A Lemmy Documentary. It makes so much sense. That's probably why it hadn't been done yet. Who doesn't want to talk about Lemmy? Who doesn't love Motorhead?

I, for one, CAN'T WAIT to see this.

More info on the site lemmymovie.com

Check out the trailer:

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One of our favorite NY bands The Above are putting the finishing touches on their debut: a self-titled full length due out soon.

We just got a chance to listen to the record and, having only heard most of the tracks live, it's great interpretation of this Brooklyn, Mod/Rock staple's songs, translating the energy of the live set into a disc of 60's-rooted pop-tunes. Awesome!

To wet our collective appetite, the Above put together the below video. You can also heck out some new tracks on the band's myspace.

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Yea.. that's right. A drumset made of ICE.. played in an ICE HOTEL in Sweden by one of the countries best bands: The Hellacopters.

Just watch it:

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Word is spreading around the world right now of Jay's death.

I just confirmed this with a few close friends.

I don't know what to say...

You will be missed.

Certified PR Records have been on a roll as of late and this, their first full-length release, is possibly the crown jewel.

You may know John Wesley Coleman from Austin's Golden Boys but the music contained within these grooves comes across more like straight-up, grass-roots Americana. There's a sort of loose, visceral honesty throughout that just makes the whole record work.

Stylistically 'Steal My Mind' is across the board, the type of record that where you sit, sink back into your chair and let the songs surround you. In fact, I didn't really dig this LP until I sat down and absorbed it start to finish. Now it's my go to and has been hogging most of the time on the turntable.

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Before you head over to the Customers show stop by the Sailor Jerry shop for some drinks and a little last minute shopping.

DJ's Natalie Sweet and Undercover Zero (of Uncontrollable Urge) will be blastin' out some punk, garage and power-pop treats; Dre Perales will have some killer artwork displayed and THE FIRST 40 PEOPLE GET FREE STUFF!!

RSVP HERE to make sure you get in!

This Thursday Atlanta's bastard sons The Customers once again grace Philly with their snotty, hook-filled brand of Punk n' Roll (see the video of them playing outside our store below!)

They're bringing The Biters with them. They're a new ATL band that rose out of the ashes of Poison Arrows (the punk one). The Biters sound like a bunch of punks who can't get enough of Cheap Trick and Slade. They are a lot of bands like that and they're mostly terrible.. not the Biters.

Touring band #3 comes in the form of the Southside Stanglers from Richmond, VA. Once again, here's some punks (in this case, hardcore kids) that got sick of playing PUNK® and added a twist of good ole' rock n' roll.

Philly's new and mysterious Leather are rounding out the bill of what will be an AMAZING night of rock n' roll. Be there!

(And check out Customers and Biters at Bruar Falls in Brooklyn on Sat!)

A few years ago I got a promo CD in the mail by a band called the Horrors. I knew immediately from the included "one-sheet" that this was not a new release by the band on In The Red Records, so I tossed it into one of the piles on my desk and forgot about.

Months later, a friend sent me a video of "Sheena Is A Parasite". Digging the song, I remembered that discarded EP, found it and later played in the car. The first track was an extra "spooky" and aggressive version of the Screaming Lord Such / Joe Meek classic "Jack The Ripper." And with that, I was hooked (and also a bit less judgmental).

This interview was conducted a few months back when the band was touring the States supporting the Kills. It was definitely one of the most fun I've done as I had a ton of questions on the band's progression that I felt hit a few nerves (in the right way) and sparked some honest discussion.

That said, it was pretty impossible to cut this thing down to acceptable length from the hour plus we ended up chatting. I think we did a good job. Enjoy!

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That's right! Ryan Wong and Company's much anticipated, totally amazing Desert Rock masterpiece 'AZ-238' is finally upon us!

The first LP (on Jay Reatard's Shattered Records) was one of our fave records. So much so, that we made Tokyo Electron's "Make Me Bleed" the first track on our last compilation CD.

This record is no disappointment, and the songwriting mixed with the style of production implemented creates a sound that is absolutely crushing. Check out the Mp3 of the title-track below and tell me those thick guitars and pounding rhythm don't get you all hot and bothered.

FDH and Certified PR teamed up to deliver this monster to the world and are two labels you should be getting familiar with. Intimately.

Buy it now from FDH records or wait for a repress.

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With the release of their new record "Warm Brother", Digital Leather have been featured on a ton of new websites lately. However, the site they just turned up on gives a whole new definition to the album title.

That's right.. Sean Foree and Co just turned up on a website called "Blacks on Blondes" (that's them in the picture above).

Here's a snippet from the video description:

"As this scene opens, we find blonde babe Jessi hanging out with her white boyfriend and his cracker buddies. Jessi informs them that she met two cool new guys and has invited them over to party..." You can guess what happens next.

Classic.

Hot off the press and into your lap... here's a great new video from the Dex Romweber Duo. As in.. Dexter Romweber.

If you don't know who Dex is, you probably don't know too much about rock n' roll. Which probably means you don't care, so just go Google it. Or don't. Whatever.

Past accomplishments aside, Dex and Sara make a perfect His and Her combo: His brash, Dano-tinged guitar slices and soulful howl are complemented and given purpose by her melodic, perfectly arranged skin pounding.

As great as this song and video are.. the best venue to experience the Dex Romweber Duo is live. So go check them out when they come to your town.

For now, though, this video and the band's LP on Bloodshot Records should be more than sufficient.

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It seems like NO ONE knows about this show! The original venue (941 Theatre) got shut down.. so the promoter had to scramble to get this someplace else.. which is, insanely, the Starlight Ballroom.

Here's the details:

Thursday, Nov 19th / 8:30pm @ Polaris

Jack Oblivian

Jack "Oblivian" Yarber of The Tearjerkers was a key figure in the influential, Memphis-based Compulsive Gamblers and the legendary '90s garage-punk band The Oblivians. Though, to only ramble on about Yarber?s work with The Oblivians and skim over his other bands would be a cryin' shame. Beside the stack of gritty garage-punk that Yarber contributed to, are all of his other records that have consistently become more polished and focused throughout the years. Yarber was born 100 miles away from Memphis in the small town of Corinth, Mississippi. However, by 1987, the bright lights of Memphis called and Yarber became a permanent fixture in the city that arguably invented rock-n-roll.

John Paul Keith and the One Four Fives

John Paul Keith is a native of Knoxville, TN, who has moved around a lot and played in a lot of bands (The V-Roys, Ryan Adams, The Nevers, Stateside, Harlan T. Bobo, Jack Oblivian, and Jim Dickinson's garage rock project, Snake Eyes). Keith moved to Memphis a couple of years ago and hooked up with Alvin Youngblood Hart's former rhythm section, a pedal steel guitarist, and a keyboard player. The result is the grand tradition of Memphis rock 'n' roll, updated for modern ears.

Mercury Radio Theater

Surf-punk performance art from Philly!

Starlight Ballroom / Polaris

460 N 9th Street

Philadelphia

PA

$10 / All Ages / 21 to drink

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Not really. But that's the rumour going around on "the net" and I couldn't pass up making the above photo!

It turns out that Khan, Mark and Kristin (Tour Managing Queen of the Garage Punk Universe) got pulled over in middle-of-nowhere, Kentucky on their way to a show in St Louis.

Kristin got taken in for, allegedly, driving with a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance.

I'm hoping that the "controlled substance" in question is Leo Chips, because there is no mention of him in any of the articles I've read and I'm worried for his safety!

Joking aside... Kristin is a rad person and this really sucks. WE WISH YOU THE BEST!!!

Here's the best and most thorough of the articles on the River Front Times blog.

Don't bother messing around with any lofty reviews of this new King Khan and BBQ record. You know them, you love them and, regardless what anyone says, they write amazing songs: "Third Ave" (Listen Below) is one of the best songs they've written to date.

That said... here's my review:

BUY. THIS. RECORD. NOW!

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We've reviewed a few of Eastwood's models on the blog. They make reissues and reinterpretations of weirdo vintage guitars. They're an all around great company from products through customer service.

It's a bit of a secret.. but pretty soon Eastwood and Sailor Jerry will be offering up something pretty cool involving the new RS-II model. Can't say what it.. but you'll dig it.

Check out the video below for now and stop by soon to hear what we have in store!

Here's a new video from EODM's set at the shop last year. (CLICK HERE to read more about that and see the other vid)

Where as the other video was a bit of a rocker, this track shows the Eagles slower, Stones-esque side.

Dig in, babies!

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When Khan and Mark roll into town... you know there's gonna be a party!

While the two have been here a few times recently in different forms (Solo, with the Shrines, Etc), KK & BBQ Show proper haven't played Philly in quite sometime. And, in the amount of time they've been absent from our sad little world, they've recorded and released their 3rd Full-Length, 'Invisible Girl' (out now/soon on In The Red).

The new album is a BEHEMOTH! Check out the title-track below to get a quick idea of what these guys have in store for you.

Due to 'Phillies Phever' the show got moved to Kung Fu Necktie... which I think will be more fun!

Kungfu Necktie

1248 N Front St (Front & Thompson - A Block From Girard Ave El Stop - Fishtown)

Philadelphia, PA

$12 / Still All Ages! / Doors Now At 5pm

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Pretty Things are a favourite of mine, and it always boggles the mind that they never achieved the same level of recognition as some of their contemporaries.

The clip below captures the mid-60's Things laying down a slice of heavy, white-boy R&B that rivals anything you could put in front of it. And that BASS TONE... EXPLETIVE! EXPLETIVE! EXPLETIVE!

Here's Brimstone Howl doing a song off their NEW LP (on Alive Records) live at the Sailor Jerry shop in Philly!

Jesse from Eagles Of Death Metal might as well be the posterboy for Sailor Jerry: He's loud, brash with a sharp sense of humor that pleases many and offends most. And as the frontman of EODM, just may be the physical embodiment of Rock n' Roll. Whatever he is.. he definitely gives a great interview.

This was recorded at the shop a few months back and is peppered with footage from the live performance they did about a year ago.

Out Soon on Dirtnap Records... but you can hear the whole thing NOW!

Kevin from Dusty Medical Recs put together this video montage from GNL's recent trip to Italy and used both sides of the 7" as the backing tracks.

Awesome!

The pic is from when the band stopped by Sailor Jerry to record a song.. that video is below too.

Dig in:

That's right, Turkey's not the only thing cooking this Fall. Nov 24th marks the release of the new Brimstone Howl record 'Big Deal. What?s He Done Lately?', on Alive Records.

If you're in the dark on the Howlers, here's something we said on the blog a while back and the opinion hasn't changed:

Brimstone Howl are one of my favourite bands in existence right now. They've spearheaded the whole Nebraskan scene and made many think, for the first time EVER in the history of the state, "Wow... Nebraska must be rad!" Hell, I've even considered moving there, albeit briefly.

(Funny enough... Shawn from Digital Leather DID move there!!)

I haven't gotten a chance to listen to it yet, but if this track they sent over is any indication of what the rest of the record sounds like.. we're in for a treat.

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The first time I heard Os Mutantes made me think many things we're possible, but seeing them live was NOT one of them.

Their S/T LP was one of those records that opened up a whole new world to me in terms of what great music could be and where it could come from.

I'm totally positive that this show won't live up to everything I want it to, but I kinda HAVE to go. DON'T MISS IT!

Monday Oct 5th

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Regardless of his moniker and whatever violent drama Pitchfork wants to push, Jay Reatard is smart. If this isn't already evident in his recorded output, then the Shattered Records Tour should be enough to convince people.

The line-up was/is so good that I traveled down to Baltimore to catch it.. and this is coming from someone who usually can't be bothered to make it across town to go to something.

The bands (in order of appearance):

Useless Eaters (with Chef Tard on Bass)

Box Elders

Hunx and his Punx

NOBUNNY

Jay Reatard

Aside from great songs, what the bands have in common are record out (or coming out) on Jay's newly revived Shattered imprint.

The show was an absolute BLAST from start to finish and one of the first I've seen in a while where the bands got better throughout the night.

Box Elders continue to get better and completely killed the half-full crowd. I meant to grab their new LP on Goner, but I totally forgot.. so I'll be ordering it soon (as should you).

This was my first time seeing Hunx and His Punx and they didn't let me down one bit. It seemed absolutely perfect to catch the band in Baltimore as they'd have been a perfect addition to any John Waters film.

Just when I had it figured that Hunx is the best frontman of this decade, NOBUNNY took the stage and said title immediately. I had only seen NOBUNNY by himself singing along to pre-recorded stuff.. and while that was pretty awesome nothing tops NB with a full band. NOTHING! I kid you not, they made a grown man weep in response to their greatness. (See Video Below)

Jay + Co rounded out the night and proved why they're able to put a tour like this together in the first place: Although sick as all hell... Jay, Stephen and Billy brought it and brought it hard.

The night ended with Hunx, a whip and some sore bottoms... and I can't imagine it any other way!

WEST COAST.. here's the dates... be there!

Oct 15 2009 Crocodile Cafe

w/ Nobunny, Hunx & His Punx, Box Elders, Digital Leather

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A bit over a week ago, Digital Leather came to Philly to perform some songs off their new record 'Warm Brother' (out NOW on ) outside the SJ shop.

Somewhere between grabbing the band from the local gay bar and the set ending with a pantless drummer... we ended up with this KILLER performance of "Photo Lie". It's one of the "moodier" tracks off the new LP (and the out of print Disordered single) but also one of Shawn's best!

Watch the video and then go out and get the record!

Digital Leather are the greatest. Shawn Foree is insane. This show will feature is brand new band of weirdos (ex-Shanks) he picked up after his move to Nebraska. Come to think of it.. Shawn might be the first "band" ever to move TO Nebraska.

This pack of man's men have a fresh cut of wax out on Fat Possum Records called 'Warm Brother'. This show is going to be more insane than Mr. Foree himself.

Get pumped!

Here's the first video from our event in Las Vegas. This is the overview and will be followed by some in depth performance videos by the bands.

This'll get your appetite wet!

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BRIMSTONE HOWL are one of my favourite bands. Period.

They were supposed to play an ill-fate Memorial Day BBQ at Sailor Jerry last year. It got canceled. Their booking agent Scott asked if they could play anywhere, it didn't matter, as he said "they just love playing."

When I listen to A Brimstone Howl record, that's what I hear: 4 guys that love playing music.

That weekend we had our own BBQ, hung out a bunch and I ended up taking the picture that's on their back cover. It was a fun time.

Search through the annals of the SJ blog and you'll find plenty on the band and their great music.

We're SOOO very excited to have the BH boys with us again. This show goes on RAIN OR SHINE. If it rains... we'll just have the band on inside!

Saturday Sept 12th

BE THERE!

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As it says above... We couldn't have asked for more. The bands were great and the venue was packed with tons of rad people all enjoying each other's company with a bit of SJ Rum.

Earthmen and Strangers played first and ripped through a blistering set of songs from their self-titled debut on FDH Records. Ryan Rousseau (of Tokyo Electron fame) lead the band (in both spirit and sound) like a conductor of an Old West rail line: Engine at full blast as the train shot straight through the desert with no derailment in site.

After some more music and catching up The Raveonettes took the stage and did so with force. This is in no way an exaggeration, as for the next hour or so the Raves filled the club with more sound than I thought would be possible. I don't think you should be able to drop a term like "reverb-drenched" until seeing this band live.

The band stormed though the hits from all their records but the new ones off 'In And Out Of Control' (out Oct 6th) were the highlights for most of the people there. Amazingly... this show was the live debut of at least 3 of their new songs and the first time the full band had played them PERIOD!

All in all amazing evening. Look forward to some pictures and video TOMORROW!

We decided to kick off our 10th Anniversary Year in a BIG WAY!

This will be the Raveonettes only US appearance until the start of their tour later this fall. They'll be playing songs off their new album (out Oct 6th on VICE) and debuting the band as a 4 piece!

Earthmen and Strangers is fronted by Reatard Ryan Wong (Destruction Unit, Tokyo Electron, Digital Leather and Reatards). Their debut LP on FDH records is KILLER and we expect their set to blow us away.

Once again we've put together a GREAT night of Rock n' Roll and this one is for sure to go down in the history books!

RSVP by clicking here!

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Here's a video of Customers performing "Howling At The Moon" (NOT an Ozzy cover... it's off their debut 7" on Rob's House Records) outside the Sailor Jerry shop in Philly.

The show was a blast as these ATL boys pummeled the crowd with their raw, yet tuneful, brand of punk rock.

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Our buddies the Bouncing Souls are celebrating their 20th Anniversary in Philly with 2 shows at the Trocadero and a full line up of awesome guests: 7 Seconds and Lifetime being the best!

Saturday's show is sold out, but there are SOME tickets left for Sunday. Get them here

And on SUNDAY the band will be coming down to Sailor Jerry, grabbing some gear and hanging out with YOU! Bring a some records or shirts down and have them sign your stuff.. or just say hi!

Starts at 3:30 and ends around 4:30 (so they can go soundcheck).

YOU CAN'T MISS THIS!!!

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Friday August 21st

Two great bands are playing Friday night, unfortunately at different bars. I'm going to try my hardest to catch both headliners and as much of the rest of the shows as possible. I suggest you do the same.

Gringo Star is at the Khyber. This is hands down one of the BEST LIVE BANDS IN EXISTENCE. A big part of this boils down to ther superior songwriting. I saw them once without ever hearing them and was able to hum or sing along to a handful of songs when I saw them over a month later. NOT TO BE MISSED! - 9PM/$8/21+

Buzzer are at the Tritone with Impediments and Tough Cookies. BUZZER SOUND LIKE THE BOYS! (and the Adicts..) Really... their singles could be lost Boys demos. And they're from Oakland.. so who knows when you'll be able to see them again!

Gringo Star- "Ask Me Why"

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Jay's been getting a lot of press lately, both here and elsewhere in internetland. The album is great, the new video is great and then along comes this 20+ minute documentary. I won't say it's "great", but it's thoroughly entertaining!

Check it out:

Waiting For Something - a short documentary about Jay Reatard

Continuing our Summer concert series (or random shows on the street.. whichever you choose) is Audacity.

Show stats at 6:30pm and will be epic. Check out the mp3 below if you don't believe me!

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The lead track off Jay's brilliant (I'm not kissing ass.. it really is) new LP 'Watch Me Off' set to video. Stephen needs to dress up like a clown more often.

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If you don't get the reference, an explanation won't help you at all. Creativity + Balls = Genius!

I can't find the picture of 1st runner up for some reason, but it was Cute Hot Dogs in the shape of the Black Flag bars.

Third runner up:

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This AWESOME video of Mannequin Men was shot on the Philly date of their current world tour with Davila 666. The band gave it their all and the feedback permeated the air like a crusty in the pit: You could not ESCAPE!!!

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NEXT WEEKEND!

This show is going to be awesome.

Make sure you get your butts down to the show!

This is gonna be a great show!

Customers are a new band from Atlanta put together from the scattered pieces of Carbonas, Beat Beat Beat and Heart Attacks. Thing is, they don't really sound like any of those band. At least not directly.

Stephen's vocals remind me of a slurred and snotty cross between a Nipple Erectors-era Shane Macgowan and Richard Butler from Psychedelic Furs. Then again, I might be the only one who thinks those references are accurate.

Actually, it's really hard to pin down exactly what the Customers sound like because at this point in the game they've all been around the block long enough to know how to blur their influences to the point that they've created a sound of their own. And that's what makes their songs and band awesome.

Just listen to the song below, "Howling At The Moon", the A-Side off their Rob's House debut 7".

Love City are backing Customers up with some local support (and gear!) and will hopefully have their new 7" EP by showtime. Other than that.. the band will be playing 4 new songs.

The show is next Friday, FREE and starts around 6:30pm.

Be there!

This is my new favourite band and I'm not alone. Their self-titled full length on In The Red Records should have been called "Puerto Rican Gold".. it's like musical richness on a budget. They're even better live, as the following video will prove.

Todd from Victim Of Time said "To be blindsided by a band of wild Puerto Ricans can sometimes be better than it sounds..." and not a better description exists to explain the power of Davila.

The band is on tour for a full 3 months in the US before playing Goner Fest so get your ass to the nearest show and and prepare to lose your heart to Puerto Rico.

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Is this not the damned show of the summer or what?? It's like they took each "reason I would go to a show" and combined them together to make a bill that is untouchable! Promoters take note... THIS IS HOW IT IS DONE.

The only thing that could make this show any better would be filling Johnny Brendas with sand, giving everyone in the place squirt-guns and having a margarita machine at the merch-booth. Next time?

To get you further stoked, check out Coconut Coolouts massive hit and a new track from Vile's forth-coming record on Matador. Just look down.

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Beat Beat Beat was a 60?s West German TV Series that managed to captured live sets from some of the best US and UK rock n? roll groups of the era.

The show was even simulcast over Armed Forces radio!

What we?ve done is collected 5 of the best performances in the show?s history, threw them in an SJ tote and decided to give them to you.

And... We?re hooking you up one of our new awesome Polos! That is, IF you win.

DVDs are:

Small Faces

Hollies

Kinks

Spencer Davis Group

Yardbirds

CLICK HERE TO ENTER THE CONTEST

Here's a clip of the Small Faces from their DVD:

This clip is from the early 80's movie 'Human Highway'. Neil co-directed this epic weirdo and apparently spent 3 million of his own money on production. Sounds like a waste until you watch the below clip, easily one of the most unique performances of all time.

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Puerto Rico's best (only?) Stooges-drenched garage and Chicago's Sleeze-Pop Masters (imagine if Richard Hell had stayed in Television) Mannequin Men set fire to the City of Brotherly Love tonight at Johnny Brendas.

The show's not to be missed.. and we'll be there filming it.

Love City's got some vinyl coping out. Pre-Orders started yesterday and a good chunk of the limited records are accounted for so act fast!

ARTIST: Love City

CPR011 - Tokyo Electron "AZ238" LP (October 2009)

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Words cannot describe... just watch it.

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If you're like me, you didn't get to go see the Oblivions / Gories reunion shows in Memphis but got to hear the opinions and stories after the fact. To further rub it in, they just had another in Detroit and, once again, I wasn't in the crowd.

Well, thanks to the internet, Robin from Rocket Science Audio and Rob at rpd3 blog we can not only pretend we were there... but experience the Hi-Tone show over and over!

Oblivians- Feel Real Good (live) from rob downs on Vimeo.

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Haven't had a chance to catch Hori Smoku yet? Well, not a lot of people have. This will be the first screening in NY and there will be lots of fun and cocktails.

To up the ante even further, we've got the reigning kings of scuzzy, Brooklyn rock n' roll The Stalkers playing to round out the evening and get everyone moving after sitting in a dark theatre for a couple of hours.

This is not to be missed!

RSVP by clicking this link

Don't know who M.O.T.O are? Well, aside from having your head up your ass (literally and figuratively), I'm assuming rock n' roll isn't for forte.

Formed in 1879, Masters Of The Obvious have played more shows than Tom Jones and the Ramones combined. Main man Paul might be older than some of your parents and has definitely spanked as many behinds with his thick guitar waves.

I'm making no sense here.

M.O.T.O. Rules! as does their touring (life?) partners Midnight Creeps. The openers Jukebox Zeros play Lawsuit Guitars and have Kojak as a frontman. Sold!

At JRs (22nd And Passyunk)

There's no doubt I'll be at this show but I really hope that the smoke machine stays OFF... it's funny at first but quickly gets annoying.

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Rock N' Roll (in all it's variations) is getting pretty old. The people who have had a hand in birthing the style have been dropping left and right. Maybe that's why modern music is in the state it's in.

The recent crop of RnR upstarts have been removed by a generation or six from the impetus of this stuff with one to teach them any better. Let's hope that with each passing of the building block that the attention it brings will shine on light on music that is worthy of listening to.

Here's the scoop from the Seattle Times:

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May I introduce WHITE MYSTERY! The newest project from everyone's favourite mop-topped redhead Alex White. This time around Alex decided to show us bit of her minimalist side as the band is merely a two piece. But, with Alex's distinctive howl and here brother's pounding rhythms it sounds more like an army of gingers!

Their first single is coming out SOON on HOZAC, their awesome TV performance is below and you can check out some of their stuff on the White Mystery myspace.

The band is playing 2 dates in Brooklyn this weekend: With Detroit Cobras and Dex Romweber tonight at Southpaw and at the 2-piece Galore Hullabaloo Saturday @ Don Pedros. GO!

Q: What do you get when you combine the supreme homosexuality of Hunx from Gravy Train with the song writing genius that is NOBUNNY?

A: Hunx And His Punx!!

If you haven't caught wind of this stuff yet, do yourself a favour and check out the videos below ("Cruising" is one of the best videos of the past 10 years!) ... then go buy all the singles!

Whether you're in NY or Philly there's so much stuff is going on that I thought I'd throw it all into one post.

Here's your warning:

FRIDAY 6/5

Bruar Falls (Brooklyn): Electric Shadows,Ex Humans, Predator, Customers.(This is Atlanta's Customers NY release party!)

JR's Bar (Philly): Hollywood, Stolen Minks

SATURDAY 6/6

Johnny Brendas (Philly): Art Brut

Market Hotel (Brooklyn): Stalkers, Live Fast Die, Hollywood + More

SUNDAY 6/7

GlassLands (Brooklyn): Love City

Johnny Brendas (Philly): Black Hollies, Mondo Topless

I feel weird about posting two episodes of Soft Focus in as many days, but this interview with Pierced Arrows is so great I had to share it right away.

Sadly, VBS has this listed a "Dead Moon". Even if Pierced Arrows is a continuation (blah blah blah) it's a different band and the goal of interviews is to let people know what's going on with the interviewee in the present as well as the past.

That little grumble aside, Toody and Fred are two of the most amazing people I've ever met and I'm stoked on the continued recent admonishment they're receiving. Easily the best Soft Focus yet!

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At this point, most of you know about Ian Svenonius and his Soft Focus program on VBS. And you should certainly know who the hell Jello Biafra is.

That said, this interview is a perfect pairing and pretty awesome through all 4 parts... unless you're an Eagles fan. Then you might get pretty upset.

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There's a ton of people that haven't seen the film yet and want to. SO if you're in the NJ/NYC area and want to check it out, tonight is your night.

Here's the details:

Sunday May 31st, 2009 10 pm

Cedar Lane Cinemas

503 Cedar Lane

Teaneck, NJ 07666

http://www.bigscreenclassics.com/

http://www.hobokeninternationalfilmfestival.com/

August 18th marks the date that Matador will be releasing the much-anticipated 2nd Full Length from the artist known as Reatard.

The singles have done an alright job holding everyone off, but what we've all been waiting for us is a fully thought out album with all the awesome arrangement and tricks that should come with it.

Judging from the teaser single Jay's just released, this record's got a chance of shutting up the "Write Another Blood Visions" idiots once and for all: It's awesome!

Here's what Chef Tard had to say about making 'Watch Me Fall':

?This new album has been challenging. It?s the first time I?ve written and recorded an album specifically because a label wants to release it. I?ve never made a record for a record label. I?ve always finished my recordings and then a label is decided on. When I made ?Blood Visions? I had no idea that it was going to see the light of day. And I?ve never made a record in which the label heard the songs, or anyone heard the songs, before the album was finished, so that?s kind of intense. That?s what singles are for; I always considered my singles as a glimpse between the albums. Labels always had the previous single as an example of where I was going at the time, or of what the next album might sound like. In this situation, people at the label are hearing the songs before the album has been finished, but I try not to let it distract me, I?m trying to go about this process in a way that?s the closest to how I would have done an album in the past. A lot of bands these days, they approach the making of an album like it?s collecting songs, they don?t think about how all of the songs are going to work together. They sequence their albums on iTunes, wondering what songs sound best next to each other rather than putting them together as they were written. That?s not an album.?

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I've been hearing about this movie for a few years now and I'm super excited that I'm actually going to be able to see it soon.

Transatlantic Feedback is a documentary that came out in 2006 about the Monks one of the most fascinating and amazing bands to exist in the history of rock music.

The documentary has interviews with all of the members and will hopefully be pretty amazing!

I'll have a full review as soon as I get a chance to watch the DVD, but if you're as impatient as I am, you'll go to Amazon right now and buy a copy!

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The Cobras by themselves would be excitement enough but DEXTER ROMWEBER is the support act for all the dates. If it were me.. I'd call it "co-headliner" because I'm sure they'll be a bunch of people showing up to the shows for them alone!

I'm a little late.. but check the current dates below and go to one of the shows near you! (Image above is the Philly Poster)

05/23/09 Costa Mesa, CA ...... Detroit Bar

05/24/09 San Diego, CA ........ Casbah

05/26/09 Tucson, AZ ............. Plush

05/27/09 Tempe, AZ .............. Rhythm Room

05/29/09 Austin, TX ............... Emo's

05/30/09 Houston, TX ........... Rudyards

06/01/09 Baton Rouge, LA ... Spanish Moon

06/03/09 Memphis, TN ......... Hi-Tone

06/04/09 Nashville, TN ......... The End

06/05/09 Birminghan, AL ...... Bottle Tree

06/02/09 Little Rock, AR ....... Sticky Fingerz Chicken Shack

06/06/09 Atlanta, GA ............. Earl

06/08/09 Chapel Hill, NC ....... Local 506

06/09/09 Wash,D.C. ............... Rock and Roll Hotel

06/10/09 Philly, PA ................. Jonnny Brendas

06/11/09 Boston, MA ............. TT The Bear's

06/12/09 Brooklyn, NY ........... Southpaw

06/13/09 New York, NY .......... Mercury Lounge

06/17/09 Cleveland, OH ......... Beachland

06/18/09 Indianapolis, IN ....... Birdy's

06/19/09 Madison, WI ............ High Noon

06/20/09 Detroit, MI ............... Magic Stick

Awesome right! Yea.. until I tell you that the man pictured above IS James Williamson. Oh man....

Pop also revealed that Asheton had left six or seven ?hard-driving rhythm tracks'' that could also be used in a future project.

I'm a little late reporting this.. but I've had a complete computer implosion and I'm just now getting back on my feet, so to speak.

Anyway... What we have here is the "new" King Khan and The Shrines LP. But, really, it's a US re-issue of 2007's 'What Is?!' Regardless of semantics, this LP sounds just as amazing as when it came out on Hazelwood.

A handful of the 'What Is" songs turned up on the recent 'Supreme Genius" greatest hits record vice put out last year, but it's the more fuzzed out, acid-funk freakout of the rest of the LP that really makes this record a classic.

If you don't have it (already), you're sorely missing out.

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I spent a huge chunk of my earlier years in Las Vegas. A good portion of you might think to yourselves, "That's cool." The rest (and this percentage is based on those that have been or spent time there) probably thought the exact opposite. For the most part, I'm with the latter group.

However, what Vegas lacked in any sort of large-scale, sustainable culture it made up for by reveling in the absence of any sort of rules due to this lack. A prime example of this is what are called Desert Shows.

These shows are what punk was supposed to be all about: Pure Autonomy. Sure their were a couple of basic rules, but these weren't laws and we're entirely societal. The shows were insane and really were one of the only things that kept me sane while stuck there.

Sadly, these shows are a rarity now (or just non-existent) due to the growth of Las Vegas: All the spots these shows were held have now been swallowed whole by the unassuming sprawl that is the City of Sin.

Luckily, Chad Simmons, a man who helped shape the underground scene of Vegas for many years, had the idea to get a camera and document this tiny, but important, culture.

The show is called "My First Camera" and Episode 2 is solely dedicated to Vegas desert shows and house parties. Band highlights include; Spazz, Citizen Fish, Independents, Your Mother, etc

Check em all out!

The above info (on the poster) is all true, but now Pop 1280 and DJ Nick Gazin (from the Midnite Till Death parties) have joined in.

GlassLands is a killer gallery/bar/showspace in Williamsburg at 289 Kent Ave, Brooklyn

What we have here are songs the Ramones recorded in the 90's about Steel Reserve... yea.. the disgusting Malt Liquor.

3 songs here:

"Fill My Cup", "Gimme My Steel Reserve" and "High Gravity Lager".

"Gimme" is the best.. especially the intro.

My mind is blown!

NOTE: While we fully condone the use of the Ramones, drinking Steel Reserve under any circumstances may result in adverse side effects.

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I've already stated that We Come In Peace is a close to perfect as Brimstone Howl have gotten and "Summer Of Pain" is, hands down, the best track from the LP, if not one of the best songs in years. (Read more about the band and this LP by clicking here.)

Here's the video to accompany this awesome track straight... it's rad!

The Krunchies are from Chicago, IL. The Krunchies sound like a punk rock band. But not any punk rock band.. and really good one. Or a really bad one.. it kinda depends on what your definition of the above is. Just listen to the song below and make up your own mind, ok?

The Philly show is at JRs (the place we talked about in the Box Elders thing last week) and it's gonna be a blast!

5.08.09 8PM@Lost Cross, Carbondale, IL: w/ tba

5.09.09 tba@Denton, TX w/ Wiccans and more

5.10.09 10PM@Beerland, Austin, TX: w/ Naw, Dude and Plexi-3

5.10.09 7PM@Trailer Space, Austin, TX: w/ Manikin and Girlfren

5.11.09 10PM@Saturn Bar, New Orleans, LA w/ Die Rotzz and more!

5.13.09 8PM@Uncle Lou?s, Orlando, FL: w/ tba

5.14.09 8PM@Miami, FL: w/ Smith Westerns, Electric Bunnies, Melted Sunglasses, TeePee

5.15.09 10PM@529 Bar, Atlanta, GA: w/ GG King and Predator

5.16.09 9PM@Pilot Light, Knoxville, w/ Dude Fuckin? Whatever, +1

5.17.09 7PM@Nara Sushi, Richmond, VA: w/ tba

5.18.09 7PM@Charm City Art Space, Baltimore, MD: w/ tba

5.19.09 7PM@Alligator Green Point, Brooklyn, NY: w/ Liquor Store, Nude Beach (tba), more

5.20.09 7PM@Sullivan?s Tap, Boston, MA: w/ Hospital Rats and Brainless Oneders (tba)

5.21.09 9PM@JR's, South Philly, PA: w/ Love City and You, Me, & T-Rex

5.22.09 10PM@Cafe Bourbon St., Columbus, OH: w/ tba

5.23.09 7PM@Guilty Pleasures, Bloomington, IN: w/ tba

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The last time we screened Hori Smoku in Philadelphia there was a near riot, with people crowding the streets and jumping out of trees. And this was before the film even started! (Granted some of that was due to Paint It Black...)

This time around we're showing it in a more proper setting: The Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing. They're hosting a great exhibit on the history of tattooing and considering old Jerry practically invented the modern form of tattooing (sans all the glow-in-the-dark crap and tribal bull) it's probably the most appropriate venue the film has been shown yet.

Whether or not you go and check out the movie, head on over to the new bar Top Hat (right above Lucy's) to check out some of Norman's ACTUAL work (not copies) and dance your ass off all night with the Rocktits DJs.

Check out HoriSmokuMovie.com for info on both and watch the trailer below if you haven't already.

This song is one of my least favorites from the new record. Now, this isn't because it's a Black Lips-flavored hip hop song... I dig good hip hop. Cole's seem like total "stream of consciousness"-type stuff and while it definitely fits the vibe of the song still feels kinda lazy.

That aside, the rest of the track is almost more psych than the all of the other songs on the record... and for sure one of the most exciting songs to hit this "genre" in a while.

But what this is all about is the video.. and, hands down, this is one of the best videos I've ever seen! Music videos are supposed to elevate or enhance a songs character. They're supposed to provide visuals that express the song even more so than the song itself can.

You know why this video rules? I like this song a whole lot more after it.

The new video by the Bronx has them submerged in water. It's kinda like the cover of Nirvana's 'Nevermind' come to life but instead of a naked baby it's a bunch of dudes playing "Snorkel Rock".

The video is fun, but I just kept thinking about how the instruments are totally getting destroyed. Yes, I know that's dorky.

The other is a "fan-generated" clip cut to break dancing footage!!

Both songs are rad on their own and you can get em' below.

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This was my first visit to the (relatively) new JRs. Well, that's misleading. There's nothing new about this bar but they've only recently start hosting punk shows.

It's the typical scenario: Neighborhood bar stays in place while the actual neighborhood crumbles around it; business dwindles as the regulars die off and in comes some punks to convince the owners that having bands play is a good idea. This is how many a rock n' roll bar start. What's cool about JRs is that this place is not even close to hitting the tipping point yet: It's still very much an old man bar!

So it's under a ceiling of hand-painted, insider-slogan touting tiles that the Box Elders make their Philly debut. Perfect!

Here's a bit of back story on the Box Elders:

The band is from Nebraska and Nebraska is only known for two things: Nothingness and Killer Rock N' Roll. It's almost the same as how the universe was created like "Out of the darkness comes rock!"... but maybe not that dramatic.

The BE's caught the garage world's (all 37 of em') attention through a killer EP on Grotto Records and an awesome / unique live show. Now they've got a slew of records coming out on a handful of labels (Hozac, Shattered, Goner..) with people frothing at the mouth (myself included) in anticipation of these slabs.

Live, Clayton (Bass) prowls and pounces the stage (or, in this case, floor) like an awkward panther while Jeremiah holds down his side with tight guitar punches and steadfast vocal delivery.

Dave's on the "drums" and is unarguably the main focus of their live show by playing keyboard, percussion and the drums at the same time... while standing! You kinda have to see it to believe it/understand it, but he definitely makes most people that only play ONE of these look like amateurs.

Now, most of the time antics like those mentioned above are used to mask the fact that the band sucks. But, the Box Elders' songs are such impossibly catchy and perfect pop gems that they stand on their own and the live show acts as a catalyst to press stop on the turntable and go out and have fun!

Long story short.. go buy the band's EP and make sure you catch them live.. or you'll be sorry.

Box Elders on Myspace

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Wow! When I heard that the amazing fuzz-laden, French duo The Magnetix were coming to the States, I rejoiced. And when I found out the closest show to me was in the middle of nowhere I got even more excited... albeit a little confused.

Story goes... International Scumbag / DJ Bazooka Joe and his partner in crime Xtine moved to the ultra tiny (Population: 4,000) Dallastown, Pennsylvania not too long ago and to break in the town (and it's inhabitants) they decided to book a show for their buddies the Magnetix.

The band was totally killer and played to a crowd that ranged in age from 15 to 80 at this modest American Legion Hall. No joke. Totally worth the 5 hours (round-trip) we spent in transit!

IF this show proves anything... it's that America and France are once again allies whose only bonds are primitive beats and fuzz pedals.

The song below is the title track from the new LP out on Born Bad records. Check out the band's myspace page for more info and to check to see if they're playing near you!

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I love NOBUNNY!

We've talked about him here before, right before his show in Philly.

He was great as a solo thing, but something really pops when a real band is backing him!

WOOOOO!

NOBUNNY, 04.18.09 from rob downs on Vimeo.

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The explanation on the SJ site is kinda vague, but you get the Singles Collection CD/DVD (with the two SJ shows on it) and bunch of other stuff!

We got a few of these, so they'll be a handful of people walking away with a copy. Get stoked!

Enter The Contest Here

Nardwuar is, hands down, one of the best interviewers in existence. He's questioned just about every person you could think of and, unless they're boring, the interviews always come out being some of the best done with the subject. This interview with the Black Lips is no exception!

Included with the video below is the Black Lips' cover of "Again & Again" mentioned in the interview.

Dig in.

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We've talked about this band on the blog before, but I just saw the video of this for the first time today. I've got to say that I have mixed feelings about it.

I almost feel that part of the appeal of listening to music from beyond one's era is that you can erase the "time and place" of it and judge the band/songs/etc strictly on the it's musical merits: You're judging the song, not the platform. You're able to provide your own visuals and back-story.

To me, "Another Girl, Another Planet" always made me conjure up a visual aesthetic caught somewhere between the Heartbreakers and the Scientists... and that's quite simply because of the music. Watching the video proves otherwise.

Luckily, the Only ones music stands up against any such stylistic pretenses (as silly as they might be) and still allows you to thoroughly enjoy watching the video.

Well... I did, at least.

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Forget about being a "Liar" and having a TV show.. Rollins was/is awesome at being an complete prick as can be seen in the video below.

I totally want to punch both of them in the face... and maybe hug Kira?

Awesome!

If you've been reading the blog than you know we did two parties at SXSW this year; a big one and a "small" one. This is from the former.

Our small event was only such due to the capacity of the club. Circle Jerks, Mark Sultan and Gentleman Jesse, among others, all on the same bill is no small feat, SXSW or otherwise.

Jesse and the Gang's set was pretty much comprised of whatever it is they felt like playing mixed in with some crowd requests (which we songs they were probably gonna play anyway. The highlight, for those who didn't get a chance to see them on tour with the Black Lips, was the new songs the band's been trying out. One of the new songs are in the video below... watch it in High Quality.

When will GJ&HM be named the new Kings Of Pop?

There's nothing quite like a rock concert. I remember how exciting it was to sit in a packed stadium, watching four or five young men with indistinguishable haircuts run toward the stage and grab their instruments. And then, then they'd start playing?and boy I'll tell you, that's when those haircuts would really start moving. Swaying to and fro at equal lengths above their shoulders, shimmering in the same tones of brown, black, or blonde. That, my friends, was true rock and roll.

But it just couldn't last. The kind of musical rebellion those uniformly mop-topped or bowl-cut or side-parted young men brought into our lives was a flame that burned too brightly. Gone are the days of the Beatles, the Partridge Family, the Monkees, the Who, and the Beatles during Sgt. Pepper, when they all grew matching mustaches. And, in place of those great, similarly hairstyled songsters we have?well, I don't quite know what to call them. A bunch of strangers with different haircuts.

I wouldn't be surprised if the members of these so-called "rock bands," with their wildly differing haircuts, aren't actually best friends who spend all their time together, laughing, smiling, and pulling innocent pranks, for crying out loud!

?The last time I tried to go to what now passes for a "rock concert," I was just plain confused. Was it a band I was watching? Or was it a collection of four random people who just happened to be standing near one another with instruments in front of thousands of screaming fans, singing the same lyrics? Can you even call it a song if it's performed by a group of people with such dramatically varying hair lengths? I paid $45 for this ticket, and they can't even buy matching hats.

Having a different haircut for each band member is not only disorienting?it's completely insane. Hey, why don't we just let a horse play drums while we're at it? If the bass guitarist doesn't have the same hairdo as the guitarist, how am I supposed to know they aren't really two solo artists having a two-hour guitar battle? Maybe my straight-haired neighbor Cliff is in the band, too. Maybe I'm the lead singer! (I'm not, by the way.) But that's what these ridiculous, haphazard band hairstyles today would have you thinking.

We need to get back to the days of being able to distinguish, by hairdo alone, who is part of a musical combo, and who is just a normal person going about his evening. I know there were some bands in the 1980s who at least made an effort to have matching long hair?I think "Bands with the Long Hair" is what they were called?but they were still all over the place with the different colors and curly versus not curly. Usually, I'd be hesitant to call them a band at all, but I'm grasping at straws here.

If it weren't for my favorite 900-person African-American R&B group, the MoTowns, I wouldn't have anything to listen to.

The real tragedy is, the kids today don't know what they're missing. My daughter goes crazy for these kids, the Jonas Brothers, who she claims are the best band ever. But there's nothing band-like about them! One has straight hair, one has wavy hair, and as for the one that sings, well, he can't keep the same hairstyle for more than a month. No daughter of mine is going to listen to some pack of do-nothings who can't even visit the same barber before embarking on a sold-out tour. Why, just about the only thing that unifies them as a band is the fact that they're all homosexuals.

Times sure have changed, for the worse, I guess. Hopefully the "different haircuts" fad of these last few decades of bands will fade, and we'll return to the glory days of music, when a band's drummer was only distinguished from the rest of the group by the trademark sunglasses he wore to disguise his identity while eluding mobs of screaming girls who would chase him down the street, forcing him to duck into an old-fashioned phone booth and pretend to make a telephone call.

Until then, I guess I'll just satisfy myself with these old album covers.

By Vernon Boyd

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If you've ever listened to Amebix, or sewed a patch on your pants.. you'll dig this article. Oh.. and even better.. it's about Japanese Crust Punks (who have jobs!)

To accompany your ready, I've included an Mp3 of own of Japan's finest.. WARHEAD!

Click the link for the answer:

Link

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Guitar Wolf are/were amazing and this music video/short film is totally perfect.

On a whim, I decided to look up some videos of the Jam on Youtube. What I found was this 6 part Documentary on Paul Weller. The whole thing is pretty interesting, but the first 2 segments (which are all about the Jam) are the best.

These are filled with interviews, promo clips, off-beat footage and some fantastic live stuff, some of which I'd never seen before.

And to top it all off... Mr. Weller playing acoustically throughout.

Watch and learn.

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So just in case you weren't paying attention... JMI was the parent company of VOX way back when (...amps were made well) and JMI got a restart a few years ago making the original VOX designs to traditional spec (as much as possible).

The amps are supposedly great. They're also REALLY expensive (like... over $4k for an AC30)!

Anyway, JMI is reissuing some of the famous VOX pedals. Considering what boutique copies cost and how much the originals fetch, they're not too boldly priced.

Here's the details and a video below them:

JMI Amplification are proud to announce the latest additions to their range.

The Tone Bender pedal has been synonymous with artist such as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Jimmy Page, Mick Ronson, Spencer Davis Group and many more... This Classic Tone has been used on many iconic tracks throughout the history of Rock and Roll.

JMI would like to offer there own Limited Edition of the the Tone Bender as well as a limited run of JMI Treble Boosters (Base on a Dallas Rangemaster). Each will be restricted to only 250 Units worldwide. The pedals will be produced to the exact specifications of the originals using N.O.S components including the iconic OC75 Mullard transistors (OC-44 in Treble Booster).

Tone Bender Specification

-Cast Chassis (casting taking from original Mark II )

-Gain anjd Attack Contols

-OC75 Mullard Transistors (Original new old stock)

-3 Transistor Version (due to high demand and tonal quality of the 3 transistor)

-Limited Edition

-250 Pieces Worldwide

-Hand Signed inc certificate

Treble Booster Specification

- Grey Hammerite Cast Aluminium Box

- Single Boost Control

- Germanium Transistors (NOS Mullard OC-44)

- Limited Production (250 Units Worldwide)

- Individually Numbered (1-250)

- Certificate of Authenticity

Price

Ł195 Tone Bender

Ł175 Treble Booster

This is some of the best footage I've ever seen of this incredibly underrated (in the States) Irish band. Off their seminal debut LP, this is one of my top 5 Undertones songs.

Click to read about THe Undertones history and download one of their best singles.

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A big part of Sailor Jerry is the parties we throw and because we don't do them all the time we try to make each one special. Being our first of 09' we wanted to make this one special, so we enlisted one of the best favourite female-fronted bands around: The Detroit Cobras. Much like ourselves, the Cobras don't really play out as often as most wish they would, so it was a perfect match.

Once again, we hosted the event at the Double Down Saloon and only a few minutes after door time the place was already packed with a rowdy SJ crowd. This time we didn't have an opening band so the vibe was much more of a hangout type than full-on show.

The Cobras took the stage around midnight and continued on well into the early morning with those in attendance eating up every morsel they were handing out.

I could tell you more, but there's really no point.. the video below says it all.

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Jay's been working on a new record and I'm not sure if this one is going to be on it, but I'm gonna go ahead and say it is... give a listen to what the most prolific dude in music's up to lately.

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Bad Name. Great Band.

I just played with these dudes about a week ago in Louisville, Kentucky. They were awesome in both performance and as dudes. So great that I've been humming several of their songs in my head since the show... almost to the point of annoyance.

The show in NY has been sold out for a while now and they're about to head to Europe supporting both Trail of Dead and the Black Lips on different legs.

Trust me, go see them at the Khyber before you're stuck watching them at some giant venue.

Gringo Star "All Y'all" from analogmonkey.tv on Vimeo.

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Hot of the presses... The video for "I'll Be With You" off the Lips' newest '200 Million Thousand'.

The song is "Dirty Hands" redone by Buddy Holly on a bender.. ah.. seemingly.

Whatever, the video is pretty damn entertaining.

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The Mirrors. Gris Gris. If these words mean anything to you, than you're probably excited about this show.

Here's an interview:

It wasn't too long ago that I was sitting around asking myself, "What the hell happened to the Horrors?" Judging from the internet hype surrounding these drainpipe clad, garage-goths they should have had at least some staying power. Sure, there were a couple of duds on the 'Strange House' LP, but what was good was completely amazing.

I haven't gotten the new LP yet (wink wink) but I do have the new single, and while it's not anything like the band's former output... I'm loving it. And part of the reason might just lay in the fact that it is so different than the rest of their catalog.

"Sea With A Sea" starts off sparse with bits of tremolo-effected guitar and sporadic trails of tormented sounds cascading throughout the track.

The whole first section of the song comes off like an updated Bauhaus with Ian Curtis rising from his grave to take over vocal duties.

The ladder builds before erupting into a cacophony of psychedelic noise then cuts sharply to the beat of the kick drum. Then come the synths... and the obvious New Order comparisons. It's like listening to New Wave music being born and slowly growing up, but it stops before it gets awful. This all in under eight minutes.

This really is my new favourite song and the video to accompany it is equally amazing. Check out the video below before heading to their myspace page to get the dates for their April/May US Tour.

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Art Brut are back with a new record.. well soon at least.

Here's the video:

That's right. The Circle Jerks.

Beerland IS Austin TX, as far as I am concerned, and this is going to be the highlight of SXSW: A FREE Circle Jerks show at this small venue (if you were being cute you'd call it "intimate").

Add in the other bands on the flier and the ones not even listed (like Cause Co-Motion) and you've got yourself one of the best shows in years, regardless of where it's happening

It's been hard keeping this one a secret, so now that we've told you... spread the word.

We teamed up with our buddy Sean Carlson (of F Yeah Fest fame) to bring you one of the most diverse line-ups you're gonna see in a while... well, at least for free.

We're gonna be slinging gear and other stuff, but that shouldn't matter... Come see some killer bands and hang out. You're gonna have a good time.

Here's the line-up as it stands:

Mess With Texas 3

@ Waterloo Park in beautiful Austin, TX

Free

All Ages

Open to the Public

Gonna be wild to the max

Circle Jerks, Black Lips, the Bronx, Cursive, Monotonix, Lucero, King Khan & the Shrines plus so many more. Full schedule below.

Road trip it.

Schedule for Mess With Texas 3

Sat., March 21st

Stage One:

The Black Lips: 8:20pm - 9:00pm

The Circle Jerks: 7:30pm - 8:05pm

Monotonix: 6:50pm -7:20pm

Lucero: 6:05pm - 6:35pm

The Thermals: 5:20pm - 5:50pm

Vivian Girls: 4:35pm - 5:05pm

Thao Nyguen: 3:55pm - 4:20pm

Cursive: 3:10pm -3:40pm

King Khan & the Shrines: 2:25pm - 2:55pm

Death Set & Team Robespierre: 1:30pm - 2:10pm

Cut off Your Hands: 12:50pm - 1:15pm

Red Cortez: 12:10pm -12:35pm

Stage Two:

Kid Sister: 8:30pm ? 9:00pm

Busdriver: 8:05pm - 8:25pm

B.O.B: 7:40pm - 8:00pm

Akron Family: 6:55pm - 7:25pm

Soft Pack: 6:15pm - 6:40pm

Crystal Antlers: 5:35pm - 6:00pm

The Bronx: 4:55pm - 5:20pm

Trash Talk: 4:20pm - 4:40pm

Japanther: 3:45pm - 4:10pm

Abe Vigoda 3:05pm - 3:30pm

Jason Lytle from Grandaddy: 2:20pm-2:50pm

Vetiver 1:35pm - 2:05pm

Howl: 12:55pm - 1:20pm

Sleepy Sun: 12:15pm - 12:40pm

The Technicolar Victrola: 11:50am - 12:10pm

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Gonna be in Reno? Live near by? Maybe you feel like taking a trip to one of the most depressing cities ever?

If any of the above falls in line with the date of March 14th than you're in luck (sorta) because have I got a show to tell you about...

The flyer says it all, but this is one monster of a punk rock show brought to you by head mistress Michelle over at Gearhead.

For once Reno has got something to hold against the rest of us! Be there.

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Rad video but kind of a bummer towards the end.

The teaser made it seem like they went to India, lost their minds and left laughing their asses off, but that's not the case. The Lips seem genuinely upset with the course of events that led to their quick departure.

Bummer or not, it's totally worth watching.

Here's the first video of four, watch the rest at VBS:

This may or may not be sold out. It's DEF pretty close though.

You all know who the Black Lips are by now. If the "Shitty Beatles" were a real band.. they'd be the Lips. Then again, they're not really shitty, nor anything like the Beatles.. so I'm probably way off base.

On the other hand we've got Gentleman Jesse who is creating as close to perfect power-pop as anyone based in the 2000's could possibly do. They're AWESOME live. Oh and Warren from Beat Beat Beat is playing with him, so that adds another gold star to a piece of cardboard already blanketed in them.

If you can't go.. maybe these videos will suffice"

The Lips new animated video for "Short Fuse" and the Gentle Men at SXSW.

This show is going to awesome. Masshysteri are one of the BEST bands going on in Sweden right now. We wrote all about them a few weeks ago and you can read that here.

The short version is that he band is essentially the Vicious with some restructuring and better songs!

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Rad, short, little outtake from Greg's (Reigning Sound) interview in Razorcake entirely about Gene Clark.

Don't forget the 3/Only Reigning Sound dates in the country coming up this weekend!

Mar 6 2009 9:00P

Southpaw (w/ Davilla 666) Brooklyn, New York

Mar 7 2009 8:00P

The Khyber (w/ Love City) Philadelphia

Mar 8 2009 8:30P

Maxwell?s Hoboken, New Jersey

Interview by Ryan Leach

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Love City is slated to release it's first EP this weekend with two killer shows:

Saturday March 7th @ The Khyber W/ Reigning Sound

and

Sunday March 8th @ The Barbary W/ Masshysteri

The first show is 21+ while the second is ALL AGES and starts at 5:30pm

The 4 song EP was recorded with Paul and Ryan Cobb at Paul's dad's house (aka Cobb Studio) on a tape machine older that's seen 40+ years of recording.

Both shows should be mandatory for rock n' roll lovers regardless of the release aspect, but it makes their stars shine just a little brighter.

I was in the other room when I heard the familiar percussion and fuzz guitar line of Os Mutantes' "A Minha Menina" coming from the TV. When I rushed into the living room I must say that I was completely taken aback that what I heard was actually the soundtrack to a McDonald's commercial.

I really don't what else to say. I'm speechless.

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The Detroit Cobras are one of the best live bands around. If you don't believe me, John Peel (R.I.P.) would have told you a thing or two because they were definitely one of the bands he always made the effort to see.

Take one of the best live bands in world, add in SJ Rum and you've got one hell of an evening.

If you live anywhere near Vegas, be there. If you don't, they'll be an awesome video of the show waiting for you on the blog once we get back.

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Reigning Sound are finally doing a proper headlining show in Philly just more seconds before their new LP is set to be released.

I think it's pretty obvious that if you live ANYWHERE near the city (and we're talking a few hundred miles) that you need to be in attendance.

Tickets are only $10 in advance and you not only run the risk of the show selling out by not getting them, but will wind up paying $2 extra at the door. Get them here while you can.

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An absolutely perfect song. The first time I'd heard it I was absolutely floored. I extolled the virtues of this classic track before (on this blog) in a post about a different SF song:

I love the Small Faces. The first time I heard the song "What'cha Gonna Do About it?" I was pretty much set on finding anything I could by this band. But more importantly, "Why hadn't I ever heard of this band before?" I mean, they were R&B as hell but had that buzzsaw guitar thing down pat.

The other day I had dug through an batch of CDs to hopefully play in the car (our CD player is notorious for being "picky" about what it plays) and had picked out a collection of early Small Faces stuff. While driving around I was getting into it, but was still skipping through certain tracks that seemed kinda stale. Then "Whatcha Gonna Do About It" came on and as many times as I had this song it felt as if it were the first time.

While the studio version is great, nothing tops the raw power of the BBC session track. It's totally apparent that whatever producer was involved with the original cut softened it up to yield a more radio friendly result. This is, indeed, a milestone in the history of Rock n' Roll.

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So I decided (about 5 seconds ago) to add a new section to the blog: "Best Songs Of All Time". "Why?" you ask? Well mostly because I feel like it.

There are some songs that stick with you. You can listen to certain songs 1000 times and still that 1001 spin leaves a tingle down you spine. Those are the parameters for this section. Some may be obvious, some not. But, in total, these are the songs that speak for themselves.

Expect about a song a week... there are just that many.

This has been a bad couple months for fans and friends of rock n' roll. We've lost a wealth of truly amazing people and this news just hammers a spike through our collective heart. I don't know what to say other than that Lux with be missed and that I encourage all of you to blast your Cramps LPs at full volume until it wakes up the dead.

Here's the dirt:

Lux Interior, lead singer of The Cramps, passed away this morning due to an existing heart condition at Glendale Memorial Hospital in Glendale, California at 4:30 AM PST today. Lux has been an inspiration and influence to millions of artists and fans around the world. He and wife Poison Ivy?s contributions with The Cramps have had an immeasurable impact on modern music.

The family requests that you respect their privacy during this difficult time.

Bummed.

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There's been a bunch of rumors circulating about this so vice cut this quick trailer to further the hype regarding their trip India. This isn't the first time the Lips have gotten in trouble for their antics, but I guess it's the most "press worthy".

Despite (or maybe because) all the drama, Vice released another track off the forthcoming LP "200 Million Thousand", and I dig it a bit more than the last one. Check it out below.

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Oh man! Was there ever a more perfect example of what was so innocent about the 60's? The legend goes that punk inspired anyone and everyone to pick up a guitar, but those with a tad bit more background in the world of rock n' roll know that that's just a marketing scheme to buy another copy of 'Never Mind The Bollocks' on Blu-Ray.

The cover of "House Of The Rising Sun" absolutely kills me! Check out the interview below the embedded video lifted from thewayds.com.

Q: Where was The WAYDS formed, what year, and by whom?

A : I (Dick Schalk) formed the first version of The WAYDS in 1965. The first version was made up of Tom Hopkins on bass (he had a Harmony 6 string guitar that he converted to a bass by removing the guitar strings and restringing it with four bass strings); Jim Hopkins (Tom's younger brother) on bass; John Weiler on rhythm guitar; and myself on lead guitar.

Q: Could you list the names of each member of The WAYDS, as well as the instruments each played?

A: In the order that they came and went, the original members of The WAYDS are/were :

Dick Schalk ~ Guitar

John Weiler ~ Guitar

Jim Hopkins ~ Drums

Ben Fritchie III ~ Drums

Tom Hopkins ~ Bass

Alan Rondeau ~ Bass

Ray Shipley ~ Vocals

Steve Hov ~ Vocals

Larry Linnum ~ Vocals

Terry Read ~ Vocals

Mike Woods ~ Vocals

Denny Seely ~ Organ (Farfisa)

John Richardson ~ organ (Farfisa)

And beginning at our 2003 reunion, Becky Wasburn, AKA "Shaker Babe" has been singing and shaking with us too.

Q: There appeared to be many personnel changes throughout the years. Why?

A: Some of the guys couldn't dedicate enough time to the band and moved on; some of the guys moved away or changed schools; one guy got fired because he was so undependable, and all the usual reasons. Towards the end of 1968 (part of the Viet Nam era), some of us either got drafted or enlisted, or went to college.

Q: Who named the band? Is there any special significance?

I (Dick) named the band The WAYDS. I remember my dad bought a new naugahide couch, and I decided to lay down on it and take a nap. I don't know if it was because I was breathing the outgassing fumes from the naugahide while I slept or if it's just a coincidence, but the name came to me in a dream while I napped on the new couch. I woke up with the name still running through my head, and decided to us it as a name our new band. True story.

Q: The band wore matching outfits. Where did you find those matching tops? They're GREAT.

A: Thanks! Nehru jackets were big in the late 60's, and we thought they'd go well with our musical direction at the time, but we couldn't find five, super cool, matching ones. So, I bought a sort of generic brown-colored one and took it to my best friend's mom, Evelyn Washburn, who, among other talents, was an excellent seamstress, and asked her if she would make five matching jackets, custom-tailored, for each of us, if we bought the material. She said she would, IF we would come to their house, scrub, strip and wax (paste wax) their hardwood floors. Seeming like this was a great deal, we shook hands, bought the fabric (green and purple silk brocade, and purple velvet), and started on the floors. It was tons of work for her (and us), but it was definitely worth it! They turned out to be the best-looking outfits we ever had. Some of the jackets still exist.

Q: Where did the band typically practice?

A: In the early days, we practiced in the basement of Tom and Jim Hopkins family house. After I moved and rebuilt the band, we practiced at Ben Fritchie's (drummer) family house. We also practiced in the basement of Al Rondeau's (bass) house. There were plenty of garages, patios and sun porches along the way too.

Q: Where did the band typically play (schools, parties, teen clubs, etc.)?

A: We played at lots of school sock-hops, "battle of the bands", private parties, church teen clubs, JC functions at various armories and any other gigs we could find. Since we were all underage, we weren't allowed to play in night clubs or bars.

Q: How would you describe the band's sound? What band's influenced you?

A: Our "sound" changed quite a bit over time, although we definitely had a "west coast" vibe, since we cut our teeth on Paul Revere and The Raiders, Eric Burden and the Animals, The Ventures, the Beatles, The Beach Boys, Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds. We all loved the bands coming out of Philly, and the Motown R&B bands had a big influence on us too.

Q: Did you play any of the local Oregon teen clubs? Were there many?

A: There were a few teen clubs in the Portland area, but the bigger bands like the Raiders, Wailers, Sonics and Kingsmen had them pretty much tied up. We mostly did high school dances, house parties and armory gigs.

Q: Did The WAYDS have a manager?

A: Our first manager was my dad, until he became ill. Then, we all acted as "agents", digging up gigs. I signed most of the contracts for the band.

Q: How popular locally did The WAYDS become?

A: We became very popular in '67-68 in our region, after "paying our dues" in '65-66. Our growth was steady, as was our popularity.

Q: What other local groups of the era do you especially recall?

A: We competed with other local bands like The Stags, The Vandals, The Rising Sons, The Fire, The Sound and The Fury, The Redcoats, The Off Set, The Cobras, Burgandy Grass, Loves Children and lots of others. We had fairly good relationships with the other guys, but it wasn't unusual for wires to mysteriously "unplug themselves" during battle of the bands and such.

Q: Did The WAYDS ever record? If not, why not?

A: Yes, we recorded a few songs at Oregon's largest battle of the bands, called "The Teen Fair", which was held at the Portland Memorial Coliseum. Sunn amplifier company sponsored the recordings, as long as we used their amps!

Q: Who wrote "Hey Dan"? Who was Dan?

A: Terry Read wrote "Hey Dan"; Terry was a great lead singer and still is a good friend. I think he chose the name "Dan" because it rhymed with the appropriate word? I don't believe there really was a "Dan" per se.

Q: Did The WAYDS write many original songs?

A: Actually, it was pretty unusual for most bands from the '60s to write original music, but we did write a few. My most favorite original was named "Mr. Foster loves us all", which is kind of a sugary-sweet sounding name, but it was really about a ghost in a "haunted" house in our area. I can remember all of us sneaking up to the house one evening, peering through the windows, looking for the ghost of Mr. Foster. We were all scared to death! We didn't see any ghosts, but it left an indelible impression on us? to the extent of writing a song about it! I think this was the first song we ever wrote. We literally wrote the song too (notes on a treble and bass clef); after we finished it, my dad took it to the post office and mailed it to our house by certified mail. We were told by an old country western musician that if we did this and didn't open it, it was "as good" as copyrighting it. I've still got the unopened letter at home.

Q: Do any '60's WAYDS recordings exist? Are there any vintage live recordings?

A: The only remaining WAYDS recordings from the 60's that I know of are from our infamous "The WAYDS Movie", a 10 minute 16mm black and white sound film that Sherm Washburn, a Portland TV and radio personality, made of us in 1966. We were really green and sounded pretty nervous, but we were pretty typical of most of the neighborhood garage bands of that time. A later version of The WAYDS (1967 or 1968) recorded some songs as a "prize" at a huge battle of the bands in Portland Oregon at the Portland Memorial Coliseum during the "Teen Fair". I'm not sure whatever happened to the tapes, but I'd love to find them.

Q: The WAYDS participated in many Battle Of The Bands? How did the band typically fare? What do you consider the most memorable appearance?

A: Yes, we were in more "battle of the bands" than most of us can remember! Quite a few were sponsored by local JC organizations, as well as schools, and rock promoters. We actually did quite well; we won some of them, and came in 2nd and 3rd more times than not. The battles usually had at least 6 bands, and as many as 50-60 bands! They were usually held in armories or gymnasiums, which were basically big concrete boxes. The acoustics were usually terrible, but we sure had fun shaking the walls! Hundreds of kids came to these things, to dance, to "be seen", and to support their favorite band. Most of them charged $1.00 "stag", $1.50 "drag" (per couple) to get in. What a blast!

Q: How far was the band's "touring" territory?

A: It was primarily the Portland Oregon/Vancouver Washington area, including the neighboring towns. I bought an old white Chrysler hearse when I turned 16 to haul our gear around. It was HUGE, and I can remember having all five band members and our girlfriends in it one afternoon. We were going to rehearsal after school, and we were late, so I floored it. I'll never forget looking at the speedometer and seeing it pinned at 100mph! It had bald tires and worn-out shocks too! It's a miracle that we lived to tell about it!

Q: Why did the band break up in the '60's?

A: It was in late '68, and some of us were either going on to college, or being drafted, or enlisting to avoid being drafted because the Viet Nam "conflict" was in full swing. Some of the guys were squabbling over girlfriends too, or moving on to other bands.

Q: What was the impetus for the WAYDS reunion of August 2003? Where do you plan on performing/playing? I think it's great that the band is planning to play together again!

A: Thanks. The idea for the reunion came up a few years ago, but at that time, the original members were living outside Oregon or the U.S., or I just couldn't find them. The internet has been very helpful locating the members, or friends who knew how to contact the members. The reason for putting together The WAYDS reunion was to see some great friends again and catch up on what everyone's been doing for the last 35-38 years. All of the members parents that are still with us, as well as spouses, "significant others" and kids are attending too. Since we're videotaping the reunion and creating a DVD of it (including the original 1966 "The WAYDS Movie") we'll have a wonderful keepsake for our families. Most of us are lucky to have a few old photos of our grandparents and great grandparents; we're hoping that we can pass on our DVD to our families so that future generations will get to see us, as well as hear us.

Tom, Jim, Terry, John, Mike, myself, and our great friend Becky Washburn have been playing lots of benefits, reunions, parties and other gigs since the reunion in 2003, and are always looking forward to our next concert. Phil Washburn (AKA "Lens Cap")has been our audio/video guy since the 2003 reunion too.

Q: How do you best summarize your experiences with The WAYDS?

A: The WAYDS happened during an tumultuous time in history, as well as during our lives. We were the children of world war II parents; our dads had "jobs", our moms were "homemakers". We were transitioning from kids to teenagers; we were trying to figure out who we were. All this was happening during the "Flower Power" and Viet Nam war era years. The military draft was on all of our minds. Telephone numbers had just changed from 4 or 6 digits to 7 digits. Some cars still had "fins" and most were still built in the U.S. and had V-8 engines capable of "burning rubber". Radio stations were still AM stations, broadcasting the latest hits in mono. Hamburgers cost 19 cents at the local burger joints, and were served by pretty girls wearing short skirts and roller skates. Gas cost 24 cents a gallon. A good after school wage was $1.00 an hour, and movies cost 75 cents to get in. Candy bars cost 5 cents each or six for a quarter. "Long hair" was perceived as anything longer that a crew cut. Rock and roll music was "only a passing fad", and "we'd grow out of it soon". There have been many changes since then, some better than others. The band taught us about working together as a team; we learned about and accepted new responsibilities; we gained confidence in ourselves and learned how to deal with victory as well as defeat. And we had a wonderful time! As we look back at it, the years we spent playing music in The WAYDS was one of the best times of our lives.

Rad!

Great video series on the US Psychedelic Scene. The documentary favours the "flower power" SF scene a bit much, which is boring to my tastes, but there's enough of the other stretches of the genre to make this totally interesting and worthwhile.

Sadly, and not surprisingly, there is not one mention of Roky and his 13th Floor Elevators. C'mon? They INVENTED the term!

On a side note, why is it Japanese TV has all this rad stuff on (seemingly) all the time while we're stuck having to watch crap like Rock Of Love?

Dig in...

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Crash Mansion isn't new... but it is to me and, from what I can tell, these types of shows. The booking team is new and they've got some taste because this one is SURE to be a doozy!

Electric Shadows are everyone's favourite NY Glam-y, Power-Pop sons.

Philly's Love City have been discussed here many times before.

Tournament have got a hardcore vibe to them, but one entirely steeped in punk rock. Kinda sounds like Filth covering the Minutemen. Or maybe not.

Ex Humans are relatively newer on the NY scene but are making quite a name for themselves with their tight, hard hitting punk songs that have the perfect blend of anger and melody. That shouldn't be a surprise as Josh from Carbonas / BeatX3 is fronting the group.

Ex Humans go on EARLY, so don't miss em'.

Like I said.. this show is rager! (with the exception of the band playing last.. who really kinda blow). Be there!

Thomas Function put out my favourite LP of last year. It's one of the best pop records of the past decade. And not pop as in Madonna... Somehow they can sound like the Buzzcocks, 60's Motown, Neutral Milk Hotel all within one song ("I Can't Stop" featured below).

They're from Alabama and look relatively harmless enough, but can and will completely mess your world up. They're we're the rowdiest band I've ever booked at a Sailor Jerry event.

These guys are the real thing and you'd be a fool to miss this show.

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Sonic Ritual are a fairly new band from Stockholm, Sweden and the song below "Take The Edge Off" is off their second demo, recorded around X-Mas time.

The band has got the perfect mix of old and young blood (members of DS-13, Imperial Leather and Nitad) to hold this solid, metal-punk hybrid together.

The music pulls from a range of sources but to me it comes across as the missing link between Kafka Process and, the later, So Much Hate. Especially "Take The Edge Off".

In short, The band RIPS, the demo RIPS and I can't wait for their first proper release.

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Yep, those legends of the East Coast punk scene are flying their asses to Salt Lake City to join in the celebration of yet another screening of the Sailor Jerry Documentary.

Details are the flyer above, but if you live ANYWHERE nearby you need to make sure you get down there for this. It's going to be insane!

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Wow! I've always loved the way the Who covered this song and getting to see it live is, of course, a real treat. But this live version, from the classic Mod TV show Ready Steady Go, Pete Townshend on a Rickenbacker 12 String guitar. How cool is that?

The 12 string brings an added dimension to the song and, combined with an absolutely stellar performance from everyone else in the gang, makes this one of the best videos of the Who I've ever seen!

Below is an Mp3 of the Version that was destined for the Original "My Generation" LP... but that's a whole other story altogether!

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I got this new track ("Starting Over") about 3 weeks ago, so I'm assuming by now it's hit all the blogs. In fact, you may have listened to it a few times already so I'll just give my take on it.

The song is of their album "200 Million Thousand" due out in late Feb. "Starting Over"s alright, but I really hope it isn't any real indication of how the rest of the album is going to sound. I just can't help but feeling like I've heard this song before, both from them and other bands.

It actually sounds a lot like a mixture of the Mystery Girls' "Oh Apollo" mixed with Lip' own "Dirty Hands" (both song were on the first SJ compilation CD years ago).

Maybe I'm being a little too critical? Probably. But I still hold hope that the rest of the LP is gonna kick my ass.

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As the title suggests, Masshysteri rose from the ashes of the Vicious and took everything that was good about that band with 'em. Their stark and haunting vocal interplay is still there, but GREATLY accented by Sarah's singing.

For those not familiar with the players other bands (Regulations, Lost Patrol Band, International Noise Conspiracy, Etc), Masshysteri play the type of music that strikes a chord deep within you before the first few notes have fully rung out. It's punk rock without any of the pretention that comes with it. It's pretty much perfect, with anger and melody coalescing into one big swell of immense energy.

I have no idea how I slept on this band for as long as I have. Maybe it's the name (It does sound a little bit more on the hardcore side of things)?

They've got two 7"s out and a full length on Ny Vĺg called "Vĺr Del Av Stan". The LP and one of the singles are also available from Feral Ward for those of us in the USA.

On that note, the band will be in the states in March.. and you better make sure you find a way to see them!

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Ron Asheton, the influential guitarist for legendary punk band the Stooges, was found dead early this morning at his home in Ann Arbor, police said.

"He was like a kid ina candy store, just so excited," Stollsteimer recalled of that night. "He wasn't afraid to show it. Some people are too cool, but he was obviously very happy and proud."

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Once again a NY band is coming down to enjoy the spoils of the relatively unbeaten path that is burgeoning Philly rock n' roll scene. This time around it's the kings of Brooklyn's Mod/Beat scene The Above.

Their sound is that of an almost exact, mirror image of the reverberations that scattered across the faces of a thousand screaming teenage girls many decades ago. Usually I'm not too impressed with "stylistic chameleons", but when it's done this well you've got to take notice. "Act Your Age" (featured below) is a perfect example of that sentiment.

Local garage stalwarts and Get Hip Records recording artists Mondo Topless are putting this shindig together. They'll be armed with a new drummer, a renewed passion and (from what I hear) a killer new cover. Not saying what it is, but let's just say that just say that if you eat it, you'll be shitting lightning bolts indefinitely.

The slimmed down, fierce and more outwardly bombastic Love City that debuted with the Stalkers last month are headlining once again and this time they're bringing some new songs and tricks with them. If you thought you heard this band before, you heard wrong (new demo below).

If you're in the area, I suggest you be there because it's going to be a good one.

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The title pretty much sums it up; It seems that Santa-Tard has come early this year and brought all us bad little boys and girls this new track in replace of the normal lump of coal.

The song finds Jay exploring new territory once again ("Exploringnewterritory" is actually his middle name) and this will undoubtedly leave some fans behind. And really, who cares? If the man gave a shit you'd probably be spinning Blood Visions 2 and complaining that "it's not as good as the first one".

Download the track now but don't open it until Xmas and don't forget to enjoy it with a cup of egg nog (with Sailor Jerry Rum in it!).

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Love would be in my Top-Ten favorite band's of all time list if I had such a thing. First 3 records are absolutely amazing and the later stuff is even good.

I stumbled onto this promo clip the other day and was kind of surprised. Out of all the songs on this record, this one doesn't strike me as "single" material.

None the less... great song and a great video. Arthur Lee rules!

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I watched this BBC documentary over the weekend and it's surprisingly good. This 7 part history of the guitar covers a lot of ground and contains interesting little factoids from the birth of the Rickenbacker "Frying Pan" (pictured above) to much later that guitarists will surely find riveting.

If you don't play (or care for) the electric guitar... this will likely bore you to pieces.

One complaint... Why no mention of Danelectro??

It's broken up into 7 parts. Here's the first.. use the youtube menu to catch the rest!

Below it are some Mp3s of songs that are either referenced in the video... or should have been.

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ROME ? The singer in a teen gothic metal band and her brother allegedly stabbed the band's guitarist dozens of times because he did not play well enough, Italian police and a lawyer said Friday.

Lawyers for the suspects could not immediately be reached for comment. But the Genoa-based paper Il Secolo XIX quoted lawyers for Balzano as saying she doesn't remember anything and that they had asked for a psychological evaluation.

If only ALL amateur musicians were under this threat...

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Canadian Powerpop legends Pointed Sticks are trying to one-up Santa this year by giving away this brand new Christmas single to every little misguided deviant with an internet connection!

"Powerpop Santa" is an amazing song with references to friends and other bands like Baby Shakes, Nikki Corvette, Ugly Beats, Fuzztones, etc. It's fun and funny, and maybe a little mean? haha!

Download this single now and get some rad new X-mas music!

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A perfect garage classic if there ever was one. I've heard Music Machine's "Talk Talk" countless times over the years and it never fails to put a chill down my spine, but this video just adds a whole nother dimension!

Check it:

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Ok, that the title may be an exaggeration because surely there are a ton of people out there that have heard this LP. But, up until recently, I had no clue (save for vague references) that this band had ever existed, let alone was so amazing.

Seriously. This is my current favorite record and it's going to remain that way for quite some time. I can't even do this band justice with an explanation because the music takes so many turns and, really, they just created their own niche.

Read this history below and blast the tunes (the first two tracks on the album) while you wish your band had two drummers...

"Los Angeles, 1966, and the Garnerfield Sanatarium, consisting of Bob Seal (guitar/vocals), Wanda Watkins (vocals), Robbie Robison (guitar) and two drummers, Michael Ney and Dallas Taylor, are gigging around Sunset Strip at venues such as The Sea Witch. They change their name to The Brain Train, and attract the attention of ex-boxer and local hipster Bud Mathis, who becomes their manager. Through Mathis they hook up with bassist Douglas Lubahn and things start to come together. Around this time Wanda Watkins leaves the group, she later resurfaces as part of The Joint Effort, another Bud Mathis managed combo. Mathis finances a session in the Elektro Vox recording studios in late ?66, which produces two tracks: ?Black Roses? and ?Me?.

?Black Roses?, written by Wolfgang Dios, is a jangly folk rock piece that is distinguished by the double drumming of Taylor and Ney, and the unusual, fragmented, guitar playing of Robison. ?Me?, a Mathis/Lubahn composition, is an atmospheric garage punker with a raga feel and spooky chant-like backing vocals reminiscent of the Yardbirds. Impressed with the results of the session, Mathis pitches the demo to Billy James at Elektra and Jack Holzman subsequently signs the band to the label. Unfortunately for Mathis he is ousted by Elektra in-house producer Paul Rothchild, who takes over managing the group, renaming them Clear Light after a potent brand of Californian LSD (via the Tibetan book of the Dead.) Rothchild then supplements the group with actor turned singer Cliff De Young, who gives a theatrical flavor to some of the more dramatic numbers that are being recorded for the forthcoming album. De Young later earns the sobriquet ?Hamlet on Acid? for his live performances.

Their first release, in September 1967, is a single, a new recording of ?Black Roses?. The flip side is ?She?s Ready To Be Free?, a stomping acid fried guitar and harmony vocal fest and an outstanding number that had been used in the film ?The President?s Analyst?. Clear Light appear in the film, playing the part of an acid rock group who become mixed up with James Coburn in his role as analyst to the President of the United States (a thinly disguised LBJ). After becoming the privy to the inner-most thoughts of the most powerful man on earth he is overcome with paranoia and does a bunk, closely followed by the CIA, the KGB and the, most insidious of all, the Telephone company!

Trying to evade his pursuers he ducks into a ?hippy? van outside New York?s Café Wha! only to find himself in the company of a bunch of freaks (Clear Light) who take him under their wing. Out in the countryside the band perform ?She?s Ready To Be Free? in a field with Barry ?Eve Of Destruction? McGuire as the vocalist, while Coburn and the obligatory hippy chick get it on in the long grass, oblivious to the various secret agents who are attempting to kill him. Why McGuire is used rather than Bob Seal, who provided the original vocal, is a mystery. Also, Cliff De Young, with his acting background and his position as front man with the group, would appear to have been the ideal candidate for the Barry McGuire role although this may have been due to contractual problems. James Coburn appears later in the film playing oriental gong on stage with the band in a nightclub. This scene of the movie ends up in bacchanalian excess after everyone is spiked with acid and things turn blue ? literally.

Taken into Sunset Sound Recorders by Rothchild, the sessions for the album were dominated by his dictatorial approach. The atmosphere was often fraught as the group tried to gel together whilst dealing with what appears to be Rothchild?s first attempt at creating a ?supergroup? (He later achieved this with Rhinoceros). It was at this point that Robbie Robison left the group, allegedly due to his folk rock approach being deemed incompatible with the heavier electric sound the group was now leaning towards under Rothchild?s direction. Incidentally, Robbie Robison was the husband of Sandi Robison, vocalist with another Los Angeles psych band, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy. His replacement was keyboardist Ralph Schuckett, Robison's rhythm guitar being removed from the recorded tracks and Schuckett's keyboard parts overdubbed in their place. Bud Mathis, meanwhile, had sold the earlier recording of ?Black Roses?/?Me? to George Brown, who released it as a single on his Titan label in October 1967.

Despite all of this, the album was released at the end of 1967, along side Love?s ?Forever Changes?, The Doors? ?Strange Days? and Tim Buckley?s ?Goodbye and Hello?, eventually reaching No 126 in the Billboard Album Chart. The cover features photographs by William S Harvey, depicting the group (looking very hip and freaky) in a sylvan setting. Oddly it includes Robison in the line up but not Schuckett, presumably the shots were taken before the departure of the former and the arrival of the latter. However, Robison is credited on the sleeve in the capacity of ?Guru? alongside Lee Housekeeper as 'Seer' (it was the sixties). The rear sleeve also carries the following advice: ?To fully appreciate the spectacular sound of double drumming in Clear Light, play this record at high volume?. - Gray Newell

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Bronx have been "SJ Alum" for quite sometime and it's safe to say that we're all stoked to see the band out with a new record.

'III', their 3rd self-titled record, combines the more Hard Rock vibe from the last record with the fury of the first and really couldn't get any better. There's a diversity amongst the song ranks mixed with solid songwriting that really makes this disc stand out amongst the rest of the pack.

Below is the video for "Young Bloods", not the best track on the album.. but apparently the one they thought you should get into first.

The Bronx "Young Bloods"

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This is bound to be an awesome show!

The Lusts are a brand spankin' new garage punk two-piece from right here in Philadelphia. It's basically one half of Witch Hunt getting down to their roots and making you shake your ass instead of your fist.

NYC's Stalkers have been gaining quite a bit of a reputation in the rock n' roll world as of late. Beyond that these guys have been mentioned (and kindly too) in UK music rags like NME.

They've got a record out on One Small Indian Records (which kind of does and doesn't make sense all at once) and the praise just keeps comin'. If you were at the last Philly show.. then you understand why.

Rounding off the evening is Philly's new Avant-Garage darlings Love City whom have a few surprises up their collective sleeve for this show. Can't reveal what... but let's just say that even if you've caught them before.. it's going to be a lot different.

To make it even better... Philadelphia Brewing Company will be on hand to make sure your's has always got a cold one in it.

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Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce are taking over every Tuesday night in December (starting tomorrow) at the Beauty Bar. It's almost like a reunion! To top it off.. they'll be 2 fer 1 SJ drinks after 10pm.

What could make this night any better? A bunch of upset Morrisey freaks when these guys play nothing but 60's garage and not one Smiths song. Well I can dream... right?

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Eagles Of Death Metal have been buddies of ours for a few years now. They've got a new record "Heart On" out that they're touring behind so when they were coming through our neck of the woods on their current US Tour we asked them to stop by the SJ HQ in Philly to grab some clothes and play a song or two. This was the band's ONLY Philly date and wasn't announced to the public... It was amazing to see a tour bus clogging the tiny artery of 13th Street.

After the band grabbed gear and Jesse doused himself in an ungodly amount of SJ aftershave (This isn't a plug... I couldn't believe my eyes!), the band set up a minimal amount of equipment and tour through a set of pure rock n' roll.

THIS IS EAGLES OF DEATH METAL!

Here's the first of two songs we'll be posting: "Secret Plans". Get stoked.

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This is one of the most amazing and ridiculous things I've ever seen. Made to look like a Vox Phantom and equipped with a Super Continental organ, speakers and more, this car screams.

The video is a bit cheesy (ok, ALOT cheesy) but it only adds to the WTF factor this hunk of metal obtains. I really can't believe this thing was ever built.

What's more... It's FOR SALE:

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Milwaukee's The Goodnight Loving are the kind of country-tinged, power-pop goodness that hits you like a big wet kiss. So when Kevin over at Dusty Medical Records wrote us saying that the GNL wanted to stop by the SJ shop (en route to Pittsburgh) and play a song or two we got all wet... from the aforementioned kiss (you sick bastards).

The video below is the result, and shows these Wisconsonian's (?) in damn fine form.

If you're Europe right now... go check these guys out because their currently spreading their wet, sloppy kisses all over the continent (Check GNL's myspace page for the dates).

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So Alicja sent me this video a couple of weeks ago and for some reason I didn't see it in the email, but I got around to watching it today. It's RAD!

The Stop-Motion Craziness totally adds to the dueling insanity/beauty of the track.

The song itself is off the much-anticipated Black Sunday/Destruction unit split LP due out any second on FDH Records. Pre-Order it NOW from the FDH site.

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This performance is legendary on so many different levels and, amazingly, today was my first time ever seeing in.

I'd heard the legend of Fear playing SNL on Halloween for years and for a good chunk of that time period (about 15 years or so) I'd debunked it as punk mythology.

I won't bother with the details. Read Ian Mackaye's account (as told to Nardwuar) and then watch the video itself. Amazing!

I'll tell you the story if you'd like to hear the story about that. At eight in the morning, some point in October, I got a call. I was driving a newspaper truck for The Washington Post at the time, so eight in the morning was brutal. It was Lorne Michaels' office, Lorne Michaels being the producer of "Saturday Night Live," and I get this woman, "Lorne Michaels' office, please hold." I was completely delirious. Lorne Michaels gets on the phone - "Hi, Ian, it's Lorne Michaels of 'Saturday Night Live,' I'm calling you because I got your number from John Belushi. He says that you might be able to get some dancers up here 'cause we want to have Fear on the show." I was completely baffled by this. "Pardon me?" "Hold on a second." John Belushi gets on the phone and he says, "This is John Belushi. I'm a big fan of Fear's. I made a deal with 'Saturday Night Live' that I would make a cameo appearance on the show if they'd let Fear play. I got your number from Penelope Spheeris, who did 'Decline of Western Civilization' and she said that you guys, Washington DC punk rock kids, know how to dance. I want to get you guys to come up to the show." It was worked out that we could all arrive at the Rockefeller Center where "Saturday Night Live" was being filmed. The password to get in was "Ian MacKaye." We went up the day before. The Misfits played with The Necros at the Ukrainian hall, I think, so all of the Detroit people were there, like Tesco Vee and Cory Rusk from the Necros and all the Touch and Go people and a bunch of DC people - 15 to 20 of us came up from DC. Henry was gone. He was living in LA at this point. So we went to the show. During the dress rehearsal, a camera got knocked over. We were dancing and they were very angry with us and said that they were going to not let us do it then Belushi really put his foot down and insisted on it. So, during the actual set itself, they let us come out again.

They said they were going to sue us and have us arrested for damages. There was so much hype about that. The New York Post reported half a million dollars worth of damages. It was nothing. It was a plastic clip that got broken. It was a very interesting experience and I realized how completely unnatural it is for a band to be on a television show - particularly a punk band - that kind of has a momentum to suddenly be expected to immediately jump into a song in that type of setting. It was very weird. Largely unpleasant. Made me realize that's not something I'm interested in doing.

via videosift.com

This is King Khan and BBQ Show's FIRST Philly show.

Sure, Khan's played Philly with The Shrines and Mark's done his BBQ thing but this is the band that takes all the aforementioned projects' magic, throws that stuff in a big cauldron and cooks it up until you're forced to succumb to their voodoo powers.

Jacuzzi Boys, Florida's finest (and only?) rock n' roll band and The Nazz's illegitimate offspring Love City are also going to be there to help stir up that witch's brew.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, this is Vivian Girls' 36th time playing here in the last few weeks and this feat, in it of itself, is almost enough to justify dubbing them as witches.

If you miss this show you might cry.

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It's Pitchfork TV.... but it's real good.

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You're probably saying to yourself, "Huh?"

I get it. This doesn't seem like the typical crap we post on here. But it actually IS.

My insane friend/enemy Marco sent me a link to this compilation a few weeks ago saying something to effect of, "I wish all Peruvian music sounded like this." A quick click of a link took me to an Amazon page with the mp3s for the record. The cover sucked, but I had a hunch he was on to something.

He was.

Ever since downloading the mp3s of this compilation I've been obsessed, listening to the album religiously and humming the tunes when I wasn't.

The Juaneco Y Su Combo track is probably my favorite of the bunch with it's simultaneously amazing and cheesy Farfisa riffs and ridiculously catchy choruses. Simply awesome, I mean LOOK at these guys (they're pictured above)!

I've really no reference point for this, so I'll leave that to Oliver Conan, who wrote the liner notes of the CD (with a couple of my favorites below):

"Chica is a corn drink that has been popular in Andean countries for millennia. It is brewed from fermented maize and can be made either into a mild alcoholic beverage called chica de jora, or into a soft drink called chicha morada.

"Chica also refers to a particular brand of Peruvian pop music that educated Peruvians usually look down upon. The music is often labeled tropical, hich means that it relies on a standard Afro-Cuban percussion section (mostly bongos, congas, bells, and timbales). It also draws heavily on cumbia, which Colombia has been exporting to the rest of the world for half a century. Chica is also known simply as Cumbia Peruana."

"The music was so fresh, so exciting, and its appeal so effortlessly universal that it still seems strange that it never managed to find an international audience. The oddly post-modern combination of western psychedelia, Cuban and Colombian rhythms, Andean melodies and idiosyncratic experimentation was close in spirit to the pop syncretism of Brazilian Tropicalia bands such as Os Mutantes."

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This band was the HIGHLIGHT of last year's SXSW (as can be witnessed in the picture above and video below!) and I can't wait to see them again!

Here's a bit about them if you're unfamiliar:

"The Homosexuals lived and played in London in the late '70s and early '80s, and the evidence suggests that they were magnificent?as potent and visionary as Wire or Pere Ubu. So how come nobody's ever heard of them? In part because they'd do anything to avoid the obvious, to the point of perversity. Their name could barely be printed on a fanzine cover; they never really made an album, and nothing by them was even on CD until this year. Two singles, one sleeveless EP, a pile of pseudonymous releases and side projects and cassettes (all heretofore condemned to collector hell by their radiance and rarity)?really, most of what's left of them is their ephemera. The Homosexuals' Record, a posthumous collection of half-disintegrated work tapes (mostly slammed out live in a friend's studio after the Police had left for the night), finally went digital a few months ago, but Astral Glamour is the total experience: three discs' worth of everything extant involving two of the band's three principals, guitarists Bruno McQuillan and Anton Hayman. (The third, bass monster Jim Welton, a/k/a L. Voag, a/k/a Amos, deserves his own anthology.)

The show is at Danger Danger (5013 Balitmore Ave, West Philly) and, if everything goes as planned, should be life altering!

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This is video is basically as the above says. But add in crashing a birthday party at Brooklyn's garage haven / Hispanic bar and the Norton crew showing up and you've got yourself an even better video.

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I stumbled upon this interview tonight while looking for stuff on YouTube. It was actually Part 2, but I saw the words "Black Lips" and "John Norris" and something about that just compelled me to watch it.

John Norris is a lot weirder now (which is rad) and both him and the band take the interview somewhat seriously (which is also rad). I got sucked in.. maybe you will too!

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Words can't begin to describe the sadness felt by countless people across the globe upon hearing the news that Nathaniel Mayer passed away on Saturday November 1st.

After months of recovery from a recent stroke, Nate finally succumbed to the illnesses that were plaguing him and rightfully took his place amongst the other legends up North.

As much as his music has affected me, it was getting a chance to hang out with him for a few days that really made me fall in love with this great man. Nate was as sweet a man as any I had ever met and his very presence oozed of joy and wonderment.

Our brief meeting was all based around a Sailor Jerry party we were having in Vegas. Intent on securing this living legend, we flew Nate and his crew out for one hell of a performance. I'm not 100%, but I think that this may have even been his last.

Although Nay Dog is no longer with us, his music lives on and will continue to inspire generations of music fans for decades and decades to come. It doesn't seen like a fair trade off, but it makes me a little bit more happy.

We love you, Nate.

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We teamed up with Vice's latest on Saturday afternoon for some rock n' roll fun. There was a monsoon going on outside but we all stayed warm by cuddling up and listening to the soothing sound of Japanese Motors.

The song below is off their recently released, debut LP on Vice and is called "Spendin' Days".

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Jay came back to Philly with a new guitar and an arsenal of new songs. It was a great night, but pictures are worth thousands of words...

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Holy crap.

I normally wouldn't be able to stand a word out of this guy's mouth, but add some of whatever is polluting Phil's system and he becomes magical.

There are two parts to this interview, but the first one is all you really need.

Shane MacGowan, move over!

This thing hits shelves next week. Tuesday the 28th the be exact. What will it sound like? The Mp3 and Video below are obviously hinting at the poppier side of things, but isn't that what singles are supposed to do.

I heard "Wannabe In La" on the radio the other night while headed to practice and though to myself: "When's the last time a Top 40 track had fuzz guitar on it?" This song gets my vote for that reason alone.

Eagles of Death Metal - Wannabe In LA

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What do you get when you mix up early Redd Kross with the Wipers and then have 3 of zombie chicks play the resulting song?

Well, it must be Vivian Girls.

This video is rad and makes the song a hell of a lot more interesting. Check it out

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Eddy Current Suppression Ring hail from the far away shores of Melbourne, Australia. They've just released their second LP on Goner Records to critical and sub-critical acclaim.

The Washington Post had this to say:

"For the past few months I was pretty sure that Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' "Dig, Lazarus, Dig!" was going to be my favorite album of the year. Now I'm not even sure that it will be my favorite Australian album of the year. That's because the cumbersomely-named Eddy Current Suppression Ring have released "Primary Colours" and it's a rock-and-roll powerhouse."

Press aside, at the end of the day it's up to you to decide. So check out the video below, download the Mp3 and then get over to Goner Records and pick yourself up a copy.

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This is the first show we're going to be doing inside the shop. Winter is creeping up and we don't want to stop having shows because of the cold. So rain or shine, this is going to be one hell of a time.

Japanese Motors are the latest Vice Records band. They've got a record out on Die Slaughterhouse as well (That's the Black Lips' label for those living in the dark) and wanted to come by the shop and show us what they got.

It's laid back, Costa Mesan (as in Costa Mesa, CA) rock n' roll; the perfect type of stuff for a (possibly) rainy, Fall Saturday.

And if that isn't enough, Philly's own gassy garage darlings Love City are rounding out the bill (and lending the Motors their gear) after a quick east-coast jaunt supporting Pierced Arrows and the Bronx.

Last but not least, the show is FREE FREE FREE and starts at 4pm so it'll give you plenty of time to recover from the prior night's affairs.

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Film School are one of our favourite bands (you can read/hear more about them here and here) and it was an absolute treat to have them play outside our shop in Philly.

The weather was beautiful and the band ripped through a short but sweet set of songs off their newest LP 'Hideout' to crowd of fans and astonished passerbys (all of whom stopped). There's definitely something special about turning a corner and finding an amazing band playing in the street.

Click here for photos and watch the videos below!

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MC5 peak for themselves and so does this video. Although it's rather tough to make a decision, I think this is my favourite MC5 track. Even the Damned covered it!

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Reggae music pioneer Alton Ellis, known as the godfather of rocksteady, has died at the age of 70 in London, England.

Officials at Hammersmith Hospital announced Sunday morning that Ellis, who had cancer, died peacefully Friday night after he had been hospitalized for several weeks.

"His life was the music and the stage," said his manager Trish De Rosa.

"He was getting a tremendous amount of work right up to the end ? it was very difficult to get him to slow down."

Ellis collapsed during a club performance in London in August and never recovered his health, according to his record company, Trojan Records.

"He was a genuinely lovely man and his songs were heartfelt," noted Laurence Cane-Honeysett, Jamaican music consultant for Trojan Records

"He was a seminal figure in terms of popularizing Jamaican reggae music.? His death is a terrible loss."

Cane-Honeysett said there's talk of Jamaica providing a state funeral, but no details have been released by Ellis's family.

Jump-started the rocksteady genre

Ellis had a string of hits in Jamaica. At the start of his career, he fronted the Flames, which had several chart toppers including Dance Crasher, I'm Just a Guy and Sunday Coming.

The performer was popular in the early days of reggae, during the late 1950s and early 1960s, recording for many Jamaican producers before launching his own All-tone label.

Ellis popularized the rocksteady genre in the mid-1960s with his song Rock Steady. Rocksteady relies on vocal harmonies and has a slower tempo and heavier bass. The style is seen as a successor to Jamaican ska, which has a quicker backbeat.

Ellis moved to Canada and then to England in the 1970s. In the past 15 years, with the revival of the rocksteady trend in Europe, he began performing again.

In 1994, he was awarded the Order of Distinction by Jamaica.

Fellow Jamaican singer Delroy Williams, a friend since the 1960s, described Ellis's voice as "the sweetest in the reggae world."

"He was very humble," he said.

"His music is the reason for a lot of babies ? that's how sweet and warm and loving it is."

Ellis, who lived in the London suburb of Northolt, is survived by his wife and more than 20 children.

Click here to read more on Alton Ellis and get more Mp3s!

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It's official. Thomas Function is awesome.

Don't believe us? Just a few seconds of the video below should be enough to prove it. And since no one really carries video around with them, there's a few mp3s below to drive the point even further home.

The songs below are "Day In The Shade" (first) and "A Long Walk".

Click here to read about the event and get pics.

This post has: 2 MP3's 1 Video

Thomas Function stopped by the shop Saturday to hang out a play a set in front of the shop before heading up to Canada. After some pizza and drinks, we set up all the equipment in, underneath and between this huge scaffold that is currently occupying the front of our building. This huge, hulking structure did absolutely nothing to deter the pure awesomeness that the Function were about to lay down.

This time around we were able to get a GREAT recording of the band and a live version of "Snake In The Grass" is available below. Video will follow (of a completely different song) tomorrow or the next day!

Highlights:

- The oldest groupies ever!

- random dude hanging out inbetween the bands members and dancing

- Talcum Powder/Fart-lighting Death Match

- Bruce Springsteen checking out the band's set and then joining the boys for a rousing rendition of "Peanut Butter and Paranoia Jam"

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Spot the Sailor Jerry T-Shirt in this video and win an all expenses paid trip to nowhere.

Really though... We just think it's rad.

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Just in time for tour, Pierced Arrows release the "Paranoia" single and boy is it great!

This is easily my favourite PA track yet. Check out the video below and DO NOT miss the band on tour. Click here for Mp3s and tour dates.

Yep. After blowing everyone's minds with their set at the Vegas party in August (click here to see a video), we invited Thomas Function to come play outside the shop during the Midtown Village Fall Festival (Clockcleaner played it last year).

The band goes on at 4pm, so get down there a little earlier. It's going to be a rager!

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As many of you know, NO AGE rocked out of our Vegas party in August. Click here to read all bout it and check out the pictures.

The video below is a song off their recent 'Nouns' record called "Here Should Be My Home". It's a lesser known track in the grand scheme of things, but just as awesome as anything else they've envisioned.

Dig it.

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It's not here yet, but it's coming. Oct 7th to be exact. There's a label approved track below to wet your appetite and both a video with Damian talking about the new LP/his Mangina and the shirtless cover photo in the NME to help you lose it.

Stoked.

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Vinnie Stigma is one hilarious dude. I wouldn't want to get in the way, but man would it be a blast to hang out in his shop all day and do nothing but listen to him go off.

Below is the both one of the funniest videos I've seen of him AND a spoof on the whole election process. It's so great, that I might even write Stigma's name into the ballot. Below that is some classic Agnostic Front off the 'Victim In Pain' 12".

Both the video and the songs have gotten today off to a good start!

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Not really... but kinda.

Here's Lemmy pretending to play along ("guitar-syncing"?) along to a Kirsty MacColl track on top of the pops. Lemmy in a Mod suit and the ever-present cowboy boots.

Words can not describe...

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Fred And Toody Cole from Dead Moon are back! This time with Kelly Halliburton (from every other PDX band) bashing the hell out of the drums. If you caught last years single ("In My Brain b/w Caroline") than you know how great it is to have this combo making music again. The debut LP (2008's 'Straight From The Heart') only makes the above statement that much more powerful.

And after a brief West Coast stint with the Black Lips they're hitting the road again and covering much of the US. Below are the dates and some songs to win you over if you've had your ears closed and above is the poster for the Philly show.

Sep 27 2008 8:00P

Gonerfest - Memphis, Tennessee

Oct 7 2008 8:00P

Badlands - Missoula, Montana

Oct 9 2008 8:00P

Aquarium - Fargo, North Dakota

Oct 10 2008 8:00P

7th Street Entry - Minneapolis, Minnesota

Oct 11 2008 8:00P

The Empty Bottle - Chicago, Illinois

Oct 12 2008 8:00P

The Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan

Oct 13 2008 8:00P

Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, Ohio

Oct 15 2008 8:00P

The Mercury Lounge - New York, New York

Oct 16 2008 8:00P

The Khyber - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Oct 17 2008 8:00P

Maxwell?s - Hoboken, New York

Oct 18 2008 8:00P

DC9 - Washington, Washington DC

Oct 20 2008 8:00P

Local 506 - Chapel Hill, North Carolina

Oct 21 2008 8:00P

Earl - Atlanta, Georgia

Oct 22 2008 8:00P

One Eyed Jacks - New Orleans, Louisiana

Oct 24 2008 8:00P

Rudyards British Pub - Houston, Texas

Oct 25 2008 8:00P

Emo?s - Austin, Texas

Oct 27 2008 8:00P

Larimer Lounge - Denver, Colorado

Oct 29 2008 8:00P

Neurolux - Boise, Idaho

Oct 31 2008 8:00P

Ash Street Saloon - Portland, Oregon

Nov 1 2008 8:00P

The Funhouse - Seattle, Washington

Nov 2 2008 8:00P

The Brotherhood - Olympia, Washington

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It's true... only after watching this video.

It's Friday. And really, how can you go wrong with some English Beat inspired Jesus-Jams!

Just watch it.

As said in a previous blog post, Thomas Function put more than a few smiles on the crowd's faces at our Vegas Party.

Here's one of the reasons why:

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The videos below says it all but... Noel Gallagher was bum rushed (literally!) by some crazy Canadian while performing the other night. I'm sure this isn't the first time Noel's been pushed from behind by an angry man but it might be the first time it's happened in front of a group of people this large.

To his credit, he finished out the set and was then rushed to hospital for what has been reported may be a broken rib and ligament damage.

First Jay Reatard and now this? What is it that is turning these Canadians so rabid?

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At about the sixteen second mark you'll ask yourself, like me, "What am I watching?" and at thirty-four seconds you will continue the questioning with, "Why am I watching this?"

Once you've made past what you will soon release is an intro, the music begins and it all starts to make sense. The answer to all your early introspection will simply be: Because this Video is awesome!

Megaballs are a quartet from Las Vegas, NV that play sporadic shows with no plans to take it any further than that. In fact, they don't even want you to know who they are. Don't even bother looking them up. This video will be the best and only document of their existence and that's fine...

Well, I did. And it wasn't pretty.

We were sitting around full from a birthday dinner of which the birthday boy didn't show for and flipping between channels trying to avoid footage of the Republican National Convention when we stumbled across Wilson being announced on the Leno show. "This could be cool," we thought. Nope.

I searched for some video through the many "tubes of the internet" but alas, NBC has that crap sealed up. So my description will have to suffice.

Wilson sat, in front of keyboard he didn't play, and "talked" his way through a song (presumably off of his new record) that sounded like BAD children's music while an army of instrument clad morons tried to cover-up the fact that Brian is still as crazy as ever and now also old and boring.

To top it off, he look entirely bewildered and his expressions rotated between false happiness, confusion and mild terror. It was like seeing Roky Erickson with none of the edge. Or talent.

Yuck... here's a song off of Pet Sounds to wash the stale taste from your mouth.

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So as most of you blog-readers know, we had our twice-yearly Vegas party last week. You probably also know that NO AGE and Thomas Function played. Well, as expected, we had a grand ole time!

The evening started off a little more full than usual and considering we only had two bands this time around we let the crowd simmer in their own juices (read: rum) before having Thomas Function take the stage. After the crowd (and band...) were properly fueled the music began.

Thomas Function took a lot of people by surprise with their "rough around the edges" brand of multi-genre-infused pop music but quickly had the crowd won over. Their set gradually got louder and tighter while steamrolling through a set of songs that surprisingly contained a lot of stuff from their prior releases. All in all a pretty stellar performance from a bunch of wild kids from Alabama.

Thomas Function was done and that meant that it was time to get a drink and hang out before NO AGE started up and shattered everyone's eardrums.

NO AGE weren't playing on their normal equipment. So, to compensate, Randy took all the amps Thomas Function used, wired them all together and created an astonishingly loud set up with different pedals triggering different amps. Add in a few sequencers with Dean's pounding drums and the whole room felt as if it were shaking through each and every song.

The band blazed through a sort of "career retrospective", playing bits and pieces of all their records and somehow making them sound bigger and better than I'd heard them played live before. We were even treated to a Misfits cover that had people scratching their heads at first but ultimately resulted in the crowd loosing their mind.

After the show, we headed back to our hotel and hit the casino floor. I somehow won $100 on the Blackjack tables but only after being berated by the dealer for lack of knowing what I was doing.

All in all, a pretty great night.

Stay tuned for videos from both bands but for now, enjoy the pictures!

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Whilst Sir Paul Weller gallivants across the US in his leather suit (see the promo pics) playing Jam classics sprinkled throughout a set of songs that no one (with any taste) gives a damn about, Bruce Foxton and Rick Buckler (the original rhythm section) have teamed up with a guy that gives the songs their original, passionate spirit and are touring the land playing the cuts that we want to hear. And doing a better job of it too.

They legally can't call themselves the Jam, so it's billed as "From The Jam". They might as well call it "I can't wait" because that's exactly how I feel.

Here's the dates and some video evidence that these will be some great shows:

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Here's a live version of "Bored Teenagers" from the Old Grey Whistle Test. It's loud, sloppy and obnoxious... amazing!!

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Although not nearly as recognized as some of the other Jamaican legends, Alton Ellis' songs are as timeless as any classics, regardless of style or country of origin.

Ellis was one of the pioneers of the new sound to strike Jamaica like a bolt of lightening: Rocksteady. The slowed-down beat and heavy Soul influence really gave his music the added punch that helped it stand above most of the other reggae out at the time and go on to influence countless other genres of black music, whether the influence is obvious or not.

I can't hear Ellis without my mood being elevated. It's just perfect, timeless music.

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If you want to read about Brutal Knights and how great we think they are go here.

Below is the case is presented that the main riff and structure for BK's awesome album-closer "We Have A Website" is copped almost directly from the Adolescents "No Way" (off the Blue Album).

Let the lawsuit begin!!

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The Elastik Band's "Spazz" is the kind of single so strange and uncommercial that it boggles the mind as to how it managed to get released on a big label (Atco). Even by the standards of late 1967, when this came out, it was politically incorrect to the max, its lyrics viciously taunting a spastic, its standard blues-rock-garage verses bracketed by cheesy bursts of quasi-Oriental melodies. Could anyone have been surprised when it failed to make the charts?

From the San Francisco suburb of Belmont, the Elastik Band formed in 1965, and did one single as This Side Up, "Lose Yourself," for Century Records. "Spazz," their second single under the Elastik Band name, was released on Atco (according to the liner notes of the compilation The Elastik Band) after Action Records of San Mateo, CA, took the acetate to New York and the engineer met Atlantic Records executive Jerry Wexler in an elevator. Following its release, the group signed to Kapp, which gave the Elastik Band more elaborate production than they'd had on their previous releases.

The label did record about a couple albums' worth of music with the group, though it put out just a couple late-'60s singles with the band, the first of them ("I Would Still Love You") becoming a regional hit in Arizona. Their final 45, a cover of Jimmy Webb's "Tunesmith," was released in direct competition with a version of the same song by the Bards, with neither version becoming a hit. Universal (Kapp's parent company) then changed the group's name to Dangerfield, recording another album of material, though just one single ("Zig Zag Man"/"Rockpile") was issued.

For many years, the Elastik Band were known only for "Spazz," which gained fame among garage rock and psychedelic collectors due to its inclusion in the first volume of the Pebbles reissue series (getting resurrected again about 20 years later for the Nuggets box). In 2007, the compilation The Elastik Band, mixing released and unreleased material (including, of course, "Spazz"), illustrated that actually "Spazz" wasn't too typical of the group's material, which also spanned psychedelic pop in the spirit of the Electric Prunes, Strawberry Alarm Clock, and Association. ~ Richie Unterberger, All Music Guide

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We just received the a CD of the new Black Jetts record 'Sever the Serpent's Head Before it Strikes'. Based in Las Vegas, NV this garage rock (emphasis on "rock") quartet has been around and kicking for quite sometime now and many of you might of gotten to know the band through their releases on Dead Beat, or their track on the first Sailor Jerry Comp.

This time around the boys have honed their skills and put out a record more akin to the Hellacopters than The Seeds. It's very slick, big and punchy. I don't know what it is but I'm also getting this early Guns N' Roses vibe from several of the tracks. It's probably due to the production and the loose, but nearly flawless playing on the recording. Some will dig the fuck out of that, others will shy away.

Check out the songs below and decide for yourself.

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Love City are going to absolutely destroy the Barbary tonight. For the first time in it's (re-opened) existence a real rock n' roll band is going to take the stage and show every sleazeball in attendance what good music is all about.

You know that scene in Rock N' Roll High School where the Ramones bust into the school, the principal gets a guitar in the ass, then the whole place gets annihilated and ultimately blows up?

It's totally going to be exactly like that.

So... I'd just been introduced to this TV show. My girlfriend INSISTED I watch this episode with the Horrors on it. I did, and it's pretty awesome.

Here it is broken into 3 parts. Enjoy!

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I found out about Cleveland's the Outsiders the same way most people born beyond the reach of the 60's did: Through the Nuggets comp and their track on it "Time Won't Let Me". But to be honest, I never really lost my shit over that song. Especially when compared with all the other great bands/songs on there... it's a little.. "conventional". So I never bothered to track down their stuff.

About a month ago, I stopped at some tiny music/instrument store down the street from my work and while perusing the few bins of records they had found The Outsiders "In" LP for under $10. It was in great shape so I gave it a shop.

A few days later I put the record on for the first time while I was doing some stuff around the house and as soon as the needle hit the grooves of the first song, my jaw hit the floor. It was one of the best songs I'd ever heard.

This song is "I'm Not Trying To Hurt You", which was also the album's single (and was misprinted as "I don't want to hurt you"), and it's been stuck in my head since I've first played it.

Check it out.

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From Pollstar.com:

The Stooges had their equipment stolen, including Mike Watt's signature bass guitar, from in front of the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montreal, Quebec, August 4.

"I don't know if it's a syndicate that's targeting bands on the road or what," Fischer said. "But nobody ever seems to see this gear again."

For a full list for the stuff stolen, go to http://hootpage.com/stoogesstolenstuff/stoogesstolenstuff.html

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As you can imagine, we're all VERY excited. Both bands and been gushed about numerous times on this blog and both bands will be included in many Top Ten yearly lists. I've said it before.. but I'm pretty sure this will be one for the history books.

Get your ass to Vegas for this or you will regret it!

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I still remember the first Small Faces CD I'd ever gotten. I was maybe 19 and had been digging the shit out of the first couple Who and Kinks LPs and had read that SF were right up there with them in song writing and ferocity. I'd found the disc in a used bin: 'BBC Sessions 65 - 68'. How could you pass that up?

After digging in and soaking up all the hits like a severely dehydrated sponge, I came across "You Need Lovin'". My immediate thought was "Awwweee... they're ripping off Led Zeppelin...." but then I realized that this totally predated any of J. Page's cock rock.

I later learned that Steve Marriott (SF's main man) had been asked to join Zeppelin as frontman, but the band's manager threatened to break his legs if he even dared to entertain the idea of quiting.

Below is a "mash-up" of both the songs in question as well as the songs in their original forms.

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I've had an un-mastered copy of this fine album for a few months. It's definitely going to be one of the, if not THE, best records of 2008. DON'T BELIEVE ME? Just check out the song below!

Here's how Alive Records tells it:

Los Angeles, CA ? July 30, 2008 ? Alive Records has announced the upcoming album release from Nebraska's 60's influenced garage and old school punks Brimstone Howl. The follow-up to their Dan Auerbach produced debut, the band enlisted Detroit's legendary producer Jim Diamond to man the boards for their sophomore effort, We Came in Peace, hitting stores September 2nd.

Led by charismatic singer/songwriter John Ziegler and guitarist extraordinaire Nick Waggoner, with Calvin Retzlaff on drums, the boys traveled to Ghetto Recorders in Detroit for a very productive recording session with the legendary Jim Diamond (The Dirtbombs, The Hentchmen, The Sights, The White Stripes) . Described by NME as "Beatles-headed psych-nerds with a taste for razor sharp snake-rock, We Came in Peace is the follow-up to Guts Of Steel (Alive 2007) an album hailed as "unholy hot-wiring of the Sonics, the Damned and the Blues Explosion" (Magnet) and "cranked lo-fi blues rock from Nebraska's hoodlums" (Uncut).

Despite its cryptic title We Came in Peace is another fun explosion of fuzz and American-gothic chit-chatter, with "weird fictional adventure stories, and beginner blues guitar lessons from mongoloids," as they like to describe it. The album is packed with great songs, including the amazing power punk pop "A Million Years," the Cramps-worshiper "Child of Perdition" or the VU-psych influenced "Easy to Dream".

Brimstone Howl will begin a U.S. tour in August, followed by a European in October with additional dates being added through next year. Currently, the band has been sharing stages with fellow travelers Jay Reatard (who produced one of their first singles) and the Black Lips, among many others, gathering reviews such as this one: "Pumping with hot red blood, they slopped their rock & roll around the room: dirty, gritty, just right. For the finale, the four players became two piggyback stacks. The playing continued as the dueling human towers wobbled about the room, knocking into the lampshades and ending up in a heap of bodies on the floor and a blistering wall of noise. Now THAT'S how you do it." (Orlando Weekly).

The CD version of We Came in Peace includes one bonus track not on the VINYL version. The first LP pressing on purple vinyl is a limited edition run of 500 copies.

Get the CD (with non-LP track) from Alive right NOW!!! by clicking this link right here!

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Not sure exactly if it's new since it's off the first LP, but according to when it was added to youtube it's been about a month.

Here's the premise: Puppet Khan and BBQ are waddlin' around and stumble across cheeseburgers, flowers and monsters while fighting and puking on each other.

Best video yet??

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Chicken McNuggets Compilation?

Unreal. In the video below, Chicago's Garage/Psych crooners the New Colony Six knock out a version of "I Lie Awake" to a bunch of dancing children on the regional TV show Kiddie-A-Go-Go.

That's the problem with kids these days... they listen to shit like Raffi and Barney songs. How about some psychedelic rock n' roll, lil' Petey?

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In 2002 Digital Leather were two young men playing keyboards: DL Mastermind Shawn Foree and Ryan Wong (Destruction Unit, Tokyo Electron, Reatards).

Electronic karate chops and drill sergeant drum simulators created fuzzed out synth punk at warehouse punk shows to punk rock kids that hated keyboards and hated Digital Leather. They then had their faces melted. Several similar shows played a role, directly or indirectly, in shaping an underground music revolution.

Flash forward several years ? and Digital Leather has become a shape shifting force in the new "it" genre of synth punk. With a handful of sold out singles and LPs under his leather jock strap, Shawn Foree is now preparing his magic wand for the masses. He's traded his synthesizer for a guitar, and Ryan Wong for a full band. He's still recording songs himself in a bedroom in Arizona. He brings his band and the a disc of recordings to Memphis, TN for Gonerfest 2, then drops a sonic A bomb of a set at the Buccaneer Lounge in the middle of the afternoon. Luckily it is all captured on multi-track by a crack guerilla recording team. Home recordings from that time become Side A to SORCERER; Side B is the live recording. Layered synthetic sounds come together with stark beats and dry vocals to create a lonely mechanical epic that reminds us of man's impending doom. Chillingly delicate and abrasively aggressive, SORCERER masterfully negotates the spaces between minimal electronic music and ferocious synth punk.

Phazers are set to stun.

The future is here.

Shawn gave me a pre-release of the LP before they went to Europe a month or two ago and I'll just say this: You need to buy this RIGHT NOW.

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Depending on the mood, yes. With a back catalog as mighty as theirs, there is really no right answer. However, there are plenty of wrong ones.

This is off the Stones' "weird record", 'Satanic Majesties Request'. Sure, it's gets pretty "trippy" but with songs like "Citadel" and "2000 Man" you really can't go wrong. Plus the cover art is AWESOME.

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The Slits were one of the big surprises at SXSW: They killed it. I mean, they were probably better than they ever were in the 70's. Plus, for good our bad... Ari Up pulled her ass out!

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Here's the video for The Buzzcocks' "Sell You Everything." The whole thing was shot in Vegas at one of the big parties we throw every couple of months.

What reminded me of this video was the party we have planned for this August... I'm not allowed to say anything but I'll leave a couple hints. We've got a two-piece band currently tearing the music industry a new asshole and a bunch of boys from Alabama who write and perform amazing pop!

sell you everything

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A lot of people know about Danelectro ? especially the now-retro-looking electric guitars, which have become collector?s items and have even given rise to that sincerest form of flattery, a company of the same name as the 1940s, 50s and 60s Danelectro, which manufactures reproductions of the original instruments, and another company that also issues reproductions, albeit without the name.

Fewer people, however, know much about Nathan I. Daniel, my dad ? and the genius behind Danelectro. Nor is my father?s contribution to the history of electric musical instruments widely known. He was devoid of interest in fame or publicity, and after Danelectro closed down in 1969, he simply got on with his life. As a result, most of what has been written about Danelectro has focused on the appearance of the guitars, right down to the shape of their heads and the style of knobs, pick guards and tuning pegs.

I hope that for the people who admire, collect and play original Danelectro guitars and amplifiers (or the Silvertone and Airline products my dad also created), this tribute will give a new appreciation for these old instruments, because the essence of the Danelectro story is Nat Daniel?s lifetime of innovation.

Early Years

Nathan ?Nat? Daniel was born in New York City in 1912, a year to the day after his young parents arrived in the United States, immigrants who had come to this country to escape the anti-Semitism of czarist Russia, which then ruled their Lithuanian birthplace. The younger of my father?s two kid sisters, my Aunt Ray, tells how one of their parents? first words in English was ?learn,? and how, when they were children, their parents would take all three of them around to New York?s many wonderful museums, urging them to ?learn.?

Because my father could not yet speak English when he entered school, he had to repeat the first grade. At some point during his second time around, as he later told me, ?it was as if someone turned the lights on one day, and suddenly I understood everything.? A bright, mischievous child, hardly a devoted student, he nonetheless went on to skip several grades and graduated from high school ahead of his contemporaries. (My dad often ignored homework assignments but aced exams, much to the irritation of certain teachers ? most notably a high school math teacher who wanted to flunk him but couldn?t because of his near-perfect score on the New York State Regents Exam.)

My dad developed an early interest in radio, still in its infancy during his teenage years. He built the first crystal radio set in his neighborhood. During the Great Depression, he dropped out of City College of New York and began assembling and selling amplifiers of his own design. It was during this period, in the mid-1930s, that he designed and began manufacturing a push-pull amplifier circuit that eliminated the input transformer that had made it impossible to achieve good high-frequency response. His amp tested ?flat? (i.e., provided equal response across the full range of sound frequencies) to the limit of then-existing equipment. He did not try to patent his invention because he could not afford the expense.

My father?s first ?factory? was his bedroom in his parents? New York apartment. Later he moved his small manufacturing operation ? Daniel Electrical Laboratories ? to a loft in Lower Manhattan. His first big customer was the well-known guitar maker Epiphone, second only to Gibson at the time.

During World War II, Nat Daniel served as a civilian designer for the U.S. Army Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth, N.J. Among the other problems he worked on at that time, he found a simple, economical way to equip military jeeps and motorcycles with shielding to prevent the electronic ?noise? their engines generated from interfering with the reception of critical battlefield radio messages. Protected from the draft by the critical nature of his work, at one point he considered enlisting in the Marines. His boss ? and my mother, Mollie ? talked him out of it. As a kid, I once asked about his work during the war. His response: ?I saved the government a million dollars.? Whatever the exact amount, clearly it was not a trivial sum.

Danelectro

At the end of the war, my father left the Signal Corps and reopened his amplifier manufacturing business in Red Bank, N.J., near Fort Monmouth. He called it the Danelectro Corporation (coined from ?Daniel electric?) and over the next nearly two and a half decades produced what writers Jim Washburn and Steve Soest in the July 1983 issue of Guitar World called ?an impressive number of electric instruments ? distinguished in their design innovations [and] their quality at a budget price?.?

After supplying Epiphone again for about a year...

To continue the story of Nathan Daniel click here to visit Howard Daniel's site.

EXCERPT, REPRODUCED HERE WITH THE AUTHOR?S PERMISSION, FROM A TRIBUTE TO NATHAN I. DANIEL BY HOWARD E. DANIEL. COPYRIGHT © HOWARD E. DANIEL, PEN-FOR-RENT, 2007-2008. MAY NOT BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT THE AUTHOR?S EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION. THE AUTHOR MAY BE CONTACTED AT INFO@PEN4RENT.COM

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Ok. Not really...

The fourth single in Matador's series of limited-editions by Jay Reatard is a split 7" with Atlanta's Deerhunter. The A-side is Jay covering Deerhunter's "Flourescent Grey," and the B-side is Deerhunter covering Jay's "Oh, It's Such A Shame." The cover photo can be seen above. This cute, little puppy will be in stores on July 22.

Get the pre-order

Below are the original versions of both songs.

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So this is FAR from News, but we were moronically flipping through the FM dial on a recent car trip. We, of course, didn't hear anything of merit but DID hear this absolutely horrendous cover version of Joy Division's "Shadowplay" by the Killers. I'd heard it before, in retail stores, corner shops etc, but had ignored it. This time I gave it a good listen.

"Shadowplay" is one of my favourite songs by Ian Curtis and crew and with every second of listening it made me more and more pissed off. Nothing that made the original song so vital is contained within this version: It's almost as if the Killers were MOCKING Joy Division.

If there wasn't enough evidence already on the table against this bullshit excuse of a band, there should be plenty after what they did to this classic. Sharpen the fangs all you goth-y chumps, it's time to draw blood.

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I think I'm gonna make this Inspiration thing a (somewhat) regular thing on the blog. I mean, everyone rips off everyone else and evidence of this can be found throughout musical history.

Below is The Beatles "Taxman" paired with the Jam's "Start!". "Start!" was a single off (in my opinion) their best LP "Sound Affects" and is a direct ode to the Beatles, if not a complete rip.

The bass line and drum pattern are the most obvious but little hints are sprinkled all over "Start!" that scream "I'm re-writing this song". The flip of the single has the song "Liza Radley" which utilizes the same bass riff used on "Start!"

Both (all 3?) versions of the this basic structure are great, but I must say that I probably prefer the Jam's to the Beatles'. Say what you will, but improvements can be made to even the most famous of songs.

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In case you missed the boat on yesterday's crucial ass-kissing of the Okmoniks and No Bunny... you can check it out right

Other wise... dig into these tracks and this animated No Bunny video and get your mouth watering!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/G3W0Immsn3s[/yt]

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This show is going to be incredible. I've literally been looking forward to this for weeks. To top it all off... most people have off the next day.. so this is bound to get crazy.

Okmoniks are from Tuscon, AZ and blast out raw and poppy little garage seeds that get planted in your head and quickly take root, grow beyond their means and explode through the top of your skull. Can we please get more girls in bands???

No Bunny's (Oakland, CA) stuff is both incredibly inventive and totally purged from the greats all at the same time. The record is lo-fi as hell yet the mixing was done creatively and, combined with the electronic drums, really proves to be something that stands high above the rest of the garage pack (of dorks). Oh.. and he REALLY is a bunny.

And rounding out the bill is Philly's own Love City: "At first listen, L.C.?s gritty organ-based garage rock concoctions sound like relics from Monterey or Altamont (compare ?Crumbling? with the Rolling Stones? ?Paint it Black?.) But a closer listen reveals a cornucopia of influences, from ?70s punk to ?80s new wave and ?90s garage rock revival, all swirled together in a mass of hard-hitting songs."

Videos:

NOBUNNY

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/jgIgLjgIk90[/yt]

OKMONIKS

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/Y0G4CK0mX8Y[/yt]

LOVE CITY

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/U2Qu6u6nTn0[/yt]

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Here's the deal: I'm absolutely in love with the first Beefheart LP 'Safe As Milk'. It's weird and totally perfect. It's almost as if bands like Pere Ubu followed Beefheart's formula but never quite made the music quite as polarizing.

The other day while wandering aimlessly on the internet I came across this video of the Magic Band doing "Sure 'Nuff 'N Yes I Do" live in France. I have no clue where this footage came from, but I'm sure it's a safe bet to say it's one of the best live video's from the 60's.

Eat it up!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/hCSPf5Viwd0[/yt]

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Here's Miss Alex White and the Red Orchestra performing "I Dig History" Live at the February 2008 Sailor Jerry Vegas extravaganza! Alex and the gang absolutely blew people away and the video below gives you an indication why: This band is fantastic in every way.

Enjoy!

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Alabama's most loved sons Thomas Function have taken the aural world by storm by releasing one of the best pop records within recent memory. The mix of influences and styled contained within their debut full-length 'Celebration' make it so that you can't quite put your finger on what any particular song reminds you of because by the time you get close, the song switches gears and you're left pondering about something else.

Read the full review here for more info and mp3s.

Here's a video of them live cut up to the first song on the LP.

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Did Penny Rimbaud ever NOT look old? Here's a super rare clip of Pen meeting the Beatles. If I remember correctly... he'd submitted a piece to this contest for a laugh and WON.

Later on Penny was able to snag a job teaching art by being able to claim he'd done artwork for the Beatles. It makes one wonder... did Penny introduce the ways of the avant-garde to the Beatles?

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Brimstone Howl are one of my favourite bands in existence right now. They've spearheaded the whole Nebraskan scene and made many think, for the first time EVER in the history of the state, "Wow... Nebraska must be rad!" Hell, I've even considering moving there, albeit briefly.

If you have any sense you've at least heard their last full length 'Guts Of Steel' on Alive Records (If you haven't you must be living under a rock) and know that "One Quick Moment" was one of the highlights. Below is a video of said song that I've somehow not seen until today! It's as rad as the song is.

When the Howl Boys were in Philly last month we had a crucial BBQ and Beer hang out for Memorial Day. The following day they let me burn a copy of the un-mastered new record and holy shit is it good:

This is the full-length the world has been waiting for Brimstone Howl to make.

Recorded with Jim Diamond in Detroit, this yet-to-be-titled masterpiece finds Brimstone perfecting the sound they've come to be known for on some tracks and then taking what they do to new and hook-filled heights on others. There's just not a weak track to be found.

Some bands like to release the same record over and over. And, sure, sometimes that works. Luckily Brimstone Howl are not one of those bands and continue to grow and challenge not only themselves but the listener.

This record is coming out on Alive once again and will be yet another disc of ammunition for the great music cannon they've become.

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Stereo Recordings are great. The way you can pan things around really aid in bring forth a deeper and more complex sound and I think overall this format is superior... hence being the most popular.

However, there's a wealth of classic records that were recorded in Mono. Hell, most Kinks stuff wasn't recorded in Stereo: they were one of the bands that lagged behind in the Hi-Fi race.

The thing is, when there's a record released in both formats it's sometimes hard to tell which is better. The stereo, "DELUXE EDITION" of the Who's 'My Generation' sounds considerably better than the original to my ears. The drums aren't buried beneath the vocals/guitar and it ends up sounding a lot more powerful.

But one case for the power of Mono is the Pretty Things' "S.F. Sorrow" and the first track "S.F. Sorrow Is Born" in particular. On the stereo mix, the recording achieves a "trippier" effect, but on the mono version the drums/rhythm is more direct and gives the song a bit more balls (See below for an example).

Both mixes of the song are amazing. Really it's all down to personal taste and this whole post is a little "stream of consciousness" in it's format. Just one of the many pointless things to think about!

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Before Iggy Pop ruined rock n' roll for the better with the absolutely untouchable Stooges he was hold up in a Michigan garage bashing out covers of gems like "Slow Down".

If you hadn't already heard, and don't catch the obvious... this is the group that turned James Newell Osterberg, Jr. into Iggy Pop.

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This is sure to be an amazing show. All the bands are totally different, but fit in some weird stroke of luck. This is also Women's record release show.

Women are one of Philly's newest and best raw punk bands. Their first EP is out now on FDH Records (the same label that's brought you Terror Visions, Black and Whites, Digital Leather and a ton more!) and it's a fucking rager.

The sounds on this 7" platter combine snotty and aggressive punk rock with a leaning towards early hardcore-like rhythms in a fashion not dissimilar to the crap the Reatards were known for. Sounds rad, right? It is.

Check out the first track below. It's ripped from the vinyl.

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I know it's a few months later, but we're just now digging into the huge stockpile we accumulated at SXSW and getting it out there. Does it really matter when it's from as long as it's good?

Gentleman Jesse and His Men call Atlanta their home and have been quickly winning over fans of punk-tinged power pop everywhere in recent years. Most recently, the Men were featured on a live, split 7" with fellow ATL garage-turkeys the Black Lips and Baby Shakes (who kind-of live in Atlanta?).

Check out the band's myspace page after you watch the video and then go buy their stuff. You won't be sorry.

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Hullabaloo's been putting on awesome shows all along the East Coast for a while now. This show will not be an exception.

Saturday June 14th: Hullabaloo at Don Pedro in Fabulous Brooklyn, NY

with...

Thee Fine Lines from Missouri

The Above from NY

Love City from Philly

Violet Vector and the Lovely Lovelies from Chapel Hill, NC

FUN!! FUN!! FUN!!

I said it before and I'll say it again: Mark Sultan (best known for his part in King Khan and BBQ show) has been putting out awesome music since before you knew what the hell a blog was. It's that simple. He's also one of the raddest human beings on this planet, and that's got nothing to do with music. It makes for a great combination.

This was Mark's first time playing in Philadelphia and although there was some minor trepidation as to turnout it was all squashed when he took the stage by storm to a full room staring in disbelief at what they were witnessing. The show was amazing.

Although video doesn't (and will never) capture the magic (aka vibe) of great show, the video below comes pretty close.

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By now, Jay Reatard should be known to most everyone paying any attention to this whole indie/punk/pop/garage/blahblahblah. Former front guy for The Reatards and Lost Sounds and current solo sensation, the man is nothing if not prolific. After recording his debut solo LP, 2006's Blood Visions, Reatard released a slew of singles and EPs on labels across the globe; all were pressed in limited quantities and now fetch serious coin on eBay.

In The Red is proud to release Singles 06-07--a collection of all his out-of-print material, re-mastered by the Tard himself. It's finally possible to hear these gems in one straight shot, sounding better than ever, without flipping over a pile of seven inch platters.

The CD version of Singles 06-07 includes a DVD showcasing some choice live performances of Reatard and his incredible live backing band, the Boston Chinks and about half of the thing is taken straight from the Sailor Jerry Vaults.

That's right, the infamous "Street Show" is on there in it's (almost) entirety. As well as the Vegas party that took place a few months later.

The vinyl version is a double-LP housed in a beautiful gatefold sleeve.

Watch for Reatard to be touring his ass off all summer long in support of this release.

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Check out this bit on the Radio Knives in the Boston Globe:

If you've seen the new Mustang Shelby Cobra and its looks hit you right where it counts, it's a sure bet that your knees will also buckle when you hear the Radio Knives , which has a similar effect. Like Ford's entry into the retro automotive sweepstakes, the Boston trio's furnace-blast garage-rock is a retooled update of a bygone era that's now back with a vengeance.

``If the songs aren't catchy, they're not worth playing, because the world doesn't have enough of an attention span to care about me or some no-name band," says Levesque, a former editor at the Northeast Performer music magazine. ``If I have 30 minutes on stage to either win you over or lose you forever, I'm going to try to [win] you."

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Yes!! The Fleshtones are still here and, even better than that, are still on top of their game. With a great new album ('Take A Good Look') out on Yep Roc Records, the band has been tearing up stages across the U.S.A. like no other.

Forget about the fact that these guys have been doing this since 1976: The 'Tones can go up against any band, old or new and come out standing, victoriously.

Although never "commercially viable", The Fleshtones are icons amongst the US rock n' roll scene. Go to any of their shows or listen to their records and it becomes clear almost instantly that this is what they do because they love it. Pure and simple.

'Take A Good Look' is one of the best records the Fleshtones have pulled off in a long while and is definitely worth a listen.

Check out pictures of the Fleshtones Live and at the Sailor Jerry store by clicking here!

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So the other night, bored with the festivities taking place throughout the city, my girl and I decided to go rent some movies. For some reason I thought I hadn't seen the Ramones Doc End Of The Century so we threw that into the pile, paid the counter person and headed home to watch it.

About 5 seconds into EOTC I'd realized that I had in fact seen it before. Oh well! It's a rad movie and we watched pretty much the whole thing, leaving out the sad bits at the end. After the movie, I got psyched on listening to the Ramones and dug through my records to find not Ramones 1 or Leaving Home, but Road To Ruin. To these ears, Road To Ruin is the Ramones album.

Their 4th record, released in 78', is the sum of all the records that came before and shows just how amazingly tight they'd gotten. With new drummer Marky on board and (original Ramone) Tommy manning the controls, the music contained within the grooves is so powerful it seems like it's punching through the speakers.

The production is flawless but retains the raw energy that we'd come to expect from the band. It's a simple as this, when I think of the Ramones, this is the sound in my head. I know I'll get some purists that will disagree with me on this. But you know what? Screw you. It's my head. (haha)

I know by now the world's heard this album to death (if only for "I Wanna Be Sedated") but that's not my point. My point is that this is the Ramones album.

I present my evidence below.

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I know the blog's been littered with talk of Khan and Mark Sultan lately (and why shouldn't it be?), but after watching that video of Khan and Demon's Claws teaching German kids how to rock I found THIS video. It's King Khan and BBQ performing "Treat Me Like A Dog" at the Funhouse in Seattle.

Hand's down, this is one of the best live videos I've ever seen on youtube. I can't quite put my finger on it, but there's magic in there. It's both intense and playful, and it's the type of thing that when you watch it, you wish you were there.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/lohy4ALYm6I[/yt]

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The Sonics have (mostly) reunited, Seeds songs are being used in deodorant commercials and Green Day just put out a "garage" record under a pseudonym. 60's rock n' roll is seemingly more popular now than it was during the initial decade. I know a lot of people are up in arms about this, but I'm not.

This stuff WAS and IS popular music and it's kinda neat that it's "coming back in style", if only for a split second. I mean, really. Would you rather Nickleback be shooting out of your TV or The Seeds?

Exactly.

With that, here's another "lost & found" classic destined for the next Gatorade TV spots.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/umj1_YqnORE&feature=related[/yt]

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Yep. Some crazy music teacher seemingly pulled these guys off the street to play for her class after (in their words)..."a long night of dancing around a campfire naked, destroying a backstage with apples, emptying a bar, sacrificing articles of clothing for the fiery tears of St.Laurent. It is 8AM and the heavy psychedelics are still kicking."

The teachers un-hip to the Chart Rippers known as Demon's Claws complain and get the big middle finger: First from the music teacher then, more literally, from the chalkboard.

This video proves two things:

1. You Can't Stop Rock N' Roll

2. German High School Kids Are Lame.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/RCQyAYxLC4Y[/yt]

P.S. Check out the SJ Pea Coat at around 4:43 (yea yea... we're gay)

It's a sad day. This man put the fucking Rhythm In Rhythm and Blues. His legacy can be heard and felt in a thousand bands but yet none of them ever came close to the intensity of the music that Bo laid down seemingly effortlessly. Read the article below and then listen to the songs.

While it's impossible to not get bummed out by this news, the positive is that while some people exit this place without ever leaving their mark and fade away into the sands of time, Bo will never be forgotten. It's just not possible.

Associated Press

By RON WORD ? 1 hour ago

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) ? Bo Diddley, a founding father of rock 'n' roll whose distinctive "shave and a haircut, two bits" rhythm and innovative guitar effects inspired legions of other musicians, died Monday after months

of ill health. He was 79.

Diddley died of heart failure at his home in Archer, Fla., spokeswoman Susan

Clary said. He had suffered a heart attack in August, three months after

suffering a stroke while touring in Iowa. Doctors said the stroke affected

his ability to speak, and he had returned to Florida to continue rehabilitation.

The legendary singer and performer, known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat, was an inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, had a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, and received a lifetime achievement award in 1999 at the Grammy Awards. In recent years he also played for the elder President Bush and President Clinton.

Diddley appreciated the honors he received, "but it didn't put no figures in my checkbook."

"If you ain't got no money, ain't nobody calls you honey," he quipped.

The name Bo Diddley came from other youngsters when he was growing up in Chicago, he said in a 1999 interview.

"I don't know where the kids got it, but the kids in grammar school gave me that name," he said, adding that he liked it so it became his stage name. Other times, he gave somewhat differing stories on where he got the name.

Some experts believe a possible source for the name is a one-string instrument used in traditional blues music called a diddley bow.

His first single, "Bo Diddley," introduced record buyers in 1955 to his signature rhythm: bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp, often summarized as "shave and a haircut, two bits." The B side, "I'm a Man," with its slightly humorous take on macho pride, also became a rock standard.

The company that issued his early songs was Chess-Checkers records, the storied Chicago-based labels that also recorded Chuck Berry and other stars.

Howard Kramer, assistant curator of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, said in 2006 that Diddley's Chess recordings "stand among the

best singular recordings of the 20th century."

Diddley's other major songs included, "Say Man," "You Can't Judge a Book by Its Cover," "Shave and a Haircut," "Uncle John," "Who Do You Love?" and "The Mule."

Diddley's influence was felt on both sides of the Atlantic. Buddy Holly borrowed the bomp ba-bomp bomp, bomp bomp rhythm for his song "Not Fade Away."

The Rolling Stones' bluesy remake of that Holly song gave them their first chart single in the United States, in 1964. The following year, another British band, the Yardbirds, had a Top 20 hit in the U.S. with their version of "I'm a Man."

Diddley was also one of the pioneers of the electric guitar, adding reverb and tremelo effects. He even rigged some of his guitars himself.

"He treats it like it was a drum, very rhythmic," E. Michael Harrington, professor of music theory and composition at Belmont University in Nashville, Tenn., said in 2006.

Many other artists, including the Who, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Costello copied aspects of Diddley's style.

Growing up, Diddley said he had no musical idols, and he wasn't entirely pleased that others drew on his innovations.

"I don't like to copy anybody. Everybody tries to do what I do, update it," he said. "I don't have any idols I copied after."

"They copied everything I did, upgraded it, messed it up. It seems to me that nobody can come up with their own thing, they have to put a little bit of Bo Diddley there," he said.

Despite his success, Diddley claimed he only received a small portion of the money he made during his career. Partly as a result, he continued to tour and record music until his stroke. Between tours, he made his home near

Gainesville in north Florida.

"Seventy ain't nothing but a damn number," he told The Associated Press in 1999. "I'm writing and creating new stuff and putting together new different things. Trying to stay out there and roll with the punches. I ain't quit

yet."

Diddley, like other artists of his generations, was paid a flat fee for his recordings and said he received no royalty payments on record sales. He also said he was never paid for many of his performances.

"I am owed. I've never got paid," he said. "A dude with a pencil is worse than a cat with a machine gun."

In the early 1950s, Diddley said, disc jockeys called his type of music, "Jungle Music." It was Cleveland disc jockey Alan Freed who is credited with inventing the term "rock 'n' roll."

Diddley said Freed was talking about him, when he introduced him, saying, "Here is a man with an original sound, who is going to rock and roll you right out of your seat."

Diddley won attention from a new generation in 1989 when he took part in the "Bo Knows" ad campaign for Nike, built around football and baseball star Bo Jackson. Commenting on Jackson's guitar skills, Diddley turned to the camera and said, "He don't know Diddley."

"I never could figure out what it had to do with shoes, but it worked," Diddley said. "I got into a lot of new front rooms on the tube."

Born as Ellas Bates on Dec. 30, 1928, in McComb, Miss., Diddley was later adopted by his mother's cousin and took on the name Ellis McDaniel, which his wife always called him.

When he was 5, his family moved to Chicago, where he learned the violin at the Ebenezer Baptist Church. He learned guitar at 10 and entertained passers-by on street corners.

By his early teens, Diddley was playing Chicago's Maxwell Street.

"I came out of school and made something out of myself. I am known all over the globe, all over the world. There are guys who have done a lot of things that don't have the same impact that I had," he said.

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Mark Sultan, best known for his part in King Khan and BBQ show has been putting out awesome music since before you knew what the fuck a blog was.

After a quick stop at Sailor Jerry, he'll be doing his one-man band magic over at Johnny Brendas with Clinic. Weird match, but who the fuck cares!!! Get your asses down there and show BBQ that Philly digs music.

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The Subhumans are one of the best and well known bands of the whole anarcho-punk movement of the 80?s mostly due to their appeal outside of the anarchist ghetto. Strip away the ideals and politicking and you?ve got some classic punk rock that just cannot be beat. While some of the other bands of the era got pigeonholed to a certain sound (and sect) the Subhumans constantly evolved musically, incorporating a ton of different elements in their songwriting while maintaining a solid punk background.

But the thing is, you can?t really separate the music from the ideals. And why would you want to? What?s the point of being angry when you?re not sure where that anger comes from? The Subhumans gave a voice to a frustration that countless youth in the UK (and abroad) struggled with and did so in a way that made sense. Dick Lucas? lyrics were never condescending. The band?s stance never feeling handed down from a pulpit. Like any great punk rock band, the Subhumans were their audience and this paints a pretty good picture why their music and ideas continue to speak to people today.

That said, while many other of the anarcho bands faded away the Subhumans carried on, whether it be through their own label Bluurg or the many other bands the members started. To my ears, their isn?t much difference between the Subs? music and that of it?s almost identical twin Citizen Fish. More over, CF is practically the same members and definitely the same message. My point: The Subhumans never really went away.

The band released a new full-length ?Internal Riot? in September of 2007 after touring again for almost a full decade under the Subhumans moniker, another in a long line of fantastic albums, and proves that the band is just as relevant now as ever.

Dick Lucas took sometime to sit (stand) down with us and talk to us about the Sunhumans in 2008.

Check out some live pictures of the band on SJ.com

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I've probably listened to the first 3 WIRE LPs more than any other records and while I've toyed with their later albums none have had the effect of the 'Pink Flag', 'Chairs Missing' and '154' trilogy. There's a reason for that: (For better or worse) Wire's sound continually evolves. Wire will never make another "Chairs Missing", but then again, neither will anybody else. Once you realize this simple truth, the world will be your oyster.

For the reason's mentioned above, I am very excited to announce Wire's 11th studio album 'Object 47' and the first track off released off this record "One Of Us." The record is slated to hit shelves and musical receptacles in early July. Check out Wire's pinkflag.com for more info and other things.

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So yesterday was memorial day. Initially we were going to have Brimstone Howl play in front of the shop with a big BBQ and tons of fun, but things outside both of our control made that not happen. However, it didn't stop us from having fun.

After a day of beer drinking and BBQing we were talking about bands and I was reminded that recently I came to the conclusion that I hear a big Radio Birdman influence in Brimstones music. Turns out I was right.

Long story short, I've been humming Radio Birdman songs all day and searched around online and found this awesome two part performance/interview that was shot for ABC in 1978. Fucking brilliant!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/zxIjYhLKb7c[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/WQBXVOBN_G8[/yt]

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Ah, youtube. I remember a time not too long ago when videos of bands from long ago (and some from even not that long ago) were a commodity, with dubbed VHS tapes being the only way to see any old footage. If you didn't have cool enough friends the stuff just simply didn't exist.

For good or bad, this isn't the case at all now. There's a world of amazing music spanning decades that is seemingly available at the click of a button, so how is it that so many people still have such shit taste in music?

Here's a promo clip of the Prunes doing "The Great Banana Hoax" courtesy of the internet age.

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I gave a nice little rant on the Eyes last week and included their cover of the Everly Brothers "Man With Money". Then the other night the Griefs opened their Philly show with a cover of the same song.

While I totally dig the Eyes cover (and the Griefs for that matter), I must say that I dig the the original a lot more. Below are both songs so you can decide for yourself.

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The Griefs played a rousing set at the Tritone last night. The crowd had thinned a little by the time their played (Tuesday nights...) but those who stayed behind were rowdy and eating up every second of it.

After a quick Eyes cover, the band tore through their numbers one by one and we're begged back for an encore, of which they played 3!

Here's some photos!

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The 2nd and latest in Jay's limited edition single campaign for Matador Records. Each of the 6 records are supposedly getting pressed in smaller quantities with each release and, judging by this record, they're getting increasingly better too.

For this record, Jay brings back the acoustic guitar sound that so polarized his initial fan-base and made countless others realize the songwriting genius contained within that crazy brain of his.

The B-Side ("An Ugly Death") is worth the price of admission alone. It begins with a synth-driven, dramatic intro before it launches into pure-pop heaven. This shit makes me want to have a pillow fight while giggling and knock down old ladies at the same fucking time!

Simply, put. This is one of the best records he's released so far. Get it.

Buy it from Matador Records here

...

And if they're sold out get it from Goner Records.

You should already be familiar with King Khan by now (If you're not, he's a crazy dude from Germany that's been involved with some of the better records of the last 5 years or so. Get with it.) He's probably most well known for his team-up with Mark Sultan (Mr. BBQ himself) but pretty soon he'll be conquering the world backed by the 9 musical terrorists known as the Shrines.

KK&BBQ represent the more stripped down, lo-fi side of things while the Shrines are a completely hedonistic example of excess. The songs are saturated in sound and more layered than a skinny girl in the Arctic, all punctuated by a super compressed production that the listener believe their listening to a a record from years-past that they've somehow never heard.

As with all of KK's stuff it's difficult to pin-point an exact era or style that influenced the song but the quickest way to describe the Shrines sound is a 60's garage record steeped in 70's R&B and Soul.

My one complaint with this release would be that a good portion of the tracks we're already released on the 2007 LP "What Is?" put out by Hazelwood. But, the point of this record on Vice is to get this amazing band heard by more than the greedy few (thousands) that've kept this band to themselves for so long.

This comes out June 17th on Vice Records and you'd be a fool to wait a day longer.

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This is easily one of, if not THE, best live video I've ever seen of the Who in their early (best) stage. They absolutely destroy this song. There's really nothing else I can say. Just watch it... and learn.

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Sweden's reigning rock n' roll drenched punk rock band Imperial Leather are back with a brand new LP. I haven't heard the record in it's entirety but, based on the strength of the band's back catalog and the song below, I'd say it's a pretty safe bet that this LP won't be forgotten any time soon.

Out now on Profane Existence with a limited double 7" collectors copy. Once Dan gets around to sending me a copy I'll do a proper review. For now, scoop yourself up a copy, in any format, before it's too late!

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This song came on while I was getting ready this morning. While some songs quicken your step and hurry things along, I ended up sitting on the toilet in a towel caught in a daydream that this musical masterpiece helped to create.

Ray Davies is the expert at building other worlds that allow you to crawl into them and interact with all of characters. These alternate universes resemble our own but are more directly to related to a particular feeling, such s sadness, lazyiness, fear, love, etc. All of this is contained (or at least birthed) within a song.

"Shangri-La" is a perfect example of this and also one of the best songs ever penned. Enjoy!

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What a fucking amazing song. I've already gushed about the Village Green Society record on these hallowed (web) pages before, but this song was absent amongst those I included in the praise.

Although Village Green is pretty "across the board" in terms of variety, this track stands out in it's diversity and weirdness of changes. Not to mention the lyrics. Fucking brilliant. There's tons of great Kinks songs to claim as a favourite, but at this point in time I'm going to say it's mine.

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The Eyes' "I'm Rowed Out" has buried itself in my skull lately, popping up almost incessantly. It's punchy, catchy and simplistic... all things a great pop song should be. In retrospect, people seem to be confused as to why this band never took off but it seems somewhat obvious given the band's story. Regardless of semantics, the Eyes recorded some damn fine music that has passed the test of time.

Here's what Ready-Steady-Go.org has to say about this somewhat obscure band:

UK 60's Mod/Freakbeat band, The Eyes made one of the most collectable EPs of the sixties era. Today, 'The Arrival Of The Eyes EP' commands a price of over Ł200! The EP, released in 1966, contained both sides of their first two singles, 'When The Night Falls/I'm Rowed Out' and 'The Immediate Pleasure/My Degeneration'.

In the 80's innovative 60's re-issue label Bam Caruso coined the term 'Freakbeat' to describe a clutch of UK groups who had a hard edged pop sound with a bit of reverb and released a clutch of historical releases from relative unsung bands such as the Eyes. Since then their legend and hundreds of over also-rans have grown.

A CD collection (also) named "The Arrival Of The Eyes" is currently available as well as some reissues of their singles. Go get em!

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The Griefs are an amazing 3 piece band that combines the best elements of mid 60's UK beat with the rawness of 60's US Garage. They're records are on regular rotation and if you don't have em', head over to Spoonful Records and get them all.

Better yet, hit up one of the shows on this tour and buy them directly from the band. I mean, have you seen the cost of gas lately?

Here's the dates for the tour (the flier above is for the Philly show) and a couple of tunes to wet your appetite!

May 9 2008 CARABAR Columbus, Ohio

May 10 2008 the courtyard cafe Cincinnati (downtown, ), Ohio

May 12 2008 The Basement Nashville*

May 13 2008 JJ's Bohemia Chatanooga, Tennessee*

May 14 2008 Star Bar Atlanta, Georgia

May 15 2008 Broadway's Asheville, North Carolina*

May 16 2008 The Flat Iron Greensboro, North

Carolina*

May 17 2008 The Boot Norfolk, Virginia*

May 18 2008 Talking Head Club Baltimore, MD*

May 19 2008 OFF somewhere between baltimore & philly, Maryland

May 20 2008 Tritone Philadelphia, Pennsylvania*

May 21 2008 Don Pedro Brooklyn/Williamsburg, New York*

May 22 2008 Cafe Nine New Haven, Connecticut*

May 23 2008 OFF Driving, ALLENTOWN, Pennsylvania*

May 24 2008 The UNION Athens, Ohio

* asterix marks places we will be looking for a place to sleep. if you can put up 3 nice & creepy guys for the night feel free to contact us or whatever.

Visit The Griefs Myspace Page for more up-to date info!

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Now you may ask yourself: "In the grand scheme of things, does this book matter?" Well, of course not. If you want to read something that matters you should read classic literature or a book on some sort of historic event. With that said, this book is totally useless but completely awesome!

Amy and Handsome Dick (of Dictators fame, retard) took a novel idea and went crazy with it, creating one of the most entertaining books released in quite some time and, quite possibly, the best thing to take a shit with. Ever.

The book features well over 200 lists penned by more people than even the most accomplished name-dropper would be able to mention in a lifetime with killer illustrations accompanying a lot of them.

One of my favourites is Jon Spencer's "14 Foods To Avoid On Tour":7.Cowballs: -do not eat cowballs at interstate truck stops in Middle America. In fact, don't eat any kinds of balls, anywhere.

You could spend hours pouring though all the fun stuff contained in this book or, as I did, break it up into little installments so the thing takes months to read! Go buy this now! You won't be disappointed.

Here's some stuff from the book:

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Coachella sucks... but watching the video below makes me wish I would have been there. My only gripe is that the crowd should have been equally as enthused during the song as they were during the spectacle.

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Film School are one of our favourite bands (you can read/hear more about them here and here) and it was an absolute treat to have them play outside our shop in Philly.

The weather was beautiful and the band ripped through a short but sweet set of songs off their newest LP 'Hideout' to crowd of fans and astonished passerbys (all of whom stopped). There's definitely something special about turning a corner and finding an amazing band playing in the street.

Check out the pictures and look forward to the video we'll be posting next week!

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So after our SXSW extravaganza we all headed over to Timmy the Texas Turd's killer show on the Lamar Pedestrian Bridge: Brutal Knights, Fucked Up and No Age! This was easily the best show at SXSW 2008, sanctioned or not.

Thousands of people gathered at 2:00am to drink beer, hang out and (NOT) hear great bands. It was fucking insanity. The bridge was shaking like crazy and I'm sure some swore the thing was going to collapse.

Here's No Age blasting out "Everybody's Down" at about 3:00am. The beginning is a little shakey but it gets awesome!

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For all his punches, crappy comments and hissy fits Jay Reatard is a cultivator of fine music and has been for quite some time. His label, Shattered Records, has introduced the world to more killer music than any punks over at Pitchfork ever have.

Here, Chef Tard pushes two awesome Tennessee bands onto the masses: The Barbaras and Cheap Time.

For some reason unknown to most, Digital Leather had a long layover in Philly en route to Europe. Then again we really weren't asking "why?" while being treated to a raw and passionate (sexy) set by Shawn and the boys. I was tired as hell, but it was well worth it.

If the night's events are any indication, Digital Leather are going conquer Europe faster than you can say Adolf.

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The first video of "Katrina" skyrocketed the Black Lips into internet stardom... well that and the mighty Vice Marketing Machine. It was slick and colourful but retained the vibe of the band enough to make it stick.

This one is over the top. Comprised of a ton of live footage mixed in with every great about Ian's hometown of New Orleans, "O Katrina 2.0" makes me want to dance. Naked.

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/N89g9ZqjvYc[/yt]

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In the past week I've gotten about 20 new LPs, half as many 7"s and a handful of CDs and haven't listen to any of them because I can't stop playing this CD. I play it on every car trip and listen to it when I'm messing around on the computer. When my stereo isn't playing one of it's many great songs, my head is. It's easily one of the most infectious records released in quite some time.

Thomas Function are based in Alabama and while their singles hinted at brilliance I really had no idea what I was getting into when I first spun this disc, their debut full-length. The album's songs meander through different textures and genres like you're flipping through an amazing record collection: TF channels the best bits from the best records of the past 40 years and seamlessly integrates each throughout the course of 'Celebration's 42 minutes

At this point I've spent hours with 'Celebration' and it's quite simply a perfect pop record. And I'll be damned if we don't feature a track on our upcoming CD compilation.

Although just released, Alive Records already went through the first press of vinyl and are on to the second. Get your ass over there now and make sure you get a copy. You'll be kicking yourself if you don't.

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It absolutely saddens me to inform you that Nathaniel Mayer suffered a stroke this last Sunday. We're not clear how severe the aftermath of the incident is but we're hoping Nate a speedy and painless recovery and offer our condolences to his family.

Our show with Nathaniel Mayer in February was easily the best and most fun show I've ever booked and a huge part of that was Nathaniel being such an amazing person. Simply put, it was an honor to have Nate involved and doubly as much to have been able to spend time with him.

We're trying to pin down what hospital Nate's recovering at so that we can send flowers and well-wishes and (if his family is OK with this) offer up this info so all of you can do the same.

For now, play his music and full volume and keep him in your hearts!

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Model Name: AIRLINE® MAP

Price :$799.00 US

Colour: Seafoam Green

Body: Tone Chambered Mahogany

Neck: Bound Maple, Bolt-on

Fingerboard: Rosewood, Block Markers

Scale Length: 25 1/2" (648mm)

Width at Nut: 1 11/16"

Pickups: Two AIRLINE® Vintage Voiced Single Coils

Switching: 3-Way

Controls: 2 Volume, 1 Tone

Bridge: BIGSBY tremolo, Roller Bridge

Hardware: Grover Style Nickel/Chrome

Strings: D'Addario #10

Case: extra

Unique Features: NATIONAL Style Striped Pickguard

My introduction to Eastwood Guitars was made through a purchase of an Airline Tuxedo (click here to read the review) direct from the site. As stated in my review I was extremely happy with the guitar. So much so, that I'd ordered another Eastwood soon after. The tough part was trying to figure out which Eastwood to buy.

I always play shows with 2 guitars, regardless of the setting. There's nothing more annoying than being stuck in the crowd waiting for a guitarist to change a string or, worse, asking the other bands for a guitar to use. So for this reason I always have another guitar ready to go. But the thing is, the guitars have to sound somewhat similar because there's never time for amp adjustment.

So to match my Tuxedo in sound I'd figured I needed another guitar with P-90s in it but the other guitars in the Airline series were calling out to me and none of them have those pickups. Plus, I DON'T mess around with humbuckers so I figured I was out of luck. Then I realized that Eastwood started making what they call the AIRLINE® Vintage Voiced Single Coil Pickups.

"The original VALCO pickups were SINGLE COIL, not Humbuckers. They looked like a Humbucker, but that is where the similarity ends. The VALCO pickups were found in all AIRLINE®, SUPRO and National Guitars in the late fifties and early sixties. We dissected the originals and have now re-created that famous tone in a new SINGLE COIL design that is housed in a Humbucker format."

Upon getting this news I had a game of email tag with Mike Robinson (founder of Eastwood) about which guitar with the VVSCs would best match the Tuxedo. After a few rounds he basically said "If you buy one, I'll throw in a pair of the VVSCs and you can find out for yourself. They're super easy to change out.

SOLD. I got my Airline Map (an agonizing) 3 days later.

Aesthetically, the guitar is a masterpiece. The old Nationals we're made of Res-O-Glass (aka Plastic) and it's amazing to see the same strange mold being achieved with carved Mahogony. Even my girlfriend, who HATES Seafoam Green and advised to pick a different colour, remarked that it was the most beautiful guitar she'd ever seen. It's like a 50's Chevy converted to a guitar!

I first tried out the Map (with the humbuckers) through my Zinky custom half-stack. The pickups are super-hot and I got great tones on this high-gain amp but the sound wasn't what I was looking for so I grabbed some tools and headed down to the practice space to tinker around with my new toy.

Not 100% sure I wanted to make the switch to the VVSCs I ran the guitar (with the factory pickups) through my AC30cc. Once again, I wasn't displeased with what I heard but I started craving that single coil sound.

The pickups were indeed super easy to switch out, especially considering I'd never done this on a guitar before. The VVSCs (as with the humbuckers have little connectors that snap together so the only hard part left was actually routing the wires through the guitar. But since the guitar is tone chambered it left plenty of room to do so. Within a short amount of time I had my new pick ups in place, balanced and ready for the real test drive.

With the first chord struck I knew I had made the right decision: This thing had KILLER TONE. The VVSCs are overwound and actually sound like a beefed up single coil more in the vein of a P-90. With this set up the guitar is able to handle a fair amount of overdrive while still being very responsive so you can add some balls without the thing squeeling or sacrificing pickup sensitivity.

The neck pup has a awesome shimmer/chime to it and the mid position seriously sounds like a Start. The difference between the two make it sound like I switched guitars: A first for any guitar I've owned.

The guitar's got the looks and the sound to make it a classic in it's own right.. Even Colin Newman (from Wire) is backing them. Plus, Mike and everyone at Eastwood are amazing and actually give a damn. What more do you need?

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Jay Reatard is becoming the next Madonna. Pitchfork just launched this crazy website with lots of videos and even more of their one-sided musical taste.

PF may be kinda shaky but this video is rad (and no where near as rad as ours.

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From the lead off track of Will Smith's "Summertime" to the last fizzle of our severely damaged PA, Paint It Black proved beyond a shadow of a doubt why they're one of the best hardcore bands in existence last night.

And the crowd... what the hell? Amazing! Over 2,000 people showed up from all over the place to show to the world, if not themselves, that Philly doesn't mess around.

We'd love to claim the credit for this event but, while it took a good month or two of planning, all we did was set the stage. We want to thank the dudes in Paint It Black and EVERYONE who showed up last night for helping make April 10th and night to go down in the fucking history books.

Check out the other videos by clicking here.

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Film School joins the ranks of Jay Reatard, Gito Gito, Clockcleaner, Demon's Claws and Paint it Black!

It's going to be an early show so if you can't make it we understand (we actually don't, but we're trying to be nice). However, you'll be able to check them out later on at Johnny Brendas.

There's a ton of Film School stuff on the blog so go check them out if you're clueless.

Let's be blunt. I usually hate "indie" bands. It's not like I'm automatically opposed to stuff with said label, it just so happens to turn out that way. Hell, I'm usually more in love with the bands this type cite as influences then the they are.

That said, Film School could definitely be categorized in the aforementioned style but I'm head-over-heels in love with them (you can read more about that here.). Subsequently, so is every one I've played em' for.

April 30th finds the band in Philly once again and I'm proud to say that my band Love City gets the chance to open for them. Ports of Call are also on the bill, and they seem like rad people so this should be one hell of a show.

Film School are also playing out front of the Sailor Jerry shop at 4pm, but we'll have more on this tomorrow.

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Some random videos of the event.

See the official SJ video here!

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/LDtn24T6Fq0[/yt]

[yt]http://youtube.com/v/TduoTksk_-c[/yt]

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/vt9hSgIUwQc[/yt]

Now, I don't through around the term Legend loosely. Nathaniel Mayer is at the forefront of a (sadly) dying breed and tonight he and his band proved why. From the first song the entire club started dancing and continued to do so for well over an hour. Nate repeatedly asked the crowd to "shake what your momma gave you" and they did not let their mommas down.

Nate and Company played the classics with a renewed vigor and the new tracks like this was their last show ever, stopping on a dime when Nate's arm raised to the ceiling. I can honestly say that this one was one of the best performances I've ever seen. The set ended with a 30 min + jam with Nate going through the crowd to grab some highlifes twice and putting a smile on faces more times than anyone could count.

This was an evening that everyone in attendance will remember for a long, long time.

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After a few days of feeling under the weather, I'm feeling better and getting stoked on the new stuff on it's way.

First up is the Fulltone Supa-Trem and you may have guessed that it's a Tremolo Pedal. You were right! I have Tremolo built into my AC-30 and it does it's job, but I was looking for something with a bit more functionality and range.

The Supa-Trem has only 2 knobs (Speed and Mix) but 3 footswitches:

The 1st is obviously the on-off (you should know how this works).

The second for speed control: Depending on how you have it set it either doubles the speed or cuts it in half.

The 3rd switches the style of tremolo between round wave (smooth sound) and square (choppy/jutting). Awesome!

To see and hear how this pedal functions watch this great demo video from ProGuitarShop.com:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/oewZBtGANuE&feature=related[/yt]

And the guitar... I'm trading my SG 61 Reissue in for an Eastwood Saturn 63'. It's a copy (although not exact) of the Hopf Saturn 63' and, reissue or not, one of the coolest looking guitars EVER. A little info on the original:

The most successful Guitar made by Hopf Company, The Saturn 63 was made in 1963, and by using it in the ad for the famous STAR CLUB / Hamburg, this guitar became forever linked to that scene. Not only the fantastic and futuristic design, but also the full-massive sound of this guitar fascinated a lot of young guitarists in Europe.

The Eastwood reissue looks and sounds just as good. Just ask the dork in this video:

[yt]http://www.youtube.com/v/h0V0TeZ0E2k[/yt]

Yea!

The Test Patterns are playing their first Philly show. Haven't heard them?

The Test Patterns combine mega-catchy pop hooks with ripping punk energy. In the short time they've been together, they've released a killer single on Alicja Trout's Contaminated Records, played two well-received sets as part of the inaugural Radio Heartbeat powerpop festival, and won the hearts of everyone lucky enough to see them live.

The band features Dan from The Radio Beats (Pittsburgh) and Yago from Gito Gito Hustler (Tokyo). Recommended if you like the Marked Men, Radio Shanghai, late-period Registrators, and other good melodic punk rock.

Here the band here!

So yea...

The Guns N' Roses "leak" was a total April fools prank. I'd whipped it together in GarageBand in about a half an hour and sent it around to some people and was surprised to hear "This sucks!" rather than "This isn't real."

A combination of the above answers answers would have been correct.

Some of you figured it out.. so I guess you win some sort of imaginary prize.. like your dignity.

That said, there's been ENTIRELY too much stuff for Guns N' Roses on the blog and this will be the last.

Spring is here and Axl is officially banned.

Rejoice!

The first in Jay's six single series for Matador Records proves that his stuff is getting better all the time.

I pre-ordered the record (along with a copy of the newly remastered Mission of Burma "VS" Dbl LP!) about a week ago and was pleasantly surprised to have BOTH records turn up yesterday: It's not slated for official release until April 8th!

"See Saw" makes for a great A-Side with the blatant pop-hooks and love/hate song topics Reatard's been getting known for. The repeat of "She creeps me out... She crept me in again" at the end of the song is kinda perfect.

On the flip is "Screaming Hand", equally as pop in it's sensibilities but with a little bit more the "weirdness" and rad arrangement that I tend to favour in his songs.

All in all another great release from this Memphis-based asshole... and one you should go buy immediately from Matador Records before it's too late

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Shawn and CO somehow have one night in Philadelphia between Tuscon, AZ and Europe so they're treating us to (what I imagine) will be a KILLER set!

First 50 people there get a free DL CD.

Begin getting hyped by watching them do "Hologram" (off the upcoming GONER RECORDS LP) at SXSW!

Digital Leather - Hologram from Darrell Strawberry on Vimeo.

Yep... here's an officially leaked track of the "upcoming" Chinese Democracy record.

It's only a portion of the song (there's a fade out after the first Chorus) and I'm not entirely sure what's going on because it certainly doesn't sound like an album that cost 13 million dollars to make.

Either way... GnR fans get hyped? haha

What a pile of crap!

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So a couple of days ago I posted up a "remix" version of Digital Leather doing the Raveonettes "Dead Sound" (you can see that by clicking here).

Shawn Foree (DL's evil mastermind) just chimed in via email with this track stating: "i have the "real" cover of dead sound i did, the one not posted anywhere yet."

The track below is the most dark (and best) Raveonettes song you will ever hear.

P.S. If I never have to type "Raveonettes" again I will die happy.

Check out Digital Leather's myspace page for more awesomeness.

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So a few years back my friend hops into my car and requests (more like DEMANDS) to play the Judgement Night soundtrack. I told him no.... even after he insists that the Slayer and Ice T "mash-up" sounds like Discharge and is worth hearing.

Several weeks later he manages to force the track on me and it turns out the reason he though it sounded like Discharge was because they were doing a medley of Exploited covers.

The isn't the best stuff in the world... but I guess he was right: It kinda is worth hearing.. but only this track.

P.S. Changing "UK82" to "LA92" is hilarious!

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March 26, 2008, 11:30 AM ET

"Chinese Democracy" was most recently scheduled for release on March 6, 2007, but promptly vanished from the schedule without a new date being set. It will be the first Guns N' Roses album since the 1993 covers collection "The Spaghetti Incident"; in the ensuing decade, the group has burned through a reported $13 million in recording expenses.

Hot off the press (aka Jay's Blog) comes this weird little pop song about a tiny home and all kinds of other shit.

There's no point in saying anything else... download it and give it a listen.

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Yep. Our boys in Paint it Black are doing us a solid and joining the ranks of the many great bands to have graced the pavement outside Sailor Jerry.

So here's the deal. First off...If you're not already here, get your ass to Philly. Then come by the shop, have a drink and gear up for one of the (if not THE) best hardcore bands in existence.

After our minds have been throughly blown, we're all heading in mass to the Philly Premiere of Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry at the Prince Theatre.

If that's not enough... We're throwing a shindig at Tattooed Moms afterwards to round out the festivities.

And don't worry kids... the Street show is All Ages.

Got it?

Good.

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I have a little ritual I've carried out every Easter for the last bunch of years and its got nothing to do with eggs, bunnies or candy. But it's got everything to do with the devil.

I wake up in a haze from whatever Easter Eve festivities and throw on my beat up copy of Slayer 'Reign In Blood'... at full volume. I preface playing the album in it's entirety by queing up "Alter Of Sacrifice" and relearn "the scared words of 'Praise Hail Satan.'"

There really is no other way to kick start this holiday.

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It shouldn't take the Raveonettes for the rest of the world to realize how amazing Shawn Foree and (his) Digital Leather is. But since the majority of "music fans" are reminiscent of pathetic baby birds waiting for momma-bird to regurgitate life into their ears... I guess it does.

We've said it many times before: Digital Leather is the best. They're on our latest CD compilation, played with us at our Vegas party and we've been pushing them on the blog since it's inception. Nothing new.

Simple put, Digital Leather takes an OK song and destroys it. In a good way. This isn't a "remix" in the sense of some idiot changing the levels and adding in gay beeps. This is a COMPLETE restructuring and re-recording.

Yea.. that's Sean playing everything and it certainly isn't the dork from the Raveonettes singing. It's cover under the guise of a remix. How 2008!

Both songs are below.. compare yourself.

Don't forget to pick up the new LP 'Sorcerer' out soon on Goner Records! It's sure to be a dousy.

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Scouring through the lists (and lists and lists) of SXSW showcases... nothing really struck me as particularly astounding. Sure, there were plenty of great bands listed, but I was looking for that kinda "holy crap!" type of moment. When I stumbled upon the Homosexuals' listing, I felt I may have found said moment.

Prior to the gig, I'd had my reservations about what exactly I'd witness. As I said to countless people I had run into throughout the day, "The Homosexuals are playing tonight at the Beauty Bar. It's probably going to be awful... but it might be amazing. Either way... I'll be there."

The Homosexuals are one of my favourite bands' from the last 70's/early 80's and this isn't narrowed down to any style or location (I.E. NY Glam, Japanese Hardcore...etc), they were just amazing. But up against the experience of more widely-known reformed bands... it was sure to be crap.

Luckily for those of us who went, it was truly amazing and easily one of the best performances I've ever witnessed.

Enjoy.

Find out more about the Homosexuals:

http://www.myspace.com/thehomosexuals

http://www.astralglamour.com

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The below track was written and recorded by Dave Vanian (from the Damned... duh) for our latest compilation CD. However, unless you live in the UK... you probably haven't heard it.

Due to some legal issues (that I don't quite understand) the song was only included on the English version of the comp as the first track.

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It's that time of year again. Stupid people EVERYWHERE celebrate their (false) Irish heritage by downing Guinness, Jameson and cheap lagers tainted green while making even bigger asses of themselves. Yay.

For the past few years I'd been treated to seeing the Pogues tear though some of my favourite Irish-esque classics, but with my being out of town during their yearly visit, I'm limited to pulling out the records and humming along with them.

So I ask you all to join me in my St Paddys routine of throwing on the first Pogues LP... because SJ Rum and Anti-Freeze sounds like a really bad idea.

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So we're at SXSW and today we witnessed a host of things... The Kills, The Slits, Black Keys and the Dicks (video of all to come soon!) but one of my favourite moments was pre-Black Keys when they played a shitload of Beefheart.

If your not not hip to the Captain you should be ashamed of yourself. Seriously. Here's a track off the first LP. It's also featured on the Nuggets comp and it's a damn fine example of all that's right with the world.

"60's inspired" bands... eat your heart(s) out.

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One of my favourite songs by Love, if not one of the my all time faves. I was listening to this CD ('Forever Changes') on the way to practice when I realized what a fantastic cover this song could make.

I mean, people cover Love all the time but it's mostly "7&7 Is" or something a little more hard-edged. This song is played with a similar energy but with the acoustic throughout and the drums panned to the side and weakened, it's tough to gauge the power held within.

The video below is from a recent reunion and definitely drives the point home that this song is just unstoppable.

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It's not an exaggeration... Lost Sounds are, by far, once of the best bands of the past 20 years. They fused pretty much every style of music worth a shit (and I mean EVERY) into a sonic and deadly cacophony of audible brilliance.

* Self-Titled, 1999, Solid Sex Lovie Doll

* Memphis is Dead, Bigneck Records, 2000

* 1+1 = Nothing, Empty Records, 2000

* Outtakes & Demos Vol. 1, Contaminated 2001

* Black-Wave, Empty Records, 2001

* Demos & Outtakes, Vol. 1, Hate Records, 2001

* Demos & Outtakes, Vol. 2, On On Switch, 2003

* Rat's Brains & Microchips, Empty Records, 2002

* Future Touch EP,In the Red, 2004

* Lost Sounds,In the Red, 2004

I'm not going to bother trying to convince you with words.. here's the meat:

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In this outtake from the film Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry, legendary tattoo artist "Crazy" Philadelphia Eddie Funk describes the heyday of tattooing on Hotel Street, Honolulu, Hawaii.

For more information visit:

http://horismokumovie.com

Writer/Director: Erich Weiss

Executive Producer: Steven Grasse

Synopsis

Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry is a feature length documentary exploring the roots of American tattooing through the life of its most iconoclastic figure, Norman "Sailor Jerry" Collins. Considered by many the foremost tattoo artist of all time, Collins is the father of modern day tattooing, whose uncompromising lifestyle and larger than life persona made him an American legend. Through rare interviews, photographs and hours of archival footage, Hori Smoku Sailor Jerry: The Life and Times of Norman Keith Collins, explores the past, present and future of the global tattooing phenomenon.

Near Philly? Go to this show!

Bands:

The Choke (NYC produced by the Buzzcocks)

Love City (Philly Garage Punk Debut)

DJs:

Chief Inspector

Honorable Mr.Gallows

Free PBR from 9-10pm

Friday March 21st

@ The M Room

15 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, PA 19123

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From the archives of SF's famous Target Video comes this monster release from the classic original early 80s line up of Flipper. Capturing extreme and scorching performances from 1980 and 1981, this DVD helps form a picture of the band that slowed down punk rock and made the kids suffer in the "louder faster" days of hardcore. An intense blend of noise, punk and drone music coupled with an in your face attitude and performance style made Flipper one of most "out there " bands of the early 80s scene. This DVD features stellar performances from Berkeley and the Kezar and is (mostly) unreleased and incredible snapshot into the other side of "American Hardcore."

Track Listing/Features:

* Low Rider

* Friends

* Brainwash

* One by One

* Ha, Ha, Ha

* Oh, Oh, Ay Oh

* Love Canal

* The Wheel

* End the Game

* Shine

* Nothing

* Low Rider

* One by One

* Hard Cold Old World

* Life

* Sex Bomb

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On Halloween (of course!) 1986 the gods of punk rock rose from the dead. The original members of the Dead Boys reformed for a short jaunt to pre-Disney NYC and leveled the audience of old heads, burnouts, prostitutes, junkies, geeks and freaks.

This DVD is the document of that hallowed evening at the Ritz. Stiv Bators, Cheetah Chrome, Jimmy Zero, Jeff Magnum and Johnny Blitz got it together for one more show in their old stomping ground of New York City.

Starting with an introduction from long time supporter Joey Ramone, to the power riff of the honest-to-god anthem "Sonic Reducer" (played twice!) to an unreal cover of the Stooges' "Search and Destroy," the Dead Boys put the boot to the notion that all reunions suck (at least at that point! ha).

Here's "All This And More":

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I had mixed feelings about the show. First off, I'd heard from several people that the recent London show was crap. Just awful. But I'd also heard reports that he'd played great at both that gig and others.

Anyone that expects for Rok and crew to get up on stage and blast out some Elevators songs with the same passion, mysticism and fury that they had in the 60's is just stupid.

First off, it's a different band with different playing styles and those songs aren't exactly easy to "paint by numbers" with. SECOND... Roky's not the same person that wrote and performed those songs, if not because of age than definitely due to his long fabled insanity.

That said, I approached the Hoboken gig as a chance to see a living legend but not with the intent of holding him to past glories: I wanted to see what Roky had to offer in 2008 and I was VERY excited. I'd been looking forward to this intimate show from the time I'd bought the tickets a month before and I was not disappointed in the least.

Roky and the Explosives banged through a set that read like his recently Anthology CD and started off with the one-two punch of "It's A Cold Night For Alligators" and "Don't Shake Me Lucifer". They achieved at beefing up the solo tunes and giving them the energy that most of those studio recordings lack. I will say that the 13th Floor songs they tackled were a bit of a let down (especially "Splash 1") but this was expected.

Simply put... this was a fantastic use of the $25 I paid to get it and a night I'll probably remember until I can't remember anything. If you've got a chance to go see Roky and you don't than you're crazier than he is!

Video Coming SOON!

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"The Homosexuals lived and played in London in the late '70s and early '80s, and the evidence suggests that they were magnificent?as potent and visionary as Wire or Pere Ubu. So how come nobody's ever heard of them? In part because they'd do anything to avoid the obvious, to the point of perversity. Their name could barely be printed on a fanzine cover; they never really made an album, and nothing by them was even on CD until this year. Two singles, one sleeveless EP, a pile of pseudonymous releases and side projects and cassettes (all heretofore condemned to collector hell by their radiance and rarity)?really, most of what's left of them is their ephemera. The Homosexuals' Record, a posthumous collection of half-disintegrated work tapes (mostly slammed out live in a friend's studio after the Police had left for the night), finally went digital a few months ago, but Astral Glamour is the total experience: three discs' worth of everything extant involving two of the band's three principals, guitarists Bruno McQuillan and Anton Hayman. (The third, bass monster Jim Welton, a/k/a L. Voag, a/k/a Amos, deserves his own anthology.)

If you're prepared for a rewarding slog, go for the longer set: Appreciating the Homosexuals for the process band they were means confronting their fondness for the unfinished or finished-and-then-de-finished. Astral Glamour is loaded with promising jams, fragments, perky melodies detourned by freakishly mannered singing, appearances by a Uruguayan painter, progressive tilts at sideways riffs, and seven unfinished instrumentals recently overdubbed with McQuillan's attempts to remember the words. Occasionally, the band blows a hole through the middle of the target, just to prove they can: the Dada disco incinerator "Soft South Africans," the 94-second art-punk slalom "Vociferous Slam," a dance song called "You're Not Moving the Way You're Supposed To" with a