Underworld, Reg Guest Syndicate (1966)
Pianist, arranger and music director Reg Guest (aka Earl Guest) was Born in Birmingham, England. His album Underworld contains covers of crime/spy/drama themes: “The great Reg Guest captured that inimitable late-60s sound with some irresistible instrumentals which are covers of famous James Bond themes and so on. It was recorded circa 1967 and first released in England on the Fontana label. Instruments used here include an inconceivable 12-string electric bass guitar. An unforgettable sound.”
Soul / blues / R&B band Vintage Trouble formed in Los Angeles in 2010. Their debut album The Bomb Shelter Sessions (2011) hit number one on Amazon‘s music charts in the UK, and they won the Best New Band prize at the 2011 Classic Rock awards. In February 2024, the group announced an indefinite break “to focus on individual and family endeavors”.
Chicago bluesman Toronzo Cannon didn’t pick up a guitar until he was 22, but he picked it up fast. “Gary Clark, Jr. declared, ‘Toronzo is a beast. He lights the room up,’ and Joe Bonamassa rightly pronounced, ‘Toronzo’s a great guitar player, excellent vocalist and an amazing personality.’ ”
Jonathon “Boogie” Long
From his website: “He began his career at the age 18, invited by BB King to tour with him. Shortly after, he was awarded Guitar Center’s “King of the Blues”, besting over 4,000 other contestants. Since then, he’s taken the short road to Louisiana legend, already a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, and Baton Rouge officially designating January 4th as “Jonathon Long” day.”
R.I.P Chuck Norris, sorry about your legacy Cesar Chavez, nice work Nick Shirley, Gavin Newsom is still a douchebag, and tomorrow is Porch Time.
See you there.
French model Simone in the bubble, Bar du Baguette, Saint Germain en Laye, France. Photo by Melvin Sokolsky, from his Bubble Series, 1963.
“The bubble in the series is made of Plastivew and is composed of two hemispheres with a 1/8-inch crack to allow for breathing room. Then the bubble was hung from a very thin, but strong cable. (It could have also held up a Cadillac.) This was probably one of the easiest shoots I’ve ever done in my life because there were no hair or makeup interruptions. No one could touch her in the bubble, so it was just her and I creating the images.” – Melvin Sokolsky
The former Kunsthaus Tacheles (Art House Tacheles) in Berlin, Germany, was a large art center and squatters’ building located in the Mitte district. The building sat in a “no man’s land” near the Berlin Wall during the communist era and was taken over by artists after the wall fell in November 1989. It served as a hub for studios, workshops, a nightclub, and a cinema, with its walls covered in extensive graffiti and street art. The art center was eventually evicted and closed in 2013, though the building itself remains a landmark of Berlin’s post-Wall art scene.
The Story of Kunsthaus Tacheles is an homage of sorts, with a documentary trailer that includes brief interviews with some of the artistic squatters.
[Images found in here; click for full-size. Caption from Google AI.]
May I, Bill Deal & The Rhondels (1968) Blue-eyed soul band from Portsmouth, Virginia, formed in 1959 and had a 24 year run until Bill Deal left the group in 1983.
Tom Waits being Tom Waits. Video from 2012 is reminiscent of the digital animation template showcased here.
Eliza Stark & The Dappers: “The only rockabilly band based in Montenegro. A classic trio of guitar, drums and hot chick slapping double bass and regular guests of national TV and festivals, they also well-known for their true and original music far beyond the borders of Montenegro.” – ES & The D Facebook Page
One of the top ska bands of the UK, Bad Manners are still performing (and celebrating their 50th year). It appears that frontman Buster Bloodvessel chose to sit this one out.
I got the porch if you got the time. Be there or be an equilateral rhomboid.
[Found here, here, here and here. Top one is a burlesque “robot” from the 1939 New York World’s Fair. Bottom two is are clips from the 1965 Bollywood movie Gumnaam.]
Tacky Raccoons 