Zig At The Gig podcast

Ramona Jan

Interview with Ramona Jan of The Comateens  Part 2

The Comateens were one of NYC’s earliest synth-punk bands, along with Suicide and Kraftwerk one of the few live bands to perform with a drum machine. Jan and North formed the band in 1978, bonding over their shared love of merely playing music together and the punk rock scene taking shape in downtown NYC. Singer and synth player Lyn Byrd and drummer Harry Viderci joined shortly afterwards. Both cuts were recorded at Mediasound in 1979 with Jan on guitar, North on bass, Byrd on synths and Viderci playing drums. Don Wersheba and Harvey J. Goldberg engineered; Ray Janos was the mastering engineer. The Comateens’ Ramona Jan and Nicholas “Nic North” Dembling had just gotten started when they recorded “Danger Zone,” a sneering, blaring punk song spit-sung by Nicholas with Ramona Jan’s untutored guitars sounding like an electric razor, a catchy chorus floating in from Jan’s love of Motown. “Elizabeth’s Lover” leans toward 60’s girl-group with a gleeful chorus as taunting and addictive as “My Boyfriend’s Back.” The song marks Jan’s turn from punk rock to new wave. “Danger Zone” was originally backed with “Cool Chick,” recorded during the same session and released independently on Teenmaster Records. Jan left the band shortly after recording these songs due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, so this version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” was never released. Jan recorded it again, later, with Dizzy and the Romilars. Left for Dead’s James Reynolds considered releasing the original “Danger Zone” single on his Jimboco Records, however he put out Dizzy and the Romilars’ version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” in 1980 instead, followed by the Ramona Jan-produced NastyFacts single “Drive My Car” in ‘81. The band was able to record at Mediasound because Jan was an audio engineer there, one of only a handful of women engineers in the world. On the then-gritty Upper West Side, Jan lived cheaply at the bohemian Bretton Hall on the corner of Broadway and 86th Street, dodging pimps and prostitutes on the elevator to her apartment. The building’s low rent also attracted other types of artists, though, and a neighbor heard her singing, knocked on the door and asked her if she’d want to record. The neighbor worked at Mediasound Studio in Midtown. Jan took one look around and realized she just had to work there. She told the boss she’d wanted to be a recording engineer all her life—a lie—and that her mother was an electrician, her father a piano tuner, another falsehood. She was hired on the spot and thrived, kicking off a lifelong career in engineering and production that led to work with Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Ramones (who wrote “Ramona” about her.) and more. Comateens continued after Jan left the band, recording three full lengths and building a dedicated following in France before breaking up in the mid-1980s. Their biggest hit was a cover of the “Munster’s Theme Song,” recorded in 1981. Ramona Jan has also had an active career in music since, performing with Dizzy and the Romilars and more recently Northeast Regional Folk Alliance award winners, JANTURAN. She was a founding member Venus Fly Trap, an all-female vocal group, whose members Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell now tour with Bruce Springsteen. Venus Fly Trap sang with David Johansen’s Buster Poindexter act and won the 1984 Village Voice Award Best Street Performer. Jan is also a writer, the author of the first biography of Jon Bon Jovi, published by Sony. She recently received the 2023 Upper Delaware Council Cultural Award as well as a 2023 Congressional Award for her work as Director of Yarnslingers, a true storytelling group based in the Catskills. She is currently the Tuesday columnist for the award-winning Sullivan County Democrat with her column, Ramona’s Ramblings.

https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/445047024405291

https://www.instagram.com/leftfordeadrecs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comateens,

https://comateens.com/

 

Nicholas West ( Nic North) & Ramona Jan of The Comateens

Interview with Nicholas West ( Nic North) & Ramona Jan of The Comateens.

The Comateens were one of NYC’s earliest synth-punk bands, along with Suicide and Kraftwerk one of the few live bands to perform with a drum machine. Jan and North formed the band in 1978, bonding over their shared love of merely playing music together and the punk rock scene taking shape in downtown NYC. Singer and synth player Lyn Byrd and drummer Harry Viderci joined shortly afterwards. Both cuts were recorded at Mediasound in 1979 with Jan on guitar, North on bass, Byrd on synths and Viderci playing drums. Don Wersheba and Harvey J. Goldberg engineered; Ray Janos was the mastering engineer. The Comateens’ Ramona Jan and Nicholas “Nic North” Dembling had just gotten started when they recorded “Danger Zone,” a sneering, blaring punk song spit-sung by Nicholas with Ramona Jan’s untutored guitars sounding like an electric razor, a catchy chorus floating in from Jan’s love of Motown. “Elizabeth’s Lover” leans toward 60’s girl-group with a gleeful chorus as taunting and addictive as “My Boyfriend’s Back.” The song marks Jan’s turn from punk rock to new wave. “Danger Zone” was originally backed with “Cool Chick,” recorded during the same session and released independently on Teenmaster Records. Jan left the band shortly after recording these songs due to a series of unfortunate misunderstandings, so this version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” was never released. Jan recorded it again, later, with Dizzy and the Romilars. Left for Dead’s James Reynolds considered releasing the original “Danger Zone” single on his Jimboco Records, however he put out Dizzy and the Romilars’ version of “Elizabeth’s Lover” in 1980 instead, followed by the Ramona Jan-produced NastyFacts single “Drive My Car” in ‘81. The band was able to record at Mediasound because Jan was an audio engineer there, one of only a handful of women engineers in the world. On the then-gritty Upper West Side, Jan lived cheaply at the bohemian Bretton Hall on the corner of Broadway and 86th Street, dodging pimps and prostitutes on the elevator to her apartment. The building’s low rent also attracted other types of artists, though, and a neighbor heard her singing, knocked on the door and asked her if she’d want to record. The neighbor worked at Mediasound Studio in Midtown. Jan took one look around and realized she just had to work there. She told the boss she’d wanted to be a recording engineer all her life—a lie—and that her mother was an electrician, her father a piano tuner, another falsehood. She was hired on the spot and thrived, kicking off a lifelong career in engineering and production that led to work with Brian Eno, Talking Heads, Ramones (who wrote “Ramona” about her.) and more. Comateens continued after Jan left the band, recording three full lengths and building a dedicated following in France before breaking up in the mid-1980s. Their biggest hit was a cover of the “Munster’s Theme Song,” recorded in 1981. Ramona Jan has also had an active career in music since, performing with Dizzy and the Romilars and more recently Northeast Regional Folk Alliance award winners, JANTURAN. She was a founding member Venus Fly Trap, an all-female vocal group, whose members Soozie Tyrell and Lisa Lowell now tour with Bruce Springsteen. Venus Fly Trap sang with David Johansen’s Buster Poindexter act and won the 1984 Village Voice Award Best Street Performer. Jan is also a writer, the author of the first biography of Jon Bon Jovi, published by Sony. She recently received the 2023 Upper Delaware Council Cultural Award as well as a 2023 Congressional Award for her work as Director of Yarnslingers, a true storytelling group based in the Catskills. She is currently the Tuesday columnist for the award-winning Sullivan County Democrat with her column, Ramona’s Ramblings.

https://www.leftfordeadrecords.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/445047024405291

https://www.instagram.com/leftfordeadrecs/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comateens,

https://comateens.com/

 

Catbells

Interview with Catbells on their full-length debut Partly Cloudy. 

All the meticulously crafted material on Partly Cloudy was composed by Catbells, and features
her soft, hypnotic vocals, dreamy melodies and, haunting lyrics. These are blended with
electronic elements and other instrumental seasoning provided by Billy Mohler to produce a
sonic landscape that is both nostalgic and forward-thinking. With influences ranging from 60’s
icons like Nico and Donovan to seminal 90’s Dream-pop artists ala Mazzy Star, Catbells has
created a vein of Lofi " sad girl" bedroom-pop all her own melodies that captures her deep, heartfelt emotions with the deepest intimacy. With each track, she invites her audience on a journey through her innermost thoughts and experiences.
Catbells burst onto the indie music scene in 2021with her debut single “Fade (Rainy Day
Demo)” which has racked up 1.3 million views to date. She followed that release with an EP
titled Wilderness that testified to her blossoming skill as a songwriter and the emotional potency of her performing and garnered a dedicated fanbase who found connection and solace in the midst of their own struggles and triumphs. The singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist began playing piano at age five, and by 7 th grade was playing guitar and writing songs about middle school heartbreaks. After performing in several bands she decided to focus on her own music. The name “Catbells” comes from a popular hiking spot described in The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle by Beatrix Potter. Raised in New England, Catbells’ music continues to draw on childhood memories of the natural world: seasons changing, swimming in the Eastern lakes, canoeing and working on the family farm. As her journey unfolds, Catbells continues to intrigue and captivate. With her soul-stirring compositions, and a voice that echoes through the depths of the heart, Catbells is an artist who embraces the beauty of the unknown. 

 

 Catbells's info
Instagram http://www.instagram.com/catbellsmusic

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/catbellsmusic

YouTube http://www.youtube.com/catbells

 

Paul Chastain of The Small Square, & Velvet Crush

 Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist Paul Chastain co-founded Velvet Crush rock group. Signed by Alan McGee to his mythic British indie label Creation Records who gave the band’s first and second albums, the latter, the seminal “Teenage Symphonies To God”, worldwide release. Paul’s musical arc also includes path crossings with a handful of top-notch talent. He has been playing and singing alongside pal Matthew Sweet from the pre-”Girlfriend” days onward. Run-ins along the way with such pop music icons and ne’er-do-wells as Roger McGuinn, Mitch Easter, Susanna Hoffs, Stephen Duffy, Tommy Keene, Ami Onuki (Puffy Ami/Yumi).

Drummer/producer John Louis Richardson has similar roots, brushes with greatness and dubious associations. Among them, Joey Molland’s Badfinger, Tommy Keene, Gin Blossoms, Keene Brothers, Jay Bennett, Will Hoge. He still plays live and records with DIY power pop pioneers and long time friends, Shoes. John runs his Drum Farm Studio in Menomonie, Wisconsin.

A major through-line for the album Ours & amp; Life-events shaped others due to the passing of longtime mutual friend and bandmate Tommy Keene. As an inspirational figure who opened for The Matthew Sweet band, toured with Velvet Crush, and played in Richardson’s band, the impact of his loss was significant. This led to the inclusion of Keene’s song “Baby Face” on the album, as well as aiding in the completion of the track “Can’t Let Go (Oh Tommy)”.

 

Paul's Info

https://www.instagram.com/smallish.square/

https://www.facebook.com/TheSmallSquare

https://www.youtube.com/@TheSmallSquareGroup

https://www.smallsquaremusic.com/

https://farmtolabelrecords.com/artists/the-small-square/

 

J. Wilms

Interview with J. Wilms.

J. Wilms is a multi-instrumentalist and singer /songwriter. Who has a new album out called The Fighter.

Jeremy “J” Wilms has had a long and varied career. He received his Bachelor of Music from
Georgia State University and his Master of Music from CUNY Queens College, NYC.
Jeremy’s jammed with Ornette Coleman at his loft and played Broadway revues at retirement
communities in New Jersey (sometimes over the same weekend!) He was briefly in Chico
Hamilton’s band playing guitar and played bass on Broadway in the musical Fela! During the
tour for Fela! Wilms performed with Patti LaBelle and played with Fela Kuti’s son Femi at
venues around the world including the Shrine in Lagos. He’s recorded with artists as diverse as
Bebel Gilberto, Beyoncé, TV On The Radio, and many others.
Wilms has been a guitarist in the orchestra for MacArthur Fellowship winner Taylor Mac’s 24
Decade History Of Popular Music as well as the bassist on ABC Network’s The Gong Show. He
was the arranger and musical director for The Heathens and other acts based at the fabled
McKittrick Hotel in Manhattan, home of “Sleep No More” immersive show. Wilms arranged
strings and brass for songs on Run the Jewels’ RTJ 4 and Tim Fojahn’s I Dreamed a Dream.
Jeremy is still busy working as a sideman in both NYC and ATL, scoring for film and other
media, and teaching. Wilms also releases instrumental music as Jeremy Wilms and is the leader
of the metal/prog band NOMOTO.

 

 

Jeremy's Info

www.jeremywilms.com
https://open.spotify.com/artist/1blyz61f1zZ726LOVfGedp?si=kDNRCKTgToKMmMaFGlQAj
Q
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5cKrwyPCGHf8ewXhG9RRnW?si=1saWA20uRQeaFy7LoViDZ
A
https://www.instagram.com/jere_wilms/
https://www.facebook.com/J.WilmsMusic/

Aaron Lange

Aaron Lange Co-founder of Stone Church Press, author of Ain't It Fun and Peppermint Werewolf.

 

n the 1970s, Peter Laughner was a founding figure in a primordial ooze of what would come to be called punk rock, in the somewhat unlikely, somewhat necessary place of Cleveland, Ohio. Bands like Pere Ubu, the electric eels, Rocket From the Tombs, the Dead Boys, Devo, and the Pagans all intermingled in this psychosphere; Laughner touched them all. In 1977 at the age of 24 he became punk rock’s first casualty. While his short life ended more than a half a century ago, his legacy continues to resonate; Henry Rollins and Guns N’ Roses have covered his songs, while Wilco and the Mountain Goats drop references to him in their lyrics.

Underground comix stalwart Aaron Lange makes his much-anticipated graphic novel debut with this deeply researched biography. Through extensive interviews with the people who were there, Ain’t It Fun charts the cultural, environmental, and societal factors that shaped both Laughner and the Midwestern proto-punk subculture he championed. Ain’t it fun when you know that you’re gonna die young?

“Grounded in real crime, with blazing and withering faces looking into their precious moments and looking back at what’s left, this is a mystic story of a city wrapped around the life and death of a musician whose talent, on certain nights, on certain records, was otherworldly. A sense of disbelief churns through the intricate, exploding pages. It seems a wonder there’s anyone left to tell the tale.”

Get Ain't It Fun Here:

aint-it-fun-peter-laughner-aaron-lange

Aaron's Info

https://stonechurchpress.com/product-category/aaron-lange/

stonechurchpress

aaron.lange

 

Steve ‘Smiley’ Barnard

Steve ‘Smiley’ Barnard, based in Hampshire in the UK, is an English musician, songwriter, and music producer at his own studio, Sunshine Corner Studios. 

He’s best known for being a drummer, having toured and played livefor ROBBIE WILLIAMS, JOE STRUMMER & THE MESCALEROS, GLENN GREGORY with TONY VISCONTI (HOLY HOLY), THE ALARM, GENE LOVES JEZEBEL, ARCHIVE, and many more. 

In the studio, he’s played drums for, among others, the following artists; THE MOCK TURTLES, HARD-FI, NEWTON FAULKNER, LILY ALLEN, THE CHARLATANS, BILLY BRAGG, REPUBLICA, and TERRY HALL. 

In his own studio, he’s produced a raft of artists, and has also released eight albums of his own songs, playing most of the instruments himself, but including contributions from many guest musicians such as BRUCE FOXTON (The Jam), STEVE NORMAN (Spandau Ballet), RICHARD ARCHER (Hard-Fi), IAN McNABB (The Icicle Works), MATTHEW ROUND (James Morrison), PAUL CUDDEFORD (The Boomtown Rats), and JAMES STEVENSON (The Alarm), to name but a few! 

 

Steve's Info 

https://smileysfriends.co.uk/home

Bill Million of The Feelies

Interview with Bill Million of The Feelies

Formed in Haledon NJ in the 1970’s, The Feelies have now released six albums including their critically acclaimed and influential debut Crazy Rhythms, which was voted 49 in the top 100 albums of the 1980s by Rolling Stone magazine and chosen by Spin Magazine as #49 of the best alternative records of all time. Their music has left an indelible mark on the landscape of rock and roll. Supporting the release of their first four albums the band appeared on the The Late Show With David Letterman and in concerts with The Patti Smith Group, R.E.M., and Bob Dylan as well as touring with Lou Reed. In 2008, the Feelies ended a 17-year sabbatical as a group to open for long-time admirers Sonic Youth at Battery Park and then resurrected their tradition of playing low key gigs at strategic intervals throughout the year rather than doing lengthy tours. In 2009, they were invited by R.E.M. to perform at Carnegie Hall in “The Music of REM” charity concert benefitting music education programs for underprivileged youth, then by the artist Dan Graham to play an acoustic set at the opening of his first American retrospective, held at the Whitney Museum: Dan Graham: Beyond at the Whitney Museum of American Art. That same year Bar/None re-issued Crazy Rhythms and The Good Earth, this being the first band-sanctioned CD release of the former. In 2011, they released a new studio album Here Before of which England’s The Wire enthused, “Here Before picks up as though they’d never left. The second line- up is fully present, and the basics of their sound have filtered through so many younger bands (from Yo La Tengo to SF Seals to The Chills) that the music possesses a great kind of faux- familiarity. ‘Time Is Right’ sounds something like The Terminals doing a Stooges tribute tune. It - and some of the Velvets riff - lifts that occur during the album’s later moments- make me remember how nuts this group seemed 30-plus years ago.” In honor of their 40th Anniversary Bar/None Records re-released their third and fourth albums,Only Life and Time for a Witness in early 2015.

The Feelies Info: https://www.facebook.com/

The.Feelies/ http://www.thefeeliesweb.com

 

Corey Ledet

Interview with Corey Ledet Zydeco accordion player singer-songwriter

Corey Ledet's Zydeco Médikamen is his first zydeco album he’s written and performed completely in Kouri-Vini (Louisiana Creole) in recognition of the journey to reclaim his family’s language; it’s his 15 th album overall. The album was recorded at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana, engineered and mixed by Justin Tocket, produced by Corey Ledet and Louis Michot. Special guests include Germaine Jack, Anders Osborne, Kermit Ruffins, and Grant Dermody. Médikamen is being released by Arnaudville, LA’s Nouveau Electric Label on CD, digital download and via streaming platforms on August 25.

Cory's Info

http://coreyledet.com/web/

http://nouveauelectricrecords.com/

 

Louis Michot of Lost Bayou Ramblers

Interview with Louis Michot, fiddler, songwriter, and lead vocalist for Grammy winners Lost Bayou Ramblers on his debut solo album Rêve du Troubadour. Rêve du Troubadour came from long months during the first years of the pandemic of Michot documenting musical ideas in his backyard a dry-docked houseboat named “Sister Ray, given to Louis by Korey Richey of LCD Soundsystem. Sometimes, waking up at 4AM, he’d have his parts nailed down before daylight. While recording, MIchot kept a pair of stereo mics live outside Sister Ray to capture the sounds of birds and insects; as the bird and bug population would change throughout the days and seasons, each song wound up with a unique environmental seasoning. More tracks were then added at Nina Highway Studios, a short walk from Michot’s house, by Louis, his rhythm section and various guest musicians. The final track sequence is highly diverse. There are songs that incorporate poetic rapping to hand-laid beats, updates of vintage Acadiana, environment soundscapes, acoustic guitar driven ballads, and even Michot’s interpretation of a seminal work by 19th-century Creole composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk. But they’re all tied together beautifully by Louisiana French language and Louis’ vivid storytelling throughout.

Louis's Info