Thee Rum Coves Interview & Show # 566

Describing themselves as “Rock n soul played by punks”, New Zealand’s Thee Rum Coves bring a bounty of guitar riffs made up of part 60s garage rock, soul and 70s punk on their newest self-titled release. The current line-up is made up of Jake Harding on vocals/guitar, Jono Goss (drums), Tomas Marin (guitar), Jimmy Christmas (bass), and Kendall Elise (keys/vocals). Ryan Alderton also plays bass on several of the songs on the band’s full-length. Having roots in the UK and New Zealand, Jake Harding has a long musical history. He has played in several bands such as The Milk Monitors, The Revs and is a founding member of The D4, a New Zealand garage rock group from 2000’s in which he played bass. Jimmy Christmas, who plays bass in Thee Rum Coves was also a founding member and guitarist/vocalist in The D4. Thee Rum Coves opens with “A Simple Little Lie”, a song made up of part 60s garage riffs ala The Yardbirds and part Buzzcocks guitar riffs. Lyrically the song blurs the line between reality and fiction of a rendezvous with words that bounce back and forth between the barrage of drums, guitar and bass. “Baby Please” showcases Harding and Elise’s vocal interplay amongst R&B rave up garage sounds. “Dirty Thief,” foretells “a tale of broken hearts, unrequited hearts and revenge” (as described on the Thee Rum Coves bandcamp page) while echoing the influences of The Sonics, attacking with grittiness similar to “A Simple Little Lie”.

“Time & Time Again” and “Two Strong Arms” convey messages of change, while they revolve with a garage punk sound, leaning heavier on the 60’s side. “Cosmo” stretches out during its almost four-minute length, displaying elements of both a psychedelic nature, watery splashes of surf, R&B bass grooves and a sprawling guitar solos. The song also emphasizes the live nature of the band captured throughout this album, feeling like a mid-set number before “She Waits For Me”. Musically, the song features ethereal guitar, drums and basslines, while vocally this song once again brings forth the dual vocal interplay between Harding and Elise. The lyrics portray darker elements in contrast to vocal harmonies on this album’s seventh track.

The album then picks up again in a voluminous fashion up to the album’s closing track “Nasty Evil Sickness”. This song reverberates with the loose riffs of The Stooges and psychedelic sounds of Love’s “7 and 7 Is”. Whereas Arthur Lee once sung of the growing up and desire for change “sitting in a bottle and pretending that he was in a can”, Harding sings of a different kind of entrapment, a possessive state of mind that may not change. As a bonus track, Thee Rum Coves ends with “GCSB” a song with jagged guitar riffs, smooth bass and splintering lyrics that offer a catch-22 message of be careful what you say. A rum cove is defined as a clever rogue in the 1811 Dictionary of The Vulgar Tongue. For their debut full-length release, Thee Rum Coves wrangle up an album’s worth of songs from their alcove of retro inspired sounds. The songs on Thee Rum Coves will sneak up on you and hit you over the head with their mischievous spirit.

Check out the interview that I did with Jake Harding of Thee Rum Coves:



For more Rum Cove sounds visit Thee Rum Coves bandcamp page.

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. La De Das - How Is The Air Up There?
2. The Small Faces - Whatcha Gonna Do About It (French EP Version)
3. The Clean - Sad Eyed Lady
4. Nap Eyes - The First Night Of The Show
5. Black Mountain - Druganaut
6. Tough Age - The Gutter Lemon
7. The Milk Monitors - Don’t Lean On Me
8. The Revs - Julie Got A Raise
9. The D4 - What U Want
10.Thee Rum Coves - Simple Little Lie

JAKE HARDING OF THEE RUM COVES INTERVIEW

11. Thee Rum Coves - Dirty Thief
12. The MC5 - The Human Being Lawnmower
13. The Gories - Detroit Breakdown
14. Dead Ghosts - That Old Feeling
15. The Northwest Company - Hard To Cry
16. The Kinks - Party Line
17. The Who - Disguises
18. Aron D’Alesio - Diamond Ring
19. The Mighty Swells - Ginchy
20. The Angels - Buckshot
21. The Pointed Sticks - It’s O.K.
22. Devo - Strange Pursuit
23. Damaged Bug - The Mirror
24. The Scavengers - Mysterex (Version 2)
25. The Stooges - Money (That’s What I Want) (Olympic Studio Tapes 1972)
26. Teenanger - Think About It

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 27. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Chris Crossroads, Holly Ruth & Show # 565

Armed with a banjo Chris Crossroads entered CJAM FM on Saturday June 20th. He last visited in November of 2014, which was during the station’s pledge drive. Formerly a resident of Windsor, Ontario, Crossroads originates from Winnipeg, Manitoba and currently resides in Winnipeg. Fresh from an impromptu show with Holly Ruth and The Bindle Band (also from Winnipeg) in Windsor the previous night and an appearance in London, Ontario prior to that, Crossroads appeared in good spirits with Holly Ruth, who also brought her acoustic guitar. Holly played two tracks on acoustic, with Crossroads on banjo accompaniment. She played a rootsy original titled “Little One" and an acoustic rendition of the Jazz standard “Autumn Leaves”. In between a mixed selection of country, garage and surf songs, Crossroads also provided two originals and a greased up version of Johnny Cash’s “One Piece At A Time”. Chris Crossroads will appear at Phog Lounge on Friday June 26th, in a live performance said to have a toxic waste theme. Holly Ruth will appear at Phog Lounge on Tuesday June 30th. To hear the live tracks they performed on the show you can download the program below (link is underneath the playlist).






Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Missing Links - Wild About You
2. Wild Racoon - Next Summer
3. Light Bulb Alley - Wanna Be Loved
4. Pony - Don’t Go
5. Crystal Eyes - The Future
6. Will Currie & The County French - Beuchemin
7. Holly Ruth - Little One (CJAM Session)
8. Holly Ruth - Autumn Leaves (CJAM Session)
9. Warren Zevon - Porcelain Monkey
10. The Carter Family - John Hardy Was A Desperate Little Man
11. Chris Crossroads - Lost In The 13th Dimension (CJAM Session)
12. Chris Crossroads - All In The Family (CJAM Session)
13. Daniel Romano - Hard On You
14. Carl Barat & The Jackals - Summer In The Trenches
15. The Avengers VI - Heartbeat
16. Kathy Lynn & The Playboys - Rock City
17. Chris Crossroads - One Piece At A Time (CJAM Session)
18. Gun Club - Carry Home
19. Talking Heads - Love Goes To A Building On Fire (1975 CBS Studio Demo)
20. Thee Rum Coves - She Waits For Me
21. UJ3RKS - The Locator
22. No Fun - Snog
23. Mick Futures - A Few Pieces
24. The Radiators - Not Too Late
25. Joe Strummer & The Mescaleros - Long Shadow
26. Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard - Missing Ol' Johnny Cash
27. Subway Sect - Double Negative
28. The Only Ones - The Beast
29. The Stems - Running Around
30. The Black Lips - The Lie

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 20. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Thee Oh Sees Mutilator Defeated At Last & Show # 564

In May 2015, Thee Oh Sees emerged with Mutilator Defeated At Last. Adding another release to their ever-expanding discography, this album differs in many ways from 2014’s album Drop. While many reviewers and critics now claim Drop as a misstep in the band’s discography, Mutilator Defeated At Last incorporates several of the elements that were explored on Drop, while at the same time revealing something familiar, yet new sounding. As one of the main vehicles for front man John Dwyer’s rock n’ roll madness, this album features a new band line-up. Tim Hellman joined on bass and Nick Murray on drums in 2014 to support Dwyer for Thee Oh Sees tour behind Drop, they also appear here. In addition to this three piece, Brigid Dawson returns for this album complimenting Dwyer’s vocals with her backing/vocal harmonies as well as Chris Woodhouse, who adds synthesizer, mellotron and percussion. He also continues his working relationship with John Dwyer by recording and mixing this album.

“Web” opens Mutilator Defeated At Last with slow, thunderous bass grooves and guitars that echo with effects and riffs. The song picks up with twisted guitar lines as the bass and drums lock into the groove while John Dwyer sings in hushed whispered tones. As the song comes to a close, guitar riffs sprawl out in combination with synthesizer, introducing listeners to a blend of their heavier and subtle side. “Withered Hand” creeps in with lethargic bass, atmospheric wind sounds and pulsating synthesizer sounds before launching into a fuzzy, scuzz driven onslaught. Lyrics convey a struggle with words such as “Rolling slowly/Face down in the mud/Rolling slowly/With an outstretched withered hand”, that help to add to the band’s medieval imagery that crosses with what seems like elements from a long lost science fiction movie on this album. “Poor Queen” is a more mid-tempo track which tells the tale of a teenage queen who claims to be sick, but one that seems to be looking for acceptance, While “Turned Out Light” brings in lumberous guitar riffs that collide with 60s garage nugget-styled sounds. Brigid Dawson takes lead vocals on this track singing of what seems to be a yearning to break out from monotony and boredom.

“Lupine Ossuary” attacks with the frenetic groove of 2011’s Carrion Crawler/The Dream as ramshackle guitars rumble in-between bass, drums and guitar leads that branch out into territories once explored by Jimmy Page and Jimmi Hendrix. With added Oh Sees intensity, this song also compliments the psychedelic freak out “Lupine Dominus” from 2012’s Putrifiers II. “Sticky Hulks” ventures into places unknown with gravitating basslines, floating synthesizers and shattering guitar shards in this album’s longest track. Along with this track, “Holy Smoke” helps to switch up Mutilator Defeated At Last’s pacing. This track is an acoustic instrumental track, with swelling synthesizers, recalling elements of Dwyer’s early solo acoustic beginnings. In contrast to Thee Oh Sees heavier, thrashier sound exhibited on Mutilator Defeated At Last, “Holy Smoke”, along with “Sticky Hulks” add depth to the album, beyond the grooves of the music.

“Rogue Planet” explores Thee Oh Sees ramped up garage/punk dynamics, recalling elements from Floating Coffin in 2013, while “Planet Doctor” burns with a slow intensity, simmering with psychedelic and prog influences in addition to infectious harmonies by John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson. The lyrics produce a story of a mysterious person or creature that knocks on the door of the doctor that lives at a great palace. Throughout Mutilator Defeated At Last’s nine tracks, Thee Oh Sees dig into a groove so deep that it will burn holes in your speakers. John Dwyer arrives energized with his new incarnation of Thee Oh Sees, who despite having mostly new members still sound like Thee Oh Sees. There is an undeniable sound to Thee Oh Sees, perhaps it is similar to the mysteriously creepy feeling expressed by the sneaky creature knocking on the palace door in the album’s closing track. With Mutilator Defeated At Last, John Dwyer and Thee Oh Sees knock on another door, yielding different results that at times draws a similar effect to the sounds explored on 2013’s Floating Coffin. Regardless of which door the band chooses to venture to, Thee Oh Sees are once again victorious.

Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The Sound Reasons - Till The End Of Time
2. The Haunted - 1-2-5
3. Thee Tsunamis - Trash Talk
4. David Bowie - Let's Spend The Night Together
5. Steely Dan - Monkey In Your Soul
6. Sunset Rubdown - Idiot Heart
7. Dark Glasses - Strange
8. Suicide - Ghostrider
9. The Vaccines - Handsome
10. The Psychedelic Furs - All Of This & Nothing
11. Dot Dash - Rainclouds
12. Tim Ray & A.V. - All Sane
13. Klark Kent - Guerrilla
14. Love - A House Is Not A Motel
15. Middle Sister - Rosasharn
16. The Locusts Have No King - Trench Song
17. Patti Smith - Pumping My Heart
18. Television - The Fire
19. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - You Spin Me Round ’86
20. Les Marinellis - Tarot II
21. X - Devil Doll
22. Motorhead - Live To Win
23. Superchunk - What Do I
24. METZ - Nervous System
25. The Shades - New Clientele
26. The Young Canadians - I Hate Music
27. Wire - Two People In A Room
28. Thee Oh Sees - Rogue Planet
29. Thee Oh Sees - Withered Hand

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for June 13. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Easybeats, Grapefruits and AC/DC - A History Of The Young Brothers & Show # 563

When looking on the back of any AC/DC album that was released up to 1978’s Powerage, you will notice the production credits will read “Produced by Harry Vanda and George Young”. The two have a long musical history together working together in songwriting, producing and in having a connection to AC/DC. Both are perhaps best known for being songwriters and member of the Australian rock band The Easybeats. Influenced by the 60s British Invasion sound, many regard The Easybeats as Australia’s answer to The Beatles. The band released several albums and a string of successful singles throughout their time as a band, which lasted from 1964-1969. The Easybeats had a successful international hit with the song “Friday On My Mind” in 1966. The single was very successful in the US, UK and Australia cracking the Billboard top ten or higher, but the song is also notable for the songwriting credits. Written by George Young and Harry Vanda, this song is one of the many examples of the Vanda/Young songwriting partnership that began in The Easybeats. It was also a partnership that would continue on long after the band broke up at the end of 1969.

George Young is also the older brother of Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC. He would go on to produce the early Bon Scott-era AC/DC albums up to 1978’s Powerage, along with his Easybeats songwriting partner Harry Vanda. They also produced AC/DC’s 1988 album Blow Up Your Video and George produced the band’s 2000 album Stiff Upper Lip on his own. George Young even played bass on some of the band’s early albums and helped out at a few live gigs. Prior to this, however, George Young became involved in a variety of recording projects after The Easybeats disbanded in 1969. George Young also had an elder brother Alexander Young. Alexander stayed in London to pursue musical interests in 1963 when his family decided to immigrate to Australia from Glasgow, Scotland. Changing his name to George Alexander, he would become a member of the band Bobby Patrick Six Pack, touring Germany before forming the band Grapefruit. Another interesting side note, Alexander also played in two other bands Johnny And The Copycats and a band called My Dear Watson.

Alexander was signed as a songwriter with Apple Music Publishing Ltd. (The Beatles label) based on the strength of his song “Lullaby For A Lazy Day”, which was a trippy, psychedelic oriented song originally titled “Sgt. Pepper Circus”. The song would be featured on Grapefruit’s first album Around Grapefruit that was released in 1968. Being the first band signed to the Apple label, The Beatles took an interest in Grapefruit who were reportedly named by John Lennon after a book by Yoko Ono. Lennon & McCartney co-produced the song “Lullaby” and members of the Beatles assisted in recording sessions for Grapefruit when they were starting out. However, their recorded output only lasted from 1967-1969, leaving behind two albums and a handful of singles. Grapefruit’s first album Around Grapefruit was more in the psychedelic, melodic pop direction, while 1969’s Deep Water was more hard rock.

Alexander reconnected with his brother George in 1969 and Alexander along with Harry Vanda and George Young collaborated on and released several recordings under different band names such as Paintbox and Tramp and Haffy’s Whiskey Sour. Grapefruit also recorded one last, one off single “Universal Party/Sha-Sha”. Most notably, Alexander participated in Harry Vanda and George Young’s Marcus Hook Roll Band project. This project not only featured George and Alexander, but it also featured Angus and Malcolm Young in their first studio recording. This can be found on the 1973 album Tales Of Old Grand Daddy, which was reissued in June 2014.

In 1976, a song penned by Alexander Young by was recorded by AC/DC entitled “I’m A Rebel”, but is still as of today unreleased and remains in the vaults. Harry Vanda and George Young in addition to producing records also wrote songs together under a different synth rock outfit entitled Flash And The Pan from 1977-1992, releasing several albums and singles. Currently, Stevie Young (son of Alexander) who filled in for Malcolm on AC/DC’s Canadian tour in 1988 has now replaced Malcolm Young. He is featured on AC/DC’s Rock Or Bust album and is playing with them on their 2015 tour. All of this leads back to the fact that you never know what you will find when on the back of an album cover.





Saturday Night Playlist:

1. The G’s - There’s A Time
2. The Mongols - Sleepwalk
3. Mick Futures - Whatever You Want
4. By Divine Right - The Hill
5. Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Art Star
6. Built To Spill - Another Day
7. The Hives - Early Morning Wake Up Call
8. Grapefruit - Lullaby
9. The Easybeats - She’s So Fine
10. The Easybeats - Friday On My Mind
11. Flash And The Pan - Don’t Vote
12. Flash And The Pan - Early Morning Waking Up Call
13. AC/DC - Dog Eat Dog
14. B.B King - Everyday I Have The Blues (Live at San Quentin 1990)
15. Public Image Limited - Intruder
16. Peter Gabriel - Banging On The Door
17. Jah Wobble, Jaki Liebezeit, Holger Czukay - How Much Are They?
18. Can - Mushroom
19. Super Visas - Jay’s Place
20. Tim Bradford - On The Line
21. Hooded Fang - Graves
22. The Reverb Syndicate - Hello World
23. Chad Vangaalen - Clinically Dead
24. The Vapids - Mikey Was A Punk
25. The Smiths - Sweet And Tender Hooligan
26. Iggy Pop - Family Affair

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