VA - The Wild Honey Orchestra Plays The Band 2017

Wild Honey Orchestra
plays The Band's 'Music from Big Pink' + 'The Band'
  

Alex Theatre
Glendale, CA

March 25, 2017

  

audience recording (sound quality: VG++; no complaints!)

ROB SEZ: Two weeks ago, I posted the amazing Wild Honey Orchestra & Friends' Kinks-themed benefit show from 2019. That one included both Chris Stamey & Peter Holsapple. Chris is not present for this 2017 performance, but Peter sings "When You Awake" with Skylar Gudasz. And the Continental Drifters (including Peter) are the backing band for part of a fabulous evening that features the likes of The Band's Garth Hudson, Jackson Browne, Peter Case, Vicki Peterson, Van Dyke Parks, Susan Cowsill, and many others. (Read Stephen Peeples' extensive preview. Enjoy Susan Moll's photos from the event at Blurt online.) As was the case with the 2019 extravaganza, I am indebted to -M- and Flying M Productions for the beautiful recording. All thanks should go to -M-; I'm just sharing someone else's work. As of 2023, the MP3 share is an upgrade, thanks to Paul at Albums That Should Exist. Big Thanks to Paul!
  
FLAC
  
MP3@320

  

New Chris Stamey & Fellow Travelers Album - Out Today

Chris Stamey & The Fellow Travelers

Brand New Shade of Blue

*digital release July 17th*

The follow-up to Stamey’s acclaimed 

New Songs for the 20th Century, Vols. 1 & 2

Among many others, one of the musicians contributing to the project is 
Peter Holsapple, who plays banjo

Chris Stamey’s collaboration with The Fellow Travelers, A Brand-New Shade of Blue, was inspired by the intimate small-combo sound of the late ’50s and early ’60s—a time when the “cool jazz” compositions of such luminaries as John Coltrane, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, and Thelonious Monk lived alongside the expanding pop vocabulary of Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb. “These are songs for late nights and rainy days,” Chris explains. “I wrote most of it in the dark of winter, in whispers, in the ‘wee small hours of the morning,’ that magic time ‘when the whole wide world is fast asleep.’ And these great singers and musicians kept that mood alive throughout the sessions that followed.”

The music started as song sheets, in the old style: just words and melodies on paper. Members of an N.C. ad hoc collective of singers and players, known informally as The Fellow Travelers, next gathered in Stamey’s Modern Recording studio in early 2020 to read through the songbook and bring the tunes to life. “I’d put down a rudimentary piano pass, then hand out the sheets,” Stamey explains, “and let the players take it from there.” First up was vocalist Brett Harris, who became the primary singer on the set and was joined by the accomplished trio of Charles Cleaver (piano), Dan Davis (drums), and Jason Foureman (acoustic bass), with Chris on guitar. (read more HERE)

In his liner notes, Chris writes, "These songs were primarily written, unexpectedly, in November 2019. Initial sessions were held in early 2020 at Modern Recording (Chapel Hill, N.C.), but come March all stopped. Then tracks were completed ad hoc in alcoves and crannies, with microphones arriving by morning post, while sheltering in place."

Watch the preview trailer from Omnivore Recordings

Buy the MP3 version from Omnivore or iTunes
  

Buy the hi-res (24/96) FLAC version from Qobuz
      

VA - Peter, Chris & Wild Honey Orchestra - Play The Kinks 2019

Wild Honey Orchestra
plays The Kinks' Are The Village Green P.S. + more
Alex Theatre
Glendale, CA
Feb. 23, 2019
  
audience recording (sound quality: VG++; no complaints!)
  

ROB SEZ: The dB's recently-released cover of The Kinks' "I'm On An Island" (more info HERE) rang a bell, deep in the recesses of my aging memory. "Wasn't there some other project involving Peter & Chris related to The Kinks — somehow?" A few days later I remembered: The Wild Honey Orchestra! Chris & Peter were involved in an all-star benefit concert to benefit autism research last year. And it was a doozie: the assembled musicians were a dream team of musicians from the bands/artists we love to feature here: The dB's, R.E.M., Big Star, Wondermints, Jason Falkner, Yo La Tengo, Pugwash, Semisonic, Dream Syndicate, Smithereens, Three O'Clock, etc., etc.
    

Chris tells the crowd about
The Phenomenal Cat

The idea behind the event was ambitious: play The Kinks' classic Are the Village Green Preservation Society album live, followed by a second set of Kinks' favorites. (Read Blurt magazine's report & enjoy plenty o' photos from the event HERE.) Our guys led the charge: Peter, Chris & Millie McGuire sang the lead-off title track, and each had a turn in the spotlight later in the program. Did they pull it off? I'll let the music do the talking... HUGE THANKS to -M- and Flying M Productions for the beautiful recording, and to ethiessen for the artwork.
  
FLAC
  
MP3@320

The dB's Release NEW STUDIO TRACK for Cat's Cradle Benefit

The dB's - "I'm On an Island" (The Kinks)

This newly-released studio recording is

available NOW as part of

Cover Charge: N.C. Artists Go Under Cover to Benefit Cat's Cradle

Go to Cover Charge's Bandcamp page to stream the track and, more importantly, BUY the release to support this worthy cause. You'll get previously-unreleased tracks like this one immediately and others by Superchunk, Hiss Golden Messenger, Steep Canyon Rangers and Sarah Shook. 20 more unique-to-this-collection tracks will follow in the coming weeks of July.

Comments from Peter, Chris & Will regarding this release:

Peter: "We used to play this song live when I first joined The dB's in autumn of 1978."

Chris: “...and of course, we've all been stranded on our own separate islands for much of this year.”

Will: "The dB's have played at four different Cat's Cradle locations, beginning in 1979. We were going to shows there [Rosemary St.] by the mid-seventies—and still do, we hope. ¡Viva Cradle!"

MANY THANKS to Eagle-Eye Fantom for sharing this hot tip.

    

The Repercussion Blog is on Holiday — Come Back Next Friday

Those of us in the States have a holiday today & this weekend — even though some of us feel we have less to celebrate, given the shabby state of our dis-union

Come back next week for a new post & new music

Three O'Clock - 1st Reunion Show, Pomona, CA 2013 (aud)

The Glass House 
Pomona, CA
April 6, 2013
  
audience recording (sound quality: VG; from the master recording; everything sounds really good, but the vocals are low-ish in the mix)

01 stage entrance
02 Simon In the Park
03 With a Cantaloupe
     Girlfriend
04 When Lightning Starts
05 I Go Wild
06 Lucifer Sam (Pink Floyd cover)

07 Upside Down 
08 As Real As Real
09 Fall to the Ground
10 On My Own
11 Knowing When You Smile
12 Marjorie Tells Me
13 Stupid Einstein
14 In My Own Times
15 Sorry
16 Going Home
17 Jet Fighter
18 Her Head's Revolving
19 pre-encore applause
20 And So We Run
21 Feel a Whole Lot Better
      (The Byrds cover)
22 Mind Gardens

  

                                         

Michael Quercio at Coachella 2013 by Thomas Hawk via Flickr

(more photos from Coachella are in the download)

ROB SEZ: Here's a story: Michael Quercio had been steadfastly resisting requests for a Three O'Clock reunion until Coachella offered them a slot for the 2013 festival — and that did it. In the run-up to Coachella, the band played some additional gigs, including this one — the first in 23 years, since the 1990 show posted here last week. Four days after this, the band played live on Conan O'Brien (see below). ALL PRAISES to Milocampo who recorded and shared this one.

  

The Three O'Clock plays "With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend" on Conan in 2013

FLAC

MP3@320

        

Three O'Clock - Live 1985 + 1990

Dingwall's
London, UK
Sept. 4, 1985 
   
audience recording (sound quality: VG-)
   
01 stage entrance, tuning
02 Her Head's Revolving

"Jet Fighter" video shoot — so very groovy

03 Each and Every 
     Lonely Heart
04 When Lightning Starts
05 In My Own Time
06 Mrs. Green
07 Underwater
08 talking 
09 I Go Wild
10 Knowing When You Smile 
11 Half the Way There
12 Hand In Hand
13 The Girl With a Guitar
14 Stupid Einstein 
15 Spun Gold 
16 Sorry
17 Jet Fighter
18 Going Home
19 pre-encore applause
20 It's All Too Much
21 No Matter What
22 pre-encore applause
23 With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend

24 Paperback Writer (The Beatles)
   
Club Lingerie
Los Angeles, CA
March 13, 1990
    
soundboard recording (quality: Ex-; sourced from master tape)
  
* the band's final show before announcing their split; with Jason Falkner on guitar & backing vocals *

The Three O'Clock at Paisley Park: beginning of the end

   

01 With a Cantaloupe Girlfriend+
02 When Lightning Starts*
03 I Go Wild+
04 Stupid Einstein*
05 In My Own Time*
06 Sorry+
07 Jet Fighter
08 Mind Gardens^
09 Desdemona
      (John’s Children / Marc Bolan cover)

Note: symbols indicate the album on which each song originally appeared —
+Baroque Hoedown
*16 Tambourines
^Salvation Army (pre-Three O’Clock band & album of same name)
“Jet Fighter” was a stand alone single

ROB SEZ: You can't avoid The Three O'Clock if, like me, you enjoy a variety of alternative music from the 1980s. This is especially true if you appreciate the so-called "Paisley Underground" bands from that era. Liking The Three O'Clock, however, is a different matter. Frontman Michael Quercio's singing voice is one that creates strongly divided opinions. I heard about the group decades ago, sampled their music, and concluded "Um ... I don't think so." Recently re-visiting the band's music convinced me I should give the guys another chance. I'm glad I did. HUGE THANKS to the tapers, Stachelbar for sharing the 1985 recording, and to Milocampo for sharing the 1990 show. Recommended reading: Mick Dillingham's excellent "The Story of the Three O'Clock."

  

   
The Three O'Clock:
Michael Quercio - lead vocals, bass
Louis Gutierrez - guitar, vocals (1985 performance)
Mike Mariano - keyboards, vocals

Danny Benair - drums, vocals

Jason Falkner - guitar, vocals (1990 performance)

FLAC

MP3@320

   

Let's Active - Rutger's Univ., N.J. 1986 (aud)

LOSSLESS REPOST

The Rose Room

Rutger's University

New Brunswick, NJ

March 4, 1986

     

audience recording (sound quality: VG; transfer from first-generation tape)

   

He had a hunch that, eventually, I would use

the watermelon photo. Sorry about that, Mitch…
Creem magazine photo

ROB SEZ:  I got an unexpected surprise when I was digitizing dBF’s tape and heard Mitch welcome Gene Holder as part of the show’s live ensemble. I’m guessing the band at this point didn’t have a permanent bassist. Since Gene was living in Hoboken, Mitch called up his old friend to play the gig. Nice little coincidence. Mitch & Co. put the emphasis on tunes from the about-to-be-released Big Plans for Everybody (my favorite Let's Active album). Gotta love those encores, with 3 killer covers in a row! THANK YOU KINDLY to the taper and the usual HUGE THANKS to dB’s Fan for the share.

01 Waters Part

02 Ornamental

The band, circa 1986
Y'all remember "Thing" from The Munsters?
I'm getting a flashback due to this photo...

03 Writing the Book of Last Pages  

04 Leader of Men

05 Talking to Myself

06 Still Dark Out

07 Crows On a Phone Line

08 In Between

09 Every Word Means No

10 Reflecting Pool

11 In Little Ways

12 Won't Go Wrong

13 Last Chance Town

14 Prey

15 Hush (Deep Purple cover)

16 Back of a Car (Big Star cover)

17 He's a Whore (Cheap Trick cover)

TT: 65:37 mins.

FLAC
     
MP3@320

Let's Active:

Mitch Easter – guitars & vocals

Angie Carlson – keyboard & vocals

Eric Marshall – drums

Gene Holder – bass

The dB's - St. Louis, MO 1985 (FM)

LOSSLESS RE-POST

Mississippi Nights

St. Louis, MO

Feb. 26, 1985

FM recording (sound quality: VG+; only potential distraction is some recurring vocal distortion)
   

The dB's made a strategic decision in the 1980s 
to save money on haircuts & buy leather

01 Spitting In the Wind

Bottom one is for a dB’s show at Miss. Nights in '88
 

02 Rendezvous

03 Big Brown Eyes

04 Not Cool

05 I Lie

06 See No Evil
     (Television cover)

07 pH Factor

08 She Got Soul

09 Amplifier

10 I Am the Cosmos

     (Chris Bell cover)

11 band intros + Neverland

12 Love Is for Lovers

13 She'll Be Coming 'Round 

     the Mountain

14 Black and White

15 A Spy In the House of Love

16 Suspicious Minds

17 Money (That's What I Want)

ROB SEZ: If you snag this one and give a listen, you'll not only hear an energetic club show with good sound quality, you'll also enjoy some rare gems — most notably the cover of "I Am the Cosmos", Big  Star founder Chris Bell's only solo single. HUGE THANKS to the taper and Glenn S for sharing.

WAV lossless files 

MP3@320

The dB’s:

Gene Holder – lead guitar
Will Rigby - drums, vocals
Peter Holsapple - vocals, guitar
Jeff Beninato - bass, vocals

Above, one of

Peter's favorite

touring band

line-ups, with

Gene on lead guitar

and Jeff on bass

and backing vocals

The Stems - Live Across 33 Years (1986 + 2019)

unknown venue & city  
Australia
Dec. 1986
  
soundboard recording (quality: VG; ripped from vinyl bootleg "Can't Turn the Clock Back"; exact date unknown)

R.I.P. Richard Lane (guitarist & keyboard player)

01 Sad Girl
02 Stomping All Over the World
03 Running Around
04 Man with the Golden Heart
05 She's a Monster
06 Zero Hour
07 Psychotic Reaction
08 She's Fine
09 Does It Turn You On
10 You Can't Turn the Clock Back 
11 All You Want Me For
12 No Heart
13 Can't Resist
14 Make You Mine
15 Tears Me In Two
   
Croxton Bandroom
Melbourne, Australia
Nov. 4, 2019
  
audience recording (sound quality: VG+)

The Stems - Thirty-some Years On

01 She Sees Everything
02 Just Ain't Enough
03 Move Me
04 For Always
05 Jumping to Conclusions
06 Feel a Whole Lot Better 
     (The Byrds cover)
07 Mr. Misery
08 Get to Know Me
09 Undying Love
10 Surround Me
11 At First Sight
12 Make You Mine


Los Conciertos
    de Radio3
(venue & date unknown)
late 2019 (broadcast Dec. 18, 2019)
  
audio rip from video (soundboard recording - quality: Ex-)

01 She Sees Everything 
02 Just Ain't Enough
03 For Always
04 Undying Love
05 Surround Me
06 At First Sight
07 Make you Mine
  
ROB SEZ: The Stems!! If you have a hankering for garage rock with a pop sensibility, there's no finer group today than Australia's The Stems. Dom Mariani and co. got their act together in the 1980s, then broke up after recording only one proper album. Luckily, time healed some wounds, and The Stems reformed for an album and tour 20 years later. When Mariani is not fronting one of several other bands, he will cycle back to The Stems, which he did again in 2019. HUGE THANKS to pete2020 for sharing the 1986 recording, Angelo for the Radio3 set, and crankingamps for recording & sharing the Melbourne set. There's a bonus goodie baked into this one. You'll find it after you open the download folder. Please enjoy.

FLAC

MP3@320

The dB's - New York, N.Y. April 1982 (sbd)

LOSSLESS REPOST

The dB's

(venue unknown; possibly The Ritz)

New York, N.Y.

April 1982 (exact date unknown)

   

probably Chris Stamey’s last live show with The dB’s, mk. 1 

   
soundboard (sound quality VG++; sounds like it’s from a 1st-generation tape; the rhythm guitar is/was kinda loud compared to other instruments, so I reduced its volume; on a few songs, there's some distortion in the vocals)
   

You can hypnotize yourself if you stare
into their eyes for at least 3 minutes…

photo illustration by Magnet magazine

01 (I Thought) You Wanted to Know

The dB's, with Chris on his way out

Winston-Salem Journal photo

02 Living a Lie

03 Happenstance

04 Storm Warning

05 Dynamite

06 Tomorrow Never Knows 

07 Amplifier

08 pH Factor

09 I Feel Good (Today)

10 Excitement

11 Walking the Ceiling
     (It's Good to Be Alive)

12 Bad Reputation

13 Neverland

ROB SEZ: First, let me thank the taper and especially Scott R for sharing this rare recording with me. Obviously, this is not the usual length for a dB’s headlining set. It's just 13 songs because the guys were playing on a multi-act bill. At the end of the last song, Peter says, “Pylon’s up next.” It’s possible this was a show on April 22 at The Ritz for which The Teardrop Explodes was scheduled to headline, but never performed due to an intra-band blowup backstage. The dB's set features what may be the briefest version of “Tomorrow Never Knows” the band ever played onstage. Performance-wise, there's a chaotic energy that gives the recording an edginess I find appealing. Is this because Chris had already told the band he was leaving to focus on his own music? We may never know. I'm pretty sure this is the last known live performance before Chris departed The dB's. The whole thing is very enjoyable, but the last half of the show really cooks. TURN IT UP!

    

The dB’s:

Chris Stamey – guitar, vocals
Peter Holsapple – guitar, keyboard, vocals

Will Rigby – drums & vocals

Gene Holder – bass

FLAC
  
MP3@320