Plain and Fancy: The Nick Gravenites John Cipollina Band - Monkey Medicine (1982 us, solid blues rock)

There's nothing new in the idea that some of the best rock musicians of the last 15 or 50 years are not as famous as they ought to be; genuine talent has always counted for less than image, hype or sheer luck. Nick Gravenites (or if you prefer Nick da Greek) is a classic case; despite being a great guitarist, songwriter and producer, (as well as being in possession of one of the most powerful voices in the business) genuine success has always eluded him, which is a pity because few white people have the knowledge or feeling for the blues that he does; he's got so much of it, it's coming out of his ears.

Gravenites was originally part of a thriving folk and blues scene in Chicago in the early '60s but in 1962 he travelled out west to San Francisco.

The Beats had gone but folk was booming and Gravenites was able to gig regularly at places like The Fox and Hound and The Coffee Gallery, both in the city's North Beach district. Quite often sharing the bill was a young fresh in from Texas, called Janis Joplin. Many musicians, later to attract the attention of the world's press during the 'Summer of Love', were also on the circuit - pre-electricity and, largely pre-acid.

Within in a couple of years Gravenites was in Chicago running a blues club called the Burning Bush, amongst other things, however when '67 rolled around, with every musician in the States heading out to San Francisco, Nick did likewise. Things were different from '62 everywhere was peace, love and good vibes, for a couple of months at least. Gravenites was there primarily to join Mike Bloomfield's new band, known at the time as An American Music Band but shortly to change their name to The Electric Flag. The Flag became the definitive blues/funk outfit of the late '60s, albums like 'A Long Time Coming' were required listening for anyone remotely interested in the 'new rock'. Gravenites' amazing gravelly voice was heard on hi-fi's all over the western world. After a couple of years the band ground to a halt, he made a solo album 'My Labors' and joined a last gasp, post Janis version of Big Brother.

The '70s proved a lean time for Gravenites, until it became apparent that people in Europe still wanted to hear him play, especially as he'd teamed up with the ubiquitous John Cipollina, guitar picker extra-ordinaire, wolf fetishist and refugee from the pioneering acid-rock outfit, Quicksilver Messenger Service. QMS were the definitive proponents of the guitar-based San Francisco sound, who should have conquered the world but failed to, owing to a seemingly in-built self destruct mechanism. Their music owed much to Cipolllina's playing, at times menacingly growling, at other times hard edged and bluesy.

Quicksilver staggered on into the mid '70s but Cipollina wisely quit at the end of 1970, taking his distinctive playing into Copperhead and then on to various loose aggregations, notably Terry & the Pirates. The link up with Gravenites came in 1979 when it seemed that neither of them were likely to play live in Europe again. However, since then they have been fairly regular visitors, especially to Germany and Italy where they are able to fill concert halls night after night.

This album was recorded during a recent tour, when they were augmented by Marcus David on drums and Al Staehely on bass. Staehely is notable for having the distinction of having played in a bogus line-up of Spirit, he now doubles as a lawyer in L.A.

This album is, of course, blues based and displays Gravenites' interpretations of a couple of standards plus some fine new songs, not to mention a reworking of his own classic 'Buried Alive in the Blues'.

Staehely also contributes a couple of excellent originals and needless to say Cipollina's guitar is as fiery as ever, notably on 'Bad Luck Baby' which has echoes of the old Quicksilver and the reworking of 'Pride of Man', the Hamilton Camp number, which was an integral part of the old QMS set.

In terms of chart success this album is unlikely to compete with Soft Cell, which is a pity because music played with this kind of integrity and ability is all too rare these days. I, for one, am glad that these guys are still doing it.

by John Platt, (Editor, Comstock Lode magazine)

Nicholas George Gravenites passed away in Santa Rosa, California on September 18, 2024, at the age of 85.