Tamra Spivey of Lucid Nation: "Bruised Fruit"

"Bruised Fruit"

"You have to go through a pile of bruised fruit to get to
any good ones, if there's any unbruised at all."

Am I lucky or star-crossed when it comes to musicians? I've recorded with amazing musicians, from the unknown to the famous. I've had a number one record on college radio without touring or promotion. But the one thing I've never had was a real band where each member is every other member's fan. As a singer I've always wanted to know what it would feel like to have true believers eager for me to do my thing once they hit that first chord. But I've never been able to find that band. Yet I have musical accomplishments and experiences I'm proud of. So for anybody stuck without their dream band, here are a few things I've learned.

If you're a musician you know how difficult it is to get a band together and how much harder it is to keep a band together. Personal issues like jobs and relationships, family and otherwise, or the lack there of, can be fractures in the foundation that create big problems down the road.

I've been lucky to have some wonderful old school music biz mentors even though I've always avoided the music biz. Once when I complained to Nitebob about band drama his succinct reply in his great New York accent was: "Bruised fruit." You have to go through a pile of bruised fruit to get to any good ones, if there's any unbruised at all.

The first rule of my musician strategy is to keep my mouth shut and let potential musical partners reveal what they're really made of. They always do. Despite all the writing about and by me online, and all the music I have online, well over a hundred songs and videos, I have an advantage, because people still walk into my house and treat me like a dipshit.

Dare to be passive and quiet. That invites bullies and acting out, and you want to see that now before you waste too much time. Never try to force the band to work. Don't dangle rewards, or try to cure or otherwise heal your musicians, don't force them by dominating them, or stunning them with your virtuoso brilliance. Success won't make it better, it will make it worse. Chill out. The good ones will chill out with you, and rapport will be revealed.

Your band is not your family. Don't romanticize your band. You are neither a tribe of hunter gatherers nor a sports team. If your family experience was unsupportive or repressive you're all the more likely to try to have deep bromances with your musicians. I think that kind of thing worked when bands of boys traveled the world banging underage fans, doing all the drugs in town, and getting paid in cash by managers carrying guns, yes I'm talking to you Led Zeppelin. But these days? Are you a musician or a Civil War re-enactor? You can have all the joy of making music together without the dysfunctional enmeshment if you try. That way you can stay focused on the music, instead of getting tripped up in drama.

We live in the digital age. For some musicians band trouble leads to a complete retreat into one man band complex. While the mad scientist approach can be very productive playing with other musicians can open whole new worlds so don't give up on playing with other musicians. Make digital work for you. Record every rehearsal, every jam, somebody you play with only a few times or once may come up with a perfect riff or hook that you can sample. Be sure to credit them. Acknowledge that magical band moment the music granted you.

Despite all this, somewhere out there right now the miraculous chemistry of a great band is happening to people in different genres of music all over the world. Some might even survive long enough for us to hear them.

-Tamra Spivey

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Tamra Spivey is an occasional contributor to the Bigfoot Diaries and a full time member of Lucid Nation, an L.A. based rock/punk band which has featured artists who have been a part of L7, Hole, Lucious Jackson, and Blondie.

From Rolling Stone Magazine: "If Spivey sounds spacey, she's not. Her songs range from aggressive, screaming punk to beautifully melodic rhythm and blues, the very definition of garage-rock. Like Sleater-Kinney and Bikini Kill -- Lucid Nation has opened for both -- her band's music is raw, poetic, sloppy and infectious, and Tacoma Ballet is simply a bare-bones, kick-ass rock and roll record."
-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Pertinent Links:

Lucid Nation Youtube
Lucid Nation Facebook
Lucid Nation on Wiki

Samantha Interviews Pavla Jonssonova

Pavla Jonssonova is the singer, guitarist, and bassist for the underground  Czech Republic rock group, Zuby Nehty. She formed the band in 1980 under the name, Plyn ("Gas") with Marka Míková and poet Naďa Bilincová. They performed at alternative music festivals throughout Czechoslovakia and at the famous 007 Club in Hradcany, Tisnova. They were a huge underground success and flaunted their anarchist views through a fused mixture of rock, jazz and punk. They gained popularity fast, and eventually the authorities began to catch on to the crowds they were drawing and their anti-establishment views.

In 1983 the band became blacklisted. "Plyn tried to pass exams that would officially allow bands to play in public." Pavla told me through email. "(Our) lyrics were found not suitable for socialist youth and the council in charge of the exams put the band on blacklist."

Not to be undercut by authority, the band simply changed it's name, to Dybbuk. It was a fitting change; in Kabbalah and European Jewish folklore, a dybbuk is a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person that must wander restlessly, burdened by former sins, until it inhabits the body of a living person... the perfect name for a band that had recently been censured by the Czechoslovakian government.

Zuby Nehty  in 2008  (Photo by Karel Suster) 

As Dybbuk, they released their first EP on Panton Records in 1986. A year later the effects of their new name wore off, and once again changed the name of the band, this time to Zuby Nehty ("Tooth and Nail").

Through tooth and nail, and various lineup changes, Zuby Nehty continues to perform today, though now the band doesn't live in an oppressed society. Through the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the communist Czech state was brought to it's knees and subsequently converged into a parliamentary republic. This occurred at around the same time as the fall of communism in Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Poland.

Then, through a process beginning in 1990 the Czechoslovakian Socialist Republic eventually separated into two different countries, becoming the Czech Republic and the Slovak Republic. Music branched out into almost all forms, from pop, to bluegrass to metal to Indie to funk. A small underground scene still exists, but Zuby Nehty had become veterans of  the industry, and have grown from their underground roots.

The band today consists of Pavla on guitar, bass and vocals, Marka Míková on keyboards, bass and vocals, Hanka Řepová on drums, and Kateřina Jirčíková on the alto sax and the flute.

Samantha L. Thomas once again exposes the beautiful world of a music scene unbeknownst to most in the western hemisphere. Her travels have pitted her with scholars and revolutionaries, and in the case of Pavla Jonssonova, she was blessed with meeting both.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------




When I first met Pavla Jonssonova it was her eclectic style and calm demeanor that caught my attention.  As a faculty member of Anglo American University in Prague and a major driving influence in the Czech community of alternative culture and music, Pavla along with her band, Zuby Nehty are driving change and empowering young people to keep embracing artistic media.

I have had the pleasure to study under Pavla through a Central and Eastern European studies program located in Prague, Czech Republic and each class offered some type of unique aspect into global alternative culture and evolution of Czech Alternative music.

As I prepare for graduate school at Anglo American University, the conversations have begun again with Pavla and I am beyond delighted to know her not only as a former student but also a global friend.  Pavla is the kind of woman that empowers people to value and appreciate they’re uniqueness and diversity.

Pavla  on bass, Hanka Řepová on drums

Who are your biggest musical influences?

King Crimson, Frank Zappa, Pink Floyd and also The Beatles, Rolling Stones.

Why did you start making music? 

I adored music, lived by it breathed by it. It made me high.

What are your thoughts on the underground musical movement in CZ before and after the fall of communism?

I loved the underground, wanted to be part of it, they were the best, so funny, so on edge, so authentic- After 1989 it is just a nostalgic memory.

How did your band form?

I started playing with my high school friend, Hanka, we wrote a couple of our own songs and played them on guitars. Then other friends joined in.

What other forms of art inspire you?

Literature, film, art, theatre.

What advice would you give to young musicians today?

Never give up.

Tell me a punk rock fairy tale..

There are some in Czech..Some said that when we played at Lucerna we were so high on adrenaline we could float through the roof. 

Pavla continues to be a driving force in music and alternative culture around the world and I am thrilled to know her on many levels.  I hope that her energy, strength and creativity continue to bring encouragement to individuals around the world.

-Samantha

Samantha and the Nepal Arts Therapy Crusade

One year ago I began developing a project devoted to arts therapy in developing countries. Little did I know that this project would forever change the way I viewed life, culture and society.  The plan was merely just supposed to be a week of teaching arts classes to kids in Kathmandu, Nepal, just a week of volunteering my time in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. 

How on Earth was one week enough? 

In one week I changed my views so heavily that I caused a personal crusade and a fight that no matter what adversity I face, I simply refuse to give up.

"One of the most beautiful places on Earth." 

What started as a simple series of therapeutic arts projects has turned into a blue print for sustainable art studios and a counseling program with a partnership resident artist program developing as well.  The importance of such a project is exponential, if Nepal Arts Therapy could gain funding it would mean the program could be fully infiltrated and I could be spending the next year in Nepal working with communities to help launch the studios and the therapy program which would mean individuals gaining access to job trainings and educational resources that they do not have.

I’ve got precisely 12 months before I would like to bring this program back to Kathmandu and throughout the next 12 months I plan to blog about it. 

Yes I will write about music and art as well- we cannot ignore the existing global underground movements around the world. However, Nepal is on my mind and the process of procuring funding, developing framework and problematic semi-social and political situations along the way are worthy of writing about; it is imperative that we all become a little more aware of what is going on around the world..

"Nepal Art Therapy is my crusade to street children who are directly affected
by poverty, human trafficking, rape and violence. "

By now you have come to the conclusion I am some hipster do “gooder” person who is only out to look trendy-let’s get one thing straight I developed this program while sitting in a pension that had no hot water and minimal electricity, I wrote the program in my notebook while in bed with a temperature of 102.  Nepal Arts Therapy is my crusade to street children and women who are directly affected by poverty, human trafficking, rape and violence.

Do I have your attention yet? Are you ready to hear the stories? Are you ready to take a stand? Can you find a way to step up and help? Have you ever wanted to assist in grassroots organizing?

Why is this program important you might ask? Why is Nepal in such great need? How can sustainable development further help benefit those in need? Why is it our responsibility to help them? Why not focus on our own communities who are enduring their own fiscal challenges?  In future weeks to come I shall be exploring the issues faced by Nepali communities, I shall also go into a greater explanation of alternative music and culture in their developing world. 

- Samantha

A Thousand Words: Featuring Aaron B. Engler

I first noticed Aaron Bradley Engler's photography about a year ago when I was looking through some pictures that the Family Groove Company had posted on Facebook. There were a couple that caught my eye, that seemed to "stick out" more than the others. I emailed the band's bassist, Janis Wallin, and asked if she knew who had taken the photos. I was writing a preview for a Family Groove Show show that was coming up in Des Moines, and I really wanted to use these particular photos for the article. So it was Janis who turned me to Aaron, although it was his pictures that initially grabbed my attention.

Aaron Bradley Engler: Self Portrait

Aaron was born in Chicago and raised in the northwest suburbs. He is a self taught photographer who learned his craft by watching others and constant experimentation. He attended classes at the Harrington College of Design, but due to a growing substance abuse problem, he took a medical leave after just one semester at the college. He worked through his struggles and no longer relies on drugs to get through his day.

"I'm clean now and I channel my energy into my photo work," he told me in an email. "I've turned my life around."

He's maintained a constant photography "career" by making connections in the Chicago music scene and using that network to shoot band promotion photos, live shots, and anything else that he is asked to do. His real job is in the field of heating and cooling, and even that allows him to get on top of buildings and other places that he normally wouldn't have access to, and to have those rare opportunities to get shots that otherwise might not be available to him. 

My personal favorite photo of his is one he took of the Chicago stop on the city's Redline train route. When I lived in Chicago for a breief time in 1998, this was the stop where I got off to go to my job on State Street. When I saw it posted on his Facebook photography page, I recognized it immediately as the Chicago stop. 

The Redline Chicago stop in downtown Chicago
(Click this, and all photos to enlarge)

At 25 years old, Aaron Bradley Engler is one of the rising stars on Chicago's music scene in terms of photography. Enjoy the photos he picked out for this article, as I let him tell you his story in his own words. 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Well first off, I just wanted to say how honored I feel to have Troy ask me to be a part of his blog! I really dig what he is doing. So this is the part when I tell a bit about myself and how I got into photography. I have always been into art. At a young age I got into graffiti art but after a couple of arrests by the local police I kinda decided to stick to making graffiti on paper instead of on local businesses. I appreciate any form of art, the biggest being music. I cannot read music or play a single note for the life of me but listening to music has always been a huge part of my life. Music does wonders for my mind and emotions. Music can calm me down, pump me up, motivate me, bring me out of a bad mood, help me concentrate, or put me to sleep. Music has always been a constant in my life. From punk music, classic rock, rap, hip-hop, metal, electronic, jam, I listen to it all! I started going to tons of concerts when I was twelve...mostly punk rock shows back in the day.

As I got older, my taste in music changed. In 2008, I was in Milwaukee attending a concert of one of my favorite bands, Sound Tribe Sector 9, and during the show I looked over and saw a pro photographer snapping pics. My mind began to race as if it wasn’t already racing a million miles a second! (Come on, I was at an STS9 show!) I had all these thoughts about how cool it would be to be a live music photographer. I decided right there that I was going to invest in a camera.

So about a month after that show I went into Wolf Camera and left with a brand new Canon Rebel, two beginner lenses, and a bag. I was set! At first, I had to sneak my camera into shows because I had a “pro” camera and no media pass. But that all changed when I met this guy named Adam at Wicker Park Fest 2008. It turned out that Adam, who is now one of my best friends, knows a bunch of people in the Chicago jam scene. One of his good friends is Felix Moreno, the bassist in Chicago’s own Future Rock. I began shooting Future Rock shows on the regular and they liked my work. So Felix introduced me to one of Chicago’s best music promotions company called Silver Wrapper. Things took off from that point. I was able to shoot every concert Silver Wrapper put on or promoted, which included pretty much all of my favorite artists in that scene.

I am also the lead photographer for Partyline Chicago. They help promote local artists and cover a wide range of events by featuring photos and running contests for tickets to shows and music festivals. I’ve had the privilege of shooting many major music festivals such as Rothbury, Electric Forest, Bear Creek, Summer Camp, North Coast, Pitchfork and Summer Set. Many artists like Bassnectar, Lotus, Future Rock, Family Groove Company, AutoBody, The Coop, and Punch Cabbie have used my work on either their websites, podcasts, or press kits.

My work has never been published in print yet but that’s something to shoot for! (pun intended) I’ve come to discover that photography is my biggest passion in life and I hope to make a career out of it.

I’d like to share a few photos of my work with you. I tried picking photos of different styles and subjects that I’ve shot, not just of shows. This was pretty hard to do. I picked out about twenty images but eventually narrowed it down to just eight.

This first photo was taken in Chicago in January of 2008, just a few months after I bought my camera. It’s of Guillermo Scott Herron, otherwise known as Prefuse 73. He was opening for the Disco Biscuits. This was the first show I photographed at the legendary Congress Theater. I had no photo pass so I had to sneak my camera in past security. Since I would have needed a photo pass to shoot in the pit, I had the idea to tip the security guard twenty bucks to let me inside. For those of you that don’t know what a photo pit is, it’s the space between the crowd and the front of the stage, reserved for the media. So once I got in, I began shooting very nervously and this is one of the first shots I got.

This photo is one of my HDR shots. High Dynamic Range imaging is when 3 or more shots, each taken at different exposures, are then layered on top of each other to make one solid image. This technique creates a much stronger, detailed image. This photo is three images compiled into one. I took this sometime in 2009 when I got into urban exploration. I was driving around Gary, Indiana, searching for cool abandoned buildings and I came across this deteriorated factory. I parked my car and wandered inside. I saw this half-knocked down wall and the jagged edge where it broke apart from the rest of the wall. I set up my tripod and pressed the remote trigger. What I got didn’t look like this at first. I had to compile the three shots when I got home on a special program and when the process was done, this is what I got!

This photo was taken on NYE 2011 at the Kinetic Playground. As you can see, it was used for Future Rock’s podcast from that show. I’m really proud of this one and super stoked they used it! It was always difficult to photograph a show at this location because of how dimly lit this location is. That venue was always a dark dungeon and on this night Future Rock was playing to a sold out crowd and I could barely move around. For this image, I simply raised my camera above my head and snapped the shot and hoped I got something worthwhile!

I took this shot while I was installing an air conditioner on a roof of a building along 90 and the Ohio Street exit. I normally don’t carry my camera with me when I work, but I knew I was going to be at that specific building...I made sure to bring my camera, knowing the view would make a great picture.

This is a promo shot of local Chicago jam/electronica band, The Coop. They had contacted me asking if I do promo work and I really hadn’t before but I figured how hard could it be? I asked them if they had an idea of a location where we could do the shoot. They left it up to me. I took them to an abandoned candy factory that I had been to many times doing my urban exploring adventures. I always thought that the candy factory would make a great location for a promo shoot for a band. The guys LOVED the idea, so it was a go! With this shot I used my external Canon Speedlite 430x attached to an extension cable. I had the band’s manager hold the flash for me about six feet to my right to give the shot more dynamic lighting instead of directly in front. That would be too boring. So I made due with what I had and this is one of the many shots that came from the shoot at the abandoned Brach’s candy factory!

This photograph is one of my favorite DJ shots. This is DJ Solo performing at Wolf Pack’s pre-party for North Coast Music Festival. This shot was taken at Smartbar Chicago at the end of summer 2012. He took his hands off the decks for two seconds and looked up at my camera and CLICK! The dopest shot I’ve got of a DJ.

I had to include this photo of Bassnectar’s set at Summer Camp 2011. I love this image because I think I did a good job of capturing the madness that takes place at a Bassnectar show! I just love the energy this photo portrays.

This last photo is of the Jackson Redline/Blueline transfer tunnel, underground downtown Chicago at 6:30 am. It was taken and edited solely on my iPhone 4S. I’m especially proud of this shot because I’ve tried so many times to get a shot of this tunnel with nobody in it but there aren’t many chances when it’s completely empty, unless it’s in the middle of the night. And in the morning, I’m definitely not going to sit and wait for it to clear out. I don’t think my boss would like the reason for being late to work being because I needed to wait for the Jackson tunnel to clear so I could get a cool photo!

So these are just a few examples of my work. I hope you enjoyed this article. Peace!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ab Photographie on Facebook 

Ab Photographie on Flicker

Ab Photographie on Instagram: @Aaronbradleyphoto

Bryan's List of Musical Happenings 2/4/13

Monday, February 4

Findlay Family Fun Fest at Greenwood 7:00
One More Time - A Tribute to Daft Punk at Wooly's 9:00

Tuesday, February 5

Ben Wantland at el Bait Shop 8:00
Highroller Express at Greenwood 9:00

Reeferseed Express at a recent gig at Byron's in Pomeroy.
They will be playing the Hull Avenue Tavern on Wednesday
(Photo by Roger Feldhans) 

Wednesday, February 6

Reeferseed Express at Hull Avenue Tavern 6:00
Rob Lumbard at Fire Creek, WDM 6:30
Bob Pace Band at Zimm's 7:00
B. John Burns at Greenwood 7:30
Courtney Krause at Raccoon River's Songwriter Night 7:30
Brother Trucker at el Bait Shop 8:00
The Snacks at the Underground 9:00

Thursday, February 7

Time Well Wasted at Coda Lounge, Savery Hotel 6:00
B Well at Vaudeville Mews 7:00 (all ages) 
Jason Boland and the Stragglers, Bright Giant at Wooly's 7:00
Jason Walsmith at Confluence Brewing Co. 7:30
Open Jam featuring Scott Long Band at Gas Lamp 9:00]
Soul Searchers at Greenwood 9:00

Friday, February 8

Work release Party with Bob Pace Band at Gas Lamp 4:30
Joe and Vicki Price at the GrapeVine, Clive 7:00
Digitally Displayed Poets at Ritual Cafe 7:00
Thankful Dirt at Fire Creek, WDM 7:00
Ken Stringfellow with Gloom Balloon, Devin Frank, and Jordan Mayland Vaudeville Mews 8:00
Trampled By Turtles, Actual Wolf at Wooly's 8:00
Sutherland, Ankum and Thompson at Greenwood 9:00
Glovebox Whiskey at the Hull Avenue Tavern 9:30
Numbered Existence, Dueling at Dawn, Illegal Smile at House of Bricks 9:30

Tulsa punk band Broncho will be at the Vaudeville Mews this Saturday.

Saturday, February 9th

Curtis and Loretta at the Ritual Cafe 7:00
Heather Styka at the GrapeVine, Clive 7:00
Joe and Vicki Price with the Typical Males at Byron's, Pomeroy 8:00
Broncho with Skating Polly, Holy White Hounds, John the Bastard, and Foxholes at Vaudeville Mews 8:00
Maximillian Eubank at the Underground 9:00
The End: A Tribute to the Beatles at Wooly's 9:00
Thankful Dirt with Randall Davis at Raccoon River Brewery 9:00
Rick Burke at Greenwood 9:00
Surf Zombies, the Blendours, and the Wheelers at Gas Lamp 9:00

Sunday, February 10th

Botanical Blues: Terry Shropshire at the Botanical Center 1:00
Micawber with Amass the Grave, Asylum, They Will Repent, Shadow of Indra at Vaudeville Mews 5:30 (all ages) 
Mingo Fishtrap at House of Bricks 7:00
Drama Kings at el Bait Shop 8:00

Five Questions with... Sonny Curtis

Sometimes there is no justice in asking only five questions.

Take Sonny Curtis for example. Here is a man who has covered the spectrum as far as a professional music career goes. He was at ground zero in terms of American rock and roll; a pioneer who played guitar alongside the likes of Carl Perkins, Hank Snow, Elvis Presley, and Johnny Cash. He was a boyhood friend of Buddy Holly and spent countless hours with him in his parent's house in Lubbock, Texas picking out new tunes and literally reshaping American music.

Sonny Curtis in the recording studio with Vicki Lawrence 1973
(This and all photos taken from Sonny Curtis's official website)

After Holly's tragic death in 1959 he toured with the Crickets relentlessly (he still does to this day) and also played guitar with the Everly Brothers throughout the '60s. In 1958 he penned one of the great rock and roll rebellions of all time, "I Fought the Law," which became the signature song for Bobby Fuller in 1965. Curtis has the distinction of being the first person in history to have made a Rock and Roll recording playing a Fender Stratocaster.

Curtis played alongside long time friend Waylon Jennings for five years during the '70s at the peak of a genre known as "Outlaw Country." He and Waylon had a long history together, knowing each other through association with Buddy Holly and as a member of The Crickets.

"I admired him so much," Waylon once said of Curtis. "I wanted to change my name to Sonny. I even tried to stand like him."

Sonny Curtis is a very successful songwriter who has written jingles for commercials, theme songs for TV shows (including "Love is All Around" for the Mary Tyler Moore show and the theme for Evening Shade), as well as songs for The Everly Brothers, Leo Sayer, Andy Williams, Glen Campbell, and Ricky Skaggs to name a few. In 1991, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame by the Nashville Songwriters Association International.

He has shared the stage with such dignitaries as Keith Richards (who presented Curtis his induction to the Musician's Hall of Fame in Nashville), Brian May of Queen, Albert Lee, Paul McCartney, and the Grateful Dead. He has played with such contemporaries as Nanci Griffith and Don Henley. Griffith once said of Curtis, "Nobody played Stratocaster like Buddy or Sonny Curtis. They had just enough West Texas dirt underneath their fingernails. There was something about the way they played that made it special."

Sonny jamming with Keith Richards at
The Musicians Hall of Fame ceremony

Today is the 54th anniversary of the plane crash that tragically killed Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens. While I would love to corner Sonny sometime and ask him about other aspects of his life, I felt that he was a logical choice to help us to pay homage to his boyhood friend Buddy Holly. Mr. Curtis has been extremely gracious, and I want to say that it is an absolute honor to have him involved with the Bigfoot Diaries.

How did you meet Buddy Holly and what was your immediate attraction to him?

Buddy went to Lubbock High School and I went to a very small school, Meadow High, 30 miles to the southwest. When I was about fifteen, my good friend, Olan Finley, moved to Lubbock and would come home on weekends extolling the talents of Buddy and Bob (Montgomery) who were picking at assembly programs at school. I, of course, was interested in anyone who played music. One day Olan and I met Bob when he got off the school bus and drove over to Buddy’s house. We said hello, skipped the small talk and started pickin’. What we had in common was that we were the same age and loved to play music. We became fast friends.

Obviously rock and roll wasn't widely accepted in the mid '50s. Would you tell me a little bit about those "controversial" days?

I think it's human nature for parents of whatever era to have felt, and to feel uneasy about whatever musical fad their kids are into, and sometimes with good reason. I’m sure in the forties, parents vilified Frank Sinatra and thought their bobbysoxer kids were going to hell in a hand basket. I’m sure you’re aware that when Elvis did the Ed Sullivan Show the first time, his gyrations impelled the network show him from the waist up only. We all fell right in line and greased our hair into pompadours, strapped on pink and black clothing, turned our collars up and started rocking. We picked on KDAV’s Sunday Party, sock hops, grocery store parking lots, and what were considered some pretty wild joints. One night at one of those gigs, the local newspaper came in and photographed teenagers doing the dirty bop. They put black strips over our eyes so people would be unable to make out who we were. Yeah, sure! It was all good fun.

Jerry Allison on drums, Buddy, and Sonny Curtis
(Buddy is playing Elvis's guitar)

Where were you and what were you doing when you received word of Buddy's death?

J. I. (Jerry Ivan Allison) and Peggy Sue Allison and I had driven from Clovis, New Mexico where we were living. I spent the night with them at J. I.’s folks house in Lubbock. Early the next morning as I was having coffee with J. I.’s mom, the lady from across the street came over and told us the news. I had the sad task of waking J. I. and breaking the news to him.

Sonny, Buddy Holly, and Don Guess 1956

What do you remember about the day of his funeral?

I have very vivid memories of the funeral. I remember the recording of the plaintiff ballad, one of Buddy’s favorite songs, at the beginning of the service. It was unbelievable, but the unbelievable was occurring. I remember the slow ride from the church to the cemetery with the other pallbearers. It was all very sad.

What was it like to take over for Buddy after his death? 

Well, I didn't take over for Buddy right away.  J. I. and Joe B. asked Earl Sinks from Amarillo to sing in the group and me to play lead guitar, which I had done before in the Three Tunes.  Buddy had moved to New York and I can tell you that none of us thought much about it.  Buddy was still alive and not quite the icon that he became later.  It was a gig and we gave it our all.  When I did become lead singer and guitarist, I never tried to imitate Buddy.  I knew that our audience wanted to hear the songs the way they knew them, i.e., as close to the arrangement as possible, but I injected myself into the songs.  I did them the way I felt them.  As for Buddy's hiccups (so to speak), I knew they had to be there, but they were Buddy's, not mine.  I chose to down play them rather than exaggerate them.  I treated them as part of the arrangement.  Those songs are great and I found it very easy to adapt. That's the short answer.  I don't need to go on and on. I'll just say that going on stage with J. I. and Joe B. for all these years has been a real joy.

(Bonus question:) In your own words, what did Buddy Holly and the Crickets mean to rock and roll?

Buddy Holly was certainly a pioneer and is one of the icons of Rock and Roll. He churned out a lot of music during his short life and his contribution is immeasurable. J. I. and Joe B. certainly deserve a lot of credit for their contribution. I’d rather not speculate on my own contribution. I’ll leave that to someone else. I will say that Rock and Roll has probably done more for me than I’ve done for it.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If you liked this article you might also like these pages:

The Official Website of Sonny Curtis

The Official Website for the Musicians Hall of Fame

The Bigfoot Diaries: Remembering Buddy Holly

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Winterthrall-The Vex,Los Angeles,-2/1/13

This benefit show was for the "Metal Dude's Cat Book". It's a book coming out soon with pictures of metal heads with cats. 'Cause they go together like PB and J. Money also went to a no-kill cat shelter. So it was a nice show knowing my money saved a cute kitten. When the book gets out all the book's money will also be going to the same shelter. Metal and Kitty's forever!

Starting off the show was a Sludge band called Nagual Sun. They started off with a really cool Drone jam then went to 4 songs of Sludge. And even though I'm not a fan of the genre, I thought they did a great job and enjoyed the set very much. The drummer has to be the most impressive drummer I've seen live. He had to stand to play certain parts and what not. They need a bass player by the way.

Nagual Sun

Up next was one LA's very own Cobra Venom. They play a lot and (correct me if I'm wrong) include members of the Black/Death Metal band Gravehill (who kick a lot of ass). Cobra kicked a lot of ass themselves. Idon't know how to describe their music so I'm gonna say Thrash mixed with Punk and D-Beat?? Idon't know! But they did rule and a group of kids showed up just to see them. They play a lot with DIS and Temple Of  Dagon (local favorites) so I gotta catch 'em again soon. They have album out called "Extinction Reality". Gotta look for it.

Cobra Venom

The main reason I went to this was to see LA's very own Harassor. I've been crazy about this band since their first full-length in 2011 but still have failed to see 'em live. They released 2 albums in 2012 and were some of the best music I heard that year. They got on stage and set up. Lead singer Pete Majors, was getting ready by putting fake blood all over his head. All he had to was head bang to get it everywhere. They stated on how they all love cats and were glad to be on this bill. Pete yelled out a gigantic screech and the band gave one ferocious show. They all gave it 100% and did not disappoint. They played a lot of new songs that are going to be on the new album (4th album in 3 years, they work hard). And even though I wasn't quite familiar with some stuff it kicked so much ass and makes me quite excited for the new album. Pete ended up off the stage and circling around the 3 of us that were headbanging and just sung around like that for a while.

It was awesome. They played one of hell of a set and it made my night worth it. I gotta see these guys way more often. I bought a shirt of the drummer who isf one really nice dude. All 3 members also have side projects that all kick all sorts of ass. Harassor is defiantly one of my favorite local bands,studio and live.

Harassor''s first two albums download link.

Harassor

Returning from the dead for this show was The Cauterized. Total old skool Death Metal worship featuring members of Lightning Swords Of Death. I've heard about these guys before and they did not disappoint. Thought the crowd was dead most of the show,I'm sure most people would absolutely love this band. I dug 'em . They have two albums out, Hung Be The Heavens With Black and Reborn In Blood. Get 'em for all your Death Metal needs.

Headlining was Winterthrall. Black/Death Metal featuring my favorite drummer Rob Alaniz (Evildead, Despise You, Anger Is Art,etc). and singer/guitar player Steve Nelson (Noctuary, Evildead, Destroy Judas,etc). Also on bass now is (not pictured) Janis Tanaka (L7, Pagan Babies,etc). It was already  1 AM and I was about to jam a bit early but the set they played was way too good to leave. Their guitar player, Josh Standifer, played one great guitar, and you guys know I usually don't care for musicianship. He was really good. The whole band played a really heavy but in some way beautiful set. Only bummer was I couldn't hear the vocals but the rest of the band made up for it. This is NOTHING like Evildead or Despise You, but it kicks some serious ass. It was a short set, but they played really well, and I gotta see 'em again. check out the album Nightmares For The Sleepless. 

Winterthrall

Good Luck Metal Dude on your Cat Book! I look forward to it!

Don Larkin: 43 Jesus Channels

I got 43 Jesus channels on the satellite tv
And Timmy marrying Tommy still don’t bother me
Hi definition politician trying to steal my vote
Red neck cat fishin’ he don’t need no boat
Texting conversation taking all my time
Roger that good buddy but it ain’t my dime
Lazy boy recliner never touches the wall
Whatcha bitchin’ bout people hey we got it all

Soccer mom’s bumper sticker says we can never forget
While a kinder gentler nation builds a great big fence
Kids drinking coffee, yeah young, wired and high
If everybody is a winner are the losers gonna cry
Americans getting chubby, lets blame arches and that clown
Get some pills for your mind if you’re feeling down
Policeman for the world and yet we still walk tall
Whatcha bitchin’ bout people ain’t we got it all

School yard bully knows he ain’t in Kansas any more
Preacher man testifying so why we keeping score
One nation under God, well I mean, you know except
Homeless vet in a wheelchair he’s gotta box for his bed
Oil fields are getting bloody, rich man hands stay clean
Pepper spray won’t buy silence if you know what I mean
43 Jesus channels while the baby learns to crawl
Whatcha bitchin’ bout people goddamn we got it all

-Written by Don Larkin

Remembering Buddy Holly In His Final Hours

It would come to be known as "The Tour From Hell."

Waylon Jennings, Buddy Holly, and Tommy Allsup 1959

Buddy Holly and a hand picked, tour-friendly version of the Crickets (which included Tommy Allsup, Carl Bunch and Waylon Jennings) boarded a train in New York City headed for Chicago. There, they rendezvoused with other bands on the Winter Dance Party ticket: Dion and the Belmonts, Frankie Sardo, Ritchie Valens, and J.P. (Big Bopper) Richardson - for a 24 city tour across the upper Midwest. 

It was a crazy schedule and it involved constant crisscrossing from state to state in a way that was niether travel nor time efficient.

Neither travel nor time was efficient.

Obviously during January and February the upper Midwest can provide some brutal weather and 1959 was no exception. The windblown snow seemed to fall relentlessly, forming wicked drifts on the icy stretches of concrete between cities. Temps were falling into the negatives during the nights, and the old bus, mobbed by the cold, broke down routinely. This left the musicians to temporarily fend for themselves out in the elements, which they weren't materially prepared for. Just a week into the tour, Crickets drummer Carl Bunch got a case of frost bite on his feet during a break down after shows in  Fort Dodge, Iowa, and Duluth, Minnesota. He was forced to seek care in Ironwood, Michigan while en-route to a matinee gig in Appleton, Wisconsin. That gig was subsequently cancelled, and the rest of the fellas hopped a train to take them up to Green Bay, where they were told a repaired bus would meet them the following morning after their concert at The Riverside Ballroom.

The train was gentle relief. The troupe arrived in Green Bay early, and morale began to pick up a bit. The concert at the Riverside went off without a hitch and afterwards, they were welcomed into a warm night of cozy rest... A far cry from the freezing cold struggles they continuously encountered while travelling on the frigid bus.

The next day, February 2nd, they woke up to a day of travel. The bus had arrived, and while the engine repairs had been successful the bus was now having issues with the heater not working properly. It was cold inside the bus and it didn't take long for morale to start slipping again. The old dilapidated bus had begun to gnaw at the nerves of the travelling musicians, and they were losing steam fast. To make matters worse, The Big Bopper had taken ill and was running a fever. He was already very uncomfortable while travelling, as his big body was a tight fit inside the tiny bus seats, and having a fever only contributed to his discomfort. Still, the bus trudged onward, despite the declination of the passengers' spirit.

Late that afternoon the bus arrived in Clear Lake, Iowa at the Surf Ballroom. Holly especially had grown tired of the constant bus issues, and was irritated. This frustration became anger when he discovered that the only laundromat in town had already closed for the day. He had spent the entire day looking forward to washing his clothes in Clear Lake and having clean t-shirts and underwear to wear as they made their way up to their next gig in Moorhead, Minnesota. He suggested to Allsup and Jennings that maybe they should charter a plane to Fargo, North Dakota (near Moorhead) and bypass the long uncomfortable ride on the ice-cold bus. That would allow Buddy some extra time to get his laundry caught up, plus it would mean not sharing in the misery of riding on the old coach. Buddy asked Carroll Anderson, the manager of the Surf Ballroom if he could arrange for a plane. Carroll called Dwyer's Flying Service in Mason City to make arrangements for a late night flight. Dwyer agreed, and the cost for each passenger would be 36 dollars. Along with the pilot the three remaining Crickets would fit perfectly in the four-seat Beechcraft Bonanza.

Despite warnings of an oncoming blizzard, fans were eager to be a part of this rock and roll craze. Ironically, The Surf Ballroom wasn't even a part of the original tour schedule. Looking to fill holes in the concert  tour, the promoters called Carroll Anderson and offered him a show. Rock and Roll was still in it's infancy in 1959, and it generated enough excitement that Anderson figured it was a safe bet. He agreed to provide the Surf for a concert, and it was set for February 2nd.

Anderson was right. Over 1100 fans adoringly showed up to check out this new and dangerous sound. Holly was among the first musicians to use the Fender Stratocaster guitar and it generated a sound that was literally unheard of to the throngs of fans who made their way to the old ballrooms and armories along the Winter Dance Party tour. The concert was a complete success in every way. After the show, Buddy met with his band mates backstage. He looked forward to taking a plane to Moorhead, and several of the other musicians became envious. The Big Bopper, now in the depths of a full blown fever, asked Waylon Jennings if he could take his spot on the plane. Jennings, feeling a sense of sympathy obliged, and gave his seat up to Richardson.

Meanwhile, Ritchie Valens, who had an incredible fear of flying also lobbied for a seat on the plane (the conditions on the bus were that bad). He asked Tommy Allsup more than once if he would relinquish his seat, and each time Allsup said no. Eventually, Allsup suggested that they flip a coin. The loser would take the bus and the winner would get the final seat on the plane.

"Buddy told me that he had to get his stuff out of the bus and would be right back," said Allsup. "Valens was signing autographs in the dressing room and when he was done and the fans had moved on I met him at the door. He again asked me if I'd give up my seat, and I suggested flipping a coin. He agreed and I flipped a fifty-cent piece I had in my pocket. There was no one else around that witnessed the flip. I still have the coin."

Ritchie Valens won the coin toss and in a simple twist of fate, won a date with the devil.

Big Bopper, Ritchie Valens, and Buddy Holly
1959

The bus took the caravan to Mason City, where Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper were to be dropped off at the airfield. Jerry Dwyer, who owned the airfield was an experienced pilot who had several years of flying under his cap. However, when the caravan arrived, he was not there. Waiting for them was a young pilot named Roger Peterson who, despite a relative lack of experience, had no qualms about flying the small chartered plane into the inclement weather. He offered to take the three musicians to Fargo, and not knowing better or worse, Holly, Valens, and Richardson climbed aboard.

"Hey Waylon," Buddy called to Jennings. "You aren't coming with me?"

"No... J.P. needs it a hell of a lot more than I do."

"Well,"Buddy teased, "I hope your old bus freezes up again".

Jennings then snapped back a comment that would haunt him the rest of his life. "Well, hell," he said to Buddy, "I hope your old plane crashes!"

At approximately 1:00 AM on February 3rd, 1959, the shaky aircraft rattled down the runway just as Jerry Dwyer arrived at the airfield. He saw it lift itself off of the runway into the night, and watched as it disappeared out of sight. Contrary to popular belief, there was no blizzard at the time but a very light snowfall with winds out of the south at 20 knots, gusting to 30 knots and a cloud ceiling of 3,000 feet above sea level. By 3:30 AM when Hector Airport in Fargo, North Dakota, had not heard from Peterson, Dwyer contacted authorities and reported the aircraft missing. He then boarded his own Cessna to fly the intended route of  the young pilot Roger Peterson. Just 6 miles northwest of Mason City he spotted the wreckage in a cornfield of a family friend, a farmer named Albert Juhl.

The crash killed everybody on board, thus sealing an eternal place in Rock and Roll's legacy club. Buddy Holly's inspiration is still noticed today and has been shared by such contemporaries as Eric Clapton, Elton John, Paul McCartney, amongst several others. John Lennon has said that the first song he ever learned to play on the guitar was Holly's "That'll Be The Day." Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Bruce Springsteen, The Grateful Dead, and Bob Dylan are among other stars who list Holly a a major influence.

Buddy Holly was just 22 years old when he died. His entire music career only lasted a year and a half. The Big Bopper was 28. Ritchie Valens was only 17.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

* This article was first published on February 2nd, 2012. 

Bob Patton: ILL-Logic

Drawn exclusively for the Bigfoot Diaries by Robert Patton
(Click on photo to enlarge)