Gods & Monsters

[Skummy]

I don't know how many of you are aware of Gods & Monsters, the on/off "supergroup" of Gary Lucas (formerly of Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band), but the new album looks to be amazing. The tracks on their Myspace are phenomenal, and the line-up is their best yet.

Gary Lucas, as always, on guitar, David Johansen (New York Dolls), Richard Barone (The Bongos) and Elli Medeiros sharing vocal duties, Jason Candler on sax, Ernie Brooks (Modern Lovers) on bass, Billy Ficca (Television) on drums and Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads) on keyboards. Fucking amazing line-up.

Johansen's track, One Man's Meat, is absolutely phenomenal. Best thing Lucas has done since Beefheart, and best thing Johansen's done since the first Dolls album. Brilliant stuff.

http://www.myspace.com/comingcleanthealbum

[VerbalPuke]

Thanks for posting this, I'm really digging these tracks quite a bit. And super group is an understatement, this is a fucking group of musical super heros come to save the world from boring music.

Seriously, I've always been a huge Modern Lovers and Television fan, great bands that broke new ground in their respective era. I'm quite familiar with Captain Beefheart and Talking Heads, and enjoy as much as I've heard. I have a deep respect for both of those groups for their musical capabilities. The Bongos I'm not familiar with, but what the hell, they probably have something I'd like if I checked them out

As for Johansen, I love the guy. He's one of my all-time favorite vocalists from any era ever. I think he's as charismatic as Mick Jagger, and as great of a showman. Ya know what, fuck it, even better.

My old man told me a neat little story about seeing Johansen live after he was through with the Dolls. Apparently the shows was The Clash, The Undertones and Johansen. To make a long story short, Johansen plays before the Clash, and absolutely blows the crowd away. Just an absolute cacophony of passion, energy, rock and roll, all the things that make a show wonderful. The Clash go on stage and begin playing, the crowd just isn't having it. The Clash are getting booed, people are chanting to bring back Johansen, just a bad night for the Clash. Johansen went out there with such a fire that nothing could follow him up.

Nice find here Skumfrog, this is one of the best suggestions I've seen on EWB.

[Summers]

I have no clue who any of them are.

[Nerf]

Summers is only partly dead to me for not knowing David Johansen.

[VerbalPuke]

I have no clue who any of them are.

Do yourself a favor and check some of them out.

I'm surprised you don't know of the New York Dolls, but give them a shot. They're great trashy glam rock from the mid-70s, a precursor to the 77 style of punk (especially with Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan involved). It's not quite like what you'd expect from a glam rocker like Gary Glitter.

Television and The Modern Lovers can also be considered proto punkers, but more on the experimental side than trashy rock. Their music is innovative in it's own right, and experimental without the restraint of coming off as pretentious. Television featured Richard Hell before he went on to greater fame with the Voidoids.