The Replacements Let It Be & Show # 458

In September 1984, The Replacements released their third full length album entitled Let It Be. The album's title is a reference to the album of the same name by The Beatles, however Paul Westerberg has been quoted numerous times about the title's origins and meaning saying that it "was our way of saying that nothing is sacred, that the Beatles were just a damn fine rock & roll band. We seriously were gonna call the next record Let It Bleed." This is no surprise given this Minneapolis bands previous history. Prior to this album's release, The Replacements earlier sound was very fast and Punk oriented. Let It Be built on the sounds that the band first experimented with on 1983’s Hootenanny, an album in which they played other styles of music breaking from the Punk mould that they had been associated with. This album took that differing of styles to another level.

Let It Be opens with the song “I Will Dare”, a Pop song that was originally written by Westerberg on an acoustic guitar, one of the first that was written this way. On this track Westerberg plays a 12 string electric guitar and Mandolin, while R.E.M’s Peter Buck provides the guitar solo, the rest of the band plays along with a certain intensity. With lyrics such as “Ain’t lost yet/So I gotta be a winner” which captures a certain Midwestern angst and a chorus that states “Meet me anyplace or anywhere or anytime/Now, I don’t care/Meet me tonight/If you will dare/I will dare” these lyrics are not only relevant in the context of this album's content, but also Westerberg’s intentions as a songwriter. “Favorite Thing” follows next which sounds like a more up tempo song as Westerberg rants in a Joe Strummer style with lyrics such as “I don’t give a single shit”, this displays the bands Punk attitude, which is still found on this song and through out this album. “We’re Coming Out” starts off with a breakneck Hardcore Punk-like speed and also features a Jazz breakdown, it is followed up by the Punk/Proto Punk “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out".  Lyrically the song references an actual incident with Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson, while it also portrays the band's sense of humour as throughout the song we learn of a doctor that is more interested in his tee times than doing his job.



Alternate front cover photo for Let It Be

“Androgynous” comes in at the opposite end of the musical spectrum following “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out” it is a slow Jazz influenced song, featuring only Westerberg on Piano/Sand blocks and vocals. Lyrically the song is a character study seemingly with lyrics such as “Now, something meets Boy, and something meets Girl”, and “He might be a father, but he sure ain't a dad”, this song proves that Paul Westerberg’s song writing capabilities can be as diverse as going from Punk to Jazz, achieving the same response regardless of genre. “Unsatisfied” is a haunting Folk/Pop-like rant, an anthem for disaffected youth with lyrics such as "Look me in the eye and then tell me/That I'm satisfied/Are you satisfied?...I'm so, I'm so unsatisfied” and “All of the time/Everything you dream of/Is right in front of you/And everything is a lie” Westerberg hits a nerve that taps into the social sub consciousness. Other tracks on this album worth noting are the Hard Rock “Gary’s Got A Boner”, “Sixteen Blue” which features what many fans believe the best guitar solo Bob Stinson had ever recorded and the bitter love song “Answering Machine”, which ends the album.

Overall, Let It Be showcased not only Paul Westerberg’s song writing abilities, which were developing into something other than fast Punk songs. The Replacements as a band and their chemistry is also evident on Let It Be. Bob Mould of Husker Du, another Minneapolis band from that time described The Replacements live shows in The Replacements: All Over But The Shouting: An Oral History by Jim Walsh as this “If you see ten Replacements shows, one of them you’re going to think they’re the greatest that ever walked the face of the earth, and the other nine might degenerate into drunken covers.” That quote is relevant when describing this album. Let It Be has the greatest moments, but also the drunken degenerate ones. From the songs to the now iconic photograph that was taken on the roof of Bob and Tommy Stinson’s mother’s house for the albums front cover, Let It Be captured something that was hard to define, it had something that until this point in 1984 other Replacements albums did not.

This Week's Play List:

1. Human Eye – Alligator Dance
2. Young Benjamins – Less Argue
3. Daniel Romano – He Lets Her Memory Go (Wild)
4. Talking Heads – Psycho Killer (1975 CBS Demo)
5. The Rapture – Caravan
6. Charles De Goal – Synchro
7. Sheep Look Up - Burning
8. Thrush Hermit – French Inhale
9. Syzslak – Turquoise
10. Cold Warps – Hole In My Head
11. The Vondells – Go Go Gone
12. The Vondells – 2 Tone Blue
13. The Zeros – Beat Your Heart Out
14. The Basements – I Don’t Want you No More
15. Raised By Weeds – Here’s A Story
16. The Replacements – I Will Dare
17. The Replacements - Favorite Thing
18. The Replacements – Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out
19. The Replacements – Unsatisfied
20. The D4 – Invader Ace
21. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – Reverse Shark Attack

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

The Doors Ray Manzarek (1939-2013) & Show # 457

 

Ray Manzarek best known as a musician in The Doors passed away on May 20th, 2013 due to complications with cancer at the age of 74. Ray played keyboards in The Doors and was also a founding member of the group. The Doors never had a bass player with the exception of some tracks on their studio albums, when playing live Ray would cover the bass and keyboard parts at the same time playing bass parts on a Fender Rhoades Piano as well as providing occasional back up vocals. Ray met Jim Morrison at UCLA Film school and then met up with him later on after graduating in a chance encounter at Venice Beach in California. The two decided to form a band after Manzarek heard Morrison’s lyrics to what was to become “Moonlight Drive”. They later recruited guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore to form The Doors. Some of the bands early influences were very Garage Rock influenced most notably citing Van Morrison’s Them as an influence. The bands sound featured many characteristics of the Garage Rock genre from the 60s along with many elements of Psychedelic music. The Doors went on to release six full length albums before Jim Morrison’s death which was in 1971. The band continued as a trio before splitting up in 1973.

In addition to being a musician in The Doors, Ray played in another group called Nite City releasing two albums one in 1977, another in 1978. Ray was also a music producer, he produced the LA Punk band X’s first album entitled Los Angeles, he was also an author, film maker and solo artist. The Doors influence would become massive even inspiring The Stooges in their early days, they were initially known as The Psychedelic Stooges. Along with Jim Morrison and the other members of this band, The Doors would go on to become a highly influential and iconic band in Rock and Roll music history.

The following video is from a performance on The Smothers Brothers Show from 1968.



This Week's Play List:

1. The Orbits – My Rosa Lee
2. The Rumblers – Surf Rat
3. The New Dimensions – Bongo Shutdown
4. This Machine Kills Robots – The Seaward
5. The Driving Beats – Beach Girls
6. The Gories – On The Run
7. The Band – Helpless
8. Kurt Vile – Snowflakes Are Dancing
9. Big Surf – Stoker
10. Link Wray – Green Hornet
11. The Doors – Wild Child
12. Iggy & The Stooges – Job
13. The Obits – The City Is Dead
14. Decades – Tonight Again
15. Pluto – Thirsty
16. Active Dog – Rat Race
17. Bureaucrats – Feel The Pain
18. The Exploding Hearts – Modern Kicks
19. Thee Oh Sees – Devil Again
20. Mystics – Get Away (Demo)
21 Young Rival - T-Shirt And Shorts
22. Sex Pistols – Holidays In The Sun
23. The Clash – Overpowered By Funk

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

Wavves Afraid of Heights & Show # 456

Wavves started as a recording project by Nathan Williams in 2008. The band put out some early recordings and two full length albums (Wavves in 2008 and Wavvves in 2009) on Fat Possum Records, the band then gained recognition. In 2010, they released their third full length album, a well received album by critics in which the band brought in more of a 90s Rock influence, serving as a different sound album sonically than their first two full length albums which leaned to the Lo-Fi scuzzy realm of production. With 2013’s Afraid of Heights, Wavves now Nathan Williams with bassist Stephen Pope (formerly bassist with Jay Reatard) expand their sound once again sonically working with producer John Hill who has worked with artists such as Nas, Santogold, M.I.A, but don’t let that scare you away from this album it still sounds like a Wavves album.

Afraid of Heights still has reflections of the bands previous sounds and influences, while at the same time new elements have been added to the bands already established sound. The bands brand of slacker Stoner Rock themed songs are still evident here, but they also branch out into other lyrical subject matter such as cops, paranoia and insomnia. “Sail To The Sun” opens the album in a fashion similar to songs found on 2010’s King Of The Beach addressing the same slacker subject matter that they have been known for with lyrics such as “I’m gonna pick you up in my arms/Give you all of my love/Soon enough it flies by/First we gotta get high and sail to the sun”, while at the same time having characteristically darker lyrics “We’ll all die along/Just as we lived”. “Demons To Lean On” comes in next another song that along with “Sail To The Sun” was released prior to the album for fans to hear. This song has echoes of Nirvana circa 1991, while at the same time retaining something else, like all Wavves songs do that makes them sound influenced by the 90s and different at the same time. Some of the different directions Wavves takes on this album are best exemplified in songs such as the fuzzy Psychedelics of “Mystics”, the acoustic and bass heavy “Dog” “Everything’s My Fault” and “I Can’t Dream” which ends the album in a full circle fashion. On “I Can’t Dream” the song features Lo-Fi elements which the band first displayed on their first two full length albums, at the same time it shows their new sense of direction as the song picks up.

“That’s On Me” is an example of John Hill’s production expanding Wavves usual Lo-Fi sound with his production abilities. The album has several songs that lean more to the bands Punk influences this can be heard on songs such as “Paranoid”, “Cop” and “Beat Me Up”, while it also mixes in their Pop and Surf influences. There is a line in the song “Lunge Forward” that goes “None of you will ever understand me/None of you will ever understand/Lunge forward”, which exemplifies the bands intentions on this album, if you didn’t pick that up from the title. Williams doesn’t need to explain himself, he just needs to do his own thing. This album still has Williams self deprecating, caustic, dark and at times satirical lyrical depth, it ventures into new valleys in terms of production and musical experimentation. Afraid of Heights exemplifies Wavves attempt to take their Lo-Fi scuzzy, Surf, Grunge sounds to new heights beyond their humble Lo-Fi beginnings, even if that frightens some people.

This Week's Play List:

1. Guided By Voices – Crybaby 4 Star Hotel
2. The Flaming Lips – Butterfly, How Long It Takes To Die
3. The Thermals – Where I Stand
4. Mudhoney - I Don`t Remember You
5. Jay Sad – Home
6. The Highest Order – Sacred Team
7. Timbre Timbre – Demon Host
8. Mikal Cronin – Better Man
9. King Khan – Strange Way
10. Hank Davis – One Way
11. The Cramps – Domino
12. Actual Water – Dandelion Sun
13. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – What Have I Become
14. Light Bulb Alley – Long Time Coming
15. The Vores – Forget That Guy
16. The Misfits – Return Of The Fly
17. Wavves – Sail To The Sun
18. Wavves – Paranoid
19. The Oblivians – I’ll Be Gone
20. Paul Jacobs – Kitchen Floor
21. The Black Lips – Cruising
22. The Vibrators – Judy Says (Knock You In The Head)
23. Devo - Come Back Jonee (Live Minneapolis, 1978)

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

White Stripes Elephant ... Ten Years Later & Show # 455

It is hard to believe that it has been ten years since Detroit’s The White Stripes released their fourth full length album Elephant. The year 2003 was a very different time, in the midst of the Garage Rock revival bands, The White Stripes had been making their brand of Garage Rock, blended with elements of Blues, Folk and Country since 1997, releasing several singles and three full length albums prior to this. The album played into the bands gimmick, two piece band donned in red, white and black colours, and the obssession with the number three. All of these things can be seen in the artwork for this album from the number three's on the back of the album to the front cover in which Jack and Meg site atop a trunk, making out an actual elephant shape. For Elephant, The White Stripes headed to London in the UK and recorded all but one track (“I Just Don’t Know What To Do With Myself”) at Toe-Rag Studios with Liam Watson in the engineering seat and Jack White in the producing seat.

Elephant was recorded in a two week period in April of 2002 to eight track tape, using vintage recording gear that pre-dated The Beatles, no computers were involved for this albums recording process. During the two week time The White Stripes would record what would be their major label debut on V2 and also an album that would change their status as a band forever. The album opens with the chart topping hit “Seven Nation Army”, a song that was reportedly written at a sound check and attacked with its bass-like, drum/guitar dynamic. What most people at the time didn’t know is while it sounds like bass in the verses it was actually a guitar run through an octave pedal, an effect that fooled many. The song is most notable for its simple structure has a title that dates back to White’s childhood. “Seven Nation Army” is what Jack thought the Salvation Army sign said as a kid. With lyrics such as “I’m gonna fight ‘em off/A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back” White starts off the album with a new sense of anger that was previously not as evident on 2001’s White Blood Cells, while at the same time referencing the difficulty the band had in the past and determination to persevere in the present.

Elephant also had songs referencing Whites early Punk influences “Black Math”, “Hypnotize”, “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine”, his Pop influences “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart”, “You’ve Got Her In Her Pocket” which along with “Well It’s True That We Love One Another” reflect Country/Folk influences, and there are also elements of Jack White’s Delta Blues influence that runs deep through out the album. Other stand out tracks include the other successful hit “The Hardest Button To Button” a driving Garage Drum/Guitar combination, utilizing the same guitar octave pedal effect as “Seven Nation Army” and is a song as Jack White has stated about “a child trying to find his place in a dysfunctional family when a new baby comes”. "Ball and Biscuit” is the closest that the band ever got to a “Bar Room Blues” track, clocking in at over seven minutes the song features heavy hitting drums by Meg White several distorted guitar solos and breakdowns. Lyrically the song tells a Folk-like tale of the seventh son, a common theme in American Folklore, and also referencing Jack White’s own history as he was the seventh son in his family. The title references the characters drug problem the “ball” being Cocaine and the “biscuit” being MDMA.

Of the Punk/Garage themed tracks “Girl, You Have No Faith In Medicine” could be best described by one of the songs lyrics “Give me a sugar pill and watch me just rattle down the street”, as the song rattles in a frantic Garage stupor. “Little Acorns” is a peculiar song that starts off with an introduction from Mort Crim a news anchor from Detroit news television. The song builds from the intro with piano to loads of feedback not unlike sounds heard on Nirvana’s In Utero. Lyrically the song tells how a girl figured out how to solve her own life problems by watching a squirrel storing acorns for the winter. By breaking her problems into small pieces she figures out that she can carry her problems in small pieces one at a time, just like little acorns.

Overall, Elephant built on many of the sounds The White Stripes had been creating, picking up from where 2001’s White Blood Cells left off. Lyrically the album is loosely based on as stated in the linear notes the “death of the American sweetheart”, musically the album proves Jack White’s song writing abilities are nothing to scoff at. Whether a delicate Pop song like “I Want To Be The Boy To Warm Your Mother’s Heart” or the 70s Garage Punk of “Black Math”, “Hypnotize” or the dynamic feedback frenzy of “Little Acorns” to the Country/Folk of “Well It’s True That We Love One Another”, Elephant carried its own weight. Prior to its release The White Stripes were talked about, but were always the elephant in the room so to speak that nobody addressed in any large scale means. Following Elephant’s release in April 2003, they were no longer the elephant in the room that no one was addressing, they overtook the room and became the only topic of conversation.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Nils – Tuesday High
2. The Smugglers – I Need A Vacation
3. DMZ – Baby Boom
4. Zona 84 – Estan Buscandrome
5. The Count Five – They’re Gonna Get You
6. The Stomach Mouths – Don’t Mess With My Mind
7. The Sonics – Wake Me, Shake Me
8. The Vibrants – Wildfire
9. The Golden Hands Before God – Oh No
10. The Scenics – Oh Boy
11. Brother Dan’s All Stars – Eastern Organ
12. Bob Marley & The Wailers – Midnight Ravers
13. Public Imaged Limited – Albatross
14. Gang of Four – Armalite Rifle
15. Sloan – Bully
16. Sloan – Gimme Sopor
17. The Damned – Melody Lee (BBC Session)
18. Young Rival – Time
19. Thee Oh Sees – Minotaur
20. White Stripes – Hypnotize
21. White Stripes – Little Acorns
22. White Stripes - Well It's True That We Love One Another

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

Indian Wars Interview & Show # 454

Indian Wars first released their If You Want Me EP in 2010 on Bachelor Records. The EP reflected a gritty Garage Rock influence drawing influences from bands such as Jacuzzi boys and Demon Claws, however there were underlying Roots Rock influences on tracks such as “Just Can’t Get Along With You” and “Carol Anne”. This Vancouver, BC band consists of brothers Dave and John McMartin, Dave on guitar and John drums, Brad Felotick on vocals/bass and Fraser With on guitar. Craig Pettman was added on keys/slide guitar during the recording process of the bands debut full length album Walk Around The Park.

Released in April 2011 Walk Around The Park brought in an interesting array of influences such as The Band, George Jones and Dead Ghosts (another Vancouver Garage Punk band). The combination proved for a an interesting blend of Garage Rock and Country with tracks such as “Old Hotel”, “20,000 Cans”, “Bullfrog”, “Won’t Do A Thing”, their influences are diverse and at times hybridic. Lyrically and musically the album conjures up images and stories that are reminiscent of songs once heard by artists such as Johnny Cash and Neil Young, with a dash of Garage Rock and Punk mentality for good measure. This album further developed Indian Wars Folk-like story telling abilities in their songs which are told vividly amongst their brand of Roots Rock and Garage musical arrangements.

Following a tour in which the band supported their 2011 release Walk Around The Park, Indian Wars convened in the late night hours in The Hive studio in Burnaby, BC to record a ten track follow up. The album was recorded in a live setting with very few overdubs to capture the band in their element, the result is the album entitled Song From The North. On this release the band once again flexes their Country, Folk, Garage/Punk sounds, you can hear the bands deep American Roots influence in the grooves of each track on Songs From The North. You can hear the influence of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Lynyrd Skynyrd, CCR among the other sounds they bring to the table, as a whole Songs From The North has several interesting moments for even the casual listener. The album starts off with “There And Back Again” a quick countrified Garage track complete with harmonica and Brad Felotick’s rich vocal style. The song also features reflective Folk-like lyrics such as “Watch the leaves fall from the trees/Dance around to the wind/Rolling round and around/There and back again” which brings up images reminiscent of ones that made us love Indian Wars so much on Walk Around The Park, “Mississippi” is a haunting song, “Denny” attacks listeners with its Garage/Punk rhythms as we learn the cautionary tale of a burnout. Other stand out tracks include “Windshield Wiper Blues”, “Wastin’ Time” and “Who Needs A Girl Like You” which reflects a Bob Dylan circa 1965 sound.

There is a line in the second song on Songs From The North “Sweetheart of the North”, “Sweetheart these songs about the South are sung for you/They are sung from a Northerner's point of view/It's so hard to see beyond this old garage”. On this album Indian Wars show that they are more than capable of seeing beyond the old garage that dons the albums back cover. The wooden duck decoy on the albums front cover proves to be rather fitting to Indian Wars. While duck decoys are still being made, they are now made from plastic and no longer crafted and carved from wood as they were for centuries. Indian Wars music still harnesses the vintage and unique sounds of the musical influences that the band draws from, they do not align themselves with the mainstream mould of the plastic duck decoy bands of today found in the mainstream. As we move further into the digital age, Indian Wars prove that music crafted from real musicians playing together is still the best form of Rock and Roll music.

Listen to the interview I did on today's program with Dave McMartin of the band Indian Wars here:



The Play List:

1. The Migs – Fuzzy Sun
2. Allah Las – Catamaran
3. Dead Ghosts – Roky Said
4. High Drops – Street Girl
5. Generation X – Valley of the Dolls
6. The Modernettes – Confidential
7. Indian Wars - There And Back Again

DAVE McMARTIN (OF INDIAN WARS) INTERVIEW

8. Indian Wars – Mississippi
9. Indian Wars – Denny
10. Painted Ship – Little White Lies
11. The Bell Peppers – Hokey Cokey
12. The Teardrops - Meet The Teardrops
13. The Plot To Blow Up The Eiffel Tower - Saviours & Suckers
14. The Pointed Sticks - New Ways
15. Pink Mountaintops - Can You Do That Dance?
16. The Velvet Underground – Guess I’m Falling In Love (Instrumental)
17. The Velvet Underground – I’m Set Free
18. Tiki Tones – Sneaky Tiki
19. Link Wray – Hang On
20. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – Drop Dead Baby

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

Thee Oh Sees Floating Coffin & Show # 453

San Francisco’s Thee Oh Sees released what is considered their seven full length album, Floating Coffin on April 16th, 2013. Thee Oh Sees have a very prolific past stemming from front man John Dwyer, some reviews stating Floating Coffin is the bands twelfth studio output when including the rare and early releases in the bands history. Since about 2008 to the present Thee Oh Sees have been bringing their prolific brand of Punk, Psychedelic and Garage sounds to us releasing at least one album a year since then. Prior to that the band had roots in Folk and other related sub genres. For this release the band adopts a heavier sound, while lyrically the band seems to venture into the darker land of fantasy, with song titles such as “I Come From The Mountain”, Minotaur”, and “Maze Fancier” it’s not hard to see that development.

Floating Coffin starts off with the song “I Come From The Mountain”, a song that attacks with the jangly Garage rhythms, stop and start riffs and falsetto vocal duality from John Dwyer and Brigid Dawson. With lyrics like “I come from the mountain/I return again” Dwyer starts off the album with a duality lyrically and musically, one relating to the picture that he paints with this album and two with the return of another album by Thee Oh Sees that’s just as strong, if not stronger than their previous releases. “Toe Cutter – Thumb Buster” follows as the second track, with its sludgy, fuzzy goodness, it hits with a new kind of heaviness, something this album explores. The title track “Floating Coffin” is a raving, super fast episode sounding like a new kind of madness, before the echo and reverb filled guitar/keys come in.

“No Spell” exemplifies more space and dynamics, giving the album a good variety and change of pace after the first three tracks, “Maze Fancier” has dual guitar parts not unlike some elements of early Thin Lizzy while the bass and drums throb with scratchy Garage rhythms. “Tunnel Time” has catchy choruses, fuzzed out Garage guitars and elements of sounds found on 2011’s Carrion Crawler/The Dream release, while the last track on the album “Minotaur” ends the album on a different note. “Minotaur” is a sombre Psychedelic song with rich cello parts and Pop elements, however the song comes off in a delicate gritty fashion. With lyrics like “Men get sick at their work/Each and everyday/There ain’t no cure but to stay/ Stay home today/Go to the beach instead”, the song hits home with something many people can relate to, but also reminds us of some of the bands earlier work in some respects.

With Floating Coffin the band may have gotten heavier musically, but they also show off a dynamism which lyrically can bring us back to elements of the bands earlier Folk based work. Musically the album mixes in elements of Carrion Crawler/The Dream even drawing some comparisons to sounds on 2008's The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending A Night In. It also adds more of a jam element extending the songs and bringing more Psychedelic and Pop elements. With so many releases coming out, it would be easy for someone to say that this album sounds just like the others that Thee Oh Sees have been releasing, it is similar in some respects, but it also shows a new development in the bands dynamic. The band builds on their already established sounds while still sounding fresh. The title of the album may be Floating Coffin, but with this release Thee Oh Sees show that the end for this prolific band is not near, it’s not even close.

This Week's Play List:

1. Pow Wows – First World Rag
2. The Auras – Top Notch Surfer Girl
3. Deep Space Cowboys – Dreaming In Space
4. The Vaselines – Roaster
5. Hooded Fang - Ode To Subterrania
6. Ramones - Judy Is A Punk
7. Ramones - Chainsaw
8. The Strokes – Welcome To Japan
9. Fire Engines – Discord
10. The Smiths – Rusholine Ruffians (John Peel Session August 1984)
11. Jay Sad – Good Health
12. Fruit Tones – Coconut Shy
13. Pink Teens – Flying Colors All The Way
14. The Cinch – Get Up & Get Out
15. Teenage Head with Marky Ramone – Full Time Fool
16. Forgotten Rebels – It Won’t Be Long
17. Subway Sect – Don’t Split It (John Peel Session 1977)
18. The Prefects – Escort Girls
19. The Troggs – Your Love
20. Black Angels – War On Holiday
21. Young Rival – Black Popcorn
22. Thee Oh Sees – I Come From The Mountain
23. Thee Oh Sees – Tunnel Time

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

Mudhoney's Vanishing Point & Show # 452

Mudhoney released Vanishing Point their ninth full length album on April 4th, 2013 via Sub Pop Records. The band has come a long way from 1988’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, however this new album builds on some of the bands earlier sounds and influences, while at the same time bringing in elements of 2008’s The Lucky Ones and their 2000 era sound, featuring more Stooges based freak out instrumentation. Lyrically, vocalist Mark Arm sharply hones his lyrics in a humorous, wit filled style, the kind that Mudhoney fans have come to love. Vanishing Point attacks the mainstream stereotypical rock star image, over rated popular champagne and douchebags. On the musical side the band reveals sounds that remind us of 60s Garage, Psychedelic Garage and just loud distorted Rock and Roll.

“Slipping Away” starts off with a drum solo and bass riff, before Mudhoney’s distorted Garage guitars come in. Mark Arm expels lyrics such as “I try to hold you, but you’re like sand / Slipping through these broken hands” playing into the albums artwork which also seems to reference a cult classic B-Movie, but more on that later. The song ends in a Psych Rock rave up, bringing up echoes of Ron Asheton and 60’s Psychedelia. “I Like It Small”, the lead off single for this album is also one of the strongest and fitting songs to Mudhoney’s discography. This track is reminiscent of older songs in the bands catalog minus the overloading distortion, making it sound musically like a Garage/Nugget track influenced by The Stooges and 80s Punk. With lyrics like “And when I orgy I cap it at twelve/Anymore than that I get overwhelmed” and “I’m not on some grandiose trip/I’m fine with little sips” this song lyrically attacks as mentioned, the stereotypical rock star image, by proclaiming they like it small, Mudhoney is addressing their minimalist motto, doing music their own way, not doing anything that is considered the norm. “What We Do Is Neutral” is a slow driving song, sounding like a song from 2002's Since We’ve Become Translucent, while “Chardonnay” burns through in less than two minutes following with razor sharp 70s Punk riffs, as lyrically Arm attacks the drink of the same name, considered a mainstream popular drink of choice to the famous with his witty and tongue-in-cheek lyrics. “The Final Course” is a slow riff filled song with disturbing lyrics that tell a tale involving issues of murder, cannibalism and out of body experiences, in classic lyrical Mudhoney offensive style.

“I Don’t Remember You” pokes fun at memory loss and grocery stores as it musically pulls influences from The Sonics, “The Song of Joy” musically seems to conjure up sounds not unlike “Need” and “If I Think” from 88’s Superfuzz Bigmuff, while adding their 2002-2008 Psych Garage element, finally the album ends with the track “Douchebag Parade”. This final track on the album eats at good looking, richer people that fall into that category we all know as “Douchbag” with its caustic, sharp witted lyrics and driving bass, drums and spacious lead guitar lines from Steve Turner. Mudhoney celbrates 25 years of being a band with this album, their label Sub Pop does as well. While both Sub Pop and Mudhoney have gone through their own troubles and turmoil’s over the last 25 years, they have persevered in their own way. Both the label and band have evolved to something that people can still indentify with and still love.

Now back to the title and album cover. The album cover is a photo that was taken by Emily Rieman of the ruins in Apamea, Syria, Arm revealed in an interview with Exclaim! He also said that the title was influenced by this photo referencing a movie where everything goes off into the distance, what many believe is the 70s’ B-Movie Vanishing Point. But this is an interesting point to leave you with when considering this album and Mudhoney as a whole. Like the end of the film Vanishing Point, many believe that Mudhoney had hit a wall in the 90s when signing to a major label, yet Mudhoney has risen from the so called ashes of their past evolving into something different and familiar at the same time. With Vanishing Point Mudhoney shows us that they still have the ability to sound like the Mudhoney that we used to love, but at the same time sound fresh and unspoiled.

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Another thing I would like to mention, last weekend at CJAM FM’s annual Jammy Awards I received a Lifetime Achievement award for my work with Revolution Rock and within the station and its community becoming the youngest programmer to do so. I initially started Revolution Rock in June of 2004, where it aired in the late night hours broadcasting from CJAM FM’s airwaves. The show started off dealing specifically with 70s Punk/New Wave, but over the years grew to incorporate other genres such as 60s Garage, Surf, Alternative, Indie and a variety of other associated genres, still remaining despite the genre in the attitude, realm and spirit of 70s Punk. In 2006, I started this blog. Its purpose was to have weekly posts which would profile a different band every week and also to host the play list and download links to the corresponding program for people to discover. This was before the term social media and facebook really started to affect the internet in a large way, this site too has grown to include exclusive interviews and content at times. I would like to thank CJAM FM, its staff and volunteers and anyone who has ever paid any interest in my show or website. While at first I didn’t think I had been at CJAM that long, nine years is a long time, a lifetime to some. Thanks CJAM!


This week's play list:

1. Paul Revere & The Raiders – Steppin’ Out
2. Chit Chat – Jelly
3. Tom Waits - Chicago
4. Captain Beefheart - Ella Guru
5. Syd Barrett - Octopus
6. Colleen Green – Only You
7. Japandroids - Fire's Highway
8. Mudhoney - I Like It Small
9. Mudhoney - Chardonnay
10. Johnny Cash – Remember The Alamo
11. Cellos – Feeding Through The Breathing Tube
12. Iceage - You're Nothing
13. Mission of Burma - New Nail
14. Big Black - Jordan Minesota
16. Sloan - Emergency 911
17. Deja Voodoo – Gotta Have Money
18. The Revolvers – Apocalypse Surfin’
19. Suuns - 20/20
20. Unicorns - I Was Born A Unicorn
21. Shotgun Jimmie - 3012
22. Simply Saucer - Instant Pleasure
23. Wreckless Eric - A Pop Song
24. The Gruesomes – The Deal

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

The Black Angels Go Indigo & Show # 451

Austin, Texas Psych Garage Rock band The Black Angels released their fourth full length album Indigo Meadow on April 2nd, 2013. On this album the band shows us their heavier Psychedelic side, adding more organ and Pop hooks, all mixed up in a sun baked Texas style haze. Many critics have claimed that this album isn’t really different from their previous releases, but this album slowly builds on the Psychedelic sounds of Phosphene Dream adding a new type of heaviness that some may classify as Grunge influenced, while at the same time reverting to catchy Garage Nuggets styled hooks.

“Indigo Meadow” opens the album, with its fuzzy bass, dissonant guitar parts and heavy pounding drum beats, as vocalist Alex Maas executes the lyrics “Always Indigo” in a Syd Barrett fashion, “Evil Things” comes in next which emphasizes the Grunge styled influenced that was mentioned earlier, but with enough of a Psychedelic edge to keep the listener hooked. This is one of the tracks in which critics have claimed is lacking in the lyrical department, however it is a song like songs the band has been writing for years as they strike an apocalyptic chord with their catchy choruses, Doors styled organ and lumbering fuzzy riffs. “Don’t Play With Guns” has been attracting ever since it was released as a pre-cursor preview to Indigo Meadow. The song moves along with its Horror movie organ stabs, swirling Psychedelic guitar supplied by Christian Bland, heavy distortion and a catchy chorus. Contrary to some beliefs this song, while it seems to be written based on the recent tragic mass shootings in Aurora, Colorado, it was written a year before this occurrence. However this song reveals a poignancy that any listener can identify with as it tells the story of Josephine. This was best described by vocalist Alex Maas on http://www.theblackangels.com/info:

“In ‘Don’t Play With Guns’ the antagonist is a female who has the power of persuasion over a man,” he continues. “Substitute the female antagonist with a Nation, substitute the manipulated man with yourself. Heed the warning: Don’t Play With Guns.”

Other highlights on this album include the slow, organ fuelled Psychedelic trip of “Holland”, The Nuggets-era Doors influenced “The Day”, “You’re Mine” is a catchy fuzzy Zombies/60s Garage Nugget-era induced track and one of the Poppiest tracks found on this album, as “I Hear Colors (Chromaesthesia)” drips with acid induced images and backwards sounding effects, building on sounds found on 2008’s Directions To See A Ghost. The album also addresses several political themed messages, not counting “Don’t Play With Guns”, on songs such as “War On Holiday” and “Broken Soldiers”. “War On Holiday” looms musically as lyrics such as “We’re wounding and dying/making no change” and “I found one of us/wounded yet fine/It’s sad how I found/We sleepwalking around” filter into the listeners mind, while “Broken Soldier” attacks with hypnotizing guitar/organ riffs. “Broken Soldier” features lyrics such as “It’s hard to kill when you don’t know whose side you’re on” and “Will you be the same when this is over/You’ll never be the same when this is over”, these lyrics coupled with the lyrics found on “War On Holiday” tap into the social subconsciousness that we are all thinking about regarding war, yet projecting the dark, yet realistic realities that these situations result in.

Indigo Meadow ends with the track “Black Isn’t Black” a song which hints that perhaps despite all this apocalypse-themed imagery that there is a glimmer of hope, ending the album in slow creepy intense, yet somewhat positive note. This is backed up when we hear the lyrics “Before I met you/Blackness everywhere” and “Girl when I see you/I think the world’s OK”. Overall, Indigo Meadow may have similarities to previous releases from the bands past, but it also gleams with its super production supplied by John Congleton (Explosions In The Sky, David Byrne & St. Vincent) emphasizing the growing development and journey that the band is to and has taken. While it may not be that obvious to some, Indigo Meadow blooms and burns slowly with profound insights, incandescent thoughts and Psychedelic goodness.


This Week's Play List:

1. Thee Oh Sees – Toe Cutter Thumb Buster
2. Brazilian Money – Slowly Soaking Up Some Rays On A Sofa
3. The Fabulous St. Knicholas Cage – Bloody Beach Blanket
4. Future of The Left - Stand By Your Manatee
5. Anagram - Favourite Place
6. PIssed Jeans - Cafeteria Food
7. Woodsman Orphan – One Year
8. Velvet Underground - I Found A Reason
9. Deerhunter - Memory Boy
10. Husker Du – Girl Who Lives On Heaven Hill
11. Orphan Choir – New Rituals
12. The Action – Downtown Boy
13. The Demics – The Grey And The Black
14. Ramones – She's The One
15. X-Ray Spex - Germ Free Adolescents
16. Gang of Four – Ether (Live The Second Chance, Ann Arbor, MI 1981)
17. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – Do Ya Feel It Too?
18. Doldrums - Sunrise
19. Patti Smith Group - Distant Fingers
20. Sleater-Kinney - Dig Me Out
21. Black Angels – Indigo Meadow
22. Black Angels - Evil Things
23. Black Angels – The Day

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

50/50 ... The Strokes Comedown Machine & Show # 450

On March 26th, 2013, The Strokes released their fifth full length album Comedown Machine. Critics have been fast to jump on The Strokes hate wagon ever since 2003’s misunderstood Room On Fire, an album in which The Strokes first began to flirt with their 80’s influences and move forward beyond the Garage sounds of Is This It? This album is no different. Comedown Machine picks up from where 2011’s Angles started, also mixing in elements of Julian Cassablancas’ 2009 album Phrazes For The Young. The album starts off with the 80’s funkified rhythms of “Tap Out” as lyrics such as “Decide my past/Define my life/Don’t ask questions cause I don’t know why” come in, it brings the albums beginning into a different sounding, yet poignant lyrical context.

“All The Time” comes in next with its traditional Strokes Rock dynamics sounding like a song exhumed from the bands past, while a song like “One Way Trigger” is drastically different. With tropical sounding synthesizers ala 80s band A-ha "One Way Trigger" ventures in to an almost Electronica territory, a sound that is pushed throughout various moments of this album. “Welcome To Japan” is a song that has familiar classic Strokes song structures with their new sense of Angles-addled 80s dynamics and lyrics “Didn’t really know this/what kind of asshole drives a lotus” we are reminded of the deadpan humorous lyrics that made us first fall in love with The Strokes. “50/50” is a glorious Rock and Roll Strokes moment, one of the strongest tracks on Comedown Machine with lyrics “I will say/I will say/Don’t Judge me”, which couldn’t be more relevant to this album as a whole. Other interesting tracks of note are “80s Comedown Machine” a slow, synth almost Dub influenced track, “Chances’, “Happy Ending” sounding like a song from Room On Fire meets First Impressions of Earth, and the ending track “Call It Fate, Call It Karma”. This track is a song like “Ask Me Anything” on 2006’s First Impressions of Earth, in the context of it being so different with the overall songs found on the album. It is a slow tropical Jazz Pop track as the opening lyrics “Close the door/Not all the way” haunt us in Casablancas’ crooning, yet falsetto style.

Comedown Machine was recorded at Electric Lady Land Studios in New York, with the full band working together as opposed to 2011’s Angles in which singer Julian Casablancas deliberately removed himself from being present at the sessions. This album also marks the final album in the bands contract with RCA, causing some fans and critics to speculate in conjunction with the lyrical subject matter that this is the end of The Strokes. The band has also not scheduled any touring in support of this album as of yet, and there has been no press from the band members themselves. But some light was shed on this subject in a recent post on twitter by guitarist Albert Hammond Jr. in the tweet, Hammond was commenting on the artwork inside the album which features silhouettes of each band member, his tweet commented on the bands cycle with RCA and as a band in general stating: “The Strokes as a band cycle? Or just The Strokes on RCA cycle?” Obviously the RCA cycle”

Whether or not The Strokes will continue to make records time will tell, but it hasn’t been the first time a band has left their label and continued on in some other fashion. As a whole Comedown Machine sounds like a mixing of Room On Fire with Phrazes For The Young, using Angles as a starting point. Love it or hate it, Comedown Machine is a creative, yet fresh take on the bands old once heralded and established sound mixed with their new sense of 80’s obsessionism. While the title of the album may be Comedown Machine, that title is reserved for the ones that place The Strokes under a harsh lens. For all others Comedown Machine is in a completely different category or status, being a machine all of its own.

This week's play list:

1. David Bowie – Dirty Boys
2. The Strangers – Nice N’ Sleazy
3. Pete Shelley – In Love With Somebody Else
4. Lumina – I’ll Be With You
5. The Hoa Hoa’s - Falling In Love Is For Young People
6. Blackpool – Standing Over There
7. The Kingsmen – Haunted Castle Party
8. The Uprisers – Let Me Take You Down
9. The Cheap Speakers – Window
10. Ghostkeeper – Horse Chief! War Thief!
11. 100 Mile House – Last Call
12. The Men – The Brass
13. Guided By Voices -Little Whirl
14. The Wipers – Up Front
15. X – Nausea
16. Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - We No Who U R
17. Vic Godard & The Subway Sect – Rock and Roll Even (A Different Story)
18. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – Party Girl
19. The Jam – In The Crowd
20. TEENANGER – The Ballad of Robert McNamarra
21. Pow Wows – Shock Corridor
22. The Strokes – 50/50

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

Jay Sad Disappears & Show # 449

On February 19th 2013, Jay Sad released his full length album entitled Disappears. The album is an eleven track construction of songs ranging from genres such as lo-fi Indie Pop to Alternative and a variety of atmospheric sounding concoctions. Jay Sad has released several recordings starting in 2002.  A full length album was released in 2005 entitled High. It was his only commercially released album. All other releases since then have been on a more low key scale, mostly copies being passed around to friends and fellow musicians or being distributed online. It should also be noted that from approximately 2006-2012, Jay Sad (or Jason Sadlowski) owned and operated the Chemical Sound recording studio in Toronto along with another musician and friend Dean Marino (from the band Papermaps). The studio closed its doors after twenty years of operation in February 2012. Disappears is one of the last recordings to come from the beloved Toronto studio.

The band for this album was primarily Dean Pomeroy (drums, vibraphone), Rob MacDonald (guitar) and Jay Sad on vocals, guitar and a variety of other instrumentation. The album also features guest musicians from The Elwins (Mathew Sweeney), Dilly Dally (Katie Monk), and Drew Smith (The Bicycles). Disappears first seven tracks were recorded live to analog tape by Dean Marino who also helped to produce those tracks. The other four songs on the album were produced and recorded by Jay Sad. Given an internet-only release, Disappears starts off with the song “Three Floor’s/It’s Over”, which is the first of many architectural based song titles and structures found on this album. The song starts off on a heavy note with its dirty Alternative fuzzy sounding guitars and feedback as the drums keep a steady, yet sleazy pace in the background. "Good Health” follows next with its playful drumming, fuzzy bass and reverb drenched vocals. In addition to this, the song also features guest vocals from Katie Monks of Dilly Dally. The song is reflective, but caustic with lyrics such as “I was only trying to help/to keep us in good health for you”. “Only You” features Pop dynamics, it also portrays an almost Jazz trio vibe. As you listen to this song you can feel it as it was recorded, live to analog tape as the drums roll on, it is an almost rain sounding dynamic while bass, xylophone, guitar and vocals fill in the rest of this songs forecast.

“Home” is a slow paced yet melodic track seemingly about a relationship. The song captures the feeling of being away from home and feeling at home at the same time. With lyrics such as “This is home Toronto/For a while studio”, one can’t help but think of the connection to Chemical Sound that these lyrics evoke. “Shortwave In Spanish” is built up with a Spanish radio broadcast transmission as guitar arpeggios filter in and the song builds up to its late night feel while the lyrics “And in time I’m learning/And in time I’ll be fine” the songs lyrics and atmosphere build around the listener. Lyrically, the song portrays finding new forms of relevant communication in the modern world.

As the album wraps up, “Moving Day” calms the listener with its atmospheric Pop song grooves, acoustic guitars and distorted distant sounding drums. The final song on the album “Wood & Plaster” not only completes the album, but also the architectural building theme we were first introduced to with “Three Floor’s/It’s Over”. This song evokes experimental Musique Concrete influences as the background is filled with an intense distorted static landscape, while vocals and guitar fill in the rest of this nine minute piece. Lyrically the song is a reflection of the past and the present with lyrics such as “If you could go back you surely would/its something that you’ve thought of for a while/the memories that you have will all be gone”. The lyrics, as the title emphasizes, are about the making up of a structure whether physical or emotional. It poses the question of "if you were to take away the wood and plaster that makes up an important part of your past what would happen?" But as the song carries on we see that if you were to rebuild part of the past you would lose something. As Disappears ends we are reminded of the albums musical and lyrical structures that are built up around us. These songs suggest a growing or building, if you will, towards a new beginning, something different. Even if it means you have to disappear for a while from parts of your past that have been built up in order to get there.

The following questions were done between myself (Dave Konstantino of Revolution Rock) and Jay Sad of the band of the same name. We talk of the bands recording history and the making of Disappears:

RR: When was this album recorded and how long was the process? Who did you work on this album? For example producers, musicians?

JS: Seven of the eleven songs were recorded live by producer Dean Marino at Chemical Sound in 2 days; with Dean Pomeroy on drums and Rob MacDonald on guitar. He put us straight to tape: 2 guitars and drums. A few things were added here and there, but those 7 songs are pretty minimal / live.

The other 4 songs…

Three Floors and Good Health were done at Chemical by me.

Moving Day and Wood & Plaster were recorded at my place on my 4-track cassette deck.

Three Floors: Dean Marino played drums on this one, I added everything else. Originally this song had me playing 3 floor toms for the drum track, but then Marino did a really good job adding a real drum track.

Good Health: This is all me, except Katie Monks (Dilly Dally) sings in the last bit.

Home: Matthew Sweeney (The Elwins) added the some back-up singing in the verses.

Spirit Remover: Katie Monks (Dilly Dally) added vocals near the end of the song.

Can't Watch TV: Drew Smith (The Bicycles, Dr. Ew) added vocals to this one.

Shortwave in Spanish: Dean Marino added bass.

Moving Day: Matthew Sweeney (The Elwins) sings the chorus and added some piano.

Wood & Plaster: This was all me.

I got James Hicken to master the record for me. I also sent him a recording of an antique toy with instructions to play with the sound and put it in-between some songs at his discretion. The 7 band songs were recorded in 2 days in 2011. I don't know exactly when the other stuff done, around the same time though. Dean mixed the songs he recorded, but because it was hard to find the time it took us about a year to finish. And then I had other stuff to deal with so it was months later that I finally put it on the internet.

RR: How would you compare your new album 2013’s Disappears to 2012’s Demonstrations? Going back a bit further you had a full length album called High in 2005 how do the two differ?

JS: I hope that every record is better than the last. Technically (and sound-wise) the albums are different; but I'm always the same me.

The sound of "Disappears" is because of Chemical Sound.  While I was there I really wanted to try the live band thing because some of the best albums I've recorded at Chemical were live.  Working with Dean Marino pushes me to be more solid and accessible. Rob MacDonald and Dean Pomeroy are both trained musicians, so they also push me to be more precise with playing and structuring the songs.  They also add their own thing.  It's the most collaborative album I've done.

"Demonstrations" is a compilation of demos I did in the time between "Goes" and "Disappears".  Almost everything on "Demonstrations" is done in my apartment on a four track cassette machine.  I did it all by myself, and I guess that gives it a more personal feel than the studio stuff.  It's also more experimental. It was actually done with a very limited amount of gear; so I would do things like run an acoustic guitar through a broken mixer to get distortion, or record vocals in a stairwell to get reverb.  A lot of the time I would write the song right into the tape; verses the studio stuff where the songs are planned beforehand.  Also, a lot of the songs were taken from my contribution to a group I was in called "song club / song of the week".  This group was me and a few others musicians: members of The Elwins, The Bicycles… Every Monday we would send each other a new song. Since you had to do a new song every week, you ended up with some pretty wacky stuff.

"High" was the first and only album I actually manufactured and released. I sent copies to a few radio stations and reviewers, put it on CD baby, had a release show… "High" was done mostly by me alone.  Dean Marino helped, mixing a couple of songs, and adding drums to one song.  And drummer Silvana Bruni played on two of the songs. I also had an album between "High" and "Demonstrations" called "Goes".   "Goes" was recorded pretty much all by myself at Chemical. Dean Marino helped with some of it and Rob MacDonald played some guitar. I also had Krista Muir guest vocal on one of the songs.  I did it over the first couple years Dean Marino and I had Chemical. I never really officially released this record; I just made a handful of CDR copies.

There is also a series of CD's before "High" called "Spring 02", "Summer 02", "Fall 02", "Winter 02" [ie. I refer to them now as "02 demos"].  These were mini CD’s I made with hand screen printed cases.  Also, I made a few custom printed box sets. The "02 demos" were done by me alone on my 4-track cassette deck in 2002. These CDs are very lo-fi sounding.

Jay Sad Discography…

- Spring 02
- Summer 02
- Fall 02
- Winter 02
- High: 2005
- They Stole My Computer 2007
- Goes 2008
- Demonstrations 2012
- Disappears 2013

RR: What do you plan to do musically with Jay Sad in the future?

JS: I'm doing a "Jay Sad" show on April 17 at the Drake Hotel in Toronto.

Also, I'm writing and recording a new album with James Hicken (Wallscenery demos).  And I've started a new band with a female singer.

Listen to Jay Sad music here:



The Play List:

1. The Cave Singers – It’s A Crime
2. Twin Library – I Dare You To Leave
3. Neil Jarvis – Figure It Out
4. The Human Beings – An Inside Look
5. The Levis – Hear What I Say
6. The Bloody Five – (I Wanna Go To) New York City
7. Raised By Weeds – Fun And Games
8. Raised By Weeds – The Telephone
9. The Visible Targets – Just For Money
10. Pin Group – Ambivilance
11. Suuns – Edie’s Dream
12. Toy Love - Sheep (Live At The Gluepot 1980)
13. Link Wray – New Studio Blues (The Epic Sessions 1958-1961)
14. Legato Vipers – Angel Dust
15. The Bell Peppers – Bouddha
16. The Bell Peppers – 1959
17. Jay Sad – Three Floors/It’s Over
18. Jay Sad – Only For You
19. Jay Sad – Shortwave In Spanish
20. Diamond Rugs – I Took Note
21. Devo – Love Without Anger
22. Talking Heads – Electric Guitar
23. 999 – Emergency
24. The Clash – Radio Clash (Live Bonds Casino, NYC June 9th, 1981)

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 26. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Reverse Shark Attack & Show # 448

 

“Life is a shotgun/It’s just gonna blow you away” is one of the lyrics in the title and final track on Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin’s album Reverse Shark Attack, the lyrics couldn’t be more potent and relevant to this album as a whole. The album was originally released in 2009 on the Kill Shaman record label on vinyl only. Reverse Shark Attack serves as a collaboration between two long time friends from Laguna Beach, California Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin. The two had previously been in numerous other bands before this point in 2009, Ty in The Epsilons, The Traditional Fools, Sic Alps, Mikal in Okie Dokie, The Moonhearts, Party Fowl they have both also recorded as solo artists. Mikal is also a member of Ty Segall’s live touring band the Ty Segall Band, playing bass and supplying back up vocals. The album is a mix of distorted lo-fi Garage, Psychedelic and Surf Rock influences, it also is overloaded with reverb drenched effects.

“I Wear Black” is the opener to this release, it is a short and powerful Garage/Stooges/Troggs influenced track with reverb drenched distorted vocals, guitars and feedback. It is executed in a way that is both lo-fi, yet psychedelic at the same time in terms of the effects. The next set of songs are short fast blasts of Rock and Roll with vocal harmonies such as “Drop Dead Baby”, “High School” which reflects a Garage Punk dynamic, and “Ramona” which is a drum heavy hyper Ramones influenced track,. “Bikini Babes” comes in as the third last track which switches up the pace on this sun baked, reverb filled album. “Take up Ty Stethoscope And Walk” is an almost note for note cover of the song of the same name from Pink Floyd’ Piper At The Gates of Dawn with added distortion of course. This Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd track is an indication of where their Psychedelic influences come from, which has been later explored by both artists. Ty recently explored his Psychedelic influences in more detail on his collaboration with White Fence entitled Hair and also on his Goodbye Bread release in 2011.

The album ends with the ten minute opus “Reverse Shark Attack”, which when this album was originally released filled side B of the vinyl. The song is a mix of Beatles-esque Pop, Folk, Psychedelics, Garage and Surf all in one. As we reach the ending of the song it ends out in a distorted Surfy, Dick Dale sounding transmission. Lyrically the song tells a peculiar love story of sorts in which the narrator proclaims his love for someone, not wanting to ever let them go. But as she goes for a walk one day to clear her head on the beach, she never comes back. Assuming that she was attacked by a shark the narrator plots his revenge on the sharks for taking this love away from him, a reverse shark attack if you will. This is how the album ends, the lyrics “Life is a shotgun/It’s just gonna blow you away” come back to mind. When listening to this track that lyric with it’s loaded double meaning makes you think. With its ability to switch genres so seamlessly, this song is evidence of the developmental talent that both Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin possess.

When Reverse Shark Attack was originally released in 2009, it was put out on limited edition vinyl and it sold out very quickly. In The Red re-issued this album in January of 2013 along with another previous Ty Segall band/collaboration from his prolific past The Traditional Fools, a Surf/Garage group. Reverse Shark Attack proves to be a collaboration of two hyper prolific artists, this album sounds as if it were created after sitting in the sun too long resulting in a shambolic, yet fresh sounding collection of songs combining both Ty Segall and Mikal Cronin’s musical influences. Reverse Shark Attack grabs a hold of the listener and doesn’t let go even though its been four years since its original release. 

 

This Week's Play List:

1. Sam Coffey and The Iron Lungs – Have A 100
2. The Coastliners – I’ll Be Gone
3. Jan & Dean – Horace The Swinging School Bus Driver
4. The Reply – Better You
5. The Waldos – Busted
6. Alex Chilton – Just To See You
7. Steak House Mints – Don’t Mess With Me
8. Shotgun Jimmie – Growing Like A Garden
9. Wire – Love Bends
10. Boats – O Telescope
11. Papermaps – You Are My Gallows
12. The Evens – Sooner Or Later
13. Vice Creems – Won’t You Be My Girl
14. The Sonics – Maintaining My Cool
15. The Scenics – No Sleep
16. Travel Check – Tripping Waves
17. Carbonas – Butcher
18. The Adverts – Back From The Dead (BBC Session)
19. UK Subs – Tomorrow’s Girls (Single Version)
20. Undertones – Get Over You
21. Buzzcocks – I Don’t Mind
22. Paul Jacobs – Being Yourself
23. Paul Jacobs – Wrong Medication
24. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – High School
25. Ty Segall & Mikal Cronin – I Wear Black

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 19. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Painted Ship Will Hay Interview & Show # 447

Vancouver’s The Painted Ship sailed into the mid 60s with their own unique sound. Often described as Garage, the bands sound contained elements from the Psychedelic genres of the 60s, but also had an undeniable Punk chemistry which was supplied by their buckskin clad frontman, lead vocalist and songwriter Bill “The Captain” Hay. While the band did go through a few line up changes, Bill (or William) Hay stayed the only consistent member of the band.

The Painted Ship formed in 1965 and after playing around town for a bit, they signed a record deal with London/Mercury Records in 1966. The band produced two singles in 1966, the first being the Little White Lies/Frustration single. This single was recorded with the first line up of the group which featured Rob Rowden on guitar, Barry Rowden on drums, Ken Wain on Keyboards and of course William Hay on vocals. When recording the single, the song “Frustration” was initially intended to be the A-side, but this gritty organ driven track was flipped to the B-side after an odd situation where the band/management decided to change it without Hay’s knowledge. Ironically the title “Frustration” proved to be more accurate than expected when the single was released it became a regional hit in Vancouver going to #7 in the area on the singles charts. But it was not the A-Side “Little White Lies” that got airplay it was the B-side “Frustration” which was the originally intended A-side. The single also received some US airplay.

The bands second single, also released in 1966 was the And She Said Yes/Audience Reflections single. This single displayed the dynamicism of the band and emphasized Bill Hay’s intention of making music that was to be very different from the commercial R&B top forty that was overpopulating radio stations nation wide at the time. “And She Said Yes" is perhaps the bands rawest moment, the song starts with its marching like drum roll as the distorted guitar riff and Mr. Hay’s raw vocals which attack the listener. The song also features the bands intensifying organ parts that we first heard on the Little White Lies single. The vocals on this pre-Stooges romp are not unlike an early Iggy Pop. The B-side to this song is the “Audience Reflections” an organ, bass, drum and vocal driven track.  This song features no guitar, but hasplenty of psychedelic connotations and elements.

What happened next adds to the bands legend and mystery. Through a series of events a full length album was recorded and intended to get released through Polydor records, but the album was never seen or heard from again after being recorded. The band were told that the master tapes were lost in the mail while being sent. Since then people still wonder and probe this mystery as The Painted Ship has gone on to become a beloved band in Vancouver’s music history being placed alongside bands such as The Collectors and The Haunted. They hold a cult like status still being discovered to this day, and while it has been many years since The Painted Ship has set sail, the paint from The Painted Ship has still not peeled off. It is still intact as they are just as treasured today in Vancouver and other parts amongst Garage/Punk enthusiasts and fans as they were in 1966.

The following interview was done between myself (Dave Konstantino of Revolution Rock) and William Hay of The Painted Ship. We talk of the bands formation, their two singles, lost album and more:

RR: When did Painted Ship form and how did everyone meet?

WH: I was introduced to Rob (the first guitar player) by a mutual friend while we were both attending The University of British Columbia. The year is 1965. Over the weeks and months we talk when we bump into one another in the library. One day I tell him that I'm going to start a band. A very different kind of a band. I'd been writing a lot of poetry and I thought that it might be interesting to add some music (I'd played in a youth orchestra for 6 years) Rob played guitar in a club band that covered commercial R&B and his brother played the drums. We recruit, Ken on keyboards and the first incarnation of the band takes shape.

RR: What were some of the influences that brought the band together and how did you decide on your sound and band name?

WH: Sadly, the musical influences that each individual brought with them would soon tear this first line-up apart. These were very good musicians but they did not have any real liking for the wild and wonderful tunes that I heard in my head. What happened with the first single is a perfect example. When I brought the ideas for “Frustration” and “Little White Lies” to the band I stated that “Frustration” would be the a-side. Everyone agreed. But the other band members did not like this song. One of the guys went out of his way to tell everyone how much he hated it.

Without telling me, they tell our manager to get London to place “Frustration” on the b-side. I knew nothing about this until I was driving in my car and heard “Little White Lies” played as the a-side. Betrayal. I'm pissed. It was just not the right mix of people.

The name "The Painted Ship" must have been taken from the poem "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner". Not consciously, but as I've stated I was reading and writing a lot of poetry. But, this is not our first name. The first name that I gave the band was "The Wee Beasties". We never performed under this name, we'd already become The Painted Ship by the time we recorded and started to perform.

The sound? I take full responsibility for it. These are the sounds that I heard in my head. This is what I wanted to write and record. Guilty!

RR: Painted Ship signed to the London/Mercury label how did that come about?

WH: London had an office in Vancouver so we decided to give them a try. The Canadian division of the company was good to us but the U.S. and European branches refused to release our second single. They said it was "too primitive and too weird".

RR: Painted Ship released two singles Little White Lies b/w Frustration and And She Said Yes b/w Audience Reflections. What was the inspiration behind these songs and were they both recorded at the same session or separately?

WH: At this point it's important to note that there were many different line-ups of musicians over the years. I was the only constant.

The first single was recorded by the first line- up.

“Frustration”. I wanted to explore the essential but "frustrating" tension between the push of enculturation and the pull of individuation. All of us must adopt at least a minimum of the beliefs of our culture in order to function. Yet, at the same time, it's just as important that we discover and nourish our individuality. This is the theme I was exploring enculturation vs. individuation.

“Little White Lies”. This is my realization of how relationships really are much different from the ridiculous, inane, sappy love songs that populate the top 40 charts.
The second single was recorded with a new line-up of musicians. Only, Ken, the brilliant keyboard player, remains from the first band.

“And She Said Yes”. Now, this is my idea of a love song. That's right a real, damn, love song. Pure testosterone joy.

“Audience Reflections”. I've always been involved with esoteric studies. This is our attempt to capture a particular meditative experience.

RR: What do you remember of how and when these songs were recorded? Who did you work with for these songs (for example producer, engineers etc.)?

WH: We were very lucky, Robin Spurgin owned and operated the Vancouver Recording Studio. He told me that he didn't really understand the type of music that we were bringing him but his job was to work the boards and get the best possible sound. He was a good guy and very good at what he did. He never tried to impose his values on us or try to make us more commercial. Everything was recorded on simple 4-track equipment.


RR: Were there any other recordings made with Painted Ship during these sessions that you can recall? I read online that the band did make some recordings for an LP and that those recordings were lost. Is that true and if so what happened to those recordings?

WH: It is true. We recorded an album for the London, England office of Polydor. I guess I'd better start at the beginning.

The Who and Herman's Hermits came to see one of our shows after they'd done a concert together. We hung out and talked afterwards and John Alec Entwistle (R.I.P.), the bass player for The Who, gave me the name of an English producer. John told me that this producer worked for Polydor and he thought that he would like the kind of stuff that we were doing. Over the next few months the producer and I talked back and forth over the phone. At his request I sent him some rough tapes that we'd made during a practice session. They were very rough but he liked what he heard and arranged for Polydor to pay for an albums worth of songs. This particular line-up of the band had amassed a lot of original material so it didn't take us long to finish the project.

Several weeks later I got a call from the producer. He had "good news and bad news". He really liked the songs and wanted to work with us but he'd been told that North American acts had to be handled out of a North American office.

He offered me a tempting proposition. If I'd come to London on my own he'd set me up with first class musicians and produce us for Polydor. It was flattering of course but I just couldn't desert the Vancouver boys in the band. I had to decline. The producer was disappointed but he said he understood and he'd send the master to Chicago.

And the mystery began. We were told that the master had been lost. No one knew exactly by who or how. But it was gone. And there were no copies.

RR: The bands sound has often been cited as having elements of what was to become known as Punk Rock. Many people when talking of the band often use the word Garage Punk to describe the sound. Do you feel that is an accurate description of your sound and how would you describe the music of Painted Ship?

WH: This is an interesting question. One I get asked from time to time. First, let me say that we never labeled ourselves. We just thought of our stuff as Painted Ship songs.
If I had to attach a label to our sound I'd say we were a PUNK band with a few weird psyche moments (who me?) I don't see us as garage. To me, the garage sound has a more traditional element of R&B running through it. Our stuff does not. I say we are pure punk. I think the garage label is attached to us because some people think that punk didn't exist when we played. They think that punk evolved some time later so we couldn't be a punk band. If you accept this idea than you'd have to put us in with the garage folks, I don't accept the idea. We were a punk band. Punk began long before some people think it did.

RR: It has been many years since Painted Ship has released new music, yet people are still listening to you guys. What do you think it is about Painted Ships music that has survived in the digital age and keeps people listening?

WH: Before I answer, on behalf of the many musicians who crewed the Painted Ship, I send huge hugs to everyone who supports our music. It is appreciated more than you could know.

I think some people see and appreciate the fact that we did it our way. We didn't try to be the Canadian Rolling Stones or the Canadian Beatles or copy anyone's sound. And we didn't buckle under the pressure to vomit out some idiotic commercial bullshit. Like us or hate us ; you have to admit that we were true to ourselves. I think this resonates with folks.

RR: Speaking of the digital age, what is your preferred format for listening to music (vinyl, CD, mp3s/digital)?

WH: I'm old school, I still prefer vinyl. Everything about it is better from the packaging to the warmer sound (and of course the crackles and pops). Having said this I have to admit that I did not replace my record player when it stopped working a couple of years ago

RR: What did you do after your days with Painted Ship? And what have you been up to recently?

WH: A couple of years after the lost album incident I received an unexpected call from Polydor. They informed me that their world convention was going to be held in Montreal and asked if I'd like to attend. They said that it would be an interesting experience because all of the top execs from around the world be there. I thought it over and decided to go. I did meet some good people and I was offered a job with the company. But, there is a problem. And it is not a small one. The record labels at this time were accepting little or no alternative music. I just didn't want to spend my life promoting or producing commercial crap. I had to decline the offer. I returned to Vancouver and pursued interests outside of music. But do not sit so comfortably gently reader. This does not mean that eardrums are safe. I have written more songs. And I have received kind offers from musicians who've said that they'd like to work with me.

Captain Will may set sail once again. Earplugs, people!!

Finally, a big hug to everyone who's supported us with their kind thoughts and attentive ears. Thank you.

This Week's Play List:

1. Queens of the Stone Age – This Lullaby
2. Psychic Ills – I Get By
3. Dog Day – Nothing To Du
4. Dee Dee Ramone – Negative Creep
5. Thighs – Russ
6. Idols – Reajean
7. Wayouts – Red Rover
8. Big Harp – You Can’t Save’ Em All
9. Neil Young – Don’t Be Denied
10. Painted Ship – Little White Lies
11. Painted Ship – Frustration
12. Painted Ship – And She Said Yes
13. Painted Ship – Audience Reflections
14. The Standells – Why Did You Hurt Me?
15. The Future Primitives – Sea of Words
16. Ty Segall – Imaginary Person (Live in Brooklyn, NY 2013)
17. Zebra Hunt – Sun Drenched Island
18. The Real Kids – Rave On
19. Lou Reed – Nobody’s Business
20. Ramones – It’s Not My Place (In The 9 to 5 World)
21. The Saints –One Way Street
22. The Victims – T.V. Freak
23. The Hives – State Control
24. The Gruesomes - My Dad's A Ho-Dad (Live)
25. Young Rival – Night Song

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 12. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Foxygen, The Stems & Show # 446

Foxygen is an American Indie Rock duo that recently has released their second full length album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic on Jagjaguwar Records. The band initially started out in 2005 in Westlake Village located in California and their music is often called experimental. In the early days of the band they were labelled as very experimental, they released several EP’s from 2005 to 2011 many of which are now long out of print. The duo consists of Sam France (vocals) and Jonathon Radio (guitar/keys) and following the release of 2011’s Take The Kids Off Broadway, produced by American producer Richard Swift they were signed to Jagjaguwar Records. The bands sound mixes elements of 60s Psychedellia, Pop and Indie and draws influences from artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Kinks, Velvet Underground and David Bowie while adding an experimental twist. In 2012 Foxygen released their second full length album We Are the 21st Century Ambassadors of Peace & Magic, once again produced by Richard Swift and has received high acclaim following the release of its first single “Shruggie”.

The Stems are a Garage Rock band from Perth in Western Australia. They initially formed in 1983 drawing on 60s Garage and 70s Power Pop influences for a sound all their own. They released one full length album (At First Sight, Violets Are Blue in 1987) and an EP (Love Will Grow – Rosebud Volume 1 in 1986). The band also put out several singles, in 1985 they put out the Tears Me In Two/Can’t Resist single on Citadel Records. “Tears Me In Two” was initially recorded the sessions for their first single “She’s A Monster”. After interest developed in the band they signed to Citadel Records, released the “She’s A Monster” single and re-recorded the “Tears Me In Two” single which was produced by Rob Younger of Radio Birdman along with their Love Will Grow - Rosebud Volume 1 EP. The single apparently climbed the Australian Indie charts and reached number one in the late 80s. The song itself was a 60s fuzz driven Garage Punk explosion right down to the opening scream and authentic organ. The band split up in 1987, reuniting in 2003 and releasing a new full length album entitled Heads Up in 2007. The Stems are still currently active.

This week's play list:

1. Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers – Born To Lose
2. MC5 – Highschool
3. The Ramrods –Take Me Back To My Boots and Saddle
4. B-Girls – “B”Side
5. X-Ray Spex – Let’s Submerge (Live The Roxy London 1977)
6. The Unwanted – Freedom (Live The Roxy London 1977)
7. Craig Martinson – If I Had A Blame
8. Unknown Mortal Orchestra – From The Sun
9. Yo La Tengo – Ohm
10. A Volatile Mixture – Cinnamon Girl
11. Elliot Knapp – Instant Gratification
12. Smoke Faires – Three of Us
13. Adam and The Ants – Beat My Guest
14. Dishrags – Sold Out
15. Modernettes – Surf City Strangler (Live)
16. Lost Patrol – I’m Not The One
17. The Lyrics – They Can’t Hurt Me
18. The Canadian Rogues – Keep In Touch
19. Foxygen – Shuggie
20. The Damned – Born To Kill
21. Mystics – Bad Times
22. Paul Jacobs – You Got Soul (Demo)
23. Fruit Tones – One Foot Loose
24. The Stems - Tears Me In Two

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for March 5. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.