Just wondering what cool record stores might be in your neighborhoods that sell vinyl records (The underground kind)

I'm working on song writing, and never have finished something I'd share with somebody, but I've found Garage Rock to be a musical godsend. I used to listen to a lot of Bob Dylan and such, and always was really intimidated by the number of ideas they crammed into a song-- both as lyrical ingredients and structural ideas. The Stooges and Standells kinda made me say, "oh yeah, Rock n' Roll can be kinda dumb."
I usually start off with a line or two that seems kinda clever (insults have been pretty fertile). Then I just sing a melody that sort of matches.
I heard an interview on NPR with singer/songwriter Andrew Bird, he said he just sings melodies and the works lyrics into his nonsense vocals. It kinda works.

If you can find it on ebay Shure use to make an awesome Mid-grade mic called the "Shure BG 1.1" I purchased mine years ago in the 90s and still use it today for studio and live stuff. It's a wonderful dynamic mic! I've recorded Vocals, guitar amps, Snare and Bass drum, and I've used it as a room mic, there's nothing it can't do and it's cheap if you can find one! I think it's more underrated than anything

try your local flea market for the bullet mikes. i got mine for 25 bucks. i'd love to get some mics out of old reel to reel decks just to see what they would sound like. probablly sound like shit but thats the sound your going for right ? i think it's the electro voice 664. looks like a ray gun.

Thanx to everyone fer the comments and wreck-o-mendations ...Lord, I'd luv a Green Bullet...anyone know where I can find a decent used (old/original) fer sale? ...gonna have to scour eBay, I bet...ug.

If you want a good quality mic go for a Beta-58, pricey but really good. It will do a lot more than just vocals. I personally like the beta-57, a good quality overall workhorse.

If you want a bit of a garage/trash style sound go for the older green bullet mics already mentioned. And make sure you get one of the old ones, the newer ones are shit, strange rattling sounds and not a lot of grit. These tend to be great for vocals or harp (what they are intended for) not so great for guitars etc.

If you want to try something different to the shure brand mics the mid price AKG's are worth a look.

i have a few old japanese mics that are used. an old shure green bullet is good for a trashy sound or an electrovoice 662.

Get a vintage mic. Like an Astatic JT-30 with Cristal or Ceramic Element, EV RE-10 or American D-4-T. Or use a modern Shure SM-57 stick it into a Guitar Amp with some Delay for real Distorted Vocals. The JT-30 has very unique tone stick it into any PA for some vintage flavour. Find some on E-Bay look for Harp Mics.

You garage heads who dig that Yardbirds sound will like to wrap your ears around a tune called "Pockets of Rain" by Finland's Them Bird Things... Jim McCarty digs the tune as does James Lowe of the Electric Prunes, who wrote the liner notes for the album... then there's some psych gems and folk-rock excursions as well on the debut album, "Fly, Them Bird Things, Fly!" which you can hear at www.myspace.com/thembirdthings... produced by yours truly with songs written by two members of Mike & the Ravens...

same old tiemen. calgary's favourite band-hater. anyone else, have a listen and see what you think for yourself. T. Depression said:

This band SUCKS! They're from the town that I used to live in, so I went and saw 'em live even after listening to their recordings and thinking they were shitsville...just bad. Pop songs that have no hooks and never repeat the same part twice?!??!! UUUggggggg!!!!!!

This band SUCKS! They're from the town that I used to live in, so I went and saw 'em live even after listening to their recordings and thinking they were shitsville...just bad. Pop songs that have no hooks and never repeat the same part twice?!??!! UUUggggggg!!!!!!

PINE TARTS! "Calgary's most treasured garage-pop band" (FFWD Magazine) "...newest EP, Faux Fauves, blends sock-hop-ready mod-pop hooks with the buzzed-out guitars of 90's garage-inspired indie rock." (Swerve Magazine) http://www.musicalley.com/music/listeners/artistdetails.php?BandHash=c2ad159f8b0b6a953f68f3a84378fb85 or just search Pine Tarts... xomiesha

How do you like the ones of the BARDO BEATers (different groups, small label):

- Franko Big Melkunie
- M. F. Teerstuhl
- Lutz Fikki Freudenberg
- Peter Kraus-Maffay
- J. H. Angelus
- Freddy B. Trueger

another non-punk submission, but i've always dug the shit out of the name garry gary beers. bass player from inxs.

further to that, there's anyone from the band TISM:

* Ron Hitler-Barassi
* Humphrey B. Flaubert
* Jock Cheese
* Eugene de la Hot-Croix Bun
* Jon St. Peenis
* Les Miserables
* Tokin' Blackman (first billed as Tony Coitus)
* Leak Van Vlalen
* Genre B. Goode

Pat Smear

August 9th (2009)

18.00-19.30 VIRUS RADIO - DJ: Kulsoen

Coil - Things We Never Had
Throbbing Gristle - Vow Of Silence
Coil - It's In My Blood
Coil - Solar Lodge
Coil - Anal Staircase
Coil - Are You Shivering?
Einstürzende Neubauten - Fütter Mein Ego
Coil - Wraiths and Strays of Paris
Coil - Where Are You?
Coil - Tattooed Man

19.30-20.30 LOWCUT RADIO with Jens

Anvil - Heatsink
Limp Wrist - Fake Fags
Monkeywrench - Low On Air
Spider - Sweepin' the Ruins
Scarch Acid - Cannibal
Rupture - Moralistic Schizophrenia
Clockcleaner - Vomiting Windows
Razor Blades - Reality
Erhard Jacobsen - Dybbøl Mølle Maler Stadig!
Fy Fan - Västgötaknall
Blank Dogs - L Machine
Flere Døde Pansere - Hymne
Cheater Slicks - Momentary Muse
Jacuzzi Boys - I Fought A Crocodile
Morten Barfoed - Tossing and Turning
Tubeway Army - Are Friends Electric?
Iron Monkey - Fink Dial

Personally, I think punk is a much more accurate term for a lot of sixties rock than garage rock is. Did they even have garages in New Zealand? I mean, look at My Generation by the Who. That was is full of venom just as much as any song on Crypt. Greg Shaw called it punk in the beginning but only switched to calling it garage just to avoid confusion to those who think punk begins with the Ramones. The Standells, Seeds, and Music Machine actually practiced in real studios. Sure, we got to finally see photos of ? and the Mysterians in a garage but why does that make it garage rock? Like I said, I think punk is a better term for a lot of sixties rock.

I dunno... I quite like a good feed of beef... Michael Kaiser said:

Kopper, you can't expect folk to slaughter the sacred cow of "Punk Rock started in '77".

YES, it's baiting, that's what, hahahaha. MR.KAISER: THAT'S THE GOSPEL! Mardy Pune: Yeah what you said about the GIRL BANDS, should generally get some more spotlight, no? Apart from "HOT CHICK" and "CUTEY" and "HOUSEMADE for LIFE" what was the place society had in mind for women? A 50's rockband with the members consisting of pensioned housekeepers and mothers of 4 would have been cool, AHahaha. But who does the laundry for Daddy since he never learned to do that and never will 'cause he thinks it's only fer "GIRLS"? Oh I'm going waaay out again... BB: Maybe I don't get your irony or something (I ain't no expert!), but I sure don't dig that line of women hate-ing crap - if that's what you wanted to bring across. Like I said, I don't get it - is all. Just my gddamn opinion so don't take it as offence pa-lease. Bob Blackstone said:

Oh and by the way, Women actually do come from Venus but instead of sucking your brain out with a straw they suck the dollars out of your wallet with their twat.

There are scores of good rock n roll bands from the 50's to mid 70's that made punk rock or hard rock n roll that influenced group's like the ramones, wipers and so forth. Has anyone bought that new Death lp (For The Whole World To See) that was released in 2009? It was recorded in 1974 but sounds pure 1977, highly recommended....and thankfully there are no cheesy reggae or blue beat influenced tracks that plagued groups like the Jam, the Clash, the Ruts and so forth. The Seeds sounded pretty punk to me, I mean in theory, they were no different than the Ramones...both groups were only capable of one sound and a few chords. Check out lp's/45's by the Coloured Balls (Australia - early 70's, post Wild Cherries Lobby Loyde), Simply Saucer, Rocket From The Tombs, The Mirrors,Public Nuisance, Electric Eels, George Brigman, The Groundhogs (listen to their Split album), It's All Meat, Los Mockers, early Pretty Things, Monks, The Sonics, Wimple Winch, MC5, Painted Ship, Flamin' Groovies, Pink Fairies, Downliners Sect, The Spiders, Missing Links, Les Sinners, Q65, The Outsiders, plus all those raw early rockabilly and garage 45's - isn't this enough proof, you guys know most of these illustrious legends! I respect music from the 50's to mid 70's a bit more than the punk era and current acts. I think rock music lost alot of it's vitality and outsider feel in the late 70's...sure there are great punk bands but the records tend to sound overproduced. MTV really fucked things up but what the hell - I guess a thing called technology happened and with that rock n roll lost alot of it's heart and soul - things became very corporate. Gone are the Zombies and Pretty Things and in are boring groups like the Sex Pistols (John Lydon is the biggest jerkoff on two legs) and B52's. Coming from a so-called expert, I'm thankful the 60's happened. Oh and by the way, Women actually do come from Venus but instead of sucking your brain out with a straw they suck the dollars out of your wallet with their twat.

yes, it's got punk attitude. The sentiment is one of disillusionment, that's pretty punk. Punk I think.

Girl bands in the 50's were pretty punk, playing rock 'n' roll instead of being tied to the kitchen sink was pretty rebellious.

These experts you speak of, I've meet some of them, they tend to not go out, just stay at home reading books and researching, very disconnected from reality, I wouldn't read anything into what they say, most of them think a girl is something that comes from Venus that sucks a man's brains out with the use of a straw.

I can't help but feel that you're baiting us.
:~]

there is this hat box set...One Kiss Can Lead To Another: Girl Group Sounds, Lost & Found..pretty good as an intro...i mean hours of listening...basics...

continental co ettes....AWESOME

If the sound engineer can't sort out the drum sounds in under ten minutes then they can fuck right off.

I've worked as a live sound engineer and drum sounds aren't that hard. The only time they are hard to sort out is when the kit isn't tuned and that's the drummers problem not the engineers. you just can't EQ out shit.

The problem with most engineers is that they try to play the part of the producer as well as doing the sound engineering. Big fucking mistake! The sound system in any venue is only there to reinforce what is happening on the stage. The other problem with engineers I run into is that they are generic clones from some fucking audio engineering school that taught them how to work with super-groups in the studio but not how to deal with real bands in a real live sound situation with average equipment.

And of there is the last part of the equation which is the band. If you play on the stage like you do in the garage at practice (so everyone can hear each other) there really shouldn't be a problem a sound check.