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In: Roy Estrada
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Roy was an original member of The Soul Giants, the band that recruited a Frank Zappa as guitarist and consequently mutated into The Mothers of Invention. He then teamed up with Lowell George and formed Little Feat, although he does appear on several albums during the 70’s playing bass on tracks here and there. He was recruited into the Magic Band to supplement Rockette Morton’s bass playing and to allow Rockette to play guitar for live shows. Roy toured the US and Europe with the Magic Band in 1972 and 1973 providing an unmoving, brooding and solid presence. He played on The Spotlight Kid andRead More →

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In: Harry Duncan
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Harry Duncan was not strictly speaking a member of the Magic Band but he was Don’s manager from 1976 to 1978 and did perform on stage with them. He played additional harmonica on “Grow Fins”, and would recite a version of “The Blimp” while wearing a mask. No information available about what he’s been doing since then, although he did host a music show on KUSF fairly recently Harry Duncan releases 1977 US Vinyl The Tubes : Now on A&M SP-3243. Don is supposed to be playing harmonica on the track “Golden Boy” but there is a strong possibility that it is actually Harry Duncan! 1987Read More →

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In: Greg Davidson
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Greg played guitar in a the short-lived version of the Magic Band that was put together for the Knebworth Festival in July 1975 supporting Pink Floyd. This band also played a couple of shows at the Roxy in Los Angeles. Greg still plays guitar and occasionally performs in his home town of Chicago. In 2008 he posted a couple of short videos on You Tube of himself playing. One of these includes some scorching slide work. He has also contributed extensive guitar parts on John French’s City of Refuge album. An interview with Greg about his time with the Magic Band was conducted by SteveRead More →

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In: Jeff Cotton
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Jeff probably has the distinction of recording with a band at an earlier age than any other Magic Band member. He began his first band The Exiles when he was only 14 and they released their debut single within a few months. When this band fell apart in 1966 he played with several unrecorded bands – The Allusions, Blues In A Bottle (with John French, Mark Boston and later Bill Harkleroad) – before joining the Magic Band in 1967. An unfortunate incident resulted in Jeff quitting the band during 1969 after the recording of Trout Mask. When he’d recovered he hooked up with former ExilesRead More →

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In: Mark Boston
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Originally from Salem, Illinois Mark’s family moved to the High Desert town of Lancaster in California in 1963. His father worked in a local grain factory and also played bass as well as steel guitar. This perhaps explains Mark’s ability on the bass – he’s one of the few rock bassists who really know how to use the instrument. By 1966 Mark was playing bass in John French’s Blues In A Bottle band alongside Jeff Cotton on guitar. He also played in B.C. & The Cavemen with Bill Harkleroad on guitar. French, Cotton and Harkleroad all got their call up to the Magic Band. FinallyRead More →

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In: Jimmy Carl Black, Pachuco Cadaver
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Engene Chadbourne & Jimmy Carl Black Pachuco Cadaver FIRE ANT FACD1007 CD Various Artists The Music Of Captain Beefheart Live ULTIMATE AUDIO ENTERTAINMENT UAE DISC3 CD In June 1993, Eugene Chadbourne and Jimmy Carl Black came to England and toured from Hoxton Square to Hebden Bridge. On route they recorded a session for Radio 3’s Mixing It. Guitarist and banjo player Chadbourne is a product of No Wave, turned around by hearing Derek Bailey. Long ago he recorded three albums of subversively comic free improvisation, then teamed up with John Zorn to tour America playing deranged Country music. Drummer Jimmy Carl Black was a founderRead More →

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In: Jimmy Carl Black, Pachuco Cadaver, Related releases
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Many thanks to James Silberbauer for providing all this information Track list Buggie Boogie Woogie Willie The Pimp Drop-out Boogie Sure ’nuff ‘n’ Yes I Do Clear Spot Steal Softly Through Sunshine Steal Softly Through Snowdrop (Excerpt from “Insect And Western” by EC) The Past Sure Is Tense Veteran’s Day Poppy (Including “Ponca War Song” trad. arranged by EC and several themes by Thelonious Monk) Chasin’ The Captain Jack (by EC) Based on a Kiowa Sioux lullaby (I’m Gonna Booglarize You, Baby) Pachuco Cadaver [This is actually split into 2 tracks on the CD] (Including La Rosa by EC) The Dust Blows Forward And TheRead More →

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TRIBUTE ALBUMS mostly suck, perhaps it’s appropriate that the music world’s most unlikely and reluctant icon should be given the “treatment” by one of our most inscrutable and willing iconoclasts. Joined by ex-Mothers Of Invention drummer Black, Chadbourne gets into a free-spirited and free-form state of mind we acolytes call “Beefheartian.” The duo nails it from the git-go with a sneaky update of “Buggy Boogie Woogie,” Chadbourne picking through a mutant jazzrock extrapolation and Black thrumming happily along. A country-blues “Willie The Pimp” and a bottle-neckin’ “Sure ‘Nuff ‘N’ Yes, I Do” follow. Then it’s time for the Trout Mask Replica portion of the program,Read More →

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Born in Texas, James Inckanish Jr. recorded his first single in 1962. After he moved to California he teamed up with Roy Estrada in The Soul Giants which became the Mothers of Invention under Frank Zappa’s leadership and JCB found eternal fame as “the Indian of the group”. As Indian Ink he was a second drummer in the short-lived Magic Band Don put together for the Knebworth and Roxy shows in July 1975. He has never recorded with the Magic Band. In a June 2000 interview with Alan Clayson JCB said:- … in 1975, I did a tour with Captain Beefheart.The difference between his musicRead More →

Herb Bermann then and now

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aka Herb Masters The search for the mystery co-songwriter from ‘Safe As Milk’ Of the 12 songs on the ‘Safe As Milk’ album 8 are co-credited to someone called Herb Bermann. Who was he? No-one at the time seemed to know, he wasn’t a member of the band, he didn’t co-write any songs on the following albums and he was never mentioned in interviews. Very strange. Some fans thought he may have been an anonymous staff-writer foisted on Beefheart to keep the lid on his eccentricity … or, maybe, he was a friend of the producer or an agent getting a cut of the royalties.Read More →

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In: Featuring Beefheart, Gary Lucas, Improve The Shining Hour
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Track list: Coming Clean (Gary Lucas, vocal) And The Ass Saw The Angel (Nick Cave, vocal) Spider Web (David Johansen, vocal) Dulce (Elli Medeiros, vocal) Flavor Bud Living Her Eyes Are A Blue Million Miles (Captain Beefheart, vocal) In A Forest (Gary Lucas, vocal) Judgement (Eric Mingus, vocal) Judgement At Midnight Theme Oat Hate Follow (Richard Barone, vocal) Astro Boy (Peter Stampfel & Gary Lucas, vocal) Indian War Whoop She Was Showing Me (Mary Margaret O’Hara, vocal) Ted’s Theme Golgotha (featuring DJ Spooky) Breath Of Bones (with Gods and Monsters) Listen, You Who Dare / Improve The Shining Hour Album overview from Graham Johnston Gary LucasRead More →

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In: 21st Century Magic Band, Reunion live shows
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The following gigs have all taken place. For news of upcoming concerts, please see the latest reunion news from the blog. 2003 UK, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Camber Sands, East Sussex Sunday 6th April 2003. This was recorded by the BBC and broadcast on John Peel’s Radio 1 Show and on Radio 3’s ‘Mixing It’ programme. See ATP photos taken by Janet The Planet (Denny Walley’s wife). UK, Shepherds Bush Empire, London Monday 7th April 2003. Photos taken by Ian Archer Photos taken by Daniel Frampton Photos taken by Geoff Geddes Photos taken by Cormac O’Donoghue A film of this show is available on the Crows Milk DVDRead More →

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In: 2003 04 07 Shepherds Bush Empire London, Live in Concert & Crow's Milk DVD, Videos and DVDs
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Containing both an 80 minutes live show from April 2003 recorded at Shepherds Bush Empire, London and a 50 minute documentary narrated by John Peel and directed by Elaine Shepherd, this PAL format DVD was a real treat when released in 2004 by Subdiva. Its only available second hand now – copies do regularly turn up at amazon.co.uk Update – November 2014: Copies are available from Proper Records You can read more and view both the films here at the Radar Station via YouTube: Live In Concert Crows Milk documentaryRead More →

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In: 21st Century Mirror Men
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Catalogue number: PRPCD026 Label: Proper Records Released: May 2005 Track list Matt Groening Introduction Moonlight On Vermont Floppy Boot Stomp Smithsonian Institute Blues (instrumental) Abba Zaba Circumstances On Tomorrow (instrumental) Steal Softly Thru Snow (instrumental) My Human Gets Me Blues (instrumental) Alice In Blunderland Hair Pie Grow Fins Veterans Day Poppy (instrumental) Mirror Man When It Blows Its Stacks Electricity Big Eyed Beans From Venus Album overview from Steve Froy The music was recorded live on tour and it features performances from the shows The Magic Band played in 2003 and 2004 at the Royal Festival Hall, The Garage, Edinburgh Liquid Room, and the ATPRead More →

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In: 21st Century Magic Band
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CDs Back to the Front Seventeen crackling tracks recorded live in the studio as the band rehearse for their live shows. Recorded: 2003 Released: 2003 See full Back To The Front info 21st Century Mirror Men Sixteen Beefheart favourites recorded live on tour at various venues plus a live DVD as bonus Recorded: 2003/4 Released: 2005 See full 21st Century Mirror Men info Oxford, UK – June 6, 2005 Eighteen stunning performances from one of John French’s favourite shows Recorded: 2005 Released: 2011 See full Oxford, UK – June 6 2005 info DVD Live in Concert and Crow’s Milk Excellent quality dvd with footage ofRead More →

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In: Back To The Front
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Catalogue number: ATPRCD7 Label: All Tomorrows Parties Released: July 2003 Track list My Human Gets Me Blues Click Clack Abba Zaba I’m Gonna Booglarize You Baby Sun Zoom Spark Alice In Blunderland Steal Softly Thru Snow Dropout Boogie Moonlight On Vermont Circumstances On Tomorrow Floppy Boot Stomp Hair Pie Nowadays A Woman’s Gotta Hit A Man When It Blows Its Stacks I Wanna Find A Woman… (Bonus Track) Sure Nuff n Yes I Do Album overview from Steve Froy Recorded in February 2003 at Paradoxx Sound Studios in Palmdale when John French, Mark Boston, Denny Walley and Gary Lucas were rehearsing for their series ofRead More →

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In: 21st Century Magic Band, Oxford UK June 6 2005
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Catalogue number: SC11212 Label: Sundazed Released: October 2011 Track list Gimme Dat Harp Boy Dropout Boogie Diddy Wah Diddy Low Yo Yo Stuff When It Blows Its Stacks Kandy Korn Hair Pie On Tomorrow (instrumental) China Pig Steal Softly Thru Snow (instrumental) Abba Zaba (instrumental) My Human Gets Me Blues (instrumental) Alice In Blunderland Electricity Evening Bell Floppy Boot Stomp Big Eyed Beans From Venus Mirror Man Sundazed blurb Famously forged in a cauldron of intense artistic pressure, Captain Beefheart’s Magic Band emerged as a group unlike any other in popular music. For this transcendental performance in Oxford, England on June 6th, 2005, founding memberRead More →

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In: Live in Concert & Crow's Milk DVD, Reunion, Reunion multimedia
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This show was available on the Magic Band’s Crow’s Milk DVD. Released in 2006 but now hard to find – second hand copies do turn up occasionally on amazon.co.uk. The film of the show was accompanied by the tour documentary entitled Crow’s Milk. Nearly twenty classic Beefheart compositions are rejuvenated on stage by five of the finest musicians who ever performed in The Magic Band. The playlist ranges from storming versions of crowd-pleasers such as ‘Moonlight On Vermont’ and ‘Big Eyed Beans From Venus’ to the intricate guitar work of ‘Evening Bell and the melodic ‘Alice In Blunderland’. Especially interesting are the instrumental versions of songs suchRead More →

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In: Live in Concert & Crow's Milk DVD, Reunion
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Crow’s Milk is a 50 minute documentary narrated by John Peel and directed by Elaine Shepherd which covers: The Magic Band rehearsals in California in February 2003 recording of the CD ‘Back To The Front’ the feelings of the band members about the project rehearsals in London for the two 2003 UK concerts concert and backstage footage from Camber Sands and Shepherds Bush. It was released on DVD in 2006 but can be hard to find now. Second hand copies do turn up occasionally on amazon.co.uk. The documentary was accompanied by the complete film of the London Shepherds Bush Empire show on 7 April 2003.Read More →

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In: Herb Bermann
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He wrote Plastic Factory, now he sells credit cards – the careers of a Zig Zag Wanderer Second telephone interview between Herb Bermann and Derek Laskie, Tuesday 10th February 2004 (see part one) In The Malibu Times piece you mention that you’ve done other collaborations with music. I was wondering what these might be. Oh gosh, I meet once or twice a year with several songwriters and musicians and we write new material. Marty Grebb, an original Buckingham from Lindsey Buckingham’s group in the sixties, Marty’s a one-man band. Marty toured with Bonnie Raitt for twenty-five years. Marty and I collaborate at least once orRead More →