FIND THAT BAND: Found: Bodeco
When last issue’s “Find That Band” column left off, our hero Bodeco remained shrouded in mystery, one of our faithful readers pondering what had happened to the Louisville, Kentucky band and its members. Now here’s this issue’s exciting conclusion, courtesy another faithful reader:
Hey there, I am by God and/or Satan compelled to emphatically squelch the description of Bodeco as “y’allternative.” (What a cruel thing to say about any band, except maybe Goober & the Peas.) Bodeco had nothing whatsoever to do with the “No Depression” thing or with the now completely meaningless term “alternative.” They were simply and unequivocally a rock ‘n’ roll band. Besides Bone Hair & Hide, they later released the much slicker Calling All Dogs album on Safe House (both are in print). They put out a 7-inch in conjunction with each release, the first being on Homestead and the second on Feedbag (both had non-LP B-sides). But just as anyone who has heard Bone Hair & Hide would guess, seeing them live was the only way to truly experience Bodeco. They were one of the few bands I’ve seen who could consistently capture unbridled depravity. Bodeco live was exactly the evil manifestation that aghast parents envisioned when rock and roll first reared its ugly head. In other words, IT WAS A BLAST!
I heard (though never officially) that they broke up. As to where they are now and what else they’ve done, I’m far removed, but here’s what I understand. Guitarist Wink O’Bannon left well before the band actually quit playing live, which has been at least a year ago. He has before, during and since been involved in an astounding number of bands and solo projects. Among them was an uneven but charming solo album on Safe House and the locally released instro band Chickenhawk. And until its final demise, Wink was the booking guy at the Cherokee Blues Club, which was a transmogrification of Louisville’s legendary rock joint Tweligans. Bass player Jimmy Brown owns the Guitar Emporium and is a largely renowned dealer of vintage guitars. And I heard that frontman Ricky Feathers, who was a charismatic as they come, had done some demo tapes. Also on the rumor front, some back word was that Bodeco was going to have some tracks appear on the soundtrack to some John Cusack movie — for what that’s worth.
The most atrociously corny thing just popped into my head, but for lack of a better closing — “As the world turns, so goes the bands of our lives.”
Keep the faith!
–Richard M. Kemp
Louisville, Kentucky
Found (bonus section): Thin White Rope
Last issue we received a vague response regarding the whereabouts of Northern California band Thin White Rope after printing an inquiry about them in the previous issue. Recently we received further details:
From what I understand, guitarist Guy Kyser is inactive right now, musically speaking. After Thin White Rope, he joined a band fronted by his then-girlfriend/now-wife, Johanna, called Thornucopia. Most recently, they had a band called the Mummy Dogs, but then Johanna became pregnant and the band went on hiatus; the Kysers are currently kicking back in Davis waiting to become parents. Meanwhile, guitarist Roger Kunkel is in a fine local group called the Acme Rocket Quartet, whose music I’d describe as “acid jazz.” They put a CD out on their own label last fall, and it’s available on consignment in local record stores.
–Jackson Griffith
Sacramento, California
Find: Franklin Hugh Trainor
Okay, then, any takers on our latest inquiry? If you know the whereabouts of this singer-songwriter, don’t call “America’s Most Wanted”; simply e-mail us at info@nodepression.com, or write to No Depression, Find That Band, P.O. Box 31332, Seattle, WA 98103.
Many years ago, a songwriter friend gave me a tape of a person she described only as “this great writer, from Nashville…he’s got a funny name.” Well, that’s not all he had. This man had 10 or 12 of the best songs I’ve ever heard. I listened to the tape religiously without any real knowledge of who this guy was or even what the names of the songs were. By the time I ran into my friend again, she had forgotten even giving me the tape and was no help at all in locating the name of this great songwriter.
A few years went by, with me looking at records by all sorts of singer-songwriter types in stores all over the place just hoping to recognize a title. No luck. When I attended SXSW last year, I decided to query the kind folks at the BMI booth in the convention center about these songs. Sure enough, I had a title right: “Piece of the Prize” was the one that brought up the name “Franklin Hugh Trainor.” Well, that was easy. Or was it? The BMI guy said he had no way of looking to see if this guy had any records out, but at least I had a name to search for. Search is what I did, and have done, for over a year. Not a damn thing. I accessed the BMI site to find lots of titles in his catalog, but no info on where I can get a recording or two. I’ve looked everywhere from Toronto to New Orleans and as much on the Web as I could. Does anyone know anything about this man?
–Peter Williams
