Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Peteykins re: Nino's Steak House

"The coldest drinking fountain in the world
"Makes your lips freeze together.
"Sure it hurts when you pull them apart --
"But oh, it's nice in hot weather!"


Singer/percussionist Pete who used to be in a band variously called Jon Rosen's Army, The Skin Consultants From LA, (others I hope he will be so kind as to remind me of) and P. S. Bingo, on the place that was the only bar in town a weirdo band like us could even hope to gig. It was indeed as described. The b*stards didn't give a damn for any of the various bands I was in that played there, and we loved them just as much.

Frankly, I've played worse gigs than those, but there's something special about your first business relationship with coke-snortin' hoodlums that leaves an indelible imprint.

Last time I was in Tucson, I think that building was a feed store, which struck me as fitting.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Frank Panucci

There's this guy I've known about on the web for... gawd... over 10 years. Never met the guy, we've had a somewhat cordial relationship although I'm sure he thinks I'm a mow ran. His name is Frank Panucci and I know him from Devo fandom. Frank is way more Devo than me, and it's all to the good, or possibly evil: I'm not sure.

Frank is an animator, and a very freaky and good one. Here is a video he did earlier this year that I find hilarious, and the weird thing is, the more I watch it the more hilarious it gets. Most comedy doesn't work that way, but this does. Check out the video:



And note that the link in the right hand column called "Reperkussionz Production Blog" is to the production blog for his microbudget computer animation mixed with live action movie.

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Bash & Pop -- Friday Night is Killing Me

Over the last few years I've become more enamored of the Replacements & Paul solo and also what Tommy Stinson has done post Mats. The contributing factor has been that I've become more familiar with the Faces and Mercury-era Rod Stewart, and I can hear what devotees Grandpaboy et. al. are.

Nowhere is this fixation more apparent than on Tommy's first post Mats outing c. 1993. On one level, you hear the Replacements legacy, but the more I listen to this, the more I hear them English fellers. Tunes like "Hang Ups", "Tickled to Tears" and "He Means It" boogie in a very particular way, and even where the Faces are less apparent, you can still get that hit in the looseness and jauntiness of the way the band is jamming. That is not to say that this is a Georgia Sattelites clone; B & P are more romantic than that, prettier, even while being a funky, rockin' mess... I'd say 2 or 3 levels deeper than Dan Baird & Co. and way more rockin' than Westerberg's solo output in general.

This alb was so much better than people give it credit for, and the title track shoulda been all over the radio, that's what I think.

Curt Kirkwood -- Snow

Produced by Pete Anderson, who is Dwight Yoakam's producer. Essentially you have a kinda country-pop Meat Puppets record. Soaring and Byrds-like at times, never raising its temperature above that of a warm October day. The lyrics are Curt's style; somewhat impressionistic, they resonate but never tip their hand.

Curt plays about half the guitar and also splits backing vocals with his producer. Kirkwood's playing keeps the seedee from becoming any kind of cookie cutter Nashville pop affair, but Pete Anderson's contributions are definitely those of an ace nashville cat: clean, supple, tasty. He's a nice foil for the M. P. Interesting to note that a solo record is the first time you hear Kirkwood as half of a guitar duo; he's usually the whole ballgame.

On the whole, this is a very nice album, spotlighting the Meat Puppets leader as a songwriter of considerable merit and a soulful, tuneful singer. For me, this one stacks up against any Meat Puppets record after Up on the Sun.