On May 31, 1999, blues musician T-Model Ford appeared at the Knitting Factory! Born James Lewis Carter Ford, T-Model Ford released his 2nd studio album entitled "You Better Keep Still" in 1999 on Fat Possum Records. He would release another six studio albums, the last in 2011, before sadly passing away at the age of 90 in 2013.
On May 30, 1998, The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion played at Tramps! In late 1997, the band began recording their sixth studio album, "Acme," by cutting a few tracks with Calvin Johnson at his studio in Olympia, WA. Following a New Year's Eve performance in Chicago, the band visited Steve Albini at his Electrical Audio studio. While in Chicago the band recruited Andre Williams to provide guest vocals for the track "Lap Dance." He joined the Blues Explosion on stage to round out this set at Tramps!
Set list:
Encore:
On May 26, 1988 Elmwood, NJ based punk rockers Adrenalin O.D. played at Maxwell's! Fresh off the release of their third record, "Cruising With Elvis In Bigfoot's U.F.O.," A.O.D. came into this gig and played loud, fast, and hard! The band disbanded in 1990, before reuninting in 1999, 2005, and 2007.
On May 23, 1987, U.K. band The Godfathers played at Maxwell's! The band was formed in 1985 by brothers Peter and Chris Coyne after the demise of their former project, The Sid Presley Experience. Their sound notably blended elements of punk, new wave, and R&B. In 1987, the group embarked on their first ever U.S. tour in 1987 and signed to Epic Records. They would release their major label debut, "Birth, School, Work, Death," in 1988. The record achieved some modest success on college radio and MTV. The group disbanded in 2000, but reformed in 2008 and remain active. They've since released two LPs, "Jukebox Fury" in 2013, and "A Big Bad Beautiful Noise" in 2017.
Check out this really fun interview on WRNU Rutgers University - Newark radio with Marshall Crenshaw from 38 years ago! In the start, you can actually hear a ROTARY PHONE being dialed. The discussion wraps up with Mr. Crenshaw doing a station ID for WRNU. Listening to this was a ton of fun!
On May 21, 1988, he Pixies made their second ever appearance at Maxwell's! This gig comes at a watershed moment for the band, as they had just released their seminal album, "Surfer Rosa," in March of 1988. Their set includes many classic songs including "Where Is My Mind?," "Bone Machine," and my personal favorite, "Gigantic!!" The show ends with a Beatles cover! Enjoy - the sound quality is excellent!
Set list:
On May 18, 1996, Ass Ponys played at Mercury Lounge! Hailing from Cincinnati, Ohio, Ass Ponys developed a sound that combined rock and country into an off-kilter blend of Americana music. In 1996, the released their fourth studio album (their second on A&M) entitled "The Known Universe."
On May 15, 1984, the Violent Femmes played at Stache's in Columbus, OH!
On May 14, 1996, R.L. Burnside played at The Cooler in New York City. An accomplished blue guitarist, Burnside got his start in rural Mississippi before relocating to Chicago after World War II. He eventually moved to Memphis in the 1950s and then back to Mississippi. He recorded and played music sporadically over the course of the next few decades, but achieved more significantly notoriety in the 1990s after being signed to Fat Possum Records. In 1995, his playing attached the interest of Jon Spencer, who recruited him for his touring band that same year. The 1996 album "A Ass Pocket of Whiskey" was recorded with Spencer's band. Burnside would go on to collaborate with the likes of Kid Rock and the Beastie Boys in the late 90s and early 2000s. He passed away in 2005 at the age of 78.
On May 12, 1996, Memphis indie rock band, The Grifters, played at Maxwell's! The group had just released their first album on Sub Pop entitled "Ain't My Lookout" in February of 1996. he band originally formed in the late 1980s as A Band Called Bud with vocalist/guitarist Scott Taylor, bassist Tripp Lamkins, and drummer Dave Shouse. After being renamed the Grifters, the group recorded primarily at Easley McCain Recording and were closely affiliated with Memphis's Shangri-La Records label for a time. The late Jeff Buckley was a vocal supporter of The Grifters and was close friends with the band.
On May 10, 1987, the Meat Puppets played at The Ritz! The Asbury Park Press published the following regarding the show, and the group's fourth LP 'Mirage,' in their May 10, 1987 edition:
[The Meat Puppets] are scheduled to headline tonight at the Ritz in New York, their biggest gig ever in the city (opening is Soul Asylum, a sizzling Husker Du protege). After the unfocused "Up on the Sun" in 1985 and last year's harder-edged EP "Out My Way," "Mirage" is a return to form. It has the juiciest bunch of hooks the band has strung together on one album, along with some of the prettiest West Coast guitar lines of any record in 1987. Brothers Cris and Curt Kirk-wood formed the Meat Puppets with drummer Derrick Bostrom in Arizona. Their first album was pretty much a thunderous rush of blues-influenced rock that sounded a bit like the laid-back music of the Grateful Dead. There were other Deadheads at SST, notably the members of Black Flag, but none dared to commit punk's cardinal sin of laying back quite so openly. Who would have thought of punks in the 1980s wearing long hair and colorful T-shirts and playing serious two-steps? Nowadays, a number of bands are doing the same thing. The Meat Puppets haven't been put out to pasture, though. They're still making sparkling records, like the new "Mirage" (SST, P.O. Box 1, Lawndale, Calif., 90260), their fourth full-length.
Edit: Thank you to Gerald Schumacher for the set list-
1. Not Swimming Ground
Lake Of Fire
Quit It
Leaves
Get On Down
Beauty
Out My Way
Plateau
Swimming Ground
A Hundred Miles
The Mighty Zero
Love Our Children Forever
Lost
Mirage
I Am A Machine
She's Hot
Liquified
Bad Boy
Up On The Sun
I'm Bad I'm Nationwide
Burn The Honky Tonk Down
I Just Want To Make Love To You
Time for a tape from my favorite band!
On May 9, 1986, The Feelies treated an eager Maxwell's crowd to two sets of magical tunes! This Maxwell's gig captures the band at a pivotal point in the career, as the group released their second LP, "The Good Earth" in 1986 - six years after their debut, "Crazy Rhythms." In the six years between releases, members of the Feelies and their friends would play Maxwell's countless times under several different monikers, including Yung Wu, Speed The Plough, and the Trypes. 1986 also marked the band's big screen debut, as the group (credited as "The Willies), appeared in Jonathan Demme's "Something Wild" in 1986!
The Feelies are playing BSP Kingston in Kingston, NY this Friday May 11th and World Cafe Live in Philadelhpia this Saturday May 12th.
On May 9, 1997, Dinosaur Jr. at The Roxy in New York City. Fresh off the release of their seventh studio album, "Hand It Over" in March of 1997, the band embarked on a year long world tour with dates in Australia, Japan, and Europe. This occasion would mark the second to last Dinosaur Jr. show in New York City prior to their original break up. The band would return to play Tramps in November 1997 before breaking up the following month. Dinosaur Jr. reunited in 2005 and continues to inflict tinnitus on their adoring fans across the globe!
On May 9, 1985, Hüsker Dü played a sold out show at Maxwell's as part of their "New Day Rising" tour. So far, this is one of several Hüsker Dü shows in the McKenzie Tapes collection, but this one is definitely the oldest and arguably captures the Twin Cities trio in their prime. The set list features several classic Dü songs, including "Pink Turns To Blue," their cover of the Byrds' "Eight Miles High," "Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill," and "It's Not Funny Anymore!"
On May 9, 1990, Portland punks Poison Idea played at The Pyramid Club in New York City! Prior to breaking up in 1993, the band established their own record label in 1989, American Leather, and released two records the same year: a reissue of their 1982 demo Darby Crash Rides Again and the Discontent 7”. In 1990, the band released "Feel The Darkness."
The Pyramid Club is located on Avenue A and between 6th and 7th street. The Pyramid Club was is part of the East Village/Lower East Side Historic District. The Landmarks Preservation Commission designated this district a landmark on October 9, 2012.
On May 8, 1988, Dag Nasty headlined a Sunday Hardcore Matinee at CBGB's! That's right, for the low, low price of five dollars, you could see a total of four excellent hardcore bands and be in bed at a very reasonable hour!
On May 5, 1986, The Bongos played the Cat Club in New York City! The Hoboken group's set encompassed a wide range of songs from their career, including two of their earliest singles, "In The Congo" and "Telephoto Lens." The encore featured a rousing rendition of the fan favorite "Barbarella" with Fred Schneider of the B52's on tambourine. They also played two of my favorite Bongos songs, "Apache Dancing," and their classic cover of T Rex's "Mambo Sun!"
I don't know too much about The Cat Club, but according to a Vice article it was the "epicenter of the NYC glam metal scene in the late 80s up until it shut in 1990." The venue was located in the East Village on East 13th street between Broadway and 4th Avenue - about a block south of Union Square.
Photo from the Winter 1986 edition of the Away From The Pulse Beat Zine
On May 5, 1998, Mark E. Smith graced the Maxwell's stage! I'm not sure if this is the first time The Fall played at Maxwell's, but the sound quality of this tape is superb! The Fall had just released their 10th studio album "The Frenz Experiment," in February of 1988. The record reached number 19 on the U.K. charts - making it the highest charting Fall record to date.
Mark E. Smith sadly passed away earlier this year. He is greatly missed!
On May 4, 1990, the Afghan Whigs played at Maxwell's! This tape captures the group at a big turning point in their career - as in April of 1990, the band released their second studio album, "Up in It" on Sub Pop. With their signing, The Afghan Whigs became the second non-Northwestern U.S. band to record for the Sub Pop label. The record was largely recorded by Nirvana producer Jack Endino. On this tour, The Afghan Whigs also made a stop at The Pipeline in Newark, NJ and at The Pyramid in New York City.
On May 4, 1998, Australian alternative rockers, You Am I, played at Brownie's!
