The Times-Picayune of New Orleans covered one of this past weekend's much-anticipated double reunion shows featuring influential trash-rock bands The Gories (of Detroit) and The Oblivians (of Memphis). The writer notes a large number of Louisiana license plates in the parking lot of the Hi-Tone ("Lounge"), and breaks down the New Orleans connections to the bands:
Credit to Motor City Rocks for the link, though the site refers to the Memphis band as "The Oblivious." (Of course, a recent front-page promo in The Commercial Appeal spelled it "Oblivions," so no one's perfect.)
For some nice background and context on The Oblivians (and some live song clips), check out this article at Live from Memphis. Some folks posting on the Goner Records Message Board lament a lack of local media coverage of these shows, but as Commercial Appeal music writer Bob Mehr pointed out on a comments thread over the weekend, this was by design ...
In the 80's, Bywater resident Peggy O'Neill was living in her native Detroit, playing in the lean, garage-blues trio the Gories. That band was a major influence on the Oblivians, who would form just a few years later in Memphis. One of their most popular albums was 1997's Play 9 Songs With Mr. Quintron, a scorching, speedy slice of gospel-rock collaboration with the Ninth Ward organist which remains a cult favorite. Though both bands were no more by the turn of the millennium, they both attained legendary status in the rock n'roll underground and in the oddly rarefied world of record collectors.The article goes on to quote longtime Commercial Appeal contributor Andria Lisle, and to lament the stifling conditions inside the Hi-Tone for the sold-out show (conditions which surely aren't as bad as they used to be when smoking was allowed in the club).
Credit to Motor City Rocks for the link, though the site refers to the Memphis band as "The Oblivious." (Of course, a recent front-page promo in The Commercial Appeal spelled it "Oblivions," so no one's perfect.)
For some nice background and context on The Oblivians (and some live song clips), check out this article at Live from Memphis. Some folks posting on the Goner Records Message Board lament a lack of local media coverage of these shows, but as Commercial Appeal music writer Bob Mehr pointed out on a comments thread over the weekend, this was by design ...
I can't speak for the Flyer obviously, but just for the record, the CA decided not to do a cover story on the Gories/Oblivians reunion -- we did a small show capsule/preview in this week's Go Memphis instead -- at the request of the bands and the club, for the very reason that the show had been sold out for months in advance. Both Eric Oblivian at Goner and Dan at the Hi-Tone felt they would be further deluged with requests and calls about tickets if there was a big spread in the paper.
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