With a blend of dust-bowl blues, folk, punk attitude that manifests itself in ragtime pounding, and touches of country and bluegrass, Devil Makes Three, and their latest LP Do Wrong Right, is a product of Pete Bernhard's influences, and they are myriad.






Growing up in a home where The Talking Heads shared space on the turntable with Lightnin' Hopkins and Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, Bernhard would later be introduced to the deep blues of Willie Dixon — courtesy of an older brother — and the lunatic genius of Captain Beefheart.

"Captain Beefheart was my first introduction to avant-garde and again this came from my brother," says Bernhard, whose rough-around-edges voice is tailormade for the Devil Makes Three's distinctive sound. "Safe As Milk is Beefhearts most accessible album, thus the title perhaps, but it is still my favorite."

And then there is one Willis Allen Ramsey, an obscure '70s artist who may be due for re-examination. "Willis Allen Ramsey I didn't hear until I was introduced to him by Todd Snider in Austin, Texas in 2005" says Bernhard. "Willis Allen Ramsey only released one album in the '70s, and although he still plays live has never released a second record. Sources say he has been working on the 'new' record for years, but no one has heard it."

But people have heard of Townes Van Zandt, and if you really want to get at the heart of what makes Bernhard's songwriting so vital and lyrical, you might want to start there.

"Townes Van Zandt is one of my favorite song writers of all time," says Bernhard. "Listening to him taught me that less is more when it comes to lyrics. His songs could be read as poems and sound perfect."

To find out more about the Devil Makes Three, visit www.thedevilmakesthree.com, and watch for my on the life-changing albums that helped form the young Bernhard into the songwriter he is today.

Some bands wear their lo-fi aestethic like a badge of honor.

For New Zealand's The Clean, once the country's punk scene standard-bearers in the late '70s and now sporting more of colorful, psych-pop pastiche for its latest Merge Records release, Mister Pop, that early skeletal sound, so strident and urgent, was born out of necessity. And going beyond that to get to where they are now wasn't a conscious choice.






"It's more a natural progression really," says Clean bassist Robert Scott. "In the early past we only had the 4 track to record on, then slowly moved up to 8 and 16, 24 and now to computer which offers you as much as you want. We are always after a good clean sound at the source of the instrument, so we do spend quite a bit of time with things like mic placement and where we place the amps and the drumkit, for one song we placed the drums in a corner facing the wrong way — i.e. into the corner — it gave a tight kinda sound. So we go with whatever us and the engineer feels like on the day, go with the flow."

Creatively restless, the men of The Clean — including brothers David and Hamish Kilgour — are constantly looking for new adventures in pop. "Asleep In The Tunnel" sees the explorers surveying Middle Eastern terrain.

'Well, I play guitar in that song, and it has normal kind of chords and in the demo version I added a lead thing that I tried to replicate for this album," says Scott. "I'm not sure how it went, and David added guitar, too, so it may be his you are hearing. I would have to listen to it again to see which one it is. That song was originally called 'Figaro,' but it's not about him so I changed the name. We had fun putting those demos down at Gary Olsen's in Brooklyn in late '07, and one track from that session nearly made it on to the album. It was called 'Chimes' — [it] got the chop in the end though."

Making the cut for Mister Pop is a multi-layered instrumental "Simple Fix" that has a lot going on. The Clean strike a balance between overdoing it and creating something that's lush and full. It gives the listener a lot to digest, but that's what keeps things interesting.

"That was a fun one to put together," relates Scott. "I came up with an organ riff, and we just started building it up from there, with all kinds of overdubs. The most fun thing was adding the sound effects. I had a CD of BBC sound effects, so we went through them and chose the ones we thought fitted best. We have barking seals, water, birds and rockets lifting off. We experimented with quite a few guitar pieces as well, and I ended up doing a faux Spanish-styling figure. I'm slowly getting a bit more on there, but that song is a good example of throwing the kitchen sink at a song and working out what works best. You can put too much on; it's quite easy."

In a way, that's what New Zealand's famed record label, Flying Nun, had to fight against. The Clean was one of its most beloved acts, and the band helped spread the word to the world about this esoteric, envelope-pushing company. Eventually, though, it succumbed to many of the same pressures that other labels do, and it, in some people's eyes, lost its identity.

"The label was very much driven by the bands and what they wanted to do," says Scott. "Roger would mostly go along with what the bands wanted, unless it was a really silly idea. Most bands had their own vision, created their own artwork and posters, and so that very much shaped the direction of the label. Most bands paid for their own recordings, too, so they would approach Roger and ask to be on the label or ask to have their record released. This mostly worked out fine. Things got a lot more complicated later on when more money got involved and a loss of control and vision started to take hold. That was after the move to Auckland from Christchurch, and then, of course, it was bought out by a major and wasn't really Flying Nun anymore. But at the start it was all about the songs and the writers very much, and that has stood the test of time. We need to get the back catalog out now, there are so many people after it."

Stay tuned for more news on that. But for the time being, visit www.mergerecords.com for more on The Clean and other Merge bands.

The Marvelettes had a #1 smash hit with "Please Mr. Postman." And right out of the gate, the five teenage girls from Inkster, Mich., were stars in 1961, the year they finished fourth in a high-school talent show that almost cost them a chance to sign with Motown.






"Please Mr. Postman" is purported to be the first million-selling record Motown ever had. Yet, just three later, The Marvelettes found themselves vying for the label's attention with burgeoning acts like The Supremes and Martha and the Vandellas and trying to swim against the tsunami that was hitting U.S. shores known as the British Invasion.

A Holland-Dozier-Holland composition titled "Where Did Our Love Go?" might have given them a leg up on the competition. But some have said The Marvelettes refused to sing it, opting for "Too Many Fish In The Sea," which ended up being a lesser hit, instead. And then, of course, The Supremes took "Where Did Our Love Go?" straight to the top. Did The Marvelettes make a critical career misstep?

Maybe, but that's not how The Marvelettes' Katherine Anderson sees it.

"That was a very good song, but it really wasn't a song for us because of the fact it was a slow-tempo type song," says Anderson. "The tempo of it was rather slow. And the voicing and stuff like that was rather slow. I can't imagine us, the Marvelettes, which was a high-spirited kind of group, doing something like 'Where Did Our Love Go?' Which was a slow ballad type thing. Even though we did ballads, I couldn't imagine that we would have done that one."

Who knows what would have happened if the song had gone to The Marvelettes. As for Anderson, she doesn't concern herself with "what if ..." To her, "Too Many Fish In The Sea" served The Marvelettes just fine. She doesn't even know if the group really had a choice in the matter.

"Well, the decision was left up to Wanda or Gladys, as to what they would take or what they wouldn't take," says Anderson. "I don't know that they had that much clout to say what they would take or what they wouldn't take. And I think the 'Too Many Fish In the Sea' did us very well. And really, to be truthful, as you think about it, The Supremes needed a hit, too. And 'Where Did Our Love Go? gave them a hit. The beginning of [numerous] hits ... so then, I believe in timing. And everything is about timing, and the place where you are in your life. So then I think that was about the timing aspect of it. And I think that them getting it, it was their time to get it."

More nuggets like this will be included in Goldmine's celebration of the 50th anniversary of Motown which will appear in our Oct. 23 issue. There will be stories on the funky side of Motown, the label's humble beginnings and how it built its empire, and the Marvelettes, the Jackson 5 and The Spinners — not to mention features on The Clean, Ace Frehley, UKZ, The Breeders and more.

It's always a party when the B-52's roll into town. Back on Aug. 24, the long-running new-wave oddballs hit the Oneida Casino in Green Bay, Wis., and predictably, they had a nearly packed house dancing along with them.






With Fred Schneider vamping his way through "Quiche Lorraine" and occasionally going out front, with microphone swaying overhead, and hunkering down into endearingly nerdy hip-hop moves that just begged for him to yell into the mic, "Put your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care," the Athens, Ga., veterans put on a dazzling technicolor exhibition, joyously parading hits like "Roam" and "Love Shack" to a crowd that was there "just to get down." And get down they did.

Not wasting much time with between-song banter, they went fairly deep into their catalog, trotting out the deliciously weird "Planet Claire" and "Mesopotamia." The backing band was tight and funky, led by the biting guitar of Keith Strickland, and Kate Pierson and Cindy Wilson sang as if their voices hadn't aged a day. Their harmonies were strong and bright, and they were pure dynamite on a rousing version of "Private Idaho," one of the highlights of the evening.

Early on, the B-52's played a number of selections from their last studio effort, 2008's Funplex, and the material was strong live, setting a smooth, dance-oriented tone that paved the way for the plumbing of vintage songs that was to come. All in all, though the bouffant wigs and crazy, colorful thrift-store dresses were left at home, the show was pure B-52's. It was outrageous fun that never let up, and if you're in the mood to feel good and let go and not take yourself, or the band, too seriously, The B-52's will not disappoint — even now, some 30 years after they originally set up shop.

Opening for the B-52's were the Detroit Cobras, and their grimy, '60s-influenced psychedelic garage-rock was a motorcycle boot in the ass. Tough and sexy, even in that checked shirt she was wearing, singer Rachel Nagy sang like a Hell's Angel and the band behind her pumped out a serious blend of soul, R&B and gritty rock 'n' roll with power and precision. With the hell-spawned hoedown "Yaki Taki," they practically burned the place down.

A strange choice perhaps for a supporting band, but the Detroit Cobras were determined not to be ignored and by the crashing conclusion, they had everyone's attention.


 

 



 

That Internet tabloid muckraker Perez Hilton had this to say about Bryan Scary: "Incredibly talented ... We think he is going to do very well." And so the star-making machinery shifted into overdrive.

Getting a recommendation like that can lift one's public profile. But could it also destroy Scary's indie cred?






As for Scary himself, he isn't too concerned about such things. When asked about his reaction to the outpouring of love Hilton was giving him and his band, The Shredding Tears, Scary said, "Immediately after getting love from Perez Hilton, I took a cold shower, looked at myself long and hard in the mirror (Perez was in the kitchen eating from a pint of Oatmeal Cookie Chunk by this point) and asked myself: 'Who are you, Bryan?' And the mirror answered: 'Bryan, you're a star.'"

Just who is this Bryan Scary? And how can he joke about a glowing review from a celebrity journalist with the kind of clout Hilton has? This is serious business, isn't it? After all, this is his career we're talking about.

Well, Scary is clearly comfortable enough in his own skin to take these kinds of compliments in stride, and he seems sure the six-song EP Mad Valentines he and his co-conspirators — Graham Norwood (guitar), Mike Acreman (keys), David Ostrem (bass), and Brian Bauer (drums) — will release Oct. 27 has enough juice on its own to get them noticed by a broader audience than they've enjoyed previously.

A delightfully chaotic psychedelic-pop wonderland, full of frenzied piano pounding, manic energy, wonderful melodic sensibilities and '70s glam-rock theatricality that would rival Queen, Mad Valentines — the follow-up to the 2008 concept album Flight Of The Knife and its kitschy mix of sci-fi fantasy and detailed children's stories — is being jointly released by Brooklyn indie Old Flame Records and Elijah Woods' Simian Records label. It's another brush with fame that Scary humorously brushes off.

"We met Elijah through the EP's producer, Jonathan Sadoff, who we know from prison," explains Scary. "He was six cells down from us, every night practicing the Moorish Phyrgian scale on a makeshift guitar he constructed out of the bedsprings. We thought, 'Sheesh, this guy must be a producer! So when we all got out (our imratgitar player still has another couple of years, which is why you don't hear the imratgitar on our records anymore), we met with John in L.A. (of all place), brought Elijah out to a show, pitched the idea of the EP, and after a pillow-fight that went on about 10 minutes too long, feathers reluctantly scattering while rolling their eyes, we finally shook hands and started singing into cans."

Getting a straight answer from Scary is almost impossible. That is, until the conversation turns to bands of today and how they could all do with a little more goofiness in the tradition of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," which Scary is clearly channeling. Talking about the opener off Mad Valentines, "Andromeda Eyes," with its deliriously dancing piano, impossibly fast tempo and vaudevillian vibe, Scary wondered why more of today's indie acts don't go a little mad once in a while.

"I think the middle ground between craftsmanship and silliness has sadly gone the way of the dodo, or the American middle class," says Scary. "Queen and 'Rocky Horror' are essentially gigantic vaudeville acts, and I mean that in the best possible way — they're brilliant and expert vaudeville acts, with the ability to move you. I don't see very much highfalutin absurdism anymore, yet isn't everyone supposed to be influenced by John Lennon? It sometimes enters into indie music videos, but God forbid that sort of tone weasles its way into the music itself! It's partly the fault of elitist music journalism, but then they always get the blame. There are a lot of horrible bands trying to be functionally insane, so people tend to think 'amateur hour' when you go that route."

There's nothing contrived about the zany "Keystone Cops" madness of Mad Valentines, and Scary and the boys don't fumble around without a clue. The musicianship is sharp and full of vigor. But at heart, for all its weird, almost progressive-rock qualities, and stop-on-a-dime tempo changes, it's still a pop record, utterly infectious and crafted with an ear tuned to those classic elements underpinning every great pop recording. Consider the hook-filled "The Garden Eleanor," the best song ELO never made, and the Beatlesque buoyancy of "Maria St. Claire." Not your standard pop songs, both are slightly skewed, and Scary is well aware of how odd they might sound to some.

"I can see why [our music] might be considered strange in certain respects, but we always try to keep it entertaining and fun and understandable," says Scary. "Our kind of strangeness is rooted in classic pop music. It's theater. Purveyors of the genuinely strange would chew our recordings like bubble gum."

That might be true, but if Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears ever faced off with the "genuinely strange" in a live setting, they just might wipe the floor with them. Known for having a wild stage show, Scary and company are reported to be one of the best concert bands around.

Describing the show, Scary says it has "flamboyance and energy, yes. Loud rock and roll music played through the warbled filter of a funhouse mirror, sure. But where did you get those reports? Is there a file being kept on us? And where? And who controls the filing cabinet? And are they hiring temps?"

Scary might need an extra job to come up with the more ambitious live shows he aspires to, but he won't make a deal with the devil to do so.

"We'd obviously do something much bigger yet try to maintain the home-spun quality of our current shows," says Scary. "I never want to engage in arena-rock pyrotechnics, or Bono-isms, unless of course in jest. The spring-suspension from band to audience can't be abolished by the theatrics."

If he had the money to do more, he says they would " ... up the theatrical ante, but in a vaudevillian sense. Cardboard cut-offs often contain more gravitas than the real thing."

The word "gravitas" and Bryan Scary aren't often used in the same sentence. From the moment he burst on the scene in 2007 with his solo debut through recruiting the group that would become the Shredding Tears to the making of Flight Of The Knife, Scary has willfully avoided taking himself too seriously. And even though its his name on the marquee, Scary has never wanted to go it alone.

"I never wanted to make a solo record," says Scary. "I don't even want my name as part of our band's title, but I suppose a cookie can only crumble so many ways. I made the first record as a means of finding a like-minded group. I refer to it, delicately, as a 'calling card.' Flight Of The Knife was much more exciting and easier to make than the first record. Giving your compositions over to great musicians, who then proceed to lather them up with a marmalade concocted from my own kitchen ... well, it's a true joy for me."

The taste of Flight Of The Knife does linger in the mouth of Mad Valentines, as the EP was written around the same time as its predecessor. But Scary believes Mad Valentines can stand on its own two feet.

"It's very different," says Scary of Mad Valentines. "The songs are simpler. There's no conceptual albatross ... these are stand-alone tunes. We wanted to follow the previous full-length with a palate-cleanser, before moving onto another, more elaborate part of the meal."

And so the movable feast known as Brian Scary and The Shredding Tears trudges forward. But the question remains: How did Scary learn to play the piano the way he does? It's like Jerry Lee Lewis, disguised as Frank N. Furter, inhabited the body of Ben Folds. Or maybe that's not it at all.

"I used to tell an elaborate pun-filled story about my training day at musical summer camp," relates Scary. "There were horror-movie atmospherics, like a room of giant pipe organs with each student hooked up to the keys via twisting, snarling cables, and for every wrong note played, a terrible electric shock. But in reality I learned how to play by eating Liberace's entire grand piano, piece by piece, and thus poaching his powers!"

Listening to Mad Valentines, that story is not as far-fetched as it seems.

For more on Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears, visit www.oldflamerecords.com

Queen finally has an heir, and it just so happens to be Bryan Scary & The Shredding Tears.







Led by a piano-pounding madman with a theatrical flair, Scary and his five-piece band of glam-rock crazies incorporate infectious '70s pop, a touch of psychedelia and an absurdist lyrical streak into a sound that's frenzied, glitter-splattered and brilliant.

Full of well-constructed pop songs, their EP, the follow-up to 2008's Flight Of The Knife, is called Mad Valentines and its frenzied, vaudevillian escapade "Andromeda's Eyes" can trace its lineage right back to Freddie Mercury and company. "(It's A) Gambler's Wind" is something else entirely, a throwback to a less glossy, and more groove-oriented, brand of disco. Dancing like a marionette controlled by Willy Wonka is the hook-filled "Maria St. Claire," and "The Garden Eleanor" is pure pop bliss, gleeful, breezy and shining like the sun.

Recently, Scary agreed to an e-mail interview with Goldmine. In it, his outrageous sense of humor comes through bold and loud, just like his band's music, and he gave Goldmine the story behind Mad Valentines, a joint release between Elijah Wood's Simian Records label and Brooklyn indie outpost Old Flame. We'll have more on the record later in this space. For now, however, Scary gives us his five favorite glam-rock LPs:

Vodka Collins Tokyo-New York — A model glam record. Perfect hooks.

Roxy Music S/T — Frightening and absurd, a chemistry experiment gone horribly right.

Cockney Rebel The Human Menagerie — Glam as catharsis. Decadent and miserable.

Sparks Kimono My House — Songwriting from on high.

Peter Hammill Nadir's Big Chance — Ziggy Stardust from hell.

How does that list stack up against your favorites? We're looking for more reader input for both the Goldmine print product and our online site. Please feel free to give me a list of your glam favorites, and they just might appear in Goldmine.

In the meantime, go to www.oldflamerecords.com to learn more about Scary and Mad Valentines.

In their own inimitable way, The Meatmen, recently revamped by fearless leader Tesco Vee, pay their, well, I guess "homage" would be the right word to some of their favorite songs on their latest LP Cover The Earth.






The arch enemy of all things politically correct, Vee has made a living skewering all types of folks. He has been accused of being a racist, a homophobe, a Satanist and worse. But Vee will tell you he is none of those things. He is just misunderstood, a wild punk rocker from Michigan with an adolescent, edgy — that might be the understatement of the year — sense of humor. And though you might hate yourself in the morning, it's hard not to laugh along with Vee (visit www.tescovee.com and www.myspace.com/hatepolice for news, merchandise and more from the men of Meat). Of course, if you're the easily offended type, Vee is probably not for you.

Oh, and now, as you may have read in this spot a couple of months ago, he is a toy. Both he and fellow scuzz-rock iconoclast GG Allin have been immortalized in plastic by the rock 'n' roll collectibles outfit Aggronautix, and being sort of a cartoon character himself, he couldn't be prouder of the likeness.

But what of that covers album? Backed by a tight-as-all-get-out band that plays fast and hard and features members — Vee would definitely giggle at that word — Stinky Penis, Big Dick Fontaine and The Pit Viper, Vee tackles songs from artists as varied as Jerry Lee Lewis ("Meatmen"), Blue Oyster Cult ("ME 262"), Jimmy Dean ("Big Bad John"), Fear (I Love Livin' In The City"), The Fugs ("Slum Goddess"), The Temptations ("Psychedelic Shack"), Johnny Thunders ("One Track Mind") and — wait for it — ABBA ("So Long").

That's right ... ABBA, a personal favorite of Vee's. The Meatmen tear through these classics, as well as obscurities like "I Slept In An Arcade" by Black Randy & The Metrosquad, with razor-sharp guitars, rumbling bass and firecracker drums — not to mention the occasional pounding piano. It's a fun record, and The Meatmen make them all as catchy as can be.

Here's what Vee, as he says, "a Michigan original since 1955," had to say about the record, how far he's gone to get a laugh, the two valuable records he kept from his days as the founder of Touch And Go Records and more:

What was it that made you want to do a covers album?
Tesco Vee: I’ve always wanted to do one. I am a passionate fan of many forms of music and wanted some more obscure faves to get a Meaty treatment — stuff like Black Randy, just pure genius. And my personal faves like Johnny Thunders, Abba, et al. Now I have to start working on an all new platter, 'cuz I aint done p*ssin' in peoples’ Wheaties just yet!
 
Why was now the right time for the return of The Meatmen?
TV: The world has gotten so goddamn uptight and PC people are afraid to speak. I really thought I was done, but my son inspired me to go at it again and I’m having a gas. Music is so tired these days and people are looking back at their '80s heroes for a trip down ‘mammary’ lane! And I still deliver the goods folk — no lame and half-baked comeback here. Hopefully when I go, it will be onstage in some 120-degree club where I grab my chest and drop dead!
 
Where does the ABBA fascination come from, and where does "So Long," which you reworked for your new covers album The Meatmen — Cover The Earth, rate among ABBA songs?
TV: It’s the most rockin' Abba song, and one that isn’t so recognizable. My daughter Darby sang backups on it. I have loved ABBA since 1974. They are the greatest!
 
You do GG Allin's "Highest Power" on the covers record. Why re-do that song of GG's? And was GG someone you felt you were kind of in competition with as far as shocking people?
TV: No not at all. GG wrote me a letter and told me I was a poser compared to him — guilty as charged. He took punk to the edge and then jumped over. Now that he’s dead there is no competing with that trail of smeared feces and punched out faces. It's apples and oranges. I’ll never be nearly as popular as GG, and I’m fine with that, though we did both troll the scum-rock waters and had similar anti-social sentiments.

Was it easier for you to cover a song like Fear's "I Love Livin' In The City" as opposed to the Temptations' "Psychedelic Shack" or 10CC's "Worst Band In The World"?
TV: Some were much easier than others! [The] hardest ones were probably "Psych Shack" and the Blue Oyster Cult opus "ME262." I didn’t want every song in the trademark Tesco Vee growl. That's why I had everyone doing parts. Big Dick Fontaine did the falsetto parts on shack and Ian and Andy chimed in, too.

Growing up in Michigan, were you a big fan of Motown? Or did The Stooges and MC5 kind of take up most of your attention?
TV: Motown was so ubiquitous that I guess I liked it as a kid. When I was 11 or 12, I discovered MC5, Cream and all that. My first concert was Brownsville Station, Cactus and The Amboy Dukes at some movie theatre in Battle Creek, Mich., when I was 17. Nice way to start huh?

Covering a song like "Don't Shake Me Lucifer" by Roky Erickson, do you ever think about what was going through Erickson's mind when he wrote that?
TV: Lord knows! That guy is a genius with serious mental malaise, but who am I to talk?

You cover songs like Saxon's "Freeway Mad" and Motorhead's "Vibrator" on the new record. How much of a fan of New Wave of British Heavy Metal bands are you?
TV: Huge fan. Even though I was into Punk then, I still bought all sorts of other stuff. All the stuff on Neat Records, like Venom, of course, Anvil, along with Celtic Frost and all that later [stuff] in the '80s. If it's heavy, raw and evil, count me in.

Who's in the band these days, and does it seem like this is a unit that might last?
TV: I have Big Dick Fontaine, who has played in many Detroit bands on axe, Stink Penis on bass who landed from the Planet Vapid and is slowly adapting to life on earth, and The ‘Pit Viper’ Sugierski on the tubs, who is the illegitimate offspring of Lemmy Kilminster and Joan Jett. Getting Joan Jett pregnant was the hard part. These boys are here to stay.

Do you have a line that you won't cross as far as making fun of something?
TV: Not really. Race is a touchy subject, and I throw around a lot of terms that could be deemed racist, but I am in no way an actual racist, homophobe, or misogynis. Everyone is fair game.

Have you ever regretted anything you've said onstage or in song?   
TV: Well, a guy stage dove at a show back in the '90s and I could tell he was hurt, but that happens all the time, so I said, "Lets keep on rockin'. He would have wanted it that way." Turns out the guy broke his neck and is now in a wheelchair. I only open my mouth to change feet!

What can fans expect on your upcoming tour?
TV: Only the greatest rock show for $10 you can possible attend. If you like to chuckle, and dig our brand of punk/metal/flamenco hybrid, then you gotta check it out. No half-baked, lame-ass comeback here.

Watching the Meatmen DVD "The Devil's In The Details Vol. 1," you seem to be a collector of a variety of kitschy stuff. Are you also a vinyl record collector, and if so, what are some pieces you have that you'd consider prizes?
TV: Well, I put out the first two Touch and Go Records releases by The Necros and The Fix. Necros just sold on eBay for $3,000 and The Fix for $3300. I have one copy of each, and the only-known copies signed by the bands. I sold a lot of my collection back in the late '80s to buy motorcycles but kept the stuff near and dear to my musical heart.

The clock is ticking. You've now got, oh, about 32 hours to sign up for Goldmine's first-ever webinar, which will give you everything you need to know about grading records, so that you can get the best price possible when you go to sell them.

"Record Grading Made Easy" will be held Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Central time. Cost is $15.

The presenter is Stephen Braitman, who you might know from Goldmine's Beyond Vinyl and Picture Sleeve Archive columns. A knowledgeable appraiser of music who specializes in LPs, 45s, 78s, CDs and music memorabilia, Braitman has a wealth of experience to draw from as he takes you through the often-confusing subject of record grading.

Among the topics to be discussed:

— The Golden Rule of Record Collecting: Condition, Condition, Condition
— A Detailed Look at Record Grading
— How To Sell Better By Being (More) Honest With Yourself and Your Records
— Disputes: Dealers Dealing With Customers (Who Are Always Right, Right?)
— Beyond Condition: Other Important Factors Affecting Valuation

There will about 15 minutes set aside for specific questions from the audience. You can send the questions right from your computer.

To register for the webinar, go to http://tinyurl.com/n9s4o5

It's hard to imagine a world where The Who's Roger Daltrey has no voice. But, he is getting up there in age, and whatever Daltrey has to do to maintain what vocal power he has left.







So, with The Who on hiatus, Daltrey's decided to go out on a solo tour this fall to, as he says, " ... air out the pipes."

"Basically, I feel the need to keep singing," explains Daltrey. "You know, I'm at the age now where I've got a feeling within me that if I stop, it will go on me. And up till now, the voice is still pretty good. So, The Who aren't going to be working anymore this year. That stopped in April. And we're not planning on doing anything too earlier next year, so I've just thought, 'Well, I'd better get out there and do something on my own, just to have some fun and keep the voice oiled.'"

And Daltrey has to be prepared for when Pete Townshend calls to reconvene The Who, which might be sooner than later. "We've been working solidly for the last four or five years, so I haven't needed to [go out on tour himself]," says Daltrey. "I feel like being off the road now for four or five months that, and Pete's planning on doing some recording early next year, I just feel the need to get out there."

Dubbed the "Use It Or Lose It" tour, this jaunt will take Daltrey to the smaller venues he hasn't played in years. He's looking forward to letting his voice fill cozier confines. The tour begins Oct. 10 in Vancouver. Daltrey is promising a healthy dose of Who material, along with some surprises — including long dormant solo stuff — that he hasn't done in years. Tour dates are below:

ROGER DALTREY USE IT OR LOSE IT TOUR FALL 2009
 
 Sat 10/10
      Vancouver, BC
      Commodore Ballroom
   
    Mon 10/12
      Seattle, WA
      The Showbox SODO
   
    Wed 10/14
      San Francisco, CA
      Treasure Island  
   
    Thurs 10/15
      Highland, CA
      San Manuel Indian Casino
   
    Sat 10/17
      Los Angeles, CA
      Orpheum
   
    Sun 10/18
      San Diego, CA
      Humphreys
   
    Tues 10/20
      Denver, CO
      Paramount Theater
   
    Thur 10/22
      Thackerville, OK
      Winstar Casino
   
    Sat 10/24
      Biloxi, MS
      Hard Rock
   
    Sun 10/25
      Jacksonville, FL
      Florida Theater   
   
    Wed 10/28
      Durham, NC
      Durham PAC
   
    Fri 10/30
      Nashville
      Ryman Auditorium
   
    Sat 10/31
      Elizabeth, IN
      Horseshoe Southern Indy
   
    Mon 11/2
      Chicago, IL
      House of Blues
   
    Tues 11/3
      Cleveland, OH
      House of Blues
   
    Thurs 11/5
      Toronto, CAN
      Casinorama
   
    Sat 11/7
      Mashantucket, CT
      Foxwoods
   
    Sun 11/8
      Boston, MA
      House of Blues
   
    Tues 11/10
      Baltimore, MD
      Lyric Theater
   
    Wed 11/11
      Montclair, NJ
      The Wellmont Theatre
   
    Fri 11/13
      Atlantic City, NJ
      Borgata
   
    Sat 11/14
      Atlantic City, NJ
      Borgata 
   
    Tues 11/17
      Red Bank, NJ
      Count Basie Theater
   
    Wed 11/18
      Norfolk, VA
      Chrysler Hall
   
    Fri 11/20
      New York, NY
      Nokia Theatre @ Times Square
   
    Sun 11/22
      Charlotte, NC
      Fillmore Charlotte
   
    Tues 11/24
      North Charleston, SC
      North Charleston PAC
   
    Wed 11/25
      Orlando, FL
      House of Blues
   
    Fri 11/27
      Ft. Myers, FL
      Barbara B. Mann
   
    Sun11/29
      Ft. Lauderdale, FL
      Hard Rock Seminole
   
    Mon 11/30
      Clearwater, FL
      Ruth Eckerd Hall
    

Funny how art and life, or at least the calendar, intersect. At midnight Tuesday, The Beatles: Rock Band game went on sale, and it's going nationwide today. And then there are the watering mouths eager to get a taste of the digitally re-mastered entire Beatles catalog, also released on this day, Sept. 9, 2009.





The No. 9, of course, holds special significance in Beatles lore. Who could forget that controversial piece of avant-garde puzzlement known as "Revolution No. 9" that closes the curtain on The Beatles' White Album and its looped voice saying, "Number 9, number 9, number 9 ..." over and over again?

Because of its idiosyncratic, arty nature, Yoko Ono, who famously fought alongside John Lennon to keep the track on the record, is forever linked with it, for better or worse. And so, with that loop running in everybody's head thanks to the interest in today's date of 9-9-09, it's hard not to think of Yoko on this day. What's more, Ono — who has a new album, Between My Head And The Sky, coming out Sept. 22 — recently expressed her opinion on The Beatles: Rock Band game in an interview with Goldmine. 

"I just wanted to say that this thing about The Beatles: Rock Band is great," says Ono. "I'm part of the team, working and putting it out, and I'm very proud of it."

Not only does Yoko feel gamers will enjoy it, she believes it will transcend the gaming universe.

"Oh, I'm very excited about it, yes," says Ono. "I think it's going to change the world."

That remains to be seen, but there's no doubt the world is clamoring for whatever Beatles manna falls from heaven these days. And while the video game is nice, for many of us, it's the digitally re-mastered Beatles records that hold the most treasures.

Released by Apple Corps Ltd. and EMI, and painstakingly cleaned up Abby Road Studio engineers in London over four years using a combination of up-to-date technology and vintage studio equipment, the Beatles' catalog is getting first-class treatment. Each CD comes with replicated original U.K. album art, with expanded booklets full of rare photos and original and new liner notes. And for a brief time, each CD will also include QuickTime files of mini-documentary films about each album, directed by Bob Smeaton, that include archival footage, rare photographs and never-before-heard studio chatter from The Beatles. Two new Beatles boxed CD collections are also being released today.

All 12 Beatles albums in stereo are included in the collection, with track listings and artwork from the original U.K. releases, and Magical Mystery Tour, which became part of The Beatles core catalog when the CDs were first released in 1987. Also, now combined as one title are the Past Masters Vol. I and II collections.

Amid the "firsts" this collection boasts is the fact that for the first time ever the first four Beatles albums will be available in stereo in their entirety on compact disc. In all, these 14 albums, along with a DVD collection of the documentaries, will be housed in a stereo boxed set.

There is another boxed set as well. This one, The Beatles in Mono, contains all of the Beatles recordings mixed for mono release. In it are 10 albums with their original mono mixes and two more mono masters discs (covering similar ground as the stereo tracks on Past Masters). Also included are the mono Help! and Rubber Soul discs that include the original 1965 stereo mixes never released before on CD. All of the albums will be packaged in mini-vinyl CD replicas of the original sleeves with all original inserts and label designs.

In an interview with the British rock mag, NME, Ono said she was also pleased with the newly minted reissues. Check out NME.com for her comments.

For more information, visit www.thebeatles.com.

When it comes to buying or selling vinyl records, getting the best price possible is the ultimate goal. And, as is almost always the case, that price depends a lot on what condition those records are in.

But determining the condition of your records is no easy task. What's even harder is trying to figure out if you and the person who is a potential buyer of those records agree on the condition of them. After all, one man's "near mint" is often another man's "very good."

Now, Goldmine does have its own grading guide. It is included in the latest "Standard Catalog of American Records 1950-1975 6th Edition." Using it can help you determine what condition your records are in, and then, that allows you to figure out how much your records are worth. But that isn't always as easy as it sounds.

To help you become more knowledgeable about record grading, we here at Goldmine are holding a webinar on the topic. The event is scheduled for Sept. 16 at 7 p.m. Central time. The cost is $15.

The presenter for this webinar is Goldmine's own Stephen Braitman, a veteran appraiser from San Francisco who pens the Picture Sleeve Archive and Beyond Vinyl columns for Goldmine. A well-rounded expert in the field, Braitman specializes in LPs, 45s, 78s, CDs and music memorabilia. In this webinar, Braitman will guide you through the often-confusing process of grading vinyl records so that you can get a true idea of how much your records are worth before you try to sell them.

Here are some of the topics Braitman will be discussing:

    - The Golden Rule of Record Collecting: Condition, Condition, Condition
    - A Detailed Look at Record Grading
    - How To Sell Better By Being (More) Honest With Yourself and Your Records
    - Disputes: Dealers Dealing With Customers (Who Are Always Right, Right?)
    - Beyond Condition: Other Important Factors Affecting Valuation

To sign up for the webinar and learn more about it, visit http://tinyurl.com/n9s4o5

From the same people who brought you Record Store Day comes a smaller, but no less significant, event called Vinyl Saturday, and again, there's some nice exclusive records to get your grubby little hands on.

It'll take place tomorrow, Sept. 5, and special items from the Avett Brothers, Big Star, Mars Volta and RX Bandits will be available, although the folks at Record Store Day remind you to check with your local independent record store to see if they'll be carrying those records. Visit www.recordstoreday.com for more information. But here's a little list of what's being made available, just to whet your appetites:

Avett Brothers: An indie-only 7-inch that features the song "Slight Figure Of Speech" on the A-side and "More Of You" on the B-side. "Slight Figure Of Speech" is a song off the band's upcoming Rick Rubin-produced album I And Love And You.

Big Star: A 7-inch of "Feel (alternate mix)" from the hotly anticipated Big Star box set Keep An Eye On The Sky, this little piece of history is a little rougher than the original and sports additional guitar and different lyrics not heard on the song that opens the group's classic #1 Record LP. Brass overdubs and some additional production touches are included on the Chris Bell song. And there's more. But I'll let the Record Store Day Web site explain: "After the release of Big Star's Radio Ciity album in 1974, a well-known British producer (who shall remain nameless) from the 1960s approached Ardent about remixing "Mod Lang" for single release. The original tapes were flown to New York City's famed Record Plant and augmented with piano and additional percussion (did I hear you say "more cowbell"?). Although the band passed on the results, we thought you might like to hear this "B side" rarity which has been sitting in the can since 1974! This track is exclusive to this vinyl release.

Mars Volta: The full-length vinyl version of the group's new record, Octahedron, is being presented for your approval, and it promises some amazing packaging.

RX Bandits: Another new full-length vinyl LP from a band that digs indie record stores is being prepped for Vinyl Saturday, and this one comes from RX Bandits and it's called Mandela. And forget Wal-Mart. You won't get this there. This will only be available at independent record stores.


 

More tributes have come in regarding Les Paul and the legacy the musical innovator and guitar pioneer left behind. Today, we talk to four artists, including Manowar's Ross The Boss, about what Paul meant to them:

Ross The Boss (Manowar, The Dictators)
"Today, Aug. 13th, is a very sad day for me. One of the greatest geniuses in music has left us. Les Paul was a great guitar player, the inventor of the Les Paul guitar. The Father of modern recording and the inventor of echo to name just a few . I had the honor of meeting Les at his house! my first roadie in Manowar was his godson. What a day that was. He showed me his studio, the first multi-track recorder, a 3 track machine, the first reverb , and "the Log" the father of the Les Paul guitar. Im truly saddened today, weve lost a legend ! RIP Les." Visit digs.by/oT or www.ross-the-boss.com for more on Ross The Boss.






Paul Plumeri Sr. ("The Bishop")
"The word genius is often used undeservedly. In Les Paul's case the word is almost inadequate. Not only was the Les Paul guitar monumental, but all his major contributions as a recording technologian, guitarist, inventor and gentleman sum up the man as well." To read more about Plumeri, visit www.paulplumeri.com.

Matt Leff (Machines Of Grace)
"I never met Les Paul, but as a guitarist and a music store owner, his impact on my life has been colossal. As with most modern recordings, the new Machines Of Grace record was all done with Pro Tools. Because the band members are scattered all over the country, the recording process was made easier by mailing hard drives between us. Without Les Paul's contributions to multi-track recording, the process we used wouldn't have been possible. As a guitar retailer, Les Paul has greatly contributed to my ability to make a living by selling guitar designs inspired by him. I can't list the number of guitar manufacturers who produce designs based on the Gibson Les Paul model; it is iconic and will remain so for many generations. It could be said that the innovations he created would eventually have been invented by someone else, but Les Paul is the genius that came up with these ideas, and he is to be forever remembered as a true innovator because of it. Visit www.machinesofgrace.net for more on the band.





Lenny Bosh
There are two things that effect every musician and person world wide since Les Paul graced the earth: the Les Paul Guitar and multi-track recording. As for the guitar ... every artist likes to be different some way and I was no different. I bucked getting into Les Paul guitars because EVERYONE uses them. It only took a 1971 Les Paul Custom to change my mind forever. Now I know why everyone is addicted to the venerable classic! As for multi-track recording ... thank God Les Paul created multi-tracking so the magnitude of musical flaws I possess can be self corrected! We wouldn't need hi-fi stereos, or big expensive speakers or even nice headphones if it weren't for Les Paul. I am guessing iPods wouldn't be so popular if all we could listen to is ONE track recording. Aside from technical contributions Les Paul was a class act. He never got in trouble for beating his wife, going to rehab clinics or trashing hotel rooms! He is someone that ANYONE could use as a role model. Check in with Lenny Bosh at www.bosh.com to find out what he's up to.

Tributes have been pouring into the Goldmine offices ever since Les Paul died Aug. 13. The "Wizard of Waukesha" was a beloved figure in the music community, and not just because of his visionary innovations — like multi-tracking, overdubbing and, of course, the development of the solid-body guitar.






People, especially those of us who are younger and weren't around in the 1950s, often forget that he and his wife, Mary Ford, were quite the hit-making duo, or that Paul was an accomplished guitarist whose mastery of the instrument was, in so many ways, sublime.

One who hasn't overlooked that part of Paul's career is Kittie guitarist Tara McLeod. Asked by Goldmine to offer her thoughts on what Paul meant to music and her, specifically, McLeod replied with this statement:

"Les Paul influenced the music industry in too many ways to put into one paragraph. His perfectionism and love for the guitar made him one of the most skillful guitar players we will ever see and hear. Listening to his music, you can never forget that he didn't have the technology of today to fall back on. When his guitar sounded flawless, it was because he played it flawless. His clean guitar tone ripped through arpeggios like they were nothing. One of the most influencial aspects of his life on me was his forever love of the guitar and performance. He never stopped playing and always wove his sense of humour into his set. Everytime I hear 'How High the Moon' I picture him with Mary Ford giving a multi-track recording demonstration with a huge smile on his face. That's something I will always remember; we musicians play for the love of it."

Kittie, for those who don't know, is a girl group from Canada who combine heavy metal and glam rock to create a lethal, snarling breed of darkly gothic, glitter-splattered hard rock. McLeod joined the group in 2006. Visit www.kittierocks.com to get the lowdown on the band's upcoming release In The Black, due out Sept. 15.

TOUR DATES ARE AS FOLLOWS:

• Sep 26 2009 THE CHANCE Poughkeepsie, New York
• Sep 27 2009 BB KINGS New York, New York
• Sep 29 2009 THE NORVA Norfolk, Virginia
• Sep 30 2009 GROUND ZERO Spartanburg, South Carolina
• Oct 1 2009 JESTERS Fayetteville, North Carolina
• Oct 2 2009 HOOLIGANS Jacksonville, North Carolina
• Oct 3 2009 JAXX Springfield, Virginia
• Oct 4 2009 HEADLINERS Columbia, South Carolina
• Oct 7 2009 SCOUT BAR San Antonio, Texas
• Oct 8 2009 TREES Dallas, Texas
• Oct 9 2009 SCOUT BAR Houston, Texas
• Oct 10 2009 FLYTRAP Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Oct 12 2009 MARQUE THEATER Denver, Colorado
• Oct 13 2009 JUGGERNAUT Gallup, New Mexico
• Oct 14 2009 RIALTO Tucson, Arizona
• Oct 15 2009 KEY CLUB Los Angeles, California
• Oct 16 2009 BRICK BY BRICK San Diego, California
• Oct 17 2009 THE CLUBHOUSE Tempe, Arizona
• Oct 18 2009 GATOR’S Farmington, New Mexico
• Oct 19 2009 BLACK SHEEP Colorado Springs, Colorado
• Oct 21 2009 THE ROCK Maplewood, Minnesota
• Oct 23 2009 MCGUFFYS Dayton, Ohio
• Oct 24 2009 THE MACHINE SHOP Flint, Michigan
• Oct 25 2009 PEABODYS Cleveland, Ohio
• Oct 26 2009 INTERSECTION Grand Rapids Michigan
• Oct 28 2009 CROCODILE ROCK Allentown, Pennsylvania
• Oct 29 2009 NORTHERN LIGHTS Clifton Park, New York