Natty Boh Film Festival

Saturday, July 30 2011 @ Fraziers on the Avenue
919 W. 36th Street, Baltimore, MD. (410) 662-4914
fraziersonthe avenue.com

The inaugural 2011 Natty Boh Film Festival was held this past Saturday night at Fraziers on The Avenue in Hampden and featured 16mm prints of vintage Natty Boh commercials (courtesy of Sam Fitzsimmons) - not to mention some Natty Boh DVD rarities from Atomic TV and the excellent documentary Mr. Boh's Brewery by Alex Castro, Harry Connelly and Lyle Hein - as well as live music about Natty Boh (and other quality-of-life essentials in the Land of Pleasant Living) by The Motor Morons, TT Tucker, The Beatoes (a special reunion for the former Baltimore eccentrics whose leader Chris Dennstaedt now resides up I-95 in Philadelphia), Mongolodian Glow, and some related songs by guest artists (at least I suppose so - I wasn't able to hang around for the full night's festivities because my girlfriend Amy had to get up at 5 in the morning for work!).



Although many troubadours took the stage on this night, I didn't hear anybody sing my favorite vintage jingle, the one once belted out in a Boh ad by a cartoon Lord Baltimore: “National Beer, National Beer, you’ll like the taste of National beer.” Though most people associate National Bohemian with the one-eyed Mr. Boh, there was a whole cast of characters in the Land of Pleasant Living and they were all given a shout-out in this song: “There’s Chincoteague oysters and crabs and clams, and fried chicken and Virginia hams, and while we’re singing, we’re proud to say, it’s brewed on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay.”

Likewise there was quite a cast of local characters on hand for the evening's festivities because in the Land of Pleasant Living and National Beer, "good things happen when you put the two together." I spotted Skizz Cyzyk, Bob Wagner, Teresa Dugan, Liz Abeth, John Ellsberry and even Ellsberry's erstwhile Dork Brothers (and former City Paper and New York Press art director) pal Michael Gentile, who was back in town from NYC for the occasion.


DORK BROS: John Ellsberry and Michael Gentile

But before the films came the tunes...

Down the Beatoe Path: Chris D. Returns to Charm City


The Beatoes open their tab at the Natty Boh Film Festival

First up were The Beatoes, featuring Chris Dennstaedt (Poverty & Spit) on guitar and vocals...


Chris Dennstaedt

...Charleigh Chadwick (The Livers, Pornflakes) on guitar...


Charleigh sez: "Love my Good 'n' Plenty!"

...Chris "Batworth" Ciattei (Go Pills, etc.) on drums and Mike Kiker (of Philly's St. James and the Apostles) on bass.

I really liked Chris D.'s t-shirt that said "Big Man Music," a reference to his dearly departed friend (and former Beatoe) Mark Harp (Mark "Harpo" Linthicum); my girlfriend Amy Linthicum (Mark Harp's former wife) certainly got a "big" kick out of it as well!


Big Man musician Chris and little music lover Amy

It was the first of two shout-outs this night to The King of Peru (who passed away before his time in 2004), as Sam Fitzsimmons ended his Motor Morons set by crying out his name and holding up Mark's guitar. It made sense on this night of remembrance of good things past, for Harp was every bit a part of Baltimore lore and legend as Mr. Boh (whose namesake libation is now brewed out of town by Pabst).

The Beatoes opened with "Beer Drinkin' Woman," an obvious homage to Mrs. Boh, aka "Natalie Boh" (doh! - if only Amy had remembered to wear her Natalie Boh t-shirt this night!).


Mrs. Boh: Beer Drinkin' Woman

Watch the Beatoes play "Beer Drinkin' Woman."


Next up was "Polyester" and "12-Bar Blooze" and probably some other tunes I should know (but the sound mix at Fraziers was a little, how should I say, funky?).

Watch the Beatoes play "Polyester" and "12-Bar Blooze."


Anyway, following are some Beatoes pix I took before running to the back bar for a Boh (oddly priced at $2.20 a can - obviously feeling the effect of the new city beverage tax hike). Oh, I also made a quick stop in the Men's Room, where I had to agree with this thought-provoking graffiti:



OK, back to the Beatoes...


"Hey Charleigh, how do ya hold this stringy thing???"


"Like this???"


"How about like this???"


"I see...ya lift it upright like this!" Chris D. says as a disgusted Charleigh Chadwick turns his back on him


"I see - you sling this thing over your hips!"


"Got it! Under control now! Ready to rock!"


"I'm so happy to be here, I'm glowing!" Chris effuses.


"Is it just me, or did someone turn on the infra-red light? We really must be cooking tonight!"

On with the Boh Show

And now for a word from our sponsors...



After the Beatoes finished their set and broke down their gear, a big screen was set up and the film screening started. Although there were some technical difficulties with the 16mm films that came from Motor Morons bassist Sam Fitzsimmons' private collection (the projectors were provided by Hampden's own audio-visual specialists, the Falkenhan's Audio Visual Service over on 34th and Chestnut Avenue), everyone enjoyed the vintage National Bohemian commercials that were screened.


The Fraziers crowd is mesmerized by the Natty Boh films


"Hey, we're turning black and white like these Natty Boh ads!" Skizz observes, while Amy quips "In that case, I hope Liz and I turn into animated dancing clam shells - though I'd be tempted to eat myself!"

As a backup, someone called former Senator Theatre owner (and current candidate for Baltimore City Council President) Tom Kiefaber to give a hand with the the screening, and Tom brought along a DVD of ads taken from the Atomic TV public access television show's "Atomic Cocktail Hours" episode as well as from the Mr. Boh's Brewery documentary - some of which I had never seen (like the French chef cartoon with Frenchy serving Mr Boh the "wet, cold and delicious" brew from the shores of the Chesapeake Bay, a Preakness Stakes Boh ad, and the dancing clamshells of Maryland's capital, "Clamapolis"!).























I hope the Natty Boh documentary becomes available soon on DVD, because it promises to be chock-full of "extra feature" goodies like these vintage ads (the film transfers look beautiful!). Until then, this Atomic TV sampler will have to suffice:



Watch ATV's "Classic Natty Boh TV Commercials."


The Motor Morons

Next up were The Motor Morons - Jeff Bridges lookalike Sam Fitzsimmons on bass and vocals, "Wild Bill" Hagy lookalike Craig Stitchcombe (Judie's Fixation) on the skins, TT Tucker (Tom DiVenti, whose Baltimoronic pedigree goes back to late '70s punk rockers Da Moronics) on the guitar, Fred Collins on machines and vocals, Blade on vox and firestarter device (?) - who took to the stage in pitch darkness, all the better for the sparks to (literally) fly during their incendiary metallic K.O. set! Though the Morons have played just about every venue in Charm City over their long existence, I've most associated them with the annual SoWeBo Festival, where they've been absent the last several years; so it was good to see them back in a setting where their genius was once again fully appreciated.


Motor Morons make merry metallic music mayhem!

The Morons opened with "Another Girl."

Watch Motor Morons play "All You Want Is Another Girl."


I'm not as adept as Amy when it comes to discerning which Motor Moron song is which, but I'm pretty sure I heard "Urinal Cakes" and "No Brakes" in there, and probably "Big Truck."

Watch Motor Morons make more music mayhem.


Following are some Motor Moron pix I took.























Unfortunately, the Morons set was the last tune-age we would hear for the evening, as Amy had to get up early the next morning. But I'm glad Amy was there to hear Sam Fitzsimmons bid adieu to former Motor Moron Mark Harp (circa 1998-2004), holding up Harpo's 4-string guitar as he shouted "Mark Harp!"

Watch Motor Morons say goodnight @ Fraziers.


On the way out, we ran into Amy's friend Robyn Webb, who was playing pool in the adjacent room. We exchanged chit-chat about spotted dick and mushy pees - er, peas - since we all love British pub food (though Amy and I didn't discover spotted dick until we "spotted" it next to a packet of Asian "Cock Soup" in the Dundalk Giant's International food isle).


A blurry Robyn Webb and Amy Linthicum say goodnight as my camera battery runs out

What a fun night! But I have a question for the folks at Fraziers: since former milltown Hampden is becoming increasingly upscale and well-heeled, can we expect a National Premium Film Festival anytime soon? It was the "classy" beer of choice in this town for many years. Expensive? Yes. Extravagant? No.

Related Links:
Natty Boh Film Festival set on Flickr
Natty Boh Documentary
"Boh & Utz: A Love Story" (Smythe ad)
Atomic TV's "Classic Natty Boh Commercials"

Transporters @ Honfest 2011: Satisfaction Guaranteed

Sunday, June 12, 2001
Honfest (TM), Hampden


Transporters freak the beat @ Hunfest

The Transporters are:
Joe Stone: Guitar & Vocals
Joel Denolt: Guitar & Vocals
Steve Caplan: Drums & Vocals
Nick Sypniewski: Bass

OK, I admit it: I went to Denise Whiting's Attila the Hunfest (officially known as Honfest) on Sunday - but only to support those land-of-pleasant-living troubadors, The Transporters. The Transporters play righteous retro rock of the classic Sixties variety, specifically British Invasion, Brit Beat, Merseybeat, Garage, Mod, Psychedelic and/or Nuggets-friendly songs that are sometimes called "Freakbeat" by retro CD compilers. We're talking Stones, Yardbirds, Kinks, Beatles, Love, Who, Small Faces, Byrds, Pretty Things, Them, Doors, The Seeds. Whatever you call it, it is the music Baby Boomers like Amy and I grew up with, so we're as familiar with these musical chestnuts as our AARP Membership card numbers. And from their opening Stones number, "Satisfaction" was guaranteed to one and all in attendance.



Starting at 4 p.m., The Transporters played two sets this day (one before and after a crowd-scattering rainstorm) and were introduced by their unofficial fanboy/mascot/stage dancer, Dave Cawley - yes, the same well-dressed "Man About Town" and dedicated flower of fashion you've seen featured in Urbanite magazine, tripping the light fantastic on the dancefloor at Soul Night and Reaction, and defying gravity whilst plucking his Hofner bass with local surf-rockers Garage Sale. Dave not only introduced the band, but also did some onstage dancing with the freakbeatin' foursome on their opening Rolling Stones number "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," replete with fey Jaggeresque hand-clapping. The Transporters might want to consider adding Dave as a full-time dancer - the "Fifth Member," as it were - a la Mancunian madcap Bez's role with The Happy Mondays.


Helter Swelter: "Memo to McCartney: you may be a lover but you ain't no dancer - not like me, baby!"

Like-minded musicians tend to gravitate toward one another like a band of, well, a Band of Brothers, and soon after spotting Dave Cawley, we ran into Skizz Cyzyk and then John Irvine - representing 3/4 of the mostly instro/all-mental Garage Sale (and we were sure GS guitarist Dave McDonough was somewhere in the Honfest crowd - probably "refueling" at the beer truck!). Skizz and John were there to support their other band bandmate, Joe Stone, who also plays in The Jennifers. Plus John Irvine was soon to join the Transporters on stage to add some brass to their Sixties sass. (More on that later...)


Slaughter on the Avenue: Joe Stone and Joel Denolt's twin-guitar opening salvo

The Transporters really had the crowd grooving with their opening guitar onslaught of "Satisfaction" (Stones), "I Need You" (Kinks) and "I Feel Fine" (Beatles), as shown in the video clip below:

Watch "Transporters @ Honfest, Part 1."


"That last song sounds really obscure," Dave Cawley commented. "Wonder if it was one of those little-known Liverpudlian beat groups?" Um, yes...


Joe Stone feels a whole lot better playing his Vox Phantom 12-string

Then the ever-observant Dave Cawley, noticing Joe Stone strapping on his 12-string guitar, shouted out, "Play some Byrds!" - to which six-string Transporters plucker Joel Denolt replied, "You've been looking at at set list, good sir!"


"Play some Byrds!" Dancin' Dave demands, spreading his wings to fly across the dancefloor

The band then obliged with Gene Clark's classic "I'll Feel a Whole Lot Better," followed by The Outsiders' "Time Won't Let Me," as recorded in the video clip below.

Watch "Transporters @ Honfest, Part 2."



Joe "Heart of" Stone and Joel "Never a Wrong Note" Denolt essay the parts of Roger McGuinn and David Crosby during their Byrds homage

The one-man Transporters Glee Club continued to rally the troops as he called out for more retro rockers.


"Please sirs, can I have some more of your tasty licks?!" Dave beckons, his freakbeat appetite unsated

The band obliged, with a bevy of Boomer-friendly beats and sizzlin' Sixties sounds, as captured in the photos below. And note guitarist Joe Stone's uncanny resemblance to Jason Stratham of the Transporter action movie franchise; could it be the band is named after the movie and not in homage to the global transportion industry (am I smart or what?)?















There are but four Transporters, but on this day they had celebrity guest musicians sitting in with them, among them trumpter John Irvine and singer Jeni Jones.

Hey Chum, It's Time to Come Blow Your Horn!

You see, besides playing guitar in Garage Sale and The Jennifers, John Irvine is a Munsingwear Penguin spokesmodel and part-time trumpet player. John attended Hunfest with his photogenic girlfriend Kelly (as shown below)...


Cute Couple: John & Kelly

...and later hit the stage to blow trumpet on several numbers with The Transporters. That John: he's flexible, just like Munsingwear casual apparel! Clearly John's horn-iness wasn't sated by playing "Lonely Bull" with Garage Sale during last weekend's Tunes @ The Tower gig up the street at the Roland Water Tower. And while I was disappointed that the Young Man with a Horn didn't play any selections from the Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass songbook (despite my repeated shout-outs for "Lonely Bull"), he did the Transporters proud with his sassy brass on the Arthur Lee & Love classic "Alone Again Or," aided and abetted by Jeni Jones shaking her maracas.


John Irvine: "I should warn you: I play a mean 'Little Spanish Flea'!"


Joe Stone: "Ladies and gentlemen, I give you John Irvine. And take it from me, this guy really blows!"


The sound of trumpet and maracas filled the air - and still no Herb Alpert songs!


John thinks to himself: "All those years of listening to Chuck Mangione records is finally paying off big time!"




John Irvine: "Hey guys, I also blow a mean 'Tijuana Taxi'"





Jeni Jones just wants "Somebody to Love"



After shaking her maracas during "Alone Again Or" (as shown above), Jeni Jones rested her wrists and proceeded to stir the crowd with her voice when she essayed the role of Grace Slick to sing Jefferson Airplane's "Somebody To Love" with the Transporters.


The crowd was shaken, then stirred by singer Jeni Jones

At this point, Dave Cawley decided to rest his legs, taking his place in the VIP seating area in front of the stage, where he took a seat next to Joe Stone's girlfriend Sarah.


"I go out with the dreamy guitar player!" Sarah Hilton gushes


"Oh yeah?" Dave Cawley retorts, "Well, I go out with the Utz Potato Chip Girl - see?" "Ha! Everyone knows she's seeing Mr. Boh," Sarah snorts.


"I find their work very pleasing, aesthetically that is," Dave Cawley muses from his perch in the plush VIP Seating Area (far from the maddening crowd). "They have a very appealing weltanschauung."


Cooling off with a cold libation, Dave strikes his most suave "I'm Harrison Ford - get to know me!" pose

Then, the Transporters really turned up the heat in their "Soul Kitchen" (The Doors), before "Pushin' Too Hard" (The Seeds) as they neared the end of their first set, as shown in the following video clip.

Watch "Transporters @ Honfest, Part 3."


Near the end of the Transporters' first set, the first drops of rain started to come down, which forced us inside to Woodward's Antique Collectables, where I busied myself debating whether to buy another very clean-looking copy of The Raspberries' Fresh LP for $4 (you can never have enough Fresh Raspberries!) while Amy looked for yet more vintage clothing.


"I like shopping for clothes!" says Amy, in her 9th Life Plumbing Skirt

By the time we looked out again, a torrential rainstorm was pouring down and we had to wait it out as we watched nervous vendors frantically move their wares inside or pack up for the day.

Apres les Deluge

After the deluge, we ventured out again just in time to see the start of the Transporters' second set. Much of the crowd had scattered, thinking the gig was a washout...


A dedicated few in raingear stuck around

...but for those who stayed, the highlight was cleary the Dave Cawley Dance Party. Usually seen only in the Midnight Hour at the Sidebar's Reaction! parties and Soul Night at the Lithuanian Hall in SoWeBo, Dave's terpsichorean twinkle toes were on full display for all to see in the suddenly bright-again late afternoon sunshine, as the Transporters' musical missives seemed to trigger an almost Pavlovian urge in Dave to put his body into frenetic motion.

Watch Dave Cawley and Sarah Hilton tear it up dancing to the Yardbirds' "Over Under Sideways Down" and The Who's "Run Run Run."



Dave goes Over...


Under...


Sideways...


and Down, dancing to the Yardbirds!


Will he go round in circles?


Following Dave's lead, girls in the audience went wild, dancing in the streets like crazed maenads!

At the conclusion of the Transporters post-deluge set, Dave and Sarah gave the Transporters a standing ovation.


"Well played sirs!" Dave bellowed. "I raise my cup to thee and drink thy health!"

Also Observed: Hons, Nuns and Buns


Girls just wanna have...nun???


"These sisters thought today was Nunfest," cackle some Honfest Hons


The Sisters were having Nun of those lascivious short skirts: "Spread yer cheeks and take your bun-ishment!"


This babe - in taut form-fitting lycra - obviously thought it was Bunfest

And that, music lovers, is the Living End of this tale.

Thank you, Transporters, oh timeless jingle-jangling troubadors of yore! Like the Pied Piper, you led us on a musical journey down Memory Lane to Happy Days and Good Times.

Related Links:
Transporters66 (MySpace)
Transported (Accelerated Decrepitude)