Sweet Gene Vincent

Sweet god sorry for disappearing. Andrea and I are getting ready to move, and things have just been crazy. First things first, big ups to JP McDermott and Western Bop for absolutely killing it last Saturday at the Quarry House. Starting in August, every Saturday is rockabilly night at QH. Kicking it off are JP and the Gully Jimson Quartet, two rad acts that will be better than anything else you could see that night. Have fun at the RNR Lounge, LOSERS.

Also, happy premature birthday to Sean Crowley of the Hall Monitors fame! The party was awesome, in spite of/because of George from the Points putting his head through the window and the extensive keg testing and the half naked man doing the hula hoop dance. I think "style" is what the hep cats are calling it these days.

ANYWAY. Now that we're all caught up, I'll try to give you all some more music. Andrea, Chris, and I are moving into our new place this Saturday (beer and pizza for anyone who shows up to help), so updates will continue to be intermittent. In the meantime, check out the new discs from the Methadones, the Arrivals (more on them later), Queens of the Stoneage, and Pharoahe Monch. Those'll hold you over until yours truly is done getting the internet set up and/or spending my whole paycheck at Kohl's and Bloodbath & Beyond.

If you'ver ever seen live footage of Gene Vincent and wondered why he moved the way he did (aka like the Carvel leprechaun version of Elvis), well, it's cause he was in a motorcycle accident. However, he didn't die like a pussy, he just had a limp and chronic pain for the rest of his life. The fact that he had any stage moves at all is pretty incredible, considering. I guess that's what rock 'n' roll does to you. Hell, thanks to beer and bachelor food I'm a lazy, outtashape piece of shit, but when JP and his merry band of groovecats lock onto that indestructible groove, even I get up and shake my moneymaker. In your FACE, Justin Timberlake.

Anyway, while I don't have much affection for "Be Bop a Lula" (his biggest hit) because it's a little slow and forced for my tastes, when Gene and the Blue Caps were on, they were ON. Songs about car crashes, drag racing with the devil, knocking down your girl's door, gun toting chicks, and cruisin' around looking to kick some ass all add up to sheer, unmitigated awesome. There's a reason a real prick like John Lennon looked up to him. While he didn't have the good taste to die young like Eddie Cochran did, at least he managed to screw over the IRS before moving to England for one last spurt of popularity abroad. While he did commit the ultimate rock betrayal of getting fat and singing "progressive" songs (the best of which is "Born a Rolling Stone," which sounds NOTHING like the hiccuping rebel of yore), those early songs still stand the test of time, and i wholly recommend seeking out the boxset if you can find it.

ONE FUN FACT ABOUT GENE VINCENT: The night Cochran died in a car with Vincent, the latter man's Gretsch was impounded. Soon to be famous britrocker Dave Dee was a police cadet at the time, and taught himself how to play on the guitar. Earlier that night, the guitar had been carried to the crashed limo by Mark Feld, aka Marc Bolan, aka T Rex, aka That Band That Was Awesome Half the Time But Spent the Other Half Singing Folky Unicorn Horseshit. Now you know.

Cruisin': http://www.mediafire.com/?3g41cihs1uy

Blue Jean Bop: http://www.mediafire.com/?cjditdjsdyf

Race With the Devil: http://www.mediafire.com/?ejyjulljix5

Hold Me Hug Me Rock Me: http://www.mediafire.com/?2bltywxzhyx

Born to Be a Rollin' Stone: http://www.mediafire.com/?5m2z4tg2n3u