I will definitely be seeing JD McPherson again, it was a great night...

I went to a gig with my Dad last night. He is a bigger music fan than me, has a larger record collection, a better system and music should have been his work life because it has always meant so much to him. He has a more varied taste in music to me but we tend to meet at Rock n Roll. I guess it was my first musical love because of him, I adored Eddie Cochran, early Elvis and Gene Vincent, my Dad's influence possibly but it was my main musical love for a few years, enough that at 11 years old I had a quiff and put it in place with Brylcreem.
Anyway, my musical tastes diversified and my love of 1950's rock n roll diminished. I loved Elvis and Gene Vincent less although Eddie Cochran has always been dear to my heart, that never changed. I kind of forgot classic rock n roll until a couple of years ago when I heard "North Side Gal" by JD McPherson. Here is the man himself along with Jimmy Sutton his bass player and possibly the coolest individual I have ever seen:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRX46wcJMo0

I had spent sometime listening to both his albums and they are good but given a little time, they grow and given a live airing, they really come to life. I jump ahead of myself, the gig was at the Koko in Mornington Crescent (© I'm sorry I haven't a clue...probably). I always assumed that Mornington Crescent (© I'm sorry I haven't a clue...probably) was the name on a tube map that didn't actually exist as it was from the imagination of the late, great, Humphrey Lyttelton. The Koko looks an old art deco theatre, it is simply beautiful inside, all carved wood with red and gold and dimly lit with chandeliers, it is easily the prettiest venue I have ever visited for a gig (photos here: http://www.pureconsult.co.uk/venues/koko/).
The audience were a mixed bag, this being a short walk from Camden, there were plenty of younger fashionistas, 1950's floral dresses, immaculate hair and make up while the men's fashion was more eclectic, plenty of US 1950's fashions, think American Graffiti, plenty of work clothes, it being  work night and the older crowd who remembered it the first time around with a few metalheads thrown in for good measure.

JD McPherson and his band hit the stage and they were ready to rock and roll but this being a London crowd, they take some warming up as London crowds are subdued compared to other parts of the UK. The band were tight, keyboards, rhythm guitarist/saxophonist, drummer, Jimmy Sutton on double bass and JD McPherson on guitar and vocals. The set was varied but always familiar as McPherson's musical preference stops before rock n roll sold out, it has the country twang in places, that jazz feel and in others that outright early rock n roll feel, it never touched on the psychobilly or the watered down version that rock n roll became. I could hear Eddie Cochran and Little Richard escaping in the music, an era where Elvis was pre-Army and pre-Colonel, he was the star of Sun and the music had a rebellious innocence to it.
It was a great concert, conducted at volumes that I am not familiar with as they were less than deafening and the crowd didn't surge and bounce, they danced and watched. JD McPherson has a fantastic singing voice, soulful when needed and with bite for the harder numbers. He reminds me a little of Bryan Adams, this was a no frills show, they came on to play music and have a good time and they did just that, no special effects or gimmicks needed, just an abundance of good songs, talent and passion. A special mention to Jimmy Sutton, apparently it was his birthday but I mention him because he is my new hero, he is the coolest guy I've ever seen on stage.

I will definitely be seeing JD McPherson again, it was a great night, fun and filled with passion and the unknown and a genuine feeling of bonhomie, these guys came in as strangers and left as friends.

Here they are on the streets again, this time doing "Scandalous"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wOoF80nTzdI&index=2&list=RDoj5rhUgXyyA

Finally, here is the title song of the new album, do yourself a favour and look this up on whatever music service you use, if you like proper rock n roll this is for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oj5rhUgXyyA&list=RDoj5rhUgXyyA&index=1

...put me on 2 wheels and I have no road sense whatsoever...

I have discovered that I am a secret sports fan, it's been going on years and I've just realised it. Yesterday I found myself watching the athletics from Birmingham followed a little later by Bradley Wiggins 1 hour time trail world record attempt, followed by the Isle of Mann TT highlights. This wouldn't have been so bad if it was a one off but I have had the Isle of Mann TT on record for the past few years. I look forward the Rugby 6 Nations at the beginning of every year, there is often a World Championship or Olympic Games or a World Cup (Rugby preferably or football as a consolation prize) and then there are the Iron Man competitions they show on TV and the various athletics meets and occasionally boxing. When did this happen and why didn't I even notice?

The Isle of Mann TT is one of my highlights, it is simply incredible. I have my favourites of course, there is the fan's favourite, Guy Martin and let's hope he wins a TT race this year, there is the old guard, John McGuiness (21 times winner) and Bruce Anstey (lap record holder and 10 times winner as of Sunday) and the young guns, such as Lee Johnston and Michael Dunlop although he's a seasoned racer he is young,, who will be one of the greatest ever, just like his Uncle Joey, the King of the Road and many others such as Ian Hillier who deserves a win after 30+ operations after an accident that meant he has both his legs and is still racing and is very fast (2nd Sunday).

Here is Bruce's fastest lap from 2014, on board camera: http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2g5ldr

I am not a biker, put me on 2 wheels and I have no road sense whatsoever, I am dangerous and not in a cool way, stupidly dangerous so I don't ride bikes and as I get older, I realise that they actually scare me more with every passing year. Watching the IoM TT, the bikes hit very close to 200mph and the frames, wheels, forks, all flex and pull in different directions. Seeing the front wheel of a bike wobbling while the rear wheels are snaking, all at 200mph and all the rider says (Bruce Anstey in this case) is "it got a little out of shape..." I can't fathom it, I would do an emergency stop after that and push the bike back.
Now the thing is, biking was always looked on as being cool and without doubt it is but these guys aren't that type of Barry Sheen cool, they are nerds. Mostly soft spoken, they live for the race and in between times they fill in the time with "mechanicking" or BMX riding and family. They are not the archetypal heroes on two wheels that we expect. I think they are amazing, they have no fear where every year my fear grows, maybe it is the the thrill of the race that out weighs the fear of death and many die on this course, there is usually one per TT (this year it was the Frenchman, Frank Petricola in practise 3 days before the racing was due to start) or maybe they just know how to bury it deep and live off the adrenaline rush. I do find them fascinating as personalities, they are a different breed and their lives are bikes, they use the IoM TT as their family holidays and they come from all over the Globe to compete and yet the prize money is low, £20,000 for the most prestigious races, bear in mind that is a fraction of the cost of the bikes but it might cover the transportation and running costs, so this isn't about the money, these races are pure unsullied competitive man and machine against the course, against time and against the various component elements that seek to crush him. This is a time trial race, each rider goes off 10 seconds apart and invariably the faster racers can get held up by back markers and it is this uncertainty together with the varied conditions of the course, that make this so exciting. One part can be bathed in sun where the mountain can be misty and windy and in other parts the overhanging trees can make the road damp. At these extreme speeds this isn't about reactions, it is about memorising the course because by the time you see the next bend it's too late, you're already into it and with the variable track conditions it is a case of "he who dares Rodney, he who dares...."

The rest of the week to go. I missed last nights highlights but I have them recorded so a double dose tonight. I am thinking that I might have to go over and visit the TT one year, although I seem to have promised myself a number of trips that haven't happened yet so I guess this will be one that I will just have to hope for and see if I remember to book tickets and accommodation in time.

...the best epitaph for Mother Love Bone and Andrew Wood.

Back in 1990, I was a rabid rock fan, always searching for the next new thing. I'd listened to LA, New York, the UK, I was and am an avid listener but back then it was always about something new. I bought Kerrang weekly, read up on new bands, went to a great many gigs, bought many rubbish albums and the magazine occasionally had a cassette on the front cover with new bands. One issue was superb, I bought 3 albums off it, I think it was the Black Crowes, Masters of Reality and Mother Love Bone.
The Mother Love Bone track was "Stardog Champion". It was the start of a link that continues to this day. "Stardog Champion" is a phenomenal rock track, it is big, heavy yet with an ethereal feel and the lyrics were nonsensical, adding a mystery, almost a secret to the song,

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k7CPIXnaeeQ

I was hooked. The whole album was brilliant, it rocked and funked yet was intermingled with a frailty and gentleness, it felt genuine and the stand back moments of piano and vocal were, are, wonderful.
Mother Love Bone rose from the ashes of Greenriver and Malfunkshun and their life was too short, an EP and one album and gone with the death of their singer, Andrew Wood, before the album even saw the light of day. They were my first Seattle band although in 1990 it meant nothing, Nirvana were still a year or so away, I hadn't discovered Soundgarden yet and Temple of the Dog didn't exist.

The reason for this post is because I watched "Malfunkshun: the Andrew Wood story" over the weekend and it was tragic, it is the story of a man who was destined to be a huge star and the tragedy was that he would never see his star shine, he was born into a life that never gave him a chance, trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3IihcG0uLkk

Mother Love Bone, one album, one EP and a heck of a legacy, a blueprint for a band that should have paved the way for a far more interesting future for rock music than just grunge. Mother Love Bone split but were called back together for a one off project in the memory of Andrew Wood, Temple of the Dog, one of my all time favourite albums, an album I bought not because of the Andrew Wood link, it never crossed my mind at the time, but because of the lead off track, "Say Hello to Heaven" one of my all time favourite songs. I discovered Chris Cornell and Soundgarden, and my other all time favourite album, "Badmotor Finger".
Mother Love Bone became Pearljam and I saw them on their first UK jaunt at the ULU in London, a stunning gig with a very passionate and genuine band that played their hearts out. I still love "Ten" and "Alive", as their first single could be viewed as ironic or as a celebration of what it is to be alive despite everything.
And so the links of Mother Love Bone echo through my life, creating little paths that lead to memories and wishes, the various songs and lyrics that spoke to me then, still resonate, the words of a young man that spoke of his short future as if he knew what was coming,

"So please stop to laugh and pity me
My soul means well but I'm sorry
My skin it is withered and I'm nervous
My future was in my hands, 'til I washed it all away"

(Come Bite the Apple taken from Apple)

The final song on the album is called "Crown of Thorns" and whilst it is epic, the EP version is prefaced with "Chloe Dancer" and the two together are the best epitaph for Mother Love Bone and Andrew Wood.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FyBJoFz_QPw