Highlights of what's been running through the speakers here at OUTLANDOS HQ the last month or so:

1. The Silver Seas, Chateau Revenge



So I've talked about these guys a billion times and in fact will be featuring almost this entire record on THE DAILY DOSE all next month... it's that good. This is their third release, the other two are equally brilliant. They had to change their name in the middle of everything which was a slight bummer, they used to be The Bees (US). Either way, I love them. I bet you will too. Daniel Tashian (son of Barry Tashian, of legendary New England garage rockers The Remains) et al.

2. Jets Overhead, No Nations



Canadian outfit, this is their sophomore effort. It took little while to grow on me [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Too far gone: friends don't let friends become nannies.

By Coco Hames

Sometimes people will ask us, "What is the worst job you've ever had?" and for each of us, the story is different, and sometimes it changes.  Worst how?  Meanest boss?  Longest hours?  Shittiest pay?  Depending on the mood we're in, we can site any of the many crappy jobs we've had.  Jem will tell you about the bloody pumps he had to clean at the hospital, Poni maybe being accidentally drugged at a club and then hallucinating that she's being stabbed to death by hundreds of small flying knives.  Maybe getting smacked in the kitchen of a terrible New York restaurant that I'd quit not for the smacking but the fact that they made you clock in with a thumbprint... But one of the most annoying, I think, is the one I never got.  

I was living in Los Angeles, I think I was working as a receptionist at a hair salon, barely getting paid, and I knew I had to get another job if I was going to survive.  Through a friend of the owner of a local music venue, I think, I was asked if I'd ever want to take a nanny position.  I like kids well enough now (COOL kids) but I've never been that great with them.  Our mindsets are too similar, they know it and I know it, so we just mostly sit around analyzing each other, scowling into each other's faces from across the room.  You with your toys, me with my books, you mind your business, I'll mind mine.

But I needed the money (oh how many stories start this way), so I said I'd at least take the interview.  I went over to these people's house in the afternoon, probably just around when school got out.  I was introduced to the parents, who seemed like nice enough people, or the mom did, however skin-crawlingly LA the dad was.  And don't give me shit about using "LA" as an insulting adjective; California has the best food and prettiest everything, makes movies and wine (two things I cannot live without), and there are a lot of great people out there, so shut up.  For my derogatory definition of "LA" please view this short documentary film: http://www.timanderic.com/laguyz1022.mov.  Regard, and then we can move forward.

So as soon as I was settled in their spacious living room for my interview, two 12-year-old girls come downstairs.  I learned one of them was the girl for whom I'd potentially be nannying (picking up from school, helping with her homework, making her snacks/dinner, maybe even teaching some guitar, piano, songwriting) and the other was the girl's best friend.  And they came equipped with their own list of questions for me.  It was really cute, something I totally would have done had I been interviewing a potential nanny at age 12.  Questions about how much trouble I'd let them get into, what kind of snacks I'd make, what my favorite movies were, who my celeb boy crush was... really cute.  And I thought to myself, well, they will pay really well, and maybe I can get these girls into rock and roll, this could be a kind of fun job!

But then, after the girls had finished questioning me and gone back upstairs, the parents asked me about school work.  How well I'd done in school, what my strongest subjects were.  And then they dropped the bomb on me: the girl needed a lot of help with her math.  I said, look, I have to be honest, with books and languages I can totally help, but math... there's just no way.  I couldn't lie to them, don't 12-year-olds these days need to know calculus?  Isn't she studying for the SATs and college placement stuff?  Wouldn't I be doing a young mind a huge disservice, pretending I knew how to add and/or subtract numbers?  I don't know, I couldn't be a bad influence in an academic respect, so I knew it was a deal breaker, but I had to tell the truth.

Sure enough, a couple of days later the mom called me and said while I was like one they all LIKED the best, there was another applicant who had experience tutoring in math, and they had to do what was best for the kid.  I understood, of course, and the job I went on to take was running a boutique within walking distance from my apartment, so it really worked out for the best.

Fast forward two years, and I'm a pretty content 23-year-old.  I'm managing a cool boutique, I play whatever records I want all day, I can read and play on the computer, I can walk to and from work (unheard of in Los Angeles) and to my favorite Thai joint for lunch, PLUS my hours were really pleasant (vaguely 11am-7pm) and allowed time for my band to rehearse and play shows.  It was all very well-rounded and just what I needed.  Until one day...

All the time douchey people would come in (not the least of which, that Bradley Cooper guy, who I always thought was someone else, and then would realize, no it's just that guy who plays mean guys on TV? TOTAL jerk to me, every time) so it never really fazed me.  What was best, of course, is when these douchey people would buy expensive things, and I'd get commission on top of my salary.  Then I can buy stuff!  Guitar strings!  Groceries!  Vodka!  Note to douchebags: spending a lot of money goes a long way with little shop girls, who will either put on really loud punk music until you're forced to leave, or pleasantly help you with your jacket selection.  Dear Adam Levine, the nicest exchange we ever had was when you bought that solid gold starfish for whichever model you were with at the time, really made my day, way more than the time you said the Kids in the Hall "weren't funny", you didn't remember the State, and that Elf "had no plotline".  

So this one afternoon, this teenager came in texting away, talking to her friend.  And I said, "Hey guys, let me know if I can help you with anything" and went back to doing my inventory, and one of them goes, "Oh my God, Coco?" and I looked up and was like, "Yeah?"  thinking, these girls are a bit old to be the kids of my friends, and definitely way too young to have come to an Ettes show?  And then one of them goes, "Didn't you almost work for me?" with this derisive laugh.  Didn't you almost work for me... um... and I was like, holy shit!  It's that kid I was going to nanny!  And I said, "Holy shit!  You're that kid I was going to nanny!"  And she was so snobby, oh, it was horrible!  She kind of looked around the shop and said, "Sooo... so this is what you do now?  I thought you were in a band or something?"  Ouch, right?  From a spoiled rich kid that I could have given cool books and records to.  It was like Veruca Salt if she had a Valley girl accent.  Only not Louise Post from Veruca Salt, she's really nice, she taught me to type properly.

I think I just gave them my best Scientological stare until they got uncomfortable and giggled off into the Silverlake afternoon, but sometimes I think about that girl, if I had been her nanny, would I have helped her at all, would I have helped her not become the LA Guyz teenage version of her dad?  Could I have gotten her into rock and roll, stocked her bookshelves with great subversive books, influenced her to replace her pink polo shirts and khaki shorts with black black black?  But then again, you never know: she always could have been already too far gone.

***

Blurt "co-co-editor" Coco Hames fronts The Ettes - Hames on guitar, Jem Cohen on bass and Poni Silver on drums. Their Greg Cartwright-produced album Do You Want Power arrived in stores last fall, their music was featured in the Drew Barrymore-directed film Whip It, and you bet we've got a big feature on the band in the latest issue of BLURT.

The band commences a big European tour next week then upon returning to the states will be headed to Austin for SXSW. Check out the band's MySpace page for music and tour dates.

"The Zombie Option"
FAX THIS TO YOUR ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES AND DEMAND THAT THEY INTRODUCE IT
IN THE 112TH CONGRESS!!!

A CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

A Concurrent Resolution to establish a National Day of Ceremonial Voodoo
intended to expunge the treacherous misdeeds of centuries of narcissists,
dilettantes and special interests; to awaken a hunger for fresh souls within
the pits of Hell: and to engorge the shaft of Democracy with the coursing
blood of Liberty.

WHEREAS: The United States Congress freely and openly recognizes that
zombies are real.

WHEREAS: A Zombie, properly and necessarily conjured by the People of The
United States, in their wisdom, would be cool to see.

WHEREAS: A Zombie, properly conjured and endowed by it's creator with an
insatiable hunger for the flesh of Oligarchs, Plutocrats, Charlatans,
Philistines, Lying Power-Whores, Spineless Dilettantes, Gutless Narcissists
and otherwise Empty-Suited & Ideologically Bankrupt Pussies of all stripes,
would necessarily be seen by the people as an undead champion of public
service and defender of the Constitution from beyond the grave.

WHEREAS: The United States Congress has never officially recognized the
substantial contributions of the undead to the American story.

WHEREAS: No concrete data exists regarding the flesh-eating capacity of a
single Zombie, thus the United States Congress must act to encourage the
conjuring of several Zombies.

WHEREAS: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and John Adams would totally shit
their breeches if they saw what a sniveling pillow fight the republic has
become.

WHEREAS: Passing this off as some kind of ‘National Day of Prayer" was the
only way to get it past Inhoffe, Ensign and the rest of the God Squad.

WHEREAS: Zombie Founding Fathers exacting a bloody revenge is really strong
symbol upon which to base our respective re-elects: Now therefore, be it
resolved by the House Of Representatives ( the Senate concurring),

SECTION 1. A NATIONAL DAY OF VOODOO CEREMONY AND PRAYER FOR THE PURPOSE OF CONJURING ZOMBIE VERSIONS OF THOMAS JEFFERSON, JAMES MADISON AND JOHN ADAMS TO DEVOUR THE FLESH OF CERTAIN OF THE ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES THEREBY ENSURING DOMESTIC TRANQUILITY, PROMOTING THE GENERAL WELFARE AND SECURING THE BLESSINGS OF LIBERTY TO OUR SELVES AND OUR POSTERITY.

            a. Procurement and Conjuring of the Zombies-The President of The
United States will in consultation with The Congress and subject to the
approval of the House Committee on Para-Patriotic Activities, create the
office of Zombie Czar and appoint it's chairman. Pending approval of the
Congress, The Zombie Czar shall then lead the American People in a day long
ritual whose effect will be the creation of the Zombie Founding Fathers.
            b. Mandate of the Undead-The Zombie Czar shall empower his
undead minions to walk the earth and pray upon the weakest and most foul of
our officials for not more than thirty days from the time of the founding
fathers emergence from their respective crypts. Furthermore, any additional
Zombie Purges or additional Zombies conjured into service must be approved
by the House Committee on Para-Patriotic Activities.
            c. Recognition of the contributions of Undead Americans-The
Architect of the Capitol shall design, procure and place in a prominent
location in Emancipation Hall in the Capitol Visitors Center a marker, which
acknowledges the significant contributions of Undead Americans to the
American story.

Brandon Phillips is a tenured fellow at the think tank Floating Brain
Global Solutions, visiting scholar at FreedomWorks, winner of the Idi Amin
Dada Perfect Attendance Award at the Ugnadan Culinary Institute and senior
strategist for TeaParty.org's "Knee-Jerk-Assoles Project"

Of all the things Lefsetz does that drive me crazy, you gotta admit, his shameless posting of even the most negative feedback is semi-endearing. A recent excerpt (re:The Who/Super Bowl):

Sorry Bob, your interesting and semi-relevant posts, which make up about a fourth of all your ramblings just aren't worth the other three-fourths in which you do nothing but remind us what a complete and utter asshole you really are.

The Who were not great. But your overstatement is just one more example of you trying to be bold and brash by overstating something and just being downright nasty. At some point, at your age, one would think you would have grown up and realized when you're just being an ass.

Let me see if I can put it another way.....if you were Roger Daltrey (and thank God you are not) you would have sang "Who the FUCK are you?" just to somehow prove you were still hip and relevant. (Which by the way, you are not.) [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

Out ‘n' about in the City of Angels with Blurt's roving shutterbug (1/15 - 1/30).

By Scott Dudelson

(pictured above) Alec Ounsworth (of Clap Your Hands & Say Yeah) - Live @ The Wiltern - 1/23

Cold War Kids (singer Nathan Willett) - Live @ The Wiltern - 1/23

Ted Nugent - Live @ The Canyon Club (www.canyonclub.net) - 1/24

That One Guy - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 1/26

Jason Boesel  - Live @ The Bootleg Theatre (www.bootlegtheater.com) - 1/27

Jason Boesel (of Rilo Kiley / Mystic Valley Band) & Nik Frietas (of Mystic Valley Band) - Live @ The Bootleg Theatre (www.bootlegtheater.com) - 1/27

Z. Berg (of The Like) & David Rawlings - Live @ The Bootleg Theatre (www.bootlegtheater.com) - 1/27

Alex Greenwald (of Phantom Planet) - Live @ The Bootleg Theatre (www.bootlegtheater.com) - 1/27

Jimmy Vivino (of The Tonight Show Band) - Live @ "An Evening of Higher Consciousness" to Benefit Drukpa Foundation (www.drukpausa.org) - 1/28

Ben Lee - Live @ "An Evening of Higher Consciousness" to Benefit Drukpa Foundation (www.drukpausa.org) - 1/28

Poe - Live @ "An Evening of Higher Consciousness" to Benefit Drukpa Foundation (www.drukpausa.org) - 1/28

Tim Reynolds (of TR3 / Dave Matthews Band) - Live @ The Mint (www.themintla.com) - 1/29

Los Lobos (singer Cesar Rojas) - UCLA Live @ Royce Hall (www.uclalive.org) - 1/30

Los Lobos (multi-instrumentalist Steve Berlin) - UCLA Live @ Royce Hall (www.uclalive.org) - 1/30

***

Scott Dudelson is a music journalist and concert photographer based in Los Angeles.  Scott is also the Chief Operating Officer of Prodege, LLC, the company behind www.swagbucks.com.

Its grey today but I know the sun will break through and burn away any hopes of rain and the smell of a new world rain always seems to bring. 

Fucking leaf blowers. I watch from the 13th story of my building as one tiny little man with a motor on his back blows around a bunch of dead leaves. Does he get paid to do this? If I were a leaf blower man, I would be a bad leaf blower man. I would walk into banks, high on gas fumes and seven eleven coffee and blow the shit outta that place. No one wants to fuck with the hostel, dirty air of a gas powered leaf blower, or the dead soul operating it. Has the world always been this silly?

From the 13th story of my building I watch the hand of god compose me a song of jaded ambulance sirens hauling off the dead or near dying, hundred thousand dollar cars honking at hundred dollar cars. Neon churches of fried meat and disciples of bad style litter the landscape below as cops on bicycles roll up on unsuspecting lovers smoking crack in the shadows.

From my brick and concrete nest in the sky everything below me looks so silly. While I am up here safe in my room I know one day I'm gonna have to go down there and be apart of "all that mess." I am "all that mess" after all, but alone, alone I am divine. For now my hands are stained with paint and love and my electronic leash is buzzing away at something or someone desperately trying to reach me. If freedom is an illusion then I will make slavery an illusion and die with a smile.

The colors of this new painting glare back at me like the window from my 13^th story building. The two compete for my attention like jealous children. One is the madness I cannot control; the other is the product of my control. Both have taken on an urgency in its colors never seen by these eyes of mine.

I am going to be a father.

Those words repeat over and over again in the shell of my mind. I am going to be a father.... All I rebelled against, feared, loved, despised and sought to be, is coming around. Everything I stood for and lost is coming right back home to papa.

I feel the sun through my little window and I wish for rain. I pretend I am a child again and I wish for rain. I know and understand love now. My painting and my window both tell me to prepare. A rain is gonna fall, and its gonna make me new. 

Serving up another edition of LETTERS FROM THE ROAD, our guest post series where we invite musicians we are utterly nuts about to take over and write whatever they like. 2 rules: it has to be in the form of a letter, it has to have something to do with music. This week's LETTERS FROM THE ROAD guest author is one of our favorite singer songwriters, Tim Easton:

Dear Young Songwriter Who Wrote Me on MySpace or Facebook and asked for advice:

I have so much to tell you but I should probably distill it down to the basics. This is what I would tell any young artist or student who stands in front of me wondering what to do in this massive and confusing world of art and commerce.

Basically, I can explain it in three chunks:

1. Read and listen to everything that came before now. Films too.

2. Leave home. Travel.

3. Bring something new to the tradition of your craft.

I would have to advise you to read and listen to anything you can get your hands and ears on.

Poetry: you should read it every day. Short stories, novels, all the classics. Get to it.

With music, you are going to have to step out of your comfort zone and visit the sounds and songs of those that came before the songwriters you are listening to now. Go back to the beginnings of your favorite genre. All of the greats studied the greats before them. If you are an American musician, you are doing yourself a dishonor by not listening to and studying the first American musicians who gave us jazz and the blues and the folk music that teaches you the chords and stories you need to know. There is a foundation there that is absolutely necessary if you wish you be a part of the constantly evolving family of musicians and artists, rather than the disposable, flavor of the month variety.

In North America, our "classical" music is jazz. Through serious suffering and eventual liberation came the blues. Finally, we were very fortunate to be the birthplace of rock and roll (disco, hip hop, etc.) and although we've had to have its message of ass shaking freedom re-explained to us time and time again by different generations from both sides of the pond, you won't find any of the long term successful people in these musical genres that didn't go back and study the greats that came before them.

You want to learn to write good songs? Then learn how to play the great songs of history. You like The Beatles? Learn Motown, Buddy Holly, and Cole Porter. Learn McCartney's bass lines. You like M. Ward? [...]

A Triple-A radio programming veteran, Kate has served as Music Director of the Loft at XM, Midday Host at WYEP, Evening Host at both WNCS and WUIN, as well as Content Supervisor for Pump Audio. Currently, she's the CEO of Outlandos Music, a new-music discovery service for grown-ups. Kate has been nationally recognized for her ardent presentation of music and her ability to champion talented, compelling artists.

The below correspondence was forwarded to us via an "unnamed source" so we can't vouch 100% for its accuracy, but in light of the recent - and verified - news of Corgan and Simpson recording together with longtime Corgan associate Kerry Brown producing, it certainly has the ring of authenticity.

Hey Jess-

Taking a break from the tracks we've been working to just drop you a quick note. This is seriously some of the best material I've written since my solo album The Future Embrace. And our version of "These Boots Are Made for Walking" is going to make you a huge favorite among the Pitchfork crowd (that's a popular website all about "hip" music). I think even Nancy Sinatra would approve.

Honestly, I haven't had this kind of chemistry with somebody in the studio since Courtney Love and I first did crystal meth for 2 weeks straight and I wrote most of Live Through This  for her. 

I remember the first time I saw you perform I KNEW that I'd someday sleep, er, work with you. I'll never forget-it was when you played the state fair to a special invite-only crowd made up of students from the Chicago School for the Hearing Impaired. As they stood in a muddy cow field, they hung on every overly-enunciated word you sang. It was magical. You were wearing those denim jeans that some in the press dubbed "mom jeans." If that's the case baby, you're one HOT MILF. Even when I saw you perform on the "Nick and Jessica Family Christmas Special" I started thinking of ways we could collaborate. (COLLABORATE col·lab·o·rate: kÉ�-la-bÉ�-rÄ�t) - to work, one with another; cooperate, as on a literary work: They collaborated on a novel.) I'm already thinking that we can turn it into a longform conceptual video too, like Thriller - hell, a feature film, let's think big!

Oh, by the way, Romo called me last week and offered his congratulations on us getting together. He told me to just ignore those bullshit superstitious rumors about you being bad luck. He said that was just Cowboys team jealousy and that his fans were clueless anyway. I told him that I agreed and that honestly, how could my career get any worse?

And let's just decide right here and now-FUCK THE PRESS. They'll say all kinds of things about us and we have to learn to ignore it. Most of these critics are just frustrated musicians who are obviously jealous of the kind of talent we possess. They've called me everything from an "indie-rock megalomaniac" to a "stoop-shouldered Uncle Fester." Hell, they even panned my book of poetry. It's something that superstars like us have to learn to accept about our lives-plain and simple.

Honestly, together we could become the next Buckingham/Nicks (I'll explain who that is later-take my word for it, it's a good thing).  So far I think the autotune is working out great-believe me, the indie rock kids (my adoring fans) have NEVER heard anything like this before. Ok, gotta back to the studio-can't wait to see you when you get back in town from your "Large & Lovely" promo tour!

xoxoxoxoxoxo

your Billy

An analog recording session with the band Flaming Fire at my place.
You can see the big tape machine in the back under the window

Musician walks into the control room of the recording studio - where the band listens back to their 1st performance of the day - and exclaims; OMG ! listen to that TAPE ! And he takes on a look of profound satisfaction and relief. And he owes this aural salvation to ..tape -- as opposed to digital.

 What's wrong with this moment ? (I wouldn't mention it had it not been tellingly repeated with other musicians and artists). Basically, tape got all the credit. My countless technical and creative choices were not the easy and comfortable explanation for the excellent sounds -- ahem.

Some things come with the territory.
 
Many musicians claim better results at analog/tape studios. Is it the gear, or the people and ears running the gear ? Older, more experienced engineers, or engineers with certain sensibilities at those studios might be the reason, as opposed to the tape itself.

I solicited a quote from another Brooklyn producer, Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony and the Johnsons, Phish, Sebadoh, Akron Family): "the true beauty of the medium is that analog recordings demand the participation of more professional operators. The limitations of analog recording enforce a level of discipline which digital does not. Sure the peak limiting is far smoother on analog....etc"

Well, more difficulty editing and fixing performances is one of those limitations of analog. And better musicians as well as engineers are more likely to be willing to work with those limitations (because they'll have less to fix), in order to get the hoped-for enhancement of tape. Better engineers and musicians = better sounding records no matter what

Aren't the sounds going to be only as good as the medium used to record them? And isn't some basic quality of that medium going to define the sound?

[sure, somewhat] - but comparing top end pro digital audio to analog is a lot closer than comparing say, film and video. Pro Digital is improving. The quality gap is closing

Brooklyn producer Joel Hamilton (Tom Waits, Nina Simone, Elvis Costello, Frank Black) of Studio G in Williamsburg chimed in with this (and he does use tape regularly): "None of the tape machines, which are simply tools for hanging on to something that me and the band fought very hard to collect, EVER made the record great for me. Conversely, none of the computer/digital based recording systems (including RADAR, ADAT, DAT or DASH ) EVER wrecked any of the records I made on them"

Credit and blame don't lie with the tools. Producers/engineers do what it takes to satisfy their ears.

Producers/engineers work hard to achieve a sound, alternately working with or against the recording medium. They try to achieve what's in their mind's ear. They don't capitulate to the sound inherent in the equipment or "capture format" (tape or digital conversion)

Joel Hamilton continues: "In both cases [digital and tape], I have to hear the result of the playback and make adjustments to everything affected by the capture format, to get the results we are looking/listening for. Mic position will always be 10 million times more important than the capture format"

Not all records made in the golden era of tape sounded great.

Please, please. When I started engineering in 1981, I was largely motivated by how much I hated the sounds of so many records.. not by LOVE. There was to my ear, more bad sounding records than good. I do wonder if the rose colored glasses of history are fully in place on this topic with most people. The great recordings of decades past are more likely to be remembered, and great music tends to flatter the recording (and vice versa)

Blaming the entire state of sound today on the "umbrella" technology of digital.

That would be like 20 years ago assuming that a pro analog recording would sound the same as recording onto a consumer analog cassette. In fact on the consumer level, digital and specifically MP3's are clearly worse than a good 'ole turntable was with decent vinyl. It's not surprising that people's vinyl sounds better than downloads on itunes. That shouldn't prejudice people to digital in the studio

Something's always retro.

Yep, there's a natural fear in people that "something is being lost" with changing technologies, lifestyles etc. It's human nature that someone's gonna be paranoid. So it makes sense that at the onset of digital in the 80's, some people asked "is the soul of music being lost, because it's being turned into digital 1's and 0's ?"

  "There is nothing to fear but fear itself" or ...see the advantages, and work on the rest


find Martin Bisi music and show dates on his Myspace

The Grease Band - Grease Band

By Carl Hanni

The Grease Band: you've probably heard them, whether you know it or not. At least, if you listened to any British rock & roll in the 1970s. 

The Grease Band's self-titled debut was released in 1971, on Leon Russell's Shelter Records imprint, home to Freddie King and JJ Cale among others. A second one came out in 1975; I've never heard it, or even seen a copy. They were five Brits, vocalist and guitar ace Henry McCullough, guitar player Neil Hubbard, bass player Alan Spenner, drummer Bruce Rowlands and keyboard player/arranger/producer Chris Stainton, for some 70s reason listed as "Phil Harmonious Plunk" on the credits. Stainton also shares production credits on the record, along with the band and Nigel Thomas. 

By the time of this release The Grease Band had been working as Joe Cocker's back up band, appearing piecemeal on his debut With A Little Help From My Friends, wholly on his classic second release Joe Cocker!" and backing him up at his famous Woodstock appearance. Stainton was also a key member of Cocker's legendary mega band/traveling circus Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour and album in 1970. Furthermore, the band, minus Stainton, were the principal players on the original release of Jesus Christ Superstar, a musical footnote that seems mysteriously lost in the mists of time (no mention in All Music, etc.). 

Like many records of the time, The Grease Band is an uneven release, with at least one more or less forgettable number, a few mid-range ones and a few killer tracks. Why should you care, or why should I spend any time trying to make you care? Because on at least four or five of these tracks The Grease Band shows How It's Supposed To Be Done, and because The Grease Band had Henry McCullough and Chris Stainton, a pair of true adepts.   

And because The Grease Band fully embody That Sound: that early ‘70s, warm, fabulously rich (here it comes...) ANALOG sound that folks are still trying to get back to. That sound is evident on the first track, a funky vamp on Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup's "My Baby Left Me" that sidles in and stands around for a few moments before suddenly picking up speed and wrapping itself around McCullough's ragged voice. But what you want out of this track is McCullough's knotty solo, a few short moments of biting, swooping blues-rock guitar candy with a brutal tone to turn others to stone. This little bit of guitar grease puts McCullough right in there with the other British blues-rock guitarists of the time, at least the likes of Rory Gallagher, Kim Simmons, Peter Green and Alvin Lee, if not quite Jeff Beck or Jimmy Page. 

McCullough's acoustic-based numbers like "Mistake No Doubt," "Let it be Gone" and "All I Wanna Do" are solid and well worth repeat listens, especially the ghostly chorus on "Mistake No Doubt." And the lovely gospel-folk "To The Lord" should have/could have run in the end credits to an episode of "Deadwood." But what The Grease Band really excel at is an original take on methodical, mid-tempo rocking, and  "Willie and the Pig"  "Laugh at the Judge" and "Jessie James" nail it to the barn door. "Willie and the Pig" is all snaky, buzzing guitars, multi-tracked keyboards and McCullough's nasally voice married to a sexy, flat beat.  "Jessie James" is a blues rocker w/a country undercurrent that sounds something like a kissing cousin to Fleetwood Mac's "Hi Ho Silver" that came out the year before on Kiln House. But "Laugh at the Judge" is the real ringer, a truly funky rocker that takes the famous Chuck Berry guitar riff, spins it on its ear and puts a funky groove and Stainton's rhythm organ underneath. By the end Stainton's top shelf/lead organ steals the show, hitting notes on the outro as high as any I've ever heard. The album ends w/the beautiful acoustic lament "The Visitor," with Stainton's organ (or maybe harmonium) again taking the lead.

Throughout the record Spenner and Rowlands' rhythm section is flexible, providing intuitive accompaniment to whatever comes their way. There's a cohesiveness evident from the time spent touring and recording together that really shows in how generally relaxed and together the band sounds. There's real joy in how they play together, also evident in the cover photos; these guys are obviously loose and having a good time.

McCullough went on to play in Wings w/Paul McCartney and record with Spooky Tooth, Roy Harper, Marianne Faithful and others. Spenner and Hubbard later played on records by Roxy Music; Stainton is a widely travelled player, playing on numerous releases by Eric Clapton + more by Cocker, Pete Townsend and many more. 

The Grease Band. Yes, they were. 

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Carl Hanni is a music writer, music publicist, disc jockey, book hound and vinyl archivist living in Tucson, AZ. He hosts a monthly concert and film series at The Screening Room in downtown Tucson, and spins records wherever and whenever he can. He believes that in a better (all analog) world all records would be released on vinyl, but takes good music from wherever he finds it--even on CD. He currently write for Blurt, Tucson Weekly, Goldmine, Examiner.com and (occasionally) Signal To Noise.