League Bowlers Review by Stephen Slaybaugh

Before Stephen Slaybaugh moved on from Columbus to write for The Agit Reader, CMJ, The Village Voice. Paste magazine and many more, he was kind enough to write about The League Bowlers during his time at the Columbus Alive. Story below. League Bowlers reunion at Comfest, Off Ramp Stage, Sunday, June 26th, Noon.

Click here for League Bowlers story archive on Watershedcentral

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THE LEAGUE BOWLERS
SKULLY'S MUSIC DINER
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 26
by Stephen Slaybaugh
The Columbus Alive, November 20, 2003

Following in a long Columbus tradition, the League Bowlers have concocted enough tall-tales (connections to Axl Rose, stories about hitchhiking, fake Rolling Stone articles, etc.) surrounding the band that it's hard to distinguish the bull from the shit. Be that as it may, some things are known: The band is comprised of Colin Gawel, also of Watershed, on guitar and vocals; Jim Johnson, of Willie Phoenix's band, on drums; Mike Parks, of Godz fame, on guitars; and Dan Cochran, formerly of Big Back 40 and Feversmile, among others, on bass; and will be releasing its first CD, which this show celebrates.

The album, Some Balls (B Minus), following in another Columbus tradition, relates tales of drinkin' ("Been Thinkin'"), girls ("Pretty in a Slutty Way," "The New Girl") and, well, more drinkin' ("Saturday Night There's a Party"). The Bowlers match such timeless themes with a particularly impressive deluge of Midwestern-soiled rock that's at once casual and off-the-cuff as well as well-played, and it's worthy of the bandmates' lineages.

Things start early so everyone will have plenty of time to sleep off their hangovers before heading out for the holiday the next day.

Lost Weekend Records Power Pop Happy Hour @ Ace of Cups June 3rd - by Scott Carr

On Friday June 3rd I will be guest-DJ'ing the Lost Weekend Records Record Store Happy Hour at Ace Of Cups. My Lost Weekend co-worker Brian Baker will be joining me in what we hope will be the ultimate 2 1/2 hours of Power Pop bliss. Brian and I have been digging through our record collections and pulling out what we think will represent the best mix of our favorite music genre....

Power Pop's roots can be traced back to the British Invasion of the early 60's when bands like The Who and The Kinks popped onto the scene. Songs like The Who's "My Generation" and The Kinks' "You Really Got Me" are some of the earliest examples of Power Pop, although at the time the genre did not exist. These songs have tight punchy guitars and well-defined vocal melodies, two ingredients that are essential to the best power pop. The heyday of Power Pop began in the early 70's with bands like Badfinger, Raspberries and Big Star releasing very influential albums. The evolution of Power Pop would continue throughout the 70's and 80's with bands like Cheap Trick, The Cars, The Knack, Shoes, and many others. All of these bands put their own stamp on Power Pop and stretched the boundaries of what Power Pop was. The umbrella of Power Pop has come to include elements of new wave, bubblegum, glam, garage rock, punk and continues to thrive and expand on it's original concept.

Power Pop is a music genre that doesn't get a lot of attention but has a die-hard fan base and is, as my deejay co-host Brian Baker recently said, endless and infinite. 

The Lost Weekend Records Power Pop Happy Hour will take place on Friday, June 3rd at Ace of Cups, located at 2619 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio 43202.  The event will start at 6 pm and run until about 8;30 pm.

I thought I would take this opportunity to share some of my favorite Power Pop tunes as a preview of what you will be hearing on June 3rd.  

Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH  bands Radio Tramps and Returning April.  Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.

1. Raspberries - Play On

This song comes from Starting Over, the last studio record from Raspberries. Bassist Scott McCarl takes lead vocals on this track and proves he is a perfect fit for Raspberries. McCarl joined Raspberries after original bassist Dave Smalley exited the band the previous year.

I'm a big fan of the Raspberries. This song was written by Eric Carmen and Scott McCarl, and I believe Scott is singing lead as well (fellow 'berries fans let me know if I'm correct). The track is from their final studio album "Starting Over" released in 1974.

2. Paul Stanley - Wouldn't You Like To Know Me

While Paul Stanley is best known for writing arena rock anthems with Kiss, he somehow managed to perfectly craft one of the best Power Pop tunes of all time or at least that is what Colin G. thinks. This track appears on his 1978 solo album and stands as one of the best songs Paul has ever penned. Paul has said that the Raspberries were a big influence in the early days of Kiss and it rings through on this track.

The 4th song off of the Paul Stanley SOLO Album, which was originally released in 1978.

3. The Knack - Radiating Love

It was tempting to put "My Sharona" here but everyone has heard that one before, correct? So I present you with the opening track from the bands third album Round Trip. As catchy as anything the band ever recorded and listen to that thumping bass line. The guitar solo is quite tasty too.

Provided to YouTube by Universal Music Group Radiating Love (2002 Digital Remaster) · The Knack · Doug Fieger · Berton Averre Round Trip ℗ 1981, 2002 Capitol Records, LLC. All rights reserved. Studio Personnel: Ron McMaster Producer: Jack Douglas Auto-generated by YouTube.

4. Sweeney Todd - Tantalize

This track leans a bit more towards the glam side of power pop but it's hooks and harmonies cannot be denied. One of the more interesting facts about this song is the lead vocals are no other than a 15 year old Bryan Adams. Yes "Cuts Like A Knife" Bryan Adams.

If Wishes Were Horses is the second album of the Canadian glam rock band Sweeney Todd. Released in 1977, it is the only Sweeney Todd album on which a 15 year old Bryan Adams appears as the temporary singer. The producers deliberately sped his voice up to sound younger than it already was.

5. Aviary - Anthem For The USA

Hard to believe that this song was released in 1979! Aviary are a west coast band that released one album for Epic records during their time in the major leagues. Mixing their pop with a bit of prog Aviary created a sound that was way ahead of it's time.

from the self titled debut (USA, 1979) Brad Love --vocals, keyboards Toby Bowen -- guitars Paul Madden -- keyboards Ken Steimonts -- bass Richard Bryans - drums

6. The Spongetones - She Goes Out With Everybody

Hailing from Charlotte, NC but sounding more Beatley than The Beatles on this infectious song. Perfect example of Beatle inspired Power Pop.

Provided to YouTube by The Orchard Enterprises She Goes out with Everybody · The Spongetones Always Carry On: The Best If the Spongetones 1980-2005 ℗ 2008 Loaded Goat Records Released on: 2006-04-09 Auto-generated by YouTube.

7. Any Trouble - Growing Up

Bruce Springsteen isn't the first name you think of when talking about power pop but after listening to Any Trouble's fantastic cover of "Growing Up" you may change your mind. Any Trouble gives "Growing Up" a complete power pop makeover and it works perfectly. It should also be noted that Springsteen jammed on stage with The Knack, so maybe the Boss is more in tune with Power Pop than given credit for.

Often compared (favourably) to the nervy, hyper-literate pop of Elvis Costello (at the time a new phenomenon), Any Trouble really had a bit more of the Joe Jackson sound to them; but for my money their debut album, Where Are All the Nice Girls, bests either of Jackson's most similar -and admittedly great- first two albums. Led by Clive Gregson, Any Trouble's debut is full of catchy breakneck Stiff pop that stands up to anything else from the era.

8. The Searchers - September Girls

It's pretty hard to beat Big Star's original version of "September Girls" but The Searchers do mighty fine job. The Searchers were among the original British Invasion bands and had great success during the early to mid 60's. A reformed version of the band released two magnificent power pop tinged albums in the late 70's early 80's. This version of "September Girls" comes from their 1981 album Love's Melodies.

The Searchers - September Gurls (Big Star cover) The Sire Sessions, Rockfield Recordings 1979-80

9. Off Broadway - Automatic

Coming from the same state that brought us the undisputed kings of power pop Cheap Trick, Off Broadway are a relatively unknown band but they managed to release two excellent records for Atlantic Records. "Automatic" is the opening track from the bands second release Quick Turns. A perfect blend of hooky guitars and a great vocal melody. This track in particular reminds me of another band from Illinois that was more associated with the glam metal scene of the late 80's but were a great Power Pop band in their own right, Enuff Z' Nuff.

Here I am with Off Broadway - Automatic

10. The Quick - It Won't Be Long

This Los Angeles based power pop band released a terrific record on Mercury Records called Mondo Deco in 1976 and not long after that they were gone. The Quick gets credit for doing a Beatles cover that is actually better than the original and that's not easily done. They manged to make "It Won't Be Long" completely their own and it's amazing. 

More than likely the best Beatles cover ever. At least the first one I feel comfortable saying is better than the original. This is the first track on their only full-length album 'Mondo Deco'.

Great Band, Worst Song: Van Halen's "Jump"

Van Halen – the greatest rock band of the 80's.  The original line-up will go down in history as one of the amazing hard-rock bands ever. When their songs came on the radio, you automatically turned it up.

Their drummer, Alex Van Halen, merged traditional rock beats with mind-blowing drum fills that you couldn't help but pound along on your steering wheel to. He was the first to effectively use a double bass drum, demonstrated here in Hot For Teacher.

Add in a front man, David Lee Roth, with such bravado and presence, plus a twist of humor. His ego was so huge he needed three names. This guy didn’t really care at all but knew how to sing a hook, tell a story, and make you want to come back for more. Just watch this video of Panama to truly understand this guy’s talent.

Not to mention, the world’s most underrated bass player, Michael Anthony, who was an amazing vocalist in his own right and laid down heavy righteous low-end rhythm.  Just listen to the raw bass line in Ain’t Talking About Love and the backup vocals in Beautiful Girls.

But Van Halen wouldn’t have been Van Halen without the best rock guitarist in history, Eddie Van Halen: the virtuoso who owned rock guitar in the 80's. Everyone wanted to play just like him. He came up with distorted grooves, rip-roaring bluesy solos, and perfected the tapping technique which became his signature move. He’s probably one of the most influential rock guitarists. He tops lists that include Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa, and Jimmy Page. Heck, even Michael Jackson asked him to guest solo on Beat It (start at 3:10). Check out the solo on Ice Cream Man.

Van Halen was an awesome band.  Even their covers were kick ass.  You Really Got Me, Dancing In The Street, Pretty Woman.

You want to hear something that rocks? Listen to any Van Halen song… any song with the original line-up and you’ll crank it up and relive what it’s like to be surrounded by 80's hard rock.

Except for one.

Jump.

This song stands out like a sore thumb on their album 1984. It had so many killer Van Halen songs… Panama… Hot For Teacher… Top Jimmy… Drop Dead Legs.

But what do you do when you have the world’s greatest guitar player?  You do a heavy synth song like "Jump"?  I’m not knocking the tune… it’s a great song.  But it belongs on Bon Jovi’s Slippery When Wet - not 1984.

If Poison would have recorded this song, it would be by far the best Poison song.  But it’s the worst Van Halen song.  It’s too poppy. Too synthy. Lacks a powerful bass line. Lacks any strong guitar riff. Lacks any killer drums. And lacks powerful vocals.  It’s like they took all their energy and put it into Panama and Hot For Teacher and then said, “Hey… let’s do something really cheesy. Let's do Jump.”

Unfortunately, this song opened up the era of keyboard-heavy Van Hagar… with songs as Dreams, Why Can’t This Be Love, Love Walks In, and When It’s Love.  All good tunes, but each overshadows the guitar virtuoso and hard-rockin’ band Van Halen was during the late 70's and early 80's.

The good news is, it left a void to fill from guitarists like Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Nuno Bettencourt, and others: all of whom brought their own skills and talent to create some of the best hard-rock music we've heard.

Wal Ozello, a child of the 80s, is the former singer of the Columbus hairband Armada. He's the author of the science fiction time travel books Assignment 1989, Revolution 1990 and Sacrifice 2086 and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

The British Invasion is Playing the Hollywood Casino This Saturday Night and Ricki C. Is Going To See Them

I don’t go to the Hollywood Casino much.  I fully admit I’m one of those former West Siders who thought it would be great to put the Columbus casino on the West Side rather than downtown, who thought that it would revitalize the entire West Side and be really great for my former neighbors.  Of course, that’s not the way it turned out.  The casino ABSOLUTELY should have been downtown, where it might have actually attracted clientele from the Convention Center, Huntington Park, etc., and been better positioned for people from all over the city to converge at one CENTRAL LOCATION to gamble their hard-earned money, as opposed to the West Side senior citizens pissing away their Social Security checks at the penny slots, the way I see it now.

But I digress………

The British Invasion is playing the Hollywood Casino this Saturday night, May 7th, 8-11:30 pm in the H Lounge (formerly the O-H lounge) and that’s more than enough to lure me back to my old neighborhood.  (I could throw a softball from my first apartment in Lincoln Park West and hit the casino.)  The British Invasion is five guys playing all the 1964-1967 British Invasion tunes I cut my musical teeth on, but more importantly, not just the normal mishmash of Beatles ‘n’ Stones tunes bands of this genre normally play: The British Invasion goes Deep Cuts on The Kinks, The Small Faces, The Hollies, The Zombies and The Troggs – among others – and charms the hell out of this West Side rocker's heart.  (And, you’ve gotta understand, normally Ricki C. is not gonna venture out on a Saturday night ANYWHERE – let alone the Hollywood Casino – to see a cover/tribute band: has Ricki EVER seen The Menus or The Reaganomics?  Not on your sweet, short life.)

My sister’s coming up from Grove City to meet me for the show, too, and that’s cool, because she’s the one who turned me on to The British Invasion to begin with.  A coupla years ago they played some downtown street bash in Grove City and all I heard for the next two weeks was Dianne babbling, “You’ve gotta see this band I saw!  They’re called The British Invasion and THEY WERE GREAT!  We’ve gotta find out where they’re playing next and go see them!  You’d love them!”

Now let’s keep in mind, ladies & gentlemen, my sister’s tastes in music run to the likes of The Four Seasons, Lawrence Welk and Wayne Newton.  (She once actually called me up in the 1980’s and announced breathlessly, “Ric, Wayne Newton is playing at Beulah Park!  We should go!”  When I replied, “Dianne, I wouldn’t go out in my backyard to see Wayne Newton,” she was genuinely crestfallen.)

So I didn’t have particularly high hopes for whatever outdoor show Dianne dragged me to that summer to see the band, but damn, if The British Invasion DIDN’T DELIVER BIG TIME!  First off, they dress up in matching 60’s outfits (which Di loved) and anybody who knows me well realizes that I’m a TOTAL SUCKER for bands in uniforms, from Paul Revere & the Raiders in 1965 to The White Stripes in this 21st century.  (The Strokes also kinda fall in that category, come to think of it.)  (So do The League Bowlers, but that's a different blog for another time.)

Secondly – and most importantly – The British Invasion doesn’t just PLAY mid-60’s rock & roll music, they UNDERSTAND mid-60’s rock & roll music.  They understand that all the little hooks – guitar arpeggios, backing vocals, little drum-breaks coming out of solos – are all JUST AS IMPORTANT as the words & music of the songs.  It’s those little touches in the songs that put these guys heads & shoulders above the middling cover bands I have to think litter The Hollywood Casino stage week in and week out. 

Anyway, I’m WAY over my allotted 500 words, so let me just say this: If you like rock & roll that is equal parts MELODY, SMARTS & POWER; if you like rock & roll that is as far from alternative hipster bullshit as you can get; if you like rock & roll that is FUN, come and see the British Invasion at the Hollywood Casino this Saturday night.  It don’t cost nothin’ and I GUARANTEE a good time.  See ya there.  -  Ricki C. / May 3rd, 2016  

Let's Go Crazy. The Best of Prince. Shows, Clips, Stories, Concerts, Everything. Enjoy.

There have been a ton of great postings about Prince since his untimely and tragic death two weeks ago. Ricki and myself chimed in with a couple thoughts ourselves, but here is a shortcut guide to some of the best of the rest. Hope you enjoy this as much as I did putting it together. R.I.P. Prince.

Now.... Let's Go Crazy - Colin G

Prince was so amazing, I proposed that he just be given the Super Bowl halftime show as a regular gig. In fact, I suggested the whole event be renamed "Prince's Annual TV Blowout with Special Guest Football Game." 

Super Bowl halftime shows are almost always worthless. A few pop stars who capture the current pop-music mood lip sync their hits, and two days later we barely remember the game, let alone the uninspired halftime show. But not the Super Bowl XLI halftime show, in 2007.

And then there is this too..

Prince - Baby I'm A Star (live, 1984) Rest in Peace, Prince!

The Replacements Paul Westerberg remembers Prince.  

Chuck Klosterman and Wesley Morris remember Prince on Bill Simmons new podcast The Ringer. 

fair use for ... well ... just to know how spaced out people work ... and a good laugh for the masses.

Bob Mould's eulogy for Prince

The Day Prince's Guitar Wept the Loudest - New York Times

Ok, the previous story was behind the scenes of Prince's famous solo during the George Harrison tribute at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Three things before we post the clip. 

1) Without the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, this moment never happens. So pipe down rock hall haters.

2) Before Youtube, the ONLY place you could see this was at the actual Rock and Roll Museum. I know because they had this continuous loop of induction ceremony highlights playing and suddenly this clip popped up. I was flabbergasted by it's greatness. I gathered everybody up and said, "You HAVE to check out this clip of Prince playing While My Guitar Gently Weeps." We waited patiently the 30 minutes or so for the clip to come up again and it was better than the first time I saw it. We waited the loop one more time to see it again. 

3) Even before Prince passed away, if you googled "World's Best Guitar Solo," this is what would come up first.

4) Hell, let's make it an even four. The red hat looks bad ass with that Telecaster.

Prince, Tom Petty, Steve Winwood, Jeff Lynne and others perform "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" at the 2004 Hall of Fame Inductions. http://rockhall.com/ ⁍ Buy "While My Guitar Gently Weeps": https://goo.gl/8sEuNp ⁍ Buy the Rock Hall of Fame Vinyl: http://goo.gl/fVR2Go ⁍ Buy the Rock Hall of Fame 3 DVD set: http://goo.gl/W7mKXa Visit us!

FULL SHOW from First Avenue 1983.

Perhaps the most significant time capsule of all live shows, the legendary August 3, 1983 benefit gig at First Avenue was the first time anybody on the planet would hear several soon to be career defining staples all at once.

Prince covering "Creep" at Coachella.

Featured in Time Magazine: http://time.com/4140876/prince-radioh..., The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2015/12/8/9873886/prince-creep-radiohead-cover-coachella-youtube, Fuse.tv: http://www.fuse.tv/2015/12/prince-rad..., Music.Mic: http://mic.com/articles/130011/you-ca..., Slate: http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2..., Entertainment Weekly: http://www.ew.com/article/2015/12/08/..., US Weekly: http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainme..., Esquire: http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/..., Billboard: http://www.billboard.com/articles/new..., and countless others. STATEMENT FROM RADIOHEAD: "Well, tell him to unblock it. It's our ... song."

We were recording at The Loft with Watershed in 2014 when Biggie said, "You guys have to take a break to check out Prince on SNL. I taped it." Needless to say, it was way beyond what normal people do. The point being, I remember exactly where I was when I watched this. Like 9/11, but groovier. I really liked the records he put out around this time.

Farewell to a great musician and artist who has left us too soon. Just one of his many great performances over the years. Instead of doing the usual two songs on SNL, Prince did a single 8 minute set. Enjoy. This is a TRIBUTE post.

This interview with Larry King is classic. "So when did you start referring to yourself as the artist formerly known as Prince?" "Uh, Larry, I don't refer to myself that way. Others do."

Prince appeared on a December 10, 1999 episode of CNN's Larry King Live and talked about his career, his new album and why he changed his name.

Eleven songs you didn't know were written by Prince.

FULL Concert Lovesexy Tour 88. Amazing. (Duh)

Tremendous concert back then. I visited the show in Dortmund, Sept. ,9th 1988, when it started to change my life forever. In heartful remembrance to PRINCE, who left us much too soon. .... enjoy it, friends. "until the end of time"! ##### due to blocking I had to cut out the PurpleRain sequence at aprox.

And last but not least, the artist kills it on the Muppet Show

Uploaded by VampyreBarbieDoll on 2016-04-21.

I Cried So Hard Listening To Bruce Pay Tribute to Prince, I Had to Pull Over - by Colin Gawel.

Editor's note: The following was something I wrote after the passing of Prince. I decided not to publish as it's pretty obvious nobody needs to hear my thoughts on the subject. In fact, I was going to delete it until Ricki C. talked me into posting it. So here you go. For the official Pencilstorm prose on Prince, click here to read Ricki C's excellent story. - Colin Gawel

I'm not qualified to write about the passing of Prince and I'm not going to spend much time doing it here. Of course, I was a fan. Everybody was a fan. But I am no Prince aficionado. I knew the hits and followed along the best I could through the years. An occasional Prince bender to get caught up on all that I had missed. I was lucky enough to see him perform live one time. Needless to say, it was jaw-dropping. Whenever Watershed played Minneapolis, we would stop by Prince's store and look through the windows. The way you stop in front of Graceland to take a look. Or stare at the full moon on a clear night. 

But, back in the mid 80's, I wore big, clunky blue radio headphones on my paper route and was bombarded with cuts from Purple Rain and Born in the USA on a daily basis. PRINCE and BRUCE were the soundtrack to the Reagan era before I even knew what that was. I suppose Madonna would be the other big name, but as a boy heading into puberty, you might say I was watching her more than listening.

To hear that Prince had passed, it was a body blow. Way more intense than the passing of any other musician of my lifetime to this date. And I like I said, I don't even consider myself a truly hardcore fan. But driving home from the coffee shop today listening to BRUCE pay tribute to PRINCE, the tears started flowing. CEO's and politicians come and go, but they are always replaced. When Prince goes, we do not get to vote on a new Prince. Nobody gets promoted, it's just empty space. 

Ok, this probably doesn't make much sense. But neither does the passing of Prince. I suppose my strong reaction is because If Prince can go, anybody can go. Enjoy today. Put on some big blue headphones and crank up some tunes. Life is short. Clicking post.........now. - CG

Uploaded by Stan Goldstein on 2016-04-24.