Flamin’ Groovies: “Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980” (2024) CD Review

I hope you all enjoyed the Black Friday version of Record Store Day and got all the records on your lists. As for me, I just couldn’t do it this time. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting up early and waiting for hours outside of a store. As a result, I didn’t get much. But some of the albums are getting CD releases too, so if you, like me, slept in on Black Friday, there is still a chance to obtain the music. One such record is Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980, a new concert album from Flamin’ Groovies that comes out on CD in early December. The album contains the band’s performance from October 26, 1980, which was part of The Western Front, a ten-day music and arts festival held in various venues in the San Francisco area. And guess what? The CD contains three bonus tracks that are not on the record, those coming from the band’s set at the Old Waldorf a couple of days earlier, also part of that festival. The band at this point was made up of Cyril Jordan on guitar and vocals, Chris Wilson on guitar and vocals, Mike Wilhelm on guitar and vocals, George Alexander on bass and vocals, and David Wright on drums. And while these guys did write a lot of original material, here they decide to focus on fun covers.

The recording includes the band’s introduction by Dirk Dirksen, who approaches the job with a certain sense of humor. “For those of you that keep yelling ‘Boring, boring,’ the next group has been called that, so you should be very happy because your group is coming up,” he jokes. He then names the band, and some folks cheer. “Obviously, you know who they are, so there is no further use for me on the stage.” The band then kicks off the set with a cover of “Never Been In Love,” delivering some delicious rock and roll. This is a song that Dave Edmunds included on his 1978 album Tracks On Wax 4. These guys do a great job with it. The energy then increases for their rendition of “Dizzy Miss Lizzy,” a song written and originally recorded by Larry Williams. The first version I ever heard was that by The Beatles, and that is clearly the version that inspired the Flamin’ Groovies. The song was included on Help!, which came out in 1965, the year the Flamin’ Groovies started as a band. This is a seriously fun rendition. They stick with The Beatles then, delivering a good raw version of “Back In The U.S.S.R.,” the lead track from the White Album. In 1980, punk was hot, and this group does a great job of mixing 1960s sounds with punk vibes and attitude, this song being a perfect vehicle for such a combination.

I’ve heard (and seen) some fantastic renditions of “River Deep – Mountain High” over the years, and these guys really get into the spirit of it. The energy to the vocal delivery is perfect, taking things to the edge. The audience is clearly impressed too. It must have been something to have been there, dancing to this rendition. The Flamin’ Groovies then tackle a rock and roll classic number, Chuck Berry’s “Around And Around,” first urging folks to dance (did they really need any urging?), telling them there is a big enough dance floor. I love the way the bass is holding everything together here, as there is the feeling that things could go off the rails at any moment. The excitement of rock and roll! “We never stopped rocking,” they sing, and it’s fucking true. This band is still going like sixty years after its inception. How about that? They follow “Around And Around” with another Chuck Berry song, “Let It Rock,” and somehow this has even more energy and features some really nice stuff on guitar and another great bass line. In the song’s introduction they refer to Chuck Berry as “the king of rock and roll.” Certainly a strong argument can be made for him as king; same goes for Little Richard. Elvis Presley, as good as he was, can’t touch either of them.

The Flamin’ Groovies return to Beatles material with “A Hard Day’s Night.” These guys do such a great job with this song, recreating that sort of energy and joy of The Beatles in the first half of the 1960s. Think of all that famous live footage where the girls are screaming. This track has that kind of feel. Someone in the crowd calls out a request for “Shake Some Action,” but the band decides to follow “A Hard Day’s Night” with a rocking rendition of the blues number “Please Don’t Go,” inspired by the Them version. Here the band cuts loose, jamming on this song, and adding some vocal riffing too. “My baby’s leaving on that midnight train.” They give it a surprisingly sudden ending. They change directions then, delivering a good, and fairly faithful, rendition of The Byrds’ “I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better.” That song is followed by “Paint It Black,” which has always been one of my favorite Rolling Stones songs. I love the way these guys throw themselves into it, and I love the guitar work on this track. I’ve never seen the Flamin’ Groovies in concert, but listening to this recording, I realize I’ve been missing out. There is some tuning and stage banter before the show concludes with “Juju Man,” a song written by Jim Ford and covered by Dave Edmunds, who included it on his 1977 record Get It. Before that, Brinsley Ford had recorded it for the Silver Pistol album. The Flamin’ Groovies deliver a high-energy rendition, with a wildness to the vocals.

Bonus Tracks

The disc’s final three tracks come from the show the Flamin’ Groovies did on October 24, 1980 at the Old Waldorf. I’ve heard a lot about this venue (it was mentioned in Laurie Kaye’s book, Confessions Of A Rock ‘N’ Name-Dropper, which I just finished reading), and wish I could have seen some shows there. It closed in the mid-1980s. “Here’s a little song for you,” they tell the crowd and then go into a cover of “Do I Love You,” a song that was a hit for The Ronettes. It might begin with a sweeter vibe, but don’t worry, approximately halfway through the energy increases. That’s followed by “Fall On You,” a song by fellow San Francisco group Moby Grape, who included it on their 1967 self-titled debut album. The disc concludes with “Shake Some Action,” the song that guy at the other show wanted to hear. It’s an original song, written by Cyril Jordan and Chris Wilson, the only original number on the disc. “Some of the older folks might remember this one,” they say in the song’s introduction, which is funny, as that album came out only four years before this performance. But we look at time differently when we’re younger, don’t we? Four years can be a long time. Now it’s a heartbeat. Anyway, this song is a great power pop number. “It’s taken me so long/To get where I belong/Oh, but, oh, please don’t send me back that way/For I will make you pay.”

CD Track List

1. Dirk Dirksen Introduction
2. Never Been In Love
3. Dizzy Miss Lizzy
4. Back In The U.S.S.R.
5. River Deep – Mountain High
6. Around And Around
7. Let It Rock
8. A Hard Day’s Night
9. Baby Please Don’t Go
10. I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better
11. Paint It Black
12. JuJu Man
13. Do I Love You
14. Fall On You
15. Shake Some Action

Let It Rock: Live From The San Francisco Civic Center 1980 is scheduled to be released on CD on December 6, 2024.

Svetlana: “New York Holidays” (2024) Vinyl Single Review

All right, friends, Thanksgiving is safely in the past, which means it’s now okay to pull out those holiday albums and start listening to your favorite Christmas music. Before Thanksgiving, it’s just wrong, and you know it. But now is the perfect time to pick up a few new holiday records and CDs, and the first one you should grab is Svetlana’s new 7”, which is titled New York Holidays. It contains one original song and one classic number, though to my ears the original will one day be deemed a classic. Yes, it’s that good. And neither song on this record is strictly a Christmas song, but rather a winter song, so this is the perfect choice to kick off the season, no matter your beliefs or lack thereof. The record, by the way, is on clear purple vinyl, which just makes it all the more delightful.

The A side contains the original song, “All I Want,” which was written by Svetlana Shmulyian. Svetlana has a beautiful voice, one that feels like it would be completely at home in any decade, one of the reasons I think this song will become a classic. There is something timeless about it. It somehow transcends such ordinary concerns as time and place. “All I want is a kiss that’s soft and tender,” she sings, and the horn responds in a wonderfully playful way. This song was included on the 2016 Svetlana And The Delancy Five album Night At The Speakeasy. It was arranged by Wycliffe Gordon, who also plays trombone on it. The other musicians on this recording include Adrian Cunningham on woodwinds, Charlie Caranicas on trumpet, George Delancy on bass, Rob Garcia on drums, Vinny Raniolo on guitar, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano. All of them shine on this track. “In this winter city of my dreams/All I want is to find a summer solstice/In your arms that melt that winter freeze.”

The B side is the classic number “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” And while, as I mentioned, “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” is not really a Christmas song, it often shows up on holiday albums, always a welcome addition. It’s a great song, and I think all the absurd controversy over certain lyrics has now been ridiculed into remission, and all copies of the terrible John Legend/Kelly Clarkson travesty have been destroyed out of embarrassment and shame. Those idiots just didn’t understand the song. This rendition by Svetlana is wonderful, with a totally delicious vibe. It’s everything we want from this song. Adrian Cunningham does the male vocal part, and also plays clarinet. This song was included on the 2012 Svetlana And The Delancy Five EP titled Baby It’s Cold Outside, which was made available on CD and digitally, but not on vinyl. The other musicians on this track included Brandi Disterheft on bass, Jim Fryer on trombone, Ted Gottsegen on guitar, Steve Little on drums, and Dalton Ridenhour on piano (that piano work is one of my favorite elements of this rendition). Get your holiday season off to a great start with this record.

Track List

Side A

1. All I Want

Side B

1. Baby, It’s Cold Outside

New York Holidays is scheduled to begin shipping on December 1, 2024. It is a limited edition release, available on Svetlana’s website.

Amilia K Spicer, John Surge And The Haymakers, and The Macat Persico Band at Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, 11-27-24 Concert Review

The Macat Persico Band

Last night’s concert featuring Amilia K Spicer, John Surge And The Haymakers, and The Macat Persico Band, was part of another music series held at the Maui Sugar Mill Saloon, this one on the fourth Wednesday of each month. This venue hosts lots of great music, clearly. It was a good night to get out of my apartment anyway, as the technician from the gas company alerted me that my stove was leaking both gas and carbon monoxide. He was surprised I didn’t suffer from headaches. Anyway, he unhooked the appliance, so I won’t be cooking anything for Thanksgiving, and I headed out to catch some good music. This series is hosted by The Macat Persico Band, the only group on the bill I hadn’t seen before. They took over this series when John Surge stopped hosting. John Surge, as you likely know, now hosts his own music series down in Long Beach. But it’s great to see him closer to home.

Amilia K Spicer

Right at 8:30 p.m., Sandra Macat and Scott Persico introduced Amilia K Spicer, and mentioned that this was the final show of the year, since the fourth Wednesday of December is Christmas and the venue won’t be open. Amilia K Spicer, performing with a full band, opened her set with “Train Wreck,” easing in. This is a pretty song from her Wow And Flutter album, and was a sweet way to begin the night. It featured a nice lead on electric guitar by Zachary Ross. Amilia then picked up the energy with “Faraday Suit,” a fun number that also featured good stuff on electric guitar. Michael Starr joined the group on violin for “Fill Me Up,” the lead track from Wow And Flutter. He then delivered some gorgeous, haunting work at the beginning of the next song, “Radio Radio,” a song that also featured gorgeous vocal work. “How’s everybody doing?” Amilia asked the crowd. The audience responded enthusiastically. All right, it was a good night for everybody. How about that? The place was crowded, and I guess it was effectively a Friday night.

Amilia K. Spicer performing "Shotgun"

Amilia moved to the keyboard for “What’s The Skinny,” a totally fun song that had the crowd hooting and whistling. That kind of tune. It had a delicious groove. Christopher Allis was on drums, and Tom Felicetta was on bass. Amilia remained at the keyboard for “Windchill.” This was such a pretty song, particularly her vocal work. “Baby, it’ll be all right,” she sang. Oh yes, we need to hear that these days. She then moved back to guitar for “Little Town” That was followed by “Shotgun,” Amilia delivering a captivating performance. She wrapped up her set with “What I’m Saying,” a song that had me feeling good. “I want better things to matter.” Her set ended at 9:18 p.m.

John Surge

John Surge And The Haymakers were up next, taking the stage at 9:42. “Let’s play some music,” John said, and the band led off the set with “Ricochet,” the lead track from Your Wonderful Life. It was a delightful, high-energy start. They kept things moving with “You Don’t Know Me,” the lead track from his recent EP, Maybe You Don’t Know Me. This is one of my favorite songs from this band. It’s a lot of fun, and that’s what everyone in the room seemed to be looking for last night. There was hardly time for a breath after that song before the band went into “One Promise At A Time.” It was after that song that the band paused to tune for a moment, the first pause of the set. John took the opportunity to offer a shout-out to Amilia K. Spicer. “One Promise At A Time” comes from Your Wonderful Life, and so does the song that followed it, “You’re Really Good,” its main line being “You’re really good at making me feel bad,” while John Surge And The Haymakers are really good at making everyone in the room feel good. “So we haven’t been here in almost a year,” John told the crowd, and then said it was good to be back.

"Marisol"

“Marisol” is another fun track from the recently released EP, and the band delivered a particularly good version last night. “There’s nothing better than going to Thanksgiving with a hangover. So work on it,” John joked with the crowd after that song. Teresa Cowles added, “I’m doing my part.” They followed “Marisol” with a cover of “Christine’s Tune,” the Flying Burrito Bros. song, which last night featured some great work on pedal steel, particularly toward the end. The set also included “You’re So Right,” “Your Wonderful Life” and “Rattle Me,” maintaining a wonderful energy that the whole room enjoyed. “Happy Thanksgiving, everybody,” John said before the band began the set’s closing number, a cover of “Six Days On The Road.” This song featured excellent leads on pedal steel and guitar, and toward the end John mentioned what he was thankful for, including that he “remembered most of the words tonight.” “And I’m thankful for this great band.” So was everyone in the room. Their set ended at 10:23 p.m.

"Water"

 

Twenty minutes later The Macat Persico Band was ready to go. While they were setting up, I realized that the band’s drummer is John Palmer, whom I’d recently seen play with Lisa Finnie & Friends. One of the things that struck me about his work that night was his ability to play both drums and harmonica simultaneously (and without a harmonica holder). I also remembered his Close Encounters Of The Third Kind lunchbox. The Macat Persico Band opened with “Louisiana Girl,” a fun number to start the set, featuring a good rhythm. And John was playing both harmonica and drums right at the start. They followed that with “Sittin’ By The Fire,” which featured a passionate vocal performance from Sandra and some nice work on guitar. Scott then switched to acoustic guitar for a cover of Tyler Childers’ “Feathered Indians.” Sandra joked about being asked to talk while Scott tuned. “Any questions?” she playfully asked the crowd. The band delivered a sweet rendition of “Water,” a song Sandra also did with Sandra Macat And The Wild Cards. This song too featured some nice guitar work. They followed that with “Choices,” a pretty song, Scott delivering a great lead on acoustic guitar.

"Dust And Desperation"

Scott switched back to electric guitar for “Austin.” This is a song the band has recorded, but apparently they’re going to record a new version of it. It was one of my favorites from the set, and I was digging David Dieckmann’s bass line. That was followed by “Stairway”  and then “Blue Bird.” They closed out the set with another of my personal favorites, “Dust And Desperation.” It’s a great song, and Sandra delivered an absolutely beautiful vocal performance on it. The set ended at 11:27 p.m., but folks wanted more, calling for an encore, and the band obliged, closing out the night with a cover of Jim Shumate’s “Country Baptizing,” a fun country number that Gram Parsons And The Fallen Angels had performed. The show ended at 11:30 p.m. What a great night of music, just what I needed.

"Little Town"

"One Promise At A Time"

"Sittin' By The Fire"

"Sittin' By The Fire"

Maui Sugar Mill Saloon is located at 18389 Ventura Blvd., in Tarzana, California.

We Are All Drifters: A Tribute To The Continental Drifters (2024) CD Review

The Continental Drifters are getting some much-deserved attention these days. In mid-September, a compilation of the band’s work was released through Omnivore Recordings. A book about the band, White Noise & Lightning: The Continental Drifters Story, was published in late September. The same day the book was published, a two-disc tribute album was released. We Are All Drifters: A Tribute To The Continental Drifters features an incredible lineup of musicians, including some members of the Continental Drifters themselves (such as Danny McGough and Robert Maché) as well artists with strong connections to band members (such as John Cowsill and Steve Wynn). It’s basically a tribute done by the band’s extended family, which makes it something special. Well, the music itself is what really makes it special. Also, the proceeds from sales of the tribute album benefit the Wild Honey Foundation, so you can feel even better about your purchase.

Disc 1

The first disc opens with Dox Dixon performing “The Mississippi,” a song from early in the band’s career. It was released as single, and later included on the band’s Nineteen Ninety-Three album, which wasn’t released until May of 2003, a full decade after it was supposed to come out. Don Dixon is a friend to the Continental Drifters, and has known Peter Holsapple since the early days, long before this band started, and even before The dB’s. He puts his own spin on “The Mississippi,” delivering a good rendition. This track is a solo effort. He plays guitar, keys and bass on this track. Rob Laufer then delivers a really nice rendition of “The Rain Song,” featuring some good guitar work and a moving vocal performance. Rob Laufer plays most of the instruments on this track, and is joined only by Kevin Jarvis on drums (Kevin Jarvis often sat in with the Continental Drifters early on). As mentioned in White Noise & Lightning, “The Rain Song” is the very first song that Susan Cowsill wrote. She wrote it with Vicki Peterson, and it was included on the band’s Vermilion, released in 1998.

Marshall Crenshaw gives “Darlin Darlin” an interesting opening moment, not quite a false start, but like the song is gathering itself together. This song was written by Peter Holsapple, and it was also included on Vermilion. Marshall Crenshaw does a wonderful job with it. He plays guitar and drums, and is joined by Sean Kelly on bass and keyboard (Sean Kelly wrote White Noise & Lightning). This is one of the highlights of the first disc. Then Rosie Flores has a great time with “Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway,” a perfect song choice for her, for she’s able to give it that delicious energy she’s known for. And Mike Molnar delivers some great stuff on electric guitar. I also like the backing vocal work by Molnar and Chris Sensat. This song was written by Vicki Peterson, and also included on Vermilion (all but two of that album’s songs are represented on this two-disc tribute).

“Dallas” is a song that pre-dates the Continental Drifters, with Gary Eaton playing it in an earlier band, The Ringling Sisters, before bringing it to the Drifters. Annette Zilinskas was a vocalist in The Ringling Sisters, and here she delivers a captivating performance of the song. And Danny McGough, the Drifters’ original keyboardist, plays organ and piano on this track. So, yeah, this track is something special. Plus, it’s just a great song. Then The Iguanas give us a delightful rendition of “Side Steppin’ The Fire,” featuring nice work by Rod Hodges on accordion, plus good stuff by Doug Carrison on drums. This one was written by Carlo Nuccio, and was included on Nineteen Ninety-Three. That’s followed by “Tomorrow’s Gonna Be,” done by Tara Austin & Lyn Bertles. There is a great, raw power to the vocal delivery on this track. And Lyn Bertles adds some nice work on violin. Danny McGough plays piano and organ on this one too, and Rob Laufer is on guitar. The Continental Drifters included this song on Better Day. I appreciate the sarcasm in the delivery of a line like, “It’s okay, tomorrow’s gonna be an even better day.” A lot of us can relate to that now. This version ends with a beautiful vocal section.

The band Jolene covers “Spring Day In Ohio,” a song written by Susan Cowsill. It’s a personal song, so it’s interesting hearing someone else perform it. Jolene gives us an excellent, powerful rendition. “This is your life, how do you like it so far?” The Continental Drifters included this song on Vermilion. That’s followed by “Invisible Boyfriend,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and included on the Continental Drifters’ self-titled album. Robbie Rist delivers a strong rendition with its own undeniable power. Robbie Rist was apparently among the group of regulars who saw the Continental Drifters during the band’s residency at Raji’s, and was in the band Kingsizemaybe with Drifter Gary Eaton. (By the way, for those who might be trying to place the name, Robbie Rist is also an actor, who as a child played Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch.)

“Heart, Home” was written by Robert Maché, and is here performed by his wife Candace Maché. She does an absolutely lovely job with it. She is joined by Jolene’s John Crooke on backing vocals. Sean Kelly plays bass and keyboard, and Brendan Kelly is on guitar. Then Equation totally rocks on “Don’t Do What I Did,” a song written by Peter Holsapple and included on Vermilion. Lead vocalist Kathryn Roberts does a great job, and the track also features some exciting guitar work. This is a live track, and, unlike most of this tribute’s tracks, was recorded quite some time ago, back in 2001. The first disc concludes with Debbi Peterson & The Minus 5 performing “Who We Are, Where We Live,” a song written by Vicki Peterson. This track is another serious treat. I love The Minus 5, which features Baseball Project members Scott McCaughey and Peter Buck. And, as you all likely know, Debbi Peterson and her sister Vicki are members of The Bangles. Jenny Conlee-Drizos of The Decemberists is on keys on this track. So there is a crazy amount of talent behind this one. It’s such a great and moving song of loss. “You’ve got to try and make sense of it all.”

Disc 2

The second disc opens with Annie Clements & The Auxiliary Drifters doing the song “Drifters,” from Vermilion. Annie Clements toured as the bassist in the band Sugarland, and before that worked as a nanny for the Holsapples when she was in her teens. And if you’re curious just who the Auxiliary Drifters are, this track features Kevin Jarvis on drums, Robert Lloyd on mandolin, Dave Catching on lap steel, Kevin Salem on acoustic guitar, Janson Lohmeyer on keys, Lyn Bertles on violin, and Nick Vincent on tambourine. Jarvis, Lloyd and Catching had all sat in with the Drifters in the band’s early days, and Kevin Salem had come in at one point as a producer. As you might guess from the song’s title, the song is about the band. It was written by Peter Holsappe and Susan Cowsill. “We’ve always done it our way/That’s just how we are.” Annie Clements delivers a heartfelt performance here. “We are all drifters,” Annie sings, that line giving this tribute its title. “So while we’re here, we might as well just sing along.” Danny McGough then delivers a great rendition of “Mezzanine,” a song that was written by Carlo Nuccio and included on the band’s self-titled album. He is joined by Alex McMurray on guitar, Glenn Hartman on organ, Nick Vincent on drums, and Sarah Kramer on backing vocals.

George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners deliver a soulful rendition of “Peaceful Waking.” This is a song that the Continental Drifters included on Better Day. It was written by Susan Cowsill and Russ Broussard. George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners put their own spin on it, giving the song a reggae groove partway through. I also really like George Porter Jr.’s bass work. Martha Gehman then delivers a beautiful rendition of “Here I Am,” a song written by Carlo Nuccio. Bob Theil joins her on guitar. The Continental Drifters included this song on Nineteen Ninety-Three. That’s followed by an absolutely wonderful rendition of “I Want To Learn To Waltz With You,” a song that reminds me of a moment from my teen years when a girl taught me how to waltz in a Dunkin’ Donuts parking lot. It is one of my favorite Continental Drifters songs. This is the other track that was recorded earlier. It was included on Caitlin Cary’s 2003 album I’m Staying Out. The song was written by Peter Holsapple. By the way, that Caitlin Cary album was produced by Chris Stamey, and Don Dixon plays bass on it.

Derrick Anderson delivers a funky, cool rendition of “No One Cares,” a song written by Ray Ganucheau. This track also features Fernando Perdomo on guitar and Chris Price on keys, so, yeah, this is another track to have a lot of talent behind it. This is a song that was included on the Continental Drifters’ Nineteen Ninety-Three album. John Cowsill, who is married to Continental Drifter Vicki Peterson, gives us a wonderful take on “Watermark,” which Peterson wrote. Vicki Peterson joins him on backing vocals on this track. They are also joined by Paul Allen on guitar, bass and percussion. Recently, when I saw Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill in concert, Paul Allen played multiple instruments, sometimes two at the same time. It probably comes as no surprise that this track is another highlight of the album. I love it right from playful opening that John Cowsill gives it. Then Kim Richey gives a heartfelt, moving rendition of “Snow.” Her connection to the Drifters is interesting. The band backed her at a gig in Austin, and she, at the time, expressed a desire to quit her own band and join the Drifters. “Snow” was written by Susan Cowsill and included on Better Day. It’s another of my favorite Continental Drifters songs.

Steve Wynn, whom you know from his work in The Dream Syndicate and The Baseball Project, as well as for his solo work, covers “Green,” a song written by Gary Eaton and included on Nineteen Ninety-Three. As for Steve’s connection to the Drifters, members of The Steve Wynn Band became members (and auxiliary members) of the Continental Drifters. Robert Lloyd, Mark Walton, Robert Maché and Kevin Jarvis were all in Steve Wynn’s band. Anyway, Steve Wynn delivers an excellent rendition of “Green,” and is joined by Robert Lloyd on piano, as well as by Brian Kehew on guitar and organ, Ronnie Barnett on bass, and Darren Edwards on drums. This track is yet another highlight. Then Danielle Howle and Mark Bryan perform an energetic rendition of “Meet Me In The Middle.” Mark Bryan is known for his work as lead guitarist in Hootie And The Blowfish, a band that Peter Holsapple played in. This song was written by Peter Holsapple, and included on Vermilion. Sean Kelly plays guitar and keyboard on this track.

Dayna Kurtz and Robert Maché (who play together in Lulu And The Broadsides) deliver a pretty rendition of “Long While,” a song written by Carlo Nuccio (but not included on a Continental Drifters album). This is another special track. I love Robert’s work on mandolin. Then Garrison Starr gives us a really good rendition of “Mixed Messages,” a song written by Vicki Peterson and included on the Continental Drifters’ self-titled album. Mike Mills (of R.E.M. and The Baseball Project) plays bass on this track, John Crooke (of Jolene) plays mandolin and guitar, Andrew Sovine plays guitar, Sean Kelly plays organ, and John Convertino (who was an auxiliary Drifter) is on drums. That’s quite a band! The tribute concludes with Bobby Houck’s touching version of “Anything.” This song was written by Peter Holsapple and Vicki Peterson, and I was fortunate to see the two of them perform it at a recent dB’s show. This song was also the closing track on Vermilion.

CD Track List

Disc 1

1. The Mississippi – Don Dixon
2. The Rain Song – Rob Laufer
3. Darlin Darlin – Marshall Crenshaw
4. Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway – Rosie Flores & The Talismen
5. Dallas – Annette Zilinskas
6. Side Steppin’ The Fire – The Iguanas
7. Tomorrow’s Gonna Be – Tara Austin & Lyn Bertles
8. Spring Day In Ohio – Jolene
9. Invisible Boyfriend – Robbie Rist
10. Heart, Home – Candace Maché
11. Don’t Do What I Did – Equation
12. Who We Are, Where We Live – Debbi Peterson & The Minus 5

Disc 2

1. Drifters – Annie Clements & The Auxiliary Drifters
2. Mezzanine – Danny McGough, Alex McMurray And Glenn Hartman
3. Peaceful Waking – George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners
4. Here I Am – Martha Gehman
5. I Want To Learn To Waltz With You – Caitlin Cary
6. No One Cares – Derrick Anderson
7. Watermark – John Cowsill
8. Snow – Kim Richey + Kettle Of Hawks
9. Green – Steve Wynn
10. Meet Me In The Middle – Danielle Howle & Mark Bryan
11. Long While – Dayna Kurtz & Robert Maché
12. Mixed Messages – Garrison Starr
13. Anything – Bobby Houck

We Are All Drifters: A Tribute To The Continental Drifters was released on September 27, 2024 through Cool Dog Sound.