Recently, while unpacking my collection for display at our new location, I had a closer gander at the Boomerang harmonica with a plastic comb (pictured above), masquerading as a Hohner Special 20. The price would suggest, perhaps nineties. Then, blow me down with a harmonica, I discovered it had nearly returned to sender – Bair Music of Leongatha. I had initially located this low flyer at the Salvo’s Op Shop in Cheltenham. I threw out a query to the Guru and to Seydel Chief Dr. Bertram Becher for further clarification on this model.

What ya reckon Guru Pat, “Seydel made a Boomerang diatonic and chromatic in the late 90s. Not sure how long they were in production, but it can’t have been very long. No ads or catalogs, but this must have been around ’96 or ’97. They were also making harps under the Weltmeister name around this time.”

Over to you Bertram, “This one is not so old – it is the same injection molded comb that we still have for our SESSION STEEL model. Karl Pucholt was the chief engineer in the factory in those days and they used these type of screws still in 2003 or so. I am not sure why they have made a model with the ‘Albert’s System’ cover plates. The one on your picture must be one of the last ones we ever made for them in the 90s.”

I wouldn’t have thought Albert’s were selling harmonicas then – those days had long gone. In Jane Albert’s book ‘House Of Hits’ the Boomerang mouth organ line was discontinued by Ted Albert late in 1962 when he took the reins from Frank, who died in January of that year. There’s a rumour floating around the traps that Ray Grieve drove them to reintroduce the line after he had been bombarding Seydel for information for his great book A Band In A Waistcoat Pocket – The Story Of The Harmonica In Australia. Interestingly the 2004 Seydel reissue of the Boomerang De Luxe didn’t have Albert’s system stamped on the covers.

On a further query to Bertram he replied, “When Albert’s Music had their anniversary in 2014 I asked them about making a ‘Modern Boomerang’ as a gift for their customers (because of their long tradition in selling musical instruments and especially their Boomerang-branded harmonicas from SEYDEL) – they were open minded at first, but finally did not order any of them unfortunatelly. Would have been a cool thing IMHO!”

Bertram appreciated my idea of trying Albert’s again next year when another anniversary hits the calendar. I’m in for one.

‘Best Of The Blues’ is the brand new single from two time Golden Guitar winner and Hands Of Fame inductee, Ian Quinn. The song title is not quite what you might think it suggests. It’s very definitely country and what it does is pays homage to the Australian Blue Heeler recognising their contribution to our cattle farmers.

Lynchburg’s musical adventure continues with a new self titled third album. I’d like to highlight one tune in particular In This Song. I sent a quick message to Allan Caswell on who was blowing the Toe Pickle and the fodder for the penning. Allan replied, “Lawrie Minson played on that one. Song comes from too many weeks away from my wife”.

Dilip N The Davs have a nice country rocker titled You Crossed The Line. Sounds a little like Ross Wilson’s Come Back Again. Nice clean harp from Andrew ‘Blew Drew’ Pring. Head to Bandcamp for this ripper.

I was going to wait for Good Will Remedy’s album ‘Sunshine State’ to hit the stores in November before I penned a review of their latest tunes. They’ve dropped a few corker singles off the album already, but this current single release demanded my attention and a review. A Flower And A Note is a piano driven country rock ballad and it is right up there with their best. Vaughan Jones is tickling the eighty eights with great dexterity and Will’s vocal swells with feeling. Do yourself a service and wrap your ears around this one over at Bandcamp.

Saltbush Express is Brisbane guitarist Michael Fix’s musical portrait of a folkloric train journey through central Australia. Michael’s inspiration was drawn from some classic Aussie rail travels on the the ‘Ghan’ and the ‘Spirit of The Outback’. There’s some pretty fancy guitar pickin’ going on here and some nice moody harp to boot.

Last, but certainly not least, is Ross Wilson (with his band the Peaceniks), who has a cracker four track EP ‘She’s Stuck On Facebook All The Time’. Ross blows harp on the title track and two other tunes. The one that really blew a fuse in my mind was Desolation Blues. This was a co-write with Aaron Schembri and it has an escape route for those of us in low spirits and especially if our “leader is a lunatic and playing loose with the truth” – it’s music (of course). Ross outlines the motivation for his EP, “I like to blow a bit of harp; that’s where I started back in my schoolboy band. This whole E.P. is influenced by my fave classic blues people, John Lee Hooker, Lightning Slim, etc.” Nice Riffin’ Mr. Eagle Rock.

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2023
CONTINENTAL ROBERT BLUES & BOOGALOO PARTY
Doors 2.30pm Show 3pm

It was a ten minute drive to our local juke joint in Archie’s Creek which is where the Caravan Music Club has currently hitched its wagon. We were snug in the pub (with a cold frothy) seated metres from the stage enjoying two and a half hours of soul and blues from Continental Robert and his most excellent band (Matt ‘The Rumble’ Morrison on guitar and vocals, Rowan ‘Express’ Lane on bass and vocals and ‘Skinny Junior’ Antero Ceschin on drums and vocals).

Proceedings commenced with an old Mighty Reapers ditty Trouble that had all the punters toe tappin’ and head bobbin’. Instantly there was love in the room. Rob blew the soul biscuit in each and every tune on the night and his set list included; Little Walter’s Blues With A Feeling , Sonny Boy Williamson’s Don’t Start Me Talkin’, Slim Harpo’s Shake Your Hips and Jimmy Reed’s – Take Out Some Insurance.

A cover of Margie Evans’ Drowning In The Sea Of Love was a highlight with plenty of smooth in the groove. And then their was Rob’s smash hit with the Dynamic Hepnotics Soul Kind Of Feeling that put the hip into hypnotising. This is my favourite version as Rob’s soul biscuit replaces the sax riffs from the original.

Showman Rob still had all the moves too, bar one – the only splits he performed were tongue splits on the soul biscuit. He told me after the gig he hasn’t done the other kind of splits (the one that gives you the high falsetto) since the eighties. What a show! I came out wanting to practice my head trills with the same rich clean tone and rhythm as Rob’s. This was his last gig south of the border having travelled down by train on the Tuesday to play at The Drunken Poet. Check him out live if you can, or if not, do yourself a service and head over to Bandcamp for the Hepnotics and Reapers’ catalogue.

Shep’s Shock

Had a phoner on Peej’s Brekky show for, as he so eloquently verbalised, a truncated version of Huff’n’Puff. It was a wee radiothon special that opened with a Benoit classic, Sometimes words, they’re not even needed and closed with a tune from one of our regular segments (Something From Short Stop) – Electric Worry by Clutch. Catch the October 3rd H&P here 📻 (2:12:00). In between was some yarn weaving of past glories and a shocking experience when I grabbed (with both hands) a refrigerator handle that extended its entire width. Could not find a photo of a similar model, so I’ve used a picture of the cause of the problem which was later diagnosed, and removed – an old tin beer can (the trainers loved a frothy or two) which was wedged in the motor.

If you haven’t caught up with this month’s feature Wonthaggi Warblers head there to find out a wee bit about my home town. Next month’s feature is a surprise – even to me!

WP

I’ve had more problems with WordPress (Jetpack?) having to reformat many photos from old posts (and not for the first time). We’ll see it out to mid next year when renewal fees apply. There might only be a Review Dawg Blawg each month in 2024. Yeah, I’ve cracked it! Have been known to.

Cheers & Frothies the Harp Hound.

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