Way back in the '90's STOV was THE dance band in Fairbanks, mixing funky grooves with original songs they packed the local watering holes everytime they played. Let's go back to those days, shall we? And listen to three songs written by one of our 10th Planet favorites , George Zuzi-Cobb: Hippie Chick, Firewater Willy's & (based on a true Fairbanks tale) Live In A Hole. On the latter check out one of Robin's favorite lyrics: "You can all come over-- one at a time." Also word has it there are still some boxes of the CD these songs came f rom, called "Burn", if you'd like to have your own collectors item. Give us a shout!

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We've been lamenting the late, long gone Sunday morning sermon of the air that was the Eat At Joe's show on KSUA-FM . Hosted by Joe Hickman and kept alive by a dedicated cast while he moved out of state & returned, it was one of our roots connections every week. Pat even wrote a song for one of the anniversary shows--it's called, oddly enough, Eat At Joe's.

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It seems some fella came upon "56 Below" in a thrift store in near Santa Barbara, CA this past year and wrote for info on it. Ya see, it's on a 45 rpm vinyl record! Yes, Pat received a grant in olden days from Solstice, Inc. (a group who put on a very popular and groovy Solstice Festival starting in the late '70's through 1984) to record and press this disc and perhaps 500 were made. The fella from California was a collector and said it was the best "punk" 45 he owned! Yowza!! That's Lindy Raines on guitar and Gary Sloan on harmonica. (It goes out per the request of our pal, Nathan in Tucson, Arizona) So here it is for ya along with a live cut just uncovered of a band of Pat's called the P.F.Flyers (precursor to the Flyers of Howling Dog fame.) The P.F. stood for Pat Fitzgerald (doh!)and they played old r&b covers and a slew of Pat's early originals. Check out "When the Rubber Meets the Road". And go to Pat's page for more tunes!

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Some recent history: One of the great recording sessions here at the Planet in more recent times concerned this song and it's maker, Willis Fireball. Singing the choruses are a bunch of the singers and players that have been keeping Fairbanks a great music town in recent years. You'll hear the voices of Chip Brookes, Jody Hassel, Kendra Calhoun,Brooklyn Bellinger, Margaret Bonnell, Leighton Nunez, Jessica Knott, Tristan Cobine, Chuck Brainerd, Dave Magoffin, Sarie Birch & Janet Cline. Song's called "You Can Be My Waterjug".

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A bit of history to go with the photo above. On the left is John Denver (of "Country Roads" and "Rocky Mountain High" fame) in McCarthy in 1975. The photo is taken in the old McCarthy Lodge (now the dining room). Denver was making a movie about Alaska and evidently was instrumental (no pun intended) in helping the movement for the creation of the Wrangell/St. Elias National Park. Though it's creation was controvertial at the time (perhaps still is) one thing you can bet: The mess left by the mine is now contained within the "museum" boundaries at Kennicott and the rest of the land will never be that kind of dump. This tape was made by Dave Davenport (with the guitar on the left), a friend of the 10th Planet from the Delta area and made somewhat listenable by Pat here at the studio. Take a listen to "Rocky Mountain Suite" and "Two Shots", live in '75!

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Time to throw back the rug for a little cajun two-step followed by a cajun waltz courtesy of late '90's pan-Alaska band Bayou Beer. Band members include Aileen McGuinness (vocals, triangle, washboard), Scottie Meyer (accordian, fiddle, vocals), Forrest Gibson (electric guitar),all ex-Fairbanksans living in Anchorage, Ray Geraghty (fiddle), ex-pat' living in Homer & yours truly on bass and drums. Check out Parlez Nous A Boire & Mon Chere Bebe Creole.

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FOUND SONGS: First up, a song from a time when just about the only people seriously writing songs in Fairbanks were Gene Ryder and Cheryl Brewster (daughter of long-time Fbks musician Harlan Walrath)and her musical partner Mike Heimbuch. Here's Cheryl & Mike playing Cheryl's song, "Take You For A Ride." (1973)

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Some may have heard of the infamous Doctor Ogstad's Travelling Medicine Show (and Wahog Circus). A bunch of folks put together this show complete with skits and music to sell a bit of "magic elixer" to raise funds to get the troupe on down the road to the next town. Music was provided at times by The Sidewinders and at other times by Ryder's Retreads (Gene Ryder, Robin Dale Ford, Danny Constenstein, Kent Setzer). At the end of the show the whole cast came out and sang the Theme song written by our boy, Gene Ryder. Here's the Dr. Ogstad Theme.

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ANOTHER BIG HELPING! This time it's The Sidewinders in honor of the Pete Bowers' Old Time Herald article on old time string band music in Alaska. Here's "Tell It To Me", "Jesse James", "Union Man", "Truly Understand", and "Solid Gone". So roll up the rug (Ma, don't let them dance on your new rug.) and raise a ruckus!

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A BIG HELPING OF GENE RYDER FOR YA! We've sung his praises before and now he's coming up to join us for our annual trip to McCarthy (our 20th!) Then the week after we'll all play a concert/dance at the Blue Loon (Special guest Gary Wescott is back too!). So we've decide to prime the pump with a heapin' helpin' of Ryder. Feast yo' ears on: "Came To Mobile", "Trail Ridge Road", "One Door Closes", "Bye and Bye", and "Curve of a Brand New World" and get ready for the real thing September 12th.

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Next up, a song with an interesting past. Crooner Mel Torme recorded a hit version of the song "Comin' Home Baby" in 1962.That same year, jazz flutist Herbie Mann came out with the breakthrough album "Live at the Village Vanguard" that had an instrumental version of the same song. Pat says that everyone he knew played the song in Fairbanks in the '60's: It was funky, bluesy and easy to jam on. So it's no surprise then that the 1973 juggernaut that was the Glass Bead Game played the song. In this live version, probably a concert from early September '73, you'll hear the Herbie Mann influence with the flute of Donna Stewart. Also included are Sam Levine on alto sax and the phenomenon of Al Green on two trumpets at once! The band split their material between vocal tunes and instrumentals, rock tunes and jazz. Members also included Gary Westcott on guitar & vocals, James Bartlett on acoustic guitar and vocals, Suze McGuiness on vocals, Riff Rafson (of the Raines Bros. band) on bass, Phil Falkowki on piano. Oh, and that's baby Pat hisself on drums. Check out Comin' Home Baby.

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The most popular band in Fairbanks in '79 was one called Coyote. Consisting of Gary Wescott (gtr.), Michael "Sparky" Gray (fdle), James Bartlett(bass) (uncle of local soundman, thespian and set-builder James Bartlett ), Mark Zigmeister (drums) and the venerable Gene Ryder (gtr). The big difference with this band is that they played a lot of original material of Gene's--rare for the time period. Also rare was a local band having a recording in a saleable form. Coyote never made a record but they did record. This was one of three or four songs recorded live at the Howling Dog Saloon sans audience by Les Stuck, local madman musician and all around geek. It's a Ryder song called "Blue Lake Lullaby"

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In honor of the release of Charlie Hunt new CD, The Cabin Hunter's Mandolin, we thought you might like to hear a song from the band it was named after: A cut from the early 1980's from the Cabin Hunters called (because we're not sure of the names of the tunes) "Cabin Hunter's Medley".

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Now a song that does double duty as a piece of Fairbanks musical history and a testament to, as our Canadian friends to the south say, "the colorful 5 percent": The individuals that add the spice to the Northern stew. From the late 1970's, here's Don Kruse (with help from his friend and ours, Gene Ryder), singing a song he wrote called"The Ballad Of Harold Bram".

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As 2009 comes in like a roaring 40 below tiger our thoughts turn to warmer times. Like the winter in the 90's when we visited our good pal Steve "Mojo" Mertz at his place a few miles from Tombstone, Arizona. Here's a couple songs we recorded: (Robin on bass, Pat on guitar and singing, Mojo first on slide then on blues harp. You see where he gets his nickname.) "Highway 61" and "Confessin' The Blues".

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Digging into the vaults again. This time it's a showcase tune by 1976 Fairbanks' hottest band, Buckdancer, live at the Howling Dog Saloon. Members included Dave Ratliff and Lori Rodgers on guitars and vocals (heard previously in this column singing "Sad As It Seems"), James Bartlett on bass, veteran of several notable bands (Glass Bead Game, Coyote), Lars Larson on drums, (Michael) Sparky Gray on fiddle (later in Coyote and The Flyers' 1st drummer, now in Pearl Django) and Timberline Rose on harmony vocals. Here's their take on "Mama Don't Allow".

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This past summer we had the pleasure of a visit by the inimitable Knute Tonga and his lovely daughter Kristen. Knute (often playing along side his equally talented wife, Heather) is well known in acoustic music circles in the State for the enormous number of songs he knows and his multi-instrument musicianship. While visiting we pushed them into the studio and rolled tape. Here's "Hobo's Song" and "What Will Become of the Old Home Place."

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We've been slowly moving toward a CD of Pat's Dad's songs. "Palaces & Mansions" was the first (see below) and now you can add "Riding On The Bottom Line" and "Homestead On The Moon"(written by Bill Fitzgerald) . Both feature the fantastic Bob Banghart (from Juneau) on fiddle and our pal Alex Clarke on lap steel.

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A tune from around 1978. Robin on clawhammer banjo, George Page (Joe's brother) on 3 finger melodic-style banjo. The rest of the band may be what was known then as Tanana Grass, a long-lived band that went through many members. But since Robin usually played bass in her version of that band we're not sure who's on bass here. If it is TG then it's Jay Zemotel on guitar and Dave Manheimer on fiddle. A song called Sleighride.

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Did ya know we love us some jug band music here at the Planet? Oh yeah. Goin' back to the Jim Queskin Jug Band and later, the much older Memphis Jug Band and the Mississippi Sheiks. And we just had to share this tune from the fine local purveyors of such, The Bac'untry Bruthers live at the Marlin: Don't Hate the Playa

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We had the pleasure of having Leighton Nunez in the studio with his lovely daughter Jesse (both of Louisiaska fame) to demo a group of songs and he said we could share one with ya. Here's I Thought You Loved me.

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We lost one of Fairbanks own this past week (4/14/08). A fine picker & singer and an encouraging voice for all musicians. May he rest in peace. Here's Dan Ison, Mary Ann

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A track from late '70's by Dave Ratliff and Joe Page as they were just forming the Rhythm Romancers: Cannonball Rag. Recorded at the UA Pub.

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A track Pat recorded a decade ago on his ancient 4-track Tascam cassette recorder. (Just for that tape sound.) "All I need's some "Action Tonight".

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OK, just 'cause we love you here a couple more gems from the master, Gene Ryder: Spinning Your Wheels & 100 Years Too Late.

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Just in case you're shy, just in case you can't bring yourself to press the candy-like button that sends you to 45 heaven (we got a theme goin' with these 45s...) In case you need help, here's a little helping of DJ Kave-In from his Wiggle Room #15 along with proof of what makes us wiggle on the Planet. Don't be afraid of the sound. We told you in the left hand column about the Wiggle Room and the busted neon sign. Now go for it!!!

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OK, it's colder than a rich man's heart out there but guess what? It's been colder! (Make ya feel better?) This song was inspired by the temperature at the corner of 2nd and Cushman one winter long ago. Later that summer, Uncle Buck was on the board of the Solstice committee (that put on the fabulous Solstice festivals of the late '70's/early 80's) and helped procure a small grant to have a 45 rpm disc printed. Here 'tis 56 Below.

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Here's a couple more songs by the great Sidewinders string band (see Pat's Blog). These, songs, some of ,their only studio recordings,, were saved from the trash in a purging of our local public radio station's archives in the 90's. Check out a song that's Become popular again nowadays for some reason (oh yeah, Old Crow Medicine Show) that the Sidewinders were famous for, "Tell It To Me." Bust Down!!!

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For fans of garage rock(see sidebar to the left)and honky tonk there are no more impassioned singers that in the Alaska Native communities. Here's a sample: The closing tune of the Athabaskan Fiddle Festival of a couple years ago. Sorry no info on the artists but dig one of the classic songs, Indian Rock & Roll.

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Happy 80th Birthday, Doc South! (January '08) Here's a tune from his prime Fairbanks years (1970's). Joe Page is on mandolin (a Gibson A40 with the serial #s scratched out bought from Clyde Boggan (R.I.P.) , Brent Edwards on a Lane brand banjo and Doc, as always, on fiddle: Doc South Band. And how 'bout a bonus track? Old timey at it's best by two people who shared stages with Doc back in the Fairbanks days. Danny Consenstein and our own Robin Dale Ford recorded "Ramblin' Reckless Hobo" back when they were part of the infamous Sidewinders, an old timey band that packed the Howling Dog (Ester and Fox)in the 70's.

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The more times are changin'... This from an editorial by Senator Bernie Sanders: "Meanwhile, the people on top have never had it so good. The richest 1 percent now own more than 34 percent of the nation¡¦s private wealth, more than the combined wealth of the bottom 90 percent. The share of the national income held by the top 1 percent is now higher than at any time since 1928." 1928-just before the bottom dropped out. Here's a song of Pat's from the Reagan era written after reading a chapter in Studs Terkal's book "Hard Times" about the bonus army. It's called "Burning Down Hooverville"

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A special present for the new year from the archives: A tw0-fer from Gene Ryder. First up a song from the late 70's probably recorded at KUAC-FM called "Grandpa". Then about 20 years later from the sessions here at the Planet,"St. Elias Through A Cracked Windshield", written after Gene accompanied us on our yearly trip to McCarthy in the Wrangell/St.Elias area.

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In the spirit of the New Year, here's a song from our swing band, Swang!, written by Pat. Here's wishing a right proper "Blast Off" into 2008!

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Here's a "Song for Ramona"written by Gangly Moose's primary songwriter John Knechtel for the Zapatistas of Chiapas. It's dedicated to a member of that group who, though small in stature, looms large in the hearts of the people of that country. (Read an account of a trip to Zapatista territory here.)

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In his job as drummer for the infamous Circle Jerks, Pat's brother, Kevin, recently wrote a tune that became their first recording in 10 years ("I'm Gonna Live"). Here's his follow-up: A demo called "The Mouth", music by the boy wonder hisself and some mysterious band of street urchins in that same sweaty shoebox hotel room described on the left side of this page.

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Here's a first time appearance on the mighty, mighty Web by the mighty, mighty Flyers! Not much of a name, sure, but the Flyers rocked the Howling Dog Saloon in Fox, Alaska for about a decade from the mid '80's to the mid-90's. Here's a cut of an old soul song, "Love Got Me" from July 1990. That's Pat and Robin on the vocals, Pat on lead guitar, Robin on bass, Curtis Cunningham on guitar and John Carnahan on drums.

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A song performed by another old friend, Gary Wescott. Gary played in a few bands long time Fairbansans will remember: The Glass Bead Game and Coyote among others (see Gene Ryder, below). He lives in Seattle like so many expatriates but he visited a couple years ago and we coaxed him into the studio to play on a song of Pat's and also record this song, "Cry Just A Little",written by ones of his musical partners Reggie Garrett.

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Here we have a song by one of our favorite songwriters in the whole 'round world. Gene Ryder drifted up to Fairbanks in the '70's and set a fire under the Fairbanks scene, being one of the first songwriters with a true body of work that was growing by leaps and bounds every day. Besides stirring solo performances , he played his more rocking material in the band Coyote and had a little group on the side called Ryder's Retreads that sometimes provided music for the Doc Ogstad's Medicine Show.He eventually drifted back to his home state of Virginia but visited us in the late '90's and laid down some riveting tracks with just him and his guitar. This one's called "One Door Closes". Our ol' pal Nate Montgomery does a cover of it and there's a lot more in the vaults. Stay tuned!

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"Sad As It Seems", a song from about 1979 performed byDave Ratliff and Lori Rodgers recorded live at the UAF Pub. These two made a lot of music here in the late '70's, early 80's. Dave was in a band called Buckdancer that swung and rocked the Howling Dog Saloon (cuts on them to appear shortly). Lori was in Buckdancer with Dave and our ol' pal Michael "Sparky" Gray (the Flyers' first drummer, now a bit more, ahem, dignified in Seattle's Pearl Django.) All three went on to fame in Anchorage as Three To Get Ready before Dave and Sparky helped form the formidable Rhythm Romancers with Joe Page and our own Robin Dale Ford.

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This one is called "Palaces & Mansions", written by Pat's dad, Bill Fitzgerald. It is part of an upcoming CD of Bill's songs. Enjoy!

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“Waiting for Something to Happen” is from Pat’s album “Wild Harvest,” this one has its roots in seeing a man on a Tucson street corner from a passing bus. It seems to have wider connotations since Sept. 11th. Robin and Pat have begun playing this one live with banjo, acoustic guitar and harmonica.