Mod-A-Day: Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66

When I was in sixth grade I purchased with my own money two records, The Monkees and Sergio Mendes & Brasil 66. It was 1978 and my neighborhood --if Halloween was any indication-- was crawling with Kiss fans. The Cal Jam II festival at the Ontario Motor Speedway with its stunning line up including Aerosmith, Heart and Ted Nugent was all any of the kids in southern California was talking about -- at least anyone I was likely to talk to. Of course, they almost immediately tore the Ontario Motor Speedway out and turned it into an ugly empty lot that eventually gave way to a shopping extravaganza. You get the picture. I was out of step, even then.

So, it was 1978. Sergio was hardly on anyone's radar besides mine. And my radar was backdated a decade or so. I bought the record because I thought the people on the cover looked cool. And they did. Look cool. But, unbeknownst to me then, they sounded a hell of a lot cooler than they looked. Time went on, the album sat around unlistened to, mostly. I finally dug it out again a few years later when I was getting into the mod scene and desperately trying to get a handle on what a cool, suit wearing guy from the sixties looked like. Strangely enough, for me, Sergio Mendes was that guy (oh yeah, and Dick Van Dyke, but that's another blog post altogether). I could have done a lot worse.

As a young teen in Rio, Mendes cut his teeth in the music conservatory on classical music but threw it over early on for jazz, thanks to time with the likes of Antonio Carlos Jobim and João Gilberto, and then later meeting and sitting in listening to American jazz giants such as Stan Getz, Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Byrd, and Roy Eldridge. Mendes quickly made his way to New York with his eyes on being a jazz man. He hit paydirt fairly quickly by today's standards after only a few years of playing around town in the early 60s. In 1966 he put together his second lineup, called Brasil '66, that included the magic element -- two female vocalists: the golden voices of Lani Hall (not much later the wife of Herb Alpert), and Janis Hansen. The group was an instant hit. They blended bossa nova with elements of jazz and soul, and mostly soft sixties pop sounds. The combination was a huge hit with American listeners and helped to make bossa nova a household name across the US. The first album went to #6 on the charts, largely on the success of "Mas Que Nada".

Following that the band climbed to even higher heights with the Burt Bacharach/Hal David penned "The Look of Love" which they performed on the Academy Awards telecast -- and won the Oscar for the song.

Sergio Mendes was a household name by the early 70s. Mendes' sound grew more jazzy and big band oriented over the years and Brasil 66 became Brasil 77 and other such stunts. But through it all Mendes kept plying the jazz waters with his bossa nova boats. He had some hits in the 80s and he won a grammy in 1992 about the time that he started incorporating more of a world music flavor into his sound. And more recently he has partnered with The Black Eyed Peas for an updated hip-hop (sort of) version of "Mas Que Nada', and continues to tour. I saw him a couple years ago with his latest lineup and he was as good then as he's ever been.

The songs here are exemplary of Mendes most popular work, from his sixties songbook. "Look of Love" and "Look Around" are classics to be sure, but these songs, the very boss "Bim Bom" and the groovy "After Midnight", capture the quintessential, swinginest sound of the swinger from Rio. Sergio Mendes will always be synonymous with mod to me.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 -- After Midnight

Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 -- Bim Bom

Mod-A-Day: The Pigeon Detectives

If you like your power pop ala pub rock and infused with a fair helping of Britpop then you probably already know about The Pigeon Detectives. They've been plying their trade since '02 and have two excellent albums and some chart success to show for it. Their 2007 album Wait For Me reached #3 on the charts with a sound not unlike the Kaiser Chiefs, Franz Ferdinand or The Fratellis. Their second album Emergency came just a year later and the first single made it into the top twenty. The band plays tight, guitar driven power pop with a bit of a post-punk vibe. There's lots of ringing guitars and crashing drums, and some nice vocal harmonies, all of which seems to cascade together effortlessly in a sort of beautiful accident. The song here, "I'm Not Going To Take This", is a nicely indie flavored, urgent bit of Britpop.

The Insomniacs -- That's Alright

The Pigeon Detectives -- I'm Not Sorry

Mod-A-Day: The Funseekers

The Funseekers put the fun into ... well, into everything. They were a mod band if by mod band you mean a bunch of garage rockin' guys who loved sixties R&B, had a touch of the "punk rock" about them, and put on a show that could scare your relatives and deflower a virgin from 50 steps, well then they were a mod band.

Seriously, I only met them once briefly before the Mods Mayday '89 show we put together in LA, and they were the nicest bunch of guys. That is, until you turned on their amps and handed them their instruments, then they turned into a seriously frenzifying (to steal their own term) garage rock combo.

They put out three 7" singles, and a full LP --Frenzyfying (Treehouse Records) all of which are branded with their infectious garage sound that is loud and fast, and above all very sixties focused. In 1987 the embarked on an ambitious filmmaking odyssey --The Funseekers A Northwoods Holiday-- the results of which are still with us. It isn't great. At times it isn't even good. (It reminded me in odd ways of The Style Council's ill-conceived Jerusalem film/video thing of about the same time.) Still, it's one of those bad things that in the end just seems to go right. Part of it was that in the late 80s it was still quite difficult to put together your own video, let alone an entire short film. So no mattter how bad the production, or the acting (they were acting right?) it was still really cool because the music was cool, and ... well The Funseekers were just so damn cool. Below are the links to the Northwoods Hollywood video, and here is one of the best damn songs they ever did, "You Can't Have My Love". One of my favorite mod garage bands of all time.

The Funseekers -- You Can't Have My Love

The Funseekers (Live at Mods Mayday '89) -- Make You Mine


The Funseekers - A Northwoods Holiday pt 1
The Funseekers - A Northwoods Holiday pt 2
The Funseekers - A Northwoods Holiday pt 3
The Funseekers - A Northwoods Holiday pt 4

Mod-A-Day: Mocean Worker

Although I've never seen the term acid jazz applied to Mocean Worker, it certianly would fit. Mocean Worker is DJ Adam Dorn, who has a handful of albums to his credit all blending funk, soul, jazz and elecotronic pop. His DJ side comes through with a large dose of drum'n'bass throughout, but overall this is very dancable, soul infused jazz. Acid jazz. The song here, "Changes", features Herb Alpert on trumpet. And be sure to check out his video for "Shake Ya Boogie" on his homepage.

Mocean Worker -- Changes

From the Vaults Modcast # 15: Sounds of the Sixties

Once more into the vault my friends, once more into the vault. Step back in time, to a time when the modcast was young and fresh. Take a giant step outside your current listening constraints and journey with me all the way back to the breezy by gone days of 2006. I've opened up the vaults and dusted off a classic modcast that I think you'll enjoy. Again.

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Welcome to Episode 15 with all Sounds of the Sixties. There's so much great mod (and mod influenced) music from the 60s that doing a thirty minute show is really hard. But, I've put together some tracks I think you'll enjoy.

• The Kinks -- I Gotta Move
  
• The Smoke -- Victor Henry's Cool Book
  
• The Move - Fire Brigade
  
• The Who -- Doctor Doctor
  
• The Undertakers -- Think
  
• The HiFi's -- I Keep Forgettin
  
• The Artwoods -- I Take What I Want
  
• Chocolate Watch Band -- Let's Talk About Girls
  
• The Standells -- Riot On Sunset Strip
  
• The Sonics -- Strychnine
  
• The Kinks -- Dandy

Bonus Video Here's a great video of The Smoke doing their cult hit "My Friend Jack":



If you would like your band featured on Mr. Suave's Mod Mod World e-mail me at rob@mistersuave.com

And be sure to check out the modcast homepage at mistersuave.com

Mod-A-Day: The Insomniacs

The Insomniacs have lived up to their name over the years. Since they first took the stage in 1998 the band has hardly rested at all releasing a ton of singles and EPs in the 90s and finally their first LP in 1997. From their earliest recordings, such as the Wake Up for Estrus Records, to their later offerings on Get Something Going and Switched On, The Insomniacs have delivered the kind of power pop I can believe in -- supercharged guitars, driving drum beats, and very cool cascading bass lines. The sound is one that will evoke memories of The Who, The Small Faces, and The Jam. But it isn't so derivative that you feel like you've heard it all before. They keep it fresh, with just enough of a modern vibe that you wonder why it isn't getting more radio play somewhere? The song here, "That's Alright" has a definite modern garage rock sound not unlike The Hivesor The Mooney Suzuki, less raw than either of those to be sure, but still edgy and with an undeniable intensity. One thing I've always liked about The Insomniacs is their ability to sound so much bigger than they are. How do three guys play with so much enthusiasm, energy, and ambition? No matter how, they do it and with aplomb.

The Insomniacs -- That's Alright

Mod-A-Day: Magic Christian

Magic Christian a veritable garage supergroup fronted by Flamin' Groovies founder Cyril Jordan --who's been doing the garage thing for like ever it seems. But it's been in the past couple years that the group has really solidified into a super combo now boasting Fast Eddie Munoz from the Plimsouls and power popper extraordinaire Clem Burke former drummer for Blondie. With the lineup set the band has recorded a new album that is just out from Dirty Water Records. I haven't heard the whole thing yet, but if it's all like this track here, "Tomorrow Never Comes" it promises to be a psychadelic swirl of pounding rhythms, ringing guitars, and pure sixties power pop.

Magic Christian -- Tommorow Never Comes

Mod-A-Day: The Rubicon (The Elements)

The Rubicon are a mod sounding indie band from London. If you don't recognize the name that might be because until recently they were called The Elements. As The Elements the band sounded like a properly British mod combo that pretty much hit all the right notes from all the classic influences, The Who, The Jam, The Creation.

Recently they've gone through some lineup changes with the core of the group remaining, but there's now a lot more modern influence in the band's sound as well, which distances them from their original sound. The new sound is lusher --has better production values for sure-- but also mellower.

For me, I prefer this song here, their earlier single on the Acid Jazz label, "Caught in a Storm."

The Elements -- Caught in a Storm

The Elements -- Deep Freeze