Candy Snatchers' best is bittersweet

By Jeff Maisey

Correspondent

Hear & Now has acquired a rough mix of what is likely to be The Candy Snatchers' final album, "Down at Delilah's." To put it simply: The 15 songs are the best collection The Candy Snatchers ever assembled, even without the production work New York City-based Dean Rispler has in mind.

"That version of the CD is not even done, and the sequence is not yet finalized," Rispler said. "I am not at liberty to tell you the order, nor what songs will be on the record and which will be cut."

What makes this album so bittersweet is that guitarist Matthew Odietus, an essential piece of the punk rock band, died June 28. His garage-rock guitar licks are fabulous on this recording.

The material on "Down at Delilah's" is the most commercially viable album written by The Snatchers. Song after song contains more hooks and punches than a flyweight boxing match. They sonically resemble the early days of The Who and Faces, but more revved up.

Though song titles were not provided, one track, which smacks of the White Stripes, eerily contains the repeated lyric "911, 911, don't you dial that 911."

As Rispler and singer Larry May work on the final production, record labels such as Black Lung Records and Volume Records are lining up to release it.

We'll keep you posted.

Multimedia hip-hop

According to promoter Andrew Coplon, The Blockheadz show Saturday won't be your average hip-hop concert. Billed as "a theatrical hip-hop event," performers will be surrounded by an ever-changing array of stage props and artists at work, Coplon said. It'll be a multimedia extravaganza.

Mike Larkin of Virginia Beach, who performs as MICSICC, described the show this way: "A hip-hop event that blends emceeing, live instrumentation, freestyle, turntablism, B-Boy culture and light banter highlighting today's social commentary."

Performers will include Jon Boy from VH1's "The White Rapper Show," Vigilantez (MICSICC and ChEK), Shoreline Productions (Blunt Daddy, M. Brite, 3 Sheets, DJ Trigga, DJ Duckets) and E.O.S. (Cataman, Manifest, Bella Donna).

The show begins at 7 p.m.

Guest appearance

When Norfolk's The Rats recorded their recent CD ("Rats Ass") with Dan-O Deckelman in Richmond, not only did the punk rock band employ Deckelman as producer, they had him play lead guitar. Deckelman, a former guitarist with Adam West, Rocket 69 and Mudd Helmut, will appear live with The Rats tonight at the Half Shell (2917 Shore Drive, Virginia Beach). For Rats fans impressed by the fancy fingerwork on the album, this will be a must-see show.

Fundraiser tally

According to event coordinator Jason Bruner, nearly $8,000 was raised at a recent fundraising concert to benefit Jewish Mother co-owner Scotty Miller and his son, Ricky.

Several local bands, including the Jesse Chong Band, Chris Kemp and Blues Exchange, performed at the fundraiser, which was held at the popular Beach spot.

Name change

The James West Band has changed its name to The Sporting Paddies. The trio - Mike Cassidy (accordion, concertina), James West (vocals, guitar) and Tom Cassidy (uilleann pipes, whistles) - performs a variety of Irish music ranging from Flogging Molly and Pogues covers to originals.

They'll be sporting their new name tonight and Saturday on the marquee of Murphy's Irish Pub (30th Street and Pacific Ave, Virginia Beach, 417-7701).

Jeff Maisey, (757) 222-3934, jmaisey@pilotonline.com