Kamikaze Conniptions

Farce... Look!

2010-07-15T16:27:00.001-07:00

Refugio del Crápula +34 976 292 535 Calle Mayor, 56, 50001 Zaragoza España

Marseille?... Ya Don`t Say..

2010-07-10T19:46:00.000-07:00

`Nuff Said

2010-07-08T06:56:00.000-07:00

Dejected, Lonely, & Drunk

2010-07-08T06:01:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate the Era of the Tabula Rasa in Paris this Saturday the 10th of July.

Mala Raza Presents...

2010-07-06T04:20:00.000-07:00

Aryawn Reunion Gig in Spain

Sonic Drive-In, Not Drive-Thru...

2009-10-29T21:11:00.000-07:00

Mystery gift provided by robotic drive-in employee. A little bit of everything for everyone. This mechanistic minion of corporate drive-in wage slavery is also a purveyor of fine weirdo folk or whatever neue-hipster label you wanna affix to his rampant musical meanderings.

Wooden Tit Bean Ice

Not Much Ashtray Dirt...

2009-09-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

Garage rock from Philadelphia produced by Joe Talcum of the Dead Milkmen. Ashtray toured extensively with Afghan Whigs and Ed Hall throughout the '90s. They released a couple of 7-inch records and a full-length CD.

Here's a smidgeon of their self-titled CD:

Ashtray

One, Two, T'ree... Sing It, Nancy!

2009-09-13T14:54:00.000-07:00

The first female MC in the reggae dancehall scene, Sister Nancy, began her musical career in the late '70s while working with her brother, Brigadier Jerry. Performing at Reggae Sunsplash and releasing a live album on Heartbeat Records, she quickly became a celebrity with the release of two LPs and a collaboration with Yellowman. She still performs occasionally but currently works at a bank in New Jersey, stating that she gave her career a rest so that other female DJs could step up to the plate.

One, Two...

Twist It, Bo!

2009-09-13T14:22:00.000-07:00

A second installment of Bo Carter re-issues brought to you in 1973 by world-renowned record label Yazoo Records. The unusual approach he took with strumming the guitar makes him one of the masters of the blues guitar. In a genre where so many collections of musicians' recordings come off as repetitive, Carter's ability to maintain the listener's attentiveness to what he's doing with the guitar is quite astounding.

For those who are so taken in by his picking that they wish to try to emulate, there is an actual DVD devoted to studying his playing technique here.

Twist It Babe: 1931-1940

O'Hell with Anok in the PRC

2009-09-07T07:33:00.000-07:00

Dave O'Dell traveled to China in the mid-1990s as a foreign exchange student for a semester and wound up staying for 8 years. This period of time proved fruitful in the form of several jobs: writing for Beijing Scene, working for Pearl Printing's technology sector, developing and printing web promotions for bands on the Rock Records label, as well as some film work with IMAR Film Company (the first independent film company in China).

A chance meeting with China's first punk band, Gao Wei And Underbaby, led to many organized punk gigs, including the first punk festival, titled (you guessed it!) Punk's Not Dead. A shy friend by the name of Xiao Rong said he was starting a band called Brain Failure. Although, the first incarnation of the band didn't last too long, a new incarnation was started when Dave decided he would join as bassist and it wasn't long before the band became a hit sensation with Chinese youth. Brain Failure even went on to play in US musical events such as CMJ and SXSW in the late '90s/early 'oughts.

The Anarchy Jerks are basically a Chinese Oi band. Their gigs are almost always followed by government repression of various sorts, which usually end with shows being shut down by cops with guns and in riot gear. They even played a rave in Yunnan province on a small island that was located outside of Dali, where police landed and demanded to know what a DJ was and whether raves were considered subversive. The police asked one kid if his wallet had some kind of political significance and used this as the reason for shutting down the rave.

Although, a Westerner may think that some of this music simply hearkens back to English punk and oi, it's amazing that a youth movement of this sort can flourish in such a repressive and contained environment.

Anarchy In The P.R.C.

Not to be Confused with the Metal Band by the Same Name...

2009-06-16T21:27:00.000-07:00

Although this CD is out of print, a Google search will show that excerpts of this album by Diamondhead have made it onto many online radio shows. This drone outfit was started by L. Eugene (Lonnie) Methe ("The New Obama"). Hailing from Omaha & Philly, Mr Methe sought musical refuge in Austin for a time and played live gigs with the rhythm section from The Young.

"...the entire album manages to sound like they're in the process of tuning up for a real gig that probably happened after someone turned off the tape recorder." - RKF, Dead Angel

"Throbbing rhythms and loopy experimentalism trade body blows. No one wins, but it sounds really cool."- Jon Worley

'Dirty Realism'

"You Could Call It a Gimmick but That’s Just Short-Sightedness..."

2009-06-02T05:52:00.000-07:00

Originally released on Anomalous Records, this album was re-issued by Sublime Frequencies, where all copies quickly sold out! The sonic explorations captured by Robert Mills fit well within the parameters of the Alan Bishop recordings on the Sublime Frequencies record label so it's not a big shock that they picked up this auditory treasure.

"Let Millis be your guide on this mini-odyssey through strange lands; great to listen to and also useful as an insight as to the one of many 'bedrock' influences on the work of this very singular band."
-- Ed Pinsent / The Sound Projector

Leaf Music, Drunks, Distant Drums

Drummond Up Business

2009-05-31T22:58:00.000-07:00

Houston, TX- In 1965, Fred Carroll started a record label called International Artists so that he could market a band by the name of the Coastliners. It was a failed endeavor which led to him quickly selling the record label for $35 (the cost of the printing ink for the logo) to local lawyer Bill Dillard. Bill got together with Noble Ginther (another lawyer), Lester Martin (a recording studio owner), and Ken Skinner (of Tapier Music Corporation) and released a series of 45 singles that garnered very little recognition.

It wasn't until they caught wind of an Austin act by the name of the 13th Floor Elevators and signed contracts for the release of You're Gonna Miss Me that people started paying attention to the label. After the Elevators' two Dick Clark appearances and a second run of the popular single, it wasn't long before the label felt in over their head so they hired Lelan Rogers from LA to handle their production and promotion. Shortly after this personnel addition, the label signed Red Crayola (later called Red Krayola), Lost & Found, Thursday's Children, and the Golden Dawn. The move to a psychedlic repertoire was extremely evident in the acts that they signed to the label.

In 1968, the label started to suffer and Lelan left. IA decided to hire Fred Carroll back, who took over the tasks that Lelan had been brought on to do. Things started to perk up a bit with a release by Bubble Puppy and IA acquired a record plant in Nashville. However, the label officially filed bankruptcy in 1971 and little else happened until Lelan bought the rights to the Elevator's back catalog in 1975 and Roky Erickson & Mayo Thompson (of Red Krayola) resurrected their careeers. The unfortunate thing was that with all the interest generated in IA and the 13th Floor Elevators, the lack of output resulted in mass bootlegging of albums throughout Europe, Scandinavia and Japan. Lelan finally sold off the rights shortly before his death in 2002 after a legal battle involving the 13th Floor Elevators. A very thorough insight into this debacle can be explored in Paul Drummond's book Eye Mind: The Saga Of Roky Erickson And The 13th Floor Elevators, The Pioneers Of Psychedelic Sound. Although, some have questioned the integrity of what has been written there.

In 1980, a 12-LP box set of International Artists' releases was pressed; it included re-issues of previous recordings, demos, interviews, and radio spots. Sunspots released a CD and LP of Epitaph For A Legend- capturing the high points of this box set- only a few years ago. It quickly went out of print and was issued yet again by Collectibles as a double CD. Here is the Sunspots pressing of this original single disk collection.

Epitaph For A Legend
Epitaph For A Legend Liner Notes

Chumbawamba A Capella, or Chumbawamba, Yon Instrumentation Doth Slumba!

2009-05-22T06:00:00.001-07:00

In 1989, Chumbawamba released an album of a capella songs of rebellion spanning many centuries. The 10-inch record did not sit well with the "punk public" who were still listening to "re-hashed versions of Feeding of the 5000." The staff of Maximum Rocknroll even had a staff meeting to discuss whether they would continue to do any write ups or interviews with the band and after a hearty discussion deemed the recording as "not punk" and haven't mentioned them much ever since. In Ian Glasper's book The Day The Country Died: A History Of Anarcho-Punk-1980-1984, Boff Whalley said, "On the one hand we thought it was ridiculous, and on the other we thought it was quite funny! Some of those people were just gob-smacked...it's no good getting all upset about it; we never said anyone had to like it; we just wanted to provoke them, to get them to try something different for once..."

English Rebel Songs 1381-1914

Barraged by the Beatitudes of Borchert

2009-05-12T21:17:00.000-07:00

Wolfgang Borchert, a German playwright during the Second World War, found himself sentenced to death by the Third Reich for his inflammatory criticism of the governing party through his writing and plays. He was sent to fight in the front lines as his punishment. Each time he returned wounded and was accused by the Nazi government of intentionally wounding himself in order to escape death in battle. A year after the end of the Second World War, he finally succumbed to his wounds but not before enjoying a bit of success for his work in theatre. His appeal lay mostly in his firmly held idea that the youth of Germany were not responsible for the sins of their fathers.

Aryawn's latest musical effort focuses specifically on the prose of Wolfgang Borchert. His written account of being a soldier expected to easily flow back into the structure of society after encountering the hazards of war are relevant to those who are about to return to a world that will never be the same for them. The musical approach on this new CD demo is quite different from the previous recording effort. Although there are hints of an alternative sound still present, it has fewer ties to the punk roots in Aryawn's first recording. It almost begs the question: Now that punk rock has grown up and given birth to children of its own... who is responsible for the most current sins being perpetrated on society?

Bush, Borchert, & Birkenstocks

Don't Tell Mom (the house burned down) Fest II

2009-03-19T10:50:00.000-07:00

The first year anniversary of Aryawn will be celebrated tomorrow evening at the 2nd annual Don't Tell Mom Fest. The event is being re-located to the Wok House since House of Commons burned down two months ago and is currently being rebuilt. Donations for ICC (Inter-Cooperative Council) will be cheerfully accepted at the event.

Team Robespierre- Dirty sounds for dirty people!
Best Friends Forever- Celebrating 14 years of friendship!
Henry Sugar- Kill Henry Sugar? Never!
Aryawn- Defilers of genre...
Jaakko & Jay- "We are what we are, we are what we say and we say what we want. And just because we dont look like you, or act like you, it doesnt make us any better or worse."
Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang- AMERICAN FOLK RIOT!
THAT Damned Band- "The locomotive’s motives are to haul and deliver!"
Why Can't The English Teach Their Children How To Speak?- abcdeghijklmnowhycan'ttheenglishteachtheirchildrenhowtospeak?pqrstuvwxyz....

Seattle Gone South

2008-10-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Special Show on the Night Before Fun Fun Fun Fest!

Show starts promptly at 8 pm on 6 November 2008 at the House of Commons Co-Op smack dab in the middle of West Campus at 2610 Rio Grande.

Aryawn (You will believe that baboons can go hermaphroditic!)
Boogdish ('S'not your average one-man band!)
The Pharmacy (Heinous happy go-lucky hi-jinks!)
The Terrordactyls (Acoustic Wonder Rot!)

A Record as Long as Your Forearm

2008-08-30T20:23:00.001-07:00

Aryawn's keyboardist suffered an injury yesterday. For now, the band is still planning on playing the gig.

Thank God, I'm a Contra Boy!... oh, wait a minute...

2008-08-14T18:02:00.000-07:00

...that phrase was coined by someone else!

Austin Secret Photo Show- The Cat's Outta The Bag...

2008-08-14T16:02:00.000-07:00

Aryawn will be performing an unusual set at the very first annual Austin Secret Photo Show.

Aryawn
Liane Ojito
Kristina Boswell
Night Viking (tentative)
Ethan Kennedy (tentative)
David Israel (tentative)

The Yawning Void Gapes at Us

2008-05-12T21:24:00.000-07:00

The musical sealant to plug into the leaking dike of society.
This is the sound of Aryawn.

"Sort of like if Queen and James Chance had gotten together with Suicide and decided to perform a classical opera at Crass' house." -Stephen Canner (singer from Too Cool, Your Real Dad)

The Milk Of Human Kindness

Imaginings Made Manifest

2008-05-12T21:09:00.000-07:00

All but two copies of the first printing of Aryawn's CD demos have been given away but the songs are available for download on this 'blog as well as on last.fm.

Aryawn on last.fm

Aryawn Nation as Opera

2008-05-12T18:44:00.000-07:00

Video of Aryawn's performance at the bridge that was occupied on the anniversary of the Enrages blockades in Paris in the grand old year of 1968.

Synopsis:

Act I: GW Bush awakens to realize that his dreams of power and conquest can no longer be realized through good ol' boy politics. He tastes the blood thirst of the Presidency and decides that things need to be taken a stage further than they ever have. After participating in a retreat that puts him in touch with his inner fascist, he performs a sacred ritualistic dance and raises the spirit of the wizened Ronald Reagan, who offers him all the power of his wildest dreams. Reagan's offer has a catch, though, and he inhabits the body of Bush in exchange for this unparamounted power. The deal is stricken and Bush rises to power.

Act II: Bush rises to power and the people of the US feel safe while under his sway. Mass celebrations occur across the country and everyone feels unified in their blind trust of his leadership. He embraces the soul of Reagan, who gains more and more control over his actions and thoughts. The soul fuck commences and the two become one.

Act III: Awareness slowly creeps into the consciousness of the American people as Bush's lies become more and more apparent. An opposing form of witchcraft makes itself manifest as the people perform their own spells and exorcise their rites. The exorcism casts the spirit of Reagan out of Bush's body, who screeches in horror at the sound of free speech in its purest form. Bush's own lust for power consumes him and he perishes in a flame of his own making. The people celebrate geniunely this time as they stomp out his remains, resolute in their decision to finally take their lives into their own hands. The burning embers scatter to the winds; some are frightened by this instantaneous freedom that has suddenly become foisted on them and they attempt to take refuge in the ways of the past but they are no more. Some revel and some are left in stark fear of where to go from here. They are already dead. The empty page stares us in the face; its blankness awaiting the touch of our pen. Do we dare make the first mark?

Now that you have a program, download a video of the show.

A spontaneous, unrequested encore video will be forthcoming.

Play Bridge

2008-05-08T23:55:00.000-07:00

The day grows closer. The spirit of the Enrages beckons. Lee grows one year older. A silver spoon-fed mentally handicapped chimp prepares for his last days in the Oval Office. Hart Crane pines for old Walt.

The gig mentioned in the previous post happens this weekend (10 May 2008). The locale is a favorite haunt chosen by local bands of "lesser stature." In an attempt to break free from the confines of genre-specific gigs that most venues put on in this town, it was decided to intentionally set up a gig with bands comprised of differing musical styles so as to bring a varied fan base together to enjoy a night of musical mayhem. Show starts promptly at 2 am at the pedestrian bridge closest to Lamar Boulevard in Austin, Texas on Saturday night (Sunday morning, if you prefer). The show is free so don't miss it!

Bands in attendance:

Whale Fall (makes The Locust sound like the Indigo Girls)- 2:00 am
Aryawn (absolutely unclassifiable music that sometimes sounds like jazz, sometimes punk, and (in a rare moment) opera fronted by a guy with a Hitler mustache)- 2:25 am
Jerry Seinfeld's Atrophied Sac (free jazz that will make all parents believe that jazz has once again become the devil's music)- 2:50 am
Naw Dude (hardcore with a neutron bong)-3:15 am

If you miss church because of this show, then store credit for Heaven (TM) will be issued to you.

March into Madness

2008-04-28T21:59:00.000-07:00

Does anyone pay attention to College Music Journal anymore? Did they in the first place?

Looking at the magazine's website with its archaic layout (but really, can the term 'archaic' actually be used to describe graphic design that is probably not quite 5 years old?), it's kind of laughable to think that college kids actually read this shit to find out what's cool and hip. These guys were like the proto-hipsters before the variety of white belt strappin', angular haircut sportin' Romulans made the scene so the staff give off an air of being washed up in music critique business.

If someone that reads this blog actually reads CMJ, feel free to drop a comment to blast how full of shit this perception is. It would be nice to know a little more about a publication that has been ignored for the most part.

This CD was part of a monthly giveaway that came with the magazine when it was printed back in the '90s; a lot of people still didn't have access to the internet, so this was a great way to get new sounds out to people. No one cared about flexi disks any more... except for those of us who never gave up our penchant for vinyl in the first place!

Beastie Boys: These guys don't need any introduction to most people. The tracks on this comp were taken from the album Some Old Bullshit, which featured their music from their hardcore beginnings before their mocking of rap music proved to pay more bills than playing gigs with Bad Brains.

Solsonics: This LA-based manufacturer of grooves produced a pretty decent fusion of acid-jazz and hip-hop. Although, the vocal ramblings don't quite match the finesse of the other musicians, their re-workings of pieces by the likes of Ahmad Jamal are enthralling enough to suck you in and make you forget about the verbal fluff that occurs on the upper layers.

Therapy?: Formed in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1989, this band's influences vary from Black Sabbath to Can to Captain Beefheart to Public Enemy to John Zorn. The band formed when the individual members met at a gig comprised of local bands. The opening guitar chords on this track are intense but beyond that it's pretty standard '90s pop-punk with a bit of grunge added for good measure.

Failure: Although, one could state this is standard alt-rock faire, the guitar work and signal processing of this recording is pretty nice. One can definitely feel the impression of the finger print of Steve Albini in this recording; this isn't surprising as he produced the first album that Failure recorded. The quality of the drum track is a bit sludgy but it really goes well with the overall soundscape of the song. Jello Biafra joked about calling a band Failure; wonder if these guys ever heard that record...

Texas: Blues rock hailing from Glasgow, Scotland. Sounds kind of like Bonnie Raitt gone rock 'n' roll. Famed for re-recording their song So Called Friend for Ellen DeGeneres' comedy sit-com.

Luna: Hints of Jesus & Mary Chain if they were strictly acoustic- but only during the verses. Then this really silly schmaltzy chorus goes into effect, ruining the vibe of the song. Apparently, two of these band members got married after playing together for over 15 years and for some reason people are making a big deal about it. Now, if they were same-sex, then that would be some news!

Bruce Cockburn: If you know anything about this Canadian musician, then you know that he has an incredible amount of output. The myth is that he found his first guitar in his grandmother's attic, to which he affixed stickers of stars and played along with the radio. His second band, Olivus, actually played a gig with Jimi Hendrix and Cream in 1968. In 1969, he headlined the Mariposa Folk Festival because Neil Young canceled the gig to play Woodstock. In 1984, his previous spiritual work became more politicized and he wrote a song called If I Had A Rocket Launcher after visiting a Guatemalan refugee camp that had been attacked by military helicopters.

NRBQ: The New Rhythm And Blues Quartet formed back in 1967 in Florida and have been performing under various membership to this very day. Their eccentric approach to pop, blues, jazz, and even country has earned them a quirky following amongst some music listeners but not so much that record labels will keep them on the roster for longer than an album or two. Most of their records were released by Rounder Records in the 1980s and 1990s. As a result of this trend of working relations with those in the music industry, people have jokingly referred to NRBQ as standing for Nothing Really Beats Quality or No Records Bought in Quantity. Despite their rocky standing in the mainstream music community, it hasn't prevented them from playing zombies in Day Of The Dead, blowing up Cabbage Patch Dolls during their live sets, or writing songs for episodes of The Simpsons.

The Grays: The beginnings of Power Pop in the '90s was hailed by bands like Jellyfish and Beagle. Jason Falkner (ex-Jellyfish) met Jon Brion and inadvertently started a band while at a rehearsal studio with Buddy Judge and Dan McCarroll. Jon had spontaneously called a rep with Capitol Records and the next thing they knew numerous record companies were dangling offers before them. The Grays were formed, recorded one powerful album and then broke up mid-tour due to differences that arose between the musical composers despite their vehement attempts to avoid this pitfall. The vocals in this track are reminiscent of Joe Jackson.

Th' Faith Healers UK: When the record label Too Pure signed their first band, Th' Faith Healers announced that Thee Hypnotics had stolen the letter 'e' from their name. A fascination for Krautrock, a trilogy of bizarre sleeve designs that gave a whole new meaning to the word 'tasteless,' and a dance known as the Lurch are but the tip of the iceberg when delving into the legend of this "shambolic mess" from Camden.

Eat: After releasing two albums on the Cure's record label Fiction and being lauded as harbingers of a new sound that seemed to incorporate the best elements of bands such as the Doors, Gang of Four and Big Audio Dynamite, Eat went on hiatus for two years. Singer Ange Dolittle was recovering from a heroin addiction that was wreaking havoc on relations with the other band mates. This space of time led to a new line up and a new sound; the band released a third album that met with some positive reviews but by this point the band had run its course and just wasn't the same.

Loren Mazzacane: This guitarist has recorded over 50 albums under several names over the course of his musical career. Some may know him as Loren MazzaCane, Loren Mattei, Guitar Roberts or Loren MazzaCane Connors. Violin lessons in childhood and listening to his mother play Bach at funerals spurred him into studying the music of Giacomo Puccini, Frederic Chopin, Robert Pete Williams, and Muddy Waters. In 1978, he began recording an 8-volume series of LPs under the self-released Daggett record label. He has performed with Keiji Haino, Alan Licht, Jim O'Rourke, Chan Marshall, Darin Gray, Rafael Toral, John Fahey, Thurston Moore, Henry Kaiser, Dean Roberts, Jandek, and Suzanne Langille; he currently fronts the band Haunted House. Downloading this CD is a must, if just to hear this sample of his bleak folk music.

Grifters: Sub Pop band from Memphis who was all the rage in the '90s. Their credo summed up in three statements:

1. We promise not to incorporate hip-hop beats in an attempt to reach a younger audience (This shouldn't be a problem because there are still so many genres to pilfer.)

2. We promise to keep touring until we have a freakish yet devoted following of drug-addled suburbanites hanging out in the parking lots at all our shows.

3. We promise not to clear up our act any more than on this record. Why, even now we're working on ways of screwing up our personal lives even more just to assure you, the listener, that the future holds even more songs about confusion, heartbreak and dependancy.

R.L. Burnside: Although, RL recorded with George Mitchell back in 1967, it wasn't until the 1990s, with the release of an album on Fat Possum Records and the track on this compilation, that he began to really pick up steam as a musician. His album recorded with Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (A Ass Pocket Of Whiskey) further solidified his stature in modern blues and stirred further interest in the younger generation of music lovers.

Heavy Vegetable: Rob Crow's past involvement in this band paved the way for further musical inanity in the form of bands such as Thingy, Optiganally Yours, and Pinback. If you like any of the bands just mentioned, you owe it to yourself to give this band a listen. "Looking dumb is exactly what I'm doing right now, but I've got this illusion that I want to keep my integrity." Good male/female vocals coming from this outfit.

Sone: Sone were a band from Portland who released a short string of excellent and grotty singles in the 1990s. Their EP Holiday And Sport actually experimented with an electronic sound. Give it a listen and see whatcha think.

Cub: Having a reputation for being a "cute girl band" led to this band's music being dubbed "cuddlecore." There was once an incident in Houston where Neko Case, the drummer for Cub at the time, got into the audience and knocked the shit out of another girl for calling her a "whore."

Magic Hour: Wayne Rogers (the singer of Crystallized Movements) and longtime partner and guitarist Kate Biggar formed an alliance with Damon Krukowski and Naomi Yang (the rhythm section of Galazie 500). The result of which was the space rock band heard on this compilation. The band released three albums on modern-day psychedelic record label Twisted Village.

Varttina: A very unique roots-based vocal and musical style that combines Finno-Ugric elements, Finnish runo poetry, and distinctive harmonies. At the time of this release, the Varttina collective had recorded five albums and were part of the WOMAD (World Of Music And Dance) Festival. In this same year, the collective won MTV's anti-racist video competition in Europe. Live performances by the group are always dynamic and not to be missed!

LiLiPUT: After a legal action taken by Kimberly-Clark, makers of Kleenex, in 1979, this Swiss band, was forced to change its name from Kleenex (a brand of condom) to LiLiPUT. In the '90s, Marlene Marder, saxophone player for the band, put out a collection of Kleenex/LiLiPUT recordings, which this track is taken from.

CMJ New Music March No. 8

Haunted by the Ghosts of Christians Passed?

2008-04-25T01:53:00.000-07:00

A special ritual will be held in honor of the upcoming expiration date of Bush's illicit reign. Aryawn will be joined by Naw Dude, Jerry Seinfeld's Atrophied Sac, and Whale Fall on Saturday night/Sunday morning at 2 am on 10 May 2008 at an undisclosed public location.

Information forthcoming...

Don't Tell Mom Fest: Update

2008-04-24T21:02:00.001-07:00

The links in this post will enable you to download short video clips from the gig! Please help yourself!!

So, a month has gone by since the infamous HoC SXSW gig Don't Tell Mom Fest has occurred. The show met with great success and the participants, both musician and non-musician, showed much respect for the living space of those who hosted the event. All the people who participated in the planning and housing for the gig are appreciated immensely. Kudos x 10,000,000,000 especially go out to Wade and Clayton, the spearhead behind the show and the contact people for bands who wished to play. Apologies to those who got turned away and thanks to the extra bands who were added to the bill at the last minute. Below is a write up provided by many who attended the show:

Ecocide is a sludgy, crusty punk band reminiscent of Noothgrush, with strong-diaphragmed female vocals and, surprisingly, a violin. They played a really solid set early in the day, kicking off what was to be a date which will live in infamy. These young rapscallions hail from the dusty town of San Antonio.

In the eclectic spirit of the day, Ecocide was followed by the positive, poppy stylings of Bloomington, Indiana's Totally Michael. He was the first act to really get the crowd going with his energy and contagious smile (his myspace page lists his only two influences as Prince and Blink-182 but it makes sense if you see him play). Just for the record, he absolutely doesn't like raisins in his oatmeal.

Shapes Have Fangs are a local Austin garage rock band, who were really great sports and played later than listed to accommodate Totally Michael's totally out of control, totally fucked up schedule. Their set was catchy and precisely delivered.

Best Fwends act like they're in 5th grade but we know they're not because they sport beards. They played their entire set lying down on a plastic sheet speckled with cartoon characters that you can find on their website; some shifty-eyed jokers in the crowd responded in kind with the first horizontal mosh-pit ever witnessed. They had a cute photo-shoot in the commons space of the house before the show.

Boogdish suffered from some alleged "technical difficulties" so he did an entirely a capella set. Did his equipment really short circuit? Who knows? But there was a lot of snot- as always.

Best Friends Forever, played a highly energetic set in the heat of the day. These three cute kids sang songs about Eisenhower, romance, adventures, and traveling. the name of their album is in fact Romance Conflict Adventure. Its released on Plan-It-X Records. Getchya one for 5 bucks! The unique harmonies formed by the dual vocalists, along with their dancy beats, made them one of the most popular acts of the day.

The Show is the Rainbow? More like No Show is the Rainbow! But seriously... he was really disappointed he couldn't make it. Drunk and disoriented, he called the house phone six times to no avail. Little did he know that no one ever answers the damn thing.

O Pioneers! has undergone a lot of changes since the early twenty-oughts. From the nether-world of Houston's suburbs, O Pioneers! were long a staple of Texas country punk. They used to play pretty regularly at 1919 in Ft. Worth, with the likes of Fort Worth's Cattle Assassins and Denton's Angry Businessmen, as well as Saw Wheel and Defiance, Ohio. Once they played a show there with Matt & Kim. Since then they've changed drummers and added a guitarist, moving strongly towards more conventional, if rowdy, indie-rock. It was a disappointment to find that their well-known emphatic anthems were nowhere to be seen or heard. They brought musical comrades Look Mexico and Call It Radar, whose sounds fit well with their new style. Check out the video footage here!

Kick It! played next. Their set was "dance-punk" and when they donned the makeshift stage, the crowd really lit up. Maniacal dancing ensued- the nightlife of the gig had officially begun.

Surprisingly, this was Aryawn's first gig. This set was the holocaust mixed with Mary Poppins- needless to say one of the strangest and most memorable sets of the entire night. They played as the sun's last rays gurgled a painful death on the horizon and the keg arrived. Candles were lit at their feet where their pants were already hanging. Their first song was about resurrecting Reagan's corpse. Later in the set, they handed out cans of spray paint and the audience responded by trudging like zombies to a nearby condo (no comment on what happened next). One of the defining moments of the whole evening was when the entire crowd danced the waltz in carnivalesque glory. Issuing from keyboard, accordion, guitar, clarinet, and flute, their noise was scary (harsh at times) yet totally something you would let your four-year-old listen to. Hitler 'staches, tutus, fairy outfits, and disguises typified the night's most unlikely success.

Robo Trumble, hailing from San Antone, had previously played "the best show of their lives" at HoC the month prior at Conniption Fest '08. Although, this most recent performance was toned down a bit in comparison to the last one, they still drew a nice-sized crowd for their set. Video footage from the Conniption Fest has been added to the blog; check it out here! The sultry stanzas sung by Sarah coupled with the wily witticisms of brother and drummer Andy are always a treat.

Schwervon!: Who else but this duo from New York could re-work the lyrics of Wild Thing and turn it into a song about the mythical character Swamp Thing? Sexy songsters who get your salivary glands pumping in a thoroughly unexpected part of your anatomy. Check them out if they play in a town near you!

Angelo Spencer played as a traditional one-man band replete with drumset, guitar and harmonica, but with a DIY country twang. He played a song by This Bike is a Pipe Bomb which was inspired to cheer up Clayton over the fact that they were unable to play the show.

The show moved indoors at 11:00 pm and The Fainting Fansies went on next. They're an acoustic folk-punk band from Denver, Colorado with a sound sort of like Rosa Punx. Their songs were beyond catchy- maybe call it viral- so much so that people who had never heard them before were singing and shouting along by the end of their songs. Their set was amazingly fun with people jumping and dancing to melodies and lyrics completely devoid of pretense. From this point on it was more of an intimate, dancy, positive house show.

Nana Grizol (including members of Defiance, Ohio) kept the energy alive with an elaborate setup involving an organ and horns along with a more standard punk setup. They filled the dining room with a richly textured block of sound that was both sweet and striking- kind of like drinking southern tea while lying on the back of a flatbed speeding off to who knows where.

Madeline, Plan-It-X's smooth-voiced singer-songwriter from Athens, Georgia was the perfect way to put the night, with all its drunken windings, to bed. As her last notes died from the PA, the cop's spot lights bled in through the front windows, reminding those in attendance that they had tread into the West Campus neighborhood, the purported stompin' ground of the TABC and frat kids. They told everyone to quiet down or face the consequences, which was easy enough to comply with, as the marathon fest was finally over.

Will He Shit Bricks or Will He Yawn?

2008-03-09T20:11:00.000-07:00

What's Bush gonna do when he hears what you've been up to?

A band was formed two-weeks ago and will perform at a gig that has been put together over the course of the past three weeks. One of the perks of living in Austin is that one can put together a 14-band show in three weeks and bands will actually swarm out of the woodwork to participate. Apologies to those who weren't able to take part due to an incredible response in such a short period of time.

The band is a performance art troupe comprised of three individuals of mixed backgrounds and was an impromptu response to the forming of the music fest. The musical range of the group is comprised of many facets of our rich American heritage: hardcore, poetry, church organs, ballet, free jazz, opera, militarism, looped samples, metronomes, accordions, fascism, the rejection of fascism, bongos, ridiculous costumes, and, of course, the pun.

The entire gig begins at 1:30 pm at a local housing cooperative in Austin, TX on the date of the 14th of March. See you there!

Conniption Fest '08: Land of Toilets

2008-02-18T21:27:00.000-08:00

Video clips are contained within the links of this post. Everyone is welcome to partake.

The gig started at 11 pm after an hour of conniving µm to mount the stage. Although, Robo Trumble was scheduled first, only half of the duo was present. µm was an interesting experiment in sound that hinted at some of the sonic experience that was made manifest at the No Idea Festival the same weekend. The hypnotic drone-like quality of the sound µm created was a great way to get the show started and added an element of exploration that has gone the wayside for the simple, formulaic approach that has solidified into what is known as the hardcore format.

Robo Trumble followed with their zany stage antics. The crowd was worked into a frenzy and they were the only band that played an encore once they finished. The floor was quaking under the dancing of the partygoers. Drummer Andy said it was the best gig they'd ever played and they will most likely play the next show that is being lined up (currently dubbed Don't Tell Mom Fest).

The next band to play was Stymie (from Denton). They filled in for The Young when it was determined that one of the members had booked another engagement. Stymie played melodic hardcore that passes for the '80s style more than most bands that attempt to re-create that sound and the covers by Jawbreaker and The Descendents made the crowd go apeshit. At one point, a guy who had fallen in the pit started flailing when someone pulled him out in an attempt to help him and then had to restrain him as he was maniacally screaming, "Why the fuck are you holding me?! Let me go! They're playing The Descendents, you fucking fascists! Give me your badge numbers!"

Naw Dude was next. Singer Doug is the funniest mother fucker to ever don the stage. His banter in between songs is unparamounted. Examples of some of his witty repartee:

"Hey, we're not here to celebrate Ronald Reagan's death; we're here to celebrate his life." (Overheard at the House of Commons' Ron Is Gone celebration in Austin, Texas on 12 June 2004. The event was planned by HoC members a year prior to his death.)
"Vegan??? Man, I'll punch a fuckin' bee in the face!" (When asked about his choice of diet.)
"Let's save the world like good little hippies and all wash our butts with Dr Bronner's." (to which an audience member responded, "Smash the State with Sal's Suds!")

During this set, a fight ensued between female members of The Shitty Beach Boys and anyone who happened to be standing around and watching the gig. After dousings of beer, flung pint glasses, broken spectacles, and black eyes were incurred, the women in question were escorted off of the property but not before more beer was poured, fists were thrown, and shoes gouged into faces of people in the front yard. 'Twas a fun night to be had by all.

The Teeners fucking ripped!!! They played a gig at the Alamo Drafthouse at a film opening and the promoter who booked the performance on behalf of the place started shitting bricks half way through the set. He kept saying, "We can't control them! They're gonna tear the place apart!!" Their 7-inch will be posted soon...

Oddly enough, bands that caught wind of the gig just started showing up or calling while it was going on. Country Willie And The Cosmic Debris was the first to call. They're a "punkabilly" outfit fronted by a real country singer from the middle of the sticks in east Texas who sings songs about zombies and aliens. They were supposed to go on before The Teeners but ended up headlining the gig at 3:30 am much to the consternation of the booking agent.

One of the points of the evening that led to the disgruntled demeanor of this agent was the band who just showed up, plugged in, and started playing without telling a fucking soul. They were called Sex Advice and supposedly they were really brilliant.

Ex-HoC member Max showed up with his band Send Help to play their very first live gig ever. Conniption Fest was appreciative of their presence and a demo will be posted of the band on this blog soon.

Thanks again to all of the bands who participated in making this event a success. It will definitely happen again next year. For inclusion on next year's set list, please leave a comment under this post and you will be notified in December 2008 of the exact date and time of your set.
Cheers to Patrusk for all the photos of the show!

The First Annual Kamikaze Conniption Fest

2008-02-11T20:06:00.000-08:00

It's been decided to combine two birthday celebrations with the annual music fest which will take place at a local co-op in the Austin metropolitan area. If you find yourself in Texas and want to attend, please drop a comment and the location will be sent to you in an email. The music fest happens this Saturday (16 February 2008) at 9 pm. Admission is free.

Bands in attendance include:

The Teeners: "A blitzkrieg of lo-fi garage punk captained by vocalist Johnny Vomitnoise, who more than lives up to his name."
Stymie: "Simple, sloppy, angry, rockin', sad, and snotty."
Naw Dude (tentative): "A hundred werewolves lost in a urine soaked church."
µm: Experimental/Noise.
The Underage Cuties: "I'll sing if I get drunk enough."
Robo Trumble: "Brother & sister freak-out-rock-and-roll duo."

Unfortunately, The Sweatshop Mops will not be able to play the event. Apologies to those who were excited at the concept of seeing this blog author in musical action. The Young will also not be able to attend as they had a band member who had a prior engagement.

The main objective of this evening is to make the foundations of the gentrified neighborhood construction sites rock and the rotting, worm-eaten corpse of Reagan roll.

Bands, please submit your bios for inclusion on the blog.

The Light is Only Perfect for a Very Short Time

2008-01-06T13:45:00.000-08:00

In the early 1990s, the mainstream music industry found more alternative sounds coming to the forefront of the scenery and assimilation started to occur. "Alternative radio stations" like KNNC in Austin, Texas came in to being and some of the gimmicks that radio stations used in an attempt to get people to buy were being employed with this perceived "new" musical style.

These marketing techniques led to a free plane ticket to Dallas to go see The Levellers play a gig with Robyn Hitchcock and Uncle Green at the legendary Deep Ellum Live venue. The enclosed two-disk box was a promotional set given away at the gig by reps from China Records (aka, Elektra). Hey, what the hell, it was all free, right? The only money being spent that weekend was the cab fair getting to the gig itself!

The Levellers put on a great show but unfortunately their experience touring in America was not the best. The stretches between venues was more distant than what they were used to trekking in the UK and they found that the audiences weren't as loyal or devoted to where they were coming from philosophically. Being musicians who were borne from the loins of the once-thriving anarcho-punk scene of Britain, this was probably difficult to take.

The Levellers took their name from the 17th century political movement in England. The term came into use as a result of commoners levelling of stone walls and shrubbery that was grown in an attempt to enclose land on behalf of those who were landowners. Some of these skirmishes led to violence while others did not. Although no official manifesto was ever drafted, the general ambition of the group was committed broadly to the abolition of corruption within the Parliamentary and judicial process, toleration of religious differences, the translation of law into the common tongue spoken by those in a particular region, and some kind of expansion of the suffrage that few felt entitled to.

Robin Holcomb's inclusion in this package deal is interesting because on the surface, the musical style differs from that of The Levellers. Having been a Nonesuch Records recording artist who went on her own, she has been likened to a jazz musician with an interesting mix of roots, folk, and spoken word even. Her past poetic works influenced her lyrical content in such a way that misheard phrases can paint differing imagery or thought-processes in the mind of the listener and wind one into tunnels they wouldn't have imagined they'd be taken into before hearing her work. Hearing the fiddle-playing in the Levellers band and their "crusty" traveller lifestyle harkens back to the days of bands busking while on the road and Robin Holcomb's music ties into this background as well.

Reading reviews of those who have seen her perform live carves an intriguing sculpture of her presence. Many recount the pained expression and her reluctance to interact with the audience in between songs while on stage. Most photographs taken of her show her looking away from the camera, evoking a spark of the enigmatic and confronting the viewer in a rather backward and unexpected manner with her nonconformist approach to music-making and interactions with her audience.

The tracks taken for this collection, small though it may be, were from her first self-titled album, which met with much acclaim from those interested in the newer variety of roots-related musical forms. No Depression magazine readers take note if you haven't already!

Levellers/Robin Holcomb

You Da Victim!

2008-01-03T20:29:00.000-08:00

Italy always had the most energetic hardcore scene and bands like Raw Power were proof of it.

Despite the death of their singer, original band member Giuseppe Codeluppi, they still play gigs and are planning a US tour in the summer of 2008 with a few stops in Texas and Mexico thrown in at the end of August 2008.

It's interesting to read their band website and then comb through memory banks back to their gig at (yep! it's been mentioned before...) The Ritz in Austin, Texas. The support band may very well have been Morally Bankrupt; it's all a blur at this stage so that might be incorrect.

The band state on their website that they "never had the chance to express in a studio album the great potential that the band is able to unleash in a live concert." They also mentioned that they "never managed to get a foothold" due to "a lack of professional managers and structure." There's truth to this statement. The gig in Austin was poorly "advertised" as such- not even a flyer was posted! The show was on a Sunday night and there were about half a dozen people in attendance. The show was really boring, being indicative of what one experienced at most of the shows for bands that were part of the "crossover" phenomenon of the mid to late 1980s. Remembering this gig and how anti-climactic it was to finally get to see this band, it's odd that the band espouses the feeling that they were so much more live than in the studio.

The humorous thing about all of that being said is that Raw Power didn't seem to be a blatant part of the whole crossover into metal like bands such as DRI and Corrosion Of Conformity, who actually signed on to Metal Blade Records. This 7-inch record and the LP that preceded it were released by Toxic Shock Records, a punk label. In hindsight, it could be said that some of the bands on this label delved closely into metal territory; bands like Modern Industry and Marching Plague come to mind.

Crossing over into the metallic realm was perceived to be a big deal to a lot of musicians in the hardcore scene because heavy metal had this "rebellious yet easy to control" feel to it that didn't really channel rebellion into a form of action but created a cathartic ritual that resulted in no push for social change. Since a lot of punks felt spurred to create change through that particular musical style, merging music into the direction of heavy metal felt like a step backward, rather than a step forward. However, when one thinks of bands like Septic Death or even Amebix, one can see a merge with metal that still doesn't compromise the integrity of the musicians who were playing it, nor does it water down the message underneath the sonic barrage.

Although, other blogs have posted this record, Kamikaze Conniptions sees fit to post it as well. The lyric sheet that accompanied the record will follow shortly. The record title is a piss-take on those who feel the need to hurl racial epithets on those from Italy; but beyond that, it's laughable because if you read it outloud, you sound like Elmer Fudd would if he were to pronounce the band name!

Wop Hour

Princess of Pout

2007-12-25T10:52:00.000-08:00

Dubbed as France's original "sex kitten" before the term came into wide use, Brigitte Bardot's acting career took the world by storm. World-renowned for her bleach-blonde hair, she became epitomized as "the kind of French girl most American men wanted to meet in Paris."

Although, her films were shown in the States, her lines were often dubbed due to her thick French accent which most American audiences found difficult to decipher. These movies also rarely fit into the American rating system for film and would only be shown if labeled as "European" due to differing standards regarding the use of nudity in film. Despite the difference in definitions of what was acceptable in the cinema, her kitsch roles met with much popularity.

Riding on the fame of her acting career, she broke into music in the early 1960s. Although, her early attempts at recording didn't yield the same response as they did once she teamed up with Serge Gainsbourg, there was enough kitsch value to keep the average music listener interested.

In the early 1970s, Bardot announced her retirement and devoted herself to the cause of animal rights at a period in time that the movement hadn't much popularity. She started the Fondation Brigitte Bardot for the welfare and protection of animals.

Although her devotion to this movement has won her comradery with youth who share a passion for animal rights issues, her marriage to a right wing activist has heaped much criticism onto her shoulders. Her most recent statements regarding the "underground and dangerous infiltration of Islam" in France hasn't helped change the perception that she has become anti-immigrant.

Her book Un Cri Dans Le Silence with its critical statements regarding homosexuality and Islam have led to many court cases on charges of inciting racial discrimination and contempt for those of homosexual persuasion. It's quite possible that when taken out of context, these statements could appear to be quite scurrilous but those who have read the book have asserted that, taken in its whole, they have not walked away from it thinking her to be racist or intolerant of homosexuality. There are no English translations of this text anywhere on the 'net, just vague and incomplete quotes that are supposed proof of her racist leanings. The text is only available online, presumably from Bardot herself, as it's uncertain that any publisher is currently printing copies due to the recent trials. If anyone can provide English translations of the book, it would be most appreciated.

It would be interesting to note the changes that occurred within her political mindscape as she began to age and her beauty started to wane. Perhaps it's her need to remain in the spotlight that causes her to act in ways that she knows will force people to listen to her since they no longer revere her for her youthful charm. No longer at the center of media attention, the feeling of being invisible begins to set in, hence the need for breaking the silence as the title of her book suggests.

Perhaps this is just something peculiar to those living in France? Josephine Baker went a similar route; at one time, decrying America for its wanton racial discrimination against blacks but later supporting the Italian invasion of the "Ethiopian barbarians." In hindsight, it's easy enough for most to see the glaring inconsistency in such a statement. Perhaps it's just that all of these interesting incongruencies begin to manifest once the fame wears off and celebrities find themselves faced with the same vulnerable flesh that all human beings have to adorn in daily life.

The collection posted here is a collection of her early EPs released in the 1960s. The vinyl recording included is from a beautiful picture disk released in France during the 1990s.

The Early Years Picture Disk

The Early Years Liner Notes

Dick Taters

2007-11-13T21:18:00.000-08:00

When the Baby Bush Administration starting pulling its wanna-be Ronald Reagan cowboy bullshit, punk bands began to crawl out of the woodwork- either by staging anti-war activities in various parts of the globe or by having reunion gigs. Some of this has been called into question, particularly those bands who re-formed in the '90s. When does punk rock just become mindless token tantrums with no meaning attached to the actions of those doing the posturing? When does it just become more money-making garbage and opportunism cleverly clad in politically correct sheeps' clothing? With the rise in popularity of the hardcore punk movement moving into the mainstream, these hard questions can easily go unasked of those who have been solidified into the perceived mold of the institution known as punk rock.

Say what you will about this phenomenon, it's hard to say no to a reunion of this caliber. In 2005, The Dicks put on a reunion gig consisting of the original Austin members in the band, sans Glen (rest his soul). Old punks and new, school teachers and lawyers, members of other bands, anyone who was influenced by this seminal outfit was present at Room 710 in Austin, Texas.

Touting themselves as "gay Communists from Texas," the Dicks made a name for themselves in the Austin music scene in the 1980s through their obnoxious music and suggestive stage antics. Lyrical content ranged from topics of anonymous sex in a gay bookstore to violent decapitations during acts of revolution to anti-war statements to odes to Marilyn Buck. One night, Gary Floyd, the singer of the band, came out on stage wearing a huge diaper, reached into it, pulled out chocolate pudding and smeared it into the faces of those closest to the stage. He would also flirt with the cowboys in the audience by stating "I wanna suck your dick after the show, motherfucker."

This was a band on the edge of every periphery known to society. A close friend of theirs, who later went on to teach law at a university in the northwest, recalled a visit to the band members during the late '80s. It was a constant struggle finding food to eat and finding places to crash. The second incarnation of band members that evolved after Gary moved from Austin to San Francisco never had a steady place to live and were always in a state of flux when it came to finding crash pads. "By the end of the trip, I was so glad just to come home but I couldn't forget that they were all still struggling to survive after I left."

The recording included here was a self-released CD that the band put together of their very first gig in Austin at the Armadillo World Headquarters- home of the cosmic cowboy genre that had become resident to Austin during the 1970s. The musical world of Austin was not ready for what the Dicks had in store for them. Although the band was put together in a disheveled fashion after fake fliers had been posted all over town, the concept caught on and the act became a real band with real message included as part of the package. Until the reunion show in 2005, this entire set was never released as an official recording. The CD also includes the demo recordings of the first 7-inch record that the Dicks were going to release before the Hate The Police record was released.

Live at AWHQ

Ultra-rare fanzine handed out at the reunion gig by a friend of the band

The Return of Japan Nite

2007-11-06T11:00:00.000-08:00

Admittedly, the more recent musical excursions found at Japan Nite during SXSW have lost a lot when it comes to the raw sound that had once been unfurled on an unsuspecting populace of music convention attendees. For example, you will note more polish and cleaner recording techniques on this most recent collection of tunes by bands hailing from the warrior nation. There are even songs that appear to be musical reruns of tracks released by other bands on the previous compilations issued in celebration of this annual event. However, this collection isn't without its gems.

The high point on this compilation is the material put together by The Emeralds. The singer's voice, coupled with a rapid staccato singing style that reminds one of the sound of machine gun fire, is something to behold. You'll hear a lot of the same musical influences on this album as those in the past- funk, ska, jazz, Japanese classical music and, of course, balls out alt-rock.

Japan Nite Sound Sampler 2007

Pirates or Pissants?

2007-10-16T11:22:00.000-07:00

Hear ye! Hear ye!
Captured within yon disk lies pleasure galore. Hear the magnanimous audio engineering skills available in 1989- the dull thud heard repetitiously be not the sound of your failing heart, dear friends, but the off-beat meanderings of the drummer of this raucous ensemble. Though there be no fife present, one can still bask in the glory of yesteryear by sampling these tasty morsels.

These lads hailed from Indianapolis and haunted the local record store, Karma, in search of stoner booty a'plenty. Brazen thievery did sever ties with yon shopkeep but the red-hot muse in their loins spurred them into nostalgic frenzy.

Bear witness to the onslaught. Not for the faint of heart, me lads.

Cheers!

Attitude

Japanese Flu

2007-10-11T19:28:00.000-07:00

After their 1989 tour with New Order and Public Image, The Sugarcubes traipsed to the United States to record their third album. Treating the tour much like they treated their whole musical career, Bjork beamed over the experience: "It was a great tour with no responsibility. We only had to play every other day, and all we had to do was smile at John Lydon when he was puking."

This whimsical attitude spoke itself from the very beginnings of the band's lifespan. As Einar Orn recollects: "We've always done other things, and when all this hullabaloo about the Sugarcubes started, we were 85 per cent doing our paid jobs and 15 per cent doing the Sugarcubes for fun. Then we became the Sugarcubes 100 percent for pay." At the time that the third album was released, they were still working day jobs back home in Iceland.

Derek Birkett, ex-bass player for Flux Of Pink Indians and founder of the record label One Little Indian Records, found their meanderings absolutely exasperating. In an interview, he recounted his working relationship with the band: "Fucking impossible to deal with. I love what they are doing, but they are the only band I've ever worked with for whom the band isn't the priority. That's why they all went off and got jobs. We operate a profit-share, but when they made money they'd blow it in ridiculous ways. Like last year, when they brought out a poetry book which cost £8 to buy and £18 to produce." There was a constancy in this approach to their spending of money. Another example was the night that Bjork walked into a club, handed the bartender her credit card and invited random people throughout the club to have drinks on her tab.

When asked what the title Stick Around For Joy was all about, Siggi, the drummer, chimed in and explained that the title was the result of a phenomenon they encountered while visiting Japan. This phenomenon, dubbed by the band as "Japanese Flu," was a reference to the Japanese habit of speaking English in American advertising slogans such as "have a Coke and a smile." During a drunken card game, the band members were tossing epithets of this sort at one another and Siggi, despondent over a bad hand, blurted out "Stick around for joy" as he threw his cards down on the table.

If She Had Nothing More Than Her Voice, She Could Break Your Heart With It

2007-10-09T12:16:00.000-07:00

Marlene Dietrich was the first German actress to make it big in Hollywood. Her career as a singer started in Berlin in the 1920s as a cabaret singer and actress. It wasn't until her role as Lola-Lola in The Blue Angel in 1929 that her breakthrough as a world-famous singer materialized with her first popular song Falling In Love Again. Although she detested the song, it became synonymous with her celebrity as a performer.

In the late 1930s, the Nazi Party officially invited her back to the Fatherland but she declined to return. Germany never forgave her for this act, even after the days of the Third Reich had long passed. Her decision to distance herself from her homeland was solidified even further by her recording of anti-Nazi songs such as Lili Marlene.

There are many resources to lean on when reading up on this most revered of international stars. Many recent studies tend to focus on the intentional gender role reversal in her film roles and her manner of dress in the multitude of photographs taken of her. There was a very popular rumor in the day that Marlene Dietrich was a lesbian and this may have been a result of her dear friendship with the famous playwright Noel Coward. Most people had assumed erroneously that the two were an item as a result of their tightly-knit display of friendship, while those who were "in the know" about Coward's sexual leanings had assumed that she was a member of the sexual camp to which he belonged. Recent studies of Coward's journals and writing give no indication that this were the case.

There are many versions of recordings available under this working title. This specific incarnation, released by Hallmark, is currently out of print.

Falling In Love Again

prEMO, dude

2007-09-25T03:24:00.000-07:00

In the 1990s, it suddenly became musically fashionable to strip down the tenets of hardcore music and use aspects of it to produce profitably safe rock and roll music for the general listening public. The most blatant musical "style" to emanate from this change in approach to marketing music was grunge.

If grunge were to have a red-headed stepchild, its name would be emo.

Although, this writer would much rather remain unschooled in the musical make up of this specific genre, it's safe to say that it's easily identified by its loud, screeching guitars accompanied by EMOtional singing. The unfortunate thing is that it comes off seeming rather foolish; as if somehow these kids who create this music are attempting to mold themselves into a modern-day, hipsteresque, American interpretation of Morrissey but lacking the poetic verse to carry it with the same flavor and character that the ex-Smithy possesses.

However, despite this genre's shortcomings and lack of insight, there can always be an exception to the perceived norm. This exception speaks itself rather loudly in the form of the Chicago trio Today's My Super Spaceout Day. Although, the name of the band is very indicative of this style of musical musing, the engineering quality of the album Stars Made From Scars is phenomenal and the band's live performance equals that. A live performance of the band hints at reminiscence of live acts by bands such as Joy Division but with a modern bent that keeps one plugged into the present. It's the best of both worlds. The mulitple textures and layers of the music itself is something to behold; Areos Ledesma of The Dust Lounge, Christian Adams, and Blaise Barton of Scientific Mastering (not forgetting the musicians themselves!) have created a masterpiece, if anyone could boast some such polyglot about an emo album.

Stars Made From Scars

A Soul from El Paso

2007-09-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

Marina Monsivais was a DJ at a local radio station called KHRO in El Paso, Texas. Since she was in a city that wasn't necessarily known for its thriving music scene or diverse musical airplay, she was empowered to take certain liberties that might not necessarily have been available for her in a so-called thriving bastion of local music like that of Austin.

As time progressed, she found herself booking punk shows in El Paso, along with hosting a radio show of her own devising that reflected the music scene that existed in El Paso. In the hopes of promoting several local acts for the purpose of signing them to bigger labels, she started her own record label called Communal Heart Records. The compilation Music Is Our Blood, Blood Is Our Bond was the culmination of her efforts in achieving this heartfelt goal.

On this compilation not only will you hear bands that were the musical precursors to the groups At The Drive In (Lovetron and Nakia) and The Mars Volta (Universal Recovered) but you will also hear bands who were considered their auditory compatriots and played many gigs alongside them. This album is a decent collection of bands that represented the El Paso music scene around the time period that At The Drive In and The Mars Volta were merely a burgeoning tide that would soon wash itself across the hordes of those who identify with the hipster element that exists in Texas.

Music Is Our Blood, Blood Is Our Bond: Auditory Statements By El Paso Artists Of The Past, Present And Future

Voz del Poeta

2007-09-23T08:47:00.000-07:00

Released in 1999 and currently out of print is a reading of poetry by Pablo Neruda. Found in a used CD bin for less than $5 the same year of its release, this disk is now worth $100.

This set of recordings was captured in 1966 during Neruda's visit to the United States. Government policy at that time barred devout communists from visiting the US, but Arthur Miller was successful in garnering enough support to allow the readings of Neruda's poetry to occur on American soil.

No musical instruments nor a cheering crowd accompany Neruda on these recordings. His voice is heard as it was meant to be- a lone voice carrying with it all the passion and rhythm that only a master sculptor of the Spanish language can deliver.

Pablo Neruda Lee Sus Poemas

Pablo Neruda Lee Sus Poemas Liner Notes (Spanish)

Mama et la Physique

2007-09-19T18:56:00.000-07:00

This CD is a re-mastering of old Dada "classics" as well as a series of new recordings of compositions put together by the likes of Satie, Germaine Albert-Birot, Hugo Ball, Honegger, Tristan Tzara, Cyril Scott, Jean Arp, Schonberg, Poulenc, Kurt Schwitters, George Antheil, Marinetti, Vincente Huidobro, Milhaud, Max Ernst, Raoul Haussman, Erwin Schulhoff, and Richard Huelsenbeck. The collection was compiled for an exhibition on Dada at the Centre Pompidou in France in 2005.

The Centre Pompidou, named after the president of France, was built as the result of a contest that was won by a small group of architectural nobodies in 1971. The structure was not well received at first but under the care of its first director, Pontus Hultén, that quickly changed. Now the building is celebrated as a space that has "revolutionized museums" with its color coded tubing that specifies its contents: water, electricity, heat, and air. It also houses IRCAM (the Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), the Musée National d'Art Moderne, the Bibliothèque publique d'information, and Stravinsky Fountain. The water faucets in the restrooms can have their temperature adjusted much in the same way that one moves their hands when playing the theremin.

"It is my belief that exciting things happen when a variety of overlapping activities designed for all people—the old and the young, the blue and white collar, the local inhabitant and the visitor, different activities for different occasions—meet in a flexible environment, opening up the possibility of interaction outside the confines of institutional limits. When this takes place, deprived areas welcome dynamic places for those who live, work and visit; places where all can participate, rather than less or more beautiful ghettos." - Richard Rogers (co-creator of the Centre Pompidou)

Dada Et La Musique/And Music was a collection that was out of print until yesterday- oddly enough. This must be the time of year to put old CDs back in print as the Amebix album that was posted was also an out of print CD until about a week ago.

Dada Et La Musique/And Music Liner Notes (English)

Dada Et La Musique/And Music Liner Notes (French)

Who's Driving Now?

2007-09-16T18:43:00.000-07:00

Amebix has been touted as the first crust band in existence. For a definitive description of this particular genre of punk music, read Felix Von Havoc's article on the Rise of Crust (found on the website of Havoc Records). The use of dark imagery combined with a lo-fi approach to audio engineering that is uncommon for bands who have a sound that smacks of heavy metal seems to be a defining characteristic of this musical style. You won't hear the obsessive quest for finely-crafted sound sculpting that is all-pervasive in the metal arena on an Amebix recording; although it can be dangerous to toy with words when it comes to describing "sub-genres" of music so this is as far as this thought will be taken. (There was a day and age when there was no need for concern amongst underground or alternative musicians to wrap their music into a neatly-bundled package so as to make a tantalizing product fit for consumption by the masses, but whatever...)

This CD was the last recording that was issued by the band before their breakup. Despite the obvious HR Giger rip off artwork on the front cover, it's quite good. An interesting thing about this band was their use of the synthesizer and audio production techniques that are so subtle, you don't realize that they're even there until you've heard the album many times over. For examples of this on the Monolith album, listen to the track The Power Remains. About 1:15 into the song, you can hear the synthesizer harmonizing the guitar riffs, however the synthesizer never overpowers or even equals the volume of the guitar, so its voice is just a faint glimmer in the actual recording. However, if the presence of this synthesizer were stripped from the actual recording, the sense of doom that exists within the recording would be absent, making the band lose some of its emotional punch. When you get further into the meat of the track (about 2:45), you can hear the "back masking" (to co-opt a phrase often used by the Christian right) of the drums; a feat that was created by physically playing a tape recording in reverse while capturing the whole song on various tracks in the recording studio onto a master tape. A feat that could be more difficult than one could imagine in 1987- especially with a band consisting of squatters who ate out of trash bins in order to get by and refused to go on the dole to obtain assistance. Bear in mind that this was an underground recording done in a purely analog recording studio. Digital recordings were just barely being conducted and it was an extremely expensive technology. Digital recording was strictly used in capturing classical music recordings and big money record labels who could afford the costs; the result of which was a musical irony as it had to be brought back into the analog realm in order to be pressed to the LP format. The majority of music listeners in the mainstream were still buying cassette tapes, while underground bands dealt mostly in vinyl, so it was a vastly different world for musicians to live in when compared by today's standards.

Apparently, Amebix are in the process of putting together some kind of discography of their work after a prolonged battle over their existing recorded work with John Loder of Southern Studios. The band states on their website that Loder was denying them royalties for their work by diverting the funds into his personal account. It would be interesting to know more about this situation, as the picture that Penny Rimbaud (of Crass) paints of Loder seems far different than the "cunt" described on Amebix's website. See the obituary Rimbaud wrote after Loder's death in 2005.

Monolith

Communication Breakdown

2007-09-16T03:59:00.000-07:00

A compilation of rarities put together by Leigh Goorney, the past booking agent for the venue known as the Thames Poly. Many may believe that one person can't make a difference in the world. However, the existence of this album is proof that this idea many of us cling to can be shattered in an instant when we choose to see beyond the illusion that many allow themselves to be walled in by. This post is dedicated to that spirit of individuality that exists within us all.

This album is an amazing piece of work. It opens with The Eels' Granny, a bitter and somewhat humorous portrayal of youthful friendships ended by meddlesome family members. Later in the disk can be heard the utterances of Mark Perry accompanied by undanceable instrumentation. This is immediately followed up by The Mekons' take on Sammi Smith and Kris Kristofferson's Help Me Make It Through The Night. Another high point on the album is The Three Majohnas' cover of Madonna's Like A Virgin. This flows into a presence of the anarcho-punk scene in the guise of recordings by The Very Things, Conflict, and The Poison Girls. The live recording of Sonic Youth's Kill Your Idols will completely obliterate your aural senses. The CD finishes with Television Personalities' intense anti-war anthem Back To Vietnam.

Although, this CD release is a stripped-down version of the double LP originally released in 1985, there were some incredible gigs captured on audio at this venue. Included in the liner notes of the album is a lengthy list of gigs that had been booked and recorded by Leigh Goorney. If Leigh has a music blog somewhere in the electronic realm, that particular blog would be highly recommended!

Communicate! Live At Thames Poly

"I Inhabit the World of Concrete Systems"

2007-09-15T18:17:00.000-07:00

Saccharine Trust began their musical career on the SST Records label and thus did a lot of touring with Black Flag and the Minutemen. Although, their musical compatriots were described as hardcore bands, there was always a free jazz element that grew and became stronger with each studio recording that was issued by the group.

The logo, depicting a crucified snake on two wooden planks in the shape of a cross, was derived from a tattoo on the arm of Earl Liberty, the second bass player in the band. He had the tattoo etched on his forearm after a stint in the hospital that occurred after fleeing the police from a gig that had gone awry. It's safe to say that the name of the band emanated as a result of the Food & Drug Administration's debate and investigation into the safety of the manufacturing of Saccharin for use in food products as a sweetener- an issue that was very prominent during the 1980s.

The bass lines on any Saccharine Trust release are infectious to the listener and this collection of live recordings that spanned the band's career aren't any different. A particularly fun track on the double LP is their cover of Black Flag's Six Pack with Kira (bass player from Black Flag's later years) singing backing vocals.

Past Lives

Draggin' for Tail

2007-08-23T05:33:00.000-07:00

T-Model Ford was born at some point in the 1920s. There have been differing opinions about how old he actually is. Nearing his 60s, he found himself in a heated argument with his wife over a guitar and amplifier that she had given him. His truck driving job didn't yield much money and things were fiscally tight in the family, so he was beside himself that she had taken on the task of purchasing this expensive gift- especially since he couldn't play a guitar.

A week later, she was headed out the door with all of their children and he found himself all alone with this guitar. He sat down to play it and found it was out of tune. Not knowing how to properly tune a guitar, he decided to tune it the way that he wanted it to sound. Listening to Muddy Waters songs and attempting to reproduce them was how he started to learn to play and soon enough he was belting out tunes of his own. At some point in the mid-1990s, he got a knock on his door from Matt Johnson of Fat Possum Records, who was interested in recording him even though he had no clue that he was any good. Ten years later, T-Model has found himself touring through the US and Europe playing the blues as only he can deliver.

The Austin Chronicle has touted T-Model Ford as having the perfect resume for a blues musician. He was severely beaten by his father as a child and lost a testicle as a result of his punishment. He killed a man in a bar brawl in self-defense and was sentenced 10 years in prison but only served 2 years on a chain gang and has the scars to prove it. He has had numerous wives and has sired 26 children. At the time of this album's release, he was living in Greenville, Mississippi in the most crack-filled, gangster-riddled part of town and played in the streets until the sun came up every night. All of these experiences have helped build his credentials as the current lineage holder of the blues musical experience.

Listen to Pee-Wee Get My Gun.

Stop Eyein' Me!

2007-08-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

Definitely one of the most interesting albums ever released on the Crass Records label!

The album had all the earmarks of a record that would never see airplay due to its multi-cultural musical influences and use of lyrics interspersed with English and that of the Icelandic tongue. What could not be foreseen was the worldwide popularity that several members of the band would see ten years later.

Áfangar, a radio show sponsored by Gramm Records, was to broadcast its final episode and was looking to put together a "super-group" to perform for the bombastic occasion. The band was composed of members of various bands: Björk Guðmundsdóttir, vocalist of Tappi Tíkarrass; Einar Örn Benediktsson, a trumpeter and vocalist in Purrkur Pillnikk; keyboardist Einar Arnaldur Melax, from the surrealistic group Medúsa; Birgir Mogensen, the bassist from Spilafífl; and finally drummer Siggtryggur Baldursson and guitar player Guðlaugur Kristinn Óttarsson (a.k.a. Godkrist), both from the band Þeyr.

The first live performance that KUKL played was with Crass in 1983. This was after Einar Örn contacted the group while he was in college studying media and had access to many contacts within the so-called "industry."

The first album the band recorded was The Eye, named after Georges Bataille's Story Of The Eye- a tale of a French couple and their sexual misadventures. On the surface, the book is nothing more than a tale of pornography told under the nom de plume Lord Auch (suggesting "Lord of the shithouse"). Upon extensive research and rumination, however, the use of symbols throughout the work suggest a deeper message; one that would be the basic construct of his developing philosophy of a base materialism, which would involve the use of metaphors such as the eye, the egg, the sun, the earth, and the testicle. The basic tenet of this thought lies in the attempt to destabilise philosophical oppositions by the introduction of an unstable ‘third term’. Although, Bataille was virtually ignored in his lifetime, his writing was absolutely essential in influencing the work of Michel Foucault, Jacques Derrida, Jean Baudrillard and Jacques Lacan.

The idea can be perceived when reading the liner notes that accompanied The Eye on its release. There was an inherent distrust of the use of nuclear technology of any kind within the anarcho-punk scene but in statements released in the record The Eye, the band was calling on scientists involved in nuclear technology to use their work to bring something healing and positive to the world. Locked in the political landscape that either endorsed or opposed the use of nuclear technology by governments, this was a very different kind of argument being made regarding the issue.

"Do not conform, not in your life-style, your art or your attitudes. By using this law in our music we introduce a incongruence into the Psyche of our audience and as we do not attempt to utilize this to our own ends, this leaves space for the individuals to fill up for themselves. A single non-conforming attitude will breed a host of others. You have no right but to BE YOURSELF!" -Statement from KUKL.

The instrumentation used on the record also follows the same train of thought. For instance, the use of drums varied from what one would expect from a band in the anarcho-political scene. In some tracks, there are hints of Killing Joke, Einsturzende Neubauten, even Siouxsie & The Banshees. Then, later, you can hear bits of Stravinsky mixed in with Japanese and Icelandic folk tunes and, even later, jazz influences. Their sound backed by the audio engineering skills employed at Southern Studios and fronted by the vocal stylings of Einar Örn and Björk are haunting.

"Their musical creation literally explodes into the faces or masks of the audience, thrusts itself into its consciousness and even if you don't happen to be interested, there is no way of avoiding it or refusing to take it into consideration..." -DV review of one of their shows in April of 1984.

In Details (July 1994), Björk stated "I might just make it my mission to make everyone in the world read [Story Of The Eye]." It's no surprise that the first album that KUKL release should be the musical manifestation of this book.

When the band broke up in 1986, many of the members created a new band and this led to the formation of Sykurmolarnir or, in English, The Sugarcubes.

When asked about KUKL today, Björk dismisses their musical and philosophical efforts. "We were stupid terrorists."

KUKL- The Eye

Details interview with Björk

Read Story Of The Eye on the Georges Bataille eLibrary. The entire book can be downloaded as a .pdf file for free!

Thrilled to be in Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center!

2007-07-23T11:11:00.000-07:00

Absolutely incredible footage taken of Filipino inmates practicing a staged version of the famed epic Michael Jackson video. Wait till you see who plays Michael's girlfriend...

You have to see it to believe it!

For those of you who speak Tagalog (I'm assuming that's the language used in this news report), refer to this post.

You're Indestructible

2007-07-23T05:45:00.000-07:00

In the mid- to late-1980s, there was a great little radio show called the World Beat Music Show, hosted by Dan Del Santo. Many of the tracks on this album got serious rotation on the show every week and it was this blog author's first serious exposure to music outside of the American/British realm that didn't revolve around the anarcho-political scene. Dan Del Santo was a pivotal character in bringing music from around the world into the Austin music scene with his radio show. If not for his efforts, Austin may not have seen events such as Reggae Sunsplash or a live performance by Fela Kuti. More on him later...

For now, enjoy this spectacular album!

Spear Burning

2007-07-16T20:38:00.000-07:00

In 1969, Winston Rodney had a chance meeting with Bob Marley on a country road in St Ann's, Jamaica. This encounter led to the beginning of Rodney's musical career as the singer for Burning Spear. The name of the band eventually became synonymous with Winston, who adopted the name as his own. Only later would he start his own record label using the same title. The true history of the name, however, lies in the nickname of Jomo Kenyatta, a freedom fighter who was jailed by the colonial British government in Africa. Kenyatta was to rise into such popularity that he stole the presidency of Kenya for a time.

The album Marcus Garvey, released in 1975, was a pivotal album in shedding light to the belief system of the Rasta- both spiritual and political. Rodney was very much influenced by the writings of Marley, Garvey, Kenyatta, and MLK, who all supported a stronger black race through self-reliance. This attitude speaks itself in Rodney's decision to manage and promote his act on his own terms and not allow his career to lie in the hands of any other manager.

After 37 years, Burning Spear is still a musical force to be reckoned with; the bongo playing of Rodney, accompanied by the versatile horn section of the band hasn't allowed its message or its music to be diluted by the current trends of the reggae scene or the record industry and the mixture they provide is a potent one, indeed!

Listen to the LP.

เพลงไทยสากล

2007-07-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

Crooning from Thailand to get you swooning. Translation soon to come.

Here is the track list. If you can read Thai and you can provide a translation, please leave a comment.

And here are the liner notes.

Link for the record.

Aye!

2007-07-03T05:26:00.000-07:00

Named after the Glasgow suburb of Battlefield, Battlefield Band have been a constant presence throughout the revival in Scottish music over the past 30 years. Playing a creative mixture of old and new songs performed in the Scottish tradition, they have not allowed themselves to be pigeon-holed into a traditional musical landscape. Bagpipes, fiddle, synthesiser, guitar, flutes, bodhran and accordion are all a part of their musical repertoire and do not distract from the inherent traditional sound they create- much to the listeners' surprise and joy.

There will be a small US tour in October of 2007 and then again in March of 2008. If you're in the States during that time period, they would be a worthwhile band to seek out. Of course, they tour pretty regularly throughout the UK. Check out their website for more tour dates around the world. Those with a penchant for the Celtic will be in for a treat.

Listen to The Story So Far...

Creative Collective

2007-06-26T19:28:00.000-07:00

The Revolutionary Ensemble was a music cooperative of three individuals who sought to combine the most unlikely of elements within their musical approach. Shying away from the overused jazz instrumentation that required a saxophone, they consisted of merely a violin, stand up bass, and a percussionist. Replacing a mere beat with that of a pulse displayed a group schooled in the classical; there was a playful interaction that occurred between the violin and the bass that left plenty of wangling room for the improvisational sense of Jenkins' violin-playing.

The band was quite popular in the 1970s and considered to be an indispensible element within the free jazz continuum. Leroy Jenkins had once performed with Anthony Braxton and this past association led him to experiment with new textures of sound in instrumentation used in the jazz context. He was considered to be the father of the free jazz violin. Sirone had performed with Pharoah Sanders and Gato Barbieri. While Jerome Cooper had recently played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

They got back together again in 2004 and their first performance was still staggering to behold. For an account of the performance, click here. Unfortunately, the death of Jenkins in February 2007 prevented any further work from being recorded. The last album released was recorded in 2004. Check it out here.

Listen to the first LP.

Listen to Fresh Air's review of the Revolutionary Ensemble.

Ouf of Print= Out of Luck

2007-06-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

However, this time you're actually IN LUCK!

When Corrosion Of Conformity hit the alternative music scene, they ended up taking the same route that DRI did by signing on with Metal Blade Records and becoming harbingers of the "crossover" mold of metal or hardcore.

Whether this was a good or a bad thing was debatable. True, their presence in both scenes helped put North Carolina on the musical map but, once again, one has to address that if a band is part of a counter-cultural movement, should they aspire to become rock stars? And, if they do, will their ethics stay intact?

Yeah, COC still plays small dives across the US and they don't really fit into the rock star mold as much as one would think. But who cares? Lots of bands do that and they're a helluva lot more interesting than these guys are now. Their last gig in Austin was the absolute worst gig when it came to generating some sense of interest in what they were doing on stage. Lots of people who were in the scene and actually saw them gig in the mid-'80s were there and were pretty disappointed. Not that they were expected to live out some silly nostalgic punk rock trip but when you watch Woody (now calling himself Woodroe) play a guitar solo like he's stroking his dick on stage, how the fuck can you take it seriously? Actually, watching him stroke his dick on stage would have been preferable to watching him pretend to be some glam-rock dipshit.

Yeah, they're metal and everybody in the audience was banging their heads and flashing that silly Hawaiian hand gesture that so many kids do these days. But the show made one long for the days when they couldn't play their fucking guitars and recorded tracks in the garage, hell, the toilet, even...

Here's a bootleg recording of their first record. The original printing of this was kick ass because it came with a lyric sheet and three stickers. Needless to say, this bootleg has none of the perks that the original pressing of the record had at all. Still, the recording is quite difficult to come by and the last time it was for sale on COC's website, it was going for $85 and it was the CD with the Mike Singing EP added to it. Now there are no copies of the CD left, either. Maybe they're embarrassed of their earlier efforts...

Happy?

2007-06-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

You'll hear an edge to this recording that will be reminiscent of the Big Boys and that would be because the legendary Spot put together this rough mix as the Kamikaze Refrigerators were one of his favorite bands.

Dixon (of Austin fanzine Idle Time) also thought they were the greatest and described their music as "Real 'shake your booty or I'll bite it off' sort of stuff."

Album cover artwork by Frank Kozik. For the uninitiated, here's his website.

Included are the LP and the liner notes. Enjoy!

You Can't Hide from the Psychedelic Sounds of...

2007-06-21T10:50:00.000-07:00

This was the first single that Roky Erickson's second band The Thirteenth Floor Elevators released under International Artists, a Houston-based psychedelic record label. There was an earlier attempt recorded by his first band (The Spades) but the second session shot the band into the psychedelic scene's lime light. The single made it to #2 on the local music charts in Austin and #55 on the national charts after being featured on the first Nuggets compilation. This particular copy of this single was found in a record store along with several other IA releases that had been discovered untouched as back catalog in a warehouse somewhere in Houston; i.e., virgin vinyl.

The name of the band came from the superstition that led many buildings to be devoid of a 13th floor.

Part of the unusual sound was generated by the use of the electric jug-playing of Tommy Hall. The auditory fingerprint it leaves is unlike that of traditional jug-playing you might hear in an old blues or string band from the earlier part of the 20th century. This unique sound became the band's trademark. The most interesting review read thus far about this band's aural presence is Piero Scaruffi's comparison of their rhythmic style in this song to that of the rhythms felt when one listens to music with a Tex-Mex bent.

Give it a listen and see if you hear what he's talking about.

Check out the trailer for the documentary about Roky Erickson here.

I'm Lookin' Fer...

2007-06-20T18:37:00.000-07:00

Rolling Stone ranked The Crickets' That'll Be The Day as the #39 best song of all time. The song itself was written in 1956; named after an oft-quoted phrase by John Wayne in the movie The Searchers.

The original recording of this song occurred in Decca Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, however, it is considered to be of inferior quality to the rock and roll version of the song that was released later under Brunswick Records, a Decca subsidiary. The default release under this smaller label occurred as a result of Roulette liking the songs better than the band who played them. The label wanted the exclusive rights to have Roulette musicians, Buddy Knox and Jimmy Bowen, record the songs instead. Buddy Holly wouldn't budge on his position to record the songs himself with his own band. Since Decca had the original, would-be country version of this title, Bob Thiele (head of Brunswick Records) decided to issue the songs under the band name The Crickets.

A month later, the song became one of the best selling records in both the rock and roll and rhythm and blues markets.

Listen to the 45.

Watch a television screening of The Crickets performing the song.

Just a Little Bit

2007-06-20T08:14:00.000-07:00

This 7-inch was released as a part of the Big "D" Jamboree series issued by Dragon Records. The tracks on this EP were recordings that had been shelved due to publishing rights not being obtained in a timely fashion. This occurred despite the fact that Sherry Davis toured with Elvis and recorded with The Crickets.

The Big "D" Jamboree was a weekly three hour radio show broadcast from Dallas' Sportatorium and showcased the likes of Elvis, Johnny Cash, and Carl Perkins. People all over Texas tuned into the broadcast that aired between the years of 1946 and sometime in the mid-1960s. The first year of broadcast, it was being billed as the Lone Star Barn Dance. For .65 cents, you could see musicians of this sort play live at the Sportatorium between 8 PM and midnight.

The song Broken Promises (which appears on this record) is backed by Buddy Holly and The Crickets and was recorded just two months after the single That'll Be The Day was recorded in the very same studio. Holly was crashing in a little apartment in the back of the owner's studio and was approached purely off-the-cuff to back Davis on the recording of one track. You can tell in the backing vocals immediately. Davis had no idea that this was Buddy Holly that was recording with her until after the fact. It took two years to find a publisher for the work but by that time, there was no longer any interest in the song so it just sat in publisher's limbo until very recently.

Davis decided to retire from show business in 1971 after having a daughter. She had been told for the previous four years that she would never be able to have children, so parenthood ended up taking precedence. Sherry Davis lives in Dallas again and is very active in her church. Although, she's not a big fan of rock and roll, she was thrilled to discover that people were interested in her music after all these many years.

Now you can enjoy it!

Wackos from Waco

2007-06-19T05:47:00.000-07:00

The Waco Brothers, from Chicago, are included in the barrage of bands that have pervaded what has been dubbed as the "alt-country scene." Although, the vocal style of the singer doesn't quite strike one as a stereotypical country singer, the band's musical selection on this 45 RPM record is more than enough to compensate. The covers of Bad Times Coming 'Round Again and The Harder They Come are rife with all the bitterness and dark humor that anyone who listens to hardcore or punk can appreciate.

Chicago's #1 Wasted Swing Band

Yee Haw!

2007-06-18T08:33:00.000-07:00

Apparently, Carl Story was a musician who had regional popularity that never quite caught on outside of North Carolina. He was heard very often on local radio and the recordings that make up this 7-inch EP were captured from original acetates recorded by friends and fans of the band outside of a recording studio.

As of 2002, he had actually released an album of his particular brand of "bluegrass gospel." The album is called The Last Project- Salvation Train. If you like your gospel music with a hillybilly flare then you should check out the new album here. Although, the review of the most recent album claims that Carl Story "has spent his life spreading the news of Jesus Christ" through his music, there's no hint of proselytizing here on this recording.

Carl Story was known for his high-pitched singing style and his banjo player was the well-known Johnnie (or Johnny) Whisnant. Whisnant was greatly influenced by the banjo playing styles of Charlie Poole and Dock Walsh. He recounts a tale of his fascination with the sound that Poole was able to achieve with his instrument: "I’d put it [the record] in my wagon and pull it off in the woods and play that Charlie Poole record, and get my ear right in that speaker on that little old crank phonograph. It wasn't the type of playin' he was doing, which was a three-finger roll, and all. This wasn't what drove me out of my mind. It was the sound that came off that banjo. It was that one particular tone that come out of there that stuck with me all through the years."

It's true that Poole achieved a unique sound with his individual style of picking, but Carl Story's Mountaineers can also boast truly remarkable sounds for those with a bent for early hillbilly.

The Pearly Gates of Music

2007-06-15T05:54:00.001-07:00

This out-of-print box set is quite possibly the best collection of American roots music that has ever been issued. Part of Columbia/Legacy's Roots N' Blues series, it compiles roots music of many genres (boogie-woogie, white and black string bands, cajun bands, white and black blues artists, spiritual and gospel music, jug-bands, country music, and rhythm and blues) in chronological order of release dating from 1925-1950.

For the music scholar, it's an interesting development to behold, observing how the change in social structure between the two World Wars had an effect on the music that was being performed. As time passed, the small pockets of communities that formed as a result of racial or monetary divisions began to become less and less distinct once the burgeoning technology of the radio and the phonograph was more prevalent. This cultural change was reflected in the music that was performed in various parts of the nation and the musical contrasts began to fade somewhat as they became more influenced by one another.

If you're a fan of old-time music, you HAVE to listen to this collection. If you're not a fan of old-time music, you WILL BE once you listen to this box set. This collection is a MUST-HAVE for any lover of music anywhere!

Roots N' Blues- The Retrospective (1925-1950)

A Napoleon Complex with a Comb-Over

2007-06-13T20:00:00.000-07:00

At the time of this release, the Philadelphia Composer's Forum had been performing together for fifteen years. In 1963, they changed their name to Orchestra of Our Time (OOT) and settled in the South Bronx forming a consortium with the South Bronx Community Action Theater and Bronx Museum of the Arts.

They have performed in alternative spaces such as elementary schools, prisons, and street corners, as well as in Carnegie Hall, the IBM Auditorium, and the Guggenheim Museum. They worked with visual artists and artists of various genres; their most famous modern dance collaborations were with the Erik Hawkins Dance Company playing the music of Lucia Dlugoszewski. They even collaborated with Frank Zappa on his recording Zappa's Universe for which they won a Grammy.

Here on this recording, you will bear witness to their renditions of works by Pierre Boulez, Luigi Dallapiccola, and Henri Pousseur.

Pierre Boulez: In the 1940s and 1950s, Boulez studied under Messiaen publicly and Andrée Vaurabourg and René Leibowitz privately. His main concern was initially with rhythm and non-developing forms but also inherited a deep appreciation and longing toward works such as Schoenberg's. There have been critical writings that seem to point towards compositional links between the early works of Boulez and works by Berg- plagiarisms of a sort without the feeling or emotional back bone of the electrical pulses that were being copied. He created IRCAM (Institut de Recherche et Coordination Acoustique/Musique), a resource for composers and music-makers that would enable them to gain access to the best performers of any genre and to utilize the most up-to-date electronic technology and computer scientists at their disposal. He was also instrumental (no pun intended) in pioneering a musical style that couldn't be easily co-opted by nationalist fervor. For a counter to Boulez and his work, refer to the Pierre Boulez Project. For more info about Boulez and IRCAM, read Rationalizing Culture: IRCAM, Boulez, And The Institutionalization Of The Musical Avant-Garde by Georgina Born.

Luigi Dallapiccola: Dallapiccola didn't have much of a musical childhood as his family moved around from town to town in Austria due to the fact that he was born of Italian parents. At one point, his whole family was in internment for being suspected subversives. He didn't have access to a piano at this time but he was able to attend the local opera house and upon hearing Wagner's music decided that this was his calling. However, upon hearing Debussy for the first time, he temporarily halted all study so as to allow this new musical style to sink in. In the 1930s, he was particularly influenced by Berg and Webern. He was the first Italian to compose a work based on serialist techniques, however he still stayed in touch with harmony, which is perceived to be lost in most compositions of this sort. During the Second World War, he toured throughout countries not inhabited by German Nazis and performed pieces that clearly decried them. At one point he had to go into hiding as he found himself publicly opposing them. In his diary, he'd written: "In a totalitarian regime the individual is powerless. Only by means of music would I be able to express my anger." For some reason, his work composed in the 1920s has been withdrawn and is not allowed to be studied except under strict and controlled supervision.

Henri Pousseur: A member of the Darmstadt school, like Boulez, Pousseur had a penchant for dabbling in crossing styles like that of Schubert with Webern, a seemingly impossible mixture. His particular brand of composition was referred to as "tabula rasa" or "refusing the refusal" of historical experience. His electronic works using tape-music medium were meant to be re-arranged in order before playback and aided in bringing a new outlook on composition and the many results it can bring into fruition.

BZZZZTTTTT! K-CHUNK! GNRRRRRRRR...

2007-06-13T17:15:00.000-07:00

An incredible collection of electronic pieces composed and recorded between the years of 1948-1980 beginning with Clara Rockmore and ending with Brian Eno. The original version of this album no longer exists as the more current, updated version has more material, including a DVD that comes with the multi-CD box set. Regardless of the release date, the first pressing of this box is still an important collection of work.

In Brian Eno's foreword written for the booklet that accompanies the box, he likens the discovery of new ways to turn sound into "a plastic material- manipulable in space and time" similar to Debussy's introduction to the three-pedal Steinway, which would allow you to sustain one note while playing unsustained notes on top of that. Debussy composed many pieces specifically geared toward the use of the Steinway three-pedal piano. The same creative process occurred once it became possible to continuously expand pitch, duration, timbre, and loudness.

Not only are electronic compositions included but the written works of INA-GRM (Institut National Audiovisuel, Groupe de Recherches Musicales), WDR (Westdeutscher Rundfunk), Columbia-Princeton Electronic Music Center, and Sonic Arts Union.

It's interesting to note how all of these experimentations in sound and recording have been assimilated into musical culture in such a way that their presence is almost imperceptible until taken out of their musical context and exposed in their raw form. You will most likely experience the majority of these recordings to be just that- sound manipulations in their rawest form. Taken into context with the time period in which they were manipulated, however, these works were serious psychological and philosophical probings into society's purported understanding of music and its role in the culture of that particular day and age.

Ohm: The Early Gurus Of Electronic Music: 1948-1980

Japan is Not for Sale!

2007-06-10T19:45:00.000-07:00

Another fine sampler of bands who played Japan Nite during SXSW in 1998. These CDs were never released for sale but given away at SXSW events as promotionals for the bands who played at Japan Nite. Eventually, Japan Nite became so popular that a second event titled Japan Not For Sale had to be started as a result of the deluge of Japanese bands who wanted to perform during that week of insanity in Austin, Texas.

Tengoku Jack: They are drastic rock band from Japan! The literal translation of the band name is "Highjacking of Heaven." Two of the members of this band went on to form Noh-Suspend. They played a gig in Seattle about two years ago. More posts from these guys later as they provided some free music as gifts back in the late '90s. Their stuff can still be found in used bins in Texas despite the internet's complete erasure of their presence from the face of the earth.

The Kokessies: This band ended up breaking up in 2003 it seems. They had toured quite a bit from 1999 until the demise of the band. At this point, they splintered into two different groups: Pigeons and MAGO. Very cute gals playing very cute music. They actually rapped on stage.

O*N*T*J: Avant lounge music put together by Japan's best dressed transvestite keyboardist/band leader.

Balbora: Named after the famed film character Rocky Balboa, this band has actually played gigs at CBGB's. Crazy mixture of swing, punk, funk, blues, grunge, doom, and God knows what else. These guys kick ass and they don't quit!

Cocco: Cocco actually played the Japan Nite gig the year this sampler came out. Her performance is so emotional that the rawness of the sensation that she generates on stage reaches right out and touches you. The emotional honesty of her presence in the band is unlike anything that you will ever experience. She actually had to have her own bouncers to protect her from the hordes of would-be suitors and fanatical teenage Japanese-American girls. She doesn't really do any recording on her own anymore but she has been involved in side projects alongside other Japanese musicians.

Zoobombs: Here's a fucking crazy blender-full of genres wrapped up into one crumpled package- swaddled in funk, the blues, rock, and rap music. Who cares if they had to speak in English from a cue card? These guys and gal really knew how to work the crowd into a frenzy!

Smile Like Dog: This band had one album release on Benten Records and appeared on quite a few compilations. Since there aren't any photographs of them anywhere, they are shrouded in mystery. Their music is in the same vein as O*N*T*J and has been described as ""Pizzicato Five meets Violent Onsen Geisha." They combine a manic techno beat with Polysics-like synthesizer effects and banjo and then in the next song will throw in a few profanities accompanied by ukeleles and Hawaiian steel guitar. You've gotta hear it to believe it! Unfortunately, they have completely disappeared without a follow up band to track them down.

Riyu Konaka: Riyu Konaka spent her childhood in Chicago and New York and became heavily involved in music after returning to Japan in her junior high school years. This engendered within her an appreciation for the cultural diversity in her American classes and the need for this type of social diversity always rang in her mind as she grew older. She is not only a singer but poet/comedienne as well and enjoys writing lyrics and poetry in different languages.

Petty Booka: Listen to their famous rendition of Madonna's Material Girl right here on this compilation. You haven't heard American pop until you've heard it performed by a Japanese duet playing it on ukuleles.

Editing note: Did you know that the word ukulele has two spellings? Look it up!

Finally.... here's the CD!

What?... Me, Worried?

2007-06-10T14:58:00.000-07:00

Asie Payton lived his entire life in the rural town of Holly Ridge, Mississippi. The only recording sessions that occurred in his lifetime were a performance in Junior Kimbrough's Juke Joint and a performance at Jimmy's Auto shop.

Asie spent his Saturday evenings playing at one of the two local convenience stores in town; apparently, it was a family tradition, as his father had spent his weekends doing the exact same thing.

Asie had a fascination with tilling the land on his tractor and on days when it was dry enough to work on the farm, he could rarely be pried out of his seat to do much of anything else. Despite his poverty level- living as a farmer in an old shotgun shack with no phone or air conditioning- he couldn't be lured away to do much recording by the Fat Possum record label. There are only two albums of recordings in existence, even though Asie lived to the ripe age of 60. Here's one of them.

He died of a heart attack on 19 May 1997 while tending to the fields on his beloved tractor.

Dents That Produce a Melodic Sound

2007-06-10T03:39:00.000-07:00

In 1884, there was a British ban on African drumming (which is very reminiscent of the US ban on Native American chants and dances mentioned in an earlier post). Trinidad's response to this clampdown was to incorporate tamboo bamboo bands into their carnival processions. "The tamboo bamboo ensemble consists of varying lengths and widths of bamboo, which are stamped on the ground in an interlocking fashion similar to West African drumming (Blake 2000)."

Once the 1930s rolled around, the steel drum (or steel pan) became the primary instrument used in these processions (Walbourn 1999). Originally, buckets and pails were used for this purpose but around the time of the Second World War, these instruments were crafted out of 50-gallon oil barrels that had been abandoned by the US Naval Base in Trinidad. The instruments were used primarily for their percussive effects (in similar fashion to the tamboo bamboo) but were later used in an attempt to emphasize melody.

There is an annual competition in Trinidad every year where bands from all over the Caribbean pit their skills against one another in an attempt to win the prize of being declared the best performers of this musical style. The history of steel pan recordings stems from this annual event. It's very likely that Mighty Turbines were a band competing in this contest and were touting this record in an attempt to market themselves at the live stadium performance.

Capture a sample of their wares here.

The New Nicaragua

2007-06-09T16:26:00.000-07:00

After the FSLN (Sandinista National Liberation Front) took power in 1979, it seemed like the heralding of a new age in Nicaraguan history. Little did the populace know how the US Government was going to respond to their newly found liberation from the wealth hording of Somoza.

At the time this record was released (1983), Nicaragua had taken a case to the International Court of Justice against the US for its participation in military and paramilitary actions in and against the Republic of Nicaragua. In 1986, the Court had found that the US government had "encouraged the commission of acts contrary to general principles of humanitarian law," although the Court stopped short of actually impugning the US government in actively participating in any wrong doing. The US was ordered to pay a fine for its involvement; the US refused to pay the fine.

In 1987, it became public news that key members of the Reagan administration were actively involved in illegally providing arms to members of the Contras, who were actively trying to disrupt the Sandanista government in hopes of re-installing a military junta that would be more favorable in the eyes of US interests. This led to a TV bonanza of court cases that were trumpeted every day for months in the media but, as one can clearly see today, the US government hasn't fallen shy of its ability to help induce a public amnesia in the minds of the general American populace when it comes to its more nefarious activities.

Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy and other members of his family are very well-known Nicaraguan musicians. This particular album was recorded with his second band Grupo Mantocal. After the Sandinista Revolution proved to be successful, he was appointed as a member of the Department of Music within the Ministry of Culture. His lyrics took on a more socially-conscious tone in light of the events he and his fellow Nicaraguans found themselves faced with during that trying time and he began to travel extensively around the world.

Check out his website.

Listen to the record.

Check out the extensive liner notes.

Interesting note: His brother is Carlos Mejia Godoy- another famous Nicaraguan musician- whose son, Camilo Mejia, was the subject of much consternation in US news back in 2004. Camilo is a US immigrant who served in the US military and wanted to file as a conscientious objector after being deployed to Iraq for some time. The US Army denied his request.

You Done Put Your Banana In It Now

2007-06-09T10:55:00.000-07:00

Armenter Chatmon (later known as Bo Carter) and his brothers (Sam and Lonnie) learned to play music from their father and mother. Henderson and Eliza Chatmon both played music before marriage. Henderson was an ex-slave fiddler and Eliza could sing and play guitar.

The three brothers eventually began playing in public and even recorded a few 78s under the band name Mississippi Sheiks. Since Bo drank less than his other two brothers, he was placed in charge of finances and the management of the group. As time dragged on, he began performing solo and recorded a lot of material.

Unfortunately, music historians have pegged him into the "risque music" category due to the double entendre of his song titles and the content of a great deal of his lyrics. Song titles such as Banana In Your Fruit Basket, Pin In Your Cushion, Your Biscuits Are Big Enough For Me, and My Pencil Won't Write No More all helped to reinforce this attitude towards his music. As detailed in the album liner notes provided by Yazoo Records, his chord progression and continual change in tuning throughout the entirety of his musical catalog should create enough interest for any musician- young or old- to take a closer look at the body of his work.

Blues archivist and researcher, Paul Oliver, stumbled into Carter one day in Memphis in 1960 (less than five years before Carter's death). A transcription of the interview that ensued can be found in Oliver's tome Conversation With The Blues.

Here's the LP.

Gettin' Craggy Wit' It

2007-06-08T05:46:00.000-07:00

Not very much information known about this one-man band from West Virginia. Blind Joe Hill played in the Akron, Ohio area quite a bit throughout the 1970s and was considered to be one of the last performers of the one-man band "style." He even played a gig in the DDR in Berlin in the mid-1980s.

He's been described as craggy in his singing style and that his compositions are erratic. To a country blues fan who isn't obssessed with the modern-day polished sound, this is a very pleasing aesthetic. Traditionally, blues performers have led a rough and tumble lifestyle and this sound is part of the essence of that lifestyle. If you like the sound of modern-day recording technology or consider yourself to be a fan of Stevie Ray Vaughan, you will find that this album will differ from what you're accustomed to hearing. A great deal of what passes for blues today is nothing but watered down crap.

Listen to the almost impossible to find record here.

Just a Matter of Time

2007-06-07T05:46:00.000-07:00

Famed compilation that served as a tribute to the band Crucifix. This is an album of Crucifix covers performed by various hardcore bands. Definitely worth a listen!

Having formed in 1980, Crucifix hailed from Berkeley, California. Their frontman was Sothira Pheng, a Cambodian refugee whose family had fled the brutal reign of the Khmer Rouge shortly after the takeover. Many of the band's lyrics dealt with Sothira's experiences as a child in Cambodia and the disenchantment he felt after arriving in the "land of the free."

Their full-length LP, Dehumanization, was released under the Corpus Christi label, an offshoot of the Crass Records label, which afforded bands more artisitic license with the packaging of the album covers and also provided John Loder, the audio engineer for the labels, more mobility with sound recording projects.

Liner Notes (German)

Interview with Ripper fanzine

Interview with Suburban Punk fanzine

Ju-Ju-Jubilant

2007-06-04T19:47:00.000-07:00

Ebenezer Obey played in his first band, Fatayi Rolling Dollar and the Federal Rhythm Brothers Orchestra, before moving to Lagos in 1963 to form his own band. The International Brothers changed their name to Chief Commander Ebenezer Obey & His Inter Reformers Band in 1971.

However, they didn't just change their name. The Inter Reformers sped up the juju style and added electric guitars and electric bass to their line up. This created a much cleaner approach to the music. The sound struck such a chord with Nigerian crowds that he actually had bigger sales than King Sunny Ade in the 1970s. The title that he used to dub his particular brand of juju was "miliki system." He even opened up his own night club called Miliki Spot but by the mid 1970s, he found his fame once again being threatened by the music of Sunny Ade.

Although, he never achieved the international acclaim that King Sunny Ade did, he still remains one of the most important musicians in Nigeria today.

Listen to his first American release on Shanachie Records.

Third Stream not Mainstream

2007-06-04T05:33:00.000-07:00

Colin McPhee: Incensed by Toronto's Victorian sensibilities, Colin McPhee found himself fleeing to Paris and New York as soon as he was able. He studied under Edgard Varese in New York and one night at a fancy dinner party in Manhattan, found himself immersed in listening to cylinder recordings of music from Bali alongside a woman by the name of Jane Belo. The two were wed shortly thereafter and headed across the Indian Ocean to Bali, where they could absorb the culture and music first-hand.

Devoted as he was to Balinese culture, he began to compose many pieces that were reflections of his life experiences with the gamelan musical style. There are some musicologists who assert that gamelan music exists as a musical style today as a result of his direct efforts in composing music based on its percussive effects.

In his own words: "It is a strange music, in its aura of legend, secrecy and taboo, in its lovely chiming tones, its organization, its endless repetition without the slightest change of nuance. It seems to revolve, gives the effect of something suspended, spiritual or magical. . . There was none of the perfume and sultriness of so much of the music in the East, for there is nothing purer than the bright clean sound of metal, cool and ringing and dissolving in the air. Nor was it personal and romantic, in the manner of our own effusive music, but rather, sound broken up into beautiful patterns. . . This, I thought, is the way music was meant to be, blithe, transparent, rejoicing the soul with its eager rhythm and lively sound."

Gunther Schuller: Known for his longstanding association and friendship with Charles Mingus, Gunther Schuller is renowned as one of classical and jazz music's foremost scholars, composers, and conductors. Not only has he written works on the history of jazz music from a scholarly point of view but he has also introduced a concept in music known as "Third Stream."

What is third stream, you may ask? "It is a fusion of modern classical music or modern techniques with modern jazz techniques. In other words, what it is not is having a mismatch of modern jazz and old-fashioned classical music. It has to do with the language of music. My first idea was to bring jazz into a more modern harmonic language. At the time that I was creating this concept, jazz was still using the harmonic language that was established at the turn of the Twentieth Century. Classical music had already been using the modern harmonic language of the serial composers: Schoenberg, Webern, Berg, Milton Babbitt and Boulez. So there was a major discrepancy between the most major modern 'classical' language and the most advanced 'jazz' language.

"One the ideas was to bring these two musical styles together by using the same advanced harmonic language, which could be anything from what we call bi-tonality or atonality. Third Stream also came about because around the 1920s many classical music composers around the world discovered jazz. Stravinsky, Honnegar, Milhaud, and even Gershwin all wrote pieces that were influenced by jazz, but none of their compositions contained sections for improvisation. If one were to argue or suggest that the heart and soul of jazz is really improvisation, then these compositions hadn’t really crossed the divide.

"When I came along in the 1940s, composition was sort of secondary in jazz. I proposed that in bringing jazz and classical music together we must bring improvisation into the fusion."

Ernest Bloch: Although, Bloch never pioneered any new style in the world of music, his voice was distinctive enough to draw attention to his compositions. Both the young and the older academics could find much to appreciate in his work as he had an individual way of sculpting sounds using techniques of the past: folk influences, the 12-tone technique, and even coloristic quarter tones.

Sinfonia Breve was composed in 1952, less than a decade before his death. He wrote 25 pieces during this period and it was considered to be the peak of his composition. Despite his acclaim, he remained an unworldly fellow, preferring the solitude of nature to the hustle and bustle of the city life.

". . . a voice which seemed to come from far beyond myself . . . which surged up in me on reading certain passages in the Bible, Job, Ecclesiastes, the Psalms, the Prophets . . . I have but listened to an inner voice, deep, secret, insistent, ardent . . . This entire Jewish heritage has moved me deeply. It was reborn in my music . . . It is the Jewish soul that interests me, the complex, glowing, agitated soul I feel vibrating throughout the Bible."

Colin McPhee: Tabuh-Tabuhan/Ernest Bloch: Sinfonia Breve/Gunther Schuller: Seven Studies On Themes Of Paul Klee

Roll Your Heart Into a Ball- Bounce It!

2007-06-01T11:47:00.000-07:00

At the time of this recording (1985), About Nine Times was a trio. If memory serves correctly, by the time they got around to recording their second album, they had whittled themselves down to a duo (Chris & Wendy Broadstone). Being brother and sister probably made this an easy decision to make. The band was from Dallas and played in small towns throughout Texas but most likely never in Austin.

The sound of About Nine Times is difficult to describe- one third minimalist synth; one third jazz; one third new wave. If you come up with a better description, drop a comment. The lyrics are poetic but, at times, feel forced. This band was really great to see perform live. The drummer, Chris Broadstone, was completely animated and crazy and if you listen closely, you can hear the off-the-cuff jazz chops that he throws in throughout the record. Absolutely brilliant!

The duo would perform in College Station alongside straight-edge punk bands in the late 1980s. There was a small hardcore scene due to the stalwart efforts of a record store manager named Jim Bradford. Not only did he stock more of an alternative selection in the small chain record store he managed but he booked shows in the small town of College Station AND distributed his own record label, No Scene, out of his house. He had a fanzine by the same name, the title of which is pretty obvious how he came up with, having been born out of a small redneck college town that eventually named one of its streets after George Bush the Elder. Jim regularly spins reggae in clubs and radio stations around Austin. Give him a shout if you ever meet him.

In 2005, there was a new recording released entitled Beyond Blue Sky Nothing. It's unclear whether this is old unreleased material or a brand new recording. It can be purchased on Chris' website, along with the other albums. You can even buy the vinyl if you want it!

Chris has gone on to making horror films now. Check out his horror films and the band albums here!

Kill Your Trust in Metal

2007-05-31T20:19:00.000-07:00

This is a sampler that was put out by Trustkill Records and was passed out for free at many gigs that bands on the label played at. Although the label sounds primarily like a metal record label, the project began as a hardcore fanzine that eventually turned into a record label which now has releases distributed through Universal. Here are some of the better tracks from the sampler that was released a few years back.

The opening bit to the track by Poison The Well (or PT-Dub, as they like to be called) sounds really promising and then the melodic bits that occur right before the chorus let you know that this is actually a metal song. It's weird to think that Guitar Magazine actually declared the album relased by these guys in 1999 as "one of the greatest hardcore albums of all time." Interesting definitiion of hardcore...

Throwdown: These guys are really fucking intense to see live, even if it was an accident to go to their gig during SXSW. Apparently, their forebears are bands like Pantera, Machine Head, Sepultura and early Metallica. They're from Texas so they can't be all that bad.

Nora: There are probably a whole lot of hoarse voices amongst the band members after they play a gig. Their latest album Save Yourself is being touted as along the ranks of Master Of Puppets, Reign In Blood, and London Calling. Make up your own mind on this claim.

Eighteen Visions (or 18V): Awesome drumming on this and then the vocals kick in, which make me think of Axl Rose a little but not near as snarly in a rock star kind of way, then the whole vocal style changes to screamo type shouting at points. Is it the same singer? Or someone else entirely? Did the audio engineer sneak a drunk Axl Rose into the studio as a prank? Well, these guys had a song called Victim, which became the official soundtrack for WWE Vengeance. Maybe that explains something. NIce shoes, though.

Most Precious Blood: Nice guitar sound on this one. The vocalist's style is slightly reminiscent of old Sodom. If you haven't heard their variety of metal from the '80s, give it a listen. These guys claim a hardcore DIY lifestyle and they have some interesting things to say: “We’ve got World War 3 going on; we have no time for poetry and guitar solos. It’s back to the old school of hardcore, get in, say what you want to say and get out. More than ever, hardcore should write that the end of the world can come tomorrow, instead most bands are writing like we have our whole life ahead of us. We wanted to write an album that isn’t dumbed down but has short songs with lyrics you can relate to immediately... We want hardcore to be something different again, like you feel you’ve discovered some secret society not a homogenized rebellion.” Unfortunately, these guys found their distributor threatening to shelve their upcoming album from 2005 as a result of this attitude and shift in their musical style.

Walls Of Jericho: Great fucking drum tuning for this recording! The screaming by the vocalist is astounding as well; probably because it's a woman- Candace Kucsulain! Walls Of Jericho hails from Detroit; this is probably what makes their front woman so tough. She's sustained head wounds and broken noses while on stage and still kept singing, covered in her own blood, until the gig was over. THEN she went to the hospital for treatment. She's even been known to hop on stage to sing while sporting two black eyes! Check out their video There Is No I In Fuck You!

Here are the tracks from this sampler!

Whoa, There! Back Up, Nellie!

2007-05-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

Kamikaze Conniptions is currently backing up our electronic library. We regret any deprivation that you may be experiencing as a result of this. The music junkie collection monkey will be pawing at everyone's backs soon enough!

Cheers!

Yo-Pop!

2007-05-29T05:35:00.000-07:00

Segun Adewale was raised listening to his father's guitar-playing and this nurtured a desire within him to become a musician. However, Segun was a member of a royal family in Nigeria and when he expressed this desire to his parents, his father objected to the notion of his son becoming a professional musician.

Segun left his home town and made his way to Lagos; he ended up working with Chief S.L. Atolagbe and his Holy Rainbow and, later, became an apprentice to IK Dairo. Dairo was considered by many to be the father of juju music and he taught Segun about composition and arranging music.

This album was released in 1984 and it was at this time that the term "yo-pop" was being used to describe Segun's mixture of funk, jazz, juju, reggae, and Afro-beat.

Dreadlocks in the Moonlight

2007-05-26T18:07:00.000-07:00

Released in 1982 by Island Pictures, Countryman is an interesting look into the lifestyle, culture, and music of Rastafarianism. This film is difficult to find and rarely appears on television due to the thick Jamaican dialect that is used throughout its entirety. Being that this is a movie and not an actual documentary, the plot is kind of cheesy but the scenes that depict rural life in Jamaica are indispendible to those who find themselves fascinated by this music and way of life. Most of the actors in the film weren't actors at all but were used because they were native to the environment in which the film was made.

Reggae fans will recognize all the bands that adorn the musical soundtrack. Although, Bob Marley and the Wailers are pretty worn out as a musical reference to reggae, the songs that form a part of this soundtrack aren't the tired, played out crap that are heard on albums such as Legend. This album is a must for anyone who purports to be a reggae listener! If you love reggae, yet the only reggae music you've ever heard is Bob Marley, get a fucking life and start doing some deeper digging into the musical world. This double LP is a good place to start!

The Original Soundtrack From The Film Countryman

Original Musical Thinker & Tinkerer

2007-05-23T20:35:00.000-07:00

Influenced by minimalist composer Terry Riley's aleatoric work In C, which focused on musical patterns and offsets in time, Steve Reich started experimenting in the same way with tape recordings of the spoken word. His earlier works focused on the twelve-tone system but the emphasis of the studies revolved around the rhythmic aspects of the composition rather than that of the melodic. He became interested in taking segments of speeches, repeating them in similar fashion to a canon, playing them in and out of phase, then cutting segments of the speech out and rearranging them in a different order.

The piece Violin Phase is a musical study of this nature but rather than just going in and out of phase, the performer is pre-recorded and then plays along with himself in the studio, altering the musical phrase after a certain number of bars until near the end of the composition when the violinist finds himself playing back in unison with himself again.

In the early '70s, Steve Reich became fascinated with the study of drumming styles of the Ewe people in Ghana and shortly thereafter, the Balinese Gamelan Semar Pegulingan and Gamelan Gambang. You can hear the Indonesian percussion influences in his work Music For A Large Ensemble very clearly and in a more subtle way in Octet.

Steve Reich is considered to be America's greatest composer whose work has altered the direction of musical history.

Octet/Music For A Large Ensemble/Violin Phase

An Abortion of an Album

2007-05-23T05:37:00.000-07:00

Most people are familiar with Al Jourgensen and Ministry as an industrial/metal fusion band. Fewer people are familiar with their output prior to the famed Halloween single, which made them celebrities in the music industry.

In 1983, Arista released the album With Sympathy, which is the official debut album by the band. According to the cassette liner notes, Ministry was touted as a duo, rather than a band. One pop critic described the recording as "Human League's surly little brother." Jourgensen, however, remembers it with less fondness, referring to it as an "abortion of an album."

At the time of signing contracts with Arista, Jourgensen found himself without any creative control whatsoever. Everything was handed over to other writers and producers, leaving Jourgensen in the uncomfortable position of doing their musical bidding. It wasn't long before he parted ways with Arista after the filming of a music video for Revenge and releasing a single titled Work For Love, which at last sight was being sold in record stores for $80.

Reading online about the band and fans' interactions with them, a story unfurled about how someone attempted to get Jourgensen to autograph a copy of the With Sympathy CD, which Jourgensen instantly smashed to pieces and then promptly paid the fan $15 to pay him back for his loss.

Listen to the LP here.

I'm Not Queer... Just Peculiar

2007-05-22T08:11:00.000-07:00

Anne Clark, along with cohort David Harrow, were among those pioneers who were actively sculpting new sounds in electronic music in the 1980s. Anne's poetry alongside the electronic musings of David helped provide a musical foundation that would be even further soldified by bands like Depeche Mode.

Anne Clark, a Londoner, left school at the age of sixteen and involved herself in various jobs in independent record stores in the year 1976. Punk was just beginning to splatter itself across all of England and the noise it created spoke to the inner angst she was experiencing.

She began to feel her need for communication to extend itself into the realm of art, music, and theatre. This led her to approach the Warehouse Theatre, next door to Bonaparte Records, and begin working as the unpaid adminstrator for the locale setting up performances of various kinds. Live performances by The Damned, Siouxsie and The Banshees and Generation X, Linton Kwesi-Johnson, and the Durutti Column would become a staple. Anne's own debut was the performance at Richard Strange's Cabaret Futura in London along with Depeche Mode.

When she began composing lyrics, poetry, and music with David Harrow, her fascination with samplers, keyboard, and synthesizers resulted in releases such as this one.

She still performs often enough. Check out her website to learn more.

The Exploration of Darkness as a Beautiful Place Will Lessen Our Fear of It All

2007-05-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

Attrition are considered pioneers in the musical realm that some have come to know as Goth or Industrial music. Starting up in 1980, the band still tours and has sold over 50,000 albums to date. Influenced by the Do It Yourself attitude of the punk movement and the experimental in the arts- visual as well as musical- Martin Bowes and Julia Waller found themselves eventually touring and recording alongside bands who were the burgeoning core of the industrial sound. Test Department, Coil, Legendary Pink dots, In The Nursery, Portion Control were only a few of the bands who they would induct as comrades in a new musical age.

After a drummer didn't show up to a gig, the band had decided to replace him with an electronic one instead. Thus, was born a new sound, and a penchant for exploring the differences in the sonic possibilities that a new technology had afforded them. This resulted in the cassette home recordings Fear/Devoid and then later the ambient recording This Death House. Their very first live gig was with Coil in 1983.

In 1985, the song Shrinkwrap made the cover cassette that accompanied the magazine Electronics & Music Maker. This resulted in the 12-inch single that you can now listen to. The record is rarely mentioned in discographies and it's safe to say is out of print. It wasn't much later that Attrition joined hands with the Legendary Pink Dots to start their distribution company Terminal Kaleidoscope. You can find live recordings of both bands on the split-CD of the same name.

It was strange that with the underground goth scene that still seems to persist in Austin, Attrition had never performed in that town until less than a year ago. It was unfortunate that the gig took place the weekend of Thanksgiving when most people were gone for the holiday. Most likely they will never play Austin again. There were only about 20 people in attendance.

The band is really great to see live and the first sensation you have when they don the stage is not that of the aural but rather the olfactory, as Martin likes to light incense when starting their set. It sets a really interesting mood to the venue. The change in the atmosphere is felt almost instantly. Martin was a great guy but there's only so much one can talk about to a band member whose music one hasn't listened to in 15 years. And Attrition has quite an expansive discography since this one record was released!

These days, Martin Bowes teaches music in England. Attrition is currently on tour in Europe and is preparing for round two of their tour of the States. Learn more about the gigs, the latest album (Dante's Kitchen), and the re-issues of previous albums to CD on their website!

Since I'm 13 I'm Interested in Manipulation

2007-05-21T20:12:00.000-07:00

Side project started by Alexander Von Borsig of Einsturzende Neubauten, as his current project was constricting the kind of musical work he was wanting to create and perform. Fans of Neubauten may think this sounds strange but when you actually hear MDK, it will make more sense taken in stride with the time period this EP was actually recorded (1982). He eventually went back to the band to handle their audio engineering and live sound of their performances but up to that point, he had done work under various projects with P1 E, Blasse, Sentimentale Jugend, Mekanik Destruktiw Komandoh and Sprung Aus Den Wolken. Listen to the record!

Darkness... Nothing More, Nothing Less

2007-05-21T08:08:00.000-07:00

D & V (Drums & Vocals) were simply that. However, under the audio engineering tutelage of Penny RImbaud and backed by the vocals of Eve Libertine and Joy DeVivre, they were a little bit more than what they boasted. Dance drum beats and heady lyrics flowed through the entirety of the LP.

This record was released right around the time of Crass' demise and the record label was moving into a direction where the statements it was making went beyond the normal criticisms of the society that most of us felt boxed in by. They were beginning to offer visions that alluded to a life outside of the perceived box that enclosed the multitudes. D & V's record was a small part of that vision.

Note the Malcolm McClaren sample from Madame Butterfly on the track The Present Situation.

Click here for the liner notes.

Money and Sex Are Running My Life

2007-05-20T09:29:00.000-07:00

Nig-Heist were a bunch of weirdoes who were either Black Flag roadies or producers of punk albums or maybe even anonymous people from other punk bands. The concept began with Mugger, Black Flag roadie and patron of the Church practice space. When the hardcore scene began to exhibit signs of being cliched and narrow-minded in its approach to music, Nig-Heist was there to show it for the stupid farce that it was beginning to become. Adorned with wigs and not much else, Mugger and Co. would appear on stage and create pandemonium and banter with the audience.

Although the band was created as a joke, it resulted in the release of an LP and a couple of 7-inches on the Drag City record label. In the early to late '90s, the album was re-issued on CD with a bonus disc of live recordings of the band as compiled by Henry Rollins. To capture the essence of where Nig-Heist was coming from, it's imperative to hear that disc.

The show that Nig-Heist played in Austin with the Meat Puppets, the Offenders, and Black Flag was probably one of the more annoying gigs they put on. But, that was the whole point of the act- to be a nuisance to those who weren't in on the joke.

Here's the out of print CD.

Thanks to Geoff Cordner's website for the awesome photo!

I'll Teach You How to Fuck

2007-05-19T11:07:00.000-07:00

When Madonna's book Sex was announced, you had the option to pre-order it from the local bookstore three months in advance. It had a heavy metallic book cover and was wrapped in a shiny silver wrapper with her face adorning the front. Inside was a complimentary CD of her tune Erotic and a small comic of photos with her and Rosie O'Donnell and Naomi Campbell inside. Quite a package! The HMV music store in New York had a release party of the book where you could go into the store and view the book for $1/minute. When the public libraries starting stocking the book, you were only allowed to check it out for an hour at a time. It couldn't leave the library premises. The book is currently out of print.

The book is narrated by Dita, named after the silent film actress, Dita Parlo. Some of the imagery inside is absolutely beautiful; some of it completely disturbing. Warner Bros. was completely opposed to the idea of the production of the book and had her sign a legal agreement, stating that she was not to include religious ornamentation or acts of bestiality in the book. Madonna actually broke these rules by including a nude photo of herself with a dog and an image with a crucifix in the background.

Madonna said that she was completely nervous about the project beforehand and she went through months of working out in order to prepare for the nude photographs that were taken of her.

Of course, when a book of this nature comes out, there is always the predictable "shock and horror" by those who are more conventional in their approach to living that feel threatened by it. This all played out as knee-jerk responses normally do, with media outlets feeling the need to get everyone to comment on it. The book sold 150,000 copies the day it was released.

It seems that most straight men dislike Madonna. Perhaps it's because of her inability to compromise her business, her music or her art in order to accomodate another person's whim or idea of who she is or how she should "market herself." Most likely, this is the reason she was so adamant in making sure that everything went as SHE wanted it to when producing this book. Sex is the one arena where women feel the least power and so for Madonna to assert herself in this realm was of utmost importance.

You can view the entire book online.

Here's the CD that accompanied the book.

Sample These Wares

2007-05-18T19:52:00.000-07:00

Keeping in pace with the South By Southwest theme that has been set, even though the event itself is worth much revulsion, here is a sampler that was released by The Enclave record label in 1997. Looking at the credits, one can see that there are quite a few bands on this label (some recognizable, others more obscure) but only two of these bands actually performed during SXSW the week of the famed event- Fluffy and Sloan. The record label had one more showcase in 1998 and then went belly up, leaving many of the bands on their label to fend for themselves.

A little about the bands:

World Party: This was the first release that Karl Wallinger had released in the previous five years. A solo project that consisted of Wallinger's talented performance of every instrument on the album, resulted in the release of the Private Revolution album. The song Ship Of Fools became a big hit for Wallinger with its musical hearkening back to a Beatlesque era.

Fluffy: An all-girl outfit, Fluffy played the very first Sex Pistols reunion gig in Finsbury Park. Their first single release "Hypersonic" was celebrated in the form of a record release put together by Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics. Their first album Black Eye was produced by Bill Price, who recorded the Sex Pistols' Never Mind The Bollocks. Their sound is rough enough but they draw a lot of criticism for writing lyrics for simpletons. Still, they seemed like nice enough gals and didn't take banter with the audience they attracted too seriously, so they seemed on-the-level and not big-headed by any means.

Sloan: This Canadian band is still together and plays regular gigs in the great white north. Some of their tracks will remind you of pop hits from the '70s. They will grow on you the more you listen to them. They describe themselves as "Money-city maniacs who have a soft spot for sweet sugar tunes."

September 67: This duet also played in Lillith Fair the same year this sampler came out. Their album Lucky Shoe was backed by all kinds of musicians such as Bryan Harvey, Bob Rupe, David Lowery and David Immergluck. They also recorded a track with Dave Matthews backing them. If you give a fuck about crap like that, then you'll llke these tracks.

Drain S.T.H.: S.T.H. stands for Stockholm and this band is from Sweden. You can hear the obvious Alice In Chains influence in their music. Whatever. The coolest thing about these gals is that they wrote a song with Tony Iommi called Black. Although, after listening to Seventh Star a time or two, maybe that's nothing to brag about.

Belle & Sebastian: Hipsters should appreciate the inclusion of Belle & Sebastian on this compilation. Formed in Glasgow, Scotland just a year before this collection was put together, their Tigermilk album was so successful that they were signed by Jeepster Records and the album If You're Feeling Sinister was recorded just three months later. These two tracks were written for the upcoming album.

Scratching Post: Apparently, Virgin signed this Canadian group after The Enclave went bankrupt and re-produced the album. Without having heard it, it's difficult to do a comparison contrast. These two tunes are catchy enough; if you're into female vocalists with sultry voices and buzz guitars backing them, Scratching Post is for you.

Fleshpaint: Another Canadian band hailing from Ottawa. They describe themselves as "industrial pop." It's kind of dumb; kind of like what would happen if Britney Spears decided she wanted to write the lyrics and music to a Trent Reznor album and he actually recorded it. If this amuses you, then download the album just so you can hear what this vain attempt to describe their sound is trying to convey. The best thing about the band is their name. They apparently did a video called Cigarette Religion. If only their music was as cool as their titles...

Fluid Ounces: These guys seem to be good musicians but they suffer from what most musicians have when they want to make it big by getting involved with shitty events such as SXSW. However, they're from Tennessee so maybe that explains a little bit of something. Give them a listen and make up your own mind. If you're into piano rock, then have at it!

And, without further ado, here's the album!

Not the Sampler On Your Keyboard

2007-05-17T10:33:00.000-07:00

This was a promotional CD for South By Southwest's Japan Nite that has been happening every year for at least the past decade. It's not for sale anywhere unless you can score a used copy at a record store somewhere in Texas. It was released sometime in the mid-to-late '90s during that spring break period when people take off time from work and school to spend a week in Austin checking out the local acts and witnessing any foreign bands that happen to blow through town for the event.

The album starts off with Husking Bee, who has already been covered in the previous post. If you haven't downloaded Grip but HAVE downloaded the music on this post and find yourself interested in the Husking Bee tracks that are on this compilation, then download their full album.

The next couple of tracks are by Cocco. A female vocalist from Japan who started her career in 1996 with a self-titled EP (Cocko) that garnered enough interest for Tower Records to use the track Sing a Song ~No Music, No Life~ in their advertising campaign. She supposedly retired from music and went on to writing but has since been involved in other musical creations with the drummer from Feed (who has also been covered in a previous post!) and other musicians who formed a band called Singer Songer.

Lolita No. 18 are described as the most famous all-girl punk band in Japan. They became well-known for their cartoony costumes on stage accompanied by crazy music and little girl singing style. They held such a special place in Joey Ramone's heart that he produced an album for them in 1997. They broke up in 2001 but Masayo, the singer, started a new band under the same name. They play in Texas very often, even recorded an album in Austin, so if they come to your town, do everything you can to see them!

The Mad Capsule Markets have been described as "digital-hardcore-thrash-punk-pop." Make up your own mind when you listen to them but they are absolutely not to be ignored. This band will not only shred your ears but they will change the way you think and feel about Japanese music. Their live set was as equally powerful as the studio tracks on this compilation. Takeshi Ueda, the bass player is the most intense and animated bass player EVER. This can be felt in his playing on these two tracks. The band started as Berrie, a tribute band to 1980s pop group BOØWY; as they got out of high school, they changed their name and line up and by the 1990s found themselves sharing the bill with the likes of Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Atari Teenage Riot. Their albums are difficult to find; if you see one, pick it up!

Petty Booka have played South By Southwest on numerous occasions and always bring a smile to any crowd. Compiling a mixture of Hawaiian, country, reggae, ska and Okinawan musical styles, their set is always unique and creates a stir in any group of people who are seeing them. Anyone who is a fan of the ukulele or just Japanese female duets in general should give them a listen.

Ryo Kagawa With Te-Chili: Not much known about these guys but the song is powerful and if you can judge the sound of the performance, it seems to have an anti-war bent. If this is the case, then it's pretty relevant.

ONTJ (Olivia New Ton John) are unlike anything you will ever see or hear. Think 1980s industrial (Einsturzende Neubauten style) and then throw in a female Japanese vocalist who sings afropop, a tuba player, a drummer who also plays saxophone, a group of tape decks, and a violinist and then imagine that band playing avant garde jazz and flowing into heavy metal with some pop and crooning thrown in for good measure. That's what ONTJ sounds like. Your musical sensibilities will be thrown on their proverbial ear...

Riyu Konaka is a Japanese artist who spent most of her time in the US. She writes "avant-guarde Fake Jazz Pop" and poetry. She has apparently recorded with Medeski, Martin, and Wood. Listen to her podcast and sample her poetic wares here.

Dub band Fishmans are characterized in Japan as Shimokita-kei music; Shimokita (下北郡) is a district in the Aomori Prefecture in Japan. They formed in 1987 and disbanded in 1999 after the passing of their vocalist, Shinji Sato. See the video for this song here.

Download the compilation here!

Asian Kung Fu Generation

2007-05-15T22:13:00.000-07:00

Husking Bee hailed from Japan and made their musical debut with the 1996 release of Grip on Pizza Of Death Records. Their first tour on American soil was at South By Southwest in 1999 and resulted in a record deal with Doghouse Records. They found themselves re-pressing their second album Put On Fresh Paint in the US and sold over 100,000 copies! Their sound is reminiscent of Green Day with their angry yet bittersweet vocals and overall production of the recordings. Plus they're just geniunely nice guys who really appreciate their followers and fan base.

The copy of this CD was received by the band as a gift and no longer seems to be in print as it isn't listed on the Pizza Of Death Records website; since Husking Bee's break up in 2005, their website no longer lists it for sale, either, so here it is.

Exciting news on the Pizza Of Death website is that there is a tribute album in the works. CHECK IT OUT!

Liner Notes (Japanese)

Liner Notes (English)

Bringing a Face to the Notoriously Anonymous Electronic Genre

2007-05-15T20:39:00.000-07:00

What a great catch phrase that is! This phrase has been used to describe Moby since the early '90s... It is true, however, that Moby has provided a personality to a musical genre that had up to that point been pretty anonymous. (By this point, there weren't too many people excited about Brian Eno anymore.)

This CD was Moby's early foray into the mainstream by creating an official music club on Yahoo. The EP was a prize for entering some kind of contest through the club. It's interesting to see what Yahoo says about Moby now: "scorned by hordes of techno artists and fans for diluting and trivializing the form." This seemed to be an impression of his work after the hit album Play was released.

Although, the album was really brilliant in its use of blues to accompanying techno rhythms and such, his live performances after that success were absolute crap. He had put on so many energetic and crazy live shows in the past; no back up, just him and his keyboard; his body flailing about like a human crucifix that was tossed around the audience; someone commented that the first gig he played in Austin, Rave New World, with The Prodigy was the loudest gig he'd ever heard in his life. After having had those experiences and then to see him accompanied by a full band with a bongo section was a bit of a disappointment. And just when it didn't seem like it could get worse, listening to him shamelessly plug one of the lamest radio stations in Austin took it down another notch... The warm up band, Boom Boom Satellites, a Japanese electronic experiment, was absolutely incredible and made the show worth actually going. If not for that, however...

But enough of all of that, despite the direction his business sense took him in, he still remains a decent composer, musician, and producer. Here's a bit of his work before $atan took over his soul and sold his art down the river.

9/11

2007-05-13T19:21:00.000-07:00

Mexico had a pretty good underground psychedelic rock scene in the '60s and '70s and if you dig hard enough, you can find quite a trove of musical delight. The musical counterculture was seething under the "importation of rock and roll" from the US, complete with government mandated playlists for radio stations.

On September 11, 1971, a rock band decided they would try to capitalize on a local car race by arranging a performance. This wound up in several bands deciding that they wanted to perform and resulted in a Mexican version of Woodstock with over 250,000 people in attendance. The event itself has since been referred to as Avandaro (the name of the town where the show happened, which was 20 miles outside of Mexico City).

It was considered to be a major coup in the rock and roll scene in Mexico because, although the authorities were at hand, no incidents occurred. This was three months after a bloody stamping out of a student protest, so there was a concern that the police would bust up the show.

There is a compilation of recordings related to the performance that can be found on the music blog Black Acid.

18mm film footage was shot of the event and there are several videos posted online.

Peace And Love were one of the many bands that played the gig. They were led by Ricardo Ochoa, who was considered to be a pioneer in the political music scene at that period in time. The band's music easily flows from latin style rhythms to funk to rock and roll to ballads. Here is the re-issue of their record.

Rough translation:

"It's been fifteen years since three days of music, peace, and love was recorded in the heart of that beautiful place of grace- much to my astonishment. The Peace And Love band was an important group to me but of equal importance was the festival of Avandaro- it is held to be the best experience of my musical career. Bringing this music from the shadows of the past and back into the light after so many years have gone by is so very important... and I want to share it with you."
Ricardo Ochoa

To learn more about the underground Mexican music scene, read Refried Elvis: The Rise of the Mexican Counterculture by Eric Zolov. The whole book can be read online here.

Insanity Is a Sane Reaction Redux

2007-05-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

Christ On Parade were a hardcore band from the Bay Area in the '80s. Very intense young lads were these.

At the time of their inception, the fusion between metal and hardcore was becoming a staple amongst those in the underground yet they didn't allow their message to become diluted by signing with a bigger name record label. This album was originally released on PusMort, a record label started by skate artist and Septic Death singer Pushead. Many of the bands on the label fit into this musical melting pot of what was once known as heavy metal or hardcore punk music. The dividing lines started to become blurred at this stage in the musical evolution.

COP was an incredible live band with lots of energy and played regularly at the Gilman Street Project in the late '80s

The band has re-formed and is currently on tour overseas. Look for them on myspace if you want to know more about all that.

Prank has re-issued the Sounds Of Nature LP and included all of their recorded material on the record as a bonus.

Here are the liner notes from the record.

The Beginnings of a Society Based on Our Lifestyle

2007-05-12T16:03:00.000-07:00

Killing Joke formed in 1979 as a result of the punk explosion in England. "Big Paul" Ferguson, the original drummer for the band, once described the band's style as "the sound of the earth vomiting." Their sound is hypnotic, featuring metallic guitars and backed by dance beats. They've had influences on bands that range from Nirvana to Metallica to Ministry to Faith No More to Jane's Addiction to Soundgarden to Nine Inch Nails.

Jaz Coleman, the vocalist and keyboardist, stated that their manifesto was to "define the exquisite beauty of the atomic age in terms of style, sound and form." They started the record label Malicious Damage in order to release their music in 1979 with Island Records serving as distributor until they switched over to EG Records a year later.

The band became controversial as a result of the shocking imagery that accompanied their album covers and posters. One such image was a photo that had been taken from the Spanish Civil War of Pope Pius being saluted by Nazis. A t-shirt had been made with the photo adorning it.

After becoming involved in the occult, specifically the works of Aleister Crowley, the band had become convinced that the Apocalypse was near and moved abruptly to Iceland, where they became friends with the band Þeyr, one of the more known punk bands in the early '80s. The visit only lasted a few months.

Convinced that perhaps they were incorrect about the onset of the Apocalypse, the band started recording again. The single Me Or You? was released during this period and came out about the same time as Fire Dances.

There was a 3-CD box set of bootlegged singles and rarities released recently but this EP isn't included in the collection. Now you can hear it in all the glory that vinyl has to offer! Not only is the record really great but the type font created for the record is spectacular as well! This was a day and age where a lot of fonts created by alternative bands were hand scrawled, so it's pretty amazing. A treat for those with a fetish for typography...

Fabulous Graphics for Great Music

2007-05-12T15:11:00.000-07:00

This was the first in a series of calendars that are being released each year, depicting rare and, in a lot of cases, never before seen advertisements for blues musicians in the 1920s. Beginning in 2004, when Blues Images acquired a large number of old blues ads that had been fished out of a dumpster by two reporters back in the 1980s, they decided to use the images in calendars that were to be produced over the course of a few years.

The cover of the calendar has a full-figure photo of Charley Patton on the cover that was a part of the acquisition. The way that he is holding his guitar has had some musicologists curious whether he actually played with his chord hand in this position. Quite a bit of speculation this could create...

In addition to the artwork, there is an added bonus CD with blues material on it. It includes three songs from 78s that were never released or were believed to have been lost forever:

Tommy Johnson-I Want Someone To Love Me
Blind Joe Reynolds-Cold Woman Blues
King Solomon Hill-Times Has Done Got Hard

Two additional volumes of calendars have been issued since this one. Keep an eye out for the 2007 calendar that has been announced on Blues Images' website!

Peaks to Crack Your Window Panes... and Maybe Your Speaker Cones, too!

2007-05-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

Most of you will likely recognize this piece from the opening and the closing scenes in V For Vendetta. The 1812 Overture, or Festival Overture "The Year 1812" in E Flat Major was composed just three years after Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony. The commissioned piece was intended not only to commemorate the Russian forces who staved off Napoleon's invasion in 1812 but was meant to hail the building of the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, where Tsar Alexander II was to celebrate the 25th anniversary of his coronation.

The public event was to be performed by an orchestra and backed by a brass band with live cannonfire in accompaniment that was fired from an electric switch panel. The performance never occurred as a result of the assassination of Alexander II six months before the event was to take place.

There has been much conjecture in the world of musicology over whether Tchaikovsky ever heard the music performed as it was originally scored with cannonfire intact. Although an attempt was made to re-create the piece with cannonfire on US and European soil, no exact simulation of the shots was produced.

In 1967, Erich Kunzel was the first conductor of the piece who attempted to incorporate the shots as they were intended in the musical score. There have been many attempts since that time to reproduce these sounds with cannonfire intact- either in reality or in the digital realm.

In 1978, Bob Woods and Jack Renner were the first to record a classical music piece in the digital format. One of the pieces recorded was a recording of the 1812 Overture performed by the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra conducted by Erich Kunzel. The sound effects of the cannonfire were the first digitally-recorded sounds to be added to a recording of music. The cover of the album even had a warning: "Caution! Digital Cannons!"

Although this recording was performed much earlier than that, the excitement of the piece can be felt nonetheless. This particular recording was played by the Boston Pops Orchestra and conducted by Arthur Fiedler.

The flip side of the album is Tchaikovsky's Capriccio Italien- a mixture of Italian popular dances, songs, and military marches the composer heard while staying in Rome. The movement that includes The Cossack's Dance is all that remains of his unpopular opera Mazeppa, which was composed in 1883.

This All-Consuming Gloom Devours the Few, Brief Glimpses of Happiness

2007-05-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

Piotr Tchaikovsky was undergoing a life-crisis at the time of undertaking the composition of his 4th Symphony. The year was 1877 and he had just entered a marriage with a former student of his who had used the threat of suicide to emotionally blackmail him into the bonds of holy matrimony.

Engaged in such a relationship at the time that he was really wanting to abandon himself to his musical muse was perceived to be a hindrance and led to feelings of not being able to escape the whims of a merciless Fate. While he was sketching the opera Evgenii Onegin, he plummeted himself into the abyss of composing his 4th Symphony and found an emotional catharsis of sorts.

The instrumentation of the piece is scored for piccolo, 2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 4 horns, 2 trumpets, 3 trombones, tuba, timpani, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, and strings. The symphony itself consists of four movements; in his own words:

First Movement: Andante sostenuto - Moderato con anima - Moderato assai, quasi andante - Allegro vivo. “Destiny, that fateful force which impedes the impulse toward fulfilment, which jealously ensures that prosperity and peace are never complete and cloudless, which hangs overhead like a sword of Damocles. It is invincible and you will never vanquish it. All that we can do is subject ourselves and vainly lament.”

Second Movement: Andantino in modo di canzone. “How sad to think that so much has been, so much is gone! We regret the past, yet we have neither the courage nor the desire to begin life afresh. We are weary of existence.”

Third Movement: Scherzo - Pizzicato ostinato, allegro. “Suddenly arises the memory of a drunken peasant and a ribald song, and military music in the distance. Such disconnected images flit through the brain as one sinks into a tipsy slumber. They have nothing to do with reality; they are incomprehensible, bizarre and fragmentary.”

Fourth Movement: Finale - Allegro con fuoco. “Go among the people. See how they understand how to be happy. But no sooner have you forgotten yourself in contemplation of the joys of others than Fate returns to remind you . . .”

Despite the fact that the piece wasn't well-received in its time, Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony is now a part of most orchestra's repertoire.

Here is Tchaikovsky's 4th Symphony in F Minor performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra conducted by Otto Klemperer in 1963.

One For the Mature Mid-Western Psychedelic Visionary in Your Life

2007-05-08T10:36:00.000-07:00

Another J-Pop band that made its way to SXSW over the past five years. They did a live recording for KVRX studios during the same period of time. It can be heard here.

Below is a review of their most recent album Blueberry:

'This "electronic pop co-operative" from Tokyo are based around the myriad talents of guitarist, composer (and, apparently, award-winning nuclear physicist) Ryuji Tsuneyoshi. Having worked in Japan since 1996, the band is about to step on to a wider stage with Silent Way, which comes garlanded with praise from Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips, who considers it a fount of psychedelic feeling. Others may consider its bliss-rock textures closer in mood and content to the Cocteau Twins: vocalist Yuki Nishimura may not have the range or daring of Liz Fraser but there's a comparable depth and slow momentum in the band's layered guitars and keyboards. "Rollercoaster" is something of a misnomer, the track's limid piano and guitar arrayed with a calm, unhurried grace behind Nishimura's breathy billing and cooing; but "Strange Day" is exactly that, its understated vibrato guitar and wistful organ washed with a gentle shower of rain, to magical effect. The gossamer charm of the Color Filter sound is most readily discernible on the album's only cover, a version of the ballad "Goin' Out of My Head" that's the musical equivalent of being caressed by a thousand feathers. Apart from the brief jazz-rock flourish of the climatic "Endless Word", Silent Way sounds like the chill-out album of the year.'

Andy Gill
The Independent

Ordinarily, a recommendation by a member of the Flaming Lips wouldn't cause a rush to go check out a band; however, there's a first time for everything...

Here's a sample of their...er... Sample CD that was handed out during SXSW back in 2002.

Their most recent album can be purchased here.

A Powerful Six-Track Alternative Rock Statement

2007-05-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

J-Pop phenomenon Feed played their first gig in New York City at the CMJ conference in 1998 on the festival's "Psycho Nite." Throughout 1999, they toured extensively throughout Japan, played SXSW, were featured in Japanese mags such as Dictionary, and were even backed by the owner of the department store DEPT. They became so revered in certain circles that they were asked to play a gig with Smashing Pumpkins at the famed Budokan.

This EP was self-published in 1999 and the soaring vocals and edgy guitar sound attracted the attention of Patti Smith Group guitarist Lenny Kaye who produced the next album that they were to record. Here's a sampling of some of their tracks. The actual CD is out of print but the EP can be purchased online through emusic.com.

Market Grows for Designer Shopping Bags

2007-05-08T05:34:00.000-07:00

The Bags were the first band put together by Alice Armandariz and Pat Morrison after meeting each other while auditioning for Venus And The Razorblades. They got the name for the band by wearing grocery bags over their heads during their performances; however, this was a short-lived fad as Darby Crash kept pulling the bags off of their faces as they played. Their gigs usually turned into small riots, with one altercation occurring between the band and Tom Waits.

This 7-inch EP is a collection of the original single put out by Dangerhouse Records and two tracks from the compilations Yes L.A. and Dangerhouse Volume 2.

For more insanity, refer to the film The Decline Of Western Civilization.

You can also catch up with Alice Bag on her official website.

Tuneless Thrash

2007-05-07T05:43:00.000-07:00

There is so much to say about the Offenders that it's difficult to know where to begin; to sit and read most of what has been written about them (by people who most likely never saw them) just doesn't touch on the significance that this band had on the Austin scene.

Someone was quoted as saying that when it came to the hardcore scene in San Francisco, there was no way to escape the Dead Kennedys; the same can be said of the Offenders in Austin, Texas. It seems that more often than not, they were included on the set list anytime a band played in Austin; name any hardcore band you can think of, chances are the Offenders played with them.

The band had a loyal following in the skater crowd and the local skins were really into them as well. This seemed rather surprising as the lyrics of the songs weren't necessarily indicative of the mindset of your average skinhead at that period in time. This was a day and age when SHARPs (Skin Heads Against Racial Prejudice) weren't readily available.

The allure this band had on the psyche of hardcore youth in the '80s was the intense brutality of their sound. This was hardcore at its harshest- a wall of noise that engulfed you as soon as the first guitar chord was stricken; lyrics that sang of youth revolt and riots; the insanity of war; societal and family expectations unmet that created rifts- all of this was captured in songs that were, more often than not, only a minute and a half. JJ, the vocalist, was another factor in this appeal. Having run away at a young age and living in the streets gave him the street cred that most people who tend to care for that sort of thing gravitate to. Once his writhing and screaming on stage are witnessed, they are forever carved into the consciousness. The Offenders were the living embodiment of American hardcore music and are as essential as Black Flag were-at least in this writer's mind. If you've never heard of the Offenders then you don't know shit about Texas punk.

The Offenders have been described as Texas' answer to Discharge. This is a pretty accurate comparison as their initial sound on We Must Rebel (the first LP) tended toward noise not music (to co-opt a phrase!) and on the later releases the sound was a lot more polished and slightly leaning into the realm of metal without all the chugga-chugga nonsense. You can see the same kind of progression in both bands if you listen to their material in sequential order. Although, the Offenders didn't have near the amount of output that Discharge has.

When the Offenders played their big reunion gig a few years back, it was no different than when they played on stage 20 years ago. JJ still had that amazing stage presence. There has never been another front man quite like him. Unfortunately, a week after the gig, he was picked up by the police for attempting to score drugs and was kicked out of the band as these were the types of problems that supposedly led to their break up the first time (at least according to Pat, the drummer). They attempted to continue playing with a new front man, Dave Death, but the gig just wasn't the same magic. There were never any performances after that. Pat, the drummer went off to play drums in a metal band called Ignitor, who has gotten a lot of acclaim and performed in many metal concerts around the globe. Tony, the guitarist, helps run a historical and locally-run movie theatre in town. Mikey, the bass player, lives in SF now and still plays in bands. Some of this information is sketchy; send a comment if you know more.

An interesting thing to note: there are regular online comparisons drawn between the Endless Struggle LP and the I Hate Myself/Bad Times 7-inch. The 7-inch has quite often been touted as the final stage in the evolution of the band; the ultimate perfection of their "sound." However, the 7-inch was actually recorded and released prior to the Endless Struggle LP and seeing as how both records were put out by Rabid Cat Records, it would perhaps be best to consider who the audio engineering personnel on each recording was rather than attribute this to the "growth of the band."

Food for thought.

Now here's something to sate your need for aural consumption.

Runs That Sneer at His Demons

2007-05-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

Blue Note Records' first volume of recordings that Miles participated in while he was still struggling with his heroin addiction. These sessions took place between 1952-1954 and the tracks recorded in the later months demonstrate remarkable beginnings of a style that he would soon master within a short span of time.

These sessions were recorded with such greats as Jay Jay Johnson on trombone, Percy Heath on bass, Art Blakey on drums, Oscar Pettiford on bass, and Horace Silver on piano.

Blue Note has since re-issued both volumes of this set with extra tracks on CD; you can buy it here.

Here's the LP version if you just wanna give it a listen before buying it.