USA

HQ: San Diego, Ca. Tony has graced the USA Scene for many years and put together the Fuzz, Flaykes and Shakes compilations, and also DJs at various clubs in Los Angeles and San Diego, we asked him a few searching questions recently and these were his responses.

01. How and when did you get into music and what were you listening to then?

I started playing 45s on my Mattel record player when I was about six years old. My sisters were teenagers in the 1960s, I found their records and I began spinning the Rolling Stones, Beatles and Kinks. My obsession continued well into high school watching local bands like the Crawdaddys. During this time, I listened to a lot of UK punk and power pop as well as the British-invasion groups.

02. Where was your first DJ slot?

I did a few guest spots at the Lhasa club in Los Angeles in the 80s but didn’t do a regular DJ slot until Hipsters in San Diego back in the 90’s.

03. What was your most memorable DJ spot?

My favorite DJ spot was at the Wild Weekend parties in the UK. and Spain. These weekenders brought together fans from all over the world and created many new friendships. I consider myself very fortunate to have been part of these festivals.

04. What so far, has been your worst DJ experience?

I don’t have a worst DJ experience, but the most challenging ones are when you are djing for a crowd of people requesting Madonna and Green Day.

05. Your favorite scene DJ’s and why?

I enjoy DJs that spin 45s that I don’t know but blow my mind on the initial play. European DJs always surprise me and in the States I always dig Jack White’s sets.

06. What has shaped your DJ sound and why?

I would say seeing live bands but I think as you age, your taste matures. Growing up in San Diego, bands like the Crawdaddys and the Tell Tale Hearts were my biggest influences and directed me towards British R&B, Dutch beat and American garage. As I grew older, I started digging psychedelia and some harder progressive sounds. Currently as long as it has a strong hook and is danceable, I’ll probably dig it. I have started to DJ songs that I never would have considered ten years ago.

07. What was your best ever find/discovery?

In 1986, during my first trip to London I found a copy of ‘Not to find’ by the Golden Earrings for eight pounds.  This is one of the rarest Dutchbeat 45s and was later valued at about 1,500 pounds. Another great find was in Phoenix, Az. I came across a copy of “Shadows” by the Electric Prunes for six dollars. This track is a one-sided promo that was released for the movie ‘The Female Trap’. I’ve recently been offered £3,281.75 for it but it’s staying in my collection for now.

08. Who was your biggest influence musically and your favorite artist(s)?

I think bands that I went to see and dance to in San Diego such as the Crawdaddys, the Tell-Tale Hearts. As for 60s acts, my favorite groups were Them, the Zombies and Love.

09. Do you collect specific labels/artists/genres?

I went through a phase of trying to find all UK beat 45s that were released as American pressings.  Some top ones include The First Gear ‘Leave my Kitten Alone’ on Mar-Mar Records and Tom Jones ‘Chills and Fever’ on the Tower label. I also will buy any garage 45 from San Diego even if it’s mediocre.

10. Where can folks currently catch your DJ set?

I was putting on club nights called Mind Machine and Haunted House-Au-go-go in Los Angeles but took some time off for personal reasons and now am back doing guest spots for various clubs in San Diego and L.A. I’ll be back doing another club night in L.A. soon.

11. What is the record you would most like to own?

I get asked this a lot but to be honest there are hundreds to list and most I don’t even recall until it lands in my hands at a record fair.

12. Please give us a top 10 all-time favorites and a current top 5 spins?

Top 10 Tracks of All Time:

1. The Allman Joys – Spoonful (Dial)
2. The Legends – High Towers (Railway Records)
3. William Penn Fyve – Swami (Thunderbird)
4. The Backgrounds – Day breaks at dawn (Cenco)
5. The Trolls – Walkin’ Shoes (Peatlore)
6. The Dream – Can I ask you one more question (Havoc)
7. Washington Merry-Go-Round – Got-ta Got-ta (Piccadilly)
8. The Coachmen – Grapes of Wrath (Sea-ell)
9. The Allusions – G ypsy Woman (Parlophone)
10. Raven – Calamity Jane (Rust)

Current Top five DJ Tracks:

1. The Backgrounds – Day breaks at dawn (Cenco)
2. Washington Merry-Go-Round – Got-ta Got-ta (Piccadilly)
3. Sunlight – Colors of Love (Windi Records)
4. The Chants – Hypnotized (B-ware)
5. Indiscrimination – Wishful thinking (Decca)

facebook.com/tonythetyger

Owner, producer, baby momma for the Wild Records bands. Based in Hollywood, CA.

1. At what age did you first discover Rock’n’Roll music?

In my mother’s womb, or around 12 years of age.

2. What artists and styles of music were you listening too as a teenager?

Glam rock; T-Rex, Bowie, Roxy music… then first wave punk; Buzzcocks, Pistols, Clash, Penetration. Along with Elvis, Roy Orbison, The Animals, Mavelettes, and all of Motown/Sun records.

3. You were a well known DJ and socialite on the London Rock’n’Roll scene many years ago. What were your reasons for moving to the UK from Dublin, was it’s totally music related?

I moved to the UK to work at Rough Trade Records who at the time were releasing fantastic punk and new wave. I worked there for about five years.

4. What were your favorite hangouts and clubs during your time in the Capitol?

The Hope & Anchor, The Lycum, the Marquee Club, Acklam Hall, The 100 Club allnighters, Station Tavern & Dingwalls.

5. There were some truly fantastic young bands around in the 80’s and 90’s in Great Britain who were the cream of the crop in your opinion and do you think that music has progressed since then?

Chords, the Clique, the Aardvarks, The Blue Rhythm Boys, Carlos & the Bandidos, The Jumping Jacks, Big Town Playboys, Electrocuting Elvis and too many more to mention. I think music has definitely progressed since then.

6. You moved to the USA, was it always your intention to start a record label and why?

It wasn’t my intention to start a record label. I started the record label because I found artists that I felt were unique and were unlikely to find a record label.

7. When did you first start Wild Records and who was your first artist on the label?

I first started Wild Records in 2001 and the first band was Lil Luis y los Wildteens followed by Omar & the Stringpoppers.

8. How do you compare the acts of today on Wild to say the bands from Europe during the 90s?

The main difference is originality. A big difference, what I mean by this is by most bands in the 90’s were not writing original material. Currently, almost all the acts on the label write their own material.

9. There seems to be a huge following of the Wild bands worldwide why do you think this is?

See previous question and also the Wild bands I believe offer a fresh approach to the rock’n’roll music they play. All our bands look to the future, not the past. The Wild bands don’t feel they need to fit into a box, that is, rockabilly, punk, garage, just be a wild band–unique, honest, passionate and a little messed up. Our audience, I believe, have the same passion as our band members about music.

10. Who is the most booked act from Wild Records since Its birth?

In this order; Omar Romero, Gizzelle, Luis & the Wildfires, Dustyn Chance & the Allnighters, The Rhythm Shakers, Hi-Strung Ramblers but Omar Romero would be the #1 act booked since the beginning, someone has to be.

11. What does the future hold for California’s Wild Records and do you think that the Rock’n’Roll scene Worldwide is still a healthy one?

We have the movie coming out this year which is a feature length documentary that spent nine months filming in 2012 about myself, five featured characters from the label while also filming all the wild bands and a lot of major shows. Our recording sessions are booked through 2014. Our release schedule is also full through 2014. We will continue to hold quarterly auditions for new acts and I remain astonished at the huge amount of people that have been attending these auditions. So things are looking good.

12. Who is ‘the’ most influential person in your life?

My son, Hayden Kennedy, who inspires me to love and have passion for life who inspires me to appreciate my wife, Jenny and my Wild family.

13. And finally Reb, you are stranded on a desert island with just a record player and three of your most prized nuggets on 45rpm. What would they be?

Warren Smith, any of his Sun 45s (I have them all), Barbara Lynn–Lonely Heartache, The Undertones–Teenage Kicks; I could give you 3,000 prized 45s but that would get boring.

Links

www.wildrecordsusa.com
facebook.com/reb.kennedy
facebook.com/Wild-Records
facebook.com/Wild-Records-Documentary
twitter.com/LosWildOnes
youtube.com/Wild-Records

Mike Stax – San Diego, California - Editor of Ugly Things Magazine, Singer of the Loons

1. I know you were born in the UK, please tell us a little bit about your background and what inspired you to move to California?

I was born in Watford, but lived all over England, eventually winding up near Leeds. I became interested in ‘60s music as a kid, and by the time I was in my teens I was a rabid fan of bands like the Pretty Things, Yardbirds, Downliners Sect, Them, Stones et al. One night in late 1979 I heard the Crawdaddys on John Peel and was blown away that a new band from California could play ‘60s R&B with such authenticity. I’d been trying to form a band to play that kind of music but couldn’t find people. After getting all the Crawdaddys records I wrote them a fan letter c/o Bomp Records. A few weeks later I received a reply from their singer/guitarist Ron Silva asking if I’d be interested in coming to San Diego and being their bass player. I was 18 years old and had just got out of school. A couple of months later I was on a plane to the States. That was in November 1980.

2. Tell us about your current band the Loons and your future plans?

After playing bass for many years with the Crawdaddys, the Tell-Tale Hearts and the Hoods, I decided I wanted to be the singer and frontman for a change, so I formed the Loons in 1996. We released our first album in 1998, Love’s Dead Leaves, produced by Ebbot Lundborg of Soundtrack of our Lives. There were a few lineup changes after that, but for the last ten years or so it’s been me, Anja Dixson (bass), Marc Schroeder (guitar), Chris Marsteller (guitar) and Mike Kamoo (drums). Our most recent album, Red Dissolving Rays of Light, was released by Bomp in 2010. We have a new album about two-thirds completed and hope to get that released in early 2013, and maybe play in Europe again then.

3. When did Ugly Things magazine start and why?

In March of 2013 it’ll have been 30 years since the first issue. I started Ugly Things in 1983 because I wanted to spread the word about all the great ‘60s era bands that seemed to have been ignored by most of the world – bands like the Pretty Things, Q65, the Outsiders, the Seeds, the Monks and the Music Machine, to name just a few.

4. What was your favourite edition and why?

My favourite edition is always the one I’m working on, because that’s the one all my passion is wrapped up in. Plus it’s a case of always trying to make each issue better than last. But if I had to pick a personal favourite in might be Issue 13, which had a huge story on the Birds. I really enjoyed interviewing Kim Gardner, Tony Munroe and Ali McKenzie. They really opened up to me, as well as sharing many great photos and clippings from their scrapbooks. I was really proud with how the story turned out. Looking at this issue brings back some great memories for me—sad ones too as Kim is now gone. The last issue (#32) with my interview with Johnny Echols of Love is also one of my favourites.

5. It’s well documented that your favourite band is the Pretty Things, what is about the Pretty Things that make them your seminal band?

The Pretty Things embody everything that is cool and exciting about the bands and the music of the ‘60s, and rock & roll in general. There was purity to everything they did—they never seemed to be motivated by ego or a hunger for fame, they just sort of let things happen and didn’t care about the consequences. They’re still the same way, and that’s inspiring to me. There’s no compromise at all in their music, be it the early raw R&B records, the psychedelic stuff, or the more progressive records that followed. There were few other bands that could master all of those forms so definitively. There’s something about their image, their lifestyle, their attitude and their whole approach to creating music that I can identify with absolutely,

6. When did the very useful 60’s compilation database start on the Ugly Things website and why?

The Searchin’ for Shakes database was started by Menachem Turchick in the late ‘90s and has been a part of the Ugly Things website ever since. It’s an amazing resource for ‘60s fans because you can cross-reference thousands of tracks, bands, and compilations, along with info about original release dates, labels, etc.

7. There is a phenomenal amount of record reviews in each issue for example along with a big team of authors, how long does it take to complete each issue?

We publish the mag twice a year, and it takes 5-6 months to complete each issue. As soon as I send an issue to the printer, I’m already starting work on the next one.

8. I enjoyed the Misunderstood story immensely anything similar in the pipeline?

I’m pleased you enjoyed the Misunderstood story so much. It was a huge undertaking. I spent about four or five years researching that one, interviewing all the band members along with dozens of other people who were associated with them. I was living and breathing the Misunderstood every day, logging hours of long distance phone interviews to New Zealand and the UK, and even traveling to Thailand to interview Rick Brown, as well as making numerous road trips to the Riverside area to meet with other band members. I don’t have anything else in the pipeline that involves that kind of legwork, but whenever I cover a band I try to do it as definitively as possible.

9. You have met many great musicians from legendary bands through Ugly Things magazine over the years any funny tales you can share with us?

Hanging out with Kim Gardner was always a blast. He’d have me in stitches. It was a bit like being an extra in that Dudley Moore movie, Arthur. It was hard to keep up with him. Any conversation with Sky Saxon was always memorable, too. He was perpetually stoned. He’d go into these long bizarre monologues about saving the dogs so we could save the planet.

10. Any further music related projects like the Philip Debarge & Pretty Things and The Misunderstood albums to follow on the record label in the near future?

Recently I’ve been focusing on seven-inch releases. Last year we did a reissue of the Sloths’ “Makin’ Love” single including a repro of the original sleeve. Next up is the Bees’ “Voices Green and Purple,” which should be out by the end of November 2012, with any luck!

11. Other than the Pretty Things what other old masters have impressed you in recent years?

A couple of years ago Anja and I took our then four-year-old son to see Roky Erickson play an ice cream social for a bunch of 3-7 year old kids. He played about eight songs, including “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and then took questions from the kids. That was one of the most fun and surreal shows ever.

12. What new bands have really grabbed your attention?

I’m really impressed with the Strypes. They’re playing exactly the kind of music that got me excited when I was their age and wound up making me move to the States. There are a lot of other really good bands out there these days though. I love the Frowning Clouds from Australia, the Higher State, of course, and also Paul Messis. There’s a new young band from LA that are really cool, too, called the Shag Rats.

13. You will find Ugly Things in the good London record shops but these are becoming few and far between now. How many issues of the magazine do you produce a year and what is the best way to order a copy?

Ugly Things comes out twice a year. If you can’t find it at your local hip record emporium, order it online at www.ugly-things.com

Links

Facebook: Ugly Things
Facebook: The Loons

Next Events:

Ugly Things #34 out November 2012 with the Bees, the Blue Aces, the Haunted, Cyril Jordan on the British Invasion, the Others, the Viletones, Milan the Leather Boy and more.

Cool Yule with your psychotic friends. The Loons at Bar Pink, 3829 30th Street – San Diego, CA 92104 - December 22, 2012.

Eron Falbo re-visits ‘Splish Splash’ by Brazilian musical legend Roberto Carlos

Production Notes:

Artist: Roberto Carlos
Album: Splish Splash
Rating: 3 stars and a half
Release Date: 1963
Label: CBS
Time: 29:36
Styles: Rock & Roll, Beat, Rockabilly

Borrowing it’s title from an obscure 50’s hit by Bobby Darin, Splish Splash is a fine example of an early 60’s rock & roll album with a formula similar to that of the Beatles. What is most interesting about Roberto Carlos is that he explored the same influences as the Beatles – girl group, R & B and 50’s Rockabilly – while predating the Beatles and becoming far more successful than the fab-four to Brazilian audiences.  Other successful early-60’s rock acts around the world would depend on the Beatles’ success to launch their careers; Carlos was already a teenage sensation by the time the fab-four showed their faces to the world.  While Beatlemania increased Roberto Carlos’ fame immensely, his career had already been launched before the release of Please Please Me (the Beatles’ first album), thus showing him to be quite independent of the Beatles in his career and success.  Splish Splash, then, is an album by a well-established Brazillian pop icon released in the same year as the Beatles’ phenomenal rise to stardom, and therefore is as interesting a first-hear as were Please Please Me, With the Beatles, or Beatles for Sale, all of which follow similar methods of song placement: four or five hit singles, three or four love ballads, a focus on cover versions and a variety of rhythmic styles.

Splish Splash contains only two songs written by Roberto Carlos himself (alongside his Lennon/McCartney-esque writing partner, Erasmo Carlos), namely “Parei na Contra-mão”, an instant success in Brazilian pop charts and the daring rhythmic variation of “É Preciso ser Assim,” a Samba-oriented dancing favourite among the Brazilian 60’s youth.  Other notable additions to the album are the two translations of recognised 50’s successes, “Professor de Amor”, translated from “I Gotta Know”, probably taken from the Elvis Presley rendition of it, and the aforementioned title song “Splish Splash” by Bobby Darin.

The album does extrapolate on love ballads and thus misses the mark of the near perfect Beatles production formula.  Roberto Carlos is well known in Brazil for his over-the-top love ballad compositions, though admittedly, his ballads are the summit of his repertoire throughout his career. In Splish Splash however, the ballads are weak and lacking in energy, and could be seen as nothing more than redundant copies of 50’s love ballads, as opposed to his genial poignant innovations in arrangements to be seen in his later compositions.

In short, Splish Splash is a must-hear, must-own to any ‘60’s rock & roll world’ enthusiast. Its production is nearly comparable to that of the Beatles’ early albums and the original song compositions are easily to be placed among the greatest hits of that year worldwide. Its power isn’t as convincing and jovial as early Who, or Kinks, but the Beach Boys’ suave, summertime, politically correct posture is well remembered here.

 

Sweatin’ Suits & Tropical Grooves brings the best of Brazilian Music to English speaking audiences. Expect to hear garage, freakbeat, soul, psychedelia and a lot of what we call Rhythm & Samba.

1. Coroné Antonio Bento by Tim Maia

A song that fuses the UK garage organ tradition with a folkloric Brazilian rhythm called ‘Baião’. The song is about a rich farmer from the Brazilian colonial aristocracy who breaks tradition by going to the big city (Rio de Janeiro) and inviting ‘Benê Nunes,’ the equivalent of say, Bill Haley in Brazil, to play at his daughter’s wedding rather than a more regional ‘sanfoneiro’ (Hurdy Gurdy player). He says that on this day ‘Bodocó (a district from the conservative state of Pernambuco)’ almost ‘turned.’ The song stands as a statement of youthful breaking of tradition – much in the vein of the youth movement throughout the entire world. Tim Maia here foreshadows his own revolution by speaking of a trend that happened in the 50s but himself adding foreign elements to Brazilian textures throughout the tune.

2. Ando Meio Desligado by os Mutantes

A classic that will be instantly recognised by any fan of Brazilian music. Below you can see the Mutantes live in about the time they wrote this song. The song is reminiscent of ‘Time of the Season’ by the Zombies, but takes a different turn altogether. That is, the Zombies had much influence from Bossa Nova and Brazilian music in general, so you never know who ripped who off – see ‘Tell Her No.’ There’s a decent version in English entitled ‘I Feel a Little Spaced-Out.’ It seems to be about somebody getting ‘high’ just thinking about somebody else, so it’s psychedelic without being drug-apologetic, which is a good twist for a country run by a military dictatorship (at the time). The catch phrase is “não leve a mal (don’t take it the wrong way), which keeps it nice and casual. These guys studied at the British School of São Paulo (St. Paul’s – where the author of this went to school as well, incidentally), so the English version has decent lyrics too.

3.  Ponta de Lança Africano (Umbabarauma) by Jorge Ben

Imagine an English song about George Best with Irish medieval imagery, sung at times in Gaelic. This is the black Brazilian equivalent. It’s a song about scoring a goal playing football in Africa. He keeps repeating “Homem Gol [Goal Man]”; “Joga bola, jogador [Play ball, player]!” ; “Joga bola [Play Ball], Corocondô [I couldn’t find the meaning of this, but I know that Jorge Ben always puts names and chants in the tongue of African earth religions, so that is my guess - in fact finding out what this means may be the key to understanding what the song is really about].” The lyrics are not as important as the imagery in this song where he invokes the excitement of a village football match. I did research to find out who ‘Umbabarauma’ was, but found nothing – this seems to be the name of the player in question, though not necessarily so. In other words this song is mysterious in terms of wording, but pretty straightforward sonically.

4. Alegria, Alegria by Caetano Veloso

One of my favourite songs of all time, ‘Alegria, Alegria’ is something only myself and a handful of other Brazilian misfits can relate to in a land that nowadays has been recognised as a natural and economic paradise (when in the past it was naturally beautiful though disastrous both politically and economically). Here Caetano Veloso expounds why he is leaving Brazil to move to London (where I also happen to have moved to). In the song he often repeats “Eu vou! Porque não? [I’m going! And why not?].” Sonically, it’s a complex arrangement composed by a sophisticated musician with tempo changes and irregular chord structures. However, this is one of the first tunes that Caetano clearly showed his interest in British music and shows it with organs and psychedelic imagery as well as subtle political commentary alla Bob Dylan. This is a classic 60s pop tune albeit musically sophisticated lest he lose his fame with his pre-tropicalia samba crew. My favourite bit is when he says “I drink a can of coke and she thinks about Marriage” which perfectly illustrates youth and casual liberalism versus conservatism and a worried mind.

5. Você Não Serve pra Mim by Roberto Carlos

Fuzz, Hammond, Mojo – Portuguese! This is a song that could’ve been in ‘Nuggets’ or a similar compilation showing the best of world garage music (maybe it even is somewhere). The constant organ phrases follow the song perfectly adding suspense and tension. Lyrically, it could’ve been sung by Alfie (the one with Michael Caine). The title translates to “You’re Not Good Enough for Me.” It’s one of Roberto Carlos less politically correct tunes.

6. Vem Quente Que Eu Estou Fervendo by Erasmo Carlos

This song is one of the most well known songs in Brazil. It was covered by many artists and I doubt the youth know this original version by Erasmo Carlos. His voice almost cracks, or does crack, in some parts. This is because this guy was used to singing much less belting songs. I bet someone walked into the studio with a Sonics album and said “We’re gonna have to compete with this soon, let’s get cracking!” and he did… erm… get crackin’.

7. Vendedor de Bananas by os Incríveis

Another incredible track by an incredibly underrated Brazilian 60’s group called ‘Os Incríveis’ (The Incredibles). The song is about a banana salesman in a crowded sunny market day. The different types of banana illustrate the different pleasures of life – with the obvious phallic implications. The rhythm is Samba with a jazzy twist and R & B brass and structure.

8. Tô Doidão by Reginaldo Rossi

Here we can hear organ, rhythm guitar and brass section alla Stax. Reginaldo Rossi is known for being a ‘brega’ singer, which is the brazilian word that means something in between Robbie Williams and Bryan Adams. But in this song he caught my attention explicitly saying in the chorus ‘Tô doidão, tô doidão, bicho, tô doidão….’ which basically means ‘I’m out of it, dude’ – In other words, something that can mean ‘I’m high’ and ‘I’ve gone mad’ simultaneously. Similar, in that sense to ‘Ando Meio Desligado’, track two above. In times of military dictatorship, it was fairly risky to say ‘Girl, we couldn’t get much higher’ on the equivalent of the Ed Sullivan show. Let’s hand it to this ‘brega’ singer.

9. Mestre Jonas by Sá, Rodrix & Guarabyra

Master Jones is a guru who lives inside a whale because he chose to. Listen to the groovy woodwind-like organ that fuses with that high pitched guitar to cause a rather unique blend of psychedelia.

10.  Rockixe by Raul Seixas

There’s a lot to be said about Raul Seixas, known as the Brazilian Bob Dylan. The first thing I’d say is that he’s very different to Dylan – he’s tougher, more Brazilian and more of an alcoholic. He was also a follower of all-star guru Aleister Crowley and wrote songs with another follower of Crowley’s Paulo Coelho, whom you might have heard of from best-seller shelves around the world in several translations. This is a song of his ranting about his likeness to the devil alla Rolling Stones and Sabbath, but here with a very soulful samba beat that only Brazilians can pull off.

Within the sunshine way of life here in California lies a thriving Mod/60’s scene. Do you and your friends in the scene wonder what it’s like to be a mod here? Well put on your sunglasses, grab a Corona and join me for a little sightseeing.

It is all on a smaller scale than in Europe but there is a pretty exciting and ever growing Mod/60’s scene here in California, made up of people who are into all kinds of different shades in the spectrum of the scene, from swirly to soulie, to revivalist and all the shades in between, with lots of bands and clubs that cater to the different varieties and interests within. The mentality and approach to it is a bit different to Europe in ways I can’t explain, but that’s probably down to local cultural more than anything. No matter what shade of Mod/60’s you are into, there are pretty good clubs here that cater to all of the various parts of the entire mod spectrum.

The music scene in California is pretty awesome. We are host to a number of great shows, clubs and bands. There are hundreds of great bands here, it would be impossible to tell you about them all so I’ll just let you know about a few of my favorites. From San Francisco one of the greatest new bands I’ve seen has to be the soul shouters Nick Waterhouse and the Tarots complete with full horn section and beautiful female backing singers, really authentic stuff! Bart Davenport is also really excellent and from time to time his old band The Loved Ones get together again for one off shows – always worth seeing.  Further east in Sacramento are pure ‘66 garage punk band The’ Loosin Streaks. On more of a hazy swirly psychedelic tip is Los Angeles group the Allah-Las, kind of a wild-west meets Aldous Huxley sound. Going further South to San Diego, the home to a legendary group fronted by Mike & Anja Stax, The Loons, along with psychedelic sensations Silver Sunshine. Lastly a shameless plug for your humble scribe’s own group, The Swarm, who have been buzzing around the Sunset Strip and beyond stinging people with our sonic wall of fuzz.

Most of the Mod/60’s clubs in California are in L. A., and there are constantly new ones popping up. Here’s a listing of a few off the top of my head, The Bullet (Hollywood), Soulside (Santa Monica), Romper Stomper (Hollywood), International Beat Club (L. A.), Spinout (L. A.), Psychotonic (Los Feliz), Mods vs. Rockers (Costa Mesa), Secret Affair (Long Beach), Curreation (LA), Long Beach Sound Society (Long Beach), Trojan Lounge (Santa Monica), Downtown Soul (Santa Ana), Chit Chat Club (L. A.), Funky Sole (Echo Park), and my own club that I run with Jackie Hoodoo, Blackeyed Soul Club. There may possibly be others but the ones I know about in San Francisco are 1964, Oldies Night, Club Phonogram & Tailor Made. There used to be an amazing club there called Diabolik, but sadly that is gone now.