MotherSister Brooklyn

The best mixtape I ever received was so good that I still keep a Walkman around in order to listen to it from time to time. It was a 21st-birthday gift from Colin Brooks, a friend since high school and a drummer so talented that he was receiving press plaudits before he received his diploma (as I recall, one review in the Little Rock Spectrum appreciatively noted that he “pounds the drums as if they owe him money”). The mixtape, which includes treats such as Frank Black’s “Abstract Plain,” Elvis Costello’s “Welcome to the Working Week,” and the Stones’ “Tumblin’ Dice,” was not only a kind-hearted effort to ease my oppressive anxiety over misguided romances and looming wage-slavin’ but also an eclectic demonstration of Colin’s appreciation of smart pop tunesmithery wrapped in driving rock ‘n’ roll.

At the time he gifted me with the tape, Colin had already provided the backbeat for at least 10 Little Rock punk bands, including the Numbskulz and Substance; in the 10 years since, he has also served time with Skeleton Key, Sea Ray, The Stills, and now Dan Zanes & Friends. That’s right: Dan Zanes, formerly of the Del Fuegos and now the free world’s best hope for all-access music that doesn’t make you want to break the CD player after your child has listened to it 50 times.  The group has won leagues of devoted fans and industry respect (including a Grammy Award); guests on their records include Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Aimee Mann, and John Doe. Still, I never quite foresaw the day when my grizzled friend would be surrounded by any bottles that didn’t contain beer, so I used the excuse of the band’s upcoming February show at BAM to pester Colin about exactly how it came to this.

Find out how Colin navigates the underbelly of rock stardom — y’know, the soft one that involves pajama parties and plenty of coffee — while staying true to his indie rock roots after the jump.

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* It seems appropriate on what would have been Charlie Parker’s 87th birthday to direct your attention to Chris Raschka’s Charlie Parker Played Be Bop, now 15 years old and one of The Scamp’s favorite books. Reviews tend to rate this one for children ages 4 and up, and I don’t know why, as The Scamp has been grooving on it since he was 15 months old. Said to be inspired by Parker’s reading of “A Night in Tunisia,” the text is a jazz poem whose pages barely contain its exuberance. As The Hub noted earlier today (while listening to WBGO’s birthday tribute), Parker’s work sounds like it was recorded just yesterday; likewise, Charlie Parker Played Be Bop never gets old.

* Yeah, yeah, the Langley Schools Music Project is great and all, reminding me of the days when schools had music classes, kids had to learn an instrument, and an hour of the school day could be devoted to singing “Tom Dooley” and “Let the Sun Shine In” instead of memorizing for the next standardized test. The stellar kiddie choral versions of “Space Oddity” and “Desperado” are in my iTunes library. But if you’re ready for the next level — kid musicians tryin’ to go pro — check out Home Schooled: The ABCs of Kid Soul, a compilation of soul classics by would-be Jackson 5ers like Cindy & the Playmates and Little Murray & the Mantics. “You Are a Dream (School Time)” is liquid lovin’, and I suspect that “Don’t Leave Me Mama” is going to haunt me all the way home the first time I leave The Scamp at nursery school. (And while you’re picking up new releases, don’t forget about Madlib.)

The Scamp loves music, loves to dance, and he’s never been shy about letting me know it. In utero, Sam Cooke could set his feet and elbows a-stirring like nothing else. I’ve been fond of playing what The Hub refers to as “rot-gut music” for him — Leadbelly, Bo Diddley, Howlin’ Wolf — as well as the dusty road heroes, Johnny Cash and Hank Williams (”Jambalaya” is, predictably enough, a favorite, the source of my tendency to call The Scamp my “ma-chazz-a-mayo”). The Scamp’s tastes are eclectic, from Dean Martin to Public Enemy (preferably on vinyl). Recently, he has become totally addicted to a 7″ in my collection: “Go Honda Go” by Jackie & the Cedrics.

And I do mean hooked: The Scamp plays it again and again (as well as the B-side, “Velocity Stacks”), hugging his blue teddy bear and rocking passionately from side to side, even giving it his extra-special nod of the head and deep crouch (that’s how you know he’s really in the groove). I’m afraid he’s going to wear the record out; that 45 — purchased in 1994 — is nearly impossible to replace, as Jackie & the Cedrics are an underground phenomenon in the States, being a Japanese ’50s-style garage band and all. They clearly have a loyal following in Japan, though, judging by the swooning ladies in this video. After scoring three new 45s from Brooklyn-based Norton Records, I had to find out if I could hope to take The Scamp to a live Jackie & the Cedrics show sometime in the near future.

I contacted Rockin’ Jelly Bean, the group’s bassist, who is also a talented illustrator and has collaborated with Pharrell Williams and Nigo. (Note: If you don’t like drawings of naked women, bypass the link. NSFW. Robert Crumb comes to mind.) Along with guitarist Rockin’ Enocky and drummer Jackie T-Bird, RJB is a veteran at driving the kids wild. He very kindly agreed to answer a few questions about Jackie & the Cedrics; get the scoop after the jump.

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