Virgil

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

The Tall Boys

The Tall Boys - Live at the Klub Foot
The Tall Boys - Live at the Klub Foot
The Tall Boys – Live at the Klub Foot

The Tall Boys – Live at the Klub Foot

Trophy Records TR001
Introduction – Dragster – Last House On The Left – Brand New Gun – Funtime – Take A Walk – Final Kick – Ride This Torpedo – Action Woman – Through A Glass – Rock ‘n’ Roll Party

Recently Alan Wilson (of Western Star and the Sharks fame) found a box full of tapes recorded at the Klub Foot, the mecca of Psychobilly and Neo-rockabilly in the mid-80’s. These tapes needed to be restored and cleaned, a very costly process and two of these shows (Batmobile and Sting Rays) were released on Anagram/Cherry Red Records. Sadly the sales weren’t enough for the label and they called it quit. Knowing he had history in his hands, Wilson created a sub-label to his own Western Star to keep on releasing this stuff.The first release of the serie is the Tall Boys. For the younger ones they were formed by Nigel Lewis and Mark Robertson both from the original line-up of the Meteors and also the Escalators.
In less than 30 minutes, loaded with energy, they rip through a set of originals and covers mixing garage, punk, rockabilly with a bit of new wave, all rolled into one. I’ve always been a fan of their studio recordings (try the Big Beat/Ace album if you don’t know it) but they take their full dimension on stage.

The Helldivers

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The Helldivers - Starlight Rock’n’Bop
The Helldivers - Starlight Rock’n’Bop
The Helldivers – Starlight Rock’n’Bop

The Helldivers – Starlight Rock’n’Bop

Wild Hare Records.RB05001
Starlight Rock ‘n’ Bop – Real Live Doll Lucky Penny – True Blue Lover Lonesome Wind – Feel So Bad – Hot Rod Boogie – Tough Tops Gone – Yeah She’s Mine – Rhythm Gonna Rock You Street Angel House Devil – Jet Plane Jump – Up A Pole – Water Boilin’
Second album of another promising young american band. When punks decide to play rockabilly, the result is a band with a name of a second world war bomber and a very «angry» first album in 2004 «Down To Nickles and Dimes». This second one titled «Starlight Rock’ Bop» is much more authentic. It is funny to hear these young people who started with saturated guitars now backing to the past and sounding just like in «54-55». Because it is all about that; the fourteen pieces (with only one cover, the Joe Penny’s «Real Live Doll», another horse of the Wild Hare Records stable which was a formed part of Hank Williams «Driftin’ Cowboys») are recorded by the guitarist Dave Moore (in its studio New Hope of Berkeley Springs) on vintage material and sound fiendishly» fifties just like these guys have sold their souls to the devil ! Listen to the first eponymous piece and you will understand what I’m talking about; there is some Pat Cupp in it and it is not by accident if he signed the liner notes! Moreover it is Ace Brown (singer and guitarist) and Johnny Bones (double bass player) assisted by the young Eddie Clendening which has accompanied the «old cat» in Green Bay and will «set the table again» at the Hemsby weekender in October 2005.I recommend you the entire album and pieces like «True Blue Lover», «Hot Rod Boogie», «Yeah, She’ s Mine», «Up has Poole» «Water Boilin’» and especially «Rhythm Gonna Rock You» (What a good one!) will undoubtedly blow your top. If you do agree, I’ll offer you a beer on our next meeting !
David Phisel

Blue Velvet (Ringlets Trio)

Blue Velvet - Rockabilly Trio
Blue Velvet - Rockabilly Trio
Blue Velvet – Rockabilly Trio

Blue Velvet – Rockabilly Trio

Rumble Records – RUMBCD019
Sixteen Chicks – Something I Said – Tennessee Zip – I’m Headin’ Home – Slippin’ Out ‘N’ Sneakin’ In – Baby I Don’t Care – Midnight Shift – Little Red Waggon – Ballin’ Keen – Long Blond Hair – Rock ‘N’ Roll Ruby -New Girl Friend – Wishing

Blue Velvet was a side project of Gunnar Fick of the Ringlets Trio. hey were gunnar Fick (double bass), Klaus Treude (guitar) and Christof Woller (drums). They recorded this album in 1992 and it was released three years later. The songs are mostly well-known covers and the sound is similar to the Ringlets Trio with some Psychobilly influences on a couple of numbers.
Far from being essential.

See also Ringlets Trio and Honky Tonk Pounders.

Benny and the Fly-by-niters

Benny and the Fly-by-niters - Watch Yourself
Benny and the Fly-by-niters - Watch Yourself
Benny and the Fly-by-niters – Watch Yourself

Benny and the Fly-by-niters – Watch Yourself

Rhythm Bomb Records RBR 5837 [2016]
Next Time I’ll Listen – Crazy Crazy Baby – Take Off Mama – Bennny’s Bop – Can’t Get Along – The Blues Is A Feeling – Texas Bound – Watch Yourself – Pork Chops – Drink It Up – Mina’s Blues

 

Australia’s Benny Peters returns with a brand new album nearly ten years after the excellent Hey Now!  Whereas Be Good or Be Gone and Hey Now! had been recorded at Fort Horton with an agregation of the finest Austin musicians,Watch Yourself sees benny return to Australia (Ignition Studio in Melbourne) and some of the Fly-by-niters who play on this platter (Attilio Vecchio: double bass; Andrew Lindsay: drums; Dean Hilson and Alex Howroyd: saxes; James Black: piano) were already present on his debut album back in the early 2000’s.

If you’re looking for fifties sounding Rhythm’n’ blues and Jump Blues, look no further, Peters is one of the very best at this game (and by best I mean there are only two or three bands who actually can seriously compete with him). Everything here is near perfect, the sound – you’d swear you listen to late forties/early fifties recordings – the playing, the arrangements, the songs (all originals) and to top it all, Benny’s voice. The band is tight and has plenty of room to let the talent of each individuality shine.
In addition to the genres already mentionned, the menu is spiced with some hot Rock’n’roll (the Little Richard influenced Crazy Crazy Baby), blues (the Blues is a feeling) and some Be Bop can be heard on the two instrumentals Benny’s Bop and Mina’s Blues (penned by saxman Dean Hilson).

Recommended if you like: Pee Wee Crayton, Tiny Grimes, Gatemouth Brown…

Benny And The Fly-By-Niters ‎– The Many Sides Of
Benny And The Fly-By-Niters ‎– The Many Sides Of

Benny and the Fly-by-niters – the many sides of…

Rhythm Bomb Records RBR 5836 [2016]
Straighten up Mama-  Two Dollar Woman – Wolfman – Wild Cherry – The Way You Do – Jet Propelled Daddy – Benny’s Bounce – If You Ever Get Lonesome – Party Like Never Before – You Ain’t Puttin’ Out Nothin’ but the Lights – Be Good or Be Gone – She Knocks me Out – Huckle Boogie – Wonder When You’re Coming Home – Hey Now – Tell me Pretty Baby- Let’s Rock and Roll – Hammerhead – Loosen Up – RM Blues

 

 

Not only Rhythm Bomb had the good idea to release Benny and the Fly-by-Niters’s brand new album (Watch Yourself), the label also gathered some of the combo’s best sides from their now hard to find previous albums (Jet Propelled Daddy, Be Good or Be Gone, Hey Now) to release a 20 track jump bomb. All killers, no fillers (no wonder if you take a look at the musicians involved, Andrew Lindsay, Matt Farrell, Preston Hubbard, Jonathan Doyle, Murph Motycka, Dean Hinson, Damien Llanes etc.) This compilation is the perfect companion to Benny’s most recent album.

 

Fred “Virgil” Turgis

 

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