DETROIT ROCK N ROLL MAGAZINE

9.08.2018

SCOTT MORGAN AND THE HYDROMATICS: THE EARTH IS SHAKING FILM!

Scott Morgan

Scott Morgan, perhaps the most under-recognized legend of rock & soul ("One of the great American voices" -- David Fricke, Rolling Stone) leads the Hydromatics, a European-based band dedicated to revitalizing the songbook of Sonic's Rendezvous Band, the legendary band Morgan (ex-Rationals) co-founded with ex-MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith (which also included ex-Stooges drummer Scott Asheton and ex-Up bassist Gary Rasmussen).

This tour was in support of the latest Hydromatics CD, "The Earth Is Shaking." The film is a warts-and-all realistic portrayal of the band, with tons of tomfoolery, but also informative, with Morgan talking about the breakup of SRB, turning down the offer to record at Stax Records with Booker T & the MGs, getting out of the military draft in the 60s; Tony Slug talking about the politics of playing in Basque country, on the band's beginnings and astute observations on the state of rock & roll; the French Hotel incident, and most poignantly, a memorial at Madrid Football Stadium for their former tour manager, Benito Gasolini, who died there with a colleague from a scaffolding accident while working for the Rolling Stones.

PART 1 THE EARTH IS SHAKING FILM

Unfortunately, the BEST performances (Bilbao, Burgos, Leon) had to be left out as the audio tracks require mixing and a little fixing. (I have multi-track files -- any audio engineer who's willing to help, please get in touch!)

Scott Morgan The Source

The Hydromatics were the brainchild of then-Hellacopters front man Nicke Andersson and Tony Slug, Amsterdam-based rock & roll guitar player extraordinaire. Andersson and Slug bonded over the fact they both knew, and were huge fans of, Sonic's Rendezvous Band (SRB). In its six years (1975-80), SRB had only released one song -- "City Slang" -- on a 45 single with mono and stereo versions.

(No label in the age of disco dominance was interested in an uncompromising, classic Detroit/A2 high-energy rock band.) Other than the single, a bootleg LP, "Sweet Nothing," had limited circulation. Hardly anyone outside of Michigan knew of SRB, and Andersson and Slug made it their mission to bring the music to the world.

PART 2 THE EARTH IS SHAKING FILM

On a US Hellacopters tour Andersson met Scott Morgan and proposed working together. With the addition of Theo Brouwer on bass, the Hydromatics were born, with Andersson taking the drum chair, which he had to give up after one album and tour due to too many other commitments.

On this tour the drummer is newcomer Ries Doms, an excellent, explosive drummer equally influenced by Keith Moon and jazzer Han Bennink (among others). Theo Brouwer was unable to make the tour, so Paul Grace Smith, on very short notice, substituted superbly.

Enjoy the film! Support the artists by buying their records, CDs, etc.!

Filmed, edited, etc. by Joseph Chonto for Some Real Music.

9.07.2018

LITTLE STEVE/DISCIPLES OF SOUL TEACH ROCK TOUR 11-9 DETROIT

Friday, November 9 at 7 PM – 10 PM

Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts

350 Madison St, Detroit, Michigan 48226

Tickets

Little Steven & the Disciples of Soul will rev up again this fall and stop in Detroit on NOV 9 with their final leg of the Soulfire TeachRock Tour.

The tour will once again benefit Teach Rock's initiative bring it's music curriculum into schools across the country. At each stop of the tour teachers will get in free!

Stevie Van Zandt

Musician/Band

www.twitter.com/stevievanzandt

www.undergroundgarage.com

www.wickedcoolrecords.com

GRETA VAN FLEET ANNOUNCES DEBUT LP, ANTHEM OF THE PEACEFUL ARMY

New York, NY - (September 7, 2018) - Greta Van Fleet - Jake Kiszka/guitars, Sam Kiszka/bass & keys, Josh Kiszka/vocals, and Danny Wagner/drums - is very proud to announce the upcoming release of the band’s debut album, Anthem of The Peaceful Army, due out October 19 on Lava/Republic Records. The album is available for pre-order now by going here HERE. Fans who pre-order the album will receive an instant grat track, the brand new song “Watching Over,” that you can check out here HERE.

Collectively written by all four band members, the ten original songs explore a variety of topics that include fresh starts, love, integrity, innocence, adventure, diversity and peace, the life cycle and its inherent responsibilities, courage, masked deceptions, revolution, and truth. Blending rock, soul and blues, Jake’s blazing guitar riffs, Josh’s soaring, powerful vocals, Danny’s thunderous drums, and Sam’s swaggering baselines and keys create a menagerie of musical elements throughout.

Anthem of the Peaceful Army was produced by Marlon Young, Al Sutton and Herschel Boone (The Rust Brothers) and recorded earlier this year at Blackbird Studios in Nashville and Rustbelt Studios in Royal Oak, Michigan.

The first single from Anthem of the Peaceful Army, “When The Curtain Falls,” arrived at rock radio on August 15 and is already a Top 10 track with more than 13-million total audio streams. The song's companion music video has surpassed 1.7-million views and can be seen here HERE.

Music fans were first introduced to Greta Van Fleet in March 2017 with the release of the band’s debut single “Highway Tune” that held the #1 position on U.S. Rock Radio Charts for five consecutive weeks and on Canada’s Active Rock Radio Charts for nine straight weeks.

For Greta Van Fleet, 2017 went on to be a wild ride of sold-out concerts in North America and Europe, glowing press, accolades from a slew of fellow artists from Elton John to Nikki Sixx to Justin Bieber, millions of YouTube video plays and Spotify streams, two #1 EPs, and most importantly, the genesis of an extraordinary connection with their fans.

Anthem Of The Peaceful Army

The track listing for Anthem of the Peaceful Army is as follows:

1. Age of Man
2. The Cold Wind
3. When The Curtain Falls
4. Watching Over
5. Lover Leaver (Taker Believer)
6. You’re The One
7. The New Day
8. Mountain of the Sun
9. Brave New World
10. Anthem

9.06.2018

BANG! THE BERT BERNS STORY: NEW DOCUMENTARY

Bert Berns with Van Morrison

We have Bert Berns to thank for some of the greatest soul music ever made.

Bert Berns was an amazingly unknown (to the mainstream) soul/pop songwriter/producer during the early 1960s from the Bronx. He literally wrote the soundtrack of my life to be sure!! Here is a short list of his music legacy, click on each one to hear the song, you'll be glad you did!

"You'll love this movie!" -- The New York Times

BANG! now available for the first time on DVD!

Exclusively at www.bangthebertbernsstory.com

Atlantic braintrust: Jerry Wexler, Bert Burns, Nesuhi and Ahmet Ertegun

Songwriter/producer

"A Little Bit of Soap", The Jarmels (1961)

"Cry to Me", Solomon Burke (1962)
"Twist and Shout", The Isley Brothers (1962)
"Cry Baby", Garnet Mimms (1963)
"Tell Him" The Exciters" 1963
"Under the Boardwalk", The Drifters (1964)
"Everybody Needs Somebody to Love", Solomon Burke (1964)
"Hang on Sloopy", The McCoys (1965)
"Piece of My Heart", 1968 Big Brother and the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin "Twenty Five Miles", Edwin Starr (1968)

Producer:

"Nobody but Me", The Isley Brothers- Human Beinz (1963)
"Here Comes the Night", them (1964)
"Baby I'm Yours", Barbara Lewis (from Detroit) (1965)
"Make Me Your Baby", Barbara Lewis (1965)
"Brown Eyed Girl", Van Morrison (1967)
"Are You Lonely for Me Baby", Freddie Scott (1967)

Whew!! What a list of music!! I loved him all my life and never knew his name until last week! So folks if you love Bert's music like I do, please buy the DVD and share this story with your friends..

Early Neil Diamond hits like “Cherry, Cherry” and “Kentucky Woman” were on Bang, as was Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.” The Strangeloves’ “I Want Candy” and “Night Time” were on the label, too, as were the McCoys’ hits “Hang On Sloopy” and “Fever.”

Bert Berns produced Barbara Lewis a chart topper here in Detroit back in 1965. His touch made magic with Barbara...

The film celebrates Bert Berns' talent and joy for living. He knew his time was limited and he certainly gave it his all. He had the magical ear to hear just the right note and he pushed those singers to perform their best. Yet they all seemed to love him.

Music meets the Mob in this biographical documentary, narrated by Stevie Van Zandt, about the life and career of Bert Berns, the most important songwriter and record producer from the sixties that you never heard of. His hits include “Twist and Shout”, “Hang On Sloopy”, “Here Comes The Night” and “Piece Of My Heart.”

Here are some of the musicians that were interviewed for the film: Ronald Isley, Ben E. King, Solomon Burke, Van Morrison,Cissy Houston, Keith Richards and Paul McCartney. Narrated by Stevie Van Zandt

BUY THE DVD HERE

Bert helped launch the careers of Van Morrison, Neil Diamond and produced some of the greatest soul music ever made. Filmmaker Brett Berns brings his late father's story to the screen through interviews with those who knew him best and rare performance footage. Directors Brett Berns and Bob Sarles

Bang: The Bert Berns Story
Soundtrack

9.01.2018

BLACK IRISH LIVE AT THE MAGIC BAG SEPT 28!

Elliott Moses September 1, 2018:

The Black Irish name comes from a movie called Lady from Shanghai made in 1948 . A film Noir starring Orson Welles ,and his than wife Rita Hayworth . His character Michael O’Hara, nicked names Black Irish , falls for the wrong woman . Salvador Dali did the set designs. A great flick.

BLACK IRISH LINE UP

Paul Barning - lead vocal and Hammond
Matt La Pinta - Bass -vocals -piano - organ
Elliott Moses- vocals - Guitar
Matt Hamann - Guitar - Pedal Steel - Banjo - vocals
James Dylan McCarty -Drums
Steve (Staires ) Nowicki percussionist

Video Produced and Directed

by Robert Sergott,

Sergott Productions.

As far as the band’s music is concerned , our influences are Americana, Blues, Folk, and from the boom of all that generation and we try to write great songs infusing all that to have a unique sound that comes from a combination of all that and our own musical stamp . Writing is something we all share a great passion for.

I (Elliott Moses) have been playing in bands in Detroit since age 16 , “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things musically happen and been in few bands but this is hands down the best group of musicians I’ve ever had the pleasure to be in the company of .

Thanks to Skip who introduced me to Matt La Pinta and Matt Hamann.“ We started to dig on each other musically, started having writing sessions at La Pinta’s house, and songs just started pouring out!

Elliott Moses with our pal Chris Taylor: Fuzz Fest Promoter

It got to moving so fast that we decided to try to put a band together . So we could play them live. I asked Paul who since the original line up had broke up a few years ago to come in and put some vocals down and everything just started falling in to place.

Dylan McCarty has been my go to for skins for 10 years. He’s a beast on drums but even more so then that is his attention to detail. Steve Nowicki finishes up the on percussion.

Maybe Tomorrow is title of the Black Irish EP and is the title of one of our songs. We are looking for a local label to work with but haven’t found one yet. We are still hoping to find one here instead of out of town . Detroit really needs a fresh Kick in the Ass and we’re that Band!

Heavy hitting blues-infused rock with a Detroit twist! Black Irish celebrates the release of their brand new album at the Magic Bag on Friday, September 28. The doors open at 8pm and tickets are $12 in advance. The Black Drops and Dude kick off the festivities.

BLACK IRISH

Magic Bag in Ferndale

Friday, September 28 at 8 PM – 11:59 PM

22920 Woodward Ave, Ferndale, Michigan 48220

Tickets

8.23.2018

BILLBOARD'S TRIBUTE TO ARETHA FRANKLIN

Today, Billboard magazine is honoring the late Aretha Franklin in their official post-humous tribute issue featuring Billboard’s obituary on the Queen of Soul as the main cover feature - written by Associate Professor of Journalism at Loyola Marymount University, Evelyn McDonnell titled “The Role of Struggle in Aretha Franklin’s Path to Greatness”:

Excerpt:
…To say that Franklin was one of the greatest female singers of all time is to miss the point. Aretha -- an original one-named diva -- was one of the greatest artists, period. Her talent and her impact transcended gender, race, genre and geography.

This was a woman who could sing disco, gospel, rock, opera and, of course, soul. In addition to possessing astonishing vocal talent, she was a pianist, songwriter, arranger and performer. She was one of the towering figures whose talents expressed the seismic cultural shifts of a decade of momentous change.

The only peer of similar import and impact is Bob Dylan, and I would argue that as the voice of the struggle for equal rights for blacks and for women, Franklin embodied her generation more. Her death on Aug. 16 marks a mighty loss….

Full Obituary HERE