Hailing from a little village close to Gelnhausen, Germany (where the Monks were stationed as GIs), Roman Aul a/k/a Redondo Beat had a knack for playing many instruments and with his talent recorded two full length albums and several 45s on his own.

While working mostly alone in the studio, Aul always had a real rock ‘n’ roll band backing him on stage. With his numerous releases, Aul’s Redondo Beat created a small buzz in the USA, touring the East Coast three times. Redondo Beat had the opportunity to open a show in Frankfurt with headliners their 60s idols, the Monks, and toured throughout Europe as Sky Saxon’s (of The Seeds) backing band for a month in 2009, on what would turn out to be Sky’s last tour.

Dionysus Records is proud to release Redondo Beat’s “Meet Redondo Beat”. Aul’s influences run the gamut from early ‘60s Brill Building songwriters and related East Coast Girl Group sound, Creedence Clearwater Revival, a touch of Doo Wop, the sound of mid-‘60s convertible top-down summertime Southern California and early ‘70s teenage AM radio Raspberry City Rollers flavored love-affairs. It is pure pop as seen through the eyes of the best decades of original rock ‘n’ roll music with all the drive of late ‘70s punk powered ‘80s power pop. Dionysus commissioned Southern California Surf artist Damian Fulton to paint the cover and the disc was mastered by The Tikiyaki Orchestra’s Jim Bacchi.  It’s a marvelous listening experience that will have you traveling time and bobbing your head to some of the sweetest retro-pop-rock music you’ve EVER heard!

In November of 1983 while managing the Roads to Moscow record store in Tucson, AZ., I released a 45 by my then band Yard Trauma. “Some People” b/w “No Conclusions,” written by my bandmate and lead singer Joe Dodge, with nifty op-art graphics by our pal Jonathan L, then editor of Tucson’s Newsreal Magazine, became the first release on Dionysus Records. It took a year and a half and a move to Southern California for the first full-length LP releases to appear on the label thus 1985 has always been referred to as the label’s start date. However, this single is where it really started. “Some People” was also released in 1984 on the Voxx/Bomp compilation “Battle of the Garages Vol II”

In its 27th year, the Dionysus Records will forge ahead with “Meet Redondo Beat,” a full-length album by Germany’s pop-rock trio Redondo Beat in January of 2011, “Easy,” the second release by Latin Jazz exotics Orchestra Superstring featuring X’s DJ Bonebrake on vibes in February of 2011,  country and roots combo Ruby Dee and The Snakehandlers‘ “Live from Austin, Texas,” their third full-length release in March of 2011 and another yet-to-be-announced title or two.  For the first time since 1994 I may release a couple of records by bands I play in! Several out of print titles such as The Dils “Dils, Dils Dils” and Gexa X’s “You Goddamn Kids” plus many others will be repressed on vinyl with free digital download codes as well.

Thanks for your continued support. Love to you all!

Lee

Orchestra Superstring features DJ Bonebrake of X on vibes and plays instrumental jazz music inspired by Afro-Cuban, Latin, and other modern influences. Composed of an eclectic band of well known Los Angeles musicians; Orchestra Supersting blends infectious beats and fresh rhythms in original tunes written by its members, and creates new interpretations of jazz standards. Their second album, “Easy,” will be released by Dionysus Records in February of 2011.

The Dick and Jane Family Orchestra featuring Jane Cantillon, Richard Ross, percussionist Mike Peffer (also of Biblical Proof of UFOs) and Dionysus Records’ Lee Joseph on bass plays a hybrid of folk, beat and garage – acoustifying Velvet Underground, feminizing Bob Dylan and featuring frontwoman Cantillon’s extremely infectious and humorous LA-centric originals.

The Skip Heller Trio features long  time Dionysus Records recording artist and friend Skip Heller with Lee Joseph on bass and guest drummer DJ Bonebrake. The trio plays an all-acoustic country, roots and rock ‘n’ roll set showcasing Heller’s songsmithing, vocals and  jazz, country and rockabilly inspired guitar playing.

The night starts at 9:30 and the cover is only $5.00. If you’ve never been to the pirate themed Redwood Bar and Grill, come early and hungry. They have some of the best comfort food, salads and sweet potato fries in Los Angeles!

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I unfortunately didn’t see this in person – a few people I know did though. Can you believe it? What a historic show.  That’s Neil Young’s bassist Richard Rosas who was in the East LA band Mark and The Escorts in the ’60s as heard on the Dionysus Records/Bacchus Archives LP “The East Side Sound Vol 2!”

The Skip Heller Trio
Saturday Oct 2, 8pm
Live At Rafa’s Lounge
1836 W Sunset Blvd (at Glendale Bl)
Los Angeles, CA 90026
suggested admission: $3

“An American hero flying below the radar.” — Time Out New York

The Skip Heller Trio — featuring Lee Joseph on bass and Mark Borinstein on drums — once again takes the stage at Rafa’s Gallery, a
tiny and charming venue at Sunset and Glendale in Echo Park. Ostensibly a country band, the trio is also colored by a love for 60s garage rock, Philly soul, exotica, and Roger Miller.  The crack rhythm team of Joesph and Borinstein is a perfect match for Heller’s virtuoso jazz-meets-bluegrass guitar and his soulful baritone.  The great Patria Jacobs opens.

Also worth noting about this show: it’s Heller’s birthday party.

The Woggles and The Creepy Creeps in San Diego!

Friday Sept.  24th
Tower Bar
4757 University Ave
San Diego, CA

Tony the Tyger presents an exclusive performance from Atlanta, Georgia’s Woggles who will play a manic non-stop garage-soul set that will keep you shaking all night long. Opening the set will be local heroes on the Dionysus label, The Creepy Creeps. DJ Tony the Tyger (Haunted House Au-Go-Go/Mind Machine) will be spinning solid garage-fuzz 45’s all night. Come down and dig this incredible show!

Saturday, August 28: Dionysus Records recording artists, San Diego’s wildest surf-garage-tiki-monster combo The Creepy Creeps will be performing The Juke Joint‘s fifth anniversary party with local surf gods The Dynotones and garage-punk-rockabilly from The Hexxers. This event will be filmed for a surf documentary.

THE BULLET Mod, Soul and Garage club TURNS SEVEN YEARS OLD!

No cover charge and FREE CHAMPAGNE!

Saturday, July 17, 2010 at 9:00pm
Hollywood Studio Bar and Grill
6122 W Sunset
Los Angeles, CA (in Gower Gulch)

Bullet DJs laying down top Mod, Soul and Garage vinyl sounds!

Jackie Hoodoo
Lee Joseph
Dan Melendez
Dr. Ray
Jason Ringgold
Suzi Q

– Big dancefloor
– Booth seating
– Intelligent lighting fx
– live video mixing and projections
– Outside smoking/drinking area
– Food Service til 1030pm
– $5 Jack n Cokes / $3 Stellas before 1030pm
– FREE PARKING
– FREE ENTRY
– FREE CHAMPAGNE! (while supplies last)
– FREE ENTRY ALL NIGHT

HELP SPREAD THE WORD! INVITE YOUR FRIENDS TO THIS EVENT!
Click here for Facebook invite

We’d like to inform you of two new left-of-center compilations of ’60s Asian garage, surf, psych and more, available from our shopping cart:

Various Artists – Chinese Rocks LP only – pressing of 500 on yellow opaque vinyl. Click here to order
Like the old saying “digging a hole to China.” insatiable record collectors go through stages, digging deeper & deeper to find the next unknown treasure. Collectors of garage/trash 50’s & 60’s oddities have grown in recent years like a wild fungus & many vinyl mysteries have been solved only to open new ones. Looking to the east we have indeed literally dug a hole to a 60’s Singapore & Malaysian weirdsville, represented here by a family style nightmare of rickshaw crashing left of center wild rockers that would never make it onto even a collectors compilation of this sort. Everything from wild surf to Trashmen styled thud to almost Shaggs ineptitude/beauty to garage pounders & even a retarded psychedelic comedy track, put this record on & drown in the delightful soy sauce vinyl insanity that is Chinese Rocks!
Tracks:
The Stylers – Hey! Hey! Hey!
The Siglaps – Hey Girl
The Quests – Ding Dong Twist
Johnny Tan – Shakin’ All Over
Bakar Hamid & The Hawks – Div-Kav-Tetap Ku Kenang
The Thunderbirds – Call My Name
Shao Fong Fong – I Love A Go Go
The Hi-Fi Twins & The Kings – Papa Oom Mow Mow
Blue Lake Combo – Bombora
The Steps – Steps Theme
S. Suri & Les Sea King – Svasana Ala
The Fabulous Falcons – Midnight Express
The Saints – ???
The Hi Fi Twins & The Kings – Lies
Helen Velv & The Silverstones – Hot Pants
The Quests – Pop Inn Theme

Various Artists – Let’s A Go-Go CD only. Click here to order

Singapore and Southeast Asian Pop Scene 1964 – 1969 featuring Rita Chao, Dara Puspita, The Bees, Patrina, Hai Fei, The Dee Tees, The Crescendos, Leroy Lindsay wiht The Mysterians, Rock Teoh, The Blue Beats, Charlie and his Go-Go Boys, M. Ishak Dengan Five-55, The Quests, S.K. Pauline, Betty Chung, Logus Liew, Orkes Tropicano, Ismail Haron & The Guys, Teresa Khoo, The Spacemen, The Mysterians and The Tones. Plenty of that surfy exotic guitar that is the signature sound of these records!

Paul McCartney and Frankie "Cannibal" Garcia - photo property of Hector Gonzalez / Rampart Records

These photos are part of the West Coast East Side Sound Collection (CEMA 117), Special Collections, UCSB Library. This collection was donated by Hector Gonzalez. He is a record producer, musician, award winning sound engineer and current owner of Rampart Records. Gonzalez has a first hand view of the vibrant music scene in East Los Angeles where multicultural bands contributed to the development of rock and roll. His archives help to document the development of the “West Coast East Side Sound.” Hector Gonzalez says, “This is an important part of early American rock and roll.”

Click here to see the photo show