Tav Falco's Panther Burns at El Cortez, Brooklyn, NY 5/15/2018

Tav Falco's Panther Burns (or Tav Falco & The Panther Burns) formed in 1979 with Ross Johnson on drums and Alex Chilton (who would leave the band in 1981 but record and produce various Panther Burns albums into the 1990's) on lead guitar. Their initial brand of swampy rockabilly - something that would eventually be dubbed "Psychobilly"- with a garage rock sensibility would later see the band adopt elements of Blues, Tango and general Roots-Rock.

I've been a fan of Tav Falco and his Panther Burns since 1991, when I first heard the classic Chilton-produced Life Sentence In The Cathouse album. It was love at first listen. But I'd never seen them live. They played Rodeo Bar in NY mid-2013 but was unable to attend. I made sure I didn't miss seeing him on his latest Northeast jaunt. He's touring to promote a new a documentary Make Me Know You're Mine, about the man himself.

His band was comprised of younger musicians (Falco is an astonishing 73 years old...astonishing because the man moves and performs like he's a few dozen years younger). They were well-dressed with slim-fitting suits and Beatle-Boots. The audience treated Falco like the cult legend that he is. Aside from a completely random drunken fight between two jackass punters - who were swiftly shown the door - the night was basically an old-school rock and roll dance party. Tav offered anyone willing to tango to one of his songs - appropriately a tango - the opportunity to dance on stage, sadly, no one took the offer seriously enough to do it.

The Panther Burns played a nearly two-hour set of typically obscure classics ("Arkansas Stomp", "Bad Motorcycle" and the wonderful "Make Me Know You're Mine"). His encore included a nice tribute to Alex Chilton with a faithful cover of "Bangkok".

A great show from a legendary cult figure and his ever changing Panther Burns.

Fun Boy Three: Waiting (Chrysalis Records/1983)

The Fun Boy Three was an offshoot project of ex-members of The Specials; Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Neville Staple. After The Specials' single for “Ghost Town” peaked at number one on the UK charts, Golding, Hall and Staple left the band to form The Fun Boy Three.

The band had near-instant success in the U.K. with their first few singles which all reached the Top 20 and their self-titled debut album which reached the Top 10. The album had a spare sound with tribal drumming and chanting, Terry Hall's deadpan vocals and background vocal support from Bananarama. The band also returned the favor by contributing to Bananarama's “Really Saying Something” single.

The Fun Boy Three's follow-up and would-be final album, Waiting , was produced by Talking Head David Byrne. It featured full-arrangements in a significantly more classical-pop vein. It features David Byrne on guitar and ex-Specials trumpet player Dick Cuthell as well. Byrne's production really does suit the songs well. And the results are a cohesive, satisfying listen.

There are a few tangos (“The Tunnel Of Love” and “The Things We Do”) a few socio-political songs (“The More I See The Less I Believe” and “The Pressure Of Life”), a few darkly comical autobiographical songs (“Well Fancy That” and “We're Having All The Fun”), music hall via reggae (“The Farmyard Connection”) and the bands' arrangement of “Our Lips Are Sealed”, which was co-written by Hall with Jane Wiedlin. It's a poignantly darker version of The Go-Go's classic bubblegummy rendition.

All in all an awesome record. Definitely a sleeper of an album. Highly recommended.

Here's the video review:

Paul Weller: The Paramount, Huntington, NY (10/1/2017)

Paul Weller had been an early favorite of mine who, over the course of time I simply forgot about. The ex-frontman for The Jam and The Style Council was one of the best songwriters from the class of  '77. Defiantly British, in the same vein as The Kinks before them and Blur after them, The Jam were melodically somewhere between The Buzzcocks and The Clash. There was a classicism to their material in the same vein as XTC or Squeeze. Yet, unlike those bands, they were hugely influenced by classic American R&B. So much so that Weller disbanded The Jam in late 1982 and formed blue-eyed soul-tinged outfit, The Style Council in early 1983. Weller has been exploring blue-eyed soul mixed with influences of folk and psychedelia since the early 1990's when he started his solo career.

That's basically where I stopped following his career. Big mistake. He's apparently released some amazing solo records (1993's Wild Wood, 2008's 22 Dreams, 2015's Saturn's Pattern to name but a few). After hearing these records, I realize how dull other people's solo records invariably always seem to be - something that Weller has seemingly been able to effortlessly avoid. I'm also struck by how different his vocal persona is as opposed to his near-cockney talk-singing in The Jam and Style Council. He's a full-throated singer in the same vein as Steve Winwood in Traffic. In fact, he kind of sounds identical to Winwood in his phrasing and his singing.

I'd never seen Weller before so I was overjoyed to see him on the first night of his American tour. The room was full of older folks (I'm somewhat used to being a young-in at a lot of these shows) who were all drinking on a Sunday night, Monday-morning-be-damned.Weller came armed with a full-sized band (about six or seven musicians backing him) and alternated between guitar and keyboards.
The only person in his band that I knew prior was Steve Cradock of Ocean Colour Scene. Weller has obviously aged a smidge, but he's still in perfect voice and is in great shape. And he's no less vital than he's ever been.

The songs; I have to admit not being familiar with ANY of his solo material before the show. Of the fantastic twenty-nine song set, the band performed two Style Council songs ("My Ever Changing Moods" and "Shout To The Top!" - both of which were perhaps the most well-received of the night) and Jam songs ("Start!" and "Monday") which were nice to hear, the former with a slightly reserved arrangement. Performed from the new album, A Kind Of Revolution, was the newest single, "Woo Sé Mama" and "She Moves With The Fayre". I presumed these songs to be covers of classic R&B songs from long ago, only to discover they're only months old and Weller originals.

The band performed six of the nine songs that comprise the Saturns Pattern album. I've come to conclusion that this may be Weller's greatest solo album. This is only because I've only heard a few so far, and they may be all tied for being as awesome as the one I heard last. He performed two songs ("The Weaver" and the title-track) from his most-acclaimed solo album, Wild Wood. 

So, aside from seeing the legendary Jam-frontman. I got to see a soulful elder-statesman who introduced me to his solo catalog. A solo catalog that not only does not suck, but I can wholeheartedly appreciate and actively enjoy it on its own terms and not make me long for The Jam or The Style Council. Also, his band is very well-rehearsed, and Weller is still a great performer.

A great show.

Special thanks to Doug Mashkow from CD Island and Bob Wilson of WLIR-FM.

X: Stage 48, New York, NY (9/21/2017)

I've always liked X. I was first exposed to them in the late 80's via their appearance in Urgh! A Music War! I wasn't sure what to make of the cross-eyed harmonies of John and Exene. Over time, they made perfect sense. However, I'd missed the opportunity to see them as they broke up shortly after 1993's Hey Zeus. And the following reunions didn't see many, if any, visits to New York.

I have to say, it was completely worth the wait. The band was in completely top form. John Doe had far more energy that I expected him to have. Guitarist (and saxophone player, apparently) Billy Zoom, who is still recovering from a 2015 bladder cancer diagnosis, played guitar in a chair and played sax on a few songs standing up (the sax was bolted to a stand). He seemed virtually unaffected by anything and was giving it 100% all night. Drummer DJ Bonebrake came armed with a marimba which he played for a few songs. Vocalist Exene was in fine form as well. Making herself very available; chatting with the audience when she wasn't singing and signing autographs for whomever wanted one.

The songs. With the glaring omissions of "The New World" and "White Girl" (which were in the set virtually every night leading up to this night's show...sigh) the band played virtually every song I wanted to hear by them. The awesome singe "Blue Spark", the anthemic "Los Angeles", their debut single "Adult Books", the punky rockabilly of  "Beyond & Back" (from both Urgh! and The Decline Of Western Civilization), the brooding "Nausea", their cover of Jerry Lee Lewis' "Breathless" (from the forgotten Richard Gere film Breathless) and the classics "The World's A Mess It's In My Kiss", "Motel Room In My Bed" and "Johny Hit And Run Paulene".

The highlight of the evening was easily "The Hungry Wolf". It featured an extended section with a long drum solo in the center (think the Buzzcocks' "Moving Away from the Pulsebeat"). It seemed to somehow pick up momentum by the time it came back to the vocal part. Amazing. The band performed twenty-three songs in all and had the audience captivated for the entire set. John Doe even muttered something about putting on the disco ball during the retro slow-dance song "Come Back To Me", and withing seconds, his wish was granted. It was a special night and the band was on.

I was lucky to see X in such excellent form. I seriously hope they'll start touring regularly so I won't have to wait so long to see them again.

King Missile: Bowery Electric, New York, NY (9/15/2017)

My first exposure to New York band King Missile was via the Video Jukebox Network. The video for "My Heart Is A Flower" from The Way To Salvation converted me fairly easily. I went out and bought the cassette not too long afterwards. I took my time in investigating their back catalog and the next thing I knew Happy Hour (which is approximately 60 minutes in length) was released. Happy Hour featured the major MTV hit "Detachable Penis" and the minor MTV hit "Martin Scorsese". After 1994's King Missile I kind of checked out and was basically done with King Missile. So was lead singer John S. Hall apparently, as the band broke up not too long after this album. 

Since the breakup of King Missile, Hall went to law school and is now an Intellectual Property Analyst. He also formed King Missile III and King Missile IV and released records under that moniker as well. The current incarnation of KM feature longtime members Dave Rick on guitar and Roger Murdoch on drums (apparently keyboardist Chris Xefos does in fact play with the band when he's on the East Coast as he lives in California now). So, King Missile is basically a hobby for Hall and his bandmates. 

The sound at Bowery Electric is, like any teeny-tiny venue, hit or miss. The band themselves sounded fine. Hall's vocals were kind of drowned-out in the din. From where I was standing - front and center - I had to strain to hear him. That said, he made the best of the situation, freely roaming into the audience and interacting with the patrons, mid-song.  

The band tackled many a classic from the Shimmy Disc years ("Sensitive Artist", "Take Stuff From Work" and "Jesus Was Way Cool") and classics from the Atlantic years ("My Heart Is A Flower", "Detachable Penis", "Socks" and "Martin Scorsese"). They tackled items they've covered on record ("Mr. Johnson" and "Betrayal Takes Two") as well as covers by local legends ("Rockaway Beach"by The Ramones and "Gratitude" by Beastie Boys) . They ended the show with a cover of The Buzzcocks' "What Do I Get". 

Despite the wonky sound and the somewhat halfheartedness of the entire performance, it was a fun show. It was nice to finally see the band as I'd never seen gotten around to seeing any incarnation of King Missile. I got to meet John before the show and buy a copy of the new KMIV disc (This Fuckin' Guy); he's very approachable and makes himself very available to his people. 

An entertaining show.

Adam Ant: The Beacon Theater, New York, NY 9/13/2017 Anthems: The Singles Tour 2017

Since 2013, Adam Ant has made something of a comeback. He released his first album since 1995's Wonderful - the very fine Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter album, toured the UK in celebration of the reissue of Dirk Wears White Sox, embarked on a world tour to celebrate the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Ants' basically perfect Kings Of The Wild Frontier album, and now he's on his Anthems: The Singles Tour.

His Anthems tour is basically the vast majority of his singles and a good portion of his best B-Sides. I'd seen Adam on tour earlier this year, so I knew what to expect in terms of his live band (he's got a cracking band that actually sound like a real band and not just backing musicians - Will Crewdson is an excellent lead guitarist and the two drummers are perfect - especially Jola). Adam himself has a lot more energy than one would expect from someone who's been through the Punk wars of 1977. He didn't disappoint on this night either.

The twenty-five song set was basically an Ant-fans dream set. The band opened with a fiery rendition of "Beat My Guest" and the show never really let up. Early singles "Young Parisians" (and its B-Side "Lady"), "Zerox" and "Car Trouble" all earned enthusiastic responses. Adam ran through plenty of obscure B-Sides such as "Greta X", "Christian D'Or" and "B-Side Baby". It was certainly nice to hear Adam perform hits that he doesn't do very often (excepting this tour) like "Apollo 9", "Can't Set Rules About Love" and "Puss N Boots". The ebbs and flows of the set felt fairly natural/organic with the energy level boosting up several notches on "Friend Or Foe" (which sounded amazing live, and truly benefited from having two drummers) and on "Kings Of The Wild Frontier" - which seemed to get the entire audience up and moving in a speaking in tongues sort of way.

Of course, Adam and his band performed the staples "Stand And Deliver", "Vive Le Rock", "Antmusic" and "Goody Two Shoes" all to the expected fervent response.

The only singles Adam didn't tackle were "Ant Rap" (for obvious reasons...Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee and Gary Tibbs were not on tour with "Yours Truly"), "Deutscher Girls", "Rough Stuff" and the US Top 40 single "Wonderful". None of which were missed too greatly.

I was basically a spoiled Antfan on this night - as I'd had my VIP package (which included a T-Shirt, a bandanna, buttons/badges, a tote bag and a numbered, limited edition autographed poster). Not to mention my eighth-row seat and sterling companionship.

Opening for Adam were the Glam Skanks. They're a quartet from LA who come off like a television producers dream of an a homogenized version of The Runaways. Their material didn't really resonate with me at all (it felt very affected and faux to put it lightly...very LA, very plastic). Their sound in terms of the house engineer and the room itself was fine though. About 3/4 through Adam's set, it was slightly overloaded and louder, which was basically unnecessary. The Beacon is a great sounding theater and really needs no help in terms of artificial loud sounds via the sound engineer. But I digress.

A great night.

Hüsker Dü: Candy Apple Grey (Warner Brothers/1986)

Hüsker Dü's fifth album Candy Apple Grey is their major-label debut for Warner Brothers. The band released three albums and an EP for legendary indie SST signing a lucrative deal with Warners in 1985. There isn't anything on the album that screams sell-out; it was produced by Grant Hart and Bob Mould, recorded in Minneapolis, and contains the same approach as Flip Your Wig does.

The album starts off with the Mould scream-fest of “Crystal” which clearly indicates the band isn't going soft just because their sudden major-label status. The albums two singles are both written by Hart and they are absolute classics; “Don't Want To Know If You Are Lonely” is a perfect kiss-off pop song and even charted at number 96 on the UK singles chart. It was later covered by Green Day and is featured in the series Halt And Catch Fire and the film Adventureland. “Sorry Somehow” features mournful minor-key organ and a mid-tempo arrangement.

“I Don't Know For Sure” sounds like Mould was trying to rewrite “Makes No Sense At All” and Hart's “Dead Set On Destruction” doesn't really go anywhere memorable. “Eiffel Tower High” references getting high and going to the movies and “All This I've Done For You” is a perfect slice of Du PopPunk. The album features three acoustic classics;“Hardly Getting Over It” which deals with death in a mature, thoughtful way, “No Promise Have I Made” a stately piano piece that is a nice lyrical example of what makes Grant Hart such a special songwriter and “Too Far Down” is a Mould song that is almost a blueprint for his solo work. All three work well within the cold, Wintery-feel that pervades the album as a whole.

The album was well-recieved at the time by the mainstream music press but was generally snubbed by the bands hardcore following. It charted at a dismal 140 in the Billboard Top 200. It is generally overlooked after the acknowledged classic trilogy of Zen Arcade, New Day Rising and Flip Your Wig.

It certainly deserves wider-currency.

Here's the video review: