by Cousin Geoff, featuring guest writer Ameritape John:

 

508 Maus Street in Ypsilanti, former home of Pathway label

 

I got an email the other day from a guy named John who said that he had read one of my previous posts about the Ypsilanti gospelgrass label Pathway.  I’ve written about The Smith Family Sings Your Gospel Favorites LP, and Carl and Evert’s I Have Found The Way 45.  John may be one of a handful of Pathway followers out there, excited as I was when I stumbled onto one of their records and became strangely obsessed with the 1960s lo-fi off-tune religious music from Ypsilanti, Michigan.  John may be one of the few people in the world who is actually more into Pathway than I am.  He gave me permission to publish this piece he wrote for a UK record collecting mag, where he attempts to explain the sacred/weird localistic significance and also provides additional info on other Pathway LPs. 

Another concept to consider here is the idea of collecting and searching for “deep” gospelgrass, as opposed to the much more popular digging for rare funk, soul, garage, hip-hop, ect.  This “Xian” genre that John refers to is something I’ve also taken an interest in, like my post on The Pathway Quartet out of Sandusky, Ohio.  There’s something about this primitive religious music that takes on some sort of an intriguing local, cultural, and almost psychedelic aspect.  The thing is, I’m not sure if I even want to publish this.  I like being able to find an seemingly endless supply of these records at garage sales and local salvation armys, passed over and passed over, as few people are actually into it like me and John.  Like he says, most people don’t even want to talk about it, much less search for it (although I can see some UK folks, some of our best customers and really the heavyweights of record collecting, start getting into it).  Nevertheless, it’s a great concept to explore.  As Max pointed out in a conversation today and John alludes to, Pathway seems to be very much the essence of what punk rock is, but instead of drugs or booze or fuck the man it’s about Jesus and getting into heaven.  And all this coming from the homemade basement recording studio of 508 Maus Street in Ypsilanti. 

While you read on, you might want to listen to-

Carl and Evert, I Have Found The Way:

or The Smith Family, I Want To Be Robed And Ready (When Jesus Comes)

John’s article about the Pathway label, followed by reviews of Pathway records he owns:

PATHWAY RECORDS, “WALK WITH A MUG”
So I was chilling in the windy city the other weekend, getting my head thrown in a microwave on high watching NO FUCKER jam when this urban punk dude pushes up on me and says:
“Hey man…kool jacket..nice patches…”
“Thanks homey; you like that Finnish stuff?”
“Yeah, except for the Terveet Kadet jams that sound like Danzig.”
“Word. Whadda gonna do, no ones perf….”
“What’s that other patch? With the two little kids holding hands?”
“Its this Xian label outta Ypsilanti Michigan called PATHWAY, a mystery dude named RED ELLIS owned it, it’s like the YALTA HI LIFE of crude Xian.”
“Fuck that. I’m out”
And that was that. The kid left SHOOK. Not stoked. But that ain’t really that strange of an occurrence. I got a special “collector’s paradise” with this primitive Christian local wax. No one wants to talk about, hold on to it, much less seek and destroy with it. Straight up jammers’ taboo. Rules. I only know of one other local weird wax hound I can clap about it with - my main man Brian “Wazzer” Woz.
Mike Connelly was into it for a minute but after a heavy mushroom trip with the Harvest Flight and Earthen Vessel reboots he had a weird experience he didn’t wanna talk about and jetted from the style.
So let me explain the magic.
If you’re reading this blog you’re probably the type that’s searching for that exotic and idiosyncratic sound. That “locals only” mind/soul claustrophobic approach makes your ears sweat. You want “Russia Bombs Finland” to be an assault of drunken teen desperate-attack, you want the Yetties to keep singing about how a “good glass of ale tells its own story”, you need Kikret Kizilok to sound like the best hash you ever passed around at a coma party, it’s Alton Ellis you seek when you want to be rocksteadily told you are “moving cause of white man’s plan.” You want everything to turn to concrete? You jam the Density double tape on GROSS. You already know that all the classic Chilean records have bird sounds on them to emulate paradise. Shit, My Cat is an Alien ain’t really got that slot on the BOOT FROM THE GOOT comp right?
Isolated sound makes the best music. So take that blatant localism one step to the basement of a dusty small bungalow on 508 Maus St. in Ypsilanti where a small group of weirdo congregation members get together to solemnly play crude lofi outta tune songs to abstract ideas of forever and “who owns the title to heaven.” Imagine a Back From the Grave mentality but take away the wild sex youth outta control and replace it with your sister, a Sunday morning, a grandmother, an ancient no-fidelity mixer board powered by unspoken peace and funded by Purple Heart receiver RED ELLIS, take away booze, drugs, punk and cassettes and call it Pathway Records and you’d be close.
   Now everyone and their crew knows that Avant Garde, GIA, Inner Varsity and Covenant are solid Xian labels; I’ve even read in the DISTORT zine that everything on IMPACT and LIGHT blows orchestrated ass chunks; but this is prime Mid Michigan crude-age in the style of “The Shades of 70’s,” The Brown Family, “Hey Jesus Christ, Welcome to This World” and other classic rare LPs of the sacred style. If this ain’t your bag, don’t sweat it because you ain’t never gonna find this lurch ANYWHERE. Especially outside of the Ypsi-to-Flint US-23 highway wax hidden corners. I’ve never found any Pathway LPs outside of the 30 mile area where the basement magic sound studio on Maus Street was.  Red Ellis was heavy involved in the bluegrass scene; he was a part of the popular Huron Valley Boyz group and was active in the Ann Arbor and Ypsi radio scene. He gained faith after getting shot in the mouth and leg in Korea. Red was a home recording fanatic, sometimes using one mic with no mixer and having the performers move around acoustically. The Pathway records have a strong heavy Bluegrass backbone but the religious calmness and awkwardness keeps it unique, odd and strange.
There is no date on the records but reading about Red I’ll take a stab to say early 60’s. Every time we have a liver suicide party with the maniacs here at the Frying Pan, at 2 a.m. I always slip on some Pathways to stir it up. Fits snug right in between the Urinals and Zyklon 7″ers. I’ve gotten the crew saying:
“Turn that shit off, this is a party.”
“I haven’t heard this Patty Waters record…”
“….makes the Shaggs sound like Negative FX….”
“Guess the parties over, all the chicks are too freaked out…”
“Is this on Fenton or Hideout Records?”
“I think the dude from The Kegs is bonerville in his casket now”
Rules. To make matters more in my favour, the network of Soul 45 searchers who sell records just GIVE this shit to me. They don’t want it, can’t sell it, don’t even want to talk about it.
After a recent trip to the local wax shop, a huge box of free LPs outside the door yielded an upgrade on the Jonathan and Charles’ “Another Week to Go” and “Local Gospel Hot & Cool” rarities. A junkie’s dream come true, free constant connect. The amazing no-sex no-money crude sound of the cryptic Xian LPs just raining around a mug. A lot of punx can’t deal with the message but at the end of the day, I would rather hear outta tune local songs about love. Which is really no different then music on the Sounds for Consciousness Rape label or the singer from UNICEF leaping off a roof a squat.  Hey, we are all looking for SOMETHING…right?

The Records:

PLP 185 The Bradys “Sing Come A Little Closer” – Let’s start with the one that hooked me in: Bob, Darlene, and Chuck jam the ultimate record to the soundtrack of your “eternity struggle”. If the “A Boy and His Kite” song doesn’t wring you out to dry, then no private press LP ever will. This is grade A prime yodel lonerism. Great songs, ice fem vocals, echoey sound; this is the ONE. The group is led by Rev. Brady, who led the “Soul Winning Clinics” in Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana. Maybe he hit the legendary Xian stoner spot the Keyhole, home of the amazing “The Way In” GIA LP for a clinic session? This platter also has the lonely string pluckings of a Blaine Rhodes on it for extra isolationism. Has liners by the Singing Avilas. Yellow labels. Great cover unique to the Path cannon as well, not a custom sleeve but a nice abstract music note design. Amazing.

PLP 156 Ruthella Smith “The Lord is My Light and Other Sacred Songs“- Organ, piano, and vocals. Not the one to start with. It’s no Irma Glen but it will do. The “band” is Smith, Barabar Nichols and Ruth Hartman. Its kool to have a song called “Overshadowed” and have it be 4:20 long - but that looks better on paper than spinning with a needle on top. The pic of Smith looks like she really needs someone to grip her a brew at the Circle K party store on Huron and Cross St. Gold labels. One for the bragging pile. “Pathways wishes you many hours of enjoyable listening”. Thanks.

PLP 163 The Gospel Singing Byrds “Shall I Tell You? (From the Heart)” - Just a stunner. Mindfreezing basement cubist bluegrass no talent twang, as lonely and engaging as a winter afternoon alone. Best 2-5 p.m. music (re: NOT 2 a.m.- leave that for Booker Little’s “Out Front”, any solo Art Tatum, Red Television, Bastards “Live at Haar Ha” and Contents Are LPs) alive. Strange band indeed with heartbreaking liners from lead Byrd Bernice, now living in Flint - home of the landmine of Xian Cruddites. She claims she has had polio since age three, been in a million operation, always knocking on death’s door, has never been able to walk and after a “miracle”   she was finally able to have a child - Debby who is the other vocalist on this amazing and beautifully raw recording. Just steams with soul crunching ache. Old lady drumming from Norma O’Neil and wicked single pluck basement leads from Jim McMillian make this one stand out in the style. Very similar to the Brown Family and Friends LP from nearby Elsie, Michigan. It just doesn’t get any better and more sex-free weird / slow wild than this Singing Bird Band. Red labels. Found this ultra rarity SEALED at Encore, the only Pathway in the huge Xian section they had at this Ann Arbor record store.

PLP 189 The Singing Avila’s - Charming. piano, primitive bass by son Tony, and echoey alone in a church basement soundscape make this solid. Not the twanging heartache of previous Paths, this one is an intimate Latino family affair. This their second; haven’t seen or have hopes of finding the debut. Great cover; momma Avila is a cutie!! Contains the first Michigan song title with “Whatever” in it - which could have come from a basement gig gone sour or something. Great primitive back cover and green labels. Green labels. Will trade Tovah Olson for the debut if anyone’s got it.

PLP 162 The Walkers and the Crossmen “Walking on That Glory Road”- Kinda confusing. It has Southern “star” Emerson Walker and his wife Clarine joining the group the Crossmen and having the superfamily Singing Byrds adding off-key harmony. Kinda gives blood to the whole “twang”/ disjointed mutant bluegrass vibe of the Path LPs. Really great LP, kind of hollow and evil sounding. Slow, mourning jams; really like zero fidelity soul sugar torture. Great “talking” parts. Again, the guitarist in the Crossmen could have been the missing link in “You Walk Alone” and other Jandek LPs. Great stock photo sleeve. Contains the only Path “statement” on the back - the amazing “Throughout the United States - even at this date, throughout the whole world - there are thousands of people to whom gospel singing is not only a musical experience, but one of enduring spiritual value as well. This Pathway recording is scientifically designed to play with the highest quality.” Someone’s gotta find them scientists and grip them a brew for the creature sound artistry. Gold labels. Capital of Stokerville.

PLP 159 The Taylor Bros (Marvin & Minnis) “He’s Real”- Super duper one here. Craggy echo sound, great songs. Tennessee bluegrass imports, they moved to Detroit and begun their unique basement brand of sound/soul searching. Smiling duo style looks similar to the aforementioned Jonathan and Charles record. Amazing stock pic sleeve. Gold labels. Uplifting but loner approach. Great. Think I gripped this bad boy in Southfield, Michigan at a big thrift store where tons of Xian monsters hid waiting to find homes like “Bright and Morning Star” by Sue Smith, Jeff Deem and the Miracle band and the rare “Because I Am” LPs.

PLP 158 The Walkers and the Crossmen “Under New Management” - Last one in the pile, has owner Red on it via member of the Crossmen on mandolin. Better and more cubistic than the previous one Path162. Strange eerie sound, very creepy. Has a pic of what I guess is the local church on the cover but can’t tell, never seen it around Ypsi. Great liners by Red stating how he forgot he put out the earlier Walkers record. Duh. Maybe the title is a sign of things to come. Later in life seems like Red and his wife took to the basement and went digital but digging through area thrifts for “private CDrs” seems like a daunting task. But whatever sound PATH the label and crew took, this selection of sounds from a mystery Bermuda triangle yielded amazing and uh…eternal results.
John is associated with the website American Tapes.  Be sure to check this out for finds, leads, podcasts, and more.