We All Live For the Sun

By Brandon Adamson

I stumbled across this album by a “Beach Boys” styled band called The Sunrays several years ago at an antique store. I purchased it mostly for the mod aesthetic of the cover, not really expecting much. I instantly fell in love with the first song, “I Live For the Sun.” It’s peppy vocals and bright melodies capture the essence of summertime style in the 1960’s. It’s strange that a someone like me, practically a vampire who doesn’t even really even like going outside, could identify with this sort of jam. Yet it’s amazing. The song promotes life, like the rays of the sun itself. The band actually toured with and opened for the Beach Boys, unsurprisingly.

SideQuests Aside

By Brandon Adamson

Originally published in 2008, this 2nd edition has been recently released. SideQuests is a book of futurist poetry along with brief and often offbeat essays. It’s available in both paperback and Kindle form.

Baby That’s All You Do, and Then You’re a Black Belt Too

By Brandon Adamson

Lee Dowell – Black Belt… a really catchy and forgotten song from the film “Teenage Gang Debs.” Long before “the macarena” took an unsuspecting 90’s philistine culture by storm, there was this “Black Belt” dance sequence. Learn these moves and try them out at your next cocktail party, pronto.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8a5Xd4KYps

Thru Spray Colored Glasses

By Brandon Adamson

For a band whose make included the wealthy sons of Dean Martin and Desi Arnaz, Dino, Desi and Billy made some incredible music. The fact that their parents paved them an easy road to fame didn’t make them any less worthy of success. They had some of the most beautiful and artistic songs of the 1960s. The band also made an appearance in the film “Murderer’s Row,” which featured an amusing interaction between Dino and real life father Dean Martin, “Now you’re swingin’ dad!” Sadly, Dino(Dean Paul Martin) later joined the Air National Guard and died when his plane crashed in 1987 at the age of 36.

The Palace Guard – Falling Sugar

By Brandon Adamson

The Palace guard were a 60’s garage band in Southern California. For a long time they were the resident band at the Hullabaloo club and a staple of the L.A. mod scene. Here is one of their jams, “Falling Sugar”

Pretty World

By Brandon Adamson

“Pretty World” Sergio Mendes’ Brasil ’66… This is one of the loveliest songs of all time, and this video does it justice. Supposedly it is one of the best existing copies.
“Why don’t we take a little piece of summer sky and hang it on a tree” is a lyric that has stayed in my head for many years.

Beatnik’s Wish

By Brandon Adamson

Twas the night before Christmas…beatnik style.
Excellent spoken word poetry over some jazzy background music.

It’s a Mod, Mod World

By Brandon Adamson

Here’s the trailer for “Mondo Mod.” It’s a classic 1960s fake documentary movie about mod culture. The film features and incredibly catchy title song by a “band” called The Gretschmen. There’s also a brief art segment where a couple of Ellsworth Kelly paintings are mentioned. One of my all time favorites.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUMxggEkvO0

Majestic 12 – Nothing on TV

By Brandon Adamson

Great classic mod video from a Southern California band in the late 90s.

The band featured Scott Schultz on vocals and guitar, Jana Wittren Heller on vocals, Ammon Watene on vocals and guitar, Steve Berrett on bass, and Aaron Watene on drums. Jana left the band in 1997 to join The Arrogants and the remaining members regrouped as Majestic, releasing two fantastic pop records on Shelflife. The band went on hiatus when Scott co-created the incredibly successful children’s TV show, Yo Gabba Gabba.

source: Shelflife Records http://www.shelflife.com/catalogue/LIFE055.html