Hoot '12: Clash/ Brian Eno covers

Hoot '12: "Julie's in the Drug Squad" b/w "King's Lead Hat"

More goods from last year's springtime Harpswell Hoot and beer-slaughterin'!

First one's originally off the Clash's rock-solid second album, "Give 'em Enough Rope" from '78.  Second's off Eno's '77 "Before and After Science".

Dillo educated us to the fact that "King's Lead Hat" is an anagram of "Talking Heads", a band that Eno had just gotten to know at the time.  You can certainly see the (mutual) influence even in our spastic version.  It's a crazy chugging locomotive of a song, nonsensical though it may be.

I'm educating you to the fact that if it's the Clash  that somebody's spinning, well, you'd better listen up because the odds tell you that it's probably gonna be goddarned great.  Shaddup-a-you-face!

 jk

"Julie's in the Drug Squad" (The Clash):
                       https://www.box.com/s/mz9mxos0kjeu27646zwi


"King's Lead Hat" (Brian Eno):
                      https://www.box.com/s/vlp2jryl5jcxohs0e4hb

Hoot '12: NRBQ/ Billy Joel covers

Hoot '12: "Riding in My Car" b/w "Sleeping With the Television On"

Finally, finally, finally!  With Harpswell Hootenanny 2013 almost upon us, we get around to sharing the hit rekkids we laid down at Hoot '12!  Thems the hooty fellas responsible up there in the picture:  Dillo, me, Paulie Bonanos and Mr. Roadkill.  Roggie had to sit one out on account of a family addition, but the rest of us soldiered on in the face of all the drinks and fine dining.  Looks like we'll be up to full strength by the end of May '12...

But, back to this post's fare... "Riding in My Car" is from one of the great all-purpose pop-rock-roots-bar bands ever: The New Rhythm and Blues Quartet.  NRBQ to you n' me.  Always loosey-goosey, they could be spastic, wacky, cornball, hangdog or heartbroken, and they were plum loaded with shoulda-been hits from their various incarnations.  This one was a perfect little gem from 1977.  On our version, Paul B played those clean little leads, I got to layer on some percussion and have fun singing some harmonies, and Dillo and RK breezily loped along in summery fashion.

"Sleeping with the Television On" was a no-brainer for us.  It's a rocking Billy Joel deep cut off of 1980's angry, wanna-rock, wanna-punk "Glass Houses".  Roger (Long Island) and Paul B (northern NJ) got the full Billy Joel indoctrination as young 'uns; me and Dillo (Westchester) listened to it on the 8-track back in the old Keating homestead; Roadkill soaked it up from afar down Roanoke way.  Paulie did the hard work on this version, mostly by teaching us the chords (!), plus playing the Wurlitzer and over-dubbing that great organ solo.

jk

"Riding in My Car" (NRBQ):
             https://www.box.com/s/b6lz152bimnuzm66tiwk


"Sleeping with the Television On" (Billy Joel):
             https://www.box.com/s/fv9vizen9ry1ku5e04mc

Holiday Special!: "Streams of Whiskey"

Ah, St. Patrick's Day just about sneaked up on me.  It is something that one tries to avoid up here in the Boston metro area, as you might imagine.  But I do have a soft spot and came up with a last-minute scheme to record an appropriately themed split single (appropriate for reinforcing stereotypes, that is!).  Sadly, time ran out on completing the full package but I was able to squeak out this one session late Monday afternoon, trying to keep the dog collar jingles and (surprisingly loud) cat kibble crunching kept down to a dull roar.  You'll have to wait a while for "The Old Black Rum" by Newfoundland's proud sons Great Big Sea...

So, yeah, the Pogues.  I really don't play the Irish traditional music, which requires too much speed and precision for us sausage-fingered pickers, but I figured a slightly slowed-down crack at this hell-raiser would be fun.  At the same time, it's a hard song to drain the brogue out of but it's worth trying, on account of it's such a a great free-standing song.  Plus, I ain't gonna fake no accent 'cause I ain't Irish.  Dirty secret: Neither were any of the Pogues except Shane MacGowan, who only barely squeaks by if you rummage carefully through the paperwork.

Fun tip!: You might want to write your Buttsteak representatives and suggest that they take this song up.

As we say in Harpswell: "Sláinte, y'all!!"

JK

Streams of Whiskey:  https://www.box.com/s/egqfybpwqukzs41c9smn