Slanky Revs It Up

Cody welcomes back Phil and Chris

Sam White wails on the sax

Jaron Hein on trumpet

Longtime veteran, Jim Rogers, remains at the keyboard.

Reverend Slanky has been one of Zootown's most popular bands for years. Many university students have played with this outfit and moved on, after graduation, creating vacancies. The line-up has evolved with regular updates. Cody Hollow has been the glue holding the sound together and recruiting new members. 

On Friday, July 8, 2011, the Reverend showed his latest face at the Badlander. A couple of lost sheep returned to the fold, and Cody moved to a drum kit, giving up the big drums. Sam White, who can't always come down from Helena, hit his horn hard. Slanky has always loved to funk with swing tunes. This incarnation brings back more rock sensibility, still swings, and, in the Reverend's proud tradition, is still among the most dance-able music in town.   

Do I need to tell you there are more images from this night and previous performances on the flickr archive? You will find thousands of photos of local bands over there. 

Skurfs Way Up, Pounding the Mountains

OK, so the 3D gizmo didn't perform as promised, but the Skurfs certainly did. It was a raucous party as the group released their CD, First Run, at the Top Hat on Friday, July 1, 2011.

Gavin McCourt says Skurf is a combination of ski and surf, and the sound is Montana surf music.

Sam Ore

Aaron Johnson

Dan Venturella, Aaron, Gavin and Sam

In the Independent, Jed Nussbaum said this wasn't the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA. No kidding! This sound is the Ventures, on crack, mating with the Beach Boys a'la Deliverance. The roots are there in the 60s surf music, but this music is here and now, without a whiff of anything old. It's also brilliant. 

If you see Skurfs on a marquee or in the ads, get out for some live and local music. 

Yes, I am returning to the "live and local" mantra, because it is important. Zootown is a hotbed of artistic creativity, and music is a huge part of the scene. Since government wants to cut the arts (because studying art teaches us how to think rather than what to think), we must assist artistic impulses where ever and whenever we can. 

Most local bands play for love of music, as they struggle to make ends meet. When they have honed their skills and produced the awesome sound they were after, Portland, Seattle, Austin, and even the city of Angels appear to be bigger, greener pastures. I have wanted to rant or weep when terrific local bands left town. Anybody been in touch with Thomas Pendarvis lately? What happened to the iNHUMANS?  Closer to the Skurfs, do you remember Arrows to the Sun?

Citizens who can afford it, please, pay the lowly cover charges for live and local, buy locally recorded CDs and assist in keeping some exceptional music in Missoula.

I, on the other hand, cannot afford cover charges. If I paid cover charges, my archive of Missoula music and musicians would only contain hundreds of images, instead of the thousands currently there. Just saying, if you want your image or venue to appear here in the kitchen, or on the stove, let me in. Do not ask me to deal in filthy lucre, since I have none. Disclaimer: I am slow, not from age; I've always been a bit that way. I cannot accept all invitations, can't be everywhere at once, and can't carry a tune in a bucket. Please, don't ask for a song and dance. 

There was a thunder shower just know, and I must go for a walk. I'll see you all along the way, down the road, and hopefully near some art, because I love the stuff and the people who make it.

Still to come:

Dumpstaphunk

Baby, it's cold outside

It was five below zero outside, when I first looked out, and everything was dusted with snow. The old myth of too-cold-to-snow was shattered. I was planning to visit my bank and do some errands downtown. Now, I'm thinking it's a perfect day to do some filing and to sort my t-shirts.

Earlier on KBGA I heard someone say they had once equated punk rock with Cheap Trick. KBGA is way too hip to call Cheap Trick punk. I'm thinking X, the Motels, Agent Orange, and the like, while Cheap Trick is merely a novelty. And in that category, I think the Red Elvises blow them out of the water.

Vera is on KBGA discussing their new CD and playing cuts from it. The release is this Friday at the Badlander. Secret Powers and Butter will also play. That is one hell of a line up. This will be the hipnhot event in Zootown on Friday, December 11.

This is Vera playing the November Artini at the Missoula Art Museum. There are more images on the flickr archive from that event. Of course, there are many images of Secret Powers and Butter, as well.

The hipnhot event for Saturday will be at the Top Hat, when Zeppo plays and Reverend Slanky gives their final performance with this line-up. Someone is always leaving Slanky amid rumors the group will be no more, but Cody has always plugged, patched, adjusted and continued on in the Reverend's name. We'll see what happens this time. Chris Ente and Sam White are the departing members.

There's a rant building about the Nobel Peace Prize winner expanding the war in Afghanistan. It's beyond irony and into the adsurd. Holy shades of Kissinger, Batman! Don't you dare compare this mess to Vietnam the neo-con Bushites demanded. Surely, it is OK to make the comparison now. I'll leave it there for now, because I want to work on my next show.

First Friday--October, 2009

First Friday is Art Walk Night in zootown. Galleries open their latest shows, usually with snacks and drinks, and sometimes with music. I started the evening at Paradigm, an architect's office, tucked up the alley between the Rhino and the Catalyst. The artist's name was Jennifer Bardsley, and the music was provided by a pair of friends.

Next door and upstairs, jazz was being played in the Loft. The Loft is a classy private club, and we riff-raff can only enter free on the first and third Fridays. Jazz is played both of those nights. You must pay to participate in the wine tasting.

I hit several studios and galleries, after those two spots. Zombie Tools had an exhibit of wildly creative found art in the New West Offices, and Home Resource had a Spontaneous Construction exhibit outside in the alley. Noteworthy took me back to high school, when my locker was lined with Lon Cheney, Frankenstein's monster, Dracula and other assorted images torn from monster magazines. Tim Thornton filled Noteworthy with posters, prints and tiles featuring those monsters and performers from my youth. I'm up, down and around, until First Friday events are ending, and it is time for music. And there was music, right there on the corner of Higgins and Broadway, lots of music from a full brass band.

The Reverend was in the Badlander pulpit.

There was some electronic tomfoolery downstairs in the Palace.

When Club Q is up and running, the place is full of pulsing music, flashing lights, dancing and fun.

My last stop for the evening was the Union Club, where Whiskey Rebellion was playing. I wished I had checked these guys out sooner, because they are a kick in the pants. The new no smoking rule didn't seem to be hurting business at the club.

River Fest Opens with Cash for Junkers, and the Reverend Doubles Up

I am one tired old man, because I have been going since noon Saturday, when I set out for downtown to see Cash for Junkers open the River City Roots Festival.

Soon everyone and their dogs were there.

Reverend Slanky always produces a crowd.

And Slanky fans love to dance.

The Reverend performed double duties with a late night show at the Palace. There is a set on the flickr archive, which contains images of both shows.

I tied myself in knots and met myself coming back, while trying to cover all the music in Zootown. In addition to the five bands which played Roots on Saturday, and a double dose of Slanky, there was Mike Bader Blues Band at the Top Hat, Workers at the Union Club and the metal extravaganza upstairs in the Union Hall. That one featured Blessiddoom and Walking Corpse Syndrome.

Sunday night, after Roots, there was Jazz Martini Night at the Badlander and a bang up show at the Top Hat, featuring Andrea Harsell and Cottonwood Draw. The latter returned to the Top Hat, after opening for Elephant Revival, and set the place on fire with a scintillating performance. It was another one of those hipnhot-gotta-dance events.

Good news about Jazz Martini Night: in two weeks it expands to a larger time slot and begins to feature two bands again.

Monday night, Butter, whom I recently covered at MAM during Artini, opened a big show at the Badlander. Mini Mansions and Low Red Land were the visiting bands featured.

The Kitchenpoet has it all digitalized, and must get it all sorted before First Friday. Yes, this is First Friday, September 4, coming up in two days, and there will be music, gallery shows and special events everywhere. Check Missoula Events for times and places. The Labor Temple will be a hipnhot spot with an all-ages early show upstairs in the Union Hall and Zeppo downstairs, in the Union Club, at 9:30.

Reverend Slanky @Palace & Downtown

Reverend Slanky performed in Caras Park for Downtown Tonight, on Thursday, July 30, after blowing the doors off the Palace, the previous Saturday.

Here's Chuck Lester joining the merrymaking on stage, at the Palace.

The reverend's loyal co-ed fan base always turns up at these events.

A wedding party arrives, and the bride negotiates some mike time.

Reverend Slanky will need to retool, as the trombone player and drummer depart the area, after these two performances. The metronome below has been the heart of Slanky's rhythmic weavings for a long time.

Perhaps the largest crowd of the season turned out for Reverend Slanky, when they played Downtown Tonight. There are four weeks remaining of this excellent program.

The sun is wicked at this time of evening. Come out for the event, but protect your eyes and skin.