Monday, April 30, 2018

Rock Scene online!


Rock Scene was a 70's NYC scenesters' bible! Dig it!

Friday, April 27, 2018

The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The First Conspiracy

I was a latecomer to T(I)NC, but once I finally gave A New Morning, Changing Weather a chance, I was pretty damn hooked on their mix of garage, punk and far left politics. I still haven't caught up on all of their releases, but found this one and thought I'd check it out. This is a CD compilation of four 7" records that were released prior to their debut, Survival Sickness. The sound and the lyrics are not quite as formulated as they later become, but it's an fine beginning and a cool document of their evolution.

As with their later work, there are plenty of garage influences, along with some punk, post-punk, No-Wave, and funk, all blended together to create their own concoction. The guitars and production aren't quite as roughly hewn as on the later works, and the songs don't necessarily have the same sing-along quality, but the intensity is there and the tracks are quite compelling.

Ironically, I probably wouldn't start with this release as a newbie to the group, but it is still quite diggable! Check it out!

Thursday, April 26, 2018

The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Live at Monterey

I was recently listening to the original, vinyl release of this set - the split LP with Otis Redding which only showcased 4 of Jimi's songs - but have always considered this one of the most super-charged live sets ever, based on the video release, which is astounding. While this was not high on my "to buy" list, when I found it at a reasonable price I couldn't refuse it.

This was the Experience's first American show and their set helped to change to course of rock'n'roll forever-more. Their appearance in the Monterey Festival movie guaranteed their stardom and helped rocket Jimi up the charts and into pop culture as one of the best guitarists that ever lived.

Introduced by none other than Brian Jones - one of the many Englishmen who had been blown away by Jimi in Britain - the Experience then blasts into a high energy burst'o'blues with their take of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor". With his speed, style and taste, Jimi pulls out the stops in his blues-drenched, feedback-filled, frantic lead break while Mitch and Noel bash'n'crash'n'swing in their own wild style. Hendrix's own "Foxey Lady" is rendered rockin'-ly with another superb solo passage, showcasing his control of sustain'n'feedback. Of course, his take on "Like a Rolling Stone" is now mythical, starting a trend of making Dylan's songs his own that would continue throughout his career. They turn BB King's slow blues, "Rock Me Baby", into another super-sonic thrill ride that has become THEE version of this classic, as has his interpretation of "Hey Joe" (the first single by the band and, in this case, with a solo played with Jimi's teeth).

Another original, "Can You See Me" is run through at a frantic pace, with another feedback-laden break (I can picture his wild moves during this portion of the song) before they get momentarily mellower with the beautiful "The Wind Cries Mary". The massive American hit "Purple Haze" is fantastic, with a longer, psycho/psychedelic lead break (love the "not necessarily stoned, but beautiful" vocal toss-off here) before the band closes with the stuff of legends, the fiery sacrifice of a Stratocaster in a noise-fueled take on the Troggs' "Wild Thing" (complete with a whimsical "Strangers in the Night" nod in the solo section).

A set that revolutionized rock'n'roll for all time and possibly the best live set that Hendrix ever recorded. Essential for any fan of the man or of rock'n'roll!

recommended gigs

Thursday April 26 - Atomic Video Jukebox at the Double Down with live guests Cliff and Ivy

Friday April 27 - the Legendary Boilermakers with the Cowboy Mashup Music Show at the Double Down

Saturday April 28 - the Implosions and Los Carajos at Cornish Pasty
Saturday April 28 - Bob Log III at the Bunkhouse

Monday April 30 Thee Swank Bastards at Starboard Tack and the Golden Tiki!

Tuesday May 1 - Jenny Don't and the Spurs with Paige Overton at venue change to the Golden Tiki!

Wednesday May 2 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast with the Time Crashers at the Double Down

Friday May 4 - the All Togethers, Children of Eden, Stagnetti's Cock, Darky Dark and the Junky Bunch at the Double Down

Saturday May 5 - the Unwieldies, Dante's Inferno, Los Carajos at Cornish Pasty

Sunday May 6 - the Burly-Q Revue at the Double Down with the Scoundrels

Saturday May 12th - the Unwieldies record release party with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday May 19 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Sunday May 20 - the Rhyolite Sound at the Bunkhouse!

Monday May 21 Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday May 23 Thee Swank Bastards at the Space and the Double Down!

Saturday May 26 - the Dead Boys with the Schizophonics at Backstage Bar and Billiards
Saturday May 26 - Shanda and the Howlers record release show at the Sand Dollar

Sunday May 27 - Fuzz Solow, Sector 7-G, Struck Nerve at Evel Pie

Monday May 28 Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday May 30 Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Friday June 8 - the Unwieldies with Le Dominiki at the Huntridge

Friday June 29 - the Psyatics, Illicitor, Water Landing and Better Broken at the Double Down

Friday Sept 7 - Hot Tuna at Brooklyn Bowl

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

The Dead Brothers - Flammend' Herz

This CD is the soundtrack to a movie of the same name - a documentary about three older Swiss gentlemen bonded by a love of tattoos and tattooing. The title translates into English (roughly) as "blue skin", an allusion to the ink that they all carry. Obviously, tattoos are painfully commonplace now - so much so that it's almost more unusual if you do not have one - but when these three began their journey, it was highly unusual.

The instrumental music that the Dead Brothers create to back this film has plenty of nods to traditional European folk music, but with mixes of Tom Waits-ian oddness and early American Roarin' 20's-style jazz, among other sounds. Along with the more customary instruments like guitar and piano, there are banjos, horns, accordion, whistle, harmonium, dobro, cello and more, giving it all an old-timey feel without emulating the style too overtly.

I really love this record and fans of Waits, R. Crumb and the Cheap Suit Serenaders and the Peculiar Pretzelmen will probably enjoy it as well. Thanks to Voodoo Rhythm Records and Beat Man for turning me on to this!

Wednesday, April 25, 2018

Alice Cooper Live at the Whiskey-a-Go-Go 1969

This is a wonderful time capsule of one of my all-time favorite bands well before they became superstars. The material here is drawn from their first two, demented albums, Pretties For You and Easy Action, which are both incredible records and quite different from the somewhat more commercial, heavy-metal-pop sounds of the later years. The sound here is pretty terrific for an early live recording (done on an 8-Track recorder, apparently) and the group in incredibly tight as they run through these strange numbers with their innumerable changes. There are some variations from the studio albums, but mostly, these are pretty incredible run-throughs of these numbers.

This all-too-short set (were they opening for someone, I wonder?) includes "No Longer Umpire", "Today Mueller", "10 Minutes Before the Worm", "Levity Ball" (not the same live take that was released on Pretties For You), "Nobody Likes Me" (a song that was unreleased until the AC box set, other than on bootlegs or a flexi disc, as I recall), "B.B. on Mars", "Sing Low, Sweet Cheerio" (pretty terrific "jam" number that sounds almost exactly like the album!) before closing with "Changing, Arranging", with its menacing fuzz guitar work.

I love damn near everything that AC group ever did and this is no exception. So amazing that someone had the foresight to document this bit of warped, aural madness! Probably for fans only, but essential for them!

(PS - I've had the vinyl of this for ages but didn't know until now that it had been released on CD, so no excuse - get it!)

Black Monk Time (book) - Eddie Shaw

Although I have ranted'n'raved about the monks innumerable times on this blog, apparently, this book precedes my blogging, so I had not written about it before now. I just took another trip through this tome as I tripped through Europe and so here I am.

Eddie Shaw was, of course, the bassist for the monks (lower case "m", although I tend to forget that) and became a writer 20 years or so after returning to America to tell his tale. His wife contributes her portion of the story, as well, and so you get a pretty well rounded feel for these two volatile youngsters as they try to discover themselves and their love in a strange country (Angelika/Anita having come from East Germany and Eddie, of course, from America).

Most readers here know that the monks were formed by GI's living in Germany, who decided to continue the band and stay on after their tours of duty were completed. Starting as a more "normal" beat band, the Torquays, the group eventually began experimenting (as groups would do during long stints in clubs, playing multiple sets a night) and created the primitive, noisy, fairly manic sound of the monks. Managers helped define and refine their sound and image and convinced them to play solely original music (which they thought was the wave of the future) although they had some odd ideas of publicity stunts, like a dinner meeting with college intellectuals who looked for deep meaning in the monks, and a proposed tour of Vietnam as the war was raging (which helped cause the breakup of the band).

Eddie goes into plenty of detail of their time in the dingy, German dive bars and theaters, as well as their recording ventures - all of which is highly entertaining and relate-able to any musician. The monks played with big names like the Kinks (Shaw says they were snotty pricks) and Jimi Hendrix (!), who was from the same Washington town as Gary and who had just released "Hey Joe" and was on his way to superstardom - a big difference from the monks.

The last couple of songs that they recorded (that were not released until the eventual CD reissues) were two "soft wave" (their description) tunes, including "He Went Down to the Sea" which showcased Eddie's trumpet playing and in which Gary sang a note so powerfully that he literally permanently damaged his vocal cords!

The afore-mentioned tour of Vietnam was supposed to help revitalize the band, but there were some serious (understandable) concerns and the band split up instead of going. Everyone went their own way and Eddie picks up the story some 20 years or so later, with everyone having gone through some serious times of trouble, but they ended up picking themselves up. After the book came out, the band did reform for a few American shows at garage festivals - and they were phenomenal! - before the untimely deaths of Roger, Gary and Dave.

A great read for any musician or anyone interested in the "glamorous" lives of rock'n'rollers on the road.

Reverend Beat Man and the New Wave - BluesTrash

The good Reverend was once in the Swiss lo-fi garage rock'n'roll combo the Monsters, and then he was converted to Lightnin' Beat Man before finding religion as the Reverend Beat Man at the turn of the century. Since then he has worked more or less as a one-man-band, although often with the help of various cohorts. On this record his current touring partner, Nicole Izobel Garcia appears on keys and vocals, along with other friends such as Mario Batkovic (accordion and other various instruments), Resli Burri (assorted keyboard instruments) and Julian Sartorius (on drums, when the Rev decides not to play).

Blues Trash is an appropriate title and description for the record - although the sound is not as trashy and lo-fi as some previous efforts (in fact, the fidelity if pretty damn good, even if the playing can be purposefully trashy). The songs range from simple'n'raw blues ("I Have Enough" - great guitar work - and the ferocious "I'm Not Gonna Tell You") to exotic, Tom Waits-y, twisted ballads ("Today Is a Beautiful Day") to bouncy, Gypsy-sounding accordion numbers ("I'll Do It For You") back to primitive, howlin' blues ("The White Wolf Is Back in Town" - with crazed guitar, wailin' sax and organ).

Nicole sings a ballad in Spanish with just the Rev backing her on guitar that could easily fit in on either a Tarantino or Lynch movie ("But I Love You"), there's more Waits-ian atmospheric-ness in "You Are on Top", another hip blues in "If I Knew" (one he played at the show the other night, that built nicely with his looper effect pedal and Nicole's keys), the harmonium/ accordion combo gives a properly solemn feel to "Then We All Gonna Die", "Love Is Simply a Dream" starts off utterly sparse and builds in noise and intensity, "Looking Right Through" has a weird, repetitive backing loop with a wonderful cacophony assembled on top of it, and the closer, "Lass Uns Liebe Machen", Beat Man sings in his native language with accordion and saw backing him, sounding like something you would hear in a local, old-fashioned tavern (or a David Lynch movie!).

After experiencing the magic'n'magesty of the Reverend's live show and now immersing myself in this record, as well, I am a convert to the Beat Man religion! Be sure to see him if he comes to your town and pick up whatever you can from this man's long, illustrious career!


Tuesday, April 24, 2018

Reverend Beat Man with Nicole Izobel Garcia and the Swamp Gospel at the Beauty Bar, Monday April 23, 2018


The Reverend Beat Man (aka Lightnin' Beat Man) is a Swiss legend who has been around for numerous years (previously having played with the Monsters) and who has worked with a plenty of my Swiss friends. I have never had a chance to see him in concert before, so I was thrilled that the Swamp Gospel was asked to open this evening's show (thanks, Pulsar!). Monday nights are tough in Vegas and this was no exception as there was a sparse audience throughout the night and particularly during our early performance. But, the Gospel won over a few new converts and still enjoyed getting out and preachin' the gospel again.


The Reverend, normally a one-man band these days, was joined by Nicole Izobel Garcia (a female, so technically it was still a one MAN band, as I believe Pulsar pointed out) on drums, keys and vocals, giving a nice counterpoint to the Rev's gruff voice and blues trash playing. But, make no mistake, this was a wild mash of blues trash, with ravin' raw guitar (with nice use of a looper pedal to add layers of sound) and wild, garage-y songs (the organ added a hip, garage touch) like "Get On Your Knees", "Jesus Christ Twist", the call'n'answer of "Come Back to Me" and Nicole's sweeter lead vocals on songs like "I Never Told You I Loved You". There was a tune where Beat Man sung in his native Swiss/German and Nicole "translated" in Spanish and for the finale, he did a crazed number explaining why all Swiss look alike, in his own, inimitable fashion. This was a truly religious experience and one of the best shows in recent times - Vegas has to learn to not ignore legends when they come to town. I can guarantee you that those who were there were damn glad they were!

















Thank you again to the Beauty Bar and promoter Pulsar for bringing magic to Las Vegas and not just looking at the dollar signs. Great night!



Saturday, April 21, 2018

The Implosions, the New Waves at Zia Records, Saturday April 21, 2018


Since we do so much shopping online these days, we don't get out to any brick'n'mortar store very often, so we try to make a point to get to Zia on Record Store Day, even though we never buy any of the RSD special releases. This particular RSD though, was special in that a bunch of friends were playing in the stores. Unfortunately, we missed the earlier gig on Zia on Eastern (sorry, Unwieldies!) but we made it to the Sahara store for this one.

Our good friends, the Implosions, started off the day here with their unique brand of Vegas-themed rock'n'roll, with musical influences ranging from the blues, the Cramps and 70's punk rock. Songs like the poppy "Las Vegas Summer Nights", the punky "Blue Angel" and "Elvis" mixed with bluesy/ Cramps-y numbers about imploded casinos, Block 16 (the original drinkin'/gamblin'/prostitution area), and playin' the ponies. The Implosions are still new to the scene, but are already gainin' a reputation and a fan club and are tons of fun with plenty of talent'n'style with tight'n'tasty playin' from everyone and some fine pipes on singer Adrienne. See 'em!






The New Waves are Vegas' instro super-group who are fast becoming one of the more popular acts in town with their surf-styled interpretations of 80's new waves songs from bands like the Go-Go's, Gary Newman, the Cars, the Knack and plenty more! Always a hit whenever they take the stage, their playing is stellar all around, they are stylish in matching black'n'red outfits and the equipment is ultra-cool and period-proper. They vary their guitar sounds somewhat to fit the original song, but keep the surf tones'n'reverb throughout. More Saturday afternoon fun!




Due to other obligations, we weren't able to stick around for the other acts (sorry guys!), but this was a totally enjoyable Record Store Day! 

Friday, April 20, 2018

RIP Michael Chandler


So sad to hear the news that Michael has lost his long fight with cancer. He sang in a couple of the best east coast bands of the 80's - the Outta Place and the Raunch Hands.

Sympathies to his friends and family.

Thursday, April 19, 2018

recommended gigs

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Thursday April 19 - the Dream Syndicate at the Beauty Bar

Friday April 20 - Bogtrotters Union at McMullan's Irish Pub
Friday April 20 - the Scoundrels at the Dive Bar

Saturday April 21 - Fuzz Solow at the Golden Tiki
Saturday April 21 - the Unwieldies at Zia Records on Eastern for Record Store Day at noon
Saturday April 21 - the Implosions, the New Waves, Franks'n'Deans, All the Rage at Zia on Sahara for Record Store Day - starts at 2:00 pm

Monday April 23 - the legendary Rev Beat Man with the Swamp Gospel and the Psyatics at the Beauty Bar

Wednesday April 25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Double Down

Thursday April 26 - Atomic Video Jukebox at the Double Down with live guests Cliff and Ivy

Friday April 27 - the Legendary Boilermakers with the Cowboy Mashup Music Show at the Double Down

Saturday April 28 - the Implosions and Los Carajos at Cornish Pasty

Tuesday May 1 - Jenny Don't and the Spurs with Paige Overton at Evel Pie

Wednesday May 2 - Franks'n'Deans Weenie Roast with the Time Crashers at the Double Down

Friday May 4 - the All Togethers, Children of Eden, Stagnetti's Cock, Darky Dark and the Junky Bunch at the Double Down

Saturday May 5 - the Unwieldies, Dante's Inferno, Los Carajos at Cornish Pasty

Sunday May 6 - the Burly-Q Revue at the Double Down with the Scoundrels

Saturday May 12th - the Unwieldies record release party with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday May 19 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday May 26 - the Dead Boys with the Schizophonics at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday June 29 - the Psyatics, Illicitor, Water Landing and Better Broken at the Double Down

Friday Sept 7 - Hot Tuna at Brooklyn Bowl

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Thursday, April 05, 2018

recommended gigs

Thursday April 5 - the Legendary Shack Shakers with the Rhyolite Sound and Shanda and the Howlers at the Beauty Bar
Thursday April 5 - Wanda Jackson at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday April 6 - Durango 66 at the Double Down

Saturday April 7 - The Psyatics, the Pluralses, Better Broken and the Whining Pussys at the Dive Bar

Sunday April 8 - Dead Meadow and the Acid Sisters at the Bunkhouse

Monday April 9 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 11 - Destroy all Gondolas with Guitara KYO at the Bunkhouse

Friday April 13 - The Swank Bastards with Stagnetti's Cock at the Double Down

Saturday April 14 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Monday April 16 - the Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday April 18 - Peelander-Z, Time Crashers and Illicitor at the Beauty Bar
Wednesday April 18 - the Terrorsaurs at the Bunkhouse

Thursday April 19 - the Terrorsaurs, Psyatics, Swank Bastards at the Double Down
Thursday April 19 - the Dream Syndicate at the Beauty Bar

Saturday April 21 - Fuzz Solow at the Golden Tiki
Saturday April 21 - the Unwieldies at Zia Records on Eastern for Record Store Day at noon
Saturday April 21 - the Implosions, the New Waves, Franks'n'Deans, All the Rage at Zia on Sahara for Record Store Day - starts at 2:00 pm

Monday April 23 - the legendary Rev Beat Man with the Swamp Gospel and the Psyatics at the Beauty Bar

Saturday May 12th - the Unwieldies record release party with Melanie and the Midnite Marauders at the Huntridge Tavern

Saturday May 19 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday May 26 - the Dead Boys with the Schizophonics at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday Sept 7 - Hot Tuna at Brooklyn Bowl

What have I forgotten? Lemme know

Tuesday, April 03, 2018

No Regrets - Ace Frehley

I had probably heard something about KISS before they appeared on In Concert, but watching them on TV that Friday night in their leather outfits, with their wild antics and heavy, guitar-based 70's rock, I was hooked! I was able to experience them several times during their first few tours (they would play everywhere, including the small towns and venues near me, and I got close enough to literally touch them) and dug their music throughout most of the original line-up (although things like "Beth" turned off most of their early fans). I'll still pull out the early albums and can always appreciate the over-the-top outrageousness of their marketing and live shows and am fascinated by how it all came about.

Growing up in NYC, Ace had a lot of opportunities early on to see great r'n'r - from the early package tours with the Who and the Cream to festivals with all the giants of the early 70's. One of my favorite of his reminiscences is that, due to the much more lax security of the day, he was able to walk backstage (he looked like he belonged in a band at the time) and hang out with the likes of John Kay! He was even put to work at times and helped set up drums for - and with! - Mitch Mitchell!

He played with whatever band came along for a number of years and honed his chops and then one day he happened upon a want ad for a guitarist and went down to meet Paul, Gene and Peter. He won them over, they did some gigs and was able to record a 5 song demo at none other than Electric Ladyland studios with the incredible Eddie Kramer engineering! With the help of a manager, they got a record deal with the brand new Casablanca Records and put out four albums within 18 months! I thoroughly enjoy Ace's reminiscences about the process of recording, although I think he gives the band a bit too much credit on the popularity of live albums. Yes, their live record shot them to superstardom, but many bands had used this tool before, with Deep Purple being an obvious example of a band getting a major hit from one of these. I know I'm being picky, but it is funny how people remember things like this.

As he was spiraling downward into addiction (alcohol and cocaine), he gives less and less details about recording and tours, although he was happy with his solo album that was released while the band was still together. After a few more records, he leaves the band and here the story becomes fairly depressing, as he lives the bleak life of an addict, with no regard for the safety or property of himself or those around him (driving a car into his baby's nursery is just one example). While he seemed to be a happy-go-lucky rock'n'roller previously, at this point, he's pretty much an ass. Throughout the rest of the book, he mostly just recalls cringe-worthy stories of stupidity and excess and multiple near-death experiences. It is fairly amazing that he is still alive - he did become sober - but this part of his life is anything but fun and wasn't very enjoyable to read, but hopefully it will serve as a warning to some.

As often happens for me, the stories of the 60's and 70's are highly entertaining and engaging, but the later years are pretty horrible, more so than those 70's icons who simply became "normal" and settled down to boring lives. Ace didn't become boring, but I'm glad he wasn't around me!


Monday, April 02, 2018

The Unwieldies and Shanda and the Howlers at GarageMaHall, Sunday April 1. 2018

After a night at the Double Down, it can be difficult to become upright again the next morning, but somehow we managed and got out to the GarageMaHall for this weekend benefit for the Howlers drummer, Keith. The GarageMaHall is actually more-or-less on our side of town, so that made it easier, although we still didn't make it down until after the Unwieldies had already started their 11:30 am set!

I've ranted'n'raved about this acoustic quartet many-a-times, and they always deliver. With the Psyatics own Rob (here on stand-up bass) and Jack (here on violin) providing musical accompaniment to Rob's wife Dani (on guitar and lead vocals), along with dobro-player Richard, the group has their own style of folk/Americana that really sounds like no one else, due to their own eclectic tastes and musical contributions. Dani's sweet, lilting voice is just damn purty and when Rob's gruffly melodic vocals come in for counterpoint and harmonies, the songs really come alive. Great stuff for a mellow morning! Oh yeah, they did get some help from Pitchfork's banjoist for a couple of numbers off of their new, upcoming album, as well.





Shanda and the Howlers provided a more electric, bluesy, danceable set with none other than Keith Alcantara providing the rockin' rhythms for the group once again. He was in fine form, despite his recent illness, and it was great to see him playing a full set with the group again. With songs from their current record, Trouble, as well as their upcoming new release, they got the crowd of kinds'n'adults up'n'dancin' and whoopin'n'hollarin' as they gave up their own brand on bluesy, old school R'n'B. Another one of my favorites bands in town, with a stacked line-up of terrific players and singer, they're always a blast to see'n'hear. 








I know there was a lot more happening here all weekend, but we were a bit partied out by this point and headed home for some much-needed rest'n'relaxation. A great time and a very cool venue though!

The Psyatics, The Pluralses, the Swamp Gospel at the Double Down Saloon, Saturday Mar 31, 2018




The Swamp Gospel had been on hiatus for various reasons since last December, so we were happy to be asked to be part of the Psyatics record release show at the DD. While the audience was fairly sparse for our opening set, it was get to be back selling soul salvation to old and new congregants.


(SG pic by Nikki Ruffling - thanks, as always, Nikki!)

The celebrants themselves, the Psyatics, were up next and the Saloon magically filled up to a packed crowd of unruly spectators to help honor the release of the new record, Much Worse Things Happen at Sea. To help fill out the sound on a couple of new songs from the record, the boys recruited Micah from Shanda and the Howlers on saxophone and he wailed appropriately right from the start. The band rolled through tunes from all of their albums, with Jack shakin' his butt, wagglin' his tongue and assaulting the audience while setting off sonic waves over Rob's rollickin' bass lines and Mark's tight, surf-styled drums. Yours truly sat in on their cover of the Hives "Two Timing Touch" from the new record, as well as Lou Reed's "I Can't Stand It", which appeared on the previous Famous Monsters album, before the trio closed their set with their own "Gentlemen of Four Outs". Great set and great response from the crowd that was obviously there to support them! Of course, the lovely Ivana Blaize was shimmin'n'shakin' throughout their set for added visual appeal!









(Photo of me sitting in by Melanie Coffee)

Every time I see the Pluralses, their goof-ball punk-pop tunes are tighter and bouncier than ever, blasting through the numbers at sonic speed, while maintaining melodies and harmonies and, yes, offensive, wacky lyrics about celebrities like Guy Fieri and girls who ask for it. Fun stuff!



By this time, this old man was past the point of staying up and missed Stagnetti's Cock - sorry! Thanks for being part of the night and big thanks to DJ Atomic (Hanson) for the great vids during the sets and the great tunes between!