Still The Loudest Drummer In Town Like It Or Not-Popcorn Jam 2/5/17

Daddy who? DADDY COOL!
DADDY WHO??? DADDY COOL!

DADDY COOL DADDY COOL

That song has been stuck in my head all day as I put together the latest edition of Townedger Radio. I didn't have The Rays version but instead had the Diamonds' cover of The Rays song. It was a day of going to Furniture Row to pick up some new waterbed sheets to replace the one that has a big rip in it. Yesterday I managed to go to Moondog Music and pick up about 12 used 45s of varying shapes and sounds. The big find was getting Just Go Wild Over Rock And Roll By Bobby Dean on Chess Records.  I think it's in VG shape.  Nothing is better than doing laundry and playing those scratchy 45s of long ago and far away.  Rock and roll is here to stay sounds better on a scratchy 45 than CD.

(L to R: Stu Fondle, Karie Skogman, James Gritman, Terry McDowell, Ted Reily and Rick Clay added on: Photo courtesy of Karie)

The Lineup;

Karie Skogman-Lead vocals and guitar
Stuart Fondle-Lead Guitar
James Gritman-Bass guitar
Terry McDowell watches helplessly as Crabby destroys his drumset in front of his very own eyes.

Songs;

You Got Another Thing Comin
Crazy Train
Bad Motor Scooter

There's a part of me that wants to settle down and just play light rock and roll.  The Townedgers and Wapsipinicon Dreamers are garage rock but not as hard rock as Karie Skogman and Stu Fondle play.  They're hard rock, Karie plays in Lipstick Slick, Stuart is in The Rumors and Shock Treatment Band and James Gritman and Terry McDowell also figure into other bands as well. There's another part of me that if I revisit the songs that I did with Paraphernalia Tyrus, the inner Keith Moon comes out and somebody's drum set pays the price.  For somebody who's 56 years old and should be playing light rock and country, I tend to become the Jekyll/Hyde persona on drums, which other drummers look on with horror.  Thankfully Terry McDowell understands my thought process and lets me attack away. It's not rocket science if you think about it, but today's show brought be back to the days of Paraphernalia/Tyrus at the OK Lounge on a very cold December night and exploding all over the place.  In reality I have not played the above mentioned songs very much.  For Judas Priest it was Living After Midnight but since Rob Haskell got assigned to that song, I decided to try out You Got Another Thing Coming.  In reality, I didn't know it very well, I missed the breaks and the accents but got the last bass drum beat at the end, when it's just Stuart and me.    Herm got the Joan Jett tracks, Rob also got The Beastie Boys  and I ended up with Crazy Train.   I should consider checking out Lipstick Slick more often in the future to figure out their songs and be ready the next time I decide to do the rock jam.

Karie Skogman is a long time veteran of the hard rock music scene and recently got inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame (Iowa version that is) and she's a tough as nails vocalist in the Lita Ford vocal style.  I think she's seen most of what goes on in the metal rock in town more than I do but I have to marvel at her comment after the jam that I was the loudest drummer she's ever heard on stage playing.   That really floored me, it wasn't that I was trying to derail Trevor as all time loud drummer, I was trying to find my own groove between James's bass playing and Stu's guitar work. I must have been in such of a zone that I hardly noticed that I was bashing away.  There's so much improvisation to what I do that I tune the whole world out while looking at cues from Karie or James to figure where the breaks are at.  I have Crazy Train at home but I rarely play it on the CD player, much less playing it in a band.  Last time I did that was 1982 in FOAD with Mike Swearingen and Dave Kelsey. I must have been doing something right Karie smiled away on that song.

After Another Thing Comin, Herman kicked me off the drumset to do The Twist song with Ernest the soul man. While James has done the song before Stuart looked a bit lost throughout the whole thing and the Bring It On Home medley but I think he did fine.  Herm commented me on how my drumming has improved over time (Really?!) especially on the Judas Priest song which I never did before.  I thanked Herm and mentioned that I never played it before tonight.  I doubt if Herm looks at me as a threat to the other drummers but there's a way you can tell if you might have gotten a bit under his skin.  He usually suggest watching You Tube and seeing Ringo or John Bonham, and Herm still kicks ass on drums.  But we come from two different planets when it comes to playing drums. He's the more by the book, I'm more playing by feel and not playing to the record.  It might not work as planned but if you can away by making a song your very own and make the crowd take notice then you have done your job.

So Karie thought a few songs (Rock You Like A Hurricane), I thought up of Godzilla  and we decided on Bad Motor Scooter, the song that I did years back in Paraphernalia Tyrus and turned the whole thing on its ear.  I haven't done that song since the OK Lounge and was raring to try that one.  I was so used to our own fast metal version that I try to keep in the guitar and bass framework but then slowly took it back up to Paraphernalia speed.  To which the usually docile Terry got off his seat and really took notice of the crazed drummer on his set bashing away up toward the train-wreck ending and total annihilation of that songs.  To which I decided that was good enough for me to end my segment of the jam.

So I guess nothing chances much anymore.  The hope of being a more restrained drummer playing a softer tone, done in by harder rock numbers and a fuck you attitude of being in the zone.  To which I apologize for my actions and promised Terry I would donate a new pair of drumsticks the next time we jam.  To which next week, Karl Hudson will co host.  Which means there won't be no hard rock and metal songs to spring out to the crowd and blow all the eardrums out in the audience.  I certainly blew my ear drums out for sure.  To which I rewarded myself with some Mac And Cheese garnished with mushrooms at Lucky on Sixteenth in Czech Village.

It was quite yummy.

And now a few words about Karie Skogman, the new inductee in the Iowa Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.  She's the face of hard rock in here,  she's a combination of Lita Ford, Joan Jett, Pat Benetar, fire and passion.  And her passion of hard rock can rub off on anybody that shares the stage with her. I found that out this Sunday.  I congratulate her on her induction into the Iowa Rock Hall.  Much love and keep on rocking Karie....Oh and BTW, sorry about the photo bomb in this picture. ;-)