Mr Dark's Pandemonium at the Double Down Saloon, Friday Sept 18, 2026

Not sure what I can say about a project that I am involved in, but when has that ever stopped me? We went on vacation pretty much right after this show, so I am just getting to this now.

For those who are not in the know, the Pandemonium is a multi-layer spectacle, with burlesque, freaks, tap-dancing (this time out), dominatrix, and more along with Mr. Dark's musical backing. The band includes keys, horns, backing singers, violin and the usual guitar/bass/drums and concentrates on unusual tunes of madness'n'mayhem. Tom Waits is a major touchstone, along with a number of other - to me, anyway - obscure combos from past decades, although there are a couple of more familiar numbers tucked in there just to keep everyone intrigued.

Hard to put into words and I didn't get nearly enough photos so come back to the Double Down on Friday November 20th for the next episode in this unwinding tale and see for yourselves!
 

recommended gigs

                 

Friday 9-18-26 - Evelyn's Casket, Life Rips, Damned by Night, Crimson Riot at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-19-26 - VaVoom, Biff, Open Fist Trivial Menace at the Double Down

Saturday 9-19-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards l at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, the Starlite Wranglers, Screamin' Rebel Angels, Cherry and the Sours at the Swan Dive

Thursday 9-24-26 - Cromm Fallon and the P200, Superhiro, Honeychain and the Noidz at the Griffin

Saturday 9-26-26 - Life is Shit6 Festival at the Dive Bar with tons of great bands!

Saturday 9-26-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 10-1-26 - Big Sandy and His Fly Rite Boys at the Golden Tiki

Friday 10-2-26 - Bad Motivator, King Flamingo, Psychosonic at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-3-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-10-26 - the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs with the Strains at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-10-26 - Wasted Youth, Shakewells, Soldiers of Destruction at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 10-16-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, Frankie Lee and the Infernos and the Surfers of Mercy at the Sand Dollar

Friday 10-23-26 - Bomboras, Deadbolt, Shakewells and Lost Cat at the Dive Bar

Tuesday 10-27-26 - Kepi Ghoulie with the Bloodtypes, Jerk! and Femaliens at Grey Witch

Saturday 10-31-26 - Special Halloween Treat at the Double Down with The Evil Ones - a tribute to Roky Erickson with Kevin Wilcox, Ron Hudy, and Melanie and Rich Coffee - along with Thee Implosions and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones! Costume Contest! Prizes! Fun!

Thursday 11-5-26 - Suburban Resistance, Hour 13, 3 Rounds at Red Dwarf

Friday 11-6-26 - the Merry Widows, the Shakewells, the Henchmen, the Limit Club, Vesper Rose and Cherry and the Sours at Grey Witch

Sunday 11-8-26 - the Hideaway, Three Bad Janets, Get In Loser, VaVaoom at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Friday 11-13-26 - Plague Vendor at the Usual Place 

Sunday 11-15-26 - the Buzzcocks and Modern English at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 11-20-26 - the Goddamn Gallows, King Sickabilly and the Riflemen at the Usual Place

Friday 12-18-26 - Thee Implosions at the Punk Rock Museum

RIP Peter Max

The psychedelic pop artist Peter Max has died at 88, his son says

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Like any good hippy, I was (as was most of our family) a big fan of Peter Max in the 60's and 70's. Frankly, I didn't know that he was still alive as I don't believe that he has been active but it is sad to hear of his passing.

Do What You Fear Most - The History of the Velvet Underground - Richie Unterberger

 

I had been seeing rave reviews of this recent tome on the VU so, of course, when I found it at my local library, I grabbed it!

I've been a huge fan of the Underground since the mid-70's when Kenne Highland told me that I played guitar like Lou Reed in the Velvets! (Unfortunately, I have no idea how to replicate that sound any longer - it was simply due to my inexperience combined with crap equipment!) I soon devoured everything that I could find by them - the first two LPs are still my faves by far, although the rest of their output is fab - along with Lou's solo work. Of course, I have covered this material in bands since it was first released and have always been fascinated by the group, the fact that they were able to put out such wild music, and the raw talent that burst out of this combo. I love Nico and Cale's solo work as much as Lou's - so, yeah, I'm a fan.

Naturally, I have read various books on the subject, as well, but with the promising reviews, and the fact that I don't mind revisiting info, I delved into this one. While the basic story is one that most of us already know - from Lou's songwriting gig that turned into the Primitives that melded into the VU through to the band's dissolution - Unterberger adds much more detail than anyone before him, with as much accuracy as is possible this many years after the facts. Show dates, sometimes set lists, reviews of bootleg tapes and, of course, overviews of the official releases are all given plenty of space.

It is impressive the amount of space given to the shows that they performed - I can't even imagine the work that went into trying to collaborate and compile as much as he has - with audience recollections, critical reviews and often bootleg tapes giving insights to their sounds as they evolved. Of course, Richie also reviews the official recordings, but discussed demos, lost tapes and more - again often through first person recollections, whether by the band, the studio personnel, friends or whomever. 

Unlike some critics, Richie is quite complimentary of Doug Yule's contributions and the amount of time that he spent in the band with Lou, along with his time fronting the group (which really wasn't the VU any longer, but these things still happen). But Doug truly was a fine musician (bassist, particularly) and a singer that sounded much like Lou - I didn't even realize that some of the studio recordings were Doug and not Lou. 

Richie does cover the solo efforts of Nico and Cale, as well, along with their shows (or lack thereof) and the one-off "mini-reunion" of Reed, Cale and Nico in 1972 (of which there is a CD, which I knew nothing about, so I have that on the way) along with the 90's union of the original four.

Painstakingly thorough but the story is compelling throughout. Pretty much a must for any fan.

RIP Cheetah Chrome

 

Man, that first Dead Boys album blew me away with their brand of punk rock'n'roll mixed with garage rock'n'roll. When I finally heard Rocket From the Tombs I was knocked out as well. Certainly not the most technically brilliant player but beyond influential. Sad to hear.

The Velvet Underground (third album)

 

As I'm revisiting my VU recordings while I'm reading an extensive book on the band, it looks like I never talked about this one, oddly enough - unless the search function just isn't working! My faves are the brutal blasts on the first two albums (which showed their softer sides, as well, particularly the debut) but this album, while is certainly their quietest, also has some of their most enduring songs. 

Of course, there are a couple of different theories as to why they changed their sound (even within band members) but I think (just based on being a musician) that Lou simply was writing more quiet songs that he liked - not like he hadn't written similar numbers before!

This opens with an ode to Warhol Superstar Candy Darling, simply titled "Candy Says", sung by newcomer Doug Yule - supposedly Lou's voice was tired from touring. This slight ballad is pretty melodically, but not something that really grabs your attention immediately - at least not for me. On the other hand, "What Goes On" is truly one of their best, an insistently chuggin' rocker with a great, melodic, multi-tracked guitar solo, catchy melody and existential lyrics. Another fave is "Some Kinda Love", driven by Maureen's bass drum'n'cowbell, it dictates a conversation where the two may disagree but basically agree that "no kinds of love are better than others". A simple progression - as Lou is wont to do - but incredibly memorable with terrific lyrics that are immensely quotable. The lovely ballad - as close to a true love song as Lou probably ever did, written for a former girlfriend who had since married, although they had a fling - "Pale Blue Eyes" is another, oft-covered classic. Probably the quietest of the quiet numbers, "Jesus" is an unusual subject for Jewish Lou but is apparently just referring to another type of love and is another lovely melody.

I think it might be a stretch to say that "Beginning to See the Light" is also about religion, but it is another good, mid-tempo rocker with sing-along refrains. "I'm Set Free" is kind of a Phil Spector-ish bit of pop, although not one of the best of the bunch here, nor is "That's the Story of my Life" - again not as memorable as some of the others. The true oddity of the bunch is "The Murder Mystery", with its kinda spooky backing and two (at least) simultaneous narratives going on, in different speeds, with melodic interjections from Maureen and Yule - kind of another experiment like "The Gift", but more jumbled and much less coherent, making it a difficult listen - I think it would actually be quite listenable without the vocals! Then the finale is one of the goofiest numbers they ever recorded, the vaudevillian "After Hours" with Maureen singing - I know this has become a fave with some people, but I always considered it a throwaway.

So, some of their most memorable and most forgettable tunes together in one LP. Flawed, for sure, but obviously worth owning!

Tom Verlaine - Dreamtime

 

As I've mentioned elsewhere, I've been reading and listening to a lot of Velvet Underground lately and when I was peering through our vinyl collection to see which VU LP's I still owned, this Verlaine solo album came along for the ride so I thought I'd give it a listen, since I can't remember the last time I heard it.

But before I even dropped the needle down I noticed the line notes with mentioned that the musicians on the record included drummer Ritchie Teeter (known for his work in the Dictators, of course), Fred Smith from Tom's band Television and Jay Dee Daugherty (Patti Smith Group, obviously). Impressive company to keep!

And while none of Tom's solo work has equaled his time in Television (in my personal opinion), this record is certainly one of the better releases of his that I have heard. Marque Moon is among my favorite albums ever and it would be difficult, if not impossible, to match the intensity of the performances or the songwriting, but this collection stands up on its own merits. Nothing as immediately memorable in either the songs or the playing, there are still catchy, patently Tom riffs and tunes that are quite enjoyable and impressive in their own right.

While nothing stands out quite to the extent that some of the best TV tracks do, this is still a fine album and worth giving a listen - I will definitely be pulling it out more and giving it more chances. 

recommended gigs

                     

Thursday 9-10-26 - the New Waves at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-12-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Monday 9-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-16-26 - Trombo's Wheel of Fuckery with special guests the Minges at the DOuble DOwn

Friday 9-18-26 - Evelyn's Casket, Life Rips, Damned by Night, Crimson Riot at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-19-26 - VaVoom, Biff, Open Fist Trivial Menace at the Double Down

Saturday 9-19-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards l at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, the Starlite Wranglers, Screamin' Rebel Angels, Cherry and the Sours at the Swan Dive

Thursday 9-24-26 - Cromm Fallon and the P200, Superhiro, Honeychain and the Noidz at the Griffin

Saturday 9-26-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-3-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-10-26 - the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs with the Strains at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-10-26 - Wasted Youth, Shakewells, Soldiers of Destruction at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 10-16-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, Frankie Lee and the Infernos and the Surfers of Mercy at the Sand Dollar

Friday 10-23-26 - Bomboras, Deadbolt, Shakewells and Lost Cat at the Dive Bar

Tuesday 10-27-26 - Kepi Ghoulie with the Bloodtypes, Jerk! and Femaliens at Grey Witch

Saturday 10-31-26 - Special Halloween Treat at the Double Down with The Evil Ones - a tribute to Roky Erickson with Kevin Wilcox, Ron Hudy, and Melanie and Rich Coffee - along with Thee Implosions and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones! Costume Contest! Prizes! Fun!

Thursday 11-5-26 - Suburban Resistance, Hour 13, 3 Rounds at Red Dwarf

Friday 11-6-26 - the Merry Widows, the Shakewells, the Henchmen, the Limit Club, Vesper Rose and Cherry and the Sours at Grey Witch

Sunday 11-8-26 - the Hideaway, Three Bad Janets, Get In Loser, VaVaoom at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Friday 11-13-26 - Plague Vendor at the Usual Place 

Sunday 11-15-26 - the Buzzcocks and Modern English at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 11-20-26 - the Goddamn Gallows, King Sickabilly and the Riflemen at the Usual Place

Friday 12-18-26 - Thee Implosions at the Punk Rock Museum

The Implosions, Toe Tag, Rhythm Ace and the Nu Tones at Red Dwarf Friday September 4, 2026

Of course I try to see our friends the Implosions whenever I can and with this gig landing on guitarist Dave Post's birthday, I had to make the effort, despite it being quite a week for me for many reasons.

Knowing that the Imps were opening the night, I got to the Red Dwarf early for pizza and drinks and discovered a fairly packed house right from the start, and more people continued to show up as it went along. Plenty of friends'n'fans showed up to support and to wish Dave a happy day, and the band received an enthusiastic response to their rockin' set of Las Vegas-themed garage/punk/what-have-you tunes. They surprised Dave by switching instruments and handing out placards with Dave's face on it, then gave him a party hat and made him sing his own self-penned birthday song! Everyone joined in, and then helped out with their tune about cashing out and rocked appropriately for the closer about playing the ponies! Great start of the night!

SoCal's Toe Tag was new to me (although the Imps have played with them on their home turf before) but was a pleasant r'n'r surprise of hip 70's styled punk'n'roll that kinda reminded me a little of bands like the Humpers as they covered the Dicks, the Pleasure Seekers ("What a Way to Die"), and even Charles Manson! The lead guitarist also plays in the more 60's styled garage combo the Wyld Goons (who have backed up Ray Brandes from the Tell Tale Hearts at times), while the rhythm guitarist was sporting a Voodoo Records t-shirt (and is a fan of the Rev) so they definitely have a variety of influences that combine for their own sound. Really enjoyed them, but somehow managed to not pick up any of their merch - next time!

Vegas' own Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones closed out the night with their wild mix of rockabilly, garage and even weirdness like Suicide peaking out now'n'again. A three piece with guitar, vintage organ (and theremin) along with live drums, they blast out plenty of noise (always a good thing in my book) with cool songs and a healthy dose of uncontrolled mayhem. They have had a few different lineups at different times (the core being the font duo Jeremiah and Lindsay), but this was particularly cool set and a fab ending to the night!

Big thanks to Red Dwarf for hosting yet another hip, happenin' night of good time rock'n'roll!

(And be sure to see the Implosions and Rhythm Ace at the Double Down on Halloween night with our own Roky Erickson tribute band, the Evil Ones!)

The Velvet Underground Live at Max's Kansas City

 

I've been reading a rather lengthy book on the VU so, as I am wont to do, I've been listening to a lot of VU recordings and today I looked to see what I still had on vinyl and this is one that I hadn't heard for a while so I gave it a spin.

The first thing that any fan would notice is that it is definitely not Maureen on drums - they are far, far busier and more traditionally "rock'n'roll" than her usual style. It tuns out that she was pregnant at the time of these shows and was temporarily replaced with newcomer Doug Yule's (who had replaced John Cale on bass and keys) brother Billy. He's a good drummer (he also plays on some of Loaded - Maureen was not available for all of that album, either - which was recorded around the time of these shows) but a very different style, making this more of a rock band than the oddity that was the Velvets.

But, while the feel has changed, it's still a fun r'n'r show. Opening with a definitely more upbeat take on "I'm Waiting For The Man" (they did change this up even with Maureen in the lineup, but very noticeable here), they run through a fine version of "Sweet Jane", "Lonesome Cowboy Bill" (never one of my faves) and a chuggin' "Beginning to See the Light".

Side two gets a bit quieter and more introspective (apparently, there was a decision to have one side more rockin' and one side the softer "pop" sounds) with takes on "I'll Be Your Mirror", the then-new "Pale Blue Eyes", "Sunday Morning", the powerful "New Age", "Femme Fatale" and the hokey (but one that lou was fond of), "After Hours", which he dedicates to Maureen, who he claims sings it better than he does, but he enjoys it. So, an obvious choice to combine old'n'new tunes.

Although recorded on a mono cassette player, the sound is surprisingly good (despite some on the internet who say otherwise) and while only half the band, it is still a cool artifact of a great show at the end of the group's career. 

(Funnily, I just noticed that I had reviewed this record 13 years ago! I normally check those things! Ah well, I haven't read the old one but maybe I have some new "insights"! )

recommended gigs

                    

Friday 9-4-26 - Thee Implosions with Thee Toe Tags and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones at Red Dwarf

Friday 9-4-26 - the New Waves at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-6-26 - Screeching Weasel, Dickies, Queers, Jack Trippers at House of Blues LV

Monday 9-7-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 9-12-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Sunday 9-13-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Sunday 9-13-26 - Exploited, Soldiers of Destruction, Suburban Resistance at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Monday 9-14-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Wednesday 9-16-26 - Trombo's Wheel of Fuckery with special guests the Minges at the DOuble DOwn

Friday 9-18-26 - Evelyn's Casket, Life Rips, Damned by Night, Crimson Riot at Red Dwarf

Saturday 9-19-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-21-26 - Thee Swank Bastards l at the Golden Tiki

Thursday 9-24-26 - Shanda and the Howlers, the Starlite Wranglers, Screamin' Rebel Angels, Cherry and the Sours at the Swan Dive

Thursday 9-24-26 - Cromm Fallon and the P200, Superhiro, Honeychain and the Noidz at the Griffin

Saturday 9-26-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 9-28-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-3-26 - Thee Swank Bastards late night at the Golden Tiki

Monday 10-5-26 - Thee Swank Bastards at the Golden Tiki

Saturday 10-10-26 - the Streetwalkin' Cheetahs with the Strains at Red Dwarf

Saturday 10-10-26 - Wasted Youth, Shakewells, Soldiers of Destruction at Backstage Bar and Billiards

Friday 10-23-26 - Bomboras, Deadbolt, Shakewells and Lost Cat at the Dive Bar

Tuesday 10-27-26 - Kepi Ghoulie with the Bloodtypes, Jerk! and Femaliens at Grey Witch

Saturday 10-31-26 - Special Halloween Treat at the Double Down with The Evil Ones - a tribute to Roky Erickson with Kevin Wilcox, Ron Hudy, and Melanie and Rich Coffee - along with Thee Implosions and Rhythm Ace and the Nu-Tones! Costume Contest! Prizes! Fun!

Thursday 11-5-26 - Suburban Resistance, Hour 13, 3 Rounds at Red Dwarf

Friday 11-6-26 - the Merry Widows, the Shakewells, the Henchmen, the Limit Club, Vesper Rose and Cherry and the Sours at Grey Witch

Sunday 11-8-26 - the Hideaway, Three Bad Janets, Get In Loser, VaVaoom at Red Dwarf's Sunday Brunch

Friday 11-13-26 - Plague Vendor at the Usual Place 

Sunday 11-15-26 - the Buzzcocks and Modern English at Brooklyn Bowl

Friday 11-20-26 - the Goddamn Gallows, King Sickabilly and the Riflemen at the Usual Place

Friday 12-18-26 - Thee Implosions at the Punk Rock Museum