Just wanna wish all da best from all of we here to our sister in rock'n'roll, Ms Karen (DFFD) Winter and Mr John Lanza on the event of their marriage today somewhere in Connecticut. Hope it all goes bigstyle! Catch you kids on the flipside...
Posted 11:01 AM by Jeroen Vedder
I have this vision of Karen and John walking up to the altar while the church organ is playing I Got You Babe...
Best of luck to the both of you!.
Saturday, October 09, 2004
Another week down, the days are getting short and the nights long. Worn down, I think that's how it's best referred to. But anyway, today is the grand opening of the Scottish District Council, oops sorry Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh. It's official opening is being hailed as some big event but is probably acually somewhere on a par with a new Tesco or Ikea opening. I'm not sure what the prize will be for being first over the threshold today though, maybe an item of furniture, who knows and, more specifically, who cares?
It's small potatoes in a world where complete mindfucks can take hostages and cut off their heads in the name of some half-assed cause. Remember, here - we don't believe in anything and we don't stand for nothing - how can we hope to understand the mindsets of people who think they're getting vouchers for a better deal in the next life. We can't. Give this lot what they want and another nest of crazies will come outta the woodwork. It's like being overrun by vermin is what it is and that's the pigeonhole this utter scum belongs in. How can anybody, other than those living it, begin to know what it must be like for the families and the people they leave behind? The endless autopsies (forgive the expression but I reckon it's pertinent) by alleged experts etc. on what might happen, did happen, whatever. We'll never know but you can bet that it's possibly worse than anybody's craziest idea of what may have gone down. I bet Billy Connolly is feeling pretty shaken up right about now. A little consideration can go a long way and whilst it's a good thing to stick your head up above the parapet now and again, there's a time and a place. Back to the Brownies to learn a bit of decorum for you Billy...
How did I get on to this...? Well, there's a sort of music festival going on in this area at the moment. Part of that saw my bud, John Miller perform in a place called The Beancross last night. This "venue" is basically a restaurant with no provision for live music whatsoever. Good of them to try and all that but utterly inappropriate. The "act" is tucked into one corner while said entertainment valiantly attempts to connect with the individuals who are far more into necking the contents of the dessert menu. Anyway, I'm sitting at the bar and there are two screens showing Sky News with the sound down. Not only are the gabbers a distraction but these TV's were extolling the fact that Mr Bigley had in fact been executed. At this point the whole thing went beyond "inappopriate". It actually made me quite sick to the pit of my stomach. Life goes on and all that but to have this stuff flashing away in the background was just plain over the score, I didn't stay long because my blood was boiling. Like I said back there, there's a time and a place but I had to get the hell outta there. Hopefully next year the "Way to Blue" festival organisers will consider the error of their ways and get to arranging such events in more suitable venues. It takes time to build these things and mistakes have been known to be useful somewhere down the pike.
The previous night, I saw Mary Lee's Corvette open for Laura Veirs at Tut's in Glasgow. Grand set but why do people gab and text when an act is on. The reception was OK but what is it with people pay for a ticket to a show and won't shut the fuck up while it's on? Even during the headliner. That and the third act on the bill scenario. Life is short as it is and there's only so many mediocre openers to the proper support that one can stand. This was brought to stark attention at the recent DKT/MC5 debacle. An update on which later. I ain't finished with that baby, oh no...
So, wodjagonnado indeed. One overtly positive point this week was that I got a replacement copy of Andy Cameron's "I Want Tae Be A Punk Rocker" from Ebay following a tip off from Agent Rolf in Germany. As Mr Whitney said, "it's the little things".
It's small potatoes in a world where complete mindfucks can take hostages and cut off their heads in the name of some half-assed cause. Remember, here - we don't believe in anything and we don't stand for nothing - how can we hope to understand the mindsets of people who think they're getting vouchers for a better deal in the next life. We can't. Give this lot what they want and another nest of crazies will come outta the woodwork. It's like being overrun by vermin is what it is and that's the pigeonhole this utter scum belongs in. How can anybody, other than those living it, begin to know what it must be like for the families and the people they leave behind? The endless autopsies (forgive the expression but I reckon it's pertinent) by alleged experts etc. on what might happen, did happen, whatever. We'll never know but you can bet that it's possibly worse than anybody's craziest idea of what may have gone down. I bet Billy Connolly is feeling pretty shaken up right about now. A little consideration can go a long way and whilst it's a good thing to stick your head up above the parapet now and again, there's a time and a place. Back to the Brownies to learn a bit of decorum for you Billy...
How did I get on to this...? Well, there's a sort of music festival going on in this area at the moment. Part of that saw my bud, John Miller perform in a place called The Beancross last night. This "venue" is basically a restaurant with no provision for live music whatsoever. Good of them to try and all that but utterly inappropriate. The "act" is tucked into one corner while said entertainment valiantly attempts to connect with the individuals who are far more into necking the contents of the dessert menu. Anyway, I'm sitting at the bar and there are two screens showing Sky News with the sound down. Not only are the gabbers a distraction but these TV's were extolling the fact that Mr Bigley had in fact been executed. At this point the whole thing went beyond "inappopriate". It actually made me quite sick to the pit of my stomach. Life goes on and all that but to have this stuff flashing away in the background was just plain over the score, I didn't stay long because my blood was boiling. Like I said back there, there's a time and a place but I had to get the hell outta there. Hopefully next year the "Way to Blue" festival organisers will consider the error of their ways and get to arranging such events in more suitable venues. It takes time to build these things and mistakes have been known to be useful somewhere down the pike.
The previous night, I saw Mary Lee's Corvette open for Laura Veirs at Tut's in Glasgow. Grand set but why do people gab and text when an act is on. The reception was OK but what is it with people pay for a ticket to a show and won't shut the fuck up while it's on? Even during the headliner. That and the third act on the bill scenario. Life is short as it is and there's only so many mediocre openers to the proper support that one can stand. This was brought to stark attention at the recent DKT/MC5 debacle. An update on which later. I ain't finished with that baby, oh no...
So, wodjagonnado indeed. One overtly positive point this week was that I got a replacement copy of Andy Cameron's "I Want Tae Be A Punk Rocker" from Ebay following a tip off from Agent Rolf in Germany. As Mr Whitney said, "it's the little things".
Friday, October 08, 2004
It Makes You Want To Spit by Sean O'Neill and Guy Trelford (Reekus).
A to Z guide to the early (77-82) punk scene in Northern Ireland. Excellently researched and put together, no two ways about it, but the ongoing parade of pug ugly people w/ spiky hair and Exploited t-shirts is a bit "too much" for me. That said, there's still enough focus on, for instance, the Good Vibrations label and all the bands who called it home (Undertones, Protex, Victim, Rudi etc.) to make this a worthwhile purchase. Best of all tho' is that fact that I get a mention in the "thank you" list and get mistaken for a representative from Chiswick Records!. All I ever did was be too lazy to answer an e-mail from the authors about a Count Bishops show in Belfast!. Who ever said fame doesn't come easy?.
Robert at the Kiss 'n Run agency, who's setting up the Leg Hounds tour (mentioned below), has plenty more on offer in the upcoming weeks/months: check here for more info.
The Dutch Poster Museum in Hoorn is currently hosting an exhibition of work by Martin Kaye, who was the in-house designer for the Paradiso club in Amsterdam from 1972 to 1983.
Nervous Eaters - Eaterville #1 (Penniman LP).
Beantown alsorans get the redcarpet treatment w/ this solid set of mostly unreleased mid 70s recordings. I hope you're all familiar w/ the Nervous Eaters two late 70s 45s (Loretta and Just Head, both included here), 'cause they easily rank alongside the best work of fellow Bostonians DMZ and the Real Kids. And even tho' there's nothing here that equals those efforts, this set offers a surprisingly good peek into the band's formative years (73-75). You've Heard These Chords Before sounds like a long lost Raw Power outtake while She's Gonna Be My Baby would've fitted nicely on the Groovies' Grease EP and their take on Beautiful Delilah is a parallel universe cousin' to the Count Bishops equally ferocious version from the same year. Housed in a gatefold sleeve with four more pages of liners inside that traces the band's history back to 60s garage combo the Cobbwebs, this comes highly recommended.
Thursday, October 07, 2004
Muchos gracias to Black To Comm's Chris Stigliano for voting NBT "best blog" in his current list-to-end-all-lists...
Scotland's One and Only FrightFest wants you! The tastefully curated DEAD BY DAWN 2005 has just been announced!
"Dead by Dawn 2005 will run Thursday through Sunday, April 21st - 24th, 2005.
Full Weekend Passes priced £40 all-inclusive will go on sale in the last week of January.
Films, guests and all other good stuff will be announced in the New Year.
For anyone not sure, the weekend format is that we kick off with Horror Story Readings on the Thursday evening (usually around 7pm) and then go on the Opening Movie late on Thursday night. Movies start at around 12.30 on Friday and go on throughout the day until the wee hours of the morning. On Saturday, movies start again around 12.30 and go right through the day and evening, and the all-nighter kicks off at midnight and finishes at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning. Sunday movies usually start around 3pm and go on until the wee hours of Monday morning, and if the 3am licence every night doesn't do you in, there's the superb after-show party between 3 and 6am, held in the most spectacular venue and licenced, too :)
An updated accommodation list is available on request as is extensive information on travel arrangements for getting to and around Edinburgh.
Take a couple days off work, get a cat-sitter, get a baby-sitter, save your pennies (there'll be good shopping to do here), get your liver in training, prop your eyes open and get ready for four solid days of the best the genre has to offer!"
"Dead by Dawn 2005 will run Thursday through Sunday, April 21st - 24th, 2005.
Full Weekend Passes priced £40 all-inclusive will go on sale in the last week of January.
Films, guests and all other good stuff will be announced in the New Year.
For anyone not sure, the weekend format is that we kick off with Horror Story Readings on the Thursday evening (usually around 7pm) and then go on the Opening Movie late on Thursday night. Movies start at around 12.30 on Friday and go on throughout the day until the wee hours of the morning. On Saturday, movies start again around 12.30 and go right through the day and evening, and the all-nighter kicks off at midnight and finishes at some ungodly hour on Sunday morning. Sunday movies usually start around 3pm and go on until the wee hours of Monday morning, and if the 3am licence every night doesn't do you in, there's the superb after-show party between 3 and 6am, held in the most spectacular venue and licenced, too :)
An updated accommodation list is available on request as is extensive information on travel arrangements for getting to and around Edinburgh.
Take a couple days off work, get a cat-sitter, get a baby-sitter, save your pennies (there'll be good shopping to do here), get your liver in training, prop your eyes open and get ready for four solid days of the best the genre has to offer!"
BigKegShandy has just sent in this link regarding one Richard Blum having to get territorial about his moniker, like. Cook it out baby daddy, etc.
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
I just got this press release from Jamie at Rough Trade Records. It's not like most releases I get these days though because it actually tells the whole truth. Testify then to a fine bit of writing and to a group that's worthy of such words...
"Rough Trade Records are delighted to announce the birth of ‘Baby’, the new album from The Detroit Cobras. Weighing in at an extremely healthy thirteen tracks in thirty one minutes and forty seconds, it is the third release from this exceptionally fertile quintet. Those of you fortunate enough to witness their recent blistering UK shows, might have noticed a particularly rosy glow about the band, and wondered why they were restricting their on stage alcohol and nicotine intake to one drink and cigarette at a time. Now you know why. As with their previous two albums ‘Life, Love and Leaving’, and ‘’Mink, Rat or Rabbit’, The Detroit Cobras remain coy about paternity, although tests might discover traces of DNA from Percy Sledge, Bert Burns, Lowman Pauling and er..Irma Thomas. They were also spotted doing the ‘Cha Cha Twist’ with Hank Ballard, and ‘Slippin’Around’ with Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. But, let’s forget about petty morality. We don’t care who the father is, just as long as Baby is healthy, happy and strong. It certainly sounds like they had a lot of fun making it. Anyway, it is now up for adoption - so here’s the sell.
The album starts with four hi hat hits before exploding into life – like the ignition kicking over on a stolen motorcycle in a backstreet garage. Recorded in Detroit by Greg ‘the Memphis Mastermind’ Cartwright, the sound is classic, vintage valve warmth. As raw as neat tequila or as sweet as molasses. The only pro tools in evidence here are called Gibsons and Fenders. There’s a ballad, a love song and numbers you can do the Twist, the Shake, and the Hully Gully to. What more could any sane person require? The recent single ‘’Cha Cha Twist’ was employed by the Coca Cola Corporation of America to help sell it’s popular whisky and vodka mixer – Coke. ‘Hot Dog ( Watch Me Eat)’ proves that the band are capable of writing their own great material when they feel like it.
The Detroit Cobras have taken a collection of songs, customised them, chopped them down, chrome plated them and given them an exquisite new paint job. All serial numbers have been filed off, and the engine super charged to out run the self-righteous, pious covers cops. If the original owners ever did turn up they’d be thrilled. Like reporting your old bicycle missing from the shed, then discovering it’s been used in a bank heist. You’d be proud.
The Detroit Cobras are Rachel Nagy - Vocals, Mary Restropo – Guitar, Steve Nawarra – Guitar, Joe Mazzola – Bass, and Kenny Tundrick – Drums."
"Rough Trade Records are delighted to announce the birth of ‘Baby’, the new album from The Detroit Cobras. Weighing in at an extremely healthy thirteen tracks in thirty one minutes and forty seconds, it is the third release from this exceptionally fertile quintet. Those of you fortunate enough to witness their recent blistering UK shows, might have noticed a particularly rosy glow about the band, and wondered why they were restricting their on stage alcohol and nicotine intake to one drink and cigarette at a time. Now you know why. As with their previous two albums ‘Life, Love and Leaving’, and ‘’Mink, Rat or Rabbit’, The Detroit Cobras remain coy about paternity, although tests might discover traces of DNA from Percy Sledge, Bert Burns, Lowman Pauling and er..Irma Thomas. They were also spotted doing the ‘Cha Cha Twist’ with Hank Ballard, and ‘Slippin’Around’ with Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. But, let’s forget about petty morality. We don’t care who the father is, just as long as Baby is healthy, happy and strong. It certainly sounds like they had a lot of fun making it. Anyway, it is now up for adoption - so here’s the sell.
The album starts with four hi hat hits before exploding into life – like the ignition kicking over on a stolen motorcycle in a backstreet garage. Recorded in Detroit by Greg ‘the Memphis Mastermind’ Cartwright, the sound is classic, vintage valve warmth. As raw as neat tequila or as sweet as molasses. The only pro tools in evidence here are called Gibsons and Fenders. There’s a ballad, a love song and numbers you can do the Twist, the Shake, and the Hully Gully to. What more could any sane person require? The recent single ‘’Cha Cha Twist’ was employed by the Coca Cola Corporation of America to help sell it’s popular whisky and vodka mixer – Coke. ‘Hot Dog ( Watch Me Eat)’ proves that the band are capable of writing their own great material when they feel like it.
The Detroit Cobras have taken a collection of songs, customised them, chopped them down, chrome plated them and given them an exquisite new paint job. All serial numbers have been filed off, and the engine super charged to out run the self-righteous, pious covers cops. If the original owners ever did turn up they’d be thrilled. Like reporting your old bicycle missing from the shed, then discovering it’s been used in a bank heist. You’d be proud.
The Detroit Cobras are Rachel Nagy - Vocals, Mary Restropo – Guitar, Steve Nawarra – Guitar, Joe Mazzola – Bass, and Kenny Tundrick – Drums."
Tuesday, October 05, 2004
The Staysick group throws up many a wee gem and today's include Joey Ramone Underwear, A 50's Rockin' Fest in Green Bay, Wisconsin next April and a cool inteview with IVY. With thanks to Ben and Mike...
Monday, October 04, 2004
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