The Grip Weeds Extraordinary "Soul Bender"

A new disc from New Jersey’s psychedelic pop/rock heroes The Grip Weeds is always cause for celebration. They're one of my favorite bands, and their latest release, Soul Bender, is a magnificent record that will, rock you, inspire you, delight you, and soothe your soul in equal measure. The songs on this phenomenal album are overflowing with scintillating guitars, thundering bass, high energy drums, captivating vocals and gorgeous harmonies that harken back to the classic rock of the 1960s, while also sounding fresh and contemporary. Soul Bender is one of the best rock and roll albums of the year, and it deserves a regular spot in your listening rotation, as well as a permanent one in your record collection.

The Grip Weeds lineup is comprised of Kurt Reil on drums and vocals, his wife Kristen Pinell Reil on lead guitar and vocals, Kurt’s brother Rick Reil on guitar, keyboard and vocals, and their long-time friend Dave DeSantis on bass and vocals. You can feel their unbridled enthusiasm at creating and playing music together. Their undeniable chemistry as a band is evident in every note, song and arrangement on Soul Bender, which was produced by Kurt at the band’s home base, the House of Vibes studios.

The record kicks off with the kinetic title track, an ode to love and musical inspiration, featuring dizzying guitars, high energy drums and impassioned vocals. That amazing opener is followed by “Flowers For Cynthia,” one of my favorite tracks on the record, a groovy baroque pop confection whose retro soundscape brings to mind the sounds of The Zombies, The Beatles and The Left Banke in equal measure. The dynamic “Spinning The Wheel” has a modern rock aura, while “Promise (Of The Real)” is an emotional tale of lost love, featuring strong vocal performances by Kurt and Kristen.

Soul Bender is filled with fantastic songs, including the hard-rocking “Conquer and Divide” and “Fragmented,” which have an edgier vibe than some of the more retro-imbued Grip Weeds tunes. Both tracks include some excellent instrumental work from Rick and Dave. “Gene Clark (Broken Wing)” successfully evokes the classic sound of The Byrds while paying tribute to the late guitarist and co-founder of that beloved band. The extraordinary “Someone In Love” is a revised version of “Your Love” the first song ever written by Kurt Reil. This wonderful tune has a definite Beach Boys meets early Beatles feel and sound to it, while the gritty “Wake Up Time” is an energetic, garage rock infused number that really kicks out the jams.

Every track on Soul Bender is worthy of multiple spins, including the sparkling, girl group styled “If You Were Here,” and the anthemic album closer “Love Comes In Different Ways” which joyously celebrates...love in true Beatles-esque fashion. To put it simply, Soul Bender rocks. It's an awe-inspiring, soul-satisfying record which showcases the talents of The Grip Weeds and elevates their already top-notch songwriting and performing skills to new heights. Soul Bender is out now on JEM Records: https://jemrecordings.com/. You can find out more about the The Grip Weeds and this phenomenal record at : https://www.gripweeds.com/.

Johnny J. Blair's Journey To The Sun

Johnny J. Blair is a multi-talented singer, songwriter and producer whose wide-ranging sound encompasses a variety of musical genres, including pop, rock, soul and jazz. He’s released some excellent records, including I Like The Street, Door in The Water and Grateful. Blair’s latest project is a sci-fi themed album entitled We’re Getting Closer To The Sun. Fans of artists like King Crimson, The Moody Blues, ELO, and Pink Floyd and should really dig this phenomenal record. We’re Getting Closer To The Sun is something of a sci-fi concept album, with themes ranging from a more hopeful, non-dystopian vision of the future, to love, faith and questions of mortality.

Several tracks on the disc have a 1960s feel, including the title track and “A Place Across The Sky.” These terrific songs feature very cool guitar work and atmospheric production, recalling the aura of classic Jimmy Webb penned songs like Glen Campbell’s “Witchita Lineman.” The outstanding “Letting Go” and “Changing of the Guard” continue the 1960s aesthetic, and are spiritually influenced by the music of bands like The Moody Blues, The Bee Gees, and The Beatles, with a bit of glam rock and folk thrown into the mix. The album includes a fantastic cover of the David Bowie classic “Space Oddity,” on which Blair and his fellow musicians manage to deftly balance staying faithful to the original while absolutely giving the song some original touches as well.


Blair’s ethereal compositions also display some Laurel Canyon-esque touches, especially on the reflective “They Were There For You” and the powerful “I See The Angels Comin’ Round.” There’s a definite psychedelic vibe throughout the record, as evidenced by the presence of Mellotron and Stylophone. The remarkable tunes on We’re Getting Closer To The Sun feature sci-fi themed lyrics and concepts, and Blair has said that the album is influenced by a lot of classic science-fiction including the C.S. Lewis space trilogy, Alexander Key’s novel The Forgotten Door, and Nigel Kneale’s tales of Professor Quatermass. Like all of the best science-fiction stories, the music on this fabulous album is as much about love, faith and relationships as it is about spaceships, aliens and far out ideas.

We’re Getting Closer To The Sun is an extraordinary record. Concept albums are tough to pull off, and there are a quite a few rock and roll artists who’ve tried their hand at the genre throughout the years, including The Who, The Kinks, Genesis, Frank Zappa, Nine Inch Nails, and Green Day. Along with a group of talented musical collaborators which includes Prairie Prince, Mike Roe, and Chris Von Sneidern, “Singer At Large” Johnny J. Blair has managed to create a compelling album that will touch your heart, inspire your soul and have you reaching for the replay button to re-experience these amazing songs. You can check out We’re Getting Closer To The Sun at bandcamp by following this link: https://johnnyjblairsingeratlarge.bandcamp.com/album/new-album-were-getting-closer-to-the-sun.

Retro Science Fiction TV Series: UFO

Ed Bishop in UFO

 

During the late 1950s and on through much of the 1960s, the husband-and-wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson created some of the most exciting children's shows on television, including Stingray, Fireball XL-5 and Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons. These series all featured top notch puppet and model work, and exciting action sequences. The Anderson series from this period that most US viewers remember is Thunderbirds, about a team of adventurers who rescued people in peril all around the world. By the late 1960s, the Andersons decided to branch out into live-action, and they produced a film called Doppelganger, aka Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, starring Roy Thinnes as an astronaut who returns from a spaceflight only to find he's landed, not on Earth, but on a parallel version of our world.

Their next project was UFO, a science-fiction adventure series about a secret organization called SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization) battling alien invaders who are visiting our planet for nefarious purposes, including stealing our organs to prolong their lives. The series starred Ed Bishop (who'd done voice work for the Andersons), George Sewell, Gabrielle Drake and Michael Billington. Bishop played Ed Straker, the head of SHADO, who commanded the group's forces on Earth (which were hidden beneath a movie studio) as well as their base located on the moon. UFO is fondly remembered by fans of a certain age for the excellent special effects by Derek Meddings, some groovy 1970s style fashions (designed by Sylvia Anderson) and the very cool theme music, provided by Barry Gray, a frequent contributor to projects produced by the Andersons.

The show was aimed at a more adult audience than previous Anderson efforts like Fireball XL-5, and was considerably darker in tone. Several episodes dealt not only with the ongoing conflict with the alien invaders, but focused on the personal lives of the SHADO crew, and the toll their job took on their personal lives. For example, the episode "A Question of Priorities" highlights a pivotal moment in Straker's life, as he makes a difficult choice between his family and his work at SHADO. Other entries dealt with ESP, corporate espionage and even a murder plot which was interrupted by the arrival of an alien. The cast was uniformly excellent, and featured several familiar faces in guest roles, including Jane Merrow, Jean Marsh and Lois Maxwell.

The series aired in England in 1970 and was syndicated in the US in 1972. While initial ratings in the States were strong, they dropped off towards the end of the run, which ended plans for a second season of the show. Originally, the new season would have mostly featured episodes set on SHADO's moonbase. Gerry Anderson re-worked this concept into what later became Space:1999, starring Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. UFO has aired throughout the years in syndication and on cable stations. Invasion: UFO, a 1980 film compiled from several episodes, was released overseas in cinemas and on cable in the US. UFO has also been issued on various home video formats, most recently on Blu-ray from Imprint Films. Here's a trailer for that release: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap2e-_bQ918. If you're a fan of 1970s sci-fi, or Gerry Anderson's other series, UFO is definitely work a look.