Ian Hunter Comes to the Fillmore

Singer, pianist and composer Ian Hunter is perhaps best known as the lead singer of the English rock band Mott the Hoople, from its inception in 1969 to 1974. Hunter would later embark on a solo career, often in collaboration with the Hoople's guitarist Mick Ronson, well-known for his work with David Bowie. Among Hunter's best-known solo records are "Once Bitten, Twice Shy" and "Cleveland Rocks," made famous as the theme to TV's "The Drew Carey Show". This Friday night, Hunter and his Rant Band make a rare appearance at the Fillmore for one of only three shows in California.

The writer Campell Devine provides a bio on Hunter's website for the "uninitiated", "Born in Oswestry, Shropshire and fuelled musically by the likes of Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis, Ian Hunter Patterson played in various bands throughout the sixties, including The New Yardbirds and, as a bass player, backed Billy Fury,Freddie Fingers Lee, The Young Idea and David McWilliams. He also worked as a journalist and staff songwriter for Francis Day and Hunter before joining Herefordshire band, Silence, in 1969.

Renamed Mott The Hoople by manic mentor and producer Guy Stevens, Hunter became the group's vocalist, principal songwriter and focal point with visually striking corkscrew hair and omnipresent dark glasses. Mott recorded four crazed but critically-acclaimed and highly influential albums for Island Records and possessed enormous live prowess, but poor record sales led to a temporary split and a move to CBS/Columbia. With David Bowie's 'All The Young Dudes' as the launchpad, Mott The Hoople hit superstar status between 1972 and 1974 - seven hit singles, four chart albums (including 'Mott' - still regarded as a seventies' classic); they were the first rock band to sell out a week of Broadway concerts in New York's theatreland, and Ian wrote his universally acclaimed book,Diary of a Rock 'n' Roll Star.

Hunter's lyrical foresight and percipience were astonishing - 'The Moon Upstairs' (1971) pre-empted Punk Rock by five years, 'Crash Street Kidds' (1974) predicted social unrest and British street riots in the early '80s and Queen must have been listening to Ian's five minute operetta, 'Marionette', an obvious precursor to their #1 smash hit, 'Bohemian Rhapsody'.
Various personnel changes in Mott The Hoople ended with the recruitment of the highly talented Mick Ronson as lead guitarist, but personality clashes and strains within the group resulted in its demise after Hunter suffered a physical breakdown in the USA. In spite of the considerable pleadings of their original guiding light, Guy Stevens, Ian traded the safety of Mott the Hoople for unknown and risk-laden solo territory.

On paper, the combined potential of Mott and Ronson was frightening and Ian's first stunning solo album, recorded with Mick, illustrated the considerable opportunity that was missed. Hunter was soon trailblazing again and his second LP, released fifteen months later, whilst labeled commercial suicide, was soon mirrored by Sting after he quit The Police and issued his first solo records in a style reminiscent of 'All American Alien Boy.'

Hunter continued to pool his vocal and writing expertise with Ronson's instrumental and studio capabilities over the next fifteen years, both for recording and production work. The latter included Generation X, Ellen Foley, Hanoi Rocks and Urgent. By the mid '80s however, Ian's output was less frequent, being restricted to occasional songs for movie soundtracks, until he resumed his partnership with Mick in 1988, when they recorded and toured for the first and only time as 'Hunter Ronson'.

Ian has been cited as a major inspiration and reference point for numerous bands including the Clash, Kiss, Def Leppard, REM, Motley Crue, Blur and Oasis. Hunter's influence has remained incalculable; accompanied on stage by Ian Astbury of The Cult, Axl Rose and Slash, Roger Daltrey, Meat Loaf and Bryan Adams amongst others (and at their request), there are now over 50 different cover versions of Ian's songs from artists as diverse as Great White, The Presidents of the United States of America, Status Quo, Blue Oyster Cult, Bonnie Tyler, Barry Manilow, The Pointer Sisters, Willie Nelson, Thunder and The Monkees - further evidence, surely, that he is one of our greatest-ever songwriters.

Freddie Mercury of Queen enquired of a former Mott member in the '80s why Hunter had never reformed such a successful and influential group, a resistance which Mercury failed to comprehend. The clue is in the unprecedented diversity of albums such as 'All American Alien Boy', 'You're Never Alone With a Schizophrenic', 'Short Back n' Sides' and 'YUI Orta' which bear witness to Ian's belief that artistic honesty and independence outweigh any commercial consideration whatsoever. It is also interesting to observe that so-called 'greats' such as Dylan, Springsteen and Elton John have issued their share of patchy albums over the years whilst the quality of Hunter's recorded repertoire has never wavered from the very highest caliber and consistency."

Ian Hunter and the Rant Band
The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA
Friday, January 28th at 9:00 pm

DC's "Godfather of Go Go": Chuck Brown's "We Got This"

I was back in DC last week on U Street when a friend and I spotted the legendary Chuck Brown. I'd just heard his latest CD, "We Got This", with his fabulous new tune "Love", featuring Ledesi, Marcus Miller and Jill Scott. The name Chuck Brown might not mean a whole lot to people outside the D.C. area. In D.C., Brown is widely known, even revered, as the Godfather of Go-Go, a title he's held since the late '70s. Though he started out as a jazz guitarist, Brown invented go-go, a style that incorporates funk, jazz, R&B, hip-hop and dancehall, and has mostly stuck with it ever since. "We Got This" is perhaps Brown at his finest, groove bustin', Go Go best.

“The Godfather of Go Go,” Chuck Brown is the undisputed sole founder and creator Go-Go music, a hypnotically danceable genre deeply rooted in funk and soul that he developed in the early 70’s , and the only form of expressive culture to originate in the District of Columbia. Foreshadowing rap and many of the major popular R&B styles of the past three decades, Chuck's signature style earned him a place in American musical royalty. This esteem was maintained by the reputation of his legendary live shows, heavy on audience participation and built around “the beat” to create an unparalleled non-stop party atmosphere.

While searching for a sound to call his own in the 1960s, Chuck was deeply inspired by artists like James Brown. He latched onto the Latin percussion groove from the band he played with at the time, Los Latinos. Combining this with his roots, his love of blues, jazz, gospel, soul, and African rhythms, Chuck began to develop his own unique sound. Starting out playing top forty, Brown would break-it-down between songs with percussion and audience call and response, and keep the music going, and the dance floor packed.

His first hit was “We the People” on the debut album of the same name in 1972. Next came the album Salt of the Earth, with the hit “Blow Your Whistle” (sampled by Grammy winner Eve in 2007 in her hit “Tambourine”), and one of the most sampled break beats of ALL time from “Ashley’s Roach Clip” (including Eric B and Rakim, LL Cool J and countless others). In 1978, the Soul Searchers became Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers, and Chuck’s original composition “Bustin’ Loose” took the #1 spot in Billboard, on Source/MCA Records. The song was used in Grammy winner Nelly’s 2002 smash “Hot in Herre,” and continues to be one of the most relevant and often sampled funk songs ever written (“Bustin’ Loose” is currently featured in a national television campaign for Chips Ahoy).

After substantial touring across the US, but no money to show for his success, Chuck found himself looking for inspiration. He found it in his next hit, the Billboard charting “We Need Some Money,” which propelled him around the world again. Brown then revisited his love of jazz and created the “Go Go Swing Medley,” introducing people around the world to classics by Duke Ellington, Johnny Mercer, and James Moody, spun in Chuck’s inimitable way. Released independently and later on Polygram Records, Chuck Brown and the Soul Searchers once again reached an international audience through a 1985 at Holland’s North Seas Jazz Festival. In between sets by Curtis Mayfield and James Brown, Chuck schooled everyone on the genre he created. That same year, Chris Blackwell introduced the movie “Good to Go,” a much hyped but poor reflection of the scene. Nonetheless other artists, such as Salt N Pepa, Kurtis Blow, and Grace Jones, began incorporating his sound in their music. Brown continued to record, perform in the US, with stints in Europe and Japan in the nineties.

After a string of live recordings, he met at the time an undiscovered, shy talent by the name of Eva Cassidy in the early nineties. His lifelong dream of singing with a lady, springing from his love of duets by the likes of Louis Armstrong with Ella Fitzgerald and Billy Eckstine with Sarah Vaughan, came to fruition with the critically acclaimed and worldwide release of “The Other Side” by Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy (which contained the original recording of the worldwide Eva Cassidy hit “Over the Rainbow”). He dedicated a jazz standards album to Ms. Cassidy after her tragic loss to cancer.

In 2001, he released the Billboard charting “Your Game... Live at the 9:30 Club” which was voted as one of the top 10 albums of 2001 by Billboard’s R&B Editor, Rapper Chuck D and others. A live DVD came next, called “quite possibly the greatest live concert video/DVD I have ever seen” by Murder Dog Magazine. The same year a double remastered “Best Of” album was released. In 2006 the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Chuck a “Lifetime Heritage Fellowship,” the Federal Government’s highest honor for folk and traditional arts, and Chuck also performed at the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame in 2006. The following year his “We’re About the Business” CD debuted as the #1 independent album and #2 R&B album in Billboard. The National Visionary Leadership Project recognized Chuck’s contributions in shaping American history in 2007, joining previous honorees such as Ray Charles, Quincy Jones, BB King, and Earth Kitt.

Most recently Chuck has recorded with artists as diverse as Thievery Corporation, Brian Culbertson and Jeff Majors. A street in Washington DC was recently renamed “Chuck Brown Way.” His most ambitious recording, a three disc set “We Got This” was released on September 21, 2010. It contains a live concert DVD shot in HD, a live concert audio CD and a CD of bonus new studio material including collaborations with the aforementioned Ledisi, Marcus Miller and Jill Scott. At 74 years of age, Chuck Brown remains not only culturally and musically relevant, but a tireless and constant tour de force in American music.

Bassist Mick Karn: 1958-2011

I'd first seen the enigmatic bassist Mick Karn in Los Angeles during his mid-80s tour with guitarist David Torn, drummer Bill Bruford and trumpeter Michael White in support of Torn's critically acclaimed "Cloud About Mercury" album. One of the most memorable moments of that performance was Karn's rendition of "Dalis Car", a popular song from his days with Peter Murphy of Bauhaus and David Sylvian of "Japan". Used to close each show, "Dalis Car" was emblematic of Karn's compositional prowess and unique approach to his instrument. Sadly, after a long battle with cancer, Karn passed away on Tuesday at his home in London.

Karn was born to a Greek Cypriot family of five, in Nicosia, Cyprus, as Andonis Michaelides, which was later modified to Antony Michaelides. In late October, of 1961, the family emigrated to London, England, when Karn was three years old. Karn was educated at Catford Boys' School, Catford, South East London, and remained based in London until 2004, when he moved back to Cyprus with wife and son, remaining there for six years before moving back to London in late 2010.

The band Japan, whose other members included David Sylvian, keyboardist Richard Barbieri and Sylvian's brother Steve Jansen as drummer, began as a group of friends, who all studied at the same school. As youngsters they played music as a means of escape, playing Sylvian's two-chord numbers – sometimes with Karn as the front man, sometimes with Sylvian at the fore. Guitarist Rob Dean joined the band later. The group would soon become known as "Japan" and in 1974, signed a recording contract with German disco label Hansa, and became an alternative glam rock outfit in the mold of David Bowie, T.Rex, and The New York Dolls.

As the band started to achieve commercial success with the release of their "Tin Drum" album, and "Ghosts", which reached the top five in 1982, tensions and personality conflicts between band members would signal the end of Japan. Tin Drum would be the Japan's final studio album.

Following the demise of Japan, Karn recorded a solo album before forming "Dalis Car" with Peter Murphy of the gothic post-punk group "Bauhaus", who recorded one album in 1984. In 1986, he filled in for bassist Tony Levin on Torn's "Cloud About Mercury" tour; performing first in Germany with Bill Bruford and trumpeter Mark Isham, and later on a tour of the U.S. with trumpeter Michael White, filling in for Isham. Karn continued to work with Torn on other projects, including Torn's "Door X" album and alongside drummer Terry Bozzio. Karn and Torn would also continue to work with together with a number of Japanese musicians, forming the multinational New Wave band, "NiNa". Since then he has worked as a solo artist and as a sculptor, photographer.

Karn has also played on recordings by other artists, contributing bass guitar and saxophone to Gary Numan's "Dance" album, and playing with Kate Bush and Joan Armatrading. In the 1990s, Karn started the "Medium Productions" label along with Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri, two of his fellow former Japan-members, and Debi Zornes. In 1993, Karn released "Beastial Cluster", recorded with Torn, and fellow Japan members Steve Jansen and Richard Barbieri. Karn's 1995 album "Tooth Mother" would feature Barbieri and the talented singer Natasha Atlas.

In 2006, the MK Music imprint was established, as a three person operation—with Karn, Zornes and Mike Trenery—and beginning with 2006's "Three Part Species", all releases, including the autobiography, have the MK Music logo on them.

In 2000, Karn worked with Gota Yashiki, Vivian Hsu, Masahide Sakuma and Masami Tsuchiya in the band "The D.E.P., or "Doggy Eels Project". In 2001, he worked with Paul Wong on his "Yellow Paul Wong" release. In 2008, Karn released "Selected", a collection of his music spanning some 13 years.

Karn left London in 2004 to live in Cyprus with his wife and son, financially enabling himself to keep working as a musician/artist. In 2009 Karn also released his autobiography, titled Japan & Self Existence, available through his website and Lulu, which explores not only his music related life before, during and after Japan but his work in sculpture, painting, his childhood, relationships, and family.

In August of 2010, Peter Murphy disclosed via video message on his personal Facebook profile that he would be reuniting with Mick Karn for a week in London, perhaps in November, to begin writing and recording for a second Dalis Car album. Murphy also added that this would be the first time the two had seen each other since 1983. One of Karn's last recordings, "Concrete Twin", was released last year and featured Karn performing on all of the instruments, save drums and percussion, supplied by Pete Lockett.

In June of 2010, Karn announced on his website that he had been diagnosed with advanced-stage cancer; the specific type of ailment was not mentioned. According to Torn, Karn's cancer had apparently already spread and he was undergoing chemotherapy. His website announcement stated that Karn had been struggling financially for some time, and appealed for donations to help pay for his medical care and provide financial assistance for his family. In addition, several people Karn has worked with, in particular Midge Ure, Porcupine Tree, and Masami Tsuchiya, had announced concerts in support of the appeal. According to a website update, the funds raised by the appeal enabled Karn and his family to move back to London where Karn could receive his treatment.

Anil Prassad's music website "Innerviews", succinctly quoted Karn in a 1996 interview that summed up his approach to music. Essentially self-taught, Karn had nevertheless passed an audition with the London Schools Symphony Orchestra on bassoon; it's theft forced Karn to to take up bass and led him to his partnership with guitarist Sylvian.

"I rely very much on my ears", said Karn. "If it sounds as if it's the right thing, then I'll keep it - even if it may not be..." Karn is survived by his wife and son. He will be sorely missed.