Massy Ferguson: “You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be” (2025) CD Review

Massy Ferguson is a band based in Seattle, known for mixing country and rock elements to create a good raw sound, something that would be at home at the best music bars you can think of. The band’s new album is titled You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be, an interesting title, for in some ways the band isn’t quite what it used to be. That it is to say, this new album finds them exploring somewhat different territory. So these guys are what they used to be, certainly, but are also more. Nothing has been lost, but some new ground has been gained. This album features all original music, written by the band. The band is made up of Ethan Anderson on vocals and bass, Adam Monda on guitar and vocals, Fred Slater on piano and keyboards, and Dave Goedde on drums and percussion. Joining them on certain tracks of this album are Micah Hulscher on piano and keyboards, Craig Curran on bass and electric guitar, Damien Jurado on percussion (Jurado also produced the album), Zan Fiskum on vocals, Alex Johnston on tubular bells and vibraphone, and Bradley Hawkins on cello.

The album kicks off with “Early In The Morning,” and here the band finds itself more in the folk realm. I am hooked from its opening moments, with that steady beat and that great vocal performance, one that is part ache, part comfort. The first time I listen to any album, certain lines will stand out, almost apart from what I’m hearing, and with this song, these lines jumped out at me: “Gotta realize there is no truth/I’m just lost/I said I’m lost.” Approximately halfway through, it builds in power, overtaking that folk sound, even as those opening lines are repeated, creating a compelling effect. That’s followed by “Headlights & Highbeams” This one a different sound at the beginning, verging on gospel, with that work on keys and the hand claps. The sound soon expands from there. “So drive/Just drive/Just drive all night/All night with me.” Ah yes, there is something so appealing about that. There is always something appealing about getting on the road in song, I suppose, but these days we think of escape, of separating ourselves from so much that is going on, as a way of maintaining our sanity. And the car often functions as a means of escape in song. “Because there’s so much left for you in this life.” This track also features some nice guitar work.

“When You’re Not Around” has more of a country rock energy, and is a fun number. This one is probably more in line with what you know and expect of this band. The guitar has that great country rock thing happening, and there are also some 1960s elements, heard in the keyboard work, and there is a bit of a Byrds thing at moments in some of the guitar work. Then “Seaside Town” begins with the sound of rain and a storm, something I can always do without, and the vocals are softer, more in the distance in those opening moments. Then we are treated to some good folk guitar work, as the rain fades out, and the song truly begins. The track then quickly develops a delicious vibe with a good energy, feeling like a celebration of sorts. “Going down, going to that seaside town/You can lock me up, I’ll still go to that seaside town/Where I’ll place my bets/Where I can settle my debts/Where the jukebox is old/Where Coke is sold/Where I got some new friends/But the hell with them/They’ll never know.” This is a song to raise your spirits, for it seems to come from a place of raised spirits. It ends as it began, with softer vocals and the sound of rain. “I will come to you now.”

Check out these lines from “So Long, Carry On”: “I’ve got a razor in my pocket/To cut out everything I heal.” From what I understand, this was the first song written for this album, this is the one that got the band moving in this direction. It’s also the first to be released as a single. And all that makes total sense to me, for this is a fantastic song, one of my personal favorites. It features a passionate vocal performance, and here the band is joined by Zan Fiskum, who delivers some wonderful vocal work. “I am barely just holding on, holding on.” At times that is all we can do; at times, that is enough. “So Long, Carry On” is followed by “I’m Almost There.” There is a power within, and we can feel it building under the surface, under the skin. “And I’m almost there/I can feel it/And I’m almost there/Wasted, but I’m almost there.” Strangely positive lines, right? And check out these lines: “Running from the past, and I thought I could escape/With some souls who were stuck in the landscape.” This is another of the disc’s highlights.

As “You Were So High” begins, bright shards of light slide into our reality, an unusual effect and sound, the song like memories punctuated by blades of fire. The song looks back at an older sister who “had all the killer drugs.” “Next to you, I was just ordinary/I always knew we were beneath you/You know you were so high.” I appreciate the playful use of the word “beneath” in those lines, which has a couple of meanings there. And then the song becomes strangely soothing with the layers of vocals on the line “You know you were so high,” especially on the word “high.” That’s followed by “Lights Get Low,” this one having more of a pop feel at its start. In fact, those opening moments remind me a bit of Rick Springfield’s “Jessie’s Girl.” The track builds from there, that keyboard work giving it an even stronger pop sound, with a bit of a Cars flavor. Yet this song has a rock energy, particularly to the vocal work. Then the drum beat at the beginning of “Shrunken Head” makes me think of Joan Jett’s “Do You Wanna Touch Me” for a moment. As the song develops, there is a gentler aspect to it, with some 1960s elements and influences heard in its sound. This song provides the album with its title in the lines, “You can’t tell me I ain’t what I used to be/You can’t tell me what is right for me.” This track really worked its way inside me, and ended up being another of my favorites.

“Lovely Lad” opens with some pretty work on piano, along with some gorgeous work on cello, an instrument I always love hearing. “Won’t you play your favorite songs on your favorite tapes?” I suppose that is something we’ll never hear anyone say again, but it takes me back into my own memories. This is yet another of the disc’s highlights. “And though we fell off, we got up again.” And then the music itself seems to gather more power, to help us up, before then relaxing again. There is something so beautiful about this track. I know this is one that is going to stick with me. The album ends with “Angels In Heaven,” which features a strong, raw vocal performance. And the way the song creeps in, you feel like anything might happen. There is a cool vibe that hints at the possibility of danger just around the corner. And as he sings of shedding his skin, we think of him as part human, part reptile, with some sort of mesmerizing powers, kind of like Jim Morrison. “I’ll be reborn/And I won’t feel no more shame/There ain’t nothing for me here.” There is a moment when it feels like the track is ending, but a pulse on bass continues. It then soon fades out, but we get the impression that it continues in the distance.

CD Track List

1. Early In The Morning
2. Headlights & Highbeams
3. When You’re Not Around
4. Seaside Town
5. So Long, Carry On
6. I’m Almost There
7. You Were So High
8. Lights Get Low
9. Shrunken Head
10. Lovely Lad
11. Angels In Heaven

You Can’t Tell Me I’m Not What I Used To Be is scheduled to be released on CD on February 4, 2025, though apparently a vinyl edition was released late last year.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Mellow/Dream EP” (2022) Vinyl Review

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown is a great funky band that delivers some delicious jams and also has different vocalists join them on certain tracks. Two vocalists who joined the group on the band’s second full-length record, Volume 2, which was released in 2018, were Kendra Foster and Taylor Dayne – Kendra Foster on “Mantra,” and Taylor Dayne on “Dream.” Both of those talented singers are also featured on the band’s 2022 EP, Mellow/Dream EP, which is available on vinyl.  Here the band revisits “Dream,” this time with three different versions of the song, along with another song, “Mellow,” that one featuring Kendra Foster. And there are two versions of that song included on the EP. The music is excellent, and this EP is presented on white vinyl (yeah, I have a weakness for different colors when it comes to my vinyl collection). And actually, there is something I failed to mention in my previous reviews of releases by this band, and that’s the album cover artwork. Each of the records I’ve reviewed has had some pretty damn cool artwork, which is something you might expect from a band that thrives in a jam environment. I love an album cover that you just want to lose yourself in while listening to the music, an album cover that adds to the overall experience, and that has largely been the case with each of this band’s records. But this one in particular stands out, and is probably my favorite of the bunch. The artwork is done by James Flames, and it is beautiful. The back cover is just as cool as the front, with the artwork there inspired by the lyrics to “Dream.”

Side A

The first side of the EP is dedicated to “Mellow,” a song written by Kendra Foster, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone. The first version presented here features Kendra Foster’s vocals. Her approach is at first kind of smooth. “Believe in my vibe/I’m worth it, honey/I know how to get some/Alleviate all my pressure from me/I know how to get some.” And she is able to build from there. I love when this one gets a bit wild, a bit heavier, as she repeats, “I just want to take you everywhere.” The song then returns to that cool groove, and features some nice stuff on keys. That’s Jamar Woods on keys. This track also features Josh Blake on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Alvin Ford Jr. on drums, Cynthia Robinson on trumpet, and Jerry Martini on saxophone. You probably know Cynthia Robinson and Jerry Martini from their work in Sly And The Family Stone. This EP is dedicated to Cynthia Robinson, who died in 2015. It is believed that this is the final track she recorded, and she delivers a wonderful lead in the middle of it. The music gets heavier again as Kendra Foster repeats “Smokin’,” and I am particularly fond of this section of the track. I also love that lead on keys that follows that section. And if that isn’t enough to make this track worth listening to, there is also an excellent lead on saxophone. And if that isn’t enough for you, there is some fun scat toward the end, some great vocal play over some fantastic work on drums. Forget the song’s title at this point, for this part is certainly not mellow.

The first side of the EP also contains an instrumental version of “Mellow,” and here we can focus even more on the drum work toward the end. As much as I love Kendra Foster’s vocal work, the last section of the song is perhaps even better in this instrumental version. Certainly it’s more powerful, and takes us on a wilder journey. As for the earlier parts of the track, it is all about the groove.

Side B

The second side of the EP is “Dream.”  The first version included here is that with the Taylor Dayne vocals. I mentioned this in my review of Volume 2, but I was not all that familiar with Taylor Dayne’s work. I revisited a couple of those hits from the late 1980s, but those songs don’t really do much for me. But if this track is any indication of the direction she’s gone in since then, I need to give a listen to some of her more recent output, because she delivers one hell of a great performance here. “But the hardest part of waking up is knowing you’re not real/And the saddest thing of staying up is knowing you’re a dream, you’re just a dream.” By the way, the inside jacket contains the lyrics, and I’m noticing now whoever wrote them put “your a dream” instead of “you’re a dream.” Whoops! The musicians backing her on this track are Tori Ruffin on guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Ivan Neville on organ, and Jeffrey Suttles on drums. I am particularly fond of that lead on organ in the second half. “Dream” was written by Taylor Dayne, Tori Ruffin, Ryan Martinie, John Heintz and Frank Mapstone.

The second track is the instrumental version of “Dream.” With this version, I tend to focus on that great work on keys, but at moments I do find myself missing the vocals. This track also gives us a better opportunity to dig the song’s bass line. The final track on this record is “Dream (Original Recording),” a title that I found interesting, since I had just assumed that the Taylor Dayne version was the original version. There is a different intro to this version, and an added psychedelic element, which I love. This version is a couple of minutes longer than the other two, and features some really nice work on guitar. The guitar gets a chance to stretch out, with opportunity for some exploration here. It’s more of a jam than the previous track.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Mellow
2. Mellow (Instrumental)

Side B

1. Dream
2. Dream (Instrumental)
3. Dream (Original Recording)

Mellow/Dream EP was released on November 22, 2022.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Volume 2” (2018) Vinyl Review

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, a great funky group made up of talented musicians you likely know from other bands, released its first full-length album, titled Volume 1, in 2012.  In 2018 came Volume 2, an album featuring many of the same players, such as John Paul Miller on guitar, Frank Mapstone on keys, Greg Hollowell on saxophone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, Alvin Ford Jr. on drums, Laura Reed on vocals, and Kenra Foster on vocals, along with a lot of new folks. This record contains all original material, featuring delicious jams and strong vocal work. The album was produced by John Heintz and Frank Mapstone. By the way, the packaging includes a gatefold, something that always takes me back to my childhood, which I appreciate.

Side A

The first track, “Rock It,” establishes a cool rhythm, nothing too fast or wild at the start, but rather eases in. It features Todd Thomas (known as Speech, a member of Arrested Development) on vocals. “I come to rock this party a special way/Everybody move your body without delay/‘Cause this big ol’ nasty crew ain’t here to play.” Oh, but these guys are here to play, to play some great tunes. There is a delicious and playful attitude, heard in lines like “And if you ain’t having fun, there’s nothing wrong with me, there’s something wrong with you.” This one has a mix of funk and pop elements, a light, playful number to lure folks out onto the dance floor of your party. “I won’t be happy ‘til I see you sweat,” Todd Thomas sings. He soon adds, “I know how funky this place can get.” Oh yes, that sounds like a challenge, and I think we’re all up to it, ready to strive toward that level. This track features some great stuff from the horns, and a lead on keys that comes from the outer reaches of the 1970s. Larry Dunn (of Earth, Wind & Fire), Mary Allen and Frank Mapstone are all on keys. The brass section is made up of Greg Thomas on alto saxophone, Greg Hollowell on tenor saxophone, Debrissa McKinney on tenor saxophone, Ben Hovey on trumpet, Fred Wesley on trombone, and Derrick Johnson on trombone. Tori Ruffin (from Morris Day And The Time) is on lead guitar.

“Love Somebody” comes on with a heavier force as it starts, demanding our attention. It then opens up when Laura Reed comes in on vocals. “Take a chance and give your life meaning/We may not be willing, but we are able.” She delivers a seriously cool and alluring vocal performance, sometimes smooth, sometimes powerful. It’s those powerful, forceful moments that I love most (reminding me a bit of The Peak Show). This track also features a really good lead on alto saxophone. That’s Karl Denson of Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe. Yeah, this track features a stellar lineup of musicians, including Michael Ray on trumpet, Clifford Adams on trombone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, John Paul Miller on lead guitar, Josh Blake on rhythm guitar, Ryan Martinie on bass, Jamar Woods on keys, and Alvin Ford Jr. on drums. Alvin Ford Jr. delivers some great stuff on drums, particularly at the end, helping to make this one of the record’s highlights. “All that we know is we’re here, then we go/Be sure to love somebody.” That about sums it up, doesn’t it?

Things really start to move and groove with “Groovy Nasty.” This one should get everyone else onto the floor, anyone who’d managed to hang back up to this point. I am digging that work on bass by Ryan Martinie. And RonKat Spearman (of P-Funk) is on vocals. What more could you want? How about some delicious stuff on keys too? This track certainly has that. And during that keyboard lead, we learn this party has not just a dance floor, but dance walls as well. Really, with this music playing, any surface becomes a place for dancing, with gravity working only when you really want it to. Let go of inhibitions and all outdated notions of reality. The starlight can become a dance partner. That is Jamar Woods on keys, by the way. This one was written by RonKat Spearman, John Heintz, Frank Mapstone and Ryan Martinie. The first side then ends with “Mantra,” this one sliding in, with some good work on bass. That’s Norwood Fisher, from Fishbone, on bass. This track features some really nice work by Kendra Foster on vocals. The repeated line “Breathe it out and let it flow” becomes the mantra. That works for me. There is also a rap section by Todd Thomas, also known as Speech. Foster and Thomas also had a hand in writing this one, along with Tori Ruffin, Jeffrey Suttles, John Heintz, Frank Mapstone and John Paul Miller.

Side B

The second side opens with “B4U Loved Me,” which has another good dance groove. And, yes, the title is a little annoying, but that doesn’t matter when the music is playing. Reverend Desmond D’Angelo’s smooth vocals are dripping with cool.  “If you don’t care about us no more, that’s something you should share.” And then he begins to put some power behind his delivery, and the horns respond in kind. “You loved me more before you knew me.” Such a good performance. I also love when the guitar comes on strong, a lead that commands our attention. It’s great that the guitar is given the space, the time to stretch out here, leading the group in a mighty jam. John Paul Miller is on lead guitar. Then Taylor Dayne joins the band on vocals on “Dream.” I am not all that familiar with her work, apart from a song or two in the late 1980s, but she delivers a fantastic performance here. And she wrote the lyrics. “If you don’t mean to be so cruel to me/Then let me love you/Be a flower to your honey bee.” This track also features some good stuff on keys. Ivan Neville is on organ, and Frank Mapstone is on electric piano. And I’m digging that drumming. Jeffrey Suttles, a member of Taylor Dayne’s band, plays drums on this track (and on a few other tracks).

With “Past Present Future,” the funk takes over completely, a heavy force that can’t be denied. Interestingly, this track also features the magic of the vibraphone, creating an interesting combination of sounds, of sensations, that ends up being great fun. That’s Mike Dillon on vibraphone. This instrumental track also features some great work by Leo Nocentelli on guitar. These guys do not hold back here, and the results are bloody great. Fred Wesley delivers some wonderful stuff on trombone. The record then concludes with “Creatures Of Habit,” which bursts in, the vocals part of that initial force. Angelo Moore, who co-wrote this song, is on lead vocals. “You’re pushing a dump truck up a hill with the brakes on/You should be turning it off, but you’re just turning it on.” And a whole lot of folks provide the backing vocals, so many voices that we feel we should also add our own and become part of the crowd. “We’re all creatures, creatures of habit/Don’t you like this freaky style/Come on, get it together/Come up to the front/Come up from the back/Funk, funk, funk.” And this song mentions Mr. Magoo, as if it needed another reason for us to love it. This track is so much fun, and that guitar work is outstanding. Vernon Reid (of Living Colour) joins the group on guitar for this one. The band is unstoppable here.

Record Track List

Side A

1. Rock It
2. Love Somebody
3. Groovy Nasty
4. Mantra

Side B

1. B4U Loved Me
2. Dream
3. Past Present Future
4. Creatures Of Habit

Volume 2 was released on November 27, 2018.

The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown: “Volume 1” (2012) Vinyl Review

I’ve been seriously digging Repurpose Purpose Vol. 1, the most recent release from the great funky beast The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown, a group founded by bass player John Heintz and featuring all sorts of accomplished musicians. And now I have the opportunity to go back to the beginning of this project and enjoy the first release, 2012’s Volume 1. This record features the talent of George Clinton, Robert Mercurio, and members of the Dirty Dozen Brass Band, among others. The music here will lift you up and get you moving, just the sort of thing you probably need in these days when all joy and humanity have been driven out of politics and social discourse.

Side A

The album kicks off with “The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown,” thus putting this project in that category of bands who have recorded songs sharing their names, along with Bad Company, Blue Mink, Double Naught Spy Car, I See Hawks In L.A. and They Might Be Giants (among many others). This song begins with some delicious work on drums, and then a spoken word section functions as an introduction, not just to this record but to the project as a whole: “Welcome to the Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown/A plan for a band, banded together by a jam/A psychedelic sandwich of sorts/Cohorts escorted to a revelation by the members of a deeper civilization.” That’s Michael Clip Payne, of P-Funk, on vocals. All of this is great, but it is the brass section that really lifts this one several stories off the ground, propelling us all into a much better and more exciting space, shouting out into the stratosphere, carving a path outward with its sound. The musicians on this track include Roger Lewis on baritone saxophone, Kevin Harris on tenor saxophone, Greg Hollowell on tenor saxophone, Revert Andrews on trombone, Derrick Johnson on trombone, Efrem Towns on trumpet, Ian Neville on guitar, John Heintz on bass, Dave Grissom on organ, Terence Higgins on drums, Frank Mapstone on percussion, and John-Paul Miller on percussion.

The horns then get “Include Me” going, with some delightful, playful work, before that funky guitar work comes in. This tune has a great funky groove, and it features the vocal work of Belita Woods (of Brainstorm and Parliament-Funkadelic). “Hey,” she calls before that first line, demanding our attention. And then she tells us what is what. “If you just can’t do right to me/If you just can’t be right for me/If you just got to play around on me.” I love that percussion, and the energy here is fantastic. This track is great fun, just what you might need to keep your mind off the thoroughly depressing state of our nation. Things here are loose and wonderful, and that guitar is singing, spinning a tale of joy that will wrap itself around each of us, pulling us into the dance. Belita Woods died in 2012, and this record is dedicated to her memory, as well as to the memory of Garry Shider, who plays guitar on this track and who died in 2010. Frank Mapstone is on organ, Brandon Butler is on piano, and Alvin Ford Jr. is on drums.

The musicians mellow things out a bit for “I Will Wait For You,” featuring Laura Reed on vocals. “Time will feel slow/We’ll let it grow/I want you to know/I will wait for you.” She gives us a sexy vocal performance, which is the heart of this track. And everything else works to support that performance. “Well, I’m a woman who knows what she wants,” she sings, leaving no doubt in our minds. I love when she raises her voice and belts out certain lines. She also brings it down for more intimate moments. It’s a delicious, captivating performance. John-Paul Miller is on guitar, Tyler Simmons is on organ, and Robert Mercurio (of Galactic) is on bass for this one. Things then get funky again for “College Funk.” If you listen to this record a few times, you’ll certainly end up on the dean’s list and graduate with honors, with a degree in dancing that will serve you well in this odd world. This is a thumping, pumping instrumental number that will have you shaking and grooving. It’s a wonderful jam helping us to dance through whatever destruction might surround us. Just keep focusing on the groove, friends.

Side B

The second side kicks off with “Platinum,” and that bass means business. This tune has plenty of attitude. The horns feel like integral parts of the city, like its own emergency unit, traveling about and seeing to the well-being of the citizens, making sure they are at a proper level of funkiness. If that level were to drop, pump the right fluids into the body and turn up the volume. Keep an eye on things while you’re dancing, and surely everything will be okay. The sax seems to promise as much. Follow the organ lead into a land of perfect health, perfect funk. And it is then that Kendra Foster comes in on vocals, a surprise so far into the track (it’s more than six minutes in). But now we are ready for her, aren’t we? “I turn up the music in my heart/So loud that my dreams become action.” Oh yes! Now that is an example we can follow.

“Room 2012” comes bursting in with a strong force, the song’s title containing the year the album came out, a year that was supposed to signal the end of the world. Remember that? This time, the vocals come in pretty quickly, now delivered by Reverend Desmond D’Angelo. The rhythm of his delivery carries its own funky element, which is fantastic. “So promise me that you’ll meet me in room 2012/We’ll look out the window and watch the whole world burn to hell/Baby, I want to kiss you right on your apocalypse/And make the whole world crumble at our feet.” And listen to that guitar as it takes charge. This song ends with him saying to get ready to move onto room 2013. Man, that seems so long ago now. It seems now that was when things were relatively normal, relatively stable, before things went to hell in 2016. The record then concludes with “It’s Hard To Go,” a glorious, thumping funk number, the brass players gathering us in at the beginning and then driving us forward in a great burst of energy that we become part of. And when we’ve come through, and are in some other land, the vocals come in, a sort of choir, led by George Clinton. “It’s so hard to go/I wish you’d stay by my side.” And that’s how the song and the record end. Wow.

Record Track List

Side A

1. The Big Ol’ Nasty Getdown
2. Include Me
3. I Will Wait For You
4. College Funk

Side B

1. Platinum
2. Room 2012
3. It’s So Hard To Go

Volume 1 was released in 2012.