waaahoooo!!! nearly done!!! : birthing a behemoth

finally!!!!! i just completed a fairly large section of my thesis, the story appendix that accompanies the curriculum/study guide i'm writing... this sucker is a behemoth!!
tentative page counts:
main thesis - 67 pages
curriculum/study guide - 35 pages
education standards - 1 page
at a glance lesson planner - 4 pages
appendix one (leveled stories) - 81 pages
appendices 2-10 - 35 pages
and it's still not finished!!!! so far i have 223 pages!!! i've been a "high maintenance" student, maybe, worried about everything & wanting to do the best i can (which means i ask lots of Qs), but still the profs've been supportive, especially my lovely advisor dr. jo sanzgiri, who is kind, patient, organized, & enthusiastic, too!... this is an important project i've undertaken -- this is definitely no phone-it-in kinda work for me!! read the overview & please give feedback, if you wish... http://www.freewebs.com/learningwithsoul/index.htm

cut it, check it, put it to bed

woke up this a.m. w/nice email surprises -- i've been off-on editing-revising texts for two guys, one a mad-creative circuit speaker w/dark-funny sensibility; the other one of the world's absolutely greatest boogie-woogie pianists, a big-hearted wildman who tells hilarious-salty tales. the last bit i got from clancy was a year ago; gene sent a few graphs last month. today, both sent sections! (rub hands w/glee...)
this'll give me some fun when i'm not thudding toward the thesis finish-line. :) clancy's writing a spooky-funny celtic-occultic adventure; gene's is a loose-&-funny semi-autobio about the life of an itinerant musician... 5 1/2 yrs ago i started a little underground pub that indirectly changed a lot around here, i've been told... i handed it over to another fellow in 04 hoping not just relief for myself, but that the charge would improve his life, & the paper changed in ways i didn't much anticipate, tho the new guy did put a much bigger face on it (not one i would've, but again, it was his - what could i say?). since 04, i've missed regular writing & editing, so to have this & a few other little blogs, my thesis, & now getting to work w/my pals, well, i'm thankful for it all. really don't matter if anyone reads, it's just part of me, to write, & occasion allow me to do it, so i must.
a few quotes: "better to write for yourself & to have no public, than to write for the public and to have no self." "write something to suit yourself and many people will like it; write something to suit everybody and scarcely anyone will care for it." blablabla.
-30-

pix from scott's tribute show

all photos from writer & local gadabout greg goodsell :)

"someday she's gonna be a star, (but right now) she's a sucker for a cheap guitar"

(paraphrasing ronnie dawson)
this evening i took my niece to get her 1st strat pack. recently she became enamored of getting a "red electric guitar" like the one her "j-pop" music idol plays & started babysitting the many family kids to earn the dough. the family's been dubious since maddy's taken no interest in the child's acoustic guitar i fixed up & gave her one xmas (it had been mine! ungrateful heathen child!), or the electric keyboard from grandma, but maddy explained, "but i didn't ASK for those. i WANT this!" when i'd watch maddy on alternating tuesdays, we'd trek down to the guitar center to let her visit "her guitar" - they'd get her all plugged in & she'd pluck away (god love g-center for this). grandma said she'd pay half, & by this evening maddy had saved enough dough (grandpa had her count it out & add up what was what, tax & such, w/the calculator), so away we went (we wonder if the family kids now will get dropped, babysitter-less, like lead balloons, but once a kid gets a taste of making her own green,...) in tow w/me & 13-yr old maddy was 6-yr old brendan, who cheerily plunked all the "small" & low-lying instruments - mandolin, tambourine, drum pedals. "i like this place cause you can make all the noise you want without getting in trouble!" maddy cheered.
the guy helping us had to go into the dungeon or vault or someplace to dig out a specifically red one. he finally emerged, maddy counted out $268.11 in bills & coins (the cashier, onto her, jokingly announced the total to be $600 & her jaw dropped), & the young gal at the door gave each kid a guitar pick.
"here, maddy," i said, "put that in your wallet." she did & looked at me.
"now you're an official musician," i said.
"oh, aunt jenny," she said, giving me her funny little sly bashful smile.
on the way home over celebration slurpees, she said her stomach was doing "flip-flops." she says she already knows what she's going to write in the thank you to grandma & grandpa - but not tonight. "tonight i'm gonna play my guitar until mom MAKES me stop!" she said gleefully.
lately i'm so busy i don't know my head from a hole in the ground, but thank goodness i get to be a family samaritan these days, instead of the family butt, like i used to be. :) little brendan says now he's gonna save his money for a guitar... then all the kids can have a band. for all kids, unending music & happy days like summer, as many as earthly possible..

pretty little angel eyes pretty little angel eyes pretty little angel pretty little angel pretty little angel eyes... more blablabla!

(curtis lee & the halos, phil spector, producer, a tune 1000s of females like me used to hear from beaus.) just read art fein's updated page at www.sofein.com (some thought-provoking & also funny stuff - read the ones about bob barker & the dif betw lyrics & music!)... 1st there's his monthly "1st record/1st show" page. this month's - very interesting! well-written! nostalgic! then you get to the bottom & holy crud - it was written by art's friend, "the greatest record producer in the world," phil spector!! then right below this is my name & a link to the "rockin 50s report"! the proximity threw me a tad, & so i write about it, cause greg goodsell & i met lana clarkson, the actress who died in spector's house, just the day before the shooting, at a monster movie-vamp convention down south. i remember thinking, wow! skin-tight leopard outfit & big leopard cowboy hat, very blondly glamorous-beautiful & polite & friendly, & next day, she's dead... the "connection" means nothing, but i still can't help but feel just a little weird & sad. elsewhere on art's page are pix of the band i saw down south, 3 balls of fire, plus THE original BLASTERS!!!! i had gone down (i thought) to see them, but that didn't work out, then 4 days later, i find out they're playing that night in hollywood... drat! just couldn't make the drive again, last sec like that. then art reported the blasters show had no "magic" & "lots of tension" betw the alvin bros, so guess i got lucky, catching a moody, spirited, dramatic 3BOF show w/net buddies instead of a sour blasters show. that would've been a real bummer!... one-woman band update: thx to captain morgan, local musico, i got a high-hat stand: whatta guy! this young punk gal stokely earlier sold me a couple other drum pieces, & i had the bass drum from ex-dusk devils bassist philbeaux, so there you go. i've got about 5 songs worked up so far. it's a dang challenge, trying to get the boom-chicks vs chick-booms right while playing piano & singing, but i think i'll be able to do it. then i go on the road w/3 chord whore... hahaha!! :) & bloodshot bill & i have a date for 2011, when he can come back in the u.s. i've gotten many kind comments here, on myspace, bakotopia, email re my 2 songs at scott's memorial. as a pal told me, re the one-gal band, "maybe you're on to something here"... who knows? never hurts trying!
in short, w/progress coming big-time on thesis (i think it's gonna clock 150-200 pgs!!), upcoming debut show w/old 99 pending, & wonderful family festivities yesterday & fellowshipping today, this 4th of july week has been bless-ed. :) my sponsor calls herself "the luckiest woman in the world," & today i really knew how a person can feel that for herself. it's not an exclusive feeling, either - you, also, can be the luckiest person in your own world, & i can be happy for you & share in it. we both are bettered in the realization. :) vaya con dios, mis amigos y amigas!!!

top 20 LPs (for when i drop dead)

upon my demise, i please would like to be 1) cremated in a sparkly outfit; 2) eulogized by those who loved me but won't be too heartbroken, at the alano club; 3) with music played from the following LPs, heavy on the uptempo, humorous, & NOLA-kinda cuts; 4) with lots of flowers, beads, & food covered w/barbecue sauce... (prompted by recent passings of friends as well as a thought-provoking myspace bulletin [no, that's not an oxymoron!]) happy weekend to all who read this!!! :)
1. chuck berry - the great 28
2. the blasters - the blasters (rolling rock & slash LPs both)
3. the gun club - fire of love
4. x - los angeles
5. the cramps - gravest hits & psychedelic jungle & songs the lord taught us
6. jerry lee lewis - london sessions & the greatest live shows on earth
7. professor longhair - house party new orleans-style
8. little richard - the specialty sessions
9. fats domino - the legendary imperial recordings
10. little walter - le roi du blues series
11. los lobos - ...and a time to dance
12. buck owens - i've got a tiger by the tail & i don't care
13. the paladins - the paladins (wrestler records)
14. ronnie dawson - rockinitis + the song "rockin' bones," of course!!
15. the collins kids - rockin'est
16. wanda jackson - queen of rockabilly
17. the stooges - raw power & rubber legs
18. the five royales - think
19. james brown - live at the apollo
20. the buena vista social club

slim the drifter tribute tonight

-> read bako's top newsman bob price's profile of scott "slim the drifter" sturtevant here: http://www.bakersfield.com/138/story/174197.html
-> price got it right, as usual. he always writes with conviction & heart, about what he knows - crucial so that a piece doesn't smell of phoniness (i write this from sore experience - used to get slapped a lot in journalism days - always AFTER going to press - for being the self-professed expert of the world). a true leader knows him or herself, & bob price truly seems to. :) another solid local writer i really admire is steve mayer (music figures heavily in the lives of both fellows, too... hmm...)
-> tonight will be the slim the drifter memorial tribute show at fishlips, 18th st downtown between chester & eye. the show starts at 7 pm & will feature a whole bunch of friends & admirers of scott. the show was arranged by scott's dear friend jean errasseret, who also this wk published a very nice obit for scott in the local daily. some of the performers tonight will be tanner & monty byrum; glenda robles; & several others who play out more & are much better known than yours truly. my friend greg will do some spoken word. eddie ruff's coming out for one song, then going home. i'll do two solo songs right before 3 chord whore goes onstage: i know scott would've dug my one-woman band set-up, so it'll be a fitting place to debut it. :) "scott woulda loved this," said jean. "all his friends gathered around to play music and talk about HIM." :)

sat morning ditching school

-art fein asked me to rewrite the green bay entry from here for www.sofein.com, so i sent it & he flatteringly declared it "magnifico" :)... it'll pub around 1st of the month. i didn't submit a bio to him this time, tho wrote one just for kicks, here: "jenny angel is a bipedal hominid, about 70% water. she plays w/bakersfield honky-tonkers old 99 (www.old99.net) as well as a cracked one-gal band. dusk devils por vida." :) -freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose. :)

the crappy & the cool: "dark eyes" in lotusland

most trips this yr've been to sf for school, so i've missed LA w/that longing a soul can get for things both seedy-beautiful, haunting-exhilarating, & crappy-wonderful. got to climb the grapevine listening to "maybelline"! then descended home to the live version of "roll 'em pete" on the blasters' over there ep, looking out on kern county farmland, green-flat & smog-hazy, & thinking how rolling down the rd & certain tunes are fused in me - maybe for you, too? my trip was a mix of the crappy & the cool - crappy: the disappointment of NOT seeing my favorite band due to... well, it'd be gossipy speculation, so i won't go there; got a pkng ticket outside roscoe's because i was a dog-tired cheapskate; juke joint night at harvelle's instead had karaoke & funk... cool: sta monica & venice walking (tho the bohemian freedom makes me want to smoke, dang it!); lovely color-popping ocean-breezy flowers & greenery all around; crossing the venice canals & looking left-right down on the little boats; thrift & other wacky shopping; soul food from roscoe's & los burritos; good times & supping w/music friends & family; meeting net friends for the first time, unexpectedly, at 3 balls of fire show in marina del rey (insect surfers' dave, chrome oxide's steve, south bay surfers' david, big tiki dude jeff... & then geno walked in w/jimmy v of thee midnighters - geno who used to manage the blazers!); watching bassist vic gerrard (late of the derailers & many other acts) smile & groove w/his astounding 15-yr old drummer son victor, both cueing in to every move from somber, lumbering frontman mike vernon (whose fingers express what his golem-like countenance doesn't - a seeming contradiction for such dramatic, lush, evocative sounds to come out such a guy!).
to southland friends i didn't see, we'll meet again. :)this kind of solo happy-lonesome blow-off thing i'm blessed to be able to do now & then really fills a person up. i do a lot of stuff alone, but sometimes it seems more fitting, to be able to savor experiences others might not enjoy if they were along.
now on: "el paso," "my babe," "dark eyes," x, freddy fender, the mavericks, sadies, fess, roky, mr owens, los straightjackets, etc etc... if you're still reading, well, may you move gently or goofily thru your day: whichever pleases you most! :)

john conlee tonight!! thurs 6-14

rose colored glasses, back side of 30, friday night blues, common man, i don't remember loving you, ... the guy with "the saddest voice in country music" will be here tonight, 7 pm, at 212 E. 18th St (at Union), "uncle buck's club extreme." 661-203-5546. that's where the la movida nightclub is, a big sit-down place w/nice seats. your car'll be safe. go listen to songs so rapturously beautiful & sad, they'll make your hair stand on end!!

"i'll never love another even if i can, come to me baby, i'm a 1-woman band"

-> woohoo! tonight i got tired of waiting for all the proper gear & bungeed a high hat to my little keyboard's stand so that when the bass drum pedal kicks back, it hits the high hat. then i learned a slim the drifter song for an upcoming tribute show (june 27 at fishlip's). i might not be a punk, but i have been a drunk, so i could relate to the song. scott wrote some strong stuff, & 3 chord whore's shantell flattered me by saying she thinks of me singing when she hears this particular tune, one i'd heard before & liked, in that thrilling creepy-crawly alcoholic way (reading bukowski does the same)... up til tonight i didn't know if i could play piano, sing, & kick the drum at the same time. whoopee!! the drums sound like the cramps... you know, on the early LPs where they really couldn't play? i don't care, tho - what fun! how nice of shantell to think of me - i don't even care if i get to be part of the show - this lit the fire of a new experience under my butt!
-> my spouse walked in, saw my set-up, & intoned, smiling weirdly, "you are a tweaker."

"if you wanna hear some boogie like i'm gonna play, it's just an old piano and a knock-out bass..." lotsa websites ref'ed below, too

this wkend at school, we did a writing workshop w/sharon doubiago (http:// www.new college.edu/ review/doubiago.htm - parental guidance suggested). she had us write about 1st memories, of which i've thought i have few. i was grateful, once the unearthing began, to realize mine are of family, safety, color, music (my baby mobile, my crib, smiling parent faces & support, the piano). i found myself writing about the piano & realized how its formidable comfort & resonance completed me (i was a backward kid, like so many). the piano was my companion for so many yrs! i still play on a 1930s-era kimball spinet, which mom & dad bought from my lovely piano teacher, a classically-trained welshwoman who let me play boogie-woogie. the piano & i had each other, & we still do... in a few hrs, i have my 1st piano lesson w/carl sonny leyland (www.carl sonnyleyland.com)! i've also had one lesson each w/nat dove (www. nat dove.com) & gene taylor (www.gene-taylor.com), the latter of which was especially useful! w/all the banging & pounding i've done w/dusk devils, i've worn out my thumbs & wrists some. carl suggested the book "pain free" by pete egoscue -- after just one day of its gentle moves, i can now again play for 2-3 hrs w/o pain! here's a link to the book: www.egoscue.com ... now i'm working on joplin & gershwin from manuscript, trying to get those fingers to stretch & cooperate like they used to & rebuild muscle memory (i'm happy how fast it comes back!). it's wonderful to be able to play again w/o suffering. i've forgotten the tactile pleasure of "really playing" & hope to get "rhapsody in blue" back up to speed, to play for mama's birthday (she doesn't read this, so she won't know). other exercises i've been able to do lately post-surgery are from "western yoga" (www.are store.com), recommended by my kindly little "witch dr" bridget (www.drbbonnet dc.com) ... they really get your heart going & energize!
so that's enough linking for now, my friends. hope you visit these friends' sites! wish me luck that, in front of awesome carl, i don't freeze up. he told me he wants to "hear how i play." yipes!
i know, tho, that it'll work out & i'll be a better player from it. i relish the chance to learn from carl, who is super-studied & devoted, in addition to considerably talented!
this is so exciting!!!!! the more i think of it, the more.... wow!!!!! :)
(sing) happy trails to you, until we meet again...

"me, i don't care what people say / talk is cheap, anyway / if you got nothin good to say / well, it's best you don't say a thing" :)

- the blazers & me -
things've been down, w/death of friends, post-surgery complications, painful realizations i've had to make re music/friends... i was surfing & came across - yeegad! -a T-shirt i designed 15+ yrs ago for the blazers! it came up along w/the most rockin' tune, too (lyrics excerpted above), & took me instantly to a better place. a worshipful moment! music again saves a life...
back to the T-shirt: actually, manuel gave me the frame, then i took it to dr derek lamar, who then had the art dept downtown, & we put the design together... & there it is still online today, along w/that cheerful blazers song from way back in the palomino days.
i was intoxicated on music & substances 24/7 back then, & so enamored of the blazers' down-home roots-rock&roll innocence, grit, & heart, i could scarcely touch earth. flyweight ruben & sumo-ish manuel, buddies since childhood w/ea other & w/los lobos, led this east-LA band, their repertoire influenced as much by vicente fernandez as chuck berry. i was crazy (really, tho i didn't know it) over their then-bassist, a 6.5' ladies' man w/penchant for dark humor & drink, & became the blazers' "#1 fan" (there've been many since, & such a determined creature features heavily in any band's success, i think!): wrote their monthly newsletter; designed show flyers; press kit; copied & mailed out promo tapes; wrote 50-60 letters to record co's (one actually got bill bentley's attn & they were signed to rounder!); drove down 2x or more per mo to watch their shows (& hang w/"boyfriend," of course). all this from bksfld, & them in e-los! i couldn't dance, but my skirts & enthusiasm were so high, i don't think most cared. the blazers filled me w/good cheer, w/life, w/soul when i could only find it elsewhere in bad habits.
manuel & ruben don't play together much now, tho both still have many options, ruben working w/pete anderson still. they are well-loved & respected individually, but i think most who know them pine for the day they'll reunite. i'm so lucky to still know them both, good men, brimming w/musical spirit & humanity & humor. i hope eventually they'll reconcile musically, as i always hope i will, too, when i have to part ways w/a friend...
eventually, love & communication & music can bring rebonding; if not, probably there was nothing to a relationship to begin with. (some people never come back because they were never meant to be there in the 1st place...) i parted ways w/the blazers having to get sober. it was painful, but from it, a new & better life came. like they say, "pain is the touchstone of growth." old-timer mudd, may he rest in peace, used to say, "i'm gonna grow, or i'm gonna go..." positive action, tho too often prompted by pain, is what is needed to keep evolving, to honor this beautiful life.
i'm there. it's time. like manuel wrote, "talk is cheap, anyway." "if you're feelin sad & blue, don't sit around & cry, no one's feelin sorry for you, you're just a-wastin your time." wise words, pleasantly put!!
blazers links follow: discography: http://www.cduniverse.com/search/xx/music/artist/Blazers/a/Blazers.htm ; manuel's page: http://www.myspace.com/thebigmanband ; the blazers' page w/music! http://www.myspace.com/theblazers

claudia e. - rest in peace

->she was a lovely lovely lady, one of everyone's favorites. she was the queen of one-liners. she had the cutest kindest little mischievous smile. she had down-home grandma wisdom. she always knew just what to say - something wise that'd pull your covers, but was necessary, funny, comforting, truthful. she helped save so many women's lives, just being herself. she always sat at the end of the table at the women's meetings tues & thurs. one time i came in & the group was having a valentine's day party (at this meeting, they always have fancy food, decorations, flowers, making the "program of attraction" even more alluring). claudia & pat, the "old timers" of the group, sat there in their usual spots wearing the silliest pink & red fuzzy hats that coiled up six inches above their heads & were topped with big fuzzy hearts. i don't know who i enjoyed watching more that day - regal, calmly beaming pat, or spritely, grinning claudia. she was like a grandma-aged kid - like charlie brown's lucy or peppermint patty all grown up & wised up & come to love everyone.
->i never got to know her well enough. we stood around her hospital bed two days ago & recited the serenity prayer. she was suffering, but they said she looked better. she was unconscious, unresponsive, but when pat bent over to whisper to her, her fiercely rapid heartrate slowed. we began to talk & she started to stir. even near her death, she was participating the best she was able: claudia was a fighter like that.
->her sponsees & friends stayed there in the hospital room, held a vigil, vowed "we'll be here til she draws her last breath." downed by surgery yesterday, i wasn't there when claudia passed away. however, i know they were. i know now she's not suffering, but again, what a loss. even those who knew her just a little, like me, were so blessed to have been able to do so. this wonderful, kind, funny, & special lady died sober, surrounded by loved ones. we'll miss her so much. :(

freeby!!! boom boom boom crash

i had surgery today (nothing major, but they put me under, & i'm sore as heck) & got pain pills. weeeoooo! a freeby! the fun part was sitting in bed watching mst3k on google video this evening, recuperating. :)... i'm gonna need to do a blanche dubois for a while & make sure i ask someone else to haul the behemoth (aka my keyboard)- can't lift over 10 lbs for a month or so!
the next thing is, if you're local & have gear to sell or trade, i'm looking for some drum pieces: a bass drum pedal and a high hat with stand/pedal. don't need anything nice, just something to play w/feet... ok, i'm running outta steam. a little tip: if you want more fun than a bag of monkeys, google the phrase "big list of musician jokes." a presto e chin-chin!!

"please give my regards to every trick on the road"

he was supposed to go for years & years. people'd say "i thought he was dead!!" but he endured.
still, the news today from greg was shocking - that someone we knew (his longest off-on friend, since both were age 5, over 40 yrs ago) finally passed. the fellow, a whisky-voiced local cult-legend punk "karaoke cowboy" singer-songwriter, i knew off & on for decades, too. he was always creating, always destroying. charming, known by hundreds, admired, despised, followed like a messiah, ignored like a bum, with personality as big & brittle & quirky & ingratiating & difficult as they come, lantern-jawed, talented, six-foot tall, crooked-grinned, a man in black, one of a kind. he loved my husband, who helps men who drink too much, more than he loved me - i was a s**theel, in his eyes, i think, but that's ok because for a while, i was the one who had to collect the dough from him to print our little paper. i called his brother the policeman to try to prompt an intervention. i had to be the bad guy. (brian IS a better person than me, too, & i know it, so that helps - people who prefer brian are just correct in so doing.)
greg said he was in reno, that he'd been sick, & his wife confirmed that he had passed away friday. i can't help but wonder if he really died - i hope that's not too disrespectful. it's just that he endured for so long, & there've been rumors before of his demise... today his myspace pages were active. it's just hard to believe he's finally gone - we weren't close, but he seemed like he'd always be there someplace, testament to the strength of the life force...
i hope that he's just trying to dodge bill collectors... but if he is gone, that he didn't suffer.
he will live on for me, no matter what has happened. i'm glad to have known him, & it doesn't matter what he thought of me. maybe you knew him, too - you can follow this link to others, to listen to his music, get hold of his friends, loved ones, & admirers. http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=107645710

do you know what it means to miss new orleans?

my folks took me tonight to see harry connick, jr. they saw him pre-katrina, when he put on a rambunctious show, it sounded like, encoring with a foot-&-hand-stomping rollicking junker blues. they vowed they'd take me next time he rolled thru town, so they did! :) this show, they said, was more staid, w/lots of abstract jazz & loud brass, which to my ear, esp in the bouncing acoustics of the rabobank, was too discordant. (i'm a sucker for 1-4-5s w/heavy backbeat & bright chords.) also, connick's grand piano wasn't miked high enough, from where we sat. but when he brought out his two high school buddies to do more traditional blues-dixieland-rhumba influenced music, the show started to soar for me: loose & amiable 2nd-line style dancing & satchmo-like singing between wawas & toots from trombone & trumpet, harry switching between grand, spinet, & hammond (doing some cute visual jokes w/the trombone mute & teasing the audience quite a bit). yes, the guy is charmingly handsome, w/an absolutely winning personality onstage: i haven't heard so many females screaming ever in real life! the show ended w/a song by my favorite new orleans musician, professor longhair - "going to the mardi gras."
all in all, it was quite a nice show. harry the heartthrob can really run those keys (he studied under james booker! jiminy! -tho the jazz has taken him over, & i like my rocknroll, but oh well), is an endearing performer, & again will put on a more rollicking show, i think, the further katrina recedes in memory. there was a tinge of melancholy to tonight's performance (concert proceeds going to rebuilding new orleans), especially evident when he ended the show w/"do you know what it means to miss new orleans?" he must've sang that one a lot to not cry or get choked up, esp when his hometown, by his own report, is still ravaged - "it's even worse than you can picture"... THIS IS A COOL WEBSITE! The History of Boogie-Woogie -> http://nonjohn.com/History%20of%20Boogie%20Woogie.htm ... good night, everyone! :)

rockin' 50s III - what happened!!!!!! (pix below)

(i'm gonna try to do this art fein style, for brevity's sake. ha!)
day 1: we arrived in green bay, befriending janet of bomp records' invisible eyes. we took her to her hotel & went to ours: the wingate is a stone's throw from both the oneida casino, where the fest took place, & austin-straubel airport - convenient. got dressed, got wristbands, got up to the stage for little richard's set. the crowd quickly stuffed the giant oneida ballroom. richard's bandleader came out & said "absolutely no pictures" - a collective groan of protest ensued, but most people complied. (i remember one time taking pic after pic of richard from about 15 ft away altho i could tell the flash was blinding him... yes, best not to take pix so he can concentrate on performing...) richard came out bejeweled & beglittered, pancaked, bewigged, famous ferocious smile flashing, & on crutches. when his brother passed away, his sciatica started acting up - hence the crutches. he still stood between songs to bless & mess with the crowd. he danced at the piano bench. his black eyes flashed, playful, crazy-dangerous. his set was long & loud, with extended breaks for patter & reflection. little richard seems to be feeling his mortality, actually threw into the audience the shiny watch he usually taunts with, talked about old people, going to heaven, introduced his bass player - his son! we'd never seen him do that. two drummers, three sax players, a back-up pianist... 74 yrs old, little richard does what he can to put on the greatest show possible. no pictures, but we were grateful to again get to see the living legend!
(i've already exceeded art's word count, so i'll just go on...) watched a bit of the uptown savages, got the lay of the land for the fest (vendors, purcell lounge, casino stage, where slim jim phantom - with keith richards junkie glamour: greasy pomp, black-ringed eyes, sash around his neck - held nightly jam sessions). we were blown away by the 5 keys, backed by deke dickerson, the horton bros., others... the singer closest to us (stage left - i don't know his name!!!!!) had eyes full of "pain and love and so much emotion," brian later told him. the harmony singing & true emotion had me near sobbing (especially with the first incredible notes of "my saddest hour"!!!), but it was too early for that, so i sucked it up. the studied & rather stoic young(ish) acolytes who backed the 5 keys were a curious contrast to the raw emotion & warmth of the band members themselves: throughout the weekend, the older performers in general were friendlier, warmer, more approachable, with less airs - grateful to be in this place where they were treated with such love & support? old musicians, like old people in general in america, can be ignored, dismissed, even scoffed. at rockin' 50s, all were adored.
we wandered in a daze after that, then called it a night.
day 2: we ran into the 5 keys & brian heartily complimented them. we headed to the "tiki brunch," where the masterful & gentlemanly carl sonny leyland played. this fellow knows his piano!! he ripped through 2 sets of perfect stomps, shuffles, boogie-woogies, strides, sang with a pleasant, unaffected blues voice reminding me of gene taylor a bit, & was very friendly after the set. he backed up at least 8 other acts we saw over the week, & knocked my socks off again when, after all the boogie & rock&roll, he switched into top-notch honky-tonk, too! carl knows all the styles & never misses a lick, providing the backbone of every band he plays with, grinning shyly when a frontman didn't properly cue the band. he never was anything less than perfect & humble. carl sonny leyland rules!!!! also on the day's bill were sonny burgess & rosie flores, billy lee riley, the crickets... we took a break & had dumpling soup, pb&j, & a pineapple malt made with wisconsin ice cream at our favorite dark smoke-filled lounge-restaurant, kroll’s east, on e. main in town… then we returned to the oneida for the performance by carl's alter-ego, incredible, maniacal jason d williams.
i saw jason open for buck owens many many moons ago... at that time, he was downright strange, this skinny, red-headed kid aping jerry lee lewis to the point of obsession. he seemed to play piano even better than the killer, but the considerable talent was placed second to impersonating his idol. now jason's just as skinny, & when you see him play, you'll know why: this is the most athletic, hellfire-&-brimstone kind of pure rock&roll act around - jason runs across stage, leaps atop the piano, stands on it & shakes, lays on it to play upside down, plays mostly standing or crouched on the ground, howls & wails & sings in a strong southern rock&roll yell that rattles your bones, laughs & leers & whoops, flashing his eyes like woody woodpecker on whites... different than the killer is that jason comes off like a crazy but nice southern boy, with the lascivious sneer being fun & buoyant rather than scary. you don't have to fear jason d. - but you'll stand in awe of his talent & energy. at the beginning of jason's set, there were two rows of (mostly) gray haired folks lining the stage, but few of the "hip" kinda rockabillies; 15 mins into his insanely fevered set, i turned & saw an ocean of bobbing & nodding heads - the rockabillies outside the lounge had heard jason williams & ran in for more!! providing perfect foil to jason the mad-rabbit was his calmly handsome, dignified, cash-esque guitarist jimmy davis, who plays also with sleepy labeef. rounding out the band were a bassist & guitarist who kept pedal to metal: i think these guys must lose about 5 lbs at every show! commented brian, "this is why they tried to outlaw rock & roll in the 50s!" watching jason d. williams is the closest a person could come, i think, to knowing what it was like to see jerry lee lewis or little richard in their prime. what an amazing experience!!! (www.rockinjasondwilliams.com)... it actually was hard to watch anyone else for a while after seeing jason d. williams, but we wandered to the casino lounge, where eddie angel's new act, surf-garage rock band the neanderthals played.
that day, too, we watched ferlin husky with leona williams, doing wonderful bakersfield-texas honky-tonk; chicago-style blues from rubber-faced englishman big joe louis & his blues kings (smooth & accomplished jimmy sutton on upright); dawn shipley & the sharp shooters, fronted by dawn's nostalgic voice & girlish comeliness; conny, a rockabilly devotee from japan; & the stars of the 50s show - lew williams, eddie bond, hayden thompson (in strong voice), & glen glenn. i met miriam linna & billy miller of norton records & the a-bones - they were really nice!!!! robert gorden & chris spedding, mike sanchez, dave stucky, the lonesome spurs, the list of amazing acts goes on & on. we had to make choices, tho, so we picked big jay mcneely, who made his entrance by strutting through the crowd all bent over his bass saxophone, in a loud sequined vest. i ran over to try to peek as he pushed his way through, then up to stage right, where i stayed to watch carl play. suddenly, big jay was coming our way! he stopped right in front of me & his eyes bulged: next thing i knew, he'd locked my arm in his, &, still honking on the sax, started strutting up onto the stage. aaaaaah!!!! the crowd cheered as we got center stage & i concentrated on watching him play, then, knowing i was supposed to dance or whoop it up like a carefree 50s gal or seasoned seductress would do, but being a music nerd instead, i lost my nerve & beat it, laughing. big jay is 80 yrs old; brian was right when he said, "he just wanted a pretty girl to go up onstage with." not that i'm so pretty, but i'm sure it's true that he always grabs whatever gal he notices near the stage to go up with him, being the ladies' man that he seems to be… later in his set, he started singing to a group of japanese girls front & center, who screamed like they were watching the beatles. he actually laid down on his 80 yr old belly to croon sweet-nothings to one of the girls, who beamed ecstatically. what fun. :)
that night i returned to the hotel & crashed and burned. too much excitement.
day 3: absolutely blown out, we drove to door county, “the cape cod of the midwest.” saw bright green pastures, jersey cows, old barns, raised wood houses with basements, lake michigan. had an ice cream made with door county cherries. listened to ipod marty robbins. back in green bay’s old downtown, at a place that’s loud smoky bar on one side, clean & cozy, quiet eatery on the other, had the most deliciously fresh beer-battered walla-walla with potato pancakes (corner of howard & broadway). we got mellowed out, replenished to face more craziness & excitement.
on the bill were sid king, frankie ford (in the casino, i heard fats domino! what’s fats domino doing here? i wondered, running for the casino lounge… it was frankie ford, sounding dead-on like the fat man.), the penguins, the lucky stars, the hollywood combo, the justices (crash & rory) and (dang it! i can’t believe i missed them!) the members of high noon doing the day-time jam session. we caught sleepy labeef, “the human jukebox,” who during the stars of the 50s set, ably filled the time slot when two other performers couldn’t show due to illness.
the vincent black shadows, a relatively new chicago 8-piece band fronted by black-haired gabrielle & her two back-up singers, were really fun. sounding like ronettes meet link wray meet wanda jackson, the cramps and a-bones, the vbs’s rocked! gabrielle’s voice was strong & adaptable – she sounded like wanda, like candye, like ronnie spector. this was a hard-rocking, fun-loving act – wow! i really liked their version of “skinny minnie,” here called “skinny jimmy.” they also did some ronnie dawson tunes, and when we left & entered the main ballroom, ray sharpe was doing “monkey’s uncle”! after ray sharpe came barbara lynn, who looked healthy & happy compared to some of the frail old male performers. she kicked off with “good thing going,” then did “please please please”! after this was the head cat, featuring lemmy from motorhead. i noticed a crowd shift as the head cat readied to get onstage – more punks, more metal-looking people, more veiled aggression. the head cat look fantastic – danny b harvey’s shy, blond rockabilly gentleman look contrasting slim jim phantom & rough-looking lemmy, who, with skin-tight pants, “indian” tats, & greasy long-hair & fu-manchu, is bad-biker monstrously ugly & cool. lemmy scream-sings, & plays a washburn bass like a rhythm guitar! picture the origin of this "high concept": “let’s start a rockabilly band fronted by LEMMY!!” danny b harvey actually told us this band’s been together 6 yrs: again, i'm hip to nothing! the head cat’s version of “somethin’ else” definitely was fun, & the novelty kept you wanting to hear more, despite the threat of deafness, – but we truly didn’t want to burst our eardrums, so we called it a night.
day 4: i called art fein to see if he’d gotten to the show. art got hurt! he was stuck in a room in chicago, immobilized, sounding like crap. we also found out bo diddley had had a stroke & wouldn’t be performing at all. what a time for bo & art! bo diddley’s recovering as of this writing, & art is too, tho still not home… charlie gracie, roy head, the clovers, carl mann, levi dexter, jimmy sutton’s 4 charms, 3 bad jacks, charlie thompson, the ecco-fonics, etc. etc. – the music kept coming!... we watched a few minutes of roddy jackson, james intveldt, & got a salad in the lounge, where we saw carl sonny leyland, noshing away at a nearby table with big joe louis & a gal named gail. i think she was the only woman there with her “natural” (silvery-gray, not rollered & pomaded) hair – she was striking for it, with her olive skin & pretty smile. the legends of the 50s hour featured mac curtis, show-stealer ray campi, strong-voiced johnny powers, & joe clay. joe clay, slim & spry as a teen, in pink satin jacket, was greeted with absolute adulation. his songs were not huge-sellers, but were such great ones, they’ve gathered him a strong & adoring following amongst rare record lovers – cracker jack, get on the right track, duck tail, jellybean, 16 chicks… joe kept 'em coming, skipping & dancing around the stage, playing the left hand at carl’s piano, the upright bass, even replacing the drummer for a tune.
then came the act we’d been waiting for – the collins kids. what can i say about them? look at the pictures below to get an idea of the life, grace, & good cheer they radiate. brother & sister larry & lorrie make you feel just wonderful, so happy to be in their presence. (and if not, i don't wanna know it!) larry’s guitar playing is still up to snuff – amazing to see this handsome, easy-going fellow & think of the hyper, hyper-talented little pipsqueak he was! he & deke harmonized & traded off lightning speed solos & duets on double-necked mosrites (made in bakersfield originally, you know). i wondered about how a prodigy makes it to adulthood – so many do not, their own premature brilliance snuffing them out. how does one transition from child savant into well-adjusted adulthood? larry seems to have done it. regarding larry’s older sister, lorrie's youthful talent was singing, & she doesn’t sing at all like she did, but her beautiful smile & shining eyes give her such a lovely & loving presence, it just doesn’t matter... backed by deke dickerson initially, the collins kids were also joined by dave stucky, who jumped out onstage with an acoustic, obviously beside himself with happiness to be with his heroes. the capper was after the encore, when larry & lorrie brought out the one & only legend herself, wanda jackson!!! this was tremendous – we were gonna miss wanda’s sunday show because we had to go home. but there she was, tiny little apple-shaped wanda with her big black hair & red-painted smile & that unchanged voice, sounding kittenish, girly, knowing & naughty… the collins kids, WITH the dave & deke combo (“we’re the only one who can get them to speak!” larry commented), WITH wanda jackson… this was the end-all for our amazing week at rockin' 50s. it was time to come home; we'd've died if we'd seen any more.
what a wonderful & unforgettable experience rockin’ 50s III was. it was definitely worth the trip cross-country, the fatigue, the eye & sinus infection i got from airplanes & allergies & who knows what. no one died, except with happiness at all the great music. in a way these kindsa things are a little like being reborn, revivified, shocked back alive by the thrilling & inspiring force called rocknroll. (check links at right for more information).

rockin 50s green bay!!!!!!

8 days to rockin' 50s green bay...

http://www.actionpackedevents.com/Oneida%20Fest%202007.htm