Kashmere Stage Band – “Out of Gas But Still Burning” – [Kram]

Between 1968 and 1977, Conrad Johnson lead varying groups of kids from a high school in the Houston area – known as Kashmere Gardens – into a wonderful musical world of jazz, funk and soul. During this time, the Kashmere Stage Band competed in forty-six contests, winning all but four of them. They had a sound comparable to many of the contemporary professionals bands – being compared to the likes of the JBs and the Bar-Kays. Since the band’s final year, they have been rediscovered by hip-hop artists who have sampled many of their tracks, and have caused a renewed appreciation – and rerelease of material – from this impressive ensemble.

“Out of Gas But Still Burning” is the class from 1974′s album. Contained within it’s tracks are notable covers – Rhapsody in Blue, When I Fall in Love, amongst others – plus a couple of original pieces – Kash Register (performed with Cold Fire) and The Zero Point (composed by Conrad Johnson himself). All the tracks, with the exception of Angel (which features the vocal talents of Afro Love) are instrumental. While half of the tracks also appear on the CD set Texas Thunder Soul 1968-1974, this appears to be an original pressing

Thirty members of the band reunited in 2008 – at a time when their alma mater was considered to be a “dropout factory” and threatened with closure – to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the bands creation and pay tribute to Mr. Johnson. The story of the band, and the reunion concert are the subject of an award winning film called Thunder Soul