Sessions For A New Album

John is set to begin recording a new album this summer. The CD will an acoustically flavoured effort. It is to be co-produced by John Mars and, Lucas Stagg and, Lucas will play acoustic guitar and, sing harmony vocals along with Craig McNair. Michael Fonfara and Ray Harrison (Greaseball Boogie Band/Cameo Blues Band) will both play Hammond organ and, piano. Danny Weis (Iron Butterfly/ Rhinoceros/ Lou Reed/ Alice Cooper/ Melissa Manchester/Bette Midler) will play electric guitar. The new album is to be called "Detroit Or Buffalo" and, the sessions will take place at Grant Avenue Studios, (Hamilton, Ontario) in mid-June.

John Mars painting featured on cover of reissued  Barry Altschul album

"Rural" by John Mars Liquitex & Collage on paper 32" x 22"

"The CD era has certainly resulted in a plethora of interesting reissues of older material in all fields of music and, I am pleased to see that Sackville Records has chosen to re-release the Brahma album by one of my biggest heroes, the New York drummist Barry Altschul. I remember how thrilled and honoured I felt, when this incredible album of Barry's was released with my painting on the cover." (John Mars).

The great Jazz percussionist Barry Altschul had stints where he was a member of new Jazz groups that featured such luminaries as: Paul Bley, Anthony Braxton, Dave Holland, Gary Peacock, Kenny Wheeler and, Chick Corea.   In 1977, the Manhattan based Altschul led an agressive and, highly original sounding  trio date with Ray Anderson on trombone and Mark Helias on bass.   The cover was graced by a then current John Mars painting entitled "Rural".


This new CD reissue is available for $15 postpaid from Sackville Records

Box 1002
Station O
Toronto, Ontario
Canada M4A 2N4
phone/fax John Norris (416)465-9093


A  series of  10 recordings on Sackville, entitled "Creative Improvised Music Classics"  has recently been made available.   These recordings include performances by Dave Holland,  Anthony Braxton,  Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Karl Berger, Oliver Lake, Julius Hemphill, George Lewis, Anthony Davis, Muhal Richard Abrams, Spencer Barefield, Leroy Jenkins,  Don Pullen, Abdul Wadud and, Pheeroan ak Laff.  All of the recordings were produced by Bill Smith.

"I recently received of all the recordings on Sackville and, I am most certainly getting a lot of inspiration from them while working in my painting studio.   These CDs are great painting supplies for me!  Don't miss any of them!" (John Mars).

John Norris offers a special price of $130,  if you buy all ten CDs at once, so, be sure to contact Mr. Norris using the information listed above.      

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John Mars (left) and Lucas Stagg (right) enjoying lunch in a sidewalk cafe at the corner of Bleecker and MacDougal in New York City.  Bob Dylan used to sit in this same cafe and write lyrics.

Photo by Vanessa Stankiewicz
AUGUST 11, 2005



John Mars co-producing new Lucas Stagg album

Recording sessions for a new  CD of solo, acoustic material by singer/songwriter Lucas Stagg began in mid-July at High-Fi Way in Cambridge, Ontario.  With studio owner Irv Russell at the helm on the mixing desk as engineer, the album is being co-produced by the 25 year old artist and, John Mars.   Sessions will continue through October and, a spring release is anticipated.   This will be Lucas Stagg's second solo effort.  Stagg was formerly lead singer and main songwriter for Rock 'n' Roll outfit  Room 101, a group which had a 5+ year history.   

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JOHN MARS at work producing / writing

John Mars has recently been producing pre-production demo recordings for Lucas Stagg and Jamie Robertson (both formerly with Room 101). Lucas and Jamie are currently in the process of forming a new group. It is expected that Bluestar Records will issue a CD by the new band, and, that Jack deKeyzer will produce the eventual album. For the recent demo recordings, John has enlisted the services of his old pal, The Temp's (Brian's Children) on the Fender bass, as well as former Room 101 drummist Tommy Williams. John and The Temp's have not worked together in more than twenty years and, they are having a great deal of fun helping out Stagg and Robertson.

submitted by Huggy Bundle / February 2004

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NOEL REDDING  December 25, 1945 - May 12, 2003
	THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE - 1967 Noel Redding (Bass), Jimi Hendrix (Guitar), Mitch Mitchell (drums) Listen to Noel Redding's phone message to John Mars - Click here Hear John Mars do Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown" - Click here for an MP-3 audio clip

Noel Redding tribute suggested by Nick Bastian / July 2003

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MICHAEL FONFARA HEARD ON RECENT LOU REED REISSUES

In recent months, many of Lou Reed's older albums on RCA and Artista Records have been reissued on CD (many of the reissues include previously unavailable bonus cuts). Between 1974 and 1980, John Mars' buddy and, colleague MICHAEL FONFARA served as keyboard man / band leader for the venerable Lou Reed. "Sally Can’t Dance" from 1974 includes standout tracks such as "New York Stars" and, "Kill Your Sons". It is also worth noting for the added participation of Michael's old Rhinoceros band mate, the incredible Mr. Danny Weis (on the guitar). Another classic Reed recording that Fonfara participated in, "Live- Take No Prisoners", reveals Reed's great cabaret sense and, his savvy in dealing with some yelping goofs in the audience. Recorded at New York's "Bottom Line" night club in 1978, Lou often takes time out in the middle of his hits to show'em who the real loud mouth is! It's a scream.

Other Lou Reed albums that feature Michael are: "Rock 'n' Roll Heart", "Street Hassle", "The Bells" (which he helped produce and co-wrote a couple of tunes on) and, "Growing Up In Public" (on which he co-wrote all the tunes with Lou Reed and, which he co-produced with Reed).

MICHAEL FONFARA began his performing career in Toronto with the pioneering group JON / LEE AND THE CHECKMATES. The group featured singer extraordinaire John Finley, guitar man Larry Leishman, and bassist Peter Hodgson (all of whom were later to play in Rhinoceros with Michael). The Checkmates still get together once in a while for old times sake but, they are best remembered for performing for 60,000 people at the opening of Toronto's City Hall in 1963 and, for an opening spot in front of The Rolling Stones two years after that, at Toronto's Maple Leaf Gardens. Just before RHINOCEROS started roaring (in the late 1960's), Michael played with MICHAEL BLOOMFIELD, NICK GRAVENITES and BUDDY MILES in the short-lived (but, fantastic) ELECTRIC FLAG and, he can be heard on their wonderful Columbia album (available on CD with bonus cuts) called "A Long Time Comin' " . A synopsis of the other artists that Fonfara has since played / recorded with since that time is absolutely staggering... Solomon Burke, John Sebastian, Ry Cooder, B.B. King, The Everly Brothers, Foreigner, Rough Trade ... and, the list goes on. He is currently a member of the Downchild Blues Band.

Says John Mars "It's was a real honour to have Michael play on my latest release. He's an absolute hero of mine - Rhinoceros has always been one of my favourite bands and, Michael is quite simply the greatest, most soulful Rock 'n' Roll organist / pianist that Canada has ever produced. He's had a big impact on me, yet I find him to be one of the most unassuming people that I have ever met in music. I will always remember how enthusiastic he was during the recording sessions he did with me and, I hope to work with him again in the future. Fonf helped Jack deKeyzer and myself write one of the songs on my "Whasup?" CD ( "There's A Hole In My Soul" ). He's a man that has inspired me a lot and, is also a great deal of fun to hang with and, talk music with".

submitted by Krista Stahl / May 2003

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At long last, the first Rhinoceros album (circa 1968) has been made available on CD (Collector's Choice Records) and, it has just appeared in Toronto record stores. Rhinoceros included Michael Fonfara on keyboards - Michael can also be heard on John Mars' latest CD. The CD booklet notes for the new re-issue includes a quote from an interview that John did with guitarist Danny Weis of Rhinoceros way back in the 1980's. Collector's Choice Records has also re-issued the first David Ackles lp, on which the singer/songwriter was backed by Rhinoceros. We can only hope that Collector's Choice will follow up these re-issues by releasing "Satin Chickens" and "Better Times Are Coming", which were the 2nd and, 3rd Rhinoceros albums. Maybe even the Blackstone album (which included Fonfara, Weis, Finley, Leishman and Hodgson of Rhinoceros)? For more information on Rhinoceros, just go to our links page.

Sadly, at present, original Rhinoceros drummer Billy Mundi is quite ill, due to complications from diabetes. He has had to have a leg amputated, but, is determined to play again. He will be working with Roland (Drums)and, the doctors to co-ordinate a prosthesis and, drum kit set up that will work for him. Get well greetings sent by e-mail will be printed out and, read to him by his wife.
Send them to: patsalas@cncnet.com

submitted by Huggy Bundle / January 2003

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IN MEMORY OF DOUG WILLSON
August 19, 1935 - March 14, 2002

photographs by George Wale circa 1978

Doug Willson, a talented string bassist/ flugelhorn player died at home on March 14. Doug was a good friend of myself and Stuart Broomer and, sometimes was featured as a guest artist on our Toronto concerts in the late 1970's and early 1980's and, at that time (due to a hand injury), he usually played the flugelhorn. Mostly, to me, he was a good friend and, a guy who always encouraged me to stick with the music. Dougie stayed with the music for HIS entire life and, we should always take the nod from him in that respect. Don't worry Dougie - I won't ever give it up.

Upon hearing of Dougie's passing, Stu Broomer quite simply said to me, "Doug was one of the nicest men that you could ever hope to meet". Stuart, since he is a writer, is usually a lot more wordy, but, that comment really says it all.

When I lived in Toronto and I worked in a "Sam The Record Man" store at the corner of Yonge Street and Eglinton Avenue, Stuart Broomer used to drop in on me at noon and, we would go for lunch and, Doug Willson used to drop in on me in the afternoon when he knew that I was not busy and, he and I would discuss Jazz. Obviously, those guys were a bit older than me. Besides my interest in Rock 'n' Roll, I was always a huge Thelonious Monk fan and, I was developing a cool Jazz department for the store, with the blessing of the store's owner. I learned a lot about Jazz from listening to Doug and Stuart. Eventually, Doug and I both moved out of Toronto, but, we stayed in touch on the phone and, the e-mail. I will always remember our discussions and, he and I especially loved to discuss the music of Albert Ayler. Ayler had had a huge impact on the both of us.

Doug Willson had quite an involvement in music. In 1963 Doug was awarded a scholarship to study at the Advanced School Of Contemporary Music in Toronto under the tutelage of Oscar Peterson, Oscar's usual bassist Ray Brown (who just passed away recently) and , Oscar's drummer Ed Thigpen. Doug was apparently one of Ray Brown's favourite students. Later, as Doug's career developed, he toured as bassist for pianist Teddy Wilson (ex-Benny Goodman main man), during the time that Ed Thigpen was drummer for Teddy's group (mid-1960's).

Doug worked in some of the more conservative Jazz styles such as the turn-of-the-century New Orleans Jazz style when he spent some time with Jim Galloway's Metro Stompers. Surprisingly, he can be heard as the bassist on the 1967 Centennial/Expo year hit "Canada" - a 45rpm single by Bobby Gimby on Capitol Records which Doug wrote the b-side of ("Canadian Theme"). Doug Willson also did extensive gigs with the exploratory Canadian Jazz guitarist Sonny Greenwich. On September 22 of 2002, the Music Gallery in Toronto presented a special concert in Doug Willson's memory.

submitted by John Mars September 2002

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A New Jack DeKeyzer Video to hit the airwaves...

submitted by Huggy Bundle July 2002

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Submitted by Charles "Plank" Schiesmann December 2001

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Submitted by Charles "Plank" Schiesmann November 2001

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Submitted by Huggy Bundle/June 2001

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JOHN MARS & WAYNE MARSHALL UNPLUGGED

John Mars fans were pleasantly surprised this past winter by a series of "unplugged" style guest spots that he made with his friend, singer/songwriter Wayne Marshall. With Wayne taking a back seat for a moment, John suddenly appeared and sang a plaintive "You Ain't Goin' Nowhere" (written by Bob Dylan) mid-set, on several concerts where Wayne was opening the show. These gigs included occassions where Wayne was doing the warm-up slot in front of such stalwart perfomers such as; Ray Materick, Gayle Ackroyd and, Fred J. Eaglesmith & The Flying Squirrels. Wayne Marshall is sounding especially powerful himself these days - he gets an absolutely beautiful tone from his big, Gibson acoustic guitar, his voice has never sounded better and, his original songs such as "Today's Just One Of Those Days" are real crowd pleasers.

Submitted by Huggy Bundle/April 2001

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Submitted by Huggy Bundle/ March 2001

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CD Reviews - John Mars: Whasup? (Blue Star)

The news is out...here's what critics are saying about "Whasup!"

100% pure unadulterated rock'n'roll! John Mars and a dynamite all-star band (Michael Fonfara, Mark French, Alec Fraser), led and produced by CDN rockin' legend Jack de Keyzer (guitar), pump plenty of soul and swagger into these lucky 13 cuts of rootsy rumble. Hopefully John will be taking these tunes out for a road trip out so we can all get a bit'a rockin' in! A marvellous version of Joe Tex's "I'll Never Do You Wrong" is but one of the standout cuts. Watch for the opening number, "Good ‘n' Bad," or "Wild At Heart" to be gettin' a fair chunk of airplay on any station, with even a modicum of good taste, near you. Yeah! (13 tracks. 46:23 playing time.)

MOHAIR SWEETS  (Winnipeg)

Originally from Brantford, Ontario, singer-songwriter John Mars has been kicking around the Toronto music scene since 1972, when he was vocalist and drummer for John Mars & The Martians. Through the late 70's and the 80's he performed as part of a jazz duo with pianist Stuart Broomer, and later as lead singer for Brian's Children. It was through the Children's drummer, Teddy Fury, that John came to meet Jack De Keyzer, when Fury had gone on to found rockabilly revivalists The Bop Cats, and that leads us to John's first solo album.
John's love of early rock & roll shows all over this recording, co-written and produced with the help of his good friend, Jack De Keyzer. Jack plays all the guitar on the album and makes use of his backup band of Mark French and Shane Scott throughout. The end result is a collection of rockin' tunes that harken back to the rock and roll of the 50's and 60's. There are a couple of nice ballads thrown in, a few jazzy touches, and a sprinking of horns that take me back to the Jersey sound made famous by the Asbury Jukes. John's vocal style is very reminiscent of many 60's pop records, pretty smooth, and he wears all his influences right on his sleeve. The songwriting is first-rate, with Jack's guitar work outstanding as always. Some nice sax work by Chris Robinson also, especially on the album closer, "Friday Night Gig." Some other standout cuts include "Good N' Bad," "I Want A Girl Like You," "The Girls Are Rockin'," "L'il Suzy Sue," and a cover of Jack's "Wild At Heart."

THE NAIL  (Niagara Falls)

Toronto, Ontario's John Mars boasts quite an extensive pedigree, including musician (Brian's Children, Broomer And Mars), sportswriter (with an exhaustive look at the NHL in the works), music critic (including a lengthy stint as a Blitz Magazine columnist) and record collector.
As such, Mars has been able to call upon several friends in high places to assist him in this solo debut, including Rhinoceros' Michael Fonfara, Teenage Head guitarist Gordon Lewis and Canadian rockabilly stalwart, Jack De Keyzer. But the vision realized within is totally Mars' own.
The inspirations in "Whasup?" are diverse, from "Sticky Fingers"-era Rolling Stones to Stax/Volt and rockabilly. Mars especially excels at the latter, as evidenced by "Lil' Suzy Sue" and "Pristine Christine".
Thoughtfully chosen covers like Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown" and Joe Tex's "I'll Never Do You Wrong" are not only competently executed, but serve to demonstrate that Mars' muse is well-grounded. If nothing else, "Whasup?" is proof that spending too much time with one's record collection is not necessarily an exercise in futility.

Blitz Magazine (Los Angeles)

Canadian Rock'n'Roller JOHN MARS has been playing with assorted Ontario-based combos since the late 60's; he also spent over a decade as the drumming half of a duo with jazz-based pianist Stuart Broomer. Mars was the singing drummer in his first band, The Martians, but, for his solo debut-"Whasup?"- he's set aside instrumental duties to focus solely on singing. He's enlisted the help of a host of pedigreed players, all of whom fall in line to support the simple and sturdy songs; producer-guitarist Jack de Keyzer, for instance, understands the strength of a solid foundation, and, the rhythm section of drummer Mark French and bass player Shane Scott is the pumping heart of the album. Filigree is minimal but potent when utilized - the backup vocals and organ on "There's A Hole In My Soul", the horns on Joe Tex's "I'll Never Do You Wrong", the percussion and handclaps on "Good 'n'Bad".
Mars wrote or cowrote nine of the set's 13 tunes, and, he's clearly learned from his decades of listening and playing - the songs are flush with the verve, flair and confidence of Eddie Cochran, British Invasion flagbearers and Memphis soulsters. Mars and de Keyzer also have added two solid new entries to the litany of girl-name songs ("Danielle" and "Lil' Suzy Sue").

Metroland "The Capital Region's Alternative Newsweekly" Albany, New York