Hello Friend,
Can't we all use a bit of help now and then? Well, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. is no different (okay, so maybe we're just a little different) and so, this Thursday, April 28th, we'll be joined on the stage of Otto's Shrunken Head by our returning special guest, Miss Heather Allison. Heather's helping -- won't you?

Sincerely,
Michael

"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

THURSDAY, APRIL 28th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD / 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B), Manhattan / Two BIG shows, from 8:00 until 10:00 sharp / No cover!

NBTers in Italy are advised to look out for a forthcoming guide to Garage Rock by Alessandro Bonini and Emanuele Tamagnini. Featuring 150 artists over four decades of fuzz'n'farfisa merriment.

Here's a message from Jorg who runs ramones.de. He needs our support...

"In a letter dated April 7th 2005, the Warner Music Group Germany told me to give the Internet domain “Ramones.de” to them within 2(!) weeks. Otherwise there will be juridical steps, which will cost me a lot of money... Their explanation is that only they “have the only right to use the name of the band and their pictures...”.

For now I said NO. It’s up to Warner to give a reaction now...

Ramones.de is an uncommercial Fansite, where for example a couple of crazy
german Followers of the Band, who had the luck to meet them in persona many times, write about their... experiences... we did an official Fanzine in 1994, an authorized Fan-Sampler in 1999, and Tribute-Concerts and Festivals to honour them in 1994,1996,1999 and 2004 so far. This german “Ramones-Thing” is even known under the name “Loudmouth!” cause we originally named the Fanzine this way. It all was authorized by the members at that time in 1993 and by Dee Dee Ramone (the originally bass player) in 1994. None of us ever will forget when Johnny said, “if someone should do it, these crazy german followers must do it!”.

In fact, we think, the big Media tycoon WEA is afraid of our Site. But why?

Cause the people who visit us will never buy any Ramones-Stuff... Bullshit! They will... so we should be „good“ for the WEA because of our kinda Promotion for the Band, Promotion by the WEA was missed here especially in Europe over all the Decades the Band were active- that’s only as a Side comment! But now as the Ramones (and that’s a good thing) are having a kinda “Boom” over here, it explains this WEA-Reaction. A very late one indeed... the Site was registered by a fan in 1996, who gave it to us in 2002, not for money, just because to support us. None of us knows what to do now... fighting against the Tycoon? That’s a very expensive thing... and because of the unclear law in germany, no one knows what the result will be.

There is a chance, cause we have this relationship with the band.

And what will be the next step of WEA... forbidding any Website to publish the name
“Ramones” in it... and pics... forbid Cover bands... that’s all BAD WORK AGAINST the Ramones, isn’t it!? And what about any other Band’s Fan sites....."

This isn't on and is somewhat typical in these greed fueled times. As the campaign mounts, we'll keep you posted.

The Sack-O'-Woes have been added at the last minute as a support-act to the Killers show this Tuesday at the Melkweg in amsterdam.

So I guess that some kinda catching up has been achieved. Plenty for you folks to get your trigger fingers clicking on. Let's face it, that's more fun than what you probably oughtta be doing. particularly if you're reading this at work.

Uh, oh - there goes that foul four letter word. I apologise profusely for using it before the adult watershed but I always get the meechs (pronounced like the ch in och aye) by this time on a Sunday. A mild form of depression brought upon by the prospect of Monday being way too close for comfort. Actually, the act of just going over the doorstep these days is getting pretty difficult. Working from home, now there's something that appeals. Doing something that is actually worthwhile, now there's an entire 'nother entchilada. Can a person actually, like, er, do that?

The third Laura Cantrell album, "Humming By The Flowered Vine" will be out on Matador on June 21st. It includes a cracklingly Spectoresque rendition of Emily Spray's "14th Street", Laura's latest tribute to women in country, "California Rose" (about Rose Maddox), an unreleased Lucinda Williams song "Letters" and a cover of Wynn Stewart's "Wishful Thinking" among its 10 tracks. As previously mentioned she will also be doing shows with Lucinda during the summer. Prior to that there's a London Show at The Jazz Cafe on June 1st. Here's how it's looking thus far...

wednesday 22nd June - Boston, MA Museum of Fine Arts (with Paul Burch)
thursday 23rd June - Burlington, VT Higher Ground (with Paul Burch)
friday 24th June - Northampton, MA Iron Horse (with Paul Burch)
tuesday 28th June - Arlington, VA Iota (with Paul Burch)

friday 1st July - Atlanta, GA Red Light Cafe (with Paul Burch)
monday 4th July - New York, NY Battery Park (with Yo La Tengo and Stephen Malkmus)
tuesday 19th July - Amsterdam, NL Paradiso (with Lucinda Williams)
wednesday 20th July - Amsterdam, NL Paradiso (with Lucinda Williams)
friday 22th July - London, GB Shepherds Bush Empire (with Lucinda Williams)
tuesday 26th July - Manchester, GB Bridgewater Hall (with Lucinda Williams)
wednesday 27th July - Glasgow, Scotland Carling Academy (with Lucinda Williams)
friday 29th July - Gateshead, GB Sage Arena (with Lucinda Williams)

Just read on the (slightly) updated Boonaraaas site that European Warners have issued a threat to the German Ramones fan site telling them to turn the site over to them. Not sure about the legalities but what I do know is that this is not chuffing on. Another nail in the dirty big coffin that is the industry which surrounds the band "brand" these days. The only crime that the site is guilty of is flying the flag for the band when nobody else gave a rat's ass. Dunno about you but I find this behaviour utterly fucking reprehensible.

The lazy Sunday continues. The pedal will be back to the metal soon enough so let's tackle a couple of items that are not of the fire-breathing r&r variety...



Hobotalk hail from Edinburgh and their latest album "Notes On Sunset" is a mannered set of mature songs. It's not country or pop or instantly pigeonholeable but it should appeal to folks who like the idea of American Music Club with a less volatile vocalist. "Give Your Heart" is like The Pearlfishers ghost-writing a Jimmy Webb song. This will be available in Europe on Glitterhouse and it fits their roster perfectly.



Angel Dean & Sue Garner's Pot Liquor has been out in the US on Diesel Only for some time but has recently been released in Europe by Trocadero in a nifty matt-laminated digipack with booklet. This is dark but uplifting American Folk Music, not Country. Traditional sounding and evocatively recorded to steer it clear of the faux authenticity basket. The way their voices weave out and in one another is faultless. "Dark Sky" is an understated gem which contains the line "You never know for what you wish". That makes at least three of us then.



Essential Americana marks the end of the initial chapter of Spit & Polish Records of Glasgow. Or so it seems. This collection includes songs curated from all of the imprints' releases kicking off with the lassie that made it possible, Ms Laura Cantrell (who incidentally will be opening for Lucinda Williams here in the UK this summer). It also includes Amy Rigby's "Don't Ever Change", a song that will have it's day in due course. Amy Allison's "Hell To Pay" and Tim Carroll's "If I Could, Then I Would" are also here along with material from Paul Burch, Tom Armstrong, John Miller and Steve Young. Bonus tracks include harder to find cuts by Mr Burch and Ms. Cantrell. Not sure exactly what the future holds for Mr Macdonald's next step but he's sure to have a trick or two waiting to rain on down.

The early Sunday morning output of Radio Scotland is a diverse pool. I like it. It bucks the typical talk radio formats and is pretty much news-based. It also, being the Sabbath, has a theological leaning and many beliefs have a platform for discussion. It’s never preachy and some of the angles it throws up indicate that maybe the world isn’t overpopulated by idiots. This morning I heard the expression “audit-ridden” and it struck a chord. It was used in context with the fact that education these days is far too concerned with administration. It’s a symptom that pervades our everyday existence though and is largely the stick that stirs the blame culture soup. Teflon-shouldered diddies use this tickbox type of innate pandering to accounting. Accounting to justify their cowardly existence. Sorry asses that are happy to take their place in the pecking order of life just so long as they don’t have to achieve anything to skip several rungs of that ladder. Qualifications are nothing without common sense and they’re further devalued when arrogance and a deep seated contempt is levelled at individuals who are perhaps just trying to do what they can. Generally, the main factor in all this is greed. An inherent desire to be “bigger” (they're generally fatter for sure) than any such individual deserves to be. There’s a line that says you should be respectful of people on the way up so that they might proffer the same should you find your ass on the way down. I think there’s satisfaction to be had in taking a pop at bullys and charlatans. If only for conscience sake.

RIP - Sir John Mills.

It's a pretty nice day out there today. Bright sunshine but still bloody cold, even outta the shade. So what is that drives those "waterbeds on legs" to start exposing flesh as soon as the ol' sun comes out? I wasn't out for long but just as well that I'm not squeamish. And getting the car top down, what's that all about?? Like I said it's not exactly warm so a wee schlepp will blow away the cobwebs alright and maybe induce a wee bout of pneumonia on the side. But hey, whatever floats that collective boat... but the lardys? A bit of decorum is all one asks.

MY blog activity has taken something of a backseat this past week. Too preoccupied with the bigger picture to concentrate. Same with e-mail. The spectre of unemployment is still looming and somewhat colouring day to day operation. I'm a little burned-out and also tired of bitching about it. Nothing remains to be done other than just see how it plays out. Thanks to those who have expressed concern, I appreciate it and promise to can the kvetching unless things get molto unbearable. And even at that, whatever will be. Sometimes shit happens and with it comes the stink. Stay tuned for more rock'n'roll of every shape and size, irrespective of employment status.

VERY EXPENSIVE PORNO MOVIE are a Slovenian combo who recorded this Dick Director Presents racket in Holland and appear to be based there. This noise cell sounds like the Mahavishnu Orchestra falling down some hardcore stone steps with a few MX80 moves thrown in for good measure. Not for everyone but strangely therapeutic.

There have been a few combos called THE BAGS over the years but Boston's contenders for the title have issue their manifesto. Entitled "Sharpen Your Sticks", this three piece apply a Dictator-ial Spinal Tapness to titles like "Bucket of Blood", "Cavemen Rejoice" and "Me Dumb". It pretty much does what it states on the tin and it rocks in spades. I'm a pushover for this kinda stupid, simple formula. It got me where I am today...



One-time Fuzztone Jordan Tarlow has made an album called Tonebender which recalls a small window in time when a heavy fuzz threatened to engulf the world in the eighties. Similar to the roots rock scare... It was a time of hope when it could well have washed all that horrendous fairlight "rock" offa the sidewalk and down the drain that was actually better than it deserved. Anyways, I wandered away there... this is a heady gothic psychedelic pop opera which includes Dave Vanian and Clem (Elvis Ramone) Burke among the gang responsible. It's like The Herd reconvened by somebody like Julian Cope with some neat twists on pretty standard covers like "Steppin' Stone" and "7 and 7 is". Tonebender sounds remarkably fresh for something which is ostensibly so backward looking.



Similarly constructed from familiar sources but arriving at a sound not entirely contrived is Teri Falini. Her "Sun Under Me" is an energised post-Pixies lollup. Much is made in the blurb about the significance of the lyrics which don't really strike me but the overall airwave-friendly result suggests that Ms Falini is perhaps more deserving of some kinda status than many of today's six-week wonders. "S.U.M." sounds like an album by someone that's out to carve out a career in the thing called rock, however long that might take. It's no Magic Dirt opus but anything that reminds me of that fine Australian combo is ok with me. "Bended Knee" is a perfect 2.01 that would make a primo 7" 45.

Got my mitts on the revitalised SCREECHING WEASEL "BoogadaBoogadaBoogada" and "My Brain Hurts" releases on Asian Man Records. These both sound bigger and fung ass with more vigour than ever due to the process known as Mass Giorgini. Critical punk rock action that'll shake you out of, or focus that mood. For those who still don't know, SW took The "Too Tough To Die" Ramones sound and energised it. Their many albums are being reactivated by Mike Park's AM imprint at a steal of a price so get 'em directly from there.

THE BELLRAYS "The Red, White and Black" is a 2cd set on In-Fidelity and it further confounds me. The second disc, "Australiapithicus" contains five songs which I presume aren't available elsewhere? I don't get The Bellrays. Never have. I know Lisa Kekaula has a great voice but it's always shrouded in what I perceive to be a somewhat soulless punk rock batter. I never had the calling to go see them live either but maybe that's what it would take for things to click.

"GREASE MONKEY REMINDERS... Must say we're pretty damn excited here at Monkey Mansions 'bout what's goin'down next week (apologies for repeating a past circular, but hey - our memories ain't what they used to be!). So read on....

MONDAY 25TH APRIL - THE BARFLY, CLYDE ST., GLASGOW
Tickets - £7; Doors: 8pm
THE BELLRAYS - maximum rock'n'soul from LA ...check 'em out at www.thebellrays.com
SUNSHINE - nope, me neither - I think they're the tour support - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS

TUESDAY 26TH APRIL - NICE 'N' SLEAZY, SAUCHIEHALL ST., GLASGOW
Tickets - £7; Doors: 8pm
THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS III - the essential fucked-up blues, all the way from Auburn, Alabama ...HIGH PLANE DRIFTERS - nope, me neither - they ARE the tour support tho' - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS

...please show up early 'cos the Grease Monkeys'll probably be onstage within a half
hour of the doors opening. Also, we gotta show the following week too - bit sketchy on some of the details, but here's what we know so far....

TUESDAY 2ND MAY - STEREO, KELVINHAUGH ST., GLASGOW
Tickets - £?; Doors: 8.30pm (probably)



SPOOKY - all-girl garage band from Japan (Tony Thewlis was raving about these girls recently having caught them in London)
THE ASS ROKKITS - all-girl rock'n'roll - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS"

On the drive to my penance this morning, I clocked a big container lorry with Zagreb, Croatia on the side. The consideration to stow away and become an “economic migrant” swelled up inside of me. It was a brief moment of clarity before I just headed on down the road to heck as usual. Two weeks from today, this country will go to the polls and elect a new government. Probably quite an important activity but nobody gives a flying one. The Nation couldn’t be more resigned to what appears to be its fate supposing our collective existence depended on it. It’s a bad sign when the Sean Connery voicetrack for the pathetic SNP infomercial sounds like a Connery impersonator but is indeed the man himself.

What its gonna take to rattle cages and instill some real useful change within society is anybody’s guess. I have no answers but harbour a deep urge for something, anything to happen that will buck people up. This country that I reside in is a total joke, both the UK as a (w)hole and Scotland’s mythical status as the land of hot and cold running haggis. There’s supposed to be a “czar” for music being appointed up here in Kiltland. Cue scratching of heads…

The fund-raiser for Wally Tax's funeral that took place in Amsterdam last sunday raised about 10.000 Euros. Word on the streets has it that Wally had exactly 3.75 left on his bankaccount when he died...

While the world goes mental over the new Pope (Benedict), tales of black and white smoke don't make for terrific radio so I had to switch off. Favourites for a nickname is between "Eggs" and "Arnold" (allegedly). However enough levity, I don't feel much like yattering so we'll stick with a couple of visuals and general public service announcements for folks lucky enough to be in striking distance of either of these joints...



"Hello Friend - Will your Thursday be complete without a trip to Otto's Shrunken Head to visit with the good gentlemen of Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.? Maybe yes, maybe no. You weigh the risks of incompletion and we'll provide the musical accompaniment, okay?

THURSDAY / APRIL 21st / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD TIKI BAR & LOUNGE /
538 EAST 14th STREET / MANHATTAN / 8:00 UNTIL 10:00 SHARP / NO COVER! /

Sincerely, Michael"

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

I swear I heard a guy on Radio Scotland last week mention the town of Susquehanna, I dunno the context, I might even have dreamt it, but it hacked a smirk across my grim coupon for a nanosecond... The artwork below was for an event in Madrid last week is cracking so I figured that you might like to see it... anybody heading for that fabulous Spanish city should make Louie Louie a must hang-out.

Some hot wax for alla you out there to enjoy: The Dutch Masters is the latest venture of Eric Oblivian. Released on his own Goner label, and soundin' somewhere halfway between the better Rip-Off bands and early Crime, this is a real solid debut that has me achin' for a full-length. The Fevers second album Love Always Wins (Alien Snatch) confirms their status as today's powerpop kings, plus they get extra points for tacklin' the Groovies' Let Me Rock. Bomp has just re-issued the Hypstrz' Hypstrization LP, a long lost, well, masterpiece... Even without any original material aboard, this disc just holds everything you'd want from a garage band. Pure, raw rockin' excitement! And even if the choice of material might seem obvious by today's standards, please consider that this was recorded in the spring of 1979 when hardly anyone else was doin' this kinda stuff. What the f*** ever happened to these guys?

One Night Only... Friday 29 April... The Sunset Tavern, Seattle

Roy Loney And The Longshots , Sgt Major , The Plaintiffs , The Press Corps

Oughtta be quite a night!

Nimereht from the Staysick fraternity received this from Hasil Adkin's Manager, Jim... look away now if cussing distresses you.

"Hasil's ok, you're not gonna believe this though. i'm gonna have to curse on this one, hope you forgive me... some fuckin kid up in west virginia was out fuckin rampaging or i don't know what the fuck kind of bullshit he was fuckin doin. anyway
Hasil was not feeling well, he went outside to feed his puppies and sat down on the top step to his trailer to pet them for a minute. this little fucking shit came around the bushes on his four wheeler fucking full throttle and fucking reared up and fucking hit him on purpose on the steps and fucking rode off. fucked him up good. Hasil flew about 6 feet and hit the ground. took him like 10 minutes to get up and another 5 to crawl into the trailer. then the little fucker went a few miles down and caught someone else walking down a gravel road and swerved over and reared up and hit them! they got the fucker. Hasil says he hopes they only keep him for 5 years and he learns his lesson and can still have a chance. i hope they beat the fucking shit out of him myself. alright, so look...

Hasil's address is Hasil Adkins , p.o. box 668, Madison, WV, 25130.

send him something, ok?"

That's in the ol' fashioned sense. Not an e-mail...

Pleased to report signs of life from Spangleville... The new STAR SPANGLES album title is "Rite Over Rooftops" and to mark the occasion, Richard Meltzer weighs in with another biographical chapter over in the "History" section of their website. Go get it and visit the "Blue Corner" too.

Not had much time this week due to this and that but feel that its time to ixnay the mumping with regard to the blog. Being trapped in a duff soap opera is dragging the purpose of this thing down. people are supposed to hit this thing up for info, not a commentary documenting a descent into the maelstrom of 21st century existence.



So, on Wednesday there, I caught up with Mr Sid Griffin and his Coal Porters at Brel in Glasgow. They performed two nifty wee sets over the course of the evening and sent a bluegrass frenzy through the lean-to type, conservatory-esque venue. Check out the tour dates and go see them if you can. The new album, How Dark This Earth Will Shine is out now on Prima Records although it doesn't include their porchlike swing through "My Generation" or The Coasters, "Along Came Jones". A damned good night out. Also in attendance was Mr Brian Hogg, a man who should - like Sid, be doing a damn sight better in terms of recognition. Both of these fellas have done more for music on a grand scale than most feted "rock writers". Their passion is as strong, maybe stronger, than it ever was. These people aren't hacks or opportunist scenesters which is probably how they wound up being where they are today. But what they lack in fame (or infamy) they more than make up for in continuing to do what they do. I'm proud to consider them as friends.



My obsession with Nights Of Forgotten Films by The Strange continues to gain momentum. This combo which is The Bambi Molesters plus Chris Eckman from The Walkabouts is just about as understated as it comes. That tremolo will have you tremblin' for sure so do yourself a favour and score a copy. It's like Calexico produced by Angelo Badalamenti only better.

So, chores to attend to now but over the course of the weekend I hope to get deeper into the fine selection of Career Records that Ron sent me from Missoula (Montana) - birthplace of David Lynch and also that Angel (Dean) and Sue (Garner) recipe for Pot Liquor which is available now here in Europe via Trocadero Records. Comin', if not right up, then soon...

Andy Shernoff's "10 canciones para pasear por Nueva York".

The benefit for Wally Tax's funeral (this sunday at the Paradiso in Amsterdam) has a pretty impressive line-up so far. Apparently Wally had only three Euros in his bank-account when he died, so it's obvious the money is needed. Not sure how this 'll work out but there will be a live webcast of the event thru' fabchannel.com.

Nitwitz - Sex, Lies and Duct Tape (Rocketdog CD).
Six years in the making, these here Nitwitz finally unleash the follow up to 1999's Dark Side Of The Spoon. A lot has happened in the intervening years, but it's good to learn that these "snuiters" are still way ahead of the pack with their amphetamine fueled, riff-driven' powerhouse take on p-rock. And even if this disc lacks some of the sonic impact of their previous effort, this is easily made up for by the fact that songs like Overreactor, Rock & Roll Conquistadores (renamed here as Nitwitz Rule Spain) and especially Rock Pusher are among their best yet. God knows what the future holds for the Nitwitz, (recent pictures of the Slugster seem to hint at an image change in a distinct Free Willy kind o' fashion), but let's hope it won't take 'm another six years to deliver their next disc...

Elizabeth McQueen & the Firebrands - Happy Doing What We're Doing (Me & My Records CD).
Now here's real curio; a Texas bar-band who put out a CD with nothing but Brit pub-rock classics, obviously reclaiming a brand o' style that was rightfully theirs anyway.. Ducks Deluxe, Nick Lowe, the Brinsleys, Feelgoods and Hot Rods all get the work over and end up served as hot chili with greasy enchilada instead of fish 'n chips. No Count Bishops' tunes here, but if you don't mind rockin' tonite, this one's for you...

ROCHESTER, NY - are you receiving we??

"For those of you in Rochester, NY don't forget that The Atomic Swindlers will be Playing two Shows... Bring a guest or two maybe, three maybe, 10, your call:

April 15th - Nazareth College, Pittsford, NY. Show starts at 10:00 pm.

April 16th - Milestones 170 East Avenue, Rochester, NY

The Swindlers will be opening for Glenn Tilbrook, former lead singer for the great British band, Squeeze. This is a don't miss, sure to sell out event. The show starts at 8:00 pm. sharp. Tickets are $15."

Support these former New Math and Jet Black Berrie'd sensations!

Go Mr Nancy! (Thanks to Mrs Stim for the leprachaun shot!)

I can’t for the life of me figure when morale was deeper in the dumper at my place of work than it is right now. One dozen contestants are waiting for the big draw that will curtail this penance and alter their existence forever, quite possibly in a positive direction. T’is 368 days since the move from the original old Indian burial ground to this new one in the shadow of the Ochil hills. The “Factory of Death” is what locals apparently call the site. Mainly because it seems that recent tenants have not enjoyed much in the way of success here. Shit happens to be sure and as the very fabric of the country crumbles, the only trajectory from here is surely up. A wee siesmic shoogle could be on the cards and to be honest I’m a little tired of the ongoing bumpy ride. Clocking the Labour Party broadcast on TV the other night just fermented the old dry boke another couple of notches. Not given to outbursts of requests for religious intervention, seldom has the expression “Lord help us” reverberated around my noggin like a bagatelle. Like a terrible facsimilie of the Prime Minister sketches from the vastly overrated Little Britain show, the debacle spilled like topsy into the nation’s living rooms but what’s the alternative? I’ll be hornswaggled if I know…

Brother Joss just alerted we of the news that Johnnie (B. Goode) Johnson has indeed done gone...

Those Scandanavian kids have all the fun...



Mods and mockers fight it out!

Mans P. Mansson (The Maggots) vs. Peter Rosén (The Moving Sounds) at Bröderna Olsson's Garlic & Shots, Folkungagatan 84, fri 15/4 21-01 while out in Horway....



The Crypt presents:

THE LAUNDERETTES (Oslo) + THE RETARDOS (Oslo)

Friday 15. april 2005 kl. 21.00 Dis Cafe, Fredrikstad, Norway

I'm not sure what the official phrase for waking up on a Tuesday thinking that it's Saturday. Methinks it's taking this "Everyday is Saturday" credo too far. No strong drink or narcotic of any description was involved in this at all. Merely the power of wishful thinking... Anyway, is the poster above too small for you folks to read? Or maybe your eyesight is better than mine??

A benefit will be held this Sunday (the 17th) at Amsterdam's Paradiso club to raise funds for Wally Tax's funeral. More details as they develop...

OK, I'll tell you why I've been hardly prolific here in recent weeks; first up is the acquisition of various hi-fi elements like a new amp, speakers and a stylus for my trusty Torens, which has led me to enjoy such long forgotten experiences like actual stereo and low-end sounds. Aaah, the wonder! And there's always books to keep me away from this here blog of course. Moanin' At Midnight (Pantheon) by James Sergest and Mark Hoffman is a long overdue biography on the life and times of Howlin' Wolf. Extremely detailed and a true labor of love, this is mandatory stuff for any NBT reader. Let The Good Times Rock (Music Mentor) is a great collection of magazine articles and liner notes by Bill Millar. Sub-titled 'A fan's notes on post-war American roots music' it is is fact a lot more exciting than just that, with topics ranging from Benny Joy and Etta James to Young Jessie, Jerry Lee Lewis , Major Bill Smith, Link Wray and much, much more. This book serves as a virtual bible for those of us raised on Kicks magazine. Simon Reynold's Rip It Up And Start Again (Faber and Faber) will obviously be of less interest to most of you, as it documents the postpunk years 1978-1984 from a seriously non-rockin' POV. But as it is, I gotta admit that I really enjoyed reading this and pulled records from the shelves that I'd hadn't bothered with in the past two decades. Half of the music involved is absolute rubbish (remember ZZT, The Associates or "postive punk"?), but the general picture is refreshing enough to serve as fine follow-up to Jon Savage's England's Dreaming...

R.I.P.:Wally Tax.

In recent weeks, something that has pissed me off is the lukewarm to lame reviews of the new Stereo Total album, "Do The Bambi". Then some investigation turns up the news that they're bound for Edinburgh on Thursday the 21st of this month for a show at The Venue. A well kept secret but not for long... more later...

If you ever wondered what it might have been like to have Blue Oyster Cult collaborate with Zappa soaked on Primus to come up with a re-score of Carnival of Souls then Mike Watt's new opus "The Secondman's Middle Stand" might just offer such an insight. It's a complex, yet strangely amenable collection coming from a place that's decidedly off, away from any beaten track I've been down lately. Available now on Easy Action Records, a release date of June 13th is quoted on the blurb sheet but the man is at present on a lengthy European tour and if you hit up his SITE, then you can catch all the dates there. He's on the road until May 13th and in the UK between May 2nd and 7th (Mono in Glasgow on May 5th)then Ireland at the tail end. He'll be back with The Stooges to do festivals in the summer but I'd urge you to devote your attention to this project instead. Watt's "Stand" is a million miles away from crunching out what are now over-ripe standards in a field to lifestyle zombies that couldn't actually give a fuck. The package also includes a dvd which has two clips which you'll most likely never see on MTV. More's the pity...

Papal (not to be confused with paypal) funerals, royal weddings and general elections. These are the things currently being dragged through the neighbourhood here in the rapidly failing UK. I know that first one played out further afield but you get the picture. The big news, that a Boonaraaa (Hey Tine!) will be in Edinburgh for a couple of days somehow didn't make the news this morning but that's the important scoop on my telly. Coming at the end of a week with some relative highs, more general lows and the prospect of folks losing their "livelihoods" due to the raging incompetence which appears to be at epedemic levels and running amuck through the country. However, the bigger picture will undoubtedly reveal itself in due course. These are peculiar times and they are a-changin' (yr not wrong Bob) which may be no bad thing. The many US citizens who apologised for their country re-electing Wee George would do well to feast ther attention on the charabang of utter losers that are up for taking us one step closer to some kind of advanced zombification, consigning institutions like the BBC to the dumper along the way. The word on the pavey is that Auntie Beeb is geared up to ditch its record libraries, replacing these with one big George Lucas-like hard drive to serve what's left of the organisation after the bones have been picked clean. Lucky Scotland has its own "Parliament" to shield us from this rank meglomania, er, ain't it?

Suicide is painless right enough (in financial terms) Mr Rafferty reports that FOPP is selling the following Rev - Vega delights at a fiver each for the nice blast first doublepacks :

Suicide, with live at cgbgb's 1977 and 23 minutes over brussels

and

The Second Suicide Album with The First Rehearsal Tapes

cannae be bad...

Pete Myers was the mad, MAD DADDY... (thanks to Larry Shell for the tip off)

and Ben has just made me aware of this MICHAEL WELDON Hillbilly Hollywood story on the WFMU site.

TIJUANA HERCULES extol a hybrid blues scufflebilly which combines a Van Vlietesque rasp with some skewed skiffle and inebriated New Orleans flavoured swing. A sometimes ugly, yet strangely satisfying racket which should push the buttons of Gun Club and Panther Burns afficianados. Talking of Mr Falco's combo, who played in London last week and are headed for Newcastle in May, Mr Thewlis (of London) was telling me that their current skinbasher has great "paradiddles". Boom boom tish!

Ah, procrastination... seems like i'm firmly in the grip of that condition at the minute although that will give way later tonight to the all-enveloping dread of returning to Tosspotville tomorrow. And have I made inroads into all of the areas that I promised myself I would during this much required down-time? Well not exactly but some progress can be reported. In the direction of punting my old man's "Tunes From The Glen", contact has been made with radio stations in the farthest reaches of Scotia. A means of making it available over the web here and in North America is also in the process of coming together. This morning, I meant to get in about some recently received releases but was sidelined listening to the great RADIO STUDENT in Ljubljana. One thing that has made itself alarmingly clear this past few days is that I don't really care for leaving the house. Or if I do it has to be early in order to bodyswerve the masses. I'm not sure what this escalation in my inability to tholl the hurly-burly means but will endeavour to make some sense of it.

The long-awaited programme for BIG BIG COUNTRY came in this morning though so check out the fare that Mr Kelly is serving up this annum. Your appearance at the Southern Culture On The Skids show in Oran Mor on Friday May 13th is mandatory.

THE FALLEN LEAVES will again host and play at a 3rd sitting of THE PARLIAMENT CLUB on Friday 15th April. With headliners THE PRISCILLAS and main support THE FALLEN LEAVES who feature two of the original members of the Subway Sect.

THE PARLIAMENT CLUB is on Friday 15th April 2005 At The Black Horse
181 Sheen Road, Richmond, London. 020 8940 0424. Entry £6.00 on the door.

Doors open at 8pm – finishing at 11.30 for trains and night buses.

All enquiries to: thefallenleaves@f2s.com

LOS FABULOUS COYOTEMEN ARE BACK IN ACTION BIG TIME!

CATCH THE SULTANS OF THE SQUARED CIRCLE AT THESE GOOD FER NOWT BOUTS..

FRI 13TH MAY THE DIRTY WATER CLUB LONDON:W/ LOS CHICOS, MAGNETIX 'N' THE PHOBICS

SAT 14TH MAY THE CLUNY NEWCASTLE: W/ S.C.O.T'S , LOS CHICOS

FRI 3RD JUNE SIRROCO MADRID(ESPANIA) W/ KING KAHN 'N' B.B.Q

SAT 4TH JUNE EL MUGUMBO VALENCIA (ESPANIA) W/ LOS CHICOS

A BEST OF CD OF OUT OF PRINT COYOTES SWAG (ESTRUS/LARSEN ETC..) SHOULD HIT THE MAT 'ROUND SHOWTIME ON H-RECORDS.

Murray Ramone's fractured punkruckin' duo, dunno if he's "Shock" or "Awe" but what The Banana Peel Sessions lack in fidelity is more than made up for in spirit. "Come and see the Kentucky Fried Children indeed"... anything that cajoles me into digging out my Angry Samoans records can be no bad thing. This guy should be writing songs for McFly.

I'm a little pissed off with the whole Ebay phenomenon right now. A large proportion of this is down to the spoof mails that arrive two or three times a day from parasites eager to get bank, credit card or whatever details. A victim of its own success, the TV advertising and general media boom created round the site now is squeezing the pus out of the boil in terms of the lengths that thieving scum will go to. Anyway, that said - there are still bargains to be had. Classics that have yet to enjoy the status of being so and PARLOR JAMES "Dreadful Sorry" EP and "Old Dreams" album fall into that category. There are copies on there now for virtually nowt. As you may or may not know, these discs feature the early works of Amy Allison. The production could be described as iffy but "Hell to Pay" on the ep in particular is more than worth the entrance fee. Just go to ebay, search on Parlor james and take a wee flutter. It'll be fun.

A missive from Mr Spence... it's a GREASE MONKEY world!

"Howdy Folks! I know it's late notice, but we only found out today that we were playing...

THURSDAY 7TH APRIL- KING TUT'S WAH WAH HUT, ST VINCENT ST., GLASGOW Tickets - £11(!!!)*; Doors - probably 8pm
TH' LEGENDARY SHACK SHAKERS - seminal roots rockabilly from Kentucky, rated by Hank Williams III, Jason Ringenberg, the Reverent Horton Heat, and Jello Biafra! - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS we're getting tickets to sell for it tomorrow (yeah great - thanks Tuts!) which we can sell to you at a cheaper price. So drop me a line back if you want tickets kept by on the door for you at Monkeys discount price.

(If you want to do this e-mail NBT and I'll pass the info to Jim)

Also, later this month we've got the (sorta) Bronx Cheer Fest.....

MONDAY 25TH APRIL - THE BARFLY, CLYDE ST., GLASGOW
Tickets - £7; Doors: 8pm

THE BELLRAYS - maximum rock'n'soul from LA - current LP, "The Red, White & Black" is out on both Poptones and Alternative Tentacles...
SUNSHINE - nope, me neither. Probably a corporate buy-on w/ a name like that! - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS

TUESDAY 26TH APRIL - NICE 'N' SLEAZY, SAUCHIEHALL ST., GLASGOW
Tickets - (probably) £7; Doors: 8pm (I think)

THE IMMORTAL LEE COUNTY KILLERS III - the essential fucked-up blues, all the way from Auburn, Alabama w/ releases on Estrus & Sweet Nothing - now w/ additional keyboards! HIGH PLANE DRIFTERS - nope, me neither - but they're playing the Barfly this Weds w/ the Soledad Brothers, Kain, etc, if you wanna preview - and - THE GREASE MONKEYS

Anyways, hope to see y'all at a show this month.

All the Best....................Jim 'n' the Grease Monkeys!"

The Jason Pierce curated event, a kind of Meltdown in the North (Meltdoon even) in Newcastle Upon Tyne in May goes as follows... Thanks to Mr Campbell for the info...

Tav Falco Sat 21st May w/ DJ Andy Weatherall
The Dirtbombs Mon 23rd May w/ DJ Jason Pierce
Daniel Johnston Thur 26th May w/ DJ Jason Pierce
The Flaming Stars Sun 29th May

also showing Robert Gordon films on the afternoons

and of course SOUTHERN CULTURE ON THE SKIDS on Sat 14th with Los Coyotes.

All of this action takes place at

The Head Of Steam At The Cluny
36 Lime Street, Ouseburn, Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. NE1 2PQ

New from Crypt Records: "VARIOUS ARTISTS The Ikon Records Story: America's #1 Unsung Garage Label: 1964-1966 Double 180-gram LP CRYPT-09629 tracks (22 originals and 7 cover versions) (plus 2 radio adverts) of never reissued 1964-1966 garage punk, surf instros, frat stomp and folk-punk from 20 teenage bands recorded at Sacramento's IKON STUDIO. These 28 cuts, culled from the to-be-simultaneously-released 60-song double CD on the FRANTIC RECORDS label, are the result of FRANTIC RECORDS' Joey D and ACE RECORDS' Alec Palao having spent the last 6 years tracking down every band, every master tape, and (often without luck) the impossible-to-find 7" singles released on Ikon. This vinyl version is housed in a deluxe full-color inside-and-out gatefold jacket crammed with color and b&w photos, label shots, and extensive liner notes.

After 27 years of extensive reissues of 60s garage punk rarities, only ONE Ikon track has ever made it to a reissue - WHY? Because almost NOBODY even owns any of the original Ikon 45s... The sole KNIGHTSMEN copy is in a collection in Seattle, 2 fiends in Petaluma and Australia have 12 or so Ikons, 2 in Connecticut, 4 in NJ... TUFF stuff to find, baby!

Well... prepare yourselves for an ass-whomping BOOM when you drop the needle on any of these 4 sides, baby! MARAUDERS "Surf Jam", SHONDELLS "Something's Got A Hold Of Me", DENNY & KENNY DUO "Meet My Little Sweetie In The Night Time", AVANTIS "Too Much", JOHN ROSASCO QUARTET "The Shift", PROPHETS "It's All Over Now", BRISTOLS "She's Gone Away", KNIGHTSMEN "Daddy Was A Rolling Stone", MADD INC "I'll Be The One", PARISH HALL BLUES QUINTET "I Can Never Say", UNKNOWN GROUP "Searching", SHONDELLS "It's True", PROPHETS "You Wonder Why", MYMES "You Lose Girl", BOBBIES "Orangutang", TOWNSMEN "High Heel Sneakers", MADD INC "Sooperspy", AVANTIS "Countdown", BOBBIES "Truck". RC & THE TAMBOURINES "The Quirk", KNIGHTSMEN "Fever", MYMES "I've Got Better Things To Do", MERGERS "Love, You Funny Thing", TOWNSMEN "Leaving Me", SONS OF SOUND "I'm Coming Home", CAUTIONS "Groovin", SHONDELLS "I Cried Last Night", MADD INC "Batman", KEE-NOTES "St James Infirmary"

Well, I could get used to this. No drive to work, just a wee stroll to the post office and the shops. In and around this I've been trying to do a little promo work on my fathers album of pipe music. This an alien genre to me but a necessary facet of punting "the product". This type of music is even more cut-throat than yer average rock, pop, whatever. It seems to exist on the back of labels that press hundreds upon thousands of cds and sell them to shops for less than 2 quid a pop. We can't compete with that so an alternative means of shifting these units may have to be employed. It's early days though and an infinitley preferable task to that which your man here normally has to undertake. I can do all this to the soundtrack of a Napoleon XIV album which includes the originals, answer records and foreign language versions of "They're Coming To take Me Away". More about this, on the Vampire imprint, in due course.

From Murray Ramone...

::: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE :::



TODOS SOMOS RAMONES RECORD LISTENING PARTY

CBGB's 313 GALLERY, 313 BOWERY ST, NEW YORK, NY

FRIDAY APRIL 8, 2005 7.00-9.00PM ($4.00 Rheingold beer available)

Buenos Aires, Argentina's own Rockaway Records is proud to announce the release of its 59-band, international tribute to the Ramones, the TODOS SOMOS RAMONES: A HOMMAGE double CD. So come on down to CBGB's 313 Gallery on Friday April 8, 2005 between 7.00PM and 9.00OM for special listening party. Copies will be on sale. TODOS SOMOS RAMONES is the first-ever wordwide tribute album of its kind with 90% of the featured acts being direct associates of the band. Songs from all 13 of the band's official albums are featured on this release. The deluxe package contains a 60-page, full-color booklet containing extensive liner notes by Tommy Ramone and Dr. Donna Gaines as well as a host of never-before seen photos by Roberta Bayley, Leland Bobbe and Alan Tannenbaum.

Rockaway records founder, Mariano Asch single-handedly crafted this eclectic, world-class tribute to the greatest band ever to come out of New York City as a labor of love. Not only did he get permission for the various band member's estates, he even got Ramones long-time engineer, Ed Stasium to master the record!

The CD features tracks by local heros, Stop [feat. Joey's brother, Micky Leigh], Furious George, Sonny Vincent, Sylvain Sylvain w/the She Wolves and The Bullys. Also featured are with the individual Ramones collaborating with their favorite bands: Dee Dee w/Youth Gone Mad, Joey w/the Independents and C.J. with Argentina's own, Bien Desocupados.

The CD also contains tracks by veteran 1977 punk legends: The Heartbreakers, Ivan Julian, Stiv Bators, Alternative TV [whose own Mark Perry created the legendary Sniffin' Glue fanzine after hearing the Ramones self-titled debut], The Boys [the Ramones personal favorite] and Airport, feat. Buzzcocks bassist Tony Barber.

Copies of TODOS SOMOS RAMONES will be on sale at the event.

For more information, contact Bryan Swirsky @ 718.855.4504 or bswirsky@mindspring.com. Click HERE for full band listing and ordering information.

So with Ms Allison safely deposited at the airport only to find that there's a three hour delay, I'm back in the bunker. Yesterday turned out pretty good after the bollocks with the glass, etc. The fragments continue to haunt me and I shall make a concerted effort to banish these later. I have a few days off so methinks the Sunday dread will not be making its presence felt today. Instead further inroads into Joe Bonomo's fine Fleshtones tome will be made to the soundtrack of some recent acquisitions. Amy's newly mastered album sounds really amazing and this will hopefully be lighting up the airwaves across the planet by the summer. Things are all pretty positive on that front so that's where I'm at today thus far. Prepare then for a bunch of new ravings on stuff to check out over the next couple of days. Reality will be back soon enough but for now it's in detention.

So let's see... I'm sitting here waiting on the person who is gonna replace the car glass. I'm not real good at waiting or at that other thing they call patience be it a virtue or not. However, here's some Bambi Molesters news for those lucky enough to be in their locale...

"On Monday, 29.03. "Nights of Forgotten Films" is released in Europe by Warner Music. Next week "Sonic Bullets - 13 From the Hip" will also be released in Europe by Warner. THE BAMBI MOLESTERS tour has been rescheduled for May/June. Here's THE STRANGE gigs update: 02.04. Zagreb - Tvornica (Zlatna Koogla), 08.04. Velenje - Max and 09.04. Ljubljana - Orto Bar."

Meanwhile to scratch the itching brought upon by their tour rescheduling then do what you have to in order to procure their Backstage Pass DVD. There's definitley no return after clocking this, very inspiring stuff.



OK, gotta deal with this glass thing now. More later perhaps...

So here we are, April 1st and NBT is 28 years old today. #1 hit the streets on this day in 1977 and it's been onwards, not necessarily upwards from there.

Take last night... the Tom Morton Roadshow from Grangemouth High School capped what was a pretty weird day even by my recent standards. I'd never set foot in the place for over 30 years. I used to go into registration then hightail it over the field to work in the local record emporium, Orbit. Anyway last night in addition to Tom, Simon Black was there valueing records(?) and so was Bruce Findlay in his capacity of being ABERFELDY's manager. It was a strange, not unpleasant (until later) experience. When I went to leave the less than salubrious surroundings what was waiting to greet me but a caved in rear windscreen and all the joys that such a caper bestows. To call it a pisser is understating the point somewhat and now, minutes ago, I find out that it won't be rectified until tomorrow. At this point the seething is controllable but I'm not sure how long that'll last before it turns into full blown rage.

ABERFELDY are a pretty decent wee pop group with some potential and I don't think their music is necessarily the soundtrack to damaging cars. They sound like Pulp might if they'd gestated in Folk City, NY or thereabouts. They're from Edinburgh and not Aberfeldy incidentally.

Anyway, I'm not sure how all this is going to play out. Right now, I need this not but wodjagonnado? Not breathing exercises, that's for damn sure.

This month's releases from Ace Records.

Picked this up when Ben posted it on the Staysick board...

"Hi there, I got this from Kopper at Garagepunk.com Forums just now:

"For those of you who may have gotten to see Guitar Wolf here last week, you will be saddened to learn of the passing of Billy Bass Wolf (Hideaki Sekiguchi). Billy, the one and only Bass Wolf, passed away from a heart attack this morning in Tokyo. He was 38. He truly lived LAMF and was loved by all who knew him."

Post thoughts/condolences/remembrances here:
http://www.garagepunk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=15955

From Guitar Wolf's BBS:

Vigil and funeral information is as follows:
Vigil: 18:00p.m. (non-relatives 19:00p.m.) on Tuesday, April 5
Funeral: 10:00a.m.-11:00a.m., The Hearse to Leave at 11:00a.m. on
Wednesday, April 6 Place: Rinkaisaijo http://www.rinkaisaijo.or.jp
1-3-1, Tokai, Ohta-Ku, Tokyo. Phone: 81-3-5755-2833
*Since there is NO parking lot, we kindly ask you not to drive to the place.
We announce that all shows will be cancelled.
We hope to have your understanding."

The Sack-O'-Woes - The Men With Bogart's Face (Looprekords SACK-O'3).
These here Sack-O'-Woes are one of the very few Dutch p-rock bands not caterin' to either the P.C. crusties, or the fuzzy-dice, flames and tattoos crowd. You know, a genuine punkrock band, kinda like the New Bomb Turks, to whom they ain't too dissimilar soundwise either. Their latest disc is available in both authentic vinyl format and (free!) MP3 download. So dig in and enjoy kiddies...

I still haven’t altogether recovered from the clocks going forward the other night. The reverberations of this encroachment into precious downtime are making me smart. That is in the sense of mild hurting not in the kingdom of the grey matter. But anyways, it’ll be April 1st on Friday, 28 years since NBT #1 hit the streets. If I’d committed some kinda big heist or even mass murder I’d probably be out by now, maybe doing the chat show circuit following a book and movie deal? So instead of armed robbery, I started a fanzine. Suffering for your art can take on many forms and looking at that big picture I was pontificating about the other day, I’m not doing too badly but would like to do better. Could this be ambition? Perhaps I need to try harder? Or just shut the fuck up and get on with it?? Yeah, I thought so. I hear “where you’re comin’ from” (Frank).

If Holland ever had a band to equal the live-dynamics of the Fleshtones or Untamed Youth it must be the Firebirds. No idea what their current status is, but it looks like at least one ex-member has joined Das Aldi Combo. They're on tour with King Kahn this week, and if you need convinsin' on why you should check 'm out, just dig their crazed take on Human Fly that's available as MP3 from their site...

Details are very sketchy, but it looks like there is a Sire Records Box Set in the works.

Amy brought over the pilot episode of NBC’s remake of The Office which aired there last Friday night. Words cannot express what a waste of time, effort, resource and whatever else this is and has and always will have been. One would imagine that it’ll surely be put out of its misery after one “season”.

People stateside who were interested, presumably saw the original. Nobody else out there probably cares or will recognise the enormity of the folly associated with it but heads oughtta roll. All of the characters have been re-named and even the approximation of “Keith” is beyond all reasonable ken, y'ken?. The show lasts for 25 minutes(ish) and is hard going. Much has been made about it not having a “laugh track” and how this will confuse the American viewer. No it sodding won’t, because the channel will have been flipped well before they notice that it ain’t there - such is the chasm between the appropriation of what was formerly comedy gold and this travesty. Where much of the success lay in the uncomfortable familiarity and realistic nature of the material, this is a flat, dull atrocity. And, when they try to americanise the fare, then it slips another couple of rungs. Whoever sanctioned this could use a shot of “downsizing” themselves. Far as I know, the US AbFab was aborted due to the fact that it quite obviously didn’t work. I have no idea if the same people or indeed network was/were involved or who did the decent thing on that score but the culprits here require a loan of the radar that arrived at that decision.

I am still somewhat aghast and it took three episodes of The Honeymooners to restore my faith in how American comedy once, and very often still does, tower over the occasional (accidental) UK hit show.

If it was up to me I'd spend several days a month in another country, as these trips always provide some much needed fresh input into a mind that, at times can get seriously bogged down by the ongoing day-to-day grind, and spendin' the past couple o' days in Glasgow was a good reminder that I need to do this kind o' thing much more often.
As opposed to Edinburgh, Glasgow is hardly a tourist attraction, more the kind o' city where people actually live and work. Visually it's as diverse as can be, you really have to adjust to the fact that within' one block on just about every street, one can encounter at least a dozen completely opposite types of architecture that hardly ever compliment each other. But if you keep an eye out there's a lot to enjoy. Didn't really have the time to visit the various musea, but the Glasgow Museum Of Modern Art (GOMA) had a small but well rounded collection that is well worth a visit. We spend Saturday afternoon in the company of Avy and Lindsay, who showed us around the Barras flea-market and the wonderful West-End. Despite Lindsay's misgivings about the state of recordshops in Glasgow, it actually had just the type o' shops I was lookin' for. No fancy collector-scum kind o' deals, just old-fashioned 2nd hand shops with prices way below London/other Major City levels. L viewed all that was on offer as rubbish, but how I whish people were sellin' that kind o' rubbish over here in Holland!
Our stay ended with a nice meal at a place called 'The Piping Centre', in the company of our hosts, where I was able to fulfill my long standing desire to taste Haggis. Being semi-vegetarian, I always make an exception for these regional dishes that people warn you about. As it was, it tasted just fine and hardly resembled the road-kill pigeon I was told it would...
There's at least a dozen city's goin' through my head right now that I wanna go to next, but as it is I'll have to take on an extra paper-route before I can even start thinkin' about another trip.
Muchos gracias to Avy and Lindsay for takin' the time to show us around, we owe you one...

Handsome Dick Manitoba has moved from his weekend slot in the Underground Garage to a FULL-TIME one! ..... He can now be heard, EVERY WEEKDAY, Monday through Friday, at 8 pm (8pm to 12 midnight) Eastern time ..... that would be 5pm to 9pm on the left coast! Sirius Satellite Radio/Channel 25/The Underground Garage. Joan Jett moves into a weekend slot.

Where have all the fanzines gone?...

Perspective is a great leveller and while it's not always possible to maintain such a dimension then it's important to try and regain some kind of equilibrium. My lambasting of my pathetic day to day chops being affected by the megalomania of relative nonentities is getting to be a pretty easy target. The world doesn't owe me a living but it's kind of a pisser when my fate is in the hands of people that I wouldn't trust to clean the lavvies. No disrespect to lavvie cleaners intended.

I heard this week that my friend, Theresa Brilli (Wilson) was taken by cancer and to be honest, I didn't know she was ill. As bolts from the blue go - it was somewhat un-nerving. It made me consider my own situation where I can sit here and vent. I can take on what I consider to be the injustices of existence and realise that I have a lot to be (relatively) thankful for. My "struggle" pales into total and utter insignificance compared to that of Theresa's family. She was a unique character, the kind of which are all too rare.

Yesterday, we were hanging out in Glasgow with Jeroen and Alice and today Amy Allison arrived to master her record. Being able to do that is something that shouldn't be taken for granted. In my bleaker moments, when I'm waiting and/or expecting for the hammer to come on down, it would perhaps do some good to be able to take in the bigger picture. The one where (maybe) all the apples didn't fall on me (after all). I think I ought to at least try to do that.

'bye T. I hope you're doin' alright in that next instalment.

FV Music continues to provide great music to the good people of Ljubljana in the form of the three noisenik combo from Columbus, Ohio GRAFTON, this coming Wednesday (30th).

Amidst the tumult at St. Margarets Drive in Glasgow (that's the BBC) they still have the will to produce excellent radio documentary action. This week these took the form of Davie Scott's angle on Simple Minds "New Gold Dream" . Not a "classic album" for me but it reiterated to me what a character Jim Kerr is and it also features some great stuff from Bruce Findlay. The Frank Gallacher story is priceless. The other item was a programme about Dundee songwriter Michael Marra. Search both of these out on the "listen again" function.

Here’s an expression that I’ve heard “tossed around” in recent times more and more Around the open prison type establishment that I work. “The needs of the business” is a phrase that should earn whoever coined it a sound thrashing or maybe even death. Not a very charitable thought this Easter time but I make no apology for that. This is a further erosion in employment terms to an extent which is for me, unsurpassed. Further grist to the mill with regard to a monolithic vote of no confidence in those who are fiddling while this particular “Rome” slides down the figurative lavvy.

In a completely co-incidental turn of events (with it being Easter and all and being synonymous with eggs and all that palaver), it would seem that chickens are coming home to roost. This has been a rough and tumble week and the diry big sharp kitchen implements are out. What can I tell ya? If I hadn’t got The Bambi Molesters "Backstage Pass" dvd from Lada then things could have been a whole lot worse.

So, it’s Good Friday (as opposed to TGI Friday) and at 12.30pm today, it actually went one louder because that’s when I drove outta the penitentiary. If I get hit by a bus this weekend then I won’t have to go back.

See, I am capable of looking on the bright side…

Chocolate Watchband show in Glasgow tonight cancelled...

There's an angry looking sky revving up outside the window here this morning. This could spill. Meanwhile if you're in the vicinity of Manhattan take in...



If you're planning to be in Newcastle in May, attendance at the following is mandatory...

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Cheetah Chrome (aka The O'Connors) "on the birth of their son, Rogan Kennedy O'Connor (7lbs 3 oz) at 12:46pm on March 21st at Baptist Hospital in Nashville!" Mr Chrome reports that, "Anna and the baby are doing great, and I'll send a pic as soon as we're home!"

Expect to be around the vicinity of Maribor in Slovenia? Here's their branch of Garage Shock type action...

THE LOONS HEAD FOR EUROPE: "To promote their brand new album, PARAPHERNALIA, the Loons are heading to Europe for a five date, four-country tour. We hope to see you there.
*Saturday, March 26 - Beat Bespoke Festival at The Rocket, 166 Holloway Road, London, UK. THE LOONS headline the Saturday afternoon gig. This three-day event (March 25-27) also features appearances by Arthur Lee & LOVE, the Chocolate Watch Band, the Buff Medways, Mastica, the Yardbirds, Nine Below Zero, the Fuzztones and many others.
*Tuesday, March 29 - Gloria Club, Paris, France. With the Chocolate Watch Band.
*Wednesday, March 30 - Calypso, Rotterdam, Holland.
*Thursday, March 31 - Unique Club, Dusseldorf, Germany. With the Satelliters
*Friday, April 1 - Kunstwerk/Malzeit, Saarbrucken, Germany.

Punk Rock Choc... nae chic, nae chance!

(Thanks to the Goofballs Institute for the heads up...)

Today hasn't exactly gone to plan but I'm safely back inside now and have been recovering from my brush with the outside world. There were plans to go to Glasgow but having to deal with the mall zombies and a road race earlier in the day, I think it's best just to stay put.

Staying put means I can continue with reading the draft of Joe Bonomo's book on THE FLESHTONES entitled "Sweat". It's a great read and reminds me exactly why I keep bashing my brains out against a seemingly impregnable brick wall. In listening to the band while reading I have to tell you that the elusive hit said 'tones have been chasing for more than a quarter century certainly isn't down to them. Joe's documentation of the band's struggle is a fantastic portrait of a combo who will go to death defying ends to savour what is precious to all of us. I hope he can find a publisher for it soon, meanwhile I'm somewhat honoured to have gotten this preview.

Another positive aspect of remaining indoors this art'noon is having found a site dedicated to THE UNFORGIVEN and associated groups, etc. Did you ever hear them? Well imagine a spaghetti westernised Dictators if you will. Tongues firmly in cheek and plenty of gang vocals. Their one Elektra LP is long out of print but you can download mp3's from the aforementioned portal. They were a fucking hoot and you can get a ton of background including their "tonnage tour" antics. Somebody needs to think about making this available again.



Listening to Davie Scott's programme about ORANGE JUICE. I never liked them but the show really provides an insight into what they were doing that went at some considerable height over my barnet. Go to Radio Scotland and hit up the Classic Scottish Albums title in the programme key.

Yeah, things inside the bubble are ok for the moment...

Over to Dark Lord Rob...

"I'm writing to spread the word about The Miskatonic Acid Test, a very ambitious feature length movie which is currently filming in Maine and Massachusetts, USA. The film combines psychedelic rock with cosmic horror concepts pioneered by the writer H.P. Lovecraft, mixing in a good bit of philosophy, antiwar politics, and humor along the way. It's going to be a gas... and did I mention the psychedelic rock?

Here's the outline: in 1969 a group of students at Miskatonic University in witch-haunted Arkham, Massachusetts decided to emulate the West Coast and put on their own sort of "happening", where "music and atmosphere could combine to create an alteration of consciousness", with the clandestine help of a little LSD. Or maybe a lot. Unfortunately, the professor they chose to serve as faculty adviser on the project had an agenda of his own; see, he was a philosophy professor, one who specialized in the "study of Evil", and one who saw the Miskatonic Acid Test as an opportunity for a little experiment. As the music and drugs reached their peak he ascended the stage and began to read incantations from the dread Necronomicon... and soon everybody learned a lesson about "cosmic consciousness"... they learned that some things are cosmic, and, unfortunately for us, they are also conscious.

The official site at http://miskatonic.americanentropy.com has more on the film, including set photos, a "teaser" trailer, an early script draft, and - just added!- the first of many soundtrack downloads, "Where the Sun Touches the Sky" by The Conqueror Wyrms.

A bit about me... I'm Dark Lord Rob, the writer and director of the film (I also play Professor Firth, the evil philosophy professor). Before this I was founder and bass player for the well-regarded 80's/90's garage/psych combo The Not Quite ("a major band" - Pulsebeat; "classic psychedelia by any standards" - Freakbeat; "One of the strongest bands in the genre" - Knights of Fuzz). After the band evaporated I turned my hand to writing, creating the Electric Druid website, which evolved into American Entropy.com, where literally dozens of projects are evolving - novels, screenplays, teleplays, and, um, other. The Miskatonic Acid Test will be my first film... a lifelong dream achieved.

Also appearing in this all-star film is Chris Horne, formerly of Maine garage-rockers The Brood.

If this sounds like an exciting concept, I hope you'll take a moment to have a look and a listen on the website. If you like what you see/hear, I hope you'll help spread the word about the movie so that we can start building some momentum. Thanks!"
Dark Lord Rob
American Entropy Productions

So let the momentum begin!!

This is just something I need to get off my chest so please bear with it. Maybe it'll seem like I've finally come off the rails but I feel the need to vent so vent I shall. We'll get back to the music and stuff after this important (to me) message...

Recent times have brought about a downturn in some peoples ability to communicate. Gone have considered responses to be replaced by robotic platitudes of a patronising nature which I'm convinced mask a subtext of "Get it right up you" or an expression to that effect. Let's take "I hear what you're saying", this would suggest that said drongo is considering your angle on something but rather than be honest and say "GIRUY", the illusion of consideration is made. Then there's the even more heinous "I know where you're coming from". Ditto the previous undercurrent and amplify maybe five times. Perhaps the chart topper of this kind of butt-speak is "of course, it isn't personal". If something has to be qualified like that then generally, the extreme opposite applies. It's mega-personal and counting. These bastardisations of language possibly originated in the USA but who can be sure. The opposite side of the same coin is listening to white bread idiots giving it some "talk to the hand" type laldy at being upright and urban. Sad, pathologically inbred sociophobes that are dragging mankind deeper into an already stinky and congested swamp. I hear this crap day in and day out and it makes me want to blow a gasket but so far the deep breaths and prospects of parole have eased my not being able to suffer such fools gladly. This type of behaviour doesn't rock and well, I hope you agree. If you don't then "Get it right up you". And not in a good way.

Mr Percival's REZILLO reportage from the front line in Austin, TX.

Part One

The band arrived in the US on Tuesday and fought off the jet lag to do an 8 song mini set tonight (coming on stage at 2.15am!!) at the Tillery Street Theater as part of the "Scottish Invasion Party" to celebrate South by South West.

The set included "Good Sculptures", "25 miles", "Only in your dreams", "Number One Boy", "Can't stand my Baby" and "Destination Venus". Tomorrow....or later today really....they play Elysium with Shonen Knife, New Model Army, The Alarm and Wreckless Eric.

Part Two

"Let's Dance", from the Ramones debut album, provided the introduction to the Rezillos second appearance in Austin. The band were going for it big time tonight and on great form for their only full gig of the trip.Jo was resplendent in a pair of cavalry style trousers (no kilt tonight) with the sound problems of last night mainly overcome.Riley, singer with up and coming Scottish band Aberfeldy, could be spotted up the front singing along to most of the songs. The slow introduction to "Head Kicked in" was droppped in favour of the band just going straight into the song. The set was as follows:
I can't stand my Baby
Flying Saucer Attack
Good Sculptures
Getting me down
Cold Wars
Pressure Cooker
Crash my car
No
Only in your dreams
Number 1 Boy
Bad Guy Reaction
Mystery Action
Head Kicked in
EncoreTop of the Pops
Another good night with the third appearance scheduled for Saturday at 6pm at Cheapo Records.

Part Three

Last night saw what was, sadly, the band's last appearance in Austin to tie in with the South by Southwest music biz convention. Austin is a pretty incredible town. It's the home of the University of Texas and "an island of liberal thinking in the sea of Texas" - as it was described to me by one of the locals!The venue was Cheapo Records, a HUGE new and used record store, in the west of the city. In the corner of the store was an area put aside for bands to give live in store appearances. The backdrop was a mural of cowboys on their horses at sunset, similar to the photo used on the New Order "Regret" single sleeve. Angel sported his newly purchased cowboy hat, very in keeping with the setting, and Jo was back in his kilt after the previous nights cavalry trews. The show attracted a lot of people to the store and was all very informal with requests being welcomed from the band for the 8 song, 25 minute set. The band even shouted out their own requests to the rest of the band - fair enough I suppose!
The set was:
Cold Wars
Only in your dreams - requested by Eugene
Top of the Pops
Good Sculptures - requested by "Jo fae Edinburgh!"
Flying Saucer Attack
Getting me Down - the choice of Angel and Johnny Terminator, aka the purple gang
I can't stand my baby
Destination Venus
Fay was keen to hear "From a Jack to a King", the Elvis song, but it was not to be and Jo signed off the evening with a "We love you Austin!"

All in all 3 really enjoyable shows that I'm sure have resulted in more than a few converts to the Rezillos cause over the last few days!