Volume 3 April 2015
Sickstring Outlaws But Seriously Folks . . .
Black Market III Live CD Recording
“Jamaversary”
Jammingout The House of Blues
Devon Allman’s Last Ride With Royal Southern Brotherhood
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Contents Feature 3 Sickstring Outlaws Jams 10 “Jamaversary” at The House of Blues 11 Boogie Jam 13 Local Jams Stories 7 Black Market III Live CD 9 Spring Harp Fest 14 Devon Allman 15 Boogie Collage by Nick Abadilla Cover photo by Nick Abadilla Photography
The Team Publisher Eli J. Medellin Editor Jason Thompson Design / Technology Jennifer Medellin Photography Nick Abadilla Stephanie Pillar Eli J. Medellin Marketing Mark Eppler
Lette
r fro m the Editor
T
he murder was simple enough. Two men in a bar in a Midwest town in 1895 get into a scuffle. Some argue it was over a gambling debt. Other argue it was about a Stetson hat. Ultimately, Lee Shelton, a pimp and carriage driver, shot his associate Billy Lyons. Billy died of injuries. Lee, also known as Stag Lee, Stagger Lee, and Stack Lee, was charged, tried, and convicted of the murder. Thousands of murders each year and yet, this one particular murder serves, to this day, as the spring for literally thousands of songs all centered around Stagger Lee. No one knows at this point who wrote the original. We do know it was published in 1911. Fred Waring’s Pennsylvanians cut it first in 1923. Since then, more than 2,300 artists have cut the song, putting their own unique stamp on it. Ma Rainey did in 1925, Mississippi John Hurt laid it down in 1928. It was become something of a secret handshake among musicians since that early folk and Delta blues time. One of the great joys of folk music is that musicians can stamp it with their own seal regardless of genre. Bluesmen have done it, smoky-voiced jazz singers have done. Punk rockers, Dixie-fried country pickers, rhythm and blues masters, soul stirrers, bar bands, and pop balladeers have lent their talents to the murder ballad. The Clash did it and they turned it into a protest cry for working-class men. They called it “Wrong ‘Em Boyo” and included it on their masterpiece album “London Calling.” R&B superstar Lloyd Price hit number one with it in 1957. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds recorded an absolutely filthy, X-rated version of the song on his fittingly titled album “Murder Ballads.” The point of all this is to say, folk music, by definition is the music of and from the people. It’s a prism, and if one were to look through that prism one could see an entire way of life, a mindset, of an entire piece of a population. Every society, indeed every culture, has their own folk music. This is as it should be. By peeking through those prisms we can better understand the thoughts of an Irish farmhand, or an English sea captain, or even an American criminal. These folk tales often become legends of the finest order. Next time you’re plugged in and listening, take a look at the liner notes. If you read closely you may find songs not attributed in anyone. They call these songs traditional, and I promise there’s a story behind it. In the pages of this very magazine, we’ll be telling you the story of the musicians in San Diego. We’ll be telling their stories and the story of music in San Diego. We’ll try not to be so traditional about it.
Jason Thompson
Editor
Staff Sheri Salomone Videography Brad Anderson Special Thanks The Moneymen
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Sickstring Outlaws But Seriously Folks by Eli J. Medellin Photography by Nick Abadilla
T
hey’ve been described as rootin’ tootin’, knee slapin’, super fun, rugged, dope smokin’, beer drinkin’, ass kickin’ hellraisers.
They’re professional musicians with years of experience in each and every member, yet, they have the look of drunken, disorderly conductors of country chaos. Their music is a mixture of country with a rock n’ roll edge. Their last CD, “Johnny Drank Jack,” is a tribute to all of the band’s influences such as Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard, and Willie Nelson.
Their upcoming release, “Electric Moonshine,” is a tribute to Popcorn Sutton, an American Appalachian moonshiner who wrote a selfpublished autobiographical guide to moonshine production, and self-produced a home video depicting his moonshining activities. He was later the subject of a documentary that won a Regional Emmy Award. He committed suicide in 2009 rather than reporting to Federal prison after being convicted of offenses related to moonshine production. I met with members of the Sickstring Outlaws at their favorite hole in the wall near Vista, California. As we sat down to start their very first interview, my first question for them was, “have you guys ever performed at a tractor-pull?” “No,” said Sick founder Ron Houston, “but we did play inside a pit bull dog’s chain-link pen once.” No strangers to unusual requests, the band once played a funeral. “We drove all the way to Bakersfield to do this funeral reception,” said Sick bass player Drew Zollo. “Ron tried to work in songs like ‘I
More on Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton It’s called “likker” in the hills and hollers of Appalachia, and for years Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton bootlegged his likker, his Tennessee white liquor before committing suicide following his conviction for distilling spirits and possession of a firearm in federal court. The Scots-Irishman descended from a long line of moonshiners and considered moonshiner part of his cultural heritage. Though that defense didn’t work for him in court, it has certainly helped his family legacy and notoriety. In 2010, Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey started appearing on liquor store shelves. Hank Williams Jr. partnered with J&M Concepts LLC and Popcorn’s widow, Pam Sutton, to distribute and produce the likker using Popcorn’s secret recipe on stills he designed. “Jesus turned the water into wine. I turned it into likker.” - Popcorn Sutton, 1946-2009
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Died A Long Time Ago’ and ‘I Let You Down.’ I kept telling him, ‘we can’t do that one dude, No, we can’t do that one either.’” “By the second song, we had ‘em crying,” said Houston. “We’ll go anywhere to do a gig,” said Zollo. Ron Houston kick-started Sickstring Outlaws in 2004 with his sister, brother-in-law and a few others. There have been some lineup changes since then. Drew Zollo is the second longest surviving member. He answered Ron’s ad on Craigslist. “I had this vision in my head of who I was talking to on the phone,” said Zollo, “Some big, Texan looking, country dude. Then Ron comes walking in looking like he just got out of prison in cut off-shorts and says, ‘Tell me about yourself,’ I said Man… we could be here all day. Proof ’s in the pudding. Let’s just jam.” After jamming with the band for a while, Drew walked out for a cigarette, leaving them with the words, “You guys talk.” “We never looked back,” said Ron. Third in line for the longest standing Sick member award is harmonica player and back-up vocalist Lance Dieckmann. He met the band at the Harp in Ocean Beach about a year and a half ago, sat in with them, and he hasn’t left since. Dieckmann has genuine road warrior credentials, having opened for the likes of Foghat, Blue Oyster Cult and Pat Travers. Later in his 40s Lance started playing the blues but always had that rock background, as does everyone else in the band. As mentioned in the last issue of
“This is it,” said Houston. “It took me eleven years to make up this band and this is the year we make it happen.” Boogie Magazine, drummer Gavin Glenn, who also drums for Black Market III, has a history of playing in punk and heavy metal bands. Ben Zinn and Lisa Winston are the latest members to join the line-up with Ben on lead guitar and Lisa singing backup vocals. “This is it,” said Houston. “It took me eleven years to make up this band and this is the year we make it happen.” As much fun as it may seem, it’s been a hard road for this country band. San Diego is not well known for it’s country music but the band prides itself on hard work and perseverance. Houston prides himself in the fact that if he isn’t holding a beer, he’s texting or messaging on the phone, “drinking or networking,” and has been known to do both at the same time. Years of networking and messaging for the band has resulted in in a growing fan base both online and in the flesh. “One thing I got to say about Ron is that he has a big heart,” said Dieckmann. “He will write back to anyone who contacts him.” Ron has been known to go on line and thank each person
individually for their following. “I want them to know that we’re just like they are,” he said. “We want to party and we wanna provide the music.” Their fan base is a large demographic. While they’ll play Waylon or Willie, which brings out the older crowd, they’ll also play Hank 3 for the younger country fans or any other cover that fits the band. “We even play a Blake Shelton cover and I don’t like him,” said Houston. “I don’t like “The Voice”, “American Idol”, or any of that,” he continues, “because they take away from the band aspect and make it all about the singer and the choreography and the dancers and there’s no band. However, we do cover a Blake Shelton song called ‘Kiss My Country Ass.’ Gavin came up with that one. When I heard it, I said we gotta do that.” Ron’s influences stem back to heavy metal rock n’ roll. Every now and then you might hear a little GG Allen influence or a Black Flag song turned into a country song. His parents were country fans and his dad even sang in a country band called Sam Houston and the Country Rebels. “They used to call him Singing Sam.’’ said Ron. “Buck Owens recorded a song called “Sam’s Place” that was written about my dad,” he said. Ron didn’t actually get into country until he was older when his brother-in-law got him to listen to Johnny Cash. “My dad used to tell me, ‘You can play country ’til your dead,’ said Ron, “because your alway gonna have fans that like country and… spandex ain’t gonna work after you’re fifty years old. No one knows how the Rolling Stones do it.” I asked Ron to describe the difference between pop country and outlaw country. Brad Paisley and Waylon Jennings was the answer. “Pop country is a rock show that Garth Brooks started,” said Houston. For the Sickstring Outlaws, pop country is a rock show with a Southern vocalist. “Keith Urban, I don’t even call that country - that’s just pop rock to me,” said Ron. Many of the lyrics in the song that they sing make light of drug and alcohol use. The song “I Like Merle Haggard (and I like to get stoned),” “One More Round” and so on. “I don’t think it’s the answer to all problems,” said Ron, “but I do it.” “We have a new song called “Cocaine, Cigarettes and Lone Star Beer” written by a friend of ours and nobody wanted to touch it. We said ‘We’ll touch it… with both hands.’” We put outlaw into Outlaws,” said Drew. “I don’t see nothin’ wrong with smoking pot,” said Houston. “I’ve written some of my best songs on pot. I’ve done cocaine. I not saying you should do it, but I’m not saying you shouldn’t.” Constant gigging and being in the wrong place at the right time has also landed them their newest CD deal. They credit local producer Loyal Satterfield with producing “Electric Moonshine” at Studio
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West. “He really believed in us,” said Houston. “Without him, that wouldn’t have happened at all.” This is yet-to-be-released CD is the one they believe will take this band over the top. “This is the Hail Mary Pass,” said Zollo. The last CD, “Johnny Drank Jack” had a great formula. “We like to record in the studio like we do it live.” said Houston. “Some people record their CDs to sound too robotic.” Ron prides himself on being a great story teller. One of the songs on the new CD is called “Sam Dupree.” “I called it Sam Dupree because my dad’s name is Sam and Dupree because it rhymes with misery, but it’s all fictional. You gotta play it with a live feel and not be perfect,” said Ron. *The story is loosely based on Ron’s cousin from Louisiana who drowned in the bayou when he fell out of his boat* Drew followed up with, “There’s a G chord, there’s a D chord and there’s a C chord. Millions of musicians have played it - it’s how you play it.” He continued to tell about another new song called “Sounds Like
A Country Song.” He hated the song at first when Ron played it for him. But when Drew’s brother Jimmy Zollo heard the song he had the vision to see beyond the chords. They took the song into the studio and let the others get into it and now Drew says it’s his favorite. “It’s the way you play it and the feeling that goes into it,” said Drew. It’s the opening song on the new CD. Ron came up with it when he threw up on a policeman’s boot during a drinking binge. “I may never have gone to prison, but I went to jail that night,” he said. Where the last CD mentions many of the band’s influences to gain their fans’ favor, this new CD is on their own merit. “We got ‘em to listen to who we are, now we’re going to show ‘em who we are,” said Ron. “Although we sing about Popcorn Sutton, it’s all about us,” he said. Marc Desisto, who has worked with many well-known artists like Roberta Flack, Glenn Fry, and Joe Cocker, is mixing and mastering this CD. Also, Grammy- award winner Dennis Caplinger plays fiddle and banjo on it. Ron learned how he likes his mix from watching how it’s done on the last recording. He was able to have more control on this latest studio work. “I already had the vision before going into the studio,” he said. On the title track, guitarist Ben Zinn listened to the song on an mp4 that Ron gave him and came back to the studio with a slightly different arrangement than Ron had planned. “There’s a difference between playing it and arranging it,” said Ron, “I thought this is going to sound like shit!” After playing it as Zinn arranged it, the band was amazed at how much better it was. Drummer Gavin Glen, the introduced the song to the producers for the television program “Moonshiners.” The show’s creative minds are now considering the song as the new show opener. Americans have celebrated outlaw culture since before they were Americans. The Sickstring Outlaws embrace a lifestyle and style of music indicative of that very mindset - a mode of thinking that trances its ancestors from the hills and hollers of Appalachia moonshine country to the high desert plains and through the continuing narrative line that connects Johnny Cash to Black Flag. “If you wanna know exactly who Sickstring Outlaws are, take a little bit of Merle Haggard, David Allen Coe, a little bit of Black Flag, throw it in a blender, turn it on real high for about five minutes and pour you a big ole ass glass of Sickstring Outlaws”
www.thesickstringoutlaws.com
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www.caseyhensleymusic.com
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Black Market III Live CD Recording
Photos and story by Eli Medellin SAN DIEGO – Black Market III began recording their first live CD March 13 at the Pier View Club in Oceanside with opening act The Dirty Work. They completed recording at Brick By Brick during the California Roots Festival. Local acts The Whisky Circle, The Shifty Eyed Dogs and Sickstring Outlaws also appeared on the bill. BMIII frontman Scottie Blinn says he hopes the CD will be out in April. View more images at BoogieMagazine.com
www.blackmarketiii.com Boogie Magazine 7
Kim Wilson
Sister Judy Seid Leilani Kilgore
Spring Harp Fest
Troy Sand ow
John C
hamb ers
Photos by Nick Abadilla and Stephanie Pillar SAN DIEGO, April 4 - It was a perfect, sunny, California day filled with music, food and dance for the Spring Harp Fest XVI, a family-friendly event featuring the finest blues harmonica talent in Southern California. Dane Terry and the Cadillac Wreckers, Lance Dieckmann and the Bayou Bros, Bubba McCoy, Zach Cole, Chet and the Commitee, Billy Watson, Troy Sandow, Big Jon Atkinson, 145th Street, Harmonica John� Frazer, and Kim Wilson. View more images at BoogieMagazine.com
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Boogie Booth @SpringBoogie Harp Fest Magazine 9
La Mesa, California
www.jammingout.net
Doyle Thomas and RosaLea Schiavone celebrate their second jamaversary of Jammning Out at the House Of Blues
“JAMAVERSARY”
JAMMINGOUT THE HOUSE OF BLUES
David Kiefer, Doyle Thomas, David Lewis and Travis Cline
Photos and story by Nick Abadilla SAN DIEGO, March 11 -The JammingOut Blues Band, JammingOut regulars, and a few newcomers gathered to celebrate the second anniversary of the popular Wednesday night jam, lovingly hosted by Rosa Lea Schiavone and birthday boy Doyle Thomas. Among the evening’s highlights was a set by the youth band, Look Both Ways, comprised of five 10-12 year-old boys Jordan Cooper, Quincy Bunn Will Meadows, Shane Collins, and Linus Ticho. Quincy is the son of Austin Bunn drummer for Temple Of The Dad, mentioned in our first issue feature with Lacy Younger. Jordan Cooper is grand nephew of Kevin Cooper who is the house bass player for Jamming Out at he House of Blues. Other special guests included Christine Gilardi, Rose Thomas, Travis Cline, David Lewis, Harry Tagalong, Benjamin McDonald, Dan Marlot, Frankie T., David Kiefer, Rio Rhythm, Tom Safreed, Victor Franklin, Nick Butterfield, and Rich Giglio looking great as he returns from his battle with cancer. “I’m totally off the treatments’” said Giglio. Many of the guest who stuck around till the end got up on stage to join the house band with Lafayette, Kevin Cooper, Edward Cleveland and Kevin’s nephew Chris Cooper to close out the show with a funky “Mustang Sally.” Thank you Rosa Lea and Doyle. Here’s to another successful year jamming out at the House Of Blues. View more images at BoogieMagazine.com
Kevin Cooper sits in with Look Boogie Magazine Both Ways at the House10 of Blues
Chill Boy “Likes to Boogie”
Boogie Jam At Tio Leo’s
Story by Eli Medellin Photos by Nick Abadilla SAN DIEGO February 21 -When we started putting together our monthly jam sessions, we could only dream that it would get this good. Not to say that we didn’t ever have a good time – we’ve always had great musicians every jam – but there was so many this time that some of us didn’t even get to play. We just enjoyed a fantastic show. We had a shared idea for this jam: instead of trying to mix and match musicians at the jam, which sometimes can be a disaster, we invited musicians to make their own throw-together groups before the show and let us know ahead of time so we could organize the line-up before we even got to the venue. We got an immediate response from everyone. Before we knew it, we had seven bands signed up for our February show at Tio Leo’s in the heart of San Diego. We picked Tio Leo’s because it has a nice size stage and a PA system already set up. Boogie Magazine’s go-to jam band, the Moneymen, provided help with setting it up and working the sound.
We normally schedule our jams for Saturdays at 1:00 pm for the musicians who want to jam with us but might have gigs later in the evening. The other band was coming on at 7:00 and we had seven possibly eight groups to get on and off the stage by 6:30. It was going to be tight. We started as we always do, with the Moneymen opening the jam. It’s usually myself, Mark Eppler, Michael Head, Steve Tahmahkera and Willy Carmody to start things off. However, since we had extra guests show up, Mark and Michael and I stood down to let Michael’s son Miles play guitar along with my special guest, Chill Boy. Chill has a vast fifty years plus of stage experience and recently has undergone heart surgery, but one can’t keep a blues man like Chill Boy down. He just keeps coming back, and we were so grateful to have him open for us with Miles and the Moneymen. He started the set with two songs, a classy slow blues version of “Rock Me Baby” and a rockin’ “Standin’ On Shaky Ground,” and then turned his place on stage over to Kris Wott. Kris got some added help with Erik Lingren and Tom Tice on guitars. Together they kept the Moneymen wound up with “The Sky Is Crying,” Ray Charles’ “The
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Mess Around,” and a few more ditties before turning over the stage to The Bi-Polar Express. Since it is a jam we requested that they bring on a special guest so they got Paul Alvarado to share the stage with them. After Bi-Polar Express we quickly reset the stage for a mixed group made especially for this jam with Robby Whitehead on vocals and guitar, Ted Stern also on guitar, Jim Holtz on Bass and Gary Orlansky on drums. When asked what they called themselves, the lawyer of the group, Holtz replied “The Well Hung Jury.” After their allotted time, the jury guys turned the stage over to brother, sister, and dad group, Rhythm and the Method. Since their bass player couldn’t make it, Ted Stern jumped up on stage to take over the bottom end. This multitalented family holds nothing back with sweet rhythm and blues with a twist of rock. Sister Rhythm was impressive as she played harmonica and sang while playing the drums all at the same time. The three-piece Wick Houser Band played next with Wick Hauser on lead guitar and vocals, Steve Morgan on bass and Mike Trenkle on drums rocking some soulful tunes including a mix of ZZ top and Santana. Kris Wott came back on stage to help them out with some harmonica to start their set.
Frankie T.
Next came the Tina Turner of San Diego, Deejha Marie Pope, with our friend James Brown helping out on guitar, Ted Stern came back on bass, Paul Whitaker on drums and Erik Lingren came back to sit in on guitar. The mad guitar player Frankie T took the stage next with Fedis Gray on bass, Edward Cleveland on drums, Joel Bolado on guitar and David Lewis amazed us on harmonica. Joe Bernal and friends came up next with Joel Bolado sticking around to play back-up guitar along with guitarist David Davis, Grant Mitchell on drums and Michael Mudd on bass. It did not stop there. Just when we thought it was going to end Chet Cannon walked in at the last hour, and he didn’t come alone. He brought the Committee with him. His hand-picked blues mobsters, the goodfellas of the blues, walked in right after him with Mercedes Moore in tow.
Mercedes Moore
Chet Cannon, Smokee Bear, Scot Smart, Pete Fazzini, Jaz Jaszewski and Mercedes Moore closed the jam for us. Neither Mark, Michael nor myself got to play at all but we were so stoked it didn’t matter. Thank you all for being there and as always, thanks to the Moneymen for always being there. Mark Eppler is the man for getting everyone on and off stage safely and on time. See you all at the next one View more images at BoogieMagazine.com
Boogie Magazine 12 Rhythm Rose Turner
v
Ready to Jam?
Steve Tahmahkera “Likes to Boogie”
Calling all Intermediate & Advanced Musicians Tuesdays
Wednesdays
Thursdays
Sundays
5147 Waring Rd, San Diego, CA
1055 5th Ave, San Diego, CA
2330 La Mirada Dr, Vista, CA
182 E. Main St, El Cajon, CA
Tom’s Band Camp* 8:00pm - 11:00pm Pal Joey’s Cocktail Lounge *First and third Tuesdays
Jamming Out 7:00pm - 11:00pm The House of Blues
Blues Jam & Open Mic 8:00pm - 12:00am The Pour House
1903 S Coast Hwy, Oceanside, CA
Aztec Open Mic 8:00pm - 12:00am Aztec Brewing
Chet’s Patio Party Blues Jam 2:30pm Downtown Cafe Bar & Grill Big Daddy Deluxe Open Mic 2:00pm - 6:00pm PK’s Roadhouse 155773 Grand Ave, Lake Elsinore, CA
What’s a jam session?
Each show is a unique experience where musicians show up, sign in, and play impromptu versions of well known songs. The leader is whoever steps up and chooses song, key and tempo with only has a few seconds to explain to the rest of the musicians. Each set has different musicians and sets are determined by the coordinator. It sounds like a mess but somehow it always seems to work out and turns into an exciting event for participants and audiences alike.
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DEVON ALLMAN’S LAST RIDE WITH ROYAL SOUTHERN BROTHERHOOD By Jason Thompson Photos by Stephanie Pillar at the Ramona Mainstage, Ramona Calif. RAMONA, Calif. February 7 - Devon Allman may well be the crown prince of Southern Rock. The son and nephew of Gregg Allman and Duane Allman respectively, he was born into a rich musical tradition. Cyril Neville is a Neville of the New Orleans’ Nevilles, meaning he was born to boogie. The two formed what is commonly known as a supergroup in 2011 and they dubbed it Royal Southern Brotherhood – a name that recalls the past without leaning too heavily on it. With Yonrico Scott on drums, Charlie Wooten on bass, and Bart Walker manning the controls on guitar and vocals, the five created something beyond the traditional band idea. John Hiatt once said of them “They are not a band – they are an extravaganza.” That extravaganza is still on tour – Allman’s last with the supergroup. Their tour information is available View more images at BoogieMagazine.com
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www.sandiegofestival.com
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