#Cleveland punk

[weneverlearn]

Lost STIV BATORS footage found - made into amazing new video!!

Interview with Stiv solo/latterday Dead Boys bassist, Frank Secich, about how this new clip appeared - featuring exclusive pix!!

"Me and Stiv Bators at record release party for the Orchids in Hollywood in 1979." - Frank Secich (photo by Lisa Secich)

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Frank Secich is an endlessly inspiring rock'n'roll lifer who began his career as bass player for the great early 1970s Northeast, Ohio, proto-power pop legends, Blue Ash.

Later in the decade he hooked up with fellow rust-belter, Stiv Bators, as part of Stiv's ongoing post-Dead Boys projects. That sometimes led to Dead Boys reunions too, of which Frank was the faithful bottom end. -- You can read this full interview I did with Frank a few years ago when he released his wild biography, Circumstantial Evidence.

"Me with Stiv Bators at my old apartment on the West Hill in Sharon, PA, December 17, 1978. I think we (me, Stiv, Lisa and Cynthia Ross) went to see the Talking Heads and hang out that night in Youngstown!" - Frank Secich (photo by Lisa Secich)

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But first check out this INCREDIBLE new video for "Circumstantial Evidence"!

Circumstantial Evidence - Stiv Bators Band

Frank got the video from his pal who made it last week, and when he posted it on Facebook, it led to a goodly portion of classic punk fandom freaking out.

I asked Frank if he could answer a couple of quick questions about the new video, and as it turns out his friend made a new Dead Boys video from found 1979 footage too, which can be seen on Frank's FB page.

For now, check out the interview with Secich below.

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So, who made this video, and this is the first time you've seen it, right?

Frank Secich: The first time I ever saw the "Circumstantial Evidence" video was a few days ago. Filmmaker Rob Luttrell just recently made it with his old film he had found and restored. He sent it to me, and I was stunned and shocked how good it was. It was the first time I had ever seen these old clips in "Circumstantial Evidence" from footage that he shot at the Whisky a Go Go in L.A. and the Heat Club and Town Hall in New York City in 1980. Stiv's solo band at this point was Stiv Bators, Jimmy Zero, guitar, George Cabaniss, guitar, David Quinton Steinberg on drums and me on bass. Also, guest starring in the video is Dee Dee Ramone!

Stiv Bators and Frank Secich recording "It's Cold Outside" at Bijou Studios in Hollywood, CA in April, 1979. - Frank Secich (photo by Theresa Kereakes)

"Frank Secich, Stiv Bators and Greg Shaw (Bomp Records head) recording "It's Cold Outside" at Bijou Studios in Hollywood in April of 1979." - Frank Secich (photo by Theresa Kereakes)

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So Robert had all that original film? Will we maybe see more such footage?

F.S.: Yes, there is one more of "Sonic Reducer" from 1979. Rob and Marty Abrahams made this one in early 1980. We used to use it as a promo film back then, and we would play it right before we took the stage. Rob has digitalized it and improved it, and it is very cool. It features the Dead Boys at that moment -- Stiv Bators, Johnny Blitz, Jimmy Zero, George Cabaniss, and myself. Cheetah had just broken his wrist right before this gig at Irving Plaza, so George was filling in for him. This film was done at Irving Plaza in New York City in January, 1980.

While watching the videos, what are some memories that popped to mind?

F.S.: I was just flooded with memories. Rob really captured the spirit of our chaos back then. We used to have so much fun. It really was a wild ride like that almost every night; and of course you could never predict what Stiv might do. It was an exciting time and we toured North America constantly from 1979 until January of 1981, with slight variations of that band. I am really glad the line-up of the band has been preserved on film for posterity.

Do you have specific memories about any of the shows that are seen in this clip?

F.S.: The fans ripping Stiv's shirt off are indelibly imprinted in my mind. He would also hang himself on stage with a microphone cord which would scare the hell out of me. One time during those gigs we were all flying around on stage, and I turned around quickly and he jumped up and I accidentally knocked him out cold with my bass. He came to pretty quick and said to me, "Did it look cool?" I said "yeah!" The Stiv beer fountain at the end of the film is really cool as well.

"Donna Santisi's cool photo of me and Stiv at the Tropicana Motel in W. Hollywood in early 1979!"

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Anything you want to say at all about these new videos…?

F.S.: It really brought back such great memories of a time and place that was very special and now forever gone. In one day, there have been over 5,000 plus views of "Circumstantial Eveidence" just on my Facebook site, and people's reactions have been amazing. I hope that Rob has more films because these are very special and quite a tribute Stiv and his legacy.

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Hope you will remember those days at the Whisky after seeing the video. I used what I could salvage after 44 years of deterioration (mold and color loss and scratches). These two films were shot on no budget before MTV existed. - Rob Luttrell

"Mick Rock's picture sleeve photo of Stiv and Frank for Bomp's single "Not That Way Anymore" in 1980." - Frank Secich

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All photos exclusive and courtesy of Frank Secich.

[bestfrozentreats2]

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woodstock 99 on 35mm

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[theunderestimator-2]

The Pagans (Tim Allee, Mike Hudson, Mike Metoff & Brian Hudson) on the edge at the legendary Independence Day party on July 4th 1978 at Peter Ball’s family mansion, Bratenhal, Cleveland, which also included The Cramps and Pere Ubu, as captured by Randy Meggitt.

The bands performed on a concrete ledge built into a cliff face overlooking Lake Erie and the audience, various hippies and members of Cleveland’s underground scene, watched from the lakeside 15 feet below, while others were twisting on boats and yachts moored in the lake, later on enjoying the 4th of July fireworks.

The mighty Pagans started out as a Rolling Stones cover band became a punk powerhouse led by the formidable Mike Hudson, releasing four 45's between '77 and '79 that still influence punks.

"Mike Hudson could be a piece of shit. He could be the coolest guy you ever met. He could be the guy you wanted to be. He could sucker you out of your last nickel. He could laugh so hard he would throw up and his dental plate would ride the puke stream like the best California surfer. He could make you wanna kick his cocky drunk ass. I was lucky to know that fucker for 40 years”. Scott "Cheese" Borger, clepunk veteran.

(via)

[thisnoise]

If I can’t have everything well then just give me a taste.

[theuntitledblog]

WWE SummerSlam (2024) - REVIEW

I used to look forward to the annual SummerSlam event ever since I started watching WWE following SummerSlam 1996. That event, much like this one, also featured a stunning betrayal in one of its pivotal matches when Paul Bearer betrayed the Undertaker for Mankind. So SummerSlam played a significant part in discovering my love for wrestling, I even bought VHS tapes of SummerSlam 1988, 89, 90, 91, and 92 as I retrospectively discovered that era of wrestling. SummerSlam 1996-8 remained highlight events during my time of watching WWE but with the exception of perhaps the 2000 and 2002 event, SummerSlam to me never quite felt as important again compared to the other Big 4 events of WWE.

Perhaps part of the issue is that SummerSlam lacks a unique concept; Royal Rumble and Survivor Series have always been built around a particular match type while WrestleMania has always been the biggest spectacle of the sport. SummerSlam has had moments over the years but to me at least it just hasn't felt quite as important to the other 3 ... maybe that's just me, I don't know. The point I'm trying to make is that the 2024 SummerSlam was the first time in as long as I can remember that the event did feel that it had that same gravitas as the other Big 4 events. This is a show that didn't have a diverse card in terms of match type; there were no tag team matches, triple threat, cage, ladder or any other creative match that other events have utilised. This was a stadium show with 7 singles matches that all had a long-term story at its centre and whose outcomes would redraw the map of the main roster. OK, sure, the match outcomes were generally what I predicted, but while watching the event, there were moments where I doubted those outcomes as the in-ring drama drew me in. SummerSlam 2024, for me, has been the best event PLE since WrestleMania 40 and even then, maybe slightly better in some respects.

MATCH 1 - WWE Women's Championship: Liv Morgan (champion) vs. Rhea Ripley

SummerSlam got off to a very strong start with this opening match, which was never going to struggle in terms of story, but when it came to the in-ring action? I wasn't sure, but that doubt was more about Liv Morgan than Rhea Ripley. There's no question that the Liv Morgan of recent years couldn't be more different than the way she was during her time with The Riott Squad, but even then there's been something about her that hasn't always convinced despite defeating Ronda Rousey for her first World title. Her scrappy style in the ring, the constant underdog presentation didn't help the feeling that she was often punching above her weight when stepping into the ring with the likes of the Four Horsewomen, Asuka and even Rhea Ripley. However, since returning at the 2024 Royal Rumble, things have felt felt very different with her. She had a strong showing in the Rumble and Elimination Chamber, and the post-WrestleMania storyline between Morgan and the Judgment Day has been an unexpected hit. She's looked convincing in the ring, the storyline with Dominik has been captivating week after week and this is by far the best program she's featured in where she looks strong.

So, going back to my doubts regarding the in-ring action for their match at SummerSlam? I needn't have worried. This was a fantastic match from start to finish that thankfully, didn't feel like a complete mis-match. Rhea Ripley got to show off her superior strength and looked superb and Liv Morgan likewise worked in some good offense and felt like a threat with a clever injury angle that I honestly couldn't tell was real or not judging by Ripley's excellent selling. But this was a match where you sensed something was going to happen, but you just weren't sure what exactly. In the end, it was exactly what this match needed, and while Morgan got the major win, the post-match betrayal with Dominik will absolutely be what this match is most remembered for thanks to tolheir performances, the crowd reactions and even the commentators. It's an outstanding start to SummerSlam in a match that delivered more than I could've hoped for.

****

MATCH 2 - Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn (champion) vs. Bron Breakker

How do you follow an outstanding opening match? By being something different. This was an interesting match as firstly, this was pretty much the only match on the card that came down to the in-ring action alone. The second thing was that out of all the matches on the card, this is the one I would've changed to maybe a Triple Threat Match and include the likes of Jey Uso or Ilja Dragunov rather than just duplicate the previous PLE. That's not to suggest that this match was bad because it wasn't, but by the end of the night this was the one that I had pretty much forgotten about. It was a short match that cut to the chase by having a dominant Bron Breakker win his first Intercontinental title. It certainly made sense although it didn't offer up any surprises and seemed to realize that they couldn't outdo the match beforehand. I'm excited by what's to come with Breakker as champion but I still kinda felt that their match at Money at the Bank was the better one and I'm not sure what was achieved by delaying it till here. I guess that's why I'm the fan and not the booker.

***

MATCH 3 - United States Championship: Logan Paul (champion) vs. L.A Knight

The rise in the popularity of L.A. Knight has genuinely surprised me and seemed to come out of nowhere following his feud with the late Bray Wyatt. I'm certainly no hater of Knight, but I'd be lying if I said I was a big fan or that his matches were something I particularly looked forward to. But if the match with A.J Styles at WrestleMania proved anything is that he can put on a show and deliver some fun, if not classic, matches. On the other side, you have Logan Paul, who I've stated before is so much better in the ring than he has any right to be. The decision to put the US title on Paul was a controversial one, and I had hoped it might boost the profile of a title that's never felt as prestigious compared to the Intercontinental title. I don't know if they achieved that, although Knight's victory here was a genuine feel-good moment and a just reward for a star whose stock has been steadily rising. The match wasn't the best on the card, but it benefitted from a good story coming in, plus Paul makes for such a dislikeable heel that I was really rooting for Knight here. It was a physical back and forth clash with Paul really showing the consequence of the physicality. A super plex spot looked scary as Paul seemed to struggle to get into the right position on the way down, and it made me and my friend wince. But this was the right result that rightfully rewarded Knight, who I think is an ideal choice to try to elevate this title. I just hope they build upon this moment.

*** 1/2

MATCH 4 - Women's Championship: Bayley (champion) vs. Nia Jax

Nia Jax is clearly enjoying what has been her best run since returning to WWE. She has looked better, been given better storylines, and most of all, she's been impressive in the ring and has put on some great matches with the likes of Rhea Ripley and Becky Lynch. Her triumph in the Queen of the Ring tournament was the right decision and has given Nia a well-deserved push into a position that she probably should have reached earlier. Bayley likewise has also had a good run since the Royal Rumble which included a major title win at WrestleMania and a solid reign as champion even if the reign itself hasn't been as quite as memorable as her heel run as champion with Sasha Banks by her side. I liked the Damage Contrl angle and felt that the group didn't go over as much as they probably should have but her Royal Rumble and World Title win at WrestleMania seemed to come out of nowhere and was a recognition for what has been an outstanding career. But you definitely got the feeling that this was Jax's time and while the crowd disappointingly didn't seem to be into parts of this which admittedly didn't have strongest story of the two women's matches on the card. The match itself was pretty good in itself, where both came out looking strong, and the crowd did wake up following the powerbomb spot on Jax. The Tiffany Stratton dynamic with Jax will intrigue going forward, but the only question mark for me is where does Bayley go from here?

***

MATCH 5 - CM Punk vs. Drew Mcintyre with Seth Rollins as the Special Guest Referee

Things couldn't have gone worse for CM Punk at the Royal Rumble. One of the most anticipated in-ring returns in recent memory for a star with so much baggage and drama hanging over him, and it ends with a major injury. In any other circumstance, this would've been a disaster, yet WWE managed to create one of the most compelling storylines and bitterest of feuds in as long as I can remember. This was perhaps the most anticipated match on the card and where one of the major participants hadn't wrestled in nearly 7 months! It's testament to the quality of the change from the McMahon era to the Levesque era of WWE that a match like this can be so anticipated and main event worthy.

I don't know whether Seth Rollins was really needed but I don't think his presence hurt things either especially since it's a reasonable assumption that Rollins vs. Punk is one of the next major feuds to come. I really liked how they built up the tension as much as possible with Rollins delaying ringing the bell while both Punk and McIntyre looked ready to tear each other apart. The match was very physical and was just oozing storytelling throughout and the crowd absolutely loved it. A big thumbs up for the call back to the conclusion of the main event of SummerSlam 1997 as well. I sometimes wonder whether matches like this work as well for a live audience especially when the more story driven moments and exchanges in the ring can only be heard by the viewers at home. Whatever the answer is, what doesn't change is that the in-ring action was good, CM Punk looked great in the ring, the match was filled with compelling drama and delivered on the night.

****

MATCH 6 - World Heavyweight Championship: Damian Priest (champion) vs. Gunther

No other superstar has risen to the top faster or thrived more during the Triple H era of WWE than Gunther. What he lacks in visual flair is more than compensated by his ring presence as a dominant heel in hard hitting matches. Not since Brock Lesnar has a superstar felt as legitimate in the ring as Gunther and it's crystal clear just how much he's valued by WWE in the way he's been booked since arriving on the main roster. His record breaking run as Intercontinental champion is legend in itself and his only pinfall loss felt like the natural next step for what felt was an inevitable run as a World champion. I'm a huge Gunther fan so this is a big moment as a fan but the only downside is that this comes at the expense (sort of) of Damian Priest whom I equally felt was finally coming into his own as champion. It's fitting therefore that two of the biggest rising stars in WWE right now put on the best match of the night.

Did it have the best storyline of the night going in? No however the build-up was helped by some personal jibes from Gunther in the last couple of weeks all the while WWE has been promoting the story of Damian Priest's wrestling career that has helped give things a more personal edge. The brawls they've engaged in on Raw have certainly helped bring a little more heat to the match which made the hard hitting action land even harder. Priest and Gunther looked more than a match for each other with both landing heavy moves including chops which drew blood from The Ring General himself. There were moments where I thought that this might end in a more conventional manner but at the same time there was that sense, given the progression of the night, that more drama might be on the way and in that respect I was not disappointed. Finn Balor's betrayal has been a long time coming and completed the implosion of the Judgment Day which turned out to be one of the biggest takeaways from SummerSlam 2024. This is a match that has redrawn Monday Night Raw considerably while at the same time elevating everyone involved. This has injected new life into the Judgement Day storyline, set up Priest and Balor on a path for what could be a career making feud and and of course elevated Gunther into the main event scene as World champion. This for me was the best match of the night in terms of in-ring action and while maybe the drama of the opening match was tough to beat, in terms of long term consequences this could be even more far reaching.

****

MAIN EVENT - WWE Undisputed Championship: COdy Rhodes (champion) vs. Solo Sikoa

I've got to be honest that I never saw this coming. It's strange to think that for so long we were so focused on the Bloodline storyline with Roman Reigns as Undisputed Champion that we didn't really stop to consider what might happen afterwards. Did anyone really expect to see Solo Sikoa as the next leader of the Bloodline or in the main event for the Undisputed title? I certainly didn't and credit is due for making this new line-up of the Bloodline as credible a threat as possible with the introduction of some new faces that has generally been a success. It's taken some time but with patience and some key victories at Backlash and Money in the Bank, Solo Sikoa for me looks comfortable in this spot and to be fair he and Cody Rhodes put on a very fine match to close the show.

But ... like some of the latter matches of Roman Reign's run as champion, this sadly fell prey to a sense of predictability. The Bloodline rules stipulation that was put in rather last minute was a mistake for me in that it essentially sign posted what we should expect. It's not like this hasn't worked before and I'm not suggesting that this spoiled things, but given the ending of the still rather recent WrestleMania, it just felt too similar and worse too was that the crowd were in on it and waiting. The crowd therefore never seemed too into this match despite the efforts that Rhodes and Sikoa were putting because they knew the match wasn't going to end before that moment occurred. Roman Reign's return stole the show in that match and was the biggest talking point of the main event, not Cody and not Solo which is a shame because they put on a good show.

*** 1/2

OVERALL

I thought this was an incredible SummerSlam and probably best one I've seen in many years. I was surprised how this was a single's match only card but the storylines leading into each of them more than made up for it. Were the results to be expected generally? Yes however the drama involved within each made this event feel like an important one especially in how they've redrawn the dynamics of both Raw and Smackdown going forward.

FAVOURITE MATCH - Damian Priest vs. Gunther

LEAST FAVOURITE MATCH - Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

FAVOURITE MOMENT - Dominik betrays Rhea Ripley

LEAST FAVOURITE MOMENT - The scary looking superplex during L.A Knight vs. Logan Paul.

EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS - Liv Morgan vs. Rhea Ripley

COULD’VE BEEN BETTER - Sami Zayn vs. Bron Breakker

UNSUNG HERO - Jelly Roll

[weneverlearn]

This band is The Tellers, a great, cranked-up, trash pop-ish band from Cleveland, circa 1997-2002 or so. They made one bofo LP and another CD mini-LP that went a bit more glam with a few new members before they flamed out. Don’t think they ever played outta town much.

New Bomb Turks played with them at the old Grog Shop on the east side of Cleveland in, I think, 1999, and they were great. I’ve since periodically bothered the singer — a lovely person who is now a happily married mom — about trying to figure out a way to do a proper expanded reissue of their extremely limited-pressed album, which was untitled and didn’t even have song titles on it.

[k-i-l-l-e-r-b-e-e-6-9]

ℜ𝔞𝔪𝔬𝔫𝔢𝔰 𝔅𝔢𝔣𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔞𝔱 𝔱𝔥𝔢 ℭ𝔩𝔢𝔳𝔢𝔩𝔞𝔫𝔡 𝔐𝔲𝔰𝔦𝔠 ℌ𝔞𝔩𝔩 𝔦𝔫 𝔒𝔥𝔦𝔬 𝔬𝔫 𝔱𝔥𝔦𝔰 𝔡𝔞𝔶 𝔦𝔫 յգԴԴ

📷 𝔍𝔞𝔫𝔢𝔱 𝔐𝔞𝔠𝔬𝔰𝔨𝔞

[housefullofnuns]

Offended by everything and Neutral snap are co headlining a Halloween show next month and Glimmers is opening for Bailey Spinn on their first ever full tour!! Get tickets and go support my friends!!

[dustedandsocial]

RIP Jamie Klimek

[harshr]

New Disintegration is all hooks; very excited to check out their debut full-length.