VENETIC

Music Writing 2012

by W.S. McCallum

The DHDFD’s

at Space Monster

Wanganui

28 April 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

The DHDFD’s, from Auckland, were touring with Mothers of Darkness, who I did not get a proper impression of because I was zipping between Space Monster and the ARC Theatre’s final night next door (to be covered in the next instalment), trying to take in what was happening at two venues at the same time. I am glad I got my timing right to catch the whole of the DHDFD’s set though.

Their energy level was very high; up there with the D4s. The pace of the music, which they themselves describe as “punk rock” was frenetic, with a level of musicianship far above and beyond what most punk bands are capable of. It was a blindingly fast manic sonic wall, punctuated with Scot Brown hurling himself around the room like a Mexican jumping bean.

(W.S. McCallum)

More photos of The DHDFD’s

The DHDFD’s have a sound that is incredibly dense in its complexity: the bass playing by Joel Beeby provides the basic pulse, that the drums and guitar buzz over the top of like crazed wasps, although most of the audience were too distracted by Scot Brown’s antics to notice the musicians overly. The front man was the proverbial icing on the cake, mixing it up with the audience, jumping on and off items of furniture, and never failing to hold the crowd’s attention. A band worth watching out for if they come your way.

The Sonics

at The King’s Arms

Auckland

18 April 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

The posters slapped up on walls, poles and bollards around Auckland showed The Sonics in their original incarnation: loud teenage rockers with attitude, who did raucous Little Richard covers, and outrageous originals that scared adults back in the early 1960s, when rock’n’roll was still getting over the fact that Elvis had joined the army. The song titles said it all: “Psycho”, “The Witch”, “Strychnine”, “Boss Hoss” – tales of head cases, evil women, poison and fast cars. Even their boring song titles concealed outrageous tales of terror: “He’s Waitin’ ” is about a young fellow who has found out about his lying and cheating girlfriend’s duplicitous ways, and in revenge has called up Satan to drag her off to Hell.

The Sonics, from Tacoma, Washington State, have long been legends. Their original albums were impossibly hard to get until they were reissued in the 1980s by the Parisian label New Rose, and even then you had to get them on import. Fortunately, in recent years, Norton Records have reissued their first two albums and more, and you can even obtain previous unreleased songs like their early demo and home recordings, and oddities and rarities recorded by the band in its folk rock phase in the late 1960s. Nevertheless, The Sonics did not attain any real international profile until their anthem “Have Love Will Travel” was used as the background music for a TV advertisement in the early 21st century. Suddenly the Internet generation discovered a new band that sounded surprisingly contemporary, yet was actually from the early 1960s, and The Sonics found themselves with a large new audience. Eventually, the original members of The Sonics reformed, and began playing garage rock festivals and touring North America and Europe.

This was their first trip to New Zealand and it was fascinating looking at the demographics of the audience. Most of the people at the King’s Arms were under 30 (the Internet generation), with the remainder mainly being in the 31-50 age group, with a substantial mattering of older people, some of whom were well into their seventies. The band meant different things to all of these groups – the younger set were there to see the garage rock legend, whilst the oldest members of the audience were there to watch some of their contemporaries from the second wave of US rock’n’roll.

I went in wondering what the show was going to be like. I did not expect to see the savage young Sonics, as all of the band’s members are in their sixties now. I did however hope to get a glimpse of what made them so great, and get a feel for what it must have been to see them play venues like The Spanish Castle in the glory days of Northwest rock, before the Beatles invaded America and changed the rules forever. In that respect, they did not disappoint me at all. They are no longer the young rockers they once were, but they are definitely the best bar band I have ever seen.

The Sonics (W.S. McCallum)

The Sonics offered up a good cross-section of standards from back in the day such as “Money” and “Louie Louie” (their recording of it walks all over The Kingsmen’s version), along with a Little Richard cover or two. They also playing stonking versions of their original early songs like “Psycho”, “The Witch”, “Strychnine”, “Boss Hoss”, and “Have Love Will Travel”. Gerry Roslie’s scream may not have been as blood-curdling as it used to be, but his vocal delivery still has that cutting edge that used to frighten parents and radio programmers, and Larry Parypa on guitar was eager to prove that he is an even better guitarist now than he was then. The garage rock purists might have cringed at his guitar solos, but they weren’t overly long, and they did fit in with the tenor of the originals, even though, strictly speaking, they were anachronisms.

The Sonics also presented material off their latest album, and they meshed in well with the older songs, being about pressing topics like evil girlfriends and the necessity of wearing shades in order to survive in the modern world.

After playing strongly for an hour, to the audience’s great delight, the only down side to the whole show was the encore, which strangely fizzled. Two members of the band were game, but it looked like the rest had to be dragged out of the dressing room, and they did not stay up there long. Still, it was a show I will never forget, and if you had told me back in 1987 when I got The Sonics first two albums on import that one day I would get to see them live, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.

Tin Soldiers and Dictaphone Blues

at Space Monster

Wanganui

14 April 2012

There were a few new items to admire at Space Monster on Saturday night when I arrived early, including stereo speakers rigged up in the foyer downstairs so that the smokers and street malingerers could listen to the bands, a very Space-Age looking floor lamp behind the counter upstairs, and a few new additions to the artwork and accoutrements around the place, all designed to add to the atmosphere.

Tin Soldiers, from Wellington, were a last-minute replacement as the support band that night and presented a modern, sophisticated form of indy rock, with intelligent lyrics and understated presentation. They were very warmly received by the audience.

Tin Soldiers (W.S. McCallum)

Dictaphone Blues, who originate from Christchurch but are based in Auckland, and who have recorded two CDs and a vinyl single, were presenting their latest album as part of a national tour. Their sound was a challenging mix of sometimes wild psychedelic guitar, 70s power pop, sing-along songs, and even had a bit of garage rock guitar thrown in. Along with being consummate musicians, Dictaphone Blues served up a heady mix and had various people dancing wildly and relating vigorously to the songs about love and loss.

Dictaphone Blues (W.S. McCallum)

It was a busy weekend at Space Monster, as the Saturday night line-up was followed by another show on Sunday night, but unfortunately I was foiled by the early evening start time and turned up too late to see anything. Better luck next time.

Roky Erickson

at the Power Station

Auckland

7 March 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

Most of the people I mentioned this concert to had no clue who Roky Ericson was. One or two made the link when I mentioned that he was in the 13th Floor Elevators, but generally I drew a blank, so it’s time for a bit of background first…

The 13th Floor Elevators formed in Austin, Texas in 1965. They soon made a name for themselves in Austin and beyond with their first album, released in 1966. Entitled The Psychedelic Sounds of the 13th Floor Elevators, it was the very first album to use the word “psychedelic” in its title, and placed the band on the map as the leading light in a genre that, at that time, most people had never heard of. Hindered by being on a minor label that had next to no money to promote them, the band nonetheless managed to get to San Francisco that year and played the Avalon Ballroom and the Filmore, but unlike fellow Texans Janis Joplin and Steve Miller, they failed to make a lasting impression in California. Returning to Texas, they released two more studio albums and a dubious “live” album before falling apart at the end of the 1960s as a result of lack of money, problems with their record company, drugs, and police harassment.

It is safe to say, judging from the interviews with various Texas cops conducted by Paul Drummond, author of Eye Mind, the history of the band, that the local police were definitely out to get the 13th Floor Elevators. At a time when walking down the street wearing anything longer than short back and sides was enough to get you stopped and questioned in Texas, a group that made its name by singing about mind-expanding drugs was definitely not something the State’s police were going to tolerate for long. Other members of the band had been busted earlier, but the police did not manage to catch up with Roky Ericson until late 1969, when he was caught with a small amount of marijuana and was charged with “offending the peace and dignity of the State”. He was placed in Rusk State Hospital for the Criminally Insane, and heavily medicated, in spite of the institution’s director, J.A. Hunter, stating “Erickson is legally sane but I feel he still requires hospitalization for the welfare of himself and others.” He did not get released until 1972, when, as a result of petitioning from Erickson’s family, a judge finally declared him sane and free to go.

Roky Erickson went on to pursue an erratic solo career in the 1970s, most notably as “Roky Erickson & The Aliens”, following his public announcement in 1975 that he was an alien from another planet. Since then, he has performed periodically, but has been dogged by ill-health as a result of LSD consumption in the late 1960s, the effects of his period of incarceration, and subsequent mental health issues.

Consequently, I was ready for the worst that evening, and I had premonitions of having to walk out if the show turned out to be a train wreck.

In the last two years or so, Roky Erickson has received rave reviews for an album he did with the band Okkervil River, and very good concert reviews for the tour around the US he did with them. That evening, at the Power Station, he had another backing band, from Austin, who were an unknown quantity. They did a support slot by themselves prior to Roky Erickson performing and, frankly, were unimpressive. My worst fears began mounting. You know the sort of thing - you finally get to see one of the seminal figures of 60s music perform, and the whole thing is a wash-out because he’s off his head and the backing band don’t know what they’re doing.

Happily, this wasn’t the case. Roky Erickson did hold it all together, although his guitar playing was of an occasional nature and somewhat free-form, and he had the backing band exchanging glances from time to time: “is the solo over or is he going to play a few more bars?” – that sort of thing. And I don’t know what happened in the short interval between them playing their stuff and Roky’s, but once they started chugging away on his songs, everything fell into place.

Highlights included “Good-bye Sweet Dreams” from the album with Okkervil River, “Two Headed Dog” from his days with The Aliens, and, glory hallelujah, various 13th Floor Elevator songs. Although he was getting a bit rough around the edges by the closing song “You’re Gonna Miss Me”, which Roky Erickson wrote at the age of 15, his performances of “Reverberation” and “Splash 1” (also from Psychedelic Sounds) hit the mark nicely. It was one of those concerts that leaves you with a warm inner glow afterwards, and a feeling of accomplishment for finally having managed to see one of your heroes perform live.

The Barons of Tang

at Space Monster

Wanganui

25 February 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

I had no idea what to expect of the Barons of Tang, knowing nothing about them other than the fact they were from Australia (Melbourne to be precise). They threw a few of the crowd waiting outside off-balance by actually doing a short rehearsal prior to starting their set, but everyone soon flocked back into Space Monster once they started in earnest. They are touring New Zealand to promote their EP Knots and Tangles, and play boisterous Eastern European-influenced music intermixed with a healthy dose of manic punk rock and a Bohemian cabaret attitude.

The Barons of Tang (W.S. McCallum)

More photos of The Barons of Tang

Their stand-out song was “Even If You’re Missing Fingers You Can Make A Fist”, and their performance was both raw and technically accomplished, with the various instruments expertly weaving their way through the arrangements, which included a number of tricky stops and starts. The local audience enjoyed the proceedings immensely, and I had to dodge the waving arms and hair of some woman dancing like a berserker beside me at one point. The audience was a bit more age-diverse than usual that evening too – a great night out.

Shenandoah Davis

at Space Monster

Wanganui

9 February 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

The house was pretty full when I arrived in time to see Shenandoah Davis and her support musicians setting up. A good number of people had turned out to see her perform songs from her latest album, called The Company We Keep. Originally from the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains (a locale which will be familiar to fans of James Bond novels), she moved across the North American continent to Seattle in the latter half of the last decade and established her musical reputation there.

Shenandoah Davis (W.S. McCallum)

With accompaniment from an accordeon player, drummer and cellist, Shenandoah Davis played a keyboard and sang in her own particular style, which is slightly reminiscent of Karen Dalton, a now departed contemporary of Bob Dylan’s, as well as showing classical, jazz and cabaret influences, all of which she has shaped into something of her own.

The songs were about hope and heartache, love found and lost, memories of things past and hopes for the future. The musical backdrop was flawless, and the cellist from Wellington who was playing with them for the first time deserves applause for an outstanding performance.

The Spunks, Mr. Slackjaw, The Dobermen,

Grand Chancellors, and Thee Oh Sees

at ARC Theatre

Wanganui

29 January 2012

(W.S. McCallum)

ARC strikes again! Five bands for $20 is particularly good value, particularly when one of the bands has come all the way from the USA. I arrived in time to catch the closing part of The Spunks’ act, with their animated frontman spinning musical stories very expertly.

The Spunks (W.S. McCallum)

Mr. Slackjaw who, like The Spunks, is from Auckland, provided an enthusiastic solo follow-up on his Gibson flying V guitar, including a Gun Club cover which went down well. His hands flew over the frets. It was a shame his set wasn’t longer, but this may have been a scheduling issue as there were a lot of acts to get through that evening.

Mr. Slackjaw (W.S. McCallum)

The Dobermen from Wanganui were next, and provided a blisteringly energetic set of original surf instrumental pieces with titles like “River City Rumble”, and “Crude Dudes With Attitude” (their theme song???) Interspersed with periodic barking and howling from Brandon, they were great fun to watch.

The Dobermen (W.S. McCallum)

Grand Chancellors came up from Christchurch to play but fortunately were definitely not as shaky as the collapsing earthquake-struck hotel that they were named after. Along with Dylan Herkes (Mr Tape Man) and Shaking Luke Wood on guitars was Mr Bad Evil on drums. They provided some rough and ready rock with a gonzo attitude that went down well with the audience.

Grand Chancellors (W.S. McCallum)

The headline act that evening from the United States were Thee Oh Sees and they were a stunning ensemble. They veered from sixties-inspired garage rock to something altogether more modern in their act and were very together in their approach, with a seamless sound. The two-drummer line-up gave them an amazing boost without overwhelming the rest of the instruments and, although loud, the audio mix was impeccable.

Thee Oh Sees (W.S. McCallum)

And all for just $20. It would be a hard job to find such value for money in a large city, let alone Wanganui. The local audience is very lucky indeed to have such a venue.

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