Matt and Kim’s “Sidewalks” drops on Tuesday (2nd) and reading some reviews of the album really underlines what is redundant about music writing. This isn’t something that requires the slightest bit of chin-stroking. You’re either with it or you’re not and the double whammy of “Block After Block” and “AM/FM Sound” encapsulate totally what to my mind sounds like some seriously infectious frequencies. Matt has admitted publically that he and Kim don’t write songs anymore, they make anthems.

I admit, when I hear some twonk say “I know where you’re coming from” in a conversation then my hackles go up. It can mostly be translated as “fuck your opinion” but in the case of the song, in the hands of these kids – it's sincere. They mean it. It’s all about how the message is delivered and what some pockets of dissent can’t seem to handle is the unity and sheer positivism that these two exude. It’s practically evangelical. I don’t mind if you’re sceptical but if you experience one of their rallies then you’ll get it. No question.

Some regulars think that I’ve lost my mind. There’s no point in labouring the main ingredient that sets them apart. It’s a chemistry thing. The two of them and an audience makes for an explosive combo. It makes you realise that maybe having a stupid, good time isn’t such a bad thing and this Village Voice review pretty much nails it.

Just like you can’t deny that those Lady GaGa singles are well made, or that “Oops I Did It Again” is better than anything Pavement ever did. M&K’s oeuvre occupies a spot that connects in a way that is both visceral and comforting. How or why is immaterial, as the world skites ever closer to the U-bend, this is a pretty cool antidote to the grind on my telly.

The vid quality isn't great but check the audio... via Staysick



Hey all,

If you are in San Francisco this weekend, on Halloween specifically, you won't find a better show than Nobunny performing as THE CRAMPS at Thee Parkside. I hope some of you can make
it. There are a few bands covering some of the greats:

Nobunny as The Cramps
Uzi Rash as The Monks
Apache as The Damned
Monster Maus as The Velvet Underground
Tumore Boys/Space Titanium as The Stooges/Destroy All Monsters

Nobunny played as the Cramps last year too.

Seriously great, totally wild and fun in the spirit of The Cramps. I imagine early Cramps shows were like this. No offense to any "psychobilly" bands that cover the Cramps, you know the ones with the greasy hair and the stand-up bass and the leather pants, but Nobunny is some real deal, wild and raw rock and roll live.

Actually, I don't concur with that last bit. Total offense to those "psychobilly" bands. It's time Nobunny came to Scotland methinks.

Would LOVE to see Ellen Foley... blimey!

Tonight at the Lakeside Lounge NYC

7PM-Happy Hour with Ellen Foley & the Dirty Old Men

Scars, TV21 and Malcolm Ross at Edinburgh Picturehouse on December 29th.

Ronnie Spector UK Christmas Shows 2010

December 6th/7th - The Jazz Cafe, London.

December 9th - HMV Institute, Birmingham.

December 11th - HMV Picturehouse, Edinburgh.

It’s been remiss of me not to mention this before.

The McBurnie/Hammer tag team has put together Grade "A" Fancy Mag. The browser that I view it in isn’t ideal but its quality gear and if your computer is up to snuff then you won’t have any problem. Can’t help thinking that these kids should be running a proper magazine but there’s not that much call for such a thing these days.

Related to this… not sure if I posted Amy Rigby’s blog entry on Ari Up. Did I? If not then I’ve certainly got a reminder to do so scribbled on one of these many pieces of paper scattered around. Not so much stream of consciousness at the minute, more the occasional dribble. And keeping up the thread, I was overjoyed to hear about the return of Wreckless Wradio. And while we’re on the subject, Eric is up for producing YOUR album. Talk to him about it.

As for the tie up between this and how the posts appear on farcebook, it could be to do with the version of blogger that I use. Don’t really have the time or inclination to alter the format at present, being of the “if it ain’t broke” persuasion. Sometimes it works, sometimes it don’t. The notifications are skew wiff also. Been futzing with the crackberry and making slow progress, not that I use it to any great degree but I will try to update this thing from there at some point to see how that works. The racket that is the concept of “the mobile phone contract” is not something I’m enamoured with to be honest. That will come as a surprise to you no doubt?

Guess that brings us to Thursday...? The Village in Leith is a neighbourhood bar that’s not easy to reach if you’re not in a car. That said, if you do make the effort to get there - it’s a great spot. So, long rydin’ Sidney G and them Coal Porters were bound for Bute but something went awry and Paula McNally of The Sunset Delay stepped in and sorted out this alternative. I didn’t realise she’d come back to Edinburgh from London but anyway, it means the band is active again and to prove that, they opened the evening’s entertainment.

The CP’s did that bluegrass thing in support of their Ed Stasium produced latest album, "Durango", no 95 in evidence. Fiddlegal/singer Carly Frey from British Columbia is a great foil for Sid and Neil, I don’t think she was in the band the last time we saw them. They’re in the Borders someplace tonight then they scoot back further North for a show at The Lemon Tree in Aberdeen tomorrow.

It’s Friday, a little spurt of progress was registered earlier but I feel the strength ebbing away. This weekend is 1 hour longer than recent ones though so some solace can be gleaned from that. What will you waste your extra 60 minutes on?

RIP - Gerard Kelly

RIP - James (Danno) MacArthur

Not sure what could be more perfect than a Hallowe’en matinee of Abbott and Costello meet Frankenstein at the Bo’ness Hippodrome but not much in my estimation.

The Coal Porters with Captain Sid Griffin are in Edinburgh – or Leith rather – tomorrow evening at The Village. The Sunshine Delay are opening and it starts at 8pm.

As well as everything else that’s going on in the big fankle, I’m trying to arrange work in the bunker and it’s proving to be a giant pain in the arse. There are less daylight hours, it’s heading into winter, yada yada and the flesh and spirit are vying for which is the least willing. I’m sure I’m not the only one with experience of this.

But we gain an hour on Sunday when the clocks go back, how's that for a spurt of optimism? Or postponing the inevitable??

All hail to the King...

Hello,

It's maybe not the most halloweenish thing you could do this Sunday but the film club has lined up a potential gem. We are screening Timothy Neat's rarely seen Play Me Something and have the director in attendance.

Neat is an uncompromising Dundee-based auteur and academic (an amazing character really) and as far as we know Play Me Something is his only full length feature film. The film, set in Barra and Venice features John Berger and Tilda Swinton, and will be introduced by David Mackenzie, who is a massive fan.

At the airport on the island of Barra, a small group of people await the delayed plane to Glasgow. Among the local passengers is the mysterious Stranger (John Berger) who captivates them with a story of love set in Venice.

'A singular, groundbreaking and beautiful piece of filmmaking.' The Herald.

Play Me Something
Timothy Neat, 1989

Monorail Film Club
Sunday 31st October, 7pm

GFT
12 Rose Street
Glasgow
G3 6RB

box office: 0141 332 6535

www.gft.org.uk
www.myspace.com/monorail_film_club

RIP - Reg(gie) King (The Action)

(Thanks to Ulf for the link)

Title: I KNEW BUFFALO BILL
Artist: JEREMY GLUCK & FRIENDS
Release date: October 18, 2010
Label: Munster
Format: 2LP
(600 copies limited edition)
CAT #: MR 293
Barcode: 8435008829315





HIGHLIGHTS

"The first indie supergroup" (more than 20 years ago!)

Featuring Jeremy Gluck (The Barracudas), Jeffrey Lee Pierce (Gun Club), Roland S Howard (Birthday Party) and brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks (The Swell Maps)

A unique record with a rootsy, haunting sound, which mixes dark folk, swamp blues and the ghostly side of country music

Expanded edition with many tracks not on the original album (demos, live material and B sides)

Vinyl only reissue. Limited edition of ONLY 500. Double LP. Liner notes by Jeremy Gluck

Deluxe vinyl reissue of this 1987 album, featuring Jeremy Gluck (The Barracudas), brothers Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks (Swell Maps), Rowland S Howard (The Birthday Party) and Jeffrey Lee Pierce (The Gun Club). Includes demos, B-sides and live material.

In 1987, at the time of its release, "I Knew Buffalo Bill" was greeted as little more than an underground curio. The "first indie supergroup" tag conferred upon it by Flicknife owner Frenchy Gloder was possibly true; in any case, having members of The Barracudas, Swell Maps, The Birthday Party and The Gun Club share its credits marked it out at least as a compelling creative cross-section of the alternative scene of the day.

It was 1986, autumn. Over the years Nikki Sudden and I had discussed, planned and written songs for an eventual collaboration. Nikki was working his music full-time; I was writing and raising my kid. One day Nikki calls pretty much out of the blue and says he is in Fairport Dave Pegg's lush Woodworm Studio recording with his brother Epic Soundtracks and Rowland S Howard, and do I want to tack a week on and do an album? I started packing. When I arrived at the studio one gorgeous afternoon, the band had just laid down the backing track to Nikki's remarkably beautiful 'Gallery Wharf'. I was awed and enchanted.
I still love that song and my good fortune in performing its only recorded incarnation is humbling.

In the years since, "I Knew Buffalo Bill" has been heard more, evaluated further, loved by a few fiercely, liked by many more, overlooked by millions. The unusual combination of players and pieces, and some great production, have earned it a niche all its own. In that time, four of its key players - Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks, Rowland S Howard and Jeffrey Lee Pierce (whom I only met briefly before and during the sessions) - have passed away. It seems unreal to me now that four of them are gone. Great artists, wonderful characters, dedicated journeymen.

It gladdens me that our work on the album has been the cause of one excellent shared homage (Italians Circo Fantasma's "I Knew Jeffrey Lee"), and that one of its latter tracks, 'Burning Skulls Rise' (from the eponymous EP that followed the original album), was covered by Rowland and Lydia Lunch. Subsequently it has appeared on a handful of European compilations and even one modern B-movie soundtrack, for "I Pass As Human", directed by former Flesheater Chris D.

On this deluxe edition I've included all but one track of the original album, demos, B-sides and, to bookend the album, live material reinventing the songs Nikki, Rowland, Epic and I laid down recklessly over 20 years ago. My favourite line of Nikki's, from 'Gallery Wharf' - "What's done can never be put down" - speaks for all of what is here for you to remember, discover or rediscover. It's a strange pile of sounds and songs to have helped create.

Jeremy Gluck

Side One
1 LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO FALL
2. TOO LONG
3. GONE FREE
4. TIME UNDONE
5. ONE MORE STORY

Side Two
1. GALLERY WHARF
2. FOUR SEASONS OF TROUBLE
3. ALL MY SECRETS
4. TIME GOES FASTER

Side Three
1. BURNING SKULLS RISE (Demo)
2. FOUR SEASONS OF TROUBLE (Demo)
3. SORROW DRIVE
4. EPISODE IN A TOWN
5. APRIL NORTH
6. THE PROVING TRAIL
7. THEY'RE HANGING ME TONIGHT
8. LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO FALL (Reprise)

Side Four
1. NO SOUND
2. THREW THIS AWAY
3. THE OLD MAN'S DREAM
4. PRAYER OF A GUNMAN
5. GRAD'S HOTEL
6. BAR WITH NO NAME
7. NOTHING TO ME

Brother P to the rescue with a poster that clarifies Margaret's US shows...

Been a hectic few days, kicking off last Thursday evening with Mr Iain Shaw venturing over to the east coast for his fist show there. It went well and would have gone even better if the chattering buggers that bumped their gums all though the set had been muzzled.

Friday night saw The Primevals and Charles Randolph Rivers Slim Rhythm Revue tear up McChuills as part of Oxjam. When anyone tries to tell me how the JJR are some hot shit then I’ll refer them in the direction of the former because those fauxsters are NOT in the same league. Sadly never made it to Buckfest but I imagine that it went well? Sometimes it’s just not possible to do everything just like good guys don't always wear white.

Sunday was the UK premiere of Herschell Gordon Lewis – Godfather of Gore at GFT. Part of a Cult Labs day. It’s really great and with the man himself, Dave Friedman (This is a Something Weird production), John Waters and even Joe Bob Briggs in there too, well I don’t think that anyone with a penchant for the man’s work could be disappointed. It was much scarier outside the movie theatre because Rangers and Celtic were playing and Bigot Central was going full swing. I managed to pretty much body swerve all that apart from a smattering of them on the train home.



And last night... Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes. I hadn’t seen any version of the band since they opened for Graham Parker in (I believe) 1977. Hardly seems possible but in my recent tour of the past, it seemed like time to revisit this particular boardwalk. Particularly as they were playing a proper theatre, The HMV Picturehouse in Edinburgh not the Renfrew Ferry.

Strange that I end up scoring a ticket outside from the Rev. Ralph MacGillivray. Although we correspond through facebook, it had been many years since we’d met so that was a welcome coincidence. Being a bit knackered, I had pondered the option of sitting in the balcony but the upstairs wasn’t open. Haven’t experienced the sound up there and it was going to be a long set.

The opening band was awful. A terrible mix of overbearing confidence and the curse of competence. Not a good combo. They seemed very pleased with themselves and the audience largely encouraged them. This was the first time that I’ve been to a show in recent times that I definitely wasn’t the oldest person there. And besides, SJ doesn’t need an opening act and this was no warm up.

It’s a measure of a show’s calibre when 2 and a quarter hours goes by in a flash. I won’t say that there were a couple of moments where I didn’t flag, but that was more down to my tiredness. At the very high points, like “Talk To Me” and “I Don’t Want To Go Home”, it was like standing on the corner of exhilarating and heartbreaking. Those horns were not set on stun. The show was so far ahead of Springsteen’s recent performance in Glasgow that I can hardly quantify the difference.

I guess this is what you might call entertainment... things are in a bit of a fankle around here. No idea if or when normal service might be resumed.

RIP - Gregory Isaacs

Continuing our West Coat jag, Margaret Dollrod wishes it to be known...

HEY YA'LL,

I'LL BE GIVIN' MY ALL ON THE WEST COAST! IN THE RIGHT HERE AND THE RIGHT NOW NOW!

NOVEMBER 4th THEE PARKSIDE (San Francisco)with Mean Jeans, Shannon and the Clams, Therapists and Skumby
NOVEMBER 5th TIL TWO CLUB (Long Beach) with Mean Jeans, Shannon and the Clams and Therapists
NOVEMBER 6th 5 STAR BAR (Los Angeles) with Mean Jeans, Shannon and the Clams and Therapists
NOVEMBER 9th THE HEMLOCK (San Francisco) with Apache and Nectarine Pie and TRRMS
NOVEMBER 10th THE KNOW (Portland?)
NOVEMBER 11th BURGERVILLE (Oregon or Vancouver?) with Mean Jeans
NOVEMBER 12TH THE FUNHOUSE (Seattle) with Butts

XO Margaret

The Rubinoos celebrate 4 decades in the ring tonight out there in San Fran. If you're there, DO NOT MISS IT!

This, quite literally, just in from Brother Don. Timely too with SOTS having an SF "three in a row" this AM.

"just got back from Thee Parkside all the way across town here in san fran where i saw an incredible set by Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers.(sans Danny and James). Roy was most excellent. he strummed a Fender cutaway acoustic. Larry Lea played lead and they had their old bass player too. they opened with "Don't Believe Those Lies". and moved along with old faves like "Emmy Emmy", "A Hundred Miles an Hour", and "Born to be Your Fool". place was jammed and the crowd was groovin like crazy.

it was almost like being back at the Mab (which Roy mentioned) or those great Whisky shows where they opened for the Groovies. then Cyril came up and there was a roar from the crowd when Roy introduced him as an "old friend...and very dear friend". they did"Second Cousin", "Teenage Head" and "Slow Death". unbelievably great!!! Cyril took some INCREDIBLE solos!!! it was absolutely stunning and just like the old days. everyone went totally insane and they were called back for an encore and they did Chuck Berry's "Bye Bye Johnny".

Roy and Cyril together is just EXPLOSIVE!!! now i have an inkling of how great the New Orleans shows must've been. i congratulated Cyril afterwards but didn't get a chance to thank Roy so if you're out there Roy: FANTASTIC JOB!!! wow!!!! i really hope these guys get together some more. just tremendous. Cyril's guitar solos were effortless and magic. Roy was in excellent voice. what a night!"

I’m not about to make any promises I can’t keep today. Still, it is Friday after all.

The Primevals and Charles Randolph Rivers are at McChuills in Glasgow tonight. An Oxjam show.

Tomorrow, The Handsome Dicks will be at The 13th Note’s Buckfest. On at 9pm (apparently).

It’s just come to my attention that Sir Andy Shernoff has a website from whence you can navigate all his cyber outlets. He has shows coming up so check that now.

Cool event at GFT on Sunday including the premiere of the Herschell Gordon Lewis documentary.