Interview with John Ware (yes, THAT John Ware)

The Where's That Sound Coming From Interview with

John A. Ware

"You know too much. Ever pondered that?"

And with those rather intimidating words, I was invited to send along my interview questions to John Ware. 

The problem with digital correspondences is the lack of verbal cues and nuances. If you were face to face with a stranger, and one of the first things they said to you was "You know too much. Ever pondered that?", depending on the tone and inflection, it could either be cause to a) laugh and and offer a humble "thanks" as pint glasses clink together; or b) turn and run with your life flashing before your eyes as you look for the nearest bullet-proof structure to duck behind.
I assumed that Mr. Ware was being complimentary, since he soon was giving me more information than I ever could have dreamed of getting on my first blog interview.  After reading his responses I thought, "Well, NOW I might know too much!".

And if you continue reading, dear readers, you too will know too much. Or rather, just enough.

Oh, and in case you DON'T know who John Ware is, he and some of his buddies have a two-word answer for you:

The First National Band, 1970--one of the many notable acts in John Ware's drumming resume. L to R: Red Rhodes, John London, John Ware, Michael Nesmith

I kid. In fact, judging from this interview, John Ware, legendary drummer--and much more (artist, photographer, movie producer--please see his official site and prepare to be amazed...)--who's played with some very famous names (more about that, later), is about as pleasant and humble, proud, yet candid and down to earth of a guy as I could have ever hoped to have as my first interview subject.

Some may find this interview curious and suspicious in its timing. But it was, I swear to your god, conceived weeks before I ever read the following Michael Nesmith quote (on his Facebook page):
"... I connected with John Ware about reforming what is left of the First National Band for a short live tour doing the RCA material."

While that is indeed awesome, amazing news,  I've learned not to hold my breath regarding such things. I had to sit through a Nesmith-less Monkees concert in 1997 because I bought the tickets before Nesmith backed out of the tour. Boo. No, this interview actually came about because of another recent Monkee event.

UPDATE: It's now 16 months later and I've since seen Michael Nesmith THREE times on stage. Twice with the Monkees, playing his 12 string Gretsch, singing a generous amount of his best Monkee-era songs and having a great time; and once, playing a lifetime's worth of solo material with a band, at the Iron Horse Music Hall in Northampton, MA. A stage I've played on probably 30 times in the last 10 years, and a 10 minute walk from my place. Oh, and I also met Nez's lovely daughter Jessica when she introduced herself to my friends and me while we were having a pre-show dinner and chat with Andrew Sandoval backstage in Boston. 
Later that night, a friend presented me with Nez's autograph on a flyer I'd designed for an all-star (locally speaking) tribute to his music on his 70th birthday last year that I organized and played at...
Life is...weird?

It's a bit strange to say, but I must be honest. All this started with the death of Davy Jones. I was told to check out Michael Nesmith's Facebook page to see his lengthy, philosophical and hyperbole-free eulogy of his former Monkee-mate. Scrolling through, and reading the first couple of comments, I saw one by a John Ware. "Is it...THE John Ware?,  I wondered. I clicked his name and saw, yup. That's him. A couple days later he accepted my friend request, and I poked around his FB page, which led me to his website. I was so fascinated by this humble guy who had played in so many places with so many giants in rock and roll/country music, that immediately, question after question filled my head. I flashed on the inspired notion to interview him. I jotted down 20+ questions. I hadn't even requested the interview yet! But I finally did (after hemming and hawing for a month) and he said yes (and the comment about me knowing too much) so, here we are. 

Useful information about The First National Band is pretty hard to come by. Thus, when writing questions for John, one seemed to lead to another, to another....until I had so many questions, I was afraid he might change his mind.

Though his days with The First National Band was my focus (and it was really barely one year--1970), I was also well aware--if less informed--of Ware's years drumming with both Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris. So we spent a bit of time on that too, as well as on what he's up to now.

Before we start, let's take a You Tube tour of some of John Ware's career highlights.

ANOTHER UPDATE:

The once-included clips below were slowing up this entry so much and to such a maddening extent, that I've decided to cut them and just include the links. 

These first two clips are so historically significant. Linda Ronstadt--then, still a pretty new voice on the scene-- had her first hit the year before with Michael Nesmith's "Different Drum". And she was continuing to establish herself mainly as an interpreter of country and folk rock. But she was still a few years from the 70's superstar she became.

1) Living Like a Fool-- from Hugh Hefner's VERY HIP Playboy After Dark series (check out the Byrds, Harry Nilsson and the Grateful Dead clips). Taped October 1969; Broadcast April 1970: This is about as close as we'll ever get to First National Band footage. The rhythm section here is John London and John Ware from FNB (the studio version of this song includes pedal steel giant Red Rhodes, also from the FNB. But he's not on the TV version). Also in this band is country/rock legend Bernie Leadon (Dillard and Clark, Flying Burrito Brothers, The Eagles) and Chris Darrow, who at the time had been in Kaleidoscope (the L.A. one, not the U.K. one) and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

A mere three months after this taping, London and Ware would be recording Magnetic South, the  first of three First National Band albums, with Michael Nesmith. Meanwhile,  Leadon would be jumping aboard the Flying Burrito Brothers in time for their second album, Burrito Deluxe.

A tangled web of country rock indeed! And I didn't even mention that Ware would join Emmylou Harris' band soon after the death of the man who helped establish her name in the business, Gram Parsons (founding Burrito Brother). Well, I just mentioned it, didn't I. Anyway, watch that clip.

2) Tengo Amore (featuring Ware's genius percussion ensemble. From 1:01-1:10 would make a great drum loop. Just cite your source, please, if you do it.

So, yes. Then came the First National Band, led by Michael Nesmith. They lasted a little over a year, releasing three excellent albums and two successful singles. But they never got the props they deserved. As you'll read in the interview, there is no footage of the FNB. So we have to deal with fan videos. But if you've never heard these songs, you're in for a treat. The Burrito Brothers may have been sexier and more elegantly wasted, but the FNB had more ideas per album side than most bands have in a career. All songs written by Michael Nesmith (though we'll read about Ware's important arrangement contributions below).


3) Amarillo

Soon after, Ware joined Emmylou Harris and The Hot Band, which took him through the 70's. Some legendary players there, too. Elvis Presley fans may recognize a couple faces--Glen D. Hardin and James Burton --who were in the first incarnation of The Hot Band when they weren't with Elvis (meanwhile, Elvis' drummer, Ron Tutt, at this time, was moonlighting with the Jerry Garcia Band).

Well, that's enough of a resume, don't you think? So let's let the man tell the story himself.
Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr John A. Ware! 

(note: he answered in all caps. I don't believe he was yelling at me the whole time..)

Where's That Sound: What is your first recorded work that's still readily available? 

John Ware: I REALLY DON'T KNOW. THE FIRST RECORDING I EVER PLAYED ON WAS "CRAZY" BY BOB BECKHAM. IT WAS A PUBLISHING COVER OF THE PATSY CLINE SONG THAT ACTUALLY WAS A JUKE BOX HIT. I'VE BEEN TOLD IT SOLD OVER A MILLION COPIES. THAT WAS IN 1957. PROBABLY THE EARLIEST STUFF WAS WITH LINDA IN '68 OR '69. "SILK PURSE."

WTS: I own a used vinyl copy of the Linda Ronstadt compilation, Different Drum. There are no musician credits, but on a couple NON-Stone Poney cuts, the band, to my ears, made me think "could this be the Corvettes?" or at least you on drums? Sounds like your drum sound and style, but it may be just the in-vogue sound of the time?

JW: PROBABLY THE VOGUE IN LA AT THE TIME. EVERYONE IN TOWN PLAYED ON NICK VENET RECORDS, AND THAT WOULD INCLUDE LINDA'S FIRST (STONE PONEYS). I DON'T THINK I DID.

WTS: I read that you were the one to first approach Michael Nesmith with the idea of starting the First National Band. I found that interesting because John London had such deep roots with Nesmith (London had a pre-Monkees folk duo with Nesmith, and also played on some 1967 Monkee sessions) I'd have assumed he'd have been the one to dream up the band. So was the FNB really your idea? 

 JW: THE FNB WAS MY IDEA. I SAW THE MONKEES DEATH (IT WASN'T PRETTY) COMING LIKE A FREIGHT TRAIN. MIKE HAD PRODUCED THE CORVETTE EP. WE WERE BECOMING SOMETHING LIKE FRIENDS. IT SEEMED SO LOGICAL FOR HIM TO STRIKE WHILE THE IRON WAS AT LEAST WARM AT COL-GEMS AND MAYBE AT RCA, WHERE HE ALONE HAD A GOOD REP. 

Corvettes single., produced by Michael Nesmith

We interrupt this interview for a good and pertinent reason:

I'm not sure how legal this is, but I was very excited to find it: CLICK HERE to go to a page with a link to a free download of The Corvettes 1969 single, "Level With Your Senses", written by Chris Darrow and produced by Michael Nesmith!! Give it a listen--a missing gem of 60's twang-pop! Ok...carry on.

WTS: And because of London's Monkees connection, had you had crossed paths with Nesmith while the Monkees were still chart busters? 

JW: YEAH, JOHN AND I WERE AROUND A BIT. JOHN HAD BEEN AROUND A LOT, BUT WHEN HE JOINED LINDA'S TOURING BAND, HIS TIME ON THE MONKEE SET CAME TO AN END. WE DID HAVE HANG-OUT SESSIONS AT MIKE'S CRIB, DRINKING COPIOUS AMOUNT OF BEER AND SMOKING KILLER WEED HE MANAGED TO ALWAYS HAVE.

FNB: Red, John, John and Mike. Not pictured: Beer and Weed.

WTS: That a serious, respected musician like yourself admired Nesmith so much that you wanted to start a band with him tells me that, although he got little respect from the older music fans and journalists for his quality Monkee tracks, he was respected within the musical community. Accurate?

JW: THE FACT IS HE DID, BUT I FOUND IT LATER IN THE RELATIONSHIP. FOR ME IT WAS HEARING THE GREENBRIAR BOYS VERSION OF DIFFERENT DRUM...FROM LINDA. SHE HATED HER POP RADIO VERSION, SO WE COPPED THE JOHN HERALD VERSION FOR TOURING. WHEN I FINALLY HEARD MIKE'S VERSION (IN HIS LIVING ROOM WITH JOHN ON STANDUP BASS) I WAS HOOKED.

WTS: Would you say the lack of success of the First National Band can be boiled down to people hearing/reading the words "former Monkee" and turning away? Because time has shown that those three albums have aged much better than a lot of the "country rock" of the time. Or was it bad marketing/management? 

JW: ALL OF THE ABOVE AND MONEY.

WTS: Reading a list of the gigs you guys played (there's a pretty comprehensive list in Andrew Sandoval's Monkees: Day By Day book) one might wonder, Was there ever any attempt made to get on, say, a Fillmore bill with like-minded acts like The Byrds, Crazy Horse or the Grateful Dead? There are a lot of state fairs and supper clubs with middle of the road acts, but sadly, no pairings with the other innovators of the time. 

JW: THE FACT IS THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH MANAGEMENT (MIKE'S CHOICE WAS POORLY ANALYZED) AND A PROBLEM WITH PROMOTERS. BUT...THE BIGGEST PROBLEM WAS WE LEFT THE COUNTRY (SEE MANAGEMENT). AT A TIME WHEN JOANNE WAS CHARTING AND WE SHOULD HAVE MADE INROADS WITH BOOKING AGENTS AND AN RCA PUSH, WE WERE LIVING IN ENGLAND AND PLAYING WORKING MAN'S CLUBS AND OCCASIONAL CABARETS. REALLY STUPID CHOICES. AS FAR AS I KNOW THE RESULT OF MONKEE THIS MONKEE THAT AND BEING UNAVAILABLE MADE US PERMANENTLY...UNAVAILABLE. ONE OF THE BIG REASONS I WALKED AWAY.

Ware and Nez. Live, 1970

WTS: The FNB scored a hit with Nesmith's beautiful ballad, "Joanne", which seems to have been as much a curse as a blessing. Yet, it's undeniably a beautifully written and recorded song. Any memories of the session? 

JW: It's hard for anyone to capture what happened in the studio, because the feel came from the12 note lujon I played (along with "folkie" Mike's 12 string), and it can't be duplicated. I've been asked many times over the years to describe the rhythm track, and I'm at a loss...except to name the instrument. It happened and it wasn't planned. I doubt the same people in the same room with the same toys would create the same feel today.

 

WTS: I've read in different sources that 1) the Burritos scoffed at the FNB, but also that 2) Gram Parsons was a fan. A bit of truth in each? There's also a recent Nesmith interview in which he says he never even met Gram Parsons. 

JW: THE SCOFFING STORY IS QUITE TRUE...HAPPENED AT AN EARTH DAY CELEBRATION ACROSS THE STREET FROM MY HOUSE IN CLAREMONT, CALIFORNIA. AS FOR MIKE/GRAM...I KNOW NOTHING.

Please don't scoff just because we don't have matching Nudie suits.

WTS:  You and John London formed a very tight and funky rhythm section. And, while the Nashville cats had funk, the LA, and San Fran scene seemed to seriously lack in that department (thus giving birth to the hippie dance?). Nesmith also had a very quick and syncopated rhythm guitar hand. Were you going for "a sound", or was that just how it sounded when all mixed together?

JW: I WAS GOING FOR A SOUND FOR THE FNB. IT HAPPENED PRETTY NATURALLY AND QUICKLY IN REHEARSALS AT MIKE'S HOME STUDIO. HE CALLED IT "BUMPACHUNKA" FOR THE SOUND OF MY RATHER INSISTENT HIGH HAT. THE FUNKIER STUFF WAS MY DOING...I'M AN OKIE...MY HIGH SCHOOL BAND IN OKC IN THE '60'S WITH JESSE ED DAVIS WAS A VERY FUNKY MACHINE. I PLUGGED IN SOME OF THOSE GROOVES WITH THE FNB...BUT NOT LOTS. JOHN WAS REALLY A COWBOY PLAYER, BUT HE WAS VERY FLUID...OPEN TO LEARN.

WTS: Was the whole FNB responsible for the arrangements or did Nez call the shots? Songs like "Tengo Amore" and "Lady of the Valley" seem not exactly off the cuff. 

JW: THERE WERE SONGS THAT HE HAD CONTROL OF, BUT, AS YOU'D EXPECT OF ANY GROUP (AND THE FNB WAS A GROUP), THINGS ALWAYS DEVELOPED ON THE RUN. "TENGO" WAS ALL MINE. MIKE HIRED A TON OF WEIRD PERCUSSION STUFF INTO THE RCA ROOM...THINGS I'D NEVER DREAMED OF...AFRICAN NOISE MAKERS AND MARIMBAS AND TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF LUJONS AND BOOBAMS AND HAND DRUMS. WHEN "TENGO" GOT GOING, I HAD A FIELD DAY. "LADY OF THE VALLEY" WAS MIKE'S DIRECTION MUCH MORE THAN MY INTERFERING. ONCE WE'D DECIDED ON THAT KIND OF HALF TIME, IT SORTA TOOK OFF.

WTS:  I've always wanted to sample snatches of "Little Red Rider",  "Tengo Amore" and "Hello Lady". Has anyone to your knowledge ever done so (sampled you)? 

JW: I'VE HEARD ALTERATIONS SOMEHOW DONE WITH THE 16 TRACKS...AND PROBABLY IN NEW YORK. MIKE CLAIMS TO HAVE NO KNOWLEDGE OF IT, BUT I'VE HEARD SOME PRETTY BIZARRE REMIXES OF "LITTLE RED RIDER." THESE WERE ALTERATIONS TO THE EXISTING SONG...NOT A THIRD PARTY SAMPLING.

 WTS: Not to make this a battle of the bands, but much like I feel the FNB rhythm section was tighter than the Burritos, and Nesmith's songs more imaginative than Parsons', I also think that Red Rhodes wins the Genius Award for the pedal steel. What are some of your fondest memories of Red? (Nesmith recently said in an interview that Red smoked more grass than anyone he's ever met. Wasn't expecting that!) Were you friends with him til the end? 

JW: I AGREE WITH THOSE POINTS...THOUGH I'VE LEARNED TO REALLY APPRECIATE GRAM'S VISION, THROUGH MY LONG ASSOCIATION WITH EMMYLOU. THE FNB SUFFERED MANY MISCONCEPTIONS AND HAVING A HIT SINGLE WITH "JOANNE" DIDN'T HELP AT ALL. RED WAS A TWO FISTED, HAM HANDED FIRE PLUG FROM EAST ALTON, ILLINOIS (A TOUGH PLACE TO BE IN OR FROM), AND HE WAS ABOUT THE SWEETEST MAN I'VE EVER KNOWN. HE WAS HIGHLY OPINIONATED, ESPECIALLY ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC, AND HE INITIALLY DIDN'T THINK THE FNB WAS NEARLY READY FOR PRIME TIME IN THE REAL COUNTRY MARKET. PERHAPS HE WAS RIGHT, BUT, FOR THE UNKNOWN MARKET OF COUNTRY ROCK, HE WAS A DRIVIN' WHEEL. HE COULD ACTUALLY GET LOST IN A SONG...LOSE WHERE HE WAS, AS COULD JOHN. THAT WAS A WEIRD EXPERIENCE. WE'D ALWAYS MANAGE TO DRAG THEM BACK, BUT THERE ARE RECORDED EXAMPLES OF BOTH THOSE GUYS DRIFTING OFF COURSE. WE LEFT THEM AS THEY HAPPENED. DID I REMAIN FRIENDS WITH RED TILL THE END? THAT'S TOUGH. I VISITED HIS SHOP IN HOLLYWOOD WITH SOME REGULARITY. HE LEFT HIS WIFE, DANA (WHO I REALLY LOVED), AND EVENTUALLY TOOK UP WITH JESUS (OR SOME IMAGINARY FRIEND). I HAD A DISTANT AND RESPECTFUL RELATIONSHIP AFTER THAT. HE REACHED OUT MORE THAN I, AND I'M POORER FOR IT.

Orville J. "Red" Rhodes. He may have played pedal steel on your album.

WTS: Peter Tork has been quoted as saying that he expected doors to magically open for him once he quit the Monkees--but the exact opposite proved true. Was Nesmith the same way or did he realize that he was having to start from scratch again?

JW: MIKE EXPECTED HELL, AND THAT'S WHAT HE GOT.

WTS: Unlike The Monkees, when FNB went on the road, you didn't have private jets, hordes of screaming girls, waiting press conferences and photograpers at every airport.  Was Nesmith relieved? Disappointed? Ecstatic? Did he take it in stride? 

JW: MIKE EXPECTED HELL, BUT HE LIKED LIVING WELL. WE MOVED TO ENGLAND AND LIVED LARGE. NO SCREAMING BUT PLENTY OF CREATURE COMFORT. HE DID INTERVIEWS MANY TIMES IN MY PRESENCE, BUT THEY HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH ME...OR THE FNB FOR THE MOST PART.

WTS: On your website, You say that Loose Salute was done in 10 days and 30 cases of Busch. Pretty working class form of enlightenment! So you all weren't aligning yourself with the more chemically experimental Burritos/Dead/Eagles etc? 

JW: YOU MEAN WE WEREN'T INTO PSYCHOTROPICS? DROPPING? WEED AND BEER FUELED THE FNB.

note: I now realize the "30 cases of Busch" quote is from John's Facebook page. Still, please check out the link to Ware's website. His life in the last 30 years has taken some very fascinating twists and turns. 

WTS: For such an audio/video innovator as Nesmith, there is little to no documentation of the FNB. Or is someone somewhere sitting on some soundboard live recordings and/or film footage? I know at least a few people who would hit the moon if something turned up. 

JW: WE  DID NOT START A SCRAPBOOK. WHAT FEW IMAGES WERE SHOT ARE IN THE MARKET. NO VIDEO. HE WAS GUN-SHY TO A FAULT. 

FNB Live. One of the few visual documents of their existence.

WTS: What's the story with the final FNB album, Nevada Fighter? The band broke up mid recording? It says that you AND Ronnie Tutt drum on it, but it doesn't say who's on what song? Do you remember which tracks are you, which one Tutt?

JW: MAN, IT WAS AN ONGOING BATTLE ABOUT DIRECTION...NOT WHO WAS PRODUCING BUT HOW THE BAND WAS SHIFTING AND SHAPING. I DIDN'T LIKE IT, AND HIS REACTION WAS TO GIVE ME MORE CONTROL. I DIDN'T WANT CONTROL. I WANTED ACTION AND REACTION. IN THE END I PACKED MY KIT IN MID-SESSION AND WALKED AWAY. I DON'T REMEMBER THE TITLES, BECAUSE WE WERE MIXING OLD SESSIONS WITH NEW. TRACKS WERE SHELVED AND THEN REINSERTED, AND IN SOME CASES SONGS FINISHED WERE RECUT WITH RONNIE. I KNOW WE FINISHED "PROPINQUITY" BEFORE I LEFT.

WTS: You and Ronnie Tutt share some deep Americana roots. He's drummed for Gram Parsons, Elvis Presley and Jerry Garcia. You, for Linda Ronstadt, Nesmith and Emmylou. Those artists output alone, given all the music they covered by so many artists, can provide one with a huge education in American music. Do you know Tutt? Admire his work? Any drummers, present or past you'd rank as your favorites? 

JW: I HOLD RONNIE IN ESTEEM. THAT'S A FAIR ASSESSMENT. HE'S A COOL GUY AND VERY CAPABLE ON HIS DRUMS. WE'RE QUITE DIFFERENT IN OUR APPROACH, BUT I WILL SAY HE CAN DO THINGS I WISH I COULD DO. I DON'T PINE OVER IT. I WAS IN THE AUDIENCE WHEN ELVIS FIRST OPENED AT THE HILTON IN VEGAS. RONNIE WAS SO PUMPED, HE WAS PLAYING LIKE HIS HAIR WAS ON FIRE. IT GAVE BIRTH TO THE TCB BAND'S MANTRA "IF YOU'RE NOT RUSHING BY THE LETTER C, IT'S A GOOD TIME TO START." PLAYERS I RANK? IT'S A SHORT LIST. WHEN I FIRST STARTED LEARNING (AND I WAS NEVER IN THE HIGH SCHOOL MARCHING BAND OR ANY OTHER GROUP LEARNING EXPERIENCE) I SAT WITH A 45 RECORD PLAYER AND COPIED PARTS. I WAS CRAZY FOR BLUES (RACE MUSIC) AND JUMP. I NOW KNOW I WAS LEARNING FROM GUYS LIKE EARL PALMER, BUT THEN IT WAS A PIECE OF BLACK PLASTIC...NAMELESS AND FACELESS.
 THE FIRST PLAYER I LOVED AS  A PERSON...A FACE AND A STYLE...WAS LEVON HELM. I FIRST SAW RONNIE HAWKINS AND THE HAWKS IN '59 I THINK, AND I WAS HOOKED. I REALIZED I DIDN'T WANT TO PLAY LIKE HIM EXACTLY, BUT I WANTED TO MOVE A BAND AS HE COULD...EVEN THEN. I SOON BECAME FRIENDS WITH LEVON, AND WE REMAINED GOOD IF DISTANT FRIENDS FOR OVER 50 YEARS.
GUYS I ACTUALLY LISTEN TO? CHARLIE WATTS...NEVER HAS ANYONE WITH SO FEW CHOPS HAD SO MUCH INFLUENCE. HE'S A WONDER, AND, THOUGH I BARELY KNOW THE GUY, I'M CRAZY ABOUT HIS PLAYING. ALSO...HERE'S A TWIST...TERRY WILLIAMS. HE SLAYS ME. FINALLY, THE DRUMMERS' DRUMMER IS JIMMY KELTNER. HE'S ANOTHER OKIE. HE HAS THE FINEST TOUCH OF ANY DRUMMER...PERIOD.

WTS: Any artists you wished you got to work with, but never did?

JW: I THOUGHT I WAS A GREAT CHOICE FOR MERLE HAGGARD. AS HE GOT FUNKIER, I LIKED HIM MORE AND MORE. ODDLY, IN 1981 HE CAME TO THE CMA AWARDS SHOW WHERE I WAS PERFORMING WITH EMMYLOU AND OFFERED ME A JOB. IT BLEW ME AWAY...THE BIGGEST HONOR, PERHAPS, I'VE EVER HAD.

I TURNED HIM DOWN, AND HE DIDN'T TAKE IT WELL. HE COULDN'T AFFORD ME. IS THAT JUST WRONG?

WTS: After the FNB, Nesmith formed the Second National Band for one album--the rather looser, um, herbal-scented Tantamount to Treason. Did you ever hear it or was it the last thing you wanted to hear after the end of FNB?

JW: I KNOW NOTHING OF IT.

WTS: Did The Corvettes ever get together post FNB?

JW: NOPE.

WTS: I recently spotted you playing with Emmylou and The Hot Band on a DVD of The Old Grey Whistle Test. How long did that band last? What are your favorite memories and proudest work with that band? Was James Burton also with Elvis at the time?

JW: FOR SOMEONE SO INTHEKNOW, I FIND THAT AN ODD QUESTION. THE WHOLE EXPERIENCE WAS OTHER WORLDLY. THE BAND LAST? THAT WOULD BE ME IN THE BAND I THINK. I WAS WITH EMMY AT THE BEGINNING, THOUGH "PIECES OF THE SKY" WAS RECORDED WITH THE TCB BAND WITH RONNIE. RIGHT AFTER THAT SHE WAS AUDITIONING PLAYERS FOR A TOUR AND WE RAN INTO ONE ANOTHER AT A REHEARSAL HALL IN THE VALLEY. I KNEW HER FROM MY PLAYING WITH LINDA. LATER THAN NIGHT SHE CALLED AND ASKED ME TO JOIN HER "HOT BAND." I COULD NOT SAY NO. SHE HAD JAMES AND GLEN HARDIN AND EMORY GORDY...ALL GUYS I'D DONE SESSIONS WITH AND ADMIRED. I WAS PLAYING WITH CAROLE KING AND DAVID PALMER AT THE TIME. I RANG UP DAVID AND SAID "GOODBYE." I WAS WITH EMMY FOR NINE YEARS. I WAS THE ONLY ORIGINAL HOT BAND MEMBER THEN, AND IT WAS OBVIOUS I NEEDED TO GET A NEW LIFE. I WAS COPYING MYSELF ON STAGE. LOSING ORIGINALITY. NEEDED SOMETHING ALTOGETHER INSPIRING. THE ANSWER? I WAS PROUD TO BE IN THE BEST COUNTRY BAND EVER ASSEMBLED. THERE'S IT IS.

Emmylou and The Hot Band: John Ware, Glen D. Hardin, Albert Lee, Hank Devito, Emmylou Harris, Emory Gordy, Jr., Rodney Crowell

WTS: In 1977, you briefly reunited with Michael Nesmith for an Australian tour. I know that Nesmith never thought much of it, but I personally love Live At the Palais (except the screaming girls that ruin the ripping version of "Nadine".). What are your memories of that tour? How was that particular band put together?

JW: MY MEMORY OF THE TOUR IS "MIKE WAS PATHOLOGICALLY UNHAPPY." THE RECORDING IS FINE, THOUGH THAT NIGHT WAS NOT THE BEST BAND NIGHT...AND THERE WERE RECORDINGS. I LIKE AL PERKINS VERY MUCH. IT WAS GOOD TO BE BACK PLAYING WITH HIM. I DIDN'T KNOW ANYONE ELSE. I BECAME FRIENDS WITH DAVID MACKAY (BASS), AND WE EVENTUALLY DEVELOPED NICE DEEP GROOVES. MIKE ASSEMBLED THAT BAND. I DON'T KNOW THE PROCESS.

(Click that Al Perkins link and, if you don't know his work, prepare to be impressed)



WTS: On "Palais", all the songs are drastically reworked. In particular, the first two tracks, "Grand Ennui" and "Calico Girlfriend" are brilliant. I have a theory that Dylan stole the feel of "Ennui" for his "Serve Somebody" a year or two later. And the "Calico Girlfriend" is just one of my favorite things. Why did Nesmith all but disown it?

JW: I DON'T HAVE A REPLY FOR THIS. WE STARTED REHEARSALS AT HIS HOUSE IN CARMEL, AND THE NATURE OF THE PLAYERS, MIKE'S ATTITUDE, THE TIME...ALL THOSE FACTORS SHAPED THE NEW APPROACH.

WTS: On your Facebook page, you had some very nice words for the late Levon Helm. Was he a friend? Or just a drummer-brother?

JW: SEE ABOVE.

This sweet photo, from John's Facebook page, will answer that question....

John Ware with Levon Helm--Woodstock 2007 (taken from Mr. Ware's Facebook page)

WTS: How much drumming are you doing these days? Mostly close to home or do you ever tour? 

JW: I HAVE A BAND IN DENVER (www.recklessred.com ) AND ONE IN ARKANSAS (www.redbarnramblers.com). I LIKE THEM BOTH. I PLAY AS MUCH AS I WANT TO PLAY (WHICH IS ABOUT 50-60 DATES A YEAR), AND I DON'T TOUR. I'VE BEEN IN THE STUDIO WITH EMMYLOU AND RODNEY CROWELL IN THE PAST FEW MONTHS, AND SHE HAS MADE NOISES ABOUT TOURING THAT BAND (ORIGINAL HOT BAND WITH JAMES). I HAVE SERIOUS DOUBTS. ALSO, MIKE AND I HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT DOING SOME SHOWS. VERY VAGUE, BUT I MIGHT BE INTERESTED.

WTS: Lastly, what are you listening to these days? 

JW: I HAVE A VERY PECULIAR SET I RETURN TO. NEIL YOUNG AND BOB DYLAN. THAT'S ABOUT IT. I OWN LOADS OF LIVE DVD'S OF MANY BANDS, AND I LIKE THAT (WITH MY 52" PLASMA AND 5.1 SURROUND) MUCH MORE THAN I LIKE GOING INTO CROWDS.

And that, boys and girls, wraps up the first official Where's That Sound Coming From interview. Let's see who I can get next....stay tuned....and in the meantime....

PLAY THE DRUM A LITTLE LOUDER, JOHNNY!







all content © 2012 Where's That Sound Coming From/Brian T. Marchese - all rights reserved

"Aww, Pick It, ______ !?"

I've looked around the web and I don't think anyone's yet made this connection:
There is just a little bit of a Monkees spirit floating around the uber-hip 1968 album Mike Bloomfield, Al Kooper, and Stephen Stills: Super Session.

Follow this, if you can dig:

Exhibit A--1966: Mike Bloomfield is part of The Paul Butterfield Blues Band. In August (a month before the debut of The Monkees on TV) they release their highly influential album, East-West. Though it's largely known for the title track, which basically invented the free-form jam in rock music (for better or worse), track one on side two of said album is a little song called "Mary Mary" by a largely unknown songwriter named Michael Nesmith.
A month or so later, of course, that name would only be met by scorn by hipsters who didn't realize that the guy running around every week on TV with Micky, Davy and Peter was the same guy that wrote the song.
A few months after that, The Monkees version of "Mary Mary" would appear on their second album (More of The Monkees) with Glen Campbell on guitar, since The Monkees weren't yet allowed to play on record. (By the way, their live versions--just the Monkees doin' it themselves-- were great).
Apparently, some Butterfield fans would say to the band/their label,  "do you realize this Monkees guy is saying he wrote your song?" And of course, after learning the truth, the fans would walk away enlightened. Or probably more like angry and confused and questioning their hipness.

Mary Mary--The Paul Butterfield Blues Band, 1966


Mary Mary--The Monkees, 1967


Exhibit B: 
1966: On the Monkees' debut album, Nesmith has a song called "Papa Gene's Blues" (with James Burton on lead guitar!). Halfway into the guitar solo, Nesmith calls out "Aw, Pick It, Luther!". Which is a shout out to Johnny Cash and his guitar player, Luther Perkins.

HOWEVER, prior to the remastered CDs, I always thought Nesmith was saying "Aw, Pick It, Wilson". As in making a joke--Wilson Pickett. Pickett Wilson. Ha ha. No?
(a couple friends of mine thought he said "Pick it Elizabeth". But that's beyond the point. And I don't believe they were referring to folk/blues lady Elizabeth Cotton. Get it?)
(while we're at it, it also sounds a bit like "Pick It, Lucifer", which could be interpreted as Nesmith acknowledging that by signing with Don Kirshner, he knew he'd sold his soul. but now we're just free-associating in parenthetical sentences. back to business.)

Perhaps I'm not the only one who thought Nesmith was saying "Pick It, Wilson".
On side two, track one of Super Session, part way into Stephen Stills' solo in a peppy version of Dylan's "It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry", Al Kooper says, you guessed it, "Aww, Pick It, Wilson!". Yup. Same inflections, and at the half way point in the solo.

The Monkees--Papa Gene's Blues, 1966


Super Session: It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry, 1968



A footnote to this can be found in the form of Gram Parson's "Return of the Grievous Angel". James Burton is the guitar player on that song too, and before his solo, Gram intones, "Pick it for me, James!". 

I wonder if the Super Session version of "It Takes A Lot to Laugh..." perhaps pointed the way for both The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Grateful Dead? The harmonies, the loose but dance-y vibe. Maybe? Kind of a cross between "Christine's Tune" and "I Know You Rider"? Well, also a bit Monkees-sounding too. If you're a faithful reader of this blog, you know that I think Gram Parsons,  Jerry Garcia and Mike Nesmith were a supergroup in a parallel universe. Or at least a George Jones cover band. All three of them played with Elvis' drummer Ronnie Tutt, you know...

Exhibit C: In 1965, Stephen Stills tried out for The Monkees but didn't make it (he referred them to his pal Peter Tork, however). But he remained friends with the band, and in1967-68, Stills was constantly orbiting the Monkees' universe, hanging out and playing on sessions... at least (so it would seem) until their star plummeted and his shot upwards around 1969.

Peter Tork with Stephen Stills-1967-68. 

Stephen Stills with Micky Dolenz. Summer 1967. Photo by Henry Diltz

Exhibit D: "Fast" Eddie Hoh on Drums!!

Did you listen to the drums on that Super Session track? Pretty distinctive, no? That restless, "playing around with the One" type style. I've read it described as a rock version of Elvin Jones, and I'd agree.  Not everyone can get away with that kind of stuff, but Eddie Hoh (aka "Fast Eddie") could.

Who was Eddie Hoh? Gah! I've been digging his drumming since I started playing (1986) and only recently decided to investigate his life. And it's a strange and incomplete story.

Besides being the drummer on Super Session,  he's all over the Monkees' best album, Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones" (that drum break on "Salesman"? Eddie Hoh),  as well as many other assorted Monkee tracks. Check him out on "Tapioca Tundra" and "Writing Wrongs" on  The Birds, The Bees and The Monkees.
And "Star Collector" (on PAC&J), on which he goes totally nuts for the last 3 minutes.  (That song also features the first use of a Moog Synthesizer, trivia fans).
Oh!! And of course the awesome tight and fast drumming on "Pleasant Valley Sunday"!
That kind of solves why he's called "Fast Eddie".

Who else did Eddie Hoh play with? The Mamas and Papas, Flying Burrito Brothers, Gene Clark, Tim Buckley,  and more.

One of his best drumming performances? Here you go:

The Monkees--Goin' Down, 1967.



I looked to see what he's doing now, and it's a total mystery! Totally contrasting information. Al Kooper and Denny Doherty (Mamas and Papas) have both been quoted as saying Fast Eddie died (when and where were not given).
But some others say "No, I just saw him. He went crazy/became a drug addict and has been living semi-homeless in Chicago".
But no one can prove anything. On line, at least.
In any case, he's one of the great, great drummers in all of rock and roll history. I'll stand by that. I just have no idea whether he's alive or not. He deserves more than to just be a footnote.

And we'll end this post in an unintended different place. Here's the only picture I can find of Eddie Hoh. He's with Phil Spector and The Modern Folk Quartet.
The Modern Folk Quartet have quite a few Monkee connections too, if you must know. Chip Douglas was handpicked by Mike Nesmith to produce The Monkees' first (and only) "real" album, Headquarters. And "Tad" (Henry Diltz) was The Monkees unofficial official photographer--the guy they trusted and could have fun with.  But until now, I had no idea Eddie Hoh played with the MFQ.
Very cool picture.
Thanks for reading and I hope you learned something. If not, I hope you can teach me something.

ADDENDUM: I just picked up the latest issue of Shindig Magazine, with the Bee Gees on the cover. Oddly enough, there's an article about The Modern Folk Quartet! With the below picture as well as another one that gives a much better picture of what Eddie Hoh looked like. Coincidence! 

Neither Gods nor Frauds: Indies Digging the Dead Part 3

"If there is a common thread in the hipster reclamation of the Dead, it is an insistence on filtering them. This is a new way of appreciating Grateful Dead culture."
Jesse Jarnow in the August 2008 issue of Relix 

Somehow I missed the article quoted above, as well as the audio/video clips below.  Jarnow's excellent article concerns the new generation of non-Deadhead (or "hipster") Dead fans, as opposed to the stereotypical Deadhead who listens to primarily the Dead or Dead-related music and looks down on most everything else.  It wasn't the article itself that inspired this blog post, but the comments that follow it (it was posted on a jam-band website). You can read them for yourself, but in a nutshell, many of them say things like "Who the fuck cares what those wussy hipsters think? We don't want those posers around.." and blah blah blah.
In other words: Come hear Uncle John's Band...unless you also like 3 minute pop songs and wear skinny jeans. In which case, get lost.
This is troubling, but I will address all that after you dig these groovy clips (which I was turned onto via the Jarnow interview).

Of Montreal--Shakedown Street 
 “It took me a long time to even give them a listen, ‘cause they had such a stigma in my mind. I was definitely not expecting them to sound like they do.”--Kevin Barnes




Will Oldham (Bonnie Prince Billy/Palace Brothers etc)--Brokedown Palace
“Like many, I fall most fully into the Jerry camp. I’m drawn most specifically to the way Jerry sings and plays, and his work with Robert Hunter and David Grisman, among many others. I learn from his phrasing, from his song choice, from his manner overall.”--Will Oldham

http://joelgarber.tumblr.com/post/10854717987/will-oldham-brokedown-palace


....and this picture of Emily Haines (Broken Social Scene, Metric, Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton) in a Garcia shirt at a festival gig in Toronto in 2007.

So if you read the whole Relix article, and the comments, you'll notice the disconnect between Dead fans from the indie/punk side and Deadheads from the jam band side (I'm going to go ahead and make the--maybe wrong--assumption that "hipsters" who like the Dead don't want to be referred to as "Deadheads"). The two camps don't exactly see eye to eye. The "hipsters" don't want to be lumped in with unwashed, tie-dyed, dreadlocked, 9-people-3-dogs-and-a-pound-of-weed-stuffed-into-the-microbus Deadheads. And the "real" Deadheads don't want no clean cut hipster telling them that a '73 Dark Star sounds like some indie noise band. Or that Built to Spill have been doing "Ripple" in concert.
Like all things, both sides don't see the whole picture.
Scary how it's like different Christian sects. They worship the same "god" (JC or JG) but would rather stress the differences rather than celebrate the similarities to the other side.
I admit, I like showers, wearing ties and 3 minute songs, and would be very nervous and uptight in a crowded minibus. But I could also listen to the Dead on a 5 hour road trip--preferably alone and not high-- and be happy (as long as it was 1967-78). 
I read a quote (in a recent Rolling Stone) by someone in the Dead office that they are looking for the best ways to present the Dead's legacy to new generations who were too young to ever see them live (or worse, to only have seen them in the final two or three years).
I'm not sure the dancing bear video game is the way to go. But I'm also bitter because I actually had a Dead video game idea a couple years ago (but know nothing about how to make video games.)

So there seems to be two camps out there. Those (like me) who want to take the Deadhead group-think aspect out of the band and judge the music on its own merit. Take the subjective, non-musical aspect out of whether a show/song/album was good or not. Take the do-no-wrong fundamentalism out of critiques of the band. Because all that is scary, cult-ish, and flies in the face of the personal freedom that the band espoused. (Though I guess choosing to be a sheep is still a choice).

I can understand wanting to keep the Dead a secret back when they were around, because popularity (post "Touch Of Grey") really did spell the end. They earned their fame, but it wasn't good for them. Jerry Garcia did all he could to deflect all the hero-worship. But to still be cheered when you're obviously in no shape to be in public, let alone singing to 50,000 people, is the point of no return. To be told you sound great when you KNOW you don't really sucks. Especially to someone who probably spent 80% of his waking hours playing music in one form or another.
But now he's 17 years gone, and it's OK to have anyone discover them. There are no gates to crash. No great seats to be taken away from 20-year tour heads by corporate bankers who like "Hell In a Bucket". It's also OK to honestly critique them (but, like anything, not OK to put them down for no real reason).

Reading Dead forums, most folks are funny, witty, intelligent, educated, well-rounded musically and open minded. But there are some whose sexism and racism bleed into their tie dyes, making them truly repulsive. Take those folks out of a "we all agree" Deadhead group, and they wouldn't be able to rationally debate the relative merits of their favorite band.  It's like when conservatives, all fired up from hearing Hannity or Libmaugh's hateful talking points, call into a liberal radio show and have nothing to say when challenged on their opinions. They just repeat their talking points again like a pre-programmed conserva-bot and resort to name calling and personal attacks. 
This is nothing new.
But back to the music--I can't believe I just brought up religion and politics. I'm sorry. No, I'm not.

If Brooklyn (or wherever) hipsters are (were? maybe this resurgence is long over) embracing the Dead-- this defunct band of schlubby, stoned San Franciscans from a prior generation-- this means that they are in it for the music. Because they genuinely are curious and open minded.  And "real" Deadheads shouldn't try to belittle them. Because your average hipster is most likely musically very well-educated and well-rounded and has come to appreciate the Dead because they realize their importance in the greater fabric of where music came from, where it is now, and where it's going.
And, like a religious zealot who says The Bible is the only book, some Deadheads, who ONLY listen to the Dead, should not judge anyone else's taste, because they really cannot back up any of their opinions without sounding narrow minded, misguided and ignorant.
Example: someone dissing PETE TOWNSHEND (!!!!) based upon footage of the 20 minutes he spent jamming with the Dead in 1981. Yes, such a critique exists on YouTube. Really? You think Pete Townshend, undisputed genius, doesn't deserve to be on the same stage as The Grateful Dead? Get a goddamn grip.  It's scary. But, like I said, it's the minority fringe.

But this is most likely where many of the "hipsters" are coming from: The Dead can supply a very good musical and historical education if you want it. Look up the original authors of their many cover songs. Look up the historical and literary references in Robert Hunter's lyrics. AND, look up the musicians who admire the Dead or vice versa. Do it all with an open mind. Dead haters will discover the importance of the band outside the Dancing Bears and bumper sticker quotes. And Dead zealots will hopefully loosen their isolationist tendencies.
You'll discover the genius of George Jones, Buddy Holly, Miles Davis and Chuck Berry. Not to mention Rainer Maria Wilke and T.S. Elliot. As well as Suzanne Vega, Warren Zevon, Robyn Hitchcock, Sonic Youth, Will Oldham, Camper Van Beethoven and Of Montreal. Your pallet will grow and evolve. You might develop opinions that are scary to you. Like the realization that Garcia wasn't in fact the best guitar player ever, but that he was undoubtedly the only one of his kind.  Or that Mickey and Billy could be maddeningly sloppy or uninspired, AND that they were often amazing. Or that in the 80's-90's, Bob Weir's guitar tone was the worst in the history of rock, but one listen to his inventive chords and rhythmic patterns in a Dark Star from 1969-74 and you'll hear exactly why he was integral to the band.
Read interviews with Garcia and see that he was talking excitedly about punk (in 1978) and post-punk (in 1981). And that Robert Hunter was saying that he really digs Morrissey's lyrics (in 1988). I wonder: Was this the common opinion of most Deadheads at those times?

Many Deadheads hated "Shakedown Street" when they first heard it, because they were trained to believe "disco sucks". Wow. How about remembering history? Lots of what the Dead were doing, groove-wise, could be lumped in with disco's precursors. "Eyes of the World", "Help On the Way", "Music Never Stopped" are pre-disco, but undoubtedly disco-ready (proven when, in 1977-78, the drummers seemed to play Four-On-the-Floor as often as possible.)  How is Funk OK but Disco so hated? They have the same mom and dad. They just wear different clothes.

I'm speaking to both sides: Uninformed Dead-Haters and Uninformed Everything-But-The-Dead Haters.
Don't be scared to expand your pallet, the two of you! It's like moving to a new part of the world and getting used to the customs. Or going from high school to college. You see your place in the world.  Deadheadism should not mean isolationism. Unless those people in charge of "the legacy" want to keep preaching to the choir and watch the legacy die out with the last generation of those "who were there".
There are legitimate reasons to love and not love the Grateful Dead. It's just the irrational love/hate that drives me nuts.

I think it's all about the greater fabric. And if The Dead can't stand out in that context, that would just mean that they were pretenders, hacks and frauds. Which they weren't. Not gods, but also, not frauds.

"Mr David Thomas Jones, baby!"

Or at least that's how Mike Nesmith would introduce Davy Jones at Monkees shows during their summer 1967 tour (a bit more flattering than Micky introducing him as "the Velvet-Voiced Midget").

(and by the way, sorry about two death-related posts in a row. if I could prevent such things, I would)

Well, I don't have many words about the guy. I met him once, at a book signing in Worcester, MA in 1993. I stood in line and when it was my turn, his assistant looked at me and said "this guy's got the Mickey hair and the Nesmith sideburns".
Davy looked up at me and said "Don't listen to him. All he does is make a fool of himself"
I replied "Can't take him anywhere, huh?"
Davy said "I can't even take him to bed!"

So that was it. A quick bit of improv comedy with Davy. Not that it made a whole lot of sense, but hey, it was something. My girlfriend at the time took a couple photos but I think I moved out of the way at the last second, so Davy and I weren't in the same frame. I don't have those photos any more.

But the interwebs have MANY photos and video clips of the man, and I'm going to pay tribute to Davy Jones with a hand-picked selection. Enjoy. A huge thank you to the various folks who posted these photos. One who I'm sure is behind many of them is Meghan Brozanic, who runs the Psycho Jello sites on both Facebook and Tumblr. I've spent many hours poking around those sites over the last year or so. Thanks for all your hard work and fandom and sharing your great collection with the world.

So, to start, some cool photos:

Sharp Dressed Man

From "Monkees A la Mode"--freaking out magazine editors by making them think he's actually bald.

By necessity, Davy learned both bass and drums so he could fill in during various numbers.

Ladies Man. On a date with Sally Field.

Man's man. Rack 'em up, light 'em up. 

I'd like to think that Davy's in a place similar to this right now. But with lots of horses too.

He had to show a lot of patience during the Headquarters sessions of '67. Doing 40 takes of a tambourine track while Mickey got his drum part down or Mike learned pedal steel....

Doing what he did best. From Head, 1968.

Ladies man part 2: With pop star Lulu.

Shaken, not stirred. The high life.

But how do you really feel?

Hipster.

Chatting with opening act, The Jimi Hendrix Experience, July 1967. 

....And now some videos.....



 Davy's cool pre-Monkees version of Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe".  A bit less biting than the original. 





Davy and "critic" Frank Zappa. From Head.





Looking pretty cool in this scene with Deana Martin (Dean's daughter)





Sounds a bit sped-up, but a groovy clip from the second season. They look like they're having fun. 





 With Goldie Hawn on "Laugh In" 1969





Odd Clip entitled "Walking In New York 3 (1969) Leo Bennink"





Wow, Davy. Highest guy to ever appear on a family show. Fresh from a session in the famous "Black Box", one would guess. 





Nilsson #1: The Monkees' rendition of "Cuddly Toy" enabled Harry Nilsson to quit his day job. Trivia: This was the final studio track to feature all four Monkees playing. Until 1996's reunion album Justus. 





Nilsson #2: Davy, solo, with Sam and The Goodtimers, performs Harry's "Together" and then is pretty funny during the interview. 







The Edge Bows Down to Davy as Davy owns the stage at this U2 show in 1997






A clip of Davy doing the lovely "French Song" from the 1971 film "Flowers and Lollipops". 
Kind of weird. Awkward acting when he sits down during the solo. 





A compilation of some of the unscripted interviews at the end of Monkees' episodes. 
Davy shows his biting wit in some of these.  





Davy's second to last concert. NYC, February 18, 2012.  








And finally, this gut-wrenching scene...Rest In Peace, Davy.
















 

"Tommy Ardolino!!... Tommy Ardolino!!"--a belated, non-linear tribute in a few parts

Prologue: January 2012: One man's tribute to a fallen comrade. 

At the recent Scud Mountain Boys reunion-tour stop in Northampton (at Pearl Street), opening act Ray Mason played an intense, passionate, solo-electric set that kept my eyes riveted to the stage (though I admit I missed the first couple songs).  One 60 year old man and his Silvertone guitar filled the room with one pop gem after another. My sister Alyssa, who was also at the show, once described Ray's gigs as  always life-affirming and I've recycled that description many times since. Especially when I start thinking "am I getting too old for this game?"

I remember The Scuds' Joe Pernice telling me about the awesomeness of Ray Mason as we drove through Amherst Center one fall day in 1992. We were on our way to my (failed) audition for The Scuds (the more rocking band that preceded Scud Mt. Boys). As I've said before, good thing I wasn't exactly what they were looking for (Christ, I was 19 and completely unprepared!) because it set the stage for their morphing into the mellow band we all know and love. Yeah, I'm taking full credit for their success. (No I'm not.)

Joe Pernice joins Ray Mason onstage--Pearl Street, Northampton, January 2012

Fast forward 20 fucking years. No one thought The Scud Mountain Boys would ever reunite, but here we were and there they were.

And Ray Mason, the local legend they all looked up to when they were starting out, was STILL rocking the house, slashing away at his Silvertone and owning the stage. On this night, in the middle of one of his last songs Ray walked to the front of the stage, abruptly stopped and, off mic, shouted, "TOMMY ARDOLINO!".
Some folks cheered. I know I let out a big "WOOOO!". Then, more jagged chords, more stalking, and then he stopped again. Another off-mic shout out: "TOMMY ARDOLINO!" More cheers.

This was such a heavy moment. I'm not sure how many people grasped it. Was it merely a shout out to his recently-deceased friend? Or was he conjuring Ardolino's spirit? Or perhaps he knew Tommy's spirit was in the house and Ray was just saying hello.

Tom and Ray were kindred spirits. Natives to the area (Ray-Holyoke, Tom-Springfield) who lived and breathed music, who never lost their wide-eyed enthusiasm for good music, good record stores and, of course, cats.

But Ray chose life, and productivity, when, 20 or so years ago, he quit the less-healthy aspects of being a rock and roller, and instead became addicted to writing and releasing albums. I've lost count how many he's made. But they keep on a-comin', both with his own band and as half the writing team of The Lonesome Brothers.  He's not touring the world and appearing on national TV like Tommy was in NRBQ, but he's still with us and doing what he loves with no sign of stopping.

Tom embraced the rock and roll life and didn't seem to know what to do without it.  He was no longer the drummer in a band playing 200+ gigs a year, so he just had too much time on his gifted hands. And hanging with cats and records can only get a 50-something man so far.
So when I saw and heard Ray calling out his friend's name from the stage, it was a chilling moment. To me it seemed a purging, mourning wail to a fallen kindred soul/rock and roll soldier; as well as a cheer/exaltation, to a room full of friends who would recognize the name and gladly testify.

I imagined a wolf standing on the edge of a cliff howling mournfully at the moon. But this was a living legend saluting his friend in front of an audience, playing his beloved instrument; a setting that Ray, Tommy, and countless performers (myself included) would call one of the few places, if not the one place, that one can show their true selves.



I: Summer 2012: The Last Waltz--Tommy joins Terry at the Green River Festival.

As of this writing, it's been almost two months since drummer extraordinaire Tom Ardolino passed away at the age of 56.
I saw what was probably one of his final live appearances (if not his final appearance), this past summer at the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA (I was there to play with School For the Dead).
It was a surprise when, part way through Terry Adams' set with his new version of NRBQ,
Tom ambled up from behind the stage and came up front to sing a tune (damned if I can remember what it was. I blame the blazing hot summer day.) He then got behind a second drum kit and played drums on one, maybe two songs, along side regular drummer, Conrad Choucroun (who, according to Terry's Official Site, earned Ardolino's official endorsement upon first hearing him play).

It seemed like a little "drum battle" was staged during one song, but, to my eyes and ears, Terry cut it short when it seemed rather one sided. One drummer was in rock and roll touring shape, and the other, simply, was not. Tommy smiled sheepishly, boyishly (and yes, semi-toothlessly) at his long time friend and band mate, Terry, and I'm sure no feelings were hurt. After all, that was the same guy who, in 1974 at a gig in Sunderland, called a 19 year old Ardolino up to the stage (at that point, just a huge fan who had never played drums to anything but records) when NRBQ's original drummer fell ill at a gig, and, after one perfectly-played song,  pronounced him the heir to the drum throne (well, it didn't happen that instantaneously, but I'm sure if there's a biopic, that's how they'll do it).

I'm glad I was able to see him do it one last time, however.

And anyway, Tom Ardolino didn't have to prove anything to anybody.

“Tommy deserves an entire wing in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,’’ singer Bonnie Raitt told the (Boston) Globe last summer. “There’s Charlie Watts, and there’s Tom Ardolino. That’s it."

Tom Ardolino at the Green River Fest, 7/16/11.

II: 2001: "Next Stop: Brattleboro"--Yours Truly, young, cocky and ignorant, is repeatedly referred to as "Tom Ardolino Jr." by an NRBQ insider. And I have no clue what it means.

When The Aloha Steamtrain were a regularly-gigging band (1997-2002), one of our regular stops was The Mole's Eye cafe in Brattleboro, VT. We also kept a regular on-line "Gig Diary"(these days, called a "blog"), in which bassist Henning Ohlenbusch and I would recount memories of the show (or, more often, everything that happened that day/night EXCEPT the show.)

In any case, here's an excerpt from April 20, 2001:

BRIAN: 
Is it some strange coincidence that we were booked to play in Vermont on 4/20?....

 ......A guy named Johnny, who roadies for NRBQ, talked to me a bunch. He keeps referring to me as _________Jr (NRBQ's drummer). When he yelled that during the concert, (Aloha Steamtrain singer/guitarist) Russ replied, "yes, those are my favorite cigars too". Johnny apologized for being obnoxious and drunk the last time we'd met. "Who isn't obnoxious and drunk", I thought, "in this private hell in which I live?".

We began the second set with the Bee Gees tune, which got a good response. One of our loyal, long time fans later told me he remembers hearing that album (Bee Gees 1st) on the same day he heard The Doors first album. Talk about night and day. Do you think all the Gibbs wanted to act out Oedipus with their parents?..."

Ok. Well, first off--I resisted any editing, because this stuff has existed on line for eleven years now. No sense in hiding the evidence now. 


But here's what it tells me. In 2001, I:
1) was too ignorant to know who Tom Ardolino was
2) too disrespectful to be gracious in my re-telling of the story online
3) too lazy to even look up Tom Ardolino's name, and instead filed my report with a blank line in place of his name. 

And those, believe it or not, were my GOOD traits, ladies and germs. (ba-doom. ching!)

Anyway....let me retell the tale as I remember it. Actually, I may be remembering two different stories.


So there I was, playing pinball between sets at The Moles Eye, and avoiding talking to people. Just hanging with my own ignorant, disrespectful, lazy (and antisocial) self...

So there I am, playing pinball in between sets at the Mole's Eye...

 ....when a guy I'd never met before, who appeared to be a bit into the drink, stumbled up (mid-pinball game) and shouted at close range,  "TOM ARDOLINO JR!". 
 I said "Huh?", not about to look up from my game in-progress.
He expounded a bit. "You're like TOM ARDOLINO JR, man! You look like him, you're a solid drummer, and if he met you, he'd say 'Meeowww...meeeowww' I just know it".
I'd looked up for a second to catch him making the international "cat scratch" sign.
I was a bit freaked out.
I lost my ball.
Game over. Thanks a lot, dude.
I said "I'm sorry, I have no idea what you're talking about... and I gotta go play the next set". 
As I'm walking away, he shouts "TOM ARDOLINO!! N! R! B! Q!" with some anger in his voice. 


Knowing hardly anything by NRBQ, but knowing their reputation as a "musician's band" that I'd put off exploring,  I turned back and politely said "Ohhh...right. Well thanks."
He introduced himself as Johnny and said he worked for them as a roadie (I think). 

Here he is, that night, with Henning: 

Henning and Johnny.

Anyway, I do hope he forgave my ignorance. In retrospect, it's one of the best drumming compliments I've ever received. 


Of course, I later looked online to see if I looked anything like this..whatever his name was. NRBQ drummer guy. 
Ummm....well, maybe the young Tommy. But it's sort of like when people say I look like Mickey Dolenz. Curly hair, drum kit= exact clone. particularly if you're buzzed and in a dark club.

Tommy, 1976.

Brian, 2001

III: 2003: "'Atsa My Band!": I Ask Ken to Make Me a Mix

Somewhere around 2003, perhaps it was having turned 30, I began to slowly embrace music that I'd previously rejected as "music for 30-somethings". Back in 1995, my then-house mate Ken Maiuri tried to turn me on to both Steely Dan and NRBQ. I didn't want any of it. At the time, I only wanted speedy pop made by skinny, pale, preferably British blokes in the late 70's-early 80's, or 60's psychedelia and garage punk. Nothing beardy, big collar-y or Hawaiian shirt-y. I was a snob and an ageist.

But, now, as my first signs of Grateful Dead fandom were beginning to sprout, I figured I was heading into the inevitable. I was mellowing out. My brain chemistry was changing. I was giving in. Veering away from WAMH and toward WRSI.

Ok, Tony Westcott,  go ahead and make me a Steely Dan mix.
Ok, Ken Maiuri, make me an NRBQ mix. (When I asked Ken, he replied "Of course! 'Atsa my band!". I thought he was just being a weirdo, but I later learned that he was merely quoting the title of an NRBQ album.)

I think I took both the "Dan" and the "Q" mixes on a Scandinavian tour I did with Don Lennon. How American can you get?

I dug just about all of the NRBQ mix, and took note of the drumming on the second half (the Tommy years).

Wow!  What a singular style. Heavy and sensitive, subtle and deliberate at the same time. Not fashionable. Not of its time. It's like Bill Haley's or Buddy Holly's drummers were transplanted to the late 70's-80's. And he could do jazz (or at least fake it real well)!  And, wow, I don't think I've ever heard such a SWING! It's the opposite of what's often referred to as the "Mo Tucker"/Velvet Underground beat. It's decidedly NOT machine-like. It tells you "this is a person playing this, and playing it live, and playing it rock solid." It makes you move a different way. It puts an extra wriggle or shimmy in your step. So that's Tom Ardolino? Wow. 

He comes from Springfield, you say? 

IV: 2004: Watching Q-Mania from the sidelines

Soon after came that A+E documentary which had stars galore singing the praises of NRBQ. 

There was a local tie-in to all that too. Northampton-based Spirit House Records was putting out a star-studded NRBQ tribute album, and the documentary could not have been better timed. The "Q" was in the air. 

I felt some Valley pride. I felt some guilt too for not having recognized the goodness before. I willfully remained an outsider to the hype, however, because I didn't want to be a Johnny-come-lately bandwagon hopper poser. But I did enjoy the documentary a whole lot. And the tribute album.

Here's Elvis Costello, REM and other celebs talking about NRBQ from the A+E documentary.







V: I Meet Tom Ardolino. And He Indeed Says "Meow". 
or
"He's Standing Here, Right In Front of Me"

One evening in 2007-8 I found myself at the late, great Night Owl Records in Easthampton. Most likely, I was checking to see if anyone had bought the latest Sitting Next to Brian CD, Polite. But of course, having made the drive, I stayed and browsed the stacks and chatted with my friend, musical cohort and Night Owl co-owner, Mark Schwaber. 
Mid chat, two guys came in, and Mark greeted them amiably. I recognized one of them as none other than Tom Ardolino. I got butterflies and, as usually happens when I see someone famous, I planned a quick exit (this utter lack of shmoozing skills has, I'm sure, deprived me of a few music career opportunities. Damn shyness).

But before I could beat a retreat, Mark said, "Tom, this is my friend Brian. You would love his drumming".
I smiled sheepishly as did Tom. "So great to meet you", I said. "Meow", he replied.
I felt validated. 

Tommy A.record shopping.  Photo not taken at Night Owl, but a damn good substitute.

Epilogue:  Random stuff.

Across the street from what was Night Owl Records, is a famous bar called The Brass Cat. It was there, not long afterwards, that I saw Tom Ardolino play for the first time. He was loud, and in command. Here's a review of the show, written by none other than Ken Maiuri.



Here's something to watch for those who say "I just don't get NRBQ". Because, I've realized, the only appropriate response is to confuse them even more. There's no definitive sound. But, because of that, there's stuff that I like and stuff I just will never like. This, I like. It's not an example of Tom's drumming genius, but just of NRBQ's collective weirdness. Probably a part of why Simpsons executive producer, Mike Scully, loves them so much. NRBQ make great cartoons.

But to go out on a Tommy-heavy note, here's the Q in '92 on the Dennis Miller Show--a good example of that straight/shuffle/swing thing.  (and boy, I don't miss Dennis Miller's "laugh at my own joke then call attention to my luxurious hair" shtick).

And finally, if you have 15 minutes to spare, here's a tribute someone lovingly made and put on YouTube. It's definitely a fitting tribute to the man.

As I said on Facebook the day after he passed, I swear I heard a certain swing in the tic-toc of all the clocks that day. Also, all the kitty cats I saw seemed to be in mourning.