VC OF BLACK MERDA! (BLACK MERDA!) - VC L Veasey - Got Me Running on MUZU.TV

VC L VEASEY (AKA THE MIGHTY V!) OF BLACK MERDA KICKING SOME SMOKING 70's ROCK TO KNOCK YOUR SOCKS!

The houseband surrendered its spot for several performances. The reunited Black Merda--my favorite performance of the night--did a funky version of "Cynthy Ruth" and proved they're not just a great '60s band, not just "the first black rock band," not just a great psychedelic act, and not just a great Detroit act. They rock. Period.

Bill Degenaro,  Blogger July 21, 2008

Review of Black Merda's performance at The Concert of Colors, The Max Fisher theater, Detroit, MI July 20, 2008

1. Comment by wedge on April 23, 2008 9:30 pm

actually got to see Black Merda in January of 2006…had the Funk Brothers as drummer & keyboards…they played early in the night cos 1 of the guitar players religious beliefs prevented them going after midnight…30 years on & only doing the gig to see if they were ready for some planned european festival shows that upcoming summer ( so they said)…WOW!!! there was a difference in sound with the age & different drummer, but it was still pretty amazing. did about 15 tunes which rocked, but their last tune was the KILLER!!! they said it was a 'pre-view' to their upcoming new stuff…not sure if they ever followed up on the gigs or recording, but this particular tune (which i never got the name of) just destroyed in a total "jimi-meets-lou-ragland-while-'black rock'-by-the-bar-kays-is-on-the-stereo" way that left the club speechless & silent as they put down their instruments & walked off the stage…even left a few "in the know" dorks muttering something like 'i thought 'cinthy-ruth' was great…JEEZUS!!'. im so glad i saw a line-up of these guys;even if it was 30 years after the fact, COS THEY STILL GOT IT!!!

CYNTHY-RUTH was chosen as number one hundred of "The Best 100 Songs To Come Out of Detroit Ever!" by The Detroit Metrotimes see link below

http://www.metrotimes.com/editorial/story.asp?id=12036

Considering the competition (which you can checkout at the link above) it's very significant that the song made the list at all, because it didn't come into a greater public awareness until around 1997 or 2000, and then only as a cult record. It didn't get much airplay or sell millions of records, when it was originally released in 1970.

So in a sense being chosen as "the one hundredth best song to ever come out of Detroit", is almost like being chosen the number one best song ever...do ya feel me? Dig what they wrote about "Cynthy-Ruth" below. VC L. Veasey

100 "Cynthy-Ruth" Black Merda (Chess) 1970

The inventors of a bluesy, fuzz-drenched strain of psychedelic funk they dubbed "Black Rock," the band that would become Black Merda formed at Western High School and soon found themselves playing on records by everyone from Nathaniel Mayer ("I Had a Dream") to Edwin Starr ("Agent Double O Soul"). After having their minds blown by Muddy Waters' 1968 Electric Mud LP — and getting themselves signed to the label that released it — they waxed "Cynthy-Ruth," with lyrics as bitterly unforgiving as its guitars were bone-crushing. Black Merda is currently at work on a new album.

 A collection of ultra rare material from the mighty Black Merda and affilliates -- including early work credited to The Soul Agents (a pre-cursor to Merda) and solo credits for lead singer VC L. Veasey!

Psych Funk is a very apt description to pretty much all of the music in the set -- with that sinister guitar groove, funky bass and rollicking drums.

The vocals range from the soul funk school -- especially the couple of tracks sung by Linnie Walker (the sister of Black Merda members Charles and Anthony Hawkins) -- to more psychedelia-learned phrasings -- not unlike early Parliament!

Tracks include an alternate versions of the Black Merda tunes "Cynthy-Ruth" and "Reality", "People Let Me Know" and "Darn Well" featuring vocals by Linnie Walker, the Soul Agents excellent funk version of "Foxy Lady", and the VC Veasey tracks "Do Nothing Wrong" and "Original Man".

(Dusty Groove)