Cleaning out Jen’s mom’s basement has been an adventure. I found some cool LPs and CDs (still sealed!) that we’ll look at another time. For now, something amusing.
In the 1990s Jen was dating a guy who not only wished he was American, but also wished he was a Republican. Long before any orange-skinned presidents sullied the name of the Republican party, Jen and her then-boyfriend even attended the inauguration of George W. Bush.
We found “Bill Clinton’s presidential driver’s license” in the house (see below)! This must have been her boyfriend’s possession. Let us take you back to the nostalgic glow of the 1990s, when it seemed like the worst thing a president could do was deny having sexual relations with “that woman”!
Locals! We have two gigs/CD release parties to alert you to.
Both gigs are at the Boathouse in Kitchener, in Victoria Park. It’s a fantastic, much-loved local venue right on the water. (57 Jubilee Drive, Kitchener, Ontario.)
Hello Hopeless are a great new punk band from the local scene. They are releasing their second EP Dark Pasts, Brighter Futures and I promise you, it’s a gooder. I had the chance to sit down and interview the band recently, and that will be out soon. I learned that they put a lot of time and effort into the mix to get it sounding just how they wanted. And don’t let the punk tag fool you. These guys aren’t afraid of guitar solos. I look forward to sharing the video interview — you are going to like Hello Hopeless! The EP will be released digitally on November 23 if you wanna spin it in advance. Check yer Spotify!
Max the Axe
December 8: MAX THE AXE CD release / with the Hellen Keller Band
“You Gotta” check out the new album by Max the Axe called Status Electric. According to Max, it’s his “3rd LP and 6th record.” Max has put everything into this one. On lead vocals: Uncle Meat. If you follow this site regularly I guarantee that you will see some familiar faces at the Boathouse on December 8. Various flavours of hard rock from old men — it fucking rips! And you’ll hear it live at the Boathouse.
Ever wonder what Damn Yankees would have sounded like without Ted Nugent? Possibly, a little like Shaw Blades. In 1995, the Nuge returned to his solo career with Spirit of the Wild. Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades had already formed a successful songwriting partnership (with an Aerosmith hit under their belts) and so together they continued. Damn Yankees drummer Michael Cartellone joined them, but for the most part it’s expert Journey-man Steve Smith — one of the smoothest drummers in rock.
Expect acoustic rock and ballads with impeccable harmonies. Boring, you say? Not at all; not when you have a batch of songs this strong. Opener “My Hallucination” is a lament for the 1960s, with an electric guitar backing up Shaw and Blades’ perfect vocals. Those two guys can hit some notes. “I’ll Always Be With You” is more like campfire rock, a summetime gem and ode to innocent love. There are some sweet Def Leppard chords tucked in there. Third in line, the strong “Come to Be My Friend” gets a touch psychedelic but it’s the smoking acoustic soloing that will blow you away. Either that or the insanely good chorus harmonies.
“Don’t Talk to Me Anymore” is the first song you could call an outright ballad even though it’s a soft album. It’s lightly arranged with a less is more attitude. Then things get upbeat on “I Stumble In”, an outstanding memorable head-nodder. Journey fans will recognize their favourite drummer’s always fascinating tom tom work. Moving on to the album’s second true ballad, “Blue Continental”, a laid-back Southern vibe permeates. It’s logically followed by “Down that Highway”, upbeat but stripped to the basics. A couple acoustic guitars, two voices, some tambourine and accents (fiddle, keys) and you have a song!
The electric guitar comes out for “How You Gonna Get Used to This”, one of the less remarkable songs compared to the catchier acoustic tunes. The mandolin makes an appearance on “The Night Goes On”, another quiet but excellent ballad. “I Can’t Live Without You” draws things to an end, but is also unremarkable. Among diamonds, it fails to shine bright enough. Fortunately, the ending it was preceding is a short track simply called “The End”, which reprises themes from prior songs, tying up the album with a nice bow.
This album produced no commercial singles, but there were two extra tracks, exclusive to the Japanese CD. “How Does It Feel” brings back the electric guitar, but it’s more interesting than the other electric songs on the album. It could be a grower. “Straight Down the Line” is the gem. It’s the fastest song of the whole bunch, upbeat but light, and a blast in the car. Tommy’s intricate little lightning fast guitar hook is a tasty delight. Tracks like this are why collectors really seek out Japanese imports. They are their own rewards.
Any version of the debut Shaw Blades is going to be thoroughly enjoyed. Get one.
Towards the end of my time at the Record Store, I saw a lot of what I call “bigwigs” floating in and out. These well-dressed business men would be visiting with the boss to discuss wheeling and dealing. They all had one thing in common: they ignored the working stiff behind the counter as if he didn’t exist.
One of these guys was in one afternoon, and as he was leaving, he said “Let me go get one of my business cards from my Hummer.”
Really?
You couldn’t have just said “Let me go get one of my business cards?” You had to add the part about your $100,000 pollution machine too? Usually, I just say “I’ll go get it from my car. I don’t say “It’s in my Pontiac G5, let me go get it.” Because I don’t care and you shouldn’t either. But some guys think they are what they drive, I guess: big suck machines?
These kinds of people really chapped my ass, but I guess it’s very hip-hop to boast about wealth. Not very rock and roll, but just another day at the Record Store.
Helix drummer Greg “Fritz” Hinz had an accident at home. He fell off a roof, fractured his skull and broke some vertebrae. He is in a medically induced coma. Injuries are supposed to be non-life threatening.
According to Helix singer Brian Vollmer, Fritz has a lot of rehab ahead. All our thoughts and prayers are with the Hinz family as they deal with Greg’s health.
DAVE ARCARI – Live at Memorial Hall (2017 Buzz Records)
The most wonderful thing about this community of writers is the chance to hear new music. I think I can safely say I have bought new music at the recommendation of just about every writer I follow. One such writer is J from Resurrection Songs, an amazing musician in his own right. I’m not sure exactly how it happened, but through following him, I also ended up following his fellow countryman, Scottish singer/songwriter Dave Arcari.
Arcari has an engaging social media presence, so after following for a while and checking out his videos and live clips, I decided to finally buy an album. I chose 2017’s Live at Memorial Hall, and a wise choice it was. I had an inkling that an Arcari live album would be the way to go.
Dave Arcari is an “alt/blues troubadour” and that description works as well as any. Hammering away on his steel guitar with a bottleneck slide on one finger and a wee dram of Scotch, Arcari has his own brand of storytelling. The sandpaper vocals sound like they’ve walked a million miles. Up there alone on the stage, Dave commands attention. You tend to associate a steel guitar with the American south and the bluegrass that came with it. You rarely think of a Scottish storyteller. Yet here he is, so enjoy.
I didn’t really know many of Dave’s originals, and only a couple of the traditionals, but this is a very enjoyable album even so. Live albums shouldn’t be mucked with, and this sounds 100% live. Some tracks are mellow and contemplative, others are fast and rambunctious. It doesn’t matter to the crowd who hoot n’ holler after every song.
Favourite songs? Sure, how about “Dreamt I Was 100”, “Bring My Baby Back”, “Devil’s Left Hand” and “Whiskey in My Blood”? The fast ones are my favourites! There are 24 songs so I’ll wager nobody’s going home disappointed.
Dave Arcari just returned home from a fall US tour. If he ever comes to Canada, I wouldn’t want to miss it. This CD will have to do for now.
4.5/5 stars
Oh! And the CD came with an autograph, and I’m pretty sure he mailed it from the US tour, since it’s postmarked from Michigan! That’s dedication!
Stan, you just had to go, I know that. You’ve been here for 95 years and entertaining us for most of them. You gave, and you gave, and you gave. You deserve your rest now.
Stan, I knew who Spider-man was before I knew the Prime Minister of Canada. You brought me the Star Wars comics that kept me going between movies. Through those pages I discovered all that so many of my favourite heroes were yours! Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men…I always preferred Marvel to DC and I can’t really explain why. I liked Superman, but the Marvel lineup was so much better than DC’s. Their characters were more interesting to me, and it was addictive, how storylines weaved through one title to another.
My dad would buy me one new comic on the trip to the cottage each time. I always chose Marvel.
I wouldn’t be surprised at all if some version of Spider-man is still popular in another 95 years. Perhaps these characters you helped create will be remembered as literary classics. If not, I am confident that the Marvel heroes will be a part of our cultural backdrop for a long, long time.
FU MANCHU – Clone of the Universe(2018 New Damage)
First the first time in a long time, “I’ve Been Hexed” by the brand new Fu Manchu album.
Clone of the Universe sounds cut from the same cloth as classic albums such as King of the Road and The Action is Go. Aside from the mind-bomb that is the 18 minute track “Il Mostro Atomico”, each song is short, riffy and to the point. “(I’ve Been) Hexed” is an immediate thumbs-up, a reminder of what we liked about Fu Manchu when we first heard them.
You can’t tell if “Don’t Panic” has anything to do with Douglas Adams, but it’s as fast and relentless as the UFO-themed “King of the Road”. Maybe the Sabbath-crawl of “Slower Than Light” is also about space travel; maybe it’s not. The fun is in the guessing, but by the end the song is at moving at warp. Both “Nowhere Left to Hide” and “Intelligent Worship” boast riffs carved from the stones of Mt. Iommi, contained with in the Fu Manchu groove. The title track “Clone of the Universe” is like a heavy metal hammer, or a stoner rock Mjölnir.
Despite the strong Fu Manchu grooves throughout, it is undoubtedly the side-long “Il Mostro Atomico” that is the centerpiece. Suddenly from somewhere left of center comes the “Snow Dog”; Alex Lifeson of Rush with his own style of lead guitar. Lifeson always had a knack for finding cool artists to work with outside his normal sphere. Hearing him rip and make noise with Fu Manchu is so right. Not to mention, this jam which keeps going on and on has plenty to offer when you listen all the way through.
Sunday Chuckle will return next week. This Sunday, we remember the sacrifices made by those who served their countries. For me in particular, it’s my Grandfather and his brother who fought against the Nazis in World War II that I like to remember. As dark forces encircle the world today, let us not forget those currently serving who are keeping us free.
Here are our past stories regarding Remembrance Day, please give them a click and a read.
GETTING MORE TALE #715: The Lost Chapters – “The First Year”
Ever seen High Fidelity with John Cusack? When Cusack says, “I hired these guys to come in three days a week, and they started coming in every day. There’s nothing I can do to stop it.” That was us. That me and T-Rev. The boss man hired on Trev in the fall, two months after I started. We worked opposite nights and opposite weekends. We were like ships passing in the night. We never would have gotten to be such tight friends if we didn’t keep coming into the store every freaking day!
See, as used CD store, we got in new inventory every day. We were getting in cool shit. I was just beginning to transfer my music collection over from cassette to CD, so I just started to upgrade and buy up old back catalogue. I snagged You Can’t Stop Rock And Roll by Twisted Sister that year, which was a big deal to me because it was deleted at the time. I got some Dio CDs that I never had before. I began collecting Rush in earnest. We had rarities too. I got a split King’s X / Faith No More live bootleg called Kings of the Absurb which is pretty damn good. I really got quite a few CD singles at that time too. A few previously unknown Faith No More singles dropped into my lap. It was crucial to come in frequently. If you didn’t, you might miss something you were looking for. Or something you didn’t know you were looking for.
After two months of shadowing the owner, I was working solo and loving it. I got to pick my own music every night, within reason. There were obscure rules. Judas Priest was out, but Soundgarden was OK. Anything that was a new charting release was considered OK for store play. We were allowed to open anything to play it, as long as we didn’t abuse that. For the first while we were even allowed to bring music from home.
That ended when I brought in a bunch of recent purchases to listen to one morning. They included an indi band from Toronto, called Feel, formerly known as Russian Blue. The sound was vital, and the early 90s buzz was that Toronto was going to be the next Seattle. I was all over these bands, like Slash Puppet, Russian Blue, Attitude (later Jesus Chris), Gypsy Jayne, and the rest.
[An aside: I caught a little flak when I took in a used copy of Slash Puppet. “This is an indi band,” the boss complained. “It’ll sell,” I defended myself. “Trust me I know this band.” I knew half a dozen customers by name that I could recommend it to. I sold it to the first of those guys to come in, this insurance guy named Tony who loved 80s rock. He bought it after one listen.]
The day I had my personal Feel This CD in the store player, a customer noticed it. He thought it was cool, wanted it, and asked how much. I had to tell him it was my own personal copy, and no I couldn’t order it in because it was an indi band. He would have to write to the band to get a copy, and I wrote down the information inside the CD for him.
The boss thought this was kind of a silly situation, and rightfully so. Why play music we weren’t selling and were not able to sell? This was a store. So that ended. No more bringing music from home. I guess I’m the guy who ruined it for generations of Record Store employees to come.
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