Jack Hoppes

Jack Hoppes - Little Nashville Opry
Found: Antique Mall, Chesterton, Indiana

Indie-Country Hoosier and helmet-head Jack Hoppes is a strange man. From "Nashville, Indiana" -- Jack's songs are all hopped up...and the guitar player is excellent. If you find yourself thinking, "yeah, this is pretty corny" -- stay with it. Each of the 4 tracks below has its own money-shot. From off-kilter guitar licks to a 70s, Indiana variation on the Appalachian EEFING phenomenon.

1) I Guess, I Left Her Lonely Too Long
2) Rollin in My Sweet Baby's Arms
3) East Bound and Down
4) Little Nashville Opry

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The Tea Company

"Come and Have Some Tea with The Tea Company"
Found: Garage Sale, Chesterton, Indiana

What a weird thing to find this classic NYC psych LP in the burbs of Indiana. Check out the definite early-Floyd and even Velvet Underground influence at times...and the heavy New Yawk accent on some tracks (Love Could Make the World Go Round). And any band that can pull off a cover of "You Keep Me Hangin On" (I hate both Diana Ross and Vanilla Fudge versions), is alright by me.

1) Come and Have Some Tea With Me
2) Flowers
3) Love Could Make the World Go Round
4) You Keep Me Hangin' On
5) Don't Make Waves (Water Sound Effects)
6) As I Have Seen You Upon the Wall
7) Make Love, Not War

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"Rusty Dean" (aka Clarence White & Gary Paxton)

Wailin' Time - by "Rusty Dean"
Found: junk shop, Beverly Shores, Indiana

This budget-bin country LP is easy to pass by. What looks like an indie-country Olivia Newton John, "Rusty Dean" is actually a psuedonym for eccentric pop, country and Christian artist Gary Paxton (the man behind "Allie Oop" and "Monster Mash")-- and flashy country-rock guitar slinger Clarence White from the Byrds (among others).

White's guitar is soo great as usual -- and check out the wild song titles like "The Chokin' Kind" and great cover of M-M-Mel T-T-Tillis' "Sweet Mental Revenge"!

1) Chokin Kind
2) Sweet Mental Revenge
3) You Make Me Remember
4) Walk on Out of My Mind
5) A Million Tears Ago
6) Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line
7) Time to Bum Again
8) When A Fool Loves A Fool
9) Your Broken Heart Is Showin' Through
10) The Price of Lovin' You

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"Clarence White is the Jimmy Page of Cuntree-Rock" - John "Blues" Rahmer

Digging in the Crates in NW Indiana

This blog shall be dedicated to some of the better LPs found scattered around the NW Indiana "region"