Medleyville

MxPx starts own label for latest releases

MxPx has a thing for EPs, but what's different about the latest, Left Coast Punk, is that it’s the first one on the California punk band's own label.

Singer/bassist Mike Herrera recently fielded some questions about the new EP as well as the trio's first-ever Christmas album.

Medleyville: Did anything from your experience leading the Americana side project Tumbledown play a part in how you approached making Left Coast Punk?
Mike Herrera: "With Left Coast Punk, I just wanted it to be fast, energetic and completely MxPx. Not much else was going on as far as my production ideas."

Left Coast Punk is the fifth MxPx EP. What is it about the format that appeals to everyone in the band? Is there a different mindset involved with making an EP as opposed to a full-album?
Herrera: "I think with an EP you can have a more complete idea. With a full-length, the chances are there will always be songs that seem a bit odd in the mix. Also, there seems to be no real pressure with an EP because through the process the end result is just this fun release for the fans."

What was the thinking behind the band releasing the EP on its own label?
Herrera: "With our own label Rock City Recording Company, we were able to do everything and spend a lot less money on marketing. We were the creative forces behind the EP from start to finish. This is not the American Idol soundtrack: This is a punk album. We put out banner ads online about a week before the EP was available. That's a blitzkrieg marketing campaign that a regular label would never attempt, and it worked!"

Talk about the MxPx Christmas album.
Herrera: "Punk Rawk Christmas is our full-length Christmas holiday album that's been 12 years in the making. It's available everywhere online Dec. 1 on Rock City Recording Company. The album has all-original songs; two of them are brand new for this year, [and there’s also] one cover song."

Are there any plans to tour the U.S. in support of Left Coast Punk and/or the Christmas album?
Herrera: "Touring will depend on the demand for us to play live. We're still doing a lot of weekend shows and festivals in the U.S. and, of course, international tours. We have put together an MxPx All-Star tour, which features me, Kris Roe of The Ataris on guitar and Chris Wilson of The Summer Obsession on drums. We will be playing some dates in Japan, Malaysia and Indonesia the first part of December."

-- Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Photo by Jared Milgrim

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HARVEY KUBERNIK IN HIS CANYON OF DREAMS

I certainly tend to agree that, in the infamous words of no less an authority on all things Laurel Canyon, Calif., as Frank Zappa, most rock journalism is people who can't write, interviewing people who can't talk, for people who can't read.

True, in a market already too glutted with 40th anniversary re-servicings of everything from Woodstock to The Rolling Stones' Altamont misadventures, one would hardly be blamed in passing by yet another study of Los Angeles pop culture from its equally distant, if golden age.

Somehow though, veteran Southern California rock historian Harvey Kubernik's bountiful new Canyon of Dreams book is the joyous exception to the patchouli-drenched rule: It is both lush in layout and deep in detail, of not only the musicians, but the arrangers, club owners, publicists and even architecture behind an era roughly stretching from Art Laboe to Slash. Or, as the author himself tells me, "We needed a print ride from 1914 to 2009. I took the challenge."

"I knew my highly passionate writing style and implementation of the oral history structure could really bring readers into a real/reel world from my native viewpoint." And Kubernik's approach, like a spin-off the Sunset Strip itself, is one perfectly chaotic, wildly colorful concoction wherein Donovan rubs coffee table-sized pages with the Firesign Theatre and Eric Burdon, only to find Glen Campbell bumping lazily into Andrew Loog Oldham by way of Rick Rubin and the Mamas and the Papas.

Then, just a thumbnail away, hitherto unimaginable L.A. links between the Mothers of Invention and The Monkees are irrevocably connected as never before in print, while unsung musical heroes aplenty – from Three Dog Night’s Danny Hutton to original Canyon Queen Jackie DeShannon (as opposed to Joni Mitchell) – are not only illuminated, but speak at gorgeous length in their very own words throughout these 20-full chapters. Myths are dispelled (such as the real origins behind Crosby, Stills and Nash's much-debated initial meet-up), while just as many legendary Hollywood stories remain as unconfirmable as ever … and most fascinatingly so, I must just add.

Meanwhile, besides all the obvious cast of characters along the way, we’re finally introduced to such seminal figurines as Nurit Wilde, a Canadian expatriate who parlayed a lighting booth gig at the Whisky A Go Go into life as a sometimes intimately-involved photographer-to-the-stars. But, as Kubernik confidante Ray Manzarek writes in his most knowing foreword, "all soft and bejeweled and feathered and wrapped in their soft garments from antique clothing stores," these, yes, L.A. women play an important part in the proceedings, above and far -- far beyond simply providing horizontal pleasures for the myriad curly guitar strummers they, and now we, encounter along the way.

And capturing this all is none other than the truly gifted Henry Diltz, whose photographs of all things Laurel are lovingly reproduced throughout Canyon of Dreams in stunning, revelatory glory. To cite but one example, his somehow innocent yet simultaneously striking image of a young, unguarded Linda Ronstadt on page 163 more than lives up to its caption ("Barefoot and Breathtaking with Killer Pipes"), while at the same time showing more behind two brown eyes than with the proverbial thousand words, no matter how well chosen they may indeed be.

Yes, that is precisely the kind of book Kubernik has produced. And like the people, the places and most absolutely the music of which he and his assembled multitude speak, the editorial approach and even layout itself remains as flippantly sun-baked as one would expect when grappling with the reminiscences of Kim Fowley, Pamela Des Barres and Micky Dolenz.

"My roots go back to the mid-’50s in this town," Kubernik explains. "I was born at Queen of Angeles Hospital, overlooking the Hollywood 101 Freeway at the border of Los Angeles and East Hollywood. I graduated from Fairfax High School. Do I have to even say anything else?"

Well, as the aforementioned Hutton exclaimed, "Harvey, you did a book about 40 years, not four years. You did a book not about the same seven people or bands, but 70 people!"

And somehow, so much more as well. Read Canyon of Dreams today, and read it often.

-- Musician/writer Gary Pig Gold is the co-founder of the To M'Lou Music label.

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With Brett Dennen and Robert Francis

The Trocadero Theatre -- Philadelphia
Nov. 21, 2009

Grace Potter

Brett Dennen

Robert Francis

-- Photos by Chris M. Junior

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For The Sweet Remains, voices and personalities are a nice fit

When solo singer/songwriters Rich Price and Greg Naughton would team up to play an occasional show, they often wondered how good their vocal harmony blend would be with a third singer.

During a cross-country tour in 2007 with acquaintance Brian Chartrand, Price felt he had found the right guy.

Excited by his gut feeling, Price called Naughton and asked if he could meet him and Chartrand in Rhode Island. Naughton arrived around 5 p.m. at the hotel where they were staying, and the brand-new trio quickly worked up a few songs for that night’s show.

"It was really meant as sort of a one-off, fun side project," Price recalls. "But I think each of us felt something special when we were singing together, and even more than that, it was just a ton of fun. So this side project quickly fell together and became a priority for us."

The end result is Laurel & Sunset, the debut album by the trio, collectively known as The Sweet Remains. Initially, the group recorded four songs in New York with Andy Zulla, and the plan was to release them as an EP.

But with so much material written, they decided to record more tunes, this time at Price's loft apartment in Los Angeles.

"We worked 120 hours in six days, but we had a blast and were really proud of how it came out," Price says. "It has a real do-it-yourself, organic vibe, and it was all us making the decisions on the arrangements and then recording [the songs]. I think maybe we surprised ourselves. I think we were thinking of doing another three or four tunes, and we ended up coming up with a full 12-song record.”

Early on, Price, Naughton and Chartrand had a discussion about focusing on the best songs for the project. Without really trying, Price says, the three singer/songwriters have developed an easy camaraderie.

"We’re all pretty normal guys," he says. "I've been around bands where there are lots of egos and conflicts, and that just doesn't exist in this band. We had a show in New York [recently] where we kind of got into it, and it was a little surprising because it doesn't happen to us very often. But within five minutes, we were hugging it out."

-- By Chris M. Junior

The Sweet Remains on tour (schedule subject to change):

* Nov. 15: Canal Room – New York

* Nov. 18: The Bitter End -- New York

* Nov. 23: Iron Horse Music Hall – Northampton, Mass.

* Nov. 29: Club Passim – Cambridge, Mass.

* Dec. 12: Mesa Arts Festival – Mesa, Ariz.

* Dec. 13: Voce Lounge – Scottsdale, Ariz.

Photo by Deborah Lopez

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Saving Abel tops hard rock package tour

My, they grow up so quickly these days.

Saving Abel only has one album under its belt, but after scoring a bunch of radio hits from its self-titled 2008 debut, the Mississippi hard rock band has already established somewhat of a veteran presence.

That explains why Saving Abel is the headliner of The Class of 2009 Tour, which also features fellow recent hitmakers Red and Pop Evil, as well as Taddy Porter, which has been dubbed the freshman act of the bunch.

Guitarist Jason Null, who co-founded Saving Abel, recently took some time between tour dates to talk about the band’s past, present and future.

Medleyville.us: Who came up with the idea for this package tour, and how did Taddy Porter get picked to be the freshman act?
Jason Null: "The Class of 2009 Tour is actually the brainchild of our management team … Taddy Porter is also managed by them. We’ve done shows with all these guys before, and Taddy has been out with [us] on and off over the past year, so it’s been kinda like a family reunion."

Let’s turn back the clock to 2004, when Saving Abel was in its freshman stage. What do you remember from that first time you and Jared Weeks met at your house to write some songs?
Null: "Actually, we met at his house the very first time. Not a whole lot came of it; we kinda jammed and didn’t really write anything. But he had an amazing voice – it was like I’d been given a Van Zant [brother], so we continued to get together on and off throughout the year.

"I remember waking up one morning on a day off from work and had a lot on my mind. As I sat on my front porch, I began thinking about my relationship at that time and how unhappy I was, but I also remember thinking that the day was really nice … and I was just gonna enjoy a beautiful day. That’s when [inspiration] hit me, so I picked up my guitar and began writing. I got really excited about the song and called Jared and asked him to come over. We ended up writing 'Beautiful Day' by 10 a.m. that morning. That’s when it really all started."

What did you do to pass the time during your trips back and forth from Mississippi to Tennessee to record with producer Skidd Mills? Who controlled the car stereo, and what did you listen to most often?
Null: "Well, [Weeks] and I would take turns, and he’d take his ride one day, then mine the next. We actually would do some writing to and from [Tennessee] and talk about ideas. We finished writing ’18 Days’ in his truck about the time we saw the Mississippi state line. We would also listen to the rough mixes to and from and discuss the songs."

What have been some of the most memorable tour moments since the release of Saving Abel’s debut album?
Null: "Our first big gig, the 93X Fest in Memphis, we opened for Drowning Pool, Puddle of Mudd, Chevelle and Korn. That’s when we really felt like our dedication was paying off. We’ve been out for more than two years, and there is just a lot of great memories from the van touring days on to the bus. I met my wife on the road."

What’s the status on the next Saving Abel studio album?
Null: "So far, we have tracked about eight songs. The tour ends Dec. 18, so [after that] it's back to Nashville to Skidd's studio. I'm really looking forward to releasing this record. We have matured over the past two years, and I personally have had much to say. It’s really good to be able to express yourself like that, and to be heard on top of it makes it worthwhile. In a perfect world, I’d like to say that our fans could be expecting new music by March 2010."

-- Introduction and interview by Chris M. Junior

Class of 2009 Tour schedule (subject to change):

* Nov. 13: Orbit Room – Grand Rapids, Mich.

* Nov. 14: Fillmore – Detroit

* Nov. 15: Dow Events Center – Saginaw, Mich.

* Nov. 17: House of Blues – Cleveland

* Nov. 18: Egyptian Room – Indianapolis

* Nov. 20: Mohegan Sun – Uncasville, Conn.

* Nov. 21: Starland Ballroom – Sayreville, N.J.

* Nov. 22: Northern Light – Clifton Park, N.Y.

* Nov. 24: Ram’s Head Live – Baltimore

* Nov. 25: House of Blues – Boston

* Nov. 27: Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel – Providence, R.I.

* Nov. 28: Crocodile Rock – Allentown, Pa.

* Dec. 4: Amos' South End – Charlotte, N.C.

* Dec. 5: Shoreline Ballroom – Hilton Head, S.C.

* Dec. 18: Cannery Ballroom – Nashville, Tenn.

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Singer/songwriter Chris Ayer continues working on his craft

Revising lyrics – it’s all part of being a songwriter. Throw a little philosophy into the process, and that can complicate things a little more.

While at Stanford University, Chris Ayer studied philosophy and music, so every now and then he might become lyrically trapped in "overly complicated, convoluted ways of describing something" when a song has been inspired by philosophical elements.

"But the strongest lyrics -- the ones I really connect to when I go back and perform them -- are the ones that say something simply and directly," Ayer adds. "It's always an interesting challenge and a learning experience to go from what might be an hour-long conversation about life's questions and get out of my own way so that something essential about that can be felt in less than five minutes. As I've written more, I think I've tried to say things more directly and work that balance a little bit better."

He must be doing something right: In 2007, he was honored by the John Lennon Songwriting Contest with the '06 Lennon Award in Folk for his song "Evaporate," which can be found on Ayer's first album, This Is the Place.

Ayer says he submitted the song hoping for the best but had no idea things would go the way they did. He walked away with some new gear, but the biggest perk from winning was the exposure his material received.

"It was pretty much overnight that shows started getting more folks out, and they seemed to listen closer," he says. "All that I would hope for as a songwriter is to be able to play for people and share in something each night. And they really helped me move toward that a lot."

While living in California, Ayer says he had hard time building an audience there, so he moved to New York.

"Of course, there are plenty of bands and artists that make it work and get their start there, but for me I really only started getting a crowd in California once I left and moved to New York," he says. "Funny how it worked out, but it's always a lot of fun to go back and play [in California] and get to see old friends.

"New York just has so many more people playing and making music, and that community and variety has been a lot of fun, and [it's] a great pool of people to learn from," he adds. "The downside is sometimes I feel the difficulty of such a big pond. But that challenge has made me rise to the occasion mostly, so overall, it's been a good match."

Another good match for Ayer has been Jason Gantt, who produced 2006's This Is the Place as well as Ayer's latest album, Don't Go Back to Sleep.

"He might be more 'hands-on' or 'hands-off' with other artists," Ayer says, "but for me, he was the perfect balance, where his goal really seemed to be to facilitate my songs and ideas to translate to the recording. He doesn't push things one way or another when I'm trying things out, but when I'm at a crossroads with something and need those outside ears to bounce it off of, he's quick and effective and keeping things moving.

"And more than anything, I trust him and his ears to get what I'm going for with the music. So it doesn't ever feel belabored or like there's any discord over the process. It's just natural. And since he's a songwriter, guitar player and singer, he really can take part in picking up instruments to play around with sounds, too."

Even though he’s in New York, Ayer maintains an important San Francisco area connection with Lyric Entertainment, which has handled his bookings over the last few years.

"They've been able to get me better shows, with lineups of artists that make more sense for me, and more of them, so I can tour full-time for a few months, without needing to stop and play booking catch-up," he says.

"I really believe that it all has to center on the music. And so long as I'm getting out there and playing my songs, then at the right time the other pieces will fall into place. So far it's been a gradual thing, but it really seems like things happen at the right time."

-- By Chris M. Junior

Chris Ayer on tour (schedule subject to change):

* Nov. 10: The Bitter End – New York

* Nov. 17: The Saint – Asbury Park, N.J.

* Nov. 20: Capital Ale Music Hall – Richmond, Va.

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Latest album by The Almost brings band together

"Hey, we got a record over here, Dusty," Jay Vilardi shouts across the EMI rooftop to Dusty Redmon, his guitar counterpart in The Almost.

Redmon, who is standing a few feet away, cuts off the conversation he's having with someone else and looks over at Vilardi.

"What?" Redmon asks.

"We got a record," Vilardi responds with enthusiasm.

Redmon got the message the second time.

"Are the thank yous in it?" Redmon asks as he approaches Vilardi.

“Yeah -- thanks to him,” Vilardi answers, smiling.

Vilardi gestures to singer Aaron Gillespie, who's carefully looking over a copy of Monster Monster (Tooth & Nail/Virgin/EMI), the new Almost album. Bassist Alex Aponte joins the others in gazing at the CD's booklet and packaging, and their collective reaction makes it evident that this sunny late October afternoon in Manhattan has taken on some added meaning.

Not only are the members of The Almost seeing the finished commercial version of Monster Monster for the first time, it's also the first Almost album that isn't a one-man effort.

When Underoath drummer Gillespie started the band as a side project, he recorded the first Almost album, 2007's Southern Weather, all by himself.

But in order to hit the road, he needed a full band, so he recruited Vilardi, Redmon and Aponte. By the time the tour supporting Southern Weather was done, Gillespie had learned they were the right guys to work with him in the future.

"The dudes were already amazing players, but touring is sort of a rehearsal you can’t mimic," Gillespie says. "You can get in a room and play the songs over and over again, but once they're road-tested, that’s when you really see people's true colors – night after night, regardless of health or mood, you really see when a dude can come through."

Writing Monster Monster was a group effort, with Vilardi, Redmon and Aponte e-mailing files back and forth to Gillespie, resulting in lots of material, says Vilardi.

"The thing that I was worried about is you always hear a song sounds cool, but where the vibe comes from is when you’re rocking out together [and encouraging each other]," he explains. "We got together in the studio, played the songs for the first time ever together in the [same] room, even though we had all been working on stuff for months, and they all felt fine. All in all, I’d say it's a process I’d do again. I think you have to find the right people, and I think that everybody in this band really put [the effort] into the record.

"We wrote a mature album," Vilardi adds, citing Foo Fighters as a band everyone looked to during the writing process. "[Gillespie's] lyrics are different – they're not for the kid we think we know but for the kid we think is [out] there."

For the band’s tour supporting Monster Monster, Gillespie has relinquished the drum stool to longtime friend Joe Musten, who used to be in a band with Redmon.

The way Vilardi sees it, Musten brings with him the right amount of skill and experience.

"You want people who have been road tested and know how to tour," Vilardi says. "We still have to have somebody who can be away from home and play every night, and we just knew he was that dude. Talent means nothing if you can’t leave your home."

-- By Chris M. Junior

The Almost on tour, in-store and online (schedule subject to change):

* Nov. 4: Online chat at 8 p.m. EST – AbsolutePunk.net

* Nov. 5: Best Buy in-store -- Farmers Branch, Texas (4 p.m.)

* Nov. 5: House of Blues – Dallas

* Nov. 6: Best Buy in-store -- The Woodlands, Texas (5 p.m.)

* Nov. 6: House of Blues – Houston

* Nov. 7: La Zona Rosa – Austin, Texas

* Nov. 9: The Marquee – Tempe, Ariz.

* Nov. 10: The Wiltern – Los Angeles

* Nov. 11: Warfield Theatre – San Francisco

* Nov. 12: Hawthorne Theatre – Portland, Ore.

* Nov. 13: Shadowbox SoHo – Seattle

Left to right: Aaron Gillespie, Joe Musten, Dusty Redmon, Alex Aponte and Jay Vilardi
Photo by Chris M. Junior

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Band's best live album gets deluxe treatment

There's no disputing that 1969 was a year of major triumph and tragedy for The Rolling Stones.

Brian Jones left the group in June ’69 and was replaced by guitarist Mick Taylor. Less than a month later, Jones was found dead in his swimming pool, his mysterious death deemed by a coroner to be a drowning while under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

On July 5, two days after Jones' body was found, Taylor made his concert debut with the Stones during a free concert before 250,000 at London's Hyde Park. The band’s subsequent attempt at a freebie on Dec. 6 at California's Altamont Speedway, though, was marred by chaos and violence, most notably the stabbing death of a black teenager in the crowd.

But between the Hyde Park and Altamont gigs, the Stones rocked New York during a two-night stand in late November '69 at what was then a relatively new fourth edition of Madison Square Garden, resulting in one of the best concert albums by any rock band ever. In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Get Yer Ya-Ya's Out!, ABKCO has given the album the deluxe reissue treatment, and it's a must for any serious Stones fan.

The package contains the original concert album (released in late 1970), and its 10 tracks show a band on top of its game. By this point in the Stones' career, Mick Jagger's voice had reached a level of warmth and maturity. Keith Richards' harmony vocals on "Jumpin' Jack Flash," which opens the album, are among his best; the main riff on the sinister "Live With Me" never sounded tougher, and that includes the studio version on 1969's Let It Bleed. Taylor's fluid leads and meaty rhythm work show that he's his own man and not trying to be a Jones clone.

A disc of five previously unreleased tracks stands up to the performance and audio quality of the original Ya-Ya's album, with the highlight being a bluesy take on "Under My Thumb" that segues smoothly into "I'm Free." All five of these songs are captured in full on a bonus DVD, which also includes funny footage of Jagger and Charlie Watts during a photo shoot on a rainy highway, as well as backstage and off-stage glimpses of Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin.

B.B. King along with Ike and Tina Turner opened for the Stones on Nov. 27 and 28, 1969, and a third disc in this package is devoted to their performances. King shines brightest on "How Blue Can You Get," while Tina Turner stakes her claim on Dusty Springfield's "Son of a Preacher Man."

The deluxe package also features a handsome book with insightful text by Ethan Russell and some great Russell photos from that era, including a shot of the original Ya-Ya's cover.

The Stones have released plenty of concert collections since Ya-Ya's -- some fans would say too many. Ya-Ya's remains the only one that's indispensable.

-- By Chris M. Junior

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