RJ JUKES INTERNET OUTPOST


 

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Juke's blog ... thanx for dropping in. Just ranting

every other day .

If you have found this page you were either

invited by alternative means or found a secret link. Which

ever way ya got here thanx for droppin' in !

Please leave comments on the guestbook !

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THE BOYS FROM BUCKSNORT
It was Memphis ... 1987 and I am in a shower with a four track Tascam 244.
Four hours of writing lyrics later with the help two great "gitar" players adding their guitar parts ... combined with a couple of fifths of Jack Daniels, various medicinal smoking substances and some white powder when Mountain Man Moon Martin was born w/ yours truly on vocals, drums, bass, and harmonica.
It actually  was just a break in between writing serious songs (and demoing them on the TASCAM) for the my 2nd RCA record.  Alotta RCA history buried in those lyrics and I gotta say there are a lotta truisms in the story ... going to Hollywood as a youngman blah, blah blah. . Thought the recording was lost forever ... finally found a copy in the closet ... where possibly it should have remained with the empty 5ths of JACK, strange smelling pipe, and well scraped mirror.

Back in '87 tthe song had became a small underground late night "on the way to the bar cassette" that many of my friends  hadand over the years has I have dug up more of them thru the net ... there have been more in more inquires.

So all that said ... here is the "TRUE" story (the names have been changed to protect the innocent) of the BOYS FROM BUCKSNORT - featuring MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN

 

 

Boys from Bucksnort featuring MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN

The Boys from Bucksnort draw heavily on many different musical styles. The main emphasis is on 20's and 30's music with a touch of 70's, but influences from other eras are in the music as well. Blues, Ragtime, Rockabilly, Boogie, Irish, Folk, Gypsy, Hillbilly -- anything is fair game. But don't let this scare you off, this band rocks! The energy levels of the live shows make it really hard to hold still.
Photobucket History:
Although the Boys from Bucksnort formed in 1987, the history of the band goes back much further. Drummer Dufus Thomas (famous for the song Walkin the Hog") and guitarist Shakey Sliim Walker along with harmonica player Blow Hardy and bassist Mad "tub" Jones formed The Travelin Snakeheads in 1975. The Band became a staple in the Southern scene with their straight-ahead homemade styles. They opened shows for people like Charley Musslewhite, Little Charley and the Nightcats, and Charles Brown. In 1979, the band felt it had run it's course and disbanded. In the interim, guitarist Shakey Walker began getting interested in Ragtime and it's influence on the Piedmont guitar styles of Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, and Blind Willie McTell through a chance meeting with legendary MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN ... who they soon added on vocals and spoons. So in 1985, Shakey convinced his former bassist Tub Jones and drummer D Thomas to form The Boys from Bucksnort with MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN. Although they were skeptical at first, as the style developed, it was obvious they were on to something. The Band also released a cassette in 1980, titled "American Fork Music". They became regulars in the Bucksnort live music scene. They have opened shows for people ranging from Chicago Blues Guitarist Luther Jr. Johnson to the rock bands like Dash Rip Rock. The band released its first CD, in June of 1981 to a lot of anxious fans. The CD received great reviews and radio play all over the world. Their second CD, Too Tight, was released in April of 1984. It also received great reviews and lots of radio play. Since then the band has opened for guitar slingers Johnny Winter and Bugs Henderson and roots bands like The Paladins, Deke Dickerson, Kim Lenz and Her Jaguars, and Southern Culture on the Skids. The current lineup consists of Skakey Walker on Guitar and Vocals, Dufus Thomas on Drums, Shane Stewart on Bass, and just about anybody who happens to drop by the bandhouse. The band's infulences have continued to expand into all sorts of roots music -- from Gypsy, to Celtic, to Hillbilly -- but the band really rocks -- no cookie cutter stuff. The band released their third CD ... finest ingredients, in November of 1986 after MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN's  girlfriend ... Tracy Fords left him for a traveling rock and roll outfit. Heart broken and down in the dumps. Mountain Man headed out ta find Tracy in the glam tattered streets of Los Angeles, taking his guitar and Tascam multi track 244 recorder in tow with him. The result was a collection of pinable tunage intitled the Return of the Boys from Bucksnort. The disc charted in February and March of 1987 on the Freeform American Roots Chart. The band is playing shows regularly in Bucksnort Senior Center, and doing some limited touring in the US.
Photobucket
Tracy Fords in Los Angeles - 1985
QUOTES:
 
"The Boys from Bucksnort are the coolest band I've heard come through these parts in a long, long time." - Bucksnort Springs Independent
 
"Every band thinks it's a 'roots' band, but The Boys from Bucksnort have a pedigree even chemical stump-remover couldn't extract." - NASHVILLE SCENE
 
"The last three times I saw you guys, I got blisters on my feet." - Becky
"In this self-released CD, the band reinterprets these classics for the end of the 20th century, but doing it with respect and affection, and that's good." - Bucksnort Review
 
"...a full range of great tunes to inspire you." - the Boys from Bucksnort's preacherman
"It works." - Bucksnort Review
 
"If you haven't forgotten that these good ole boys were meant for good times, this is a band you should check out." - Living Blues
 
"These three guys hail from Bucksnort, TN, but listening to their record you get the feeling they REALLY live in the back of the old man Jenkin's Barn ." - Smitty Ray Barlow
 
"They win fans wherever they play by blending old favorites that could appease any crowd with original vibrance that compels the listener with a groove to move. - Rolling Stoned Magazine
 
"For those of you like me, that really appreciate the roots - I mean the old original versions of old old tunes that really have paved the way for everything in '96, this is an entire album of those great old tunes, by people like Lonnie Johnson, Blind Blake, Blind Boy Fuller, Kokomo Arnold, and others .... The Electric Rag Band - that belongs in your collection." - John Henry -- KMOD's Smokehouse Blues Show
"Slim's vocals are suitably rough and ragged, and his guitar work is solid and sure handed, up-to-date with just a whiff of the old-timey." - John Wooley -- The Memphis Tire & Baitshop
 
"At last a new, original approach to the Bluegrass ! - Joe Brennen -- the bathroom of the North 40 truckstop
 
"This is a pleasing eye-opener for those who think blues has to be loud and electric. Recommended. - Chicago Kerry -- The TBC Blue Notes
".. an enthusiastic dive into this project may be educational and rewarding." - Chad Bonham -- John Bonham's high brother
"It's highly academic and fascinating." - Thomas Conner -- some guy who watched "O Brother Where Art thou"
Photobucket Guitarist Slim Walker in his brother's old platform shoes (1985)
 
THE BOYS FROM BUCKSNORT featuring MOUNTAIN MAN MOON MARTIN !!!

 

Written for my local area regarding flooding on the Spring river. For those of you not familiar with my passion for taking care of this wonderful resource in my backyard ... please take some tyme and watch the video following this article

(This article originally appeared in the Spring River Survival guide magazine)

http://www.srsgmag.com/

ON THE RIVER



"Dad, what is that?" he inquired, pointing to a strange-looking contraption which had only recently appeared on the old bridge. I looked up at the bizarre apparatus. All I knew was that it had never been here before. Having no idea what to reply, I worked my way out of my son’s question by joking, "Why, that’s an intergalactic communications device placed here by the aliens who live at the bottom of the river. They use it to phone home."
He didn’t buy into it.



   In reality, I had no idea what this antenna-bearing, solar panel-wearing, hi-tech thingamajig was. Later that day, crossing the old Cold Springs bridge, I found another one. This time I stopped to read the information on the back. It stated, "USGS," which sounded pretty official to me... so I wasted no time in moving on.
Imagine my surprise when on my way into town yesterday, I was confronted by a temporary one-lane bridge sign and a team of USGS ("men in orange") installing one of these gizmos only a few miles from my house. Politely waving to the crew as I passed by, I took notice of the fact that this looked like quite an operation, with a crane supporting a squad of five men and a team of official-looking trucks on the bridge. I made it up the road about a quarter-mile before wheeling my jeep around.

Okay… I had to know what was going on.
These mystifying mechanisms were getting closer to my home.

That’s when I met Ben Thompson. Fresh out of the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, on this day Ben had been assigned the job of regulating the one-lane bridge traffic with a two-sided stop sign. It was clear that he would much rather have been assisting the bridge workers installing the whatchamacallits instead of waving that sign around whenever a car passed by. Sitting in the sweltering summer heat with nothing much to do, Ben was more than happy to answer a few questions and dispel my extra-terrestrial theories.

Turns out these space-age Jetson-looking boxes can perform a wide variety of tasks that will benefit the local community, as well as keep the U.S. Geological Survey organization (the USGS) well-informed via a geostationary satellite which orbits the earth ... keeping tabs on every one of these little silver information transmitters.

"Technically it’s called a streamgage," Ben informs me. "Each one is equipped with a computer that monitors river level, rainfall, as well as air and water temperature every fifteen minutes . The computer sends hourly updates to the USGS website which are immediately posted on the site. In addition to the Spring River, the streamgages are installed on the Myatt and South Fork rivers ... all of which empty into the Spring River."


The team vehicles installing a new streamgage

An advanced early warning flood system may be a life-saver the next time the river roars again, as it did in September 2006, when two people near Hardy lost their lives in a flash flood. The Spring River Basin received as much as 12 inches of rain in a short period causing water in Hardy to rise 13 feet in less than 12 hours. Such devices would have been also been invaluable on the Little Missouri River in June 2010, when flood waters rose as swiftly as 8 feet an hour and claimed the lives of 20 people at a popular campground near Glenwood, Arkansas.
Ben introduced me to the project's manager; Dan Wagner, a hydrologist from the Arkansas Water Science Center's Fayetteville field office . "The plan is to have the Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning System complete by October, " he adds, "which would make it possible for locals to access the information via their cell phones and home computers through the USGS website."
Dan also suggests I visit the USGS website for even more details.

Project Manager Dan Wagner, Hydrologist with the USGS installing a new gage

The USGS site describes the agency this way: "An unbiased, multi-disciplinary science organization that focuses on biology, geography, geology, geospatial information, and water, we are dedicated to the timely, relevant, and impartial study of the landscape, our natural resources, and the natural hazards that threaten us." The site also lists real time data from 160 existing streamgages in the state of Arkansas which can be very helpful for anglers, boaters, or others who need to know the water levels at specific waterways in Arkansas. You can visit the site at:
http://ar.water.usgs.gov/
 
The project actually began a few years back, Dan explains, in the wake of the September 2006 flood, when Hardy Mayor Nina Thornton, Fire Chief Lonnie Phelps and Police Chief Ernie Rose held a meeting with about 60 people in the old Hardy gym. On hand to explain how the system would work and benefit the community were Jaysson Funkhouser, a USGS surface water specialist from Little Rock, National Weather Service warning coordination meteorologist John Robinson of North Little Rock, and NWS hydrologist Steve Bays of Cabot, Arkansas.
"We’d like to see everyone—the canoe rentals [owners], the campsites [owners]—all pitch in together and fund this a little bit," Hardy Police Chief Ernie Rose said at the meeting. He suggested that communities, cities, fire departments and other civil entities canvas the areas involved, asking businesses to commit to helping fund the early warning system.

  A new streamgage on the Spring itself

Fire Chief Lonnie Phelps pointed out the benefits of the proposed warning system, comparing it to the system Hardy has adopted in the past decades. "I’ll tell you what you’ve had in the past—you’ve had Ernie and I out watching the river."
"If it saves only one life, it’s worth it," Mayor Thornton said.
Mayor Thornton then applied for and was awarded a $125,000 grant from NOAA (National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration) for an Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning Information System after the floods of September 2006 claimed several lives and floods during March and April of 2008 caused extensive damage in the area. The grant pays for the installation and one year's operation and maintenance of the three new Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning Information System gages in the watershed (South Fork Spring River, Spring River near Mammoth Springs, and Myatt Creek gages ).

It may have taken some time to get the flood warning program up and running, but here on the Myatt bridge, three years later, talking with Dan and Ben, I easily see the advantages this system can bring to the community as well as helping the USGS keep tabs on our precious waterways. The team is nearing the completion of this particular gage while Dan and I chat briefly about the system . Dan is assisted on this project by; two other Hydrologic Technicians in addition to Ben - Ted Wallace and Kane Martin ( Hydrologic Technicians)  and Brandon Aist (from the Arkansas Water Science Center in Little Rock a student Hydrologic Technician), and Justin White (another Hydrologic Technician out of the Oklahoma Water Science Center in Tulsa)

Dan continues, "Each streamgage in the warning system is equipped with a powerful computer which, as soon as water reaches dangerous levels, will automatically telephone emergency rescue teams, police chiefs and others whose numbers are programmed into the gage. The way a typical streamflow gaging station works is by measuring gage height (river level), rain, water temperature, and air temperature information which are collected every 15 minutes, transmitted to a geosatellite once every hour, then transmitted back to our processing center in Virginia, eventually making it to our NWIS website (NWIS stands for National Water Information System)."
Then he begins to lose me with a bit more technical information as he explains, "Stream discharge (volume of water flowing down the stream) is added to the data on NWIS from a stage-discharge "rating curve" that USGS maintains. The rating curve is developed by making discharge measurements across a wide range of gage heights, from low gage heights when the stream is a mere trickle to higher gage heights when the stream is at flood. Hydrologic Technicians visit streamflow gaging stations every 8 weeks and sometimes more often to verify that the gage is working properly, reading correctly, and to make discharge measurements."
Wow ... I thought to myself !

I was starting to believe the alien theory myself. This was some serious space age stuff !

The Myatt Streamgage mid installation

"In addition to the streamgage’s invaluable flood warning information," Dan elaborates, "some of the streamgages in the state also record and transmit data regarding the water quality. Whether you drink water from your tap or canoe down your local river, chances are you will benefit in some way from the USGS streamgage information. Once the new program is in place," he tells me, "a public meeting will be held in Hardy . Anyone interested is invited to attend in order to learn more about how the system works ."
Ben remarks, "Perhaps if such a forewarning system had been in place on the Little Missouri River back in June, that terrible disaster could have been avoided."
As I drive away, leaving the team to finish their work, I can’t help but agree. It’s good to know that the City of Hardy, as well as folks along the river, will soon be better prepared for future flash floods due to the efforts of the USGS and the initiative of some of our local officials.
Later while exchanging emails to fine tune this article Dan writes:
There are six real-time streamflow gaging stations are currently operational in our area:
07069190 Mammoth Spring at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas
07069220 Spring River near Mammoth Springs, Arkansas (located at Game and Fish Commission's Cold Springs Access above Dam 3)
07069305 Spring River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy, Arkansas
07069500 Spring River at Imboden, Arkansas
07069295 South Fork of Spring River at Saddle, Arkansas
070692657 Myatt Creek north of Saddle, Arkansas"
The Spring River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy streamflow gaging station is the first of four gages in the Upper Spring River Early Flood Warning Information System. The site sends call alerts to the local 911 office, National Weather Service, USGS, City of Hardy Police, and other emergency responders when the gage height (river level) reaches 8.0 ft at the gage. Three of the above-mentioned streamflow gaging stations will be added to the Early Flood Warning Information System, hopefully by the end of October, 2010: Spring River near Mammoth Springs, South Fork of Spring River at Saddle, and Myatt Creek north of Saddle. These sites will have call-out capabilities similar to those at the Spring River at Town Branch Bridge at Hardy station.

In 2006, the city of Hardy only had 20 to 30 minutes to evacuate low-lying areas. However, with the newly-installed Early Flood Warning System in place and operating, that time frame could increase to two to three hours’ evacuation time, allowing everyone to safely move to higher ground.
RJ JUKES

"Water is probably the most important commodity for the nation. It’s one that’s under appreciated but it’s essential for life, as we know. None of us can get by within a day or two without drinking it. And so, knowing how much water is available in our rivers and our streams is critical for the national health. And using our streamgages, we can monitor that flow in rivers and know how much water is available. It’s critically important as we go into the future and uncertain climate, as climate change affects the availability of water in rivers and streams around the country."
- Matthew Larson
~ transcript from "Streamgages: The Silent Superhero" ~

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NOW FOR THE OTHERSIDE OF THE COIN ... the following article also appeared in the JULY 28, 2010 Issue of SRSG mag ... it is probably one of the most locally oreinted interviews I have ever done. Special thanx goes out to JODY SHACKLEFORED FOR MAKING THIS HAPPEN !

 

 

to chill when show times over

October 15, 2010

Juke's lil' Mountain Hideaway or where I to go to chill when show times over 

My Lair

The late Great Hunter S Thompson chillin' at the Owl Farm

Things used to be so crazy for me. I would come offa tour or out of a show and just be speeding like a meth junkie at midnight from the energy we had just exchanged with the crowd.

Then came Ozzy. One of my heroes of stability in the music world.

Yes, Ozzy my hero of stability !

The Prince of Darkness. The madman who gave a new meaning to rock n roll extreme insanity and the fine art of dining on bats and doves heads.

It all started when Skutch, a good guitar slinging friend of mine, sensed I needed "professional" help with my high energy come/down problem and turned me onto a wonderful documentary on the Oz man called "Don't Blame Me" The Tales of Ozzy Osbourne. 

There I saw Ozzy in his natural state. Sittin' at home in his living room. Fresh from rehab and talkin' clear and clean. None of that "Meet the Osbournes" mumblin' and stumblin' through his sentences, which at times are so rock n' roll garbled that wife Sharon has to interpret just what the hell the man was sayin'.

But it wasn't the clear diction that caught me as much as it was what he was sayin' which stuck in my mind. The clarity of his mind.

In the film "Dont Blame Me" he is at home talkin' the truth about his family, his music, and his lifestyle. It quickly became very clear to me that Ozzy had a handle on dealing with the rough n' tumble rock world. I mean just think how long the man's been at this. We are talkin' the rock world ... where fun is fun and biz is biz, drinks are drinks and dope is dope !

Now before any of ya start jumpin' on me about doves and bats for dinner, I figure it took a lil' trial and error on the Oz man's part to arrive at this point of serenity in his life. I think anyone would agree that long time side kick Sharon was most instrumental in groundin' The Prince of Darkness.

So what I am gettin' at here is:

I started thinkin', granted it took me several years of hangovers, BC powders, Thera-flu, methadone clinics, careless cons, and low grade street dope deals for high grade cash, the DTs, ect ... to arrive at a point that I realized in order to survive in this business I was in, I had to make some major lifestyle changes.

Maybe this Ozzy guy had something going here besides full throttle on the road, crash the gate doing ninety eight, in your face madness 24/7. After all he had been puttin' out music for many a year and didn't seem to be showing any signs of slowing down with his rowdy, relentless career of putting on outrageous shows and excellent new material out.

Yes.

It took me quite awhile. Many arrests, drug overdoses, failed relationships, wrecked cars, fights, missed flights, etc ...

I was a hard head, but I finally came to the conclusion that if I wanted to play at my best for a few more years I had to slow down and separate the stage from the man. Separate the real and the show. Know when the show ends and home life begins.

But what really nailed this down, before anyone had a chance put nails my coffin, was another loony genius of prose. I got some more positive reinforcement when I learned of Dr Gonzo.

The man from Woody Creek, Colorado by way of Louisville (Slugger), Kentucky, who uses way too many of these ... (dot, dot, dots)  ... (sic) only correctly in comparison to my sleepin' through English 101 in college.

The late Mr. Hunter S Thompson.

One of the last great American outlaw journalist we had in this country.

Hunter aka Dr Gonzo, one my favorite writers on the pleasures of excess in all areas.

HST Quote:  "I hate to advocate drugs, alcohol, violence, or insanity to anyone, but they've always worked for me."
See a long time ago in the 60s, Hunter moved to the middle of the Rocky Mountains to Woody Creek, Colorado. Way before the fashionable ASPEN crowd brought the million dollar ski kings in. There he made a notch in the land and his sanity for himself. He called it the owl farm, and for him it was his own personal retreat to go after many a life threaten', high adventures. He once wrote in "FEAR AND LOATHING IN AMERICA" that when he turned that last corner on the dirt road leading home. He felt ultimate relief after his adventures in THE RUM DIARY, LAS VEGAS, and hanging with the outlaws of outlaws ... THE HELLS ANGELS. 

He said, "You got to keep them home fires burning".

The Owl Farm by the way, was ultimately the location of the famous shootin' of Doc Gonzo's ashes out of a cannon into the cool Colorado night air by none other than my former band mate, Mr Johnny Depp. But that is another story and I promise all the Deppheads I will sit down and put the days of Johnny and I on one of my scribblings shortly. (actually there is a secret link on this website that tells all)

But back to finding serenity.

For my purposes here, I figured if ole Hunter had him a hideaway and still carried on the way he did but remained intact (until recently), I probably needed one to.

I wanted to get out of the city of Memphis and move just far enough that I could find the same peace these men of greatness had found, while still being close enough to work the town or fly in and out of the airport.

So there ya have it.

I finally found the spot. About a hundred miles North of Memphis you will find Spring River country. Located in the foothills of the Ozark Mountains in Arkansas.

Spring River Country.Where about the most exciting thing that happens is the first Winter frost.

You do have the river itself and it gets it's share of tourists who flock there to trout fish, swim, and canoe down the white water. We do have an occasional summer drowning on the river, but we don't like to talk about that much as to spook the tourist trade.

Just know that if ya do tip over. It's best not to use your head has a bumper against the rocks 

But myself ... I came here for peace.  Remember ?

The last damn thing I need are a bunch of drunk ass river rats paddling up to my back door to see if I got a cold one in the frig, while they goggle eye my sun bathing wife.

So, with that in mind I dug into the forest deeper and finally found the ideal spot. A place where I can piss off my deck naked in broad day light and not bother anybody. Yes sir we don't get much traffic on the dirt road I share with one other house and it's right up the shore from a Ozark mountain lake.

http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/memphiswitch777/guideboardjpgfarmlogo.jpg

About the second most exciting thing that happens 'round here is me and my bud Jason D getting into a fight with Tiny (my full size skeleton) over a game of cut throat on the pool table out in my backyard clubhouse/command center. The place where these writin' originate.

Now Tiny's a good pool shooter mind you. After all he was a real pirate in life ... he still wears the eye patch from time to time. But damn it if he don't cheat !

     My two home fires ...Missus Jukes and my son Charlie Parker DH Lawrence

Now if all of this is soundin' just a lil' too Beverly damn-well Hillbilly/Deliverance/Copperhead Road ... there's a good reason for that.

Because it is !

But in these woods is also the most peaceful existence I have ever lived.and it keeps my mind ready and sharp to play the drums like "two jack rabbits fuckin' inna gunny sack" when I so desire. Yes I am picking up on the local rural lingo as well. I found my own personal Kathmandu and although we got the locals to screw with ... this backwoods hideaway ain't no Hillbilly's in a Haunted House movie.

But although I am friendly enough at all my shows, if ya come snoopin' 'round here ya best be ready to take a load o' buckshot in your ass has your zig zaggin' through the Black Oak !

That's why most folks live back in here. For a lil' peace and privacy.

Don't get me wrong ... I like company just as well as the next fella. But call first. Ain't got the number ? Well then don't come 'round here 'til ya do. Slippin' round these backwoods might just get ya an not so funny unwanted part with some of the devils rejects. I have found the place of peace I needed and I like to keep it that way ... if ya don't mind.

Then again ... maybe we could have fun if your into snipe huntin' or just playin' a good game of RUN RABBIT RUN !

"shoo shoo shoo"

said the Maiden

Well hopefully I am gettin' my point across that ya can't be balls to the wall all the damn time in this wacky, crazy business of rock n roll.

Ya got have down time if ya want that long term career in the music biz and a home base where ya can unwind after tearing apart a drum set, ripping off your sleeves, wrapping them 'round your cymbal stands, taking a swig offa bottle of OZO (during the drum solo with both bass pedals thumpin' like a well tuned shovel head) and then pouring the rest on the OZO on the sleeved/cymbals and settin' em on fire. Makes for some nice tiki torch lite drum solo and gives a lil' inspiration to play a solo that would make any world class drummer turn an ear and wanna shake your hand at the after show greet and meet.

Yes, that really is part of the show when the venue permits.

Come out sometime and see for yourself at a hot spot near you ... I will be coming soon and ya don't have to call first for that one !




 

Blah, Blah Blah ...

October 15, 2010
                    WEIRD OR NOT ?
 

 
I mean what do you consider weird ???
Strange behavior is often the norm for  me ... but that's just me .
But I will come up with somethings that maybe
beyond the norm and scribble 'em down
So shall we ...
 
1. Sometimes when I am bored and looking for cheap shock value, I
take the full scale human skeleton and strap him into the passenger
seat of my jeep. His name is Tiny. My question ... is it weird to name your skeletons ?
 
Anyhow, I take Tiny for a ride while I go through my daily errands and I
come up with some excellent double takes and strained neck looks ! 
Lately I've taken to dressing him in a fashionable hat and some times a feather boa ... keeping with the glam style .
 
WEIRD OR NOT ???
I let Tiny hold the mail on the way home !
 
2. Lately I have been working on a new drum solo which incorporates
slamming into a double bass kick drum rumble (resembling a Harley
Davidson) and while that's going on taking a long swig from an Ozo bottle.
Then ripping the sleaves offa my shirt and wrapping them around the cymbal
stands, dousing them in Ozo and stting them on fire. While the flames burn on each side of the drumkit I roll into the main part of the solo with Buddy Rich speed and Gene Krupa licks. As the flame burns down the solo slows until the flame dies and the lights go down. Do you think that's a little over the top ???
 
WEIRD OR NOT ???
      =
 3. When it's slow in the summer I like to throw on some torn overalls and head down to the river I live near, find a nice spot on a riverbend ( with a cross current ) and sit there staring at the tourists while playing the opening licks to "Dueling Bangos" from the movie DELIVERANCE. This never fails to  cause every other canoe to turn over which leaves the banks of the river yielding free beer from the spilt coolers !
This is officially called being a RIVER PIRATE .
 
WEIRD OR NOT ???
 
4. Often I like to dress as one of my heros the late great Hunter S Thompson complete with hunting vest, sunglasses, fishing hat and the cigarette onna stem . At times these sessions can lead to small drinking binges and acts of extremely bazaar behavior such as, staying up for days on end writing and watching the film version of "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas repeatedly while exercising my right to quote Dr. Gonzo freely. This activity lead to me gettin' kicked off the Jason D tour.
 
WEIRD OR NOT ???
 
5. I lead a double life ... has I raise holy hell on the weekends playing
the Devil's rock n roll ... then put on conservative dress and play the organ
at Sunday morning services . The church members have no idea what I do in my time off or most of them (being senior citizens) would most likely be mortified . I like to call this ... get 'em Sinning on Saturday and Save 'em on Sunday !
 
WEIRD OR NOT ???
 I have been thinking of letting Tiny play the opener at Sunday morning service
 



VISITED THE MAIN WEBSITE
rjjukes.com

 

Everyday el bullshito !!!

October 15, 2010

OK I have decided to try everyday blogging about my boring life ... well sometimes my heart rate goes up ... so I am gonna try to devote a lil time to this blog every other day and see what I get.

With that said (and typos excused please) here we go !!!!

Posted: Fri Oct 13, 2006 5:26 am    Post subject: Paraskevidekatriaphobics Reply with quote Edit/Delete this post Delete this post


I just finished reading the abstract of a study published in the British Medical Journal in 1993 entitled "Is Friday the 13th Bad for Your Health?" With the aim of mapping "the relation between health, behavior, and superstition surrounding Friday 13th in the United Kingdom," its authors compared the ratio of traffic volume to the number of automobile accidents on two different days, Friday the 6th and Friday the 13th, over a period of years.

Their conclusion:

"Friday 13th is unlucky for some. The risk of hospital admission as a result of a transport accident may be increased by as much as 52 percent. Staying at home is recommended."

Paraskevidekatriaphobics — people afflicted with a morbid, irrational fear of Friday the 13th — must be pricking up their ears just now, buoyed by seeming evidence that their terror may not be so irrational after all. But it's unwise to take solace in a single scientific study — the only one of its kind, so far as I know — especially one so peculiar. I suspect these statistics have more to teach us about human psychology than the ill-fatedness of any particular date on the calendar.

So ... I am wondering has anything out of the ordinary ever happened to anyone here on this date ?
_________________
"You bet I did, and I enjoyed it," ~ Mayor Bloomberg


www.myspace.com/jukes333


VISIT THE MAIN SITE

rjjukes.com

 

A lil Story 'bout a boy in Memphis

October 15, 2010

Hustle & Flow in the Streets of Memphis

 Hey ... ain't that  the cat I jammed with hangin' with Taryn ? I recently found out she and her brother's band cut their demo on a PS 2 game called MUSIC MAKER. No Shit !

MEMPHIS

Memphis not Egypt

The one Stateside.

The one internationally known as a mecca for musicians  as far as I am concerned, since most of the cash I have survived on throughout my days as a drummer, as flowed through the streets and jukes of Memphis.

NOTE: Please remember I played drums in college. I worried 'bout marching and I didn't not pay much attention in English 101 although the teacher was damn cool. Steve Ebe can tell ya all about it.

 Sorry for the typos.

Hopefully 'nuff said.

Just like it has for over a hundred years, the place has served has a refuge for the musicians from Mississippi, Tennessee, and Arkansas, who have been entering the city gates or crossin' those bridges for their own different reasons.

Some to perhaps catch a riverboat down to New Orleans or up to St Louis ... some to record at the legendary SUN studios and make a record for "they Mommas" ... or perhaps just seek gainful employment in the old tyme music industry. Which they couldn't find in the rural towns they grew up in.

"Rock n Roll Money"

"Cuz the Blues had a baby and they called it Rock n Roll"

Crossin' the Mighty Mississippi into Memphis Town

Yes, the jobs have flown from Memphis like the river itself.

The gig maybe a blues jam at the now gone Poor Reds or a heavy fly date to play behind the likes of Issac Hayes, Tanya Tucker, Wynonna or my fav the time I even got to fly to NYC once to do Cool Hand Luke's drum roll entrance !

So I think ya get the pic ?

Memphis has been good to me musically but, like every major city it has had it's share of pitfalls.

Some which have left me crawling back out of the streets of South Memphis penniless and in between jobs that were high profile and paid enough to write home and tell Momma. Leaving me with enough cash to get cars and serious drums and well ... just fun stuff !

But no regrets.

I often returned from the underbelly of the city with more soul than any white man should be allowed to carry in his drumstick bag at one time. 

And the good times.

Well they're just good.

Very good.

I would like to add that out of all the pro and con gigs I have worked in that town, for instance; things like the Memphis Blues Ball, some high profile political events, or major shows at the Omni New Daisy on Beale right before rushing over to help out John at the Overton Park Shell.

or let me see ...

Jammin' on percussion with my ole pals SON OF SLAM and keeping asses in seats at that lil' Irish pub MURPHY's, where I finally was exposed to the presence of Timothy Leary in person.

One night we all kept the crowd for two more MURPHYS' encores after we had done three, while I passed out my percussion instruments to the crowd and encouraged them to damn well join in. They rocked !

But the best is sometimes free.

The best gig, as in the one I always enjoyed the most, is the one right there at Beale Street's Handy Park. Man you can feel the funk "slithering" outta the ground from the footsteps of the likes of Robert Johnson, Howling Wolf, Tommy Johnson, Sam Carr, and of 'course WC HANDY.

  The immortal WC Handy watches over the park. Some local legends have it that he left Memphis for NYC in disgust after an incident which involved the rolling of a black man's severed head down the middle of  Beale Street.

I can remember many a warm summer day when I got offa tour bus and threw on some raggdy ass clothes, dug out the most broke down looking snare and bass drum I had and headed down in to HANDY PARK to play for tips and tips alone.

There the music is truly adored.

Be it by the tourists from all over the world yearning for one of the few spots on the park benches or the local street folk, who are holding down the those benches. But they will gladly slide over for few of a drinks of a tasty libation or in some case just to share the music with the newcomers.

Now this gig is strictly for tips.


The old pickle jar in front of the stage with the likes of the late great bass man BIG T barking over the mic, "come up here and put a dollar in the tip bucket and tell us where your from." or my personal favorite, " If you put a $100 in there you will have good luck the rest of your life, but I will have good luck TONIGHT !"

MISS YA T !

 Yes sir folks been gathering on Beale for a long time

You know I have seen many a good, possibly gonna be a great player, get lost in all the biz and shuffle that comes with this industry and when that happens to me (cuz I sure as hell ain't no exception to the rule) I tend to "mosey" on down to the park to get in touch with the real reason I am playing in the first place.

The love of the music.

Course, there were days there when you could make an easy living just outta that bucket and there were some days which completely sucked and we were barely lucky to get hamburger money or change for a forty.

I found more often than not the enjoyment came straight from just sittin' with folks and passing the bottle while tellin' tales of what's went down in the park over the years. The old timers are becoming few and far between , but a few still remain.

You never know what your rewards might be for tips as well !

Hell ... I remember this one time when I was playing behind Blues extraordinaire Jimmy Wolfe that I was tipped in a very unorthodox, yet thoughtful manner that involved ... well ... use your imagination and think about the scene in HUSTLE & FLOW where they are haggling over the microphone in the store.

There's more than one form of currency in the streets of Memphis. It's always been that way and probably always will.

BTW: Check out Jimmy Wolfe's site. He is on my friends list. He is an awesome guitarist and one of the main cats I worked the park with on many a sultry day.

But enough ads

Memphis, if ya catch my drift man is just plain cool. Funky and a hugh part of America's musical history that we should be damn proud of !

But like any positive thing there is always a negative side and in the words of one of my favorite writers:

 Hunter S Thompson

The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.

The Dark End of the Memphis Streets

Check out the Rock City Angel's version of "Dark end of the Street" to be released in 2006

Like many a career musician I have had to go through some personal lil' demons (read suits) that although I have kept them at bay most of my life, I know they are forever and always ready to sprout again under the light of a blue moon.

Memphis is of all the places I have been ... the place that has taught me how to keep those dragons at bay and I recommend a nice lil' stay in the Bluff City for any aspiring young musician to your ROAD FEET wet before going out into this real business of music.

I learned the ropes in that town early. Having spent time in both extremes of what the town has to offer.

From jet setting it at the  South's grand PEABODY HOTEL (where my SONOR drums kept a room for a month or so) to crashing three months on the floor of a Memphis whorehouse, while spending days hanging with my stripper friends and passing out on the nasty dance floors before being drug home ... where ever that may have been.

Now for those of you who don't know me all that well

Before you take a hankering of any bad ideas regarding my current lifestyle I would like to remind ya that all this lil' street education was a long time ago ... in a land far, far away.

I finally grew up musically and emotionally (well a lil' bit) but I know the beast is always at the door. Ya just gotta have a strong door.

Things are brighter now.

Alot brighter than they were then.

So no need to worry about falling back into my old habits and gettin' lost down on Summer Av or somewhere 'round South Memphis' ALKA club or Three the Hard Way Club.

If I did ... please don't come looking for me.

They don't take a likin' to too many white folk in there ... if they don't know 'em that is. Hey that's just the way some parts of Memphis is ... no offense. You can't change history for some folks. Well maybe if your "Rafford" ?

But not to worry

I am sure some of you folks are familiar with the old term "Once a junkie always a junkie" and I fight that line with much success a day at a time. Being a career musician I have of course been exposed to all the drugs and drink. Fun when your young, but you might say I got "sick n' tired of being sick n' tired".

But my personal shadows are always lurking and I find they are part of the very music which inspires me. In fact some of the very fabric of my co-songwriting. EXAMPLE: Rumblefish

or A Lil'  SOUTH MEMPHIS Story

 Once I was nearly arrested for working with a young black rapper called BIG MAN 'round 1995. We had broke from the session to grab some Barbacue and got pulled over on the way back.

Reason ? Not the food. Hell no ! Although try that place out some time.

Cop said the a blackman and a whiteman didn't look right driving through this part of Memphis town in my new limited edition T BIRD. Did he ever think maybe we were trying to patch up the bond the Booker T had so well ... before the shooting of DR King ?

Through Writing and Recordings ? Check out Hustle & Flow to catch the white man/blackman scene has it works Memphis style

Incidently the recordings came out kicking ass. Bigman took 'em and ya just might never know when ya will hear RINGO & THE RAPPERS ... better known by SOUTH MEMPHIS SLIM as ELMO DEE

But that's another story

For another time.

until then.

Beale Street is a lil' bit Disney but worth the ticket if only for sheer history of the blues alone

For those of you who wanna come to Memphis with visions of "Walking in Memphis" floating through your head with your feet ten feet offa Beale. Here are a few places I would recommend to make sure and catch.

Eat at the Blues City Cafe on Beale street.

The price is right "onna pricey" street and the (think DOES outside Greenville, MS) Tamales & Ribs & Steaks are damn good. You veggies can find something too ... but I ain't sure what it is. Just ask.

You can sometime find one of my friends and part-time road managers there.

MR. JW WHITTEN.

But see if ya talk to JW keep this in mind. He and I shared many a good time on the road but I ain't shit compared to his twenty year plus gig ... road managing the Killer, JERRY LEE LEWIS.

So say hello for me but keep in mind you are walking in the footsteps of legends when you step on the bricks of Beale.

.. The Killer in one of his least known promo pix

Once your in the Beale Street neighborhood. just well swing 'round the corner and find the CENTER FOR SOUTHERN FOLKLORE.

I at one time thanx to the good graces of QUEENBEE Ms Judy, helped manage this place. You will find there any info you could possibly desire regarding the history and culture of the South and some take homes that are incredible. 

I ain't kiddin' one bit ... you music fiends wont believe it !  While your there ... ask Judy how to get to WILD BILLS ... a taste of music the way it outta be !     

www.southernfolklore.com/  

Now if ya are still around through the evening, I highly suggest visting the World famous legendary Poplar lounge. Where you will find every local picker playing. From my friend ALVIN'S Weekend JAM SESSIONS to the legendary Jim Dandy and Ricky from Black Oak Arkansas (most Wednesday nights)doing their acoustic set.

Yes Jim kicks ass on acoustic. Listen to the "LAST DUTCHMANS' GOLDMINE" sometime from one BOA records !

Jim washing clothes in one of his blacker periods

If ya want a taste for something a lil' newer. A stones throw away from the aforementioned Handy Park ya can find the Omni theater.Where ya can take in the national acts, as well as some of the better up and coming locals while still enjoying the smell of Beale street.

I saw some of my closest kindred spirits pass through those doors on their way outta the Memphis grind and into the attention of the world music scene.

From old Angel running mates TORA TORA to the heavy drive of SALIVA or has I like to call em ... a mix between ole pals BLACKBONE and some teenagers I once knew called MODERN IMMATURITY with a few guitars players Durango and I worked with thrown in for good measure.

They're own brand of HUSTLE & FLOW


Course I could keep ramblin' about Memphis for days. I love the place.

Like I said, for me it is both a blessing and a curse, and once again I find myself stepping back into the Hustle. To put together a group of guys that ain't played together in years and make it flow. Sorry I couldn't leave that one alone.

The ever elusive Bobby Durango ... singer from RCA keeps a hide away there and it is home base for the Angels.

See there the problem (curse/blessing) lays ... these are not your straight lace, be on time, at the airports types to start with. These are real rockers from the street with a hunger to come back and take a bite. No matter the cost. 

But given a Rock City rebirth, which is beginning to start brewing ever so nicely. I think it's worth the time to risk my personal fears in lue of the real thing, and see if the band can just rock a hard stage once more and bring joy to those who have waited, watched, and bought our new CDs for too long.

I'm thinkin' it's like the BLUES BROTHERS 1st movie The way the cats get back in the groove and in a way it is, but with things much more dangerous than A Star Wars Princess packing a weapon. No, there's another side of it

"THE DARK END of the STREET".

Some of you know what I talkin' about others ... just be happy you don't.

They say nothing worth really doing is ever easy.

I have always heard that anyway
 But for some odd reason I think this session could be kickin' if we had some PAYNE'S BARB Q !

If you are so inclined see the movie HUSTLE & FLOW  I think you will get a serious handle on this particular ramblin' of writin' I have layin' down today about the streets of Memphis.

PEACE

Thanx for droppin' in

JUKES



 

Go West Youngman or THE WEST IS THE BEST GET HERE AND WE'LL DO THE REST

October 15, 2010
Go West Youngman
 
I dug out a copy of "Let It Bleed" and threw it on this morning just to see if ole Mick can truely stand the test of time. Of course he did, but not before striking a chord within me when the second cut ... "Love in Vain" began.
 
My friend and one time Rock City short lived producer Paul Rothchild, once told me over a root beer party in the Hollyweird Hills (his pad on Lookout Mountain road).

"A good song takes the listener back in another place in time. There that song becomes as one my a person's memories. "
 
Damn Paul I knew you were right !

After hearing his production work on Janis Joplin and the Doors,
I seldom question the statements he made during our short time working together. I wish he could have had a shot at producing the Angels.
But Tommy Z at Geffen would have no part of it.
 
Ole Paul stuck by us has a friend though ... even giving me advice on what I should do long after the record company had dropped us. "Go to the clinic. Twenty one days to clean up or I would be no good to nobody." So I did and even followed his words and got the hell outta LA and back to Memphis.
 
 
A young Rothchild and that lil blues beltin' gal from Texas
 
But  ... back to the story at hand.
 
I was in Galveston, Texas in 1984 working a five nighter a
week at the Galvez hotel. Top forty band. I knew one thing about top 40 cover bands at the time and that was the fact that I definitely needed out of this.

I mean the money was good and the work steady, with a place
to stay and free meals, but there was no way that I was gonna stay on this scene.
 
I had already begun answering local rag ads in search of an original project and met up with Mitch ... who's
Texas ad I answered and got my dose of Motley Crue 101 in between passing the pipe.
 
I knew after a little answer and callin' that I needed to go somewhere where the musicians were and Galveston was not the place. But I was like 19 and already a long way away from home. Going to a major melting pot  ... like Los Angeles seemed about has far out as going to the dark side of the moon.
 
The night before I had been at a party at Aunt Lucy's house. Not my real Aunt (she was my girl's auntie). Lucy was an old time rocker compared to my unseasoned ass. Already far down the opium trail she passed along a few of the good things you find along the side of that road.
Like the Rolling Stones ... and their heroin spokesman, Keef Riffhard.
 
 
Lucy was a big boast to my early musical career. Later
she would move out to Los Angeles and hang with us at
the Scream Club, a few months before RCA signed with
Geffen ... at gigs with Janes Addiction and the Red
Hot Chili Peppers.
 
But this night in Galveston, Lucy had just presented me with a hugh mural of the Rolling Stone's lick. Directly off her wall in a moment of impulse. I gladly excepted it and
promptly took down the designer Hotel Galvez picture
of the seashore (in my hotel room) and pinned my new wall hanging up. After all I was gonna play the place for three more weeks just as well make it home.
 
Next day I went out for a walk down the seawall to do a
little window shopping and ended up in a record store
buying the aforementioned Stones classic ...  "Let it Bleed".

I walked out of the store to a light drizzle coming in from
the waters of the gulf. The rain beginning, I wasted little time popping the cassette into my Sony Walkman (dated huh ?). Tunes in ears, I put my hat to the wind and headed back to the Galvez to the opening notes of "Love in Vain".
 
The rain increased until I myself found I needed shelter
which I quickly took under a welcome awning down around 9th street. These showers are quite common in Galveston and I knew the routine. It would come in quickly and downpour, then be done in thirty minutes.
 
A nice purification of things.
 
It was there under that seawall canopy that I heard the song "Love in Vain" for the first time. I listened intently to the words ... "the blue light was my baby and the red light was my mind".
 
I could relate to that as my current relationship wasn't
treating me all that well.
 
"Well I followed her to the station a suitcase in my hand"
 
This moment is etched in my mind, just as Paul would tell
me a song may do years later. Listening to the tune at that and this moment, I still remember this like it happened only yesterday.
 
Long before I would travel down to the heated deltas of 
Mississippi searching out the three graves of Mr. Robert
(Noah) Johnson ...  the song's tunesmith.
 
"When all true loves in Vain"
 
Long before I would watch the movie Crossroads 
 
"When the train left the station"
 
One of my many trips to the Mississippi Delta.
This one with a shaved head and my buddy Dave (former Johnny Cash bodyguard) to visit the
three graves of Robert Johnson. "Standin' at the crossroads ... tryin' to flag a ride"
 
Yes the song struck a chord deep in my young soul as I
cowered from the windy rainstorm under that 9th street
Galveston doorway.
 
The rain shower left as fast as it had come up and I proceeded to walk the twenty blocks back to the Galvez. All the while rewinding the walkman to hear the song one ... more time.
 
It was near five o clock when I reached my destination and I decided to down a cool, happy hour Guinness while checking the drum kit out for the night to come. This band certainly didn't play anything as cool as I was listening to. Yeah it was a job, but it was a one way street. Everybody in the group was well into their late 30s (but yours truly) and they were quite content.
 
I was young and restless and with nothing on the immediate menu a change seemed very tasty. That night drug by as cover band gigs can sometimes tend to do.

Afterward, I was invited to an after hours party at a little
tavern up the street. The owner got drunk and allowed
free range of the place. I was zeroing in on making the
eight ball when I caught a glimpse of a band on the bar
room television.
 
They flashed across the MTV with a visual intensity I
had not previously seen. I missed the eight and walked
over to the bar to finish my beer and watch the remainder
of the video. There ws that howling blues guitar riffing again ... only with a modern edge.

Who were these guys ?

I recognized the old Creedence song but these cats had
put a nice switch up on it. They roared across the screen
like a hundred Hells Angels blazing down a hot California
highway . "... like Genghis Khan on an iron horse, flat out
through the eye of a beer can and up your daughter's leg
with no quarter asked and none given" (HST)
 
I waited with baited breath and the title caption finally
flashed across the tube as the song faded out ... around
the bend like a rising wind.
 
The band was Hanoi Rocks.
 
Where it all started too get damn serious for me
 
A month later ... I had given my band two weeks notice
and packed everything I could into my girlfriend's tiny
Chevy Chevette. The rest I had loaded into the shells of
the drums themselves, replaced the drum heads, then
packed them in their cases and strapped them to the top
the car with the aid of a K MART instant car rack.
 
Looking every bit the Beverly Hillbillys, we headed out
over the Galveston bay bridge and across the desert in
search of some glammed out rockers, who played with
the intensity I had witnessed in the video.
 
A month before I had seen the Damned play Dallas'
Ground Zero club. I had in reality began to make plans 
for something new at that point. Hanoi Rocks had just
been the icing on the cake. The glitter on the glam trail.
 
 I had recently seen the DAMNED play in Dallas. Speakers rocked, blood spilled, stage diving became the norm and the band helped Rat Scabies clear his kit by falling into it at the end of the set. I was hooked. It only took about two months for the addiction to set in
 
Three days and two new tires later I reached the out skirts of Los Angeles. Then just when I thought I was there ... another two hours until I got on the Hollywood freeway. 
 
I exited on the only street I recognized. Sunset Boulevard.
Drove down to the first cheap motel and bought a room.
 
I thought of Morrison and began to wonder.
Ok ... You are here in LA now what ya gonna do boy ?
What ya gonna do ?
 
I walked to the corner store and bought two bottles wine to celebrate the successful trip, and a Music Connection
magazine. Pausing at the door and I also grabbed a free
LA Weekly rag.
 
Later my girl and I got out and walked the stars on Hollywood Boulevard looking every bit the Texas tourist. I had to do something to seperate myself from the that herd. I found it in a shoe store next to Fredrick's of Hollywood and maxed out my Mastercard's last $65.00 on a pair of Giorgio Bruntini leopard print shoes.
 
Now I was truely gettin' somewhere, I thought and
There were musicains every where.
 
Every street, apartment, and back alley resounded with
the echo of an electric guitar. It didn't take me long to
find a band in the Prodigal Sons. A tight no nonsense
unit put together by Los Angeles native Jimmy Bratt.
At that first band practice I met a young man from Indiana whom I would later share record labels with. But that was a ways down the road. Tonight he was going to sing background on a few tunes with the band in order to
sit in at our next gig at Raji's.
 
 
Now this place was pure. Unwatered down Rock N Roll !
 
The Prodigal Sons
A fitting name for myself and my recent three day
pilgrimage. I felt I had come home to a place I have
never even been before.
 
Kindered Spirits
 
Our first show was at Ragi's. A well known spot on the
Boulevard where I would later hole-up (1990) in a hotel
two doors down with my new found habits. But all that would come later.
 
At this time I was very innocent of the ways of the rock
World.
 
The only Jones I had at this time was for a fresh can of
Aqua net hairspray and a set of drums on a rocking stage
that smelled of sweat from the band who had just walked
off.

That first night with the Prodigal Sons I found it.
Somewhere in the middle of the band's set I knew I
had found it.

Soon the Rock City Angels would begin using the same
practice room as the Prodigal Sons ... Nicky Beats Love
Palace ... along with LA GUNS, The HANGMEN, The 
SEA HAGS and GUNS n ROSES. BTW: I hear ole NICKY BEAT is out on the road with LA GUNS again kickin' ass and takin' names ... check him out !!!

VISIT THE MAIN SITE

 rjjukes.com

 

DRUMMERS GONE WILD

October 15, 2010
DRUMMERS GONE WILD IN MIAMI
INTRO: It takes a lil over 12 hours to go from Memphis to Miami on a Silver Eagle tour bus. I find the best way ta pass the time is with a long session of PlayStation. This has entirely nothing to do with the following story, but it does leave ya inna some
what offa altered state by the time ya step off the bus .
 
But nothing coulda prepared me for this ...
 
So ...
I was roamin' 'round myspace and came across a blog by one of my former road managers and true friends .
 
Terrell Lee `~ road manager extraordinaire
 
The blog's subject matter revolved around a gig we had worked together awhile back ... which stood out from most of the rest ... in that the opening act was just not your run of the mill dog and pony show. The old "never have a kids act for an opener" line comes to my mind.
 
I thought it might be an interesting touch to combine our blogs and give a lil' third person view of what it's like on the road at times.
 
Take it away Terrel Lee !!!
 
 
"The Night of 1000 Drums, On Fire !"
originally posted on Terrel Lee's myspace

I know that my words can only dull the reality of last evening's show in Miami. The fundraiser for The Boys and Girls Club must have went in excess of the 2 million projected.

Things started as many other events we have all attended, a great five piece band playing music to compliment the theme of the event, tonight "The Islands" during dinner at a soft volume, so quietly you could actually hear forks and knifes on plates and toasts being made, wine glasses clinking, and the band played on "Beach Music" and "Disco"

Then the parfait course was served as the ceremonies and acknowledgments are made.

The Stage is lighted and The Master of Ceremonies introduces …

"The Coral Reef Review", Four gentlemen abruptly take the stage, they are almost Quartet style with a twist of Islands Rap, they performed about 30 minutes and make a quiet exit.
 
Then Silence !
 
The Stage is dimly lighted, a very large tribal looking man in a loincloth drags a Zebra skin Drum behind him, across the stage, and he sits Indian style center stage.
 
Solo, with only his drum he pounds out this African beat,

Ba Boom Ba Ba Ba Ba, Ba Boom Ba Ba Ba Ba  ... then from the wings of the stage dances in an authentic Island Beauty with a tray of Fire held high over her head, her body shook and convulsed with centuries of tradition, She performed ritualistic fire dances, juggling and fire swallowing.
 
("Okay hold it" ... Ringo here again. "Are ya starting ta get the drift that this is alittle more than a four piece quartet named 3 Jacks and a Jill ?" 
 
I gotta follow this !!! 
 
This girl was dancin' and swallowin' FIRE !!! Now I grew up in the strip clubs of Memphis but I gotta say ... I ain't never ... never seen anything has animalistic and primitive as this ... HOLY BEJESUS !!!
 
I tried to steal her lighter
 
The old take the fire ... take the fire ... ofcourse I gave it back although I am still prolly hexed for life !
 
But sorry Terrell your story )
 
The Drum stops, the chief and the Island Beauty are gone.

All of a sudden this infectious rhythm, a deep soul shaking bone rattling rhythm.

Attention is shifted as this ear ringing, deafening sound startles the room ! From every entrance Fifty stilt walkers, Twelve feet tall enter from all sides and gather around the dance floor, their dance number was as choreographed as well as any of 1980 Pop Video.

In perfect synchronistic movement this stilted and brightly dressed dance troop took center of attention, their beat, loud canned music with horns and that Tribal Island beat.
 
 
Unnoticed about 200 drummers, dancers and horn players sweep through, now the Chief and his firedancer are encircled and the whole thing is like a ceremony of ritualistic rite.
 
This is known around the Bahamas as Junkanoo.

 I would describe it as Carnival on Viagra.
 
At this moment, the stage manager turns to me and said

" ShowTime "  YOUR ON !
 
(I distinctivly remember that and thinkin'
What the F*%K are we gonna do ???)
 
Thinking to myself, we have to follow that ???

The Memphis Wild Man, pulled together his bandmates centerstage and joined the junkanoo. These four white guys played with as much soul as was being exuded from the hundreds of roaming dancers and musicians, who are now exiting the arena floor, leaving only the frenzied dancing guests, the music never stopped.

(The Memphis Wildman ~ Jason D Williams with yours truely on drums and the always able Micheal Harber on the bass)

There really wasn't anything else to do
 
(How can you overpower 200 hundred drummers ? Join 'em man
Join and jam ... cuz that's what the music is really about any way
Jammin' together and making that ass shake . I just thank God
I cut my teeth on the great drummer GENE KRUPA, whose jungle
beats still take me to another level of being and on that fine Miami
night ... saved my ass . Not your typical night out )

Visit the main SITE ~ rjjukes.com
 

Gotta love sledding with your son !!!

October 15, 2010

Just thought I would slam a few photos of yesterday's outting on here so folks know I do more than run up and down ... across and sideways ... from gig ta gig ... with a crazed look in my eye

At home things are mellow and laid back.

Yesterday's sled trip with my son ... in pix.

Nothing like waking up ta some fresh snowfall

and headin' for the sleddin' spots

The places where no one goes

and ya can see see for miles

and miles ... and miles and miles

Before gettin' back ta business

or gettin' back to the house

So ya see ... even when things get wild and outta control on the stage, road, in the motels, on the planes ... I always got me something ta come back too ... and that matters the most

 

Happi Halloween

October 12, 2010
yes that is a cig lip !!!
U nailed it !!!
 
Ohh ... hi
 
Ok ... I am takin'
the damn day off ... at least until noon ... and catching up on a few things netwise ...
I haven't added anything to my blog inna while
and folks have been asking/snoopin'
 ... ie: Stickin their noses in my damn business
so here goes
 if ya got this has an email via another source
sorry ta bug ya
but I really wanna hear what you are sayin' about me in private ... not in a catholic confessional kinda way ... your privates ... well ... not your privates ... hell I don't even think you are in the army ... are U ???
 
So ... figure I could kill two byrds with one stone ... or the whole band if I can get them reasonable enough
(Damn that was a cheap joke ... I'll try to refrain from makin' it the chorus)
 
I hear the Stones don't draw well in SOUTH AMERICA ANYWAY ... something to do with the way they hold the pencils south of the equator
... they should stick to music and leave the artwork alone
Sorry Woody ... I really enjoyed meetin ya at the art exhibit years ago and I still think u should have made me a better deal on that pic of Keef Riffhard .. I mean after all I offered ya a whole case of PBR for the pic ... how was I ta know u were a Guiness man !!!
Now Johnny Thunders ... he and I could do some tradin!
 but that's another blog
(actually that story is in my archives somewhere)
along with other tales and shameless name droppin !!!
DAMN ... just reread that
that didn't sound right
Killin 2 byrds with one Stone ???
the next thing I know I will be gettin' remarks about my Valentine's posts or how 8 MILES HIGH was a damn cool song !!!
or worse yet Tom Petty pissed of at me for slaggin the Byrds ... ever notice how he alwayz looks like he is pouting ???
Petty ???
he's really pissed this tyme !!!
 
any howz
sorry I have been outta touch lately
and hope ya got tyme cuz this scribblin' is filled with needles
errr   I mean ....
needless info ... way too many font changes ... way over-sized pix ... blah blah blah
 
ala the old daze of our of ranting and raving with no aim in sight style
... complete withe mis/spelings and too many of these ... (...) what I call the HUNTER S THOMPSON "segway" ... run on fragmented sentences and phrases that could use some comma splices ... placebo drug references laced with sexually, stimulated, sentences and ...
i where it should be I
"Alliterations"
... did i mentioned mispellings ???
OK ...  I will try to in..mprove on the 2nd grade spellin !!!
u just can't get good speed anymore
OH shit did I write that ???
Better keep my thoughts in my head
while I am ahead
well I am not actually a head
and I don't "recreational condone drug use" but it always worked for some of the authors I steal lines from ...

 

CLARKSDALE, MISSISSIPPI

October 6, 2010
http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g96/memphiswitch777/clarksdale.jpg
Hanging in CLARKSDALE, Mississippi ... doing a lil research on the Blues
It's late ....Thought I would write some

GALVESTON , TEXAS (circa 1982)
The rain pounded no ... battered against the shabby hotel canopy where I’d stopped to wait out the afternoon’s latest downpour.  Ever since I’d blown into Galveston , I had grown accustomed to these short, intense storms raging in from the Gulf of Mexico .  My band was booked at the HotelGalvez , but the place had suffered so much damage from hurricane Alicia that, even though the hotel was now closed for revamping, the insurance company had deemed to pay my band's fee for the two month engagement and provide us with excellent rooms.  All that, and we didn't have to play a note !


After a few days of nothing to do but get paid to hang around a beautiful deserted 1800's hotel, I began to get restless. Perhaps an idle mind truly is the devil's workshop? Who knows. But there I was in the summer of 1983, roaming through what was left of Galveston, Texas while helping myself to healthy portions of Jack Daniels from the Galvez barroom, a creepy isolated spot straight out of “The Shining” which—although closed for repairs—still offered up countless unceremonious libations to the everlasting antique flask I kept stowed in my backpack.

Once I secured a few drinks from the bar, I’d abandon my third-floor room for a rendezvous with the penthouse at the top of the hotel.  The door was unlocked and the place was sweet. My attention was drawn to the pool table.  I had taken to spending my nights playing solitaire on this table, which in its earlier days had entertained such guests as; Jackie Gleason, Franklin D. Roosevelt, Duke Ellington, and even the "Rat Pack." But now, the table surrendered its pillaged, plush, green felt to an insurance riding musician's ass as I went through the practice skills my pool shark father had taught me.

"Put all the balls on the table and attempt to run them ... miss three times and ya gotta put them up there again. Rinse and repeat. Work your "leave" strategy, always be thinking and leave yourself a shot, or in the case of my imaginary opponent, no shot.”

Well that was all fun and games for a bit, but after nearly a week, even such choice free accommodations had grown stale and damp. I began to roam the deserted, dark streets of Galveston and mix with whatever locals had either been brave enough to ride out the storm or were just now returning to see what was left of their homes.

During one of these outings, I took up with a local girl who shared my interest in shooting pool and other assorted activities in my "rat pack" squatters suite.  In fact, when the rain had caught me this afternoon, I had been on my way back from her house ... where she had not answered the door.  So I had been walking the 20 blocks down the seawall to my room, when the tropical downpour cornered me. Yes, I had been to her door (unannounced) ... she had not answered. My young 20-something brain had yet to gather she just hadn't answered the door ... after all I had shown up without any forewarning. Oh what a young man needs to learn about women

So there I was, waiting out the rain under the canvas of a sleazy Galveston seawall hotel canopy—or what was left of it—with my bootlegged flask, listening to the Rolling Stones' "Let It Bleed" on my new Sony Walkman. "Love in vain" rolled into my headset. I listened intently while the rain pounded harder against my leaky shelter.

 "And I followed her to the station
with a suitcase in my hand
And I followed her to the station
with a suitcase in my hand
Well, it's hard to tell, it's hard to tell
when all your love's in vain
All my love's in vain"


The words vibrated  through my mind ... echoing a misery I could temporarily relate to. I took a pull from the highjacked hooch, looked out across the Gulf of Mexico and replayed the song. Dug into my backpack for the cassette’s liner notes. The song I had just heard had struck a deep, dark chord in me.  Written by Robert Johnson. Hmmm ... new to my young ass ... just fresh out of classical music training school .
 

The rain intensified. I hit the bottle again and slumped down to wait it out. I rewound the tape and hit the play button for the third time.

 
The whiskey felt warm ... the song felt cold.

 
I didn’t know much about women, whiskey, or the blues ... but I knew one damn thing. I had to know more about this Robert Johnson .


Visit rj.jukes.com

 

... Todays Lesson

October 2, 2010
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