Tag Archives: Matthew Smith

Flashlite #322

La LuzToday we continue listening to the Suicide Squeeze Records compilation with two new bands: four ladies in La Luz and Audacity from California. Out of Ireland comes Goodly Thousands. Terry Manning, legendary producer and engineer from Memphis, with a great solo album from 1969 recorded at Ardent is back with the new, low key album called Heaven Knows. And finally, Kim Fowley’s posthumous release Detroit Invasion is out. It was recorded three years before his death with the help of Matthew Smith from Outrageous Cherry, Johnny Nash from Electric Six and Troy Gregory in Detroit. What an incredible album!

Velvet Underground – The Gift;
Audacity – Finders Keepers;
Summer Cannibals – Not Your Turn;
Patti Smith – Summer Cannibals;
Veronica Falls – Broken Toy;
Goodly Thousands – Walking Home;
Jonathan Richman – Wait Wait;
King Tuff – Staircase of Diamonds (Live in CLE);
Outrageous Charry – Energy;
Kim Fowley’s Psychedelic Dogs – Death;
Sonny Boy Williamson and Baby Boy Warren – Chicken (Blues Alphabet);
Dirty Fuse – Oasi;
La Luz – T.V. Dream;
Paul Kelly And the Merri Souls with Clairy Browne – Keep On Coming Back For More;
Terry Manning – Guess Things Happen That Way;
Terry Manning – God Only Knows.

Sweet Apple – The Golden Age of Glitter (Tee Pee), Doug Gillard – Parade On (Nine Mile) and Death of Samantha – If Memory Serves Us Well (St. Valentine)

Sweet Apple and Doug Gillard reviewWhen Mick Jagger was in his late forties he recorded Primitive Cool and Steel Wheels. Certainly not the highest point of his career. But, it seems that the generation of musicians who are in their late forties these days are growing up a bit slower, putting better and better records as the time goes by. Examples are many – Nick Saloman from Bevis Frond, Matthew Smith from Outrageous Cherry, Rich Hopkins… The heroes of this story, Doug Gillard and John Petkovic are in that group.

Gillard and Petkovic started back in the eighties in a band called Death of Samantha. After several underground records and an extensive touring schedule across the USA in a van, the band morphed into Cobra Verde. Then, in the nineties, Robert Pollard hired the entire band to be the new line up of Guided By Voices. Gillard then stayed with Pollard and Petkovic split with a new line-up of Cobra Verde.

Petkovic’s latest project is Sweet Apple. The first album in 2010, Love and Desparation was a rocking record, but the latest one Golden Age of Glitter shines even brighter. There are no fillers on this one. The record also features a multiple help from some super talented musicians J Mascis, Mark Lanegan, Rachel Haden and Pollard who reunited with Petkovic on several tunes (pun intended – one tune he helped with is actually called Reunion). As one author wrote about the record, it plays like an exercise in enlightened revisionism, describing Petkovic’s desire to revisit some of the long lost musical genres of the seventies. But a really disarming thing about this record is the song writing talent and enthusiasm that Petkovic clearly put into the album. You can trust me on that one – I had a rare opportunity to see the album being built up from the first set of vague guitar riffs, recording and struggle to find an appropriate cover – to the first vinyl press testing.

Gillard also had a record recently. It’s called Parade On. He is well known as one of the finest guitarists in alternative rock (whatever it is), mainly from his tenure in Guided By Voices. But even the big fans of GBV can’t name too many of the songs Gillard has written, other than one of their biggest hits I Am A Tree. On Parade On, his song writing talent absolutely shines. In a private conversation with Gillard, he confessed that he attempted to make an easy listening record. And indeed, Parade On can stand next to any Paddy McAloon’s work, but with a bit harder edge, especially instrumentally.

There are two things in common to the new records of Gillard and Petkovic. One – they are probably the greatest and the most consistent albums they’ve ever written. The two songwriters defy their age with enthusiasm for rocking and rolling, sounding more youthful than ever. Two – the records also came out while their original band Death of Samantha reunited and rerecorded their early tunes on a really cool live record called If Memory Serves Us Well. Certainly, Gillard and Petkovic are at the very peak of their careers as songwriters and performers. Perhaps one way to achieve an even greater artistic peak would be to start writing new music together. You read it here first!

Outrageous Cherry – The Digital Age (Burger) and Danny And The Darleans – Stink (Nero’s Neptune)

Outrageous Cherry and Danny and The Darleans reviewMatthew Smith is a long time fixture on Detrot rock’n’roll scene. For years, his music is very well informed with all those genres that make rock music so exciting for all of us. His band with a revolving membership, Outrageous Cherry has been proving that for the past 20 years with some 15 odd albums. This year’s album Digital Age is in many ways a special one.

First, it comes after a four year break in discography – the longest one so far on Smith’s list. But sometimes, making a longer break like that can result in a very positive result. A bunch of songs piled up and Digital Age can be heard as the most consistent Outrageous Cherry album in my memory.

Smith’s songwriting is super clever and catchy. Lots of songs deal with the modern times and even some politics. Very engaging stuff, but not overwhelming. The music contains a lot of cool guitars and vocals are drenched in powerful reverbs and phasing. The bass player Colleen Burke also did a great job on it.

Talking about Colleen, she is also in Danny And The Darleans – another really cool Detroit band that had a record recently. Just by looking at the cover, I think it’s titled Stink, but it appears title-less on some other listings out there.

Danny of course is Danny Kroha who was with The Gories and Demolition Doll Rods. He’s taking the main stage on this new trio – the spotlight is on him this time. Stink contains some strong garage rock material and it really stands out in the ambitious tune Les Fleurs Du Mal.

Stink by Danny And The Darleans and Digital Age by Outrageous Cherry are two strongest records from Detroit in 2014, which will obviously remain as one of the strongest rock’n’roll towns. Both bands contain Colleen Burke on bass and both records are recorded in mono. Really great stuff!

Flashlite #302

Iggy and James WilliamsonToday we check out the new record for the legendary Stooges guitar player James Williamson. He took some old song that he wrote for the Raw Power follow-up, finished them up, recorded with various singers and put them out on a new record Re-Licked. Matthew Smith is back with another Outrageous Cherry album, after a few years of hiatus. We introduce a new band from Sweden – The Youth. Also, check out a cool version of NRBQ tune Magnet, performed live in Cleveland by Natural Child.

Evie Sands – Crazy Anne;
Bäddat För Trubbel – Det Har Jobbet;
Powder Monkeys – What Do You Care;
James Williamson feat. J.G. Thirwell – Rubber Leg;
James Williamson feat. Ron Young – Rubber Leg;
Natural Child – Magnet (Live in CLE);
NRBQ – Magnet;
Johnny Jenkins – Walk On Gilded Splinters;
Magic Sam – What Have I Done Wrong (Blues Alphabet);
Damien Youth – Doodle Bug Man;
Outrageous Cherry – The Illuminated Council for World Destruction;
Outrageous Cherry – Megalomania Blues;
Nude Beach – The Witness;
The Youth – Bubblegum;
Paul Westerberg – Down Love.

8. Outrageous Cherry – Universal Malcontents

Outrageous CherryThis glammed out, rocking piece of plastic is the best yet by the venerable Detroit rockers fronted by local freak Matthew Smith. They re-package the British glam and the us power-pop in an unexpectedly fun release that will make your feet stomp and your body move. Their snotty blunt statement that if it ain’t rock’n’roll then they won’t like it could be also a motto of this radio show. Smtih and his band know the formula and they use it.