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The Zig Gazette May 09 09 Thezigsband.com  Myspace.com/thezigsband Jim Ziegler, Bill Raffensperger, Frank McPeters, Jim Downing Sat May 9 – Torchy's Legends, Broken Arrow Jimmy Strader                Jimmy Strader passed away Sunday night.                He was the best bass player in town, and he sang incredibly well too. The man had a lot of chops and a lot of soul; he knew music inside out and upside down. He would belt out a three chord chestnut like "Twist And Shout " or "People Get Ready" one night and go play Thelonius Monk tunes the next night without batting an eye. Like most good musicians, he liked all kinds of music.                The Bruner-Strader Blues project justly held court at Joey's every Sunday night for couple of years with Spencer Sutton and Rick Heck. All of us in Tulsa have played with Jimmy at one time or another. He joined The Mystery Band after they lost Jim Parmley, and he recently played with The Lifers at Exit 6C, as well as any kind of gig that came along. He was one you called first – if you could get him. He could cover any gig. In a just world, he would have been a star.                One of the best bands I ever saw in Tulsa was The Shakerz: Steve Pryor, Mark Carpenter, Jimmy Strader and Jamie Oldaker. Lawzee! Carpenter and Strader are cousins, by the way.                Casual acquaintances may have seen him as a curmudgeon. He was not one for idle chatter or glad-handing. He was a musical authority and a perfectionist in execution. He had high standards. Thus, if you ever got an outright compliment from Jimmy, you know it was from the heart and it really meant something. He could also be hilarious.                Jimmy Strader was just fantastic, and we all had the utmost respect and admiration for him. Many of us are devastated by this loss. He was an amazing musician with a kind heart. That heart finally gave out on us all the other night. Jimmy is now a legend; farewell, brother. Sat May 9 – Torchy's Legends, Broken Arrow New Gig – Your Presence Is Required OK, the gigs have been a little sparse until now. Could be because of that expose in Oklahoma Magazine back in December? Could it be because Bill was on tour with Cale? Could it be that our "real" jobs have been so demanding that we haven't had the time or energy to book anything? Could it be because our lone booking agent lost his day job and is living at the salvation army? Well, maybe all that and also because we are working diligently, whenever we get the chance, on our next CD. Maybe it's your fault because you like to read the Gazette but you don't come to our gigs.                You should know by now that was a joke. Good natured sarcasm is a hallmark of Zig Speak. But we do wish you'd drop by and see us now and then. We are back in Tulsa this week! We just don't have the energy to play some of our favorite old dives for $200 a night – for the whole band. We are crazy, but we're not stupid.                That said, we have a new venue this week and we need your help. It always helps to have all the regulars and then some out on a new gig, so we can prove that some people actually like us, and thus get invited back.                We're at Torchy's Legends Saturday at 91st & Elm (161 E Ave) in Broken Arrow.                Torchy is an old school clubowner who has run clubs, bars, and taverns all over the county for at least 20 years, so she knows how to do it. The Jacobs-Downing Band used to play at her big place on Sheridan. She's trying to get this new place happening and she's booking good bands. There is a $5 cover, but that's so she can keep the drink prices down. (Everyone used to do this until the original Sunset Grill did just the opposite; they dropped the cover and had expensive drinks.)                So call your friends, come on out and enjoy the Zigs, and help Torchy get her new adult music place up and running; you'll be glad you did. We can guarantee fast friendly service at fair prices, plus some pretty good Rock And Roll if we do say so ourselves. The Album Report                David Teegarden is about to start inside construction on Tee-Town Studios. He's actually moving his Natura studio into town from Morris. Joe Hancock has his recording gear set up in there now, but he has to be out at the end of the month or have it all coated with sawdust. Thus, we are under the gun to get the new CD finished.                We have finished all tracking on eight songs, with probably three or four to go, so we will get it before the framers show up.                Two strangers in Colorado heard one of our tracks and asked excitedly "When's it coming out?"                Trust us, this is going to be a really fun disk. We're getting some excellent sounds and some gigantic grooves. Frank and Bill and Mad Dog are really the engine that runs the band, and they're in top form on this one. We've chosen our most popular cover tunes; songs that we play the best and that we like the most too. It'll be like a party in your living room with The Zigs: turn it up! Sat May 9 – Torchy's Legends, Broken Arrow Trivia and such                Weird thoughts just crop up. Case in point: Crabby Appleton. What was their hit? Who were they named after? The hit was "Go Back" which was a catchy benign little tune, but their only noticeable top 40 single. The namesake was Tom Terrific's nemesis.                There are several such one-hit wonders that turn out to be better than you might think. Richie Unterberger is an authority on such things. We highly recommend his book "Unknown Legends Of Rock And Roll" Ritchie also writes for Allmusic.com.                He says that despite the cutesy name, this band was a pretty good one. They had some real musicians, some good songs, and they were not a studio contrivance. Unterberger says that Lester Bangs was a fan. Bangs was a gifted writer who reviewed records for Rolling Stone and Creem. His work was published in a couple of good anthologies.                Another band that Bangs championed was Count Five. Their "Psychotic Reaction" was their big hit, but it sounded like a garage band ripping off The Yardbirds. However, they continued to make records. Back then, record companies actually had some musical knowledge and they would keep bands that had musical potential even if they weren't selling like hotcakes. What a ridiculous concept. Bangs said they just got better with each album; they were ahead of their time and may have pioneered the thematic concept album. Another Hot Oklahoma Night                It's worth a drive to Oklahoma City to see the Historical Society's massive display of the history of Rock And Roll in Oklahoma. Even devotees of such things, ahem, will find much they didn't know. At the premier I got to hear The Collins Kids and Wanda Jackson- wowsers!                It's at 2401 N. Laird – Just off 23rd and Kelly. Sat May 9 – Torchy's Legends, Broken Arrow The Zigs encourage you to forward this to everyone you have ever met. Anyone who would like to receive The Zig Gazette directly, or if you have changed your email address, send a blank email with "fresh meat" in the subject line to ziggazette@sbcglobal.net. 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