Saturday, December 26, 2020

Revolution Rock: The 2020 Interviews & Show # 862


This year on Revolution Rock, we’ve done more interviews than in any other year of the program. In 2020 the program featured ten different interviews, six audio based interviews that aired on the show and four that were done via email specifically for this website. On this episode we featured highlights (or clips) from each of the audio interviews and music from each of the artists that were interviewed, whether it was for the radio program specifically or for this website. Below you will find some info about these interviews plus the playlist and download links to the episode.

An Interview with Bloodshot Bill (February 2020):


In February 2020 as part of Revolution Rock’s Theme Month based programming we spoke with Montreal musician Bloodshot Bill. Bloodshot Bill plays his own brand of wild rockabilly and 50s rock influenced music. Sometimes operating as a one-man band live and sometimes performing with others, Bloodshot Bill releases music at a prolific pace. In this interview we discussed some of the collaborations that he has done throughout his career with other artists, leather jackets, his guitar, some of the strangest shows he has played, comic books and more. In April 2020, he released Get Loose Or Get Lost on Goner Records and several EPs (Spit On My Rubber (with The Televisionaires), Lost Gems From The Studio Vault Vol 1, Trick & Treat Vol 2, Outta My Head Vol 1 & 2). He also released a Halloween themed song with Mark Sultan as part of The Ding-Dong’s called Blood! Blood! Blood!, is featured on recordings put out by King Khan in 2020, released a rap album by G-Fine, and a compilation album of hard to find European singles called Tattletale Vol 1.

Listen to the full interview here:



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An Interview with Dale & Dom D’Amore of The Nelsons (May 2020):

The Nelsons were a band from Windsor, Ontario. They are often considered the first supergroup in Windsor as they were made up of two parts of the Windsor band The Spy’s (guitarist Dale D’Amore & bassist Joe Desrameux) and two parts of The Hardtops (bassist/vocalist Dom D’Amore & drummer Dave Garrant). The band went through many lineup changes throughout their existence and played live shows frequently in Windsor, London and Detroit, but never officially released any recordings. This exclusive interview was done through Q&A for this website and covers their entire history. One of their unreleased songs “Cub’s Boogie” is featured on the radio show in this post (download/streaming links are below the playlist).



An Interview with Nigel Chapman of Nap Eyes (May 2020):

Halifax band Nap Eyes released their fourth full-length album, Snapshot of a Beginner in March 2020. We spoke with vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Nigel Chapman. Introspection is ever present in the music of Nap Eyes. The music and lyrics of Nap Eyes have a way of identifying with the listener in a personal way, as if the songs are about them. Musically, Nap Eyes have drawn comparisons to bands such as The Velvet Underground, Television, The Clean, Leonard Cohen, this one comes into its own also adding elements of bands such as early Walkmen, Yo La Tengo, and the music of David Berman. Production wise, Snapshot of a Beginner was produced by James Elkington and Jonathan Low at The National’s Long Pond Studio. For most of the band’s recorded output they have recorded live off the floor with minimal to no overdubs. This album differs in that aspect adding additional layers to the production of the Nap Eyes sound. Nap Eyes also released a digital single in 2020 called Snake Oil/Child's Romance.  In this interview Nigel discusses releasing an album in the pandemic, how Nap Eyes formed, and songwriting processes.

Listen to the full interview here:



Find the original post here.

An Interview with Dale D’Amore & Frank Carlone of The Spy’s (June 2020):

The Spy’s first and only single “Underground/Machine Shop” was originally released in 1980 and has since become somewhat legendary. Even after the bands split in 1980, it is still sought after. In the decades that followed, interest in The Spy’s has only grown. They were featured on the Smash The State Volume 2 compilation album in 1994, along with a collection of other early Canadian punk acts. In 2001, a compilation album entitled Original Punk Rock From Canada 1979-1980 was issued on the Incognito label. The album features demos that the band did of six songs in 1979 that were regular features of their live shows, the 1980 single and some live recordings of new songs from the 90s reunion show. Out of print for decades, Ugly Pop Records reissued The Spy’s “Underground/Machine Shop” single in 2012. In November 2020, The Spy’s released their single digitally for the first time on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. The collection also includes six previously unreleased recordings. Guitarist Dale D’Amore and vocalist Frank Carlone did an exclusive Q&A interview for this website that covers their entire history.

Read the full interview/post here.

An Interview with Chris Murdoch (Writer, Musician and Drummer in Souvenir)(July 2020):

Chris Murdoch has been involved in numerous bands in and around the Halifax music scene. Some of his credits include being in Outtacontroller, Word On The Street and Botfly to name a few. Recently Murdoch has been playing drums and writing songs with Souvenir. This band just released an EP entitled Beating Into Dust in February 2020. In June 2020, Montreal based label Pentagon Black released the first of their Pentagon Black Pamphlet Information Series. Black Dots: An Afropunk Primer is an eight-page essay written by Halifax musician, DJ and writer Chris Murdoch. The eight-page essay is somewhere in between a zine and pamphlet that also includes exclusive illustrations done by graphic designer/musician Raymond Biesinger. Inside over the course of 2800 words, Chris Murdoch covers his own experiences being a musician and attending shows in Halifax along with information about when Black first met punk in the UK and US. During the first initial days of the release, orders came in and numbers quickly surpassed the 500 mark. Over 1601 copies of Black Dots: An Afropunk Primer have sold with over $3000 donated to Black Lives Matter Solidarity Fund Nova Scotia. You can still get a copy over at the Pentagon Black website. This exclusive interview was done through Q&A for this website and covers Murdoch’s growing up in Halifax, writing Black Dots: An Afropunk Primer, bands that he has been a part, recorded with and a lot more. Several recordings from bands he has been in are featured on the radio show in this post (download/streaming links are below the playlist).

Read the full interview/post here.

An interview with Jarrett Sampson of Tough Age (September 2020):

Toronto’s Tough Age released their fourth full-length album Which Way Am I? on Mint Records in August 2020. Originally from Vancouver, but located in Toronto since 2015, Tough Age have released what many feel is their strongest album to date. Tough Age is made up of singer/guitarist Jarrett Samson, Penny Clark on bass/vocals and Jesse Locke on drums. Musically the album draws from the sonic textures of indie bands such as The Clean, The Chills, The Bats and other early New Zealand bands on the Flying Nun record label. Recorded once again with producer Peter Woodford (TOPS, Moss Lime, Homeshake, Tess Roby) at The Bottle Garden in Montreal and mixed by Jay Arner, Which Way Am I? is just one of those albums that you can’t really describe why it affects you so much. In this interview Jarrett discusses the recording of Which Way Am I?, comic books, releasing a zine of poems/lyrics, the band Cub and more. Several recordings from this critically acclaimed album and one album outtake (“Waiting Here”) are featured on the radio show in this post (download/streaming links are below the playlist).

Listen to the full interview here:



Find the original post here.

An Interview with Steve Sidoli of Teenanger (October 2020):

Teenanger released their sixth studio album titled Good Time on October 2nd. Put out through Telephone Explosion Records, Good Time is a lean record that wields a large burst of creative energy. The band finds a deeper groove on this record as they lock in on each of the eight tracks that make up Good Time and further expand the post punk wavelengths that they explored on 2017’s Teenager. They do this while still keeping their thought provoking and subversive lyrical subject matter in tact. Produced by drummer Steve Sidoli in their newfound rehearsal space/functional studio named Studio Z and mixed by Sandro Perri, the title of the album may be tongue-in-cheek, it may not. Teenanger’s lyrical subversion and irreverent humour shine through as they harness their creative energies to create a new post punk aesthetic for themselves. In this interview with drummer Steve Sidoli, he discusses the recording of Good Time, how Teenanger has evolved, Nick Cage and Jeff Goldblum movies, the music video for “Romance For Rent” and more.

Listen to the full interview here:



Find the original post here.

A Live Performance and Interview with Johnny West (November 2020):

Johnny West has been making music in Windsor for some time. Usually recording in his home studio, Johnny West has released a prolific amount of music. West releases his music independently, usually on CD and often discusses it through his website.  Some of his critically acclaimed albums include 2008’s Chicken Angel Woman With A Triangle, 2009’s Love Songs For Nihilists, and 2011’s Gift For A Spider to name a few. Johnny West released Year of the Sleepwalk, a 48-song uncompromising, genre bending double album in early 2020. Year of the Sleepwalk spans a wide breadth of eclectic musical genres (folk, blues, jazz, blue grass, bossa nova, shoe gaze) and features several guest/cameo musicians. To coincide with this release, Revolution Rock did a lengthy Q&A for this website covering the album’s history and some of Johnny’s as well. In addition to all of this, Johnny filmed a live performance in his studio that was also shared on this site. This radio show in this post featured two recordings from Year of the Sleepwalk (download/streaming links are below the playlist).

Read the full interview/post here. You will also find the live studio performance here.


An Interview with Michael Lachowski & Vanessa Briscoe Hay of Pylon (November 2020):

Forming in the late 1970s in Athens, Georgia, Pylon were made up of four art students from the University of Georgia. Featuring guitarist Randy Bewley, bassist Michael Lachowski, drummer Curtis Crowe and singer Vanessa Briscoe Hay, Pylon took their brand of danceable post-punk to amazing heights in their initial run from 1979-1983. The original premise of the band was to play a live show in New York once, be featured in New York Rocker magazine and then break up. Fortunately, they stuck around longer than that. In November 2020, New West Records released Pylon Box, comprising the band’s first two albums, a demo tape and selected outtakes, singles and live recordings. Throughout the years, interest in the band has continued. Revolution Rock spoke with bassist Michael Lachowski and vocalist Vanessa Briscoe Hay discussing their recent box set Pylon Box. They also reflect in detail on some moments in the band’s career such as the developments between their albums Gyrate and Chomp, touring with Gang Of Four, how their background in art school influenced the music that they created and more. The radio show in this post features two songs from Pylon Box (download/streaming links are below the playlist).

Listen to the full interview here:



Find the original post here.

An Interview with King Khan (December 2020):

Originally from Montreal, but now residing in Berlin, King Khan has been known for his garage/punk music in bands such as The King Khan & BBQ Show, The Spaceshits, LTD, leading the R&B/soul inspired King Khan & The Shrines and collaborating with many others. Yet another prolific artist interviewed for Revolution Rock in 2020, King Khan released his first ever jazz album, Infinite Ones, at the end of October 2020. The album draws influences from composers such as Alice Coltrane, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Philip Kelan Cohran, Bernard Herrmann, Ennio Morricone, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, John Carpenter and Quincy Jones. It also takes on influences from film noir and old Bollywood films. It also features contributions from members of the Sun Ra Arkestra and Calexico. In this interview King Khan discusses his jazz album, Infinite Ones, he also discusses his current activism causes, creating the Black Power Tarot and how he first met the Sun Ra Arkestra. This episode featured two selections from Infinite Ones and one new song from an upcoming punk album featuring a new band with Khan called The King Khan Unlimited.

Listen to the full interview here:

Show #862:  The 2020 Interviews Playlist:

1.  Bloodshot Bill - Don't Let Go (Get Loose Or Get Lost - Goner Records - 2020)
2.  Bloodshot Bill - A Cheat (Get Loose Or Get Lost - Goner Records - 2020)

BLOODSHOT BILL INTERVIEW CLIP

3.  Bloodshot Bill - Straight To The Moon (Get Loose Or Get Lost - Goner Records - 2020)
4.  The Nelsons - Cubs Boogie (Unreleased)
5.  Nap Eyes - If You Were In Prison (Snapshot of a Beginner - Royal Mountain Records/Jagjaguwar - 2020)

NIGEL CHAPMAN (OF NAP EYES) INTERVIEW CLIP

6.  Nap Eyes - Snake Oil (Snake Oil/Childs Romance - Jagjaguwar - 2020)
7.  Nap Eyes - Dark Link (Snapshot of a Beginner - Royal Mountain Records/Jagjaguwar - 2020)
8.  The Spy's - Underground (Underground/Machine Shop Single - 2020 Remaster)
9.  Souvenir - Promises (Beating Into Dust EP - 2020)
10. Outtacontroller - Mutations (Television Zombies - P. Trash Records/Young Modern/Southpaw Records - 2015)
11. Tough Age - My Life's A Joke & I'm Throwing It Away (Which Way Am I? - Mint Records - 2020)
12. Tough Age - Anti-Anxiety Exercises (Which Way Am I? - Mint Records - 2020)

JARRETT SAMPSON (OF TOUGH AGE) INTERVIEW CLIP

13. Tough Age - Waiting Here (Waiting Here Single - 2020)
14. Teenanger - Good Time (Good Time - Telephone Explosion - 2020)

STEVE SIDOLI (OF TEENANGER) INTERVIEW CLIP

15. Teenanger - Touching Glass (Good Time - Telephone Explosion - 2020)
16. Johnny West - Vector (Year of the Sleepwalk - Tosteestosta Music - 2020)
17. Johnny West - Firecrackers (Year of the Sleepwalk - Tosteestosta Music - 2020)
18. Pylon - Volume (Gyrate - DB Records/New West Records- 1980/2020)

MICHAEL LACHOWSKI & VANESSA BRISCOE HAY (OF PYLON) INTERVIEW CLIP

19. Pylon - Reptiles (Channel One Version) (Pylon Box - New West Records - 2020)
20. King Khan - The World Will Never Know (Infinite Ones - Ernest Jenning Record Co./Khannibalism - 2020)

KING KHAN INTERVIEW CLIP

21. King Khan - A Hard Rain's Gotta Fall  (Infinite Ones - Ernest Jenning Record Co./Khannibalism - 2020)
22. King Khan Unlimited - Pigment Of Your Imagination (Opiate Them Asses - Ernest Jenning Record Co./Khannibalism - 2021)

To hear this program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and click the December 26 file to download/stream the episode.

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