#spider john koerner

[dustedmagazine]

Listed: Jad Fair

Photo: Brian Birzer

Jad Fair’s music has been described as “art punk,” “primitive rock,” “naive pop,” and “experimental,” though none of those labels quite capture what it is. Never encumbered by the conventions of songwriting or technical virtuosity, or the idea that an instrument should be tuned, the guitarist/singer/visual artist always made the music that felt most natural. It’s not an experiment, he has said. It just is.

In the mid 1970s Fair started Half Japanese with his brother, David. In 1980 they released their famously audacious debut, a triple album called Half Gentlemen/Not Beasts. It was a raw explosion of teenage boy id. The brothers, both on vocals, indulged obsessions (girls, mostly) over discordant guitars and drums that bubbled and burst like boiling water.

Half Japanese has released many records since, in addition to the mountains of music that Fair has put out over the years, solo and in collaboration with Daniel Johnson, Yo La Tengo, Teenage Fanclub and many others. Over the course of 2021 he released two albums a week on Bandcamp, and then started making music with singer/songwriter/multiinstrumentalist Samuel Locke Ward. They just released their second record, Destroy All Monsters about which Dusted’s Margaret Welsh wrote that “In its warmth and sincerity, Destroy All Monsters straddles a strange line: It impersonates flimsy holiday novelty but resonates on a deeper level. Here are some of Fair’s favorite records.

It’s difficult to just choose 10 albums. There are so many albums that I love.

The Shaggs — Philosophy Of The World

I first heard Philosophy Of The World in 1979. I was given a cassette of it and immediately took to it. It was like no other album I’d heard. The music and lyrics are so sweet and sincere. I was very pleased that I was asked to do cover art for the release of The Dot Wiggin Band’s album Ready! Get! Go!. When I saw Dot’s band perform I was surprised to see that the musicians were reading music. I asked Dot about it and was told that the music for the Shaggs was written out.

The Modern Lovers — The Modern Lovers

In 1974 I read an interview of Jonathan Richman in Andy Warhol’s Interview magazine. I was impressed with what Jonathan had to say. When the Modern Lovers album was released I sent away for it and was floored by it. It’s a super fine album.

Spider John Koerner — Some American Folk Songs Like They Used To

Spider John Koerner is one of my favorite folk musicians. It’s a shame that very few people have heard the album. I think it’s his best.

Lord Invader — Calypso Travels

I’m a huge fan of calypso music. Lord Invader is a great calypsonian. I love the way he sings and his band is top of the top.

The Stooges — Fun House

I grew up in Michigan and when I was a teen, most of my favorite bands were from Michigan. Michigan had The MC5, The Stooges, Question Mark and the Mysterians, Destroy All Monsters and Motown. I felt I was living in the best state for music.

Daniel Johnston — Hi How Are You?

In 1984 my band Half Japanese had a tour with a stop in Austin. Daniel’s manager (Jeff Tartakov) gave me a cassette of Daniel’s album. During the tour we played it over and over in the van. I know many amazing musicians. What’s rare is a musician that is also a fine lyricist. Daniel was one of the best. He was a genius, and I was so lucky to have worked with him.

Bob Dylan — Basement Tapes

I like the relaxed feel of the songs. Bob Dylan and the Band were such a great match. Super fine songs and super playing.

Howlin Wolf — The Complete RPM and Chess Singles

In the early 1970s, I bought a lot of albums of Howling Wolf. It’s hard to beat Howling Wolf as a performer. He had power and charisma.

NRBQ — All Hopped Up

NRBQ is my favorite band. When I lived on the East Coast I would go to see them anytime they had a show in Maryland or DC. Definitely the finest live band I’ve seen.

James Brown — Live At The Apollo

It’s hard to pick just one James Brown album. He released so many great albums. Live At The Apollo has James in top form. It’s a brilliant performance. It’s star time!

[allmusic]

AllMusic Staff Pick Tony Glover / Koerner, Ray & Glover / "Spider" John Koerner / Dave "Snaker" Ray Blues, Rags and Hollers

"Spider" John Koerner, Dave "Snaker" Ray and Tony Glover were one of the most powerful acts to emerge in the folk music revival of the 1950s and '60s, playing acoustic blues-based music with a strength and fire that put their peers to shame. Their 1963 debut album, Blues, Rags and Hollers, was a revelation to folk fans upon first release, and restored to its original twenty-song length, it's still a hoot decades later.

- Mark Deming

[sdog1blog]

RIP, Spider John Koerner

One of the truly, nice guys in the music business.

[ragamuffingunnar]

Goddammit dude. Another one 😭

[egelwan]

R.I.P. 'Spider' John Koerner

  Bluesman Who Inspired a Young Bob Dylan Dies at 85 ‘“People have told me I influenced Dylan,” he told Billboard in 2016. “I wouldn’t put it that way. What’s the quote? ‘A great artist doesn’t copy … they steal.’ You take something and make it your own and it’s fair enough.”…’ (The New York Times obituary)  

[swradiogram]

Shortwave Radiogram, 23-29 May 2024 (program 355): Digital modes as puffy as cotton candy

The worst of the solar disturbances are past us, for now, although shortwave propagation remains fickle. Let's hope that the ionosphere cooperates for this week's show. There will be eleven images, 1 x MFSK32 and 10 x MFSK64. The timing of this week's broadcast allows for only a few brief seconds of closing music by Spider John Koerner, who died May 18. The story this week about the Russian army's use of Morse code mentions "more efficient digital modes of communication" in the last paragraph. A video of last week's Shortwave Radiogram (program 354) is provided by Scott in Ontario (Wednesday 1330 UTC). The audio archive is maintained by Mark in the UK. Analysis is provided by Roger in Germany. Here is the lineup for Shortwave Radiogram, program 355, 23-29 May 2024, in MFSK modes as noted:   1:40  MFSK32: Program preview   2:57  MFSK32: Giant planet is as puffy as cotton candy*   6:59  MFSK64: Why the Russian army is still using Morse code 11:16  MFSK64: This week's images* 28:43  MFSK32: Closing announcements Please send reception reports to radiogram@verizon.net And visit http://swradiogram.net Twitter: @SWRadiogram or https://twitter.com/swradiogram (visit during the weekend to see listeners’ results) Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/567099476753304 Shortwave Radiogram Gateway Wiki: https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/Shortwave_Radiogram_Gateway

Other Shortwave broadcast programs that include digital text and images include The Mighty KBC, Pop Shop Radio and Radio North Europe International (RNEI). Links to these fine broadcasts, with schedules, are posted here.

Bobby in Louisiana received these images 16 May 2024, 2330-2400 UTC, 9265 kHz from WINB Pennsylvania ...

[radiomaxmusic]

In Memoriam: John Koerner (1938 - 2024)

“Spider” John Koerner (August 31, 1938 – May 18, 2024) was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He was best known as a guitarist and vocalist in the blues trio Koerner, Ray & Glover, with Dave Ray and Tony Glover. He also made albums as a solo performer and with Willie Murphy. Koerner grew up in Rochester, New York, and after a brief military service attended the University of…

[nedison]

After @arianepouchkine made a really solid list of 10 favorite songs, I was included in the parade of the tagged, so how could I resist? Anyone who puts The Residents, Leonard Cohen, Robert Wyatt, and ANOHNI on the same list deserves a swift response in kind.

But I am going to tweak the rules a bit here. What follows are 10 tracks that I love a thousand times over, but as of this post, they’ve each received 10 or fewer notes, so I want to give them another shot to be heard and maybe help them be discovered by discerning ears and given the hundreds of likes and reblogs they so rightly deserve.

SO HERE THEY ARE! THE NEDiSON 10-OR-FEWER MISFITS:

Recipe for True and Lasting Happiness - S. E. Rogie

Hold Back Time - Van Dyke Parks

Happy Days Are Here Again - Annette Hanshaw

Box - Colorama

Acres of Clams - ‘Spider’ John Koerner

Golden Helmet - Peter Blegvad

Busted - Jeffrey Lewis & Peter Stampfel

When Your Worst Fear Comes True - Kate Jacobs

Uninvited Guest - Róisín Murphy

Asa Branca [Real Tuesday Weld Cowboy Mix] - Forro In The Dark feat. David Byrne

[taperwolf]

Do you feel like an outcast?

Like somehow your life has been miscast?

[plonkeepoos]

Koerner, Ray & Glover

L-R: “Spider” John Koerner; Tony “Little Son” Glover; Dave “Snaker” Ray

[893thecurrent]

The Viking Bar’s most recent, and final, closing night happened in January 2018, amid a management dispute that saw the West Bank landmark shut down less than two years after a high-profile reopening. The true legacy of this 1905 venue, which opened as the Viking in 1959, was cemented with a sweaty 2006 show headlined by local legend Willie Murphy.

“The wake signaled an end to the days when Willie Murphy and friends crowded the small Viking stage and spilled onto the floor, making people get up and boogie on the old tile floor,” wrote historian Cyn Collins in the Twin Cities Daily Planet. “It also brought an end to the regular Friday night shows with the Front Porch Swinging Liquor Pigs and KFAI Radio’s ‘Jackson’s Juke Joint.’ We’ll miss the legendary Mardi Gras parties on Sundays, when Spider John Koerner entertained us with his foot-stomping old folk blues while we indulged in Marty Johnson’s grilled chicken and brats.”

On that final night of the original Viking, though, Murphy and his peers gave Minneapolis a night to remember. “Old and young, hippies and punks, activists and anarchists danced wildly on the benches, bartop, and floors throughout the packed bar,” reported Collins. “Many were dancing as they came in the door. The crowd grew wilder as the night went on, and even a fight or two even broke out — just like in the old days. Musicians and patrons poured inside and out, sharing their memories and grief at this loss, one of the few remaining posts of the historic West Bank music scene.”

We’re revisiting 15 unforgettable Minnesota concerts from the 15 years The Current has been on the air.

[doyourememberrocknrollradio]

Spider John Koerner - Rattlesnake  Deadwood S2E8

[thebolg]

TBT - Blues, Rags and Holler (1963) by Koerner, Ray & Glover  We recently learned of a local musician that is sited as an influence for Bob Dylan, David Bowie,  John Lennon and The Doors. This discovery of a living local legend wandering Minneapolis demanded attention. This week, we’re taking a listen back to 1963’s Blues, Rags and Holler, debut album from Koerner, Ray & Glover. 9.6 - Youthful, energetic, soulful and timeless, Blues, Rags and Holler sonically realizes the influence of the Mississippi river flowing upstream. - Jt

8.9 - G'head and set on my davenport, grab that thar beer, and listen to these tunes, young child. - b

8.3 - If you don't fine yourself stomping your feet and clapping your hands at some point during this album you have no soul. - Tj

7.9 - It sounds so much like I'd expect it to, but it's in the act of listening that it comes to life and refracts interestingly in the context 2018; hearing young men who are now old or gone cover and emulate songs of men who came a generation or two earlier and who were old or gone when this was recorded. -ty 

[rocksbackpages]

New for RBP subscribers this week

“To call us heavy metal is not a fair judgement. I’ve certainly never said we were heavy metal…”

— Jon Bon Jovi (1988)

PLUS pieces on...

• The Who (1965) • Spider John Koerner (1966) • Traffic/Tremoloes live (1967) • Sly & Family Stone (1968) • Johnny Cash at San Quentin (1969) • Hendrix's last interview (1970) • Jackson 5 live (1971) • New York Dolls (1972) • Who solo albums (1973) • Led Zep burgled (1974) • Joe Walsh @ Shrine (1975) • The Bee Gees (1976) • Bootsy's Rubber Band (1977) • Chet Helms (1978) • AC/DC @ Long Beach (1979) • Siouxsie & the Banshees (1980) • Basement 5's 1965-1980 (1981) • ROIR cassettes (1982) • Joe Sample's Hunter (1983) • Ruth Brown (1984) • Frankie in Hammersmith (1985) • Black Flag split (1986) • Lounge Lizards' Cakes (1987) • De La Soul in Boston (1989) • Cocteau Twins (1990) • Marc Almond's Symphony (1991) • W.A.S.P.'s Blackie Lawless (1992) • The Orb in Manchester (1993) • Carleen Anderson (1994) • The Chemicals' Dust (1995) • Pistols in Finsbury Park (1996) • Nanci Griffith @ Wiltern (1997) • Ultramagnetic MCs (1998) • Ben Folds Five (1999) • Modest Mouse (2000) • Lina live (2001) • Sigur Ros @ Barbican (2002) • Thea Gilmore's Avalanche (2003) • Guided By Voices (2004) • Stooges' Liquid (2005) • Tom Waits Q&A (2006) • Just Jack live (2007) • Martina Topley-Bird (2008) • British Invasion DVD (2009) • Example/Prof. Green (2010) • Washed Out's Within & Without (2011) • Anthony Reynolds (2012) • Chvrches live (2013) • Iraq and the Eagles (2014) • Mogwai's Belters (2015) • Joe Hertz (2016) • LCD Soundsystem live (2017) • Velvet Goldmine @ 20 (2018) • Dusty Springfield (2019) • The Idle Race's Party (2020)

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