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OCTOBER 2005 ISSUE #76 
Music Of The Medicine Shows: 1926-1937 Producer/music collector Marshall Wyatt and his Old Hat label are at it again, releasing yet another brilliant installment in his series of early 20th Century music. He has pulled together two disks-worth of rare and obscure songs, hailing from the era of traveling medicine shows circa 1926-1937. The collection features a wide variety of country, blues, folk, early jazz, and vaudevillian novelty songs, all presented here direct from the original recordings. In addition, there is a 72 page booklet which covers the history of medicine shows, along with a number of photographs from the era. Need a little history? Medicine shows were a popular
form of entertainment in the early part of the 20th Century. The
shows would come into town (usually in rural areas) and draw in
crowds with free entertainment. From this crowd, the pitchman
would find customers for whatever snake oil medicine or ointment
they had for sale. The entertaiment had a variety of forms, usually borrowing from 19th Century minstrel shows and vaudeville-styled comedy routines. The historical importance of these traveling shows is of the utmost, simply because it was one of the few ways that popular music was mobile in the days before radio and the information age. Perhaps the most fascinating thing about the collection and the book is the amount of change the country has seen over the past 100 years. What would seem highly politically incorrect back then, such as black-faced minstrel entertainers, was very common back then. Not only was it popular, there were, ironically enough, even black entertainers who wore black-faced makeup, a few of which are represented here in the collection. In this way, it gives us a truthful and honest, if uncomfortable, look at the way things were. The music itself is amazing to listen to, and at times hilarious, with crazy titles like The Man Who Wrote Home Sweet Home Never Was A Married Man, Bow Wow Blues, C-H-I-C-K-E-N Spells Chicken, and I Heard The Voice Of A Porkchop. This was music for the common man, and specifically designed to please the crowd. It's a wonderful example of popular music in middle America at the time, giving us a rare and unedited glimpse into the pre-history of modern jazz, country and rock-and-roll. The traveling medicine shows all but died out once radio took over, leaving behind a legacy that has been forgotten until now. Thanks to Mr. Wyatt and his contributors, those old songs are spinning once again. MISH MASH Mandate: Take Your Medicine
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HEY BANDS! OPEN YOUR OWN ONLINE T-SHIRT SHOP FOR FREE!
BRIAN EWING ART SHOW September 24th 2005
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Brimstone Butterfly
BB begins the album with the title track, which rips along with droning guitars and an incessant synth hook. The vocals are delivered in a dual, sung-yet-spoken fashion (which for some reason reminds me of the early punk-tinged new wave of Adam and The Ants) which adds another depth to an already deeply layered sound. The group employs a cool David Bowie-esque vocal on Tunnelvision, and a relentless synth explosion on Let's Go Out. They get a little more 80s-styled moody and brooding on Heroes And Villains, only to pull out the punky guitars again for Gimme (Hey Hey). The important thing going on here is the irony, which drives the disc from beginning to end. It's all about utilizing that new wave sound, while still keeping it at a safe distance. MISH MASH Mandate: Irony Of The 80s Sarah Glynn To Sweeten Up Self-Released 12 song CD
Sarah Glynn is a one-woman band--- writing, performing and producing
her way through a tight album of catchy pop songs. She embraces
an early 80s new wave style, which is often blended with an offbeat,
herky-jerky rhythm. It's an endearing combination, keeping the familiar
pop structures from becoming stale and boring. Glynn's voice is low-key and unassuming, providing a melody which simply rides along above the instrumentation nonchalantly. The carelessness of it all gives it a light and airy feel which doesn't take itself too seriously, while at the same time adding a touch of mystery. MISH MASH Mandate: Catch A Wave The Makers Everybody Rise! Kill Rock Stars Records 11 song CD
Can you imagine a combination of The Rolling Stones, T. Rex, The New York Dolls, The Stooges, and a heaping helping of Guns N Roses? In other words, a perfect intersection of rock, punk and glam? Enter The Makers. They've taken all the threads of the past 30 years and tied them up into one central knot. The songs are tight, the guitars are hot, and the vocals are delivered with the perfect combination of sneer and snarl. The album begins with the undeniable driving force of Matter Of Degrees, burning with a classic big riff and plenty of dueling guitars. From there, they drop right into the dark and brooding power pop of Good As Gold, featuring a fist-pumping chorus hook that would make Hanoi Rocks green with envy. As the disc progresses, the band spreads its figurative musical wings and experiments with acoustic rock, roots rock, and straight up high-heeled glam. They aren't afraid of taking a few chances, yet they're all the while keeping the sound solidly in their rock-n-roll foundation. MISH MASH Mandate: Death Defying Andalucia Sandia Crest Entertainment 10 song CD
The artistry of Brent Gunter is hard to define. He skillfully blends classical flamenco guitar with smooth latin rhythms and acid-jazz grooves, creating a musical landscape which seamlessly mixes traditional music and contemporary beats. Gunter obviously has no qualms with doing things outside the box, as he maneuvers his guitar around electronic drum patterns, world rhythms and through ethereal new age atmospheres. He sounds comfortable in all these settings, and it's sure to please fans of the guitar in any genre. MISH MASH Mandate: Boss Guitar Sandia Crest Website Brianna Lane Radiator PMR Music 11 Song CD
For example, on Sad Songs she sings Brianna Lane Website
Rock'N'Roll Monkey And The Robots Detroit Trauma Drastic Plastic Records 12 song CD
MISH MASH Mandate: Punkalicious Drastic Plastic Website Sir Millard Mulch How To Sell The Whole F#@!ing Mimicry Records 3 CD set (or maybe just 2)
I'm not sure where to begin on this one, but suffice it to say that anything by Sir Millard Mulch is the musical equivalent to spam e-mail. It comes in your mailbox (at least it did for me), and you open it up, even though you know you probably shouldn't. Before you know it, you're ordering strange potency pills from an unknown website and scratching your head as to why a Millard Mulch three CD set only has two CDs inside. With that having been said, this latest effort by Mulch pretty much mirrors his previous---manic and highly intricate electronic-based music which revolves around completely ridiculous subject matter. In this case, his musicial meandering is surrounded by an over-the-top parody about self-help sales programs. Think of it as Frank Zappa teaming up with Dale Carnegie in hell to produce the infomercial to end all infomercials. This album isn't going to help you one bit in anything, but it will give you a good laugh, and it will tie your brain in knots with the absolute crazed-out music, which is just amazing to listen to. Sir Millard Mulch Website © 2005 Mish Mash Music Reviews, All Rights Reserved
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