The recent posting of the Jonny Dongel video of “Sorry Simon” precipitated a goodly amount of e-mail thumbs up. Since then, Martin at Gravelsauce has sent me a copy of the album and I’m pleased to report that it’s certain to be right up the alley of NBT regulars who have been seeking solace with the recent Mats Olsson comp and beyond.

It’s so goddamn authentic to the intersection between pub and punk rocks that it should be on United Artists or Stiff. I’m not altogether sure that it’s not Christopher Guest channelling Ian Gomm but there you go. Sometimes the accent is just a little too Nigel Tufnel to be true but all songs are certified belters. Dolly Dongle’s backing vocals remind me of Ellen Foley (and again) too. Sailing this close to pastiche would be dangerous in any other hands but “A Fifth of Nowhere” is just so damn solid. From the outset of “Snocker, Snog and Shag” it’ll have you misty-eyed and pulling out your Ducks Deluxe and Wreckless Eric records. The guitars on the title track are reminiscent of the Robert Johnson that released records on Ensign, not to be confused with the “Crossroads” geezer or Stockholm’s finest. (Thanks for the heads up on "Snocker", Prof)

JD has a knack of penning tunes that dad rockers like Weller and his ilk never came close to. Jonny is quite possibly a virtual pop phenomenon. Ostensibly an ex-pat from Bristol exiled in NY it really makes no difference. This Dongel fella has made an album that’ll have you grinning and turning up the car (or home) cd to tilt.

Just like you do when Tenpole Tudor comes on…

PS - God I love YouTube, more Ellen Foley...



Somewhere in this dump I have an autographed poster, organised by the great HT, the man that brings you the fine Cake internet radio extravaganza...

Jeez, these past few days I seem to be depping for Phast Phreddie...

RIP - Jerry Cole

RIP - Mickey Waller

Blogger appears to be working for now. The south is being ko-ed by rain but here in Scotch-land, the sun is splitting the trees and everything else. It's sub-flaming tropical and I just finished rumping down the hedge that shredded my hands last week. I've had my quota of fresh air with a side of pollen for the day...

This damn thing is acting up... check out Lou Molinaro's encounter with Albert Bouchard while I attempt to figure out what's futzed.

RIP - Earl H. Hagen

RIP - Janine Hall

RIP - Jimmy McGriff

Listening to this new compilation of early Detroit Cobras that's come out on Munster, it's easy to hear just why it seemed like they could save the world. Curating their repertoire from long forgotten and obscure soul nuggets and hopping them up with that garage rock ramalama we like. Rachel Nagy's voice is undoubtedly helped by her fondness for the ciggies and I doubt it's ever sounded better. I'm pretty sure that a nicotine patch wouldn't measure up. She sounds postively obstreperous which of course she is in real life. Available on vinyl (including as a set of 7" singles) and cd, you'll be hooked from "Village of Love". All that's missing is that little shuffle/bop thing that she does onstage and I can see that in me head so I'm sorted.

Had a couple of messages asking about these Tom Waits tickets. The conditions of sale make it all a bit complicated and the tix will be personalised plus you'll need photo id to get in.

These actions are being taken to prevent touting, if you can't go then your ticket really won't be transferable. Perhaps Waitsy will come to your house or at least call you to let you know he was sorry you couldn't make it. Fuck all that for a game of soldiers, wouldn't it be great if a wad of tickets was left unsold?? I'm sure the touts will find a way around it. It's the public that'll get fleeced whichever way. Who would you pay an arm and a leg to see? I'm not talking going overseas or whatever, I mean in your own travelable 'hood? Hey, maybe Tom'll be worth it... here's one critter that will never know.

I saw a rerun of a "Later" show the other day. Nick Lowe was on doing "Lately I've Been Letting Things Slide". It seems like my theme song. In fact, things haven't been so much sliding, they've been going backwards almost. That old Father Time guy must have been attending the gym because his currency is fairly rattling in. I can barely keep up. With anything really. The old ISP is playing up again too because I sent some salient information ahead of myself and it still hasn't made it's destination. Some others have had problems getting a message through too.

The malaise ain't exactly treatable but I'm working on it. There is much going on to be inspired by but the daily grind is like some addiction that addles the urge to do much of anything. At least to me. There's a lot of appropriation going on but precious little creativity. Settling for niche is the proverbial triple bluff. Ripe to the point of downright stinky.

I just read Amy Rigby's blog entry for today and I concur with the "what is it for" considerations. Trying to put something up here every day feels like a chore when it should be fun. If I don't then I feel like I'm letting my regulars down. These people need information. The sensory gratification of some cool new (or old) "thing". It rankles me when I go to somebody's page and it hasn't been updated for a month. I'm going to get around to the scoop on what's lying around here musicwise in between dealing with crap that seems to suggest the bunker is falling down upon my napper. And then there's work...

Album out on CD (Wild Punk) and vinyl (Screaming Apple) any day now.

Show in Berlin tomorrow night (Tuesday 27th) !

In Paris tonight... info courtesy of Brother Patrick. You could probably get over there for the same price as a Tom Waits ticket for Edinburgh. Apparently there are all kinds of restrictions too so I'll use that quaint old Scot's term and say "fuck it". It doesn't seem to be detering some folks though so good luck to them with the impending bunfight. I hope that he's worth it. In case you care, and are further afield, the TW tix go on sale tomorrow (Tuesday).

RIP - Dick Martin

Friday saw a capacity crowd hit up The Tolbooth in Stirling for the first night of the annual Le Weekend shindig.

Kicking things off in the bar was the pastoral stylings of the National Jazz Trio of Scotland. There were at least five of them though including the great Bill Wells so I'm not sure who was responsible for the arithmetic...

Tape (from Stockholm) was first up in the auditorium and whilst they might be OK to listen to in your own immediate environs, I couldn't honestly tell you that it makes much of an impression live. I'm not down with laptops as a viable alternative to the stratocaster, or any other guitar come to that.

Taken By Trees (also from Stockholm) is the new Victoria Bergsman (ex-Concretes and voice on the P, B & J "Young Folks") vehicle. It continues that similar pop furrow and her band perfectly complements the rather fragile nature of her character. That's not to say that they can't cut loose though and by the close of a perfectly formed version of G'nR classic "Sweet Child Of Mine", they were rocking the house like all get out. There was marked increase in volume too which chased the remaining memories of the somnabulist sounds of tape out into the foyer. I didn't know that the album was out on Rough Trade but it is.

Soon it was time for The Pastels. Their set list is up there to your right and much of it may be work in progress but it sounded great. The melding of the brass into their patented rattle is a peculiar formula which shouldn't really provide the tickle that it does. There's a lot of soul in what their doing. It's not black or white or any tangible colour, it's just for real. And never more so than when Katrina is singing. The thing about The Tolbooth is that the sound in that place is always great and crystal clear. The set was practically orchestral to that effect.

Introducing a song called "Secret Music", Stephen said that it was from an album that they'd been working on for "most of their adult lives". As far as I know, any similarities between this condition and Axl's "Chinese Democracy" are utterly coincidental.

"Nothing To Be Done" closed the first Le Weekend instalment of 2008 on a particularly unreachable high. I wouldn't want to be looking down from that altitude.

2 guys, 22 years of DJing, 80 years of great music, 1000's of 45's... 100,000 satisfied customers What you got?

RUBBER BISCUIT - They buy their hats from the same guy as Elvis, caused the MC5 to reform, earned Ray Davies' money (twice), knocked Ron Asheton down the stairs (by accident!), picked covers for The Detroit Cobras, got stood up by Alex Chilton, were fed cigarillos by Dr John, told the NME and Kerrang! to f-off, and got married at Sun Studios (one just watched)...

Steptoe and BigKegShandy play music by people from many lands and decades, all of whom know the magic formula which causes backbones to slip, hips to gyrate, elbows to flap and ears to dance on the sides of heads. Since 1985, they have played the wonderful musics that have been called rock'n'roll, soul, funk, R&B, punk, ska, garage, calypso, boogaloo, voodoo, country, gospel, blues, rockabilly, disco, roots, psychedelia, pub rock, folk-rock, frat rock, glam rock, Dutch beat, high energy, really f-ing stoopid or just plain FUN.

They like it, and so do other people, some of whom you may know, including Arthur Lee & Love, the MC5, Big Star, The Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Andre Williams, The Vines, Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham, The Saints, Tav Falco's Panther Burns, Radio Birdman, Monsieur Jeffrey Evans, The Scientists, The Stooges' Asheton Brothers, Dick Dale, The Detroit Cobras, Wilko Johnson, You Am I, The Dirt Bombs, Jay Reatard, The Fleshtones and James Hunter.

They like to DJ at gigs and clubs. A lot.

Rubber Biscuit @ The Thunderbolt
Bath Road, Bristol

Saturday May 31st 8pm-midnite FREE

Free gig - come along if you can make it, couplae pints doon leith walk and some dancing ? check out the links, its quality stuff

the world famous SHOCK AND AWE are playing with HYPERBUBBLE (from TEXAS) and LAMENS TERMS (from Falkirk/Fife) all 3 acts are appearing as duo's hence the nights title "A trio of duo's" although theres also going to be a special short mystery surprise slot from another duo - come early and find out who we'll be playing with the drum machine so it'll be a lot different from normal, come and check it out heres the spiel, come on down if you can make it, First band on at 9 sharp

EVENT NAME: HYPERBUBBLE - a trio of duo's MUSIC EVENT TYPE: ROCK/POP
DATE: Friday 23rd MaY VENUE: Meridian
ADDRESS: 138 Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 5DT PHONE: (0131) 554 4238
www.myspace.com/meridian_edinburgh
PRICE: FREE TIME 20:00
BANDS: Hyperbubble , Shock And Awe , Lamens Terms

www.myspace.com/hyperbubble
www.myspace.com/shockandawemusic
www.myspace.com/lamenstermsband

Hyperbubble (Texas, USA)

Electro / Glam / New Wave - Hyperbubble are a boy girl duo like a stripped down synthesized Texan Rezillos

Shock And Awe (Edinburgh)

Big guitars, Big Choruses, Big fun. In keeping with tonights theme they play as a duo - "We stole the guitars from the Ramones and the drummer from Suicide"

Lamens Terms (Falkirk/Fife)

Acoustic Guitar Girl keeps the beat and sings her heart out while Electric Guitar Boy paints pictures in sound around her

head down Leith walk and just before the Kentucky Fried Chicken shop you will find ....... THE MERIDIAN !

its free, come along, buy a cd if you like it, tell your friends

The Fleshtones in Amsterdam, May 22.

A great, great night. The Fleshtones took over A'dam in seconds flat... Rock 'n awe... A well deserved tip o' the hat to the Works for makin' this happen...

The EIFF trailer...



I'm going to be out of commish for the rest of the day. You folks in Amsterdam and the surrounding areas, The Fleshtones show is tonight, and you need to go along and support the campaign. Yesterday's ISP problems means I have a bunch of mail to deal with but I'll attempt to deal with that later tonight, after the arrival of leading Swedish diplomat, Mr Ulf.

The Nomads are headed for Spain this weekend...

The Fleshtones for Amsterdam (tomorrow, Thursday! excuse any previous bum information)... (thanks to Steve for the link)

On this side of the water, The Pastels with Taken By Trees in Stirling on Friday.

Saw this new movie "Smart People" and while it's not outright awful, I couldn't really recommend it. If that’s what’s knocking ‘em dead at Sundance then the movie biz be in big trubb.

On Sunday mornings, I'm prone to listening to the religious programmes on BBC Scotland. Semi-related to that, Father John Fitzsimmons presented a greetings programme that was somewhat old school but he came across as an affable curmudgeon. He also appeared a talking head to offer opinions during news, current and not-so-current affairs.

Anyway, sadly he passed away at the weekend there at age 68. He always projected being older and wiser than that less than ripe old age.

The guy was never afraid to stick his head above the parapet, earning himself a controversial tag for the trouble but I always liked to listen to him talk irrespective of the subject. My own considerations of all religion being tosh notwithstanding, Radio Scotland has lost a great character which they can ill-afford at the minute.

My granny used to tell a story about a minister telling her that I’d maybe become a minister. Imagine her horror when that calling came in the form of rock’n’roll but anyway… My sense of spirituality might be a little skewed at times but it’s generally sincere. I think you folks would have dug this guy whether you agreed with him or not. Irrespective of persuasion.

Later today I have the dentist. I’m looking forward to that a bit more than where I’m just about to leave for but a lifestyle has to be maintained. Has it not?

It's Joey's birthday...