#i love Butthole Surfers really good punk band

[jestersroute66]

OF COURSE Weird Al knows a guy from a band called BUTTHOLE SURFERS.

[profanetools]

moragesh and bthemetz if they ever jammed together would have an amazing time. I think they both really like punk music. would probably do good renditions of rousing political songs with just an acoustic guitar, know a bunch of unionist stuff, sing the internationale together, etc.

bthemetz and kasmei would probably start up a fun fucked-up alternative 80s/90s band that gets mislabelled grunge despite being weirder than that. It probably has a really obscene name as a lot of bands did back then (name along the line of butthole surfers lol). bit of a mr. bungo vibe i think.

andrana, kasmei, bthemetz probably have the most fun at the club. kasmei usually knows where the best house nights are and - when the vibe is right - enjoys dancing a lot, and andrana and bthemetz both enjoy the ritual of getting ready for it and can both dance the night away happily.

I could keep going all day I really love music headcanons :)

[fernham]

Not Quite Feminist Punk

It’s funny how sometimes, a confluence of events offers up a little epiphany. This is the story of one about feminism & punk rock that I’m still processing.

A week or two ago, I was on a long car ride with my daughters and a pop song came on the radio. Talking about our love of pop, my nearly-16-year-old said that she thought it was unfair that many put pop music down and that she suspected that it’s because pop is designed to appeal to young women. Not a new argument, but fresh to hear it coming from her mouth—as it came from mine decades ago. I got mad all over again at the way that, without vigilance, we let patriarchal culture tell us that our taste, whatever it is, is second best.

Last week, I read Claude M. Steele’s wonderful 2010 book, Whistling Vivaldi, which details, for a general audience, his decades of research on stereotype threat and how to combat it, especially in colleges. Stereotype threat, if you’re not familiar with it, is that phenomenon when your performance will falter just because you know that the stereotype is that people like you (people who share a salient identity category with you) don’t do well on the task at hand. Again and again, Steele and his colleagues have shown that making, say, women aware of their gender before a math test, or whites aware of their race before athletic competition, decreases performance. At the same time, performance goes right back up if you tell test-takers that the test shows no differences along gender lines, or offer some of the growth-mindset affirmations that Carol Dweck (who’s cited many times here) espouses.

One of the things Steele talks about is how, when you’re a minority, you become really adept at reading the context clues of the room—of counting if you’re alone or if there’s only one other member of your group, etc.

So, on Friday, I went to a meeting of a group of English professors from around the city who all work in my field. Some of them I know well, some I’ve only seen or met in passing. They’d been meeting as a group for a while, but I had missed the first two or three gatherings. NJTransit was not my friend and I was late as it was. In short: this meeting had all the ingredients to make me just a touch more nervous than usual about entering an unfamiliar room.

I got in, I counted: yup—I was the second woman. I sat across from her and smiled. We were two. Not quite critical mass, but not horrible. The meeting went well. My colleagues are, in fact, lovely and thoughtful and interesting and not interrupters and, when the convener invited us all to join for lunch, I confirmed that the other woman was going and I went.  

At lunch, two men about my age started talking about the punk shows they went to back in the early 80’s and I could feel my blood pressure rising. I love music of all kinds. I have been to some really fun shows. I wanted, so badly, to participate in the conversation, but I couldn’t figure out how to put my oar in without their mockery. I sat there, racing through my options from all the shows I saw in Seattle. What would they think if I told them the one about how disappointing Grandmaster Flash was? Or how my friend that I had a crush on made us miss the Thompson Twins, which was the main reason I’d wanted to see The Police at the Tacoma Dome? Or that I used to go to SubPop when it was a record store and get mocked by Bruce Pavitt (who was such a snob) for buying OMD and Culture Club while my friends bought the real punk? Or just how cool it was to be friends with the Bernstein boys and go to their dad’s club to see a local band? Or to see Joe Newton’s posters around town? Or seeing UB40—a show newly tainted by the newest Justice-cum-sexual-assaulter-and-drunkard at a roller rink? Or the Ramones, way after their prime but still amazing, in New Haven? Or how amazing Black Uhuru was at the Paramount? I sat there laughing at their stories—which were good—but frustrated at myself for being so tongue-tied.

I knew my transcendentally happy time seeing the Psychedelic Furs with a girl I’d met at a writer’s conference for high school students was out—but why? I had gone away for a week on a writer’s retreat for high school kids. I’d lived in Port Townsend and made friends with a girl—I don’t remember her name—from a tiny town, a couple hours outside Seattle. She and I both loved the Psychedelic Furs and she got her parents to drive her to the show. We met, sat together and it was great. In those days before cell phones and email, arranging such a meeting was not easy and it felt so cool to be the cool city kid welcoming her cool country friend to this amazing show. As anecdotes go, this seems pretty acceptable & worthy of sharing. Why is it that my story felt less good to share than my colleague’s story about knowing that some punk shows were too dangerous to attend?

To the rescue came my friend, who had cool punk stories, but also listens to himself and he said, “God, we sound so old.” And then, another colleague, younger than us, made a joke about going to see Dickens speak and that turned into a riff that was an actually deeply hilarious mash-up of a story of a punk rock brawl (“they were unscrewing the lightbulbs and breaking them to use as weapons”) and Bloomsbury—“and then, John Maynard Keynes beaned Leonard with the andiron….”

That was a relief.

Then, yesterday, just to make me feel less a fool, a made a joke about the Butthole Surfers in a very high-level meeting at my university and got a high five from a VP for my quickness.

L’esprit de l’éscalier.

My tentative conclusion has to do with analogies. I was glad to read Steele’s generous assessment that analogies do, in fact, help our understanding. In my experience, analogies are critical to our understanding, but they need to be wielded with care. It can be too easy to say “I know just how you feel,” when really, what we can know is “I am better able to imagine how you feel because I felt something similar.” My stress at lunch was real, but extraordinarily low stakes, but I might not have noticed it absent the conversation with my daughter about what music gets to be cool and my reading of Steele. But it was stereotype threat and it did mean that, for ten minutes of a really lovely and pleasant lunch, I was anxiously flipping through the rolodex of my brain, trying to figure out how to join the conversation, desperately wanting to, and, in the end, never figuring out how. Boy, it’s amazing how complicated life is.

[toerisdivine]

#6: Twilight Dawn - Stabscotch

Genre: Noise Rock, Experimental Rock, Brutal Prog

    Twilight Dawn is really a collection of 2 EPs that came out this year, but they are two halves of the same whole.  Both sides are very good, but I’ll be talking about each half separately because I feel that the 2 sides have different strengths.

7 Is a Cycle

    7 Is a Cycle is reaching far into a transcendent space rock vibe with a heavy dose of fantasy imagery that results in an album that can only be called otherworldly.  While there certainly is a story going on that I’m sure is rewarding to follow, personally I’m interested in how the album makes me feel like I’ve been picked up and dropped in alien territory. The album opens with “The Last Alchemist” which feels like waking up to the beginning of a forgein, tribalistic black mass.  A swirl of dissonant string instruments and random drum rolls serve as a backdrop to the pastor’s shouted rant at the heavens.  Over time the mass calms down, speeds back up, becomes more in line with what we’d consider music, and by the climax you realize you’re not prepared for what this album has in store for you.

    Especially because “Glass Bubbles” is something completely different.  To me this song is chilling out on an alien planet filled with bioluminescent flowers and mushrooms, floating along through a dense forest exploring an unknown landscape.  Gravity is a song that makes me feel far less bound to a planet.  In fact, I’d go as far as to say this song feels like being plucked into a wormhole and experiencing the last 10 minutes of 2001 A Space Odyssey.  This song reaches a level of intensity where my brain is never sure how I should physically react to this song.  As I type this, I’ve become acutely aware of how cold I am and I feel like I’m being watched.  The first time I listened to this song, I felt my mindstate being altered similar to alcohol.  I’m not trying to overstate it and say this song made me drunk, or heck even tipsy, but I felt like I was 4-5 sips into a mixed drink at a college party, and that’s certainly not a feeling I’ve gotten from any other piece of music.

    “Blood Loves” is back at the satanic mass, and as the pastor realizes his trip wasn’t what he expected he starts arguing with the forces beyond his control.  The music shifts between a quieter,more human pattern and the chaotic swirl of the spirits who don’t take his insubordination lightly.  In the end he’s punished, with the album’s stinger “Satyrs” consisting of the repeated shouts of “God please, give me life, give me death, give birth to all the satyrs that are locked in my head.”  It’s a voyeuristic look into someone else’s eternal punishment that manages to be the most unsettling part of this horror movie of an album.

Drama Dragon

    In contrast to the black magic of the first side, the band has described Drama Dragon as white magic.  It makes sense, because while Drama Dragon isn’t less dense or high energy than 7 is a Cycle, the music feels far less alien and unnatural.  The sci-fi and fantasy elements have been replaced by running lines of notes that are more jazz or punk that make the songs feel more human.  For as avant garde as the songs can get, they always feel like a group of friends just having a good time, similar to how one might feel about a jam band or Butthole Surfers.  It’s certainly far lower in scope than 7, but there are a few equally majestic moments in this half and it’s a good come down from the pure insanity.

Must Hear: Glass Bubbles, Jump on the Urinal and Stand on Your Head

I’d mostly stick to listening to a full half at at time outside of these two songs

Recommended For: People looking to go on a spiritual journey, People who like music that sounds like other planets

[discographies-discovery]

Why Be Blue?

Studio album #4 by Suicide

Why Be Blue is the fourth studio album of Alan Vega and Martin Rev and was released in 1992 by Brake Out Records.

13 years later, in 2005, a new remix of the whole album made by Mr Rev, along with an additional disc of a live concert in Paris on 17 April 1989, was released by Blast First.

Blast First, a sub-label of Mute Records, was founded by Paul Smith in 1984 and has released artists such as Sonic Youth, the Butthole Surfers and Big Black, an American punk rock band founded by Steve Albini.

The producer of Why Be Blue is, once again, and for the last time, Ric Ocasek and, once again, the genre is synth pop and electronic.

I find it very interesting that Mr Rev, a jazz pianist trained by a blind, strict and innovative teacher named Lennie Tristano, ended up exploring the sounds of synthesisers together with a visual artist, fan of rockabilly music, met in New York in 1970 at the open art space Project Of Living Artists.

A lot has changed since the debut album, but some elements remain the same, like the playfulness. It is apparent in songs like Hot Ticket or the pop/rockabilly Flashy Love.

Alan Vega and his voice are very free, as usual.

He likes to play with words, like in Mujo, where he does not really sing words, rather gibberish. His voice is nasal and makes me think about the standup Delirious from Eddie Murphy, where he tells the joke of a kid who bought an ice cream and celebrates it in front of a kid who doesn't have it, merciless.

In Last Time, a track with a base full of hope, the voice of Mr Vega is so low that it is a bit hard to catch his words when he begs one more time baby for the last time.

In Cheat-Cheat, Alan Vega sings “did you ever love me? Did you ever cheat on me?". His voice reverbs and it amplifies the desperation hidden behind these questions.

In Why Be Blue the voice becomes scratchy and full of grit like the voice of Jim Morrison.

In Play the dream and Chewy-Chewy, Martin Rev creates beautiful and dreamy bases.

In Universe, the sound is disturbed and I am not sure whether the reason is the remix or whether it's intentional, since the song is about receiving a call from the Universe. It's a pity, because it's my favourite song from the album: the base is good, not too pop and a bit misterious.

As regards the second album, added to the second release of the remastered album in 2005, I find it a pleasant surprise.

The Live at Le Palace, Paris / 17 April 1989, must have been a beautiful concert, where the audience could really feel what the duo Suicide is about.

The performance starts with the song C'est La Vie, maybe because the concert was in France and it was a playful way to start the exhibition. Playfulness remains on stage throughout the whole performance: in Johnny, where Alan Vega howls and mocks a woman while singing. In On Fire, where he barks and humms. In Mambo Mambo, announced as a song that the audience never heard before, and where Mr Vega says random words in French.

While listening to Rock Train, that starts with very energetic drums on a rockabilly base, I hear someone screaming loud, as if they went on stage and Mr Vega gave them the microphone. A good energy starts two more tracks: Jukebox Baby '96, which feels like a continuation of the previous song, and Night Time, where the voice is distorted and nasal.

When Dream Baby Dream arrives, I'm very surprised, because the duo offers a completely different version of one of their most famous songs. This version is slow, thoughtful and dreamy. Alan Vega doesn't really sing. He rather pronounces a few words from time to time and his voice reverbs. The music leads and he follows, at times in a dramatic way, like when he says and ever repeatedly. The audience appreciated this version and I did it too.

Each song performed takes a fairly long amount of time, however, the final effect is an intense exhibition filled with moments of fun, trance, love and desperation.

Moments à la Suicide to say.

[doomedandstoned]

Coffin Torture Bring Hell To Earth In ‘Dismal Planet’

~Doomed & Stoned Debuts~

If it's sludgy doom you're after, have I got a pick for you. No doubt, you've met South Carolina heavyweights COFFIN TORTURE in these pages or on our podcast before. The Westminster duo of Jim McMillan (aka Blind Samson) and Patrick Alex Thorfinn have been gigging for a solid decade now, last summer releasing the proof by way of a monster compilation of their three EPs and singles called, 'Slithering Through Your Dreams' (2017). The big news that brings them back to these pages, however, is their first full-on full-length, ‘Dismal Planet' (2018).

As the name implies, this LP is dank, dirty, and really delivers on the dismal. From the opening moments of "Bull Of Minos" to the closing moments of "Trench Hog," Coffin Torture seize control of your mind and heart, offering up a pulse-pounding beat, harsh vox, and some devilish riff-making. Thorfinn and Blind Sampson know their death-doom, alright, and present us with seven tracks that go straight for the jugular. A fuzzy, toxic sheen accompanies us throughout the record, which amp worshippers will go ape for.

It's worth noting that the colorful album art is the doing Coffin Torture's Thorfinn, who is a talented artist in more than just the real of music. In past years, he has contributed a number of his pieces to accompany the dark poetry of Lara Noel's dark poetry series for Doomed & Stoned.

Look for Dismal Planet to release this Friday, February 16th, via Sludgelord Records. You can pick it up in digital or CD formats here or here. Whenever we can, we try to give you an advance listen, so for the next 36 hours or so, you can get your fill of Coffin Torture right here, right now, on our bitchin' lil blog!

DISMAL PLANET by COFFIN TORTURE

An Interview with Coffin Torture's Blind Sampson

By Shawn Gibson

You have a new record coming out?

Yeah, we recorded 'Dismal Planet' down at the Jam Room with Jay Matheson and Phillip Cope of Kylesa.

Yeah? Wow!

It's awesome man! It was really an experience! The reason we went down there, we were going to be recording with Jay, and Phillip was there. Jay had been working for like a month straight, recording every single day! He said, “You know what guys? I want to get Phillip in here and record the second guitar track and the vocals. Is that cool with you guys?”

Um, yeah.

Absolutely! (laughs) It was surreal, it really was.

I've seen Kylesa in Savannah. My god, they put on a hell of a show! Kylesa, Wet Socks, and Bag Lady at The Wormhole, bad-ass show!

I bet that was awesome! Phillip's got a new band called Oakskin. They have a really cool psychedelic sound like that of Kylesa, mixed in with a bunch of different stuff.

So where are you at, upstate South Carolina?

We're both from Westminster, SC. It's right in the corner, Oconee County. We grew up on the state line in between Georgia and South Carolina. I'm actually from Toccoa, Georgia, right across the state line. We both went to West Oak High School in Westminster, about an hour and thirty minutes from Greenville.

I've got a pretty good idea where that is. Is it snowing there?

No, not right now. There getting snow where you guys are, I think.

Yeah we got three or four inches in Savannah GA! It's crazy! Wow! I got some family in Brunswick.

Yep, further south. You guys never get snow! (laughs)

Parts of northern Florida got snow, man!

That's wild! Yeah!

We are all doomed when it's snowing in Florida! (laughs)

It might be!

Who else is in the band with you and what do they're doing Coffin Torture? You play drums, right?

I do. It's just me and Alex Thorfinn on guitar. It's just guitar and drums. Alex does vocals.

Well, you guys have some heavy ass music.

Thanks, man, thanks! We've had two bass players in the past, our friends Jeremy Bishop and Dustin Holiday played with us. They were really good bass players. When we play live it's kinda a loose feeling. We might do one riff as twice as long, then the next time do it as half as long. Being on drums, it frees you up to do a lot more jamming, you know if you want to extend a part out. We've been playing together since 2005, not as Coffin Torture, but that's when we started playing music together. We've got to where we can jam pretty well together on the fly.

You guys have something there: chemistry. To be able to do that, especially on stage, just riff and go to town and switch it up a bit, keeps it fresh!

Sometimes it's unintentional, sometimes by mistake, but we'll do something different. I might say, “Hey, you, remember what we did last time? Well, let’s do that every time.” Being only two people in the band it’s easy to make changes like that.

That's great that happens spontaneously and takes both of you guys for a ride.

When it happens live, in front of people it adds like an extra level of excitement. You’re already nervous playing in front of people, but when something like that happens, it's cool. It makes it like, almost like a Grateful Dead kinda mind set, you know?

They would jam and riff forever. One song almost turns into 'Dopesmoker.' (laughs)

Yeah, we don't get that extreme with it. Sometimes when we practice, we'll play for three hours just jamming on something seeing what happens ya know.

So what are some influences for both of you guys?

Well, shared influences would definitely be bands like Neurosis, Weedeater, Buzzov-en, Sourvein, obvious sludge influences. A lot of funeral doom, bands like Ahab Tyranny, Catacombs. I lean more towards stuff like Pentagram, Saint Vitus, and older stuff. The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan, you know Earthride, all that kind of stuff. Alex, he's more into extreme, like more death metal. He likes Disma and Coffins.

Yeah, I lean that way myself -- really heavy, really hard stuff. I do appreciate bands like Beyond Belief, Trouble, Pentagram, definitely.

Together, we're into stuff like Type O Negative, Queens Of The Stone Age, Butthole Surfers.

I Love Butthole Surfers! “I Saw An X Ray Of A Girl Passing Gas” is one of my favorites. That and 'Kuntz.”

Oh, yeah! (laughs). Off of ' Locust Abortion Technician.'

They re-released it!

I saw that! I got that album when I was thirteen and it warped me forever! I got into more strange stuff, I guess. I'm into Sisters Of Mercy, hardcore punk, some of the less heavy stuff. Alex is more into the straight up heaviest stuff around, that's what he likes.

You guys balance each other. (laughs)

I'll try and put something in that's maybe a little too out there and he'll reign in there, “Let’s keep it heavy!" Sometimes I get ideas and I go off into the stratosphere. We have all these influences, with a shared vision. What we're looking for is something as heavy as we can make it but still mixing it up as well.

That's good having some range and depth to it. Mixing in progression and keeping it fresh for both of you as well as your listeners.

Man, we try our best!

I want to talk about the “Web of Piss” cover of Iron Monkey's song, from your recent compilation, ‘Slithering Through Your Dreams.’ That thing is slow and low, man! Iron Monkey does “Web of Piss” as mid-tempo sludge, but you guys slowed it down and made it damn near death-doom metal and it's heavy as shit.

Thanks man! (laughs) We recorded that, I guess around 2012 when we did that for the 'Cave Dweller' EP. We would play that riff for fun ya know .We recorded that actually in my parent’s basement, the whole EP. We were like, “Let’s just record it!” We did and I think I actually laid down the vocals for that and we did it in one go, pretty much. We listened to the song a hundred times previous to that anyway so we pretty much had it down. We just jammed it out and put the vocals over it. We did a cover of “Tales Of Brave Ulysses” by Cream. We also did a cover of “Bedroom Thang,” stuff to have fun with. Thanks, glad you like it! Iron Monkey rules!

It's amazing, after all these years, they just released '9-13' on Relapse in October. I’d like to ask Billy if he can ask Relapse if we could get an interview with Iron Monkey for Doomed and Stoned.

That would be awesome!

What!? You bet your ass!

It'd be hard to do. I know back in the day they didn't do a bunch of interviews. They might do it now, you never know.

There’re newer bands out I like. Spectral Voice, have you heard of them?

No, I haven't heard of them yet.

They've been around awhile; they had their debut 'Eroded Corridors of Unbeing' out on Dark Descent last year. I think you'll dig em. They're death-doom.

Yeah man, I'll check em out. I love that stuff like Cyanide, Disma, and Coffins.

I love Disma's sound!

You ever listen to any Cyanide?

I’ve read reviews and interviews about them but haven't really listened to the music yet.

Check out an album they did in the late '80s, early ‘90s. It's called, ‘The Dying Truth.’ That album influenced us both a lot -- them and Coffins’ 'Mortuary in Darkness.’ I think that that album shaped how we founded, starting off more than any other.

Have you heard of Father Befouled?

Oh yeah! It's the same guys from Encoffination. They're really, really heavy!

Incantation worship!

Even the logo looks like it a little bit. I don't listen to that stuff as much as I used to. I guess I wouldn't say the lighter side of it, but the groovier side of it.

With that being said, what are some SC/NC doom/sludge bands that you like and or have played with?

Oh man, there's a ton of ‘em! If we start with the upstate, man: Waft, Tar Hag, and friends in Black Hand Thrown, Legba. Legba is on the Doom Charts.

I've sent some questions to Todd from Legba for an interview.

Cool! Todd's a really good guy. I used to play keyboards in Legba on their first self-titled album. They're great and they got a really good sound. Then you've got Fall Of An Empire. They kinda remind me of Sasquatch, that kinda sound; good vocals, really good band. If you go down to Charleston you got Hooded Eagle and Tripping The Mechanism, they're really good sludge band. Hooded Eagle is more a black metal/funeral doom kinda band. Then you got around Florence, you got Heathen Bastard, they're awesome; them and Thieving Coyote. Thieving Coyote kinda remind me of Clutch, but way heavier; they’re a good band. Compel from Florence, two-man band. We were going to play a show with them at Gottrocks in Greenville. It's been a couple years back. I think Joe or Tim got sick and couldn't make it. I hate we missed playing with them, it was a good show. In North Carolina, you got Temptation’s Wings.

I know those guys! I’ve been to their shows in Asheville at The Get Down, now The Odditorium. Hail Cronk! They were on my show at least three times.

Yeah, really nice guys. We played with them actually in Greenville at the Radio Room. It's been awhile back. In Asheville you got Broad River Nightmare.

Bobby Lamar Seay!

He's a nice guy, man!

He really is. It's some crazy music.

I'll see him when we go to the Mothlight, I've seen him at the Orange Peel a few times. The only show we played out of state, we played at The Odditorium.

I love that place.

Yeah, that place is cool. I’ve wanted to play there for a long time, but we never had the chance. Bobby set up that show, it was Pallor. They were really heavy, it was just bass and drums. You got Horseflesh up there, there really good.

Jaime Ward, yeah.

I saw them open up from Weedeater. I saw them at The Mothlight. They opened up another show, I think it was Big Business. It’s all kinda rusty.

I did see Big Business played in Asheville and I missed it! I know one of the local bands opened for them, just can’t remember.

It was Power Takeoff. Man, that was awesome. If you haven't checked them out, Power Takeoff from Concord, NC. I mean loud. We got to play with Jucifer a few times at Ground Zero. We opened for up for ‘em, too. I don't know Power Takeoff might be louder! (laughs) It was crazy loud.

Nice!

There's so many bands man. That's as many as I can think of right now, off hand.

It’s all good.

We've got a lot of good grindcore, power violence, and thrash.

Awesome, well-rounded scene.

Yeah, man. Upstate SC, we've got this band WVRM -- those guys, they are awesome. They just recorded with Kurt from Converge. They did a single or it might have been an EP with him. They toured with The Grind Mother, Funeral Chic, The Drip. You heard of The Drip on Relapse?

I’ve heard of them, but I haven't heard their music yet.

They toured with them and, actually, Waft was on the tour, as well.

Nice lineup.

If something doesn't happen with that band, I'll be surprised. They're really awesome! There's a lot going on right now, a lot of house shows. There's a place in Columbia, SC, called the Sludge Gutter that's really cool, like a house venue. They get a lot of shows.

That's great. I need to get my ass out to a show!

Man, did you catch West End Motel? They played The Jinx, in Savannah.

Oh, man. No.

I thought about driving down for that, when it was their CD release show. I kinda like that. I like Brent Hinds, Fiends Without a Face, West End Motel. Tell you the truth, I like that stuff more than the newer Mastodon stuff, but I still like it, its great music. I'm more into like, 'Remission,' 'Leviathan,' 'Blood Mountain.'

Yes. I got to see Mastodon live at the Orange Peel in Asheville, sold-out show with Dillinger Escape Plan and Red Fang in 2011. The entire crowd was singing along to every Mastodon song, I'll never forget it. After the show we got on the tour bus with Brent, Trey, his wife, and their son.

Oh, wow, that's cool. I was talking to a friend of mine on Facebook; he was at that show too! I found a Mastodon tour poster and it has that Orange Peel show on it!

Damn!

It’s actually signed by those dudes. I found it in Seneca for like thirty dollars.

What!

A friend of mine, he's got that same poster. I asked him if he was at that Orange Peel show. Mastodon’s awesome, man! You know what I've been trying to track down? I actually have two copies of Troy's old band Knuckle, back before he was in Four Hour Fogger. I've got to copies of 'Sixteen Penny Nails.’ I think it was the only Knuckle album. I've got one Four Hour Fogger seven-inch, the one that's got the cow on the cover. It's got “Road to Tibor” and “Marsha's Birthday” on it.

Holy shit!

I cannot find ‘Dollars for Red Books.’ That's the only full length album Four Hour Fogger did. They might have done another one, but I don't know. I know a lot of people that have it.

Yeah, nobody willing to part with it.

Yeah, man, I'd even settle for a burned copy of it.

At least.

The only place you can listen to that album, on YouTube, a guy named Sir Runt uploaded like six tracks off it and it's got like twelve or thirteen tracks on the album. That's the only place you can listen to that album! You can’t download it anywhere!

Damn, man.

I know man, I actually talked to Gary Lindsey, the singer from Four Hour Fogger. He did vocals for Hank III, Assjack -- you heard of that band?

Oh, yeah.

I actually messaged him on Facebook. I was like, “Man, do you have a copy of that? Is there any way I can get one?” He said, “No, man. They’re out of print. You just got to get lucky and find one!” The search continues! I found two copies of Knuckle and I bought both of ‘em! I've been looking online. There’s no Knuckle on YouTube. You can't hear what it sounds like. I gotta at least like upload a track or something, so if someone wants to hear it. I don't know how that works. I don't want to do it without their permission.

Right.

I just wanted to hear it. It’s really cool, too!

I bet!

It's kinda like Alice In Chains, maybe a little more sludgy.

Cool. What's a damn good book you've read?

I'm reading 'Contract Killer' right now. It's the autobiography of Donald “Tony The Greek” Frankos, a mafia hit man. He was Greek, so he couldn't be “made” into the mafia, you have to be 100 % Italian. He did hits for like almost all the families, the five major families. According to the book, he was in on the Jimmy Hoffa murder.

What!?

Yeah, I just got to that chapter. I'm just reading that now. He said that Tony Cilano “Fat Tony” ordered the hit on Hoffa. You know, Hoffa was big in the Teamsters, so they had all this stuff happen, so they had to get rid of him. They had to make him disappear forever and that's one of the most mysterious mob murders ever. Nobody knows exactly what happened. I've read some stuff online that they say now, “Tony The Greek, that that was bull-crap, what he said. He wasn't there.” Some people say he was there and he was in on the whole thing, you know, it's one of those mysteries. I've been reading The Misfits biography, ‘This Music Leaves Stains.’ It's really good. Also, ‘Let's Go to Hell: Scattered Memories of the Butthole Surfers.’

I definitely need to get that. I wouldn't put it down, ‘till it was done. Gibby Haynes is nuts! You've heard of him, right?

(laughs) Yeah, he and Al Jourgensen stayed actually lived with Timothy Leary. You've heard of Timothy Leary?

Oh, yeah. The acid guru from the '60s.

They lived with him!

Makes sense for a lot of their music!

I can’t remember exactly for sure it’s been awhile since I read, it's not in that book. I saw a documentary about it. That biography is all over the place. It skips around -- now you’re at this point, then it skips ahead, then you're here.You gotta read it from beginning to end, you can’t skip around with it. It's crazy! It talks about when they started out, they would go on never-ending tours. They would just go and ping-pong from coast to coast. They would actually take half hits of acid to stay awake, take like small doses.

They'd stay dosed for months.

It's crazy! Then it talks about the legendary show at Danceteria in New York that people say it was the craziest Butthole Surfers show ever, They say that Gibby and Kathleen had sex on stage -- they say. At the end of the show they found out they were only getting half their money. Paul Leary started destroying speakers with a screwdriver, stabbing holes in the speakers with a screwdriver. They say they were all high on acid, the whole band. They started dosing the crowd! It's one of those shows that like if everybody was there that said they were there, there would be like a thousand people at that show. “Oh, I saw them at Danceteria!” Really, there would be like forty people.

Exactly -- at the most.

The book gets sad towards the end. I never thought about it, you know. The Butthole Surfers broke through with 'Electriclarryland,' become a big band. They were on Lollapalooza. They were scheduled to do a tour with Motley Crue, believe it or not.

That is crazy to think about.

Yeah, it fell through, thankfully. Towards the end, they sued Corey from Touch and Go Records, because the handshake agreement when they first got on Touch and Go was 50/50 agreement. As the years rolled on and became a big band, the sale of their back catalog exploded. Everybody wanted as much as they could get. Corey was getting 50% of all that and he wasn't being forthcoming with the money, so they decided to sue him. What happens when they decide to sue him, the whole underground turned on the Butthole Surfers. Never mind that the Butthole Surfers toured and lived in a van for all these years, just barely surviving. Everybody was like, “Oh they've gone corporate,” even though they didn’t.

I say that's fighting for what’s yours.

Yeah, that's what it was about, but it was like this big band was attacking this small label. I had no idea any of that happened, I just learned about it reading this book. It was nuts! They recorded the album, ‘After The Astronaut.’ Long story short, it got bastardized and turned into their worst album which is 'Weird Revolution.' Have you heard that one?

No, I haven’t.

It's got that song “The Shame of Life,” like their dance song. It was like a club hit. It's got an electric drum beat. ‘After The Astronaut' is supposed to be one of their best albums, but it got remixed and stopped by the label and turned into ‘Weird Revolution.’

Pretty much after 'Independent Worm Saloon’ I got off that ride.

You don't like 'Electriclarryland'?

I do, I had it on CD. I thought it was amazing because I thought, man these guys “made it,” finally. The Butthole Surfers are a big influence on me, the whole psychedelic thing turned me on at the time.

Oh man, the Butthole Surfers and Scratch Acid, a lot of those bands from back then I can get into, the Jesus Lizard.

What's something that makes you laugh uncontrollably?

A lot of stuff! Thinking about one time -- Alex and I fish a lot, there’s a lot of lakes and ponds where we live. I was at this pond and fishing with him and Alex was on the other side and I was over here and all of a sudden, this beautiful girl came down. It was like out of a movie. Of course, her boyfriend walked out of the woods behind her. He was walking to the pond too. We thought it was going to be like one of those, “Dear Penthouse” letters.

They're going to start going at it. What the hell?

In our weird teenage minds, that's what we thought, I guess. Obviously nothing like that would happen in a million years. So anyway, my tackle box was at the top of the bank. I had it up there and I caught on something and I was pulling my line and I snapped my line. It was right then the couple walked out of the woods and we saw em and we were like, “This is the hottest girl that's ever been here!” We freaked out a little bit, then I turned around and I was walking up the hill and I got caught up on an ivy vine and bam! Face-first right into the bank and just rolled back down it.

Damn! (laughs)

I look over, the girl was laughing and Alex was laughing at me. Anytime I need a good laugh, I think of that! (laughs)

I have had several instances like that.

It's always more embarrassing when a girl’s there. Always.

Follow The Band.

Get Their Music.

[team-target]

Small Pup Playlist (and what I have to say about the songs)

I made a playlist for @pupspit (I await your own playlist!) I love dat hipster shit... https://open.spotify.com/user/12121736443/playlist/5NT6E4Y7Ad4qn1I90wmDCQ 1. Mew - Witness: You got me into Mew (and I thank you so much for that!) and they’ve become one of my favs. +- is the album I first listened to, so here’s one from it. 2. Dude York - Long Distance Christmas: An awesome Seattle band that I have to see live at some point. This is from their new EP. 3. Diet Cig - Sleep Talk: This band is adorable! Probably the most adorable band I’ve ever seen. Their new album is pretty good, but this is from their previous album. 4. Why? - Fatalist Palmistry: My friend Molly and I had an agreement where I’d buy tickets for her to see her favourite band and vice versa. We saw Why? in Berkley a few months ago and they’re amazing. Alopecia is the best album to start with. 5. Tacocat - Horse Grrls: Another awesome band from Seattle. I got to see them live, and I met the singer Emily. She gave me a copy of their new album and she liked my Target hat, so I love her now... 6. Chromatics - Cherry: I’ve played this song a lot this year. It was randomly on my YouTube feed and I really dug it. Great night driving/hookah song. 7. Matthew Sweet - I’ve Been Waiting: Got to see him live a few months ago too. His songs are sooooo 90s, but they’re all great. Fun fact: the music video to this song introduced me to Lum. <3 8. Eels - Fresh Feeling: I looked up this band after listening to Novocaine For The Soul. They’re pretty cool. This was my favourite find, another great late night driving song. 9. that dog. - Being With You: I only know of these girls because Weezer were discovered opening for them. However Retreat From The Sun is an amazing album beginning to end. I know I’ve told you to check them out a few times, but they’re so good! 10. Real Estate - Darling: From their new album. Again, another great night driving song. Every song these guys do is great to chill out to. Talking Backwards is my fav from them. 11. Honeyblood - Gangs: Discovered these girls from KEXP (always looking to Seattle). I’ve heard both of their albums and it’s all really good. I like the harder sound from Babes Never Die, tho. 12. Winter - All The Things You Do: Samira Winter is perfect. She combines Dinosaur Jr. with Grimes and MBV. I’ve just started to listen to her, so this is my only recommendation ATM. 13. Cursive - The Recluse: This was recommended to me by Spoofy. I don’t know anything about this band, but I dig this song a lot....enough to put it on my show. 14. Weezer - Sweet Mary: IT’S NEW WEEZER......NEED I SAY MORE?!?!?!? 15. Crowded House - Fall At Your Feet: Honestly one of my all-time favs. Neil Finn is a God, and he’s probably written 9/10 of the most romantic songs ever written. 16. Figmennt - She: Another KEXP find. They’re a British shoegaze band. I’ve only heard three songs from them, but it’s all good so far! This is probably my fav. 17. Alvvays - Plimsoll Punks: I’VE WAITED THREE FUCKING YEARS FOR THIS ALBUM! WORTH THE WAIT!!! 18. Republic Tigers - Merrymake It With Me: I’ve recommended these guys to you for sure. They only released two EPs and one album, but boy are they great! This is the last thing they put out. 19. Clutch - A Shogun Named Marcus: A Beavis and Butthead discovery! Then I found out my friends Will and Adam love this band! They’re a lot like Butthole Surfers to me. 20. Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Nothing But Our Love: Another one of my all-time favourite songs. Another YouTube recommendation. They had the best band name ever. 21. Big Troubles - MIsery: I only know this song from the show Good Vibes (funny as hell; watch that too). I know nothing else about this band. lol Great song tho. 22. Pavement - Harness Your Hopes: Pavement are awesome, but you already know that. The intro is very Smashing Pumpkins. 23. Little Racer - Vanessa: KEXP find again. Don’t know dick about the band, but I like this song a lot. 24. Grimes - Realiti: I’m kind of iffy on Grimes in general, but I absolutely adore this song. Hey, guess what? It’s another great night driving song. 25. The Naked And Famous - Young Blood: This was a big hit a few years ago. The band is 50/50 for me, but this is a great song. 26. La Sera - Break My Heart: Another of my favs. It sounds so much like Blondie! Katy Goodman is Queen Bee. 27. Analog Rebellion - Nothing Is Wrong: KEXP FTW. Full Frontal has the best album cover ever. I’ve only heard bits and pieces from this band, but it’s all pretty good. 28. The Notwist - Consequence: Before the Why? show, the theater was playing a bunch of random songs. This was one of them. I adore this song. It’s the most romantic song (not written by Neil Finn) I’ve ever heard. They’re amazing, highly recommend! 29. The Crüxshadows - Deception: My friend Will used this song as his character’s theme in a vampire game. I don’t know anything else from the band, but this is an awesome song. 30. Gotye - Eyes Wide Open: Something That I Used To Know is a great song, but the whole album that it’s on (Making Mirrors) is really good. Like, 10/10 good! 31. Foals - Mountain At My Gates: My friend Adam introduced this band to me. So far it’s pretty good! Check out the video for this song.....it’s crazy! 32. The High Curbs - Want: KEXP, you magnificent bastards! Their first few albums sound like shit (recording-wise) but their new shit’s fucking awesome! 33. Ducktails - Letter of Intent: My favourite night driving song. This song just makes me think of San Francisco. I wish this song wouldn’t end. The album is pretty good too. 34. Interpol - Anywhere: I needed to end the playlist with something great, so here’s Interpol. I wish I had 1/25 of Paul Bank’s writing prowess. 

[meltedmagazine]

AN INTERVIEW WITH BBQ POPE ON THEIR SELF-TITLED LP

    With an album cover reminiscent of a cleaned-up middle school graffiti doodle, BBQ Pope, a garage-psych-punk band of three from Toronto, Ontario, bring you their self-titled debut LP: BBQ Pope. Named after, you got it, the Butthole Surfers' song “Bar-B-Q Pope”, the band is comprised of Reid Millar on bass, Sean Hackl on guitar, and Duncan Briggs on drums. Both Reid and Sean contribute vocally, though Reid takes the lead in both singing and lyric writing. On opening track “Welcome to My Hell”, you can hear  Green Day inspired guitar riffs, and drum licks bearing resemblance to that of Queens of the Stone Age. A few of their biggest influences include: together PANGEA, Fuzz, and Stone Temple Pilots.

     This album helped me rediscover lost memories of the Santa Barbara Bowl; Duncan brings full-bodied and area rock-like drumming, which reminded me of sitting in the outdoor concert hall where I enjoyed some of my very first shows. Feelings channeled and messages related throughout the album are very much of a young peoples' honest experience. By my third listen of “Sad and Stoned”, I was hooked in - ready to sing along - anticipating the lyrics and even mistakenly a bit earlier than queued: "I'M SAAD ANND STOONED!!!". “Cry” is a total lullaby. Young adulthood and, well, life, can put you in a state of utter apathy - these guys get it - and they make it sound notsobad, too. Taking a short break from the more heavy and hearty lyrics, “All My Friends Smoke Cigarettes” conveys a straightforward message: "I LOVE MY FRIENDS!!" - whether or not they're smokin' stoges! “Make it Happen” is an ode to a lover or a friend with a twist; unconditional happiness under one circumstance. Closing out the album with “Blank Screen”, (which was stylized and improved upon tremendously since the first version on their Squid Vicious EP) I couldn't help but think that during the second half of the chorus, I was hearing a punk-rock version of Beck's “Broken Drum”. Anyone?

Sizzle on, BBQ Pope, and come visit us down here in America, too!!

What brought you guys together? 

    Sean and Reid have been friends since grade 4 and started their first band way back then. Duncan and Sean met at Rosedale Heights School of the Arts through the music program, in the summer of 2015 BBQ Pope started after Reid came to Sean with an idea for a new band with better songs. . . Sean brought on Duncan because he knew he was a cool guy.

Who are a few of your biggest influences? Is your name, which I assume so, derived from the Butthole Surfers’ song “Bar-B-Q Pope”?

     A few of our biggest influences in terms of songwriting are bands like: Together PANGEA, The Meatbodies, FIDLAR, White Reaper, Fuzz, and classics like Nirvana, Greenday, and Stone Temple Pilots. Yaaa our name is from the Butthole Surfers song, we love when our grandparents ask how we got our name!

Who’s doing the lead singing?

    Reid is doing the lead singing on all tracks except “Make it Happen”, which Sean sings.

What do you think influenced the distinct difference in/maturing of your sound in what we hear from the Squid Vicious EP, to what we hear now on your self-titled LP?

     Early on we loved bands like No Parents and Pangea, so our first EP is very reminiscent of their styles and has a less serious tone because of that. We were excited by their themes of partying and that it was music that was also fast and fun, so we adopted those elements into songs like “I Wanna Soda” and “Star Crossed Stoners”. However by the time we recorded Squid Vicious, which was a year into our existence, we'd written “Blank Screen”, which is a song about online sexual predators. We realized with that song that we were capable of writing songs about more complex things, and we were also at that time experiencing more changes in our lives, such as relationships ending, starting at new schools and seeing our friends move away for university, so we had a broader range of experience to write about, which we realized could be therapeutic. We still write songs about partying too though, cause it's fun. It was really just a weird time in our lives when we wrote the songs.

Are you generally pleased with the Toronto music scene? Are you looking to relocate any time soon?

    The Toronto music scene is something we're very pleased with. We have lots of amazing friends making awesome music. There's a super strong community of psychedelic bands revolving around acts like Possum, Kaleidoscope Horse and Hot Garbage. There's kickass hardcore/punk from Prom Nite, S.H.I.T., and The Boys. And of course there's awesome garage rock revolving around Fried Records from Goodbye Honolulu, Luna Li, Passport Radio, and The A-Listers. There's a lot of important work to create safe spaces happening from groups like Fried and Black Siren, as well as individuals like Zoe Smith who are all putting on great all Ages events in the city. The only bummer is how much alcohol sales go into how the scene works with a lot of big venues like The Horseshoe only doing 19+ shows. But there's great alternative venues like The Smiling Buddha and Faith/Void working against that. We're very happy here and don't want to relocate. Are any of you doing any solo or side projects, and might BBQ Pope have anything new in the works?

     Sean and Duncan both play in a band called Fade Awaays, which is a garage rock band they formed with our good friend Reid MacMaster. Our singer Reid has started a hardcore band called Transit Cops recently. We as BBQ Pope are writing more songs currently, so perhaps an EP is on the horizon. Also every October Fried Records puts out a compilation of its artists for Halloween, so we'll be contributing a song to that most likely as well.

INTERVIEW + REVIEW by EVA MONTOYA

LISTEN TO BBQ POPE HERE

[mfmagazine]

Running with Scissors

Article by Attiya Abdulghany

Finding each other in one of the last places that you'd expect eclectic, mature alt-rock to develop, Running with Scissors accredits much of their unique sound to their Southern roots.  Weaving the bluesy voice of singer Aaron Barr, the astute rhythm of lead guitarist Dave French, the smooth coherent bass lines of bassist Josh Houser and the clean beats of drummer Jason Scyphers, Running with Scissors sound a lot like a what would happen if Lynard Skynard, Ray Charles and The Mars Volta ever collaborated together.  Packing up and settling just outside of Washington, D.C., these boys offer what many indie acts fail to deliver - something mature and new to the often trite East Coast rock scene.  In speaking with them, its clear that despite their obvious differences, they are more than a group of simple Southern boys that get together to play music every once in a while:

There's not a lot of personal information about you on your website.  Can you tell me a little more about yourselves and the band?

DF:  I was a sophomore in high school when I met Josh, we played football together.  Josh picked up a bass and I had just started playing guitar a few years before that.  I jammed with this other guy for a while, but he wasn't very good.  But, I figured what the hell? I'll try this guy because he's got nice stuff

JH:  Nice stuff?  I had like a fifty dollar bass and fifty dollar amp

DF:  Nicer stuff than the people I knew.  So, we jammed for a little while on these horrible little projects here and there. We played three shows, then the whole thing sort of dissolved

JH:  After that, Syphers and I started a hardcore punk band.  That lasted about two years.  We went from being Working Class Heroes to Ballistics, which was the final name

DF:  Working Class Heroes didn't seem to fit with the background of those two

AB:  We basically finally got together in college

Dave:  One of the years I was in college, let's say circa 2000, I met this fraternity guy and he was bugging the shit out of me to start a rap-rock band.  We played with a bunch of different people and finally we were getting ready to play out for the first time.  Immediately before, our drummer at the time went to jail for beating up his girlfriend.  So, at that point, I decided to search after other people and this asshole here had been bugging me to play (pointing to JS).  So I called him up and he started jamming with us.  And by default, we picked up Aaron

JS:  We started off as a five-piece rap-rock, or as it like to call it, crap rock band.  It was pretty horrible

How did you evolve from there?

DF:  When we finally picked up Aaron, we decided to play real music. We started searching and finding and we started growing as musicians.   We learned to define the way in which we play

AB:  I think we learned where we wanted to be

JS:  I will never forget the first time we all played out together.   We hadn't been practicing that long and he make up the lyrics the entire show.  We have it on tape, a lot of mumbles.

AB:  I do that now anyway

How long would you say you've officially been playing together?

Dave:  About five years

Who are your major influences?

AB:  We play music for ourselves

JH:  We have influences, c'mon

JS:  Definitely the Spice Girls

(collective laughter)

JH:  Anything but metal

AB:  I really like old jazz singers

DF:  I started playing guitar because of Jimmy Page

JS:  I started off as a marching band kid.  I think that Chad Sexton from 311 really influenced me because he played in a marching band as well.  But that influence has sort of faded over the years.

JH:  I don't think any of my influences actually stuck; I started playing Rage Against the Machine covers.  Definitely Rage and The Red Hot Chili Peppers

How did your sound evolve from rap-rock to what you have now?

JH:  Our messed up sense of rhythm

AB:  I think we started listening to better music

DF:  I don't think we started listening to better music, I think that we found better ways to express ourselves.  We all started facing reality and things come out of that

JS:  I didn't want to listen to pop-punk anymore

DF:  Well, some of us weren't listening to pop punk to begin with

Of all of the venues that you have played, which one is your favorite?

ALL:  Alley Cat, in Richmond

JS:  Great sound

AB:  The Velvet Lounge is cool too

JS:   Yeah, The Velvet Lounge is probably one of my favorite places in DC

How do you compare the Richmond versus the DC crowds?  

DF:  In Richmond, we have young kids that are really interested in music, whereas in DC you're lucky to have people there

JS:  Richmond allows all ages more than DC does.  It's hard to get a lot of people out for 21 and up shows

AB:  It's hard to get people out to the city in general, it's less accessible

Do you feel like your music is more accessible to a younger crowd?

JS:  I think they're more receptive.  They seem to be more hungry.  Kids these days seem to find themselves in music

DF:  Whereas adults just like to go out, get drunk and bob their heads

I noticed that you guys have played a couple of shows in Tennessee.  Seems like a long way to travel

DF:  We grew up in Southern Virginia, about an hour away from that town.  It feels like going home.  We always get good crowds there.  The people are always really receptive.  With the exception of maybe Fabio...

Fabio?

JH:  I got into a fight with him once after a show.  I get drunk and have some anger issues

What do you like and dislike about the DC scene?

JH:  The thing we kind of noticed immediately was that bands came out to support other bands.  Our first show, I don't know how many bands were there.  A lot of the other bands that we know now, we met during our first few shows

And what do you dislike?

DF:  We can't get into the Black Cat

JS:  It's definitely difficult to get into some of the venues initially.

Did I hear a dirty little rumor that you played with Story of the Year?  How was that?

DF:  They were really cool

AB:  Those guys had to have been taking gymnastics or something

JH:  They were doing back flips.  They have one of the most amazing stage presences I've ever seen in my life

DF:  One point in time, they all got up from their spots and just switched instruments and didn't miss a beat.  I mean, how the hell do you do that live?

AB:  Playing in front of 1,000 kids...

DF:  is pretty much like crack

JH:  Then the first couple of shows after that were just like, oh

Would you say that was one of your better shows?

JH:  As far as the people and the energy and the feeling you get inside, yes.  We got the classic rock star intro, kinda like Spinal Tap where they introduced us and as soon as you step onto stage people are cheering and crowd surfing even before you get out there

DF:  It was a very Spinal Tap show

What do you think is different about your sound as compared to other east coast indie bands?

JS:  The big emo movement, none of us are really into that that much

DF:  There are a whole bunch of good bands that are on indie labels. They're all great bands.  We're not competing.  They all have their unique sounds as well

AB:  When you're really into your music, there's really no way to answer that

What do you foresee yourselves doing two years from now?

DF:  Still playing.  Hopefully, signed to Dischord, ahem

JS:  No day jobs

JH:  Definitely no day jobs, being able to support ourselves with our music would be great

AB:  Playing music at this point barely pays for gas.  If we did this for money, we would have been out a long time ago

DF:  The way that I look at it is that even bands that are doing it for themselves, they're still working for the man in some sense of the word.   With us, we work for the man half the day and then the other half we work for ourselves

If you could play with anyone who would you play with?

AB:  Music, right?

JH:  Don't go there

DF:  Probably Mars Volta.  They're stretching the boundaries.  They're honest

JH:  I'd love to play with Flogging Molly

AB:  The Irish drinking band?

JH:  Dude, it would be so awesome to play with them.  They're so high energy when I've seen them at shows and everything

DF:  The Medications

JS: I'd play with the White Stripes

JH:  Victor Wooten.    I'd love to just jam with him

What are in your iPods right now?

AB:  I was listening to Citizen Cope on the way over here.  Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, some pop-punk

JS:  Recently, the Beatles White Album, the Mars Volta, Zepplin, that's about it

JH:  MxPx, Kasabian, Bloc Party, The Mars Volta of course and the new System of the Down album rocks

DF:  Everyday I listen to the Rain Song by Led Zepplin.  It's probably the most beautiful song I've ever heard.  Music wise, it's just unbelievable.  Butthole Surfers, Black Flag, the Mars Volta, Dead Kennedies, The Medications, Ella Fitzgerald

When you guys aren't playing together, what are you doing?

DF:  Painting

JH:  Not playing music and not working?

DF:  He's probably downloading porn and masturbating.

JH:  Just watching movies, going out and seeing other bands

DF:  Trying to support the scene

[pupfresh]

Pup and Coming: Ends Meet

Ends Meet Genre: Punk Hometown: California x New Jersey

How did you become a band? 

Mike: We’ve known each other for 20+ years. Growing up in Middletown NJ, we had a sort of extended group of core punks that always played in bands together, played shows in small clubs and basements, generally just having fun in the scene doing our own thing. Ironically, over those 20+ years we never actually played in a band together. Instead, we would go into the studio or go into Casey’s shed and just jam – we’d work on riffs separately and pick a time and date and roll the tape and see what happened. Around 2011, we started working on riffs and song ideas via email because with my crazy work schedule, family life and commitment to another band it was the only way I could do it. The stuff he was sending me was so good, I couldn’t pass it up and I saw it as an outlet for trying out new and slightly weird things musically – my own take on what modern punk guitar playing could be. Looking back, that was sort of the genesis of what we’re doing now.

Fast forward to 2015 – we had sort of paused on things just due to distance and life changes and all the rest – and Casey re-sent some stuff we had worked on that he had been polishing and it just sparked something in me that I just needed to commit to this and make it work. As we started locking down songs, it just became super clear to us that we were making the music we always wanted to make and we just kept at it. We both have a deep connection to punk rock, particularly 90’s-era melodic skate punk and hardcore, and we both realized Ends Meet was the outlet we needed to put our own spin on things and put some music back into the world as a sort or tribute to the bands we grew up listening to and who shaped our lives. I won’t say it's the easiest thing in the world to do this sort of long distance, remote songwriting and recording. But it’s so uncommon to have the kind of musical connection Casey and I have – we literally can finish each others songs without even being in the same room (or state), and that was something I wasn’t about to pass up. There’s a level of trust between us that runs over 20 years deep and with “Making Music, Making Enemies” we just wanted to put it all to the test and put it out there – and do it 100% DIY. And I couldn’t be more proud of it.

Casey: We had talked about jamming all the way back in the 90's but things never came together. Then we finally started something in '02 and BOOM, Mike's moving to California. So we discussed the possibility of stitching everything together through emails and I'd mix everything down once it was completed. Never had time. We would jam over the holidays when we were in the same time zone every year but that was it - a few hours to unload all our ideas and aggressions over the past 300 + days. Then in 2011, with no current projects, I set up my drums and mic’s in my mom's basement one weekend and just went off. I sent the raw files to Mike, who loved them, and he ran with it. Mind you, these were literally 2:30-3 minute pieces of time where I pressed record and just pounded out some fast, punky stuff. I wasn't too stoked on any of them but wanted to build regardless. When I got the guitar tracks back I was blown away. I plugged in my bass and did basic follows of his root notes and mixed it down and sent it back to him. Both of us really dug it but didn't quite know where to go with it.

Cut to September, 2015. I own a house, have built up a decent recording space, got a nice Pro Tools workstation and am again bit by the bug. I plug in those old tracks and line them to a click track. I like it. A lot. So I set my drums up and record them to a clicked out version of those old tracks and give it a listen. Now I'm really stoked. I call Mike to bring him up to speed and tell him how good it sounds by using old, half assed thrown together tracks. "Now imagine what it would sound like if we were to take a serious crack at it." I thought it was gonna be a tough sell on him. He's a busy dude. Successful in business, a family man, a surfer, a skater... I'm just some lonely dude with a jam space and ambition. To my surprise, he takes to the idea. I'm stoked. I head to the basement the next day and pound out another 2 old beats/songs. Email them. He writes guitars. Emails me. I write bass lines. Email him. He records vocals. Emails me. Load it into my timeline and get cracking. The result is "Making Music, Making Enemies" and I am damn pleased with how it came out for a myriad of reasons. But above all I am proud to be able to make good, focused music in the vein that he and I both have been itching to do for well over a decade. He is my brother in music and together we are accomplishing EXACTLY what we set out to do.

Where did the band name originate from?

Casey: I was pining over a bunch of names at a Frank Turner show in NYC. I'm watching him play (and damn does he play) and I text Mike "We should get Frank Turner to sing on our songs, that would really tie it together" or something to that effect. That leads my thoughts to coming up with a name that illustrates how far we have come in our lives, our goals, our ambitions, and our music, and yet how far apart we truly are. How can we tie all of this together? How, in a simple and concise way, can we package what we're doing and what we have done? How do we make all these ends meet? Bingo!

Mike: I was totally drawing a blank on band names. Casey was texting me random names here and there, and some of them seemed cool but nothing was super inspiring. Then one day he sent over a few potential names that played off of the theme of long-distance, connections, stuff like that. As soon as I saw “Ends Meet” the “X” logo popped into my head. I sketched it out and sent it to him and we knew instantly that was the one – the name and the symbol were perfect for what we were doing.

Where do you guys draw your influences for your music? Mike: I could write a novel on this, there are so many influences I owe a debt to. I’ll start by saying that my cousin Jeff (aka JJ, currently the lead signer of the legendary Discharge) got me into punk rock pretty early - I was around 10 years old. He had me listening to the Dead Kennedy’s, Sex Pistols, The Exploited, Crass, Subhumans, Germs, The Clash – real classic, raw, first wave punk. Soon after, I wandered my way into the “new school” punk scene through skateboarding and found Pennywise, Bad Religion, NOFX, DRI, Strung Out, Lagwagon, Rancid, Good Riddance, RKL, Offspring, Black Flag, Propagandhi, No Use For A Name, Face To Face, Pulley, Bouncing Souls, Butthole Surfers, Gorilla Biscuits, Unwritten Law, Green Day, Rise Against – tons of Fat Wreck Chords and Epitaph bands. To this day they are the bands that have shaped my musical core and continue to influence my guitar playing. There’s an awesome sort of unstructured randomness to a lot of that mid-90’s punk, nobody really knew the formula yet. I did my best to channel a lot of that random, non-traditional song structure and style into what I’m doing with Ends Meet. Some late-era influences would include bands like A Wilhelm Scream, Pears, Thrice, Glassjaw, letlive, H09909, Useless ID, The Flatliners, The Sainte Catharine’s, None More Black, Implants, Mute and Against Me. And that’s barely scratching the surface of what I’m inspired by.

Casey: The 90's. In my head, I'm still there. Being a Jersey boy I have always had a passion for the New Brunswick scene (Lifetime, Endeavor, etc.) but also had the privilege to play out with some of my other favorite locals over my musical career like The Postman Syndrome, Catch 22, OCG, and a bunch of others. The NJ scene is as varied as it is talented and I'm proud of that. Everything else I draw from is completely California skate punk: Strung Out, Pulley, NOFX, Face to Face, Lagwagon, NUFAN... pretty much anything on Fat Wreck. Then there's the geographic anomalies like A Wilhelm Scream (MA) and a lot of the stuff going on in Gainesville, FL. But first and foremost... yeah. I like the 90's.

What sets you apart from all the other bands out there? Casey: Heart. And lack of band members. Who else writes music from opposite sides of a continent and plays several instruments on each song?

Mike: In addition to Casey’s points, I think we embody DIY more so than a lot of bands. We literally do every single thing ourselves – write, record, mix, master, design + artwork, release, promote. Casey recorded the drums, bass and mixed and mastered in a basement. I recorded guitars in a garage and recorded some of the vocals parked in my car in Oakland and San Francisco. My personal mission is to prove that we can make good-sounding music with good production value  by ourselves - with nothing but the some grit and determination. We don’t need a ton of fancy equipment or studio space to do it. We purposefully decided not to send out a demo to record labels for our first release because we wanted this to be 100% ours. Will that be the case forever? Who knows. But I’m very proud of the fact that we did it.

What’s your favorite part about being in a band? Mike: Having an outlet for creativity and a partner in crime to make it real. I can get an idea, record it, send it to Casey and in a few days we have the foundation of a song. It’s literally one of my favorite things in the world to download a drum track, plug in my guitar and just let it rip.

Casey: The gratification of building something that hasn't existed in the universe before you made it so.

What are the bands future plans?

Casey: Make great records.

Mike: Making more of the music we want to hear in the world, and somehow figuring out a way to play some live shows that leave an impression on people.

What was your favorite cartoon growing up? Mike: Danger Mouse. Look it up.

Casey: Man, that's a tough one. "Growing up" happens in stages. First it was He Man and the Transformers, then came The Ninja Turtles, then there were things like Dexter's Lab and Johnny Bravo, and then anything Space Ghost was in. If I had to call it, I'd probably lean Ninja Turtles. That one had the longest and deepest impact on me. I actually have the first 4 seasons on DVD. They're hilarious.

Favorite pizza topping?

Casey: Pepperoni and mushroom. You buying?

Mike: Plain. A slice of plain NJ pizza is heaven in the shape of a triangle.

If you could have one superpower what would it be?

Casey: To be able to fall asleep whenever I needed to and wake up completely refreshed on demand.

Mike: To be able to do things simultaneously by being in more than one place at the same time.

What is the first album you ever bought?

Casey: Cassette: Nirvana "Bleach" CD: Offspring "Smash" Mike: I literally have no clue. It was probably like MC Hammer or some shit in the 80’s. The first CD I remember buying that really changed my life was the self-titled Pennywise album – I never looked back after that one.

Anything else you’d like to say?

Mike: Yes, but I ran out of words. So, next time. Casey: I like turtles.

[crazypenguingiver]

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Want to Support Local Music? Here’s Some Actually Cool Merch You’ll Want to Buy

GARRETT GRAVLEY | APRIL 13, 2020 | 4:00AM

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In the ancient period of two months ago, there was a tacit social contract between artists/businesses and fans/customers wherein the latter bought branded merchandise from the former to help keep them afloat.

This ran like clockwork — artists bought Gildan T-shirts in bulk, printed some cool design on them and flipped them for a 150% margin. When they really wanted to be creative, they would help consumers keep their closets empty and sell something like coffee mugs or socks. In doing all this, patrons were able to support the artistic community while also having some morsel of self-validation in looking fresh.

But quarantine has since disrupted this arrangement. Consumers have less money to spend on merch, which is, in turn, only being advertised to family, roommates and pets.

Suffice to say, the coronavirus has taken the wind out of merch sales, and there has never been a more dire need for them. Whether you’re looking to get a new T-shirt, an LP or even some shorts, below is a list of some cool merch to support the North Texas music scene.

This Three Links T-shirt with someone’s negative Facebook review.

Support your local venues, especially the ones that, as a Facebook reviewer named Zach once put it, book shitty punk bands and make you wait in line for the bathroom.

This Asian Doll T-shirt.

Technically, her stage name is currently Asian Da Brat, but so many people refer to her by her old stage name “Asian Doll” that both are used interchangeably. Case in point, this “Young Rich Doll” white tee is still a featured product on her official merch page.

This sold-out LP of Lift to Experience’s The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads.

Vinyl pressings of Lift to Experience’s 2001 magnum opus The Texas-Jerusalem Crossroads are difficult to come by, which only makes copies of this album more coveted and expensive. But hey, that’s what happens when your band gets a cult following.

This Good Records T-shirt.

Good Records is a Texas institution, and there’s no better way to express pride of this fact than by wearing a T-shirt of a Good Records logo printed over a Texas flag.

These Liv.e shawty shawts.

Los Angeles-via-Dallas rapper Liv.e (pronounced “lihv”) has been on the rise after touring with Earl Sweatshirt and receiving cosigns from the likes of Erykah Badu and Tyler, the Creator. She’s not going to ascend to the top, however, without also putting herself at the cutting edge of the merch game. In a merch industry too focused on torsos, the Dolfin Records signee is filling the void in selling “shawty shawts” on her Bandcamp page.

This sold-out bundle of Stick Men With Ray Guns LPs.

Stick Men With Ray Guns was one of Dallas’ earliest punk bands. A regular at the legendary Hot Klub, they shared bills with then-up-and-comers such as Bad Brains, Misfits, Dead Kennedys and U.K. Subs, and had a notorious camaraderie with Butthole Surfers. Paying $27 for both pressings of Stick Men’s entire discography is a great deal, which is why the bundle is sold out. If you don’t mind shelling out an additional $4, however, you can get both Property of Jesus Christ and 1000 Lives to Die separately for an aggregated price of $31.

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This Texas Theatre “11-22-63” T-shirt.

We’re perhaps best known as the city that killed JFK, but with enough people wearing this shirt, we can also be known as the city that arrested Lee Harvey Oswald as he hid in a movie theater.

This T-shirt of Erykah Badu wearing a T-shirt that says “Pimp the System.”

To “pimp the system” is to take advantage of a system that has kept you down. Coming from someone as self-empowered as Ms. Badu, that’s totally on brand.

This T-shirt of Townes Van Zandt with his dog Geraldine.

It’s hard to pin down Geraldine’s origins, but her owner, country legend Townes Van Zandt, was an even rarer breed. Music heavyweights such as Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Norah Jones, Neil Young, Garth Brooks and the late John Prine have cited Van Zandt as an influence, but even with such ubiquity has he remained a best-kept secret of sorts. Above all else, though, he was a complete badass, and Geraldine was lucky for having such solid hangs with him.

Pinkish Black coffee mug.

“World’s Best Dad” is such a cliché thing to put on a coffee mug. Not only that, but there’s seldom any basis of truth behind it. I mean, have you ever been to a dad contest? And forget those normie mugs that say things like, “Don’t talk to me until I’ve had my morning coffee.” Your 12-year-old son takes Ritalin to treat his ADHD, Rebecca, so you’re not the one who’s become dependent on stimulants. If you truly want to stand out among your co-workers and drink your morning coffee in style, snag this Pinkish Black coffee mug.

[blockheadbrands]

Eric Wilson Does It For The Love of Music

Stephen Laddin of High Times Reports:

Jurassic Park. That was my initial thought sitting down with Eric Wilson in his massive backyard. It’s an expansive landscape of mountain rocks, avocado trees and bronze dinosaur statues. A padded chair sits empty across from a wooden bench, on which Eric sits with Melvin, his playful Rottweiler.

Eric is in fantastic spirits, not at all appearing like the man who almost died days earlier in an ATV accident. His deep side bruise and fractured right arm are at complete odds with his sunny disposition. I ask him what happened with the accident and a wide smile crests his face.

“Well, when I was born, I fell out the wrong way. [Laughs] I was up on the walking bridge with my Mechanical Mule. It lost traction and I went down with it. It was pretty violent.”

Whether he’s grateful just to be alive or simply enjoying time away from the road, Eric Wilson is a happy man. And with good reason. Sublime With Rome is releasing their third studio album this month and will embark on a monster summer tour in June. 

We wait 20 minutes for the sun to tuck itself behind the trees, when our seating area slowly illuminates with a warm golden glow. It’s at this precise moment Eric wants us to begin.

What role did smoking pot play in the early development of Sublime’s music?

The guy who introduced me to Brad – Dave D – our relationship was smoking pot. He took me over to Brad’s house and was like, “I think you guys are gonna hit it off pretty good.” And by god, he was right.

When you sing about weed, you might get sweated by the local police or whatever. We weren’t afraid to sing about it. We were punk rockers. We were always out to say “fuck you.” It’s something we believed in. We weren’t out there saying “smoke crack,” you know? It’s something a grandma and a granddaughter can do together and it’s not bad. It’s a good bonding thing and it always will be.

Did it help bring the band together?

Oh yeah. During that time, I couldn’t afford to buy weed. I used to go over to this pot dealer, this guy Dirty Al’s, and would wash his dishes for roaches. I’d do all his dishes and he’d give me a bag of roaches and then smoke one out back with me. Brad on the other hand, as long as he went to school and got good grades…his dad had a jacket in the closet with this one pocket you could reach into at any time. His dad’s house was right near me, and one day his mom sent him to live over there. And that’s how we hit it off. I just showed up with a guitar and a joint one day. He was better on guitar than me, so the next day I came back with a bass and it stuck.

Had you played bass prior?

Yeah. But most people wanna try and play guitar. It’s more glamorous looking or whatever. But I found once I started playing bass, I knew my role. I knew it was for me. I started to understand what the bass was all about, how it holds everything down. If you’re familiar with Sublime music, it’s based on bass. A lot of it, anyway. The reggae bassline has a lot of melody to it. It’s not like regular rock and roll bass, which pretty much follows the kick drum of the drummer. The reggae bass is totally opposite. You’re playing the melody of the singer.

How did you know music was your thing?

As soon as I met Brad, I knew playing music was the thing I wanted to do for the rest of my life. But I personally believe music is hereditary. I come from a really strong lineage of musicians. My dad was a drummer, his dad was a fiddle player, and my son plays everything. It’s in your blood. And I was a “natural.” A “natural” can easily figure out an instrument. Someone who’s not a natural can still learn how to play, but they’re gonna work their ass off just to get half as good as you. I was born with it. And I thank my family genes for that.

My dad was a music teacher and he would have this test to see if you’re a natural. Basically to see if you had timing. He’d have a stopwatch and whenever you were ready you’d say “go” and when you thought a minute was up, he’d stop it. Obviously you couldn’t look at a clock. If you were within a second or two of a minute, a second ahead or a second behind, you were a natural. And he was right. Anybody he ever taught got it down.

The last person I did the test with was Paul Leary of the Butthole Surfers. He set up a stopwatch and we just had a conversation. When I thought a minute was up, I said “minute.” We looked at the time and it was spot on. Ask him, he was blown away.

You were quoted as saying “I’m able to play music for the love of music, just like I did back then. I am so fortunate to still be able to do it.” Which to me says, you’ve been following your calling since day one.

A lot of people who get into music, they burn out on it. Especially people who do it for a living. It becomes like clocking-in. You can see it in their eyes. When I go on the road, I bring a little dressing room box that has a drum set and everything. We have all day long to do nothing and all these empty dressing rooms to do whatever we want. Why not be kids again and jam out? So yeah, I do it for the love of music still. I always tell people, I play for free but charge for travel and downtime. There’s a million bass players who are better than I am. I just won the lottery.

Where did the inspiration for Sublime’s early songs come from?

All of that was created because of Brad’s early encounter with reggae music. He went on vacation with his dad and discovered Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. And then when he came back to Long Beach and I met him, we got into local stuff like Fishbone. We went to our first show together at Reseda Country Club, and when we came back, our lives were changed. We wanted to be like the Bad Brains.

We’d cover songs from our favorite bands before we had songs of our own. And that’s when we wrote “Date Rape.” Brad would write fictional stuff. Like, that song was totally fictional. He just made it up. “Date Rape” was a big deal on the news during that time and he just put it together quick. We put the music together and he came up with the words just as fast. When you find someone you can write with like that, it’s easy. So much fun, you know? It’s a blast.

The effortless creative process.

A lot of people never get a chance to feel that in their lifetime. [Brad’s] dad had a liquor cabinet downstairs and he was always over at his girlfriend’s house. So we would spend five hours a day drinking scotch liquor and writing songs. We had a drum machine for a while before we got a real drummer. It was cool. It was really cool when you didn’t know the business side of things. We just thought we were supposed to be on the radio all of a sudden. We didn’t think about how you get there.

We had two bands before Sublime where we’d play for beer and gas money for the next show. And we’d play a bunch of our favorite songs from The Rolling Stones, The Who, The Clash, The Cure. And then we started getting more hip into The Specials, Untouchables, the reggae shit, Minor Threat. [Laughs] We’d be smoking joints singing songs about being sober. I’m not sure if Brad had some master plan ‘cause he never told me. It was just a party. Those were the best days of my life.

At what point did you start to think, “hey, maybe this is more than just a party?”

When Brad went away to college in Santa Cruz, I returned to my old punk rock band, The Juice Bros. [Brad’s departure] didn’t make much of an impact ‘cause I was kind of a loser kid, not going in the right direction anyways. If beer and pot were involved, I was there.Thank God for Brad, because if I’d stayed in that band, I’d probably still be living out of my mom’s house.

Anyway, Brad got turned onto dance hall reggae up in Santa Cruz and he recorded a bunch of tracks on a cassette. When he came back for vacation, he played it for me and initially, I didn’t get it. It took me a while to catch on. For a minute he was forcing me to play some reggae songs. But then it just clicked with me one day that I love this music. Bud [Gaugh] lived across the alley from me and we’d jammed in garage bands together and stuff. So I got ahold of Brad to figure out where we could practice. Bud’s mom let us, so Brad picked me up and drove me over there and the first time we practiced we knew we had something going. Brad transferred back to Long Beach for college and that’s when we first got serious about music.

1996. How did it feel to reach the pinnacle of your success as a band but without your lead singer?

It was just like any fairytale. Everything was going my way and it just screeched to a halt. We went to accept the MTV Video Music Award and just wasn’t there. It just goes to show you how fast things can change for anybody at any time. That’s what happened for us. 

I didn’t play music for a little bit. Then me and Bud started playing again. I played bass in a drag racing band. But everybody who came to our shows wanted to hear Sublime-type music. And I loved it anyway, so I figured what the hell. We started Long Beach Dub Allstars. I finally figured out I could still write songs and still have fun, even without Brad. But there was nothing like him. With him, I had the best times of my life, like I said. Playing in backyard parties…we just thought we were the shit. We were, I guess. Play for 10-15 minutes then a helicopter comes. Party’s over. But those 15 minutes were so untouchable.

2009. What’s the impetus to start Sublime With Rome?

All my best friends were in Dub Allstars. And because of the business aspect of things and being in a band with that many people, it screwed up my friendships with everyone. So we all went our separate ways. I went to play drums in a Huntington Beach psychedelic band with Jason Robbins, Phil Seville and this guy Lou who did sound and ran 17th Street Studios.

We were recording there when Rome [Ramirez] came in with his girlfriend at the time. He was a big Sublime fan and was just hanging out while she was doing an album, so we’d jam out when we’d see each other. My current manager [Cheez] was developing Dirty Heads in another room and heard how good we sounded together. I heard it too, but didn’t really put it together like “oh, let’s start Sublime again.” Because Cheez has a mind for that kinda shit, he took me aside and said “hey, how’d you like to start Sublime again?” And I was like, “yeah that would be awesome.” Things have a way of working themselves out.

It’s now been 10 years since the formation of Sublime With Rome. What are some of the highs and lows of that journey?

Right from the gate, Bud started playing with us, which was great. But he’s never traveled very well. He’s not into travelling and he didn’t last long. So we brought on Josh Freese and it was a real blessing to have him come on and save the day when Bud didn’t want to do the touring anymore. Then Josh started getting all these opportunities, and he’s used to playing in a bunch of different bands at the same time. He’s got a wild life. When when he took off, Carlos Verdugo came in and he’s our drummer now. He was in a band we toured with a few summers ago called Tribal Seeds. I remember watching him with Josh and Josh was like “man, that guy can play.”

LD, our DJ…what a great soul, man. He used to play drums in a band in Long Beach and their singer got a turntable to try and work it into their scene. Well, the guy couldn’t figure it out so LD took it home and made a career working with all the big hip hop artists. I guess he met Rome somehow and he’s been part of our family for a long time now, too. A couple years ago, we got Gabe the trombone player from No Doubt. We used to play shows together when Brad was around. He’s so amazing. Anytime I meet a trombone player I ask, “can you play the solo on ‘Wrong Way’?” And they never can ‘cause it’s a really tough part. But Gabe nailed it, of course.

The lineup we have right now is the best we can possibly be without being the original lineup. I’m totally happy with it. We all have our different walks of life but we’ve learned to respect each other and love each other. I plan on doing this for as long as I keep breathing.

How much has your musical career influenced cannabis culture and how much has cannabis culture influenced your musical career?

Probably the same percentage on each side. It goes hand in hand. We always get the latest gizmos and whatnot. And for as much stuff as I forget, it helps me be creative. I think anybody else in the band would say the same thing. It takes you to that place we were at when we were kids in the garage, playing music for ourselves. For the love of music, you know? Marijuana was our buddy, right there sitting next to us. I can’t imagine it not being there.

What makes your upcoming album different from the previous Sublime With Rome records?

I think Rome and I had a harder time working together in the studio on previous albums. I think we both learned how to work with each other a lot better on this one. I’ve always thought he was a really good songwriter but he tended, in the past, to be overwhelming. I always had a certain way of recording with Brad and other people, so for a while I would just fart out some bass lines because I didn’t feel part of the creative element. It’s changed since then, since the last album. So thanks, Rome. He’s such a great songwriter and it’s honor to record with him.

We had a few talks on the road for this album. A couple heart to hearts that gave more headroom for both of us to collaborate. Whereas before, it was a little more one-sided. For this album, the process was more like what I’m used to doing. Playing for the love of music and having a great time doing it.

Sublime With Rome’s third full length album “Blessings” is available May 31st.

Follow @sublimewithrome and check out http://www.sublimewithrome.com/ for tickets and tour dates

TO READ MORE OF THIS ARTICLE ON HIGH TIMES, CLICK HERE.

https://hightimes.com/culture/music/eric-wilson-does-it-for-love-music/

[indiecation]

This past weekend, I headed to San Pedro’s waterfront to watch two whole days of live music. Although I’ve been to a few major festivals this year including Desert Daze and Music Tastes Good, I was most excited for this lineup, mainly to see the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, the B-52’s, Beach Fossils, Cigarettes After Sex and some of my favorite smaller acts like the Paranoyds, Billy Changer, and La Luz. I was also excited to re-live my high school punk days by catching FEAR and Bad Brains.

But alas, I was on assignment for mxdwn, which is no walk in the park. When you’re legit covering a festival, you have to know song names (even of bands you don’t typically listen to), stay for entire sets that you’d rather bounce from, and be super attentive.

It was really something to be 100% sober, mainly due to the $14 drink costs, but also to keep my memory sharp. I saw all kinds of behaviors, and some were funny, but others were downright scary. From stage-diving fails to deranged fans halting one band’s set, to incoherent festival-goers being hoisted by friends, I saw it all!

But I was really excited to see some of my old and new favorites play. Saturday was my favorite, as the Yeah Yeah Yeahs absolutely killed their set, playing the majority of their songs off Fever to Tell. Cigarettes After Sex also put on a stunning set, playing at one of the main stages just as the sun was setting. And the B-52’s had everyone dancing and grooving to the ’60s inspired surf rock.

But there were some acts that I watched but just couldn’t get into, like Julian Casablancas and the Voidz, which just jerks sound every which way and the assault on the eyes and ears that is the Butthole Surfers.

You can catch my full, unbiased coverage via mxdwn, and some personal experiences in the video below.

For full festival coverage, check out my articles on mxdwn:

The Growlers Six Festival Day One Featuring the Yeah Yeah Yeahs The Growlers and more

The Growlers Six Festival Day One Featuring Butthole Surfers, the B-52’s and more

Check out my highlights and lowlights in this highly unedited video and please comment! I’d love to hear from you.

Beach Goth is Dead, But its Spirit is Alive as Ever This past weekend, I headed to San Pedro's waterfront to watch two whole days of live music.

[houstonlocalus-blog]

Hostage Stamps: The Best of The Week

At The Drive-In. Photo: Rise Records

  Now that festivals are in full swing, things are heating up as far as the weather and what’s rolling through town this week. Sets from the likes of At The Drive-In, Metallica, and Tripping Daisy will be on deck with performances from locals like Clay Melton, Finger Guns and more filling in the gaps. Houston, here’s how to map out the next seven days.

  On Wednesday you could begin over at Discovery Green for their Party on The Plaza series featuring Dallas’ Ishi. There was a night some years back where Wilco bored me, so I went to catch Father John Misty where the venue was too hot, and Ishi saved my night with an electric performance at Nightingale Room. Maybe he can save your night as well, as his latest single “Crocodile Tears” is an electronic jam that’s worth hearing live. The folky sounds of Houston’s Romina Von Mohr will open the all ages show that gets going around 5 pm and is 100% FREE.

  We Were Wolves. Photo: Ken Asibor

  Later on at The Secret Group, you could catch the Nashville rock goodness of JEFF The Brotherhood. This duo seems to really be all about exploring the genre of rock without taking things too far. Their live shows can be crazed energy bubbles, and last year’s Zone proved they can still mix things up. Houston’s We Were Wolves will bring their beer fueled rock n’ roll party on as direct support and should add new songs from their upcoming album to their set along with songs from 2015’s Ruin Your Weekend. Houston’s Far Out will bring their hook-heavy rock on as openers for the all ages show, and their last album Universe was one everyone should hear. Doors are at 8 pm with a $12 cover.

  On Thursday you could kick the evening off over in the ballroom at Warehouse Live when Dallas’ Tripping Daisy reunites for a performance. It’s been eighteen years since the death of founding member Wes Berggren and since the band has performed live, so this is a real treat for fans of the band. While the group’s posthumous B-sides album Tripping Daisy from 2000 and the album before it Jesus Hits Like The Atomic Bomb were both good and well received, the album I Am An Elastic Firecracker with the hit track, “I Got A Girl” was what made the group Texas psych pop legends. I saw the band a lot in the nineties and their live shows were always on point and sometimes bizarre. Dallas’ Motorcade featuring members of War on Drugs, St. Vincent and more will be on hand as direct support while the only Houston band that could open things up, Frog Hair will get things going. If you’ve never seen Frog Hair before, just imagine what Butthole Surfers on LSD would be like and you’ll have their debut album A Long List of Shortcomings figured out. The all ages show has doors at 7 pm and tickets between $25 and $30.

  Over at Walter’s you could get the indie meets punk rock of Finger Guns who will be there to drop their new album, Life On The Floor. The new sounds of Houston’s The Daphne Blue were set to perform, but have since had to cancel due to an emergency. There’s also a set from Since Always who should impress with their indie rock sounds while the all ages show will get opened up by the alt rock sounds of Middlechild. Doors are at 8 pm with a $10 cover.

  Clark. Photo: Tim Saccenti

  Downstairs at White Oak Music Hall, New York born and New Jersey raised Com Truise will return for a set filled with electronica jams. This guy has been making bangers for a good while, but his latest single, “Isotasy,” is definitely something to groove to and his live sets are always a little bonkers. He’ll have one of the best electronica producers going as direct support and opener with U.K. triple threat Clark. Clark is literally fire as a producer and his live sets are a real trip. His latest release Death Peak from this year just keeps him at the top of the electronic game even moreso. The all ages show has doors at 8 pm and tickets between $17 and $22.

    Friday you could make it out to House of Blues for the alt country of Old 97’s. While the band has been around a good while and their live shows have always felt like a party made up of friends, their latest release Graveyard Whistling offers up hints of the band in their early days. Shooter Jennings will bring his twangy sound on as direct support and opener for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $25 and $49.

  Japanese Breakfast. Photo: Phobymo

  Upstairs at White Oak Music Hall will host the always fun lo-fi indie pop of (Sandy) Alex G. While the Philadelphia artist has always been worth catching, his latest record Rocket offers up his most cohesive and catchy sound to date. The indie sci-fi jams of Japanese Breakfast will be on as direct support while Brooklyn-based power pop rock group Cende will open the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $13 and $18.

  In the back of Continental Club at the Pachinko Hut, you can get groovy to the sounds of DJ jams from the likes of Darenda Weaver, Zack Dorsey, and Black Slacks at the Citrus Shakedown. While there are rumors of a bubble machine on site, the cheap drinks and cool jams make for a fun time in the hot summer sun. The 21 & up show is free and gets going at 7 pm with more information here.

  Vinal Edge will host the indie post rock strangeness of Denton’s Sexual Jeremy. I say post rock, but in reality this band just emulates multiple genres including spoken word, math rock, and early emocore, and their latest Chuck Weekend is a trip. Denton’s Jesus Chris + The Beetles will be on as direct support while the unexplained improvised magic of Houston’s Ak’chamel will open things ups as only they can for the free all ages show with gratis beer for the adults.

  Pfaff. Photo: Marshall Forse Walker

  The Waughford will host the return of Austin’s Dylan Cameron of Holodeck Records. Cameron has made his name by dropping danceable jams and his latest, Infinite Floor, is full of tracks to groove to. The electro-acoustic sounds of Houston’s Yakul will be on as direct support while Pfaff will bring his modular techno prior. A DJ set from Houston’s KONA FM will get the night started with visuals all night from Sppank. The show has doors at 8 pm and a $10 cover.

  Over at Rito’s Bar you could check out the gloss punk of NOLA’s Patsy. Here in support of their snappy new 7” Eat It, they sound like a feverishly fun punk band. Austin’s Sass will be on as well as No Come, while Houston’s The Pose will bring their punk heaviness on hand. Criminal Itch will open the all ages show with doors at 8 pm and a $6 cover.

  Rudyard’s will host the new album release from Houston’s Sam Turner & the Cactus Cats. While the band has traveled far down the road of what they call “beach wave,” they’re really closer to psych infused folk in sound and they’re definitely due for a new album. The show will also have Grisbee on as direct support, while the rock of Houston’s Bayou Saints will go on beforehand. The indie pop of Austin’s Golden Solid will also be on hand to perform and Mikey Drag from Flower Graves will get the evening started by spinning records all night, as well as in-between sets and after the show too. The 21 & up show has doors at 8 pm and an $8 cover.

  Clay Melton. Photo: Daniel Jackson

  In the Bronze Peacock room of House of Blues, the bluesy twang of Houston’s Clay Melton will bring the house to its knees with his guitar prowess. While Melton’s debut record is good, it doesn’t really showcase his strength as songwriter and guitarist and his live shows are the type you don’t want to miss before he gets too big for this city. The energetic blues psych of Vanilla Whale will be on hand as support and openers, and they, too, are a band everyone should check out. The all ages show has doors at 8:45 pm and tickets for $15.

  Saturday you could get going over at Silver Street Studios for the Pop Shop Houston Summer Festival. The two day event has tons of local vendors, art, food, and even a fashion show. The fashion show gets going around 7 pm, but the two day event opens at 10 am on Saturday and 11 am on Sunday with tickets for $8.

  There’s a good chance you’ll head to Saint Arnold’s Brewery when they celebrate their 23rd year. The show has a headlining set from Houston’s Bun B, but also features a slew of locals to round things out. Performances from The Tontons, 30 Foot Fall, Buxton, John Evans and more will all be there to get feet moving. The 21 & up show has doors at 4 pm and tickets between $10 and $35 with more information here.

  Over at Revention Center, El Paso’s At The Drive-In will make their return to our city. While they’re without founding member Jim Ward, the band has since soldiered on and dropped a new album with this year’s in*ter*a*li*a. It’s not confirmed if they still get wild like they did at their shows twenty years ago or not, but if you’re a fan, then you might want to attend based on how volatile they all are. Les Butcherettes will be on board as direct support and opener for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $30 and $40.

  Over at Arena Theatre, the internationally renowned sounds of Mexico’s Bronco will perform in the round. You might not know these guys, but seeing as they’ve sold over 12 million records, those who know them realize that they’re worth catching live. If you’re a fan of Norteno music, you should love their latest release Primera Fila from this year. The doors are at 7:30 pm and tickets are between $49.50 and $155.

  Ruiners. Photo: Keith Hatch

  Over at Rudyard’s, Houston’s Football, etc. will be upstairs to play their album release party for the recently released Corner. One of my favorite records of the year, as well as the strongest from the trio, the album takes the band far outside of their emo past and places them on a larger scale. While their live shows are always fun, they will have one of the strongest live bands on as direct support when Houston’s Ruiners will release their new album as well. Their new record, Plebeian, is pretty epic, like a mix of Mission of Burma and Fugazi. The screamo sounds of Austin’s Yorick will also be on the bill while Houston’s Greg Cote & the Real Life Friends will open the 21 & up show with doors at 8 pm and an $8 cover.

  On Sunday you could make your way over to the EaDo Vintage June Fest. The monthly event takes place over on Polk Street and features an eclectic mix of vintage wares and wears, art, music and eats. The all day event is open to all ages, it’s free to attend, and gets going at noon with more information here.

  Over at NRG Stadium you can hope that Metallica sticks to their tunes that don’t go past …And Justice For All. While I haven’t been a fan of how these guys act towards anyone not up to pay them for the smallest things, or the fact that I’m really not a fan of most of their work from the past twenty years, I can say that they’re pretty epic to catch live. Their early work on Kill Em’ All and Master of Puppets alone is amazing. The metalcore of Avenged Sevenfold will be on as direct support while the Danish metal of Volbeat will open the all ages show with doors at 6 pm, and tickets between $55 and $155.50. Parking is an extra $20.

  Walter’s will host the proggy instrumental sounds of California’s Strawberry Girls. This trio makes groove heavy jams that are great to catch live, and their latest release Italian Ghosts keeps that vibe going. They’ll have the intense sounds of Colorado’s Comrades on as direct support while the post hardcore of Belle Noire will open the all ages show with doors at 6 pm and tickets between $10 and $13.

  On Monday you could head over to the new Insomnia Gallery for Night One of Houston Benefit Week for a poster art show. The art of ACK!, House of Eyes, Christopher Oddo, Honeybones, and more will be on display and available for purchase in an ultra limited run of prints, both framed and unframed. DJ sets from some mystery guests, gratis Topo Chico and Lonestar, and all proceeds go to help Christian Kidd of The Hates as he battles cancer. The event is all ages, the doors are at 7 pm, and with art from each artists for sale as well, it’s definitely worth making it our for.

  Radkey. Photo: Paradigm Agency

  The indie pop of London’s The Joy Formidable will be on hand upstairs at White Oak Music Hall. Here in support of last year’s Sleep Is Day, there’s something remarkable about how this group writes music. The punky garage sounds of Radkey will be on hand as direct support and should melt some faces when they perform at the all ages show with doors at 7:30 pm and tickets between $18 and $22.

  On Tuesday you could make it over to Warehouse Live for the long standing good time also know as The Moth story hour. The true stories told live will use the theme of celebration for this show, and if you’ve never been, then this is a great opportunity to check it out. The all ages event has doors at 6:30 pm and tickets for $10 on the seated show.

  The Secret Group will have a set from the always funny Tom Rhodes. Rhodes has been doing stand up for thirty years, he’s been on places like Comedy Central, NBC, and Netflix, and his last album Colossus of Me is pretty hilarious. Two of Houston’s better up and coming comics might serve as host and feature for the all ages show with doors at 7 pm and tickets between $10 and $12.

  Los Skarnales. Photo: Ed Villegas

  Over at Continental Club, Night Two of Houston Benefit Week will see a headlining set from Houston’s Los Skarnales. These guys have been blowing minds with their energetic shows since I was in high school and their latest release, Another Day, Another Borrachera, is one of the strongest ska records you’ll hear. A reunited set from Houston rockabilly legends The Flamin’ Hellcats will be on hand as direct support while Houston’s energetic Tax The Wolf will go on prior. A Sundae Drive will bring their indie rock goodness on as openers for the 21 & up show with doors at 8 pm. Like the art show at Insomnia, the event will have all proceeds going to Christian Kidd of The Hates as he battles cancer, providing a great way to enjoy music and help out a local legend at the same time.

  That’s about it for this week.  No matter what you do, remember that a safe ride home is just a click away.

Hostage Stamps: The Best of The Week this is a repost

[rocknutsvibe]

Classics Revisited: A Ton of Love

Yes, you’ve heard “Whip It.” Good for you. And yes, “Whip It” is by far Devo’s most popular song. Here’s the part where I say, “That one single doesn’t do the band justice.” But the truth is, if you’re going to start on your way toward Devo-fandom, “Whip It” is both an obvious entry point and an appropriate one. Everything that’s great about Devo is present in that song; we’re not dealing with a “Butthole-Surfers-‘Pepper'” situation in which the most well-known song sounds nothing like the rest of the band’s catalog. I have a feeling that a number of unsuspecting consumers purchased The Surfer’s 1996 album Electriclarryland hoping for more of the same and were surprised and horrified to find, well, a Butthole Surfers record.

This is not like that. What I’m trying to do is gently encourage you to explore the album around “Whip It,” Devo’s 1980 classic Freedom of Choice. Not coincidentally, that album celebrates its 37th anniversary this week (today, in fact, as I am writing this on 5/16), and I thought we’d discuss it briefly.

First of all, as you may or may not know, Devo was formed by Kent State students Gerald Casale, Bob Lewis and Mark Mothersbaugh around 1970. The trio had already been kicking around the idea that mankind was progressing backward, not forward (a philosophy called devolution), but were really moved to take things seriously after the infamous Kent State Massacre. From there, the newly-dubbed “Devo” married stinging satire and dystopian subject matter with their own tightly wound and edgy version of punk rock.

Though the group released two great records prior to Freedom, this album really marks the point where Devo’s artistic leanings collide with pop music. With songs like “Girl U Want,” “Ton O’ Luv,” and the titular track, Mothersbaugh and company present a scathing send-up of pre-packaged, consumerist culture that works as something with mainstream appeal. Can you dance to “Whip It” without thinking about loss of personal identity in favor of brand-loyalty? Of course you can. That’s really the genius at work, here: Devo presents a chilling vision of humanity’s future, to be sure. But it’s hard not to laugh along with them.

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[houstonlocalus-blog]

Houstonian Tales: MyDolls

MyDolls. Photo: F. Carter Smith

  Seeing how punk music stands today, it’s a little difficult to imagine a time when female fronted punk bands weren’t a fairly common thing.  But, in the late 70s, while everyone was thinking about how progressive they were, Houston’s MyDolls literally changed the way people think about punk music.  More of a punk rock meets post punk sound, MyDolls were among the first female fronted punk bands in America and truly paved the way for females within the genre and what female involvement in music in general looks like today.  Aside from being legends in music, few people know that the band was essential in the formation of Girls Rock Camp Houston, as well as promoting the Houston music scene.  After reforming in 2008, the band has a new record released today and a show scheduled for March 3 at Lawndale Art Center.  There are few people who can attest to how much the Houston music scene has grown and changed over the years like the members of MyDolls, and it’s a real treat to hear about it from those who lived it and helped shape it.  Free Press Houston was more than thrilled to hear about how the band formed, where their name came from, and what they have planned for the future.

  Free Press Houston: I know the band has been together since the late seventies, but can you explain how you came together and what made you want to start making music together?

Trish Herrera: Dianna and I met through a friend and became roommates soon after. Linda and I met via my hair salon, Wavelength. Linda came in and I gave her bangs. George and I are cousins.

Dianna Ray: I spent many a high school afternoon with my best friend Carrie playing air-guitar to the likes of Mott the Hoople, T-Rex and The Sparks. While I was dreaming of playing in a band, Trish was already singing backup for Kinky Friedman! I think it was our destiny to be in bands together. Trish and I spent many a night at the Island (aka, Rock Island, Paradise Island) the only punk club in Houston in 1978. Night after night we watched bands play. Some were good, others were terrible, and we spent so much time at the club, why not start our own band and play there, too?

Linda Bond/Younger: It all happened for me at Wavelength, Trish’s Salon. She and Dianna were there and had already talked about forming a band. They were regulars at the Island and roommates in the apartment above Rudyard’s, the space that is now used for performances. I had made the decision to have bangs cut and we were listening to boring music. The subject of starting a band came up and Dianna and I mentioned one minor detail. Neither of us knew how to play an instrument. In true Mydolls style, Trish said that shouldn’t stop us and offered to teach us. So, I got a guitar and Dianna got a bass. We tried to find a woman drummer to no avail. Trish’s cousin, George practiced with us one night and the rest is herstory.   

  FPH:  Who came up with the name for the band, and can you explain what the name means?

Dianna Ray: It’s meant to be a clever play on words. I am going to say this for the first time publicly, so this is your scoop David, I never really liked the name! Ha! I think I wanted something with more gravity…

Linda Bond/Younger: It happened at the Taj Mahal when we had way too much to eat and drink for our own good. We started thinking of band names and the first was Heart. The conversation then went off on a tangent with organ names…after shooting down kidney, lungs and uterus…Kelly from Really Red came up with Midols, but we changed the spelling to Mydolls and the next thing we knew, we were opening for the Cramps! How cool was that!

Trish Herrera: We were having dinner at the Taj Mahal on the Gulf Freeway with a group of punk musicians in 1978. We were throwing around names, and someone said: “There is a band named Heart, why don’t you call yourselves ovaries? “Then Kelly, guitarist in Really Red, said, “How about Midol like the cramps drug and spell it MyDolls?” And we loved it and said, “this is it.” I always thought it looked like NYDolls. The name has a feminine root, and I love that we play with doll images. I like this poem.

My sister has a punk doll.

When you stick a pin in her, she yells, “Fuck.”

The doll is nice too.

  FPH:  It probably doesn’t seem like it would be the case nowadays, but being a female in a punk band in the seventies and eighties was a big deal and very progressive act at the time.  Can you talk about how people in the punk world embraced and dealt with you and how the music world treated you back then, and how different it was compared to how it’s gotten better but not by much in today’s music landscape?

Dianna Ray:  We had a couple of things to overcome; we were a female fronted band and our music wasn’t straight-forward punk, it was more post-punk, so I think people didn’t quite know what to do with us.  

Linda Bond/Younger:  We were like little sisters to the Houston Punk bands. They treated us like equals for the most part and welcomed our participation on the bill when they played. Biscuit from the Big Boys used to tease us and say that we belonged barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen…but it was with a big snuggle.

Trish Herrera:  No one wanted punk music especially punk music by women. That is why indie labels started. We created our own world. We were denied pay unless the money was given to the males in our bands or our road manager at certain clubs. We weren’t taken seriously. We weren’t a cutesy joke band, although I enjoyed many bands that were not political that were changing the face of music at that time. We were angry and meant every thing we said. Speaking out and questioning wasn’t popular. Yes, it is better. But the fight is still there. Censorship was a big issue in the Reagan era.

  FPH:  You’ve toured the world, been on British radio with John Peel, and even lost a member; can you explain the difference between the music world in the early eighties as compared to today? Perhaps shed light on the way bands booked tours on their own and how you got things done without the ease of the internet for those who don’t know?

George Reyes: DIY of the past was very much a collaboration of individuals. Some of it was acquired from alternative presses and some by word of mouth. Lots of relationship building and reaching out. Today, technology feeds these efforts. There are lots of media engines to choose from with a greater sophistication. In the ‘80s, it was a start to finish endeavor including making flyers, T-shirts and badges, and distributing them.

Linda Bond/Younger:  We wrote lots of letters and made calls to independent radio stations and clubs where other bands we enjoyed listening to played. There was a circle of friends who would do anything they could to help us book and promote shows. Ronnie Bond (U Ron Bondage of Really Red) was instrumental in introducing us to fanzines and new music that he played in the record store, Real Records, and on his radio show, Fun House, on KPFT. 90.1 KPFT was very supportive then and continues to be now. The rest was pretty much our fearless pursuit for what we dreamed about doing and then just doing it. “Breaking the Rules” was one of our songs and our modus operandi. The John Peel experience was exactly that.  

Dianna Ray: Booking a tour took some time. It often started with letter writing to bands who had previously come through Houston or bands and venues whose names we found in fanzines picked up at our local record store, Real Records. We didn’t use the phone until things were tightening up, long distance actually cost $$ back then! I was recently re-connected with a guy, Robbie Reverb, via FaceBook. We were pen-pals for a while after he came to one of our shows while we were touring. Pen-pals, do people even know what that is? Ha!

Trish Herrera: Fanzines had ads for clubs and we networked with bands that had toured before us. Mostly it was all done by letter writing. Ya know, pen and paper, and we used light paper so the postage was inexpensive. No one had money. We still have some of the letters in our archives. They are really beautiful.

  FPH:  I would guess that you got to perform and tour with some pretty influential punk bands back in the day.  Are there any acts that stand out in your mind or where there any shows that were insane back in the early days of the band?

Trish Herrera:  My faves were Minor Threat , Butthole Surfers, Siouxsie and the Banshees, The Cramps. More currently, Frightwig and the Avengers.

Dianna Ray:  I did lose my two front teeth while attending a show at the Island on my birthday. That was insane.

Linda Bond/Younger:  For sure Siouxsie and the Banshees and The Cramps stand out back in the day. Recently, however, playing with Penelope Houston and the Avengers in Oakland was very special. The great part about all of those shows is the Mydolls Tribe, many of them the same in Oakland as for the older shows from the ‘80s.

  FPH:  Many people might not realize how integral you’ve been to organizations here like Girls Rock Camp, can you talk a bit about how you’ve gotten involved and what the organization means to you as musicians and females in a male dominated industry?

Dianna Ray:  It started with the documentary about the camp in Seattle, which we watched at Aurora Picture Show. We thought, this has to happen in Houston. It turns out we weren’t the only ones who felt that way after seeing the movie, so did Anna Garza. Anna started the Houston camp and Linda and I helped in the early formation. One or more of us has volunteered at each Houston camp since. I have met some of the most amazing, talented, generous and funny women at that camp. And those are just the volunteers! Many campers have returned year after year and some now volunteer at the camp in principle roles. Watching these young women grow into themselves, grow in confidence and mature with compassion is incredibly heartwarming. When the parents talk about how their daughters have been impacted by a single week spent at camp we often find ourselves in tears. Last of all, Mydolls’ rally calls is, “Go start your own band!” So of course Girls Rock Camp Houston fits very nicely with that!  

Linda Bond/Younger: Dianna and I were in the very first meeting with Anna Garza and Muna Javaid after we saw the Girls Rock Camp movie. It was like a light went off and all of us were determined to have a camp here in Houston. I am passionate about continuing to do whatever I can to make the camp available to as many young girls as possible. Trish, Dianna and I initially worked most of the week as band coaches, counsellors or instructors. Over time, it’s been so rewarding to see the girls from the first camp take over and become the Counsellors, Coaches and responsible for making things go smoothly with equipment and the showcase. It is a life-changing experience to see the girls develop from being very timid, introspective to empowered, confident young women. I would encourage everyone to consider volunteering. There are many things to do even if you aren’t musically inclined, such as registration, coordinating volunteers, picking up food for volunteers, etc.  The feedback from the parents is priceless. And the showcase is a feel-good experience for everyone. There are also scholarships available for those who could not otherwise attend. One of the scholarships is very near and dear to us. It’s named in memory of Kathy Johnson, Dianna’s wife, who was very involved and passed away three years ago.

FPH:  Last year, the CAMH hosted the collection and retrospective for the 20HERTZ series, can you explain what it meant for the band and how it came about?

Dianna Ray: Max Fields from CAMH was looking for the perfect fit for the installment of their 20HERTZ program which would coincide with the Mark Flood exhibition, which was amazing, by the way. Mark (aka Perry Webb) was in the band Culturcide who were on C.I.A. Records along with Mydolls, so there was both an artistic and a historical intersection between our work.

Initially the event was proposed to us as a panel discussion with the band. We asked Max if we could play a short 30-minute set. We then asked our friends Dan Workman, also a former Culturcide band member, and Nancy Dunnahoe, from Wild Dog Archives, to be the panelists. Nancy suggested we display some of our ephemera as part of the evening. Before you know it Max had arranged for entire gallery space for us to display in and the event went from a small discussion to a retrospective of sorts. I was bowled over by the enthusiasm and support we received from everyone involved and from the audience who attended. It was electrifying!

Linda Bond/Younger:  It was such an incredible experience. Max Fields approached us and asked us about doing the interview for his final 20 MHz program at CAMH before moving to New York. As in true Mydolls tradition, we asked about doing more than just an interview. We suggested showing a video and having a space for our archives. The CAMH allowed us to have the downstairs education room to display so many wonderful things, from our cassette tapes documenting Mydolls on the road, to hand painted one-of-a-kind t-shirts, to vintage video from a show in Kent Ohio in 1982, to incredible posters and photographs. It took off from there and just became this incredible experience, not only for us, but all of our friends and family who we lovingly call our Tribe. I would be remiss if I failed to thank Max Fields for curating the event and Nancy Agin Dunnahoe for her unending energy in archiving all of the items and to Nancy and Dan Workman for making the event very special by asking just the right questions for the interview. The interview and the sound clips of the cassette tapes are available on CAMH’s YouTube and Soundcloud accounts and definitely worth listening to.

Trish Herrera:  It was mind blowing to have all our history so well thought out and organized.The audience was of all ages and super diverse. This was a special honor having grown up in the art and music world in Houston. It was like looking at a life. Punk girls come of age in Houston, Texas.

George Reyes: Definitely, it was a retrospective moment. It was great to see Mydolls’ Tribe and recall memorable experiences. Lots of people are contributors to the Mydolls success and talking with them reflected this wonderful fan base.

  FPH:  It seems like in the last couple of years, the band has been more active than you were for a while.  What brought the fire back to record and start playing more shows?

Trish Herrera: Absolutely driven by politics and the timeliness of how our songs fit the same issues we had throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s.

Linda Bond/Younger: Our eye on the prize…new vinyl that represents Mydolls through the years…a legacy album so to speak. And the encouragement of our Tribe to keep playing.

  FPH:  The new album, It’s Too Hot For Revolution, seems to really offer up a refreshed sound for the band while keeping your core intact.  What made you decide to make the album and what’s the meaning behind the title of the record?

Linda Bond/Younger:  It’s the title of one of our songs, but more than that it fits so well with the current state of affairs. Many of the songs are political in nature and even though most of the lyrics were written almost 40 years ago, sadly they are as true now as always. The artwork by Jack Livingston is beautiful and the red vinyl is so perfect!  

Trish Herrera: “Bored with apathy” is one of the lyrics. 45% of our country didn’t vote. Punk has always been known for parody. Astounding how many people can’t tell you a thing about our Constitution and how law and government works, yet it affects everything. We have to resist government that is not based on freedom and diversity and basic human rights.

Dianna Ray:  I want to add that this recording is the only one we have which features my beloved wife Kathy on guitar. You can hear her on the songs we recorded in the early ‘80s with Phil Davis, who also toured with us as our sound engineer. Both of them are gone now, so it’s a wonderful way to commemorate and celebrate their contributions to Mydolls’ music.

  FPH:  You worked with Dan Workman of Sugar Hill and Andy Bradley on this album, both who you’ve worked with in the past on projects.  Was there ever a notion to make the album at another studio or to work with others, or is SugarHill like a second home?

Linda Bond/Younger: Sugar Hill is very special to us. However, when Andy Bradley who “speaks Mydolls” moved to a different studio, we did work with him there on the final engineering. Dan plays guitar on one of the songs. Both of them have been a very special part of our musical journey and we can’t thank them enough for their creative genius, encouragement and support.

Dianna Ray: Dan and Andy are a part of the band and it wouldn’t have been conceivable to do this without their involvement.

George Reyes: I think the discovery of the master tapes was all part of the synergy that Sugarhill has provided us and continues to do. Using the combined memory of all who participated was dynamic.

Trish Herrera: We have worked with many engineers throughout our history. Both Andy and Dan are genius in their own ways. They’re family for sure. One of my fave recordings is one we did in San Antonio in a studio set up by Butthole Surfers’ engineer for the compilation Cottage Cheese From The Lips Of Death. The song is “Soldiers of a Pure War.” Love that track.

FPH:  You’re culminating the album’s release with the Speakeasy show at Lawndale Art Center, you’ve planned to have an ultra limited hand numbered vinyl release at the show, and you’re doing it all without a cover.  Is it safe to say that those DIY ethics that you had when the band started, have never ever left the band’s core, and what do you have planned for those who want to attend the show?

Trish Herrera: We will release 50 numbered records and treat them like a special collection. The art and the mastery of this record is so gorgeous. Lawndale is a perfect venue to debut a work that came from many talented artists.

Linda Bond/Younger:  It’s our gift to those who have been with us though our musical journey. Pete Gershon and Mary Ross Taylor, former executive director of Lawndale, will begin with an interview of the band that discusses our experiences at Lawndale Annex many years ago and why this venue is perfect for our vinyl release party. We are thrilled to be able to be one of the first bands to play at the Lawndale Art Center Speakeasy Series. We will also have one of the Girls Rock Camp Bands, Laser Kittenz, open for us with a couple of their original songs. Rocket and Eliot have been practicing really hard, and hopefully they will have a large and engaged audience to cheer them on.  

  FPH:  After all this time as a band, do you ever see a time when you won’t be breaking down boundaries and performing?

George Reyes: Love has no boundaries.

Trish Herrera: What’s the point?

Dianna Ray: When we’re dead, David, when we’re dead.

Linda Bond/Younger: Never. And we will never stop encouraging others to do the same. Go Make a Band!

  There’s not too much you can’t learn from a group that’s as humble as they are legendary like the members of MyDolls.  For over thirty five years, through their music and actions, they’ve helped shape what the future of Houston music looks like.  You can hear their latest album, It’s Too Hot For Revolution here, and you can grab the limited edition red vinyl  and catch the band at the SPEAKEASY event March 3 at Lawndale Art Center.  The all ages event with doors at 7 pm and it’s 100% FREE.  You can also catch them perform at Walter’s for Take This Fest And Shove It Festival April 8 and 9.

Houstonian Tales: MyDolls this is a repost