Monthly archive

April 2017 - Page 2

Kid Rocker and the Phantoms

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kid rocker
kid rocker
Kid Rocker and the Phantoms – She’s the Girl

Kid Rocker and the Phantoms – She’s the Girl

Crazy Gator CGR45001 [1995]
She’s the Girl – I’m On the Prowl

At only 14, Kid Rocker (real name Dean Micetich) was a teenage sensation when he appeared on the rockin’ scene in the mid 90’s. On this single, he’s singing and playing lead guitar backed by Mouse Zinn (Red Hot’n’Blue, Space Cadets, Switchblade) who also wrote the two songs, Les Curtis (Bob and the bearcats) on drums and Mo Kabir (Sugar Ray’s Flying Fortress) on double bass.
The result is an excellent single with a frantic rocker on side one with good backing vocals and a slower and more threatening tune on b-side, typical of the sound one can find in many bands of that period.

Kid Rocker and the Phantoms - Ready to Go
Kid Rocker and the Phantoms – Ready to Go

Kid Rocker and the Phantoms – Ready to Go!

Crazy Gator CGRLP001 [1995]
Ready to Go! – Crazy Joe – Crazy Little baby – You Know That I Love You – Watch Out! – She the Girl 2 – If You Tell Me Now – Everybody Rock – Once Bitten, Twice Shy

This 10″ album was released shortly after the single with the same line-up and still with Mouse writing all the material (except for one song penned by Kid Rocker). Being a huge fan of Red Hot’n’Blue, I won’t complain.
This mini-album is made of more or less the same style that you find on his single but with nine songs it’s no surprise to find a little more diversity with some hillbilly and a good dose of rockin’ blues and Watch Out! that evokes Johnny Kidd’s Casting My Spell.
There’s also a couple of guests to expand the sound of the band, with Philip Carramazza on sax (You Know That I Love You and a new take of She’s the girl) and Phil “Hot Lips” Rawson on harmonica (Everybody Rock ) as well as Elaine Rawson on percussions.
The good thing is that despite having Mouse writing all the material and the fact that both both Rawson and Carramazza played with Red Hot’n’Blue, Kid Rocker has enough personality in his vocal and his guitar play to develop a sound of his own. One can feel that Mouse helped him to find his style, rather than model him to suit their own style.

Kid Rocker
Kid Rocker

White Lines (the)

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The White Lines - Rockabilly Fever
The White Lines - Rockabilly Fever
The White Lines – Rockabilly Fever

The White Lines – Rockabilly Fever

Rebel Music RM 5002 [2003]
We Do The Bop – Drivin´ Down The Highway –  Thinkin´ Of You – Rock ´n´ Roll Satisfies Your Soul – Fall In Love – Rockabilly Fever – Last Day – White Line Boogie –  Immer Zu Spät – Tell Me Pretty Baby – Rockabilly Beat – Once Again

Nothing exceptionnal or revolutionnary here but a solid album of Rockabilly influenced by Sun records. On this album, made of self penned songs, the German quartet (Bernd Tesch: Acoustic Bass, Lead Vocals,Carsten Tesch: Lead Guitar, Olaf Tesch: Rhythm Guitar and Ralph Jensen on drums) sound is not that far from what you could find in England with bands like the Crawdads or the Slingshots.

Firebird

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Firebird - Buildin A Hot Rod
Firebird - Buildin A Hot Rod
Firebird – Buildin A Hot Rod

Firebird – Buildin A Hot Rod

Independent release
Buildin’ a Hot Rod. Always Rockin 88. Local Honky Tonk. Lonely Hotel.Well All Right, Well OK. Vampira. Fire Up the Motor. If I Ain’t Got You. Knock Knock Knockin. Itchin’ Scratchin. Hot Rod Woman. Cryin’ I’m So Blue. Back Door Slammer

Australia have always provided some good rockers and quality bands and this trio will not contradict this assertion. It should be said that the three blokes have already some solid experience : Chris Nomad the double bass player and singer theethed with the Hilbilly Hellcats in Los Angeles, Pete Belair received the “Tamworth Golden Guitar award” at the age of 18 years and Matt De Ville is a hard-hitter (of drumskins of course!).The arsonist name of the band (even if it’s a bird story) and the title of their first album “Buildin’ a Hot Rod” summarizes the situation rather well. A hot-rod is an home-made powerful but bare vehicle and that is what this band and first album are all about : some 13 self penned and produced songs are the body of that firebird hot-rod and the roaring engine is made up of without tricks energy and power but with the “guitar/bass/drums” simple but fully tried and tested old magic formula. This formula had already been exploited in the early eighties by the Stray Cats and more recently by Brian Setzer with his “68 Comeback” which is without any question a reference of the Firebird trio. It sounds clear listening to the first eponymous track. Another influence may also be The Paladins and other energetic bands as Batmobile. The guys have suckled both from the pioneers breast (some Cochran, Elvis and Sun sounds like their “love my baby inspired” “Back Door Slammer”) but also from the bosom of modernity and their rockabilly, blues, honky-tonk songs are wrapped up in electricity and mighty slappin bass even sprinkled with some psychobilly (“Vampira”). To summarize this more than promising first album I could say “It smells good fatty motor oil”
Check their site at www.firebirdtrio.com

Dave “Long Tall” Phisel

CC Jerome’s Jetsetters

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CC Jerome's Jetsetters
CC Jerome's Jetsetters
CC Jerome’s Jetsetters

CC Jerome’s Jetsetters – Introducing…

El Toro ETCD6042
Hot Rod Party – Oh Baby – Mohair Sam – I’m on Fire – Wine and Roses – I’m Ready – Getting Drunk – I’m in love with you – Trouble up the road – Sugarbee – Hi Fi baby – Where can I get some stuff – Honey Hush

Dutchman CC Jerome has spent a decade in the USA, working with Lee Rocker, Pep Torres and Levi Dexter. He recently returned to Europe where he recorded this album.
It opens with one of the four originals penned by CC Jerome/Jerome Van Gasteren, a wild rockin’ blues tune with sax. Next is a soulfull cover of Barbara Lynn’s Oh Baby. Ex-Blasters Gene Taylor guests on Hammond organ on Charlie Rich’s Mohair Sam. Still with Taylor, this time on full Jerry Lee mode, the killer’s I’m On Fire is less convincing, like Fats Domino’s I’m Ready. Sure this songs are pleasant but they don’t have that little extra that transforms a good cover into a great song.
I find them more at ease on blues numbers like the second tune written by Gasteren, Wine and Roses a solid Chicago blues number, featuring Big Pete on blues harp (a very well known figure on the blues scene) or Johnny Guitar Watson’s Getting Drunk. I’m In Love With You is a superb ballad with horns, another Gasteren original and probably one of the strongest cut of this album. Their cover of Jackie Brenston’s Trouble up the Road is played a little bit too fast for me and loose the menacing aspect of the original. Big Pete returns on Cleveland Crochet’s Sugarbee, also featuring nice bluesy licks from Jerome. Where Can I Get Some Stuff, another originals, is a Mexican inspired number with trumpets and spanish guitar. The set closes with Big Joe Turner’s Honey Hush featuring the boogie woogie piano of Gene Taylor and some saxes too.
“Introducing…” is a good album but I believe they should stay focused on the blues idiom and write more originals, the four included here being by far the best songs of the album..

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Cari Lee and The Contenders / and the Saddle-Ites

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Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites - Brought To You Via Saddle-Ite
Cari Lee & The Contenders - Scorched
Cari Lee & The Contenders – Scorched

Cari Lee & The Contenders – Scorched

Startone Records ST113 [2005]
I Think About You – The Lover’s Curse Scorched – Fine Fine Man – Burnt Toast & Black Coffee – How Come? – I’m A Little Mixed Up – Don’t Be A Fool – You Shock Me – Little Red Rooster – Now I’m Gonna Roll
Hey guys and gals, welcome to Fred’s cooking recipe. Today’s recipe is : how to make an outstanding rhythm and blues album. Take a bunch of fine musicians : T Jarrod Bonta (today when you think «piano», 2 names come in mind : Bonta and Leyland), Ryan Gould on bass (Dave Biller’s gipsy jazz album), Damien Llanes on drums (Nick Curran, Deke Dickerson), Don Torosian on sax and of course Steve Merritt on guitar. Add a great female singer with a musical range that goes from Rose Maddox to Etta James and everything in between. Gather all this ingredient in one of the best studio for this kind of music (Fort Horton) with the right producer (Billy Horton). Make ‘em play some Cari Lee’s originals (I Think About You and its driving piano, the jumpin’ Fine Fine Man – wich is also available on the cd-rom part of this cd)and a couple of well choosen covers: The Lover’s Curse (Cari Lee’s voice would melt anything or anyone on this one), Mike Pedicin’s Burnt Toast and Black Coffee and How Come first sung by Anita O’ Day. Don’t hesitate to mix tempos and moods (the pre-rock’n’roll Scorched, the jazzy How Come? and the bluesy Little Red Rooster). And that’s it ! Easy isn’t it? Serve hot. Very hot!
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites - Brought To You Via Saddle-Ite
Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites – Brought To You Via Saddle-Ite

Cari Lee & The Saddle-Ites – Brought To You Via Saddle-Ite

Startone Records ST114 [2006]
From Monday On -. Keep Me Company -. We Tied The Knot -. I’m Hoping That You’re Hoping -. It’s Alright By Me -. When Your Way Gets Dark -. Life Is Sweet – Nine Little Kisses -. After All -. Heaven Only Knows -. Throw A Little Wood On The Fire – Brown Eyed Dream -. Did You Ever Come Home -. Are You Lonesome – It’s A Doggone Shame
Produced by Billy Horton with some highly talented guests (Bobby Trimble, Dave Biller, John Doyle, T Bonta, Bobby Horton), Cari Lee and the Saddle-Ites give us, with this album, their best effort to date, without any doubt. The production work is faultless and they have the will to make each song distinctive from the other. The opening track “From Monday On”, a Bing Crosby tune from 1928, swings like hell and bassist Danny Santos on duet vocal is a nice addition to the band. “I’m hoping…” starts with some gipsy swing pattern and soon turns into a dark mood tune, partly due to the haunting steel. “It’s Alright By Me” and “Did You Ever Come Home” are more in the vein of their previous efforts and when it comes to do a Rose Maddox song, you wont find anybody to beat Cari Lee (the same way Marti Brom is unbeatable on Patsy Cline). “Are You Lonesome?” is a fine rockin’ boogie and could come from the “Scorched” sessions. I don’t have too much to say about “Life Is Sweet” except it’s simply beautiful, simplicity could be so hard to reach sometimes. Danny Santos doesn’t only sing duets. but takes lead on five songs. Some are co-written with guitarist Steve Merritt like the swinging “We Tied The Knot” with superb guitar parts by Steve Merritt and Doyle on clarinet.while “Heaven Only Knows” brings a bit of honky tonk to the mix and Shorty Long’s “Nine Little Kisses” has a strong Bill Haley & His Saddlemen feel in it.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

Tip Top trio (the)

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Tip Top Trio
Tip Top Trio
Tip Top Trio

The Tip Top Trio

Daddy-o / Git’ Cat / Red Hot / Don’t Pretend / I Hate L.a. / Rockabilly Rocket / Dream Girl / You Won’t Say It / Besame Mucho / Rockabilly V.d. / Betty In A Sweater / Shut Your Mouth (feat. Melissa Callaway) / Move, Move, Move
It’s very disappointing to discover an exciting new band and in the same time hear the news of their demise. Though the Tip Top Trio didn’t officially break up, they slowly retired from playing live. At least we have their hot debut album.
This drummerless trio plays a brand of rockabilly solidly anchored in the fifties but often played at a frantic pace with here and there a strong touch of neo-rockabilly. The whole thing is very well recorded with a very clean sound (you can distincly hear each instrument and both the bass lines and the slap !), but clean doesn’t mean sterile, don’t be afraid. Another strong point is that these are all self penned songs, with the exception of Besame Mucho. But the most important is that each of them can sing lead which adds a lot of variety all through the 13 sides of this record. In the same way, the b-vox are rich with “question and answer” type of songs. Talking about singer, let’s not forget Melissa Callaway who guests on “Shut Your Mouth”. And with the lyrics included in the booklet you can yourself sing with the band.
A solid debut album, played by three talented musicians with a good and fresh attitude. Nice job boys, so don’t hesitate to go out of retirement and make another one in a not so far future.
Find it at cdbaby.
Fred “Virgil” Turgis

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