recommended gigs

        

Thursday 6-26-25 - Elvis Costello at the Pearl

Thursday 6-26-25 - Femaliens, Aldred, Rhythm Ace and the Nu Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 6-28-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-29-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 6-30-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 7-5-25 - The New Waves at the original Sand Dollar

Saturday 7-5-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 7-6-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 7-7-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 7-11-25 - the Dwarves, Left Right Left, Phantom Ad and Sector 7G at the Dive Bar

Friday 7-18-25 - The Angry Samoans (drummer), Lean 13, Mondo Vermin, Grave Corps at the Dive Bar

Saturday 7-19-25 - the Psychedelic Furs at the House of Blues

Saturday 7-19-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 7-21-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tues 7-22-25 - Giuda, Lower Class Brats, Menstual Tramps, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

Saturday 7-26-25 - The Soap Girls at the Dive Bar

Sunday 7-27-25 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf’s Sunday Brunch 

Saturday 8-2-25 - the Dirty Hooks, the Implosions at Swan Dive

Saturday 8-23-25 - Rev Beat Man at the Usual Place with the Crotches and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones

Saturday 8-23-25 - Punk'n'Country, Femailiens, Broke in Vegas at the Double Down

Wednesday 10-22-25 - Gwar at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 12-5-25 - Frank Meyer, the Strains, Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age and the Shakewells at Red Dwarf

RIP Mick Ralphs

Mick Ralphs, Guitarist and Cofounder of Bad Company and Mott the Hoople, Dies at 81 

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Of course, I'm a HUGE MTH fan - Ralphs era, of course - and I even dig early Bad Co. This sucks...

recommended gigs

       

Friday 6-20-25 - the Double Whammy’s at the Composers Room

Saturday 6-21-25 - Trevor and the Swingin' Johnsons at the Downtown Sand Dollar

Saturday 6-21-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-22-25 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 6-23-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 6-26-25 - Elvis Costello at the Pearl

Thursday 6-26-25 - Femaliens, Aldred, Rhythm Ace and the Nu Tones at Red Dwarf

Saturday 6-28-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-30-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 7-11-25 - the Dwarves, Left Right Left, Phantom Ad and Sector 7G at the Dive Bar

Friday 7-18-25 - The Angry Samoans (drummer), Lean 13, Mondo Vermin, Grave Corps at the Dive Bar

Tues 7-22-25 - Giuda, Lower Class Brats, Menstual Tramps, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

Saturday 7-26-25 - The Soap Girls at the Dive Bar

Sunday 7-27-25 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf’s Sunday Brunch 

Saturday 8-23-25 - Rev Beat Man at the Usual Place with the Crotches and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones

Saturday 8-23-25 - Punk'n'Country, Femailiens, Broke in Vegas at the Double Down

Friday 12-5-25 - Frank Meyer, the Strains, Nick Oliveri of Queens of the Stone Age and the Shakewells at Red Dwarf

The Dead Don't Die - Jim Jarmusch movie

 

We just stumbled upon this 2019, star-studded Jarmusch film and based on the cast and director, we gave it a go.

With the likes of Bill Murray, Tom Waits, Iggy Pop, Steve Buscemi, Danny Glover and lots more, you know it's not going to take itself too seriously and it never does - sometimes to the point of absurdity, as when they break the "fourth wall". But it's all in good, silly fun, as they take on the usual zombie tropes - the unbelieving populace, the one person who realizes what is going on, the visitors who become victims, the hysterical women and more. There are swipes at commercialism (as some of the older zombie films did, as well), a little ninja, a little sci-fi, a little fracking, a little climate change, etc. But, again, nothing gets too serious or heavy-handed - it is a comedy, after all.

Tom Waits is nicely semi-type-cast as "Hermit Bob" and works a bit as a narrator at times, Iggy is a zombie (a small part, but kinda appropriate, as well), Buscemi is a dick who gets it, Murray is the almost-retired sheriff, and so on... 

In any case, a silly, fun diversion. Worth seeing!

RIP Lou Christie

 

"Lightning Strikes" was an amazing hit song! Sorry to hear of his passing.

Mighty Marvel Masterworks - The Mighty Thor Volume 4

 

Considering that as a child I was fairly fascinated with various mythologies, it is not surprising that I was a fan of Marvel's Thor. Characters such as Thor, the Silver Surfer, and other well-spoken, almost Shakespearian soliloquy-speakers made my vocabulary more well-rounded than most of my peers at the time (whether that is still the case is a whole other matter!). Obviously, Marvel plays with the original myths and made Thor into a more typical super-hero, although they also did adapt some original stories to the comic medium.

Here, they cross over with the Olympian mythos and bring in Hercules and Zeus, as Thor quite literally stumbles into a magical entrance to Olympus and encounters Herc and, of course, gets into a fight with him that results in mutual respect. Loki is a constant, villainous thorn in Thor's side, and returns the Absorbing Man from near-non-existence to first fight Thor on Earth and then the legions in Asgard (Thor single handedly almost defeated him before Loki whisked him to Asgard where the entire throng could not stop him). Odin proves who is truly the All-Father, though, and banishes the evil duo.

There is simultaneously a tale of Ragnarok and how the Asgardian gods - led by Thor and Odin, of course - manage to stave it off for the time being.

Thor does have an Earthly love-interest, despite Odin's objections, and that, naturally, causes all sorts of conflicts, as well.

Stan Lee and Jack Kirby do a great job with this series and it is great fun to revisit it! 

The Old Religion - Martyn Waites

 

This is something that I randomly borrowed from the library after searching for something else - probably because years ago I wrote a song by the same name - this refers to Paganism, which is a theme for the book.

This is a pretty light weight mystery with a handsome leading man who is in witness protection in a small town in northern England, where he works at a bar and keeps a low profile. This goes awry when he tries to help a young woman who escapes from a local cult after she helps kidnap a visiting student. Add to this a local leader of a Pagan cult whose spells has helped the populace (with some unforeseen consequences - at least unforeseen by the people who uses the spells) and you get a twisted tale of violence, murder, multiple kidnappings and more, which, of course, the handsome leading man helps to solve, although there are prices that everyone involved pays.

Waites makes a point of not gender-identifying the cult leader which, of course, makes you believe that it is a woman - surprise, it is - although I did not guess who it was since the character was incidental up until the reveal. 

Not bad, but nothing particularly special either, which is kinda funny as Waites has made a series with the main character. 

RIP's

 Mainstream media isn't actually covering these so I don't have links to share, but sad to hear of the passings of Honest John Plain, the guitarist for the fantastic and underrated (although uncreatively named) The Boys and Steven Leckiie of one of Canada's original punk bands, the Viletones.

Punk Rock is officially old people music!

recommended gigs

      

Saturday 6-14-25 - the Implosions, the Hideaway and and the Holy Smokes at Red Dwarf

Saturday 6-14-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-16-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 6-20-25 - the Double Whammy’s at the Composers Room

Saturday 6-21-25 - Trevor and the Swingin' Johnsons at the Downtown Sand Dollar

Saturday 6-21-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-22-25 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 6-23-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 6-26-25 - Elvis Costello at the Pearl

Saturday 6-28-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-30-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 7-11-25 - the Dwarves, Left Right Left, Phantom Ad and Sector 7G at the Dive Bar

Tues 7-22-25 - Giuda, Lower Class Brats, Menstual Tramps, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

Saturday 7-26-25 - The Soap Girls at the Dive Bar

Saturday 8-23-25 - Rev Beat Man at the Usual Place with the Crotches and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones

RIP Sly Stone

Sly Stone, Family Stone Architect Who Fused Funk, Rock, and Soul, Dead at 82 

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I've been a huge fan ever since I first heard the Family Stone in the 60's and still listen to them regularly.

I read his memoir last year and it's fairly amazing that he lived as long as he did. 

Sad to hear of his passing, but what a legacy he left behind!

recommended gigs

     

Friday 6-6-25 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-7-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-9-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Tuesday 6-10-25 - Fuzz Solow at Rick's Rolling Smoke BBQ

Saturday 6-14-25 - the Implosions, the Hideaway and and the Holy Smokes at Red Dwarf

Saturday 6-14-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-16-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 6-21-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 6-22-25 - Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Monday 6-23-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 6-26-25 - Elvis Costello at the Pearl

Saturday 6-28-25 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 6-30-25 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Friday 7-11-25 - the Dwarves, Left Right Left, Phantom Ad and Sector 7G at the Dive Bar

Tues 7-22-25 - Giuda, Lower Class Brats, Menstual Tramps, Cromm Fallon and the P200 at the Usual Place

Saturday 8-23-25 - Rev Beat Man at the Usual Place with the Crotches and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones

Generic Surf Band at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch - 6-1-25

 We haven’t been able to get out much lately for various reasons but, after a morning of chores. Made it down to Red Dwarf for their surfing Sunday brunch, this time featuring the Generic Surf Band.

We showed up just before the last set of the afternoon, with enough time to say hi to everyone and grab a cider before they kicked in.

With a crack rhythm section of Mark on drums and Eddie on bass - who both get to show off their considerable skills now’n’again - guitarist Phil leads them through a set of reverb fueled traditional surf numbers plenty of obscure numbers as well as classics like "Pipeline" and Link Wray tunes, all given the GSB treatment.

Always a fun time with cool tunes, cheap drinks and usually good food, although they were out of pizza this day! (Luckily, we hadn’t planned on lunching there!)

Definitely check it out for a fun Sunday afternoon!