Our newest issue is packed with new, informative articles on the
coolest and strangest music you never thought you'd hear about,
and features a cool 4-color cover, lots of high-quality photos,
tons of new wacky and weird CD reviews and it's more fun than
a trip with the entire Little League kids to the local Pizza Hut!
The new
issue features:
SPIKE
JONES
We've wanted to do this one for quite some time.
SPIKE JONES was a real trendsetter. He paved the way for virtually
all comedy records of the musical type for decades to come! Writer
Ted Hering became a trusted friend of the Spike Jones family,
upon his sudden death in the '60s. He became the unofficial curator
of the Jones memorabilia, and has become the foremost authority
on the wacky, comedic musician.
This article also includes an in-depth interview with DEL PORTER, one of Jones' right-hand men in his early hit-making years for RCA. You'll only find it in this issue of Cool And Strange Music Magazine!
BERT
KAEMPFERT
Sometimes dismissed as merely a muzak-making orchestra leader, (he wrote "Strangers in the Night", among other '60s standards,) BERT KAEMPFERT was also a strong element in that decade's Space Age Pop movement. His early '60s albums incorporated maddingly inventive hooks and bright and breezy original tunes.
You may have passed his albums by, like many, but read writer Frank Young's informative article before you make another trip to the used record store! You may discover gold among the musty old vinyl!
JUAN
ESQUIVEL INTERVIEW
What
more can we say about ESQUIVEL that hasn't been said before? He
is undoubtably the King of Space Age Pop. With his wild, totally
amazing arrangments and unique originals, Juan Garcia Esquivel
took the limits of stereo separation, and unusual instrumentation
and pushed them to a new maximum.
We're fortunate to feature an exclusive interview with the King, and writer Ken Saari shares his recent conversation with our readers. Mostly, we wanted to find out more about his recent wondrous CD release: SEE IT IN SOUND. A recording that languished in RCA's underground vaults for more than 40 years, it was forgotten by all, including Esquivel himself!
Find out more by checking out our interview with him in this issue.
VICTORIA,
B.C., CANADA
RECORD
STORE REPORT
What makes Victoria, B.C. a great place to find great vinyl? Simply the fact that many people end up retiring to the sleepy tourist town, and end up getting rid of most of a lifetime's accumulations including their old records!
This is good news if you happen to visit Victoria, because some great old vinyl can be purchased at this city's many stores for a fairly reasonable price. Writer Brian Linds takes us on a guided tour of his hometown, with many fun stops along the way.
WENDY
MAE CHAMBERS
What
makes WENDY MAE CHAMBERS so cool and strange? Well, it's gotta
be the fact 
that her musical instrument of choice
is a homemade organ made of old car horns, each tuned to a different
note of the scale! She's been featured in books and commercials
using the odd-looking instrument, and writer Ed Kaz took time
to sit down and chat with her.
We think you'll enjoy reading all about this eccentric artist, as much as we did presenting it to you!
POLKA
LP COVERS CENTERFOLD
This
issue we feature Polka record collector DON HEDEKER's Polka records
in our color 
centerfold, and we think you'll get a
real kick out of them. There are some real doozies here, but our
favorite has go to be "Polka Encounters of the the Honkey
Kind" by The Trel-Tones!!
There's lots more where that came from, and we present some of the wackier ones in our two-page color spread.
ROBERT
DRASNIN INTERVIEW
Mostly
known for just one hard-to-find exotica LP, "Voodoo!",
Robert Drasnin has been 
recently discovered and is
revered as a true talent of the exotica collecting circles. With
his unorthodox combinations of instruments (lots of jungle percussion,
but dominated by harp and flute!), Drasnin has been re-discovered
by a new generation of music lovers. Largely
forgotten until Dionysus records' CD re-release of the recording,
Drasnin's music has reached a bigger and definitely more appreciative
audience than when his obscure budget record was originally released
in the '50s!
We wanted to find out more about this brilliant musician, and Jeff Chenault did the honors, interviewing him for our magazine. A great companion piece to the CD, (or if you're lucky enough, the original LP)!
SCREAMING
LORD SUTCH
Although he was much more well-known in his native Britain than in the USA, SCREAMING LORD SUTCH was a highly influential musical influence on young rockers such as Jimmy Page, Ritchie Blackmore, Jeff Beck and many others who eventually became rock music legends. Sutch's campy, creepy stage personna often overshadowed the music he made, with his undertakers coat and fake, rotting teethbut you can't say he wasn't a showman. A definite "character", Sutch is a fascinating guy, and Matt Marchese does a great job of re-telling the highlights of this British wildman's career!
HIGH SCHOOL BAND RECORDS
Think
you're the only one with a fascination for thrift store vanity
of HIGH SCHOOL BAND records? Think again, as writer Susie the
Floozie describes why many of these discs are great, and highlights
a few from her own personal collection. Susie goes as far as to
track down the former band director from one of her prized High
School band records, and interviews him for this article!
Since this article has come out, it's spurred on extensive interest in these records by internet newsgroup discussion panels, and it just might get you checking out those passed-by records in your local thrift shop, too!