The Return of Robert Blake, Robert Sarazin Blake that is

For several years now, Robert Sarazin Blake travels from the northwestern-most corner of the most northwestern state to visit us here in Missouri.

The first show was a chance encounter in a basement. The Seven Shot Screamers and Bad Folk were both asked to play. Members of both bands, but neither band in its complete form, showed up to play acoustic sets. Despite the person who booked the show not being there nor the people who lived in the house above, those that were there in the basement were treated to a nice evening of music.

The following year, Bad Folk, once again without its complete line-up, joined The Adversary Workers in another basement for a show with Robert Blake.

Out of the underground, Blake has staged shows on actual stages in the intervening years. One of my current projects, The Union Electric, played its first show at Off Broadway with Robert Blake and his drummer Jordan Rain in 2009.

Now, seven years after that first basement show, former Bad Folk Tim Rakel, former Seven Shot Screamer Chris Powers, and former Adversary Worker Glenn Burleigh will reconvene with Robert Blake during a series of shows around the area.

Here are the details:
Wednesday, February 22 - RSB at the Urban Chestnut Brewery

Wednesday, February 29 - RSB, Irene Allen, The Union Electric and The Red Headed Strangers at El Lenador. Spend your extra leap year hours drinking Stag beer, won't you...

Thursday, March 1 - The David Mafield Parade, Bob Reuter's Alley Ghost and Robert Sarazin Blake at The Heavy Anchor

Saturday, March 3 - Robert Sarazin Blake and The Griddle Kids (featuring Chris Powers) at Mangia Italiano

Blake / Union Electric tour:
Thursday, March 8 - Springfield, MO with Angry Panda
Friday, March 9 - Columbia, MO
Saturday, March 10 - Kirksville, MO

That Great Atomic Power Scared Charlie Louvin More Than God

"There's a White House war machine, the one Wilson switched on, waited long enough and joined the side that won..."

Thus begins my damning chronicle of the presidential lineage of America's twentieth century. The song was supposed to be specifically about Harry Truman, Missouri's only contribution to the whole mess, but I got carried away by history. I found I couldn't write about the president out of context. It would be like trying to write the biography of Mr. Punch without referring to his beating of Judy and the conquering of his various foes, not to mention his status as puppet under the control of another's story-line.

The process started with the title. I often come up with that before the lyrics are finished, as a guiding inspiration and to keep things focused. Ten or twelve years ago I discovered The Louvin Brothers and their Christian-flavored bluegrass, such as the album "Satan Is Real". Their song "That Great Atomic Power" struck me as an anomaly in their repertoire. They were talking about Jesus again but they were relating it to this political issue at hand.

About the same time, I began reading Howard Zinn's "A People's History of The United States" and began a lengthy list of near verses noting the history of atrocity that was American politics of the twentieth century. It had to be pared down, so I focused on what led to Truman's appointment and the Fifties culture that followed his epoch, all the while keeping a watchful eye on that looming nuclear presence.

Then, my Bad Folk bandmate Joey Gavin and I were playing one day and we started in on "White House Blues", played by many old time musicians including Charlie Poole on the Anthology of American Folk Music. How could I have not thought of ripping off that chord progression for this particular song's purpose?

As we enter another election year, I join many in their disappointment with Barack Obama's term. The second George Bush dragged this song's relevance into this twenty-first century and the current man has also neglected to cut his puppet strings, tying him to this shameful history as well.

"Truman" or "#33"

There's a White House War machine, the one Wilson switched on, waited long enough and joined the side that won. Roosevelt was dying, they had to find a man who would keep things running just like they planned. Henry Wallace said what he really thought and there's no room for that, no chance for that to move up in Washington.
When Roosevelt died, they had Truman move in, left all the furniture exactly how it had been. "Show me" a man who would seem to take a stand, got the White House blues all across this land. MacArthur covers a whole nation's eyes and he waits for William Laurence to come claim his prize, Hiroshima to Washington. That great atomic power, scared Charlie Louvin, scared him more than God.

Drop the little boy and the fat man, now you got the whole world with the Marshall Plan. The doctrines were in order, they just needed a name, almost any other man, it would have been the same, it's a shame in Washington. Now you have to close your eyes to deny the rumors, the working class, we're all consumers. Truman left the White House, his job was done, left all the furniture for the next one, Eisenhauer to Washington. The Rosenbergs were still in prison, going to the chair, now there's a new man in the White House, it doesn't change a thing, in Washington. Because that great atomic power, scared Charlie Louvin, scared him more than God.

Some of the catalogue for sale, 2001-2011

If you've found this and want to order a copy of any of these recordings, we'll do our best to accomodate. For The Union Electric, please visit our page at Bandcamp.com

You may send a check or well-concealed cash to the PO Box address below. You may also send your virtual funds by PayPal to mystery@kdhx.org or by Amazon payments to graveyardshift@kdhx.org - All prices include shipping, just send a note or e-mail to let me know what you're ordering.

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Full-length records/CDs:

The May Day Orchestra "Ota Benga" CD/2xLP (2010, Rankoutsider Records)
(Ten songs recorded with Kevin Buckley and featuring members of Tenement Ruth) $12 per CD / $20 per double LP (both include shipping)

The May Day Orchestra "May Day, or Songs For Lucy Parsons" 12" LP (2009)
(Eight songs written and performed by members of Bad Folk, The Rats & People and Theodore) $13

Tim Rakel & The Puppet Wranglers "33 Degrees and raining" CD (2001)
("the early years", fifteen songs recorded in Lawrence, KS) $7

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7" Records:

Bad Folk 7" EP (2007)
("That Great Atomic Power Scared Charlie Louvin More Than God", "Active Treason" and "The Band Played Waltzing Matilda", cover art by Dana Smith and printing by Firecracker Press) $7

Bad Folk "Saw A Circus" (2007)
(split single features a song by The Rats & People on opposite side) $7

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Compilation CDs (available while supplies last):

"A Very Bert Dax Christmas, Volume 8" (2010, Pancake Productions)
(features tracks by Beth Bombara, Cassie Morgan, Glass Teeth, and a cover of "Jack Frost Is Innocent" written by The Ex and performed by The Union Electric) $7

"The Space Parlour: Live In Saint Louis Series 2009"
(features live recordings by The May Day Orchestra, Pokey LaFarge, Glass Teeth, So Many Dynamos and more) $7

"A Very Bert Dax Halloween" (2008)
(features a 'Day of the Dead' song played by members of The May Day Orchestra) $7


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PayPal: mystery@kdhx.org
Amazon Payments: graveyardshift@kdhx.org
Check, cash or money order: payable to
Tim Rakel
PO Box 63098
Saint Louis 63163

November shows and beyond

The Union Electric's upcoming shows:
Wednesday, November 9 at The Firebird, with Magic City and Atlanta's Gringo Star.
Saturday, November 12 at Stagger Inn (Edwardsville, Illinois), with Dibiase.


Upcoming solo gigs:
Friday, November 11 at the Urban Chestnut Brewing Company, 8-11PM, with Alvy Caby and Chad Ross of the band Rusty Nail. They'll be playing songs from their new double LP.
Friday, November 25, also at Urban Chestnut, with Melinda Cooper of The Union Electric. She'll be playing songs from her solo project called Town Car.


Rumors of war:
The May Day Orchestra will return early next year with a new "folk opera". I'm writing again after some delay in the work on this one. I spent a summer in Mombasa, "Kisiwa cha Mvita" in the local Swahili, and will be telling a historical tale from the "island of war" with the next set of May Day songs.

The films of Sergei Eisenstein

Monday night, September 19, will be the third of four nights where The Rats and People Motion Picture Orchestra will perform a different live score to a silent film. This week, they present Eisenstein's "Strike!", which was made early in his career, right before his better-known "Battleship Potemkin".

Opening the show will be The May Day Orchestra, performing their folk opera "May Day, or Songs For Lucy Parsons". This music will accompany a later, unfinished film by Eisenstein called "Que Viva Mexico!". The German anarchists of Chicago and the customs of Mexico will be united under the roof of El Lenador, a feat no other venue could accomplish.

May Day Orchestra, 10PM -
Rats and People, 11PM -
free show, donations welcome

Next week, The Rats and People will perform their score to "Go West" by Buster Keaton. Mustard Rob will be returning to Saint Louis from his tour to open the final show of this month's residency.

The Handsome Family

The May Day Orchestra will double as a cover band this weekend. Usually I might scoff at such an idea but what if it was a cover band performing the songs of The Handsome Family? Okay then.
Melissa Anderson suggested the idea a while ago. Her band Tenement Ruth already covers "So Much Wine" at their shows, so we decided to go ahead with it and learn a handful more.
This Saturday, therefore, September 17 at noon, in the parking lot of a beer festival, we'll try it out. Schlafly's Hop In The City festival might not yet know what they're in for. Perhaps this will be the one and only time, but perhaps we'll do it again after because their songs are something unique.

The second 7" record, August 2010

Reprinting the lyrics to this 45 record, now that the band is selling more digital copies of these songs than actual records...



Thyalcine (words taken from the poem of the same name by Stefene Russell)

suitcase jaw, knife stripes, they eat the bones
no bloody feathers blowing against the salty grass
and the chimera shadow, the flip book
with jowly wolf head and hindquarters of a tiger
and a middle part that we don't know how to name

suitcase jaw, knife stripes, they eat the bones
the farmer's children slam the closet door
pull the hems of coats and dresses over their eyes
at the thought, at the thought of croupy barking
pull the hems of coats over their eyes

suitcase jaw, knife stripes, they eat the bones
but the gait, three animals put together
the book says awkward, though tireless
like the one who can't keep up, far down the path
three rhythms that trip off a little migraine of the heart

suitcase jaw, knife stripes, they eat the bones


Bugs (adapted from the true story told by Ross Lessor)

the old man worked for the chemical company
when he retired moved out to the country
that old house on the river was infested
called on the phone and siad he had to move
all those years in a blue jump suit, working for the chemical company
mixing, fixing to kill, mixing pheromones with the poison
that's how you kill them, attract them to the posion
one last phone call from that old man
the bugs are killing me

old man worked for the chemical company
mixing, fixing to kill
all those years making DDT until he himself radiates it
built a new house every step by hand
new wood, new ground, up on a hill
but these things are futile if you've been mixing to kill
that's how you kill them, attract them to the posion
one last phone call from that new house
the bugs are killing me, he said

and the heart attack was from the shock of how well it worked
and how they'd come for him in the end
at the end of that dirt road
the bugs are killing me he said
and the neighbors found him dead
shine a light on this infestation
exterminator down