I’ve been having a blast listening to the latest self-titled album from Rennes, France’s Kaviar Special. The French band actually sings in English and they blend garage, pop, and surf all into one giant rock ‘n’ roll mix. This is an album surely for the slimy at heart. Fans of Black Lips, Atlantic Thrills, Hunx and His Punx, and Jacuzzi Boys will really dig this. My favorite cuts are “Dating A Slut,” “Paradise,” “#1,” and “Summer.” Shit, I wish I had heard this album in the summertime, because I know exactly how Kaviar Special feels when they repeatedly sing “I Wish that summer never ends!” Seriously, these dudes really don’t want summer to end haha. Well, at least we have the good tunes and each other.
I can’t recommend this band and this album enough. Kaviar Special’s debut LP is co-released by Azbin Records/Howlin Banana Records. You can order it here: http://azbinrecords.fr/
So, here we are again. 2013 feels like a blur, a fun blur though. It just seemed to truck on by so damn fast. It didn’t feel like it was all that long ago when I was making my year end lists for 2012. I must say, every year gets better around here and 2013 was definitely our best year. We met tons of people and went to more shows than ever before (significantly more). With that in mind, I will leap off into my top ten favorite shows from the greatest year KLYAM has experienced thus far…
Storm or Howl
10) TIE!: Boston Underground Summit VI @ Cambridge Elks Lodge (9/15/) & The Beets @ The Whitehaus (11/26) – I would start a top ten list with a tie. I simply could not leave out either of these shows from my top ten, so fuck it here’s both. Firstly, this was my first Boston Underground Summit and it was a totally unique live experience for me. The show was set up as a round robin in which a band would play one song and then as soon as they were done another band would play a song and so forth until about 9 different bands had played a song, and then it went back to the first band. My head’s getting dizzy just writing this – it was indeed a dizzying experiment; constantly walking back and forth between all 3 spots in the Elks Lodge (where 3 separate bands were each set up). I compare it to an aggressive wine tasting meets a live, physical playlist/mix. In any situation, it was refreshing and broke down any hint of monotony that may have been creeping in on my fairly consistent show going consumption. My favorite bands/performances included Storm or Howl, Funeral Cone (this one left me bleeding!), Dylan Ewen, and R. Nordac’s Crying Lessons.
Holy shit, the mighty Beets. It took us two hours to get to the holy Whitehaus, but we made it just in the nick of time to catch Los Beets who came all the way from Jackson Heights, Queens, New York!! As you may or may not know, The Beets are one of our beloved KLYAM bands and this year we caught them in the flesh twice within two weeks! This was a strange show for several reasons. We were running late and I feared that we would miss The Beets, having journeyed so long for nuffin. When we arrived at the Whitehaus (for our very first time, by the way) there were few if any hellos and it was near darkness – plus we’re half blind anyway. Seconds pass and those smooth, transcendent Uruguayan voices rang through my ears and down into the depths of my bloody soul. All the blood I have puked since I found out I have gas in my veins. When the set finished, we had to flee once again to catch that dirty old train. It all happened so quickly, like a drug, The Beets drug. I know y’all would like a piece of that! REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/11/27/review-the-beets-the-whitehaus/
Nice Guys
9) FIDLAR, The Orwells, Nice Guys @ The Sinclair (10/23) – This was a nice slammer. It’s always fun to see a local favorite (Nice Guys) dazzle an audience of newcomers and it’s all the more exceptional when they are sixteen and rambunctious! The Orwells make my liver shiver and quiver OR that’s all the alcohol? Anyway, we’ve loved these dudes for years and they put on an excellent show. They have this real clean cut exterior to them kind of like The Strokes and Arctic Monkeys, real polished rock ‘n’ roll, but beneath there’s a slimy underbelly that represents some of the bands (Black Lips, Jay Reatard) we grew up and threw up on ourselves. And FIDLAR, I’m just happy you and your fans didn’t break my nose. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/11/15/review-fidlar-the-orwells-nice-guys-the-sinclair/
Shannon and the Clams
8) Shannon and The Clams, The Fagettes, Atlantic Thrills @ Great Scott (11/20) – This list is a testament that we’ve been blessed with a plethora of excellent shows this year, but I can honestly say only a select few are what I would dub a “stacked line-up” and this here is one of them. Our two favorite New England based rock ‘n’ roll bands (The Fagettes and Atlantic Thrills) on the same stage as one of the best in the whole land, the fabulous Shannon and The Clams. I saw the Clams earlier this year and, while that was a great performance, this time around the crowd went a lot crazier and that always makes the difference. The band’s cover of Del Shannon’s “Runaway” alone made my night :). REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/12/29/review-shannon-and-the-clams-fagettes-atlantic-thrills-great-scott-112013/
7) Guerilla Toss, Fat Creeps, Nice Guys, Designer Halloween Show @ Cambridge Elks Lodge (10/19) – Halloween is usually a good excuse for everyone to let loose, get wasted, and eat a shit ton of candy. Oh yeah, and to dress up like their favorite bands and play a set full of bizarre covers. That’s my favorite part. G Toss took to the role of one Meatloaf, Designer dropped down to their skivvies and cranked out a noisy set of Blink – 182 numbers, and Fat Creeps destroyed as the legendary Cramps. My favorite performance by far was the Nice Guys as The Mummies. Being somewhat of a garage junkie, I’d kill to see The Mummies and I felt like this came inches away from the real thang. Alex Mum demolishing his keyboards was priceless. Poor keyboards, they never had a chance. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/11/08/review-fat-creeps-nice-guys-designer-guerilla-toss-cambridge-elks-101913/
Wavves
6) Wavves, King Tuff, Jacuzzi Boys @ The Sinclair (10/1) – Wavves is one of those bands I’ve cherished over the years. One of the few bigger bands I still enjoy. I wasn’t overly enthusiastic with their latest record, Afraid of Heights, but it has grown on me. Studio work aside, this band still kills me live. It’s as if these songs were made to be heard exclusively live. From Wavves’ inception, there’s been a great anthemic feel to their music and this show at Sinclair is enough evidence for me that they can still kick out the jams like the best of them. It was also a pleasure to finally see King Tuff and Jacuzzi Boys, bands we’ve been aching to see for a few years now. And on a personal note, I was happy to chat with Wavves’ members Stephen Pope and Alex Gates about their past (and future) in the magnificent Memphis bands The Barbaras, Girls of the Gravitron, and Cretin Stompers. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/10/04/review-wavves-king-tuff-jacuzzi-boys-sinclair-10113/
A photo of three sexy men
5) Ty Segall @ The Bowery Ballroom (8/30) – What up New York City? We voyage to NYC once or twice a year to see some of our favorite bands. This time it was the man, Ty Segall, the global ambassador for rock ‘n’ roll. If rock ‘n’ roll had a representative at the UN it would be this man. For this show/tour Ty and his bodacious band played an all acoustic set, performing the album Sleeper in its entirety as well as some old classics such as “Girlfriend.” I’ve never seen kids (including myself) mosh and stage dive to acoustic music before and I may never again. Only you Ty, only you. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/10/08/review-ty-segall-bowery-ballroom-83013/
Hunx and His Punx
4) Hunx and His Punx, Hunters, The Fagettes @ Brighton Music Hall (8/23) – Let’s face it we’re fairly predictable around here – but that’s NOT a bad thing! because we are consistently enthralled with gorgeous music, at least I think so. It’s true! Hunx is a long time KLYAM favorite and a must see live band (seriously do it!). Just writing about Hunx gets me all revved up and ready to go. This year the band morphed into ultra punx with the release of their epic, early hardcore punk ode Street Punk, and they brought all the piss and vinegar with them when they destroyed our fair city last August. The set’s most memorable moment actually came from a couple of kinky crowd members, when a young man was accosted by a topless middle aged woman and the two proceeded to slobber over one another for the remainder of the show. I will never be able to listen to “Lover’s Lane” the same way ever again. “Just gotta touch you and squeeze you, and make you mine/I want to hold you til the end of time.” Yeesh, did they have to take it so literally?! Stellar set from Fagettes as always. Hunters were cool too. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/09/09/review-hunx-and-his-punx-hunters-fagettes-brighton-music-hall-82313/
3) Ravi Shavi, The New Highway Hymnal, Atlantic Thrills “Rock ‘n’ Roll BBQ With Psychedelic Sauce” – We saw quite a bit of shows in Providence, RI this year and every single time we came to see our chief punk slime animals in Atlantic Thrills. Mix them up with fellow Providence soul machines Ravi Shavi and our Boston psych creatures The New Highawy Hymnal and I’m one happy camper. All of this madness was set to the background of the TRIPPY Lysergic Factory Light Show! I don’t think I’ve ever “danced” more in my life, charming some attendees, perhaps frightening most. Those were fucked times, fun times. I woke up the next morning covered in dirt and blood and my dick hurt a little bit (only a little bit). In hindsight, it was the perfect summer night. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/07/27/review-ravi-shavi-the-new-highway-hymnal-atlantic-thrills-in-providence-71313/
2) The New Highway Hymnal, Atlantic Thrills, Polaroids, The Real Tom Hanks @ Wilder Zangcraft (2/23) – Once again, The New Highway Hymnal and Atlantic Thrills throwing straight up wild shows! This show took place at one of my favorite DIY spaces, a tiny basement in Lowell that was overwhelmingly consumed by 50 or more plastered college kids all accompanied by the perpetual, visual mindfuck that is the Lysergic Factory Light Show. NHH demolished my skin and bones as can be expected at Lowell basements shows. But, on this night my sweet, sozzled eyes have never seen such a fantastic, frenetic show from Providence’s finest, Atlantic Thrills. It was great to sing/scream along to all the songs, slam back pbr after pbr, and smash into my peers for a couple hours. In my primitive state of mind, I think I screamed “Lies” and “Demolicion” at the band about two hundred times. Lunacy at its most depraved. The Real Tom Hanks and Polaroids were both exciting and ethereal in their own rights. A memorable night in my life to say the very least. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/03/08/concert-review-the-new-highway-hymnal-atlantic-thrills-polaroids-the-real-tom-hanks-wilder-zangcraft-22313/
1) Hassle Fest 5 @ Cambridge Elks Lodge (11/7-11/8) – How could this not be number 1? This was/is the pinnacle of local underground music. A two day festival showcasing some of the best, most groundbreaking, and above all invigorating bands both at home and across the nation. So, as I’ve said before, it’s pretty much a microcosm for everything the Boston Hassle promotes all year long. Every single day. And we couldn’t salute y’all enough. I’ve found that several local music fans (some of which played the festival themselves) walked away with similar feelings as my own. I know we KLYAMERS have never seen anything else like it, just a constant barrage of band after band after band. It felt intimate and gigantic all at once. Unforgettable. My favorite sets included Fat Creeps, Guerilla Toss, Lightning Bolt, The Beets, and Kal Marks. REVIEW: https://klyam.com/2013/12/13/hassle-fest-recap-118-913/
So, that’s that. Top albums of the year coming up next.
Underneath the Rainbow album cover shot by Mick Rock
Black Lips, this damn band needs no introduction around here. Fuck, the name of our site is a Black Lips reference! Boston Black Lips freaks, you’ve been waiting for this moment for three years… on Saturday, April 19 KLYAM’s #1 band is hitting up the Paradise and they’re bringing along their Southern garage punk brethren Natural Child! Been meaning to see those guys live for years!
As you probably know by now, the Lips are releasing a new album on March 18th entitled Underneath the Rainbow and they are voyaging on a big ass tour in support of it. Look below to see if they are playing your city (they probably are).
03-07 Atlanta, GA – Variety Playhouse !
03-11-16 Austin, TX – SXSW
03-20 Pioneertown, CA – Pappy and Harriet’s *
03-21 Los Angeles, CA – El Rey Theatre *
03-22 Santa Ana, CA – Burgerama @ The Observatory
03-23 Felton, CA – Don Quixote’s *
03-24 San Francisco, CA – Great American Music Hall *
03-25 Sacramento, CA – Assembly *
03-27 Vancouver, British Columbia – Rickshaw Theatre *
03-28 Seattle, WA – Neumo’s *
03-29 Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater *
03-30 Boise, ID – Neurolux *
03-31 Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge *
04-02 Denver, CO – Bluebird Theater *
04-03 Albuquerque, NM – Sister Bar *
04-04 Phoenix, AZ – The Crescent Ballroom *
04-05 Solana Beach, CA – Belly Up Tavern *
04-14 Richmond, VA – The National ^
04-15 Washington, DC – Black Cat ^
04-17 New York, NY – Webster Hall ^
04-18 Philadelphia, PA – Union Transfer ^ 04-19 Boston, MA – Paradise Rock Club ^
04-21 Montreal, Quebec – Corona Theatre ^
04-22 Toronto, Ontario – Phoenix Concert Theatre ^
04-24 Detroit, MI – Magic Stick ^
04-25 Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom ^
04-26 Chicago, IL – TBA ^
04-27 St, Paul, MN – Turf Club ^
04-28 Omaha, NE – The Waiting Room ^
04-29 St Louis, MO – The Firebird ^
04-30 Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room ^
05-02-04 Austin, TX – Austin Psych Fest
! with Deerhunter
* with The Coathangers
^ with Natural Child http://pitchfork.com/news/53487-black-lips-announce-tour-share-underneath-the-rainbow-album-cover/
Gravys Drop is the shit. Billy Grave is a pimp. Lord have mercy. What would we do without rock ‘n’ roll? We’d all marry our cousins, we’d get down. Let’s get down anyway.
Bands: Shannon and the Clams, Fagettes, Atlantic Thrills Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 Venue: Great Scott (Allston, MA)
Atlantic Thrills – It’s kind of crazy how life works sometimes. Take for instance these rock ‘n’ roll shows we go to. When we discover that a fantastic national band such as Shannon and the Clams is coming to town, we say to ourselves “gee whiz, wouldn’t it be swell if Atlantic Thrills and Fagettes opened?! What a fine bill that would be.” Fortunately, the stars have aligned for us, and here we are with the perfect bill! A casual reader might come across these words and say “wow, this dude’s reallyyy sucking these band’s dicks.” But, anyone that reads this site on the reg knows that Fagettes and Atlantic Thrills are two of our favorite bands, bands that we have repped hard for the last couple years. SO HATERS FUCK OFF!
Anyway, it’s awesome to see Atlantic Thrills on ye olde Great Scott stage. I’ve seen the band a gazillion times, but this is the first time I’ve seen them here at Great Scott, and it is ever so great. Old Glen caught the dudes here about a year ago with fellow Providence kingpins Ravi Shavi – yeah check out those dudes too! The sound is amazing and this is one of the best sets I’ve seen from the foursome. The sound definitely amplifies the Thrillz’ typically passionate, heartfelt, and above all beer chuggin’, beer spittin’, balls out fun set. The group’s, gang styled doo wop vocals come through clearer and more powerful than ever. And they’re starting to really bring out a lot more doo wop in these newer tunes.
The band also unleash a steady batch of cuts from their classic catalog – many songs we’ve come to practically memorize over the years. All fast, psychedelic garage punk songs with memorable choruses and admirable musicianship. To quote a sagacious young man I know, it’s better to play music drunk, loose, and sloppy – as long as you know what you’re doing. This quasi paradox could certainly apply here.
Now, The Thrillz have played many a Boston show, but with this show they surely charmed some fresh faces on to their punk slime cult. I saw some of you new kids buying seven inches and tee shirts, that’s right! And if you haven’t done so. Pick up Atlantic Thrills’ “A Day At the Beach” 7″ from Almost Ready Records: http://www.almostreadyrecords.com/arr.htm
Keep your eyes peeled for an upcoming full length also to be released on Almost Ready Records on February 4th! Lastly, Atlantic Thrills will be playing at the Middle East Upstairs for The Televibes’ tape release show on January 22 w/ The Guru and Vundabar. Do it up.
Set – List:
“Almost Anything”
“Bed Bugs”
“So Long”
“Drugs In It”
“Bone Rattle”
“Light Shines”
“Foreign Lands”
“A Day At the Beach”
“Boozin'”
“Mind’s Eye”
“Acid Rain”
“Salvaje” (Los Saicos cover)
Fagettes – The Fagettes are up there with Atlantic Thrills when it comes to the cream of the crop of New England rock ‘n’ roll. They hold a special place in our slimy hearts.
This Fagettes set is a lot of fun and people are dancing more than usual, which is always a good thing. The place is packed as fuck, making it difficult to get to the front of the stage, but I do my best. After all, I need to clutch my set lists, being a rampant set list devourer.
As of late, Fagettes have been playing a steady slew of old and new tunes. They play one song called “Stems and Seeds,” which they have only performed three times in the past: in Philly, in Ohio, and in Cambridge (I believe this was at the May 16, 2013 Middle East Upstairs Fagettes show, yeah I know I’m solidifying my status as the ultimate rock ‘n’ roll nerd with these obscure facts…).
My favorite song from tonight is “The AA Took My Baby Away,” a sad jam that always puts a smirk on my face, go figure. By the way, I never knew that the AA had the authority to take away babies!
P.S. Did I see Matt wearing a Black Lips shirt? Looking sharp nice guy! Hahaha.
Set – List:
“Street Queens”
“On Drugs”
“Gonna Die Out Here”
“Mystery Pills”
“The AA Took My Baby Away”
“Chilly”
“Bad Catholic”
“Sleeptalking”
“Stems and Seeds”
Shannon and the Clams – What kind of music do you like? “Rock ‘n’ Roll,” “Punk Rock,” “Pop.” Those are my top three answers to that dreadful question. But, as you all know those words mean different things to different people. For some clowns, 12 hour guitar solos = rock ‘n’ roll, this is time that would have been better spent shaking hands with the unemployed. When I mean rock ‘n’ roll, punk rock, and pop you damn well know I mean bands like Shannon and the Clams. I don’t own the definition of rock ‘n’ roll et al, but in my heart of hearts this is it. A buffet of distinctive, varied, and utterly sincere art and entertainment that stretches far and wide through the rock ‘n’ roll gamut. To get a better taste of the Shannon and The Clams dish, think Rosie and the Originals, Roy Orbison, Ramones, The Cramps, Circle Jerks, and the best of the best of both old and new garage spunk. FOR FANS OF HUNX AND HIS PUNX AND NOBUNNY FO SHO.
Our proud rock ‘n’ rollers roll out the soft and ever so sweet “Done With You” as tonight’s opener. A sweetie from the group’s 2011 mind mutilating LP Sleep Talk. The sound of Shannon and the Clams is bone crushing, shivers down my spine, slithering all the way down to my testes, so slimy it makes my balls drop. It’s an intimidating, gargantuan sound and presence. The vocals are easily some of the greatest in modern rock ‘n’ roll. Shannon’s and Dan’s voices are lunatic, we’re talking crazy good. The judges on Idol and Voice would wet their panties and spill out their guts if they were ever in its vicinity, except they won’t because those shows suck ass. It’s still worth noting, since most rebel rousers in this line of work scream and shout their little hearts out, true, but few actually have professional pop singer voices (and that’s usually a good thing). In this instance, it works. Shannon and Dan are up there with the all time greats: Ms. Kline, Mr. Cooke, Mr. Orbison, and that charming Canadian fellow, Mr. Sultan.
Thee Clamers (not KLYAMERS ha!) rip through a searing batch of tunes from Sleep Talk (2011), Dreams In The Rat House (2013), and beyond. One of my favorite moments is when the trio performs a cover of the Del Shannon classic “Runaway.” I told you these punks have a soft spot. Speaking of punks, there is plenty of feisty enthusiasm on display from both the band and the audience. Patrons dance and mosh and slam all around. It’s a solid time had by all. One of the best shows I’ve seen all year. Read the set – list below and then cry like a stupid, weak, little baby if you were one of the sad saps that missed out on it. Look at the weak little baby! You’re stupid! You stupid, weak baby!
Set – List:
“Done With You”
“Hey Willy”
“You Will Always Bring Me Flowers”
“Warlock In The Woods”
“Oh Louie”
“King Of The Sea”
“Rip Van Winkle”
“Into A Dream”
“Woodsman”
“Runaway” (Del Shannon cover)
“You Can Come Over”
“Tired Of Being Bad”
“Ozma”
“The Cult Song”
“Troublemaker”
“Rat House”
NOBUNNYYYYY IS COMING BACK TO BOSTON!!! The sick folks over at Illegally Blind are throwing up this spectacular show and whaddya know Madison’s finest The Hussy (first Boston show!)are joining forces with the bunnyman too! An epic night to be had, HAVE IT!
Nobunny + The Hussy @ Middle East Upstairs on Tuesday, February 4, 2014. More details cumming soon! Right now just revel in this early Christmas present
This is a few weeks old, but everyone oughta to see it. It’s about time. Free Pizza, the tastiest slices in all of JP, performing live in a basement. Aww hell yeah. This video was edited by a man named Patrick. Sickkkk.
Watch this new Guerilla Toss music video (directed by Heat Wilson) for “Pink Elephant” and learn a great deal about automobile theft in America. Also, pick up a copy of their latest record Gay Disco (NNA Tapes) http://nnatapes.com/uncategorized/guerilla-toss-gay-disco-lp/ DO AS WE SAY NOT AS WE DO. Do you also feel like music blogs order you around too much? Me too.
Three new tunes from Orlando’s youngest rock ‘n’ roll beast Back Pages! These new cutz all display the same piss and vigor we’ve come to know and love with each past Back Pages release – the mighty KC Allen has released a killer trio of songs each month since August. If you dig fast, fiery, intensely catchy bedroom assaults then check out Back Pages.
P.S. Happy Birthday to Back Pages’ KC Allen himself! Hope you had an excellent bday man.
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 