Finding The Soul Of A Motorcycle In India

New Delhi Motorcycle Company shows defines the term soul, when talking about motorcycles

"We at "Colorblind" had been looking for a real story to tell since sometime. A story which real people could have related to, that could have touched hearts, that could have created goosebumps in a way that it did to us. We are just like you so here is a story for you. Finding story took us to many places, people, ideas and then it struck us that careers are not confined to cubicals, certificates, degrees, universities, interviews or job placements. Far away from the world of doctors, engineer, management gurus there lies a world of engine oil, brakes, gear but not into a shiny automobile showrooms but a dirty, clumsy mechanic's shop in a chaotic old delhi's narrow gali. Colorblind wants to extend a special thank to Bobbee Singh( aka Bullet Raja), who introduced us to this world. So here's presenting a tribute to these maestros whose oil coated blackend hands carved the Bullet Beauty for many of us Bullet Lovers."

Fifth On The Floor - Kentucky Gentlemen Kicking Ass And Taking Names

Fifth On The Floor - Kentucky Gentlemen kicking ass and taking names

Check out the post on the Examiner 

Written by Jessica Blankenship - kentuckycountrymusic@gmail.com
http://kycountrymusic.blogspot.com/ 

"Kentucky is home of some of the best musicians, singers, songwriters, all creating the music we grow to love. From the Appalachian region to the western plains of the Commonwealth, there is a special blend of music that is unique from the bluegrass state. Fifth on the Floor of central Kentucky has been making a name for themselves over the years and representing the state as they travel throughout the United States. Hard work and determination to spread the music to the fans has gained them momentum of success.

During a recent break from touring, I got to speak with Justin Wells of Fifth on the Floor. They are getting ready to play another hometown show this Sunday at Busters in Lexington, Ky., opening for J.J. Grey and Mofro. They will be getting ready to hit the road again, opening for legendary rocker George Thorogood.


 
Jessica Blankenship: It is 2014, new year, new faces, new music for Fifth on the Floor. Let's discuss the latest lineup with the band. Describe each of them and what they bring to the table individually.

Justin Wells: Jason Parsons has been with us for three years and as far as I'm concerned, he is an original member. Really there is a certain point in this band's history that we probably should have changed our name. There were significant changes in the lineup, sound, and our goals of what we were trying to do. We started years ago as a bar band kind of thing. At this point, he and I are the only songwriters in the band. Parsons is writing some of the, in my opinion, the best that he's ever written. Lyrically he's writing a lot. That's definitely the core I feel like.

Kevin Hogle came on in May. When we were looking for another drummer, I had a short list of two people. Kevin was on that list. I've known Kevin for a long time. He's played with 500 Miles to Memphis since forever, as long as I've known them. I've known them five years or longer. He's from the Covington area in northern Kentucky. He's technically a Kentuckian but he's very close to not being in Kentucky (laughing). Kevin is one of the most disciplined musicians I've ever been around. Besides outright insane skills, he brings a lot of discipline. He's kind of like the band dad in that he's unshakeable. Nothing really gets him mad or upset. He's really good at keeping the mood upbeat. Man, when you're on tour, that's as valuable as playing your parts. He's just one of those drummer that he's stylistically that there's nothing I can throw at him that he can't do. If he screws something up, the next time he plays it, it's perfect. 

We now have Ryan Clackner on guitar. Ryan has been playing with us since the end of September. He's an incredible player. Both he and Kevin have degrees in their respective instruments. Ryan's got a jazz guitar degree and came off a two year stint as Bob Wayne's guitar player. He's one of those few people that can cross styles really well. He's a lot of fun to play with. He has some out there ideas, but again he can do it all pretty easily. We've got a steel guitar player, metal guitar player, and country guitar player and only have to pay one guy. 

Jessica: When Fifth on the Floor played in Lexington in December, several wondered how Ryan would do as compared to Matty Rogers. However, he held his own and brought his own flavor.

Justin: We said coming in, there's a difference between if you are playing the chord progression on Shine, that's how it needs to get played. As far as the solos, he asked me about those. We found him on Craigslist (laughing).

Jessica: So you all went to the Musician's Match.com equivalent?

Justin: Yep I guess you could say that. He asked are we beholding to the solos. We said absolutely not, if there is an idea that you like on our records, incorporate it, but we told him what we were looking for stylistically. That's the reason why Ryan is playing guitar with us right now. We were looking for something else. That's not a slight to Matt to the least bit of way. That is the reason why we wanted to open the show up with Distant Memory Lane; to show folks that this is the sound now. Here is this, immediately to the point.



Jessica: Ashes and Angels was released a year ago and fans are already asking about new music. How is that coming along?

Justin: It’s hard to say. We’ve only arranged about three songs. Parsons and I have written about nine or ten songs right now that we can play on the acoustic guitar. We want to write about 15 or 20 and then go in the studio and knock some of those off. What we’ve done in the past, we’ve toured and played so much. That had to do a lot with the work ethic of the group we had at the time. We didn’t rehearse a lot and we didn’t put new material together. So when we had 11 or 12 songs, we went into the studio and maybe cut one or two of them. So now, we are looking for this record to be the stamp of what we are. Shooter [Jennings] even told us that. He told us that this record wasn’t going to bring you riches or anything like that. It’s going to open the door and it’s going to say hello. This next record is Fifth on the Floor. We’re going to do everything that we want. I’m not apologizing for the last three records. I’m very proud of them. That’s where we were at the time. With Ashes and Angels, we were in the studio two years ago to record that. It came out this past year. So two years have passed with this band. Obviously a lot of differences and I’ve got kids now, Kevin’s got kids, we’re all in our thirties. We’ve been around a lot of people that are more and learn as much as we could from that. I’m really looking forward to the next record. We’re probably in the home stretch of writing, but we’ve got a ways to go.

Jessica: Do you plan on using Shooter Jennings again to produce it?

Justin: I hope so if our schedules are good. Shooter has been working hard pushing his own record. If you haven’t figured this out by now, Shooter doesn’t like to stand still and he doesn’t like to focus on a project too long. Fifth on the Floor is really starting to do something. We signed with our agency, Monterey in July and ever since it has been picking up being busy. I would love to work with Shooter.



Jessica: In working on the new album, there are two songs that you have started playing in your live show that are quite strong in songwriting, Hell in Our Hands and The Line. Let’s talk about those for a bit.

Justin: Hell in Our Hands was inspired by Scott H. Biram with that nasty stomp blues. We turned it into this ZZ Top beat, fun, Pink Floyd style thing that I don't know what it is now, but it's awesome. 

Jessica: Speaking of Pink Floyd, I picked up the little guitar riff influence in the live version of Burning Nashville Down.

Justin: Yep, you are correct. Fifth on the Floor is where we need it to be right now. There were some changes, and I know that some were not popular, be it with members or how we are sounding now. This is something that I think Parsons and I have been consciously or subconsciously pushing towards for some time now with our sound. I've said for years that we are a rock band, not a country band. We incorporate country elements and we do it well. I like to think we play country, but we're just trying. I think with the first three records, especially the first two records, it was all over the place. Ashes and Angels was the beginning of what Fifth on the Floor sounds like. It is no more of 'is it this, or this, or that?' This is how it sounds, for the most part. 

Jessica: Let’s talk about The Line. The lyrics stuck in my head from the moment I heard it.

Justin: It is possibly the saddest song I have ever written. It is a country song, but country was a precursor to rock. That's how I always viewed country music with this band. It is like an outsider looking in. We don't claim country, but that doesn't mean we can't play country songs. Over the last few years, we have been able to show the different facets of what puts us all together as a band. 

Jessica: It is interesting that you blend into the different styles of music on Ashes and Angels. The band seems to get attention now to the outside world of what is happening here in Kentucky.

Justin: It's our dirty secret of Kentucky. We actually charted on Billboard with that record. Our one week of glory. To me, it's a matter of assurance that people are paying attention. It charted in the country format, which is funny because we don't claim country music. The one thing that is cool is that beside the My Morning Jacket cover, we wrote all of those songs. We put out an album with that song and a bunch of Fifth on the Floor songs that charted in between albums that probably had covers of a good looking person with a good looking tan, dude or chick, in a truck. We've got this evil, Sergeant Peppers cover to chart. The label wasn't too keen on that. They wanted to put a picture of us on the cover. We told them that’s not us. First of all, we're ugly and we're not going to sell records. I was never that kid that bought records and gave a crap what they look like. I was into the art and that's why you bought the records, especially my parents' generation. It wasn't just the song, it was the whole thing. I don't want to give people a bunch of pictures of you. You can get that on Facebook.

Jessica: It set an interesting tone to what the album was, even the song sequence as well, and made it a good album.

Justin: Thank you. We battled back and forth on what to do. Aaron, our previous drummer had this idea of having this Appalachian funeral scene on the cover. It morphed a little into what it was. That was the birthing of the idea. While we were discussing it, we realized that the common theme across the record is death; more specifically lost, people dying, or are dead and you are mourning them. If you go and listen to that record with that in mind, that is true with almost every song. Either someone is killing, or dying, or dead. 

Jessica: One song that stuck out on the record was What For. It is one of those songs that you go back to and overall a lesson on songwriting.

Justin: Matt [Rogers] came in with that song and it floored us. Lyrically, he had gone through the loss of his grandmother and that was real hard on him. Matty is not one of those guys that are like one of those heart on your shoulder kind of people. I’ll sit there and give you my whole story, but Matt holds it up inside him. I thought maybe that was a release for him. He took it in and then you have Parsons, whose biggest strength is arrangements. The song started out almost like a folk tune with pretty much an acoustic guitar and lyrics. Parsons gave it where it builds, and builds, and builds bigger. He is really good at putting it into layers. I think those two things combine to make it that song that is one of my favorites, if not my favorite on the record. I think between that and Angels in the Snow, make for good stories.

Jessica: Do you think with music as a whole, it is more about trends instead of substance of the song?

Justin: In pop, probably, which is funny because I feel like I’m more in touch with pop music than I have ever been in my adult life. My most played record I played last year was the latest Daft Punk record. I listened to it more than Jason Isbell’s record, which is my close number two. I feel like I’m kind of hip to that music, maybe not to Britney Spears kind of pop. Pop has really been about trends, or a constant of making people move. I don’t think Isbell’s success has been about trends. I think he wrote a record that was so brutally honest that to deny it was not an option for critics and the fans. What a thing for every songwriter to inspire to do.

You’ve got pop and then you’ve got this idiot scene people that are in every genre. Especially in this underground country thing that we are sometimes associated with, we are the redheaded step children of. There’s this thing of these old punks that are playing acoustic instruments now. I mean, that’s cool and some do it really well, but some of them suck. It’s like any group of music. There’s all of these Limp Bizkit bands that want to be like Rage Against the Machine. The first band that did it was cool and every other band after that subsequently sucks. I think for our band, we don’t associate with any of that. We’re friends with a lot of those kinds of bands, but we’re not a country band.

Jessica: Last year Fifth on the Floor was featured at Muddy Roots Festival in Tennessee. Explain that experience.

Justin: It is really cool. It is a commitment of discomfort and an overdose of music. It was awesome. I got to see Austin Lucas, who I had wanted to see for a long time. He was really great talent. Otis Gibbs was there and he’s a songwriter’s songwriter. There was a guy by the name of Joseph Huber that used to be in the 357 String Band. I didn’t know anything about his music prior to that. I’m 6 foot 6 and I’m in the middle of this tent and he was on the third stage, which was the smallest thing. All these people knew his songs and were singing them. It goes back to like Isbell, it felt real. I was crying. I was in tears at the experience and I got his record. The record was great, but it didn’t replicate that experience. He seemed real, not all punk rock, I’ll kick your ass, style. Check him out. The record is called Tongues of Fire. I challenge all Top 40 country artists to listen to that and still say what they do is country.

Jessica: One neat thing that the band does whenever you play a hometown show, you bring in outsiders that possibly would have never gotten to play in Lexington otherwise. When they leave Kentucky after their performances here, what do they say about the fans here?

Justin: It’s a big deal. The reason why we do it is a two-fold reason. First of all, anytime we play in Lexington now, this is our home. We worked really hard for what we have in Lexington with little to any help from anyone except for the people coming to see the show. I want it to be that any time you see Fifth on the Floor play, you get to see an experience. It’s like itty bitty mini festivals. We want to bring in other bands. So the second reason is that these are bands that we like and we want people to take a chance and hear. There’s not a whole lot of people who go out and see bands. I go out and see acts come through Willie’s Locally Known and Cosmic Charlies all the time, and no one goes to see them. They don’t know who they are. Not everybody is as aggressive music fan as you and I are and check these people out. We don’t want it to be like Whitey Morgan playing at a place in front of 10 people in Lexington. Rather, we want to put him in front of 800 people and then hopefully the next time he comes through he will have a big crowd. We get local bands to ask us to open for these shows. I love Lexington and all of these bands, and fans of some of these bands. But, why would we do that because anyone can go see you any other time. We want to put these people in front of Lexington. We want Lexington to see them and they see Lexington. You are already in Lexington and people can see you anytime. You can do this just like we did this, by playing Lynaghs once a month. 

Jessica: It helps open ears to other bands outside of our area like Jayke Orvis, J.D. Wilkes, and Carolina Still.

Justin: Yeah and I think that Carolina Still hasn’t been a band that very long. Jayke has worked with other bands and I think this project is one of my favorites of his. J.D. Wilkes is a legend. He started this and guys like him, Wayne Hancock, and Hank III started all of this muddy roots stuff, if you want to call it that, and did it better than all of them. Those are the kinds of people that I want to be around because there is a ton to learn for somebody like me. That is the definitive front man. 

Jessica: You are getting ready to go out on the road with George Thorogood. How did that come about?

Justin: We have a wonderful agency that we work with. I want to sing the praises of our manager, Randy, who probably more than anybody has worked harder to help Fifth on the Floor. I know that he has clients that pay him a ton more money, but he found us and believes in us. He hustled to find us an agent to work with us. These guys are used to working with more zeroes than we can put on paper. They saw something in us that we can get to that many zeroes. I can say with confidence that with all of the changes you’ve seen over the last year are directly or indirectly with working with Randy, our manager. He really challenged us to step it up as a band to deliver the song to scare other bands. Look at the last show at Busters that is some arrogance to think we have any right to follow to those bands. That’s not to say that someone is better than somebody else, but it’s a matter that we’ve worked hard enough and it showed. The Thorogood stuff came about thanks to Randy. Apparently George is a fan of the band. I grew up listening to him. 

Jessica: Are there songs live and recorded that sound better live or the recorded version?

Justin: Both. There’s some songs that we recorded that for whatever reason either we don’t like the way they sound or we play long sets and don’t have time for it. There’s definitely songs that don’t work live. On the reverse of that, there are songs that sound a lot better live. Sometimes the reasoning behind that is that we have played those hundreds of times, bordering thousands of times, longer than when we did when we recorded them. Another Day, I remember specifically off our second record we played live one time before us recording it. I wish we had one more chance to record it. Some songs like Distant Memory Lane and The Fall we do because it’s live. You got to treat a record as a snapshot of right then. Every single song off of Ashes and Angels, which I’m extremely proud of, I would change. Every single song on the next record, there will be something a year later that I would change. My goal is to minimize those changes.

Jessica: In your live shows, you bring up George Jones and play homage to him through several songs. However, you never got to see or meet him.

Justin: I never did, but about the time when I could have, I'm probably glad that I didn't. I know his voice was failing and he was having medical issues. I don't know. I would have like to have met him more than seeing him live. 
 
Jessica: You did get to meet Georgette Jones, the daughter of George Jones and Tammy Wynette. How was that experience for you?

Justin: I've never been star struck until I met her. We were playing at a festival and I just tore down when I went to meet her. I said, 'I know that you get this a lot, and I'm sorry, but I never got to meet your dad or see your dad. It's just kind of important to me that I come tell you that he shaped my life. Even before I liked country music, even when I hated country music, I always liked George Jones. I just wanted to tell you that.' It was a cool thing but she was cool as all get out. I didn't make it any weirder than that and I was about tearing up when I was saying that. 

Jessica: Now that Fifth on the Floor is gaining success and being recognized by others, how do you guys keep humble?

Justin: (Laughing) Look at us, how could we not. I can’t even answer that question seriously. You know us, and anyone else that seen or knows us; the better question would be how do we shake off this stigma of us being party animals. I don’t know. I think the real answer is our raising. I know wherever I am, mom pays attention to this. If I ever started acting too big, mom would come after me with a hand of God. If you’re buying the record or coming to see a show, you may pay $25 to see the opening act. That’s a lot of money. That’s not money I could pay to see a band often times. You’re not paying to experience Fifth on the Floor, you are a part of that. 

Jessica: When it is all said done, how do you want to be remembered as?

Justin: I said for a long time, be this naive, or be this whatever, its honesty, all of my end goals, besides feed my family, I want to make music that my grand kids are proud of. That’s not having met them. I don’t know what genre of music they will be into. If we’re just real and we’re honest, and when we never let any of that douchebag bull crap in, or even if someone completely hated our style, they would appreciate us. We hear a fair amount of ‘we don’t like country music, but I like you guys.’ I’ve always wanted my grandkids be proud of that. That little cloud dictates a lot of that interestingly enough."

Jay Leno's Garage And The Deccopods Built By Randy Grubb

Randy Grubb on of his aluminum creations

Randy Grubb is truly an eccentric individual and one hell of an automotive artist as he enjoys being dubbed, with distinction. The way he sculpts aluminum into rolling works of art is truly an art form and thusly creates vehicles that are made for Pixar without them even having to hire him. Dive into more of his work and check out some of his process videos on youtube.

Randy Grubb - Automotive Artist

The superbly built - Decoliner, by Randy Grubb

Rendering of Randy Grubb's Decoliner

Rival Sons Are Proving That Owning Your Music Is The Key To Success, Not A Major Label Contract - Part 1

Rival Sons are proving that owning your music is the key to success, not a major label contract

Check out more from The Great Southern Brainfart

"California based rockers Rival Sons have been bringing their heart and soul infused classic rock sounds to the masses since 2008. One listen to this band and it will blow your mind that they’ve only been at this for a mere 5 years. Their cohesive, tight as a drum sound is reminiscent of a band that has been at this for 3, even 4 times longer than what they’ve actually been together for.

I recently had the opportunity to talk with guitarist Scott Holiday and what started out as a 20 minute interview turned into an hour long conversation that had me completely entertained and feeling like I had learned so much about one of my favorite bands. This was such an in depth talk that this ended up being a two part interview.

In this part we talked about following up their monumental 2013 release Head Down, the shadiness of the record industry, and how the hell a song like “Manifest Destiny Pt. 1” could be captured in just one take. I feel like there was no stone left unturned in this unabridged, unfiltered conversation. Get yourself a drink, put on some Rival Sons, and settle in for Part 1 of my two part interview with Scott Holiday!  Enjoy!



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Scott.  Thanks so much for doing this interview today brother!

It’s my pleasure Don.  Thanks for having me.

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So are you guys on a break or something and plotting your next phase of world domination?

[laughs] We are on a very rare break. We’re usually out on the road but we just got back from Canada where we did a few weeks out there. We’re aiming to be in the studio in January. We have a couple of one off shows in the next couple of months and just trying to get our act together. We’re going to sign our next deal and get things in order before the next record.

====================================================

You mentioned that you guys are signing a new deal.  Will this new deal be a record deal?

We just do one record at a time deals. For some reason, we’ve been able to negotiate these kinds of deals so this also allows us to keep the rights and control of everything one record at a time. We actually own all of our records and we’ve kept a lot of our business and our rights. We own more than the average band.

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Why not just sign a big deal with a big company like Warner Bros or Universal?

That’s just now who we are. What they want for a deal like that is hilarious. I’m not selling off my children, I’m not giving away my loved ones, and I’m keeping all my body parts [laughs]. Those people are terrible and really demonic. In all seriousness, what they want to take from you on a business level is really sad and they’re getting it from people. They give you one chance, one record and you better hope that your planets align because if they don’t, you’ve just ruined your entire career because now you owe them for those records and guess what? They’re not going to make those records for you so you can’t go sign another deal and your trapped.

====================================================

The delusions of these bands are that they believe that the Warner Bros, the Atlantic Records, the Universals of the world are where the money is. You guys have just chosen to not sell your souls or your artistic rights and chosen to go with the smaller guys for maybe enough money to get you by.

Right. What they’re asking for is just not fair. Here’s a simple analogy. You have a can of Coke. I want to buy your can of Coke for a dollar and you give me that can of Coke. This is a normal deal right? Now I’m the record company. If you sell me that can of Coke, I promise you a keg. Actually, I don’t just want that can of Coke though. I want your rights to every can of Coke you ever buy again. Ok? Here’s a dollar [laughs]. That’s what they’re doing to people.

====================================================

It sounds like I’m catching you at a pretty exciting time as there sounds like some cool shit is about to go down.

Oh yeah. I mean, we are definitely fired up to get back in there and make a new record that’s for sure. The album cycle for this one (Head Down) went way longer than any album cycle. We’ve been priding ourselves over these last 4 records on making sure that every year we have something new coming out. Unfortunately for this record the releases were offset by like 6 months between the US and Canada so we had to put another 6-8 months into it.



====================================================

I know it was a long cycle but man, we barely saw you guys hitting the states behind this one. I’m just going to cut to the chase here. Why has there been such a lack of Rival Sons here in the US? What is it that people just aren’t getting here?

Well, I think that business wise you’ve got to work where your dollar is best well spent. You can only focus on so much of the world. It’s a huge place and you can only focus on certain areas so much. It costs a lot of money and it takes a lot of time.  From the beginning of our career we’ve been pretty focused on Europe because they took to us quicker. The media has taken to us and we’re on magazine covers over there, we’re charting over there, and we’re on radio all over the place, and we play pretty big theaters over there. When it’s time for us to work, it’s just kind of our go to. Our next biggest market that took to us quicker than the US has been Canada. I think the answer that everybody wants to hear from me is that America hates rock n’ roll [laughs]. We know that’s not what it is at all and we know that there are great fans here.  We have a boatload of fans here but it’s just such a huge territory. It’s a little bit slower here and everyone’s taking to us slower. We don’t get tour support. We fund everything ourselves so it’s going to take us spending a whole bunch of money. That said, we’re going to focus on this album cycle much more on being over here with our brethren.


I feel like the music world is just so over saturated with bands these days. If it wasn’t for running this site I don’t know that I would’ve ever heard some of my favorite bands such as Christian Mistress, Gypsyhawk, or even Rival Sons. I feel like the good news is that anyone can make a record these days and the bad news is that anyone can make a record these days.

[laughs] That’s right. I say the same thing. I hear a lot of people saying, “Man, there’s not as much good music now as there was back in then” and every time I hear that I say, “You are out of your mind.” There’s 10 times more going on right now than there ever was but it’s kind of like being in a crowded room or club and you’re trying to get to the other side of the room. We’re all moving through a very packed area so it’s hard to sift through all the bands to find the things that we might love or great.

====================================================

Just like the “old days”, you still have to do a little digging and little groundwork to find those special bands. I remember being a kid and going to record stores and asking the guy behind the counter, “Hey, I love Iron Maiden. Who else is out there that is like that?” Now we have this internet thing and we can find anything and everything.

Exactly! I remember when I was really little and already buying records and the internet was not a thing. Could you imagine how it is for kids now where everything they want is right there in the Google machine [laughs]? Not only is it there but it’s buyable in seconds. This is really revolutionary and mind bending. If you wanted a Flamin’ Groovies record, you could search for five years going through states and countries before you’d even come across your first Flamin’ Groovies record. Now,Google machine, there it is and buy their whole collection [laughs]. It’s a no brainer anymore.

====================================================

So even with the internet today guys like you and me can still enjoy the hunt and save a shit ton of gas.

[laughs] There’s still some fun to doing this on the computer. I think there’s still that hunt and that kill out there to discover. It’s not that deep think like when you’d come across that Flamin’ Groovies record at a garage sale.

====================================================

That’s how it was for me with the Captain Beyond debut album. I could’ve bought it on Ebay but I hunted forever, found it, and stuck it in frame on my wall for all to see! I was like, FINALLY!

[laughs] You know what?  All I really listen to out of fun and out of quality is vinyl. That changes the hunt to. You can buy all that vinyl on the computer but I like to stick to that mentality that you’re talking about with the Captain Beyond album. I look for original copies and limited editions for my collection. I just go to shops and garage sales. Every country I go to I look for certain things that are only limited to those countries and bring them home.


Rival Sons released their entire catalog on vinyl. When you recording these albums, did you go into the recording and production process with the idea that they were going to be mixed specifically for a vinyl medium as opposed to mixing for CD and then just putting out vinyl?

Not really. We’re not trying to be such ridiculous hipsters saying shit like, “Let’s go in and make this only on cassette and really lo-fi.” We’re just trying to make the best sounding record. We’re recording a lot of analog and using a lot of analog paths. We master for vinyl, we master for digital. We’re just trying to make something now that is us. That is going to digital. We all have iPhones, we all are Mac people. We’re in that world but we all have record players and love listening to vinyl. It’s not one or the other. We live in the now.  People want to throw us back into some old era but no, that’s not what I’m into. I’m not constantly listening to copies of Moby Grape on repeat. That’s not what’s happening here. I like the new MGMT [laughs].

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Head Down is such a great album but it’s a step in another direction from Pressure and Time.  Matter of fact, listening to each of the Rival Sons albums I can hear a steady evolution and progression to where you are now.

Well thank goodness you’re a fan and you’re hearing an evolution. From record to record there should be a stylistic and sonic shift. We’re never going into studio saying, “Let’s make part 2 of that one.” Before the Fire was before Jay (Buchanan; lead vocalist) was in the band. Those are more my songs that I had written with another singer who didn’t write at all. I ended up removing this singer from the band and then got Jay in the group who agreed to sing all these songs. There’s a whole different sound happening. There’s a lot more of my eastern influence and a lot more of an early British invasion sound because that was the place where we were at. The EP was the first one that we worked with Jay on so you’re going to get a way bluesy version of us because that’s Jay. You’re also going to get the sound of four dudes working hard together instead of just one dude’s perspective. Pressure and Time was pretty much the sound of the band being pretty much minted and ready to make a real effort together. It was very concise and very right to the point. I wanted the songwriting to be short, direct, and very easy for people to swallow. Rock N’ Roll isn’t too abundant right now. It’s kind of just leaking in here and there. If people are going to hear us they’re going to need to take it in a small pill. It can’t be a horse pill. We had toured that record for a whole year and had expanded those arrangements, met our fan base, and circled the globe a few times. When we stepped into the studio right off the tour to make Head Down and we were all very collectively on the same page. We needed to show people a little more of what the live show feels like and a little bit more of what the band is.

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Tell me about the song Manifest Destiny.  Is it true that what we hear was the first take?  If so, how the hell did you pull that off?

[laughs] Everything was plugged in, everything was mic’d up, the producer was in the booth, and we just had everything ready to go. We were just prepared to capture. With Manifest Destiny Pt I, It was the first time we ever even played the song together. I’m not talking about rehearsing it for a month and then doing it in one take but the way. We talked about the song, talked about the changes, maybe mapped out a few things for a couple of minutes and then we say, “OK, let’s try playing it” and that “try” became the take we used on the record. It was really far out for us and it was unlike anything I had ever done. There was definitely that feeling of immediacy that we wanted to capture early takes but when it does happen it’s really fun for all of us."

Carolina Still and Husky Burnette Live At The Evening Muse

Carolina Still bringing the heat to Charlotte at the Evening Muse.

Husky Burnette channeling Robert Johnson at the Evening Muse in Charlotte.

Altco Music Announces New Single For Kern Richards

Kern Richards single for "10 More Miles"

Check out more info at the Altco Blog

We are happy to announce the new Kern Richards video and single "10 More Miles" is officially out of the chute. Kerns music is edgy "California Folk" at is best and I'm not talkin about Peter, Paul and Mary kinda folk either. Kern has found a way to be rough and honest all at he same time . Richards is known for surrounding himself with some heavy hitters both on and off stage , with the likes of Tony Gilkyson (X and Lone Justice), John Bazz (the Blasters) and Mike Barry . His recordings are top notch and his songwriting is nothing less than legitimate. 

He is a rare find in this day of fabricated "Outlaws" and hype-driven posers who do nothing more than look good or rest on the laurels of famous relatives. Kern is the real deal and deserves a good listen. The full release "Anywhere but Home" is slated for digital release in the coming months. This release is sure to raise the bar. The video was directed By Hiroshi Clark and Ewa Wojciak, produced By Ewa Wojciak.Shot in the desert right outside of Los Angeles California it couples great music and great imagery to kick off this release.

Motorcycle History Could Be Yours, Rare Honda Up For Sale

1969 Honda Sandcast CB750

Bid on this rare sandcast prototype machine on Ebay


THE CB750 SANDCAST PROTOTYPE!

THE HISTORY

Many know the story of the first Superbike: when Mr. Soichiro Honda started a 4 cylinder revolution back in 1969, with his “King of Motorcycles”. It was the bike that changed motorcycling.

That CB750 featured a transverse in-line 4 cylinder 736cc engine, that produced 67 horsepower, and a top speed of 125 miles per hour.  It also came with an electric starter and a disc brake!

The first 7000 or so CB750s that came off the factory assembly line in Japan back in 1969, had engine cases that were cast in sand.

Those scarce early sandcast CB750s now regularly command high prices amongst collectors around the world.

1969 Honda CB750, one of the first super bikes

Right side view of the rare CB750 from Honda

THE PROTOTYPE

What only some sandcast aficionados know, is that before the now rare sandcast CB750s were produced in 1969, Honda determined that they first needed to build a set of “preproduction” prototypes to market their “The King of Motorcycles” to the American public.  So in 1968 they decided to build samples of this new ground breaking CB750 to unveil at their annual Las Vegas Motorcycle Dealer Show, as well as to provide eye-candy for the various trade magazines, and for promotional photography, advertisements, etc.

What Honda sent over to the U.S. were 4 preproduction bikes:

A Candy Red prototype
A Candy Gold prototype
A Candy Dark Green Metallic prototype
And the feature of this special auction, the Candy Blue/Green prototype

These 4 special preproduction bikes were literally hand-built by Honda technicians, using many hundreds of unique one-off preproduction parts, to promote their new flagship line of motorcycles.

The unique character of these rare preproduction bikes is readily noticeable when examining each and every component part.  For example:

One-off sandcast engine covers, featuring an external “double step” on the Alternator cover
A wedge shaped transmission cover, fitting UNDER the Alternator cover
Very unusual clutch and valve covers (both appearing nothing like the street bike counterparts, and are very rough cast)
A one of a kind Billet Crankshaft (meaning it was turned and machined from one solid chunk of special steel bar)
Chrome fenders showing (under the chrome plating) engineer’s scribe marks to mark off where holes should be drilled
Hand hammered/welded exhaust pipes
One-off special cast by Keihin 26mm carb assemblies
Handmade white plastic parts throughout the motorcycle (while street version bikes have all black pieces)
Longer rear fender having brazed on turn signal stems
A 43 tooth rear sprocket (vs. 45 for production)
No handlebar kill switch
No provision for a tool tray under the seat
Sandcast “hollow” fuel tank emblems
Cast gas cap and latch
And literally hundreds more of distinctly different parts than standard, many of which are illustrated in the enclosed photos (Note: ALL vintage American Honda photos and flyers seen here are of the exact bike in this auction)

 

The Motorcyclist - April 1969 Featuring the Honda CB750

What ever happened to those rare first four hand built bikes?

The Red bike was taken to the crushers in Iowa back in the early 1990s (I know, as we got there literally days too late, coming away with only a small handful of parts from it).

The Gold bike made its way to Europe, only to be completely disassembled by its owner (who has no intention of selling) and it has remained in that state for the last 25 years or so.

The Dark Green bike has never been heard from, thus leaving this (Blue/Green) bike left of the four.

The Blue/Green prototype motorcycle featured in this auction just happens to also be the (only) one American Honda used for all of its initial promotional brochures, flyers, and sales literature. Example photos of these early promotional items can be seen here, and most easily identified by the bike's very unusual front brake caliper.

I located this Prototype motorcycle through a friend some years ago, and quickly decided that it in fact did not need “restoration”, but rather just needed to be cleaned up and put back together, as the original paint and overall condition was quite nice. It is a very strong running motorcycle.

Please view the attached photographs to see more about this extraordinary motorcycle. Note: Where you see similar components shown in the same photo, it is simply a comparison between the part from this prototype, vs. a stock CB750 part.

 

Up Front details abound and check out sexy 4 into 2 pipes

ABOUT THE SELLER:

Vic World has a passion for Honda CB750s; that revolutionary motorcycle that turned the industry on it’s ear back in the summer of ’69.  His particular area of expertise, is in the restoration of the rare early sandcast bikes, that were the first to roll off Honda’s Hamamatsu line back in early ’69.  His thirty plus years of relentless focus on this motorcycle, has earned him the moniker of “Mr. CB750.”  Vic is widely acknowledged as the premier restorer of these rare bikes and he has been written about in many trade publications, including a feature article by Mitch Boehm in Motorcyclist Retro.  His restorations are highly sought after and have been purchased by museums, including a featured exhibition in Honda’s own Collection Hall Museum in Japan.  American Honda owns a Vic World restoration, as does the Barber Museum in Birmingham, Alabama. Mr. World resides in San Francisco, where he operates World Motorcycles, a shop that specializes in the restoration of sandcast CB750s.


BIDDING:

Regarding current values of sandcast 750s:

As a point of reference, fully restored sandcasts (with a "normal" 4 digit frame number) are currently selling at just under 40,000 dollars, with 3 digit bikes (Frame numbers 999 and under) fetching a 20% premium on top of that, and 2 digit bikes fetching more.

As well, a couple years ago, I sold a very low number (under Frame #20) unrestored sandcast to a collector for $75,000. This bike still was from assembly line production, using mass produced parts.
This auction is a unique, once in a lifetime opportunity to own a piece of motorcycling history. The CB750 Honda had substantially more impact on motorcycling than any other motorcycle. And this Prototype is easily what would be referred to as the Holy Grail of CB750s...The center piece of any world class collection of motorcycles.

If you are the lucky winner of this auction, you will own something that nobody else in the world owns.  There has been some strong pre-auction buzz about this bike from collectors around the world.  So, if you really want to own this bike, please bid accordingly.

Tales From East End Blvd: The Dive Bars We All Love

The new defunct Doozer's Pub in Jacksonville, FL

Most people who love a good dive bar have their own personal favorite, usually in their neighborhood or close-by. The stinky walls, the sticky floors, your kind of music on the jukebox and your kind of beer on tap. The live music - it’s so up-close and personal in these tiny places. Music is a huge factor here at these bars and sometimes it’s ALL about the music. Music is universal. Everyone likes some form of it. The ones that live for it, though, can usually be found in dive bars.

I’ve been playing music to pay the bills for quite a while now. I go in, I “work”, I get paid. It’s just like any other job (I refuse to call it a job though). Nonetheless, I don’t always get paid what I should if I’m playing a dive. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve played them and at the end of the night I got paid almost NOTHING after a 2-4 hour drive. Funny thing is, my band and I had the best time of our freaking lives on stage those nights and wouldn’t have had it any other way. Why is that? What is it that’s so appealing about a dive bar to patrons and musicians? Maybe it’s the fact that nobody is trying to impress anyone. Maybe it’s the companionship and the comfort. Maybe it’s the fact that, usually, everyone in a dive bar is a music lover so there’s always something to talk about (my personal favorite reason). Maybe it’s all of the above. All signs point back to music in one way or another but, whatever the reason, I love them and tons of people all over the world agree. 

JJ's Bohemia in Chattanooga, TN and its locals

Here in my hometown of Chattanooga, TN, thee rock and roll dive bar in town is JJ’s Bohemia. I can’t tell you how many shows I’ve seen in that narrow, shotgun-shaped, alcoholic-hallway of a bar. Beer only at the bar, “recreations” out back on the deck, a live band playing original tunes 7 nights a week and the stench of PBR on the stage, floor and everyone’s breath. I’ve been turned on to so many new bands/artists in that bar. I’ve seen bands there that I never thought I’d see up-close and personal. A few memorable ones being a BUZZOV*EN reunion / K-Lloyd show (both now Rusty Knuckles bands!), a crazy intense Valiant Thorr show, opening for Th’ Legendary Shack Shakers / Danny Barnes show and a ton of others. 

My favorite is the first time I saw the late, great T-Model Ford. When I won the Best Blues Band award for TN / GA in 2009, the JJ’s Bohemia owner, John Shoemaker, said he had something for me and asked me to open for the T-Model Ford / Black Diamond Heavies / Mark “Porkchop” Holder bill the following month. I replied with something similar to “You damn right I will!!”. I got to jam with T-Model in the middle of the bar before they opened the doors. T was playing my guitar, I was playing his, and my drummer at the time, Burma Shave, was behind the kit. I also got to sit in on lead guitar during T’s song “Chickenhead Man” with him later that night and every other night he played JJ’s before he passed! 

Husky and T-Model Ford hanging out pre-show at JJ's Bohemia

Needless to say, it’s something that changed my life a bit and that I’ll never forget. There’s been many a night that I couldn’t help but go crazy with energy while playing on their stage cause the patrons were literally making the floor in front of the stage shake and rumble. You feel it in your bones and can’t help but turn it up and go nuts even though the stage and floor feel like they could collapse at any minute!
Another great dive that comes to mind is Doozers in Jacksonville, FL. Don’t go looking for it, it’s gone. Doozers was simply amazing. A tiny little building on the edge of town. It was a punk rock dive, nothing more. Inside it’s walls were people that loved music...period. I made good friends and no money there. Did I care about the paycheck part? Hell no!! It was the best damn show of the FL run every year! Sweaty, shirtless kids jumping around like wild, banshee monkeys. Who would’ve thought that my music would even remotely entertain them? Boy, did it ever! They were flinging themselves in circles of rage, kicking mic stands over and going crazy for 3 - 4 minutes at a time. I really miss that place. The owner, TJ Doozer, had something special there but, eventually, she had to let it go like many other dive owners have to.

It’s memories and first-times like these that you just won’t get anywhere else. Even though some of the dives that I really loved to play are gone, there are new ones that come along that somewhat replace the emptiness and bring on a new life of it’s own. One of them is Shore Road Tavern in northeast Philadelphia, PA. Wow, what a bunch of awesome, friendly folks. Mike Fiedler and his wife Kathy have really got a good thing going. Why? It’s because of those same ol’ reasons I mentioned at the beginning: everyone is a music lover, your kind of music on the jukebox, your kind of beer on tap, your kind of folks. 

Pennsylvania State Rep Michael Tomlinson hanging out at Shore Road post-show

There are no show-offs here, no uppity attitudes, just good folks who are looking to wind down and have a damn good time. One night I was playing an official state representative was even in there hanging out. Real people, real things (I may sound like Russell Hammond, guitarist for Stillwater in the film Almost Famous but, it’s the truth. It’s all about the real). Mike has become a brother of mine these days. Him and his crew of misfits are some of the most real people I’ve ever hung out with and because of that, I call Philly and Shore Road my second home now. I try to pass through every chance I get, whether I’m on tour or not. Mike and Kathy are truly down for the cause and Shore Road is making history, like every other good dive bar that does it for the right reasons. They are a rare breed for sure and we love them for it.

Husky, Loki, Bill Dorsey and Mike Fiedler outside the Shore Road Tavern

These dive owners and employees will never be forgotten. They mean so much to us traveling musicians. I can’t find the words to express how I feel about them. It’s not just us musicians that appreciate them this much. The patrons love them just as much for bringing in the music they love. A true dive bar can make you feel warm and fuzzy like that, without the beer / liquor buzz. Inside those beaten-up walls people find themselves, they get educated, they learn about music, they make friends, they get hammered in good fun and they gain a second home. Do yourself a favor and support your locals: go spend your money at your local dive instead of some franchise bar or restaurant. It’ll do your soul some good and you just might learn a thing or two.

- Husky Burnette 

Branded Leather Business Cards

Rusty Knuckles leather business cards

The hell with printing at Kinkos, needed some new business cards for a meeting, so out comes the torch and the hefty chunk of custom brass to burn our name into some raw leather.

Need A Belt To Avoid Scratching Paint?

Heavy duty work belt made for the working man with a hidden buckle

Have a job where ya can't scratch the paint, such as on a custom build or a sexy Gretsch? Check out a new belt we are about to offer for the working man or lady. A hidden buckle and a great product that is Made In America. Stay tuned for what we are about to start offering with all of our custom leather goods, hint hint, something to do with music... 

Detail photo of one of our new belts for the working man