Obstacles and the circumnavigation thereof. That seems to be the order of every day in recent living memory. Tractors and roadworks add to the general hindrance. Whatever happened to being able to get from A to fecking B? But anyway, some vinyl, the format of choice in this neighbourhood, to report upon… as the cd hurtles toward oblivion, black (or whatever colour) plastic will always be with us.

Libyan Hit Squad –

Death Metal In Jerusalem EP (Bony Orbit)

A cheeky wee four track 7” from this Fla, outright punk troupe. Think Black Flag via The Samoans with a little touch of, I’m sure unconscious, BOC rifforama. Lead cut is a thuggish Jello-like version of “The Witch” but their own stuff (“sXe punk”, “Mirrorball”, “Sickness”) is all blessed/cursed with a hefty dose of what is presumably themselves. Not an easy task to breath fresh fetid air into this form buy they do. The EP plays at 33 but you can’t have everything.


Phantom – Rockabilly Vampires (Demon)

There’s nothing even vaguely ‘billy about this reggaefied soundscape that evokes Morricone via Strummer. A theme for a twisted imaginary western that’s yet to be made. Flip is a dub version that doesn’t add to the original concept whilst remaining true to the form. This 7” is to be given away with a line of clothing called D.I.E and the label is not to be confused with the Brentford label of the same name.


Various Artists – “I Wanna Punk Rock” –

The Singles Collection (Castle Music)

A 10 single vinyl edition of Step Forward singles with an edition of “Sniffin’ Glue” thrown in to validate the contents. This box contains the formative years of The Fall and the pre-Ant activities of Marco Pirroni with The Models, Mark Perry had a hand in collating this slice of history that also includes The Cortinas, Sham 69 and The Lemon Kittens as well as Chelsea, the latter doesn’t age well at all. I remember being introduced to Gene October once and he was a right obnoxious tube. I can think of another word but let’s keep this office friendly shall we. Anyway, this is also available on cd but if you want this stuff then this is the way to hear it, the way it was.


Salmon – Rock Formations (Bang Records)

A double, none more black, sumptuous vinyl edition in gatefold, embossed sleeveage, limited to 500 copies. Kim Salmon’s Five Guitar/Two Drummer special forces unit coming out louder and heavier than you care to imagine. Rawk orchestration hewn to be enjoyed at volumes hitherto never explored, man I wish I could get along to the show they’re doing in Melbourne on August 2nd. It’s at the East Brunswick Club there. In terms of carbon footprint, this is obviously a monster. The soundtrack to the last night of the poms even. It must take a heckuva lot of energy to run something this monolithic but I can’t think of a better use for fossil fuels. We might as well go down punching the air with bloody big fixed grins, right? Salmon is the sonic equivalent of Godzilla. Go, go with the flow or get stomped - it's your call.


Boris Sujdovic – Fuzz Machine (Bang Records)

Reviewed the cd of this a few weeks ago and as much as that flies outta the trap, this 45rpm footlong provides an additional dimension of thud. It’s a loud, deep cut that emits a paint stripping sound when turned up to tilt. Like with Salmon, this is a limited, numbered pressing of 500. Available from Soundflat, that’s where mine came from and it got here faster than one of them speeding bullets.

FUNTASTIC DRACULA CARNIVAL

¡feliz cumpleaños! Suzy Chain

T h e R e z i l l o s

19th July 2007, 7:30pm (band onstage at 9:00pm)

@ The Corinna Hotel, 44, Atholl St, Perth, Perthshire, PH1 5NN.

Tel: 01738 622201 Entry : £8

A special show in the intimate atmosphere of the "Corinna",

prior to their Scooter Tent headline at the Wickerman Festival the day after.

Honky tonkin', anyone? In our lone NYC appearance for the month, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. returns to the Rodeo Bar this week for a whole mess o' "ballads, boogies & blues" (as is our motto) and all the in-the-shell peanuts we can shuck!
--------------------------------------
THURSDAY, JULY 19th / RODEO BAR / http://www.rodeobar.com/ /
375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street) in ol' Manhattan, NYC

/ 10:00 sharp until 1:00 / No cover! /
--------------------------------------
And, coming up in the far off, distant future -- August...
--------------------------------------
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 1st / Cafe Steinhof (Park Slope, Brooklyn)

SATURDAY, AUGUST 4th / Red Hot & Blue Rockabilly Festival (Montreal, Quebec)SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th / 2007 Coney Island Rockabilly Festival

THURSDAY, AUGUST 30th / Otto's Shrunken Head (East Village, Manhattan)
--------------------------------------
Yours truly, Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. "Ballads, Boogies & Blues"
http://www.sitanddieco.com/
http://www.MySpace.com/SITandDieCo
--------------------------------------

RIP - Kelly Johnson (Girlschool)

Next weekend in Germany - undisputed NBT favourites,

The Boonaraaas!!! and Suzy Y Los Quattro. Blimey!

OK, after an extensive schlep through the EIFF programme, I've come up with a half-dozen items that may appeal to NBT readers. There's plenty more good gear in there if you want to go to the site and have a root about. Some of you who may not have received your printed copy in the post can get on with today's Sunday Herald. I'd like to have the downtime (and the loot) to do the Berlin Alexanderplatz thing but it's not an option...

John Waters: This Filthy World (16th August screening has Q&A)

Comrades In Dreams

Control (The Ian Curtis biopic by Anton Corbijn)

Death Proof (for some reason it's not being shown with Grindhouse but maybe Rose MacGowan will turn up anyway...)

LYNCH

Anita Loos - Retrospective


Saw the Edith Piaf movie yesterday, good film but bloody miserable. She had a hard paper round that woman... time to go into training for spending extended periods in a darkened room. Also on a culture tip, at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival...

Hamell on Trial - The Terrorism (of Everyday Life) ----- Book here

Well, I thought it was next week but this much hyped/furore "Free" Prince cd is available with the Mail on Sunday here in the UK today. Any overseas readers who care should give me a holler before noon (gmt) today, the usual bollocks apply in that I doubt you'd want the "newspaper" anyway. I personally wouldn't thank you for the "musical content" either but each to their own and all that. At least for this time on a sabbath am.

Far more down with my jurisdiction is this. (Thanks to Frankieteardrop)

Suicide appear on July 27th 07 @ South Street Seaport, NYC. Entry is free!(Thanks to HT for the tipoff)

Back later if I can put a lid on this sneezing...

Well, I finally got my mitts on the Edinburgh Film Festival programme. No thanks to the post office being on strike and whatever else. I'm going to have a right thorough rake through it so will get back to you. Hannah McGill appears to have been able to breath new life into what was becoming a tad stagnant. There's a broad church of stuff in there. Back tomorrow...

There are a number of distractions going on. Most of them not good. That's the reason why the posting frequency has slowed to a trickle. If you've sent something and there hasn't been a mention or whatever then don't panic. It's more than likely coming. There's no sell-by date on anything around here apart from perhaps myself. There's a draft of change on the horizon that could well blow up into a full blown gale. The old "always darkest" palaver. We've been there before though, right to the brink so maybe it's more of that and thusly things are a tad approaching the designation of "pisser". It's a kind of scale like the terror warning but ends up with "disaster" as the highest alert rather than "severe" or some daft colour.

No sign of the film festival programme yet either and there's a sodding postal strike tomorrow. Drastic-ish action will have to be taken. Other than that, it could be a lot worse. That's what I've taken to trying to convince myself. More adventures tomorrow...

John Waters is headed for Edinburgh...

Nothing much going on at the minute 'cept chores. Things that have been left undone and that need attending to. In addition to these, I have a Hello Saferide article to amend, a recipe for veggie haggis to check out and some e-mail to answer before the last of the Paris documentaries comes on. Will there be life après Sandrine Voillet? That is perhaps the most pressing question at this particular minute.

And at noon tomorrow, the EIFF programme comes out so that has to be picked through and the schedule arranged. It's all bleedin' go innit?

Stands to reason doesn't it. There's more (alleged) music on TV these days at a time when it seems to be well down the priority list despite the ipod ownership. And no wonder. It's almost uniformly duff and seemingly scheduled by the ailing music business. Wouldn't it be something for there to be some objectivity from the presenters too? Like they could cut away from some honking set to see everybody holding their noses or holding up a card with "stinker" sharpie'd on to it?? Never gonna happen but think about how great it would be if there wasn't all the fawning and hard-sell. Would it be such a bad thing to express an opinion? Just one??

It's my own fault I know but I like to see and hear what's supposed to be popular. That creates a perspective for me between what is and what, in my opinion, should be popular. Just because this stuff is peddled en masse doesn't mean that it's actually popular either. HMV did a mailout today trying to capitalise on the LiveArse thing. Selling product by the artists cheap that included the Al Gore documentary. This was the dampest of damp squibs, these things simply don't work anymore. The world has moved on, not too much further but maybe 100 yards or so.

Even Spinal Tap wasn't as exciting as the prospect of them appearing but it was OK. I read some report about how they has falling rocks as stage props. Dearie me. You just expect people to be cultured. If the drummer had "exploded" at the end, now that would have made all the difference. However, being introduced by Marti De Bergi was a nice touch, irrespective of carbon footprint considerations. And why did the BBC cut away as they went into "Big Bottom"? Would the expression "bum cakes" cause the nation to run amuck?

And as I sit here The Fratellis "Chelsea Dagger" is blasting into the ol' bunker from Nedstock™ (courtesy of Mr McLean) and it's all very perplexing and so very, very dull. I'd really like to have seen a couple of songs by The Skids but you possibly have to have that cable or satellite caper involved so I'll wait for YouTube.

Another weekend over, running on fumes and careering toward the inevitable. Need to go and look out my Martin Rev albums, inspired by the fact he's playing in San Francisco on July 26th.

OK let’s cut to the chase, some music that will blast away the cobwebs of anything you’ve seen on TV this past few days. Masquerading under the banner of a cause or just playing for maximum bucks in a muddy field. I’ll take that back if HS end up on TV next weekend but until then… as always, myspace links are provided so, no need to take my word for it, even although you should.


The Shorebirds “The Heavy Hands of Hunters”

(Groover Recordings)
From Brooklyn, this combo have the chops and the songs to cut quite a dash. Like Rank and File jostling with primo Cockney Rebel. Mark Ephraim’s vocal has a kind of “Steve Harley” enunciation. There’s an understated glam-ness that’s a little Luna and a nice line in understated almost country tempo. This makes them quite contemporary and equally appealing to fans of groups like say, The Pixies. They don’t do the quietLOUD thing because they don’t have to. The fairground pulsebeat of “We Want It Bad” sounds like it would have been a 45 on Island Records around 1975. “If you don’t understand then get in the van”, ha ha, great. “Hovering Light” will appeal to fans of The Strange. It has that Dire Straits via The Modern Lovers vista. Roxy Music is mentioned in their roll call of influences and I can hear that too. It’s the early stuff though as you’d expect in such an esoteric setting. The Shorebirds emit a warm glow that I could hear echoing through darn big venues in years to come. Nice booklet art on quality paper too so this comes from a place that goes that wee league extra. Of course you expect a quality product from Groover and they never let you down. And I don’t think these Shorebirds will either.


Grand Mal

“Congratulations You’ve Re-Joined The Human Race”

(Groover Recordings)
Bill Whittlen was in the band St Johnny. The longer in the tooth of you might remember them being signed to Geffen something like 14 years ago. I recommend a visit to the directors cut of the bio to get the full picture. It’s quite the long winding road to get us here. Character building even. So anyway, this is a very New York record. But Max’s as opposed to CBGB’s if you get the gist. It tells a story like a Lou Reed album used to. It retains an opulent Velvets-like romanticism that’s long since been hosed off the streets of the city itself. “Cold As The Stars” has a lush, bleak beauty and “You Should Be So Lucky” explodes off the back of the final piano key stroke. Like Teenage Fanclub going T.Rex. In fact there’s more than a touch of Bolan about the whole album but not in an obvious way. In more of a spiritual sense than any sense of copping a style. This is music that is very much out of time. I think it’s the piano driven nature of many of the tracks. It doesn’t sound old but it feels weathered and thus reflects an authenticity that much of today’s disposable, flash in the pan, 15 minute wonders could never hope to capture. No matter what producer they care to rope in.


The Double Agents “Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time”

(Infidelity Recordings)
Dirty country blues with a shot of Scientists dynamic? Oh yes and if you too are leaning toward the affirmative then this Melbourne combo will be your tipple of choice. This kind of finite garage isn’t as easy to pull off as it may seem. I like the way they alternate vocals between Kim Walvisch and Dave Butterworth. It keeps the album from seeming like a race for the finish line. “Wasting My Time” has a great Sticky Fingers-y Stones swagger to it. “I Won’t come Running” reminds me of US variety X while “You Make Me Feel” is sparse, atmospheric and verging on total disintegration. Somehow the expected crescendo never manifests itself bit it comes un-nervingly close. Greg Cartwright’s “Sour and Vicious Man” is the only cover on the album and it fits snugly with their oeuvre, if that’s not a contradiction. Must be a damn good night out to catch them in person but for now this’ll have to do those of us outwith the Antipodes.


The King Brothers “Blues” (Infidelity Recordings)
According to Eric Oblivian “The King Brothers are the best rock’n’roll band in the world”. I’m not altogether convinced that it’s possible to capture the sheer insanity of the real thing on a wee shiny disc but “Blues” is a good shout at attempting to try. Not that I’ve seen them, other than on the live dvd that accompanies this album. What on the face of it seems like the apocalypse raging out of your speakers, The King Brothers register a strange kind of restraint to inject a twisted Detroit soul transfusion amidst the cacophonous racket. Of course, in time honoured tradition they’re not real brothers in the biblical sense. They are however bonded sonically by an almost pathological disregard for making the listener comfortable. There’s nothing coffee table about this, unless you plan on wrecking one. I’m not sure it would be safe to drive with this on your player either, unless you want to get someplace very fast. Adrenalin levels need to adjust to this “rock’n’roll from the future”. Look what happened to The Ramones within 30 years, it’s a strange old world and “69” sans the “19” takes high energy into a whole different scale of voltage. This is the real “new rave”! I think my poor cd player is in shock.

Rotterdam Rumble 2007

A report from the "the trenches" in Denmark by Mr Percival...

Roskilde, Denmark - one of the longest running festivals in Europe. I nearly made it here in 1983 when I was the right age for such occasions (19) with my pals Dave and Chris but it was not to be. I never thought 24 years later I would finally put in a appearance with my 18 year old daughter Ellen.

On Thursday it LASHED down with rain making the site an absolute quagmire. Fortunately I had brought my boots with me. I have never been a big festival goer and I was rapidly thinking "what the hell am I doing here?". Glad to say that Friday has been a dry day and the music has been fun.

First up were Camera Obscura, who many people had told me I would like. When that happens I tend to be cautious but they were indeed correct and the band from Glasgow put on a great first gig in Denmark before speeding off to the airport to head home for T in the Park (or P in the Dark as Lindsay calls it!)

Next up was New Young Pony Club. All the rage currently back home. What I had heard I liked and my daughter loves them. They were very good . Poppy electro rock with great hooks and a lot of fun live. Probably not the the taste of most NBT readers, but worth checking out just in case.

Next up was the legendary Roky Erickson. I know the Scandinavians love their garage rock legends and they do not come much more legendary than the founding member of the 13th Floor Elevators. 60 in 10 days time (1947 was a good year with Iggy and Lux also entering the world) and he was in great shape. I’d don’t think I’ve seen quite so much hero-worship in a very long time. The tent was packed out with the local Viking descendants going absolutely crazy. Roky was clearly having a great time with his very tight band. I don't know a huge amount of his material but "You're Gonna Miss Me" closed the main set and " I Walked with a Zombie" ended the evening with the crowd literally baying for more. He could have played on all night and kept the locals very happy. A great set from a true legend who has been a massive influence for so many great bands. Well worth seeing if you get the chance.

Martin

This thing wasn't working earlier or last night and I keep meaning to call the ISP but can't work up the enthusiasm. Having no faith or confidence in anything being done about the problem, this guy would would rather not bother than be fobbed off. More rain and a damp time in prospect for this weeks festival goers. I hope that the weather turns in time for the Hello Saferide visit to Latitude next weekend (Sunrise stage/Sunday 15th July). Also, I need to try and remember that Spinal Tap are part of this Live Earth carry on tomorrow. Wonder if there's a rundown of what's on when anywhere? Anyways, more serious news to impart before the weekend kicks into gear...

RIP - Bill Pinkney (The Drifters)

RIP - New York

So now to click "publish post" and we'll see wha''appen...

RIP - George Melly

RIP - Boots Randolph

Unseen of The Cramps (circa 1986) at Stockholm Rock Action (Thanks Johan)

Coming up this weekend in Edinburgh...


Once more into the torrential rain...

Second episode of the three part BBC OU programme about Paris with Sandrine Voillet was on last night. She reminds me of Françoise Cactus and that reminds me about the Stereo Total album "Paris<>Berlin" that came out a couple of weeks ago.
Anyways, I'm tempted to order the dvd of Paris, in order to brush up on places to visit the next time I'm lucky enough to swing a trip out there. Anyways, this is just a quick in and out to post the following items...

Suicide live in Hamburg circa 1978 anyone?

Gregg Turner at Cool Dude Quarterly

Still Game meets Big Brother (Thanks to Mr McLean for this link)
It's a funny old world. I imagine that there's an Anti-terrorist "Team" getting down to manoeuvres in and around Glasgow as I type... "they" (the would-be bombers) have absolutely no idea what they're letting themselves in for.

Another record retailer down... (link courtesy of Mr Percival)
It seems like it's hard out there. Support your local real record store. Not Virgin and HMV. Proper record stores. If you don't use them...

Celebrate July 4th with some CAKE!

A broad church of great music, going LIVE this very Independence Day...

"CAKE’s play-list is a deep mix of tunes covering (primarily) rock, reggae, punk, ska, blues, rock & roll, soul, r&b and pub-rock, but with some skiffle, funk, outlaw country, psychedelia, electronica, folk-rock, protest, instrumentals, jazz and, occasionally, a little classical thrown in. “New” tracks get added every day so by the end of the week the entire play-list has been refreshed."

There's a permanent "button" over there on the sidebar to help you connect easier.

Artwork by Alan Suicide.

Ladies and gents... the geezer they call JD King!!

RIP: Benito Gasolini (Nitwitz)

When I was just about finished reading "Chasing Cool", I happened upon something that was the polar opposite of this much sought commodity. The “Concert for Diana” from Wembley Stadium in London. What a stinker, the biggest karaoke event in history (maybe) but supposedly it had more viewers than Live Aid.

Which surely made it "cool"? Er, just joshing... It shocked me too but then I got to thinking. We’re always striving for consensus and this travesty of alleged entertainment nailed it by getting the biggest viewing audience in recent living memory. More than Live Aid back in whatever day.

There’s a theme throughout "CC" that sort of irks me and that’s the constant mention of the sodding ipod but let's not dwell on that. Cool is a perception that has been co-opted by those that bastardise expressions and descriptions for their own evil ends. If it even exists anymore then the commoditisation (is that even a word?) of it has been devalued to the point of being simply a label. Or maybe a big indelible pen mark on the forehead.

Cool is understated. Something that doesn't know or care that it makes a difference, it just does. Many, many things to different people but rest assured, any tangible pursuit of it is misguided. Anyone or anything that claims to be c**l almost never is. If on the other hand, an individual reckons something is of worth then it's their call. The fact that an ipod seems to be both well designed and easy to use is perhaps an indication of a successful product but that isn't necessarily cool. You hear twonks blurting out "c**l!" during their mobile phone confabs. Some people think those things are the bee's knees but in my humble op, they are the spawn of something way more wayward than satan. They're homing devices that will ultimately be the portal that handles all of your entertainment, at a price.

It will aid the compilation of vast amounts of information to be used agin you but never mind. Could be worse... The title is perhaps purposely misleading to snare those who actively do just that. “Chasing Aesthetic” simply isn’t as catchy. I should admit also to never having heard of most of the participants. Neither mover nor shaker do I claim to be.

“Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace” is the strapline, but will it help you achieve that? Quite possibly not but the material is presented in an easy to browse format. I disagree with Ahmet Ertegun though in retrospect I think his angle that “celebrity sells” should be updated to read “celebrity sold” or “used to sell” but the public is equal parts fickle and sophisticated. The lifespan of most everything in this conned-sumer society has rapidly accelerated and nothing lasts anymore. And then came that "Diana" concert, I bet that all of that audience have ipods and have been downloading Kanye West and Did Puffy (or whatever his name is) all day.

Like an extended magazine article, "Chasing Cool" is as easy to dip in and out of as it is to read in one reasonably lengthy train journey. Info-mation isn't really my bag but this is a constructive pot-pouri that doesn't take itself too seriously. Careful with that C-word...

"Chasing Cool" by Noah Kerner and Gene Pressman is published by Atria Books.

CAKE... is coming!?

Mr Percival tells me that the archive thing isn't working again. If you type what you're looking for into the search bar at the top of the blog then it'll navigate to the info you want to find.

They keep referring to these people who caused the kerfuffle in Glasgow yesterday and the potential carnage in London as "terrorists" rather than "fuckwits". Or some comparable term that could be aired prior to the watershed. As stated before, disruption is preferable to what could have happened but the TV and radio is awash with minutae. Technology has made all reportage look like Big Bogbrush. But anyway, I hope my friends made it out of there yesterday before all this. Not sure when they were supposed to fly...

Tis July and last month saw a jump in our hits. Been trying to keep this updated so gracias for sticking with it. Also, Mr Arnoff showed me how to add "music" to the myspace page so I try to do that regularly too. However, I still don't manage much activity on there.

Several deadlines are looming so I'm off to deal with those. However, there's always the chance of distraction and just plain cannaebearsedness.

Been trying to find out further details about the "incident" at Glasgow Airport this afternoon but the BBC report seems to be the most informative. It's ended in severe disruption rather than carnage so I guess that's something however, this is the first instance of anything like this north of the border. As far as I recall anyhow. The situation is ongoing...

The one, the only, Billy Miller on WFMU yesterday...

Stranded... in Edinburgh - I put this together some time ago and it needs to be updated but what the hey, Pablo just done put it up on the interweb anyway. If anybody out there has any tips for the update then let's be 'avin 'em... Looking to put together a Glasgow versh also maybe.

Floods, pestilence, bomb threats, postal strikes, Fopp closures, dickey broadband and more torrential rain forecast. However, it's the right side of Friday and with the possible exception that I might schlepp into Edinburgh to see the Edith Piaf movie, there are no hard plans to go anywhere. Fast or indeed at any speed. The Very Rev. Marc Baines has kindly supplied me with a wad of Car 54 dvds so there's no reason really to go anywhere...

Oslo's hot ticket tonight, have a hopped-up 40th Jostein!

The great Roky Erickson at The Whisky in LA several moons ago

as captured by The Rt. Hon David Arnoff

(click on the photo for a bigger image)

ATOMIC SWINDLERS

Update@ 30/06/07

hey everyone,

A quick note on tonight's show (Saturday, June 30th). They changed the venue again (for the third time)!!! Now we are playing inside at Tiki Bob's. Tiki Bob's is hands down the best club at High Falls. The place is incredibly cool with a huge stage and a wonderful sound system.

Shows start at 8 and 10 sharp. Hope to see you there.

cheers,
the atomic swindlers

Woke up prematurely this morning. In a tiz because I couldn't find my Hello Saferide tickets. I had 'em because I'd bought them early but when I got to the door of the theatre they werenae to be found. And it was way past sold out. Which is exactly how it should be. Anyway, it was all a tad alarming. Lord knows what it all means but hopefully not the most obvious explanantion. Remembering dreams and dreaming at all is not a forte of mine irrespective of my fondness for the Suicide song.

Oh, I know I've lost the plot, that's not what me mean... OK got the new Ben Weasel and will use that to try to get back to terra firma in the car this morning. And talking about Ben's... Mr Gart kindly sent this report about The Fleshtones visit to the Windy (not windae) City on Saturday past...

"The Fleshtones were great. A cool little place I've never been to before -- The Subterranean (funny though...it was on the second and third floor of the building. It's an old theater-type room -- reminds me of what could've been a little Vaudeville place or old nightclub. Stage at one end, not a lot of room, bar at the other; stairs that go up and down, leading up to the next floor where there are restrooms and another bar and tables/chairs -- it all enables you to watch the show from that floor too. Here's a couple of pictures of the place: http://www.planet99.com/chicago/bars/subterranean.html. And here's a great pic from the second floor (what a cool little chandelier): http://www.subt.net/images/pics/subtpics/subt/subt1.html (from the club site). On to the show...

The Hentchmen were alright, interesting little garage rock combo. Was a little familiar with their output from Norton, but not really my kind of stuff. Good energy, but didn't grab me that night. Missed the first band, the Havocs, but Peter and the boys seemed to get a kick out of them and invited them on stage (more on that later). After the Hentchmen, I got to meet Ken while he was selling their wares; a really nice, cool guy.

I bore witness to something incredible last Saturday night. Things kicked off at midnight, with Keith and Ken playing the opening riff to "Hard Lovin' Man", hard to locate where the noise was coming from but eventually they appeared from the second floor balcony and made their way down to the first floor through the crowd, as Peter and Bill came around too. They all made way to the stage and the festivities began...wow, what a great show! So much energy, humor, charisma...even if there were non-fans in the audience, they must've been converted that night. Sure, there were some technical problems throughout the show (Keith's amp mic went in and out during a lot of the show, but he overcame and things got fixed eventually). Even if they never make way back to Chicago, at least I got to see them this night. They cranked out some of the stellar tunes from Beachhead, mixing in some older tunes and covers that were totally satisfying. Keith, Ken and Peter all moved and danced around the stage and audience throughout the entire show, including going up and down the stairs numerous times. The audience were all treated like friends at some crazy old party, and we were all being let in on the biggest secret. Keith dared to pull out a folding chair and played "Ready For The Mountain" from atop the rickety thing (later, bringing it out into the audience and standing on it there too). They ran through "Saturday night/Sunday morning", "...Do You Swing?", "I Am What I Am", "Way Down South", "Feels Like A Woman", The Dreg/Vindicators" , "Sha La La La (pts 1 & 2)"...they brought both openers up on stage with them, let Johnny Hentch wail on the harp...killer encore) and so many other tunes that night. The highlight for me...The Opus, is a medley of "I've Gotta Change My Life", "Hope Come Back" and "Stop Foolin' Around" -- a shame they were abbreviated but still wonderful to see them and the audience eat it all up. Hearing these old songs mixed in with the new one shows indicate how crafty and consistent they have been all these years. And then they flattened us with the stunning capper of "Bigger & Better". How can one band give so much from beginning to end? Amazing, simply awe-inspiring stuff. The kind of experience that makes people go out and start their own bands. Was truly a night I did not want to end...if only they could have kept going on. I think it's fair to say that The Fleshtones are the true heirs to the Ramones' throne of RnR royalty. They are what is right with rock and roll. I wanna know what their secret is -- how have they done it? I guess I'll wait for Sweat.

The energy they exude is simply incredible -- like every show is their last and they're going out with a bang. Amazing that they have been doing this for so long and have no plans on stopping soon. If only everyone could experience the Fleshtones once in their lives.

This rates among my top 10 shows, ever."

Thanks for testifying Ben!

Just watched the first of a three part series on Paris presented by Sandrine Voillet on BBC2. Absolutely first class. Made me want to be there...

Anyway, check it out next week or if it's repeated or whatever. A wee bit of culture for a Tuesday nicht. Earlier I was trying to get to grips with shooting short clips using a digital camera. With varying degrees of total ineptitude. Watch this space but don't hold yer breath.

So let's close up tonight with some news on those Ferriday Fireballs...

...THE TWO MAN TERRORS TEAR IT UP IN LONDON THIS WEEKEND.

THURSDAY AT THE CORN ROCKET CLUB @ RYANS BAR, STOKE NEWINGTON.

FRIDAY AT THE DIRTY WATER, BOTH SHOWS WITH MUCK AND THE MIRES.

Hey folks, meet Yuri Quattro - the new skin basher for Barcelona based top pop combo

Suzy Y Los Quattro. Now they can start work on the new album!

Seems like summer has hit the skids. Not the Dunfermline punkers that have reformed for P in the Dark soon, no rather the season. The monsoons of the weekend have eased but it's bloody nippy. Sitting in the car yesterday morning, trying to muster the wherewithall to venture into the stalag, the wind was whistling over the hills. The gusts buffeted the vehicle as the big black cloud (hi Angel!) blew in from the other direction. Looking out of the windae this morning it looks pretty much the same. Sitting here yawning thinking maybe it's all a bad dream and that I'll wake up somewhere I'd rather be. However, running on empty at the last minute it's time to head on out he door and onto the low-way...

Need more torque? Please allow Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. to assist you, dear friend...
THURSDAY, JUNE 28th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD TIKI BAR & LOUNGE / 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in ol' Manhattan / Two shows of reasonable horsepower, from 8:00 sharp 'til 10:00 / No cover!
And, speaking of horsepower...
SATURDAY, JUNE 30th / RUMBLERS NOMADS CAR SHOW / 4th Annual Rumblers Nomads Car Club "Rumble In The Country" / Terryville Fairgrounds, off Route 6 in Terryville, CT / Bands, food, hot rods & nature! / Noon 'til 6pm / http://www.rumblersnomads.com /
Yours truly (and UL approved), Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"
http://www.SITandDieCo.com

Our man in Rotterdam has filed this report...

PRIMITIVE VOLUME 4 RECOLLECTIONS by Lenny Helsing

We, that being The Wildebeests, arrived into Primitive at the Waterfront in Rotterdam late on the Friday night, thus missing all of Thursday’s action, where the likes of Mark and the Spies, The Staggers and The Ugly Beats played, the latter having the good fortune to have the great Ronnie Splinter from the Outsiders play a couple of songs with them… all of this was taking place in the main hall. I’m bugged too that I also missed the action from the Café, as it included The Timeflies, a group featuring Robert Muter, vocalist from my old pals The Kliek. Perhaps someone will post something up on the groups I’ve missed out!

…so the last noises we caught of the Friday night came from Spain’s the Del Shapiros, and USA’s Muck and The Mires. Maybe it was the sound that wasn’t terribly inspiring or something, or the fact that I was just getting to grips with being there, drinking beer and clocking some faces I knew… but I was a little underwhelmed by both, though that’s not to say I didn’t enjoy some of their songs. I did. Muck & co were at times giving off a very early ‘80s Boston rock’n’roll aroma, with plenty of harmonies and strong pop moves in the mix. The Del Shapiros came on like a revved-up cartoon version of San Diego r’n’b greats The Crawdaddys ’n’ The Tell-Tale Hearts together, they dressed it too - in finest dukes of hamburg-kaiserthreads but after a few minutes it seemed clear there was very little to make them really stand out on their own.

Kim Fowley was Master of Ceremonies for this year’s event, and could be seen around the place a lot of the time. I passed a few pleasantries myself with the great man after being introduced to him in the main hall by Primitive main man Dave; although I know of a fair few folks over the weekend who could, and did, get out of his way anytime he came near them, ha ha…

For me and Russ (Wildebeests’ guitarist), Saturday began with a walk around a bit of the city, paying a visit to the market down Beursplein way, not to mention a couple of beer stops and coffee stops; dodging in and out of the rain. So, back at the Primitive scene, café style, in mid-afternoon Das Aldi Combo were missed, and we didn’t catch much of the Del Shapiros (again) with Kim Fowley either, as we had to try and sort something out with regard to amps and drums, and checking of the sound in the main hall: The Yardbirds who were gonna play last on the bill, changed their minds late on and wanted to play earlier so’s they could catch some kip…so we Wildebeests were chosen to go on last instead, so we thought we may as well try and get the sound we could be good with.

The Montesas and their particular brand of swingin’ kraut-twang were the first I caught and they were pretty cool. They were certainly getting everyone going in the heaving café and included in their set a pretty wild rendition of the soul classic ‘Uptight’. I also spent some time chatting outside with one of my big heroes, none other than Outsiders guitar legend Ronnie Splinter…and whatta totally great guy he is! His group The Dam were originally billed to play this year’s Primitive but they pulled out, so maybe they’ll play next year?

First up in the main hall Saturday were Sardinia’s garage gang The Rippers. Man, these cats are a pure frantic beat punk riot, an all-black apparition of nervous energy that definitely got feet moving and heads shaking, not to mention beers spilling etc. For some reason to this here old punk they somehow recalled some of the sounds that the very early Dead Kennedys were making, mainly due to the vocal sound and general speedball scuzz of their chosen setlist. The crowd were well up for it too…next to arrive was the legendary sixties outfit from Boston USA, yes, The Rising Storm, introduced not by Kim Fowley, but by vintage beat collector guru Hans Kesteloo. Well, as a lot of you know this group is not your typical garage-style band we’ve become accustomed to in these modern days. The Rising Storm play not so fast, not so hard or aggressive, and are surely best known for the ultra-moody, melodious songs that adorned their only LP ‘Calm Before…The Rising Storm’, a real rare rare rare LP in its original format, but which was heard by us via Eva’s illegal reissue from the early ‘80s.

Do I have to tell you it contained gems such as the rarely paralleled ‘Frozen Laughter’, ‘She Loved Me’ and various covers of Love, Rockin’ Ramrods and The Remains. Again, with these kinda groups that are brought out of the shadows into the bright light once more, years after their formation and initial demise, to be directly in front of you, you have to think beyond the sometimes detrimental sound of PA’s and monitors etc and concentrate on the songs themselves. For me and a lot of folks in the crowd they delivered the goods most of the time; there were technical hitches and glitches and lost vocals and Hammond, but there were especially wonderful moments when they played ‘Mr Wind’, the afore-mentioned ‘She Loved Me’ and, for example, ‘Bright Lit Blue Skies’…Hey, their opening salvo, their cover of their beloved Remains’ ’Don’t Look Back’ was no slouch either. Barring the bassist, it was all the original 1967 group too. Playing bass for them was all-round genuine ‘60s afficionado Erik Lindgren, head honcho of the label Arf! Arf!, and the man who brought us not only loads of great comps. like ‘No No No’, ‘Yeah, Yeah, Yeah’, ‘Sigh, Cry, Die’, but who was also responsible for issuing the Lyres’ awesome debut 45 on his Sounds Interesting label. Now that is monumental! The Rising Storm you will pleased to hear were all real cool and personable guys too, which is always an added bonus.

The Yardbirds were on next after Mr Fowley gave them a short and beat-poetic introduction. This was one of those affairs that I enjoyed… for a little while at least. This was mainly down to the fact that I love the original group’s records I think. There was a definite sense of anticipation to see whether a group like The Yardbirds could pull off something like Primitve. Let’s see…here’s what I remember. The lead guitar really squealed a lot of the time and the player made all those horrendous faces one associates with Ten Years After at Woodstock. The harmonica playing was up to the task, with really enthusiastic playing, etc…but we could have done without the contrived ‘distorted microphone’ sound, well at least some of the time anyway. And the actual playing itself couldn’t have been more over-egged even if it tried. Jim McCarty, the group’s original drummer, should have been limited to one or two tom toms …not 4! He is joined by original rhythm guitarist, Chris Dreja, who I think did a fine job. Singer / guitarist these days is John Idan, and he didn’t do too badly either, especially with all these totally revered songs like ‘Heartfull Of Soul’, ‘Shapes Of Things’. OK OK he ain’t never gonna be Keith Relf – let’s face who is! I hated it most when it just got too noodly, with the guitar going off one on more than a few occasions.

Hey! I know The Yardbirds did go off on one in their prime anyway, ha ha, but it’s one thing for the Jeff Beck / Jimmy Page-era group to be doing stuff like ‘Dazed and Confused’… and quite another to hear something like that being somewhat laboured over …A lot of folks I know were more down on them than I was, saying things like “Pontins” and “Butlins” and “shouldn’t be calling themselves The Yardbirds at all”…but maybe that’s what happens if you spend a lot of time doing these super-solid-golden-sixties-type shows…I dunno. A lot of the songs were played exactly like the records, but somehow much of the feeling wasn’t there.

I can say nothing about The Wildebeests aside from the fact that we played for around 50 mins and seemed to be some kind of saving grace for a lot of the more garagey, rock’n’roll types in attendance…and we played things like Devo’s ‘Mongoloid’, a never-before attempted go at The Milkshakes’ ‘It’s You’, …and of course the ‘Elevators ‘She Lives In A Time Of Her Own’ plus a bunch of our own dimboid creations too. What more can I add…oh yeah I think we maybe winged it a bit here ‘n there, vocals were maybe a bit lacking on several items due to the lateness of our appearance and the provision of lots of beer before, and during our set, which was gleefully consumed…At one point I think there were around 4 or 5 of the Primitive go-go girls onstage with us. How very cool.

There were some pretty great records being spun anytime we ventured into the café area, and in the hall too, between groups and all weekend long with the go-gos giving it all they’ve got… A lot of time was spent catching up with old faces, drinking and talking, and with new faces too…All in all it was a great party and I’m glad The Wildebeests were the group to end Saturday’s main hall proceedings.

You want photos? Click here...

Coming this fall. The solution to all your gift problems...

Been fast-forwarding through the TV highlights of Glastonbury in the past couple of hours. Did the same yesterday. If it's any consolation, I went out in the torrential rain and got soaked. walked through the park, got a little mud-spatter going that type of thing. Not the same as head to toe but sod that for a game of soldiers...

Anyways, I liked the clips of Lily Allen and also Amy Winehouse. They're proper pop stars. The Stooges stage invasion and after show appearance was entertaining. Ron Asheton was resplendent in his wellies and Iggy never got his willy out. Result. Plus they never showed any of the turgid new material on BBC2. John Fogerty was great and it made me think again about how he really should do "Starry Eyes". Check out this vintage Iggy and co action from Missouri via The I-94 Bar.

On the "what the chuff was that about" side of the coin, The Killers lived up to their name by boring me rigid. Lord knows how long it must have felt like if you didn't have a FF facility. The Klaxons - kings of "new rave"... dearie, dearie me and so it goes on. I saw one song by The Hold Steady which just underlined what I already figured and that singer really needs to vary the incredibly irritating mugging. Saw billboards in Camden for The Pigeon Detectives and am inclined to make gloating observations about droppings but I imagine that a Kaiser Chiefs understudy is not a high priority for the remainder of the UK. But who knows. Nick Lowe was on, that was good, then they started to show the sodding Killers again and to avoid a Bill Grundy type situation, I opted for the off button. From here I'm going to tackle some listening and reading that various chores have kept me from.

I'd much rather be doing what I was doing last Sunday at this time but you know what they reckon about too muckle of a good thing. I should add that "Seven Ages of Dork" wasn't too bad last night, still all over the place but liberty taking was minimal. Maybe the wine was chilling me out?

RIP - Kai Davidson

When I got back from London there was a message in my inbox from Sandy McLean about an old associate of ours, Kai Davidson.

I met Kai when he belted out the truth on bass with The Cateran, a band from Inverness that was at the forefront of what would eventually catapult Nirvana into the bigtime. Their debut mini-album “Little Circles” remains to this day something way more dear to me than a truckload of Orange Juice or Josef K singles. Sandy and I, er, “produced” the band’s “Last Big Lie” single. Of course neither of us will be bothering Tony Visconti anytime soon but it was fun. I remember being a bit pished one night and doing a HDM with them for a rendition of “Search and Destroy” at Potter’s Row or someplace too. Crivvens. One day the rest of the world will rediscover that band. Kai also managed The Proclaimers in their early years and also went on to be in The Joyriders with fellow Cateran-er and amigo Murdo McLeod.

He was a very nice man. I can’t even begin to understand the turmoil he was in this past few years and my thoughts are very much with his friends and family. I’m sure they're utterly devastated and wondering what they could have done to prevent such a tragedy. I imagine the answer is nothing, which makes it all the more bloody heartbreaking.

Here’s the link provided by Sandy. I didn’t want to post it raw.

I could get used to this two day week malarky alright, as long as I got the dosh for five of course. Anyway, this is just a quick in and out... there's a new Wreckless posting on his site and I figured that you'd want to know. Incase you hadn't checked it lately. Amy has also updated Little Fugitive in France so check that out too.

Doubt I'll be back on this thing tonight. Been feeling wabbit all day and I think that bloody cold that's been threatening is about to kick my jacksy. Don't want to be artexing the screen now does I. I'm going to be tuning into some of the Glastonbury coverage and perhaps shouting at the telly over the weekend.

Oh yeah, the Primitive Festival is on too in Rotterdam. Perhaps J has cut along yonder?

Anyways, whatever you're up to - don't let the bastards grind you down.

It's the night after the longest day and were heading back for what used to be winter...

Don't forget, it's Gearfest in Stockholm.

Murray tells me that TV21 and Vic Godard are at The Citrus Club in Edinburgh tonight.

and The Star Spangles are at Arlene's Grocery in New York.

Me? I won't be straying far from the midden heid here...

According to the calendar it’s 2007. The day to day bullshit would suggest this is correct but there are hints elsewhere that some kind of timeslip is going on.

So I head south to catch some of my favourite artists of all time, people who have shaped my existence and provided the soundtrack to it. And also to hang out with old, and newer, dear friends. Three shows over four days and several pints of Guinness later I’m back and trying to figure what just happened. Could it have been real? Well let’s try and recap… you guys be Melfi.

Let’s leave the shortcomings of the transport system be and cut straight to Part One, a free show by Alan Vega at The Roundhouse. A place I hadn’t been since I saw The Dictators open for a bunch of hippie bandwagoners in November of 77. Driving into Camden, we went past CSM. The man who has been providing that authoritative “Seven Ages of Bollocks” rock knowledge this past few weeks courtesy of the BBC. No punch up the hooter is forthcoming because, well, what if we couldn’t get in?

It was timely to just walk in as the lights were going down for the inaugural STATION broadcast to begin. With a successful ATP appearance in the bag back in May, anticipation was high. As Alan prowled the stage, Liz conjured up the dense techno demos from the contraption that is part Dr Who prop/part theremin as designed by IBM. The man who does the best “uh huh huh” this side of Sun Elvis was delivering his manifesto. At a couple of points, Alan and Liz’s son Dante also took the stage. It’s a family affair... Somebody handed him a “no smoking” sign during the performance. This was momentarily brandished and despatched even quicker. A special law will have to be passed so that Alan Vega has dispensation to smoke wherever the heck he likes. Don’t these people have any idea who he is?

Sunday is generally considered to be a day of rest and this can take many forms. This one meant meeting Bigor and Viva and hitting a bar called “The Gun”. They’d come from Ljubljana to pay respect to the man who would be playing his first UK show ever the very next day. He’d (always) been here before when the CBS album came out but only for press. Our Slovenian friends were familiar with this part of London. I’d ever been down there before but it’s like another world. A whole new outpost of culture, very little of which felt much like being in England. The music at Café 1001 might have sucked but the vibe was happening. We ended up in a Punjabi restaurant called Tayyabs which was just plain great. Way different to that type of food in this part of the world. If you’re down London way then it’s well worth getting off the beaten path for. I had a ball down there. When I was leaving the underground station to walk from Hammersmith to Chiswick it started to piss with rain but this was one waterproof parade, the ideal night for a wander around the edge of the Thames.

Monday kicked off with meeting Howard at the hotel. He’s been at the coal face of the Suicide phenom since he worked with Bronze Records thirty years ago. Consequently, coincidentally, whatever way you wanna call it, three of the acts he signed back yonder have shows in London over the weekend. Four if you want to include Dean and Britta and factor in Luna. First was Motorhead who kicked off Meltdown on Saturday. Some smart folks had the presence of mind to cut to the AV show straight after. That’s initiative in action right there. H is also responsible for the CBS Roky album that would provide the centrepiece material for the RFH show later that evening. Much as I love “You’re Gonna Miss Me”, it’s no “Bloody Hammer”. Anyway that’s a helluva cv. Maybe none of those acts sold a gazillion records but their influence on all manner of culture is impossible to measure. If there’s a pigeonhole marked “classic rock’n’roll” the I guess you could put the blame on H. Man, it was great to catch up. He showed me a copy of a flyer for the upcoming Suicide wreckrospective that was from 1971, and it mentioned “punk”. Alan and Martin were presented with a Mojo award that evening and there will be a major feature in the magazine, I think in the August issue.

We’re talking pioneers here. People who forged something out of seemingly nothing to touch history. While H and the Frankies were whooping it up at “The Brewery” with Alice Cooper and Ron Asheton (who incidentally LOVES “Cake”) I was living it large at the RFH, the scene of Roky Erickson’s first ever performance on UK soil. Expectations weren’t high. Mainly fuelled by what I consider to be an invasive, mean spirited documentary which was shown the day before the performance. While I take on board Brother Joss’s observations that there were two glimpses of the real Rok in there, the rest is a mess which I consider to be disrespectful. If you’re not familiar with the background then you’re just gonna think it’s more disfunction. But anyways, Clinic opened up (did you see what I did there?) and I lasted a couple of songs. The sound at that point sucked and the band was perfunctory.

Time to go back to the bar and see a few more familiar faces from across the years, man that was a blast! The show itself was pretty overwhelming and I’ve read a couple of very lukewarm reviews that must have been written out on the Terrace bar. They certainly didn’t reflect what I, and everyone else I spoke to, thought. It was very emotional and “Starry Eyes” turned me to mush. To see this bright, beaming character on stage was a revelation. The suspected train wreck never happened and the audience was great. They never sat and looked at their phones and gabbed through the set. When was the last time that happened? Where are these people all the rest of the time?? If this was humankind then I’d go out more. “Creature”, “Bloody Hammer”, “Night of the Vampire”, “Zombie”. I never ever thought I’d see these performed. Roky is my Brian Wilson and “Teo”, the album H brought to CBS is my “Pet Sounds”. The band was great too and they provide a great spiritual ballast to him. The fact that he can do this is an example of the closest thing to a miracle that I’ve ever seen. And it didn’t end there.

Meeting Bill Allerton, (the man behind the fine Stand Out Record Emporium situated on the RH side of 2 Blenheim Crescent in the capital) in the bar afterwards he said he had a spare aftershow pass. And would I like to have it. The gods were smiling on me longer that day than I was ever used to. To be honest, I was wary. A hundred “what if’s” flooded my mind but “what the fuck” pulled rank and I was soon scuttling off backstage. When I got around there it was deserted but a very helpful French lady directed me to the 5th floor where sure enough, there he was. I got to shake his hand and I told him that it would be great if he could come to Scotland. I asked him if he remembered Howard and he said he did. “Say Hi to him for me” he beamed. Now, if you want to believe that story you can but it all seems kinda like a very cool dream to me. When I made it back to the bar I was something of a gibbering wreck (nothing new there then I hear you wags gurn) but this was different. It was like meeting god without playing sabbaf at 78rpm. Young David was next to get the pass and he too met the great man who is so generous with his time. I’ll remember him this way always and hope it’s the first of many. It had been a magical Monday night. I doubt I’ll ever have another like it.

Tuesday and we head to see another old bud. Mike Mastrangelo at Sanctuary Records. During the walk there I spoke to H and he told me that it was Bill Allerton that was instrumental in him meeting Roky's management prior to the CBS period. Things had all gone full circle and I'll have another box of this kinda mysterious ways action. Anyway, I digress, Mike is the archivist there and his most recent release is “Da Blood Done Signed My Name” by The Gun Club. Mike used to run the GC fan club which was sorta based on the LOTC model. He was only wee then and the first time we actually met was when I was covering the Lyceum gig for Sounds some 20+ big ones ago.

So after that it’s a cheeky Guinness on the Chiswick High Road and off to Highbury for a rendez with Messrs Thompson and Thewlis. Our mission to catch Suicide play a tiny club show at The Buffalo Bar as a warm-up to the Grinderman gig the following evening. As a bonus we caught what must be the best soundcheck I ever saw. “Ghost Rider”, “Che” and “Girl” in front of maybe 10 people. Seems like we were blessed. These two guys always were and will always be several leagues ahead of everything. What they do always comes directly from the gut. It seems like the only way. Electronic music can have soul and they mapped and continue to develop the form outside of conventional wisdom. During the actual show which is more of an event than a gig, I managed to burrow almost to the front for “Frankie Teardrop”. The crisp, clear shards of the sound that was evident at the soundcheck was being absorbed by the weave of bodies that formed a solid mass in the tiny venue. It wasn’t comfortable and it wasn’t meant to be.

It was a Saturday to Tuesday that’ll keep them there dreams smouldering for a wee while longer. The music of true originals and the company of damn nice people, that’s something we could all do with a little more of.

Brother Patrick reporting from the front line...

Jay Reatard live in Paris, Point Éphémère 16/6/2007

Le Point Ephemre is a great place for shows that used to be the docks, next to the Seine. That was the scene of the Born Badfest with Jay Reatard, backed by the Boston Chinks, the Magnetix & Deche Dans face.

Deche Dans Face (recent album is on Sub Pop) is a duo from Bordeaux composed of Pludwinski (Flytrap) and Dechmman (Soledad Brothers). They opened the evening’s entertainment with a garage punk lo-fi degenerate primitive blues (sort of) show. Some great tunes like “Zuzu (the motherfuckin’ dog)” and the Stones “Little By Little” but also a few boring, too long songs.

Then came another duo, the fantastic Magnetix: Looch Vibrato on guitar / vocals and Aggy Sanora on drums. Close your eyes and you’ll bet that should be at least 5 people on stage to make this much “noise” but it’s all down to an (athletic) guy and a (sexy) girl. All of their songs are catchy, fun, melodic and energetic. Magnetix are the best current French garage band, like a cross between Link Wray and the Gories. They have a bunch of singles and are just about to put out an album on Born Bad records.

Then came a short, brilliant set by the Boston Chinks who have a a great EP out on Goner. They opened for Jay on the other dates of this European tour.

3 out of the 4 BC’s (exit Mr bassman) came back a few seconds later to back Jay who is also the frontman of the Reatards, Lost Sounds and collaborator with countless other acts.
I’ve been a devotee since his Goner debut in 1997. “You Ain’t No Fun No Mo”, made when he was 17 is the wildest song I heard since Mad Mike & The Maniacs “The Hunch” and Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors “Scream”. In that genre. His solo album “Blood Vision”, with its Dwarves-ish cover is great. The songs / voice / high energy melodies. 4 singles have been released on 4 different labels and these are even better. More Devo oriented which may be the reason why some critics say that it’s new wave. Is “Blockhead” by Devo new wave ? If it is then ok, so I love new wave (but I didn’t know !) It was a short intense set (20 minutes, 10 songs). Jay is a kind of Jonathan Richman, in that, like Jojo, he gives his all. Mere words can’t describe the passion of this guy on stage. There are gigs coming up in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Italy & the Netherlands before they fly home to the USA. Check the schedule…

Roky at Hultsfred

also, don't forget Gearfest tomorrow, if you're in Stockholm!

If you've a hankering for hillbilly music, dear friend, then why not join Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. at Hank's Saloon this Saturday for a hearty helping of just that? Or come to Hank's merely because you like dive bars, loud music and cheap beer in a can. Either way. The details... SATURDAY, JUNE 23rd / HANK'S SALOON /46 Third Avenue (at the corner of Atlantic Ave.) in Brooklyn /No cover! /
11:00 -- Johnny Carlevale & His Band Of All-Stars
10:00 -- Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
9:00 -- The Wrong Reasons,
And, for your more refined tastes...
THURSDAY, JUNE 28th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD / (Our last Otto's show until August 30th!) /538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in Manhattan / Two big & bawdy shows, from 8:00 sharp 'til 10:00 /No cover! /
Yours truly, Michael,
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

There's a heap of information coming but it's taking a little longer to get back on the beam than expected. I'll try to assimilate all that as I gather my thoughts about London... got some rather bad news today also about an old compadre that's been somewhat sobering. That's been mulling around since Sandy sent me the link also. In such circumstances, blogging seems like a pretty futile exercise. Anyway, you'll be hearing from me and also Brother Patrick very soon. And now I have to go sort out a birthday present...

OK, I'm back and while gathering my thoughts about the last couple of three days I heard something on the tail end of the news. It sounded familiar but was done before I could see what it was. Then I fire up my e-mail and find the culprit in the latest missive from Bob Lefsetz. Those who haven't seen the final episode of The Sopranos maybe shouldn't view it but it's a shrewd shtick and no mistake.

Not sure if I have the will to ramble tonight but we'll see...

As I type, Suicide will be onstage opening for Grinderman. They'll also perform two songs, one of which is "Harlem" with Cave and co. The Frankies have it!

Being semi-incommunicado until tomorrow I figured I should check in and tell you that last night's Roky Erickson show was an unmitigated triumph. I even got to shake his hand. Jeez. More later...

Suicide (that's the band not the act) tonight hot on the heels of their Mojo award!

Those of you who missed Little Steven's BBC Radio 2 documentary about "Louie Louie" the other night can catch an archived copy for the next few days. You gotta go to...Louie And The G-Men.

On the fiftieth anniversary of its release, Steve Van Zandt tells how a song survived the wrath of J Edgar Hoover’s FBI to become one of the most performed, recorded and influential of all time.

In a somewhat misguided attempt to promote the large recordfairs that are helt in Utrecht twice a year, I've seen this city billed as "the vinyl capitol of the world". While this might be true enough four six days a year, the other 350 paint a rather different picture (no offence boys) Anyway, it's cool that right here in the year of our lord double 0 7, we've still got two tiny DIY set-ups that concentrate on puttin' out nothin' but 45s over here. A Fistful Of Records have been mentioned before in these, er, pages. Their latest is fine three tracker by Australia's Kamikaze Trio, who take on the Gun Club's Death Party in fine style, but really nail it on their own My Demons. Think of a punkier Scientists and your halfway there. The Platenclub Utrecht are dedicated to locatin' and releasin' previously unreleased Dutch beat and they've build up a small but solid roster over the years. Their most recent disc is by The Stylets from Roosendaal, a band that never had any records out in their day. Come To Me is a fantastic discovery that could easily fit on one of those "teen trauma"-type garage comps, crude sounds 'n all. While the flip is a Pretties styled take on High Heel Sneakers. Both records are well worth your while, so go bug these people for orderring info, and tell 'em who send ya...

Roky's in Sweden for Hultsfred, hope he has time to check out Säkert... 4 days to the RFH.

The Alan Vega show at The Roundhouse tomorrow is free, gratis. nada to get in. Curious.

These are strange, strange times...

A limited 45 (500 copies only in fetching clear vinyl) by 1990s and The Royal We paying tribute to Postcard Records is available now from Monorail Music and Hitherto in Glasgow. It's all DIY-mungous and comes in a hand folded, screened wrap. No two the same. Struck to mark the Six Cities event, it's £4.99 (plus postage) a pop from

dep@monorailmusic.com or Hitherto

You can see the process at the events section of the Hitherto site.

Also, coming up in Edinburgh during the Festival in August... Hamell on Trial and the David Lynch Documentary

More about those later though, there are chores to be completed and the flesh is weak.

PUNK Magazine is Back!!! Again and Again!!!

This new issue (#21) is (by reader request) a final tribute to everybody's favorite punk rock hangout: CBGB. It contains several interviews with people you might (and might not) expect to see in PUNK: Richard Lloyd, Lenny Kaye, H.R. (Bad Brains), Jayne County, Bobby Steele, Harley Flanagan, Alan Vega, Pete Koller, Roberta Bayley, Godlis, Jed Davis, Tibbie X and others. Plus we got exclusive photos of the Ramones, Bad Brains, Television, the Patti Smith Group, the Dead Boys, Blondie, Talking Heads, Destroy All Monsters, LES Stitches, Lester Bangs (with Birdland), The Jam, Suicide, the Cramps, Helen Wheels, James Chance, The Fall, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks, Nico, the Magic Tramps, Hilly Kristal and even some early CBGB graffiti. Plus we got some comic strips by Steve Taylor, Bruce Carleton, Rick Trembles and Avi Spivak. And just wait until you see what Robert Romagnoli did in this issue...

Brett Callwood - Sonically Speaking (impbooks)
Pretty much the same reservations I have about the Television book (reviewed below) can be lined up again when it comes to this new MC5 biography. The story is there, and pretty much accurate as far as I can tell, but again there's no heart and a serious lack of new insights. Callwood did talk to most of the surviving participants and the thing actually has some weight to it (as opposed to the magazine sized TV book) But nothing in here comes close to the kind of excitement generated by the A True Testimonial film. The author keeps his distance, seems to be afraid to step on people's toes and lacks the perspective to do the job right (he came to the band relatively late and writes for metal and musicians mags) The Testimonial disaster gets glossed over, even tho' it's probably the only thing able to (re-)affirm the band's importance to future generations.
Again there's the "selected discography", and coupled to the fact that there's no index it doesn't even work as a reference guide.
I don't wanna slag this off entirely 'cause it's not that bad, but anybody who has seen the film knows that there's a real story here; inspirational, glorious, tragic, but hardly ever does that come across in the pages of this book...