#and Jon is just. playing a harmonica

[goldenhawk-k]

I hope that every “The Mechanisms were Jonathan Sims’ College Band” au writers are aware they made it canon in their universe that Jon Sims (the archivist) plays the harmonica

[vastpotato]

Au where the Mechs are Jon’s uni band-

We all know that cows (coos) LOVE music right? How they flock slowly towards it?

Ok well au where Martin and Jon are in Scotland-safe house era. And the very good cows are too far for Martin to pet. So Jon gets out his harmonica and riffs until the cows come within petting distance.

Martin takes pics of the cow serenade and it becomes a tradition that Jon refuses to let anyone else know about.

[amelie-isnt-french]

Protocol is actually just us Magnus Archives fans rapidly descending into s2-Jon-levels of paranoia. Granted, just like s2 Jon, we have reason to be paranoid, but it's still hilarious to see us all collectively scaling the walls of our enclosure while frothing at the mouth over our theories.

Jonny and Alex are playing us like a cheap harmonica and I'm so here for it

[stxr-bxy]

Getting into the goth subculture

ok just to clarify, nobody asked for this but i’m making it anyway

here are some great influences for the goth music subcultures

i’ve been hyperfixated on pretty much every one except metal and grunge at one point or another so i think i’m pretty qualified to make this statement.

also some of these artists are problematic so please do your research before you promote them! also i don’t support any of their actions, they just have good music that’s very influential to the scene.

anyways…let’s get started

- siouxsie and the banshees are a really great band to start out and they’re one of the most popular goth bands. they have about 12 albums and 2 compilations. they had many members at different times but notable members are siouxsie sioux (lead vocals), jon klein (guitar), steven severin (bass + keyboards), budgie (drums), and martin mccarrick (keyboard + strings)

- another great goth band is bauhaus, they are one of the pioneers of gothic rock and are often credited with making the first goth song. they have five studio albums. members include daniel ash (guitars + saxophone + lead vocals + backing vocals), peter murphy (lead vocals + backing vocals + guitar + keyboards + melodica + congas), kevin haskins (drums + keyboards + piano + backing vocals), and david j (bass + keyboards + percussion + lead vocals + backing vocals).

- another great band to start off with is the cramps (i recommend their album psychedelic jungle). many people think of the cramps as more psychobilly or punk-ish but they are also considered gothabilly and have gothic elements. they have at least 8 (i’m not sure) studio albums, 2 EPs, 2 live albums, and 4 compilations. members include, Lux interior (lead vocals + harmonica + percussion), Poison Ivy (lead guitar + rhythm guitar + bass), Slim Chance (bass), and Nick Knox (drums + percussion)

in order for a band to be goth they must play either gothic rock, post-punk, ethereal wave, cold wave, dark wave, death rock, visual kei, gothic pop, gothic metal, gothic symphonic metal or another gothic subgenre.

some more goth bands include…

- the cure (post-punk)

- sisters of mercy

- christian death (death rock)

- she wants revenge (gothic rock)

- alien sex fiend

- sex gang children

- lebanon hanover

- type o negative (gothic metal)

- o.children

- joy division

- london after midnight

- bat nouveau

- horror vacui

- the danse society

- strawberry switchblade (gothic pop/synth pop)

- depeche mode

- cocteau twins

- switchblade symphony

- fields of the nephilium

- twin tribes

- the march violets

- xmal deutschland

- clan of xymox

- pink turns blue

- rosetta stone

- plastique noir

- mephisto walz

- corpus delicti

- 13th chime

- specimen

- skeletal family

- molchat doma

- drab majesty

- altar de fey

- inkubus sukkubus

- strawberry switchblade

- the birthday massacre

- killing joke

- this cold night

- japan

- the birthday party

- paralysed age

- the scary bitches

- scarlet’s remains

- mareux

- she past away

- bloody dead and sexy

- rose garden funeral party

- mephisto walz

- this cold night

- cold cave

and more!

edit: just a note. you do not need to dress goth to be goth. goth fashion is optional. if you choose to dress goth but don’t listen to goth music you are just alt. the only way to be goth is to agree with the beliefs behind it and listen to the music (you can also listen to other genres in addition to goth).

some beliefs of the gothic/alt community are:

- there is beauty in darkness, pain/sadness, and the macabre

- rejection of conservatism

- rejection of conformity

- anti-war

- anti-racist

- anti-fascist

- anti-authoritarian

- pro-LGBTQ

- pro-choice

- anti-capitalism

- and other leftist or anarchistic beliefs

also…

if you agree with the beliefs but nothing else you are just a leftist/anarchist

if you listen to the music or dress goth but don’t agree with the beliefs you’re not alt and/or you are considered a “poser”. right-wingers cannot be alt because they contradict eachother.

if you listen to goth music you are goth

if you agree with everything you are goth

[dumbasswithapen]

You're reblogging some fantastic stuff about The Mechs (coming from a tma fan) is there anything else you can tell me about it? I'm deadly curious and very interested in seeing more of Jon Sims' work

hello!!!! I am so normal about the mechanisms (lying) but am not good at describing things so if you want, like, The Intro Post To The Mechs than @x-ca1iber has it and that’s much more fine tuned but I shall try my best! This may be… a bit of an infodump, and not very concise.

base content warnings for mechs, not this post but the mechs as a band and their stories: violence, so much violence, lots of death, war, general tragedy, British people (ew)

okay. So. The basics! The Mechanisms were a 9 person folk cabaret band who told stories in their albums and songs that were based on mythology and stories (more on that later)

Outside of these stories they played individual characters, a space, steampunk pirate crew of immortals roaming the universe aboard a sentient starship named the Aurora and finding tragedies to tell through their albums. They're, as I mentioned, immortal, through a mechanism (not to be confused with The Mechanisms, the name of their crew lol. They weren’t very creative with that) A mechanism is a replacement for a part (or in some cases several parts) of one’s body made of metal and shit, that causes regeneration if you die. And this shit isn’t light, it is totally possible to regen from being, for instance… shoved into a sun for a century. so basically, crew of immortals making stories they witness into albums and playing the roles of people in those stories.

For a fan of tma, the most recognizable part of this is 4 people in the crew (though only 3 are major characters in tma) Jonny Sims, of course, plays Jon in tma and Jonny D’ville (he/him) in the mechanisms. (He is… perhaps not the most creative with naming his character) Jonny D’ville is the first mate (NOT captain. Though he would say he was) of the Aurora, and his mechanism is his heart. He was the first person in the crew, and the first to become immortal. He’s also the lead singer, and plays harmonica. Frank Voss plays Basira in tma, and in the mechs plays Ashes O’Reilly (they/them) an arsonist crime boss, ship’s quartermaster, whose mechanism is their lungs! Jessica Law plays Nikola Orsinov in tma, and in the mechs she plays The Toy Soldier (it/its) The Toy Soldier is… a bit of an outlier, in that it wasn’t ever mechanized, wasn’t ever “made” immortal. It is simply a sentient clockwork toy, with a voice box stolen from a human it had been in love with. (Somehow jess is typecast as an unsettling dollike entity twice in a thing created in part by Jonny sims) Its role in the crew is… really nobody knows. Occasionally it’s called mascot. It’s just kinda there and whenever it’s kicked out it finds its way back. It’s very charming, and simply happy to be involved! last, and kinda least in the context of being a tma fan, is Tim Ledsam, who plays the exterminator Jordan Kennedy in tma and Gunpowder Tim, (he/him) master-at-arms, in the mechanisms. His mechanism is his eyes.

others, who I’m not going to go into detail about, are Nastya Rasputina (she/her) engineer, Ivy Alexandria (she/her, actor uses he/him) archivist, Drumbot Brian (he/him) pilot, Marius Von Raum (he/him, actor uses they/them) and Raphaella la cognizi (she/her)

two, the albums! This is gonna be pretty quick because it’s just an overview, but there are 4 main story albums that tell self contained stories, 2 that are a collection of songs that tell single stories, and 1 EP thing that tells its own little ballad. Then there’s a live recorded version of their final show ever, death to the mechanisms. They’re all very tragic, and *very* queer stories.

first, once upon a time (in space) a story based on fairy tales, tells the story of a war through the stars. second, Ulysses dies at dawn, a film noir style telling of a dystopian world based on Greek myths. third, high noon over Camelot, a cowboy western ballad about Arthurian legend on a space station. fourth, the bifrost incident, a rock ballad about Norse myth, lovecraft eldritch horror, and one person being really fucking horny for a train (Dw about it) the other albums are a mix of myth and story retellings (Frankenstein, the story of Prometheus, a rhythm based video game called crypt of the necrodancer) and character backstory songs for the Mechanisms.

random ass fun facts because I’m out of base info and I think the mechs is really funny for something supposed to be tragedy

-one of the crew, Nastya, is in a loving romantic and sexual relationship with the starship

-there are creatures called octokittens that are half octopus half kitten. I love them.

-Jonny is Texan. Yeah. (Well technically New Texan, because he was born on a planet called New Texas, but whatever)

-I’m not going into this because it’s more complex lore but the person who “created” most of the mechanisms was a vampire named Doctor Carmilla and was a (very disfunctuonal) mother figure to at least most of the crew. They kicked her out

-Doctor Baron Marius Von Raum, one of the other crewmates, is neither a doctor nor a baron. His real name is Byron. He psychoanalizes people for fun.

-they’re all horrible people, the Mechanisms. They kill and burn and destroy and manipulate unrepentantly and take pride in breaking every law they can find (though we have explicit canon confirmation that Jonny flat out refuses to commit any sexual crimes) It makes them fun, though

-there are *so* many photos of the bandmates in character and a good part of fandom activity is just passing around those photos within the fandom like they’re Pokémon cards

-last, and very much not least, it’s quite important to note that Jonny Sims didn’t “create” the mechanisms, not like he did tma. It’s a collaboration between a bunch of great storytellers and musicians that started out as a uni band

here is a photo of the mechanisms as a whole group, because why not

Anyway I’m going to see so many glaring issues with this as soon as I post it but I hope it makes at least some sense! Check out x-ca1iber’s post for it if something doesn’t make sense… yeah. That’s it.

[a-mag-a-day]

MAG 4 - First listened to while I was hand-sewing a tie at a convention hotel XD (I thought I'd include where I was listening to each episode for the first time.)

First a general note: I found this statement very hard to follow. Which is understandable, I think, a lot of storylines kicked off in this episode: Leitner and his books, Ex Altiora, "grbookworm1818", Mary Keay (the razor and fishing wire, ugh), Gerard Keay, Mike Crew…

Jürgen Leitner! Yes, with Umlaut! - "Searching for Jurgen Leitner wasn’t much better. It brought up an entry for an Austrian musician" - Get your insider infos here, because I am Austrian! Jürgen Leitner plays the Styrian Harmonica at a Schlager band called "Die SEER" or just "SEER" ("Die" is basically just "the", but yeah. They are called Seer. Which is so funny to me, with like the Eye and Watcher and stuff. Seer in German isn't a word, but it is actually very closely pronounced to the German translation of the English Seer = Seher.) And I actually knew of that band! I usually stay away as far as possible from Austrian (or German) Schlager or Folk music, I find it dreadful… But they are not exactly small around here, though this kind of music is usually listened to by middle-aged or older folks. That whole thing makes me wonder even more how Jonny didn't notice that this was not a Norwegian name? Jurgen could have easily been changed to Jørgen to make it more typical for Scandinavia.

Lore-wise this is a very well fleshed out episode! Everything following these arcs makes sense when looking back at this statement.

"I warned him it would be too hot to hold, but he shrugged and said he’d had worse." - MAG 12 <.<

Nice to see that Jon takes this one very, very serious. I mean, we know why…

Ohhh I love that tidbit about the Austrian singer thank you!

[fluesterscherben]

Ideas for a Singer/Band AU

 The Justice League main seven are managers who used to be part of a band (Justicia Inc.)  themselves. (Some of their hit songs included “Watcher’s Tower”, “JLA” and “Welcome (to the Family)”. Clark was their lead singer, with Diana on guitar and backup vocals, Arthur on the trumpet, Barry as their percussion guy and backup vocals, Jo’nn on the bass, Hal as the drummer (and kazoo player, for some reason) and Bruce as the pianist whose face was always obstruced by either shadow, a badly placed mic, or Barry zooming around with a tamburine.

Clark is both the manager and the producer of the Indie-Rock-Band “House of El”. They consist of L. Kara Danvers, the lead singer, Christopher Fenton-Kent on bass, Conner A. Kent as lead guitar and backup vocals and Jonathan S. Lane-Kent as their drummer. They mostly sing pretty harsh stuff, but have some nice feel good songs that Jon and Chris came up with. (Most songs Kara writes include some lines in her native language, Kryptonian.) Their best recieved songs are “Fortress” and “Kryptonite” (a cheery love song). 

Arthur manages “Seaweed and the Fuckups”. (Rachel came up with it while being sarcrastic and Gar begged until they kept it.) Their lead singer is Garth Curie (the titular seaweed), with Wallace Rudolf West on guitar, Rachel Roth on bass, and Garfield Logan on drums. (Later they rename themselves “Seaweed and the Fuckups and Kori”, when Korinna Anders joins them on backup vocals and saxophone.) Their biggest hits are “Atlantis”, “Demons” and “Green Eyes (Monster)”.

Diana has a girl band  named  “NotAmazon” - Donna Troy as lead singer (even tho that pisses Artemis off to no end), Artemis O. Bana-Mighal on guitar, Cassandra Sandsmark on the drums, Cicely King-Jones on bass and Secret, who is incredibly camera shy and only uses a pseudonym on piano. Some of their songs include “What we Deserve”, and “Truth Is (I know you lied)” 

Hal manages solo artist Roy Harper. Roy sings and plays guitar and keyboard. He is mostly a rock singer, tho he’s also done ballads (for and about his daughter Lian). His first song with Hal was “Snowbird”. His best selling songs are “Light at the End of the Tunnel”, and “Scotchtape”( including the line “Do you know what it’s like,/tinkering together broken pieces of a life,/ hoping scotchtape can keep you together?”)

Bruce manages the band his foster son founded when he was fourteen. They are named “Bats’n’Birds”. Richard Grayson is their lead singer, Jason Todd on bass, Cassandra Cain plays piano (Babara Gordon did before her), Damian Wayne is their drummer (Tim used to be, but Dick replaced him when he was in rehab for two months), Duke Thomas is their guitarist (before he joined Dick just played and sang), Tim Drake is on percussion (and occaisionally violin or chello. Yes, he plays both.), Barbara is a co manager now, Step was their drummer for a while, then their pianist, now she’s backup vocals and harmonica. The Row siblings want to be a light director and audio technician one day. Some of their songs are “Children of the Night”, “Robins”, “Red World” and “Counting Blackbirds”. 

[yesthatssadirichardslove]

Bruce Springsteen returns to the stage in Phoenix after health issues postponed his 2023 world tour

PHOENIX

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band returned to the stage Tuesday evening at the Footprint Center in Phoenix in a triumphant reboot of the Boss’ postponed 2023 world tour.

In September Springsteen, 74, announced his tour would be delayed until 2024, citing doctor’s advice as he recovered from peptic ulcer disease.

“The Boss” arrived on stage to an audience chorus of “Bruuuuce!” Wearing dark jeans and a rolled up red plaid flannel shirt, he had the energy of a man half his age. His signature “One, two, three, four” was the only thing that separated most songs, showing no signs of his illness from the previous year. Once he shouted, “Good evening, Arizona” the show was off and running.

Springsteen spoke to the crowd briefly about his illness prior to playing his final song “I’ll See You In My Dreams” solo on stage. “Phoenix, first I want to apologize if there was any discomfort because we had to move the show last time. . . . I hope we didn’t inconvenience you too much.”

The 29-song show came in just under three hours, but “The Boss” hardly broke a sweat while showing off a strong voice, all the while dancing, tearing into guitar solos, playing the harmonica and even ripping his shirt open near the end of the show.

On stage with Springsteen was the legendary E Street Band which features drummer Max Weinberg, bassist Garry Tallent, keyboardists Roy Bittan and Charlie Giordano, guitarists Stevie Van Zandt and Nils Lofgren, saxophonist Jake Clemons — nephew of original and still missed sax man Clarence Clemons who died in 2011 — guitarist and violin player Soozie Tyrell, a full horn and brass section and four backup vocalists. The only missing member of the band was Springsteen’s wife, singer and guitarist Patti Scialfa.

Springsteen performed most of the hits in his vast collection, minus “Born In The U.S.A.,” but he added covers “Nightshift” by the Commodores, “Because The Night” by Patti Smith Group, and a surprise: “Twist and Shout” by The Beatles. Fans went wild for “No Surrender,” “Born To Run,” “Rosalita,” “Dancing In The Dark,” “Glory Days” and “Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out" that left the rocker grinning from ear-to-ear as he conducted fans singing along like his own chorus.

This year has been particularly challenging for Springsteen. In addition to his health issues, in January his mother, Adele Ann Springsteen, a fan favorite who could frequently be seen dancing at his shows, died. She was 98.

Two days after her death, Springsteen performed at the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year event, which honored Jon Bon Jovi for his musical achievements and philanthropic efforts.

The 2024 edition of the tour kicked off in Phoenix and ends Nov. 22 in Vancouver, Canada. It hits 17 countries across 52 dates, including a special performance on Sept. 15 where Springsteen will headline the Sea.Hear.Now Festival in his hometown of Asbury Park, New Jersey.

[davidisen]

Music Safari NYC, the final week . . .

[This post covers January 8, 9, 10, 11.]

Monday, January 8 . . . The Yes Trio at Dizzy's . . .

Aaron Goldberg at the piano, Omer Avital on bass, and Ali Jackson on percussion.

The playing was extraordinarily interactive and collaborative. There were remarkably few "solos."

Frequently the instruments played in dialog, or trialog. It was obvious that these guys have played together for over 30 years.

Tuesdays in NYC are synonymous with Monas! On Tuesday, January 9, the house band was epic.

This is Evan Christopher, distinguished New Orleans visitor Duke Heitger, Rossano Sportiello and Jon-Erik Kellso. Also in the house band, birthday boy Tal Ronen and band leader pro tempore Josh Dunn.

Rossano and I are good friends.

Bass player Tal turned 43 at that gig. Singing, cake, candles, and the whole works.

The music was extraordinary. Evan Christopher's clarinet was over the top, and with Kellso's trumpet, they rattled the roof. I spent most of the night looking at the back of Josh Dunn's head, but that did not diminish my appreciation for his subtle, well-rounded, imaginatively crafted guitar playing. Rossano's piano playing mostly stayed back, in a support role. He finally leaned into it for the last few songs. Tal's bass was excellent, as always.

Two essential people were missing from the festivities. Aidan Grant was out sick, and Dennis Lichtman was in New Orleans. I missed them.

On Wednesday, January 10, the biggest game was out in the Brooklyn jungle - The Big Lazy with special guest Katie Martucci were playing at LunÁtico.

The Big Lazy. L to R, that's Katie Martucci on vocals, Yuval Lion on percussion, Andrew Hall on bass and band leader Steve Ulrich on guitar.

Imagine the music of Dick Dale and Duane Eddy transposed into the information age. Twang-on-twang. The guitar work of Steve Ulrich was remarkably captivating.

Josh Dunn , the leader of the Mona's jam last Tuesday, showed up at The Big Lazy's gig. I never got a good shot of him that night, but now, here he is!

On Thursday, January 11, at Neal's strong suggestion, we went to Sxip Shirey's Hour of Charm at Joe's Pub.

It was more than a set or a gig. It was a revue. In addition to Sxip (pronounced "skip" I think), included vocalist and composer Priya Darshini, cabaret power couple John Coons and Matta Aument, dancer Coco Karol, vocalist Aimee Curl, vocalist Raquel Klein, guitar innovator Asher Kuntz, John Altieri on tuba, etc., and Attis Clopton on drums.

Aimee Curl has a voice I want to hear again!

There was too much going on for me to digest it all. So I'm going to quote from the Joe's Pub publicity.

Shirey tests the edge of music using his vast imagination to create playful and mischievous songs using familiar objects, mutant instruments, electronics and reconfigured sounds. He is a curious combination of composer/ sound designer/ performer meets storyteller/ curator.

John Coons was channeling something I'm just not hip enough, or gay enough, or young enough, or urban enough to get. Mostly. What I could understand of his shtick/poetry/song/standup performance was, yeah, bang-on. Like, maybe, naughty Freddy Mercury playing a small room.

For the grand finale, Sxip did this piece with a harmonica played through a dozen pedals, a bullhorn that made siren and other cop-car noises, and a tuba. It was a caricature of New York City's sonic landscape that rang true. WOW. Or as Sxip might say, "Holy F**k."

"We're not done yet," said Neal. We hopped over to Foxtail, a quiet, upscale bar in the West Village. The house band was "old home."

That's Bria Skonberg and Mike Davis on trumpets, with Conal Fowkes on piano and Tal Ronen on bass.

The master of understatement, Kevin Dorn on drums, Tal on bass, Conal on keys.

Mike Davis, Tal in background.

Bria, playing for Molly Ryan and Kayla Lewis at the bar.

Kayla Lewis. When she sang, it felt like being in the presence of a Billie or an Ella. What a great singer. Kayla! Lewis! The Foxtail thing was simply, amazingly great. I felt like I'd been to church.

On Friday, January 12, the last day of my musical trek, Neal and I hit Joe's Pub for what was billed as a Bria Skonberg/Anat Cohen gig. It was actually two independent concerts, back to back.

Anat and her band were up first.

There were several choros and what sounded like a Monk tune. Each was merely a platform for Anat's incredible musical ideas. Each time I started to understand where she was going, she went off into a new, equally tantalizing dimension. I wish I had a recording.

That's Tal Mashiach on bass. The band also included Vitor Gonçalves on piano and accordion (see below), and James Shipp on percussion and vibraphone.

Vitor Gonçalves anchors an important corner of the Brazilian music community in NYC. His creative force complemented and spurred Anat's playing.

Up next, Bria Skonberg:

I only knew one other person in Bria's band - the awesome Mathis Picard on piano. I'll get you the other names . . . it was a killa band.

Mathis played one amazing solo.

Now I am going home. It's time. But it has been one helluva ride!

This morning Anat sent me this:

[hammondcast]

Jon Hammond Show 08 19 2023

Jon Hammond Show 08 19 2023

#WATCHMOVIE HERE: Jon Hammond Show 08 19 2023

Jon's archive https://archive.org/details/jon-hammond-show-08-19-2023

Youtube https://youtu.be/i1GzR_NDNhU

Jon Hammond Show 08 19 2023

by Jon Hammond

Wow, today Willie Chambers told me these words ""Time Has Come Today again!" I was there in the front row 56 years ago when The Chambers Brothers came first time to San Francisco State University San Francisco State Folk Festival March of 1967 - they blew everybody's mind! Peace and Love everybody - I'm very happy to report Willie Chambers is doing great and still performing in So. CA! - Jon Hammond

#thechambersbrothers

#timehascometoday

#time

#SmashHit

The band scored its only major hit in the fall of 1968 with "Time Has Come Today", an 11-minute opus written by Joe and Willie Chambers and highlighted by echoing vocal effects and Keenan's drumming which gave the song a psychedelic feel. "Time Has Come Today" was edited for release as a single and spent five consecutive weeks in September–October at #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, just missing the Top Ten.

Willie Chambers (born March 3, 1938) is a singer, guitarist, and former member of The Chambers Brothers, a rock band in the 1960s with hits "In The Midnight Hour", "I Can't Turn You Loose", and "Time Has Come Today". He continues to be a regular attraction at various venues in Los Angeles and further afield.

Later incarnations of the group included session guitarist Steve Hunter (known for his work with Alice Cooper) An album recorded in 1972 for Columbia, Oh! My God, has remained unreleased until October 28, 2022 when it was finally made available through multiple digital platforms. Although the group disbanded in 1972, they reformed and moved from Columbia to Avco Records and released Unbonded (1974) and Right Move (1975). In 1976 the brothers released Recorded Live In Concert on Mars for the Roxbury label. They have toured irregularly since.

They were signed to support Maria Muldaur on her Gospel Nights album. They also made commercials for Levi's Jeans.

Originally from Carthage, Mississippi,[3] the Chambers Brothers first honed their skills as members of the choir in their Baptist church. This arrangement ended in 1952 when the eldest brother, George, was drafted into the Army. George relocated to Los Angeles after his discharge, and his brothers soon joined him. Beginning in 1954, the foursome played gospel and folk music throughout the Southern California region, but remained little known until 1965 when they began performing in New York City.

Consisting of George (September 26, 1931 – October 12, 2019) on washtub bass (later on bass guitar Danelectro and Gibson Thunderbird), Lester (b. April 13, 1940) on harmonica, and Willie (b. March 3, 1938) and Joe (b. August 22, 1942) on guitar, the group started to venture outside the gospel circuit, playing at coffeehouses that booked folk acts. They played at places like The Ash Grove, a very popular Los Angeles folk club. It became one of their favorite haunts and brought them into contact with Hoyt Axton, Ramblin' Jack Elliott, Reverend Gary Davis, and Barbara Dane.[6] When Dane spotted the brothers there, she knew they would be perfect to do these freedom songs that people wanted to hear then. Dane became a great supporter, performing and recording with the brothers. With the addition of Brian Keenan (January 28, 1943 – October 5, 1985) on drums, Dane took them on tour with her and introduced them to Pete Seeger, who helped put the Chambers Brothers on the bill of the 1965 Newport Folk Festival. One of the songs they performed, "I Got It", appeared on the Newport Folk Festival 1965 compilation LP, which was issued on the Vanguard label.

Lester moved to New York and formed a band with former Electric Flag bassist Harvey Brooks. Guitarists Willie and Joe would find work as session men; George went back to singing gospel music and would later become a deacon of his church. Keenan retired to Stamford, Connecticut where he set up his own recording studio, and died of heart failure in 1985

American Session Drummer, Lee Szymborski, also from Stamford Connecticut, was hired by George Chambers to replace Brian Keenan in 1980, in Los Angeles, CA., and performed live with The Chambers Brothers at the Hollywood Bowl's Fourth Annual Survival Sunday Anti-Nuclear Benefit Concert, with Bruce Springsteen, Jackson Browne, Stephen Stills, Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, Gary U.S. Bonds, Peter Yarrow, Kenny Rankin and others in Los Angeles, CA. on June 14, 1981. Lee Szymborski also performed live with The Chambers Brothers and Etta James for two shows at McCabe's Guitar Shop, 3101 Pico Blvd. Santa Monica, CA. July 16, 1981. Lee Szymborski left The Chambers Brothers and joined the critically acclaimed Louisiana Cajun group; "The Savery Brothers" in San Diego, CA.; also playing recording sessions notably with Legendary Country Music Artists Merle Haggard, Doug Kershaw, Johnny Paycheck, Asleep at the Wheel, and Juice Newton. Lee Szymborski currently records and performs in Las Vegas, Nevada.

In 2006, guitarist Willie Chambers sat in with a group called Vince and the Invinceables at a benefit concert for Arthur Lee of the group Love and delivered an acclaimed performance.

In 2015, Joe Chambers was appearing at venues such as Harold's Place on Pacific Ave. San Pedro as The Joe Chambers Experience.[

In 2016, Willie, Joe, and occasionally George, along with their nephew Jerry Warner on bass, Crazy Tomes on guitar, and LA drummer Jon McCracken, reformed as the Chambers Brothers to do shows in the Los Angeles area;[20][21] including the Grammy Museum at L.A. Live.[22]

George Chambers died October 12, 2019, at age 88.

Joe Chambers collaborated with Marva Holiday, recording their version of "To Love Somebody".

Summer of Soul

In 2021 the Chambers Brothers appeared in the Questlove music documentary "Summer of Soul," about the 1969 Harlem Cultural Festival.

Members

In 1970, there was some confusion whether The Chambers Brothers were still with their label, Columbia. The source was an article in the March 28, 1970 issue of Record World. Apparently, singer Judd Hamilton was at a party for an American International Records signing and there was confusion about the Chambers Brothers signing to the label and whether or not Hamilton was a member of the group. The next issue of Record World, (April 4) clarified that The Chambers Brothers were not with the American International label and were still with Columbia Records. It also stated that Hamilton was not a member of The Chambers Brothers.

There was another error, this time by Cashbox magazine, in the April 18 issue. Cliff Chambers who had his own label Cyclone Records and composed “Finders Keepers” and “Somebody Ought to Write a Book” was credited with being a member of The Chambers Brothers while he was signing a contract with Kent Records. The error was picked up and Cashbox wrote in the May 9 issue (Cliff Chambers Not Ex-Chambers) that the group's manager, Charles H. LaMarr said that Cliff Chambers was never a member of the group and that the Chambers' included Joseph Chambers, George Chambers, Willie Chambers and Brian Keenan.

John Castellano joined the band as a guitarist, touring with them during 1971 and 1972. This came about as a result of the brothers finding out that Castellano's mother made the clothes that Jimi Hendrix wore. They headed out to Bath Avenue, in Brooklyn to have the clothes fitted and heard Castellano playing on guitar. Eventually Castellano came on board.

Publication date 2023-08-12Usage Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 InternationalTopics Public Access Television, Jon Hammond Show, Music, Travell, News, Photography, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Hammond Organ, HammondCast, Hammond ReportLanguage English

Jon Hammond Show 08 19 2023 from organist Jon Hammond, Music, Travel, News, Photography - 40th year on Public Access Television - 28 minute program. Manhattan Neighborhood Network MNN - air time: 01:30AM late Friday nights.Addeddate 2023-08-12 12:47:10Color colorIdentifier jon-hammond-show-08-19-2023 

 Topics Public Access Television, Jon Hammond Show, Music, Travell, News, Photography, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Hammond Organ, HammondCast, Hammond ReportLanguage English

Topics, Public Access Television, Jon Hammond Show, Music, Travel, News, Photography, Manhattan Neighborhood Network, Hammond Organ, HammondCast, Hammond Report, Language English

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Labels: Hammond OrganHammond ReportHammondCastJon Hammond ShowLanguage EnglishManhattan Neighborhood NetworkMusicnewsPhotographyPublic Access TelevisionTopicsTravel

[plungermusic]

“I’m goin’ where the climate suits my clothes …”

In my minds eye Maverick Festival is always bathed in scorching sunshine, and sadly I’d dressed accordingly… as it turned out, this year epitomised the classic “Best pack a brolly and a jumper… and your sun screen too” British summer. Thankfully Maverick #16 had as wide a range of stormy, breezy, sunny and hot music on offer too.

Opening The Barn stage, and definitely on the bright and breezy side, was Jon Langford’s acoustic-led barroom Americana-with-a-splash-of-Irish (yes, we know he’s Welsh!) like the boisterous fiddle-and-piano-propelled Walking On Hell’s Roof Looking At The Flowers. He certainly brought plenty of vigour to get the show rolling, but for our tastes there was maybe too much of that particularly British undercurrent of tongue in cheek, knowing ironic delivery as exemplified by a very Squeeze-like Slightly South Of The Border.

Down at The Moonshine though, Chris Murphy [below] was in deadly earnest! With an appropriately Mephistophelean look, a somewhat gravelly vocal and solo fiddle (played in a variety of ways) enhanced with loops and pedals, he mixed traditional celtic and Appalachian music with ambient and heaver elements to great effect: from Early Grave’s backwoods hoedown stomp to the highlands-threnody-meets-badlands-trainride-soundtrack of Into The Past. A particular favourite was Halfway Around The World: epic in scope, ranging from sweeping ambient soundscape to full-on ceilidh fiddle lines, harmonised and doubled-up that raised the hairs on the backs of our Scots-expat necks!

Heading back toward The Barn we caught a brief snatch of A Different Thread’s Peacock stage set: some gentle Greenwich Village coffee shop folky Americana with delicate harmonies sung into a single mic (Old Time stylee), with splashes of Dylany harmonica, upright bass (and an upright drummer!) and even a hint of N’awlins-y Dr Johnishness in a whimsical whistling song.

Michael James Wheeler was just finishing up as we got to The Barn, looking and sounding the epitome of the clean-cut all-American country star, his Don Mcleanesque super-clear delivery with a hint of quavering vulnerability backed by big, chiming guitar chords.

One of the big draws this year for Plunger were Lonehollow [below], whose first ever appearance (of three over the weekend) was at The Barn. Rylie Bourne and Damon Atkins style themselves “a little bit country, a little bit rock’n’roll” respectively, and there was plenty of the latter in Damon’s gutsy vocal lead on Angel Wings and and a boogieing I Thought It’d Be Me, and of the former in Rylie’s aching Mary Ann with heartbreaking harmonies and the wistful Simple Town. Some lovely touches too of dark Nicksian menace in Lover and Stones, plus a slinky, funky road song Hard Slowin’ Down. Top notch stuff!

A Plunger favourite from previous Mavericks, Evangeline Gentle [below] brought her stunning hypnotic voice to The Moonshine. Right from the first blissful notes of You And I, a short a cappella with a traditional highland flavour, she had the crowd captivated. The enchantment continued through the  aching nostalgia of So It Goes, the hymn-like Good And Guided, and a languid cover of Simply The Best dedicated to her childhood heroine Tina Turner. Bad Girls a new song, drew on those times growing up in a small provincial town with a group of fellow ‘outcast others’. The closing ecstatic love song Sundays was as warm and abandoned as Sunday morning loving, and a formidable earworm for the rest of the weekend.

Back at The Barn, Tom Russell (storied country royalty with a pedigree including working with Johnny Cash and being the writer of the fantastic Gallo Del Cielo) [below] delivered a solo troubadoury set that drew a large devoted crowd to the barn, often singing along to his numbers like Hair Trigger Heart: it was accomplished enough but for us a little pedestrian and samey so I’m afraid to admit we wandered off…

We whiled away the remainder of the time before The Barn headliners down at The Peacock for much of Pepe Belmonte (another previous Maverick attendee we’ve always enjoyed) and his band’s set, including the louche Band-meets-McGuinness Flint lope of The Waterline with harmonica, mandolin and lovely piano accents; the Grateful Deadish boogie of (what we think was  called) The Bailiff Song, and more Dylany/Band vibes in the excellent Open Water.

By this time night (and a rather chill rain) had fallen, but the storming performance of Norfolk’s The Vagaband [above] raised the temperature and the roof with a spicy gumbo of southern roots, cowboy country, blues and more. Moody Western vibes came in Something Wicked This Way Comes with twangsome bottom-end guitar lines, great Hammond organ and some devilish fiddle, and in the rattling two-step of Not My Day To Die with its saloon piano and mandolin. Beautiful World was an easy-going, strummy country amble, while the drawled Black-Eyed Sally built slowly to a rumbustious country rocker. A high level of musicianship was evident throughout, but particularly in the slightly more out of leftfield tracks: White Noise, written in (and about) lockdown, had a sophisticated reggaeish slink to it, featuring classy electric piano, and a soully middle eight; while Wheels was a Madchester shuffle with more meaty Hammond and a storming fuzzy wah solo from Mark Howes; even the final crowd-pleasing stomp of Gabrielle was leavened by stylish fiddle and cymbal rich drums, peaking in a neat switch into Miss You-style discotastic funk. 

A very classy and steamy end to what had been a chilly evening, warming the cockles and raising the spirits ready for round two on Saturday.

[magalidragon]

making music | a Jonerys AU | fic tease

a/n: Bêcha thought I forgot this one? LOL Nope, just working on it here and there. It will be longer than I thought of course. So here’s a tease to part 1 up soon!

Once again, turning the corner, she almost stepped straight into a busker only this time a trumpet player, and when she knelt down to pick up the coins that had fallen out of a flatcap set on the cobblestone, she heard a low chuckle, and a heavy Northern accent, her blood going cold.

"You just can't help yourself can you?"

"I'm sorry I..." She whipped up, glaring. She shouted. "YOU!"

Jon chuckled, leaning against the brick wall, a foot propped up behind him, his other stretched out, and a trumpet loose in his fingers. "Me." He rolled his eyes, but still smiled. "You want a piece of my gig here or what? That why you keep stepping into my payment?"

She glanced at the cap, noting there were only a few stags; he had way more as a guitar player. She smirked up and straightened. "Maybe you should stick to strings then Mr..."

"Snow," Jon said, lifting the trumpet up. He blew into it, fingers fast on the keys, the tune upbeat, jazzy. Someone walking by tossed in a dragon coin. He finished the snippet of a song she thought she might have recognized as a twist on a famous Essosi opera aria, and had gathered a few other admirers, including, she noted, some young women who giggled behind their hands and ducked their heads coquettishly, trying to catch his attention.

It was the music that held her attraction-- although he did look good standing there in his all black attire, hair pulled from his face, his strong forearms on display. She spied some tattoos peeking out from under the rolled cuffs and one on his inner wrist, a series of musical notes on a scale. She frowned, wishing she could see it closer, wondering what song held such importance to him he wanted it inked to his skin permanetly. Or maybe, was in his mind during a drunken moment and now was inked permanently. Could be anything.

He finished the song, the crowd gathered applauding. He swept the trumpet aside and bowed, moving towards the case while people dropped coins and other things into the flatcap. Several of the women dropped phone numbers. Dany remained standing, waiting for them to disperse and Jon to collect the money. "Do they not pay you enough?" she asked.

He chuckled, unfolding the bills and darting a glance upwards through his dark curls. "They do. This is for something else." He pocketed the money and shoved the cap into the side of the padded trumpet case. He quickly cleaned out the trumpet, wiping down the gleaming brass, dragging the cloth through the valves to dry it, and set it into the velvet lining.

Dany waited and caught his attention when he stood, slinging the case over his shoulder. "Are you first cello?" she asked, wanting more information. He was the only one she knew now from the sympthony, she wanted to get as much information as possible. Especially if they were to play together.

He nodded. "Aye."

"But you also play guitar and trumpet?"

"I play a lot of instruments."

"Yeah so does everyone," she scoffed. They all said that. Viola players claimed they could play violin and vice versa. Guitar players claimed they were also proficient in banjo and ukelele sometimes. Anything for the résumé. She rolled her eyes. "There's a difference in maybe playing something and being proficient in it."

Jon eyed her sideways, chuckling. "Alright, I'm proficient in a lot of instruments. And you?"

"Four."

"Let me guess."

She grinned. "Go ahead." He'd never guess.

Jon ticked off his fingers. "Violin."

"Duh."

"Guitar."

She wrinked her nose. "Yes."

They turned a corner; she had no idea where he was going, somehow she was stuck to him like a magnet, unable to tear away. He patted his pockets, searching for somethng, and removed a pack of cigarettes. He smiled sheepishly. "Bad habit."

"Terrible habit, especially for someone who plays a brass or woodwind instrument," she chided.

He lit the cigarette, pocketing the lighter with a flick of his fingers. She spied a wolf etched into the side of the silver Zippo. He paused at a corner, studying her a moment. She shifted, oddly uncomfortable with the x-ray-like gaze. His irises were gray, a peculiar color. They shimmered, reminding her of the ash on the cigarette or else storm clouds. He blew a stream of smoke out to the side, gesturing with the cigarette. "Piano."

She grit her teeth. Eyebrow quirked, she shrugged. "Alright. Yes."

"I've got three. How many more guesses do I get?"

"One more, I told you I play four."

Jon kept his gaze on her, once again giving her the x-ray once over. He narrowed his eyes and smiled wide. "Harp."

Her mouth dropped. What...how...WHAT!? "You cheated!" she exclaimed, at the same time he burst out laughing. He dodged the fist she flung out to smack at his shoulder, this perfect stranger, but she was positive he deserved it. First for chastising her when she completely accidentally stepped into him, then for his comments after her incredbile audition, and now well, for whatever was happening with this. She glared at him, simultaneously impressed he got them right and also annoyed.

Now he laughed. "How did I cheat? I didn't know you until like three hours ago."

"But you did," she realized. He knew her real name. Could have been a good guess, but she tried vrey hard to keep the lives separate. So how did he know?

They were still walking. She realized they were approaching a nondescript old building, stone and worn, with moss growing on the side from the healthy amount of humidity King's Landing endured. There was a large olive tree out front, providing shade over a fountain of a series of wolves chasing each other. They stopped near the entrance to the small courtyard, his fingers idly running down the strap of his trumpet case, his cigarette almost worn down to the filter.

He flicked off some ash, drew in a last pull of it, and stubbed it out, tossing it into a trash can. He smiled again, but it didn't meet his eyes. He tapped her case. "Violin, easy." He gestured to her fingers. "You have piano hands, calluses on your wrists, your black and white outfit, probably what, teacher too?" She scowled, refusing to acknowledge he was right. He carried on. "Guitar because that was actually just a guess."

"And harp? How'd you guess that?" she demanded.

Jon blinked, shrugging. "You're a Targaryen."

Her jaw set. "Yes," she ground out. She arched her brows, silver bouncing up to her hairline. "Which I would kindly request you keep to yourself."

"You should probably hide your eye color then."

"I could just be Lyseni or Valyrian otherwise."

"You have your mother's face," he said. He continued, her shoulders drawing back at that, surprised. He smiled again. "And Rhaegar Targaryen was one of my first music teachers. I know a Targaryen and I know he has a little sister and well, Targaryens are the only harp players that actually make it a worthy instrument to learn." He grinned wider. "I'll give you a hint. One of the instruments I do not know how to play is harp."

Rhaegar's student? Her mother? Harp? What? There were questions swirling around in her mind, before she could ask him to clarify. He walked by her and to the fountain, dropping some of the coins in it and then depositing his earnings into a box near the entrance to the building. He tipped his fingers to his temple, saluting her. "See you around Daenerys Targaryen. Or Dany Storm. Which do you want me to call you?"

"Dany," she whispered, unsure what to make of him.

He nodded, smiling. "Dany." He turned, walking off and reached into his pocket, removing a harmonica, lifting it to his lips and humming off on it as he wandered away, out of sight.

[haberdashing]

Go To The Mirror, Boy!

Post-MAG 200, Martin has an unexpected encounter while going through his daily routine.

on AO3

It hadn't been all that hard for Martin to find a job in this new world, really, even in the middle of London, even without any paperwork to his name. It wasn't the first time he'd had to seek out jobs that didn't ask too many questions, after all, jobs that mostly just wanted warm bodies that did as they were told and paid in cash. They looked at him a little funny, sure, and Martin could imagine any number of reasons why, but he knew better than to pry about the details.

He was starting to get into a routine now. For the first few months he'd brought food from the flat that he was beginning to tentatively call home because it was cheaper than the alternative, but now he'd started eating out on Mondays (as a way to make the start of the work week less painful) and Fridays (as a reward for making it through the week) at some of the cheaper restaurants near his current job site.

Today was a Friday, and on today's lunch break he had decided to check out a little café that had caught his eye a few weeks back, an unassuming hole in the wall that offered a little of everything and didn't charge a fortune for it, going off of the menu out front.

The workers all gave him a warm smile as he entered, and one of them even waved at him--were they all really that friendly, he wondered, or just that desperate for customers? Probably the latter, Martin figured from his own experience working in food service, but it was hard to know for sure.

He looked at the menu and the food on display for a long moment before deciding on a ready-made slice of vegetarian pizza and getting a cup of ice water to go with it, and all throughout the transaction the cashier and the other workers behind the counter kept up with those wide smiles. Honestly, it was to the point where Martin was getting a bit nervous, starting to remember how often in his past a smile had concealed something far worse...

Then, as the cashier handed over his food, they said in a conversational tone, "Boss let you out a few minutes early today, huh? Must be nice."

"Wh-"

Martin didn't have time to finish his thought, though, because right at that moment the bell on the café's door rang out, and in walked... well, in walked himself.

It wasn't a perfect mirror image, truth be told. The man walking up to the counter was missing the scar on his neck, still had hair that was a bright and untainted red (and noticeably shorter than Martin kept it these days to boot), his skin was a bit less pale and his shoulders a bit more slouched... but there was no mistaking that the man walking up to the counter looked uncannily like him, as if they were twins.

Martin knew the reality of the situation, though. Honestly, being twins would be a lot easier to explain than the truth.

Martin took a seat at a table off to the side and began to eat, though he kept glancing at his doppelganger as the man ordered--also getting a slice of vegetable pizza and a cup of ice water, as it happened. Martin wasn't sure if meeting him was a good idea, though the expression on his face (and that of several of the workers) made it clear that he'd noticed the connection, so he figured he would leave the decision up to his other self to make.

The man that looked almost exactly like him didn't hesitate to claim the seat across from him, or to speak up once he'd gotten himself settled.

"...I don't suppose you've heard any weird family rumors about being switched at birth?" The voice was the same as his own, too, and though the man sounded awfully unsure of himself, it was hard to know whether that was a personality trait or just a side effect of the strange situation he'd found himself in.

Martin laughed a little as he shook his head. "Can't say that I have, no. You?"

"No dice." He hesitated for a moment before adding, "D'you mind getting to know each other a bit, in case people end up getting us confused down the line or something?"

"Fine by me. I work a few blocks from here, have for some months now. The name's Martin Blackwood."

His other self let out a surprised exhale, and Martin had to stifle the laugh that started to bubble up in response. "You're joking."

"Don't tell me. Same name, too?"

"Right in one. First and last. What are the odds?"

The odds weren’t that bad, really. Martin should have figured that there would probably be another him out there somewhere in London, working the same sort of menial jobs... but he didn't think sharing that information, getting into how he was from an alternate dimension and had probably helped unleash cosmic horrors into this in one, was his best move here. Instead, Martin just shook his head again and said, "That's wild."

"You're telling me."

The two ate in silence for a moment before Martin worked up the courage to ask his other self a question that had been on his mind since they first locked eyes on one another.

"I wonder if, if we've got anything else in common, like work history, or mutual friends... You wouldn't happen to know a, a Jonathan Sims, would you?"

The other Martin gulped down a bite of pizza, his eyes bulging out. "Jonathan Sims?"

"Yeah, that's the one, is, is that a yes?"

His other self's eyes narrowed, though there was no real fire to their stare. "How do you know my prick of a neighbor?"

"It's... it's a long story, really. So he's your neighbor, then?" A hint of shaky laughter sneaked its way into Martin's voice as he spoke. Part of him wanted to refute that Jon--this world's Jon--was a prick, but honestly... honestly, that wasn't a point he was willing to argue, even if the man had ended up growing on him quite a lot over the years.

"He is, and he keeps sending me these passive-aggressive noise complaints! First he threatened to send an army of cats after me if I didn't stop my dog from barking--I still don't know if that was meant as some sort of bizarre joke or what--and then he offered me harmonica lessons, of all things, but only if I stop playing loudly enough he can hear it through the walls! What's his deal?"

Martin had never gotten a dog, though he had longed to have one of his own all his life, and while he'd picked up a cheap, dusty harmonica at a thrift store once on a whim, he'd never actually worked up the nerve to try playing the thing. Little differences there, facts he quietly filed away for future reference... but that wasn't the most important thing now, was it?

"I don't know if I can explain his whole deal in the course of one lunch break, but..." Martin couldn't help but break out into a grin. "I really think you should take him up on those harmonica lessons."

[probsnothawkeye]

Something that isn't isn't brought up enough in AUs where Jarchivist Sims was in The Mechs is the fact that that would mean he plays the harmonica. Just imagine it, Jon, alone in his office feeling some kind of way, pulling out a harmonica and just kinda riffing to kill some energy. Tim, Sasha, and Martin hearing harmonica randomly in the archives and just finding Jon at his desk, playing away. Serious Jarchavist with a harmonica. Harmonica Jarchivist. I would love

[sidras-tak]

@imperial-evolution made a Very Good Post about Martin being a fan of the Mechanisms, so I ran with that

Martin mentions when Jon settles in for a meal, that he’s going to clean up the house a little. He says, with a tiny blush, he usually plays music and he might sing along to it

“Is that okay? I don’t want to disrupt your recording time.”

Jon gives him a fond look, one that’s becoming more and more natural as the days pass.

“It’s perfectly fine, Martin. It’s not like anyone but me is going to be listening to these recordings anyway.”

“Right,” Martin says with a little smile. “‘Do Not Archive’, right?”

“Exactly.”

Martin hesitates for a brief moment, then rushes forward and kisses Jon quickly. He’s out of the room before Jon can react.

“Have a good meal,” he says on his way out. Jon takes a moment to compose himself. One should not start reading a statement while grinning. It would be undignified. He settles in with a statement, and even if Martin was yodeling from the hallway, he wouldn’t have been able to hear it over the steady, heady thrum of words flowing through him.

—

Jon finishes the last word and sits back with a satisfied sigh. This statement was full and would sustain him for at least a week. He idly mulls over the details of the statement, when a sound breaks his concentration. A cackle. A highly-recognizable cackle, accompanied by gunfire.

For fuck's sake, Jon takes a second to think, then he’s out of his chair and opening the door to the kitchen.

Martin is standing by the sink, elbows-deep in soapy water. His head is bobbing along to the song and he’s muttering the words under his breath. Jon gets there just in time to hear his own voice say is this her? How do we wake her up?

Loudly, Jon says, “Must you listen to this particular album?”

Martin jumps, whirling around, sending little water droplets flying across the room from his hands.

“Jon!” he exclaims, over the sound of Jon’s college-aged voice proclaiming I’m not gonna kiss a sleeping stranger, Nastya. That’s really fucking creepy.

Jon cringes and hits the stop button on the CD player that’s sitting on the counter.

“Ah,” Martin says, drying his hands on a towel. “You don’t like The Mechanisms? I’ve only got three physical albums with me and two of them are The Mechanisms, sorry…..”

He pauses, frowning. “They’re not that well-known, I’m surprised you recognize the music.”

Jon shakes his head in exasperation. He’s annoyed, but more with this unexpected encounter with his past than Martin. “Yes, I’m aware we’re not well-known, thank you.”

Martin frowns again, but differently. “We?” he echoes, like something terrible is dawning on him.

“Martin,” Jon says slowly. “You do realize…..that Jonny d’Ville…..is me, right?”

“What?” Martin screeches, nearly throwing the towel across the room. He blinks rapidly, like his entire world is resetting.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were in a band!” Martin demands.

“I thought you knew! Tim teased me enough about it, I thought everyone in the Archives knew.”

Weakly, Martin says, “Oh my god. I got your autograph once. I mailed in a CD and  you signed it for me.”

“Really?” Jon asks. Wordlessly, Martin pops open the CD player and hands over the disk for Once Upon a Time in Space. Sure enough, ‘Jonny d’Ville’ is scrawled over the front in black sharpie.

“I can’t believe I’m dating a fan,” Jon says, for lack of a better thing to say. They’ve faced weirder things on a daily basis for years now, but this has shaken him in a way the supernatural never could. It’s not that he’s ashamed of his band, but everyone looks back on their college bands with a little embarrassment, right? Jonny d’Ville was much more dramatic than Jon Sims ever let himself be. To hear himself croon and yell with such abandon feels just a touch mortifying, and even more so to consider that his boyfriend listens to it regularly enough to own physical copies.

Martin slaps a hand over his mouth. “I had two crushes on you,” he says with all the finality of a man admitting his complacency in a fatal crime. “One on Jonny d’Ville and one on my boss.”

Suddenly the ridiculousness of the situation hits Jon and he puts a hand over his mouth to hide his laughter. It doesn’t work, as several giggles and one undignified snort sneak out past his hand.

“My god, Martin, only you,” he says. Martin, blushing hard, grabs the front of Jon’s jumper and tugs it gently.

“If you don’t tease me about crushing on your band-sona, I won’t tease you about the costumes you wore as d’Ville.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I was quite proud of those costumes! I worked hard on that makeup, too,” Jon says, mock-insulted. He puts his arms around Martin’s waist, drawing them closer together. Martin melts into the embrace, as does Jon. It feels good to laugh with Martin, even at something as silly as this.

“Hey,” Martin says quietly. “Would you sing for me sometime? Not The Mechanisms, if you don’t want, but just anything? I always thought your voice—well, d’Ville’s voice—was beautiful.”

Jon kisses Martin’s cheek, then properly on the lips. When he pulls back, he says, “if you’re lucky, I’ll even play a bit of harmonica for you.”

“Ooh, I knew there was a reason I loved you,” Martin says.

Jon hums a quiet agreement, which then evolves into humming an actual song. The tune resembles the opening to one of the songs from the album Martin had cared about enough to buy and have signed, and eventually, Jon picks up the words, just loud enough for Martin and himself to hear.

Oh, my love, as the canons were a-blazing

I looked to the stars for you my love

Oh my love, as the cities you were razing

I looked to the stars to you, my love

My world was left a-burning and my royal house a-bleeding

I looked to the stars for you, my love….

[unicornery]

30DaysOfYes Day 15 Bonus

As mentioned in the previous post, since Chris Squire was the only constant throughout so many lineup changes, there never needed to be another bass player for Yes until he passed. Billy Sherwood, who had already been a touring and studio musician for the band in the late ‘90s, was named as Chris’s successor, and his first official appearance on bass was on the 2015 tour. Considering he was listed as an official member on Open Your Eyes, I believe that would make him the first U.S.-born member of Yes. Other non-U.K. members include Patrick Moraz (Switzerland), Trevor Rabin (South Africa), Benoît David (Canada), and Jon Davison (USA).

Sherwood was put into a really unenviable role considering how many music fans ^fans of anything react to change. In my opinion, he does the absolute best that he can with this opportunity. When I first saw him in Des Moines on that tour stop, he played the bass lines yet did not steal focus, giving fans the time to adjust to his presence. Since then, he has come more into his own and seems to genuinely enjoy his time on stage making music with the guys. I’m so glad the band has been able to continue touring with him added to the fold, and I really love how he carried on playing the harmonica solo in “And You And I,” just like Chris did.

Every time I have seen him, he seems to be wearing some type of drapey cardigan, so you know I’m into that. Apart from Billy’s duties with Yes, he is a prolific musician in many other bands, and a legendary producer. 

(Image credit: David Wolff - Patrick/Redferns - via this GuitarWorld article)