Northern Soul for the 21st Century

Let me introduce you to Benjamin H Shulman.

 

I met Ben a couple years ago. He was only 17. He had a small kiosk at a local flea market selling used records. We struck up a conversation and I told him I was looking for Soul 45s. Little did I know that 2 years later, we would end up being good friends. He’s either a really mature teenager or I never really grew up. I suspect a little bit of both.

One thing is certain. He’s a walking Soul encyclopedia. You can give him the title of a sixties Soul 45 and chances are he’ll tell you the label, the year it came out, who produced it and who was in the backing band. He’s a Soul savant.

Our relationship started more as a business arrangement. He’s a record picker with 45s to sell and I’m a record collector. I’ve always dubbed him my “record pimp” and he’s directly responsible for the bulk of my collection and for my vinyl addiction. We eventually became friends. We even co-organized a few events together under the Modtreal name.

Ben is not only knowledgeable about music but he’s quite the musician too. Self thought, he once picked up a guitar and learnt it. That was just the beginning. He was a kid with a dream. A vision that one day, while he was still technically a teenager (can you imagine?), he would put out a Soul 45 on his own record label. This is when Papa Bill Records was born.

Paid for with his own money (financed in part by a bunch of records he sold me in the past I’m sure) here is his first 45. Have a listen at Boogaloo Down Clark Street by Black Joe Lewis and The Soul Distributors. 

Our young Canadian Berry Gordy didn’t just produce the record. He composed it, came up with the arrangements, helped with the mixing and played on it. With a limited pressing of only 500 copies, this is your chance to put your hands on what will one day surely be a collector’s item. This one is destined for the dance floor and should be in every DJs record box.

Ben and I have often deconstructed a Soul tune and talked about what we like. In our minds, a hit might have a combination of killer horns, a drum break, screaming vocals and is usually up-tempo. It will make you want to dance and clap your hands. This one has it all! We often joke about it and call it the Modtreal sound.

Although we had many conversations about the record over the year, it was great to dig a little deeper. Once again, here’s Ben.

- Why Soul?

I was exposed to 60s music since I was a young kid. I always had an affinity for soul, especially the Motown sound. My favorite acts were The Temptations, The Four Tops and The Supremes. Recently, my mom found a video from when I was 4 and on it I’m singing Mustang Sally on my Fisher Price mic.

- Where did the idea for Papa Bill Records come from?

When I was 10, I wanted to be the white Berry Gordy. Before I learnt guitar, I would spend hours writing lyrics. The name for the record label came from my grandfather who was a successful businessman in the garment trade. I chose it in his honor. At first I was going to name it Grandpa Bill but I was afraid people would think it was a country label.

I chose yellow as the background as a nod to the Tamla label. I was also greatly influenced by the Daptone guys. They inspired me to start my own thing.

- What type of sound were you going for?

I was looking for something I can play at the Mod Club as a DJ and see the dance floor respond. Music you can mix with all the 60s stuff that we spin. I’m not a big analog fanatic. I just want it to sound good. I’m not there yet. Once I get a bigger budget, I’ll reconsider.

- Tell us how you teamed up with Black Joe Lewis.

I met him at a Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings concert in Ottawa. He was the opening act. I was hanging out backstage with the Dap Kings and helped Joe load the vans up. We struck up a conversation and exchanged phone numbers. He eventually moved to Montreal and we got into contact.

-  Any future projects?

I’m back in the studio with The Soul Distributors working on the next single. I’m currently looking for a female singer and I have a few people in mind but nobody definitive. It won’t necessarily be a dancer but it will definitely be Soul. I plan on taking the world one 45 at a time.

- Any chance of a Parka Avenue / Papa Bill Record release one day?

Yes! Once Pat gets his groove on with his bass and plays to the level of a James Jameson, we’ll put out a 45 on a Parka Avenue sublabel.

You can also have a listen at Ben’s Garage band The Ray.

Boogaloo Down Clark Street by Black Joe Lewis and The Soul Distributors is available on eBay for $6.99 US or through the Papa Bill Records Facebook page.

Top Ten Garage Parka Avenue favorites

Coming up with only 10 Garage records as my favorite purchases for 2011 was quite a challenge. Just like in the previous post, I acquired those precious little vinyl discs from a variety of sources: the Internet, friends, shops, record conventions, my travels, etc. I have to say that I’m not big on compilations. The Pebbles, Nuggets and Back From The Grave compilations might be a great way to discover those forgotten gems but I rather simply stumble upon them by accident. This is the case for most of the 10 tracks that follow.

1) 1-2-5 – The Haunted – Quality

This is the score of the year. This sought-after Garage classic from my hometown of Montreal was found in near mint condition at a flea market for a mere 2$. The seller told me it came from a jukebox. From what I can see, it wasn’t very popular. The first pressing of the single has the band's name misprinted as The Hunted. Surprisingly, the correctly labelled record is now harder to find.

2) I Need You Baby - The Bohemians – Blue Jeans

The Bohemians were another local band that have been known to open for The Haunted. Only 500 copies were pressed of their only single with 100 copies going to friends and family. It might be in a bit of a rough shape but it’s very hard to find and well worth the dollar I paid for it. If you ever come across a record on the Canadian Blue Jean record label, just buy it.

3) Crazy Things – The Quid

The hunt for rare Canadian Garage 45s has definitely been good this year. Case in point, this group from Winnipeg, Manitoba. I sometimes forget how much good stuff has come out of this country.

4) Who Dat – The Jury - Port

I have to thank my Record Pimp Ben for this one. This is a rare example of an American pressing of another smashing band from Winnipeg. You want fuzz? You got fuzz!

5) Give Me Lovin’ – Great Scots – Epic

Why stop now with the Canadian 60s scene? I have to thank my friend Felix for selling me this prestine example of this 45 from a band from Halifax, Nova Scotia.

6) Just a Little Bit of Oh Yeah – Martin Martin – RCA Victor

Yet  another example of Canadian talent with this French Quebec artist. He was also known as Martin Hill, Billy and Billy Blue. There is also a very rare version of this song in French. If you are fluent in French, have a look at my friend Felix’s great blog post about this elusive man.

7) She’s Mine - The Children of Darkness – Royce

This made a bit of a dent in the wallet but I have no regrets because this is a real 2-sider. In fact, the B-side is my favorite. How can you not love a song titled Sugar Shack A Go-Go? It reminds me of home.

8) Hay Girl – Chyld –  Warner Bros.

To continue with the children theme, this is another killer 2-sider from this Ohio band. I was very glad to put my hands on this perfect promo copy.

9) Stop And Listen - The Shag – Capitol

This 1967 stomping, fuzz infused Garage goodness is said to be one of the first anti-drug rock songs to be recorded. All I know is that I'm ready for another dose of The Shag!

 10) Don’t Want To Cry – The Buckinghams

This is the Chicago based band's second single, released in 1966.  A lot harder to find then their first hit Kind of a Drag and definitely one of their best.  This baby came from my buddy record collector and DJ extraordinaire Ty Jesso. Thank you brother!

The pickin’ Gods were good to me last year. Let’s just hope 2012 is half as good as 2011 was.

Having a Mod wedding: Part II - That's entertainment

I mentioned in Preparing a Mod Wedding that music was the central theme for our special day. We basically based the ceremony on a Soul and Rock concert with us being the main act.

One of the hardest decisions we had to make had to do with the songs we would play walking down the aisle. I finally settled on The Precisions’ 1964 Northern Soul hit (Just Like) Romeo & Juliet. I just love that song. It’s upbeat, funny and accurately reflects my quirky personality.

 

I wasn’t looking for a solonel march to the alter. I wanted to burst in dancing and singing. And that’s exactly what I did. I think the “audience” was pleasantly surprised when Ben, Eric and Christophe jumped up and joined me as my back vocals, swaying to the beat in harmony.

Nikki walked in on one of our all-time favorite songs, It Must Be Love by Madness. No Here comes The Bride for her! It took my lovely lady a while before settling on that song. It’s easy to fall in the tacky and cliché trap. When she revealed her final choice to me, I had no idea she even liked that song. I was elated! The most important part was that I hadn’t associated that song to an ex-girlfriend.

The exit song was quickly picked. All Day And All of The Night by The Kinks was an obvious choice for us. We didn’t want your typical slow paced romantic tune. We wanted to leave on a bang! Obviously, we didn’t take the traditional route. Besides, this was far from being a traditional ceremony. So as soon as I kissed the bride, we put on our shades, turned around and rocked down the aisle. The party was on!

We opted for Signed, Sealed, Delivered by the legendary Stevie Wonder to be introduced for the first time as husband and wife. “Here I am baby. Signed, sealed, delivered. I’m yours,” sounds pretty appropriate for the occasion.

DJ Papa Bill took care of setting the mood during dinner spinning the best sweet soul music the 60s had to offer.

To kick off the evening’s festivities, I had a little surprise in store for the bride. I had been practicing for a month, in secret, a song that is one of our guilty pleasures. Appropriately enough, I sang Adam Sandler’s ballad I Wanna Grow Old With You from the movie The Wedding Singer. Far from a being a Mod classic, my partner in crime, guitarist Daniel Fiocco from Mod band Le Chelsea Beat, gave it a definite 60s groove. I might not have the sweet voice of Otis Redding or the power vocals of a Roger Daltrey but the important thing is that my wife seemed to genuinely enjoy it. I think I pulled it off!

We were very fortunate to have 3 great live acts as the night’s bona fide entertainment. First was my mate Eric’s band, Les Séparatwists. They gave us quite a performance. With classic hits like Peter Gunn, the James Bond and the Pink Panther theme, they had the floor packed in no time. I was touched when my father came up to me and said: “They’re amazing! I could listen to them all night.” I think the band was quite surprised when they were asked for an encore. The acclaim was well-deserved.

Next was Ben & Zoë, better known as The Soul Distributors. Black Clouds was to be our first dance. Let me tell you how amazing this 16-year-old singer is. Picture Amy Winehouse full of potential AND sober. When Ben sent me a link to his demo on YouTube, we both fell in love with his original composition. How can you not? Now if these guys don’t hit it big one day, there’s something wrong with this world. I’m just proud to say that they had their first public performance at our wedding. You should also check out Ben’s Soul record label in the making Papa Bill Records for updates.

Our final act of the evening was my favorite Power Pop French Mod trio, Kid Sentiment. They were dynamic to say the least. The added privilege you get when you tie the knot is that you get to ask the band to play your favorite songs off their new album. Available on iTune, give them a listen.

With the crowd warmed up, I had no problem keeping the guests moving with my own DJ set. Why DJ at your own wedding? I don’t know. I guess I like to see friends and family enjoy themselves and knowing that I lit the fire.

Eric took over and had no problem keeping the floor packed until the wee hours of the night.

Now that it's all said and done, I wouldn't change a thing. Except maybe for the fact that a had raging fever the whole night. But that must the effects of love. Now, off into the sunset...

Le Chelsea Beat, keeping the Mod flame burning in Montreal

I'm glad to report that my city has nothing to envy other larger cities when it comes to the indie music scene. We have a bubbling talent pool here that never ceases to impress me. Le Chelsea Beat is the perfect example.

This talented bunch of seasoned musicians deliver a powerful punch of Mod infused garage beat. They do not hide the fact that they have a serious inclination towards the 60s sound and that's the way we like it. Seamlessly switching between obscure garage covers and original material, they can also easily alternate between French and English.

When I asked Stéphane Courval, guitarist for the group, where his love for 60s music came from, he gave me an answer indicative of the Mod Revival generation. "It's from 80s Montreal Garage bands like The Gruesomes and Déjà Voodoo that I got introduced to that sound. It pushed me to explore further and I ended up discovering great bands from that era. Local radio DJs like Mimi la Twisteuse at CISM and Phil Flipped Out at CKUT also had a big impact. I use to tape their shows and take notes of all the bands that I liked".

Stéphane Courval

With six members overtaking the stage, it's no wonder they have a commanding presence. Nowadays, it's not common to see 3 band members sharing the guitar duties. When asked who was the lead guitarist for the group, Stéphane was quick to point out that they don't really have one: "It's the most harmonious and democratic group I've ever been part of. There's no big egos or drama. When someone is interested in doing a particular solo for instance, he shares it with the group and he does it. It's as simple as that."

One thing you can't fault them on is their attention to detail. Their look is almost as important as playing vintage instruments. Daniel Fiocco, who's been collecting vintage guitars, sports a stunning 1966 Gibson Es-330td. He's also responsible for providing lead singer Pat Meteor with a 12-string British made Burns Baldwin Double Six. According to the date stamped on the pickguard, it was made on January 26, 1966. How more Mod can you get?

"They just don't sound the same,” says Stéphane. "They have a certain feel. You can pull different tones and effects from vintage instruments that you wouldn't get otherwise. It's all part of being authentic." The 12-string is certainly a nice touch and something you don't see every day. It does kick it up a notch and adds another dimension.

Michael Cowan, keyboardist for the group might not be playing a vintage Hammond B3 but he's undeniably a pivotal member of the group. He provides a certain energy that cements the group together. I definitely wouldn't want to negate any of the other's efforts so you'll simply have to come and see them live.

François Gagner on drums and Daniel Fiocco mastering the Gibson

And if you don't get that chance, no need to worry, they are currently working on an album with at least a dozen titles in various stages of recording. One thing is certain, once the album is ready, you'll hear about it here first.

In the meantime, check out this video of their Halloween show.

A Mod Invasion on the Roots Rock Rebel show

When you want to listen to music on the radio that stays clear from the commercial crap that spews from the public airways these days, you have to dig deep. In the last few years, I've turned to some of the best free podcasts the web has to offer. Shows like Dave Smith's Soul and Reggae Show out of the UK, Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World out of the USA, Bonjour Mr Phelps direct from France and the UK based The Modcast are all worth a listen.

I certainly don't see myself returning to the days when I walked my dog Jedi, two times a day, without my indispensable iPod. I can live without a lot of things, but not without my iPod. But when it comes to the trusty FM radio, the Roots Rock Rebel show on CKUT 90.3 FM has a lot to offer. Host Aaron Lakoff will have you hooked on a well balanced diet of Ska, Rocksteady, Reggae, Soul and good old fashion Punk Rock. I always admire people who give the local alternative scene a platform and a place to shine without neglecting the classics. I believe we both have that in common.

So it was quite a pleasure for me to be asked to join him on his Wednesday night rumba. I got to spend half an hour spreading the word of Mod and spinning a few 45s. Of course it's hard to span three generations of Modernism in 30 minutes and you are doomed to only scratch the surface but I had a great time.

Like on any live show, you are bound to make a couple of dumb mistakes. First, when I played my 7" reissue of The High Numbers , I forgot that it's actually played at 33rpm. It's a good thing I caught my mistake in the first few seconds or the listeners would have heard a sped up version of Zuit Suit. No harm, no foul. Plus, the way the decks were set up, they weren't close to the microphones. So when I attempted to bring one closer so I could chat between tracks, it broke off the stand. I was left holding the mic the rest of the set. You have to love live radio!

Regardless of the goofy mishaps and the fact that I'm not as comfortable speaking in English as I am in French, I hope to be invited again some time soon. I was very grateful for the opportunity I was given to introduce the blog to the airwaves.

If you want to hear the show, it's available for download here. I was on the March 30th show.

Root Rock Rebel archives

Make sure to tune in live to Roots Rock Rebel on CKUT 90.3 FM every Wednesday night from 10:30 to midnight. You can also stream the show on the web. http://www.ckut.ca/ For the latest news, gossip and info, check out the CKUT's Roots Rock Rebel Facebook group.

Searching for Northern Soul in the South

Memphis might not have been the gold mine every Mod record collector dreams of, but that didn't stop me from enjoying every second I spent in this city so rich in musical history. To get a sense of Memphis' contribution to the world of blues, R&B, Soul and Rock, I highly recommend spending a few hours in the Memphis Rock N Soul Museum. 

Significant pieces of Rock and Soul history will make any Mod wish he had them in his collection. A great feature of the museum is that you have a chance to listen to every piece of music that is featured in the displays on a portable MP3 player that is provided.

Aside from the other obvious tourist attractions like Stax, Sun Studios and Graceland, you have charming neighborhoods that wait around every corner. And like with almost every city I visit, it's always towards the end of the trip that I discover those hidden jewels. I hate leaving a city before I felt its soul and seen its underbelly.

Elvis worked at the Orpheum Theatre as a teenager

Sunset on the Mississippi from the rooftop terrace of the Madison Hotel

Madison Hotel lobby

Nice touch. Found in our room at the fine Madison Hotel

Entertainment on Beale Street. When was the last time you saw a Big Band live?

Food, beer and tattoos all in one convenient place

Memphis is also known for a tragedy that has left a mark on US history. A short 15-minute walk from our hotel is the Lorraine Motel, site of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King on April 4, 1968. 

The Lorraine Motel is now the location of the National Civil Rights Museum. Make sure you set aside a few hours for a visit. It's a must. These places always leave me with more questions then answers. One thing is certain, I always end up being moved.

Finally, I had time to check out one last record shop. Audiomania is located at 1698 Madison Avenue, it's a short walking distance from the better-known Shangri-La Records. Not a flashy place by all means but it's still worth checking out. 

I would not bet on the chance of finding mint copies of ultra rare records but I did come up with a nice selection of 60s Garage and Soul 45s. You'll have to go through a few boxes of dusty singles, half of them sleeveless, to find something decent but your patience shall be rewarded eventually. They won't be in the best condition but I found that they were usually priced accordingly.

- Bulldog - The Fireballs - Top Rank International

- Let's Party - Rhinoceros - Elektra Records

- Attack - the Toys - DynoVoice Records

- We Need An Understanding - Ike & Tina Turner - London Records

- Secret Agent Man - Johnny Rivers - IR Imperial

- I'm so lonely - Jackie Wilson - Brunswick Records

- I Don't Want To Know - The Mugwumps - Warner Bros Records

- Funky Street - Arthur Conley - Atco Records

- The Horse - Cliff Nobbles & Co. - Phil-L.A. of Soul Records

- Backfield In Motion - Mel & Tim - Bamboo Records

- Holy Ghost - The Barkays - Stax

- Hot Smoke & Sasafrass - The Bubble Puppy - International Artists Record