Killer Whales - States - SCOTS - Stratocruiser - Leisure McCorkle

The revamped Skidmart at the SCOTS website is open! The new release "Kudzu Ranch" is available in LP, CD and digital download. When you buy "Kudzu Ranch" in any format you get a digital download for free which includes alternate takes of 4 tunes. (hint... the free version of "Pig Pickin'" download is an alternate take too!) The re-issued "Too Much Pork..." is also available in CD and digital download. There are new t-shirts and other swag too. Comboland Radio has been playing a couple of tracks from "Kudzu Ranch" for a few weeks now. In celebration of the new store we have changed them up and are also featuring 2 cuts from "Too Much Pork.."(I had the original release) to get you all hopped up to go buy your own copies from the Skidmart!! As usual the tunes are mixed in with the best music new and old from the Carolinas on Comboland Radio.

I have also got some new old music to add to the rotation. I finally got a copy of the very hard to find "Big Bang" from the "Killer Whales". Their website is now dead but their music lives on. Former member David Bethany has put up a couple of pieces on youtube worth checking out.

"The States" from Norfolk, VA had 2 songs featured on "Mondo Montage" that we currently play on Comboland Radio. They also had 2 LP's and at least 2 singles previous to the MM tunes. I had one of those albums but couldn't locate it... until now.

Stratocruiser is one of my faves! So I can't believe I missed the July 27th release of their latest EP (see previous posts about my crazy work schedule...). Unlike last year's "best of" release this one is available for download and immediate gratification for the usual evil download sources. It is absolutely worth getting!

Another recent discovery for me is Leisure McCorkle. The 2002 CD I have was "on sale" at Not Lame so I picked it up. It is pure Power Pop and fab as well. Produced by Jamie Hoover (who plays and sings on it as well) it is well worth getting. It seems since this CD was released Lee has finished his PhD in Ireland and has had time to work on a new release that should be out soon. He has been playing a bunch of shows this year with a few more to come.

Listen for all of these tunes, artists and much more on Comboland Radio.

SCOTS - Dixon - Arrogance Gig!!

I did get some new tunes into the rotation on Comboland Radio.

As promised some of them are hard to find cuts from Southern Culture On The Skids. Their new "store" debuts on their website on September 7th. In the new store will be their new album, "Kudzu Ranch" I am playing 2 songs from it, "Pig-Pickin'" and "Come As You Are/Lucifer Sam" as we get ready to hear the whole thing! I have also encoded several singles SCOTS has released over the years, mainly for the "B" sides which are not available anywhere else. I have them playing too. They include:

Two Pigs In A Blanket
Wedding Bell Twist
BSA441
C.W. James 00-Spy
Tantrum
Tidewater Jack

Listen for these tunes and get ready to get the new SCOTS long player "Kudzu Ranch" on September 7th.




Don Dixon has a new CD out, "Don Dixon Sings The Jeffords Brothers". I got to hear some of these tunes during Dixon's visit to the OBX in March. I now have a couple of them playing on Comboland Radio. Get the CD or download from CD Baby. Dixon fans will love it. But WARNING! It does have a "Beach Music" feel about it. I know some of you have an aversion to this music. I prefer to think of it as Dixon re-visiting his soul roots. Those who know him understand that he was influenced by soul and R&B from the 60's, as were many of us. This is actually the third project he has done with the Jeffords brothers. Earlier projects with Dip Ferrell & The Truetones also included Jamie Hoover and Marti Jones. These CD's were true "Beach Music" and do sound great.



Get ready to see Don along with Robert, Marty, Scott and Rod on New Year's Eve at the Cat's Cradle in Carrboro. Yes... Arrogance will rock the Cradle and rock in the new year! Hey... if your life is like mine it is NOT to early to start planning and figuring out how you are going to be there. If you have missed any of the Arrogance show in the past couple of years then make it a priority to be there! You won't be sorry.

Other new songs in the Comboland Radio playlist include 2 from a "Jamie Hoover Group" 45 from 1977, Chris Stamey's "The Summer Sun" (produced by Alex Chilton) and some additional cuts from Richmond, VA's "Single Bullet Theory". I still have some other Chris Stamey songs to get in. I just need more time to work on them!

SCOTS and New Vinyl!!

The company I work for, Max Media, has just purchased 4 more radio stations on the Outer Banks. That means I now have 8 total to run/manage. With the acquisition I have had little time to devote to Comboland Radio (a continuing theme in my notes). But I do try to work on it when I can. I do still look for material and have had excellent success recently.

I the world of vinyl record collection the grade a piece receives for the seller is important. NM stands for "near mint", VG is "very good". Then you have the "+" and "-" signs added to the grade to give an even better idea of the condition of the record. VG+ and VG++ are usually decent enough for a decent digital transfer and restoration. The Holy Grail for any collector is an SS, or "still sealed". Those are un-opened and therefore un-played!! Still sealed copies of old albums can be quite valuable. For example one of my favorite sites has a SS Beatles "Rubber Soul", original pressing, mono, and a rare promotional sticker on the cellophane. It recently sold for $6500. This same site has an SS "butcher cover" "Yesterday And Today", mono for sale right now for $47,500.

I'm not sure if any of the "Comboland" records will be worth quite that much in an SS state but I have found quite a few of them recently. They include:

X-Teens - X-Teens (1st LP)
Sugarcreek - The Creek
Bad Checks - Innocence
Southern Culture On The Skids - Southern Culture On The Skids (1st LP)
Brice Street - Imagination
Othermothers - No Place Like Home

The X-Teens disc is the second SS X-Teens LP I have purchased, the first about 10 years ago... a copy of "Love And Politics" I played it once to transfer it to digital.

I would love to think that one of these LP's would increase in value to an "Butcher Cover" price but I don't see that happening. So I will open them at some point. I've been considering getting a new phono cartridge and stylus so I will wait for that. As I already have copies of most of those LP's there isn't much new to add to Comboland Radio. However in the case of a few of those I will have much better copies with a lot less restoration needed.

Other recent purchases will make there way to Comboland Radio. Earlier solo works of Chris Stamey have been largely absent but I have tracked most of them down and will be adding selections from them soon. I mentioned SCOTS in my last post. They have a new CD/download coming out soon, plus a re-release of "Too Much Pork For Just One Fork". The SCOTS 45's released through the years offer some nuggets not otherwise available. I have obtained quite a few of them, including one which was only given to guests at a wedding. Supposedly only about 150 were pressed. One side is SCOTS performing "Wedding Bell Twist". A cool tune which I know SCOTS fans will dig.

I am contemplating a bit of a change in direction for the Internet radio station. While I am not going to abandon new bands and music those show the most interest in Comboland Radio seem to come here for the older material and for the new material from those artists. Especially in the Triangle there are great outlets for the newer bands, like WKNC. There are also folks there who can keep up with the new scene much better than I can from my outpost in Kill Devil Hills. While I enjoy the mix of new and old it is probably too broad for most folks tastes. There are no big changes yet but certainly on the way soon. Comments and suggestions are welcome!

Free Tune From SCOTS!

Southern Culture On the Skids is making their Summer stop at "The Port 'O Call" in Kill Devil Hills tonight!! The early morning hours of the day job keep me in most nights but I do make an exception when SCOTS comes to town.

Their website has been revamped and if you bookmarked the home page before you might need to update it now. Rick shares news on the site of an upcoming album release, and offers up a free download of a song from it for signing up for the SCOTS news letter. The song. "Pig Pickin'" is fab and is playing on Comboland Radio .

Rick also informs fans that a re-issue of the "Too Much Pork For Just One Fork" album is on the way soon on both CD and MP3 downloads. Can't wait for that!!!

Of course Comboland Radio plays A TON of SCOTS every day. Why today alone you will hear 16 songs by SCOTS throughout the day!!!! ...Plus lots of other great songs from Carolina bands and artists. Listen now and listen often!

The Slackmates

When I first signed on Comboland Radio almost 2 years ago one of my best friends, Jimmy Knight (drummer in a couple of bands I played in a LOOOONNNG time ago) asked me if I was playing any "Slackmates". I had to claim ignorance as I didn't know anything about them. I SHOULD have but, as has been chronicled many times with various bands, they came and went after I left the Triangle to seek my radio fame and fortune... which I am still seeking.

Old friend, former fishing buddy and guitarist extraordinaire Rod Abernethy teamed up with some of the Triangle's elite musicians to form "The Slackmates". Dave Adams, Jack Cornell, Jeff Anderson and Whit Helton recorded some of the coolest surf inspired tunes this side of Waiamea Bay. Venture-esque but not a rip-off at all. There are some great tunes on their lone (I think) CD.

It is not surprising to me that Rod would be involved in such a project. One of the aspects of his style that I have always enjoyed was his subtle incorporation of that "surf guitar" sound in his playing. I remember after the Ventures show at "The Pier" several of us hung around hoping to meet them, which we did. Rod had a guitar with him for the band members to sign (3 original members played at that gig as I recall). I hope he still has the guitar! I believe it was an SG with a hand painted front.

The Slackmates "Hot Car Girls" was released on a German label, Gee-Dee Music, which seems to concentrate on "surf" inspired artists. The cool cover art was designed by Jack Cornell. I got the CD on eBay from a seller in Germany. It took my quite a bit of time to actually find a copy but it is not impossible. Also occasionally available is a tribute to Herb Alpert, "Surfin' Senorita" on which The Slackmates surf through the "Third Man Theme". It is one of the strongest tracks on the CD.

Maybe others can post other information on this band. Did they every play gigs? Man I would to see them play now!!





Speaking of Rod his self titled solo LP from 1975 just sold on eBay last week for $147.50. It was a "still sealed" copy and still had a "Record Bar" sticker on the front. I have a mint copy of this LP (no... I ain't sellin') and a couple of cuts, "Bossa Nova Baby" and "eggplant Comes To The Party", play regularly on Comboland Radio.

Veldt, Happy Eggs, "Let Us Be Heard"

I haven't had time to write about Comboland Radio but I have made a few additions to the playlist.

The Veldt - I finally got copies of their 3 Cd's and have cuts from all in rotation. This is one of the many bands that I was unfamiliar with but really enjoyed listening too once I got the Cd's. "All Music" compares their sound to England's Dream Pop bands. Whatever. They sound good. Check them out. All of the Cd's are out of print but not too hard to find. Amazon is a good source.

The Happy Eggs - You WILL have a difficult time finding anything by one of Jamie Hoover's earliest bands. I do have a copy of the first Happy Eggs 12 inch 45 RPM single. Jamie' "You Can't Avoid Love" created an ear-worm I couldn't get rid of for a week! Both sides are cool and quite a bit different from a later Eggs EP (which I am STILL trying to find).

The dB's - The first single credited to the dB's was on Car Records, CRR 7. The A side isn't the dB's at all. It's Chris and Richard Lloyd performing Lloyd's "(I Thought) You Wanted To Know". The B side is the dB's, minus Peter Holsapple, "If And When". The later is available on "Ride The Wild Tom Tom" but to my knowledge the A side is only available on this 45. Both are now playing on Comboland Radio. I have some other solo stuff from Chris on the way.

"Let Us Be Heard" - The Radio Station at 93.1 on the dial in Winston-Salem has been many different formats through the years. It was the FM sister station of WAIR 1340-AM, a Top 40 station that competed with, but probably never beat WTOB in the ratings of the day. In the 60's and much of the 70's FM stations were barely listened to and the red-headed stepchild of nearly every radio operation that had one. By the late 70's the FM would become Z-93. The format was Top 40 for a few years before changing to Album Rock around '84 or '85. In 1986 the radio station solicited tapes from local bands, picked the best from over 400 entries (according the the liners notes) and released an LP, "Let Us Be Heard". The Bands included:
The Alka-Phonics
The Allisons
Brice Street
Bryan Smith and the Boogie Blues Band
The Carter Brothers
Dayroom Monitors
Express
Hege V
Split Decision
Voce'

Brice Street had released 2 LP's on Dolphin Records before this compilation. Hege V's debut LP would be released the following year. The Allisions tune had been included on the Comboland Tapes Godfrey Cheshire was shopping around but was not included on the "Welcome To Comboland" LP. The Alka-Phonics and the Dayroom Monitors are band I remember from that time but the other artists I know nothing about. The LP's liner notes give very little info on the bands themselves. Any info would be appreciated.

The LP is absolutely worth seeking out... but good luck!! The Allisons tune "The Love You Give", and the Hege V song "Keep On Killin' Me" are killer tunes. Most of the other tunes are solid as well.

The copy I obtained is still in the shrink wrap but opened and played. The original owner evidently really wanted to protect the cover but as for the LP the inner sleeve was gone and the LP was not in the best of shape. The Split Decision song has a bad scuffed area in the middle of the track. Lots of pops and clicks but it seems that it was played on decent equipment. With the exception of the scuffy track it cleaned up pretty well with iZotope RX. Listen for tracks on Comboland Radio.

I have decided to feature to feature the items in this article in a heavier rotation for a few weeks. I hope you enjoy them!

Remember "The Snap"?

I search eBay on a regular basis for some of the missing pieces of the music from Comboland. I finally obtained a copy of "The Snap - Voice Of America", DLP 2004. I remember my roommate having a copy of the EP but I don't think I ever did. I do remember seeing this band play a number of times but the history of "The Snap" is a tad fuzzy, as are quite a few memories from 27 years ago.



I do remember guitarist Charlie Ward playing in this band. I also remember him being quite good, but not necessarily interested in playing in a pop band. I remember Donna Von Plock too... nice lead singer. Two of their tunes made it on the first "Mondo Montage" LP, "Voice Of America" and (She's A) Modern Girl. They were produced by Arrogance co-founder Robert Kirkland and recorded at Hummingbird Studios, according to the liner notes. The MM liner notes don't list the other band members (see below).

During the time between Mondo Montage and the six song EP release on Dolphin Records the band line-up changed and the producer did too. Select Records founder Fred Munao produced the EP, which was recorded at TGS Studios, Singer/Actor Gary Private (whose single "Waiting For You" got a 92 and a half on American Bandstand's "Rate A Record" but failed to chart) sang background vocals and provided percussion of some sort. Band members were Donna Von Plock - Vocals, David Anthony Matos - Guitars/Synthesizer (replacing Charlie Ward), Tom Bryan - Bass/BG Vocals, Vernon Marshburn - Drums/Percussion.

Harry Simmons managed the band and told me he initially got involved because of Robert's insistence. He also said that Fred wanted to sign the band to his label but they thought Dolphin Records was a better choice at the time because of the power/clout of "The Record Bar" which owned the label. The two songs from Mondo Montage were included on the EP but new versions were recorded and they do sound a bit different.

The Snap certainly had a good following in Comboland for a few years in the early to mid '80's. I have put the two hits from the EP in heavy rotation for a few weeks on Comboland Radio and also added their version of the The Beatles "Hey Bulldog" to the playlist.




Here is the description of "The Snap" from the Mondo Montage liner notes;

"With the addition of vocalist Donna Von Plock, The Snap has emerged as the most critically acclaimed new group in the Carolinas in 1982. Combining various elements of old style rock and roll with contemporary soul influences the group has synthesized its veteran talent into a unique new sound. This disc reveals The Snap for the first time on vinyl, under the steady studio control of Arrogance guitarist Robert Kirkland. Hard core stuff for dancers that like to sweat."