I gotta get on a plane to New York City in less than two hours… but being the nice person that I am… I just realized that this page hasn’t been updated in two weeks so I thought "Why not put up some of those live Black Crowes songs?!?!"  Great Idea huh?  If you’re not down with The Crowes it sucks to be you, cuz here’s a fucking mouthful of live Crowes bitch.  They just did 5 nights at The Fonda here in LA (saw four of em with superfan number one Sam James), each night being a different three hour set.  Anyhoo, here are some songs from two of those shows we went to… damn that week ruled! I went off… If I’m late for my plane because I posted this bullshit, I’m gonna feel really stupid…

(Download - "Wiser Time" 10/18/05)

(Download - "Sin City" 10/18/05)

(Download - "Jealous Again" 10/18/05)

(Download - "Remedy" 10/18/05)

(Download - "Girl From The North Country" Bob Dylan cover 10/22/05)

(Download - "This Is The Way" Devendra Banhart cover 10/22/05)

I like fucked up rock n’ roll.  This "Blood On The Wall" band is defiantly fucked up, I dig em.  The singer/guitar player is the brother of the singer/bass player… Yep, another band with sibling-members. These dudes write some pretty damn good songs that make me think they prolly like The Pixies, Sonic Youth and maybe even F.Y.P … They’re stoked on the 90’s for sure. But then again, so am I.

(Download - "Reunite On Ice")

(Download - "Mary Susan")

(Download - "Hey, Hey")

I’m usually not too into old dudes reforming bands that they had when they were young and cool, but these dudes are one of the few exceptions. Wire falls under that category too, if you haven’t check out those "Read & Burn" EPS or their last full length "Send"… do so! Gang Of Four have recently reformed with their original lineup and because they never saw any royalties at all they just went rerecorded all the best songs off their first three albums for this first record back on V2 (which I thought was going under… how is this label still putting records out?). I can’t really tell if these recordings are an improvement on the old stuff or not… either way, this sounds better than 99% of the other bullshit I get sent in the mail, so I’m backing it. Plus, I saw these old men at Coachella and they were great! Homeboy’s guitar sounded like a buzzsaw! Shit went off! Oh and they’re playing for free in Hollywood tomorrow too… KILLER!

(Download - "Damaged Goods")

(Download - "Anthrax")

10-17 Hollywood, CA - 5-5:30pm on the roof of the brand new Virgin Megastore at Hollywood & Highland
10-18 San Francisco, CA - The Warfield
10-19 San Diego, CA – House of Blues
10-20 Hollywood, CA - Avalon / Tickets

10-21 Anaheim, CA - House of Blues / Tickets

The Cows were by far one of the best bands of the AmRep noise-rock era. Not only were the lyrics of the vocalist with serial killer good looks, Shannon Selberg bitingly direct and wonderfully satirical, but the band’s distorted ruckus made clever use of folk and blues idioms in creating songs that were more "musical" than typical punk rock, but at the same time more utterly primal and intense. After the Minneapolis quartet broke up in 1998, bassist Kevin Rutmanis joined the Melvins and Selberg bailed out of the stifling midwest, bringing his blow-up sex doll mask and battered bugle to NYC. A mere year later, I was living in New York and heard wind of a new band called the Heroine Sheiks — a play on words about the then current (and ever ongoing) heroin chic of that city (which not-so-ironically brought about the death of Selberg’s then girlfriend) — featuring Selberg and founding Swans guitarist Norman Westberg. Yes, my reaction was the same as yours: What? A band with two "bergs" in it, and neither of them are Jewish? … I had to investigate.

    The Heroine Sheiks’ Y2K debut album Rape On the Installment Plan on  Reptilian Records hit the scene like a stock market crash (i.e. no one was buying.) Nonetheless, Selberg’s smarmy word-play and clever story-telling was perfectly suited to Westberg’s modal-tuned guitar noise and the rest of the band’s murky keyboards, bass and drums. Songs like "Let’s Fight", "Effity Eff" (with the sing-along woe-is-we of “Fuckity, fuckity, fuckity, fuck!”) and the anti-racist "OK-K-K" ("I’d like to bend you over and educate you/ Is that O-K-K-K?") The songs often tend toward a sort of funk-fused Beefheart that’s perfectly suited to Selberg’s newfound actual near-crooning voice. The second Heroine Sheiks album, Siamese Pipe followed with the same black humor on “Grab the Wheel” ; our protagonist catches his girlfriend cheating on him: “Again, I’m peeking in my room/ But I can’t leave, I love her still/ I’m wondering which one of us I’m supposed to kill/ Grab the wheel, somebody…” Live, Selberg delivers his lyrics with theatrical grace and gesticulations — and I was duly surprised to see far more girls at their shows than guys (no matter how surprising it was to see so many good-looking ladies going ga-ga over the lead singer.) Since then, the lineup has been entirely revamped for the latest Reptilian release Out of Aferica, the title of which is, I assume, a satire of the Xian-zealot "new science" that’s recently tied up our tax dollars by defending the decision to teach evolution in schools instead of giving "equal time" to every form of pseudo-science (hello, "intelligent design") that Jesusland America deems an acceptable smokescreen over fundamentalist rhetoric. The new five-piece lineup sounds similar to the original band, but the instruments seem to function together more, rather than constantly and confusingly at odds. Yes, it’s a much mellower sound than the Cows, but it’s also one that’s more suited to Selberg’s creepy charisma and wicked black humor. Check out the album’s lead single and hot TRL Live download "Cock Asia" — which, if I must spell it out for you, is a play on the word "caucasian." The Cows classic "Hitting the Wall" is from their amazing third album Peacetika on Amphetamine Reptile. Pay particular attention to the words on the Heroine Sheiks songs "OK-K-K" and "Effity Eff" — they’re not earth-shattering, but they’re definitely funny and evocative.

The Heroine Sheiks are touring the U.S. this fall in support of their new album. Go see them:
10/16  Cleveland, OH — Grog Shop
10/18 Detroit, MI — Lager House
10/19 Lansing, MI — Macs
10/20 Madison, WI — Club Inferno
10/21 Minneapolis — 7th St. Entry
10/25 Seattle — Funhouse
10/26 Portland — Sabalas Mt Tabor
10/30 San Francisco  — Hemlock
10/31 Los Angeles  — King King
11/1 Mesa, AZ — Hollywood Alley
11/2 Albuquerque, NM — Atomic Cantina
11/3 Denver,CO — Larimer Lounge
11/5 San Antonio,TX — Sanctuary
11/6 Austin, TX — Emo’s
11/7 New Orleans — One Eyed Jacks (this is ON)
11/10 Charleston/Mt. Pleasant, SC — The Village Tavern
11/11 Arlington, VA — IOTA
11/13 Baltimore, MD — Mojo Room

(Download - "Cock Asia")

(Download - "Hitting The Wall")

(Download - "Okkk?")

(Download - "Effity Eff")

By 1978, NYC’s beloved Dictators had already released two albums, "The Dictators Go Girl Crazy!" and "Manifest Destiny". Both were filled with the things that reminded one of how fun it was to be a teenager - fast food, cars, girls, TV, pro wrestling. However, in this reporter’s opinion, all of the wacky humor failed to translate into the rock and roll fury that I (and others) were seeking at the time. This all changed with the arrival of "Bloodbrothers", The Dictators’ third and finest LP. The first clue that something different was afoot was the record’s cover - an ominous, backlit photo of the leather clad Dictators standing on the pavement of the Parkside housing project basketball court. The picture was a perfect reflection of the music contained within. The sonic differences between this record and the first two are immediately recognizable. At this point the band had become so musically tight, all of the basic tracks for the album were recorded live. The dueling guitars of Scott ‘Top Ten’ Kempner and Ross ‘The Boss’ Funicello bristle with rage while Handsome Dick Manitoba proclaims righteousness with a newfound confidence. Straight out of the gate, the band slams it home with ‘Faster and Louder’, one of their greatest anthems. ‘The Minnesota Strip’ recounts the trials and tribulations of hookers on 8th Avenue while the near-hit, ‘Stay With Me’, tugs at the heartstrings. ‘I Stand Tall’ will have you saluting the old red, white & blue with a tear in your eye (I get a thrill when I flick on my TV/Faithful every night/I’m so proud to say/I was born and raised/Here where the streets are paved/Here in the USA). Hands down one of the strongest releases from the year 1978.

(Download - "Faster And Louder")

(Download - "Stay With Me")

(Download - "The Minnesota Strip")

I just got done watching these dudes, Nine Inch Nails and Autolux kill it every night for about two weeks on tour (well it’s what they call tour, but when you’ve all got your own bunks with dvd players in them, it feels more like you’re on a Carnival cruise). I must say it’s surely one of the coolest arena rock shows I’ve ever been to. Not only are all three of the bands great, but also if you have a laminated pass its "all you can eat and drink" in the catering area, I was going off! Chicken, steak, fish, veggies, cokes, coffee, beer, cake… I stuffed it all in my face. Anyways, pretty much every night Josh Homme had to stop playing and single out the one or two hecklers in the crowd (who usually had purple dreadlocks and no eyebrows) and fuck em up. A couple of my favorite lines he gave to audience members were "Hey I fucked your mom, I’d call her a whore… but I didn’t pay her" and "Hey if you don’t like us, why don’t you go get a hot dog…. and shove it up your ass!". For those of you who aren’t going to make it out to any of the live shows, take a listen to this bootleg of QOTSA live at St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit back on 4/3 /05. During "Regular John" (one of my favorite songs by these cats) homeboy has to stop the jam and lay down the law once again… What have we learned here kids? Don’t fuck with the singer if he’s six foot four, smokes and dresses like Matt Dillon circa 1989 and could crushed your skull if he wanted to… it’s a bad idea. And hey how about that photo of Josh and Troy I found… what studs huh?

(Download - "Medication" live)

(Download - "Tangled Up In Plaid" live)

(Download - "Regular John" live)

(Download - "Guitar Solo" live)

I don’t really have much to say on this post, because at this point in time what can you really say about Nirvana that hasn’t already been said?  Not much man.  These songs are from a killer bootleg I stole from Aaron called "No Place Like Home" which is of their Halloween show back in 1991.  It’s too bad they couldn’t find anything this good for that crappy boxset they put out. If you like Nirvana, make sure to check out The Wipers if you haven’t already.  They rip dude.

(Download - "Aneurysm" live)

(Download - "Drain You" live)

(Download - "Breed" live)

(Download - "Negative Creep" live)

Depeche Mode’s new record, "Playing The Angel", comes out on Oct. 18th in the US. After listening to this record for the past couple of days I think it’s save to say that this record is one of the best of 2005 and that Depeche Mode is back. I really liked their older records "Violator" and "Music For The Masses"; this seems to be a return to that type of material. My favorite thing about Depeche Mode is that they go OFF! And I mean O F F! Want proof? OK… every song they wrote is either about heroin or 15-year-old girls?!! Now that’s going off! Plus… add in the fact that these dudes acted a little gay from time to time, which scared away all the macho males and left tons of tang for themselves. And I ain’t talking about the shitty orange space drink. These guys are borderline genius’s I tell you!!! "Playing The Angel" turned out to be way better than I thought it was going to be. The only thing I’m not backing about it, is the retarded cover art… I’m guessing either a 4 year old drew it or the same douche bag that drew the last cover for The Cure is responsible. As for the music, I think the best introduction to the record are its first two songs. But seeing as how this isn’t out yet I’m just gonna post the second song, "John The Revelator" and the single (which I’m not really that into, there are so many better songs on the record) which you’ve probably already heard, "Precious".  These jams will make girls get wet in their panties, plus you can headbang to them. Take my advice kids, get into this band! Or at least buy a few of their records so it looks like you like em, cuz I heard that works too.

If you like these songs, buy this record.

(Download - "John The Revelator")

(Download - "Precious")

Devo will forever be one of my all-time favorite bands. But, for reasons more significant than their innovative and infectious music alone. In fact, Devo was the foundation of my grad school thesis based upon the notion of pop culture subversion. Like the Beatles (who were obviously far more successful at rallying the zeitgeist of a naive youth culture to make massive changes), Devo dramatically impacted and changed our culture en-mass by knowing the only way to deliver a message that’s truly meaningful is to express it ways that are utterly  beyond meaning. That is, Devo’s lyricists Mark Mothersbaugh and Jerry Casale managed to write songs that sounded as lyrically pedestrian as all other contemporary pop

music, but which spoke a message far more surreptitious and revolutionary. That’s a tough task, to pass the LCD bean-counters of the major labels (in the pre-Nirvana early-80s mind you.) Nonetheless, Devo had at least one hit album. Unfortunately, very few listeners were actually thinking and interpreting in the way that the band had hoped. Cynical songs like "Freedom of Choice" being about our own psychosocial deception and "Whip It" being about our sado-masochistic need to control and be controlled were taken as literal anthems. Regardless, a band of nerds from Akron, OH taking their name in celebratory/mockery of a bizarre pseudo-science book written by a presumed Nazi-in-hiding German ex-pat broke into the Top 10. That’s impressive by any stretch of the imagination.

But, perhaps what I also admire about Devo was that the band has never quite acquired "hip" status amongst the indie-rock elite (i.e. those who’ve essentially inherited their neo-hippie luddite, anti-corporate, trust-funded and outmoded values from dear old dad, not dada.) Devo were true overmen — they joined and even embraced the system that they despised and subsequently transcended it by outwitting the shills who ran the business. All that without ever needing to play the tired role of angry rebels.

I’ll shut up for now and let these songs speak for themselves. But, suffice to say, I think each song has a radically significant message that speaks beyond simplistic "left or right" political values, or whatever other anarcho-radical adolescent fantasies might be floating out there in the ether that you might require from music. Don’t ask what the songs are about. You might get what they were thinking, or you might think something on your own, either way, the point is made. Devo only supplies the color for the palette. The painting is yours to create.

This version of "Uncontrollable Urge" is a live recording from May 1977 at Max’s Kansas City in NYC that’s much faster and more energized than the album version. "Going Under" (click here for lyrics) is a sinister song about various types of seduction from their 1981 New Traditionalists album. "Peek A Boo" is from their 1982 album Oh No! It’s Devo.

(Download - "Uncontrollable Urge" live)

(Download - "Going Under")

(Download - "Peek-A-Boo!")

Los Angeles guitar band the Dream Syndicate’s 1982 record "The Days Of Wine And Roses" on Slash Records is what I imagine LA’s version of The Wipers might sound like. These guys were so into The Velvet Underground (White Light/White Heat-period) that the singer does Lou Reed better than Lou Reed did back in 1982. In fact the name of the band comes from the avant-garde outfit that John Cale played in before he was in The Velvet Underground. But these guys had their own thing going cuz they were also into The Bryds, Neil Young, The Cramps, X, The Gun Club and the Doors. From what I’ve been told this record inspired the Reid brothers to start a band called The Jesus And Mary Chain. If you get it on cd it comes with a ton of bonus tracks including the "Down There" EP, which sounds awesome. I like the EP version of "When You Smile" better than the album version cuz the guitars sound "crazier".  "That’s What You Always Say" is a a hit and so is "Then She Remembers". Either way, dig on these tracks… and also listen to the Redd Kross Podcasts by clicking here. Start with episode 1.. although the new one with "Ted" is pretty damn funny too.

(Download - "When You Smile (Down There E.P. Version")

(Download - "That’s What You Always Say")

(Download - "Then She Remembers")

Some dude emailed me to tell me that all I ever write about on this site is The Jesus And Mary Chain and that I don’t know jack shit about jack shit. In response to his email: I confess, I don’t know jack shit about jack shit. And here’s another Jesus And Mary Chain bside off the "Sometimes Always" single called "Drop" Re-Recorded. It originally appeared on "Automatic", is also on a couple other singles acoustic and was later covered by Hope Sandoval’s on her solo record "Bavarian Fruit Bread". I found this cd for $2.50 in San Francisco. Man San Francisco sucks.

(Download - "Drop" Re-Recorded)