(Tell-Tale Heart/Town Crier Ray Brandes brings new Town Criers artifacts to light.)
The first of these gems is from early 1989, a performance at the wedding of Joe Hughes at Joshua Tree National Park.
The band at the time consisted of Ray Brandes on acoustic guitar and vocals, Peter Miesner on lead guitar, Mark Zadarnowski on electric bass guitar, and Dan Tarte on drums. Among the attendees captured on film at the event are Che Undergrounders Matt Johnson and Sean McMullen.
The toddler at the end of the clip is Sean Zadarnowski, Mark and Lydia’s son, who has graduated from UCSD.
The following recordings, unearthed by Dave Ellison, come from a Town Criers appearance at the old Casbah on Nov. 30, 1989. By this time, Dave’s steel guitar had replaced Peter’s six-string, and David Klowden was playing drums.
The Town Criers were a staple at the first Casbah location, and even hold the distinction of being the first band to play the club, following a last-minute cancellation by Romy Kaye and the Swinging Gates. On this particular night, the group managed to crank out a solid, workmanlike set featuring a mixture of country standards and Ray Brandes originals.
The first song, “Treat Me Mean, Treat Me Cruel,” is a little-known song by Conway Twitty, from the period in which he was transitioning from rock and roll to country.
The Town Criers play “Treat Me Mean, Treat Me Cruel”: Listen now!
The second song is a cover of Merle Haggard’s “Skid Row,” the first song he wrote upon release from San Quentin in 1960.
The Town Criers play “Skid Row”: Listen now!
The final song is “I Just Want to Go Home,” a reworked Ray Brandes original from the waning days of the Tell-Tale Hearts.
The Town Criers play “I Just Want to Go Home”: Listen now!
— Ray Brandes
Possibly the coolest setting ever for a gig.
Or the warmest.
That was a memorable day at Joshua Tree. At the time it seemed like some lip synced scene from a sixties movie. Kind of surreal, especially considering the varying states of sobriety.
I was out of town, fully immersed in other stuff by ’89. Nice to hear how good the Town Criers got. The Town Criers got really good!
Agreed! Wish I had a chance to see this band, the vid and tracks sound great!
Dave Ellison’s steel playing is super tasty, never heard his slide-side before. Awesome playing..
Wow, that video brought back some memories! Tom’s right, it was a memorable day. What a beautiful setting. I just got a pang of homesickness for California.