonym for Strange Attractor drummer and Statues bassist/vocalist Mitch Houle. At fifteen tracks, there is a lot of content, although most of the songs found on Banned From The Future are relatively short, some barely over one and a half minutes. The music pulls from the ubiquitous synth-driven sounds of the 80s, but specifically the sounds of artists such as early Brian Eno, Gary Numan, Devo and Kraftwerk. Futures also dons other subtler influences such as The Wipers, Buzzcocks and Wire. The songs that make up Banned From The Future can at times have a bleak view, but there is also a silver lining of hopeful optimism. Banned From The Future takes the cold icy dystopian views of the past and applies it to the present.

10.  The King Khan & BBQ Show - Bad News Boys

Bad News Boys begins with the doo-wop, garage stomp of “Alone Again”, a song drenched in 50s rock ‘n’ roll influences. Sung by this duo’s drummer, rhythm guitarist and main vocalist Mark Sultan (aka BBQ), the song strikes a powerful, yet melodic chord that not only introduces us to King Khan & BBQ Show’s first album in six years, but it is also seeped in 50’s rock ballad drama. During the song’s three minute time frame, lead guitarist King Khan plays his own blend of arpeggio-drunk-a-billy guitar riffs amongst his doo-wop backing vocals and BBQ’s primal backbeat groove. While this song contains the obvious elements of a love song, it also is somewhat symbolic given The King Khan & BBQ Show’s chaotic history. In 2010, the band announced they were splitting up for good following the release and tour of 2009’s Invisible Girl. “Alone Again” evokes a togetherness in contrast to the songs surface message. The King Khan & BBQ Show are alone and together again creating their own brand of musical mayhem.

Show 594 - Best of 2015 Part Two Playlist:

1. The Scenics - Sunshine World (In The Summer - Dream Tower Records - 2015)
2. The Pointed Sticks - - Impatient (Pointed Sticks - Sudden Death Records - 2015)
3. Ty Segall - The Picture (Mr. Face EP - Famous Class - 2015)
4. Deerhunter - Snakeskin (Fading Frontier - 4AD - 2015)
5. Father John Misty - The Ideal Husband (I Love You, Honeybear- Sub Pop - 2015)
6. Ought - Beautiful Blue Sky (Sun Coming Down - Constellation - 2015)
7. Destroyer - Midnight Meet The Rain (Poison Season - Merge Records - 2015)
8. King Khan & BBQ Show - Ocean Of Love (Bad News Boys - In The Red Records - 2015)
9. Mick Futures - A Few Pieces (Banned From The Future - Telephone Explosion - 2015)
10. Diamond Rugs - Voodoo Doll (Cosmetics - Sycamore Records - 2015)
11. Middle Sister - Tongue Of Silver (Cries Of The Wild - Self-Released - 2015)
12. What Seas What Shores - Czar Bomba (Spiritual Nap Machine - Mudtown Records - 2015)
13. Mount Eerie - Turmoil (Sauna - P.W. Elverum & Sun Ltd. - 2015)
14. Sleater-Kinney - Fade (No Cities To Love - Sub Pop - 2015)
15. Titus Andronicus - Dimed Out (The Most Lamentable Tragedy - Merge Records - 2015)
16. Courtney Barnett - Elevator Operator (Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - Mom + Pop Music - 2015)
17. Viet Cong - Pointless Experience (Viet Cong - Jagjaguwar - 2015)
18. Thee Oh Sees - Poor Queen (Manipulator Defeated At Last - Castle Face - 2015)
19. Thee Oh Sees - Rogue Planet (Manipulator Defeated At Last - Castle Face - 2015)
20. La Luz - I’ll Be True (Weirdo Shrine - Hardly Art - 2015)
21. Young Rival - Elevator (Interior Light - Paper Bag Records - 2015)
22. Pow Wows - Rebel Stomp (Broken Curses - Get Hip Recordings - 2015)
23. Tame Impala - Let It Happen (Currents - Interscope Records - 2015)
24. Dead Ghosts - All In A Row (Love And Death And All The Rest - Burger Records - 2015)

Download this show here!

Show 593 - Best of 2015 Part One Playlist:

1. Jaill - Look At You (Brain Cream - Burger Records - 2015)
2. Archie & The Bunkers - I’m Not Really Sure What I’m Gonna Do (Archie & The Bunkers - Dirty Water Records - 2015)
3. Mexican Knives - Killer Snake (Mexican Knives - Fever Dreammms/Bellyache Records - 2015)
4. Mac DeMarco - No Other Heart (Another One - Captured Tracks - 2015)
4. Library Voices - Slacker (Lovish - Nevado Records - 2015)
5. John Grant - Down Here (Grey Tickles Black Pressure - PTKF - 2015)
6. Daniel Romano - The One That Got Away (Came Back Today) (If I’ve Only One Time Askin’ New West Records - 2015)
7. Tea Leaves - The Sun (Wooden Hands Self-Released - 2015)
8. Colleen Green - I Want To Grow Up (I Want To Grow Up - Hardly Art - 2015)
9. Damaged Bug - Jet Set In Jungle (Cold Hot Plumbs - Castle Face - 2015)
10. Protomartyr - I Forgive You (The Agent Intellect - Hardly Art - 2015)
11. The Famines - Attack Machine Blues (Too Cool & Other Songs - Pentagon Black - 2015)
12. Fuzz - Let It Live (II - In The Red Records - 2015)
13. Courtney Barnett - Nobody Really Cares If You Don’t Go To The Party (Sometimes I Sit And Think, And Sometimes I Just Sit - Mom + Pop Music - 2015)
15. Thee Rum Coves - Simple Little Lie (Thee Rum Coves - Self-Released - 2015)
16. Kurt Vile - Dust Bunnies (B'lieve I'm Goin' Down - Matador Records - 2015)
17. Wilco - Pickled Ginger (Star Wars - dBpm records - 2015)
18. Protomartyr - Pontiac 87 (The Agent Intellect - Hardly Art - 2015)
19. Waxahatchee - The Dirt (Ivy Tripp - Whichita Recordings - 2015)
20. Jim O'Rourke - Half Life Crisis (Simple Songs - Drag City Records - 2015)
21. Bob Dylan & The Band - Lunatic Princess (The Cutting Edge - Columbia Records - 2015)
22. Bob Dylan & The Band - I Wanna Be Your Lover (The Cutting Edge - Columbia Records - 2015)
23. Bob Dylan - Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands (Take 3 Complete) (The Cutting Edge - Columbia Records - 2015)

Download this show here!

Joe Strummer Day 2015 (Show # 592)

Every December 22nd, CJAM FM holds their annual Joe Strummer Day Marathon. CJAM FM broadcasts for 24 hours bringing awareness to poverty in the Windsor/Detroit area by surrounding it with the music of Joe Strummer and The Clash. This year I helped to kick off Joe Strummer day with my occasional co-host Adam Peltier. In addition to playing a selection of our favourite and rare Joe Strummer/Clash recordings, Adam also brought up some facts and potential places to seek assistance regarding poverty in Windsor/Detroit. You can re-listen to the broadcast below the playlist if you missed it.

Here are some of the highlights from the music that was featured on this program:

Joe Strummer & Jools Holland’s Big Band Rhythm & Blues Band Orchestra

In 2002, Jools Holland released an album entitled Jool’s Hollands’ Big Band Rhythm & Blues featuring a cast of musicians such as Sting, Van Morrison, Paul Weller, Steve Winwood, Eric Clapton, John Cale and many others. The compilation is a celebration of rhythm & blues music and also features many original compositions. It also features “Horse To The Water” a song written by George Harrison and his son Dhani. This was also the last song recorded prior to Harrison’s passing in 2001. There is also a song written with Joe Strummer entitled “The Return Of The Blues Cowboy”. This energetic, piano driven track is one of the many songs that were recorded by Joe Strummer, but one that is often overlooked.

When Pigs Fly Soundtrack

As revealed in the documentary The Future Is Unwritten, Joe Strummer recorded for a variety of soundtracks following his work with The Clash. When Pigs Fly was a film directed by Sara Driver in 1993 and Joe Strummer recorded the music for it. Apparently nine hours of music were recorded/submitted for this soundtrack and it remains unreleased. Some of the tracks have been available in bootleg form for some time. The soundtrack showcases several musical styles such as country, folk and jazz. “Storm In A D-Cup” was an instrumental track featured on the program that has both avant-garde Jazz influences and raw early rock and roll surf/instrumental sounds.

Joe Strummer Day 2015 Playlist:

1. The Clash - Bank Robber (Live Concert For Kampuchea Dec 27, 1979)
2. The clash - Rebel Waltz (Sandinista! - 1980)
3. The Clash - Jail Guitar Doors (Super Black Market Clash - 1993)
4. The Clash - Ooh Baby Ooh (Give ’Em Enough Rope Demo)
5. The Clash - Heart & Mind (Demo) (London Calling: 25th Anniversary Legacy Edition - 2004)
6. 101ers - Keys To your Heart (Version 1) (Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited - 2005)
7. Joe Strummer - Shouting Street (Earthquake Weather - 1989)
8. Joe Strummer & Jools Hollands’ Big Band Rhythm & Blues - The Return Of The Blues Cowboy (Jool’s Hollands’ Big Band Rhythm & Blues - 2002)
9. Tymon Dogg - Pound Of Grain (Made Of Light - 2015)
10. Big Audio Dynamite - V. Thirteen (No. 10 Upping St. - 1988)
11. The Clash - Lost In The Supermarket (London Calling - 1979)
12. Joe Strummer - Storm In A D-Cup (When Pigs Fly - 1993)
13. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Johnny Appleseed (Global A Go-Go - 2001)
14. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Long Shadow (Streetcore - 2003)
15. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Get Down Moses (Streetcore - 2003)
16. The Clash - (White Man) IN Hammersmith Palais (The Clash (US Version) - 1979)
17. Joe Strummer & The Latino Rockabilly War - Nothin’ Bout Nothin’ (Permanent Record - Music From The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 1988)
18. Joe Strummer - Love Kills (Sid & Nancy Soundtrack - 1986)
19. The Clash - Janie Jones (The Clash (UK Version) - 1977)
20. The Pogues with Joe Strummer - If I Should Fall From The Grace Of God (Live) (The Pogues With Joe Strummer - Live In London - 2014)
21. The Clash - Complete Control (Live Bond’s International Casino, New York June 9th, 1981)

Download part one of Revolution Rock: Joe Strummer Day Kick Off 2015 here!
Download part two of Revolution Rock: Joe Strummer Day Kick Off 2015 here!

Young Rival Interior Light & Show # 591

Interior Light is the third full-length album by Hamilton’s Young Rival. Released on Toronto’s Paper Bag Records, the sounds on this album have been described as “Roy Orbison tripping on acid with Ray Davies and Bradford Cox.” Found on the back of the LP this description goes perfectly with the term that Young Rival coined to describe the music created during the recording of this album, croon-psych. Produced by Graham Walsh and Young Rival guitarist/vocalist Aron D’Alesio, the band took their time when creating the sounds for Interior Light. Even the album’s cover has an interesting backstory. It was adapted from an old stained glass window from 1987 by Benjamin Nelson in collaboration with Young Rival bassist John Smith. This design was mixed in with an array of colours that compliment the music found on Interior Light.

“Carry The Weight” starts off Interior Light in a manic fashion with swirling psychedelic textures. As the bass drum, clanging guitars and fuzzy bass move back and forth between the slow verses and frantic choruses the lyrics “I’m not prepared to turn around/My feet are firmly on the ground” and “Carry the weight/If you want to” convey a sense of wanting to move forward while considering the weight of the past. This song exemplifies the new explorations that Young Rival take on Interior Light sonically and aesthetically. “Throw It In The River” comes in with wavering 80s sounding effects before the song’s strong melodies kick in. The song’s stop and start dynamics, watery guitar effects, sobering basslines, drums and choruses pull you in like an unavoidable current. The album’s title track is more straightforward with jangly guitars, a circling drum pattern by Noah Fralick and a breakdown featuring the bass work of John Smith that sucks you into its orbit. The vocal harmonies in the chorus echo the words “Fall, fall, fall, fall, fall apart/It’s coming together again”. Lyrically “Interior Light” portrays a world of characters that seem lost, as the main character is unaffected and content with who they are. “Elevator”, first released as a teaser single in 2014, brings up the tempo on Interior Light with its energetic locomotive guitar riffs and subtle psychedelic vocal effects. The solo builds even more intensity in the back and forth momentum created by this track.

“Living Like You Should” is another example of the depth of harmony that Young Rival is capable of. The song adheres to elements from the songs of The Everly Brothers and Roy Orbison while at the same time blending guitar lines that at times sound like they could be from The Cure. Lyrically this song like many of the songs on this album, bring in a series of characters that act a certain way to evoke a certain dramatic effect. In this case, “Living Like You Should” features two low-key characters that move at their own pace, but as long as they “Swing low together” then it works for them. A message of slacker positivity is brought forth in between this song’s in the pocket drum grooves, dominating melodic bass and hazy harmonies.

“Bent Out Of Shape” a track that has been compared to Deerhunter in some reviews, returns with the psychedelic/80s new wave sounds that develop as Interior Light progresses, “Let’s Get Together” comes in with crunchy guitars and distorted bass, while “Scruples” is more upbeat. Based on an actual person that visits a bar where D’Alesio and bassist John Smith work, “Scruples” is an up-tempo track that features reverb saturated guitars, vocals and pulsating bass and drums. “That’s Chemistry” ends Interior Light. The drums on this track played by Noah Fralick sound like they could be from a slower paced Devo song. The guitars and vocals take on more aqueous textures while the bass plays at a steady smooth rate. This track operates at two levels. Lyrically it brings up thoughts of heartbreak, but on another level the title of this song alone is representative of what has been achieved on Interior Light. The chemistry of Young Rival is undeniable here.

In 2012, Stay Young saw Young Rival expanding and building on their early garage beginnings by pulling in more textures. Stay Young added stronger melodies to the band’s dynamic mixing crunchy and watery sound guitar effects. Like the album’s cover, Interior Light adds more colour to Young Rival’s already established garage rock palette. With Interior Light, Young Rival gets more psychedelic allowing the guitars and melodies created to drift like the paint on a canvas.

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. Charles Bradley - Changes
2. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - Ain't No Chimney's In The Projects
3. Tymon Dogg - Time For Moving On
4. The Decemberists - The Mariners Revenge Song
5. Tea Leaves - Bipolar Skies
6. Paul Jacobs - Soul Catcher
7. Timmy’s Organism - Get Up, Get Out
8. Japandroids - For The Love Of Ivy
9. Library Voices - Zzyzx
10. Sleater-Kinney - You're No Rock 'n Roll Fun
11. Whatever Forever - Streets Ahead
12. Pistolrays - Rollin’ Dice
13. Bob Dylan - Tombstone Blues (Take 1)
14. Bob Dylan - Positively 4th Street (Take 5, Alternate Take)
15. Bob Dylan - Desolation Row (Take 5)
16. Bob Dylan - Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (Take 6, Complete)
17. Cassie Ramone - Run Run Rudolph
18. Go For 3 - Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer
19. Devo - Timing X
20. Devo - Wiggly World
21. The Government - Information
22. Young Rival - Scruples
23. Young Rival - That’s Chemistry

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Bob Dylan The Cutting Edge & Show # 590

In the span fourteen of months from January 1965 to roughly February 1966, Bob Dylan made a transition from the folk music scene that he was a part of starting in Greenwich Village into the wild spontaneous world of rock music. Already able to fill Carnegie Hall, Dylan looked for something new and did not want to be labeled as a protest songwriter. It is also fitting that his first album where he would experiment with what he would eventually call his “wild mercury sound” was produced by Tom Wilson. Wilson produced the three acoustic Dylan albums that preceded Bringing It All Back Home (The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (1963), The Times They Are A Changin’ (1964) and Another Side Of Bob Dylan (1964)) and Wilson would assist in bringing Dylan’s electric sound to a new audience.

The Cutting Edge begins with Dylan armed with an acoustic as we hear a quick run through of “Love Minus Zero/No Limit”, one of the many songs that would be found on the 1965 album Bringing It All Back Home. This song, like many Dylan songs are open to interpretation. This early track on The Cutting Edge could be seen as an introduction to the limitless possibilities of a world that Dylan was about to explore. Lyrically, Bringing It All Back Home brought together elements of Dylan’s acoustic beginnings with experimentations into electric rock music. The lyrics too took on more prowess and imagination than ever before. Songs during this period often brought together real life experiences with characters from literature and history while at the same time adding a surreal slant. The result was an effective, new mixture of music and lyrics unlike any other. The songs on The Cutting Edge progress from sketches, outtakes, fragments to full out alternate versions of songs that would wind up on Bringing It All Back Home in 1965, Highway 61 Revisited in 1965 and Blonde On Blonde in 1966.

In the middle of all of the sketches of songs, outtakes and raved up versions of songs such as “It Takes A Lot To Laugh It Takes A Train To Cry”, a version of “Mr. Tambourine Man” and “Desolation Row” with a full band, alternate takes of singles such as “Positively 4th Street”, there is the evolution of the song “Like A Rolling Stone”. This song is pivotal when discussing Bob Dylan and music in general. Songs were at most three minutes back in the 60s. “Like A Rolling Stone” took that format and broke the time barrier, expanding it to over six minutes with lyrics telling a story like a great novel. The lyrics are sung with a certain cynicism and were captured in the fourth take that the band attempted during these sessions. You can hear the song change time signatures on The Cutting Edge and despite being attempted approximately 20 times, only two complete takes were ever finished of this song. This song helped to define Bob Dylan’s new sound and his style of writing. Often written about and discussed at length, The Cutting Edge sheds light on how it was created. This was also the last recording to be produced with Tom Wilson. After the recording of “Like A Rolling Stone”, which is the only recording that Wilson produced that would make Highway 61 Revisited, he was mysteriously replaced by Bob Johnston who took over producing Dylan records until New Morning in 1970.

For the sessions that would make up the double album Blonde On Blonde, it began with Dylan recording with his new backing band The Hawks, an early version of The Band. Several songs on The Cutting Edge feature an early incarnation of The Band with and without drummer Levon Helm. While Helm did play with The Hawks, he left the band during Dylan’s 1965 “electric” tour and is only featured on some recordings in this set. He was replaced by Bobby Gregg, who had played with Dylan and Co. on Bringing It All Back Home and who also played with Sun Ra in the 60s. You can hear early versions of songs such as “Visions Of Johanna” in a more erratic fashion, outtakes and alternate versions of songs “I Wanna Be Your Lover”, “Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window”, “Lunatic Princess”, “Leopard Skin Pill-Box Hat” and many others. The sessions for Blonde On Blonde took place in both New York and in Nashville and with these recordings the band line up shuffles frequently. The Blonde On Blonde sessions were augmented with session musicians from Nashville. When it was released in May of 1966, Blonde On Blonde was the first of its kind. It was the first double album of rock music ever to be released.

As “Like A Rolling Stone” did with single time barriers for radio singles, Blonde On Blonde pushed beyond the typical LP format. The Cutting Edge ends (on the shorter and 18 disc versions of it) with another lengthy composition. Rumoured to be about his then wife Sara, “Sad Eyed Lady Of The Lowlands” is a song noted for a few things. It was the last song recorded for the sessions. It was written during an eight-hour span in the studio while many of the musicians played cards and smoked cigarettes waiting for its completion and finally, it took up an entire side of the album when released on vinyl. It clocked in at eleven minutes and twenty two seconds. Recorded around 4 AM on February 16th 1966, the song takes on a nocturnal, haunting quality while the song structure goes beyond the norm while the lyrics ask questions without providing answers, tying in once again into the literary comparisons of Dylan’s songs.

In 2014, The Basement Tapes Complete were released as part of Bob Dylan’s bootleg series. This set took us through Dylan’s next phase of music following his “Dylan goes electric” era. Those songs reached out to Dylan’s roots exploring folk music, roots rock and country, which led to the sounds that would produce both Music From Big Pink by The Band and 1967’s stripped down John Wesley Harding. The Cutting Edge rewinds the tape, going back to the time before any of that occurred. We see Dylan searching for a sound through rock music, which would put him in the public eye. The Cutting Edge shows the listener what it would be like to be a fly on the studio wall as Bob Dylan and a series of musicians create three very different highly influential albums that brought in a rock & roll sound with a new kind of lyric.

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Evaporators - Waaa!
2. The Moderns - The Year of Today
3. Soupcans - Psychosomatic Rash
4. Runs With Kittens - Cut Of Your Jib
5. Mexican Knives - Beach Song
6. Mexican Knives - Nightmare
7. The Pyramids - Penetration
8. The Catamounts - Ride The Surf
9. The Famines - Fast Times
10. Ty Segall - The Slider
11. Tall Dwarfs - Mr. Broccoli
12. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues (Take 1, Alternate Take)
13. Bob Dylan - On The Road Again (Take 1 Remake, Complete)
14. Bob Dylan - Mr. Tambourine Man (Take 3 with Band, Incomplete)
15. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone (Takes 1-3 Rehearsal)
16. Bob Dylan - Like A Rolling Stone (Take 11)
17. Cass Mccombs - Catacombs Cow Cow Boogie
18. Ray Condo & The Hardrock Goners - I Don't Matter To Me
19. Father John Misty - The Ideal Husband
20. Ought - Meant For Miles
21. Sports - Saturday All Of Something
22. Teenage Head - Picture My Face (Live 1978)
23. The Red Squares - Transmitter
24. BB Gun - Curious
25. The Outcasts - Justa Nother Teenage Rebel

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for December 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.