Sami Yaffa – ‘The Road Bends’ with Tommi Lumatta (Rare Bird Books)

Sami Yaffa – ‘The Road Bends’ with Tommi Lumatta (Rare Bird Books)

Sami Yaffa should be a household name.  Some of the bands he’s played with should be household names, and some of the records he’s made should be in every self-respecting music lover’s collection.  Sami Yaffa is a Bass guitar-playing Legend. 

I know the term legend gets banded about willy nilly and people refer to players who should be nowhere near the word but there are some artists who are the absolute embodiment of Rock and Roll and worthy of the word legend. From his humble beginnings and his love of music from many genres through his time as the bass player in Hanoi Rocks through his dalliances with Joan Jett, Demolition 23, New York Dolls, Jetboy, Hellacopters and most recently old sparring partner Michael Monroe who to be fair have been a going concern for the best part of a decade and most recently his solo album that wiped the floor with everything released last year Sami Yaffa is a Rock and Roll Icon as far as I’m concerned and now the fucker is a published author with magic in his pen and a wonderfully engaging style that shines like his personality from his humble beginnings right up until 2016. 

Mysterious yet open.  Up for a party yet shy, charming and seemingly always living life with a smile and a jour de Vivre that has seen him through some horrendous challenges yet the guy rolls with the punches and pulls through stronger and more determined.  Yaffa must be a fucker to be around with such qualities most mortals can only dream about achieving and boy has he got a story to tell.

The book opens with his humble beginnings as he sets the scene of how his formative years set him in good stead for what was to come. Yaffa’s style is engaging and you feel like you’re in the passenger seat for the ride there’s a flow to his story that’s engaging and throughly captivating, especially for a fan of his work.  The stories aren’t bogged down with detail but the sense of adventure and ability to roll with the punches shines through and his unwavering love of music no matter what genre is always about how it affects your heart and soul.

I’m always a bit miffed when I speak to musicians who claim to not listen to music or keep an interest in what’s happening around them nor seemingly give a shit about their own music once it’s been put in the can.  Yaffa is like a sponge and his modesty shines like a star when working with others every day is a school day and striving to be better is never a bad thing.  I’ve lived my whole youth and adult life with Sami’s music and whatever he gets involved with usually turns out to be something I need to be listening to be it his punk roots, the reincarnation of the Dolls, his roots music through Mad Juana, Jetboy, Joan Jett to Hanoi Rocks (the best band ever) to his debut solo album in 2021 He’s also a documentary maker his skills make you sick if he didn’t have such a warm smile.

As a teenager, Hanoi rocks dished up everything I loved about music and Sami was a vital part of the story and his input was a huge part of the sound. He talks fondly about the band, especially some of the trips they had but he never shys away from being honest and how they fell apart or at least how his time was done and how being in the band was affecting his health physically and mentally.  Sure they were flawed and it was their imperfections that were a big part of why people loved them so much even if their story is tragic and a well-trodden path reading Sami’s take is captivating and heartbreaking.  Apart from the pretty shambolic Sherrif McCoy book, it’s the first English worded inside track from any member of the band. But seeing it all laid out in front of you as big a part as Hanoi was there is so much more to Sami’s legacy than one band. I particularly loved reading about his chaotic time working with Steve Stevens which then led to the Demolition 23. period and the band that grew for that record.

I love reading biographies and autobiographies and the master of this genre is Alvin Gibbs another bass player whose career overlaps with Yaffa’s on several levels as far as players go, I’d probably have them both at the pinnacle of style in playing and approach to music as well as both playing on some of my favourite records and had Sami not been so loyal he might have had the Iggy gig and Alvin’s legacy would have been a little lighter than it is, sliding doors and all that.

I don’t was to give any spoilers except to say I laughed out loud at some of the stories and drifted off into what could have been with others but throughout the book it is a real page-turner, heartfelt, warm, insightful, honest and engaging – exactly what you’d want from the writer and another excellent addition is that excerpts of the book come on a 12-inch record to accompany where Sami reads excerpts from the book.  I love it all and if there’s one book you need to check out this year then it’s this, absolutely fantastic – makes you piggin sick. Hopefully, it won’t be so long before we get the second volume where Sami brings us up to date and spills the beans on what he did from 2016 to right here right now! Brilliant

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Author: Dom Daley

Rainy Days And Mondays – Sonic Boom & Joan Jett

Rainy Days And Mondays – Sonic Boom & Joan Jett

How about every Monday from here until RSD 2022 we look at a few release we highly recommend you try and pick up. first up is the RSD exclusive from Jo Dog & Paul Black’s Sonic Boom and ‘Everybody Rains On My Parade’ available on Black City Records.

Photocredit Anjeanette Stairs

‘Everybody Rains On My Parade’ will be released on CD, 180gm vinyl and via all digital / streaming sites on May 13, 2022. But A special red vinyl version will also be on sale for Record Store Day on April 22.

With Sonic Boom, the duo have locked into a songwriting groove that effortlessly blends their diverse backgrounds into a cohesive whole.
 
The 12-track album displays a deep affection for the British rockers who reinterpreted American Blues for stadiums full of young rock ’n’ roll fans. The Rolling Stones and the Faces loom large as spiritual godfathers, with the grit and authenticity of the Delta Blues masters at the foundation. The songs roll by, distilling the essence of various aspects of these influences into a concise love letter to the rock ‘n’ roll world… as if the great double albums of all time have been compressed into a lean, single disc. Pieces of ‘Exile On Main Street’ are grafted onto bits of Dyan’s ‘Blonde On Blonde’, while the ambition Of ‘The White Album’ collides with the perfectly restrained power of The Allman Brothers ‘Live At Fillmore East’. The title track, ‘Everybody Rains On My Parade’ is an instant classic with lyrics that casually dismiss critics and naysayers with an undeniable pop flourish. The rest of the track list sparkles with gems like the uplifting ‘Tree For Shade’, and the infectious ‘Up For The Late Show’. Elsewhere the epic ‘Blue Like the Morning’ creates a vivid mood that is almost cinematic in scope while ‘Jesus Drives A School Bus’ is a classic blues rocker.
 
Produced by Gabe Lowry at Fox Force Studios, in Hollywood, California, the album boasts an irresistible muscular swagger balanced with the laid back hip-swing of the coolest records in your collection. Gabe shares additional recording credit on the album with Muddy Stardust. In addition to his work on the production side of the album, Muddy (Burning Tree, Chris Robinson Band) also joins Jo and Paul on bass, keyboards & vocals with Dennis Morehouse (Gilby Clarke) on drums, Tony Snow (Dramarama) on percussion and backing vocals, Chris Joyner (Soul Asylum, Wallflowers) on keyboards, and bassist Tony Babylon (Izzy Stradlin Band, Sylvain Sylvain) rounding out the band.

As well as Sonic Boom, Jo is also working on the debut album from Jo Dog & The Desperados – a trio featuring Jo and his former Dogs D’Amour hounds Steve James and Bam.

PRE-ORDER LINKS –
https://jdpbsonicboom.myshopify.com/
https://jodogandpaulblacksonicboom.bandcamp.com/

Secondly, we recommend you hunt down a copy of Joan Jett – ‘Acoustics’. Available exclusively in stores on Saturday 23rd April 2022. Acoustics is the first-ever acoustic vinyl release from Joan Jett and the Blackhearts. It’s an eight-song collection that includes five newly recorded acoustic tracks from upcoming double-LP ‘Changeup’ plus 3 previously unreleased acoustics exclusive to this Record Store Day piece only, including hits ‘I Hate Myself For Loving You’ and ‘Bad Reputation’ (Live In Los Angeles). ‘Changeup’ features twenty-five tracks.

Hit up the website for Summer tour details Here

At The Movies – Joan Jett Bad Reputation (Dogwoof)

At The Movies – Joan Jett Bad Reputation (Dogwoof)

So everyone loves Joan Jett right? Of course they do, what’s not to like? With a reputation that seems to grow on a daily basis, Joan Jett has endured several musical climate changes and still remained cool, respected by her peers and adored by her fans.  It seemed only a matter of time that a film in her honor would be made so ‘Dogwoof’ decided to take it upon themselves to carry that torch and just get it done in a shade over ninety minutes her life is there for all to see on the silver screen or in your living room as is now the case.

So popcorn at the ready dim the lights and let’s turn on and tune out its time for ‘Bad Reputation’…Some big hitting talking heads as we go back to day one with Jett. Back in the ’70s when Jett started The Runaways I guess u blokes won’t have a clue what it would have been like for an all-girl group it must have been twice as hard and must have taken some resolve just to survive let alone thrive but Jett comes across as single-minded and driven and then punk came to town and was a real game-changer for lots of reasons.  I loved seeing the footage of early Blackhearts gigs and hearing the news from the band which was very cool. Even Joan Jett got twenty-two rejection letters from record companies even at that time they didn’t do it for the money they just wanted to get a record out there. It seemed like an industry that was and possibly still is obsessed with sexuality and Jett has had to fight against that all her career.  Some of those interviews and their banal line of questions seem so out of step today and they should have been then as well.  Footage of the early JJ&TBH playing on Sunset Strip is so raw and in your face.

Releasing their own records and selling out through reputation and just being good at what they do is such an inspiration even now it gives you goosebumps.and the iconic video for I Love Rock N Roll and the look was inspirational and it seemed like all of a sudden the stars aligned and the band took off.  Great moments in Rock N Roll history and all of a sudden it seemed the world had forgotten she was the frontwoman and kudos was beginning to be shown. Maybe the UK wasn’t so obsessed with what sex a singer was as much as it seemed to matter in the States and Jett took hold on this island with the likes of Bowie jumping up on stage and being taken seriously by the radio and music fans alike.  I think the movie captures this for sure and having the likes of Billie Joe, Iggy and Dave Grohl all having a say shows the huge respect she has from her peers in the industry.

I also forgot Jett tried her hand at acting I guess ultimately shes as punk as it gets from starting a rock n roll band to starting her own label to acting she did what was true to herself and was honest and comes across as sincere and a loyal ally but ultimately she will be remembered for being a rock and roller, not a bird in a Rock n Roll band or some chic with a guitar.  The movie does tell her story in 90 minutes even if it was a lot to tell shes had some amazing musicians around her her whole career and that’s no accident either it might not be the most incredible or outrageous rock n roll story but it is certainly one worth telling and makes great TV.  The only downside is the lack of extras and I guess these days it would have been easy to tag on a rare live show or one from her own archive or complete videography, bloopers who knows just a little more bang for your buck I guess.  Fans will watch it and just get it and non-fans can kiss my ass Joan Jett is da bomb and one thing I know for sure is ‘I Love Rock And Roll’ just like Joan does.

Author:Dom Daley

Buy Bad Reputation Here