Adios to 2008 with the Camp Combo

Fred Spek's Camp Combo live at The Local, December 30th, 2008

As 2008 draws to a close, I thought it would be appropriate to post some photos from the last show that I saw this year. The year in live music closed out for me last night at The Local, a cozy little pub within walking distance of home, with a live performance by Fred Spek's Camp Combo. This was a great night out, an intimate venue and an upbeat, swingin' set from a highly entertaining alt-jazz outfit. Fred Spek leads the Camp Combo, a unique quartet on the Toronto jazz scene in that they operate almost as a novelty act, selecting obscure and unusual numbers from the distant past to complement their own off-kilter originals. They sound a bit like a circus sideshow act, a ramshackle group of players belting out songs heard on scratchy old 78s and LPs found at garage sales, but behind all the wacky fun are some serious chops to back it up.

The Camp Combo (l to r): Fred Spek (sax), Nichol Robertson (guitar), Great Bob Scott (drums), and Rachel Melas (bass)

I've known Fred for two decades now (has it been that long?!), and he's always known how to deliver a good performance with an edge. I first met him when he was playing with an underground experimental art/jazz/punk group known as Blank Crowd. This St. Catharines-based project (eventually relocating to Toronto) were quite original at the time, particularly on the Canadian scene, maybe distant cousins to The Lounge Lizards or some of the post-punk bands flying under the radar in the mid-'80s. Fred played an angular, art-damaged sax, banged a snare drum, snarled vocals, and programmed stark beats on a drum machine within the context of Blank Crowd, and it was something to behold. From there, he moved on through various other groups, including Braino, D.E.A. (Dub Enforcement Agency) and The Mood Swingers (the precursor to the Camp Combo), away from the angst and into a jazzier world. Fred even spent a brief amount of time in my own project, post-industrial electro-pop group Parade, back in the early '90s, before figuring out that jazz was where it was at. He has continued to chart out original territory on the jazz scene with his latest endeavor.

Sharp-dressed man Fred Spek takes the mic

One more for the road...

Spek and his band of merry jazz pranksters were in good form at The Local, spreading some holiday goodwill and revelry to send out 2008 on a positive note. The Local has to have one of the smallest stages around, but the Camp Combo didn't seem to mind, and they treated the audience to two sets of unpredictable song selections to confound and delight. Opening with their signature tune, the vaudvillian "Camper Fanfare", and tackling other originals such as the moody "Cairo", "Rock Paper Scissors", and "Irony Rhumba", the Camp Combo proved to have some composititional talents behind the novelty front. A colourful assortment of song filled out the remainder of the setlist, including (from my hazy memory) "Baby Elephant Walk", "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise", "My Heart Belongs to Daddy", "Animal Crackers In My Soup", "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)", and the themesong to TV show "The Hilarious House of Frightenstein". How's that for entertainment? Some good light-hearted fun, occasionally veering into debauched and bawdy songs (something about a burlesque dancer named Tanya Cheex!). The Camp Combo's lineup tends to change from show to show, and this evening's group consisted of Fred Spek on sax and vocals, guitarist Nichol Robertson, bassist Rachel Melas, and the legendary Great Bob Scott on drums. This was the first time I'd seen the Combo with Scott in the drum seat, and he was a great fit for the group, adding his usual wild and crazy charm and impeccable chops to the performance.

That was my final taste of live music in 2008. From there, it was off into the night, to navigate my way home through snow-covered streets, echoes of old jazz songs and irresistible melodies ringing in my ears. This is what it's all about.

Merry Christmas wishes from The Mysterious Vault

Season's greetings! Have many sparkling nights over the holidays.

Cheers!

The Calrizians' seasonal surf heats up the Cadillac Lounge

Last night, local surf/instrumental sensations The Calrizians warmed up the newly-expanded Cadillac Lounge with some holiday cheer, spiking their set with a few Christmas classics in the spirit of the season. The sleek four-piece instrumental outfit are relative newcomers on the Toronto scene, although they tear through an impressive repetoire of material with a confident swagger that would have you thinking that they'd been playing together for years. Despite the fact that surf rock is considered a bit out of fashion these days, having seen an explosive revival in the mid-'90s in the wake of Quentin Tarantino's massively successful Pulp Fiction, only to fade in popularity by the turn of the century, Toronto has a pretty strong community of bands keeping this sound alive (if you have any doubts, check out the annual 2-night Great Lakes Surf Battle festival), and The Calrizians are one of the top torchbearers of the scene. I'd only seen The Calrizians play once before, last summer at The Dakota Tavern, and was an instant convert, so I was eager to see them perform again.

The Calrizians rock the instrumentals onstage at the Cadillac Lounge

Last night's gig was billed as "Christmas with The Calrizians", and a festive spirit was certainly in the air at the Cadillac Lounge, which has recently opened up a whole new section, significantly increasing the venue's capacity. The Calrizians performed three sets of music, with a heavy leaning on covers of instrumental rock standards, spiced up by a couple of Christmas tunes given a surfy twist. Christmas songs translate remarkably well to the surf format, and the Calrizians were game with their interpretations of holiday favourites such as "Sleigh Ride" and "Jingle Bell Rock". Anyone who has listened to The Ventures' Christmas Album or 'Tis The Season for Los Straitjackets! (two of my favourite Christmas albums!) will have heard similar surf/Christmas tune mashups before, such as The Ventures' clever fusion of "Walk Don't Run" and "Sleigh Ride". The Calrizians weren't necessarily breaking any new ground here, but they did capture the lighthearted spirit of these songs and put a nice surfy spin on some old chestnuts.

The Calrizians take care of some business at the Caddy 

The bulk of The Calrizian's show consisted of familiar instrumental numbers, which they took on with considerable success. The group dress in matching black suits (and sneakers!), putting forth a slightly menacing image onstage – they look like they just stepped out of Reservoir Dogs, and took to the stage to take care of some "business." Indeed, they open the proceedings with "Surf Rider", a moody surf classic used in the Pulp Fiction soundtrack, and later on in the set tackle two more songs associated with the film. Any surf band willing to take on "Misirlou", Dick Dale's ferocious signature tune, has got guts, and The Calrizians rip through it with gusto, guitarist Ben Jewer shredding with the best of 'em. Other Dale material is performed, along with several tracks made famous by The Ventures ("Walk Don't Run", "Perfidia", "Slaughter On Tenth Avenue"), and much more over three sets. 

A few other memorable covers from the evening include "Apache" (a true instrumental standard recorded by too many bands to mention), "Harlem Nocturne" (in the spirit of The Viscounts), and Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet's slinky "Shake Some Evil". These guys have got some taste when it comes to selecting material, but any band doing Shadowy Men justice gets extra points in my books. Adding further character to The Calrizians' sound is Chip Snider, who contributes both saxophone and rhythm guitar. The sax component is an element that is missing in so many instrumental bands. It is really used to good effect in The Calrizians, adding a raw and raunchy undercurrent to the music, in the tradition of bands like The Champs, The Lively Ones, or twangy guitar king Duane Eddy. In addition to the above-mentioned titles, the group performed quite a few songs which I didn't recognize, either covers I was not familiar with, or more likely originals. Overall, the evening was great fun, and The Calrizians certainly provided ample musical thrills to ring in the holiday season. A tip of the hat must go to Sam, the owner and music booker at the Cadillac, for supporting instrumental groups like the Calrizians. Whether intentionally or not, this was the third night in a row of live instro music at the Cadillac Lounge, the previous two evenings featuring appearances by Ancient Chinese Secret (an all-covers offshoot of Atomic 7) and surf/garage unit The Von Drats. Cowabunga, and to all a good night!

Chip Snider blasts the sax

Guitarist Ben Jewer works out the Gretsch

Rock and Roll Riot – 33.3 revolutions from November, 2008

A selection of songs from the November installment of my monthly DJ night at the Cameron House, Rock and Roll Riot. This month marked the sixth anniversary of my first night spinning at the Cameron, although my monthly booking didn't happen until a year or so later. If you're in Toronto, drop by the Cameron on Saturday, December 20th for my last DJ set of the year (starting at 10:30 pm), which will feature some rockin' Christmas tunes from the likes of Los Straitjackets, The Ventures, Robert Gordon, Reverend Horton Heat, The Brian Setzer Orchestra, Chet Atkins, and of course, the King of Rock and Roll!

33 songs from The Cameron House – November 22nd, 2008

Big Rude Jake “Gotham City Serenade”
Big Sugar “Come Back Baby”
Chuck E. Weiss “Jimmy Would”
Bob Dylan “Everything Is Broken (Alternate Version)”
John Hammond “2:19”
Paul James “Cadillac Walk”
Elmore James “Madison Blues”
Howlin’ Wolf “Sittin’ On Top of the World”
John Lee Hooker “Dimples”
Magic Slim and the Teardrops “What’s Wrong”
R.L. Burnside “Alice Mae”
Throwing Muses “Manic Depression”
The White Stripes “Hello Operator”
Loretta Lynn “Have Mercy”
The Animals “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood”
Them “Baby Please Don’t Go”
The Undertakers “Money (That’s What I Want)”
Bo Diddley “Pills”
Little Willie John “I’m Shakin”
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins “Little Demon”
The Ventures “The House of the Rising Sun”
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet “Good Cop, Bad Cop”
Dick Dale And His Del-Tones “Surfing Drums”
Owen Bradley “Rumble”
Warren Smith “Ubangi Stomp”
Teenage Head “Top Down (2008 version)”
The Clash “White Riot”
The Ramones “Gimme Gimme (Shock Treatment)”
Jim Carroll “People Who Died”
Suckerpunch “Zap O’ Hell”
The Cramps “New Kind of Kick”
New York Dolls “Looking For A Kiss (live from Royal Festival Hall, 2004)”
The Stooges “Loose”