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3.14.2014
THE ROCK AND ROLL LAWYER SHOW -- CHERI CLAIR'S OTHER OTHER OTHER JOB
I've been representing Sheldon Kay and his radio show for several years now and I feel like I've know him forever. Our relationship is nearly telekinetic. I try to anticipate his needs... or help him find the words he's looking for... or sometimes we just look at each other and know what we're thinking. It's an ideal business relationship because nothing is more important than communication.
One of my favorite parts of working with the radio show is chatting with listeners in our facebook group: www.facebook.com/groups/rockandrolllawyer.
I look forward to meeting lots of new listeners!
Cheri Clair is the Creative Director and Publicist for Sheldon Kay, The Rock and Roll Lawyer... in addition to being a contributing editor here, booking bands and doing promotion.
Episodes of one season of Cheri's own radio show with her husband, 'The Shagg & Cheri Radio Blast', can be heard at www.mixcloud.com/cheridetroit
Cheri's email address is rockistar@gmail.com
3.13.2014
THE MUDDY BROTHERS BLUES BAND FROM BRAZIL
The Muddy Brothers are a Brazilian band, from Vila Velha (ES), formed by the end of 2012. Their basic influences are the blues man from the North-American Delta and the rocknroll sound of the 70’s.
As a trio the band members are João Lucas (Vocals), Will Just (Guitars) and Renato Just (Drums). In November 2013, the band released their first full album, Handmade, recorded and produced by themselves in a totally independent environment.
Recently, they won the “Rock on Top” contest that featured over 300 bands from all over Brazil, that gave the band the opportunity to be an opening band at The Planeta Terra
Festival.
We also served as an opening act for names like Beck, Blur, Lana Del Rey, The Roots, Travis and others.
The Muddy Brothers was formed and breathes through their member's passion for the American Bluesmen that changed the world banging their feet on the floor and scratching their guitars, The Muddy Brothers are trying something like that. Only with a lot of drive and Fuzz.
3.12.2014
ERIC BURDON WITH THE HOWLING DIABLOS TOMORROW NIGHT!
Diablos are stoked to play with Eric Burdon and The Animals Thursday Nite at Michigan Theatre Ann Arbor!
'House Of The Rising Sun' goes back to the '30s recorded by many, including Dave Van Ronk, who was pissed when Dylan cut it, but The Animals nailed it...but so did Detroit's Frigid Pink! Come out to a LIVE Show...Tino Gross
3.10.2014
BOOKIE'S & THE DETROIT MUSIC SCENE PART 1
The Mutants at Bookie's Club 870, 1978.
Photo Deanne Nichols
Scott Campbell
March 10, 2014
The Detroit original rock scene had fallen on hard times in the 70's. In the mid-60's, Mitch Ryder, Bob Seger, The Amboy Dukes, The Rationals, The MC5, and numerous other bands got record deals and radio airplay. By the mid-70's, new Detroit acts were frozen out of airplay with the death of underground radio and record labels weren't signing. A band could earn a living playing five 45 minute sets per night but they had to be AOL radio rock hits. Typically, a band would get a song list from the bar owner and NO original songs were allowed.
By early 1977, new bands such as The Sillies, The Romantics, and a new MC5 fronted by original singer Rob Tyner were looking for anywhere to play original sets of their own music. The Sillies rented The Kramer Theater on Michigan Avenue east of Livernois to do a real concert with themselves in between the new MC5 and an opening set by Destroy All Monsters with Stooges guitarist Ron Asheton and original MC5 bassist Michael Davis. The show drew 1,000 people but most of the money was mysteriously missing from the till, leaving Sillies founder Scott Campbell $1,000 in the hole.
Much as bars were a step down from theater concerts, a nightclub that would host original concerts in the style of NYC's Max's Kansas City or the Whiskey A Go Go in LA was needed for Detroit. The trick was finding a place and making it successful.
BEHIND THE SCENES: STEVE HUNTER AUDITIONS FOR MITCH RYDER'S DETROIT
Mitch Ryder - Vocals Johnny Bee Badanjek - Drums, Vocals Steve Hunter -
Guitar W.R. Cooke - Bass, Vocals Mark Manko - Guitar Harry Phillips - Keyboards
Guitar W.R. Cooke - Bass, Vocals Mark Manko - Guitar Harry Phillips - Keyboards
John Sauter - Bass Brett Tuggle - Guitar Dirty Ed - Congas & Tambourine
3rd from the right is Boot Hamilton(Boot Hill)
3rd from the right is Boot Hamilton(Boot Hill)
Back in the day...Steve Hunter had just gotten out of the Army and was living in his hometown of Decatur, Illinois..we wondered how did Steve make the leap from Decatur to Detroit?
It was in the wintertime 'cause it was horrible, the drive there, so it must have been the end of 1970. I was out somewhere with the Light Brigade (band in Decatur, Illinois) and I think I was in a hotel and the phone rang and it was John Sauter. Apparently, he had called Tootie (Steve’s sister) and then Tootie gave him the hotel where I was staying and I said Hey John, Polar Bear (nickname) how you doin? Then he said well listen, I’m playing with Mitch Ryder up in Detroit and I said wow, that’s great.
And he said well you outta come up here, they’re auditioning for guitar players and they haven’t found anybody, I said really? And he said yeah you should come up here quick, I don’t remember when I went up there, but I went up there as soon as I could so I don’t know if I had to get back to Decatur. But I know I left as soon as I could, probably within a day of the phone call. It was an eight hour drive, all I had in the car was the guitar.
What guitar did you bring?
I don’t even know how it all came about, I guess they were expecting me, there were no cell phones so I couldn’t call ahead and say I was on my way, I just told Johnny when I’d get there. And I don’t think I auditioned the day I got there. Somebody called Mitch and Johnny B and said I was in town and I think we set up something for the next day.
And that’s when I walked in the room and saw a Marshall half stack and the only place I had ever seen one was with Jimi Hendrix and Cream. And right then I thought, you know I don’t give a shit whether I get this audition or not, I didn’t even know what an audition was, I had never done one before. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do or anything. I just didn’t care, I thought, I’m going to be able to play through a Marshall so lets see what that sounds like. And as soon as I plugged it in and turned it on, whatever the settings were that were on it, it sounded F**** great!
I thought he was just some other part of the organization, and um…. they liked it.
And they said well can you move up here? And I say well yeah whatever. I’ll need to go home and get some stuff, yeah sure (they said) can you be back here (I think ) it was by the weekend I don’t remember what day it was, just sometime before the weekend, so we can start rehearsing. Sure, so I drove all the way back to Decatur, threw in some clothes and shit I didn’t bring anything else up with me really, drove all the way back to Detroit and they gave me a room in this condemned building. (So was the half stack theirs or had they hired it?) No, that was theirs; that was back in the days when you could buy a Marshall half stack for $250, it was cheap then. So they owned like a couple.
The first gig I did with them, somebody else had the half stack I didn’t get to use it, I used a Twin, and the Twin had two giant SRO 12’s in it (Speakers) it sounded great but it wasn’t loud enough, they sounded F**** great though. I was standing in front of it thinking man, this sounds better than the Marshall does but it wasn’t nearly loud enough. So they went out and bought me another Marshall. I just used it, it wasn’t mine but that’s it really, the rest of it’s a blur.
I just remember I tried to quit smoking, and that was a terribly wrong place to try to quit smoking, and the day I’d gone the longest without smoking, this arrangement for Rock and Roll (Lou Reed song) came to me like a shot, the whole thing. (Wow! it was like your head cleared) I guess so, it must have cleared up for a second, and the whole Rock and Roll thing came out. So, we went up to rehearsal next day, and I told the guys, I said, you know I kind got an idea for this Rock and Roll cos they wanted to do the tune.
They had played the tune for me, on a cassette or on a record, I think it was probably on a record cos we didn’t have cassettes yet. And I thought, well I don’t know, it sounds kind of folky, the way Lou Did it, it was kinda folky, and they wanted to rock it up. And I just remember the first thing that entered my mind was I wonder how Mountain would do this tune if they were doing it, and the whole arrangement came after that.
So I went up and showed it to them, and they F**** loved it, I could tell, but Detroit people never say anything like “oh that’s great man!” which is one of the reasons I like them, they don’t hype you like LA, over the top. In Detroit they say, yeah this is cool.
I could tell when Mitch was singing it that he loved it just the way he’d sing it, he just punched it out and it sounded great! Then Bob heard it, he said, “what the F*** is that!” and I said well, you know, it’s my arrangement of Rock and Roll; he loved it.
It must have been pretty tough going from Decatur to Detroit?
You know, I was so young and naïve it made no difference to me, I just thought, Oh cool I’m going to playing with Mitch Ryder. I was 21 maybe 22, I didn’t give a shit about any of that stuff.
(Note: Steve’s arrangement of Lou Reed’s ‘Rock and Roll’ was to later catch Lou’s attention and along with Bob Ezrin, that is how Steve came to do his second ever album; Lou Reed’s ‘Berlin’)
3.07.2014
ROYAL OAK CLAY GLASS & METAL SHOW 2014
The Fabulous Royal Oak Clay, Glass and Metal Show features an amazing diversity of work within the flame worked mediums....
The Royal Oak Clay, Glass and Metal Show features an amazing diversity of work within the flame worked mediums. Patrons are often surprised to see just how different artists are able to add their own spin on creative functional and decorative items. Our jurors work to find the most diversity possible so that you can see everything from basic plates to elaborate installations.
JUNE 14-15, 2014
Downtown Royal Oak, MI
Each year as many as twelve artists are selected to demonstrate so that you can more fully understand the work you are seeing. Live glass blowing, wheel throwing and metal working make this event unique.
3.04.2014
SONICS RENDEZVOUS BAND: DENIZ TEK PART TWO
Ron and I began to work on songs and were often hanging out at his Mom's house on Highlake Rd on the west end of Ann Arbor, where he was living. Ron had contact with some other local musicians, and was trying to put something together. This was before Destroy All Monsters, and not too long after the New Order. We would sit in the TV room (the TV was on continuously) and have drinks until 4 or 5 AM, and go down to the basement to jam.
There was a singer in Ypsilanti...a bit too much of a "rock god" type for me, and Rob King who would later drum in Destroy All Monsters, and Dennis "Machine Gun" Thompson, from the MC5, who was living in downriver Detroit.
Dennis was with Ron in the New Order, and would be part of our New Race project in 1981. We jammed with Dennis a few times, and made some tapes.
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Wayne Kramer had just gotten out of prison, and came by while we were jamming in a studio and making tapes. He was doing something with Brits Mick Farren from the Deviants, and Larry Wallis guitarist of the Pink Fairies. Soon after that Wayne would form Gang War with Johnny Thunders, more or less a debacle in which Thunders was usually too smashed to play, but it still offered a good opportunity to see the great Wayne Kramer at very small clubs.
Here, at last, was the energy source. It seems that it never dies, but like an artesian water source it sometimes goes underground and reappears later, elsewhere. It can have multiple tributaries and it needs to be replenished from time to time, not just taken from. You take, but you have to give back. It goes on.
I would see Sonics Rendezvous as often as possible from then on. I was collecting tons of raw inspirational material to take back with me to Radio Birdman. In all the shows I went to, that was always foremost in my mind. There had been no mentors .. not even peers … for a long time. No one to gain knowledge from. No one to inspire my muse.
Radio Birdman was completely and utterly isolated in the first months of 1976. Staying on that island without contact for too long could have caused the inspiration to fade, dry up, blow away. The vision could lose clarity, dissipate.
My band had not yet achieved full power, and I knew I needed new influences to help it go to the next level. For me, Sonics Rendezvous made the difference. It was like finding a clear cold mountain spring in a trackless desert.
By around February (1976) it was time to return from the Michigan snow to the blast furnace heat of Sydney. In those days the transpacific routes were mostly flown by DC-10s or early model 747s which had to make one refueling stop between LA and Sydney. Continental stopped in Samoa, Qantas stopped in Fiji, and United stopped in Honolulu.
I flew on all these routes, whatever ticket was the cheapest at the time. I was able usually to write material for songs on these long tedious flights, so as to make some productive use of the time. Sometimes I'd get off for a couple of days in these places and look around. I had a friend in Honolulu, John Berger, and sometimes we would go into town and see bands in between these flights.
Once I stopped in Fiji and hitchhiked into the countryside, wandered off the road into the jungle and enjoyed generous hospitality in a small village. Guys spent evenings listening to the radio, playing cards and drinking raw grey muddy kava juice ... the chief was all too happy for this skinny white guy with a guitar to join in the circle and share some laughs as the kava bowl got passed around.
epilogue
Arriving in Sydney I went straight over to Radio Birdman manager George Kringas' house in Blues Point. I wanted to get back into rehearsals and get ready to record. I got a shock when I went to the bathroom. There was a dead lamb in the bathtub that seemed to be staring at me. Band sidekick Mark Sisto had bought it. It was waiting in the bath because of drainage, later to be roasted on a spit, for my homecoming party that night.
READ PART ONE DENIZ TEK SEES SRB
★Deniz Tek, from Ann Arbor, Michigan, is a prolific guitarist, singer and songwriter currently based in Sydney, Australia. His career in music, grounded in late-60's Detroit, extends through several decades and across continents. He is best known as a founding member of the influential Australian independent rock band Radio Birdman.
In 2007, Deniz was inducted into the Australian Music Hall of Fame, and in 2012 was voted number 7 in the top 100 Australian guitarists of all time.★
3.03.2014
CD RELEASE MARCH 14: AWESOME JARVIS AND THE WHALES!
Glad Winter is getting toward the end! It's time to rock! Spring is right around the corner and so is the first release on Funky D Records, 'Ride The Whale' by the young Detroit Rockers, Awesome Jarvis and The Whales (Produced by Tino Gross)
Awesome Jarvis and The Whales will be joined by Mega Weedge Feat. Tony Muggs and Funky D Recording artists Woven Tangles and DJ Linda Lexy
Awesome Jarvis is:
Ben Kay-guitar
Chris Tomko-Vocals
Phil Giannotti-drums
Emily Weintecha-bass
Brian Weintecha-guitar
2.28.2014
WE TOOK A STAND! DENNIS THOMPSON ON THE MC5 45TH ANNIVERSARY
WE TOOK A STAND!
Other times we made some terrible mistakes. No one can ever accuse us of not exploring the possibilities though. This is our legacy, as I see it.
I have done many things since the breakup of the group. I did stints with Sirius Trixon & The Motor City Bad Boys, lived in Hollywood and played in the original New Order with Ron Asheton of the Stooges and Dave Gilbert of the Rockets. I did a tour in 1981 with the New Race with Ron Asheton & Deniz Tek of Radio Birdman fame. The last pro tour was in 1998 with Wayne Kramer, Scott Morgan , Deniz Tek and Gary Rasmussen as Dodge Main and with DKT/MC5.
I have programmed and set up CNC machining centers making different prototype parts for everything to the Sidewinder Missile bracket for the F-15 Eagle fighter jet, to the turret gear rack for the M1-A1 Abrams tanks that went to the Persian Gulf War in 1990.
I re-designed the full size animatronic robot animals on the stage at Major Magic’s All Star Pizza Review, co-produced the music and programmed their movements. I was commissioned to hire everybody from machinists, welders, and seamstresses to build, clothe, assemble, and install four more complete stage set-ups of 12 different characters in four other franchise locations in the country.
The last 12 years I have been working hard and fast writing two books simultaneously. Book number one’s working title, “An American Night in The Round”, is a full length novel which I refer to as a cross between satire and speculative fiction. Twelve years in the making, I hope to finish this tome in a year or two.
Book number two is currently titled, “A Walk in The Woods”, and is a generous collection of short stories, philosophical musings, and inspirational essays documenting my spiritual journey, and commenting on the struggles of life in Modern America. Currently in the editing stage, this book should be available for publishing by in 2010 I hope. I will also publish a book of blog posts in a year or so.
And last but not least I started my own production company named MGT Multi-Media LLC. and am looking forward to releasing my first solo music CD next year if time permits. We will be a full range media company. More on this later.
So in summary, I should hope the legacy of the MC5 is that of inspiring and encouraging exploration, using your imagination, and having the fortitude to pursue your hearts ambition.
A legacy of bold pursuit of all things possible and to stand tall for what is right, even if the price seems high.
In closing there is only one thing left to say and that is: “Let me be who I am…and let me “Kick out the Jams! Mother F**ker’s!
“Look, I really don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive, you got to flap your arms and legs, you got to jump around a lot, you got to make a lot of noise, because life is the very opposite of death. And therefore, as I see it, if you're quiet, you're not living. You've got to be noisy, or at least your thoughts should be noisy and colorful and lively.” Mel Brooks
Thank you to the fans after 45 years for keeping the 5 alive....
Rest in Peace my brothers
Rob Tyner
Fred Smith
and
Michael Davis
Rest in Peace my brothers
Rob Tyner
Fred Smith
and
Michael Davis
MGT
2.27.2014
BOOKIE'S CLUB 870 ANNIVERSARY SHOW MARCH 17
We have a BOOKIE'S ANNIVERSARY show on Monday, March 17, 36 years after the first show. Scott Campbell intended to have this at the "new" Bookie's but he hasn't been able to do all the improvements.So it will be at the Perfect Pitcher on ST. PATRICK'S DAY
12900 Beech Daly
Taylor 48180
21+ $5
3:00 - The MOD
4:00 - The Porcelain Doll Collection
5:00 - Pick Axe Preacher
6:00 - Christy & The Professors
7:00 - Dirty Mind In Detroit
8:00 - FASTERTAXI
9:00 - Bloodline
10:00 - Saturnine Hello
11:00 - The Sillies
THE DOGS PLAYING 2 SHOWS AT SXSW!!
Our friends Loren, Mary Kay and Tony aka The Dogs are playing 2 shows at the 2014 SXSW Music and Film Festival March 7 - 16, 2014 • Austin, TX. The Dogs are really good...if you are hanging out in Austin ..don't miss this band...lot's of folks talk about punk and talk about back in the day...but these 3 people are happening right NOW...and they do Detroit rock like nobody's business...
This is the real Detroit rock ala The Stooges and MC-5 a resurgence of this Iconic three piece band that is still as raw and fresh as it was in 1978.
Once upon a time in mid-'70s Los Angeles, THE DOGS surreptitiously were lumped into the Do It Yourself ethos of the nascent punk scene, ironic since they had zoomed past all that before they even relocated there and started their High Times rehearsal/recording commune and Detroit Records label on Gower Street in Hollywood.
They'd already fashioned same as teenagers in the late '60s without industry connections, blowing the locals and visitors alike offstage in all the important venues of the Detroit/Ann Arbor/Lansing radius, later accomplishing same in Greenwich Village, New York City '74 where their punk community sure noticed what THE DOGS were doing, even if the rest of the entertainment world remained deaf, blind and moronically obstructionist.
2.25.2014
MC5'S WAYNE KRAMER ON A BAND CALLED DEATH
Written by RetroKimmer
I did some work for the Death Band when they first reunited in 2009. I made their first blog page and taught them a bit about social networking. They took it from there and have done a fantastic job..There is a documentary about them.. A Band Called Death. Death was the first black punk band in Detroit in 1974.
Back in 2009, I played their music for Dennis Thompson and he really liked it but had never heard of them...I often wondered what Wayne thought of them.
Just now I saw a deleted scene from the Death Band documentary and Wayne Kramer says it very well..(as usual!)...
TRASH BRATS REUNION SHOW APRIL 12!!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Mark your calendars! Support bands and more info coming soon.
Advance tickets are available NOW from www.smallsbardetroit.com
$10 in advance $12 at the door.
They're going fast so get yours today. All ages!
With special guests The Dewtons and The Dives - Detroit★
THE STANDELLS EAST COAST TOUR DATES FOR 2014
Don't forget - The Standells East Coast Tour is coming up April 27th through May 14th! This is their first tour of the Eastern states since the 1960's, and they're doing it the old-fashioned way - on wheels! Be sure and get your tickets now!
The band, best known for their 1966 hit “Dirty Water” and remembered by many as The Godfathers of Garage Punk , released BUMP, their first album in over 40 years. Fast-forward to their upcoming spring tour, performances will include iconic songs from past albums as well as new songs from their latest release. Merchandise will also be available on-site at the show.
You can catch The Standells at:
4/27 - Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte, NC
4/29 - Black Cat, Washington, DC
4/30 - BB Kings - Lucille's, New York, NY
5/2 - Open Arts Stage, Bordentown, NJ
5/3 - The Brighton Bar, Long Branch, NJ
5/4 - Iron Horse Music Hall, Northampton, MA
5/5 - Cavestomp Presents - Brighton Music Hall, Boston, MA
5/6 - Cafe Nine, New Haven, CT
5/7 - The Dover Brickhouse, Dover, NH
5/8 - Lovin' Cup, Rochester, NY
5/10 - Beachland Tavern, Cleveland, OH
5/11 - The Magic Bag, Detroit, MI
5/13 - Mayne Stage, Chicago, IL
5/14 - Shank Hall, Milwaukee, WI
★NEW VIDEO★ HOWLING DIABLOS: PLAY HOUSE BLUES
Howling Diablos bring a 'Detroit Meets Mississippi' Groove to 'Play House Blues'- Inspired by John Lee Hooker and Dedicated to RL Burnside- Produced by Tino Gross for Funky D Records 2013. Tino-vocals/guitar, John Evans-Harp, Erik Gustafson-guitar, Mo Hollis-bass, Johnny 'Bee' Badanjek-drums, Sam DiCaro & Carley Hartwell-back vocals...and featuring 'Hurricane' Carter-spoken word... Live footage@ Fillmore/Detroit by Bette Chapelle---Available On ITunes:
SOUNDS OF BIRMINGHAM: AN EVENING WITH KEN CALVERT!
The "The Sounds of Birmingham: A Community of Music" exhibit will be kicked off by an evening with Ken Calvert, rock and roll historian (with special emphasis on Detroit area rock and roll) and WCSX/WRIF radio personality. Ken will share his memories of local rock and roll, for instance, introducing Bruce Springsteen and Bob Seger to each other. Calvert will be interviewed by WCSX's Peter Werbe. Explore the Sounds of Birmingham exhibit before and after the program. The event takes place Thursday, March 6 from 6 pm to 7:30 pm at the museum. Tickets are $25 and include refreshments. Spots are limited.
Call 248-496-3378 to reserve your ticket.
The Birmingham Historical Museum & Park is opening an exhibit called "The Sounds of Birmingham: A Community of Music." The exhibit will focus on local musicians and the role music has played in the community. Stories and artifacts of note include: CREEM magazine (whose offices were in Birmingham from 1972-1984 ) and Chad Smith, drummer for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who grew up in Birmingham. Major components will include a vignette depicting the CREEM office and Smith’s drums and awards. Other stories include Noel Paul Stookey (Peter, Paul & Mary), Bob Seger,Scot Richard Case/SRC, Mike Posner, and We Came as Romans plus a Townsend Hotel Celebrity List and Autographs. Kids' hands-on activities included free!
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