foot set.

club foot set: 9/21/09: THE ANTI-POP EDITION.

i was knee deep in Beatles-mania (this was shortly after the release date of all those remastered reissues) and Pavement-mania (this was shortly after the announcement of their reunion shows), so a night dedicated to "the ANTI-POP" was surely in order. "ANTI-POP" is clearly subjective....

david axelrod- the warnings: part 2
animotion- fun fun fun
universal order of armageddon- benedict
screeching weasel- like a parasite
gary war- clean up
units- high pressure days
the shitty limits- smart guys
sunny day real estate- j'nuh
rapeman- monobrow
eric burdon & the animals- ring of fire
liechtenstein- postcard
his hero is gone- unleash
slade- mama weer all crazee now
bare wires- i don't belong
red lorry yellow lorry- last train
cold cave- love comes close
mika miko- sex jazz
teenage jesus & the jerks- see pretty
kurt vile- monkey
electronicat- wop do wop
vivian girls- can't get over you
pink military- blood & lipstick
slowdive- some velvet morning
crawling chaos- sex machine
wounded lion- friendly?
suicide- diamonds, fur coat, champagne
39 clocks- PLO
hoyt axton- double dare
gunslingers- lighter slinger festival
rip rig & panic- tax sex
king tuff- just strut
psychic tv- just like arcadia
gray matter- i've just seen a face
method actors- you, the international language
young governor- you're so sad
lungfish- the cipher
nina hagen band- superboy
arto lindsay- let's be adult
the embarassment- rhythm lines
hex dispensers- i've got my doppelganger on
article 58- event to come
screaming lord sutch- flashing light
a certain ratio- all night party
sensational alex harvey band- hammer song
christian death- figurative theater
grass widows- to where
cristina- mama mia
karp- D+D fantasy
shriekback- here comes my hand i clap
nick cave- the singer
dc snipers- zagreb city boys
pissed jeans- false jesii part 2
zola jesus- six feet (from my baby)
faust- it's a rainy day, sunshine girl
moondog- stamping ground
joe meek- i hear a new world

foot set.

club foot set 8/31/09: JOHN HUGHES TRIBUTE EDITION.

this was awesome and uh pretty unbelievably packed (!?!). also a perfect theme in which to utilize my endless knowledge of 80s pop culture, sigh. every song in this set was either: 1) used in a John Hughes film, 2) by a band whose song was in a Hughes film, and/or 3) by a band referenced in a John Hughes film (poster on a bedroom wall or whatever). also i had to disregard my usual "never play the same band/artist twice in one set" rule because i just had to.

cabaret voltaire- this is entertainment
new order- thieves like us
altered images- i could be happy
OMD- the misunderstanding
vapors- turning japanese
wall of voodoo- spy world
david bowie- changes
oingo boingo- you really got me
ramones- blitzkrieg bop
buzzcocks- what do i get
split enz- i got you
kim wilde- kids in america
the jam- town called malice
lindsey buckingham- holiday road
flowerpot men- beat city
pete shelley- do anything
dream academy- the edge of forever
wham!- heartbeat
smiths- i want the one i can't have
killing joke- eighties
specials- little bitch
karla devito- we are not alone
sigue sigue sputnik- love missile F1-11
plastic bertrand- ca plane pour moi
rave-ups- right now
beatles- twist and shout
general public- tenderness
inxs- do wot you do
psychedelic furs- pretty in pink
echo & the bunnymen- never stop
flesh for lulu- i go crazy
zapp- radio people
kajagoogoo- kajagoogoo
squeeze- take me i'm yours
patti smith- gloria
oingo boingo- weird science
kon kan- i beg your pardon
yaz- nobody's diary
new order- shellshock
wild men of wongo- why don't...
david bowie- young americans
selector- too much pressure
B.A.D.- bad
furniture- brilliant mind
propaganda- dr. mabuse
yello- oh yeah
wang chung- fire in the twilight
belouis some- round round
jesus & mary chain- hardest walk
billy idol- rebel yell
march violets- turn to the sky
the beat- march of the swivelheads
thompson twins- if you were here
otis redding- try a little tenderness
OMD- if you leave
simple minds- don't you (forget about me)
smiths- please please please let me get what i want
dexy's midnight runners- come on eileen

RIP Mr. Hughes. thanks for boosting me beyond Milli Vanilli and Amy Grant musically, AND for having a hand in developing my "dream man" triumvirate at such an early age:

foot set.

Club Foot set 8/24/09.

another excellent night split with Sam O'Rama. here's what i jammed:

harvey milk- blueberry dookie
torche- mentor
pissed jeans- dominate yourself
poison arrows- total beverage
acoustic family creeps- rain on
kurt vile- the hunchback
little girls- what we did
smith westerns- the glam goddess
dum dum girls- hey sis
yolks- i do what i do
box elders- cougars
jay reatard- man of steel
ty segall- standing at the station
.......................................
cococoma- ask, don't tell
shannon & the clams- hunk hunt
buzzer- stunning freak
UV race- good money
nodzzz- true to life
beets- don't fit in my head
woven bones- your sorcery
der teenage panzerkorps- arc de triumphe
spits- tonight
frustrations- halfway on fire
tv ghost- bastille
black time- a radio in the dark
fuzzbox- what's the point
slik- the kid's a punk
bare wires- i lie awake
dog faced hermans- the hook and the wire
tim cohen- take aim goliath
television personalities- adventure playground
mayfair set- i've been watching you
comet gain- hard times
vaselines- dying for it
cold cave- life magazine

late onset summer disorder: 1

i know how much you've missed my activity here. . . but times have been busy and crazy beyond all summertime expectations, not to mention that (Dear Livejournal...) i've been working out like a million life kinks this summer. hey, better me, better you, right?

anyway, as a gift to all the (approximately 6) people who read this, as an apology for my pitiful absence from the "blogosphere" (ewwwww i actually wrote that), as a special kinda-summer-almost-fall TREAT, i have a 2-part "mixtape" for you to download. Part Two will come in a day or five. the catch is that i wrote a bit about each band and you will have to read it. actually there is no catch because you totally don't have to read it (duuuh) but if you want more information about a particular band, consider this a handy reference guide.

these are songs that i've been rocking out to all summer and that have been holding me above water and all that cheesy stuff. new and old. loud and quiet (usually loud). there's a lot of stuff i couldn't include because i don't have mp3s for them, so make sure you check out the new Buzzer 7" on Tic-Tac-Totally and anything by the Coconut Coolouts and the Sweet Cobra "Bottom Feeder" 12", etc.

since my page on the Laurie's site links to this, i gotta say that everything on this mix can be purchased and/or ordered at Laurie's Planet of Sound. OR, could have been purchased at Laurie's Planet of Sound but you snoozed and now it's out of print.

DISCLAIMER: sound quality on some of these = not so great. if you are one of those annoying audiophile sound-quality nerd types, then. . . RELAX (your anal pickiness is holding you back). also this is really long and i don't know how to make an expandable post, sorry.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD "LATE ONSET SUMMER DISORDER: PART 1"

1. Harvey Milk- Lay My Head Down: gah. Harvey Milk are the masters of southern-fried sludgey stoney psyched-out hard rock. they've been reunited for a few years, but this is an older song from the "Pleaser" album; an 8-minute bluesy "hard times be bringin' me down" jam. ZZ Top meets Melvins, and brilliant. finally saw these guys a short time ago and it was one of the best live shows i have ever witnessed EVER (and they played this song and i died).

2. Pisces- Motley Mary Ann: if you don't buy this Numero reissue (on CD or LP) than you are a dummy 2k9. the album is "A Lovely Sight" and these Rockford IL psych weirdos were never even able to get this LP issued (until now).

3. Jeffrey Novak- What a Surprise: this is the main dude from one of my favorite garage-pop bands, Cheap Time. he does all this crazy solo stuff that's VERY Syd Barrett. VERY. he has a couple LPs and a few singles and all have gone out-of-print almost immediately upon release. actually, someone called me at Laurie's once begging me to let him paypal money for us to ship him the last LP, and i was like "no way, nerd." anyway, now Cheap Time is starting to sound like Novak's solo output which is actually slightly disappointing.

4. Surf City- Dickshaker's Union: bonus points for excellent song title. Surf City are from New Zealand and are very lo-fi/psychedelic and i wish they would tour the states because they rule.

5. Mayfair Set- Desert Fun: this song is totally old news but it's so summery-feel-good and i still can't stop listening to it.

6. Liechtenstein- Postcard: Liechtenstein are my new favorite band. 3 girls from Sweden remaking 90s indie twee pop in the best way imaginable. they have a CD/10" out on Slumberland and every song is as great as this.

7. Breeders- Fate to Fatal: controversial opinion: The Breeders have not written a song this good since 1990. this is the title track of the very very limited and now out-of-print 12" that came out a few months back. superb, old-school Breeders sound.

8. Television Personalities- Silly Girl: anyone who thinks this whole lo-fi trend is new needs to listen to the first couple Television Personalities records, which have recently been reissued on vinyl (!!!) and are pretty much essential for any decent record collection. these are the grandfathers of lo-fi/postpunk/pop weirdness.

9. Personal & the Pizzas- I Don't Feel So Happy Now No More: my love for this band has already been expounded upon. here's another song. they look like Lenny & Squiggy btw.

10. Box Elders- Hole In My Head: an adorable 3-piece in which the drummer plays drums while simultaneously playing a keyboard. bratty garagey poppy punk very much in the Nodzzz territory of simplicity.

11. King Tuff- Just Strut: the main King Tuff dude also plays in Witch with J Mascis and also plays in that band Feathers. King Tuff is his fun, Nuggets-esque garage alter ego, which i believe to be his best alter-ego.

12. Sir Lord Von Raven- The Glass Castle: if you like Nobunny, you will like Sir Lord Von Raven. garage r'n'r with a big time 50s influence and a lot of bubblegum. one of my favorite records of 2009, no doubt.

13. Let's Wrestle- I Won't Lie To You: thanks to Marsh for this. unfortunately this record has no US distribution (hello, Revolver?) and/or has not had a release by a US label (hello, In The Red/Goner?). anyway, this song kills me and the very first line is, like "YUP. I HEAR YA, DUDE."

14. DC Snipers- Evil: Mike Sniper's (Blank Dogs) OG project. seething r'n'r, plain and simple.

15. Double Dagger- Camouflage: still can't get over the fact that Thrill Jockey put their record out because a lot of what TJ puts out is kinda boring and this is not boring at all. but hey, good for them. up the Baltimore art punx.

16. Pissed Jeans- Lip Ring: their new album, "King of Jeans," may very well take the #1 slot in my "Best of 2009." FUCK i love this band. so fucking weird and loud and...weird. the whole damn record is the perfect three-way circle jerk between Jesus Lizard, Birthday Party, and late-period Black Flag with a glorious mess as the result. also: they are funny. i mean, "I've got a thing for your lip ring" is how this jam starts. funny, no? there's also a song on this album that i'm pretty sure is about going bald. here's a picture of them:



stay tuned for part 2....

foot set.

club foot set 7/27/09: PIZZA FEST EDITION

Samorama joined me at the tables to kick off Chicago's inaugural PIZZA FEST that started off on the 28th. if you missed it, you lost. sux 2 b u.

ROUND 1
johnny & the limelites- and then we kissed
human eye- dinosaur bone
happy burger- pizza all around
cave weddings- bring your love
fresh & onlys- some song on one of the 7"s
stolen hearts- heart collector
hunx & his punx- dontcha want me back
stranglers- london lady
cold cock- i wanna be rich
rondos- just another loser
manikin- fumes
xyx- neptunia
dc snipers- ice pirates
test patterns- crazy over you
nobunny- somewhere new
davila 666- primero muerta
radio birdman- do the pop
screaming females- treacher collins
dictators- teengenerate
strange boys- a man you've never known

ROUND 2
black randy & the metrosquad- i wanna be a narc
minutemen- west germany
daily void- (surprise, surprise)
thee oh sees- she said tome
cheap time- woodland drive
breeders- fate to fatal
chills- 2 brave worlds
francis harold & the holograms- mirror of fear
nervous eaters- just heard
ty segall- die tonight
kids- this is rock'n'roll
articles of faith- acceptance
sweet cobra- toe cutter
evaporators- the bombs in my pants
scratch acid- she said
anals- commando of love
homostupids- apache fashion dream
blank dogs- waiting
lichtenstein- all at once
wayne county & the electric chairs- toilet love
male nurse- magic circle in the sky
ganglians- cryin' smoke
let's wrestle- i won't lie to you
scool girls- california groupie girl
mayyors- clicks

foot set.

club foot set, 6/22/09.

this heat- the fall of saigon
chrome- electric chair
kon kan- glue & fire
cold cave- heaven was full
specimen- tell tail
killing joke- tension
icicle works- waterline
the wake- testament
comsat angels- ju ju money
cultural decay- end of the corridor
lines- tunnel party
13th chime- dug up
material- secret life
magazine- definitive gaze
boys next door- somebody's watching
method actors- no condition
joy division- colony
lungfish- space orgy
ganglians- the void
woods- to clean
cave- made in malaysia
wavves- to the dregs
jack-o & the tennessee tearjerkers- sweet thang
test patterns- summer days
fresh & onlys- endless love
cause co-motion- it's time!
sir lord von raven- i'm ready
hunx & his punx- teardrops on my telephone
ty segall- 86'd
sneaky pinks- i can't wait
nice face- hidden automatic
his electro blue voice- duuug
johnny & the limelites- and then we kissed
cpc gangbangs- kill yourself for rock n roll
vee dee- cleveland, outerspace
black orphan- parasitic mind
fnu ronnies- ain't no place
sic alps- stripix
thee oh sees- meat step lively
nerve city- ccrawl
intelligence- universal babysitter
eat skull- heavens stranger
tyvek- stop start
gary war- eye in the sky
charles albright- i'm just a fine young man...
cheveu- like a deer in headlights
strange boys- woe is you and me
blank dogs- setting fire to your house
kurt vile- space forklift
jeffrey novak- one of a kind
marked men- we won't talk about it
dillinger 4- doublewhiskeycokenoice
tranzmitors- dancing in the front row
rudy- i spy
de cylinders- i wanna get married
jetz- catch me
milk n cookies- (dee dee you're) stuck on a star
monks- pretty suzanne
hp lovecraft- it's about time
mirrors- you me love
koala- strange feelings
weirdos- big shot
pontiak- wild knife night fight
big business- the drift
mastodon- oblivion

foot set.

club foot set 5/25/09.
(this was, by far, the best and most fun set i've played since the old Hideout dance party days).

sleater kinney- little babies
le tigre- let's run
scissor sisters- comfortably numb
familjen- det snurrar
ladytron- blue jeans
tears for fears- everybody wants to rule the world
polyrock- love song
i, futurologischer congress- korperwarme
grace jones- love is the drug
bohemia- white couches
toyah wilcox- danced
nina hagen- new york new york
fuzzbox- love is the slug
lene lovich- lucky number
au pairs- inconvenience
a certain ratio- do the du
konk- your life
essential logic- collecting dust
bush tetras- cowboys in africa
raincoats- no side to fall in
adam & the ants- stand and deliver
big country- in a big country
fishbone- party at ground zero
specials- nite klub
funboy three w/bananarama- it ain't what you do...
esg- you're no good
wall of voodoo- tomorrow
pete shelley- homosapien
sigue sigue sputnik- love missile F1-11
kraftwerk- radioactivity
erasure- a little respect
men without hats- living in china
gleaming spires- what's coming next
flying lizards- the window
soft cell- sex dwarf
wreckless eric- whole wide world
sham 69- if the kids are united
maneater- nine to five
wire- the 15th
rezillos- someone's gonna get their head kicked in tonight
dickies- you drive me ape (you big gorilla)
hubble bubble- i wanna die (but not right now)
plastic bertrand- ca plane pour moi
only ones- another girl, another planet
the boys- first time
devo- gates of steel
rave-ups- they do talk
clash- revolution rock
johnny thunders & the heartbreakers- chinese rocks
bad brains- sailin' on
dictators- california sun
siousxie & the banshees- spellbound
kleenex- you
josie cotton- johnny are you queer?
jay reatard- my shadow
real kids- all kindsa girls
damned- neat neat neat
(break here in which we sang the Golden Girls theme song over the PA)
sisters of mercy- this corrosion
boys next door- shivers

History Lesson #1: Vivian Girls

i like the Vivian Girls.

they are fun. they are cute. they sing weird harmonies and play hard. one of the best shows i went to last year was Vivian Girls at People Projects (RIP). we waited for like 6 hours in the sweatiest/humidity-drippiest basement for them to go on, and i spilled someone's big-gulp all over the place (sorry, Sam), but it was way worth it.

and since i'm an obsessive-compulsive maniac, i can't stop making these little "history chains" in my head for every "hot band" that i come across. so here we have a synopsis: the groups for which the Vivian Girls (and by extension, Dum Dum Girls, etc.) would not exist. . .

to break this down, here's a fairly simple formula:
(early girl groups + 90s twee & indie pop + early riot grrrl) x shoegaze style + lo-fi

60s "girl groups" were the main impetus for pretty much every band i'm going to mention here. this is both a fact and a no-brainer, so i won't delve to deeply except to say that the Ronettes and the Shangri-Las were at the forefront (harmonies!), in addition to groups like the Crystals, the Marvelettes, and hell, even some of Skeeter Davis' pop crossover songs.

now we move into 60s girl garage bands. if you want to dig deeper, definitely check out any one of the eleven (i shit you not) Girls in the Garage compilations, all of which are out-of-print and very hard to find. worlds tiniest nutshell alert: a lot of these bands took the "girl group sound" into Nuggets garage territory (and played their own instruments!). some of these girl garage bands have become fairly infamous in a cult-band sorta way: The What Four and the Daughters of Eve (an assembled band out of Chicago, btw!), for example, trailblazed beyond the overly-saccharine yet still retained the 'cuteness' of the girl group era. the Luv'd Ones were straight-up proto-punk, fuzzed-out and pure garage rock, proving to be a key extension from girl group to girl rock.

80s time: another Vivian Girls influence and a big inspiration for the impending indie pop explosion was the Marine Girls (Tracey Thorn of Everything But The Girl's first band). Marine Girls were super minimal, post-postpunk and pre-twee, and generally very awesome. the scottish band Shop Assistants were another major bridge between minimal postpunk and twee, and probably one of my favorite bands ever. here we get even more connections to the shambly pop of the late 80s/90s: one member of the Shop Assistants ended up playing with The Pastels, and Stephen Pastel produced some of Shop Assistants' earliest tracks. aaaand, if the Pastels never existed, neither would Talulah Gosh, who formed over a shared love over the Pastels. seriously, Talulah Gosh are soooo proto-Vivian Girls (and also THE band of the twee pop movement). just listen to them for like one freakin' minute and the Vivian Girls influence is the most obvious thing ever, re: sweet harmonies, jangly guitars, and overall cuteness. After Talulah Gosh disbanded, Amelia and Matthew Fletcher started Heavenly, who took delicate sunny indie-pop into the 90s.

Tiger Trap (pictured above) was the American extension of Talulah/Heavenly. again, harmonies + sugary melodies + jangly twee. Tiger Trap also connected the early 90s indie-pop scene with what would eventually be called Riot Grrrl, thanks to their early split release with Bratmobile. the "riot grrrl" tag has become a pretty major turn-off to (uhh mostly male, ahem) music geeks everywhere, which is unfortunate because soooo many bands under the riot grrrl umbrella are exceptional lo-fi pop/punk masters (see the latest Z-Gun for more on this). bands like Pussycat Trash and Skinned Teen are both perfectly underrated and overlooked lo-fi girl bands. Comet Gain, another one of my most loved bands, formed in the UK in the early 90s and were equally inspired by Riot Grrrl bands, twee- and indie-pop, and 60s girl groups. back to Tiger Trap; Rose Melberg (singer/guitarist) eventually continued her career with The Softies, who were a much...softer version of Tiger Trap.

the end? i'm not even gonna go into the shoegaze stuff because that's just too easy and i honestly don't think the Vivian Girls are thaaat shoegazey (or "shitgazey", for that matter). there's definitely some shoegaze style going on in their songs but not enough for me to expound on the merits of Jesus & Mary Chain. yawn.

if you've made it all the way through, here is a gift:
Click here to download a mix of most every band mentioned above, "The Roots of Vivian Girls."

foot set.

again! club foot set 4/27:

faith no more- the jungle
beets- the devil
timmy's organism- body of love
ebonics- rock n' roll partytime
jesus lizard- wheelchair epidemic
jay reatard- hang them all
thomas function- ew way ew
nice face- mnemonic device
ganglians- lost words
woods- the dark
jeffrey novak- home sweet home
crystal stilts- sugar baby
naked on the vague- chitty chat
pink reason- huntsman
mayfair set- already warm
pains of being pure at heart- young adult friction
brilliant colors- highly evolved
lover!- i'm not a gnome
sonic chicken 4- midnight girl
fems- go to a party
roses are red- can't understand
da- dark rooms
rats- i wanna be your man
wipers- no one wants an alien
flipper- the light, the sound
black flag- my ghetto
limp wrist- collapse
vindictives- circles
screeching weasel- slogans
france has the bomb- cold hands
wounded lion- carol cloud
eddy current supression ring- sometimes
surf city- dickshakers union
super vacations- pyramids
cheveu- like a deer in headlights
cave- bobby's hash (feat. bobby conn)
jacuzzi boys- the countess
vivian girls- lake house
strange boys- baby please don't go
fresh & onlys- endless love
screaming females- starving dog
d.rider- body to body (to body)
obits- i can't lose
uv race- i'm so tired
ratas del vaticano- olvido
eat skull- killed by rooms
king tuff- kind of guy
sir lord von raven- i do!
nervous gender- nothing to hide
guinea worms- soiled sender
fucked up- year of the rat
frustrations- psychedelic motorcrash
rtfo bandwagon- public relations rag
vampire hands- invisible boy
dan melchior und das menace- o! anxiety
bitters- caves
coathangers- killdozer
toyah- obsolete
ADN ckrystall- naiv partisan
cold cave- the trees grew emotions and died
blessure grave- stop breathing
kurt vile & the violators- hunchy's back
arthur russell- of fernanda why
michael hurley- werewolf
angels of light- dawn
fred neil- sweet cocaine

foot set.

club foot set 4/25/09: saturday night "hits" edition.

i kinda sorta messed up what i was planning for the night (too many beers and whatnot). got stuck in the 60s for like, way too long man. fun times nonetheless. will be back tomorrow (monday the 27th) with the usual 'anti-hit' tunes.

black sabbath- war pigs
vee dee- teens o.d.
cramps- new kind of kick
gun club- sex beat
obits- back and forth
jay reatard- i know a place
lover!- my michelle
nobunny- boneyard
wavves- so bored
gories- give me love
yeah yeah yeahs- bang
weave!- weave say leave
richard hell & the voidoids- love comes in spurts
misfits- i turned into a martian
black flag- jealous again
death- freaking out
stooges- 1969
count 5- psychotic reaction
groupies- primitive
sonics- strychnine
music machine- talk talk
electric prunes- get me to the world on time
third bardo- 5 years ahead of my time
them- i can only give you everything
yardbirds- for your love
13th floor elevators- you're gonna miss me
lollipop shoppe- you must be a witch
pretty things- she says good morning
zombies- you make me feel good
monks- love came tumblin' down
baby huey- hard times
love- my little red book
creation- biff-bang-pow!
pezband- baby it's cold outside
slade- cum on feel the noize
gentleman jesse- all i need tonight (is you)
only ones- another girl another planet
jam- in the city
real kids- all kindsa girls
scruffs- this thursday
stripes- radio in stereo
nerves- when you find out
cheap time- people talk
vibrators- sweet sweet heart
plastic bertrand- ca plane pour moi
buzzcocks- ever fallen in love?
mo-dettes- white mice
kraftwerk- the model
devo- gut feeling
fuzzbox- love is the slug
total coelo- i eat cannibals
malaria!- your turn to run (i will be your only one)
depeche mode- never let me down again
gary numan & tubeway army- my shadow in vain
new order- blue monday (12" version)
howard jones- things can only get better
prince & the revolution- erotic city
alexander robotnik- problemes d'amour
felix- tiger stripes
crystal castles- crimewave (vs. health)
gossip- standing in the way of control
the the- uncertain smile
smiths- this charming man
quando quando- tingle
a cetain ratio- shack up
king khan & the shrines- destroyer
afrika bambaataa- unity pt. 1 (the third coming)
grandmaster flash & melle mel- white lines (don't do it)
de la soul- roller skating jam named saturdays
run dmc- it's tricky
blackalicious- sky is falling
clipse- wamp wamp
santogold- unstoppable
the juan maclean- give me every little thing
hot chocolate- you sexy thing
funkadelic- i bet you
roy orbison- mean woman blues
frankie lymon & the teenagers- i'm not a juvenile delinquent
irma thomas- somebody told you
isley brothers- how deep is the ocean
coasters- searchin'
sam cooke- bring it on home to me
phil phillips & the twilights- sea of love

cool new shitz.

sweet new fanzine out of San Fran, "Electric Annihilation." it's a fold-out newsprint dealy in the vain of "Z Gun" (way thinner though) (but also cheaper). yay DIY! anyway, there are features on Sun Araw, Emeralds, Wet Hair and . . .Henry Rollins (?). speaking of Wet Hair, their newish LP, "Dream," pretty much rules. very weird, krauty psych tape experimentations, and it's members of Raccoo-oo-oon! touring with Zola Jesus this summer! fuck yeah!

back on the "Electric Annihilation" tip...pick this shit up. very cool MRR-vibe but focusing on experimental weirdness. short and sweet, etc.

REISSUE CORNER, DUDES


4 Men With Beards, how i love you. their vinyl FLIPPER reissues are slowly trickling in here at Laurie's. just got "Generic Flipper" and "Gone Fishin'", these reissues are pricey but very worth it. CLASSIC early west coast sludgey hardcore/punk weirdness!



the recent Dead Moon renaissance has been a topic of discussion on the nerd board lately. i relate this to the following: the ridiculously great Dead Moon documentary, "Unknown Passage" (if you haven't seen this yet YOU MUST), Lollipop Shoppe vinyl reissue, the success of Pierced Arrows, aaaand Rats LP reissues by Mississippi Records (which is like totally seriously the best reissues label out there right now). The Rats (Fred and Toody Cole's 80s punk band) second album "Intermittent Signals" just came out, and looks and sounds great. Sam Henry of the Wipers on drums! okay, so the Rats might be an acquired taste. but it's easy to become a Dead Moon/Fred & Toody-obsessed maniac...so i guess you should just watch the documentary first and then relentlessly spend all your money on these Rats reissues and anything else related! because that is how it happened to me. guuuh.

up the (pizza)punx.

some famous asshole once asked, "what is a party without pizza?".

a party without pizza is not a party at all (doiii), and punks and rock'n'rollers all across this great world are taking note of this seemingly minor social detail. so now, here, in this great year of 2009, we have a widespread outbreak of Pizza Punk bands. they are fun. they are funny. they spread the party jamz like no others.

local heroes Johnny & the Limelites are the real deal. the proto-pizzapunks, if you will. they were rockin' out about pizza before pretty much anyone, and are true party professionals. check their debut (one-song) "Pizza Party" 7" single. it's a r'n'r punk rock fun-times gem, complete with a slew of backing vocals, frenetic "pizza party!" shouts and a lot of crazy Stones guitar style. it is, literally for real totally, like a party coming out of your speakers (or headphones). keep an eye out for their upcoming single on Chicago distro/label, Rocket Reducer. also, seeing them live is a very highly recommended experience, so do so (they wear awesome outfits and bring pizza to their gigs!!).

next up: Personal & the Pizzas. ironically, it was a member of Johnny & the Limelites who hipped me to this wonderful and ridiculous band. Personal & the Pizzas pull a total daygo schtick and, i shit you not, pull it off well. they are, of course, from... New Jersey (ahem). all skepticism aside, their first single (on GOOK Entertainment) is #1 A+ quality listening. if you like trashy classic punk (Ramones, NY Dolls, Dictators, Stooges), simple rock and roll licks, and fun, then CHECK IT! there are hilarious spoken interludes amongst songs like "I Don't Wanna Be No Personal Pizza" and "I Can Read." Rob's House Records recently put out a split 7" with P&TPs and Bobby Ubangi...another great slab, although one of the two P&TPs tracks is on the first 7".

the next band i'm gonna throw out there might be a little controversial, since they may end up falling more into the "burger punk" genre (?), BUT they sing a whole lot of pizza-themed tunes. Happy Burger are a french punk band, therefore taking the party-food punk trend international! they play power-poppy, messy and snotty punk on the lo-fi tip. fun and catchy as hell. they have a single recently released on Douchemaster Records (one of the best record labels in existence, btw) which features songs like "Pizza All Around" and "The Ballad of Ray Kroc." you know who Ray Kroc is, right? he bought out the McDonald brothers in the 1950s (or something like that). the first franchised McDonald's was in Des Plaines IL, opened by Kroc. my dad is 60 years old and still can't stop talking about when that place opened and how he would walk down the street for a nickel burger. great, dad.

wavvvvvving over disillusionment.

i KNOW, i know, i know that i incessantly bitch about one or more of the following on a daily basis:
1. pitchfork.com
2. the appropriation of underground culture by the mainstream
3. what is deemed "cool": how & why

that said, i found myself "totes" disillusioned at the (sold out before it even started) Wavves show (Empty Bottle) this past friday. like, all this commotion over some 22-year old hipster jag playing broke-ass jams? really??!

Vampire Hands played 2nd and blew Wavves right out of the fucking water. check that shit out. it's like Akron/Family if Akron/Family were less noodley/jammy and more weird/psychedelic/experimental.

btw, i still find Wavves highly enjoyable and will still recommend his recordings. i'm just irked by the "social" (?) issues around the Indie Rock Machine, and that Wavves show really dug it all into me.

ummm so yeah also, i thought that the Pains of Being Pure at Heart was total bullshit when i first heard them, now i can't stop listening to them. GO FIGURE. if anyone is eating their own words, it's me, always.

.........................................
on a different note on the same damn scale, i'm psyched to see Sam McPheeters writing for Vice Magazine. the fashion forecast piece he did in the new issue is pretty much a breath of fresh comic genius (ie: "You are still very much a creep if you stare at anyone else's ass ad" re: "Assvertisements" wtfffffff) and cuts right through all the bullshit that is the Vice "Fashion Issue."

if you don't read his blog, you probably should.

if you don't know who McPheeters is, what the hell is wrong with you?!

..........................................
after a good 4-hour session of jamming nothing but 7" singles tonight, i am revelling. the 7" is my favorite format, conducive to the most active/participatory listening experience. also, they are cheap.

if you are into singles as much as i am, you should be keeping track of Doug Mosurock's "Still Single" column, a regular feature at dustedmagazine.com. he's also got a bloggy thing for extra information and writings. very very highly recommended...a quality writer who writes about quality recordings; oftentimes, cool new bands that will end up getting huge once they become "best new music" over at Pitchfork a year later. hmph.

.........................................
sorry for all the randomness but ol' girl has a lot on her mind. i'll be back later on all the latest news in the "pizza punk" genre. get psyched.

so reatarded, volume a million.

have you seen Jay Reatard's new website?

in addition to a handy email list (he'll send you songs!), Jay announced that he's starting up Shattered Records again (hell yeah), and if ya ain't broke already from recent subscription series from Sub Pop/Columbus Discount/Hozac labels, he is doing a subscription-only Shattered Records club. $75 gets ya a whole bunch of cool nerdy shit. everything he's planning to put out is pretty damn golden (Nobunny, Box Elders, Jeffrey Novak, Hunx & His Punx....), so this seems like a fairly worthwhile investment.

this is what fame can do for you, folks.

foot set.

#1:
i have another writeup on Josh Honn's excellent blog this week: a feature on aussie swamp punks Beasts Of Bourbon debut album, with a download. check this every week for always-changing writers and awesome out-of-print tunes ready for you to d/l.
here you go: Oh Wowee!

#2:
club foot set 3/30/09.

shared set with the great John Benetti, no setlist for him. it was a fabulous, packed night...thanks everyone who came out. not to be all emo, but it meant a lot to me. due to a million conversations at once all night long, it was hard to keep track of what i played, but i think i pieced everything together fairly accurately...

pretty things- bracelets
arthur brown- fire
vee dee- into the void
death- rock'n'roll victim
busy signals- uh oh
black randy & the metrosquad- i slept in an arcade
essential logic- shabby abbott
weave- laveau
tamaryn- ashore
dum dum girls- yours alone
golden triangle- prize fighter
woods- to clean
jeffrey novak- never together
let's wrestle- let's wrestle
_______________________________

zola jesus- flesh
blank dogs- calling over
joy division- a means to an end
raincoats- and then it's ok
comsat angels- missing in action
kurt vile- freeway
akron/family- many ghosts
nobunny- motorhead with me!
nothing people- when i drink
thee oh sees- meat step lively
happy burger- ballad of ray kroc
brimstone howl- mammon
zips- take me down
rudi- big time
wax museums- traffic violation
gg king- adult rock
pains of being pure at heart- a teenager in love
harmonia- notre dame
visage- in the year 2525

foot set.

club foot set 3/23/09.

carla bozulich- pissing
throbbing gristle- hot on the heels of love
the fall- lie dream of a casino soul
girls at our best- go for gold
toy love- rebel
able tasmans- what was that thing
gordons- adults & children
nervous eaters- just head
huns- glad he's dead
obits- put it in writing
intelligence- reading and writing about partying
gunslingers- gigolo albinos
wavves- surf goth
blank dogs- the tied
dum dum girls- catholicked
afrika bambaata & the soulsonic force- go go pop
felix (arthur russell)- tiger stripes
wicked witch- electric war
bitter tears- bachelors say
mass shivers- downwind of amour
AFCGT- new punk
blatz- lullabye
embrace- money
necros- andy's shit for brunch
weakends- heatwave
scientists- swampland
jesus lizard- rope
mastodon- oblivion
rabid rabbit- C section
vee dee- phaedra illusion
monkees- porpoise song
rolling stones- live with me
bachs- i'm a little boy
JT IV- the monitors
lover- my michelle
o voids- light
personal & the pizzas- i can read
strange boys- woe is you & me
mark sultan- hold on
ooga boogas- oogie boogie
blank its- windows are dirty
whatever brains- mount whatever
x_x- you're full of shit
demon's claws- weird ways
nice face- exterminator
tyvek- pamphlet
black time- corpse life
woven bones- sitting sick
spits- shitty world
zero boys- livin' in the 80s
ultravox- rockwrok
mechanical servants- around the world (with johnny jostins)
royal family & the poor- voices
gina x performance- opposite numbers
tamion 12"- do the devil dance
icicle works- as the dragonfly flies
japan- tim drum
coil- tainted love

the law that i'm breaking always.

omg.



huh huh huh new Z Gun rag (if you don't read this you really should because it is both keeping shit old skool and rad as hell)...huge article on Riot Grrrl (wtf?!) written by a dude (!) and is awesome because it's covering THE MUSIC and not THE MESSAGE (for the most part)...this is something that needs to be done, culturally, because the RG movement had some of the most fucked up weird awesome inventive punk rox coming from it. shan't be ignored! the article even makes mention of Blood Sausage, who no one remembers but were, like, pretty much one of the best bands to come out of RG UK. mmm, in addition to Riot Grrrl coverage there is a very insightful Dan Melchior interview, an interview w/the man of Die Stasi Records which is one of my favorite comtemporary labels, some Billy Bao, some other great stuff, a billion reviews, etc. just get it.




sidenote: i've been listening to this crazy-ass thing like a maniac lately. essential listening if yr into broke-ass and druggy "machine funk." Chaos: 1978-1986 is the first ever reissue (collects two 7"s and a 12"), and i'm pretty sure that the LP is already out of print (boo). basically, out of the rubble of late 1970-80s Washington DC rose Wicked Witch, aka Richard Simms, who made all these creepily awesome lo-fi/lo-budget experimental funk recordings (almost all instrumental), heavy-bass grooves with weird synths and heavy on experimentation. there is influence-a-plenty (Sun Ra, P/Funkadelic, James Brown, etc.) but this disc is as real as it gets. i would put up a song for you but someone would have to get me into all that vinyl-to-mp3 bullshit.


ps oh snap! live Blood Sausage:

briefings.

btw, i'm not posting my last club foot set because it was basically a disaster. i'll just say that it was ridiculously 90s chicago-themed, ridiculously underdog/johann's/dyslexic-themed, ridiculously repetitive, etc. sorrrrrry.

ok: this is old news already but my 2nd favorite Monkee, Peter Tork, has a rare form of cancer and recently had surgery to remove a cancerous growth from his tongue. if you have any desire to follow up on his health and recovery, you can be as nerdy as me and be facebook friends with him (omg!!).

more old news:
i keep forgetting to mention the Death reissue (For The Whole World to See) on Drag City, which is like the best thing i have ever heard in my life, no joke.
i cannot understand how this band didn't achieve Stooges-level infamy, because this record is so ridiculously perfect: three musically-minded brothers in detroit raised on r&b/soul, exposed to the MC5/Stooges 'scene,' formed Death, and made some of the BEST midwest protopunk/r'n'r that i have ever laid ears on. god damn. they released one single ("Politicians in My Eyes") and were going to release a full-length (on Columbia) but refused to bow to record label pressure to change their band name, and the LP was shelved. only seven songs here, but they range in style from power pop to weird psychedelic/garage rock to damaged punk soundz. heavy political themes. etc. i can't NOT make the Bad Brains comparison, because it's clearly evident that HR&co. were influenced by Death, also see: Dead Boys, Zero Boys, Fishbone, Hendrix, and the like...
peep the track "Freakin' Out" here, the 'punkest' track on the record, and keep in mind that is was only 1975 when this was recorded.
major props to Drag City and their recent reissue efforts (that JT IV record from last year too, holy shit).
you can buy this album on CD format currently, and freshly-already-repressed vinyl should be available at your local independent record store within the next couple days.

in other reissue news, we just got the Black Randy & the Metrosquad Pass the Dust, I Think I'm Bowie LP (on Vinyl Countdown) in. i never thought i would have this piece on vinyl; 2 LPs no less, with demos/singles/liner notes/live stuff...it's a fantastic package AND limited to 1000, ok? get 'em quick. Black Randy, flagship of Dangerhouse and funkpunk originator. LOVE IT.
here is their film debut in Ladies and Gentlemen, The Fabulous Stains:

it's calculated.

thanks to Tal for posting Laura Barton's 'legacy of riot grrrl' piece. it's (obviously) the briefest of overviews without any info that you probably don't know already, but a nice came-out-of-nowhere article nonetheless (peep the comments too!).

strange, as i just did a writeup at Oh Wowee! on the Raincoats first album, which i would not have discovered (at the age i did) if it weren't for the RG scene. umm you should check out Oh Wowee! regularly, btw, for free out of print goods and fantastic writings.

another great mystery of things in threes: an email a few weeks ago from a former prof asking for some information from my undergraduate thesis (appropriately titled: "Suck My Left One").

hmm.

feast on my heart.

Pylon cofounder/guitarist Randy Bewley died today.

Pylon = by far, the best band to ever come out of the Athens scene (REM/B52s...pffft).
Gyrate = by far, the best minimal postpunk record ever to be made, on a Feelies level of jangle, on an Au Pairs/Maximum Joy level of arty angularity and groove.
Also, Pylon has been back at it in recent years, so this is for sure a sad ending.

Listen to "Danger." RIP.