Wednesday, August 31, 2011


A missive from Murray Ramone...

Gig this Sunday - September 4th - Henrys Cellar Bar

35mm DREAMS - poptastic 80's veterans reform for 30th anniversary gig !
MY-T-Hi - all the way from Japan !
SHOCK AND AWE - the world famous !

classic 3 band lineup this sunday at henrys cellar bar at the top of morrison street
doors open 7:30, first band on about 8, all over by 11pm so you can be nicely tucked up in bed before midnight

In between bands we'll be playing the forthcoming "Vic Godard and Subway Sect Live in Glasgow" album and some other tracks completely unavailable anywhere else in the world at the moment including one that cant be named! ... trot along and find out !

Tuesday, August 30, 2011


Sublime, as always... album review coming soon. I promise. (Thanks to Robster for the link)

Monday, August 29, 2011


Had some folks ask how to make contact via this blog now that I removed the link. If you make a comment below any post then I can get back to you. The reason for removing said link was because I was inundated with guff mp3s and wannabe’s that were looking to parade on this “Next Big Thing” circus that takes place here and there. It’s actually quite alarming to consider that so many minimal to no-talents would consider that they might compete with anything but that’s human nature for you.

I just delete anything like that which does make it through the defences but even that can take time. And time is a precious commodity that I'm very not into wasting.

Sunday, August 28, 2011



"Tuesday night at the Lakeside Lounge in NYC: the "Elvis Club" plays a warm up show before heading to Spain. 9pm $20 suggested donation. No advance tickets, no reservations."

I’ve been preoccupied with the East Coast USA hurricane stuff and the sheer scale of the disruption. While obviously it’s best not to take any chances – let’s hope that that with everything being shut down that it can all start up again. Safety first indeed but with so much importance being placed on the economy – consider the money that isn’t going into it via businesses, etc this weekend and the insurance one way and another. Boggles the mind. This will be considered an “act of god” for sure – in many cases they’re home free. The supermarkets were however cleared in that plague-like hoovering mechanism that always kicks in in such circumstances. I think that TP might be the least of your worries if everything actually does go all armaggeddon.

So anyway, as I tap away the bisom has pretty much just breezed into the tri-state area. Sincerely hope that the destruction and flooding comes to nothing for all my peeps out yonder. The way news works these days, it’s not easy to get a handle on what’s happening unless you’re plugged into the mainframe that is those affected themselves. So far no news is no news and therefore could be construed as good news.

Saturday, August 27, 2011


COMING SOON!



Heartening to witness a decent turnout at Tuts for some honest to goodness homegrown rock’n’roll last night. Looking at the upcoming gig listing, I never heard of any of them. Perhaps that says more about me than the booking policy but let’s leave that open. Oh there was one – G Love. I presume that’s the “Special Sauce” guy? Not Gerry??

Anyway, The Reverse Cowgirls make a reasonable racket and opened the night. If I were being objective then I’d say they’d make a better impression at this point if they trimmed a couple of songs from the set but my ADD isn’t their problem. The Brutes were something of a revelation and delivered just the right amount of genetically enhanced garage pummel. The gear shift in “Real Gone Gasser” especially hit the spot.

And what about The Primevals? This was evidently a dry run for a time when they can fill the Barras. Some cool stagecraft involved and proper lighting plus a proper stage. They were having fun up there and I really hope that they get to do it all again soon. I believe that London in for a pounding on Saturday October 8th at The Water Rats, Kings Cross.

A certain London combo that enjoys an overt amount of ass-kissing for way, way less might like to check out how it oughtta be done.

Many thanks to Ms Linna...

Friday, August 26, 2011



It's been a hell of a week one way and another. Not a lot of time or notion to futz about on here but there's a brace of fine rockin' releases coming up so one way or another, it's time the digit was extracted. Obviously you're thinking - "I'll believe that when I clock it". Abso-fecking-lutely squire (or squire-ette).

Is that a light at the end of the 2011 tunnel that I see before me? One reserves the right to figure it's a false alarm. Only time will tell.



Thursday, August 25, 2011


The Primevals at King Tuts in Glasgow tomorrow with The Brutes and The Reverse Cowgirls (Friday).

I've lost the jpeg poster but if you can get there then do just that.


Wednesday, August 24, 2011


Mr Hagen sent me this link - you'll dig it...

Monday, August 22, 2011


There are still tickets available for BLAST OFF!


Be cool! So says Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. with its monthly, air-cooled appearance at the ever tropical Otto's Shrunken Head...

*THURSDAY, AUGUST 25th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD /
538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in ol' Manhattan /
Two refrigerated sets, from 8pm sharp until 10pm / Salty snacks -- and no cover!

And, please kindly note that SIT & Die will not be appearing at the Rodeo Bar in September for our monthly residency, but should you find yourself in the vicinity of our neighbour to the north over Labor Day Weekend:

*FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 2nd / "RED HOT & BLUE" WEEKENDER /
Montreal, Quebec / SIT & Die returns for the seventh annual rockabilly festival!

*SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 4th / "GREAT CANADIAN BURLESQUE" at Cadillac Lounge /
Toronto, Ontario / SIT & Die's first visit to the Queen City!

Chillingly yours,
Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

Sunday, August 21, 2011


Encore by mxrich


I need to compile a complaint form to First Scotrail. They’re useless. They can’t cope with demand for their services and yesterday was the proverbial straw that broke the big hairy spitting creature’s back. A rugby game and the world’s biggest festival on a very sunny day – droves heading east to spend their hard-earned in Edinburgh and the infrastructure can’t cope. It can’t bloody cope under normal conditions.

Still that aside, the David Sedaris show was great. I was always a big fan of his sister Amy but my pal Fiona gave me one of his books last Christmas and I actually read it. My info junkie demeanour doesn’t often grant me that patience but I did. So to catch his reading was a great opportunity and it’s the coolest thing of its type I’ve seen since David Lynch at the GFT. He is a little DL-ish to my mind. At the signing, he told me that he’d never heard an accent like mine and Mr Shaw – who went to the show last night, I went Friday – he said he mentioned what could have been me. Alluding to the fact that I had the strongest Scots accent he ever heard. Which kind of counters what Brother Don reckoned when we spoke last week, ha ha.

I did drop by to get another book signed yesterday evening so that was another mission accomplished.

Today I’m gonna take a walk up to the “set” for World War Z that’s taking place close to the oil refinery. Brad Pitt is apparently in town and until now that’s always been Glasgow rhyming slang for something a bit unsavoury. I’m sure you can figure it out. Anyways I’m only going because Gry said I should.

This has been a weird day, could be about to get weirder but I just transferred an important new pop opus to my mp3 player and I’m heading out the door. Laters...

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Tuesday, August 16, 2011




More than halfway through the thing called August… took in a small corner of the Edinburgh festival by seeing John Otway’s power point presentation. Maybe a tad overlong but he seems like such a good geezer and of course the price, gratis entry, is entirely right. I’m not sure if it runs for the entire festival but if you’re in town then you could actually pay to see a much lesser performance.

And then there was Shonen Knife. In a crammed Sneaky Pete’s the j-pop-punk triumvirate belted it forth as only really they can. Defying all pop clichés and employing the wattage of pyramid power, the set itself maybe wasn’t as great as last time at Tut’s in Glasgow but it was still a hoot. I put this down to them maybe not including “Barnacle” this time. Although their ode to sushi came mighty close.

The place was rammed so there was no way the girls could get offstage to do the encore ritual. So they stayed and played a medley of Ramones songs as can be found on their Osaka Ramones tribute that has just been released. The version of KKK would bring tears of joy to a glass eye and well, it was just magic.

Great show = great merch and Murray noted how it seemed like the audience just turned around and queued for the gear. It might have been a school night but it didn’t matter at all because a visit by these girls is still an occasion. Like Otway, they occupy a special place that’s damned cool to connect with. The Knife are making their way across Europe in the coming weeks. If they can kick my spirits into life then chances are they can jump start yours too.

Sunday, August 14, 2011



Guess I wasn't on here yesterday? In some ways that's progress because it suggests a semblance of a life - ha ha. And today, we're heading for Edinburgh and all the hoo-hah that festival time bestows. Not for anything in particular but maybe John Otway at 3pm in The Voodoo Rooms.

Ballroom @ Voodoo Rooms from 15:00 - 16:00, August 7-17 - Otway on Otway [Music]
Rock and Roll's greatest failure's hysterical romp through 35 years of being a pop star with 2 hits and 25 flops. Soon to be a major movie.


Might be back later. Much later. Shonen Knife tomorrow. It's all go.

Thursday, August 11, 2011


Pffffff.... I've tried to make a link to Lola Dutronic ten times and each bloody time, this thing has frozen up. Between the gas and pedal powered PC and blogger taking the piss. I might be about to take my rage on to the streets. Either that or have another round of thai red chilli crisps...

I was wondering what to post because my head is elsewhere. One of these places is a boat in Stockholm. Anyway, The Chairman literally just sent me this this link. You all love Lola Dutronic right? Well this version of The Fast's classic will rev you up for sure.



LOLA DUTRONIC is an Electronic Pop duo that divides its time between Berlin and Toronto. Vocalist Stephanie B. and producer/composer Richard Citroen combine elements of French Pop, Lounge, Electro, Bond Themes and Euro Disco, often within the same song.

Their latest digital release, “NEW YORK STORIES”, contains 5 cover versions of songs from the fabled CBGB/Max’s era – Suicide’s “CHEREE”, Blondie’s “IN THE SUN”, Johnny Thunders’ “YOU CAN’T PUT YOUR ARMS AROUND A MEMORY”, Alan Vega and Martin Rev’s “KEEP YOUR DREAMS” and the single, “KIDS JUST WANNA DANCE”, originally performed by New York legends THE FAST, written by the late Miki Zone.

More on this when I hear the entire thing...

Wednesday, August 10, 2011



Can’t dilly dally here for too long as I have a houseguest but a couple of things to flag up in the interim.

Tomorrow is The Nomads annual Blidosund Blitzkrieg and I am very jealous of those who will be clambering aboard.

Kopper dropped me a line about The Garage Punk Hideout comps. I haven’t had time to investigate those but it sounds like something that would be up your alley. So scoot the heck over there.

Tuesday, August 09, 2011



“They’re mad as hell and they’re not gonna take it anymore”.

Can’t you just see the bye-line of the upcoming computer game Social Unrest 2011?

Filched from Network it could easily be applied to what’s going on in the inner cities. The undertow is that authorities are tied down by red tape and health and safety regulation. How do you deal with marauding sociopaths when it will just end in form-filling. Or on YouTube.

Attempts at levity aside. This latest twist on tensions isn’t hurting the authorities. It’s trashing the lives and livelihoods of people that are just trying to make it through the days and weeks. Many of them haven’t got homes, or businesses or jobs to go to today. All because a pack of twonks wanted to nab ugly tracksuits and/or a flatscreen TV. Insurance will have a field day and our already absurd premiums will spiral ever upward. It’s sickening and I sincerely hope that you folks out there aren’t affected directly by any of this?

While I fully understand that no-one in their right mind has much respect for what passes as the authorities, this should not be confused with having no respect for how others may choose to conduct their lives or their property. Don’t piss up my back and tell me that it’s raining and I’ll leave you and yours alone. As a credo goes, it's pretty simple. This is almost certain to get worse before it gets better and we’ll all have to pay through every orifice for it. That’s the only certainty in all of this. Do you think that Cameron will be able to get his holiday leave back after having to cut his break short?

This is the best piece I've read about what's going on. As of right now there are 16,000 cops on the beat down London way. Chaos reigns, even in town as I understand it although there are no actual altercations. when something like this results in the cancellation of Mose Allison's final night of his Pizza Express stint then, well, that's just not on. This Solidarity Federation statement is also worthy of your attention.

And what about the Sony/PIAS thing? As if music wasn't suffering enough - a lot of labels and bands simply won't be able to wear what was happened.

Let's hope that things can calm down. Why don't the police just make like they're dealing with terrorists? The actions are certainly terrifying the people that have got to live in these areas so can't they just shoot them?

Oh soz, I forgot. The form-filling.

Monday, August 08, 2011


Fun for all, and all for fun. It's Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at the honky tonkin'est joint in town, the Rodeo Bar!

(Oh, and this will be our last Rodeo Bar show until October, so best catch the fun whilst thou can. Just sayin'.)

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10th / RODEO BAR /

375 Third Avenue (at the corner of 27th Street)
in ol' Manhattan / Two *guaranteed* fun sets, from 8:30 sharp 'til 11pm or so / No cover!

Yours in merriment,

Michael

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.

"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"


Sunday, August 07, 2011




I haven't read this but enough people whose opinons I trust have (cyber)doorstepped me about "B-Sides and Broken Hearts" so I'm pretty sure it' a goer. The original title was "Joey Ramone Is Dead".

There's a Brooklyn, NY launch on the 25th of this month.

RIP - Conrad Schnitzler

Saturday, August 06, 2011


Via Kenne Highland and Miriam's fb...




Fur Dixon and Steve Werner are back with episode three of their ongoing folked up Americana. Entitled “Songs Of The Open Road (Volume One)” these West Coast troubadours have collected another 10 songs that indicates that they can sure pick ‘em in more ways than one.

Crystal clear and expansive in sound panoramic, you’re with them all the way down those byeways. “I Like How I Feel” is luscious. “I‘ve been over the hill and around the bend” sez Fur but it sounds like she’s comfortable in her skin now. “Do Re Mi” is a hymn for these stock-market plummeting times, penned by Woody Guthrie way back thataway – precious few of us ever will be troubled with having bucketloads of that particular commodity. It’s time wealth was measured in a more spiritual currency and this couple could teach us a thing or two about that demeanour.

The slow burn tex-mex marinade of “De Colores” is a soothing concoction also. There are two tunes penned by a lady by the name of Mary McCaslin who I’ll be “googling” just as soon as I’m done with this. “The Dealers” is a mid-paced swinging western tale presented by both parties. Old timey but never trite. The steel on “Prairie in the Sky” haunts the song beautifully without ever being overplayed. (Update - 7.12pm: Was I ever outta the loop on the Mary McCaslin thing...?)

Dan Janisch’s “I Cannot Settle Down” brings the curtain down and it pretty much covers their reason to believe the way they do. I just hope that they make it out this way soon to state their case in person. Go play on their website.

Billy McBarbie gave me a copy of Sugar Louise's “Everything’s Better With Sugar” when I was in Moss. It encompasses that grand Scandinavian tradition of being able to channel several generations of glam, punk and pop into anthemic daftness. How the fuck could you not love a song entitled “Be My Demi Moore”? Seriously. And I played “Down By The Lake” during my disc-n-spinnering without knowing what it was and said tune fitted the mood like a glove. Sometimes you just get a feeling.

I don’t know what is in the water there but I’m addicted to it. And while we’re on an H2O Aqua better get ready to redo their biggest hit as “It’s a Billy McBarbie world”.

Sugar Louise is where The Riverdales collide with Backyard Babies (circa Total 13) at a Smashed Gladys tribute evening to The Sweet. In a perfect world, Sugar Louise would be packing ‘em in with their rambunctious take on a musical form that not easy to get right. One slight quibble – I could a done without the calypso bits in “Wastin’ Summertime” but will let that slide because of the sentiment in the gloriously juvenile “U2 Sucks” (“not a single decent song – after playing for that long”).
This wee treasure is on the Naked Hollywood imprint.

The postal service between Australia and here has conspired to keep me and Dollsquad’s “Lethal In Leather” apart until just recently. The latest copy that Joey sent made it over the obstacle course. Keeping their garage fuzz credentials intact they’ve rounded out the sound with a glam crunch. And what other band do you know has pez dispensers as part of their merch. I was well impressed with the one I saw in Casa Arnoff.

Six gals in leather pummelling out cave beat, what the hell’s not to like in the first instance but when it’s performed like this then the result is a genuine twist-off.

These Melbourne lassies deal all the right frequencies. The keyboard action is especially frisky and the overall result is not unlike the latter day Pandoras. The Friggs fandabbidozi “Bad Word For A Good Thing” is given the D-squad treatment and “Rock’n’Roll Boy” is crying out to be struck in 7” vinyl. A double “A” with “Dreaming” perchance?

The duet with (Oz) X singer Steve Lucas (who also manages them) is cool in a Hazlewood sense but the real gold is in “Everything” a ballad that pitches in a little Suicide-ish piano flourish, not unlike yon version of “Heart and Soul” that appears in the movie “Big” when Tom Hanks is fooling around in FAO Schwarz. A quiet but perfect high upon which to close.

A cut above your common or garden identikit authenticity then, Dollsquad possess both style and substance in abundance. See for yourselves...

Friday, August 05, 2011


Thanks to Mr Duff for the heads up on this. Proper Friday afternoon tuneage and no mistake.

Thursday, August 04, 2011


Never saw this before - Courtesy of the SLQ fb...

Wednesday, August 03, 2011

Tuesday, August 02, 2011


I was reading about a certain band that I cannot abide being embarrassed about what went down at their show in Dallas. This instance of the human condition notwithstanding – they’d be better employed being mortified about their alleged “music”.

Still tussling with this lurghi. Can't remember if I linked this before. If not then I meant to.

Monday, August 01, 2011


Rough. That just about covers the demeanour about now. Can’t seem to shake off this sore throat so it’ll just have to run its course. So yeah – Sheffield, way different to the last time I was there to see Springsteen when he toured “Tunnel of Love”. Getting there by train is a wee bit of a palaver but not much and it’s further down than I thought. Hence the urge to get off at Darlington.

Amy and Eric played The Greystones. A nice full room in the back of a bustling pub that seemed to serve a neighbourhood. There’s a full programme of stuff on there and while being in a residential that might not sit right with any major degree of sound volume – I haven’t been to many UK venues of late that are this well appointed. It was great to see them in good spirits. We hung out prior to the show and a bit afterwards. Highest highlights in a top calibre set included “Do You Remember That?”, “Kilburn Lane” and first time in a while – “The Trouble With Jeannie”. Andre filmed several clips that he’ll use to drum up attendees for the London show on November 26th at Union Chapel. Put the date in your diary folks.

And the fates smiled upon us in the accommodation department also. Plumping not to go down the Premier Inn route because it was too expensive – we went to Number Fifteen. A B&B that’s run by the promoter Simon’s wife Judith. Nice people, perfect place. If you’re heading to Sheffield then I unreservedly recommend that you stay there. An excellent breakfast with Sounds of the Sixties playing out in the background and no hangover. Result.

The train back to Edinburgh was cross-country so no changes. Not as comfortable as the East Coast mainline but it does the job. Hit the town a little after three and met Joss and Nadia with Yan and Steph at The Beehive down yon Grassmarket. Always a pleasure and it would have been even more so if the loutish packs of stag party scum could have been shepherded someplace else. Not drinking because I had to drive later perhaps heightened the low threshold of being able to zone out the incessant Neanderthal yelping but it was a small price to pay to watch the youngsters at our table having a good time.

From there it was a dash back to the station to get home and catch the vibes from Risør via a live stream. Imagine the frustration when this was interrupted and our homegal and her crew (Reine Laken) fell off the gas-powered PC radar for a bit. The only thing for it was to head for Tesco in order for A to stock up on tunnocks comestibles and a visit to the chippy. Most of my visitor's culinary jonesing was addressed this past few days methinks including the phenom known as the “crunchy pizza”. Then when we got back, we caught the rest of the RL set and the mission was indeed accomplished.

The drive in the wee hours to Edinburgh airport went without incident on autopilot to some degree. The remainder of Sunday is a blur and it's not a whole heck of a lot better now. Car insurance - that's what I needing to attend to now but the spirit and the flesh are very much in cahoots on this one.