FRANK SIDEBOTTOM AND THE VENTURES...whats the connection?

Got a nice surprise in the mail today from my good friend Mel Bergman in California. It's a music project that himself, Deke Dickerson and friends collaborated on with Nokie Edwards.

Nokie Edwards was the lead guitarist with original instrumental surf kings THE VENTURES from 1959-1968. Tons of great tracks: 2000 lb bee, pedal pusher, swingin' creeper and their biggest hit...walk don't run.

Mel is the Guitarist in THE PHANTOM SURFERS and Deke was in THE UNTAMED YOUTH and this platter is an authentic sounding homage to the mid-60's period Ventures.

However....track Five is called DO THE FRANK SIDEBOTTOM....

How can this be? you ask.....Well, let me explain.... back in 2005, my band THE STAGS played a couple of European shows with The Phantom Surfers. One of these was at Wigan where we somehow managed to get Frank out of retirement to compere the show.....this kickstarted his career and led to me becoming Franks road manager.
Mel and the rest of the band where totally knocked out with Frank....instantly recognising the genius that it was. Frank ended up singing SHEENA IS A PUNK ROCKER with the Surfers and it brought the house down.
Frank and The Surfers stayed in touch and plans were made to record a Frank Sidebottom and the Phantom Surfers EP, for U.S. release and a west coast tour to promote it. Frank was really excited about this. Mel sent six or so instrumental tracks over but Frank being Frank....He never actually got round to finishing it. Sadly, Chris Sievey, Franks alter ego, contracted cancer and died. He did tell me he had recorded vocals on a couple of the tracks. It's possible they are tucked away somewhere on his portastudio. Problem is Chris/Frank was a disorganised, unconventional maverick. How you would even start to figure out the mystery tracks whereabouts totally beats me.

Anyways...it seems this particular song has gone full circle. Mel and the guys have paid tribute to Sidebottom by keeping its original title and having one of the all-time great surf instrumental guitarists play on it. I'm positive that Frank/Chris would be completely jazzed at this unlikely outcome....you know he would.....he really would....thankyou!

SIDEBURN MAGAZINE # 10 LAUNCH PARTY

Tomorrow night in Liverpool! Friday 16th March..... I got two features in this issue!
If you are in town or nearby....get on over...we got the new mag, shirts, live bands, great DJ's and pre and after-parties at Fids house

KILLER DILLER RADIO guest spot

Had great fun on Tuesday night as a guest on KILLER DILLER radio show. Big thanks to Johnny Alpha for cutting me some slack with my choices. Listen again HERE for some 90's garage, '77 punk, surf instros and good old rock 'n' roll

THE STAGS...VALENTINES DRAG NIGHT

Great show at the weekend to celebrate Valentines day....girls dressed as boys and boys dressed as girls. Pulled 'Husky' out of the bag after a 5 year lay off...it felt good!

PROJECT:ODDJOB

Whilst plebbing around on Myspace (first time in a long time) I stumbled upon this dormant page for a  band we put together for one gig only back in 2005. The recordings are intentionally crude and fizz with energy. We only recorded 4 songs: DIRTY ROBBER, I DON'T LIKE YOU, HEATSEEKER and RIP YER HEART. All covers by The Wailers, Skrewdriver and The Rip-Offs respectively.

 I don't entirely remember what we played in the set but I vividly remember a stonking version of MY BABY DOES THE HANKY PANKY with Topsy Stag on vocals.

Here is the blurb from the page:

 "FOUR TRAINED ASSASSINS....... UNDERCOVER AGENTS........... ARMED WITH GUITARS ......... PLYING THEIR DEADLY TRADE......EXECUTING CRUDE, SNARLING, UGLY GARAGE-PUNK!! "

 THIS IS PROJECT:ODDJOB ................... A SMALL BAND PUT TOGETHER FOR OUR OWN AMUSEMENT AND DISTRACTION......FEATURING EX-MEMBERS/CURRENT MEMBERS OF.........THE STAGS, DOKTOR COMBOVER, JAILCELL RECIPES, DRIVE. OUR MISSION IS TO PLAY OFF THE CUFF, THICK-NECKED, SAUSAGE-FINGERED THUG-ROCK. AMPED UP, IN THE RED, ROCK 'N' ROLL .....A TIP OF THE STEEL-BRIMMED BOWLER HAT TO THE TOUGHEST SIXTIES GARAGE BANDS AND BEST '77 ERA PUNK BANDS

Listen to the songs HERE

THE SHOOK-UPS

Thanks to UGLYPUNK for these pics from last Thursdays SHOOK-UPS show in Liverpool. Now booked to play THE BIG STRAMASH, July 28th-31st, a garage festival in Edinburgh, Scotland, with THE POETS, THE MASONICS and THE WILDEBEESTS amongst others.

Also in negotiations for a performance at another big festival this Summer!

In the process of putting together a self-financed 45 together which will consist of 2 of the following tracks
Shook-Ups song set

Hopefully, have these in time for these bigger shows.

RULE BRITANNIA.......with THE STAGS!

Bored rigid by the forthcoming Royal Wedding?
...Then get down to THE OCTOPUS at The British Legion for a night of over the top POMP AND CIRCUMSTANCE!!!

I'm sure there are lots of things to do on this special day .....but you could do a lot worse than spend it with The Stags, celebrating WHAT MAKES BRITAIN GREAT!!
Everyone attending RULE BRITANNIA...WITH THE STAGS will receive their very own to keep, British Legion commemorative Stags ornamental plate, by Royal appointment to Dennis the Bar-Steward!
Support is from girl-fronted, power-poppers THE STACHES from Geneva, Switzerland....don't know what they will make of all the jelly eating and flag waving!

FRIDAY 29TH APRIL at The British Legion, Wigan
£3.00 ON THE DOOR (including commemorative plate)
Doors open 8.30pm

"God save the King"

Long live THE SHOOK-UPS......The lentalists are dead

Just a name change.. only played 4 local shows under the old name so no harm done.
After weeks of deliberation, a list of 356 potential names and the recruitment of a new drummer....we settled on THE SHOOK-UPS!.
Now we got a name all the band members are happy with...we can now start to spread the word, book shows start to have some fun with this project.
Comprised of members from various North-West bands: MOCO, THE V.C.'S, THE STAGS, DOKTOR COMBOVER and FILTHY ROMANCE......THE SHOOK-UPS play up-beat tuff 60's Garage in the vein of BOB SEGER SYSTEM, THE SEEDS, ALARM CLOCKS
We just set up a Myspace for the new band...but there ain't a lot to look at right now, however. you can listen to a bunch of newly recorded songs like the one below.

listen to six more songs HERE

OUTRAGIOUS!!!.....Screaming Lord Sutch

An in-depth documentary  about Screaming Lord Sutch and the Savages.
I've seen the "Jack the Ripper" performance before but here is the entire original UK broadcast from 1964...in four bite-sized chunks.
Listening to Sutch sum up the dynamics of putting a great band together is compelling......he talks about  band-mates requiring "no sense of self embarassment" and a the overwhelming desire to perform and not just be interested in the money at the end of the night.....great advice that still holds true today.
The clip of the band rehearsing whilst doing the Hokey Cokey and moving the drums around is inspiring.
I really envy his use of crazy props and "in your face" theatrics....you would get punched in the face if you tried that stuff today!
I can't help but think Vic 'n' Bob could well have been influenced by the WIG ON STICK prop, and the Sid Vicious "My Way" scene in ROCK 'N' ROLL SWINDLE has more than a passing resemblence to Lord Sutch's Schtick with the blank firing revolver.
Ever the trendsetter, just look at the length of his hair....in 1964!!!
He was a truly original, eccentric and pioneering performer who sadly only seems to be remembered for his political career with his MONSTER RAVING LOONY PARTY in his latter years and not the things he was really good at.......

MonsterChef 2010...with The Stags

 

 

Great Stags party this Halloween weekend. A cookery-themed spooky show MONSTERCHEF that was half  pantomine and half bordering on performance art!!......oh yeah, with some songs thrown in too!

Some memorable highlights were:

Satans Sausage Machine....and the two contestants Kerry and Chris.

Conways ridiculous head chefs hat.

Mobile Jones grotesque costume.

"The Replacement Hip" dance contest won by Wilky #99.

Sinderella strapped to the operating table and force fed Satans Sausage.

Mike the sax players presentation of a 5 foot tall Stags Carriage clock for services rendered.

Dennis the Barsteward stumbling off the stage and falling flat on his face, blind drunk.

Tons of friends travelled from far and wide to take part and "make the scene". and The Stags SALUTE YOU!!