Songs For Halloween: Bed Of Roses - “The Attic That Is My Mind”

Here’s a rerun of a Halloween Song post that first ran here last October.

Back in the 1990s, keyboards player Preston Klik had so many projects going, I once noted in a CD review that if Lon Chaney was The Man Of A Thousand Faces, Klik was the Man Of A Thousand Bands. In 1998, he gathered a bunch of musicians together under the moniker Bed Of Roses to record The Kissing Tree. On the Klik-run DivaNation website,  the CD is described as “cinematic and emotional,” and as “the soundtrack to an imaginary movie.”

The strangely unnerving “The Attic That Is My Mind,” would have worked perfectly with an Alfred Hitchcock or Tim Burton flick. This seven-minute instrumental creeps along with Klik on piano and samples, Fareed Haque on sitar and guitar, Sean Wolfe on guitar and something called noise tables, and Laura Good from The Twigs on cello. The fractured orchestral arrangement alternates between beautiful and macabre, while disembodied voices emerge from the shadows. From time to time, high-pitched sounds skitter like bats across this mental upstairs room. Without the use of a single word, “The Attic That Is My Mind” succeeds in conjuring something truly spooky.

Back in the days when I was a member of the Famous In The Future comedy group, we used “The Attic That Is My Mind” to add ambience to a Twilight Zone style skit I wrote about an elderly woman who collected life-like dolls and pretended they were the family members she never had. We spent a good deal of time rehearsing in order to synch the creepier moments of the sketch to coincide with the dramatic twists and turns of this off-kilter composition.

These days, Preston Klik has much more peaceful intentions for the exotic music he creates.

Home Again

Art by Crushed Out drummer Moselle Spiller.

I spent four days in San Diego last week, which kept me from writing my usual Wednesday through Friday blogs. I had high hopes of posting while on the road, but it just didn’t happen. I wish I could say I hit all the best rock clubs in San Diego, but this was more of a family-oriented get-together, and I spent a good deal of time out of the city proper. But I did pick up copies of the San Diego Reader and San Diego City Beat to add to my collection of alternative free papers, and had pizza while listening to classic at the Yard House restaurant.

Hopefully, things at BHT will be back on a regular schedule again. Here’s a sort of Slumgullion column to get the ball rolling.

Look for Crushed Out to perform some guitar-fueled garage/blues rock at its gig this Friday night, October 26th,  at Reggie’s Rock Club in Chicago’s south Loop. The Brooklyn-based duo of vocalist-guitarist Frank Hoier and drummer Moselle Spiller, formerly known as Boom Chick, has a full-length debut, Want To Give, coming out  on November 6th. “Crown Of Wildflowers” has an early Rolling Stones feel, while “Nailgun” is a high-speed surf/punk instrumental.

I Did Not Know That. According to drummer Brad Elvis (now with The Handcuffs and The Romantics), his earlier group, The Elvis Brothers once covered George Harrison’s “If Not For You.” This, according to Brad’s post on the Elvis Brothers Facebook Fan page. He notes that the trio probably only performed the Dylanesque tune once or twice on the Champaign, IL club scene. Considering the Elvis Brothers’ fun, revved-up style, that would have been fun to hear.

Shoes fans can find the first installment of an in-depth interview with vocalist-bass player John Murphy  on the Musoscribe blog, as well as an interview with all three members (John, Jeff Murphy, and Gary Klebe) on the It’s Psychedelic Baby blog. 

Aaron Fox And The Reliables a Chicago-based band with a real knack for that Midwestern power pop sound, returns to Uncommon Ground’s Devon location for a 10:00 PM show on Sunday, November 4th. The group has an impressive trio of new songs, some of which were previewed at International Pop Overthrow Chicago earlier this year, on its website.

The Columbia College Chicago Theatre Department will be performing City On The Make from October 24th through November 3rd at the Classic Studio Theatre, located at 72 E. 11th Street in Chicago. The jazz-infused musical was inspired by the critically-acclaimed writing of Nelson Algren. 

The Second Disc online newsletter is reporting that Rhino will re-release Nuggets: Original Artyfacts from the First Psychedelic Era, 1965-1968 on November 13th. The recently remastered version of this  highly influential collection of garage rock tunes, much beloved and publicized by Little Steven Van Zandt his syndicated Underground Radio program, is going to be available as a double LP and as a CD.

CD Review: Mark Crozer And The Rels - Self-titled

It’s a safe bet that singer and multi-instrumentalist Mark Crozer was in a good mood while recording this self-titled debut with his new band, The Rels. A former member of International Jetsetters, as well as a later incarnation of Jesus And Mary Chain, Crozer has an appealing voice and a knack for crafting fetching melodies built on ringing guitars. The result is a nearly flawless collection of 15 power pop songs. 

In addition to happy thoughts, Crozer concentrates on an easy-going 1960s vibe. A line like, “You bring a little honey into the hive when you arrive” might be gag-worthy under other circumstances, but couched in the delicate romance of “Sunshine,” it somehow seems okay. “Let’s Go To The Moon” celebrates love and the joy of maintaining a childlike sense of imagination, while “You Are A Light” is an acoustic-based valentine. On “Just Another Day,” Crozer concedes there are troubling things in the world, but maintains that they can be overcome.

A bit of gloom slips into the guilt-ridden ballad, “What A Fool I’ve Been,” in which a guy isn’t really sure why he broke off a relationship, and there's an underlying sense of jealousy and loneliness as two old friends get together in “Put Those 80s Records On.” But whether Crozer was feeling upbeat or otherwise, there’s a lot to enjoy here. The harder hitting “I Need A Vaccination” and more techno-oriented “Broken Out In Love” are just two of the highlights.

Diamond Planets Are A Headless Girl’s Best Friend Girl’s Best Friend

Before moving on to a re-post of a Halloween song profile with an updated intro, here’s another option for Halloween fun this year.

I’ve already mentioned the multiple-band tribute shows coming up on the weekend before Halloween at Martyrs’ and The Abbey Pub. This past Friday when I went to check out Dot Dot Dot at Durty Nellie’s in my hometown of Palatine, I noticed a poster for the club’s Halloween Madness event on Wednesday, October 31st.

Described as Bands In Musical Disguise, it aims to mix customers in costumes with local musicians pretending to be famous ones. The emphasis is on alternative rock, as August Premier will perform as Alkaline Trio; Farraday covers Blink 182; Slam Dunk Music Co. takes on Weezer; Circus Bear portrays The Black Keys; and The American Autumn will be Rancid.

There will also be a costume contest. Doors open at 7:30 PM, admission for the 21 and older show is $10.00. By the way, Dot Dot Dot put on a great show Friday.

According to Reuters, astronomers have discovered a distant planet that’s comprised mostly of diamond. It has pink air and all the trees are red. No one ever dies there. Wait a minute, those last two lines are about “Planet Claire,” the fictional orb concocted by The B-52’s on their self-titled debut album. Back in 1979, there had never been a group like them before. The B-52’s used oddball instrumentation, like a toy piano, a fire alarm, and a walkie talkie. And their lyrics were pure nonsense.

Opening with a lengthy instrumental passage that features eerie keyboards, “Planet Claire” introduces an unnamed alien who comes from the title planet via a Plymouth Satellite that she drives faster than the speed of light. Like all Clairelings, she doesn’t have a head, so it’s hard to imagine how she could see where she’s going. Then again, you could say the same thing about Earthlings who text while driving.

Vocalist Fred Schneider affects an appropriately silly tone throughout the song, especially when he screams, “WELL SHE ISN’T” in response to speculation that the alien is “from Mars or one of the seven stars that shine after 3:30 in the morning.” Unlike other outer space invaders, the visitor from “Planet Claire” doesn’t appear to have any evil plans. She’s been partying here on Earth for three decades at this point, and just might one of The Kardashians.

Slumgullion

Depending on where you live and when you’re reading this, you might still have time to catch Dot Dot Dot’s 11:00 PM show at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine tonight. It’s a sort of homecoming for the well-traveled co-ed band after a summer of non-stop gigs on the street fest circuit. Dot Dot Dot plays an energetic mix of cover tunes and originals. Tickets are $7.00

Black Forest hosts The Summer Of Love Show!, which will feature a number of acts covering mid-1960s music, tomorrow night at Curt’s Cafe in Evanston. The fun starts at 7:00 PM.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has announced its nominees for 2013 induction, and once again, I’m pulling for Heart. As Ann and Nancy Wilson point out in their new book, Kicking & Dreaming, they introduced the concept of women writing and playing their own hard rock music. If Heart is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, you have to wonder how many current and previous members will be invited to the ceremony. This year’s list also includes The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, Chic, Deep Purple, Joan Jett And The Blackhearts, Albert King, Kraftwerk, The Marvelettes, The Meters, Randy Newman, N.W.A., Procol Harum, Public Enemy, Rush, and Donna Summer.

Mary-Arrchie brings its acclaimed production of Superior Donuts to the Royal George Theatre October 31st through November 25th. The theatre has a more musically-inclined event coming up on November 9th with Carlo’s Celebrity Care-aoke Cavalcade. Several local musicians and actors will be performing as well-known rock stars. Carlo Lorenzo Garcia, who has directed his share of Mary-Arrchie productions, will be David Bowie; while others will be covering Tom Jones, Queen, U2, Bonnie Raitt, Prince, The Pixies, Pat Benatar, Louis Armstrong, and Guns & Roses. Admission is $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and all proceeds will help fund Mary-Arrchie’s upcoming production of The Glass Menagerie. 

Expo 76, an eclectic covers band comprised of veterans of Chicago’s cutting edge rock scene, have a number of gigs coming up, including their monthly appearances at Simon’s on November 14th and December 12th. They’ll also be taking part in Navy Pier’s Big Halloween Party on October 26th, and will at City Winery on November 13th, FitzGerald’s on November 15th, and the Hideout on December 8th.

Guitarist Joe Jammer, who grew up on Chicago’s southwest side, and became a well-known session musician and solo performer, was a speaker and performer at a press party in London for veteran rock critic Barney Hoskynt’s new Led Zeppelin book, Trampled Under Foot. Jammer is currently on tour in the UK. 

Black Ensemble Theater takes a slightly different approach to its tradition of spotlighting some of soul music’s biggest  stars, with One Name Only - A Different Kind Of Reality Show. The new production is already garnering rave reviews and runs through November 11th.

Demo-Listen Derby

Photo from the Wells-Next-The-Sea website.

Note: These reviews originally appeared in the “Around Hears” column in the Illinois Entertainer.

Wells-Next-The-Sea  is an English-sounding name, but the band is Chicago bred and creates homespun indie rock songs on Passenger Side. Vocalist-guitarist Dann Morr is the only remaining member from 2010’s Guest House, but has a strong rapport with the new recruits. He shares harmony vocals with fiddle player-vocalist Liz Barnett on the acoustic “With Our Eyes Closed.” Barnett also has a duet with singer-ukulele player Brennan Mackey on the funny barroom romance, “No One Knows You Like I Do.” Wells-Next-The-Sea has an upcoming gig at Township, at 2200 N. California in Chicago, on November 4th.

The musical tales on Tom Irwin’s latest CD, Sangamon Songs spring from an 1893 diary of a teenage boy named Harry Glen Ludlam. Irwin fleshes out Ludlam’s entries on shucking corn and going to the *Chicago World’s Fair* with a folksy vocal style and homespun arrangements. The peppier songs, like the picturesque “Walking In The Woods” and “The Footsteps Of My Maker” work best, although most of Sangamon Songs is entertaining look back at a simpler time.

The Paver is pretty much on target in describing the exotic swirl of classical, punk, and heavy metal on its five-song EP, Bad News, as ‘Baroque-Core.’ “Why” evokes a parade of witches, via ghastly screaming, strings and a stomping beat, while “Leaves And Rust” is a frantically-paced nightmare. The somber “Everyone Knows You’re A Bore” borrows some of its melody from Steve Goodman’s “Lincoln Park Pirates” while “Hush” harks back to the days of Chicago’s nascent punk scene. 

CD Review: Peter Case - Six Pack Of Love

Note: This review originally appeared in the August 1992 issue of the Illinois Entertainer. The issue featured J. Kevin Unsell’s cover story on Ministry, along with Dag Juhlin’s article on XTC, and Penelope Biker's profiles on locals bands Catherine and Charming Beggars. I reviewed this impressive new release from Peter Case.

Peter Case has a classic rock and roll voice that served him well with The Nerves, a trio that was well ahead of its time in the mid-1970s, and also with The Plimsouls, which he formed a few years later. Six Pack Of Love, his third solo effort, and the first with a full band backing him, marks a return to a more electrified type of pop. In fact, “It’s All Mine” is similar in spirit and melody to the rambunctious “Magic Touch” from The Plimsouls’ classic Everywhere At Once LP.

On “When You Don’t Come,” Case’s guitar sounds like a buzz saw slashing through timber while his vocals convey the bitterness of waiting for a girlfriend who never arrives. “Vanishing Act,” written with Tonio K, covers similar ground, while Case’s collaboration with Billy Swan, “I've Been Looking For You” would fit right in on a vintage Hollies album. The harder-edged material on Six Pack Of Love is balanced by a few ballads, including the hauntingly beautiful “Last Time I Looked.”