NEW CD REVIEW

If there is a soul survivor in the Twin Cities' Bar Wars, it has to be the Lamont Cranston Band. The seeds of this rhythm and blues army were sown in the tie-dyed portion of the 1960's, when folk music and psychedelia were the thing. The years and trends continue to peel away, yet Lamont persists as a Minnesota musical gem on stage and in the studio. Time has seen critics and the buying public direct their attention towards singer-songwriters, "classic" rock, disco, punk, new wave, the dubious 80's, grunge, rap, hip-hop, teen groups and techno. Meanwhile, the Lamont Cranston Band has carried on with their R&B and jump blues numbers that defy notions of time and place. Thirty-plus years down the road, the Cranstons deliver proof (as if more were needed) that they are the timeless real deal on the Cold Wind release, Lamont Live!!"

OK, let's get a few things out of the way. Pat Hayes, singer, harpist, guitarist and consummate entertainer, is the mainstay of the Cranstons, the man that many fans believe to be Lamont himself. In fact, the name comes from the old-time radio show "The Shadow." The band has many famous friends and supporters with whom they've shared the stage, including Bonnie Raitt, Muddy Waters, the Fabulous Thunderbirds, Aykroyd and Belushi's Blues Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughan, ALbert King and Charlie Musselwhite. In 1979, the Blues Brothers' hit single "Soul Man" featured "Excusez Moi, Mon Cheri " on the B-side, a song written by Pat's brother Larry Hayes that appeared on the Cranstons album "Specials-Lit." They opened for the Rolling Stones on the midwestern swing of the 1981 "Tattoo You" tour. While all of this well documented name-dropping is interesting in a People magazine sense, in a funny way it sells the LCB short. These relationships have often proven to validate the more famous acts as much as they have validated the Cranstons. As far as I can tell, nobody ever did these guys a favor - they've earned every holler, whistle and bead of sweat given up by their audiences and fellow performers.

Where should you rank Lamont's significance in the world of Minnesota music? Please include Lamont Cranston on the usual, deserving, list of the "important" ones. Folks like the Replacements, the Suicide Commandos, Husker Du, Soul Asylum, Prince, and Koerner, Ray & Glover. If Lamont Cranston received a piece of the action for every guitar, harmonica and bowling shirt purchase that they inspired, they'd be wealthy lads indeed. Not to mention the shoe leather tallies rung up on packed dance floors at Lamont shows from coast to coast. Lamont Cranston never changed the world, but they may have changed (for the better) more Friday and Saturday nights than any other band hailing from Minnesota. Coupled with the talent and committment exhibited by the band, this is a yardstick that should not be underestimated.

If popularity, consistent excellence and Hohner Marine Band sales don't make a group "important," then consider this; the Cranstons were among the first to truly open the door for the "Minnesota Sound." When they started playing live as the Lamont Cranston Band, booking agents had 40 criteria for filling gigs. The Top 40 that is. When the Cranstons released their first album in 1976, local recordings were virtually non-existent in Minnesota (it had been more than a decade since the Trashmen, the Castaways and other locals appeared on, and disappeared from, the radar screen). With no label behind them, the LCB proved that a local band could successfully release it's own album without the help of the corporate machine. They also proved that a band performing outside the popular formula of the day could pack the bars with thirsty fans. These guys, along with a few contemporaries like Willie Murphy, brought a punk/DIY ethic to the Minnesota scene long before "punk" or "DIY" entered the vernacular. This is no history lecture though. The Cranstons are still doing it in 2001.

"Lamont Live!!" is a double-disc set recorded over two nights at Whiskey Junction and Brewbaker's earlier this year. Double live albums are a scary proposition. Over the years, and particularly in the wake of Frampton coming alive, the format has unneccessarily threatened to endanger the world supply of vinyl. Ponderous jams, weak material and redundancy often mark the genre. Not so here. There is a brand of band that never tells their full story without a great live recording (the Neville Brothers come to mind), and the Cranstons write an important chapter with their new release. The fact that it took two discs to do so is, in fact, a bonus.

Good-time rhythm and blues, swing workouts and pure blues, all done Cranston style, pour forth from the first note to last call. The excellent pacing of styles and sonic dynamics add up to two hours of music that never bogs down and consistently exhilarates. The song selections include a generous mix of older Cranston tunes, post-McCabe/Bingham numbers and six songs previously unreleased by the band. (Pianist/songwriter/vocalist Bruce McCabe and guitarist Charlie Bingham, who left the band in the mid-eighties, were key components leading to the relative commercial success of the 1981 "Shakedown" album.) Despite the fact that the band is often associated with covering blues standards and obscurities, nearly half of the tracks are written or co-written by Pat Hayes.

In addition to displaying his songwriting skills, Hayes once again proves himself to be a rare triple-thret on stage - his masterful harmonica talents, unique vocals and burning guitar licks are front and center throughout. On "Hoodoo Man," written by and dedicated to the legendary Junior Wells, Mr. Hayes' harp breaks are tasteful, respectful beauties. His gymnastic abilities on the harmonica are present too, on numbers like "Streets Around Here" and "I Don'y Wanna Know." Many qualities separate the Cranstons from garden-variety R&B bar bands, not the least of which is Hayes' version of an Irish tenor. Rather than affect a blues growl, Hayes has always been happy to be himself and let the vocal soar, granting the LCB it's own sound. Throw in Pat's unorthodox, pick-free guitar splashes (check out "Sweet Sixteen" or the Hayes/Ted Larsen cutting contest on "She's Murder"), and the man covers more ground than Bob Dylan's tour bus.

Hayes can't do it all by himself, and he doesn't need to. Each of the seven members that put the "B" in "LCB" manage to shine in their own right without jamming their mates. Lead guitarist Ted Larsen has a tall order to fill, following in the footsteps of former Cranston guitarists like Larry Hayes, Bob Bingham, Charlie Bingham and Kid Morgan. Not only does Larsen have what it takes to fill the spot, he manages to conjure images of past Cranstons while still being his own man. "Lickin' Stick" is a primer in Larsen's keen sensibilities when sharing the lead guitar spotlight with Pat Hayes.

The rhythm section includes prodigal drummer Jim Novak and bass player Michael Carvale. The grooves are loose enough to swing, while keeping the interplay tight. Dale Peterson's keyboards fill the sound out nicely, and he occasionally cuts it loose. Peterson's Hammond B3 solo on "She's Murder" is old-school cool. The horn section, consisting of Rick O'Dell and Jim Greenwell, applies the finishing touches. These long-time Cranstons are both outstanding, whether they're boosting the rhythm lines or stepping out with a solo that arrives in your brain and your shoes at the same time. "I Couldn't Put You Down" and "Roll With Me" are two of the many cuts that display a combination of saxophone workmanship and inventive spirit. On a sad note, "Lamont Live!!" is dedicated to the memory of Rick O'Dell, who passed away in July of this year.

It all closes with "E Jam," a Lamont staple that has never sounded more epic or more defining. O'Dell and Greenwell are sublime; Hayes' composition skills and harmonica work are stunning. In the liner notes to a 1993 LCB collection, Martin Keller described "E Jam" as "soundtrack music for eulogies, epiphanies and just about every other kind of dramatic moment worth remembering that was ever tainted with some joy and a little sadness." All things considered, he could have been describing "Lamont Live!!"

This treat is no retirement party, nor is it a "best of," my friends. It's a moving picture of where the band is right now. Hayes is writing new material and planning to take his crew back into the studio before too long to roll out some progressive blues and R&B. If "Lamont Live!!" is any indication of the energy that will be captured on the next reel, I for one will roll with him.