recommended gig!

Also Saturday May 2 - Chris from the Delta Bombers will be live on Facebook at 6:00 pm Pacific Time
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Franks'n'Deans will be hosting their "Weenie Roast" next Wednesday May 6 as a pizza party!
Check it out!

Time Crashers - EP-ISODE 2: The Edison Paradox

I think that we discovered the Time Crashers due to a Las Vegas Vegan Eats event where their bassist (at the time - time being fluid with this combo) was/is a fellow vegetarian and one of the only other musicians at the event. When we got a chance to see them, we were definitely intrigued by their time-traveling, punk rock ways, with Telsa (singer) teaming up with the likes of Carl Sagan (drums), Leonardo Davinci (guitarist/inventor), Julius Caesar (bassist before he was murdered on stage), Julie D'Aubigny (current bassist) and more (at different times). Smart'n'funny, visual'n'talented, they were certainly a change of pace in the Vegas scene.

As the title states, this is their second release, the previous being the Bootleg From the Future/ Chronal Displacement from, damn, I guess it's been 5 years ago (although time is meaningless to these travelers, I suppose). Here, they continue with their punky/hardcore music mixed with humorously smart lyrics.

This EP starts things off with "Jesus Dino Rider", obviously influenced by wacky memes floating around the internet, which is actually pretty damn catchy, with hip licks intertwined with Biblical lyrics. "I Liked You Better When You Were Primordial Ooze" is a bit more hardcore, in their fairly goofy way, and short'n'fast, with a funnily intelligent storyline once again flanked by cool git-riffs. An inter-dimensional saga of fast love, "You Make My Heart Go 88 MPH" has great, uncontrolled guitar mania with a "Back To the Future" reference (how could they not?) followed by the continuum-altering "Quantum Mosh" - trashily'n'dirgey with references to the TV show Quantum Leap, in a weird, twisted way which leads into  "UnFrozen Caveman Lawyer" - how do they come up with these concepts? Kind of a growly - but catchy - chorus, and melodic guitar and sax lines intertwining with a punk/ska beat in a super cool, almost X-Ray Spex kinda way - pretty great, actually! "Steel Cotillion" gives us a futuristic debutante ball, with a modernistic waltz beat mixed with thrash?! Wha? The EP closes with "Discontinuum ", a  one minute and 12 second blur of superspeed hardcore with some no wave sax (provided by modern day human Joshua Kephart) added for superb, extra color.

This group alters the space/time continuum so you don't have to - damn, are they to blame for our current timeline? No, don't take it out on them, simply appreciate their primitive r'n'r offerings to help appease our sufferings in this dystopian cycle. I haven't seen them in years, apparently (who knows since they keep twisting the timeline?) but I hope that once the stupid human race repairs itself they will make their presence known again. In the meantime, this EP is currently available as a digital release and you can pick it up at the Time Crashers Bandcamp page. Give them some cash so that they can go back in time and fix things!

Gods of the Hammer - the Teenage Head Story by Geoff Pevere

I don't really remember when I first became aware of the band Teenage Head, one of Canada's first "punk rock" (a term they didn't care for) bands, but when I heard them, I certainly dug their 70's punk via 60's garage stylings. Classic songs like the oft-covered "Picture My Face" (which I think I mistook for a 60's tune by the likes of the Ugly Ducklings rather than an original when I first heard it), the power-pop-ish "You're Tearin' Me Apart" and the oddly-named "Lucy Potato" positively struck a rock'n'roll power chord with me. In this book - the title a play on Led Zep along with their hometown Hamilton, Ontario's nickname "The Hammer" - Pevere, a huge fan of the band, does his best to bring to life their story.

The members are all about my age (interestingly enough, as is Kim Salmon, whose bio I also just read) and grew up with 60's rock'n'roll and pop music thrilling them as it did countless others and convincing them that they needed to form a band. As usual, there were a few false starts, but the gentlemen found each other while they were still teenagers and remained together, through thick and super-thin, for decades afterwards.

In America, this band, no matter how much they may be revered, are basically a punk rock footnote but in Canada, it turns out that they were huge - platinum records, touring to sell out crowds, headlining in front of 15,000 people, etc. - and put out a number of albums, most of which I have never heard. The usual story of mismanagement, money disputes and substance abuse eventually cause the original members to split, but as of the book's writing in 2014, the band - a version of it anyway - is still touring and, while not selling lots of records, still filing clubs.

While brief - a mere 131 pages - Pevere does his best to flesh out the tale with plenty of interviews with the members and those who worked with the band and keeps it interesting'n'entertaining from start to finish. A fun read that will make ya wanna search out more from these cats.

RIP Ian Whitcomb

Ian Whitcomb ‘You Turn Me On’ Singer, Dead at 78
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Ugly Things #53

Do I really have to say that you should be getting every issue of Ugly Things? Mike Stax, with wife Anja and a renown cast of characters, bring you another issue jam packed with incredible reads. Page after page of reviews of all things rock'n'roll and special interviews with The Groupies, of "Primitive" fame, and their brother band the Outsiders (not related to either of the famous groups of the same name), a great interview with Johnny Blitz of the Dead Boys (where Ned Hayden helps supply some of the answers that are escaping Johnny), Skip Spence, the Raspberries, the Boston punk rock scene, the Flamin' Groovies and, of course, the Pretty Things. Yes, you should this one and subscribe already, if ya haven't! You won't regret it!

Kim Salmon and the Formula For Grunge - Douglas Galbraith

Galbraith was actually a guitar student of Salmon's who was also a fan and the lessons he took were combined with stories of Salmon's rock'n'roll past which enthralled him enough to volunteer to write Kim's biography. Not being a writer did not discourage him nor Salmon, and their collaboration actually ends up being quite informative'n'entertaining, and gives us an overview of the Aussie scenes as well as Salmon's specific contributions. (Although Salmon's claim - albeit begrudgingly - that his sound was "the formula for grunge" seems to me a bit misplaced - I just don't hear it at all, which I think is a good thing!) Galbraith interviews pretty much everyone still living who worked with Salmon, so there are various viewpoints that fill out the generally consistent story.

Growing up in the comparatively small city of Perth (not nearly as small and backwards as many places, but confining for Salmon), Kim was enthralled with art and music as a child and eventually dedicated his life primarily to the latter. Various bands ensued, including an early, more punk-pop version of the Scientists that garnered some popularity before imploding. A move to Sydney with all new members but the same sobriquet, the music was simplified and refined into a mix-mash of their previous influences and newer styles such as the Cramps and Suicide (the two bands that I would always use to describe the group's sound) to form the Scientists sound that most people now know. I'm a bit amused'n'surprised by how much thought was put into their look, though. While they do look trashy/hip, they also basically look like they fell into a pile of clothes and wore whatever ended up on them!

After conquering Australia - selling out shows and pressings of records - the group relocated to London where, after a slow start, they took the country - and neighboring countries - by storm. It looked like there was no place to go but up. Of course, that's when the strains become their worst and the group eventually split up. Kim returned to Australia and various bands, particularly his own Surrealists and his collaboration with Tex Perkins, the Beasts of Bourbon. I, for one, had no idea whatsoever how popular the BoB were at the time (in Europe and Aussieland, but not the States) but their popularity caused Kim to eventually leave to commit himself to his own projects.

There is a chapter dedicated to the concept of Salmon creating Grunge, which, while he did undoubtedly influence some of the Seattle bands, I still think is kind of a stretch, maybe used to sell books? The Scientists really sound little like the Grunge groups which I always thought were more influenced by the likes of Grand Funk Railroad in their fuzzed-out sound.

The vast number of musical organizations that Salmon has been involved in surprised me, but Galbraith tries to compile them all, which can be challenging as Kim would sometimes do three distinctive offerings in one year! Of course, many would overlap, which makes the timeline of the book a bit fluid, as well.

Of course, Salmon is still active and so the books leaves off with a show the author put together as multi-media presentation and collaboration with Kim and some parting words from the man. He has an impressive career and hopefully he will continue to impress for years to come!

RIP Knox Phillips

Knox Phillips, tireless champion of Memphis music, dead at 74
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Sam Phillip's son and a legend in his own right - sad to hear of his demise.

Spacemen 3 - Taking Drugs to Make Music to Take Drugs To

Yep, I'm still delving into the wild, trippy sounds of Spacemen 3 and this record may be one of their best! Ironically, it is a collection of demos from the 80's, but the sound is great overall and the performances and songs are much more raw'n'powerful than on most of their "official" releases.

Opening with "The Sound of Confusion", this is particularly rockin', in a minimalistic, droney way, but with plenty of energy and some terrifically noisy feedback guitar work - probably one of my fave numbers of theirs. A bit more menacing'n'gritty is "2:35", with a prowling rhythm and jarring guitar interactions, followed by the looping, loping guitar work in "Losing Touch With My Mind" - Sonic and Jason have some great tones and intertwine well here over a cool, repetitive, garagey backing by bassist Pete and drummer Natty. This continues in the similar sounding "Amen", which is actually - sorta/kinda - a take on the standard gospel tune and then "That's Just Fine" is a bit more open'n'ambient 'n'psychedelic sounding and obviously influenced by the Velvet Underground. Their version of the old school blues number "Come Down Easy" is sparsely groovy and a great interpretation, "Mary Anne" is an energetic, psych-influenced head-bobber, and they slow things down to a stoney simmer in "Feel So Good", get a bit Crampsian for a different take on "2:35" that has some excellently wild guitar noise, "Hey Man" is another rendition of "Amen", which has a hip, droney stomp to it, Bo Diddley's (by way of the Stones) "It's Alright" is simple'n'repetitive enough to make sense as a cover for these cats, yet another take on "2:35" works as a terrific variation with truly intense'n'dynamic walls of guitar before concluding with the two note Suicide-esque (with guitar mania) demolition of "Things'll Never Be the Same".

This is a bit less overtly stoner and more garage rock'n'roll, but certainly psyched-out, nonetheless. I've only heard their debut, Sound of Confusion, on YouTube so far but thought it was pretty fab, but this release is probably my fave that I've heard so far.

Spacemen 3 - Playing With Fire

After reading bassist Will Carruthers' book on his time with Spacemen 3, I have been revisiting the band and I picked up this CD which I did not own previously. Although I have dabbled in alternative realities and I have always appreciated drug-oriented psychedelic music, I generally am not one for the more quiet, ambient direction that some stoned-out music travels, preferring to jar the senses a bit more. That said, a little calmness in the trip can work, as well, and that seems to be what Spacemen 3 is aiming for, overall.

With the emphasis on the drone and minimalism in general, Sonic Boom concentrates on repeating, echo'd/tremelo'd chords with simple, quiet melodies and other slight-of-hand musical touches floating over the top. I completely understand Carruthers stories of the band getting high on hash before recording - this sounds like drugged out music, without a doubt! When we get to "Revolution", there is a bit more ferocity, with louder, distorted chords, a drivin' drum beat and generally more power'n'passion, as they steal mumbled, buried lyrics from the likes of the MC5 (an influence on the band, but mostly just in the Detroit combo's most avant garde moments) but still retain a singular drone ala the MC5's "Black to Comm". For me, this is one of the more effective numbers due to the nicely abrasive textures.

"Let Me Down Gently" refers to a trip rather than a relationship, I assume, while they go for pure pop in "So Hot" and then Sonic puts his guitar's repeater on high for their tribute to the band in "Suicide" and get a little gospel-y in a VU-kinda way in "Lord Can You Hear Me?". On the CD there is a live take on "Suicide", which adds a quite a bit more energy'n'gritty power to the drone with dynamic washes of wah and various waves of sound, along with a live "Repeater", which I must say I prefer in this setting, as well. There's a pretty much unrecognizable (but very cool) version of Suicide's "Che" before they end things with a Velvet Underground-ish, psychedelic take on "Will the Circle Be Unbroken".

The group can go a little overboard in the simplistic, ambient sounds at times, but overall, they are nicely trippy. I may explore some other works of theirs, as well.

Suicide - American Supreme

I was a bit surprised to find that we owned this record, Suicide's fifth and final studio album, released in 2002. I'm sure that I must have listened to it at some point or another, but I'm afraid that this release has little of the sonic mania of their earlier records, particularly their debut, and so it did not stick with me. It certainly is not nearly as jarring as their first album and their embrace of slick dance music combined with relatively restrained (for the most part) vocal performances, meant that there was little here to bear repeated listenings.

With plenty of emphasis on dance music/disco rhythms, there is also bits of funk, reggae'n'dub (heavily echo'd vocals now'n'again) and other influences, although turning their backs on the 60's touches from their past and subduing the cacophony and the shrieks to the point of bordering on (and sometimes crossing over into) boredom. "Swearin' to the Flag" and "Beggin' For Miracles", while slick, are a bit more compelling, but most songs are monotonous without any truly redeeming qualities.

I wish that I could like this more - I love the concept of the band and adore the early work, but this does not work for me.

Playing the Bass With Three Left Hands - Will Carruthers

Although I have dug the trippy sounds of Spacemen 3, I'll admit that I am not overly familiar with their repertoire and know pretty much nothing about any of the members, other than that one was (is?) named Sonic Boom, which I appreciated. This book was gifted to me by our pal Bob Blackburn (thanks Bob!) as a fellow freak and mental adventurer - although not nearly to the extent of Carruthers.

With a druggy, somewhat poetic writing style, Carruthers tells of a youth of misadventure and experimentation with various intoxicants and mindless jobs and drug dealing "friends" and acquaintances and a life lived under the continual threat of arrest. Existing/persisting/subsisting in the tiny town of Rugby, where anything counter-culture congregated under one roof (which probably actually created a healthy scene), dead-end, truly shitty-sounding factory jobs were taken in order to survive. While only occasionally playing bass in bands - more often working to expand his perceptions - Will was headhunted by Spacemen 3, who had already recorded two albums and done some extensive touring and, coincidentally, was Carruthers favorite band.

His time in the group in documented in a number of alternative-reality anecdotes based around strange gigs and innumerable intoxicants. There seems to hardly have been a waking moment free of mind-altering substances and, at times, the abuse is Herculean. Despite this, Will's remembrances are quite lucid and extremely entertaining, with tales of recording various albums (I believe he said 4 studio albums in a year's time!), extreme shows, and vomit-drenched ferry rides, along with personal asides describing the other band members. Of course, nothing lasts forever and a ride like this one seemed destined to end sooner rather than later, and the group broke up amidst bad feelings and recriminations. Everyone except Sonic form the band Spiritualized and the escapades continued until Will got tired of the life of a poor rock'n'roller and left the band.

The chapters are all succinct, concise tales of ordinary and extraordinary madness that are extremely well written and entertaining, even if they are sometimes a bit depressing (as life can be, especially while trying to do something with your music). Notwithstanding his prestigious drug abuse, Will is obviously quiet intelligent and has seemed to have come through his trials all for the better. Musicians will easily relate to many of the escapades but everyone interested in a life lead alternatively should read. Highly recommended!

Iggy box set

NEWS: IGGY POP ANNOUNCES DELUXE RELEASE OF ‘THE IDIOT’ AND ‘LUST FOR LIFE’ ON NEW 7 DISC ‘BERLIN YEARS’ BOXSET 
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This could be super interesting or a bit excessive - we shall see!

recommended gig!

Saturday April 11 at 3:00 pm - the Delta Bombers live stream! Here's a link!

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It seems that most people do not give any prior notice to their live streams but let me know if you are planning on in advance and I will note it!

Stay home'n'stay healthy!

RIP Mort Drucker

Mort Drucker, Master of the Mad Caricature, Is Dead at 91 
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Damn, Mad Magazine was a major part of my youth and Mort was an artistic inspiration. Sorry to hear of his passing.

Spacemen 3 - The Perfect Prescription

While I have never been enough of a drug taker (as much as I appreciate the sentiment) to be a huge Spacemen 3 fan, I have always appreciated their intoxicated style and now, as I am delving into one-time bassist's Will Carruthers' book, I have been revisiting them. This is the only album that I currently own (although I have ordered another already and am interested in others) and while it has been ages since I pulled it out, it does have its own druggy charm.

This was the group's second studio album and, apparently, a concept album about a drug trip and while it is overall relatively calm and reasonably quiet, it does have its jarring moments. Lou Reed's influence is highly apparent here with plenty of Velvet Underground touches throughout and a tribute number titled "Ode to Street Hassle". There's even a bit of old school blues as they "borrow" heavily from "In My Time of Dying" for "Come Down Easy" and they even pull out a Red Krayola cover.

From the opening "Take Me To the Other Side", their Velvet obsession is obvious, as they update "Sister Ray" in its droney feel and melody (and bits'n'pieces of words, as well). "Walkn' With Jesus" is even sparser but somewhat spiritual sounding, followed by the "Street Hassle" homage which leads to the high of the trip, "Ecstasy Symphony/Transparent Radiation (Flashback)", which is a bit ambient'n'dreamy, almost Pink Floydian mixed with psyched-out Velvet licks. This continues into "Feel So Good" before they add some cacophony for the come down in "Things'll Never Be The Same" - kinda a blast of Godz/Hypnotics/Stooges/Velvets feedback/drone, which makes it one of the album faves - and become their uncommonly bluesiest for "Come Down Easy" and then overdose in the Doctor", with more Lou Reed-isms abounding among some neat, effect-laden slide guitar.

Yes, they wear their influences on their metaphorical sleeves, but with influences this cool, do you really have a problem with that? Neat, stoned-out drone! Unwind your mind and dig!

RIP John Prine

Americana Legend John Prine Dies at Age 73 Due to Coronavirus
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Well damn...sad to hear...

Miles Davis - Birth of Cool - Documentary

Of course, Miles Davis is a familiar figure to me and I have some of his records, although I cannot say that I am all that knowledgeable about the man and his life, other than that he was a trumpet master and a junkie, oh, and he was briefly married to the gorgeous funk queen, Betty Davis.

I'm not sure how much more this documentary really filled out my knowledge of the man, but it does have some fantastic live and studio footage of his performances (some truly legendary names and shows here) and there are a lot of interviews with those who were close to him. Lots of musicians appear, as well as his first wife, Frances, but unfortunately, just a short mention (and a quick bit of live footage) of Betty and her considerable influence on Davis' musical journey. The man's own words narrate the story and give us his own interpretation of the intrigues of his life. Miles adapted and grew and created new styles of music even as he fought his inner demons, physical hardships and, of course, drink and drugs. Health issues caused him to take a several year hiatus, but he returned more popular than ever until his untimely death at the age of 65.

Well worth watching if only for the terrific footage, but it is also a good overview of the jazz movement in general and Miles and his important contemporaries in particular. Currently on Netflix - check it out!

A Year of Wonders - Geraldine Brooks

Brooks was a longtime foreign correspondent for the Wall Street Journal, reporting from war torn areas around the world and had previously written two non fiction books about her escapades. This 2001 story, subtitled A Novel About the Plague, was recommended at the beginning of our current viral lockdown (along with Camus' The Plague, which is now a best seller and so it is comparatively costly) and seemed appropriate to consume in these troubled days.

This historical novel is based in the 1600's in the times of the Black Plague ,showing people's reactions to the scourge, from those retreating to religious extremism, to those who would capitalize upon it to those who went mad to those who grew stronger physically and emotionally due to their trials. Based on a true story of a small British village that self quarantined to avoid spreading the plague, Brooks imagines the struggles of the preacher's servant girl and, from her point of view, the horrors that the village endured as the sickness took a large percentage of the population. She survives and grows and discovers strengths she never knew she had, as we can only hope that others will do in our current times and comparatively easy quarantine.

Maybe a bit depressing, but quite well written and it shows that there can be hope even in the worst of times.

RIP Bill Withers

Bill Withers, Who Sang ‘Lean on Me’ and ‘Lovely Day,’ Dies at 81 
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I loved "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean On Me" and still listen to them regularly (and "Use Me", of course!). Sorry to hear of his passing.

RIP Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger

Fountains of Wayne frontman Adam Schlesinger dies from coronavirus complications at 52
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