Friday Flashcard: Halloween Special

Here is Helloween's Halloween video from 1987. You might be surprised to see that it takes place in a darkened forest by the light of the full moon. Only what's up with the girls that look more like extras from a Heart video or the Orson Welles look alike in a white dinner jacket with a pumpkin head. I guess that is kinda scary.

Happy Birthday to Me

Well the blog actually. We turn 1 today.

Here are some fun mod cartoons from the Hardy Boys. Groovy.

Rock & Rule

Rock & Rule (1983)

"They don’t get much stranger than this one. Canadian animation studio Nelvana and director Clive Smith began this 1983 project as a humorous family film called “Drats!,” but it somehow evolved into a post-apocalyptic tale of satanic magic and the rock and roll lifestyle among mutated, extremely anthropomorphic, cats, dogs, and rats -- with music by Cheap Trick, Lou Reed, Deborah Harry, Iggy Pop, Earth, Wind & Fire and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (okay, we made the last one up). The film was plagued with endless problems, including (what even the film’s biggest fans admit is) a less than logical storyline, a lawsuit brought by Mick Jagger (the villain’s name: “Mok Swagger”) and the ongoing financial troubles of MGM, its disastrous first release was followed by a drastically recut, retitled version which, naturally, didn’t do any better. Just to add spice to the whole mess, the original negative was supposedly lost in a fire and the film appeared to be heading toward oblivion. Still, as is sometimes the way in the world of geek cinema, because of its animation (pretty terrific by the standards of the time) and the involvement of some of the most important figures in pop music history, the film has found a small cult following. “Rock & Rule” fans were rewarded for their patience in 2005 with a fully restored deluxe two-DVD boxed set with tons of extras. See, some post-apocalyptic tales of mutated, rock ‘n’ roll-playing cats and dogs do have happy endings. "

More info on WIKI

Lou Reed





Debbie Harry



Cheap Trick



Iggy

Heartbreaking News

Shit. It hurts to post about the death of friend. Terrin Durfey, the vocalist / bass player of the California band Boilermaker recently passed away after a long battle with cancer. I was lucky enough to play a few shows / tour along side with the band in 1996 no less crash at Terin's home when our band had no place to sleep on tour.

Terrin was a ridiculously nice guy, I loved his music and well as his whole band. Many a Dahlia Seed tour was spent listening to their records in our van and I have both wonderful as well as comical memories of playing house shows with them.

My love goes out to Terrin's friends and family.

Va / Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits & Long - Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol. 1 1976-80

Artist- VA

Title - Perfect Unpop: Peel Show Hits & Long - Lost Lo-Fi Favourites Vol. 1 1976-80

Hometown - UK

Label - Cherry Red

Street Date- Out Now

RIYL - John Peel approved rockers

The Hits: About half as I see it, some of which you may own already, some I am certain you may have heard but don't actually own, and then a handful of great unknowns.

Richter Magnitude Rating Scale - Strong

"I'm a fat chap who likes playing playing records."

Oh John Peel how we miss you so and what a great little quote to include in the liner notes to this compilation. While I am certain the title of this CD pretty much explains the premise of the collection I would like to toss in a few other notable quotes from the CD booklet as to why I think so many of us have a love for John Peel and why the spirit of this comp is so fantastic.

"For the most part, Peel played pop from his own parallel universe, where major-label sales and showbiz demands counted for nothing. The show was all about the thrill of the new, the infectious optimism of DIY, and the chance of coming across a diamond in the rough that would last a lifetime. Above all, Peel was a champion of the underdog, whose natural gift - to us all - was to judge the noisy poetry of teenagers, apparent dreamers and outsiders on the same scale as the giants."

Amen.

The liner notes go on to say:

"The idea here was never to try to mimic a typical 80 minute chunk of the Peel show which was ephemeral by nature - a mix of intimacy and observation, interspersed with music that couldn't have possibly come from a wider spectrum....Meanwhile I hope the unearthing of these unpop gems and playlist Nuggets might recreate something of the atmosphere of the Peel Show for his under-cover legions."

I no longer have to dream what a sampling of Peels show in its prime may have sounded like. Here it is spread out over 80 minutes of what isn't perfection in the traditional sense of a greatest hits but I think that is exactly the point of this marvelous collection. Besides a healthy list of familiar favorites (The Vibrators, Young Marble Giants, Kleenex, Mo-dettes, Swell Maps...) there are more singles I wasn't familiar with (Tours, The Out, The Wasps, The Carpettes). It isn't just another 77 punk comp or a C86 valentine, this stays true to the title's promise and is in fact a little sampling of everything from the late 70s that mostly flew under the radar but Peel placed a spotlight to.

The liner notes also includes small articles on every record / artist featured on the CD and if there was anything to complain about all I can say is I wish this was magazine sized with a CD attached to the cover. The CD booklet is really that good and deserves something a little more special than just playing the roll of another comp CD that will probably get lost in the various artist section of your local record store.

Karaoke Cabs Hit The Streets

Taken from Billboard: I can't think of two things I hate more, cab rides and karaoke, and now they are rolled into one ugly combo. That God it's only temporary and not in a city near me.

By Kamau High, N.Y.

Starting in November consumer electronics brand Memorex is going to be outfitting cabs in San Francisco and Chicago with karaoke systems and encouraging people who get into the cabs to sing in exchange for a free ride, Billboard has learned.It's part of an advertising campaign by Colorado based ad agency TDA Advertising & Design to promote Memorex's SingStand, a full sized microphone, stand and speakers that allows users to sing along with music. There will be six cabs in high foot traffic areas of the cities, each of them wrapped in an ad for SingStand.People who agree to sing for their spin will be filmed and clips of the footage will be uploaded to Mykarokecab.com, a site that will not be live until next week. Memorex, which is owned by Imation, is not the first company to encourage off-key singing in a moving vehicle. Kansas City, Kan., has cabaraoke.com, while Dallas has a Karaoke Yellow Cab.In December the campaign will come to New York. While the song list is still being finalized it will include holiday perennials such as "White Christmas," said Deborah Hernandez, marking communications manager, Memorex.

Plot-Rock

This past weekend Coheed And Cambria finished the first part of an epic undertaking. For those unfamiliar with the bands history, there is a storyline running through all four of their albums. Singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez is the author of a series of Sci-Fi themed graphic novels, and Coheed and Cambria's albums follow the same storyline as the books. Their latest release, No World For Tomorrow, is the final chapter in the saga. With the storyline being complete the band decided that it would serve the loyal fans well to be able to see the entire catalog preformed live. Yes, every song, from every album, in order!! Recently many bands have been preforming entire albums on tour but I have yet to hear of anyone else doing four complete records. This was obviously a massive undertaking. When it was all put together it turned out to be FIFTY songs, played over four nights, for a total of six hours. This is a feat that demands respect. All four shows sold out NYC's Terminal 5 very quickly and die hard fans were able to get four day passes before the other tickets went on sale. The band is now doing what has become known as 'The Neverender' in Chicago, then they are off to repeat the performances in Los Angles and London. The amount of rehearsal, and the level of dedication required for this undertaking is remarkable and their fans honor and respect the effort.

On night four in NYC the band was joined onstage for their encore by guitar legend Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers Band/Government Mule. They played the Bob Dylan classic 'I shall be released', followed by Warren joining the band on one of their better known songs 'Welcome Home'. Here is a video of the blazing guitar solos from that song:



And yes, I am laying claim to the new terminology for music with a running storyline:

"PLOT-ROCK"

Enjoy.

Psychic TV / Godstar

Quite a nice little pop song.

We will call this the before footage of Genesis. (1988)



And here is the after:

Friday Flashcard - Name that Metal Band

This band is a Bergen, Norway "supergroup" featuring members of Immortal, Gorgoroth, Sahg, and Enslaved but to my ears are not nearly as good as any of those other bands. I feel like these kinds of bands are never as good at the bands thee members come from. Can someone name a supergroup that is actually as good or better than the bands they stem from?

I also can't wait for you to check out these band's MySpace page. They must be sponsored by a leather company.

(The name of the band is in the comments section)

Le Garage Reminder

Hooray! I not only have a brand new DJ night called "Le Garage"at a new location but I am also fortunate enough to have a DJ partner in crime this time around so no more 4 hours straight for this little lady.

And hi-five to my friend Daniel for working some major flyer magic in a matter of 24 hours.

This is happening next Thursday so I will re-post this again as a reminder mid next week.

Drugs are Bad but Mental Illness Might be Worse

The combination of the two has created some damn fine records from Dan Treacy but there is a sad life story in its wake. Apparently there is a Television Personalities documentary- I had no clue it existed until now. This seemed to tie in nicely with the post about Teenage Filmstars yesterday.

Here are three of the four sections (the 4th one has been pulled from YouTube)


Consider yourself warned - this is the exact opposite of a pick me up.

Teenage Filmstars / Star

Artist - Teenage Filmstars
Title - Star
Hometown - UK
Label - Artpop! / Cherry Red
Street Date- Out Now


RIYL : What is an artist still riding the MBV wave. Ca-ching!
The Hits - Inner Space, A Dream with a Dream, Love is Blue
Richter Magnitude Rating Scale - Moderate

I can't wait until My Bloody Valentine puts out the new record shoegaze fans have been waiting for since the early 90s so the press and everyone else can go on with their lives. Thanks to this never ending renewed interest in shoegaze and now shitgaze I really can't take any more MBV talk or reissues of bands using quotes from MBV members to hype the "relevance" of their release.

Wanna be hipsters might try and tell you this reissue of the 1992 'Lift Off Mit Der Teenage Filmstars' is better than anything by MBV but this is just their elitist cranky way of trying to make you feel like you should know this group when in all honesty, Teenage Filmstars should be more like a footnote to the pysch-drone with buried vocals movement.

Don't believe the hype.

On Star you will find looped layered fuzzy songs that are frustratingly repetitive and drag on for too long. Every song is a little too busy for my taste - as if Teenage Fanclub is wailing out guitar solos over Loveless as performed by T Rex. Most every song is over stuffed, beaten to death and drowned in reverb. Rather than layer after layer working together to form a gorgeous heavy blanket of noise they compete and fight scream like cats in heat.


If you really want to pull some old band out of the hat that deserves more attention I will forever sing the praises of The Swirlies. And no I don't like them because not as many people seem to know about them, I loved them more than any other shoegaze band back then and still do now.

The most exciting thing about TF for me is that main member of the group Edward Ball was not only an executive at Creation Records but was also a founding member of the Television Personalities who played on the first three classic TP records.

And Don't the Kids Just Love It (1981, Rough Trade)
Mummy Your Not Watching Me (1982, Whaam!)
They Could Have Been Bigger Than the Beatles (1982, Whaam!)

There is also a brand new reissue of Ed's other band The Times which you can read about here. This band was Ed's post TP project and as you might expect, there are hints of TP minus the crazy.

Ed recently revived his old label Artpop! (which is quite a nice name for the genre he romps around in) and it is Cherry Red who has taken it under their wing and given it proper distribution world wide.

This is the video for "Kiss Me" by Teenage Filmstars.



And here is a video for The Swirlies' "Bell" :

Meneguar / The In Hour

Artist - Meneguar
Title - The In Hour
Hometown -NYC?
Label - Woodsist
Street Date - Out Now


RIYL - Danielson Family, Sebadoh, Pavement, GBV, Awesomeness
The Hits - Everything but "Oakland, NJ" which makes me sad since I am a Jersey girl and all
Richter Magnitude Rating Scale - Strong

I am crazy about this record in a mid 90's classic indie rock sort of way. Listen to these songs and tell me the don't rule.

Fucked Up / Vivian Girls : R+R Hotel, DC

Last night I headed to DC to see Fucked Up, Vivan Girls, and Cloak Dagger. I hadn't been to the venue before so first I would like to note that the signs from 395 N to get into the part of town suck. There was lots of last minute WOAH that is our exit quick lane shifts which I am sure had it not been a quiet Sunday night on the road would have equated to total driving hell.

For those of you from Richmond was it was a hometown surprise to park a block away from the club and realize you are in front of the new Sticky Rice location. So that's where it is!

I unfortunately missed most of Cloak Dagger so it wouldn't be fair to review their portion of the show.

While I like the Vivian Girls on record, live I continue to be left not unimpressed but not exactly wowed either. The songs are great but their stage presence is a flat line experience.

"So we played on the radio today"
Other band member: "What?"
Repeated: "We played on the radio today"
Other band member: Oh yeah, we played on the radio today."

At another point people in the crowd were noisy between songs and one of the VGs overheard a girl call a friend next to her a dickhead which she then seemed stoked on - enough to comment on from stage. So yeah, even the band themselves seemed to notice the audience was giving a more captivating show than they were. Anyhow, a new song was played which sounded darn good (more Sonic Youth than Shangri-las) and my favorite of the night was their Beach Boys cover of "Girl Don't Tell Me".

Fucked Up played mostly material from the new record on Matador and while I like the new record for the craziest mix of Poison Idea vocals meets the most epic massive non sounding hardcore music ever, I wasn't really feeling their live show. It isn't to say they weren't good but after a really long week for me (and the band....see below) it seemed like we all weren't at our best. I know I felt tired but wanted to make the effort to be at the show - it seemed like the band was on the same page.

Here are some links to their 12 hour show in NYC on 10/14. Guest appearances all day included Moby doing all Ramones songs with the band, Jon from the Cro-Mags, J Mascis, singer guy from Vampire Weekend, Tim from Les Savy Fav, Matt Sweeney...the list goes on.

http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2008/10/fucked_up_frien.html

http://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2008/10/more_fucked_upr.php

The Long Blondes Break Up

This is sad news. Does it feel even sadder that I found out via Myspace?

I wish I had seen them when I had the chance now. Here's a video for their breakthrough song, "Giddy Stratospheres":

Massive Attack - Teardrop

Not that I have a voice who could have ever done this kind of complex melody justice but this is one of those songs I wish I had written. Here is a video for Teardrop by Massive Attack, crazy to think this is a decade old.

Heavy Metal Burgers : A different kind of Friday metal flashcard.

My kinda town....Chicago is.....




Kuma's Corner

The Burger Menu:

PANTERA BURGER 10oz. burger served with Roasted Pablano Pepper, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese and Monetary Jack Cheese Ranchero Sauce and Tortilla Strips
12

FUMANCHU BURGER 10oz. burger served with Grilled Japanese Eggplant, Teriyaki sauce, Wasabi Mayo, Frizzled Daikon Radish
12
____________________________________________

“OUR FAMOUS KUMA BURGER” Bacon, Cheddar, Fried Egg
10

KAIJO Bacon, Bleu Cheese, Frizzled Onions
10

BLACK SABBATH Blackening Spice, Chili, Pepper Jack, Red Onion
10

YOB Smoked Gouda, Bacon, Roasted Red Peppers, Roasted Garlic Mayo
10

IRON MAIDEN Avocado, Cherry Peppers, Pepper Jack, Chipotle Mayo
10

SLAYER Pile of fries topped with a ½ lb. Burger, Chili, Cherry Peppers, Andouille, Onions, Jack Cheese, and Anger
12

NEUROSIS Cheddar, Swiss, Sautéed Mushrooms, Caramelized Onions, Horseradish Mayo
10

METALLICA Buffalo Sauce, Bacon, Bleu Cheese Dressing
10

MELVINS Fresh Basil, Prosciutto, Mozzarella, Tomato, Onion
10

CLUTCH Cheddar, Swiss, Jack, Smoked Gouda
10

MASTODON BBQ Sauce, Cheddar, Bacon, Frizzled Onions
10

LED ZEPPELIN Pulled Pork, Bacon, Cheddar, Pickles
11

JUDAS PRIEST Bacon, Bleu Cheese Dressing with Apples, Walnuts, and dried cranberries
10

MOTORHEAD Goat Cheese, Kalamata Olives, Oregano, Tzatziki, Onion, Tomato
10

MAYHEM Sliced Jalapenos, Pancetta, Pepper Jack, Gardinera Mayo
10

DARK THRONE Chipotle Peppers, Goat Cheese, Fresh Pico de Gallo
10

GOBLIN COCK Bacon, Cheddar Cheese, ¼lb. Vienna Hot Dog, Tomatoes, Onion, Neon Green Relish, Sport Peppers, Pickles, Celery Salt Mustard
12

MINSK Pastrami, Swiss Cheese, Sauerkraut, Brown Mustard
12


FU MANCHU Grilled Japanese Eggplant, Teriyaki sauce, Wasabi Mayo, Frizzled Daikon Radish
12

PLAGUE BRINGER Roasted Garlic Mayo, Tortilla Strips, Chicago CO-OP hot sauce, Fresh Garlic, Pepper Jack, Sliced Jalapenos
12

HIGH ON FIRE Siracha Hot Chili Sauce, Prosciutto, Roasted Red Pepper, Grilled Pineapple, Sweet Chili Paste
12

LAIR OF THE MINOTAUR Caramelized Onions, Pancetta, Brie, Bourbon Soaked Pears 12

Bop and Bowl

Hey gang,

A last minute thing. I will be DJing this Saturday in one of 40 Duck Pin Bowling Alley's left in existence! Not sure exactly what all I will playing but I am thinking favorite rock / indie rock records from the past 30 years. (Replacements, Husker Du, The Saints, The Fall, Mission Of Burma, XTC, Social Unrest, REM, ...and who knows what else I will dust off the shelf) Mr Cam D will be diving DJ duties for the night so it will be double your pleasure.

Everything at Plaza Bowl is remarkably cheap (from bowling to beer to eats) so if you are looking for something cool, different, affordable, and that is a wicked good time...this should be your jam.

10/18 (this Saturday)

8PM

Plaza Bowl
523 E. Southside Plaza
Richmond, VA 23224
(804) 233-8799
Get Directions Here

How Many of These Groups Do You Know?

This is taken from SoundScan's Alternative New Artist Chart from this morning. Ummm, I only 4 out of 10. I don't know if that means I am old and out of touch or mature enough to know better.

1
DEERHOOF
OFFEND MAGGIE
2
DEPARTMENT OF EAGLES
IN EAR PARK
3
ANTONY & THE JOHNSONS
ANOTHER WORLD
4
MARGOT & THE NUCLEAR SO & SO'S
NOT ANIMAL
5
WE THE KINGS
WE THE KINGS
6
HEY MONDAY
HOLD ON TIGHT
7
I AM GHOST
THOSE WE LEAVE BEHIND
8
THRIVING IVORY
THRIVING IVORY
9
HOLLAND*JOLIE
LIVING & THE DEAD
10
MORELLO*TOM THE NIGHTWATCHMAN
FABLED CITY

Ascend / Ample Fire Within

Artist: Ascend

Title: Ample Fire Within

Hometown: LA, CA

Label: Southern Lord

Street Date: Out now

RIYL: Beards!

The Hits: V O G, Dark Matter

Magnitude Rating Scale: Major

Beards! Beards with guitars! Beards who used to be on Revelation Records (Engine Kid / Iceburn), tour together back in the day, loved jazz and then alienated their hardcore kid following by moving their bands in noisy avante directions that kids couldn't mosh to.

In fact I remember playing on a bill with both bands in Long Island in the mid 90s and watching the crowd freeze, blink multiple times as if they were vaguely making an effort to digest the noise coming off the stage and eventually walk out the door because clearly Coltrane and or Earth hadn't met theirs quite yet. Who knew Greg Anderson and Gentry Densley were so ahead of the curve? Who could have guessed a band like Sunno))) was just a decade away?

I'm not sure Jazzoom is a real genre but it crossbreeds Jazz and Doom in a way that produces what one might expect from these gentlemen with musical history. Think heavy. Think Melvins taking on Sun Ra. Think really good ...if you like drone dry humping Miles Davis.

Who Was Joe Meek - A 7 Part Story!!!

Royally F'ed

Take from the Matador site (they are putting out the new FU record) - and could the list of guests be accurate.? Woah.

To celebrate the release of The Chemistry Of Common Life, in stores this coming Tuesday, Fucked Up will be playing live for twelve hours straight at a storefront in New York City THE FOLLOWING TUESDAY.

On Tuesday, October 14, from 2PM until 2 AM, the band will be playing a twelve-hour show at the Rogan store at the corner of Bowery and Bond. Admission is free. All ages are welcome to attend, though the free alcohol will be limited to those 21 and over. Additionally, a free limited-edition 7″ of “Royal Swan” will be given away to the first batch of attendees, with a second allotment given away at a later time in the show to be announced.

Special guests will be joining the band on stage to help them through this marathon, including the Vivian Girls, John Joseph, Matt Sweeney, Chain Gang, Mobb Deep, Ryan Sawyer from Tall Firs, Jeff Jensen, David Cross, John Cale, K-Taro, Chris Doherty, E.K., DJ Chris, DJ Anarki, Michael Gira, members of the Australian Scapa Flow, Jeanne Bovet, Gods & Queens, Akon, The Edge, Ben Blackwell, Russell Simins, the Boogie, and some megastars we can’t announce yet.
Seen above is the cover to the limited-edition 7″.

It is an easy guess that this 7" will quickly become one of the biggest collector's items of this decade. Note to self: email friend at Matador to see if I can score a few copies of the record. God knows records are a better investment than stocks these days.

Friday Flashcard: I Got Something Better For You

I can't believe how many versions of this Immortal video there are on YouTube. I can't decide which one I like best!

Space is the Place

The end is near....

"Well, the stock market crashes every day now, but at least you can buy Scarlett Johansson covering Tom Waits songs on vinyl from Urban Outfitters.

I have my fingers crossed that a Tyra Banks record of Nick Drake covers is in the works!!!!!!

Seriously, I will absolutely move to another planet if the opportunity presents itself."

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is the best email I have been sent all week.

See you in space my friend, I am not far behind you.

Star Search As It Should Be

SRC

Damn you allmusicguide.

Just when I think I have a great way to describe a record and how they fit into the scene they were born from, 9 times out of 10 allmusic has beat me to the punch.

I scored the first SRC record (and yes, finding good records is what I imagine drug addicts feel like when they buy really good drugs so scored is the proper word here) a few weeks ago and finally got around to listening to it. Now I understand why my friends at the record shook their heads at me when I brought it to the register as if to say you of all people should have owned this record already. The truth hurts.

Here is what allmusic.com says about SRC's first record:

With the twin leads of Gary Quackenbush and Steve Lyman, the distinctly church-like psychedelic Hammond of Glenn Quackenbush, and the angelic (and anglophile) vocals of Scott Richardson, SRC is a distinctly acidic album unlike anything else from the Detroit scene — there's not a single soul influence to be heard! Instead, ideas were formed from Procol Harum, the Pretty Things, the Who, and blended with the beauty of the Left Banke. "Black Sheep," "Daystar," and "Marionette" are highlights of this distinct album of cosmic psychedelia and melodic childlike pop. It even sounds fresh today.

The only two cents I will add here is the vocals really remind me of the Zombies in the way they sound as innocent as a boy from a church choir which works in magnificent irony against seething heavy psych guitar solos.

Here is a slide show with a live version of Black Sheep - the first song from the Aside

Suck / Ambition

The Bside to this classic JAMC 12" from 1985 is a must hear. I have placed both "Suck" and "Ambition" (a Subway Sect cover) on our MySpace page.

Maybe this will save the music industry?

EMI Licenses Lyrics for Clothing

Music industry types have put on their thinking caps and come up with a new way\ to extract another few pennies out of the value of a copyright: licensing lyrics to clothing manufacturers. EMI Music Publishing is the latest to embrace the trend, having made a deal with the British grocery store Sainsbury's "Tu Clothing" line that will involve printing lyrics from the publishing house's 1.3 million-song catalog on designs for men, women and children.

Jonathan Channon, executive vice president for EMI, couldn't resist a bit of wordplay: "Classic songs are part of the fabric of everybody's lives, and we’re delighted that people will now be able to wear their favorite songs through this deal." Get thee to a punnery, Channon.

EMI Publishing's lyrics division points out that previous initiatives have seen its lyrics licensed for board games, posters and greeting cards -- part of an apparent push by publishers in general to find new sources of revenue that includes the conversion of illicit lyrics sites to royalty paying partners.

Color Me Confused

It seems a little skronky to me that there doesn't appear to be much Galaxy 500 material available in much of the digital world. What the hell?

I recently purchased the first LP (Today) and was quickly reminded as to how phenomenal this band was / still sounds today. I know that when a band breaks up there isn't usually a funeral to follow but I imagine that if the Velvet Underground ever needed a worthy slow paced sonic dirge to lead a New Orleans style memorial parade , Galaxy 500 would have been the band to do it and groups like Yo La Tengo and The Flaming Lips would be standing among the procession saying AMEN.

In 1988 Thurston Moore claimed Today to be his favorite record of the year and after playing it again tonight, I understand why he said it.

Playing With Your Food = Art

The Jacket Lunch Box blog belongs to a designer/DJ/food enthusiast who likes to make album covers out of food.



Taken from Boing Boing.

Looking Forward

A DVD of the legendary "14 Hour Technicolour Dream" concert will be released later this month on Eagle Rock Entertainment. This psychedelic event from April 29, 1967 featured The Pretty Things, The Flies, The Purple Gang, Crazy World Of Arthur Brown, The Soft Machine and Pink Floyd (with Syd) to name a few of the artists on hand and dropping acid.

This magnificent piece of chic meets freak is a must see for you fans of the old school psych-rock.

Friday Flashcard: Name That Metal Band

Who cares what this band name is - this picture rules.

And in case you were wondering:

___________ "was spawned in the year of 2006 for the sole purpose of spreading lethal overdoses of hatred, malignancy and devilry."


All kidding aside I actually really like the two songs on their Myspace page. Go figure.

(name of the band is in the comments section)

We Don't Put Out

After being shelved for more than 20 years the proto Riot Grrrl film Ladies and Gentlemen the Fabulous Stains is getting a proper re-release via Rhino on DVD.

Here is the official product description:

Recently orphaned Corrine Third Degree Burns (a 14-year-old Diane Lane) enlists her cousin (Laura Dern) and sister (Marin Kanter) to launch a punk rock band The Stains. Three rehearsals later The Stains score the opening slot on a cross-country tour with aging metal act The Metal Corpses (led by Fee Waybill of The Tubes) and British punk rockers The Looters (real-life punk pioneers Paul Simonon from The Clash and Steve Jones & Paul Cook of The Sex Pistols). The Stains meteoric rise (and equally lightening-quick fall) owes more to TV exposure than to talent.

Here is the film trailer as well as part one and part two of the making of LGFS

Nerd Alert : Musical Tesla Coil

Taken from the YouTube post:

This is a solid-state Tesla coil. The primary runs at its resonant frequency in the 41 KHz range, and is modulated from the control unit in order to generate the tones you hear.So just to explain a little further, yes, it is the actual high voltage sparks that are making the noise. Every cycle of the music is a burst of sparks at 41 KHz, triggered by digital circuitry at the end of a "long" piece of fiber optics.What's not immediately obvious in this video is how loud this is. Many people were covering their ears, dogs were barking. In the sections where the crowd is cheering and the coils is starting and stopping, you can hear the the crowd is drowned out by the coil when it's firing.This Tesla coil was built and is owned by Steve Ward. Steve is a EE student at U of I Urbana-Champaign. He and Jeff have been going to Teslathons, which is where they met.It's been suggested that a good name for this coil would be the "Zeusaphone". "Thoremin" has also been mentioned, though personally I think we need Theramin type inputs for that.To answer a few questions I've received, YES, someone did yell "Play Freebird!" after the first round of music.

Lily Allen Approved

Lily appears to be a fan of the band (via MySpace friends list) and in turn Thomas Tantrum have risen to the newest UK band the press are fussing over. They remind me of Daisy Chainsaw but less Grunge and more cute indie rock.

TT has a new CD out on Sindy Stroker’s Records.

French Favorites

Liechtenstein - 'Stalking Skills'

I loved their single and here they are live...