It's goodnight from him... RIP Ronnie Barker

From the Austin Chronicle reporting on Roky's live comeback.

Attendance at the following shindig looks pretty damn essential if you live in the Fort Worth area:

Remember the good ole days? "Fort Worth Teen Scene" garage bands, Teen Agogo, Jolly Time Skating Rink, Free music in Trinity Park, the Cellar. Well they're back. Music and Arts Agogo is sponsoring their 2nd annual "Music and Arts Share at Trinity Park".

What you missed: The last concert included reunions by Larry and the Blue Notes, The Elite and Johnny Nitzinger also contributions by Rockin' Chair, Bell Sheep, The Big Galoots, Ed Lively etc. T-shirts, Posters, Raffles for a custom guitar, art and gift certificates to restaurants all benefiting The Tarrant Area Food Bank.

This year we are expecting more of the same including reunions by Sundown Collection, the Elite, Bill Ham, Steve Hill of Bloodrock, Ed Lively and Willie Smith and also Rockin' Chair, The Blues Invaders, Larry and the Blue Notes, The Sleep Walkers, Cellar Bands (Orchrist and Neurotic Sheep) and members of the Mods, Cynics, Nomads, Jades, and more.

Share "Good Times" on Oct.16, 2005 at Trinity Park Shelter House on W. 7th St. near downtown Fort Worth. Time 10am-10pm

For more info contact Rick: rbened9864@aol.com

Our old mucker, Mr David Crider from The Church of Estrus, Bellingham, Wa is bringing the gospel to Europe with his fellow r&r, soul-wielding evangelista,

THE DT’S “NICE ‘N’ RUFF” EUROPEAN TOUR - OCTOBER 2005

SPAIN/PORTUGAL

06 (thur) Valladolid, Spain (tba)
07 (fri) Badajoz, Spain (Mercantil)
08 (sat) Lisbon, Por-tugal (Barreiro Rocks Festival)
11 (tues) Madrid, Spain (Gruta 77)
12 (wed) Burgos, Spain (tba)
13 (thur) Bilboa, Spain (Azkena)
14 (fri) San Sebastian, Spain (Irish Disco)
15 (sat) Vitoria, Spain (Helldorado)
16 (sun) Ulldecona, Spain (L’Ermita)
19 (wed) Barcelona, Spain (Side-car)
20 (thurs) Girona, Spain (La Merce o la Via)

Mr Spence will be providing the UK show details once everything is firm. Watch this space for the skinny on all that just as soon as it's available!

Mr McLean hepped us to this possible alternative to that "bouncy castle" you always thought about for the garden. The link won't work but I'm sure if you "google" Portapub you'll get what you deserve.

It's all pretty humdrum on the East of Scotland front, however Murray Ramone laid the following info upon us. I checked the Calendar and it's the 1st of October 2005 not 1978 so this'll be right then...

John Peel Day - October 13th -
Citrus Club, Edinburgh - Doors 19:30

Line Up/Details:

TV21
Jo Callis(The Rezillos/The Human League)
Malcolm Ross(Joseph K, Orange Juice, Aztec Camera)
Paul Research(The Scars)
Dave Carson(Boots For Dancing)
William Mysterious(The Rezillos)
The Twinsets

Not sure about ticket info but i'll let you know if I find owt out.

"Ignore it, and it'll go away", or at least that's what I figured. My right hand ringfinger had been hurtin' like hell over the past two weeks, so I finally went to down to the doctor's today. Various knifes and hypodermic needles were apparently used (heck, I certainly didn't wanna see what was goin' on!), and because of this my typin ability is down a serious number of levels. Please be patient if you're waiting for a response to your e-mail, I'll get to it, it just takes some extra time...

I have to say that I'm with Angel Corpus Christi on the "I wouldn't Want To Be Bob Dylan" thing. And likewise Bobby presumably wouldn't want to be us either as the lady's song goes. But what about No Direction Home then? Pretty goddamn groovy stuff even for a relative non-believer like myself.

Scorsese did a great job getting Dylan to open up like he did. Great as the way this appeared on TV was, I wish I'd seen it first in a cinema. As iconography goes, and if you dug nothing else about it those old photos and clips indicated what a world of possibilities existed then. Of course, living in it would never have seemed like that but nothing nowadays is ever not stage-managed. Almost nothing that makes it through that "sophisticated filter" to any manner of mainstream appeal that is.

It kinda fizzled out before I expected it to but I guess too much of a good thing would maybe make people think that something like this could happen again. Not many things live up to even the slightest hype but this did.

Howdy Cowpoke!
Please join SUSQUEHANNA INDUSTRIAL TOOL & DIE CO. on FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30TH as we saddle up for the RODEO BAR, nestled in Manhattan at 375 Third Avenue, on the corner of 27th Street (www.RodeoBar.com). Sure as shootin' we'll be playing three sets, at 10:30, 11:30 and 12:30 sharp -- and you bet it's FREE, as are the peanuts.

Your pardner, Michael "Ballads, Boogies & Blues"

P.S. And we return to our Thursday night residency at OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD, starting on OCTOBER 6TH, just so you know.

Would you believe?... Agent 86 dead at 82. RIP - Don Adams (Sad news from Chief Thewlis)

Update at 6.15pm... Couldn't do much earlier but surreptitiously post something from work. I was sorry to hear about Max. When Channel 4 started here they broadcast a whole bunch of the original series. Pretty sure that's where my habit of addressing people as "Chief" came from but anyway, when Tony broke the news to me, I tried to find a story. The BBC ran a small piece but that was all. It's much bigger news in the USA and Australia where they take this kinda culture a bit more seriously. I imagine Agent 99 is fairly devastated right about now... Time to rake for those VHS's.

"Hey hey! 8 years after the sad closing of our beloved record shop in September 1997 we are very pleased to announce the RE-OPENING of COOL & CRAZY!! LPs, 7" singles, CDs, books, zines, etc. Specializing in WILD shit of the 50s & 60s (and recent practitioners of r&r wildness). Julius-Leber-Str 20, Souterrain 22765 Hamburg
hours: Monday to Friday 12 pm to 7 pm RING THE BELL LOUD & OFTEN!!!".

Count Bishops, Eddie & the Hot Rods. 100 Club, London, Friday Sept 23.
Thirty years ago this line-up would have probably been the hottest ticket in town, while hardly a year later both of these bands lost their place in the limelight thanks to the arrival of the Sex Pistols, Clash and their ilk. Not that they didn't soldier on without any success, but they never became as big they once seemed destined to be. So was it worth flying off to London to catch 'm in action once again all these years down the line you ask?. The answer is a resoundin' "YEAH!". The Hot Rods had only been added to the bill as special guests after I booked a flight to see the Bishops so that was a nice extra, and they certainly didn't disappoint. Even with Barrie Masters bein' the only original member, his current Rods are thus relatively young and still very energetic. Three new songs and a drumsolo stop me from givin' 'em both thumbs up, but with a setlist that included solid renditions of Telephone Love, Teenage Depression, Quit This Town, Life On The Line, and of course Do Anything You Wanna Do there's hardly any reason to argue against 'em. While Barrie & Co. are still somewhat of a going concern, The Count Bishops re-united especially for Ace Records' thirtieth anniversary party. For whatever reason I've been somewhat obsessed by this band for ages, but sadly never caught 'm live in their heyday. So when news of this on/off get together reached these shores all was set aside to make sure I'd be there this go 'round. Up on stage this Friday were Johnny Guitar, Dave Tice, Pat McMullen and a Australian drummer who's name I failed to catch (apparently both Mike Spencer and Steve Lewins were in attendance as well but neither went up on stage. Original rhythm guitar player Zenon de Fleur, who passed away in 1979, was represented by a large photo on top of on of the amps). Any doubts about dropping some serious coin to see these guys were quickly wiped out as soon as Tice opened his gravel throated yapper (Kenny Loggins hairdo or no). And when Johnny Guitar finally shifted into third gear a couple of songs into the set things couldn't have been better. The sound was perfect and there were thankfully no attempts to "update" their sound/looks with lengthy solo's, flying v's and ponytails. Just pure rockin' sounds with Johnny's razorsharp guitar attack bein' the absolute highlight for me. He also took over vocal duties for Train, Train (originally Zenon's tour-de-force), a brave attempt that brought on mucho goosebumps. Other highlights included a poundin' I Want Candy and a powerhouse take on Taste 'n Try. All 'n all this was a perfect night (and let's not forget Dave 'Boss' Goodman spinnin' many a Nugget for the rest of the evening). What with the Bishops spreaded all over the globe these days I don't think they'll repeat these kind o' thing anytime soon, but if so; do make sure you'll be there. In the meantime, be on the lookout for Ace Records upcomin' CD re-issues of the Bishops 2nd and 3rd LPs for some hi-octane Brit R&B.

I have to admit it. I'm no Dylan afficianado. However, I'll be tuned into the Scorsese doc on Monday and Tuesday like everybody else. I recognise his place in the musical firmament and am prepared to be blown away by this event. It's funny, with all the furore around it, this is a real happening. There'll be a huge TV audience all watching the same thing at the same time. That almost never happens anymore and that in itself is something tangibly reassuring. I know some hipsters have viewed the thing already and that the dvd is actually available but simply the notion of folks all tuning into the same item at the same time is huge. Well as huge as anything gets these days. Anyways, re Bob - what I like most about him is that he recognises Dave Alvin as the ace guitar player he is. I like Mary Lee's "Blood On The Tracks" more than I like the real thing. I'm hoping I can be swayed into discovering the secret that the man's rabid followers riff over. There's a piece in the Sunday Herald here today where "important figures" pick their favourite Dylan song. Jim Sclavunos is in there alongside Scotland's first minister Jack McConnell. Odd is perhaps the best word to describe such an undertaking. Have a look for yourselves... I have to split, more Status Quo coming up on Corry.

Last night’s Laura Cantrell show at The Queens’ Hall in Edinburgh was a real triumph, even by her own high standards. Packing the “acoustic” format, the bulk of the set came from the most recent album but there were plenty of chestnuts from the previous two also. The version of “Whiskey” where she had the crowd sing along was positively spine-tingling.

For the extended encore, Frank Macdonald joined his friends onstage to deliver several tunes from the albums he released that put the lassie on the map in the first place. There was a review in the Times on Friday that gave a tepid line on the performance in London but I don’t think I’ve ever seen the show appear so tight whilst retaining that element of loose that let’s things breathe. This wasn’t just a note-perfect run through the material, it was practically countryphonic soul.

Opener, Holly Williams came out to join them for a rousing version of Gillian Welch’s “Orphan Girl”. I was pretty underwhelmed by her own set but this showed off her sizeable vocal talent in no uncertain manner. Laura and Mark Spencer will be back in the UK briefly in a fortnight to appear at the Keeping It Peel Celebration at The Queen Elizabeth Hall on October 12th.

These are busy times for Ms C alright but she’s hitting all the right buttons and like previously intimated, last night took that craft to a whole ‘nother level.

FTC Bars Export of the New MX-80 Release - How American is "American"?

San Francisco -- The Federal Trade Commission has announced its preliminary ruling barring export of the new MX-80 album, "We're an American Band." The ruling, one of the first under the recently enacted "Made in America" Act will remain in place unless the band, or its record label, Family Vineyard, can provide "demonstrative evidence as to the national origin" of band members. So far, the band and its label have refused to participate in the FTC proceedings. Under the legislation, effective June 1, 2005, companies advertising products with the term "America" or "American" must file certification documentation with the FTC and U.S. Customs demonstrating that "all or virtually all" of the product-including processing and labor that go into the product-must be of U.S. origin. In this case, since the band is claiming "We're an American Band," as its album title, the FTC is requiring proof of national origin of each band member. "This is so incredibly surreal," said lead singer Rich Stim, "that I can't even classify it as surreal." Problems developed for MX-80-the eclectic avant rock band based in the Bay Area-when the Family Vineyard label sought a UPC bar code for the new album, scheduled for November, 2005 release. Under the new law, the organization managing bar codes (the Associated Code Council) must report any product names using the words "America," "American," "US," or "USA." Companies then have 90 days to provide certification to the FTC. "Did Grand Funk Railroad have to send in their passports?" asked Stim, referring to the Michigan rock band that popularized the song used as title track of the MX-80 album. "What about Scientific American, American Airlines or American Idol? I find it disingenuous that the U.S. government needs proof of my citizenship in order for me to sell records in Holland. My guess is that they're only going after so-called subversive artists."

The FTC has denied that the agency is targeting artists and claims that enforcement of the new law is mandatory.

A missive from Mr Tom Phobic...
"Hi Kids,
It's that time again....summer has packed it's bags and buggered off somewhere else, it's getting darker earlier, the kids are back at school (or not, according to figures) petrol keeps going up, politicians keep lying and killing and not giving a toss......dontitmakeyafeelsick?
.......afraid we can't offer a cure (or a final solution) but why not forget about your troubles for one night and drag your hides out to our spiritual (and i don't just mean liquor)home in Deptford for an evening of primo guitar slinging punk rock slop served just the way you like it!
As ever, it's FREE and we'll be playing stuff from our "Down and Out In Deptford EP" which is picking up rave reviews here, in Europe, over in the States and OZ, and EVEN in Argentina where we are radio stars! (yeah, we know - most of us have a face for radio!)
Anyway, enough ramble, here's the skinny -

SATURDAY, 1ST OCTOBER:
The Birds Nest, Deptford Church Street, Deptford SE8 FREE!!

9pm onwards, The Phobics play 2 sets - plenty of surprises, guests and the usual mayhem.

Anyone need directions, more info, whatever drop me a line. Tom"

A year ago, this very “noo”, I was attending the Punk Kongress in Kassel. Tis presactly 365 days since I saw CZD and The Boonaraaas in the Lolita Bar in that cool German town. Hopefully there’ll be some news on the next one soon…

Ms Laura Cantrell is back in the ‘hood and has a show at Edinburgh’s Queens Hall tonight. We caught up with her and Mr Jeremy Chatzky for a pleasant evening in Glasgow along with Sir Francis of Macdonald. Always great to catch up but Ms C had some bad news to lay on us. There’s no way to gild this so I’ll come straight out with it.

WFMU is taking The Radio Thrift Shop off the air. For reasons best known to the programmers of the NJ station, they’ve decided to remove the RTS from the upcoming Fall schedule. If you’ve got a mo’, maybe you could drop them a line and ask what they expect to gain from this plainly daft action. All good things and everything taken into account, this is an open and shut case of them not knowing what they’ve got ‘til it’s gone. I think the last show is on October 10th but I’ll get back to you on that. I think The proprietress is disappointed and maybe bloodied but absolutely unbowed. She’ll take the format to another station mayhap? One that understands the meaning of community in the terms that I always thought the WFMU did. I’m sure there are politics involved but that means less than F all to we - the listeners, it's more like a betrayal, in my er, humble opinion. A worthy programme, Rex's Fools Paradise will be brought forward into the RTS slot but that's not the point. Not having Laura on their roster isn't the sharpest decision that's been taken in Jersey City methinks.

Mr Chatzky, who plays with Ronnie Spector also, tells we that the new album by the lady is due for release soon and it contains her version of Amy Rigby’s oughtta be smash, “All I Want”. Things appear to be shaping up nicely for Ms Rigby who will hopefully be packing a band on her upcoming UK jaunt. More about that as the info becomes available.

On a loose Teenage Fanclub related point and having been out on the town last night, I set the VCR for “The Status Quo” appearing on Coronation Street. Absolutely brilliant stuff which reminds me of how great TV can be but seldom is. A national institution appearing on another national institution. Not quite at the lofty heights of Uncle Junior watching Larry David but pretty darn groovy nonetheless. It made me think about the time that "The Quo" were playing The Fillmore during a vacation in San Francisco and we didn’t go. Of course they haven’t made a decent record in forever but that’s not the point. I saw them many times in their heyday. They always had great support acts too, like Montrose and Savoy Brown to name but two. The memories are flooding back of late, I remember more about thirty years ago than I do about the past month.

Anyway, I’m heading for Edinburgh now. If you’re anywhere about these parts then you should consider a jaunt there also. There are tickets for the Laura gig to be had at the door… treat yourself.