Friday, January 30, 2009

Re-ups.

I just re-upped the Nip Driver's, Unhola, 7000 Dying Rats, and the one Fuck Boyz track. If you've seen anything else that isn't working, let me know. Thanks.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

I'll put your head in a milk bottle!


I'm really busy with homework, but I didn't want to go too long without a new post. Plus, I found a couple of CD's that I thought I didn't have anymore. So, instead of writing an essay on child labor in American history, I'm going to lob some good old 1980's, L.A. punk rock at you. Maybe, and I hope, you already have the Angry Samoans "Unboxed Set." I had to break it into two parts. The first contains: "Inside My Brain"(1980) and "Back from Samoa"(1982). Part two is: "Yesterday Started Tomorrow"(1986) and "STP Not LSD"(1988). I first heard these guys when I was thirteen, on the seminal "Faster and Louder Vol.1" hardcore compilation. If you like humorous punk rock, these guys have it in spades. I think Metal Mike still tours under the Samoans' name, and they play a lot of these old songs. So, get hip and poke out your eyes with a plastic fork. But, download this first. I forgot to zip the artwork and booklet (which has a bio by guitar player Gregg Turner) with the rips, so I'll post thumbs below, which you can look at or save (Click them and they get bigger. Doye).




Part1
Part2

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Invasion from the outside - works it's way inward...


I'm turning twenty-nine today. Ho-hum. You know what else is turning twenty-nine? My favorite album by the Wipers: "Is This Real." Unfairly shunned at the time of its release, "Is This Real" has since become a 'classic' in the punk community. Like many others, I have Kurt Cobain to thank for introducing me to the Wipers, via Nirvana's cover versions of "Return of the Rat" and "D-7". So, once again, I will admit for the record, that I am not Captain Cool. I wasn't "into them way before anyone else", or any other such ego-placating droll. But, I am damn glad that I found them, regardless of time. The Wipers are great. Greg Sage is a visionary, and a true artist when it comes to sound and music. Let's take a moment and appreciate what him and his bandmates were doing almost thirty years ago. This is still available in CD or Vinyl format, so throw them a few bones for all their hard work, maintaining an independent label through these turbulent times.

Look But Don't Touch (DL)

Friday, January 16, 2009

Alright, who threw that god damned chair at me?!?!


Sorry for the lack of music updates, school has been very taxing on my brain. I believe that I mentioned how fond I am of the Locust, yeah? Well, here we have one of their many side-projects. Holy Molar released this 2X3", "The Whole Tooth and Nothing but the Tooth",in 2003, on Three One G. The band includes Justin, Gabe, and Bobby from the Locust, Ron Avila from Heroin on Drums, and Mark McCoy of Charles Bronson on vocals. Of Course they have all been in a ton more bands, which I'm too lazy to list, but I think you get the idea. On a side note, most of the band pages I link to are Myspace pages, and I apologize. Personally, I want nothing at all to do with any 'social networking' sites, but I can see why a band would choose to put a page there. So, if you go to Myspace from here, tell NewsCorp to eat a bag of dicks for me. Um, oh... Holy Molar. Thrash, San Diego, keyboards, dentist outfits on stage. You'll probably hate it, because you are dumb. Not really, I'm just trying to get some comments going. I dig these guys very much. FYI: if you see that a band's name is highlighted twice in a post, both instances will lead you to different links, so go. Thanks.


The Whole Tooth...

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Such things should not be written...


Whilst searching for files on the internet, I made a startling discovery. I was researching enrollment options at Miskatonic University, when a pop up window opened, with an unsettling, squealing/screeching sound. As usual, I tried to close the window, only to find that by clicking on the 'close' button, a download prompt appeared, with the name,"NECR0_blog_text." I scanned the file for virus, and none were detected. Being the curious sort, I opened the .zip archive, which contained only one document. The file was in an archaic "wingdings" style font, which I immediately set about deciphering. After two days of trying to locate the original HTML code, and translate the text, I made a breakthrough. Oh, how I curse myself, looking back. The file, once translated, was an ancient 1990 A.D. text, long thought to be nothing more than rumour, "The Necroblogicon." I cannot explain to you the horror I felt upon reading the title. Written in a blood red Pantone font, the blog archive told of ancient evils, and contained spells for animating the evil spirits that haunt the digital realm of the internet, and allowing them access to our world. I fear I am no longer in control of my mental facilities, as the dread demon 5hug_Ni99urot4 now haunts my every thought. C7hulhu, has awoken from his long slumber. Soon the 07d_1s will take over our entire sphere and enslave us. For God's sake, please recite the ancient code, before it is too late: "KuntrĂ–l, Aultte, Deileet!" The horror! The horror!

Sunday, January 11, 2009

Follow the Sarcophagus Fly...


Though many will agree that Dario Argento's "Suspiria" is his best work, I have to say that "Phenomena" comes a close second. Posted here is the Cinevox version of the soundtrack. According to the cover, this is "The Complete Goblin Original Instrumental Soundtrack." Which means the Motorhead, Andi Sex Gang, and Iron Maiden tracks are missing. According to different sources, the tracks on this disc may have been better credited to the individual members of Goblin, such as Claudio Simonetti, as the bands' status was questionable at this point. Regardless, these are some of my favorite Goblin tracks. I also included an alternate, more metal version of the main theme recorded by Simonetti's later band, Daemonia. I highly recommend you watch this video of them in action. It helps if you're stoned, but it is one of the worst, most embarrassing videos I have ever seen. Although, I do like their versions of the Goblin classics, replete with cheesy solos. Anyway, what you get here is some great Italian, psych and ambient soundtrack work.

The corpse is over here. (DL)

Friday, January 9, 2009

Hold My Dishrag Body Tall.


Did I mention that my CD collection was stolen a few months ago? I had all of my CD's, over ten years worth, in a duffel bag in Jennie's car. Why I left them in the car, I'll never know, and I'll never forgive myself. But, there they were, in her car for three nights or so. Of course, somebody broke into the car, stole her laptop, rifled through her shit, and stole the duffel bag. Luckily, I had 90% of them backed up on this computer. So, I didn't lose all of the music, just the tangible aspect; booklets, cover art, etc... I'm often reminded of this loss when I'm posting. Like, today, I'm posting The Birthday Party, "Hits". The CD had a really nice booklet, with a well written band bio. I'm sorry I don't have it to share anymore. Regardless - This is a greatest hits collection, picked by guitarist (later, drummer), Mick Harvey and released by 4AD.

At the end of the nineties, I was desperately searching for new music. Not new chronologically, but something that stood out, something I hadn't heard before. I was telling a friend of mine that, although I will always love punk and hardcore, I felt that the initial excitement had worn off. "Punk" had become a self-limiting genre. Everything had to be in 4/4 time, or D-beats, power chords, the endless repetition of the phrase, "I don't care..." I knew that there had to be some bands, somewhere, doing things their own way, without all the rules and regulations. I mentioned Sonic Youth, a band I've always admired for their free-for-all experimentation. My friend, Matt, asked me if I had heard The Birthday Party? I said no, and he practically dragged me to his car and we went back to his place where he handed me a copy of "Hee Haw" and told me that I held the solution to my woe on that 5" disc. I should have been excited, but truthfully, I didn't believe him. I'm a cynical bastard. But, Matt was right. Listening to that CD was like losing my musical virginity all over again. Nick Cave's tortured howls, grunts, and baritone vocals were an adventure ride of emotions. The Exorcist came to mind.Tracy Pew, all the while holding down repetitive, hypnotic bass grooves. Harvey's guitar screaming, jangling, and shrieking feedback. Calvert, somehow always on time, but never on time with his beats. This was exactly what I needed. "Hits" is a great place to start, and it will give you an idea of the range and evolution of a band that never had any rules, self-imposed or otherwise.

part-1
part-2

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Completely Unjustifiable.

I came across this video on Legacy Document. I honestly cannot believe that shit like this happens in our country. In short, a handcuffed, unarmed man was fatally shot at point blank range while face down on the ground. There is absolutely no way to justify this action. According to this article, the officer may have "mistakenly believed he was using his stun gun." Um, shouldn't he be trained to know the difference when licensed to carry a lethal weapon?!? Don't watch this if you are easily disturbed. Apparently some action has been taken by Bay Area citizens, as it should be. Next time you see a cop, throw a rock at 'em for me. (Music will be back tomorrow).

R.I.P.-Oscar Grant

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

New Feature!



I've always thought it would cool to have an interview feature on the blog, and now there is. I'm going to try and get a hold of some people I admire, being musicians, writers, artists, skaters, or whatever, and have them answer a few simple questions. In fact, I'm asking them the simplest journalistic questions: Who? What? When? Where? Why? And, How? I'm leaving it up to the subject to decide how they want to answer. Some people will probably give us the most basic answers, others may rant, and others may take an entirely different path. The point is, these are creative people, and I want that to shine through. Personally, I find most interviews to be a little boring, because the questions are always the same. I'm hoping that by providing these questions, in their naked, most Basic form, the subjects will be able to express themselves without constraint. Who knows if it will work, but I'm looking forward to the results.

Our first guest is Todd Pot, of one of my all time favorite bands, Apocalypse Hoboken. If you're unaware of this band, I highly recommend you go back to my first post and check them out. Todd's got a totally unique voice, and his lyrics are an art on their own. Here is his interview:


Who .....What .....When.....Where.....Why.....and How..............first things first. I hate doing interviews. Back when Hoboken was in full swing I was the first to curl up in the fetal position and fey sleep when it came to interview time in the back of the van, some crappy bar, or some dudes shitty living room next to his shitty record collection, smack dab next to the shitty litter box that I was to surely curl up next to and try to get a couple hours of shitty shut eye......I was about seven years old when my uncle had given me two cassette tapes: "Computer World" by Kraftwerk and "Wild Planet" by the B-52s. Both of these albums shaped how I felt about music. There was more to music then the stuff that I heard on the radio.......four years would go by and that's when things really started to change... skateboarding made it's way to the Midwest... Nash and Variflex were the only decks we had to choose from, unless you went the mail-order route......I chose the latter. What came with skating was the marriage of music......skate rock......MRR.....Flipside.....Suburban Voice....and a slew of bedroom zines .......I was a sucker for American punk and heavy metal.........i never got on the whole Sex Pistols or Ramones kick....I could give a fuck about dressing a certain way ...I truly just dug the music......so years of stuffing my ears with as much as I could went by.....lots of drugs....lots of pussy.....and more drugs....my favorite local band was a band called Apocalypse Hoboken.......I tried to see them as much as possible, which was an easy feat. During 1987 to 1992 the band played what seemed like every weekend.....during that time the punk scene in Chicago and suburbs was a full fledge scene.....your usual gaggle of misfits and miscreants made up the scene and shit was cool.....I graduated highschool in 1991, floated around for two years, and stumbled upon a flier in a record store called The Turntable. Not only did The Turntable supply us with our records, but the kind owners supplied half the northwest suburbs with weed ....if you were lucky enough to be cool with the owner's son he would pull out his Trapper Keeper of Damned and Psychic TV photos......the whole Manchester thing was really big at the time, so this dude was all up in that shit, ya know Stone Roses ...Primal Scream...Loop.....you get the picture, and I digress....the flier that caught my eye "APOCALYPSE HOBOKEN is looking for a singer"......I tried out with a handful of lyrics and a gutfull of want, and for fuck's sake I became the singer!
The band tried hard to make a dent.....Fireside Bowl was in full swing....Elgin and the Third Floor was wiping the suburbs ass ...shit was good. Hoboken set out from the get go to be different than the bullshit Fat....Doctorstrange.....Epitaph shit that oozed through Chicago....Naked Raygun was another curse. I dont like Chicago styled anything ...keep it outta my music.........our need to be different only alienated us even further......the band toured a great deal, we signed to a horrible label out of California called Kung Fu, run by horrible people that play in now horrible bands......we were stuck and pigeonholed.....made it to Europe with a band called the Ataris, another fart in a dixie cup band.......had a blast though.....went out with At The Drive-In and Murder City Devils which proved to be a complete kick in the nuts....they don't like to share cocaine. Our best tour was with The Candy Snatchers - we finally found comrades!!!! needless to say Apocalypse Hoboken ran its course. Personal strife and band bullshit inevitability tore us apart....it was a good run though!!! Now to today.....I'm kept busy with a plethora of bands:
The House That Gloria Vanderbilt
...... Tongues....Vicelords......Jewsteeth......He-man.....and the occasional Apocalypse Hoboken reunion for all those "Chicago style hot-dogs" write me if ya want @ penistubes@yahoo.com xoxotpot

Todd also asked me to link you guys to God's Balls Records and Litter Box Studio, and so I did. Thank you Todd, for taking time to answer The Basics.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Radical Friends!


Started college today. My first day in a classroom since '97. Tomorrow I'm going to have to write a bum check to get my text books. C'est la vie, right? Oh, well, I'm supposed to get a financial aid check by next week to cover the balance. Hopefully a job someday, too.

Hey, there. You got ten minutes? Then listen to this awesome little E.P. that Head Wound City put out a couple years ago. It's like a hipster (I'm using that word to define all the people that use that word. Myself, too?)all-star band: Justin and Gabe from the Locust, Cody and Jordan from The Blood Brothers, and Nick from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. I'm not ashamed to admit that the Locust are in my top five favorite bands, I've got a big ass tattoo to show it. Blood Brothers put out a couple good tracks on every release. And, I guess I missed the boat on the YYY's, but they aren't terrible, by any means. The Spike Jonze directed "Y-Control" video is actually really awesome and hilarious. I read an interview once, where they talked about asking Gabe not to play so many double bass beats while recording this, which he answered with a silent, contempt-filled stare. You can find an excellent band bio here, and then pick up a t-shirt from their Myspace. Three One G is sold out of this record, but you should buy something from their catalog, they're running a pretty honest operation, with some really good bands.


Blunt Force Trauma Town

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Back and Bloody


Jesus, two weeks is a long time to be away from home. We just got in, and I'm worn out. I've got a new feature that I hope will become a regular fixture coming in this week. It's a surprise, but hopefully you will be as stoked as I am. (See how I am tricking you into coming back all week? I learned that from watching cable Tv, while on vacation.) I won't bore you with my vacation pics, or stories. Pretty much we saw some friends, saw some family, and stayed drunk for the whole thing. Hope you all had a nice time while I was out. Thanks for not trashing the place.

Now, onto some tunes. I'm lazy, so this is an easy one: Slayer's, "Reign In Blood". I have this thing about finding something that can be used as a "perfect example of..." Track 10: "Raining Blood", is the "perfect example of Metal." If aliens were to land, and they were from some horribly weak suck of a planet, a planet with only Pop music say, and they came and asked us, "What is metal?" This is the track I would play. It hits you in the face within the first ten seconds. Soon, there's a spooky, atmospheric interlude, lulling you into believing that, maybe somehow when Tom asked, "Do you wanna die?", and you said, "Um, no thanks, sir." Maybe they heard you, and now you're out in the rain, cold, but safe. Then, POW! Two guitars come galloping out of the fog, and you're picked up by the throat. You're carried off on one of the greatest riffs ever, into a battlefield of double bass and frenetic picking. The General orders one last rush, and the solo comes in to annihilate what's left of the enemy. In less than five minutes, you're ass is totally handed to you, and then... nothing. That, my friends, is metal.

Perfection