Drummer without peer. Master thespian. Bon vivant. Man about town. Pourer of drinks. Destroyer of tambourines. Happy Birthday to the Renaissance Man!
— Salvi C.
Author Archives: Salvi C.
Hanukkah Day 8: A Gem From the Archives
This excellent article by Bob Colby is reprinted with kind permission of Kathei Logue’s “Killer Children” magazine #1 from Fall 1979:
Here’s a little taste:
The DICTATORS, my favorite American rock & roll band of the mid-70’s, are gone, and though that may be a tragedy, it was also more of a formality than anything else … The situation is still a damn shame, but before I get into details of that shame, let’s begin at the beginning with a little HISTORY.
“Rise of Rock Fandom, Fall of the Dictators” (click to download the entire article in PDF form)
— Salvi C.
Filed under Archive, Dictators Assembled, Special, The Cincotta Archives, Tomfoolery
Rocking in a Winter Wonderland
For Day 6 of our Hanukkah celebration, we again travel back to CBs circa December 2003:
Lovely to look at, miserable to drive in, and soon to be a very limited edition at punkrocksnowglobes.com.
Many thanks to Mike Frigerio, who risked life and limb in climbing to the rooftop across the street to take the picture, and to Brother Rob for the technological hook-up.
— Salvi C.
Filed under Live, Photos, Special, Tomfoolery
Hanukkah Gift No. 5: The Dictators at CBGBs, December 2003
The guys played a 2-night stand at CBGBs on Friday, Dec. 5, and Saturday, Dec. 6, 2003, to provide footage for a live DVD. Not everyone on the DFFD editorial staff made it to these shows, due to a close encounter with a blizzard.
The Friday show seemed snake-bitten right from Jump Street. The stage power blew in the middle of the first tune, and the momentum was never really recovered after that. HDM lost his voice part-way through, but struggled on. Attendance was affected by the snow storm. The highlight of the night was watching RTB play a one-man duet of both guitar parts for “California Sun,” and making it look like he does this kind of thing all the time. Which he probably does.
Filed under Dictators Assembled, Live, Special, The Cincotta Archives, Tomfoolery
Put Down ‘Guitar Hero,’ Here’s the Real Thing
For all of you budding RTBs out there, our Hanukkah gift for the day is the chord changes to the “Bloodbrothers” album, plus a couple extra.
This was Fritz “The Boss” Erikson’s cheat sheet from the “Faster and Louder” 2009 tribute set. It’s about time for another gig, guys.
Here’s Faster and Louder blazing their way through “Young, Fast, and Scientific.” Richie Parsons and Fritz have been doing this one since the Band 19 days, and it has never failed to smoke!
— Salvi C.
Filed under Cool covers, Ross the Boss, Special, Tomfoolery
It’s Not the Next Big Thing, But It Is the Next Best Thing
While we love and appreciate every single cover version of Dictators tunes we’ve heard, we especially appreciate those versions where the original tune gets a different interpretation.
As today’s Hanukkah gift to you, our readers, here are a few covers that go the extra mile.
This version of WWSRAR adds an interesting ambient intro. The band is the Stowaways.
Filed under Cool covers, Special, Tomfoolery, Video
More Midwest Madness
While I continue to try to get the stench of GWAR out of my luggage, here are a couple of final notes from my recent swing through the great state of Wisconsin.
If you find yourself in Madison and in need of a Dictators fix, you have 2 options at your semi-convenient disposal. The easiest thing to do is to head into scenic Cross Plains, and find the Gopher Crossing. Since downtown Cross Plains consists of a fruit stand and a church, that shouldn’t be too hard a task. The Gopher Crossing is the one-stop entertainment district for Cross Plains. It’s a combo bowling alley, diner, sports pub and function hall. If you skim through the Ds in the digital jukebox, you can inflict the “Bloodbrothers” cd on the unsuspecting clientele. Grab yourself a pitcher of Escher’s, which is the house micro brew, order a batch of Wisconsin oysters (don’t ask), and have some fun ignoring the dirty looks from the other patrons.
Filed under Tomfoolery
A Cavalcade of Stars!!
Don Hill’s was the place to be on this date in 2006, as Thunderboss lived up to both ends of their name as the headliners in a Poptown Records showcase night. The guys were playing their second and final show in support of the rocking “Thunderboss” instrumental CD, which is still available online at www.poptownrecords.com.
Don Hill’s was a much more upscale location for a gig than JP’s home court at BillyMark’s West, but we quickly realized that what was lost in ambiance (no snack bags, no ice cubes in the urinals), was more than made up for in overpriced drinks and menacing bouncers.
Filed under Live, The Cincotta Archives, Thunderbolt
DFFD123
Guest Contributors
Robbiecube
Salvi C.
Thunderbolt Patterson
The DFFD Blog 