If you like your rock’n'roll raw, noisy, and laden with tons of attitude, then you should already be well acquainted with Memphis, Tennessee’s Reatards. I like to think of them as a cross between the Oblivians and the Germs, and that comparison really shines through on this slab o’ wax, especially the third track, “I Won’t Make It.” Earlier this year Jay’s other band, The Lost Sounds, split up for good. Not good news, since I was a big fan of the Lost Sounds, whose noisy concoction of frenetic garage punk meets no-wave meets black metal was one of the freshest and most exciting new sounds to emerge from the rock’n'roll underground in the entire first four years of this decade. But never to be one to just disappear or lay down and quit, Jay is now back in business with his first love, the Reatards, as his full-time gig. Jay formed the Reatards when he was just 16, and they quickly became legends in their own time for their chaotic live shows all over the U.S. and Europe, and relentless, explosive rock’n'roll. Not Fucked Enough rediscovers more tasty vintage Reatards recordings that come as a nice complement to last year’s Bedroom Disasters LP (also on Empty Records). These particular recordings were originally slated as the Reatards’ second full-length release, but that was quickly scrapped when a new lineup was realized with Rich Crook (also of the Lost Sounds, American Death Ray, and the Knaughy Knights) joining on drums and Sean (of The Feelers) on bass. Now the “lost second record” has finally seen the light of day (after being released to a very limited pressing earlier in the year by Shattered Records). You might recognize a few of these songs in different form from Grown Up Wrong or some of Jay’s other projects but something about these recordings sounds as frantic and urgent six years later as the day they were recorded and the record indeed comprises some of the best shit this band has ever done. Supposedly they’ll have a new record out early next year, and I can’t fucking wait. From this release, please enjoy “I Won’t Make It” and “I Like Your Titty.”
The Reatards - I Won’t Make It (MP3) The Reatards - I Like Your Titty (MP3)
Bill called me on the phone this morning and had me tune into today’s edition of Adam Curry’s Daily Source Code podcast because a portion of it focuses specifically on artists’ rights as they pertain to podcasting (not to mention live performances in Europe, specifically Finland). Adam (yes, the former VJ for eMpTyV) has been nicknamed “The Podfather” because of his work in helping to propogate this new medium, and earlier this year created a company called PodShow which is dedicated to the production, promotion, and marketing potential of podcasting. PodShow owns indiePodder.org, the base podcast directory on the Web, and the PodSafe Music Network, dedicated to helping podcasters find independent music to play on their podcast and for artists to promote their music through podcasting.
Anyway, going back to this particular podcast… Basically, in a nutshell, European artists organizations are getting more and more strict with podcasting restrictions as they continue to try and put a stranglehold on this new medium. What’s happening is that when a band signs up with their country’s version of ASCAP/BMI (and it’s not just in Finland but also Germany, France, and The Netherlands), they are not allowed to give away any other rights to anyone else, PERIOD. So if you belong to (for example) Teosto in Finland, you can’t give a podcaster permission to feature your music on their podcast for free. That would be a breach of your contract with that rights organization. What does this mean? Bottom line is it means that Teosto OWNS YOUR MUSIC. They own the copyright, and there’s nothing you can do about it (unless you can somehow break your ties with them). Any and all musicians, band members, DJs, podcasters, audiobloggers, independent music fans, etc. should listen to this short (3:49) segment of Adam’s show from today and get the full gist of what’s going on (MP3 linked below), and then do yourself a favor and subscribe to his podcast (iTunes users click here) so you can check it daily and stay on top of this developing news story. It may not be too long before other rights organizations (such as ASCAP/BMI here in the U.S.) go down this same road, which would fuck over not only all of us podcasters, but the artists they’re featuring as well!
Another rock’n'roll dance party served up with all the fixin’s. Feel free to leave your table manners at home, though. Some of our guests include The Dirtbombs, Yum Yums, Vultures (STL), Untamed Youth, and more. Dig in!
Central Computer refutes Time and defies Space to bring you a collection of garage, punk, surf and trash, compiled according to the whim of a broken robot.
It was posted Saturday morning on the message board that Link Wray passed away sometime last week at the age of 76 in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he had been living for the past two decades. Link is one of rock’n'roll’s all-time greatest guitarists, having been credited with inventing the power chord and influencing countless musicians to pick up and play the guitar. The instrumental bandwagon that dominated rock’n'roll in the late ’50s and early ’60s was led by Duane Eddy and Link Wray. The two were almost opposite ends of the rock guitar spectrum—Duane becoming the only matinee idol of the instrumental era, launching a new hit onto the charts every other month up through late 1963; Link representing the lunatic fringe that churches and PTAs warned parents about. In 1958, his song “Rumble” was banned in several radio markets for being suggestive and promoting juvenile delinquency, which is a pretty impressive feat for an instrumental record. Despite this, the song reached #16 on the charts that year and was his biggest hit ever. Rolling Stone and Guitar World magazines included Wray in their lists of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time, yet he still has not been inducted into the so-called Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (the only two instrumental acts that have been are Duane Eddy and Booker T. and The MG’s). He is, however, a proud member of the Rockabilly Hall of Fame.
According to his official website, Link died on Saturday November 5th of heart failure. He was buried on Friday the 17th.
I will be spinning two solid hours of Link Wray tonight on the 10th Anniversary Episode of The Wayback Machine. I invite you all to tune in live on the Web by going to KDHX.org at 8pm Central Time. In the meantime, please enjoy these MP3s and raise your glass to Frederick Lincoln Wray, Jr.
Link Wray - Rumble (MP3) Link Wray - Jack the Ripper (MP3) Link Wray - Ain’t That Lovin’ You Baby (MP3)
I’d been anticipating this one for a little while now, ever since it was first rumored that the Black Lips were dumping Bomp in favor of In The Red Records, which seemed like an obvious and very probable pairing dating back to this band’s very beginnings, to be completely honest. And that’s not meant as a knock against Bomp, just that the Black Lips’, um, “sound” is a lot more common—or appropriate, maybe—for the latter, and the fact that these two entities would eventually merge was, well, frankly, a no-brainer. So the new CD finally arrived the other day and I immediately brought it with me to work and put it on for about three or four consecutive hours/rotations (not sure which now, really). But I had to really let this sucker sink in. I knew I owed this band that much respect, after falling in love with their debut album and earlier singles and only liking about half of their sophomore effort, figuring, hell, this’d be the one to really prove to me if they were worth their weight in blood, piss, and puke. And the more I listened, the more it sunk, and the more it sunk so low that it actually took root inside my psyche and indeed started to “Bloom.” Like a goddamned weed (or is that cancer?) it spread throughout my body. The pain in my upper back went away. No heart palpitations either. My spirits rose. I didn’t feel as old or as jaded about the future of rock’n'roll. My feet jumped. My knees knocked together. I didn’t even have to pee. Although I wanted to. This “music” was taking over my body and frightening my coworkers and visibly irritating the construction workers doing work on our building right outside my office door. “Are those crickets?” someone asked. Yeah, I said, nodding my head and grinning from ear to fuckin’ ear. “Those are some really hungry crickets.” I dug a blue Sharpie out of my desk drawer and started doodling, drawing little blue flowers, first on the back of my hand, then on my desktop calendar, and finally on a beer label job I was supposed to be proofing. Whoops.
Who needs pain killers when ya got the Black Lips? It’s good for what ails ya. If you don’t think there’s any creativity left in rock’n'roll, you need to own this record. And I mean OWN it. Don’t just play it once, or twice, or even three times. You’ve gotta let it engulf you, mind, body, and motherfuckin’ SPIRIT. Free your mind and your ass will follow, or something to that effect.
I’ve read that I’m supposed to hear bands like the Swell Maps, the Swingin’ Medallions, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, CCR, and even the Rolling Stones in this mishmash of noise and melody. I don’t hear any of that. But yet I hear all of it. I hear the rhythms and blues of a band of young goofs who don’t care what anyone thinks taking influences ranging from the oft-mentioned Back From the Grave series straight through to the Germs and creating something so new, so fun, so goddamned dangerous and exciting that it really defies any sort of predetermined genre pigeonholing. Is this garage punk? Is it psychedelic? Is it good old-time rock’n'roll? Punk rock? Broken blues? Is it fucked up, chaotic noise? Fuck if I know. You tell me…
The Black Lips - Not a Problem (MP3) The Black Lips - Workin’ (MP3)
These are just two of the seven songs that I’d say are personal favorites of mine from this album. It was a tough decision picking just a couple to feature here for ya. Hope you get a good idea of what I’m talking about from hearing ‘em. If not, pick up the damned record. What’ve ya got to lose other than $10 or $13? Order online from In The Red Records.
I’ve been really enjoying this new debut album (Laugh in the Dark) from The Invisible Eyes lately. Got it a couple of weeks ago from Bomp Records just in time to include “Monster Blues” on The Wayback Machine’s annual Halloween special. The Invisible Eyes, in fact, were the last band signed to Bomp by Greg Shaw himself. This particular release showcases a great blend of noisy garage/psych with some killer songwriting that’s not at all generic or predictable. Quite the contrary, actually. Very unique sound here… the band themselves describes it as resembling “a caveman in a spaceship.” Great distorted, wailing vocals, swirling organ, primordial fuzz, reverberous caterwaul, the hypnotic sound of things breaking and oscillating, a vortex of feedback, and pounding drums. Quite an impressive release from Bomp. Top 10 potential here, too. This is one of those rare albums that you can put on repeat and let it go for a couple of hours without getting tired of it. Seriously. I did just that. Maybe it’s partially hypnotic. I don’t remember much of what I was actually doing during those couple of hours (aside from being awash in the music), so it’s entirely possible. Damn. Looking forward to hearing more from these young Seattle cats and hopefully catching them live here in St. Louis (hint, hint). Oh, and by the way, they’re also looking for a drummer… so if you know of any available in the Seattle area, let ‘em know! Featured tracks today are “Monster Blues” and “Cyclone.”
The Invisible Eyes - Monster Blues (MP3)
The Invisible Eyes - Cyclone (MP3)
Host MalThursday brings you a combination of episodes #3 (”The Tropics Story”) and #6 (”The Painted Faces Story”) for this podcast. Produced by MalThursday and JeffMiami.
The first part was originally FRA #6, and tells the mind-bending story of Ft. Myers psychedelic pioneers Painted Faces. This is a pulse-pounding ’60s saga of big beats and broken dreams, from their first 45 ’til the drummer got his draft card…
Hope you dig it, cuz it is most wild.
THE PAINTED FACES STORY:
I Lost You in My Mind
Anxious Color
Girl, You’re Growing Up
Play With Fire
I Think I’m Going Mad
Blackhearted Susan
The second part of this podcast was originally episode #3, subtitled “The Tropics Story,” as told by Charlie Souza, who played bass in the Tropics, then went on to play with Bacchus, White Witch, Tom Petty, and now the New Tropics.
Here are the tracks:
THE TROPICS:
As Time’s Gone
I Want More
For a Long Time
Time
Tired of Waiting
Goodbye My Love
Just weeks after St. Louis’ premier garage rockers The Gentleman Callers released their debut LP, Don’t Say What it Is on Wee Rock Records, guitarist Mike Virag and singer/bassist Kevin Schneider came by Ryan Katastrophe’s “pleasure palace” for coffee & cigarettes. The trio listened to some great music and had a nice chat. Punch that podcast button and eavesdrop on them if you’re so inclined.
I was pretty happy to see this new full-length arrive in my mailbox from the kind and generous motherfuckers at Empty Records US. Since I’ve been eager to hear this band for a while now and haven’t yet scored copies of their previous two highly sought-after (sold out?) singles on Solid Sex Lovie Doll and Shattered Records, it’s good to know that everything I’d heard about ‘em was true and they’re living up to the hype. This is some primo trashy garage punk crud from a band from Arizona that includes Ryan Rousseau (of The Wongs, The Reatards, etc.) and production by Jay Reatard himself. The first track on this (”Hangman’s Song”) is my fave on the disc and is the one I chose to include here, which rivals anything put out by, oh, I dunno… the Oblivians? But the whole thing is pretty damned good and keeps getting better and better with additional spins. I can see this one making many folks’ Top 10 “Best of 2005″ lists here in a month or two… BTW, the vinyl LP is available from Shattered Records.
I just heard that Tim, the bass player in the great In The Red Records band The Lamps, is going to be giving a speech at the Pinball Expo 2005, and he’s gathering some important statistical information as preparation for his speech. Below is the info he’s looking for. So go ahead and just copy the survey, paste it into an email, answer the questions, and then send it off to him at pinball@sharp-ford.com.Feel free to pass this along to anyone you think might be interested.Thanks so much for the help, and as a cheap reward check out this Lamps video for “20″ of Monkey”. . .
IMPORTANT PINBALL SURVEY
1: Have you ever played pinball? Why or Why Not?
2: How often do you play pinball? Why or Why Not?
3: Do you know how to play pinball?
4: Did you know they still make pinball machines?
5: How many pinball machine locations do you know of in your area?
Here’s DJ Reverend Dan of Music for Nimrods (KXLU, Los Angeles) presenting the 2nd part of a 2-part series, “Records to Ruin Any Party,” courtesy of Voodoo Rhythm Records. (The first part ran here yesterday, in case you missed it!)
Here’s DJ Reverend Dan of Music for Nimrods (KXLU, Los Angeles) presenting the 1st part of a 2-part series, “Records to Ruin Any Party,” courtesy of Voodoo Rhythm Records.
Kopper’s 2nd attempt at producing a podcast show for “GaragePunk.com Pirate Radio”… Primordial Ooze number 2. 51 minutes of M’m! M’m! Good! garage, punk, and primitive rock’n'roll. Enjoy the slop…
If you like your rock’n'roll raw, noisy, and laden with tons of attitude, then you should already be well acquainted with Memphis, Tennessee’s Reatards. I like to think of them as a cross between the Oblivians and the Germs, and that comparison really shines through on this slab o’ wax, especially the third track, “I Won’t Make It.” Earlier this year Jay’s other band, The Lost Sounds, split up for good. Not good news, since I was a big fan of the Lost Sounds, whose noisy concoction of frenetic garage punk meets no-wave meets black metal was one of the freshest and most exciting new sounds to emerge from the rock’n'roll underground in the entire first four years of this decade. But never to be one to just disappear or lay down and quit, Jay is now back in business with his first love, the Reatards, as his full-time gig. Jay formed the Reatards when he was just 16, and they quickly became legends in their own time for their chaotic live shows all over the U.S. and Europe, and relentless, explosive rock’n'roll. Not Fucked Enough rediscovers more tasty vintage Reatards recordings that come as a nice complement to last year’s Bedroom Disasters LP (also on Empty Records). These particular recordings were originally slated as the Reatards’ second full-length release, but that was quickly scrapped when a new lineup was realized with Rich Crook (also of the Lost Sounds, American Death Ray, and the Knaughy Knights) joining on drums and Sean (of The Feelers) on bass. Now the “lost second record” has finally seen the light of day (after being released to a very limited pressing earlier in the year by Shattered Records). You might recognize a few of these songs in different form from Grown Up Wrong or some of Jay’s other projects but something about these recordings sounds as frantic and urgent six years later as the day they were recorded and the record indeed comprises some of the best shit this band has ever done. Supposedly they’ll have a new record out early next year, and I can’t fucking wait. From this release, please enjoy “I Won’t Make It” and “I Like Your Titty.”
It was 
