Monthly Archive

150+ new early R&R and Rockabilly 45s just listed.  I’ll post some audio soon.

Billy Riley, Rock With Me Baby, Sun

Ronnie Hawkins, Bo Diddley, Roulette

Mar-Keys, Last Night, Satellite

Plus lots more….And more to come.  Garage and psych are coming up next, then the big soul/doo-wop batch.

My friend Kevin is in the process of finishing his basement with his son.  They have a blog that updates the progress and shows off the work they’ve done.  They’ve named it Men’s Land.

What a cool project for a father and son to do.  At my house, I also have full rule of the basement.  My wife gets to do whatever she wants with the rest of the house, but the basement is mine.  At first, I crammed as much stuff to do as possible down there.  On one side I had a pool table, a dart board, a pinball machine, a shuffleboard set, and a crammed TV/record area on the other side.  Since then, I’ve bought a sectional coach and a Lazy Boy rocker-recliner to replace the gaming area, and dedicated the other side to my record collection and my computer, where this blog is operated from.  Along the wall is my small fridge and bar.  The walls and ceiling are drywalled and painted red, and the floor is black and white checkered tile.

My next big purchase will be a big screen, or a projector as Kevin has, pictured above. 

There must be something about basements that make it feel comfortable for a man.  For the music collector, a good basement is essential for storing big collections and having a good environment to play them in.  And for watching sports, there’s no better place than down in the basement.

My friend Isaiah has a music cove set up by the bar in his basement, where he’ll sit the whole time when he has parties and just play music.

Here’s to Men’s Lands everywhere: long live the one place where men can relax, drink a beer, listen to music, and watch the game.

A personal favorite LP of mine from my own collection.  1961 Prestige/Bluesville, mono BV 1031.  So strong all the way through.

Listen to .

Justin and I are working on that big 45 collection we bought.  I’m in the process of listing 456 soul 45s.  It’s pretty boring, but when I’m done it will be quite the auction.  Justin’s working on garage and early rock n roll and some odd balls.  There’s some cool Detroit stuff in there, so I’ll try to record them to play later. 

Talked to Josh on the phone today about doing a podcast featuring all Michigan music.  We’re going to try to finish it and have it up within the next few weeks.  Josh is moving out to Cali soon and plans on buying a short-bus schoolbus to drive out there in.  Sounds like a fun adventure!  As for me, I have absolutely no plans on ever moving away from the comfort zone of good ol’ Ypsi/Ann Arbor.  I really don’t ever like to leave my house if I can help it.  But Josh is a sweet writer and Cali should be a good place for him.

This week’s selection of cool liner notes is from the back of Marvin Holmes and The Uptights 1969 Uni LP, Ooh Oooh The Dragon And Other Monsters:

I always said if I ever had the chance to write liner notes for an artist-I would have a ball doing it-I have read a lot of album backs and it seems there is always something interesting to say and use the most in descriptive words from?-funk-and I’d say yeah!  Well now it’s my turn and I do have someone I can testify for-Marv & The Uptights, able to raise a suave, sophisticated, mellow gathering to a high fever pitch-rocking with much Boss Soul-not being sacrilegious, but for those who missed church, this album will take you-giving you that head nodding, toe tappin’, hip shakin’, finger poppin’, soulful feeling-just let yourself go-Marv & The Uptights is mighty funky and how do you really decribe that.  It’s like when you, well you how it is when-uhhhhh-coming up on the-let’s see-I know what it is but I just can’t uhhh, how about funky as barrels of hot asphalt-I think you get the picture-check ‘em out-Marv & The Uptights-and you’ll dig much Infinity.

-Bob White KDIA Oakland, Calif.

I have a family history book written by my grandpa who talks about the life of my ancestors, going back to my great-great grandparents.  My wife and I recently read through it again, looking for a possible name for our baby (due in late October).

I don’t know what it is about the old days, but it always seems like it would have been a better life.  Was it really, or is it just always romanticized?  Our family were mostly farmers from Northern Michigan, early settlers to small towns trying to make it from nothing. 

I learned that my great-great grandpa David Shrauger was the first postmaster of Centerville, MI.  He also hauled grain to barges on the Erie Canal, subject to the danger of hi-jacking.  Apparently, he had the reputation of being an extremely strong man: “Whatever an ox could lift, he could.”

It’s like the old John Henry song.  And I’m sure I’ll pass down the legend to my kids and grandkids, just like the song.

I found this old guitar at the farmhouse where my grandma and her brothers and sisters grew up, a Sears Roebuck mail-away, circa 1930?  I don’t know whos it was, or anything else, but I’m guessing it was my great-uncle Eddie’s or Frank’s.  In my head, he was the great undiscovered American talent, like a bluegrass/folk version of Mississippi John Hurt.

Taj Mahal did a song called St. Kitts Woman where he talks about his grandma and the power of the spirit of ancestors, how they still live in your own soul.  I’ll post a clip after dinner. 

And know I feel that spirit, deep down in my soul, make me think back to my ancestors, who lived a long time ago…  listen

Detroit’s The Sun Messengers, are the official house band of the Detroit Pistons, and will be getting the crowd fired up tonight for their first playoff game of 2007 against the Orlando Magic. What a gig-they get to do-it-up in front of 20,000+ cheering fans 41 times a year, and get court-side seats to see the best team in the world (that’s right-I am a huuuuge Pistons fan).

But what did they do before they scored this dream job at the Palace of Auburn Hills?  Well, they happen to be a damn fine band, on the Detroit jazz scene since the early 80s.

The LP pictured above is The Sun Messenger’s first, put out in 1984 on Sun Sounds records.  It shows off a variety of styles, but this is not put-you-to-sleep jazz, it’s booty-shaking jazz.  Especially Side One, with the Soweto inspired track Unidentified Exotic Dancer and the funk-break track Tubob Rock.  Side B begins with a great ska-jazz protest tune called No War, ala Rico with heavy trombone riffs.  It ends with Damn Slam, which sounds like a modern Louis Jordan big-band dance song.  Both songs on Side B feature old-time Detroiter Russell Green, whos trumpet wailing reminds me of New Orleans’s Kermit Ruffins.

We had another copy of this LP in our store, but it just sold recently.  Check The Sun Messenger’s website for info on how to buy their latest releases and check ‘em out the next time you’re at The Palace!

: Tobob Rock

: No War

(I apologize for the bad sound quality of these samples.  I’m working on it)

Every Saturday from 4-6.  89.1 on your dial in the Ypsilanti area, or you can listen to the streaming version here.  I’m listening right now.

Eastern Michigan University owns this fine public radio station. 

At 7:00, I’ll switch over to the University of Michigan’s WCBN to hear Brian Tomsic’s Dancehall Reggae show.

Justin is a Sirius sattelite fan.  I can dig it, but you gotta support those local public radio stations.  Another good one is Wayne State University’s WDET in Detroit.

The winners are in from last night’s Detroit music awards.

Bob Seger won three awards, and so did Amp Fiddler, Jesse Palter, Jill Jack and Liz Larin.  Our buddies Black Bottom Collective were also winners, named the most outstanding urban funk artist group.  Thornetta Davis won another couple awards; she battles it out with Lady Sunshine for best blues vocalist every year. 

In other weekend news, don’t forget SRC is playing tonight.  And the Pistons open their playoff season with a home game against the Magic.

Magic Sam, pictured here in his West Side Soul LP on Delmark, is the best example of Chicago’s west side soul-blues sound.  Drawing from Detroit’s soul sound, and combined with Chicago’s rich history of modern electric blues, Magic Sam wails away with a melodic soul twist.  The West Side was known for this style, and Magic Sam was one of the creators, along with Freddie King, Otis Rush, Magic Slim, Buddy Guy, Luther Allison, Fenton Robinson, and others.  Sam died tragically at age 32 of a heart attack, right in his prime.  Had he continued, he may have emerged into one of the more well known modern blues artists, being able to capialize on the blues revival festivals and European tours that followed in the decades after his death.

Here is a great sample of his style, the track , from the LP shown above.

1,000 people are expected to protest in Lansing over Gov Granholm’s moratorium on $7.5 million in state grants, and an addition $3.6 million funding cut appproved by the Senate, bring our Michigan’s support for music and arts to it’s lowest in decades.

Many people are rightfully upset after working hard to secure grant money, then being told that they can’t have it.  When you’re in the hole $686 million like our state is then I guess it’s time to start stealing money from whoever you can.  The rally is scheduled for 9:00 AM, and organized by ArtServe Michigan.

Michigan prides itself on it’s culture, arts, and music  heritage.  If these programs can’t be saved - apparently many small groups have already spent the money that was promised and are faced with insurmountable deficits - then we need to rally to create more and support them by spending money and checking them out.

For those who go to the rally - give ‘em hell!

After another awesome performance, this time covering Bonnie Rait, Cousins Vinyl officially endorses Sanjaya as our American Idol contestant of choice. 

I mean c’mon-how can you resist that smile?

Ann Arbor’s ‘60 garage band SRC will play a reunion show this coming Saturday at 9 pm at Barnstormers, a small banquet hall/bar in Whitmore Lake (just north of Ann Arbor).  Overshadowed in the 60s by some of their fellow Michigan garage rockers like the Stooges and the MC5, they are once again outdone as the Stooges just rocked out The Fox on Friday to a packed crowd.  Call Barnstormers at 734 449-0040 for more details.

All Music Guide review of their first album, pictured above. 

Speaking of the MC5, there will be a documentary released soon called MC5: A True Testimonial.  Included will be footage of them playing in the Arb in Ann Arbor.  Kick out the jams!

And while I’m at it, I’ve been meaning to bring up a topic: who was the best Michigan garage band in the 60s?  There were The Stooges, The Frost, SRC, The Rationals, The MC5, The Amboy Dukes, Third Power, Bob Seger, Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels, Frigid Pink, and then all the smaller bands like the Pastels.  They all had a slightly different sound, and it was amazing that so many great bands came out of the local area at that time to become national acts and signed to major labels.  My personal vote is for is The Rationals.

Justin and I just bought a great 45 collection, around 1200 in all from a longtime Detroit area collector.  Tons of rare Detroit stuff, plus more northern soul, early rock n roll, doo-wop and rhythm and blues.  We’ll begin putting them up for auction within a week or so; stay tuned.  I’ll also feature some rare Detroit 45s here at this site, with some audio samples.

God bless you all,

Cousins

Mr. B’s 10th Annual Blues and Boogie Celebration is tonight at the Ark.  Mr. B, an Ann Arbor native, is considered a master of the boogie-woogie piano.  He is joined by several special guests in what should be a great show.

I wrote a post a while back about another local boogie-woogie player, Detroit’s former child wonder Sugar Chile Robinson, shown here on the back cover of his ’50s Capitol LP. 

Rumour has it that he’s still alive and well and living in the Detroit area.  I wonder why more of an effort hasn’t been made in locating him and getting him to perform at an event like this one?  If he was this good at performing when he was 8 or 9, I bet he could still pound those keys.