Tag Archives: New York City

The Left Banke Ask Renee To Walk Away Again

22 Feb

Yesterday I mentioned the Left Banke in my brief discussion of bands who inspired progressive rock. Today, I not only want to explore this statement a little further, but also I want to share some excellent news. Let’s begin with some history of one of the pioneers of progressive rock.

Baroque Pop hit its mainstream success in the latter-half of the 1960s and bands like The Beatles, The Zombies and The Beach Boys sampled its fusion of pop and classical music. But one of the originators of this style of music, The Left Banke, also played it like no other. The genre in itself demarcated a different style of music that would become increasingly popular after the psychedelic movement met its mainstream end.

Progressive rock, a genre of music defined by (as I said yesterday) “creative arrangements, unusual blends of genres (like Jazz/Rock), eclectic (almost baroque) instrumentation, and classical constructions,” was clearly engendered by the promotion of baroque pop (among other things), and when The Left Banke, a band formed in New York in 1965, released “Walk Away Renee,” but more so “Pretty Ballerina” in 1966, a true pre-prog-rock staple was introduced.

The Left Banke’s founding roster included Michael Brown (keyboard, songwriter), George Cameron (guitarist), Tom Finn (bass), Warren David-Schierhorst (drums), and vocalist Steve Martin Caro. After some initial recordings David-Schierhorst was removed, Cameron switched to drums, and Jeff Winfield was brought in to play  guitar.

“Walk Away Renee” and “Pretty Ballerina” were released in 1966 in July and December, respectively. The song was written by Michael Brown (who was 16 at the time, by the way), and was written about Tom Finn’s girlfriend, who Brown was enamored with. Good thing for all. See “Layla” for another ‘I want your girl’ song that turned out to be successful. It was a huge success.  It spent 13 weeks on the charts with a top spot at #5 and several artists have covered it.

We will talk about “Pretty Ballerina” in a second. Why did The Left Banke not go on to achieve tremendous success. Well, first off, I think their music would have succeeded more in the later 1960s and early 1970s. They were bellwethers and sometimes those individuals who lead get ultimately forgotten. Also, there were some serious internal issues that ripped apart the band. Brown recorded a single without the band while using the band’s name The Left Banke. He used session musicians with Bert Sommer on lead vocals. The band legitimately split into two Left Banke’s. The radio stations were confused and pulled the song. In 1967 the band reunited and recorded some more material, but, Brown left the band soon after. The band (Cameron, Martin, Finn) moved on, brought in Emmett Lake, and recorded their second LP (some songs featured a young Steven Tyler doing background vocals).

This, my friends, is “Pretty Ballerina,” a song written by Brown, sung by Martin, and is also about Finn’s girlfriend. Man, this young dude was obsessed. Talented guy obsessed with a girl. Heard it before and will hear it again.

First off, it is clearly of baroque sentiments. The strung-out strings, rhythmic keyboard, and orchestral core (with Oboe!) help make this song what it is. It is beautiful. It is subtle, simple, and Martin’s voice is ethereal and heavenly. But there is something else in this song below the surface. While it is superficially happy, I always feel weird listening to the song. Its short length, repetitiveness, and dream-like quality, almost suggest something oddly dark in it. It’s just a strange feeling and I get that it may be sparked by the esoteric nature of the song. It is my favorite from the band and one that still is original and independent today.

Now for the Good News:

George Cameron and Tom Finn reunited for two shows at Joe’s Pub in New York City in March of 2011 and have announced that they have reformed the group. The group consists of Cameron, Finn, and other musicians. How cool!. They will be performing at BB Kings Bar and Grill in NY on April 29. They will then perform two shows in Maryland (Rockville – Parilla Performing Arts Center on May 5, and Annapolis – Rams Head on Stage on May 6.)

Considering my location (NY), I will be attending the BB Kings show and I’m exciting to see two 60s legends perform on stage. If you plan on attending the show, let me know, and we will share some drinks and enjoy some quality music.

Check out The Left Banke’s official website for information on the band and the shows: www.leftbankeband.com

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Peel the Lower East Side and Enjoy Pre-Punk Punk

4 Oct

So let me introduce to you, the one and only David Peel. Wondering why I just quoted “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band?” You will find out in due time (even though the reference doesn’t link up perfectly because McCartney wrote these lyrics even though the lyric is credited to the Lennon/McCartney songwriting duo). I’m being pedantic. Let’s move on to the first post in the new category Obscure Classic Rock.

I want to first share with you all how I heard about David Peel. Don’t worry, this is not a long, fireplace story. Actually, my father told me about David Peel last night. This is one thing I love about 60s/70s music. At times, the list of acts seems endless. It’s not, obviously. There is a fixed number. But I have done a good amount of research on 60s/70s music over the past 4-5 years (starting when I was a senior in High School), and, I’m still learning about influential acts that I had never come across previously. And that is awesome.

My dad recalled how he used to go down to Greenwich village in New York City with his buddies back in his teens (early 70s) and he would often see David Peel (born David Rosario) performing with the Lower East Side Band (apt name). Peel would sit down and talk with my dad and his friends occasionally. My dad remembers him as a nice, intelligent guy, who sang songs about marijuana and revolution. Revolution, specifically the recent Wall Street Occupation, is why Peel was brought up in conversation.

David Peel and the Lower East Side Band. Ever hear of them? No? Well did you know that they are often cited as early progenitors of punk rock? Also, did you know that Peel became incredible friends with John Lennon and Yoko Ono (there is your answer for the opening segment)? Lennon had good taste. Well, so did Peel!

David Peel (left) performing with Yoko Ono and John Lennon. Don't Lennon and Peel sort of look alike? More on this later

John Lennon once compared Peel to Pablo Picasso. A bold proclamation, indeed. Well, similar to Picasso co-founding the Cubist movement, Peel definitely had a hand in providing some inspiration to the emerging genre of punk.

Peel and the Lower East Side band first recorded music in the late 1960s. They created a blend of “street rock” that targeted topics like marijuana and the police. It was fresh and attractive to the counterculture movement. Songs like “I Like Marijuana” and “Oink Oink” were obviously scorned by authority, but enjoyed by the youthful population that gathered in Greenwich Village. Peel and the Lower East Side band was actually among the first bands to regularly perform on cable TV in Manhattan. He appeared on the public-access cable TV channel of Manhattan Cable Television. He also performed at the first Smoke-in concerts at Central Park.

It was in front of a crowd at Washington Square Park in 1971 when Lennon first saw Peel. He was quoted saying, “He was shouting: why do you have to pay to see stars? I was embarrassed. I thought surely he must know we are here. Yoko and I love his hair, snazzy tight trousers and Hai Karate aftershave.” They quickly became friends and Lennon signed Peel to Apple Records where he promptly released The Pope Smokes Dope in 1972. The record was banned in nearly every country in the world, except for the US, Japan and Canada. I don’t believe this record was playing in cafes outside the Vatican. The fervor that Peel engendered is funny. It’s very…punk! And the music backs that statement up.

I mean listen to this. “Oink, Oink” was recorded in 1968. It is like Beach Boys meets the Ramones. And this was recorded when Dee Dee Ramone was 17 years old. Punk music is rooted in US garage rock and the New York underground (bands like the Velvet Underground). Peel, like Lou Reed, sang about drugs and unsavory NYC practices. In 1969 Protopunk was founded by MC5 and the Stooges (Michigan-based bands), but I do believe that Peel was a true predecessor of the burgeoning movement and, unfortunately, he does not get the credit he does deserve.

Peel and Lennon stayed close friends, Peel adopting Lennon’s thick-glasses style, and Lennon sampling Peel’s leather coat look (similar to retro Cavern Club Beatles). The two looked so much alike that Bob Dylan actually called a picture of Peel, John Lennon, and, because everyone takes what Bob Dylan says as the truth it seems, the FBI was also fooled. A picture of Peel was in Lennon’s FBI file. Lennon did help Peel become well known and he has performed with musicians like B.B. King, ELP and Alice Cooper. Peel still records music today and his full discography can be acquired. I suggest checking him out more. He is a punk visionary. And he recorded an album entitled The Pope Smokes Dope. I mean, come on.

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9/11 – A Remembrance

9 Sep

When 9/11 is broached in conversation a constant question asked is what you remember from the day. As human beings, we are linked by our rich memories and bonded by the emotions that can forever be emitted by these mental images. The stories are telling because most of them luckily don’t involve the initial direct contact that some were unfortunate enough to observe. No, most stories involve work or school, where first notice of the traumatic events was shared by a co-worker, peer, loved one, or, in some cases, random individuals whom you will always remember because they shared with you an item of news that still gives you a knot in your  stomach today.

When the first and second plane penetrated the leviathan New York City towers, I was sitting in technology class, a 12-year-old in seventh grade. A student broke the news to the class. We were then transferred to another technology class across the hall where we sat and discussed the interruption to the normal Tuesday school day. I don’t believe our superiors knew how to handle the situation. Throughout the day, more and more classes were like this until the day ended and we were bussed home. My parents and I then sat in front of the television in their room and watched the planes hit the trade centers over and over and over again, like a movie scene on terrible repeat. And, to be honest, that is all I remember.

It seems rather peculiar that such a fateful day did not store more images in my mind. I was 12, immature and fallow. I was certainly not mature enough to fully understand the gravity of the situation. I knew that it was terrible and I felt awful, but my pre-pubescent mind did not emotionally grasp the day’s events. I was too young then. I am not, now.

As I voraciously read the remarkable 10-year-anniversary coverage completed by the New York Times, New Yorker, Newsday, among several other New York media outlets, I put myself in the mind of a 21-year-old man, just out of college, commuting to his first job at the World Trade Center, the same monstrous building that his grandparents took him to when he was a little boy – the buildings he attempted to cover with his thumb at long distances and touched with the same thumb when he was outside them looking up, up, up trying unsuccessfully to see the top. I think of a cloudless, almost relaxed Tuesday morning, where a sharp blue sky and bright sun reflected off of glass buildings and the irrepressible chatter of early-morning New Yorkers. That 21-year-old gets to work early, striped blue button down, black slacks, combed light brown hair that would darken as the sunny summer passed, a black briefcase – his entire wardrobe picked out with the help of his proud parents. He takes the elevator up and up and up, until he can see the top of the building. He sits at his desk, exchanges pleasantries with his co-workers who are already making their plans for the weekend, turns on his computer and…

We are ten years removed from 9/11 and I have become my created character, a bright-eyed 21-year-old working at his first job in the city. My quotidian routine has formed and the circadian rhythm of weekdays has been bolstered by repetition. But, you see, that 21-year-old in September of 2001 did not come home that Tuesday and he will never come home as a 31-year-old with kids of his own, and I can’t shake the fact that on Sept. 11, 2001, a date that will forever be implanted in the structure of New York City like an ineffaceable tattoo, men and women got up, went on the train, settled in at work, and died. I can’t conceive it, I can’t comprehend it, and I don’t think any one will ever be able to.

As I was reading through a variety of stories about the day, I came across a quotation from an individual who had escaped the buildings prior to their collapse. As he was evacuating the buildings, he noticed a tall, slender man, in black dress shoes plummeting to the ground outside of the window. He shook his head and the first thought to pop in his head was, ‘the firefighters have already set up nets on the bottom.’ And then he shook the thought and realized that no one could survive a fall of that many stories at the velocity they were traveling. But the irrational thought was the first to cross his mind, because when you are presented with an obscene and absurd reality, it is only human to think that everything is going to be okay. The images of those falling still seem unreal today. I have trouble even typing these words. And those who remained trapped in conference rooms or offices who called loved ones for the last time to assure them that they were trying to get out. And the emergency personnel who sacrificed their lives and climbed the burning building to try to rescue everyone they could. That’s who we should remember today. Because, when many think of 9/11 they think of the after effects. They think of how improved radio technology could have helped firefighters escape and how the events sparked two ongoing costly wars. Conspiracy theories are propagated because of the human necessity to question everything, especially something so unexplainable. But at least on Sunday, let’s please all remember those who do not have the luxury to ponder such things because they died in the towers, the pentagon, or the planes.

Let’s remember them, and let’s remember the sincere brotherhood and kindness that temporarily washed over the country. Let’s remember the refreshing quiet that let everyone mourn the events and the timely patriotism that, at least for a few days, was not vitiated. Try to remember such human emotions and, maybe, attempt to implement these strong feelings again. We are capable. We are human. We have flaws, but, at such a volatile time in our country, it is not appropriate to spew vitriol and vituperate. It’s time to work together to solve the troubles facing our nation and I think that this anniversary provides a great starting point.

Now, while this was not much of a music post, I still want to provide a peaceful song for Sunday.

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Mind The Gap While Shopping for Groceries

31 Aug
Mind the Gap; Downtown Los Angeles, CA (Chinatown)
Quick update on my power situation…there is still no power in my house! We are going three days strong and the playful novelty of living like those during the pre-electricity days has started to wear thin. It is rapidly being replaced by vexation and anger. Okay, maybe not. I think everyone in my house is taking it well, but, there comes a point when enough is enough. This is that point. Anyway, before I do not have access to power or cable for the rest of the night, I must bring you needed content. And boy do I have a good post for you today folks. Not good because of my witty writing, but instead good because of the artist being featured. But, the writing, it isn’t too bad. Just kidding. Do not let my fake arrogance get in the way of the extreme humbleness and talent of Mind the Gap.
 
Mind the Gap may sound familiar to some readers. Back in July, I profiled the Los Angeles foursome and concluded that, “Mind The Gap stands true to their band objective. They are skillful mashers of acoustic instrumentation and electronic sounds. They are definitely a band to follow.” Click here if you want to read the original post.
 
On August 20, I put Mind the Gap up against the ultimate band test…a live show. This is where some bands shine and some fall off as uninspired imitators. Yes, you can learn a lot about a band through their studio releases, but true character can only be encountered in person. Think of it this way. Imagine you meet a guy/girl on Match.com. The person seems to be exactly your type. He/she shines with pulchritude. They like dogs. They listen to that music that you love. He/she is the one. Well, then you meet for dinner and he/she shares these interests, but is a total snob or bore. It happens. But I can assure you, Mind the Gap aced the test.
 
On the 20th, Rebecca, my girlfriend, and I journeyed to Arlene’s Grocery on the lower east side of Manhattan (Stanton Street), a funky, variegated former Puerto Rican bodega, turned bar in 1995. Since then, bands like Guster and R.E.M. have played at the venue. Mind The Gap took the stage at nine to a strong crowd of buzzed NYC hipsters, thirsty noctivagants and Mind the Gap fans (myself included). The 10-song set-list flew by so quickly it almost seemed that one could have missed the concert. And, I don’t mean this as a bad thing. This only happens if the band’s performance envelops listeners in such unbridled enjoyment.
 
The tight performance was fun for both the crowd and the performers. The band performed with an emotional urgency juxtaposed with, however seemingly contradictory, a laid-back Los Angeles summer afternoon at the beach coolness. The sultry vocals of Greg Cahn were spot on all night and it was refreshing to hear that his exciting album vocal range equalled his live chops. Ozzy Doniz effectively kept  rhythm with keeness. Ruwanga Samath infused modern beats into the band’s indie/pop melodies, something I enjoyed a lot in my initial review. And, Alex Yang’s lead guitar was spot-on throughout the night.
 
As for best performances, I was swayed by my favorites.
 
 
“Smile Back at You” can be an indie hit on mainstream radio stations today. I say this because it combines the popular lazy day rhythm with an exceptional catchy chorus, infectious harmonies and intriguing key work.
 
Though, I believe my favorite song was the concert’s sober conclusion “Remember When.” There is an innate beauty in this song’s picked rhythm and lyric. Cahn nailed the vocals. He sang the song like it was his last ever. And, this is so exceptionally important for any singer to do. Such passion can be emitted from one’s voice and Cahn is knowledgable of this information and he takes advantage of his voice. The song can be heard here:
 
 
Interested in seeing Mind the Gap? Check out their concert schedule by following this link. Currently, they have a show planned in Los Angeles in September and one back in NYC for CMJ in October.
 
Buy the album: http://mindthegapsound.bandcamp.com/
 
 
 

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What is the Best Song about a Storm?

26 Aug
It’s raining sideways!

I live on Long Island, a little finger jutting out of New York City into the Atlantic Ocean. This weekend, Hurricane Irene will menacingly attack New York and wind gusts on Long Island may shoot up to 90 m.p.h. I have never even driven my car 90 m.p.h. I cannot comprehend these wind speeds. Next time you see us world, Long Island will be embarking on a new mission in northern Canada after Irene picks us up and tosses us over the Canadian border like a wet towel. Okay, hyperbole aside, this seems that it will be the worst hurricane to hit NYC in perhaps a century. The supermarkets are flooded with individuals preparing for the apocalypse. We’re New Yorkers. We overexaggerate like crazy.

Anyway, the hurricane got me thinking. What are some good songs to melodize this damage-inducing event. And then I thought, hey, why not ask you, the reader, to help me pick the greatest song about a storm. Yeah, you know what it is. Poll time. Get out your ballots. Here we go. What is the best song about a storm? I really tried putting this list together with songs only about actual storms, but the metaphorical storm, rain, and hurricane got the best of me. Please, provide your own feelings on best storm songs as well!
 

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