Guest Spots: Lisa Kekaula

Lisa and Bob onstage in Newcastle, 2016

When she's not leading her band The BellRays,  Lisa Kekaula is in demand as a guest vocalist. Her recording career started in 1990, when she and husband Bob Vennum released an LP as The Rosethorns called Ralph's Mom And Dad. This album was reissued in 2008 as Rosethorns by Bob & Lisa. 

The BellRays' self-titled cassette also came out in 1990. Both the cassette and the Rosethorns' LP were produced by Tony Bramel (aka Tony Fate), who was the frontman of early 80's punk band The Sins. Tony soon joined The Bellrays, and he and Vennum began writing songs that blended punk, soul, funk and garage rock influences.

In 2003, Lisa Kekaula was one of several guest vocalists on the Basement Jaxx album Kish Kash and The Crystal Method's Legion Of Boom. This was followed by further collaborations with Basement Jaxx, The Bloody Beetroots, and other EDM artists.

Lisa has also guested with some gnarly guitarists, including Detroit legends Dennis Coffey and Wayne Kramer. She sang with the DKT-MC5 for several years. 

In 2014, Stooges guitarist James Williamson released Re-Licked, with new versions of songs from Kill City. Again, Lisa Kekaula was one of the guest vocalists. The album was followed by a 2016 single of new songs by Kekaula and Williamson.

Lisa with Mark Arm and Wayne Kramer in 2006

Last year, The BellRays recorded a version of "Teaching You The Fear" for the Really Red tribute album. Lisa Kekaula and Bob Vennum host frequent online events, and January 2021, Lisa was a guest on Lydia Lunch's podcast. 

Christmas is coming, and The BellRays have an album of seasonal songs! Like many artists, they had to cancel a lot of shows, so buy something from their store and make their Christmas a little brighter.

PHOTOS: The Northern Echo (top); Jim Dyson (bottom)

Guest Spots: Syd Straw

 

Syd Straw isn't a New Jersey native, but she was quickly adopted by the Hoboken scene when she gained notice as a singer with Anton Fier's group The Golden Palominos. Soon she was recording and performing with Coyote Records and Bar/None artists like Chris Stamey, Peter Holsapple, James Mastro, Freedy Johnston, They Might Be Giants, The Schramms, and The Del-Lords.

If you need an introduction to her music, there's a great recent article in Perfect Sound Forever. As the writer says, Syd came out of nowhere but held her own with big names in rock, jazz and the downtown NYC no wave scene on those Palominos records.

Today's compilation includes some b-sides, contributions to tribute albums (including one for The Boss of NJ himself), and guest appearances on other artists' albums. Syd is a gifted harmony singer and a stellar duet partner, and she sings here with Joe Ely, Dave Alvin, Evan Dando, Jeff Tweedy, Eric Ambel, and others.

I recently discovered that Pat Irwin (Raybeats guitarist turned soundtrack composer) posted to Soundcloud his film score for a movie called My New Gun. Included were Syd's version of "That's When I Reach For My Revolver" and a lovely country ballad called "A Picture Of You". Both are included.

Most of the songs are from the 90's, with the exception of a track from 2018's Shoulder To Cry On (where Syd sings with Jimmer Podrasky, former frontman of The Rave-Ups), and her lovely contribution to the Mark Mulcahy tribute album. You may remember that Mark and Syd both appeared on the TV show The Adventures Of Pete & Pete, which took place in the fictional town of Wellsville (an Embarrassment reference!) but was filmed in the idyllic burbs of the Garden State.

Iggy Had A Birthday

Iggy Pop turned 73 this week, and Funhouse turns 50 this summer! What has Iggy been up to since his Guest Spots featured on this blog last year? Ever the busy man, he has been popping up on a diverse range of recent releases. 

In today's set, Iggy lends his voice to tracks by Argentine trio Fémina; Lebanese vocalist Yara Lapidus; contemporary jazz singers ALA.Ni, Thomas Dutronc and Diana Krall; young rockers Warmduscher and Cage The Elephant; and rapper Pan Amsterdam (an alias for Leron Thomas, who produced and played trumpet on Iggy's 2019 album Free).

Sean Lennon, Iggy Pop, and Yoko Ono waiting on a downbound train (2010)

Iggy and Leron Thomas perform the title tune for the recent Mose Allison tribute, If You're Going To The City. I also added a soundtrack appearance from the 2017 film Cornélius, le meunier hurlant (with Anaïs Demoustier), and my favorite song from Free. 

Iggy's duets with Chrissie Hynde and Vanessa Paradis were officially released in 2019, but were recorded years earlier, much like the Sly Stone cover that Iggy shared with the world this week. 

Speaking of duets, this is a fun video of a performance from a decade ago: Iggy joins the Plastic Ono Band (Yoko, Sean, Mike Watt, Nels Cline, and drummer Yuko Araki) to perform "Waiting On The D Train".

Cassandra Wilson Cornucopia!

In this final set, Cassandra Wilson sings the blues of Muddy Waters, J.B. Lenoir and Billie Holiday; sets to music the poetry of Maya Angelou ("Equality") and Ishmael Reed ("Sacred Ground"); and pays tribute to Duke Ellington and Stephen Sondheim. Musical collaborators include Don Byron, Courtney Pine, Steve Coleman, Dave Holland, and Mark O'Connor.

One of the things I admire most about Cassandra Wilson is the diversity of her work: she seems equally at home with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, avant jazz groups like M-Base or David Murray's Black Saint Quartet, and the alt-country of Blackie and the Rodeo Kings.

Guest Spots: Cassandra Wilson In A Contemporary Mood

Here's a set of Cassandra Wilson collaborations with a more contemporary feel. Styles range from jazz and soul to hip hop. The oldest song is from 1981, and the most recent was released in 2015. A few covers (of the Beatles and Prince) are included.

Cassandra Wilson was born in Mississippi. I believe she started her recording career in New Orleans with a Latin jazz group called Jasmine. She moved to New York City in 1982, and soon became involved with the M-Base Collective. 

After nine solo albums, Cassandra signed with Blue Note in 1993, and found immediate success with Blue Light Til Dawn. She has released another ten albums since then. Cassandra Wilson's next album will be titled Jupiter Rising. Hopefully it will be out soon, with some tour dates as well!

Guest Spots: Cassandra Wilson Sings Standards

Today is the birthday of Cassandra Wilson, one of our greatest living singers. Several sets from her stellar musical career are on the way, but let's start with standards, shall we?

Ms. Wilson is an outstanding interpreter of jazz, rock, blues and country music. Her 1995 album New Moon Daughter opened with the tragic "Strange Fruit" and concluded with a breathtaking version of Neil Young's "Harvest Moon" -- and in between, Cassandra performed unique readings of Hank Williams, Son House, "Love Is Blindness" and "Last Train To Clarksville", as well as stellar originals such as "Solomon Sang".

Today we have a collection of songs that have been essayed by innumerable balladeers over numerous decades. As with other features in this blog's "Guest Spots" series, these songs are not drawn from the artist's own albums. Cassandra Wilson has collaborated with many musicians, and has contributed songs to soundtracks and tribute albums. Romantic jazz isn't the usual fare around here, but hopefully you will find as much pleasure as I do in the richness of this extraordinary voice.

Guest Spots: Prince Far I

For the who-what-where-when-why on the man called Prince Far I, look no further than his tune with Singers & Players, "Autobiography". He describes his youth and education in St. Jago de la Vega (Spanish Town), his musical beginnings with the sound system called Sir Mike the Musical Dragon, and his recording debut as Sir Cry Cry. 

Prince Far I started his own label, Cry Tuff, and formed a partnership with a UK label called Hitrun, where a young Adrian Sherwood was working. Hitrun released the first Cry Tuff Dub Encounter in 1978, and 1979's Dub To Africa (both credited to Prince Far I & The Arabs).  The Arabs were The Roots Radics, and the albums were produced by Prince Far I himself (with the exception of Sherwood's production on Dub Encounter Chapter III).

"The Voice Of Thunder" can be heard on On-U Sound releases by African Head Charge, Singers & Players, Dub Syndicate, and 2 Badcard. Sadly, the musical collaborations between Prince Far I and Adrian Sherwood ended when the man born Michael Williams in Spanish Town was killed in his Kingston home in 1983 at the age of 39.  It is said that the gunmen waited to attack until after he watered his garden. Where will the wicked run to on that last day?

Pictured: Prince Far I reading the Sherwood family Bible (from a photo by Kishi Yamamoto).

Guest Spots: Mark E. Smith

You think it's the pipes, but who turns on the lights?

I wanted a new Fall album. It's a pointless thing to wish for: Mark E. Smith died a year ago today. Reissues and live Fall albums continue to appear. The Fall's discography is so extensive that only a sad and greedy bastard such as I could want more.

I just wanted to hear Mark's voice again, so I compiled a mix of his guest appearances. Some of these were collected on A World Bewitched (2001), but Smith continued to collaborate with a range of artists over the next decade and a half, including Mouse On Mars, Gorillaz, Einar Örn, and the Greek collective DNA.

One of the earliest singles that MES appeared on was "(I'm) In Deep" by Coldcut (1989), which was transformed into "Telephone Thing" on The Fall's album Extricate. Another song that took Smith's voice to the dance floor was "Plug Myself In" by D.O.S.E. (1996), an alias for Simon Spencer.  

Mark fired Spencer and his production partner Kier Stewart during the sessions for The Fall's album Levitate. The song "4 1/2 Inch" was a deconstruction of Spencer and Stewart's work, and they retaliated with the unauthorized release of the Inch EP in 1999.

Another interesting collaboration led to the song "Blow Up Muscles" from Sex Drugs And HIV, an album recorded over the course of 15 years with the involvement of more than 200 musicians. Mark E. Smith and Steve Hanley were joined on "Blow Up Muscles" by Roddy Radiation (The Specials) and Mike Spenser (The Cannibals) on guitar, with John Otway on theremin! Cor, baby!

Mark and Ginger (love the Albertos tee!)

In 2013, Ginger Wildheart invited MES to the studio where Mutation was recording the album Error 500, which also featured Shane Embury (Napalm Death), Jon Poole (Cardiacs), and Merzbow (!)

Ed Blaney continued to have a good  relationship with Smith after leaving The Fall, unlike many of "The Fallen". Smith & Blaney made several records, including a World Cup single. An appearance on Blaney's album Urban Nature (2016) was the last of Mark E. Smith's guest spots.

Jeffrey Lewis released a live CD this month called 13 Fall Songs, and a group called the Hannah Barbaras has covered "Look, Know" as a pay what y'wanner cancer fundraiser thingy. 

Guest Spots: Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop has a recording career that spans half a century. In addition to his albums with The Stooges and as a solo artist, he has made numerous appearances on tribute albums, soundtracks, and other artists' records.

Iggy has collaborated with Fatboy Slim, Bill Laswell, Ministry, Slash, Buckethead, Was Not Was, Medeski Martin & Wood, Peaches, NRBQ's Terry Adams, Danger Mouse and Sparklehorse, among others. Iggy has covered songs by Black Flag, Betty Davis, Nick Cave, Yoko Ono, the Who, the Monochrome Set, Eddie Cochran and Duke Ellington. 

He has participated on tributes to Cole Porter, Junior Kimbrough, Don Covay, Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and the Black Keys; and benefits for The West Memphis Three and The David Lynch Foundation. Iggy has also appeared on Christmas records by William Shatner, Kylie Minogue, and Michel Legrand (not to mention the holiday chestnut, "Jesus Loves The Stooges").

He has contributed original songs to numerous movies (everything from a Bond film to Robert Altman's Short Cuts, Johnny Depp's disastrous The Brave, Arizona Dream, and the theme to last year's Gold) as well as TV shows (including Peaky Blinders, True Blood, and Vinyl). Iggy has lent his distinctive baritone to animation (Persepolis and Lil' Bush), video games, and spoken word (from Poe and Walt Whitman to William S. Burroughs). 

In the last two decades, Iggy has become quel francophone, recording classic chansons and composing songs inspired by Michel Houellebecq. He has sung with Anaïs Demoustier, Demi Mondaine, Françoise Hardy, Lulu Gainsbourg, and Emmanuelle Seigner. 

Iggy has also appeared on records with Misia from Portugal, Songhoy Blues from Mali, the late Israeli singer Ofra Haza, Les Rita Mitsouko, Os Mutantes member Sergio Dias, Japanese guitarist Tomoyasu Hotei, Sweden's Teddybears, and German artists Millenia Nova, Tarwater, and WestBam.  

I posted an earlier version of these mixes on another blog in 2016, but Iggy has been a prolific collaborator since then; most recently with Underworld, Josh Homme, and the jazz trio of Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, and Bobby Previte.

Guest Spots: Hollie Cook

Ari, Tessa, and Hollie

This has been a busy year for Hollie Cook: her third album Vessel Of Love (produced by Youth) was her first to be released in the US (on Merge Records). She has a new single, a version of "Sweet Like Chocolate" (a UK #1 hit for Shanks & Bigfoot in 1998).  Mad Professor's upcoming compilation album Queens Of Ariwa includes another new Hollie track, "Sunshine Holiday".

Hollie is also in demand as a guest vocalist, and she sings on new releases by The Orb, Gentleman's Dub Club, the Rotten Hill Gang, and They Say Jump (the latter featuring Hollie's longtime drummer and deejay Horseman). 

Paulie and Hollie

Hollie Cook's mother is a singer, and her father is apparently also a musician of some sort. She has shared stages with Ari Up and Mick Jones, and both Jah Wobble and Keith Levene guested on Vessel Of Love. 


Hollie and Charles Rowell from the group Crocodiles had a duo called Psychic Dancehall (Fall fan alert!) They recorded versions of "He Hit Me (And It Felt Like A Kiss)" and "Long Lost Lover" (originally by the Love Joys) on their 2011 album Dreamers. 

Hollie has also covered The Whispers' "And The Beat Goes On", the Shangri-Las' "Walking In The Sand", the Classics IV's 1968 hit "Spooky", the Andrews Sisters' oldie "For Me You Are" and the Carpenters' "Superstar".  She contributed a version of "You Know I'm No Good" to an Amy Winehouse tribute album. Hollie shares with Pearl Harbour and Amy Winehouse an appreciation for the girl groups of the 60's. I shared Hollie's version of Rachel Sweet's "It's So Different Here" in my last post.

Hollie Cook has immense talent as a songwriter and performer. Her records evoke the pre-digital days of classic reggae and lovers rock. Her lovely voice recalls the pure and simple charms of singers like Caroll Thompson, Susan Cadogan and Dawn Penn. Hollie prefers to call her own music "tropical pop". I highly recommend all three Hollie Cook albums, and the dub LP produced by Prince Fatty.