Jeremy Porter shares some thoughts about the 2021 inductees to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Read MoreConcert Review: Ex Hex / The Loving Touch, Ferndale, Mi. / April 8, 2019 - by Jeremy Porter
Photos by K.D. Bodnar. Do not share or use the photos elsewhere without permission.
On the Weeknight Brutality Scale (WBS), Monday nights fall just short of Sundays and just above Tuesdays as the worst night of the week to play or go out. But sometimes a record just grabs ya by the privates, drags you out to the garage, puts you behind the wheel, and sends you down Woodward Avenue to get out for some rock. That’s what happened to me. I really liked the last Ex Hex record Rips, but the new one – It’s Real – really sunk its claws in deep. It’s got all the hooks and guitars and clever songwriting, but all notched up into what is so-far my album of the year. I wasn’t going to miss the show, even after one bud bailed (out of town with wife), then another (too much going on), then another (“Gotta pass, man.”).
There was a good Monday night crowd at The Loving Touch, a one-time massage parlour converted into a great music venue in a hip suburb just north of Detroit, for Moaning’s direct support set. We did our best to stay engaged, but the mix was muddy, reducing the bass to low-end sludge and too dominant a presence in the sound. There were some interesting reverb-drenched Tele licks here and there, but it was a bit shoe-gazey and just didn’t keep our attention. Sorry guys. Come back to Detroit and we’ll give ya another chance.
Ex Hex came out looking every bit the part in leather and spandex pants and line checked their Gibsons, Fenders, and Koll guitars. I hadn’t even heard a note but I loved them already and was feeling the sting of regret about missing their past Detroit shows. A few minutes later the lights went down and “Breakin’ The Law” by Judas Priest played over the PA. What followed was an hour of smart and hooky pop-punk-surf-metal (heavy on the pop-punk, light on the surf-metal) that sounded familiar and consistent, but kept reinventing itself throughout the set. Singer Mary Timony (Ex-Helium) led the way, providing vocals on most of the songs and playing most of the leads, but Betsy Wright stepped in to break it up a bit every few songs with some different vocal flavors and some solos that fell just on the other side of KK Downing. Laura Harris laid down a powerful and steady back-beat and lended a beautiful layer to the harmonies that give them such a great, deep sound. Touring bassist David Christian stood back and stayed in the pocket, but wasn’t disengaged or reduced to a hired-gun role on stage. Just when you started to think it was getting a little samey, they pulled it back to a slow roll for a song, teamed up for some killer guitarmonies, incorporated some unexpected slap-back effects, or pulled out the Flying V for some heavy riffs that wouldn’t sound out of place on a Holy Diver outtake.
It’s probably not PC to say, but I love women-led bands. Always have. Juliana Hatfield, Joan Jett and The Blackhearts, The Avengers, Bangles, The Go-Go’s, and more recently Best Coast, Bleached, The Muncie Girls, and Ex Hex. There’s an element to the female voice that adds a deeper layer to the “pop” in power-pop, a distinction that magnifies even further the dichotomy between melodic vocal lines and layered harmonies and loud, overdriven guitars that define the genre. Ex Hex have it down – a REAL rock show that was every bit as raw and dirty as it was melodic and beautiful. As good as this record is and that show was, I can’t wait to see what they do next.
Setlist:
You Fell Apart
Good Times
How You Got That Girl
Tough Enough
Waterfall
Another Dimension
Beast
Radiate
Don't Wanna Lose
Rainbow Shiner
Cosmic Cave
Everywhere
Jeremy Porter lives near Detroit and fronts the rock and roll band Jeremy Porter And The Tucos - www.thetucos.com
Follow them on Facebook to read his road blog about their adventures on the dive-bar circuit -
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Twitter: @jeremyportermi | Instagram: @onetogive & @jeremyportermusic | www.rockandrollrestrooms.com
Joan Jett / Bad Reputation: Go See This Movie. Now. - by JCE
I went to see Bad Reputation, a new documentary on Joan Jett, on a rainy Wednesday evening recently. When I got home from work, the idea of driving almost an hour to the theater where it was playing wasn’t too appealing, but my wife and I made the trip, as it was a one-night only showing at a cool place called the Violet Crown in Charlottesville, VA. Man, am I ever glad we went. On the drive there, I told my wife that I hoped the movie would not be too Runaways-centric and spend more time on her career with the Blackhearts. I was also kind of hoping to hear a little about her childhood since I knew she lived in Rockville, MD and went to Wheaton High School, not that far from where I grew up.
The movie started straightaway with the Runaways story, so I didn’t get any childhood info, but it continued well into the Blackhearts era, and right up to the present. There was a ton of screen time with Joan (in the present) talking and recounting how things went, and I really liked that—hearing it directly from her. There were also many others on-screen talking about Joan, including some of my rock n roll heroes. Debbie Harry of Blondie was featured. Ian Mackaye (Minor Threat, Fugazi) & Kathleen Hannah (Bikini Kill) were also very prominent, and since they are from the DC music scene I grew up in, I greatly enjoyed that. Mike Ness was interviewed. There was also some great footage of both the Runaways and the Blackhearts throughout.
One highlight for me was some footage from the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in which Joan fronted Nirvana. I am sure that is readily found on YouTube, but I had not seen it before. At the end of the film, after the credits rolled and most of the theater was empty, there was some never-before-seen footage of a few Blackhearts songs being played live during a sound check somewhere. We stuck around the extra ten minutes to take that in. I highly recommend that you make an effort to check the film out, if you like rock & roll documentaries. The main takeaway for me was what a pioneer Joan Jett really was. I have always considered her to be important, but I may not have been giving her enough credit for her place in history.
I got to seen Joan Jett and the Blackhearts in Bethesda, MD at a little place called the Psyche Delly right when the first Blackhearts record came out. There was Joan and the band, clad entirely in black leather, blasting out “Bad Reputation” about ten feet from me. I count myself very lucky to have witnessed that show. I have since seen her in larger venues, but it was never as good as it was that night.
For an entirely superfluous (but somewhat related) live review of Joan Jett from 2012, check out Joan Jett & the Blackhearts Live at the Obetz Zucchini Festival from Ricki C’s old blog.
Ricki C. and JCE (John, to his friends & family) first bonded over their shared mutual love of Boston's Finest Sons - The Neighborhoods - and everything extended out from that rock & roll ripple. JCE lives in Culpeper, Virginia with his wife & daughter, and thinks a long-rumored new Neighborhoods record being released in 2018 would make this a perfect year.
Record Store Day 2016 Wrap-Up - by Scott Carr
Record Store Day 2016 is officially in the books. Saturday April 16 was one of the biggest shopping days for the record buying community and vinyl fans were out in full force. On a normal Saturday when you walk into a local indie record shop you will find people calmly milling around digging through bins of records looking for a lost gem and discussing why Pink Floyd's records with Syd Barrett are the only ones that matter. The scene is a little different on Record Store Day. On RSD shops open bright and early and typically have a long line of customers waiting in line to come in and snatch up exclusive limited edition albums released specifically for the event. Some people wait in line all night long. Once the doors open there is a constant stream of people coming through the door all day long. Most shops add additional staff for the day and offer extended hours to handle the additional business.
By all accounts this years RSD was the most successful yet. Local shops reported having huge lines all day long and record sales.
So, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is about surrounding RSD exclusive releases. I have compiled a list of titles that came out on RSD that I think are some of the best. Keep in mind there were probably around 400 releases that were released on RSD and these are just a few that I think are among the best.....
Cheap Trick - At Budokan - The Complete Concert.
Finally available on vinyl for the first time! Cheap Trick's classic Budokan concert in its entirety. This is a release that I have been hoping would happen for awhile now. I actually told someone a few years back that this would be a perfect RSD release and here it is. The Record Store Day Gods were listening, now maybe we will see an official release of the Wicked Lester demos. If you love the original At Budokan, this one is twice as good.
Note - Cheap Trick also released a limited edition 10" record for Record Store Day this year called Found New Parts which is sort of a sequel to their 1980 Found All The Parts. The new ep features songs from the band's latest record Bang Zoom Crazy...Hello along with one exclusive track called "Arabesque." Not as exciting as the Budokan release or even 1980's Found All The Parts, but a must for Cheap Trick fanatics..
Fleetwood Mac - The Alternate Tusk
Just as the title implies, this release is an alternate version of the entire Tusk album from Fleetwood Mac. Previously only available as part of the deluxe box set of Tusk, this is the first stand-alone vinyl version of the alternate version of the album. Of all the Buckingham/Nicks era Fleetwood Mac albums Tusk is without a doubt my favorite and is often considered their masterpiece.
Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers - Kiss My Amps Vol. 2
RSD exclusive release featuring deep cuts, hits, and handpicked covers from Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. Recorded during their 2013 tour and sounds as good as ever. This release is a follow-up to Petty's 2011 RSD Black Friday release Kiss My Amps Vol. 1 that was recorded during The Heartbreakers 2010 Mojo tour.
Note - Record Store Day also saw a release from Petty's band Mudcrutch. A limited edition single featuring two songs from a new Mudcrutch album that will be released later in the year.
Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers - Vive La Revolution: Live Paris 1977 At The Bataclan
Tom Petty's Heartbreakers weren't the only ones with a limited edition release for Record Store Day. Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers see the first official release on vinyl of show that was recorded at the last date of their 1977 European tour. The show was to be the soundtrack of a film but the film never got produced. Terry Chimes of The Clash fills in on drums as drummer Jerry Nolan had left The Heartbreakers prior to this show.
(editor's note: The 1970's were definitely the last decade that you could have TWO major bands in the same genre of music with the same name and the situation got settled without lawsuits. You've gotta kinda love that fact.)
Joan Jett & The Blackhearts - Sinner
Joan's 2006 Bob Rock-produced album Sinner released on vinyl for the very first time. Limited edition clear vinyl with a download card featuring bonus material. Most of the songs on this record originally appeared on Joan's Japan-only release Naked in 2004, but many are different mixes. Joan delivers some of her strongest original material in some time and Sinner also features excellent covers of Sweet's "AC/DC" and The Replacements "Androgynous." Joan has done several Record Store Day releases in the past and Sinner is one of her best.
Those are just a few of the official RSD releases that caught my eye this year. It's also worth noting that local Columbus artists were well represented with their own RSD releases, including two new singles on the Lost Weekend Records label from The Electric Hand and Mr. Tiger, and Pat Dull's Break Up Records released their third installment of the Columbus Blood compilation series featuring exclusive tracks from some of the best bands in the city. There was also a new single from The Girls.
Lydia Loveless also made an appearance on a new RSD release. The 12" single for a song called One Voice brings Lydia together with Norah Jones, Aimee Mann, Suzanna Hoffs, Neko Case and Brian May. The song is from an animal welfare documentary called A Dog Named Gucci. Yes, you read that correctly: Lydia Loveless is on a record with Brian May from Queen. That's pretty cool.
Scott Carr is a guitarist who plays in the Columbus, OH bands Radio Tramps andReturning April. Scott is also an avid collector of vinyl records and works at Lost Weekend Records. So...if you are looking for Scott....you'll either find him in a dimly lit bar playing his guitar or in a record store digging for the holy grail.