wow... i guess it has been some time. i must admit, i have had a god awful spring. i mean really bad. uh, take care of your health, kids. that's all i'll say about that! and yet despite my own skewed perspective as i lay in bed for 3 months, the entire country seems glassy eyed as well... the last gasp of the bush idiocracy, the great gasoline malaise, when will this seasick cruise end? i don't want to dwell in the muck, but i have to admit that's where i've been... one thing i can take great pleasure in, however, is a great lounge record. and here friends, is a GREAT lounge long player...! i have to admit i cannot play this LP without, 1) cracking a smile, 2) busting a move, especially during "listen to the music" and "short people", 3) forgetting every thing i was worried about that day, and 4) wishing i could rock this hard if i ever had a band! imagine happy kyne and the mirthmakers on ether at your highschool prom circa '76 and i guess you're half of the way there! the drummer on this LP is so sick. totally not "hip" at the time... accordion/trumpet/etc. put this one firmly into a geezerish zone but makes such a scene for people into wiggy lounge sounds - they play their hearts out, and it shows!! their cover of "Shangri-La" is up there for me as far as these things go, just so freeking good. i hope people dig on this LP, if so i think you can still find these for pretty cheap, i got this one for $6 last year! without further ado...
Recently I spent some time with a few quality reissues... seems in the past year a load of stuff came out that were already personal favorites and a classy reissue was sorely needed!! Here are a few thoughts...
Jade Stone and Luv maybe my favorite of this batch, gets the full treatment it deserves from Subliminal Sounds. really an untoppable LP the more lounge/rhinestone/weird stuff that I hear. this is just miles beyond the rest as far as charisma, creativity, wildness, and fun are concerned. on my old copy of this I would always get sad when 'reality' came on because it meant the voyage was over, but now you are treated to a KILLER track from a rare 45. i mean rally good. great inner sleeve interview with Jade, which if you had any doubts about how real this one is/was, sends them flying out the window. Mr. Stone lived it! sounds great, feels great... get one before they're all gone!!!
Peter Grudzien another massive all time knock down the walls favorite of mine was released by Subliminal Sounds this year... cool thing is, the reissue is a double LP!! the Grudz's 2nd LP is included in this package and man, you do not want to miss this. "The Garden of Love" may be even further out than "the Unicorn" and well, fans of the seminal gay psychedelic masterpiece know just what that really means. I wouldn't rate one above the other, they're both totally unique and totally excellent. grab this before it gets tucked away into every crowded sanctuary this side of Paducah...
Rayne i don't know if these are still kicking around, as the Shadoks label releases tend to get grabbed pretty quickly, but suffice it to say they did a really good job, and usual complaints about off sound quality from the label are not in evidence here. great insert with the band's story, and if you haven't heard this one yet in this lifetime, well, you're in for a treat. my favorite rural outlaw thrash ever.
Patron Saints a very early favorite of mine as i began smelling the flowering buds of home-town american psychedelia... so i was very excited to hear its availability now in a beautiful reissue from the Time-Lag label. some say this issue loses a bit of atmosphere, as it draws from the master tapes and not the more compressed sounding original vinyl issue, and while i hear the difference, i think you can still love this one even if it sounds a little more 3-d... the songs are still gorgeous and the original cover art is lovingly reproduced with a lyric insert and a bonus 7" which has material as good as any song off the LP. i say GO GET ONE!
Raven i was so pumped to see this one back on the shelves, and re-released by the man himself!! presented in a new cover(mr. R looking ready to take heads - look out J. Winter!), for a minute i feared a 21st century re-mix or some other infringement on the original Ohio basement biker blowout, but thankfully it is still as raw as ever and remains a fabulous slice of smacked out 70s dementia. on a musical level this has gotta be the single greatest biker private rock LP... if you find the right guy on ebay Raven will sign it for you! yow!
Mayo Thompson love, love, love this record to death, and always kinda dreaded 200+ going prices for an original. this was a perfect solution to that problem... one of my all time favorite weirdo ssw/folk/??? records, and justly so it is just really hard to put into words what is going on here. Drag City just put this out with a bonus 7" that is also killer. a special one for the right ears... don't miss.
Bobb Trimble a very anxiously awaited reissue of both of Bobb's lofty 80s mindbenders was found to be a cup half empty by those who had been reared on original copies of these masterpieces. complaints about tinkering with the sound and production circulated and while they do sound way too cleaned up, i would have to argue for the accessibility of these to ALOT of new ears. Secretly Canadian (a major indie label with wide distribution) put them out, Bobb is getting a nice cut of the loot, so ya know what? i can dig it... bonus: is the super cool first time issue of color jackets for these. check it out!
otherwise... excited for the Farquhar repro on Shadoks to hit my doorstep, and the summer ought to bring several other long awaited things to greet the public domain, so stay tuned!! as a last note here, i currently have some titles on eBay that may interest readers of this site... folk/lounge/psych, etc. you can check them out here. i also have a bunch of things in the pipe for posting here. i will try to get to a few things up here before i drift out again... best, CG
Hello again!! Proud to present another interview, with another favorite musical act (well, their venerable rhythm guitarist!), a record I only heard for the first time last year, but quickly grew into a favorite, a great piece of cosmic teenage hard rock from a bunch of American kids letting their hair grow long, geographically way far off the traditional Southern axis of fast and loose ripping guitar leads and stoned grins... hailing from Singapore of all places!! The record was once hyped as Vietnam Vets taking a break from the sweaty jungles to blast an inner city auditorium (oh the spin!!), in reality the boys in Crystalaugur were high school students living abroad in Singapore. Nonetheless, its a lot of fun no matter what way you come at it, and I wouldn't be surprised if someone picked this up for reissue in the next few years. Without further ado, Howard Kukla!
"Cosmic Journey"
Ok, I guess we should start at the beginning. Your musical tastes and history. What'd you grow up listening to? What were you doing in Asia?
OK. My personal musical tastes are Southern Rock - Allman Bros, Lynyrd Skynyrd, etc. I like anything with good guitar! My dad brought us to Singapore. He was civil service with the Air Force working on planes out of Vietnam.
The band got together in 1974 just like any other garage band. We were all high school students at Singapore American School. I lived there for 3 years. Most of the families were either in oil or electronics (TI, and such were just up and coming). We did not have the best of band equipment, but we did it for the love of the music. We'd play anything from Led Zepplin to Grand Funk Railroad. We played at school dances and often just played and hoped people would show up to listen. The school operated on a semester calendar, so we had 2 weeks in January 1975 off. Actually, the school sponsored a number of events that students signed up for and participated in. Such as scuba diving trips to Thailand, excursions to Malaysia, cruise to Borneo and such in order to take in the culture all around us. The students had to do something constructive. So the band went to the administration with a proposal to make an album. We would write our own music, record it, have it pressed to vinyl and distribute. The result was Terranaut. It is our own work. One of our classmates recorded it on a TEAC or AKAI 4 track reel-to-reel with over-dub of vocals and other sound effects. The artwork was done by the bass player's mother. We had the recording pressed by BMI Ltd in Singapore. Only about 200 copies were pressed. We gave them away to friends and family. It was never meant to be a money making venture. Just meant to get us through the 2 week semester break.
"You Got to Rap"
What is a Crystalaugur? Where did Crystalaugur come from - it is a fancy term for clear light. Hey, it was the 70's! And a "Terranaut" is an earth man as opposed to an "Astronaut" - space man. He is supposed to be the last man on earth. You can understand my surprise when I start seeing copies of CD recordings for sale on various websites 30 years after the album was made. I feel quite humbled it was noticed and people actually like it. We had a blast making it. We recorded mostly in the school auditorium (horrible echo) and the teacher's lounge (muffled). And here we are now. The bass player lives in San Francisco, the lead singer is in Arlington, TX, I do not know where the drummer is any more and I am also in Texas. Our sound guy lives in Australia. And the girl "Pam's Song" is written for lives in Austin, TX.
"No. 4"
The sound effects were a great touch, and I love the "Cosmic Journey" song. Did you authorize the CD copies? I'm glad you like the record. We did not authorize any of the CD copies. But, then again, I never thought much about it. We are glad people still enjoy listening to this music after 33 years. Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see this album do what it has done. It's a reflection of the staying power of good old rock and roll. As for a reunion of the group, I am all for it. Perhaps Guy, Kim and Bryan will read this blog and the wheels put in motion to get us back in the same town for a while.
Thanks again Howard! All the best from the Chimney-dome!!
Hello friends! I'm pleased to present to you, the one and only Dennis Caldirola aka Dennis the Fox in a recent interview I did with him. His LP "Mothertrucker" is a magnificent slab of 70s wildness, great in every way, whether you're coming to it from a psychedelic/lounge/underground musics perspective, or just looking for new and interesting unheard sounds + stories from days gone by. One thing I love about the LP is where your mind will wander with it, epic moments of wacky hardboiled grit as he describes in the song "Piledriver" - 'when it comes to really livng or somewhere in between there's a high steppin side steppin' life outside you ain't never seen', which has inspired true wonder and a perverse glee. Sampled by DJ Shadow, championed by the legendary Psych Mafia, fawned over by those who have plumbed the depths of the private press world, this one friends, is one for the ages. SO without further ado.... Dennis!
What kind of stuff were you listening to that influenced your music? I hear alot of different sounds in the mix.
Exactly. As I explain on my MySpace page, the project was originally a demo tape to try to get a record deal.. In our naivete, my manager and I tried to make it as versatile as possible to show the genres I was comfortable with - all the stuff I had been playing since I was a kid. Big mistake from a marketing point of view. For example, did you know "Nellie Was a Lady" was published by Stephen Foster in 1849 and made famous by the (original) Christy Minstrels? I learned it from a local band called "The Magic Fern."
Was this project your first, or had you been in bands, etc. before this?
No, I started playing in bands when I was 16. (DTF was recorded when I was 24). My first band was called "The Rum Runners." The DTF project was an outgrowth of a rock opera I wrote when I was with HUGG.
What kind of places did you play at? What was your biggest show?
Mostly teen dances, frat parties, that kind of thing. The Rum Runners opened more than a few big concerts, once at Eagles Auditorium for the Yardbirds. On that date, of course, the promoter skipped w/the funds and we got stiffed. It wasn't until I went back to Italy and founded Dennis & the Jets, that we actually played big concerts w/screaming fans, etc.
The cover art on "Mothertrucker" is totally fantastic! It almost reminds me of stuff you would see on Sci-fi books back then. Who was the artist?
A 25-year old artist named Robert Barbarus. You're right, he dabbled a little in comic book graphics back in those days. Now he teaches art at a local high school, sad to say.
Why "the Fox"?
Damned if I remember. My manager and I were trying to come up with a catchy alternative to "Dennis Caldirola" which is (was) unwieldy to say the least. Dennis Carlo (my father's first name) was floated for awhile.
A song off the album that totally blows my mind is "Like A Stone Man" ... what is this song about?
A guy who's so macho, he's impervious to emotion - conquering as he goes. Of course, in the last line, he gives in as his "walls come tumbling down."
Alot of people refer to your LP as lounge, or "lounge rock"... do you take offense to this term?
I've heard of the "lounge rock" designation. I guess the versatility of the project (discussed earlier) might've thrown some listeners (too many folk songs and ballads, for instance) but judging from the bootleg compilations coming out of Europe at least, many consider it "country-rock."
Is Gunther Haydees a true story?
Gunther Haydees was a band from San Diego (I think) that I met one day - never heard them play - and they had just made up the name. They pictured "him" as some kind of a troll or ogre or something. A few months later, I wrote the song in the studio in about 1/2 hour.
Have you ever been to the Barbary Coast?
Well, I've been to Morocco but not, of course, as a pirate.
What was the gist of the rock opera "Whistle Stop" was from?
Daily adventures of an unknown band on the road. Unlike "Still Crazy" or "Spinal Tap" it was more cute than funny. Like "The Commitments," the group breaks up at the end.
Piledriver is an awesome song. Did you know it has been sampled by hip-hop DJs? It almost reminds me of an old James Bond theme song... Is there a real woman behind this song?
Well, the worst part of it (the various compilations) is I've never received a dime from any of them - they never even ask for permission! Which leads me to sampling: who? when? where? Not that I ever expect to collect, I'd just like to listen to them. No, "Piledriver" was just the product of a 22 year-old's fantasy...
It's funny, because in a review of said compilation, the reviewer laments exactly what you just expressed: "Best of them all is the extraordinary countrypolitan funk of Dennis the Fox's "Piledriver", on which Dennis uses his laconic Fat Elvis drawl to exalt "a mean mother-trucker of a girl" before the female back-up singers swoop in to hi-jack the payload. It's enough to make you question a world where Kenny Rogers gets to make five movies based on "The Gambler", while Dennis the Fox gets squat. Where, I ask you, is the justice?" [Matthew Murphy]
To wrap things up, do you keep in touch with any of the old bandmates/back up singers etc? Any stories on where they wound up?
Yes, I'm still in contact with a few of the musicians from the project and most of them are still playing music one way or another. A couple of the others have passed away and nobody ever really got famous. But if they all had as much fun as I did, playing rock n' roll and being "in show business" for twenty years, they don't regret a minute of it.
On that note, many thanks to Dennis for stopping by, and as an aside, anyone who sees their work written about here is welcome and encouraged to share their thoughts! Please drop in! See you next week…. -CG
P.S. If anyone out there has a copy of this they'd like to sell please let me know: carygrant_is_yer_fairy_godmother@yahoo.com
Hey there! Just uploaded kind of a wacky mix I made a while back and never got around to sharing. It's mostly kind of funny stuff I found on thrift store/dollar bin records, with one or two songs from albums that are actually worth it for the whole LP. I've forgotten alot of the names, and the mp3s are mostly unmarked, so you'll have to use your imagination! Hope you enjoy!
Since initially hearing this one, I have suffered through a smattering of other "heady" high school and project LPs, almost none matching the effortless charm, peculiar wit, and undeniably zonked vibes of South Side Senior High School's Context '70 LP. Unless there are some stragglers still hiding out under the bleachers, I wouldn't really hesitate to call this one the best. In an attempt to draw out some of the original members of this collaboration in the digital realm, I decided to re-post the LP. Any and all involved are welcome to share their stories, memories, and miscellaneous impressions 38 years later in the comments section. Please drop us a line! And for those who haven't heard the record yet, it's right here, and awaiting your hungry ears!!! Best, Cary
hey friends! sorry things have been a little dead. I recently moved into a house without internet so I am on a little bit slower of a schedule these days. Don't worry I plan to revisit the Context '70 LP from South Side Senior High School next week. Also look forward to the real story about the legendary Crystalaugur LP! Until then, I have a fun and kooky batch of LPs for sale on ebay. Mostly privately issued stuff from the 60s and 70s. Some lounge, some folk, some exotica. All kinds of music really. There are some gems in there so make sure to dig around. Next week there will be a whole nother batch too, with lots more memorable personalities from the past... Anyhow, here's the LINK.
