Category Archives: Video

Art, concert review, Honorary KLAYMERS, King Khan, Mark Sultan, Music, Punk, reviews, The SInbusters, Video

Concert Review: Mark Sultan & Sinbusters @ Magic Room Gallery (12/2/11)

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Artists: Mark Sultan, Sinbusters, Squall
Date: Friday, December 2, 2011
Location: Magic Room Gallery (Brighton, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Squall (Unfortunately we missed :( )

Act II: The Sinbusters– The Sinbusters are a kickass garage inspired punk outfit from Lowell, MA. Their sets pretty much consist of balls to the wall, fun, rock and roll. Loud, noisy, but ultimately satisfying. Tonight they are a three piece: vocals/guitar, drums, keyboards. They rock pretty hard and get the stiff crowd moving at times. Nick, the lead singer, hops into the audience for a bit, whilst strumming away on his guitar. I am still getting into the band, but I really like what I hear, and they are definitely amongst the top live bands I have seen in Boston this year. They place artists such as Thee Oh Sees and Thick Shakes amongs their contemporaries, and I think that is pretty accurate. So, definitely check out The Sinbusters if you have not.

Act III: Mark Sultan– Mark Sultan is the real deal. What does that even mean? It means, there is no bullshit, what you get is real rock and roll, at least what I think is real rock and roll, and obviously I am not alone. Mark mixes it up a lot, diving through numerous styles: Doo Wop, Soul, Psychedlic, and Punk, rocking hard through all of them. Tonight he is feeling under the weather or “gonnorrhea in the throat” as he calls it, but when he sings you can hardly notice the difference, it is amazing. The Magic Room Gallery is a nice, little venue, and when he plays he looks right at home, or at least he makes everyone feel involved, often cracking jokes and encouraging the crowd to dance. Indeed, Mark plays several of his classic, danceable, rock and roll songs, many of which I hold near and dear to me. “Beautfiul Girl” from 2007’s Sultanic Verses (2007) is one of the highlights of the set, and perhaps my favorite performed live. The vocals are incredible in the studio version, but they get me pumped even more live. Some other cuts I really enjoy include “I Am the End” from $ (2010). Once again, the vocals are mind blowing, and in general I usually show people either this song or “Ten of Hearts” if I am introducing them to Mark Sultan, mainly because of the vocals. The set also includes a number of King Khan & BBQ Show tunes including everyone’s favorite “Shake Real Low,” a stellar closer for a stellar set.

I did not recognize all of the songs, but here are the ones I did, in order of album:
Tie Your Noose (2005):
“Waddlin’ Around”*
“Shake Real Low”*
“Out of Time” (The Rolling Stones)

* Also can be heard on The King Khan & BBQ Show (2004)

The Sultanic Verses (2007):
“Beautiful Girl”
“Spinning Ceiling”

The King Khan & BBQ Show- Invisible Girl (2009):
“Third Ave”
“I’ll Be Loving You”

$ (2010):
“I Am The End”
“I’ll Be Loving You”
“Nobody But You”

Grade: 8/10

 

Check out Mark Sultan’s two current records, Whatever I Want and Whenever I Want and/or the compilation Whatever/Whenever.

 

Sinbusters– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usIbLYaiMFc&feature=related

Squall- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGXGZcFDeWg&feature=related

Art, Fat History Month, Music, music video, Punk, reviews, Video

Review: Fat History Month, Florida=Death, Big Mess, SARALEE @ Gay Gardens (11/19/11)

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“Is this G.G. Allin’s broken dick?” Glen shouted as we stumbled upon our desired location. Upon hearing the confirmation that it was in fact G.G Allin’s Broken….you name it, we entered the Allston venue, hoping to see some kick ass local bands, and as always we did.

Artists: Fat History Month, Flordia=Death, Big Mess, Saralee
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Location: Gay Gardens/G.G. Allin’s Broken Home/Nose/Dick (Allston, MA)
Comments:
Act I: Saralee– Ahh I saw this cute duo before and they were pretty sick that first time. I remember truly enjoying their set, but for whatever reason I never really checked out their material, a high crime indeed. Anyway, when I heard they were playing this show (which was only news to me like an hour before their set!) I was excited. When their set began I was still upstairs, but as I was walking down the steps, they were kind of fucked up steps as one other G.G. Allin disicple had noted, the music sounded incredibly familar. I recognized the song from their last set, which is weird because that never happens, unless I check it out again, but I knew it and I loved it! The song is called “Circle of Hands,” and it is fantastic, my favorite Saralee song by far. The song exemplifies what is great about this band. Just really warm, almost comforting music; simple, steady drums from lee and Sarah’s amazing, unique voice. Her vocals are probably my favorite part of the band because they are simultaneously in the background, but also in your face. At least that’s how I hear it. Anyway, it was a chill set, and has stuck with me since the show. I listen to them frequently now, one of the best bands in Boston. See them live if you get a chance.

Act II: Big Mess– Big Mess is another highly notable local band. This instrumental trio hails from Lowell and I have seen them four times now and they get better each time. Big Mess is easily one of the tightest bands I have seen recently, just no fucking around, here we go, let’s rock kinda music. Both live and on studio recordings, but especially live, the band evokes various thoughts in my brain. Firstly, I always think these guys are fucking badass, like this is the soundtrack to what it is like to be badass and/or live a badass lifestyle. You know those horrible car ads with terrible country rock/overly masculine singing, well it is nothing like that, but it is just as badass, if not more. Just take the cheesiness out of that formulaic music and insert the pulsing guitars and pounding drums of early metal greats like Black Sabbath and AC/DC at their prime and you have Big Mess. The purest style of badass rock, like Shellac. Get up, crack open a beer, and crack some skulls. Well, maybe not that harsh, but you get the picture hopefully.

Act III: Florida=Death: First off, wonderful band name! I dug these Connecticut natives, but I did not feel as big of a connection to them or their music than the other bands. I feel like they were going for an electronic sort of thing, not sure, maybe I have to give them another chance. They were decent, just did not stand out to me at the end of the day.

Act IV: Fat History Month– Fat History Month is definitely the best Boston band I have seen this past year. I saw them for the first time a few months ago and I could tell from that performance that they were pretty special. I did not fall in love with them right away, but I got the impression that they were a band I could not keep my eyes off. So, I started listening to their music more and more. Saw them again and really dug it. Now, they are one of my favorite bands from twenty eleven. So yeah, I was really pumped for this performance. At the two previous Fat History shows I attended, the crowd was small and people were not overly enthusiastic, but this time around the audience seemed pretty into it and rightuflly so. There was a decent amount of moshing and it was pretty awesome, just the kind of reaction I was looking for. The duo rocked out per usual and I think it is safe to say this was the best show I had seen from them. In particular, “Old Lady Smokers,” was a pleastant experience, as it is a KLYAM favorite for sure. When the set hit its finale, vocalist/guitarist, Sean walked right through the crowd as if we were ghosts, it was pretty cool. Fin.

Grade: 7/10

Fat History Month-Things I Enjoy from Michael Wissig on Vimeo.

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Jay Reatard, Music, Punk, TV, Video

The Barbaras on TV!

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Bit of a flashback video here. Footage of Memphis legends and future Magic Kids members, The Barbaras, playing the classic “Flow,” followed by a brief interview. The audio is pretty shitty, but still I thought this was a neat little ditty, worthy enough for the wolrd to see. Unfortunately, no Stephen Pope or Billy Hayes, off rocking and rolling with Jay!

Art, Band of the Week, Music, The Orwells, Video

BOTW: The Orwells

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Band of the Week is one of my favorite parts of KLYAM because it gives us a chance to constantly promote a band; you can’t come on here and not come across these bands. They’re always there! Great bands all of the time and this week is no exception, but they are exceptional, no doubt. The Orwells are perhaps the coolest-youngest band I have seen. Seriously, these guys have incredible potentional. They are only teenagers and they play real rock and roll and do it better than most jokers five or ten years their senior. Check these Elmhurst, IL natives out right now!

Art, Black Lips, Cole Alexander, concert review, Davila 666, Honorary KLAYMERS, Ian St. Pe, Jared Swilley, Joe Bradley, Music, pictures, Punk, reviews, Video

Hell at the Hall: Black Lips, Davila 666, X-Ray Eyeballs @ Webster Hall (10/29/11)

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Artists: Black Lips, Davila 666, and Xray Eyeballs
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2011
Venue: Webster Hall (NYC)
Comments:
Act I: X Ray Eyeballs: X Ray Eyeballs are a pretty sweet band. I sadly know very little of their material, so I am not totally wrapped up in their performance, but it sets the stage for the next two acts very well. I definitely plan on checking out their work in the future; I see their name pop up all the time now, it seems.

Act II: Davila 666: I have been anticipating seeing these cats for quite some time. I am a casual fan of Davila and like most other fans, I think the energy and rarely matched enthusiasm they bring to the table is probably their greatest feature. In general, they have the whole “garage rock” style down to a tee. It’s just really fun, balls out rock and roll. In particular, the crowd goes wild when they blast into “Patitas,” a favorite of mine as well. The whole performance is solid, every member gives it their all, which is exactly why they are one of the finest live acts around, for sure.

Act III: Black Lips!!!: As you all may or may not know, we are devout Lips fans and making the bi-annual trip from Boston to New York to see our favorite band is a requirement of such excessive fandom. Lips have been my number one live act for a few years now and this night is no exception. The boys in blue hit the stage, decked out in their “Raw Meat” video tinged NYPD uniforms. Per usual they erupt into the classic (and my favorite) “Sea of Blasphemy.” It never gets old! Five Lips shows deep, which I am sure to some is nothing, I can safely say “Sea of Blasphemy” should always be their opener. The crowd simulates the excitement on stage and my composure and sense of right and wrong is suspended for the next hour. Between Cole’s proclamations of DMT Parties and threats of hauling all the dope smokin’ kids off to jail, he busts out one of his best performances, spitting, kissing, and beer can headbutting in all. Jared mans the center of the stage, looking like the classic frontman (though I have never thought of any of them specificially as frontmen, just to note). His vocals on relatively new live cuts, such as “New Direction,” and “Noc-a-Homa,” sound better than ever. To the right of Jared, Ian stands proudly, dishing out all the classic Lips riffs, with that ubiquitous smile he always maintains, kind of like your crazy uncle. In the back, but always on top is Joe, bashing away at the drums with the spirit of a six year old. Joe’s vocal driven songs constantly seem to garner the greatest crowd reactions. Arabia Mountain cut, “Go Out and Get It,” is arugably their most danceable tune and appears to get that extra umph outta everyone, especially the ladies. And naturally, “Bad Kids,” the band’s biggest song makes the kids go wild more than the other songs. In general, this show focuses on their latest record Arabia more than any other Lips performance I have attended. In total, we see/hear seven songs from Arabia, which is more than any other album. This is unusual for the Lips, since their standard is playing mostly Let It Bloom (2005) songs (if you had to name one record that dominated their set lists). With that being said, this does not really affect the overall performance too much and I am actually happy to see more new songs being performed. But, a Lips fan of any and all eras (such as myself) can find plenty to admire. The group even harks back to oldies like “Stone Cold.” Of course, Halloween being the theme, the quartet unleashes some garage soaked horror classics such as “Jack the Ripper,” (though they play this off-season as well). “Wildman,” by The Tamrons is another cover I have never seen them perform live and have waited to see for a while now. One of my qualms about this show, however, is the sound quality. It is not terrible, but it could be much better. Things like that fortunately do not interfere too much with the charisma of a Black Lips show. Not the best I have seen, but definitely up there, one for the books.

Grade: 9/10

Set List (in order by album):

Black Lips (2003):
“Stone Cold”

Let It Bloom (2005):
“Sea of Blasphemy”
“Hippie Hippie Hoorah”
“Boone”
“Fairy Stories”
“Dirty Hands”

Good Bad, Not Evil (2007):
“O Katrina”
“Bad Kids”

Arabia Mountain (2011):
“Family Tree”
“Modern Art”
“Go Out and Get It”
“Raw Meat”
“Dumpster Dive”
“New Direction”
“Noc-a-Homa”

Non Album/Cover Songs:
“Make It”
“Wild Man” (The Tamrons)
“Jack the Ripper” (Pierced Arrows)
ENCORE:
“Bow Down and Die” (The Almighty Defenders)
“Too Much Monkey Business” (Chuck Berry)

Art, Honorary KLAYMERS, Hunx and His Punx, Music, News, Punk, Video

Hunx- “Always Forver”/ New Rec “Hairdresser Blues” (2012)

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Hunx aka Seth Bogart of Honorary KLYAMer’s Hunx and His Punx is releasing a solo record entitled, Hairdresser Blues on Hardly Art on February 28, 2012! Here’s a song, “Always Forever.” I’m really digging it. Good work, can’t wait to hear the rest!

Art, Books, Comedy, Entertainment, Films, Holiday, humor, Lists, pictures, religion, The Simpsons, TV, Video, Weather

My Christmas Must Sees!

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Glen Maganzini (left), Chris DeCarlo (right)

Okay, so I do this annually and if this looks similar to the post I made last year that is because it is! well, for the most part- not much has changed. Here we go:

Films (in no particular order):
1) It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
2) A Christmas Story (1983)
3) Home Alone (1990)
4) National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989)
5) A Christmas Carol (in any of it’s versions, specifically 1951. I usually attend the play, as I will be Saturday night; one of the few plays I enjoy seeing)
6) The Santa Clause (1994)
7) Edward Scissorhands (1990) (okay, so only towards the end of the film this is applicable, but for me it gets me in the mood)
8) The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) (I suppose this is more apropos for Halloween)
9) Bad Santa (2003)
10) Die Hard (1988)

TV:
1) The Simpsons– “Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire” (1989), “Bart Gets an F” (1990), “Marge Be Not Proud” (1995), “Mircale on Evergreen Terrace” (1997), “Grift of the Magi” (1999),”Skinner’s Sense of Snow” (2000)
2) South Park– “The Spirit of Christmas” Original (1992), “The Spirit of Christmas” (1995), “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (1997), “Merry Christmas Charlie Manson” (1998), “Mr. Hankey’s Christmas Classics” (1999), “A Very Crappy Christmas” (2000), “Red Sleigh Down” (2002), “It’s Christmas in Canada” (2003), “Woodland Critter Christmas” (2004)
3) Family Guy– “A Very Special Family Guy Freakin’ Christmas” (2001)
4) At least one Johnny Cash Special
5) Dr.Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1964)
6) Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer (1964)
7) Frosty The Snowman (1969)
8) It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia: A Very Sunny Christmas (2009)
9) A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965)
10) SNL– various skits

Literature:
A Christmas Carol By:Charles Dickens (1843)
A Story A Day Till Christmas Various Authors (1985)
The Catcher in the Rye By: J.D. Salinger (1951)

I usually end up viewing (or reading for that matter) only half of these! But, either way, I have a lot of work to do and I recommend others to watch/read them too. I would recommend music, but that will take too long. I’ll save it for another day. To kick things off, here’s Kyle’s Christmas ballad, “I’m a Jew on Christmas” from the South Park classic “Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo” (1997).