The NoBS music
Working Class Rock
Blues meets Funk
Soul meets Punk
in other words...
Welcome
The new album of the NoBS originals entitled No Solution has just dropped! Available on all streaming services, Apple music and Amazon.....don't miss out!.
NEWS
• 2021 •
THE NOBS RELEASE LIVE ALBUM
40 years ago the band The NoBS recorded their Davis, California, concert. The tight blues rock band are releasing the album The NoBS Live, 1981 to celebrate that pivotal concert. To hear the banter between songs, the audience shout outs to Skydog (whomever and wherever you are) feels very nostalgic these days. What doesn’t sound vintage, though, are the roaring guitar riffs, those invisible moments where the live stage evokes goose bumps to the listening audience. Filled to the brim with songs – what else would you expect from a live set – there are a few tracks The NoBS are releasing: “Bright Lights, Big City” and “One Woman Man”.
First released in 1961 by Jimmy Reed, the great American blues track was also recorded by country singer Sonny James in 1971. The NoBS version is absolutely solid showmanship. The guitar melts into the harmonica. The drum mix is higher – I felt the kick drum and could almost place myself in that sweaty bar scene, watching the drummer hit the skins. There is a rawness that hangs in the air listening to the song. The vocalist has some moments where his voice is breathy – just as you would expect in a concert. I don’t want a live album to sound perfect; I want it to sound like a band at work and doing their thing. This is definitely the case in “Bright Lights, Big City”.
HEAR NOW: https://thenobs.hearnow.com/
“One Woman Man” is not to be confused with the George Jones, John Legend or Dave Hollister songs with the same name. The NoBS song glides along like the perfect time for a slow dance. Just enough fever and percussion are in the mix to keep the heartbeat going, the adrenaline high. But, as you listen to this track in the contact of the live album, it makes sense they would slow things down for just a few minutes in order to ramp things up again. I loved the textures in this song – the way the vocals are wrapped around the bluesy-guitar. I closed my eyes and almost pictured Aaron Neville singing. There are some harmonies happening, but very subtly. Otherwise, the vocals have a gritty sheen that cuts through…slicing through like you would imagine a blues singer possessing. It has the mood of a song like “Tell It Like It Is”. I found myself lingering in the vocals of “One Woman Man” for hours.
APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/gb/album/the-nobs-live-1981/1549171828
The NoBS, are brothers Scott (guitar, bass, harmonica, vocals), David (Guitar, bass, vocals) and Brad Parker (guitar, bass, vocals) as well as Mike Harney on drums. These two tracks are a great gateway to the entire album. With 25 tracks total, there is much to choose from, and believe me, you will be highly engaged with the artistry and the virtuoso instrumentation. Maybe it’s wishful thinking, and maybe it’s sentimentality, but to hear a live concert like this is pure magic these days. Now, imagine, too, if this was on vinyl. My goodness, that would be a treat. Until then, I will take all that I can get of The NoBS. High marks indeed for The NoBS, Live 1981.
Garth Thomas
​
NEW REVIEWS!
Released in 2021, but originally recorded back in the early 1980’s, The NoBS have officially shared their “new” record, The NoBS Live 1981. Read along with us as we share our complete thoughts on the record, in addition to a background on the band.
Recorded at a Brewery in Davis, California back in January of 1981, The NoBS’ live double album has finally come to life. An “album that will live on in infamy” is chock full of soaring guitar riffs and a taste of classic rock at its peak. For those who witnessed it live, they can now relisten to their liking in all its glory.
For those unfamiliar, The NoBS are made up of Scott (Guitar and Vocals), Brad (Lead Guitar, Bass and Vocals), David (Vocals, Guitar and Bass), and Scott (Blues Harp). Together they’ve come together to crank out a 25-track double album that spans the length of an hour and forty four minutes. Now while we’ve listened and can assure that it’s well worth your time, let it be known that there’s plenty to take in from start to finish.
Instrumentally, they’ve knocked it out of the park and quickly proved that in a band of four, they make it sound like there’s ten guys on stage all playing at once. It’s succinct, classic sounding, but it also rocks equally. What we love most about live records, no matter when they were recorded, is that it takes you back to a specific moment in time. Whether you were there or not, you can hear a band at its absolute peak and for one night in time, the moment was captured and recorded for all to enjoy forever.
While we can only imagine this wasn’t a massive brewery with thousands upon thousands in attendance, what we can assure is that whoever got to witness this in person was surely in for the time of their lives. Through 25 songs, the band have ripped and roared through the best of their discography and put on a showcase of their finest talents. It would be quite impossible to isolate a single track and say this was the best rather the entirety of the listen is the journey of where the band takes you by handpicking their set list for your enjoyment.
Americana, classic rock, and blues lovers will adore this record. Whether you’re familiar with the work of the NoBS or this happens to be your first inclination of their existence, jump back into time 40 years and experience a wild night of music.
We Write About Music.com
March 15, 2021
More Reviews......it's absolutely outstanding!
With a band name like The NoBS, one is sure to think that it’s all about the music. Though they recorded the songs on The NoBS Live 1981 album 40 years ago, the music and the commitment to their sound still holds up for the California blues/rock band. Featuring an odyssey of 25 tracks, The NoBS Live 1981 easily transports the listener back to that packed-club in Davis, California. The two lead singles, “Wait On Time” and “Further Up On The Road” give the listener a taste of something special that went down, and all these years later, it continues to elicit the applause.
It’s an interesting thing to listen to a song recorded so long ago and still feel that magic hanging with each riff, making yourself a part of that audience. “Wait On Time” has a history of its own, it’s a song that The Fabulous Thunderbirds released in the late seventies. I think the guys in The NoBS (David, Brad and Scott), bring a lot of their zest to the recording. The blues riffs are tight in this track. I felt the guitar sliced through the percussion – leaving this vapor of passion and power in its wake. So much of this song is that nocturnal energy, a generous amount of bluesy tones. The guitar just elevates the vocals – I was ensconced by the subtleties of the percussion, mixed in. Don’t get me wrong, there’s still a lot of rhythm and soul happening in “Wait On Time”.
The vocals (David) in “Wait On Time” are raspy, everything you’d want in a blues rock sound. Well, I don’t live like a king, and I don’t drive a big car, the gypsy woman was right, when she said I would go far, he sings. The final mix is great because it has that feel of the live performance, clanging beer glasses and some murmured conversation, but once the music starts, it’s all eyes and ears on the band.
In “Further Up On The Road” The NoBS increased the tempo even more. When Chuck Berry sang about playing a guitar like ringing a bell, this song comes to mind. It’s just as devilishly bluesy rock as “Wait On Time”. The guitar work really swells. David’s tenor in the vocals is a mixture of amber and whiskey. He, like the guitar, belts it out more in this one. One of the reasons I enjoyed this live album approach is that not only can you hear the crowd, but you can also hear the way the singer reacts to the crowd. It’s an invisible communication. I’ve noted in numerous reviews about the way bands bring the same energy from a live concert into the studio. Well, this reverse is just as tasty. I think the fiery energy, especially from the guitar, in “Further Up On The Road” is tangible for the listener. I felt that chasing feeling, like I was searching for something and my heart raced faster and more focused. The drum work and bass grooves made me think of a gallop. It has a vintage sheen to it, and I think fans of Johnny Cash, Berry and rockabilly will even dig this burner.
John McCall
The Indie Pulse Music – the NoBS 1981 review
Mindy McCall March 9, 2021
Releasing an album so long after its initial recording is a testament to the band and the genre of music. The band, The NoBS, have released their 25-song album, The NoBS Live 1981. There’s no dusting off the cover of this one, it sounds as if it were recorded last night. How did the band come up with the lead single? They decided on two. The hits “Wait On Time” and “Further Up On The Road”. Like a ripcord, there’s no time to think, just groove and move to the music. These blues rock gems give the listener two very cohesive listening experiences.
INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/thenobsmusic/?igshid=w6zplglbpock
Recorded at an undisclosed venue in Davis, California, a town near Sacramento, the band’s presence in what I can only assume to be an indoor venue is positively electric. The crowd’s enthusiasm and exuberance is heard between tracks, but it does trickle its way into these two tracks. The NoBS, a trio made up of David, Brad and Scott, make these tracks sound much larger, and almost something a bigger band would present. They tear down that fourth wall and as a listener, I snuck up front to hearing this live concert.
“Wait On Time” comes first and it’s a heckuva improvement on the 1979 The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ version. I know listeners can often find it difficult to love a cover rather than the original, but in this case, my opinion is that The NoBS deliver a superior track. The guitar work and the vocals are riveting. I can see why they chose this song as a single to release – it showcases the band’s astute blues work. They aren’t just playing the song, either. They are really conveying the grit and the grime. The vocals, a man’s voice that has that muddy-tones and that was made for singing above loud voices at a bar, is great.
The NoBS have returned to the stage and we are releasing a new Live Double CD album in 2021... This recording was made at the Brewery, in Davis, California, on January 16 & 17, 1981. It's a double album that will live on in infamy and in its dedication to the Nob Mob that was there that night and has grown around the world since then. The double CD, "the NoBS • LiVE • 1981," will be pre-released on January 16th, 2021, marking the 40th anniversary of its recording... In 2019, we retook the stage, first at the magical Pappy & Harriet's, in Pioneertown, California, and when the stages around the world are ready to spin the mystic of the American River of Music -- we will be there!
Thanks to all of you who have supported us throughout the years, made our 1981 single, "Fever/Fire & Mystic Eyes," a hit across the USA and who are clamoring for more...
• 1981 •
BAM – The California Music Magazine
Billy Burnette/the NoBS
UC Davis Coffee House , November 19th, 1981
"The show was opened by the NoBS, a band whose aggressive blues-grounded approach touches base with so many other styles (soul, R&B, rockabilly, etc.) that the best thing to call their music is what they call it “blue wave”...
The Nobs consists of powerhouse drummer Mike Harney and three Parkers -Scott, Brad, Dave – who in concert continually exchange guitar, bass and lead singing duties, locking into a sinewy, enticing attack. This is a band sufficiently taut and talented to acquit itself superbly on everything from Elmore James’ “Shake Your Moneymaker” to the ‘60s hit by Them, “Mystic Eyes” to snippets of The Who’s “My Generation” and “Magic Bus”. Which isn’t to suggest that the NoBS is merely an exceptional cover band. In fact, most of the group’s original material is strong, deftly arranged and downright irresistible, whether they are giving it to you onstage or on the soaring debut single, “Fever/Fire”. the NoBS have tremendous horsepower and virtually unlimited potential. Keep an ear out for “blue wave”.
---Duncan Strauss
- Scott Parker: Guitar, Bass,
Vocals, Harmonica
- Brad Parker: Guitar, Bass, Vocals
- David Parker: Guitar, Bass, Vocals
-Abe Parker: Bass, Keys
- Jeff Boaz: Drums
​
the NoBS~2021
Come one, come all, to the show, to the celebration of American music, to the Blues, the Rhythm and Blues, to the Soul Revival, to the Rock and Roll Circus, to the Living Legacy, to No BS… We are a brotherhood, literally and metaphorically. We were born on the River and travelled the highways and byways of our country. This recording is “live” and wabi sabi in the truest tradition. It is rough and raw, played with passion and precision, performed hundreds of times in front of thousands of music lovers. The music presented here is a homage to the originators, the creators of our greatest American art form. At the time of this recording the Discos were closing and the “hair bands”, the punk bands, and the countless cover bands were dominating the live music scene. Although these groups were adding to the musical progression of popular music, they were not connected to the legacy or our musical traditions. To connect to that tradition we had to revive the songs and styles that built our popular music; music created by the struggle of the black and minority communities. Nothing less than the heart and soul of our musical heritage was our goal. From the earliest field hollers to the most sophisticated styles of jazz, we sought to give our audiences the gifts of our great American heritage… So come with us, inside a packed venue, to experience the Show, the Sound, the Joy of an American musical feast…
​
~ Scott Parker, 2020
Song: Spider and the Fly
Overall Impression: The NoBS are back, this time with a blistering uptempo live cover of the lesser known 1965 Rolling Stones' song, "Spider and the Fly." Recorded over forty years ago in a bar in Davis, CA, this track sounds just as vibrant today, as it did in 1981. This jumping 12 bar blues features a spirited harmonica and is clearly a fan favorite, as evidenced by the raucous barroom audience. The rhythm section is in fine form, giving an electrified performance that's highlighted by some fine guitar work, walking bass, and heavily swung drums. The NoBS were certainly on fire that night, and gave us an excellent version of Jagger/Richards' timeless tale of seduction, "Spider and the Fly".
Strongest Point(s): I felt this was a great interpretation, rearranged at a brisker pace for the bar crowd. Great energy and momentum, throughout. Vocals do good job of reworking the phrasing to fit the tempo. Rhythm section is tight, nice job of comping by the guitar, and an excellent solo. The harp is fantastic, both through the verse riff and the solo at the end. Clean and articulate, I especially like the first empty verse, where the harp states the melody. Again, nice job on the restoration of the recording, sounds fantastic for its age.
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Blues, Blues Rock, Early Rock&Roll, Early RnB, Rockabilly
Artist target suggestions: The Rolling Stones, Junior Wells, Little Walter, Muddy Waters, Chuck Berry, Jimmy Reed, Ronnie Hawkins, Sonny Boy Williamson, Freddie King, John Mayall, The Yardbirds, Canned Heat, Paul Butterfield, The J. Geils Band
About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre, from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers
Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Strength
Song: Fever/Fire
Overall Impression: "Fever/Fire" is an exciting live release from The NoBS, from their double album commemorating the 40th anniversary of their January 16&17 1981 shows at the Brewery, in Davis, CA. The magic in the air is palpable, as The NoBS launch into the jagged riff that forms the backbone of this crowd favorite. Intense vocals recall hints of the late, great frontman of The Doors, Jim Morrison, with lyrics like "I'm on fire baby, and you're gonna burn." Swirling guitars and frenetic drumming build a glorious wall of sound throughout the jam sections, as the listener can feel the energy that was present in that room some forty years ago. Fans of live rock music should find this track to sound just as vivacious today, as it did on the night that it was put down on tape.
Strongest Point(s): First off, I'm impressed with the sound quality of a forty year old recording. Outstanding job of restoration. This song has a great energy, good choice for a single release. Audiences have never been more starved for live music than they are right now, so hopefully that works in your favor to help get this record out there into circulation.
Target Audience Appeal: Fans of Rock, Classic 70s and 80s Rock, Classic 70s and 80s Punk, Psychedelic Rock, Garage Rock, Jam Bands, Blues Rock, Alt Rock
Artist target suggestions: The Doors, The Animals, The Stooges, MC5, Alice Cooper, Jefferson Airplane, INXS, The Cult, Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, 13th Floor Elevators, Deep Purple, The Rolling Stones, The Black Angels, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, The Dandy Warhols, The Warlocks, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club
About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre, from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers
Vocals: Strength
Lyrics: Strength
Instrumental Performance/Execution: Strength
Melody/Rhythm: Strength
Arrangement/Flow: Strength
Recording Quality/Overall Mix: Neutral
'CLIMBING THE LADDER TO YOUR DREAMS" WITH BRAD PARKER
The Singer/ Songwriter Brad Parker is a powerhouse of passion when it comes to his music and career in it!
What is the best rule of thumb when it comes to starting a career in music?
Work any job you can find during the day to support playing music at night. My grandmother gave me that advice when I was 19. It worked.
What would you explain the difference if between working on your own and having bandmates?
Both are good. But only playing in a band yields the power of the combined energy of sound that a band can make. And only working solo yields a unity of vision for the lyrics and mood that one author can command. Songwriting with other writers yields another vision as well.
Who do you look for advice on when it comes to your career?
The randomness of nature takes over here. You have to be lucky to find someone who can be objective about your subjective art form and then... you have to be lucky enough to get what you are being told. And further, this interaction takes place every day. Open up and listen but be wary of those who just want to use you. My wife, Deb, is my advisor now. She gets me and talks the truth to me. Not what I want to hear but what I need to hear.
What was a challenge in the industry that you later on were so grateful for the learning experience?
I was a stagehand for Bill Graham, in the Bay Area. Working for Bill and the biggest acts in the world, at every type of venue, from clubs to coliseums, was pure physical labor that taught me everything about the stages music is performed on. It was a huge advantage as I later played on those stages.
Who is an artist that you can listen to everyday without tiring of?
Miles Davis.
How much work goes into your day?
As much as I can handle. I have to be told to stop working. And even then I am thinking about it.
Do you have a strict regimen when it comes to songwriting?
Yes. It’s an exercise and an inspiration. I wrote almost every day until I had written over 1000 songs. That took about forty years. Even now, I sit down to write on a regular basis. And keep a device with you everywhere you go to record your ideas. A cellphone on voice memo is perfect.
Are there any projects that you are currently working on that you want to share with us?
Right now, my band from back in the day, the NoBS, has reformed, put out a double album, from a recording in 1981, at a club, and it is kicking it up. My next solo project will be hard folk or ultra-modern. I am working on both.
Can you leave us with the best piece of advice you have ever received?
To do what you love; do whatever you must, work wise, to keep going. No job is beneath you as you climb the ladder of your dreams.
Where can fans continue to follow you and listen to your music?
At riozen.com (my website), thenobsmusic.com (my band’s website) and all of the usual places...
Many thanks!
​
​
​