MOG - Iren's Posts

Dear Record Industry....

Iren — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:06:17 GMT

I would like to buy these albums... you know give you money for them.... just like in the old days... only they haven't been released in the States yet... so you are not collecting my money for these discs, and I fear that I am going to have to skip them, pay twice as much for the import or continue to watch you die.... here it is money in the bank....

that is all..

Alice Cooper

Iren — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 16:56:23 GMT

I was listening to a cover of this tune the other day and was reminded of how great it is...

Real Animal on LP

Iren — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 05:15:37 GMT

It finally arrived... my LP of Real Animal, only it's really 2 LP, and it includes two tracks that are not on the CD.... I haven't listened to the whole thing yet, but it looks great, with it's crisp white cover and gate fold opens to reveal the lyrics... I know that it's gonna get dinged up and handled, but that's what it's for.... more to come.

In the digital dust bin

Iren — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 03:05:12 GMT

So I was thinking about this while writing my monthly Playlist Post.... in this age, of the MP3 and the Digital Dustbin... what' going to happen to all those great songs that people have written that never caught on, or that had a moment of minor fame?

I was thinking about The Earps, and made some comment about their song being a perfect tune that someone should discover in the next couple of years and cover... but it's not like it's going to be on a 7" that will get rescued from a thrift shop or garage sale. There are no any thrift shop scroungers who are going to be moving their punk band into the alt country world that are going to find it and think.... The Earps... for a quarter this might be worth adding to our collection...

So what's going to happen to all these orphans, abandoned files and forgotten tunes, as the digital rot sets in, as the their authors fade into the world of "real jobs", kids, family, house payments (ok, ok... I know only rich people can afford houses these days, so let's call it rent)... who is going to find them and cover them, strip them down, repurpose them, sample them, see something ... just a spark... in them and resurrect them? and how are they going to find them?

Who is digging in the digital dust bin?

6/2008 Playlist

Iren — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 17:56:58 GMT

6/2008 Playlist

Each month, since Feb of 2006, I start a playlist in my iTunes of the tunes that catch my ear that month. I started off writing a post to my Mog page with a short review or comments of each track, not only to keep a running diary for myself, but also to hopefully point others toward these tunes. In the last several months I have started to cross post this information on other sites where I keep blogs. (If you are reading this somewhere besides Mog, you can find all the old ones at www.mog.com/iren) I want to apologies for any weird formatting stuff right here and now, I type this in MS word and then post it on these various message places, some of which have…w ell formatting issues….

Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

The Poison by Alkaline Trio

www.alkalinetrio.com

www.myspace.com/alkalinetrio

Solid, and I mean Solid pop punk with just enough darkness and edge to not suck. This tune has the melody, the drive and the hook it needs to just inset it self under the layer of your brain that keeps telling you why bother with this when you have all those Ramones, Damned, and Descendents albums?

Backstabber by The Dresden Dolls

www.dresdendolls.com

www.myspace.com/dresdendolls

There is something about the Dark Cabaret sound that just works for me… maybe it’s the story telling element of the songs, maybe it’s that it’s a naturally noir setting, maybe it’s that it’s just… well.. about something. Speaking of which, if I am reading the lyrics correctly, and I am probably not, it’s about betrayal. It really reminds me of the title song from the second album by the band PAW… Death to Traitors… good stuff.

Flickan Och Jätten by Sagor & Swing

www.sagorochswing.com

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagor_&_Swing

Comp CDs get a bad rap… you know there is something to be said about a sampler or collection of stuff, and so often it take a while for something to really hit you. A couple of months back I was writing about Igloo by The Screaming Tribesmen, that track came from a Aussie comp… this track came from the Who Will buy these wonderful Evils comp of Swedish garage rock from the 60s to present. I was just letting the iTunes play that randumb mix thing and it popped up and I started to dig it’s instro-flutey-groove, and despite the fact is seems like a tune that you would hear and a Ren Fest I really enjoy it…

The Unheard Music by X

www.xtheband.com

No Hardcore on the Car Radio… I really don’t know what took so long for this tune to enter my brain, with it’s tribal pulsing psudochant and it’s imagery of the end of the world… and then it starts to get slightly angelic and in your face and then… and then… it’s over… oh yeah and there is that little passage that recall the Sagor & Swing tune from above

All Tomorrow's Parties by The Velvet Underground

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Velvet_Underground

Classic Nico era Velvets tune, with that drone and impending doom. It’s hypnotic and dejected and wonderful..

Nothing Means Nothing Anymore by The Alleycats

www.irscorner.com/a/alleycats.html

I think the title says it all, 70’s Punk nihilism, reaction to the betrayal by society and of course it’s filled with energy and blistering sound, as if they are trying to finish the tune before those missiles land and wipe out the city.

Who Do You Love? By Bo Diddley

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bo_Diddley

R.I.P Bo!

Surreal…. Beat ….. Weird…. Daliesque… the question of life… who do you love?

Real Animal by Alejandro Escovedo

www.alejandroescovedo.com

My LP copy of this album is still on back order, and what I have managed to get my hands on include this live version of the title track… which is a straight up tribute to Iggy Pop, filled with that Stooges drive and along with a distinct late 70’s Iggy pop edge… good stuff, and I look forward to hearing more of this album.

Gunpowder & Lead by Miranda Lambert

www.mirandalambert.com

I like this song, even though it leans way to far towards the Nashville Pop Country sound, but lyrically it’s dark and has that back woods noir feel… and it rips along in a rocking blast that keeps things moving along nicely…. I wish that more country would sound like this…

Devils Bed by The Earps

www.theearpsrock.com

www.myspace.com/theearpsaz

Speaking of how I wish more country would sound, The Earps Devils Bed is a ripping Cowpunk yarn that wouldn’t be out of place in a Reverend Horton Heat set list, and hell this is a tune that I would love to hear Willie Nelson, Shooter Jennings, or The Supersuckers rip though. It almost makes me miss the era of the 7", as this could easily be one of those discoveries that who ever follows in the steps of The Cramps would stumble over and feel that they have to add to their set list.

Thoughts, comments, spare change.

Real Animal

Iren — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 15:53:54 GMT

While waiting for my LP of Real Animal to arrive at my local record shop, I have had to make due with what ever tracks I have been able to scavenge from the net at the moment. I am kind of a late comer to the Alejandro Escovedo party... but not really, as I have been a fan of his past fans bands, The Nuns and Rank'n'File for some time... but after reading a lot about him and his records I picked up The Boxing Mirror while on vacation in Hawaii several years back. The track Sacramento and Polk stood out to me, as it's about the Nuns, and when I heard that Real Animal was going to be more tunes in the vein of Sacramento and Polk I couldn't wait.

What I have heard of this record so far I have really liked, and I am thinking this might be my record of the year.. but I have to wait and see... until then, the video gives a solid over view of the new record and Alejandro's history.. all of this ties into a little project that I am working on (very slowly) about the 80's Cowpunk bands that I am a fan of... one thing that struck me watching the first video in this post is that Alejandro's musical journey starts with what I consider the most important underground scene of the last centry... punk rock.... trips through the Cowpunk years... and comes out on the other side as the poster boy for Alt Country (which might be the most important underground scene currently)... and I hope that with this album he launches into the mainstream.... or at least gets the years and dollars of those who have been following, but also those who haven't.

... more to come on this one I am sure.

Buckcherry Redux

Iren — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 17:31:25 GMT

Back during Buckcherry’s 15 fleeting fame in the late 1990’s (is that when it was??) we, being the Hi Energy Rock and Roll freaks, used to say… No Chuck Berry, not buckcherry!.. there was a brief flurry of accolades about how they were bringing back rock and roll, and how they were the new GnR, and all of that stuff. Mean while there was a small underground of us who were into; Gluecifer, Turbonegro, The Hellacopters, The Flaming Sideburns, Electric Frankenstien, Zeke, The Supersuckers, and a whole bunch of other bands that were playing the same type of Hi Energy rock as Buckcherry (see the whole of the A Fistful of Rock comps for that story).

Buckcherry seemed like the record industry stab at that underground, putting out their version of the that type of music, and for a moment it was on the MTV, it was on the Clear Channel, and it was in the Magazines… and I have to admit I thought it was shite. Really, why these guys? Why not any of the bands I just mentioned? Why not The Wildhearts? Why not Mother Love Bone… that’s right Andrew Wood is dead…. Anyway, it was a joke to my little world of rockfiends.

Cut to 2008, a band that had been pretty much written off and forgotten ends up on the cover of Billbored Magazine and I read this article about how they lost their record deal, how they signed to a little indie and made good on their promise of keeping on keeping on. After selling several thousand copies of their album 15 (I’ll let you figure out what the title means) they were picked up by a major and have steadily been selling.

Now, I am a little older and wiser, and I know that before I pass judgment on something I should at least give it a listen. I learned this from the white stripes, whose first two records I listened to twice, and was mind numbingly bored out of my skull by… twice…. But at least I listened to them… So I figured that I would give this new Buckcherry a shot.

Not being a rich man, I simply checked it out of the local library… after almost two months of having it on hold, I finally got it last night. I haven’t listened to it all the way through yet, only the single Crazy Bitch and some other tune that I don’t even recall the name of have been injected into my ears… but I promise that I am going to give it a couple of spins and see where it lands. Sure I wish that it was one of those other bands that were getting the shot (the Trashbrats or a end of the line shot for Adam West or The Hellacopters would be so nice) but I am hoping that maybe their current resurrection will help people find some of the others that I have mentioned, and the hundreds of others I haven’t…. nutrajet, The Bellrays, ect.

The Epoxies

Iren — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 15:34:58 GMT

For some reason recently I have been listening to The Epoxies, with their new wave punk pop sound and their cyberpunk image....

check em out

Videos....

Iren — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 21:43:49 GMT

33 1/3 Series

Iren — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:03:46 GMT

Anyone out there reading the Thirty-three and One Third series of books? Don't know what they are, here is what wiki says about them.

33⅓ (Thirty-Three and a Third) is a series of books written about important and/or seminal music albums. Written by one author per album, the series is published by Continuum Books, a division of the Continuum International Publishing Group, and is edited by David Barker.

anyway, I have a few and have read or tried to read a few others. I haven't picked up any lately, most because of space and money reasons... anyway they might have an open call for book proposals this fall, and I have always toyed to trying to write on of these books.... the two albums that I am toying around with at least taking a stab at are:

and

33 1/3 has a blog here if you are of mind to check it out.

Sunday Cover Quest A- Go- Go

Iren — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 18:04:49 GMT

I was going to write this whole political thing about the Baby Boomers, the fact that I might vote for a Democrat for the first time in my life and all of that... but this is a music site, and it's a sunday, and thats when we talk covers....

first off, anyone that digs covers should take a listen to the Coverville podcast...

One of my all time fave tunes is Poncho and Lefty... by Towns Van Zandt... the song is most famous for the version recorded by Willie Neleson and Merle Haggard back in the early 1980s... I was a late comer to the tune, I think it was the Hammerlock cover that really captured me with it's raw biker punk howl... but I also like the Willie and Merle version,

I have heard other version of the tune, but I think that because it's a song about outlaws that it's best when sung by people with at least a little of that rough grit in their... in fact I think the version of the tune that most sticks with me is in the film Be here to love me where Kris Kristofferson growls out the first two lines of the the tune...

Livin' on the road my friend, is gonna keep you free and clean

And now you wear your skin like iron, and your breath is hard as kerosene

perfect...

Poison

Iren — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 17:28:39 GMT

So here is starts my moaning about the weather... ok today isn't all that bad, it's just that I know I have a couple of months of sweat ahead of me, constant brow wiping, consumption of water and these days I can also look forward to a couple of months of constant explaining the reality of vomit inducing headaches caused by Air Conditioning Units along with their faint chemical smell is poison to me... So for today I give you my songs with the word poison in them list....

Little Drop Of Poison by Tom Waits The Poison by Alkaline Trio Poison by The Jolenes Poison Arrow by The Bellrays Poison Comb by The Dagons Poison Heart by Huntingtons Poison Heart by Mean Idols Poison Heart by The Ramones Poison Heart by Stiv Bators Poison Ivy by Suited 'n' Booted Poison Love by Blood on the Saddle Poisonous Lookalike by Warren Zevon Sky Is A Poisonous Garden by Concrete Blonde Subtle Poison by Screaming Trees

I have to be honest here and let you know that some of these songs I know inside and out and some of them I don't... I have written a couple of times in the past about Poison Heart... written by Dee Dee Ramone, originally recorded by The Ramones, and here covered by three other artists.... I swear that Dee Dee must have been inspired to write that tune when he was living here in Ann Arbor (and by the way if anyone has that old Monster Bait demo tape he played on I would dig hearing it)... I know the Concrete Blonde song, because back in the days when you would listen to a whole album I used to play that one often enough.... The Jolenes, The Dagons, The Bellrays, Tom Waits and the Screaming Trees tunes I have listened to but none of them have lodged in my brain... Warren Zevon has... and the Blood on the Saddle tune... what can I say it's one of the great seemingly forgotten Cowpunk tunes from the 80's from their album of the same name. Suited 'n' Booted are doing a Joe Meek cover, it's the catchy 60s pop that you would expect.

Alkaline Trio, let me talk about them for a moment. They are one of the newer wave of punk/emo bands that I like. I think it's that they have a accessible pop/melodic sound

Now I guess that I just need to find an antidote... maybe an igloo or something..

Bo Diddely

Iren — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 17:29:50 GMT

As many of you have heard and a few of you have posted... Rock and Roll legend Bo Diddley passed today... Diddley has become one of my personal faves of the pioneers of rock and roll. It was when I first met Gary Trainer from the band New Math a decade ago and he was telling me about the Troggs song 'Gonna Make' which New Math had covered and he said 'You know it's got that Bo Diddley beat'... at that point I had come across Diddleys work but hadn't made the connection between his work and the larger puzzle that is Rock and Roll.

I never did get to see him live, he did play the Taste of MiN when I was living there but I had to work... white and Nerdy did go to the show and reported back that he had played a blues set, which is the form that he turned to in his later years... as an aside isn't it interesting that the founders of Rock and Roll... the ones that lived that is.... either turned to playing Folk/Country (Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and even Elvis) or the Blues...

For me Bo was also my introduction to a new website called.... youtube..... a couple of years back when someone sent me a link to a old clip of him on tv back in the 1950s..

Lastly I want to single out his tune... who do you love... which just is loaded with so much surreal imagery and raw pathos.... I walk 47 miles of Barbwire.... has to be one of the most amazing opening lines of any song ever...

5/2008 Playlist

Iren — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 20:20:57 GMT

Each month, since Feb of 2006, I start a playlist in my iTunes of the tunes that catch my ear that month. I started off writing a post to my Mog page with a short review or comments of each track, not only to keep a running diary for myself, but to hopefully point others toward these tunes. In the last several months I have started to cross post this information on other sites where I keep blogs. (If you are reading this somewhere besides Mog, you can find all the old ones at www.mog.com/iren) I want to apologies for any weird formatting stuff right here and now, I type this in MS word and then post it on these various message places, some of which have…w ell formatting issues…. Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

Lovecraft In Brooklyn by The Mountain Goats http://www.myspace.com/themountaingoats There is something very angular and muscular about this song, an almost suppressed rage tempered with a hit of melody, all set to the images of the unspeakable horror of the writings of the great H. P. Lovecraft. It’s filled with paranoia and weird sounds and might be the closest thing I have heard to a musical capturing of the Lovecraft feel.

The Hellacopters In the Sign of the Octopus originally by The Robots Midnight Angels originally by The Peepshows http://www.myspace.com/hellacopters

Of course it’s not out in the states yet, the last album by the Stockholm Hi Energy rockers, The Hellacopters. Anyone that has read my back posts should know the name and the fact that they are one of my favorite bands… these two songs come not only from their latest record, but also from their last record. These songs are both covers (as is the whole record) from bands that inspired them and added to their sound. Both of these tunes rock out and

More info on the album is at http://www.hellacopters.com/site/headoff.asp

Kepi Ghoulie My Life Is Starting Over Again Twelve Hour Town http://www.myspace.com/kepighoulie

From the Hellacopters break up to the reanimated… Kepi spent the last 25 years or so playing in the Groovie Ghoulies, and now a year after that band called it quits has come back with a new band and a great pair of albums. I think the title My life is Starting Over Again says what you need to know about the song, but also about Kepi and his music. Twelve Hour Town is an ode to living in a place where maybe your life style keeps different hours than most everyone else…. I especially like the line about building coffins, drinking coffee and planning our escape

Sixteen Ways II by Green On Red http://www.greenonred.net/ Classic LA Paisley Underground punk stuff…. This is the second more Cowpunk/Psych version of this tune….for some reason I just felt like playing this past month… maybe it’s the apocalyptic death noir of the tune and the end of the cold months….. question how should be out there covering this tune

1) Nick Cave 2) Tom Waits 3) Mark Lanegan 4) Neko Case 5) All of the above

Wouldn’t number 5 make a great EP?

The Park by Sambassadeur http://www.myspace.com/sambassadeurtheband

I want to thank Mogger Miss Breadcrumb for introducing this dark noirish pop tune from a band hailing from one of my favorite cities on the face of the planet….. Gothenburg Sweden. The song has that ringing Beach Boys ‘Sloop John B’ sound with sparse haunting vocals…

Stargirl by Seaweed http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaweed_(band)

Ok I admit it, any tune called Stargirl is going to get a couple of spins by me, and this is a solid grungy rockin tune…. I expect that it’s going to end up on what ever nuggets like grunge box set Rhino puts out in a couple of years…

Thoughts, comments, spare change.

I dream of a Red Telephone

Iren — Tue, 27 May 2008 02:34:48 GMT

I have had this song stuck in my head all day....

Buddy Holly where for art thou?

Iren — Sun, 25 May 2008 03:09:36 GMT

I just got done watching Six-String Samurai which I haven't seen since it came out back in the 90's... check out the trailer for more info...

which of course has me wanting to listen to some Buddy Holly... and naturally that leads me to this track...

Sweden: Underground Radio

Iren — Tue, 20 May 2008 14:32:20 GMT

Back in April the NPR Show Studio 360 did a story on the emerging number of bands from Sweden who are making waves in the American music scene. I have also started to run into people who profess that they are fans of Swedish Pop Music. Now I have been following the music coming out of Sweden (along with Finland and Norway) for about the last 10 years and don't know if it's fitting or if it's just following the rule that it takes 10 years for the world to catch up to what's going on but the pop, punk, metal and rock exports from the land of the midnight sun are starting to get their due....

Honestly as I have written about several times here my interest is in the harder rock and roll part of the scene, but that's not to say that I don't also dig the odd pop ditty or the thundering heavy metal rumble.

So here is the question- Swedish Pop- fad, overblown, just getting press, or is this the future of music? Also what's the Swedish Group that you are digging?

Ok here are some links to info on swedish music.

Music of Sweden from Wiki Hello! Suprise It's a Trap

thoughts, comments, plane tickets to Arlanda?

The Return of Kepi!!!!

Iren — Thu, 15 May 2008 23:24:11 GMT

It was just a year ago that the Groovie Ghoulies called it quits after almost 20 years as a band….. and it was only last week that former Ghoulie front man Kepi released not 1 but two albums under his name. I picked up my copies earlier this week, and even though I haven’t had much time to absorb them I do have a few initial thoughts to share.

First off it’s great to have Kepi back, the week that the Ghoulies called it quits their last album was released and while it had some solid tracks it was darker and a bit on the lethargic side. I am happy to say that this new pair of records are bright and crisp and convery the energy that the best of the Ghoulies stuff had.

The Kepi the Band album is chocked full of the garagy-pop punk goodness that the ghoulies were so good at playing on stage. There aren’t any tracks that have called out and grabbed me yet, but it’s still early in the listening life of the record. Kepi and Friends is an acoustic record that is more in line with the Alt Country/ 70s Neil Young side of Kepi, filled with punky undistorted ballads and a couple of wistful rockers. Of course there are covers on these albums as well. The Cramps and Daniel Johnstone both are covered… and at some point someone is going to have to do a comp of Songs Kepi Ghoulie taught us…..

I did pick up both albums on CD, in spite of my attempts to try and buy as much stuff on vinyl, because I wanted to have a chance to hear these tunes before the end of the month when Kepi will be playing with the Asian Man Records tour in my area…. Where I plan to pick up a copy of the 2xLP Gatefold edition of the record from the man himself… more to come…

(you can and should check out Kepi and his new albums on the web at the following places: http://www.asianmanrecords.com/index.php www.myspace.com/kepighoulie http://www.punknews.org/bands/kepighoulie

Metal Mania

Iren — Thu, 15 May 2008 05:08:09 GMT

Years ago I was a metal head... not a total metal head, I never had long hair or anything like that, but I listened to a lot of metal, I listened to the metal show on the college radio station at MSU, I watched the Headbangers Ball , I even subscribed to Rip Magazine.. Somewhere along the way I started to listen to more punk and rockabilly, more country and even pop music, and while I found myself going back to metal here and there, It's been a while since I checked in with the scene.

The last couple of weeks I spent reading Sound of the beast : the complete headbanging history of heavy metal by Ian Christe... I even wrote the following review for the aadl.org website

I found this book to be a solid overview of the history and growth of the Heavy Metal Music style and scene. The dominate players, Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Anthrax, Slayer, and of course Metallica all received the attention due them, as at the same time smaller lesser known bands, the second and third tier bands and a host of also-rans were given their due. Various sub genres’s of Metal were discussed and fleshed out fairly well. The social elements of Metals history were also addressed and a Varity of viewpoints were provided.

I did have two big problems with this book. First is the almost apologetic free pass given to Al and Tipper Gore for their involvement in the PMRC and the censorship that has followed the wake of their hearings. It’s as if the author didn’t want to take on the fact that Gore is second only to Bill Clinton in the repression of not only heavy metal, but rock and roll in our modern culture. (Clinton sold out the rock world when he signed the telecom act of 1996). The second issue I have with this book is that it looks with almost distain on punk, grunge and Alt Metal music. There is a begrudging mention of these genres included in the book, and the authors obvious hostility to the forms comes through loud and clear. It’s almost like one oppressed minority fighting for their rights, while at the same time dismissing the validity of the rights of other minorities.

Over all I would recommend this book to people who are interested in the history of heavy metal.

The other thing this book did was get me to check out some more recent metal and of course go back and listen to my Black Sabbath, Accused and Metallica records... I haven't had time to distill all of it yet but it's interesting to check back in, it's like visiting a place that you used to live or work...

4/2008 Playlist

Iren — Thu, 01 May 2008 05:38:43 GMT

Each month, since Feb of 2006, I start a playlist in my iTunes of the tunes that catch my ear that month. I started off writing a post to my Mog page with a short review or comments of each track, not only to keep a running diary for myself, but to hopefully point others toward these tunes. In the last several months I have started to cross post this information on other sites where I keep blogs. (If you are reading this somewhere besides Mog, you can find all the old ones at www.mog.com/iren) I want to apologies for any weird formatting stuff right here and now, I type this in MS word and then post it on these various message places, some of which have…w ell formatting issues…. Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

Lost Weapons by Dog Company from Songs of Discontent http://www.myspace.com/dogcompany44 Political street punk from Texas…

Maps of War by Disfear from Live The Storm www.myspace.com/disfear Heavy roaring cookie- monster metal punk in the Motorhead/ Hellacopters tradition, filled with energy and passion….

Acid reign by The Hellacopters from In The Sign Of The Octopus 7" http://www.myspace.com/hellacopters Speaking of the Hellacopters… they are about to release their last album…. And here is one of the tunes from it… It’s a cover of the Aussie band (the Yes-Men www.myspace.com/yesmenrock) and has just a hint of that Meatloaf operarock sound… but really it’s right back to the sound of the High Visibility era Hellacopters…I assure you that as this album slips into my brain stream there will be more for me to say… as The Hellacopters have been a part of my life for almost 10 years now and have lead me down paths and on adventures that I never dreamed of…

Sunshine by Bang Sugar Bang From Victory Gin http://www.myspace.com/bangsugarbang This is one of the poppier numbers from these guys and it’s been stuck in my head for a while…really great stuff..

This month was a little lite on stand out tracks, mostly because I am still trying to catch up on podcasts, and have been working more and listening less… hopefully next month will have more of note, and as I am expecting not only to absorb more tunes from recently gathered albums, but also looking forward to the release of some new stuff that I have been waiting for…

Thoughts, comments, spare change.

Experiment in Pleasure... Bimboo Wizard

Iren — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:51:27 GMT

A couple of years back Helsinki's Garage Punk goddesses Thee Ultra Bimboos released the album Bimboo Wizard, which quickly became one of my faves of not only the year but of the decade... of course with out the hippster stamp of approval from places like Pitchfork or Paste no one in the States noticed.... but for those of us who did (hey Pekka) it was yet another solid album from a gravely overlooked group....

so just as I listened to the Stones Exile on Main St. record a couple of nights ago, I think I am going to spin Bimboo Wizard, which I haven't played all the way through and in order for a while and see if it's really the record that I have always thought it was...

Promised Land

Iren — Fri, 18 Apr 2008 14:52:52 GMT

Looking back, to my proggier more introspective phases of music fandom, I end up at the place that I really started.. Queensrÿche... the so called thinking man's Heavy Metal. Listening back now, I hear how over produced the music was, and also how long it took to get to the point of their songs. Not that it's all that bad, but hey, I haven't got the time to waste like I did when I was 17....... anyway, listening back I do here all the places that they were right about the socio-political fears they had back in the early and mid-90's

Experiment in Terror.... Exile on Main St..

Iren — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 03:44:20 GMT

So it's reported to be a classic, and I have never listened to it from start to finish, I have never listened to all of the songs in order in one sitting, so why not give it a shot....

I will report back when it's done.

Free Zombie music!!!

Iren — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:42:45 GMT

Wow, two posts in one day! Maybe I can inspire some of you old school Moggers to come out of the shadows (Ash and AJ I am looking at you two)... anyway I just wanted to point out that Zombina and the Skeletones have posted two new tracks on their Zombina Army site for free download. This time around it's two cover songs, the first of of the late-great- Groovie Ghoulies Zombie Crush. [and by the way Ghoulies main man Kepi has two albums out next month and is going to be on tour, hit the link for more info]. The second new tune is a cover of Sea of Heartbreak (most recently and prominately covered by Johnny Cash). Check 'em out and enjoy.

Songs of Discontent

Iren — Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:25:22 GMT

One of my favorite bands of the last ten years was The Staggers (the Texas band not the Swiss band of the same name, and as long as I have opened a parenthesis I will also note that the Staggers TX started out as Riot Squad, not the UK punk band of that name, but obviously the Texas band)... anyway, their lead singer Joe Blow has been playing in a new band recently Dog Company and they just released their first album Songs of Discontent on Slab-O-Wax Records

Overall the record carries on the rough basic punk feel of The Staggers filled with simple bouncy hooks anthemic lyrics and the sound of discontent (let's hear it for truth in advertising). I have the urge to start to rant at this point about how the underground culture that this record should appeal to seems to have ignored Joe Blow and his music for so long... but really that's a whole other battle that cuts across all genres of music... so I am just going to leave it at this, if you like Rancid, or that whole Hellcat scene you should check these guys out... or if you just want some basic rippin' punk to listen to while you skate board or drive around, check these guys out.

3/2008 Playlist

Iren — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 02:47:34 GMT

Each month, since Feb of 2006, I start a playlist in my iTunes of the tunes that catch my ear that month. I started off writing a post to my Mog page with a short review or comments of each track, not only to keep a running diary for myself, but to hopefully point others toward these tunes. In the last several months I have started to cross post this information on other sites where I keep blogs. (If you are reading this somewhere besides Mog, you can find all the old ones at www.mog.com/iren) I want to apologies for any weird formatting stuff right here and now, I type this in MS word and then post it on these various message places, some of which have…w ell formatting issues…. Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

Lights of Cheyenne by James McMurtry & The Heartless Bastards http://www.jamesmcmurtry.com/ Maybe I need to take a vacation or just get out of town for a couple of days, but this song so evokes a time and a place and a moment of life that it transports me somewhere else. It’s a slower dusty song that paints a working class story of someone on the road.

Splendid Isolation by Warren Zevon http://www.warrenzevon.com/ Speaking of time and place, Warren Zevon was someone who was ahead of his…. His view of the world, twisted and strange, dark and with out hope… has so come to pass. This song was part of his late 80’s foray into fear of consumerism and the isolation of a society becoming more and more estranged.

Faster than Cars Drive by Kate Tucker & The Sons Of Sweden http://www.myspace.com/katetuckermusic I don’t have much to say about this tune other than it’s a sold Americana-pop tune, with a haunting refrain. I found it on the SXSW site where it’s a free download.

Shatter City by Color Me Psycho http://ocanadarm.blogspot.com/2007/06/color-me-psycho-canada.html

You know when you find something early by one of your favorite artist early work and it…. well not what they have become? Well no worries, Color Me Psycho doesn’t fall into that camp. This is early Jackson Phibe’s music and it shows, but it’s still the same howling primitive garage punk trash. I was glad to find not only this track but almost all the rest of the recordings of CMP on the web, and still have to ask… why isn’t Jackson Phibes the king of garage punk today?

Ceres Walk by The Billy Nayer Show

One of my fave tracks of the last couple of years, with one of my fave films…. Check it out.

Splendid Isolation by Pete Yorn I mentioned the original Warren Zevon version of this above, but I wanted to share this version as well…

Leaving With The Swamptones by Mark Pickerel & His Praying Hands http://www.myspace.com/markpickerelandhisprayinghands From his new album…. Which I haven’t written an review of yet. It’s part of a stack of albums that I have picked up lately and haven’t reviewed. There are a lot of reasons for that.. most of which are too lame to talk about here…. However this is a nice jazzy tune that hints at The Cramps and the Gun Club.

Suffocation girl by Color Me Psycho Please see the above comments on CMP.

Jeeves And Wooster (theme melody) by Anne Dudley Not only is this a great bit of whimsical jazz… I love the style of the credits..

No I am paraphrasing myself here but...

Iren — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 03:04:10 GMT

Ocanadarm is one of the music blogs that I read, and tend to check in on once and a while. The link to it is on my mog front page not only so that visitors can pop on over and check out blogs that I think are worth checking out, but to remind me that I need to check over there everyone once and a while.

Today I figured i'd check on some of the blogs I read, and hey they had a post covering one of those bands that I am a fan of Color Me Psycho and I start reading the intro... and quick jump to the bottom where they have a link to download mp3s of the the released CMP tracks, several of which I don't have. I spend a about a quarter of an hour messing around getting the tracks and then check back to see what the blogger had written about the band. I start reading the first couple of paragraphs and thinking that someone is right on the money with what they were writing, it fit the mood and the history of the band perfectly.... and it all starts to seem familiar, and I wonder if it's the old press release of the band, and I see this name attached at the end... and it hits me.... I wrote that... here on Mog back in October of 2006 very strange...

anyway if any of you want to check out the garage fuzz madness of Color me Psycho, you can follow the link at the top of this post and find out about tracks like...Mr. Invisible, Shove Your Love, Transylvanian Erotica, Lovers Leap, Suffocation Girl and of course one of my faves..Black Corvair

Forbidden Dimension Tortured tales of mechanized doom

Iren — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:29:14 GMT

Forbidden Dimension Tortured tales of mechanized doom By Brad Simm

Before the digital age unleashed its full power and Pro Tools allowed all walks-of-life to produce their very own wall of sound with CD enhanced quality, turning out product for rock 'n' roll basement dwellers was a raw, guttural, messy affair.

While the 4-track portastudio circulating in the '80s made it possible to get demo tapes done dirt cheap, forcing high-powered amps onto those little plastic cassettes sounded like Godzilla stuffed inside a vacuum cleaner. Not entirely a bad thing, though. Not at all. In the hands of a good mutator, garage punk would rear its ugly little head and sink its teeth into the cultural market.

Jackson Phibes surfaced in 1987 with the uber-cool, slightly deranged 60s' garage band, Colour Me Psycho. Obsessed with trashy sci-fi novels and low-budget horror flicks from the '50s and '60s, Phibes soon struck out on his own, dialed into the fuzzbox and set the drum machine's tempo on overdrive.

As the first Forbidden Dimension songs were committed to cassette, Phibes, in a one-man band formation, began to scour his brain cells with sordid tales of gore, lust, degeneration and mutilation that belonged to the untold horrors of an atomic past, present and future.

Since then there's been several three-piece bass, drums and guitar incarnations of FD, countless death ray annihilations, dozens of wild graveyard orgies, all kinds of monsters creepin' through the woods, legions of crazed henchmen, kooky alien invaders, vampire beauties, coffin creepies and crawling eyes who roam the universe while a whole lot of blood has been sucked, splattered and left to simmer in the soup kettle.

Phibes' songs and stories bounce from one strange territory to another. Sometimes it's hard to tell if it's a delirious or fertile imagination he's working from. Whatever the case, he always hits the funny bone.

Monday night is movie night at Tubby Dog's on 17th Ave. Phibes and H.P. Lovesauce, FD's tenured bassist, are there to discuss their new record released last December on glorious red vinyl. While chewing down on the weekly special (a mountain of sauerkraut stacked on bratwurst in a bun) and watching bits and piece of a twisted lovebirds turned bank-robbers flick from the '40s, I'm curious to know where Phibes digs up his story ideas.

(Read the rest here)

2/2008 Playlist

Iren — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 03:09:39 GMT

Each Month, I start a file in my iTunes that is a playlist for the tunes that catch my ear that month. I have been doing this since Feb of 2006, and each month I write a Mog post covering what I have been listening to each month… I am starting to post this write up in other spaces beyond my Mog (and if you are reading this somewhere besides Mog, you can find all the old ones at www.mog.com/iren)… cause I want to hit as many I-Balls as I can. As with any endeavor of this type this is an evolving form. For this month the new status quo (and I don’t have one of their songs for you this time around) is that I am going to include whole www addresses with each post (when available). I also want to apologies for any weird formatting stuff right here and now, I type this in MS word and then post it on these various message places, some of which have…w ell formatting issues…. Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

Igloo by The Screaming Tribesmen (http://www.myspace.com/screamingtribesmen) If you don’t own the great Do The Pop comp, you need to own it. Not only does it contain classic Aussie punk tracks by The Saints and Radio Birdman, this little gem by The Screaming Tribesmen with it’s haunting, ice bound atmosphere is present. Don’t let the punk tag fool you, this is pure ringing post punk that would have been right at home in a set by Bauhaus. This was a track that my Brother stumbled across and turned me on to, and now I am sending it out to you…

Orgia of dead 2 by Messer Chups (www.myspace.com/messerchups) One of my favorite bands years past was Man or ASTROman… with their crazy energy filled space-trash-surf sound, and it takes The Messer Chups from Russia to come along and give me something with the same feel and energy. This time by combining that surf and space feel with a b-movie horror, lounge and rockabilly feel. The chirping crickets and the slow swing jazz of this tune, you can’t miss.

Back In Hollywood by Zolar X (www.myspace.com/zolarx) Just as with last month’s entry from these guys this is simply a great slice of glam pop, only this time it’s about the old days when they were first on the LA scene with their weirdness and alien freakiness. More good stuff from an album that has been a surprise favorite of mine this year.

Muswell Hillbilly by The Kinks Yes another month and another Kinks song, this time because of the cover of this tune recorded by Southern Culture on the Skids last year. It’s a proto-country rock tune that talks about the smoothing out of the hick edges and regionalism of society as people with better minds started really thinking that they new better than them ignorant hicks… or something like that… still it’s a great song about staying true to yourself and fighting off the forces of conformity.

Bible And Gun by Jason Ringenberg (www.jasonringenberg.com) This is the same Jason of the Jason & The Scorchers fame. Only this song is a haunting tale about a man wandering though the darkness and wasteland of the pre-civil war border wars in Missouri. I am sure there is something to be read into this tune, I just like the way it travels, with a bit of classic dark folk, a refrain of classic country vox and what almost seems like a journey though the end of the world.

Michigan by Nolan McKelevy (www.nolanmckelvey.com) I discovered this tune listening to the Roots Rock Radio posdcast. It caught my ear for several reasons. It’s about wanderlust, it name checks my home state (or at least the state I grew up in) and it’s got a great dream like quality. I guess it’s also safe to say that it is reflective of something that I know all to well, that desire to stay and be comfortable, the desire to run and get the hell out of this place, and finally the desire to return and see those streets you know so well again. You can download this track from Nolan’s website, so there is no reason not to pop on over there and give it a listen.

I don’t often speculate about next month, however I have a couple of records headed my way in the next 30 days that I am at least excited about. First and foremost is the new Mark Pickerel and his Praying Hands album, but also the album by Cock Sparrer that was released last fall that I missed and I finally got my act together and orders a copy of the soundtrack to The American Astronaut (along with the DVD)… I wouldn’t be surprised if tracks from those records made it on to next months list… also I wanted to mention that No Depression (I almost typed Neo Depression there) magazine has announced that they have exactly two issues left (one of which landed in my mailbox this week)… it’s a sad day for us all when a nitch music magazine like No Depression calls it quits.

Two Great Muppets clips

Iren — Sun, 24 Feb 2008 05:34:09 GMT

which I ran across while looking for Alice Cooper videos to post... maybe I'll get to that a little later.

Amelia Earhart Vs. The Dancing Bear

Iren — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:20:27 GMT

While your waiting for the new Mark Pickerel album.. and there are maybe 4 of us on Mog... I have to point you towards the dark pulp alt dusk rock... also know as Alt Country of The Handsome Family

I love this song, and keep coming back to it... and I don't know exactly why... it just rocks...

New Cock Sparrer record

Iren — Tue, 19 Feb 2008 06:11:16 GMT

I've been spending the majority of this month working on and thinking about thing other than music. There is the job search, there is getting through my part time jobs and just dealing with the day to day challenges of life. I have been watching films and TV, spending time with friends and getting sick... and I haven't had much time to really listen to music, let along search it out and, and and... of course there is the new album by Mark Pickerel that's due out at the start of next month... and then today just poking around I discover that one of my all time fave punk/Oi bands released a new album at the end of last year.. and I didn't even know about it. I haven't heard it yet, and really want to check it out, but can't see my way clear to spend the money, not right now at least. Anyone heard it? anyone?

At least Youtube has this video so I could check out a track

This might also be the right place and time to mention the film This Is England, which was one of the best films I saw last year... here is the trailer

1/2008 Playlist

Iren — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 02:29:46 GMT

Kansas by Velvet Hammer (http://mog.com/Iren/blog_post/134656) At the start of the year this gem of prog-hard rock was stuck in my brain, not only because it’s has an air of mystery and a reflective feel to it, just like the start of a new calendar cycle. It’s got the twinkling keyboard, and the angelic voice… yeah, I wrote about it at the start of the month, check the link above for more.

Operation: Get The Hell Out Of Here by The Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets (http://www.thickets.net/) I have dug TDOTHT for a while, but sometimes they music has been so much of the same over and over, sure they have had great tunes before, but this time around I think that they have gotten the album right. I know that I did include Sleestack And Yeti on last months list, and I guess the inclusion of another tune just means that I have not yet stopped exploring the album Shadow out of Tim…. Oh and musically it’s hard-punky-rock with a melodic chaser..

Dark Sunday Evening by Roy And The Devil's Motorcycle (http://www.voodoorhythm.com/) I found this mp3 ages ago on the Voodoo Rhythm records website, and it attached it self to my brain this month, feeding off of my need for… I don’t know what, but I love the gruffness and energy of the track. It’s almost something that Steppenwolf should have recorded…. Not just because the band has the word Motorcycle in the name, but it’s also got that rumbling on the road boogie-swagger that the wolf was able to capture so perfectly… it’s like a droning road roar filled with energy that builds until it’s got to downshift into the wind and blast out across the sky…

Just Like A Rose by Legal Weapon Speaking of swaggering, this tune has it in full, even if the production is to clean and to well done. I have always loved Legal Weapon and wish that more people would discover them. I don’t know exactly why it landed on this playlist, but it’s hear and for what ever period of time this past month I was into it.

Big Electric Light by Tripwires (http://www.myspace.com/thetripwires) I’ve been enjoying the hell out of this very Big Star sounding slice of pubby folk power pop. It’s got a bit of the janggely guitar and that hooky chorus just have to sing along to. The song is on happy shinny sounding side, but seems to really have that dark Devo bite to it.

You Wild Colorado by Johnny Cash As with a lot of artists that were around for a long long time, there is plenty of great tracks in Johnny Cash’s back catalog that have been overlooked and are deserving of rediscovery. Of all the tracks that I have on this playlist this is the one that I want each and every reader to make the choice to seek out and listen to. I found it because in the Entertainment Weekly 12/04 piece entitled Twelve CDs Mark Lanegan Says You've Gotta Get Lanegan said: JOHNNY CASH Orange Blossom Special 1965 (Columbia) ''It was one of the first albums I heard. My folks had it. It has one of his greatest originals, 'You Wild Colorado,' which, just under two minutes long, is a beautiful little tune” So I had to check it out.

Cody's Dream by Mark Pickerel and His Praying Hands (http://www.bloodshotrecords.com/album/markpickerel/352) Yes I know it’s shocking but the title track for the album I am most looking forward to this year made it onto this months playlist. I am excited about what I have heard from the album so far, this tune is more in line with the kind of Cowpunk that The Divine Horsemen played back in the mid-1980’s…. which is to say dusty stompin country rock… good stuff… and you can bet that I am going to have more to say about this album when I have it in my hands at the start of March.

Plutonian Marmalade by Zolar X (http://www.myspace.com/zolarx ) I don’t know exactly what to say about Zolar X other than I like them… for the most part. They started out in the mid-70’s as a space-glam-pop band.. and I like this fun silly tune. It’s pretty meaningless, but has a charm and drive to it that is solid happy fun music.

Mark Pickerel - Cody's Dream

Iren — Sun, 27 Jan 2008 16:15:19 GMT

More information about Cody's Dream and a couple of MP3's that you can download have been posted on Mark Pickerel's myspace page and on the Bloodshot record website. The record arrives in stores on March 4th... and I am looking forward to it.

TRACK LIST Cody's Dream Let Me Down Easy The Last Leaves She Calls One More Cup of Coffee Leaving with the Swamptones Cherokee Grove I Promise And So Be It Then The Closing Theme She Sleeps Through The Sirens Deep Inside Your Shade Cody's Last Ride

Myspace Music Finds

Iren — Sat, 19 Jan 2008 14:50:52 GMT

Recently I have stumbled across a couple of bands of note on myspace and wanted to share them with you all...

Up first is

The Royal Purple a neo-psych band from New Jersey. I heard them on a old Garage Punk podcast, where they had covered the Glenda Collins (Joe Meek produced) tune I got something to tell you. I e-mailed them asking where I could get a copy of that cover and they said that their albums are free, and just to send them my address and they would send me out a copy...

Linked from their page is Jet Weston & His Atomic Ranch Hands. I was hoping for more Space Western Madness from them, but instead it's mostly Western Swing... but they have a solid cover of 13 Women that you can download from their page. I am thinking I might have to e-mail them and see if they are hip to Sundown on Venus!

Lastly there is The Jimmies (they have a website) who I found because of work. I took a phone order for them, and after having to enter a kinda out there gift message for them, wonder who and what they were... one google search for them later I was on their myspace page. They look like a fun pop rock band, that is kinda kid friendly.

Russ- eye- an Psychobilly and Surf stuff

Iren — Fri, 18 Jan 2008 07:01:05 GMT

I heard these guys for the first time today, and I think they are the new Deadbolt... fun psycho-surf stuff

Hexe Chips

Devil Out of Fashion

Night of Open Coffins

To buy or not to buy 2: The Tripwires- Makes You Look Around

Iren — Sat, 12 Jan 2008 17:03:13 GMT

Makes You Look Around is yet another record that I have been actively been avoiding, mostly because I know that if I get near it, I am going to want to buy it.

I first heard about the band last year, because one of my current musical heroes Mark Pickerel is in the band. I checked out their myspace page and frankly was not impressed by the tracks that they had posted. I did keep my eye on their page to kinda keep up with that they were doing. A couple of days ago I started to hear more and more buzz about them, including a NPR nod as The song of the day for Jan 2nd of this year. Of course the review in the new issue of No Depression magazine hooked me in as well in talking about the album as a modern pubrock record and from there hearing the power pop magic of Big Electric Light has me salivating... drooling, thinking, scheming and wondering, do I break the budget and order a copy? Should I give it some more time and wait? anyone? At the very least I have added it to my Amazon wishlist.

By the way- A nice blog post about the band and the album can be found here

To Buy or Not To Buy: Love is the Song We Sing... or is it?

Iren — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:33:43 GMT

2 years ago I was in Sweden, visiting a friend in the west coast town of Uddevalla, and while checking the net I stumbled across a review of the Rhino Boxset Rockin' Bones.. which I had already promised myself that I was not going to buy.... as I already had half the tracks and owned the 50's Rock and Roll on the Rhino Boxset, Loud, Fast and Out of Control..... now Rhino and NPR, along with a thief that has struck the Ann Arbor Public Library they have conspired to get me to open my wallet again.... I have already written about the new Nuggets Boxset Love is the Song We Sing ... now NPR has a review of the set that has me fiending to hear it... you can check it out at here

As for the Library, this is what happened, I see that they had a copy, so I put a hold on it. I started with the 3rd hold of 3, and just a couple of days ago I was down to the 1st hold of 3... and then it vanished from my hold list. Checking their boxset info on the AADL website I see that the collection is listed as 'missing' and now I don't know when or if they are going to get a new copy in, I don't know if my hold status will be honored, or if I am just going to have to keep checking back and put a hold on the new box when it arrives..

I would love to just buy it, but because I am trying to spend less money, because I am trying to have to store less stuff, I am not ready to open the wallet and buy the set.... unless I can find some other way to pay for it, maybe I should check and see how many returnable beer bottles are in the garage..I wonder if I beg on the street if I could get the $60 I need for the set, or maybe I should just break down and try and sell some CDs.

Part of the problem with laying out the money for a set like this, is that they tend to gather dust after the shine wears away. I already have several boxset, including the already mentioned Rockin Bones set, and I do play tracks from them (mostly on my computer via iTunes or my iPod) but it's not all that often that I pull the sets out and play the disc's or read the liner notes (and in the case of the Rhino set they are excellent). Really having them doesn't make me happier, or live a better life, ok... maybe the music contributes to a better quality of life.... but over all to often boxsets, and yes records are like quick flirtations that fade away all to quickly...

Life Sentence to Love..

Iren — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 04:55:51 GMT

I'll be the first to say that I don't really understand this word that we throw around.... love.... really, when I hear it, I think of the band that recorded 7 and 7 is... One of the many things that I do find myself loving is what I like to call flawed masterworks. Legal Weapon's Life Sentence to Love is one of those albums for me....

It bombed, it's over produced, it's a little to slick, and when you play the tunes many of which are rerecorded version of songs from their earlier indie albums they just lack the roar and grit of the original versions... but I love this record anyway. I am not sure why, it's got all of the stuff that I mentioned going against it, but still it endures in my collection, not only on compact disc, but on LP as well....

Musically it's cleaned up west coast 80's punk rock, it's what a major label, a studio and a producer can turn a band into... hell honestly, I wasn't there, I don't know what really happened. I suspect that the label heard in the band what many of us fans out there (and there are fans) heard, a great bluesy slightly country rock sound, with a strong voiced woman out front. They saw a punk group that had survived the LA scene with the core intact (and a seemingly ever changing get of players in the background), who were different enough from the Hardrock Blues Metal (read Hairmetal) pack to stand out, but still in the same ballpark and might sell to that market.

The record came out in 1988, and come to think of it that was about the time that I was on the prowl for Legal Weapon stuff (it would be almost 5 years before I could track anything down, and then I would have to special order it), but I never saw this album anywhere around. Come to think of it there was a lot of punk rock stuff that had somehow slipped into the world of the bigger entertainment industry ( the film world had The Runnin' Kind and Dudes, the latter of which is where I found out about Legal Weapon)... and most of it floundered. Maybe it just wasn't time, maybe it's not anything that will ever have a time.

There is a little place in my heart where I want to believe that this album would have been a hit, at least a underground hit, if it had been released at another point in time, if what ever happened with the label hadn't, if only... if only...

But.... but.... here it is, I remember it, and while I don't play it every day or even every month, it is one of those records that every so often I pull out and play, spin and enjoy... ok and sometimes maybe, just a little it helps me remember what it was like finding the music, and feeling that first rush of excitement and pleasure of having discovered not only the band, but the power of the music.

Velvet Hammer

Iren — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:01:42 GMT

Velvet Hammer (Drink) 2 oz Cointreau® orange liqueur 2 oz Tia Maria® coffee liqueur 2 oz half-and-half Pour all ingredients into a highball glass filled with ice cube

Velvet Hammer (Band, Texas 1990's)

It was the dawn of the internet.... stop me if you have heard this one... and I was a young rockfiend, only I didn't know it yet. Somehow I thought I was still just a messed up kid and that once I got though college it would all be ok.... anyway, e-mail was new...newish and there started to pop up mailing lists, or mailing newsletters... it was like a mog thread, only people would e-mail in and once a week or what ever there would be a long e-mail of all the e-mails sent to you.... in hind sight it seems, well lame and quaint.... not to mention clumsy... anyway, I was into this, at least a little bit, mostly for the Misfits, but also from what was then my all time fave band... King's X.

Yes, Yes, I admit it, I was a prog-metal kid, back before I discovered punk... or I should say rediscovered punk (as it is where I started), anyway, I was on the King's X mailing list and one of the e-mailers was a woman named Lynda who was in a band called Velvet Hammer.... as a young music fan and one who was into everything that was even remotely related to the King's X scene I bought their CDs and video (which I still have somewhere around here) and they were added to my rotation of melodic texas hard rock/prog metal with the rest of the gang... that being The Galactic Cowboys, Atomic Opera and of course King's X.

As time moved on, so did I, I rediscovered punk, I found rockabilly, protopunk, the world of the Nuggets, Horrorpunk, Cowpunk, The Nordic Hi Energy Rock scene, Reconnected with Power Pop, 50's rock and country music.... all the time with those Velvet Hammer CDs still in my collection and once and a while I would spin their track Kansas, it's a moody strong mist filled folk tune, that just captures something that I have never been quite able to put my finger on, something so elusive that it shimmers out of a mist of sonic shadows and slides into my brain every once and a while and then flies away, back into the archives and collects a bit of digital dust until, as with this moment I am inspired to pull it out and let it breath once more... I bit of net research, it looks as if Velvet Hammer is now called the Dreamtrybe and checking their website I feel like a long lost face at the bar, standing in the door way wondering if people that I once knew would remember me, and if it's worth sliding up to the bar to say hello once more.... or something like that... something like the elusive moments of the past.... will mog ever be like that, will you reader one day stumble across something and recall my posts???

Ok Ok, maybe I have been watching to much Veronica Mars with her We Used to Be Friends theme song.. I am sure that in a year or so I will be telling this story again..

Free Music from The Charms

Iren — Wed, 02 Jan 2008 15:55:48 GMT

The Charms have posted a new free mp3 demo track as part of their promo effort for their newest EP Heroes and Villains. If you like power pop, with the emphasis on the power this track will be right up your alley. Lucky in love has a great strutting T. Rex, Chuck Berry, ZZ Top, Rolling Stones feel juxtaposed with a bit of cheesy farfisa organ and strong female vocals. I haven't gotten the new EP yet, but if these free tracks (there was a previous one called She's A Joke) continue to be this strong I might have to break down an buy it.

12 2007 Playlist

Iren — Tue, 01 Jan 2008 06:46:06 GMT

Anyway for this month here is what caught my ear…

Recipe for Disaster by Klondike's North Forty http://www.myspace.com/klondike39snorthforty

from the Myspace page… Klondike’s North Forty are an erstwhile quartet, led by "Rock God" and Australian Music Hall of Famer Chris "Klondike" Masuak, hotwired by an itinerant and miscreant mob of extremely capable characters and joined variously by Brothers Scott Morgan and John Rooney and Sister Angie Pepper.

I just dig the song which has a very Radio Birdman feel… go figure on that one. It’s maybe a little more bluesy, but it’s got a nice driving feel.

This Ol' Wheel by Shooter Jennings (http://www.shooterjennings.com/)

I have been a fan of Shooter for a couple of years now, and this is the song from his new album that has most caught my ear so far. It’s also got a great sense of drive to it, and of course I dig the story elements of the lyrics including the name dropping of his Dad and Johnny Cash.

30 Days by Paw http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paw_(band)

Paw was one of those slightly under the radar Grunge bands that I liked. I never really got into the tracks from their last album Keep the Last Bullet for Yourself (which is where 30 days can be found) but for some reason this mess of swirling sounds and growled vocals found it’s way into my ear this month. Of course I recommend their stuff… and acquired off center choice, but that’s my favorite kind.

Supersonic Rocket Ship by The Kinks Yeah I have been on a slight Kinks Kick the last couple of month, blame the Darjeeling Ltd soundtrack and the Southern Culture on the Skids ‘Countrypolitan’ favorites album (where they cover Muswell Hillbilly). This is a jangley pop tune with horns and a slight Americana feel, or in other words another pure pop gem waiting to be re3scured from the deep track vaults.

Sleestack And Yeti by The Darkest Of The Hillside Thickets (http://www.thickets.net/)

Great track from yet another weird album by these Canadian strangeo’s. Driving hard rock with a melodic feel and pop hook. I picked this song because of the title, but it is a solid track anyway. Anyone out there know what a Sleestack is? Or what they are singing about?

Circles by Les Fleur De Lys (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Fleur_de_Lys) One of the best tracks from the Nuggets II comp, a great rave up originally recorded by The Who in their classic period. I am not sure why it grabbed me this time around, but the Nuggets tracks have a way of doing so.

(It's A) Monsters' Holiday by Buck Owens This one is only here because of the fact that I finally got a copy of it by checking the Buck Owens boxset out of the local library. It’s a silly novelty track, and I am not really all that in love with it… but we will see if it grows on me.

So there it is, the last play list of 2007…

My top 25 most played tunes added in 2007 according to iTunes

Iren — Mon, 31 Dec 2007 23:00:45 GMT

Way back at the start of the this year, I set up a playlist that would collect the 25 most played songs that I added to my iTunes in 2007. I did this mostly so that I could look back and see what really caught my ear, and as sort of a companion to my monthly lists of what I had the urge to drop and drag into my play list for each month.

I would love to say that these are really my top songs of the year, but I can’t honestly do that, because some of them were added and played several times early on in the year, while others have been in rotation for the last couple of months.

For instance I suspect that if the A Cool Sound Outta Hell album had been released earlier in the year, more tracks would have been in the top 25 and with more plays. I also have to note that because of my having moved at the end of August from a living and working situation where I had more time to play tunes that the counts for the last couple of months might be skewed, as I have been listening to stuff in the car and not while walking or biking to work on my iPod, and because I live with other people, I am less often finding time to myself where I can just listen to stuff….. and really… what ever.

So here is it the top 25 most completed plays from my computer and iPod of tunes added in 2007..

Cool Sound Outta Hell by Forbidden Dimension from A Cool Sound Outta Hell which I played 20 times

Conquest Train by Hammerlock from Forgotten Range which I played 20 times

Hey by Cocktail Slippers from Mastermind which I played 19 times

A Wolf's Gotta Learn by Forbidden Dimension from A Cool Sound Outta Hell which I played 19 times

Jawbreaker (Love Theme from the Cincinnati Rollergirls) by Pike from...from someone so small which I played 19 times

The Machine Gun Song by Bang Sugar Bang from Thwak Thwak Go Crazy!! which I played 18 times

Follow The Zombies by Bang Sugar Bang from Victory Gin which I played 18 times

Bullshit City by The Chuck Norris Experiment from ...And The Rest Will Follow which I played 18 times

He Went Into Space by The Dagons from Make Us Old which I played 18 times

Hanging On by The Tip Toppers from Flattery - A Tribute To Radio Birdman - Volume 3 which I played 18 times

Engine Engine #9 by Southern Culture On The Skids from Countrypolitan Favorites which I played 17 times

Star Rider by The Charms from Strange Magic which I played 16 times

This Time Tomorrow by The Kinks from Darjeeling Limited Soundtrack which I played 16 times

Love Smiles by The Billy Nayer Show from The American Astronaut which I played 15 times

South of Hideous by Forbidden Dimension from A Cool Sound Outta Hell which I played 15 times

minneapolis by that dog. from Retreat from the Sun which I played 15 times

Chick Habit by April March from Quentin Tarantino's "Death Proof" which I played 14 times

Little Yellow Lemon by Blübird from Una for John which I played 14 times

Atomic Cocktail by The Mortals from Cocktail Companion 7" box which I played 14 times

End Of The World by Zombina & The Skeletones from Death Valley High which I played 14 times

Idaho by Jon Rauhouse from Steel Guitar Heart Attack which I played 13 times

Alley by The Love Me Nots from In Black & White which I played 13 times

Dark City by The Love Me Nots from In Black & White which I played 13 times

Cursed by Miss Treatment from Miss Treatment which I played 13 times

Red Head Walking by Beat Happening from Dreamy which I played 12 times

Thoughts, comments, spare change?

Music that I want for 2008

Iren — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 04:52:16 GMT

I have been trying and trying to compose a rant about the whole top ten list thing... but really, it's not worth my brain power.... and by the way, wanna know which albums and songs I enjoyed most this past year? we I don't either, but there is a handy widget on my mog page that can and will point you to my monthly tune reports....

anyway, I wanted to say something about the music that I am looking forward to in the next year... really aside from the Mark Pickerel album mentioned in my last post, there is the last Hellacopters record to look forward to... but what I really want, and I can't believe that I would even mention it... is a soundtrack for the TV show Pushing Daisies.. Ideally it would have that really cool lounge noir easy listening score, which I just love....

Beyond that I really don't know what I am looking forward to, and I like it that way. I await the adventure of discovering new tunes, bands and music in the new year...

so here is the question... what are you looking forward to?

New Mark Pickere Cody's Dream, in March 2008

Iren — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 14:52:26 GMT

From http://www.bloodshotrecords.com

Mon Dec 17 '07 10:03 am Mark Pickerel's Sophmore Bloodshot Release, Cody's Dream, In-Stores March 4! Inspired by a solitary trip through the South without a working car radio and only his own thoughts to keep him company, Mark Pickerel’s second album for Bloodshot, Cody’s Dream, is a Steinbeckian odyssey through modern America; a tale of throughways and the characters that occupy them. The result: 13 dusty gems flirting with the static-y ghosts of Motown, Tin Pan Alley, classic pop, and soul; dancing across the radio spectrum like a trail of mileposts in the rearview.

Cody’s Dream sees Mark once again back to work with legendary producer Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Screaming Trees, Wedding Present), and a crack team of Northwest music all-star players, including guitarist Johnny Sangster (whose production credits include Mudhoney, The Fucking Eagles, The Briefs), Jim Sangster on bass (Young Fresh Fellows), and drummer Michael Musburger (Supersuckers, Fastbacks, Posies). Other VIPs include Texan guitar slinger, Ian Moore and cellist Barb Hunter (Afghan Whigs, Twilight Singers).

With Mark, it’s about THE VOICE – a sly baritone equally inviting and troubling but as-cool-as-the-other-side-of-the-pillow: a verbal reincarnation of Lee Marvin. Warm whiskey breath on a cold winter’s night. Quite a feat for a guy who made his name as a drummer for such seminal bands as Nirvana, Screaming Trees, and more recent not-too-shabby peers Neko Case, Brandi Carlile, and Mark Lanegan. A lover of touring, Pickerel covered the United States in the past few years, most notably with stellar performances at CMJ, SXSW and a tour with Robyn Hitchcock.

Cody’s Dream is a bold addition to Mark’s impressive canon of work: elegies and testimonials of the places for restless souls and the roads that take them there. So turn the key and head out into the wilderness. You’re not alone.

>

A lot of you know that I am a huge fan of his last album Snake in the Radio which was my album of the year for 2006. I am excited to hear what he has in store for us.

More from the Stickiest List..

Iren — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 17:45:30 GMT

If have been following my mog, lo this year and almost a half I have jabbering away at you, there are two bands that most likely stick out a groups that I keep taking about... Radio Birdman and The Forbidden Dimension..

Well as you know the first Forbidden Dimension record in a decade was released this year so it shouldn't be a shock that I have a stickiest tune of the year entry from that record, the only problem is that there are so many solid tunes on the record that I can' really pick just one, bit forcing myself to do so I am going to have to go with..... A Wolf's Gotta Learn.

I had heard this song before, I have had a lofi Live version from CBC Radio Sonic that was recorded a couple of years back and dug that version... however, with the full band and full studio treatment the song is fuller and more realized. It's everything that us Children of the Dimension look for from the Calgary Madmen, it's got energy, drive, it bops and the lyrics.. well you are going to have to decode them for yourself.. yeah I know I keep going on about these guys, but to me they are that good.

New Rhino Nuggets Boxset....

Iren — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:03:34 GMT

And I don't think that I am going to buy this one... I already have Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From the First Psychedelic Era (which is maybe the best boxset ever issued) and I have Nuggets II: Original Artyfacts From The British Empire And Beyond 1964-1969, not to mention the Children Of Nuggets: Original Artyfacts From The Second Psychedelic Era 1976-1996... Honestly boxsets are kinda a strange creature in the world of music fans.. mostly they these bicks of music, sometimes from one group, or one scene, or in some way just tied together, and often times they get listened to a couple of times and then shelved (they are very good at that).. but honestly of the three sets I have just listed above, I listen to quite a few tracks from them on a pretty regular basis.

The last Rhino boxset was really a book set (which I prefer personally) and I swore that I wasn't going to buy it, The Rockin' Bones set of wild Rockabilly... cause I already had the Loud, Fast and Out of Control set that it replaced, but I ended up buying it after hearing a couple of NPR stories about it...

Now Rhino has a new box...

Love Is the Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970

I have to be honest and say that the San Francisco 60's groups were never my faves. There was a lack of well dirt, grime, anger, toughness and rawness that you found in The Sonics, The Shadows of Knight and of course The MC5 and other guys that blasted out of blue collar locals... on the other hand, that in no way means that there aren't some great tracks on this new boxset.... and who know what the ones that I have yet to hear sound like...... and isn't something like this box a place where you can find new faves... Really there are a lot of great tracks that I don't know I would have every heard if I had not picked up those earlier boxset... War Or Hands Of Time by Masters Apprentices,The Trains by The Nashville Ramblers or It's Cold Outside by The Choir just to name a few... and then there is the fact that the packaging and info books that Rhino put out are top shelf stuff....

anyway, here is the track listing for the new set

Let's Get Together - Dino Valenti I Feel Like I'm Fixin' To Die Rag (EP Version) - Country Joe & The Fish You Were On My Mind - We Five Number One - The Charlatans Can't Come Down - The Warlocks Don't Talk To Strangers - The Beau Brummels Anything - The Vejtables It's No Secret - Jefferson Airplane Johnny Was A Good Boy - The Mystery Trend Free Advice - The Great! Society Mr Jones (A Ballad Of A Thin Man) - The Grass Roots Stranger In A Strange Land - Blackburn & Snow Who Do You Love (Demo Version) - Quicksilver Messenger Service She's My Baby - The Mojo Men Coffee Cup - The Wildflower Live Your Own Life - The Family Tree Fat City - The Sons Of Champlin Human Monkey - The Frantics Bye Bye Bye (Warner Bros. Single Version) - The Tikis Section 43 (EP Version) - Country Joe & The Fish Hello Hello - The Sopwith “Camel” Psychotic Reaction - Count Five Got Love - The Front Line Satisfaction Guaranteed - The Mourning Reign Foolish Woman - The Oxford Circle My Buddy Sin - The Stained Glass Streetcar - The Otherside Suzy Creamcheese - Teddy & His Patches Rubiyat - The Immediate Family Rumors - Syndicate Of Sound Sometimes I Wonder - The Harbinger Complex Want Ad Reader - The New Breed I'm A Good Woman - The Generation No Way Out - The Chocolate Watchband Hey I'm Lost - Butch Engle & The Styx I Love You - People America - Public Nuisance Fly To New York - Country Weather Thing In “E” - The Savage Resurrection Hearts To Cry - Frumious Bandersnatch Alabama Bound - The Charlatans Carl Street - The Mystery Trend Somebody To Love (LP Version) - The Great! Society Superbird - Country Joe & The Fish Two Days 'til Tomorrow - The Beau Brummels Omaha - Moby Grape Up & Down - The Serpent Power The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) - Grateful Dead Codine - Quicksilver Messenger Service Down On Me (Live) - Big Brother & The Holding Company Think Twice - Salvation White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane Roll With It - Steve Miller Band Why Did You Put Me On - Notes From The Underground Underdog - Sly & The Family Stone Summertime Blues - Blue Cheer Glue - The Ace Of Cups Soul Sacrifice - Santana The Bells - The Loading Zone Evil Ways - Santana Red The Sign Post - Fifty Foot Hose Lemonaide Kid - Kak 1982-A - The Sons Of Champlin How Can Miss You When You Won't Go Away - Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks Amphetamine Gazelle - Mad River Quicksilver Girl - Steve Miller Band Revolution - Mother Earth Murder In My Heart For The Judge - Moby Grape Light Your Windows - Quicksilver Messenger Service I'm Drowning - Flamin' Groovies Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Lady - Seatrain White Bird - It's A Beautiful Day Dark Star (Single Version) - Grateful Dead Fool (Single Version) - Blue Cheer Mexico - Jefferson Airplane Mercedes Benz - Janis Joplin Get Together - The Youngbloods

now there are some bands and tunes that I have heard, and there are a few that I might even have from somewhere else... but really I don't know, and I am torn and I guess that I am just going to have to wait and see..... but I surly hope that their next Nuggets set is focused on my stomping grounds.. here's to the next one being a Motorcity proto-punk, psych and garage box...

More Stickiest songs of the year

Iren — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 16:56:29 GMT

For the last couple of months this tune has been stuck in my head. I know that The Kinks are a band that most people know as the 60's hit makers of tunes like You Really Got Me and All of the Day... at least on the surface. They are also one of those bands that people discover and become obsessed with as they search through the so called "Deep Cuts" and discover little gems like this one. Brought to the surface by Wes Anderson for the film The Darjeeling Limited, this tune just has a majesty and passion to it that rings so true. It makes me think of some of my other fave tunes, The Only One's 'Another Girl, Another Planet', Legal Weapon's 'Time Forgot You', and even Willie and Merle's version of 'Poncho and Lefty'. Maybe it's the wistfulness of knowing that everything is hurling forward and that there is change in the air, and it's not going to all be for the best, but it's happening and right now, and I do mean NOW is the time that you have for what ever it is that you are fighting against or for..... and and and.... yeah, I have more to come on my stickiest songs for this year.

Stickiest songs of the year

Iren — Fri, 14 Dec 2007 05:46:58 GMT

I did get a couple of responses to my last monthly playlist, and someone suggested I that say something about the stickiest song of the year. I have to say that one of my faves of this past year, was by the group Blubird, with the song Little Yellow Lemon. There is just something amazing about this song, and their voices, it's just so honest and raw and real and everything that the pop music that is being sold to teenage girls and boys isn't. It makes me think of some of the 90's groups like Frente, Belly and even a little of that dog (and I don't know why) on that one for sure). I really hope these girls stick to their guns and keep on playing and I can wait to see what they are doing 10 years from now.

more to come.

Klondike's North Forty

Iren — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 21:28:25 GMT

Klondike's North Forty [the new side project of Radio Birdman's Chris "Klondike" Masuak] has two MP3's up at myspace that are worth checking out for all of you fans of Hi Energy rock'n'soul fans. I am digging the tracks myself, still unpacking them, but enjoying them.