Strands
Quick post to highlight a little addition to the Beefheart.com weblog which appeals to me on several levels. Intrigued by a listing of two tracks part credited to Don Van Vliet, an investigation was undertaken into their involvement. After hitting several dead ends, they eventually stuck gold.
This is a tale which is bound to appeal to a librarian such as myself.
It also appeals to me on a personal and socially historical level as the tracks 'Can Fever' and 'Bone Crazy' were by now defunct Portsmouth band Screeper. I travelled around in their van up to London, Southampton and around Pompey back when I was first getting myself involved in the Portsmouth music scene in 1996. Saw them about 30 times in nigh-on 3 years.
One of my strongest memories is of the time they performed at the bottom of a 20 act, local FM radio pop bill in front of thousands in a Southampton park. Singer Dave's first words on stage to the assembled hoardes uninterested in anything that wasn't 'famous'? "C'mon you blues". Danger was his lifeblood.
Having Louise, Alisha's Attic and Jimmy Sommerville (amongst several others) knocking about with less of an entourage than our hometown heroes was quite a sight too. We came, we hid in the back of the van, we stole the free beer. I also remember drunkenly announcing the arrival of a Scottish rock band with the shout "Gun are here". Should have put more thought into that or, at least, said it less quickly.
Indeed, the precursor for Vanity Project, our Portsmouth-centric record label Elastic Fiction, released 'Can Fever' on its first cassette compilation that was distibuted free to promote bands on the scene at that time. Hardly any of which exist now. If anyone wants a free tape, or a CD that we did 3 years later, do email skif45@hotmail.com!
Screeper, well Dave Jones from the band, then formed Reinhardt and now heads up Autons, which also features Tony Rollinson, my kinda sven-gali figure for my label and writing efforts within the Pompey scene, and Leon Tricker, best mate of 25 years standing. I've yet to see them live, something i eventually hope to correct.
All the strands weaving together. Boot a football at it and it'd be nigh on perfect.
This is a tale which is bound to appeal to a librarian such as myself.
It also appeals to me on a personal and socially historical level as the tracks 'Can Fever' and 'Bone Crazy' were by now defunct Portsmouth band Screeper. I travelled around in their van up to London, Southampton and around Pompey back when I was first getting myself involved in the Portsmouth music scene in 1996. Saw them about 30 times in nigh-on 3 years.
One of my strongest memories is of the time they performed at the bottom of a 20 act, local FM radio pop bill in front of thousands in a Southampton park. Singer Dave's first words on stage to the assembled hoardes uninterested in anything that wasn't 'famous'? "C'mon you blues". Danger was his lifeblood.
Having Louise, Alisha's Attic and Jimmy Sommerville (amongst several others) knocking about with less of an entourage than our hometown heroes was quite a sight too. We came, we hid in the back of the van, we stole the free beer. I also remember drunkenly announcing the arrival of a Scottish rock band with the shout "Gun are here". Should have put more thought into that or, at least, said it less quickly.
Indeed, the precursor for Vanity Project, our Portsmouth-centric record label Elastic Fiction, released 'Can Fever' on its first cassette compilation that was distibuted free to promote bands on the scene at that time. Hardly any of which exist now. If anyone wants a free tape, or a CD that we did 3 years later, do email skif45@hotmail.com!
Screeper, well Dave Jones from the band, then formed Reinhardt and now heads up Autons, which also features Tony Rollinson, my kinda sven-gali figure for my label and writing efforts within the Pompey scene, and Leon Tricker, best mate of 25 years standing. I've yet to see them live, something i eventually hope to correct.
All the strands weaving together. Boot a football at it and it'd be nigh on perfect.
posted by skif at
11:32 am
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