APRIL 2008

NEWS AND LOTS OF IT!

Greetings, Nortonians, on this 50th Anniversary day of the launching of Explorer 3, the first satellite with a tape recorder! I hear a new world, indeed! Too bad Joe "Telstar" Meek didn't notice the fact, being as he was too busy attending Tarot sessions with his pal Buddy Holly! Still, you can sing "Explorer 3" to the tune of "Telstar" with relative ease. Anyway, March blew our minds on both sides of the pond this go ‘round- with the SONICS blasting forth in London at the Bespoke Fest- their first time ever out of the US, and MARY WEISS of the Shangri-Las wailing with a killer show here at NYC’s Blender Theatre. Perfect example of what goes around, comes around - remember walking in the sand and also remember the fact that the Sonics backed Mary and the Shangs back in the Northwest in 1966!!

The Shangri-Las meet the Sonics, 1966!
Both acts dissolved into memory for too many years and now, simultaneously, on the very same night in fact, delivered blistering sets of pure rock n’ roll. NYC spot-on report: Mary’s vocals were absolute perfection and she kidded around with enough snappy banter to keep the audience cheerin’ and scrappin’ for more-more-more. She’s a smasher! Super treat was a surprise guest appearance of long absent sis and fellow-Shang Liz (“Betty, is she really going out with him?”) on “Leader of the Pack” and “Give Him A Great Big Kiss”. Click here for our jumbo Mary interview!
Read on , we have tons of new releases and tons of great shows starting... now!
NEW NORTON WAX • VINYL ONLY • SEVENS & TWELVES • ARRIVE APRIL 8
THE DICTATORS - MANIFEST DESTINY (Norton/Asylum 1109) Vinyl reissue of their 1977 Asylum platter comes complete with original doofus cover and incredible Andy Shernoff anthems like Science Gone Too Far, Exposed, Heartache, Young, Fast, Scientific and mo'! Complete your Dictators footlong collection!
...PLUS THREE WILD NEW NORTON SEVEN INCH KILLERS!
CHARLIE FEATHERS - WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO BEING APART/IF YOU WERE MINE TO LOSE (45-142) Two more powerful rockabilly offerings from the master! To be followed up by THREE big albums of rare and unreleased Charlie Feathers demos. Sorry for the long wait - we can't hardly stand it ourselves!
ROKY ERICKSON AND THE EXPLOSIVES – WAIT FOR YOU/I’VE JUST SEEN A FACE (Norton 45-143) Roky tears it up on a rousing Buddy Holly inspired original and delivers a wild one-off version of the Fabs classic on the flip! Both decks from Roky’s live Norton double LP HALLOWEEN.
THE BO-KEYS - CONGRATULATIONS/ROYAL PENDLETONS - TELL ME (45-9659) Our popular Rolling Stones 45 cover series continues with our 19th nervous breakdown, yes the 19th single in the series! This double dip of slow drag burners showcases the Mad Lads lead singer John Gary Williams teaming up with Memphis soul sensations the Bo-Keys on the terrific topside, while Southern slop lords the Royal Pendletons tell us they're coming back to us in grand style!
MAY RELEASES • MAKING LANDFALL NEXT MONTH! CHARLIE & ROKY!
Norton is very proud to present three full volumes of Charlie Feathers with rare and unissued performances spanning his entire career. This series has been much anticipated by rockabilly fans worldwide and the wait is over! Each set features liner notes by Mike Hurtt including interviews with Charlie’s family, friends and fellow musicians as well as unbelievable photos. Many rare titles are offered from master tapes for the first time since their initial release. TWENTY FIVE PERFORMANCES HAVE NEVER BEEN ISSUED ANYWHERE!!
"Charlie Feathers is the main reason there is and was Sun Records. I will always be a Charlie Feathers fan." - Johnny Cash
CHARLIE FEATHERS - WILD SIDE OF LIFE (Norton 332) Wild Side Of Life* / One More Time* / We’re Getting Closer To Being Apart* / Am I That Easy To Forget* / Pardon Me Mister* / Cockroach / I Want To Love You* / Wedding Gown Of White (1973 version) / Dig Myself A Hole* / ’Cause I Love You* / Frankie And Johnny* / Mound Of Clay / Why Pretend* / I Forgot To Remember To Forget / Man In Love / Folsom Prison Blues
CD adds... Release Me (with Junior Kimbrough) / Charlie Feathers Interview Part One

*=previously unissued

CHARLIE FEATHERS - HONKY TONK KIND (Norton 333) One Good Gal / Give Back All The Love You Gave* / Honky Tonk Kind* / I Can’t Seem To Remember To Forget* / If You Were Mine To Lose / I Lose My Mind* / Folsom Prison Blues* / We’re Getting Closer To Being Apart* / You Believe Everyone But Me / I Want To Love You* / Send Me The Pillow You Dream On / Cold Cold Heart* / Dinky John / Two To Choose / Dig Myself A Hole
CD adds Feel Good Again (with Junior Kimbrough) / Charlie Feathers Interview Part Two

*=previously unissued

CHARLIE FEATHERS - LONG TIME AGO (Norton 334) Jungle Fever / Frankie And Johnny* / She’s Gone* / That’s All Right / It’s Just That Song / Why Don’t You / Knoxville Girl / I Lose My Mind* / Jungle Fever / Long Time Ago* / I Want To Love You* / Will You Be Satisfied That Way* / Folsom Prison Blues / We’re Getting Closer To Being Apart* / South Of Chicago / Mound Of Clay
CD adds Lonesome Whistle / Charlie Feathers Interview Part Three

*=previously unissued
ROKY ERICKSON AND THE EXPLOSIVES – HALLOWEEN: RECORDED LIVE 1979-81 (Norton 337) Two Headed Dog / Don’t Shake Me Lucifer / Bermuda / The Wind And More / Starry Eyes / I Walked With A Zombie / Stand For The Fire Demon / Bloody Hammer / Wait For You / Wake Up To Rock And Roll / You’re Gonna Miss Me / Creature With The Atom Brain / I Think Up Demons / The Beast / I’ve Just Seen A Face / The Interpreter / White Faces / KLBJ Radio Ad

This howling live set from Roky and the Explosives’ original incarnation moves from horror classics (Creature With The Atom Brain), to Buddy Holly inspired rockers (Wait For You) to a blistering version of the Elevators’ You’re Gonna Miss Me. Norton’s gatefold double LP comes with a different cover than the CD version and on the preferred miracle PVC format!

MONSTERS & SMASH HITS COMING SOON FROM NORTON!
MAD MIKE MONSTERS VOL. 1 AND VOL. 2 (Norton 327 and 328) The wildest 45’s discovered and popularized by enigmatic Pittsburgh hoo-doo DJ during his primo prime years 1964-67, compiled into two sets of instant party mashers! Massive gatefold LP’s tell the story of the Mad One in his own words, complete with tons of memories from his many local fans, while the CD packs deliver the same in a pocket-size format! Absolutely staggering array of sounds from this Norton icon! Keep in touch for release party in the works! Includes Scott Wood “Chicken Rock”, Count Ferrell “Wizard of Ah’s”, the Saxons “Camel Walk” and the Vels “Mysterious Teenage”! All sizzle, no gristle!
FIGURES OF LIGHT - SMASH HITS (Norton 336) They came and combusted as teenagers thirty years ago, now they’re back to retake the two-chord monte in SPADES! Wheeler Winston Dixon wails while Michael Downey cranks up the proto-punk x-factor on this snarling set including their alarmingly faboo first single, newly unearthed live recordings from their first show ever in July, 1970, unheard demos and new NYC live and studio recordings. Essential! http://www.myspace.com/figuresoflight

SPRING CALENDAR STARTS NOW! REV-UP!
Lots going on starting NOW so grab the keys and get out!
FRIDAY MARCH 28 - THE A-BONES MAGNETIC FIELD, BROOKLYN We bid a very, very fond farewell to Magnetic Field, which for the past several years acted as our own Little Rascals clubhouse. C'mon down this Friday for the final weekend of shows as the A-Bones flip, flop and flop some more with special guests, the legendary Condo Fucks. Phast Phreddie will spin crazy wax!
http://www.myspace.com/magneticfield
SUNDAY MARCH 30 L.A. BOOK SHOW BLACK ACE BOOKS 29th ANNUAL PAPERBACK COLLECTORS SHOW! 9 AM-4PM The ultimate paperback collectors tour-de-force fantasy camp where piles of pulp are proffered! Tons of guest authors will include top icons Victor Banis, Earl Kemp, Charles Nuetzel, Don Glut, Ray Bradbury and more! Call Rose at 323 661 5052 or Tom at 818-349-3844 for mo' info! GUEST HOUSE INN (formerly MISSION HILLS INN), 10621 Sepulveda Boulevard, Mission Hills, CA SEE YOU THERE! And while on the subject of paperbacks... pick up the new HAL ELLSON OMNIBUS!!! Famed San Fran tastemaker Michael “Lucha” Lucas of Phantom Surfers fame has devolved into a class publisher as of late, and has spawned a HAL ELLSON omnibus edition which combines DUKE, TOMBOY and THE KNIFE into one glorious, gargantuan tome! Ellson is King God in the world of Juvenile Delinquent fiction and these titles have been out of print for decades. Now Herr Lucas brings them back! Order up at http://www.rudosandrubes.com ... and while still on the subject of JD pulpmeisters, New Yorkers get a chance to hear Ellison acolyte and king cat in his own right HARLAN ELLISON talk at Lincoln Center on April 8 IN PERSON! That’s right, at the showing of DREAMS WITH SHARP TEETH, the flick about our hero! Getcha tix now, this will sell out about as fast as the A-Bones Mets Cruise!
http://www.filmlinc.com/wrt/onsale/dreamssharp.html
TUESDAY APRIL 1 - INTOXICA APRIL FOOL'S RADIO PARTY! Miriam will be a special guest on Intoxica Radio in Los Angeles with happenin’ host Howie Pyro who broadcasts live every Tuesday @ 9pm West Coast time, worldwide at http://www.luxuriamusic.com • subscribe for free in the itunes store look up "INTOXICA RADIO WITH HOWIE PYRO" or listen at http://www.myspace.com/intoxicaradio or go to http://jellsmayhemsgarage.podomatic.com to hear shows! Howie is one of few real geniusus out there with the ability to locate and serve up the real cranium crackers! Hear what happens when his former babysitter crashes the party with her own load of ramchargers, fielding queries of “Who Put The Wine In The Gravy?”, addressing issues regarding the Whammy In The Gizmo, and spinning samples from the upcoming MAD MIKE MONSTERS on Norton!!
SATURDAY APRIL 19 - RECORD STORE DAY Get out there and buy some records! Take your kids to your favorite wax den and show them why you can’t pay for their college education. Here’s the link... http://www.recordstoreday.com/Home
...it’s interesting that they got everyone who has records lingering in every used $1 bin in the world to submit an impassioned quote.
TUES-WED APRIL 29-30 PONDEROSA STOMP! Back in New Orleans with their biggest showcase weekender yet! What a lineup- check the Stomp site for the fll-on ballyhoo, get tix and reserve rooms now for MARY WEISS, ROKY ERICKSON, the GREEN FUZ, NATHANIEL MAYER, QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS, the COLLINS KIDS, RONNIE SPECTOR... with lots mo' supah-stars including the just-added DAVE BARTHOLOMEW – THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS FREAKIN’ MIND and SUGARBOY CRAWFORD! Too much!!! Thirteen artists on the bill have records on Norton!!!! Details at ponderosastomp.com

UPCOMING MARY WEISS SHOWS
STOMPIN’ INTO THE MARY MONTH OF MAY!!!
http://www.myspace.com/maryweiss
April 29 Ponderosa Stomp, New Orleans USA
May 9 Nuits-Sorenes, Lyon, France
May 19 Joey Ramone Birthday Bash, Irving Plaza, NY
May 28 Theatre Lloseta, Malorca, Spain
May 29 Gruta 77, Madrid, Spain
May 30 Auditorio-Ciclo Ricoamor, Castellon, Spain
May 31 Primavera Sound Festival, Barcelona, Spain
UPCOMING A-BONES SHOWS !

http://www.myspace.com/theabones
The A-Bones had a riot this month in Mexico City, playing two shows for wild-ass crowds of some serious rock n rollers! Thanks to Ernesto and Teresa and the whole gang down there for a fabulous reception and real cool time! Had a super big ball in California just before heading further south, at the Boss Hoss Blowout, big kudos to Jorge, Edgar and the East LA crew - dug showcasin' with our hero ROY LONEY, who blasted like no tomorrow! Look for some sides cut at reknown WILD STUDIOS in the not too distant future....as always, the beat goes on...

MARCH 28 - THE A-BONES, MAGNETIC FIELD, BROOKLYN We bid a very, very fond farewell to Magnetic Field, which for the past several years acted as our own Little Rascals clubhouse. C’mon down this Friday for the final weekend of shows as the A-Bones flip, flop and flop some more with special guests, the legendary Condo Fucks. Phast Phreddie will spin crazy wax! http://www.myspace.com/magneticfield
FRI. JUNE 13 – THE A-BONES, MAXWELLS, HOBOKEN, NJ May good luck be with you on Friday The 13th as the A-Bones make their long awaited return to Hoboken. Hope to see many of you the next day at the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Bazooka Joe! A-Bones play/Rex spins the wax and Bazooka Joe goes to bed on his wedding night with a pounding headache! Lovely bride X-tine may be putting her brand new rolling pin into action early!
SAT. JULY 26 - THE A-BONES BOOZE CRUISE TO SHEA STADIUM! Get your tickets early – 200 lucky and/or unsuspecting Met fans will be treated two a two hour sea cruise with the A-Bones providing the musical hi jinx! This is Shea Stadium’s final year and what better way to go out than with the three chord mayhem of your favorite music makers followed by a trouncing of the St. Louis Cardinals? (By the way, Billy Joel is scheduled to perform the last ever concert at Shea. In an act of mutual respect, we will not perform any songs by the Piano Man and he will lay off our beloved Benny Joy repertoire.) Last A-Bones brush with baseball? Roger Clemons and Red Sox teammates tanked up at Washington DC’s 15 Minute Club while the A-Bones serenaded them with the gift of song. Everyone who buys a ticket gets seats in the same section at Shea Stadium. Do not miss this event! GO GO GO FOR JOHAN SANTANA’S PLACE!!!
http://www.rocksoffevents.com/rocksoff/details.asp?showID=1818
Other items of intrigue... Norton pals go Hollywood!

...New Andre Williams documentary AGILE, MOBILE, HOSTILE: A YEAR WITH ANDRE WILLIAMS... http://www.agilemobilehostile.com/

...New Fleshtones documentary...PARDON US FOR LIVING, BUT THE GRAVEYARD IS FULL
http://www.coldcutsproductions.com/fleshtones/trailer.html

...also the Hentchmen’s tune “Broke Down” will be featured in the upcoming film JOY RIDE 2: DEAD AHEAD. The first JOY RIDE is one of wildest rides in town. Number 2 is bound to excel, if coasting solely on the Hentch-tune! http://www.myspace.com/joyride2movie
...teenage brain surgeons galore have been trying their darndest to order the Norton Singles Box Set through the US Mail. Kids, this is what they call these days a “download”. We don’t know how they do it, but it’s something you need a computer and a credit card for. Nobody’s getting’ deprived here. If you need the actual 45’s, and of course you GOTS TO HAVE ‘EM ALL, you are welcome to order the shellac seven inchers any old time, one at a time or in one fell swoop. For ye who download, you can swap your dough for ones and zeroes at iTunes, Amazon.com and/or eMusic!
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OVER & OUT.. MORE AS IT HAPPENS!