Rock and Roll Riot – 33.3 Revolutions from April, 2009

It’s been a few weeks, but here’s a slice of my DJ setlist from the April edition of Rock and Roll Riot at The Cameron House. April’s selections leaned heavily towards soul, funk, R&B, blues, garage and rock and roll, keeping the joint groovin’ and shakin’ all night long. A fun night, and I will be back at The Cameron on Saturday, May 30th for another round.

33 songs from The Cameron House – April 25th, 2009

Link Wray “Wild Party”
Ennio Morricone “Svolta Definitiva”
Ike Turner & The Kings of Rhythm “Thinking Black”
Fred Wesley & The J.B.’s “Use Me”
Ike & Tina Turner “I Want to Take You Higher”
Jimmy Smith “Give Up the Booty”
The Bar-Kays “Soul Finger”
The Timebox “I Wish I Could Jerk Like My Uncle Cyril”
Booker T. & The MGs “Time Is Tight”
Solomon Burke “Home In Your Heart”
Ry Cooder “Los Chucos Suaves”
Mavis Staples “99 and ½”
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings “100 Days, 100 Nights”
Johnnie Taylor “Jody’s Got Your Girl and Gone”
James Hunter “No Smoke Without Fire”
Little Milton “That’s What Love Will Make You Do”
Otis Redding “Respect”
Phil Upchurch “Crosstown Traffic”
Big Rude Jake “Night of the Kingsnake”
David Johansen and the Harry Smiths “Little Geneva”
John Hammond “I Know I’ve Been Changed”
Chuck E. Weiss “Congo Square at Midnight”
Leadbelly “Goodnight Irene”
Champion Jack Dupree “Junker’s Blues”
John Lee Hooker “Boom Boom”
Led Zeppelin “Gallows Pole”
The Paul Butterfield Blues Band “Born In Chicago”
Little Willie John “I’m Shakin’”
Big Joe Turner “Well All Right”
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins “Little Demon”
Bill Haley & His Comets “Rock-A-Beatin’ Boogie”
Little Junior Parker “I Wanna Ramble”
The Animals “Bright Lights Big City”

365 Days Later

Today is the first anniversary of The Mysterious Vault. I launched the blog with my first entry, a general statement of intent, one year ago today. I felt that I should mark the occasion with a posting of some sort, so here I am looking back over the year and forward into the future. It's been awhile since I actually wrote anything for the blog, so this is also a good opportunity to bring it back to life and refocus my ideas.

It is rather interesting to re-read my first entry, outlining some of the original intentions for The Mysterious Vault. Essentially, I created the blog as an outlet for my own writing, with music, film, and books being the primary focus. It is also somewhat amusing to read the comment that I had originally conceived of a blog dedicated exclusively to music films, something which I had almost forgotten. Despite my love of music films, they've barely got a mention in the blog so far (something I hope to address as I move forward!). Over the past year, The Mysterious Vault has defined itself through the content that has been posted, and it is quite revealing to me that the subject matter has been predominantly music-oriented. While there have been a few entries devoted to books and film, if the reader were to revisit the last year in the Vault, it would be primarily comprised of words and images about music, music, music.

I have not abandoned the idea of writing about books and film, and now that I see that these two subjects have taken a back seat in The Mysterious Vault, I will attempt to broaden the scope of the blog a bit more to accommodate these interests. As it turned out, over the past 12 months I largely used this blog as a place to post songlists from my DJ nights, writeups and photos of live shows that I attended, and some record, film, and book reviews. Sure, it's a bit self-indulgent, but that's the general nature of blogs, isn't it? I am writing from my own experience, and commenting on events that I am involved in or have attended, so the focus is pretty close to home. However, I hope that I am offering something beyond my own reflections, and will over time create an interesting and unique archive of images and writings about the music scene and beyond.

In many ways, it feels like I have just started this blog. It's been a year, and I've barely touched upon some of the things I intended to write about. Back in January, I was pleased to look back over 2008 and see that I had completed 15 posts in my first 8 months. Not alot, but it seemed like a good starting point. Now it's May, 2009, and I haven't made a post since the end of January, so The Mysterious Vault has really taken a hiatus. This doesn't mean that I have stopped writing, however. Like alot of bloggers (I assume!), I have numerous unfinished entries from over the past few months that never made it on-line. In fact, I have almost as many unpublished posts as I have finished entries! Whether I ever find the time or motivation to go back and complete these postings is anyone's guess, but let's just say the best intentions aren't always realized. It has been a fun and sometimes frustrating experience maintaining this blog, and I want to thank anyone who has visited over the past year.

I was considering marking the first anniversary with a post containing writing on music, film, and books, to summarize the three primary subjects of The Mysterious Vault. But then I realized that I was being too ambitious, and that this would lead to another unfinished entry. Rather, I will just keep my comments to the blog itself. Once again, it is revealed to me that music is my prime interest and passion (no surprise!), and other concerns tend to take a secondary role. So I celebrate the vast world of music, and look forward to exploring more sounds, sights, and words for as long as The Mysterious Vault stays active. Keep rockin'!

Rock and Roll Riot – 45 revolutions from January, 2009

Although not my first DJ set of 2009 (that was the Saturday before at The Cadillac Lounge, see previous posting), January 24th was the date of my first Rock and Roll Riot night at The Cameron House. This is my monthly DJ gig, and while I enjoy spinning music on the same bill as live bands, it is good to have a full evening to myself to explore different musical avenues at my own pace. Rock and Roll Riot has been a great opportunity for me to play a wide range of music, and broaden my horizons (and expand my music collection!) from month to month, hopefully in an entertaining fashion for those at the mercy of my song selections. 2009 started off in a country vein, and continued on through a mix of rockabilly, rock and roll, a bit of punk, some art-damaged jazz, crime film soundtrack music, surf and instrumental rock, and a few strobing flashes of gothy rock. That's just the crash course, but it was sure alot of fun! A few former members of the infamous Toronto goth-rock group Masochistic Religion were in the house, currently reconfigured in a new band by the name of The Hyena Dog Robbery. Check 'em out – from what I heard on their MySpace page, they sound promising. And if you're wondering how exactly country and goth fit under the same roof, have a listen to the music of James Junkin Jr. Former übergoth and Masochistic Religion mainman Mitch Krol has shifted gears, currently focusing his energy on what he terms "swamp music," a dark blend of outlaw country, blues, and rock, delivered in a voice that sounds one step from the grave. It's an unholy union, and it's great! Until next month, here's a sampling of my latest playlist...

45 songs from the Cameron House – January 24th, 2009

Atomic 7 “Junior Miss Chop Shop”
Joe Nichols and Rhonda Vincent “Cash On The Barrelhead”
Johnny Cash “Train of Love”
Conway Twitty “Long Black Train”
Elvis Presley “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
Carl Perkins “Matchbox”
Robert Gordon and Chris Spedding “I’m Left, You’re Right, She’s Gone”
Roy Orbison “Candy Man”
Patsy Cline “Sweet Dreams (Of You)”
The Bebop Cowboys “Stardust”
Freakwater “Good For Nothing”
The Rizdales “Baby Isn’t Mine”
Neko Case “Soulful Shade of Blue”
Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood “Jackson”
Bob Dylan “Mississippi”
Ray Condo and his Hardrock Goners “St. James Infirmary”
Jimmy Roy’s 5 Star Hillbillies “Railroad Bridge”
High Noon “Rocks Me Right”
Jack Scott “Geraldine”
Ronnie Self “Pretty Bad Blues”
The Bopcats “Bop-a-lena”
Glen Glenn “Down The Line”
Stray Cats “Little Miss Prissy”
The Polecats “Jeepster”
David Bowie “Round and Round (alternate vocal mix)”
Chris Spedding “Shakin’ All Over”
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds “Dig, Lazarus, Dig!!!”
The Stooges “1969”
The Stooges “1970”
New York Dolls “Jet Boy”
Sylvain Sylvain “14th Street Beat”
The Cramps “Primitive”
United State “Automaton”
James Junkin Jr. and Jim Gunning “Yeah Yeah Yeah (Electric Mix)”
Screamin’ J Hawkins “Whistlin’ Past the Graveyard”
Andre Williams “Pasties and a G-String”
Deja Voodoo “I Wish That Cat Would Shut Up”
Reverend Organdrum “A Shot In The Dark”
The Lounge Lizards “Incident On South Street”
Jet Harris and Tony Meehan “The Man With The Golden Arm (Main Title Theme)”
Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban “Los Twangueros”
Swans “Love Will Tear Us Apart”
The Warlocks “Shake The Dope Out”
Spacemen 3 “Feel So Good”
Primal Scream “Uptown”

The sound and fury of Surf and Turf

My first DJ set of 2009 was at The Cadillac Lounge on January 17th, as part of Surf and Turf, an evening of surf and rockabilly music. I posted the full press release on The Mysterious Vault a few weeks ago, for more background information on the show (see Jan. 7th posting). Surf and Turf was a simple concept – one surf band (The Vondells) and one rockabilly band (Tennessee Voodoo Coupe) facing off onstage – and I was thrilled to be part of the action, spinning tunes to set the stage for the live acts. Anyone who knows me, or who has followed this blog, will no doubt be aware of my enthusiasm for both surf and rockabilly music, so an event like this was right up my alley! Since I’ve been posting snippets of my DJ setlists on The Mysterious Vault, I thought I’d continue with a selection of songs from Surf and Turf. In keeping with the theme, I’ve assembled a list of 10 surf and 10 rockabilly songs from the night (the list appears at the end of the post).

The Cadillac Lounge was a natural setting for Surf and Turf, being a venue that regularly features both types of music. The evening’s festivities got off to a bit of a hectic start, as there was a matinee show booked earlier the same day that ran late, but things quickly fell into place and both bands got in decent sets.

The Vondells kick off Surf and Turf 

at The Cadillac Lounge

Guitarist Danny Bartley takes the Gretsch 

into surf country

The Vondells (l to r): Neil Bartley (drums), 

Danny Bartley (guitar), Ken Badger (bass)

The Vondells power through some dazzling instrumental workouts

The Vondells opened the proceedings with a solid set of surf instrumental pyrotechnics. This mysterious 3-piece unit were making a rare appearance with this show, and although they aren't a fixture of the live circuit, their performance was quite impressive and consistent throughout. The Vondells are comprised of Danny Bartley on guitar (better known as the frontman for The Royal Crowns), brother Neil Bartley on drums (ex-Shotgun Shack), and bassist Ken Badger (who I learned was a member of Toronto first-wave punk band The Scenics). Even if The Vondells is just a casual side project, these guys perform with a great deal of intensity and purpose. The setlist was all originals (with great titles like “Calling All Cars” and “Lakeshore Boulevard”), other than a cover of the themesong to the ‘60s exploitation film Beat Girl! This selection surprised me, as very few people I know are even aware of this great John Barry soundtrack. The title song is a menacing, twangy guitar-led piece, and should be a standard right up there with "Peter Gunn" and the James Bond theme as far as I’m concerned. The Vondells brought this classic to life and made it their own, and played a full set of wicked epic instrumentals. I’m hoping that this gang is back on the scene sooner than later!

Tennessee Voodoo Coupe onstage at the Cadillac Lounge (l to r):

Steve Abrahms (guitar), Big Rude Jake (vocals, guitar), Col. Gary Edwards (drums), Steve Good (bass)

 

Tennessee Voodoo Coupe deliver a shot of their "100 proof reckless hillbilly jive"

The rockabilly quotient of Surf and Turf was provided by Tennessee Voodoo Coupe, a local quartet that is a spin-off of garage punk-abilly rockers Blue Mercury Coupe. I’ve mentioned these two bands on a number of occasions in The Mysterious Vault, in part because I’ve spun records at quite a few of their shows over the past two years, and also because I dig both groups. TVC put this event together, and rounded out the evening with a fun set of rockabilly, country, jump blues, and inspired covers. Their show got off to a delayed start due to some technical glitches (even bare-bones rockabilly setups can have technical problems!), but it kicked into gear with a nice cover of “Mystery Train”, and picked up steam from there. The vibe onstage was casual, and lead singer Big Rude Jake kept a running gag going on the theme of Mill Street Tankhouse Ale… Might seem a bit odd, but TVC guitarist Stevie “Six String” Abrams is one of the men behind the fine local brewery, so it all makes sense. At least I think it does... TVC's setlist covered a lot of ground, mixing in stripped-down versions of Blue Mercury Coupe songs “Hot Rod Racer” and "Trans American", rockabilly numbers like “Driving Wheel", "Ubangi Stomp" and "Just Because", a spirited “Folsom Prison Blues”, and rockin’ takes on punky classics “Brand New Cadillac” and “Rockaway Beach”. While this wasn’t necessarily the best show I’ve seen by these guys (that would be their date at The Dakota Tavern last November), they certainly played a good set and ended Surf and Turf on a positive note. In retrospect, I was somewhat disappointed by the overall turnout, but considering the cold and snowy weather that night, I wasn’t that surprised. January shows are always a bit of a risky prospect, but Surf and Turf was a nice place to be on a blustery winter’s night. If all goes well, Surf and Turf will be back for another round when you least expect it.

TVC rock some Sun classics on a cold January night

20 songs from Surf and Turf at The Cadillac Lounge

Los Twang! Marvels “Queen Gipsy Witch”
Dick Dale & The Deltones “Let’s Go Trippin’”
Wes Dakus & The Rebels “Surfs You Rite”
The Shutdowns “Four In The Floor”
The Von Drats “Church Key”
Los Straitjackets “San Diego Shutdown”
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet “Bennett Cerf”
Huevos Rancheros “Diamond Head”
Peter Wave & The Silver Arrows “Silver Arrows Stomp”
The Saints “Wipe Out”
Gene Vincent & His Blue Caps “Race With The Devil”
Buddy Knox “Rockhouse”
Danny Gatton “Elmira St. Boogie”
Swing Cats “Viva Las Vegas”
The Cramps “The Way I Walk”
Handsome Ned “Put The Blame On Me”
Big Sandy and the Fly-Rite Trio “Hold Me”
Joe Clay “Sixteen Chicks”
Jack Scott “Baby She’s Gone”
The Royal Crowns “Give It To You”

Surf and Turf – January 17th at the Cadillac Lounge

From my final DJ set of 2008, to my first booking of 2009. I will be spinning some prime surf and rockabilly cuts at this event at The Cadillac Lounge, featuring live music by Tennessee Voodoo Coupe and The Vondells. I'm really looking forward to this one! Here is the official press release with all the details:

Surf and Turf
a surf and rockabilly rumble

Live at The Cadillac Lounge
One night only!
Saturday, January 17th, 2009

featuring performances by:
Tennessee Voodoo Coupe
and The Vondells
with DJ “Surfin” Dave Faris

$10 cover, doors 9 pm, showtime 10 pm
1296 Queen St. W., www.cadillaclounge.com

The Cadillac Lounge is the place to be on Saturday, January 17th, for Surf and Turf, the first hot ticket of 2009. Hosted by Tennessee Voodoo Coupe, this event brings together live surf and rockabilly acts for a showdown that is sure to be dynamite! Surf and Turf will heat up the Cadillac Lounge in the dead of winter, and rock the house with some killer tunes. Joining TVC on the bill will be instrumental surf trio The Vondells, making a rare appearance, and DJ “Surfin” Dave Faris spinning red hot sounds throughout the evening.

Tennessee Voodoo Coupe are an offshoot of Toronto’s garage punk rockers Blue Mercury Coupe, although they have been gradually making a name for themselves on the local scene with their “100 proof reckless hillbilly jive.” With BMC’s Big Rude Jake on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, and Steve Good on the doghouse bass, TVC round out their lineup with Stevie “Six String” Abrams on the twangy Gretsch guitar, and Colonel Gary Edwards on a minimal standup drum setup. With this classic rockabilly arrangement, TVC tackle a broad mix of music, leaning heavily on early rockabilly, country, and ‘40s jump blues, along with some originals and a few unexpected surprises. TVC have been rocking stages across town for a couple of years (most recently at Graffiti’s and The Dakota Tavern), and in 2008 launched the East End Rockabilly Riot series with two memorable shows at The Dominion on Queen, joined by The Royal Crowns. Surf and Turf is the Coupe’s latest endeavor, and is just the beginning for 2009.

The Vondells provide the surf on this exciting bill, and are not to be missed! This is a rare opportunity to see The Vondells in action, as they play very infrequently, but have more than enough credentials to make it an occasion. The instrumental trio is fronted by Danny Bartley, moonlighting from his main gig as the lead vocalist/guitarist for Toronto’s premiere rockabilly combo, The Royal Crowns. It would not be an understatement to declare Bartley one of the top rockabilly guitarists in the nation, and his resumé also includes time with Shotgun Shack, The Razorbacks, and Robert Gordon. While the Crowns have a surf number or two in their set, The Vondells allows Bartley to shift gears and cut loose on some instrumental mayhem. Bartley’s brother, Neil Bartley, will provide the essential surf beat, and Ken Badger will hold down the bass duties, completing The Vondells lineup. The trio have a long history together, having played as a rockabilly group in the mid-‘80s in Markdale before moving to Toronto, and Neil and Danny performed in Shotgun Shack before the days of The Royal Crowns. Check out their latest incarnation and get ready for some death-defying surf thrills!

DJ “Surfin” Dave Faris joins the excitement, spinning revved-up rockabilly and surf tunes to set the stage for the live action. Faris has been a DJ since the late ‘80s, and has hosted his monthly “Rock and Roll Riot” night at The Cameron House for over half a decade, spinning a wide variety of music from rockabilly and psychobilly to punk, garage, surf, country, blues, lounge and much more. He has joined Blue Mercury Coupe and Tennessee Voodoo Coupe for numerous events over the last 2 years, including Greezefest and the East End Rockabilly Riots, and recently spun at John and Jenny’s “Rock’n It Up III” Rockabilly weekender at the Cadillac Lounge. Expect some sizzling surf and rockabilly boogie all night long!

Rock and Roll Riot – Christmas Wish List from December 20th, 2008

My final DJ gig of 2008 was, fittingly, at The Cameron House, a Christmas edition of my monthly night, Rock and Roll Riot. It wasn't the most packed house I've seen during my run at The Cameron, in fact it was pretty quiet overall, but I still had fun spinning some festive tunes, which I can only get away with once a year. Christmas music can be sappy and annoying, but it can also be alot of fun (mainly the vintage stuff for me), and I really enjoy dusting off my Christmas records for that brief month-long period at the end of every year when the spirit is in the air. Nothing says Christmas like The Ventures' Christmas Album, the classic Elvis Presley Yuletide recordings, or the Christmas Coctails compilations in the Ultra-Lounge series, to name but a few. So for my final songlist of 2008, you'll find a healthy dose of Christmas delights, along with the usual fare. It already seems like a distant memory, but I hope everyone out there had a good one...

31 songs from The Cameron House – December 20th, 2008.

The Ventures “Sleigh Ride”
Reverend Horton Heat “What Child Is This?”
Atomic 7 “Ivy Rocks”
Reverend Organdrum “Hang ‘Em High”
Huevos Rancheros “Wild Turkey Surprise”
The Riptides “Machine Gun”
Wanda Jackson “Riot In Cellblock #9”
The Crickets “I Fought The Law”
The Bobby Fuller Four “Love’s Made A Fool Of You”
High Noon “Mona Lisa”
Neko Case & Her Boyfriends “Bowling Green”
Chuck Berry “Run Rudolph Run”
Sleepy LaBeef “Boogie Woogie Country Girl”
Ricky Nelson “Stood Up”
Johnny Horton “North To Alaska”
Elvis Presley “Santa Claus Is Back In Town”
Eddie Cochran “Three Steps To Heaven”
Wes Dakus & The Rebels “Rattlesnake”
Les Paul “Jingle Bells”
Jon Rauhouse “Smoke Rings”
Scott B. “Sitting On Top of The World”
Big Rude Jake “Night of the Kingsnake”
John Hammond “If You Wanna Rock & Roll”
Tom Waits “Downtown”
The Black Keys “So He Won’t Break”
The Wild Magnolias “Soul, Soul, Soul”
Mavis Staples “Down In Mississippi”
John Lee Hooker “Blues For Christmas”
Los Straitjackets “Feliz Navidad”
Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet “Faster, Santa Claus, Ho Ho Ho”
Blue Mercury Coupe “Running Wild For Christmas”

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.