Excerpts from Electric Degeneration, Degenerate Press' semi-weekly e-zine, free and ad-free. A full episode contains sections for music reviews, upcoming events, blasphemy, classifieds, and anything else we feel like saying. If you'd like to subscribe just contact us.
You can surf the entire archive.
2/7/2006
OBIT
Reverend Larry, former frontman of Moonshine Killers and Lenny’s regular, passed
away on Saturday of a heart attack after serious illness. There may be a
memorial show at Lenny’s this Saturday afternoon.
EAR PLUGS
Friday night degenerate CD and myself headed to The Earl early to sip drinks on
their patio. The weather was lovely all day, though by evening a bit of chill
had returned. Of course, the weekend would bring forty degrees and raining,
spitting snow up in the mountains, cold winds, etc., but Friday night it was
still just warm enough to linger outside a bit, ogling girls, motorcycles,
scooters, and a lot of folks new to the Earl asking the door guy where they
could get tickets for the show. We figured we were in for sold-out conditions
inside and at $12 I had some hesitation. But rather than find something else to
do, laziness prevailed and we headed inside.
Unfortunately for you, SW ran off with our digital camera this weekend so you'll
have to suffer with only my meager efforts with the English language for a
"picture" of the show. Think of it as a retro flashback to a couple of years ago
before we posted pictures of every damn thing.
DJ's T1 and Agent 45 were spinning up killer soul and R&B, much of it from right
here in Georgia. I've mentioned their collection before and if you're interested
see more at http://www.georgiasoul.com. Make sure to check out the blog where
they post samples of some of this stuff. They're doing some radio and live shows
around town this month and I highly recommend 'em.
At 10:20 an older lady next to me asked why the show hadn't started.
"It's not even 10:30 yet. It's too early."
"What? Why?"
"I don't know, but that's how it is in Atlanta. Only places like The Variety
start earlier."
She said she was considering sneaking backstage and pestering the band into
going on. I shrugged. She moved toward the backstage door, only to have it open
in front of her to allow the many members of Cadillac Jones to emerge.
The old lady practically jumped for joy. I thought it was pretty cute.
Cadillac Jones lays down some funky jazz instrumental grooves and they're damn
good at it. At moments they begin to sound like the soundtracks to 70's cop
shows or porn movies. Unfortunately it's a bit too much jazzy jam for me. If you
like that sort of stuff, they are THE band to see. I found it a bit dull and
lingered in the back sipping rum and taking note of the new faces in the crowd.
Sharon Jones, the headlining act, had brought in a crowd with a decidedly older
demographic, and definitely non-Earl fashions. No greasy hair and ironic
t-shirts. Instead, there were lots of sequins and clothes that looked like they
came from Phipps Plaza. It was nice to see a bit more diversity in the room.
It was also a non-smoking show, which meant I didn't have to blink repeatedly to
clear the burning smog from my eyes or wait a week to wear my jacket again. Fuck
smokers. Better yet, don't fuck 'em. Let 'em go sexless.
The DJ's took over during the break, which is where my notes taken during the
show stopped. Why? Because the Dap Kings came on and rocked the damn house and I
didn't distract myself trying to jot anything down 'cause I was having too much
fun, that's why. A line from their web site says it right, "From meaty
breakbeats and jams that echo the best of the JBs to beautiful ballads that
would make Aretha smile, the veteran Dap-Kings know how to sweat and deliver."
Fantastic stuff that has the power to move your feet no matter what your mood. "Binky
Griptite", the lead singer, has the perfect soul/R&B voice, played some smokin’
guitar, and occasionally swayed around like a man possessed while the band laid
down a bedrock of solid funky beats punctuated with punchy horns and choppy
wa-wa pedal guitar. Binky is coming out with a record of his own soon, so check
www.daptonerecords.com for
info on the Dap Kings and other artists on the Daptone Records label.
Half an hour or so later, Sharon Jones appeared and continued the groove with
her own powerful vocals. She grumbled about the monitor situation several times
but you couldn't hear any problems out in the audience. She had everyone in the
room, young and old, tapping their feet. A few folks loosened up enough to dance
and sway and pretty soon she was pulling guys up onto the stage to dance with
her. It was a mid-60's dance party the likes of which I have never seen live. By
the end of the show I was thinking $12 wasn't nearly enough to cover the amount
of funky fun I'd gotten from the night. I picked up one of Sharon's CD's.
Degenerate JH picked up one of her records on vinyl, done in perfect 60's style
complete with blocky, blurry black and white text on the back, like some lost
gem in a thrift store record bin.
Speaking of, my local Salvation Army recently chucked their once-expansive
record bin in favor of only a handful on a back shelf, so if there's a thrift
store near you that still has a large record bin let me know. I'm always looking
for steals on weird and forgotten sounds!
 |
Take
me to Degenerate Press' home page! All content on this site is owned by Degenerate Press and cannot be used without our permission. We have lawyers for friends with nothing better to do than cause trouble (no kidding), so play nice. Copyright © 2006, All Rights Reserved |