2nd System Wins the Battle; Loses the War

2nd System
Lucky Breaks and Last Mistakes

2nd System has confounded critics and fans alike. They have attitude that’s up front and in your face like Dick Cheney (remember him?) responding with “so what” to a reported that had the gall to suggest the public didn’t like his Bush era policies. Unlike Cheney, 2nd system boldly steps up where most bands refuse to go. They follow their own muse and always tell the truth except when they don’t. They have been rockin’ mid-Michigan since 1999 and have gone through band members like Linda Lovelace blowing her lines. This year 2nd System won the award for Best Metal Band in an impressive field that included such heavy hitters as Hokori, Neighborhood Muscle, and Ominous. It seemed like the perfect opportunity for the band to take it up a notch or two and expand their touring schedule and sell their new CD Improper Ganda. It’s a great record that boasts a dynamic full-bodied sound and a surrealistic cover filled with a misty fog, obscure background images and a well dressed Lion-headed dude. The singers were vocal opposites who created a dialectic between darkness and light; lies and truth. So, instead of capitalizing on all this attention, the band implodes and disappears like a bright star rushing toward a black hole. The talented one-armed lead guitarist Don Lajiness turned in his walking papers to complete his college degree and further develop his interest in new wave classical music. Now it’s up to band leader Derek Fisher to re-energize the band and find the missing piece. It’s a Shel Silverstein metaphor for coming face-to-face with a personal truth and finally realizing that the truth even at its most disturbing is better than protecting the lie. Here’s to 2nd System; a great band with a checkered past, a long road ahead and some unfinished business.

Brett Mitchell - Wins Big @ the Review Awards Show

And the Winner Is…
Brett Mitchell & the Giant Ghost
Falling Apart at The Seams

It comes as a bit of a surprise that Brett Mitchell and his band garnered the two BIGGEST honors @ The Review Awards Banquet. Best Rock Band and Best CD release. Rock is dead, anyway, so the category is suspect and Brett, well he can rock with the best of them but he’s more of a pop rocker like Eric Carmen than say, Arcade Fire. Mitchell can write big ballads and pop songs but then add layers of hard rockin’ guitar courtesy of the incredibly gifted Rick Manges. Brett is no slouch either. He not only fronts the band on guitar and vocals but he will take his turn on the drums, laying it down while he works the harp. It’s a dynamic stage show that can never quite be captured in the studio. The band’s stellar musicianship and professionalism are wrapped around Brett like a warm coat. These cats are gonna make sure Mitchell sounds good. If not, Jan Hecht will whip them into shape. In an era where most local bands do not hire managers and agents, Mitchell was savvy enough to land Hecht. She makes a difference and her efforts to advance Mitchell have yielded spectacular results.

When asked about the awards, bassist Bill Hall was circumspect, “To win both was a real surprise. There was stiff competition and we play out of town a lot. So I had never seen many of the bands we were up against. We are real busy and thanks to Jan we do over 100 dates a year. I did see Thick As Thieves and they’re great. I was happy for Brett, I’m just trying to back him any way I can.

Brett Mitchell was surprised as well. “We were playing Diamond Jims in Midland when Jan came in after leaving the Review Awards show. She never said anything at first so I thought ‘oh, well, we didn’t win’ and then she walked up to the microphone and told everyone we got Best CD and Best Rock Band. It was sweet. I was surprised ‘cos there’s a lot of great rock bands out there. Bill would say we’re not rock, we are medium rock. It reminds me of a phrase used on the television show Futurama, in which they labeled certain forms of modern music as vaguely focused alternative rock.”

As for the bands mounting popularity, Hall feels that the band has developed its true identity. It’s about our tightness and dynamics within the band. We’ve been together for over three years and we can read each other’s minds. We know what the others are going to do next by a facial expression, a nod, word or flick of a hand. Brett’s diversity is a big plus. He can play several different instruments, all at the same time. But I have to give kudos to our manager Jan, she paves the road ahead of us, deals with all the logistics and makes it all work. She is the glue that holds it all together.

Mitchell has another view, “The Internet has really helped. I always thought I had the same 10 fans until I opened up a Facebook page. I’d like to think our new album had something to do with it. Andy (Reed) and I put a lot of work into it. I think playing 10 times a month and spreading the gigs out to all four corners of Michigan and beyond is going to help spread the word

Hall is reflective about the future. “There’s a lot of possibilities. I hope Brett sells one of songs and makes the big time. Anything can happen at this point. We are looking for that lucky break.”
Mitchell agrees, “We are trying to place our music into commercials or the Indie Movie scene. It’s a strategy that has promise…a number of bands we know are moving in that direction. Internet radio is emerging as a force. Recently I interviewed with a station out of New York. We came close a couple of times. Gone are the days of signing a three record deal and getting major label financing and support. I’ll never be the flavor of the month but I hope to get some songs placed. I’d like to get involved with Michigan’s Festival circuit.

Peace
Bo White

Tim Avram - Review Awards Winner

Tim Avram’s Elastic Fantastic, Auto-erotic, Folk-Rock & Roll Vision
Our Saving Grace
Modern Spirituals with One Foot in Hell

Tim Avram is a tattooed and spanked “take me home and make me like it” punk rocker disguised as an under the radar country roots musician, a wolf dressed in sheep’s clothing. For the last nine years, Avram has fronted various incarnations of the last great punk band - The Mongrels. It may be surprising to some but to me it makes perfect sense that Avram grew up learning the mandolin from Zydeco Ziggie while grandma played the banjo as she spit chew tobacco and drooled a gooey stream of unseemly profanity. Yep country punk was born.

Avram is philosophical when asked his reaction to winning the nomination for best solo singer, “Ahh…yeah. Hmm. I don’t expect anything ever. You never know. I can’t always tell if the audience likes it or not during a show, the applause can be…polite. It’s hard to tell if people appreciate what you’re doing when you’re doing what you want to do - not playing songs they want to hear and playing my songs and hoping they like it.”

As for the future Avram has modest yet big plans. “Well, I just want to get this CD out. I’ve been working on it for months. I’m recording with Sean Drysdale of the Banana Convention. He does all the mixing and he gets the sound right. He’s making it amazing. I’m playing the guitars, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, and drums. Sean works the bass, plays an old accordion and sprinkles awesome on everything. The working title is “The EP”. I feel that naming the CD is the last piece in the process. The most difficult thing for me is being able to say, “I think that one is done.” You are putting your own stamp on the music when you play all the instruments. It forces you to say “this song is done.” This is a folk album …I think. It’s got some traditional 20th century simplicity to it.”

Avram picked five songs out of notebook of ‘how many’ he wrote. He used songs that fit together well in a cohesive musical statement that builds on the theme of loneliness. It’s a Tom Waits inspired form of neo-realism in which every song tells a story.

The disc opens with Danny O’ Dell a stark narrative about a lock up and dirty turn-keys and prison goons who spit out threats with a sneer. But it’s a cruel fate when life outside can be much worse.

There are electric and acoustic versions of Lover – same obscure lyrics but a different energy that shades meaning. Avram sings “The bridges in this town are good for jumping off an awkward rhyme that repeats itself.” If that’s not obscure enough the bridge is even more elusive, “Pack of 25’s with a cowboy on the side/love is not as tough as he thinks he is.” But Avram assures us that “flirting with the reverend never made it any better/’cos this time I’m not F****** around.”

The sounds of thunder and rain help create the emotional inner landscape of 5 Ton Kill. Accordion splashes and minor chord musings color the aural landscape. The music is cast in sepia tones that beckon you inside to feel the loneliness wash over in a silent mist. This is a ghost story, a wife waiting for her soldier to come home. He never makes it back

Work is an in your face polemic on modern man’s relationship to technology and the cold reality of declining cities, broken families and the ascendance of hegemony and never ending war . The sparse minimalist arrangement - acoustic guitar, popping bass lines and mandolin is the perfect vehicle to convey Avram’s understated horror. The family moves to where the auto jobs are “down to St Johns” and in a “flick of a switch now they’re making bombs.” WORK, WORK, WORK.”

The lyricism of END is a masterful . Here Avram connects personal images with universal themes through metaphorical images of “babies born on Easter and never wondering why” and “floods, hurricanes and snow in July”. He sings about an old sidewinder in the belly of hell, a time when people danced, and making it back to Saginaw. He’s seen “this and that and other things too” and just chalked it up to life on the road as a touring musician. Sometimes the loneliness sneaks up on you.

This is new millennium soul music that is in stark contrast to the business controlled Living Dead music business that is connected to life supports by flash drives that control and disseminate bread and circuses to a public quaking with eternal ennui while being spoon fed pharmaceutical solutions to problems that don’t exist… or not.

Pick it up and Pass it on
Peace
Bo White

Me, The Mob, And The Music
One Helluva Ride
With
Tommy James and the Shondells

Tommy James has always been an enigma to me, a second tier sixties artist with a trunk full of hits and a boat load of critical condemnation. Although he achieved astounding success he never quite hit the big leagues with acts like the Who, The Doors, Moody Blues, Kinks, and the Beach Boys and though he flirted with big-time success (George Harrison even wrote a few songs specifically for James), he never achieved the stratospheric rock god status of the Beatles, Stones and Dylan. Tommy James & the Shondells were great like the Turtles were great, no small praise as both of these underrated bands could sing with incredible range and harmony, play their own instruments and write melodic pop songs that sometimes verged on psychedelic perfection.

I remember when Hanky Panky became a smash hit in 1966. It was an unassuming slice of garage rock heaven that was high on primitive cool and had a touch of reverb to give it a slight echo effect. It had a minimalist vibe like Question Mark & the Mysterians 96 Tears, though James’s ham fisted lead guitar couldn’t compete with those 32nd note organ riffs that the Mysterians used to propel their one and only #1 hit. At the time I thought Tommy James was no match with this odd Question Mark dude who wore shades and chased wildebeasts. A few years later both the Shondells and the Mysterians released Do Something to Me. Tommy James had a chart hit with it. Question Mark did not - and the Mysterians eventually receded into obscurity, the fate of most sixties rockers.

The story of Hanky Panky alone is worth the price of admission. It is the tale of a Phoenix rising from the ashes to become a shining star. It an incredible tale of dumb luck that evokes a Bacon-esque link to unlikely alliances. It probably couldn’t happen today. James recorded Hanky Panky in 1964 on the small independent SNAP label owned by Jack Douglas. James was making waves playing Elks Clubs and Legion halls in Niles Michigan and selling boxfuls of the record. But by 1965, James realized that those big 50,000 watt radio stations in Detroit and Chicago were not picking it up and it was clear to him that Hanky Panky was “not gonna fly”. But in April 1966, James got a call from a co-worker at the Spin-It Record Shop. He told James that Douglas was trying to find him and that Hanky Panky was the #1 record in Pittsburg. It changed his life forever.

As the story goes a DJ by the name of Bob Mack plucked the 45rpm out of a used record bin and started playing it at his teen dances. It was the most requested record in town and the crowd response was outrageous. The original disc was bootlegged, picked up by Fenway Distributers and sold throughout Pittsburg and nearby counties. It was a monster hit. Sensing this was the chance of a lifetime; James hopped into a car and drove straight down I-80 to his destiny. Bob Mack and James joined forces to find a new group of Shondells. They proceeded to scour the clubs in and around Pittsburg and eventually discovered a gifted band at the Thunderbird Lounge called the Raconteurs. After a few rehearsals with James, they realized they had a true leader with a great voice. They jumped at this uncommon opportunity. The rest is a history that can never be repeated as record companies no longer scour regional markets as they once did in the sixties.

This is a memoir with several twists. Tommy James ended up signing a contract with Roulette Records. It was like signing a pact with the devil, a real life godfather of rock & roll by the name of Morris Levy. Levy founded Roulette Records in 1956 and he quickly learned the value of claiming publishing rights. He allegedly claimed authorship of several early rock & roll songs that he did not write, including Frankie Lymon’s “Why Do Fools Fall In Love”, Lee Dorsey’s “Ya Ya”, The Riviera’s California Sun and others. This practice allowed Levy to become one of the wealthiest record executives in the biz. It is alleged that he had ties to the Genovese crime family. In fact, James delayed the completion of this book until after Vinnie “the Chin” Gigante passed away in 2005.

James explains that the contract he had with Roulette was similar to many of contracts at the time in that most of the publishing went to Roulette and royalties were never paid to the artists. This was true for Tommy James. Instead of getting regular royalty checks for the sales of his hits, James had to rely on Levy’s unpredictable largesse. If Levy was in a good mood, he would instruct his assistant to cut James a check for ten grand or even buy him a house. Otherwise Levy might yell and scream and threaten James life. Levy would insist that James had no royalties because of the production/recording costs and living expenses that Roulette covered. Levy exercised complete control over his artists through unpredictable transfers of money and the threat of violence. Intimidation was his forte.

In this modest 225 page memoir, James is able to tell his story, warts and all, through intersecting plot lines and partially filled spaces that nonetheless detail his music (the hits) and the creative process while titillating us with stories from the dark side. He never digs very deep and that may be all well and good. The sad tale of drug and alcohol abuse and infidelity/promiscuity is pretty familiar in the lore of sixties/seventies rock & roll. Women were never liberated and free love was more of a male dominated ruse. Get it while you’re hot brother. In an exercise of doing/undoing James reveals episodes of Levy’s vicious underworld of crime and violence and then describes Levy’s fatherly love, generosity and affection. It seems Levy borrowed the art of building loyalty following episodes of intimidation - breaking you down and building you back up. It’s a military science for those who like control. It appears to be similar to the Stockholm syndrome in which the victim ends up aligning with the aggressor.

It is interesting that James seems defensive about critiques of his songs, especially the earlier pop hits such as its Only Love, I Think We’re Alone Now, and Mirage. He disagrees with the critics and feels he’s been misunderstood and grouses that others borrowed his riffs and used them to create hybrid music for pre-teens called “Bubblegum.” He points to the year 1968 when Kasenetz and Katz formed Buddha records and co-opted his music – rhythms and chord progressions - and used them on songs like Yummy, Yummy, Yummy, Down at Lulus, and Indian Giver. Well…it’s a fine line to draw in the sand. Personally, I like bubblegum music and I’m not so quick to jettison that label - though it no longer carries much underground cool. There was a time in the eighties and nineties when punk bands played songs by the Monkees, Ohio Express and the Archies - and I loved it!

I was especially appreciative that James brought the reader inside for a glimpse (remember, not very deep) of the creative process on some of his greatest songs – Mony Mony, Crystal Blue Persuasion, Crimson and Clover, Sweet Cherry Wine (his only protest song), Ball of Fire, and Draggin’ the Line.

Ultimately all of the major players in this memoir are given a balanced review of their strengths and contributions as well as their warts and failings - Tommy James included. This makes the book more memorable and more human…especially for James. He is no angel and he admits to knowing exactly what he was doing and who he was dealing with when he signed his pact with the devil. He learned to look the other way and knew when he could push and when he should walk away. It may have saved his career …and his life

I saw Tommy James perform for the very first time at Pine Knob in the late seventies. He opened for Franki Valli and the Four Seasons. Valli was stiff and perfunctory, sounding more like a lounge lizard than an early rock & roll hero. He even said something like, “this is for all the lovely ladies here tonight,” before singing “Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You.” Yeech. But Tommy James was right on the mark. He sang well and the band was incredible. He stole the show.

I saw him a second time in 1985 at the Saginaw Civic Center. He was in a package tour produced by Chrysler to raise funds for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. It was a one-of-kind iconoclastic show featuring Tommy James & the Shondells with Don Ciccone of the Critters, the original Four Tops led by the irresistible baritone of Levi Tubbs, the Temptations with Eddie Kendricks and David Ruffin (the original lead singers), Spirit with Randy California, Ed Cassidy and Jay Ferguson, and Mark Lindsey (lead singer of Paul Revere & the Raiders) backed by Spirit!
It was a once in a lifetime opportunity to shine and each band hit their mark with a bulls-eye. Tommy James’ note perfect muscular performance was right on par with the other rock and soul icons on the bill. It is a flawless and forgotten gem never to be repeated.
It was pure magic.

Me & the Mob and the Music is a must read for anyone who loves the music of the sixties and seventies and wants to learn more about the underside of a very corrupt business. The book is published by Scribner Press, A Division of Simon & Shuster Inc. You can purchase it locally @ Barnes & Noble.

Peace
Bo White

Rustbucket
It’s a Whole Nuther Thing
Music with No Boundaries

Featuring… John Krogman, Jim Davenport and Scott Causley


Rustbucket is a collaboration of crusty old men who are as cantankerous and unpredictable as a Michigan spring. And just when you think they are down for the count, they dust themselves off, get up on their feet and keep on rocking. Despite an illustrious past of great songs and mass popularity, these touch of grey dudes had their share the missed opportunities, busts, burnouts and barroom brawls. Krogman and his band mates just won’t go away and bask in past glories. Sure it would be so much easier if they would just know their place - sit down in the old rocking chair, goof with the grandkids, look at old black & white photos and grouse about the old times. Instead they are filled up with an unlikely drive and zest for playing rock & roll in clubs – way past their bedtime. They are creating some incredibly hot music that needs to be heard. Rock & roll may be dead but it continues to flourish in the vision and craft of artists like Krogman, Davenport and Causley. It seems like fate intervened to create just the right conditions and circumstances for the phoenix to rise from the ashes and spread its brilliant multi-colored day-glo wings one more time. Johnny Boomer and the Burden twins earned their stripes in one of the many renaissance eras of old town Saginaw. A recent archeological excavation on the former site of Daniel’s Den uncovered the original rust bucket in which Dick Wagner bequeathed his ancient oversized genius to future generations of rockers, So the torch has passed. Sure Rustbucket may be grizzly, wizened and enlarged in all the wrong places; but protest and rebellion are the key components of their passion to create original music and not settle for the ennui of cover band hell. This band is still able to stand up and dish out some the best rock & roll music in mid-Michigan. Below is an interview with John Krogman.

Why did you form a new band?

I did a solo house gig out in Frankenmuth for about 4 years. When that was done, I was ready to rock with a band again. All through my career, I have switched between solo and bands out of necessity really.
Jim Davenport and I have been friends for a long time. We hooked up through “social media” and kicked around the idea of doing something together. Jim is a great songwriter and I had wanted to work with him when we were younger, and we did have a band together. It was birth of Johnny and the Boomers. Jim was playing drums. Anyway when we reconnected last year we decided to start a band. Scott Causley was interested along with John van Benschoten we started playing and it’s going great.

Weren't the Boomers and The Burdons ruling the scene at the same time

The Burdons were around right before the Flies broke up. Johnny and the Boomers came later, but our paths never crossed during those years so I think it was like they had their scene and we had ours.


What is it like to write music and create songs with a new set of partners?

It’s great! Jim and Scott and I are like minded so we work well together.
Scott Causley is a great engineer and has a 24 track recorder and is able to record
live drums, we can lay the basic rhythm tracks down and then add on from there.
Jim and Scott are also good singers and recognize the importance of harmony, and they both have a great work ethic and the sense of being a team. All that together makes our songs better. Another thing is I have my good friend John van Benschoten playing guitar also, and we work well together as he was one of the guys that taught me how to play back in high school


How did you come up with the name Rustbucket?

I was playing in Fayetteville, North Carolina and staying with my friend Rob Anderson. I did a radio show at WFSS 99.9 in Fayetteville and met some awesome musicians who made me one of their own. He had a house in the woods and there was an old abandoned falling apart red barn wood house on some property nearby. I went over to take some photos and I found this old rusty bucket. That is the inspiration for the name and I brought the bucket home with me. Plus it’s a tip of the hat to Neil Young.


Listening to some of your demos, I'm struck at how adept you are at shifting into different styles and genres. How were you able to incorporate various influences and still be totally original?

I like many different genres. Because I write songs, when I get and idea, I don’t listen to any thing else until I’m done working on a particular piece. If I am going to the studio I only listen to what I’m going to be working on that day. This stops the “oh it sound like this or that song” which can be a big obstacle because when you write with an acoustic guitar, at first it’s bound to sound like something else until I present it to the band . I don’t dictate to them what to play. I just let them feel it and play what they play.


I love your new song Carolina Moon - It has a folky Harvest Moon vibe with Workingman Dead harmonies but doesn't sound like Neil Young or The Grateful Dead. It seems to capture the essence of your own unique vision without borrowing too much from those other artists. What do you think?

Carolina Moon was inspired by exactly that, when I was in North Carolina.
Many great songs are 3 or 4 chord songs. Some come out of nowhere, like a gift from God. The song usually will lead me where I need to go.


How would you characterize your music?

Good question. Rock, blues, old country, rockabilly, ska. No boundaries.
My music is my music, I do it because I like to write songs, so as long as I’m happy with it that’s all that matters. Songs just happen and it’s not the same every time. Sometimes I will head in a certain direction, and other times I just work with what comes out.


I really enjoyed the nursery rhymes you set to music on the demos. I believe you made them for your grandchildren. This Old Man has incredible charm. Is it something you might keep in your shows or on a future CD.

The nursery rhymes are for a new company in Redlands, California, DND English Learners, Consultants and Coaches. They are language professionals and Rustbucket is recording nursery rhymes and original material to help young children (ages 5 to 10) from different foreign countries to learn English.


You reworked the incredible Follow Me Down with Rustbucket and it is even better than the original version. Your guitar work is excellent, probably your best ever, You were up and down the neck from the E string to the bass strings. Is this one of your shining moments on record?

I was in the studio working on something else and just tried it on big distorted electric guitar and it worked. Yea, probably the best lead work for me. This song has taken on a whole new life.


I enjoyed your socio-political themes on Kandahar Is Falling. Is this a new stance for you?

When we went into Afghanistan, the reporters just kept on saying Kandahar is falling, so the whole song is built around that phrase. As far as my stance…no comment.


Do you have plans on recording a Rustbucket CD

Yes, we are doing that right now, and we have a lot of music to record.


You have an upcoming show with legendary Michigan poet John Sinclair. Do you have any special plans for that show?

No special plans except to put on one hell of a show for our part. We are very excited to meet John. We will play mostly original material. I can’t wait for that show!


How did you hook up with Bob Goodman and his radio Show Whole ‘Nuther Thing?

When I was in North Carolina, I received an email from Bob that said if I would send him a copy of Live without Love he would play it on his show. I think he stumbled upon my website http://www.johnkrogman.com and listened to the song there first.. Since then I’ve been on 7 times, the latest being April 2, 2011. If you haven’t listened to Bob Goodman’s webcast Whole ‘Nuther Thing, it’s on every Saturday 6:00pm till 9:00pm out of Mission Viejo, California. All the webcast are archived. Check it out it’s a great show. There is a link on my homepage to the show. http://www.wholenutherthing.com/Whole_Nuther_Thing.php


Any last comments?


Yes, thanks to you and all the rest of the people who have shown me their support over the years! Rock till you drop!

Bob Goodman
A Whole ‘Nuther Thing

Bob Goodman is a true believer in the power of music. He is a DJ who creates moods with music as a painter would create on canvas. He has a wealth of experience dating back to the sixties and the age of Top Forty radio. He is New York City born and bred and was able to witness the creative spark of Greenwich Village and the East Village that led to a cultural re-vitalization amongst musicians, poets, sculptors, and actors. This was a golden age of creativity and experimentation. The sounds of NYC were brimming with a glorious diversity from Salsa to folk, country and jazz to rock and roll. Goodman was a radio freak from the time he could toddle over to mom’s transistor and change the station. He was the General Manager of Hunter College in New York and was one of the founders of City University Radio Network. His first professional gig was with WRCN/WHRF in Long Island. He also landed gigs in Los Angeles, Northern California, and Philadelphia before he got a “real job” with Consumer Electronics. But in the twilight of his career, he retired and enrolled in Saddleback College in Mission Viejo to take Communications and Broadcast related Courses. In January 2001, he returned to radio and developed the “Whole ‘Nuther Thing” concept, playing a mosaic of obscure as well as famous artists. Listeners responded so well to the format that Goodman began to dig deeper than the greatest hits and began playing the more obscure and forgotten material. He now has a worldwide audience for his weekly program on KSBR FM 88.5 or online @ http://www.ksbr.net/webcast.html each Saturday from 3-6pm PDT



How did you come to form A Whole Nuther Thing?
KSBR is primarily a Jazz Station and I'd been doing a show on KSBR for 10 years. Part of my show was an hour feature called The Whole Thing which featured one entire CD. I thought the concept was limiting and asked if I could change the format to feature an Artist not a CD and Whole "Nuther Thing was born. After year 4 I moved to Saturdays where we begin our weekend specialty shows. I had a little more freedom to play music from other genres and I inserted music that was not Jazz but blended well with our format. In 2007 The GM of our station allowed me to create a "Free Form" show where I selected all the material without any boundaries except "good taste".

What is your vision or intent in producing this radio show?

It's kind of like "Paying It Forward", I was inspired and educated in modern music by the DJ's of my youth and living in NYC I developed a "Melting Pot" mentality with regard to music. As a matter of fact my show begins every week with the track "Melting Pot" by Booker T & The MG's. Many of my listeners remark that I have turned them on to music they either missed or ignored.


Greg Shaw founder of Who Put the Bomp magazine and Bomp Records told me about 20 years ago or so that rock & roll was no longer the most popular genre in music but rock, blues , jazz etc would continue to flourish in small pockets around the globe. Do you agree? Do you see yourself as preservationist?

Preservationist? No, not really because the music doesn't need preserving as much as it needs exposing. In the last 40 - 50 years music has really blurred the lines and you can still hear influences dating back to the early days of R&B which is the genesis of Rock and Roll yet R&B borrowed heavily from the Jazz cats.



Do you have ties to the music industry?

I have quite a few who friends who are musicians and I worked for many years at JBL who is the choice of most concert venues and musicians for sound reinforcement. I worked in commercial radio in NYC, LA and Philadelphia when I finished college.


How did you become acquainted with Saginaw native John Krogman?

My wife Es Goodman, also a lover of music, created a Facebook page - Facebook Musicians Registry and John signed on and saw my posts requesting music from independent artists. I listened to his material, enjoyed it and notified him that I would play a few cuts on my show.


Why did you incorporate his songs with those of major artists?

I always try to frame certain tunes, what I mean is I try to surround them with similar tunes from artists that will complement the particular song and bring attention to it.


Are you collaborating with Krogman for future projects?
He will be sending me his new material with his new band Rustbucket.


In your view what are the chances for an independent artist like Krogman to make a living in the music biz?

I know many musicians like John that are making a living but it's not easy and they work unbelievable schedules with a lot of travel.


How many listeners do you have on your Saturday shows?

Since we are a non commercial station we fall under the radar of rating services and have no official gauge. My archived shows get downloaded 400 or 500 times a week from my website.


Do you have a particular memory of a favorite show...a surprise guest or celebrity call-in?

I try and make each one special but having one of my favorite musicians, John Batdorf debut his brand new CD on my show in 2009. Also, from time to time the legendary Music Producer and Writer Shadow Morton calls in to remind me he's listening. But most of alI receiving a phone call or e-mail from a listener that gets it, validates my efforts.


Do you have any plans to take your show on the road?

With our streaming on the internet we're already worldwide.
As Duke Ellington once remarked "There Are Only Two Kinds of Music, Good Music and Bad Music. Well, I choose the former.


Regards,
Bob

The Process Release a New CD of Power and Beauty

The Process
Meets Ghetto Priest
The Lion of Judah Hath Prevailed



I’ve always liked The Process and the incredible full body blast sound that heats you up like a nuclear meltdown. The Process has never strayed too far from their unique vision of reggae music and their molten embrace of social consciousness and spirituality. They have a tenacious grasp on a perspective that music can be more than just another silly diversion. This is all good and true but our airways and information highways are clogged with the stuff that keeps the public isolated, uninformed, and preoccupied with meaningless spectacles such as sports, instant celebrity, and mass produced disposable culture. It seems that the more we are plugged in, the more we are tuned out. So unplug your X-Box , I-Pod, DirecTV and Notebook and listen to the real thing. The Process creates astonishingly complex and beautiful music with layers of sounds and rhythms and a voice that speaks an uncompromising truth. This is the thinking man’s soul music - warm, passionate and political. Even if you don’t ascribe to Rasta principles and practices or the deification of Haile Selassie, you will still be able to dig the music. If you are Rasta, well. You are there.


The Lion of Judah CD is a seven track gem that was three years in the making. It was a painstaking labor of love featuring an international cast of characters including Ghetto Priest aka Squids from London’s eclectic music scene, Skip McDonald from Sugarhill Records house band, seminal techno wizard David Harrow, Adrian Sherwood from the UK Reggae scene, Congo Natty aka Rebel MC and, of course, the members of The Process including Seth Peyton.

The CD was recorded in London, Los Angeles, and Michigan. It was worth the wait. This is one of the most thematically rich and concise bodies of music to emerge since Good Morning Magpie by Murder by Death or John Mellencamp’s No Better Than This. The Process are motor city metal madmen that will take it to you like a full body slam and then pick you up, dust you off and punch you in the face - musically speaking. You may not realize what just happened but you will beg for more even though your face is bloody and your body is bruised and aching…ooh it hurts so good. This is a modern spiritual music. Listen to the gospel


The disc is inspired by story of Haile Selassie’s life and his belief that God’s spirit would prevail over the forces of evil. This is heavy karma in this day and age of never ending war. In Rasta culture, the Lion of Judah represents Emperor Haile Salassie of Ethiopia. Rastas hold that Selassie is a direct descendant of the Israelite Tribe of Judah through the lineage of King David and Solomon and that he is the Lion of Judah mentioned in the Book of Revelation. (Revelations 5:5). The EP contains all four of the original mixes of The Lion of Judah – Little Axe Mix, Adrian Sherwood mix, Congo Natty’s well toasted mix, Adrian Sherwood’s Mix plus a bonus Dub-Step version by David Harrow. There is a bonus track entitled Ghetto Life by Ghetto Priest from his upcoming CD Sacred Ground.


The disc opens with the original mix of The Lion of Judah Hath Prevailed with Asher and Ghetto Priest switching off on vocals. The sound is pristine with just enough echo and the vocals mixed up front. There is a solid interplay of instruments with the rhythm section, bass and percussion mixed back and echoed guitar.


Version two is a Chilled Mix worked out by Little Axe. This mix has a softer sound with an emphasis on mixing the sweet harmonies up front in the mix, The drum machine is less effective but never interferes with the message or overall sound. Skip McDonald’s guitar work is splendidly understated. He riffs in an economical melodic style that gives this mix an emotional grit.


Adrian Sherwood is the featured producer on the next three mixes. This one features Congo Natty on vocals with Asher. The rhythm section is used to greater effect on this mix. Drum/percussion and Bass lines are more prominent. Natty has a raspy rapping style that drives the power of the message. Sherwood’s “Toasted” mix brings Congo Natty back to free-form rap the gospel and praise His name. This is the only version that strays from the original lyrics written S.G. Townsend, David Asher and Garrick Owen. There is more of a electronic/synthesized vibe to this mix. It sounds great and Congo Natty’s inspired vocals elevates this version to an almost perfect mix. Sherwood’s final effort - the “Dub” mix - is primarily an instrumental workout that experiments with empty spaces, echo, electronic and synthesized surges of sound and fury


David Harrow mixed the sixth and final version of the Lion of Judah. It is slowed down and has abrupt stops and starts with some wah wah guitar mixed with synthesized squibbles, blurts and conga beats. At time the vocals are accapella and echoed giving this version a minimalist edge


Bonus Track: Ghetto Life by Ghetto Priest from the forthcoming Ghetto Priest CD Sacred Ground
Ghetto life has a sparse arrangement to an unobtrusive reggae beat with occasional electronic doodlings. The musical backdrop includes a somber keyboard riff that weaves in and out of the mix. The vibe is laid back but the lyrics tell a tale about the horror of poverty, violence and exploitation. The contrast is powerful. Ghetto Priest sings in a distinctive tenor that is reminiscent of Sting during the heady days of The Police.


The Lyrics
It is essential to the overall experience of the CD to know the words that support the music. The lyrics are repeated in each of the six mixes with some degree of variation.

The Lion Of Judah Hath Prevailed

Standing like patience on a monument, smiling at grief
Blood sweat and tears for the sake of peace
He sits upon the highest regions, overlooking all
the harder they came is the harder they fall

When I see the lightning and I hear the thunder
I know man and woman have made a blunder
Jah makes the winds His messengers, flaming fire His ministers
At his word the mountains rose and the valleys sank down

The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
Hail The King Of Kings praise His Name
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
The footsteps of His Majesty is not in Vain
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
Hail The King Of Kings praise His Name
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
The footsteps of His Majesty is not in Vain

The rich fall into temptation and foolish hurtful lust
Greed envy and craving for power, drowns men in destruction
Propaganda is only a tool, just a tool of the foolish
Take heed, and beware of jealousy
life is not in the abundance of possessions

1892 a child is born, in an ancient land called
Ethiopia, in the province of Harar
Lij Tafari he is named, a divine personality.
Crowned the King of Kings, Lord of Lords,
The Lily of the Valley

He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth
He makes lightings for the rain and brings forth the wind yeah
He gathers the wind in His hands and wraps the waters in His garment
He has established all the ends of the earth
By His name RastafarI

The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
Hail The King Of Kings praise His Name
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
The footsteps of His Majesty is not in Vain
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
Hail The King Of Kings praise His Name
The Lion Of Judah hath prevailed
The footsteps of His Majesty is not in Vain
(© 2011 Steven Townsend, David Asher, Garrick Owen).