OT: Southgoing Zak's on Sound Clould
Southgoing Zak's was an Ann Arbor band in the early 90's that had a decent jam band following. I think I googled them 5-6 years ago and I just got a retargeted Facebook ad for their Sound Cloud page. A) That's sort of creepy. B) It's fun to hear their music again.
What local/smaller bands or artists did you hear perform in A2 during college? The New Duncan Imperials were another personal favorite though they were out of Chicago. Looking for the Ann Arbor local music texture during different time periods. Not looking for famous bands you saw on tour.
Wow, talk about a blast from the past. I hung out and worked with a few of the members of South Going Zak at the Halfway Inn.
I was a fan of Skinflip and Dirty Street Detour. Also really liked Big Dave and the Ultrasonics and The Craig Taborn Trio. Frank Allison and the Odd Sox were always fun, too.
I see you, KBlow.
Pontiac and Mol Triffid were rocktastic. And Ann Be Davis were good in an earnest, jangle-pop kind of way.
I followed Ann Be Davis....still have a copy of their CD. I think they were VERY influenced by The Replacements.
I had completely forgotten about Southgoing Zak. Great college town band. I think they sang "Green Eggs and Ham" to the music of "What I Am". Good (and fading) memories!
Ann Be Davis! Yes, their shows were a lot of fun, too.
I logged in to say Ann Be Davis too. Good band; I think they were limited by their songwriting. "Roll the Ocean" or whatever that song was that everyone loved was solid but, well, not elite, I guess. But who knows? Just my opinion, and I'm far from an expert.
Around the same time I heard a band called Patron Saint play at a (very large) house party once and thought they were really good. But I never saw or heard of them again; always wondered what happened.
March 28th, 2019 at 12:03 PM ^
I never actually saw Ann Be Davis in college but people talked about them a lot. The gag of the band name was that Ann B. Davis was Alice from The Brady Bunch.
Couldn't find them on Sound Cloud or Spotify. Anyone have a link to their music?
Up 1 for The Halfway Inn.
March 27th, 2019 at 11:24 PM ^
God bless the Half Ass... Those double cheesy greasy's got me through freshman year.
Can’t believe I forgot Big Dave and the Ultrsonics. I must have seen them a dozen times including once in LA. Years later I saw Blues Traveler and the keyboard player from Big Dave had joined them.
Goober and the Peas were fun. They played at top of the park a couple of times. Jack White was their drummer for a short time.
who was the guy who sang Angelo’s?
Dick Siegel wrote and sang Angelo's. He also teaches at UM SMTD.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:11 AM ^
My pilgramage to CBGBs was on a night that Goober was playing there, total surprise... was funny to make it out there just to see a band from back home.
Goober and the Peas still play some gigs around town for special occasions. Dan John Miller (aka Goober) and at least a couple other members of that band re-formed as Blanche about 10 years ago and they've put out a couple of really good albums. His alter ego is a sort of whacked out country preacher, and he usually dresses in character although it was quite jarring the time I saw him working out on an eliptical machine at the YMCA. To his credit at least he was wearing ironic Mr. Rogers sneakers.
Interesting factoid: Miller was in the Johnny Cash biopic Walk the Line as legendary guitarist Luther Perkins.
Anyone remember The FirePeps
Gotta put a vote in for Jes Gru. They are back, too...just did a show at The Magic Bag with Domestic Problems.
"...just did a show at The Magic Bag with Domestic Problems."
I hope everyone is ok!
March 28th, 2019 at 10:32 AM ^
That was always a fun show.. Rick's $1 pitcher nights.
How did they look? Their old shows had some energy.. any of them using a walker?
March 28th, 2019 at 12:05 PM ^
Is this the right Jes Gru?
Donkey Punch? There was also band out of Troy called Greenstreet (ex- Mr. Greenjeans) that was in town a bit. Spent a lot of evenings at Mitch’s/Cavern Club/etc. with Jerry Sprague.
I knew a few of the guys from Gunday Monday, they were always a fun band to go check out on a Friday night at a house party/venue.
This feels like a very "Seth" thread.
The Urbations.
In a life time spent going somewhere to see a band, I'd put them right up there at the top of great bands that didn't make it.
Disappointed to find this isn't Zak Irvin's band or rapper name.
In the late 80's there was a roots/jam/reggae band called "I-Tal". I saw them at the Blind Pig more than once.
On another occasion me and my hippy-ass friends showed up expecting I-Tal but got Urge Overkill and some piece of shit outfit called Nirvana. My friends left, but I stayed for most of Urge's set. Not knowing who Nirvana was (or was about to be), I left early and called it a night.
Ha! That's the only "Back in the day, I didn't see Nirvana at the Blind Pig" story I've ever heard. Well done!
March 27th, 2019 at 10:24 PM ^
I never gave that Pig show a 2nd thought until 6 months after Nirvana broke big. I dug Urge's set, but otherwise it was kind of a lost night.
Mutual Kumquat
Great thread and I will have to check out some of the local bands that came before my time.
The vast majority of my A2 concerts were Ann Arbor mainstays - Laith, The Ragbirds, Macpodz, etc. Probably my favorite artist to go from local to big time is Mayer Hawthrorne.
A surprising amount of high quality and soon-to-be-famous artists come through Sonic Lunch. Highly suggest attending if in the area.
A more recent find from the Blind Pig was a band called Post Animal, out of Chicago. I've now seen them a number of times in Chicago thanks to that first show in A2. Worth checking out if you enjoy psych rock (think King Gizzard).
Caught Luna at Blind Pig one night in the early aughts. Freezing cold night and the place was packed and the band shredded. There was steam pouring out of the doors.
Bop Harvey
Duke Tomato and the All-Star Frogs at Rick's American back in the 70's and 80's. Sun Messengers were entertaining. Long time ago but good times.
Sleepy LaBeef!
March 27th, 2019 at 10:09 PM ^
I fondly recall Big Box of Nines and Flashback -- late 80s, early 90s.
March 27th, 2019 at 10:28 PM ^
Yeah - huge blast from the past. I-tals, Ann Be Davis, others...nice memories.
March 27th, 2019 at 11:28 PM ^
Saw Southgoing Zak at the Pig in the 90s, mostly because I knew one of the band members from med school. Very talented group...
If you're talking about JM, he was/is one of the most brilliant people I've ever met.
Curious Few! All went on to make great music...
Funktelligence/ Now On / Athletic Mic League
Tally Hall
Theo Katzman/ Love Massive
Any Brennan Andes project
Duke Newcomb
Seth Bernard
Really loved Southgoing Zak. Unless I somehow missed it, I cant believe no one mentioned Captain Dave and the Psychedelic Loungecats! A true music experience in itself.
March 28th, 2019 at 10:27 AM ^
Some of my sister's friends were backup singers / dancers for CD. That was a fun show every time.
Wow, this might be one of the first thread in a long time that really took me back to being on campus........and I live only 20 minutes away from it now.
March 28th, 2019 at 11:20 AM ^
Thanks for this, haven't thought about these guys in ages. Somewhere in my basement I have a worn out cassette of Thump, Strum, and Stumble. I think I also have a four song thing they did with a cover of "My Funny Valentine", and a live recording (from the Blind Pig?). A friend of mine roomed with some of the band members one summer and I got to hang out with them some. Great musicians,eminently cool guys.
Goober and the Peas were also a great live show to see, although I would always end up picking straw out my clothes for days. I have a memory of being in a Silverman's at 3am after going to see a show in Detroit and the waitress given us crazy looks because we were all covered in straw.
Great jam scene in town currently. Stormy Chromer, Chirp, and Pajamas are all great. Chirp just released an album and Stormy Chromer and Pajamas will be at the pig on 4/20.
I'll show my age.....
Mugsy played a lot at Second Chance in the late 70s. They featured a lead axeman named "Guitar" Joey Gaydos. IIRC, his son played Zack Mooneyham in "School of Rock" (and just got arrested in Florida recently). The Slang were semi-regulars at Rick's in the early 80s; they eventually were the backup band for Joe Henry (Madonna's brother-in-law). With a few breaks, Sonic's Rendezvous Band could have been nationally known - "City Slang" is still a tour de force. I had a class with one of the guys in The Infidels; they put out a single in '79 or '80. They also backed up Ragnar Kvaran, who also had a couple of singles at that time. Not sure that either of them ever put out full albums.
>> I had a class with one of the guys in The Infidels; they put out a single in '79 or '80.
Which one? One of the guitarists was my next-door neighbor.