One week from tomorrow, I’m headed for Spain and all the pleasures that place can bestow. Well maybe not all, but as much as I can cram in to my short sojourn and it looks like a full dance card is in order. Not much by the way of down-time in the run up to that either thankfully. My napper is all over the place at the minute and sometimes the last thing that I want to be doing is attempting to run something up this cyber-flagpole. Anyways...

Not content with the Turborock event out Espana way that same weekend, The wonderful Wurlitzer Ballroom has a series of shows to celebrate their fourth year of being. Here’s the skinny on what’s happening courtesy of Wurli proprietor, Alvaro...



- Friday 24th September, we have The Dahlmanns (from Norway), Invasionen (from Sweden - formerly known as The Lost Patrol band) and probably a Spanish band called Trono de Sangre... it's an eclectic, hectic program but...it's a party!!!

- Saturday 25th September, The Riffbackers (Spain) and the mythic mod band Squire (UK)

- Sunday 26th September, the (funtastic) Twistaroos (from Norway)

And on Tuesday 28th, a really big shindig with some of the Wurli staff playing in different bands. Expect covers, fooling around, jams and probably all three at the same time.

I’m hoping that this “disruption” tomorrow won’t be as bad as I anticipate. One of my patented expecting the worst, doesn’t work out quite so heinous deals but the “details” provide serious cause for concern. On top of that, The Citrus Club is right next to an area that’s been designated for “protesters who make themselves known to the plod”. That’s not the wording but it’s close. Still, maybe, hopefully – it’ll all be over on the east coast before the dynamic duo get near Grindlay Street.

The eye of the storm will be knockin’ ‘em dead in Bellahouston Park by that time. And all going well, being on a train going in the opposite direction will pay dividends for we attendees. Whichever idiot thought that this Paypal (sp?) visit was a good idea should get a hard boot up the rectum. That’s one of those things they have in churches, right? That they pile the books on?? Hopefully my reservations won’t come to fruition but there’s an awful big bowl of wrong here with quite the potential spill radius.

And we, the communal tax payer, will have to pay through the nose for it. The sound of spitting feathers should go here.

Out Today!

ACC!

Heaven sound bite

Couple of things… I guess it must be time for that “Next Big Thing” competition because visitor number are heading up. If that’s what you’re here for then you better skedaddle to that back button because there’s nothing for you here.

And on Thursday, some phenomenon by the name of “The Pope” is heading north. What is that? An X factor winner or something? Anyway, I give not one hoot for the religious ramifications but I am peeved at the disruption that this anachronistic aberration will cause. Our pathetic infrastructure can’t even cope with a concert at Hampden Park so who knows what might go down with all this. The event is not “sold out” though so maybe “(cross)here is hope”.

Even if something seems like it really was meant to be, you still maybe need to give it a shove. I need to condition myself not to let things marinate. Past experience coupled with many years first hand dufus status makes me eminently qualified to ponder this. To the point of pontiff. Did you see what I did there?

Anyhoo, must nash. the bunker is soon to receive guests and it's a bit of a howff at the minute.

RIP - King Coleman

(info via the Boogaloo Omnibus fb portal)

RIP - Kevin McCarthy

Things never went according to my - at best - sketchy plan at the weekend but I did manage to drag myself out the door on Saturday. The Eruption imprint took a trip out east and had a tasting session at Leith Walk’s fine Elvis Shakespeare emporium, anyone visiting Auld Reekie should make a point of going down there. Anyway, the bite size nature suits the primal blues clatter. Four broadly similar sounding acts on one bill in the evening? Maybe not so much. You know how it is with persecuted prophets but I wish the less is more thing could be extended to embrace the length of set in relation to material available. Play 15 to 20 minutes, blow everyone away and leave ‘em wanting more.

If you stray over the half hour mark and don’t have the necessary tuneage then all momentum is lost. In addition, if there’s too much choice at the merch table it confuses the person that might well be separated from their cash in the gig equivalent of the supermarket impulse buy. These are all just objective observations, the lord knows that it’s hard enough to get any traction in these times. Eruption is a Northern cousin of the London’s “Not The Same Old Blues Crap”, it has many tentacles and deserves your attention for the sterling work done on behalf of flying a flag for rock’n’roll. I sincerely hope that Mr D’uff wasn’t disheartened with the turnout and will attempt to educate the locals again. The apparent popularity of what the JJR is doing might mean it'll catch on. Might = maybe. I'm right at this minute listening to the Scientists set from ATP and thinking how it was when they first came over here. Now that was what you call a group, something that always left us wanting more. (Gracias Rev. Roswell)

In between all that, I saw “Cyrus” and liked it a lot in a quiet understated way. A twisted comedy with some great performances and not a bad way to while away a couple of hours. I heart Marisa Tomei. Yesterday I saw Jean Epstein’s “Fall of the House of Usher" and Hans Richter’s “Ghosts Before Breakfast” with live score by The Southwell Collective at The Bo’ness Hippodrome. Criminally under-attended but bloody amazing. I take great comfort from the fact that a film made in 1928 looks much better than much of the computer generated rubbish that generally tends to make the world a crappier place.

Really looking forward to the arrival of Eric and Amy later in the week. I hope that anybody who visits this portal that can will catch one of their shows. All the details are right here and for the minimum of effort you’ll be subjected to easily one of the best gigs you’ll ever have been to. Ever.

The other big event this week is the release of “Facit”. No info as yet with regard to the anglo version but you’ll know as soon as I do. Anyway, you need both.

RIP - Claude Chabrol

(info via Philip Kiszely's fb)

September is v. nice in Nortonville!

Saw this on Kenneth Weinert's facebook. Good call.

Left the bunker around 5.30am this morning because I have to make up time for an appointment next week. It was damp, dark and generally unpleasant. It seems like we jumped autumnal and dove straight into winter. While it ain’t freezing, the insidious wet has a tendency just to make things miserable. This is not to be confused with good old rain, which can be invigorating. If you get caught in it on the way to someplace you have a change of clothes. However, it’s Friday and although I should go to the town – I’ve decided to put that off until the crack o’ dawn tomorrow. The idea at this point is to make some kind of progress on some front. Not entirely sure where that will fall but there’s work to be done for sure.

And as a precursor to that, the big news is that Sir Andy Shernoff has a 45 coming out on the exquisite Norton imprint next week, part of the Rolling Stones series – a split with Brooklyn’s Daddy Longlegs.

In the interests of the grand clear out, I may list some items on here and if you want any of ‘em then the deal is that you make a reasonable donation (maybe I’ll make a suggestion of a minimum) to an animal charity or some other deserving organisation. It’s a trust thing and I reckon that you folks are upstanding citizens, right?

The way it works is this – I get rid of some clutter, you get something you want (or think you can flog on ebay) and a good cause gets some dosh. Keep checking back here, don’t rely on it appearing on facebook at the same time because that can be way out of whack. Posters, ‘zines, books, CDs, records, all kinds of guff.

Don’t forget that Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby will be in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK starting next Thursday (16th – Edinburgh). If anybody can’t get to a show and would like to score a (signed) copy of their “Two-Way Family Favourites” album then holler before next Wednesday and I’ll hook you up. E-mail me and we can sort out the finer details.

So that’s your lot for now. Verily his face was shut.

Almost at the end of another one… this weekend’s prospect is a full dance card but there’s still Friday to go. There’s so much going on that maybe I’ll get some respite from myself. A bit of cautious optimism there.

Never made it to Edinburgh last night because I began to rake for something that I know is here someplace but that obviously doesn't want to reveal itself. Found a whole bunch of other guff though and am gearing up for a big clear out or at least that’s the idea. Haven’t been in much of a sitting down and writing mood this last wee while. The modem incident knocked me out of whack as has several other things. I’m sick of me and somewhat preoccupied with what might rectify that in relation to a daily epistle being something of a chore.

Some good things coming up though if I can just get over the humf. Eric and Amy next week, Madrid the week after and a little less than 24 hours “dahn the London” in early October. It’s the humdrum in between I can’t be arsed with. Deep down, I know I’m lucky to be able to gallivant at all and that I’m my own worst enemy - give or take.

It’s blowing a gale through the canyons of my napper at the minute.

One Man Band Blowout!

Eruption - Scotland's premier punk rock'n'roll club - has put together a bill of the world's finest primitive one-man band rockin' combos and is taking them on a mini-tour of Scotland's premier punk rock'n'roll venues.

Kicking off in Glasgow on the 10th September, the show hits Edinburgh's Roxy Art House (Roxburgh Street, just behind the Brass Monkey pub) on Saturday the 11th, and Montrose on Sunday 12th.

Featuring the talents of The Fabulous Go-Go Boy from Alabama (who confusingly is actually from Uruguay), The Amazing One Man Band (Brazil), The Ghosts of Progress (Montrose) that describe themselves as a 'One-Man Band + One') and Glasgow's own Charles Randolph Rivers Slim Rhythm Revue (yes, Glasgow), all delivering sets of deconstructed rockabilly and blues in various punkish styles.

Five men. Four bands. Five pounds. If you can't make it to the Roxy, there's a wee taster of the show at Elvis Shakespeare on Leith Walk at 3pm. Why not go to both?!

This is Eruption's first foray into Edinburgh after two years of succesful action on the West coast, and the start of a regular series of gigs by their Auld Reekie branch.

I'm searching for something that doesn't seem to want to be found but I did happen upon this very cool sheet of jukebox tabs...

Saw “The Killer Inside Me” at the weekend and it completely bummed me out. The soundtrack is the only thing that it’s got going for it as far as I can tell. Not being familiar with the Jim Thompson novel, I can’t tell you if it’s an adequate depiction or not but it certainly ain’t entertainment. All a bit low rent Coen Bros with double misogyny.

Not sure that there's much I can offer you in terms of wisdom or anything else tonight (nothing new there then) but please remember that the illustrious Wreckless Eric and Amy Rigby are on Marc Riley's BBC 6 show this coming Wednesday (8th).

Hoping to rustle up enough enthusiasm to go see Woodpigeon with Eagleowl at the Roxy Art House in Edinburgh tomorrow. Time will indeed tell.

Those groovy play loud! people are at it again. Having put The Monks on the map, their film-making exploits this time take in the Klangbad festival and also an extended Faust set.

Faust was one of the first German bands I ever encountered. Working in the local record store, everyone was fascinated by the clear vinyl in a clear sleeve with a hand x-ray visible through it. The music on it was way ahead of the curve to the point of being virtually scary. An odd kind of ambient that required an altered mindset to really get into. Or so it seemed. I can’t claim to be sophisticated now but way back then this was really exotic. Maybe it wasn’t even music, it sounded like notes from outer space. When Virgin launched their record label, they released The Faust Tapes, an album for the price of a single – 49p I think it was.

Orbit, the shop I worked in did it for 43p if I recall correctly. Anyway, we sold bings of them to people of all ages. Strangely no-one returned them thinking they were faulty because the sonic content might not be what they were used to. Not even the old ladies that normally bought Charley Pride records. Or Sydney Devine.



This latest play loud! release contains two films, “klangbad, avant garde in the meadows” and “faust – live at klangbad festival”. The first on chronicles the 2005 event and provides a first hand account of something far, far from what a “festival” has become. “No bouncers, no stupid marketing games, no bungee jumping” like the liner notes determine. The line up is similarly out there with the pastoral setting providing to a background to acts, most of which I had no idea existed. A little like an idyllicly set version of the “le weekend” in Stirling.

When I contacted Dietmar to tell him that Faust would be coming to Scotland this fall, he asked me “which Faust?”. He told me that “there is one with JP Hervon (Faust North) and the other one around HJ Irmler (Faust South). It just proves that Faust is more an idea than songs and/or a band.” This isn't one of those cases like The Drifters, I hasten to add. Not even opposite sides despite the geography of the same coin.

When I sent him the link, he confirmed that the band that will play Stirling on October 17th is Faust (North) not the one that can be seen in these films. It would seem that performances of their southern manifestation are much more rare, making it essential that you grab this document.

While not exactly a walk in the park despite the setting, the world of this concept is definitely an attractive one if you just let the sound wash around you. Dietmar Post and Lucia Palacios have put together another fine project, taking the blueprint of direct cinema and skewing it slightly to create a study of what would otherwise take place completely removed from the pulsebeat. They also issued the band’s first single but more about that when I manage to get around to reviewing some records.

Here are the trailers for both films...

Brother Don's Tommy James Interview (Part One) over at "Caught In The Carousel".

and more good reading... a Paul Lukas travelogue...