Holy Modal Rounders - Live 1965

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Once again here´s a posting featuring a wonderful artist performing this week at the "Haus der Kulturen der Welt".

Tomorrow evening Peter Stampfel, a veteran of 1960s folk will share the stage with Prewar Yardsale, an electrified band of the so-called anti-folk scene, who are often strongly influenced by punk rock.

As member of the Fugs and the Holy Modal Rounders, Peter Stampfel was among the protagonists of the anarchical freak folk music of the 1960s. Alongside his propensity for the beatnik lifestyle, he always cultivated an interest in old songs, which over the years made him into a kind of walking folk archive. He has continually engaged in exchange with younger generations and performed with such artists as Yo La Tengo, They Might Be Giants and, more recently, Jeff Lewis.

Today Stampfel lives as a science-fiction author and family man in Lower Manhattan.

"The unearthing of a 1965 live performance by a highly regarded cult band such as the Holy Modal Rounders, who only put out four albums during the 1960s, undeniably holds some lure for fans.

Yet, even judged as an artifact, this release is somewhat disappointing. The fidelity is just fair, though listenable, and the performances are a little ragged. You could justifiably argue that many Holy Modal Rounders fans like the band ragged. But the fact is that if you want to hear them in their early old-time folk guise, the performances and audio are much better on the two mid-'60s albums they did for Prestige around the same time. All that taken into consideration, there's some interest to be had in hearing some live versions of songs that made it onto those Prestige LPs, like "Fishin' Blues" and "Flop Eared Mule," as well as "Indian War Whoop" (eventually done as the title cut of their 1967 LP) and, most interestingly, "My Mind Capsized," which they didn't do in the studio until their 1968 psychedelic album The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders. There are also numerous songs that didn't make it onto any of their 1960s records ("Random Canyon" is a standout), as well as jokey introductions that poke irreverent fun at reverent folkloric conventions." (AllMusicGuide)

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Holy Modal Rounders - Live 1965 (160 kbps, front cover included)