Intro music bed- Link Wray- "Jack The Ripper" Voice Over- Rob "Cool Daddy" Dempsey Robert Gordon- "I'm Coming Home"* Music bed- Link Wray- "Rumble" Robert Gordon with Link Wray- "Red Hot" Music bed- Link Wray- "The Swag" Robert Gordon- "It's Only Love"* Music bed- Scotty Moore- "Mean Woman Blues" Robert Gordon & Chris Spedding- "It Feels So Right" Music bed- Duane Eddy- "Rebel Rouser" Robert Gordon- "Quit This Big Old Town"* Robert Gordon I'm Coming Home :60 album spot Robert Gordon- "Heaven"* Music bed- Glen Campbell- "Lonesome Twelve" Robert Gordon- "Honky Tonk Man"* Robert Gordon- "Under Your Spell Again"* Robert Gordon- "Walk Hard"* Robert Gordon- "It's Late"* Robert Gordon- "Lucille"* Robert Gordon- "Little Pig"* Robert Gordon- "Low Down Weekend"* Screamin' Rebel Angels Sizzling Summer Giveaway Music bed- Link Wray- "Scatter" Robert Gordon- "Mountain Of Love"* Robert Gordon- "Rock Billy Boogie" The Reach Around Rodeo Clowns- Rockabilly Deluxe vinyl :60 album spot Robert Gordon- "Someday Someway" Robert Gordon- "Sea Cruise" Robert Gordon- "Lonesome Train" Outro music bed- Joel Paterson- "Speedin' North"
Ronnie Tutt (right) was our guest on the Rockabilly N Blues Radio Hour!
Legendary touring and studio drummer, Ronnie Tutt, was our guest on the Rockabilly N Blues Radio Hour. He shared stories of his time with Elvis, Neil Diamond, Jerry Garcia, Billy Joel, Elvis Costello, Roy Orbison, Johnny Rivers and more! Check out the podcast to hear the interview along with songs from these great artists that feature Ronnie on the drums (and his bass vocal part...hear the podcast to discover which one)! For being such an "animal" behind the drums, Ronnie has such a nice and soft-spoken manner about him. Take a listen to hear just a portion of some of the projects he's worked on.
You can download the podcast for free HERE. Stream it on this page-
Check out some highlights from the podcast interview:
You switched from the trumpet to the drums in high school.
I was pretty much considered a child prodigy tap-dancer. I always wanted to express myself rhythmically. I was hearing rhythm patterns and all of that. Trumpet was kind of boring to me. A friend had it in his closet. It was his dad's trumpet. I was wanting to get away from the violin and that shiny trumpet looked kinda nice. I was frustrated because I wanted to be a drummer (laughs).
I found that you always reminded me of "Animal" from the Muppets while watching you play drums.
Well, that's another story. Some say people think Jim Henson got that idea from watching. I've never had it confirmed or denied (laughs).
Elvis- "Polk Salad Annie"
Do you think that's what got you the job with Elvis?
I think what got me the job with him is the eye contact. The visual...being able to read what he was doing. DJ Fontana and I have always talked about how working with Elvis is like working with a pseudo-stripper. Because every move he made with his body, he always wanted little hits and pushes and things like that.
Do you remember how you felt the very first show you did with Elvis?
Total fear (laughs)! Total panic. He was like a panther pacing back and forth in his black outfit. He had nothing to worry about but he was a very insecure guy when it came to those sort of things.
We're recording this on March 28th. You guys recorded "Burning Love" this day in 1972. Did he hear the original version by Dennis Linde or Arthur Alexander?
I honestly don't remember the whole situation other than the fact that it was played for us...I don't remember if it was a demo or whatever it was. We were trying to encourage him to do more rock & roll. We heard it and thought, "man, this is going to be great!". Unfortunately, his producer, Felton Jarvis, was very, very ill that particular night. He was so sick he had to lay down in the control room. So, I basically took the session over and produced the record. That record still sounds good today. Somebody played it for me not too long ago. I was very surprised it sounded so good.
Tell me about "Always On My Mind". That was a difficult time for Elvis.
I did know it was a period where he was going through a lot of changes. His life was in upheaval. We were all trying to encourage him and keep going because it would have been easy to kind of fold.
Elvis- "Always On My Mind"
Comparing Elvis and Neil Diamond on stage, it feels different in their approach. What's Neil like?
I think the main difference in those guys is...and I've learned this over a period of time...Neil is pretty much a perfectionist in the sense that his philosophy is to do things in repetition over and over so that you feel completely comfortable under all circumstances. It helped me learn that. With Elvis, it was either really up or sometimes really down. Part of that was his problem with prescription drugs. We didn't really understand it at the time. It makes a lot of sense in retrospect. But, on the other hand, Elvis' up performances were about as great as you can imagine. Just like Neil's are when they're really, really up. There's not that much variance in Neil's performance. It's almost like you've got a well-coached team and you're going out there to win and you know you've got the capability of winning every time you go out.
Neil Diamond- "Holly Holy"
How was the experience working on Roy Orbison's "Black & White Night" special?
Well, it was really exciting. We took about a week out of our schedule to do this. It consisted of going through a huge stack of his songs. T. Bone Burnett had put us all together. Our band had been doing quite a bit of work with T. Bone at that time. We all felt comfortable together even though I had never worked with Roy before and hadn't even met him until that particular point in time. I had a lot of respect for songs he had written. I had a stack on a music stand over by the drums...it was about 2 inches thick. We'd go through one song and they'd say, "yeah, that was good...let's go on to the next one". I'd turn the songs over and go "wow, did he write that? wow, he wrote that too!". I was flabbergasted that he had written so many wonderful, wonderful songs. Of course, that's how he was able to attract so many of these great artists that were willing to come along and support him to be a part of it. It was a great challenge to put that many together. It was very rewarding! We weren't trying to do a heavy rock & roll version of all of these, we were just trying to do what we do at the same time have respect for what was done before.
Roy Orbison- "Pretty Woman"
You played on Billy Joel's Piano Man!
Yeah, I did 2 albums with Billy. The first album was Piano Man and the second was called Streetlife Serenade. Both of those albums had some really good tracks.
Hear many more stories about Elvis, Johnny Rivers, Jerry Garcia, Elvis Costello, Cat Stevens and Delaney & Bonnie in the audio podcast above or at iTunes.
Songs heard in the podcast:
Voice over- Rob "Cool Daddy" Dempsey Intro bed- Elvis Presley- "Tiger Man" Elvis Presley- "Way Down" Elvis Presley- "Blue Suede Shoes" (live) Music bed- Duane Eddy- "Road Trip" Elvis Presley- "Mystery Train/Tiger Man" (live) Music bed- Kenny Vaughan- "Mysterium" Elvis Presley- "That's All Right" (live) Elvis introducing Ronnie Tutt on stage Music bed- The Ventures- "Walk Don't Run" Elvis Presley- "Patch It Up" (live) Music bed- Link Wray- "Rumble" Elvis Presley- "Burning Love" Music bed- Duane Eddy- "Franklin Town" Elvis Presley- "Always On My Mind" Music bed- The Ventures- "Memphis" Elvis Presley- "Polk Salad Annie" (live) Music bed- The Ventures- "Raunchy" Neil Diamond- "I'm A Believer" Music bed- Duane Eddy- "The Attack Of The Duck Billed Platypus Roy Orbison- "Claudette" (live) Elvis Costello- "The Big Light" Cat Stevens- "Peace Train" (snippet) Billy Joel- "Piano Man" Jerry Garcia- "Catfish John" (snippet) Johnny Rivers- "Rockin' Pneumonia- Boogie Woogie Flu" Delaney & Bonnie- "Soul Shake" Outro- Joel Paterson- "Mable's Rock"
As one of the founding members of The Beach Boys, Mike Love (along with his cousins Brian, Carl and Dennis Wilson and friend Al Jardine) helped usher in a new sound in 1961. Brian Wilson's successful combination of a Chuck Berry rhythm and a Four Freshman vocal harmony along with Mike Love's visual lyrics catapulted the band out of the starting gate. We recently talked with Mike about the early days as well as being honored by the Society Of Singers at their 21st Ella Awards (named after the great Ella Fitzgerald). Below are some of the highlights of the interview but you can listen to the full Rockabilly N Blues Radio Podcast that includes many great songs from The Beach Boys as well.
(play episode here):
Let's start by going all the way back. One of my favorite movies is That Thing You Do starring Tom Hanks. In the film, a fictional band called The Wonders hear their song on the air for the first time to a thrilling response. What was it like for you and the band to hear "Surfin'" on the air for the first time in 1961?
They had 4 or 5 songs that they played. It might have been on a Sunday. The one that got the most phone-in requests would be the record of the week and they'd play it during the week. It was a way of promoting new records. The radio station would be market testing at the same time to see if it had any value as a hit. Well, we have an extended family. My mom was one of 8 kids. All the cousins, aunts and uncles and everybody phoned the radio station and we easily won (laughs). Sure enough, "Surfin'" became the record of the week. That first time it was played, we were all so excited. We were gathered around the radio because we had been told the record had been chosen as part of this contest. It was extremely exciting to hear your record on the radio. I was 20 and I think Carl was 14 (laughs). And Brian was maybe 19. He's a year younger than I. Dennis was 17. It's pretty amazing. That song, "Surfin'", was a big hit in LA. I believe it went to #2. It went to #1 in Vegas. It was played in Minneapolis and a few stations around the country. It didn't have a national distribution like a major record company. It was on a minor record company. In fact, the guy declared bankruptcy so he wouldn't have to pay us (laughs).
While "Surfin'" wasn't a major national hit, it did get the attention of Capitol Records which signed the band in 1962. Tell us about those early days.
Yeah, the record got the attention of Capitol Records. We signed in 1962 and it had to be after March. I turned 21 and I was the only one that didn't have to have court approval on that contract. The Wilson brothers were all under the age of 21 so they had to have court approval. The next record we came out with was "Surfin' Safari" and that became more well known and even internationally got some play. Then the next year '63 was "Surfin' USA" and it was a huge hit. Of course, '64 was "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "I Get Around". We really took off. People ask us, "did you struggle a long time before you got discovered?" Not really. The first song we ever recorded became a hit although a minor one. It got the attention of Capitol Records. The second was a bigger hit and the third was bigger yet! All in a space of a couple of years.
Tell me about "double-sided" hits.
We'd put out a 45 and have "Surfin' Safari" on one side and the other side was "409"..."Surfin' USA" and "Shut Down"...you know, that kind of thing. We had "double-sided hits" as they called them for several years. That's why I have so many hit singles in the 60's.
The Beach Boys style is so unique. Your lyrics and Brian's style seemed to set you guys apart.
He was brilliantly gifted musically. He would structure harmonies like you wouldn't believe. In fact, the distinctive sound of The Beach Boys harmonies which separates us from so many others is a direct result of my cousin Brian having that gift to structure harmonies. And then the conceptual and lyrical part to a great degree in the 60's up through "Good Vibrations" was in large part my compliment to his musical abilities.
Your lyrics can't be overlooked in the brilliance of the band. As a kid growing up in Kentucky without a beach in sight, I still related to the picture you'd paint in the songs.
Yeah, I was always into the lyrics and the concepts. The style of writing that really impressed me was Chuck Berry. They call it alliteration.
(repeats verse of "Nadine")
When I got a city bus and found a vacant seat
I thought I saw my future bride walkin' up the street
I shouted to the driver, "hey conductor you must slow down
I think I see her please let me off the bus"
When I did "Fun, Fun, Fun", it was like...
Well, she got her daddy's car and she cruised through the hamburger stand now
Seems she forgot all about the library like she told her old man now
And with the radio blasting goes cruisin' just as fast as she can now
It's the same type of syncopation and alliteration. I was always into lyrics...always into poetry, literature...not into math or science (laughs). I love literature, history, philosophy and poetry. I wasn't a massive reader of poetry but I read American poets and a lot of English poetry going back to Chaucer and stuff. I was fascinated always with where words came from. Was there Latin involved? Was there Greek involved? Was there Sanskrit involved? I was very well read when I was a kid. I was the best-read kid in my grade school, Jr. high and high school. It wasn't formal studies so much as it was preparation for what I did with my cousin, Brian.
There are lot's of behind the scenes events that happened with the band that many may not know about.
Brian left the touring group in 1964 and concentrated on record production. Our deal was that he would go and produce the records and we'd all share equally in records and he would share in the touring revenues. That worked out really well because he could concentrate fully on developing a song and at least the tracks. We'd come back in and sing them or complete the writing process. For instance, "Good Vibrations" he might have taken several months to put the final track together. We'd come in and write the lyrics and sing the song. I remember writing all the words to "California Girls" in the hallway of the studio. That was Bruce's (Johnston) first record he recorded with us. He remembers me going out with a legal lined paper and writing the lyrics. Brian had "I wish they all could be California girls" but that was it. I came up with East coast girls, West coast southern girls, mid-west farmer's daughters and all that kind of stuff. I wrote all the lyrics to the song. Although, it's been myth and actual lies about who wrote what. For instance, I wrote all the words to "Surfin' USA", but have yet to be credited for it. My uncle Murry unfortunately disenfranchised his sons and his nephew...me...and he controlled the publishing. So I wasn't credited for many years. It finally got rectified. It's too bad because Brian wasn't capable of protecting himself or myself and I was just too naive in the beginning. I didn't even know what publishing was when we started. My dad was a sheet metal worker and hard working guy but had zero knowledge of the music business. But my uncle Murry did because he was a songwriter and he knew what the value of publishing was. He took advantage of me and his son. It was a tragic kind of thing actually when you're betrayed by your uncle. That's pretty heinous. If you don't think that way, you become a more innocent victim. It's really sad what greed will do.
How did the lyrics to "Good Vibrations" come to you?
I wrote the lyrics on the way to the studio when we were recording that day. Brian had experimented with it and put together a composite of some of his experiments which became ultimately the single. Well, not having the exact track to write to it, I literally dictated it to my then wife, Suzanne...mother of 2 of my children, on the way to the studio...about a 15 minute ride. It was a flower-power poem. "I love the colorful clothes she wears and the way the sunlight plays upon her hair".
While The Beach Boys are closely tied to surfing and car songs, there are a lot of styles with the group.
Yeah, you've got "All This Is That" which kind of came in from the ancient scriptures. It's a saying, "I am that, thou art that, all this is that". "Warmth Of The Sun" is a more melancholy thing about love lost. You still experienced the feeling of having been in love. Then you had "Little Deuce Coupe", "409", "Fun, Fun, Fun" and "Good Vibrations" was one of the most unique songs ever on pop radio. Not only was it psychedelic in a way but it was also successful. You can be weird and not successful commercially. That was both. Unique and successful at the same time which is great.
You wrote a song for your departed friend George Harrison in 2004. The recording circulated in bootleg form for years but you recently released it via Soundcloud. Tell me about this song.
Mike Love and George Harrison
I just released a song called "Pisces Brothers" to the Cloud. It's been tweeted 8 million times. I don't know how many people have heard that song by now. I wrote it about 10 years ago...a couple of years after George Harrison passed away. It's a reminiscence of that time in India at Maharishi's place which was really fascinating. There's a line in it, "not for fortune or for more fame, but for enlightenment we came, to Maharishi and how sublime, there was an atmosphere divine, such precious moments now in the past, music and memories are all that last". "Pisces Brothers" is a very sentimental song. George Harrison passed away but one of the things I said in the lyrics of the song is "we're going to miss you but your songs in life go on and on". It's pretty sentimental and takes me back to that time with Maharishi's place in India. Also, there's the time that Paul McCartney came to the breakfast table with his acoustic guitar and saying, "listen to this". He starts strumming away and playing "Back In The USSR". I said, "you have talk about the girls around Russia in that middle part" and he did. Anyway, "Pisces Brothers" has been heard I guess by millions of people now which is pretty far out.
That song is a great reminder that our music lives on.
Yeah, that's a line in the song, "though your earthly form be gone, your songs of life go on and on". It's so true. Music not only soothes the savage beast, it transcends time. I mean, they're playing Beethoven aren't they in some of these symphonies (laughs). If it's a great song and good music and well performed, there's an indication of immortality there. There are so many people in the past that are no longer with us but we still love their music.
The Society Of Singers recently honored you at their 21st Ella Awards. The night looked to be historic and something you'll most likely never forget. Are you able to put into words what that night meant to you?
It's impossible to put into words how fantastic that evening was. My older son Christian plays with us and
Mike Love, right,
Jacquelyne Love, center, and
John Stamos pose
together at The Society Of Singers’
21st
Ella Awards
(Photo by Matt
Sayles/Invision for
The Society Of
Singers/AP Images)
sings Carl's parts that Carl sang on the original recordings. He sings "Kokomo" and "Good Vibrations" and sounds wonderful on them. My younger son, Brian, gave a really nice speech. My youngest daughter, Ambha, sang one of our songs "Darlin'" in a set with California Saga which is all the children of The Beach Boys...Carnie and Wendy (Brian's daughters), Matt Jardine (Al's son), Justin Wilson (Carl's son), Carl B. Wilson (Dennis' son) and Christian and Ambha. It was such a fantastic night with kids singing and a lot of friends like America (singing "Surfin' USA"), David Marks ("409"), Dean Torrence ("Little Deuce Coupe"), Micky Dolenz ("Wild Honey), Rita Wilson ("Warmth Of The Son"), Dave Koz (sax solo "Kokomo"), Christopher Cross ("All This Is That" and Carl's part on "Kokomo"), The Waters Family ("Unleash The Love"), Lucy Lawless ("Wouldn't It Be Nice"). The whole event was so fun. Peter Noone came up and testified to the fact that in 1966 the #3 group in England was The Rolling Stones, #2 was The Beatles and #1 was The Beach Boys on the strength of "Good Vibrations". Al Jardine came in and did "Help Me Rhonda" which was great. The whole crowd was singing along with that one and rocking out. It was surreal that David Lee Roth came in and did "California Girls" with me. I would sing the first line and he'd do the second one that way. It was absolutely surreal. The fact that David Lee Roth came in from Japan and did that was beyond belief. "Fun, Fun, Fun" was all hands on deck (laughs). John Stamos did a wonderful job as host and emcee. At one point, he says "now I'm going to play some drums" (laughs). He loves to play drums and he loves to come out and perform with us. Because of our being on Full House 3 or 4 times, which was completely John's doing, we've been recognized all over the place having seen The Beach Boys first on Full House. John has been a long time fan and supporter of The Beach Boys and always brings such an element of positivity and showmanship to whatever he does. When he comes out and performs with us, he really adds a great element. There are so many great things about that night that it would be difficult to quantify. They say when you die, your life passes before you. I didn't die, but it was 50 years of "Fun, Fun, Fun". This year is the 50th anniversary of when "Fun, Fun, Fun" was released in March of 1964.
You keep up an incredible touring schedule! What are the keys to your longevity?
People ask us if we ever think about retiring. I say "well I'm going to ask Tony Bennett what he thinks we should do". He's 87 and we went and saw him the other night. We had a sold out show in Austin, TX and we had the night off and went to see Tony Bennett the night before our show. It was in a beautiful
Bruce Johnston, Tony Bennett, Mike Love
performing arts center there. He put the microphone down on the piano and sang a capella. He sounded fantastic at 87. He practices every day and keeps those vocal chords well exercised and we perform enough to where the voices stay strong. If you use your voice regularly, you keep the tonal quality intact. It's when you don't use it or you abuse it with drinking or smoking or something, that's when things go wrong. If you work out a little bit, you stay toned. If you don't, muscles get flaccid. A similar thing happens with vocal chords. I'm not sure if it's identical but it's a similar thing. If you use your voice and practice vocal warm-ups, you're going to be a lot better off as a performer and can perform for many more years. I always meditate a couple of times a day. It keeps the stress level down and the energy level up. The positivity is enhanced and the negativity subsides. It's a cool thing.
Meeting up with Mike Love (left) and Bruce Johnston (right) before
their show in Nashville, TN. October, 2013
The last couple of years have proved to be a goldmine for fans of The Beach Boys, Jan & Dean, etc. In case you missed it, The Beach Boys released their long lost album SMiLE, released a new project That’s Why God Made The Radio and embarked on a 50th Anniversary tour that was captured on film for a couple of live DVD releases as well as the recently released 2 disc set- The Beach Boys Live: The 50th Anniversary Tour. We even got a great new compilation of hits from Jan & Dean titled, Surfs Up last year. Quick side note, this July marks the 50th anniversary of Jan & Dean’s signature tune, “Surf City” as it topped the charts for them for 2 weeks!!
If you’re wondering what will be the new summer album of choice for 2013, then look no further to The Bamboo Trading Co with their self titled release. I bring up The Beach Boys and Jan & Dean influence because if you’re fans of these great artists you’ll most likely recognize many of the names involved with this project. Dean Torrence himself guests on five tracks. Gary Griffin, Randell Kirsch, Matt Jardine (Al’s son), Philip Bardowell, Chris English and Miami Dan Yoe are all involved. David Beard serves as executive producer and the brainchild behind the project. If you read Endless Summer Quarterly, you’ll recognize David as editor and publisher of that great publication. "Drinkin' In The Sunshine" is not only one of the highlights from this project, but it says all that you need to know of what to expect musically. Close your eyes and escape to a tropical paradise with The Bamboo Trading Company!
Front L-R: Chris English, Gary Griffin, Miami Dan Yoe, Philip Bardowell, Matt Jardine
Back: Randell Kirsch
This project has been described as a musical journey from coast to coast so I wanted to delve into each track by the people involved. First, it would be good to get a little back story and the concept for this project. David Beard explains how this came about:
In early 2011 film writer and director Steve Latshaw approached me with the idea of providing film music for “Return Of The Killer Shrews” (a film starring James Best and John Schneider… both of “Dukes Of Hazzard” fame), after he had listened to a demo of the Beach Boys-esque “Don’t Say It’s Over.” The new film, a send-up/sequel to the 1959 cult classic “Killer Shrews” (also featuring Best), called for Exotica music with a Martin Denny twist. I suggested Gary Griffin, because he’s everyone’s go-to-guy (including Brian Wilson’s), and his musical touch is unsurpassed. After reaching out to Gary to gauge his interest, and putting together an idea of what we wanted to do, Steve commissioned us to write two new tracks for the film. After the remainder of 2011 went by, and I had time to really listen to the completed tracks, it was pretty clear that we had caught lightening in a bottle. As fate would have it, Randell Kirsch was not touring with The Beach Boys for their 50th anniversary tour. He was asked to join in on the fun, and he said, “Yes.”
David also explains how the group name evolved:
Several group names were tossed around, but we all seemed to like The Bamboo Trading Company the most. The name was inspired by Torrence’s Jan & Dean memorabilia company. The album concept, from the beginning, was always going to be a road trip. Initially titled, Coast To Coast, and then From Kitty Hawk To Surf City, we decided on a self-titled collection. “Kitty Hawk Graphics” was the name of Dean’s Grammy Award-winning graphic arts company, and “Surf City,” Jan & Dean’s only number one hit, was co-written with Brian Wilson. While these obvious homages exist in name and content, there was no attempt to replicate or re-record anything that had been done before. It was my way of saying, “Thanks for the inspiration.”
Now, let’s take this journey with The Bamboo Trading Company and examine each of the tracks. Airborne
David Beard: The track is so perfectly “airy” that the lyrics came instantaneously. Gary had suggested breaking the song into two parts earlier in the year, which lent itself to lyrics about taking off and landing. There it was, right in front of us, a lighthearted concept album that takes the listener from coast to coast.
Chris English: “Airborne” started out as an experiment to take a simple melodic piano line and create a lush cascade of non-lyrical vocals over the piano; kind of a Coldplay meets Brian Wilson thing.
Philip Bardowell: We just got around the microphone and improvised. Since we’re old friends, the dialogue just flowed out naturally among us. The hard part was getting us to shut up!
Miami Dan Yoe: “Airborne” has a very airy type of feel to it. David Beard had the idea of using it at the beginning and end of the album and adding some chanted lyrics over Chris’s wordless vocals that went along with the album’s theme of taking off in Kitty Hawk and landing in Surf City. I thought it worked out great, and it brings the album full circle.
Kitty Hawk
David Beard: Randell (Kirsch) and I discussed a few song ideas that I had, and decided to
Chris English
pursue “Kitty Hawk.” Along with Miami Dan and Gary, we wrote it 30 minutes. I attribute the incredible sound of this song to Randell. In my humble opinion, he is in a league all his own. “Kitty Hawk” is pure power pop at its best.
Gary Griffin: I love working with Randell. We don’t get the opportunity to do this near as often as in the past. He actually used to live right down the street from me back in the 80’s, so it was easy to collaborate on things. We fell right back into our musical groove on this project and came up with some very cool ideas. He and I work very well together, very quickly – which I love!
Chris English: “Kitty Hawk” is where the journey really begins for the listener. I was really inspired as I worked on this piece.
Philip Bardowell: I love the song and I have an affinity for the Kitty Hawk story, because of Dean. I just tried to use my “sweet” voice and give the song some air and a feeling lightness-of being airborne. I like how it turned out.
Miami Dan Yoe: “Kitty Hawk” turned out to be a really nice track. David Beard had a set of lyrics he had written for it. While Gary was inside the studio working on one of the mixes, David, Randell and I were enjoying the weather on the deck outside the studio, and Dave suggested that we take a stab at finishing the writing of “Kitty Hawk.” He put the lyric sheet down on a little table and we all looked at it for a few seconds. Then, Randell picked up his acoustic guitar and started singing the words, “Won’t you come with me…” to a melody line. Within a couple of minutes he had the entire chorus melody line. Dave and I came up with the verse melody line then we made a couple of minor adjustments to the lyrics to make them more easily singable. We went back into the studio to record a demo version of the song. The entire process, from first sitting down at the table to beginning the recording of the demo, took about 30 minutes. I think the final track was recorded a half scale up from the demo, and Randell’s idea of using the electric sitar came a few days later. The lead vocal was pretty much a group effort.
Randell Kirsch: Writing “Kitty Hawk” with David was like riding a bucking bronco in a rodeo. (There were) so many ideas and lyrics flying out of him, all I had to do was hang on, slow him down and sing a little, “Won’t You Come With Me.” Easy as pie. David is very visual – which is a perspective we share. I like visual lyrics. Philip, Gary and Miami Dan really deliver the vocal on the verses on that song. Tweet (Don’t Talk Anymore)
David Beard: At its essence, “Tweet (Don’t Talk Anymore)” is as much a dialogue on our society as the Monkees’ “Pleasant Valley Sunday” was in 1967. The emboldening of online statements without remorse is slowly chipping away at our society’s soul, ability to communicate with one another, and our desire to treat one another with respect. While quirky and fun in its presentation, “Tweet” has a deeper message. Jez Graham had approached me about writing lyrics for this track in 2009, and the words came to me in a flash… it was hard to keep up when writing it. It was Wednesday, March 21, when Dean dropped in and recorded his lead vocal for “Tweet (Don’t Talk Anymore),” and his backing falsetto for “Drinkin’ In The Sunshine.” It was memorable to watch him sing in his old vocal range so effortlessly. He really knocked it out of the park for us.
Dean Torrence: I don’t appreciate social media. As a matter of fact, if I had my way, all the Smartphones and stuff would be taken away from young people. From my perspective, it has hurt them in so many ways with texting, emailing and all that shit. Anybody that wastes his or her time reading what someone else is doing is pathetic. Pathetic. I’m just opposed to the whole thing. Musically, I suppose that if Jan and I had been approached in the 1960’s, and say tweeting was something that was popular at that time, were always reactionaries to cultural stuff, I suppose we would have given it a good look. Gary Griffin: Well, I’m as guilty as anyone, I suppose. Sticking my face in my iPhone way too much. I don’t tweet but I’m always checking sports scores or whatever. Everybody seems to be somewhere else these days. Chris English:"Tweet"...says it all, doesn't it; the loss of physical community to technology. But it does it in a really lighthearted and playful way. I love that song. Dean is a living legend. He didn't have to do that song but he did. That says a lot about the character and spirit of the man. Philip Bardowell: I love it. I just got off Twitter and Facebook because I agree wholeheartedly!
Miami Dan Yoe: It’s definitely a modern day pop culture statement. The original concept of the song was Jez Graham’s. Beard wrote a set of lyrics around Jez’s idea. Like many of the songs on the album, the basic track was started at another studio (Jez’s home studio in Stone Mountain, Georgia) and finished beautifully at the Supreme Hall of Sound (Gary Griffin’s studio in Panorama City, CA). The track contains one of my favorite vocal moments on the album at around the 1:29 mark, channeling the Sunflower era Beach Boys sound perfectly.
Drinkin’ In The Sunshine
Gary Griffin: I love this song. Dean has a unique tone – we were actually able to get him back up there singing in his high register, that classic falsetto sound from the old J&D days. I had originally wanted to use Peter Lacey’s track as a backing, but decided to re-cut everything – I did use his guitar track. I used “beachy” sounding accompaniment with ukulele and marimba and lots of percussion. Phil does a great vocal on this and, yes, it does feel like Harry Nilsson to me.
Chris English: "Drinkin' in the Sunshine"? That's a great analogy. It's what made so much of the music from the mid-60s to mid-70s so wonderful: the absolute dedication to melody and harmony. Great stuff!
Miami Dan Yoe: Dean can be heard doing his classic falsetto on this track. Phil Bardowell does a wonderful job on the lead. One of my favorite lyrics on the tune is, “Like a cool glass of shade…” That lyric creates a very soothing image, and I really dug the way Phil sang it. The track has a definite Nilsson vibe to it.
Star Of The Beach
Miami Dan Yoe
Gary Griffin: Miami Dan is great at capturing the feel of the “maturing” male! He writes very insightful, reflective lyrics. Probyn Gregory cut a very tight track and then Matt did a great lead vocal.
Chris English: First of all, Dan Yoe is a dear friend, and a fellow Carolinian. And, as a child of the seventies I can certainly relate to the aging protagonist. I love that song. Hopefully I can be a mentor to my younger peers as well...Just not a surfing mentor.
Miami Dan Yoe: I had never deliberately attempted to write a Beach Boys styled song before, but in writing “Star” that’s exactly what I set out to try to do. I wrote the music to “Star” in one sitting, but the lyrics were initially just a single verse and a chorus, and I got stuck writing additional lyrics for the tune. Jemi Blue wrote two additional verses, which originally had the song’s character getting married and having children. I liked the flow of the lyrics Jemi had written, but not so much the course that they had his life taking, since my vision of the character was that of an aging loner who was wedded only to surfing and the thrills it brought him. I made a couple of changes to the lyrics to the second verse she had written to more closely reflect the way I saw his life developing, and decided to drop the third verse altogether in favor of repeating the first one. The song was very loosely based on the life of Dennis Wilson, and was initially intended to be an unauthorized follow-up to the Beach Boys' song “Still Surfin’,” from their much maligned album, Summer In Paradise. In order to bring as much authenticity as possible to the song's Beach Boys connection, I asked David Marks and Probyn Gregory to play and sing on it, and was thrilled when they agreed to do it. Probyn also produced the song, and understanding my desire to give the song a 60’s type sound, he fashioned the song’s baseline after Phil Spector’s, “Then He Kissed Me,” gave a nod to Brian Wilson with the tune’s backing vocals, and paid respect to the Ventures by playing the guitar solo in their style. All the other final guitar parts on the track were played by David Marks. The original track was recorded in a 24-track studio so we were limited on how many vocal parts could be done. In fact, David and Probyn sang their backing parts together on one microphone to save tracks.
The Bamboo Trading Company version of the song uses most of the basic track, but the production and vocals are quite different from the original recording in several respects. When the track was re-worked for the Bamboo Trading Company album, Matt Jardine and Gary Griffin re-cut the lead vocal, and Alan Boyd and Dean added additional vocals. Gary also added some percussion and piano that weren’t in the original track to give it a little fatter sound. Some of the original lyrics were also revised by David Beard to better fit the “Return Of The Killer Shrews” film and Bamboo Trading Company concept. Beard’s lyrical changes included having the choruses sung in the first person, while leaving the verses in the third person. The ending of the song (a capella, with Matt sustaining the word “hell”) is also dramatically different from the original track.
Haulin’ Cargo
Gary Griffin: This piece was based on something I wrote with electronic percussion wizard
Gary Griffin
Taso Kotsos for a movie soundtrack we worked on together about 20 years ago. It’s a little high tech number written in 7/4 (time), which keeps the listener on edge a little bit, never settles down where you want it to. Much like life itself, yes?
Chris English: "Haulin' Cargo" is pure Gary Griffin magic. I never cease to be amazed and inspired by the guy...and, as it turns out, my dad and his flew the same aircraft in WWII, for the same commanding officer but at different periods during the war.
Philip Bardowell: Gary is a wonderful composer and arranger. I’ve been a fan of his work for years. I think it really adds to the temperament and landscape of the album. It adds some nice tension and really paints a picture of movement and action. He’s really good at that.
Shrewd Awakening
Dean Torrence
David Beard: With “Shrewd Awakening” Gary had a flash of brilliance and sent me the title. We discussed Exotica: mysterious music with obscure lyrics. Steve Latshaw perfectly cast the imagery, and Gary ran with it. Lyrically speaking, the songs wrote themselves. After watching a CGI-less version of the film (viewing for pacing of the film), the lyrics, “Shrewd a-wakening, pain-stake-enly done… Shrewd a-wakening, now they’re chewin’ for fun…” crept out. Then, “The calamity, of monstrosities… A cacophony, of altered humanity…” Then, “They go out for a bite in the dark…” Next, the bridge: In this jungle of life, they go to attack… A human smorgasbord… Their late night snack… With their razor sharp teeth… They’re having a feast… Seems it’s the only way to tame the beast.” Now, it was fun and easy. The imagery was coming to life with Gary’s music. His music captures the sensibilities of the tongue-in-cheek humor. Gary Griffin: This is probably my favorite track. Dave wrote some odd lyrics about the hungry vicious shrews. The title just came to me in a serendipitous flash of lyrical brilliance! Martin Denny’s “Quiet Village” was a major influence for the bass figure and the percussion. My lovely wife Elizabeth provided the seductive intro lines for each chorus and with the release of the video she has now become widely known as the, “‘You’re in for a’ Girl.” Talk about how you got involved with the music for “Return Of The Killer Shrews.” Dean Torrence: Songwriter / producer David approached me about recording a song for “Return of The Killer Shrews.” David, and film writer & director Steve Latshaw are both Jan & Dean fans, and they laid out the idea of what they wanted to do, which included me working on a new recording with Gary Griffin and my daughters Katie and Jillian. David Beard: It was on Wednesday, Oct. 5, that Dean, Katie and Jillian, recorded vocals for “Shrewd Awakening” and “Tonga Hut. Footage of these recording sessions was filmed and later used for the “Shrewd Awakening” music video (now online).
What was it like for you to reconnect with Bruce Davison after all the years for the making of the “Shrewd Awakening” music video?
Dean Torrence: It was fun to see him in person. It’s kind of odd when you don’t particularly miss a person when they continue to be in the media (somehow). So, it wasn’t as though I hadn’t seen him in 30 years. It felt as though I was still connected to him after all these years. It was great to see him, great to catch up… He looked healthy and happy, and that made me feel good.
Dean Torrence, David Beard, Bruce Davison photo by Steve Latshaw
During the shooting of the music video, when he spontaneously leapt over and attacked your neck, you two were totally in sync with one another’s comic sensibilities. Dean Torrence: That’s probably one of the reasons Bruce was chosen to portray me in “Deadman’s Curve,” because he was a good spontaneous actor. I don’t think Richard Hatch quite was as spontaneous as Bruce was, but it was more important for Bruce to be the spontaneous / comedic character when needed. I wasn’t surprised that he would do something like that. It just seemed perfectly in character to me after all these years. Some stuff never changes.
Tonga Hut
David Beard: “Tonga Hut” was written from inspiration provided by the bar of the same name
Philip Bardowell
located at 12808 Victory Blvd in North Hollywood, CA. Full of Tiki charm, the lyrics are what you might expect to experience if you were sitting inside enjoying a cocktail. Towards the end of the song you hear, “Dottie needs her Brandy Alexander.” The line was added to honor one of the Tonga Hut’s very special patrons, Dottie, who patronized the bar six days a week taking only Sundays and the occasional rainy day off. Dottie was known for her fondness for Brandy Alexanders.
Gary Griffin: Another piece using Martin Denny and Esquivel as influences. Dave and I wrote some lyrics that include many of the unique names of the cocktails from the Tonga Hut menu – or the “Grog Log” as they call it. Phil’s last verse is truly inspired. I simply told him to improvise away from the melody and one take later we had this incredible verse. This guy can sing, I tell ya!!
Philip Bardowell: That was fun. I enjoyed “letting my hair down” on that one. That Island feel comes naturally to me being born in Jamaica and all. I tried channeling Sting at that tag! Fun tune… Chris English: Same thing goes for "Tonga Hut." It's kind of a period piece-and a location piece-that really draws the listener into an intriguing story. Miami Dan Yoe: “Tonga Hut” to my ear has a bit of a Jimmy Buffett vibe to it; a really fun track that showcases Phil Bardowell’s vocal chops.
Jericho
Gary Griffin: Another glimpse into the world of Miami Dan! He has created a musical mystery right up there with “What did Billie Joe McAllister throw off the Tallahatchee Bridge?” What really went on in Jericho that changed him so very much?? We may never know. I’m sure Dan doesn’t remember anyway. Too bad. Chris English: "Jericho" is one of my favorite songs on the record. It probably has a lot to do with the fact that Dan is singing it. Great voice and delivery on that guy.
I’ve Always Loved The Ocean
Matt Jardine
Miami Dan Yoe: I originally wrote that song in the late 70’s and when I would sing it I always made a conscious effort to sound like Alan Jardine in my vocal. I never dreamed that over 30 years later Al’s son would be recording a vocal for it. I’m a long time fan of Matt’s and couldn’t be happier that he does the vocal on both “I’ve Always Loved the Ocean” and “Star Of The Beach.”
Gary Griffin: Great vocal by Matty – another great track that Probyn cut and we sweetened here in L.A.
Chris English: Matt brings a lot to the table on everything he's a part of. I really loved working with him. "I've Always Loved The Ocean" highlights his incredible vocal skills.
Philip Bardowell: For me, the song should be called “I’ve Always Loved Matt’s Voice.” His performance is stellar; it’s such a sweet tone.
Don’t Say It’s Over
Gary Griffin: Randell did a marvelous vocal on this and great harmonies with Matt on the
Randell Kirsch
choruses and tag (with Chris). I love the 007 reference in verse 2 of Oddjob and Sean Connery playing Frisbee with Oddjob’s deadly hat. A funny image. Dave initially wrote this song a few years back.
Chris English: Randell really brought his A-Game to "Don't Say it's Over." He has a gift for performance that more people should be aware of. Philip Bardowell: Randell is one of the most gifted vocalists and songwriters I know. Everything he sings sounds great. He’s a complete natural.
Miami Dan Yoe: “Don’t Say It’s Over” is my favorite track on the album. Randell nailed the lead. Chris, Matt and Randell all did fabulous jobs on the backing vocals. I think Dan Houck played the instruments on the basic track and did a great job, and Gary’s sweetening of the track took it up a notch as well. It was a home run all around. It’s a perfect summer song.
The Bamboo Trading Company (Theme)
David Beard: The last song written for the collection was, “The Bamboo Trading Company (Theme).” The track is a rollicking cross-hybrid of the Monkees, Dave Clark Five and the Traveling Wilburys, which was perfect. The vision for The Bamboo Trading Company had always been a surf pop genre hybrid of a bunch of friends gathered around a microphone, cracking jokes, making it look effortless, hanging out together and just having a great time. We believe we captured that ambiance.
Gary Griffin: Dave had written some “theme song” lyrics and had a rough idea for the melody. I wrote a snappy little piece to accompany it. I think it took about 45 seconds to write. Cute. I wanted to do one of those crazy chaotic tags like something from a Beatles record from the late 60’s – in fact there’s a Beatles musical “quote” in there. Did anyone hear it? Randell simply showed up at the session with his baritone electric sitar. How could I say no? I love it!!
Airborne (Reentry)
Chris English: The musical journey from coast to coast brings so many memories for me, literally. I've lived in SoCal and, for the most part, on the southern east coast. I know the journey by air and by road. I hope the listener will get the sense of joy that the imaginary trip (and recording process) conjures up.
Philip Bardowell: It conjures up a journey-like a short film without dialogue. I like the conceptual approach this album embraces.
Miami Dan Yoe: For me, listening to this album will always bring back the memories of being in the Supreme Hall of Harmony working on the tracks. The studio is located in Southern California, so the weather was always sunny and warm. Using the “Airborne” track to bookend the other songs was the perfect way to begin and end the record.
How would you describe The Bamboo Trading Company CD to someone who hasn’t heard it yet?
Gary Griffin: Reckless abandon. Fun. Just following wherever the music takes you. A musical potpourri… Impossible to pigeonhole. I suppose there are “summertime” influences there which make it easy to describe as a “BeachBoys-ish” type record. I don’t really hear that though.
Matt Jardine: David and Gary did a fine job putting it all together. I would describe it as a throwback kind of project. It has a lot of 70’s feel to it… A few tracks sound quasi Beach Boys. I think that fans who like that era of music will probably enjoy it.
Philip Bardowell: It is very unique, fresh, adventurous, brave…and yet still very palatable.
Randell Kirsch: It is written in the scriptures that Rock and Roll came from the Blues, the saddest of all music (especially if it’s in D minor), but all we did was laugh our butts off making this record. It was really fun. … David Beard is just brimming with ideas, concepts, plans for World Domination, etc. If only .0001% get done, we’ll be busy every summer for the rest of our lives.
Chris English: The Bamboo Trading Company IS the consummate summer record, and was (and remains for me) a labor of love. It will always hold a special place in my heart. The individual and collective songwriting on this album is some of the best pop songsmithing I’ve ever been a part of.
Miami Dan Yoe: Well, it’s for sure a summer album and I’ve seen a couple of reviewers call it that. I think if it were to catch on and get enough airplay and other exposure it could become the soundtrack album of the summer. Much of the album is pure, summertime pop, but several of the songs, primarily in the middle section of the record, are a little darker in their sound and a little more mysterious in their lyrical approach. Production and performance account for much of the success or lack of success for any song, but if a tune is going to have any chance at being successful, it has to have good bones. To my ear, there’s not a throwaway track on the album, which is a tribute to the strength of the songwriting.
Dean Torrence: From an “old school” perspective, the CD has enough good music on it, so I’m very proud. The packaging was dead on… Absolutely perfect! Overall, as a complete package, it’s pretty darn good. If enough people say they are good with it, then I’m good with it.
