In light of my rant yesterday on the “current state of affairs,” here is part one of a germeane Jello Biafra interview.
Category Archives: Punk
Song of the Day: Sebadoh- Rebound
Be sure to check out the upcoming Classic Album Reviews of Sebadoh’s Smash Your Head on the Punk Rock and Bakesale. Also a review of Animal Collective’s Sung Tongs will be posted shortly. Stay tuned in, turned on, and dropped out!
Excellent Italian Greyhound
Shellac’s Todd Trainer expresses his love for his Italian Greyhound, Uffizi. No, this is NOT a beastiality/interspecies erotica video!
Music Video of the Day: Black Flag- TV Party
This is a new segment I just dreamed up literally three minutes ago. As if we don’t have enough “….. of the day” posts, well too bad! here’s another. Whenever I or another KLYAMer feels like it we will post a music video of the day. It should be notable in some way and not just a live performance, an actual music video. Today is Black Flag’s hilarious classic, “TV Party.” Enjoy.
Classic Album Review: Lightning Bolt- Wonderful Rainbow
Full Title: Wonderful Rainbow
Artist: Lightning Bolt
Year: 2003
Label: Load
Tracks:
1) Hello Morning- 7
2) Assassins- 8
3) Dracula Mountain- 7
4) 2 Towers- 7
5) On Fire- 8/9
6) Crown of Storms- 8
7) Longstockings- 6/7
8) Wonderful Rainbow- 4
9) 30,000 Monkies- 6
10) Duel in the Deep- 7
Comments: Every now and then as a fan of music I get a particular urge to go out and purchase a record I wouldn’t typically listen to or venture into a style that is less common on my ipod. Enter Lightning Bolt. Before I listened to Wonderful Rainbow I knew LB for about a year. I listened to several of their songs, researched the duo, and watched many a youtube video. I do this with various groups from time to time, so I when I got the aforementioned urge, I turned to these noise rockers and what do you know this LP was exactly what I was looking for; a musical (earthly) delight! From what I have read, this album is supposed to be their most accessible and I can definitely see why. The basslines are invigorating, memorable, and even hooky at times. As always the pair deliver a savage, brutal attack to your ears and never let up, not one bit. This may not be their harshest release, but without a doubt this is a euphoric onslaught of all different kinds of sounds and in many ways for a curious fella like me that’s part of the appeal. Just being blown away and perplexed, not knowing what the hell they are doing! It should be noted though that this isn’t just noise or collages of noise, it’s noisy alright, but has structure (amidst chaos) and certainly has musicality. It may be complex, but not too complex, if you are looking to just rock out, you can really enjoy this album. If you’re a musician or a recording engineer, you probably will appreciate the near flawless recording, production, and attention to the musicianship. Brian Gibson makes the bass sound more like a guitar, at least to me and he shreds like crazy. Brian Chippendale is easily one of the best drummers I have ever heard and brings a lot of force and intensity to his playing; his vocals are also extremely menacing, considering he (as always) uses a microphone that is made for a household telephone receiver. His yalps are eerie and sound like he is trapped somewhere, screaming for help from some damaged speaker. In any case, the group’s unconvential recording methods are not only unique, but ultimately effective in reeling the listener in and demanding their attention, unlike many other unconventional artists that usually end up boring you and me. In terms of tracks, I feel like this whole record is an entire experience and should be judged that way. But, at the same time each track has their own story, so to speak. The ratings listed above are more based on levels of enjoyment and not necessarily quality. Highlights for me include the transistion from “Hello Morning,” into “Assassins,” simply amazing. “Assassins” as a whole is one of the best tracks from the record and perhaps the easiest for the casual listener to get turned on to. “On Fire” is by far my favorite track, the riff is pretty damn catchy and ropes you in and never lets go. I really dig the variety of the tune and how it switches into gentler vibes toward the end, all while maintaining a pounding wall of bass. This continues on “Crown of Storms,” one of the other stand out tracks. I guess for my tastes the rest of the album, while still kickass in its overwheleming heaviness, didn’t WOW me as much as the earlier songs on the record, but this is more of a personal thing as I’m sure folks can find plenty to desire in these remaining songs. Lastly, another great thing about LB and this record is its recording; some of the best recorded music I have had the pleasure of hearing, with Shellac as the closest comparison that comes to my mind. Overall, this is not a record I will listen to all the time or through and through over and over again, but it is a little masterpiece in its own right and if I was more into the noise scene then I would probably rank this higher. All in all, a sound addition to my record collection, and I will be sure to listen to another record from the mighty Lightning Bolt again sometime in the future.
Grade: 7/10- I highly recommend, but I can’t give it a higher rating, because of my ultra pop loving soul.
Too bad they didn’t have “On Fire” live, since I wanted to post a live video. Here’s “Dracula Mountain” live instead, just as badass. I plan on seeing them live one day as they are on my concert bucket list. Looks insane!
Funny Hunx Interview!
“It tastes like Gatorade.” Haha, probably why I hate Gatorade. I agree with Seth “Hunx” Bogart here for the most part, he has a good grasp on his image. Personally, I’m like 90% about the music and the remaining 10% comprises of all the other zany things that make Hunx and His Punx who they are including their dress/appearance and attitude, which are just offshoots of the music. I don’t really care if people dress up or not in general, but if H & H P didn’t it probably would be dissapointing to some degree, kinda akin to Nobunny without bunny masks, ears, etc.
Band of the Week: Lost Sounds
This week we are breaking the mold of expectation just a smidgen. For the first time we are harking back to an older group as our Band of the Week. In honor of the recent first year anniversery of Jay Reatard’s death, here is the Lost Sounds, one of Jay’s earlier bands- a synth heavy, bizarre Punk outfit that had a nice flavor of Jay to it, but was also completely disparate from his solo work that you could enjoy on both levels. From what I hear, they were fantastic live. Oh, it’s such as shame! Jay Reatard: 1980-2010.
Song of the Day: Strange Boys- MLKs
For our good friend Martin.
Classic DVD Review: Dinosaur Jr Live in the Middle East
Full Title: Dinosaur Jr: Live in the Middle East
Director: Philipp Virus
Artists: Dinosaur Jr: J Mascis- Vocals, Guitar. Lou Barlow- Vocals, Bass. Murph- Drums
Year: Filmed in 2005, released in 2006
Set List:
1) Gargoyle
2) Kracked
3) Bulbs of Passion
4) Little Furry Things
5) Lose
6) Forget the Swan
7) The Post
8) Budge
9) The Lung
10) The Wagon
11) Raisans
12) Sludgefeast
13) Mountain Man
14) Chunks
15) In a Jar
16) Repulsion
17) Just Like Heaven
Comments: I’ve seen Dinosaur Jr live and without a doubt they are a tour de force, one of the most powerful live bands in the world. This concert in particular is special for two reasons: 1) It was not too long after their reunion, sixteen years after the demise of the original line up. 2) This concert is shot at the Middle East in Cambridge, MA (for the most part) the home state of Dinosaur. The venue is a small, comfy place and gives the band/DVD a certain character. It makes the performance feel homey and intimate. Typically, most Concert DVDs you see feel the total opposite. Since, the Middle East is my favorite venue, I also felt a greater connection and it seemed like Dinosaur was right at home. Overall, I enjoyed the performance and the band were incredible as usual, playing mostly 80s, You’re Living All Over Me (1987) material, which naturally added its own vibes and made the concert/DVD feel all the more like the good old times of the original Dinosaur years. With that being said, the band really carries this DVD. In other words, the DVD offers very little beyond filming the band and a few crowd shots, not much more. It is akin to a youtube video and for me this is surely not enough. In terms of bonus features, we have some treats: interviews with Thurston Moore, Kim Gordan, Steve Albini, Mike Watt, Mat Dillon, and others. They provide great insight and clear appreaciaton for the group. Here, we also see the lack of dedication for this DVD, for the footage itself is given little treatment and poor audio/lightning, but once again the content saves the viewer from running away. We also see a few performances from the band and a radio station performance/interview, which are decent.
Grade: 7/10- Great band, great show, but not a great DVD per se. Still if you’re a big fan I’d recommend it, I will watch it and enjoy it over and over again, because I’m just one of those kinda guys.
Classic Concert Review: Shattered Records Tour
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
Kids Like You & Me (KLYAM) 