blasters « No Fightin': The Red Devils, Lester Butler & California blues, rock and roots music

Archive for blasters

Fourth of July fireworks: The original Blasters live

Posted in bill bateman, related music with tags berwyn, bill bateman, billy boy arnold, blasters, chicago, dave alvin, fitzgerald's, fourth of july, john bazz, keith wyatt, phil alvin on July 6, 2010 by J.J.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

While many in the crowd were talking about the return of the Fightin’ Alvins, the real on-stage fireworks this Fourth of July weekend came courtesy of the past and present of Blasters guitar players.

The Blasters were one of the featured acts this past weekend at the 30th American Music Festival at FitzGerald’s in Berwyn, Illinois. The current lineup (frontman Phil Alvin, guitarist Keith Wyatt, bassist John Bazz and Bill Bateman on drums) was augmented by founding guitarist and songwriter Dave Alvin, in a rare return to the fold.
Read more »

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

1 Comment »

Bateman drums: Old school, new ideas

Posted in bill bateman with tags blasters, blues, drums, red devils on June 6, 2010 by J.J.

Bill Bateman is featured in the May/June 2010 issue of Drumhead magazine, mostly talking about the craft of drum building. Bateman began building kits for his own Bateman Drum Company a few years ago, and he talks, in detail, with Drumhead about the why and how:

“I noticed that some of the drum companies have made choices in their production that aren’t geared towards a better instrument, but rather are a by-product of mass production. Some companies are good. Gretsch still does it the old 1940s way, which is great. Ludwig is kind of imitating what they used to do, but they have all butt joints. They didn’t have butt joints in the old days.”

Bateman is revealed as a true drum gearhead, with an astounding knowledge of styles and companies. He even talks at length about studying Civil War-era snare drums, eventually building two rope-tension snares in the 19th-century style, according to Drumhead. Much of the article is about how he and his brother-in-law experimented with making wood shells. But Bateman always keeps the player in mind, even when selecting hardware (which he gets from old drums): “All of that double-braced hardware isn’t going to fit into the back of your Toyota,” Bateman told the magazine. “Even if it did, your back would be pissed at you the next day.”
Read more »

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

1 Comment »

Show souvenirs

Posted in red devils with tags american recordings, blasters, bruce springsteen, def american, four horsemen, harmonica, jack's sugar shack, lester butler, rick rubin on December 23, 2009 by J.J.

Christmas came a little early here at nofightin.com, thanks to some cool memorabilia shared by Andrew Rackauskas.

Rackauskas, who tells us he ran a ’90s fanzine called Spinal Column (his 13 review can be found on Jasper Heikens’ site), sent us an e-mail, relating stories about seeing the Devils every week at Jack’s Sugar Shack in L.A.:

I can’t tell you how lucky I felt getting to watch them virtually every Thursday for so long! Once Jack’s moved to the Hollywood/Vine location, the vibe was killed, and the Devils started playing far less. I was also really lucky to see them play as the house band at the “Ciao Def” party where Rick Rubin’s label got rid of the “Def” and made it “American Recordings.” They played in a bowling alley off Olympic in Koreatown in L.A. that is no longer there. It was quite the party! I remember waiters walking around w/ wheel-barrows of beer and booze!

Check out these photos he’s passed along:

Rackauskas has a harmonica signed by Lester Butler, "but I'm never going to part with that!"

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Leave A Comment »

Doghouse Lords unleashed in California

Posted in bill bateman, related music with tags bill bateman, blasters, blue shadows, blues, california, chopper franklin, cramps, doghouse lords, javier matos, john bazz, rockabilly, roots, video on August 1, 2009 by J.J.

For all your Bill Bateman needs, look no further than The Doghouse Lords, with dates next week in California. As an added bonus, it looks like Bateman and John Bazz are pulling double duty with The Blasters on a couple of these gigs.

Doghouse Lords guitarist Chopper Franklin (late of The Cramps) tells nofightin.com that tour dates and more can be found on the mutts’ new site doghouselords.com.

Aug. 5: Redwood Bar, L.A.
Aug. 6: Red Devil Lounge with The Blasters, San Francisco
Aug. 7: Thee Parkside — the “Doghouse Duo” in San Francisco
Aug. 8: 19 Broadway with The Blasters, Fairfax, California
Aug. 9: Redwood Bar — the “Doghouse Duo” in L.A.

If anyone hits these shows, give us your review on nofightin.com.

And for those not familiar with the Lords, watch “Georgia Chain Gang:”

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Leave A Comment »

The Blasters’ ‘Trouble Bound’ 2002

Posted in bill bateman, related music with tags bill bateman, blasters, dave alvin, john bazz, knitters, phil alvin, trouble bound on July 7, 2009 by J.J.

The California blues/roots/rockabilly/R&B collective The Blasters should be required listening for any fan of American Music. During the 1980s, the band, along with contemporaries such as X and Los Lobos, bridged punk and roots music with an energy and enthusiasm that thrilled a legion of fans of all types of music.

That Blasters ethic is well-displayed on the 2002 “comeback” album “Trouble Bound,” a live disc featuring the four original Blasters on record for the first time 17 years: Phil Alvin, Dave Alvin, John Bazz and Bill Bateman.

The Red Devils were one of many offshoots from The Blasters, sharing at least half a dozen musicians over the two bands along with 13, the Blue Shadows, the Knitters and others. Devils fans will find much to love on “Trouble Bound,” along with some familiar touchstones: An edgy live sound, an exemplary cover of “I Wish You Would,” the wonderful Gene Taylor on keys, as well as the Blasters’ classic “Blue Shadows,” the song that ostensibly gave the Red Devils their original name.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Leave A Comment »

Red Devils on gigposters.com

Posted in red devils with tags blasters, jack's sugar shack, thelonious monster on May 8, 2009 by J.J.

Found this cool poster by Psychic Sparkplug on gigposters.com.

It’s the only one available on a search for “red devils.” It’s most certainly the Devils: The right vintage (early- to mid-’90s EDIT: 1994), the right venue (Jack’s Sugar Shack), the right peers (Thelonious Monster). If anyone has more info on the gig, please let us know.

There are no 13 posters except for a gig for Sleazefest, which doesn’t look like Lester Butler’s 13. However, The Blasters are well-represented.

7/18/09 UPDATE: Got a bit more info on this gig, courtesy of the Oct. 15, 1994, edition of the Long Beach Press-Telegram, and Tim Grobaty’s “What’s Hot” column:

The Jacks facts

Imagine our horror when we turn up at one of our favorite haunts on Sunday and find out it’s closed. In case you haven’t heard the awful truth yet, Jacks Sugar Shack, the Tiki-style beer barn and entertainment hall at 8751 W. Pico in L.A., closes tonight thanks to the fact that the building’s owners are selling the property, which will turn into a Chinese restaurant, of which the world, we’d thought, already had enough (although an hour later, yaddayadda….).

While Jacks’ll never have a building as cool as that one, it will, at least, live on in a new location, the old Brown Derby building at 1707 N. Vine, in Hollywood, with an opening set for mid-December.

Meanwhile, the closing bash at Jacks starts at 8 tonight, with a slate of L.A. greats, including Thelonious Monster, Sister Double Happiness, the Red Devils and special guests which could include, according to our secret sauces, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, as openers. Jacks would neither confirm nor deny, but they did some good hemming and hawing. The cover is $10. Call (310) 271-7887.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

4 Comments »

Bill Bateman link-o-rama

Posted in bill bateman with tags bill bateman, blasters, blue shadows, cramps, doghouse lords, king king on February 8, 2009 by J.J.

Going through several saved links, I found all kinds of great info on Bill Bateman. Some of this may be old news, but it’s new here, and compiled in this convenient linkdown:

Bateman returns to The Blasters after a 15-year absence. Bateman re-upped with the group in summer 2008, replacing Jerry Angel.
King King Club working on a Bill Bateman documentary. Apparently, this thing’s been in the works for awhile.
Doghouse Lords release “Diggin’ at the Doghouse,” with Bateman, fellow Blue Shadow Jake Matos and Scott “Chopper” Franklin from The Cramps. Purchase or download on Amazon.com.

Like this:

Be the first to like this post.

Leave A Comment »

No Fightin': The Red Devils, Lester Butler & California blues, rock and roots music

Archive for blasters

Bateman drums: Old school, new ideas

Like this:

Show souvenirs

Like this:

Red Devils on gigposters.com

Like this:

Bill Bateman link-o-rama

Like this:

Pages

Follow “No Fightin': The Red Devils, Lester Butler & California blues, rock and roots music”