Mike Parks: Guitar Slinger, continued 2020 - by Ricki C. (and Jim Johnson)

The world of rock & roll and the planet in general lost Mike Parks two years ago today; January 7th, 2018. (For the uninitiated, Mike Parks was the lead guitarist of Colin’s band The League Bowlers and – in my humble opinion – the GREATEST lead guitar player in the history of Columbus rock & roll. You can read much more about that in my original Mike Parks: Guitar Slinger Pencilstorm blog from 2014, linked here.)

Last week my lovely wife Debbie & I were driving home from New Year’s Eve dinner when The Blues Magoos’ “We Ain’t Got Nothin’ yet” came on my Sirius/XM car radio courtesy of The Underground Garage channel. Right at that moment I missed Mike more than I had in a long, long time. There’s no reason most of the Pencilstorm readership would know that tune by The Blues Magoos (or indeed, even know or remember WHO The Blues Magoos WERE) but Mike & I used to talk about them – and many more of their mid-1960’s rock & roll brethren – A LOT back in our tenure in Willie Phoenix’s True Soul Rockers in the early 1990’s. (Mike was the 2nd lead guitarist & resident bad-ass of The True Soul Rockers, I was a roadie.)

I originally wrote a whole other blog to run here, but that one was sad, and kinda contemplative, and I decided this morning in the shower, “Fuck that, Mike would HATE sad and kinda contemplative.” So instead, I decided that I would attempt to preach and spread the True Gospel of The Rock & Roll Rama-Lama by gathering up a few 60’s videos that I know for a fact Mike would have loved and deliver the message, “Fuck Donald Trump; fuck the board president of Nissan in Japan fleeing to Lebanon to escape prosecution; fuck the fact that the super-rich don’t even have to PRETEND to respect the law anymore; fuck wildfires in Australia; fuck the Golden Globe Awards, I just WANNA HEAR SOME ROCK & ROLL!”

Mike, I raise a glass to you today………

THE BLUES MAGOOS / “WE AIN’T GOT NOTHIN’ YET”

THE MUSIC MACHINE / “TALK TALK”

THE YARDBIRDS / “HAPPENINGS TEN YEARS TIME AGO”

THE MC5 / “KICK OUT THE JAMS”

MOTT THE HOOPLE / “AT THE CROSSROADS”

I’m including this video because if Mike told me once in The League Bowlers days, he told me 20 times, “I’m gonna work up the Mott The Hoople version of “At The Crossroads” as my first lead vocal in the Bowlers.” “That’d be great,” I’d reply, “you should run it by Colin, I know he’d go for it.” To my knowledge, in all the years Colin, Mike, Dan Cochran and Jim Johnson shared stages, Mike never once brought it up.

I bet it would’ve been great.

For a different commemorative slant on Mike, check out this blog entry by Jim Johnson from January, 2018:

Jim Johnson -  I guess it's time to post my thoughts. I lost one of my best friends yesterday. Mike Parks passed away peacefully yesterday, with his wife, Danya Linehan, and his cats by his side. Mike had a lot of cats. More than one household really needed, but Mike loved his cats. He had this thing, a sort of telepathy with cats. If you know anything about cats, you know cats don't trust anyone. Cats trusted Mike. They knew he was one of them, and they loved him as much as he loved his cats. It really was amazing to see.

I first met Mike, back in the "Sugar Shack" days. I think he was playing in Flasher, and I was playing in Lizzy Borden. I used to watch Mike play, and he would do this thing, with a violin bow and an echoplex. It was amazing. Every bit as good as Jimmy Page, but I didn't have to go to Madison Square Garden to see it. I could stand 5 feet away, at the Shack, and then walk home. Those were amazing days. I thought to myself, "I hope I get to play in a band with this guy someday." My wish came true. Mike and I played in three bands together: The Retreads, Willie Phoenix & the True Soul Rockers, and The League Bowlers. All cool bands, and it was a pleasure to share the stage with Mike. The Retreads used to play at Bernies, and we had a gig the day Mike's first child was born. We weren't sure if he would make it to the gig. After all, his kid was being born. Mike showed up 5 minutes before we were supposed to go on, dressed in full Operating Room scrubs, including surgeon's mask, and played the gig. I wish there were pictures. That's the Mike I remember. There are some tapes of the True Soul Rockers playing the High Beck Tavern in 1992 floating around in cyberspace. The band was really at its best in those days, and if you ever get to hear that music, you'll hear Mike and Willie Phoenix, tearing it up. Those two together, man, it was magic. That's the Mike I remember.

After the TSR's broke up, Mike quit playing for a while. I used to call him, and he'd say, "Man, I'm retired. I'll do my sculpting. I got other stuff I can do." I said "We'll see." I went on to join The League Bowlers, and when we needed a guitar player, I suggested Mike. I said "Come down & jam, and if you hate it, you can go back to your sculpting." Long story short, Mike had a new rock & roll home. Colin Gawel had some cool songs, we recorded them with Rick Kinsinger and Some Balls was born. Rick reminded me of a story about Mike not long ago. Mike was having a little trouble coming up with a lead for a song, so I told him, "Play it like Chuck Berry would, if he was in a surf band." Needless to say, Mike NAILED it. He had an amazing amount of Rock & Roll Knowledge. After all, he lived with the MC5 for a while. That's the Mike I remember.

Some Balls Deluxe is finished now, and Mike left some great guitar playing for us to remember him by. Colin said not long ago, "There are a lot of guitar players that are artists. Mike is an artist that plays guitar." There's a difference. The world lost a gifted human being yesterday. I'm lucky to have known him, to have him in my life, and I have some great memories. That's the Mike I remember. - Jim Johnson

Corona's Covers For a Cure Saturday @ Big Room Bar - by Ricki C.

The second annual Corona’s Covers For a Cure benefit show will take place at CD 102.5’s Big Room Bar this Saturday, March 10th, beginning at 4 pm, and running ‘til eleven (or thereabouts, you know how these multi-band extravaganzas go).  Full details and a rough running order of the local artists performing can be found at Corona’s Covers For a Cure.

The basic premise and set-up of the show is simple, but profound: local Columbus bands & solo rockers play cover songs by bands or solo artists who died of cancer, thereby keeping those songs from being lost to live performance.  This show is really close to my heart.  I first heard about last March’s inaugural show while driving away from one of my sister Dianne’s chemotherapy sessions at the Zangmeister Cancer Center.  That CD 102.5 ad – local artists playing songs lost to cancer – seemed like a perfect fit for me.  “Hey, I know songs by The Velvet Underground,” I said out loud to myself in the car, and when I got home I set about trying to cadge my way onto the bill.  I felt like I owed it to the doctors, nurses & technicians who were caring for Dianne.  

Somewhere along the way Colin’s band The League Bowlers also became involved in the benefit.  The show went great, the guys & girls from Corona were truly friendly & caring and the benefit raised thousands for cancer research.  Colin & I asked if they were going to repeat the benefit in 2018 and the Corona & CD 102.5 crews said they hoped so.  We asked them to keep us in mind for a repeat appearance.

And now comes the downside: in the year that has transpired since that show my sister died of the cancer she was in treatment for when I played that first benefit.  Further, Mike Parks – the genius lead guitarist of The League Bowlers – ALSO died of a cancer that hadn’t even been DIAGNOSED when the Bowlers played the benefit.  (Click here to read Pencilstorm Remembers Mike Parks)

At one point in Colin’s e-mail when he asked me to write this story for Pencilstorm, he used the phrase “if that ain’t evidence that cancer is a mean son of a bitch I don’t know what is.”  (And Colin should know, he lost his beloved mom to cancer more than 20 years ago.)  He’s exactly, precisely right: cancer is a mean son of a bitch and I’m asking you to come out this Saturday to show your support – with your money and your hearts & minds – to fund research to show cancer that we’re meaner sons of bitches than it is.  - Ricki C. / March 8, 2018   
 

Pencilstorm Remembers Mike Parks

Fans and friends of Mike Parks will be gathering to see Willie Phoenix at the A&R Bar Friday, February 2nd. It's a post CBJ show. Details here.

League Bowlers guitarist Mike Parks succumbed to cancer on Sunday, January 7th. I really don't know how old he was and I guess it doesn't matter anyway. Mike was a gentleman and an artist and it was truly an honor to stand next to him onstage and get to listen to all that amazing guitar playing up close. Not that you needed to be close once Mike cranked up those two VOX twins, but you get the point. I'm going to turn it over to Ricki C. and Jim Johnson from here as they knew Mike longer and better than I did. - Colin G.

Click here to read: Mike Parks - Guitar Slinger.....written by Ricki C. in 2014, updated 2017

Jim Johnson -  I guess it's time to post my thoughts. I lost one of my best friends yesterday. Mike Parks passed away peacefully yesterday, with his wife, Danya Linehan, and his cats by his side. Mike had a lot of cats. More than one household really needed, but Mike loved his cats. He had this thing, a sort of telepathy with cats. If you know anything about cats, you know cats don't trust anyone. Cats trusted Mike. They knew he was one of them, and they loved him as much as he loved his cats. It really was amazing to see.

I first met Mike, back in the "Sugar Shack" days. I think he was playing in Flasher, and I was playing in Lizzy Borden. I used to watch Mike play, and he would do this thing, with a violin bow and an echoplex. It was amazing. Every bit as good as Jimmy Page, but I didn't have to go to Madison Square Garden to see it. I could stand 5 feet away, at the Shack, and then walk home. Those were amazing days. I thought to myself, "I hope I get to play in a band with this guy someday." My wish came true. Mike and I played in three bands together. The Retreads, Willie Phoenix and the True Soul Rockers, and the League Bowlers. All cool bands, and it was a pleasure to share the stage with Mike. The Retreads used to play at Bernies, and we had a gig the day Mike's first child was born. We weren't sure if he would make it to the gig. After all, his kid was being born. Mike showed up 5 minutes before we were supposed to go on, dressed in full Operating Room scrubs, including surgeon's mask, and played the gig. I wish there were pictures. That's the Mike I remember. There are some tapes of the True Soul Rockers playing the High-Beck, floating around in cyberspace. The band was really at it's best in those days, and if you ever get to hear the tape, you'll hear Mike and Willie Phoenix, tearing it up. Those two together, man, it was magic. That's the Mike I remember.

After the TSR's broke up, Mike quit playing for a while. I used to call him, and he'd say, "Man, I'm retired. I'll do my sculpting. I got other stuff I can do." I said "we'll see." I went on to join the League Bowlers, and when we needed a guitar player, I suggested Mike. I said "Come down & jam, and if you hate it, you can go back to your sculpting." Long story short, Mike had a new rock & roll home. Colin Gawel had some cool songs, and we recorded them with Rick Kinsinger. Some Balls was born. Rick reminded me of a story about Mike not long ago. Mike was having a little trouble coming up with a lead for a song, so I told him, "Play it like Chuck Berry would, if he was in a surf band." Needless to say, Mike NAILED it. He had an amazing amount of Rock & Roll Knowledge. After all, he lived with the MC5 for a while. That's the Mike I remember. Some Balls Deluxe is finished, and Mike left some great guitar playing for us to remember him by. Colin said not long ago, "There are a lot of guitar players that are artists. Mike is an artist that plays guitar." There's a difference. The world lost a gifted human being yesterday. I'm lucky to have known him, to have him in my life, and I have some great memories. That's the Mike I remember.  - Jim Johnson

Jim mentioned Bowlers producer and sometime stand-in Rick Kinsinger above, I thought his comments were worth sharing as well:

There are losses that make me sad, not just for the ones who knew and loved the departed, but also for the people who never knew them, because now they never will. Mike Parks is one of those. Whether you knew him or not, your world just got a little less cool, less colorful, less weird, and less kind. Rest In Peace, Mike. - Rick Kinsinger

Along those lines, as Mike was fighting his illness while trying to finish Some Balls Deluxe, Rick would literally take a small recording rig to Mike's bedside so he could record his parts. With the circumstances being what they were, Rick recorded EVERYTHING Mike laid down. The final song on Some Balls is one of those moments of Mike just messing around and having some fun. We thought it was the perfect way to wrap up the record and I think we will wrap this post the same way. 

Click here to play 11th Frame by Mike Parks  .  

Mike Parks Benefit Sunday Afternoon at ValleyDale w/Joey Molland (of Badfinger), Willie Phoenix, Bowlers, Blinns & more

Columbus guitar-slinger Mike Parks has been diagnosed with stage-4 stomach cancer.  To raise some money and raise his spirits, the folks at Team Productions have put together a truly once in a lifetime bill Sunday September 10th as part of their Valley Dale Ballroom Breakout series. (Click here for a Ricki C. story about the amazing history of Valley Dale)  Doors are at 1 pm and music goes until 7 pm. Since I play in the League Bowlers (with Mike Parks) and Ricki C. is the stage manager for this show, I got the scoop on the line-up and set times. Dig this...

First off - click here for Valley Dale info, tickets, location and so on and so forth.....

Doors 1 pm

Rezes/Hall Band 2 - 2:30

Willie Phoenix 2:45 - 3:15

Black Leather Touch 3:30 - 4:00 

Erica Blinn 4:15 - 4:45

League Bowlers 5 - 5:30

Joey Molland (Badfinger) w/ The Dan Orr Project 5:45 - 6:30

Yes, that is the real Joey Molland from the real band Badfinger. Click here to read a story by Scott Carr explaining why this matters and you should care.

Please pass on this info and I hope to see you there. - Colin G.

English Pub-Rock and The League Bowlers - by Ricki C.

The League Bowlers will open for Bava Choco at Ace of Cups this Friday evening, January 6th.  Doors at 8 pm, League Bowlers at 9 pm, Bava Choco at 10:30 pm.  Admission is FREE, info at Aceofcupsbar.com.    

Pub-rock in England was an early to mid-1970’s phenomenon/trend that never really translated to America.  Spearheaded by bands like Brinsley Schwarz (which featured a pre-Stiff Records Nick Lowe as co-lead vocalist & songwriter) and Ducks Deluxe, pub-rock was a reaction to the prog-rock and glam-rock trends that dominated English music from 1972 on.  Playing tiny bar venues with small Fender amps and a decidedly low-key but ROCKING return-to-three-minute-songs attitude, pub-rock offered an up-close & personal style of rock & roll for music fans sick to death of 17-minute Yes orchestral suites or the glam-rock stylings of David Bowie, Sweet and Slade.*  Lipstick 'n' lace just didn’t cut it with your workaday rocker soccer fan.  

(* All of whom I loved, by the way, but that's an entirely different blog for a whole 'nother day.)

Pub-rock was the immediate precursor to punk-rock in England and, very likely, punk-rock would never have happened without its musical cousin.  One of the nascent Sex Pistols’ first gigs was an opening slot for Joe Strummer’s pub-rock outfit The 101-ers at stalwart pub-rock venue the Nashville Club (see vintage 1976 review below).  That was the night Strummer glimpsed the musical future spread out before him, leading to his defection to The Clash, and likely sounding the death knell for pub-rock as a music movement.  (Pub-rock also spawned Ian Dury – from Kilburn & the High Roads – and Elvis Costello, who used to open shows and occasionally haul amps for Brinsley Schwarz, fostering his later artist/producer relationship with Nick Lowe.)  

Anyway, I often think of The League Bowlers as a 21st-century incarnation of an English pub-rock band: a repertoire consisting of a handful of catchy, feel-good originals (Kids Down South, Half Of Me, Pretty In A Slutty Way) interspersed with a rockin’ dose of their favorite cover tunes (from The Mavericks to Dwight Yoakam to The Georgia Satellites to Elvis Presley, just to name a few).  Formed from the remnants/ashes of several previous bands bearing the name, the current Bowler line-up is comprised of Colin Gawel (on leave from Watershed and The Lonely Bones) and Mike Parks (who traces his rock & roll lineage all the way back to West Side garage bands of the 1960’s, I first saw him play at a Lazarus teen fashion show, through The Godz and The True Soul Rockers) on lead & rhythm guitars;  Dan Cochran – late of Big Back 40 and Feversmile – now the owner of the Four String Brewery on bass; and drummer-extraordinaire Jim Johnson, a mainstay of Willie Phoenix’s` bands for decades.  

It's an old Italian proverb that what you do the first week in January is what you'll do all the rest of the year.  So why not come out on this First Friday Night in January, catch some quality rock & roll from The League Bowlers and Bava Choco and improve your chances for a fun 2017?  See ya at Ace of Cups, 9 pm sharp.  - Ricki C. / January 3rd, 2017 

                                                 Nick Lowe wrote it in 1974, Elvis Costello made it a hit in 1978.......

Ducks Deluxe - in time-honored rock & roll fashion - cop the riff to The Velvet Underground's "Sweet Jane" to power their own truck-drivin' rocker.  It's a long way from the Mean Streets of New York City to the Nashville in Kensington.......

The League Bowlers, 2008.......

from the Ricki C. archives: New Musical Express, April 17th, 1976, live review section (I used to make the trek every week from the West Side to the Little Professor Bookstore in the Lane Avenue shopping center, from 1975 to sometime in early '79, when I lost interest in English post-punk.  Does anybody else miss Little Professor Bookstore as much as I do?)