Here's a few more quickies for America's favorite evil holiday. A little number from The Groovie Ghoulies....Lookout Records answer to the Cramps.
You know, Green Day but with monsters.............!
As we celebrate again this wicked night, when the Great Pumpkin rises once more from his pumpkin patch, here is more macabre music from my favorite Halloween-themed Punks!
They may be gone for now, but like any broken band, they can be re-animated someday. Right now, though Kepi is due to drop a Country album shortly.......
Friday, October 31, 2014
Halloween is for SUPER Rock--Fleshtones---Screaming Skull!
Just a quickie for Halloween!
One of my favorite creepy Halloween tunes by the Gods of Super Rock, the Fleshtones.
Both of their great 80's IRS albums, Roman Gods and Hexbreaker! were reissued a few years ago on Raven Records, so you have no excuse! Brilliant 60's party music for one and all.
Happy Halloween!
One of my favorite creepy Halloween tunes by the Gods of Super Rock, the Fleshtones.
Both of their great 80's IRS albums, Roman Gods and Hexbreaker! were reissued a few years ago on Raven Records, so you have no excuse! Brilliant 60's party music for one and all.
Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 20, 2014
Dishrags! Past is Future---Vancouver Punk at Its Finest!!! Love/Hate Anthology...
I first heard the Dishrags on the excellent and essential Vancouver Complication compilation (available from Sudden Death records). Though I was familiar with some of the bands represented, of the unfamiliar ones The Dishrags really stood out to me. Eventually I picked up this super fine compilation of their music Love/Hate, released on Other People's Music in 1997.
In the US I suppose they aren't so well known, but they certainly should be. They never put out a single studio album. Unfortunately Love/Hate, a collection of their singles, EPs, demos, and live tracks is out of print and is commanding a high price. A veritable Punk Rock treasure trove. Earlier this year Three was released, a vinyl release containing mostly unreleased material from their early days. On the recent excellent documentary of the Vancouver scene Bloodied But Unbowed,the band is also well represented. I mean it took me about 30 seconds to realise (about 1/3 the length of one of their songs)that these guys were pretty tremendous--they even opened for The Clash, by request from Joe Strummer, clearly a man with good taste in music.
When I listen to them its easy to be reminded of The Avengers, Penelope Houston's band who were one of the great American bands of the era. Certainly you can hear The Clash and Ramones influences with the Dishrags, but I especially like it when they slow down and operate in Wire Post-punk mode. Apparently they were the first all-female punk group in Vancouver, which is a big deal, being teenage trailblazers in a mostly boys club--but I would rather think of them more as a great band in a very special music scene. Because they could hold there own with the male talent and then some. And in my opinion, I think the punk name Jade Blade is one of the best I've heard.
Lineup I--1977-1979
Jade Blade: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Drums
Dale Powers:Vocals, Bass
Lineup II--1979-1980
Jade Blade:Vocals, Guitar
Sue MacGillivray: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Vocals, Drums
Kim Henriksen: Vocals, Bass
I don't have that much more to say except, let the music speak for itself! Hopefully the songs on Love/Hate will be more available to the public in the near future, as the songs really need to be heard. The Dishrags have so much energy and punk swagger that the songs are simply irresistible. My only regret is that there isn't more here. I love this release so much--so much of what makes Punk Rock important to me and why Vancouver was such an important Punk music scene is right here!
In the US I suppose they aren't so well known, but they certainly should be. They never put out a single studio album. Unfortunately Love/Hate, a collection of their singles, EPs, demos, and live tracks is out of print and is commanding a high price. A veritable Punk Rock treasure trove. Earlier this year Three was released, a vinyl release containing mostly unreleased material from their early days. On the recent excellent documentary of the Vancouver scene Bloodied But Unbowed,the band is also well represented. I mean it took me about 30 seconds to realise (about 1/3 the length of one of their songs)that these guys were pretty tremendous--they even opened for The Clash, by request from Joe Strummer, clearly a man with good taste in music.
When I listen to them its easy to be reminded of The Avengers, Penelope Houston's band who were one of the great American bands of the era. Certainly you can hear The Clash and Ramones influences with the Dishrags, but I especially like it when they slow down and operate in Wire Post-punk mode. Apparently they were the first all-female punk group in Vancouver, which is a big deal, being teenage trailblazers in a mostly boys club--but I would rather think of them more as a great band in a very special music scene. Because they could hold there own with the male talent and then some. And in my opinion, I think the punk name Jade Blade is one of the best I've heard.
Lineup I--1977-1979
Jade Blade: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Drums
Dale Powers:Vocals, Bass
Lineup II--1979-1980
Jade Blade:Vocals, Guitar
Sue MacGillivray: Vocals, Guitar
Scout: Vocals, Drums
Kim Henriksen: Vocals, Bass
I don't have that much more to say except, let the music speak for itself! Hopefully the songs on Love/Hate will be more available to the public in the near future, as the songs really need to be heard. The Dishrags have so much energy and punk swagger that the songs are simply irresistible. My only regret is that there isn't more here. I love this release so much--so much of what makes Punk Rock important to me and why Vancouver was such an important Punk music scene is right here!
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Blue Skies & Bad Salads: Pugwash's 1st US gig before Adoring Crowd in Hamden Ct.
I don't know for sure, but I would guess that most people reading this post are familiar with the legendary gig of the Sex Pistols at Manchester. They say that of the 50 people in attendance, most were inspired enough by the show to form bands of their own. The concert was lovingly re-enacted in the wonderful Tony Wilson/Factory records bioflick 24 Hour Party People. (If you haven't seen this movie go see it now.) Cut to decades later, and a running joke is that if you added up all the kids that claimed to have been there that night, there would have been enough people to fill a soccer stadium!
Anyway, if the Irish Pop geniuses Pugwash go platinum or viral, or they wind up with the first track on a Hunger Games or Transformers soundtrack, I just wanted you to know that I was there before the levees broke. This past Sunday evening. I was in attendance for their first US show at the Outer Space in Hamden, Ct.! One of the lucky 50 in attendance, in other words. It was a bit of a haul to drive from NY across the Nutmeg State, but I'm glad that I did. It was my first visit to the Outer Space, but I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. I think they could become my new Maxwell's. Good bands, nice varied craft beer selection, and they serve up food (which at least looked pretty good) from the kitchen.
If you are not familiar with Pugwash, they are a pop band from Ireland led by Thomas Walsh. They have pout a number of albums out, which are mostly hard/expensive to obtain, at least in the U.S (until now, anyway--I'll elaborate later). Their music is influenced greatly by the classic pop acts of the sixties and seventies, like Beatles, ELO, Move, Idle Race, Beatles, and more recent artists like Swindon's finest, XTC. But I do believe they do navigate their way in the pop world in their own distinct way. Live they reminded me a little of The Smithereens, sort of an updated more guitar-centric version of the aforementioned artists.
I have found in my experience with live shows, that bands are rarely funny. And sometimes the moments of humor are entirely unintentional. Exceptions to this are bands like Mekons, and the amazing Billy Bragg, whose between song patter is at times superior to the music. I'm mentioning this now because Pugwash is a band that likes to horse around a bit on stage. I know that national stereotypes can at times be hurtful, but Thomas Walsh has a bit of that gift of gab we've heard so much about. Of course with the brogue, the entertainers and audience seemed equally baffled more than once.
It goes beyond saying Tink and Tanks instead of Think and Thanks. Walsh said "this next song is off our Forest album". ?. It took a few seconds for me to realize he said 1st album.
For example: guy next to me keeps shouting out for some reason "play Christy Moore"! Finally Walsh responds. "We're not playing Christy Moore, because noone plays a Christy Moore song better
than Christy Moore! Next time you go see Christy Moore, ask him to play one of ours and see how he does. And you know I know him. I ran into him once when he was putting out his garbage bins one morning. These things do happen you know.........
Another guy wanted them to perform Mayor of Simpleton. But no. According to Walsh, "you know Partridge stole all the good bits from me....."
They liked to take the piss between their songs also, playing little jokey snippets of covers, like
the soft-rock classic Mandy, Cream's Sunshine of Your Love, and Sgt. Peppers LHCB. The ultimate of course was their little run through the theme song of "King of Queens". I think they were a little disappointed they didn't get a bigger response from the audience, because I bet they practiced this one in anticipation of America.
Getting back to originals, you should know that in conjunction with Pugwash's US tour, Omnivore Recordings has released a career-wide anthology of their music "Rose in a Garden of Weeds", the first North American release of their music. And if you enjoy a well-crafted rock tune, you really can't go wrong with this. And if you manage to see Pugwash live, the nice gentleman at the merch table will happily assist you in selecting repressings of Pugwash's ultra scarce first two albums, Almond Tea and Almanac, and their latest full length album, Olympus Sound (which was nominated for a Meteor Choice Award for best Irish album). Or a T-shirt or two. If you can't get to a gig, maybe you should check out Facebook.....
So in conjunction with the compilation record, Pugwash performed songs from their early days to now. Songs like Apples, or Be My Friend (Jeff Lynne's favorite), Take Me Away. They did It's Nice to Be Nice, from their Jollity album. They performed their contribution to Colin Farrell's movie "Pride and Glory", Anyone Who Asks. Nice. They finally did bow to pressure and played a cover, a bangup version of ELO's Mr. Blue Sky. And to fully explain the title of this post, Pugwash sang Dear Belinda, a Sad Ballad--or Bad Salad.........
Pugwash are probably completing their NY show as I type, but they will be playing other select venues in the States. I really enjoyed myself that night. They are definitely worth seeing live.
And before Pugwash came on stage I got to hear 2 Balkan Brass bands, two more than I have ever heard live before. While I didn't come to the Outer Space for this reason, I enjoyed listening to them. One was a local group & the other was a group from Boston, Cocek! Brass Band, who actually wrote their own original songs. They were a lot of fun to hear, and the elaborate interweaving stuttery horn parts were amazing. And it was fun watching the people who came to see these bands, because this music was in their DNA, and they were dancing around, really enjoying themselves, which is a beautiful thing. One of the principles I adhere to when I go see a show, is never write another band off. Opening bands are sometimes brilliant, often interesting--which is one of my favorite kind of surprise! And I like to be polite, I suppose.
So, now that Pugwash has visited the States, can the Duckworth-Lewis Method be far behind?
Come on, you aficionados of Rounders, surely you must know of Walsh's Cricket-themed side band with Neil Hannon! They recently released their 2nd album!
Anyway, if the Irish Pop geniuses Pugwash go platinum or viral, or they wind up with the first track on a Hunger Games or Transformers soundtrack, I just wanted you to know that I was there before the levees broke. This past Sunday evening. I was in attendance for their first US show at the Outer Space in Hamden, Ct.! One of the lucky 50 in attendance, in other words. It was a bit of a haul to drive from NY across the Nutmeg State, but I'm glad that I did. It was my first visit to the Outer Space, but I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. I think they could become my new Maxwell's. Good bands, nice varied craft beer selection, and they serve up food (which at least looked pretty good) from the kitchen.
If you are not familiar with Pugwash, they are a pop band from Ireland led by Thomas Walsh. They have pout a number of albums out, which are mostly hard/expensive to obtain, at least in the U.S (until now, anyway--I'll elaborate later). Their music is influenced greatly by the classic pop acts of the sixties and seventies, like Beatles, ELO, Move, Idle Race, Beatles, and more recent artists like Swindon's finest, XTC. But I do believe they do navigate their way in the pop world in their own distinct way. Live they reminded me a little of The Smithereens, sort of an updated more guitar-centric version of the aforementioned artists.
I have found in my experience with live shows, that bands are rarely funny. And sometimes the moments of humor are entirely unintentional. Exceptions to this are bands like Mekons, and the amazing Billy Bragg, whose between song patter is at times superior to the music. I'm mentioning this now because Pugwash is a band that likes to horse around a bit on stage. I know that national stereotypes can at times be hurtful, but Thomas Walsh has a bit of that gift of gab we've heard so much about. Of course with the brogue, the entertainers and audience seemed equally baffled more than once.
It goes beyond saying Tink and Tanks instead of Think and Thanks. Walsh said "this next song is off our Forest album". ?. It took a few seconds for me to realize he said 1st album.
For example: guy next to me keeps shouting out for some reason "play Christy Moore"! Finally Walsh responds. "We're not playing Christy Moore, because noone plays a Christy Moore song better
than Christy Moore! Next time you go see Christy Moore, ask him to play one of ours and see how he does. And you know I know him. I ran into him once when he was putting out his garbage bins one morning. These things do happen you know.........
Another guy wanted them to perform Mayor of Simpleton. But no. According to Walsh, "you know Partridge stole all the good bits from me....."
They liked to take the piss between their songs also, playing little jokey snippets of covers, like
the soft-rock classic Mandy, Cream's Sunshine of Your Love, and Sgt. Peppers LHCB. The ultimate of course was their little run through the theme song of "King of Queens". I think they were a little disappointed they didn't get a bigger response from the audience, because I bet they practiced this one in anticipation of America.
 |
| USA, USA!!!! |
Getting back to originals, you should know that in conjunction with Pugwash's US tour, Omnivore Recordings has released a career-wide anthology of their music "Rose in a Garden of Weeds", the first North American release of their music. And if you enjoy a well-crafted rock tune, you really can't go wrong with this. And if you manage to see Pugwash live, the nice gentleman at the merch table will happily assist you in selecting repressings of Pugwash's ultra scarce first two albums, Almond Tea and Almanac, and their latest full length album, Olympus Sound (which was nominated for a Meteor Choice Award for best Irish album). Or a T-shirt or two. If you can't get to a gig, maybe you should check out Facebook.....
So in conjunction with the compilation record, Pugwash performed songs from their early days to now. Songs like Apples, or Be My Friend (Jeff Lynne's favorite), Take Me Away. They did It's Nice to Be Nice, from their Jollity album. They performed their contribution to Colin Farrell's movie "Pride and Glory", Anyone Who Asks. Nice. They finally did bow to pressure and played a cover, a bangup version of ELO's Mr. Blue Sky. And to fully explain the title of this post, Pugwash sang Dear Belinda, a Sad Ballad--or Bad Salad.........
Pugwash are probably completing their NY show as I type, but they will be playing other select venues in the States. I really enjoyed myself that night. They are definitely worth seeing live.
And before Pugwash came on stage I got to hear 2 Balkan Brass bands, two more than I have ever heard live before. While I didn't come to the Outer Space for this reason, I enjoyed listening to them. One was a local group & the other was a group from Boston, Cocek! Brass Band, who actually wrote their own original songs. They were a lot of fun to hear, and the elaborate interweaving stuttery horn parts were amazing. And it was fun watching the people who came to see these bands, because this music was in their DNA, and they were dancing around, really enjoying themselves, which is a beautiful thing. One of the principles I adhere to when I go see a show, is never write another band off. Opening bands are sometimes brilliant, often interesting--which is one of my favorite kind of surprise! And I like to be polite, I suppose.
So, now that Pugwash has visited the States, can the Duckworth-Lewis Method be far behind?
Come on, you aficionados of Rounders, surely you must know of Walsh's Cricket-themed side band with Neil Hannon! They recently released their 2nd album!
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Joanna Gruesome---Noisepop Mashup from Cardiff!!--Weird Sister
Maybe it all started with Psychocandy back in the 1980's. When Jesus and Mary Chains 1st album came out. I still recall what a huge reaction it made. That combination of pop and guitar noise. To may ears, it sounded like they recorded an electric razor and turned it up high in the mix. The concept has had a pretty good run since then.
So here in 2014, I'm listening to a stellar album by Joanna Gruesome, which came out in 2013. And it definitely is melodic and damn noisy. The album is Weird Sister, released on Slumberland Records, a label with its fair share of interesting bands. They must have some good scouts.
It seems as though this album has got a fair share of critical attention already. So I don't know if they are truly underappreciated, as the story goes.
But I really like this one, so a little more attention can't hurt. Another great band from Wales, namely Cardiff.
Slumberland describes the band's sound as Noisepop, which pretty much nails their musical style succinctly. The phrase "twee" is thrown about a lot, but I don't really see it. The songs do not have that sort of preciousness to them. But certainly the rriot girl comparisons have some truth to them. The music sometimes sounds like two songs going on at the same time, like a super hook laden pop melody by The Primitives with a Sonic Youth, Pixies or Shoegaze track blended in. At other times you have a pop song that segues into sonic whiteout. For all the jangle there are heavy rock riffs too. And for all the dissonance to the songs, the music is still pretty upbeat and energetic, though honestly I have a lot of difficulty understanding what they are singing about.
Here is a fine example of their craft:
Alanna McArdle:Vocals
Owen Williams: Guitar, Vocals
George Nicholls: Guitar
Max Warren: Bass
David Sandford: Drums
So check these guys out, if you haven't already. I think you will be impressed. Hopefully this is just a really great beginning.
or just substitute the last name with Gruesome, a la The Ramones.
For some reason I'm reminded a little of the early Pooh Sticks, a pretty sublime Welsh band from the 1990s. Particularly the early stuff. The bands don't really sound the same at all, but there is a great pop sense working with Joanna Gruesome behind the veil of fuzz. Perhaps many people don't know about the Pooh Sticks (actually were signed to a big label but now unjustly overlooked), but I am paying a high compliment. And don't misunderstand what I am saying. I don't mean that the band only needs sweetening up to get on track. I say give me noise! Often you see a progression toward pop (to attract a wider demographic of consumers) with bands, and while it isn't always a bad thing, it often makes for a bland evolution. Change is good--creative bands do that, but let's hope Joanna Gruesome stay as edgy sounding as they are today!
So here in 2014, I'm listening to a stellar album by Joanna Gruesome, which came out in 2013. And it definitely is melodic and damn noisy. The album is Weird Sister, released on Slumberland Records, a label with its fair share of interesting bands. They must have some good scouts.
It seems as though this album has got a fair share of critical attention already. So I don't know if they are truly underappreciated, as the story goes.
But I really like this one, so a little more attention can't hurt. Another great band from Wales, namely Cardiff.
Slumberland describes the band's sound as Noisepop, which pretty much nails their musical style succinctly. The phrase "twee" is thrown about a lot, but I don't really see it. The songs do not have that sort of preciousness to them. But certainly the rriot girl comparisons have some truth to them. The music sometimes sounds like two songs going on at the same time, like a super hook laden pop melody by The Primitives with a Sonic Youth, Pixies or Shoegaze track blended in. At other times you have a pop song that segues into sonic whiteout. For all the jangle there are heavy rock riffs too. And for all the dissonance to the songs, the music is still pretty upbeat and energetic, though honestly I have a lot of difficulty understanding what they are singing about.
Here is a fine example of their craft:
Alanna McArdle:Vocals
Owen Williams: Guitar, Vocals
George Nicholls: Guitar
Max Warren: Bass
David Sandford: Drums
So check these guys out, if you haven't already. I think you will be impressed. Hopefully this is just a really great beginning.
or just substitute the last name with Gruesome, a la The Ramones.
For some reason I'm reminded a little of the early Pooh Sticks, a pretty sublime Welsh band from the 1990s. Particularly the early stuff. The bands don't really sound the same at all, but there is a great pop sense working with Joanna Gruesome behind the veil of fuzz. Perhaps many people don't know about the Pooh Sticks (actually were signed to a big label but now unjustly overlooked), but I am paying a high compliment. And don't misunderstand what I am saying. I don't mean that the band only needs sweetening up to get on track. I say give me noise! Often you see a progression toward pop (to attract a wider demographic of consumers) with bands, and while it isn't always a bad thing, it often makes for a bland evolution. Change is good--creative bands do that, but let's hope Joanna Gruesome stay as edgy sounding as they are today!
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