Be there December 29 in Toronto! From there, the Hatch is off to the UK to open for Steve Harris’ British Lion!
Coney Hatch
#1015: Vis-a-Vis-a-Vous
RECORD STORE TALES #1015: Vis-a-Vis-a-Vous
As a kid, I had heard of Coney Hatch but never particularly paid attention. MuchMusic rarely included their tunes on the Pepsi Power Hour for unknown reasons. I probably heard “Hey Operator” but nothing else by the band. Timing was not in their favour with me. I wasn’t even into heavy rock yet when their first two albums came out. No wonder they passed me by. By the time I dove head-first into rock music on December 26 1984, I had already missed most of their career. Ironically though, Coney Hatch did have a song on the metal album that I heard that day, which was Masters of Metal II and “Hey Operator”.
Fast forward to summer 1990, and a hot “new” singer was making waves on MuchMusic. I didn’t really know who this Andy Curran guy was, but my best friend Bob loved his song “No Tattoos”. Bob was pretty anti-tattoo and felt that the coolest way was to have clean skin. He really identified with Andy’s lyrics. “No tattoos, gotta stay cool, my mama never raised no fool.”
Personally speaking I loved Motley Crue and their tattoo sleeves. I didn’t identify with “No Tattoos” the way Bob did. “I didn’t listen…I was scarred for life. And I couldn’t just stop at one!” That whole “scarred for life” line was one Bob really liked. It was a good song and I liked it, but it didn’t resonate with me like it did with Bob. So again, this Andy Curran guy slipped out of my mind when the single was over.
Decades passed and in 2019, Deke messaged me. Deke is a massive Andy and Coney fan. “Mikey! Coney Hatch have a live album up for pre-order. Signed limited edition. You better get in on it man.” I decided it was time to finally take the plunge with Coney Hatch, and I’m glad I did. Live at the El Mocambo is one of my favourite live albums now! And I got in on the ground floor with it, limited signed copy: 19 of 300.
But then Deke upped the ante. He hooked up Andy Curran for a live video interview with us. At this point I had to cram so I bought all the Rock Candy reissues of the Coney Hatch albums, and the self-titled Andy Curran. The “No Tattoos” record, as he calls it. Interview prep is serious business, and I did the best I could in the given amount of time. But I didn’t want to fake it. When I found myself vis-a-vis with Andy Curran, I fessed up. I was new. I was a Coney Hatch rookie who had done his best crash course in a band that I was growing to love.
And Andy was so cool about it. In fact he came back two more times to complete our chat and answer every question we had.
Better late than never — check out Andy and some Coney hatch today.
My Top Ten Coney Hatch tunes:
1. She’s Gone
2. Marseilles (cover)
3. First Time for Everything
4. Blown Away
5. Stand Up
6. Don’t Say Make Me
7. Hey Operator
8. Monkey Bars
9. We Got the Night
10. No Sleep Tonight
The Adventures of Tee Bone Man – Chapter Six: Tee Bone Goes to Camp!
“Enough is enough!” shouted the superhero in the cape.
“Alright, alright!” retorted the superhero in the motorcycle helmet.
“I am going on vacation, even if it kills me!” the first hero emphasized.
“Nobody’s stopping you!” returned the man in the black helmet.
“We have literally fought Sasquatch, Satan’s minions — twice, and Brad Marchand from the NHL, without a break! It’s either Miller time or Tee Bone Man goes crazy time.” said the first hero, as he removed the mask from his face.
“How about Tee Bone Man chills for a minute time!” shouted his partner Superdekes, as his helmet dropped to the dirt. “You are the one who insists on helping every single Australian, American or southern Ontario stoner we run across!” Changing his tone of voice, Deke said calmingly, “There are other superheroes. The weight of the world doesn’t have to be on your shoulders. Maybe it’s just time for some Tee Bone time?”
A slight pause, and then Tee Bone removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes right where the headache was setting in. He sighed. “You’re right.” Then he added, “This one time, you’re right. I’m going to Camp for a week. I won’t even fly there. I’ll drive. No superpowers for a whole week.”
“Atta boy!” said Deke as he patted Tee Bone Man on the back. “I’ll take care of everything. I have a ton of new gadgets and upgrades I’m working on up at Deke’s Palace. I’ll mind the fort.”
“Thanks pal,” said Tee Bone to his best friend. “See you in one week.”
“Seven days,” Deke responded as they fist bumped.
“Don’t let being right for once go to your head,” smartassed Tee Bone with a wink.
“We’re running around, like we’re in a rat race! Monkey bars, swingin’ stars! Countin’ the cars, by the monkey bars!” Tee Bone was singing his lungs out on the highway to Camp. Windows down, stereo on 11, sunglasses on his face, Tee Bone hadn’t felt so good in months. The drive was relaxing to him and a short two hours later he had arrived. “Devil’s Deck”, the actual name of Camp Tee Bone, was given due to its luxurious and expansive decks. Littered with chairs and umbrellas, the party deck alone could comfortably seat 20. In fact, the name “Devil’s Deck” was coined by the Devil himself, at an after-party there when Tee Bone and Deke faced off with him over a Gene Simmons box set.
Tee Bone got out of the car with his hockey bag and gazed reminiscing at the big deck.
“That was one wild party,” said Tee Bone shaking his head. “Turns out Satan can’t hold his liquor.”
The big man stepped up and unlocked the main door. The smell of wood hit him as he entered. Always so pungent yet sweet, the smell of wood at Camp. But something was off. He wrinkled his nose. He sniffed the air.
“Squirrel poo. That God damn squirrel has been in here. I thought I sealed off all the holes. Must have missed one last season.”
He put his bag down, flipped on the power, unpacked some liquor and put it in the fridge. He looked around just to absorb that feeling again, the feeling of being free in your own Camp, with only forest and lake in your line of sight, in every direction. He went outside to gather wood.
“Squee! Squee! Squee!” An abrasive sound from the trees. High above him, the branches moved as something jumped from vantage point to vantage point.
“God damn squirrel,” complained Tee Bone as he grabbed six logs from the wood pile.
“Nice and dry,” said Tee Bone approvingly as he examined the lumber.
“Squee!” came the sound from the trees! “Aaaackackack!”
This must have been squirrel talk for “Bombs away!” because the very next second, Tee Bone was wiping squirrel shit from his glasses.
“What the…?” He looked up in fury! “You little bastard!”
“Squee squee squee ack ack!” responded the squirrel, easily dodging the piece of lumber thrown at him. In seconds, he had leapt so far away that Tee Bone could no longer see him in the trees.
Inhaling deeply, Tee Bone dropped the wood and closed his eyes. He inhaled again, smelling the pollen and pine. “I am not letting that squirrel ruin my week at Camp. Absolutely no way. Not happening.” He then raised his voice and shouted into the forest, “NOT HAPPENING!”
“Not happening…happening…happening…happening…” the forest echoed back as if in mockery.
Tee Bone sat by the campfire in complete relaxation. Such utter peace. He took a deep breath, held it a moment, and let it go. The fire crackled before him, alive and sparking with the sound of dry wood and combustion. He watched the flames dance before him, forming red, orange and yellow shapes just as quickly as they disappeared. The sound of the popping wood was like music to his weary soul.
From his stereo nearby came another sound: that of rock and roll!
“Like a one-eyed jack, stick a knife in your back,” sang Carl Dixon on Coney Hatch’s debut album. “There’s a devil in her deck!”
Tee Bone swigged his beer and nodded his head to the song. He sang along.
“Take all you got! Hell’s so hot!” boomed Tee Bone, with his beer in the air. He would know, having defeated the minions of Satan at the gates of hell with Superdekes not that long ago. “Yeah man!” Tee Bone shouted in celebration. He deserved a little celebration! He did save the world, after all. He stood, and mimed a little bit of air guitar to the classic Steve Shelski solo. “Oooh there’s a devil in her deck!”
At the conclusion of the track, Tee Bone put down his beer, stretched and smiled at the sweetness of camp life.
“Better go get some more wood,” he said to himself. “And some hot dogs and marshmallows to go with it!”
Tee Bone turned around, took a step, and tripped. He fell to the ground with a heavy thud. As he did, he heard a victorious “squeeee!” from the trees. Getting up and brushing the leaves and grass from his shirt, he saw what caused his fall. A small pile of twigs and branches that he certainly did not leave there. Which means….
“Squeee! Ackackack,” came the sound from the trees again, just before another squirrel poop was dropped on Tee Bone’s head.
“That God damned squirrel…” mumbled a fuming Tee Bone to himself as he wiped the crap from his hair. Anger smouldered inside him, much hotter than the campfire. The squirrel hurriedly left the scene of the crime with a jump and a leap. “That little bastard. He’s targeting me!” shouted Tee Bone at the trees.
The forest turned silent in answer.
The moon was full that night, and Tee Bone slept like he had not been able to sleep back in the city. The satisfied sleep of the just. The kind of calm re-energizing that comes only with…
“Squee! Ackackack.”
Tee Bone was startled awake. It took a minute to remember where he was. Then, he rubbed that spot in the corner of his eyes where the headache liked to go.
“That God damn squirrel!”
He removed his covers and got out of bed with a start. He ran down from his bedroom to the first floor of the Camp, and flipped the lights. Outdoors, night became as day! The light flooded the property. He stormed out onto the deck, yelling as a man possessed!
“You! You little bastard! You will not ruin my vacation! You will not!” He violently shook his finger at the nearest tree. “I’ve just about had it with you!”
The night was silent, but for the cool wind that rustled the leaves on the Devil’s Deck.
Tee Bone lingered a moment and then, satisfied that he had scared the little rodent off, stepped back inside.
“Squee!” the squirrel teased from a distance.
“Little bastard,” mumbled Tee Bone under his breath as he closed the door. “I’m gonna lose it I swear.” The forest whispered quietly behind him.
Morning came. “Bacon and eggs over an open fire? Don’t mind if I do!” mumbled Tee Bone as he yawned himself awake.
The big man sat up and removed his nightcap. Outside the bedroom window: a symphony of birds, a delight that he let enter his body through all his senses. He closed his eyes and simply absorbed the music of the outdoors. He was hungry but food could wait just a few more minutes. Then he opened his eyes. The lake was deep blue. He strode over to the window. Looked like it was going to be a clear day. Good day for…
“SQUEE!” The squirrel suddenly appeared, jumping right at a startled Tee Bone, and landing on the flowerbed beneath the window!
“AHHH!” screamed Tee Bone in shock. His heart raced 100 beats a minute as he staggered backwards onto the hardwood floor. “OW!” he yelped at his bruised tailbone.
Satisfied, the squirrel jumped away back into the trees.
Tee Bone felt the rage rise once again in his blood. He stood with a groan, threw open the windows, and yelled.
“Today, squirrel! It’s going down today! You are dead meat, rodent! Dead meat!”
Closing the windows, Tee Bone ran to his dresser and took out his best camouflaged clothes.
“Told you I’d need these one day,” he whispered to Mrs. Tee Bone as if she was actually in the room with him. “Today I’m gonna catch a squirrel.” Then a pause. “Because I promised Deke I wouldn’t use my powers!” answered Tee Bone impatiently to nobody. He was losing his grip.
Mentally on the brink, he frantically searched for items around the house. It was psychological warfare now and Tee Bone was on the losing end. The squirrel was winning and worse than that, Tee Bone knew it. He was looking for a specific bag with an item inside that he would require today. He also needed a hat. “No, not the Montreal Canadiens hat!” he shouted to no-one. Instead he selected a plain white baseball hat. In the downstairs closet, he spotted the bag he sought, with the big “Deke’s Palace” logo on the side.
“I’ve got him this time,” said the rapidly deteriorating Tee Bone, getting more manic as he changed into his camo outfit. “Shut up! Shut up!! No more narration!”
I watch from my hiding spot, crouching uncomfortably in the thorns. My face is covered in black facepaint, leftovers from last summer’s Kiss costume party. Remember? I was Ace, and Deke drew the short straw and had to be Vinnie Vincent. Note to self: no more black leather in summer. But now the party is over and I’m here in the bushes to catch a little bastard rodent. Next to me, I have a special bag from Deke’s Palace. One of gadgets that he left here after the party. A toy, actually, for the kids, but it’ll work for these purposes. I’ve already programmed the course. I just need that little prick to take the bait.
There’s movement in the trees, but I can tell from the colours that it’s just birds. Two blue jays and a cardinal. No squirrels. He’s a smart little shit. He’s been watching me. Clandestine surveillance. He knows I’m up to something. I know he knows. But here’s the thing. He may be smart, but I’m crazy. Crazy like a fox. He made me this way. And now he will find out what happens when you mess with a crazy fox!
Now I hear him. “Squee-ing” in the trees. A battle cry. He knows what’s happening here: winner take all. Either I win and have my vacation, or he wins and they take me to the funny farm. There’s no other outcome.
I’ve waited here motionless for so long I’ve lost track of time. I know the sun has moved. The bait was in the sun when I dropped it. Now it’s in the shade. I just have to hope that that squirrel is a big enough asshole to steal my hat. There it sits, my hat, the bait. I dropped where it lay and made it look like an accident, like I didn’t notice it had fallen from my bag. Wait, I see the branches moving again! It’s not a bird. Heavier than a bird. It must be that God damn squirrel.
There he is; that little rodent just jumped down from the trees! Oh my God he’s moving towards the hat! Come on you little…come on…one more step. That’s right. Touch it. Try to take it. Try!
YES!!!
The cage came down! He’s trapped! Wow he’s really making noise now. He’s pissed off! Hah! How do you like it, you little shit! OK, got my bag here…grabbing the rocket from the bag. Deke’s special rocket. Made it for the kids but far too powerful for regular play. OK. Gotta grab the little bastard now and…OH! OH! You shit! You little shit! Hold still you bastard…HA! Inside you go. Got you! Got you! Closing the hatch now. Enjoy your Rocket Ride! Alright…running to the launch pad now…placing the rocket. And now…3…2…1…launch!
Hah! It launched!! Bye squirrel! Bye! I hope you like Australia!
With that, sanity returned to Tee Bone Man and the narrator returned to his job.
The rest of the week was quiet and completely uneventful. Lots of reading, sleeping, paddling in the lake. Catching a few fish, Tee Bone was well fed and finally relaxed. And sunburned. Falling asleep on the boat one afternoon left him a little red in the face, but it was truly one of the best naps he’d ever had. He felt great!
At the end of his seven day break, Tee Bone packed his car, and prepared for the long drive home. He gazed a moment at the Camp, and smiled looking at Devil’s Deck. Until next time.
On the road home, Tee Bone stopped for a Tim Horton’s coffee and thought it might be nice to talk to Deke. Let him know (for the last time) that he was right all along and a vacation was the cure.
“Hey buddy,” said Tee into his phone when Deke answered. “I’m just calling you from a Tim’s on the highway. Just wanted you to know vacation was great and I’m feeling refreshed.”
“That’s great man. And I won’t hold it over your head that I was right again, as usual.” The two friends laughed. “Did anything interesting happen?”
“Nope,” lied Tee Bone. “Nothing at all. Oh, I got a sunburn.”
“Nothing else got burned?” asked Deke. There was no answer. “A little rocket fuel maybe?”
“Oh! Oh! Right,” fumbled Tee Bone as he raced to come up with a story. “You must have noticed that on your tracker right? Right, so you know I shot your rocket to Australia. Well you remember that Harrison Holden kid right? He asked me to send him something from Canada so I just, you know, BLAM! I just rocketed it to him.”
“You sent him something by rocket? What did you send him?” questioned Superdekes, smelling that the story he was being fed had a fishy scent.
Tee Bone swallowed. The line was silent a moment.
“A…coin.”
“You sent him a coin by rocket??” asked Deke.
“Yeah, umm, he said he wanted to see a Canadian loonie, so,” answered Tee Bone awkwardly.
“You sent a $1 coin that you could have mailed, to Australia, by rocket, at the cost of $10,000 in fuel plus my rocket that I’m probably not getting back?” The incredulous Deke was like Judge Judy holding court now. It was an interrogation.
Another swallow. “Yes,” answered Tee Bone, now sweating so much that the phone was slipping from his hands. “Oh, shoot Deke it just started raining here, I’d better get going, talk to you soon, I’ll call you tomorrow, see you pal.” Tee Bone hung up as quickly as he could hit the button.
He looked up to the clear blue sky and swore, “I shall never tell anyone what really happened at Camp.”
Australia.
The ground was streaked where the rocket had come to its soft landing. Though the engine was still smoking, the rocket was motionless. Then, it shuddered. Again. Now, it shook with some force until the top panel burst open.
The squirrel leaped out and gazed around his new surroundings. The sound of Blaze Bayley poured from a distant window, catching his ear. The squirrel headed East.
Tim’s Vinyl Confessions Ep. 358: Coney Hatch Retrospective w/ ANDY CURRAN
Thank you to Deke and Tim for my fifth sit down with Andy Curran! This time, we ran through all of Coney Hatch history for a special episode of Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.
Curran: Round Three! Spending RSD with the Coney Hatch man!
Any time we talk with Andy Curran, we can count on two things:
- Amazing rock and roll tales.
- A few scoops!
This time out, we got some exclusive information about some new forthcoming Coney Hatch releases. Andy told us about one of the new songs to be included as a bonus on the new Coney live album, including the title and subject. He also dropped some details about a new band he’s working with, and involving a certain guitar player from a certain Canadian trio. Sounds interesting.
We also discussed some other releases Andy has been involved with: the Triumph Allied Forces box set, Kim Mitchell’s The Big Fantasize, and the Rush box set featuring next week’s guest Jacob Moon. Best of all, Andy showed us his El Mocambo bass up close and personal, with a detailed story behind it. He also told us about a charity idea that he has, and he wants your feedback. If you want a chance to own some Coney Hatch history, this will be of interest.
Thank you Deke and Andy for an awesome Saturday. Happy Record Store Day!
Double Header Weekend! Andy Curran and Blind Buys on the LeBrain Train
It’s another two-show weekend! Get ready to rock this Friday and Saturday.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike and Friends
Friday – Episode 69 – Blind Buys
What is the best album that you bought “on spec” — without knowing much of anything about it? This is a great question for fun discussions. The subject was suggested by Kevin aka BuriedOnMars, who is one of our favourite guests here on the show. With him will be Sarca Sim and her own killer list. Aaron from the KMA will be on board with his best discoveries.
And…for the first time ever…all the way from Scotland…
…Joining this LeBrain Train in his debut appearance is J, the Vinyl Daft Dad, aka Jim Dead. This talented singer/guitar player/songwriter has been wanting to hang out for over a year, and now we finally get to do it. Well overdue! Not only is he a truly great musician, but also a wonderful human. This show, and these lists, are going to be prodigous!
Friday June 11, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook: MikeLeBrain and YouTube: Mike LeBrain.
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike and Deke
Saturday – Episode 70 – Andy Curran, round 3!
I’m sitting here in awe that Andy Curran is coming back to talk to us for a third time. The Earl of the Eighth Note, the masterful bassist and vocalist from Coney Hatch, is back to take care of some loose ends! I can’t think of a better way for you to spend a Saturday afternoon than checking out the rock and roll tales of Andy Curran. Now that we have the Coney Hatch Live at the El Mocambo album in hand, we have so much more to ask. We also have some special guest questions locked and loaded. Make no mistake — this will not be a repeat of the first two Curran shows!
I’d like to thank Deke, Andy and Chip for making this possible. As Deke says, we’re just fans. But we eat, breath and sleep this stuff. Andy has some of the best stories. I can’t wait to hear some more.
As usual, this is a show that you want to make sure that you catch live. We try to ask as many viewer questions as we can so don’t miss it!
Saturday June 12, 1:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook: MikeLeBrain and YouTube: Mike LeBrain.
NEW SHOW ADDED!
#907: Lake Listenin’
RECORD STORE TALES #907: Lake Listenin’
These days, I like playing music at the lake that takes me back in time. Maybe that’s the curse of getting older. Everything reminds me of something else. Since that’s the case, I might as well make the most of it. If I’m having a good time at the lake, there is nothing better than music that reminds me of having a good time at the lake.
I set the scene with a very relaxing drive, to the 80s tunes of Kim Mitchell’s self-titled EP, plus Shakin’ Like a Human Being, and The Sport of Kings by Triumph. It was golden.
Instead of diving right into the nostalgia pool right away again upon arrival, I officially started the weekend with some music that is new to me: Coney Hatch and Andy Curran. My current favourite Coney Hatch tunes are “First Time For Everything” from Outa Hand, and “She’s Gone” & “Wrong Side of Town” from Friction. Arriving Thursday night, these tunes, along with Curran’s “No Tattoos”, led our evening on the porch, watching the sun set. Not only did the tunes get us psyched for the weekend, but also next week’s LeBrain Train. Andy is our guest again, so I am preparing once more.
I closed the night studying up for the next day’s episode: the Nigel Tufnel Top Ten Judas Priest albums. This “remastered” episode was an update on one that Harrison and I did on Facebook Live a year ago. I re-watched the episode from the previous year, very much enjoying myself. Harrison and I had a great time the first outing, though the second one surely topped it!
When I’m at the lake, I try to keep the volume to a reasonable level. I like to take a walk to the end of the driveway and down the road and check the levels. A little music at the end of the driveway is OK but I don’t want to hear myself down the road. However, I said “to hell with that” for the rest of the weekend, when the neighbours had a loud party on the Friday night.
“I hope they enjoy ‘Detroit Rock City’ at 6:00 am,” I said.
So that’s how my Saturday began: Destroyer, cranked. Destroyer has never been my favourite Kiss album by a long shot, but for some reason it just clicked with me that morning. The cool breeze coming off the lake, the birds and squirrels bickering over my head; and Kiss Destroyer on the speakers. Things you don’t think would go together, but in my brain, actually do. I would have played Destroyer at the lake as a kid — many times. The difference was, now nobody was telling me to turn it down. Apparently that “if it’s too loud, you’re too old” thing doesn’t apply. As I get older, I love it loud.
After Destroyer came Rock and Roll Over, Dynasty, and the complete audio to the video Exposed. This included all the studio tracks from the music videos, all the live tracks exclusive to the video, and even that little nugget of Paul and Gene harmonizing on “I’ll Be Back” by the Beatles. As a kid, I made something similar on a cassette. I recorded all the live stuff and “I’ll Be Back” from the VHS tape and made an album out of it. I left off the music videos. Today, I ripped all the music from the DVD directly to mp3 and made a double album out of it! I sat there in wonder listening, imagining what my younger self would have thought of such an audio miracle.
That’s a lot of Kiss though; solid Kiss with no other bands breaking the streak. When I did finally need an intermission from Kiss, I chose Iron Maiden’s Piece of Mind. I actually bought that album at the lake in the summer of ’85, at an old record store that used to exist on the main street.
As far as volume goes, keep in mind I’m blasting my music on a $24 pair of speakers from Amazon. The guy partying across the street must have had something stronger because I could identify “The Impression That I Get” by the Bosstones easily from my seat on the porch.
“I hope they like Star Wars,” I said as I cued up The Empire Strikes Back on my Disney Plus.
I had another revelation while watching Empire. Objectively, it could be the best Star Wars, but because nostalgia is my thing, I flashed back to 1980. 1981. 1982. 1983. The golden era of Star Wars fandom. For a long time, at that ripe age, we were left with two major cliffhangers. What would happen to the frozen Han Solo, and was Darth Vader lying about being Luke’s father? Hard to believe but we spent years — an eternity of a child’s age, a significant fraction of our lives — not knowing the answers.
We also had to spend this time making up things to do with our Han Solo figures. He was frozen in carbonite at this time. Sometimes I took my Solo figure and froze him in ice in the freezer. We used our imaginations. Empire was such a huge part of our childhood. For me the Empire era ran from age seven to just before age eleven. It was the Star Wars for which I had all the collector’s cards (first series), the soundtrack, the “story of” record, the comic, the novel, colouring books, and just about everything else you could buy. The bedsheets — check. Dixie cups — check. Burger King glasses — also check. We had a good chunk of Kenner figures from that era. We had everything we could possibly get our hands on.
Except the movie itself. That, we could not recreate on a whim. We brought our toys, our comics and our cards to the lake so we could re-imagine the movie. But we could not watch it.
That was a luxury that was not lost on me as I sat on the porch watching the Battle of Hoth. I smiled ear to ear knowing this. Something unimaginable during the actual Empire era. Though, we did indeed see The Empire Strikes Back at the lake. And it wasn’t the special editions. We saw the original, at the drive-in. It was in a double feature with a bicycling movie called Breaking Away, which we slept through. My sister slept through most of Empire, too! She was only three.
I took a break in the middle of The Empire Strikes Back to take a dip in the water. But the Sooners had come.
“Sooners” is how my dad refers to the people who show up to go to the beach for day. I wondered what “Sooners” meant so I looked it up. He must have got it from one of his cowboy movies. Sooner: “a person settling on land in the early West before its official opening to settlement in order to gain the prior claim allowed by law to the first settler after official opening.”
I don’t see how that applies to the beachgoers, but the name stuck.
Anyway there were a bunch of Sooners at the beach. There was Man-Bun and his two girlfriends, and a family of seven who parked their bikes right in front of our place. I know my dad would have had a fit. The bikes were well out of the way, but it’s no fun trying to back your car out of the driveway with any kind of obstruction, so I get it.
The Sooners weren’t as bad as the renters. They had a huge dog — the size of a small pony — that kept going after Jen any time we walked down the path to the beach on our own property. They’d scold the dog but not put him on a leash. I say “him” because his name was clearly Frank. Who names their dog Frank? Seriously.
I don’t know who held the party that night. The salvos of US-grade fireworks began when I was sleeping. Jen says they were still going off at 1 am. I say “US-grade” fireworks because I know the difference. There are the kind you can buy in the convenience stores here, and there are the ones you can’t. This was the stuff you can’t. On and on and on it went. It seemed to be coming from the renters’ place. When I went down to the beach the following morning, their firepit was still smouldering. Late night party fire?
What could I do? I woke up and blasted Aerosmith. I played them while packing the car, on the car system, doors open. I hope you like Toys in the Attic.
Sooners and renters aside, summer has gotten off to a tremendous start. Maybe next time, I’ll play all new albums and make some new memories. It doesn’t particularly matter — the setting is conducive to to anything you want to listen to. And now that I can bring my entire music collection with me in my pocket, I am limited only by my own whims.
I am a lucky guy.
Sean Kelly Rocks the LeBrain Train
No preamble needed here! Just sit back, grab a drink and enjoy the entire 1:45 chat with Sean Kelly below. We tackled just about every project he’s ever been in, from Lee Aaron to Helix to Trapper to Coney to Crash Kelly, 69 Duster, Nelly Furtado, and more. What’s this about Motley Crue figures? And hear about the new upcoming Coney Hatch Live in Germany LP, Lee Aaron’s new tunes, and a hell of a lot more.
Sean’s enthusiasm for music and especially rock and roll is contagious.
The interview with Sean begins at the 0:17:30 mark. Tune in and enjoy!
A big thanks to Sean for taking his time to talk to us, and also to Deke for hooking this one up. You guys rock.
Happy long weekend, Canada!
Sean Kelly boards the LeBrain Train, Friday at 7:00 PM!
The LeBrain Train: 2000 Words or More with Mike and Deke
Episode 65 – Sean Kelly!
Sean Kelly is a busy guy! He was in fact one of the very first guests to agree to come on the show, back before we had even done anything notable. We finally got him on the schedule just in time to celebrate two new albums. One is Lee Aaron’s upcoming Radio On, with its insanely catchy debut single “Cmon”! The other is Coney Hatch’s brand new Live at the El Mocambo. As if that wasn’t enough, he recently worked on a new Helix song called “Not My Clowns, Not My Circus”. Did I mention he’s a busy guy?
Additionally, Kelly is known for his work with Crash Kelly, Trapper, and 69 Duster You might also be familiar with his collaborations with Gilby Clarke, Nelly Furtado, Emm Gryner, and Carole Pope. As if that wasn’t enough to do, he also plays classical. On the side, he put together an EP to go with a book he wrote called Metal On Ice! Will we have time to ask him about all this activity? We’ll try!
Superdekes is the guy who asked Sean to come aboard, so let’s give him a round of applause while we’re at it! This is another show you’ll want to make sure you catch live.
Friday May 21, 7:00 PM E.S.T. on Facebook: MikeLeBrain and YouTube: Mike LeBrain.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE: All times are Eastern Standard.
Friday May 28: Dave Lizmi of The Four Horsemen (co-host T-Rev) 7:00 PM
Saturday May 29: Top Cover Art Designers (with Aaron and Tim Durling from Tim’s Vinyl Confessions) 3:00 PM
Friday June 4: Top Judas Priest Albums (with Harrison, John 2loud2oldmusic, and Geoff on graphs) 7:00 PM
Friday June 11: Best “Blind Buys” (with BuriedOnMars, Sarca and J)
Saturday June 12: Andy Curran of Coney Hatch returns for round 3 (co-host Superdekes) 1:00 PM
Friday June 18: Author Robert Lawson (co-host Superdekes) 7:00 PM
Friday June 25: Brian Hamilton of Storm Force (co-host Superdekes) 7:00 PM
Coney Hatch – Live at the El Mocambo – Live vinyl unboxing!
A quick impromptu episode. Limited, numbered, signed vinyl LP!
mikeladano.com 