Some time ago I posted a track by the Lovemeknots, a proudly Indianapolis-centric “indie” rock band (never truer) who worked the downtown club scene during the 90’s before calling it good at the end of the decade. The band’s been back on its feet of late, thanks to the relocation of one of the band’s key members – Kyle Barnett – to Louisville, KY, right down the street. They’ve recently posted four songs from their ‘06 Live at Zanie’s Too EP on their MySpace page, including a spirited, Velvet Underground treatment of fellow hoosier Leroy Carr’s “Naptown Blues.”

Carr was a smooth crooner who was wildly popular during the late 20’s and early 30’s. By the time he was thirty, the bluesman/boozeman’s life had careened to an unceremonious halt, but his records had a far-reaching influence long after he was gone, informing a range of legendary performers from Count Basie to Nat King Cole. Carr’s “Naptown Blues”, which showcases the local pet name for that Indiana capital, has the Lovemeknots written all over it (“nobody knows old Naptown like I do,” goes the opening refrain), and while the two versions come from pretty disparate musical approaches, I can’t think of a band more worthy of taking it on.

Leroy Carr – “Naptown Blues” (1929)

The Lovemeknots – “Naptown Blues” (2006)

posted by Kim Simpson

Here’s another live demo from the same 1971 session that brought us Kendell’s “Walk on the Water” and “Have a Cigar”, among others. This one was written during his time in San Anselmo, where he lived just up the hill from a popular club called “The Lion’s Share.” The club hosted all manner of bay area notables like the relocated Van Morrison, the Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, and the Sons of Champlin. When Kendell wasn’t gigging there himself, he’d frequently hang out until closing time. Kendell characterizes “Get in a Groove” as being among his “barroom ballads,” although it will probably lift your spirits a bit more than that category might suggest.

Kendell Kardt – “Get in a Groove”

If you follow the annual cheese-fest known as the Eurovision Song Contest, you’ll know that it happened in Belgrade this year (Russia won). I couldn’t help but wonder how the entire event would pan out considering the recent protests and riots over Kosovo’s proclamation of independence.

I checked in with Stanislav of The Little Lighthouse, who grew up in the ill-fated Croatian/Serbian border town of Vukovar. He assured me that Serbs know how to throw a good party,” even with an enemy. All current enemies were apparently treated well” – the “Albanian and Dutch representatives got cheers,” and there were “no boos.” One Slovenian announcer was shown saying things like “Zdravo braco Srbi!” (Hello Serbian brothers!). Also, the Bosnian entry got the full 12 points from Serbian voters as did the Serb entry from the Bosnians.

My response: “Is there any hope at all for a successful Eurovision having an impact in healing the tenuous political situation?” His response: “Eurovision is a huge party… I don’t think people see it as a political statement.” He’s right – some people really do tend to wallow in entertainment-related subjects as though they had some profound function.

Stanislav did remind me of some of the Yugoslav entries of the ’70s and ’80s, such as the Serbian progressive outfit Korni Grupa in 1975. “They had a pretty decent song [‘Moja Generacija’] about WW2 although it probably depressed most of Europe.” So they bombed at Eurovision ’75 as martyrs for meaning.

Korni Grupa – “Moja Generacija” (1974)

Let’s get the weekend going with another one of Kendell’s lost gems. This one, like “Apple Pickin’ Time,” was recorded in San Francisco during the spring of ’72 when he was working as a street singer on Fisherman’s Wharf.

Kendell Kardt – “Poor Boy”

This next track by Kendell comes from his time in L.A., when he was adjusting, as he puts it, to being “just another nobody” in a town where you “had to be careful not to step on a songwriter in the aisles at the local Ralph’s supermarket.” Leaving his heady and heartbreaking time in S.F. behind, he ended up staying in a cottage that happened to be owned by Gram Parson’s manager, who was also an ex-Navy buddy of the already-jailed Charles Manson. Unwelcome and unfriendly visits from Manson’s people, as well as the LAPD, who were exploring the landlord’s curious gardening habits, made Kendell’s eviction – in order to make way for Emmylou Harris – a matter of understandable relief. Kendell then moved in with a roommate who had a couple of teenage sons, and “Sergeant Barkley and Little Tim” is a tribute to one of the boys’ friends, who had gotten in the habit of “liberating the property of the undeserving” and sharing it with others. This sticky-fingered would-be Robin Hood whose ongoing rivalry with one Sgt. Barkley made for another memorable song from Kendell.

Kendell Kardt – “Sergeant Barkley and Little Tim”

Another installment of tracks from Kendell’s 1971 live demo sessions. These were both influenced by his years worshiping at a storefront church in Harlem during the sixties. As he puts it, “my experience at Gospel Church opened many doors. I began to explore the available records of then contemporary gospel artists I could find, in addition to Mahalia [Jackson]. Marion Williams stands out, among others. In any case, I was moved to try to create some songs of my own in that style, and these are 2 examples.” Jim Post, incidentally, recorded “Walk on Water” several years later on Fantasy Records.

Kendell Kardt – “Walk On Water” (1971)

Kendell Kardt – “Three Steps” (1971)

posted by Kim Simpson

“Silver Engine” is a track from the same demo sessions that brought us “Buzzy and Jimmy.” As Kendell puts it, “it’s based on a dream I had which reinterpreted a story my grandmother had once told me about the rapture when I was a little boy.” This is one of Kendell’s better known tracks, and it’s been recorded by a number of artists such as Jim Post and bluegrass group the Morgan Bros., among others. And now, here it is – Kendell’s own unissued version.

Kendell Kardt – “Silver Engine” (demo) (1976)

From a live demo recorded by Kendell in Chicago in 1976 comes this beautiful track, “Buzzy and Jimmy.” There’s no telling how many albums’ worth of quality material the man has socked away.

Thanks, by the way, to BYM visitor Chris who points out that some of Kendell’s songs can be heard on albums by Jim Post (formerly of Friend and Lover), Redhead, and folk duo Reilly and Maloney.

Kendell Kardt – “Buzzy and Jimmy” (demo, 1976)

posted by Kim Simpson

Finland’s finest doing a live number from their ass-kicking Roadrunner album. Their first album came out in 1973 and pumped out loads of amped-up fifties-isms sung in simulated English, which is often the best kind. This is perhaps where Finland’s rockabilly revival really took off and, to this day, has never touched ground.

More prime Americana from Kendell Kardt’s unreleased 1971 Buddy Bolden LP. This is a sweet slice of Old California that features the fiddle of Bay area bluegrass stalwart Ed Neff. Kendell refers to “Mr. White’s Song” as his “tribute to Gene Autry.” Mr. White, incidentally, is a former police chief of San Anselmo who’d built the Bay area house Kendell was living in while recording the Buddy Bolden album. Kendell liked the house so much that he located Mr. White in a retirement home after which the two developed a friendship. It’s a song that anyone from Neil Young to Mr. Autry himself would have been proud to have in his catalog. (Postcard freaks: The above says “Beautiful Foot Hills, Santa Clara County, Ca.)

Kendell Kardt – “Mr. White’s Song”