Jeff Larson with Gerry Beckley- Mark Farner And More
In the RockPile this time out are recent releases from Jeff Larson with Gerry Beckley, Mark Farner, The Whimbrels, Corey Ledet and Sea Hags. Let's take a listen!
Jeff Larson with Gerry Beckley - (Self-titled)
Although he no longer tours with the band, Gerry Beckley remains a member of America as well as an active recording artist. Here he teams with his longtime pal and songwriting partner Jeff Larson who has been a fixture on the California scene for ages. Put all this experience and talent into a recording studio and you get a set of songs that perfectly represent the soft rock that sunny California is known for. Both guys play guitar and sing; Beckley also plays piano and organ, bass, strings and drums and percussion. Larson though handles most of the lead vocals as he does on the melancholy opener "Baby Goodbye," a breakup song with a chorus that's easy to sing along to and that will pull on the heartstrings of those going through a breakup. Follow up cut "One Last Time," another cut about a fracturing relationship, is very much in the America oeuvre even though Larson sings it. "Looking at the Rain" is a light rocker that's augmented by lurking electric guitar and horn parts from Beckley and sweet harmony vocals from both singers. The wistful and hook-filled "C'mon Home" finds Larson and Beckley taking turns on lead vocals; again those who are missing their lover will connect emotionally here. "Oh Wow!" is light rock that, unlike much of the album, celebrates the joys of a relationship that is very much intact. Beckley handles lead vocals on the reggae-informed "Waiting Game," a radio-ready cut with lyrics that reflect the rigors of life on the road, "Just another jet-lagged zombie." America still tours without Beckley but they're not making new music; this album though provides exactly what America fans have been hoping for.
Mark Farner - Closer to My Home
Farner was the lead singer, guitarist and primary songwriter for Grand Funk Railroad, the Michigan-based trio that was all over the radio in the 1970s with hits like "We're An American Band," "Footstompin' Music," "The Loco-Motion" and "Some Kind of Wonderful." The title of this album is a nod to one of the band's early hits, "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)," and Farner includes the song here with a re-recording to mark its 55th anniversary. The other nine tracks here find Farner in a variety of moods; "Anymore" is a rocker that is very much in the style of Grand Funk, "The Prisoner" is a funky workout with a four man horn section and a steady beat courtesy of guest Johnny "Bee" Badanjek (The Detroit Wheels, Romantics, Ted Nugent) and "Same Game" is a commentary on how life is full of hustles, and featuring ripping guitars and a great chorus. "Facade" is in a similar vein as it throws shade at posers and liars and "Real" is a potent blues rocker while "Surveilling Us" is a slightly paranoid cut about how people today have very little privacy. The album's most poignant moment is the gentle "Tiny Fingers," a cut that looks at what can happen when a child grows up. The album ends with the new version (don't worry, only subtle changes) of the psychedelic chestnut "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" which fans of a certain age will sing along too without even thinking about it and hard core fans will know exactly how many times Farner sings "I'm getting closer to my home" at song's end (We know and we're not telling!) Mark's voice remains strong and he sounds great throughout. Notable is that Mark Slaughter, namesake of the band Slaughter, partners with Farner here to contribute on vocals, guitar, bass and other instruments.
The Whimbrels - (Self-titled)
Whimbrels are a kind of shore bird and this New York-based band may have chosen their avian name based on the fact that the birds have a loud, whistling call that is somewhat mesmerizing; get a few of them hollering at the same time and it indeed does sound magnificent. The Whimbrels have some hypnotic qualities too and they open "She is the Leader" with a repeated jangling riff that recalls some of the bands of "the Athens sound;" adding to that notion is the fact that singer Arad Evans has a style that's quirky and infinitely likable, in some ways not unlike that of Fred Schneider of the B-52s. And to keep listeners on their toes the song ends in a cacophonous squall of guitars. The band offers a lo-fi meets prog sound on "Distant Land" with a bed of droning guitar and laconic drums and somewhat cryptic vocals that weave around them; on the relatively short "That's How it Was" The Whimbrels show their punk side. To the contrary "Eclipse Eye" is intriguing pop that sounds like something that Jefferson Airplane might have done in their early years and closing cut "Four Moons of Galileo" includes shades of the Smashing Pumpkins. This is the debut album from The Whimbrels and there are a lot of ideas playing out here; it'll be interesting to see where the band goes in the future.
Corey Ledet Zydeco & Black Magic - Live in Alaska
There probably aren't too many zydeco bands playing shows in Alaska so you know fans must've been thrilled when Ledet and his band came to play the Anchorage Folk Festival in February of 2025. And they were likely even more ecstatic after the rocking set from the accordion master and his crack band as they played dance numbers like "This is All I Want," the tasty "Boudin Man" and the hold-your-baby-tight groove that is "I Just Wanna Be Your Loving Man," a cut where Ledet's sweet vocals are augmented by honeyed backing vocals. Not everything here is zydeco; Black Magic show their skills with funky R&B on "Alaska Funk," a Prince-like jam clearly put together just for the show where Ledet sets aside the accordion for the moment to let each band member take a solo while he sings. It's back to zydeco for the swinging "Aret to Trin" but "Creole Cruising," despite its name, has more of a "Grazing in the Grass" pop feeling about it; the nearly 10-minute long (mostly) instrumental cut features a great guitar jam from Julian Primeaux (and a keyboard solo from Cecil Green) and undoubtedly had the crowd dancing or at least doing some serious swaying. The show closes with four accordion-driven jams including the 50s-informed "M'Ape Gonn a Dauphine" and the shuffling "J'ai Parti Dans La Campagne."
Sea Hags - Dead & Gone
Those who know the San Francisco underground scene from the mid-to-late 1980s will relish this previously-unreleased set from Sea Hags and those who are not familiar will find a set worthy of investigating. Recorded live as a demo,
Dead & Gone finds Sea Hags operating as a trio consisting of guitarist and singer Ron Yocom, bassist Chris Schlosshardt and drummer Greg Langston. Opening cut "Huntin' for Dad" sounds like Mojo Nixon on speed, all quirky rhythm and even quirkier lyrics while "Happy Hours with You" offers shades of Iggy as does title cut "Dead and Gone" while "Chicken Boys" recalls D Generation. "Doghouse" really sounds like Iggy again, specifically The Stooges and mostly thanks to Yocom's guitar. The threesome tunes into a different sound for "King Bee Blues" which is a swaggering blues put through a punk filter. The set ends with the simmering "Cock Eyed Crow" (with a snippet of "Helter Skelter") which features one of Yocom's best vocal turns. The demo did its job; Sea Hags signed to Chrysalis Records shortly after and cut their debut effort with producer Mike Clink who produced the Guns N' Roses gem
Appetite for Destruction.
