Monday, December 11, 2006
Please join SUSQUEHANNA INDUSTRIAL TOOL & DIE CO. for a hillbilly holiday at our favorite honky tonk, the RODEO BAR!
We'll be pulling out all the seasonal stops,
including a free raffle drawing of semi-fabulous gifts --
conducted by the mysteriously alluring RAFFLE GIRL, naturally...
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14th / RODEO BAR / www.RodeoBar.com /
375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street) in ol' Manhattan, NYC /
10:00 sharp until 1:00 / No cover! /
Yours truly- Michael, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co.
"Ballads, Boogies & Blues" www.SITandDieCo.com
CHERRYBOMB
Thursday December 14, 2006 * 8 pm
Betsey Trotwood * 56 Farringdon Road
* London £4
With your DJ hosts Matthew Lees and Bob Stanley
Plus guest DJs:
Queens Of Noize
Sheila B. (Cha Cha Charming)
(Thanks to Nancy for the info)
Saturday, December 09, 2006
I discovered Groover Recordings whilst trying to track down stray Hello Saferide tracks. Thanks to Martina from Razzia, I got a direct line to this fine organisation and wasn’t quite ready for the revelations of the label output. Christian Örjestål is the brains behind this outfit. He compiles albums of mainly Swedish acts doing covers and originals called Jeans & Cover. There are two volumes of that and the third is The World Turns All Around Him (A Tribute to Gene Clark). Gene & Cover – geddit?
Anyway, Volume 1 is comprised of cover songs of quite unlikely candidates like Hall and Oates “Rich Girl”, Wham’s “Careless Whisper”, A hillbilly run-through of The Hives “Hate To Say” and Richard Marx’s “Hazard” as covered by The Martial Arts. We’ll come back to them in a wee while but the lovingly crafted comp is like a cleverly pieced together radio show. The trick is in the curation and the ability to identify a great song. Perfectly executed and it’ll make you rethink your jaded perspective. I guarantee it. You knew that David Essex’s “Rock On” was cool right, well the reinterpretation here is at once faithful and also fresh. I don’t mean that in some lumpen rap sense. This one also contains one of those aforementioned HS nuggets. A song called “Teen Line” by a Milwaukee group called The Shivvers that I never heard. If any further proof was needed that Annika Norlin could save the world, at least in a popular music sense, then this is it right here.
Volume 2 is similarly constructed like a vinyl album. Put together with care, unperturbed by the notion of shuffle play. Exquisitely high quality pop with a lustre like well-treated quality furniture. You can scratch the veneer but you won’t damage the majesty of the piece. GR are very well connected to the international beat that can’t be beat. This is where “Highschool Stalker” came from for “Introducing… Hello Saferide”. “On the alta vista… twice on the yahoo”. The best internet reference since “Maria Bartiromo”. Other standouts include the pre-Flop Rusty Willoughby’s “Dead Lavender”, Roger Manning Jr’s Davy Scott-esque “Sleep Children” and Sator man Kent Norberg’s “Ah Jesus”. The Lisa Marr Experiment weigh in with a smart wee murder ballad called “The Return of Donna Lee” that makes me think of Dave Alvin.
The Gene Clark special has an Allison Anders liner note and is illustrated with Blythe Dolls. It has a kind of Macdonald brothers afterglow without there being any overt Redd Kross involvement. We’ll return to them too across the piece. It kicks off with ex-Mercury Revver, Jason Russo’s Hopewell doing “With Tomorrow” and The Digs giving “Is Yours Is Mine” a kind of Television-ish sheen. The Autumn Leaves weigh in with “She Don’t Care About Time”, I forgot just how drop-dead great they are/were. And here are The Martial Arts again… “Why Not Your Baby” is the missing link between country rock and Joe Meek making everything groovy indeed. If this introduces these songs to a new generation then it’s a job well done. These things aren’t thrown together but the end result is more than worth the probable wringing of hands and tearing out of hair. HS and Maia Hirasawa re-gender their contribution as “He’s The Kind Of Boy”. At this point I don’t need to tell you how great them art.
So this all brings us back to The Martial Arts who have an album out on the self-same Groover imprint called “Your Sinclair”. So this band embody Redd Kross, Dwight Twilley, The Quick, Phil Seymour, get the picture? Well it turns out that these are youngsters from Glasgow. Not somewhere in Sweden, or the US, or anywhere like that but just up the road a bit. Maybe I saw the name before and I just shrugged like I’m prone to do. This is a great, great album and I’m sure The Fratellis are perfectly nice guys but this combo should be stealing all their thunder. Who even knew that there was a world where Halfnelson (pre-Sparks for any Young ‘uns) and The Shoes came together with some TFC gusto, that patented West Coast (of Scotland) teenage ingredient that we export to the world? Wherever Greg Shaw is right now, I’m sure he approves wholeheartedly. The screenprint on the cd looks like an old RCA cop too. They sound way too young to be so savvy. Apparently Christian discovered them on a Redd Kross message board. He has a keen ear I can tell you and there’s a good chance that you won’t hear a better debut anytime soon. It makes me wonder what they’re like live because if they can even approximate this then it must be quite a night out. “Mod Val” could have been on “Third Eye” what higher recommendation could there bloody be? A 21st Century “Mondo Deco” even.
Anyway, Volume 1 is comprised of cover songs of quite unlikely candidates like Hall and Oates “Rich Girl”, Wham’s “Careless Whisper”, A hillbilly run-through of The Hives “Hate To Say” and Richard Marx’s “Hazard” as covered by The Martial Arts. We’ll come back to them in a wee while but the lovingly crafted comp is like a cleverly pieced together radio show. The trick is in the curation and the ability to identify a great song. Perfectly executed and it’ll make you rethink your jaded perspective. I guarantee it. You knew that David Essex’s “Rock On” was cool right, well the reinterpretation here is at once faithful and also fresh. I don’t mean that in some lumpen rap sense. This one also contains one of those aforementioned HS nuggets. A song called “Teen Line” by a Milwaukee group called The Shivvers that I never heard. If any further proof was needed that Annika Norlin could save the world, at least in a popular music sense, then this is it right here.
Volume 2 is similarly constructed like a vinyl album. Put together with care, unperturbed by the notion of shuffle play. Exquisitely high quality pop with a lustre like well-treated quality furniture. You can scratch the veneer but you won’t damage the majesty of the piece. GR are very well connected to the international beat that can’t be beat. This is where “Highschool Stalker” came from for “Introducing… Hello Saferide”. “On the alta vista… twice on the yahoo”. The best internet reference since “Maria Bartiromo”. Other standouts include the pre-Flop Rusty Willoughby’s “Dead Lavender”, Roger Manning Jr’s Davy Scott-esque “Sleep Children” and Sator man Kent Norberg’s “Ah Jesus”. The Lisa Marr Experiment weigh in with a smart wee murder ballad called “The Return of Donna Lee” that makes me think of Dave Alvin.
The Gene Clark special has an Allison Anders liner note and is illustrated with Blythe Dolls. It has a kind of Macdonald brothers afterglow without there being any overt Redd Kross involvement. We’ll return to them too across the piece. It kicks off with ex-Mercury Revver, Jason Russo’s Hopewell doing “With Tomorrow” and The Digs giving “Is Yours Is Mine” a kind of Television-ish sheen. The Autumn Leaves weigh in with “She Don’t Care About Time”, I forgot just how drop-dead great they are/were. And here are The Martial Arts again… “Why Not Your Baby” is the missing link between country rock and Joe Meek making everything groovy indeed. If this introduces these songs to a new generation then it’s a job well done. These things aren’t thrown together but the end result is more than worth the probable wringing of hands and tearing out of hair. HS and Maia Hirasawa re-gender their contribution as “He’s The Kind Of Boy”. At this point I don’t need to tell you how great them art.
So this all brings us back to The Martial Arts who have an album out on the self-same Groover imprint called “Your Sinclair”. So this band embody Redd Kross, Dwight Twilley, The Quick, Phil Seymour, get the picture? Well it turns out that these are youngsters from Glasgow. Not somewhere in Sweden, or the US, or anywhere like that but just up the road a bit. Maybe I saw the name before and I just shrugged like I’m prone to do. This is a great, great album and I’m sure The Fratellis are perfectly nice guys but this combo should be stealing all their thunder. Who even knew that there was a world where Halfnelson (pre-Sparks for any Young ‘uns) and The Shoes came together with some TFC gusto, that patented West Coast (of Scotland) teenage ingredient that we export to the world? Wherever Greg Shaw is right now, I’m sure he approves wholeheartedly. The screenprint on the cd looks like an old RCA cop too. They sound way too young to be so savvy. Apparently Christian discovered them on a Redd Kross message board. He has a keen ear I can tell you and there’s a good chance that you won’t hear a better debut anytime soon. It makes me wonder what they’re like live because if they can even approximate this then it must be quite a night out. “Mod Val” could have been on “Third Eye” what higher recommendation could there bloody be? A 21st Century “Mondo Deco” even. 
What Jay Sherman-Godfrey doesn’t know about knocking out a primo pop song simply isn’t an issue. This seven song, “mini-album” is more than testament to that. Jay has been pushing roots-rock to the kids since way before it had a pigeonhole. He was also the man who made the connection between Laura Cantrell and the good offices of Francis Macdonald. Here he’s aided by The Proprietress’ alumni, Jon Graboff and Jeremy Chatzky. Drums are by Phoebe Summersquash, who I last saw in the Sarah Silverman movie, “Jesus Is Magic”. Twoscore kicks off with “Bad Party” and this short, sharp collection is anything but. Gear like “Silver Shoes” can light up this often dreary slog. You can check out this choice produce at Jay’s cyberhangouts. His myspace and regular website are but a click away. Of the six originals and one Brian Wilson cover (“Girl Don’t Tell Me”) on this Able Mobile imprint release - I think the steel-fuelled saunter of “Someone Like You” is my favourite. Ooh sha-la-la kids... the twang has it! Friday, December 08, 2006
For those in the NY area, a message from Laura...
"Hey folks, We'll be at Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction for two sets this Friday evening, details below. Lucky to have joining me Jeremy Chatzky, Steve Goulding, Ted Reichman, Jimmy Ryan and Mark Spencer. Hope to see some of you there!"
Friday December 8, 2006
Laura Cantrell at Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction (upstairs cabaret)
8:00 and 10:00 PM, 34 Avenue A New York, NY 10009 $15
And if you're around LA (Santa Monica, to be precise), Isabel Samaras is in town...
Howdy -- I'll be in Santa Monica this weekend for Copro Nason's 15 Year Anniversary Exhibition, as well as the launch of their new book "Copro Nason Fine Art: Catalogue Raissone", which chronicles the art and history of one of the leading galleries in the "Lowbrow" art movement. (They were kind enough to include me in both.)
If you're in the area, hope to see you there!
isabel
Opening: Saturday, December 9th 8:00 - 11:30pm
Copro Nason Gallery , Bergamot Station , 2525 Michigan Ave T5 ,Santa Monica CA 90404
www.copronason.com
Image: Isabel Samaras "Tormentare" Oil on wood 20 x 16 inches
"Hey folks, We'll be at Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction for two sets this Friday evening, details below. Lucky to have joining me Jeremy Chatzky, Steve Goulding, Ted Reichman, Jimmy Ryan and Mark Spencer. Hope to see some of you there!"
Friday December 8, 2006
Laura Cantrell at Mo Pitkins House of Satisfaction (upstairs cabaret)
8:00 and 10:00 PM, 34 Avenue A New York, NY 10009 $15
And if you're around LA (Santa Monica, to be precise), Isabel Samaras is in town...
Howdy -- I'll be in Santa Monica this weekend for Copro Nason's 15 Year Anniversary Exhibition, as well as the launch of their new book "Copro Nason Fine Art: Catalogue Raissone", which chronicles the art and history of one of the leading galleries in the "Lowbrow" art movement. (They were kind enough to include me in both.)
If you're in the area, hope to see you there!
isabel
Opening: Saturday, December 9th 8:00 - 11:30pm
Copro Nason Gallery , Bergamot Station , 2525 Michigan Ave T5 ,Santa Monica CA 90404
www.copronason.com
Image: Isabel Samaras "Tormentare" Oil on wood 20 x 16 inches
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
There's stuff going on that's preventing me from any real chance to post stuff here at the minute. Such is existing and the holidays can't come quick enough. Might get a chance to regroup then. I'll be bloody glad when this one's over. Not that I expect any great improvement. I'm not daft. Or as Chris Gaffney would say "I'm not new!". Oh I did ramp up my spam filter in order to try and flush out those bastard stocks, shares and whatnaught e-mails from my in-box. If you e-mailed me and I didn't reply, it could be because this'll take time to settle. Who knows. As technology advances, I beat the retreat. The only way to go quite frankly. That and passing out in front of the TV.
Saturday, December 02, 2006
The Rt Hon. Jon Hammer is having a little art opening on Wednesday, December 6 at World of Style Vintage, Jersey City's finest source for old stuff. The show consists of big prints of the monthly pin-up gals he's been doing for the award winning Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. website.
His calendar will be available there also, Jon sez "makes a great stocking stuffer for any fan of girls with tools. That didn't come out the way I intended, but let's move on".
Swing by the World of Style Vintage, 172 Newark Ave. in romantic Jersey City, just up the street from the Grove street PATH. Directions and related details about the shop are on the WOS website.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
JESSE HECTOR - A MESSAGE TO THE WORLD - Documentary Film Premier - London
A Message To The World is being shown at 9pm on December 4th at 242 Acklam Road W10 at the Westbourne Studios, London. Admission is free.
Press Release: 'A Message To The World'
Mutton-chopped Jesse Hector was a permanent fixture in the English music press of the mid-Seventies and the electrifying live performances of his band The Gorillas proved an inspiration to such faces on the burgeoning Punk scene as Paul Weller, Billy Idol, Shane McGowan and Rat Scabies.
Jesse has always believed in the revolutionary and rejuvenating power of music - the cover of The Gorillas album showed his band of space ace Mods hurtling towards earth on a meteorite to save the world with rock n' roll - and his belief in music is as strong today as it ever has been.
He now works as a cleaner at Hackney Empire and The Royal Horticultural Society and this documentary follows him as he journeys around London and retraces his fifty years in rock n' roll - skiffling at the 2 I's in Old Compton Street at the age of 12, playing guitar with Mod Freakbeat legends The Clique, fronting proto-punk bruisers Crushed Butler and The Hammersmith Gorillas - and attempts to find out, as the NME's Roy Carr wrote in 1977, Whatever Happened To Jesse Hector?'
A Message To The World is being shown at 9pm on December 4th at 242 Acklam Road W10 at the Westbourne Studios, London. Admission is free.
Press Release: 'A Message To The World'
Mutton-chopped Jesse Hector was a permanent fixture in the English music press of the mid-Seventies and the electrifying live performances of his band The Gorillas proved an inspiration to such faces on the burgeoning Punk scene as Paul Weller, Billy Idol, Shane McGowan and Rat Scabies.
Jesse has always believed in the revolutionary and rejuvenating power of music - the cover of The Gorillas album showed his band of space ace Mods hurtling towards earth on a meteorite to save the world with rock n' roll - and his belief in music is as strong today as it ever has been.
He now works as a cleaner at Hackney Empire and The Royal Horticultural Society and this documentary follows him as he journeys around London and retraces his fifty years in rock n' roll - skiffling at the 2 I's in Old Compton Street at the age of 12, playing guitar with Mod Freakbeat legends The Clique, fronting proto-punk bruisers Crushed Butler and The Hammersmith Gorillas - and attempts to find out, as the NME's Roy Carr wrote in 1977, Whatever Happened To Jesse Hector?'
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Wotcha trakMARXists,
The World's First PUNK ROCK XMAS FAiR is taking place in Stockport on 10th Dec 2006 @ The Bulls Head, Market Place, Stockport - 4pm till 11pm - Admission: £1 before 6pm - £2 after 6pm.
The FAiR features the NO DRESS CODE old school punk night: dance to music you know you like, meet people you know you'll get on with, drink copious amounts of strong alcohol, buy your xmas presents, drink some more (maybe a few shorts), dance & pogo & cavort about a bit, chat up a few members of the opposite sex, drink, fall over & lose your xmas presents on the way home! Just GOOGLE "Punk Rock Xmas Fayre" - & you'll see it's never happened before! This is a unique event. People are welcome to come along & sell their own stuff - like some kind of anarchists car boot sale - groups, promoters, fanzines, studios, labels - come on down! Under 18s are welcome - but won't get served at the bar. No religious claptrap either!!
For more info:
www.myspace.com/nodresscode
or email - punkrockxmasfair@yahoo.co.uk
Punk Rock Fair organiser, Miles Barter: "This is unique. I've searched the whole of the world wide web thingy & nothing like this has ever happened before. The idea is for punks to get together for an xmas party, but people can just turn up, find that present for their difficult 14 year old mohican or their difficult 44 year old aging rebel, & bugger off again. There are no rules."
Three authors of Punk Rock works of reference will be in the area on the night in question:
1) Alex Ogg will be flogging you copies of his most excellent "No More Heroes" & signing them for you:
www.myspace.com/alexogg
2) David Nolan will be doing likewise with his sturdy "I Swear I Was There", the story of the Sex Pistols legendary 1976 Manchester shows:
www.myspace.com/davidnolanwriter
3) Ron Watts will also be in attendance with his very own "100 Watts
- A Life In Music":
www.heroespublishing.com
(Up The Villa!)
ALSO - a special appearance with stallage from Overground Records very own head honcho, John Esplen:
www.overgroundrecords.co.uk
Ho Ho H Ho Ho Ho
jean encoule
trakMARX@Xmarse
www.trakMARX.com
Spirit is life/It flows thru/the death of me/endlessly/like a river/ unafraid/of becoming/the sea - g.corso
trakmarx
wastebin@trakmarx.com
The World's First PUNK ROCK XMAS FAiR is taking place in Stockport on 10th Dec 2006 @ The Bulls Head, Market Place, Stockport - 4pm till 11pm - Admission: £1 before 6pm - £2 after 6pm.
The FAiR features the NO DRESS CODE old school punk night: dance to music you know you like, meet people you know you'll get on with, drink copious amounts of strong alcohol, buy your xmas presents, drink some more (maybe a few shorts), dance & pogo & cavort about a bit, chat up a few members of the opposite sex, drink, fall over & lose your xmas presents on the way home! Just GOOGLE "Punk Rock Xmas Fayre" - & you'll see it's never happened before! This is a unique event. People are welcome to come along & sell their own stuff - like some kind of anarchists car boot sale - groups, promoters, fanzines, studios, labels - come on down! Under 18s are welcome - but won't get served at the bar. No religious claptrap either!!
For more info:
www.myspace.com/nodresscode
or email - punkrockxmasfair@yahoo.co.uk
Punk Rock Fair organiser, Miles Barter: "This is unique. I've searched the whole of the world wide web thingy & nothing like this has ever happened before. The idea is for punks to get together for an xmas party, but people can just turn up, find that present for their difficult 14 year old mohican or their difficult 44 year old aging rebel, & bugger off again. There are no rules."
Three authors of Punk Rock works of reference will be in the area on the night in question:
1) Alex Ogg will be flogging you copies of his most excellent "No More Heroes" & signing them for you:
www.myspace.com/alexogg
2) David Nolan will be doing likewise with his sturdy "I Swear I Was There", the story of the Sex Pistols legendary 1976 Manchester shows:
www.myspace.com/davidnolanwriter
3) Ron Watts will also be in attendance with his very own "100 Watts
- A Life In Music":
www.heroespublishing.com
(Up The Villa!)
ALSO - a special appearance with stallage from Overground Records very own head honcho, John Esplen:
www.overgroundrecords.co.uk
Ho Ho H Ho Ho Ho
jean encoule
trakMARX@Xmarse
www.trakMARX.com
Spirit is life/It flows thru/the death of me/endlessly/like a river/ unafraid/of becoming/the sea - g.corso
trakmarx
wastebin@trakmarx.com
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
It was a little sad today to hear of the death of Alan “Fluff” Freeman. I think he was the first dj that I paid attention to. I must have been about 11 years old when I first started to take an interest in “Pick of the Pops”. Scribbling the chart rundown into a jotter or notebook as AF counted it down. Yep, I was a saddoe even then and look where it got me. Tonight I heard BBC Radio Scotland’s John Cavanagh talk about him. He can do a pretty uncanny impression of him too, which was sanctioned by the man himself. They don’t make them like “Fluff” Freeman anymore.
So anyway, time marches on and those Susquehanna boys just keep on moving…
So anyway, time marches on and those Susquehanna boys just keep on moving…
Are you suffering from a bout of post-Thanksgiving depression, dear friend?
Nah, we aren’t either, but perhaps you’d best not risk it and join us, SUSQUEHANNA INDUSTRIAL TOOL & DIE CO. , for our regular last-Thursday-of-every-month hullabaloo at our post-holiday home-away-from-home, Otto’s Shrunken Head Tiki Bar & Lounge. Why, our show is virtually guaranteed to make you feel better about yourself. And how.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD /
538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in Manhattan, NYC /
Two BIG shows, from 8:00 sharp until 10:00 / No cover! /
And, coming up –- our Christmas-themed offering for the season...
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14th / RODEO BAR /
375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street) in ol' Manhattan, NYC / 10:00 sharp until 1:00 /
And, coming up –- our Christmas-themed offering for the season...
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14th / RODEO BAR /
375 Third Avenue (corner of 27th Street) in ol' Manhattan, NYC / 10:00 sharp until 1:00 /
No cover & lotsa free peanuts! /
Sincerely yours,
Michael, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. “Ballads, Boogies & Blues”
And I’m going to shut up about Hello Saferide in the meantime and refer you to this great Pitchfork Media review.See, it ain't just me...
Sincerely yours,
Michael, Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. “Ballads, Boogies & Blues”
And I’m going to shut up about Hello Saferide in the meantime and refer you to this great Pitchfork Media review.See, it ain't just me...
Monday, November 27, 2006
Much as the concept of just hibernating appeals more than anything at the minute there's no rest for the wicked. Or the criminally cheesed-off. If there was a prize for the person least likely to get anything together right now then I’d scoop it hands down.
Got a wee bundle of vinyl to sift through here but i've got a problem with my turntable. Also been trying to figure out whether or not the bloody jukebox is fixable at all. My will to live ebbs and flows. Heavy on the ebb.
Caught Everett True's Nirvana book event in Edinburgh on Saturday. It wasn't a conventional launch but it was pretty entertaining. A strange venue too, The Forest Café in Edinburgh. More about that when I get to grips with the tome.
Later, The Drams (who used to be Slobberbone) played at The Bongo Club. The record is good but the live scenario left me pretty much unmoved. Best parts were a tune that sounded like Roky Erickson and a version of “I Am The Cosmos”. Openers, The Porch Song Anthology sounded fairly promising. A couple of them used to be in Telstar Ponies with Mr Keenan.
Got a wee bundle of vinyl to sift through here but i've got a problem with my turntable. Also been trying to figure out whether or not the bloody jukebox is fixable at all. My will to live ebbs and flows. Heavy on the ebb.
Caught Everett True's Nirvana book event in Edinburgh on Saturday. It wasn't a conventional launch but it was pretty entertaining. A strange venue too, The Forest Café in Edinburgh. More about that when I get to grips with the tome.
Later, The Drams (who used to be Slobberbone) played at The Bongo Club. The record is good but the live scenario left me pretty much unmoved. Best parts were a tune that sounded like Roky Erickson and a version of “I Am The Cosmos”. Openers, The Porch Song Anthology sounded fairly promising. A couple of them used to be in Telstar Ponies with Mr Keenan.
Monorail Music and Mono are extremely pleased to announce this year's Project Ability exhibition which opens on Thursday 30 November at 7pm. The fantastic Bill Wells Trio will perform live and Norman Blake and Duglas T. Stewart will dj. This event is free.Project Ability is one of Scotland's leading specialist arts organisations, working with children and adults with a learning disability, people with mental health problems, and others who find it difficult to access mainstream activities. The output is spectacular and brilliant - raw art fans will go nuts for the latest selection by curator, Alison Mitchell. Exhibition open every day, noon - midnight until the end of December 2006.
Mono and Monorail Music, 12 King’s Court, King Street,
Glasgow G1 5RB - T: 0141 552 9458
Project Ability, Centre for Developmental Arts, 3rd Floor, 18 Albion Street,
Glasgow G1 1LH - T: 0141 552 2822
Beatles painting by Ronnie McCulloch
Sunday, November 26, 2006
It's stating the obvious that we here at NBT like the Nomads... A lot!... Just check the recent Nomadic Dementia comp and try 'n tell me there's another band out there that's been doin' it, and doin' it right, for the past 25 years. God knows how Lindsay managed to cut things down to a single CD...
Anyways, two years since I last saw 'em (in Paris), last night's show proved that (thankfully) little has changed and the Nomads can still knock 'em dead today just like they did whenever it was when I first saw 'em in Rotterdam (1984, I just checked)
It took a couple of songs before they were able to shift into third gear, but as soon as these guys are firein' on all cylinders there's no stopping 'em...
These days a "hit" is something to boost the statistics of your webcounter, the Nomads are purveyors of the long lost tradition of writing hit songs, and delivering 'em in an appropriate manner (even with Hans and Bjorne bein' somewhat worse for wear after a wild night in Stockholm)
As always, the crowd of 1200+, including the largest number of Turbojugend I've ever seen, needed some oldies to really get into things, but a brief shift into psychobilly-mode for Real Gone Lover is all they need to win 'em over. Game, set, match.... No competition....
Word from Bjorne is that he and Chips have about 16 new songs ready for a new album, and if Ain't No King Of Rock 'n Roll Tonight is any indication of what to expect, we're in for another good un'...
Long may they reign...
Saturday, November 25, 2006
A message from B. F. Mowat...
"Before "Indie-rock", "alternative", "new wave" or "punk" was.. SimplySaucer IS.. I really didn't think this was ever going to happen butit's true...After a 27-year absence, Simply Saucer returns to the live stage on December 28th for a full-length concert presentation at the Casbah, corner of King & Queen Street in downtown Hamilton.
Quite simply, the Saucer was and is, the original "new music" "proto-punk" - orwhatever equally stoopid term you can think of - rock combo that wastaking their musical queues from "Kraut"-rock (e.g. Can, Faust, Neu, etc,), The Stooges and The Velvet Underground before any of that stuff wascommon currency. The only groups we can think of who were even remotelyin the same head space were the early NYC bands (Television, etc) or the early Cleveland groups (Rocket From The Tombs, Mirrors).
Starting in 1973,the group careened through six years of musical mayhem before finally imploding in 1979. Over the years, the group's reputationspread, first with the ltd (920 copies) 1989 vinyl LP release of Cyborgs Revisited, and subsequently, withy the CD reissues of same in 1991 and-most recently - on Sonic Unyon in 2003. These recordings have earnedcritical kudos world wide from such redoubtable publications as Spin, New Music Express, Mojo, Uncut and The Sunday London Times.
After a completely unplanned, out-of-the blue reunion gig on September 17th at the once-legendary Corktown Tavern (with '78-79 guitarist -and former member of Teenage Head Steve "Sparky" Park), left everyone concerned feelin' groovy about playing Saucer songs, it was felt a revamped, no-nostalgia version of the group could be assembled. (Sparky couldn't commit to this version, but he has given his blessing to the "Mach V" version of Saucer).
Original singer, guitarist , and chief songwriter Edgar Breau along with original bassist The Legendary Kevin Christoff, will take the stage with their former manager (for one, brief disastrous 1979 gig In Guelph..ask him about it!) and drummer for the Forgotten Rebels, Joe Csontos. And we are extremely stoked about our newest generation of Saucer members - watch for further bulletins for more info (e.g. gear used, previous experience, favourite colours, what constitutes a great date, that kind of thing..).
We like to think that this edition of the Saucer will integrate both the Ping Romany eraelectronics AND the dual guitar attack of the Sparky era There are tentative plans to record the new Saucer line-up , either the live shows, or some "unfinished business" (like, about 50-60 songs worth).
They also plan to perform in all of the "Original Six" NHL hockey cities (Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Boston and New York) in 2007. Edgar, by the way, will continue to pursue his solo career - he's putting the finishing touches to Patches Of Blue, his second solo CD even as I write this - but all rock/band format will be forwarded to the Saucer desk, while all solo/singer-songwriter material will be forwarded to the solo tray.
To give you an example: "Simcoe County Country Girl" an acoustic country-blues number that dates from Cyborgs era Saucer(1975) is appearing on Patches Of Blue, while "Nice Noise", an unreleased stomper from 1977 is clearly marked for the band tray.
Quite simply, the Saucer was and is, the original "new music" "proto-punk" - orwhatever equally stoopid term you can think of - rock combo that wastaking their musical queues from "Kraut"-rock (e.g. Can, Faust, Neu, etc,), The Stooges and The Velvet Underground before any of that stuff wascommon currency. The only groups we can think of who were even remotelyin the same head space were the early NYC bands (Television, etc) or the early Cleveland groups (Rocket From The Tombs, Mirrors).
Starting in 1973,the group careened through six years of musical mayhem before finally imploding in 1979. Over the years, the group's reputationspread, first with the ltd (920 copies) 1989 vinyl LP release of Cyborgs Revisited, and subsequently, withy the CD reissues of same in 1991 and-most recently - on Sonic Unyon in 2003. These recordings have earnedcritical kudos world wide from such redoubtable publications as Spin, New Music Express, Mojo, Uncut and The Sunday London Times.
After a completely unplanned, out-of-the blue reunion gig on September 17th at the once-legendary Corktown Tavern (with '78-79 guitarist -and former member of Teenage Head Steve "Sparky" Park), left everyone concerned feelin' groovy about playing Saucer songs, it was felt a revamped, no-nostalgia version of the group could be assembled. (Sparky couldn't commit to this version, but he has given his blessing to the "Mach V" version of Saucer).
Original singer, guitarist , and chief songwriter Edgar Breau along with original bassist The Legendary Kevin Christoff, will take the stage with their former manager (for one, brief disastrous 1979 gig In Guelph..ask him about it!) and drummer for the Forgotten Rebels, Joe Csontos. And we are extremely stoked about our newest generation of Saucer members - watch for further bulletins for more info (e.g. gear used, previous experience, favourite colours, what constitutes a great date, that kind of thing..).
We like to think that this edition of the Saucer will integrate both the Ping Romany eraelectronics AND the dual guitar attack of the Sparky era There are tentative plans to record the new Saucer line-up , either the live shows, or some "unfinished business" (like, about 50-60 songs worth).
They also plan to perform in all of the "Original Six" NHL hockey cities (Toronto, Montreal, Detroit, Chicago, Boston and New York) in 2007. Edgar, by the way, will continue to pursue his solo career - he's putting the finishing touches to Patches Of Blue, his second solo CD even as I write this - but all rock/band format will be forwarded to the Saucer desk, while all solo/singer-songwriter material will be forwarded to the solo tray.
To give you an example: "Simcoe County Country Girl" an acoustic country-blues number that dates from Cyborgs era Saucer(1975) is appearing on Patches Of Blue, while "Nice Noise", an unreleased stomper from 1977 is clearly marked for the band tray.
Also featured on the bill is the one-man electro-rock (pardon my PUN...)sensation of Electroluminescent Tickets are $15 in advance and can be purchased RIGHT NOW at at these stores:-
DR.DISC - 22 Wilson. 905.523.1010 (ALL shows)-
SONIC UNYON - 26 Wilson 905.777.1223. (ALL shows)-
CASBAH LOUNGE - 306 King St W @ Queen 905.521.4441
(ALL shows less Sellout Enterprises shows)
PLUS :: Hamilton East-Enders Take Note,
-- CRASH LANDING PUNK CLOTHING -297 Ottawa St N -- 905-548-0039
ATTENTION OUT OF TOWNERS...we know a lot of you Cyborg-kids will want to attend this, so we're selling ticks ON-LINE via TIXIT.CA orUNDERGROUNDROCKS. CA Tickets go on sale TODAY @ 5 p.m. For more info, view Ed's websites
PRESS TYPES: talk to Sean Palmerston @ Sonic Unyon
sean@sonicunyon.com or phone 905 777-1223 Or me, if you haveaccess to my personal e-mail/phone #"
What’s in a name? I have to tell you, that on first impressions - Lucky Soul strikes me as something that might appear on something like (sharp intake of breath here) X Factor. The e-mail that introduced me to them could so easily have been spam but it wasn’t. There was a charm about it and that particular commodity doesn’t come that particular processed meat product in any manifestation. So anyway, Lucky Soul, as it turns out is a very groovy London combo which could almost be Swedish. Such is it’s predilection for knocking out a great pop tune. They’re just about to put out their third release on Ruffa Lane. On December 11th to be exact. And it’ll be available as a 7” EP as well as a three track cd. “Ain’t Never Been Cool” will undoubtedly further cement the reputation they seem to have been building up over the course of the past year or so. With the popularity of acts like The Pipettes, then maybe the UK hit factory isn’t dead after all. Ali Howard’s vocals evoke all the great girl group singers you ever heard without actually sounding like any of them. If you ever had a soft spot for those fantastic Tracey Ullman singles on Stiff then this is for you.
The band have a tight rein on providing just the right jetstream for those to float on. Like The Maisonettes vs The Wilsations via the Rezillos, this stuff'll have you singing into your hairbrush or digging out that tennis racket from the back of the cupboard. Air guitar is not a symptom of this kind of timeless beat. LS should be enlisted to represent the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest because then they’d have the platform to reach the people who will lap this stuff up. The “gots the magic” alright. If you look up “effervescent” in the dictionary in coming years, it might well have a photo of these folks. As ever, if you think that I’m twisting that melon of yours or whatever then the proof of this sumptious pudding is merely a click away. They’re also playing the fabulous Debaser club in Stockholm in December, see dates below…
28 Nov - The Fly
05 Dec - Bardens Boudoir
15 Dec - Debaser, Stockholm, Sweden
31 Dec - New Year’s at the Hope & Anchor
Pester your local non-chainstore, although HMV has copies of the vinyl on all three releases at keen prices. (Thanks to Seb for the info and for taking the time to alert me to their existence. Sometimes operating in one's own time/space continuum can be limiting.)
PS - The Lucky Soul shop is now open...
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