“Slow
Death is about all our friends in Detroit in 1969.” THE FLAMIN’ GROOVIES/THE
SIGHTS/JIMMY OHIO & THE ULTIMATE LOVERS rock The Magic Stick in True Pub
Fashion 11/8/13 by Jeff Howitt
I love
it when bands roll through town before a proper record release. Lighting a
candle before the big party. I saw Beck do it at Pine Knob in ’99 before his
album “Midnite Vultures” and without context it really was exciting to hear
something so confident and almost completely unknown. I saw Guns & Roses do
it before the indulgent “Use Your Illusion” bombardment at the Toledo Speedway
in the Summer of ’91 and I have to say it was the last time I enjoyed them -
only Steven Adler had been edged out at that point. But I digress.
The
Flamin’ Groovies are not quite the Bowie-tribe stylists as Beck turning himself
over and over nor are they the bloated Rock ‘n’ Roll Suicide of the of the
latter band purely in name but they were a band of their time along with The
Pretty Things, The Byrds and The Electric Prunes. Bands that had hits and draw
but ultimately whose legacy has been brandished as much by the cult-collector
as the musicians involved.
An exclusive sneak peak the new song “End of
the World” on Rollingstone.com from a yet untitled six song EP due just inside
2014 finds the band in familiar run ways as they’ve taken off of before but
with that pounding immediacy of performance that you just can’t “fake it until
you make it” still wildly intact.
“Meanwhile back in the Jungle…”
The Sights are commanding the stage when we
arrive. Front man Eddie Baranek pauses between the last couple songs to share
some of his “Love of Rock ‘n’ Roll” stories. Just a genuine character to
behold. The band with what seems like long time members, Jarrod Champion on
keys and Kyle Schanta on bass, is finely tuned from a couple years and touring
and just masterful. Throw in Liz Mackinder from the Brunswick Brawlers and Funk-Vocalist
Chrissie Morgan as back up singers and it’s Detroit’s Best Rock ‘n’ Soul
ensemble.
Photo - John Bissa
I ran
down stairs for a break from the crowd and wasn’t gone long when we heard the
barrage of guitars start up. Though the show was not quite sold out, getting
past the log jam of Garden Bowl bands loading in and out bouncing into bowlers
fetching beers, pushing past rockers being ID’d and holding pizza slices high
over their heads while having random conversations and looking to lounge make for
a slow mad break up the stairs to the Magic Stick. I actually love all that
shit.
The band was just finishing the opener and
Chris Wilson was introducing their cover of “Tallahassee Lassie” by Freddy
Cannon. I point out that this is a cover only in the most noble sense. These
guys came of age when everyone was played Rock ‘n’ Roll and it was a shared
currency. I remember seeing the Pretty Things at Little Steven’s Underground
Garage Festival on Randall’s Island in ’04 and they did a decent version of
“Roadrunner” in the face of touching something from “S.F. Sorrow” or even
another original in the set. The Flamin’ Groovies, a fistful of songs in
tonight were already proving well above decent and sharing the wealth.
“Feel A
Whole Lot Better” by The Byrds followed.
At least started then stopped. Started
again then stopped again. Right as Gorie Dan Kroha lightheartedly shouted “One
more time!” the third attempt found traction. I heard later that after the show
founding member Cyril Jordan (who was all smiles this night) hipped Kroha and Rocket
455 guitarist Jeff Meier (who also played this night in Jimmy Ohio & The
Ultimate Lovers) that he used an Echoplex on “Dog Meat” and they laughed they
had been busting their wrists trying to figure out the song.
Original bassist George Alexander and newish
drummer Victor Penalosa really work live well together but it is Wilson that
engages the crowd the most with almost a pub like intimacy. “Sorry Rory
couldn’t make it. He had a previous engagement.” Proudly prefacing “I Want You
Bad” as “a song by NRBQ” as if he is sharing something really sweet. And he is.
“I Can’t Hide” is the first of two originals off “Shake Some Action”. Wilson
tells everyone to take a breather as they tune up which prompts the soundman to
dim the lights and blink them at the band. In true pub fashion Wilson thundered
into the mic that if he kept it up he’d “have to deal with me later.” Pure Rock
‘n’ Roll.
Before continuing Jordan took a page from
Eddie and shared their own “Love of Rock ‘n’ Roll” story and recounted how they
would sleep on the couches in the offices of CREEM magazine when they would
roll through town in the 70’s then roared into “Please Please Girl”. Before
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” Jordan mentions that they had just played this one at the
Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame for it’s Music Master series honoring The Rolling
Stones. It’s rocking no doubt but with so many years of proficiency behind any
instrument even a band that leans more towards the primitive can busy up
something that seems so simple. At one point in the jam you see someone grab
the mic stand and pull it towards the crowd.
Wilson grabs it back and says
“Don’t do that again.”
and the band kicks right into
“Paint It Black”
Suddenly Wilson is at the center of the stage
while the band plays on. TJ from Pretty Ghouls braced Wilson from jumping into
the crowd which in turn earned him as momentary target for Security which
sorted out who had done what while the band momentarily left the stage. It all
seemed resolved when everyone figured out the boy playing puck was punk Timmy
Vulgar. “Was that the same guy that was fucking around at The Dictators?”
someone said. “Don’t hit him!” someone else shouted as Vulgar decided to throw
a punch at one of the Security guards. Even though it was very annoying to have
the show halted by what is almost a shtick at this point when you start to add
up all the shows this scenario plays out at, I do have to give him credit it
did take a few decent sized dudes to simmer him on down.
Many bands don’t stay together in name or in
friendship and the fact that founding members George Alexander and Cyril Jordan
along with Chris Wilson who joined the Flamin’ Groovies in ‘71 are the core of
this line up and still killing it just begs for respect. Rory couldn’t make it.
Tough shit.
Meanwhile
back in the States…
With the papers and the trash in order the
band returned to the stage. “Sorry about the technical difficulties” Jordan
said to rapturous applause and introduced “Slow Death” as about “All our
friends in Detroit in 1969.” Wilson spat “This is for that Fuck!” Next up they
played their new tune “End of the World” which sat very nicely next to “Shake
Some Action” before the band waved us all a good night. Hearty applause brought
the band out for a raucous finale of “Teenage Head” and again I have to say in
“true pub fashion” that was some “Pure Rock ‘n’ Roll.”