Girl Trouble is 25!! Oh to be in Tacoma tomorra!

Other than that, I'll bid you farewell for this evening. My central heating is knackered and I gotta get things together before the engineer comes tomorrow. All going well, it'll be back up and running swiftly. If not then methinks I'll be investing in a couple of extra jumpers.

See you ramorra as opposed to sayonara...

Friday March 13th (ooh, spooky!) will see BigKegshandy and Steptoe return to Bristol's latest spot fer hipsters, flipsters and finger-poppers, The Lanes on Nelson Street, for another bowling brilliant evening of wild 45s fer dancin' plus live, Frome-flavoured freakbeat from Magic Tractor, featuring two former Bronco Bullfrog folks and a Bad Detective!

First strike is 9pm and it's a gutterballs a-go-go 'til 3am, all fer a measly £3!

So come quaff from a selection of reasonably-priced Euro biers, sling some classic bowling alley vittles down yer necks, rave to the band, make like a kingpin, and dance yer asses off!

See ya at the bar? Selah!

BBC Scotland documentary about the Glasgow Apollo. (iPlayer)

THE NERVEBREAKERS ARE BACK!

photo by Nicke Blitz

For the first time in 15 years, since the release of “We Want Everything”, the Nervebreakers will perform live. Only three shows are scheduled.

Friday, March 20th (5PM) at the Owl Tree Roasting, 3421 N. Interstate 35, Austin 78722.

Saturday, March 21th (7PM), at Antones Record Shop, 2928 Guadalupe, Austin 78705.

Saturday, April 11th, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm, Dallas 75226.(attached photo by Nicke Blitz)

Nervebreakers are a late seventies/early eighties Texas punk band considered by many to be the first of their kind in the southwest. Like many others of this genre, they started out as a high school garage band doing sixties / early seventies cover songs. What made them unique was their range of material; from the music of the English Invasion to Yummy Yummy bubble gum as well as songs from punk pioneers MC5 to true blue country artists like George Jones.

The array of influence from all those cover songs melded into a two guitar, bass and drum sonic assault with a wild child vocalist up front. The members of the band began writing some of their own songs. All aspects were in place and the band was primed when the punk movement broke in the mid-seventies. On July 24, 1977 the Ramones first blitzkrieged Dallas' Electric Ballroom and Nervebreakers opened. In 1978 the Sex Pistols set out to swindle America but it was Nervebreakers who stole the show at The Longhorn Ballroom. In 1979 when the Clash were calling here at Dallas’ Palladium, Nervebreakers let them know they weren’t in London anymore. By 1980 when the Police came to town, they were Nervebreakers fans due to Random Notes in Rolling Stone. The list reads on and on in NME, Melody Maker and High Times. Like a who’s who of punk rock history, our guys held their own as the Texas band to see. Nervebreakers weren’t just playing, they were the real deal. Home grown - born and raised. Texas proud and ready to kill.

They introduced punk rock with a bit of a ‘twang’ to the world and recorded it for all to hear. In the pre - D.I.Y. days of 1978 they self-released the EP “Politics” featuring “My Girlfriend is a Rock”. ”Girlfriend” became a hit in San Francisco, Sacramento and Boston and was later covered by the Angry Samoans and Wool - among others. This song (and the US invasion of Iraq) inspired sixteen year old punk upstarts, Spector 45, to put their spin on the song as “My Girlfriend’s in Iraq” in 2003. Other 7 inch gems that followed include “Hijack the Radio” b/w “Why Am I So Flipped” The black and blue vinyl “Girls, Girls, Girls, Girls, Girls” b/w a cover of the obscure Rolling Stones song “I’d much Rather be with the Boys”. The band also contributed two songs “So Sorry” (as the Barry Kooda Combo) and “I Love Your Neurosis” to the local punk rock compilation “Are We Too Late for the Trend” put out by ESR.

Other acts featured on this late seventies Dallas area time capsule include the Telefones, The Vomit Pigs, The Skuds and Superman’s Girlfriend. Despite being recognized as the biggest and baddest of them all locally, they were also huge fans of Texas predecessors such as the 13th Floor Elevators. This eventually led to the band contacting Psychedelic rock pioneer Roky Erickson. Roky had just walked out of a mental institution so they offered to open shows for him and provide the legendary musician with a backup group. The result helped Roky back in the public eye. And “Roky Erickson and the Nervebreakers Live at the Palladium in 1979” was issued on the French label New Rose Records.

In 1980, Nervebreakers took on their biggest endeavor yet, recording the full length album “We Want Everything”. Sadly due to band finances this effort was not to be released. Side projects and individual interest whittled away at the band until an eventual demise. Each and every off shoot of the band has been and continues to be incredible. Vocalist Thom "Tex" Edwards has fronted bands including “The Swingin’ Cornflake Killers”, “The Loafin ' Hyenas” and most recently “Out on Parole”. Lead guitarist, Mike Haskins, has led the instrumental spaghetti western band “The Big Guns” for the last decade. And guitarist Barry Kooda had a great run with late 80's band “Yeah Yeah Yeah” and as one of three front men in the 1990's country outfit “The Cartwrights”. But those are all other long stories so for now let’s just stick with Nervebreakers. “We Want Everything” did not see the light of day until 1994 when Texas rarities/reissue label ‘Existential Vacuum’ released it to rave reviews.

This was followed by a single reuniting of the band for a release party at Trees in Deep Ellum. Shortly thereafter this effort was picked up by garage/punk label ‘Get Hip Records’ and made available worldwide. In 2000 Italian label, “Rave Up Records” woke up and released “Hijack the Radio” a collection of singles, rarities and live cuts. Years after they laid the groundwork for thousands of other Texas bands, Nervebreakers were finally getting their due. Which brings us, folks; to 2009. After serving your punk rock needs for over thirty years the Nervebreakers have reunited.

All five core members have returned including vocalist Thomas "T. TEX" Edwards, lead guitarist Mike Haskins, rhythm guitarist Barry "KOODA" Huebner, Bob "WILDMAN" Childress on bass and drummer Carl Edmund Giesecke.. An anthology "Why Am I So Flipped?” of previously unreleased on CD songs has been assembled and a brand new effort of never recorded before material entitled “Face Up to Reality” has been taken into the studio and captured as well. Why now? Unlike most of their contemporaries they are all still alive. So there is an opportunity to re-emerge. The roots of the band and the music have finally brought things full circle. Prepare yourself because the best is yet to come.

Frank Campagna, Dallas, 2009

(Thanks to Tex for the heads-up)

Feel like I've been living in a bubble for the past week(ish). Came up for air and see that the reaper (that's hear not fear) has been up to his or her old tricks again. It's not necessarily a guy, right? Equal opporchancities and all that... So we bid a fond farewell to these folks.

RIP - Paul Skelton (The Cornell Hurd Band)

RIP - Jimmy Boyd

RIP - Herbie Duncan

RIP - Hank Locklin

There's something in the air at the minute. A number of different commotions too. All of this seems tailor-made to unsettle what passes for a general order. I'm not even sure what I mean, but I do know that it stinks. And that people I care about are hurting. And that the two are not mutually exclusive. Contrary to (some) popular belief, I'm not that perturbed about myself. To quote my old pal Chris Gaffney, "I'm not new".

Which is a peculiar jumping off point because last night I was in an Edinburgh Lecture Hall at a presentation that found the humble fanzine thrust into the glare of academia. I'm still getting my head around it actually but it was very positive. Chris Atton made his case for the form fairly and squarely based on years of having been addicted to it. Seems like it's more than a sidestreet of alternative media to him. The fact that he's got the whole kaboodle this far must surely be an indictment on the times we find ourselves in. And you know what? Good on him. Because if I can go somewhere like this and hear Brian Hogg get a shout-out (I'm sure that's not the term in this setting). The underlying enthusiasm was barely concealed and I think that most of the people present got a beat on that.

I spoke to Chris briefly after his presentation and got the impression that he is well and truly on a mission. As it continues, and the National Library project gets underway, then I'll keep you posted. If nothing else, it might divert the contents of my loft from ending up in a skip. It was a pretty peculiar experience and a welcome alternative to crashing out before the second of two episodes of Corrie as so often befits a Monday. If I'd got to the shop that does veggie haggis samosas before it closed then it would have been a perfect night. Maybe not as outright groovy as last Friday but getting there.

Apologies for the loss of the service today but I just got in. There's a lot going on and being that I managed to drag myself into Edinburgh tonight after a long days slog, then that would seem to be a sound enough reason to bunk off. If not. And you feel really let down. Well, I don't know what to tell you other than go plunder the sodding sidebar why don'tcha...

See the sea of hands at a recent Matt & Kim rally in Austin!
(Photo courtesy of Brother KP)

(Thanks to Deadbolt via Staysick for this link)

Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. returns this week to the world famous Rodeo Bar -- where the beer's cold, the Tex-Mex cuisine hot, and the peanuts are in the shell! Shell away, shall we?

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11th / RODEO BAR /
375 Third Avenue (at the corner of 27th Street) in Manhattan / Two jumbo-sized sets, from 10pm sharp until 12:30am / No cover!
And, for those with a bent for brunch...

SUNDAY, MARCH 15th / SUNDAY BRUNCH at SUPERFINE! 126 Front Street (between Pearl and Jay Streets) in DUMBO, Brooklyn / Three digestive sets, from noon until 3pm / Free music! Reservations: 718-243-9005

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

So the snow squall outside seems to have subsided but that matters little because I'm not venturing over the door again today. I'm listening to Stefan's SBB show from the other night. I missed it but thanks to the wonders of the interweb I can hear my Uncle Eric croon "The Downside of Being a Fuck Up" as I gather my thoughts with regard to what's been happening since Thursday.

Not sure exactly where the last couple or three days have gone but they scooted by alright. National Express even got the train into town five minutes or therabouts early. Kings Cross station is undergoing major renovation and it's a pain the arse. Don't even get me started on the pastie kiosk not being there. Anyway, you have to go out to venture into the tube station so I noticed it was a cracking evening weatherwise. This brought me to the decision that I'd take the train to Hammersmith and walk around the Thames to Chiswick. If you've done that route then you'll know what I'm talking about. It's a very relaxing trek and so far removed from the hububb. Watching the sun go down as I approached my destination was a bit of a metaphor for the trip.

So a quick hit and run and we're headed for the centre of town for a wee aperatif prior to going to Madame JoJo's for The Jim Jones Revue. The spot was The Phoenix Artists Club and it's a nice slice of old London quaffing. Plus you have to get signed in after 8pm. JoJo's itelf is a cracking place too. Mainly a burlesque joint these days, it presents a classy club showcase atmos but the bar has no beer on tap!

I think that JJR album is pretty good but I have to say that I didn't rate the show. The sound was awful. Everywhere in the place. They do look good and make a first rate stab at channelling that 50's glam but I don't actually hear any songs. Making my way to the back I was thinking that this would make an ideal opening band for Primal Scream. By the time I made a quick pitstop in the wee laddies room. I came out and was standing three feet away from Bobby Gillespie. I don't dig those kind of omens. Maybe I'll see the JJR again if they play up north. Maybe I won't. I really do hope that my general verdict of style over substance was a blip but I doubt it. There were a lot of very good looking girls there so they must be doing something right.

So that takes us to Friday and a lunchtime hookup in Camden with Mike "Saucerman" Mastrangelo who has a new gig up that way. Couple of pints and some bangers and mash in The Worlds End really did the trick. After that we took a wee schlepp up to Inverness street to Mega City Comics and the fantastic "Sounds That Swing". I'm really glad those places are still there but really wish that "Rock On" and "Compendium Books" were too. I remember buying Back door man mags and "Home of The Brave" by Bonnie and the Treasures on the same day but don't recall much of what happened just this morning. We travelled to Camden by bus and went through many old haunts such as Praed Street home of Bizarre Records.

Arranging to meet BB, Suzy and Joey Quattro in the fabled Wardour Street watering hole The Ship, where some of had also been the night before. Another great spot that seems to have been untainted over the years. Some of the ROCK they blast is a little unnecessary but they have first rate bar staff. Some of whom wear very sweary t-shirts. Anyway as Dave and Penny headed home for a date with Toody and Muldoon I headed for the DWC with the Quattros. Such a pleasure to see the kids again.

So it's nearly showtime and it was cool to see such a cool coterie of folks come out. I have it on excellent authority that the opening band Vinny Vinny were line Ocean Colour Scene. I realise that perhaps there is a god after hearing this verdict having missed them. The Buckle Ups played a short, sharp punk rock dipped in metal set. Possibly the entire opposite of the opener. Such youthful optimism and an understanding of Ben Weasel's place in the scheme of things is something I wish more bands could appreciate.

And now it's Quattro time and I don't think that I need to take several paragraphs here. This was the best I've seen them. In terms of pace, playing and choice of songs then this was an excellent set. No fannying about or stopping. Just straight down the line first class. The version of "Too Late" was arenarocktastic. I think the crowd thought so too.

My Drug Hell followed them. I don't care for this at all. I'm not even sure why but maybe it's like the sound of this austerity trip that's going on. I want a bit of fun or glamour. And so did Ollekarlsson who made a surprise appearance in beautiful uptown(?) Tufnell Park. A bit of Quattrophenia, not some miserabilist exercise in making me even more forlorn. It's like music for students who oughtta be old enough to know better. Actually, the sounds aren't as bad as the band name. Blimey.

And that, as they say is that. Martin dropped Qina off then me but it was a grand evening. Train trip back was uneventful but I ran outta credit on my phone and couldn't call a taxi or anybody to come get me so I had to walk 3+ miles home in the pissing rain. Serves me right for having too much fun? Maybe so folks. Maybe so...

The Q's are in Brighton tonight so you really need to get down there if it is in any way possible. They've got the power to alter your worldview through pop music. No artificial stimulus necessary. By this time tomorrow they'll be back in Barcelona and you'll have missed your chance. But they shall return. And yo'll find all the info on that right here when it all goes down.

Mick Cancer remembers Lux. (Thanks to Rich Lustre and Mick for sharing this...)

THE WAY HE WALKED

Years ago, for some inexplicable reason, the late Joey Ramone instigated a “Lux is Dead” rumor, pertaining to Lux Interior, the mercurial singer for the proto-punkabilly band The Cramps. Fortunately, this questionable replication of a “Paul is Dead” type hoax was hastily dismissed as the dark joke it was.

Ironically, that day I placed a call to Lux and Poison Ivy Rorschach, Interior’s lover, alter-ego and the Cramps’ guitarist and musical architect. Lux happened to answer and upon inquiring how he was, he snorted that he was “glad to be alive”. Unaware of the circulating hysteria, I listened incredulously as Lux laughingly related the details of Joey’s goofy prank.

Sadly, the news arriving from Glendale, California on February 4th was no careless hoax. Lux, one of RocknRoll’s iconoclastic and iconic voices, was silenced. This world will never seem the same again.

It was my great fortune and privilege to meet Lux and Ivy in 1977 when Alex Chilton, whom I’d encountered a few months prior, insisted I check out The Cramps. He further suggested I introduce myself, as they were great folks.

The baptism was hair-raising. My girlfriend Alison (The) End and I couldn’t believe what we witnessed. This was primordial pandemonium played by ardent missionaries, zealots recalling the basest instincts of the madmaddaddys who had originally carved out the form. But this was no exercise in mere reverent nostalgia. No, The Cramps dug up the grave of long dormant voodoo RocknRoll, rattled its’ rockin’ bones, dressed it up in horrormovie regalia, and fed it psychedelic mushrooms. Oozing a seething, sleazy sexuality, this was the ungodly white trash progeny of Frankenstein, Barbarella, Elvis Presley and Myra Breckenridge. In doing so, the door to the future blew wide open.

It was an apocalyptic event, the most devastating performance I’d ever experienced, chock full of instantly classic songs, wicked passion, sassy style, garbageman humor, boiling brimstone and, oh yes, imminent danger. It was a definitive, life changing moment.

This was the classic Cramps, swathed in black, so pale they appeared to have never considered sunlight:

Sweet lil innocent Bryan Gregory, as street talkin’ cheetah with a head fulla cigarette smoke and hairspray, a pock-marked sneer and polka dots, crossbones and a godawful racket everywhere….

Stoic, smirking, slickbacked – the mobmod matinee idol Nick Knox sat at the drums, impervious….

Lux, a hiccupping problem child, Ricky Nelson turned leering human fly, conjuring Nervous Norvous and Iggy Stooge in a dance with Dominodomino that made the devil dizzy….

And Ivy, a backstreet bombshell, ice and fire and twang, the decadent daughter of darkness Link Wray could only pray for….

Summoning our courage, Alison and I crept backstage, tepidly announcing ourselves. And we stepped forever into the slipstream of the eternal mystery of RocknRoll. It was like we shot heroin.

And we got hooked. We became fans/friends/acolytes, especially with Lux and Ivy. Removed from stage personas, they were the kindest, hippest, most elegant humans one could hope to meet. Intelligent, creative, witty and mystical, they shared a singular uniqueness.

We went to every Crampshow, we stayed at their Cramped NYC apartment, we haunted flea markets in hope of rare records, exotic clothing and pointed shoes, we listened mesmerized as they played their vast collection of rockabilly obscurities, we watched gorehound films and later at some 4 AM eatery ordered spinach omelets.

When we determined to start our own band, the eventual Sic Kidz, The Cramps offered continual inspiration and support, became mentors, teaching us how to be a band, how to conduct a rehearsal, a sound check, how to behave, how to wear sunglasses after dark. Our odyssey began thirty years ago, opening for The Cramps at The Hot Club in Philadelphia, Lux offering the introductory benediction.

But things change. The Cramps, on the cusp of their legendary stardom, moved west. Bryan, in a fit of wayward witchery, defected in a shroud of paranoia, delusion, and the Bee Gees. Alison (The) End passed away in 1980, buried with the guitar she got from Ivy. Still, a special relationship endured for decades.

Lux rocks now in another dimension, teaching the Lord a new kinda kick. But his spirit persists. He was a natural, a true believer, a pulpit poundin’ preacher whose calling it was to deliver the serum of RocknRoll as a life force, a source of salvation and repair, an alternative to eternal damnation. His like won’t be seen soon again.

This is not Lux Interior’s obituary, nor his eulogy. It is rather a testament to a friend whose rare essence touched so many. We will miss him terribly.

And I will recall, until the day I die, the way he walked.

Michael J. Ferguson
(aka Mick Cancer)
On behalf of The Sickidz

Literally just about to leave the bunker and I get this...

"Tonight (Thurs 5th Mar) due to a cancellation elsewhere on the tour Suzy & Los Quattro will be playing FREE at the Hob with the Buckle Ups. Starts around 8pm."

So I guess Bristol bottled it for whatever reason. So anybody headed there, not from there, should make alternative arrangements to go to Brighton. I hope this means they'll get to "The London" earlier than planned tomorrow...

Postscript 8/3: The venue in Bristol closed. Something because of the council or licensing or whatever. Another nail in the coffin of live music. As if things weren't fucked up enough.

From our pal Philippe in Paris...

Here's a link with some cool pictures of Lux doing voiceover for the Rayo X character in Los Campeones de la Luche Libre, newly released animation movie about Mexican wrestlers. Thought you might like to see them.

Sobering news for a Thursday morning. A sign of these shite times for sure...

(Link courtesy of Ed Lord)

A quickie from Mr Spence... The SubCity live session's free admission and it's at the Glasgow University Post-Grad Research Club, 13 University Gardens, Glasgow G12. You NEED to be there by 7.45 at the latest, 'cos the set's going out live at 8.
And the Knavemen have had to pull out of the Friday night Edinburgh show due to unforeseen circumstances, despite being on the flyer - a suitable replacement may be found in time. Hope to see y'all there!

OK, this will be brief because time is of the essence and there is stuff to be done. This is likely to be it until Saturday or Sunday but we'll see. Operators are standing by, should the need arise...

Suzy & Los Quattro are UK bound, possibly as I tap away here, so check if there's a show in your travelling distance and get the heck along. If you're at the DWC on Friday, see you there!

And, if you're indoors for the duration - tune into Sophisticated Stefan Conrad's inaugural Boom Boom radio extravaganza via live stream... 7pm - 9pm in Germany but they're an hour ahead of the UK, right? Anyway, work it out and listen to this guy! He knows his way around a groovy tune alright!

UGLY THINGS - ISSUE #28
UGLY THINGS #28. 208 pages / perfect bound / full-color glossy cover. We have several glamorous big-name cover stories this time around, along with our usual quota of obscure but happening sounds. First up, an exclusive interview with Trevor Burton of The Move, including lots of wickedly cool and rare photos. Also, a feature on Roky Ericksons pre-psychedelic adventures in Austin with The Spades, along with a big feature review on the upcoming 13th Floor Elevators 10-CD box set. Plus the great but terminally neglected Dave Clark Five, including interviews with Dave Clark and Lenny Davidson. Sixties garage rock predominates as always with stories on The Good Feelins, The Daughters of Eve, The Boy Blues, The Living Children and TVs Shindogs. We also reveal the strange but true tales of 70s Parisian proto-punks Angel Face, the Northwests once mysterious New Dawn, hard rockers Troyka, and New York cult underground heroes Hackamore Brick. Not to mention the bizarre saga of Philippe Debarge, the millionaire French playboy who made an amazing 1969 psych album backed by his favorite band, The Pretty Things. And thats not all. Jon Savage takes a look at the History of Rock Fanzines, Aaron Milenski gives us 50 Reasons Not to Hate the Synthesizer, and of course theres our extensive review section, covering all the latest reissues and music-related books and DVDs

"We have Shake Appeal" they said in 1975! And they've still got it!! Rally for a digest reprint... you know you want it - Back Door Man on Myspace!