Shoe Suede Blues featuring Peter Tork

Liverpool Daily Post
Feb 12 2007

by David Harrison, Liverpool Daily Post

FORMER Monkee Peter Tork finally laid to rest the old myth that The Monkees couldn't play their own instruments.

During a set which included old Monkees hits such as Daydream Believer, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone and an excellent, bluesy Last Train to Clarksville, Tork sang lead vocals and changed instruments with ease, from guitar, to banjo and then on to keyboard.

It was this myth which had contributed to Tork's departure from the Monkees at the end of 1968. Always cast as the "dumb" one in the TV series, a role he was never comfortable with, and as a multi-instrumentalist, he was always hurt by media jibes that they were just a manufactured band with no musical talent, made in the image of The Beatles.

The last complete Monkees reunion was 10 years ago, bringing all four original members together for a UK tour, TV special and a new album, Justus, where the Monkees wrote and performed all the songs.

The album failed to chart and, despite the UK tour selling out, the shows were heavily criticised by the British music press, leading to the departure of Nesmith from further projects. Tork followed suit and, according to various sources, all four Monkees have since fallen out, putting a dampener on a 40th anniversary tour.

However, Tork definitely made up for the missing three Monkees at The Cavern, confidently mixing in Monkee classics with songs from his new blues-orientated album, Cambria Hotel, his band, Shoe Suede Blues, producing a mature and authentic sound.

The place was packed with a mixture of age groups, and for a moment, it almost seemed that you were in the original Cavern of the 1960s.

After the gig, Tork chatted to frantic fans as he signed copies of his latest album. It was like Monkeemania all over again.
- Liverpool Daily Post

Liverpool Daily Post
Feb 12 2007

by David Harrison, Liverpool Daily Post

FORMER Monkee Peter Tork finally laid to rest the old myth that The Monkees couldn't play their own instruments.

During a set which included old Monkees hits such as Daydream Believer, I'm Not Your Stepping Stone and an excellent, bluesy Last Train to Clarksville, Tork sang lead vocals and changed instruments with ease, from guitar, to banjo and then on to keyboard.

It was this myth which had contributed to Tork's departure from the Monkees at the end of 1968. Always cast as the "dumb" one in the TV series, a role he was never comfortable with, and as a multi-instrumentalist, he was always hurt by media jibes that they were just a manufactured band with no musical talent, made in the image of The Beatles.

The last complete Monkees reunion was 10 years ago, bringing all four original members together for a UK tour, TV special and a new album, Justus, where the Monkees wrote and performed all the songs.

The album failed to chart and, despite the UK tour selling out, the shows were heavily criticised by the British music press, leading to the departure of Nesmith from further projects. Tork followed suit and, according to various sources, all four Monkees have since fallen out, putting a dampener on a 40th anniversary tour.

However, Tork definitely made up for the missing three Monkees at The Cavern, confidently mixing in Monkee classics with songs from his new blues-orientated album, Cambria Hotel, his band, Shoe Suede Blues, producing a mature and authentic sound.

The place was packed with a mixture of age groups, and for a moment, it almost seemed that you were in the original Cavern of the 1960s.

After the gig, Tork chatted to frantic fans as he signed copies of his latest album. It was like Monkeemania all over again.
- Liverpool Daily Post

He's a Believer
Newsday

Peter Tork defends the Monkees' viability for Rock Hall of Fame
BY JOSEPH DIONISIO
April 18, 2007

'So you better get ready," shouts the theme to the Monkees' 1960s TV series, "we may be comin' to your town!" Unless, of course, your town is Cleveland.

Peter Tork - whose band Shoe Suede Blues visits East Setauket and Patchogue this week - says the Monkees merit consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but one man opposes their induction.

"The only person ... holding a grudge is Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone," says the former Monkee. The magazine editor "has never written a gracious word. He personally has the veto power to keep us out."

How does the band - whose Emmy-winning show aped the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night" - rank against other inductees? Neither the Animals, the Rascals, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Dells, Del Shannon, Frankie Lymon nor Black Sabbath have more Top 20 singles than the Monkees' 10. Ratings aside, classics such as "Pleasant Valley Sunday" have aged better than the likes of Shannon, whose "Hat's Off to Larry" seems laughable as Hall justification.

Bands as disparate as the Sex Pistols ("Steppin' Stone"), Run-D.M.C. ("Mary, Mary") and The Church ("Porpoise Song") have covered Monkees' songs. Even Radiohead's "Go To Sleep" eerily channels Micky Dolenz's vocals.

"I'm convinced that Micky is one of the great singers of our time," Tork says. "He's always been something of a genius."

One notable fan is Michael Stipe, who reportedly vowed to bar R.E.M. from the Hall until the Monkees got in. Stipe declined comment, but in 1994 he did tell Rolling Stone that "The Monkees ... meant a lot more to me" than the Beatles. R.E.M. was finally inducted last month.

Wenner - who didn't reply to an interview request - allegedly denounces Tork, Dolenz, Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith for not playing their own instruments on the band's first albums.

In this "American Idol" era, when acts are "manufactured" like toasters, fewer critics crucify the Monkees for being a TV show that spawned a band. So have they faced an unfair standard? Were they, in fact, a "real" group?

"I've not heard the slightest murmur about the Monkees being fake," Tork, 65, says from his Connecticut home. "Everybody's forgotten it, except Wenner. He's been vicious."

One Rolling Stone reporter, Tork says, wrote a glowing story crystallizing their merits. But before publication, Tork adds, "The writer said, 'Jann took my article, gutted it and rewrote it to [bury] you.'"

Backed by producer Don Kirshner's songwriting stable - Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart - the band unleashed four straight No. 1 albums and three chart-toppers. They eventually penned their own catchy pop, albeit with less chart success.

"George Harrison used to say he wished his best songs were as good as the worst of Lennon-McCartney," Tork says. "So, we used to hope our best songs were as good as the worst of the Brill Building."

Tork's fame, however, is more about musicianship than songwriting. So said Jimi Hendrix, who called him the most talented Monkee. The guitarist opened several Monkees' gigs, including a '67 show at Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club. Was his compliment accurate?

"I'm not sure it's quite true," says Tork, who plays guitar, banjo, piano and bass. "I'm far and away the best-trained musician, but I'm in awe of all three [Monkees]. Jimi meant that I was the most [receptive] to his kind of music."

Tork's new album - Shoe Suede Blues' "Cambria Hotel" (sold at cdbaby.com) - stars guitarist Richard Mikuls, bassist Arnold Jacks and drummer Jeff Olson. The band's name doesn't reflect Elvis, so much as a less fractious era in radio.

Besides a bluesy "Last Train to Clarksville," its hidden gem is an Indian violin-laced "For Pete's Sake," aka the show's closing theme. The album has medicinal value, Tork suggests.

"People listen to dance music like taking aspirin: to shut down the pain," he says. "But the blues puts you back together. Like penicillin, it's therapeutic. If I can bring a microscopic bit of that feeling ... my career's in good shape.
- Newsday

He's a Believer
Newsday

Peter Tork defends the Monkees' viability for Rock Hall of Fame
BY JOSEPH DIONISIO
April 18, 2007

'So you better get ready," shouts the theme to the Monkees' 1960s TV series, "we may be comin' to your town!" Unless, of course, your town is Cleveland.

Peter Tork - whose band Shoe Suede Blues visits East Setauket and Patchogue this week - says the Monkees merit consideration for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but one man opposes their induction.

"The only person ... holding a grudge is Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone," says the former Monkee. The magazine editor "has never written a gracious word. He personally has the veto power to keep us out."

How does the band - whose Emmy-winning show aped the Beatles' film "A Hard Day's Night" - rank against other inductees? Neither the Animals, the Rascals, the Lovin' Spoonful, the Dells, Del Shannon, Frankie Lymon nor Black Sabbath have more Top 20 singles than the Monkees' 10. Ratings aside, classics such as "Pleasant Valley Sunday" have aged better than the likes of Shannon, whose "Hat's Off to Larry" seems laughable as Hall justification.

Bands as disparate as the Sex Pistols ("Steppin' Stone"), Run-D.M.C. ("Mary, Mary") and The Church ("Porpoise Song") have covered Monkees' songs. Even Radiohead's "Go To Sleep" eerily channels Micky Dolenz's vocals.

"I'm convinced that Micky is one of the great singers of our time," Tork says. "He's always been something of a genius."

One notable fan is Michael Stipe, who reportedly vowed to bar R.E.M. from the Hall until the Monkees got in. Stipe declined comment, but in 1994 he did tell Rolling Stone that "The Monkees ... meant a lot more to me" than the Beatles. R.E.M. was finally inducted last month.

Wenner - who didn't reply to an interview request - allegedly denounces Tork, Dolenz, Davy Jones and Mike Nesmith for not playing their own instruments on the band's first albums.

In this "American Idol" era, when acts are "manufactured" like toasters, fewer critics crucify the Monkees for being a TV show that spawned a band. So have they faced an unfair standard? Were they, in fact, a "real" group?

"I've not heard the slightest murmur about the Monkees being fake," Tork, 65, says from his Connecticut home. "Everybody's forgotten it, except Wenner. He's been vicious."

One Rolling Stone reporter, Tork says, wrote a glowing story crystallizing their merits. But before publication, Tork adds, "The writer said, 'Jann took my article, gutted it and rewrote it to [bury] you.'"

Backed by producer Don Kirshner's songwriting stable - Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Neil Sedaka, Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart - the band unleashed four straight No. 1 albums and three chart-toppers. They eventually penned their own catchy pop, albeit with less chart success.

"George Harrison used to say he wished his best songs were as good as the worst of Lennon-McCartney," Tork says. "So, we used to hope our best songs were as good as the worst of the Brill Building."

Tork's fame, however, is more about musicianship than songwriting. So said Jimi Hendrix, who called him the most talented Monkee. The guitarist opened several Monkees' gigs, including a '67 show at Forest Hills' West Side Tennis Club. Was his compliment accurate?

"I'm not sure it's quite true," says Tork, who plays guitar, banjo, piano and bass. "I'm far and away the best-trained musician, but I'm in awe of all three [Monkees]. Jimi meant that I was the most [receptive] to his kind of music."

Tork's new album - Shoe Suede Blues' "Cambria Hotel" (sold at cdbaby.com) - stars guitarist Richard Mikuls, bassist Arnold Jacks and drummer Jeff Olson. The band's name doesn't reflect Elvis, so much as a less fractious era in radio.

Besides a bluesy "Last Train to Clarksville," its hidden gem is an Indian violin-laced "For Pete's Sake," aka the show's closing theme. The album has medicinal value, Tork suggests.

"People listen to dance music like taking aspirin: to shut down the pain," he says. "But the blues puts you back together. Like penicillin, it's therapeutic. If I can bring a microscopic bit of that feeling ... my career's in good shape.
- Newsday

Record Collector (UK)
April issue 2007

LIVE *Reviews

Peter Tork & Shoe Suede Blues
London 100 Club
10/2/07
View: left of center

It must be tough being Peter Tork. Forty years on from Monkees mania it seems that history still puts his tele-antics well above his musical talents. Tork finished off a short tour dash across the UK with a finale at London's 100 Club. With an expectant crowd of vintage fans, garage aficionados and the curious, Tork delivered a no-nonsense set of his latter day material, speckled with a few predictable Monkee tunes. The most musically accomplished of the pre-Fabs did his best to engage the audience with his talents. Newer material from Cambria Hotel was delivered with humor and consummate professionalism. Tork can easily hold his own, and he and his band's playing was supremely competent. Tork's occasional delve into goofy facials sent the crowd into predictable hysterics. The Monkees numbers Last Train to Clarksville, I'm A Believer, Daydream Believer and Stepping Stone were strategically placed and Tork looked as though he was enjoying his independence from pop funnyman celebrity status.

- Simon Wells - Record Collector

Record Collector (UK)
April issue 2007

LIVE *Reviews

Peter Tork & Shoe Suede Blues
London 100 Club
10/2/07
View: left of center

It must be tough being Peter Tork. Forty years on from Monkees mania it seems that history still puts his tele-antics well above his musical talents. Tork finished off a short tour dash across the UK with a finale at London's 100 Club. With an expectant crowd of vintage fans, garage aficionados and the curious, Tork delivered a no-nonsense set of his latter day material, speckled with a few predictable Monkee tunes. The most musically accomplished of the pre-Fabs did his best to engage the audience with his talents. Newer material from Cambria Hotel was delivered with humor and consummate professionalism. Tork can easily hold his own, and he and his band's playing was supremely competent. Tork's occasional delve into goofy facials sent the crowd into predictable hysterics. The Monkees numbers Last Train to Clarksville, I'm A Believer, Daydream Believer and Stepping Stone were strategically placed and Tork looked as though he was enjoying his independence from pop funnyman celebrity status.

- Simon Wells - Record Collector

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Monday, November 23, 2009
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Concert review: Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues
Written by Jim & Becky Beard | | news@toledofreepress.com

Toledo Civic Theatre rocked Nov. 6 as Peter Tork – formerly of The Monkees – brought his own brand of blues to town.

Opening the evening’s entertainment were area vocal/acoustic guitar duo Elixer with their fresh interpretations of The Beatles, followed by The Nu-tones.

An all-ages audience of approximately 150 attended the show, which was beset with technical difficulties due to the less than optimal acoustics of the venue, and a table of disruptive drunks – about whom the security staff refused to do anything – was a definite detraction.
Tork

Tork

Still, headliner Shoe Suede Blues ripped thru one rousing rendition after another. Material ranged from the great Louis Jordan’s 1943 classic The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall to blues-flavored versions of a half dozen hits from Tork’s boy band days to newer numbers. Particularly enjoyable was a rollicking arrangement of the Huey “Piano” Smith-penned Sea Cruise, best known as sung by Frankie Ford in 1959.

SSB has a cult following in New England where the band is based, and it’s easy to understand why: they’re electrifying, and their musicianship is superb. In fact, one loyal fan came all the way from Massachusetts to attend the show. SSB consists of a cool drink of water named Arnold Jacks on bass, the red-hot Derek Lord on drums, and the wonderfully eccentric Joe Boyle on guitar. Then there’s Tork. The 67-seven-year-old is even better than you remember. Moving easily between guitar and keyboard, Tork puts the lie to persistent rumors that The Monkees didn’t play their own instruments. And his voice is stronger than ever, despite his having been treated with surgery and radiation for oral cancer earlier this year.

Tho often dismissed as bubblegum by critics, Tork is a consummate musician, as are the other members of the band. These boys can wail. - Becky Beard - Toledo Free Press

[Toledo Free Press Logo]
Monday, November 23, 2009
[Subscribe To Toledo Free Press RSS Feed] RSS Subscribe






Concert review: Peter Tork and Shoe Suede Blues
Written by Jim & Becky Beard | | news@toledofreepress.com

Toledo Civic Theatre rocked Nov. 6 as Peter Tork – formerly of The Monkees – brought his own brand of blues to town.

Opening the evening’s entertainment were area vocal/acoustic guitar duo Elixer with their fresh interpretations of The Beatles, followed by The Nu-tones.

An all-ages audience of approximately 150 attended the show, which was beset with technical difficulties due to the less than optimal acoustics of the venue, and a table of disruptive drunks – about whom the security staff refused to do anything – was a definite detraction.
Tork

Tork

Still, headliner Shoe Suede Blues ripped thru one rousing rendition after another. Material ranged from the great Louis Jordan’s 1943 classic The Chicks I Pick Are Slender and Tender and Tall to blues-flavored versions of a half dozen hits from Tork’s boy band days to newer numbers. Particularly enjoyable was a rollicking arrangement of the Huey “Piano” Smith-penned Sea Cruise, best known as sung by Frankie Ford in 1959.

SSB has a cult following in New England where the band is based, and it’s easy to understand why: they’re electrifying, and their musicianship is superb. In fact, one loyal fan came all the way from Massachusetts to attend the show. SSB consists of a cool drink of water named Arnold Jacks on bass, the red-hot Derek Lord on drums, and the wonderfully eccentric Joe Boyle on guitar. Then there’s Tork. The 67-seven-year-old is even better than you remember. Moving easily between guitar and keyboard, Tork puts the lie to persistent rumors that The Monkees didn’t play their own instruments. And his voice is stronger than ever, despite his having been treated with surgery and radiation for oral cancer earlier this year.

Tho often dismissed as bubblegum by critics, Tork is a consummate musician, as are the other members of the band. These boys can wail. - Becky Beard - Toledo Free Press