The Now Time Delegation

Watch for Today (In the Red)
by Jon Sarre

Heavyhitters Tim Kerr (Lord High Fixers, Poison 13, The Big Boys, Monkeywrench, etc.) and Lisa Kekaula (of The Bellrays and the jawdrop voice of the moment in rock’n’roll, tho’ I still say the Detroit Cobras’ Rachel Nagy is stiff competition) team up with one Gospel Swinger (organist Kari Luna), one ex-Blacktop (Steve Adkins, he’s the drummer) and one Alex Cuervo (bass) and grind out some soul groove just cuz they can and when ya get down to it, that’s the only reason Mr. Tim Kerr needs. Ms. Kekaula’s got pipes, which she amply demonstrates on cuts like “Layin’ On the Ground,” Curtis Mayfield’s “Keep On Pushin'” and Eddie Floyd’s “Raise Your Hand.” It’s beyond soul, in fact, her voice pushes the envelope back into the gospel roots of Motown and then the band, ‘specially Kerr’s guitar – cuz he can play just about anything, funk, blues, whatever – takes it back to Motor City/Stax territory.

The Now Time Delegation‘s stuff is all over the place, but they still seem to know where they’re goin’. They veer between the Koko Taylor blues stomp of “Little Miss Fortune” to the slow-dance torch songage of “Handle With Care” into murder ballad land (“Hangin’ Tree” which features a dead guy named John Henry who also crops up on at least two cuts of the Harry Smith Anthology of American Folk Music). They do semi-instrumental frat rock (The T.S.U. Tornadoes’ – not to be confused with the Texas Tornadoes featurin’ Doug Sahm and Freddy Fender – “Gettin’ the Corners”). They do instrumental ’60s Limey bands tryin’ for R&B (“Bert’s Apple Crumble”). They rock out The Supremes (“Nothin’ But a Heartache”). They even sing about (I think) an Edward James Whatshisface (y’know, the guy who played the captain on Miami Vice) movie (“Stand and Deliver”). They play quiet. They play loud. They stand. They deliver.
(PO Box 208 Burbank, CA 91506)