Smash Mouth stirs fair crowd

Singer Steve Harwell led rock
group Smash Mouth through an energetic
90-minute set at the Upper Peninsula
State Fair on Aug. 21.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

California rock band Smash Mouth entertained a primarily youthful audience at the Upper Peninsula State Fair on Aug. 21.

Formed in San Jose in 1994, Smash Mouth has incorporated vintage rock 'n' roll styles, such as ska, punk and surf into their music, giving it broad appeal.

The group performing in Escanaba included core members Steve Harwell (lead vocals), Paul DeLisle (bass) and Michael Urbano (drums). Touring members Michael "Hippy" Klooster (keyboards) and Leroy Miller (guitar) also appeared. Miller replaced original guitarist Greg Camp.

Camp, the group's main song writer, quit Smash Mouth in 2008, releasing a solo album, but reportedly re-joined the band in June.

During an energetic 90-minute performance before a near-capacity grandstand crowd, Smash Mouth roared through a 24-song set of hit singles, album cuts, cover tunes and one song made-up on the spot.

The free concert was sponsored by the Island Resort and Casino.

My wife Sue and I attended the show with friends Rod and Marcy Maynard, who were taking their five-year-old son Tyler to his first rock concert.

Smash Mouth opened with a revved-up take on "Can't Get Enough Of You Baby," an old rhythm and blues number written by Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell. The song was first released by all-girl group the Toys in 1966, but failed as a single. Featured in the movie "Can't Hardly Wait," Smash Mouth enjoyed a hit with their version of the song in the summer of 1998.

The band dug deep into its past for "Beer Googles," an early group composition from their first album, "Fush Yu Mang," released on Interscope Records.

Next came another original, "Then the Morning Comes, a No. 11 hit, featuring a nifty guitar solo by Miller.

"Diggin' Your Scene" followed, showcasing Urbano's drumming and Klooster's wild keyboard work.

Both retro-sounding tunes came from the band's "Astro Lounge" compact disc, released in 1999. The album marked the band's commercial and artistic peak.

Smash Mouth displayed an energetic stage presence, with the long-haired Miller commanding attention and Klooster playing his keyboard like a whirling dervish.

Turning to its "Summer Girl" disc, released on the band's own Beautiful Bomb label, Harwell led the group through "Everyday Superhero," "Getaway Car," "Story of My Life" and "The Crawl."

The first track from their self-titled "Smash Mouth" disc appeared next with "Holiday In My Head." "Are we having fun, yet?" Harwell asked. A group of local girls danced on stage as the Smash Mouth frontman sang the number.

"The Fonz," a tune referencing a character portrayed by Henry Winkler on the "Happy Days" television series, followed.

A small mosh pit opened among the 500 or so fans gathered at the front of the stage.

Smash Mouth kept rocking with "Come On, Come On." Harwell, who co-wrote the tune with Camp, introduced the song as "old school Smash Mouth." The song was featured on the soundtrack to the film "Snow Day."

Slotted next was a group composition and the band's biggest hit. "Walkin' On the Sun" topped out at No. 2 on the pop chart in the summer of 1997 and fired-up the crowd.

"Come on boys, let's kick it up a little, now," Harwell announced as the band tackled "Waste" from "Astro Lounge."

"I'm going to party with you," Harwell improvised with the band playing along for a short time. "I just made that up on the fly," Harwell told the crowd.

Then Smash Mouth launched into "Quality Control" from "Summer Girl" and "Always Gets Her Way" from the "Get The Picture" album.

They returned to "Summer Girl" for "Hey L. A." and "So Insane," the group's most-recent single.

The band delved into the past again for "I'm A Believer," their hit from 2001. Composed by Neil Diamond, "I'm A Believer" was a chart-topper for the Monkees in 1967.

Smash Mouth left the stage at this point but returned to the drumming of Urbano, Harwell calling him "the greatest drummer I've ever known."

Keeping the classic vibe going during the encore, the band honored the veteran rock group Van Halen with "Runnin' With the Devil" and "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love." The crowd roared its approval.

For good measure they added "You Really Got Me," the Kinks tune which Van Halen covered for their first hit in 1978.

After the oldies segment, Harwell asked the audience to pray for Taytem Drossard, a local girl being treated for cancer. Smash Mouth played "Let's Rock," another "Fush Yu Mang" staple, as a tribute to her.

Fittingly, they closed the evening with "All Star," the opening number on their "All Star Smash Hits" package, released on Universal Records in 2005. Also found on "Astro Lounge" and the soundtracks to "Mystery Men," "Inspector Gadget," "Shrek" and "Rat Race," the ubiquitous track was the Top Ten hit you couldn't escape in the summer of 1999.

In the end, the band's electrifying set included a crowd-pleasing mix of hits, choice CD tracks and clever cover songs.

Named after a football term coined by Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka, Smash Mouth delivered an Upper Peninsula show as exciting as their name implies.

Jazz connects U.P., New York

Upper Peninsula native Lodi Carr
and current resident Bill Carrothers
both performed at New York City's Village
Gate during the 1990s. The famous jazz
venue closed in 1993.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

The metropolitan world of jazz and the isolated Upper Peninsula have an improbable relationship.

As evidence, consider the fact that the U. P. spawned the career of jazz singer Lodi Carr and currently provides sanctuary for jazz pianist Bill Carrothers.

Both performers have dazzled crowds at the Village Gate, a famed jazz club at the corner of Thompson and Bleecker Streets in New York City's Greenwich Village.

Born in Marquette, Carr's parents and older brother were amateur singers. She sang in church as a youngster.

Moving to Detroit, she attended jam sessions while still in high school and first sang with Milt Jackson in the late 1940s.

Carr began to sit in with a trio led by Otis "Boo" Turner at the West End Hotel. She moved to New York with Turner in the mid-50s, working in New Jersey and at the Continental in Brooklyn.

During the 1950s, she earned a solo gig at a jazz club called Page Three.

Still, she went back to Detroit for a time in 1958, returning to NYC in the summer of the following year.

Although Carr has had many career highlights, she is probably best known for her first LP, "Lady Bird," released in 1960.


Lodi Carr

The album's attractive color cover pictures the young singer perched in a tree, apparently an attempt to illustrate the album's title.

The photograph was taken by George Jones, while the cover was designed by Walter Rich.

Influential jazz critic Nat Hentoff lauded Carr's talents in liner notes printed on the back cover.

The 11-track long-player was produced by Murray Singer.

"Lady Bird," the album's title track, opens side 2. The song was composed by Tadd Damerson, with lyrics contributed by Otis "Boo" Turner.

A second original song, "Tumble-In-Down," composed by Robert Mellin, with lyrics by Stan Free, is found on side 1.

In fact, the Stan Free Sextet backed Carr on some of the cuts, while the Jerry Segal Trio appeared on other selections.

A 45 rpm single, "If I Should Lose You," coupled with "When I Fall In Love," was issued to promote the album.

Carr was one of the first signings to Laurie Records, formed in March, 1958 by brothers Bob and Gene Schwartz, Elliot Greenberg and Allan I. Sussel.

Now owned by EMI- Capitol Special Markets, Laurie's stable of artists included Dion & the Belmonts, Gerry & the Pacemakers and the Royal Guardsmen.

Carr's debut album effectively launched the Upper Peninsula native beyond her Detroit base.

She met her husband in 1960 and had a son, Joseph, the following year, putting her career on hold for her family. Carr returned to jazz in 1982.

From 1986 to 1992, she performed weekly at the Village Gate. The venue, which hosted many of her early appearances, closed in 1993.

Now 75, Carr continues to reside in New York.

While Carr is an Upper Peninsula native, 45-year-old Carrothers moved here after launching a successful cosmopolitan jazz career.


Bill Carrothers

A professional pianist for more than 25 years, Carrothers has played many venues throughout the United States and Europe.

Rather than a big city existence, Carrothers has chosen to live in Mass City, a tiny community in the U. P.'s Ontonagon County.

An old copper mining town, Mass City features a general store, two restaurants, two bars, acres of wilderness and solitude.

The rural area offers Carrothers the quiet he needs for composing and boundless acres for one of his favorite past-times-- snowmobiling.

Carrothers has an impressive catalog of 16 recordings as a band leader, all critically acclaimed.

His albums appear on such labels as Birdology, Sketch, Illusions and Pirouet. He also distributes compact discs via his own Bridge Boy Music.

Carrothers performed with his trio, including bassist Nic Thys and drummer Dre Pallemaerts, at Village Vanguard during a week of shows in July.

The program was reviewed by music critic Nate Chinen in the New York Times.

Carrothers had made a move away from the New York clubs and his last week-long engagement came at the Village Gate, Carr's home base, back in 1990.

Opened by Art D'Lugoff in 1958, the Village Gate is where Aretha Franklin made her first New York appearance and where Bob Dylan wrote "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall."

Recent albums by Carrothers have included 2006's "Shine Ball" and "Home Row," from 2008.

A history enthusiast, Carrothers has also turned out CD's such as "Armistice 1918" and "Civil War Diaries."

Carrothers first found himself in northern Michigan on a snowmobiling trip. He fell in love with the U. P. and the exhilaration of snowmobiling.

"There are only a few more purely joyful experiences than skimming across a frozen field or twisting through the woods on a sled," Carrothers is quoted as saying.

He and his wife located a home for sale on the Internet and moved to Mass City.

The pair are raising their children in the rural setting and Carrothers keeps his many fans updated on his activities at his website, carrothers.com.

Now, Carrothers performs jazz piano at gigs around the world, then returns to his home in the scenic, sparsely- populated Copper Country, once the center of Finnish culture in the U. P.

The careers of Bill Carrothers and Lodi Carr perfectly illustrate an unlikely relationship between the sophisticated jazz of New York City and the homespun ways of the Upper Peninsula.

Rare U. P. LP sells for $1,300

"Snow Children," a vintage LP by the
Houghton-based rock band the Kinetics, sold
on eBay last week for $1,300.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

A hard-to-find record album featuring cover songs performed by a vintage Upper Peninsula rock band fetched some nice money at auction recently.

"Snow Children," a mid-60s long-player released by the Five Kinetics, sold for $1,300 on Aug. 6.

The cleverly-titled platter received 13 bids when it was auctioned on eBay, the giant online site headquartered in San Jose, CA.

Based in the U. P. college town of Houghton, the group was founded as the Kinetic Energy and released their LP under the moniker the Five Kinetics. Fans, however, referred to the combo simply as the Kinetics.

The band was comprised of Frank Gallis (vocals), Chuck Roberts (drums), Mike Krenitsky (lead guitar), C. J. Lindecamp (bass) and George Tiggis (keyboards).

In his auction listing, the seller described the record and cover to be in very good plus condition. Although the owner didn't cite his source, he claimed that only about 10 copies are known to exist.

The Calument Theater

Many of the tracks were recorded live at the Copper Country's historic Calumet Theater, while "other cuts were done within a controlled recording environment," singer Gallis told me.

The album was produced by Fran Locatelli, a radio pioneer at radio station WHDF with studios in Calumet and at the Douglass House in Houghton, home to Michigan Technological University.

Containing a dozen cover songs, the Kinetics' LP perfectly captures the sound of the times.

For the album, the band recorded their own versions of memorable hit singles, most from the summer of 1966.

The disc opens with a raw interpretation of "Little Girl" by the Syndicate of Sound, a garage rock quartet hailing from San Jose. The original single peaked in the Top Ten during the summer of 1966.

Frontman Gallis sets the tone for the Kinetics version with some primal wailing.

The energy continues with "Black Is Black" which the Spanish group Los Bravos brought to No. 4. "Black is black. I want my baby back," Gallis pleads.

The Kinetics slow the pace with "Cherish," a chart-topper by The Association, an LA pop group.

"Mr. Dieingly Sad," is the fourth track on the record. The song was a hit for the Critters from Plainfield, N. J.

The Hollies, meanwhile, were the source for "Bus Stop." Based in Manchester, England, the tune was the first Top Ten hit for the British group.

A wild version of "You're Gonna Miss Me," closes side one of the Kinetics LP. Roky Erickson sang the original version of the tune for the Austin-based Thirteenth Floor Elevators.

The recording has a "jawdropping manic distortion solo for about a minute and a half," commented Patrick Lundborg, Aaron Milenski and Ron Moore in their book "Acid Archives."

The Kinetics open side two with their take on another No. 1 hit, "Poor Side of Town." The song was a career pinnacle for New York City native Johnny Rivers.

Another No. 1 follows with "Summer in the City," a frantic rocker by the Lovin' Spoonful, a jug band from New York City fronted by John Sebastian.

The Kinetics give a nod to the Michigan rock 'n' roll scene with "96 Tears" by Question Mark and the Mysterians, a punk rock band from Saginaw. The track, sung by Rudy "?" Martinez, was an early hit in Flint and Detroit before reaching No. 1 nationally in the fall of 1966.

Bobby Hebb's smash "Sunny" follows. Born in Nashville, Hebb's song was a tribute to his brother who was killed in a mugging.


The Kinetics

The Kinetics chose another British band, The Who, for their next offering, covering the joyous rocker "The Kids Are Alright." Released on the Decca label in July, 1966 the single inexplicably failed to chart in the United States.

For the album's closer, the Kinetics turned to frat rock champions, the Kingsmen for "David's Mood." The instrumental work-out was originally the flipside to "Little Latin Lupe Lu," which the Portland, Oregon group released in 1964.

With recording completed, the Kinetics arranged to have their album released on the custom Record Publications Co. (RPC) label, headquartered in Camden, New Jersey. (The U. P.'s Wayfarers later issued their "Live" album on the same label.)

A colorful pink and turquoise cover was designed and the album was assigned catalog number 81262.

"We were seeking a recording contract and we thought we were at the top of our game at that point," vocalist and group founder Frank Gallis recalled.

Gallis said the Kinetics ordered 2,500 copies of the LP to sell at dances, distribute to disc jockeys, and give to record label representatives. Copies were also sold at various Copper Country retail outlets, Gallis said.

The Kinetics album was auctioned by Jim Oldsberg, a Minneapolis-area garage band enthusiast, known for getting hard-to-find Midwest vinyl.

He also offered a copy of the Kinetics first 45 rpm single. "I'm Blue"/"Feeling From My Heart" sold for $81.

Taped in Minneapolis, the songs appeared on the Studio City Records label in 1965. Both were written by drummer Chuck Roberts.

A second single, "Susie Q"/"Margaret Ann" was offered for sale on eBay by a different seller for $34.99. Issued in 1968 on Amy Records, the seven-incher was the only other vinyl product released by the Kinetics.

My collection includes both singles, but the LP has remained out of my grasp, and at $1,300, out of my financial range as well.

Still, Gallis was kind enough to provide me with a digital copy of all their recordings, including two unissued tracks, "Heat Ray" and "Dirty Old Man." Those songs were taped for a 45 follow-up to "Susie Q," but never released.

Although the sound they trumpeted with their "Snow Children" LP peaked commercially and artistically in the mid 1960s, the Kinetics created a garage-punk classic that has turned out to be a financial gem as well.

Poster collecting offers rewards

The Jimi Hendrix Experience were
portrayed as cowboys for this poster
included in their "Smash Hits" album.

By STEVE SEYMOUR

If you're a music fan, chances are you've been intrigued by posters, too.

Attention-grabbing and graphically pleasing, posters are just as collectible as records or compact discs.

The first music-related posters I owned came inside record albums. Record companies began to add posters to their LPs to give customers added value for their money in a competitive market.

When "Smash Hits" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience appeared in June of 1969, the package included a poster of the group on horses, portrayed as cowboys in the old West.

Hendrix, bassist Noel Redding and drummer Mitch Mitchell had been photographed by Ed Thrasher on the back lot at the Warner Brothers studio in Los Angeles.

Thrasher, art director for Warner's record division, took photographs during a full-day's session two months earlier for the album's cover artwork.

The images were meant to mimic "Gunsmoke," a popular television series at the time.

The large poster found its way onto the walls at record shops and fans' bedrooms around the country and helped cement Hendrix' reputation as an iconic singer, songwriter and guitarist.

Just months earlier the Beatles offered a free poster in their double LP commonly known as the "White Album." Pop artist Roy Hamilton had suggested the group include an elaborate poster to make-up for the lack of graphics on the record cover he had designed.

Paul McCartney gathered the photos which were used for the poster, measuring 23 by 34 inches. The resulting collage included a drawing of John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Ringo Starr with "Candy" co-star Ewa Aulin, George Harrison with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, recently-deceased manager Brian Epstein, and dozens of other snap shots.

The reverse side had lyrics for 28 of the album's 30 songs and writing credits. Also included in the album were the now-familiar individual color portraits of McCartney, Lennon, Starr and Harrison taken by John Kelly.

Harrison continued the poster tradition when he released his "All Things Must Pass" in late 1970. The triple-album box set contained a 24 by 36 inch poster made from a photograph taken by Barry Feinstein of Camouflage Productions.

Looking quite unlike a "mop top" with long hair and beard, Harrison is pictured in a dark corridor in his Friar Park home. The image is barely-lit, with little light coming from windows behind the ex-Beatle.

Former bandmate Lennon, meanwhile, chose the opposite approach for his "Imagine" album, released in 1971. The accompanying poster shows Lennon, playing a white piano, in a white room which served as his home recording studio.

One of the rarest Beatles posters came inside a double record set called "The International Battle of the Century: The Beatles Vs. the Four Seasons."

Released by Vee-Jay Records on Oct. 1, 1964 the two albums were actually a repackaging of "Introducing the Beatles" and "Golden Hits of the Four Seasons." Vee-Jay was a black-owned record label founded in Gary, Indiana, which had licensed early Beatles recordings from the group's British label, EMI.

The package contained the two albums and a 12 by 24 inch poster. The poster is an artist's depiction of the faces of the young Beatles on a black background, surrounded by a garish green frame.

The art was actually adapted from a Vee-Jay picture sleeve for the 45 rpm single, "Do You Want to Know a Secret"/"Thank You Girl." No artist credit for the drawing is given.

Fans of the Four Seasons hoping for a poster of their favorite group were left empty-handed.

Valued at about $200 today for the poster alone, I was lucky enough to pick up a copy of the record and artwork in the early 1970s for about $20.

Not to be outdone by their contemporaries, British rock band Pink Floyd issued two posters with their classic album, "Dark Side of the Moon."

Released in March, 1973 one poster showed the Great Pyramids of Giza taken on infrared film, while the other displayed photos of Pink Floyd in concert. The second poster had the letters to the band's name scattered over the images. Jill Furanovsky, Aubrey Powell and Storm Thorgerson took the photographs.

"Dark Side of the Moon" became one of the best-selling albums in rock history.

Paul McCartney's band Wings countered with two posters in the "Venus and Mars" album, released by Capitol Records in 1975. Each measured 20 by 30 inches in size.

One poster shows McCartney and wife Linda at the foot of Canal Street in New Orleans with the Tuxedo Brass Band during a riverboat party. The photo was taken by Sylvia de Swaan. The second poster, shot by Powell in northern California, features Wings posing in front of an old building.

The Pink Floyd and McCartney albums both used graphics assembled by Hipgnosis, an art design firm founded by Powell and Thorgerson.

The refracting prism design on the cover of "Dark Side of the Moon" brought Hipgnosis international fame. They later did artwork for Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, AC/DC, Yes and many other well-known rock acts.

One of the most coveted posters came in "Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits," released by Columbia Records in 1967.

Measuring 33 by 22 inches, the poster shows Dylan's profile in black. His curly hair is multi-colored and an instant reminder of the psychedelic era.

The Dylan artwork was created by graphic designer Milton Glaser. Glaser also designed the "I Love New York" logo.

Back in the day, buying a record album from the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, the Beatles or Bob Dylan which also contained a poster was a pleasant bonus.

Today those posters bring back memories and have an nostalgic appeal beyond any monetary value.