The videos were filmed by Dan Copeland and, Jim Unsworth and, are
courtesy of CDVideo.ca.
RHINOCEROS in concert KITCHENER BLUES FEST | August 7, 2009 A Fan's Appreciation by John Mars
the Rhinoceros reunion line-up :
John Finley - vocals
Alan Gerber - vocals / piano / percussion
Danny Weis - guitar + piano on "I've Been There"
Michael Fonfara - organ
Peter Hodgson - bass John's cousin, who replaced Jerry Penrod after the 1st LP
Bernie LaBarge - second guitar filling in wonderfully for Doug Hastings / Larry Leishman
Mike Sloski - drums filling in wonderfully for Billy Mundi / Duke Edwards
left to right: Michael Fonfara (Hammond organ),
Danny Weis (guitar), Bernie LaBarge (2nd guitar), Mike Sloski (drums),
Alan Gerber (on the big screen - vocals/piano), John Finley (vocals
- bowing to Danny) and, Peter Hodgson (bass guitar). photo
credit: John Mars
the set list:
Monkee Man (by John Finley and Danny Weis)
When You Say You're Sorry (by Alan Gerber)
I've Been There (by Alan Gerber and John Finley)
You're My Girl ( I Don't Want To Discuss It ) (by Dick Cooper, Beth Beatty and Ernie Shelby)
Belbuekus (by John Finley and Danny Weis)
Back Door (by Doug Hastings)
Along Comes Tomorrow (by Alan Gerber)
Apricot Brandy (by Danny Weis and Michael Fonfara)
I Will Serenade You (by John Finley)
It's The Same Thing (by Alan Gerber)
Just Me (by Guy Draper)
Top Of The Ladder (by John Finley and Danny Weis)
That Time Of The Year (by Alan Gerber)
I Need Love (by Larry Williams)
Better Times Are Comin' (by Eddie "Duke" Edwards, Michael Fonfara and John
Finley)
Here's a stream of consciousness type list of astounding concerts that I
have heard, in my time. I have heard many of the following artists in concert
more than once or twice, some of them I have seen five, ten or, even twenty
times or more > Thelonious Monk, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Eric Burdon And The Animals, Jack deKeyzer, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, SRC, Andy Fraser, Paul Rodgers, Iggy Pop, Solomon Burke, Charles Mingus, James Brown, Sam & Dave, Aimee Mann, Ornette Coleman, Bonnie Raitt, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Fraser Loveman, T.Rex, Donovan, Miles Davis, The Mothers Of Invention, Roscoe Mitchell, Spirit, Marianne Faithfull, Savoy Brown, Audience, Barry Altschul, Rory Gallagher, Teenage Head, The Ugly Ducklings, Anthony Braxton, Kate & Anna
McGarrigle, Cecil Taylor Unit, Sparks, and, so on. Oh ... and, yes I have
actually seen RHINOCEROS once before their reunion concert in August of this
year as well ! More about that later. Anyway, all of the aforementioned artists
are still extremely important concert memories to me and, their music continues
to influence my own music to this day.
With the reunion appearance of RHINOCEROS on Friday, August 7, 2009 on the
main stage of the Kitchener, Ontario summer blues fest, I have just recently
experienced a completely astounding "new" concert event that will certainly live on in my soul as one of the best days of my entire life. Sometimes, at a concert or festival, I have been quite simply a ticket totin' patron / fan . Sometimes, since from a very young age, I have had periods where, because I was a working, professional musician, that has meant that I got to see someone really important to me in the "Rock" or "Jazz" field, because I was working with them. I got to meet certain heroes and, I got to watch them from a very close range. And so, since I was a career musician as well as a fan, I've easily seen more than three thousand concerts in my life. Even still, this very recent RHINOCEROS show is easily in the "top ten" of
all the shows that I have ever seen.
left to right: Michael Fonfara,
Danny Weis, John Finley, Peter Hodgson (on the big screen!), Bernie LaBarge,
Alan Gerber, Peter Hodgson photo credit: johnmars.com photo credit: John
Mars
I'VE BEEN THERE
At the Kitchener concert, from the first few bars of "Monkee Man", the "Martian" was in heaven in 'the same old way' that he was way back when RHINOCEROS fired the opening salvo of their self-titled Elektra Records LP debut at him in 1968. This boy was hearing the same, steaming cauldron of magic that he heard from their 1968 get-go. One normal Friday night that year, an aspiring young, teen singist/drummist named John Mars peddled his bicycle from the Bluebird Records shop in downtown Brantford back up the very steep West Street hill to to his 13 Byrne Street home in the suburbs to try out a new LP. He bought it becuase he simply liked the weird cover collage artwork and, could not wait to hear whatever was in store for him. That's what you used to do, back in the day ? You bought an LP and, could not peddle your bike fast enough - you had to hear it right away? Heck, Billy Mundi, that real footloose drummer from The Mothers Of Invention was in the band? These Rhinos must be good, eh ? I hadn't seen the Rhino LP in any of the department stores - so, maybe that made it just a lil' bit cooler? It was a chance investment of exactly $4.48 (I still have the price tag sticker) in an album has never been far from my reach. I still listen to that "Rhinoceros" LP, constantly. It's a definite "desert island" type
choice to this day. Shit, I'm listening to it right now, as I write this
appreciation !!! John Finley and, Alan Gerber
photo credit: John Mars
At the 2009 concert at Kitchener's City Hall, after just a few
bars into the first song - "Monkee Man", Danny Weis turned right, to face his old colleague Michael Fonfara and, they exchanged beautific smiles. They knew it was happenin' ! ? A short while later, when Alan Gerber got up from his piano and, saddled up beside John Finley for the first time on a stage since about 1970 and, they exchanged amazed and, happy looks. Then it was straight into what I regard as one of the top ten best songs ever written - "When You Say You're Sorry".
Right off the bat, I remembered that that basket weave that I always keep
trying to work on with whatever singer I am currently working with, was
something that I initially learned from these two soulsters.
John Finley and, Alan Gerber photo
credit: John MarsDanny
Weis photo credit: John Mars
SCHOOL DAYS
I saw RHINOCEROS back in the summer of 1972 at the old Port Dover Summer Garden on a show with Chuck Berry, who surprisingly had his very first # 1 record that same summer with "My Ding-A-Ling". Also, on the Dover show were two very heavy, young bands - Black Sheep (led by an acquaintance of mine, the very talented Toronto keyboard man Dave Dobko) and, Powerhouse, from Woodstock, Ontario. Alan Gerber had left the group before 'that time of the year' - actually Alan left before the third Rhino album, Better Times Are Coming was recorded, in 1970. The band continued along, in excellent fashion until some time in 1972 > whenever spots came open in the line-up, Michael and, John called upon some alumni from The Checkmates. And so, Peter Hodgson (who joined Rhino in time for the 2nd LP, Satin Chickens), Larry Leishman and, Eddie "Duke" Edwards came in, replacing Jerry Penrod, Doug Hastings and, Billy Mundi, respectively. Duke had originally been The Checkmates manager and, it has been told that he was the man who got The Checkmates in step way back in 1963 with his ideas for a slick, soul presentation. Duke got them doing uptown dance steps and, wearing uptown suits.
John Finley with Alan Gerber in the background on the big screen photo credit: John Mars
That Port Dover Summer Garden dance hall on Lake Erie, which was lost in a mid-1970's fire, was the same place that my dad, Jack Mars, had, as a youth, driven a well used Durant to. Before he met my mom, it was at the Summer Garden that he danced to the music of Duke Ellington, Count Basie and, all the other big bands with a Brantford girl who later became Phil Hartman's mom. According to my dad, in his young days, a trip to the dance floor at the Summer Garden cost you 5 cents a dance. The boy got to pay this hefty toll.
I think I had to pay 2 or 3 clam$ to get in to the Rhino gig on the day
of the Port Dover dance/concert in 1970 and, I met Chuck Berry briefly,
in the
sun outside the hall that day. With a bleached blonde on each arm, Chuck
was nice enough to stop briefly to say hi to three very overwhelmed young
men
who were seated on a bench on the sidewalk outside the Summer Garden -
that would be me and, my two high school, Rock 'n' Roll bandmates in
John Mars
And The Martians - namely Stan Baka and, Kevin Cosman. Chuck Berry gave
us three instantly stunned, "Beatle lookin' kids" a few seconds of "Hi there boys!". We then stood around gawking at Chucko, who ended up leaning against a black Cadi with the blondes behind the ol' dance hall for a while - we were just speechless. Chuck fuckin' Berry. I didn't really talk to him, I just kinda soaked up the moment. I did not have the good luck to meet any of my RHINOCEROS heroes of the day on that day - those moments would have to wait until many years later. At any rate, Stan and, I yelled "I Need Love" at RHINOCEROS right towards the end of their set that day and, they played it. I have seldom yelled out anything, in my entire life - for any reason. I guess I had a reason to shout that song title out loud ? What a day. They hadn't played it yet and, we really needed to hear "I Need Love".
Was I excited or what ? When they played it, us kids just about had a
fit.
IN A LITTLE ROOM
Prior to the first RHINOCEROS gig that I saw on that wonderful, summer
Port Dover day, I had sat in my bedroom at my parents house in Brantford,
Ontario
for about two years, amazed by their songs/singing and, that Michael guy
on the Hammond B-3 organ. To me, Michael Fonfara had and, still has the
coolest
organ sound - and, I still hear a real ton o' soul shooting off at me,
out of a Leslie speaker and, a ton o' soul comin' out of the lungs of
Finley
and, Gerber. In the 60's, it was their type of soul that convinced me
that I did
not have to be as black as Otis Redding or Howlin' Wolf to have my own
kinda soul. And, then, there was that positively gifted Danny Weis, pulling
away
at his Fender Telecaster. Dan's style of chicken pickin' guit fiddle playin'
is always just what you need to get your feet shufflin' about. And, that
enormously funky, pounding drumming from Billy Mundi, who, because he
had come up through
The Mothers Of Invention, knew that you did not have to stick to any kind
of a ridgid structure. Do listen to the endings of the Rhino songs - Billy
and, Mike did some scarey good shit on those endings that still thrill
me to this day. As a young teen, I was a constantly listening to Zappa's
group
from it's first "Freak Out" days and, so was amazed when I heard Billy
with Rhino. Bless him. And, so, Danny and, Billy made me dance around
my little
room. When I went to my high school's sock hops, I don't remember any
records by either Rhino or, The Mothers Of Invention being played but,
I now knew
how to dance? I had a new sense of freedom in my bones.
Michael Fonfara photo credit: John
Mars
Next, I actually tried to sing RHINOCEROS songs such as "When You Say You're Sorry", "Top Of The Ladder", "That Time Of The Year", "I've Been There", and, "In A Little Room", in my own little room and, started dancin' and, spinnin' around in my mind. I was a singing drummer in my first bands but, I soon wanted to get out from behind that big, double bass, double tenor tom drum set. I could have tried some of the Rhino songs with my band of the day - John Mars And The Martians - but, at that time, I thought that I needed more practice, before attemping any Gerber or Finley songs. And so, I never dared to try one with my young band. I've never stopped listening to RHINOCEROS at any time in my life and, as a youngster, I never would have dreamt that, some day I would be friends with Michael, Danny, John, Alan and, Peter ! Holy crap ! I'm truly thrilled to have these friendships. I never would have dreamt that some day, I would have Michael Fonfara and, Danny Weis playing on my own records, or that I would record a version of "In A Little Room" with Danny on guitar. I know that my version does not hold a candle to John's original ("Satin Chickens" LP)
version because I am still quite simply a star struck fan. To this day
- I laugh, I cry, you name it - when I hear a RHINOCEROS song. To me,
their
3
album catalogue is an incredible legacy. Will the world catch up with
it some day? If you were lucky enough to be in Kitchener on August 7,
2009
then you
know that it is not too late for the rest of the world.
LICKIN' STICK
Prior to hearing John Finley and Alan Gerber, as a little kid, I was
getting my "singing lessons" (and, some of my inspiration to write music)
from Little Richard, Elvis, Eddie Cochran, Mick Jagger, Gerry Marsden,
Leslie
Gore,
Mike Smith (Dave Clark Five) and, the Beatles. A bit later, it became
Joe Tex,
James Brown, Don Covay, Solomon Burke, Chris Youlden. Sam And Dave had
that basket weave going on and, that really interested me. Then, RHINOCEROS
and
FREE came along, and, I started taking most of my record player singing
lessons from Finley/Gerber and, Paul Rodgers.
Michael Fonfara,
John Finley, Danny Weis, Bernie LaBarge, Mike Sloski, Alan Gerber,
Peter Hodgson photo
credit: John Mars
Around 1961, Finley and, cousin Hodgson sat in basements with
their friend Fonfara took their own lessons by listening to 78s
and, 45s that
were
sometimes borrowed from relatives > Little Richard, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, The Falcons, The Valentinos, Phil Upchurch and Bill Doggett. Later, Leishman came along and, brought records by Jimmy Reed and, Muddy Waters. Larry Leishman thus earned his nickname "Blues" from
his 3 pals. The Checkmates were born of these basement listening sessions
and, the four colleagues remain close friends to this day.
When I was in my early teens, around 1967, my band (John Mars And
The Martians) would be rehearsing in the basement of the suburban,
parental
home. At the
end of a rehearsal take, sometimes, the door at the top of the stairs
would open. My dad was a good singer in his own time and, I would
have to accept
a comment or two - "stop trying to sound like that guy from The Byrds - just sing like yourself" - and, sometimes, when I did a Muddy Waters number or, a song in a comical, unnatural voice that came from all the old rural blues cats like Lightnin' Hopkins that I listened to constantly , that door would open once again - it just didn't sound right to dad. And so, my guitarist, the late Stan Baka would hear the late Jack Mars give his 25 cents worth, and, Stan would look at me with some amount of understanding but, with a question mark on his face. Stanley knew that my dad was correct with any such opinions. Quickly, I corrected myself and, I became myself... circa 1968, I got better as a singer when I heard that first LP by RHINOCEROS. I realized that people like John Finley and, Alan Gerber quite simply were inspired by others - then, they set out to sound like themselves. They and, my father let me know that that is all you need to do. Just the other day, with sincere appreciation I told Alan Gerber the jist of this annecdote from my teenagerhood and, he added to my thoughts about a singist trying to be himself - "Obviously,that's when you started to regard your own voice as a musical instrument".
TOP OF THE LADDER
With a fluid beauty, the group's concert for 14,000 plus persons jamming King St. (the stage being set up in front of Kitchener's magnificent, city hall, built in about 1993) adhered to the same highly original Rock 'n' Soul sound that RHINOCEROS pulled outta their hats in their early days. It was a sound that proved to me way back in those fab 60's that, sometimes, cliche musical adjectives like tight AND, loose can somehow, somtimes be simulataneously appropriate. With some certain incredible help from uberfan Bernie LaBarge on second guitar, they recently got their new act together in just a few rehearsals. For those 14,000 or so that were witness to the Kitchener event - if you did not know who RHINOCEROS were, previously to that really big shew, you certainly know who they are now.
Peter Hodgson photo credit: John Mars
Just like the marble bits in a big, juicy New York strip loin
steak, there is fat and, lean, in the music of RHINOCEROS.
Just like a solid
rock piece
of fine marble rock, there are whispering, fine lines of white and,
black that streak through many other gorgeous layers of colour and,
all of those
colours are allowed to criss-cross over top of each other. Back
in the day, Finley's cousin Peter Hodgson (who replaced Jerry
Penrod
by the
time of
the 2nd LP, "Satin Chickens") never repeated himself. In 2009 there is no reason for him to not continue to wander inside of his own groove and, prove that along with Andy Fraser and, Jack Bruce, he has always been amongst the most inventive of all the bass players in Rock 'n' Roll history. There is never a repetitive pattern coming from Peter Hodgson. Peter always knows each song that he tackles inside and, out. As a result, he always knows that he has every right to give his own soul just that little bit more room to move. And, his bass guitar sound is that "phat" type
of soul that never fails to move us. He makes us want to dance and,
his is also quite likely the most unobtrusive of bass guitar men
for all times.
His
playing helps to take every song to the top of that ladder. Once
in a while, he skips over a couple of rungs and, he never steps
on the
toes
of the two
singers. He is part of that basket weave.
John Finley
and Alan Gerber photo credit: John Mars
Mr. POULTRY
Still very much the Rock star guitar god that I have always known
him as, Danny Weis often stepped forward and, took the spot light
at centre
stage
at the recent Kitchener concert. For my money, of all the guitarists
of the "Rock" age
that are still alive, only Jeff Beck, Jack deKeyzer and, Eric
Clapton are up on Danny's level of playing. Once you start talking
about
players that
are up on that level, you simply can't say that one guy is better
than another? It is a guitar on fire. It smokes. It smoulders.
Who among
us Rock 'n' Roll
fans does not love a brilliant guitar god ?
Danny Weis photo credit: John MarsJohn
Finley and Alan Gerber photo credit:
John Mars
With affection, close pals call Danny Weis "Mr. Poultry", because of his trademarked chicken pickin' . That schtuff is only one tiny aspect of Danny's astounding talent. Dan is the son of the well known guitarist Johnny Weis, who played with Spade Cooley and, Johnny Cash. Danny once told me that sometimes his dad and, Barney Kessel would sit in the Weis family living room (California) and, they would exchange licks and, chords. A rapt Danny sat and, listened in amazement. As a result, Danny Weis can play any style of music ? I could not believe all of the tiny lil' things that he contributed to my recent "Detroit Or Buffalo" album
- I always try for a whole bunch of different styles on each album
and, so Dan's contributions were always perfect. He can just play
in whatever
style
you need him to do. It's not like I had to give him any directions?
He even wrote a piano arrangement for me.
Spade Cooley
(back row, white hat and, fiddle). Danny
Weis photo credit: John Mars
Seated beside him (black hat and,
guitar) is Johnny Weis.
This is a promo shot
for the motion picture
"Outlaws Of The Rockies".
Danny's dad Johnny died when Dan was about 15. This was right
around the time that Danny was a founder/member pre-In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida
line-up of
the Iron
Butterfly. Danny Weis plays on the first LP, entitled "Heavy" and, he calls it his "psychedelic underwater" period.
Danny's guitar genius not only helped to establish the sound
of the heavy rock style of the late 1960's, but, because he
was such
a huge
fan of
Memphis type soul music, he quickly moved on to being an innovator
in helping to
establish yet another new style of music - funk. Little Steven
and, Bruce Springsteen
are huge fans of the RHINOCEROS albums. Quite obviously, the
highly original guitar sound that Danny had, while he was helping
to
establish the funky
sound of RHINOCEROS during the late 1960's is an enduring force
to this day, in
the world of soul music.
Danny Weis further expanded upon the funky sound that Steve
Cropper was laying down with Sam & Dave, Aretha Franklin etc. But, in RHINOCEROS, with second guitarist, Doug Hastings, Danny also invented a brand new, contrapuntal sound for Rock 'n' Roll guitars. Perhaps, this twinning/twining was the result of Dan listening in to those jam sessions in the Weis family living room with Barney Kessel and, dad, Johnny Weis ? Whatever the inspiration for the new sound, Weis' inventions have had a huge impact. Following the release of the first RHINOCEROS LP, this exact sound started to crop up everywhere, including on such huge hits such as "Layla" (Eric Clapton with Duane Allman) and, "Can't Get Enough" (Bad
Company, featuring Mick Ralphs and, Paul Rodgers simple guitar
twining). I never liked The Allman Brothers Band too much
because I don't
like Gregg's voice, but, that famous, popular group quite
obviously based
a major part
of their sound on Danny's innovations involving twin lead
guitar bits.
Danny
Weis photo credit: John MarsJohn Finley photo credit: John Mars
ALONG COMES TOMORROW
A few years ago, a mentor of mine, Ken Marco (Motherlode),
imparted this comment to me - "Until we all get to our 90's or something, why would we be getting worse at what we do ? Shouldn't we just keep getting better?".
And, to Kenny Marco, his long term admirer John Mars replied
- "And, hopefully, we all just keep learning each day, don't we Kenny?".
Between yesterday and, today , all of the members of RHINOCEROS have quite simply only gotten better, over the years and, if you don't know the pedigree of the gentlemen in the astounding band that I have been rambling on and, on about here, just consult the LINKS page of my web site. Do some enjoyable homework. Learn about all of these incredibly talented gentlemen and, you will not be disappointed.
Rhinoceros are available on CD www.collectorschoicemusic.com 800-923-1122
Be sure to tell 'em that johnmars.com sentcha...
the first album, "Rhinoceros" is
on it's own disc and, the "Satin
Chickens" and, "Better
Times Are Coming" LPs come as a 'twofer'
videos from the Kitchener show can be found on "youtube" -
use Danny Weis as
the
keyword, for the best result
congratulations to Claude from the Kitchener Blues Festival for truly understanding how important this band is and, giving them a headlining concert spot on the festival
Alan Gerber, who lives in Montreal will be appearing solo in Ontario twice in
November, 2009 :
Nov. 5 - Groove Kitchen, Cambridge call 519 - 650 - 4452
Nov. 7 - Earthsong, Toronto call 416 - 264 - 2235
Be sure to tell 'em that I sentcha !
John meets Ozzy at "The Rock Legends" wax
museum, Niagara Falls, Canada
Tri-City Roller
Girls
John Mars (manager) and, # 4011
TARZANIKA (blocker/pivot)
At their very first
bout, Saturday, June 14, 2008 at the Dave Andreychuk Arena in
Hamilton, Ontario. Tri-City Roller
Girls lost 155 - 50 to The Death Row Dames.
Happy in the dressing room.
You would have thought the girls had won The Stanley Cup !
photographs by Skye Fleming
This music chart is from a radio
station in Hamilton, Ontario. Take note of the fourth
position.
"Today's Modern Homes,
One Size Fits All (Homage To Richard Hamilton)"
collage by JOHN
MARS
JOHN
MARS (yes that's his real
name) with ROOM
101 live in Toronto / 2001
left to right are: Jamie Robertson on lead
guitar, John Mars on lead vocals, Chris Blacker on the bass and
Room 101 singer Lucas Stagg on rhythm guitar. Tommy Williams
(drums) is hidden.
Danny
Weis
Since he
first heard his playing with Rhinoceros as a kid, John Mars has
always felt that Danny is one of the greatest guitarists in the
history of Rock 'n' Roll and Rhythm 'n' Blues. "It was a real treat
to have Danny play on my new album - and, I will never forget the
enthusiasm, insight and, laughter that he added to the sessions -
not to mention his genius playing" says John.
Danny Weis'
dad Johnny was a Country Swing and Jazz guitarist who played with
Spade Cooley. Danny began his own career as a founder member of Iron
Butterfly and, he played on their first album "Heavy". He left the
group before "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" but, next helped to start an even
greater group called Rhinoceros along with Michael Fonfara and, John
Finley in 1968. After Rhinoceros, Danny played with Lou Reed, Alice
Cooper, Melissa Manchester and Bette Midler, to mention just a few.
Danny was Bette Midler's band leader and, he appeared as the
guitar player in her 1979 motion picture, "The Rose", which was
loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin. For more on Danny Weis,
go to the LINKS page and, click on his name, plus the Rhinoceros
links. Also, information on Danny can be found on our NEWS page.
Above is a shot of Danny getting set to play on a track for
the next John Mars album.
article
submitted by Zipporah Stephenson / photograph of Danny Weis by Huggy
Bundle / July 2006
Michael Fonfara / Checkmates
by John
Mars
MICHAEL FONFARA performing on
the Hammond B-3 organ in a concert with The Downchild Blues Band in
September 2005.photograph by John
Mars
First of all, I should say that I
am thrilled to know Mike as a colleague and, a collaborator, and,
that he is also a hero and, a mentor to me.Have
I said this before?Can I say it
enough?This guy is quite simply the greatest
rockin' soul keyboard man that Canada has.At present, I am really excited for my friend. I
can see that he is absolutely in his glory, because ... In recent years, Michael Fonfara has
been quite diligent in "Puttin' the ol' band back
together".On Sunday, September 11, 2005, The
Checkmates played "The South Side Shuffle" festival in Port
Credit, Ontario (10 miles west of Toronto).The afternoon show was wildly received by a crowd that was
also there to see 60's soulster extraordinaire George Olliver (The
Mandala) ,plus60's Canadian
pop stars such as Bobby Curtola and, Little Caesar And The
Consuls.The Sunday afternoon show was sponsored
by Oldies 1050 Chum Radio (Toronto).I was not
there for the whole weekend, but, one young at heart
lady,who saw the group regularily in the 60's,
claimed to me that The Checkmates got the biggest response of the
entire festival !I certainly had a nice
afternoon.As Lou Reed, might say, it was
aperfect day.By the way,
Michael led Lou Reed's band for 8 years (circa 1974 -
1980).Did I ever mention that
before? In their heyday
(circa 1963-1966) , Jon And Lee And The Checkmates were one of the
premier blue-eyed soul acts on the Toronto scene.They had some big moments, including a 1966 outdoor concert
for over 60,000 people that celebrated the opening of Toronto's
distinctive, new city hall.They also
opened a couple of shows for The Rolling Stones at Maple Leaf
Gardens way back in the day, but, I won't reiterate their entire
history here...for all those details,just go
tothe link to the Rhinoceros web site on my
LINKS page.You can read all about the
history of Jon And Lee And The Checkmates there.They did make a big splash at their live shows way back when,
but, surprisingly, despite some offers,they
never did make an album. At present, the Checkmates are
working on THEIR FIRST ALBUM and, planning more live
shows.Their first album?What?!Yes, it's 42 years
late, but, they are gettin' it done at long last
!According to Michael, who is producing
the CD... "We are going
to do this album 'off the floor' (that's a musician's term that
means mainly live in the studio with very few overdubs) with just
some backing vocals added.We want it to be
mostly just what we do in a live show and, that means that it is
mostly old, standard R&B tunes.This
first one will just have a couple of originals on it.The next one will have more originals". Whatever you come up with, I can’t
wait to hear this stuff, Michael !Bless your
cotton
socks.
"I Will Serenade You
-You Know That's Whatcha Come
For"vocalistJohn
Finley of Checkmates and Rhinoceros fame.John Finley'sextraordinary Soul
style singinghas had a huge influence on
John Mars.
The ever
hip, Mr. Peter Hodgson (Fender bass) of Checkmates/Rhinoceros
fame, gettin' it
done.
"Hold On, I'm Comin'
!" left to right: The Checkmates
2005 Michael Fonfara (Hammond B-3
organ/vocals), Larry Leishman (guitar/vocals),
Mike Sloski (drums), John Finley (lead vocals) and, Peter
Hodgson (Fender bass).
Michael Fonfara with
JohnnyPennino (known as "The King Of New
Orleans Tenor Sax") who was (miraculously) sittin' in on tenor
saxophone for a few numbers that glorious afternoon in Port
Credit.Johnny had just survived the
flooding from the New Orleans hurricane Katrina by the skin of
his teeth - he actually had to take his 80+ year old
mother up onto the roof of his house and, was stranded there
for a couple of days with no fresh water, but, they made it
through!
article
and photographs (from the 2005 South Side Shuffle concert) submitted
by John Mars. December
2005.
Many people ask about
the colourful little images that are used for the navigation
bar of the web site. It's a bumper car, from the long time
gone "Dodgem" ride at Port Dover. For information on how
to order a print of this photograph by John Mars, see the Art
Page.
"Everything happens for no reason at all"
- JOHN MARS
CLICK ON IMAGE to Enlarge
Transcription
by Nick
Bastian
"To make people cry -
that's music at its' highest." - Duke Ellington
SCROLL DOWN FOR TONS O' FUN
!!
Duke
Ellington sings a part to drummist Sonny Greer - 1940
Besides being a genius who painted
incredible aural pictures with his music, Duke Ellington loved to eat. He
had a voracious appetite and, as a famous, world traveller, you can just
imagine all the culinary delights that he got to sample in some of the
world's finest restaurants. Still, one of the Duke's fave meals was a
simple "sandwich" that is the American "hot dog". Sam Nanton (trombone)
once watched him eat thirty-two such "sandwiches" backstage during an
intermission at a dance in Old Orchard Beach, Maine. This has got to be
some kind of record.
Said the Duke - "A Mrs. Wagner there makes a
toasted bun that's the best of it's kind in America. She has a toasted
bun, then a slice of onion, then a hamburger, then a slice of onion, then
a tomato, then melted cheese, more tomato and then, the other side of the
bun. Her hot dogs have two dogs to a bun. I ate thirty-two one
night".
My then gal-pal Wendy Mitchell and my mom and I saw Duke
and his orchestra at the Brantford Civic Centre in 1973. He looked like a
pretty big guy.
submitted by John Mars December
2003
MARTIAN
EDITORIAL
I am not a fan of awards for
music or art. Canada's foremost (and first) abstract painter, the late
BERTRAM BROOKER once said :
"Don't look for recognition from the
establishment. They grow callouses from sitting at their desks. The joy is
in the doing and, that achievement is it's own reward."
The
brilliant, Philadelphia-born multi-media, visual artist MAN RAY did not
ever knowingly submit his work to juries or award programs and, so on. He
found them to be ridiculous. I once heard an interview where he basically
said that, if there were art prizes to be handed out, why not just have a
draw? And, what if the person who made the worst piece wins? Well, he or
she derserves to be commended for their miserable effort. I think that
that is really true. Art should not be a contest. We have sports for that
type of vibe and, that is where any intense competition
belongs.
I've gotta agree with those two iconoclasts, Bertram
Brooker and Man Ray. Each was each an artistic genius and, they both lived
outside of any establishment order and, outside of any establishment
games. We really could just put all the hats in the ring, so to speak,
and, have a lucky draw for the art prize. All in the spirit of surrealism
and, random chance. Or, we could just give any happy award to the person
who already sold the most paintings or the most recordings - sort of like
the guy who scored the most goals in the NHL or whatever. Maybe that makes
them the best? Who is equipped to judge who is the best
artist?
Even my favourite music magazine, MOJO, seems to be
obsessed with all kinds of lists of the"Hundred Greatest" whatever. Their
superfluous registers often drive me right up the wall and, over the
years, this has made me really wonder why such a great publication is
always sort of doing their own variation on those ridiculous
Grammy/Academy awards etc. Yeech! All such goofy pagents are just
personality parades. They are designed to increase commerce and, sell some
ads and, add to the megalomania of certain personalities.
I am
constantly being asked for my own favourite picks. People want to know
what I am listening to. Fair enough. So, what I am about to do is tell you
all about some up-to-date music that I am currently grooving on. These are
all releases or reissues that have been made available in the last few
years. So, this list is all recent stuff (four years old or less seems
"current" to me). I am listing the records in alphabetical order (by first
name) because, once you get up to the very high level that these artists
and, their releases represent, we cannot really say that one person's art
is better than another person's. So, you see, this is not an awards show.
I don't wanna say that "so and so" is number one and, someone else is
number thirty-one. These are all really good things that are currently
available. Check out the ones that you think might make your day / life.
You'll know what is right for you.
fairly
recent releases:
Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (Super Ego Records) Aimee Mann -
Lost In Space (Super Ego Records) Bob Dylan - Love And Theft (Columbia
Records) Chuck E. Weiss - Extremely Close (Rykodisc Records) Chuck
E. Weiss - Old Souls And Wolf Tickets (Rykodisc Records) David Bowie -
Heathen (Columbia Records) Don Covay And Friends - Adlib (Cannonball
Records) Eleni Mandell - Wishbone (Mr. Charles Records) Fiona Apple
- When The Pawn... (Epic Records) Firesign Theatre - Give Me
Immortality Or, Give Me Death (Rhino) Firesign Theatre - Boom Dot Bust
(Rhino Records) Jack de Keyzer - Six String Lover (Bluestar
Records) Jackson Browne - The Naked Ride Home (Elektra Records) Jeff
Beck - You Had It Coming (Columbia Records) Kim Lenz And The Jaguars -
The One And Only (Hightone Records) Lucinda Williams - Essence
(UMG/Universal Records) Martina McBride - Emotion (RCA Records) Mick
Jagger - Goddess In The Doorway (Virgin Records) Patty Loveless -
Mountain Soul (Epic Records) Patty Loveless - Strong Heart (Epic Records) Paul McCartney
- Run Devil Run (Capitol Records) P.J. Harvey - Stories From The City,
Stories From The Sea (Island) Prairie Oyster - What Is This Country?
(vik/BMG Records) Ray Materick - Ashes And Dust (King Kong
Records) Ray Materick - Ragged Kingdom (King Kong Records) Roger
McGuinn - Treasures From The Folk Den (Appleseed Recordings) Room 101 -
Album (Lucas Stagg Recordings) Ronnie Dawson - More Bad Habits (Yep Roc
Records) Scott B. Sympathy - Unfinished Sympathy (Bobby Dazzler
Records) Scott Merritt - The Detour Home (MCA Records) Tom Waits -
Mule Variations (Epitaph Records) White Stripes - White Blood Cells
(Third Man Records) Willie "Big Eyes" Smith - Blues From The Heart
(Juke Joint Records) Wilson Pickett - It's Harder Now (Bullseye/Rounder
Records)
reissues:
Al
Green - Love And Happiness (Hi Records - 3 CD box set) Bob Dylan - Live
1975/Rolling Thunder Revue (Columbia - 2 CD) Byrds - Live At The
Fillmore, February 1969 (Columbia Records) Byrds - The Byrds Play Dylan
(Columbia Records) Byrds - Untitled (Columbia Records - 2
CD) Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band - The Mirror Man Sessions
(Buddah) Dave Rave Group - Valentino's Pirates (Bullseye
Records) Free - Songs Of Yesterday (Island Records - 5 CD box
set) James Brown - Live At The Apollo Volume 2 (Polydor Records - 2
CD) Jo Ann Kelly - Key To The Highway (Mooncrest Records) 1968
-1974 Jo Ann Kelly volume 2 - Talkin' Low (Mooncrest Records) 1966
-1988 Jo Ann Kelly volume 3 - Tramp 1974 (Mooncrest Records) Louis
Prima/Keely Smith - Wild, Cool & Swingin' (Capitol Records - 2
CD) Miles Davis - Live At The Fillmore East, March 7, 1970 (Columbia -
2 CD) Rhinoceros (Collector's Choice Records) Rolling Stones - Forty
Licks (Virgin/Decca/Rolling Stones Records - 2 CD) Rolling Stones -
their entire London / Decca Records catalogue remastered Savoy Brown -
Looking From The Outside - Live ' 69/ ' 70 (Mooncrest
Records) Thelonious Monk - Live At The Jazz Workshop - Complete
(Columbia - 2 CD) Thelonious Monk - Monk (Columbia) Thelonious Monk
Quartet - Monk's Dream (Columbia) Thelonious Monk - The Columbia Years
' 62 - ' 68 (Columbia - 3 CD box set) Traffic - Mr. Fantasy (Island
Records)
Most of the above reissues contain previously
unavailable cuts. That's usually why we buy 'em. Otherwise, we might just
as well listen to the old vinyl issues.
submitted by JOHN MARS April 2003
"Resting Place -
Fairmount, Indiana" by John Mars
8" x 12 " Colour Photograph
(signed on the reverse) $75 (Canadian Funds) unframed
Seems like a lot of girls want
to kiss James.
reproduction rights are available - send us an e-mail to ask about this
image
- BOB DYLAN quoted in Rolling Stone Magazine
1978
Brian Jones and Bob Dylan in a New York
City nightclub in 1965. Photograph from an old Hit Parader
Magazine, creatively altered by Lucas Stagg in
2003.
DO YOU BELIEVE IN
MAGIC?
As a youngster, I worked for
CBC Television as a production assistant on documentary films. It's a
junior job where you do research for the director, sort out the audio
transcripts and, all the cans of film and, you pretty much do whatever
little errands that the director and producer need you to do. It's a real
learning experience. While I didn't necessarily want to learn all about
how to make a film at the time, I did want to learn all about making art
of any kind. I did get a good, basic art education from some of my seniors
at the CBC, like executive producer Ross McLean and, research expert
Shelley Gaffe. While working there under one very creative film director,
Martin Lavut, I met an old buddy of his...
One of my jobs as a
production assistant (a.k.a. "go-fer") was to go and get the director and,
get him safely to the film shoot. One spring morning in the 1970's, I
showed up at Martin Lavut's apartment on Bathurst Street (near Vaughan
Road) in Toronto to pick him up and drive him to the "location" in
Orillia. While waiting for Marty to get up and brush his teeth and, get
himself going, I explored some records in his living room and, ended up
putting on the Charlie Parker/ Dizzy Gillespie/ Charles Mingus/ Bud
Powell/ Max Roach 1953 concert album "Jazz At Massey Hall". That one is
always good for a Toronto type vibe. That much I knew even way back then,
having been a Jazz music fan since my pre-teen years. In that way, I may
have even been a tiny bit ahead of Martin, although he was many years my
senior. Anyway, I was sitting around, with this whacky stuff blasting away
at about 11 a.m. Suddenly, during "Salt Peanuts", I heard the door close
at the bottom of the "Marty Mouse" apartment stairs (Lavut collects Mickey
Mouse stuff) and then, a rapid pounding on said
stairs...bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bu-bup. Then, I saw a curious, yet instantly
recognizable (to me), long-haired figure flash by on the landing. He was
headed for the guest room and carrying some shopping bags. I gulped. When
I first started working at CBC with him, Martin had told me that he was
pals with Zal Yanovsky and, that he had grown up in Montreal knowing
Leonard Cohen as "one of the big guys in the neighbourhood". Martin wasn't
trying to impress me, he just knew that I was a Rock 'n' Roller, and, he
knew that I would be interested by certain little stories from pop
history. I had heard all this incredible stuff, but, as I saw Zal go
rocketing towards the guest room at Marty's place, I was certainly
thinking "whaaaaaaaaa?!". I had never expected to actually meet
Zal...
Seconds later the bags had been dropped off in the guest room
and, Zally had come shooting right back quickly and, he was standing
before me with paw extended, introducing his self, with me thinking to
myself - "Yeah, I know", but, saying "Hi, I'm Johnny". I am sure that my
mouth was hanging open...my eyes were most probably bugged
out...
Anyway, I heard some funny Lovin' Spoonful stories...at the
time, Zal was a little bit cheesed with John Sebastian, but, he still
showed a lot of love for him. He did impressions of John that were on the
high level of a Rich Little or Eddie Murphy type impersonation effort.
Zalman held his fingers up with his arms doubled over backwards and his
fingers making little circular rings around his eyes in an attempt to
approximate the style of the "Granny Glasses" that Sebastian/Lennon made
popular. He also aped John Sebastian's particular New York City dialect
perfectly..."Hey meeeeean!" (man).
Zal cracked me up.
submitted by John Mars
JANUARY 2003
John Mars
with Room 101 in Port Elgin, Ontario ("May 2-4" , 2002) click on image to enlarge
left to right are: Tommy Williams
(drums), Chris Blacker (bass), Lucas Stagg (vocals and
guitar) Jamie Robertson (lead guitar) and John Mars
(vocals).
Photo by Huggy Bundle
The Detroit Red
Wings once again triumphed as Stanley Cup champions for 2002 and,
this summer, Red Wings forward Kirk Maltby had the venerated goblet
brought to his home town of Hespeler, Ontario for a couple of days. Here
we see Room 101 bassist Chris Blacker placing his then two week old
daughter Cassandra in the chalice. To the right of the cup, Kirk Maltby is
seen with his cousin Melissa (Chris' wife/Cassandra's mom). By the way,
the Detroit Red Wings have always been John Mars' favourite hockey squad!
Sometimes, life can bring us the perfect happy day! click on image to enlarge
Detroit Red
Wings' Stanley Cup victories:
1936 (defeated Toronto Maple Leafs), 1937 (defeated
New York Rangers), 1943 (defeated Boston Bruins), 1950 (defeated New
York Rangers), 1952 (defeated Montreal Canadiens), 1954 (defeated
Montreal Canadiens), 1955 (defeated Montreal Canadiens), 1997
(defeated Philadelphia Flyers), 1998 (defeated Washington
Capitals), 2002 (defeated Carolina Hurricanes).
submitted by Charles "Plank" Schiesmann, July
2002
Teenage
Head album cover (CD) 'Head Disorder' -1997 click to enlarge image
John Mars' photograph of singer Frankie Venom graces the
cover of this elegant record by the Canada’s most legendary Rock 'n' Roll
singing group. Another of John’s pics appears on the back of the CD.You
don't have to visit "The Hammer" (Hamilton, Ontario) to appreciate the
mayhem that ensues whenever "The Head" takes the stage. Just go looking
for any one of their incredible 8 albums. Teenage Head guitarist Gordie
"Legs" Lewis is John's good buddy and, he helped out on a couple of songs
on John’s "Whasup?" CD.
..regarding THELONIOUS MONK
Wanna know where to get started with John’s all-time
favourite musical artist? Start with the Monk's Dream album (the current
Sony CD issue is available as a "Low List Price" item). Having a bad day?
You can't go wrong with this musical iconoclast. Monk's music is
guaranteed to make you smile and, maybe even make you laugh out loud!
Insturmental music can make one laugh, you say? You bet! This genius of
the piano can save your mood after a rough day (try him in the car during
a traffic jam) or, he can be a perfect couch potato moment or, he can rev
you right up, if you have to do the dishes (the next best alternative for
the dishes is the Dave Clark Five). If you can't find this particular Monk
album right away, don't worry - you are going to be astonished by
anything he ever recorded. If you don't know the music of the late
Thelononious Sphere Monk already - your life is about to improve.
It's time to go shopping.
Meanwhile, here's a tiny lil' hunk o'
wisdom from Monk that John passed on to me and, which I feel that any
serious musician should take heed of...
'You can make a better
solo if you use the melody'.
Says John - "When I heard
that quote of Monk's, I just thought that it was just so simply wise and I
thought about about all those hot-dogging soloists that don't make any
sense at all when they improvise. Rather, they just fire off all of their
most smoking licks at your head, all at once. It's that 'hey look at
me go !' type mentality that always bugs me. So, all you guitarists and
saxmen and keyboard aces... it don't matter what style of music you love
and play, just keep the ol' Monkster's succinct words of wisdom in mind
when you solo! You've got to concentrate on and, express the THEME, when
you do your solo. There's a difference between jamming and expressing the
message of a song".
submitted by Huggy Bundle
"Thelonious Monk / Colonial Tavern, Toronto / March 1970"
- John Mars 1970 pen & ink 9" x 7"(not for sale) click on image to enlarge
As a youngster, my father took my to the
Colonial Tavern on Yonge Street for my birthday, to see the Thelonious
Monk Quartet. Dad was a theatrical booking agent part-time and, he found
out ahead of time through a colleague that we would have to sit in the
balcony restaurant of the club and, have an evening meal, since I was very
much underage and, could not be admitted to the bar area on the main
floor. What a charge I got when Monk went thumping by us on his way
through the upstairs restaurant on his way to his dressing room at around
10 pm. The quartet featured Pat Patrick (Sun Ra Arkestra) on tenor sax,
Beaver Harris (from Albert Ayler's group) on drums and, Monk's old bassist
from the 50's, Wilbur Ware. Wilbur was the only musician that Monk had
ever fired. The firing in the 50's was due to Wilbur's drug use but, Monk
re-hired the ebullient bass star in the 70's, since he had cleaned up.
Earlier in the day, my Dad had dropped me off at Sam The Record Man (also
on Yonge Street), with enough dough to buy a couple of lps as a birthday
gift, while he went to a meeting.
I was pouring over the Monk bin
in Sam's upstairs Jazz department when I heard a voice ask the department
manager - " I am looking for an album that I made called ' The Chicago
Sound ' ". It was Wilbur Ware and, he was asking about the excellent
record that he made for Riverside with Johnny Griffin on tenor sax. The
record was out of print at the time. I looked over and, Wilburthen spied
this " little Beatle type kid " looking at the Monk lps. He was such a
personable guy and, he came right over to chat me up. He was amazed that I
was into the music. So, he said "Well, you probably can't get into the
club tonight" - I explained that it was my birthday and, that although I
obviously was not of drinking age, that Dad and I could sit up in the
balcony, if weordered a couple of steaks or whatever and, that, I could
stay all night, drinking Cokes (whichthe Colonial charged the then
outrageous price of $1 for). So, Wilbur told me that he wouldlook for us
up there.
True to his word, Wilbur came upstairs early in the
evening and talked to us. He later took my copy of "Misterioso" into the
dressing room and, had Monk sign it. Although, I am a huge collector of
records (I have virtually everything Monk ever did, for instance) and,
other art objects, I have collected very few autographs...Eric Burdon,
Grace Slick, Abraham Lincoln, Lesley Gore, Charles Mingus and, a "Good
Luck John Always, Thelonious Monk" are the only ones that come to mind.
So, I didn't actually meet Mr. Monk (or Mr. Lincoln), but, to this day,
scarcely a week goes by that I don't think about Thelonious Monk and,
listen to his music.
As the group played, Wilbur Ware (who loudly
hummed along with his work like Monk did) looked up into the balcony and,
grunted quite a few "Yeah"s at my father and I. I felt pretty lucky that
night and, I've felt pretty lucky ever since.
submitted by John Mars
Concert Poster circa 1988 for the
Children - designed by John Mars click on image to enlarge
At the time of their Paris debut, the line-up
of the band was John Mars (vocals), co-founder Mark
Sinkowski (bass), Aurelio Lanzalone (guitar) and Richard
Tremblay (drums).
Concert Poster circa 1988 for the
Children - designed by John Mars click on image to enlarge
A gig played at what is now the restored
historic Arlington Hotel.
"Joan Crawford" - designed by John Mars 1980 click on image to enlarge
colour electrostatic print of an original
collage 8 " x 10 " signed on the reverse $75 unframed The
original (framed) collage is also available for sale. reproduction rights are available - send us an e-mail
to ask about this image
Concert Poster from 1979 for
Broomer/Mars - designed by John Mars click on image to enlarge
...for an early duet performance by Stu and
John at Toronto's "Music Gallery". After performing in various
Toronto based Jazz/New Music quartets since 1973, Broomer/Mars
struck out on their own.
Concert Poster from 1976-77 for
Broomer/Mars - unknown designer click on image to enlarge
...for a performance at Toronto's "A Space".
Broomer and Mars were thrilled to share the stage with so many
internationally known performers during the "A Space" concert
series.
Concert Poster from 1976 for
Broomer/Mars/Coughtry - unknown designer click on image to enlarge
...for a performance in
Montreal's "Galerie Powerhouse". Broomer, Mars, and
Coughtry played this show during the 1976 Olympic
Games.
click here.
Since he
first heard his playing with Rhinoceros as a kid, John Mars has
always felt that Danny is one of the greatest guitarists in the
history of Rock 'n' Roll and Rhythm 'n' Blues. "It was a real treat
to have Danny play on my new album - and, I will never forget the
enthusiasm, insight and, laughter that he added to the sessions -
not to mention his genius playing" says John. 
MICHAEL FONFARA 
I am not a fan of awards for
music or art. Canada's foremost (and first) abstract painter, the late
BERTRAM BROOKER once said :
Aimee Mann - Bachelor No. 2 (Super Ego Records)
Patty Loveless - Strong Heart (Epic Records)
James Brown - Live At The Apollo Volume 2 (Polydor Records - 2
CD)
8" x 12 " Colour Photograph
(signed on the reverse)
As a youngster, I worked for
CBC Television as a production assistant on documentary films. It's a
junior job where you do research for the director, sort out the audio
transcripts and, all the cans of film and, you pretty much do whatever
little errands that the director and producer need you to do. It's a real
learning experience. While I didn't necessarily want to learn all about
how to make a film at the time, I did want to learn all about making art
of any kind. I did get a good, basic art education from some of my seniors
at the CBC, like executive producer Ross McLean and, research expert
Shelley Gaffe. While working there under one very creative film director,
Martin Lavut, I met an old buddy of his...
Seconds later the bags had been dropped off in the guest room
and, Zally had come shooting right back quickly and, he was standing
before me with paw extended, introducing his self, with me thinking to
myself - "Yeah, I know", but, saying "Hi, I'm Johnny". I am sure that my
mouth was hanging open...my eyes were most probably bugged
out...
Detroit Red
Wings'
..regarding THELONIOUS MONK
