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This is the archive of the combined Barking Spider and Andy Broad Portsmouth Blues Site mailing lists.
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I've booked Jason Ringenberg many times, in Southsea and in Ireland, and I'm sure all of you who have been to one of his gigs remember the great high energy performances he delivers. I'm travelling over from Ireland to be at The Cellars at Eastney next Sunday to see Jason with his legendary band - yep, none other than JASON & THE SCORCHERS! With the release of thier album Halcyon Times, almost 30 years into their career Jason & The Scorchers have made a rock ‘n’ roll record every bit as dynamic and mind-blowing as their vintage work. On July 4, 1981 Jason Ringenberg arrived in Nashville. He'd played in country and psychobilly bands like Shakespeare’s Riot and The Catalinas in Illinois, but his vision was to combine American country music with a modern punk rock energy and ethos. At Cantrell’s, Nashville’s only club that allowed punk rockers through the door, Jason met kindred spirits, and within two weeks Jason had cobbled together a ramshackle band he christened Jason & The Nashville Scorchers. Their first gig was opening for Carl Perkins, - and their second? They opened for a young band named R.E.M.... Warner Hodges and Jeff Johnson came to one of the shows,and offered to take over on bass and guitar. Perry Baggs was brought in on drums and Jason & The Scorchers were born, They played their first show on New Year’s Eve 1981 - less than six months from Jason's arrival in Nashville... In a matter of weeks they were packing rooms around Nashville and had released their first 45, the four-song 'RECKLESS COUNTRY SOUL' e.p, probably the first true cow-punk/alt-country record in music history. After its release the band travelled the country relentlessly. Jason & The Scorchers’ shows revolutionised the way people thought of rock ’n’ roll and country music.They maintained the integrity of country while attacking the music with an energy equal to the wildest punk rock bands. Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols and Bill Wyman of The Rolling Stones came to their shows, whilst R.E.M became huge fans and the bands toured together. In 1983 Jason & The Scorchers released their landmark record 'FERVOR', a six-song EP that “rewrote the history of rock ’n’ roll in the South” (Jimmy Guterman in 'Rolling Stone'). The record earned them EP of the Year in 'The Village Voice' and 'The New York Times'. After a run of dates in California, major label Capitol/EMI signed them, reissuing 'FERVOR' with a cover of Bob Dylan’s 'ABSOLUTELY SWEET MARIE' added. In 1984, the band went to Europe, and toured with Bob Dylan (which gives instant kudos as far as I'm concerned!), performing to explosive crowds. One writer from 'New Musical Express' called their Marquee show “one of the Top Five gigs of all time.” Their classic 'LOST AND FOUND' followed in 1985. By now Warner Hodges was being talked about as a true guitar hero in the classic old school mould of Keith Richards and Angus Young, but with country chops to sweeten the bravado. 'WHITE LIES' got on MTV. People were beginning to say they were the best band on the planet, the “Next Big Thing.” However, rock ‘n’ roll excess, record company problems, illness and corporate radio’s resistance to the band began to drain the magic. In 1989 they decided to call it a day, and Jason Ringenberg embarked on his solo career. However, in 1993 the original band reunited for a tour. At that time the “alt. country” was all thre rage, and bands like Wilco, Son Volt, and The Bottle Rockets were having respectable commercial success, whilst acknowledging Jason & The Scorchers as the pioneers and groundbreakers of the movement. The Country Music Hall of Fame even included a permanent exhibit of Jason & The Scorchers in 1994! A run of great albums followed. The most recent - 'HALCYON TIMES' - shows Jason & The Scorchers celebrating thirty years of creating great music. You can bet your life that in concert at The Cellars they will deliver a superb show. DON'T MISS IT!!!! JASON & THE SCORCHERS appear at The Cellars At Eastney. 56 Cromwell Rd, Southsea, PO4 9PN. Portsmouth, on SUNDAY 30th SEPTEMBER. Doors at 7.30.p.m +++Tickets available now, via http://www.thecellars.co.uk/tickets purchase online via Ticketweb – just click on the Ticketweb logo on the Jason & The Scorchers show. +++The venue is open on Sundays from 1-6pm for cash / cheque ticket purchases or for you to just pop in for a drink or to ask a question. +++If you wish to buy in person at another time, you may do so after the advertised ‘doors open’ time on any gig day directly from the door staff. +++Tickets can also be booked in person from Eastney Community Center in Bransbury Park, Milton, Southsea -opening hours Monday-Friday 10am-3pm +++Postal payments - please send a cheque payable to ‘The Cellars’ to: Box Office, The Cellars, 56 Cromwell Rd, Southsea, PO4 9PN. YOU MUST ENCLOSE A NOTE QUOTING "JASON & THE SCORCHERS SHOW" AND A MOBILE PHONE NUMBER. WE WILL TEXT YOU TO CONFIRM RECEIPT. Your tickets will be held for collection on the door. +++Tickets may be reserved by phone 023 9282 6249 on the day of the show only – call 5pm onwards. They will be held for you until 30 mins after the advertised ‘doors open’ time. +++NOTE!!!!!! Unfortunately, we are unable to accept any card payments. Need cash on the night of the show? There's a shop with a cash machine a few doors from the venue – open until 10 pm. The venue's close to the banks, too!