ARCHIVES 2006

11/28/07

The Greatest Hits
"For a Good Time Call..."
Desert Island Discs, 2007

Although I have stopped doing music reviews, I received an email from Nils Forever of the band "The Greatest Hits" describing his band as a mix of HANOI ROCKS/NEW YORK DOLLS/SLADE/SWEET.  Well, those just happen to be some of my early favorites so I agreed to do a review of their CD, "For A Good Time, Call...".  I'm glad I did.  This is an excellent album and the comparisons are right on.  I think you could throw in a little T Rex to top things off.

The other thing they have going for them is that they are from Seattle.  That's where my daughter lives.

The album gets off to a great start with some Johnny Thunders riffs and piano on the song "Hangover City".  I've found that many of favorite songs have piano in them. "Shakes & Licks" continue the New York Dolls vibe but with a little poppier feel to it.  The third track, a ballad called "For Our Hearts", slows things down considerably, but still a highly appealing song.  "Fatal Reaction" definitely pays homage to T Rex with a little Sweet mixed in half way through.  The album continues in this vein with super catchy melodic songs that pay tribute to their favorite early 70's glam bands.  They crank up the energy on most of the tunes but sound equally at home on some of the slower tunes.   I'm a total sucker for that kind of music so this is definitely going in my year end top ten.  

"Where would I be if rock hadn't saved me...." ends the album and could my theme song.  A perfect anthem for a near perfect album.  This is well worth a piece of your paycheck.  Get it NOW!

11/18/07

Last weekend was a rare treat indeed.  A 30 year reunion show of L.A. punk to help promote the book "LIVE AT THE MASQUE: Nightmare in Punk Alley", with hundreds of photos from the Masque and the Other Masque, L.A.'s legendary punk rock cabaret.  To celebrate the event, several bands that had not played in nearly 30 years reformed for the one-off show.  I saw many new and old friends that shared that wonderful experience with me 30 years ago.  The good news is that it was a sell out (estimated 1000 people) and the books sold out.  Not only that, but they drained the bar.  No beer or booze left by the end of the night.

The announcer during the sets was Bruce "Barf" Moreland who had the same job as Masque announcer.  I still remember New Year's Eve, 1977, when Bruce said his wish for the coming year was that Led Zeppelin would die in a plane crash.  Apparently the years have softened him quite a bit because his hair is now as long as Led Zeppelin's.  He added a touch of humor to the festivities.

The book itself is extraordinary.  I'm still waiting to get my copy in the mail but I had the opportunity to skim through it and found my picture 3 times which was very cool.  It is an oversized coffee table type book and has a list price of $45 but you can order from Amazon.com for $30.  A fine investment if I do say so myself.

I went to the show with Steve Stiph, my long time (since kindergarten) friend who attended the Masque and other L.A. shows with me in the 70's.  One of our favorite bands was the Red Army.  It was my pleasure to meet Dan Wasko from the Red Army who I had only communicated with via email for a couple of years now.  Dan actually lived in the Masque for 6 months.

Other "celebrities" that I personally saw were Trudie, Billy Zoom, Pleasant and KK.

I had the opportunity to speak to both Jenny Lens and Rover.

I understand other early L.A. punks such as Dim Wanker, Lee Ving, Paul Roessler and Helen Killer were also in attendance although the show was so huge, it was near impossible to see everybody that you might have hoped to say hello to.

There was an area of the club upstairs where they were doing photos and interviews.  This was guarded like Fort Knox and only a select few were allowed admittance.  I guess some of us forgot our Nazi armbands to gain admittance.  My only disappointment on the evening was that there were people who had come long distances for the show and were hoping to say hello to some of the people they hadn't seen in 30 years but didn't get the opportunity because some never left the upstairs environment.  The great thing about the original scene was that there were no rock stars and everybody was accessible.

Here's a run down on each of the bands:

The Diffs:  They did a Germs greatest hits tribute.  I had two different people tell me that they sounded better than the original Germs.  Anybody who experienced the Germs in the 70's knows that their stage shows were normally very sloppy.  The Germs G.I. album is great and benefited from the structure of the studio.  The Diffs did a superb job of making the show sound very close to the album.

The Dogs:  The Dogs were punk before there was such a term and I saw them originally before the whole L.A. punk scene erupted in early '77.  They did a fairly short set including their hits, Fed Up and Slash Your Face.  They never got the respect they deserved in the old days but they certainly do now.  The audience was really into things.  So much so, in fact, that Loren's son had to be hoisted up on stage so he wouldn't get squashed.  Loren introduced him as the future of punk rock.  Brendan Mullen gave them a nice tribute by crediting them with providing the P.A. for the original Masque.  There may not have been a Masque without them.  They were off to Japan the next day to help promote their Dogs tribute CD, "Doggy Style" which Loren gave me a copy of.  Fuck yeah!!  Thanks!

Wild Weekend:  Wild Weekend is a Zeros tribute band consisting of 3 women and one guy on drums.  They did a commendable set of the Zeros greatest hits.

The Stitches:  The Stitches never played they Masque.  They are product of the 90's and 00's.  They do have a '77 punk style however and fit in nicely with other bands.  I asked Johnny, guitarist, how they weaseled their way on the bill and he said their livers were as old as any of the original punks at the show.  Nice selection of tunes mostly from their full length release of a few years back.

The Gears:  What can you say except they are awesome!  Axxel G. Reese, Dave Drive and Kidd Spike.  I managed to say hello to Dave and Axxel after their set.  Some of the nicest guys in punk rock.  I believe the 2 elderly folks that were there may have been Dave's parents but I'm not absolutely sure.  Brendan asked Kidd Spike if he was getting enough to eat.  If you've seen him lately, you'll know the answer.

Shock:  I ran into Kip and Paul at the photo shoot done a couple of years ago but this was the first time I had seen Steve Reina since 1979.  We used to hang out with Steve and his second band, The Silencers, in the old days.  Since I had put out the split CD of Shock and the Silencers a few years back, this was one band I was really looking forward to.  They didn't disappoint, belting out a nice selection of their greatest hits.  Really nice guys too.  I got to spend a bit of time with them during the evening.

Holly Vincent:  The Italians were missing but Shock provided the instrumental backing for Holly who looked hot and sounded hotter.

The Crowd:  Representing the Other Masque, O.C.'s, the Crowd, played a set of poppy tunes.

The Flyboys:  John Boy lost some hair along the way but the band sounded great.  Power pop was the order of the day.

The Controllers:  The first Masque band, the Controllers, played a set that might have come right out of '77.  It would have been great to have seen Mad Dog on drums but that would be impossible given her health isues.  They played all the old favorites including my favorite, Hot Stumps.

The Eyes:  Charlotte Caffey of the Go-Go's, DJ Bonebrake of X and Joe Ramirez reprised one of L.A's earliest bands.

Billybones/Skulls:  Billy Bones is maybe the nicest guy that came out of the L.A. punk scene.  With his new band, the Billybones, they blasted out a nice selection of old Skulls tunes.  Great stuff.

The Deadbeats:  If you like artsy, discordant music then the Deadbeats are for you.  They're not for me.  They were just as I rembered, good for a laugh but musically not my bag at all.

The Plugz:  He may not be a rock star, but Tito Larriva certainly acts the part.  Coming out in his suit and sunglasses, he strutted around the stage like he owned the place.  Judging from the crowd, he did.  The Plugz played the entire Electrify Me album.  Good band who did their thing very well although they were never one of my favorites.  

All in all, a pretty great day.  Let's do it again, Brendan.

8/26/07

Some amazing times and experiences since I last posted.  

I flew into NYC on a rainy 4th of July night and got to hang out with fellow LA punker, Hilda.  We reminisced about the "good ol' Days" as oldsters like us are prone to do when they get together after 25+ years.  Hilda is awesome.  I'm glad I got the opportunity to spend some time with her.

Then it was a drive down to the Insubordination Fest in Baltimore on July 5th to 7th with my companions Chris, Allison and Livy.  Here is the official Insubordination Fest web site:  http://www.myspace.com/insubordinationfest   All of the folks that put on the show, Chris Imperfekt, Pat Termite and Enoch are all members of the PPMB: http://bored.knockknockrecords.com/index.php , as well as being awesomes guys in their own right.   If you are into pop punk bands then come join the fun.

I met so many people from the PPMB as well as new people like Ryan Rude and his lovely wife Cristen from Georgia who were super nice.  Making it even more special was sharing the experience with my best friend Steve Stiph who I have known since we were 5.

All in all, it was the best overall experience I have had at a punk rock show in the 31 years that I have been going to shows.  Check out the lineup:

Thursday:
American Riot
Cacophonies
Backseat Virgins
Joe Jitsu
Lemuria
Nancy
Delay
Tattletales
Team Stray
Prozacs
Proteens
Karmella's Game

Friday:
Chinese Telephones
Sick Sick Birds
Paper Dragons
Short Attention
Riptides
Unlovables

Saturday:
Hi-Life
Varsity Weirdos
Head
Banner Pilot
Backseat Virgins
For Science
Dead Mechanical
AV Club
Guts
Leftovers
Parasites
Ben Weasel
Steinways
Big In Japan
Retarded
Beatnik Termites
Ergs
Merhadones
Apers
Copyrights
Teenage Bottlerocket
Mr. T Experience

As if that wasn't enough to keep me going for another year, my wife and I spent two weeks in Europe.  We went to London, Paris, Monte Carlo, Rome, Florence, Venice, Switzerland, Frankfurt, Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Brussels and back to London.  We saw Big Ben, the Colloseum, Eiffel Tower, statue of David, the Sistine Chapel, the Anne Frank House and much more.  It was a once in a lifetime experience.  I got to hang out with Kevin Aper, Kelvin from the Apers and Erik A.C. of the Accelerators in Rotterdam.  Holland is such a liberal country with the sale of pot and prostitution being legal.  It's a shame most other countries can't shed their inhibitions as well and just let people live and let live.

That's it for this round.

7/1/07

Finally July!!  In 3 days I will be in New York City visiting with fellow 70's L.A. punk scenester, Hilda.  I can't wait.  And then it's off to Baltimore to visit with my best friend, Steve Stiph, both my daughters and dozens of folks I have only communicated with via message board.  We will be enjoying 3 glorious days of the finest pop punk on the planet.  Bands from Italy, Netherlands, Canada and the USA.  For more info check it out here:  http://www.myspace.com/insubordinationfest  

Then after a week back to work, it's off to Europe for 2 weeks.  London, Paris and Rome and everywhere in between.  A second honeymoon for me and my wife.

One of my favorite bands, The Exploding Fuck Dolls, is back on tour soon.  Here is their schedule.  You owe it to yourself to see them if they are coming through your town.

July 13 The Recordbar - Kansas city MO - with Radio Birdman
July 14 Blue Bird Theater- Denver CO - with Radio Birdman
July 21 Ingenuity Festival - Cleveland Ohio (with Grand Master Flash)
July 22 Now that's Class - Clevelans Ohio
July 23 Cafe Bourbon Street - Columbus Ohio
July 24 The Union - Athens Ohio
July 25 TBA
July 26 Small's - Harrisburg PA
July 27 The Fire - Philadelphia PA
July 28 Trash Bar - Brookly NY
July 29 The Abbey - Boston MA

Hopefully I will update a bit sooner next time.

New additions this week:  

Clothing:   NY 123 Clothing  Tons of t-shirts, sweatshirts and hoodies. 
                   Punk and Pissed Clothing  Get all your punk clothing here. 
Lots and lots of discography updates.

5/6/07

Well, it's a been a long while since my last update.  What has happened during this time?

1.  My father died 
2.  Made plans to go to Baltimore in early July for the Insubordination Pop Punk Festival
3.  Made plans to go to Europe end of July (London, Paris, Rome, Switzerland, Netherlands)

Tomorrow I go back to the urologist for my 6 month checkup to see if my prostate is still OK.

That's all.  I'll post more when I feel the urge.

3/27/07

I haven't done an update in a very long time.  I received a couple of CD's for review despite the fact that I have "retired" from review writing.  I will, however, review both in an upcoming update.  They are "Re-Volting" by Psykik Volts on Damaged Goods Records and "Hollywood" by the phenomenal Kevin K on Full Breach Kicks Records.

I have quite a summer planned.   July 4th extended weekend in Baltimore for the Insubordination Fest featuring many of the greatest pop punk acts in the world including Ben Weasel.  Then a little over a week later it's off to Europe for 2 weeks.  London, Paris, Rome and Holland and everywhere in between.  It will be quite the fun time. 

A couple of exciting books in the works.  A biography of X from Kimberly Bright and a photo book from the Masque (both the original Masque and the "Other" Masque) being put out by Brendan Mullen.  I'm excited for both.

Here is an email I recently received from Jules who lives in Australia and his recollections of the Elks Lodge Riot.  Good stuff.  Thanks Jules!!

Hey Willy…just checked your friggin’ awesome site, matey…I was living in LA for the first half of 1979 - was there working buying 60’s garage, psych and surf, and punk’n’new wave records for a shop in Sydney here (some job, huh?...has there ever been a better one!...walk around with a pocket full of cash and buy second hand records) – I’d previously managed Radio Birdman here in 1975/76, and had just moved from living amongst the punk scenes of London and New York. Anyway, I was at the Elks Lodge gig and saw everything as it unfolded, from the inside…there were 6 bands billed with, I think, the Controllers on first (but don’t quote me – I’ll have to find my trainspotter-ish listing of all gigs I ever went to to confirm), but the Wipers were definitely second on followed by the Go-Gos and it was during the break before the next 3 (who, as you know, never went on) that the mayhem happened…I managed to sneak off only two pix of police madness on my camera before the film ran out (got plenny o’ pix of the Go-Gos – they were my pals, Margot and Charlotte mainly)…I actually SAW Dorothy James get belted by a baton…she and Jeff were about 10 feet away from me, just at the bottom of the big marble stairs there. I hung around for hours, facing off with the police in the frontline, effectively…there was so much menace on display that night…the gig started about 5pm from memory…I know it was becoming dusk as we were outside screaming white death at the cops as they backed us into Macarthur Park…I saw some ugly stuff…wished to hell I’d had more film…I saw a Rodney King-type incident where they beat the living crap out of some longhaired hippy who was wigged on acid or summat…but he was so peaceable and so skinny…4 cops hammered him with batons and kneeled on his chest. His crime?...wandering into the 15 feet of no-man’s land area between the cops and us in the park and sitting cross-legged on the ground while bopping his head to some imaginary music…seemingly oblivious to ANYTHING that was going on. We all surged forward to nail the fucking cops, en masse, when about ten more of them busted through our lines from behind and encircled the 4 cops and hippy, and aimed their batons at us…except in the near dark we all thought they had machine guns and stepped back, en masse! There were even cops with rifles on the roofs around the area…remember that?

Utter pig madness. In the hearing that followed, it was found that it was indeed the police who had rioted, and not us, and a few cops got sacked…ring a bell at all?

New additions this week:  
Clothing:   Infectious Threads  Cool clothes provided by Andee!

1/28/07

A few announcements and then some information on the Swiss punk rock scene from '76-'80 and some of the great archival material coming out of there now.

Condolences go out to friends, family and fans of Brent Liles (43) who played bass in the early Social Distortion.  He was run down by a big rig while riding his bike in my old home town of Placentia, CA.

Brendan Mullen has a new book of photos coming out soon of the Masque and Other Masque.  It will contain band photos, crowd photos and flyers from the gigs.  Brendan of course is the founder of the legendary Masque punk club in Hollywood.

I got an email from Matt Reidl of Braille Party and he invites you all to come visit this site to find lots of unreleased songs from the DC scene including Braille Party songs:  www.30underdc.com 

SWISS PUNK 1976-1980

1) A couple of months ago I got an email from Switzerland from Rudolph Dietrich.  Rudolph has been part of the Swiss scene right from the start and been in the following bands:  Kleenex, Nasal Boys, Mutterfreuden, KdF and Hilarious LTD.  His first band, the Nasal Boys, put out one of the great and rare KBD singles of the era, Hot Love/Die Wuste Lebt.  Rudolph has recently released a double CD with 27 songs and 2 videos of his works over the last 30 years and it is great stuff indeed.  Included are a videos of Hot Love and No CBS.  Check out his web site at   www.rudolphdietrich.ch for ordering information and more information on this extraordinary artist.

2) There is also a DVD of the Swiss scene from the same period '76-'80.  Rene Uhlmann had the foresight to actually film footage of gigs from this era on his Super 8 video camera.  The results of have been put the music of the era and the results are stunning.  He uses a technique called "juddering" that really has to be seen to be properly described.  The interweaving of music and images is unique and well worth checking out.  Go to www.punkcocktail.ch for more information.

3) The final piece of the puzzle is a book by Lurker Grand called "Hot Love (Swiss Punk and Wave from 1976-80)".  I have not seen this one so I am unable to comment on it but it seems that it should be the perfect compliment to the CD and DVD.  Go to www.swisspunk.ch for more details.

Rudolph has been kind enough to send me copies of the CD and DVD and for that I thank him immensely.  The Swiss scene was very vibrant and there are some KBD style bootlegs that document the scene musically that are invaluable for those of you who are able to find them.  If not, these 3 sources that I have mentioned above will give you a good insight into the Swiss scene of the early punk era.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:   Punky Dads  Punk clothes for newborns, toddlers and their parents.
                   Dead Zone Enterprises  Dark and humorous t-shirts.

1/1/07

Happy New Year!  I cut way back on the updates this year.  I needed a little down time after going full bore on this site for 6 years.  We are approaching our seventh anniversary of the site and I have no plans to end it in the forseeable future.  

2006 was not a good year personally for me.  Health issues for my wife and myself.  My daughter announced her divorce.  So I am looking forward to a much better 2007.  Musically, 2006 was a very strong year.  

2007 got off to a great start!  Dennis Green was fired as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.  Please hire someone competent this time!!

Here are my top ten full length and 7" records of 2006.  I have not put them in order.  They are listed alphabetically.  Any one of them would have made a decent number one of the year.

Full Length

Exit Smiling    -   Born Liars  -  Mortville Records
Back to Detroit  -  Nikki Corvette and the Stingrays  -  Dollar Records
S/T   -  The Electric Kisses  -  Full Breach Kicks Records
S/T  -   The Four Slicks  -  Slick Records
No Hugging!  No Learning!  -  Head  -  Evil Clown Records
Rockin Roll Dynamite  -  Kevin K  -  Full Breach Kicks Records
A Real Good One  -  Little Killers  -  Gern Blandsten Records
Fix My Brain  -  Marked Men  -  Swami Records
Year of the Spy  -  Shock Nagasaki  -  TKO Records
2006 European Tour  -  Spits  -  P.Trash Records

7"

Split  -  Apers/Sonic Dolls  -  It's Alive Records
56 Jewel  -  Four Slicks  -  Rapid Pulse Records
Steppin' On My Heart  -  Leftovers  -  Rally Records
Spend the Night Alone  -  Manikins  -  Plastic Idol Records
Destroy   -  Mary's Kids  -  Bootleg Booze Records
Rock Bottom  - Murder By Guitar  -  Alien Snatch Records
Late 4 Life  - Shock Nagasaki  -  TKO Records
Let It Be Trashed - Trashies  -  Out of Order
Fly Me Up to the Moon  - Varisty Weirdos  -  It's Alive Records
Handclaps & Bottlecaps  -  Zatopeks/Copyrights  -  It's Alive Records

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:   Dapper Cadaver Gothic, Horror Punk and Psychobilly Clothing and Gifts
Labels:      Aborted Society Records Seattle based label dealing in hardcore, punk, crust and Metal
Web Zines:  World Punk Network Site dedicated to helping punk bands

11/26/06

This is my first post since the election.  Congratulations America on sending the message to the government that you want them to work for you and that you're vote can't be bought through intimidation.  Here's your chance Dems.  Don't blow it.

"Fuck Em All We've All Ready (Now) Won"   by False Alarm  on False Alarm Records  2006

I haven't done a review in quite some time and it wasn't my intention to start now but I got an email from False Alarm band member Brent Alden asking if I'd review their CD.  He told me that it featured Cheetah Chrome of the Dead boys, Rick Wilder of the Berlin Brats and Mau Maus, and De De Troit of U.X.A.  The cover art work was also done by Dee Dee Ramone.  How could I say no to that?  These are people and bands that I grew up on as a young punk in L.A. in the '70's.

The album was recorded in 2001 & 2002 but it just now seeing the light of day.  The album is also dedicated to Dylan Maunder aka D-Rock who passed away in 2005.  Dylan is the lead guitarist and vocalist for the band.

Cheetah Chrome plays lead guitar on 6 of the 14 tracks and sings lead on one.  Rick Wilder provides lead vocals for the New York Doll's hit, "Vietnamese Baby" and De De Troit does lead vocals on one track, "In My Mind".

This is solid '77 style punk with a solid dose of glam punk.  Fans of the New York Dolls, Jeff Dahl, Kevin K and the Dead Boys will love this. Dead Boy fans will also appreciate Cheetah Chrome's big part in it's making and the fact that "High Tension Wire" is covered.  It would be impossible for me to pick a favorite song as each and every one is solid in it's own right.  If you like a basic guitar driven sound with great songwriting that actually have a melody, this will be for you.

This may have been recorded several years ago but it is a sure bet for many 2006 year end top ten honors.  Track it down and get it!! 

Just a reminder, I am no longer doing reviews, so please don't send any material.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:  Parasite Clothing   Punk tees and hoodies.
Mail Order:   Record Castle  You'll have to look hard to find any punk, but there's a few.
Web Zine:   Rock the Cam   Tons of concert photos from Germany.

11/5/06

Election day is just 2 days away.  Time to remove the pals of the lying sack of shit in the White House.  If you don't vote, you run the risk of allowing the status quo to prevail and that's a sad state of affairs.  "I'm a uniter, not a divider" says the Liar in Chief as he says "A vote for the Democrats is a vote for the terrorists".  It's time for a change.  Help us by voting.

New additions this week:  
Labels:  Zorch Records   Get your Swedish garage punk here.

10/1/06

Another long delay since the last update. The motivation just doesn't kick in like it used to.

First off let me offer my sincerest condolences to Josh Rutledge of Now Wave Magazine whose companion of 6 six years passed away unexpectedly recently.  Josh has always been a supporter of our efforts and this is a tragic loss indeed.

I spent last weekend driving cross country helping my daughter relocate from Delaware to Seattle.  We drove 922 miles one day, 1001 the second and 983 the third.  We also had a cat with us who did remarkably well and never caused any trouble.  I was pretty wiped out the whole week after that.

There's an election coming in a couple of months.  It will be your decision whether to believe the lying bastard in the white house and his cronies or whether you take a look at the facts and make an informed decision.  He thinks you're a bunch of suckers and that you can be suckered again.

I saw 123 Fake Street in Seattle this week.  They created a surprise hit with their tribute song to Steve Irwin called See You Later Alligator.  It has gotten some good airplay in Australia.

Only 4 weeks into the season and it is already almost time to say "Wait until next year".  Looks like the Matt Leinart era is beginning a bit earlier than anyone anticipated.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Scene Resources:  Local Orange  Orange County, CA scene resources.
Clothing:  Eenamaria  Leather cuffs and necklaces.

8/20/06

So, I guess I haven't totally got my motivation back since this is the first update in 4 weeks.  

I spent a couple of days in Las Vegas this week, doing a little gambling and helping my best friend, Steve Stiph, celebrate his 50th birthday.  We had a great time and I made almost $600 playing blackjack.

This week also marks the 30th anniversary of the first time I saw the Ramones.  The date was August 16th, 1976 at the Starwood in Hollywood.  That show changed my life and has led to a 30 year obsession with the music that has brought you to this site.  

Just a reminder, I am no longer doing reviews, so please don't send any material.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:   Vampress   Get your punk clothes here.
                   Rebel Girlz   Punk clothing and accessories.
Webzines:  Punkz.ru   Russian punk information.

7/23/06

OK, I'm back from a brief hiatus.  I needed to not feel like I "had to" do this every week.  I'm going to pretty much play it by ear as to how often I update the site.  Every week is probably pushing it but it should be more often than before.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:   Stomp -N- Thrash Threads  Cool, original clothing from MN.  Your alternative to Hot Topic.
Punk Your Chucks  Add a design to your Chucks.  These are really cool.
Web Zines:  Punk Directory  Directory of bands, labels, concerts and other links.
Caustic Truths  For those like their music with high energy.
Labels:  Rave Up Records  One of my favorite labels, releasing obscure nuggets by bands from '77 - '82.  

7/9/06

Deadwood is back.  I hope you cocksuckers aren't missing it!

Another election coming up in a few months.  Do you think the mindless masses will continue to support the losers that have nearly destroyed our country over the last 6 years?  I think we know the answer.  They aren't called mindless for nothing. 

6/8/06

A quick update:  I do update the discographies as I go along here even if that might be the only section.

I had the opportunity to see a great show in Washington, DC last week while visiting my daughter in Delaware.  "Dateless" have lots of energy and sing melodic pop punk tunes and are just a great bunch of people.  I got to hang out with the band most of the evening and into the next day and you won't find a better bunch.

4/30/06

It looks like several weeks since my last update.  I've decided to finish off the remaining reviews I have to go and then go into to semi-retirement on the site.  It will still be up and available but I am not going to feel compelled to do an update every week.  Doing reviews and the updates seems like I have a weekend job to go along with my regular 40+ hour per week job.  I've been doing this for over 6 years now and I just want to enjoy my weekends without feeling pressured to have to do an update.  I will no longer be accepting review material. if you send something, it just becomes part of my collection. Don't expect me to write a review.  Thanks to Overground, JSNTGM and Street Anthem records in particular for pretty much sending me every release they put out.  There are great people out there.

The Cardinals get Matt Leinart.  Maybe for once the stars are aligning and we may get a good football.  Edgerin James during the off season sure didn't hurt either.  It's been 8 years since we had a good team so we are due (unless we're cursed which there is good argument for).

So I got to go in and have a biopsy on my prostate because of the tests that came back abnormal on my blood.  The following describes what you get to look forward to if you ever find yourself in my position.  

First I got drugged up on Percocet and Valium and some bruiser of a woman stuck this apparatus up my ass and rooted around for awhile and took pictures. I'm sure they came out shitty (ha ha). Then the urologist zapped the hell out of my prostate not
once, not twice, but eight times. If I wasn't already in a fetal position for the
test I sure would have been after about three zaps. It was like some munchkin
crawled up my ass with a giant rubber band and proceeded to whap me with it eight times.

So the results came in and I don't have cancer thank goodness but I do have
something known as PIN. I provided a link below if you are interested in what that
means. The important thing for me is I probably have to have this lovely biopsy
every six months for awhile. Ah, the joys of being 50 years old.

http://www.phoenix5.org/Infolink/PIN.html

Here is a list of the final reviews I am doing:

1.  "What Are You Going To Do?" CD by Wolfgang Bang on ESM Records
2.  "Singles Collection 1991-2002" CD by the Hudson Falcons on Street Anthem Records.
3.  "Backstreets of American Oi! Volume 2-Ten Years Later" 2xCD by Various Artists on Street Anthem Records
4.  "Police State" CD by Howitzer on Hazard Hill Records
5.  "Stamp Out Normality" CD by Pseudo Existors on Overground Records
6.  Split 7" by Cheap Thrills Nervous Habits on Terminal City Records
7.  "Joey's Song" 7" by Kitty and the Manges on It's Alive Records
8.  "The Scene" by the Popsters on It's Alive Records

Click here to read the reviews.

4/9/06

So I had a follow-up test on my PSA levels and they're still high.  This means I have to go in and have an ultrasound on my prostate and possibly a biopsy if anything seems abnormal.  This also means I'll be pissing, shitting and cumming blood for awhile assuming I'm able to do any of those things.

I just went through my backlog of reviews and see I have nine to do.  Let's see how many I can through.

This week's reviews are:  
1.  "Go To Hell With Your Rules"   CD-EP  by the Jerkoffing Jerks - Self Produced
2.  "The End of the Beginning/The Beginning of the End"  CD  by the Jerkoffing Jerks - Self Produced
3.  "Wastrels and Whippersnappers"  CD by the Swell Maps on Overground Records

Well, three is a start.

Click here to read the reviews.

Willy

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.
Labels:  Beercan Records  Up and coming label out of Chicago.
Clothing:   My Two Cents Clothing Really cool looking t-shirts and other apparel.
Pinar Eris  Some interesting clothes that may appeal to some of you.  

3/26/06

Just a quick few words this week.  I have several (5) reviews to do and an update or two but I'm a lazy sod as usual so I'll just say a couple of things.

I saw two really good movies this week, both from IFC (the Independent Filnm Channel).  I should probably also mention that I have become addicted to the Zatoichi: the Blind Swordsman movies which are on every Saturday morning on the same channel.

Anyway move one was "The Filth and the Fury", the Sex Pistols story.  A couple of things really stood out.  The first was how outraged everybody was by the scene.  I don't think this kind of response to a musical movement could ever happen again.  I feel really privileged to have participated in the L.A. scene from it's inception.  The other thing was Johnny Rotten's reminiscences of Sid Vicious.  If you've ever seen Johnny at any time doing interviews, he has not mellowed a bit and recently told the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame where to shove it after the Sex Pistols were inducted.  So to see Johnny crying 20 years after the fact because he was "too young to know how to help Sid" when he was in trouble, was a bit of a shocker.  Great movie.  See it.

The other movie that really stood out was "The House of 1000 Corpses", directed by Rob Zombie.  Movies are always given a numerical rating in number of stars and this one got a "one".  In other words, utter trash.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  This was the best horror movie I've seen since the original "Texas Chainsaw Massacre".  The fact that it featured "Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue" by the Ramones was a bonus.

IFC rules!

3/12/06

Some asshole sent me the following email with the title "british invasion 2k6 sos records":
surprised to find nothing about this concert /riot...wtf
So I write back and ask if I look like CNN.
He replies:  so much for punk information....delete

If you're looking for a day to day summary of punk news from across the globe, you've come to the wrong place.  The site is intended to be a source for longer term information about bands, their music and where you can get that music.  I may refer to some interesting bit of news that I hear about or participate ion but that's it.

With that said, here is a link to a worthy cause.  It is in Glasgow, Scotland so that kind of limits the option for a lot of you but if you can go, please support this.

Belated birthday greetings go out to one of my all time favorite people, Tina.  She's been making the world a bit more insane for half a century now. 

Special P.I.D. birthday greetings go out to one of my very best friends, Rose.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.
Clothing:   Burner Clothing  Tattoo inspired designer streetwear clothing label based in NYC, specializing in rock n roll t-shirts, hoodies and thermals.  

3/5/06

While I was on hiatus, someone sent me an email with the title "Audio Videot".  My computer fucked up and deleted it before I got a chance to read it.  If the person that sent it could write me back, I'd really appreciate it.

4 Reviews this week:

1.  "Medway Wheelers" CD by the Buff Medways on Damaged Goods
2.  "Moment of Uncertainty" CD by the Vores on Double Duke Recordings
3.  "Nobody Cared" self-released 7" by Skeptic?    Click here to read music reviews.

4.  "A Beat of Our Own" debut issue fanzine.  Click here to read.

I also received a copy of the "Hellcats" CD by Mikabomb on Damaged Goods.  This was previously reviewed in 2/27/05 so you can check out the review there.  My opinion of this fine album hasn't changed.

New additions this week:  
Lots and lots of discography updates.

Clothing:  Steel Boots Where have all the bootboys gone?  Come here and find out.

2/26/06

Well, it's been a month since my last update and a ton of stuff has happened in that time.

Week of 2/5:  I helped my daughter move to Seattle, introduced her to the lead singer of a pop punk bad who she is now dating and took a week off work.\

Week of 2/12: I went for my annual physical which I normally do around my birthday.

Week of 2/19:  Well, let's talk about dead Ramones.  On 2/20 I turned 50.  It was hard but I had the support of my best friend in the world, Steve Stiph.  His turn is coming.  So I passed Joey Ramone who made it to 49.  I tied Dee Dee who dies at 50 although he helped it along himself.  So I still have 5 years to reach Johnny's total of 55.  Funny thing is (not really funny but...) my physical showed that my PSA was elevated.  That's a blood test that measures something in your blood that tells you if you might have prostate cancer.  4.1 is normal, last year was 2.3 and this year is 6.8.  Johnny died of prostate cancer.  So my co-workers know I love the Ramones and mock up an album cover with my photo in it replacing one of the Ramones as a joke for my birthday.  Who, you ask?  Johnny of course.  Hopefully just a weird coincidence.  The photo is attached below.  I have an appointment at the urologist on 3/6.  According to the internet, my chance of prostate cancer at this point is 25%.  That means it probably isn't, but I'll keep you posted.

I still have 3 reviews.  I will do them soon.

1/29/06

I've been doing this web site for 6 years now.  Although I have every intention of following through on the site to the best of my ability and energy, sometimes the motivation isn't totally there any more.  So last week rather than looking for the motivation, I just kinda blew off the update.  I'm sure I will do more and more of this as time goes by so this is just an FYI in case you wonder why my regular update hasn't occurred for a particular week.  With that said, I will miss next week too because I will be traveling and as luck will have it, I'll be in Seattle on Super Bowl Sunday possibly joining in the revelry after the game or commiserating with the disappointed fans.  Either way, we'll drink some beer, whoop it up and long for the new season in September when everything is possible again.

Two new reviews this week:

"Anti-Society" by Various Artists on Overground Records and
"Loose and Dangerous" by the Nightmares on Waxvaccine Records
Click on this line to read the reviews.

In coming weeks I have reviews of Mikabomb, Buff Medways and the Vores.

New additions this week:  
Labels:  Prank Records  Mostly hardcore label out of San Francisco.
Clothing:  Waffo  Cool t-shirts.

1/15/06

I think I pretty much caught up on all of the updates you have been sending me.  If I missed anybody please let me know.  

Now that the year end lists are done, it will be time to concentrate on the discographies.  

2005 was a great year.  So many reconnections with old friends and new friends were made.  Let's hope 2006 brings more.

New additions this week:  
Labels:   Contaminated Records  Alicja from Lost Sounds (and others) great label out of Tennessee.

1/8/06

Time for this year's full length top ten.  As always, a great selection of music to choose from.  This year's top album was a shoo-in from the first time I heard it.

2005 Full Length Year End Top Ten

10)  "Lie Cheat and Steal"    Manikins   P.Trash Records   LP
        Melodic, garagey punk from these Swedes.
       
  9)  "Pink Razors"    Chixdiggit   Fat Wreck Chords   CD and LP 
       Canada's pop punkers return with a super collection of new tunes.
         
  8)  "See You at the Bottom"   Street Brats   Full Breach Kicks   CD and LP
       You always need a litlle street punk in your life and these guys do it as good as 
       anybody.
       
  7)  "Same Meat Different Gravy"    Hard Skin    TKO     CD 
       Likewise, you always need a little Oi! in your life and these guys laced up the
       boots and put on their braces before proceeding to kick your ass musically. 
       
  6)  "LP III"    Soviettes   Fat Wreck Chords    CD and LP
       These Minnesotans belt out fast, hard punk with super melodies that have you 
       dancing.  You woulda though Fat Wreck would have any, let alone two entries in 
       my top ten?  Keep it up Fat Mike.
        
  5)  "Rock Out With the Horehounds"   Horehounds  Wankin' Stiphs   CD
       Is it unethical for me to put an album that I put out in my top 5?  Who the fuck 
       cares?  This is super punk rock'n'roll at it's finest and you get 26 songs, 2 albums 
       worth for under $10.  What are you waiting for?
       
  4)  "Raw Power"   M.O.T.O.  Criminal IQ   CD and LP
       M.O.T.O. has been rocking the windy city since a lot of you were pre-teens.  This 
       is their best effort yet, full of energetic, melodic tunes as only they can do.
       
  3)  "Fast Kitties"  Lorrainas   Self Produced       CD
       This one arrived as a promo early in the year and made an immediate impact.  
       These Canadians, four sexy young girls and a not so sexy guy sing about sex, 
       alcohol, promiscuity and Johnny Thunders.  
     
  2)  "Total"  Teenage Bottlerocket   Red Scare   CD
       Some things never change and my love for Ramones style pop punk is one of 
       them.  This band features Kody from the Lillingtons and the feel of the album is 
       very much in keeping with that band.  Hard driving guitar with melody - who 
       could ask for more?

  1)  "The Next Best Thing"   Radio Reelers  Dead Beat Records   CD (bonus video) 
              and LP (extra track)
      Holy shit!  One listen and I knew this was the album of the year.  This one jumps 
      up and grabs you by the gonads and never let's go even when it slows the tempo 
      down to play Real Kids style rockers.  If you like your songs with enough energy 
      to light the Bay Area and enough melody to make Joey Ramone smile in his 
      grave, you will thank yourself repeatedly for buying this album.

1/1/06

Well, it's that time of year again when thoughts turn to Year End Top Ten lists.  We are no exception.  So without any further ado, here are the top ten singles and EP's for 2005.  It was really tough to narrow this down to 10 items.  Barely missing were great singles by the Shop Fronts, Flaschen, Busy Signals and Shakin' Nasties.  You won't find anything too way out and noisy or too pretty.  Give me a solid 2-3 minute punk tune with some guitars and a hook and I'm happy.  That's what these records did for me.  This year everything is a vinyl 7".  No CD-EP's or 10"/12" EP's made the cut.

10)  "Blackout"    Carbonas   Shattered Records
       Controlled mayhem from these Georgia punkers.  Lots of energy but the tunes  
         shine through.
  9)  "Hits Men Inte Lengre"     Manikins    Ken Rock
       Four songs by this garage punk outfit that are gradually refining their sound 
       somewhat.  All songs sung in their native Swedish.   
  8)  "Death Has Come Over Me"   Knaughty Knights   Goner Records
       Tuneful garage punkers.  
  7)  "Radio Radio"    Heartattacks    Ken Rock
       Blazing guitar assault with the hooks in the right places.   
  6)  "She Won't Know"    Marked Men   Shit Sandwich
       Melodic punk rock with a bite.  
  5)  "Rejected #9"   The Real Losers   High School Reject
       Powerful distorted sounding tunes but the melodies shine through nicely.
  4)  "Outta Here"   Damaged Goods   Hostage Records 
       '77 style punk rock'n'roll that you have come to expect from the great Hostage 
       Records.  
  3)  "Up For Sale"  Parkinsons   Wrench Records 
       Four '77 style punk rock tunes from these Brits.  
  2)  "Bye Bye Bye"  Four Slicks    Savage Records
       Four absolute blazers from these French punkers on a Swedish label.  This is fule 
       injected hot rod music with a 50's rock'n'roller feel that never lets up. 
  1)  "We Got the Pop"   The Minds   Plastic Idol Records  
       Good friend Mario's excellent new label.  This has it all.  Driving guitar sound 
       blended nicely with some keyboard work and melodies and hooks that are next to 
       none.