Jim Basnight remains a rock and roll survivor, from his days with The Moberlys in the ’80s, to The Rockinghams in the ’90s to today. Last year Power Popaholic released the full-length LP Jokers, Idols, and Misfits with our digital distribution on Bandcamp. This year Jim has gone back to his archives and re-released his original albums with those bands. These releases have been remastered and include never-before-released bonus tracks. Enjoy!
Jim Basnight with The Rockinghams “Makin’ Bacon”
While in Seattle, Jim Basnight teamed up with Criss Crass (Muffs) and Jack Hanan (Seattle’s Cowboys) to form this fun trio in 1992. Originally released on Not Lame Records in 1999 after the band broke up, its stage shows had a reputation for being pretty wild, and it’s easy to see why.
Opening with “Middle of the Night” has a grunge-fueled riff that sets the mood, “dancing to your favorite song” and the party has started. Bouncy punk-pop of “Need A Car,” “Played A Trick” and the jangling gem “Ho Chi Minh” show just how good this band was together. The songwriting feels immediate and the riffs and vocals are loose, on “More Than One Way” you get a hint of what they sounded live on stage. Basnight struts around and howls approval on “Lattes,” and impresses the groupies looking for a “Rock and Roll Girlfriend.” This release includes some rare tracks like “Ripple In The Bag,” “Miss America,” and “Python Boogaloo.” Highly Recommended.
Jim Basnight and The Moberlys “Seattle – New York – Los Angeles”
This 1995 Moberlys compilation (now updated and remastered) gathers many songs from the band’s career in the ’80s and is an underappreciated gem that still sounds timeless today. Influenced by The Byrds, The Raspberries, and The Rolling Stones (to name a few) they combine roots rock, garage rock, and new wave pop in a unique melange. The band changed line-up through each of the cities mentioned in the title, but Basnight was the constant.
“I Wanna Be Yours” recalls the sharp pop of The Pointed Sticks, while “Rest Up” is a tight song that brings to mind both The Byrds and R.E.M. and on the ballad “Lose Me” Jim does his best Jagger-like vocal. The band successfully does roots-country on “Aint it Funny” and “Elma,” but can still do pop gems like “Summertime Again” and “She Always Smiled” with ease. “Tonight” feels like Tom Petty, and “Your Fool” is a bouncy new wave radio hit. This kind of musical variety was rarely done back then, and it’s more impressive that each genre is handled so well. No filler at all, and an important document of this “lost” power pop band. Highly Recommended.
