A Psyche-Pop Christmas with The Grip Weeds

I'm a big fan of New Jersey's psyche pop heroes The Grip Weeds. I've previously raved about their work both at this blog, and in my other writing gig over at CultureSonar, https://www.culturesonar.com/. If you haven't yet heard their music, which is a spectacular mix of psychedelia, power pop and garage rock, it's time to check out superb albums such as How I Won The War, Trip Around The Sun, and their wonderful covers record,  DiG. The band's supremely talented lineup features Kurt Reil on drums and vocals, Kristin Pinell Reil on lead guitar and vocals, Rick Reil on guitar and vocals and Dave DeSantis on bass. With the holidays coming soon, you should also experience their musical brilliance on the recently released re-issue of their fabulous album, Under The Influence of Christmas, which is now available on JEM Records.

There are a plethora of Christmas records out there, but how many of them offer you that perfect mix of rocking originals, inspired re-workings of traditional classics, and fantastic reinterpretations of some well-known rock and roll holiday tunes? The Grip Weeds' Christmas celebration kicks off with the guitar-driven original "Christmas Dream," a terrific selection that wouldn't sound out of place on 1960s pop/rock radio during the holiday season. That's followed  by another Grip Weeds composition, the hard-rocking "Santa Make Me Good," which includes guest appearances by Mark Lindsay of Paul Revere and the Raiders, as well as Myke Scavone and Dar Francis of The Doughboys. This high-energy tune will have you playing air guitar and dancing around the room while you put up your holiday decorations. 

One of the best tracks on the album is an ethereal cover of one of my personal Yuletide favorites, "2000 Miles." The heartfelt rendition of this modern rock classic (originally recorded by The Pretenders) includes guest appearances by Jim Babjak and the late Pat DiNizio of The Smithereens. Vince Grogan of Buzzed Meg and Third of Never is featured on an acoustic-tinged version of Jethro Tull's "A Christmas Song" and The Left Banke's George Cameron checks in on "For The Holidays," another marvelous Grip Weeds original. Of course, no ultra cool holiday party would be complete without a psyche pop guest star, so Peter Horvath of The Anderson Council is along for the ride on a sensational garage rock run-through of "Welcome Christmas," from How The Grinch Stole Christmas which could turn even the Grinch himself into a power pop fan.

Under The Influence of Christmas also features The Grip Weeds' psychedelic flavored renditions of the holiday perennials "Hark The Herald Angels Sing" and "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" which are infused with heavenly vocals and jangly Byrds-esque guitars, touched off with some brilliant production work by Kurt Reil. This must have holiday record also includes the band's cover of Greg Lake's "I Believe In Father Christmas," Vince Montana's "Merry Christmas All" and the magical, positive energy filled original "Christmas, Bring Us." Under The Influence of Christmas is an extraordinary album from a phenomenal band. If you don't enjoy this dazzling record, your rock and roll heart must be two sizes too small! Under The Influence of Christmas is out now on JEM Records. For more about The Grip Weeds, head over to https://www.jemrecordings.com/, or https://www.gripweeds.com/. Here's a link to the promo video for the album release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrMz_o0KFo4.

Retro Movie: Occult Terror in "Equinox"

Edward Connell and Barbara Hewitt in Equinox

There are films that leave a lasting impression on you, especially if you first saw them as a young monster movie fan. Even if the film isn't considered a classic, like King Kong or The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms, there are movies that remain in your memory, because there's something about them that captures your imagination. For me, one such movie is Equinox (1970), a frightening tale of the supernatural that began life as a short film directed by Dennis Muren, who later worked on the special effects for films like Star Wars, The Abyss and Jurassic Park. Along with his friends Jim Danforth and Dave Allen (both of whom also went on to produce effects work for a number of films and TV series), Muren created a film titled The Equinox: A Journey Into The Supernatural (1967), which featured some excellent stop-motion animation, inspired by the celebrated work of Ray Harryhausen. The script for the film was penned by another member of Muren's circle, Mark Thomas McGee.

After an independent film company showed interest in distributing the movie, producer Jack H. Harris (The Blob, The 4D Man) hired director Jack Woods to shoot additional footage to expand the short film to feature length. The cast includes Edward Connell, Barbara Hewitt, Robin Christopher, and Frank Boers, aka Frank Bonner, who later co-starred on WKRP in Cincinnati. Fantasy author Fritz Lieber and director Woods also appear in supporting roles. Released in 1970, and retitled simply Equinox, the film concerns two couples who have a frightening encounter with the supernatural. As the film opens, a reporter visits David Fielding, a patient at a psychiatric facility. The reporter wants to interview him about a series of events that took place a year earlier, which led to the deaths of David's three friends, and left him in a catatonic state.

David's doctor plays the reporter a tape of an interview he conducted with the young man. David, his friend Jim Hudson, and their girlfriends Susan and Vicki, ventured into the woods to see Dr. Waterman, David's college professor. Waterman had asked David to visit, so he could share a discovery with him. The quartet don't find Dr. Waterman at first, but they do discover that his cabin is in ruins, and they find a mysterious book which seems to be able to conjure up dark, supernatural forces. There's a creepy park ranger named Asmodeus, who keeps following them around, and several monstrous creatures appear to terrorize our heroes. As a result of these chilling encounters, only David survives, and Asmodeus promises that, in a year and a day, David will also succumb to the forces of evil. It just so happens that the reporter is visiting David to talk about these experiences exactly one year and a day later!

Equinox displays its low-budget origins, and the cast sometimes shows its inexperience, but the film is eerie and atmospheric, and the effects sequences by Muren, Danforth and Allen are excellent. I first saw the movie in my younger days when it was shown on a late-night horror film showcase in the New York area. The movie has gained a solid cult following in the ensuing years, and both George Lucas and the late Ray Harryhausen, among others, have declared themselves fans of the film. In 2006, the movie was released on a two-disc special edition DVD as part of the prestigious Criterion Collection. In addition to showcasing the early work of a group of modern masters of special effects, Equinox definitely feels like a precursor and spiritual forefather to the original The Evil Dead (1981), directed by Sam Raimi. Here's a look at a vintage trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tctHCMAi8jw.

"Hit The Main Drag" with The Gold Needles

If you're missing the warmer weather and the recently ended good times of summer, why not cheer yourself up with a dose of rock and roll sunshine by listening to "Hit The Main Drag," the new single from The Gold Needles, recently released by JEM Records. This sparkling tune is a fantastic blast of energetic rock/pop from the band who dazzled us with the wonderful album What's Tomorrow Ever Done For You? back in 2021. This high energy song is firmly entrenched in the sounds of 70s and 80s power pop, entwined with the cool vibes of a classic rock and roll road tune. "Hit The Main Drag" is absolutely worth adding to your "cruising in the car" playlist.

The Gold Needles are based in England, and boast a talented lineup featuring Dave Burbage on lead and rhythm guitars, Mark English on synthesizers, Simon Dowson, vocals and rhythm guitars, Carl Slaughter on bass, and Will Jones on drums. "Hit The Main Drag," was penned by Burbage, Dowson and English, who came up with the melody and the chorus for the infectious tune. Download this outstanding track to your favorite device, and turn it up. You'll find yourself in a much brighter mood in no time! Check out the song by following this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkAsoViAuws. You can also head over to https://www.jemrecordings.com/ to find out more about the band, and learn about some of the other marvelous artists on JEM Records.