World's Forgotten Boy with Peter Lindblad

Alice Cooper's old tricks

Peter — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 13:35:42 GMT

Along Came A Spider is the new album by Alice Cooper, and it's got an interesting story to tell.

The shock-rock hero is up to his old tricks, spooling out the horrific story of a serial killer preoccupied with spiders who winds up falling in love with one of his victims and adding a special twist that will surprise and confound you.

More than that, Along Came A Spider represents a return to form for Cooper, who, with the assistance of co-producers Danny Saber (Black Grape, Rolling Stones, Ozzy Osbourne and David Bowie) and Greg Hampton (Bootsy Collins, Buckethead), has resurrected the garage-rock grit of the Alice Cooper band's glory days, while not abandoning the metallic grind of his latest work. And it's just about impossible to avoid getting caught in its sticky web of strong hooks, slithering vocals and slash-and-burn guitars. Getting the audience to feel something for the main character is another part of its charm.

"A lot of the trick on these things is to write songs that are psychotic and, at the same time, make them appealing," says Cooper. "When you can make a song that's really catchy, as catchy as a Rolling Stones or a Led Zeppelin song, and then you realize it's part of a story about a psychotic serial killer, that's the trick right there."

To learn more about how Cooper created Along Came A Spider and get his thoughts on Billion Dollar Babies, the landmark Alice Cooper Band work that has its 35th anniversary this year, read the Aug. 15 edition of Goldmine, or visit www.goldminemag.com to listen to a podcast of our interview with Alice.

To find out more about the new record and tour dates, visit www.alicecooper.com

New podcast: Artful Dodger

Peter — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:22:06 GMT

To all you Artful Dodger fans out there who are waiting with bated breath for Goldmine's feature on the band, we have posted a podcast of my interview with the band's guitarist Gary Herrewig in the multi-media section of www.goldminemag.com.

It's pretty revealing stuff, as he talks about some of the roadblocks to stardom that derailed the '70s power-pop band. And if you haven't heard of Artful Dodger and want to know what they sounded like, get thee to the Artful Dodger Web site, www.artfuldodgersite.com, to see what you've been missing.

Oh, and keep an eye, or an ear, out for another cool podcast coming soon. This one's with none other than Alice Cooper. I'll have more on that tomorrow.

Ray Manzarek, Roy Rogers team up on 'Ballads...' and more

Peter — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:18:47 GMT

It's late at night in a downtown piano bar, the kind where romantic liaisons take place in darkened booths and lonesome drunks dressed in rumpled suits at the rail prefer martinis to boilermakers. Through the air wafts the familiar refrain of a song you can't quite place. It sounds like ... no, it couldn't be. Yeah, that's "Crystal Ship" by The Doors!

And who is that tinkling the ivories? Why, it's none other than Ray Manzarek.

But, what is he doing here? Is this all a fever dream brought on by eating food so spicy it burns a hole in your esophagus? Probably so, but there's still the matter of that lilting piano music. Where is it coming from?

The source would the classy, sophisticated Ballads Before The Rain, the new all-instrumental album from Manzarek and slide-blues guitarist Roy Rogers.

For his part, Rogers, interviewed today by Goldmine, says Manzarek's sparkling new version of "Crystal Ship," clocking in at over 8 minutes, is "worth the price of admission" if you're so inclined to buy the record — and you really should. On it, Manzarek goes solo, performing the whole thing on a 9-foot grand acoustic piano, instead of the electric keyboard that made him famous.

Among the eight tracks on the record, released by Friday Music (see www.fridaymusic.com for ordering information), is another Doors favorite "Riders On The Storm." Again, it ranges far afield from the original, only this time Rogers joins in the fun, adding some subtle, yet enticing, electric guitar flourishes to flesh out Manzarek's vision.

We'll have more on the album in a future issue of Goldmine, and we're still trying to track down Ray for an interview. Unfortunately, technical difficulties plagued the recording of my interview with Rogers, so there will be no podcast of that unless I can reschedule.

Rogers did, however, give us a bit of news. It seems there will be more recordings from Manzarek and Rogers down the line.

"We kept saying that the easy thing to do would be a more straight-ahead rock record," says Rogers. "Ballads... is not that. It's more lyrical, more melodic. The next record will probably be the opposite, more of a blues, blues-oriented or rock 'n' roll record."

It also may include vocals, and, unlike the sessions for Ballads Before The Rain — which features only Rogers and Manzarek playing guitar and piano, respectively — the duo may invite a few musician pals to join in on the fun. Stay tuned for more information.

Along came ... Alice Cooper

Peter — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:52:59 GMT

Mark July 29 on your calendars you fans of doom-laden hard rock, boa constrictors, mock executions and serial killers. That's the day Alice Cooper's new album, Along Came A Spider, drops like the blade of guillotine.

As genuinely creepy as anything Alice has done, Along Came A Spider, if you don't already know, is a chilling concept album that explores the mind of what Cooper describes as "an arachnophobic phobic psychopath," telling the story in his own inimitable fashion. Without giving away too much, what you have here is a tale of a serial killer named Spider, whose calling card is wrapping his victims in silk. Then, he ends up falling in love with the woman who could be his last victim.

Early word is that this is a return to the Alice of old, and that's not too far from the mark. It's got a heavier, more contemporary metallic sound than say Billion Dollar Babies and is far more menacing, but like that album, Along Came A Spider has sure hooks, a theatrical atmosphere and interesting sonic diversity. And, in the tradition of Welcome To My Nightmare, it features captivating storytelling, with Alice's voice slithering over shock-horror lyrics like the meanest of snakes.

The album is co-produced by Cooper, along with Danny Saber and Greg Hampton. This time out, his band includes veteran Alice drummer Eric Singer, twin guitarists Keri Kelli and Jason Hook, and bassist Chuck Garric. It also features a guest guitar spot from Slash on "Vengeance Is Mine."

At the moment, Goldmine is attempting to set up an interview with Alice Cooper that will, hopefully, end up being a podcast, so stay tuned for that. And watch for a possible story on Alice Cooper in a future issue of Goldmine. For more information on what's going on with Alice Cooper, visit www.alicecooper.com

Here's a track listing for Along Came A Spider:
1. Prologue/I Know Where You Live
2. Vengeance Is Mine
3. Wake The Dead
4. Catch Me If You Can
5. (In Touch With) Your Feminine Side
6. Wrapped In Silk
7. Killed By Love
8. I'm Hungry
9. The One That Got Away
10. Salvation
11. I Am The Spider/Epilogue

Alice Cooper has a number of North American tour dates confirmed. Here's a listing:

July 31 — Redmond, Ore. — Deschutes County Fair
Aug. 1 — Kalispell, Mont. — Raceway Park
Aug. 2 — Great Falls, Mont. — State Fair
Aug. 3 — Sturgis, S.D. — Buffalo Chip
Aug. 5 — Bismarck, N.D. — Civic Center Arena
Aug. 9 — Sparta, Wis. — Fort McCory Army Base
Aug. 10 — Sioux City, Iowa — Orpheum Theatre
Aug. 12 — Casper, Wyo. — Events Center
Aug. 15 — Imperial, Neb. — Chase County Fair
Aug. 16 — Council Bluffs, Iowa — Harrah's Stir Cover
Aug. 17 — Tower, Minn. — Fortune Bay Resort Casino
Aug. 19 — Hammond, Ind. — The Venue at Horseshoe Casino
Aug. 21 — Bloomington, Ill. — The Theatre at US Cellular Coliseum
Aug. 23 — Florence, Ind. — Belterra Resort & Casino
Aug. 24 — Columbus, Ohio — LC Pavilion
Aug. 27 — Detroit, Mich. — State Fair
Aug. 28 — Oshkosh, Wis. — Waterfest Concert Series
Sept. 5, 6, & 7 — Las Vegas, Nev. — Orleans Hotel & Casino
Sept. 12 — Hutchinson, Kan. — State Fair
Oct. 26 — Schenectady, N.Y. — Proctor's Theater
Oct. 31 — Mashantucket, Conn. — MGM Grand at Foxwoods

Everclear's Art Alexakis a filmmaker? New record on the way?

Peter — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:04:37 GMT

While music is still very much on Art Alexakis' mind, given Everclear's latest album of supercharged, punk-ish cover songs, The Vegas Years, and the heavy-duty touring the band is doing to support it, he has other ambitions.

In an interview that will be posted very soon on www.goldminemag.com, Alexakis talked about his interests in filmmaking. Is he ready for his close-up?

"I'm in the midst of doing what I've been working on for years, and that is going to film school," relates Alexakis. "I'm writing and directing and producing films, and I've got this one film that I'm funding, and I just actually got commitment from two different people, letters of intent to actually fund this thing. I've been trying to get it funded for a year, and it's like everybody is going, 'Well, Art, if you want money to do music stuff ... absolutely. But that's what you do. You're not a filmmaker.'"

Alexakis would beg to differ, and those who are telling him he can't do it could be in a for a big shock.

"I go, 'Well, people have been telling me I'm not a singer either," says Alexakis. "Years ago, they told me I had no star power, and I couldn't write a song, and then, you know, a year later, after we had success, all those same people were saying they always knew I was going to be a big deal."

Albums of covers aren't always cause for celebration, either, but in Everclear's case, make an exception. A throwback to the band's more raucous early stuff, only with way better production and musicianship, The Vegas Years sees Everclear trying its hand at a handful of '80s pop hits, like The Go-Gos' "Our Lips Are Sealed," and classics like "Brown-eyed Girl" and "The Boys Are Back in Town," but it also includes a hyperactive, metallic hellbilly remake of Little Jimmy Dickens' country classic "Night Train To Memphis" that's full of piss and vinegar.

"... [It's] an old country song that I grew up listening to with my mom," says Alexakis. "And we do a really punky version of it. And I just love it. I played that for some hardcore country people in Nashville, and they're like, 'Ah, boy, you got it.' And my mom thought I screwed up. She goes, 'Aww, you screwed that one up (laughs).' I love my mother, but I told her, 'I think you're wrong. I think it rocks.'"

Stay tuned for more news on Everclear. Alexakis said he is working on new songs and later this year, the band hopes to head into the studio to record them. At some point in the near future, Everclear will post a new single up for download called "Jesus Was A Liberal." "That's going to make us some friends," jokes Alexakis.

Check www.everclearonline.com for more information.

The return of The Toadies

Peter — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 16:28:14 GMT

Awww yeah!!! Look what just came across my desk. It's a four-song sampler from the atomic bomb about to be dropped, No Deliverance, by one of the hardest rocking outfits of the '90s, Texas' The Toadies.

Some will tell you they sounded too much like Nirvana to be of any consequence. Those people are not to be trusted. The Toadies brought the rock like nobody else, putting a ZZ Top-style spin on grunge and unleashing a torrent of metallic guitar riffs and dark, twisted lyrics about murder and desperation on great albums like Rubberneck (which featured the MTV heavily rotated single "Possum Kingdom") and Hell Below/Stars Above, the followup that was delayed forever by record-label shenanigans.

Anyway, early returns from No Deliverance: It's got riffs aplenty and surges with just as much energy, darkness and heaviness as their early stuff, and the title track is a monster, as is "So Long Lovey Eyes." Slower, but still huge and scary, "Flower" and "Man Of Stone" cause mini-earthquakes with every second of pounding noise they deliver.

Pardon my drooling, but I'm extremely stoked about this release, and they're touring.

Here are the dates:
June 27 - San Antonio, Texas - Sunset Station
June 28 - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania - Trocadero
July 5 - Biloxi, Mississippi - CPR Fest
July 29 - Tulsa, Oklahoma - Cain's Ballroom
July 30 - St. Louis, Missouri - Pageant Theater
July 31 - Madison, Wisconsin - The Annex
Aug. 2 - Chicago, Illinois - Lollapalooza
Aug. 31 - Graham, Texas - Dia De Los Toadies @ Possum Hollow Camp

I saw them on the Hell Below/Stars Above tour, and they were amazing. Then, bassist Lisa Umbarger put in her notice that she was leaving, and The Toadies were done. Thinking they'd never get back together, considering how much consternation and frustration was involved in getting Hell Below/Stars Above out, I hadn't kept up with them. Evidently, they've been playing out on occasion. Who knew?

To find out what's up with The Toadies, check out www.myspace.com/toadies, and immerse yourself in rock. No Deliverance is due out Aug. 19. Go get you some.

Pablo Cruise: The logo is back

Peter — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 19:28:59 GMT

As band logos from the '70s go, Pablo Cruise's famed "sun and palm tree" image is as recognizable as any, outside of say ... KISS, or somebody like that. Undoubtedly, that is why comedian Will Ferrell decided to wear a shirt displaying that design prominently in his upcoming movie, "Step Brothers," due out in July.

For Pablo Cruise, Ferrell's fashion choice couldn't come at a better time. The band, which called it quits in the mid-'80s, reconvened a while back, with three original members — guitarist David Jenkins, keyboardist/vocalist Cory Lerios and drummer Steve Price — and George Gabriel on bass and vocals, and the group has been playing shows again. And now that that t-shirt is going to be splashed across the silver screen from coast to coast, people are bound to start thinking again about Pablo Cruise.

"Yeah, that Will Ferrell thing is kind of a hoot," says Jenkins, in interview today from a vacation hideaway in the Sierras that a dog kept trying to interrupt (when the podcast gets posted, you'll hear what I mean). "All of a sudden, people are going, "What's this t-shirt? Who is this?" Yeah, it was kind of neat ... well, you know, they called after, I guess, he chose that out of wardrobe. He found that and said, "Perfect." So, they called for some of licensing release on it, so we had word that he was going to use it, but we didn't know to what extent. And then, I saw this movie trailer on YouTube and thought, "Oh, man, this is great." Man, I was at the movies last week with my son and for the previews coming up, there was that same trailer and man, it's just amazing. You know, he's wearing that shirt quite a bit in the movie. But, it's just cool to think that so many people will see that movie and see that logo. You never know... it's like, it might get people curious about the band again, you know? And we'll get out there and play some music. I mean, we've been playing shows and the band, right now, this is the best band we've ever had. It's really strong. So, yeah, we might get out and get around to some of these places that we haven't been to in quite a while. That would be fun ... now that travel is so cheap (laughs)."

Pablo Cruise's music was a blend of sunny, California soft-rock and light jazz that went down as smooth as a pina colada, bringing together the harmonic surf paeans of the Beach Boys and the golden, country-tinged melodies of America. And if you say you don't remember "Whatcha Gonna Do?" you're a bald-faced liar, because it's been played to death on the radio for years.

The band's season in the sun in the late-'70s didn't last, but that logo — which also graced the cover of one of the group's biggest albums, A Place In The Sun, did.

"That definitely introduced that visual, that logo," says Jenkins, who shared the story of how that image, and the band's mysterious name, came to be. "Trying to name a band is always a trick anyway. And then, we just kind of chose that name. A friend of ours, who's not with us anymore, died a few years ago, but he had this nickname that ... him and Cory were hanging one day and they chose these nicknames, and we just chose that for the name of the band and you know, basically, you've got to make the name. You just got to go for it and see what happens, you know? But, there was something about the logo... this artist that we knew ... I don't know if you're listeners know Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen ... anyway, George Frayne is the guy, [he's] Commander Cody, but Chris Frayne, his brother, is a great artist, and he came up with that logo. We just kind of told him what we wanted, and he went for it, and ... so, he came up with that logo. And it just kind of evokes escapism and the vacation kind of thing, islands and just getting away from it all, which is what I'm doing right now. It's been a strong logo and yeah, it is one of those things; it's kind of iconic, and it's been one of those things from the late '70s that has remained, you know? You know, kind of a period thing."

Keep an eye out for a longer feature on Pablo Cruise in an upcoming edition of Goldmine and watch the multimedia area of the Goldmine web site for a podcast of my interview with David Jenkins.

To get up to date on what Pablo Cruise is up to, visit www.pablocruiseband.com

How about a little comedy?

Peter — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 18:05:35 GMT

So, this has nothing to do with music, but while transcribing my notes from an interview I did with noted music promoter and industry veteran Dave Hart about Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band tour this summer, he talked about his relationship with acerbic comedian Lewis Black, undoubtedly the sharpest funny man out there at the moment.

Here's a little-known fact about Black: he didn't start off doing comedy.

"Well, I had the pleasure of managing Lewis Black in the '80s," says Hart. "Lewis Black came out of Yale as a playwright, and I had a job at Nederlander. We were running these concert venues and also owned 11 theaters on Broadway. I always thought Lewis was a fabulous playwright and was hoping that his career would head that way, and I produced a number of his theater pieces — one of them was a straight play; another one was a musical. Lewis went to the Capitol Theater, the venue that we ran in New Jersey and saw Rodney Dangerfield, and I think — I don't know this for a fact — but I think he was inspired by that, and since has left play writing — he's written a couple great books — and now is probably, in my mind, one of the most intelligent and funny standups there are in the business ... delightful man."

Hart's main claim to fame was his work as a concert promoter and agent, having worked with the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Janis Joplin and others. He has ties to the early days of The Fillmore East and Bill Graham, and he has some great stories to tell. Do yourself a favor and head on over to our multimedia area. There, you'll find a podcast of my interview with Mr. Hart.

Artful Dodger: What might have been

Peter — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 14:50:02 GMT

Falling into that black hole of time that sucks in many a band that never made it, but damn well should have, Artful Dodger's sound bit into that sweet power-pop apple that The Raspberries tempted you with and succumbed to the original sin of the rowdy, booze-fueled, ne'er-do-well rock 'n' roll of The Faces.

By all rights, Artful Dodger should have been huge in the '70s. They had great melodic songs that had a nasty swagger to them. Critics loved them. They had high-powered producer in Jack Douglas (Aerosmith's Toys In The Attic, John Lennon's Double Fantasy, Cheap Trick's At Budokon) mentoring them. They scored an opening gig on Kiss' 1976 tour. And yet incredible albums like Honor Among Thieves, recently reissued by American Beat (with perhaps more Artful Dodger reissues on the way, according to rumors), went largely unnoticed.

Gary Cox, a guitarist and vocalist for Artful Dodger, has had years to reflect on why Artful Dodger didn't break it big. Asked specifically why Honor Among Thieves didn't sell, he's come up with a laundry list of reasons why as part of an interview I'm doing for a future Goldmine story on Artful Dodger, formed in 1973 in Fairfax, Va. They're all good ones, but for those that loved the band — and I'm a recent convert — we're all still left scratching our heads.

Anyway, here's what Gary had to say about the subject — pretty much raw and unedited — and stay tuned for more from Goldmine on Artful Dodger. And to check up on all the happenings with Artful Dodger, visit www.artfuldodgersite.com

Gary Cox: Why did it not sell? My goodness, no one can answer that. I CAN think of some roadblocks that got in the way that could have contributed to things going the way they did. Not in any particular order:

A: Though Eddie Leonetti was an imaginative, creative producer, I think we should have continued the common thread of our sound from the first album and waited for Jack Douglas to become available. We were in a bit of a rush at the time to make a deadline to go out on tour with KISS. (If I'm recalling correctly)

B: The gas crisis! It had a huge affect on touring. It got to the point that only well-established bands could get around out there. What a mess.

C: We should have followed Steven Leber's advice and played clubs for a while prior to jumping out on the big tours. Our show was fine ... but not "Great."

D: In retrospect, perhaps CBS was not the label for us. We were not established anywhere. We had no following like Aerosmith in Boston when they signed. I remember the first day I met David Krebs and [had] a discussion about Aerosmith. He asked if I'd ever heard of them. I said "No." He told me he'd recently signed them, and that they had sold 200,000 albums and they were in the studio down the street recording their first CBS album, Toys In The Attic. We were signed on the track record of Leber/Krebs ... not our own track record. So, as you can see David and CBS were picking up established acts in their own cities. Same thing with Ted Nugent. Other acts in David's office struggled such as the group Rex ... and Artful Dodger.

The one true shining star I remember at CBS that gave us our best shot was an amazing rep by the name of John Kostic. He broke us in Cleveland along with help from the great people at WMMS. When we came to town it was limos, matchbook covers with our names in gold ... drove us to every record store around ... true hard working record industry guy. We owe him a lot of thanks for what we "did" achieve. But, CBS as a whole was very frustrating. David had a really tough time trying to keep their attention on our projects vs. Neil Diamond's next release, or Paul Simon, Barbra Streisand etc. ...oh and when Springsteen rolled in ... it was ridiculous. I'll give them this ... they did love our music ... and spent a small fortune sending us out on the road. I "Think" that was CBS money. Leber-Krebs? I'll never know. Perhaps we should have shopped a smaller label and been big fish in a smaller pond.

E: Disco! Just when we had it right ... the radio industry decided to go after the dancing crowd instead of ... "listeners."
We were out there touring, driving from town to town, listening to Barry White, The Bee Gees, Donna Summer etc ...and it was clear we were up against something that perhaps [was] too big to overcome. We needed a hit record, and the only hope out there at the time between disco songs was Boston's "More Than A Feeling." Hearing that out on the road gave us hope.

F: Struggle to stay true to our sound. Every writer out there got it right. After the first and second album ... we panicked. We went into the third album with less material to choose from, and as Bill and Gary Herrewig's writing slowed down ... the producers turned to me. I had a couple songs like "Wave Bye Bye," "Can't Stop Pretending" and "Who In The World" sitting around but never expected them to get their day in the studio. Basically I was called on for lack of songs to fill the album out.
Making things even worse was the attention my songs got over at CBS. We would submit Paliselli and Herrewig tunes ... and they'd come back and choose Gary Cox songs for the singles. It was ridiculous. Thank God my songs never broke us wide open when released. We needed a song like "It's Over", "Scream", or "Wayside" to define us. So we fought over the direction Babes on Broadway was taking us. After my departure, the band went back to the basics of Dodger's sound on Rave On.

Little Feat invites you to 'Join The Band'

Peter — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 16:38:39 GMT

Even an A-list rock star like Dave Matthews can't always get what he wants. Invited to perform on the upcoming Little Feat album, Join The Band, due out Aug. 26, Matthews wanted to sing the freewheeling, Dixie boogie-rock band's hell-bent ode to long-haul truckers "Willin,'" a classic from its rootsy self-titled 1971 debut.

The vocals for that track were already spoken for. Undeterred, Matthews, ever the true professional, took on "Fat Man in the Bathtub" — off 1973's Dixie Chicken — instead and worked it almost to the point of obsession to get it right.

"Well, let's take 'Fatman ...' as an example," says Little Feat keyboardist and songwriter Bill Payne. "We have Dave Matthews singing on that song, and, as all Little Feat records are, they're really hard to define. We have on 'Willin'" Brooks and Dunn are singing on that one. Ronnie Dunn asked me, he says, 'Is this like a tribute record?' And I said, 'No, it's not, because we've got other people singing songs with us — some of the songs we've written; others we haven't. We're all over the map on this thing, so when Dave Matthews got ahold of 'Fat Man in the Bathtub,' he originally wanted to sing 'Willin' and I said that I have someone in mind for that one, do you mind singing 'Fat Man ..."? He jumped on board. He put down 18 vocals — so, backgrounds, leads, harmonies with himself."

All that work left Matthews' voice spent.

"The next day, he appeared I think on the 'David Letterman Show' and he'd darn near blown a ...," says Payne (the last word having been lost on the recording of my interview, but you get the idea). "It was just some amazing stuff that he did. And that song, by the way, we recorded it in (Jimmy) Buffett's studio down in Florida, down in Key West, at a place called Shrimp Boat Sound. It's where we recorded Licensed to Chill. I was on that record for Jimmy Buffett ... a real comfortable place to play, real small. We did the tracks I think within a two-week period, about three years ago, and 'Fat Man... " is a real slow version of that song. Sonny Landreth is also on that particular tune, and Sonny is a dear friend of ours. He's probably one of the best slide players on the planet."

As Payne said, Join The Band is a real hodgepodge of reworked Little Feat classics and new material, like Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" that's been years in the making. A boatload of guest stars make for some crazy collaborations. Here's a sampling of some of the names that appear: the Black Crowes' Chris Robinson, Emmylou Harris, Bob Seger and Vince Gill.

One of the most interesting tracks is "Trouble," which feature Inara George, daughter of Little Feat founder Lowell George.

"There's an interesting story behind that particular song, other than that her mother Liz used to sing that to her as a little girl as a bedtime song," says Payne. "That song we recorded as a band with Inara I want to say like seven or eight years ago — it was quite a while ago. This thing is in a rocket ship literally that's headed out to space. It's literally a time capsule for people to discover, or no one will discover — whatever is going to happen out there. But, it's literally floating in space. There's a lot of other artists on there, but we happened to somehow get aboard that space shuttle and so Little Feat and Inara George are floating out there in the ether some place. The other interesting part about that song, Inara and I recorded that in Los Angeles — that's one of the few things we recorded in L.A. It's just her and I, and I was on the acoustic piano and she sang it. I think we probably nailed it within the first or second take. But it was in a studio that was one of the very first recording studios that Little Feat had recorded in when we did our first album, Little Feat."

That would be Ocean Ways studio, formerly known as United Western. In 1970, Little Feat recorded its first record there.

But Join The Band is the new disc from the band, and to get the lowdown on it and the band's summer touring schedule, go to www.littlefeat.net/

And stay tuned to www.goldminemag.com for a podcast of our interview with Bill Payne.

Worshipping The Church's Steve Kilbey

Peter — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 16:53:54 GMT

Blame Nirvana for the whole "Unplugged" phenomenon. If it wasn't for that album, as great and groundbreaking as it was, we wouldn't be flooded with releases of vanity-inspired, "coffeehouse" folk, greatest-hit sets by artists who used to matter and are now content to pad their mutual funds by playing on audiences' hunger for nostalgia.

Okay. Now that I've got that off my chest, the soapbox I just stepped off of is yours. I want to hear your opinions on the whole acoustic live-performance releases that seem to be all the rage.

In the meantime, here's a DVD release of just that sort of thing that is actually pretty good. Beautifully shot (love that 16:9 widescreen format) — and seamlessly edited — in the intimate environs of the Transmission Room in Auckland, New Zealand, "Steve Kilbey Live" gives us a stripped-down, engaging retrospective of The Church frontman's career. Acoustic sketches of "Almost With You," "Electric Lash," and "Tristesse" reveal the true artistry and songcraft at work in Kilbey's compositions. The dreamy wonder of "Under The Milky Way" is the big highlight — even Kilbey's Bob Seger-scat of "Fire Lake" that interrupts the proceedings is funny and not at all a hindrance — as Kilbey breaks the shoegazer epic down to its skeleton and still manages to make it sound just as powerful a sonic experience as its electric LP version.

My only gripe? What, no "Metropolis?" C'mon, Steve. But, whatever ... it's an entertaining evening, and Kilbey proves to be incredibly at home on stage, alone and addressing the audience with an openness and an enthusiasm about his influences — Velvet Underground and Dylan, namely — that is punctuated by a sharp sense of humor and a self-deprecating manner.

Special features include a bonus two-song performance at Radio New Zealand, as well as a photo gallery and interviews. If you're a fan of The Church, this is ... well, maybe not essential, but a nice addition to the group's rich, neo-psychedelic catalog.

For more on The Church, visit www.thechurchtheband.com, or take an Internet voyage over to mvdb2b.com for a description of the DVD and a track listing.

New York Dolls: Going back to the studio?

Peter — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 19:11:16 GMT

Strutting about New York City's sleaziest clubs with the pouty attitude — not to mention the trashy clothes and garish makeup — of a cheap hooker, glam-punks New York Dolls shocked the music world in the 1970s with their androgynous appearance.

Falling prey to the indulgences many rock stars do, the Dolls, seemingly stalked by the grim reaper since they first strapped on their guitars, disintegrated in 1975 when guitarist Johnny Thunders — a punk idol if there ever was one — and drummer Jerry Nolan defected to form The Heartbreakers with bassist Richard Hell.

Nolan and Thunders, who kicked off as a result of an alleged drug overdose in 1991 in New Orleans, were the first to depart this world, and, perhaps even more tragically, bassist Arthur Kane — the subject of a great documentary called "New York Doll" — died suddenly after the Dolls' triumphant return in 2004 to play the Meltdown Festival at the behest of Dolls fan boy Morrissey.

"That took the air out of me, definitely," says the Dolls' charismatic lead singer David Johansen. "You know, I still see [Kane] hovering around, but that's true of all the cats, and I think that's probably true of everyone you loved who isn't here anymore."

Undeterred, the two remaining Dolls — charismatic lead singer David Johansen and guitarist Sylvain Sylvain — soldiered on guitarist Steve Conte, bassist Sami Yaffa (ex-Hanoi Rocks), drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist Brian Koonin, recording the 2006 album One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This.

On April 29, the new Dolls released Live at the Fillmore East December 28 & 29, 2007, and Johansen feels it has captured this version of the Dolls' concert experience.

"I thought it sounded pretty good," says Johansen. "You know, I mean, it's not like I listen to it over and over again, but I guess, you know, it just kind of documents where we're at right now. We've been playing a lot. I think when we first got back together, that was pretty well documented, but it wasn't like we were that hot yet, you know? Because we'd had like three rehearsals and played Meltdown, and now it's like we're a f**king machine, a monster."

This summer, this "monster" will attack Europe, and after that, Johansen says, "I think we're probably going to think about making a studio album. Yeah, it's an interesting time, because we have no idea how like we're going to proceed with that. I mean, we know we're going to make songs, and we know how to do that, but as far as how we're going to get it out there, we haven't figured that out yet, and that's kind of exciting I think. You know, we've always been kind of like mavericks — mavericks ... now I sound like John McCain (laughs) — but as far as the record business is concerned ... I see people coming up and getting awards, and they go, 'I want to thank this great industry,' and I'm always thinking, 'Oh, f**k you, this great industry. What a joke.' We've always kind of done our own thing."

To read about the Dolls' early live experiences, pick up the July 4 edition of Goldmine. Or, if you'd rather hear it right now, go to the multimedia center of www.goldminemag.com and the audio area, where you'll find a podcast of our interview with Buster.

For more on the Dolls, visit www.nydolls.org/

New podcasts

Peter — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:20:41 GMT

Just a note to all of you who read this blog, as you can we've got a new web site, and we're really proud of it. I hope you'll take the time to navigate around and check everything out. There are a lot of great archived articles and reviews to go back to, plus a wealth of resources.

One area I think you'll dig is our multimedia playground. There are a host of podcasts in there, including a couple of new ones. I recently interview New York Dolls frontman David Johansen and former Yes and King Crimson drummer Bill Bruford.

Take a listen to both. I think you'll enjoy the chats.

Bringing Flipper back in print

Peter — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:11:29 GMT

Untangling the complicated network of out-of-print and unreleased recordings by the legendary San Francisco punk band Flipper would seemingly require a battalion of lawyers and archeologists. But the band's drummer, Steve DePace, is determined to do so, and in the process, he hopes to unleash upon the world a ton of Flipper material in the near future.

"It has been out of print for quite some time, and we're hoping to be able to do whatever we have to do in order to get that released again, whether it be on what is now American Recordings (the Rick Rubin-led label that released Flipper's 1992 comeback LP, American Grafishy), or whether it be on some other record label," reports DePace. "We're working very hard and diligently trying to figure out how to do that, and who would be best and how best would it be to put that out."

The importance of doing that is something DePace takes seriously, even though, as Flipper bassist Bruce Loose says, Flipper's punk aesthetic was always very tongue in cheek.

"It's important, very important, that the music gets out there, and especially with the historical significance and value of that material," says DePace. "It's a historical snapshot of what Flipper was and what the music scene was, and all that, back in the early '80s. The late '70s and early '80s were an important time for music and music history, and certainly punk rock and what's become known as alternative music, because everything evolves into something else."

An underground network of bootleg tape collectors who exchange tapes among themselves have circulated Flipper tapes and bootlegs of some Flipper albums that were never released.

"Most of those records, most of them came out on vinyl. Most of them never saw digital," says DePace. "Our old record label in San Francisco, called Subterranean Records, put all but one of those albums out on vinyl, and some of them may have come out on cassette, and a couple of them ended up coming out on CD, but you know, there's three or four albums out there — and now they're in the tape vaults — that need to be released digitally for the very first time, and there's one album in particular of completely unreleased material."

For news on Flipper, go to www.myspace.com/flipper. As far as I know, there's no word on when Flipper's new album is going to drop.