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Art, Box Elders, Honorary KLAYMERS, Hunx and His Punx, Jay Reatard, Music, Nobunny, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Classic Concert Review: Shattered Records Tour

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Artist(s): Jay Reatard, Nobunny, Hunx and His Punx, Box Elders, and Useless Eaters
Location: Harpers Ferry, Alston, MA
Date: October 2, 2009

Pre-Show Activity: Doors opened at 8, so we arrived at 8, but that was not good enough apparently. Doors were now to open at 8:30. In the meantime we shot the shit with Billy, drummer for Nobunny, whom would later play before Jay Reatard. Billy was a great guy and provided Glen and myself with insight on the real world of garage rock: Grueling tour schedules (driving in vans to and fro, none of that pussy bus shit), partying, and fun fun Rock and Roll! Having played with Jay for some time, Billy voiced his admiration for the band, particularly the incredibly fast guitar playing. He also mentioned the light and dark sides of Mr. Reatard (calm at one moment and gonzo the next); no surprise.

The Show:
Useless Eaters:
Chris: This duo composed of Reatard on bass with a fierce, energetic comrade on guitar and vocals. Clearly, guitar-driven music; vocals were weak. But, I thought it was decent, a good start to the show. I am glad to see Jay keeps busy with side projects.

Glen: Played hard punk-influenced garage rock that sounded at times like early Jay Reatard. Jay’s bass play is what made this band, but I got to complement the guitarist on his fine solos. The last song, which was at leat over five minutes long, stood out in my mind as the group’s best. Jay played the same bass line over and over again while the guitarist went through a few different effects.

Box Elders:
Chris: With this group we see a slight progression in crowd reaction. This progression would sharply follow with each group up to and including Jay Reatard. Anyway, Box Elders (I thought they were “Box Cutters” until just now haha) offered me a rare experience. Only once in a blue moon, if that, do I see a live band, especially an opening act and almost immediately find myself singing along to their tune. So, props to Box Elders for that. They displayed plenty of passion and high energy, particularly the drummer, who stood up the entire and simultaneously played keyboards the entire set! He also made goofy faces and body movements, which was funny and entertaining, to say the least. The guitarist sported a fancy, double guitar, which I have never seen in person, so that was cool. Well, I can really see their music appearing on my ipod in the future.

Glen: Really really catchy. Old sounding garage-pop, fun for the entire family! The drummer made this band in my opinion. He was quite the character, doing aerobics and stretches all whilst playing the drums with one hand and using the other to hit some organ keys. The two singers voices went well and definitely this is a band I’ll keep a fine eye on in the future. Their best two songs in my opinion were “Jackie Wood” (brought back memory of Ramones + arm aerobics!) and “Librarians” (awesome little keyboard part).

Hunx and His Punx:
Chris: Wow! Bruno Live! Which I’m sure disgusted or irritated, or possibly enticed many. For me, I just laughed my ass off in bewilderment. If you think you have seen homocore or queercore, then look again. Hunx and His Punx is just about as gay as it gets and unabashedly so. I will admit, the music was fine, but nothing special. Wit that beings said, singer Hunx (? lol) demonstrated fabulous showmanship, albeit in tight spandex, which he disrobed until her was down to a thong. The guy next to me had his face planted in the singer’s crotch…. it looked like he enjoyed it though haha. By the way, he looked like Cole Alexander.

Glen: When it comes down to it, Hunx and His Punx played some pretty awesome good music. That’s beside their stage presence which made everyone in the audience except for one guy feel really awkward. A homo-punk band taken to the most literal sense, the singer chanted about how he “likes [his] boys like meat – juicy and raw.” The singer actually reminded me of a really flamboyant Dean Allen Spunt plus an intense lisp.

Set List:
1. You Don’t Like Rock & Roll
2. Hey Rocky
3. Cruisin”
4. Teardrops
5. Do the Makeup
6. GOOD Kisser
7. Gimme Gimme Back Your Love

*On October 1, 2009, Hunx and His Punx arrived at the Holiday Inn in Montreal. How much did it cost to accommodate five individuals? Why 126.99, in case you wondering. Seth Bogard made the reservation. Yeah, next time don’t put your set list on the back of your hotel invoice. Good times.

Nobunny:
Chris: Perhaps the best band to play straight before Jay. These wild bunnymen, (yes there was a bunny!) continued the trend of charisma Hunx created. Playing loud, fast, garage punk, they garnered the crowd in to intense dancing, moshing, pogoing and just about any -ing you can think of. The guitarist (drummer, Billy’s bro) spent most of their set at the very front of the stage with and sometimes in the audience. I even grabbed one of his fluffy bunny tails, which he proceeded to Jay(ha!) with. The set concluded with some good old fashion Pyrotechnics! Unfortunately, the security stomped them out merely after seconds of ignition. I dug the last line of their performance, right after the pyro was put out, “We still have seven more songs to play.” Something to that effect.

Glen: The crowd really got into Nobunny. They fuckin’ rocked the place. Their formula for success was essentially the same as the other bands, except they just seemed to have a little something extra. The singer was really interactive, jumping into the crowd on a few occasions. The bassist also didn’t hate going up to the crowd. We met the drummer Billy! Such a cool dude…besides him dressing in only underwear. That’s what the singer did too and a bunny mask too. Apparently, the lead singer of Hunx is the lead singer of Nobunny, but I can’t confirm this. They pulled similar antics on stage, except Nobunny was far less gay. “BoneYard” was probably their biggest hit.

Jay Reatard!!!!!:
Chris: Looking back at my earlier post, “Jay Hopes and Expectations,” I can say most were ultimately satisfied in this great concert. He played over half of the favorites I envisioned him playing. He did not get pissed and leave abruptly. There was no animosity between the audience and the performers. His set was about forty minutes I believe that is the exact time or longer than I expected. Unfortunately, he did not play all of my favorites; these are songs I wish he would have played: “Blood Visions,” “Waiting For Something,” “Screaming Hand,” “Always Wanting More,” “DOA,” “No Time,” “You Were Sleeping,” and “Rotten Mind.” It seems like he will never play those really soft songs like “No Time,” “You Were Sleeping,”etc. Nahh, Jay has to maintain that unrelenting, brutal, live assault. His music live is much different than on record. I know this true of all artists, but especially true of him. Live, sometimes you cannot even tell which song it is, even if it is a number you would normally recognize if you heard the recording; it’s all heavy, great for rocking out, moshing, crowd surfing, stage diving, etc. And our crowd certainly did so. We Reatards had tons of fun bashing around and singing along to his malevolent, anti-social lyrics. “My Shadow,” “It’s So Easy,” and “See/Saw” evoked tremendous crowd response, more than any other tracks. Fans, self-included, got a massive kick out of screaming “IT’S SO EASY WHEN YOUR FRIENDS ARE DEAD! IT’S SO MUCH EASIER WHEN YOU DON’T EVEN CARE! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME! ALL THESE FACES MEAN NOTHING TO ME!” Just taking a quick gander at the set list (which is featured below) one will notice most of the songs were from Reatard’s earlier albums, Blood Visions (7) and Singles ‘06-’07 (8, though some of those are BV tracks). This is another indication that he plays mostly raw, heavy, guitar fuzz-driven songs in his concerts, since these albums feature such music much more than his past two releases: Matador Singles ‘08 and Watch Me Fall

Glen: I was pleasantly surprised that the crowd was 10X more into Jay this time around than they were in July. He played all good ones. He’s rocked for a while and probably will for years to come. “See/Saw” certainly got me the most excited.

The following is Jay’s set list for the night; in parentheses is the album/compilation of which the song appears:

An Ugly Death (Matador Singles ‘08)
Nightmares (Blood Visions and Singles ‘06-’07 but under the name “Haunting You”)
Fading All Away (BV and S0607 as “Searching For You”)
It Ain’t Gonna Save Me (Watch Me Fall)
Trapped Here (MS08)
Greed Money Useless Children (BV)
_*_*_- Switch To Acoustic- _*_8_
All Over Again (S0607)
I Know A Place (S0607)
I’m Watching You (MS08 and WMF)
–_*_*_-Switch Back-_*_*_–
It’s So Easy (BV and S0607)
Not A Substitute (BV)
MY Shadow (BV)
Oh It’s Such A Shame (BV and S0607)
See/Saw (MS08)
Hammer I Miss You (S0607)
Faking It (WMF)
A Whisper (demo)
Let It All Go (S0607)

Final Thoughts:
Chris: My 3rd favorite concert! Behind Black Lips, King Khan & The Shrines and just ahead of good old No Age. Four solid opening bands, a lot of charisma/energy, highly entertaining. I always get really exited when I see my ABSOLUTE FAVORITES and Jay is #2 for me, so this was big time. Pure Rock And Roll Fun!

Glen: Overall the experience was similar to the best concerts I’ve gone to…and that’s always awesome!

Grade: A

Footage not from the actual concert! lol

Art, CD Review, Classic Album Review, Drugs, Music, pictures, Video

Classic Album Review: 12 Golden Country Greats

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Full Title: 12 Golden Country Greats
Artist: Ween
Year: 1995
Label: Elektra
Tracks:
1) I’m Holding You- 9
2) Japanese Cowboy- 8
4) Piss Up a Rope- 9/10
4) I Don’t Want to Leave You On the Farm- 9
5) Pretty Girl- 7
6) Powder Blue- 7/8
7) Mister Richard Smoker- 9/10
8) Help Me Scrape the Mucas Off My Brain- 9
9) You Were the Fool- 7
10) Fluffy- 5

Comments: Every now and then I take a look at my vast quantity of music and pick out an artist- take a careful look at their discography and choose an album I feel my ears deserve the pleasure of hearing. This time it was Ween and the album is their take on Nashville Country with the 1995 record, 12 Golden Country Greats. Being a big fan of Ween, I had a feeling this record had some potential and I knew a couple of the songs already, so I wasn’t totally a stranger to this release. But, at the same time Ween typically shift from one style to another totally different style and for me this is one of most appealing aspects of their art, so, I wasn’t sure if the duo could pull off a one genre LP. Also most of the reviews of this album are unfavorable, could it be a case of critics schmitics or are they on to something. Only one way to find out, listen to the damn thing! And let me tell ya, I was suprised at how stellar this record is. They really capture the country sound to a tee and still manage to spit out their distinct, silly/sick humor, Ween touch! I mean, knowing their musical aesthetics, there are no major suprises here. In other words, unlike their magnum opus, The Mollusk (1997), which I reviewed almost exactly a year ago, this is pretty much what we would expect from a Ween country album, but that’s not a bad thing. They deliver, they deliver hard. The album explores a wide variety of country styles, but still maintains an overall album vibe, even with some of the weaker tracks, which are not many. Often when I hear a weak song on an album I feel like it had no place on the record and makes the good tunes look bad or fucks up the vibe of the record, but that doesn’t happen here. Songs like “Pretty Girl” and “Powder Blue,” didn’t hit me as hard, but they still complement the sound of the album as a whole and never distract you from the album’s tone. “I’m Holding You,” is a great opener, just simple, humble, 50s (?) country ballad, George Jones esque vocals. Not being a country afficionado, I don’t quite appreciate Ween’s clear dedication to the genre. Lyrically licentious tracks such as “Piss Up a Rope,” and “Mister Richard Smoker,” are classic, nasty, hilarious, typical Ween ditties. A bit more modern and of the Ween persuasion, but without a doubt for my tastes they are the best numbers featured here; like or not like, listeners will most likely muster at least a smirk, if not a gigantic burst of laughter or for some complete shock and disgusts! Haha. I won’t go through all the songs, but most are of high quality. The only below average track is the closer, “Fluffy,” which is amusing in its bizarre nature, but doesn’t do much for me and I would have loved a more epic, savage closer. Oh well, the Ween boys succeeded at what they set out to do (at least in my eyes) and I’m ultimately glad I revisted their discography.

Grade: 9/10

Biddley bah boo, biddley bah boo, biddley bah boo bow!

Art, CD Review, Classic Album Review, Films, Music, pictures, reviews, Video

Classic Soundtrack Review: American Graffiti

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Full Title: American Graffiti
Year: 1973
Tracks:

Side One:
1) (We’re Gonna) Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & the Comets (1954)- 9
2) Sixteen Candles by The Crests (1958)- 9
3) Runaway by Del Shannon (1961)- 10
4) Why Do Fools Fall in Love? by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers (1956)- 10
5) That’ll Be the Day by Buddy Holly (1957)- 9
6) Fanny Mae by Buster Brown (1959)- 7/8
7) At the Hop by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids (1973)- 9
8) She’s So Fine by Flash Cadillac & the Continental Kids (1973)- 8
9) The Stroll by The Diamonds (1957)- 7
10) See You In September by The Tempos (1959)- 10

Side Two:
1) Surfin’ Safari by The Beach Boys (1962)- 9
2) He’s The Great Imposter by The Fleetwoods (1961)- 10
3) Almost Grown by Chuck Berry (1959)- 7
4) Smoke Gets in Your Eyes by The Platters (1959)- 10
5) Little Darlin’ by The Diamonds (1957)- 7/8
6) Peppermint Twist by Joey Dee and the Starlighters (1961)- 7
7) Barbara Anne by The Regents (1961)- 8
8) Book of Love by The Monotones (1958)- 9
9) Maybe Baby by Buddy Holly (1958)- 8
10) Ya Ya by Lee Dorsey (1961)- 6
11) The Great Pretender by The Platters (1955)- 8

Side Three :
1) Ain’t That a Shame by Fats Domino (1955)- 8
2) Johnny B. Goode by Chuck Berry (1958)- 9
3) I Only Have Eyes for You by The Flamingos (1959)- 8
4) Get a Job by The Silhouettes (1958)- 7
5) To The Aisle by The Five Satins (1957)- 9
6) Do You Wanna Dance by Bobby Freeman (1958)- 5
7) Party Doll by Buddy Knox (1957)- 8
8) Come Go with Me by The Del-Vikings (1956)- 7
9) You’re Sixteen – You’re Beautiful (And You’re Mine) by Johnny Burnette (1960)- 7
10) Love Potion No. 9 by The Clovers (1959)- 7

Side Four :
1) Since I Don’t Have You by The Skyliners (1958)- 8
2) Chantilly Lace by The Big Bopper (1958)- 7
3) Teen Angel by Mark Dinning (1960)- 9
4) Crying in the Chapel by Sonny Till & the Orioles (1953)- 7/8
5) A Thousand Miles Away by The Heartbeats (1957)- 8
6) Heart and Soul by The Cleftones (1961)- 8
7) Green Onions by Booker T. & the M.G.’s (1962)- 8
8) Only You (and You Alone) by The Platters (1954)- 8
9) Goodnight, Well it’s Time to Go by The Spaniels (1953)- 7/8
10) All Summer Long by The Beach Boys (1964)- 9

Comments: This is pure, good old, fun Rock and Roll from one of the best eras of music! Since, the film American Graffiti is set in 1962 all of the music is from 1950s and early 1960s. We hear a wide variety of hits, but overall the soundtrack has a cohesive, consistent sound. Mostly hoppin and boppin rockers (“Rock Around the Clock,” “Barabara Anne,” etc.), teen oriented love and dance numbers (“Sixteen Candles,” “At the Hop,” etc.), some slow ballads (“He’s the Great Imposter,” “Smoke Gets In Your Eyes,” etc.), and best of all the advent of surf rock in the form of the legendary Beach Boys (“Surfin’ Safari,” and “All Summer Long,”), a genre new at the time of the story’s setting. For my money, this is one of the greatest soundtracks of all times and the music is perfectly placed in each scene, literally. It should be noted that the film’s use of music is significant in the history of cinema for it was the first or at least one of the first movies to strictly use populars songs as its sole soundtrack instead of a more conventional score. Nowadays, this is more common, but at the time it was unheard of. On the other hand, looking at this in terms of a record, the second half is not nearly as contagious as the first and not all the songs on here are as strong as some of the others, but I suppose that’s custom. The top tracks for me are “Runaway,” (the structure of this song is incredible, there’s at least four or five stand out, pop hooks) by Del Shannon, “Why Do Fools Fall in Love?” by Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers, “See You in September” by The Tempos, “He’s the Great Imposter” by The Fleetwoods, and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes,” by The Platters. All in all, this is simply a great record to just kick back, relax, and rock out to!

Grade: 8/10- I highly recommend you pick this up if you’re a huge fan of early Rock and Roll and/or the movie.

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Lists, Music, pictures, Punk

Jay’s Greatest Hits?

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Clearly, Jay Reatard never had any “hits,” but he had numerous memorable songs and fan favorites alike. The concept of a “Best Of” or “Greatest Hits” for Jay seems a bit odd to me, but in light of the fact that Shattered Records will be releasing one soon, I decided to make my own playlist, entitled “Best of Jay.” At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to go the route of his most popular songs, which is hard to measure, or simply my favorites. Ultimately I went with the latter. Enjoy! I highly recommend looking them up.

1) See/Saw (Matador Singles ’08)
2) No Time (MS08)
3) Haunting You aka “Fading All Away”- falsely listed as “Searching For You” (Singles ’06-’07)
4) I Know A Place (S0607)
5) An Ugly Death (MS08)
6) Nightmares (Blood Visions)
7) Screaming Hand (MS08)
8) I’m Watching You (MS08)
9) Oh It’s Such a Shame (BV)
10) Feeling Blank Again (S0607)
11) My Shadow (BV)
12) Hammer I Miss You (S0607)
13) Rotten Mind (Watch Me Fall)
14) It’s So Easy (BV)

I think I’ll take Glen’s tip and limit it to fourteen tracks. What do Reatard fans think? What would be your best of?

Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Music, music video, Pete Doherty, pictures, Punk, Video

RIP Jay…

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Today marks the year anniversery of the legendary Jay Reatard’s death. Looking back, I remember when Glen informed me of this tragedy, I couldn’t believe it. I thought it was just another one of his bullshit shenanigans, only to discover it was the truth. Sadly, I just started getting into Jay’s music in the six months before his passing. Luckily however, I had the privilege of seeing him live three times and particularly had the pleasure of attending a memorable show during the Shattered Records Tour. Now, a year later Jay still remains my favorite singer and my second overall favorite artist (second to the Black Lips!) and I don’t think that will change anytime soon.

Later today, Glen and I will make more Jay related posts. Stay tuned.

Art, Music, Punk

KLYAMer Shuffle: Chris

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Neil Young– Like a Hurricane (1977)- not one of my favorites from NY, but still a great tune.

The Beatles– All You Need Is Love (1967)- The title says it all, pretty much sums up their message.

The Pogues– Everyman Is a King (1989)- I play this every Fourth of July.

The Shaggs– My Pal Foot Foot (1969)- Classic outisder art.

The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004)- Get Down- A fine track from this KLYAM favorite’s debut record.

Johnny Cash– Flushed From the Bathroom of Your Heart (live at Folsom) (1968)- Badass Cash! Folsom is the perefect setting for this song/album.

Alice in Chains– Would? (1992)- I’m glad we still hear kickass bands like Alice on the mainstream radio, since most of the time they (the radio stations) play absolute rubbish! Layne’s vocals are powerful here.

Frank Zappa– Are You Hung Up? (1968)- A bizarre opener to a bizarre album from a bizarre man.

Anti-Flag– Turncoat (2003)- Admittedly, a little bit too punk poppish for my taste at times, but still a decent tune.

Rage Against the Machine– War Withing a Breath (1999)- “Every official that comes in, cripples us, leaves us maimed, silent and tamed, and with our flesh and bones he builds his homes.” I often think of these words when a new official is elected to office, like Obama.

The Replacements– Careless (1981)- Old School, wild rowdy, Mats!

Classic Album Review, Music

Classic Album Review: It Came From Here [1982]

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Band: Boys Life
Label: SECO

Side One
1. “It Came From Here” – A
2. “Water” – A
3. “From A To Z” – A

Side Two
1. “Happy People” – A
2. “True Believers” – A
3. “Person I Want To Be” – A

Comments: Boys Life rose to prominence in the early ’80s. You must be thinking well who’s Boys Life?  They were (technically are since according to their Myspace they’ve recently reformed) a group from Malden, Massachusetts, just a few few miles from where many of us here at KLYAM call home. According to a local magazine at the time, “their rock ‘n’ roll is inspired by the 1976-1977 generation of British punkers – most specifically the recently broken up Jam.” The Jam influence is ultra apparent on this, their debut EP. Singer John Surette’s vocals recall any number of British singers. They also bear a decent similarity to Mission of Burma and comparable post-punk rockers from the area. In fact, they caught the eye of Paul Weller, who has proclaimed himself a fan of the band. They ended up opening for The Jam a few times. Props to my dad for buying this record at one of those shows. Perhaps the band’s strength was in its saxophonist Neal Sugarman. Sugarman’s sax playing served as both a source of steady rhythm and creativity, complimenting the pulsing bass guitar. Sugarman’s fine musicianship did not go unnoticed as he has played tenor for the likes of Amy Winehouse. For a short-lived band, they did get a decent amount of notice in there. This record (I’m guessing) is a rarity but it looks like they’ve made a MySpace page where you can listen to some of their older stuff. This is a local classic.

Grade: A

Classic Album Review, Music

Classic Album Review: Survival [1979]

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Band: Bob Marley & The Wailers
Label: Island

Side One
1. “Wake Up and Live” – A
2. “Africa Unite” – A
3. “One Drop” – A
4. “Ride Natty Ride” –  A-
5. “Ambush” – A

Side Two
1. “So Much Trouble in the World” – A
2. “Zimbabwe” – A
3. “Top Rankin” – A-
4. “Babylon System” – B
5. “Survival” – B+

Comments: This isn’t Marley’s most recognizable album by any stretch, but it is ripe with politically charged and rhythmic songs. Basic, easily communicated dissident sentiments came from the mouth of Marley from “Ambush” (they say what we know is just what they teach us) to “Zimbabwe” (no more internal power struggle; we come together, to overcome the little trouble) and that’s what made the man such a legend. Survival didn’t need a “Stir It Up” or a “Could You Be Loved” to achieve greatness. There’s hardly a low point to be found on here, even “Babylon System” keeps up the groove just fine, despite being less of an immediate catch.

Grade: A-

Jay Reatard, Music, News

Final Pieces of Jay’s Shattered Record Club

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From Jay Reatard’s Official Website

The final pieces of the Jay Reatard Shattered Club are in manufacture and will be ready to be shipped in 2-4 weeks.

We had promised an original 7″ exclusively for Shattered Club members. Two days before Jay passed away he recorded two songs at home: “You Get No Love” and “I Am Growing.” They were to be his final recordings. They have never been heard before now. We have pressed these songs onto a 7″ and it will be available only to you. It will not be for sale in any shops, not given to blogs for free download, and will not available digitally. Inside the 7″ you’ll find a personal note written by Jeffrey Novak.

We had promised a live 7″ exclusively for Shattered Club members. Instead we are sending you a full live album from an incredible set at the Golden Plains Festival in Australia in 2008. This is a full-length 14-song LP, again only for Shattered Club members.

We had promised a t-shirt exclusively for Shattered Club members. Nicholas Gazin, the artist who created the images for Jay’s final tour – The Shattered Records Tour – has painted a watercolor that we are printing on t-shirts. This will only be available to Shattered members.

Shattered Club members have also received Watch Me Fall on CD or LP, and MP3s ofWatch Me Fall, the 25-song Greatest Messes: The Shattered Club Edition, The Reatards’Teenage Hate, Jeffrey Novak’s “Home Sweet Home” and Hunx & His Punx’s “Teardrops On My Telephone.” We will also be sending  MP3s of the final Shattered Records 7″ from Useless Eaters entitled “Hear/See.”

Expect more goodies at random in these packages, including test pressings, Shattered Tour t-shirts, and other items we have been saving up.

In 2011 there will be a full slate of Jay releases, including a feature-length documentary film, Reatards and Lost Sounds reissues, and a definitive greatest hits record.

Thursday is first anniversary of Jay’s passing.
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There is a link to buy a $75 subscription to the SRC and receive all of the above goodies, but it says there is no shipping to the US. Hopefully that was just an error or there will be eventually.
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