Aren't You Gonna Die Someday?

While reading a breaking story in the Irish Times about an Irish/French citizen, Bernard Phelan, who was being held hostage in Iran, I was shocked to realise I knew Bernard. The story then took on a greater meaning for me. Bernard was a colleague in the tourism industry and I had known him for 20 years. What to do? How to help? Something has to be done. Bernard's sister Caroline was also a colleague of mine, and became the spearhead in efforts to secure her brother’s release.

Readers of the first Fletcher Hanks volume―I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets―were stunned by its pop surrealism and outright violent mayhem. This larger second volume, when combined with the first, comprises the complete comics work of the heretofore forgotten Golden Age visionary. Fletcher Hanks was the first great comic book auteur. That is, he wrote, penciled, inked, and lettered all of his own stories. He completed an astonishing 48 stories in three years from 1939-1941. As a one-man-cartooning-band, his work packs the wallop of a unique and unified artistic vision. He was a true comics visionary. In the earliest days of the comic book, before censorship, it was “anything goes!”―and in the tales of Fletcher Hanks, anything went!

'chasin ghosts' is the follow up to their breakthrough album 'nothing is easy'.
'chasin ghosts' has elements of jazz, rock and hip hop reinforcing the lyrical content which is always thoughtful, hard hitting and never afraid to address the dark topics as well as the light whether that be (lost) love, depression, world politics or philosophy.

One thing is certain about the idiosyncratic J. B. Lenoir, he was a true original. No one ever sounded quite like him and despite comparisons by some writers to Arthur Crudup his high pitched vocals were pretty much unique. Although J. B. Lenoir only had one hit in the US with "Mama Talk to Your Daughter" his influence over the British blues scene was immense. In fact John Mayall was a huge fan and he helped to get his 45s released in the UK. Rocking R&B and topical social commentary all thrown in the mix. This is Chicago blues with a twist. Let's call it Chicago blues J.B. Lenoir style.