The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte - An Exploration of Choice and Consequence

Part One: The Message

In 2023 the band Sparks, aka the brothers Ron and Russell Mael, released The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte, their 26th album. The album can be enjoyed for its well-crafted, highly entertaining, music - 14 songs, not a clunker in the bunch. However, I think there’s more at work here: the Mael brothers, after more than 50 years in the business, are imparting some important wisdom about the adventure and journey that is life, based on their unique career and experience in the music business. And they’re doing it the way they know best - through their music.

One could reasonably look at Sparks’ idiosyncratic career as the result of a series of choices, some no doubt harder than others, that the brothers have made over these many years. And that is, I believe the underlying theme of the album: Latte is a meditation on the nature of choice…and the consequences that therefore result.  They are sharing what they’ve learned, looking at the question of choice from many perspectives, including:

• Making a choice - whether discussing their career directly, or commenting on the consequences of individual or societal choice more generally;

• The reluctance to make a choice - and the consequences that can lead to; 

• The inability to make a choice, on both a personal and societal level; and finally,

• The absence of choice, sometimes at a personal level, sometimes more broadly.

Sparks: The Debut Album!

 We were trying to play within the rules of what constitutes pop music, and also seeing what happens when you find those rules too confusing.” - Ron Mael, on Sparks debut album.

I wrote a piece about Kimono My House, the third album by the band Sparks, the other day. People seemed to like it, and I felt encouraged to write about more Sparks albums, to look at the albums from my current perspective (we'll generously call it "non-youthful"), delve into why the albums are still special to me, and to celebrate Sparks’ enduring music. And I started thinking about their very first, self-entitled album - a truly special piece of work with Todd Rundgren producing, to boot. 

The Original Halfnelson Cover

The album was originally released in 1971 as Halfnelson. It tanked, but was re-released as Sparks a year later. It tanked again, but for the song Wonder Girl incongruously hitting number one in Mobile, Alabama. Fortunately, the band had the support of Bearsville Records president Albert Grossman, who authorized a follow-on,1973’s A Woofer In Tweeter’s Clothing. 

It was after these albums that Ron and Russell Mael, the brothers at the heart of the band, moved to the U.K. to seek their fortune. In 1974 they released both Kimono My House and Propaganda, and suddenly they were household names in the United Kingdom.

The Rebranded Debut

Over time, "Sparks" became a catch-all moniker for Ron and Russell’s music and vision. When making the first two records though, Sparks was a five piece band trying to make a name for itself. In addition to Ron and Russell, the other musicians - Harley Feinstein on drums, and the brothers Earle and Jim Mankey on guitar and bass, respectively - contributed to the song writing and were integral to the band’s sound, reflecting a somewhat warped perspective of the world but played out in a traditional rock band context. Russell has called this the only incarnation of Sparks that was “truly democratic.”

Revisiting Kimono My House! (Spoiler: It's Still Great)

It’s been a while since I wrote anything on this blog. 2016 to be exact. Where does the time go? 

But for whatever reason, I decided to take pen to paper - or at least fingertips to keyboard - to write a bit about an album released almost 50 years ago; that I’ve heard dozens, if not hundreds, of times; which I’ve held in high esteem since I first heard it; and which led me on a journey that I’m still walking today. 

The album is Kimono My House, the breakthrough album from Sparks that was first released - get ready for it - in May of 1974. It’s a meaningful album to me - the first I purchased (or technically, that was purchased for me by my brother - thank you Sam!), right after seeing them perform some of the songs on Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert. So it means a lot to me. 

I listened to it on a bustling morning commute a few days ago but there were many distractions. I can look at Kimono and kind of just absorb it from a quick glance. I know what’s on it. I know it’s great. But I felt it deserved a proper, attentive listen. So that's what I did. 

Sparks are brothers Ron and Russell Mael. Ron plays keyboards; writes the lyrics; and arranges the songs. Russell sings; he is a force of nature, singing stronger and better than ever.  Over 50 years in, they are currently enjoying worldwide popularity and recognition that successful bands usually experience much earlier in their careers. Kimono was the first time they attained international attention, and I wanted to give it a listen with almost 50 years having passed since its release. The album is older now; I am too. 

The One and Only Barrence Whitfield!

"I just want people to walk away knowing that they’ve seen a great show, and they know that Barrence Whitfield is still with them."

I had the great pleasure of chatting with Barrence Whitfield, the lead singer of the legendary Boston-based band Barrence Whitfield and the Savages. I first saw Barrence and his band perform in the early 1980s and took many folks to his shows – I loved turning people on to this unique, highly talented performer. Savages shows are full throttle from beginning to end, a unique blend of classic hard-driving R&B with a rocking garage band ethos, with a bit of James Brown and Little Richard thrown into the mix as well. Barrence, who has been described as "the last great soul shouter," never fails to give everything he’s got, every performance. By the end of the show performer and audience alike are equally exhausted and fully charged up at the same time. There was nothing like a Barrence Whitfield show and from the clips I’ve seen, little has changed. We talked about his career and his fantastic new album – and we talked quite extensively about a band we both love: Sparks! Turns out he’s a huge fan. Our conversation about Sparks is captured the second half of this interview.

The website for Barrence Whitfield and the Savages is worth checking out, as is their Facebook page. And I hope you enjoy my interview with this remarkable entertainer!

A Special Interview: Craig Leon, Producer of the Ramones' Classic First Album!

In 1976, the iconic punk band The Ramones recorded their first album in under two weeks and on a budget of $6400.00 dollars. Released in April of that year, the album boldly introduced the Ramones to the world, and is now recognized widely as one of the most important pop music albums ever recorded. The album was seminal in launching punk music in the United States and the U.K., and sounds as fresh and innovative today as it did 40 years ago.

In honor of its 40^th anniversary, Warner Brothers/Rhino has released a commemorative set that celebrates this ground-breaking album. The set includes three CDs packed with rarities and outtakes, two live performances, and both a remastered stereo and never before released mono version of the album. A vinyl version of the mono mix is also included, and extensive liner notes, an essay on the band, and rare photos round out the package. It’s a great way to learn all about this seminal band and its four founding members, all of whom took on the last name Ramone to symbolize their unity of sound and purpose: Jeffrey Hyman, known as Joey (vocals); John Cummings, or Johnny (guitar), Doug Colvin, or Dee Dee (bass); and Tommy Erdelyi, or Tommy (drums).

Pittsburgh's Iconic Rocker..Joe Grushecky!

I spoke with Joe Grushecky about his extensive career making music with his band, the Iron City Houserockers; on his own, through an extensive and impressive catalog of solo recordings; and with luminaries such as Bruce Springsteen and many others. Joe is not unlike his music: straightforward, socially conscious, and with great empathy for those facing hard times. In Joe’s case, he also works outside of music to make a difference – he works with special needs children and as you’d expect, doesn’t back down from taking on the hardest cases.

 After over 40 years making music, Joe is still going strong -sometimes on his own, and sometimes fronting Joe Grushecky and the Houserockers. He has a new solo album ready to drop, a live Houserockers album on the way, and numerous other projects on the horizon. The Houserockers continuously tour - make sure you check them out. And make sure you check out Joe’s website to learn more about his iconic career – and to gain easy access to Joe’s great music.

A Conversation With Michael Kronenberg!

Michael Kronenberg Interview, December 2015

Michael Kronenberg

So how cool is this? I had the opportunity to speak with the esteemed graphic designer Michael Kronenberg a couple weeks ago. Michael is the real deal. He is a graphic designer for the Film Noir Foundation, which for Michael is the job of a lifetime. He also works extensively with Marvel Comics as well as many other corporate entities. He is a high-demand kind of guy and I am grateful that Michael found a few minutes to talk. But…that’s not all! Given Michael’s love of film noir and boxing. I threw out the idea of creating two top ten lists – of noir movie posters (the art used to promote these movies was amazing), and of his favorite boxing movies. He kindly complied and not only picked out all the photos and art for the interview, but also helped me design the piece. You gotta admit – that’s pretty cool. So…enjoy this very special interview with Michael Kronenberg!

It's Noirvember - Here's 10 Favorite Films Noirs!

The Film Noir Foundation has dubbed this month “Noirvember,” so I thought I’d share with you a few films noirs that are personal favorites. These are films that move me in some way or another. This isn’t a “top ten” or “best of” list; there are many great films noirs, including some classics such as Double Indemnity or The Maltese Falcon, that are not here. These are just a few I really like personally, and which you might want to check out.

A Conversation with Martin Gordon!

Kimono My House at 40: The Second In A Series

In this, the 40^th anniversary year of the groundbreaking 1974 Sparks album Kimono My House, there was no question that I needed to talk with one Martin Gordon, who plays the brilliant and distinctive bass on that album.

We talked extensively about his time in Sparks, focusing on the great music that the band made when he was a member. Martin also provided a song-by-song analysis of each of the songs he performed with Sparks, entries from his personal diary detailing the rehearsal schedule for Kimono, and unique insight into Chris Townson, Sparks' "audition" drummer as they were forming the Kimono band. These follow the interview, along with rare photos and videos hand-selected by Martin for this project.

We also talked about the solo work that Martin has steadily released since 2003. If you have heard it, you know how good it is. If you haven't, give it a listen. It is brilliant, and well worth hearing. I highly recommend it.

Martin Gordon has had an accomplished career but I am not going to summarize his Wikipedia page here. Instead I suggest that you take the time to dabble on Martin’s website. It is a gem, full of information, inspiration, and history, all written with Martin's characteristic wit and insight that makes the site extremely addictive. I hope you’ll agree.  And best of all, you can easily find his music there.

I want to thank Martin for his generosity of time and energy, and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Sparks Drummer Project (7): Ronna Frank!

"We rehearsed in Ron and Russ's garage and their mother brought us lemonade"

Before there was Sparks, there was Halfnelson. And before there was Halfnelson, there was the Urban Renewal Project.

The Urban Renewal Project was Ron and Russell Mael's first serious attempt at creating a band. An important member of the Urban Renewal Project was Ms. Ronna Frank. She played with Ron and Russell Mael from 1964-1967, providing percussive background and appearing on the one known URP recording - Computer Girl, composed by Russell Mael.

Today, Ms. Frank remains active in music as a composer for films and stage. Ms. Frank's website is a great resource to learn about her current projects, which she discusses a bit in our conversation. And you can learn more about Urban Renewal Project here.

I am grateful that Ms. Frank found some time to answer a few questions - and provide some fantastic pictures from the old days! I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Sparks (Guitarist) Project: Jim Wilson!

It was special every day for me, just being in London for a month, and the only thing to do was to play Sparks every night.

Jim Wilson had the opportunity to live every music fan’s dream. Jim is a huge fan of Sparks going back to the 1980s – like me, he was an early member of their international fan club – and back then, he never dreamed that one day he would be performing with them on a semi-regular basis. Jim has done a number of shows over the past decade with Sparks, but most significantly, Jim played lead guitar for Sparks’ 2008 “21X21” London spectacular at the Carling Academy Islington, where they played every one of their 21 albums over the course of 21 days.

This only touches on the breadth and depth of Jim’s career though. He played guitar in the acclaimed rock band Mother Superior for years, he has recorded with numerous musical icons, and along with drummer (and fellow 21X21 alum) Steve Nistor and Daniel Lanois, he is currently supporting Emmylou Harris on her Wrecking Ball tour.

He’s also an affable and down to earth guy, may I add, and most generous with his time in speaking with me about the revival of Mother Superior, some of his other projects, and of course, the 21X21 spectacular – an event that would not have been the same without one Jim Wilson.