Tag: The Oblivians

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The Hives: From the Oblivians to World Domination

The Hives (Photo: Göran Broberg)

The Hives took the world by storm over 20 years ago, and the fact that they’re still an A-list act on today’s tours and festivals is a testament to the quality of the tracks they’ve always produced. Rightly or wrongly lumped in with bands like the Strokes at the time of their first hits, their staying power since then has been due to them getting, from the outset, the building blocks of rock-and-roll right: a witty mash-up of European design and American bravado. Yet, for a band with touchstones closer to the Stooges-meet-the-Clash, there are some surprisingly Southern elements to their history and sound.

This week, they begin a brief run through the South that will bring them to Oxford’s Lyric Theater on Tuesday, October 26th, and, excited by the possibility of hearing a Swedish band in this hemisphere — all too rare, post-pandemic — I caught up with Nicholaus Arson, guitarist and collaborative songwriter for the group, to find out where they stand now, as they consolidate the world domination they spearheaded in the early aughts.

Memphis Flyer: The Hives have a history of ties with Memphis, don’t they?

Nicholaus Arson: Yeah, for sure. I’m wearing my Goner shirt now! And for us, the Oblivians was one of the most important bands, growing up. To begin with, we didn’t even know they were from Memphis. They were on Crypt, which was based in Hamburg, just across the water from Sweden. But yeah, me and [brother and lead singer] Pelle went to an Oblivians show around 1997 in Stockholm. We’d been aching to see the Oblivians for a long time, so that was a pivotal moment! It was one of those shows where you go just knowing it’s going to be great. Because if you can release records like that, chances are that the shows will be good. That brand of rock-and-roll is seldom shy.

You’ve even been known to cover “Stop & Think it Over” by the Compulsive Gamblers.

Yeah, definitely. It’s the greatest ’60s song not written in the ’60s. That’s just what Greg Cartwright does.

And you recorded and shot some music videos in this area as well.

Yeah, I think we did at least two with Mike McCarthy — “Abra Cadaver” and “A Little More for Little You.” It was all on the same day. We were just running between sets and Mike had a whole schedule in his head. And then, we recorded pretty much all of The Black and White Album in Oxford, and also in Como, Mississippi, at Jimbo Mathus’ studio. Oxford’s pretty close to Memphis, and it’s sort of a neat little place. Good food. So we’re sort of tied to the geography. We have friends there.

Rumor has it that you’ve been writing a lot of songs since the pandemic shut down touring.

With Covid, we were able to start finishing stuff, really. I think we have about 25 songs that are ready to record. Since Covid hit, we haven’t been able to go into any studios. But really there are effectively two new albums ready to record. That’s very un-Hives. Usually, if we have an album of 14 songs, that’s the only songs we have.

Any surprises in store with the new songs?

As far as greatness, no. It’ll all be great. And as far as going in some other direction, again, no. They’re new Hives songs. Some pretty good rockers. We’ll play some on this tour. We’re playing new stuff all the time.

One common element in Hives tracks is the guitar interplay between you and Vigilante Carlstroem. How do your different styles inform the group sound?

We’ve always talked in terms of where you are in the beat. I was always a tad ahead of the beat. Vigilante was always lagging a little bit. So it was like the Stones. They were very loose in their tempos. If you play everything too much on the grid, there’s no groove left. My guitar style is very choppy. My right hand was always more important than my left. To play what I play, you need a firm grip, and the rest is all strumming!

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Music Music Features

Reigning Sound Come Home

Reigning Sound (photo by Jamie Harmon)

In “Oh Christine” from the new album A Little More Time With Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright sings, “Amber strands / on my face / lay in wait for the tears that flow / some for you / and some for me.”

The song, which songwriter Cartwright says is his favorite of the album’s 11 tracks, is about a sailor remembering a love left on the shore. “It was a story that popped into my head about letting go of people when you need to let go, trying to move on and be happy for the other person, and not base your life around whether somebody else loves you or not.”

That’s a far cry from the kind of songs the screamer known as Greg Oblivian spat out in the wild Memphis of the 1990s, but the truth is the Oblivians’ apocalyptic lo-fi sonic blasts were always more sophisticated than they appeared on the surface. Plus, Cartwright has done a lot of growing up. “For the longest time, since I was a teenager, music was the main outlet for me to work out whatever’s going on inside of me,” he says. “If you listen to Oblivian stuff, or even some of the Compulsive Gamblers stuff, there’s a squeal in my voice. When there’s so much emotion trying to get out of you, and it’s so intense, and you’re kind of choking on it because you’re so wound up. That had a place, and I was glad that I found music and was able to use it in that way. But in the long term, I don’t think it’s really healthy to continue to do that when you could explore some other ways to work it out. And maybe in the process, I can be a better, more varied songwriter.”

Cartwright formed Reigning Sound after the Oblivians flamed out in the late ’90s. The original lineup of drummer Greg Roberson, bassist Jeremy Scott (who these days fronts the Toy Trucks), and organist Alex Greene, still has a reputation as one of the hottest bands to come out of Memphis. Their two albums, 2001’s Break Up, Break Down and 2002’s Time Bomb High School, expanded the borders of garage rock to include country, pop, and even rocked-up standards like “Stormy Weather.” Greene — who is now the music editor of the Memphis Flyer — left the band in 2004. Cartwright got back to his punk roots with Too Much Guitar before leaving his native Memphis for Asheville, North Carolina.

Reigning Sound went through personnel changes over the years, but when the pandemic hit last year, Cartwright says an opportunity opened up to get the original lineup back together. A Little More Time was recorded at Electraphonic Recording with Scott Bomar, another veteran of the Memphis punk scene, behind the boards. Recorded analog on Bomar’s vintage equipment, the songs span far beyond the overdriven guitars and punishing drums of the band’s Midtown rock roots. The sounds range from the steel guitar-driven balladeering of “Moving & Shaking” to the ’60s garage rock rave-up “I Don’t Need That Kind of Lovin’,” a longtime live favorite captured in the studio for the first time. “A Little More Time” brings Greene’s organ to the forefront, showing off the harmonic talents of Scott. “They’re a really good band,” says Cartwright. “The one addition we had to make for this record was Graham Winchester on drums. That was just because of an injury that Greg [Roberson] had to his hand many years ago that limits the dynamics of what he can do. They are both are on every song, with one playing drums, and the other guy playing extra percussion.”

What shines through A Little More Time is the depth of the songwriting. Cartwright’s newfound comfort with vulnerability elevates album closer “On and On” into a country-soul symphony of love and loss. Like all Cartwright’s songs, it is deceptively simple on the surface, with a river of emotion underneath. “That’s why a song is a great vehicle,” he says. “You say it with a few words and a lot of melody, then let people chew on it, and they’ll figure it out.”
Reigning Sound plays the River Series at Harbor Town Amphitheater on Saturday, June 5th.

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Music Music Blog

Gonerfest 16 Recap: Friday

Violet Archaea at Gonerfest Friday night.

It’s Saturday morning of Gonerfest, and I have a headache. And I’m not the only one. Folks from all over the world are cursing the bright, fall sun of Memphis the morning after an overstuffed night of punk, garage, no-wave, and the indescribable.

And too much beer. Did I mention the beer? Memphis Made brewed a special Gonerbrau cream ale, and it only comes in tall boys for your beer-spraying convenience.

After a full afternoon at Memphis Made with Static Static, Lenguas Largas, Fuck, Graham Winchester, Kelley Anderson, and Tyler Keith, Goners reconvened at Crosstown Arts auxiliary gallery at 430 Cleveland. Miss Pussycat, Quintron’s partner and celebrated artist and puppeteer who recently got a fellowship and retrospective at the Ogden Museum in her native New Orleans, performed her puppet show “The History of Egypt” to as packed a house as it is possible to have. After Antony was defeated at the Battle of Actium, and Cleopatra got fatally intimate with an asp, Miss Pussycat added a post script set in the holy Egyptian city of Memphis detailing the founding of Goner Records and the Mummies playing Gonerfest. Later, Goner co-owner Zac Ives confirmed that this was the first time he had ever been portrayed in puppet form.

Miss Pussycat presenting her ‘History of Egypt’ puppet show, featuring Guitar Wolf as it segued into a ‘History of Gonerfest’.

(I was unable to confirm with Eric Friedl if he had ever been represented via puppetry before that evening.)

Miss Pussycat’s art on display at Crosstown Arts 430 Gallery

In years past, the golden passes have consistently sold out, but individual tickets could still be had if you got to the venue early. This year, Friday and Saturday sold out weeks ago.

“It’s like Mecca, almost. Everyone comes together,” says Megs from Louisville, who is here with her friends Yoko and Aaron.

This is Megs’ second Gonerfest, Yoko’s third, and Aaron’s fifth. They say they’re here primarily to see the Oblivians reunite with Quintron to play their watershed 1997 album Oblivians Play 9 songs with Mr. Quintron. The descriptively titled album is the best Memphis rock record since Big Star’s Third/Sister Lovers. Its reputation has grown in the 22 years since the January 1997 afternoon when Quintron rode the bus up from New Orleans and recorded the album with Greg, Eric, and Jack in one eight-hour session. It sits in an unlikely pocket of lo-fi, punk, and gospel, and the songs have been rarely performed by the full band. “It’s my favorite album,” says Megs.

“I’m ready to go to church tonight,” says Yoko.

Sarah Danger of Mallwalker

At 9 p.m. sharp, Mallwalker from Baltimore, Maryland, gave the evening a swift kick in the ass. Singer Sarah Danger, who would act as the MC for the evening, reserved some special vitriol for the anonymous person who accidentally broke her foot during the band’s 4 a.m. after-show last year. Afterwards, I talk to her as she’s rehydrating at the bar about the band’s big stage debut. “It was fucking amazing while I was up there, but it was horrible beforehand because it was so nerve-wracking!.”

This is Danger’s eighth Gonerfest. “One of my favorite ones was when Guitar Wolf played the opening ceremony. I had never seen that kind of energy. It was so sick.”

The second set of the evening was Richard Papiercuts et Les Inspecteurs. The New Yorker crooned like a hyped-up Brian Ferry. It was an ’80s-infused dance party, with the evening’s only saxophone, and an example of how the sounds at Gonerfest have expanded and diversified over the years.

At 10:30 p.m. was the legendary M.O.T.O. Paul Caporino’s low-fi, pop-rock machine mesmerized the crowd. The peak of the set came with “Tastes Just Like A Milkshake,” a Memphis favorite covered by Secret Service.

Innez Tulloch and Matthew Ford of Brisbane, Australia’s Thigh Master with Memphis singer Jesse James Davis. Blurriness courtesy Gonerbrau Vision (TM).

Brisbane, Australia’s Thigh Master had the distinction of throwing their record release party at Gonerfest. Now For Example is out on the label as of yesterday, and they celebrated in style, joined at one point by Memphis’ Jesse James Davis on vocals.
At the stroke of Midnight came NOTS, a Gonerfest staple, sounding as fierce as ever. Now playing as a three piece after the exit of keyboardist Alexandra Eastburn, Natalie Hoffman did double duty on guitar and synth, while Charlotte Watson and Meredith Lones pounded out titanic rhythm behind her.

NOTS

People on the floor jockeyed for position as the back stage curtains parted to reveal Quintron’s massive vintage Leslie speaker. Violet Archaea was wearing a “Kill A Punk For Rock and Roll” shirt, famously featured on the cover of the Oblivians album Popular Favorites. “This is my first one, but I’ve been wanting to come since I was of age,” she says. “It’s everything I want.”

Her band The Archeas would be playing the super-late night after-party, but she was in no hurry. “2 a.m., 3 a.m. It will be an a.m.”

The Oblivians playing nine songs with Quintron

When Greg Oblivian began the circular riff of “Feel All Right,” the packed Hi-Tone surged forward. Seconds later, the first thrown beer of the night nailed him right in the face. It couldn’t have been more accurately aimed if it was actually aimed. This served to piss him off, and for a glorious hour or so, the snarling, rock-hard Oblivians of old were back. The gospel songs played by punks with a lot more miles on ‘em than in 1997 revealed new depth as they rattled down the road like an old truck about to shake apart. “Before this time another year/I may be gone/In some lonesome graveyard/Oh Lord, how long?”

They encored with the New Orleans zydeco stomper “Call the Police” from their Desperation album, and then Greg decided to teach the band a new song right there on stage at the Hi Tone in front of a packed house at 2 a.m., just to make sure the crowd got that vintage Oblivians experience.

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Music Music Blog

Gonerfest 16 is Booked — In Every Sense of the Word

The main outlines of this year’s Gonerfest 16 have been known for some months now, but it wasn’t until Friday that the full lineup was announced. It’s the usual grab bag of stylistically unpredictable delights, with sound emanating from the garage, the squat, the lab, and everywhere in between. And something about this year’s lineup has hit a demogaphic sweet spot, for ticket sales are through the roof. “We’re already 100 tickets over where we finished last year,” Eric Friedl tells me, implying that they might even sell out. Or, as the event website puts it, “We will make individual night tickets available if we have room — but it does not look like we will have room. Those Mummies have driven everyone crazy!”

‘Those Mummies have driven everyone crazy!’ – Goner spokesperson

Indeed, it appears to be a case of Mummies fever, possibly related to the virus behind zombification, but with a better back beat. Not to mention a heaping key-spoonful of Farfisa. Friedl assures me that Goner is doing the extra footwork required to ensure that a genuine Farfisa organ, essential to the band’s sound, will be available for their gig. Since 1988, the band has presented a reliably lo-fi, weird and groovy sound for go-go-ers the world over. Though having technically broken up in 1992, their reunion shows since 2003 have only grown in popularity, and their debut album, which they refused to put on CD, has grown in stature. Considering that they play dressed as mummified corpses, one wonders if they still use the same bandage wrappings that they began with, or are they now high-end, rock-star-grade bandages? Only a visit to Gonerfest can answer that for sure.

Gonerfest 16 is Booked — In Every Sense of the Word

Another highlight will be the pairing of the Oblivians with Mr. Quintron, who have collaborated on both the celebrated 1997 gospel-punk album, The Oblivians Play 9 Songs with Mr. Quintron, and on a standout track from 2013’s Desperation, “Call the Police” (which also features Quintron’s accomplice, Miss Pussycat). 

Many other surprises are in store as well, such as a separate appearance by Greg Cartwright’s revival of the band he fronted between the Oblivians and the Reigning Sound, the Tip Tops. As is often the case, a healthy cluster of bands from New Zealand and Australia will also be on hand, including the much-anticipated ‘all-girl’ group from Australia, Parsnip.

Parsnip


GONERFEST 16

THURSDAY Sept 26
Opening Ceremonies at Cooper Young Gazebo- Free
5:30 Limes (Memphis, TN)

Thursday Night
Hi Tone
MC Bob McDonald (SF, CA)
Anthony Bedard (Leather Uppers / Icky Boyfriends / Best Show band)
Mitch Cardwell (MRR, Raw Deluxe Records, Budget Rock Festival)

1AM King Brothers (Osaka, Japan)
Midnight Simply Saucer (Hamilton, Ontario, Canada)
11:15PM Trampoline Team (New Orleans, LA)
10:30PM Sweet Knives (Memphis, TN)
9:45PM Hussy (Madison, WI)
9PM Green / Blue (Minneapolis, MN)

FRIDAY September 27
AFTERNOON SHOW
At Memphis Made 1-6PM $10

5:00 Fuck (Memphis / SF)
4:15 Lenguas Largas (Tuscon, AZ)
3:30 Static Static (New Orleans, LA)
2:45 Vincent HL (Auckland, NZ)
2pm Kool 100s (Kansas City, MO)

Memphis Made Solo Stage
Performers to be announced

FRIDAY 6-8PM
Crosstown Arts
Miss Pussycat Art Show Opening
“The History Of Ancient Egypt” Puppetshow Performance
Free

FRIDAY NIGHT
Hi Tone $25
MC Sarah Danger (Baltimore, MD)
Tom Lax (Siltbreeze Records) & Byron Coley (Forced Exposure mag, Feeding Tube Records)

1 AM Oblivians w/Quintron (Memphis, TN / New Orleans, LA)
Midnight NOTS (Memphis, TN)
11:15 Thigh Master (Brisbane, Australia)
10:30 M.O.T.O. (Eastern Seaboard)
9:45 Richard Papiercuts et Les Inspecteurs (NYC, NY)
9PM Mallwalker (Baltimore, MD)

SATURDAY September 28
AFTERNOON BLOWOUT
Murphys $10

OUTSIDE
6pm Greg Cartwright & The Tip Tops (Asheville, NC)
5pm Resonars (Tuscon, AZ)
4pm Total Hell (New Orleans, LA)
3pm Dixie Dicks (Memphis, TN)
2PM Cindy (Auckland, New Zealand)

INSIDE
5:30 Michael Beach & The Artists (Melbourne, Australia)
4:30 Aquarian Blood (Memphis, TN)
3:30 Warm Leather (Auckland, NZ)
2:30 Tire (Memphis, TN)
1:30 Priors (Montreal, Canada)
1PM Opossums (Memphis, TN)

SATURDAY NIGHT
Hi Tone $25
MC Drew Owen (New Orleans, LA)
DJs Bazooka Joe (Slovenly Records) & Russell Quan (Mummies)

1AM Mummies (SF, CA)
Midnight Tommy & The Commies (Sudbury, Ontario, Canada)
11:15 Hash Redactor (Memphis, TN)
10:30 Giorgio Murderer (New Orleans, LA)
9:45 Parsnip ( Melbourne, Australia)
9PM Teardrop City (Oxford, MS)

SUNDAY September 29
Closing Ceremonies at Cooper- Young Gazebo – Free
2:30 PM Sharde Thomas & The Rising Star Fife & Drum Band

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Music Record Reviews

The Sore Losers: A Monstrous Mash-Up Rises From The Grave

One of the highlights of last year’s Gonerfest 15 was the screening of director Mike McCarthy’s The Sore Losers at Studio on the Square. Having received the full remastering treatment, it jumped off the screen as never before, combining the best of modern digital clarity with the richness of its original analog film stock. The film, first released in 1997, is an often hilarious Zippin’ Pippin ride through exploitation, low budget sci-fi, and B-movie tropes. But it also provided a portal into the (then) unheralded underground music scene of the era.

Last November, the soundtrack was released on vinyl via Goner Records and Portugal’s Chaputa! Records. It’s barely left the turntable since. For what this double LP offers is nothing less than a reanimated, full-strength Frankenstein’s monster of ’90s garage rock, retro rock, and lo-fi experimentalism.

If the movie itself is a brilliant hodge-podge of styles, so is the album. The tracks are not just lo-fi, they are different varieties of lo-fi, from the late Jack Taylor’s bashed-out title song, to the terrifying/thrilling onslaught of Guitar Wolf, to the quavering homespun charm of Poli Sci Clone. Satisfyingly snotty vocals and chugging/chopping guitars abound, as in contributions by the Makers, the Drags, Gasoline, and Los Diablos del Sol, but many artists you might think you have pegged defy formula altogether.

People were already nostalgic for the Gories by 1997, but Mick Collins avoids that familiar territory with a kind of minimalist crime jazz built on the prominent sax work of Jim Spake. Nick Diablo’s track is reminiscent of Can’s “Ethnographic Forgery” series, with Diablo channeling a lost field recording of some aged Delta harp player. Tracks from ’68 Comeback and Jack Oblivian are littered with wah-wah guitar, organ, and synth hiccups that are true to the flick’s sci-fi universe. Or, in the case of Jack Oblivian’s back-shed funk “Vice Party,” the flick’s soft porn universe. 

Dan Ball

The Clears

One gem, highlighted at the film’s Gonerfest 15 premiere in the form of a 1997 music video that was never released, is “We Are a Rock & Roll Band” by synth pop trio the Clears. Also known as “Rock & Roll Band” to fans of the Clears’ standalone album, the different title may be appropriate, as either a remix or a remastering has given the soundtrack version considerably more snap and crackle. Jack O and Chris Clarity also mine that back corner of the garage where grandpa stores his synthesizers.

Mingled in with all these sonic adventures, we also hear some first rate songwriting. The closer, of course is the 1953 chestnut, “Look Me Over Closely,” (later popularized by the White Stripes), but we also hear the neo-classic swamp pop of the Royal Pendletons, whose “I’m a Sore Loser” is perhaps even more a definitive track than Taylor’s. 

The Royal Pendletons

And finally, in stark contrast with so much clamor, side three closes with the simple, haunting “Bad Man” by Greg Oblivian/Greg Cartwright, all mellow guitar, toy piano, and disembodied, over-the-phone vocals. The recurrence of that track through the film anchors it in a seemingly incongruous mood of regret and heartache. Though it no doubt surprised many Oblivians fans at the time (for this was well before the Reigning Sound), it’s an especially fitting cornerstone for a film built on, and reveling in, incongruities.

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Music Music Blog

Goner and Unapologetic Join Forces For Downtown Meltdown

The true genius of Memphis music has always been our willingness to mix and match. A show tonight in a Downtown alley proves that tendency is alive and well.

“We keep it fresh by following this one idea: If it doesn’t intimidate us, we didn’t think big enough,” says IMAKEMADBEATS, mastermind of the Unapologetic label. “Every show we throw, we try to do something we’ve never seen or done before. We try to scare ourselves with our own ideas, and then we take the necessary steps to make it happen. The adrenaline alone pushes us somewhere new in each show.”

Goner Records co-owner Zach Ives says when he was approached by the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC) about scheduling a show, he thought it was a great idea.

“I love what [IMAKEMADBEATS] is doing over there,” Ives said. “We’ve met up and talked some over the past year. Nice to share experiences. While our avenues are different, there are plenty of similarities. We are both doing it our own way and figuring it out as we go along.”

Both Goner and Unapologetic follow in the Memphis tradition of independent record labels making and selling the music they want to hear, and then creating the audience for it.

In the case of Goner, Ives and his partner, Eric Friedl (aka Eric Oblivian), that music is the raw, rootsy garage punk that emerged from the Antenna and Barrister’s scene of the 80s and 90s.

For Unapologetic, it’s cutting edge hip hop.

“I really believe people value sincerity and vulnerability in music over everything else,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “I think things like genre and other divisions come second to those things.

“These kinds of shows are great for us for the obvious reasons of getting in front of new people with open minds, but also because people like the good folks at Goner understand pushing boundaries and creating the kinds of atmospheres that allow people to be unapologetically themselves.

“Beyond the music, shows like these are great for the people, how they feel there, and the kinds of minds they’ll meet there. It’s great for community.”

Ives says after the initial conversation with Unapologetic, “One thing we both agreed on, our different parts of the music community don’t interact enough. This seemed like a good opportunity to try and correct that.”

The show will kick off around quitting time on Thursday, July 12th with Unapologetic rapper PreauXX and wunderkind producer Kid Maestro.

“There are few people as naturally talented as PreauXX,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “[He] can go anywhere and share the stage with anyone and be a showstopper.”

New Orleans-based retro-synth wizard Benni will echo his spacey vibes  through the Downtown cityscape.

“The Unapologetic guys are super into Benni, so it was a no-brainer!” says Ives. “They demanded it! Also, he has a new record about to come out next month, so it made sense to get him back up and fill Downtown with new space sounds. It also felt like a good transition with the Unapologetic artists.”

Unapologetic R&B sensation Cameron Bethany will lend his smooth, emotive voice to the chorus.

“Cameron found me, actually,” says IMAKEMADBEATS. “We’d met before because someone I was working with in the studio called him in for some background vocals. He told me that he’d kept up with some of the things I was doing with PreauXX years ago.

“One day in 2015, Cameron called me and told me he wanted me to produce a single for him. We met, talked some business and artistic direction, then set a date for him to come and work on the record.

“The music on his Soundcloud page was mostly cover songs and when I’d asked peers about him, a handful mentioned an amazing voice but no one knew what his music sounded like. We started working on his single and after hearing the hook on it, alone, I knew we had something special. Something different. I listened to it on loop after Cam left the studio for almost 3 hours.”

Fresh off a sold-out European tour with Superchunk, Memphis punk legends The Oblivians will be joined by New Orleans vocalist Stephanie McDee.

The Oblivians covered McDee’s “Call The Police” on their last album, Desperation.

“It’s such a party anthem,” says Ives. “And her original version is soooo fast! We’ll see if the guys can keep up. Can’t wait to see what happens.”

The free show, sponsored by the DMC, begins at 5 p.m. in Barbaro Alley Downtown. 

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Music Music Features

Strong Come On

CREDIT: Jamie Harmon

Three garage rock titans take over the Highland Strip this Saturday when the Oblivians, Jack O and the Sheiks, and the Leather Uppers play Newby’s in celebration of Eric Friedl’s 50th birthday. As the founder of Goner Records and member of bands like Bad Times, True Sons of Thunder, the Dutch Masters, and the New Memphis Legs, Freidl has been an integral part of the Memphis garage-rock scene for decades. We caught up with Friedl the week before his 50th birthday party to find out more about Saturday’s blowout. — Chris Shaw

Memphis Flyer: How did the show come about and what made you want to host it at Newby’s?

Eric Friedl: We wanted to do something around my birthday and get a bunch of people in town to basically just have a good time. We looked around, and, by the time we had everything in order to book it, everywhere we’d normally play was unavailable. Jack had already been booked at Newby’s for that date, so we just decided to piggyback on his show.

The other thing that was attractive about Newby’s is that we’ve never played a show there, so it’s kind of new territory for us. I have no idea how many people they can fit in there or how many people will be able to get in. There are people driving in from Austin for this show and other places, so it should be pretty interesting.

When the band was more active, did you guys ever play the Highland Strip?

Oblivians never did, but my other band True Sons of Thunder made it over there a couple times. We played the Rally Point, and I’m pretty sure we played the side room in Newby’s one time. The Rally Point may have been the worst venue I’ve ever played in or been in. That place was bizarre; it was unbelievable.

Is this the only local show currently booked for the Oblivians?

I think this is it as far as local shows go, at least for now. We are playing the In the Red birthday party in Los Angeles in July, and doing some European dates in July as well. Jack (Yarber) and Greg (Cartwright) have their own things going on, so we just fit the Oblivians in when it makes sense for everyone to do it. It’ll be a good mix because the Oblivians kind of know what we’re doing, but Jack’s band is incredible right now. They have been killing it lately.

Let’s talk about the Leather Uppers. They’ve been around about as long as the Oblivians right?

They started in the mid ’90s, and they released a bunch of 45s that were later compiled into an LP by this guy Ryan Richardson. He’s basically like an archivist or a librarian when it comes to collecting.

The Leather Uppers were just this really raw and funny three piece. They existed in their own world, and they were one of those bands who, when we first started doing Gonerfest, we knew we had to have them play. It was kind of like “We will probably never get to see them otherwise, so let’s just ask and see if they’ll come down.” They said yes, and they’re just a great, ridiculously fun band. Saturday’s show will be their only U.S. appearance.

What is the Leather Uppers relationship with Goner like?

After Ryan released the singles compilation on his label, we released their follow-up album. By the time our record came out, the band had kind of moved on, but Ryan still had all those copies of the record he released, so we bought them from him and repackaged it as a Goner release.

How’d they get on the bill?

I already had the Gories play my wedding, so I wasn’t going to ask them again. I started thinking about who I’d like to see, and I thought “I’ll ask the Leather Uppers,” and they said yes again. They are a two piece now, but they agreed to do it.

At this level, they aren’t doing it to make a bunch of money or anything like that. They are basically just interested in coming down and spending a weekend in Memphis in between playing crazy rock-and-roll. They are both living in Canada, so I think they are excited about coming down.

50 is a pretty major milestone in terms of being a touring musician. You’ve been playing with this band longer than some of your fans have been alive.

The Oblivians has been a great opportunity to make noise that turned into an opportunity to travel and meet new people. We’re playing Finland in July, and I’ve never been to Finland. That’s not a place I could just go by myself. As long as we are having fun and it makes sense to do the band, we’re going to do it.

We’re not out to change the world, but writing a new record a few years ago was a kick in the pants and kept us from playing the same songs that are almost 30 years old at this point. We never set out to do much with the band, and we’ve exceeded all our expectations, so there’s no reason not to keep it going. If it gets to the point where we feel like geezers up there, we will stop playing, or other people will tell us to stop playing.

The Oblivians, Leather Uppers, and Jack Oblivian and the Sheiks, Saturday, April 2nd at Newby’s. 8 p.m. $15 admission.

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Music Music Blog

Knaughty Knights Rule, OK?

The Knaughty Knights

Knaughty Knights were a Memphis garage band that featured Jack Oblivian and Rich Crook. They were active from 2001 to 2006, and released records on Goner, Solid Sex Lovie Doll, Norton, Perpetrator, and Shattered Records- the label run by Jay Reatard and Alix Brown.

Some Knaughty Knights songs sound like what Jack Oblivian has perfected with The Tennessee Tearjerkers and most currently with The Sheiks, but other numbers- specifically the punchy punk banger “Death Has Come Over Me” -prove that Rich Crook brought an edge to this stellar band of Memphis creeps. Check out some of the Knaughty Knights work below, and best of luck finding these singles.

Knaughty Knights Rules, OK? (4)

Knaughty Knights Rules, OK? (2)

Knaughty Knights Rules, OK?

Knaughty Knights Rules, OK? (3)

____ Rules, Ok? is a new weekly installment on the Memphis Flyer Music Blog where music editor Chris Shaw focuses in on Memphis music past and present. 

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Music Music Features

Rockin’ Down Under

CREDIT: Jamie Harmon

The Oblivians traveled to Australia earlier this month for the first time since forming more than two decades ago. While the band has played in Europe and Japan, Australia seemed out of reach until a couple of years ago when the band’s booking agent starting laying the groundwork for American bands to make the trip down under. After he caught up on some much needed rest, we talked to Eric Friedl of the Oblivians to find out more about their latest trip, the bands they played with, and trying to find time to relax while on a grueling tour.

Flyer: You guys have strong fan bases in Europe and Australia, but how did the trip and tour get set up?

Eric Friedl: A lot of the guys from the Onyas had been bugging us about coming to Australia, but it just never really seemed possible. You never really know what you’re getting into when you travel that far from home, but our booking agent has been over there a few times and she seems to have set up a home base for some of her bands. We have a lot of friends in Australia, and it was kind of a Goner Fest reunion in a lot of ways. Seeing everyone who’s traveled all that way to the USA to watch us play really hammered home how far people travel to come to Goner Fest.

I know the Oblivians played Japan a couple of times, but was this everyone’s first time in Australia?

Yep. A long time ago we were looking at going to Australia, but we had better connections in Japan with Guitar Wolf at the time, so it made sense for us to go play over there. We thought we could swing by Australia on the way to Japan but those countries seem a lot closer when you’re just looking at a map.

What was the travel situation like? How did you all feel when you finally got there?

I think it takes like 16 hours to get to Sydney and the trip takes a bunch out of you. We slept most of the way, which was good since we didn’t get much sleep for the rest of the tour. I’m looking forward to some severe jet lag in the next couple of days because it takes a while for your body to realize it’s doing something completely different. We were all pretty exhausted by the end of the tour, not just from the shows but more from the jet lag.

You guys got to play with some really great Australian bands, some of which your music has influenced. Which show was your favorite?

We gave our booking agent a list of bands we wanted to play with ahead of time, so that helped. We figured if we were going to travel all the way there we might as well play with some of our favorite Australian bands. Everybody was great; we didn’t see a bad band the whole time. We got to play with Feedtime twice, which was incredible, the Ausmuteants and Low Life were also great.

The first Feedtime set we saw was just completely unbeatable, so mean and so nasty, and they were following Low Life, who are also really good. Feedtime just leveled the place. It was like the apocalypse. We knew we weren’t going to come close to following their performance, so it made it pretty easy to get up there and play.

How were the music scenes in Australia different from what you’ve experienced playing shows in Europe and the US?

It was a lot different. Sydney had a younger, more aggressive crowd, and Melbourne was mostly an older reserved crowd, but they were also older people who are into really good stuff. It was awesome to get to play the Golden Plains festival. So many festivals suck to play, but this was one was amazingly cool. The number one rule of the festival was don’t be a dickhead, which was kind of weird because most of the time that’s what festivals are for. There were about 6,000 people at Golden Plains festival just hanging out, and it was probably one of the biggest shows we’ve ever played.

Did you have time to be a tourist or were you too busy playing shows?

We got to the beach twice, but we didn’t have time to do much, no surfing or anything like that. We had radio shows, solo shows, and then two shows a day for about half the dates. All the travel time also kept us pretty busy. We got up to see Mikey Young from Eddy Current Suppression Ring; he lives a couple hours north of Melbourne. We saw some kangaroos hanging out in the park and that was pretty cool.

As a record store owner and collector, how big of a priority was trying to go shopping for vinyl?

I only got to a couple of shops but Greg [Cartwright] got to a lot more. Besides some foreign pressings, I didn’t really buy anything, but Greg can dig up records anywhere.

What other kinds of culture shock did you experience?

We did notice that there are like 10 million kinds of chicken parmesan in Australia, and everyone is very conscious of free range everything there. They serve you portions that are basically twice American size, but other than that it was pretty standard. We didn’t eat kangaroo or anything too wild.

What do the Oblivians have going on for the rest of the year? Are you going to tackle any other new places?

We are doing a run up through Chicago and Cleveland at the end of May – that’s our next little jaunt.

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Sing All Kinds We Recommend

Rocket Science Audio Rock for Love Telethon

Tonight at 8 pm Rocket Science Audio will be hosting a telethon to benefit the Church Health Center and Rock For Love Eight. Staying true to the theme that Rocket Science Audio has developed over the last two years, there will be comedy, live music and “all around tom foolery,” according to Rocket Science co-founder Robin Pack. visit www.rocketscienceaudio.com to stream the entire telethon for free. To get a feel for what’s in store for tonight, check out Rocket Science Audio performances by Memphis’ own Time and The Oblivians in the videos below.

Here’s the complete list of tonight’s performers and special guests:

Nick KnowledgeNick Hicks, The McStays featuring Lori and Jared McStay, Benny Elbows, Katrina Coleman, Joshua McLane, SUPER WITCH, J.D. Reager, Mark Stuart, Faith Ruch, Jason Pulley, Harry Koniditsiotis, vi, Ross Johnson ,and Many More! The telethon wil be hosted by Stephen and Michael Kline.