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.