Category Archives: Uncategorized

Birthing Hips, Fat Shuggy, Local Music, Music, Uncategorized

NEW BOSTON WEIRDO ALBUMS OUT: BIRTHING HIPS / FAT SHUGGY

Leave a comment

WEIRDO has been a musical term of endearment in Boston for decades but anyone attending shows, especially in our underground spaces, these days knows there are some real out there performers. Transcending rock ‘n roll motifs, deconstructing deconstruction itself, this stuff just about affords itself no description. Your average music writer will look for existing references and fuck I’ve been guilty of it myself… we all trying to comprehend and make sense of things, forgive me here. But here I present you with two fresh albums, from two names you might recognize, via shared line-ups, collaborations, friendships, etc, etc, etc: BIRTHING HIPS and FAT SHUGGY.

birthinghips

BIRTHING HIPS recently released their debut full-length NO SORRY. Nine tracks, nine instantly familiar numbers. In the best combo that I have seen, they combine what the ?????????????????? with noisy/dying guitar attacks, hardcore punk and children’s music. There are sour bubblegum moments and jazz beyond free moments. These triumphant contrasts, jeeze. Unreal.

FatShuggy.jpg

Not every music community has a Fat Shuggy. The entrail princess. I’ve seen Shuggy in quite a few incarnations probably dating back to one year ago. There is no performer that I have seen in that time that challenges the audience as much as Shuggy. Or dismembers them. Confusion and shock. But in the end, this is a musician that just does. With a variety of unorthodox instruments and voices and sometimes alone. It is not nicey nice. It is graphic, rated R. Experiments of noise and the spoken word. Revada Casah Enoy Reve is not something that anyone could have conjured up except for Shuggy, working in its own universe. Its own sound collage. I’m sure Shug could repeat these improvisations note for note, if Shug wanted to.

Local Music, Music, Uncategorized

A KLYAMMER’S GUIDE TO A MOUTH’S A MOUTH FEST PT. 2 (Sat. 10/8/15, Black Lodge)

Leave a comment

MouthaMouthPart2.jpg

A Mouth’s A Mouth Fest Part 2 – no lofty goals of unifying a scene or showcasing the greatest talent in noise around these parts. Not quite. The idea is a fun, autumn afternoon into the night intimate, dank festival outside of the tame curated world of pop and rock musics.

PERFORMING @ THE BLACK LODGE….

(-1) – Featuring a cast of long-time Boston weirdos with band associations that’ll make any one who has been paying attention to this town’s heavy, loud, and experimental rock ‘n roll of the past decade, that’ll make these people perk up in joy. Members of Bugs and Rats, Particulars, Exusamwa, Needy Visions. Guess the people. Anyway, Feeding Tube Records just released their debut 7″ and its a screechy hardgory winner. (Listen)

ID M Theft Able – Storied sound artist from Maine – if you like to research shit beforehand, go ahead now and type in ID M Theft Able into YouTube and get ready to be transported. This performer need not any electronic get-up to perform his noise, though these aids may factor in somehow. (Listen)

Fat Shuggy – Chances are you have heard or seen one Fat Shuggy in some incarnation or another, perhaps in his solo habitat as entrail princess. Who, what, when, where, and why, all things we are trying to still figure out. The entrail princess is a bit like a beast trapped inside of something very small, trying to escape. There is not a traditional way out. Halloween’s approach makes all the sense for this one. (Listen)

Mike Mountain – New Bedford master of the theater of the absurd. Quite possibly the most unpredictable of this bunch – he can and has dabbled in whatever he damn well feels like. (Listen?)

Asher Tuil – Somerville scaper of the ambient, the lush, the spacey, he’s been at it for a good chunk of time,  even was written about in the Boston Globe a couple of years back. A strap yourself in, relax, and enjoy, experience. (Listen)

The Craters – Perhaps the most traditional group on this billing, the baby of Wes from The Channels, The Craters are a different animal than that ‘un, maybe in some spots comparable to the output of early Deerhunter, but with a penchant to explore deeper and more experimental realms. And with a prolific amount of homespun music on the web…you can endeavor to explore all of it! (Listen)

Orgins – New (art school?) kids on the block. Are they just messin’ with us? An ole fashion purposefully hellraising eyeraiser? Listening Man? We’ll give ’em a shot. Oh wait, they don’t take themselves seriously. Nice! JAZZY. (Listen)

G. Gordon Gritty – The man who destroyed music – me! And my band. Apparently our last performance at ZuZu was “tight” and “better than ever” — what will this one be? I just got back from Gonerfest, but I’ve been on a methaphorical Gonerfest since 2009. What? Okay, see ya. (Listen)

Uncategorized

** We Doing A FUN Show Monday 9/12 @ ZUZU **

Leave a comment

14264113_1250464291630778_5404107963688857798_n

Call it an end of summer noisy punk blowout or a real fun show – either works – this thing is happening soon, MONDAY SEPTEMBER 12 @ 10 PM at ZUZU on Mass Ave in Cambridge. Get your ‘interested’ self off the couch. It’s free and you might want to be of the legal drinking age. This isn’t The Rat circa 1980 or whatever, this is the modern incarnation of an intimate rock ‘n roll night on the town and the fine gents of Rad Castle are grateful enough to host this along with support from the Hassle and ourselves.

So who is playing? Well as you can see on that wonderfully designed flyer by Kristen Koenig – we’re lucky to have long time pals NICE GUYS on this one. They’ve rocked their home basement countless times, they’ve rocked The Sinclair a few times, and ZUZU is certainly a second home. They’ve been exposed as “The Allston Basement Band” and we’ve put out their famous spliff 7″ with Miami Doritos. As Chris described them on here in 2013: “The sounds they make aren’t pretty in the conventional sense, but they sound beautiful to me. My mom says it sounds like the singer is walking on hot coals, maybe, probably not though because that would hurt a lot. This set consists of some crazy Nice Guys tunes like my favorite, “Cop Walk,” which is like Black Flag meets Black Lips. In general, as I’ve stated before, Nice Guys create a sick marriage of garage and early hardcore punk (early 80’s, the only hardcore style I dig). It’s fast, it’s slimy, it’s noisy, and it’s full of slams and shrieks, but best of all it will give your noggin the perfect floggin.” LISTEN: http://niceguys666.bandcamp.com/

SAUNA YOUTH are playing too and if they don’t ring a bell, that might be because they are from overseas, the United Kingdom. The London four piece have a few singles to their name and a real fun full length that came out last summer on Upset The Rhythm. I listen to their bandcamper and think of Swell Maps – you know, cacophonous bursts of punk. Maybe these Youth have more of a penchant for melody. Sounds great! Looking forward to seeing them oh and make sure to donate $$$ to help them along their way in the US. Listen: http://saunayouth.bandcamp.com/

We also got EARTH HEART on this stacked billing! The local three piece put out an album  Homesick just last month. Definitely give that a spin. A great pairing with Sauna, exhibiting some of those same traits that I mentioned above and high energy AF. Only seen ’em once a few months back, really excited for #2! Listen: http://earthheart1.bandcamp.com/

Kicking off the festivities will be my band G. Gordon Gritty. I am still inspired by the bands and musicians that transformed me from a superfan to a creator, heroes like Black Lips, Nobunny, Jay Reatard, Ty Segall, and The King Khan & BBQ Show. Also oldies and soul and bands that dement the foundations of early rock ‘n roll. In reality, it’s probably gonna sound like incoherent noise, but that’s the spirit of a non-musician led rock ‘ roll band. https://gbgordon.bandcamp.com/

 

 

Adam Green, Uncategorized

Adam Green Coming To ONCE Somerville; Convo w/ Chris

Leave a comment
ADAM GREEN is playing ONCE BALLROOM in Somerville on Tuesday, September 6. I had a conversation with my pal and KLYAM co-conspirator Chris about this occasion:

GGG:  Rather than do a bland introduction, how would you proposition someone on the fence of going to this show, maybe because they haven’t heard of Adam?

Chris: Adam Green has been my #1 person to see live for the last few years. I’d show them Adam Green.
GGG: Would you show them a “Bunnyranch” live vid, what kinda stuff you showing them first?
Chris: Depends who the person is, if I know of their tastes already. If someone is more interested in older music or country/folk/ early rock ‘n’ roll, rockabilly stuff, I’d show Minor Love, perhaps even Gemstones. For most, I’d show Garfield/Friends of Mine. “Apples, I’m Home, ” “No Legs,” Friends of Mine“
GGG: True. And maybe his latest Aladdin for those really seeking something weird? But that’s the thing about Adam. It’s all pretty weird?
Chris: Wouldn’t be my go to, even though that’s what he’s touring behind…It’s not mainstream, but it’s not outsider either. It follows a lot of conventions. The lyrics are off color and they stand out to you more than others, at least to me. They paint a picture. Abstract, but you can take something away from it, make it your own. I personally don’t spend much time looking for meaning or an artist’s intent in lyrics or any works of art/entertainment. I’d rather pick it apart myself. I like what I can take away from it.
GGG: Yes definitely, and here’s a great case of someone fully in charge of his facilities. He sets the ground rules for his musicianship, and there’s no limit on that
Chris: He doesn’t do anything too fancy, but most of his material is memorable. Immediate.
GGG: What was your introduction to him? I’m trying to think. I think I heard of Moldy Peaches before his solo stuff due to Juno then I heard Minor Love and I remember thinking this is pretty rock ‘n roll. I’m not sure I realized at the time he was a bit of a trickster in the abstract realm
Chris: Moldy Peaches. I knew of them before Juno, but didn’t really get into them. Even after seeing Juno, I didn’t listen to them. It was a couple of years later. So, I decided to check out his solo stuff and I was blown away. As much I love Moldy Peaches, his solo work is superior.
GGG: Yeah, if you think about it too. His music career is really kinda odd just like him.He’s huge (relatively) in Europe or basically any place not USA, has some famous pals, but essentially seems to be pretty DIY. Not that there is any correlation, but the non-linear narrative makes him great subject matter for say, a crazy little conversation like this one
Chris: True, yeah idk exactly why he is more popular over there. I think Americans are afraid to be weird. Unless, it’s heavily marketed in some TV, fashion, or whatever. But, I don’t think that was always the case. At least in terms of embracing odder art. Sure, vintage shit has a charm to it. But, I think there’s more to it than that. There’s no Andy Kaufmans or Tiny Tims out there anymore. The mainstream is a cesspool of normalcy, it’s really boring.But, those guys and perhaps quirkier, odder figures, I think, had a better chance in previous decades and I think people ran with it, didn’t have to question everything. Like Nobunny, mainstream music fans, always ask wtf why is he dressed like a bunny? Why is he half (or totally naked)? I think “underground” or even “indie” fans don’t even question it as much, you just think, hmm, this is cool (or not), but you don’t give as much of a fuck he’s a bunny, you just accept it. And I think that’s the same for Adam Green fans with his idiosyncrasies. I’m a quirky person and I like quirky people and quirky art. You say why, I say why not? That’s the attitude.

GGG: Yeah otherwise you’re cutting yourself off to a lot of interesting stuff
Chris: I think so, then again people can like whatever they like and gain a great deal from that, everyone is different.
GGG: That’s for sure
Uncategorized

KLYAM 7th Anniversary All-Ages Show Tonight 10 PM Doors @ Lilypad

Leave a comment

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS / IAN SWEET / GIVING UP / BIRTHING HIPS

We celebrate every year of existence here at KLYAM not just the big milestones, but all of them. So it’s July 2016 which means we’ve been around now for 7 whole years. So we’re going to celebrate tonight with a line-up that we are very proud to have! Every show we’ve thrown is always a show we would really want to go to (if we weren’t the ones hosting it), so our hope is contagious and if you’ve been going to local gigs around here for the past few years, there’s always fun stuff going on. The show is tonight at Lilypad in Inman Square (Cambridge), All Ages, and we are suggesting a $7-10 donation! Please arrive no earlier than 10 PM and the show will kick off very soon after that.

So what to expect? I would say a very nice little mixture of everything: Sophomore Lounge memory music crew GIVING UP on Tour (from everywhere), crazed dementers of a thing called sound, i.e. underground staples of the region NEW ENGLAND (PATRIOTS), IAN SWEET – the latest Hardly Art signees who we’ve seen many a fantastic time as IAN, but the first time now with the added SWEET, and lastly a new-ish band we’ve seen tons, including three straight weeks, bringing back memories of our 2012 fervor, BIRTHING HIPS

Also, I should mention most definitely that the quintessential basement rock and roll band of our generation, SARALEE (who have a split tape out with Giving Up and other releases on Sophomore Lounge), were originally on the bill, won’t be able to make it, but we will try our damn hardest to have another show with them soon!

Alright cool see ya soon!

Uncategorized

THE WORLD (Oakland / Playing Gonerfest 13)

Leave a comment

THE WORLD is here and let me tell you about them. I don’t know anything – well actually that is wrong. I am on their Soundcloud and I have been on there just about every day, for some spans. I am blown away a bit. God’s honest truth. See back in the day, we KLYAM were a weird bunch, still are, but then we did a couple things. We reacted to the bigger (mainly garage) bands that were getting ‘national’ coverage, definitely, by re-posting or referencing the larger media or the band’s own websites and social media. There was that clusterfuck but there was also the local Boston shows that we were going to and writing about. Very often, we have been the only one or one of a few websites posting about them. As always, but perhaps more so when you fall off a grid of consistently reading about music online, amazing stuff goes unnoticed. But also now more than ever, if you do a little research, you should be able to come up with something. It should not really take long. If you come here on KLYAM now and again, you will see posts because we hope you genuinely care as much as we do, that you should have fun listening to and seeing music!

So with THE WORLD, I saw last week that they are playing Gonerfest 13. Them and tons of others, without much hesitation I can attest these are among the funnest making a rock ‘n roll racket. So I looked up just a few from the list that I had never heard of. Let me first say, last year’s Gonerfest, our first. A world class experience, in the sense that these shows are the very best, large or small, that you will probably experience, unless you have that joy of being able to repeatedly see sick bands in your neck of the woods. In Boston, we have that, yes, yes, and many festivals and showcases that fly more under the radar – the existence of perception aside – but the musical heritage of Memphis combined with the fact that a few hundred from around the world are gathered to celebrate raw, exhilarating live music for a weekend. Bands sound different, there’s no real “sound,” but there’s certainly some favored styles, you know it when you hear it stuff. So back THE WORLD. I went on their Soundcloud like I said, and they have four songs up there. Check them out. A single came out in January on Upset The Rhythm (UK) and with a repress of that and another single, a flexi, on Play Pinball Records (Denton, Texas). Listen, it will be like whatever for you, for me it is like Michel B’s DJ set last month on WMBR’s Late Risers Club. He played only female fronted punk from 1977 to 1984. THE WORLD is like that. An excellent array of dancy, bouncy, punk. Reminds me of UK/Italy, not Oakland. Precision bass and drums i.e Angry Angles or Devo, that is “tight,” but there are sprinkly saxes and guitar that sometimes depart from bubbly new wave territory into the dark of no wave. Probably a likeminded perspective would be Guerilla Toss from here. Really really excited to see THE WORLD at Gonerfest – y’all in the California area look below and go to all these fun ones:

Upcoming shows (taken from their SC, with Gonerfest added by me)
7/11 @ Sgraffito, oakland with Vats, Toyota, Fussy
7/23 @ Warehouse show oakland with Violence Creeps, Baus
7/27 @ Santa Rosa house show with Rakta
8/15 @ WRC oakland with Nandas
8/23 @ Regency SF with Parquet Courts
8/25 @ Starline, Oakland with Sheer Mag and Auscencia
9/10 @ Oakland with Lithics
9/29 – 10/2 @ Gonerfest, Memphis
EAST COAST TOUR IN OCTOBER

Uncategorized

TRIM Cuttin’ and Noisin’ Thru Boston Circuit

Leave a comment
TRIM
Photo hijacked from the TRIM Facebook Page!

Who TRIM? Who you? Well, we seen TRIM a few times about town (Boston, disclosure for our international reader base), let me see 1st at Wicked Mess, 2nd at Porchfest, and most recently in the confines of the Allston basement conveniently named Make Out Point. This duo cuts above the rest, or rather, flows, because of their unique arrangement – drums, and various noise configurations, that is improvisational, within the deep realm of that which I am heavily naïve. So it is the excitement of seeing something different, something not boring, actually really involved or perhaps extraordinarily loose? In a world of boring “Rock” bands, TRIM might get called out for being too weird, but this is not trolling, at least to my brittle ears.

 

ACCLIMATE YOURSELF:
SOUNDCLOUD
FU**BOOK

Band Spotlight, Birthing Hips, Local Music, Music, Tiffany's House, Uncategorized

Cinco De Mayo Recommendations – REQUEST FREEBIRD, TIFFANY’S HOUSE, BIRTHING HIPS

Leave a comment

Its Cinco De Mayo, you’re slizzard, you’re supposed to play in Puzzle Mansion in a quick minute, but isn’t everyone? But you decide it is maybe best to sit back, keep sucking on the 16 OZ Bud Lite Limes and let your music community know how you really feel by recommending obscure Boston bands. Looks like the Hassle got hacked or something, so you’re left with KLYAM.

Let’s start with Request Freebird. I love Request with a lot of my heart because I always have hated solo acoustic acts. Request plays electric, and his songs chord-wise are easy to play and he makes it no mystery by posting what they are on his Bandcamp. But that is not important. I’ve heard “sad” tossed around, by the singer and his followers, but to me he speaks of realities, that blend his own subjective experience – walking to Korn concerts – with stuff that pretty much all us teens and 20-somethings and 50-somethings know a thing about. So all this shit, might make you think, well you are describing what you first said you hate. I’m not a sing-a-longer, or clap a long-er, but Request is the ultimate exception. Something about his performance and music in general is like a light switch turning on or a magnet, just very attracted to its simple, ultra modern story telling, of a guy who has been doing his own thing, perhaps very awkwardly, for years. My first Request experience was at Wicked Mess, but the essence of it all – the artist who has been called ACLU Benefit and Field of Sheep – is something I’ve witnessed many a time over the past couple years. We first met on the Orange Line coming home from a Halloween show at the Elks. Our most recent non-show meetup was in front of a Whole Foods and culminated at an unopened golf course.

Tiffany’s House – damn I wish Bandcamp had an auto-replay function or something, for stuff like this. Never seen The House, maybe this weekend. Kind of like a Request thing going on, at least for my interpretation’s sake. Very Bedroom but instead of guitars and ukuleles or whatever, The House seems to just work with a keyboard and voice. The song DIRT up on the ole BC is a SONG. Hilarious bizzaro existential/lonely lyrics, minimal Dream elements. A chill JANE LA ONDA , more stretching less rambunctious physicality. Choice material.

Birthing Hips – Is there a Band Like Birthing Hips? Not that I’ve seen, not for my money. A group that can do whatever and I trust in ’em fully. That tells you shit and I’m glad. Like I’m glad that I am suckering you into reading this and you see the name BIRTHING HIPS , and you think folk ? World music ? No, I don’t know anything about music. But I think they have their shit together. There are a lot of CHANGES, a lot of ””WEird”’ things going on that you don’t see in a typical four piece incarnation, But in that way it is Psychedelic. You can’t keep up. Carrie guides the way, and her band holds no prisoners. The unpredictable gets me everytime and I hope it gets U!!!!!!!

Angry Angles, Goner, Jay Reatard, Music, Uncategorized

Angry Angles S/T – Goner Records (2016)

Leave a comment

angryangles.jpg

Formal reviews won’t do this record any good; instead the notes on the sleeve that come from those closest to Angry Angles – Alix Brown (one half of the band) and Zac and Eric from Goner Records – tell the story of the band and this record better than any music writer will. The time frame is 2005, when Jay Reatard and Alix formed the band after the dissolve of Jay’s previous group, the synth heavy “dark wave” Lost Sounds. According to Zac, Angry  Angles were Jay’s “return to punk, in a way. Still raw, but now more focused, with a pop sensibility.” They recorded a few singles in Atlanta and Memphis over the course of two years and even got some studio time in Montreal before Gonerfest 6 that culminated in three songs previously unreleased until now.

Unfortunately I was not hip to Angry Angles (or any of Jay’s pre-solo bands) prior to his death in January 2010. But upon listening to Angry Angles shortly thereafter, I was blown away. Listen after listen, this group became most certainly an all-time favorite, right up there with The Reatards and The Lost Sounds, both of which I also had no previous exposure. What stood out to me, particularly, with Angry Angles is sure they were dark and robotic (like The Lost Sounds), but they were mighty concise and sharp. Hook after hook. Jay’s quick fire/angular guitar playing, quasi Brit vocal inflection, easily identifiable drumming, and fat production – trademarks of what would be his solo style take root here. But this was a dynamic duo and Alix and Jay were musically perfect for each other, often taking the heaviest/simplest moments of Wire and Devo soundscapes and modernizing them with the relentlessness of your neighborhood garage band. It seems like Alix challenged Jay-isms to a most positive affect, to me, most apparently on “You Lied” stuffed with a more traditional sounding bouncy bass line and some piano.

Angry Angles no doubt were the basis for the direction that Jay chose to pursue throughout his mighty solo discography from Blood Visions through his final LP Watch Me Fall, which features a tune I never would have guessed was by Angry Angles — “Can’t Do It Anymore.” In fact the final three songs on here, which I mentioned were recorded in Montreal (and not by Jay himself) with drummer Ryan Rousseau, sound very much like Jay’s solo stuff. His obsession with doing it all himself, as Alix writes in her blurb about the album, gives insight into why they never saw the light of day until now. There are no ‘weak’ songs on here, all memorable jams, and I am so thankful for Goner for putting together this album. It is strange to think that over the past six years many of these songs like most of Side A and the first half of Side B have been so influential for me and I have played them over and over, if only via YouTube or a WFMU session. I’ll always say it and I know at least some others agree, the rock ‘n roll that came out of Memphis in the span of four years – 2005 to 2009 –  is simply the best. Angry Angles, The Barbaras, Girls of the Gravitron, Boston Chinks, these are my favorite groups NOW. Back then I didn’t know such wonderful raw stuff. I was a teenager from Boston, MA, listening to The Strokes and The Libertines, damn was I missing out on the real good stuff, most of it coming from Jay and his adjacent friends and cohorts. I hope this record might incite or re-ignite passion, because Angry Angles and a healthy chunk of the Goners left (and still leave) an impact on me.