Young Rival Stays Young & Show # 429

The opening track on Young Rival’s Stay Young is the song “Black Popcorn” a song featuring Young Rival’s classic Garage/Surf riffs and a tambourine filled catchy chorus, however, the song's title is also a perfect way to describe this album. For those of you who don’t know, black popcorn is an actual thing, it grows naturally, is not genetically engineered and is not like average popcorn. Black popcorn is said to have a crunchy texture and rich flavour and this song is the first example of the bands crunchy Garage Rock texture and rich melodies. It is also something that is explored in greater detail as the album progresses. Stay Young is Young Rival’s follow up to their 2010 self-titled debut which was also released on Sonic Unyon. This album was produced by the award winning Jon Drew, who has worked with such artists as Fucked Up, Tokyo Police Club, Arkells, Magneta Lane and many others. It differs from their 2010 release in a few ways: It is the first album recorded by this Hamilton band as a three piece (guitarist Kyle Kuchmey left the group in 2010) and it's catchy as hell. In a recent press release for Stay Young, drummer Noah Fralick said that "With this record, we focused more on the melodic range of our sound while still retaining the grit and feel of our previous records," and that is exactly what this album achieves, the band takes on an almost Power Pop/60s Pop melody dynamic on this release.

“Nothing You Know Well” is the second track on Stay Young, with its climbing basslines and spacious reverb filled guitar riffs, this is a song like many on the album that displays a poignant sense of view at times combined with visual lyrics like “The fireflies are out tonight/and your eyes are burning above the cigarette light”. “Let It Go” starts with a heavy bassline from bassist John Smith, the song structure reflects a mid-period Clash influence not unlike their “Radio Clash” single. It is also layered with the catchy vocals that are a prominent feature of not only this song, but also Stay Young. “I Don’t Care” features intricate drum work from Noah Fralick and jangly Garage rhythms, while “Two Reasons” hits hard with Aron D’Alesio’s guitars and vocals. With its suburban juxtaposing lyrics such as “She came into my house/she broke the couch/she turned on the TV/and then she left the milk out” and “I kissed her on the steps/my hands on her hips/that’s when I found out she picked my pocket for a summer dress”, the song reflects a sharp yet mature point of view lyrically. The music video to this song has also become an internet sensation climbing at above 600,000 views in just ten days on reddit. The video features a variety of unique face paintings of James Kuhn from Michigan, which has gotten a big reaction out of people on the web. James was discovered by bassist John Smith and the rest of the band via his blog. The band collaborated with him for the video and after receiving about twenty five videos of James lip syncing to “Two Reasons”, the results were edited together by bassist John Smith.
 

“Black Is Good” is without a doubt one of the best tracks on Stay Young. It features a stop and start Strokes-like rhythm in the verses with haunting Beach Boys background vocals. The song kicks into high gear in the chorus when the tempo changes and the song takes on a Post-Punk structure not unlike early Iggy Pop. The lyrics to this song are very distinctive as Aron D’Alesio sings about love, as he searches for answers in a drunken epiphany he comes to the conclusion that “Black Is Good” and he’s content where he’s at as he sings in the songs chorus “You’ve always been my love girl/please don’t go/forever this will be the hand/knocking on your door” and the coda “Yes it’s true/I’d rather be in the dark with you/black is good”.

“Lost” is one of the most distinctively different songs found on Stay Young as it shows the band exploring a new creative experimental direction. It resembles The Beatles “Long, Long, Long” and music found on Radiohead’s OK Computer. It shows off Young Rival in top form branching out into a new and different direction. In the About Section of the band’s website, D’Alesio elaborates on the bands branching out on this album: “It opens the aperture as to what you think this band can do. It’s not just like: ‘Oh, they do this. And they do what they do well and that’s all they do,’” says D’Alesio. “It’s to let people know early on we can do a number of different styles within something that still feels like a cohesive effort.”

Other standout tracks on this album are the Rockabilly rhythms of “Better Things To Do”, the nuggets influenced “Valerie”, and “Night Song” which ends the album on mellow note. When the album is over, I can’t help but return to the its beginning track “Black Popcorn.” Like black popcorn, Young Rival grows naturally on Stay Young, not sounding genetically engineered or overproduced, they in essence harness the “Young Rival” sound in which they have become known for and at the same time have grown with a new sense flavour.

Young Rival play FM Lounge in Windsor on November 8th with The Elwins.





The Play List:

1. The Replacements – Raised In The City
2. Fang – The Money Will Roll Right In
3. Foo Fighters – For All The Cows
4. Vivian Girls – Tension
5. Hush Arbors – Fast Asleep 
6. Sonny Boy Williamson – Bring Another Half A Pint
7. The Stems – Rosebud
8. The Elwins – Only Friend
9. Brazilian Money – Aliens Will Arrive
10. Tranzmitors – Jimmy’s At The Mod Shop
11. The Adverts – The Great British Mistake (BBC Session)
12. The Modernettes – Barbra
13. Sex Pistols – Don’t Give Me No Lip Child
14. Gang of Four –Paralyzed
15. Actual Water – The Paisley Orchard
16. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - Vibolux Deluxe
17. Link Wray – Creepy
18. Alex Chilton – I’ve Had It
19. Nirvana – Spank Thru (Live)
20. Ty Segall – Thank God For The Sinners
21. Simply Saucer – Dance The Mutation
22. Young Rival – Two Reasons
23. Young Rival – Nothing You Know Well
24. Young Rival - The Ocean

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 6. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Cramps Human Fly & Show 428

 

In 1979 The Cramps released their Gravest Hits EP, which was a collection of re-worked covers and one original song “Human Fly”, but prior to this EP’s release the band put out two singles in 1978. “Human Fly” was released as the bands second single on Vengeance Records. The Cramps sound introduced elements of Rockabilly, Garage, Surf with a primitive Punk edge and “Human Fly” was the first original composition to display this sound. The song is a reference as were many early Cramps songs to 50’s Horror films, however The Human Fly was also a comic book superhero, what The Cramps did was take the B-Horror movie influence most likely from the 1958 film The Fly and this title “Human Fly” and put their own twisted primitive spin on it. "Human Fly" begins with creepy fly-like guitar rhythms as fuzzy Garage guitars distort in the background via both Poison Ivy Rorschach and Bryan Gregory before the drums of Nick Knox kick in, throughout the song Lux Interior buzzes in and out with his demented Elvis like vocals. The B-side to this track is the song “Domino” which is a Roy Orbison cover. For this song the band swings it into their own with heavy pounding drums and Lux Interior’s erratic vocal delivery.

The songs were recorded by Alex Chilton at Ardent Studios in Memphis, Tennessee in October of 1977, as would be the bands first full length release Songs The Lord Taught Us, which would be released in 1980. The sound of The Cramps has often been called Psychobilly and some fans disagree with this label, they are also listed as Garage Punk too. The bands sound was described in the linear notes to 1979’s Gravest Hits by Dr. J.H. Sasfy, Professor of Rockology, American Rock'n'Roll Institute, Washington D.C., U.S.A. as this: " It is one of first documents of the rockabilly revival genre, and the psychobilly genre. The term "Psychobilly" can actually be traced back to the Johnny Cash song "One Piece At A Time", which was released in 1976 and is the first recorded piece of music to use that term. The Cramps would also use this term on early show posters to advertise their sound, in the process they helped to coin the term and define a genre. This was done inadvertently, Lux Interior has been outspoken about this saying that The Cramps music was just Rock music.

With lyrics like “I got 96 tears and 96 eyes”, “Human Fly” not only conjures up retro Horror movie images, but also pays homage to ? and the Mysterians a Detroit based Garage band who had a hit song called “96 Tears”. In the very same song we find lyrics such as “I got a garbage brain/it’s drivin’ me insane/And I don’t like your ride/so push that pesticide” which can be seen as a metaphor for the time in which The Cramps were releasing this music in the midst of the 70s Punk scene in which they became a fixture in New York. It was something they also built upon in the song “Garbage Man”, although it tended to lean more towards the state of mainstream radio in that song. Compared to the other music at the time, The Cramps along with the 70s Punk scene represented a shift and The Cramps definitely took elements of Rocks past adding the edge of Punk to move forward in their own direction. Not unlike the story told in Johnny Cash's "One Piece At A Time" in which he tells us of putting together a Frankenstein-like car with different stolen parts from car different models, The Cramps pieced together their music from different parts of what makes Rock music great and exciting. Whether it was Surf, Garage, Country, Rockabilly or Punk, The Cramps did this one piece at a time in each song and "Human Fly" is one of the first examples of this.

This Week's Play List:

1. Big Vinny & The Cattle Thieves – Got Me A Monster
2. Queens of The Stone Age – Burn The Witch
3. Torn Down Units – Lost On Ghost Road
4. Unicorns - Tuff Ghost
5. Mudhoney - Halloween
6. Screaming Lord Sutch - She's Fallen In Love With A Monsterman
7. The Cramps - Human Fly
8. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Up Jumped The Devil
9. Siouxsie and the Banshees - Halloween
10. Rotten Tropics – Nightmare Index
11. Deja Voodoo – Phantom Skateboarder
12. Ramones - Pet Semetary (Live)
13. Black Belles – Honky Tonk Horror
14. Cold Warps – Don’t Haunt Me, Ok?
15. Metz - Knife in the Water
16. Indian Wars – Commanche Killer
17. Tom Waits - Temptation
18. Ghost Bikini – Spooks
19. Spooks – Koji Kondo
20. TEENANGER – Frights
21. Fuzztones - She's Wicked
22. The Misfits – 20 Eyes

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 30. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Wire Map Ref 41°N 93°W & Show # 427

Wire’s 1979 single 'Map Ref 41°N 93°W' is perhaps one of the coolest songs written about geography. The song was inspired by travelling through the US and the music reflects that. With its spacious guitar and melodic repetitive bassline, the song sounds like driving or travelling, it has a certain mystical quality to it. As a result it stands out amongst the tracks on 154 which was the album that it was featured on. 154 reflects a more fleshed out Post Punk Pop sound that was first displayed on their 1978 release Chairs Missing on songs such as “Outdoor Miner” and “I Am The Fly”. The songs that make up 154 are different than their previous two albums.  If Pink Flag was barebones Punk with some Garage tendencies, Chairs Missing built upon that sound with more of a New Wave sound adding more melody to the songs, 154 was the culmination of all those releases building on the sparse catchy sounds that they began developing the year before. The bands experimentation with sound and song structure always added to what made their music so interesting, as would be the case with 154. 

If you were to look up the songs actual co-ordinates Map Ref 41°N 93°W you would find Centerville, Iowa, something that was determined by Wire bassist Graham Lewis when writing the lyrics to this song. The song lyrically is a realization based on travelling through the US. Graham Lewis elaborates more in Wire … Everybody Loves A History:

"'Map Ref 41°N 93°W' - There's actually a place called something like Centretown, Iowa. The song is about travelling. I flew from L.A. to New York in 1978 and crossed the mid-west, and it went on and on and on and on. It was just incredible that this grid system was imposed on an enormous stretch of land. The other verse refers to travelling through Holland, by road, seeing all the dykes which is another grid system. 'Curtains undrawn' -- seeing these blocks of flats, like dolls houses with people sitting in them all day with curtains undrawn. It's a travelogue."

When 'Map Ref 41°N 93°W' was released as a single it did not chart. The b-side to this single was the song “Go Ahead” a song that was not featured on the 154 album, it has very foreign sounding guitar rhythms, having an overall almost industrial Joy Division sound.  The lyrics to the song bring up chart positions and media coverage, which could have been influenced by the prevented success of their “Outdoor Miner” single from 1978’s Chairs Missing, the song was prevented from having chart success due to a payola scandal at the time. But returning to the a-side, when listening to the track you can hear its transcendent quality as the chorus hits with the lyrics “Interrupting my train of thought/ Lines of longitude and latitude/ Define and refine my altitude”, one can’t help but think of the lines that intersect in this song. Wire’s longitude and latitudes may have taken many adventures musically and while this singe wasn’t a large success commercially, it displays Wire at their best at that point in time in their career in the centre of their own musical landscape.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Obits – Let Me Dream If I Want To
2. Modern Superstitions – Black Moon
3. Random Variables – High School of My Heart
4. Lou Reed - Romeo & Juliet
5. Built To Spill - Dystopian Dream Girl
6. The Stoves - Can't Slow Down
7. The Zellots - Soldiers
8. The Gruesomes - Leave My Kitten Alone
9. The Fall - Couldn't Get Ahead
10. The Pointed Sticks - The Witch
11. Papermaps – Break
12. Dum Dum Girls – Season In Hell
13. Laughing Clowns – Law of Nature
14. The Vaccines – Bad Mood
15. Wire – Map Ref. 41° N 93° W
16. Pere Ubu - Final Solution
17. Modest Mouse - Cowboy Dan
18. Neil Young - For The Turnstiles
19. Black Lips – The Ballad of Ray Marsh (Outtake)
20. Public Image Limited - Annalisa

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 23. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Iggy Pop Soldier & Show # 426

Iggy Pop’s 1980 album Soldier started off with good intentions, it was set up to be produced by Ex-Stooges guitarist James Williamson who produced Iggy’s 1979 album New Values, another Iggy Pop album that did well in the UK at the time but is still criminally overlooked. When David Bowie came in to assist on some of the production Williamson and Bowie both left the sessions following an argument leaving engineer Pat Moran to pick up where they left off, as a result Soldier is an album that fights hard and stands up to other Iggy Pop releases making a unique and different album from its predecessors. The backing band on this album was a collection of Punk/New Wave musicians they were as Glen Matlock stated in the 2000 re-issue linear notes "Kind of a weird wacky band", but the deck was stacked on this album. Ex-Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock signed up to play bass and also assisted in writing four of the tracks on this album, it also featured Ivan Kral of The Patti Smith Group on guitar/keys, Barry Andrews of XTC on Keyboards, Klaus Kruger on drums (who played on New Values) and Steve New who played with Rich Kids, Generation X and countless New Wave/Punk groups on guitar, and David Bowie and The Simple Minds on one track. The album was recorded in 1979 at Rockfield Studies in Wales.

The album is known for its raw production, but also for its lack of lead guitar featuring primarily acoustic guitars, bass, drums and keyboards on most tracks. Rumour has it that Iggy got along poorly with guitarist Steve New on this album because he apparently punched David Bowie in the face for hitting on his girlfriend, which resulted in most of his guitar parts being taken out in the final mix of the album, adding further to Matlocks statement in the 2000 re-issue linear notes of the band being "weird and wacky". Soldier starts of with the quirky circus sounding keyboard driven rhythm of “Loco Mosquito”. The song starts of with the line “My mommy told me that if I was goody that she would buy me a rubber dolly” an odd line to start off any album with, yet it is a line that reflects what we can come to expect on this album lyrically, lyrics that question. Obviously representing some sort of hope that could have been instilled in a person in their youth if you’re good you’ll get what you want, that one line is a hint of the introspective lyrics that we will find on Soldier. At the time everyone was claiming Iggy Pop was such a huge inspiration with this previous band The Stooges and even with his early solo releases (The Idiot, Lust For Life), but at that point in time Iggy was questioning his make up as an artist what made him, him and reflecting on his past. “Ambition” follows contrasting against what were introduced with from "Loco Mosquito" lyrically and musically. It is a song penned by Glenn Matlock this salty acoustic, bass, drum and keyboard track shows Iggy making a statement with lyrics such as “Ah but my associates/Why they're no more than opiates/Always dragging me down/Dash my hopes to the ground” and ending with the lyrics “So 'till then just press on/Don't lose your grip/Don't lose ambition” letting us know that despite all that has been happening with his music career he will soldier on. “Knocking ‘Em Down (In The City)” follows next with its upbeat electric guitars and lyrics that call for a move forward, another hidden gem on this album.

“Play It Safe” follows next, it is a song that is perhaps a bit darker lyrically and one that questions America’s youth with lyrics “I wanna be a criminal/play it safe”, the song sounds like it could have been on a Berlin-era David Bowie album, it also features David Bowie and The Simple Minds on backing vocals. "Play It Safe" is often stated as a standout track on Soldier. “Dog Food” is an unused Stooges outtake, it features aggressive guitar, hand claps and lyrics that were inspired by according the re-issue linear notes “big housing projects set up in the state where the shops sell lots of dog food - but nobody there was allowed to own a pet!”. “I Need More” follows with more electric guitar, but this is a song which questions the suburban lifestyle, a shopping list of items are listed off in the song, but the one line “I need more mustard/pickle and relish” seems to stand out representing the variety that one craves in the monotonous modern everyday world, but can’t seem to claim. “Take Care Of Me” amongst its soulful basslines and fuzzy electric riffs provides us with lyrics such as “An international garbage man/I've decided that's what I am” and "It's an old story I suppose/A heavy price for a heavy pose" which are further example of the introspective, yet reflective lyrics that are found on this album. The political satire of “I’m A Conservative” with lyrics such as “I like the small black marks on my hand” takes us to the second last song on this album. On this track Iggy questions Conservatism is a dark yet humorous way, not coming off as overtly political. The album ends on a high energy offensive snotty note with the song “I Snub You”. The album was reissued in 2000 with two additional bonus tracks the acoustic “Low Life” and the instrumental New Wave Rock track “Drop A Hook”.

While Soldier is often overlooked, the album (the second of three albums released on Arista Records) has many things going for it that make it different from other Iggy releases. Its lack of electric guitars for the most part, although it does still have plenty of them on the ending tracks are one thing, but it is also a poignant statement which features intelligent and raw imperfections. Taking a look at the albums cover we see a seemingly worn out Iggy Pop in white t-shirt and red covered eye lids, he looks like a tired, worn out zombie more than anything, but as anyone who listens to this album and has followed Iggy Pops career will know the title Soldier represents what Iggy Pop wanted to do amongst all of his difficulties, to soldier on and win his own way.

This week's play list:

1. Fun Things – Lipstick

2. Quinteto Acadademico – Train
3. New Kind of Mambo – Monkey Swing
4. Sonic Reverends – Have Some Mercy!
5. Paradise – Creatures of the Night
6. Cartoons – Vinyl Riot
7. Falklands – It’s Good To See You
8. Blank Generation – Reaction
9. Albert Hammond Jr. – Everyone Gets A Star
10. Divine Fits – What Gets You Alone
11. TV Smith’s Explorers – See Europe
12. The Gerry Alvarez Odyssey – In The Garden
13. Light Bulb Alley – Long Time Coming
14. Os Morgans – Opus
15. Bell Peppers – Rubber Bullets
16. Bell Peppers – Golf Shack
17. The Ghastly Ones - Mysterion
18. Actual Water –Brighton
19. Young Rival - Nothing You Know Too Well
20. Pow Wows – Killing Me
21. Iggy Pop – I Need More
22. Iggy Pop – Ambition

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 16. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Washing Machine Meets Revolution Rock & Show # 425

This Week's was hosted by Clara of CJAM's The Washing Machine, it was a fill-in and she played an interesting mix of Indie Rock and music that you might normally hear on Revolution Rock. Check out these videos and the play list below.

The Bell Peppers "Shore Thing" is a new song by Manchesters Surf combo. They are currently working on new material and this song hasn't even been released yet.

The Adverts were a UK Punk band featuring the song writing talents of TV Smith. This is a performance the band did on Top of The Pops of the song "No Time To Be 21" a song also featured on this week's program.

This Week's Play List:

1. The XX – Chained
2. The Adverts – No Time To Be 21
3. Tame Impala – Lucidity
4. Turbo Fruits – Don’t Like To Fight
5. Teen – Sleep Is Noise
6. The Bell Peppers – Moonlight Heartache
7. Rah Rah – Art And A Wife
8. Bikini Kill – Rebel Girl
9. Stars – Lights Changing Colour
10. The Raveonettes – Downtown
11. DOA – War Hero
12. Classix Nouveau – Is It A Dream
13. Black Flag – Society’s Lease
14. Mystery Machine – Japanese Kids
15. Twin Shadow – At My Heels
16. The Avengers – The American In Me
17. Firehouse – More Famous Quotes
18. Two Hours Traffic – Feel Alright
19. The Stranglers – English Towns
20. Free Kitten – Oh Bondage Up Yours
21. Grizzly Bear – A Simple Answer
22. Animal Collective – Apple Sauce
23. Shonen Knife – Mr. J

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 9. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Cold Warps Slimer & Show # 424

 

In June 2012, Halifax/Ottawa's Cold Warps released their Silmer 7 inch on Fun Dog Records. Via this 7 inch Cold Warps deliver scuzzy catchy melodies in barely over four minutes. Previously the band released two cassettes in EP format, 2009’s Cold Warps and Endless Bummer in 2010, both of the cassettes were put together and released as an LP earlier this year. The bands sound has been described a number of ways but Weird Canada described their sound as: "Brilliant AM radio power-pop that is spot on in so many ways”, on this release the band builds on their already established sounds.

The title track “Slimer” attacks with its razor sharp guitar parts, as it mixes in catchy lo-fi garage pop hooks with an 90s alternative edge. When the chorus kicks in one can’t help but think of the early Halifax sounds of Thrush Hermit and Sloan, lyrically the words “I don’t know what it means” stick in your head like the lime green slime that is portrayed on the singles artwork. “Dream Creepin’” follows next building with its stop and start guitar riffs and deranged lyrics, displaying the bands catchy yet darker lyrics at the same time, but everything is executed in an upbeat fashion. The artwork to the single was brilliantly executed by Yorodeo in a silk screen styled design (available in three different colours). The bright neon colours and cut out eyes of a 70s photo of Mick Jagger are reminiscent of colours we might find in the 90s with their bright colours, yet like unlike the 90s this music and design has all the benefits of the modern age. While the single may be short the lyrics in the first verse of “Slimer” come back to mind “I got you in my head I don’t know what it means”, the songs are catchy, the music is familiar, but difficult to pin down, as this Canadian band mixes its own homebrew for us to taste, and it tastes good.







This Week's Play List:

1. The Oblivians – I’m Not A Sicko, There’s A Plate In My Head
2. Hot Panda – Negative Thinking Patterns
3. TEENANGER – Walking On Eggshells
4. The Action – Down Town Boy
5. Mutts – Half Mile
6. Davey Parker Radio Sound – I Paid For My Baby
7. The Resistors – Never On A Sunday
8. The Vox – Bored of The 80’s
9. Starvin Hungry – Contagious
10. Jesse Pipkin & Band – Work With It
11. Little Sam Davis – Goin’ To New Orleans
12. Johnny Cash – All Over Again
13. Diamond Rugs – 100 Sheets
14. The Strokes – Soma
15. Elk - Flowers
16. The Diodes – Behind Those Eyes
17. Vice Creems – 01-01-01-212
18. Radio Birdman – Burn My Eye 78
19. The Carbonas – Blackout
20. The Hives – My Time Is Coming
21. Magazine – Model Worker
22. The Piranhas - Green Don't Suit Me
23. The True Lovers - Guilty Pleasure #9
24. Ty Segall – Don’t Do It
25. Cold Warps – Slimer
26. Cold Warps – Dream Creepin’

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for October 2. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Chemical Sound Radio Special & Show # 423

 

When talking of albums that were made at Chemical Sound, Sloan’s Navy Blues usually comes to mind. The album was released in 1998 and was the album to feature their breakthrough Canadian hit “Money City Maniacs”, but there were so many factors that added to the studios dynamics and to why people liked it so much. Chemical Sound was known for its vintage sounds and analogue gear and this spoke to artists that wanted to record there. The studio had its beginnings in 1992 with Daryl Smith who worked closely with Ian Blurton, who is a producer/musician, as was Daryl. Ian has been involved in the studios development since its early beginnings, he has recorded numerous albums there with the bands he has been involved with C’MON, Blurtonia, Change of Heart. The two built up not only an array of quality vintage equipment, but also the reputation of the studio. Chemical Sound has produced many albums by artists to name a few Sloan’s Navy Blues, Death From Above 1979’s You’re A Woman, I’m A Machine, and Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven by Godspeed You! Black Emperor.

The second set of owners of the studio were Rudy Rempel and James Heidebrecht, who produced recordings by The Constantines, and Royal City, and in 2006, Dean Marino and Jay Sadlowski took over as owners and operators of the Chemical Sound facility. The studio also moved locations in 2006, the original site of the studio was torn down in order to make way for condominiums. Relocated in Riverdale, Toronto Dean and Jay would produce recordings by artists such as Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, an i-tunes session for The Black Keys, The Schoemberg Fair, C’MON and many others. When they announced they were closing their doors in 2012 this message appeared on their website:

Chemical Sound has been in business for 20 years. Over the years the studio has played host to many important Canadian and International recording artists. Since 2006 Dean and Jay have worked with great bands like The Black Keys, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, Tokyo Police Club, Born Ruffians, C'MON, Sweet Thing, The Elwins, EIMIC, Attack in Black and many many more.

We want to thank everyone who has supported us over the years.

One of the last recordings recorded at Chemical Sound was the Inferior Ghost EP by Papermaps. The EP was recorded at Chemical, but also parts of it were done at Vespa Studios and mixed in what is now Central Audio, a new name for the space that used to be Chemical Sound. The EP represents perseverance through difficult times. Many reasons have been thrown around as to why the studio closed its doors, one being it not being economically viable, but the truth is all things must come to an end at some point. Chemical Sound retired while people still had an interest in it, and at a time where music recording is in a state of transition, the EP literally represents this, it was recorded at two places, one of them being Chemical Sound. It is a rather poignant and fitting release if you consider the EP in that respect.

It is nearly impossible to sum up a studio that for twenty years (from 1992-2012) has had produced so many recordings in a few odd paragraphs. You could say so many things, but the biggest factor that made people return to the studio was the fact that Chemical Sound was always devoted to quality, regardless of the genre of music or band that was recording there and the products spoke for themselves. So when you’re looking through an album and check out to see where it was recorded you can be sure that if it says Chemical Sound, something interesting was done there. I can’t help but return to Sloan’s Navy Blues, which is an album that showed off a different yet exciting side of the band which brought them new successes. But the band also recorded their next album Between The Bridges there as well (it was mixed elsewhere) a fact that few people know without checking out the linear notes, but you can hear it in the sound of the drums on that record. The drum sounds at Chemical were always something of note when considering the studio, they were often referred to as getting really good, if not some of the best drum sounds in Toronto and when you listen to a song such as “Money City Maniacs”, “She Says What She Means”, or even songs by C’MON, Godspeed! You Black Emperor or from any of the albums recorded there, you can hear the room, you can hear the sound of a band playing in that moment when the sound of a band/making music was all that mattered and that’s what you got from Chemical Sound a moment captured and what a great moment it was.

The following interview was done between myself (Dave Konstantino host of Revolution Rock) and Dean Marino and Jay Sadlowski musicians and the owners/operators of Chemical Sound from 2006-2012. We talk of recordings made there, a bit of its history and more.

RR: When did you first hear of Chemical Sound and what was it that interested the both of you about the studio?

D - I was a client. I made my first professional recording there in 2000. I heard that Sloan's Navy Blues was recorded there.

J - I knew about the music that came from the studio, but didn't know about the studio itself till I started talking to Dean about it.

RR: How, why and when did you guys become involved with the recording aspects of Chemical Sound?

D - Both Jay and myself have been recording since we were teenagers (we were in a high school band together). We would rent / steal and borrow equipment to make cassette recordings in our basements or in the music room at school - eventually we graduated from 4-track tape machines to semi pro and then fully pro stuff. After being a client at Chemical for a few years I built up the nerve to ask to intern there. I interned for a few months before they started paying me - all that high school tom foolery and experimentation paid off. I started at the studio in 2003, bought the gear and name in 2005 and we closed in 2012.

RR: Chemical Sound is known for their vintage gear and analog recording techniques, when was Chemical Sound first established as a recording studio and why do you think that the studio put this recording mandate in place to begin with?

D - The studio was established by Daryl Smith in 1992, when analog recording was really the only option - I guess ADATs had been around or a few years, but they were considered sub-standard. The studio just stuck to what worked. They didn't acquire a ProTools rig until 2004! Ian Blurton (Change of Heart, Blurtonia, C'MON) had a lot to do with the gear selection because he was/is heavily into the classic heavy rock sound - he knew what kind of gear works best for that sound. He's the one who tracked down the API console.

J - Yeah, Daryl and Ian really shaped it based on their love of classic records. It's cool. At the time, the 80's, they were really going against the grain in terms of popular sound. A lot of records then were thin and very clean sounding, meanwhile they were building this classic, gritty distorted sound.

RR: Chemical Sound was originally located elsewhere in Toronto for many years. When and why did Chemical Sound switch locations?

D - The location change happened late 2005 early 2006. The original location is now a swank condo.

RR: What are some of your favourite recordings that have come out of Chemical Sound? More specifically, out of all the recordings that you both have worked on which ones are some of your favourites?

D - Black Keys iTunes Session - because it was done so purely, quickly and sounds so good. EIMIC's (Everything is Made in China) first two records, because Jay and myself had full creative production and Tokyo Police Club's Elephant Shell because I made some life-long friends on that gig.

J - Yeah. I like most of the records that came out of Chemical. For sure everything Dean has mentioned. There's really too much to even list, Ruby Coast, Born Ruffians, The Elwins, Dilly Dally... I love all of them! It's been great to be so proud of it. And we've totally made new friends.

RR: Could you both describe a positive recording experience that you have both had during your time working at Chemical Sound?

D - Most of them are positive because you get to witness and aid in someone's creative child being birthed. It's a nice feeling. I really enjoyed meeting and working with Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings - they were some of the nicest people.

J - I liked working with a lot of people: Graham Wright, EIMIC, Eight Bit Tiger, Ian Blurton, Mike Rocha, The Elwins, etc. too many to mention.

RR: Alternatively, do you have any stranger moments that have occurred during your time at Chemical Sound that you remember fondly?

D - Yes, but why name names?

J - There were many strange moments; band members fighting, laughing etc. We once recorded a karaoke version of an opera song in return for some architecture work!.

RR: What do you remember of the first recordings that the both of you have worked on, whether it was in the producing or engineering role?

D - Jay and I made 3 records together with our high school bands. Then we didn't see each other until after university - we just ran into each other randomly. We reconnected and then when I thought about buying the studio I asked Jay to help me out with some sessions. We did our first proper record together, as a team, at old Chemical I think it was Tugnut's album Ode to Pete. Or it could have been a Magneta Lane track.

J - Yeah, either Magneta Lane or Tugnut was the first time we worked together in Chemical. They were both awesome sessions actually. We did do a lot of stuff before that too.

RR: When and why did you guys take over operations at Chemical Sound? Was owning and operating a recording studio something that you both wanted to do?

D - I've always dreamed of doing that - working in a studio. When I was a kid and I listened to records, I would imagine a studio scene, not a concert scene - if you get what I mean.

J - We took over around 2005 - 6. A combination of factors lead to this. The old space was being sold, the owners were making life changes, Dean was working there, we were both recording a lot.

RR: In February 2012, it was announced that Chemical Sound would be closing for good and retiring their name, what was it that led to this decision and now that Chemical Sound is over with do you plan to continue recording bands?

D - I will always produce records (be them my own or with artists I really like). I've got a new studio setup which I'm keeping private. I'm keeping the location a secret because I'm not in the "commercial studio" game anymore. No phones - no website. My new studio is smaller, with a much smaller overhead, but still quite substantial - for example, the live room is 400 sq ft with 12 foot ceilings and I can still record whole bands live off the floor. I share the space with two other bands I'm involved in. My goal is to cherry pick my clients from now on. If people want to work with me, they can write me.

J - There are many reasons why we closed; we just both agreed it was time for us to try other things. We are already working with other projects. Both Dean and I have been recording forever, I don't think that we will ever stop.

RR: What was the last recording to be officially made at Chemical Sound? When was it and what do you remember of that last recording session?

D - I want to say it's the forthcoming Papermaps EP, Inferior Ghost. Most of it was done at Chemical (with the exception of 3 bed tracks) and I mixed it in what used to be the Chemical Sound control room (Now Central Audio). It was strange to work in that room, not being the owner and not using the API console, which was sold to Rogue Studios.

J - Truth is, it took us a while to move out of the space and in that time we did as much recording as we could, so it really depends on what you count as the end.

RR: Chemical Sound is often referred to as a legendary studio from Toronto with a unique no frills recording approach. Do you agree with that statement and what do you think it was that appealed to so many bands to record their music at Chemical Sound?

D - Yes. I agree. Our rates were incredibly inexpensive for what you got in terms of equipment and especially in terms of service. No we were not posh - we had a very "workshop" or "garage" vibe going and we liked it that way. Graham Wright once told me he liked working with us because he didn't feel inhibited, he liked how we didn't scold him for touching the Hammond organ or playing around with gear - we/are were easy-going.

J - We tried to build the studio to be a comfortable place for artists to work. I think most musicians recognized that we were focused on making the best records we could. We built it knowing what it's like as the person being recorded.

RR: Both of you make music on your own and have lots of recording experience, what are your plans for the future, whether that is in music, recording or both?

D - I plan to concentrate on my band, PAPERMAPS and my songwriting and I would like to produce a few records and EP's each year by bands that I admire and respect.

J - I have a new "Jay Sad" record that Dean produced, recorded on tape at Chemical. It's mixed already, and I'm hoping to release it soon. I also have plans to mix and produce a few records. I recently did the music for a web animation for Amnesty International, and I'm working on a record with James Hicken (Wallscenery Demos).

Chemical Sound Play List:

1. Sloan – C’Mon C’Mon (We're Gonna Get Started) - Navy Blues (1998)
2. Invasions – Atlantic Blvd - Magic EP (2009)
3. C'MON – The Messenger – Midnight Is The Answer (2004)
4. Tokyo Police Club – Nursery Academy - Elephant Shell (2008)
5. Born Ruffians – Hummingbird – Red Yellow & Blue (2008)
6. Everything Made In China – 4 – 4 (2007)
7. Godspeed You! Black Emperor – Storm - Lift Your Skinny Fists Like Antennas to Heaven (2000)
8. Jay Sad & Dean Marino - Best Friend - Chemical Demo (2009)
9. EX~PO – Remember (Live At Chemical Sound April 12, 2008) - Central Meaner Street (Bonus Track) (2008)
10. Jay Sad – Krazy – Krazy (2009)
11. The Superfriendz – Absurd Without It – Slide Show (1996)
12. The Inbreds – T.S. Elliot (Youth Mix) – Hilario (1993)
13. Tricky Woo – Fly The Orient – Sometimes I Cry (1999)
14. Death From Above 1979 - Cold War - You're A Woman, I'm A Machine (2004)
15. Orphan Choir - Burning Ash Again- Unwelcome Guests/Orphan Choir split 7 Inch (2008)
16. The Schomberg Fair – Can’t Go Home - Gospel (2009)
17. Graham Wright – No Hard Feelings – Shirts Vs. Skins (2011)
18. Tin Star Orphans – Let You Down – Yonder (2009)
19. The Black Keys – Chop & Change - i-Tunes Session (2010)
20. Suckerpunch – Let’s Get Evil – Carols From The Canyon (1995)
21. Jay Sad & Dean Marino - Waiting For The Man - Chemical Outtake/Demo (2007)
22. Ride Theory - Dead Radio, Love - In This City (2005)
23. Papermaps – There Are Wolves - Inferior Ghost EP (2012)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 25. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Jerry Nolan Take A Chance With Me & Show # 422

 

Jerry Nolan is perhaps best known as being the drummer in The New York Dolls and Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers, he however has been involved in numerous groups and in 1982 he released a one off single. The single was titled Take A Chance With Me, but the song dates back to the mid 70s. After leaving the New York Dolls due to a number of factors, one being the bands lack of direction Jerry Nolan along with Johnny Thunders left the New York Dolls to form a new group, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers. When forming this group in 1975, then known as The Heartbreakers, the band initially featured Richard Hell on bass, eventually Hell left the group and Walter Lure was added as second guitarist and Billy Rath on bass. With this line up The Heartbreakers became Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers. While in The Heartbreakers, Nolan wrote the song “Take A Chance With Me” among others and usually worked with Walter Lure as a song writing partner, before bringing the song to The rest of The Heartbreakers.

While the song was played with Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers the song never made it onto their LAMF studio album, it did however appear on the Live At Max’s Kansas City release. Following the release of LAMF in 1977, Jerry Nolan who was disappointed with the result of the mixes, left the group. He would continue to play off and on with Johnny Thunders as a solo artist and also for Heartbreakers reunions in 1979 and 1984. After relocating to Sweden with his wife in 1982, Jerry recorded the Take A Chance With Me single at Decibel Studios in Stockholm, Sweden. The single featured Jerry on vocals and drums, his backing band was the Teneriffa Cowboys, which featured Michael Thimren on guitar/vocals, Bonne Lofman on guitar/vocals, Sylo Eliason on bass. The recording of Take A Chance With Me also features ex-New York Doll Sylvain Sylvain on keyboards. The b-side to this track was a new track at the time penned by Jerry Nolan called “Pretty Baby”. Both tracks exuded elements of his Proto-Punk, and Heartbreakers sound while also featuring what some say are underlying hints of Power Pop. The single was not only produced by Jerry, but also mixed by him. When released in Sweden it sold poorly, it is now a collectable and greatly sought after. Through out this 1982-1983 period Jerry Nolan also recorded two additional tracks with this line up, the Chuck Berry cover “Havana Moon” which was featured on the Sword – The Best In Scandinavian Rock compilation in 1984, and “Countdown Love” which was released posthumously on a split single with Johnny Thunders in 1997, Jerry Passed away in 1992 shortly after his long time friend Johnny Thunders passed in 1991.

The Take A Chance With Me single represents a short period of time in Jerry Nolan’s music career which initially started in the late 60s. Jerry Nolan is often accredited to the bands he had played with The New York Dolls, Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers as a great drummer, whenever he played and whoever he played with he was always in the pocket, holding the rhythm section down, but he was also a great musician. This single is evidence of this, Jerry had the ability to keep the beat in the background, but when he came to the forefront he could also deliver. Another element of Jerry’s career and those of the Dolls and Heartbreakers was the role of drugs that played in the music. In an interview for Swedish television’s Studio B in 1982, Jerry had this to say on the connection between drugs and music:

"It kinda varies I guess, you know? Some people might look at it as a romantic type of thing where they say wow I guess they’re that good because they’re on drugs. But that is definitely not so, I think that a musician just sticks to his art and spends more time on that then he does on drugs or anything else."

And that’s exactly what he did in his music career, he stuck to his art regardless of all the other factors surrounding the music. Take A Chance With Me represents exactly that statement. It is a short single backed with “Pretty Baby” that serves as an underrated moment in Nolan’s career, where he stuck to his art.

This Week's Play List:

1. Cold Warps – Endless Bummer
2. Thee Oh Sees – Wax Face
3. The Mark Inside – Lime Green Monkeys
4. Eric's Trip - Unnoticed
6. The Vapids - Mikey Was A Punk
7. The Shades – New Clientelle
8. Active Dog – Fun While It Lasts
9. No Fun – Mindless Agreesion
10. New York Dolls - Jet Boy
11. New York Dolls - There Is Gonna Be A Showdown
12. Ry Cooder – Kool-Aid
13. The Black Angels – Black Grease
14. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – The Kid With The Replaceable Head
15. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers - Take A Chance With Me (Demo)
16. The Pack AD - Lights
17. The Idols – You
18. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – I Wanna Be Loved
19. Destroyer - The Sublimation Hour
20. Little Girls - Youth Tunes
21. Wire - It's So Obvious
22. Jerry Nolan – Take A Chance With Me
23. Jerry Nolan – Pretty Baby

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 18. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Inferior Ghost Papermaps Review & Show # 421

 

On August 28th, 2012 Toronto Indie band Papermaps released their Inferior Ghost EP, stylistically the album is a shift, but Papermaps make a natural progression on this EP. The last single released from Papermaps self titled album was the track “Complicate Things”, which can serve as an indication where this EP takes us, metaphorically and musically. It is nearly impossible to discuss this release without mentioning the giant elephant in the room, which leaves us just a sliver of space. In February 2012, Chemical Sound closed its doors for good after twenty years of operation, Dean Marino the lead singer/song writer in Papermaps owned the studio with Jay Sadlowski who is also a musician, they served as the owners, operators, engineers and producers of this studio. The EP represents as it has been stated in some reviews, perseverance through difficult times.

Inferior Ghost starts off with the track “There Are Wolves”, which was also the lead off single for the EP. The song is a gripping attack on the modern world, with lyrics such as “Sometimes I feel like this town didn’t have the patience for me” and “We were just waiting/we were already there” the song builds and sucks in the listener with its catchy hooks and clever arrangements, the song is crafted and produced so well it is not only a great way to start off the EP, but one of the best sounding recordings that the band has produced. “Wait For Me” follows next, it is a moodier and frantic piece featuring strong choruses, the song overwhelms the listener with its synthesizers that linger in the background of the verses as the choruses pick up into a precise rhythm with plodding basslines and guitar riffs. The title track is a slow, yet unrelenting track, the song has a lot of space, with its ringing guitar chords and pulsating basslines it attracts the listener, while lyrics such as “Well you say it is not a just world” and “You’ve got to take what you’ve got and make the most” make you think. It serves as not only the middle point of this six song EP, but also as the shift in the album musically and lyrically as it questions overcoming difficult circumstances weighing the bad with the good.

“Break” is the fourth track found here on this EP starting us off for side two of this EP which was released on vinyl and CD. The song is another change of mood adding more variety to the EP’s dynamics, on this track Marino sings in a voice which sounds almost like Thom Yorke of Radiohead at certain moments. “Nobody Gets It” picks up the pace a bit, it was along with two other tracks (“There Are Wolves” and “Reaction Formation”) recorded half at Chemical Sound in Toronto and half at Vespa Studios, which is also located in Toronto. The EP ends with the song “Reaction Formation” which ends the album on a positive note, the middle section of this song is reminiscent of the band Television with its dual guitar attacks. The song ends the progression of this EP which as stated earlier is about perseverance. Musically the EP is focused, with strong Pop hooks and while this whole EP can be traced back to our Chemical Sound filled elephant friend it can also be applied to just about any situation in life. Inferior Ghost is an EP that everyone can relate to, it lets us know with its meaningful songs, that we can react and move forward in a new and different direction. The title of Papermaps EP may be "Inferior" Ghost, but after one listen you can tell it is everything but.

This Week's Play List:

1. Seven Story Redhead – Last Big Thing
2. Rivals – I Don’t Believe In Ghoulies
3. The Real Kids – She’s Alright
4. Jack-O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers – Sweet Thang
5. Tenessee Ernie Ford – Sixteen Tons
6. Blind Mamie Forehand – Honey In The Rock
7. Jon & The Nightriders – Man of Mystery
8. Fugazi – Waiting Room
9. Dinosaur Jr. – Rude
10. Big Dipper – You’re Not Patsy
11. Learning – Guns Around Here
12. Jimmy Cliff – World Upside Down
13. Lee Scratch Perry & The Upsetters – Return of The Super Ape
14. The Specials – It's Up To You
15. Television – See No Evil
16. Papermaps – Wait For Me
17. Papermaps – Nobody Gets It
18. The Orwells – Halloween All Year
19. Modernettes – Suicide Club
20. Dee Dee Ramone (Ft. Lux Interior) – Bad Horoscope
21. The Sadies - Tiger Tiger
22. Pow Wows – Four Star
23. The Black Lips – I Saw A Ghost (Lean)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 11. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Confessin' The Blues ... The Rolling Stones 12 X 5 & Show # 420

Released in 1964, 12 X 5 was the second album released by The Rolling Stones in America. The album was recorded primarily at the legendary Chess Studios in Chicago and the other tracks were from recording sessions taken from Regent Sound in London. The album had its beginnings from an EP that was originally released in the UK. The EP was entitled Five By Five, but since EP’s did not sell well in the US, the EP was expanded into a twelve track album which resulted in the title 12 X 5, twelve songs by a band made up of five musicians. As a whole, the album exemplified The Rolling Stones early R&B/Blues Rock based sound as well as advancement in their song writing abilities. 12 X 5 featured several original compositions alongside cover songs. There were three Jagger/Richards compositions (“Good Times Bad Times”, “Congratulations”, “Grown Up Wrong”), as well as two tracks (“Empty Heart”, “2120 South Michigan Avenue”) accredited to Nanker Phelge which was a pseudonym used by the band when it was a group composition, it was used from 1963-1965. 12 X 5 was not released in the UK it was instead released separately, on the Five By Five EP, the It’s All Over Now single and in part on the The Rolling Stones No. 2 album. UK and US releases were at the time released with different track listings and titles. US releases were different usually to include charting UK singles in hopes that they would sell better.

The album 12 X 5 starts off with “Around and Around” a song originally by Chuck Berry, while it may not have been the first Chuck Berry song for the band to cover it is often called their best Chuck Berry cover, it had been at the time one of the energetic staples of their live sets. The second track found on this album “Confessin’ The Blues” is a slow Blues groove, along with “Good Times Bad Times”, the album also features the UK hit “It’s All Over Now”, which is a rocked up Soul song originally by Bobby Womack that would reflect the bands future Garage R&B sounds. “Time Is On My Side” is another highlight found on the album, and it was yet another hit in the UK, in the US it was their first top ten single. The version of “Time Is On My Side” differs from the single version, it is referred to as the “organ version”, this version features prominent organ parts as opposed to the other version which features more electric guitar, the song was originally by Jerry Ragovoy, that had been covered by Soul artist Irma Thomas.

In terms of The Rolling Stones original compositions found on this album, many people say that it is the band coming into their own, but that they are not so strong. “Empty Heart” is often attacked, but the song is often overlooked for its endearing qualities, the song features a Bo Diddley tremolo-like rhythm with soulful organ and Blues parts added to it, “Congratulations” is the Stones attempt at an early Pop song, while “Grown Up Wrong” bashes along with an Elmore James influenced slide guitar parts, but it is as with other songs found on this album whether covers or originals, reflections of the bands early influences. To have been recording an album at Chess Studios in Chicago which produced many recordings by artists that had a big influence on the band must have had an impact. In fact there is a song found on the album entitled “2120 South Michigan Avenue”, it is not only a rare instrumental from the band but also the address of the legendary Chess studio.

Lyrically the songs were starting to mark the beginnings of the lyrical subject matter that the band would be known for in the late 60's, "Mother's Little Helper", "Satisfaction", "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?", and "Paint It Black" come to mind, they exposed the underside side of suburban life. And while "Empty Heart" may have seemed like filler to some the lyrics "Empty heart is like an empty life" and the lyrics to "Grown Up Wrong" serve as the embryonic structure that was forming within the band context, as Mick, Keith and co. started to questions the very make up of society. Taking into consideration also that at that point in time in 1964, there were very few bands releasing original material it was not only a huge feat for the band, but also something new at the time.  It should however,also be noted that the bands covers were not just merely replications of the originals, "It's All Over Now" exemplifies this best. They took what they knew and made it their own.

12 X 5 has a certain flow to it, a certain synchronization that can be seen as a representation of the band past and future. While the Chess recordings ooze with Blues and Soul the album progresses to the ender “Suzie Q”, yet another cover song. This song is perhaps an important ender because this rocked up version of the Dale Hawkins song ends the album on a loud note, it has an almost Dave Davies-(of The Kinks) like guitar tone quality. And it may be true that this album was mostly put together from two separate recording sessions done at Chess Studios and Regent Studios, but The Rolling Stones are just starting out here, just starting to break out of the cover song mould and they are advancing their sound with better production techniques than their debut album England's Newest Hitmakers. It would be some time before they released an album having all original songs (that would be 1966’s Aftermath), but The Stones would progress from their Blues and Soul influences into their own brand of R&B Rock, which is still today this day trying to be emulated. 12 X 5 marks the beginning of the Jagger/Richards song writing partnership that would dominate the bands music, not unlike the Lennon/McCartney song writing partnership that would dominate their music, it was a sign of things to come.

This Week's Play List:
1. The Visitors - Living World
2. Teenage Head - Top Down
3. Tranzmitors - Concrete Depression
4. Sebadoh - Gimme Indie Rock
5. Sugar - Changes
6. Dog Day - What She Says
7. Craig Martinson - Heartbeat
8. Woods - Military Madness
9. Swans - The Daughter BringsThe Water
10. The Spooky But Nice - Sun Goes
11. Elk - Flowers
12. The Howlies - Stunned
13. King Khan & The Shrines - (How Can I Keep You) Outta Harms Way
14. Kyuss - Hurricane
15. Japandroids - Evils Sway
16. Wolf Parade - You Are A Runner…
17. Tom Waits - Make It Rain
18. Reigning Sound - Shaw
19. Mystics - Can't Be Happy
20. The Rolling Stones - Confessin' The Blues
21. The Rolling Stones - Empty Heart
22. The Rolling Stones - 2120 South Michigan Avenue
23. Light Bulb Alley - Pepper Spray

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for September 4. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Bell Pepper Hop...An Interview with The Bell Peppers & Show # 419

 

When you hear the word Manchester, Surf music isn’t usually the first thing that you think of, however The Bell Peppers who come from Manchester having been quickly picking up interest via their retro reverb drenched Surf and Rock and Roll sound. Starting out in mid 2011, The Bell Peppers are “a couple of Left handed guys from Manchester who dig Left Handed Guitars, Analogue Recording Equipment and Music from the 1950's and 60's” as stated on their website. Having released two EP’s in 2011 their debut Cooking With Bell Peppers and their three song EP “B Each” which contained Surf versions of Nirvana songs, interest in the band has been well received through their online fan base and locally. Currently all of their music has been made available for free download. Being a two piece band, Dominic Oliver and Miyk Topping would record live drum loops and play guitar over them on stage, more recently they’ve been playing with a variety of drummers evolving to a three piece band.

In August of 2012, The Bell Peppers released their third EP Saved By The Bell Peppers via their bandcamp page online. This four song EP builds on their previous Cooking With Bell Peppers EP adding more range and diversity to their already established sound. The EP starts off with the ramshackle reverb drenched Garage sounds of “Drapes N’ Squares”, the song even features distorted vocals, “Hoofstomp” follows with it’s Duane Eddy and Country influenced dynamics, while “Moonlight Heartache” slows things down a bit with its 50’s Rock and Roll sounds, sounding like a song that you might hear in film Back To The Future when Marty McFly goes back in time to 1955 at his parents high school dance. The final song on the EP “Golf Shack” twists and bends with its Link Wray meets The Ventures riffs leaving us wanting to hear more. Saved By The Bell Peppers displays a familiar yet fresh take on the Surf music and the instrumental Rock and Roll genres, although it doesn't always follow that format.

Check out and download the EP for free:



The following interview was done between myself (Dave Konstantino host of Revolution Rock) and Dom and Miyk of The Bell Peppers. We talk of cooking, Nirvana, Vinyl and Detroit.

RR: What would you describe the sound of your band The Bell Peppers as and when did you start playing as a band?

The sound?

Dom: Raw sassy rhythm & blues with twangy surf guitar and smooth haunted diner doo-wop.

Miyk: Melodic, then what you said.

Dom: Yup melody is key.

Miyk: We started about 18 months ago, innit? Put 1st EP out last May.

Dom: is it? Yeah... and recorded them about a month before that.

RR: How did you come up with the band name The Bell Peppers?

Miyk: I got it from the Simpsons. It's when Homer goes on the bell pepper diet.

Dom: what about the concept cookery album?

Miyk: Oh yeah, haha!

Dom: Explain...

Miyk: 'Cooking With Bell Peppers' was originally meant to be a concept album, where each song would be either a recipe or ingredients to make a meal involving bell peppers and the artwork to the record would be a cookery book, each song would be the length of time required for each stage of the recipe, so you could cook along while listening to the album.....

Miyk: But then I realised that would have been far too time consuming.

Dom: Still, would have been interesting...

Miyk: Also I’m a lousy cook!

Dom: It would have to have massive instrumental breaks where the potatoes are boiling and that... 'Now cook that pasta!' (Into 15 min long guitar solo)

Miyk: Haha! Yeah, would have been at least 4 discs.

RR: What would you say your main influences are musically?

Miyk: The Stooges (even though that doesn't show too much in the music) Link Wray, Bo Diddley, The Beatles, James Brown.

Dom: Duane Eddy, Chuck Berry.

Miyk: Eddie Cochran, pre army Elvis, Ventures, Phil Spector, Dick Dale...

Dom: I also like current underground indie/garage, [Thee] Oh Sees, The Mallard, Sonny and the Sunsets, Triptides, Kitty Daisy and Lewis, we both like them.

Miyk: Yeah, your into new stuff I’m stuck in the past.

Dom: And I love the sleazy Las Vegas grind stuff that they used play in strip clubs in the 50s.

RR: You just released the Saved By The Bell Peppers EP. When and where was this EP recorded and by who?

Miyk: 1956, sun studios, Sam Phillips.

RR: How would you compare the sound of your previous EP Cooking With The Bell Peppers to Saved By The Bell Peppers?

Miyk: One of em is like do do do do do, and t'other is like da da da da do do da da

Dom: First one not got any da. Second one, bit o da in it.

Next?

Miyk: Only 2 songs were written before recording for 1st EP. The rest we just were jamming.

Dom: Both EPs show diversity within a specific era, exploring micro-genres, the second EP just separates a bit more.

Separates the specific styles.

Miyk: 1st EP was like '58 to '62, this one is like '56 - '65.

Dom: Going further forward but also further back. Next one will have some late 20s blues and late 60s psych (maybe).

Miyk: I'm down with that.

RR: What inspired the “B EACH” EP? The Nirvana songs translate so well into your style – was that something you planned or did it just happen?

Miyk: We both started out playing Nirvana songs when we was kids.

Dom: Both of us are huge Nirvana geeks.

Miyk: And cack handed like kurdt, I've got his signature guitars.

Dom: We always have ended up jamming out their tunes when we jam, can't help it.

Miyk: It shows how great a songwriter Cobain was that his music can be interpreted into almost any style and it sounds good e.g.: the battle for Seattle reggae Nirvana covers.

Miyk: The night n day charity gig gave us the idea then peeps said we should record them.

Dom: So the N&D gig was a night where people were getting up doing a set of covers of one particular band, we chose Nirvana.

Miyk: When the greatest hits and complete works box set come out there'll be previously unreleased versions of Neg[ative] Creep and T[erritorial] Pissings.

Dom: 'Bell Peppers from the back of the freezer'

Miyk: Haha! B-sides and rarities.

RR: What are your plans for The Bell Peppers in the future? Do you plan on putting out a full length release?

Dom: Another EP recorded with a 3rd member within the next month and another one after that before the end of the year, that’s the plan.

Miyk:

Tour

groupies

fast cars

private jets

Dom: UK tour, yeah.

Miyk: Nervous breakdown.

Dom: Nice trainers, gold watches. Want it all.

Miyk: Cowboy hats, new boots and suits.

Dom: A 7 inch if we can find the money/backing, full length maybe next year if we pull our finger out.

Miyk: Or more better than that a 10" 78 rpm.

Dom: Are they made of shellac? Shellac breaks easy doesn't it? Be rattling about in the back of the tour van.

Dom: Reet need go and sign on, are we done here?

Miyk: Pretty much, gotta mention how much I bum Detroit music as well. Stooges, MC5, Destroy All Monsters, Motown n shit.

Dom: You mentioned Stooges.

Miyk: I just wanna go to Detroit, find the funhouse in Ann Arbor and soak up some magic.

This Weeks Play List:

1. What Seas What Shores – Siren Radio
2. Papermaps – Reaction Formation
3. Sebadoh - License To Confuse
4. Tame Impala – Elephant
5. Blonds – Magic
6. Dundas – You Can’t Hear Me
7. Jaill – House With Haunting
8. Vic Godard & The Subway Sect – Double Negative
9. Twin Library – Phantoms Run The Factory
10. Wax Mannequin – Black Bells (Reprise)
11. The Cramps – Voodoo Idol
12. Indian Wars – Commanche Killer
13. Atomic 7 - She's Got Haggar Party Slacks
14. Bell Peppers – Drapes N’ Squares
15. Bell Peppers – Moonlight Heartache
16. Thee Oh Sees – Tidal Wave
17. The Standells – Rari
18. The Stooges – Trollin’
19. Lost Patrol – Ghost In The Night
20. Young Rival – Black Is Good
21. John Spencer Blues Explosion – Soul Typecast
22. The Clash – Know Your Rights

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 28. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Users Sick of You & Show # 418

Released in 1977, Sick of You by the UK band The Users was the first of two singles that this band released before splitting up. Coming from Cambridge, their debut single starts with the raw Stooges/New York Dolls sound of “Sick of You”, while the song treads along with this obvious influence it also features a groove not unlike that of early Brian James-era Damned recordings. Lyrically, the song featured plenty of attitude, adhering to the ethos of Punk Rock, this song was also the debut single on the Raw Records label. When it was initially pressed the first 2,500 copies were mastered poorly, as a result there was a second pressing of the single made. The second pressings featured number picture sleeves as opposed to the first pressings, which did not. At the time of this recording, The Users had only played two gigs, the songs were recorded with producer Mike Kemp in March of 1977 along with two other songs “Louie, Louie” and “Message”, both of which wouldn’t be released for sometime until a compilation album of the bands material was released.

The B-side to the single was “I’m In Love With Today”, the song addressed living for the day and not worrying about anything else, with lyrics such as “People always talk about money saved away/ I just wanna spend it I’m in love with today”, the song attacked the standard view of suburban life, it true Rock and Roll style, these lyrics emphasized the live fast lifestyle. Musically the band also had a Garage Punk element featuring the same rawness of a band such as The Troggs, while the bands output may have been short lived it was like the late 70s Punk scene, brief but explosive. What set this band out from many of the other bands at the time was that the band simply did not just apply the same Ramones aesthetic to their music, but added a bit of Proto-Punk/Garage to the music. The Users second single was the Kicks in Style single, which had a little bit better production to the songs, but it did not have the same reckless abandon as their first single.

The Play List:

1. Mach Kung-Fu – Jungle Bandstand
2. Phono-Comb - Grip n' Grin
3. This Machine Kills Robots – Mineshaft
4. Frontiers – Years
5. Modern Superstitions – School Days
6. Rah Rah – Little Poems
7. Flamin’ Grooves – High Flyin’ Baby
8. Lew Lewis – Boogie On The Street
9. Little Junior’s Blue Flames – Mystery Train
10. Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup – My Baby Left Me
11. Lou Reed – Merry Go Round
12. The Yardbirds – Got To Hurry
13. Drums Along The Gardener – Fish
14. The Beaumonts – She Treats Me Right
15. The Dynamics – I’ll Be Standing There
16. The Mokkers - This Boy
17. The Vores – Stress
18. Colleen Green – I Wanna Be Degraded
19. Forgotten Rebels – This Ain’t Hollywood
20. Cellos – Mass Production Scheme
21. The Users – Sick of You
22. The Users – (I’m) In Love With Today
23. Cold Warps – Dream Creepin'

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 21. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Dan Sartain Too Tough To Live & Show # 417

Dan Sartain released the thirteen track album Too Tough To Live in January of 2012, despite being a full length album it clocks in at just over 18 and a half minutes, each song lasting about a minute and a half. Normally known for his Rockabilly, Blues and Garage based offerings, Too Tough To Live offers us something different from Sartain, an album of short, fast and catchy 70s Punk influenced gems.

Recorded in San Francisco, California at Lucky Cat Studios, the album starts off with the song “Nam Vet” which combines Catchy Ramones styled riffs with Sartain’s own blues licks for a track that is part Punk, Part Blues and before you get a change to make up your mind the track ends, something that you will find on this album, brevity of the catchiest variety. “Now Now Now” follows with Jane Wieldlin of The Go Go’s on dual vocals and guitar, “Swap Meet” sounds like it could have been an outtake from Ramones first self titled album, the album also contains Sartain’s own Punk anthem, a track entitled “Fuck Friday”. The song clearly emphasizes an attack on the generic suburban weekend, the song is offensive, catchy and short, complete with distorted Surf styled guitar solo. The album ends with the song “In Death” a song that has more of a groove, reminiscent of songs we’ve come to know from Dan Sartain, featuring predominate handclaps and slow, but Punk like guitar chords in the chorus. Other stand out tracks on this album include “I’m Aware”, “I Wanna Join The Army” and “I Can’t Go Home Now”. Lyrically, the album addresses the monotony of day to day life, the army, Vietnam, getting insurance and more.

While some critics have been quick to jump on this album as another so called “Punk” album that sounds like a Ramones album, it is incorrect to write it off so easily. While on the album Sartain is definitely wearing his Ramones influences on his sleeve the albums title is even a play on Ramones Too Tough To Die album, there is also an underlying Hot Rod Rock style that filters in and out as the album progresses whether it is musically or in the lyrics.  Too Tough To Live is a short energetic adrenaline rush from start to finish, Sartain has always a Punk element in his music and on Too Tough To Live he brings it to the forefront of the music, while his Rockabilly and Blues elements sit in the background, popping up briefly to let us know that they are still there. From looking at the artwork (done by Kelly Keith), which displays a retro 50s Sci-fi look with its Cadillac and flying saucers we know that this album is a little bit different. It may not be what we would have expected from Sartain next, but like his other albums, Too Tough To Live is a great Rock and Roll album.

The Play List:

1. The Polymorphines – Anna Lee
2. Ghost Bikini – Summerheat
3. Actual Water - Pale Ways
4. Cousins – Jules
5. Dik Van Dykes – Lazlo
6. Los Straitjackets – Crime Scene
7. Cartoons – Radio Days
8. Dave Dubois – Death of Trotsky
9. Johnny West – A Puppet playing Possum
10. James OL & The Villains – City of Cards
11. The Doors – Queen of the Highway
12. Long Weekends - At Long Last
13. Wet Hair – Visit The Mirror
14. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – (The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes
15. Nickel Eye – Another Sunny Afternoon
16. Shonen Knife – Welcome To The Rock Club
17. Dan Sartain – I’m Aware
18. Dan Sartain – I Can’t Go Home Now
19. The Love Me Nots – Make Up Your Mind
20. The Lurkers – Ain’t Got A clue
21. The Damned – See Her Tonight
22. The Rezillos - (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures
22. Buzzcocks – Sixteen
23. Modern Lovers – I’m Straight

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 14. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

One Chord Wonders & Show # 416

On April 28th, 1977 The Adverts released their first single One Chord Wonders. The band which was composed of TV Smith who was the vocalist and songwriter in the group, Gaye Advert on bass, Howard Pickup on guitar, and Laurie Driver on drums, had just recently started playing as a band when they formed in 1976, many of them still learning their instruments as they were going along. Playing into the DIY ethic that was birthed in the late 70s Punk scene in the UK, the band caught the attention of Brian James guitarist in The Damned, which resulted in them securing a record deal with Stiff Records and touring dates with The Damned.

The cover art for the single is worth noting. Done in a photocopied/grainy style, not unlike some forms of Pop Art, the cover features Gaye Advert, the groups female bassist who is often viewed as one of the first female Punk icons. It is a simple concept, yet striking, something that is an indication of what you will find when you listen to the songs found on the One Chord Wonders single. Lyrically the song not only addressed the band's limitations in a self deprecating, yet satirical way, but also in a way expressing the opinions of many people at the time, that so called “Punk Rock” bands couldn’t play. While it may have been true that several of the band members couldn’t really play, they had TV Smith with his song writing capabilities to help them stand out from the rest. The song itself did feature more than one chord, but it also contained lyrics such as “I wonder what we’ll play for you tonight, I wonder how you’ll answer when we say we don’t like you go away, come back when you’ve learned to play”, which further emphasized the band and other Punk bands at that period in time. They also re-enforced their and the attitude of Punk with the closing lyrics “We don’t give a damn”. “One Chord Wonders” can be viewed as, and is often viewed as a culturally significant anthem of the times.

The B-side to One Chord Wonders was the song “Quick Step”, a song that was not included on the band's first full length album Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts when released in 1978, “One Chord Wonders” did however appear on the album. “Quick Step” was a song that along with its buzz saw sounding guitar tones, re-established the band's work ethic. Lyrically, as opposed to being self deprecating like "One Chord Wonders", it was a statement of the band's intentions with lyrics such as “I’ll sing the words until I can’t keep the band together no more”, and “Now you see me, now you don’t, pretty soon you’re going to see what Punks can do”. The lyrics to “Quick Step” couldn’t have rung more true. Following this single and the band's full length album Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts, the band released one more full length album Cast of Thousands, then split up. The band lasted from 1976 to 1979, they had a total of seven singles and two full length albums. Their first single is a document of the times, and the two songs combined emphasized TV Smiths intentions as an artist of the past and future because following his Adverts days TV Smith went onto TV Smiths Explorers, The Cheap and to be a solo artist in his own right. Lyrically and musically One Chord Wonders proves that you don't necessarily need to be a technically inclined musician to make a song good.

The Play List:

1. Crystal Swells - P.C.S
3. Monomyth – Transmissions
4. Cream – Rumblin’ and Tumblin’
5. Willie C. Echois – Satellite Stroll
6. Origami Ghosts – Shooting Stars
7. Ramblin’ Ambassadors – Clambake
8. Chad Vangaalen – Can You Believe It?
9. 3 Seconds – Future Shock
10. Gordie Uranus & The Universe – It’s Only Urgent
11. The Libertines – Time For Heroes
12. Papermaps – There Are Wolves
13. Crocodiles – My Surfing Lucifer
14. Wavves – No Hope Kids
15. Hellaluya - Midknives
16. The Spys – Underground
17. Harlem – Mood Ring
18. The Sonics – Psycho (Live)
19. The Hives – Midnight Shifter
20. Sonic's Rendezvous Band – City Slang (Original 1978 Mix)
21. Ramones – I Wanted Everything
22. The Adverts – One Chord Wonders
23. The Adverts – Quick Step

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for August 7. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.