photos by Jason House

Great Gaylord @ the Bell House

After a raucous, sold-out first night of Norton's 25th Anniversary celebration at the Bell House, the party continued at the Brooklyn venue on Friday (11/11) where once again the night was opened by The Nor-Tones ("Norton's all-employee band includes members of the Little Killers, Daddy Long Legs, Stalkers, Girls At Dawn and LiveFastDie playing the hits of the Norton catalog.")

Night two also featured a set by mysterious cover band the Condo Fucks (aka Yo La Tengo) with Great Gaylord ("the Greatest Lousy Singer of all time"?). For the Condo Fucks it was their second NYC show in a short amount of time, though their first one at Mercury Lounge was sans Gaylord. Yo La Tengo will play eight more sold out shows over Hanukkah at Maxwell's (where Sunday's Norton show headliner The Sonics played on Saturday).

Also on the Friday night bill, some of which fell under the "R&B/Soul revue" umbrella, was Jackie and the Cedrics, a new lineup of Greg Cartwright's band Reigning Sound (featuring members of The Jay Vons), Mark Sultan (aka BBQ whose old partner King Khan played the night before), Lonnie Youngblood and the Bloodhounds with special guest Mick Collins (of the Gories and the Dirtbombs) on guitar, The Mighty Hannibal, Andre Williams (who also stopped by the night before), and Happy Organ man Dave "Baby" Cortez on keys.

More pictures and videos from most of Friday's bash, below...

Continue reading "Norton Records party @ the Bell House - night 2 pics & video (Condo Fucks, Reigning Sound, Mark Sultan, Mighty Hannibal & more)"

"The Sonics? Wow!" - Anonymous | May 15, 2009 9:52 AM

Classic NYC garage rock label Norton Records will celebrate their 25th Anniversary over the course of four nights at The Bell House (Nov 10-13). The shows feature some pretty incredible artists, including most notably The Sonics, whose 1965 garage rock classic Here Are The Sonics is regarded by some as the first punk rock album. Norton Records reissued the album in 1999. The Sonics headline the last night (11/13) of the run. Tickets are on sale now for all four nights.

Tickets are also on sale for a daytime Sonics show happening November 12th at Maxwell's. You can hit this show and still not miss the show later that night at the Bell House. Sunday during the day is the Brooklyn Record Riot at Warsaw.

The Sonics need no introduction, but those not familiar should consider that Kurt Cobain said in a Nardwuar interview that "They got the most amazing drum sound I've ever heard. Still to this day, it's still my favorite drum sound. It sounds like he's hitting harder than anyone I've ever known." The White Stripes call them the "epitome of '60s punk," "harder than The Kinks," and say that "life becomes better after buying a Sonics record." Newer band Japandroids love them too, and say, "When you listen to it, even at low volumes, it sounds like it's blasting. And I like how you can feel they would melt your face if you saw them live." Don't sleep on catching them live. Last time they were in NYC was 2007. Who saw them at Warsaw? How was it? Check out videos from a December 2010 KEXP appearance below.

Fellow '60s garage rock vets ? and the Mysterians, best known for their 1966 single "96 Tears," headline the night before them. Other noteworthy bands include The Real Kids, led by John Felice of the The Modern Lovers, and The Randy Fuller Four. Randy Fuller was part of his brother's group The Bobby Fuller Four in the 1960s, who recorded the first successful version of the single "I Fought the Law," popularly covered by The Clash. Folllowing Bobby's untimely death in 1966 at age 23, Randy took over the group, which he renamed The Randy Fuller Four.

Reigning Sound, Mark Sultan (BBQ), The Condo Fucks, A-Bones, Flamin Groovies.... there are so many people on these bills, it's too much to list. Full lineup and some videos, below...

Continue reading "Norton Records anniversary shows happening at the Bell House, two Sonics shows too!"

The Mighty Hannibal @ McCarren Park Pool Party 2006 (heartonastick)

"When soul singer the Mighty Hannibal invites you to his birthday party, it's wise to take him up on it! The Atlanta-born Hannibal--who has been making records for 50 years for labels including King, Aware, Josie, Decca, Kent, Loma, Sue, Venture, and Shurfine (and has a terrific greatest-hits package, Hannibalism, available on Norton Records)--is on a bit of a tear lately, packing halls in New Orleans, in Atlanta, and right here in his adopted hometown of New York. He's also the subject of a documentary that's currently in production, in which hitherto-unheard details of his colorful life will be revealed--a life packed with more mind-blowing adventures than any ten normal lives. Too many of his close friends have checked out in recent years (James Brown, Ray Charles, and Johnny Guitar Watson among them), but the man behind such hits as "Hymn No. 5," "Jerkin' the Dog," and "The Truth Shall Make You Free" is here to state with authority that he's NOT DONE YET!

Playing behind Hannibal will be local soul outfit the Sweet Divines, who have quickly gained a reputation as New York's premier backing group for veteran soul artists. Dynamic sets with underappreciated legends of the genre such as Maxine Brown, Howard Tate, Baby Washington, Tami Lynn, Harvey Scales, Delia Gartrell, Garland Green, and Renaldo Domino have been hailed by artists and fans alike as their best shows in decades--due in no small part to the Divines' knack for combining a reverent attention to detail with a youthful energy in their approach to classic soul."

The Sweet Divines also backed Hannibal at a more low key show in Brooklyn in January. They played with the Bo-Keys on July 17th at Southpaw (the pre-Ponderosa Stomp show). In August, they are one of the house bands at The Brooklyn Soul Festival happening at The Bell House.

In 2007, the Mighty Hannibal played in his hometown of Atlanta with the Black Lips as his backing band. That group just played a "Pool" Party last Sunday. The Mighty Hannibal played his own Pool Party gig, as you can see by the pic above, in 2006. For that show, the Dansettes were his banding band. The Dansettes have since called it quits. Their members formed Nouvellas and... The Sweet Divines.

A set of videos from the Mighty Hannibal with the Black Lips, and a flyer for the Highline show, below...

Continue reading "The Mighty Hannibal is celebrating his 70th birthday at Highline Ballroom (w/ The Sweet Divines)"