Author: April

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Leticia Rodriguez: La Americana

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Leticia Rodriguez

 

What struck me most early on in listening to Leticia Rodriguez’s album La Americana is how close and warm her voice is. Not only did it sound as though Rodriguez was in the room with me, but it also felt like she was singing to me in the tenderest way, as a mother might sing to her young child. The clearness, of course, can be attributed to top notch recording engineering, but the warmth is all Rodriguez.

 

Menealo – Leticia Rodriguez

 

It makes sense that this album should be imbued with such warmth as it serves not only as Rodriguez’s debut album, but it is also a tribute to her family, especially to her aunt, Decca recording artist Eva Garza. Though Eva Garza’s name is all but forgotten here in the United States, she enjoyed worldwide fame as one of Decca’s first crossover artists. Many of the songs on La Americana, an album of covers, have also been sung and recorded by Garza.

 

Estoy Como Nunca – Leticia Rodriguez

 

One of the aspects I love most about Latin music is that it is music of celebration. The songs of La Americana are full of joy and life, celebrations of the world, but also celebrations of self, as in the above song, “Estoy Como Nunca”. I am better than ever, Rodriguez is saying. People/conditions have tried to beat her down the song tells us, but she keeps her head high and her eyes looking forward. Pretty damn good song to start off a new year, I’d say.

 

Leticia Rodriguez Official Website

Leticia Rodriguez @ ReverbNation

Leticia Rodriguez @ Twitter

Leticia Rodriguez @ Facebook

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The Payroll Union: Peggy’s Tavern

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The Payroll Union - Peggy's Tavern

 

Our men from Sheffield, the Payroll Union, are preparing to release their first full-length album and have offered a preview in the form of the rousing “Peggy’s Tavern” (available for free download).

 

 

A reading of singer/guitarist/songwriter Pete David’s blog (a read I definitely recommend) indicates more fascinating stories of early American history will be coming our way, set, of course, to the fine stomps and dirges we’ve come to expect from the Payroll Union. If you’re in the Sheffield, UK, area, you can help the men welcome their new album, The Mule & the Elephant, into the world at their album launch show at Club 60 in Sheffield on January 19.

The Payroll Union Club 60 poster

 

The Payroll Union Official Website

The Payroll Union @ Bandcamp

The Payroll Union @ Facebook

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Jeff Buckley: Everybody Here Wants You

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I was a massive fan of Jeff Buckley when his album Grace came out. Obssesive. I remember much about the day I bought the album, which is unusual for me. I had picked it up mostly on a feeling, based on just one song I had heard, the title track, on a Rock Video Monthly tape (who remembers those?). I was hooked immediately and listened to the album repeatedly (“Lilac Wine” via headphones, do it). I was able to see Jeff play live once, at the Agora in Cleveland, and met him briefly after his set. My lingering impression was that he was small, quiet, and had a heavy sadness about him. I remember when the news first came across that he had gone missing in the Mississippi River, and how I was glued to the computer for days, waiting for him to be found.

I learned of this BBC documentary today via Open Culture (if you haven’t heard of the site before, you’ll want to bookmark it now – they share tons of fantastic free content from around the internet), and wanted to share it here.

 

 

Like any portrait of Jeff, the documentary leaves out a lot. Here, Glen Hansard shares his own experience with Jeff.

 

 

Here’s a a little live Jeff to play you out.

“So Real” – Jeff Buckley

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Bah Humbug

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You know the best thing to do on Christmas day? Stay home and watch horror movies. May I suggest choosing titles from this fine holiday-centric list?

But if you need a weightier excuse for foregoing Christmas activities than a Bartlebian “I prefer not to”, the Wind-up Birds have a suggestion (and the song is available at a “name your price” rate).

 

 

Or, if you can’t find it in your heart to be festive this year because some cold, selfish lover stole that heart and then tossed it like so much discarded wrapping paper, Daniel Knox has set his warm baritone to work on a love-torn carol some of you may recall from that foreign land known as “The ’80s”.

“Last Christmas” – Daniel Knox (Wham! cover)

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Strummer Week: Joe Strummer, R.I.Punk

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Here we are, on the 10th anniversary of the death of Joe Strummer. I still miss Joe so much that it’s difficult to believe it’s a decade since he died… but maybe that’s because his presence is still so strong in the world. Things that Joe said and did still inform a good deal of what I do here and now, and I know it’s the same for people all over the world. He wasn’t perfect, no, but on his good days, he inspired more people than most of us will in our entire lives.

In Chris Salewicz’s biography of Joe, Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer, director Jim Jarmusch had this to say about his friend: “He talked a lot about the bad times that ended the Clash. He seemed to feel guilty. He felt really bad about Cut the Crap, said it was crap. I said, ‘You only learn from your mistakes. You can’t learn things without fucking up.’ We had a lot of discussions about mistakes and accidents, how circumstance and fate affects our lives, how if you want to find your dream lover, you’ll never find it, but as soon as you dismiss the possibility, then it arises again. I was trying to relate that philosophy to him when he was down. I was throwing back his own attitude, because he was very good when people were down – just give them a few little words. He was very good at picking you up again.”

Joe went out just when his star was ascending again, getting better and better with the Mescaleros, and its heartbreaking to think of all that he had left to give that he didn’t have the chance to share with us. But he left a lot with us already, including a huge spirit that we can carry on in our own lives and share with others.

 

“In fact, punk rock means EXEMPLARY MANNERS TO YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEING.”
-Joe Strummer1

 

Below, I’ve collected some of my favorite songs from Joe. I encourage you to share your own favorite Joe songs and memories in the comments.

“Clampdown” – The Clash

 

“Know Your Rights” – The Clash

 

“This Is Radio Clash” – The Clash

 

“Brooding Six” – Joe Strummer, Walker soundtrack

 

“Shaktar Donetsk” – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

 

“Cool ‘n’ Out” – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

 

“Get Down Moses” – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros

 

1Perfect Sound Forever, Interview by Jason Gross, January 2003

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Strummer Week: DJ Joe

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From 1999 into 2002, Joe Strummer had his own radio program on the BBC World Service, called “Joe Strummer’s London Calling”. This show epitomizes why Joe is the patron saint of NTSIB. Joe spun everything from Harry Belafonte to Thu Zahina, from Eddie Cochran to Francoise Hardy. He drew from all over the timeline and all over the world. For Joe, music had no boundaries.

Below are a series of podcasts that collected most1 of Joe’s half-hour broadcasts. Hosted by musician and artist Jon Langford, the series is bookended by two half-hour segments featuring Langford presenting interview clips.

Enjoy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1To find all the broadcasts, sans the podcast framework, click here.

 

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Strummer Week: The Movies

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Today’s Strummer week post covers Joe Strummer’s sideline career in films. While Joe composed film scores and wrote songs for films, he also appeared in a few of them. The first was 1980’s Rude Boy, a film conceived by the Clash’s manager Bernie Rhodes, likely in a chess move response to frenemy Malcolm McLaren’s film project for the Sex Pistols, The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle. While the main attraction of the film is live footage of the Clash, a story involving “roadie” Ray is woven in. The success of the film is debatable, and while it is a must-see for hardcore fans, the band ended up hating it in the end.

Rude Boy excerpt

 

Joe’s next foray into film would be his own creation Hell W10. Written and directed by Joe in the summer of 1983, the black and white gangster film featured members of the Clash as well as their friends and business associates. The film was thought lost until, as the story goes, a rough copy was purchased out of the back of a car by a pair of fans. The found film was given a Clash-driven soundtrack and can be found on The Essential Clash DVD.

Hell W10 excerpt

 

While Joe does not appear in this clip, he does show up in the film as a police officer, as shown here:

Joe Strummer in Hell W10

Joe and members of the Clash, along with friends, also appeared in Martin Scorsese’s King of Comedy in 1983. And “appear” is about the only word for it. The eagle-eyed can spot Joe, Mick Jones, Joe’s then-partner Gaby Salter, and Clash manager Kosmo Vinyl can be spotted in the background of a scene between Robert De Niro and Sandra Bernhard. The scene has been kindly slowed by an obsessive Clash fan.

King of Comedy excerpt

1981 -- NYC TIMES SQUARE --- THE CLASH playing "Street Scum" in the movie KING OF COMEDY

 

Scorsese and the members of the Clash got along well, and the band was Scorsese’s initial choice to provide music for his years-in-the-making film The Gangs of New York.

Joe’s next role would be his first without the Clash. In 1987, he co-starred in Alex Cox’s absurd western Straight to Hell. It takes a rarefied mind to enjoy this film – and by that I mean, it’s terrible, but in a very enjoyable way. See how many familiar faces you can count in this video.

Straight to Hell excerpt

 

There is a featurette included on the Straight to Hell DVD that is filled with interviews with Alex Cox and cast members, including Joe. You can watch it here.

Joe’s next film appearance was in a bit part in another Alex Cox film Walker, for which he also composed the score. The film can be watched here. But good luck spotting Joe as he’s virtually unrecognizable with a full beard and long, shaggy hair.

In 1988, Joe had another bit part in a Rober Frank film called Candy Mountain, which included appearances from Tom Waits, Dr. John, Arto Lindsay, David Johansen, and more. I didn’t find any clips with Joe in them, but someone has put together a reel of Tom Waits’ role in the movie.

Next comes Joe’s best role – and I’m not just saying that because it’s one of my favorite films by my favorite director. Joe played “Johnny” in the last segment of Jim Jarmusch’s Mystery Train, a rockabilly Englishman who has just been dumped by his woman and ends up having an insane night in Memphis with his friend Will Robinson, played by Rick Aviles, and his brother-in-law Charlie, played by Steve Buscemi.

Mystery Train excerpt

 

Director Sara Driver (who also has a bit part in Mystery Train) has said of Joe, “He was interested in being an actor. He was a very good actor, and I never understood why more people didn’t put him in things. He had a wonderful presence.”1

In 1990, Joe played a very natural role in Aki Kaurismäki’s film I Hired a Contract Killer, a singer in a pub.

I Hired a Contract Killer excerpt

 

In 1997, Joe appeared in (and contributed music to) a French short called Question d’honneur, which featured boxer Jake LaMotta. There are no clips of Joe available, but a trailer for the film can be viewed here.

Joe’s last film role was in another French film, Docteur Chance from filmmaker F.J. Ossang. Joe played an arms trafficker named Vince Taylor. The observant among you will recognize the name: there was a rockabilly singer named Vince Taylor, and the Clash covered his song “Brand New Cadillac” on London Calling.2

About a Q&A he did with F.J. Ossang after a screening of the film, Joe said, “And they went so, perhaps you could tell us what the film’s about. I had no fucking idea what the film was about! I was trying to get hold of it as it was. Then I felt, this is the proper behavior for a rock ‘n’ roller – to get involved in this type of thing.”3

Docteur Chance trailer

 

1 from Chris Salewicz’s book Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer

2 According the Chris Salewicz in Redemption Song: The Ballad of Joe Strummer, the real Vince Taylor had been approached to play the part before his death in 1991.

3 from an unpublished interview conducted by Judy McGuire for Punk magazine

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Strummer Week: The Pogues

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We continue our week-long Joe Strummer tribute, leading up to the 10-year anniversary of his death on December 22, with a bit about the Pogues. The lives of the Pogues weaved around Joe’s for a number of years, beginning before the Pogues even existed. In the late ’70s, young Shane MacGowan was a visible fixture on the London punk scene, but more as a fan than as a music maker. The first known intersection in the lives of Joe and Shane came on October 23, 1976, at the Clash’s first headlining gig in London at the ICA on the Mall. Part of the reason the date is so memorable involves Shane.

 

Cannibalism at Clash Gig - news clip featuring young Shane MacGowan

 

Yes, you recognize him: that young man in the pinstriped jacket, with blood later streaming down the side of his head is the same person who would later go on to pen literary and poignant tunes like “Fairytale of New York” and “A Pair of Brown Eyes”.

A true punk, Shane wouldn’t let a little bloody tussle keep him away from gigs, and he was captured again at a Clash show in 1977.

Clash gig 1977, with Shane MacGowan in the audience

 

In 1984, the Pogues toured in support of their first album Red Roses for Me, and a few of those gigs found them opening for the Clash. (This was during the end times of the Clash, after Mick Jones had been kicked out, and the band was collapsing in on itself.)

In 1986, a tour of Nicaragua was planned that would include Joe, the Pogues, and Elvis Costello. Alex Cox (Repo Man, Sid & Nancy – the soundtrack to which Joe composed much of, and the Pogues composed the rest) was set to film the tour for a documentary while also scouting for locations for an upcoming film (that film would be Walker, to which Joe penned a beautiful, Latin-influenced score – Joe also had a bit part in the film). The tour never came together, but the musicians were recruited for a new idea: the sublimely ridiculous 1987 film Straight to Hell (named after the Clash song).

Straight to Hell excerpt

 

The Pogues were set to tour the U.S. in 1987 when guitarist Phil Chevron fell ill with a stomach ulcer. Pogues manager Frank Murray asked Joe to fill in.

“London Calling” – The Pogues with Joe Strummer

 

Joe was brought in to produce the Pogues’ album Hell’s Ditch in 1990. It was a tumultuous time for the Pogues as Shane seemed to be at odds with the rest of his bandmates and was at one of his low points at the hands of drugs and drink. Joe is said to have handled the situation with a fairly keen understanding of Shane’s temperament, sometimes recording the reluctant singer word-by-word, and then splicing the performance into a whole.

“Summer in Siam” – The Pogues

 

Shane left the band partway through the tour for Hell’s Ditch , and Joe was once again tapped to fill a space. Joe was understandably hesitant to jump into the fray the second time around, but he eventually overcame his doubts and threw in with the Pogues once again.

“If I Should Fall from Grace with God” – The Pogues with Joe Strummer

 

Joe became good friends with Pogues multi-instrumentalist Jem Finer over the years, and they had talked of recording together, but the talk never came to fruition.

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Strummer Week: The Family

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This Saturday, December 22, will mark a decade since Joe Strummer died of an undiagnosed heart defect. As Joe is the “patron saint” of NTSIB (our look riffs on Clash imagery, our name is drawn from one of his lyrics, and his attitude about and love for music fuels our mission), we will be featuring bits and bobs from Joe’s life and music this week.

Joe’s spirit is carried on still by the women who called him family: ex-wife Gaby Salter, daughters Jazz and Lola, widow Lucinda Garland, and step-daughter Eliza.

 

“Strummerville” – a film by Don Letts

 

Lucinda began Strummerville soon after Joe’s death, and it has grown into a foundation that continues in Joe’s vision of punk as a do-it-yourself revolution of people helping people by doing everything from supporting UK artists (Frank Turner was a Strummerville beneficiary) to aiding musical education for children in Africa. While Strummerville has always been a part of the Glastonbury festival, where Joe set up a campfire every year and dubbed it Strummerville, the foundation put on its own festival this past August, Strummer of Love. Artists like the Pogues, Billy Bragg, Mick Jones and the Justice Tonight Band, Alabama 3, Seasick Steve, The Jim Jones Revue, Frank Turner and a ton more played to raise funds to continue the Strummerville mission.

“To Have and Have Not” – Billy Bragg, Strummer of Love

 

Read an interview with Lucinda at The Independent from the lead-up to the festival. She recalls her life with Joe and shares some personal photos.

In the aforementioned interview, Lucinda speaks of his daughters and how they are “so like him”, even step-daughter Eliza. Here is Eliza singing with Alabama 3:

“Bulletproof” – Alabama 3, featuring Eliza Mellor

 

Joe’s daughter Lola, who has a clothing line called She Vamps, also sings. She leads her own band called Dark Moon.

 

Email newsletters for bands at ReverbNation.com

 

Joe’s oldest, Jazz, is a crafter and writer, founder and president of the Shoreditch arm of the Womens Institute, Shoreditch Sisters WI, and gave birth this year to Joe’s first grandchild, a girl named Boudicca.

This past summer, The Guardian featured an interview with Jazz and Lola that will bring a few tears to your eyes.