If it seems I've been rather quiet on this here NBT blog lately, this might be due to me setting up yet another blog: The Chiswick Records blog. Probably my favorite record label for the past three decades. It's just random stuff; whatever turns up while I'm diggin' thru the "archives" here at HQ. Picture sleeves, sheet music, badges, promo shots, you name it. Feel free to dig around and please drop me a line if you've got any additional thingies that might fit...

("I used to have a life... Really!... I swear!... But I think I mis-filed it, 'cause it's no longer there inbetween the Jerry Lee Lewis box-set and the Lime Spiders mini-LP").

Ok then, coupla things to help you while away the minutes you spend in front of this thing. Me, I’m being surgically removed from the keyboard to plunge headlong into that pool called “a life”. But anyway, don’t expect any posts from me until Sunday at the earliest. As an experiment, it might fall flat on its tush but it’s worth a try? So for those of you in the NY area...

"Yes, dear friend, SUSQUEHANNA INDUSTRIAL TOOL & DIE CO. has finished its spring residency at the Rodeo Bar -- but that doesn't mean we can't return this Friday, June 23rd, for a rehashing of hillbilly-styled hi-jinx, with the ever-mischievous BABY MARIA as special guest...

FRIDAY, JUNE 23rd / RODEO BAR 375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street) in Kips Bay, Manhattan / Three colossal shows -- promptly at 10:00, 11:00 and 12:00 / No cover! / Should you prefer something Brooklyn way (and are of a reasonably strong constitution), Sunday, June 25th finds SIT & Die Co. at Hank's Saloon for the first ever "Heavy Rebel Northeast Kickoff BBQ" -- a musical marathon of 12 bands, cheap beer and free barbecue...
~
SUNDAY, JUNE 25th / HANK'S SALOON 46 Third Avenue (corner of Atlantic Avenue) in Borum Hill, Brooklyn / Starting at 2pm, with SIT & Die at 6:00 / $8 "suggested donation" / Again featuring special guest Baby Maria! / Finally, not least, but definitely last -- as in our LAST SHOW of summer...

THURSDAY, JUNE 29th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B), East Village, Manhattan / 8:00 sharp until 10:00 / With DJ Scratchy ("Yellow, square, solid state"), a free raffle, snacks -- and special guest ROSALIE MORRIS! / No cover / Yes, it's all too much, I'm sure. But seeing you would still be a pleasure, as always.

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

And tonight, Hello Saferide is playing in Paris but you can catch LONG LOST PENPAL and THE QUIZ on Youtube.

And while you're at YouTube, check out SUZY Y LOS QUATTRO from The Cavern in Liverpool. Sound isn't great but damn those kids are having fun.

I'm sure there was something else but I really can't recall what it was. I'm gonna watch the Pankrti documentary now. I'll tell you about that down the road apiece. There was also a satisfactory outcome to the stylus quest. I had one delivered superfast by mail order. Next time I don't even have to leave the house. Now that, is what I call, er - progress!

RIP - Top Of The Pops

And the results are in, the Pula Art & Music Festival roster looks like this!. 10th - 12th August 2006:
1. Goribor (Bor, Serbia)
2. One Piece Puzzle (Rijeka, Croatia)
3. Sjekire (Rijeka, Croatia)
4. Petrol (Beograd, Serbia)
5. Justin's Johnson (Split, Croatia)
6. Gin Cooler Quartet (Zagreb, Croatia)
7. Erotic Biljan & His Heretics (Zagreb, Croatia)
8. Fetisha (Ljubljana, Slovenia)
Confirmed headliners are:
- Bellrays (LA, USA)
- Kultur Shock (Seattle, USA)
- Overflow (Koprivnica, Croatia)
- Jugoplastika (Spain)
special guests:
- Muskat Hamburg (Maribor, Slovenia)
- Barrakuda (Pula, Croatia)

Sell your P in the Dark tickets and get yourself over to Pula instead!

(Thanks to Bigor for the info...)

The Clorox Girls are from California and are on a huge european tour. Sort of Black Flag with pop hooks? A really hard working band that put on one of the best shows you will ever see! (Aram Delgado) - 7pm - 10pm £5 AT THE DOOR!

HooDoo Girl LIVE!

Saturday June 24th in BERLIN at "White Trash Fastfood"

Sunday June 25th in HAMBURG at Westwerk

Whilst in STOCKHOLM... don't forget GEARFEST!

Proving that there’s a chasm of difference between groups that walk and talk it and those that posture. The Phobics are firmly in the “they mean it” category. The “Down And Out in Deptford” EP should really be a great lost 7”. Like Stiv fronting Sham 69 blurring the line between punk rock and teen glam thunder like the fabulous Newcastle ensemble 16 Forever. This East London combo deliver a stonking line in faster and louder. Keep yourself in check during the title track, the urge to throw beer around the immediate vicinity will be great. Prepare to get your hearing gear around something that is both authentic AND good.

Max Greene is the alter ego of Rod Hohl, sometime collaborator with Mary Lee Kortes (she appears on the track “Images Of You” and many other NY based musicians. “Visiting Hours” is a solid, understated collection of songs that flit between a folk and country vibe. His voice reminds me a little of Paul Simon and these are Sunday morning tunes to be sure. Gentle but memorable. Check out the info, etc. at Surprise Truck.

Keeping up the MLC connection, Mezzrow is the project of Smash Palace drummer, Anthony Bezich and not to be confused with Japanese noiseniks, Merzbow. If you send your mum to pick up an album by either then depending on which you're after - you could be in for a fright. Anyways, this is latter day Anglophilia from South Philly. Pretty accomplished and already lauded by the Not Lame seal of approval. All original material too which further goes to show that those Americanos can still twist that Brit blueprint into something eminently more interesting. Anybody who ever had a thing for those Dwight Twilley albums could do a lot worse than check these guys out. “Pictures” might nick the general harmonic of “Let’s Spend The Night Together” but what the hey. These is youngsters enjoying themselves in the good old fashioned sense not trying to be urban or any of that pish. Apparently this is to be released in The Phillipines sometime soon.

1001 Real Apes isn't an oddity or a novelty. It's composed of monologues based on the stories gathered by David Greenberger during his work at the Duplex Nursing Home in Boston. These have been set to music by Birdsongs of the Mesozoic and this adds a cinematic feel. Like they should be accompanied by film. Maybe film of the people who told them, or situations that they fit but this is a pretty moving experience no matter how you call it. Real life is like that but this isn't an outsider project. The contents "meander, as minds tend to do" and David has been careful to present these verbatim. Maybe some of you aren't familiar with his publication which is 25 years old right about now, "The Duplex Planet"? If not, then check out the site and you'll get a feel for where this all comes from. You have to experience it and react to it yourself, I don't think the figurative clout around the head can really be described in words, particularly on a screen. It's very tactile and this kind of "stream of conciousness" conversation sure makes a lot more sense to me than all the soundbite bullshit that we're presented with on a daily basis. BOTM present the perfect mood backdrop to Greenberger's rich oratory in every case just like it was scored by Bernard Hermann moonlighting with MX80. Please investigate this, it'll take you on an unexpected journey where life might not be beautiful all the time but where the warts and all are part of the landscape. "Obstacles of life" indeed.

When the package that had “Introducing… Hello Saferide” in it arrived, the rest of the contents kinda went by the wayside. Not that they were bad by any means but let’s just say I got distracted. FIREFOX AK’s “Madame Madame!” is on the Razzia imprint also and is futuristic (in the classical sense) scandanavian pop. Checking out the background info, I see that she has played shows with the likes of Stereo Total and this 10 song album (+ videoclips) are definitely related to that strain of electro. However, this Kraftwerkian synth swing really creeps up on you. Like if Ralf and Florian had bounced Bjorn and Benny out of Abba and hotwired their commercial undertow. It’s not robotic in the slightest though. There’s a warmth to the automation, like Simple Minds circa “Reel To Reel Cacophony” or “Empires and Dance”. FIREFOX AK is the pseudonymn of Andrea Kellerman who also features on HS’s “Long Lost Penpal”. There’s some sort of Swedish masterplan to rule the outright pop world going on and "Madame Madame!" is a hypnotic throb which uses frequencies that’ll make sure her sounds ring in your noggin long after you remove the cd from the player tray.

T’was something of a surprise and an honour to receive a message from Fur Dixon recently. Since then I’ve become acquainted with her most recent music project but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. A recap for those who might not know, prior to her becoming the rather striking Mohican bass player with The Cramps, Fur had always dabbled in the art of country music. Way before the advent of those “new country” or “Americana” pigeonholes, she was in the Screamin’ Sirens (with Rosie Flores) and then The Hollywood Hillbillys. Someone should release their album.

Anyway we’re down the road apiece now. She hid her light under a bushel during that time with Lux, Ivy and Nick. She has a fabulous warble of a voice which is perfect for the smokin’ folky bluegrass that is “The Pearl and the Swine”. Fur's companion is a guy by the name of Steve Werner and together they’ve crafted a beautiful set of travelling songs and there are 12 of on the album. It’s unashamedly good natured and the two trade off one another effortlessly. The perfect soundtrack to ride a station (or any other kind of) wagon through yer actual and metaphorical desert landscape. They're hauling plenty of liquid to keep you hydrated.

“Where Are We Going?” asks track 8, well hopefully in the direction of Europe at some point. Check out some of their songs at the FUR and STEVE website. It’s addictive stuff. Steve Werner’s voice compliments his female accomplice perfectly and the music they make is utterly uncomplicated and all the better for it. If you like pickin’ that’ll make you grin then stop off in these folks company for a while. They appear to exist in a world that revolves at a different pace. I for one chums, am down with that!

Crypt Brooklyn store OPENS FRIDAY JUNE 23!

I can't recall if I posted this already or not. Such is the state of the "heid" department around this 'hood. Anyways, in the probable chance that I didn't, BARRACUDAFFICIANADOS should note that MEANTIME and ENDEAVOUR TO PERSEVERE (with the requisite bonus cuts et al) are being reissued by Japanese label Airmail Recordings in July. The Rt. Hon JEREMY GLUCK has his BUFFALO BILL album reactivated by Diesel Motor as a double-CD with a disc of bonus material including two new tracks. He has also "knocked out a cover" of The Dogs' immortal "Terminal State" for a forthcoming French tribute to their finest rock'n'roll sons.

the chesterfield kings

VIERNES 23 de JUNIO - Sala LA BOITE - MADRID
C/ Tetuan 27 - (Semi-esquina Pza. del Carmen) - metro SOL
APERTURA DE PUERTAS - 12:00 NOCHE
ENTRADA ANTICIPADA: 18€ (ESCRIDISCOS) - TAQUILLA: 20€

ALERT FOR METELKOVA

"On Wednesday, June 14th 2006, at 6am, the government Inspectorate for the Environment and Spatial Planning brought an excavating machine to the Autonomous Cultural Zone Metelkova, Ljubljana, to tear down one of the buildings of the converted ancient army barracks which they consider to have been erected illegally. The cultural workers and supporters of Metelkova prevented the action. This attempt to destroy one of the liveliest cultural and intellectual locations in Ljubljana was the third in these past few months. Various inspections have recently intensified their interventions during cultural events at Metelkova.

The government of Slovenia is acting in accordance with a recently passed law on catering industries. Under the cover of its strict provisions regulating commercial activities, which cannot be fulfilled by the non- profit associations and NGOs of Metelkova, the executive might as well put an end to the largest agglomeration of alternative cultures in the country. Metelkova provides 40% of the non-commercial music events in the city.

Its attendance can favourably be compared with that of the established Ljubljana Festival. It is the second largest provider of cultural events in Ljubljana. Metelkova is the only location in the city, and one of the few in the country, where youth cultures and alternative cultures are systematically produced and presented to a large and active audience. It is also a forum of impressive intellectual irradiation. During each academic year, it organises the Workers' Punkers' University where the most urgent dilemmas of the contemporary world are discussed by competent international speakers.

Metelkova recently hosted the annual meeting of TransEuropeHalles. During the 13 years of its existence, projects at the Autonomous Cultural Zone Metelkova have been supported by the Ministry of Culture and by the City of Ljubljana, as well as by many international sponsors. Producers from Metelkova have been participating to Documenta, Manifesta, Sao Paolo Biennial, Venice Biennale, Wiener Festwochen? Many international festivals held in Ljubljana locate part of their activities at Metelkova: The City of Women, The Other Music, Jazz Festival Ljubljana, Trnfest? Metelkova has been presented as an outstanding phenomenon by international media: ARD, Arte, BBC, Belarus' State TV, Die Zeit, Falter, Feral Tribune, Los Angeles Times, ORF, Russian State TV, Seattle Times, ZDF? Metelkova is a squat initiated in 1993, when a group of alternative producers and activists occupied the ancient barracks of the army headquarters near the centre of Ljubljana in order to prevent its illegal destruction, which was launched by still unknown agents presumably led by speculative real-estate interest. Although it has never succeeded in achieving a proper legal status, the location was registered as national cultural heritage in 2005. ACZ Metelkova is under attack. Its people are ready to defend it. They need support. Please circulate this information.

If you want to express your support, please write to the Prime Minister: Janez.Jansa@gov.si and to the Minister of Culture: vasko.simoniti@gov.si"

(Thanks to Bigor for the info)

FREE PHOBICS GIG SATURDAY 17th JUNE at THE PLOUGH INN,
173 Wood Street, Walthamstow, London E17 3NU

"They say Charity begins at home and thank gawd you lot didn't stay at home for our last gig at The Dublin Castle - huge thanks to everyone who turned out despite the heat, the Portugal match being on TV as we were hitting the stage and the £5 entry fee. The Cancer Charity made a few hundred quid thanks to you so well done. Cheers to Steve for setting it up and to everyone who played, came along, and helped .

Down to business again, gentle reader and as a reward for your charity work our gift to you is a FREE gig this Saturday. Yup, thats right FREE!!! England have qualified for that World cup thing so put down those worry beads come along and be entertained at the mind expanding rovers return that is the Plough in Walthamstow. We'll be on stage around 9ish.
We've been invited back to play with ED TUDOR-POLE by special request! We musta done something right at the first gig, or we owe someone money - come on down and find out! Hey if we're lucky he'll get us to join him at the end of his set like last time to rip through the classic "Swords of a Thousand Men" now ya wouldn't want to miss that fer nothing would ya. A word about Ed - he is a true national treasure and will entertain you throughout and hit you with a bunch of ace tunes too.

The Plough Inn is located directly opposite Wood Street British Rail station, one stop from Walthamstow Central or about 15 minutes from Liverpool Street mainline.Bus 230 (from Wood Green) and W16 (from Leytonstone underground) stop outside the venue. Bus 56, 257, 357, W12, W15,W19 also stop nearby at Whipps Cross Hospital, a short walk away.

So an entertaining night is in prospect and it won't cost you nuffink mister or mistress, watch this space for news of upcoming gigs and other fine events too"

tom

Here's something that gets my goat. The use of the word "excellent" as a platitude, generally used by arseholes to convey a faux positive response to whatever pointless drivel that might spew forth from the "person" on the other end. Scoring a fat zero on the sincerometer. It was fine in Wayne's World. It's like the expression "dude". UK dialects can't deliver these words. Why can't your average gimp give some consideration to what comes outta their trap? Particularly if they're within my hearing range? Is that too much to ask?? I personally and actively loathe the spurious nature of general conversation these days because it rarely gets past the loop mentality. They only have a number of standard phrases and repeat them ad nauseum. I'm sure that your average talking toy would present more in the way of variety. I make like a trappist monk (complete with tonsure) rather than get into some bogus dialogue with someone who I'd rather not be around let alone talk to or confide any of my business however meaningless. Call it my inner (and outer) Larry David taking hold, it rarely steers me wrong. Anyway, it's Friday night. I nearly went into Glasgow but decided to hole up in the bunker instead. This time next week, i'll be doing something altogether more fun, with people that I like to be around - so energy and funds require to be conserved. I'm slowly making my way through a pile of cd's and must go and make a note to go get a stylus tomorrow. Not sure from where but that's an important quest. Wish me luck.

If you're on the West Coast (USA) then you won't want to miss a minute of this. Except for the Roky film. Actually no, go along and ask the "director" what his problem is? They have a Gun Club film and tribute performance, The Monks and Long Gone John also appear on screen plus a ton of other great stuff. And to top it off, Redd Kross live. Why can't somebody organise a happening like this here?

Don't Knock The Rock,

June 29th - July 3rd 2006

Any of you folks fancy being involved with a Nikki Sudden tribute album.
(Thanks to Trevor for the heads-up).

Brother Patrick has taken time out of his hectic schedule to hep you to a couple of shows coming up in the UK. I can’t find the venues or confirm the dates on any listings but anyway… listen to the man. (Have a blast Stateside chief!)

"If the Flamin' Groovies are he most underrated rock'n'roll group ever, then Viva L’American Death Ray Music, of Memphis fame, are challengers for the second place.

All four of their albums are killers (no filler) and each is different Welcome... is a mix of the Velvets, the Modern Lovers debut and Roxy Music (get the picture?). The latest, "In The Meantime" is the kind of record that can change your life, really. The song "Same Suit, Different Tie" is my favourite track of the year so far.

The side projects of this trio are worth seeking out too : Nick Diablo, singer/guitar, former 68 Comeback, is also a member of The Limes (with Jack Oblivian). Bass player - Harlan T. Bobo’s solo album, "Too Much Love" features members of the Reigning Sound - and the album equals the quality of Greg Oblivian group. The drummer is also a member of Polyphonic Spree.

American Death Ray played in Paris yesterday (June 14), they're gonna hit the Pit's tonight and you can catch them in London June 21 and Glasgow June 22. So don't miss the NEXT BIG THING (well if there was any justice in this world)." - PB