Tuesday, March 31, 2009

NERVEBREAKERS TO BE SPECIAL GUEST DJs ON "RADIO NAPALM"!



http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=433076944&blogId=479866401

NERVEBREAKERS TO BE SPECIAL GUEST DJs FOR NEXT TWO WEEKS ON "RADIO NAPALM"!
Current mood:Hijacking the radio, baby!


Seminal Dallas punk rockers Nervebreakers - who were playing a mix of '60s garage/English rock, New York Dolls/Stooges-style protopunk and Raspberries-flavored power pop as early as 1975 (flavored with a healthy dose of Texas honky tonk twang) and went to open for every big touring punk band of the day (Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Clash) and release classic crush-rock seven-inchers as "My Girlfriend Is A Rock" - have officially reformed after 28 years away. A new CD, Face Up To Reality, has been recorded, containing tough new recordings of vintage Nervebreakers material never properly documented until now. And last week, the band played two smoking Austin shows around the SXSW goings-on (the band were not playing official showcases), with a Dallas date scheduled for April 11 at Club Dada.

After granting "RADIO NAPALM" the world premier of the forthcoming CD's title track, Nervebreakers vocalist (and longtime "RN" supporter) T. Tex Edwards and lead guitarist/musical director Mike Haskins joined me in The Garage (following their set last Saturday night at Antone's Records) for two-and-a-half hours of tales of their illustrious career and to spin a mix of Nervebreakers classics and some of their favorites. Woody Radio and I will present this special moment in two parts, beginning this week.

Join us Wednesday night at our usual time (10 PM EDT, 9 PM CDT, 8 PM MDT, 7 PM PDT) as T. Tex and Mike recount their beginnings, the beginnings of the Dallas punk scene, their shows with the Ramones and Sex Pistols, and the making of their first releases.There will also be our usual mix of insanity from across 50 years of punk rock. Simply go to www.woodyradio.com - the station plays instantly! Or scroll down the page and choose an independent player, or even listen via iTunes. And be sure join me and the Napalm Garage Irregulars in the chatroom - there might be a Nervebreaker or two there that night!

And don't forget: In two weeks, the debut of "RADIO NAPALM's" new weekly feature, "JOHN PEEL'S RECORD BOX!" See you there!

Monday, March 30, 2009

DJ Mr Rid added to April 11th Club Dada bill with NERVEBREAKERS...


For the first time in 15 years, the Nervebreakers will perform live in Dallas, at Club Dada on Saturday, April 11th. Doors will open at 8:00 for a punk rock meet and greet happy hour kind of thing. Deejay Mr Rid (Mark Ridlen) will be spinning tunes. The first band, Sparrowbox, will go on at 9:30, Spector 45 at 10:30 and Nervebreakers at 11:30. Many thanks to Frank Campagna.

Friday, March 27, 2009

Swingin Cornflake Killers at Barley House April 4th



The Swingin Cornake Killers will be at the Barley House in Dallas on Saturday !
April 4th at 10:30 Pm for the Barley's "Sweet Sixteeth Anniversary" & Richard Winfield's birthday...
Plus: Richard sez he has dug up 50 copies of his long out-of-print CD- "Live At The Barley House" from 1994!
Includes live recordings of the Swingin Cornflake Killers, Homer Henderson, Old 97's, Cartwrights, Lone Star Trio, Sutcliffes & more...

Monday, March 23, 2009

Friday, March 20, 2009

Smitty in Europe



My friend Bojan wearing his Smitty t-shirt & his band, No Rules from Bosnia, on tour in the Netherlands...

Hello Springtime

Welcome to the Vernal Equinox, the first day of Spring. On this day, a person standing on the equator can see the sun directly pass overhead. And at the North Pole, the sun skims the horizon, signaling the start of six months of non-stop daylight.
If you will be attending the Owl Tree party today, bring a folding chair with ya.

Thursday, March 19, 2009

Never Get Out Of The Boat!- Early Beefheart

http://nevergetoutoftheboat.blogspot.com/2009/03/captain-beefheart.html

Captain Beefheart
(download on original blog)


The Revenant Demos (1965-1967)
The Evolution Of A Weird Blues Band

A collection of demos from Captain Beefheart's early days as a budding blues man, circa '65-'67. This set comes from Revenant Records' Grow Fins box set, a massive collection of rarities put together by various members of The Magic Band. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the box - too many muddy live recordings for my tastes. But, along with the cool disc of Trout Mask Replica rehearsal takes is this disc of mostly well-recorded demos, featuring a slew of Van Vliet originals and a few Howlin' Wolf and John Lee Hooker covers.

Obeah Man (1966 Demo) (2:49)
Just Got Back From The City (1966 Demo) (1:56)
I'm Glad (1966 Demo) (3:48)
Triple Combination (1966 Demo) (2:51)
Here I Am I Always Am (Early 1966 Demo) (3:16)
Here I Am I Always Am (Late 1966 Demo) (2:35)
Somebody In My Home (1966 Live) (2:49)
Tupelo (1966 Live) (4:10)
Evil Is Going On (1966 Live) (2:34)
Old Folks Boogie (1967 Live) (3:07)
Call On Me (1965 Acetate Demo) (3:04)
Sure Nuff N Yes I Do (1967 Acetate Demo) (2:11)
Yellow Brick Road (1967 Acetate Demo) (1:39)
Plastic Factory (1967 Acetate Demo) (2:53)

Posted by Willard at 2:29 AM

comments:

Slarty Bartfast said...
I have the box set, and I rarely listen to it. It's a missed opportunity. The video clips, in this YouTube era, are a waste of space. I don't get much from the vox-free Trout Mask sessions, either ... never had any trouble picking out the instruments on the album. All this, plus graphic design by a ten-year old. Still, the text is great, and so are a handful of cuts which you've cherry-picked for us here ... nice work! Thanks.

March 18, 2009
Willard said...
I was so stoked to fork over the dough for this one when it came out and had pretty much the same reaction as you. I'd give a little more credit to the box design and there are a handful of fun live moments buried within the five discs... but you've hit the nail on the head - it's a missed opportunity. You used the word cherry-picked. This post is just disc one, put perhaps you're right... a good going over and a "best of the box" single disc might be a better post. If I can get through it, maybe someday. Thanks for commenting.

March 18, 2009
Slarty Bartfast said...
I like the box design, as a package, well enough. I hate the graphic design of the book - it's hard to read, and self-consciously "challenging" or "weird", as if the deisgner is striving for something Beefheartian. The layout and color separations are crude to the point of insult, and the stock is that horrible gloss art that goes against the archival feel of the package. Also, the focus on the Trout Mask sessions (using outtakes from the cover shoots as the pack image) sidelines the other material. I know it's a labor of love that we're all supposed to be grateful for, but it left hardcore Beefheart fans (are there any other?) feeling strangely short-changed. This is *not* the Beefheart Box we all wanted, and that does this extraordinary band justice.

A "best of the box" is a nice idea though ... when you have the time!

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

New ONLY ONES on French TV!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4lBnxoN8CM



The Only Ones "Magic Tablet" Live Canal+ 2009
The Only Ones perform new song "Magic Tablet" live on French TV 2009.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Lose your property for growing food?

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92002

GROUND CONTROL
Lose your property for growing food?
Big Brother legislation could mean prosecution, fines up to $1 million

Posted: March 16, 2009
8:56 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Some small farms and organic food growers could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress.

Food Safety Modernization Act

House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, works for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.

DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations.

Michael Olson, host of the Food Chain radio show and author of "Metro Farm," told WND the government should focus on regulating food production in countries such as China and Mexico rather than burdening small and organic farmers in the U.S. with overreaching regulations.

"We need somebody to watch over us when we're eating food that comes from thousands and thousands of miles away. We need some help there," he said. "But when food comes from our neighbors or from farmers who we know, we don't need all of those rules. If your neighbor sells you something that is bad and you get sick, you are going to get your hands on that farmer, and that will be the end of it. It regulates itself."

Want your vegetables to grow like crazy? Get the amazing natural fertilizer designed to maximize taste and nutrient density!

The legislation would establish the Food Safety Administration within the Department of Health and Human Services "to protect the public health by preventing food-borne illness, ensuring the safety of food, improving research on contaminants leading to food-borne illness, and improving security of food from intentional contamination, and for other purposes."

Federal regulators will be tasked with ensuring that food producers, processors and distributors – both large and small – prevent and minimize food safety hazards such as food-borne illnesses and contaminants such as bacteria, chemicals, natural toxins or manufactured toxicants, viruses, parasites, prions, physical hazards or other human pathogens.


Under the legislation's broad wording, slaughterhouses, seafood processing plants, establishments that process, store, hold or transport all categories of food products prior to delivery for retail sale, farms, ranches, orchards, vineyards, aquaculture facilities and confined animal-feeding operations would be subject to strict government regulation.

Government inspectors would be required to visit and examine food production facilities, including small farms, to ensure compliance. They would review food safety records and conduct surveillance of animals, plants, products or the environment.

"What the government will do is bring in industry experts to tell them how to manage all this stuff," Olson said. "It's industry that's telling government how to set these things up. What it always boils down to is who can afford to have the most influence over the government. It would be those companies that have sufficient economies of scale to be able to afford the influence – which is, of course, industrial agriculture."

Farms and food producers would be forced to submit copies of all records to federal inspectors upon request to determine whether food is contaminated, to ensure they are in compliance with food safety laws and to maintain government tracking records. Refusal to register, permit inspector access or testing of food or equipment would be prohibited.

"What is going to happen is that local agriculture will end up suffering through some onerous protocols designed for international agriculture that they simply don't need," Olson said. "Thus, it will be a way for industrial agriculture to manage local agriculture."

Under the act, every food producer must have a written food safety plan describing likely hazards and preventative controls they have implemented and must abide by "minimum standards related to fertilizer use, nutrients, hygiene, packaging, temperature controls, animal encroachment, and water."

"That opens a whole can of worms," Olson said. "I think that's where people are starting to freak out about losing organic agriculture. Who is going to decide what the minimum standards are for fertilization or anything else? The government is going to bring in big industry and say we are setting up these protocols, so what do you think we should do? Who is it going to bring in to ask? The government will bring in people who have economies of scale who have that kind of influence."

DeLauro's act calls for the Food Safety Administration to create a "national traceability system" to retrieve history, use and location of each food product through all stages of production, processing and distribution.

Olson believes the regulations could create unjustifiable financial hardships for small farmers and run them out of business.

"That is often the purpose of rules and regulations: to get rid of your competition," he said. "Only people who are very, very large can afford to comply. They can hire one person to do paperwork. There's a specialization of labor there, and when you are very small, you can't afford to do all of these things."

Olson said despite good intentions behind the legislation, this act could devastate small U.S. farms.

"Every time we pass a rule or a law or a regulation to make the world a better place, it seems like what we do is subsidize production offshore," he said. "We tell farmers they can no longer drive diesel tractors because they make bad smoke. Well, essentially what we're doing is giving China a subsidy to grow our crops for us, or Mexico or anyone else."

Section 304 of the Food Safety Modernization Act establishes a group of "experts and stakeholders from Federal, State, and local food safety and health agencies, the food industry, consumer organizations, and academia" to make recommendations for improving food-borne illness surveillance.

According to the act, "Any person that commits an act that violates the food safety law … may be assessed a civil penalty by the Administrator of not more than $1,000,000 for each such act."

Each violation and each separate day the producer is in defiance of the law would be considered a separate offense and an additional penalty. The act suggests federal administrators consider the gravity of the violation, the degree of responsibility and the size and type of business when determining penalties.

Criminal sanctions may be imposed if contaminated food causes serious illness or death, and offenders may face fines and imprisonment of up to 10 years.

"It's just frightening what can happen with good intentions," Olson said. "It's probably the most radical notions on the face of this Earth, but local agriculture doesn't need government because it takes care of itself."

Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act


Another "food safety" bill that has organic and small farmers worried is Senate Bill 425, or the Food Safety and Tracking Improvement Act, sponsored by Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

Brown's bill is backed by lobbyists for Monsanto, Archer Daniels Midland and Tyson. It was introduced in September and has been referred to the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee. Some say the legislation could also put small farmers out of business.

Like HR 875, the measure establishes a nationwide "traceability system" monitored by the Food and Drug Administration for all stages of manufacturing, processing, packaging and distribution of food. It would cost $40 million over three years.

"We must ensure that the federal government has the ability and authority to protect the public, given the global nature of the food supply," Brown said when he introduced the bill. He suggested the FDA and USDA have power to declare mandatory recalls.

The government would track food shipped in interstate commerce through a recordkeeping and audit system, a secure, online database or registered identification. Each farmer or producer would be required to maintain records regarding the purchase, sale and identification of their products.

A 13-member advisory committee of food safety and tracking technology experts, representatives of the food industry, consumer advocates and government officials would assist in implementing the traceability system.

The bill calls for the committee to establish a national database or registry operated by the Food and Drug Administration. It also proposes a electronic records database to identify sales of food and its ingredients "establishing that the food and its ingredients were grown, prepared, handled, manufactured, processed, distributed, shipped, warehoused, imported, and conveyed under conditions that ensure the safety of the food."

It states, "The records should include an electronic statement with the date of, and the names and addresses of all parties to, each prior sale, purchase, or trade, and any other information as appropriate."

If government inspectors find that a food item is not in compliance, they may force producers to cease distribution, recall the item or confiscate it.

"If the postal service can track a package from my office in Washington to my office in Cincinnati, we should be able to do the same for food products," Sen. Brown said in a Sept. 4, 2008, statement. "Families that are struggling with the high cost of groceries should not also have to worry about the safety of their food. This legislation gives the government the resources it needs to protect the public."


Recalls of contaminated food are usually voluntary; however, in his weekly radio address on March 15, President Obama announced he's forming a Food Safety Working Group to propose new laws and stop corruption of the nation's food.

The group will review, update and enforce food safety laws, which Obama said "have not been updated since they were written in the time of Teddy Roosevelt."

The president said outbreaks from contaminated foods, such as a recent salmonella outbreak among consumers of peanut products, have occurred more frequently in recent years due to outdated regulations, fewer inspectors, scaled back inspections and a lack of information sharing between government agencies.

"In the end, food safety is something I take seriously, not just as your president but as a parent," Obama said. "No parent should have to worry that their child is going to get sick from their lunch just as no family should have to worry that the medicines they buy will cause them harm."

The blogosphere is buzzing with comments on the legislation, including the following:

*Obama and his cronies or his puppetmasters are trying to take total control – nationalize everything, disarm the populace, control food, etc. We are seeing the formation of a total police state.

*Well ... that's not very " green " of Obama. What's his real agenda?

*This is getting way out of hand! Isn't it enough the FDA already allows poisons in our foods?

*If you're starving, no number of guns will enable you to stay free. That's the whole idea behind this legislation. He who controls the food really makes the rules.

*The government is terrified of the tax loss. Imagine all the tax dollars lost if people actually grew their own vegetables! Imagine if people actually coordinated their efforts with family, friends and neighbors. People could be in no time eating for the price of their own effort. ... Oh the horror of it all! The last thing the government wants is for us to be self-sufficient.

*They want to make you dependent upon government. I say no way! already the government is giving away taxes from my great great grandchildren and now they want to take away my food, my semi-auto rifles, my right to alternative holistic medicine?

*We need a revolution, sheeple! Wake up! They want fascism ... can you not see that?

*The screening processes will make it very expensive for smaller farmers, where bigger agriculture corporations can foot the bill.

*If anything it just increases accountability, which is arguably a good thing. It pretty much says they'll only confiscate your property if there are questions of contamination and you don't comply with their inspections. I think the severity of this has been blown out of proportion by a lot of conjecture.

*Don't waste your time calling the criminals in D.C. and begging them to act like humans. This will end with a bloody revolt.

*The more I examine this (on the surface) seemingly innocuous bill the more I hate it. It is a coward's ploy to push out of business small farms and farmers markets without actually making them illegal because many will choose not to operate due to the compliance issue.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day


*From C2C Synopsis 3-17-09:

"Leprechauns & Fairies"

On Monday night, author Dr. Bob Curran discussed Irish and Celtic legends, and beings such as fairies and leprechauns. Ireland is known as a particularly mystical place in part because of the ancient Celtics who saw spirits living everywhere within the land, he noted. The oral tradition was also particularly strong, with stories being passed down through generations, he added.

Excavated bones found in Ireland show a race of smaller people-- possibly pygmy-like aboriginals who lived on the land before the Celts, and this is one possible explanation for how lore about leprechauns began, he said.

Leprechauns were often associated with money (they were thought to know where riches were stashed during invasions), as well as a distilled brew called poteen, Curran detailed. In contrast to the leprechauns, fairies could look like typical humans, but a group known as the grogoch, were small, completely covered in fur, and had monkey-like faces, he shared.

*AND from CRYPTOMUNDO:

http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/03-17-09/

"St. Patrick’s Day and Yetis"

Posted by: Loren Coleman on March 17th, 2009

March 17th is more that just St. Patrick’s Day!

The date March 17th keeps surfacing in an almost ritualistic way, as a “chosen” date for activities that have ties to oil, certain people, Tibet, Yetis, and more.


Wonder and wander with me in this temporal landscape and stream of consciousness as we rush to our next St. Patrick’s Day.

First, it is intriguing to note that March 17th was a pivotal date in the wealthy Oklahoma/Texas oil family that was the origins of the cryptozoologist Tom Slick.

Tom Slick’s father was also named Tom Slick, and comes down to us in history as the “King of the Wildcatters.” Wildcatting was the practice of going about the oil-rich farm lands, in his case, of Oklahoma, buying up oil lease rights, and drilling for oil on pure speculation.

In 1912, Tom Slick, Sr. made the “biggest discovery of his life” when the Wheeler Well Number 1 in the Cushing Field of Oklahoma struck oil on March 17th, St. Patrick’s Day. From that day forward, crazy ole Tom Slick was called “Lucky Tom Slick.” He made millions from the Cushing leases. Slick’s family moved to Texas to follow the oil boom of the 1920s. When Tom Sr. died at the early age of 46, his estate was estimated to be worth seventy-five million dollars in 1930 dollars!

Tom Slick, his son, was not allowed to inherit any of the principal of his father’s money until he was 30, 45, and 55 years of age. But the will stated he was to live off the interest. By the year 1960, Tom Slick has inherited 15 million dollars.

Slick had decided to invest in oil and beef, but he had creative ideas also for what to do with some of his money. Part of what he began to do was search for cryptids. I document his quests for the Loch Ness Monster, Sumatran rhinos, Trinity Alps’ Giant Salamanders, Bigfoot, and Orang Pendek.

In 1957, Tom Slick personally headed his first-sponsored expedition into Nepal in search of the Yeti, with Peter Byrne and Sherpa guides along for his deadly serious reconnaissance. From noting the timeline for Slick’s trek, remarkably I discovered that Slick began his search in earnest in the Arun Valley on March 17, 1957.

On March 18th and 19th, 1957, the Government of Nepal issued press releases and answered reporters’ questions that they officially forbade all foreign mountaineers from “killing, injuring, or capturing a Yeti.” Slick’s party was allowed to carry guns for their self-defense. But they also had steel traps to capture a Yeti, and the law was specifically targeted at Slick’s expedition.

What seems to have been one of the other missions of the 1957 expedition? Apparently, it could have been spying on the Chinese in Tibet. Certainly that was what the Russians thought.



This April 27, 1957, article (above) in The New York Times carried the claims that Tom Slick was behind an effort to subvert the Chinese and free Tibet. (It would be revealed years later that Tom Slick and his Slick Airways were working closely with the OSS and the CIA.)

Two years later, what date would the CIA pick to begin the exit of the Dalai Lama from Tibet? March 17, 1959. Who may have been helping with that trek? Tom Slick and Peter Byrne. Perhaps it was Tom Slick that picked the date, not the CIA?

Colonel Fletcher Prouty has written about this secret mission to Tibet. In 1955, Prouty was appointed the first “Focal Point” officer between the CIA and the Air Force for Clandestine Operations per National Security Council Directive 5412. He was Briefing Officer for the Secretary of Defense (1960-1961), and for the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Prouty, in his 1973 book about the CIA, Secret Team, writes: “This fantastic escape and its major significance have been buried in the lore of the CIA as one of those successes that are not talked about. The Dalai Lama would have never been saved without the CIA.”

Exactly 50 years ago, on March 17, 1959, three groups, the Dalai Lama, his immediate family and senior advisors, escaped from Lhasa, Tibet.

John Prados writing in The Presidents’ Secret Wars: CIA and Pentagon Covert Operations Since World War II (New York: Morrow, 1986), notes: “Tenzin Gyatso [the Dalai Lama] was disguised as a common soldier of the guard…. The best information [about the fleeing Dalai Lama] came from the CIA…. The CIA was so well informed because it had furnished an American radio operator, who traveled with the Dalai Lama’s party…There may have been other CIA agents with the party as well.”

Who were these individuals? Who helped the Dalai Lama’s party get out of Tibet? None other than Peter Byrne, Tom Slick’s man in Nepal. He may forget it, but he told me so in 1988, when I was interviewing him about his years of work, overt and covert, with Tom Slick. I go into further details in my book, Tom Slick: True Life Encounters in Cryptozoology (Fresno: Linden Press, 2002).

Is it a coincidence that today, six years ago, is seen by some as the date that another Texan, linked to oil, began the present Iraqi War? While most historians use the date of March 20, 2003, as the start of the Iraqi War, others point to March 17, 2003. On this special date, the start of the US invasion of Iraq is keyed to then-President George W. Bush’s announcement in a televised speech that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and his sons have 48 hours to leave Iraq, or the United States will initiate preemptive military action against Iraq. On March 17, 2003, Robin Cook, Leader of the British House of Commons, resigned from the UK cabinet over the plan to invade Iraq. The UK and the USA withdrew a proposed UN Security Council resolution on Iraq. The United States advised UNMOVIC and the IAEA to withdraw all weapon inspectors out of Iraq.

Watch what happens on March 17, this year! Will the focus be Tibet, on the 50th anniversary of the forceful change that occurred there in 1959?



Tom Slick (above, after his March 15, 1957, near-death accident in Nepal) was most famous, of course, for his expeditions in search of the Abominable Snowmen, the Yetis of the Himalayan Mountains. He wanted to be someplace special on March 17th.

AND FINALLY from ECLECTIC MICKS:
(Eclectic Micks are a collection of Irish professional comic book artists. They include Stephen Mooney (Angel; After the Fall), Stephen Thompson (Star Trek; New Frontier, Presidential Material: John McCain), PJ Holden (Fearless, 2000AD) Nick Roche (Transformers, Doctor Who), Will Sliney (Farscape), Bob Byrne (Mr. Amperduke, 2000AD) and Declan Shalvey (Frankenstein, Hero Killers). Every day there will be a sketch posted here, each artist posting on a certain day. Enjoy)

http://eclecticmicks.blogspot.com/2009/03/happy-st-paddys-day-from-father-jack.html

"HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY FROM FATHER JACK HACKETT!"



Okay, this isn't a comic BOOK character, but it is an Irish-centric comic character ....from a sitcom. Father Jack Hackett from the absolutely fantastic comedy series Father Ted.

This series wouldn't be well known to anyone outside Ireland or the UK but it is without a doubt the best thing to come out of Ireland, and i include myself in that. No point in ranting on about it, but i will link to a couple of clips, just cuz i think it's so feckin' great. Here's a short clip as a taste and a slightly longer scene (filmed in my home town!). I sure know how i'm celebrating today; watching some classic Ted episodes.... and maybe havin' a couple o' pints o' cider.

I expect to see some Ted quotes in the comments section.

Happy St. Patricks Day to all.

Dec.
POSTED BY DECLAN SHALVEY AT 12:06 AM

Sunday, March 15, 2009

DEATH from Detriot

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/15/arts/music/15rubi.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&emc=eta1

This Band Was Punk Before Punk Was Punk


Death in its prime: from left, the Hackney brothers, David, Bobby and Dannis. The band’s 1974 demo tape was released last month as “... For the Whole World to See.” Photo-Tammy Hackney

By MIKE RUBIN
Published: March 12, 2009
Winooski, Vt.

ON an evening in late February at a club here called the Monkey House, there was a family reunion of sorts. As the band Rough Francis roared through a set of anthemic punk rock, Bobby Hackney leaned against the bar and beamed. Three of his sons — Bobby Jr., Julian and Urian — are in Rough Francis, but his smile wasn’t just about parental pride. It was about authorship too. Most of the songs Rough Francis played were written by Bobby Sr. and his brothers David and Dannis during their days in the mid-1970s as a Detroit power trio called Death.

The group’s music has been almost completely unheard since the band stopped performing more than three decades ago. But after all the years of silence, Death’s moment has finally arrived. It comes, however, nearly a decade too late for its founder and leader, David Hackney, who died of lung cancer in 2000. “David was convinced more than any of us that we were doing something totally revolutionary,” said Bobby Sr., 52.

Forgotten except by the most fervent punk rock record collectors — the band’s self-released 1976 single recently traded hands for the equivalent of $800 — Death would likely have remained lost in obscurity if not for the discovery last year of a 1974 demo tape in Bobby Sr.’s attic. Released last month by Drag City Records as “... For the Whole World to See,” Death’s newly unearthed recordings reveal a remarkable missing link between the high-energy hard rock of Detroit bands like the Stooges and MC5 from the late 1960s and early ’70s and the high-velocity assault of punk from its breakthrough years of 1976 and ’77. Death’s songs “Politicians in My Eyes,” “Keep On Knocking” and “Freakin Out” are scorching blasts of feral ur-punk, making the brothers unwitting artistic kin to their punk-pioneer contemporaries the Ramones, in New York; Rocket From the Tombs, in Cleveland; and the Saints, in Brisbane, Australia. They also preceded Bad Brains, the most celebrated African-American punk band, by almost five years.

Jack White of the White Stripes, who was raised in Detroit, said in an e-mail message: “The first time the stereo played ‘Politicians in My Eyes,’ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. When I was told the history of the band and what year they recorded this music, it just didn’t make sense. Ahead of punk, and ahead of their time.”

The teenage Hackney brothers started playing R&B in their parents’ garage in the early ’70s but switched to hard rock in 1973, after seeing an Alice Cooper show. Dannis played drums, Bobby played bass and sang, and David wrote the songs and contributed propulsive guitar work, derived from studying Pete Townshend’s power-chord wrist technique. Their musicianship tightened when their mother allowed them to replace their bedroom furniture with mikes and amps as long as they practiced for three hours every afternoon. “From 3 to 6,” said Dannis, 54, “we just blew up the neighborhood.”

Death began playing at cabarets and garage parties on Detroit’s predominantly African-American east side, but were met with reactions ranging from confusion to derision. “We were ridiculed because at the time everybody in our community was listening to the Philadelphia sound, Earth, Wind & Fire, the Isley Brothers,” Bobby said. “People thought we were doing some weird stuff. We were pretty aggressive about playing rock ’n’ roll because there were so many voices around us trying to get us to abandon it.”

When the band was ready to record, David chose a studio by pinning the Yellow Pages listings to the wall and throwing a dart; it landed on Groovesville Productions, a company owned by Don Davis, a successful producer for Stax Records. Groovesville signed the band, and in 1974 it began work at United Sound Recording Studios in Detroit, where it shared space with Funkadelic, the Dramatics and Gladys Knight. At the time David was 21, Dannis was 19 and Bobby, still a student at Southeastern High School, was 17.

“They were just so impressive, and the sound was just so big for three guys,” said Brian Spears, who was director of publishing at Groovesville and oversaw their sessions. “I knew those kids were great, but trying to break a black group into rock ’n’ roll was just tough during that time.”

The apparent nihilism of the name Death was also out of step with the times. “Nobody could get past the name,” Mr. Spears said. “It seemed to be a real detriment. When you said the name of the group to anybody, it was like, ‘Man, why you calling the group Death?’ ”

The Hackneys said Mr. Davis brought a tape of Death to a meeting in New York with the record executive Clive Davis. Afterward Don Davis told the brothers that Clive Davis had liked the recordings but not the band’s name; there could be no deal unless they changed it. “That’s when my brother David got a little angry,” Dannis said. “He told Don Davis to tell Clive Davis, ‘Hell no!’ ”

Part of the reason David refused was because he was writing a rock opera about death that portrayed it in a positive light, Bobby Sr. said. “He strongly believed that we could get a contract with another record label,” he added. “We were young and cocky, but David was the cockiest of us all.”



That defiance has become central to Death’s underground legend: what could be more punk rock than telling the suits to take a hike in the name of artistic integrity, even if punk didn’t quite exist yet? But separating fact from lore is tricky after three decades. The Hackneys remember Clive Davis’s label affiliation as Columbia Records, but Don Davis — who initially didn’t recall working with a band called Death — said in a phone interview that Clive Davis was with Arista Records, although he couldn’t remember the specifics of the meeting and if the group’s name was an issue. A spokeswoman for Clive Davis said he had no recollection of the group or of any meeting concerning it.ackney.

The Hackney brothers as the 4th Movement, from left, Bobby, Dannis and David.
Death and Groovesville parted ways in 1976. Don Davis produced two No. 1 hits that year, one of which was Johnnie Taylor’s “Disco Lady.” The Hackneys, meanwhile, pressed 500 copies of “Politicians in My Eyes,” backed with “Keep On Knocking,” on their own Tryangle label but found it nearly impossible to get radio play in Detroit. Disco had begun to dominate the marketplace — thanks in part to “Disco Lady” — and control of radio playlists was shifting from local disc jockeys to corporate consultants. Bobby said 1976 “was really a tough year for us,” citing “the disco ebb tide” with particular chagrin. “We just figured nobody wanted to hear rock ’n’ roll anymore.”

As their disenchantment grew, the brothers were invited by a distant relative to visit Vermont. “So we came up here to clear our heads for a couple of weeks,” Bobby said with a laugh. “That was like 30-something years ago.”

“We’re still clearing our heads,” Dannis said.

Settling in Burlington, the brothers released two albums of gospel rock as the 4th Movement in the early 1980s. David became increasingly homesick and moved back to Detroit in 1982, continuing to make music until his death. In 1983 Bobby and Dannis formed a reggae band, Lambsbread, which became a familiar presence during Vermont’s late-1980s jam-band boom; eight albums later Lambsbread is still active on the New England college circuit. The two brothers bought a house together east of Burlington in Jericho, built their own recording studio there and raised families. Bobby Sr. and Dannis each have five children.

Bobby’s children were crucial to Death’s resurrection. The Hackneys had never shared the details of their Death experience with their kids. “We had moved on in our lives and thought that chapter was over because we went through so much rejection with that music,” Bobby said. “We just didn’t want to relive it, and I especially didn’t want to relive it again with my children.”

But last year Julian heard the Tryangle single at a party in San Francisco and recognized his father’s voice. Soon after, Bobby Jr. did a Google search that revealed the Holy Grail status of the band’s only release. This news astounded Bobby Sr., who dug the master tapes out of storage last May for the first time in three decades and sat down with Dannis for a listen. The music “literally took our breath away,” Bobby Sr. said.

“We looked at each other, and we said: ‘This is truly some of the best rock ’n’ roll we ever heard. Wow, David was right.’ David knew it, and always believed it, much more than we did.”

Bobby Sr.’s sons were equally impressed. Bobby Jr., a veteran of several Burlington hardcore bands, formed Rough Francis with two brothers and two friends to play Death’s music as a tribute to his family. (The band’s moniker comes from his Uncle David’s nickname.)

“We were just trying to find ways to inform people” about Death’s music, Bobby Jr. said. “When I first heard it, I thought: ‘This can’t be real. People have to know about this. This is crazy!’ I felt like I had found Jimmy Hoffa or something.”

The young Hackneys weren’t the only Death enthusiasts. In August 2007 a record collector named Robert Cole Manis, having heard “Keep On Knocking” on a 2001 bootleg compilation of obscure punk singles, found a copy of the Tryangle single on eBay and acquired it for $400 and $400 worth of rare records.

“It was true love when I first heard it,” Mr. Manis said. “I think the record is just phenomenal. It’s timeless. It’s an amazing document.”

While surfing the Internet last summer, Mr. Manis saw a posting from a friend of Bobby Jr.’s on a punk message board announcing the rediscovery of the Death tapes. Mr. Manis excitedly tracked down the Hackneys in Vermont and helped put them in touch with the Chicago indie label Drag City, which he had worked with on a previous reissue project.

The music is an “undeniable combination of classic and punk rock elements,” said Rian Murphy, a spokesman for Drag City. “You can put the needle down on that record in any given place and just be completely transported.”

The Hackneys and Drag City are discussing reissuing the 4th Movement records too, and Bobby Sr. and Dannis are considering playing some live shows as Death, with the Lambsbread guitarist Bobbie Duncan taking over on guitar.

Death’s newfound acclaim has surprised the Hackneys but, Bobby Sr. said, David had predicted that Death would find fame one day. “David came to me right before he died, and he had some master tapes of ours,” he said. “I jokingly said to him, ‘David, I have enough of our stuff, man, I’m running out of room.’ And he said, ‘Bob, you’ve got to keep all this stuff, the world’s going to come looking for it one day, and when the world comes looking for it, I’ll know that you’ll have it.

“You can only imagine the emotions that I go through in my quiet moments when I reflect on that.”

Saturday, March 14, 2009

NERVEBREAKERS in March issue of BOMBSITE Fanzine

http://www.myebook.com/index.php?option=ebook&id=4530

Myebook - Bombsite Fanzine Four 2009 - click here to open my ebook

Bombsite Fanzine Four 2009
March issue brings the biggest stories so far with the Francesco Mellina photo set. Francesco was also manager of Liverpool's Dead or Alive. The Damned live at Eric's commentary. TV Smith from The Adverts interview with Bombsite. Dead or Alive strory from Mark Jordan who runs the new Eric's Club web site. Mike Badger and his Eric's memories and art work. The Worst rare concert commentary of live gig in 1977; And 77 Rockers The Nervebreakers Re-Group. Thanks to The Duel for the main soundtrack of this issue "Better Bombs"

Friday, March 13, 2009

DIY funerals

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/13/diy-funerals.html
DIY funerals
POSTED BY DAVID PESCOVITZ, MARCH 13, 2009 1:17 PM



Max Alexander's father and father-in-law died the same month. One received a typical American funeral. The other was a more DIY affair, including a homemade casket. During the course of the two funerals, Alexander learned a lot about the death industry and the resurgence of homebrew funerals. He wrote up his experiences for Smithsonian Magazine. From the essay:
In life both men had been devout Catholics, but one was a politically conservative advertising man, the other a left-wing journalist; you'll have to trust me that they liked each other. One was buried, one was cremated. One was embalmed, one wasn't. One had a typical American funeral-home cotillion; one was laid out at home in a homemade coffin. I could tell you that sorting out the details of these two dead fathers taught me a lot about life, which is true. But what I really want to share is that dead bodies are perfectly OK to be around, for a while....

A movement toward home after-death care has convinced thousands of Americans to deal with their own dead. A nonprofit organization called Crossings maintains that besides saving lots of money, home after-death care is greener than traditional burials—bodies pumped full of carcinogenic chemicals, laid in metal coffins in concrete vaults under chemically fertilized lawns—which mock the biblical concept of "dust to dust." Cremating an unembalmed body (or burying it in real dirt) would seem obviously less costly and more eco-friendly. But more significant, according to advocates, home after-death care is also more meaningful for the living.

"The Surprising Satisfactions of a Home Funeral"
Judging from their Web site, Crossings is a fascinating non-profit organization. They're a clearinghouse of information about home funerals and "green" burials. Apparently, as long as you're not in Connecticut, Delaware, Indiana, Nebraska, New York, it's perfectly legal for anyone to play the role of funeral director. Crossings even run, er, "hands on workshops" to teach you how to deal with the logistics of death at home. I'm not sure whether hands-on means that they provide a practice body or you have to bring your own. From the Crossings Web site:
How is home funeral care different from funeral care by a funeral director?
Funeral care refers to the time between the last breath and final resting - whether that be cremation or burial. Most people hand over this care to a funeral home, but in so doing limit their options to costly, impersonal, and sometimes invasive procedures provided by an emotionally uninvolved funeral director. Home funeral care refers to one's family and friends performing these last deeds of love - including the process of washing, dressing, and laying out their loved one's body....

What about embalming? You may be surprised to learn that embalming is almost nevcr required for the deceased. There are some situations where this is so, such as when out of state transportation is necessary. For the most part, however, embalming is not required and is undesirable due to the highly toxic chemicals used and the invasive procedures required for embalming. Embalming only delays the breakdown of the body, it does not prevent this breakdown. It also denatures the body and artificially changes it at a time when peace and tender handling are most important. Caution: Most funeral directors require embalming if you use their funeral home and choose to have a viewing of the deceased.

Crossings: Caring For Our Own At Death
Oh, and the Do-It-Yourself Coffins and Fancy Coffins books pictured above are real. From the DIY Coffins book description:
All of the tools and techniques needed to produce strong and beautiful coffins are presented here in clear, concise language. Color photographs illustrate every step in the construction of three pet-size and three human-size coffins. Detailed patterns are provided and different box construction techniques are revealed. One box design even doubles as a beautiful blanket chest or coffee table. Once the coffins are built, the discussion turns to the many moldings, appliques, linings, and finishes which may be used to make each coffin unique. A color gallery is also provided. With full color illustrations and detailed instructions, this book is a challenge to the novice and a joy for the experienced craftsman.

"Do-It-Yourself Coffins: For Pets and People"
"Fancy Coffins to Make Yourself"
Previously:
HOWTO make a cheap coffin out of Ikea parts - Boing Boing
Dead bug funeral Kit - Boing Boing
Funeral tunes - Boing Boing
Couple gets hitched at a funeral home - Boing Boing
Burglar played dead at funeral home - Boing Boing

LUX INTERIOR'S ASTRAL ASCENSION: JONNY WHITESIDE'S REPORT FROM THE CEREMONY

http://blogs.laweekly.com/westcoastsound/news/lux-interiors-astral-ascension/

LUX INTERIOR'S ASTRAL ASCENSION: JONNY WHITESIDE'S REPORT FROM THE CEREMONY
Thursday, Mar. 12 2009 @ 1:59PM
By Randall Roberts in news

The death on February 4 of Erick Lee Purkhiser, BKA Cramps singer Lux Interior -- singer, writer, artist, 3D photographer, daredevil, shape shifter. Mojo Man from Mars, Ding Dong Daddy from Diddy Wah Diddy (as his surviving longtime partner in crime Poison Ivy described him) was as numbing and unacceptable a trauma as can be imagined, a black hole of tragedy that pulled the hearts of innumerable fans and friends down to the bitter deep end, but there had to be a formal farewell.

A public observance was unthinkable. Just picture the teeming, tearful confederacy of scum who'd show up. But Ivy hit on the perfect spot. Tucked off Sunset Boulevard in Pacific Palisades, the Self Realization Fellowship - Lake Shrine, a fave Elvis hang when he was in town during his mid-60's extracurricular spiritual quest, is an unspeakably beautiful setting and was ideal for Lux Interior's send-off, administered via an appropriately offbeat ceremony, the Astral Ascension.

Held on February 21 inside a reproduction of a 18th century windmill, the trans-denominational service was performed before an ornate sandalwood altar with a backdrop of six portraits -- Jesus, Krishna and the Fellowships own assorted founding gurus; the mood was muted, bleak, and Ivy's entrance brought a flood of tears; clad in form fitting leopard print, she placed a Hurrell-style glamour portrait of Lux beside the rostrum where speakers would address the crowd of 50 or 60 people.

Minister Brahmachari Dale explained their hope-filled transitional view of death, read from the Bhagavad-Gita, recited the 23rd Psalm, and exhorted attendees to concentrate on sending messages of love to Lux's spirit -- and damn, kiddies, it felt like he was right there in the room (when Ivy was arranging the service, she mentioned a similar predisposition, and the coordinator replied, "Oh, he will be there").

Next, a musical interlude, Mary Mayo 's "For All We Know," an evocative, psychedelic R&B ballad with simmering bubble sound effects and eerie theremin runs; musician and longtime Lux and Ivy chum Dave Stuckey spoke first, and his recollections brought booms of laughter: "We had gone to see [R&B star] Young Jesse at a very fancy French restaurant, and when Lux sat down at the table, he immediately picked up the elaborately folded napkin and put it on his head. It made a very nice hat." At a Swap Meet, Lux came across a huge table of bootleg rock videos, one of them a Cramps tape. As Stuckey described it, he said "Watch this," approached the seller, who was busy organizing his wares, held up the video "and asked him -- in that voice -- 'How much for this one?' The guys eyes bugged out and he stammered "It's . . it's . . free."



Self-Realization Center - Lake Shrine, where Lux Interiior's Ascension Ceremony was held on Feb. 21

Former Mumps keyboardist Kirstian Hoffman, who had first allied himself with the couple at CBGB's almost 35 years ago, spoke next and began by pointing first at Lux's photo and then the portrait of Jesus, saying "I want to put this picture over there." He also drew gales of additional yucks by talking about what a great visual artist Lux was, a fact emphasized when he produced a long player album by NYC rockabilly revivalist Robert Gordon, whose head shot cover art had been magnificently vandalized, a la Mad Magazine, with blacked teeth, a van dyke beard and a Rat Fink style swarm of flies (Lux's ire was raised by Gordon's choice to cover Cramps staple "The Way I Walk"). Hoffman also read a message from guitarist Kid Congo Powers (on tour in Europe), an affectionate, slightly skewed homage that reinforced just what a profound affect Lux had made on the lives of anyone who saw him perform or was fortunate enough to know him.

Dale proceeded; a flower ceremony, a fire ceremony, the Astral Ascension Prayer, a closing benediction and a final song, the Charades' version of 1939 Duke Ellington hit "Flamingo." A severely cramped doo-woppy arrangement fraught with trashy guitar that, taken with the songs surrealist lyrics, provided a perfect coda. The stunned crowd, including Russ Meyer biographer Jimmy McDonough, comic-Sponge Bob voice Tom Kenny, In the Red Records' Larry Hardy, Johnny Legend, Charmin' Allan Larman, a slew of local underworld rock types and 3D camera buffs (an abiding passion of Lux's), wandered outside.

A reception followed at Silver Lake's Edendale Grill, much grimly carouse, a looping slide show of Lux baby and childhood shots, candid snaps (i.e. Lux wearing panties on his head -- they made a very nice hat) and assorted live combat action photography. Muted chatter ensued and in an unexpected twist, I met the guy who was driving the day he and Lux famously pulled over to pick up a hitchhiker, who turned out to be Poison Ivy. "I only knew Lux for about three years, but I knew Erick very well," he said. "Back then, I was his psychedelic partner, you might say, and a few years ago I got an e-mail from him saying "you don't know who this is" -- of course I did -- "but do you remember when we picked up that really pretty girl hitchhiker and your dog Wheezer jumped all over her? Well I've been jumping all over her for the past 35 years and we have a band called the Cramps."

A first hand account of that fabled meeting was a knock out, but the finality of the day's tone overrode all else. As Poison Ivy herself wrote in the service-accompanying program, "Lux seemed like a creature from another world, with one foot already out of this dimension. As much as we might wonder 'Where are you now?' we can also wonder 'Where on Earth did you come from?' Now that's a mystery!"

Thursday, March 12, 2009

Nervebreakers Promo Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-1FUdHouLU


Nervebreakers Promo Video by Frank Campagna

http://www.myspace.com/nervebreaking
http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Nervebreakers/38754638090

For the first time in 15 years, the Nervebreakers will perform live. Only three shows are scheduled.
Friday, March 20th (5PM) at the Owl Tree Roasting, 3421 N. Interstate 35, Austin 78722.
Saturday, March 21th (7PM), at Antones Record Shop, 2928 Guadalupe, Austin 78705.
Saturday, April 11th, at Club Dada, 2720 Elm, Dallas 75226

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Wordsmith.org's Anagram Server

http://wordsmith.org/anagram/index.html



Did you know that parliament is an anagram of partial men? Or, Clint Eastwood an anagram of Old West Action? Someone once said, "All the life's wisdom can be found in anagrams. Anagrams never lie." Here is your chance to discover the wisdom of anagrams.

What is an Anagram?
anagram (AN-uh-gram)
noun: A word or phrase formed by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. For example, Elvis to Lives.
verb: To rearrange letters in such a way. To anagrammatize.
[From Greek anagrammatismos, ana- (up, again, back, new) + -gram (letter).]

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

R. Crumb and Bigfoot (from CRYPTOMUNDO)


http://www.cryptomundo.com/cryptozoo-news/r-crumb-bf/
Posted by: Loren Coleman on January 26th, 2007

Mark Frauenfelder recently posted at Boing Boing about the wonderful past era of beautiful art to be found on old covers of Fate.

Mark also mentioned a recent blog by David Pescovitz about the New York Times article “Mr. and Mrs. Natural,” and the author of that article contacted Mark to say two of Fate covers done in the last decade have been illustrated by the underground comics genius R. Crumb. Actually, it was three, two of which had Bigfoot themes and one was of an alien shown near a bed.

One of those covers - specifically because of Crumb’s art - has become apparently the most popular cover in Fate history. It is the Crumb Bigfoot cover shown at the top of this blog. I feel honored that my column, “Mysterious World: Bigfoot-like Creatures Roam the Eastern U.S.” appeared in the November 2000 issue of that Fate. Thus, as such things go, my column has been vaguely associated with and said to be partially responsible for R. Crumb’s artwork. It probably was just a coincidence, but it is one of those cool cosmic overlaps that I appreciate being part of, especially since I always liked his comix, like Zap.

he other Fate R. Crumb cover was of snowy Bigfoot-types in Russia. Intriguingly, it was also used to promote a Wisconsin Bigfoot novel from Galde Press (the current owners of Fate).

R. Crumb has been interested in Bigfoot for a long time, having penned the classic “Whiteman meets Bigfoot” in Home Grown Funnies, no. 1, back in 1971.

Anyone out there have any scans of R. Crumb’s 1971 comic art of Bigfoot?

As far as the popular cultural significance of R. Crumb, all you have to do, if you were part of the 1960s, is remember his images associated with Mr. Natural, Fritz the Cat, Keep On Truckin’, and Janis Joplin’s Cheap Thrills album cover.

Perhaps someday R. Crumb will even draw a Bigfoot exclusively for Cryptomundo.

Hey, unlike the The New York Times which has decided to print the word “hippy,” I spell “hippie” the way we used to in the 60s!

THEN FROM BOINGBOING:
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/03/08/drew-friedman-paints.html

Drew Friedman paints Robert Crumb presenting Cheap Thrills album cover to Janis Joplin
POSTED BY MARK FRAUENFELDER, MARCH 8, 2009 5:19 PM

Our pal Drew Friedman painted this great moment in freak history.

This recent piece is a depiction of my old friend (and favorite artist) Robert Crumb presenting his original "Cheap Thrills" comic strip cover art to Janis Joplin, (with various members of "The Holding Company" lurking behind), backstage at the Filmore West in San Fran' in 1968. It was commissioned by the private collector who owns the original Crumb "Cheap Thrills" art, as a companion piece to hang along side it in his office. Interestingly, Crumb's original intention was for this art to run on the back cover and a portrait of Joplin to run on the front. But Joplin loved the the comic strip art so much, (she was an avid underground comics fan, especially the work of Crumb, and already at that point in her escalating career, had the power to hire her own cover artist), she decided to run it on the front. It's arguably the SECOND most famous album cover ever, after Sgt. Pepper. One amusing side note: bending no doubt to pressure, Crumb wore his hair for a time at it's longest in '68, which I try to show. Joplin was also encouraging him to "loosen up" and wear "hippie clothes and beads" but he just couldn't go that far.

SO MANY RECORDS, SO LITTLE TIME: The Attack / The Syn

SO MANY RECORDS, SO LITTLE TIME: The Attack / The Syn

If ever you wanted to hear the ultimate English group sound - you are in the right place. For two reasons: The Attack and The Syn.

Let's start with The Attack. Originally known as The Soul System, the group signed to Decca UK in late '66, changing their moniker to The Attack. Despite various line-up changes, which included two future alumni of The Nice, Brian Davidson and David O'List, as well a soon to be mainstay of The Marmalade, Alan Whitehead, the band spawned four flawless singles. Their 2nd in the UK, and lone US release on sister label London, 'Hi Ho Silver Lining', lost out in the British chart battle to Jeff Beck's version, which reached #14 in '67, then #17 in '72 and yet again #62 in '82. Embarrassingly, it peaked here at #123 in '67 due to very little airplay, a pathetically common tale known as the sewer of US radio. The competing versions also gave The Attack controversial attention in the British press claiming Beck had nicked the song from them.


Amazingly, despite having been damaged by the Jeff Beck fiasco, Decca chose to release the terrific follow-up, 'Created By Clive' on the very same day as it's in house subsidiary label, Deram, issued The Syn's version of the exact same song. Each are posted above to let you hear that although the marketing blunder damaged both, the two records are equally superb. And with haunting clairvoyance, the song unknowingly predates Clive Davis' eventual destruction of the record business with frightening accuracy by some 40 years.



Their fourth and final single, 'Neville Thumbcatch' closely matches The Kinks 'Big Sky' alarmingly, despite with flattering and positive LSD drenched results.

Follow link to original blog to hear these...

Monday, March 9, 2009

Creative Grooming???

http://www.pinkcoyote.net/creativegrooming.html



They call this "creative grooming"???
Poor Cindy the Poodle!!!
Check link for additional entertaining photos of Cindy...
Thanks to Ms Dembling for sending this to Ms Kritt...

T. Tex Edwards on Reverb Nation

http://www.reverbnation.com/ttexedwards
T.%20Tex%20EdwardsQuantcast




Tunes, Videos, Photos, Bio, Press Clippings, Gig Information & so on and so on...

Dali & Amanda Lear



Salvador Dali & Amanda Lear

Sunday, March 8, 2009

World Radio Premiere of the newest Nervebreakers tune on RADIO NAPALM


RADIO NAPALM will broadcast the World Radio Premiere of the newest Nervebreakers tune, "Face Up to Reality" (from the upcoming Nervebreakers album of the same name) on March 11.

"RADIO NAPALM": A weekly 2 hour musical journey through rock 'n' roll, punk rock, glam, r&b, garage, blues, and whatever else tickles our fancy. Hosted by noted punk rock musician and writer TIM NAPALM, Wednesdays, 10 PM eastern, 9 PM Central, 8 PM Mountain, and 7 PM Pacific over http://www.woodyradio.com/ . Here you will find playlists, downloadable podcasts of each episode, and other goodies and gewgaws related to "RADIO NAPALM!"
http://www.myspace.com/officialradionapalm

http://www.woodyradio.com/
Hit that page, scroll down, and choose your player (or listen via iTunes). And don't forget the liveliest chatroom on the internet, either. Be there!

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Video from the Low Countries- Maskers / Dracula

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AYONDENtBjs



Maskers - Dracula
From the Netherlands. KILLER!
Great stages moves, Dutchies!

Friday, March 6, 2009

C2C Today in Strangeness - 3/06




Today in Strangeness:

On this date in 1899, Bayer received a patent for their new pain reliever-- aspirin. Pharmacist Felix Hoffman was said to synthesize heroin and aspirin in the same month. In 1950, Silly Putty was introduced as a toy by Peter Hodgson. Packaged in plastic eggs, the one-ounce pieces of rubber-like material could be used to transfer colored ink from newsprint.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

LUX & IVY PHOTOS BY JOHNNY RAMONE

http://johnnyramone.com/

Lux Interior, frontman and founding member of the legendary garage-punk band the Cramps passed away suddenly on February 4th in California.

Lux formed the Cramps in New York in 1976 with his wife, guitarist and ultimate bad girl, Poison Ivy. The band put its own demented spin on punk, blending campy B-movie and exploitation film sensibilities with southern fried rockabilly roots and surf-music spawned from the black leather lagoon.

Lux and Ivy often visited Johnny Ramone and his wife Linda at their home in CA and shared common interests in music and cult film culture.

A memorial service is being planned for Lux that will be deeply private and at an undisclosed location. We must stress that respect for total privacy and undisturbed solitude is of the utmost importance during this extremely difficult time. Instead of flowers, a donation may be made in Lux’s honor to his favorite charity, Best Friends Animal Society.

Our thoughts go out to Ivy and the JRA salutes the inimitable Lux Interior, a true legend and punk pioneer that will never be forgotten.

http://johnnyramone.com/LuxInteriror.html

PHOTOS BY JOHNNY RAMONE
From the personal archives of the John Family Trust. © JRA LLC, All Rights Reserved.


L-to-R: Poison Ivy, Linda Ramone, Paul Zone and Lux Interior


L-to-R Lux Interior, John Frusciante and Eddie Vedder


L-to-R: Ivy & Lux

http://johnnyramone.com/LuxInteriror.html

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Accept Your Fate: Post-mortem Ebay Finds (from COILHOUSE BLOG)

http://coilhouse.net/2009/03/02/accept-your-fate-post-mortem-ebay-finds/

Ebay has been a great source of vintage photos and daguerreotypes for years. A haven for those interested in ghostly figures gazing out of time-worm scenes from over a hundred years ago, it’s still got it! This listing features an interesting group portrait - an entire family gathered merrily around a dead girl curled up with her favorite toys. From the description:

This is one of the strangest photos I’ve ever seen. And I can’t believe it’s a post-mortem, what with the smiles on some of the family’s faces. I think it must be a joke of some kind. I really think they’re kind of mocking the post-mortem ritual of showing a deceased child with their beloved toys…but I could be wrong.



I’m not an expert, but I have done my share of googlative research, back when I was still in the stuffing-my-place-to-the-brim-with-vintage-ephemera phase. While this photo is a bit unusual in terms of how many people are gathered around the body, the rest adds up. Children were usually pictured with their toys and family members in post-mortem shots. Really, this photo weirds me out far less than, say, this one:



Imagine being 7 and asked to pose with your dead brother. Guhh.

While I find the Victorians’ acceptance of death as part of life healthy [even if forced by the high death rates of the time], the concept of propping up a corpse to look life-like still gives me the stomach-churnies. However, this doesn’t stop me from continuing to adore post-mortem photos, in all their absurdity!

Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Big D NERVEBREAKERS Show at Club Dada

Because of popular demand & a few threats, the Nervebreakers have added a show in our hometown of Dallas after the Austin shows. Yes, on Saturday night, April 11, we will be performing at Club Dada, 2720 Elm Street in Deep Ellum. Opening the show will be Sparrowbox, featuring Jery Dirkx (Telefones) & John "J.P." Painter (Quad Pi), plus youngsters, Spector 45. I hear there is a $10 cover charge to get in. This will be the Nervebreakers only Dallas appearance this spring, so come on down!

Monday, March 2, 2009

SO MANY RECORDS, SO LITTLE TIME: Jack Dupree

Click on this link:
SO MANY RECORDS, SO LITTLE TIME: Jack Dupree


Quote from: So Many Records, So Little Time Blog...
"This was a bizarre discovery from that very first pile of singles I blagged off WMCR, claiming to be from the Children's Hospital and needing donations. There were many greats in that stack of about 50 (The Others, The Pretty Things, Inez & Charlie Foxx, The Mickey Finn, The Hullaballoos, Ike & Tina Turner, Jimmy Reed), but this earned an immediate spot. I played it for everyone - all as baffled as myself on first listen. We were feeling confidently hip to this blues music The Rolling Stones and The Kinks claimed as their influences, even though we simply were not. A true and pure slice had yet to be served up until that very first spin of 'Tongue Tied Blues'. Just listen and you'll understand."

Click on link to SMR/SLT blog to listen...

Iggy Pop to release jazz album indebted to French literature

NME News
http://www.nme.com/news/iggy-pop/43152

Iggy Pop has revealed that he has recorded a jazz album based on the French author Michel Houellebecq's novel 'La Possibilité D'une Ile' ('The Possibility Of An Island').

In a video interview originally posted on Iggypop.org, which you can watch below, Pop explains that he decided to record the album - called 'Preliminaires' - because he was "sick" of listening to guitar bands.

"It's a quieter album with some jazz overtones," he said. "That's because at one point I just got sick of listening to idiot thugs with guitars, banging out crappy music. And I was starting to listen to a lot of New Orleans-era Louis Armstrong, Jelly Roll Morton type of jazz."

Pop added that he was originally approached to contribute songs to a documentary about Houellebecq's attempts to get the novel turned into a film.

One song on the album, called 'Les Feuilles Mortes' ('Autumn Leaves'), is sung in French.

"I've made it really especially for France and people who speak French," the singer revealed.

At one point during the video Pop - who is seen sitting by a swimming pool - picks up a white dog and shows it to the camera. After he finishes speaking a song from the album named 'King Of The Dogs' plays. The singer said that the song is about "just how cool it is to be a dog and how much it beats human life".

NO RULES (from Bosnia) - "Drugi Zivot"

NO RULES (from Bosnia) - "Drugi Zivot"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QHCfSmAscJ8

Drugi Zivot oficijelni video spot Tuzlanske grupe No Rules sa albuma "Probaj Me" 2007

My Bosnian pen-pal, Bojan, plays with this band.
I was kind of disappointed he wasn't wearing the 'Smitty' t-shirt I sent him in the video.
But then I noticed it was from 2007, I think it says.
Maybe in the next video...

Johnny Ramone's Grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery

Miss Ivy Blue (from whom the first four photos came from) at Johnny Ramone's grave in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery, Hollywood California...



One of the cemetery's black swans...

Photo of me at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery 1989 by PC Falk...