The Wreckless Wrigby report from Brother D in SF...

"well... lessee... they came on at midnight following first... a guy singing and playing dobro accompanied by a bagpipe player in a kilt (who's headed your way, so look out) and second... a local garage/punk outfit called the flakes. amy and the wreckless one walked in at 11:40pm, tuned up and then began at midnight. started with something about "you can't be a man w/o a beer in your hand" which had the punters hoisting their budweisers.

they took turns with songs but mostly they did eric stuff and the crowd was clearly there to see him. different crowd than amy had across the bay a few years ago. funny how things change... last time they were here (with marti jones), only a handful of people there even knew who eric was. this time they were yelling out his songs all night. (nothing like having your song in a movie!). amy played her gibson j45 acoustic and also what looked like an old solid body harmony eclectric. she also played some keys, most notably some great organ on eric's classic, "reconnez cherie" (always was my fave of his). didn't know she could play so well on keyboard. also didn't know eric was such a good bass player. he played fender bass now and then. but mostly he played his acoustic cutaway. the mix was bad. sound gal (why do all these dives have 20 yr old chicks doing the sound?)

blasted the guitars and you could barely make out amy's vocals. i complained but she said amy wasn't singing close enough to the mic. which was ridiculous. the crowd didn't notice tho cause they were into eric anyway. but amy was having a great time backing him up. and she did belt out a few... "i'm like rasputin" for instance -- that was great. and her songs were very well received. they were both really having a blast. wish eric would've tuned up in between songs now and then. anyways they did one song i wasn't familiar at all with... maybe new... "please be nice to her"... really excellent. they did eric's "semaphore signals" -- another one of my faves of his... and he talked about ian dury starting out as his drummer way back when. i can't remember all the songs... they did amy's "joey ramone" thing and "don't break the heart that needs you". eric did 33's and 45's while amy took a little break. they were having a blast together and kept going on-- finally warned that they only had 10 minutes before 2AM curfew.

they finished up with a sing-along "whole wide world" followed by "take the kash" which literally ended with the sound girl coming over the PA saying, "that's it, we have to close NOW, we love you eddie (sic) but we have to go". and off they went. i gave amy a bunch of guitar strings and told her "for keith" (did you read about that guy on her website?) and she thanked me. wanted to hang out but we had to split as we didn't have our wheels and the bus was coming.

what a night! hope they have as good a time up north. -- don

They could well still be onstage in Portland right now or maybe not even if it runs to the same schedule as SF. However, if you're in Seattle tonight (Sunday) then cancel any other plans and go see them there because it's the final show of this short trip...

Finally heard Malcolm Middleton's "We're All Going To Die" that everybody's banging on about. Should probably become the Scottish National Anthem rather than the Christmas #1. It's not bad but nary a patch on "Vi kommer att dö samtidigt" ("We Will Die At The Same Time").







Actually, there's a whole bunch of Säkert! stuff on YouTube from the shows last week so off down that particular rabbit hole I go. It includes a version of The Wannadies "My Hometown". "Nothing good on TV anyway..."

Well here's something that's making me feel better than any alleged cold remedy. Keeping the snotters and all that unpleasantness at bay... I keep hearing all this Led Zep and to be honest it's souring any postive memories I have. Bustling hedgerows notwithstanding, the TV ads in between Emmerdale and Coronation Street, were the final straw.

I'd rather have the 5 cd Simon and Garfunkel that followed it. However, if it's supreme rock (dude) thrills you're after then Santa will be hard pushed to come up with anything finer than this. From the liner notes to the presentation to the SOUND!, this is Norton delivering you from the fug bigstyle. And when I found myself mentioned in dispatches then that's gotta be the pinnacle and more than a little humbling. Like a R&R Nobel Prize or something, blimey. So anyway, this vinyl is posively smoking and I'd never heard the Bloodbrothers demos before so it's all something of a revelation. Performance-wise I think that all of these trump the "proper" version.

It's like they're possessed on the intersection of MC5 and E-Street Band. I wonder if Southside Johnny ever considered tackling "No Tomorrow"? It's a real thrill to hear the stuff that is familiar sounding so vibrant and not just hidden gems trapped on cassette or undernourished cdr. For full multi dimensional effect, you should plump for the vinyl but if your deck is on hiatus then dig on in to the compact disc. J mentioned before that this is mandatory and all I'm gonna tell you is that "Stay With Me" is flying out of the speakers right now and those guitars are killing me in the best sense of the expression.

Scott, HD and Andy all document the history along with Rich Nesin to complete an exercise that's been a long time coming. In the end, it's all about the songs and sch beasties don't really come any better than these. You can craw about Bobby Dylan and The Beatles but that slop isn't fit to touch the hem of HD's wrestling jacket! Ha, ha. HAH! They made me what I am today so blame them and I'm telling you, if they were to reform and play for you now then you'd be foaming at the mouth. What is that Eagles strapline that they're using lately? "Remember When Music Sounded This Good?" well, it still does if you know where to look and "Every Day Is Saturday" is positively chocka. God bless The Dictators and all they stand for, then now and for all fecking eternity.

RIP - Karlheinz Stockhausen

Friday night, stinkin' cold, throat feels like it has razor blades in it. And razor blades are so very punk rock, right? So listen to this radio thing with Holly George-Warren about Punk 365.
While you do that, I'm gonna crawl off and attempt to head off a full-blown lurghi.

(Thanks to Mr Arnoff for the link)

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Sunday 9th December @ 7.45pm
This month's Monorail Film Club presents an enchanting bittersweet tale of young lovers (menaced by parental ambition, unwanted pregnancy and the Algerian War), Demy’s dialogue is sung throughout to Legrand’s fabulous score.
Rich pastel colours and fluid cinematography situate the proceedings in a magical territory somewhere between reality and fairy tale.
The ending especially, is unforgettable.
Introduced by Duglas T Stewart.
GFT, Rose Street, Glasgow.

THE PRIMEVALS, THE PRISCILLAS
and THE NUNS

@ the DIRTY WATER tomorrow night...

Friday December 7th...

"Out now on A Fistful Of Records:

THE GRIEFS
Little Dutch Maid 7" e.p.
AFOR 012

A Fistful of Records offer this molten e.p. of The Griefs' own alchemical mixture of Hard Pop/Freakaboogie Rock & Roll. Out of Cincinnati, Ohio, and led by guitarist Eric Stein (former Greenhornes/Holly Golightly cohort) comes this fantastic 4 track wax attack, a sweet companion to their catalog on Spoonful Records. Great fun for any party, dance, orgy or student riot. Don't miss them this time!

Limited to 600 copies, pressed on virgin black vinyl, comes in silk-screened cardboard sleeve, this time not in 3 but in 4 colours! + hand numbered + awesome insert.

HOLLY JOLLY CHRISTMAS - GIRL TROUBLE - 'NUFF SAID!

The PROJECT-ABILITY exhibition for 2007 got underway at Mono in Glasgow last night. The Pastels, possibly getting in a wee practice before their Stockholm show this Friday, and Teenage Fanclub got things swingin' with two short sets to celebrate the event. Kicking off with their version of Yo La Tengo's "I Heard You Looking", the sound where we was standing was really outstanding. Too loud to hear the gibbering twonks that only go to shows for a blether. If you want to see what else they played, go to their messageboard. I will tell you that there was an ear-watering version of "Everything Flows" involved that was bordering on the Skynyrd. Top gear.

If you're on the West Coast USA, my dear friends WReckless WRigby, Amy Rigby and Wreckless Eric are (possibly) coming to your town so make them welcome. Kicking off in LA tomorrow, SF Friday and on to Portland and Seattle. This is quality entertainment, none of your rubbish so like I said, go see them. All going well, General Ciccone will report in to let us know what we're missing.

Heard something about The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen closing? That's not good. More when I find out what the flip is going on.

Well, the gallavanting is over and I don't have time to go into last night's TFC thing so will leave it until later... meanwhile there's this...

NORTON RECORDS • DECEMBER NEWSLETTER

Hey everybody! Now that we’ve started to descend from Cloud 9 (Sonics brain sprainer on November 4), we’re rallying to stay airborne with a mess of wildass shows and stuff! Check out the Sonics on the Norton myspace page—in this dame’s mind, 11/4/07, will remain engraved in memory as PURE BRAIN SPRAINING FLAME-ON SUPERBOSSITY!!!

• NORTON HOLIDAY SHOW & ASST. MAYHEM!
• HELL OFFICIALLY FROZEN OVER! NORTON GOES DIGITAL TODAY DEC. 4!
• BOBBY FULLER ON "20 UNSOLVED MYSTERIES" THIS WEEKEND!

• NORTON RECORDS HOLIDAY SPECTACULAR SAT. DEC. 15 - SOUTHPAW, BROOKLYN!
Join us as Mason meets Dixon as the Reigning Sound (with very special guest Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las) joins the A-Bones All-Star Revue featuring Roy Loney (original singer of the Flamin' Groovies), Handsome Dick Manitoba of the Dictators, soul legend the Mighty Hannibal, the Great Gaylord (the celebrated Sultan of Squat), the inflammable and chartbustin' Figures Of Light of It's Lame fame (first show in 35 years!) and introducing rock n' roll sensations Luis and the Wildfires making their East Coast debut plus the double barreled soul stylings of the Nouvellas (ex-Dansettes), four calling birds, three French hens, two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree! This won't be no silent night, baby! Washable duds recommended! All the hep stars will be hawking their records, shirts and assorted sundries at the show so you may want to attempt one-stop lazyboy holiday shopping at the event! We have been told by the club that this show will sell out - GET YOUR TICKETS NOW http://www.ticketweb.com/t3/sale/SaleEventDetail?dispatch=loadSelectionData&pl=&eventId=222099

FRI. DEC. 7 - KING KHAN AND BBQ SHOW/LIVEFASTDIE at Don Pedro's 90 Manhattan Ave., Brooklyn. The twin terrors are at it again at Brooklyn’s wettest watering hole yet! Don’t miss these super talented lads as they sing and swing their way into your lobes with their fantastic songs and heart-stopping delivery! Be sure to pick up Norton's latest yuletide single - Black Lips - Christmas In Baghdad/King Khan and BBQ Show - Plump Righteous complete with festive holiday sleeve! http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news/46352-black-lips-king-khan-bbq-show-split-xmas-7

SUN. FEB. 17 - THE A-BONES HIT THE WEST COAST!
BOSS HOSS BLOWOUT AT MR. T's BOWL, LOS ANGELES A-Bones attack LA at this fabulous Presidents Day three night (Feb. 15-17) festival featuring the Premiers of Farmer John fame (!!!) plus the unbelievable Flakes, Nikki Corvette (Miriam's teenage pen pal), Haunted George (Norton A&R genius who discovered the U-Turns), Ape City R&B, Rock N' Roll Adventure Kids, Guilty Hearts, Les Hormones… and much mo'! Look for updated info news next time! This is a rare chance to catch the A-Bones as they tear it up on the West Coast!!!

SAT. FEB. 23 - THE A-BONES BAM NEXT MUSIC FESTIVAL, MAGNETIC FIELD, BROOKLYN Back from their surfin’ safari, the A-Bones return to their tip top home stompin' ground hangeroo sporting tans, possibly but not probably!

HELL OFFICIALLY FROZEN OVER! EXTRA! EXTRA!
Direct from the press release:
Norton Records Digital Singles Collection In Stores Now!
Today, Norton Records blasts forth into the digital world with the release of I Hate CDs, a digital-only collection of forty-five 45RPM singles available at the click of a mouse for the very first time. Included in the collection are garage rock luminaries like ? and the Mysterians, power pop progenitors Big Star, distortion-inventors like Link Wray, original Shangri-Las lead singer
Mary Weiss, raunchy hillbilly weirdo Hasil Adkins, and punk rock touchstones the Ramones, whose original 1975 demo of "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" is easily one the collection’s standouts. For a sample of the rare recording, have a listen to a mock radio spot created by Norton, also including tastes of tracks from Herbie Duncan, Incredible Kings, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Shades of Night.What the press is saying about I Hate CDs:
"In my book, vinyl's not portable enough, and MP3s are barely there, so the CD is a perfect middle-ground medium. Obviously, a fair portion of the music consuming and producing public doesn't agree, including the folks at 21-year-old label Norton Records, who will release I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1 on December 4. I Hate CDs is a digital compilation of 45 45s from Norton's history, including tracks by the Ramones, Big Star, Screami
n' Jay Hawkins, Link Wray, ? and the Mysterians, Mary Weiss of the Shangri-Las, the 5.6.7.8's, the Sonics, and the Dictators. Okay, I'm convinced!" - Pitchfork

"This 45 track digital-only collection covers roughly 50 years of popular music history in nearly two hours of singles released by Norton in the last 20+ years. It juxtaposes the familiar (Judy is a Punk by The Ramones) with the fun (Readyman’s nightmarish take on Shortnin’ Bread) without neglecting the freaky (Don "Pretty Boy" Covay's ode to wife-swapping, Switchen in the Kitchen) or the basically frightening (Hasil Adkins). I don't care how much music you own,
unless you work for Norton, you are certain to hear something new. Plus, you likely won't have more fun listening to music this holiday season, unless of course you're doing the devil's business and listening to I Hate CDs." – My
Old Kentucky Blog

I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1 Tracklist:
01. DICTATORS - WHO WILL SAVE ROCK AND ROLL?
02. READYMEN - SHORTNIN’ BREAD
03. LEGENDARY STARDUST COWBOY - I HATE CD’s
04. BUNKER HILL - THE GIRL CAN’T DANCE
05. HERBIE DUNCAN - HOT LIPS BABY
06. ANDRE WILLIAMS - THE MONKEY SPEAKS HIS MIND
07. INCREDIBLE KINGS - THE LIMP
08. SCREAMING JOE NEAL - ROCK AND ROLL DEACON
09. DALE HAWKINS – NUMBER NINE TRAIN
10. RAMONES - I WANT TO BE YOUR BOYFRIEND
11. DON "PRETTY BOY" COVAY - SWITCHEN IN THE KITCHEN
12. 5.6.7.8’s - HARLEM SHUFFLE
13. DARYL BRITT AND THE BLUE JEANS - LOVER LOVER
14. JACK STARR - CHICKEN
15. MARY WEISS - A CERTAIN GUY
16. SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS - I HEAR VOICES
17. WADE CURTISS AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS - PUDDY CAT
18. KID THOMAS - ROCKIN’ THIS JOINT TO-NITE
19. SHADES OF NIGHT - FLUCTUATION
20. BIG STAR - SEPTEMBER GURLS
21. TRIUMPHS - SURFSIDE DATE
22. JOHNNY CLARK AND THE FOUR PLAYBOYS - JUNGLE STOMP
23. DOUG SAHM AND THE PHAROAHS - SLOW DOWN
24. REIGN - ZIPPERED UP HEART
25. ESQUERITA - ROCKIN’ THE JOINT
26. HASIL ADKINS - CHICKEN SHAKE
27. SONICS - BUSY BODY
28. DANNY ZELLA AND THE ZELL ROCKS - SAPPHIRE
29. JOHNNY POWERS AND THE A-BONES - NEW SPARK
30. MONACLES - I CAN’T WIN
31. LONG JOHN HUNTER – HEY MRS. JONES
32. REAL KIDS - ALL KINDSA GIRLS
33. RAMONES - JUDY IS A PUNK
34. SCOTTY McKAY - BAD TIMES
35. QUESTION MARK AND THE MYSTERIANS - ARE YOU FOR REAL?
36. ROY LONEY AND THE A-BONES - STOP IT BABY
37. STUD COLE - THE WITCH
38. ALARM CLOCKS - MARIE
39. CREATIONS - BETTER WATCH OUT
40. SABRES - MY HOT MAMA
41. HENTCHMEN - HOT ROD MILLIE
42. JERRY McCAIN AND HIS UPSTARTS - A CUTIE NAMED JUDY
43. UNKNOWN GROUP - I’VE HAD ENOUGH
44. NEANDERTHALS - TWINKLE TOES
45. LINK WRAY AND THE RAYMEN – VENDETTA

Go Here To Buy I Hate CDs:

iTunes
http://phobos.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAlbum?id=267268959&s=143441

Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Hate-CDs-Records-Singles-Collection/dp/B000XXU5FO/ref=sr_f3_1?ie=UTF8&s=dmusic&qid=1196778624&sr=103-1

eMusic
http://www.emusic.com/album/Various-Artists-I-Hate-CD-s-Norton-Records-45-RPM-Singles-Collect-MP3-Download/11109228.html

Check out the nifty radio spot (featuring boss DJ Rex from Fool's Paradise!)
for the set at:
http://www.myspace.com/nortonrecords

BOBBY FULLER FANS! THIS SUNDAY- SUNDAY- SUNDAY!
Hot on the heels of Norton's pair of early Fuller albums (Norton ED-325 and ED-326) comes a TV special on unsolved crimes and mysteries which includes Bobby, among others. Let's see what they've come up with! Check out E! Entertainment television's 20 SHOCKING UNSOLVED CRIMES at the times below: Sunday December 9th at 8:00 PM (ET/PT)
Repeats Wednesday, December 12th at 8:00 PM (ET/PT)
Friday December 14th at 9:00 AM (ET/PT)
Saturday, December 15th at 1:00PM (ET/PT)

FOND FAREWELLS TO A COUPLE OF TRUE STARS....

FABULOUS MOOLAH
By Miriam Linna
Mary Lillian Ellison, known to all of us as the Fabulous Moolah, passed away at the age of 84 on November 2, apparently of complications from shoulder replacement surgery. If anybody’s shoulders needed replacement, they’d be Moolah’s, top womens wrestling champion icon who was known for her savage flying head scissors and flying drop kick. My dear friend Michelle was a great fan of
Moolah’s Flying Mare move, which she practiced routinely on my mane. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Moolah: "A flying mare is when you get a girl by the hair of the head and pull her over your shoulder, then slam her to the mat as hard you can. And I love doing that." We all had the enormous thrill and privilege of meeting Moolah at a Cauliflower Club Dinner in 1997, where she glided about in a sizzling sequined gown, perfectly coifed and preened, a soft-spoken star with pizzazz to spare. Moolah, thanks for showing what a girl can do! PS: One of the original band named considered by the Dictators when they were starting out making a racket, was THE FABULOUS MOOLAH!! Just ask Manitoba!

****************
JERRY DALLMAN
by Billy Miller
We received shocking news of the recent passing of Jerry Dallman, the DC area rock n' roll star who scored a solid 1958 hit with The Bug (dig it in John Waters' HAIRSPRAY). It was the A-Bones' long time pal, film director Jeff Krulik (HEAVY METAL PARKING LOT) who'd first hooked the band up with Jerry in 1991. We all became fast friends. Our group backed Jerry up about ten times, usually at the late, great DC Space in Washington DC. Whenever we'd go to DC, the local gang wanted to know if Jerry was making the scene and it was always a huge thrill for all of us whenever he did. I'll never forget Jerry and the Great Gaylord bringing the house down with Don and Dewey's A Little Love at DC Space. We covered Time Machine on our Life Of Riley LP, which was originally done by Jerry's band the Knightcaps. Jerry had an unreal knowledge of early DC rock n' roll and always thrilled us with wild tales of Link Wray, Bunker Hill, Terry and the Pirates and so many others. The A-Bones last backed Jerry at the Link Wray Tribute night in Rockford, Maryland in 2006 and he was, as always, fantastic. Jerry, on behalf of Bruce, Miriam, Lars, Marcus, Gaylord and myself, I thank you for the inspiration, friendship and may you forever rest in peace.

MORE NORTON WAX COMIN' IN JANUARY…

Vinyl reissue of the Dictators' 1977 platter MANIFEST DESTINY complete with original doofus cover and incredible Andy Shernoff anthems like Science Gone Too Far, Exposed, Heartache, Young Fast And Scientific and mo'!

THE BO-KEYS - CONGRATULATIONS/ROYAL PENDLETONS - TELL ME
Our popular Rolling Stones 45 cover series continues with our 19th nervous breakdown, yes the 19th single in the series! This double dip of slow drag burners showcases the Mad Lads lead singer John Gary Williams teaming up with Memphis soul sensations the Bo-Keys on the terrific topside, while Southern slop lords the Royal Pendletons tell us they're coming back to us in grand style!

For More Nortonic Information:
http://www.myspace.com/nortonrecords

The thought of dragging my carcass into Glasgow last night was pretty daunting. I first came into contact with the band Lucero by way of a documentary called "Dreaming In America". Since seeing this, my brother has become a major fan of this archetypal "road band" in the oldest school sense of the word. Drive By Truckers crossed with Uncle Tupelo and a side of Bachman Turner Overdrive or maybe Jason and the Scorchers drizzled in BOC. Anyway, these guys are considerably more able to hold your attention than The (vastly overrated and way over-choreographed for my monet) Hold Steady. Building a following steadily over the years they have a legion of diehards that follow them. Two American couples beside me in the crowd, screamed every word in time and knew every tempo change. It was kind of overwhelming to see something with this much potential to go thermo-nuclear play to maybe 70 people.

It went on a little long for my liking but almost everything does. What can't be said is that Lucero don't give at least 150%. When they really hit their stride, the resultant concussion taking me back to the days in the stalls at the Glasgow Apollo like a battle flashback. Trying to give the bouncers the slip to make it down the front. If you want to rock, then this would be a better place to drop your dough than these upcoming Zeppelin shakedowns.

There is much potential for growth in terms of audience numbers. Next time they'll probably be able to sell out King Tut's or a bigger venue even. Nice'n'Sleazy is a good enough place to play, I just hate the name and the fact that it reminds me of a bunch of punk bandwagoneers that I've actively loathed for more than 3 decades. But anyway, I KNOW some of you would love Lucero. What they deal in is simple, direct, sweaty and straight outta Memphis.

So here we are in the run up to the silly season. I'm still trying to circumnavigate this trapped nerve malarky and might well have to relent and make a doctors appointment. But what's a little discomfort here and there... so the last few days have been something of a blur and not on account of the painkillers. T'was grand to see Captain Graboff who was in the 'hood with Ryan Adams. Along with Captain Kruickshank we sampled the Ashoka take on the dumpakht. Three thumbs up. Perhaps even six.

Another quick hit and run on the DWC on Friday night. Suzy Y Los Quattro were in town for their second show there of 2007. The Pretty Things were playing across town someplace but the real action was being served up here.

So, French trio, The Sonic Angels kicked off the bill in finest swamp psychedelia style kicking out a thick, grungey soup of a sound. Not sure what the recordings sound like, their myspace banjo'd my internut connection, but came across as pretty bloody choice from where I was standing. The band had been the victims of a gear theft earlier in the day but didn't seem to let that get in the way of providing some loud, dirty Panther Burns taking on Hawkwind kinda rock action.

Mark and the Spies from The Netherlands were next. Their grasp on the sixties beat handbook is tight indeed. I have a pretty low threshold for bands that simply copy what they percieve to be the right moves but these guys are truly great. From their matching apparel to their chops, there's a degree of soul involved and an understated sense of perfomance. They're equal parts Rutles to any of the more obvious comparisons that could could be made. Mark and the Spies are authentic but never precious and that's a rare commodity in these identikit, cut and paste times.

And well, Suzy and co are completely sublime. This is a big, big thing getting ready to bust out at full speed. The pop shrapnel will embed itself in anybody who can clock a great tune. Performance-wise it's just total fun and a contagious dousing in the finest rifforama that is available anywhere. A reminder of how it can be away from the constant barrage of unworthy suspects that purport to be popular. Kicking off with a new tune "Delighted To see You", the feeling was undoubtedly mutual. Their new drummer, Yuri, is setting in nicely and can deliver the beat punctuation that is required to propel such powerful pop action. The band is in the midst of preparing the as-yet untitled follow up to "Ready To Go". Four of the new songs were aired and they fit like a glove. Building on the framework that they've made so effortlessly their own. The world could sure use the tonic that they seem to have the recipe for. BB Quattro is shaping up as quite a tunesmith and "H-A-T-E" is a glambunctious stomp which somehow conjures up Le Hoodoo Gurus "Leilani" and "I Wanna Be Sedated" without sounding anything like either. It was some kind of sonic fugue that just collided in the tilt volume. Loud and altogether clear. I know there's no such thing as justice but these kids mean business.

I've no idea what being a proud parent feels like but figure I got an inkling watching and listening to this. And it's all so good hearted. that as much as anything is what makes it special. The means of getting the message out to those who need it most is fraught with bollocks these days. Taking it to the highways and byeways is the onlt certified way to connect.

And boy/girl, do these kids connect. At home in Spain, and in countries like Japan, audiences are way more sophisticated. Their tastebuds are in tune with stuff that isn't a fad. And SYLQ might seem like a simple pop ensemble but they're actually way more. They've taken the Ramones/Blondie axis and skewered it with Dictator-ial guitar licks. Sure, certain aspects might remind you of both of those but only momentarily. This isn't nostalgia. These guys weren't even born when what became to be labelled as "Punk" was born. The way they've joined up the positive musical dots to arrive at their sound is nothing short of a miracle. If it sounds derivative to you then you're not fucking listening. This deserves to go straight to this bridge and the next. When the band launched into "Lipstick To Japan", a very eyecatching girl in black bounded to the front. I hope she was caught on camera but I digress... have a look at this Ray Fury clip from Friday.



Hopefilly, it'll become possible for them to traverse the world and that Suzy will have her own "contact lense roadie" to make sure that events like last Friday won't happen again. Suzy Y Los Quattro are straining at the leash. If they were to make a serious attempt at global domination then I hope you'll all pile aboard the campaign.

BB is all fired up and ready to move mountains if necessary. By March 2008 we should be a little clearer with regard to strategy, so watch this space for further bulletins.

Meanwhile, with regard to the Dirty Water then this coming Friday, Glasgow's "ain" Primevals will be giving it laldie with The Priscillas and The Nuns. By all accounts Fridays' warm up show was some kind of religious experience so you wouldn't want to miss out on a pre-christmas one o' those now wouldyer?

Anybody who is in getting to distance of Brighton should cease what you're doing now and make your way to the Punker Bunker. Suzy and co will be whoopig it up with The Surfin' Lungs and I couldn't make it because of a prior engagement. So I'm looking for some representation there, OK? See you tomorrow...

A guid St Andrews Day to all of you. Celebrations will take place in Glasgow with The Primevals and in "the London" with honorary Scots Combo Suzy and the Fower! Not sure how many kilts will be involved in that. No time to gab, I'm having a saltire tattooed on to my map in about tewnty minutes. Catch you on the flipside, or at the bar in the DWC.

THE PRIMEVALS LAUNCH THEIR NEW ALBUM "THERE IS NO OTHER LIFE AND THIS IS IT" in GLASGOW, TOMORROW NIGHT (30th).

The show is at The Twisted Wheel in Queen Street and the band "should be on at 10pm-ish". Plus it's free, but you'll want to score a copy of the cd, natch. St. Andrew's night might actually go with a bang this time out...

Sure was good to get a bulletin frae J. It never got what you'd call light here until it was practically time for the sun to go down. On top of the rather depresso outlook on that score, I've trapped a nerve in my left should/arm and it isn't half gowping so I'll keep this brief. Paracetamol and Codeine for tea, yummy!

There's a broadcast of Säkert! live from the summertime back yonder somewhere, I think recorded in Ms Norlin's hometown of Östersund?

You remember the summer? When there's actually daylight? Anyway, that's on p3 live tonight at 9.30 Stockholm time (8.30pm in the UK).

It would be good to experience some light, day or otherwise... however, those in Bristol, London and Brighton will be catching considerable rays from these fine folks starting tonight...

"Calling Brother Jeroen, where you at?" asked our chief in command.

Well first off, I've been dealin' with some digi-phobia where my pc was taken over and used to send out ungodly amounts of spam, slowin' down my pace on the information highway considerably! But the main thing I was "bein' at", and still am as a matter of fact, is bein' busy. Not in the hip-hop sense of "gettin' busy" but life in general. You know; raising my son, reading books, work, preparing meals, shopping or just going out for a short hike to catch some fresh air. That, and a lot of other stuff kinda puts the rockin' stuff on the back-burner at times. Not that I'm living in total silence these days; I carry my iPod around wherever I go: the train, the kitchen, just plug it in in whatever is available and hit shuffle mode. Havin' the time to sit down and listen all the way thru' a 70 minute CD is a rarity these days.
That said, I'm diggin' the heck outta Norton's long promised Dictators archival waxin' Every Day Is Saturday! It's effin' great to finally have this stuff at hand on a proper format instead of hissy tapes or accident prone CDRs. A mandatory purchase for every NBT reader! From the same label comes a solid collection from the Justice label vaults, full of prime six-o garage scree that's well worth part of your paycheck. Good, good stuff...
If you dig yellowed age old fanzines as much as I do, you'll be happy to learn that the legendary Canadian 'zine Denim Delinquent now has a cool website where you can get a taste of what in recent years was only available to big spenders like Chris Stigliano. D.D.'s contributors included both Lester Bangs and Jeremy Gluck, so you know you're in for a cool ride...

There's more, plenty more, but I gotta go catch some sleep...

Indeed, tired of leftovers, dear friend? Then kindly let the good folks at Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. set the table anew!

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 29th /OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD TIKI BAR & LOUNGE /
538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in Manhattan's quaint "East Village", NYC / Two piping hot shows, from 8:00 sharp until 10:00 / No cover charge -- and featuring a FREE RAFFLE of SEMI-FABULOUS PRIZES conducted by the mysteriously alluring RAFFLE GIRL! /

Holiday on- Sincerely, Michael
Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues"
http://www.SITandDieCo.com
http://myspace.com/sitanddieco
http://www.ottosshrunkenhead.com

Sohodolls get in the spirit with this old Hanoi Rocks chestnut...

And if you can't make it yonder in NYC, then stop off at the Soul Shack in cyberspace from the comfort of wherever you fiddle about on this contraption o' yours. Bit of a primer for your Hives fix next week and a bunch of other stuff from them Netherlands. Calling Brother Jeroen, where you at?

RIP - Michael Blodgett (Lance Rocke)

My mind detector is on the blink again but while I figure out if it's just the batteries or something more serious, here are a couple or three things to keep you amused...

Groovy record sleeves of every persuasion (link courtesy of Lloyd)

Dion was on "Later with Jools Holland" last night. That was a surprise.

Francis Macdonald's directorial video debut for the new Attic Lights single, "God". Coming as a limited edition 7" on December 3rd. Reminds me of The Mockers - that has to be a good thing.

And talking of them, SUZY Y LOS QUATTRO are at the DWC this coming Friday night (30th). See you down the front.

Teenage Fanclub Benefit Show

& Exhibition at Mono

Tuesday 4th December 2007

Mono is hosting a Fundraising Benefit Gig for Project Ability on the 4th December.

The night kicks off with the launch of a new Project Ability Exhibition at 7pm.

Doors open for the concert at 8.30pm featuring: Teenage Fanclub plus Pastels DJ set

Tickets on sale at Mono - £5 (in aid of Project Ability)

I hope our US friends are whooping it up on their Thanksgiving holiday today. There was definitely a twinge of jealousy present as I drove through the murk toward Mordor this morning. There were a bunch of things you might care to check out in the dying embers of that NMD travesty yesterday. Your old mate and mine, Sid Griffin was on on Tom Morton's show talking about his new book, Million Dollar Bash. And on Iain Anderson there was Amy (W)Rigby, Wreckless Eric and Kapt. Kruickshank. You can listen to these via the Listen Again feature. There are a lot of great stations in the ether these days and Radio Weasel is a must listen. You almost don't have to collect anything these days. It's possible to hear stuff that's new to you all over the shop. An attractive alternative to clutter. Listening to some of the "talking about music" piffle on Radio Scotland yesterday certainly has me thinking about jettisoning the whole sorry palaver.

Scunnered. That's the expression that best describes the vibe around here at the minute. It seems to take forever to complete the simplest task. The general outcome is generally fraught also and largely results in wondering "why bloody bother". I honestly don't care whether Led Zeppelin will tour or not. However, I did find this little STEREO TOTAL interview thing and figured I'd share it. If the world cared more about seeing Francoise and Brezel then maybe it'd be a better place. And oh yeah, I saw Zeppelin in 1972 for £1. The tickets will have to be the same price for me to even consider it. But anyway...

It seldom, if ever, comes any better than this...

So what about this No Music Day bollocks then? BBC Radio Scotland seems to have bought into this Bill Drummond chestnut and tomorrow (Wednesday) will be NMD. What will they do with the money they save?

You heard of WMD and where that got us, well I wonder what'll happen as a result of this? Most likely sod all but talk about disenfranchising your audience. But anyway, it's happening and some of the more inspired methods of circumnavigating this stupidity will become apparent throughout the day. No Shite Music Day, I could live with and, of course ,any day without the completely stage-managed "Get It On" is perhaps not all bad, so maybe Drummond has done us a favour on that score.

It's all done under the auspices of appreciating music more by giving it up for a day. Will the common five-eighth give a crap? I expect not. Somebody told me that the idea came from a situation of the brains behind this being in HMV and there was nothing for him to buy or something. It's possibly not even true but if it is, why the hell was he in there? Was Zavvi or whatever it's called, shut? But for part of a one-time institution like the BBC to rubber-stamp such a venture? Now that's simply wrong. And what about we licence payers, don't we get a say?? Not tomorrow but there will be repercussions down around the bend. There have to be, if only in the name of mischief. I hope there will be a no talking day or a no sports day to follow, in the interests of fairness and balance. No compy's and now this. How many more rungs is this once proud "brand" set to slip down? E-mail the BBC in CAPITALS! Tell them that their collective "jaicket" is on a shakey nail and make sure it's the heirarchy that get it in the neck. Divots.

Still not making much progress on the Facebook front. All that biting and attacking by werewolves and other creatures of the nights isn't really doing it for me. It staggers me to think about how much time some folks must spend on there. And i'm not easily staggered but anyway, I'm off now to look at the Skeleclips that I didn't have time to check out this morning.

The Skeletons - new live hootch (link courtesy of Lloyd)

I don't have the energy or the notion to blog tonight. My eyesight is shot to buggery from the glare of headlights and concentrating on driving though heavy rain. Reading the miniscule print on cd packaging? Not happening. I've lollygadded this far another day or so ain't gonna upset any applecarts. If this mood changes or I'm assaulted by anything that resembles inspiration then I'll be back. But don't hold them breaths...

Woah, Roy's back with a solid smoker that could well be his most consistent album since "Out After Dark". "Shake It" runs a little over 36 minutes in total and leaves most collections I've heard recently in the dust. By the time we get to "The Great Divide", the patented jangle is hitting all the right spots. What an amazing sound, taking a Dylanesque backdrop and turning it into a heartstring tugging tour de force. Roy Loney is one of the great rock'n'roll singers. Period. This latest Career Records release is a complete testament to that. Utterly timeless, there's quite a team on this 12 song belter. The cast includes one Deniz Tek, Jim Sangster and Scott McCaughey all weighing in to provide the perfect bolster. Be it psychedelically psonic on "Subterranean Waterfalls" or psychotic reactionary ala "Don't Like Nothin'" (not the Amy Rigby song) there are many cool subtleties on display. Great songs played damn well with no hint of mollycoddling. You almost never hear that anymore so that makes this all the more disarming. That oboe on "Hamlet's Brother, Happy" is bloomin' exquisite.

I can think of no higher compliment than the fact that it sounds like he's being backed by The Skeletons except that he's not. That's how complete that these guys have nailed it. "Looking For The Body" is top notch pub rock, or I think they'd call it tavern in the climes that this was made. Anyway you call it, this'll put a big fat smirk on your chops.

Brother Patrick tells me there's a Spanish Ep doing the rounds too. I'll have to get back to you on that score. Meanwhile, I hope he can bring some of these vibrations in the direction of Europe sometime soon. One of the nicest guys in the business has made one of the best albums you could hope to hear in these times of relatively slim pickings. "Shake it or Leave It" swings. Cop an earful and you will too.

No, I won't be going to see the Sex Pistols tonight in a huge barn in Glasgow. I've moved on... or have I. Anyway, spurred on by these annoying gift ideas in all manner of media, here's something that you, or your significant other/friend might actually get a kick out of.

Bearing more than a similarity to a half brick, this book of photos will keep you occupied for days. What's more it's cheap enough to buy two copies and you could actually frame your favourites. Assembled by Holly George-Warren, with a foreword by Richard Hell, it has images from the punk rock wars by people who were in the trenches. That's what they were called before they were christened moshpits. These individuals include David Arnoff, Roberta Bayley, Nancy Breslow, Stephanie Chernikowski, Theresa Kereakes and Danny Fields.

Anyway everybody you'd expect to be featured is pretty much here and there are a few surprises too. It's a total blast. So check out Amazon UK and US and splash out. This isn't something you want to be carrying back from a bookshop, unless you're up for a spot of weight training.

Haven't heard it yet but...

Available now from Dirty Water Records!

Halfway through November already, it'll be 2008 before we know it. Actually, the way it's going, it'll be 2010 at least before I have a scoob. A mix of circumstance and technology has conspired with a basic inability to be arsed. Anyway I try to square it, we're talking about some serious deck clearing to a life laundry extent. It would also be useful to try and get my bloody jukebox fixed or even establish if this is indeed possible. Finding someone to undertake such an activity hasn't proved easy but it's a high priority. But anyway, General Johnson and Joey Ramone are on Cake, it's Friday night and I'm going noplace anytime soon and this thing is being turned off in about 10 minutes. There are Curb's to be viewed and I need to know what happens to LD.

ladies and gents....

Saturday is mad scary for me, since I'll be playing alone. So if you live in the new york area, come out! Parkside Lounge presents Gotham Blowout with Emma Vikingskull, Dj's and Go Go Dancers. PAY WHAT YOU WANT (100 % goes to starving swede in new york city) AND OPEN BAR (or one dollar drinks for whoever's not a jerk or foreign). Parkside Lounge: 317 Houston St, btwn attorney and suffolk (no worries, it's just where ave b and c turns across the street). 21 + or fake id's. Acoustic goes massmedia chaos with distorted sounds and monkey growls. Various songs from various times/countries and in various tempos (not really, but it reads good). Great covers of course to save up for whatever might lack in my own work. Cover choices should be a surprise, but some Vagrants is to be expected. I'll take requests from now til' sat at 10:00 pm. I go on at 10:30 pm, the open bar is btwn 10-12.

SATURDAY IS NOW ALSO SUNDAY AT FONTANA'S... every sunday, you know this by now. See www.myspace.com/lexicondevils for more info on. but.... YOU SHOULD KNOW THIS BY NOW

MONDAY.....PUB NIGHT AT OTTO's SHRUNKEN HEAD! Finally it's the third monday of this month. Special guest dj for the night is HARRY FLOWERS. She's a cool bird from the UK that has a flourishing love for the music of her country and more so, what they produced in the nineteensixtees. Psychic Drive live on stage at 10:00. The Pub is always free and it's always rocking with swinging pubrock and cheap booze. And your host Vikingskull, of course. Flyer attached. more info on www.myspace.com/thepubnyc

Coming up in December, except what might be the best pub night of them all... Norton's mutherfukkin' holiday show, starring Reigning Sound (with guest appearance from Mary Weiss), The Nouvelles and A-Bones with guests - Roy Loney, Handsome Dick, Figures of Light, The Great Gaylord and probably some more. December 15th.
The Pub on December 17th has been in the works since the summer. I will reveal details in my next newsletter.

For you swedes who can't attend the shows. www.vikingskull.blogspot.com new york och musik bloggen rullar på som vanligt med uppdateringar nästan varje dag.

As for The Jadewalkers, well, we hope to keep Rico. He was awesome at our last show and he also dresses really sharp. And yeah, he's a rockin' bass player. Jadewalkers might play in Dec, details tba, but most likely we'll be going underground polishing our set and our new members til' we head out of town beginning of next year.

hope to see you limeys out.

Emma Vikingskull

There was cause, last night, to go into town. This is something I avoid at all costs but sometimes needs must and all that. With the impending festive explosion gaining momentum, the stores are full of crap that they expect people to buy. Mounds of stuff. Absolute and utter waste in terms of money, effort and existing in the first instance. Then I noticed the Virgin store "rebrand". If ever there was a pointless exercise then this must be a textbook case. The shopping areas take on the general aspects of a Romero scenario at an accelarated rate at this time of the year. Calling them headless chickens would be damning 'em with certifiable praise. And they're not zombies either though because such a beastie wouldn't deean themselves by slothing along the pavie staring at a mobile phone screen. Walking along the precinct, I genuinely felt utterly detached from the whole thing. I was actively looking forward to getting to the dentist, at least there was some purpose involved in that. Despite the sign that says "NO MOBILE PHONES" in the waiting room, it doesn't deter the jones of your average patient. Oh, no. Perhaps it doesn't apply to them? What is it with the hold these fucking devices have over people? Could somebody explain it to me because I have no idea. And why don't I have the desire to gaze into these things. What's wrong with me? To quote the old A&R (that's Angel and Rich) chestnut. They'll possibly say "There's nothing wrong with you" but there must be. Mustn't there?

However, there is sanity and great, great writing at Amy Rigby's Blog to sooth the savage beast. Savour it, because I know I do. Hopefully the gremlins that have been plaguing this pc have been banished. Only time will tell but I'm done for the night either way. Tomorrow is allegedly another day...

Lenny Helsing has recovered enough to file this Cavestomp field report...

New York Cavestomp 2007: Warsaw, Greenpoint, Brooklyn NYC

Friday November 2nd

First group on the bill, at 8pm sharp on this first night of New York Cavestomp 2007 were The Staggers, all the way from Austria. The compere for tonight’s party was Peter Zaremba, vocalist with The Fleshtones – who would play on Sunday, the final night… more later. The Staggers play wild, uninhibited frat-shake punky garage-style rock’n’roll slop that makes most of the punters that are lucky to be there early come out from the venue’s nooks ‘n crannies, and the adjoining bar too, and out into the main hall to jump ‘n dance, ‘n shout. The Staggers were a great fun group to start this party for sure… action a plenty, grunts and screams, the focus on raw energy, with front man Evel carrying on in the grand tradition of the mighty Screaming Lord Sutch, there was even horror-fun with a big plastic knife which was brought out during ‘The Ripper’…one of the other highlights for me was ‘Out Of Your Mind’, or maybe it was ‘Out Of My Mind’…well it was great whatever it was called…

NY garage veterans The Outta Place were on next… I remember them from way back in the mid-80s; they made a right old fuzzy rumble on that mini-LP they had out back then, on Midnight or somethin’?… anyway I was lookin’ forward to hearin’ these fuzzed-up scuzzballs here at Cavestomp, but I have to say I was mightily underwhelmed; the sound they got was actually pretty sludgy and muddy and way too heavy, as opposed to fuzzy and rumbly, which rendered most things they did kinda overly sludgy and muddy …so therefore I didn’t really watch them for any length of time, preferring instead to see if I could catch up with any folks I knew, and drink some more of our crap (but free) piss, I mean beer… No Polish beer for the artists, we got Budweiser instead. Ouch!!!

Then it was the turn of The Satelliters, an uptempo swinging garagey rock outfit from Germany. I’ve seen this bunch before, and even played on the same concert bill with them too at one of the Festival Beat events in Italy a good few years ago. They got the by now sizeable crowd going a bit and they are good players and all that, but they just don’t really do it for me I’m afraid. I know, this may be just my problem, but that’s OK I can live with that. For me, if I’m being honest, a lot of what they play is rather unexciting to listen to. They’re not a bad group by any means, but they come across as a little pedestrian, you know, garage-by-numbers sort of thing. By this time though I was probably zoning out a bit anyway, getting ready for my lot The Thanes to take the stage…the nervous system working overtime, excitement and adrenalin pulsing, as we were on next, well what can I say. The crowd were certainly getting well into the spirit of things that’s for sure and more and more people were crowding around the stage by this time…Smash! Twaaaang! Boom! Screeee! Bang! Crash! And it’s all over, phew! Ha ha! Everyone we spoke to, or that came up and spoke to us afterwards said we were really great, and really different sounding, with a real loud, clear sound cutting right through.

The anticipation … now… of finally getting to witness the legendary and downright awesome group The Sonics was really palpable, the stomach-churning thrill-in-waiting was really getting to me for sure, and then when these fucking righteous demi-gods of real ‘60s garage punk took the stage I swear there were like showers of sparks flying through the air everywhere I looked… Hitting us hard with ‘He’s Waitin’ was a great opening move and they never really let us down all night…’Have Love Will Travel’ had everyone bouncing around the place with smiles this big, and ‘The Hustler’ was just as it should be. And of course ‘Strychnine’ was positively seething with unadulterated punk rock’n’roll power. Gerry Roslie was on keyboards and lead vox, Larry Parypa was on lead guitar, Rob Lind was on sax. These cats were the absolute real deal, from the original ‘60s Sonics. They were ably joined by bass player Ricky Lee Johnson, ex- of The Wailers, and Paul Revere & the Raiders, and drummer Don Wilhelm, ex- of The Daily Flash. They were mind-bogglingly great at times, with a tough, no-nonsense sound to match. They even slowed it a little (just once I think) for a great rendering of ‘Boom’ LP classic ‘Don’t Be Afraid Of The Dark’ before gnashing and tearing it up back into the likes of ‘You Got Your Head On Backwards’, ‘Shot Down’, and the killa-dilla rocker ‘Boss Hoss’…I was real glad too that they chose to include such inimitable groovers as ‘Maintaining My Cool’ and ‘Like No Other Man’. Things finally came to an end after an absolutely deadly version of ‘Psycho’. By now of course the crowd were literally baying for more, more, more! This was rewarded too when the group jumped back on stage flinging out their brilliant interpretation of the global frug-u-like ‘Louie Louie’ and then sax-player Rob Lind wanted some extra audience participation during the chorus of what will be their eternal signature tune, ‘The Witch’. Rob certainly got it, and how! Waaaaargghhhhhh-hooooooooooo! OK so some people who witnessed this said that Roslie doesn’t really scream any more like he used to and that lead guitarist Parypa was a little hit and miss on occasion, but so what when it's this good. And get this, and get real… it is not 1965 anymore, and it was not the group lip-synching along to ‘Here Are The Sonics’ and ‘The Sonics Boom’ which would have been a total travesty, and very lame indeed. No, this was The Sonics, here and now, and the overall Sonics-ness of the performance was absolutely frightening to witness. Uniquely them, there’s no mistaking that sound.

Saturday November 3rd

Today was the big day for the WFMU record fair, up in Manhattan’s W 18th St. So we Thanes and Wildebeests and various others met up there. Crikey, that is one hackuva huge hall, and I have to admit I was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of records on display, so I just stayed in one corner, beside Todd Abramson and Billy ‘n Miriam’s Norton stall. That would do me just fine! Anyway, onto the New York Cavestomp’s Second night…Man, it was always gonna be so so hard to beat the previous night’s shenanigans, but here we go anyway… Peter Z was still on MCing duties and tonight’s pre-and-post band DJ was none other than “Switched On” Audrey Moorehead, who spun some seriously cool ‘n groovy platters. The previous night we were treated to boxes of 45s by DJ Pokomonojeff - erratic, hell yeah, but great too!

Up first onstage, again 8pm sharp - no pressure lads - were the UKs newest and greatest group, from Sandgate (read Folkestone) The Higher State. I love this group a lot and I think if you were down the front like I and some others were, then the sound was actually OK, not great, not too loud, but still OK. However the farther back you went it seems the sound all but disappeared, especially Mike Warren’s drums and frontman Marty Ratcliffe’s Rickenbacker 12-string. The group’s vocalists Marty and Mole you may recall as part of The Mystreated a good few years back, and the group’s sound is really something like an evolved version of that combo. Nice folk-punk jangle one minute, savage revved-up fuzz attack with layered psychedelic edges the next, and some cool vocal harmonies coming through. Their LP ‘From Round Here’ (also the title of their opening number) is out now on Misty Lane, and there’s a great new single too ‘And In Time’ / ‘If We Don’t Realise’ out now on their own Higher State label.

The Urges, outta Dublin, Ireland were the next bunch to take the stage and with the crowd expanding all the time, they made certain to entertain. They’re young, brash, and full of rock’n’roll attitude. They have an all-action vocalist in Jim Walters, a Greg Prevost of The Chesterfield Kings-type, ’87 style, jumping around, howling, preening and pouting while the group, including Rosco on bass, Glen on lead guitar and Ken Mooney on drums pound out (mostly) three-chord garage raunch behind him. The titles say it all: ‘You’re Gonna Find Out’, ‘You Don’t Look So Good’, ‘So Uptight’, ‘Curse It All’. Sometimes they sneak in little creepy sections where organist / rhythm guitarist Gary Clarke gets a bit of the limelight, and off-beat bridges here and there that take their sound outta the normal? riffage they’re so fond of, and for me that’s when they’re at their most interesting / appealing…These guys also have a brand new, debut LP called ‘Psych Ward’ out now on Screaming Apple. Fans of ye olde Chesterfield Kings, and vintage Fuzztones will dig The Urges for sure.

Hey! Who would’ve ever thought that in late 2007 we would also be witness to a live show from Back From The Grave alumni The Alarm Clocks of thee royally righteous punkers ‘Yeah’ and ‘No Reason To Complain’, but lo and behold there they were onstage right in front of us. We can thank Billy and Miriam at Norton HQ for that, as they’ve seen fit to not only release an LP of the group[‘s vintage recordings, but also of their latest material, produced by the great Freddy Fortune. Bassist / vocalist Mike Pierce can still scream like a wild banshee at times and can still rock out like some possessed cave-teen, this was especially proven on those afore-mentioned killers, but maybe even more so during their final rockin’ numbers which included a wild-as-all-get-out version of Bo Diddley’s ‘It’s Alright’… Original Alarm Clockers Bruce Boehm and Bill Schwark are joined these days by guitarist friend, and fan, Tom Fallon.

The final group of the night were vintage flower-power, psych-garage outfit The Strawberry Alarm Clock. Well, I really really wanted for them to be so great, I mean I love their first LP, and the 45 of ‘Tomorrow’ / ‘Birds In My Tree’ is such a milestone in psych music, and what to say of their great big flower-psych hit ‘Incense And Peppermints’, and especially that crazy flipped-out B side ‘Birdman Of Alkatrash’…but the reality was that, give or take a number or two, I and seemingly lots of others didn’t rate them too highly here at Cavestomp. They started off pretty well I thought, doing a great ‘Rainy Day Mushroom Pillow’ early on, then they kinda blew it on their strange rendition of ‘Birdman…’, and after a few more I just kinda drifted off, as did lots of other folks. I don’t think they should’ve had so many drums and percussion instruments on stage, it just seemed a bit of a bad omen…Anyway, I can’t tell you much more about this, but so many people said the same thing… I’ll be a little more polite and just say, on the whole, not very good.

Sunday November 4th

As usual, at 8pm sharp the first group were onstage, and tonight it’s the turn of The Hall Monitors, they were pretty cool and made a decent rock’n’roll beat racket, and the sound wasn’t too bad for them either. Once again though I didn’t watch all their set as I had to get ready to whack the drum-kit and do a bit of screaming for The Wildebeests as they were gonna be the next band up… we were introduced by tonight’s MC, none other than the legendary Lenny Kaye, that’s right cats ‘n kittens, Mr Link Cromwell hisself. Wow, how cool is that, well I tell you, for me/us that was a real honour… of course I can’t say too much about what we Wildebeests were like, but we did have a great sound so a lot of folks told me later, and from my vantage point I could tell that many many Cavestompers were enjoying our din. I could certainly hear the guitar that Russ bought to play this gig loud and clear, in fact better make that L O U D and clear way above everything else. It was one of those reissue square Bo Diddley-type guitars and really sounded boss.

We Wildebeests from Scotland were followed by The Lyres, that long-running garage combo from Boston MA, who I thought tonight sounded pure rock’n’roll magic as per usual, even though the sound, again, was beginning to get a bit muddy and sludgy, blurring some of the organ lines, and guitar subtleties. Jeff ‘Monoman’ Conolly was joined by spot-on genius drummer Paul Murphy, Danny McCormack on guitar and Rick Coraccio on bass…needless to say I think they did everything you would’ve expected them to do in their short 40 min or so set.

I’ve never been much of a fan of The Fleshtones it has to be said, but they seem like good guys, and they certainly got the crowd jumping about during their pretty zany, uptempo show. Peter Z had the audience eating out of his palm at times. There was a lot of people really getting into them for sure and, by all accounts, they put on a real exciting show. I only watched a few numbers, and saw another couple via the monitor screen through in the bar.

Well, there was only one group left to take the stage now, and of course that was, for the second time this weekend, Tacoma WA’s legendary super punk garage rock stars THE SONICS!!! If it was at all possible that they could’ve been better than their Friday night set, then I guess maybe they could’ve been, I dunno man… it gets really hard to tell sometimes, but for this particular fan, well maybe I just dug them just that little bit more on the Friday night, though whether or not that was because of that genuine first-time-around thrill or something, I’m not sure. But, wow, once again these guys really showed all us younger folks a thing or two about rock’n’roll. There weren’t many, if any, changes to the set, I don’t think but somehow the crowd were really even more there for them tonight. Perhaps there were more people there that didn’t see them on the Friday also, that were making a bigger noise…anyway, just to reiterate, THE SONICS were pure class, especially when they executed such thrilling versions of ‘Psycho’, ‘Boss Hoss’, ‘Shot Down’, ‘Dirty Robber’ and ‘The Witch’. If you missed ‘em and they play again anywhere near where you live, you gotta make the effort to catch them. You’ll have heard folks say how great certain vintage groups were on their comeback shows, like The Remains, ? & The Mysterians and The Monks, for example… well The Sonics were definitely up there in that select few. Gerry, Rob, Larry, Ricky and Don, if you read this, or someone you know does and can pass on the message, thanks so much again for these truly wicked wicked rock’n’roll Cavestomp shows.

Hey ho, kidlets!
Toothsome twang and naughty movies that are rite up yer alley will be forthcoming from The Stripchords this Saturday November 17th, when they return to Londinium, to play the Sweet But Deadly crew's Beatrocket nite at the Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes. This swinging affair will also feature South Coast garagers The Guillotines, resident DJs Phil Istine & Beat Girl, plus guest spinners BigKegShandy (onna double-duty kinda
tip) and Eric Ulcer (Corn Rocket Club)! Yowza!

See you at the ball rack? Remember to get some wrist support (like Jesus)...

Selah , The Stripchords

---------------------------

The Beatrocket , Date: Saturday November 17th
Venue: Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, Basement of Tavistock Hotel, Bedford Way, W1.
Tube: Russell Sq./Euston. Doors: 7.30pm Entry fee: £6

www.sweetbutdeadlyclub.org.uk
www.myspace.com/sweetbutdeadlyclub
www.myspace.com/thestripchords

Advance tickets are on sale for the event at
http://www.wegottickets.com/event/23258

Mr Rooney has a message...

hi,
the primevals are playing in the twisted wheel (old rock garden) in queen st. on friday 30th november at 9p.m. this is free show.

this is a launch for our new record 'there is no other life and this is it' which we are releasing on our own label 'triple wide' so spread the word.
hope to see you?
best
mickey

The band is at Dirty Water on Friday December 7th, with The Priscillas and The Nuns (not the SF band)

Mose Allison is 80 today. A "certified senior citizen!"

Regulars to this neighbourhood will be familiar of my penchant for Stereo Total. If you haven't heard them then you're missing out. If you haven't seen them then you should because there is almost nothing more awe-inspiringly inspiring around. They take shards of everything and make it into an explosive cocktail that is so jaw-droppingly entertaining that I can't even begin to explain in mere words. It was nice to finally briefly meet them too because they're one of those great rock'n'roll couples. You know the other ones...

So yeah, Thursday night in The Hold located in the Basement of The Admiral bar. The group that opened, Fangs, organised this shindig so kudos to them for taking up the initiative. This is a power trio born out of the ashes of Motormark. A sort of retro-futuristic singles combo that could soundtrack the apocalypse. The guitar/bass player was positively wailing. I particularly liked the song that went along the lines of "I'm 17 and I know where you live". If they do then you better double lock the door. They look great too and this should be being force fed to 10 - 14 year olds. It'll make them better citizens. If you can imagine The Sweet crossed with Silverfish then you're in the ballpark. They're about to tour with Sons and Daughters so strap yourselves in for the Grand Old opry show if you can. That should be your average riot, right there.

And Stereo Total? Well the supremely groovy crowd frugged, boogaloo'ed and swum and did about 997 other dances to their sublime lesson in exactly what the great unwashed needs in their lives. Françoise and Brezel put on a great show which is frantic electropunk one minute and swoonsome outright pop the next. Utterly charming and completely bewildering. Why they aren't selling out venues at least the size of Barrowlands is quite frankly beyond me. Sometimes they nail the concept of popular music so sweetly that it gives me chills. Their oeuvre is entirely infectious and the energy level leaves the audience little choice but to get the f-word down. They continue to push it real good and seem to be having a very cool time doing so.

If they head to or even in the slightest bit near your town then you owe it to yourself to see them. Stereo Total offer sonic invigoration like imbibing a case of Red Bull. They'll give you wings and then some goddammit!

RIP - Norman Mailer

The fab Boonaraaas at DWC a week past Friday in full swing...

'SUITE 69'

The original 60's French Pop Discotheque
Djs Le Pape Du Pop & Le Marquis De Jardin play
Serge Gainsbourg, France Gall, Jacques Dutronc, Brigitte Bardot and many more
plus:
Scotland's only French language Garage Punk band
les BOF!
www.myspace.com/lesbof

SATURDAY 10th NOVEMBER
HENRY'S CELLAR BAR
MORRISON STREET, EDINBURGH
11pm - 3am £5/4

The Stereo Total show ran very late so more about that later. I'm almost awake so we'll see how that pans out, meanwhile...

News from Mr Tannock on the New STEREO, opening tonight in ol Glasvegas...

"Hello Everyone,

We are having our opening party for stereo and the ground floor will be open from 8pm, with the basement opening at 9pm.

The Parsonage will start the evening's musical proceedings, followed by many special guests, in particular, Don Don Don, who have come all the way from Bavaria to help make this a great night.

Entry is free. Early attendance recommended.

stereo is a cafe/bar at ground level and a venue in the basement.

The venue will host a variety of events with alternative touring bands featuring heavily and is available for private hire.

The cafe/bar will be open from 8am mon-fri, from 10am at the weekend, and till midnight every night. (only opening from noon this weekend)

The kitchen is based around a small organic bakery and will bring a much needed 'quick & healthy' option to the city centre. As usual, all food will be completely animal free, though we will offer organic cows milk as an option with coffee. The kitchen will be open from Monday.

Hope you can join us tonight, or failing that, can check us out soon.

Please spread the word.

Thanks

Craig"

And the word was spread...