Back in the eighties, I was constantly on the quest for new music, new sounds, new ways of playing rock and other genres.
One great band I stumbled across was Royal Crescent Mob, at a gig at a long gone Houston club called Chelsea's 804. It was on Chelsea St, and the address was 804. Worked well as a name, and they had a lot of local and regional original acts as well as touring acts on their way up like the RCM, working the circuit.
The RCM just rocked, and their cover of the Ohio Players "Fire" was both entertaining and rocking. Chealsea's was a small space, a converted large house really, so I got to see them up close and personal. When playing "FIRE", instead of using recorded or synth made sirens, the band simply made exaggerated siren sounds vocally. It was a hoot and it rocked as well.
I couldn't find their album to buy in Houston and I recall having to buy it in LA and bring it home.
Here's a short wiki page on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Crescent_Mob
Royal Crescent Mob was a four-person punk-funk band from Columbus, Ohio formed in 1985. Also known to their fans as the R.C. Mob the band members included "Brian (B)Emch" (guitar), David Ellison (vocals, harmonica), Harold "Happy" Chichester (bass, vocals) and Carlton Smith (drums). The band released five albums of material and one ep in their nine year career. Two of these albums were released on Sire, a Warner Brothers Records subsidiary. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the band gained some national exposure by opening up for other major artists such as The Replacements, The B-52's, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Smith would also record several tracks with 24-7 Spyz for their 1996 Heavy Metal Soul By The Pound album. Chichester went on to form Howlin' Maggie, worked with the Afghan Whigs, was a founding member of the Twilight Singers and is currently pursuing a solo career. Ellison has gone on to tour managing such artists as Alanis Morissette, Indigo Girls, Goo Goo Dolls, Avril Lavigne, and Panic at the Disco.
Like a lot of original music clubs in Houston, Chelsea's had been "retro-fitted" with A/C, and decent air conditioning was always an iffy deal in these clubs in lower rent buildings. So it was hot as always, but the band was definately a crowd pleaser in Houston that night.
Anyway, I suspect you can find this album somewheres on CD or some itunes deal. I never heard the bands other albums, but this one was one of the "every song is good" albums. They are somewhere between a combination of Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other funk groups that have some sort of occasionally punky edge to them with some ska thrown in for good measure.
One great band I stumbled across was Royal Crescent Mob, at a gig at a long gone Houston club called Chelsea's 804. It was on Chelsea St, and the address was 804. Worked well as a name, and they had a lot of local and regional original acts as well as touring acts on their way up like the RCM, working the circuit.
The RCM just rocked, and their cover of the Ohio Players "Fire" was both entertaining and rocking. Chealsea's was a small space, a converted large house really, so I got to see them up close and personal. When playing "FIRE", instead of using recorded or synth made sirens, the band simply made exaggerated siren sounds vocally. It was a hoot and it rocked as well.
I couldn't find their album to buy in Houston and I recall having to buy it in LA and bring it home.
Here's a short wiki page on them: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Crescent_Mob
Royal Crescent Mob was a four-person punk-funk band from Columbus, Ohio formed in 1985. Also known to their fans as the R.C. Mob the band members included "Brian (B)Emch" (guitar), David Ellison (vocals, harmonica), Harold "Happy" Chichester (bass, vocals) and Carlton Smith (drums). The band released five albums of material and one ep in their nine year career. Two of these albums were released on Sire, a Warner Brothers Records subsidiary. In the late 1980s and early 1990s the band gained some national exposure by opening up for other major artists such as The Replacements, The B-52's, and The Red Hot Chili Peppers.
Smith would also record several tracks with 24-7 Spyz for their 1996 Heavy Metal Soul By The Pound album. Chichester went on to form Howlin' Maggie, worked with the Afghan Whigs, was a founding member of the Twilight Singers and is currently pursuing a solo career. Ellison has gone on to tour managing such artists as Alanis Morissette, Indigo Girls, Goo Goo Dolls, Avril Lavigne, and Panic at the Disco.
Like a lot of original music clubs in Houston, Chelsea's had been "retro-fitted" with A/C, and decent air conditioning was always an iffy deal in these clubs in lower rent buildings. So it was hot as always, but the band was definately a crowd pleaser in Houston that night.
Anyway, I suspect you can find this album somewheres on CD or some itunes deal. I never heard the bands other albums, but this one was one of the "every song is good" albums. They are somewhere between a combination of Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers and other funk groups that have some sort of occasionally punky edge to them with some ska thrown in for good measure.
Some of my favorite cuts include the aforementioned FIRE and the tune TWO SISTERS.
The album songlist is great tunes like FIRE, GET ON THE BUS, TWO SISTERS, PAYBACK, RED TELEPHONE, BLOW ONE OFF, MOB'S REVENGE, LOVE AND TUNAFISH, BALLAD OF MONTE and POOR BOX.
I can't believe I found this! I was randomly searching and thought about this wonderful band I hadn't heard since my cassette of "Omerta" broke. RC Mob is part of the zeitgeist!
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