[TLM Staff Writer, Beverly Paterson Notes: My initial introduction to Lance Records arrived in the summer of 1986 when I purchased a copy of a compilation album, released on the Eva label out of France that featured New Mexico bands from the sixties. For the past couple of years, I had been obsessively collecting garage rock discs and was sinking my starving ears into anything and everything that fit such a category. Not only was I tickled pink to stumble upon a group of bands I had never heard before, as my motto at the time was the more obscure the better, but I was thrilled these folks were from New Mexico because I grew up in the state. From 1968 to 1974, I resided in the Land of Enchantment, and though the pop bug had already bitten me, I had no real knowledge of the music's history. I was tuned into contemporary stuff, and until about the age of eleven, I seriously thought The Beatles had invented rock and roll. You have to remember, that in the early seventies, there were no vintage radio stations to be had and my literature preferences then included 16 Magazine, Tiger Beat, supernatural stories and comic books. Therefore, my musical education was rather limited.

 

Due to further vinyl hunting and gleaning information from like-minded sixties garage rock fans, I eventually got hip to Lance Records and its family of bands. From the stirring surf rock sounds of The Knights (fronted by label president Dick Stewart) to the pristine pop smarts of The Kreeg, to the acid punk pose of The Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2, the independent imprint produced quality work and was home to a diversified lot of acts. Now skip ahead to the year 2000 and I'm on the computer, surfing the web, searching for bands to interview for my magazine, Twist and Shake. Well, I was happier than a kitty on catnip when I saw Lance Records (and its accompanying journal The Lance Monthly) had a site and I instantly emailed Dick Stewart, requesting an interview. He readily agreed, and after the interview was published he asked if I would write some reviews for The Lance Monthly.  My answer was a resounding yes, and since then I've been a regular contributor to the magazine. 

 

In August of 2002, while visiting friends and relatives in Albuquerque, I met Dick face to face. Much to my delight, he was as nice as could be: very personable, a great sense of humor and he loves music with a sincere passion. In September 2006, I attended the Clovis Music Festival with Dick and his wonderful wife, Judi. Then the following year, I finally had the opportunity to see him perform when The Knights played the Clovis Music Festival backing the great Sonny West. I'm pleased to report Dick is just as hot and happening in a live setting as he is on disc! What an honor it is to be on The Lance Monthly staff is all I can say. I could have never envisioned the future, believing that one day I would be writing for the publication and be associated with a label as cool as Lance Records. Happy Anniversary, have a drink on me and may you forever rock and roll!]

. . . . .

Beverly Paterson – TLM Staff: I must confess that I wasn't aware The Lance Monthly had its own site until 2000, so unfortunately I missed quite a few postings. Were your early editions similar to the format of the publication we know and love today?

 

Dick Stewart – TLM Editor: My earlier editions were more experimental and their contents were very limited until Mike Dugo came on board shortly after the first issue of TLM was posted in March 1999.  He’s an expert in U.S. ‘60s garage band history and really began to put the Internet magazine on the map with his very informative monthly ‘60s garage band columns. TLM owes a lot to Mike for his invaluable contributions. I might also add that he is a huge fan of Lance Records and has provided the liner notes for a comprehensive CD album, called “The Lance Records’ Story,” which is slated for release sometime this year on Lance.  Then you came along and brought TLM to a new level.

 

Paterson: Thanks to The Lance Monthly, you've no doubt reconnected with a lot of folks from your past. What bands that once recorded on your label contacted you because they came across your site?

 

Dick: That would be The Krieg, The Sheltons, Fe-Fi-Four Plus 2, and The Lincoln Street Exit.  Mike interviewed the second two, and I recently interviewed most of the members of The Lincoln Street Exit.

Paterson: Do you find that advertising your records on the web is lot more lucrative than having them sold in record stores? Do you have any distributors other than your own promotion?

Dick: Nowadays, using distributors to stock brick-and-mortar stores is too expensive, and they take their merry time in settling up their accounts. Of course, during the ‘60s, this was the only way to go, and Lance Records used Krupp out of El Paso, Texas, which was a first-class, major regional distributor that covered West Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Southern California, Colorado, and Utah.  This, of course, was Lance Records’ territory.

 

But the Internet is by far the best method monetarily, which cost virtually nothing to reach out to anyone in the world that has online service. The Lance Records’ site does pretty well in sales; however, there are a number of Internet stores that I use, which do the bulk of Lance Records’ sales (CDs and paid downloads), and CD Baby heads that list. I have nothing but praise for this company!

Paterson: What's the best thing about publishing your magazine on the Internet and what is the most difficult task?

Dick: It’s very cost effective, of course; I can’t imagine putting it out in paper form. But trying to make the posting deadline is the most difficult task.

Paterson: How do you manage to do it all: publish a magazine, play your own music and run an RV business at the same time?

Dick: You left out one other task: “Unsung Heroes of Early Rock and Roll,” which is a book that I’m presently writing that will contain sixteen or so chapters of individuals or groups that made a significant historic contribution to rock and roll, but never earned household-named status. This project has been very time consuming and it looks like a TLM hiatus will give me the time needed to complete it.

 

But how do I do it? I guess when one is passionate about achieving a goal or a series of goals, it all somehow falls into place. Of course, now the season for my RV rental business has arrived which is resulting in approximately 50 inquiries a day. That number will grow to 150 per day come June. So I usually have to put anything related to music in the late-hours-of-the-day time slot. If you go to the following website (shameless plug) you will see how comprehensive this rental business is. My clientele consist of folks from all over the world: http://www.newmexicorvrentals.com. This 35-years-plus business is expected to exceed a million dollars in gross sales this year. 

 

Beverly: For those who haven't been reading The Lance Monthly all these years, who are some of the musicians that have been interviewed for the publication?

 

Dick: Many, who played a big roll in Buddy Holly’s success, including Holly historians, Bill Griggs and John Beecher of Rollercoaster Records; and many ‘50s and ‘60s high-profile artists that helped define the rock-and-roll genres now referred to as rockabilly, frat rock, and instrumental surf rock. Of course, I don’t want to leave out the soul bands of the early ‘60s, many of whom were Lance Records’ recording artists.

 

Beverly: A dream interview: Who or what band would you just love to interview for The Lance Monthly? Sorry, no deceased performers are eligible, so that leaves Elvis Presley, Buddy Holly, Bill Haley and John Lennon out of the picture!

 

Dick: There are two that have always been on the top of my list: Jerry Allison, who is the original drummer for Buddy Holly and The Crickets, and Maria Elena Santiago Holly, who is Buddy Holly’s widow. Their historic contributions would be enormous, but it most likely won’t happen. Jerry tells me that he’s just plain tired of doing interviews and Maria wants to be paid, which is out of the question. 

 

But to be honest with you, I’ve never had a great interest in doing interviews with those who were superstars with strong household name status even though I’ve done one (Trini Lopez). The one-hit-wonders and the cats who almost made it nationally are usually more up front about their lives and are willing to open up on the interesting behind-the-scenes stuff; the superstars, who have been interviewed to death, are not really into revealing anything other than their accomplishments, which everyone has read a million times over.

 

Paterson: What is the most interesting comment you have ever received from a Lance Monthly reader? And what is the strangest remark?

 

Most interesting comment: “The best interview I ever did was with Dick Stewart of TLM, period!” (Carl Bunch, A.K.A. The Frostbitten Cricket, who was the Winter Dance Party drummer for Buddy Holly.)

 

Strangest Remark: “I wrote ‘Wheels’.” (Jimmy Torres – lead guitarist for The String-A-Longs.)

Paterson: Is there a chance you will ever publish hard copies of The Lance Monthly? Maybe do what you did with the original issues of The Lance Monthly from the sixties, where you put them all together in a book?

Dick: That’s possible in reference to the archived issues, but understand that TLM has more than 3,000 pages of content, and it would take a lot of books to accomplish that task. On the other hand, anyone can go to the archive section of TLM and request either an issue in paper form or receive it by an Internet upload. This seems to work pretty well.

 

But going back to the “Unsung Heroes of Early Rock and Roll”; most of those chapters are from key interviews that I conducted for TLM; but they will be presented in story form, and not the question-and-answer style that TLM conducts. Of course, more content is being added as a result of further research. At this point, I’ve completed five chapters out of a proposed 16, and according to five individuals who I’ve picked for advanced readings (all ace writers in their own right), I’m on the right track and believe that a publisher of note will run with it. But then, you know how that goes. 

Paterson: Are your readers pretty much spread out all over the world or are there certain regions where the readership is heavier than other places?

Dick: I have readers throughout the world, but the heaviest concentration aside from the U.S. is in the U.K. 

 

Paterson: Do you accept unsolicited material from writers?

 

Dick: Occasionally if the content is good, well written, and from a reliable source.

Paterson: How about recordings? Do bands get in touch with you, asking if they can be on your label?

Dick: All the time, Beverly, but right now, Lance Records is restricted to material released mostly by The Knights, but we are working on a project with Sonny West, which will have some limited Knights’ backing.  The release date is set for sometime this summer. Some of the songs have never been officially released to the public.

 

Paterson: What's in the future for both The Lance Monthly and Lance Records?

 

Dick: Lance Records will continue, but a decade of TLM publications is much more than I thought I would produce, and to pull the plug here is fitting.  Trying to make issue deadlines have become more difficult because of my other business commitments, and the fact that I’ve not had sufficient time to personally conduct many featured interviews for quite awhile (thanks to your contributions, Beverly, I haven’t had to), is a sign to give it a rest. Now I didn’t say TLM is closing down; it’s simply not going publish any more monthly issues until further notice; otherwise, I’ll never finish “Unsung Heroes of Early Rock and Roll.”

 

I know this comes as a surprise to you and Mike Dugo because I’ve not giving either one of you any advance forewarning of my decision. You are both such great writers and early rock-and-roll savvy historians, not to mention incredible friends, and I know we’ll stay in touch in reference to other music-related issues. To me you are what we say in New Mexico Spanish “Carnales” (being as close as that of a blood brother or sister).

 

And, of course, it was The Lance Monthly that enriched my life with a multitude of friends in the music business, and helped me understand what really went on behind closed doors of the music industry between the artists, their labels, their producers, and their promoters during the ‘50s and ‘60s. I’ve learned that not all of it was pretty: very few artists “cashed in” in any big way, and there was a lot of heartache. But today the contributions that came out of that chaotic period of musical expression, whether big and small, have developed a new respect. After all, they gave birth and definition to one of world’s greatest music genres: Rock and Roll, baby.

 

Hasta la próxima vez, Compadres!

 

Dick Stewart

 

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Tenth Anniversary Comments (From Some of TLM’s Most Ardent Fans)

 

 

Hi Dick,

 

Thanks for producing such an interesting read every month.  TLM never fails to jog a happy memory, as well as showing me something new.  All power to your elbow.

 

Best,

 

John Scott Cree

Horley, England

. . . . .

 

 

Dick,

 

Happy 10th Anniversary to the Internet's The Lance Monthly! Thanks for all the great interviews and highly informative articles over the past decade. It amounts to a great service to music fans, and nobody does it better.

 

John Pickering

of The Picks

. . . . .

 

 

Dear Dick,   

 

Congratulations on reaching the 10th anniversary of The Lance Monthly.  We have enjoyed the many hours of entertainment while reading the stories and especially seeing the pictures of some of our "old" rock and roll buddies. Keep up the good work that you are doing and remember to "Keep on Rockin".

 

Love, Gary & Ramona Tollett

 

. . . . .

 

 

Congrates Dick!

 

Thank you for doing this all these years.

 

Alvin S Zuckert

 

. . . . .

 

 

Hey Dick:

 

Thanks for the new issue—great stuff my friend. Keep it coming!!!

 

Tommy Overstreet

 

. . . . .

 

Hey Carnal,

 

Has it been 10 years already?  I can't recall if I've been a part of The Lance Monthly since Issue #1, but I do remember how thrilled I was when you asked me to contribute an article on "'60's garage bands."  Your guidance led to several opportunities to interview many well-known (at least to those of us into garage rock) music luminaries, and provided the inspiration for the start of www.60sgaragebands.com. I can truly say that it's been a complete pleasure contributing to The Lance Monthly, and here's hoping to at least another 10 years!

 

Congrats!

 

Mike Dugo

 

. . . . .

 

 

Hi Dick,

 

Congratulations on the 10th anniversary of The Lance Monthly. 

 

My thanks to you and your staff for giving us such informative and entertaining articles each and every month.  I find your interviews among the very best I have ever read.  Keep up the good work and I wish you and your staff health and happiness.

 

Rave On & God Bless,

 

Randy Steele

 

. . . . .

 

Dick,

 

Your monthly newsletter, The Lance Monthly, is one of the very best music publications available to a listener public that is hungry for the “inside scoop”.

 

Here one finds an ever-excellent source of well researched, well-written articles that document a wide range of interesting and entertaining reflections from those personalities that make the world of music go ‘round.

 

Congratulations on your 10TH Anniversary of Internet service. And keep on pickin’!

 

Jeff Green

 

. . . . .

 

 

El Rey Ricardo

Editor, Lance Monthly

 

Congratulations to Lance Monthly for ten great years of keeping us informed in areas of the music that are sometimes overlooked by the mainstream publications.  You always have interesting interviews and news to keep us connected.  Through the years we have seen many music news projects started only to disappear after a few issues.  It takes someone that is truly committed to keep the issues coming month after month.  You are committed, Mr. Stewart.  (Notice I didn't say you need to be committed.)  Around the first of each month I'm always checking out the new issue to see what reviews and news you have been able to dig up.  Hats off to contributing writer Beverly Paterson.   And that illusive Chas Pike wherever he is.

 

Thanks again and all the best for the next ten years!

 Sonny West

. . . . .

 

Dick Stewart,

 

Congratulations on your successful ten-year anniversary of bringing the New Mexico music scene (and beyond) to all of us! You have been an inspiration to me and many others. It has been my ultimate pleasure, being a "Lance" correspondent, from SoCal. Now is the time to reflect upon your accomplishments and revel in the journey!

 

Much love,

Corvette Sandy

. . . . .

Hello Dick,

 

I have been enjoying reading your write-ups about the various bands and especially your revue of the various Clovis music festivals; we were there in 2006 and meet one of your writers, [and] having purchased various CDs from you I must say that you post them out promptly.

 

Keep up the good work and all the best for another 10 years.

 

John Simmonds

Bristol

United Kingdom

. . . . .

 

Congrats on your 10th Anniversary.  You are doing a great service to the bands from the past and the people who want to keep up with them.

 

It is a BLAST FROM THE PAST.

 

Carl Bell

 

 

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Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender 2008 Rockabilly Weekenders Growing in Worldwide Popularity (A Report by Sunny West – TLM contributor)

 

Viva Las Vegas is a “rockabilly weekender type” of concert. These weekenders apparently had their origins in the UK a couple of decades ago and have spread to most all parts of Europe and even here in the US. These events have become increasingly popular as a get-together party where fans can celebrate the music, cars and dress in styles influenced by ‘50s Americana. While many that attended this event live in the US, there were also many countries represented.

 

Attendees pay a one-time fee. The ticket of admission is a wristband that allowed a person entrance to any event. The music is rockabilly, which means there is always some country-and-blues influences on hand. Whether one wants to admire the vintage cars of show their own handiwork, this is the place. If record collecting is your interest thee are always vendors featuring thousands of records and CDs.

 

Vintage 1950’s style clothing is huge with the fans, with large areas devoted to their wares. And speaking of fans—they truly live the part. Whether it is the guys with the tall pomps and jeans with Roy Rogers’ cowboy shirts or T-shirts, or the gals with the glamour outfits, it is at once evident that these are real fans, living their dreams. While you could say much of the dress styles at these events are a bit exaggerated, still, it is an amazing culture.

 

The music at these festivals is usually scheduled on two or three different stages with some acts performing simultaneously. All of these weekenders feature a few original artists as headliners. The other acts are made up of younger groups of musicians. Most of these younger groups do cover songs from the ‘50s with a few groups writing their own material and indeed some have quite an original style. (I’m not trying to be funny here, but a lot of these younger musicians are actually much better than the originals that the emulate!)

 

On the morning of April 11th, I was off to Las Vegas to appear at the 11^th Annual Viva Las Vegas Rockabilly Weekender, which took place this year from April 10 through April 13 at the Gold Coast Hotel and Casino.

 

Friday night featured “Stars of Rockabilly” in which each individual artist did a short set with backing by the house band. The artists were George Hamilton IV, Laura  Lee Perkins, Alton Lott, Ray Campi and myself.  I went on about 11:30 PM, and the standing-room-only crowd went wild when I was introduced and cut loose with “Rock-Ola Ruby.” After a few more songs, I ended my set with “Rave On.” At the end of the show, all of us went out for an encore and did “Shake Rattle and Roll.” I think maybe I had more fun than anyone should have.

 

Sonny

 

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A Chat with Tinker Carlen Was He One of the Original Crickets? (Interview conducted by TLM Editor, Dick Stewart)

 

[Editor, Dick Stewart Notes: Not too long ago, someone caused a little bit of a stir on a UK Buddy Holly forum by claiming that a fellow by the name of Tinker Carlen was one of the original members of The Crickets. Intrigued, I interviewed Tinker by e-mail and telephone. His West Texas sense of humor was spot on and his answers seemed to be very sincere and straightforward to my style of questioning. The interview is unfinished and will remain so, because of TLM’s hiatus; but what I did complete, I think you’ll find very interesting. The following is in his words with some limited grammatical editing:]

. . . . .

 

My name is Hugh Horace Carlen. I was named after my two grandfathers, Hugh Web Carlen and Horace Tollison. Hugh Web was a sheriff in Tennessee. He was shot and killed when my father was eight years old. Horace Tollison lived to be an old man and died in 1950. My grandmother Tollison named me Tinker. It was different and I liked it. Very few people know my real name.

 

I was born on a farm between Lubbock and Levelland, Texas on January 11, 1937. I have one brother and two sisters. I was two years old when we moved from the country to 710 Avenue A in Lubbock. It was a dirt road then and it was just across the street from the fair grounds. We had an out-door toilet and one milk cow. We left the farm because the government took it; it was the great depression and banks were foreclosing. We were allowed to keep one milk cow because I was a baby and I needed milk. My dad was in the meatpacking and grocery business, my mother was a housekeeper, and my folks liked to listen to music, but never tried to play.

 

Daddy got a job at the Oil Meal for seven dollars a week, working from six AM until ten at night, seven days a week. He managed to pay for the house, buy an old worn out model A Ford, and pay for some land south on Ave A. Our land started on the corner of 19^th and Ave A, and 19^th went to 34th East to the grave yard and north on Railroad Ave.

 

He started to farm again with an old plow horse named Dolly. He would let me ride on the horse while he plowed the field. We bought some chickens, a few pigs, and three milk cows. He built a smoke house to slaughter cows and pigs; that was our meat. We got eggs from laying hens and we had a cream separator, so my mother could make butter. She would let my sisters churn the milk into butter. After the butter was taken out, the remains would be buttermilk.

 

He gave some land across the road to a man named Nick. He grew vegetables and potatoes. That was in 1941 during WWII. FDR wanted every one to grow a victory garden. At that time the Blacks were getting kicked off of their land and Daddy gave some land to them by the railroad tracks to build houses.  Finely there were so many black people, they called their town Queen City. He gave one black man named Jim some land by Railroad Ave to build a barbeque stand to sell sandwiches. Ole nick had a tank about 36 feet round and about four feet deep full of water to irrigate his garden. That was our swimming hole. All my friends were Black kids and it was a plus for me. It taught me not to be prejudice and enjoy their music when they would sit around playing their guitars and sing folk songs and blues.

 

I was also two years old when I made my first guitar. It was out of a John Ruskin cigar box. I cut a hole in the center and made the neck from a wooden bed slat; and for strings I used rubber bands and tacks to hold them on the wood. The songs that I sung were the songs that I heard when we would go to the movies on Saturdays. They were westerns with Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, and the Sons of the Pioneers,

 

My folks would also listen to western songs by Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and the Sons of the pioneers. We would listen to the Del Rio station on the border of Mexico. [The disc Jockeys were] Wayne Rainey and Lonnie Glawsen and they would mostly play country and advertise Clover Bloom salve for 25 cents a jar. And if you ordered today you would get a free pitcher of Jesus. That’s how they would advertise then.  We would listen to the Light Crust Dough Boys out of Fort Worth, Texas and sometimes we could get the Grand Ole Opry.

 

When we would go to the [picture] shows, they would have sing-a-longs, like follow the bouncing ball type stuff; then sometimes they would have short musicals [by artists] such as Al Jolson, The Hoosier Hot Shots, Cab Callaway, and Bing Crosby. So growing up, I had a lot of opportunities to listen to all types of music.

 

My brother is retired. He owned Keystone Motors and Body Shop in Fort Worth, Texas and he had the biggest body shop in the world. He employed over six hundred painters alone when he retired. Some big company bought him out and gave him one hundred and fifty million dollars, but let him keep the buildings that cover almost three blocks in downtown Ft. Worth. That should be enough to tide him over the rest of his life because he turned 80 years old in October.

 

My oldest sister lives in Wichita Falls, Texas. She married an air force sergeant. He passed away a few years back. She’s 78 years old.  My other sister, Louise lives in Florida and Kansas City. She married [a] Richard Wilson, who owned a plumbing company, a meat processing company, a sporting-equipment [firm] like footballs that you see at every pro game. He got killed in a car wreck in Kansas City in 1995 and left my sister well off for the rest of her life.

 

She is generous with her money. In 1995 she bought me a Merc.Villager van, and last Christmas she gave me her new Lincoln Navigator. They [my sisters] still spoil me rotten. When I was young, they had to pay me for being good. So now that I’m old, I’m good for nothing. Ha, ha, ha. 

 

[When I was growing up in Lubbock] all my friends [including Buddy Holly and I] would go swimming, hunting and fishing, and played baseball, tag football, and dodge the ball. We would go to the boys club and do wood working. We were typical kids. When we were teens, we would play music, sing, chase girls, buy old cars and make hot rods out of them. The cars were cheap. I bought two 1934 Plymouth’s for twelve dollars. One wouldn’t run so we got a chain and pulled it home with the other one. When we worked on the car and cleaned out the carburetor, it ran great. We chopped, channeled, took the fenders off, put motorcycle fenders on the front tires and painted them a bright ass color; we were in business.

 

My first meeting with Buddy was when we were about six years old. We would dig caves out behind E. J. Hollab’s house on Sixth Street. Buddy was in Cub Scouts with me and we ran around together all through school way before he ever started playing music. We called Buddy “Four Eyes” because he was farsighted and wore glasses.  

 

Buddy was not popular in school. They use to say there goes ole turkey neck. It would piss Buddy off. Our first band was called the Rhythm Playboys. The members were Jack Neal, Buddy Holley, Bob Montgomery, Larry Welborn, Don Guess, Tinker Carlen, and Sonny Curtis.

 

I attended Lubbock High School, the class of 55. We dressed in sports shirts, blue jeans; some times in T-shirts after school. We would wear dress shoes to school; after school we would wear boots or tennis shoes. When we played music we would wear matching sport coats, black dress pants, white shirts and tie. We talked in Texas English and some times we would talk in hip cat language to fit in with the rest of the crowd.

 

I remember the Hi-D-Ho. We played on top of the drive-In.  When they first opened up, they paid us 20 dollars for Friday and Saturday nights and gave us a hamburger and coke. That’s where everybody hung out thanks to us for playing there. All the kids were going to the drive-in on 1313 13th Street, which is today the Greyhound bus station. It got so busy that they had no more parking spaces, so they would circle the drive-in till they found a place to park. The kids kept on circling the Hi-D-Ho till 1970 when a tornado took it down.

 

When I listened to the radio, it was Bob Wills, Al Dexter, and Tex Ritter. I got interested in Black music way before Elvis or Buddy. I would visit my sister in Dallas and she would take me to the clubs where the blues were being played. If you listen to Buddy’s first songs it was [a cross] between bluegrass and country. Elvis was all blue grass.

 

In our first band with Buddy I was the singer. I started singing what I had heard in Dallas. Buddy still didn’t catch on ‘till I went over to Dunbar High School and asked Roy Roberts if he had any good sax players and drummers. He told me there was Jerry Williams on alto sax, James Price on the drums, and Elbert Malone on the sax.

 

Lubbock was race prejudiced back then. Roy told me not to get his boys hurt. We had a booking at the Bamboo club. I told Buddy to sit back and listen to us for a while. We were doing songs like “Forty Cups of Coffee,” “One Mint Julep,” and “Big Boss Man.” Then Buddy asked if he could join us. He caught on fast. After the gig he said the only thing he regrets is that he wasn’t born Black, because he enjoyed it so much. In two weeks he was rocking. No one ever knew that Buddy’s first drummer wasn’t J I. It was James Otice Price He was Black and only fourteen years old.

 

It was Buddy that impressed Elvis back stage. Buddy showed Elvis how to slide when he was playing “Big Boss Man.”  Also, it was Larry Welborn that showed Bill Black, Elvis’s bass player, how to slap the bass by loosening the E string. Scotty Moore didn’t have to learn nothing, He was from Memphis, Tennessee and already knew how to play Black music. They called us all rock hillbillies, then it was changed to rockabilly and Allen Freed started to call it rock-n-roll.

 

Buddy was not popular in school. They use to say, “There goes ole turkey neck.” It would piss Buddy off. Our first band was called the Rhythm Playboys. The members were Jack Neal, Buddy Holley, Bob Montgomery, Larry Welborn, Don Guess, Tinker Carlen, and Sonny Curtis.

 

I remember Buddy introducing Maria Elena to me at a bank where they were cashing a check. I asked Buddy in front of her if he had any nude pictures of her. He said “no”. I then asked him if he would like to buy some (ha, ha, ha).

 

I also remember a couple more thinks: Buddy smoked Winston’s. He once got caught trying to steal a pack and was let go with a stern warning. That famous photo of him with the Cools in his shirt pocket was a one-time thing. He had a sore throat that day and thought that the menthol would help. Also, the original drumming on “Peggy Sue” was played on a large 24-pack Cotex box.

 

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Jump, Jive and Harmonize Reviews of Releases by The Liverpool Five; 3 Balls of Fire (Beverly Paterson – TLM Staff Writer)

 

The Liverpool Five "The Best of The Liverpool Five" (Sundazed Records)

 

“Despite the fact the majority of the group's material consisted of tunes composed by other people, by no means were they slackers in the songwriting department.”

 

Considering these guys weren't from Liverpool, how logical it is to assume they were attempting to capitalize on the success of The Beatles. But according to Mike Stax's extensive interview with the band, which is included with "The Best of The Liverpool Five," a promoter in Germany gave them the name. Initially billed The Steve Laine Combo, the band came together in 1963 in London. Made up of vocalist Steve Laine, lead guitarist Ken Cox, bassist Dave Burgess, keyboardist Roy Henley and drummer Jimmy May, the band had already paid their dues by the time they were coined The Liverpool Five, and were highly skilled musicians.

 

Signed to the RCA label in 1965, the band, over the course of the next couple of years, issued a host of sensational singles and a pair of choice albums, "The Liverpool Five Arrive" and "Out of Sight." Despite the fact the majority of the group's material consisted of tunes composed by other people, by no means were they slackers in the songwriting department. Original items, which are featured on "The Best of The Liverpool Five," like the pounding fuzz fixings of "She's Mine," the exotic African motifs of "Do You Believe" and the shuffling grooves of "Piccadilly Line" starkly illustrate the band's expertise for crafting clingy melodies matched by concise structures.

 

Both gospel and jazz aspirations cap the bouncy "Let the Sunshine In" and "Just a Little Bit" embodies a rough and tough Merseybeat mentality. Fueled by menace and muscle, "Get Away" is a solid gold garage rocker, a take of Willie Dixon's "I'm Your Hoochie Coochie Man" is executed at a slow and seductive clip and the psychedelic stained "New Directions" is a social commentary on the generation gap. Razor sharp harmonies augmented by crunchy guitars, rolling organs and memorable hooks are embedded in each and every cut on this disc. If bands such as Manfred Mann, The Sir Douglas Quintet, The Remains, The Standells and Paul Revere and The Raiders light your fire, there's no question The Liverpool Five will do the same.

 

www.sundazed.com

. . . . .

 

3 Balls of Fire "Jet Set Guitars" (Deep Eddy Records)

 

“Picturesque melodies partnered with tight and tasty arrangements are prime characteristics of 3 Balls of Fire.”

 

Formed in 1985 by guitar wizard Mike Vernon, 3 Balls of Fire is still going strong today. Having gathered worldwide acclaim for their boss instrumental efforts, the Austin, Texas band puts no restrictions on what they do. As evidenced by their latest album, "Jet Set Guitars," they're just as comfortable playing traditional surf rock as they are whipping up a batch of easy listeing cuisine.

 

Picturesque melodies partnered with tight and tasty arrangements are prime characteristics of 3 Balls of Fire. The title track of this disc, along with "Pedal Pusher" and "1970" firmly demonstrate the band's ability for producing feelings and moods that come to life. Ruled by monster riffs and piles of punishing rhythms, "Wild Fire" explodes with heavy duty electricity, while the soft and mellow "Closin' Time" sways towards the lounge music side of the fence and a cover of Brian Wilson's "God Only Knows" jingles and jangles with sweetness and light. Properly christened, "Jet Set Guitars" stands as a cosmopolitan collection of fascinating sights and sounds.

 

www.3ballsoffire.com

www.deepeddy.com

 

 

Back to Top?

 

The Lance Monthly Album Pick of the Month (By Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck – TLM Staff) Artist: Ayreon Title: 010110001 (Limited Edition)  Genre: Progressive Rock Label: Inside Out Website: http://www.ayreon.com ITunes Link: http://tinyurl.com/2oqrxg My Bands Music Profile: http://mybandsmusic.com/members/250 Source Link: http://www.muzikreviews.com/reviews.php?ID=184

 

Arjen Lucassen continues to astound the world of music worldwide with a string of releases that always seem to raise the bar for everyone else in the prog-rock community. 

 

“010110001” is yet another 2-CD set that fans and media are calling a prog-rock opera masterpiece-and with good reason, of course. I am in total agreement with those thoughts. So is this the Ayreon Magnum Opus? Well, every time I hear a new album I really want to say that, but this time I am not going to count my chickens before they are hatched because he will probably find a way to kick it up another notch on the next release. Clearly, this is one of his best albums.

 

In typical Ayreon style, he put together an incredible cast of characters to contribute and every one of them honored to get the call from the master of the modern day rock opera. Some of the stars that stepped into Arjen’s studio were Ty Tabor, Jonas Renkse, Hansi Krusch, Anneke van Giersbergen, Simone Simons, Tom Englund, Michael Romeo and Derek Sherinian to name a few.

 

I was lucky enough to receive the limited edition from the man himself. Again, his down-to -earth personality just blows me away for a person of his stature in the world of music. He is successful because he is real and remains so, not only because he happens to be an incredibly talented and respected musician.

 

The first two discs is the entire story with some the of best prog-rock you will hear this year, and the third disc is a DVD that takes you through the behind-the-scenes recording sessions and all the people that participated, including interviews with all of them and their thoughts on the project and how they feel about Arjen. There is also a 5.1 surround sound version of the video “Beneath the Waves.” It is unfortunate that the 5.1 conversion process is so cost prohibitive, as this recording would be unbelievable in that format. I cannot take anything away from the stereo version though because it is outstanding. Arjen knows exactly what he wants during the recording process and is simply brilliant producing his own work. The separation of instruments is fantastic and it sounded great on my surround system; it really just blew me away entirely.

 

There is also a section of bloopers on the DVD that is riot; it shows a side we never see as listeners while at the same time shedding some light on our rock-star heroes illustrating that they put their pants on every day just like you and me. That is what Arjen is all about; he never takes himself too seriously. 

 

I enjoyed the entire recording but I did have some favorites. The theme is typical Ayreon, with songs based on our dark future and what it will be like because of our poor stewardship of our surrounding environment and where technology rules our every move.

 

“Unnatural Selection,” “Beneath the Waves” (a five-part track) and “Comatose” I feel are classic prog-rock opera tunes; it’s vintage Ayreon surrounded by some of the best of his contemporaries. This is an environment that he thrives in, getting the energy and input from all the participants. The only drawback with projects like this is that it is highly unlikely you will ever see it hit the road. Not only is it a logistical nightmare, everyone has his or her own bands and projects to which they are responsible to return. Perhaps someday I will have the chance to see this legendary musician perform, but until then I have his entire catalog to dive into and enjoy, and that is quite satisfying to say the least,

 

“010110001” is another template for his peers to judge their success by; if anyone can come close to matching this superlative effort they would have released a fine album.

 

Disc: 1 

 

1. Age Of Shadows (incl. We Are Forever) 

 

2. Comatose 

 

3. Liquid Eternity 

 

4. Connect The Dots 

 

5. Beneath The Waves: Beneath The Waves / Face The Facts / But A Memory... / World Without Walls / Reality Bleeds 

 

6. Newborn Race: The Incentive / The Vision / The Procedure / Another Life / Newborn Race / The Conclusion 

 

7. Ride The Comet 

 

8. Web Of Lies

 

Disc: 2 

 

1. The Fifth Extinction: Glimmer Of Hope / World Of Tomorrow Dreams / Collision Course / From The Ashes / Glimmer Of Hope (reprise) 

 

2. Waking Dreams 

 

3. The Truth Is In Here 

 

4. Unnatural Selection 

 

5. River Of Time 

 

6. E=MC_ 

 

7. The Sixth Extinction: Echoes on the Wind / Radioactive Grave / 2085 / To the Planet of Red / Spirit on the Wind / Complete the Circle

 

Disc: 3 

 

1. Behind the Scenes - Making of 01011001 

 

2. Beneath the Waves - CGI Movie (5.1/2.0) 

 

3. Guide Demos (audio) - featuring Arjen on vocals 

 

4. Bloopers (audio) 

 

5. Ed Warby's Session - Recording drums 

 

6. Teaser Trailer