Caturday always approaches, except when it’s here, which is all the time.
Mews!
Eric Din returns to his ska musical roots on Bond Meets The Godfather, a new single on Berkeley Cat Records. Featuring Din’s fellow UPTONES founder Thomas White on drums, plus trumpet and flugelbone from brass innovator Steven Bernstein, “Bond” is 100% Berkeley ska. Says Din of the track, “I had this idea one morning that Bond simply must meet the Godfather, and they must meet in a ska song. It made me chuckle, and the music and lyrics spilled right out.” Produced by Mr. Din at his home studio, and mastered by recent 3-time Grammy Award winner Michael Romanowski, this release includes an “Inskamental” mix, and a full-on dub version from fellow Uptones founder, Charles Stella. “The whole thing is really an Uptones affair,” muses Din. “I think if we were playing live currently, we’d hit this.” Perhaps one day they will. But right now, we at Berkeley Cat HQ are aware of no such top-secret plans. Cover art by John Seabury of Psycotic Pineapple completes the all-Berkeley-Cat cast. Bond Meets The Godfather plus Omertà Dub, drops Sept. 17, on Bandcamp and the streaming gizmos.
Pat Johnson has a new book out called Blue Collar Photographer and we at BCR HQ are excited to receive our copy. I’d be stoked regardless because the man has photographed soooo so many legendary musicians over a career spanning some five decades, including some of my own favorite shots of Iggy Pop and others, but ALSO, as it happens, I just learned one of his early UPTONES photos made the cut. So that’s thrilling, and definitely mewsworthy. You may learn more about Pat’s book right here, with an intro by Joel Selvin, no less.
I’m attaching a photo here that Mr. Johnson snapped of the UPTONES in 2007, shortly before the release of our Skankin’ Foolz Unite! album. We were recording with producer Matthew King Kaufman when Matt announced he wanted a current photo to accompany the release, and he promptly cat-herded us into Pat Johnson’s South Beach studio. Pat’s lair was a rock n’ roll dreamland of sorts - lined with guitars and huge prints of some of his classic shots. And Pat was (and I’m sure still is) so fun to “work” with - I put work in quotes because taking a shot of a band should really not feel like work! Pat’s skill at putting people at ease and creating a fun and comfortable environment is just as important, I think, as his skill with a camera.
This pic landed on the cover of the SF Chronicle Pink Section with a feature story by the aforementioned Selvin.
The pic in Pat’s book is from the early ‘80s - with our original lineup or very nearly so - and when the USPS delivers the storied tome, I believe I shall take a snapshot and share it!
These are some mews. Have a wonderful CaturFriday and beyond,
All of us at the Grand Corporate Giant Buildings of,
Berkeley Cat Records