Susquehanna Industrial Tool & Die Co. promotes artistic nudity this week with a "clothing optional" performance at Otto's Shrunken Head. The option is yours.
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 30th / OTTO'S SHRUNKEN HEAD TIKI BAR & LOUNGE/ 538 East 14th Street (just west of Avenue B) in ol' Manhattan /Two near-pantless shows, from 8pm sharp until 10pm /With DJ "Son of Scratchy", salty snacks -- and no cover!
Plus, streaking into next month... SATURDAY, OCTOBER 9th / THE BOWERY POETRY CLUB/308 Bowery (between Houston and Bleeker Streets) in Manhattan /It's a crazy night of ska, punk, dixieland and, um...SIT & Die Co.!
It could take some time for the dust to settle on the Madrid sessions. Don’t want to just spew something on here and talking of which – your normally lightweight scribe had a bit of a go with keeping up with the professionals.
And because it was so much fucking fun, only a modicum of discomfort was suffered in relation to the quality of the antics. When the proceedings kick off with attending a show by Redd Kross and Hoodoo Gurus then that’s a pretty high bar but it got a lot more stratospheric than that over the course.
So there are things to be sorted, here are a couple of pictures from the proceedings in the meantime as the actual documentary evidence begins to be pieced together.
You want to snag a copy of the new Primevals CD? follow Mr Rooney's instructions...
"sorry for the delay- we got our new studio release 'disinhibitor' delivered today and it sounds fine indeed! for the first 100 copies we will include a live cd from king tuts in 2005. It's £5 and if you want me to post it, add £1.50. or paypal/cheque even meet me on the street for a transaction!
i know some of you have pledged copies, some more than one, if you still want the same amounts then that is fine, just gimme a shout and spread the word! the cd will be released on tsb in oct/nov and a vinyl version soon after. This first press is on our own Triple Wide label. This will be the last sales pitch.
Andreas Söderlund has quite a pedigree for a guy so young. Not only pivotal in Hello Saferide, his other combo Dreamboy doesn’t slouch any either. I saw someplace that Annika referred to him as a scamp and thought that was pretty cool. His first solo outing “Daustralien” is ram-jammed with the most sensory-gratifying tuneage. The lyrics are all in Swedish but I’m sure they kick the ass of anything The Killers (has there ever been a group that begged investigation by the trades description authorities) ever recorded. The music sure does, while retaining that grandiose swoop that would appear to be that combo’s only redeeming feature.
Or should that be whoop, being in mind the war paint and the head dress that he’s wearing on the cover. The opener “Def Leppard Bil” is pretty amazing with a vibe that sound like it was recorded in a church. That cut isn’t on his myspace but as always, in this day and age, you don’t have to take my word for what anything sounds like – you just plug into the interweb. Coming at you by those fine Razzia folks. A trademark of quality in any lingo.
From Rijeka, Croatia - My Buddy Moose are a seasoned rock’n’roll band that have all the bases covered. It’s a very accomplished melding, taking elements from all aspects of stuff from down the ages. “Wonderful Feeling Of Emptiness” will leave you with anything but that. It’s a mature but not in the sense of the limitations of that M word.
Imagine Radio Birdman or The Nomads with a side order of Americana. The mandolin that is used liberally throughout sets things a bit of kilter. This isn’t folk or country or anything specific. This operates in the zone outside of any given pigeonhole where familiarity needn’t necessarily breed contempt. I’d expect that anyone with an open mind that might enjoy say Dire Straits could dig this as much as someone who digs The Skeletons. Or a bit of NRBQ
The duet “Tonight” is a total delight that reminds me of Robbie Fulks and Kelly Willis and “Dance” is a full on, organ-fuelled rock out. These sit snugly beside the conjuntifried “Las Nubas Peligrosas” with barely a hair out of place. Abetted by Chris Eckman and Howe Gelb – the Moose are loose enough to be enjoyed by anyone, anywhere who is craving a bloody good fix of why we care. While other people bang on about how the internet is killing music, MBM are plugging away with everything to play for. This stuff could really travel because it’s for real, not concocted in a modular fashion from a fantasy record collection.
Britta Persson’s third album “Current Affair Medium Rare” just came out Selective Notes, part of the illustrious Razzia family. Seems like the two she made for Amigo were building up to this and what she does is a perfect fit for her new roster. Specialising in sophisticated pop with a completely contemporary sound, this should make her a lot of new friends. I didn’t realise that she had a connection and appeared on recent recordings with Glasgow’s excellent Camera Obscura. It seems to me that their audience would probably really love this. Being that their crowd seems to have an open mind that would react positively.
The first “single” – “Meet A Bear” sets out the stall just fine and if you like that then this’ll be a good investment for those impending winter nights. “Some Boys Some Girls” seems like a contender too as a track that would really stand out on radio. But is there such a thing in conventional terms these days? This is the kind of stuff that builds a staunch audience person by person and that those people get an urge to tell all their friends. It doesn’t sound quite like anything else but it has all the hallmarks of appeal. Let’s hope that we get a chance to hear it live before too long.
Monday, September 20, 2010
I’m preoccupied. Bit of this, bit of that but mostly that. Very much looking forward to a return bout with the fabulous Madrid later but there are things to be attended to before that. To be honest, I don’t know if it will be or not but there is a notion of at least making an attempt that flashes across my napper every now and again. I’m watching October come up like a proverbial brick wall and have stuff pencilled in until the middle of that month. It’s a pretty good position to be in and I’m not whining or complaining just jonesing.
I thought it was Sunday on Friday night and was pretty stoked to find that there was a weekend to go but that scooted in too so way past the stage that I was at when I started out. You’re confused? That makes two of us. Overthinking is a disease and as far as I know there’s no ointment that can fix it.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Saw “Skeletons” this afternoon, after all, I couldn’t miss a biopic of one of my favourite bands, right? And who by any stretch of the imagination could play Lou Whitney? That one is a one off. Anyway, this film has been getting good reviews and I’m surprised that it only runs for 95 minutes. It felt much longer, and I fell asleep into the bargain. That’s not to say that it’s bad but it takes a long time to get where it’s going and the surreal feel of Terry Gilliam directing an episode of “Last of the Summer Wine in The Twilight Zone” sort of disgruntled me.
Found the faux French soundtrack intrusive too. It all seems a bit deliberate but maybe being awake during the bit I missed would have made all the difference. Doubt that I’ll ever know.
The Monorail Film Club is back at GFT next week for its new semester! One Way Pendulumwill screen on Sunday 26 September at 7.30pm.
Arthur Groomkirby (Sykes) needs a hobby and his latest fancy is to rebuild the Old Bailey’s court no.7 in the family living room. His wife Mabel complains of the increase in housework and, in any case, already has her hands full with endless food deliveries cluttering up the house. Thankfully Myra Gantry (Peggy Mount) is on hand to help consume the backlog. The Groomkirby’s huffy teenage daughter Sylvia is ashamed to leave the house because she imagines her arms are too short, and their son Kirby (Jonathan Miller) is fixated on rehearsing a massed choir of speak-your-weight machines, part of a nefarious plan to supply himself with a perpetual pretext to dress in black.
Adapted from N F Simpson’s acclaimed play and featuring a cast of well-loved character actors, "One Way Pendulum" is an odd and engaging absurdist comedy, a lost gem from the production company that released "Saturday Night, Sunday Morning" and "Loneliness of a Long Distance Runner".
Selected by Marc Baines, lecturer in illustration at Glasgow School of Art.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
I was pleasantly surprised when today turned out to be Saturday. When I was in Glasgow last night, standing outside the chip shop waiting on my fellow STEREO-goers, it felt like a Sunday night. Another great show and something approaching a decent-sized audience. So I'm a little frazzled and will be keeping this short.
Meanwhile, check out this cool interview with Erwin Flores of Los Saicos.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Phew. Rock’n’roll. Sometimes you need a reminder why you bother and I’m very happy to report that I had a close encounter with the very finest that money can buy last night.
Eric and Amy showed an appreciative audience what entertainment is. Like a two person variety show that should be doing a season at the London Palladium or Kings Theatre or somewhere grand. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry (as I almost did when Amy dedicated “Don’t Ever Change” to me!) and well, it could well restore your faith to a pilot light type peep. Tonight, they’ll be doing it all again at Stereo in Glasgow. I’m not entirely sure when you’ll get another opporchancity to see them up here so I suggest you take this one. Mr Goulden gave those guitars what for last night alright.
It’s true, I’m biased. These kids are family and you always want your family – actual, spiritual or whatever – to have it large. These two deserve several tonnes more love than they get and many far lesser mortals eke out a living on way, way less. Theirs is a bijou blockbuster of a performance on any given night and I have a feeling that the pilgrims who head along to Stereo tonight are in for a real treat. There’s even have a new song that name checks the city. It’s called “Do You Remember That?” and I can guarantee that you will.
“…. There’s an awful lot that’s good in this life” like Amy sings in “DEC” and sometimes I’m apt to lose sight of that. It’s very cool to be reminded of what’s important.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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.
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.
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.
