Computer retrovisionary and early-adopter luddite Dave Nuttycombe explains the new Apple tablet computer.

It is my firm belief that the best musical moments often happen away from the hype and limelight. Sure, Springsteen’s still giving his all, and I hear Streisand puts on a rousing show. But every night of the week, there’s a cat flat gettin’ it on some small stage in your town, sweating up the joint, knocking himself out. ‘Cause that’s what he does. If you’re lucky, you’ll be in the room. If not, you may never even hear about it.

Such was the case at McGinty’s Tuesday night when The Joker’s Wild threw an 80th birthday bash for D.C. sax legend Ted Efantis. Efantis has played with the likes of Benny Goodman yet does not look nor act anywhere close to his age. He was gleefully telling musician jokes, drinking Presbyterians, jitterbugging women across the dance floor, and clearly enjoying himself all evening.

Joker sax man Jeff Gray claimed Efantis taught him everything he knows about the instrument and thus the bandmembers were kindly repaying a debt to their elder. A variety of D.C. musical hotshots, including GHZ bassist Scott Giambusso, and King Soul’s Tom Clifford, stopped by to wish Ted happy birthday. Or maybe they heard there was cake.

Above, Efantis, Gray, and Ted’s pal Knute smoke up Sonny Rollins‘ signature tune, “Tenor Madness.”

Efantis assays the definitive sax song, “Body and Soul:”

The Jokers (Vincent Borrelli, vocals; Tommy Barrick, drums; Brandon Cochenour, piano; Gray, saxophones; and Eric Leifert, bass) have their way with the Louis Prima classic, “Just a Gigolo:”

King Soul performing at the hottest club in D.C. that isn’t a club, Blaylock Theatre. I can’t even tell you where it is, but you wouldn’t believe me anyway. Shot this with my trusty Canon PowerShot A590.

The first song is a tight cover of JJ Jackson’s classic “But It’s Alright.” The second tune (below) is an original, “Eyes Up,” though it sounds as if it were written in 1968. Good job, lads!

King Soul is Jake Flack (guitar & vocals), Tom Clifford (vocals & harp), Nick Ruggieri (drums & vocals), Mark Noone (bass & vocals), Arif Durrani (keyboards & vocals), Chris Whatling (baritone sax), Tom Ruggieri (tenor sax), Ray Strucker (trumpet), and Vince McCool (trumpet). Check ‘em at myspace.com/kingsoulband

King Soul Rocks the House, Part Two

Caught D.C.’s Wammiest western-and-country act, Ruthie and the Wranglers at Iota on Saturday (with the U-Liners) and shot this charming bit of holiday whimsey with my trusty Canon PowerShot A590. The club’s regular stage lights make it seem extra-festive, don’t you think?

From left-to-right in the video are Andy Rutherford (guitar), Robbie Magruder (drums), Ruthie, Greg Hardin (bass), and Bill Starks (keyboards).

It was a tight show all around. Somehow, I’d missed the fact that Andy replaced longtime Wrangler guitar-wrangler Phil Mathieu. Phil’s face was still on the band’s business cards available at the door, but Andy’s picture is on the Web site, so it must be official. I’m going to assume the split was amicable. At least until I make a phone call and get all the juicy dirt.

Oh, D.C. music scene—you fickle beast!

Inspired by Lou Dobbs‘ selfless campaign to promote the cause of advocacy journalism, I took to the streets on a righteous quest of my own: to bring the Five Guys hamburger chain to downtown Silver Spring.

As you will see, when the public is given the opportunity to speak on issues that matter, that public will have something to say. And isn’t that America? Or what’s left of it? I think so.

Thanks to Rich West for the invaluable production help and to PlayTone Records for the use of the Theme Song From Mr. Downtown, sung by the TV show’s star, the late Freddy Fredrickson.

Out for pancakes in Richmond’s stylish Carytown on Sunday and ran into this amazing fellow. The band’s lead-guitarist, rhythm guitarist, singer, drummer, and roadie told me that the group is called Gul — “Like seagull,” he explained.

Gul was set up in front of Plan 9 Records (one of the great music stores), and rocking out harder than many bands featuring two to six times as many musicians. I would have loved to stick around and catch the entire set but, you know, pancakes…

(Video also available on the Youtubes.

Pure power pop for now people, the Spectacles played an energetic matinee set at the Quarry House. The band is Chuck Dolan (bass/vocals), JP McDermott (guitar/vocals), and John Kelly (drums/background vocals).

I really like this idea of weekend matinee rock shows. Maybe with a Senior Discount?

This was shot, as usual, with my handy Canon A590. Why did I buy that big video camera?

You know I’m a sucker for a medley.

And I was in luck when I caught Accidental Charm’s show at the Music Cafe in Damascus, Md. It’s a charming place, if a bit of a haul — especially in a downpour like this Friday night.

The evening was a mix of originals and covers, the originals being delightfully poppy and the covers being surprisingly diverse. Each of the four guys sing, which is rare, and rarer still the harmonies are sweet. The band dared a cover of CSN’s “Carry On” and it sounded better than the originals have managed to perform it since about 1974.

The band also dared to perform a couple medleys, not always the “cool” choice. But it worked this night. For instance, the group’s instrumental “See-Ya-Later-Bye,” is snappy enough, but then it segued into an extended and utterly unexpected medley — including several tunes so unexpected that I can’t recall them now. But part of the medley was a song I never expected to hear live: the Albert Hammond soft-rock anthem “It Never Rains In Southern California.” So random. And then it was back into “See Ya Later,” then into “Live & Let Die,” a bit of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” and finally Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police,” before finishing with the instrumental. A bravura performance. Jolly.

The group is Tom Godsman (guitar,vocals), Rob Isele (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Jack Albert (bass, guitar, vocals), and Brad Davis (drums, vocals). Sadly, this was probably Rob’s last show with the band. He’s concentrating all his musical efforts on his money-making Beach Boys tribute band, Still Surfin’. While we wish him success, we must insist that Accidental Charm not break up. America demands good pop bands. (It’s all we have left.)

Here’s “It Never Rains,” in case you had banished it from your ears. (Later, the band also played a straight-faced cover of “Treat Her Like a Lady” by Cornelius Brothers & Sister Rose. Don’t hear that very often, either. Here’s the group’s own video of the song, which is much better than my guerilla clip.)

UPDATE/CORRECTION: Tom Godsman writes in to point out that the medley “was actually part of ‘Who Made the Rules?,’ but I think we played it pretty close in the set list to ‘See-ya-later-bye,’ so it’s an honest mistake.” We honestly regret the error.

Went to see the British Walkers reunion at Winston Billiards Cafe in Rockville on Saturday. For those who missed the British Walkers phenomenon the first time around in 1965 — and I missed them, too — they were a D.C.-area band that wore Redcoat-style outfits, spoke with British accents, and played Beatle songs, Beatle-type songs, and generally did a bang-up job of cashing in on the whole Beatle thing. Though I never witnessed the magic first-hand, I’d heard the band name and that of its charismatic leader Bobbie Howard whispered reverently often enough over the years. After all, Roy Buchanan was the band’s first guitarist.

So I don’t know what I was expecting — perhaps the Redcoat suits? At the least, I was hoping for some Beatle-y teen-club nostalgia.

What I got was the worst double-bill since Hendrix opened for the Monkees.

For some reason, Joe Lee, mastermind of the event, booked an opening act, the Mustangs, an 11-piece soul band, complete with horn section and four lead singers. Some of the group were part of Wilson Pickett’s last band. And, damn. They totally rocked the joint. Opening with a Sly & the Family Stone medley, the group perfectly captured the Staple Singers, Etta James, and James Brown, and gave the terms “bar band” and “cover band” a bright sheen of respect.

The crowd — not surprisingly, mostly aging white folks — screamed for an encore, which the Mustangs were happy to play.

The only way the Walkers could have followed that was if they were the actual Beatles. And even then, I’m not sure.

It did not help that after the Mustangs cleared the stage there followed an interminable amount of tuning up and microphone feedback. Hello, sound engineer: you just had 11 musicians onstage, now you’ve got five. Remove six mics and don’t screw with anything else. Hello, band: Tune up offstage. They make portable tuners for just this purpose. Buy some.

Howard is now 67 and he still has the mod hair and looks sharp in a Carnaby Street suit. But, unlike the stylishly-attired Mustangs, the other Walkers opted for a mishmash of jeans, ball-caps, and whatever Elvis-meets-David Byrne outfit Billy Hancock was wearing.

And what was Hancock doing onstage anyway? He was never a member of the band. Though everyone else onstage had, at one time, been a member of the British Walkers, this particular lineup never existed. Guitarist Geoff Richardson never played with Bobbie, according to Hancock’s liner notes to the reissue CD. (OK, that might explain why he was there.)

The band started with a cover of Sam Cooke’s “Shake,” also one of its local-but-not-quite-national hits. And right away it seemed that the British Invasion legend was more myth than reality. As Joe Lee told the Post’s John Kelly, “The band was as much a rhythm-and-blues group as a rock group….They looked like a bunch of guys from England, but they listened to all the same soul stations as I did in the ’60s.”

Howard said after the third song (”Knock on Wood”) that his voice couldn’t handle an entire night of singing anymore and introduced Hancock, who launched into one of his usual rockabilly songs. And I felt whatever good will I’d come with evaporate. I can see the Billy Hancock show any time. Plus, I just felt embarrassed for the band.

I left while Kelly, the nicest man alive, frugged valiantly on the dance floor, doing his part, at least, to keep that ’60s magic alive.

You be the judge: Here’s the British Walkers, followed by the Mustangs.

The list of the 122 films that screened during Silverdocs week. I need some sleep…