Eric Pan: “Travel Poems Chapter 1: Secret Towns” (2020) CD Review

Eric Pan is pianist and composer with his own singular style, his own way of approaching music. His new album, Travel Poems Chapter 1: Secret Towns, features mostly solo piano pieces, the music here telling stories of people and places, transporting us to different surroundings. The music is enhanced and augmented by found sounds, which lend the tracks a sort of improvised feel at times, like the music is being created and recorded wherever Eric Pan happens to be, like this album just happened to capture it. Ordinarily I’m not a big fan of using sound effects in songs, but it works extremely well here. The tracks are almost like postcards written from different locales, the flavor of the places caught in whatever message was scribbled on the back. This album is the first of three chapters. 

The opening track, “Gare Du Nord,” begins with the sounds of a train moving and a conversation, and the sense of traveling is established before the first note is played. The piano then emerges from that, carrying a serious tone, with an interestingly timeless sense. Beneath it, the sound of the train moving can still be heard, as if the piece were perhaps being played on the train. This track ends with the sound of the train pulling into the station, and we then hear an announcement over a loud speaker, followed by a car driving by. Gare Du Nord is the largest station in Paris. That’s followed by “Periscope Forest,” this one having a livelier feel from the beginning. There is a strong sense of movement here as well, and a sense of urgency, felt in the style of his playing, creating a sort of bustle. Yet the track ends with the relaxing sound of birds. These first two tracks are solo piano pieces.

“Discovery After Dark” begins with what sounds like someone in the bath. On this one, Eric Pan is joined by Nir Sabag on drums, and Hugo Reydet on bass. There is an excitement to this piece, and a strangely romantic element, an enchanting though somewhat coarse beauty. It is interesting how Eric Pan creates a certain flow to this album with the found sounds. For example, while “Discovery After Dark” has the sound of someone in the bath, the next track, “Stranded Awake,” begins with the sound of water dripping from the faucet into a tub (I can’t help but think of that powerful moment in The Rules Of Attraction). And then the sounds from outside are let in. On this track, Eric plays organ, and there is a bright and modern feel or sense to the presentation, like movement through a crowded city. And then, in fact, it ends with the sounds of a city street, a siren in the distance.

Eric Pan then returns to piano for “Majesty Of The Minute,” another solo piece. This one has a late-night feel, a sedate and solitary vibe, a peaceful atmosphere. It’s like a moment that seems to stand on its own, with shades of the past, but untroubled by whatever may follow. In the second half, we begin to hear half of a conversation in the background, unobtrusive but present, which at first seems to help reduce a sense of loneliness, but after a bit begins to have the opposite effect, which is interesting. This track ends with an outgoing phone message. That is followed by “Foot Of The Carpathians,” which has an odd opening, a repeated sound that makes us feel a bit uneasy. But then this piece begins to fill out, and takes some interesting turns. There is a repeated theme on piano that is catchy and kind of delightful. Nir Sabag and Hugo Reydet again join Eric Pan on drums and bass respectively. And though this one feels like being out in a natural setting, it ends with footsteps on a hard floor. 

“Up Jakupica” has more of a playful vibe, and begins against a background of fireworks. There is optimism here, and a youthful quality which is wonderful. And it’s all over so quickly, isn’t it? That’s followed by “Hamstrung,” another solo piano piece. People may be playing outside, but there is a sense of isolation to this track, of being inside, while light and sound streak in through the window, bringing an awareness of the outside world, though our own feelings and thoughts are more critical. Then “Wheelhouse Of Wonder (Welcome Home)” has a bright and cheerful vibe, and a warmth. Its feeling of happiness is strong enough that it should affect you, bringing you aboard. There is also a sense of discovery, and – as with all these tracks – a sense of movement. It features Nir Sabag on drums and Hugo Reydet on bass. This is one of my personal favorites. The album concludes with “Epilogue,” which doesn’t actually include any piano at all. Rather, this short track features the sounds of percussion and children on the street, giving us a strong sense of place.

CD Track List

1. Gare du Nord
2. Periscope Forest
3. Discovery After Dark
4. Stranded Awake
5. Majesty Of The Minute
6. Foot Of The Carpathians
7. Up Jakupica
8. Hamstrung
9. Wheelhouse Of Wonder (Welcome Home)
10. Epilogue
    

Travel Poems Chapter 1: Secret Towns was released on August 28, 2020.

The Rocky Horror Picture Show 45th Anniversary Limited Edition Soundtrack (2020) Vinyl Review

At the beginning of 1995, my friend Jenn Vincent and I (with a bit of direction from Sal Piro) founded the Forbidden Fruit Rocky Horror shadow cast in Eugene, Oregon. That was the year of the film’s twentieth anniversary, and it was a great time to be shouting “asshole” and “slut” at a movie screen. Our cast played with gender quite a bit; we had a female Brad and a female Eddie, and the first year I played Magenta (before moving into the role of Frank N Furter). I’ve seen The Rocky Horror Picture Show in several movie theaters all across the country, and I can say with no undue pride that our cast had the absolute best pre-show. My friend Andy Davis (who played Riff Raff) created a Wheel Of Torture, which was a lot of fun. Now another twenty-five years have passed, and to commemorate the forty-fifth anniversary of the film’s release, a new picture disc of the soundtrack is being issued. A sexy photo of Frank N Furter is on the album’s first side. Gracing the album’s second side are photos of several movie theater marquees where the film has been shown throughout the years (I’ve been to a few of those theaters pictured). Yes, Rocky Horror is still going strong. If you’ve never seen the film, well, you ought to give it a try, and of course you must see it in a theater at midnight with the cast and crowd and the newspaper and toast and squirt guns and the whole thing. But even if you have no interest in the film, no desire to do the Time Warp with a group of delightfully twisted weirdos, you should still check out the soundtrack. The music was written by Richard O’Brien, who also plays Riff Raff in the film, and features the film’s cast, which includes Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Tim Curry, Patricia Quinn, Little Nell, Jonathan Adams, Charles Gray and Meat Loaf. This vinyl release has the same tracks as the album’s original release, and so does not include “The Sword Of Damocles” or “Planet, Schmanet, Janet.” 

Side 1

What a joy it is to watch Frank N Furter spin on my turntable. And from the moment “Science Fiction/Double Feature” starts, I am back in my early twenties. And even if I’m momentarily able to keep from shouting out lines in my apartment, I can’t stop them from running through my head. Geez, I have trouble remembering the names of people I currently work with, but still recall all the lyrics to this album, as well as the audience participation lines. Have you seen all the movies referred to in this opening track? The Day The Earth Stood Still, The Invisible Man, It Came From Outer Space, Forbidden Planet, The Day Of The Triffids, and so on. By the second track, “Dammit Janet,” I’m on my feet and no longer holding back, dancing and shouting out the audience responses, “with whips and chains.” If you haven’t seen the film or listened to the soundtrack in a while, you may have forgotten just how much fun this music is.  And of course the album is coming out at the perfect time, just before Halloween, and a song like “Over At The Frankenstein Place” is exactly right for the holiday. And speaking of Halloween, on that holiday in 2010 (marking the 35th anniversary of the movie’s release) I took part in the record-breaking Time Warp dance in West Hollywood, led by Sal Piro. More than eight thousand people performed the Time Warp that night, setting a Guinness World Record. You can see me in the video, as I’m right in the front, dressed as a Foul Ball (not Rocky Horror-related, but no matter). “The Time Warp” is the soundtrack’s most famous song, and deservedly so.  I love Little Nell’s part especially. So, wherever you are, “Let’s do the time warp again!” 

But things really get going with Frank’s entrance and his first song, “Sweet Transvestite.” Frank tells us “But by night I’m one hell of a lover,” and Brad and Janet will get firsthand experience of that soon enough. Then at the beginning of “I Can Make You A Man,” Frank sings “A weakling,” and we respond, “That’s Brad.” Frank continues, “Weighing 98 pounds,” and we shout, “That’s two Brads.” I love the piano part to this song. “Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul,” which is Meat Loaf’s number, is a good lively rock and roll song. I saw Meatloaf in concert in 1989 or 1990, and he put on a seriously phenomenal show, the encore being a short set composed of classic rock and roll songs. Anyway, the first side of this record concludes with the reprise of “I Can Make You A Man.” And Janet tells us how she really feels about muscles. Sing it, Janet!

Side 2 

The second side opens with Janet’s “Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me.” “I’ve tasted blood and I want more,” she tells us. What I love most about this song is how the chorus has this deliciously innocent 1950s vibe, in delightful contrast to what she’s singing. But of course, the entire movie has a 1950s vibe, established at the start with those references to science fiction films in the opening song. Dr. Scott then gets his song about Eddie. Yes, it’s time for Dr. Rocking Everett Scott! And Meat Loaf sings to us from the great beyond. What more could you ask for? A floor show? Well, all right then, it’s time for “Rose Tint My World.” Soon Frank is asking that important question, “Whatever happened to Fay Wray?” (Answer: She went ape shit.) And then on to what most consider the central message of the film, “Don’t dream it, be it.” A good message, actually. And once you’ve embraced that philosophy, it’s time for another rockin’ number, “Wild And Untamed Thing” (though “Floor Show,” “Don’t Dream It” and “Wild And Untamed Thing” are actually all parts of “Rose Tint My World”). This seems like the grand finale, right? A happy ending and all. But, no, not so fast, virgins. Riff Raff and Magenta are there to spoil things for our revelers. Though first Frank gets a beautiful number, “I’m Going Home.”

Some of you might recall that for a time there was a thing called a videocassette. And when The Rocky Horror Picture Show was first released on videocassette, a scene was missing. Weird, right? The scene that was cut for the initial video release was “Super Heroes.” A shame, because it’s a pretty damn cool song, particularly Janet’s part. So if you wanted to see the whole movie, you still had to get off your ass and go out to the local cinema. The song is something of a downer, sure, but it’s really good. The album concludes with “Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise),” as the credits roll. And this isn’t Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, so no need to stay, thinking you’re going to get any more. You just have to wait for the Shock Treatment picture disc. (There will be one, right?)  

Vinyl Track List

Side 1

1. Science Fiction/Double Feature
2. Dammit Janet
3. Over At The Frankenstein Place
4. The Time Warp
5. Sweet Transvestite
6. I Can Make You A Man
7. Hot Patootie – Bless My Soul
8. I Can’t Make You A Man (Reprise)
   

Side 2

1. Touch-a, Touch-a, Touch Me
2. Eddie
3. Rose Tint My World
4. I’m Going Home
5. Super Heroes
6. Science Fiction/Double Feature (Reprise)
   

This special 45th Anniversary picture disc of The Rocky Horror Picture Show Soundtrack is scheduled to be released on October 23, 2020 on Ode Records.

Here is a photo of the album's second side:

John Fedchock NY Sextet: “Into The Shadows” (2020) CD Review

John Fedchock is an accomplished trombone player and composer who has been performing professionally since the early 1980s, playing with the Woody Herman Orchestra. Since the mid-1990s, he has been a band leader, playing with various configurations, including John Fedchock New York Big Band, John Fedchock Quartet and John Fedchock NY Sextet. His new album, Into The Shadows, with the John Fedchock NY Sextet, features mostly original material, composed by John Fedchock. The John Fedchock NY Sextet is made up of John Fedchock on trombone, Scott Wendholt on trumpet and flugelhorn, Walt Weiskopf on tenor saxophone, Allen Farnham on piano, David Finck on bass, and Eric Halvorson on drums.

The album opens with “RSVP,” an original number that announces itself at the start with a brief punctuated burst, as if to say, Here, let’s get going. It isn’t long before this piece is sounding like a fantastic evening, a party we’d all like to RSVP to, you know, if there weren’t a pandemic. With that Latin rhythm, featuring some great work on drums and a cool bass line, perhaps we can imagine a party in our own homes. The piano work is part elegance, part insistence. And some excellent work from all the horn players keeps this track hopping. Here’s to a better world, may this music move us firmly in its direction, and may we all find ourselves able to attend the celebration of its arrival. That’s followed by “Alpha Dog,” which kind of gently swings, the horns soaring above the good rhythm. With a title like “Alpha Dog,” it can be expected to take control and lead us somewhere. And where it seems to take us is down a street into the Land of Cool, where people smile at us from the shadows and invite us to dance or to sample whatever wares they’re selling. But don’t worry, there is no sense of danger here. Everybody is on the up-and-up, and they just want to make sure you enjoy yourself, don’t you know, so long as you’re respectful, of course. It is an enjoyable number, and I particularly dig that lead on bass in the second half. We then get another original composition, “Manaus,” which is the name of a city in Brazil, and more precisely in the Amazon region, a city in the middle of a jungle. The track certainly does have a Brazilian flair and vibe, as well as a warmth and a welcoming sound.

The first cover of the album is the jazz standard “I Should Care,” a song written by Sammy Cahn, Axel Stordahl and Paul Weston. John Fedchock’s arrangement of this piece takes it in a different direction from what you might be used to. It is an interesting arrangement that somehow manages to feel both relaxed and exciting, with a wonderful and natural movement, particularly during John Fedchock’s lead. This track features another good bass solo. And check out that excellent work on drums, especially toward the song’s climax. That’s followed by another cover, “Nature Boy,” written by Eden Ahbez (whose real name was George Aberle) and made famous by Nat King Cole. John Fedchock’s arrangement takes the song of the enchanted and wise boy who traveled far and spoke of love, and gives it more of a Latin groove and a heightened sense of excitement, this rendition seeming to stress the sense of traveling far, taking us into a different and less familiar place. The compassion, of course, remains in place, and the lesson to love and be loved in return, though not spoken, is still clear. It is a lesson many people still need to learn. 

“Into The Shadows,” the album’s title track, is an original composition by John Fedchock, and the piece that first got me interested in this release. This one eases in, seeming to come to us through a mist that soon clears. It has a beautiful, yet introspective sound. There is a sense of loneliness to each solo, but a gentle sort of loneliness, nothing debilitating about it, and so it ends up having a strangely soothing effect, particularly now during this period of pandemic and isolation. It is like we are joined together in loneliness. That’s followed by a cover of “Star Eyes,” written by Don Raye and Gene de Paul, and made popular by Charlie Parker. This version features some really good work on bass, even before that solo, as well as a wonderful lead by John Fedchock. I also love that section toward the end, with that great work on drums. The album concludes with an original number, “On The Edge,” that pops and moves right out of the gate, with a delicious rhythm that sets the pace and carries us forward. Straight away we get some excellent work on piano. This one seems designed to lift our spirits, with the brass instruments taking off, one at a time getting a chance to lift us from the darkness. Then there is a seriously delightful bass solo. This is a piece that John Fedchock previously recorded with the John Fedchock New York Big Band, using it as the title track to a 1998 album. While a lot of people are on the edge these days, if the edge were like this track, then we’d all be happy to remain there.

CD Track List

1. RSVP
2. Alpha Dog
3. Manaus
4. I Should Care
5. Nature Boy
6. Into The Shadows
7. Star Eyes
8. On The Edge
   

Into The Shadows was released on July 17, 2020 on Summit Records.

Jeremiah Johnson: “Unemployed Highly Annoyed” (2020) CD Review

How is it that even with all that extra time due to unemployment, I didn’t seem to get anything done? Has anyone else experienced that? Well, some folks have remained quite busy during this strange time, making the most of it. Jeremiah Johnson is releasing his second album of the year. Following February’s Heavens To Betsy, a title I love, comes Unemployed Highly Annoyed, a title I like even more, for it describes perfectly the state many of us have been in and continue to be in, particularly musicians and other folks in entertainment. This is a blues album for this time, an album that reaches out a hand to those people who are struggling, who are worried, who may be losing faith in their fellow men. Joining Jeremiah Johnson on this release are Paul Niehaus IV on bass, keys and backing vocals; and Tony Antonelli on drums, percussion and backing vocals. The album features mostly original material. 

The album opens with “Burn Down The Garden,” a tune with something of a southern rock vibe. And right away, the state of the world is being addressed. “The faded dreams of the brokenhearted, they’ve all been turned away/Seems like the whole world’s breaking down.” Indeed. But this song offers an optimistic and positive outlook, as he tells us to “Have a little faith, things will come around.” It feels like everything has to come down in order for us to begin again, and this time with some compassion. “Let’s build a better day,” he sings here. It seems a gargantuan task, yes, but we’ve got to start, and we’ve got to start now. “Burn Down The Garden” is followed by “Muddy Black Water,” which begins with a good beat, though it is that catchy and cool part on keys that really gets me into this track. This song is about struggling anew, and doing what needs to be done and not being afraid to ask for help. “Life has given me a sucker punch body blow/I want to blame it on the weather man/You can’t rest on your laurels when the roof comes caving in.” It is easy to find others to blame for our troubles, especially these days, but that doesn’t really help. And as for the line about blaming it on the weather man, it does seem like the very weather has turned on us, doesn’t it? It often feels to me like the earth has had quite enough of humanity and is trying to shake us off, like a dog trying to get rid of fleas. In addition to floods and storms, a good section of the country has been ablaze. Is anyone still doubting climate change? “Blue skies turn to grey/Watching the riverbanks wash away/Thunder beating down on my parade.” In this song too he mentions that people “Got to have faith.”

The album’s only cover is “Cherry Red Wine,” a song written and recorded by Luther Allison, and included on his 1995 album Blue Streak. Jeremiah Johnson delivers an excellent rendition. I love that glorious blues guitar work, which is driving this track almost from its opening moments. There is also some good work on keys. In this song, he worries about someone’s drinking problem. “You worry me, baby/I’m sitting here, wondering what in the world I can do/Got so much to live for, darling/But I just can’t sit here doing nothing, watching that wine destroy you.” Alcohol is helping people get through this insane time, but it is likely hurting them too. Once this goddamn year is over, a lot of folks are going to need to dry out, at least temporarily. “I’m taking you to the doctor, darling/Maybe he knows what’s going on in your head/You’re going to keep on drinking that bad wine/Even the grass that grows on your grave will be cherry red.” Oh yes, that last line is really good. But it is Jeremiah Johnson’s guitar work that holds most of this track’s appeal. That’s followed by “Daddy’s Going Out Tonight,” a good rocking number to raise our spirits a bit. It begins with these lines: “Some people like to take their chances, some like to roll the bones/Some like to play it safe, locked up in their homes.” Well, these days I have to say the latter group is the more sensible, and the more likely to survive the pandemic. But this song is about a better time, when just going out doesn’t mean putting your life at risk. And listening to it, we can mentally put ourselves in that time, in that place. Ah, it’s going to be good to get back to that. Maybe next year? Depends greatly on what happens in the coming election. In the meantime, we can enjoy this song, which has a sort of celebratory feel. It also has a kind of goofy ending. 

At the beginning of “Unemployed Highly Annoyed,” the album’s title track, Jeremiah Johnson sings, “Sure been a struggle now.”  Oh yes. This track soon kicks in with a wonderful force. “Calm the hell down, stop freaking out/Have a little faith in the human race,” he tells us. I would love for my faith to be restored, but it is difficult when the country is being led by greedy, mendacious sociopaths. This song is directly about this insane time, particularly the pandemic, with lines like “Don’t breathe, don’t move/It’s full-blown chaos, it’s doom and gloom” and “You’d better wash your hands, and don’t touch your face.” According to Jeremiah Johnson, the lyrics were all inspired by news headlines and social media, with the song describing the situation as it stands and not taking a particular stance. “Do what you’re told, don’t even think/You can’t call it freedom if you don’t have a choice” are lines I first took to indicate that he was aligned with those who disregard the guidelines, but they are rather taken from online responses to the social distancing guidelines. We are all sick of this pandemic, no question about it, and I understand the desire to just go out and forget about it for a while. But we’ve got to be stronger and hang in there.

“Different Plan For Me” is a mellower blues number, with more excellent and expressive work on guitar, and some good stuff on bass. Its first line, “I’ve been locked up too long,” would under normal circumstances be about someone in jail, but these days it’s about being at home. Crazy world, right? This song is about the money troubles resulting from unemployment during the pandemic. “I thought I had it all figured out/And then everything went south.” It also directly addresses the amount of death our country has already faced: “People dying every day/Over 100,000 people gone now.” While in “Unemployed Highly Annoyed,” he sings, “Have a little faith in the human race,” here he sings, “You know, I try to have faith.” So he is struggling with the idea too, just as most of us are. This is a time when we all have the blues, and this music is blues to help get us together by telling us we are not alone, an important message now, particularly for those who are isolated. Then in “Love And Sympathy,” he continues to reach out to those who are struggling, and offers the reminder, “We need loving and sympathy.” This song is about the troubles and arguments that can arise between people who have been locking down and staying put together during the pandemic. “And it’s all too easy to hand off that pain/Pushing out instead of in, darling, looking for someone to blame.” It’s difficult, because there are specific people we can blame, but we end up lashing out at those around us, the very people who are going to help us get through this horrid time, the very people we should be helping. The line “You miss your family, I miss mine too” hits me hard, because in this time of the pandemic I have not been able to see my family at all. My parents are in a high-risk category and are thousands of miles away. Yet this song does offer hope, in the lines “I believe in you, you believe in me/Let’s take that pain, darling, and let’s set it free.” And toward the end that guitar rises up, pulling us up with it. 

The album concludes with “Rock ‘N’ Roll For The Soul,” a rock and roll song to help us shake loose from the heavy weight we feel. If you are similar to me, then you go to a lot of concerts throughout a normal year. Seeing bands in concert is one of my favorite things to do, and it keeps me sane, keeps me happy to be here on this planet. So this time has been particularly difficult. I haven’t been to a show since March 7th, and that is driving me right to the edge. Well, this song does its best to work as a substitute. “Get up off the chair and dance about the place/Crank it up, make it loud.” Rock and roll can be so good for the soul, no question about it, and this song has a Chuck Berry vibe and influence. I’m glad Jeremiah Johnson leaves us with a fun track, one to get us dancing. I’m looking forward to the time when we’ll be dancing together again.

CD Track List

1. Burn Down The Garden
2. Muddy Black Water
3. Cherry Red Wine
4. Daddy’s Going Out Tonight
5. Unemployed Highly Annoyed
6. Different Plan For Me
7. Love And Sympathy
8. Rock ‘N’ Roll For The Soul
   

Unemployed Highly Annoyed is scheduled to be released on October 30, 2020 on Ruf Records.

Justin Farren: “Pretty Free” (2020) CD Review

Justin Farren is a singer and songwriter based in Sacramento. In 2005, he released his first album, The Sound Of Flight, and followed that with Songs From A Spare Room and Another Bluebird Day. In 2016, he was one of the winners of the Grassy Hill Kerrville New Folk Competition For Emerging Songwriters. Then a couple of years later, he was chosen for the Falcon Ridge Folk Festival’s Emerging Artists Showcase, and in 2019 won the Songwriter Serenade contest. Now in 2020, he is releasing a new album, Pretty Free, which features original material, showing his songwriting talent. In addition to writing the songs, Justin Farren plays a lot of the instruments on this album, including acoustic guitar, electric guitar, piano, organ, bass and percussion. He is joined by guests on certain tracks, including Brian Chris Rogers on drums, bass and backing vocals; André Fylling on keyboard and organ; Anna Tivel on violin and backing vocals; Aaron Smith on electric guitar and backing vocals; Sam Phelps on organ; and Kerry Farren and Amelia Farren on backing vocals.

Pretty Free opens with “A Little Less Time,” in which Justin Farren sings “Besides, you’ve always been this old and now you just look your age/And you were colder back then, a little harder to start/The same way you grew into that nose, I guess you grew into your heart.” Are there more songs about aging these days, or am I just noticing them more now? Not sure, but I do find that songs like “A Little Less Time” resonate strongly with me. Part of it is of course the lines about losing hair and so on. But this song has a lot more than that to recommend it. It kind of sneaks up on you, with sparse instrumentation at first, just guitar backing his voice at the beginning, and then the music grows, creating, or illuminating, a larger landscape. Aaron Smith plays electric guitar on this track, and André Fylling is on keys. “Always a little more love and always a little less time.” That’s followed by “Eyes Be Healed,” a song with an interesting dynamic, the way the lyrics are delivered, coming rather rapidly against a sweet folk sound that is established first, the guitar having a nice, slightly laid-back vibe. The lyrics are delivered with a growing power, telling the story of Peter, a nearsighted boy who was good and polite, “not that there was much of a choice those days.” A song about different types of sight. 

“How’s Your Garden Grow” has a pretty, romantic sound, Justin Farren’s vocals having an intimate quality here, like it’s late at night, and this song is just coming out of him, the memory taking him back. “And she moved like you do when you know where to go/She held her hand out to me/I was too young to know.” Anna Tivel joins him on violin and backing vocals, providing some beautiful work. Then “Fixer Upper” opens with the line “Looking back, we probably should have bought some fixer upper in a better part of town,” making us immediately wonder how the relationship is in the present, and what their living conditions are. There is a somewhat relaxed, pretty vibe about this song, and it begins to build from there. “Somebody wake that fool up, tell him that he’s never going to be that free again.” It is interesting how certain lines from songs stand out because of how they reflect your own experiences, your own thoughts, and how in those moments your life and the songwriter’s life become intertwined in an odd way, or they intersect. In this song, the lines “And there’s a freeway that cuts this town in two/And on the day they laid it down, they knew it would” stand out for me, for they make me recall that moment when a new highway was being built in my hometown, and how it was going to cut right through the property of a friend’s family.

“There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Day” is a fun, playful song, playful in both the lyrics and the delivery. It is totally enjoyable, especially in this time when bad days seem to far outnumber the good. “But the bullshit screams from mountaintops/And a wall about collusion/And I ain’t talked to my mom in a month/So you can build your wall and build your bridge.” And perhaps we can all relate to these lines: “‘Cause I got places to be, and people to be/And too much to do on too little sleep.” Yeah, there is a good deal of joy in his delivery, and obviously a certain humor. That’s followed by “My Uncle Bill,” a song that looks at a guy after his death, seen through the eyes of his nephew. I especially like the details about his apartment: “A pocket Emerson next to the toilet/And some nunchucks under the bed/And every Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition since the year after Mary left.” Sam Phelps is on organ on this track. Then “One More Night” is a love song in which he sings about knowing he’ll be coming home soon. I like that line about the luck of meeting that special person, of seeing her face: “And what dumb luck that I saw yours and somehow knew what I had found.” I’ve said it before, but we can use love songs these days. Check out these lines, which follow that line about luck: “And how so much of what I know of you was clear to me that day/You learn a lot about a woman just walking with her in the rain/Is she tilted like a work of art, is she head-on like a train.” This is one of my personal favorites.

The first line of “Two Wheel Drive And Japanese” made me laugh, “I’ll sing a country song about a pickup truck.” But with the very next line, the song becomes more serious, “And about a girl that I did not deserve.” It is a song of young love, and the way teenagers deal with such matters, when we know nothing, and try to show others the person we think we want to be, or think they want us to be. “I ran a red light to show off/But you weren’t the only one who saw.” This song is full of wonderful details, but the closing lines are what stay with me: “I would have told you I was sorry and made sure you got home safe/Some songs you sing to remind yourself of the people that you’ve been/Well, this one goes out to a guy I never want to be again.” Those are some great closing lines. It leads straight into “Mama,” a touching and effective song. I like the way this one builds. Justin Farren is really good at that, letting a song work its hooks into you, and before you know it, you’re completely immersed in whatever story the song is telling you, feeling whatever emotions the narrator of the song is feeling. “Mama” is followed by “Worthy Of The Sea,” a song with a gentle vibe. Like all the tracks on this release, this song contains some really good lines, such as “And if they all wonder why you’re after what you’re after/No, I for one would say you’re doing something right” and “You’ll learn to sell your time for money and good standing/Among some folks who think their money is worth your time/And you’ll rise to meet their needs no matter how demanding/And start to think those needs are how you are defined.” The album then concludes with “Last Year Was The Best Year,” a pretty song with a nostalgic quality, Justin Farren backing his own vocals on piano. “Some folks love a countdown to nothing/Me, I love a page to turn.”

CD Track List

1. A Little Less Time
2. Eyes Be Healed
3. How’s Your Garden Grow
4. Fixer Upper
5. There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Day
6. My Uncle Bill
7. One More Night
8. Two Wheel Drive And Japanese
9. Mama
10. Worthy Of The Sea
11. Last Year Was The Best Year 

Pretty Free is scheduled to be released on October 23, 2020.

The Neptunas: “Mermaid A-Go-Go” (2020) CD Review

The Neptunas are a group of three mermaids that came onto land in the 1990s to share their surf and garage music with mankind, putting out a couple of albums that decade for us to enjoy. Then they took a long break, returning to the sea to work on other projects, secret stuff for the government of Atlantis, I’m sure, and nothing to do with shipwrecks. They’re not that type of mermaid. Now they’ve risen to the surface again with an absolutely wonderful album. Titled Mermaid A-Go-Go, it features mostly original material. Just taking a glance at the song titles will give you an idea of what this band is about. Titles like “Nancy Drew’s Wetsuit” and “Neptuna Car Wash” show that these mermaids have a sense of humor (see, I told you they’re not the type to cause drownings and shipwrecks). Leslita Neptuna is on guitar and vocals, Pamita Neptuna is on bass and vocals, and Laura Bethita Neptuna is on drums and vocals. Joining them on this release are Truko Casasola on percussion, Alex Gonzalez Villasenor on trumpet, and Danny Amis on baritone guitar and keyboards. (By the way, from time to time Pamita sneaks onto land in the guise of a fortune teller named Madame Pamita; it was under this identity that I met her several years ago.)

The Neptunas open the album with “Billy The Squid’s Water Pistol,” a seriously cool instrumental track that has a slightly more serious tone than you might guess from its title. That’s followed by “Secret Of The Sea,” which has a beat and sound that will make you think of 1960s pop and garage bands. It has a cheerful vibe, and features some good work on guitar. “Undersea Grand Prix” is another cool instrumental tune, this one with some nice pop influences and a cinematic style. Seriously, I want to make a beach movie just to be able to include this track in it. The movie would have dark elements and an exciting, though slightly twisted love story, and plenty of dancing, and everything would come out all right in the end.

Most of the tracks on this album are originals, but there are a few covers, the first of which is a good rendition of The Kinks’ “Till The End Of The Day,” a song included on The Kink Kontroversy and released as a single in 1965. I’ve mentioned this before, but my standard response to the “Beatles or Stones?” question was always “Kinks.” And what a perfect choice of bands for The Neptunas to cover. That’s followed by “Shark Tooth Necklace.” Perhaps because I was accustomed to the surf songs being instrumentals, I was caught by surprise when the vocals came in. Surprised and delighted. This is just fun, the only lyrics being the song’s title (sort of like how the word “tequila” is the only lyric of the song “Tequila”). And is there a bit of The Waitresses in the way they deliver that one line? Anyway, I love it. Then “Lord Jim” is a kind of goofy and totally endearing pop song. “He’s a well-bred mop head in a garage band, in a garage band/Look at him, Lord Jim, he plays guitar, he turns it up real far/We will steal his moves and beat him at his own game, yeah.”

“Mermaid A Go Go,” the album’s title track, is another totally fun tune. It is interesting that the album’s title has hyphens and the song’s title doesn’t. Okay, maybe that is only of interest to me, but there you have it. Anyway, this is wonderfully silly song, that even mentions the band’s name early on: “The Neptunas have a shack down under the sea.” And, being mermaids and all, this line about specific dances at the Mermaid A Go Go makes perfect sense: “We don’t do the Watusi, but we’re doing the Swim.” And check out these lines: “The mermen are flawless, and the mermaids are braless/At the mermaid a go go, yeah.” Sounds like the place to be. The coronavirus isn’t spreading under water, is it? That’s followed by “Nancy Drew’s Wetsuit.” This is one of the titles that made me laugh before I’d even taken the disc out of its case. It’s a good instrumental number, and its title is fitting, for there is a bit of mystery, a bit of intrigue about this one. Though what precisely is being discovered in this investigation is left up to our imagination.

The album’s second cover is “Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son,” written by Serge Gainsbourg and recorded by France Gall. Interestingly, like the album’s first cover, this song is from 1965. As with the original, The Neptunas deliver this one in French, and their version is adorable. It is followed by a cover of The Super Stocks’ “School Is A Drag,” this one from 1964 and written by Gary Usher. That band combined the surf sound with lyrics about racing cars. “Every single day now, school is a drag/In every single way now, school is a drag.” The lyrics are delivered with a certain sweetness, and The Neptunas give the song a cha-cha-cha ending. Then “The Abyss” has more of a garage rock sound, mixed with surf elements. That’s followed by the album’s final cover, “The Lonely Bull,” an instrumental tune that was written by Sol Lake and recorded by The Ventures and Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass. The Neptunas don’t bother with the sounds of the bullfight at the beginning, and deliver a cool rendition.

In the 1970s, Rose Royce gave us “Car Wash,” a fun disco tune. Now The Neptunas are giving us a song celebrating the underwater version of a car wash, “Neptuna Car Wash,” and it’s just as much fun. “Bring your woody, bring your board/There is no detail we ignore.” That’s followed by “Hey Jimmy Freek,” a fun pop song that even includes hand claps. “Hey, Jimmy Freek/You think that I’m a geek/If I idolize the things you do/Don’t call me a creep/If I want to kiss your cheek/I only want to tell you I love you.” There is a cool spoken word section like in those early 1960s songs, and it mentions Silver Lake. The backing vocals in that section are funny. The disc then concludes with “Sorority Stomp.” Yes, it is a song that introduces a dance, one that “might get you in trouble, might get you expelled.” Again, this music is pure fun, just the sort of thing we need these days.

CD Track List

1. Billy The Squid’s Water Pistol
2. Secret Of The Sea
3. Undersea Grand Prix
4. Till The End Of The Day
5. Shark Tooth Necklace
6. Lord Jim
7. Mermaid A Go Go
8. Nancy Drew’s Wetsuit
9. Poupée De Cire, Poupée De Son
10. School Is A Drag
11. The Abyss
12. The Lonely Bull
13. Neptuna Car Wash
14. Hey Jimmy Freek
15. Sorority Stomp

Mermaid A-Go-Go was released on CD on September 24, 2020 through Altered State Of Reverb, and apparently is going to be released on vinyl next year.

Nora Jean Wallace: “Blues Woman” (2020) CD Review

“Sometimes I think I’m going insane,” Nora Jean Wallace sings in the lead track on her new album, Blues Woman. That is a line and a feeling I believe we’re all in touch with these days. We are all on edge, and have been for nearly four years now. It is exhausting. But Nora Jean Wallace (previously known as Nora Jean Bruso) has some medicine to offer us all, some delicious blues music, delivered with power, soul and love. It is just the thing to help us as we approach the election. Her new album, Blues Woman, features mostly original material, some of it written by Nora Jean Wallace, and some of it written by Stanley Banks, who plays keyboards on this release. In addition to Banks, Nora Jean Wallace is backed by Johnny Moeller on guitar, David Earl on guitar, Steve Gomes on bass, Kevin Anker on organ, Steve Guyger on harmonica, and Robb Stupka on drums, with Kim Wilson joining them on one track.

From the moment the opening track starts, I am on board. “Martell” begins with a rhythm on guitar, and Nora Jean Wallace says: “This man is getting on my last nerve/I’ve got to get out of here/Go get me a drink somewhere.” She may be talking about a man she’s dating, but it’s hard to keep from thinking of that mendacious racist occupying the White House, the man who has made a home for himself in our heads until we are all in need of excessive amounts of alcohol. The song kicks in, and becomes a fun number. I like the backing vocalists echoing the line “I’m going to drink some Martell,” and then that harmonica is just bloody great. The song is like a blues party with the perfect host in Nora Jean Wallace. I’ve never had Martell, or any cognac for that matter, but it seems like it might be the time to change that. That’s followed by “I Can’t Stop,” the album’s first cover, written by Syl Johnson and Nathan Peter Kligerman, and included on Syl Johnson’s Back In The Game album. At the beginning of this version, Nora Jean Wallace lets out a near-howl, and it’s like this great release. You can feel it as well as hear it, and that’s just the start. This song develops a good groove, but it is Nora Jean’s vocal performance that drives it. 

“I’m A Blues Woman” is the album’s title track, basically, written by Stanley Banks. Nora Jean’s vocal performance here is a great force, backed by that harmonica, which has a steady presence on this track. This one also features some really nice touches on both keys and guitar. “I’m a blues woman/A natural-born blues woman,” Nora Jean tells us here, and we can hear the truth of that statement in every note she sings. That’s followed by the album’s second and final cover, “Evidence,” written by George Henry Jackson and Raymond Moore, and recorded by Candi Staton (it was included on her 1970 LP I’m Just A Prisoner). This version features some cool work on organ. Then “Victim” is a slower gem, delivered with passion, and featuring some good work on guitar. “I’m a victim, baby/I’m a victim of your love.” Ah, it might be difficult to conceive a woman with a voice that powerful being any kind of victim, but Nora Jean Wallace totally sells it. She also wrote this one.

During this pandemic, a lot of homes have become a whole lot cleaner, or so I am told. People have had lots of time to take care of repairs and other things around the home, one of the positive things to come out of this ridiculous situation. I was thinking about that while listening to “Rag And Bucket,” written by Stanley Banks. In this song, Nora Jean Wallace sings about doing a thorough cleaning after getting rid of a man, essentially scrubbing him out of her home. “Got a brand new king-size mattress for my bed/Thrown away the pillow where you used to lay your head.” On this track, she is joined by Kim Wilson (of The Fabulous Thunderbirds) on harmonica. As you’d expect, he delivers some wonderful work. This is one of the album’s coolest tracks. It is followed by “Look Over Under,” which is a totally fun track. I mean, seriously, how can a song that begins “Oh, look over yonder, there goes my no-good man” be anything less than a joy to listen to? This is one that Nora Jean Wallace wrote, and she gives a tremendous vocal performance here. “Well, I love that man/I just can’t help myself/I know he ain’t no good/Slipping back in the neighborhood.” 

“I’ve Been Watching You” begins with Nora Jean directly addressing her man, and, man, is he in trouble. “Hey, where you been?” she demands. I love the humor in the lines, “Nope, don’t give me that/You wasn’t over to your sister’s house, ‘cause your sister ain’t even got no house.” She then begins to sing, “I’ve been watching you/I’ve been watching you, baby/I’ve been watching you/Know everything you do.” Oh yes, it is a bit chilling, the way she tells him in no uncertain terms that she has been watching him and knows everything. This guy doesn’t stand a chance. Nora Jean Wallace wrote “I’ve Been Watching You,” and also the track that follows it, “Dance With Me.” Things are certainly looking up now, with this cheerful dance number. “Don’t you want to dance with me?” she asks. You bet! The album then concludes with “I Don’t Have To Beg You To Love Me,” a delicious blues song written by Stanley Banks. “I don’t have to beg you to love me/I know someone who will.”

CD Track List

1. Martell
2. I Can’t Stop
3. I’m A Blues Woman
4. Evidence
5. Victim
6. Rag And Bucket
7. Look Over Yonder
8. I’ve Been Watching You
9. Dance With Me
10. I Don’t Have To Beg You To Love Me
    

Blues Woman is scheduled to be released on October 30, 2020 on Severn Records.