old features archive, 2005 – 2006
FEATURES ARCHIVE, 2005 – 2006
October 2006: WORKER’S PLAYTIME:
GRAND MAL’S BILL WHITTEN AND JAMES BEAUDREAU TALK TO BRITISH GUITAR LEGEND BRIAN GODDING ABOUT THE LOST CLASSIC WORKER’S PLAYTIME
Earlier this year, to almost no fanfare whatsoever, the German label Long Hair reissued B.B. Blunder’s Workers’ Playtime a lost 1971 classic that manages to dip equally into post-White Album hard rock, cosmic prog, tongue in cheek Stonesy-swagger, and anthems worthy of Spiritualized – all with the tossed-off nonchalance that marks some of the best music of the time. Killer slide playing, a veritable library of classic guitar tones, guitar orchestration to rival Jimmy Page’s. Is the world ready for Workers’ Playtime now?
Aug 2006: NOTEKILLERS:
ON RETURNING: A CONVERSATION WITH DAVID FIRST
Between 1977 and 1981, Notekillers fashioned music light-years in the future, left a lone document of their subterranean existence, and resurfaced a quarter-century later to learn that not all of the five-hundred copies of the record had fallen on deaf ears – informing contemporary music in general from deep down below. Guitarist David First gives NYNT the scoop on their unique reunion.
June 2006: GRAND MAL:
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO BILL
Grand Mal is the moniker for the prolific post-St. Johnny project of one of my favorite songwriters, Bill Whitten. He’s been throwing down album after album of serious language and heavy duty rock’n’roll for a decade or so. While I was helping put up his web site, I couldn’t help but notice that his in-depth bio made for some excellent reading and some stellar listening so I decided to post it here on the site.
May 2006: VIETNAM:
A CHRONOLOGICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL, AND SONIC JOURNEY
This is the personal rock’n’roll of vision of Vietnam. They’ll remind you less of The Band, Bob Dylan, Neil Young, and The Velvet Underground than they will Music From Big Pink, Blood on the Tracks, Tonight’s The Night, Loaded, and other rare moments when distinct musical voices have delivered very straightforward yet compelling rock’n’roll. Their story in sounds, words, and images.
April 2006: ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK:
WHITE HASSLE, SXSW, AND MARDI GRAS
The Night Train’s been busy rolling around. Here you will find three sections involving New Yorkers getting out and about in the world: White Hassle’s Marcellus Hall’s European tour diary and my accounts of South by Southwest and Mardi Gras. The memoirs include extras such as Marcellus Hall’s illustrations, Deb Pastor’s photographs, MP3s, and more.
February, 2006: KATRINA AND BEYOND:
THE NEW ORLEANS NINTH WARD UNDERGROUND MUSIC SCENE
Katrina, its aftermath, and what it means for one of America’s most distinctive and under-rated underground music communities. First-person accounts from New Orleans’ Ninth Ward musicians, biographical materials, MP3s, photos, a guide to underground music events during Mardi Gras, a list of charities to help out, MC Trachiotomy’s World Famous Eggs Poggi recipe, and web links to initiate your journey into the Ninth Ward’s musical underground.
November 2005/January 2006: KIDCONGO POWERS:
MEGA-FEATURE Pts. 1 and 2:
The first two issues of NYNT. Dedicated to the life and music of guitar legend Kid Congo Powers. In-depth oral history covers his musical journey around the world with The Cramps, The Gun Club, Tex Perkins, The Legendary Stardust Cowboy, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Congo Norvell, Knoxville Girls, Khan, Kid Congo and the Pink Monke Birds, and many more. A comprehensive guide to his discography, personal scrapbooks, photos, MP3s and many other resources can be found here.
