MORE (DUTCH) YOUTUBE GOODIES
Beatles in Holland Pt 1 & 2 (this one's for Lindsay)
Cuby & the Blizards - doc
Dukes - Friday On My Mind
Golden Earrings - Daddy Buy Me A Girl
Golden Earrings - That Day
Pretty Things in Blokker
Ro-d-y-s - Take Her Home
Rolling Stones 1964
Tielman Brothers - Rollin' Rock
Monday, October 30, 2006
"WMBR 88.1 FM Fundraiser starts November 8th….tune into Gorilla Got Me 2:00-4:00 PM EST…..The Wednesday, November 8th edition of Gorilla Got Me will involve me begging you for money. It is the annual WMBR fundraiser....the one time of year the radio station asks for listener support. WMBR is all volunteer/commercial-free/free-form radio and relies solely on listener support to keep the station in operation.
There will be lots of great treats and premiums (concert/club tix, CD/DVDs, books, etc.) for your much appreciated donation offerings. Hope you can join me and lend some change or small dollar (or large) amounts to the Gorilla! Tune in 2:00-4:00 PM EST as we let the begging begin.
Go Go Gorilla!
Sara J.
You can phone in donations during the show on November 8th, 2:00-4:00PM EST at 617-253-8810"
Sunday, October 29, 2006
News just in via a staysick bulletin, Roky is in Hollywood, Fla - Tonight!
Of course, that alleged "extra" hour that we're supposed to benefit from today went "poot" into the ether. The coming week is shaping up to be another doozy but i'll do what I can to bring things up to some kind of snails pace. See you next Wednesday as John Landis might say...
Jim Lauderdale at Brel in Glasgow on Friday 10th November. Further information via the Fallen Angels Club or Soundsfine.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
The recent practice of not being able to organise a piss-up in the proverbial brewery continues. It hardly seems credible that the London jaunt was a week ago. But it was and in the run-up to now, I’ve caught The Last Town Chorus and The New York Dolls at the ABC in Glasgow. It’s a great venue. Like a non-claustrophobic version of the Astoria in London. Good sight lines and another bar adjacent to the main hall if you want to dodge any of the proceedings, like the gimps that opened for the Dolls. But more about that later…
The Last Town Chorus opened for The Guillemots to a packed house. I’m not terribly familiar with the latter but what I saw of them was OK. I reckoned it might have been horrendous but it wasn’t. I’d have liked to have seen the songs that Megan joined ‘em for but had to cut out because it was a school night. I was knackered from a day trying to sort out stuff here in the bunker too. So anyway, The LTC presented that trademark atmospheric lap steel to an appreciative audience. The sound was great and theirs is music that literally soared under such conditions. The material from the new Wire Waltz set really shimmered and the only bugbear was that some of the audience gibbered too loudly over the quiet parts. The spare, almost orchestral nature of this demands a certain respectful silence. Why do people go to see shows and slaver their brains out during a performance? The LTC return to Glasgow in December and elsewhere in the UK too. I’ll post the dates when I get ‘em.
Thursday was The Dolls. Ever since the Arthur film I’ve been kicking myself that I didn’t go to the Royal Festival Hall. Then I remembered that one of the main reasons was that they had the drummer from The Libertines. The opening act was something called Towers Of London. First I saw of them was the cover of the Guardian Guide last Saturday. Apparently there’s a “reality” TV show on Bravo which gives these no-hopers a platform for their charismatically-challenged punk metal by numbers. They make McFly seem like the fucking Allman Brothers. Identikit safe rubbish for the Big Brother generation and utterly devoid of any redeeming features. Apart from that, they’re great. This is where that other bar in the venue came in very handy. The Dolls on the other hand were absolutely fabulous and the intro tape really set the tone for a set that mixed plenty of old and new. Like I’ve said before, the new album is damned good and concerns in some quarters that it veers too close to metal in parts are unfounded in my opinion. They’re having a lot of fun up there and I think that there are good vibes involved with this particular resurrection that don’t apply to the dollar-grabbing actions of some “living legends”. Like The Fleshtones the Friday before, this is a band that puts on a show. The version of “Piece Of My Heart” would have been trite in lesser hands but it was fantastic situated as it was in the set. The version of “(Fucking) Pills” was incendiary. The band are full on and have their own identity. It’s not just a hollow homage to a bygone era. It was like an old fashioned Glasgow night out and a lot of the throng had been waiting a long time for this show. Johansen is one of the great frontmen, his gurning and presence is a reminder of what this game is all about. I think that the reaction on this last night of the tour surprised them. In a just world, the NY Dolls would have played at the old Apollo back during the pre(UK) punk wars but I’m glad they’re still around and pounding it out with this much gusto. It restores one’s faith to some degree.
The clocks go back tonight and I have to bloody work tomorrow. So much to do and way too little time. Now it’s time to check out the new Peter C. Johnson album “Yaka Yaka” and to watch the Demolition Doll Rods dvd as an antidote to the excrecable Saturday night TV roster. All going well there’ll be another missive soon, after all there’s an extra hour coming up…
The Last Town Chorus opened for The Guillemots to a packed house. I’m not terribly familiar with the latter but what I saw of them was OK. I reckoned it might have been horrendous but it wasn’t. I’d have liked to have seen the songs that Megan joined ‘em for but had to cut out because it was a school night. I was knackered from a day trying to sort out stuff here in the bunker too. So anyway, The LTC presented that trademark atmospheric lap steel to an appreciative audience. The sound was great and theirs is music that literally soared under such conditions. The material from the new Wire Waltz set really shimmered and the only bugbear was that some of the audience gibbered too loudly over the quiet parts. The spare, almost orchestral nature of this demands a certain respectful silence. Why do people go to see shows and slaver their brains out during a performance? The LTC return to Glasgow in December and elsewhere in the UK too. I’ll post the dates when I get ‘em.
Thursday was The Dolls. Ever since the Arthur film I’ve been kicking myself that I didn’t go to the Royal Festival Hall. Then I remembered that one of the main reasons was that they had the drummer from The Libertines. The opening act was something called Towers Of London. First I saw of them was the cover of the Guardian Guide last Saturday. Apparently there’s a “reality” TV show on Bravo which gives these no-hopers a platform for their charismatically-challenged punk metal by numbers. They make McFly seem like the fucking Allman Brothers. Identikit safe rubbish for the Big Brother generation and utterly devoid of any redeeming features. Apart from that, they’re great. This is where that other bar in the venue came in very handy. The Dolls on the other hand were absolutely fabulous and the intro tape really set the tone for a set that mixed plenty of old and new. Like I’ve said before, the new album is damned good and concerns in some quarters that it veers too close to metal in parts are unfounded in my opinion. They’re having a lot of fun up there and I think that there are good vibes involved with this particular resurrection that don’t apply to the dollar-grabbing actions of some “living legends”. Like The Fleshtones the Friday before, this is a band that puts on a show. The version of “Piece Of My Heart” would have been trite in lesser hands but it was fantastic situated as it was in the set. The version of “(Fucking) Pills” was incendiary. The band are full on and have their own identity. It’s not just a hollow homage to a bygone era. It was like an old fashioned Glasgow night out and a lot of the throng had been waiting a long time for this show. Johansen is one of the great frontmen, his gurning and presence is a reminder of what this game is all about. I think that the reaction on this last night of the tour surprised them. In a just world, the NY Dolls would have played at the old Apollo back during the pre(UK) punk wars but I’m glad they’re still around and pounding it out with this much gusto. It restores one’s faith to some degree.
The clocks go back tonight and I have to bloody work tomorrow. So much to do and way too little time. Now it’s time to check out the new Peter C. Johnson album “Yaka Yaka” and to watch the Demolition Doll Rods dvd as an antidote to the excrecable Saturday night TV roster. All going well there’ll be another missive soon, after all there’s an extra hour coming up…
No luck with uploading images, if this appears then at least the ordinary post facility is operating. Or is it?
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Monk time? Well that kicked off about 11pm last Thursday. The Dome above the DWC was reverberating as the great and the good paid homage to something they thought they'd never see. 
PJ's persistence paid off and three of the original 5 were bringing down the musical equivalent of what Buckfast will do to you in musical terms. I have to state here that I was in the minority at this particular sermon. While all and sundry were having their minds blown to lesser or greater degree, I was thinking "wait a minute" the sound in this place is pish. Or at best soup. And not one of those nice broths either. How To Do was as close as it got to the realisation of the BMT experience for me. For some reason, I wasn't included in the party everybody else was having. Mr Duff told me they were vicious when he saw them but I have to say that the teeth they presumably had in during that service must have been in a big glass at the side of the stage. Maybe it sounded OK from where they were too? 
Maybe I just expected too much. I had no problem with the ticket price like some. It may be considered hefty but not for something as perceivably special as this turned out not to be. Like I said, I was very much in the minority. That is my dime in life. They didn’t do that one "Nice legs, shame about the boat race" either. Oh yeah, that was another Monks. As is Tony Shaloub, singular. Openers were Blacktime (no Monk) who were OK in that primal lo-fi Cramplike arc. A concise short set. Dirthole are an ensemble piece who Mr Cruickshank reckons sound like dual dimensional versions of The Fall each playing a different set at the same time. Believe me that concept is much better in theory than it is in hard racket. They have fun though and I'll be damned if that ain't the main thing. 
Friday was Fleshtone time and I really wish that these guys could command the attendances they deserve because they were literally smoking in comparison to anything from that previous night. I hadn't seen them for more than 10 years. Since they opened for The Cramps in Amsterdam and the Nomads played upstairs afterwards. There are so many copy bands out there that have taken the routines and some of the sound but they can't, not one of them, ape the finite superrock ingredient. Like whatever makes Coca into Cola or Irn into Bru. Hadn't seen them perform material from the last few albums either so it was all good. Got more exercise during this hour or so than I have in recent living memory. They got a decent crowd but there should a been a line around the block, locked out. Such is the power that they wield. Yes I'm biased but ask anybody who was there. Hardly anybody even comes close.
Not ever. 30 years and counting. Never less than supreme, the never lost that american beat because they fucking ARE it! Cool supporting roles from The Grease Monkeys and The Dexateens made this the preferable of the two DWC anniversary nights that your old codger here attended.
Now to the e-mail backlog, if this steam modem has enough puff.
PJ's persistence paid off and three of the original 5 were bringing down the musical equivalent of what Buckfast will do to you in musical terms. I have to state here that I was in the minority at this particular sermon. While all and sundry were having their minds blown to lesser or greater degree, I was thinking "wait a minute" the sound in this place is pish. Or at best soup. And not one of those nice broths either. How To Do was as close as it got to the realisation of the BMT experience for me. For some reason, I wasn't included in the party everybody else was having. Mr Duff told me they were vicious when he saw them but I have to say that the teeth they presumably had in during that service must have been in a big glass at the side of the stage. Maybe it sounded OK from where they were too? 
Maybe I just expected too much. I had no problem with the ticket price like some. It may be considered hefty but not for something as perceivably special as this turned out not to be. Like I said, I was very much in the minority. That is my dime in life. They didn’t do that one "Nice legs, shame about the boat race" either. Oh yeah, that was another Monks. As is Tony Shaloub, singular. Openers were Blacktime (no Monk) who were OK in that primal lo-fi Cramplike arc. A concise short set. Dirthole are an ensemble piece who Mr Cruickshank reckons sound like dual dimensional versions of The Fall each playing a different set at the same time. Believe me that concept is much better in theory than it is in hard racket. They have fun though and I'll be damned if that ain't the main thing. 
Friday was Fleshtone time and I really wish that these guys could command the attendances they deserve because they were literally smoking in comparison to anything from that previous night. I hadn't seen them for more than 10 years. Since they opened for The Cramps in Amsterdam and the Nomads played upstairs afterwards. There are so many copy bands out there that have taken the routines and some of the sound but they can't, not one of them, ape the finite superrock ingredient. Like whatever makes Coca into Cola or Irn into Bru. Hadn't seen them perform material from the last few albums either so it was all good. Got more exercise during this hour or so than I have in recent living memory. They got a decent crowd but there should a been a line around the block, locked out. Such is the power that they wield. Yes I'm biased but ask anybody who was there. Hardly anybody even comes close.
Not ever. 30 years and counting. Never less than supreme, the never lost that american beat because they fucking ARE it! Cool supporting roles from The Grease Monkeys and The Dexateens made this the preferable of the two DWC anniversary nights that your old codger here attended.Now to the e-mail backlog, if this steam modem has enough puff.
My Two Cents. Posted 8:20 PM by Jeroen Vedder
As we were unable to get to London in time for the Monks and Black Time I can only vouch for Lindsay's take on the 2nd night and as par usual he's pretty much on the ball. Tho' mention has got to be made of the soundguy who figured that the Fleshtones are best appreciated at distorto level and Alfonso from the Parkinsons who wrecked Zaremba's organ early in the set...
The third night was a hoot as well mainly c/o the Priscillas, an all girl 4 piece who's Ramones/Runaways hybrid is as predictable as it is contagious. All dolled up and with choreographed stage-moves, they delivered a great set of uber-catchy tunes.
Proof positive that there is a God came when the Parkinsons hit the stage and the P.A . and lighting-rig gave up the ghost halfway their first song. Mucho fuss was made of audience members throwing beer, but it was obvious that the band was soley responsible. Hey, that's what you get for messin' with Z-man's keyboard!
Anyways, the Parkinsons sweaty/shirts-off/male bonding take on R&R complete with terracechant-style choruses is hardly my cup o' tea. Tho' most of the crowd seemed to think otherwise... Opening act Thee Exciters were fun for a while, but really should take note of Black Time's dictum of only playing short sets and crampin' all your good points in that brief timespace...
A short note on the fact that London might not be that big a city as is often believed: The girl who was selling tickets at the DWC on Friday, looked very much like the one who sold me some records at Sounds That Swing on Saturday afternoon and the one playing rockabilly 45s at the Elephants Head on Saturday night...
Congratulations to P.J. and here's hopin' for at least one more decade. A tip of the hat goes out to Steve, Lindsay, Matthew, Jos and Coen.
Pictures c/o Jos De Groot
Update: Some Youtube links: Monks, Parkinsons.
OK, so it took a wee while but the HS jpeg appeared eventually. Apparently there's a connectivity problem in these parts, it's certainly been taking the mick outta me for a few hours. The Last Town Chorus is opening for some trendy, down with the kids band called The Guillemots. More about them after a couple of songs. Their recorded work certainly leaves me thinking nothing in particular. But it's sold out so that provides a whole new canvas for Megan and her crew. Might even get around to putting the last few days into perspective soon. I need to watch a Demolition Doll Rods dvd first though.Your Uncle Joss wants a word...
"Hello cheeky,Those dashingly rum coves, The Stripchords, return to the stage at the slinkily seductive Lady Luck club on October 26th. Having enjoyed a summer sporting across the London, around domestic provinces, in Europa, and up the New World, a fully refreshed and highly manoeuvrable handful of Stripchords are scheduled to take to the stage ofthe London's top burlesque review at the stroke of midnight, Thursday next.
Lady Luck is a most hip night of hepcat 'n' kitten thrills, held at Too Two Much (the former Raymond Review Bar), and presided over by DJ/hosts Nino, Jake, Ronnie & co. Expect:* World-class burlesque turns. * The Stripchords with Mr Bishop's saucy 8mm fillums. * Real fine r'n'r 'desk jockey' action - Louis Jordan to Louis Louis.* Cocktails, cigars, etc. Dress to impress and let Lady Luck do the rest at London's most hellishly swinging night.
The Stripchords have put aside time to thoroughly Shake'n'Vac their stageschmutter before kicking off a new season of top tits 'n' twang action at Lady Luck, so shape up or schtup out - no serge denime, gymnasium shoes, etc. Indeed, the run up to that most filthy of festive seasons (mistletoe, lingerie, stuffing, etc) is set to be a busy one, as The Stripchords are already engaged to play the following jollies. All jigs in the London, unless noted:
* Thu Oct 26th - The Lady Luck Club, Too Two Much, Berwick St, 10pm 'til very late, £9-£13. Plus live burlesque and Lady Luck DJs.
* Sat Nov 4th - Gutter Ball @ Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes, support by The Creepy Morons, Honkeyfinger, and Sonic Reducer Tag Team DJs.
* Fri Nov 17th - Stamford Hill Sports Club @ Hoxton Bar & Grill, Hoxton Sq, with The Penetrators, and SHSC DJs.
* Sat Nov 25th - Mods Vs Rockers @ International Student House, Gt PortlandSt, with The Five Aces, plus DJs Dr Robert and co.
* Fri Dec 8th - A XXXmess @ Cube Cinema Complex, Bristol. Live burlesque,plus support TBC, and Off The Cuff DJs.
We do hope you'll come join us for one, or all, of the above wingdings.Stay cool, won't you?
Video, downloads, pictures and virtual navel fluff at:www.myspace.com/thestripchords"
Monday, October 23, 2006
That's me on the left, with Blacktime's Lemmy Caution and the A Fistful Of Records crew pictured somewhere in Soho last weekend...
Howdy. I'm not long "aff the train" from London. Came home to several logistical problems with e-mail, etc. The modem is finally ready to give up the ghost methinks and the prognosis for a visit from the engineer is sketchy. That coupled with my mobile-phone challenged ways over the past couple of days has kind of made me seriously consider spurning this technology lark once and for bloody all. But anyway, that's the score for now. Wouldn't be surprised if this doesn't post into the bargain but let's hit publish and see shall I...
RIP: Sandy West.
Just got off the plane back from London and word reached me that Sandy West has passed away. This is sad news of course. Just this Saturday night I was enjoying London's Priscillas playin' at the Dirty Water Club, and was reminded once again how big an impact the Runaways had on the music scene and esp on girls wantin' to start a R&R band. Not that the Priscillas were direct clones or anything, just that they'd obviously took some cues from Sandy & Co. and found their own direction from there on...
I only got to see the Runaways once as a 13 year old, and you can probably imagine the impact that had on me...
Here's a bunch o' Youtube links:
Come On, Rock 'n' Roll, Cherry Bomb, Neon Angels On The Road To Ruin, All Right You Guys, American Night, Schooldays (on Dutch TV!), Queens Of Noise, California Paradise an I Love Playin' With Fire.
Update: There's a great Runaways history by Phast Phreddie Patterson on his Myspace page.
Thursday, October 19, 2006
The NBT staff is off to London for both it's annual meeting and some Superrock action. Please check back after the weekend for updates...
If, like me, you were unable to catch the Dictators at CBGBs last week, you might derive some comfort at The Official Dictators Website were you can find reviews, pics and best of all Youtube links of the event...
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
OK, the news is finally here, the hottest ticket in Glasgow this coming November!..
Sounds of Sweden and Dolly Mixture present:
"Sexy Stockholm star *Hello Saferide*, angelic Swedish SAMI award winner *Maia Hirasawa* and Glasgow's super secret, super sweet supergroup *The Poems*
Wednesday, November 15, 8pm to 12am, Admiral Bar, 72a Waterloo St, Glasgow, G2 7DA
Tickets 4GBP, available at Tickets Scotland, Monorail Records
Sounds of Sweden have teamed up with the lovely ladies of Dolly Mixture to present our best line-up yet – a trio of amazing female-fronted bands from near and far.
Behind stage name *Hello Saferide* (inspired by an intelligent bus driver in a drug-addicted small town) is songwriter Annika Norlin, a musical version of Holly Hunter who has become the veritable darling of the Swedish music scene in the past year. She'd been writing songs since the age of seven, never aspiring for anyone else to hear them, when she recorded the song *Highschool Stalker*, about a young girl stalking her crush. It was an instant Internet hit with its handclaps, Shangri-Las ask-and-tell chorus, scrunched-up trumpet, and rollicking guitar pop. She immediately got a record deal and her first single, *My Best Friend*, featured the lyrics "Damn, I wish I was a lesbian/so I could fall in love with you." It immediately got radio airplay and had the toughest of tough men crying they, too, wanted to be lesbians. She released her debut album, "Introducing...Hello Saferide", in late September 2005, to a massive critical acclaim. "The strength of this album is that there are no weaknesses", wrote one reviewer. Her summer has been spent playing in front of thousands at nearly every festival, and her anxiously anticipated follow-up, *Would you play this EP ten times a day*? has catapulted to number three in the Swedish charts, well on its way to gold. Annika was even declared the fourth sexiest woman in Sweden by QX Magazine, and song *Long Lost Penpal* featured in a recent episode og HBO hit Big Love. And all the hype is well-deserved. Annika's songwriting is sharp as a needle, packed with finely-wrought storytelling and deft turns of phrase, couched impossibly catchy melodies and just the slightest tinge of bedroom melancholy, causing the all-mighty Pitchfork to proclaim a "cuteness alert!"
Maia Hirasawa is a half-Swedish, half-Japanese singer with a background in jazz who has a knack for writing some damn catchy songs. She first came to attention as accompanying singer/instrumentalist extraordinaire in Hello Saferide, and is now starting to make her own
mark as a solo act, recently winning the 2006 Swedish Roland/SAMI award (for unsigned Swedish bands). As Annika herself says, has got the voice of an angel gone to hell and back - and the melody sense of Burt Bacharach. She has drawn comparisons with Regina Spektor, and like her, charms the crowd with her strong self-confidence and winning stage presence - and adorable smile.
The Poems are Glasgow's best-kept secret. The reclusive quintet rarely play live, and are better known across the pond, thanks to the US label Minty Fresh, which released their debut album 'Young America' . They deliver lush, low-key chamber indie, with angelic sighs from Kerry Polwart and Amy Ogletree (daughter of Simple Minds drummer Mike Ogletree), existential philosophy from songwriter (and ex-Bluebells frontman) Robert Hodgens and the instrumental mastery of Adrian Barry (The High Fidelity) and Bobby Paterson (Love And Money). Full of chiming acoustic guitars, sweeping vocals, and grand arrangements, The Poems wear their gentle melodicism proudly on their world-worn sleeves. Their album features contributions from many of their famous friends, including Isobel Campbell, Norman Blake and members of Del Amitri and The Proclaimers, and their songs have even featured on US TV show Grey's Anatomy."
Internet resources:
Hello Saferide
http://www.hellosaferide.com
http://www.myspace.com/saferide
http://www.razziarecords.se
Maia Hirasawa
http://www.myspace.com/maiahirasawa
The Poems
http://www.myspace.com/thepoemsmusic
http://www.mintyfresh.com
Sounds of Sweden
http://www.soundsofsweden.com
http://www.myspace.com/soundsofsweden
Dolly Mixture
http://www.myspace.com/dollymixclub
"Sexy Stockholm star *Hello Saferide*, angelic Swedish SAMI award winner *Maia Hirasawa* and Glasgow's super secret, super sweet supergroup *The Poems*
Wednesday, November 15, 8pm to 12am, Admiral Bar, 72a Waterloo St, Glasgow, G2 7DA
Tickets 4GBP, available at Tickets Scotland, Monorail Records
Sounds of Sweden have teamed up with the lovely ladies of Dolly Mixture to present our best line-up yet – a trio of amazing female-fronted bands from near and far.
Behind stage name *Hello Saferide* (inspired by an intelligent bus driver in a drug-addicted small town) is songwriter Annika Norlin, a musical version of Holly Hunter who has become the veritable darling of the Swedish music scene in the past year. She'd been writing songs since the age of seven, never aspiring for anyone else to hear them, when she recorded the song *Highschool Stalker*, about a young girl stalking her crush. It was an instant Internet hit with its handclaps, Shangri-Las ask-and-tell chorus, scrunched-up trumpet, and rollicking guitar pop. She immediately got a record deal and her first single, *My Best Friend*, featured the lyrics "Damn, I wish I was a lesbian/so I could fall in love with you." It immediately got radio airplay and had the toughest of tough men crying they, too, wanted to be lesbians. She released her debut album, "Introducing...Hello Saferide", in late September 2005, to a massive critical acclaim. "The strength of this album is that there are no weaknesses", wrote one reviewer. Her summer has been spent playing in front of thousands at nearly every festival, and her anxiously anticipated follow-up, *Would you play this EP ten times a day*? has catapulted to number three in the Swedish charts, well on its way to gold. Annika was even declared the fourth sexiest woman in Sweden by QX Magazine, and song *Long Lost Penpal* featured in a recent episode og HBO hit Big Love. And all the hype is well-deserved. Annika's songwriting is sharp as a needle, packed with finely-wrought storytelling and deft turns of phrase, couched impossibly catchy melodies and just the slightest tinge of bedroom melancholy, causing the all-mighty Pitchfork to proclaim a "cuteness alert!"
Maia Hirasawa is a half-Swedish, half-Japanese singer with a background in jazz who has a knack for writing some damn catchy songs. She first came to attention as accompanying singer/instrumentalist extraordinaire in Hello Saferide, and is now starting to make her own
mark as a solo act, recently winning the 2006 Swedish Roland/SAMI award (for unsigned Swedish bands). As Annika herself says, has got the voice of an angel gone to hell and back - and the melody sense of Burt Bacharach. She has drawn comparisons with Regina Spektor, and like her, charms the crowd with her strong self-confidence and winning stage presence - and adorable smile.
The Poems are Glasgow's best-kept secret. The reclusive quintet rarely play live, and are better known across the pond, thanks to the US label Minty Fresh, which released their debut album 'Young America' . They deliver lush, low-key chamber indie, with angelic sighs from Kerry Polwart and Amy Ogletree (daughter of Simple Minds drummer Mike Ogletree), existential philosophy from songwriter (and ex-Bluebells frontman) Robert Hodgens and the instrumental mastery of Adrian Barry (The High Fidelity) and Bobby Paterson (Love And Money). Full of chiming acoustic guitars, sweeping vocals, and grand arrangements, The Poems wear their gentle melodicism proudly on their world-worn sleeves. Their album features contributions from many of their famous friends, including Isobel Campbell, Norman Blake and members of Del Amitri and The Proclaimers, and their songs have even featured on US TV show Grey's Anatomy."
Internet resources:
Hello Saferide
http://www.hellosaferide.com
http://www.myspace.com/saferide
http://www.razziarecords.se
Maia Hirasawa
http://www.myspace.com/maiahirasawa
The Poems
http://www.myspace.com/thepoemsmusic
http://www.mintyfresh.com
Sounds of Sweden
http://www.soundsofsweden.com
http://www.myspace.com/soundsofsweden
Dolly Mixture
http://www.myspace.com/dollymixclub
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Six months down the line I'd like to toot my own horn here once again about the Chiswick Records blog. I'm down to posting pics of stickers 'n beermats right now, but figure that you'll all understand the cultural significance of these items...
When I discovered this at Stereogum last night, my flabber couldn't have been more gasted. CBGB's may be gone but the tuneage is going CBeebies!
Fancy Hallowe'en in Madrid? If only... but if you're there...
This is still acting up so i'm gonna quit while i'm ahead. I've added those Brat links three times and they keep "not appearing".
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