Brother Patrick shook some action t'other evening and here's his report...

CHRIS WILSON & his Groovin’ Flames, Paris-Paris,

Paris, September 6th, 2006

Paris-Paris is the name of the club and Paris is ... Paris.

Chris Wilson & his Groovin’ Flames were in town for two private shows and was told by a member of the group that PP was the better place, so I asked Marijo, Chris’ ex wife, to put my name on the guest list. She kindly put “Patrick + 1”.

The Flamin’ Groovies are family favourites at home. My wife and I had the chance to see them in 1976 and 1978, but my son Jonathan didn’t – so he was the “+ 1”. I also saw a group called “Flamin’ Groovies” in 1990 : Cyril Jordan and George Alexander were great but their FM rock singer didn’t fit.

Joe Presedo, Tony Thewlis, Rob Coyne, Yan Quellien (ex-Scientists, Barracudas, Silver Chapter), accompanying only one ex Groovie – our man Chris Wilson - is the closest to the Flamin’ Groovies mark 2 you could figure and Mr Bassman really helped.

Cool venue, reminded me of the Magnetic Field in New York : good music before the show, giant screen playing an old movie ... The audience was composed mainly of rock critics and members of groups – probably including (for the older ones) the whole bunch of people who bought the 50 copies of “the Groovies’ Still shakin’”sold in France at the time (at the time the album was reported to have been bought by rock critics only : all the reviews were positive but the public didn’t buy it).

With your eyes closed or only focused on the still groovin’, enthusiastic and mesmerising Chris Wilson, you could imagine yourself back in the 70’s – not that “it was better before” kinda crap, just that it recalled the emotion of magic moments stuck in your mind (like when I saw the Stooges 2 years ago, I know that Mr. Martin Percival exactly knows what I mean). The set was composed of some highlights of the Sire 1976-79 trilogy “Shake Some Action / Now / Jumpin’ In The Night” and some older favourites : “Slow Death”, “Let Me Rock”, “Teenage Head” and “When I Heard Your Name”. Nothing more to say...

The Groovin’ Flames are currently touring France and will be back in Paris on October 6. They’re also scheduled to perform on Friday, September 22 at the Popxiriapop Festival in Carballo, Spain and Roy Loney & the Longshots will also be performing the day after on Saturday, September 23, 2006 at the festival. Could a special event be in the works??

Some Groovin' video on YouTube... Chris’ myspace page

"All hail kits'n'kittens
And, lo, it came to pass that a great plague of fake-assed rock'n'roll covered the city of Londinium, and all of the little iPod-hugging kidlets did tremble with anticipation in their overpriced Ramones tees, at the thought that all they would have to listen to for the rest of their lives was Coldhay, Pete Dickherty and Stink records, while being fed piffle-rags such as the eNeMEy, Moho, and Kerplunk! Righteous vinyl spinners BigKegShandy and TeenSlain, having had more fun than most, did consider the situation (at the bar), and decide that it be time to call last orders at the venerable institution known to all and sundry as Sonic Reducer. In addition, it be true that BigKegShandy and the lovely Mizz Nadia be relocating to Bath at the end of September, to avoid Londinium's bumper crop of art-rocking nincompoops, cokehead yuppies, drinkers of overpriced (and rotten) coffee, fizzy lager afficionados, Primal Scream fans, and other modern ills. To this end, BigKegShandy and TeenSlain would like to invite you & yours to the final Sonic Reducer club night, at the Spitz on Saturday September 16th. They're set to be joined, on the decks, by all-round good egg Ben Olins (Stag-O-Lee/The Hideout), for one last bop'n'stroll (inna Chuck Willis stylee). But fear not, those of strong hearts and clear(ish) minds, for the Sonic Reducer Tag Team will liveth on, populating only the finest rock'n'roll events that Londinium has to offer, including DJing at forthcoming 'gigs' by:

* Radio Birdman / Chris Wilson & His Famous Groovin' Flames

(September 13 @ The Dirty Water Club, upstairs at The Dome)
* You Am I

(October 14 @ Islington Academy / October 15 @ Village, Dublin)
* The New York Dolls

(October 22 @ The Forum)
* The Stripchords / The Creepy Morons / Honkeyfinger

(November 4 @ Gutterball, Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes)

Sonic Reducer would like to thank all of their wonderful patrons, guest DJs and hosts over the years, apart from Gerry O'Boyle (ask him why). See you at the bar, for one last time!

Selah!
Roger Spong
-------------------------------------------
Sonic Reducer @ The Spitz (gallery space), September 16th, Spitalfields Market, Londinium E1
8.30pm-1am, FREE ENTRY. Tube: Liverpool Street Info: http://www.spitz.co.uk/"

All showing at the FILMHOUSE in Edinburgh during the next week. Check the website for times... also, a rare screening of HYPE! which, as far as I recall, features GIRL TROUBLE and Dave (Estrus) Crider amongst many others on September 14th at 9pm.

RIP: Joseph Hill

Only just got word of the passing of Joseph Hill, lead singer in reggae trio Culture.
Two Sevens Clash, the band's debut album, is one of my all time favorite records. The well worn copy that I've had for nearly three decades is a perennial stand-by.
The tunes, the lyrics and the vocal inter-play coupled with Joe Gibbs' amazing production job makes this one of the most spiritually uplifting records ever. Even with it's message of impending doom. I've seen the band live several times, and even tho' they were always deliverin' the goods, a 1986 (or thereabouts) show here in Utrecht really stands out in my memory, with the band performing a stellar set of goose bumps inducing proportions.
Culture have released many records over the years, and all have at least some merit, but nothing tops Hill's vision on Two Sevens Clash, and it's sad to learn that we will never be able to hear him sing those songs in person again.

Obit in the Guardian and some Youtube links (1) (2) (3)

RIP - Steve Irwin

It’s been a weekend of documentaries for me. Apart from 2 minutes of that X Factor shit which confirmed all my worst fears for the 2006 (in)human condition. First was a film entitled "Dreaming In America" about a Memphis band called Lucero. I hadn’t heard of them either until Mr Hagred flagged it up (Thanks Per). Anyway it’s about their struggle to exist in the shifting, all engulfing quicksand of the music industry. Can’t say that the music is too special to these ears (Sorta like DBT/Wilco americana/rock) but the logistics of the piece are way more interesting that that “Dig!” shite that people rave about. Made by Aaron Goldman, it reflects the band members persistence to make a living doing what they love to do.

Today, I went to see “An Inconvenient Truth”, which essentially conveys that if we don’t start rowing in the opposite direction to the way we're headed then, to use an expression Al Gore's missus won't like, we're fucked. It’s quite a powerful considering that it’s based on a lecture and powerpoint presentation. Al (Mr Tipper) is the man who wants us all to sit up and take stock. Don’t let his wife’s PMRC shenanigans make you lose sight of this. He comes over as sincere and driven to try and save the planet. Both this and the Lucero film are about taking a message to people a piece at a time. Town by town, person by person if need be. It’s not clear from AUT how people attend these lectures, do they BUY tickets like going to a concert? Is it in an academic context? But anyway, “Truth” is out here on September 15th. Try and catch it at an independent cinema rather than a multiplex. As an ardent recycler and hater of waste in any shape or form, I don’t have a lot of faith in much of my fellow denizens but they should feel free to do whatever it takes to prove me wrong.

The redux version of the Naudet Brothers 9/11 footage that aired on Channel 4 last night was an incredible piece and rightly disturbing. It hardly seems like five years since all that and it still doesn’t seem real when you see it. That line in the sand, the erosion of rights right, left and straight down the central reservation. Probably just as well we can’t see where it’s all headed but you just know it ain’t anywhere upbeat.

Why do I get suckered into these things? Why do I end up in some godforsaken place listening to music I don't like every other year or so?
The set-up is like this: first, I forgot how bad it was last time. Second, "hey, free tickets. And you know, I really should keep up with what's happenin' more often and the line-up ain't too bad...".
But only a few minutes after arrivin' it's obvious once again: drinkin' beer in a field of mud just ain't my thing. Especially not with three stages close enough together so there's no way one can listen to just one band.
We're talkin' a local festival here with no signs of crusty and/or metal acts, nope just you're average well-meaning, late 20s/early 30s crowd, slightly arty, you know the type, nothing wrong with that. So what made grandad grumpy once again?
Well, for starters, If you didn't want to stand in line for an hour or longer, the only food option was fries 'n burgers of the worst pre-processed kind. Then, of course, there was the pretentious prog-rock, sorry, "indie" band from Belgium.
But what really did it for me was walkin' into this tent where two guys had set up their laptops on stage and switched on some generic beat, which is bad enough in itself, but when a girl jumps on stage yelling something along the line of "Hi there party people! Do you wanna dance?" I'm off... Fuck that shit! I ain't no party people! And I certainly don't wanna be addressed that way. Plus, any audience that willingly pays money to see some dork switch on his computer and does little else than stand around and look funny for over an hour, is beyond salvation. Did I mention the marketstalls with their overpriced artcraft and massage offers?
Heck, I think I need to lie down for a while before this vision of "Woodstock+Camdenmarket=the future" takes hold of my brain. Please say it ain't so...

Chances are that you may have heard of the Swedish combo Problem but you may not have actually heard them. If you have then you’ll be in awe of their fried pop thrills but if you haven’t had that pleasure then check out Central Stimulering = Problem. A 2cd 40 song retrospective of this fine Malmö ensemble on the National imprint. You can get it from Bengans or Cd On (see sidebar). And later this month, the band will be appearing at KB with the mighty Nomads (Saturday, September 16th). Having had the honour of catching them (both) in full flight at Gearfest, this return match is not to be missed. Problem were a huge influence on our friends from Solna and this collection goes some way to showing just why. Their organ-driven, sometimes 60’s kissed psych-pop sounds as fresh today as it did all those moons ago. If anything, it’s stood the test of time far better than most of that 70’s punk racket. I’ve no idea why Sweden isn’t globally fetéd in the way that the UK is for music. There are more great bands per cubic centimetre than there ever has been here but anyways, there go those scrambled eggs again. The Rubinoos-like “Ja Vill Inte Ha” is a tune of NRBQ’s “I Want You Bad” proportions. Miss any chance to gorge yourself on these guys ouvré at your peril.

Well, this new Legend Killers cd (on What Wave? Hello Dave and Rena!) looks unassuming but don’t be mistaking that for any shortcomings in the sonic department because this baby flies. This Ontarian (is that a word?) combo deliver hard and heavy but never lumpy. Imagine Rob Younger fronting The Dictators maybe and you can just tell from this that they be digging all the great stuff. Hell, there’s even a wee burst of Spinal Tap riffage in “Hittin’ The Road”. There’s a Wild Kingdom song and also two Groovies covers. Sounds like they had a ball thrashing it out as you will consuming "We're Workin' On It" at home with the volume set on stun.

The Knuckleheads are a high octane Croation garage-soul amalgam with a rough-arsed charm that just doesn’t quit. Not unlike The Fleshtones rassling with the J.Geils Band. Listen to their "Soul Flame" and "Yes To All" recordings and you’d swear they were from the Motor City. Check them out for yourself if you reckon I’m joshing.

Hey everyone, We have some great news to share. The first every public screening of It Came From Detroit will be shown at the Detroit Film Theater at the Detroit Institute of Arts on Friday, October 27th at 8pm! The Dirtbombs will start out the evening playing in the Rivera Court at the DIA (free with admission to the museum). Our film starts at 8pm and is $10. Directly after the show, The Witches and Outrageous Cherry will be rocking it on stage in the theater. We’re very excited to have the opportunity to show our film at such a great venue, and to share what we’ve been working on for the last four and half years. We sincerely hope you all can make it. It’s going to be a great night! Purchase Tickets at this link: http://www.dia.org/dft/item.asp?webitemid=843
Thanks! - James and Sarah

Image from the TFC message board.

I swear that there is more entertainment in one microsecond of any clip that J posted below than the audience at the big "Game Show Host" concerts are likely to get in however long the sorry event runs. 100,000 people will pack into Hampden Stadium over the next two days for this travesty. I know that I shouldn't care but really...? As if things weren't depressing enough. Anyways, it's the weekend, time to "coorie doon" in the bunker.

Next Friday (September 8th), The Bottle Rockets are at Barfly in Glasgow - now that's infinitely more like it. Check out their website for other UK shows. While you're at it, scroll down to the videoclips and play "I'll Be Comin' Around", it'll jumpstart that roots rock heart.

Even more Youtube goodies:
The Raconteurs play the Flamin' Groovies!
Plimsouls - A Million Miles Away,
Hoodoo Gurus - I Want You Back,
Nick Lowe - Cruel To Be Kind,
Dave Edmunds - Girls Talk,
The Syndicates play Howlin' Wolf,
The Shangri-las (1), (2), (3),
Ronettes - Be My Baby,
Shocking Blue (1) (2) (3) (4).
Box Tops - Soul Deep check this!.

This from Sara J. at WMBR radio: I will have an interview with Deniz Tek, guitarist for legendary 1970s Australian rock n rollers Radio Birdman on Gorilla Got Me Wednesday, September 6th from 2:00PM-4:00PM EST. Its been over 25 years since the break up of Radio Birdman, they now reunite and tour the United States for the first time. Also, they released a new album Zeno Beach on August 22nd. Tune in to WMBR 88.1FM in the Boston area or listen live at www.wmbr.org.
Yeah Hup!!!! and Aloha Steve and Dano!

This one's for Dutchies only! Jan & Jan at Primetime magazine have gone the bloggin' route as well. God knows where they find the time doin' this besides the weekly (!) four page mag and their dayjob managing a recordshop... Dig it right here.

Great to see a photo of Billy Miller, Mary Weiss and Greg Cartwright whilst perusing Mojo in the shop earlier. Can't wait to hear the results and just seeing that caused a small flash of optimism to course through my veins. Made me want to go to Spain next month to catch The A-Bones but the ol' bank account sez "perhaps not". And now The Monks will be playing at the DWC on the evening before The Fleshtones. Cor blimey... Also, I appeared in full snottery, hayfevered up mode on the last instalment of "Don't Start Me Talkin'" the other night. It's on the Radio 2 website until Tuesday but be warned, it's not pretty.

RIP - Glenn Ford

RIP - Jumpin' Gene Simmons

(link courtesy of Ben via Staysick)

"The Christopher Columbus of Punk Rock" Andy Shernoff has his own myspace page where you can listen to two new Master Plan recordings, a demo for the upcoming Mary Weiss solo record and an unreleased song he wrote with Joey Ramone.