DATE: May 30, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 45:00
QUAL: excellent
The Blue Moon Boys were the opening act for Link Wray this fine evening, followed by second openers The Cowslingers. I wasn't going to record them, but I'm glad I did - MAN, what a bunch of kick-ass hillbillies they are! I was floored - or would have been, had I not been sitting down. Everyone else was up and jumping - it was the best ~45-minute rock show I've ever been to. This would make a great one-record vinyl boot - uhh, better not think like that ...
----------- ATTENTION! ATTENTION! ----------- --- PAUL BROWN SHOWS NO LONGER AVAILABLE! --- --- ENTRIES LEFT UP FOR COMPLETENESS ONLY ---
PAUL BROWN'S SCIENCE GRAVY ORCHESTRA (M)
These guys had to be heard to be believed - one of the best jazz/rock combos I've ever seen. Too bad I had to work the next day, or I would have stayed for the rest of the show. Also too bad I only brought one tape (sigh ... ). I know better now.
And if you like Paul Brown, see also Honk, Wail & Moan, The Joe Diamond Quartet and The Dirty Three.
PAUL BROWN'S SCIENCE GRAVY ORCHESTRA (S)
I haven't listened to this since I recorded it, and I'm entering this over half a year later, so let me listen to it again and I'll tell you all about it. I remember it WAS good...
JOHN CALE (M)
This was one of the last-ever shows at Stache's before it was torn down to make way for a strip mall (the developer *promised* he was building the same type of building with even more apartments ... rotten asshole!) and one of the many "Not Really Last" shows they had. I had worked a long day and was homeless besides, so I fell asleep before I could flip the tape. (For the record, the show was ~76:00, so it would have fit on one CD) What can I say? John was eclectic and electric. He brought the house down when he complained about "the most toxic atmosphere I've ever been in" - what, nobody smokes in New York? But the music was exhilirating, and I am VERY sorry i didn't get it all. And I've got less now than I recorded. This is the first tape that ever BROKE COMPLETELY IN TWO in my walkman, and I had to snip a little to repair it. So the incomplete show is itself not even complete, but it's worth a listen. I'll put it on both sides of a C-90 so you don't have to rewind it all the time.
NOTE: John Cale is an original member of The Velvet Underground.
TH' CHEATIN' DOGS (M)
This is a rockabilly trio featuring Dan Sagraves of the sadly now-defunct Flyin' Saucers on "stand-up slap-bass fiddle" don'tcha know, and boy, do they rock! Dan sings about half the songs, including "Do The Clam" and "Mess Around." He has a lovely velvety-smooth voice gaurunteed to melt any young girl's heart. Hot stuff!
THE COWSLINGERS (M)
I first saw these guys in 1996, and they have improved tremendously since then. They were a swell roots rock outfit then; they are a great one now. I wish I'd had my stereo recorder for this show; that had to wait for May 30, when they opened for Link Wray (see next).
Here they were the headlining act, preceeded by The Sovines and Th' Cheatin' dogs. These fellows were in fine form, especially the singer - notice how he recovered from the "fuck up" on the 2nd or 3rd song. He also has a few comments about "the swing band thing" and the anatomy of one of the band members. Don Rickles he ain't, but he's obviously working on it.
While I must admit the sound quality of this boot wasn't great, the performance was electric. If only I had video! Ah well, maybe next year ...
THE COWSLINGERS (S)
Here the boys followed The Blue Moon Boys opening for Link Wray.
All I can say is, FUCKING AWESOME - and the sound quality is even better than the last one, though the show is a bit shorter. You know, the best thing about this band is the wise-cracking singer - Greg? Whatever his name is, he really carrie the show. His little speech about Cincinnati here was hilarious: is this a new Mojo Nixon in the making? (Besides wise-cracking, he was also fire-cracking, as you'll hear on "Strip Bars, Liquor & Fireworks.")
THE JOE DIAMOND QUARTET (M)
This was the first time I ever recorded in Dick's Den, and the first time I recorded a jazz combo (Paul Brown insisted his stuff was rock - who am I to argue with a genius?). Man, those jazz dudes go forever - a single 2-hour tape wasn't nearly enough. Okay, okay! From now on, jazz bands = 2 tapes, minimum! Joe and the boys were great. The band this evening included Dan Hale, one of the best jazz guitarists I've ever heard - and you hear him a LOT on the tape. They did 4 sets, didn't get out until almost 3 a.m. Oh, for a DAT recorder!
If you like Joe, see also The Dirty Three and Honk, Wail & Moan.
THE DIRTY THREE (M)
All I heard was that these guys were a trio with a guitar, drum kit and violin (!) and that one of them had played with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Well, they were incredible. The violinist didn't know when to quit, and it was the first time I ever saw a guitarist content to play in the background! Two people asked me for copies of this tape, and I happily obliged.
DIVE (S)
I could swear I had heard of Dive before, but maybe not. They're local, they're new and they're great. The singer had a funny rapport with the audience; girls would probably think they're cute. Clever, funny songs too. I highly recommend them.
THE HAYNES BOYS (M)
The Haynes Boys didn't even have an album out at this time; they were opening for Big Back Forty's CD release party. The first 5 minutes or so of this tape is a soundcheck by Bigfoot, who preceeded the Haynes Boys. I was sorry I hadn't brought more tapes; well, these guys are still around (for now).
HONK, WAIL & MOAN (S!)
My first-ever STEREO bootleg is an unparallelled (so far) success! For one thing, it's Honk, Wail & Moan - these guys are incomparable masters of their instruments. For another, my new stereo recorder (see above) has excellent response and no "peak crunch" dropout effect like my mono rig had. They played 3 sets, and I got it all except the band intros at the end of the second set. I finally brought 2 loooooong tapes to a jazz show, and it worked out great! This was some enchanted evening. The crowd was cool, and so was the weather: though hot and muggy at first, there was a cloudburst almost as soon as I got in the door and it really cooled off. The sidewalks were dry by the time the show got out.
JET JAGUAR 5 (M)
This was the first time I ever saw Jet Jaguar 5, and I wish I could see them again. They seem to have disappeared in the volatile Cowtown scene. I don't know who that singer is, but she's got pipes and a body neither of which will quit. If you get a chance to see them, GO. Until then, try this tape.
KISS!! (S)
Yes, I'll admit it - this tape SUCKS. The reason is that I was sitting in the third balcony way at the back, and with the acoustics in the Schot ... well, it sounds like I was in the 3rd balcony way at the back. You can make out the music, and Paul's spoken parts are perfectly loud and clear, but it's not great. I'm only listing it here because, well, I *am* going to preserve it. If you want a copy, you've been warned ...
The interesting thing was how hard it was to get into the show. Kiss' security goons weren't going to let me in with my bag - and I had WALKED to the show! How as I supposed to take it home? Luckily a Schot staff guy allowed me in. The Ohio State University cops insisted on inspecting my bag though, and that gave me the creeps. I hate those pigs: for that reason, I will NEVER go back in the Schot again for ANY reason.
KRONOS QUARTET (S)
WOW. What can I say? They were magnificent. I forget exactly what they played - I've got the program somewhere, if it matters - but one piece they did was a modern one, something like "Very Fast Trains," all about railroad travel, really repetitive with lots of recorded samples, kinda like a Philip Glass piece. Cool!
NOTE: a week later I saw Dawn Upshaw at the Southern.
LOLLIPOP FACTORY (S)
Lollipop Factory are hilarious. They kinda look like some 60's psychedelic bubblegum band that's gone the way of Spinal Tap - and sound like it too! Their costumes are low-budget but creative - like a $1.98 Sgt. Pepper. Definitely a band to see live!
The highlight here is the grand finale, an extended version of "How Great Thou Art" done in Elvis-tribute style. Of course this show also included their big hit (?) "Bouncing Ball," a song that makes no sense but has a lot of fun doing (or not doing) so. This show also includes the rare, unreleased songs "Man In The Movie" and "Song for Robert Schuller" as well as "Objective Man," otherwise available only on 7" vinyl! At the end of the show you can hear the singer comment "what a dud!" Poor guy - it was NOT a dud, there was just nobody there that early. I felt sorry for them. They deserve better.
UPDATE: June 19, 11990 - After listening to this tape again, I now realize that Lollipop Factory sound amazingly like Queen! At least the singer does. Hmmm ... maybe nobody would buy a Lollipop Factory live bootleg but ... what about unreleased Queen songs performed live!?! Nawwww....
LUCID'S DREAM (S)
There were two wierd things about this show. One was the the second w3arm-up band, Born Digital, headlined the poster. The less said about them the better. The other wierd thing was that the first band was the best of the night, Lucid's Dream.
FIVE WORDS: Neil Young meets Pink Floyd. Languid folk-art-rock. Fine mellow jams. Okay, ten words.
All I know is, they played 5 songs in 55 minutes, just jamming away like they would never end, and that's what I like. The ironic thing is that a guitarist for Born Digital (the less said the better) told me they played "atmospheric space rock" but they didn't; these guys did. I know who should've headlined the poster.
M K ULTRA (M)
Once again, Little Brother's' cavernous stamped steel ceiling thwarts a good recording of a unique and interesting band. The highs were really screechy; I must admit however that part of the problem was my cheap mono recorder. My stereo recorder has an external mic, so no machine noise. This isn't a bad recording for the M K Ultra fan. For the novice, what are they like? Hmmm ... "twangy psychedelic alternative pop blues" would be my answer. Try'em and find out.
M K ULTRA (M)
Here they opened for some forgettable band - I forget which one. They were preceeded by The Stingrays, who were also very good. This was M K Ultra's first anniversary; highlights include the clever ditty "Buttfucker" and a surprise rendition of "Montana," which confirmed that, indeed, these guys used to be the Magnificent Souls (Mag Souls). If you have the single "Montana" by the Mag Souls then you know something of what M K Ultra sound like.
...AND THERE'S MORE TO COME
this page has been visited
DATE: 1996, sometime
VENU: Stache's
TIME: 90:00 (first half of show only, sorry)
QUAL: excellent
DATE: July 3, 1998
VENU: Dick's Den
TIME: 120:00
QUAL: pretty good stereo
DATE: April 1997
VENU: Stache's
TIME: ~45:00 (slightly less, actually, and incomplete)
QUAL: excellent
DATE: Apr 24, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 60:00 (C-120 best; C-60 will work)
QUAL: pretty good
DATE: April 24, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 90:00
QUAL: okay
DATE: May 30, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 60:00
QUAL: excellent
DATE: May 24, 1998
VENU: Dick's Den
TIME: a nearly full C-120 (and I didn't even get it all)
QUAL: very good
DATE: May 3, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 120:00 with the after-show extras; will fit on a C-90
QUAL: very good
Side 1 is full entirely with these guys; they close on side 2, then you get me walking home, an interesting journey that night to say the least. It just so happens this performance will also break cleanly at 45:00, so let me know if you want the "long" or "short" version.
DATE: Aug 19, 1999
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: ~45:00
QUAL: very good
DATE: Jan 5, 1996
VENU: Stache's
TIME: ~60:00 (I use a C-120, non-stop on both sides)
QUAL: very good
DATE: May 29, 1998
VENU: Dick's Den
TIME: 74:00 + 90:00 (2 C-90s will work)
QUAL: excellent!
A perfect record of a perfect show by a perfect band on a perfect evening. Not bad, not bad ...
DATE: Sep 20, 1997
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 60:00 (requires C-120)
QUAL: very good
DATE: December 5, 1998
VENU: Schottenstein Center
TIME: 120:00
QUAL: unfortunately lousy
DATE: November 1998
VENU: Southern Theatre
TIME: ~90:00
QUAL: very good
DATE: same as The Upper Crust
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: ~35:00 nice n' short! (one side of a C-74)
QUAL: good
DATE: Aug 18, 1999
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: ~55:00
QUAL: very good
DATE: Sep 20, 1997
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 60:00 (one side of a C-120)
QUAL: pretty good
DATE: Apr 9, 1998
VENU: Little Brother's
TIME: 60:00 (C-120 best; C-60 will work)
QUAL: pretty good times since April 1, 1998