This week looks like it’ll break all records in terms of visits to this daft portal. Over 4K. Seems like the google search for “The Next Big Thing” drops ‘em off here. Some of them are obviously after some of the places that takes our name in vain. Maybe you are one of the some? Who knows. Anyway I’m hoping some of this good taste will rub off on the casual or mistaken visitor. We be nudging the alleged season of good will after all.

Today I dragged myself out of the bunker to see a French movie called “Home". It’s a sort of meditation on the way progress can affect the idyll and the resultant psychosis. Was it any use? I’d give it a “meh”. I think it was too long. Plus I had to take a diversion because of a closed , flooded road to get there. My intention to search for gifts in a small bookshop that sells children’s books was also foiled because the Sunday opening for Christmas custom hasn’t kicked in yet. So I settled for some milk for cereal tomorrow morning and came home.

Keeping up the French theme, I received the latest issue of the esteemed Dig It! And notice a whole mess of gear that I need to follow up on.

Stuff coming up this week - a trip to the dentist and the return of them New York Dolls...

RIP - Jack Rose

RIP - Jack Cooke (info from The Proprietress, Ms Laura Cantrell)

December in Nortonville!

Thanks to Russell for the link via Please Kill Me...

If you're in Belgium then there are some Kevin Coyne tribute shows coming up that will usher you into an altered festive state.

Full details right here.

RIP - Richard Todd

Not planning on venturing very far from the old middenheid this weekend. One foray into town maybe but then again, perhaps not. There's something a little traumatic that I need to attend to this evening so not much time to piddle about on here. So, maybe you'd like to check out and grab some seasonal sonic cheer?

Craig at SongsIllinois/Swedesplease has compiled a feast of gear so why not swing by and take advantage of his generosity.

Swedesplease

Songs Illinois

Matt & Kim's MTV Awards shindig is broadcast tonight but I doubt if we Eurotypes will be able to see it. I'll investigate.

And JD King's Metaphors - Act Two... HERE!

See you at the crack of dawn tomorrow. C'mon, don't be mucky now...

Anybody read or seen the Mickey Leigh/Legs McNeil Joey book yet?

I figured I’d spring for buying myself a pressie and ordered one via an Amazon “seller". The actual A-site is talking about 4 weeks delivery. Plus the post must be set to get even worse. Hard to believe but entirely feasible and how come the mail between here and Scandinavia got to be so crap? It used to be superfast – 3 days tops. WTF is going on ?? Stuff gets there or there eventually but really, the cost escalates and the service deteriorates. This is what passes for life and so many things at the minute.

What does December and the seasonal daftness mean to me? 11 consecutive days off. I look forward to walking to the car on December 23rd because that’s the furthest I’ll be away from 2010.

So without any further ado, I have some bits and bobs to run by you...

If you’re within travelling distance of Hoboken, NJ then the very Rev. Jon Hammer sez...

Friends, Romans, Art Mavens,

Forgive this mass e-mail, and in the interest of not cutting into your holiday gift-giving time, I will keep this short.

You, as any right-thinking groovy person should be, are a huge fan of Maxwell's located at 1039 Washington Street, in beautiful Hoboken. Naturally, you pine for a chance to visit, and particularly this month when there seems to be a yawning void in your usually packed social calendar — more specifically Monday the 21st of December.

Here's the good part: you do have a reason to be at Maxwell's on Monday the 21st, because that will be the opening reception for a showing of my paintings. You read that correctly, a chance to see paintings of your favorite saloons, in one of your favorite saloons, as you hobnob with simply the cream of society. I trust I'll see you there.

Yours in spam, Jon Hammer

The new list from Bootleg Booze came in and there’s a ton of groovy stuff on there you could treat YOURself to.

And to close out this particular missive, Mr Duff took himself to Brighton to look at some Pink Monkey Birds...

Saw Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds for the second time in a week at a grotty (in a good way) wee venue called The Engine Rooms on the seafront. I arrived maybe 10-15 minutes before he came on and the place was fairly packed - certainly more bodies than Glasgow. This one was put on by the Brighton based Stay Sick club, in partnership with another club called Born Bad so they already had some kind of fan base down there.

Set list was the same as Glasgow with the exception of an instrumental version of “Mother Of Earth” from Miami (which Kid isn't on, of course) that segued into La Historia De Un Amour that seemed to kick off some kind of serious psychobilly slam down the front. Very odd. This stuff never had anything to do with that bonehead scene but at least the kids were having fun. Hysterically, while the thugs were busy outmachoing each other, Kid was treating us all to that loose-hipped, camp and cool, crazy toreador dance he does. The fact that the whole band is dressed in polyester (looking) Mariachi band suits is just the icing on the cake. I don't know how anyone could mistake this for any kind male-bonding rock thing.

That said, the band played harder than in Glasgow and if anything, it was a better, more exciting show. When I caught the band before they'd always been a bit sloppy and that's part of their charm. Not on this showing, they played with more aggression and while I’m not sure how this would be all the time but it was good this once.

Kid mentioned that the new album recorded for In The Red was going to come out as five 7" singles. Now, THAT, is going to be something good for 2010.

And on that note...

Thanks to HT for the link to this Suicide interview...

And also, Dictators.com is now in the Blogosphere. The energy of old New York is everywhere.

It's a strange world we live in, a place called Max's Kansas City has opened up in the old Twisted Wheel site in Queen Street, Glasgow. I'm pretty sure that there are no shows by The Fast, Wayne County or Pere Ubu lined up though. Or The John Collins Band come to that...

I guess I knew about Bob Keane yesterday but forgot to post it. And then Ben has just reminded me and told me about Paul Naschy too. So here we go again...

RIP - Bob Keane

RIP - Paul Naschy

Last night’s screening of “Eating Raoul” went pretty well. A healthy turnout for a “cauld school night”. The reassuring sound of genuine laughter being generated by a criminally unseen gem is a pretty decent tonic for what ails ye, or at least me. If only “Bland Ambition” had gotten off the drawing board. I mentioned to Mary Woronov that maybe she could appear in Curb to sort Larry out. She told me she had no idea who that was. Amazing. Talking of Lar, I’m signing off to watch the remainder of the latest season after I press "publish" on this.

Thanks to those who came along for their kind indulgence...

Never been much of one for setting goals, far less realising ‘em but one ambition is to attend a gathering at The House of Rock in Moss, Norway. Tomorrow – December 1st sees Baby Shakes enter that hallowed portal. Colour me jealous.

Just realised that this is next weekend so you'll need some kinda notice...







That makes the Dolls show a week on Thursday!?


Methinks somebody drilled a series of holes in my time bucket.

J.D. King's "Metaphors". Chapter One - Boy Meets Girl ...

There must be a publisher out there that recognises that this guy's writing, in addition to his artwork, is top fucking notch?

Anybody from that field who doesn't - isn't doing their job. In my opinion.

This is VINYL RECORD DAY. I think it's OK to use the internet while listening but any other format in terms of playing music is frowned upon.

You don't have a turntable? Well dont you think you need to address that??

The Tripwires “House To House” takes equal parts Big Star and Squeeze and fuses this with a little NRBQ-drizzled XTC. This superior pub pop strain is a product of the individuals concerned being rampant anglophiles. That’s just a guess you understand. Just as the sixties garage bands inverted what was heading out from England, the result is closer to The Raspberries or the Groovies.

Teenage Fanclub aficionados will also find much to love here. A “supergroup” of sorts... The 'wires feature Pacific Northwest alumnii Jim and Johnny Sangster with Mark Pickerel and John Ramberg and you can find this stellar collection at Spark and Shine. That’s a label not a street corner and the music does possess both of those qualities. “Ned Beatty’s In Love” as a title alone has to have tweaked your interest buds, right? And “Dismantled” has a roots Rezillos thud that should paint some kinda grin on your coupon.

“HTH” is a solid sender all the way through its twelve tracks with possibly “Look At It This Way” being my favourite. If you aren’t smitten with that then I can’t help you. Overall it’s like a 21st century Brinsley Schwarz and you know we need one of those.

“The World Famous Hat Trick” by Vibeke Saugestad has been out for some time now but I only just got a copy from the lady herself. Regular visitors will be aware that The Yum Yums blew me away in Spain recently. Guilty as charged. These crazy kids have the power to make the most died in the wool cynic believe. As well as being part of that combo, Vibeke has her own career in the topsy turvy world of pop in conjunction to this. Coming out of the traps with two songs like “He’s Peculiar” and “Keep On Dreaming” is something of a 1 – 2. They’ll knock you flat on your back. After that she could have gone for the easy option of taking her foot off the pedal but no.

This fine, fine product features the one and only Morten Henriksen who, it has recently struck me, is the mack daddy of the post-Ramone-ic sound here in Europe. I’ve heard the expression “bubbly” be applied to pop gals but Ms Saugestad is a bright shining positive force for music as therapy. Her voice reminds me of my friend Mary Lee Kortes and that’s never a bad shout.

This CD is out on Pop Detective now with additional tracks. It’s also on vinyl via Screaming Apple (order via Soundflat).

I thought that the lyric in “He’s Peculiar” was “watching the snow fall listening to Mud” which would have been too perfect but not out of the question given that this young lady, who really isn’t old enough, is a big Slade fan. Turns out that it was "Muffs" which is almost cooler, so while we’re on the subject grab the album and her Christmas EP in one handy mailing from CD Baby.

“Hat Trick” has been on heavy rotation since it arrived and shows no signs of loosening its grip. It may just get tighter. Great songs performed with an extra dollop of gusto. Guaranteed to deliver that heart punch that will make your ticker race, if it doesn’t then I’m not sure that you’re in the right place. You probably rate The Strokes. Here’s the young lady in action in case you have any reservations...



Niagara and The Hitmen pairs the Detroit chanteuse with Sydney’s finest to create a document of what was obviously a heady night down under on February 23rd 2008. Steel Cage has issued this sonic documentation in the form of “St Valentine’s Day Massacre”. Fitting really because it was that very continent that arguably brought the motor city to the attention of the world at large via Radio Birdman. Other groups from closer to home may have cited The Stooges but nobody actually sounded like them.

This is warts and all, howling at the moon rock. It hasn’t been patched up and is all the better for it. Sydney’s finest provide the perfect ballast for Niagra’s holler. You may think that the idea of yet another version of “Little Doll” or “Real Cool Time” is pushing it a bit but chances are that you’ve never heard them like this. Even if you were there.

Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds review from the other night at El Diablo.

(Thanks to Alan for the link)

KP found this little gem, swingin' stuff from Amsterdam - feels like it was shot by David Lynch. This was the A to Z factor in full, ever-lovin' sensurround.

I just realised that this is tonight and I hadn't posted it...

so if you're in Belfast, this is your pitstop for tonight.

Of course, it's not possible to be everyplace but I have more than a hankering to be in Stockholm tonight. Joining my homies at the historical epicentre of the garage disease. The Nomads started off their record-releasing life by celebrating the band that nobody thought they'd ever see. And here they are together. I think that The Fuzztones opened for The Sonics in Berlin, right? Rudi too, was a keeper of the faith.

So there'll be high jinks out that way tonight. Hell, even Mr Ulf will be making the scene. He doesn't leave the house for just anything. So we'll be hearing how that goes too nae doobt in the fullness of time.

I finished the little "Eating Raoul" zine and have a limited amount of the printed copy and also a PDF for anybody who cares. Just e-mail me and I'll send 'em out. "While Stocks Last". I hear that the Kid Congo show last night was a stoatir too. Nice to hear that there was a healthy audience despite all the last minute organisation. Good job by everybody that pulled it together.