Cameron Carpenter: Rock’n’Roll Rewind – Pope On A Rope and NXNE 2015

If this seems a little bit dated it is because it went missing in cyberspace last week sometime on Tuesday.

I can tell you now that Cobra Ramone rocked, Bellwoods played a great show at The Rivoli and 54.40 did a fine job in The Beach last Saturday night.

(Editor’s Note – This column was originally meant to run last week. It somehow ended up in my SPAM folder and was hidden from sight until Cam sent it to me again with the update above. Here’s the column that was originally slated to be published a week ago today.)

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – Some Zzzzz’s

Once again we find ourselves at the end of the alphabet. Some Z songs for you at the end of the article.

After the fun reunion with Slaughter who knew my next major show would be Black Sabbath. I received a text from my rock’n’roll brother Stephane Drolet asking me if I would be interested in going to the show with him. Steph was coming in from Montreal as the band was not going to be performing there. Of course there is a Slaughter/Ozzy connection as Slaughter’s Dana Strum is the man who hooked Ozzy up with Randy Rhoads.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – That’s A Wrap

I never get sick. That being said I am sitting here sucking back chicken noodle soup and trying to fight off a flu which is usually far too nervous to invade my body. I shouldn’t have gone out on Monday as it started to set in but I had to drop by the NXNE Christmas party, stop by The Rivoli to wish my friend Todd Pinnell the best of luck of his new adventures as he said goodbye to his beloved club, pop into The Horseshoe to check out Sid Johnson and then head to the Bovine for their annual X-Mess Party.

Frank Gutch Jr: Psych: Then and Now….

The Strawberry Alarm Clock just recorded and released a new album.  What’s that, you say?  The who?  No, not The Who.  The Strawberry Alarm Clock!  You know…  Incense and Peppermints?  Sit With the Guru?  The boys from Santa Barbara?  Loose fitting Nehru shirts and white pantaloons?  Paisley gone wild?  Sigh.  Sometimes I think I’ve lived too long.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock’n’Roll – C2

The Commodores 

I never got to work with Lionel Richie when he was in The Commodores but did have the chance to work with the group during their “Nightshift” period. From first listen there was something magical about the song. After Lionel had left for a very successful solo career, his replacement J.D. Nicholas seemed a rather odd choice. J.D. was a Brit and had recently been in the band Heatwave who had supported the Commodores on their European tour.

Cameron Carpenter: The ABC’s Of Rock – W

Was (Not Was)

There might not be a more eclectic album in my collection than 1983’s “Born To Laugh At Tornadoes” by Detroit’s Was (Not Was). I mean tell me another record that has a list of guest vocalists such as Ozzy Osbourne, Mel Torme, Mitch Ryder, Doug Fieger (The Knack), Marshall Crenshaw and Sweet Pea Atkinson? Throw in some guitars by the likes of Vinnie Vincent (Kiss) and you have a stew of rock, pop, funk and torch songs. Although they had their biggest hit with “Walk The Dinosaur” in 1988 this is the record that defines David Weiss (Don Was) and Donald Fagenson (David Was).