BLOOOZE explosion!
(editor's note: This exclamation, attributed to Jon Spencer, is a real
ice-breaker at parties, clubs, and all your favorite hangouts. Try it
at your neighborhood copy shop and wait for the laughs. What's more,
it also picks up stains within seconds...as it cleans and whitens!)
#############################
Indie List Digest
April 23, 1994
Volume 3 Number 26
#############################
Abridged Perversion
Grifters, Milkmine
Enormous, Rodan, the Grifters
Magic Dirt, Beasts of Bourbon, Aussie Stuff
Cardiacs
DragKing
For Cyin' Out Loud, Motards, Pork
Eggs, Mag Wheels
Blind Mr Jones
Eggs
Von Ryan Express
ANNOUNCEMENT: Diskothi-Q dates
ANNOUNCEMENT: Telegraph Update
ANNOUNCEMENT: CopyCat Zine
ANNOUNCEMENT: Chapel Hill Music List
AD: Animal Review
AD: Land Speed Catalog
AD: Yummy Cassette
------------------------------
Administrivial note: If you receive this through the kind courtesy
of an institution of higher education, and you either won't be
reading mail this summer or you account will be turned off, or if for
whatever reason you may not be able to read I-L for a month or
three, please take the time to drop Sean a note asking him to pull
you from the list. It'll save us a lot of bounced mail and
headaches... -es
sorry for the extreme length of these digests of late...we really need
to send these out more often! hope no one's gone into IL withdrawal
out there. well, we'll try to do better.-az
------------------------------
From: rob <rcarmic1@cc.swarthmore.edu>
Abridged Perversion revisited
my two cents about Abridged Perversion (the shrimper comp of shrimper
comps...)
i agree wholeheartedly with 'skinny's' review of the cd. it's
wonderful, magical. many people out there are deathly afraid of
anything that comes out on cassette only, and this cd gives them the
chance to experience the inland empire for themselves. wonderful
tracks that i feel are worth mentioning are: Party of One's "throw
away" (one man, one guitar, but much different from the Mountain
Goats), The Ah-Bus's "fisherman's friend" (nothing like the new tape
that they have out on shrimper...this is as love-rocking as you can
get on bad equipment...kinda like Beat Happening if they recorded
their stuff on a bus [as was the case here]), Guffey's "creepy"
(imagine someone singing a capella over an answering machine...now
imagine someone putting background music behind it...that's what
dennis and catherine do here). the best track (by far) has to be
Bugskull's "you don't know"...while the band as of late has been
moving towards something of an ambient feel (which is also good),
here, they set forth their most punk-y song ever. i find myself
doing air guitar in my underwear to this one....
oh--there's one last thing...a correction. shrimper has actually put
out a number of seven inches that are not compilations...artists
featured on them include the Mountain Goats, Paste (yow!), Wckr spgt,
John Davis, Goosewind, and, of course, Refrigerator. each and every
one of them is wonderful and i urge y'all to check 'em out.
thanks.
rob
rcarmic1@cc.swarthmore.edu
------------------------------
From: "Theodore A. Khoury" <khoury@ccwf.cc.utexas.edu>
Grifters, Milkmine reviews
Here's a couple of singles I bought:
GRIFTERS: "Holmes/Junkie Blood" 7" (Darla)
The Grifters are a fine modern band. The guitar sound sounds like
it's being played underground at high levels...muffled bass, too. The
singer's voice goes from eerie blues to mountain-man screams. This is
'holmes'. And J. Blood does something different, it's a little bit
hippie...fluttering guitar, mellow bass. It could have easily been a
Zepplin tune. Great single overall and you really can't go wrong with
anything by this band. Buy. If anyone caught their Austin show a
couple of weeks ago, let me know. **
MILKMINE- "Skelch" + 1 (Choke Inc.)
These guys fall into the catagory of the Jesus Lizard-sounding bands.
Pretty good stuff but not the real thing. This label is a division of
major Relativity, I believe, also. Two fuzzed-up basses,
distorto-vocals, and get-busy drums, you can figure out what they
sound like. Heavy as shit. The lyrics are out there, mostly 'faggot'
this and that was all I caught, but the lyrics included are pretty
humorous little stories of sub-normal life gone to the dregs. Also
rec'd is a split 7" they do with Liquor Bike. Another good buy. **
------------------------------
From: GREGS@SLC.SLAC.STANFORD.EDU
Enormous, Rodan, and the Grifters
Enormous/Rodan/The Grifters @ Bottom of the Hill, SF, 4/15/94
My head in a waist-high steel garbage can. That's how I felt that
Friday afternoon as I oozed into work. After returning from the Ajax
Lounge to see an acid jazz band called "Angel" on Thursday night -- a
band who was just a little too Sly (as in the Family Stone) for my
tastes -- the home Batphone is ringing from the SLAC control room. My
mission: report to main control at 2 AM and prevent sinister Japanese
physicists from steering the beam into the windshields of unsuspecting
I-280 vehicles. Well my mission was successful, but sleep was another
story. If I possessed any sanity I would pass on my free passes to
the Grifters that night. Afterall, as much as I loved them on record,
my live experiences with them have been less than memorable. However
Rodan was also on the bill, and after the *** write-up I read in the
last INDIE-LIST that week -- WHAT, was I STUPID?
Enormous were a mild surprise, this being the first time I've heard
them. An efficient three-piece outfit with the SOP (Standard
Operating Procedure) female bassist who shared vocals. The songs
drifted from delicate, catchy pop tunes to chemically-imbalanced fits.
Their bassist also seemed to sing between these two extremes in the
same song, and it worked really well. Now if only that other singer
didn't open his mouth...Still, I'd certainly pay money to see them
again. A name I will remember from now on.
Rodan assembled on stage and then began their set. "Hi, we're from
Louisville...Tell me something good about this town." They started
their set playing songs that were all over the map. Schizophrenic,
but wonderful. These guys (and SOP gal bassist, if we must be
specific) didn't seem to take interest in playing the same thing for
more than a minute. Chord and tempo changes everywhere. Lots of
screaming. Maybe a little too much screaming, but were these guys
INTENSE. I haven't seen such coordinated intensity, such furious
mutual mayhem on stage, since the first time I saw Guy Picciotto stand
on his head at one of my first Fugazi shows nearly four years ago.
When these guys play, they REALLY mean it. This was the sort of thing
you can vainly try to capture on record and never come close enough
to...even if they spent most of this fury with their backs to the
audience.
"This is a song about a guy and a train, and ...uh...Well, no, it's
not. Just forget it." As Rodan played on, their set started to delve
into songs that became more hypnotic and repetitive, which were okay
but not nearly as good as the jarring, coordinated, intricate chord
slashings they focused more on previously. I'm really not sure I can
say that I love this band, but I think there's a definite infatuation
worth investigating.
As for the Grifters -- well? My ride did get to step on their drummer
during his rush out the door for air. If you've never been to the
Bottom of the Hill, it is one of the most pathetic places to see such
talent. Viewing obstructions, floor space that's smaller than
some walk-in closets, and oxygen deprivation born from what must be a
fire marshal's accounting error (Oops! Forgot to carry that decimal
point!) combine to make the club less hospitable than most of the
terrestrial planets. But that's just rock'n'roll. A rather acute
reaction on my ride's part was enough to call it an early night, so
the Grifters still have yet to appeal my previous decision.
greg
------------------------------
From: Bill Borrie <BORRIEWT@VTVM1.CC.VT.EDU>
Magic Dirt, Beasts of Bourbon & other Aussie stuff.
Hey, I just got a batch of the neatest stuff from Australia, and I
thought other folks might be interested in searching or writing for
these new releases :
Magic Dirt - Signs of Satanic Youth EP (Au-Go-Go)
A four-piece band from Geelong, a seaside town south of Melbourne, are
heavily influenced by their hometown punk-rock scene (Bored, Food
etc.) as well as the MC5, Stooges, Blondie, The Wipers. Supported
Sonic Youth recently, and sound a lot like a cross between that band
and L7. This is dynamic, angry and rewarding listening. I haven't
liked a debut release this much for a long time. ***
Beasts of Bourbon - From the Belly of the Beasts (Red Eye /
Polydor)
Some of the grandfathers of Australian scene : angry, thrashaholic
lounge lizards. Centered around Tex Perkins (also in the Cruel Sea)
and Spencer Jones (from the Johnnies), the Beasts play mean and ugly.
They dip into a lazy, blues-tinged country and western, as well as
driving, screaming Stones and Cramps sounds. Joined by Stu Spasm
(Crunt and Lubricated Goat) and Kim Salmon (ex- Scientists), this live
recording rocks hard from start to finish. Heroes in Europe and back
home in Australia, this band deserves much more attention in the U.S.
Highly recommended for guitar fiends. **1/2
Kim Salmon & the Surrealists - Sin Factory (Red Eye / Polydor)
Kim Salmon was the founding member of the Scientists with James Baker
(Hoodoo Gurus), and put out some of the most manic swamp-grunge sounds
in their time (as captured on the SubPop compilation Absolutely).
Kim's new band, the Surrealists, have been described by Henry Rollins
as 'one of Australia's living treasures'. This album is slicker, but
just as tortured as previous releases. Think of Nick Cave crossed
with funkified psychodrama. Very likable. **1/2
Meanies - Televolution (Empty)
Probably Australia's best known indie-band : raw, post-Ramones, thrash
pop. If you didn't catch up with this compilation of pummeling,
melodic, smart-arse punk then you're sure missing a treat. The
Meanies have released singles, EP and LPs in Finland, Spain, USA
(SFTRI), Canada, and Japan. They count members of Fugazi, Beastie
Boys and Mudhoney as fans, and will tour the US in summer. Good fun,
high-octane and sure to please. ***
Here's some addresses :
Au-Go-Go, Red Eye / Polydor,
GPO Box 542d 110C McEvoy Street
Melbourne, 3001 Alexandria, NSW 2015
Australia Australia
Fax : Fax :
011 - 613 602 5899 011 - 612 318 2435
(and their
mail-order catalogue
is pretty decent, too)
Empty Records
P.O. Box 12034
Seattle, WA 98102
Cheers, Bill Borrie
------------------------------
From: kingunix@garnet.berkeley.edu (Robbeldebobbel)
Cardiacs Revisited
Just dropping a line to second Kelly's recommendation of the Cardiacs
in the latest Indie-List. This is exactly the FIRST time I've heard
any mention of the Cardiacs since I hopped across the Atlantic, so
it's about time. Yeah, lots of organs and guitars. Ironically, the
only Cardiacs record I've been able to find here (SF area) is a "live
at Paradiso (Amsterdam)" record - I'm from Holland. Got it for 50c
out of a clearance bin, too. Some of my perennial favorites are on
it: Loosefish Scapegrace (?), Goosegash and Too Many Irons in the
Fire. So anyone have any news on whether they're still alive, have
been releasing stuff and (yeah right) whether they plan a USA tour?
I'm glad to have found a co-admirer, anyway! Skinny
------------------------------
From: bce2@midway.uchicago.edu
Subject: Chi-Town Rockerz
Ever wake up feeling all sticky and unclean, the Tabasco beer-breath
of some hardworkin' lumber jack heaving down your neck? "Godamn! Don't
even think about chipping the crusty shit off my butthole," you yelp,
"I've had enough of your loving to last a life sentence!" Ever fall
out of bed, stagger blindly into the bathroom, followed quickly by
said redneck pounding on the door, "Aw, C'mon outta dere you sweet
lil' gerkin pickle, 'fore I a'bust mah way in!".
Shit, mornings like that even the asprin rattling around in their
little plastic bottle while you try to decode the chid-proof top is a
sound too painful for your bleedin' ears to endure. Sometimes it just
takes a nice, hot shower to feel human again; sometimes you need some
good crystal meth. In my case the shower sufficed, which was lucky
because I was in no shape to score. Anyway, that was a brief survey
of the psychic damage after listening to two recent vinyl slices from
one of Chicago's most underrated rock outfits, DragKing. Their first
single on Chicago's Trixie records, "Jazz monster" b/w "Backburner",
and their second, on New Jersey's My Pal God, "Miscegenation" b/w
"Combustion" and "Spontaneous" can both be obtained through Cargo
Records, or Ajax, or Scooby-Do or most other "independent" (as opposed
to "indie," a term which, along with "new wave" has been so often
reappropriated and redefined by corporate advertising and promotional
people as to become virtually meaningless) music distributors.
"Backburner" is a lo-fi cooker which quotes Dead C and early Pavement
as precedents, but the lyrics are belted out in a brazen style more
reminiscent of mid-'80s American hardcore: "Backburner burst into
flames, dry ground gone too long without rain." The tune begins with
an eruption of feedback and white noise, shudders, and lurches along
to its inevitable conclusion like a Grand Marquis with a broken axle.
The folks at Sweet Portable You (T2 1937 Kennedy Drive McLean Virginia
22102) talk about "lyrical intent that might pass for
harDCore-p-force....a nice, unsettling effort". And they're probably
right too. The vocalist, Mr. K.L. Shiite, probably spent the '80s
slamming around with the sweaty teen punks at (the now defunct) DC
Space or CBGBs. But that does not preclude the possibility of having
moved on and digested 'other' influences as well(for example, Tim
Adams of Ajax Records called "Backburner" a "Dead C/Slint hybrid").
However, it was the flipside, "Jazz Monster," that really earned the
band the kudos of the underground Rock scene. The song is a huge,
sprawling instrumental composition whose "full-bore pyscotic freedom"
(to quote Jay Hinman of Super Dope, 520 Fredrick St., Box#33 San Fran.
CA 94117) was dressed to impress. The suit may have been borrowed
from Beefheart or Zappa's experimental jaunts out into Free Jazz
territory, but the nasty stains on the croch were pure Punk. Shane
Williams wrote in Flipside, "Color them extremely post-punk and
post-modern as they prove that there are always new, fresh appraoches
to intense tunage." The song blasted through some genre boundaries,
bringing the lo-fi-garage-grime of bands like the Bassholes, 68
Comeback and the Trashwomen to the structual experimenting of bands
like Bastro or Don Caballero (or is that the other way around?). Jazz
Punk had gone into the garage for a complete overhaul and when it
roared out again, outfitted with all new Mopar parts, it was ready to
kick some ass.
And that was the first single. A year later they were back with
another thin disc on another obscure label. The A side was a heavy,
unwieldy rocker "with just enough hook to keep you running back to
your turntable" (Cyndi Elliot in Alternative Press, 4/94). The song
"Miscegenation" kicked out the jams, fusing a Neil Young guitar intro
build-up, a Sonic-Youth-dissonant power chord chorus, a saxophone-led,
sparse, groovy jam, and ending up with a raucous rave-down. The song
seems to be "about"( i.e. narratively concerned with) race-mixing or
some such thing. Whatever, it rocks. On the reverse we find two
strange instrumental pieces, one we can surmise from the samples, is
about drag-racing, and the other is the dance music of a lost tribe,
hidden from the world somewhere, attempting to sublimate Punk Rock and
incorporate that influence into its traditional culture. It's Punk
Rock without any of the familar cultural references that we, as
participants in Western cultural discourse, take for granted. Which
raises the question, under what rock has DragKing been hiding? Like
Guided By Voices, a band which was a local treasure until signed by
Scat Records last year, DragKing has been allowed to develop its own
unique kind of Rock and Roll which, although it betrays the influences
of the past 30 or so years, is not trapped by those influences and
moves beyond what has been done before in new and exciting ways.
**A. Null Punkt**
------------------------------
From: LLJE@utxdp.dp.utexas.edu
Subject: Blood & Guts in Austin
For Cryin' Out Louds, Motards & Pork at Hole in the Wall Austin TX
April 15, 1994
Perhaps it was because they had just finished their taxes or maybe it
was because they hadn't done them at all, Hole in the Wall was very
definitely the place to be last Friday night. Frank Blank was playing
for free at Emo's, but unless you got there at 8:00 pm for the 1:00 am
show, you didn't have a chance of getting into the doors. By 10:30
pm, lines stretched up & down 6th street or so I was told, since I was
at the Hole in the Wall.
I got to the "Hole" at 10:30 pm and the bands were still milling
around and pseudo-setting up and basically drinking Shiner bock like
there would be no tomorrow. I took a seat & joined in.
Around 11:00 pm. For Cryin' Out Loud took the stage and let loose
with some of the best rockabilly I've heard in a long, long time.
They were great. They started off with a bang and it honestly didn't
let up for their whole set...they have really come a long way
apparently from what they were a few mere months ago. The
instrumentals were fantastic, especially the guitar solos.
After they left the stage, we arranged our table in front of the stage
and prepared for the Motards, my favorite local band of late. We had
party favors and confetti and lots of cheers & jeers for the band as
they mounted the stage. Hole in the Wall told them that this would be
the last time they would be allowed to play there so everything was
rowdy from the first opening chords of "Crazy."
The audience could feel it and they were swinging & flying all over
the room. My friends & I started launching confetti on the crowed
that had flocked to the front of the stage. Everyone was having a
great time. This is primitive punk at its best. Lots of fast guitar
licks flying around the supurb drumming of Suzanne (yes, a female
drummer) and lyrics that came rumbling out of the lead singer, John,
who kept losing parts of the microphone on the stage.
It was insanity. John kept calling for more beer & people kept
obliging him with pitchers of Shiner bock, and confetti continued to
rain, and it was truly crazy. Then John, who tends to lose it when
drunk in a crowd like this, let one of the empty pitchers fly and it
hit me right in the face. After realizing that I was bleeding, I went
to the bathroom and determined it was time to go the emergency room.
[well, like they say, je, it aint a party till something gets
broken...:) -az}
While I missed out on Pork, I heard the audience kept up the
participation through to the end. After it was determined that my
nose wasn't broken and four stitches had been sewn from the bridge of
my nose down toward my right eye, I was released from the ER & sent
home.
Up to the point of being smashed in the face...I was having the time
of my life and strongly encourage all of you to try & find the
Motards' two singles, which were released on a local label here in
Austin...They might be available thru Sound Exchange stores...If not,
Austin is the music capital of Texas. For Cryin' Out Loud doesn't
have any singles at this time, but Pork does & again these are
released locally & might be impossible to find anywhere out side of
Austin.
So that was Friday night here in Austin and well worth the $10 I spent
on the show, but not quite worth the stitches.
je
------------------------------
From: madnbut@vt.edu (Butch and Madelyn)
Eggs and Mag Wheels
"In the oui oui hours, your mind gets hazy" -Brooce S.
Eggs-Teenbeat 96 Exploder (Teenbeat)
I'm not sure why I haven't read more about this LP on (in?) the Indie
List. Perhaps the discussion has already taken place and I missed it
(I'm new around here). Nonetheless, I continue to be completely blown
away by Exploder, whether I've missed the early discussions or not.
In another review I compared it to Tusk or Double Bummer, but after
about the 20th listen, I realize that the most apt comparisons are to
a combination of Love's Forever Changes and Out Here albums. (The
Eggs fellas even do a Love cover on the LP). I'm just continually
amazed at the stylistic diversity of Exploder, and even more by the
thought that went into it. I mean, the production on this is deep,
and it's apparent that the Eggs guys are practically rocket scientists
to put it together as they have. I just totally dig "Saturday's Cool"
(with its Styx quote) or "Rebuilding Europe" (which once appeared on
the VA comp. New Dominion) and even the goofy stuff like "March of
the Triumphant Elephants," which practically defines "space-age
bachelor pad music." Get out of the way, 'cause the record of the year
has already shown up on our doorsteps, even if Tim Adams thinks
they're weird. Plus, Rob Christiansen had the foresight to go into
the studio and record Alzo Boszermeinyi's Acid Army, and that alone
makes him a candidate for man of the year!
Mag Wheels Cassette(Wifflefist)
Wifflefist is this odd Carolina label who have done some really
crack-induced stuff over the last couple of years. Mag Wheels is a
side project of David Sullivan of Shiny Beast (who have released a
7"/CD EP on Boner that features a vocal from Soo Young Park). Mag
Wheels doesn't sound anything like Shiny Beast, though the same
twisted sensibility is present. David apparently found a two track
reel-to-reel on the side of the road, and then started to use it to
create all these crazy tape loops. The Mag Wheels tape is 42 of these
different loops, with titles like "Eating dinner with lungless family"
and "banjoscrape, buzz in background". Listening to the tape is like
having a pizza dream; just when you're lulled soothingly off into
dreamland with one loop, another will come along which features an
intense found vocal or jarring bite and snap you to attention. This
is like some of the more extended Negativland musical bits, like what
you'll find at the end of "The Weatherman" or the Mothers of
Inventions's Absolutely Free without any vocals, or hell, I don't
know. It's just really cool. Plus, the tape comes in this amazing
package. The tape is placed in the carved out center of an old
romance novel, and the first page of the "novel" is actually the
credits for the tape, though it looks just like a page in the book.
Quite a bit of imagination went into this, both musically and
conceptually, and if you're into spacy loopy stuff at all, you can get
it $4.00 postpaid from Wifflefist, PO Box 33561 Raleigh, NC 27636.
Highly recommended.
-Ralph Wiley
------------------------------
From: DDBAN203G@university-central-england.ac.uk
how much Blind Mr Jones can you take?
More Blind Mr Jones Than You'd Ever Need?
=========================================
Given that my "Spooky vibes" review was noticed i decided it was time
to review everything else by that cool band Blind Mr Jones, at least i
think its everything else :)
Eyes Wide ep
The debut, back in 1992, though it was recorded after the Shoegazer
summer of '91. It's shoegazer overload, the ultimate example of the
micro-genre, probably, ranking with the Slowdive debut, kicking sand
in the face of Ride. Songs like "Over My Head" and "Henna and Swayed"
where what it were all about, son. Classics no doubt, if there is
such a feasible thing as classical pop.
Crazy Jazz ep
Later that year came this, and a flute appeared from the ether.
"Fading fast" and "Delores" build on the debut and how! This dominated
my hi-fi for several months, i can tell you!
Stereo Musicale LP
Two of the best tracks on this (both mentioned above) appear on this.
It detracted from the album slightly; at the time i was a bit
disappointed with it. But it's grown on me like a favourite beard.
"Peaches" is a smashing instrumental, "Small Caravan" as cool as ice.
Then we come to "Spooky Vibes." They're not jumping on the ambient
dance bandwagon but developing that cool sound even more. It's -ummm-
cool!
More Blind Mr Jones than you'd ever need? NEVER!
[any label info? this sounds like interesting stuff. -az]
also this week:
Blueboy - River ep
The best Blueboy record to date, they want to be the Pet Shop Boys
apparently; dunno about that but what i do know is that this single is
like manna from the gods!!!
(sarah records)
this mail is from:
nastyned - well known on local nets
e-mail: c.davies@uce.ac.uk
at the: University Of Cheap Equipment In Birmingham
"it pays to listen, thats why we do"
- very sad jingle ALERT!
------------------------------
From: bce2@midway.uchicago.edu (A.I. Shiite)
Eggs
Eggs 7" (Hemiola Records) Man oh man. I had heard that Justine was in
NYC hanging out with Hemiola recording sensations Fly Ashtray, so I
sent off a personal cheque (in U.S. dollars, I had no choice) in
payment for the latest and the greatest releases on everyone's
favorite Medieval Record Label. Months later I found out my package
had arrived after Justine had already departed for the homeland
because of the UPS strike (if anyone doesn't know already, the
capitalist pigs, aka UPS management, wanted to raise the weight limit
on the packages which UPS drivers would have to pick up to 165 lbs.
without any increase in pay. I believe the Teamster International was
split on whether or not to take a stand. Some Teamsters went on
strike, others didn't. In the end all drivers were forced to accept
the increase, but the union did win the dubious concession that if
there were packages exceeding the old weight limit, the sender would
have to call ahead and UPs would send an extra person to help out.
Yeah, right. I work in a warehouse that ships stuff all the time via
UPS, and they never send more than one person, unless there's someone
being trained and then you know she or he is not being paid full
wages). So it took awhile but eventually the records came. Justine
said I should just send her some peanut butter cups or something, as
my cheque was useless to her. Kool.
Which brings me back to my point. The Eggs have recorded one
wonderful song with "Government Administrator." It captures the
queasy, greasy, uneasy feeling of applying for a job you know you'll
hate, knowing that to be even considered for the job you'll have to
jump through a number of ever-tightening hoops, and if you get the job
you know it will probably turn you into some insipid apologist for the
status quo. Like being one the guys at UPS management who helped fuck
over the drivers one more time. The song is beautiful, sacastic, and
scary. Listen to that melody. Listen to the stiff and starched
scream of, "o.k., play guitar now, brother", which preceeds the
inevitable rave-up. Listen to that evil voice intoning, "Now you're
one of us." Yeah. Great guitar. Great song. Great document of the
angst of the Slacker Generation. Almost an anthem.
p.s. The flipside is a less-than-perfect "Summer Babe" with trombone
lines that couldn't inspire awe in a Don Drummond(the great Jamaican
Jazz man, you know...) but nonetheless make for some nice slow-sipping
acoustic shade.
lunky
------------------------------
From: bce2@midway.uchicago.edu (A.I. Shiite)
Von Ryan Express
Providence, R.I., is not a big town. You could walk from the Seakonk
River all the way across town to the small cluster of four or five
"skyscapers" which distinguish the downtown in an hour and a half.
During the summer between 8th grade and high school I climbed out of
my bedroom window and walked downtown to hear the Ramones play at
Lupo's, a biker bar on the wrong side of the tracks. The summer night
air felt great. Later some Brown U. dropouts had a band called Shit
Ha=FCs whom I saw play in someone's basement behind a chicken-wire
fence. The audience was painting themselves with glow in the dark
fluorescent paint. Later some of the folks from Shit Has moved to NYC
and formed some blues rock band called Pussy Galore. Another local
band stenciled their name, Dig Dat Hole, all over town and then moved
to New York and changed their name to Cop Shoot Cop before ever
playing a single show.
Prov. is between NYC and Bean Town, so all the Punk Rock bands come
through town to play for the large student population. Which may
explain how the unknown (relatively speaking) Von Ryan Express ended
up opening for the Royal Trux and the Boredoms. Not that those
pairings are not appropriate. Just that in a larger town things might
not have worked out so well. I guess that's the reward you get for
not moving to the Big Pond. It also gives a two good references to
where the Von Ryans are coming from music-wise.
The Von Ryan Express single on Load Records isn't a great record. But
it has some great moments, and that's more than can be said for %99 of
the Indie Rock 7-inch debut recordings out there. "Up On Blocks" is
the State of the Slacker Nation Address CNN didn't carry.
[hey, ive been looking for the slacker nation, but i think i took a
wrong turn at stuckey's...huh? oh, sorry. i'll sit back down.-az]
A pounding (yeah, we're talking some of the most brain-deadening
repetitive drum slamming possible here), repetitive (did I say that
before?), hectic ride that never leaves the garage. All the fury the
Von Ryan brothers can muster is spewed up on the porcelin. Whew.
What's the point? Only that this song Rocks, but after couple of
well-packed bowls you probably won't remember it.
The real payback on this short disc is the last and (unfortunately)
shortest cut, the aptly titled "Whitey's Last Chance". Squonk!
Ker-blam! Smack! Whoom! Gruonk! Erg! Sprackaw! Umkong! Yeah! Yeah!
Yeah! This is the shit. White-boy Japanoise executed with all the
nod-out percision of the infamous 68 Comeback or perhaps the Gories.
This is great music, played with enthusiasm. Remember those old DC
Comics from the mid- to late '60s drawn by Curt Swan which featured
the cubist planet populated by hundreds of identically incorrect
Bizzarro Supermen and Bizzarro Lois Lanes? Well, this tune would
probably make the Von Ryan Express heroes there. Yeah, they'd
probably give them the key to Bizzarro Metropolis for his one.
p.s. I hear these guys have a single coming out on Sub Pop soon (one
them does time in Six Finger Satellite as well).
lunky
------------------------------
From: GGPUTNAM@CSUPomona.Edu
ANNOUNCEMENT diskothi-Q dates
Sorry I didn't post this stuff at the beginning of the tour, but like
Liz, I am a real person with a real life. Here are the upcoming
shows...
Mon Apr 25 Blacksburg, VA, Hawaii-Kai Lounge
Tue Apr 26 NYC, Browni
Sun May 1 Swarthmore, PA, Swarthmore College
Mon May 2 Binghamtom, NY, Suny Binghamton
Tue May 3 Syracuse, NY, Zodiac
Thu May 5 Pittsburgh, PA, Bloomfield Bridge Tavern
Fri May 6 Columbus, OH, Bernie's
Sat May 7 Chicago, Empty Bottle
Mon May 9 Duluth, MN, Urban Ground
Wed May 11 Omaha, NE, Capitol
Thu May 12 Omaha, NE, Killgores
Tue May 17 Portland, OR, X-ray
Wed May 18 San Francisco, tba
gloria
ggputnam@csupomona.edu
------------------------------
From: Mark Cornick <cornick@access.digex.net>
ANNOUNCEMENT: Telegraph update
Telegraph is go!
Telegraph #1 will hit the infobahn on or about May 22. The theme for
issue #1, as suggested by contributor Jodi Shapiro, is "The man busted
our music!" We still need submissions, so send 'em to me. They don't
necessarily have to follow the theme, although they'll get priority if
they do. Reviews are exempt from the theme.
Also, the subscription system has been solidified (alliteration!)
Subscriptions to TG will be available from the same address as for
I-L... and that address has changed to that of... Sean Murphy
<skmurphy@phoenix.prinecton.edu>. DO NOT, however, attempt to sub to
TG until I get an OK from Sean (I'll let you know when that happens.)
This is the dawning of the age of Telegraph... Let the sunshine in,
etc. etc.
Arrivederci,
Mark Cornick
Big Kahuna, Junta Telegraphica
--
---m------a----r---k-----------c-----o--r---n-----i--c----k---
<cornick@access.digex.net> pgp key via finger/servers
"you've got to love what's loveable, and hate what's hateable.
it takes brains to see the difference." -- robert frost
------------------------------
From: EDWARDS GREGORY BRYCE <edwardsg@ucsu.Colorado.EDU>
Subject: CopyCat Zine
ANNOUNCEMENT: New queer punk, indie pop zine looking for submissions
I'm trying to put together a zine by and for queer people that are
into good music, politics, sharing stories, etc... If you are
interested in finding an alternative to heterosexist indie rock
zines/music...e-mail me or send me something you have written! The
zine is called CopyCat and is about 50% done. I want to get more
people involved in it. BTW, if you know of anyone who might also be
interested in it, please have them write me for more info or for a
free copy when it is ready to roll. :)!
------------------------------
From: "K. Lena Bennett" <keb@u.washington.edu>
ANNOUNCEMENT: Chapel Hill local music discussion list
Don't ask me about this, I'm just forwarding it from rec.music.info.
Lena keb@u.washington.edu
"That salad is worse than Delaware."
---------- Forwarded message ----------
>From: doug@gibbs.oit.unc.edu (Doug Matthews)
>Subject: MAILINGLIST: Chapel Hill local music discussion list
---
Send subscription requests to listserv@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
Just send a message with no subject line, and the text:
SUBSCRIBE CH-SCENE <firstname> <lastname>
where <firstname> and <lastname> are your first and last names, and
you will be put on the list automatically.
---
A new list has been established for the promotion of, discussion
about, and networking among Chapel Hill (and surrounding areas) music
and musicians. It is unmoderated and completely public--anyone with
an interest in Chapel Hill or independent music in general should get
involved.
For people not in the "know," bands from Chapel Hill and nearby parts
who have recently achieved quasi-national notoriety include: Archers
of Loaf, Superchunk, Small 23, Southern Culture on the Skids, Dillon
Fence... and so on.
The annoying name is intentional--this list is not only about all of
the bands traditionally relegated to the Chapel Hill "scene," but also
an attempt to broaden the focus on Chapel Hill music, to include other
types of local music that are extremely important.
Hopefully, subjects of discussion will include calendars and
announcements of local releases and shows, promotion of tours by bands
outside of the area, and music reviews. Given the large number of
bands (50+ at last count) in the area, the number of record labels,
large and small, in the area, and the media attention that Chapel Hill
occassionally garners, the list should remain fairly lively. Also,
the list will work toward promoting a greater awareness of Web
technologies that allow for promotion of smaller bands by means other
than record companies, especially the Internet Underground Music
Archive.
Soon, Chapel Hill music will be represented on the WWW, but that
project is currently under development. Watch this space (or join the
list) for further announcements.
If you have any questions, send me a note:
doug_matthews@unc.edu
Hope you enjoy the list.
Doug Matthews
UNC-Chapel Hill
doug_matthews@unc.edu
---
Send subscription requests to listserv@gibbs.oit.unc.edu
SUBSCRIBE CH-SCENE <firstname> <lastname>
---
------------------------------
From: burck@nyplgate.nypl.org
AD: Animal Review
Issue #5 of Animal Review (called something like "'zine of the year"
in the most recent Alternative Press) is now available. It's full of
swell stuff, including lots of animal and record reviews. Celebrity
contributions