Read the Johnny Salton memorial piece from this week's print edition of New Times.
The Psycho Daisies
Pushin' Up Daisies
(Sublapse Records)
Arguably more of an EP than an LP, this vinyl-only release contains seven tracks of the finest blues-influenced psychedelic punk rock that you will ever come across.
Appropriately titled Pushin' Up Daisies, the album features guitar and vocals by both Johnny Salton and Dave "Dee" Froshnider, the bass of Marco Pettit, and the drums of John "Sticks" Galway. I believe that Daisies lore refers to this line-up as Mach One. And if you click on the names, you'll be transported to interviews over at the Trash Fever website, which is a great place to learn about South Florida's excellent underground music.
From the very first song, the instrumentation is solid. The rhythm section stays on point while also leaving space for the guitars and vocals. Like Salton, both Pettit and Galway are sorely missed local musicians. Rest in peace, brothers!
Meanwhile, the two guitarists do a great job balancing each other out, vocally and musically. Opener "Did It For Her" sets up a long-running series of bizarre alterno-love ditties that would appear throughout the Daisies' cannon. "Kill or Be Killed" and "Blew Me Away" take Side A into glorious and understated rock 'n' roll braggadocio before closing with the raucous plea for excitement, "Get Off on Your Porch," a song that I return to again and again.
Turning it down a notch, Side B presents a pair of slightly more atmospheric, introspective tracks, "Doesn't Come Around" and "In Doubt." Then ending things, "Wrap Your Arms Around Me" is a nice slice of baladeering romance. Could another song have fit here to make it an even eight? Maybe. But there are plenty of other Daisies' albums to pick through and thanks to the miracle of the internet, plenty of live video on YouTube to peruse.
Now a few final details: Pushin' Up Daisies was recorded at L-7 Studios by engineer and producer Bob Rupe. It has a Sublapse Records catalogue number of LAP 3. And future Daisies' bass player Jill Kahn was responsible for the gorgeous cover photograph of a full-blown, black-and-white daisy. As for the availability of this album, I have never seen it turn up online and my copy was a personal gift from Mr. Salton and Ms. Kahn that I will treasure forever. The band's other records are available through the official website and I suggest you pick them up, because even though they are different on a Daisies' Mach to Mach basis, they are all glorious entries into the history of fine rock 'n' roll.
Psycho Daisies perform "What Ya Gonna Do About It" on June 27, 1988
