Tav Falco’s book on Memphis Ghosts Behind Sun: Splendour Enigma and Death begins as a story narrated by the city itself, continues with a detailed and informed description of the city’s rock scene and throughout it’s never clear if it’s the city itself telling the story, Tav Falco or his alter ego Eugene Baffle. That’s what Tav Falco really is – uncatchable non-stop art concept.
That unapproachable art concept moved recently from Memphis to Europe. Tav Falco’s Panther Burns are now consisted usually of Italian musicians and it’s been like that for the last two albums. Still, the sound is unmistakably American and Memphis.
Amongst many covers the original song Whistle Blower stands out as a rarely political tune in Tav Falco’s opus. Other original tunes are more similar to the world-trotting mood of the previous album Conjurations. The second life of this exciting album happened during the US tour this year when Mike Watt joined the Panther Burns for the first time. The maestro of bass guitar was so captured by the sound of this album that he wanted to participate in creating it on stage.
We have some nice new projects for the familiar faces at The Little Lighthouse. Jeffrey Evans (68 Comeback, Gibson Bros) plays with Ross Johnson (Panther Burns) occasional gigs in Memphis and now an album of a set they recorded back in 2008 with Jim Dickinson is finally out on a disc. Robert Pollard gathered some old Dayton friends and formed a new band called Ricked Wicky (actually the name of one of his first bands). Tim Lee and Susan Bauer celebrate a 33rd and 1/3 anniversary with an LP of the same title. We introduce some new names in this show this time: Germ House from New Mexico, Two Gallants from San Francisco and The New Piccadillys who play Mersey beat versions of well rock’n’roll standards (mostly!).
Just a few short months ago we lost Jim Dickinson. And now another Memphis rock’n’roll legend left the planet. Dickinson and Chilton are actually much more than Memphis rock’n’rollers. They are an epitome of a true rock’n’roll star anywhere in the world. Beautiful, uncompromising, larger than life but at the same time. Alex Chilton also epitomizes a sad, defeated rock’n’roll star, enormous talent that had difficulties finding its audience. When Chilton was 16 he had an early success with The Box Tops, but that was a little too much, a little too early. Â Alex simply did not feel free to do his own thing. When he was ready to conquer the world in his twenties with The Big Star, he created a musical landscape that audience did not understand – as it was at least twenty years ahead of its time. Then Alex battled addiction to drugs and alcohol and recorded albums that were about to de-construct the very fabric of rock’n’roll – his solo albums were a diary of a man who’s sending signals from some other reality and his work with Tav Falco we all about striping the pop music from all the glitz and glitter to something rugged and rough, but much more honest and longer lasting. He then became an in-demand music producer, moved to New Orleans and eventually left all his vices. In New Orleans, after Katrina, he went missing for awhile and luckily he resurfaced. But just four and a half short years after, in Chilton got a heart attack in his home in New Orleans and that was it. He was only 59 years old, but his music is some of the most inspiring ever laid on tape. This is a two hour tribute to this great man. Even this double deck of Chilton’s music is not enough, so please check out another tribute to Chilton below, Igor’s Sympathy for Rock’n’Roll (look for the Panther on fire logo).