Upcoming Shows

"Mr. Rhythm" is an R&B legend, and you may not even know it. He wrote "Shake A Tail Feather," and sang such uber-raunch as "Bacon Fat" (covered by the Cramps), "Greasy Chicken," and the epitome of songs about little girls, "Jail Bait." He worked at Motown and Fortune and with Ike Turner. Yeah, baby. After a few hard years in... er... retirement, he stormed back a few years ago with a record of smutty garage punk called "Silky" recorded with members of the Demolition Doll Rods and the Dirt-Bombs. Since then, he has enjoyed a resurgence of popularity with his raunchy R&B and soul stylings. Andre tells it like it is, and if you get all bashful and shit with the blue language, you might want to steer clear--this guy can make Redd Foxx look like Bill Cosby. Don't let the shtick fool you though, the man has put together some of the most bad-ass soul shakers in the history of music. He strips away all the bells and whistles and shoots musical arrows right to your goodie spot. Music at its most funky and feral.

Back in 1983, Barry White (a.k.a. Barrence Whitfield) and Peter Greenberg were working at Nuggets, a used record store, in Kenmore Square in Boston.  Greenberg, who had previously played guitar in DMZ and The Customs, had recently quit his job playing guitar with Lyres and had begun to form an instrumental Rock n’ Roll band with ex-Lyres Phil Lenker on bass, Howie Ferguson (and Real Kids too) on drums, and another Nuggets staffer Steve LaGrega on sax. Once Barry White began some impromptu singing at the record store,Barrence Whitfield and the Savages took off—killing any idea of an instrumental group.The first iteration of the Savages went on to record two critically acclaimed, blockbuster LPs that combined the best of 50/60s rocking R&B with high-octane garage/punk. The first LP, Barrence Whitfield and the Savages was released on Mamou Records in 1984 and was re-released in 2010 on Ace Records with additional material.  John Swenson wrote in the Ace liner notes “that in the dark days of the early 1980s… The Savages kept Rock n Roll alive.”  The original Savages recorded a second LP in 1985, Dig Yourself on Rounder Records that also rocked in an Esquerita-like manner.  In 1986, Greenberg and Lenker moved on, and the original Savages disbanded soon after. Little did they know that this would be temporary. In 2010, after a 25-year hiatus, Whitfield, Lenker, and Greenberg decided to hang out in the desert and play some shows in the Southwest. This led to the recording of the Savage Kings LP in Cincinnati in December 2010. Cincinnati, Ohio, home to King Records, served up the chance for the Savages to honor and channel their heroes who recorded on King as well as produce a great Rock & Roll record.  The core Savages lineup of Whitfield, Lenker, and Greenberg was now ready to go, supported by an All Star team on Savage Kings:  Andy Jody, has played drums for Pearlene, The Long Gones, The Customs, and most recently with James Leg of Black Diamond Heavies.  James Cole, who played keyboards on the Savage Kings LP has played in The Customs, The Auburnaires, as well as The Cole Brothers.  Tommy Quartulli has played sax in The Kings of Nuthin’, The Allstonians, and Darkbuster.  The LP was released in the summer of 2011 on Munster Records in Europe and Shake It! Records in the USA.  Savage Kings takes off from where the previous LPs left off.  Listen and see.  Barrence Whitfield and the Savages are touring in Europe and the USA in support of Savage Kings and are working up material for a follow-up LP to be recorded later in 2012.

Thurmon Valentine was born in West Helena, Arkansas in 1932. Inspired by Sonny Boy Williamson's "King Biscuit Time" show on KKFA, Thurmon moved to Chicago in 1950 to make music and become a performer. From 1957 to 1959 he created and performed a live show called "The Vampire" in clubs with three female co-stars out of his love for "old vampire pictures, Lugosi and all those guys". T. Valentine started his own label VAL Records in 1962. From there he released his own singles "Do the Do" and "Betty Sue," and both of his versions of "Black Power," as well as recordings from other artists. After divorcing his wife Lucille he decided to get back at her by recording the song "Lucille Are You A Lesbian," inspired by Josie Cotton's "Johnny Are You Queer." Val Records pressed 200 copies. It has become a rare and sought out 45. Most likely Lucille never heard it, but the song has become a cult favorite among lesbians.