Post by Gilby Admirer on Sept 12, 2002 8:07:13 GMT -5
Talk about a fresh idea – the new band Col. Parker was not pieced together by a promotion team, its songs were not written by a crew of hired hacks, and its debut record was not lorded over by a behind-the-scenes svengali.
Get over it. From its impromptu origins less than two years ago to Rock ‘n’ Roll Music, its debut record today, Col. Parker is about keeping strict focus on rock elementals: song power, musicianship and rootsy soul.
"When you do something like this, it's a breath of fresh air," said guitarist and singer Gilby Clarke. "I have no problem going against the grain."
It helps its four members, Clarke, drummer Slim Jim Phantom, bassist and singer Muddy Stardust and keyboardist Teddy Andreadis have already been there, done that in the music industry grind. While their hit-making history might spell "Behind the Music" burnout for anyone else, the men in Col. Parker have instead relied on their past to filter out the hype. With it gone, they got thirsty again for all the right reasons.
"We've all played stadiums and everything in-between," said Slim. "At this point, we finally got a chance to make a record we always wanted to make – how cool is that?"
What's cooler is, from the beginning, Col. Parker never weighed itself down with any sort of grand scheme. It was how most great bands start out – a bunch of friends getting together for the sheer fun of it. It helped that Slim owned the Cat Club, a sacred Hollywood haunt on the Sunset Strip. To fill out Thursday nights, Slim invited his Col. Parker friends to headline – and what started as weekly gig of banging out garage rock classics, turned out to be the weekly event for most music-minded Los Angelinos.
Word spread and, for the past year and a half, the off night crowd swelled. The band’s irreverent stage humor, tight playing and love of ragged melodies created an immediate following of Thursday night fans – including Jimmy Page, Axl Rose, Brian May and Jeff Beck – who also showed up to blow off steam. To their surprise, one of the Thursday night crowd regulars, who happened to work for Icon, approached them with a deal.
Problem was, Col. Parker was gleefully just a cover band – playing classics from the Faces, Stones, T Rex, Chuck Berry, Mott the Hoople. An all-cover album would have been just fine by the record company, but as soon as the band got into the studio and started trading riffs and sharing bits of songs, they discovered a pleasant surprise:
"The band wanted to write so we rented a crap rehearsal room in Van Nuys and went for it," remembers Slim, "The label's response was just make sure that you create something that you would be proud to have in your record collection amongst your all time favorites."
For the next few months, the band continued its Thursday night slot, but during the rest of the week, worked up songs collaboratively inside its new group mind. A band name was borrowed from Elvis’ legendary manager – the ultimate American, Slim thought. From the start, the band made sure to dig deep into their record collections to make a rock album that bore its influences right there on its sleeve.
Exile on Main Street-era Stones, Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart, Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds, Memphis soul and Bourbon Street gutter blues are all building blocks for Rock ‘n’ Roll Music. The hooks snap into place at the start of each song and the two lead singers – Muddy's scratchy ache and Gilby's romantic soul shout – harmonize with urgent beauty.
Dirty rock riffs, twinkling mandolins, crunchy acoustic guitars, a gut-wrenching pump organ and the spiritual cry of the pedal steel guitar wrap Rock ‘n’ Roll Music with immediate warmth. Then there's the lyrics. Both forlorn and funny ("Hollywood divorces can't be put together again," Gilby sings on "All the King's Horses") they drench each song with the life experience each member brings to the table.
And although two covers make the record – Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" and the New York Dolls’ "Pills" –Rock ‘n’ Roll Music is no nostalgia trip. The songs sounds like "music you used to listen to in high school," admits Slim, but they also can be tucked next to current fare from the Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow, Wilco, the Black Crowes, Bottle Rockets or Lucinda Williams.
The thread is rock ‘n’ roll soul, something that in these highly corporate times means less and less.
Except less vital.
"With my solo records I always visit stations that play classic rock music. I always think, 'wouldn't it be nice to have a new band that plays classic music?'" said Gilby. "This is the missing album."
Get over it. From its impromptu origins less than two years ago to Rock ‘n’ Roll Music, its debut record today, Col. Parker is about keeping strict focus on rock elementals: song power, musicianship and rootsy soul.
"When you do something like this, it's a breath of fresh air," said guitarist and singer Gilby Clarke. "I have no problem going against the grain."
It helps its four members, Clarke, drummer Slim Jim Phantom, bassist and singer Muddy Stardust and keyboardist Teddy Andreadis have already been there, done that in the music industry grind. While their hit-making history might spell "Behind the Music" burnout for anyone else, the men in Col. Parker have instead relied on their past to filter out the hype. With it gone, they got thirsty again for all the right reasons.
"We've all played stadiums and everything in-between," said Slim. "At this point, we finally got a chance to make a record we always wanted to make – how cool is that?"
What's cooler is, from the beginning, Col. Parker never weighed itself down with any sort of grand scheme. It was how most great bands start out – a bunch of friends getting together for the sheer fun of it. It helped that Slim owned the Cat Club, a sacred Hollywood haunt on the Sunset Strip. To fill out Thursday nights, Slim invited his Col. Parker friends to headline – and what started as weekly gig of banging out garage rock classics, turned out to be the weekly event for most music-minded Los Angelinos.
Word spread and, for the past year and a half, the off night crowd swelled. The band’s irreverent stage humor, tight playing and love of ragged melodies created an immediate following of Thursday night fans – including Jimmy Page, Axl Rose, Brian May and Jeff Beck – who also showed up to blow off steam. To their surprise, one of the Thursday night crowd regulars, who happened to work for Icon, approached them with a deal.
Problem was, Col. Parker was gleefully just a cover band – playing classics from the Faces, Stones, T Rex, Chuck Berry, Mott the Hoople. An all-cover album would have been just fine by the record company, but as soon as the band got into the studio and started trading riffs and sharing bits of songs, they discovered a pleasant surprise:
"The band wanted to write so we rented a crap rehearsal room in Van Nuys and went for it," remembers Slim, "The label's response was just make sure that you create something that you would be proud to have in your record collection amongst your all time favorites."
For the next few months, the band continued its Thursday night slot, but during the rest of the week, worked up songs collaboratively inside its new group mind. A band name was borrowed from Elvis’ legendary manager – the ultimate American, Slim thought. From the start, the band made sure to dig deep into their record collections to make a rock album that bore its influences right there on its sleeve.
Exile on Main Street-era Stones, Gasoline Alley-era Rod Stewart, Sweetheart of the Rodeo-era Byrds, Memphis soul and Bourbon Street gutter blues are all building blocks for Rock ‘n’ Roll Music. The hooks snap into place at the start of each song and the two lead singers – Muddy's scratchy ache and Gilby's romantic soul shout – harmonize with urgent beauty.
Dirty rock riffs, twinkling mandolins, crunchy acoustic guitars, a gut-wrenching pump organ and the spiritual cry of the pedal steel guitar wrap Rock ‘n’ Roll Music with immediate warmth. Then there's the lyrics. Both forlorn and funny ("Hollywood divorces can't be put together again," Gilby sings on "All the King's Horses") they drench each song with the life experience each member brings to the table.
And although two covers make the record – Janis Joplin's "Mercedes Benz" and the New York Dolls’ "Pills" –Rock ‘n’ Roll Music is no nostalgia trip. The songs sounds like "music you used to listen to in high school," admits Slim, but they also can be tucked next to current fare from the Wallflowers, Sheryl Crow, Wilco, the Black Crowes, Bottle Rockets or Lucinda Williams.
The thread is rock ‘n’ roll soul, something that in these highly corporate times means less and less.
Except less vital.
"With my solo records I always visit stations that play classic rock music. I always think, 'wouldn't it be nice to have a new band that plays classic music?'" said Gilby. "This is the missing album."
