Remembering Roky Erickson on his birthday

Remembering singer/songwriter Roky Erickson on his birthday with a few performances and an epic tribute from Bongwater. 

Happy Easter and 4/20 from Roky Erickson and The 13th Floor Elevators!

Can't think of celebrating both Easter and 4/20 than with Roky Erickson's 13th Floor Elevators psych classic "Easter Everywhere"

Spacemen 3's Pete Bain joins Flowers Of Hell for Roky Erickson salute

Here's Flowers Of Hell with Pete Bain ripping through the 13th Floor Elevators' "Rollercoaster" at London's 100 Club recently. 

New book about Roky Erickson's songwriting due November 15

Here's an interview with author Brian T. Atkinson about his book True Love Cast Out All Evil.

Texas Soul Food podcast hosted by Patrick Scott Armstrong

00:00 – Introducing our guest Brian T. Atkinson. 

06:40 – Why Brian decided to write a book about Roky Erickson. 

11:54 – The challenges of writing about something that’s never been documented before.

15:05 – How Brian conducts the interviews for his books. 

19:50 – The emergence of long-form interview podcasts. 

24:04 – My interviews with James McMurtry and how I got him to open up so much. 

26:27 – What Brian is trying to achieve with his new book. 

31:03 – The most impactful parts of Brian’s book. 

35:39 – The prevalence of drugs among music geniuses. 

44:22 – The difficulties of making money as a musician or author. 

47:49 – The hardships of working in the restaurant industry and why I left. 

53:39 – Brian’s love of cooking and our special food trivia quiz.

Pre-order a copy of True Love Cast Out All Evil: The Songwriting Legacy of Roky Erickson right here. 

Ty Segall, Billy Gibbons, Margo Price & others salute Roky Erickson

May The Circle Remain Unbroken – out July 17th – was produced by Bill Bentley who also did the Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye tribute in 1990.   

Here's the scoop...

Now more than 30 years since Bill Bentley put together his first multi-artist tribute to 13th Floor Elevators' mainman Roky Erickson – 1990's acclaimed When The Pyramid Meets The Eye – Light In The Attic has tapped the former Warner Bros. publicity executive to assemble May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute to Roky Erickson. Bentley, who most recently knocked out the coffee-table book of photos Smithsonian Rock and Roll: Seen and Unseen, also penned the notes for the compilation which will include a 16-page booklet with some rare photos and a bonus flexi disc of an unreleased Roky track "Love Hieroglyphics" from the early 70s. Sure it sounds like a tossed in after thought to entice Roky completists but I wouldn't bet against that being the highlight of the set. 

While not quite up to the high-bar Bentley set with his first kick at the can, or even his commendable projects which followed in honour of Skip Spence (1999), Doug Sahm (2009) and Lou Reed (2013), his  new 12-track Roky redux troublingly relies heavily on contributions from alt-country celebs who you would expect to care not for two-headed dogs 'n' such. Jeff Tweedy (remember Wilco?) Neko Case? Margo Price? Lucinda Williams? I don't recall seeing any of those folks in line at Austin's Ironworks to their copy of Openers II signed by Roky. However, I do clearly remember an exasperated book publisher Henry Rollins trying to convince the doubtful Mr. Erickson that a Sharpie was actually a pen for a good ten minutes as the line-up overflow stretched down the street. "Look, Roky, it writes just like a pen. See?" Nope. Nope. That's not a pen. No siree!" 

And what about Brogan Bentley? Who? You may well ask? Why, it's Bill Bentley's son of course! Although Brogan's swell dad took him to the New Orleans Jazz Festival a few times as a toddler, does that really qualify him for placement on a Roky Erickson tribute album? Maybe not. But Brogan also likes getting dressed up in camouflage gear and riding quad bikes in the woods to spooky synth dirges (watch the hilarious video) so perhaps that's what cinched it. Who knew Roky was such a big fan of the Twilight Saga? At least Bill had the good sense to invite a few notable Texans with requisite guitar rippin' skills, namely ZZ Top's Billy F. Gibbons, Austin's Black Angels who backed Roky on various outings during his short-lived comeback bid and Gary Clark Jr.

Lynn Castle duets with Mark Lanegan

It would've been nice to hear Roky's songs revised by some other Texas artists with more familiarity with Roky Erickson's milieu say, Khruangbin, Okkervil River, Alejandro Escovedo, Brownout, Joe Ely, Cotton Mather, Johnny Dowd, Black Pumas, Walter Daniels, Butch Hancock, Geranium Drive, Terry Allen, Golden Dawn Arkestra or ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead. It could be that with the possible exception of Escovedo (with whom Bentley worked on 2016's Burn Something Beautiful for Concord), they simply weren't in Bentley's Rolodex. 

And there will be some left wondering why isn't Neil Young involved. You'd think that since Bentley put in serious time as Neil Young's PR rep and continues to write for the Neil Young Archives, it might've been an idea to ask Neil if he'd like to record a song for the compilation. Worth a shot, right? But then again, there may not have been room left for Brogan to stretch out on the title track. There's always a lot to consider when producing this kind of a package.  

At least we know that Sacramento goth rocker Chelsea Wolfe was already familiar with Roky Erickson's work prior to getting the call from Mr. Bentley's people. Just days after Roky died on May 31, 2019, Wolfe shared a haunting acoustic cover of "Night of The Vampire" (which Ty Segall cut for the comp – listen to Chelsea Wolfe's version here). And Mark Lanegan has also previously recorded a great cover Roky's chilling "Burn The Flames" which, for whatever reason, was not included on May The Circle Remain Unbroken. 

However, on the upside, Lanegan is paired with L.A.'s 60s songwriting hairstylist to the stars Lynn Castle who famously cut a few songs with Jack Nitzsche for Lee Hazlewood's LHI label back in 1966. Castle went on to do some soundtrack work using the alias Madelynn von Ritz but hasn't been heard much since she sang "When I Close My Eyes, I See Blood" in William Friedkin's Crusing back in 1980. You can watch Lynn's memorable 1966 appearance on What's My Line? with Frank Sinatra right here. 

May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To Roky Erickson will be released on July 17th to coincide with Record Store Day, Drop #2 and thus, not available for pre-order. Check the complete track listing below followed by a few clips Roky Erickson performing his songs.   

    

Various Artists - May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To Roky Erickson

Side One

1. Billy F Gibbons - (I've Got) Levitation

2. Mosshart-Sexton - Starry Eyes

3. Jeff Tweedy - For You (I'd Do Anything)

4. Lynn Castle & Mark Lanegan - Clear Night For Love

5. The Black Angels - Don't Fall Down

6. Neko Case - Be And Bring Me Home

Side Two

1. Margo Price - Red Temple Prayer (Two-Headed Dog)

2. Gary Clark Jr. & Eve Monsees - Roller Coaster

3. Ty Segall - Night Of The Vampire

4. Lucinda Williams - You're Gonna Miss Me

5. Chelsea Wolfe - If You Have Ghosts

6. Brogan Bentley - May The Circle Remain Unbroken

Bonus RSD-only flexi disc:

1. Roky Erickson - Love Hieroglyphics

Check out a few of the songs performed as they were originally intended to sound by Roky Erickson and pals. 

Greg Prevost previews new album with 13th Floor Elevators cover

Chesterfield King Greg 'Stackhouse' Prevost cut a great version of the 13th Floor Elevators' "Splash 1" for his new album. Listen below. 

Here's the scoop on Greg's new album...

Songs for These Times is Greg 'Stackhouse' Prevost's third solo album. A live-in-the-studio, acoustic guitar in hand experience, with the sole backing of “brother” Alex Patrick on counterpart slide or acoustic lead. Along with selected favorites that he has always wanted to record acoustically, Prevost has also included some of his own newly written compositions as well, which, as pointed out by David Fricke in the album liner notes— perfectly fit in a track-list of tunes written over half a century ago. "Songs For These Times"-A classy, honest record in which Prevost–with no backing band or electricity--showcases his musical DNA, as well as the style and attitude that have always been his trademark, and will continue being so.

Mastered by Bob Irwin.

Penniman Records have pressed 50 extra copies of the LP on WHITE vinyl! Get yours before it’s too late! Pre-order via www.pennimanrecords.com

Greg 'Stackhouse' Prevost - Songs For These Times

Free As The Wind / Everybody Knows / Tell Me Baby / Distant Thunder Calls / Wade In The Water / Death Don’t Have No Mercy / Colours / One To Seven / Snowblind Friend / I Hear Ya Knockin’ / A Message To Pretty / Ain’t It Hard / Splash 1 / Acid Rain Falling

 

R.I.P. Roger Kynard "Roky" Erickson, 1947-2019

13th Floor Elevators mainman Roky Erickson passed away in Austin on Friday at the age of 71. We'll definitely miss him. 

A statement from Roky Erickson's management confirmed his passing but did not provide details.

“Erickson had a visionary zeal rarely seen in 1965 when he co-founded the 13th Floor Elevators,” the statement read. “The band’s original songs, many written with lyricist Tommy Hall, coupled with Erickson’s super-charged vocals and guitar, sparked the psychedelic music revolution in the mid-1960s, and led to a new role of what rock could be. Erickson never wavered from that path, and while he faced incredible challenges at different points in his life, his courage always led him on to new musical adventures, one he continued without compromise his entire life.”





LINKS
Variety: Roky Erickson dies at 71
Austin American-Statesman: Texas psychedelic music legend Roky Erickson has died
Austin 360: Roky Erickson, Texas psychedelic music legend, has died

13th Floor Elevators live on KAZZ-FM 1966