False Confession – s/t 7″

Edit: Sorry for the Super Sabado Gigante mega Armageddon post, but it just has to be done that way sometimes.  It’s excitement for the many colors and shapes of music, along with the way my brain works.  Realize of course that this could have been a minimum of three posts, so you’re a good man Charlie Brown if you made it to the end and managed to listen to a song or two.  Expect the next posts to be half this size.

Y’all know I love music, hence this site, duh. Well, I think I’ve also made it clear that getting music in the mail (the nearest store that carries even a marginal selection of vinyl is 150 miles away) is one of those things that, as Dirty Harry would say, makes my day. So I guess this would be a good point to say that if you want to send me music, (old, new, vinyl, CD, even mp3s for the live shit) to review, post, or just out of the goodness of your heart, I will be forever grateful. That request is a little more than cheezy I know, but I never claimed to be cool, just poor. Poor me, shameless. I have been know to say, “if it’s free it’s for me” (although with age I’ve realized that most things do not come without a price and that other things, like venereal diseases are also free). Some of my fellow music bloggers, specifically say they don’t want to be approached by bands to have their stuff reviewed. I figure, what the hell, if you send it, I will listen, and I’m such a sap, even if I don’t like it I’ll probably search high and low to find something nice to say about it (or not). I do not take music lightly, and I’m not a total freeloader, I do use Ebay and some of the smaller labels/distros, like an addict though, even though I can only listen to one song at a time, I always want more. Blah blah blah.

Since my last post, I’ve gotten two such packages of benevolence. One rather large one, I got from one of my oldest friends, Davrick, which I’ll talk about in the main part of this post. The second one was the result of me freeloading at another site. Erich at Good Bad had gotten a comment from “Lackeyland” about an address to send some records. I commented, jokingly, that I too would be glad to receive free records by mail. Well, Brad (as I came to find out) from Shut up Records was not fucking around, got my addy, and promptly sent me a 7″. You never know what you’re going to get venturing into unknown territory with a band you’ve never heard of, but I’ll be damned if it wasn’t a great record. Severance Package out of Chico, California just plain rock on their “All Down Hill” 7″. That driving kind of early punk, no bullshit sound, featuring male and female vocals. A three piece, that aren’t strangers to making music, but you can read all about that either at the label or their myspace, where you can also hear some of their stuff, including the songs on this 7″. Also found some more web presence on them in the form of a site called Reverb Nation, where you can get even more music, videos, photos, tour dates and whatnot. Understand they have a demo that I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on to post. Anyway, go hit up Brad to get your copy which I think is $7, ppd. One of their live tunes for you,
Miseducated
…and a short one from the 7″ (thanx Brad)
POW!

Along the lines of some seasoned musicians doing no bullshit punk and rock, with a contemporary band, some old friends of mine in Splinter Cell played with another old friend of mine, in his band The Underlings at the Alibi in Arcata, California on February 6th.  Back in the days when I was doing whatever kind of dope I could get my hands on and my drinks of choice were either a gin and tonic or a black Russian, the Alibi was my home bar (is Dave the bartender still alive).  Now days they put on shows there and I wouldn’t have wanted to have missed that show, but that kind of stuff happens all the time up there.  I haven’t heard anything from the Underlings’ set but James of Splinter Cell was kind enough to send me a few tracks from their set. I posted a few of their tunes a while back and thinking about it now I should have made a bigger deal, because I am definitely down with these guys. Check those tunes hidden away in this post.  I think the next time I get something from these guys, I’ll make it the main topic of an entire post.  For now, join me with a big tall glass of water and dig these tunes from that live set.

Always Pulling Back
I Need a Rope
Robo

If you’ve been following along here at MR, you would know that I’ve semi-boycotted my local “classic rock” station for their repetitive lameness.  Now I’ve moved on to two other stations that would be more classified as news/”oldies” stations.  The news part is kind of cool because it is a mix of Associated Press news reels and local stuff.  The local stuff is mildly interesting and amusing because they’ll talk about things like fatal accidents and whether or not people were wearing their seatbelts or criminal activities like Billy Bob was arrested for his third DUI.  The music is in general a bit mellower, not as a rule though, but I think they play a wider variety of stuff.  So are you ready for this little ditty?  Another one of those tunes I remember as a wee lad, top 40 circa 1974-5.  One of the best that folk-pop had to offer in the form of,
Gordon Lightfoot – Sundown
Damn…I love the chorus
“Sundown ya better take care
If I find you been creepin’ ’round my back stairs”
That sent my brain swimming and for a folk-pop “singer songwriter” kind of reason reminded me of two things, John Denver and that TV show from around the same period, Grizzly Addams. I’ll spare you the John Denver (this time), but does anybody remember “The Life and Times of Grizzly Addams? In all of it’s post-hippy-height of the 70’s-ness, at about 7 years old, I loved that show.  There was a movie first, then the show for a couple of seasons, then a couple of made for TV follow up movies.  Looking back you had some heavy hitting serious 70’s actors on that.  What’s cool too is that the main Indian on the show, Don Shanks was actually Indian as opposed to a dark skinned Italian as was often the case in Hollywood. What is a TV show without a good theme song right? Ha, ha…
Thom Pace – Maybe
I had the lyrics memorized to that tune. If you think about it punk was not just about what bands it was influenced by (Ramones, Stooges, MC5…) but also what was distasteful in music. Is it possible that the “singer songwriters” also influenced the rise of punk rock?
So my other package came from one of my oldest friends, must be 25 years nowwe’ve been friends, Davrick.  I sort of weaseled my way into that one too, because he was going to give about 75 records to another old friend, Ki, and I told him that if Ki didn’t want them I would definitely take them.  As I said, shameless.  What I got from him was quite a mix, from Zeppelin to Echo and the Bunnymen to Return to Forever (I’m going to post that live LP some time) to False Confession.  I’ve already posted the hell out of Ill Repute but I would have to say that False Confession may be my second favorite of the “Nardcore” bands.  Could have sworn I had this 7″ but it’s dust in the wind.  This 7″ was their only individual effort other than their demo along with some comp tracks.  What I liked about these guys though was that although, up front they were a hardcore band, there was also that feeling that they were in a death rock kind of groove.  Like everything I post around here, this is some sweet shit (would you believe, almost everything?).  Nothing rare here, I don’t think, it’s been posted by several others, but do believe it’s out of print.  We’ll see though I heard Mystic Records was making a comeback.  For some reason I feel like someone’s going to come get me for posting this so… I though I would be a completest and see if I couldn’t come up with a semi kind of discography.  First you get the 7″… (thanx a ton …deutsche!, I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am)
Left To Burn
Feline
Scared
Our Savior
Just As I Am
Lies

…then a while back, Curious Guy at his killer System Sabotage Chaos site posted their demo.  I was personally blown away and just stoked, because no one at the time had posted that.  Here’s a few of the tunes from that, but you should really take the time to not only go to his site for the entire demo but also, to check out the massive amount of rarities he has posted there.

Scared
Our Savior
Just As I Am

False Confession also made 4 comp appearances that I know of, all put out by Mystic.  One is on the “Lets’ Die” comp and on there along with the rest of the bands featured you get a straight up death rock thing that kills (ha ha)
Inside
They were also on the “Nardcore” comp, with a tune from the 7″ but to my ears it sounds like a different version.
Feline
On the “We Got Power…” comp you get an untitled track that I’ve aptly labeled
(untitled)
I dig everything these guys did, but this last one from the “Mystic Covers…” comp is cool because it’s reminiscent of some of the Devo stuff I posted a while back.  Damn good cover and actually if Mystic does start releasing stuff again or you’re an Ebay type, you’d do well by getting any one of these comps, especially this one (all kind of hits).  Check it, and later…
Freedom of Choice

Linton Kwesi Johnson – Sonny’s Lettah (Anti-sus Poem)

In most things, I am a very laid back person, (with the exception of politics, religion and the mass majority of idiots in this world) some would say too laid back.  An unfortunate side effect I suppose of some of the medications that keep me moderately sane or maybe I’m just a lazy bastard.  I used to be the take two stairs at a time kind of guy, but as someone used to say to me back when I was a city worker, “my hero days are over”.  On the other hand, sometimes I am particular (picky, anal).  There are tablespoons and there are teaspoons.  At my house we have a third size ‘medium’, there in the middle of the picture, maybe you do too.  We have three of those ‘medium’ ones in the drawer and when I use a spoon it must be that size.  If they are all dirty, then I grumble and clean a ‘medium’ one so that I can use it.  When my wife and I have company over, I do not offer anyone the ‘medium’ spoons.  Just saying, so you know.

If you’re going to be self-destructive, it’s a bonus if you can do it with a smile on your face.  There comes a point though, where that smile gets wiped the fuck off your face. Ever wish the human race didn’t exist, then realize you’re one too.

A couple of buddies have mentioned Kraftwerk recently.  First heard them in the early 80’s with their “Computerwelt” Lp, but at that time, they were just kind of an oddity to me.  Never even realized they went way back to 1970.  While I was in high school Greg and Jeff Lewis, Davrick, Kevin Hasley and I went camping at the isthmus on Catalina Island.  My bro Match was on the island too working not that far away at the Emerald Bay boy scout camp.  We did not prepare well for the trip unless you count several cases of beer and a fifth of vodka.  We had a little bit of bread for sandwiches which quickly ran out.  Some people felt sorry for us and gave us some potatoes but there was no tinfoil so we cut the ends off of beer cans.  We brought a boombox but we only had two tapes, one was Kraftwerks, “Electric Cafe”.  Be careful, this song gets stuck in your head easily, then you might be walking around all day singing boing (ping) boom tschak (ping). Or not.

Did a LKJ post a while back that you really should have listened to.  I don’t care if you like reggae or not (this is more of what they call dub poetry anyway), this is some beautiful, honest, real life, brutality. Linton Kwesi Johnson is well worth a listen. 

Disclose – Apocalypse of Death 7″

Busting my ass at work, because the boss is gone and I have to take care of some of the things that are normally on her plate, as well as what’s normally on mine. Funny because one would think that with the boss away, it would be a good time to kick back and do as little as humanly possible. Did take a few minutes, just for the hell of it, to send out an email to pretty much everyone in my address book. The usual Justin babble about politics, big business, greed and the gluttonous hordes that cover the face of this planet (you’ve heard it all before). I guess just to see if people would write back and what they would have to say. Figured, I get people puking their political beliefs into my face all the time, maybe I could do the same. It’s mostly the right wing fundamentalist Christian stuff I get from family members, which is blatantly false, so why not throw some thing out there that says both the left and right suck. “Left wing, right wing, you can stuff the lot, anarchy and freedom are what I want”. -Crass  Really wanted to get some feedback from my relatives but didn’t so anyway here are some of the excellent responses I did get:

“I can’t begin to express how disappointed I am in Obama.  I voted for him, thinking that maybe he was different.  But, now, it seems he is no different than the rest of them.  I wish him luck, but will not be voting for him again.  Too bad there are no viable candidates for the future.  Pathetic is right.”

“So how do we get people to stop being greedy and start being more selfless? If evolution is true, then there is no “morality”. Only “survival of the fittest (strongest, most clever, shrewdest, etc.)”. This is the ethic that most people are taught and grow up with. How can there be any morality beyond this in a cold, godless, random universe?”

“Well put, my friend. I still argue that we had better punk rock under Reagan.”

“they’re both cocksukers anyway  we’re being played  I just saw Food Inc. – big companies rule us by our need for fast food, and we let them. the gov is so big it’s untouchable. I gotta plant a better garden and see what animal I can raise out here that I can eat. any suggestions?”

Now here is a flag you (we, the ignorant masses) can pledge allegiance to.  Kinda stoked that I found that, very much what I had imagined a few posts back, although I can think of a few mega-monster-corps I would add, but we ran out of stars.

Just got off the phone with Mike of Strange Reaction and was very stoked on our conversation.  My first friend from the internet (that I’ve never met), who shares some of the passions I do, to make that transition from internet buddy to being a homeboy you can chat with on the phone.  Silly I know, but there are very few people where I live who could give a rats ass about anything more than how cool their brand new gas guzzling truck, what kind of gun Jesus would use and when turtle hunting season starts.  I actually do have some pretty good friends here and don’t get me wrong, even in my self imposed semi-isolation, I realize I have a very good life here.  Sometimes it’s good to reach out though, and share stories and opinions with like minded people.  Thanx Mike.

Speaking of internet friends, Josh, who is actually someone I should remember from my Humboldt days, but apparently the cells my memories of him were stored on are either malfunctioning or are just plain burned up, has his own site now.  If anybody bothers to read the comments around here, you may have caught some of his stuff.  Anyway, his site is called, Voice from the Hurricane and from the first post you know it’s going to be well worth checking out.

Two more internet friends, Erich and Peter (click their names to see the posts I’m talking about), have written a few times about the first D-Beat tune.  Kind of fits well with this post, in a way.  Anyway I tracked down two different versions of the song (two different singers I believe) and if there’s one tune you must listen to in this post, it is this.

 

Buzzcocks – You Tear Me Up (1977)

Buzzcocks – You Tear Me Up (1978)

Thanx guys for continuing my never ending education in music.  A very good lesson indeed.  (Ah ha, using the word “indeed” clicked something in my brain.  Anyone remember those stickers you could get in the head shops that said, “A friend with weed is a friend indeed”?  Another one, “Ass, grass, gas, nobody rides for free”.)

Same as always, I’ve done worn myself out and here we are at what was to be the topic of this post.  Not much to say really, I’m not an expert at the whole Dis-Clone band phenomena and I think this would be the only record I have that fits into that category.  The whole genre is a love it or hate it thing, as is crust in general (actually I find that most people are love it or hate it type of people, when a lot of the times for me things are just okay).  I REALLY like Discharge.  There’s nothing wrong with being influenced by the genius of their music, but this stuff is pretty much exactly Discharge, as if the band had never made the fatal error of replacing Bones with Pooch, releasing the “Warning…” ep and sealing their fate with “Grave New World”.  (Just my opinion of course and maybe an outdated one at that.) Disclose are probable the most well known and most prolific (and best?) of these types bands.  There are two things that stand out for me with this band though, other than the fact that they do rock.  There is still that Japanese feel to this hardcore despite the blueprint.  You gotta dig that indescribable Japanese sound.  Most importantly though, I’m drawn to bands that have members who did death by addiction, as the singer did not too long ago (and by alcohol, my own drug of choice).  This 7″ is sort of midway into the band’s history.  Anyway dig it or don’t.  Later.

Apocalypse of Death

But Still Work (Victims Of The Mine)

Life Of Fear

The War Dead

Corpse of Hope

 

Devo – 1st 2 7″s

My 1991 Nissan Hardbody that brought me out of my personal Babylon in San Diego, to my quiet semi-Utopian existence here in NoWhere, Kansas.  I had a 93′, same color, that was a little fancier and most importantly had a decent stereo.  That was stolen off of 35th and El Cajon Blvd in San Diego.   If you know the area you know that it’s jam packed with hookers, dealers and just desperate people, especially at night.   I wasn’t up to anything particularly devious, just having some of the finest Thai food to be found for many miles.  Pretty sure that thing went straight to Mexico, along with most of my tools and my decent stereo.  This one has been good to me though and the photo here does not indicate a noble end.  The damage on the front end is from a drunken journey that ended in a ditch.  The windshield is new because in that particular wreck, I smashed it with my head (always have had a hard head).  I don’t miss drinking and driving.  During my exodus from SoCal I wound up somewhere between Albuquerque and Santa Fe, New Mexico with a flat tire.  That’s when I found out that the only tire iron in the vehicle, did not fit the lugs that were on the wheels.  In the middle of January it was somewhere around zero degrees but I couldn’t run the heater for fear of running out of gas and somewhere in the middle of the night, with the hazards on, the battery went dead.  Cold enough to have died that night, which would have been a fitting end to the nightmare I was living.  250k and now the head’s cracked on the motor.   Rather than add that somewhat expensive fix to the long list of repairs it’s had, the salvage guy (Fred Sanford’s white trash cousin) will be giving me $100 bucks for it.

Being pretty burnt out, prone to saying stupid shit or spacing out and saying nothing at all, it’s nice to notice that in others.  The other day I heard a MMA (for my inner Bruce Lee) announcer say about a fighter, “His precision is so precise”.  Then you have the people I work with, who have mental retardation, saying things that make complete sense.  At one of the group homes that I work at sometimes, staff will put the names of individuals on their cups so they don’t get mixed up.  This one resident always goes into the cabinet and grabs the hugest cup there is instead of the small one with her name on it.  So I asked her the other day, why do you always gab the big cup and she said, “because I have a big thirst”.

Grandpa sent me a site that I thought was kinda cool and at the same time a little creepy in that big brother sense.  Check it out, it’s called VPike.  Not just satellite images, but street level stuff.  It shows my road at the highway, but not down a mile or so to my house.

Don’t know why these guys popped in my head, maybe because I recently got in touch with Doug E. Grime through (you have an ugly) Facebook.  He was a big time fan of these guys and actually the one who introduced me to them.  He was probably on dope, but he told me once that I looked a little like the singer Ian Curtis (strung out skinny me, not the present husky bundle of love).  Anyway this is from a live show, can’t remember from where, dig how heavy it sounds with the bass way out front.  Joy Division – Transmission (live) Anybody a Joy Division fan?

Did a short little 45 Grave post a while back (I know Jay didn’t like Dinah Cancer’s voice) and ran across something for those of you that dig them might be up for.  In 2008 they released “A Devils’s Possessions” which is a collection of demo and live stuff, probably still available.  Anyway check out the version from the 7″ I posted of  Black Cross and compare it to the live version, 45 Grave – Black Cross.  Serious energy.

Well a while back I did a Devo post which didn’t amount to anything more than a couple of videos from Youtube.  There’s a shit load over there worth checking out if you’re into that kind of thing.  In the comments though I mentioned how when I first moved to Burbank (1981) I caught a lot of shit from the stoner heshers at the park across the street from my house for having  Devo written on the side of my shoe.  (We used to do that back then write band names or shit like “I love so and  so” on the sides of our shoes.)  Got into these guys when they released “Freedom of Choice” in 1980 and then later went back in time to check out their earlier stuff.  Don’t get me wrong, I love Freedom of Choice despite it’s mass appeal, but you really see how these guys were a musical genre of their own.  A phenomena (I called them punk in my categories).  No need to really go on and on about these guys, you either know and dig them or you don’t.  My copies of these singles are the Stiff Records versions released about a year after the original Bouji Boy releases.

 

Mongoloid

Jocko Homo

 

(I Cån’t Gèt Mé Nö) Såtisfactiön

Slöppy (I Såw My Baby Gétting)

Just for the hell of it thought I’d post some interesting covers that various bands have done.  As cool as some of these are, nothing compares to the original tunes.  I tried to pick ones where they weren’t doing karaoke, trying to sound just like the band and instead the ones who put they’re own spin on the songs.

Melt-Banana – Uncontrollable Urge

Plasmatics – Butcher Baby (oops that’s not a Devo cover, maybe foreshadowing a future post though)

Rummelsnuff – Mongoloid

Soundgarden – Girl You Want (for Jay who loves Soundgarden)

Sepultura – Mongoloid

Claw Hammer – Jocko Homo

The Aquabats – Love Without Anger Retry

Don Knotts Overdrive – Snowball (a pretty decent poppy version of one of my favorite Devo songs)

Voodoo Glow Skulls – Time Out For Fun

Devo – Smart Patrol (demo) (for …deutsche!)