Feral Mountain

When you think about Kentucky, what pops to mind? Bluegrass? Horse racing? Maybe a city like Louisville, Lexington, or even Paducah? The TV series called “Outsiders” is set in Kentucky, but it doesn’t take place in any of those cities. It takes place on the fictional Shay Mountain where those outsiders called The Farrell Clan live off the grid and then some. In between the huntin’, fightin’, and survivin’, there’s even a bit of music like “Whiskey Johnny” by The Ben Miller Band.

Moonshine whiskey is what The Farrells are known for — besides being, you know, feral. The menfolk have names like Asa, Hasil, and Foster. Big Foster Farell is played by character actor David Morse, who is always great. I have seen him in lots of movies and TV series, but remember him best for being the big corrections officer in “The Green Mile.” An actor named Kyle Gallner’s performance as Hasil Farrell really stands out in my mind, too.

It’s an interesting series that I would recommend watching. Why? Well, as feral as The Farrells are, they don’t believe in killing each other. As a society, they don’t believe in money. Guns aren’t an everyday thing for them, either. There are power struggles about who will rule the clan and how they will keep nearby town residents off the mountain and away from the coal there. The nearby county sheriff has his family pressures and narcotic addiction issues, too. While the show is set in a rural environment, it’s not a bunch of yee-haw, hee-haw stuff.

“Outsiders” was created by Peter Mattei. Actor Paul Giamatti was also a producer on the series, which aired from 2016-2017 on WGN.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

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Stevie Ray Touch Tone

I was thinking the album was simply called “Vaughan Brothers”, but it’s actually called “Family Style.” The 1990 collaboration between Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan was released about a month after the untimely death of SRV. I remember it had a lot of instrumentals on it, but the one track I always go back to is called “Telephone Song“, which featured SRV on vocals.

It’s a funky tune with a great R & B feel. Stevie Ray’s vocals keep my ears dialed in as the song progresses. Obviously guitar playing is a big piece of this song and the entire album. On this track, you hear lots of bent, bluesy guitar notes and some Wah Wah, but I think you have to give credit to SRV and Doyle Bramhall for the songwriting credits on this one, too. I can’t recall hearing the phrase “touch tone phone” in any other song. It’s funny how that’s a phrase we don’t really use any more. I believe the album was released in vinyl format if I remember correctly, but I think you can find it in the CD and cassette format, too.

“Telephone Song” is a song I remember playing in college radio. Back then, we still had touch tone phones. It’s too bad we no longer have Stevie Ray Vaughan.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

A Short Day’s Night, Vol. 3

Recently, I woke up with an early Beatles tune in my head. It got me thinking about my own personal B.I.P. — that’s Beatles Immersion Phase — between the ages of say 15 and 17. I had the “Red” and “Blue” Greatest Hits albums and knew those songs really well. However, I had my mind blown when a friend of mine dropped by with The Beatles “Rock ‘n’ Roll Music, Volume 1” on cassette. It had a bunch of songs which were unfamiliar to me including the Lennon penned “You Can’t Do That.”

“You Can’t Do That” is an interesting tune. The song’s intro and outro are both kind of funky in an “excuse me” kind of way. You just sort of stumble into and out of the song itself. George Harrison starts the tune with some 12 string Rickenbacker guitar (and then stumbles out the same way on the outro).

John Lennon sings the lead while Paul McCartney and George provide backing vocals. There’s a chunky guitar solo with some call and response backing vocals. While it’s a catchy enough tune, Lennon’s lyrics are on the darker, jealous side. And, yes, this song was on “A Hard Day’s Night” and was the B side to “Can’t Buy Me Love.”

The longest song on “A Hard Day’s Night” was “I Should Have Known Better” at 2:43. “You Can’t Do That” and “Things We Said Today” tied for second-longest at 2:35.

Oh, and Ringo Starr played percussion on this one…drums, bongos, AND cowbell. Take that, Rolling Stones!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the horizon!

Bony Mahowny

I can’t remember exactly where or when, but at some point I realized I usually like movies which feature certain actors. (It may have been during The Redbox era.) I suppose companies like 20th Century Fox or MGM would call those stars “bankable.” I honestly don’t measure actability in any way because I don’t really know how. However, one of the easiest examples for me is the now deceased Philip Seymour-Hoffman. Every time, I see his face on a movie poster or its thumbnail streaming equivalent, I usually click on it.

Sometime in the past year or so, I found an interesting film of his called “Owning Mahowny.” As a tribute, I’m including the Larry Williams penned tune “Bony Maronie” by Ritchie Valens. Please feel free to change the lyrics to Bony Mahowny.

There are a lot of different version of this song: Larry Williams, John Lennon, Johnny Winter, Little Richard, and, literally, 100 more.

Getting back to the film, “Owning Mahowny” is based on a true story. It’s about this dude who was not only a bank vice-president, but also a gambling addict. It’s set in early 1980s Toronto. As the film opens, viewers see Hoffman’s character as a Frumpty Dumpty guy who refuses to buy a new suit and a new car. As the film unfolds, we see why he’s so low-key. He’s trying not to draw attention to his rob Peter to pay Paul scheme involving the bank and his addiction. One of his other quirks is he likes BBQ ribs with no sauce and a Coke. Minnie Driver has a supporting role as his dimwit girlfriend.

There are some other familiar actors in the film, but it’s basically ALL Philip Seymour-Hoffman. He’s in virtually every scene and, in my opinion, he pulls it off and then some. The 2003 film was directed by Richard Kwietniowski. It’s based on a book about the “real” Mahowny.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Surprize, Surprize, Surprize

I don’t know why, but the line “gonna make you a star” popped into my head today. I remembered it was from Aerosmith, but just couldn’t place the song. It’s a lyric from the Aerosmith tune “No Surprize”, which was included on “Night in the Ruts.” I remember seeing the black and white miner 49er album cover in the used record store. I think it’s safe to say this album was a weird time for the band.

When I watched the promotional video, I was surprized to see some other dude playing lead guitar (and not Joe Perry). However, Perry is credited with lead singer Stephen Tyler as the songwriters?? Apparently, Perry left the band during the middle of this album and was replaced by Jimmy Crespo (the dude in the video). Perry returned about 5 years later.

The song chronicles Aerosmith meeting record exec Clive Davis and getting signed to a record deal at Max’s Kansas City, etc. Musically, it’s an interesting adventure. I think the section around :40-:59 is a great example of Aerosmith’s sound. There’s some cool building harmony on the line “suprize” followed by some rocking guitar. Around 1:30, you hear “no surprize” followed by a catchy, repetitive guitar riff. You hear the same thing around 1:40, then Stephen Tyler breaks into his stream of consciousness, nonsensical lyrics only the way he can:

Midnight lady
Situation fetal
Vaccinate your ass
With a phonograph needle

I’ve seen more than a couple of opinions that this is Aerosmith’s best song. It’s definitely a great piece of hard rock n roll. It’s weird how certain things take you back to certain places. The album cover takes me back to a specific record store. A friend of mine’s younger brother was a big Aerosmith fan so the song makes me wonder about his thoughts on it. Also, I don’t know why, but I can see playing this song to a wayward space alien. Just a thought.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Southland, Part 2

As I mentioned in Part 1, the TV cop series “Southland” had a fantastic ensemble cast of actors. Most of them I knew from some really great films and TV shows including but not limited to: “That Thing You Do!”, “Band of Brothers”, “Outside Providence”, “Friday”, and even “Red Dawn”.

Rookie cop Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) was unkown to me before this series, but he was in “The O.C” prior to this. His training officer was played by Michael Cudlitz. Cudlitz played Staff Sergeant Denver “Bull” Randleman in “Band of Brothers.” Ben Sherman’s Beverly Hills upbringing is a problem for his training officer in “Southland.” Perhaps my favorite character in the series is Detective Sammy Bryant who is constantly dealing with his Über flaky wife Tammi (Emily Bergl). Bryant is played by Shawn Hatosy who played Tim Dunphy in the 1999 film “Outside Providence.” He brings the realness to his character. Unfortunately, I can’t find any clips so here is the Season 1 trailer.

Regina King (“Friday”) plays a dedicated detctive and her partner is likable actor Tom Everett Scott who played the drummer in “That Thing You Do!”. C. Thomas Howell (“Red Dawn”) is the cop you love to hate. He’s boisterous, arrogant, and doesn’t think the rules apply to him. You might also recognize actor Michael McGrady from this and that. The list goes on and on.

“Southland” was written by Ann Biderman. (Biderman also wrote Showtime’s “Ray Donovan”, which I would love to see.) While I don’t usually pay much attention to popularity ratings, “Southland” gets 8.5 out of 10 on imdb.com. The series started on NBC, but it was sold to TNT and aired the second season and following ones there. During one season, I think they used a different theme song which is an absolute travesty!

To sum it up, “Southland” is not only a great show/series, but a good example of viewing habits. It started on free network TV, but was sold to a cable network. Now, I’m watching it for free on the TUBI streaming network. I highly recommend this series.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Southland, Part 1

I usually go for more attention grabbing titles, but I’m sticking with the actual title of this gritty cop drama because I honestly had a hard time remembering it. The TV series “Southland” (2009) originally aired Frigday nights on NBC if I remember correctly. The pilot episode followed rookie cop Ben Sherman (Ben McKenzie) and his gruff training officer (Michael Cudlitz) as they navigate the turbulent streets of South Central Los Angeles. One thing I always loved about the series is it had a great black and white sequence of opening titles and haunting theme song.

I initially had a hard time finding info on the theme song, but I found a fan website which identified it as “Song of the Sea” or “Canção do Mar” by Dulce Pontes. Apparently she’s a Portugese singer and songwriter.

And the song actually has lyrics! While thinking about this show, it made me realize how many other successful cop TV series had great theme songs. “Dragnet” and “Law and Order” come to mind. (To clarify, I mean the original “Law and Order” series — not “Law and Order: Parking Tickets” or “Law and Order: Unruly Rednecks” or “Law and Order: Swaziland” or my favorite spinoff “Law and Order: Grammatical Errors” which will spinoff into “Law and Order: Dangling Participles.”)

One of the biggest strengths of the Southland series is the ensemble cast. There are some great performances and lots of familiar faces from movies you know and love. I’ve digressed here so I will disucss the show further in Southland, Part 2.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Tombstone Disguise

Do you think some actors are better at playing extremely different characters/roles than others? In other words, you don’t realize who the actor is while you’re watching the film. It’s definitely happened to me. It’s actually happend in the same movie. I’m talking about 1993’s “Tombstone”, which had about a million big name stars in it: Kurt Russell, Val Kilmer, Sam Elliott, Bill Paxton, Powers Boothe, Dana Delaney. Even Charlton Heston, Jason Priestley, and Billy Zane popped into this film, too. So did the guy who played Lowell on “Wings”(Thomas Haden Church)!

Val Kilmer got plenty of praise for his portrayal of Doc Holliday in the film, but I doubt many viewers would remember who played memorable bad guy Ike Clanton in this film. The answer surprised me. It’s an actor named Stephen Lang. I suppose the cowboy hat and beard contributed to his “disguise”.

Lang has been in a lot of different films and TV shows: Avatar, Law & Order, and it looks like he even played Babe Ruth in a made for TV movie. Give the guy some credit for his diverse catalog of character acting. I think the beard and cowboy hat helped, but it goes deeper than that.

Another actor in “Tombstone” was Billy Bob Thornton, but he seemed to look much heavier than the usually lean dude we’ve seen since that time. Thornton played an obnoxious faro dealer. (This film is the only place I’ve ever heard the game mentioned. )

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faro_(banking_game)

He was the guy that Wyatt Earp slapped around and then said, “Are you going do something or just stand there and bleed?” It probably left him with the “Tombstone Blues”.

I’ve heard music critcs mention people like Dylan and David Bowie have a knack for “reinventing themselves. ” I suppose that’s really what actors get paid to do, but some seem to take it to another level. I’d love to say more, but I have to get ready for “the reincarnation of Paul Revere’s horse.”

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Boogie in Negril?

Bob Seger has been on my mind recently. When you mention his name, it seems like there are distinct camps of “for” Seger or “against” him. The against camp looks down on him and lumps him in with the likes of BTO and other 1970s artists. The argument is classic rock radio has overplayed a lot of his music. That may be true, but he has an extensive catalog of familiar hits and other obscure oddities.

I’ve been jamming some boogie woogie piano lately and found a Bob Seger song that lines up nicely with that theme. The song in question is “Sunspot Baby“, which was included on Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band’s 1976 album “Night Moves.”

I’m sure many have heard this song, but it’s not as well-known as the album’s title cut. It’s basically a story about his lover running off with his credit card and leaving him stranded. Then he’s left with a month old bill after looking in Miami and Negril. (Geography is easily my worst subject and I had to look up Negril. It’s a city in Jamaica.) I feel like the story is too funny NOT to be true. Those in the for Seger camp might use this song as an example of his songwriting talent, but I could be wrong. I think Seger’s vocals and live performances also win plenty of points in the for camp.

Some of the chord changes in this song remind me of 1971’s “Get It On (Bang a Gong)” release by T. Rex. What both songs share is they’re both influenced or derivative of Chuck Berry. Both songs are also in the key of “E” if I’m not mistaken. I’d love to know if there really is/was a Sunspot Baby. If you run into Bob Seger, please ask him for me.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Old Man ZZ

I recently came into a large collection of ZZ Top albums and have been listening to little bit at a time. I counted over a dozen studio albums in their discography. Personally, I’d consider myself to be from the “Eliminator” generation — you know, the red 1933 Ford coupe, the chicks, MTV videos, etc.

The particular song for this blog entry is called “Old Man” and was on “ZZ Top’s First Album.” I never owned this record, but this track is one I’ve been replaying. I’d describe it as a dreamy or etheral slow blues.

To my ears, I hear two electric guitars on the track. I believe one is in standard tuning and I would guess the other (slide guitar) is in Open G tuning, but I could be wrong. All three members of the band share the songwriting credits on this one.

It’s interesting to see the likeness of the band on the backside of the album. It’s almost like this was before they were the ZZ Top a lot of us know and love — that is the well-known “brand” with the beards and moustache we all associate with them. You still hear the familiar bluesy guitar and mumbly vocals of Billy Gibbons. The more things change the more they stay the same.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!