Deadly Serious Fun - Five Scenes From "The Kids Are Alright" You Will See In No Other Rock Documentary, Ever - by Ricki C.

For ten years, from 2000 to 2010, I served first as a roadie and then as road manager for Hamell On Trial: a solo acoustic force-of-nature whom I described – and at times introduced onstage – as “A four-man punk band rolled into one bald, sweaty guy.”  The very first rock & roll conversation Ed Hamell and I ever had when I opened for him at Little Bothers in 1998 was about how we saw The Who three weeks apart back in 1969 as high school boys – me a senior in Columbus, Ohio; him a  sophomore in Syracuse, New York.  We both agreed unequivocally that it was the greatest rock & roll show we had ever seen.  We both agreed unequivocally that The Who in 1969 was rock & roll’s most perfect organism EVER, and that all of our musical standards of professionalism were based on that band, and those four men: Roger Daltrey, Pete Townshend, John Entwistle & Keith Moon.

I stand by that assertion to this day.  The Who – from sometime in 1968 when Pete Townshend started to write Tommy, to sometime in 1973 before Quadrophenia came out – were, quite simply, the greatest rock & roll band of all time.  I say this with apologies to my dear friend Jim Johnson – The Rolling Stones have been a great band for a good many decades – and my good friend Chris Clinton – Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band have been the world’s greatest rock & roll band from 1978 until sometime last week – but neither of them of are as good as The Who were at their 1972 peak, when they wrote & recorded Who’s Next.

And this movie – The Kids Are Alright – is a true testament to that band.

Five scenes from The Kids Are Alright that you will see in no other rock documentary EVER:

1)    A little perspective: The opening segment in The Kids Are Alright, The Who’s appearance on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on September 15th, 1967, came three months after the June 1st release of The Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” ruined the concept of FUN in rock & roll and made everything DEADLY SERIOUS.  The Smothers Brothers really had their hearts in the right place – attempting to bring a little bit of the counter-culture to white-bread Sunday night television – and this night, bringing The Who in all their anarchic, gear-smashing glory to National Commercial television when there were still only three channels, they succeeded.  Deadly serious fun.  Keith overloads his blast-powder in the bass drum and in the ensuing explosion Pete’s hair gets singed, he loses some of his hearing, you can hear the audience GASP, Bette Davis faints backstage, and Keith gets knocked cold.  I was literally stunned, staring open-mouthed at the TV as this performance transpired.  I had always kinda liked The Who, now it was Luv, L-U-V.
 
2)    The short segment of Keith throwing his “Pictures Of Lily” drum kit into the audience (and, by the way, the audience THROWING THEM BACK) took place not at the “My Generation” smashing-the-gear-at-the-end-of-the-show finale of the August 6th, 1968, appearance at the Boston Music Hall, it took place THREE SONGS INTO THE SET, when an obviously, let’s say “over-exuberant” Keith Moon lost track of where The Who were in the show and started to forcefully dismantle his kit.  The show had to be stopped, the roadies had to regain all of the gear and reassemble the drum kit so the show could resume.  Deadly serious fun.

3)    The grainy black & white footage from some British teen program in 1966 when Pete Townshend opines – apropos of the musical quality of The Beatles – “When you hear the backing tracks of The Beatles without their voices, they’re flippin’ lousy.”  Again, a little historical perspective for the rock & roll youngsters: If you were a rock musician in 1966, you didn’t go on English television and badmouth The Beatles.  Deadly serious fun.        

4)    The compendium of gear-smashing sequences that flows from the Monterey Pop Festival appearance by the boys in 1967.  This is not play-acting.  This is not Kiss smashing a plywood guitar at the end of “The Act” after they were raking in millions from The Rubes In The Cheap Seats in the 70’s.  This is at least three seriously pissed-off young men taking out their aggressions on their instruments, and doing a damn fine job of entertaining the audience while they’re at it.  This is the only time Art ever successfully mixed with Rock & Roll.  This was Deadly Serious Fun.

5)    My favorite scene in the entire movie and, sadly, the one that I think tells the entire Story Of The Who in one glorious 30-second segment: right after “A Quick One Whiles He’s Away” Pete Townshend is pontificating – as he so often has, indeed to this day in 2014 – about how “The Who can’t just remain a circus act, doing what the audience knows we can do, until we become a cabaret act.”  It’s pretentious as hell, as Townshend so often was/is, and in the midst of it Keith Moon – feigning agreement in the Lofty Pronouncements being Uttered – proceeds to do a circus-act headstand on his conference-room chair, forcing Pete out of his Painfully Serious Overly Intelligent Rock Star Stance into trying to balance a brandy on Keith’s boot-heel and totally derailing Pete’s pomposity.  

Keith Moon died September 7th, 1978, just over four months after the May 25th performance that yielded takes of “Baba O’Riley” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again” for this film.  The Kids Are Alright was released in May, 1979, and I think I knew even then that The Who without Keith Moon was never going to be the same again, that without Keith’s genius comic tempering of Pete’s pretentiousness, that everything was going to devolve to the Deadly Serious, and The Who would never be Fun again.  I was right.

In some ways this entire movie serves as a tribute to Keith Moon, and as a tribute to a simpler time in rock & roll: when guitars & drums, extreme volume, cool clothes, great songs and a cute blonde lead singer were enough for anybody.  In many ways, I have no problem with that.

If you think you’ve ever loved rock & roll music for even a single moment, you’ve gotta see this movie.  – Ricki C. / May 17th, 2014.

(So, Ricki C. has been on quite the Who bender this week, but if any rock & roll gluttons for punishment out there among you have a stomach for 2500 more words on the subject, check out Ricki's 2012 blog Shows I Saw In The 60's, part two - including his full account of the November 1st, 1969 Who appearance at Veteran's Memorial.  But first, a video.......) 

Thirty-Five Years Ago Today Rock's Savior Died: Remembering Lennon

reprinted from December 8th, 2015

by Pencilstorm Contributor: Wal Ozello

Several years ago, I found myself at the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame on a weekday. It was practically empty except for a few co-workers and me so we were able to soak in all the exhibits.  The upper floors were reserved for special rotating exhibits and we were lucky enough to catch one that featured John Lennon… just John… and told the story of his whole life, from birth to death, to the immortalization of his music and persona. Yoko Ono had collaborated with the museum so it was very detailed with hundreds of artifacts and rock memorabilia.

There were two parts of the exhibit that moved me the most.  Yoko had included John’s glasses, preserved intact from the evening of his death, December 8, 1980.  They were his iconic round eye spectacles but these were stained with blood.  While most would consider this morbid, I felt the humanity of it. This made that moment real. For a split-second, I didn’t see the murder of world’s greatest songwriter, I saw the death of fellow human being, pulled away from a loving wife and two sons.

The second was an art installation that Yoko included.  It was a telephone with a simple sign that said, “Call Cleveland for Peace.” An odd inclusion to the exhibit and I asked the security guard what it was about.  He explained that several time a week Yoko would randomly call the phone and talk to whoever answered it. At the end of the conversation, she’d wish them peace. 

I was hoping Yoko would have called at that moment.  I would have explained to her how much the exhibit moved me that day and that I admired John not just an artist, but as a father and a husband. I believe in many of the words John sang. I, too, have hope that one day all the people will be able to share the world and live as one.

No funeral was ever held for John.  Instead, Yoko had asked for ten minutes of silence several days after - on December 14 - to remember him.  It happened all over the world. In fact, all the radio stations in New York City were silent for those ten minutes.  Years after, they dedicated a special section of Central Park as a memorial called Strawberry Fields. It’s steps away from where he was murdered. If you’re ever in New York City, I highly recommend visiting it.  In the middle of the all the hustle and bustle of the city, it’s the most serene place I’ve ever been to.

Take a minute to remember John today and imagine what it would be like if we’d try and practice his words.  He would have been seventy-five this year.

Wal Ozello is a science fiction techno-thriller novelist and the author of Assignment 1989 ,  Revolution 1990, and Sacrifice 2086. He's a resident of Upper Arlington, Ohio and a frequent customer at Colin's Coffee.

Bonus video.. And don't forget the Beatles Marathon is Dec 26th at the Bluestone. Read more here.

The Beatles 1 Video Collection is Out Now. Get your copy here: http://thebeatles1.lnk.to/DeluxeBluRay "When you talk about destruction, don't you know that you can count me out" "I did the slow version and I wanted it out as a single: as a statement of The Beatles' position on Vietnam and The Beatles' position on revolution.

Witnessing Rock & Roll History at the 9:30 Club: 13 Amazing Shows - by JCE

(editor's note: Much of the staff here at Pencilstorm has worked day jobs and played in rock & roll bands nights & weekends for most of their lives.  (There were/are no trust fund babies in the likes of Watershed, The Twilight Kids, Bava Choco and Armada.)  Many of those jobs were in retail and in service industries.  Nowadays - here in the comfort of Pencilstorm - we don't work nearly as hard, and essentially take a lot of December off work to concentrate on gigs.  So, we're gonna take this opportunity to: 1) Burn off some blogs that we never managed to fit in anywhere earlier in the year, beginning with today, JCE's excellent memoir of Washington D.C.'s 9:30 Club.....  2) Maybe rerun some of our favorite Christmas-related blogs of earlier years.....and  3) Relentlessly promote the December gigs of our friends & Pencilstorm associates.  Read on, and stay warm.)            

WITNESSING ROCK & ROLL HISTORY FROM A WINDOWSILL - JCE    

I grew up in Alexandria, Virginia.  As soon as I was old enough to drive, I would go to Georgetown to haunt record stores and to visit a punk boutique called Commander Salamander.  Commander’s as we called it was like our version of London’s Sex shop where the Sex Pistols were born.  More importantly, I would go to clubs like the Bayou, Desperado’s, Madam’s Organ, The Gentry, Columbia Station and the Psychedeli to see live rock n roll.  And oh yeah, there was a little club called the 9:30 Club.  Maybe you’ve heard of it…

The Nightclub 9:30 opened on May 8, 1980 at 930 F Street, NW in Washington, D.C.  The club has since relocated and remains a world-renowned establishment, but nothing will ever compare to the old 9:30.  It’s famous for its smell, it’s poorly placed column right in front of the stage, its horrible bathrooms and its long entrance hallway.  But it’s mostly famous for the bands that played there, and I saw quite a few of them.

You could go toward the back bar and find a place to sit, but for a view of the stage you had to stand.  But there was this huge window to the left of the stage.  If you got there early you could get the windowsill.  I like to stand at shows, not sit.  But the thing is, if you got the windowsill, you could sit and have a beer, and when the band came on, you could stand on the sill and see over everyone.  It was 20 feet from the stage, it was a perfect view.  I used to love to get that spot at the club.  Here are a baker’s dozen of shows I saw from the windowsill that have some great rock n roll history, at least in my opinion.  

1.     Tommy Keene with R.E.M.  Yep, that would be R.E.M. from Athens, GA opening for local power pop hero Tommy Keene (who I still like better than R.E.M.).  When I saw this show, I didn’t even know who R.E.M. was.  They had just recently cemented their name, claiming the rights to it from a local D.C. band who was also known as R.E.M.  According to the 9:30 Club book that is now out, the two bands agreed to each play a set and the best band would keep the name.  The D.C. version heard the boys from Athens play and they knew they were going to need a new name.  They became Egoslavia (ughh, they definitely lost big time on that one).  Anyway, I saw a great show by R.E.M. early in their career, and Tommy Keene was always spectacular.

2.    The Go Go's. You can laugh if you’re not a fan, but the Go Go’s started out punk, and even though ‘Beauty and the Beat’ had just been released when I saw this show, they were still pretty edgy and I really liked them.  Jane Wiedlin played a mean guitar, and she and Charlotte and Belinda were all looking great based on my view from the windowsill.

3.    The Professionals. This is one of my favorite bands all-time.  Steve Jones and Paul Cook were doing their best work with this post-Sex Pistols band.  These guys were heroes to me, so I’m just glad I saw them.  I do have to admit though, the show was so loud my ears were crackling and the music didn’t seem too crisp or clear.  Without a doubt, it was the loudest show I ever saw, period.

4.    Tru Fax & the Insaniacs with Jason & the Nashville Scorchers.  Tru Fax was a popular D.C. band that I loved.  I’m sure I saw them close to 30 times.  On this particular evening, the opening band was Jason & the Nashville Scorchers, before they later dropped the ‘Nashville’ and just went with Jason & the Scorchers.  They are one of my favorite bands now, but I had never heard of them at the time.  Their version of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” was so amazing that night, I can’t even describe it.  Warner Hodges on guitar was something special. 

5.    Johnny Thunders with Black Market Baby.  Black Market Baby were stalwarts of the D.C. punk scene and they made a perfect opening act- hard rockin’ and sloppy.  Johnny came out and played a great set of mostly Heartbreakers tunes, like “Born to Lose,” “Chinese Rocks,” and “One Track Mind.”  I’ve read so much about Johnny and his inability to hold it together when he was all strung out all the time, but on this night, Johnny Thunders was just fine in my eyes.

6.    Black Flag with S.O.A.  For those not versed in harD.C.ore, S.O.A. was State of Alert which was fronted by Henry Garfield.  Henry put on a show that was pretty impressive, at least as far as hardcore punk.  Black Flag came over from California and brought the West Coast punk penchant for violence with them.  Boots and chains were flying everywhere and blood was definitely spilled in the pit.  Legend had it that Black Flag was so impressed with Henry that they put him on the bus, he changed his name to Henry Rollins and became the lead vocalist for Black Flag that night.  That’s not actually true. He did go out to California to join Black Flag shortly after this show however and he did change his name.

7.    Mother Love Bone.  I forget who opened this show.  If you’re not familiar, Mother Love Bone was one of the rising bands from the Seattle grunge scene.  Their singer, Andrew Wood, was spectacular.  Unfortunately, he took his own life shortly after this show and was later replaced with Eddie Vedder.  The band became Pearl Jam and the rest, as they say, is history.  If you never listened to Mother Love Bone, check them out.  I so much prefer Andrew Wood.  I have never understood the love fest for Pearl Jam or Eddie Vedder.

8.    Simple Minds.  Early in their career, Simple Minds had a record called ‘Life in a Day.’  It was an excellent record.  Forget all the more pop styled hits you’ve heard, ‘Life in a Day’ was really good.  I don’t know what year it was, but on my birthday, my sister asked me what she could take me to do to celebrate.  So of course I said, “let’s go see Simple Minds.”  I’m really glad I did.  They were great, and it’s a memory I cherish, as I lost my sister way too early.  She had no idea who Simple Minds even were, but she was always game to try new things.

9.    Dead Boys with Obsessed.  You may or may not have ever heard of the Obsessed.  They later became a 3-piece doom metal band that absolutely sucked, but at this time they were fronted by Vance Bockis, who was one of my favorite punk/metal vocalists of all time prior to his death a couple of years ago.  With Vance in the band, they were astounding to watch, clearly taking influences from Iggy and from Stiv Bator.  I wonder if Stiv watched the openers on this night.  Anyway, it was Stiv and the Dead Boys.  That’s history being made as far as I’m concerned.

10.    X.  This was early X.  The Los Angeles record had just come out on Slash Records.  I couldn’t wait to see the band, because they seemed scary, dark and dangerous back then.  It was a great set. Exene got kicked and they had to quit playing for a minute while order was restored.  It was punk rock!

11.    Mother May I with Adam West and someone I don’t remember.  The 9:30 Club had a lot of nights where it was 3 bands for 3 bucks.  On this night, I discovered Mother May I, a band I love.  They got the major label deal, they made a record, they got dropped, they plugged on for awhile…  you know the story.  If you don’t know these guys, you should check them out.  Very comparable to Watershed, but they gave up way too soon.

12.    Dead Kennedys.  On tour supporting one of the greatest punk records ever, “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables.”  Jello Biafra…  That’s all I need to say.

13.    The Dickies with Lou Miami & the Kozmetix.  There’s a long story behind this one, but I’ve gone on too long already.  The Dickies are just fantastic.  They played the theme song from the Banana Splits, which was my favorite TV show when I was little.  If you’re in my age bracket, you probably remember.

JCE

Watch the Video For "Still Love Christmas" and Request at CD102.5

It's time for the Andymanathon so fire up those phones, dial 614 221-1025 and request your favorite Colin Gawel or Watershed song!

Or text -- Request Still Love Xmas (or whatever song)  to: 68683

so the number is : 68683    and the message has to start with: Request

Do it often.

The title song to Colin Gawel and the Lonely Bones' December 2010 release. We shot the video at the "Still Love Christmas" release party at Rumba Cafe in Columbus, OH. COLINGAWEL.com

The Pencilstorm Rundown (Literally & Figuratively) on the 2017 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominations - by Ricki C.

(author's note: I wrote this blog back in late October, but with one thing & another, it didn't run until now.  In light of the recent "Presidential" Election, I now believe the nominees inducted into the Rock Hall will be Tupac, Journey and Joan Baez.)

Longtime Pencilstorm readers are well aware of my problems with ther Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: from the Concept, to the Implementation, to the Selections for Induction; allow me to summarize…….

1)    Unlike sports, rock & roll does not lend itself well to the Concept of halls of fame.  Sports achievements are pretty much quantifiable: how many games won or lost, batting averages, yards gained, Super Bowl victories, three-pointers made in a single game, how many days or nights (or weeks) were played in soccer until a goal was scored, etc.  Much of rock & roll is based on heartfelt ephemera: The Syndicate of Sound’s “Hey Little Girl” is – on the Ricki C. Planet – JUST as important to rock & roll as the entire Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album.  (And more exciting.)

2)    Implementation: SOMEBODY shoulda thought ahead 30 years ago in 1986 when the Rock Hall started inducting performers that SOMEDAY the well was gonna run dry of TRULY DESERVING members of a HALL OF FAME regarding musicians and rock & roll acts; that somewhere the choices were gonna start to get sketchy.  C’mon, let’s face facts: The Beatles and The Rolling Stones (and even Led Zeppelin) are one thing, Kiss and Deep Purple are quite another, which leads us to…..

3)    The Nomination/Induction Process: Why does there have to be 8 or 9 inductees EVERY YEAR?  (Other than the fact that The Rock Hall WANTS/NEEDS to throw a Big Concert every year for some Big $’s, but that’s pretty much the story of EVERYTHING in rock & roll in the 21st century, so what else is new?)  I was almost MORE comfortable with the nomination/induction process when the performers had to have been invited to Jann Wenner’s home for dinner at least once, and display their impeccable table manners to Mrs. Wenner before they could/would be considered.  (Examples: David Crosby, Billy Joel, Sting.)  All of which brings us to the latest pale, weak stew of nominees……. 
 

The 2016 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominations

Tupac Shakur, Janet Jackson, Chic, Chaka Khan, Joe Tex:  Pretty much every year I am accused of racism in rejecting all of the Black Nominees to the Rock Hall.  And every year my defense is the same, there are MANY, MANY black performers who belong in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame: Chuck Berry (without whom rock & roll MAY NEVER HAVE EXISTED), Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Jimi Hendrix, Sly Stone, etc.  If somebody – Berry Gordy Jr., for example – would like to establish a R&B/Rap Hall of Fame in Memphis (where the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame SHOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT, by the way, but that’s another blog for a different time) or Detroit (the original Motown), I would happily see those performers inducted.  I am sorry, but I was only a hippie for about 20 minutes back in 1969 and therefore do not subscribe to the kum-by-yah, politically-correct view that music is music: rock & roll is NOT r&b/rap and vice versa.  I don’t see anybody clamoring to induct country acts like Garth Brooks or Eddie Rabbitt into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, let alone Buck Owens, Steve Earle or Lyle Lovett (all of whom might actually DESERVE it.)  I view this as pandering, as reverse racism of the Highest Order.  (And while we’re on the subject, where are the nominations for The Chambers Brothers or Living Colour: ACTUAL black rock & roll bands?)

Steppenwolf, The J. Geils Band:  I saw both of these bands live in their rock & roll primes.  My view, INDUCT THEM NOW.  (And I sometimes wonder why nobody ever brings up the connections between The J. Geils Band and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band.  I firmly believe Peter Wolf, Magic Dick & Da Boston Boyz loomed mightily as an influence on the young Mr. Springsteen.)  

The MC5, Bad Brains:  C’mon, the INVENTORS of a rock & roll style/sub-genre (punk crossed with metal) The MC5 vie for induction the same year as a band that was – at best – a minor sidenote to that style almost 10 years later?  Again, I must cite reverse racism.  Otherwise, where are the nominations for Black Flag, Fear or The Circle Jerks?  Further, if The MC5 had been from New York City or San Francisco (or – perhaps more accurately – if they hadn’t literally and/or figuratively pissed all over Jann Wenner’s Rolling Stone magazine and Bill Graham’s Fillmore Auditoriums back in the day) they would have been nominated & inducted back in 1994, their first year of eligibility.  The Stooges were inducted into the Rock Hall in 2010 and The MC5 is still waiting in 2016, 13 YEARS after the first time they were nominated?  Really, I just have to laugh.

The Cars: One of the ten best debut albums of all time, probably the best New Wave/skinny-tie power-pop band (along with Blondie) ever invented?  Induct them now.

Joan Baez: ROCKIN’!  Didn’t she used to date that nice Zimmerman boy from down the street in Hibbing, Minnesota about five DECADES before he won the Nobel Prize in Literature?

Kraftwerk, Journey: I’ll not be dignifying these nominations with comment.  Again, WHY do 19 acts need to be nominated and 8 or 9 INDUCTED every year?  The small pond of deserving Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Nominees is getting shallower every year, gentlemen of the Rock Hall.   

Jane’s Addiction, Pearl Jam: See above, yawn……

Yes, ELO, Depeche Mode: See above, all Hackmeisters of The Highest Order.  Jeff Lynne was an infinitely better producer than he was songwriter or bandleader.  Induct The Move first.  And Yes – whether they meant to or not – spawned the likes of Styx and Kansas, which alone invalidates them gaining entrance to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  SOMEBODY needs to be held accountable for these atrocities in the name of rock & roll.

The Zombies: Really, The Zombies – who recorded a nifty little album called Odessey & Oracle, you mighta heard of it – await induction into the Rock Hall after The Hollies were inducted in 2010?  That couldn’t have anything to do with Graham Nash being in Crosby, Stills & Nash and those Jann Wenner dinner parties I referred to above, could it?  The British Invasion bands are CRIMINALLY overlooked while the likes of The Dells and Chicago gain induction.  Gimme a break, induct The Zombies, NOW. – Ricki C. / October 23rd, 2016. 

Show and Album Preview: N.P. Presley and The Ghost of Jesse Garon - by Jeremy Porter

Show Preview & Album Review: N.P. Presley and The Ghost of Jesse Garon

Lexington, Kentucky is a hidden gem in the independent music landscape of the southern-Midwest. Once you've had your fill of UK Wildcat basketball, beautiful horses grazing in bluegrass pastures, and some of the tastiest bourbon in the state, you'll find a welcoming music scene rich in camaraderie, talent, spirit and diversity. It's hip without being hipster, it's small without being townie, and it's steeped in the kind of culture that smaller cities can't support and larger cities lose in the masses. Venues like The Green Lantern, Al's Bar, and the newest, beautiful addition - The Burl - support bands like Those Crosstown Rivals,  Josh Nolan, Bryan Minks & The Kentucky Sons, Paper Bridges, and the great Justin Wells, among many others.

Not lost in the shuffle is N.P. Presley & The Ghost Of Jesse Garon.  N.P. and his 7-piece band will make the three hour drive north to Columbus this Tuesday to open for The Goddamn Gallows (Yeah Detroit!) and Gallows Bound at The Shrunken Head.  

N.P. (or Nate as I call him when he buys me drinks) is no stranger to rock and roll. His mom was cousin to none other than the King himself, Elvis, and toured with him in the 70s. Nate gets his snarl from Elvis, and some of his swagger too. Starting in the early '90s Nate led one of Lexington's greatest exports, the punk band Infected, through 20+ years of off-again-on-again touring and recording before forming The Ghost of Jesse Garon in 2014. 

In 2016 the band released their first full-length Broken Fantasy and it's chock-full of Kentucky Rock and Roll, edgy alt-country, and rockabilly punk. N.P.'s growl leads the way through 10 tracks, with a backbeat that's just ahead of the guitars and baritone sax, and sweet, sweet harmonies by Heather Parrish adding a nice varnish to the beautifully rough under-surface. I think the band shines brightest on "Only Time Will Tell," a fully-realized pop-rock-soul number that channels The Hold Steady with the main riff but lays a gritty vocal hook and call & answer harmony on top of that. "Won't Slow Down" is another strong one: a pop-punk almost-anthem with a growling, breathy vocal on top of driving, chunky guitars. The opening track "Dream While You Still Can" is a dark, acoustic, Americana number that recalls the underappreciated Massachusetts band Angry Johnny And The Killbillies. "Road to Insanity" and "It's a Fact" are rockabilly tracks that evoke Elvis' swingin' hips days.  The whole package is a bit of a goulash of a couple styles - but it's a cohesive set, not disjointed or unfocused. It's incredibly engaging with no filler and no lulls to open your attention to distractions. Fans of Social Distortion, X, The Replacements, Hank III, the Fat Wreck Chords bands, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, Naked Raygun and more will all dig this release.  

N.P. Presley and The Ghost Of Jesse Garon are playing Columbus on Tuesday, November 15th opening for Goddamn Gallows and Gallows Bound at The Shrunken Head, 251 W 5th Avenue.  Doors are at 8pm.  Get tickets here:  https://nppresley.bandcamp.com/  
 
N.P. Presley and The Ghost Of Jesse Garon:
http://www.nppresley.com/
https://www.facebook.com/nppresley
https://nppresley.bandcamp.com/

Thank you. Thank you very much.