IN THE MIX Tony Gilkyson Edition Vol. 1
When I lived in San Francisco, I had a crazy girlfriend I turned onto my favorite hangout--a bar that had the same rockabilly band playing for free every Monday night. The band was great, & the draft beer was cheap, & the bar itself was a hundred years old. Because I was travelling for work, & she was there every Monday, when we split up, she got my watering hole in the separation.
So when I moved to Los Angeles, I set to work to find a similar set-up. Randy Weeks wrote Can’t Let Go, which Lucinda Williams included on her Grammy-Winning Car Wheels On A Gravel Road album, which afforded him his own night at The Cinema Bar, and a crack band. Two other songwriters Mike Stinson, & Tony Gilkyson backed him on drums, & guitar, & they had lots of famous guests (like Lucinda Williams) drop in.
Gilkyson is from a family of songwriters that includes his sister Eliza Gilkyson, and his father Terry Gilkyson who was nominated for an Academy Award for writing Bare Necessities for Walt Disney’s The Jungle Book. He also wrote Dean Martin's #1 hit Memories Are Made Of This.
But while he's a great songwriter, what Tony was most known for was his guitar playing. First with Chuck E. Weiss & The Goddamn Liars, then Lone Justice, and finally replacing Dave Alvin in X, who had replaced the legendary Billy Zoom. Tony also produced albums for his sister, and Dances With Wolves author & poet Michael Blake. He co-produced two of Chuck E. Weiss’ albums with Tom Waits, and also co-wrote some Goddamn Liar songs that are included in this compilation (if he can be believed).
Having seen him live at The Cinema Bar 11-12 times, easy, I can tell you that he's quiet, & unassuming, and nice, & one of the most tasteful rock guitarists there is. And you can't go wrong with any of the albums he's put out as a solo artist.
IN THE MIX Tony Gilkyson Edition Vol. 1 contains a lot of X tracks from their Live At The Whiskey-A-Go-Go & Unclogged albums. I feel that the admirable way Gilkyson filled Billy Zoom’s shoes live is one of the reasons the wayward guitarist returned to the fold. Check out Tony's guitar solo on The Once Over Twice—it sounds like a creature born of atomic testing rising out of the water off the coast of Tokyo. There are also cuts with Chuck E., Randy Weeks, & with Lone Justice on a night Bono joined the band onstage. Volume 2 is already finished, but I’m pacing myself.
If anyone has this album by Tony & Michael Blake, it would help the cause: https://www.discogs.com/release/3469721-Michael-Blake-6-Tony-Gilkyson-Im-Alive
is link down looks an amazing comp. have trouble with pixeldrain anyway anther link company
ReplyDeleteMy favorite is The Underpants, that is translated from De Onderbroek. De Broek (trousers) was a building in the Dutch town Nijmegen. Beneath it was De Onderbroek
ReplyDelete(pants, shorts, knickers, underwear, you name it, it's your fantasy) One of the best punk places in The Netherlands, one of the 23 best punkplaces for there were many. Only this one was for me the best because of a special redhead. I didn't move, she did, to Greece. I saw and heard some of the best bands there, even some who existed for a few gigs only, and never even had a proper name. It was never about the music alone....politics veganism activism were more to the point.
Thanks for painting a vivid picture of THE UNDERPANTS, Richard!
DeleteRed heads are good for business, all around!
I’ve shared how I lost my favorite rockabilly hangout above.
ReplyDeleteDownloaders are asked to share with us how they lost a favorite live music venue, be it a bar, or a pub, or a fabled concert hall.
Having to leave one behind because you moved also counts! As they say: "Sharing your sadness cuts it in half!"
Here’s IN THE MIX Tony Gilkyson Edition Vol. 1
https://pixeldrain.com/u/5D7PGLAD
The Syria Mosque in Pittsburgh, PA USA was built in 1911. A beautiful building that held many events over its years & had a rich musical history filled with the great names who graced the stage there. We saw Camper Van Beethoven open for R.E.M. on the grand auditorium stage & saw local band The Cynics open for the Ramones on the basement stage. It was demolished in 1991 to become a parking lot. 35 years later it’s still a parking lot. I’m pretty sure that there’s not been any musical events there but I saw a stray dog taking a shit there a few years ago lol
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Love it, Gonzo. I've seen many unofficial releases from The Syria Mosque!
ReplyDeleteI've seen THE CYNICS & THE RAMONES too! Thanks for the story!
Anonymous, I had an expired link up for a couple minutes, but the Pixeldrain link works now.
ReplyDeleteI have three browsers I use, & EACH of them dislike a couple file sharing sites.
Here's a mediafire link that won't last forever as I don't have an account:
https://www.mediafire.com/file/ebfap9utngc69fl/!N+T#3+M1X+T[]ny+Gilky${}n+Ed!t1on+Vol.+Wun.zip/file
I lived in Boston (Allston, to be precise) many years ago, above a bar called Johnny D's Sounds and Spirits. When I worked nights, I could hear bands rehearsing during the day and often went there. I especially remember and enjoyed Charlie Chesterman and his various bands, most notably Scruffy the Cat. I moved away, the bar is gone, and Charlie's dead. I raise a glass to all 3. --Muzak McMusics
ReplyDeleteA fitting tribute to Mr. Chesterman, Muzak McMusics. I also raise my glass. Your introduction to SCRUFFY THE CAT was much cooler than mine: https://www.discogs.com/release/1860259-Various-Luxury-Condos-Coming-To-Your-Neighborhood-Soon
ReplyDeleteBig Fat Monkey's Hat, anyone?
Thanks for this one.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, Jean-Jacques. Thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWay back in time there was a place in Bangkok I frequented from time to time called Tokyo Joe's, which had some excellent local blues bands performing there. After a location and management change it finally closed its doors, shame really.
ReplyDeleteTokyo Joe's is a great name for a club.
DeleteOne of the best blues bars I've been to had an open stage night, & there was a permanently affixed metal sign on the stage that read: "NO MUSTANG SALLY".
Maxwell's in Hoboken! I lived two blocks from the club for a few years.
ReplyDeleteAlex Chilton, The Handsome Family, Wedding Present, Mary Lou Lord, New Pornographers, Lightning Bolt, Vic Chesnutt and Kristen Hersh (together!), Mark Eitzel, Le Tigre, Half Japanese, Yo La Tengo, The Clean, and I'm forgetting many, many others. Alas, I'm too young to have seen R.E.M. or Nirvana there in their early years.
What a legendary list for any concertgoer much less all at the same club. I've seen shows at Maxwell's, & I share your pain, James!
DeleteMaxwell's for me as well. Lived in Jersey City went to the Bar None record label showcases as well as a bunch of shows.- farewell block party video from 2013. It was a great night! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm9aNeJHWfo
ReplyDeleteThanks Ex-Mixer. I always appreciate a link. That looks like a hell of a party!
ReplyDeleteEuphoria in Portland OR was named after the Robin Remaily song that the original Holy Modal Rounders featured on their first album, and that the west coast version - who'd be in Portland since around Halloween, 1972 - still played every night. They had been playing at a Portland club called the White Eagle which had an asshole bartender, and so a coalition was formed to put together a great place for them, and others, to play. Opening the first week of 1974, It was big enough to feature many out of town artists...Jimmy Buffett's two nights there in 1975 thrilled him so much that he named his first boat after the place. By the latter part of the decade, it was sold to two coke dealers, and though the music presented stayed much the same, the vibe certainly wasn't! Eventually I stopped going, relatively soon before it was turned into a topless joint.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story, Guypinot. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWe're temporarily out of No-Prizes or you'd have gotten one for sure!
I wonder how many great clubs have closed because of the owner's relationship with cocaine?
Where I grew up there was a club that had a makeshift bar (that served beer on ice, & shots of schnapps) on an outdoor deck where you could say the secret word & buy a matchbox with a gram of cocaine in it! It was a great system, until it rained.
Looks great, thanks. On hearing he wrote Can't Let Go, I was sold!
ReplyDelete