I recently found a hard drive with precious archival files. In it were the soundboard recordings of one of my favorite bands in the universe, 15-60-75, The Numbers Band, the legendary agro-blues, voodoo-jazz quintet from Northeast Ohio. The band's leader, Robert Kidney, calls his band's sound "Country Eastern." I have seen them more than any other band in many years of attending gigs and concerts. During high school and college, I spent most Friday nights at JB's in Kent, Ohio, dancing and absorbing their magical mojo elixir. I was there when they opened for Bruce Springsteen at Memorial Gymnasium, Kent State University, in 1974, but I missed them when they opened for Bob Marley at the Cleveland Agora in 1975. Their seminal album Jimmy Bell's Still In Town was recorded at that Agora show and is considered by those who have heard it to be one of the finest live albums ever.
Rolling Stone scribe David Fricke said this about them: "It wasn't all steel-mill Stooges action in 1970s Ohio. While Pere Ubu and Devo were in the early stages of mutation, 15.60.75—a.k.a. the Numbers Band—terrorized local saloons with a future blues of Sun Ra-style sax honk, raga-guitar spinout, and funky 'Sister Ray' surge: Bonnaroo in a bottle, way ahead of schedule."
And Pere Ubu's leader, David Thomas, said: "The Numbers Band is the greatest band I've ever seen, will ever see, and can ever conceive of seeing. You have, of course, no reason to believe me." (In the late '90s and early '00s, Robert and Jack Kidney were featured in Mr. Thomas' theatrical production, Mirror Man, which toured in the UK and premiered at London's Royal Festival Hall and Los Angeles' Royce Hall.)
David is spot on; I've been along for the ride for five decades.
Fifty-four years on, and they still boast three original members, brothers Robert (lead vocals, guitar) and Jack Kidney (vocals, harmonica, keyboards, sax), and Terry Hynde (sax and Chrissie's brother). Moreover, my current album, Dusted Off, features a song—"High Heels Are Dangerous"—written by Mr. Kidney. (It was not an easy song to interpret.) But I wasn't the first. Chrissie Hynde recorded his song, "Rosalee," for the Pretenders' Break Up The Concrete album.
During their early days of performing, they featured some notable NE Ohio musicians who had success with their bands. In the early '70s, Gerald Casale of DEVO knew Bob and first played drums and then switched to bass for the band. Chris Butler of Akron's very own Tin Huey and The Waitresses ("I Know What Boys Like," "Christmas Wrapping"). Chris would play bass with them from 1975 to 1978. (According to Wikipedia, he was let go for missing rehearsal to attend a photo shoot for the Waitresses.)
Bassist/producer Tony Maimone of Pere Ubu (and They Might Be Giants, Mekons, etc.) has been a stand-in for them. Tony produced Robert's must-hear solo acoustic blues album Jackleg (2018). The must-own vinyl record features a haunting, gut-wrenching version of "Rosalee."
Cleveland-born Anton Fier would sit in on drums from time to time before moving to New York to play drums for The Feelies, The Lounge Lizards, and others before forming his music collective, The Golden Palominos. (More to share about them later.)
Over the years, I became friends with "Bob" Kidney. I've written about them whenever they share a new release. He knew my older cousin Carol as they attended Cuyahoga Falls High School and Kent State University. Whenever I returned to Akron from New York, Carol and I would catch them live, hang out after the show, and exchange pleasantries. These past 15 years or so, Bob and I often chat on the phone to lament about the state of music, his latest musical output, or an upcoming gig. His droll sense of humor is always a welcomed gift. He doesn't suffer fools gladly.
Recently, a friend asked me to recommend some of their music. While they've released plenty of vital music, finding some of my favorite tracks requires effort. I've compiled tunes over the years from their vinyl releases, various CDs, and MP3s that Bob has shared with me. But, if I had to pick one song for a first-time listener, it would be "Brand New Lover" from their Numbers Blues (2002) CD. This song strongly defined their "blues" sound back in the '80s.
Moreover, that recording proves Jack Kidney may be the world's baddest living harmonica player. Ditto for Terry's free-form Archie Shep meets Charles Gayle's sax workouts. Never the same, never excessive or boring. If you can find that CD, grab it. If not, subscribe to their Patreon ($2.99 monthly) page. There are numerous high-quality live shows to be discovered. (If you subscribe to this Substack page, I'll send you an MP3 copy of said tune.) Equally essential and dynamic is "Sucker Punch" from their out-of-print 15:60:75 - 2 (1982) vinyl album or Hotwire (1991) CD. The YouTube clip below is from a cookin' 1985 performance in Kent, Ohio.
But the band's sound, even to this day, continues to expand and evolve from those early years. As the band matured, the sound became richer, denser, and more complex, yet still vital. Bob is the first to point out that he's not a singer-songwriter. As he puts it: "I'm a composer. I try to make each song separate from the next I don't like, nor do I strive for a sound."
The oft-overlooked, stripped-down album he did with his brother, The Kidney Brothers' Coal Tattoo (2013), is another essential listening experience, another foray into their unique avant-blues “sound.” (Check out my Huffington Post review here.) When I first heard it, I missed the band sound, but upon further listening, I came to appreciate it more viscerally. This music plays outside the sandbox of the dusty blues of Sonny Terry & Brownie McGhee. It's perfect music for a cold, rainy Sunday morning.
When pressed, it was challenging to get Bob to pick some of his favorite songs, but when I texted him a few days ago that I was currently playing "Red Stick" from the band's latest CD, Endure (2020), he texted back: "It is one of my very favorites. It's the brother to 'Lucky.'" He also pointed out that nearly all of the last album was recorded live in the studio with few overdubs. He doesn’t cotton to the tedious nature of multitrack recording. Lay it down in one room with the full band, and get that explosive energy in one take.
He went further: "I think my approach to the blues, for the most part, is rural; it's a lot more abstract. Too much of the urban blues is cookie-cutter based. Most blues players, especially bass players, cannot work with me, and guitar players as well; the changes are unpredictable with a purpose. I change with the lyrics in the moment; I don't change the lyrics to fit the structure. I don't like the structure. It's boring and predictable. I hate things that are predictable. If you work with me, you must always pay attention. You have to focus in the moment all the time; that's where l am. I'm in the moment. In terms of my own work, however, over the years, I have developed maybe three or four different styles I work in, which at first was very disappointing because I saw through the style; that's when I began to dig deeper and discovered new ways of expressing myself."
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the music file I found was The Number Bands' last appearance in New York City in December 2013. I asked Bob if I could videotape their performances for one of my video podcasts on CultureCatch.com. We thought it would be wise to record the entire performance as they rarely played in New York. They have always preferred to gig around Northeast Ohio. Below is a beautiful version of their song "Wolf" recorded at that soundcheck. That entire show needs to be released. It's long overdue. Those in attendance saw Bob, Jack, Terry, Bill, and Clint in all their "gut-bucket" splendor, pushing and pulling us along for a ride none of us would soon forget.
As I stated above, drummer Anton Fier would occasionally sub with The Numbers Band, so it was no surprise to those of us who were fans that he'd invite Bob to "join" The Golden Palominos. Bob wrote, recorded, and did a few dates with them. Years later, when Bob told me he'd be in New York to perform his songs for two Palominos reunion shows, I jumped at the chance to record one of the shows. The last time they performed live was in 1987.
The two video performances below were taped at Le Poisson Rouge in NYC in May 2010. Bob sang and played guitar on his tune "Lucky" on The Golden Palominos' fourth album, A Dead Horse (1989), plus two more outstanding songs, "Wild River" and "A Letter Back." (FYI: In 2023, Bill Laswell re-released the album on Bandcamp.)
Bob was also the vocalist and guitarist on his songs "The Push and the Shove" on Blast of Silence (1986) and "Begin to Return" on Drunk With Passion (1991). On Visions of Excess (1985), he contributed his song "The Animal Speaks," but it was released with yowling vocals by John "Rotten" Lydon. The B-side of the twelve-inch single featured Jack Bruce on vocals! Besides Bob's superior original take on his band's Jimmy Bell album, I prefer Bruce's vocal version over Lydon's. (Listen here).
For the record: This version of the Palominos' 20th-year reunion show featured Bob's friend/bassist Tony Maimone, plus guitarists Jody Harris and Jim Campilongo. Vocalist Syd Straw also sang on several songs that night.
While "Back To Disaster" was never recorded for a Palominos album, it appeared on his solo effort Jackleg and the band’s Endure. (Full review here.) There is something genuinely intoxicating about how Kidney conjures up the spirit of a possessed Pentecostal Preacher speaking in tongues with this Palominos' performance. Witness Bob at his fiercest, totally present in the moment, laying bare his soul for the audience to consume.
"I eat the blues for breakfast / Left over from the night before / The bad news is restless / The Devil's standing at the door."
What defines the success of a band that has been at it so long? For me, it's the rush The Numbers Band brings every time they step on stage and share their magic. As Bob once said about the band's success, or lack of "chart" success, "We are not interested in making hits; we are interested in making history." Yep. Double-check that box. Only the Rolling Stones can boast that kind of history. And longevity. But as Bob quickly pointed out, his band still carries/sets up/breaks down their equipment.
Lastly, what's the significance of the "Numbers" band's name?
15-60-75.
What does the number sequence stand for?
Do the math. 15 ÷ 15 = 1, 60 ÷ 15 = 4, 75 ÷ 15 = 5.
1-4-5!
Musicians refer to this sequence as the "universal progression." Standard blues tunes use just three chords: the 1st, 4th, and 5th degree.
Yet, there's nothing "standard" about this band. No hype is needed, either.
And now, back to our regularly scheduled programming.