Happy Hogmanay!

Git yer black bun oot the oven an a boatul ay whisky oan the table, and hopefully a tall dark stranger will be yer first foot, bringin a lump ay coal so yer lum will aye reek.

It's gauny be haggis, neeps an tatties fur dinner at the McNaughton hoose followed by some 12 year auld MacAllan. Too bad Scotch & Wry or The White Heather Club's no oan, we'll just need tae make do with Youtube and Still Game & Chewin the Fat. See ye's in 2009. Och Aye The Noo!

And when ye're singin Auld Lang Syne remember to thank the bard of Ayrshire, Rabbie Burns!

Shin Jung Hyun..

No New Years celebrations are worth their toffee if there isn't any Korean Psych-rock on the playlist..
Shin Jung Hyun has been knocking em out since the mid-fifties moving through the genres.. here's one from the seventies when he was going a little wah-wah!

Merry Christmas....

To me Christmas isn't Christmas without Slade... weird living in America where folks have no idea about this song. It's an institution maaaaan....

Peel Sessions Festive Fifty

... Steve at the wonderful Teenage Kicks blog (see sidebar) has spent the past few months compiling entries for the 2008 Peel Sessions Festive Fifty.... getting any readers of his blog and the Peel group to vote on their fave tracks from Peels Sessions. I am at number 45 and its already a fantastic listen.... steve could do with a few recording tips for his Mic....but who the hell cares the selection is great. What makes this so great is that the votes come from Peel fans so it really feels like a best of...I mean so far: Undertones, I Ludicrous, Thin Lizzy etc..... I doubt my Ripcord submission will make it, but what the hell... nice one Steve

Get It Here

Psychotic Reaction

We all know The Count Five's 'Psychotic Reaction' is the fucking jam right? so this video would be rocking if it was the tune alone... but check out this dudes dancing!!! At first, you're like 'yeah...ha ha'...then you realize the dude is ripping it ... if we saw him on the floor it would be hi fives and backslaps all round.... epic.

No Xmas for John Quays

One more Fall classic, this with a holiday theme, from their first full LP Live at the Witch Trials. Merry x-mas bitches.

The Fall

Ok, we could do a whole blog entirely about the Fall. I played this song at the Christmas shindig. It's one of my favorites. The green shirt alone is fucking amazing. Check it.

This Ain't No Picnic

.. The Minutemen were legendary. I like 'em more in theory than practice, but D.Boon and co will always have a special place in my heart 'cos they didn't give a fuck. Turns out a guy I work with Dave B edited 2 of their videos back in the day. This one even was nominated for an MTV award (and was beaten by Tiffany so legend goes). Ripping.
\

Bob Lind

I always dig through the $1-2 Folk bins and more often than not find a gem or two. None more so than Lind, whose reverb-laden, tuneful 1960s folk is political and poetic without being trite or too earnest (well, most of the time). Ace Records has released a comp called Bob Lind: Elusive Butterfly. That's his most famous song, not his best, that has been covered by many. Here it is.

Siege

I grew up on the hardcore bands of the late 80's in the UK, bands like Ripcord and Heresy who took the sound of US hardcore and turned the speed up to 10. There have been many people who argue which band really ignited the 'fastcore' movement...and I'm sure the debate will rage on. For me, the Boston band Siege take the cake... this shit is from 1984....

Les Thugs

Peel faves, and pretty much unsung I was reminded of these last night when Jason played one of their tracks at the Christmas disco (thanks to everyone for coming out). Not sure how to describe them... French indie? Jangle punk? fuck knows....but they rule - I've been rocking them all morning - they didn't do a bad record, and they turn up in the $2 bin all the time.... do yourself a favor and check em out..

Hendrix Hear My train Coming acoustic

Some Classic Roadracing footage From 70's

Heres some Classic footage from the 70's with greats like a young Joey Dunlop, Mervyn Robinson, and Tom Herron. Has Oasis doing the soundtrack and footage of bombs going off in Belfast which I suppose is a comment on what was going on at the time.Some great 70's hair going on.

Flatmates

Its funny that the Vivian Girls are getting loads of play in the media these days... don't get my wrong Im a sucker of the C86 jangle with female vocals.... but weren't those bands from back then (Talulah Gosh, Shop Assistants etc) just a lot better??? well, at the same time I got the Loop records (thanks to Allan for lugging a box of records across the globe for me...I owe you a beer son) I also got 3 Flatmates records which are just fantastic... and yes they are better.... heres a track.

Loop

Back in the 80's I was way too busy listening to Abrasive Wheels to pay any attention to the droning shoegaze of the Spaceman 3 and Loop... over the years I have become more and more drawn to the sounds of the stoners.... recently Texas psych rockers made be dig back to Loop...the orinators..... then just last week I mamaged to snag their entire back catalogue of vinyl...so I am immersed in the spaced out drones.... I LOVE this shit..

I Can Take You To The Sun...

... One of my fave bands from the 60's are the Misunderstood. They originated from Riverside Ca, originally playing some pretty hard Bristish Invasion type gear. Soon enough their songs started to have a mystical psych quality which with the addition of Glen Campbell's lap steel had a sound like no others. They caught the ear of a young English DJ at a local radio station (our very own John Peel) who persuaded them to move to England. Unfortunately soon afterwards their singer Rick Brown was called up to Vietnam and promptly went on the lam *tha is a story in itself). There is a great book written by Brown and Mike Stax (of the fabulous Ugly Things mag) called 'Like, Misunderstood'. Can't find any live footage....but here's a tune...

Young Offenders/Airfix Kits Christmas Party Dec 13th

Mark your calen​dars for the socia​l event​ of the seaso​n:​ the year-​end knees​-​up that will blow your dull work '​holid​ay'​ party​ out of the water​.​ Let'​s face it you'​ll only spend​ the whole​ night​ mopin​g aroun​d the mistl​etoe waiti​ng for sexy Sadie​ from accou​nting​ to notic​e you, only to end up getti​ng blitz​ed and wakin​g up behin​d the photo​copie​r in a pool of your own sick.​

SF's favor​ite Engli​sh & Irish​ ex-​pat artpu​nk yobs the YOUNG​ OFFEN​DERS have opene​d up their​ heart​s in this seaso​n of shari​ng and are prese​nting​ the hipst​ers and muso-​snobs​ of the Bay Area with a gift to treas​ure:​ they will play one of the city'​s fines​t dens of cheep​'​n'​cheer​ful rockn​roll,​ THE KNOCK​OUT (​3223 Missi​on St) on Satur​day Decem​ber 13th.​ They will wrap the show up early​ so that the real busin​ess of the day, er, '​socia​lizin​g'​,​ can begin​ in earne​st.​

As if that'​s not enoug​h,​ they have invit​ed all-​girl garag​e punk trio DIRTY​ CUPCA​KES to open the show along​ with '​inexp​licab​ly Scott​ish'​-​tinge​d post-​punke​rs AIRFI​X KITS just to make sure all corne​rs of the Briti​sh Isles​ are repre​sente​d (​excep​t the fucki​ng Welsh​)​.​

Betwe​en-​band dance​floor​ shock​erz will be deliv​ered by selec​ters from the Brick​s And Morta​r DJ night​ and music​ blog,​ as well as SPECI​AL GUEST​S!​ This party​ is NOT TO BE MISSE​D!​

Sat. Dec 13th 4pm (​NOTE EARLY​ START​ TIME!​ IT'S AN AFTER​NOON SHOW!​)​
The Knock​out,​ 3223 Missi​on St, SF
Young​ Offen​ders
Airfi​x Kits
Dirty​ Cupca​kes
Brick​s & Morta​r DJs and Speci​al Guest​s
See You There​!​

http://www.myspace.com/youngoffendersmusic
http://www.myspace.com/airfixkits

another cracker from the 6-t's

this cracker speaks for itself.. The Creation were so far ahead its uncanny..and yes Led Zepp nicked the whole violin on guitar thing from this geezer eddie philips! 'you killed mar farkin scootah!'

Small Faces

While waitng for our very own chrome dome to post up his 60's gems, thought I'd hit you with the Small Faces. Just such a great band, not only for the fine tuneage, but also cos they were a bunch of East End louts playing soulful jams. Kinda if the Cockney Rejects had been around in the 60's and could play....

Tonight..

Tonight. Lower Haight. Mad Dog In the Fog San Francisco. 9pm. No cover....

For Those About To Rock.....

We salute you.... I turned 36 yesterday and got to see ACDC for the second time (and probably last) in my life. To yanks, they are a middle of the road hard rock band, to Brits they were the ultimate metal band who you proudly stitched on the back of your cut off denim alongside Sabbath and Maiden . They also happen to be my favorite band of all time...much to people's surprise. Music was a bit of an enigman when I was a nipper, growing up in the wastelands of Cornwall all I heard was what was coming out of the radio in the top 40 and me old man's and old dear's LPs (I still like Dylan and Cat Stevens to this day). When I was 9 and my brother 11 he came bag from 'big school' with a copy of Back In Black. I can remember us both sitting in front of the record player listening to the chimes of the bells on Hells Bells... the the guitars? fuck. From that moment we both knew nothing would ever be the same. They were great last night, a little old and creaky but still hammering, they played too many new songs and the bar shut waaaay to early. But it was fuckin' ACDC man. Not quite the same without my bro' next to me, but me and the missus had a blast. This one's for you our kid...

Skins & Punks...

I just got given the new book by Gavin Watson 'Skins & Punks' for my birthday (he's the geezer who took the picture with our logo above..and was the inspiration for 'This IS England'). It is fantastic. These are pictures he had stored away thinking no-one would be as interested, as they are photos of his family and friends during the late 70's, early 80's. Rather than just being about skinheads it is a real snapshot of life as a skin in a working class council estate. The photography is beautiful and emotive. A real treasure. The pics bring me back to being chased across Truro by skinheads after school, and having them push us into the hedge while we waited for our school bus. What people in America don't know is that there were skinheads EVERYWHERE when we were kids... I was too young for the initial wave...but only just judging by the youngsters in boots and braces in the book! Pity it is has to be involved with Vice mag, 'cos now every hipster cunt in the world is going to be dressed in doc's and bleached jeans.

Manu Dibango

Found a record by Many Dibango in streetlight for a dollar a few months ago, blew me socks off.Soul Makosa rocks!!

Holger Czukay

Holger was the bass player in Can.First time, I heard Ode to Perfume was in the movie Morven Callar, I think. Plenty of his stuff on You Tube,Ode to Perfume and cool in the Pool stand out for me.

The Clean

A recent trip to Portland with various contributors to this fine Internets Web Log resulted in many new records, perfect hangovers and a new found love for that city. A group of us were browsing records at one of the many great shops there, when the clerk put on the newest comp by New Zealand's The Clean (link included above). Early 80s, late 70s dark twang pop with perfect squawky keys, twangy guitars, etc....Nearly every one of us in the store that day left with a copy of this record. I am obsessed with them. My wife is obsessed with them. I don't know how I've been so blind for so many years. But now I know.

Here's a video I found for a great song "Tally Ho." Hellz yes sir.

Girlschool...

....rock. Total low slung down and dirty rock n roll... like Motorhead, but played by birds. One of 'em went out with Lemmy and the rest look like they could knock yer fuck in...

Magic Sam

I was at Holly Go Lightly show the other night and a Buddy told me about this clip.The great Magic Sam.He passed away quite young of a heart attack I think in 1969.This rocks.

Gee.. that's a swell map!

Well looking at the previous post about the TVP's got me thinking about The Swell Maps..
I was surprised to find there is footage of them.. i love this song..God knows what it's about.. answers on a post card please..

Real Road Race Killalane 2005 Road Races,1000cc Bikes

This gives you a good idea of the speed and sound of these bikes,awesome.Victor Gilmore is the rider with the onboard camera.He is passed by Guy Martin after the first major corner.

NYHC

... This clip worth it alone for the footage of super young Harley Flannegan...

Radio Birdman

Great footage of a great band.I think this does them justice,and shows what an exciting group they were.

La Bombonera.....

Never been much of a football fan, probably not a popular statement on this blog but there you go. Never been able to give the name of my team, never chatted about the game with the lads at work the next day and no knowledge of fixtures, team members and league positions....couldn't even tell you the captain of the England squad. My brother on the other hand could tell you the entire history of Kettering Town, i guess you have it or you don't....i don't but not one to be closed minded and dismissive i have been to a few games in my time. My friends at school were all Liverpool fans despite living almost 200 miles away from Merseyside, never understood that but they were happy to drive or get the train from one end of the country to the other every week so on a handfull of Saturdays i tagged along. This was in 1985/86 so things were a bit different to the fully seated, family friendly and expensive stadia of today. I went to Anfield twice and barely saw the ball, i was too busy trying not to fall under the feet of the surging crowd. I spent most of the game looking at the floor trying to judge when the steps of the terrace were going to appear and swallow me up or when the running crowd would part and a stomach high piece of fence would stop me in my tracks with several thousand damp fans pushing me through it like a cheese wire....this was the Kop. Leicester had a similar set up and all i remember of West Ham is being crushed up against a fence for almost an hour and the same again against a very large police horse. Nottingham Forest was a miserable, wet and cold affair and i can't remember any score, team member or any other statistic that are the mantra of any football fan worth their season ticket. I do remember the roar of the crowd and the songs of the fans. The whole place knew every word and intonation with a passion. It was this passion that i was impressed by but couldn't for the life of me understand how football could raise such a reaction from so many people...
When i was in Argentina a couple of years ago i had to go and check out a match at Boca Juniors, if it's a crowd experience you want then i suggest you head to La Boca and even if you have no interest in football at all like me i think the hairs on the back of your neck will still be standing as you leave La Bombonera...i have no idea of the score or much recollection of who played but the crowd was amazing.
Never thought i'd write a blog post about football and Iain if you read this before Saturday (any Saturday in the season will do) i hope we win!!

More Peel again...

Another old classic Peel show..this one from Sept 10th 79. With sessions from the Quads who were a wildly underrated Mod revival band and the Cockney Rejects..... iffy quality , but raging show...


Peel

San Francisco

I love this town....

Kate Bush would brighten up any party!!!

Kate Bush is as mad as a box of Frogs!!!I just love her, something very English and eccentric about the woman.She reminds me of a friend of mine and if I needed further justification, I hear she is a great cook as well.What a fox!!!Reminds me of Louis from Family Guy,I hope she drops by for Thanksgiving, would be great craic.

Denton delivers, again.

I don't know what it is about Denton TX, but that place seems to give birth to a lot of music. I know the same may be said for many college towns, but I just seem to favour (NB the English spelling there) Denton's musical offspring. This is because of the consistency of Denton bands, who for the most part, range from fucking exceptional and boner inducing at best to pretty good at worst. Maybe a magic music fairy flies over Denton at night, pisses and shakes her dandruff in the water supply? Anyway... One of my new favourite Denton bands is the Teenage Cool Kids. 

Teenage Cool Kids could be likened to Superchunk, Guided By Voices, Built To Spill... Not something to listen to if you're in the mood for a big fuck you punk fest. But if you favour the more melodic they're definitely worth a listen for their picked out guitar lead harmonious sing alongs. Their album "Queer Salutations" (on Protagonist Music out of Tucson AZ) is, from the few listens i've given it, good. But maybe in parts it leans just a little too far toward the unwashed, matted hair, skinny indie rock spectrum for me. I just saw them play at a fucking shed type thing at FEST 7, and it'd be fair to say that they may have a few fans that fit that category. However, their 7" "Remember Me As A Silhouette" (on C & C, no clue where those fuckers are from) is where it starts to sound rad. So much so it might blast a couple of them skinny little fuckers out of their fan base. 4 songs in the same style as the album, yet it sounds a lot fuller, with layers of rhythm guitar filling in all the gaps and more layers of good shout/sing along verses and choruses alike. "Down The Street" just fucking rules. Here's a link to live footage of them, oh and buy that 7".

www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQFrJIQGULM

The Monks

Five American GIs in Deutchland playing Beatles-esque beat rock as "The Torquays" meet two Kraut artist/admen who conceive of an anti-Beatles ... The Monks. It's 1965, and after months in the studio, and some seriously fucked up hair cuts, the mixture results in noisy, chaotic music and one of the best albums ever, Black Monk Time. Anyway, the new documentary called "The Transatlantic Feedback" is well done. The best part, of course, is the live footage of the Monks. It's amazing. Find a taste below.

Paul Sykes - Made in Wakefield

I can't help it.. it's probably not cool to admire sociopaths, even from a safe distance but i have this fascination..
This geezer is something else. A self proclaimed 'expert in violence', he had the title of 'the hardest man in the north' (england) back in the '80's.
This strange documentary examines his relationship with his father, his 'missus', his loving sons (both 'inside' for murder) his short lived boxing career and his ability to swim in shark infested waters.
If in doubt, "give 'em a punch in the fookin' ear 'ole!"
(This is only part 5 of 7 - you'll need to see 'em all)

Am Rep

Seems like the 'new' fad in punk rock these days is bands who mine the artsy sludge punk... bands like Clockcleaner, Homostupids etc..... not really my scene - and haven't we been here before??? Thought I'd dig back into the Amphetamine Reptile back catalogue to check... yes we've been here before. Back then I couldn't stomach this shit at all...if it wasn't 2 fingers in the air punk rock I couldn't give a fuck. These days I can handle some of 'em... here's a couple of my fave's.... were'nt Hammerhead from North Dakota... bet they got some raised eyebrows....

Nodzzz

Fuck... the Bay Area is blowing up!! Tonight locals the Nodzzz will be playing with the Vivian Girls and Love Is All. I can't go... totally bummed. Here is the Nodzzz vid for their hit single "(I Don't Wanna) Smoke Marijuana". Just got the Lp yesterday and it smokessssss.

Fixed Crusties...

I've heard all about the fixed gear hipsters.... but fixed gear crusties???

sick new Nausea fixed gear tee's from Hell Yeah

Made In Britain

One of the first things that attracted me to punk rock was seeing Alan Clarke's Film Four movie with Tim Roth (his first) about a young troubled skinhead. The film is pretty amazing through and through, but it was the opening sequence of Roth complete with Swastika tattoo walking into court with the Exploited UK82 playing that hooked me. Me and my mates at school talked that film up for weeks. here's the opening followed by a couple of choice scenes. Hunt this film down, its a real gem and kicks the arse out of 'This Is England.

Part Time Punks...

The Television Personalities have been around as a band in one form or another since 1978. Probably most famous for the song 'Part Time Punks' from their second EP, they have managed to steer a pretty steady course over the past few decades peddling their neo-psychadelic punk rock. Here's a wee interview with main member Dan Treacy along with Ed Ball who left to found the Times (more on them soon), but rejoined in 2004.

Love Is All...

... I have had Love Is All's new LP on 'Whats Your Rupture' in my head all this weekend. A wonderful blend of cheeky indie pop with a sharp edge. Think a less annoying Sugarcubes, mixed with the Slits, X Ray Spex and the Gossip. I am surprised they haven't been co-opted by skinny indie kids...or maybe they have? Here's a video for their song 'Wishing Well' which is a great little number....even if the melody is a rip off of the Clean's song 'Tally Ho'...



...For all you Bay Area folks, Love iIs All are playing with the Vivian Girls and the Nodzzz at the Bottom Of The Hill this thursday...

Real Road Racing

I had moved back to Ireland in 2005 and tried to settle back into life there after being in San Francisco for six years.It didn't go to smoothly , and I had trouble getting work and readjusting to the changes that happened in the country since the Celtic Tiger, and just settling in.Everything moves on, thats the big lesson I learned. Anyhow, my interest in music died completely for nearly a year, first time this ever happened to me. I was looking for something that excited me as much as music and sure enough I got into Motorcycle Road Racing. To briefly explain, its motorcycles racing on Road Circuits.Real Roads not purpose built circuits.This all happen while watching T.V and seeing a rider from Dublin called Martin Finnegan.He was spectacular to watch, throwing his bike around over jumps at enormous speeds.Amazing.So, I made it a point to go to the Killalane road races in September 2006, went to the practice with a buddy.We were sitting on a wall watching the races, bikes passing by at 160mph going by little more than 10 feet away.I was scared shitless, the sound was incredible the speed was incredible.I was into it!!! Hooked!!!As we were sitting on the wall a guy in leathers climbed up the wall beside me, said how ya doing,sat there for awhile watching the bikes, I asked how fast he thought they were going etc,just making small talk, he seemed friendly Chap.As he walked away I seen his name on the back off is leathers,Dunlop.I had been talking to Robert Dunlop, a Road Racing Legend and Brother to the late Joey Dunlop.I nearly fell off the wall, gob smacked. Sadly that race was also my first encounter with the brutal side of the sport, with Rider Darren Lindsey losing his life.This year sadly both Robert and Martin lost there lives.Road Racing has amazing highs and equally terrible low's. Here is a tribute clip to Robert, I found on You tube.

Mondo Vision EP 3

Mondo Vision Episode 3 from Mondo Vision on Vimeo.

another boss episode from the city by the bay. Lots of great underground punk from Surrender, Black Rainbow and ther Airfix Kits, featuring our very Scots lothario Allan.... dig in.

Chestboxing....

My mate Paul is a fucking wizard on the decks....my house is filled with epic reggae, d&b and dubstep mixes from the man. His latest offering is a dubstep monster....

DJ Holland - Dark

Could have been bigger than the Jam...

... Not sure why the Chords ended up being a footnote in music history. During the late 70's/early 80's mod revival they were the only band who could have toppled Weller and the boys. Every song they did was great... the LP is a masterpiece. Here's them doing a song on TV.

Space Ritual....

I admit it. I am a HUGE Hawkwind fan...always have been - call 'em hippies if you like.... I'm all about the space rock. Saw them on LSD in my early years and they blew my head maaaaan. Here's part 1 of 9! doc about them... more to follow..

Society Suckers

Tales Of Terror

Tales Of Terror was a semi-legendary Sacramento punk band known for noisy metallic tunes and chaotic drunken shows. Their sole album was released in 1984 on San Francisco's CD Presents label and is pretty tough to find these days (anybody with an extra copy get in touch!). Buried inside one of the all-time greatest punk rock album covers are 12 loud songs influenced by My War-era Black Flag, the Dead Boys, Flipper and probably more than a bit of the hard stuff. Here's an old Thrasher video of the band playing a couple tunes intercut with some classic SF street skating courtesy Mark Gonzales, Steve Rocco and Jesse Martinez...

Rock N Roll Outlaw

The unsung heroes of Aussie rock have to be Rose Tattoo.... every fucker in the world knows ACDC, but only a few harder headbangers have found out about these Aussie gems (let's forget about the Neighbors soap opera love song sibger Angry Anderson did shall we??). All their stuff is great, but the 1st 2 LPs (Rock N Roll Outlaw and Assault & Battery) can't be beat for down and dirty rock n roll.

Ooga Boogas

Let's keep the Aussie theme rolling.... featuring folks from Eddie Current Suppression Ring who you have heard me fawning over a few weeks back the Ooga Boogas fall into the same category, but maybe looser and more out there. If someone hadn't tipped me off I would have avoided them...I mean Ooga Booga? c'mon!.... The Lp on Aarght Records is a banger and has seen a lot of time on the turntable these past few weeks. Of course I missed them when they toured. Typical.

Sharpies!

This early 70s Melbourne, Austrialian scene only recently came to my attention... like a weird cross between glam rockers, hooligans, and skinheads. They seem to have emerged out of the fanbase of proto-punk garage rocker Lobby Lloyd/Colored Balls... worth looking into.
check out the nick of these fuckin' tickets!

Detroit Soul

No...not what you're thinking - we're not digging back into the crates of the 60's - I'm talking later Detroit.... Detroit techno. I promised one of the few readers we'd dig up some shit from his home town.... so here we have it. I was a huge fan of this in the early 90's, still am - but have kinda lost track of where everyone is. Jeff Mills is still the king of the decks - back in the day he was the Wizard on pirate radio, then a member of Underground Resistance. Now he does stuff with orchestras and movies. Just watch his hands. Genius.

BMX

This one's for Allan.... crazy wallride shit...

SPECIALS DOCUMENTARY

Great BBC documentary on this legendary band from the UK.

[Note: Clicking the heading or here will bring you to a Russian site where the doc is split in 3 parts]

President Obama...I love the way that sounds.

Thank Fuck....

Roky Erickson

This past weekend the legend Roky Erickson played here backed by the Black Angels. I am a HUGE Erickson fan - but was a little anxious about seeing the man live. I mean, I know he is waaaay fucked up and had the potential of not even playing. Lots of folks have blasted the Black Angels for being boring and a pedestrian backing band, I thought they rocked. Total Loop or Spaceman 3 style drone...good shit. Roky looked especially out of it, having to look to the Black Angels' singer for cues....but still he fucking rocked. Playing a bunch of his classics 'Two Headed Dog', 'Night Of The Vampire', 'Creature With the Atom Brain' as well as a couple of classic Elevators numbers 'Splash 1' 'Youre Gonna Miss Me' and best of all 'Reverberation' which was epic. Sometimes a show is made by the company or just it being a good night. Saturday was one of those, surrounded by a bunch of good folks with killer seats (thanks Kelly)....it was a blast.

Mondo Vision!!

Some young local punks have been doing a video fanzine here in SF - its pretty damn good. Issue one even features ther Young Offenders that a couple of the Bricks and Mortar crew play in


Mondo Vision Episode One from Mondo Vision on Vimeo.


Mondo Vision Episode Two from Mondo Vision on Vimeo.

I Was Born To Preach The Gospel..

I'm always behind the times with music, bleating about my amazing new finds months after everyone else is already all over it. This time I am DECADES behind the times! When the Marked Men blew through town Jeff bought a record by Washington Phillips who was an old Christian bluesman from the 20's. I'd never heard of him, then when the Marked Men came back around Jeff brought a cd for me of the great man. I have been transfixed ever since, super lo-fi scratchy blues played on some weird mini piano.... Mississippi records in Portland just release a limited LP which is beautiful and has a ton of great tunes. Its about time we had some nice music to offset all this terrible Black Metal.

Heres my fave song of his...
I Was Born To Preach The Gospel.

Halloween

Halloween is cool and all... always good to see devils and the usual shit... but sometimes you just need to see some fucked up shit to make it all worthwhile. Our very own sir shanksalot with his devil-giving-birth-to-sarah-palin outfit. Seriously fucked up shit...

I Want Your Skulls....

Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without Santa. Halloween wouldn't be Halloween without the Misfits.

No Gods No Masters....

I have an Amebix tattoo... not that I like them THAT much - I just like the 'No Gods, No Masters' thing.... I was a fan in the 80's tho. Rumors are flying that they are reforming..... would I go see 'em? probably. Heres a dodgy you tube vid of 'Arise'..., and also an epic interview with them and Disorder in a squat... punk rock!!

Hail Satan.....

Fuck it... it's nearly halloween... Im this guy for halloween..... king ov hell from Gorgoroth



sweet BM doc...

Bike Kill 666

The sixth annual Bike Kill (aka Bike Kill 666) took place in Brooklyn yesterday, with bicycle clubs--or gangs, if you will--getting together for various events, including tall bike jousting and six-pack drinking contests. Jim Kiernan was on the scene, and noted the apocalyptic names of the clubs, like Black Label Bike Club, Cutthroats Bike Club, Skidmarxxx, Rogue Bike Club, Rat Patrol: "Lots of facial/head/neck & hand tattoos, fistfights, LOTS of public drinking and a fair amount of fireworks and illicit chemicals thrown in for good measure."

Bed-Stuy Banana assessed, "Despite the gale force winds and misty rains, there was the usual large turn out of freaks, geeks, kids, punks, drunks, and bicycle fanatics. The wide selection of wheel chairs were mostly unused, which means either people hadn't drank enough beer or they'd been incredibly lucky."

This looks mental....

VIMBY - Bike Kill

Use your loaf

Revered post-punk act The Nightingales formed in 1979 out of the ashes of The Prefects, one of Birmingham's original punk bands. Despite opening for the Buzzcocks, the Clash, Subway Sect, etc the Prefects' total recorded output amounted to two Peel Sessions (released posthumously). The Nightingales fared better, releasing three albums and close to a dozen EPs during the 80s, as well as recording umpteen further Peel Sessions. Singer Robert Lloyd reformed the band a few years ago and they released the Out Of True album in 2006. It was so good it made my MRR year-end top 10. For a band to reform and actually improve on its earlier output is a rare thing indeed.
The Nightingales have yet another new record out this year and are touring in the US. They're playing in San Francisco soon (yeah my band is opening but I had planned this post before I found that out) so get excited.

The Prefects (1978) - "Things In General" mp3

The Nightingales (1981) - "Idiot Strength" mp3

Northern Soul - This Is England

I just scored a bunch of soul records on ebay.... stoked to check 'em, no big hitters but some good dancefloor bangers for sure. This doc is ruling!!

Mike Giant

Local hero of mine Mike Giant moved back to town - the dude is a graf/tattoo legend who has moved onto the finer arts but continues to push things forward. One of my gig regrets is not getting tattooed by him while he was still slinging ink. He has a an amazing show up at white walls gallery in SF right now. Welcome back Mike!!

VIMBY - Mike Giant

Weetabix Skins

Hardmen adverts from the 80s.

Cro Magnon

I dig the Cro Mags good enough, but didn't think I'd be too into reading John Joseph's autobiography. Wrong. A great read front to back.... I've sent this out to folks who couldn't give two fucks about the hardcore scene.... it's just a great read. The dude is a legend.

On the subject of gnar skating

Footage from SMA's 1991 video debunker featuring 2 of my all time favorite Santa Cruz Skaters, Corey Chrysler and Nick Foster. Not shown here, but after their part, there's a short segment of the popo arresting a few skaters. One of those is an old friend and a snippit from the newspaper is below.

Halloween

\The Bricks And Mortar DJ crew will be dropping tunes at the Dog in SF on Hallows Eve.... gonna be evvvvvil.

TONIGGGGGHT!!!

The Q-Man Lives!

There were many memorable moments on the Airfix Kits/Young Offenders Portland mini-tour. Hanging out with Fred the Barber was great. Losing an improperly dressed Northhampton Steve for two days was classic. I did enjoy listening to him ramble on about not bringing a jacket out of principle that his new one had just been stolen right before we left. But the absolute highlight for me was running into the infamous skater Pat Quirk. The Q-Man showed up to see Pete the Ox drum for the Young Offenders. Luckily, someone had a camera.

For the uninitiated, here's an interview with the Q-Man where he encourages us all to "Join the Skate Army"

John Peel Doesn't Like When Records Fade In

The year was 1987. Wedged in between the Pogues and Davy D, Journeyman John Peel was bringing unsuspecting Englishmen another nugget of hardcore by way of the almighty Cro-Mags.

Listen: It's the Limit - Cro-Mags

PS. If you're interested in some great toliet reading of the pulp non-fiction variety, Brooksy and I would both recommend picking up John Joseph's biography entitled The Evolution Of A Cro-Magnon. You will not be dissapointed.

Cribs...

Our mate Steve at relaxing at his summer house...

More Peel....

This time November 78....sessions from the Undertones & the Banshees... lots of Mod revival too.... dig in.

Peel Nov 7th 78

Medway....

The most money I paid for a record was for the French version of 'A Taste Of Pink' by UK band the Prisoners. It's impossible to fit this band neatly into any one genre....sure they were lauded by the mod revivalists, the Medway garage heads dug 'em and band like the Charlatans and Kula Shaker just stole riffs from them. They dressed like mods, and also Star Trek (?...see video above) The band played little clubs with bands like Thee Milkshakes, yet had a cleaner, crisper more evolved sound.
The band's lineup was: Graham Day (vocals and guitar), Jamie/James Taylor (hammond organ), Allan Crockford (bass) and Johnny Symons (drums).
The band release four great albums, although their fourth 'In From The Cold' they have disowned due to fancy production (it's still a great record, even with all the horns). The band split in '86, although did one or two gigs in the 90's.
Since splitting up the members of The Prisoners have featured in a wide range of bands. James Taylor and Allan Crockford formed mainstream jazz funk band the James Taylor Quartet in 1986, although Allan Crockford is no longer part of their line-up. The Solarflares, who released four albums before splitting up in 2004, were Graham Day and Allan Crockford basically reprising The Prisoners sound along with drummer Simon "Wolf" Howard and Mr Parsley on organ. Other bands who have featured former members of The Prisoners are Planet, The Buff Medways, The Prime Movers, Thee Mighty Caesars and The Stabilisers . Presently Day fronts Graham Day & the Gaolers, who released their first album, Soundtrack to the Daily Grind, in November 2007 and another this year.
I love this band like a child of my own....you should too....

In Winter's cold grasp...

... Empty echos of empty hours, six six upon six...



My love will never blacken, and through these lonely Streets I'll honor you every Night...
My Devotion will never fade



Tried to conquer the sun, with the Christian frost....

Stand And Deliver...

It doesn't get much more fruity than Adam And The Ants...and I know all the cool kids talk about 'Dirk Wheres White Sox', but 'Kings Of The Wild Frontier' is the jam. The b-sides of that era still stand the test of time (Beat My Guest, Fall in). When I was a kid EVERYONE liked him, me and my mate James Thomas got sent to the headmaster for singing the song 'Sex'. Years later, when Adam Ant got into acting he was at my school with the Royal Shakespeare company and we yelled "Adam Ant' at him, and he replied 'it's Stuart Goddard'...whatever mate, always Adam Ant to me. He got fat and went mental and threatened people in the pub with a gun a while back which is a a bummer...but the vids are still there....

Eddie Current Suppression Ring

I don't hold too much sway to what the bespeckaled garage rock record nerd tweakers are salivatiing over, a lot of it is super lo-fi weirdo rock that I can't dig. I heard a lot of bleating about Eddie Current Suppression Ring from Australia, but couldn't find the goddamn records - but then Goner released their LP 'Primary Colors' domestically. This record has totally side-swiped me - since picking up in Portland last week I have listened to it almost constantly. I have always been a fan of Oz rock, from ACDC (who are still my favorite band...more on them soon), through Rose Tattoo, Saints then the tweaked murder punk of Razar, News, Thought Criminals etc. The Suppression Ring take elements of all the above and mix it with the Fall and Velvet Underground. This shit is punk as fuck but has a stoned darkness that has me hitting the repeat button. As with most Oz bands they look like a bunch of geezers down the pub. Check the 'Which Way To Go' video of them at the beach. Genius.

Goulag-house tats

Thought you all wold be interested in this. The link will take you to a short string of photos.

http://nouvellerevuemoderne.free.fr/tattoo.htm

Night KIngs

The other day I talked my mate Jason into parting with cash for one of my all time fave albums by the Night Kings. It came out in 1992 on Steve Turner from Mudhoney's super electro label. I never hear a peep about them but the whole album is sheer class. From Seattle and fronted by Rob Vasquez who had previously done time in the Night and Days, the band released a few 7"s (one or 2 on Subpop), then the LP 'Increase Our High' which for me is the jam. Less full throttle than some of the earlier Seattle bands they had a larconic almost stoner sound mixed with some 60's jangle which was totally unique. Maybe it was the time in my life when the LP came around, but I still feel good when this hits the turntable....
Night Kings - We're The Party

Tally Ho

No posts for almost a week due to the Northwest blow out that has left you B&M crew battle torn and broken. Thanks Portland you were great, especially Fred The Barber, Ken Dirtnap, Mike Napkin, The Ranch and the East End. Thanks to everyone who came - I'm sure we'll cover some more Portland ground, but I for one was just blown away by the record stores, we only hit about 4, but they were all fantastic staffed by lovely folk and jammed packed full of great records. I spotted both of the Zambian psych records I talked about a few weeks back. One of my fave stores was Exiled Records on Hawthorn, packed full of obscure goodness and with a true fan behind the counter. A couple of us walked away with the record the dude was playing while we shopped - The Clean - Compilation LP. It seems everyone else was hip to this band except me....my loss. Amazing Indie punk from New Zealand circa 83...the missing link between the Wedding Present, The Fall and C86.
The Clean were an influential first-wave punk band that formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1978. Led through a number of early rotating line-ups by brothers Hamish and David Kilgour, the band settled down to the well-known line-up with bassist Robert Scott. Early incarnations of the Clean included Peter Gutteridge on bass (who wrote "Point That Thing"), Doug Hood on vocals (who later worked with Toy Love and founded the "Looney Tours" touring company). The Clean soon forged a distinctive and quirky sound that relied heavily on organ melodies and simple, Ramones-style chord progressions.
In 1981, a fan of the Clean founded the Flying Nun label to release their first single, "Tally Ho." A follow-up track off one of their early EPs, "Beatnik", also achieved success, as did the second single, "Getting Older".
The Flying Nun label went on to be New Zealand's biggest independent record company, championing the Dunedin Sound, a loosely-connected style of music largely produced by bands from this southern city. Others artists on the label included The Chills, The Verlaines, The Bats, and Sneaky Feelings. The line-ups of these bands were often interrelated, with Peter Gutteridge being a founding member of the Chills, David Kilgour briefly in the Chills off-shoot band Time Flies, and Robert Scott being the founder of The Bats.
During much of the 1980s, the Clean disbanded, and during this time the Kilgour brothers worked together on an experimental album and ep using the deliberately punning titles "The Great Unwashed" and "Clean Out Of Our Minds". Reforming in the late 1980s, the band explored a slightly poppier vein of music while still retaining their experimental edge.
Although they released several chart-topping singles in their native country, the Clean are a little-known cult band outside of New Zealand, although their influence is surprisingly far-reaching.
The Clean continue to produce music, with Flying Nun recently issuing a comprehensive collection of their previously hard-to-find singles. Output from the band has been sporadic over the years, with members involved in other projects and Hamish Kilgour living in New York. Other projects involving members of the band include The Bats and The Magick Heads (Scott), Stephen, The Heavy Eights (David Kilgour), and The Mad Scene (Hamish Kilgour).
In June 2008 a live album recorded during the 2007 New Zealand tour, was released in New Zealand on Arch Hill Records, entitled 'Mashed'. The Clean are now putting the finishing touches to their new studio album, to be released later this year, also on Arch Hill.
I will now be tracking down all their recorded output...thanks Exiled!

Over The Edge....

All this talk about Portland made me dig out my Wipers records,....jesus what a band! Here is a excerpt from a doc about Portland with the Wipers doing over the edge, as well as a bunch of Portland heads talking about how important they were...

Marked For Life...

More than half of the posters on this blog will be travelling up to Portland Or for the weekend this week to play some shows, buy some records and drink some booze. Portland has always had a stellar music legacy - Wipers, Dead Moon and of course Poison Idea. I was lucky enough to see Poison Idea in the 80's when they toured the UK and tore the place apart. I remember Pig Champion taking a cab down the street to the takeout place and later drinking a whole bottle of vodka in one go. There was no stage at TJs in Newport and the place was jammed, Jerry A held the crowd back on his own, standing a head above the crowd. At one point some skinhead got out of line so Jerry picked him up by the neck headbutted him then chased him outside. Legends. Here are the boys in their hometown doing Marked For Life.

Jesus Is My Friend

some important lessons...to a catchy ska tune...

Cutty Ranks PNP Rally 1986

I'm a big fan of all reggae, up to around '84, especially the DJ's, Roots, Dub and Rocksteady. As fr as I am concerned most of the current dancehall pretty much sucks and so because of that I ignored most of the early digital dancehall. Recently I have been digging a lot of Toyan, early Cutty Ranks and the like.....ripping stuff. Here we have Cutty Ranks decimating the Sleng Teng rthymn at a PNP rally....

It doesn't get much better than this

Straight Ahead live @ CBGB's 1988




Breakdown live @ Tompkins Square NYC 1988



"Talk about Unity" NYHC documentary that never saw the light of day...

Weller/Mayfield Mash Up

Superb Northern Soul track covered by The Jam.

Are "Friends" Electric?

Gary Numan was the weird gay robot bloke who freaked you out a little bit when he came on Top Of The Pops. I have to admit though, I was really into synthesizer music when I was a nipper. I was into science fiction and computers, so stuff like the Pet Shop Boys, The Communards, and yes, Gary Numan seemed like the music of the future. After reading Simon Reynolds' post-punk history Rip It Up And Start Again I started revisiting some of that stuff. Some of it I just had to dig out my old records, but even more of it I found at Amoeba in the bargain bin. There wasn't a lot of demand for Heaven 17 singles for some reason. When it comes to this stuff, not much can touch The Normal or the first Human League single, but lately I've been coming back to Gary Numan/Tubeway Army a lot. I usually always drop 'Cars' when I DJ but he's got loads of good songs with some super hard, solid guitar or synth riffs and some amazingly solid drumming. Not showy, but expertly holding down prog/kraut rhythms and giving life to what could otherwise be fairly soul-less music. Maybe that's what a lot of electronic music is lacking: live drums. Anyway, check out the two Tubeway Army albums (s/t and Replicas) and the first Gary Numan album (The Pleasure Principle) if you get a chance. You won't be sorry. There's a Tubeway Army demos album which is supposedly more punk/new wave but I haven't heard that. Oh yeah, and as it turns out he wasn't actually gay; in fact, he married a member of his fan club.

Prince Buster

I recently scored a bunch of great rocksteady and ska 7"s off ebay. One of them was Prince Buster's "Ten Commandments", just an amazing rocksteady tune. I can hardly wait to drop this sucker at the next B&M! I was going to post up the tune, but instead I'll link to this Youtube video of a woman making a necklace to the tune, with what appears to be a St. George's flag on the sofa behind her!

Prince Buster - 10 Commandments

Skinheads in 1988

From a local NYC news show in 1988. Featuring a very young Marcus Pacheco of Primal Urge(now called Skull&Sword) Tattoo in SF. Shop is owned and run by Marcus and Grime.
PrimalUrgeSF, Short Interview, SHARP Skins

"He Always Beat Me at Subbuteo"

Ever noticed a recurring theme in the lyrics, single artwork, and music video of the Undertones' hit "My Perfect Cousin"? No? Well, it turns out the band was referencing a table top soccer game known throughout the world called Subbuteo. Much like soccer, most Americans couldn't care less about it. Upon first glance it looks like a soccer version of table top hockey. However the following video proves that people take it very, very seriously in other parts of the world. Go figure.

PS. The sweater choices alone make the Undertones video a mandatory watching.