I just ran across a crazy and hilarious clip on YouTube while searching for old Peter Zaremba footage. Who’s Peter Zaremba? Why, he’s the lead singer of longtime garage-rock band The Fleshtones (straight outta Queens, N.Y.). Zaremba and guitarist Keith Streng have been true to the game since forming the band 1978. They’ve released many LPs, singles, and compilations over the years — most recently for N.C.-based label YepRoc.
The hilariously hip Fleshtones singer hosted I.R.S. Records’ Cutting Edgeprogram on MTV in the early 1980s. The once-a-month, late Sunday night, one-hour show spotlighted the college radio underground and post-punk music scene in Britain. The Cutting Edge predated the popular 120 Minutes and was one of the only shows that played the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, The Fall, Tom Waits, Jonathan Richman … and I.R.S. Records’s own early-era R.E.M.
This YouTube clip is an intentionally badly-acted “promo” for their latest slab, Take a Good Look! (released this winter on YepRoc). Keith and Peter (with the same hep haircuts they’ve had for three decades) “search for the ultimate rock record” and finally discover that their own new collection is it!
The current Fleshtones: Keith Streng (guitar & vocals), Peter Zaremba (lead vocals, harmonica & organ), Bill Milhizer (drums & vocals), and Ken Fox (bass & vocals). They’re on tour in Europe through mid May. I hope they bring their jumpy rock jive this way sometime this year. In the meantime, fans can check out the video chronology (with commentary from Peter and Keith) here at the YepRoc site.
Savannah-based hip-hop collective Dope Sandwich Productions — comprised of regional artists that made a splash in 2006 with the compilation The Walking Sick — recently announced a new monthly hip-hop series at the Black Cart (54 John St., 843-965-5254).
“The Re-Up” kicks off on Sat. April 26 at 10 p.m. “The event will feature a variety of the illest MCs and DJs, as well as special guest appearances by artists from around the country,” say organizers. “The Re-Up” will take place on the last Saturday of every month. They conduct the series every last Friday of the month at B&B’s in Savannah as well. Cool.
The local evening TV news and Post and Courier’s business section covered small ceremony on King Street in which Mayor Joe Riley, Melvin Solomon, and Robert Goldberg (Sonny’s son) unveiled a small brass plaque dedicated to the memory of late businessman Sonny Goldberg.
I remember the old TV advertisements for Sonny Goldberg’s Furniture store, an old show room at 445 King Street. Goldberg looked like Sesame Street’s “Mr. Hooper” and spoke with an amusing, monotone Geechee accent. “Come on down to da home of ya Kang Street sing-uh!” he’d announce with a grin. “I hab my oh’n stoh’ now — one stoh’ ohnly. An’ please: drive k’y'arefully: we wan’ yuh ta’ get hee-uh.” Then he’d flash the “okay” sign and smile.
The late businessman was a beloved figure on King Street way before the big boom north of Calhoun. He was called the “King Street Singer” because he used to sing his own radio ads before there were such things as local TV commercials (often with a few bars of Jack Gale’s “Serenade of the King Street Singer”) and the nickname carried over through the ’70s and ’80s when his no-frills TV spots ran constantly.
I remember one of his friendly rivals was Clarence “Don’t Turn Nobody Down” McCants, of the old Metropolitan Furniture store (down the block). McCants starred in his own remarkable, locally-produced commercials as well. Before I even knew what a checkbook was, I knew by heart that there something special about the financial possibilities with Clarence at Metropolitan, as his proud, sing-songy announcement “We finance our own accounts!” still sticks in my head. Maybe he’s next in line for the next plaque dedication.
Just over a week ago, Athens, Ga., rock band Widespread Panic embarked on their busy spring 2008 tour, kicking of with performances in Washington, D.C. The closest gigs to Charleston include a sold-out two-nighter at Savannah’s Johnny Mercer Theatre on Tues. April 22 and Wed. April 23. Tickets are still on sale for the Walnut Creek Amphitheater show in Raleigh on Fri. Apr. 25 and the Township Auditorium gig in Columbia on Tues. Apr. 29. Visit www.ticketmaster.com for ticket info.
City Paper staffer John Zara had this to say about Panic’s latest collection, Free Somehow:
“Don’t expect to hear classic Panic on this studio album, just the evolution of Widespread Panic (and that isn’t a bad thing). Well-known as a live performance powerhouse on the jam scene, Panic “road-tests” much of their material, leaving little to the imagination when studio albums are released. With the exception of a few tracks, Free Somehow includes a slew of never-before- heard songs.
“For their tenth studio effort, Panic gets help from producer Terry Manning (Led Zeppelin, Al Green). The collection is book-ended by upbeat, rock riffs from the new-ish band member, guitarist Jimmy Herring, starting with ‘Boom, Boom, Boom’ and ending with the first single, ‘Up All Night.’ In-between is where the album takes an unexpected turn. ‘Dark Day Program’ and ‘Three Candles’ let lead vocalist, John ‘J.B.’ Bell, soulfully explore a more solemn side. The emotional “Walk on the Flood” takes a lyrically candid look at Hurricane Katrina, while the surprise of the album comes near the end. ‘Her Dance Needs Nobody’ clocks in at nearly nine minutes in length, showing off strong Herring solos. This track is quite dynamic, incorporating orchestral-like movements, lending itself an interesting listen.”
Free Somehow, was released on vinyl Apr. 15. More information regarding tickets, merchandise, and band news is available at www.widespreadpanic.com.
Longtime local musician Rik Cribb (frontman of The Problems and the reunited SWZBXX) has been working with a company in Kuwait City since early March. He’s almost through with the project and aims to be back in the swing in Charleston by late-spring.
He recently sent City Paper a small stack of groovy/sandy snapshots:
We were glad to see he was alive and well … and we wondered if he’d played a version of Ray Stevens’ “Ahad the Arab” at a Kuwait City open mic night yet?
“No, but I have a copy of it believe it or not,” he says. “I’m trying to get a gig at the Hard Rock here. I brought a mobile studio with me and I’m trying to tap into that Middle Eastern sound. Stay tuned. Tell Chucktown I said ‘Hola’ from Kuwait City. Word up. Ahsal habibi.”
In the months following the conclusion of the first season of HBO’s brilliant original series The Flight of the Conchords, I’ve noticed another TV guy on cable who almost totally looks like one of the main characters.
Every time I click to MSNMC’s Hardball with Chris Matthews, a goateed pundit (NBC’s news director) named Chuck Todd pops up on the panel, looking very, very similar to “Murray Hewitt,” the Conchord’s clueless band manager (played by Rhys Darby).
Searching the web this evening, I found a few other webogs here and there that were on the same page. Hilarious, I think:
Vintage Charleston “rock ‘n’ roll party band” The Krushtones — featuring local singer/guitarist John Krucke (of Decorated Dirt) — return for a 25th anniversary reunion weekend at the Sand Dollar (7 Center St., 843-588-9498) on Folly Beach this weekend.
“We’ll be using the 1987 lineup of me on guitar and vocals, David Kushubar on bass and vocals, Dennis Davis on drums and vocals, and Mike Murray on keyboards and vocals,” says Krucke. “Mike will be calling the songs all night from a big list I haven’t seen yet. This line-up only played one gig together in 1987. Dennis’s last gig was Mike’s first gig. The Krushtones existed in one form or another from around 1983 to 1993, and started doing these reunion weekends at the Sand Dollar around 2003. It’s these same guys that have done all the reunion shows since then.”
Just back in town after a hilarious trek through south Georgia, local rock trio Leslie are ready to kick off the first installment of the five-night “Move For A Change” series at the Village Tavern tonight. It’s an all-ages, free-of-charge event benefitting a variety of local charities.
Lead singer/guitarist Sadler Vaden, bassist Jason Fox, drummer Jonathan Carmen, and manager Josh Terry fueled up on grub at Ray’s BBQ earlier today (see photo), following an acoustic mini-set on ABC News 4’s Lowcountry Live. “We played a song called ‘Devil Ain’t Ready’ and all these little kids were clapping along,” laughed Vaden.
Tonight’s event at the Tavern features up-and-coming local band All Get Out, a “very special guest” singer/songwriter from a prominent local band, and the local debut of Carmen’s new amber-colored, vintage-style, acrylic drum kit.
Proceeds from donations benefit the Ronald McDonald House. Upcoming shows benefit the Lowcountry Food Bank, the American Red Cross, the Lowcountry Environmental Education Project, and Pet Helpers. Doors at 8 p.m. and music starts at 9 p.m.
It’s been a beery month, indeed … we’ve been preparing for a cover story on the worldwide hops and barley shortage and how it’s affecting the local craft brewers (stay tuned). City Paper enjoyed a really nice sample of Coast Brewing Company’s new Red Legs Scotch Ale — a whole growler’s worth! Brewers/proprietors David Merritt and Jaime Tenny are starting to bottle more frequently, in addition to the kegging of their big-flavored Hop Art I.P.A. and specialty ales.
The Red Legs Scotch Ale is an astonishingly malty, slightly smoky take on the traditional Scottish style. The term “Scotch ale” is normally used specifically to identify a very strong, dark, malt-accented speciality from Scotland. Other Scottish styles include Light, Heavy, Export, and Strong. Coast’s version is perhaps slightly lighter in color (deep copper/brown), with a touch heather in the mix of ingredients. Well-conditioned, and clean-tasting, the Scotch Ale is
The ale is available on tap at EVO Pizzeria, Mellow Mushroom, Brixx Pizza, and Daily Dose. The next release for April will be a Honey Wheat Pale Ale, brewed with local honey. Cheers to all of that!
City Paper recently spent a wonderful evening with marketing director Ron Lindenbusch and a few other cool folks from the West Coast-based Lagunitas Brewing Companyas they conducted a casual beer tasting at the Red Drum Gastropub in Mt. Pleasant. They were celebrating the addition of their I.P.A. (India Pale Ale) to the draught beer selection at the venue. Ted’s Butcherblock expects to stock some of the selections. Other local bars and restaurants will soon secure beers from the brewery as well.
The sizeable microbrewery is brewery located about 40 miles north of San Francisco in Petaluma, California.
Lagunitas (pronounced “Lah-Goo-Nee-Tuss”) invited City Paper ad dude Blair Barna and me to sample several solid beers from their menu. Boy, are we glad we did. We sipped a very crisp, clean, and delicately-hopped Pils (a respectful rendition of the classic Czech style lager). We gulped several pints of the copper-colored, aggressively hopped I.P.A. (tons of Cascades in the aroma and flavor — very much in that Northern California style). We supped up plenty of the maltier, full-bodied Censored Amber Ale (a bit hefty at 5.9% alcohol by volume). We nearly fell out of our seats after trying the mighty I.P.A. Maximus, a genuine India Pale Ale at the high-end of the spectrum (at 7.5% alcohol by volume).
The brewery boasts an unusually copious list of specialties and seasonals — the recently distributed We’re Only in it for the Money Ale, featuring the artwork from Northern California musical icon Frank Zappa’s fourth album on the label.
Keep an eye an a few taste buds out for these new Cali specialties — and encourage the bar managers to order a few cases!
Elegantly slobby Charlestonian, recently back after 16 years in Athens, Georgia. I remember the Killer Whales, the old Sonny Goldberg ads on TV, the "Happy Rain" kids show, and the Slip-Slidin' waterslide in Mt. P. I find high-quality beer, obscure rock records, and strong coffee irresistible. I edit and write for the City Paper's music section and play drums and make noise for fun.
I just ran across a crazy and hilarious clip on YouTube while searching for old Peter Zaremba footage. Who’s Peter Zaremba? Why, he’s the lead singer of longtime garage-rock band The Fleshtones (straight outta Queens, N.Y.). Zaremba and guitarist Keith Streng have been true to the game since forming the band 1978. They’ve released many LPs, singles, and compilations over the years — most recently for N.C.-based label YepRoc.
This YouTube clip is an intentionally badly-acted “promo” for their latest slab, Take a Good Look! (released this winter on YepRoc). Keith and Peter (with the same hep haircuts they’ve had for three decades) “search for the ultimate rock record” and finally discover that their own new collection is it!
