2L Dec 99 Prod/Ven - TwoLouiesMagazine.com · Springsteen-like “Shoulder Of The Road.” The ......

OREGON VENUE GUIDE

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OREGON MUSIC / DECEMBER 1979-99

JONKOONCE

- TWO LOUIES, December 1999

Quarterflash at the Last Hurrah,1982.photo David Wilds

TWO LOUIES, December 1999 -

“How in the world could anybodywrite about Portland bands forso long?” is probably the most

frequently asked question I have encounteredover the past twenty years, when confrontedby a member of the local community at large,upon learning of my mostly ulterior identityas a long-time local music “critic.” My shockingreply is always the same. It’s been surprisinglyeasy! It would be difficult, if not impossible fora local music novitiate, staring at the year 2000,to envision the scene that was thriving inPortland back in 1979. It was nearlyunrecognizable by today’s standards.

The state was fresh from an edict handeddown by the OLCC in 1972 that, at last,permitted the unholy admixture of live music,performed by real, living human beings, to beplayed in Oregon taverns. That was a luxurywhich, in the ’60s, was afforded only to hard-liquor “dinner clubs,” such as Jazz pianistSidney Porter’s immemorable Sidney’s club inNorthwest Portland. The alternatives werenon-alcoholic venues: Folk coffehouses suchas the Psychedelic Supermarket and the FolkSinger in Southwest and the 9th Street Exit inSoutheast, or teeny-bopper “pop” hangoutssuch as the Silver Skate, D [Division] Street inouter Southeast and The Chase in Milwaukie.

With the lifting of OLCC restrictions,

Rock clubs, serving beer and wine, soon sprangup everywhere across Portland. They offeredall varieties of popular music to an everincreasing throng of hip, young patrons.

Liberal attitudes toward drinking and drugs,and few harmful socially-transmitted diseases,helped to promote an atmosphere of “never-ending party,” which culminated in thehedonistic excess espoused during the heightof the Disco era of the late ’70s. By the end of1979, as both Two Louies and I were being

initiated into this loopy landscape, musicalterritories had been defined and staked out andthere were fifedoms in every corner of the land.

The Funk band Pleasure had already gone

national. Pleasure, who started out in Portlandin 1974, quickly rose to regional prominence.Over the next ten years they were to recordseven albums, releasing a single that rose to #5in the charts. Leader Marlon McLain soonacquired a reputation as a world-classproducer, which resulted in his working withsome of the biggest names in the business, aposition he still maintains. Pleasure’s earlysuccess blazed the path for the many bands thatfollowed

Probably the most seminal Rock band ofthe era was Sleazy Pieces, a band that was acrazy amalgam of influences, made manifestby several of its many component parts: leadsinger Earl Benson, whose esotericallybohemian blend of off-kilter Beat Poetry andgoosey, operatic vocals would have been at

One Long Journey Through The Portland Music Scene

December 1979 to 1999

By SP Clarke

“By far, the most popular and successful band of the time wasSeafood Mama. The husband and wife team of Marv and Rindy

Ross combined elements of Folk, Rock, Pop, Country, Swingand Bluegrass into an engagingly entertaining stage show.”

Tony DeMicoli at LaBamba, 1981. photo Michael Moran

Continued on page 4


home with Frank Zappa; guitarist SteveBradley, whose name will ever remain legendamong the annals of prominently regnant localmusicians; and drummer Johnny Koonce, whosoon stepped out from his kit to form Johnnyand the Distractions.

By far, the most popular and successfulband of the time was Seafood Mama. Thehusband and wife team of Marv and RindyRoss combined elements of Folk, Rock, Pop,Country, Swing and Bluegrass into anengagingly entertaining stage show. Thataspect, coupled with Marv’s uncanny aptitudefor crafting sure-fire hit songs, and Rindy’sunique talent on the saxophone, found theband receiving heavy local and regional radioairplay— with self-produced singles of songssuch as “Hold The Mayo,” “City Of Roses,” andthe favorite, “Harden My Heart,” which waspunctuated by Rindy’s signature sax theme.And, with that verifiable hit, came eventual

national attention, precipitating the evolutionof the ensemble into the Rock bandQuarterflash and a subsequent platinumrecord.

Johnny Koonce and his Distractionsfollowed a similar course to national exposure,garnering heavy local airplay with hisindependently produced version of hisSpringsteen-like “Shoulder Of The Road.” TheRobert Cray Band (featuring Blues Brotherprototype Curtis Salgado) was on the verge of

greater success. Jeff Lorber was a fixture on theJazz Fusion charts. Movie Star was opening forthe Boomtown Rats at the Paramount. TheWipers released an album, Is This Real, on amajor independent label.

And that is where the story truly begins.

By the Spring of 1980 an incredibly hospitablemusical environment had evolved, spawningwhole cultures of various musical breeds. The“club” scene became so raucous in fact, thatthe Neo Boys, among several other Punk andNew Wave alternative bands, threatened toabstain from attempting to perform in venueswhere drinking was promoted, citing thedulled audience consciousness at such gigs;preferring the wired-up energy of underagersover the glaring, jaundiced eye of the average

pub-goer. Urban Noize was just such an all-age haven. Catering mostly to alternative Punkaudiences with local bands as varied as Upepoand the Wipers, Urban Noize was also thelocale for several early shows from touring actssuch as Joan Jett, Black Flag and DOA.

“Instrumental in the development of the Portland musicscene was Tony DeMicoli, whose wild, outlaw bar, ClubLong Goodbye (located in Old Town on Everett, where

Jimmy Mak’s is now housed) served as an unbiasedproving ground for any band of any musical persuasion.”

Continued from page 3

photo Michael MoranJon Newton with Wallpaper Music, 1980.


Still there emerged a club for everymusical style, a couple of bands that were ableto fill any particular club on the weekends. Hairbands such as Sequel, Legend, Rising Tide andFire Eye found refuge in a multitude of clubs,mostly located on the outskirts of town: theOrange Peel on Capitol Highway in deep

Southwest, Jody’s at 122nd and NortheastGlisan and the Wreck Of The Hesperus on102nd and Halsey in outer East county, andZack’s at 30th and Southeast Powell the chiefamong them.

Folkies such as Gary Ogan, Lew Jones,Craig Carothers, Valerie Brown and Jill Khovy

gave forth at the Dandelion in Northwest,downtown at Sweet Revenge, the East AvenueTavern on East Burnside and at the RiverwayInn on Southwest Macadam. Blues-basedpurveyors such as the Pete Karnes Blooz band,the Paul deLay Blues Band migrated to the

photo Gustavo RapoportThe original Johnny and the Distractions ,1978.

Continued on page 7


photo Gustavo RapoportJenny Floro of Jenny and the Jeans 1983.


White Eagle in North Portland.Seafood Mama, Johnny and the

Distractions, the Cray Band, Sleazy Pieces, thesoulful Slowtrain, the boogeyin’ BurnsideBombers, the ubiquitously Latin Upepo,Country swingers Trigger’s Revenge, Sleeper,Lone Coyote Club and Hurrman Burrman,and bluegrassy flatpickers Wheatfield andBeaver Trail Boys all held court at an array ofinner-city clubs including the compactbasement location of Last Hurrah on Alder, theold-time, woodfloored storefront of Sack’s onFront Avenue downtown, the spacious Earthin Northwest on 21st, and the cavernousEuphoria in the warehouse district at Southeast2nd and Stark. The Faucet on SouthwestBeaverton-Hillsdale Highway and Tipper’s onPowell near Southeast 102nd served as thesuburban outlets.

Instrumental in the development of thePortland music scene was Tony DeMicoli,whose wild, outlaw bar, Club Long Goodbye

(located in Old Town on Everett, where JimmyMak’s is now housed) served as an unbiasedproving ground for any band of any musicalpersuasion, but most predominantly for up-and-coming New Wavers such as the Cleavers,the Neo Boys, Sado Nation, the Balloons, CaseyNova and, most importantly, for the MiracleWorkers, the Rats, the Odds, the Untouchablesand the Malchicks. But Tony also demonstratedan abiding appreciation for theater, allowingvarious troupes to perform in the basementspace at the Long Goodbye, as well aspermitting the madcap machinations of

antique hippie rebels the Rounders, whosepolitical and social commentaries knew noboundaries nor barriers.

One of the most unifying events in thoseprimordial days of the Portland music scene,was the annual Pub Crawl, which was

sponsored by the Portland Opera Associationand involved dozens of bars— each offeringsome form of live entertainment. Thousandsof people would attend these alcohol-fueledfree-for-alls, many of them ferried from site tosite around town by an endless procession ofschool buses, which had been leased for theoccasion. Great fun could be had simply bystanding outside one of the participating bars;observing the revelers who would arrive ordepart upon one of the jolly yellow buses thatwould roll up every fifteen minutes or so.

Early in the evening, riders would observe

strict decorum in boarding and leaving thebuses— politely filing down the steps to thesidewalk. By night’s end, etiquette andconvention were abandoned in a wash of beer.People would slosh from the buses, careening

The Odds at the Long Goodbye, 1980. photo Michael Moran

“Billy Rancher was already notorious in Portland Rock circlesfor innumerable transgressions. Commonplace were the

occasions when Billy would empty pitchers of beer from thestage upon swirling dancers below him, or become a humanbeer fountain, spraying the crowd with a fine, sticky mist.”

Continued on page 8



down the steps; pour drunkenly frompassenger windows; fall blindly fromemergency exits, plummeting to the pavementwith a dull thud, amidst debauched laughterand screams. Today’s North By Northwestextravaganza is a Scout Jamboree incomparison to the bacchanal that was the Pub

Crawl. It was NXNW, the Bite and a riot atPioneer Courthouse Square, all rolled into one.

Those were the embryonic days of thePortland music scene, as we regard it today.Within two years that scene rapidly grew to

unprecedented maturity, reaching unparalleledproportions. In that short span of time SeafoodMama became Quarterflash, by dropping theoriginal rhythm section and adding one thatrocked considerably harder, a keyboard playerand a lead guitarist, Jack Charles. Charles hadpreviously achieved modest success in the early’70s with the band Sand, one of the firstPortland bands ever to produce a nationallyreleased album (something of a debacle: owingin part to the fact it was a two-record albumwith music recorded on only three of the fouravailable sides).

Quaterflash quickly signed a contract withthen-fledgling Geffen Records. By Summer of1982 their first national release had goneplatinum, in commemoration of which theband bestowed upon Two Louies an honorary

platinum album award. By that time JohnnyKoonce and his ever-changing Distractionshad signed with A&M Records; releasing anover-produced album that made it to theneighborhood of number 150 on the Billboardalbum charts.

But, by the Fall of 1982, the mostsignificant club of that golden era had alreadybeen open for a year and a half, acting as acreative conduit for the entire Portland musiccommunity. As Tony DeMicoli was openingLuis’ La Bamba Club in the Spring of ’81, thenascent Portland music scene was in dire needof a unifying entity: a club that went beyondstylistic boundaries to feature the best Portlandbands from all genres. La Bamba filled thatneed in spades, offering a superb venue formusic and the various theatrical performancesthat were soon to take place upon the club’sexpansive stage.

Migrating from Long Goodbye to the newspace, located inside what is now called theNew Rose Theatre building on 2nd Avenue atSouthwest Ankeny, Demicoli carried with himthe artistic vision he was only partially able torealize in the considerably smaller formerspace. The new room probably once housed


photo Jack AbendrothSleazy Pieces at Sack’s Front Avenue, 1979.

“Later in 1982 Jenny and the Jeans suffered a setback from whichthey never really recovered. While opening for Sequel at the

Oregon Museum in Salem, their set was violently interrupted,when a disgruntled patron brought a gun into the bar andstarted firing, wounding 26 people, killing several more.”


the “Old” Rose Theatre, back in the vaudevilledays at the turn of the 20th Century. It wasapproximately the same size as the main roomat Mt. Tabor Pub, although the ceilings weren’tquite as high.

Before La Bamba materialized, the spacewas had been a restaurant, the Medieval Inn, acastle-like affair, where bawdy wenches wouldcoquettishly serve patron lords and ladies legso’ mutton and flagons of ale. In the basementbelow that main hall was a vast dungeonesque

area— seemingly roughhewn from massiveblocks of stone— where other patrons couldsup in quiet seclusion, away from the wild,teeming masses scranneling upstairs.Surprising as it might seem today, MiddleAges-themed restaurants were not uncommonat that time. Still, a renaissance was yet close athand!

DeMicoli hastily converted the basementinto a Mexican restaurant, hence the nameLuis’ La Bamba. In point of fact, there was no

Luis. It was a caricature of Tony’s visage thatgraced advertisements and promotionalmaterials for the club. The uninformed wereeven known to refer to Tony as “Luis.” Thedownstairs restaurant area also served as aperformance spot for impromptu theatricaluprisings, and for solo music acts, the mostnotable of whom was the Incredible JohnDavis.

The Incredible John Davis was a one-

photo Gustavo Rapoport

Continued on page 10

Curtis Salgado and Robert Cray for the cover of Two Louies,1982.


man-band extraordinaire. With his left foot hewould maintain the beat on an elaborate drumset, while playing pedal bass with his right.Meanwhile John would sing, occasionallyblowing a harmonica, while playing crazy,

heavily effected electric guitar, in a faintlyReggae syncopated manner. It was a style, alifestyle and a philosophy that Davis created

and incessantly propounded to anyone whowould listen. It was called Boom Chuck. Theprimary tenet was the upstroke and having itdown. Incredible John once staged a twelve-hour one-man-band marathon in thebasement at La Bamba. He called Jim Bosley“an old bald guy” to his face on an a KATU-TV AM Northwest “Punk Music” special.

One impressionable acolyte who traversedwithin the sphere of Incredible John’s sway wasa young singer/guitarist from the Stonesy, bad

boy Glam Punk band the Malchicks. BillyRancher was already notorious in PortlandRock circles for innumerable transgressions.

Commonplace were the occasions when Billywould empty pitchers of beer from the stageupon swirling dancers below him, or becomea human beer fountain, spraying the crowdwith a fine, sticky mist. More legendary stillwas the night Billy tipped over a pinballmachine at Sacks, for which he afterwarddisplayed no contrition whatsoever.

Championing the concept of BoomChuck, Billy soon found the means to expressit. Increasing friction between he and Lenny,his brother and fellow Malchick, led to aparting of ways and an end to the band. Shortlythereafter, in the late Summer of 1981, Billyunveiled his new band. And for the next severalyears, Billy Rancher and the Unreal Gods, alongwith the dancers the Goddesses A Go Go, werea force to be reckoned with throughout theNorthwest region; the loci in an explosivePortland scene. Ground zero was La Bamba,the site of countless enchanted evenings.

Magical nights with the Bluesy Folk/Rockof Jeffrey Frederick and Les Clams, the manicFolk/Jazz of Billy Kennedy with Le Bon.Formative shows from frat boy Ska disciplesthe Crazy 8s, the initial outings of Map OfFrance— one of guitarist Duane Jarvis’ many


The Wipers recording session at the Earth, 1979. photo Micheal Moran

“The Met was one of the earliest scenes of “slamdancing” (a precursor to moshing) to take place in

Portland. The Untouchables became Napalm Beach atthe Met. The Wipers played several triumphant shows

after returning from a long US tour in support oftheir first independent release. Poison Idea broke on

to the scene at the Met. The Rats became the Torpedosand went back to being the Rats at the Met.”


subsequent bands after leaving the Odds in1981. And, as was always Demicoli’s policy, thestage was regularly open to the best fledglingRock bands. In addition, Tony’s fondness forcabaret inspired him to present “La BambaLaugh Nights,” featuring top local and touringcomics, as well as other theatrically inspiredevents. The chief among these were the rare,but always momentous appearances of DanseCombeau.

Brainchild of the brilliant Jon Newton, theabsurd concept behind the band was essentiallythat: a large, amorphous ensemble of Frenchlounge musicians, headed by a tall, charismaticfigure (reminiscent of David Bowie and HowdyDoody, with a heavy French accent), werestranded in our country and were thus obligedby circumstance to play their repertoire of

arcane ’60s songs, performed in an inimitablytwisted Franco/Latin style. “Eve OfDestruction” stands out as a distinct highpoint.

The character of the lead singer, Danse,was portrayed by Jim Baldwin— a member ofthe erstwhile Dada-esque performance/artterrorist group, the Tu Tu Band; who alsoworked as a cook in the La Bamba restaurant.As Danse, the shy and reticent Baldwin

blossomed into an extroverted singer andmaster of ceremonies, leading the decadentfestivities with flair and suave facility. AFederico Fellini film scored by Spike Jones.

Perhaps the most dazzling of all the

splendidly rendered spectaculars was “DanseCombeau Goes Hawaiian.” With hula girlsswaying gently to the inoffensive Latin beat,members of the orchestra hoisted upon their

shoulders a canoe, bearing Danse— whopaddled with the utmost beneficence, as theentire retinue merrily glided through the aisles,among the dumbfounded audience.

Billy Rancher’s first serious localcompetition came from the Confidentials, asnotty power trio fronted by the intense DarrellStrong, whose bony melisma emanated a fiercedynamism. During the early months of 1982,

the Confidentials were creating quite a stiramong area music journalists, some of whomdesignated the band as the “next big thing.”With a tight brand of angular hard-hitting PopSka, Strong and his mates acted as some

cosmically dark opposition to the Unreal Gods’sometimes puerile brightness.

About the same time, the face of thePortland music scene began to change as well.

Dogged by neighborhood noise and vandalismcomplaints, the Earth was forced to shut itsdoors. Sacks too was forced out of business bya greedy landlord. The Foghorn, earlier knownas the Wreck Of The Hesperus, closed, leavingmany up-and-coming Pop Rock bands suchas Mr. Nice Guy and Jenny and the Jeans,without a viable Eastside venue in which to ply

“ ‘Boom Chuck Rock’ Now featured many of BillyRancher’s best, most ingenuous songs, though the album

failed to capture the monumental Elvis-like appeal hegenerated on the live stage, prancing around in his

signature leopard print pajamas and cowboy boots.”

Billy Rancher and the Unreal Gods, 1981. photo David Wilds



p g

their craft.Later in 1982 Jenny and the Jeans suffered

a setback from which they never reallyrecovered. While opening for Sequel at theOregon Museum in Salem, their set wasviolently interrupted, when a disgruntledpatron brought a gun into the bar and startedfiring, wounding 26 people, killing severalmore. Though none of the band members was

injured in the incident, Jenny DiFloro, thebeautiful and talented lead singer, drifted fromthe scene when the band broke up shortlythereafter, and was not heard in Portland again.

But Rod Langdahl the guitarist andsongwriter in Jenny and the Jeans, did continueon, forming Thinman with his brother, bassplayer Rick. Rod’s well constructed Pop songsquickly met with widespread critical acclaimas another band donned the slippery mantleof “Next Big Quarterflash.” Thinman giggedoften in La Bamba, as well as the Last Hurrahand the newly opened Fat Little Rooster locatedin the Southeast at 16th and Hawthorne. TheFat Little Rooster was a mid-sized room, witha great stage, that regularly presented showsfrom Portland’s better Alternative bands: theUnreal Gods, Theatre Of Sheep, the MiracleWorkers, Map Of France, Positive Waves,Walkie Talkie and eccentric..

The Last Hurrah maintained its image asbastion of the mainstream, the diametricalternative to La Bamba, though the same

clientele circulated between both bars, as didmany of the performing acts. Club ownerMichael Mott steered a tight course whenbooking his establishment, preferring not toexperiment with any formula but that of thetried-and-true. Still, the best local Rock andFunk bands were always slated for theweekends. On any given Saturday night, onewas sure to find the Distractions or Slowtrain,the Cray Band, Puzzle, Nimble Darts or NuShooz.

Nu Shooz, founded in 1980, was the funkySoul vision of guitarist/songwriter John Smith.Ever-changing band personnel always includeda horn section and Latin percussion as well as

a lead singer. The fortuitous addition ofvocalist David Musser solidified an earlyincarnation— his Daryl Hall-looks a naturalcounter to Smith’s resemblance to JohnOates— leading to a first round of success forthe band. Smith’s dedicated tinkering with thechemistry of Nu Shooz eventually led to thedefinitive recipe.

Another band that experienced variouspermutations was Nimble Darts, a sassy Popband masterminded by guitarist/songwriterRobert Brown and fronted by the affable LoriCalhoun. Various sidemen in the band later

went on to greater glory. Puzzle was comprisedof local mainstays such as guitarist BillFeldmann, keyboardist Mark Bosnian anddrummer Calvin Walker.

Euphoria continued it’s reign as theEastside’s dominant A Room, offering aselective mix of touring national acts and avariety of local bands, One of those local bandswas the Untouchables, Chris Newman’sstunning New Wave four-piece SWAT team.Unbelievably compact, concise songs such as“My TV,” “Soylent Green,” “Fake ID” and“Walking On The Water,” and a majesticallyoperatic vocal delivery instantly distinguishedNewman as a cut above the competition. Hisfiery, lead guitar work was peerless, invokingJimi Hendrix and Steve Cropper, sometimeswithin the context of the same song.

In the void left by the closure of UrbanNoize in 1981, the Met, became host to the localPunk/Alternative contingent. Located at thecorner of Southwest 3rd and Burnside, the Metwas one of the earliest scenes of “slam dancing”(a precursor to moshing) to take place inPortland. The Untouchables became NapalmBeach at the Met. The Wipers played severaltriumphant shows after returning from a longUS tour in support of their first independentrelease. Poison Idea broke on to the scene atthe Met. The Rats became the Torpedos andwent back to being the Rats at the Met.

The Rats were one of countless bands withwhich Fred Cole had played guitar and sang.He had been touring and releasing recordssince the mid-’60s. Being in a band was secondnature to Fred. Enlisting his wife Toody as hisbassist seemed natural. It also meant thatkeeping a band together was just that mucheasier. Music was their lives. When they openedCaptain Whiz Eagle’s music store in downtownPortland, they became foster-parents to alegion of underground musicians from allcultural corners of the city. Their music wasreferred to as ‘grundge” in a local review of theday. They were not the only “grundge” band

toiling in Portland a full decade before theSeattle Sound.

New, larger halls opened, to challengeEuphoria’s dominance in booking nationaltouring acts. While Tony Demicoli had


“Andy Gilbert’s gestapo-like technique was to groombands toward homogenization into cheese—

promoting the ultimate velveeta, packaged to sell. Hissterile and myopic musical world view left an indelible

mark on the local live music industry for many yearsto follow, permanently stunting its growth.”

photo BukoLegend’s last show in 1982.


photo Gustavo Rapoport

managed to contract some touring alternativeacts into his club, La Bamba, with a capacityof only 250, was simply too small toaccommodate the big crowds that Punk andNew Wave music were beginning to attract.

Al Salazar was one of the first to respond,opening the Pine Street Theatre, at SoutheastPine and Sandy. Formerly housing a Churchof Scientology franchise, the building was athree-story honeycomb of small, run-downoffices and larger meeting rooms, whichencircled the expansive main hall. Salazar hungan extensive collection of antique swag lampsand crystal chandeliers from the high ceiling

in the main room, scattering among them theoutstretched skeletons of massive birds of prey.Upon the walls around the area, Salazarmounted an eerie array of animal skulls. All inall, it created quite a disjointedly appropriateatmosphere. When the Psychedelic Furs playeda gig at the Pine Street on their first US tour,the volume and pressure of their sound wassuch that it set the lamps and chandeliers toswaying ominously above the audience.

One of the first local bands to exploit thePine Street stage was Theatre Of Sheep. Led bymercurial vocalist Rozz Rezabeck-Wright, theSheep were an imaginative, if sometimes

sloppy quintet, which always made superb useof the talents of lead guitarist Jimi Haskett andClassically trained keyboardist LeslieArbuthnott. They symphonic support to Rozz’mostly extemporaneous songs andunpredictable antics, which might include hishiking a long, skinny leg over the mic stand—easily a height of six feet. Theatre Of Sheeprapidly rose to prominence within theAlternative community, achieving especialsuccess among underagers; such that theirpopularity rivaled that of even the Unreal Godsin that demographic.


Chris Miller of the Rockin’ Razorbacks,1985.


Across town, Larry Hurwitz opened StarryNight on Northwest 6th at Burnside, With acapacity of 850, the club posed a seriouschallenge to Tony DeMicoli’s ability to bookLa Bamba. Danse Combeau chose to enacttheir gala Christmas 1982 pageant at StarryNight instead of La Bamba (a show that wasthwarted, mid-show, by an anonymous tip tothe Fire Marshall concerning overcrowding).

The Unreal Gods elected to follow suit for theirNew Year’s Eve celebration. Such upheavalcertainly caused hard feelings. A feud eruptedbetween Tony and Larry, whereupon a litanyof pranks ensued. A call to the fire marshallhere, a smashed toilet and plugged sewer linethere. Veiled threats everywhere. It was anexciting time.

Following the lead of their predecessorsQuarterflash and Johnny and the Distractions,the top bands of the day continued to releasealbums, singles and EPs, though they wereexpensive to make and the results were seldomvery satisfying. But vinyl was the sonic currencyof the day, and every band worth its chops wasreleasing something. Slowtrain, Paul DeLay, NuShooz and the Unreal Gods had popularreleases in 1982. Boom Chuck Rock Nowfeatured many of Billy Rancher’s best, mostingenuous songs, though the album failed tocapture the monumental Elvis-like appeal hegenerated on the live stage, prancing around

in his signature leopard print pajamas andcowboy boots.

Hair bands prospered in that era as well,with Sequel leading the charge from the outerWestside suburbs toward the Last Hurrah,Zack’s and to Tippers in the outer Eastsidesuburbs— followed closely by Movie Star,Kashmir, Fire Eye, the Storm and the ChoirBoys, which were both comprised of membersof the Checker Brothers, Legend and RisingTide, oddly enough. Poppier bands such as theBachelors, No Ties, and Mr. Nice Guy alsofound refuge in those venues as well.

The Blues contingency was anchored byPaul DeLay, Robert Cray and Terry Robb.

Rockabilly revivalists the Rockin’ Razorbacks,featured Chris Miller on guitar and former

Upepo bassist Michael Kearsey on bass. TheWhite Eagle in North Portland stood as a Bluesstronghold, as it does to this day. But LastHurrah and Beckman’s, which superseded theFaucet space in the Southwest, were amenableto the Blues as well.

Cyclic by nature, the Portland music sceneswung toward a nadir in 1983. Bands broke up,

reconfigured or simply hunkered down asclubs closed and public interest waned. Flamesof disillusion consumed all but the mostfaithful. Or those that were poised to sign bigcontracts.

A victim of rampant urban renewal, TonyDeMicoli was forced to close La Bamba,allowing the owners of the building to convertit into a quaint mini-mall on the edges of thepermanent Saturday Market space under theBurnside Bridge. Euphoria closed andreopened as a sports bar. The Met folded.Tippers changed hands. The Fat Little Roosterbecame the Barley Mill Pub and replaced itsstage with pool tables.

The clubs that remained catered to thefashions and trends that were being dictatedby a new and powerful force in the music andconsumer industries: MTV. Metal bandsdisappeared. Hair bands were as scarce aspandas. Blues bands played the White Eagle.New Wave ruled the day. New Wave bands werebooked into every major Rock club in town.Men at Work and a Flock of Seagulls were rolemodels.

Still, out of the ashes, new clubs sprungto life. The roots of some continue to growingtoday. Others only came briefly to the fore,before dying off; but sustained less-fashionablemusical styles. The 13th Precinct opened onSouthwest 13th near Taylor, providing a spacefor Punk and Alternative bands such as thePoison Idea and Final Warning or the UsualSuspects and the Van Goghs. Cafe Oasisattracted a more bohemian crowd,spearheaded by loyal followers of Ed and theBoats. The PC&S on Southwest Morrison at10th, long a quiet Jazz bar, became a vehiclefor Billy Kennedy’s trio Special K. The RockCreek Tavern, way out in the Western forty,

welcomed Les Clams, the Beaver Trail Boys andHank Rasco.

While Tony DeMicoli moved hisoperations to Chuck’s on Southwest Front, KeyLargo opened in its current location, supplyinga venue for many La Bamba orphans such asthe Unreal Gods and Crazy 8s, as well as NuShooz. Eli’s opened on Southwest 4th,


“Across town, Larry Hurwitz opened Starry Night onNorthwest 6th at Burnside, With a capacity of 850, the club

posed a serious challenge to Tony DeMicoli’s ability tobook La Bamba... A feud erupted between Tony and Larry,

whereupon a litany of pranks ensued. A call to the firemarshall here, a smashed toilet and plugged sewer line

there. Veiled threats everywhere. It was an exciting time.”

photo Pat SnyderCool’r at The Last Hurrah, 1985.


providing a downtown stable for Pacific Talentimpresario Andy Gilbert, whose strangle-holdon the B clubs of the region ensured theirreduction to the lowest common denominator.Gilbert’s gestapo-like technique was to groombands toward homogenization into cheese—promoting the ultimate velveeta, packaged tosell. His sterile and myopic musical world viewleft an indelible mark on the local live musicindustry for many years to follow, permanentlystunting its growth.

Despite these severe impediments, a fewexciting bands were able to make their wayfrom out of the fondue. The foremost amongthem was Cool’r. Descended from the

legendary Pleasure, Cool’r was the greatestFunk band ever to play the local circuit. BassistNate Phillips, drummer Bruce Carter andguitarist Doug Smith logged ten years andseven albums with Marlon McLain andPleasure, developing a superior level ofexpertise as musicians— an impeccable senseof timing and communication. The additionof lead singer Andy Stokes was the icing on thecake. Andy’s suave, sensual vocals matched theband’s silken smooth artistry, nuance fornuance.

Another interloper within the localpicture, J. Isaac came to the game with a morestellar pedigree than Andy Gilbert. But his

destructive predilection for retooling intoprecise molds the acts he represented, managedto ruin far more bands than it ever assisted.Isaac found immediate success grafting thehusband and wife limbs of Seafood Mama ontothe trunk of the Rock band Pilot. He called itQuarterflash. Quarterflash flourished andprospered. And it was good.

Seeking to erect an empire, Isaac securedmanagement contracts with two of Portland’smost promising young bands, the Odds andthe Balloons. The Odds were a fiery New Wavequartet, led by guitarist/vocalist Duane Jarvisand his brother Kevin, a solid drummer.


photo Gustavo RapoportPaul deLay,1986.


photo Micheal Moran

LL

“The Incredible John Davis was a one-man-bandextraordinaire. With his left foot he would maintain the beaton an elaborate drum set, while playing pedal bass with his

right. Meanwhile John would sing, while playing crazy, heavilyeffected electric guitar. It was called Boom Chuck.”

The Incredible John Davis, 1982.

Abetted by sterling bassist Jim Wallace, themusicians constructed a substantialfoundation beneath moody Ben Davis’brooding lead vocals. The Balloons were apopular party band, led by singer MikeFingerhut, whose energetic sense of humor andsoulful vocal prowess secured for the groupfavored status.

Not long after signing with Isaac it wasdetermined that the Odds should change theirname— owing to the fact that there werenumerous bands called the Odds, all over thecountry. Inexplicably, the name Two MinutesFifty was selected replace the formerappellation. Shortly after that, drummer KevinJarvis accepted an offer to join Johnny and theDistractions. In a typically inbred move,Distractions drummer Kip Richardson tookover the chair in 2:50 . It wasn’t long beforeIsaac conceived of another superband, thistime wedding Mike Fingerhut’s vocal skillswith 2:50. And thus, Mystery Date was born,Ben Davis was the Odd man out. The Balloonswere deflated.

Jim Wallace left Mystery Date and theband changed its name to Arts and Crafts.Duane Jarvis left Arts and Crafts to help foundMap Of France. Eventually, Kevin Jarvis left theDistractions (replaced by Carlton Jackson) torejoin his brother Duane in Map Of France,which displaced Charlie DeFrank, the originalMOF drummer. Mike Fingerhut’s bandbecame Man In Motion. About the time ManIn Motion broke up, so did Quarter Flash. Atthat point J. Isaac went to work for the PortlandTrailblazers professional basketball team,where his propensity for experimentation wasperhaps better suited all along. Oy vey. A

regular soap opera.Throughout the dark year of ’83, other

bands metamorphosed as well, but more forartistic reasons than for product placementissues. Lead vocalist David Musser left NuShooz to become a chef. He was replaced byMark Bosnian from Puzzle. Meanwhile Valerie


Day was assuming the role of percussionist andbackground vocalist and saxman DannySchauffler was acquired from Crazy 8s. TheCrazy 8s remained an ever-changing set ofplayers, revolving around the founders, saxmanvocalist Todd Duncan and trombonist TimTubb.

As the New Year of 1984 drew near, therumor of major label signings filled the air.Black and Blue, with former members of MovieStar, signed with Geffen Records. The UnrealGods signed with Arista. The Wipers werereleasing another major independent release.Meredith Brooks and the Angels of Mercymade their debut. Dan Reed, lead guitarist forNimble Darts when they broke up, debuted hisPrincely new band, the Dan Reed Network, atLast Hurrah. The first Mayor’s Ball was aboutto take place. The cycle that had swung so lowin 1983 was about to take a decided upwardturn.Next month Part 2 the Go Go 80’s.


Bus BoykSteve Bradley

Meredith BrooksMel Brown

Richard BurdellCraig Carothers

Robert CrayDead MoonPaul deLaåy

James DePreistJohn Fahey

David FriesenTom Grant

Heck HarperWoody Hite

Duane JarvisTodd JensenLloyd JonesNancy King

The KingsmenJon KoonceJeff Lorber

Rose MadduxThara Memory

Jim MesiGlen MooreShirley NanetteChris NewmanGary OganJim PepperPleasureQuarterflashBilly RancherHank RascoJohnny RayPaul Revere & The RaidersFritz RichmondGreg SageCurtis SalgadoDoc SeverinsenShockNu ShoozRon SteenUpepoTurtle VanDemarrLeroy VinnegarMason WilliamsDon Worth

Nominated Artists

The Oregon Music Coalition&

The Oregon Historical Society

present

The Oregon Music Coalition,in association with the Oregon Historical Society

is seeking artist nominations for the upcoming year 2000Oregon Music Hall of Fame.

The Oregon Music Hall of Fame will be a permanent archivefor those artists deserving lasting recognition.

Successful candidates should have at leasta twenty year track record in the music industry

with a significant portion spent in the Oregon music community.The initial nomination process is open to all professionals

and all musical genres are welcomed.Candidates will be rated for musical influence,

community involvement and commercial success.Plans are to induct 12 artists in the year 2000

and 3 artists a year afterward.To nominate artists not already listed or for more information on

how you can help the Oregon Music Hall of Fame log on toOregonMusicHallofFame.org


More Songs About Drinking And Women—ThrillbillyBurnside Distribution Corporation

Having spent most of the past decade treading the local boards, aswell as logging incalculable miles

of pavement on the road, Thrillbilly are callingit quits. Leader J. Bowman has always main-tained a distinct love/hate relationship with ex-istence, his songs filled with drunken musingsand mournful, morning-after insights. Thedozen songs contained within this, their thirdfull-length album do not depart from that sce-

nario, but reflect Bowman’s increasing maturityas a writer, as well as the individual member mu-sicians’ own ripening abilities.

The most noticeable addition to the gui-tar-driven Thrillbilly sound are the organ andpiano textures contributed by keyboardist RobO’Hearn. O’Hearn, atwenty year veteran inthe local scene (heplayed with JackCharles’ Mien Streetin the mid-80s), layersnearly every tune with well-conceived, neatly ex-ecuted keyboardstylings, expandingthe musical di-mensions of thematerial. Lyrically,Bowman’s narra-tives almost seemto refer to eachother, as if they werechapters in a book.

“Lost In The Mo-ment” is a jangly, synco-pated piece of swamp gas,that benefits fromO’Hearn’s fluteyWurlitzer interjec-tions and lead guitaristMark Dybvig’s chortlingCountry-flavored licks. Drum-mer Danny Carbo provides apunch laid-back beat to the proceedings. “TimeFlies” maintains a similar musical atmosphere,as Bowman intones the lyric with his best

Michael Stipe-like drawl.The moody ballad “Darlin’ It’s Cold” con-

tinues the trend, O’Hearn’s chiming piano oc-taves ring brightly over a bed of acoustic andelectric guitars; Bowman’s doleful vocals hover-ing above it all like a ghost. “Gimme Somethin’”is an volatile rocker, fueled by O’Hearn’s smokin’organ fills and chunky powerchords fromDybvig and rhythm guitarist Doug Lindstrom.Bowman’s husky vocal is a departure from hisusual delivery, typifying the sense of change thatcourses through the heart of the material.

Davey Hall’s insistent bass line intertwines

with Dybvig’s intricate guitar filigree on“Aminita,” a moving, mid-tempo rocker with apretty chorus and incisive Bowman lyrics. Themelancholy “Bonita” seems to explore a differ-ent facet of the same subject matter as the pre-vious song. Dybvig’s delicate acoustic guitarchord progression blossoms into “Half A Mile,”a Country-shaded, number, bedecked by

O’Hearn’s regal Hammond tones.

“Skinhorse Tune,” a reference to anotherdeparted Portland band, portrays an unravel-ing mindset: “Got a Skinhorse tune, it’s playin’

in my head/Sounds so close to me right now Icould live on red wine and bread.” Yet anotherrueful plaint. Dybvig’s stuttering riffs and slash-ing boogie chords and fiery solos propel the rol-licking “Second Skin,” tangibly elevating the

mood. Bowman rises to the occasion with aninspired vocal contribution to

what is indubitably the highpointof the set. An archetypalThrillbilly number.

G u e s tPeter Frajola’sb u r n i s h e dfiddle passagesignite the

rousing “I FeelGone,” which maintains

the more customary senseThrillbilly gusto. O’Hearn’s

buttery Hammond meldswith the violin to form rich,Dave Matthews-ish orches-

tration beneath Thrillbilly’scharacteristic arsenal ofeffulgent electric guitars.

Carbo’s stamped-ing tom solo serves as theintro to “Strong Ones,” an-other rowdy rocker—

Dybvig’s gnarled guitar inflections creating anEastern motif against Lindstrom’s chunky

“The dozen songs contained withinThrillbilly’s third full-length album...reflectBowman’s increasing maturity as a writer,

as well as the individual membermusicians’ own ripening abilities.”

photo Buko

Thrillbilly, tales of wine, women, and the road; their legacy will not soon be forgotten.



Rosebud

This morning I woke up to an earthquake, and I don’t know where mychildren are. On top of that, I’ve de-

cided that I’m not buying into the Y2K scare. Ad-mittedly, I do seem to bepricing dry and cannedgoods, generators,and large waterconta in-

ers, I don’t want tobelieve we’ll have

problems with bank machines, electricity, and wa-ter. I think it’s hogwash, but I keep buying morebeans. I’m also debating a large cash withdrawal.Whatever happens, there will be plenty ofFrijoles con Arroz!

My hot pick for lastmonth will have to beSnoop Doggy Dog at theSuper Jamm 1999 Jamming95.5 show. That’s what youcall a no frills type of perfor-mance. There was the emptystage except for a skirted ban-quet table with two turn tablesand a microphone, two stacks ofspeakers, a minimal lighting truss,and a Jammin 95.5 banner. Still, theRose Garden was nearly full and itwas quite a show. After an array ofyoung name acts, Snoop made his en-trance with little fan fare. It was morelike a boxer entering the ring with anentourage. When he got on stage, I sud-denly thought that this guy is worriedmore about getting shot, than gettingprostrate cancer. I mean, the statistics andreality of his particulars, are such that hischances of dying from a bullet wound are mightyhigh. He did have many folks around him, but eachtime he goes on stage and faces a near capacitycrowd like that, he must wonder...”Who’s got thegun?” The shake down at the doors of the Rose

Garden probably did deter people from car-rying, and having the Portland Police pat down ev-eryone who entered the back stage area was enter-taining, if not assuring. The most asked question

of the night was “What’s up Portland?”, but Snoopkept asking, “What’s my name?” He then asked theaudience if anyone was holding. Suddenly, therewas a barrage of joints, lighters, change and small

gifts thrown on stage at his feet.Snoop bent down to pick up alarge joint and proceeded to light

it. The audience went wild! He took

a few l-o-n-g hits and passed it politely to the dj.The audience seemed shocked, but Snoop assuredthem that what he was doing was fine and dandy.In fact, he then went on to start a short

chant of “F_ _ _ thepolice! F_ _ _ thepolice!” Well, the

near capacity

crowd was just besidethemselves at this point. Snoop then lit up anothergift from the crowd. I was completely in awe of hisballsy performance. He did a shout out for TupakShakur, and after one exceptionally large hit from

a spleef, he shuffled into some fancy foot work thatwas quite endearing. He hung out at the

Rose Garden long after the show, and even-tually made his way out with a mellow posse of

around ten. He stopped and shook hands, spokekindly to everyone, and posed for photographs. Heseemed quite blissful. Although the music was deaf-ening, and I had ringing in my ears for two days,Snoop was much better than I could have guessed.He acts like a non-threatening, stoner, air-head, butI’m beginning to believe it’s a great cover for a veryintelligent, sexy, sweet, soul.

The Willamette Week 25th Anniversary partywas an interesting collection of Portland notables.It was held upstairs at the Masonic Temple, andBruce Goldberg did a fine job with the cateringand decor. His salad rolls and meatballs werescrumptious. Tony DeMicoli was there lookingtrim and fit in a grey pin stripped suit. He told methat he was tired of answering the same questionall night. “What about Malta?” Well, he didn’t go.Callahan was there. When I snapped his picture,he apologized for having had too much to drink.Mike Quinn was there in good form. He stoodclutching his coat, and was completely charmingwith his frosty wit. Quinn was hanging around withJohnny Sole who was thrilled to be passing out in-

vites to their mutually producedNew Years Eve UltraLounge Disco 2000 atthe Red Lion Hotel atthe Coliseum. Theircalling it “A Monqui &Johnny Sole Thing”.John Brodie was therealso passing out invites toa later function atDarcelle’s. Brodie lookedgreat and had promotionon his mind. It seems he’salso in cahoots withQuinn producing a NewYears Bash with Pink Mar-tini at Union Station.

I went to ‘A Night OfChampions’, The OregonTrail Promotions and FoxSports Net put together thisrather exciting night of box-

ing at The Rose Garden. Well, I saw threeknock out punches plus; Margaret McGregorfought Cheryl Nance and won. I have to admit thatI have always admired boxing, and watching it upclose at ringside was raw, real, and riveting. I hadto cover my eyes a couple of times, but sitting therewith a crowd of complete strangers except forKatherine Dunn and Jim Redden, was refreshing.There was blood, sweat, violence, as well as beauti-ful girls getting up between each round, and hold-ing up the number cards. A lot of folks took a lick-ing and time just kept on ticking. I was glad it wasn’tme in the ring, I would have cried like a baby.

Finally, my children did phone home.Let me know what’s going on! Write to me

[email protected]

“Snoop was much better than I could haveguessed. He acts like a non-threatening, stoner,

air-head, but I’m beginning to believe it’s a greatcover for a very intelligent, sexy, sweet, soul.”

LL

Steven S

pyrit &

John Brodie,

with promotion o

n his mind.

snoop doggy dog

backstage @ the Rosegardenphotos Robin Rosemond


by Marianne Steiner

MorphFiendsWhat an incredible shift in the Portland

music scene this past year. Break ups of bands(17 Reasons Why, Silkenseed, Thrillbilly, Mon-key Fur, Unspun and several others) which were

mainstays on the scene for some time. And allbut gone, it seems, are the hardest of the hardrockers…most clubs playing host to the ghoul-ish goth’s, trippin’ hippies and roots-y tootsies,or so it seems to me. Have you seen the calen-dars lately for Berbati’s and Satyricon?YAWWWWNNNN….with a few mi-nor exceptions, dullsville most ev-ery night. The Tabor is pullingin bigger crowds and betterbands lately; The GreenRoom, it turns out, isdrawing the Westsideequivalent of theLaurelthirst crowd on aregular basis. The WhiteEagle and Gemini Pubstretching their limbs abit to move away fromtheir mostly blues genreto showcase more pop,grass and sass. Strip barsalso seem to be a hotticket these days foreven the most presti-gious of bands in town- those who aren’t wor-ried about trading intheir reputation for a bit ofT & A surround sound ya-ya’s. Yeah, Yeah, I know, people REALLY do gothere to listen to the bands, right? Key Largoturns into a disco rave cave OHM. The CobaltLounge, as usual, can bring in some good bandsand crowds but the staff there somehow alwaysmanage to rude-away most of the bands and pa-trons by night’s end. The 1201 Lounge, one ofPortland’s best in the past, now defunct.

La Luna, once the scene the whole scene andnothing but the scene, now tits up. The NewParis Theatre, risen like a phoenix from theashes, appears to be heading into the newmillineum in all-balls full throttle. Owners

Hugo Obele & Larry Lowery are the force be-hind the club’s new façade. Recent improve-ments in the sound system, lighting, bathroomsand interior have made for a pretty cool punk/goth/industrial club with lots of room for rock‘n roll when the spirit

moves them. It’s the first all ages venue in a longtime where queens, teens and sacks of beans canintermingle without stairs, tapes, ropes or dopeswith flashlights separating young from old. Latenight live music and early morning raves makeit as full-service as you could hope for if you’re

under 21 or like to hang with those who are.And did I mention eclectic? Occasional Mt. Ta-bor hippie sound guy “Turtle” (Bill Mitchell)

is now the mix man at the Paris since Jim Ivanmoved on. And they’ve even got a pipe

smokin’, spike-collared Scotsman work-ing behind the bar. The Green Room’sDeclan O’Connor, Irish lad and propri-

etor, has turned an almost-out-of-the-wayneighborhood venue into a Portland destina-tion with his thriving, non-conformist and bit‘o the Irie flavored bar. In two years, his venuehas gone from a nearly invisible/begging to getbands and customers venue into a mostlycrammed and fully remodled/enlarged venuewith an image of it’s own that’s causingO’Connor to turn acts away who don’t fit theacoustic folk/bluegrass/rock sound that’s be-come a big part of the venue’s niche. My point?The times, they are a changin’…..

So, to honor this past year in the musicscene, I declare the following:

Winners and Losers of the First Annual1999 Mariannie Indie Music Awards. Why askwhy?

Best Band & Why: Buds of MayBecause everybody doesn’t like something,

but nobody doesn’t like Buds of May.

Worst Band & Why: The WeaklingsBecause I hear they cut themselves and

bleed on stage. Can you say, “GG Allin?”

Best Front Man/Woman & Why: ChrisMerrow, Village Idiot & Beth Kelly, Satellite He-roes

“The Cobalt Lounge, as usual, can bring insome good bands and crowds but the staff

there somehow always manage to rude-awaymost of the bands and patrons by night’s end.”


Asthma Hounds;a real flair for the nitty gritty.


RECORDING “COVER” VERSIONS

The federal copyright law gives you the rightto record “cover” versions and to sell records con-taining your cover versions, but only if you complywith certain legal formalities.

There are three different ways by which youcan obtain the legal right to record a “cover” ver-sion: (1) Following the “compulsory mechanicallicense” procedures prescribed in the federal copy-right statute; (2) Obtaining a mechanical licensethrough The Harry Fox Agency; or (3) Obtaininga mechanical license directly from the music pub-lisher of the song. Each of these different proce-dures is discussed in more detail below.

As a practical matter, most people whoare recording “cover” versions will, for reasons ofconvenience, seek a mechanical license from TheHarry Fox Agency or from the music publisher(options 2 and 3 above), rather than going throughthe compulsory license procedure provided for inthe federal copyright statute (the first option men-tioned). However, I will first discuss here the “com-pulsory license” procedure, since it is the compul-sory license procedure which sets the stage for thepossibility of the other mechanical license proce-dures discussed later in this column.

COMPULSORY LICENSE PROCEDURESo long as you comply with certain procedural

formalities, you are legally entitled to a “compul-sory mechanical license” to record and sell your ownversion of someone else’s song. This kind of licenseis called “compulsory” because the federal copyrightstatute says, in effect, that the owner of the songhas no choice but to let you record your own ver-sion.

But note: This “compulsory license” approachis available only if the song has been previously re-corded and released with permission of the ownerof the song. If that is not the case, then you are notentitled to a “compulsory license,” and you cannot

record your own version without first obtainingpermission from the song’s owner, who can chooseto deny you that permission.

Also note: A compulsory license allows youto use your “cover” version only on records. Forexample, you could not use your recorded coverversion in a film soundtrack without the permis-sion of the song’s owner. Nor can you use only

certain elements of a song. For example, you can-not choose to use only the lyrics and then put thoselyrics with other music.

As already mentioned, you must comply withcertain formalities in order to obtain a “compul-sory mechanical license.” These formalities are asfollows: (1) Giving written notice to the copyrightowner that you intend to record your own versionof the song; (2) Paying mechanical royalties; and(3) Giving monthly and annual accountings ofrecord sales.

1. Notice to the Owner of the Song. Withinthirty (30) days after first manufacturing recordscontaining your cover version, and before sellingor distributing such records, you must give writ-ten notice to the song’s owner that you intend tosell your recorded cover version. This written no-tice is called a “Notice of Intention to Obtain aCompulsory License,” and must be in the formprescribed by the Copyright Office.

If the song’s owner is listed in the CopyrightOffice’s records, you must send your “Notice ofIntention” directly to the owner (by certified orregistered mail). If, on the other hand, the owneris not listed in the Copyright Office’s records, yousimply file your “Notice of Intention” with theCopyright Office. The filing fee is $12. A separateNotice must be sent for each of the songs “covered.”

If you fail to send your Notice of Intentionwithin the time limits mentioned above, you willnot be entitled to a “compulsory license,” and more-over, you will be liable for copyright infringement.

For more information about the compulsory

mechanical license procedure, contact the Copy-right Office and ask for “Circular 73.” The addressis: Copyright Office, Library of Congress, Licens-ing Division, Washington, D.C. 20557. The tele-phone number is (202) 707-3000. The same in-formation is also available on the Copyright Office’swebsite. (http://lcweb.loc.gov/copyright/).

2. Payment of Royalties. In order to be en-

titled to a compulsory mechanical license, you mustpay mechanical royalties on a monthly basis to thesong’s owner. You compute these royalties basedon of the number of records you sell.

The compulsory mechanical license royaltyrate is set by a federal administrative agency, andincreases once every year or two. This rate is theso-called “statutory rate.” The current rate (effec-tive until December 31, 1999) is seven and one-tenth cents (7.1 cents) per song for each record yousell, or 1.35 cents per minute of playing time,

whichever is more. (Incidentally, on January 1,2000, the rate goes to 7.55 cents, or 1.45 cents perminute of playing time, whichever is more.).

If, for example, you were to sell 30,000 recordsthis year (1999), you will pay a total of $2,400 incompulsory license royalties for that one song (i.e.,30,000 multiplied by 7.1 cents per song = $2,400).If you record multiple “cover” songs, the mechani-cal royalties are of course multiplied accordingly.

3. Royalty Accountings. In addition to payingroyalties to the song’s owner, you must also givemonthly record sales accountings, at the same timeyou pay the monthly royalties. You must also pro-vide an annual accounting at the end of each year,certified by a certified public accountant.

If you fail to provide these accountings, or topay the royalties described above, your compul-sory license can be automatically terminated. If itis terminated, you will be liable for copyright in-fringement if you continue to sell your recordedversion of the song.

ALTERNATIVE MECHANICAL LICENSEPROCEDURES

Even when legally entitled to a “compulsorymechanical license,” you will probably instead wantto obtain a mechanical license from the song’sowner or from The Harry Fox Agency.

Why, you might ask, would you want to doso, when you are already automatically entitled torecord the song by using the procedures discussedabove?

There are a variety of reasons. For example, ifyou obtain a mechanical license from the publisherof the song, or through the Harry Fox Agency, youwill normally be allowed by the terms of the me-chanical license document to provide record saleaccountings to the song’s owner less frequently(usually quarterly) than is required by the com-pulsory license procedure discussed above(monthly). In addition, you may possibly be ableto negotiate a royalty rate somewhat lower than

“There are three different ways by which you canobtain the legal right to record a “cover” version: (1)

Following the “compulsory mechanical license”procedures prescribed in the federal copyright

statute; (2) Obtaining a mechanical license throughThe Harry Fox Agency; or (3) Obtaining a mechanicallicense directly from the music publisher of the song.”



Tis the season to hear those sleigh bells jin-gling ring-ting-tingling tunes, and with Santa’sjourney close at hand, I thought I might tantalizeyou with some verbal gifts that ole Santa mightfind difficult to wrap.

For those of you who missed Inkfest ‘99, boo-hoo for you. What a fun and colorful display ofour fair cities great artists. I was running a bit late,but managed to get there in time to fully exposemyself to the fabulous art, and still catch the Sis-ter Caravan belly dancers. I really have to givethe Rev. Tony Hughes some major kudos for ajob well done. Though I wasn’t able to attend thestart to finish, I did see the layout and onslaughtof body art fiends while I was there, and it lookedas though the event was a blazing success.

In other news, KPSU is seeking new talentto play at the noontime concerts at the studentcenter on the PSU campus. Apparently they’re try-ing to break away from the “easy jazz rut” sothey’re looking for more diverse acts to work with.Word has it that the Popular Music Board is seek-ing the likes of rock and alternative acts to fill theirtime slots. So let’s get hoppin’ kiddies. Make lunchon campus a fun time for all!

In studio news, I received word from JonLindahl that Fresh Tracks Recording has been

pretty busy these days. Look for projects due soonby: Border Crossing (Paul Dammon of the PaulDeLay Band), Pagan Jug Band, Chutzpah, JohnStirling, Al Pasque, The McMinneville Jazz Choir,and a 4 piece ukelai band from the island of Tonga.Talk about a potpourri of musical inspiration.Along with Fresh Tracks latest, there are quite afew new releases from some of your favorite art-ists. The first release from local heavies, Dead RedHead, entitled “Eta Carinae” is to be released attheir “Holiday Massacre” show on December 18th@ The Paris Theater. Several other new releases

are due as well, but we have to wait and find out ifthe world comes to an end on day one of Y2k first(holding my breath…NOT!). Many are simplyputting the finishing touches on their releases orsimply waiting out the madness of the holidaysbefore releasing. One band in particular isMendenhall. After a seemingly eternal hiatus,these Vancouver-ites are coming back witha…pop? Yep, you heard correctly the long awaitedrelease, Soho Pop” is due out shortly after the NewYear. With 11 studio tracks and 4 live tracks (re-corded a couple of years ago at the infamous andnow defunct Key Largo), it looks as if the band isresurfacing (FINALLY!). Along with their new CD,the band has also introduced a new drummer.Rick Freimuth (formerly of Silent Opera) is thelatest addition to the band, and I would recom-mend keeping your eyes peeled for possible livedates in the early portion of the year. Anotherband that is due to release a new effort isChanneLight. According to Michele Kaeder(PDXNET) “This band has been around Portlandfor about 14 years, and their latest is going to be amust-have for fans of up-tempo music with aninternational flavor.” While there has been no of-ficial release date set, keep your eyes peeled forthe group’s 5th release entitled “Welcome to the

Planet”. The release is being recorded at No Mov-ing Parts Studio and mastered at Super Digital.Spillage is gearing up to release their new EP“TripleTractorTrailor” as well. Their music hasbeen described as “in your face rock with a twistof

reggae for pleasure”…hmm, interesting. An-ger Management has also planned on releasing anew effort entitled “Settle the Score”. It wouldseem that the band is pretty disappointed withthe current music scene here in Portland and hasplans to focus their efforts on cities outside of

Portland. The band has recruited northwest co-median, Lonnie Bruhn to assist them in the book-ing department outside of Portland. They do havea CD Release for Portland fans at the RoselandTheater in January so you can pick up the newCD at the show! Lolly has just returned from asmall California tour where they played withDeathray (former members of Cake). The bandhas been in the studio putting the finishingtouches on their next release with newest mem-ber Katy Keyboards (Keyboards). The band willbe taking time off during the months of Decem-ber and January to focus on the studio, but willbe back in the live circuit soon. The Buds of Mayare also in the studio recording album 3, and areplanning a release early in the year. GuitaristScrafford Orser has also been working on a sideproject called the Carnegie Haulers with PeterBach of Nine Days Wonder fame. Land of theBlind is currently in the studio finishing up theirnew CD entitled “Ordinary Magic.” The band hashad a busy end of year. They were given the op-portunity to perform at this years Burning Manfestival and a month later they were invited to playEugenes WOW Hall Witches Ball for the 5th con-secutive year! Way to go! CEO of RainforestRecords, RRay Woods has started to hook up onthe live end of things. He’s currently playing keysin the Gone Orchestra and Obscured By Clouds.OBC is currently a 5 piece and according to Raythey play, “a lot of early Pink Floyd and King Crim-son, as well as other cool underplayed songs, andnew originals.” The band is currently working onfine tuning their set list and has plans to hit theclub scene again after the new year. The Gone Or-chestra recently played Bumbershoot and NxNWand this month they’re scheduled to do live, on-air performances for both KBOO and KMHD(Mt. Hood Community College Jazz Station). Theband has plans of a new release in the very nearfuture. Ray was also kind enough to correct a ru-mor that has been floating around the local mu-sic gossip chain. Local favorites, Silkenseed havenot disbanded due to the departure of their vo-calist Hamilton Sims several months ago. Guitar-ist Edwin Paroissien has taken on the lead vocalresponsibilities for the band. They will be releas-ing a new album and returning to the live circuitsometime in the early new year.

It would appear that not only is this the sea-son for Santa to pop in and pop out of our lives,but also for some of your favorite musicians todo much the same. Line up changes seem verypopular lately, so I would like to focus a bit of ourtime together and discuss some of the latestchanges in some of your favorite acts. To startthings off, we’ll talk about a bit of a coincidence.Two singers, two bands, one family. It looks asthough Logos Eye and vocalist Markus Falianohave parted ways. No fear Logos Eye fans, the bandwas quick on their feet and replaced Markus withthe likes of Chris Gattman (Dead Red Head/ALesser God)! The band has already booked studio

“December 18th marks a monumental bon voyage fortwo reputable names in our northwest music

community. Thrillbilly and Gravelpit will both bebidding us a fond farewell that evening at Berbati’s Pan.”



ONLINE MUSICWe have covered the music industry’s move-

ment towards the digital downloading of music(DDM) extensively for more than a year now. Fi-nally we have something tangible to report aboutthe culmination of some ofthe extensive effort that hasbeen put forth to find a securemethod of delivering musicon line to customers whileprotecting the copyrights andinsuring payment for theproduct to the label.

On November 15th at theannual multimedia confer-ence Webnoize, held in LosAngeles, Portland basedSupertracks announced that itis part of a partnership thatwill put 24 albums by VirginRecords artists for sale on theInternet by Dec.1. As we goto press no one has revealedwhat products will be availablebut Virgin’s’’ roster includesartists such as David Bowie,Janet Jackson and the Smash-ing Pumpkins. Supertrackswill license and pilot the digi-tal music distribution solution from Preview Sys-tems. Preview’s solution integrates Intel(r) Soft-ware Integrity System into their own powerful e-commerce engine. Preview Systems is a providerof e-commerce solutions for the distribution andlicensing of digital goods. Some of their currentcustomers include Symantec, Ingram Micro andSony Marketing of Japan. Normally, the mere men-tion of Intel indicates exclusion for Apple/Macproducts. No information has been provided aboutplatform compatibility? Preview’s digital goods e-commerce network has been expanding to over tencountries, offering real-time secure distributionand licensing of digital goods with support for 14languages. Additionally, Supertracks announcedit has licensed the use of ePAC compression/de-compression algorithm (CODEC) from LucentTechnologies.

On Dec 1,EMI Recorded Music, parent com-pany of Virgin Records, will begin selling 24 com-

plete albums and dozens of singles throughInternet music portal Urocketmusic.com. Con-sumers will be able to purchase the music with anInternet music card that will operate much like a

rechargeable phone card. So where do you get oneof these Internet music cards to purchase some ofthis online product? There’s the kicker! Initially,

NEC will bundle the music cards with the homemusic studio, their new home computer that comesequipped with music-based software and high endspeakers. At first, the music will be available onlyto consumers who buy specially equipped NECcomputers. Sometime next year, the users will beable to recharge the cards wit their credit cards.

With albums reportedly retailing for $15.00 andsingles for $2.50, with only an initial $20.00 crediton the card available on purchase, it seems to methese consumers are going to be sitting high anddry for some time until they can recharge theircards to purchase more product? Hmmm, maybeit’s just my cynical nature but it sounds to me likethey’re pushing so hard to get to the market withtheir concept first that they’re not waiting for thewhole process to be complete? If the only way youcan get one of these cards is to buy a new com-puter system, I think some people are taking waytoo much for granted when it comes to assessingpeople’s willingness to fork over what ever it takesto access the new technology. Industry researchanalyst’s estimate that as much as $1.1 billion dol-lars will be added to the music industry by the year2003. Maybe so, but not until the technology to

purchase this product isreadily available either free orso cheap anyone could affordit. Remember, this is a globalmarket. Not only will recordcompanies have to considervery carefully the pricingstructure for their productbut also all of the attendantcosts included with it. Ifthey’re not careful, they’llshoot themselves in the footand turn people off beforethey’re really turned on to thenew concept! Just my opin-ion, I’m allowed to expressthat from time to time.(Thank you Ed:)

And so it begins, albeitin somewhat of a fracturedfashion. The key questionsstill waiting to be addressed,who wants music online?,how do they want it, and

most importantly, will they pay for it? So, whetheryou prefer to hang at your favorite brick and mor-tar retailer or run open arms to embrace the digi-

tal download future, one thing is for certain, wewill all be dragged kicking and screaming into thenext millenium with e-commerce being forceddown our throats whether we like it or not. HappyNew Year.

“On November 15th at the annual multimediaconference Webnoize, held in Los Angeles, Portland

based Supertracks announced that it is part of apartnership that will put 24 albums by Virgin

Records artists for sale on the Internet by Dec.1.”

LL

www.supertracks.com and Virgin Records; a new way to buy music.


rhythm guitar phrases. More classic Thrillbillymaterial. “Everyday” returns to a more pensivemood. Violins cry forlornly against a solitaryacoustic guitar, as Bowman places a thoughtfulclose to the Thrillbilly oeuvre.

In their run, Thrillbilly created a boister-ous body of work, reflecting their Country, Folk

and Rock roots, with tales of wine, women andthe long, winding journey of the road. As oneof the top local bands of the ’90s, their legacywill not soon be forgotten. This album serves asa befitting farewell.Such Is Life— Kerosene DreamSelf-Produced

It was two years ago to the month whenlast we heard from Kerosene Dream in thesepages, and three years since the bands’ “un-plugged” inception. And in that time the mem-bers of the band have honed their considerableinstrumental chops and sharpened theirsongwriting skills. The result is that: this is oneof the ten best albums of the year; one sure tobe a local chart-topper well into next year. Thereis nary a clinker among the dozen songs pre-sented here. Each displays careful, loving carein its production— with enough musical refer-ences to the “classics” to fill a Time-Life collec-tion.

The two songwriters, vocalist Bart Ferguson

and acoustic guitarist/vocalist Dave Coey alter-nate songs on this outing, although the cohe-siveness of the instrumentation, the strength oftheir mutual harmonies and the unified themeswithin their individual lyrics, lend amazing con-sistency throughout the entire affair. Ferguson,especially, demonstrates tremendous growth asa songwriter; indicating that he has obviouslystudied the craft with great care, over the pastfew years. Before, Coey was the better songwriter.Now they are equals, both very good.

The album kicks off on a strong note.Straight from the gate, Coey, Ferguson, drum-mer Derek Brown and bassist Dave Kilner knock

out stellar three-part harmonies on the chorusof Ferguson’s “Come Undone.” Citing the laidback feel of Tom Petty or Wilco, the song un-winds like a prayer and a peptalk. Ferguson’s“Wagon Wheel” is more uptempo, with a wispof Bachman Turner Overdrive in lead guitaristAl Toribio’s smart riffage and Brown’s rhythmicpropulsion, punctuated by Ferguson’s vibrantharp solo in the turnaround.

Coey’s lively “Summer Day’s” contains a hitchorus, reminiscent of Talking Heads’ “And SheWas,” sharing a similar sense of jubilant ebul-lience. Strong harmonies, especially in the well-conceived middle break, and Toribio’s tasty fills,make for a very special musical event. Toribio’sKnopfler-like phrasings on Ferguson’s “C’est LaVie” echo a theme from the Moody Blues’ “InYour Wildest Dreams.,” especially in the chorus.The song acquires sonic depth from guest WayneThompson’s thick organ pads, as well as a cleveruse of a Hip-Hop effected drum beat in the introand break. Great.

“Kerosene Dream’s heritage runs deep in therich, regional Alt/Country scene, with rootsreaching back as far as Nine Days Wonder,The Renegade Saints and The Strangers.”

Coey counters with the jaunty “Pictures,” aCajun flavored ditty reminiscent of Neil Young’s“Love Is A Rose.” Ferguson’s powerful Instru-mentally, “Unforgiven” starts off evoking in theverses, elements of Young’s “Cowgirl In TheSand” and the chorus to Tom Petty’s “Last DanceFor Mary Jane,” before evolving into Lennon’s“Imagine” in the chorus. Ferguson’s pointed lyriccuts right to the chase: “Fat chance with a pocketfull of truth and lies/Will you have what it takeswhen you’re scrutinized?/You beat the drum andthe day to day rigmarole/With one hand on thetable and the other below.”

A faint touch of XTC’s “Snowman” runsthrough the ringing guitars of Coey’s “NothingGets By Us.” Strong vocal harmonies in the turn-arounds call to mind Kansas in their prime.Guest Dennis Retzlaff ’s moaning cello line addsa piquant edge to Ferguson’s tender ballad “LifeTo Life,” which explores reincarnation as a lyri-cal theme. “I Can Keep A Secret” is another solidrocker from Coey’s pen, accented by Toribio’sblustery slide guitar flourishes. Right on themoney!

Ferguson borrows the groove fromSpringsteen’s “Fire,” then moves it in a differentstylistic direction with the Country twang of thechorus. Coey’s pretty ballad “Long Goodbyes”hearkens to Kerosene Dream’s “unplugged”roots, with only Ferguson’s plaintive harmonicapiercing the cascade of acoustic guitars. Coey’sroad-weary vocals and deft lyrics, incorporat-ing seemly circus imagery, make for a masterfulsummation of a circumstance which folksingeronce referred to as “just another town along theway.”

Kerosene Dream’s heritage runs deep in therich, regional Alt/Country scene, with rootsreaching back as far as Nine Days Wonder, TheRenegade Saints and The Strangers. They havemaintained their tradition, while continuing togrow as musicians, songwriters and human be-ings. This wonderful album is the latest and bestchapter yet, in that ongoing story. LL


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THE GRAND OL' SOAP OPRYOn the cover: Artist of Our Decades. In Decem-

ber of 1979, when this magazine began, Jon Kooncewas the big original music story. He ruled the North-west. Over the years he took Johnny & The Distrac-tions through all the major label hoops, continuedhis recording career with the Gas Hogs, started a fam-ily, moved to Nashville to check out the music sceneand now is home, entertaining his faithful fans. Atevery step of his career, Jon Koonce has been aclass act.

Twenty years ago, just before Two Louies,I had the perfect music industry corporate gig.

I was Santa Claus.

As the Director of Artist Relations for theNorlin Corporation in New York, working outof my home in northeast Portland, it was myjob to deal with all the prominent users ofGibson guitars and Moog Synthesizers. I wascharged to make them happy, get them aboard,secure their endorsement and, if possible, exploitit in advertising. I had a huge expense accountand a large budget in Gibsons and Moogs to giveaway, all “artist select”. Santa’s bag was re-filledevery quarter. I chose the artists, negotiated theterms of the agreement and turned them overto the advertising agency in Chicago.

Think of it. Elvis, Chuck Berry, Clapton,Townshend, George Harrison, I had to talk to‘em all. Part of the job. Dinner with Les Paul tohear how he got the gig as Bing Crosby’s guitar-ist and helped invent multi-track recording andthe electric guitar.

It was my job to deliver the official “Lucille”in the peghead Gibson to BB King at a gig inLake Tahoe. I was the one who had to hangaround on the set with Peter Frampton and theBeeGees while they made the worst film in mu-sic history, albeit with Gibsons in every scene,Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.

Then, an hour and forty minutes backhome to Portland, where I had an 8 track studio inthe basement, a couple of phones, a full time secre-tary, a famous photographer (Chuck Boyd) and aworld class artist (Michael Cacy); to render my cor-porate artist relations propaganda.

It made sense to the corporation.Portland is the first stop on every major tour.

First, Portland to play it live, then Seattle to work outthe kinks, then San Francisco for fine tuning and thenthe big time Los Angeles media coverage before wetake it across the country. Artist Relations theory be-ing, you put that new instrument in the artist’s handsin Portland and by Los Angeles, when People Maga-zine gets the cover shot, Tom Petty is comfortable

with, and excited about, his new Gibson RD 77 ac-tive-electronics guitar.

Worked for me.My job was to negotiate major artist endorse-

ments for Gibson guitars and Moog synthesizers, andto distribute prototypes from both companies to bigname players around the globe for research & devel-opment feedback. For being good R&D Santa would

pick out a cherry Les Paul, or a Dove or a Ripper bassor a hot-rodded MiniMoog and send it to you, gratis.Or, if you were really good, maybe build you a one ofa kind Texas-shaped Gibson guitar with custom elec-tronics by Bob Moog.

ZZ was tops, even back then.Once in a while you got a piece of musical in-

strument history from Portland.In 1976 the first six polyphonic synthesizers in

the world were shipped here from Moog and re-routed to Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea, Ray Charlesand Stevie Wonder. Two other Polymoogs stayedaround town, one falling into the hands of TimGorman, who went on to tour with the Who, and the

other to Jeff Lorber who launched a successful careeras a recording artist.

I took care of my homies.I remember meeting David Leiken over the

phone for the first time in the mid 70’s, when he yelledat me, after I referred to Pleasure as a “local band”while trying to give them some free Moog equipmentfor a national tour.

A short while later, I ran afoul of Leikenagain, backstage at the Paramount Theater at aGeorge Benson concert he was promoting.George, a longstanding Gibson player, wasabout to make a deal with the Ibanez companyin Japan and he wanted a last minute, on therecord conversation with the Gibson company,which was me. So there we were in the dress-ing room, George in my face for over an hourwhile David’s VIP guests, there to meet the Star,sat ignored.

Lucky for me Leiken doesn’t hold agrudge.

A couple of months later the New Yorkoffice informed me, that after 8 years, I wouldbe moving to the offices in Chicago to handlethe growing responsibilities of the Norlin prod-uct group artist roster.

Pass…By now, used to the humming activity in

the basement studio below, where Tom Grantand Richard Burdell record commercials byday and indie film producers put soundtrackson their features at night. Where I have justsigned a contract to manage Johnny & The Dis-tractions, and I already have Capitol interested.

Chicago would just not work for me, I’mmuch too accustomed to the laid back Port-land band culture that has musicians from allgenres collaborating on a whole new bag called“original music”. After all, I know all the namesand have all the numbers and the music in-dustry is done over the phone and through themail. right?

So, I told Norlin, I think I’ll just stay homeand do it.

Instead of publishing music industry propa-ganda for a corporation, I’ll publish music industrypropaganda for a community of recording artists.

Before I came home to Portland and scored theNorlin gig, I worked for a year at Billboard magazinein Nashville. Nashville is basically, a run down littletown the same size as Portland with, believe it or not,a greater average annual rainfall. Working with BB’sconnections in such a small town made it easy to seehow the Nashville music industry infrastructure wasassembled.

First came an insurance company that owned a

Standing w/guitar Bob Moog, Les Paul. Kneeling l. Buck Munger, 1978.


BY BUCK MUNGERradio station that had a regional live music radio showthat drew the audiences to Nashville to see the actslive.

Then came the pickers…In the beginning, Music City News, a small

magazine owned by Opry star Faron Young, docu-mented the town’s 16th Avenue South working sceneand eventually became the best source of informa-tion for the record labels and national media.

Music City News always had the dirt.When traveling for Norlin I had always

explained I was from Portland, Oregon where“Louie Louie” was recorded, and it always metwith a smile of recognition, as if, any town thatwas the home of a hit that big must be a verymusic-friendly place. No matter who you wereor what your musical bag, everybody had heard“Louie Louie”.

So, in December of 1979, I decided to pub-lish a music trade magazine named in honorof Portland’s greatest hit, “Louie Louie”.

Two Louies would get the dirt.

We opened offices in the Governor Build-ing with a view of the Hawthorne Bridge butsoon moved to 1719 NW Overton, closer to ourproduction facility and right down the hallfrom film and graphics artist Jim Blashfield.Two Louies Magazine, in the beginning, wasmuch the editorial vision of Al Schwartz. Al wasa printer’s son who had been an AssociatedPress photographer in New York and taken thefamous shot of John Lennon on the courthousesteps when Lennon was busted for pot. Al hadreal rock-n-roll credibility. He also did the post-ers for most of the bands in town so the foottraffic in the Two Louies offices was tremen-dous. Every month, the night before we wentto the printer the word went out and band af-ter band and their friends would stop by to readthe flats taped outside on the hall wall for scoopsand plugs. “Here we are, dude!”

All-nighters: month after month.

If pictures are normally worth a thousand words,ours were always worth at least 2K. Why 2K? Photog-raphers Gus Rapoport, Michael Moran, David Wildsand Pat Snyder contributed images that immediatelyseparated Two Louies from the competition

In twenty years of publication we’ve employeda number of graphics artists but Kim Roadruck con-tributed the existing layout design and original artfor most of the logos still in use.

Two Louies operates by Billboard’s definition ofa music trade publication. BB Publisher Hal Cookdefined the trade magazine’s role in the music indus-

try as, “… in business to create business.” From thebeginning Two Louies started getting involved inmaking things happen. When the word came backthat Geffen Records had signed Seafood Mama andthat is was a Two Louies’ turn-on that made it hap-pen, we were ecstatic. My tip to call Peter Burke inLos Angeles had led to a publishing deal and a subse-quent signing by David Geffen’s new label. At the

time, I heard vague rumblings that Peter had takenadvantage of rookie manager J.Isaac, but standing inthe glow of my platinum record, I didn’t want to be-lieve it, Since then however, I have learned that wasindeed the case. After Quarterflash, Burke representeda whole list of Portland artists but was unable to getone single song cover or record deal for any of them.To all the people I told to call Peter Burke, I apolo-gize.

A couple of years later I flew to Los Angeles topitch Billboard the idea of a Spotlight On Portlandissue which would come out to coincide with the firstPMA “Mayor’s Ball” in 1986. The Billboard editorshad me assign the writers to cover the Portland scene

and I asked Rick Waritz, manager of Nu Shooz, towrite a piece about local airplay since he had so muchrecent success with “I Can’t Wait”. Talk about timely.When Rick turned his story in, “I Can’t Wait” wasn’ton the charts, by the time it was published it had beenon the charts 3 weeks and before it was all over “ICan’t Wait” had gone to #3 on Billboard’s singles chart.The Nu Shooz Atlantic album was certified Gold by

the RIAA and the band was nominated for aGrammy as the Best New Act of 1985.

Great Moments In Two Louies HistoryIn 1985, John Entwistle visits Portland be-

fore a Who tour to get outfitted with Sunn am-plifiers. He uses the Two Louies studio to trythe gear out. After an afternoon of Remy Mar-tin Cognac and gear tweaking the inebriatedEntwistle jumps in the limo with his bass andjets to the Last Hurrah to sit in with the DanReed Network.

He burns. DRN is impressed. The audienceshrieks!

The next day Entwistle visits Mayor BudClark with members of the Portland Music As-sociation. Entwistle convinces Bud that Portlandis well known in the world wide music commu-nity as an emerging market.

Bud agrees to redo his Inaugural Ball asan annual “Mayor’s Ball”.

Two decades of Heroes and Villains.Whether the Good Guys were as good as

we said they were, the Bad Guys were even worsethan we thought. From the beginning LarryHurwitz’s urban street tactics stuck out like asore thumb in the group of artist-supportivevenue owners like Michael Mott, GeorgeTahouliotis and Tony DeMicoli.

Hurwitz was suspect from Day One.Portland should build a statue of Jim Red-

den for his refusal to let the Starry Night Mur-der story die.

Two Louies’ bad guys were more often the WorldWrestling Federation kind than actual evil characters.We crusaded against the obvious conflict of intereststhat Bob Ancheta had over at KGON, when he man-aged Sequel, and they kept winning KGON contests.Other journalists picked up the story, somebody wrotea letter to the FCC and for a few months it lookedlike there could be big trouble for Bob. Everybodysurvived the scandal and Sequel bassist Todd Jensenwent on to a career in the big leagues playing for DavidLee Roth, Ozzy and Alice Cooper...

Another favorite TL Heavy, Jim Miller, was drugthrough the Two Louies campfire for awhile too. Jim


ZZ Top fishes the Columbia, 1986.


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Mt. Tabor Pub4811 S.E. Hawthorne Blvd.Portland, OR 97215503-238-1646Format: all stylesBooking: Peggy 503-232-8813Capacity: Main Room 339

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The Rabbit Hole & Mad HatterLounge203 S.E. Grand AvenuePortland, OR503-231-2925Booking: Bill Leeds (503) 236-2455Format: original acousticEquipment: PAHeadliners: Fernando, Luther Russell,44 Long, Kaitlyn ni Donovan

The Red Sea318 S.W. 3rd AvenuePortland, OR 97205503-241-5450503-224-6570Format: Reggae, World BeatEquipment: PA

Roseland8 N.W. 6th AvenuePortland, OR 97209Website: www.doubletee.comFormat: all musical stylesBooking: Double Tee/Adam Zacks503-221-0288503-227-4418 (fax)Capacity: 1350Equipment: PA, lightsHeadliners: Local, Regional and Na-tional acts

Roseland Grill8 N.W. 6th AvenuePortland, OR 97209Format: all musical stylesBooking: Double Tee/Adam Zacks503-221-0288503-227-4418 (fax)Capacity: 400Equipment: PA, lightsHeadliners: Local, Regional and Na-tional acts

Satyricon125 N.W. 6th AvenuePortland, OR 97209503-243-2380503-243-2844 (fax)Format: Alternative Rock/Punk/Vari-ousBooking: IngridCapacity: 250Equipment: PA, lightsHeadliners: Dead Moon, Poison Idea,Everclear, Fernando, Flapjacks

St. Johnıs Pub8203 North IvanhoePortland, OR 97203503-493-4311Format: Blue Grass, Soft RockBooking: John Malloy 289-7798Capacity: 300Equipment: PA, lights, two stagesHeadliners: Regional, National, LocalBluegrass & Americana

Tonic Lounge3100 NE Sandy Blvd.Portland, Oregon 97232503-239-5154Format: Rock, Alternative, GothBooking: DevonEquipment:Headliners: American Girls, AsthmaHounds, Feller, Mel

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Tug Boat Brewery711 S.W. Ankeny StreetPortland, OR 97205503-226-2508Format: acoustic rock, jazzBooking: MeganCapacity: 50Equipment: mixer, speakers and mic.Headliners: Creative Music Guild,


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Vicıs Tavern10901 S.E. McLoughlinMilwaukie, OR503-653-9156Booking: LynnFormat: Original music-RockCapacity: 100

White Eagle836 N. RussellPortland, OR 97227503-282-6810503-282-0842 (fax)Format: Various (no punk/techno)Booking: McMenamins/Jan 503-249-3983 x 497Capacity: 110Equipment: P.A., mics, Lighting, Somein-house sound assistanceHeadliners: Buds of May, Steve Brad-ley, Jerry Joseph & Jackmormons,Jeff Trott, John Bunzow

Salem

Tommy John’s248 Liberty StreetSalem, OR 97301503-540-4069Format: Rock, Alternative, FunkBooking: Dennis AyresCapacity: 150Equipment: 6 channel PA, no mics,lightingHeadliners: Xing, Jesus Presley,American Girls

Westside Station610 Edgewater N.W.Salem, Or 97304503-363-8012Format: Classic RockBooking: DonnyCapacity: 100Equipment: PA, lights

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The Venetian Theater241 W. 1st AvenueAlbany, OR 97321541-928-6733Format: all musical stylesBooking: Robert ConnellCapacity: 685Equipment: PA, lights, soundtech,Headliners: Calobo, Floater, TheDaddies

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Good Times375 East 7thEugene, OR 97405541-484-7181Format: all musical stylesBooking: Dog House Entertainment,Brendon Relaford: 541-342-7743Capacity: 250Equipment: PA, lights, sound techHeadliners: Body & Soul, The Dad-dies,

John Henry’s136 East 11thEugene, OR 97401541-342-3358Format: alternative, hip-hop, funk, etc.Booking: Bruce 541-343-2528Capacity: 300Equipment: PA, lightsHeadliners: The Daddies, Floater

Wild Duck Music Hall169 W. 6thEugene, OR 97405541-485-3825Format: all musical stylesBooking: Dog House Entertainment,Brendon Relaford: 541-342-7743Capacity: 500Equipment: PA, lightsHeadliners: Charlie Musselwhite,Calobo, John Hammond

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TwoLouiesMagazine.comLL


was the first President of the Portland Music Asso-ciation. In 1987 he suffered a Captain Queeg-likemeltdown on the bridge of the Mayor’s Ball, when hedemanded that the power be cut off to the main stage,because the show was running past midnight and theunion stage hands would be getting overtime. Thoseof us more attuned to the Artist Relations aspects ofinviting a Geffen recording act to fly home to Port-land to headline this charity event for free- then tohave the plug pulled in the middle of the set…-dis-sented.

His order refused, President Millerlost his temper and ran screamingthrough the Coliseum looking for aproduction person who would kill thepower. None would. When he tried toget on stage with the band, to tell themto quit, stage manager Bill Phillips in-structed Wade Varner to physicallyblock his way.

Queeg, barred from the bridge.The Caine Mutiny in front of guests.

Black-n-Blue finished their set.President Miller left the building.Jim’s picture started appearing in

Two Louies with his head cut off andcontinued references to his loss of facein front of the dignitaries backstage atthe Coliseum.

Within months, both Mr. Millerand I were out of the Portland MusicAssociation.

More heroes remembered.John Wendeborn, the early es-

teemed music critic of the Oregonianknew from the beginning that some-thing extraordinary was happening inlocal music circles. He gave the homies credibilitywhen no one else would. John got sacked after beingratted out by another writer, for reviewing a show hedidn’t attend. The rival didn’t get Wendy’s job, thankgoodness, and paid his karmic debt later by havingto write a biography of Garth Brooks.

Bart Day showed up early at the Two Louies tooffer the only free legal advice column in the musicbusiness. Studies show that regular readers of BartDay’s Legal Ease column are 99% less likely to com-mit a fatal career error, than say, readers of the Rocket.

Even now, after Ibanez can’t give away a GeorgeBenson model guitar, David Leiken is still the primemover in the local music industry. Running theRoseland Theater and the Roseland Grill, managingacts, administering publishing rights and releasingbands on his own label, Lucky Records, David does itall. Leiken’s Double Tee Promotions is still one of thelargest promoters in the West and David was instru-mental in getting the Mayor’s Ball off the ground. He’s

currently a principal in the move to create an OregonMusic Hall of Fame. He doesn’t get enough credit be-cause he’s a gruff old curmudgeon who is bad aboutreturning his phone calls.

Coming in 2000..I’ll be glad to get back to digging the dirt next

month.There’s some big stories brewing. The name

Portland comes up a lot in meetings at CapitolRecords these days.

Everclear changes direction.

Frontman Art Alexakis’ solo album, “Arthur” isoff. Art plans to re-record the entire project as anEverclear release, to be followed fairly rapidly, by aharder edged record. The material that had been slatedfor Art’s solo album is thought to be more “pop” thanstandard EC fare. Alexakis plans to introduce his ownlabel, Popularity Records, after the first of the year.

Meanwhile, former Everclear percussionistBrian Lehfeldt twists slowly in the wind, awaiting hiscriminal court date in Texas, where he is charged withFelony Assault With Injury. The alleged assault aris-ing from an incident at an Everclear concert where awoman threw a bottle of water on the stage and whenshe came forward, after a challenge to identify her-self, Lefehldt poured a cup of water on her. She thenrushed the stage “swearing, and grabbed my sock gar-ter, so I jerked my leg away, and that’s what they’recalling the ‘assault’. It’s all bullshit.” says Brian

The woman has also named Art and Brian in acivil suit. “When she finds out Art didn’t have any-thing to do with it and I don’t have any money, it’ll allgo away.”

THE GRAND OL' SOAP OPRY BY BUCK MUNGER

Brian is just pissed that the story has smearedhis good, if rowdy, name. “Rolling Stone was totallywrong in their coverage, the first time especially.They’ve have had it out for Art since the beginningand I’m just getting the fallout.”

The two-edged sword of fame…“It’s a drag to finally see your name in Rolling

Stone and have it be for something like that, espe-cially when they have the facts completely wrong.”

Brian says throughout the ordeal “Art has takenreally good care of me. He got me a good Texas law-yer who has represented a couple of Dallas Cowboysin similar actions, so he’s familiar with these celeb-

rity lawsuits.”While Brian awaits the out-

come, he’s polishing up the demofor his new act “Crooked Things”which features the vocalists fromVillage Idiot and Thresher and thebassist from the San Francisco cultband, Grotus. Brian plays drums.

Promotion heads will roll.So far, The Hipoisie are right

about Deconstruction. No sign yetof Meredith Brooks’ second effortfor Capitol on Billboard’s charts.A 30 megaton blitzkrieg of televi-sion appearances including turnson The Tonight Show, PoliticallyIncorrect, The Queen LatifahShow, Rock-n-Roll Jeopardy andthe Martin Short Show haven’tcreated sufficient sales to crackBillboard’s Top 200.

Has the label given up?Right…the December 11th

Billboard shows Capitol presi-dent/CEO Roy Lott on page eightwith Meredith lighting the Capi-

tol Christmas tree after a charity event for 300 chil-dren.

And live performance by Meredith.Our Ms. Brooks takes her band to Nashville and

the venerable Ryman Auditorium, original home ofthe Grand Ol’ Opry, December 20th. A “Picker Alert”has been posted in Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, “ThinkShania Twain, if she could play the guitar.”

Meredith will be home for the holidays whileCapitol promo people will be on the phones work-ing, “Shout” the second single pulled fromDeconstruction.

Then there’s the Dandy Warhols album in thecan for Capitol, with no release date set yet, what’s upwith that?

These stories and more, in the year 2000.

LL


Capitol CEO Roy Lott lights the Christmas tree with Meredith Brooks,1999.


4811 SE Hawthorne 238-1646

December 1999

Tuesday, December 7th

Mt. Tabor Theater: FernandoWednesday, December 8th

Mt. Tabor Theater: Flatland/HeywoodMt. Tabor Acoustic Room: Ezra Holbrook

Thursday, December 9th

Mt. Tabor Acoustic Room: Dave Stoops/JoeBosco

Friday, December 10th

Mt. Tabor Theater: Workman Project/MelodyGuy/Say Uncle

Saturday, December 11th

Mt. Tabor Theater: Groove Juice/KDB/Freedom Funk EnsembleThursday, December 16th

Mt. Tabor Theater: Big Folk w/members ofJGB & Dave Nelson Band/

Buds of MayFriday, December 17th

Mt. Tabor Theater: Kerosene Dream/OmarTorrez


Mt. Tabor Theater: Girls!Girls!Girls! w/Ashleigh Flynn/

Nicole Campbell/Brenda Dickey/MarthaBrava & Stephanie Schneiderman

Mt. Tabor Acoustic Room: Mel Kubick/SuzyBlue


Mt. Tabor Theater: Jesus Presley

New Years Eve DEC 31STRepellent/Smooch Knob/Manifest/ Pepper

LL

time after the new year and is very upbeat aboutthe change. Along with Markus, elder brother, RobFaliano has made the decision to leave Mobius. Ihave to say, out of all the changes that have beentaking place lately, this one truly makes this writera sullen grrl. Rob has a very distinct voice andwhoever is chosen to take his place has some pretty

big shoes to fill (to audition you must be a size14. Ha ha ha!). The band has already startedsearching for a replacement for Rob. If you’re in-terested, please contact Mike Krum via email at:[email protected]. Along with Rob’s de-parture, the band has recruited Crystal Warner(Bad Girl Promotions) as their Publicist. Crystalalso manages Point Five Past and reports that theband is about to release their first full length CDvery soon. Way to go Crystal! Suplex has also un-dergone a line-up change. They recently found abassist by the name of James Partch and secondguitarist/keyboardist, Jason Begin (Christie FrontDrive). The band also recently released a spilt 7”with the band Mars Accelerator. To finalize theline-up news let’s talk of the ever so authentic,Lava De Mure. It seems as though the band hashad an interesting run of events recently, butthey’re quite happy with the turn out. Jason Kempleft the band to play bass for Atom Sane, and KevinGoldsmith left to focus more attention on par-enthood. The band has once again recruited WadeMartin on Guitar. Martin was the groups origi-nal guitarist and left the band for the same rea-sons that Goldsmith recently had, but now he’sback with the group and they’re working well to-gether. The group has found a bassist in the likesof Victor Hoornstra (a member of the CacophonySociety). In the process of all these changes , theband has also added a new instrument to theirentourage. Joel Hansen has joined the band onkeyboards. The band met Joel when his formerband (Cerulian Winter) added them to a bill atthe Satyricon in April. His band broke up shortlythereafter and he became Lava De Mures biggest

fan. Look for the new line-up soon. December18th marks a monumental bon voyage for tworeputable names in our northwest music commu-nity. Thrillbilly and Gravelpit will both be bid-ding us a fond farewell that evening at Berbati’sPan. It’s reported that certain members ofThrillbilly are relocating to Texas. I haven’t heardword as to what the rest of the members will bedoing afterward. Gravelpits bye-bye is a bit dif-ferent. Apparently there is another group with thesame name floating about and the Rose citiesGravelpit has been handed a cease and desist or-der on the name. Rumor has it that the band willcontinue with a new name, but nothings beenconfirmed as of yet.

In other news, Gavin Bondy (Trumpet/Pink

Martini) has branched out with former Pink Mar-tini vocalist, Khilmoney Downs to form a sideproject called Washing Waldo Woo. Local per-former Mel Kubik says “This band marries late20’s and early 30’s swing with Hendricks andClapton style guitar sounds. It creates a strangevintage vibe with a postmodern twist.” Gavin isnot leaving the big Pink, just “expanding his ho-rizons.” Any Tilting At Windmills fans out there?You may recall the band as being a huge favoriteover at the Ash Street Saloon a while ago, but thenone day they just disappeared. Well, there has beena partial line-up change and so forth, but the bandis back in action and now known as TheFreemartins. Be on the look out for live shows bythe band very soon.

In web news, now that Slowrush is on thenational label circuit, their official site can befound through the Epic Records website. On thatsite you can click the “Official Fan Site” link andgo to the newly redesigned original site for theband. The site was just recently revamped by lo-cal drumming icon, Kevin Rankin (Rankin ArtDesign)

Well gang, if I was talking, I would be out ofbreath, so I think I shall take my leave from yetanother fabulous issue of the grand Two Louies.Keep in mind that if I don’t know about it, I can’twrite about it…so if you have news, comments,complaints, etc.…drop me a line at:[email protected]

“Remember That Depth Is The Greatest OfHeights” (Fiona Apple)

“Any Tilting At Windmills fans out there? You mayrecall the band as being a huge favorite over at the

Ash Street Saloon a while ago, but then one day theyjust disappeared. Well, there has been a partial line-

up change and so forth, but the band is back inaction and now known as The Freemartins.”



photo Gustavo RapoportBilly Rancher, 1982.


Oregon Litho


GREETINGS MUSIC MAKERS!A musician friend of mine with the blues once

called me "A skinny white shoulder to lean on."From now on, I'll be here every month, so feel freeto lean on me.

I recently ran into Greg Shadoan (Zipper,Sequal) while I was doing a gig in Waterfront park.Greg now owns Echo Canyon Sound a great newlive music sound company based in Portland.

Along with supplying great equipment onstage, Echo Canyon also shows up with great peopleon and off stage to help the show run as smoothlyas possible. During the three-day event we had nodelays, feedback, bad attitudes or any other of theusual problems that can occur, especially when youonly have a few minutes to change bands andequipment. Good Luck Echo Canyon!

Oh yeah, I spoke to my old friend WalterWatson (one of Seattle’s Best Live Music sound en-gineers), and he has offered to compile “valuabledata” on the emerald city’s music scene and vari-ous up and coming Zooper Starz. Hey! what is itwith those sound guys anyway? They always seemto get more _____ and always have plenty of _____!

I know you are all completely sick of hearingabout the NxNW Texas Crew Party Especially ifyou were not one of the chosen ones. (just crash itnext year-oops sorry Buck). But I would like tothank Michael Esquire and Kevin Sons for cookin’up that Nice n’ Tight rhythm section, Joely Pazzolifor blowin’ great harp notes including all the songsin minor keys (how he do dat?), and of course KellyRoberts you’ve probably spotted expertly placingfine music equipment precisely where it belongson stage at many of the bigger shows in the north-

west (keep those passes a coming Kelly ). The lasttime I talked to Richard Cousins (the Robert CrayBand, Etta James, Albert Collins, Curtis Salgado)he told me he moved to Switzerlandbecause the Bay Area was bor-ing him, however as I un-derstand it he has beenquite busy recordingwith European bluesbands and invitingeverybody but meover to play withthem. We were luckyenough to have BillyTriplett run sound forus in Pioneer Square lastmonth and he reports thatRichard is doing well. Richardis one of five friends from myhigh school class who haveGrammy’s!

Hey! Speaking of famous musicians if youever want to rub elbows with “Royalty” try to getbooked at the Fred Meyer Challenge. The last timeI played the VIP event (usually the night before

the tournament starts) we got to play for StephenStills, Glen Fry, Hootie and all the Blowfish, KevenSorbo and a few other cool famous dudes likeArnold Palmer.

When Stephen Stills ignored one band mem-bers hail for his attention, we thought we were be-ing shunned but later found out Steve is now quitehard of hearing and he later apologized and signedan autograph. (Wear Those Ear Plugs Folks).

However, the highlight of the gig was whenTommy Smothers stood on one foot directly in

front of the band with a beer in one hand and a YoYo in the other while continually distorting his fa-cial features until we all blew it in the middle of afairly complex steel drum tune

7a.m. Monday October 29th..... Wake UpNow!....School Gig!

300 Screaming Kids!Tired, But WillingWell, that’s pretty much my state of mind at

this very “un-musician” like hour of the day, how-ever being involved with the Young Audiences “RunFor The Arts” program is an opportunity way toocool to screw up.

As we all know, the powers that be have de-cided it’s time to install video cameras, metal de-tectors, security doors in public schools. And I mustadmit these are probably necessary precaution’s intoday’s world. I also do not want to suggest thatmusic can stop violence in schools, however I’venoticed that as budgets get tight, most of the money

is directed towards basic academic orhigh tech education instead

of the

arts. So in orderto supplement the schools obviously dwindlingmusic and arts budgets, the Young AudiencesProgam enlisted the assistance of guess who? Thekids.

Each child signs up as many neighbors, grand-parents or whomever to donate a little cash for eachlap that kid runs during the Run for the Arts dayat their school. The past couple of years I playedthe kickoff event which included Bud Clark,Alberto Salazar, Japanese Drummers and lot’s ofmedia, good vibes and parents.

We also have been lucky enough to be invitedinto schools all over Oregon and Southwest Wash-ington to perform an interactive assembly devel-oped by well known Portland area Musician, Edu-cator Dr. Jay Harris. However as much as we enjoythis opportunity ,we also realize that the real toughpart has been forced on the kids. Collecting thesponsors money is always a job, and sometimesrequires several attempts.

At that age what subjects did you enjoy most?Math? English? Social Studies? Come on! Give theseimpressional little minds something fun andsocialy useful to look forward to at school. Do wereally have to have the kids themselves knockingon our doors asking for school budget money.

It makes you think though...Who’s TeachingWho?

“However, the highlight of the gig was whenTommy Smothers stood on one foot directly infront of the band with a beer in one hand and aYo Yo in the other while continually distorting

his facial features until we all blew it.”

LL

The Batz; NxNW rhythm section.


The Robert Rude Band- Live

The elegantly rough and tumble craftings of theRobert Rude Band sailed blissfully through SegesArtbar for their NxNW showcase. The refined “RudeBand” surrendered a blistering set of mouth water-ing rock and pop anthems to an influenceable NxNWcrowd.

Rude’s songs flip through the archive of his life’sexperiences. Backing these beauties, the band’s newdrummer Bevan Hurd along with long time “Rude”bassist Ken Broadfoot delivered a booming rhythmsection that was as finely tuned as a balanced andblueprinted motor.

The show was juggled over to Seges Artbar af-ter the unexpected closing of Studio 315 and the sub-sequent displacement of the 15 NxNW performersscheduled to showcase there. Gambling with the au-dacity that only a band called “Rude” could possess,they slipped into the reggae venue by opening theirshow with a song that was their own version of reggae.After all, it is an artbar.

TTT

Kerosene Dream “Such Is Life”Jetstar CDMrs. O’ Learys cow burned down the entire city

of Chicago with Kerosene.Kerosene Dream might not have quite the same

impact on Portland, but they certainly are illuminat-ing. Fired by traditional elements, their CD Such isLife generates a warm friendly glow. With a rootsy,guitary country-tinged rock flare, Kerosene Dreamsmusic is full of positive energy that doesn’t offendany of your senses, but doesn’t put you to sleep ei-ther. Their songs infiltrate the memory like spiritedlyrical apparitions. Sometimes lending themselves tothe country rock sound of the Marshall Tucker bandother times reminiscent of current pop bands likeBare Naked Ladies, they are a way user friendly band.

Track #1, Come Undone, with its toasty guitarlicks, layers of rising harmony and snappy keychanges tastes as good as homemade bread. Butnearly every track On Such Is Life is just that good.

While so many bands today rise and fall by thewayside trying to pave new trails with alternative

sounds, Kerosene Dream strives only to be what it isusing yesterdays fuel to empower progressive musi-cal ideas.

TTT

DizzyfishSelf titled, EP CDIndependent release

This four song project is CD Haiku, the musicis liquid with a trace of U2/

Up from the musical ocean’s abyss and onto anEP called Dizzyfish/

The lingering current that flows from this mu-sic is more than words can express/

The lyrics go deeper than the sea itself, I askyou what fish could do this?/

It’s a Portland pop-rock band that caught myattention/

I write in Haiku they are worthy of mention :

WASHED BY THE OCEAN

A SOFT STONE, SMOOTHLY POLISHED

POINTS THE WAY BACK HOME

Translation: This Band RocksTTT

Dave Nachmanoff-SnapshotsCD-Troubadore RecordsThe homespun tales of artist singer and

songwriter Dave Nachmanoff are both endearing andthought provoking. His live CD entitled Snapshots,highlights his accomplished musicianship and finelyhoned lyrics while the project radiates with thewarmth of his personable stage presence. With somesongs presented as choice fingerpicked, or strummedguitar delicacies, and others as lulling arpeggiatedpiano arrangements, the music is complete present-

ing only irony in the fullness of its simple produc-tion.

Nachmanoffs subject matter spans a wide range.In track 3, “A Cautionary Tale,” he runs through theminor adjustments and changes that occur when astray dog unexpectedly adopts him. This light-hearted song describing how his dog Fender cameinto his life by jumping into his car is hilarious, whilecut 5, “Im From Nowhere” is a sobering story abouta girl who travelled with her family so much as a child,that she wasnt able to form lasting bonds of friend-ship with anyone. The musical ground that seems tomove Nachmanoff most is acoustic, but his songs areablaze with energy that could stand up in most anyvenue.

TTT

Richmond Fontaine-Lost SonCD-CavitysearchWilly Vlautins punk-country, genre-disobedi-

ent style and straight forward story telling are punc-tuated by the rustic folksiness of his voice. Its an in-viting contradiction that makes Richmond FontainesCD, “Lost Son,” a compelling listen.

In “Savior of Time,” Vlautins lyrics are more likea personal letter or diary excerpt with a hookline. “Iput concrete blocks in my truck/ Because it had beensnowing for days/ She had called me from the hospi-tal/ Barely understandable/. Vlautins dusty voice andmournful lyrics resonate against the irony of thun-dering guitars and gently wistful choruses.

With an anointing of generous amounts of gui-tar energy, “Ft Lewis” sways back and forth in adreamlike country blur with whining pedal steel licks,boom chuck drums, and slam, slam “pile-driver”guitars. The drastic energy gradients between thepunk and country segments make sense in a nearlyindescribable way as if ordained by a higher musicalintelligence.

Richmond Fontaine is one of those examplesof a handful of people that found each other andactually belong together. “Lost Son” mingles and in-tertwines styles in a blissful musical dance, in theballroom of a genre-free universe.

LL


Established 1979Publisher

James E. CrummyEditor

Buck MungerDirector of Photography

BukoWriters

Marc BakerAnicee L Cochran

S.P. ClarkeBart Day

Bud PalmerRobin RosemondMarianne Steiner

PhotographersDavid Ackerman

Gustavo RapoportLayout & Graphics

BukoPrinter

Oregon LithoprintTwo Louies Magazine

2745 NE 34thPortland, OR 97212

(503) 284-5931FAX: (503) 335-3633

Email addresses:Editor: [email protected]

Layout: [email protected]© 1998 by Two Louies Magazine. May not bereproduced in any form without the expressedwritten consent of the publisher. Two Louiesis available by subscription. Send $35.00 for oneyear, postpaid to:

2745 NE 34thPortland, OR 97212

“MAN IN A GLASS”THE EP FROM PIPE DREAMS

ON CD

See Uson the Webhttp://www.users.uswest.net/~bvp

FOR BOOKING CALL 234-5528

CD available atMusic Millennium,

Locals Only, Reverb Records

the statutory royalty rate mentioned above [sevenand one-tenth cents (7.1 cents) per song for eachrecord sold]. Furthermore, the paperwork involvedis less cumbersome than going through the com-pulsory license procedure discussed above.

For these reasons, most people (when releas-ing records containing a “cover” version) chooseto go through Harry Fox or the music publisher,rather than utilizing the “compulsory license” pro-cedure discussed above.

Now, more about the specifics of dealing withpublishers and The Harry Fox Agency.

THE HARRY FOX AGENCYThe Harry Fox Agency, located in New York

City, grants licenses on behalf of approximately3,500 publishers, including almost all major pub-lishers. If you wish to obtain a mechanical licensethrough The Harry Fox Agency, the usual proce-dure is to contact them and ask them whether theyadminister the rights for the specific song(s) whichyou want to “cover.” If they administer the rightsto the song(s), they will send you the necessaryforms to fill out.

You should contact The Harry Fox Agency asfar ahead of the release date as possible, since theyare usually very slow in processing the forms. Thecontact information is: The Harry Fox Agency, 205East 42nd Street, New York, New York 10017; Tele-phone number (212) 370-5330. Or go to the HarryFox website, where you can get miscellaneous back-ground information on mechanical licenses, andalso where you can download the Harry Fox me-chanical license request form. (Address: http://www.nmpa.org/).

When you are going to be recording “cover”versions of multiple songs, it is often simpler to gothrough The Harry Fox Agency, because by doingso you may be able to obtain mechanical licensesfor multiple songs by going to only one source (i.e.,The Harry Fox Agency). It is not unusual to find

that all of the “cover” songs being recorded can belicensed through The Harry Fox Agency. The more“cover” songs there are going to be on a record, themore trouble you may be able to save yourself byfirst trying to obtain a mechanical license for asmany of the “cover” songs on the record as pos-sible from The Harry Fox Agency.

Incidentally, it is unlikely that The Harry FoxAgency will agree to a royalty rate lower than thestatutory rate mentioned above.

MUSIC PUBLISHERSIf you find that The Harry Fox Agency does

not handle the rights for the song(s) you’re inter-ested in, or if you want to try to negotiate a lowerroyalty rate than The Harry Fox Agency is requir-ing, or if you need to get the mechanical licenseissued quickly, you may wish to contact the musicpublisher directly.

You can locate a music publisher by lookingat the record packaging for a previous recordingof the song, and determining the name of the pub-lisher of the song and which performing rightsagency (BMI or ASCAP) the publisher is affiliatedwith. If, for example, it is BMI, you can then callBMI to get the telephone number of the publisher,and contact the publisher directly to discuss nego-tiation of the license. [ASCAP’s telephone num-ber is (323) 883-1000, and BMI’s telephone num-

ber is (310) 659-9109.] You can also obtain thesame information from the websites for ASCAPand BMI.

Most publishers will not agree to a royalty ratelower than the statutory rate mentioned above,unless you have a substantial sales history. Evenso, I have often found publishers to be more flex-ible and negotiation-oriented than The Harry FoxAgency.

By the same token, many publishers repre-sented by the Harry Fox Agency will not be willing

to deal with you directly and will require you todeal with the Harry Fox Agency instead.

CONCLUSIONIn short, there are basically three ways that

you can record your own version of a previouslyreleased song: (1) By following the “compulsorylicense” procedure; (2) Obtaining a mechanicallicense through The Harry Fox Agency; or (3) Ob-taining a mechanical license from the music pub-lisher.

Obtaining a license from The Harry FoxAgency or the music publisher is usually more con-venient than the compulsory license approach. Onthe other hand, it is occasionally not possible toobtain a mechanical license from the Harry FoxAgency or the publisher, in which case the “com-pulsory license” approach will be your only option.

These mechanical licensing procedures arecumbersome, and even a little intimidating at first.But you will find that after you have gone throughthis process once, each succeeding time will beeasier and easier.

Editor’s Note: Bart Day is a Portland-basedentertainment attorney in private practice. He isalso the co-owner of ALLMEDIA, Ltd., a companywith offices in Portland and Los Angeles.ALLMEDIA represents various record labels andindependent music publishers for purposes of li-

censing music for film, television, commercials, andcomputer games.

Bart is also the co-author of a chapter in thenew edition of The Musician’s Business and LegalGuide, a book compiled by the Beverly Hills BarAssociation and published by Prentice-Hall Pub-lishing (New York).

The reader is cautioned to seek the advice ofthe reader’s own attorney concerning the applicabil-ity of the general principles discussed in this columnto the reader’s own activities.


LL

“The Harry Fox Agency, located in New York City,grants licenses on behalf of approximately 3,500

publishers, including almost all major publishers.”


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Because he’s got everything it takes to bemesmerizing: vocals, image, sense of humor,looks, physique, drama, delivery & he wearsCalvin Klein.

Because she’s got that certain somethingthat makes you remember her on stage and sheknows how to work a crowd. Plus, she playsguitar pretty dang good.

Worst Front Man/Woman & Why: Sorry,I’m not out to hurt anyone’s feelings…but askme in private.

Best Indie record Label & Why: CavitySearch and Crave Dog Records because they’vegot good heads on their shoulders and theyknow how to work their artists.

Worst Record Label & Why: Undercover,Inc., and T/K Records for folding without no-tice and leaving their staff screwed.

Best Recording Studio & Why: Jackpot Re-cording Studios/KAOS Recording Studios/RedCarpet Treatment Recording Studios. Becausemusicians can’t get enough of them and theygo back for more.

Worst Recording Studio & Why: All thoseones set up in basements and bedrooms becauseyou people are too cheap to get a real pro towork on your projects.

Best Live Music Venue & Why: RoselandGrill, because I met Jackson Browne there andyou can play chair hockey on the dance floor.

Worst Live Music Venue & Why: Cobalt

Lounge. Snobs, snobs, snobs and moresnobs.

Most Fashionable Band Chick:Gina Noell, Love Nancy Sugar. Be-

cause her wardrobe reads like a who’s who inVogue Magazine.

Most Fashionable Band Guy: Rob Daiker,Slowrush. Heroin chic meets No’Feast Mama.

Most Fashionable Band: The Brainwash-ers. Because they don’t have to work hard tolook good.

Congratulations to all winners and losers.(Please note, these awards are given for enter-tainment value only. No cash or prizes will beawarded. Now get outta here.)

See How They Run

They got it goin’ on in Eugene. The AsthmaHounds have welcomed Bob Becker as their newdrummer. Some of you might know that Bobalso drums for Eugene surf band, The Brain-washers. The Hounds, led by guitarist/vocalistJohn Pankl, are turning out to be one of my fa-vorite performing bands. They’re a hard-rockin’,gas guzzlin’ punkabilly unit with a real flair forthe nitty gritty, the down and dirty. Grinding,frenetic lead guitar (Pankl), thumpin’ punkybass (Tim Kinney) and Becker’s addeddementians on drums makes for one tight-assget-up and shake-it-loose sound. Pankl’s in-tensely psychotropic vocal delivery and physi-

cal flailing, coupled with clever, cutting, origi-nal material is sure to groove a good sized nicheinto Portland’s well-established punk rockabillyscene. They’ve opened for big shot acts such asRonnie Dawson and Mojo Nixon so far andthey’ll be releasing their first full length CD inearly Spring of 2000. Currently, you can listento their cover (Repo Man by Iggy Pop) on BloodRed Vinyl’s B Movie Compilation CD as well ason a Last Chance Records’ Dead Moon compi-lation tribute with the cut, “Goin’ South.” TheHounds also have a recent 7” out on TombstoneRecords featuring original songs, “Dan” and“Time and Money.” You can catch the houndsat the Tonic Lounge on Saturday, December 4th

with The Questions.Another band to add to that Feel Good List

are Canada’s own Clumsy Lovers. I’ve noticedthey make it into Portland about once everymonth or two. They’ve got the whole

bluegrassy-celtic-acoustic thing going on, butthen they also add a slightly prominent taste ofpunky and tattooed sound. When I saw themlast month playing to a nearly-packed house atKell’s (Alan Glickenhaus stood in on the gig withhis Jetson’ish white electric fiddle and addedsome beautiful and understated accompani-ments to the fiddle-chick’s lead), I thought theywere a Portland band, because not only do theylook like Portlanders, but they even look likeAmericans. Check all these guys out if you get achance.

…’til next time

“The New Paris Theatre, risen like a phoenixfrom the ashes, appears to be heading intothe new millineum in all-balls full throttle.

Owners Hugo Obele & Larry Lowery are theforce behind the club’s new façade.”

LL


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