Welcome to
the inaugural edition of Mixed
Music Action, a hybrid
back-and-forth between Jeremy Pinnell and Kevin Broughton that
touches on the worlds of music and mixed martial arts…and whatever
else may suit them.
When Kevin
interviewed
Jeremy last fall in advance of the release of his phenomenal
album, Goodbye L.A.,
he was delighted to learn that Jeremy practices Brazilian jiu-jitsu
and, like himself, is a big fan of the UFC. Two guys, two great
topics and a platform like FTM?
To quote UFC ring announcer
Michael Buffer – though much more succinctly – “It’s time!”
KB:
I
caught a show with an artist last weekend -- the second-to-last show
on this tour. He was really struggling
with his voice, and I didn't envy him on the next night's show. That
has to be a common problem in your line of work. Do you have a go-to,
emergency throat remedy, beyond gargling salt water?
JP:First of all I want to say
I’m happy we’re doing this. Gonna be fun.
So,
losing your voice happens a lot. When you’re singing two hours a
night -- and we’ve done four-hour nights -- it’s unavoidable. I
supplement while on the road: Vitamin C, Vitamin D… I try not to
smoke cigars. Throat Coat has been proven to work when necessary. But
you have to go hard.
KB:
When
I recently asked you what's good to listen to these days, your first
answer was the new Cactus Blossoms album. They remind me a lot of the
early Jayhawks, right down to the Minneapolis roots. What about them
do you find so appealing?
JP:
I just dig their
Everly Brothers sound. The harmonies, the hooks, the songwriting,
etc. I also dig the Jayhawks and have seen them twice. Once when I
was 16, they opened for The Black Crowes at Riverfront Coliseum 1993.
The lights were on and people were strolling in when The Jayhawks
played.
KB:
Two poignant answers there. In a subtle way, you let me know that
I’ve got a decade-plus on you, and now I’m jelly that I never saw
the Jayhawks open for the pre-implosion Black Crowes. Whose idea was
this feature, again?
Anyway,
what's up with JP these days? You touring, raising young 'uns,
rolling in the BJJ studio? A little of everything?
JP:
I’ve been able to
hit the Carlson Gym a little more, but touring is picking up quite a
bit. I’m looking forward to summer. Yesterday was open mat at the
gym, and my son and I went down, and some surrounding gyms showed up
and everyone rolled for a couple hours. It was really cool seeing my
son use the things he’s learned and enjoy himself. He’s seven, by
the way. He and I have been enjoying Brazilian Jiu Jitsu quite a bit.
KB:
Looking
ahead to this weekend's UFC 272 card: The main event has "must
see" written all over it, and to say there's bad blood between
Colby Covington and Jorge Masvidal is like saying Jon
Tyler dabbles in conspiracy theories.
Covington is a sizeable favorite, and his only recent losses are to
Welterweight Champion Kamaru Usman. Jorge is a fan favorite who needs
a win.
Your
thoughts on the matchup, please, and give me the winner and method of
victory. I'll even go first and say Covington by unanimous decision;
his wrestling's too much.
JP:So I talked to my BJJ
instructor and asked him his thoughts. I’m a Jorge fan obviously,
but he said Colby will probably wear him down by using his wrestling,
and probably win by decision. But the cool thing about a fight is,
anything can happen! I think Jorge is fighter’s fighter. I don’t
think anyone will like Colby even if he does win.
KB:
Hmmm. Going to a ringer for advice on picks? I mean, I’m not
calling Brent Cobb or Leroy Virgil for advice on what music questions
to ask, but whatever.
Finally,
pick me another winner on this fight card.
JP:
I like Kevin Holland,
but Alex Oliviera is fierce. I’ll take Alex. I’m also taking
Edson Barboza over Bryce Mitchell, even though I like Bryce more. But
who knows?*
-----
*Solid,
underdog picks from the Kentucky Troubadour here, ladies & gents.
Serious value plays.
Most of these “jerk” lists have been surprising. This one, not as much. Rock stars are well known for ego and snotty behavior. Even though they may put off good vibes online or when meeting fans, here are some of Southern Rock’s most egregious offenders.
10. Gregg Allman
Only married Cher to piss off southern rock fans. Kept bus fridge stocked with clean urine despite never actually having to take drug tests.
9. Wes Bayliss (The Steel Woods)
Thinks turn signals are for the weak. Has a side job as one of those people who calls you about your car’s warranty.
8. Marcus King
Still draws dicks on sleeping bandmates like it’s a 1997 frat house. Insists upon a state trooper entourage walking him to the stage.
7. Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites)
Only plays “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” in a medley at concerts. Hangs the toilet paper “under.”
6. Cody Cannon (Whiskey Myers)
Puffs, puffs, puts it out. Secretly a hit pop-country songwriter under the alias Corey Crowder. Burps and blows in your face.
5. Susan Tedeschi
Only allows mainstream country stations to be played over the tour bus speakers. Makes band sign non-disclosure agreements so no one knows about her Red Man habit. One member is being fired at this moment.
4. Charlie Starr (Blackberry Smoke)
Talks in a fake Southern aristocrat accent for interviews. Doesn’t flush. Doesn’t put his grocery cart up.
3. Dale Krantz Rossington (The Rossington Band, Skynyrd)
Used to hide rotten fruit in Leon Russell’s beard while he was asleep. Cheats at Words with Friends. Hollers “Play Free Bird!” while actually on the stage with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
2. Derek Trucks
Never responds to text messages. Intentionally uses poor grammar and spelling on Facebook posts to trigger perfectionists. Personally selects the pre-show monitor music: all Ricky Martin hits. Doesn’t pick up after his dog.
1. Chris Robinson
Whoops. Actually is a jerk. Sorry for ending this on a downer.
The title of Trigger Hippy’s latest album, Full Circle & Then Some is fitting in so many ways given the journey that the individual members have taken to find each other and form this collective. And, the title also is indicative of the band’s sound which often circles back to replicate sounds of other, memorable music which gives these tracks a jam band kind of vibe, that showcases the talent at hand without fully establishing a definitive essence for Trigger Hippy themselves. On this, the sophomore album for the band, it still feels at times as if the band is trying to establish precisely what they will become. That is not to say the insane amount of talent does not deliver a richness of sound and the strength of this collection is the obvious musicianship and the variation delivered both vocally and in the musical styles.
The album opens with Don’t Wanna Bring You Down, a track with a Southern Rock and Roll Funk vibe, complete with a lively groove and layered harmonies. A hard drum beat ushers in The Butcher’s Daughter which for me conjured thoughts of Dusty Springfield with its narrative soulful vocals.
Strung Out On The Painis my favorite track among the dozen making up this album. Delivering the aura of old school country song from the late 80’s or early 90s this is a song that you can either two-step through the pain to, or kick back with whiskey in hand and reflect while your body goes numb.
The jam band spirit lands hard on Born To Be Blue. This eight plus minute track is long on ethereal intro mood setting, before the harmonies roll in like ocean waves some two minutes in. Overall, this one felt a bit like Steppenwolf’s Magic Carpet Ride and hit me as a song meant to fire one up and burn it down without ever having to change grooves. The end of the track settles into what I’d describe as a nice underwater conversation with a friendly whale.
The Door opened with a vocal style that brought to mind Harper Valley PTA before layering in a melody reminiscent at times of the recently departed, Kenny Roger’s Love Will Turn You Around and it was such blends of recognizable elements of music past, that kept me from ever completely settling into this album.
The title track, Full Circle and Then Some lands square in the middle of the cuts and as I stated in the opening paragraph is spot on in capturing the theme. The focus lyrically is on an old relationship and comes via a rocking soulful style that is as smooth and easy to listen to, and sing along with. A bluesy harmonica and low, lazy days of summer vocal style, clean and pure and direct delivers Dandelion.
Adding to the plethora of sounds, Goddamn Hurricane comes with a bluegrass vibe that feels a lot like a new track from the deeply missed band, The Gourds. That funky string arrangement vocal style made this my second favorite song among the twelve offerings. Long Lost Friendgives ustinkle keys and a honey sweet vocal groove. Fans of The Tractors and Confederate Railroad will enjoy One Of Them for its boogie beat and harmonious bounce.
Ironically, Low Down Country Song just might be the purest rock song on the album. That said it is still far more real, genuine, and thereby country, than damn near anything you will hear on Mainstream Country radio where everyone is hell-bent to be a Hip-Hop Pop star while dancing in bedazzled jeans on a jacked up truck’s tailgate as they sing about cliched dirt roads. Speaking of roads,Paving The Roadcloses out the album with an entirely different sound vocally.
Where exactly the road leads for Trigger Hippy remains to be seen, as the band has now given us two albums each with a slightly different lineup. There is promise of a bright future given the incredible talent present across this spectrum of styles and sounds. The harbingers of these talented musicians’ pasts lingers within these songs and while I appreciate the difficulty of launching new creative projects without bringing some elements of that with you, I found myself often comparing the tracks here to something that came before it. Talent and experience are great things to have, and as this band forms more of an identity tied solely to their existence, I expect Trigger Hippy to take aim with even more precision.
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Travis Erwin is an author and freelance author. His work ranges from the comedic memoir, THE FEEDSTORE CHRONICLES to the emotional novel WAITING ON THE RIVER, and includes the Townes Van Zandt inspired TWISTED ROADS. You can contact Travis via Twitter @TravisErwin or find his music reviews across a number of outlets.
The Black Crowes could have become the greatest American
rock and roll band of all time, or at least in the conversation with Tom Petty
& the Heartbreakers and Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band. Around
the time the scourge of hair “metal” was fading and the fad that would become
grunge was just kicking up, the band from Georgia revived Stones-style, blues-based
rock in a way only Aerosmith had done (and then, briefly) before them.
Fans of the band saw the potential immediately; within a few
years and albums, though, they became vaguely aware of the dysfunction that
would cripple the band. Sure, Chris and Rich Robinson didn’t get along, but how
bad could it be?
Worse than anyone could have imagined, it turns out. And
thanks to former drummer Steve Gorman’s enthralling memoir, Hard to Handle: The Life and Death of The
Black Crowes, fans get an
intimate look at a slow-motion train wreck. Think of Almost Famous in real life, with fist-fights.
Gorman, the youngest of eight kids from Hopkinsville,
dropped out of Western Kentucky University in the late 1980s to move to Atlanta
and join a band – a band that didn’t yet exist. He didn’t own a drum kit;
bought his first one about a week after arriving. He had only “air-drummed.”
It was also about a week into his Atlanta residency that he
met Chris Robinson, then fronting Mr. Crowe’s Garden. When Drivin N Cryin
poached drummer Jeff Sullivan, Chris (who had recently gone cold-turkey off his
antidepressants after his therapist committed suicide) gave Gorman the hard sell.
He soon relented and along with Rich (still in high school), formed the core of
what would become the Black Crowes.
Steve Gorman
Fortune smiled on the band early. It was a different era in
the music business, obviously, but they were on the fast track after being signed
to Ric Rubin’s label, Def American. George Drakoulias prudently informed the
band they needed to tour and practice more before hitting the studio. Before
heading back to Los Angeles, Drakoulias gave them some sage advice: Start listening to the Stones, like Beggars
Banquet- and Exile-era Stones. And to young Rich Robinson: Learn to play in open G tuning, like Keith
does. This, without question, impacted the Crowes’ sound on their first
three albums – and their overall sound -- more than anything else. Gorman,
incidentally, refers to Rich as a guitar savant; the same applies to himself
behind a drum kit. Those two were the instrumental backbone of the Black
Crowes.
Drakoulias produced the first two records, Shake Your Money Maker and (to this day
the band’s masterpiece) The Southern
Harmony and Musical Companion. So, after massive record sales, universal
critical acclaim and touring all over America and Europe, what’s the next move?
Chris decides the band doesn’t need a producer anymore. Oh, the hubris that
ensued.
Quick, what’s the first thing that comes to mind about their
third album, Amorica? Probably the
album cover: a young lady’s midsection clad only in American-flag bikini
bottoms, with, uh, some grass showing on the field.
Gorman: “Chris, what the hell are you thinking? Places like
Wal Mart and K-Mart will never carry this album.” (They didn’t.)
Chris: “I don’t care. Black Crowes fans don’t shop at those
places.”
Predictably, album sales absolutely tanked as a result.
(It’s a shame, too, because Amorica
is probably the band’s second-best record.) It would be the first of many times
Chris Robinson would presume to speak for Black Crowes fans, and over the years
he’d be proven wrong manifestly and continually. At one point Gorman, sick of
the presumption, told him, “You have no idea how to relate to our fans. How
much money would you say you spend on weed in a year?” Not batting an eye or
catching the gist, Chris deadpanned, “About a hundred grand.”
Over the next dozen years, Chris would – time and again – drop
a grenade into the band’s midst. There’s a clinical term for someone who is
incapable of empathy and engages in destructive behavior when success would
otherwise abound. Gorman never calls Chris Robinson a sociopath, or even
bipolar. But he’s surely thought it. The Robinson brothers were toxically
codependent, and it spread through the band. Rich had been bullied by his older
brother all his life, and rather than stand up to him, he took it out on his
band mates in passive-aggressive fashion. Gorman, the runt of his own (much
larger) familial litter, exasperatedly gave Rich some advice: “Next time, take
a folding chair and smash Chris right in the f*cking face with it. Send his ass
to the hospital, and I promise you, this will stop.” If Rich had taken it to
heart and followed through, Gorman’s book would be alternate history.
But he didn’t. Many, many times, Gorman – after enduring a
Chris Robinson tantrum of verbal abuse – offered him a free first punch. Had
Chris taken him up, we’d again be looking at a different Crowes retrospective.
He’s a bully who’s never endured a good ass-whipping, and Black Crowes fans are
the worse for it.
Gorman would leave the band after the 2010 tour and return a
few years later in response to the pleadings of the Robinsons and the band’s
manager. This time, they promised, it would be different. And it would, for a
little while. Then, in 2014 it was all over again. Rich released a letter explaining
that the band was done, seemingly taking the high road: “I love my brother and respect his talent, but
his present demand that I must give up my equal share of the band and that our
drummer for 28 years and original partner, Steve Gorman, relinquish 100% of his
share, reducing him to a salaried employee, is not something I could agree to.”
Oh, the irony. Several years earlier, the
Robinsons – both of them – had written Gorman and demanded he give up his
ownership in the band they’d formed together. The drummer called their bluff
and was ready to walk until they quickly relented.
Each of the book’s 40 chapters are packed with
vignettes that will leave fans shaking their heads at what might have been. No
spoiler here, but the one that sums it all up involves Jimmy Page. You remember
they toured together and made a double album, right?
Of all the infuriating episodes in Gorman’s tell-all, it’s
the one that will piss you off the most.
Still, it’s a book you can’t put down. As in, buy it on a
Friday afternoon and you’re up till 3:30 a.m. reading.
And you’ll finish it while
watching your favorite team the next day…in between plays.
Gorman says, “This isn’t
the story of the Black Crowes, but it’s my story of the Black Crowes.” It’s
one well told, but ultimately sad. I hope the movie isn’t a letdown. Meantime,
let’s remember what was, and what could have been.
