Black Lips Underneath The Rainbow & Show # 504

In April 2014, Black Lips released their seventh full-length album. Underneath The Rainbow followed their last album Arabia Mountain, the sixteen track Mick Ronson produced (for the most part) album that showed us Black Lips could have a higher fidelity produced LP and still keep their raunchy Garage “Flower Punk” sleaze. For this release Black Lips recorded with Patrick Carney drummer of The Black Keys and Tommy Brenneck of the Budos Band on a few tracks. The tracks on Underneath The Rainbow have a cleaner production style, but don’t let that fool you as it has for some reviewers, who have written Black Lips off as cleaning up their sound too much. For this release, Black Lips have pulled in some Country Rock and Southern influences in conjunction with the sound they have been known for.

“Drive By Buddy” begins Underneath The Rainbow with its Country/Garage twang and lyrics such as “Well brother what’s the matter/Do you hate the life you chose/Well I hope it doesn’t flatter/When you’re bathing with a hose” and “We’re hanging on a broken T-Bird hood” sung by guitarist Cole Alexander. It starts the album starts off with a sleazy vibe on all fronts setting the tone of the album, and also drawing some comparisons in some reviews to The Monkees’ “Last Train To Clarksville”. “Smiling” is a sloppy Psychedelic Garage track that recollects being thrown in jail, sung by bassist Jared Swilley based on a real life incident that occurred last year, “Make You Mine” is a catchy jangly Garage Pop track that wouldn’t have sounded out of place on 2011’s Arabia Mountain, while “Funny” brings 80s styled synthesizers into the Black Lips fuzzy Garage mix. “Dorner Party” is a fizzy Garage Punk track that is sung by drummer Joe Bradley and is followed by “Justice After All”, another fuzzed out song also sung by Bradley.  It is a more laid back Garage styled track, complete with fuzzed out guitar riffs and lyrics such as “What’s your name? Who you after? Where you gonna go?” and “We’ll take you name and get back to ya/Serve it up/Justice after all”, this song seemingly evokes a social commentary that has musically drawn comparisons to music from Neil Young.

Other highlights include “Boys In The Woods” that attacks with its Southern Blues/Soul drawl regaling us in a tale of drinking bathtub gin and causing mischief. “Waiting” echoes production techniques of The Black Keys, while “I Don’t Wanna Go Home” is a Jared Swilley sung track complete with guitar fuzz a la early 60s Rolling Stones. “Dandelion Dust” features a Blues raunchiness and “Dog Years” ends the album with an agitated weirdness, that comes off as natural within its Psych Garage dynamics. Overall, Underneath The Rainbow comes off with a production style not unlike 2007’s Good Bad Not Evil, but with more twang.

There is a brief moment in the music video that was created for the song “Justice After All” that perfectly describes what to expect from Black Lips on this album and more than likely in the future. In the video, we see shots of the band performing live and running down a street. At one point during the solo we see a shot of guitarist Ian Saint Pe playing a solo as another shot of guitarist Cole Alexander slides in and he pukes on the ground. This moment shows the listener and viewer that while they are trying new things, they are still the same band that we have all known. They may have branched out on Underneath The Rainbow, showcasing a slightly different spectrum of sound with Southern twang influences, but they are still the same Black Lips.

The Play List:

1. Outrageous Cherry - Sign Of The Times
2. The Spooky But Nice - Everytime
3. Guided By Voices - Writer’s Bloc (Psycho All The Time)
4. Bagg Team - Twentieth Century Dog Faced Boy
5. Condition - Wet Shoes
6. Beck - Country Down
7. Tire Swing Co - Pelee Island # 2
8. The Men - Different Days
9. Jacuzzi Boys - You Got It (Roy Orbison Cover)
10. The Rich Kids -Young Girls
11. Damaged Bug - Eggs At Night
12. Female Hands - No One Likes Me
13. The Painted Ship - Audience Reflections
14. Vaguess - Company Ink
15. Paul Jacobs - I Want More
16. The Bureaucrats - The Game
17. Lost Patrol - Grown Up Hard
18. The Professionals - Too Far Too Fall
19. The Drones - The Underdog
20. The Damned - I Feel Alright
21. Victim - Strange Thing By Night
22. Black Lips - Drive By Buddy
23. Black Lips - Dorner Party

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 15. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Mac DeMarco Salad Days & Show # 503

Mac DeMarco is a Canadian artist who is known for his strange prankster live antics and lyrical content. Currently residing in Brooklyn, New York, but originally from British Columbia, DeMarco has released an EP (Rock And Roll Night Club) and an album entitled 2. The album 2, showed a change in musical style, but still catered to DeMarco’s style. With his newest release, Salad Days, DeMarco shows a growth in his song writing ability still keeping true to his original style, but gravitating more towards maturity at the same time. A good way to describe Salad Days would be that it is maturely playful with more perspective. DeMarco has mentioned Jonathan Richman and Steely Dan as influences, among others. However, he is commonly lumped into the Indie Rock genre. The first single from Salad Days "Passing Out The Pieces" features lazy melodies and synthesizers sounding as if they were slowed down on purpose, but originally recorded at a faster speed. Salad Days was released on April 1st, 2014 on the Captured Tracks label.



This Week's Play List:

1. Pow Wows - You Haven’t Got Me (Live)
2. Fruit Tones - Will My Life Live Without Me
3. 13th Floor Elevators - Thru The Rhythm
4. Jim O'Rourke - Therefore I Am
5. Could Nothings - No Thoughts
6. PJ Harvey - The Letter
7. Jale - 3 Days
8. Jellyfishbabies - Never Really Knew
9. Death - Keep On Knocking
10. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Dang
11. Holy Cobra - Feed Yr Head
12. The Dishrags - Love/Hate
13. Teenanger - Off The Beaten Path
14. Dick Dale - Eight ‘Till Midnight
15. The Bell Peppers - Whiskey And Cigarette Blues
16. The Count Five - Psychotic Reaction
17. Parquet Courts - Stoned And Starving
18. Mac DeMarco - Salad Days
19. Mac DeMarco - Let Her Go
20. The Saints - Untitled
21. The Hives - Insane
22. The Gun Club - Sex Beat

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 8. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Repo Man Soundtrack Revisited & Show # 502

In 1984, Alex Cox released his cult classic film Repo Man, a film that he wrote and directed that took the seedy underworld of a repo man and wrapped it around Punk Rock music and Science Fiction. The film stars a young Emilio Estevez who portrays a visceral performance alongside Harry Dean Stanton who is his mentor throughout the film. Along with the film’s strong memorable characters, there were quotable lines such as: “The life of a repo man is always intense.” “Put it on a plate, son. You’ll enjoy it more.” “The more you drive, the less intelligent you are” and “Look at those assholes, ordinary people. I hate’em.” Repo Man also has a very interesting soundtrack.

The Repo Man soundtrack documents the LA Punk scene at the time, featuring music from The Circle Jerks, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Fear, The Plugz and others. The Circle Jerks have two tracks featured on the soundtrack “Coup d’Etat” from their 1983 album Golden Shower Of Hits and a lounge/acoustic version of “When The Shit Hits The Fan” also from the same album originally. In the film, the band also makes an appearance as a lounge act performing the soundtrack version of “When The Shit Hits The Fan”. The Plugz also provide quite a few tracks to not only the soundtrack, but also in the film. The band puts their Punk noir spin on Surf Rock covering “Secret Agent Man” and the songs “Reel Ten” and “El Clavo Y La Cruz”. “Reel Ten” significantly creeps in and out of the film, especially in the films ending sequence. It should be noted that along with being a part of the soundtrack, Tito Larriva and Steven Hufsteter of The Plugz created the film score for Repo Man. Along with these tracks there is also the films “Repo Man” theme that drifts in and out of the film like the demented character Dr. J Frank Parnell in his radioactive 1964 Chevy Malibu. The film’s main theme was written and performed by Iggy Pop. When the films director Alex Cox approached Pop, he advised him to do what he felt like for the film’s soundtrack. The result was a song influenced by Davie Allan & The Arrows as Pop mentions on the Criterion edition of the film.

The recording sessions for the theme by Pop, were tracked and done quickly. On the website repomanfilm.com, assistant engineer Chas Ferry discusses the session which took two days to record. The other musicians involved in the recording of the “Repo Man” song were Clem Burke on drums and Nigel Harrison both of which made up the rhythm section of Blondie and Steve Jones on guitar from Sex Pistols. With Pop as director the collection of musicians quickly came up with the parts necessary for the song and laid the track down in two takes. Chas conveyed his excitement:

“We began setting up with the engineer, Bev Jones, and the musicians started to arrive. Clem Burke from Blondie arrived to Play Drums. Then Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols and Nigel Harrison of Blondie arrived. I couldn't believe I was going to be involved in this. Iggy arrived. He came up to me and said, "Hi I'm Jim, nice to meet you". Then he started talking with the band. “

The vocals were recorded the next day due to a drug related misstep. The vocals were recorded in a similar fashion to how they were done on Iggy Pop’s Lust For Life album, which was run through a Fender Champ amplifier and Space Echo. Chas elaborated a bit more on this for his piece once again on repomanfilm.com:

“I knew about the Lust for Life setup and had it ready in the booth. Iggy was totally excited about that and ready for lots of distortion on his voice. Bev Jones arrived and Iggy excitedly told him about the setup. I realized by the look on Bev’s face that I'd just totally screwed up and put him in a very bad position. Now Bev was stuck with Iggy wanting to record his voice through an old Fender Champ and a Space Echo. Bev knew this was probably going to sound like shit, but if he didn't agree to it he might offend Iggy. Bev, being a very cool character, calmly suggested that we put up a good Neumann for Iggy, move the Champ to the bathroom and route the vocal back to the Space Echo/Champ through an aux send. Iggy consulted with Sachi (his wife at the time), and she agreed that it was probably a good idea.”

In 2012, a tribute version of the soundtrack was recorded featuring new artists. While the original 1984 version is long out of print, the soundtrack, along with the film has grown in status since its original release. The film leads fans to the soundtrack and vice versa. Repo Man the film stands as both a document of the LA Punk scene in the 80s, but also a story that is both bizarre, funny, was unconventional and defied classification. The film also pays tribute to the film noir classic Kiss Me Deadly. Its radiating glow was different showing a sense of detachment from mainstream culture and the films soundtrack took us for a ride along the way.



The Play List:

1. The False Poets - A Girl I Know
2. Your 33 Black Angels - Patient Love
3. Dum Dum Girls - Under These Hands
4. Old And Weird - Lamps
5. Os Tartaros - Tartaria
6. The Plugz - Hombre Secreto (Secret Agent Man)
7. The Circle Jerks - When The Shit Hits The Fan
8. The Folk - In Silence
9. The Mods - Coming In And Out Of The Rain
10. The Young Canadians - Don’t Bother Me
11. Teenage Head - Some Kinda Fun
12. BA Johnston & The Moby Dicks - McDonald's Coupon Day
13. Korean Gut - Your Misery, Our Benefit
14. Topless Mongos - Hey My My
15. The Ketamines - You Can't Serve Two Masters
16. Frustrations - Damaged Goods Make History
17. Silicone Injection - At War With Peace
18. Radio Birdman - Do The Pop
19. Generation X - 100 Punks
20. The Libertines - The Good Old Days
21. The Modern Lovers - Old World
22. The Teardrops - Teardrops And Heartaches
23. Iggy Pop - Repo Man Theme
24. The D4 - Mysterex
25. The Rolling Stones - Factory Girl

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for April 1. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

The Stooges Drummer Scott Asheton 1949-2014 & Show # 501

On March 15th, 2014, Scott Asheton, best known as the drummer in the band The Stooges, passed away. Scott performed with The Stooges on all three of their albums along with his brother Ron, who passed away in 2009 due to a heart attack. Scott and his brother Ron, along with original Stooges bassist Dave Alexander formed the core rhythm section of the early line up for The Stooges, which had its beginnings in 1967. In a recent post on Rolling Stone, Iggy talked of his time with Scott Asheton, calling him “magnetic, and having a “boxer’s authority” when playing drums. In the article, Iggy Pop discusses the band’s early stages and his transition from drummer to lead vocalist and taking the center stage. He taught Scott Asheton how to play the drums in the early embryotic stages of The Stooges. Iggy Pop elaborated on this in the very same Rolling Stone article:

“I first met Scott Asheton when I was working at Discount Records in Ann Arbor to augment my drumming. He used to stand with [future Stooges bassist] Dave Alexander at the corner of State Street and Liberty, which is grand central for the University of Michigan campus. Scott impressed me immediately by his obvious physical gift. He remembered this better than I do, but he would bug me to teach him how to play drums.

Following The Stooges first break up in 1971, there was a period of time when Scott along with his brother Ron were in limbo before being recruited by Iggy Pop to reform The Stooges with James Williamson on guitar, and original guitarist Ron Asheton moving to bass. They would record what many feel is The Stooges best album Raw Power in 1973. After the band split again in 1974, Scott Asheton and brother Ron Asheton would continue music separately through with other groups. Scott would go on to play with a variety of other Detroit related groups such as Fred “Sonic” Smith’s post MC5 band Sonic’s Rendezvous Band along with fellow Detroit musician Scott Morgan. Scott Morgan had been in a Detroit Garage group called The Rationals in the mid 60s, but Scott Asheton would go on to play with Scott Morgan and his related projects such as Scot’s Pirates and The Scott Morgan band throughout the 80s. Additionally, Scott Asheton played live with Iggy Pop in 1978, and played with Sonny Vincent & His Rat Race Choir along with Captain Sensible of The Damned, among other bands. The Stooges reunited in 2003 and eventually went on to record two more albums 2007’s The Weirdness, with Ron Asheton on guitar and in 2013 Ready To Die with Raw Power era guitarist James Williamson.

Although The Stooges were overlooked for the most part when active as a band from 1967-1973, they have since gone on to become not only a cult classic band, but also a band responsible for having roots into what was to become Punk Rock. The Stooges are still a highly influential band and important group in Rock history and it was Scott Asheton in the drummer seat. Currently there is a documentary in the works about The Stooges that is to be done by Jim Jarmusch.

This Week's Play List:

1. The Spys - Welcome To The Cruel World My Friend
2. The Poles - CN Tower
3. Blam Blam Blam - Battleship Grey
4. Thee Mighty Caesars - I’ve Got Everything Indeed
5. Dead Drugs - Get Weird
6. The Revelions - Sighs
7. Scott Morgan - 16 With A Bullet
8. Sonic’s Rendezvous Band - You’re So Great
9. The Stooges - TV Eye (Takes 7 & 8)
10. The New Values - Straight Line
11. Damaged Bug - Photograph
12. Papermaps - Poor City
13. Public Image Limited - Memories
14. Johnny West - You Make Me Feel Like An Impotent Squadger
15. Novels - Mr. Foster’s Teenage Daughter
16. Indian Wars - Won't Do A Thing
17. Neil Young, Bob Dylan & The Band - Looking For A Love (Live San Francisco, CA Kezar Stadium 1975)
18. The Polymorphines - Mainstreet Jimmy
19. The Stomach Mouths - Waiting
20. The Pagans - I Don’t Understand
21. The Diodes -We’re Ripped
22. The Skids - Masquerade
23. Richard Hell & The Voidoids - Going Gong Gone

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

Revolution Rock: Tales Of A Late Night DJ & Show # 500

This week marked the 500th episode of Revolution Rock to air on CJAM FM’s airwaves in the Windsor/Detroit area. When I originally started the program back in June of 2004, I always wondered if I would make it to 500 episodes, well I suppose that now I have. When Revolution Rock started as a radio program back in 2004 CJAM was still located on 91.5 FM on the FM dial and the show focused specifically on 70s Punk and New Wave music. For approximately two years the show played that genre, rarely venturing outside of the world of the music created during that time period. At the time I created the program, CJAM had many “Punk” programs, but none of them for the most part really featured any music from the late 70s Punk scene specifically, whether in the UK or otherwise. The very first week that I was to be on the air, I recall going to CJAM FM located in the basement of the University of Windsor CAW Centre. I had been given the late night or graveyard shift from Midnight until 2 AM on Thursdays, a position I held for a few years. The very first time I was supposed to be on CJAM, I wasn’t able to get in the building. I told a bunch of my friends that I would be on the radio and they said they would be tuning in that night to hear my program, I was not aware at the time that University was locked on some occasions during late night hours. The next day at the University, some friends told me they heard my radio show, but “didn’t hear much talking from me”. Since I wasn’t there to do my program a CD was put on repeat for the night. It was rather fitting to know that being a radio DJ could be done by a CD player on repeat, but that was a rather short sighted point of view at the time, something that would change with time. This was also before the world of mp3/music playlists could be fully utilized by computers.

The following week I was able to get into the building and actually be on the air. I was extremely nervous to be on the radio live for the first time and when I walked into the studio, some friends of mine from the University's Communication Studies program were hosting their show. One of my colleagues was shirtless and for some reason sweaty and perhaps there were also some outside influences were at play that night. When I asked my colleague why he wasn’t wearing a shirt his reply was “It makes me perform better”. This was my first real introduction to the world of campus/community radio.

During the late night hours at CJAM FM, I explored the 70s Punk and New Wave genres, the music that influenced those genres in great detail and sometimes newer music. But at the time I was still a bit influenced by the mainstream media and way of thinking. Each week on Thursday night or Friday morning for that matter, I delved deeper into this world and in combination with my education at the University's Communication Studies program and the CJAM FM community, I began to think differently. I also learned a few valuable things from my experiences. On Thursday nights, the University had “Pub Night” and often confused drunk University students would wander into the lobby of CJAM FM, not located too far away from the bathrooms and the University Pub. They would at times yell out loud both profane and incoherent thoughts while I was talking on air during my program. This is where I learned, lock the door to CJAM when you are programming late at night. You never know who might wander in.

Then there were the late night callers. They would not be unlike the drunken University student wandering in from the Pub, sometimes starting phone calls either as prank calls where no one got the joke, or just to comment on the fact that they really hated what they were hearing. I recall one very specific instance when a caller phoned in, picking up the phone the anonymous caller on the other end said “Why aren’t you playing Techno music?” When I explained that my program focused on 70s Punk Rock they replied with “This makes me want to smash my head against a brick wall. It sucks!” then promptly hung up. As cruel as that sounds, there were also loyal callers that called in to make requests that were sometimes very obscure or just to tell me they liked what they were hearing in general. Some of those loyal listeners followed me when Revolution Rock switched time slots, which it did twice. For another few years, Revolution Rock aired Wednesday nights from 9-10:30 PM, I was followed by the Electronic program The Rhythm Gallery. It was also around this time in 2006, that I created this blog. It was created as a place to profile bands that were featured on the program and as a way to share my program online with a wider, more international audience.

In September of 2008, Revolution Rock moved to its current time slot Tuesday mornings from 10:30 AM – 12 PM. Since those early days in 2004, the program has evolved greatly in terms of content. Revolution Rock grew to incorporate Garage Rock, Surf, Alternative, Indie and many other related sub-genres into the shows format, but still keeping true to the 70s Punk and New Wave attitude and ethos that the genre helped to create. With the 500th, episode of Revolution Rock now over with I can’t help but think back to my first program in June of 2004. My sweaty shirtless friend introduced me to a world that I had not yet been exposed to. The shirt has now been taken off so to speak and I am no longer trapped between the confines of the mainstream way of thinking and the beginnings of my University education. In essence, I now perform better as a programmer with my metaphorical shirt off. I mean after almost ten years and 500 episodes, you would have to be right?

(NOTE: Revolution Rock switched time slots on May 24th, 2014. It can now be heard Saturday's from 7-9 PM on CJAM 99.1 FM)

The Play List:

1. Sun Stone Revolvers - Elmore's Surf
2. Action Makes - Nothing For Money
3. Simply Saucer - Get My Thrills
4. 63 Monroe - Twist My Wrist
5. The Victims - Open Your Eyes
6. St. Paul & The Broken Bones - The Glow
7. Holy Wave - How Do You Feel?
8. Them - You Just Can’t Win
9. Thee Oh Sees - Wait Let’s Go
10. Link Wray - Raunchy
11. Paul Jacobs - I Got It
12. No Fun - I Ain’t Got No Face
13. Carbonas - Hate You
14. Pointed Sticks - I’m Numb
15. The Scabs - Don’t Just Sit There
16. Ruefrex - Cross The Line
17. Slow - Have No Been The Same
18. The Replacements - Left Of The Dial
19. The Kinks - Powerman
20. Guided By Voices - A Good Flying Bird
21. The Clash - Deny
22. Ty Segall - Femme Fatale (Velvet Underground Cover)
23. The Black Lips - My Struggle
24. The Velvet Underground - Beginning To See The Light (Early Version)

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

Bob Dylan & George Harrison New Morning Sessions & Show # 499

Bob Dylan’s controversial album Self Portrait was released in 1970. The album was meant to be bad on purpose and was known for the infamous lines in Greil Marcus’ Rolling Stone review, which opened with “What is this shit?” The album was a double album of odd covers with bizarre overdubs and some poorly mixed live recordings. The songs were released in this fashion as a reaction to fans harassing Dylan at his family home. Bob said in a 1984 Rolling Stone interview: “'Well, fuck it. I wish these people would just forget about me. I wanna do something they can't possibly like, they can't relate to. They'll see it, and they'll listen, and they'll say, 'Well, let's get on to the next person. He ain't sayin' it no more. He ain't given' us what we want,' you know? They'll go on to somebody else.” The idea didn’t really work out as planned, but around the same time Dylan was working on another album, one that was to become 1970’s New Morning.

Those sessions are known for their beginnings, which took place on May 1st, 1970, with Beatle George Harrison on guitar. The sessions were a mish mash of covers and a few originals and have been widely bootlegged for some time. However, the sessions showcase an interesting point in Dylan’s career, the transition from Self Portrait to New Morning is night and day. New Morning excels where Self Portrait conveys quite the opposite. From these sessions a few songs were considered for release on New Morning, but they were never used. A few of these songs “Working On A Guru”, a version of “Time Passes Slowly” and “If Not For You” have since been released officially.

New Morning was released four months after Self Portrait. Recording sessions for Self Portrait began in April of 1969, and went on until March of 1970. The beginning of the New Morning sessions occurred on May 1st, 1970, before Self Portrait was even released. Dylan even stated in a 1975 interview “We were working on New Morning when the Self Portrait album got put together."

The May 1st session was to be recorded in secret, but even though the rumours spread, the Bob Johnston produced session went down as planned. Musicians on the session included Charlie Daniels on bass, Russ Kunkel on drums, Bob Johnston on keys and of course Bob Dylan and George Harrison. The session is loose and features several tracks that are of a rough around the edges quality. George Harrison’s guitar playing often reflects influences from the early days of The Beatles. Songs such as “I Don’t Believe You”, Carl Perkins “Matchbox”, the muddy “When’s My Swamp Gonna Catch Fire?”, “Honey Just Allow Me Just One More Chance”, a recording of an early still unreleased Bob Dylan original “Mama You’ve Been On My Mind”, a version of The Beatles “Yesterday” which ends with George Harrison saying that they should “put some cello on that”, all serve as candidates in favour of the sessions. There are still some weaker moments, but overall the sessions symbolize a unique point in both musicians’ careers. They also add to the vast and mysterious unreleased catalog that Bob Dylan has created during various points in his career.

As George had just become an ex-Beatle and was beginning work on his All Things Must Pass album, Bob Dylan was dealing with a difficult period with over obsessed fans viewing him as a sight seeing prophet. Both musicians had plenty on their mind. If these loose and for the most part off the cuff sessions show us anything, it is just a collection of musicians having unstructured fun in the studio rediscovering themselves, while the distractions of the outside world remain elsewhere.

Self Portrait and several of the tracks from the New Morning sessions are revisited on 2013’s The Bootleg Series Vol 10: Another Self Portrait (1969-1972), including a full and proper remixed concert from the Isle of Wight with Bob Dylan & The Band.

Bob Dylan - Time Passes Slowly #1 from Columbia Records on Vimeo.
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The Play List:

1. The Rezillos - Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight
2. Ramones - Highest Trails Above
3. Wire - Just Don’t Care (1977 Demo)
4. Zombie Surfers - Zombie Hand
5. The Orions - Always Clean And Fresh
6. North By North - Burn It Down
7. Deathcats - Aligator
8. Fruit Tones - Just Feeling Lucky
9. Aron D’Alesio - Carousel
10. Picastro - Endlessly
11. The Big Cat Band (Drew from Dead Ghosts and members of Indian Wars) - Jimmy
12. Dead Ghosts - Girl (The Keggs Cover)
13. Bob Dylan (With George Harrison) - When’s My Swamp Gonna Catch Fire?
14. Bob Dylan (With George Harrison) - Mama You’ve Been On My Mind
15. Scattered Bodies - The Many Moments
16. Vaguess - Television Dreams
17. The Zellots - On The Dole
18. Female Hands - Divided By Three
19. Active Dog - Nothing Holding You
20. Tim Ray & AV - Quarter To Eight
21. Private School - Rock & Roll Radio
22. Spizzenergi - Soldier Soldier
23. Magazine - Shot By Both Sides (1977 Definitive Daze Demo)
24. Bob Dylan (With George Harrison) - Working On A Guru
25. Bob Dylan (With George Harrison) - Time Passes Slowly # 1

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

Devo's Bob Casale (1952-2014) & Show # 498

On February 17th, 2014, Bob Casale, one of the founding members of Devo passed away due to heart failure. Bob Casale played rhythm guitar, keyboards and provided MIDI sampling in Devo, but also provided back up vocals, and from 1984 served as the band’s sound engineer on their albums. Just last year In June of 2013, Alan Myers passed away due to a battle with cancer. Alan was often referred to as “The Human Metronome” and drummed with Devo until 1984. Both members were part of Devo’s classic line up.

Devo formed in Akron, Ohio in 1972, and were comprised of brothers Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob (referred to as Bob 2) Casale and Alan Myers on drums. Bob initially was a trained medical radiation technician, but was asked by his brother Gerald to join Devo. The band became a seminal New Wave-era band in the late 70s/early 80’s. Most people recognize them for their quirky hit song “Whip It!”, but when the band first started out and even up to their most recent release 2010’s Something For Everybody, the music they made was based on the theory of devolution. Devolution in its simplest explanation is the theory that man was devolving into a regressive and earlier state, as opposed to be advancing in our modern society. The band first caught the attention of David Bowie at the Ann Arbor Film Festival where their short film The Complete Truth About De-Evolution won a prize at the festival. The film was shot by Chuck Statler incorporating Devo’s theories of Devolution and their music. It was essentially a music video, but following that prize at the Ann Arbor Film Festival, the band went forward from there.

Following the initial split of Devo in 1999, Bob along with other members of the band went on to other music related ventures. Most notably Bob joined the music production company Mutato Muzika, along with other members of Devo that was founded by Mark Mothersbaugh. Bob collaborated with Mark and the company on numerous films and television related programs. Some of the company’s credits include the films Happy Gilmore, Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Rugrats Go Wild, and many others.

The Play List:

1. La Luz - Sure As Spring
3. La Luz - Phantom Feelings
3. Martin Van Ruin - American Moon
4. Holy Wave - Psychological Thriller
5. Temples - Shelter Song
6. Habibi - Far From Right
7. Tire Swing Co. - I Awoke
8. Middle Sister - Maudite
9. Handsome Ned - One Hundred Miles of Open Road
10 The Hidden Cameras - Doom
11. Dum Dum Girls - Cult Of Love
12. Devo - Big Mess
13. Devo - Freedom Of Choice
14. Devo - Through Being Cool
15. Roky Erickson & The Aliens - I Walked with A Zombie
16. The Hoop - Phog Lounge
17. The Vapids - Powerchords and Skateboards
18. Light Bulb Alley - Liquor Store (Rough Mix)
19. The Basements - Wrong
20. The Black Angels - Better Off Alone
21. Teenanger - Psychic Sonya
22. Wanda Jackson - There’s A Party Goin’ On
23. Handsome Ned - One Hundred Miles of Open Road
23. Stompin’ Tom Connors - The Horseshoe Hotel (Live At The Horseshoe 1971)
25. Lou Reed - Nobody’s Business


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

Takeshi Terauchi Let's Go Terry! & Show # 497

Takeshi Terauchi is an Instrumental/Surf guitarist from Japan that has earned a legendary status overseas, but is fairly unknown in North America.  His guitar playing style is frequently described as wild and frantic and he is also often listed as being a contemporary in regards to his guitar playing ability alongside artists such as Davie Allan & The Arrows, Link Wray and The Ventures.  Takeshi or Terry as he goes by, started playing guitar in Jimmy Tokita & The Playboys who played Country and Western styled music.  In 1962, Terry formed Takeshi Terauchi & The Blue Jeans, an instrumental group that performed instrumental Surf music.  The band played what was called “eleki” music, which was a new thing at the time, but basically meant electric guitar music.  The “eleki boom” was spearheaded by The Ventures visit to Japan in 1962, which resulted in thousands of young aspiring Japanese musicians to create electric guitar music.  Takeshi played with The Blue Jeans until 1966, right around the time of the British invasion when bands such as the The Beatles and others of that time made their mark in the US and around the world.  Being influenced by British Invasion styled sounds at the time or as what was commonly referred to as GS (Group Sounds), Terry formed Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys who also incorporated vocal numbers into their sound.  This was done in addition to the Instrumental Rock and Surf stylings that were first explored in The Blue Jeans.  

The first album released by The Bunnys was the album Let’s Go Terry!, which was prefaced by the December 1966 single “Terry’s Theme” and was backed with the energetic and frenzied “Test Driver”.  Both these songs would make it on the Let’g Go Terry! album, which also goes by the name Bunnys Tanjou.  Let’s Go Terry! brought forth a dirty Garage and Punk styled sound at times, blended with 60s Pop Group Sounds influenced by the British Invasion sound and also traditional Japanese Folk songs, which would be incorporated and adapted to Terry’s “eleki” guitar sound in more detail on The Bunny’s second full length album entitled Seico Tera Uchi Bushi.  Let’s Go Terry! featured many fuzzed out Garage riffs blended with a Punk attitude songs such as “Black Carnation” that also features prominent and haunting organ parts, “The Glamour Of The Sun” which is an organ fuelled song that sounds like an amped version of the early Kinks sound.  “Terry’s Theme” which was first released as a single, features a more mid tempo pace, but an extremely catchy melodic guitar line, while “Test Driver” begins with a hectic drum pattern, followed by a building organ part before the guitar kicks in with a frantic western twang.  

The vocal tracks on this album are also worth mentioning.  Despite begin sung in Japanese it is difficult to ignore “Irrevocable Vow”, a slower paced Pop song that sounds influenced by fifties Rock ballads, “Burning, Burning” that seems to blend a sixties Garage sound with Minyo, Japanese Folk elements.  The middle section of this song slows down as shouting is heard.  The song then launches into a solo that sounds influenced by Dave Davies.  “Dream In The Ocean” sounds like it could have been influenced by the early sounds of The Beach Boys, while “I Believe” ends the album in a slower fashion with its flamenco styled guitar parts.  

Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys did not remain together too long, they disbanded in 1968.  It was rumoured that he reformed The Blue Jeans to focus on his guitar playing and get away from the Group Sounds that were prevalent in The Bunnys.  Throughout this period with The Bunnys, there was however a plethora of material released.  The Bunnys released sixteen singles and six albums.  In 1969, Terry reformed The Blue Jeans and has continued to play with the band ever since.  1966’s Let’s Go Terry! still stands as a testament to the wild Rock and Roll sound that Takeshi Terauchi could produce and balance with slower vocal based, Group Sound material.  Songs such as “Burning, Burning”, “Test Driver”, “Black Carnation” and “The Flying Guitar” all serve as examples of the Garage and Punk aesthetic that was displayed by Takeshi Terauchi that he blended with his Ventures and instrumental Surf Rock sounds.  Although Takeshi Terauchi has played a variety musical genres, Let’s Go Terry! is one of the examples of him branching out.  The song “Irrevocable Vow” is perhaps a good metaphor for not only this album, but Takeshi Terauchi’s time with The Bunnys.  Irrevocable means in essence something that cannot be reversed or changed.  With Let’s Go Terry! and his work with The Bunnys, Takeshi Terauchi incorporated Group Sounds into his music and after a short period of time and a wealth of music that was produced during that time frame, it was over and he moved on to something else.  Takeshi Terauchi did not go back or change or continue with the music he once created with The Bunnys, but the music remains for us to discover.  

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This year's Revolution Surf program once again featured a guest segment from Derk Brigante of the Surfphony of Derstruction 2000 podcast. Derk previously had his program Surfphony of Derstruction on CJAM FM, but it now continues a podcast online.  His podcasts are highly recommended, which draw from a well of new and old Surf music.  Derk also first introduced me to Takeshi Terauchi many years ago, his selections for this years Revolution Surf were both interesting and diverse.  You can hear his podcasts over at his Surfphony of Derstruction blog and also like his page on Facebook.  

Surf Rock Play List:

1. Os Morgans - Opus (Portuguese Nuggets Vol 1: A Trip To 60's Portuguese Beat Surf And Garage Rock - 2006)
2. The Future Primitives - Everybody Up (Fender IV Cover) (Songs We Taught Ourselves - 2013)
3. Wes Dakus & The Rebels - Cavalier Twist (Wes Dakus & The Rebels Vol 1 - 2006)
4. The Mel-Tones - Kung Fu Saturdays (Surf Sensation - 2004)
5. Jon & The Nightriders - Hit Man (Charge Of The Nightriders - 1984)
6. The Surfites - Surf Reveille (It Came From The Hideout - The Best Of The GaragePunk Hideout Vol 1 - 2011)
7. Les Skyliners - Entre Nous Il Est Fou (Les Introuvables - Volume 2 - 2007)
8. Les Devalons - The Lonely One (instrumental) (Les Introuvables - Volume 7 - 2007)
9. Polaris! - Hypnovista (Polaris - 1997)
10 Eddie Angel - Kawanga (Eddie Angel's Guitar Party - 1997)
11. The Panasonics - Penepede (Introducing The Inscrutable Panasonics (Featuring Eddie Angel On Guitar) - 1995)

DERK BRIGANTE OF SURFPHONY OF DERSTRUCTION 2000 SEGMENT:

12. Takeshi Terauchi - Moanin’ (The World Is Waiting For Terry - 1967)
13. The El Caminos - Hornets Nest (Reverb Explosion - 1997)
14. Yuzo Kayama - Crazy Drivin’ (The Exciting Sounds of Yuzo Kayama And The Launchers - 1966)
15. The Surf Coasters - Redzone Deadzone (The Surf Coasters - 1999)
16. Goggle-A - Reverb Chase (Dendeke Rock Combo - 2003)

17. Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys - Terry’s Theme (Let's Go Terry! - 1966)
18. Takeshi Terauchi & The Bunnys - Black Carnation (Let's Go Terry! - 1966)
19. Martin Schiller - The Innocuous Pastiche meets Professor Adventure (The Innocuous Pastiche meets Professor Adventure - 2011)
20. The Vy-Dels - Unknown (New Wave Surf Party! - 1981)
21. The Junior Raymen -I’m Branded (Rumble '66 - 1966)
22. Dead Ghosts - Commanche (That Old Feeling Single - 2010)
23. Pow Wows - The Horse Thief (Live) (Bent Out Of Shape - 2013)
24. Davie Allan & The Arrows - High Rise (Cycle Breed - 2008)
25. The Vondells - Dill Pickles (The Vondells (Unreleased - 2003))
26. Progressives - Man Of Mystery (Lost Legends Of Surf Guitar Vol III - 2003)
27. The Bell Peppers - Salt Shaker (Sizzling Hot Bell Peppers - 2013)
28. Dick Dale And His Del-Tones - Tidal Wave (Summer Surf - 1964)
29. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet - The Case Of The Missing Lady Fingers (Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham - 1991)

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

Grant Green's Solid & Show # 496

Grant Green was a Jazz guitarist that has, as often noted been overlooked during his lifetime. Green was born in St. Louis, Missouri on June 6th, 1935, he quickly built up an ability to play guitar and started sitting in Jazz bands as early as age 12. He was influenced by other Jazz guitarists such as Charlie Parker and Charlie Christian, but while he was known as a Jazz guitarist his playing was said to always have been deep rooted in Blues. Green would become associated with the Blue Note label and recorded a large number of recordings for the label both as a sideman and as a solo artist, his recordings total over 20 for Blue Note alone. Later in his career his style would cater more towards Funk and Soul, and after a resurgence of interest in the nineties, Green has come to also be considered the father of “Acid Jazz”.

Many cite 1963’s Idle Moments as one of his best for Blue Note, however in 1964 he recorded two sessions that are often seen as some of his most interesting and inspired works, they also remained unreleased for fifteen years before they saw the light of day. With two thirds of John Coltrane’s rhythm section Elvin Jones on drums and McCoy Tyner on piano and Bob Crenshaw on bass, Green recorded what was to become the album known as Matador in June of 1964. In May of the same year he headed back into the studio with the same core of musicians to record was was to become 1964’s Solid and as such, Solid is seen as a companion piece to Matador. It should also be noted that while Jones, Tyner and Crenshaw are on both of these releases there was a horn section on Solid only. The horn section was James Spaulding on alto saxophone and Joe Henderson on tenor saxophone for Solid. Nevertheless, Solid turned out to be a hard hitting collection of songs, said to reflect a Hard Bop Jazz style, that differs from most of the work that Green is known for.

2010 Music Matters reissue

Solid initially was released with five tracks, “Minor League”, “Ezz-Thetic”, “Grant’s Tune”, “Solid” and “The Kicker”. When it was remastered and reissued for CD, it was appended to include “Wives And Lovers” by Burt Bacharach. The exact same version of this song is also included on Matador. Duke Pearson’s “Minor League” opens the album with an upbeat swing propelled by Elvin Jones’ drumming, Green’s melodically crisp guitar solo lines, which trades off between horn section solos and piano solos, all the while it is held down by Crenshaw’s steady smooth bass lines. “Ezz-Thetic” is said to be an experimental piece with Jazz modal scale stylings from Green, “Grant’s Tune” is the only original composition he has on this release, but this song like Sonny Rollins “Solid”, are deep rooted in Blues. Joe Henderson’s “The Kicker” ends the album in an upbeat and inviting fashion. This song was also found on Bobby Hutcherson’s The Kicker released in 1963, which Green played on as a session guitarist. Green’s version while recorded in 1964 would not be heard until Solid’s posthumous release in 1979.

During his time as a Jazz guitarist comparisons were made between Green and another Jazz guitarist known as Wes Montgomery. While both obviously had technical skill and ability, Green’s style of play has often been said to have been more melodic and crisp and as mentioned previously, rooted in Blues. Grant Green was said to have also played a green guitar, wore a green suit, and even drove a green cadillac, playing into his namesake. Green passed away due to a heart attack on his way to a gig on January 31st, 1979. In addition to his notable Blue Note recordings, his later Funk and Soul inspired recordings are also noteworthy especially 1972’s soundtrack The Final Comedown. Matador along with Solid may not have been heard during Green’s lifetime, but are now seen as some of his most interesting early work recorded for the Blue Note label. They are an example of what was in turn a formative influence on Jazz guitar music put forth by Green.

The Play List:

1. A.C. Reed - I Got Money To Burn (I’d Rather Fight Than Switch/I Got Money To Burn Single - 1963)
2. Thunderbirds – Thunderbird Twist (Jerk Boom! Bam! Vol.5 - 2012)
3. Irma Thomas – I Did My Part (It’s Raining/I Did My Part Single - 1962)
4. Mable King – Go Back Home Young Fella (Go Back Home Young Fella/Lefty Single - 1962)
5. Bo Diddley – Mr. Custer (Live) (Bo Diddley’s Beach Party - 1963)
6. Andre Williams - Goin’ Down To Tia Juana (Goin' Down To Tia Juana/Pulling Time Single - 1955)
7. The Five Dollars – That’s The Way It Goes (Nolan Strong & The Diablos Meet The Five Dollars - From The Beginning To Now - 1963)
8. Nolan Strong & The Diablos – Jump, Shake and Move (Daddy Rock - 1963)
9. Joe Weaver & His Blue Note Orchestra – 1540 Special (Baby I Love You So - 2000)
10. Tinariwen - Timadirt in Sahara (Emmaar - 2014)
11. Mikey Dread - Saturday Night Style (African Anthem (The Mikey Dread Show Dubwise) - 1979)
12 Clancy Eccles All Stars – Bangarang Crash (Trojan Singles Box Set - 1999)
13 Ray Charles – I Wonder Who (Up On The Roof: Gems From The Atlantic Vaults 1961-1962 - 2013)
14. Carla Thomas – Wish Me Good Luck (Up On The Roof: Gems From The Atlantic Vaults 1961-1962 - 2013)
15 Gladys Knight & The Pips - Room In Your Heart (Every Beat Of My Heart/Room In Your Heart Single - 1961)
16 Prince La La – She Put The Hurt On Me (She Put The Hurt On Me/Don’t Know You Little Girl (I’m In Love) Single - 1961)
17. The Rollers – Troubles (Jerk Boom! Bam! Vol.7 - 2013)
18 Elaquent - The Little Things You Do (Green Apples And Oranges - 2014)
19 Tappa Zukie - Pick up The Rocker (From The Archives - 1995)
20 Chuck Berry - Let It Rock (Live Walled Lake Casino, Detroit, Michigan 1963)(You Never Can Tell: The Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966 - 2009)
21. Chuck Berry – Almost Grown (Live Walled Lake Casino, Detroit, Michigan October 1963)You Never Can Tell: The Complete Chess Recordings 1960-1966 - 2009)
22. John Lee - Alabama Boogie (Alabama Boogie - 1951)
23 Grant Green – Minor League (Solid - 1979)
24 Grant Green – Grant’s Tune (Solid - 1979)

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

The Hentchmen Hentch-Forth & Show # 495

Forming in 1992 in Detroit, Michigan, The Hentchmen are a three piece Garage Rock band that took 60s Garage as a model and main influence. The band consists of John Syzmanski on organ/vocals, Tim Purrier on guitar and Chris Handyside on drums originally, he was replaced by Make Latiluppe in 1995. The Hentchmen became a popular live band playing around Ann Arbor, Michigan, in places such as the Magic Stick. Their first release was 1994’s Ultra Hentch and the band eventually got a record deal through Norton Records. But, in 1998 for a short period of time the band featured Jack White on bass. Jack came into the band following a live collaboration in February of 1998, where he played guitar with the band on a cover rendition of The MC5’s “Looking At You” and the song “Some Other Guy”, which would wind up as The Hentchmen’s next single. It should also be noted that Jack White played with The Hentchmen and played in other numerous bands at this time. He did vocals/guitar for 2 Star Tabernacle, played in The Go, had a short stint with Goober & The Peas and was also working on a new project at the time, which would become known as The White Stripes. The first recorded seven inch single was “Some Other Guy” a song originally by Richard Barrett, and “Psycho Daises” a song that was originally by The Yardbirds when Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page were both in the band, Jack White played guitar on these tracks. Following this single, The Hentchmen with Jack White on bass entered an old auto factory known as Room 222 in Pontiac, Michigan, with Jeff Meier to record what was to become the nine track album Hentch-Forth.

The Hentchmen have often described their music as “hit and run” music. It captures the spirit of 1965, with their unique blend of organ fuelled Garage Rock sounds mixed with elements of 70s Punk at times as well. The music on this album is raw and unpolished, and was recorded over the course of a weekend in August 1998. The album featured songs such as the fuzzy locomotive riffs and catchy “ooh, ooh’s” of “Yesterday’s Trash”, “LA.M.F.” is short form for “late model Ford” and is also seen as an homage to the album by Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers of the same name. The song chugs along with its watery organ sounds, driving bass and jangly guitar rhythms, while lyrically the song portrays images of an old car breaking down and a character who believes in his car making it home one more time, before it runs no more. Furthermore, the song takes on an even deeper meaning when considering that the band is from Detroit, Michigan, which is known for their automotive manufacturing plants. “Automatic” follows with its frenzied riffs, pacing and lyrics that once again play into the world of automobiles, “Carry Me Home” picks up where “Yesterday’s Trash” left off offering up more raucous fuzz drenched riffs and warbly sounding organ, “R&R Cancer” ends the release. It is a Chuck Berry influenced, stripped down Rock track complete with 50s style piano, organ that doesn’t sound unlike ? and The Mysterians and lyrical subject matter that seems to either be a comment on the local music scene at the time or an addiction to Rock and Roll music.
  



Some Other Guy Single - 1998

Following the release of Hentch-Forth, which was their fourth album at the time, even though it was technically considered a mini LP upon its initial release, Jack White left the group to concentrate more on The White Stripes. One more single was released for Gas Records from the sessions the “Ham & Oil/Club Wagon” single. While it was released in 1999, it did feature White on bass and both tracks were instrumentals. Hentch-Forth was reissued in 2007 with several songs featuring re-recorded parts. It was also remixed, remastered and appended to include the “Some Other Guy” single and “Ham & Oil” single, along with a few outtakes. The album was re-titled Hentch-Forth.Five. Hentch-Forth is an album that was created in a short period of time during the Detroit Garage scene in the 90s, before Jack White became well known and when he and many other bands for that matter played in multiple groups. This album inched forth with a reckless Rock & Roll abandon, and is often stated to be an example of the beginnings before Jack White was famous and that is true to an extent. But this album also provides us with a short and exciting example of a collaborative and vibrant music scene in Detroit that once was.

Detroit Garage Play List:

1. Sonic’s Rendezvous Band – City Slang (City Slang Single - 1978)
2. Blue Squares – Stop And Wonder Why (Live At GBS Studio, Detroit - 2011)
3. Two Star Tabernacle – Hotel Yorba (Live at the Gold Dollar - 1998)
4. The Von Bondies – Lack of Communication (Lack Of Communication - 2001)
5. The Fishcats – My Lips Are On Fire (It Came From The Garage II - 1987)
6. John Lee Hooker – Sally Mae (Boogie Chilen' - 1948)
7. Joe Weaver & The Don Juans – Baby, I Love You So (Baby, I Love You So - 1956)
8. Outrageous Cherry – ‘Til I Run Out (Outrageou Cherry - 1994)
9. The Sights – Send Your Loving To Me (Live) (Ghettoblaster Volume 2 - 2002)
10. Hysteric Narcotics – Anna (It Came From The Garage - 1986)
11. The Rationals – Look What You’re Doing (To Me) (Look What You're Doing Single - 1965)
12. The Go – Keep On Trash (Whatcha Doin' - 1999)
13. The Gories – You Little Nothing (It Came From The Garage II - 1987)
14. 3-D Invisibles – I Married A Monster From Outer Space (It Came From The Garage - 1986)
15. Chit Chat – Attitude (Chit Chat EP - 2012)
16. King Sound Quartet - Annihilate This Week (Annihilate This Week Single - 1996)
17. Fake Surfers – Nonsense (Fake Surfers - 2012)
18. Death – Freakin Out (... For The Whole World To See - 2009)
19. Destroy All Monsters – Nobody Knows (What Do I Get? Single - 1979)
20. The Dirtbombs – Cedar Point '76 (White Stripes/Dirtbombs Split Single - 2000)
21. MC5 – Looking At You (Back In The USA - 1970)
22. White Stripes – Little Bird (De Stijl - 2000)
23. Andre Williams – Bobby Jean (Mr. Rhythm Is Movin'!. The Original 1955-1960 Fortune Recordings - 2011)
24. Mary Wells – I’m So Sorry (I Don't Want To Take A Chance Single - 1961)
25. Hentchmen – Late Model Ford (Hentch Forth Five - 2007)
26. The Stooges – Down On The Street (Single Mix) (Fun House Deluxe Edition - 2005)

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

It Came From Canada ... Og Music & Show # 494

Og Music was established in Montreal, Quebec in 1983, by Gerard Van Herk and Tony Dewald, who were also in a two piece primal Sludgeabilly band called Deja Voodoo that drew on elements of 50’s Rock & Roll, Rockabilly, Garage and Punk music for their sound. While the label was initially established as a means to put out music by Deja Voodoo, it quickly grew into something larger going on to set new standards for independent Canadian music. Amongst a world of synthesizers and overindulgent music, Og Music set out to do things different taking things back to basics. The label would go on to not only release music within the Garage and Punk genres, but also Roots Rock, Rockabilly and associated genres and set up a network with other Canadian bands on a national scale. This was put forth in part by their It Came From Canada compilation album series and Deja Voodoo’s touring connections.

The first two releases on Og were released on cassette format only, 1983’s Gumbo by Deja Voodoo, and Condition’s Dirty Business, but the label would switch to vinyl format following this and remain that way until the label was dissolved in 1990. The first vinyl release on Og, was a seven inch single compilation release entitled From Montreal, which can be seen as a precursor to the It Came From Canada compilation albums which would follow starting in 1985. These compilations would feature bands such as The Gruesomes, Jerry Jerry & The Sons of Rhythm Orchestra, Ray Condo & His Hard Rock Goners, Chris Houston, Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, Cowboy Junkies and many others. There were five It Came From Canada compilations in total, in between these releases Og would put out full length albums and releases by The Gruesomes, Supreme Bagg Team, The Dik Van Dykes, and more. The labels first release from a band that was not within the Montreal scene was the 1985 album Road Gore: The Band That Drank Too Much by Jerry Jerry and The Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra who originated from Edmonton, Alberta.

Deja Voodoo drove around to their gigs with a willingness to play anywhere in a 1959 Ford Edsel which seemed to be a character of its own. The car would generate questions and at times confusion, but the label would draw attention from a variety of sources in addition to touring connections. Og bands and releases were also supported strongly by campus radio stations across Canada and CBC late night programs such as Brave New Waves and Night Lines, which further helped the labels status. An annual event was also put on called Voodoo BBQ’s, which started as a reason to bring the bands together featured on the It Came From Canada compilation albums. This live event would start in Montreal, but would also be held in other parts of Canada later on, such as Toronto and Ottawa. Deja Voodoo even went on to play shows in Europe building a following and releasing a live album entitled Live at the Backstage Club, Helsinki Finland in 1990. This album would be not only one of the band’s last releases, but also one of the last releases for the Og Music label.

Many of the bands featured on the It Came From Canada compilations went on to varying degrees of success. The Gruesomes were an extremely popular band on the label that did very well. Two other notable bands would be Canada’s instrumental combo Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet, who would go on to greater fame in Canada when supplying the theme song for the Kids In The Hall TV show and The Cowboy Junkies, who would only have one song featured on the label, “Blue Moon Revisited”. This song would be featured on 1988’s It Came From Canada Volume 5 and was an outtake from their Trinity Sessions album, which would go on to sell millions of copies when the band signed to a major label. Just before CD’s became the dominant format of choice in the 90s, Deja Voodoo and Og Records called it quits in 1990. Gerard and Tony went on to pursue other careers in different avenues, Gerard in the education field, Tony in the brewing of beer.

Og Music was a small, but largely influential label at the time. It can be seen as a metaphor for the beginnings of independently released music on a more national level in Canada. In the 90s and even today, Canadian music thrives in this regard. Deja Voodoo, the first band to put out a release on Og further serves as a symbol of what was essentially at that point in time the primal beginnings of Canadian artists taking matters into their own hands in terms of how they would release music. When the primal cycle outgrew itself, Og Music ended, leaving behind a blueprint that was seminal for releasing music that was alternative to the mainstream in Canada.

Listen to the interview I did with Gerard Van Herk here:



Og Play List:

1. Deja Voodoo – Boppin’ 88 (Gumbo 1983 – OG 1)
2. Terminal Sunglasses – Terminal Theme (Wraparound Cool 1985 – OG 6)
3. Drums Along The Gardiner – Vagabonds (Mr. Garager’s Neighbourhood 1989 – OG 21)
4. Desmonds – Bureaucrat From Hell (It Came From Canada Volume 5 1988 – OG 25)
5. Ripcordz – Long Dark Train (It Came From Canada Volume 5 1988 – OG 25)
6. Captain Crunch and Let’s Do Lunch – Goes Without Saying (More Baroque-Post Industrial Hillbilly Launch Music 1989 – OG 23)
7. Ray Condo & His Hard Rock Goners – High Voltage (It Came From Canada Volume 2 1986 – OG 9)
8. Dusty Chaps – Yukon Buddy (It Came From Canada Volume 1 1985 – OG 8)
9. Chris Houston – Surfin’ On Heroin (It Came From Canada Volume 1 1985 – OG 8)
10. Cowboy Junkies – Blue Moon Revisited (It Came From Canada Volume 4 1988 – OG 17)
11. Deja Voodoo – Too Cool To Live, Too Smart To Die (Too Smart To Live, Too Smart To Die 1988 – OG 12)

GERARD VAN HERK INTERVIEW (DEJA VOODOO/OG RECORDS)

12. Deja Voodoo – 48 Bucks (Big Pile Of Mud 1988 – OG 18)
13. The Mongols – Sleepwalk (It Came From Canada Volume 3 1987 – OG 13)
14. Dik Van Dykes – Curling (Nobody Likes The Dik Van Dykes 1987 - OG 16)
15. Condition – Too Hot To (From Montreal 1983 – OG 3)
16. Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet – Good Cop Bad Cop (It Came From Canada Volume 2 1986 – OG 9)
17. Jerry Jerry & The Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra – Bad Idea (Road Gore:  The Band Who Drank Too Much1985 – OG 7)
18. Vindicators – If I Were You (Vindicators 1989 – OG 29)
19. The Gruesomes – For All I Care (Tyrants Of Teen Trash 1986 – OG 10)
20. The Gruesomes - Hey! (Hey! 1988 - OG 20)
21. Deja Voodoo – Coelacanth (Swamp Of Love 1986 – OG 11)

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

The Spelling Mistakes It Feels So Good & Show # 493

The Spelling Mistakes were a short lived band from New Zealand that lasted from 1979 to 1980, they blended elements of Punk and Power Pop into their sound. The band did not have too many releases during their initial run as a band, they released one and a half singles. Their first single was a split with The Whizz Kids in 1979, their song “Reena” was featured as the A side. The bands 1980 single “Feels So Good” was released via Propeller Records, a short lived label started by Greg Simms who was also in one of New Zealand’s first Punk bands, The Suburban Reptiles. “Feels So Good” was a top twenty hit, reaching number 29 on the New Zealand singles charts. The band recorded a second follow up single, but it remained unreleased for two decades. Despite the success of their single and their popularity on the local live scene at the time, The Spelling Mistakes called it quits in 1980. This has been said to have occurred due to a few factors, one being increased violence and underage drinkers at their live shows which caused difficulty in booking shows. They reformed briefly in 1999 and in the 2000’s before splitting again.




This Week's Play List:

1. Cheap Time – Exit Smiles
2. Thee Dirty Beats – You Lied To Me Before
3. Hurricane & Able – The Leaves On The Ground
4. Greg Arcade & the Electrics - My Baby Loves To Rock and Roll
5. Shotgun Jimmie – Grow A Garden
6. The Stems – Man With The Golden Heart
7. La De Da – Don’ You Stand In My Way
8. Easybeats – Sorry
9. The Kaisers – Looking Back
10. George Jones – No No Never
11. The Byrds – One Hundred Years From Now
12. Elk – Before The Sun
13. The Waldos – Love That Kills
14. Mods – Step Out Tonight
15. The Stranglers – Curfew
16. The Exploding Hearts – Boulevard Trash
17. Brazilian Money – We Could Just Stay
18. Golden Hands Before God – Communist Party
19. The Beatles – Glass Onion
20. Jack Rabbit Slim – Bop Attack
21. The Cramps – Don’t Get Funny With Me
22. Dead Ghosts – Girl Across The Street
23. Johnny Thunders & The Heartbreakers – Baby Talk (Cassette Version)
24. True Lovers - Bang Bang
25. Marching Girls – First In Line
26. The Spelling Mistakes - Feels So Good

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

Coming Up on Revolution Rock in February 2014!

February is theme month once again for Revolution Rock. I will be doing a different themed program for each of the four weeks in February. Each program will air on a Tuesday from 10:30-Noon and can be streamed/listened to online via www.cjam.ca or on the FM dial at 99.1 FM in the Windsor/Detroit area.

The programs will be as follows:

 Og Records Radio Feature
February 4th, 2014
10:30 AM – Noon
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

In 1983, Gerard Van Herk and Tony Dewald of the two piece sludegabilly duo Deja Voodoo formed the record label Og Records. This independent Canadian, Montreal, Quebec based label initially started releasing primarily cassettes, but quickly gravitated toward vinyl releases. This highly influential label would not only release material by Deja Voodoo, but also artists such as The Gruesomes, Terminal Sunglasses, and Jerry Jerry And The Sons of Rhythm Orchestra. Og Records is also notable for their highly sought after compilation series It Came From Canada. There were five volumes and the compilations were responsible for exposing bands such as Shadowy Men On A Shadowy Planet and Cowboy Junkies, who would later go on to achieve more mainstream successes. Og Records only ever had 29 releases and ceased operations as a label in 1990. This program will features a selection of music from this short lived label and an exclusive interview with co-founder of Og Records and Deja Voodoo Gerard Van Herk.

City Slang – Music From Detroit
February 11th, 2014
10:30 AM – Noon
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Detroit, Michigan and its surrounding areas have often delivered a variety of highly influential music in a variety of differing genres. This program will focus on some of the music to have come from Detroit, Michigan, and the surrounding areas. The program will focus primarily on Garage Rock and related sub genres, but will also feature some of the differing genres and styles of music to come from the surrounding cultural hub of artistic diversity that is commonly referred to as Detroit. Expect to hear music from MC5, The Stooges, White Stripes, John Lee Hooker and more!

Revolution Rock Celebrates Black History Month – Grant Greens’ Solid
February 18th, 2014
10:30 AM – Noon
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Grant Green is often viewed as an unsung hero of Jazz guitar and was very underrated during his lifetime. Green has been on a multitude of recordings both as a sideman and solo artist, which were primarily released through the Blue Note label. Solid was one of two albums recorded in 1964 (the other album being Matador), yet they remained unreleased during Green’s lifetime. The musicians on Solid were pianist McCoy Tyner and drummer Elvin Jones, both of which made up two thirds of John Coltrane's rhythm section. Some felt that this album contains some of his Green’s finest work, but it remained unreleased for fifteen years before getting a proper release in 1979. This episode of Revolution Rock will feature a selection of tracks from this album, as well as a mixture of other genres in celebration of Black History Month.

Revolution Surf (The 8th Edition)
February 25th, 2014
10:30 AM – Noon
CJAM 99.1 FM (www.cjam.ca)

Tuesday, February 25th, will mark my 8th annual Surf Rock program on CJAM 99.1 FM. The yearly program was initially started as a reason to incorporate a collection of Surf music that I had into the Revolution Rock radio program, which initially just featured 70s Punk and New Wave music only. I have since incorporated Garage Rock, Alternative, Indie, Surf and a variety of other sub related genres into the program on a weekly basis. The annual Surf program entitled Revolution Surf has however stuck, each year at the end of February I have one program devoted to this musical genre. This year’s program will also feature, as have past programs a special guest segment from Derk Brigante formerly of CJAM’s Surfphony of Derstruction, which now continues as a podcast online. This year’s program will feature a mini spotlight on Surf Rock from Japan with a focus on Japanese Instrumental Surf guitarist Takeshi Terauchi and his 1966 album with The Bunnys, Let’s Go Terry. 

Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs, Night Beats & Show # 492

Sam Coffey And The Iron Lungs – Do Ya Feel It Too?

Sam Coffey And The Iron Lungs originate from Waterloo, Ontario, but they currently reside in Toronto. They have released two full length albums and several singles. The band mixes elements of Garage Rock, Punk and Country at times. The song played on today’s program “Do Ya Feel It Too?” comes from their second full length album Shin No Skin that was released in September 2012 and features strong catchy hooks complete with catchy background vocals. Currently the band is gearing up to release their third full length album to be titled The Gates Of Hell.



Night Beats – Satisfy Your Mind

Heavily laced with elements of reverb filled Garage Rock, Soul and Psych, Sonic Bloom is the second full length album released by Seattle’s Night Beats. The song featured on this week’s program “Satisfy Your Mind” echoes the sounds of The Zombies. The band's first full length self titled album was released in 2011 and featured shorter more frenzied songs, while Sonic Bloom expands their sound featuring more catchy hooks and melodies. Sonic Bloom was released via Austin Psych Fest’s label Reverberation Appreciation Society.



The Play List:

1. The Wipers – When It’s Over
2. Richard Hell & The Voidoids – I Been Sleepin’ On It
3. Crocodiles – Teardrop Guitar
4. The Action – Zona Rosa
5. Cold Warps – Worry Worms (2013 Demo)
6. Shady & The Vamp – I’m Kickin’ You Out
7. Ugly Ducklings – Girl Out Of Time
8. Virgil Holmes – Ghost Train
9. Pow Wows – EIO (During The Flood) (WMFU Cherry Blossom Session 2012)
10. Shag – Stop & Listen
11. Hentchmen – (Cryin’ Just Like) Otis
12. Nervous Talk – We Don’t Talk
13. Night Beats – Satisfy Your Mind
14. Tranzmitors – Get Around
15. Klark Kent – My Old School
16. Teenage Head – Take It
17. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs – Do Ya Feel It Too?
18. Dan Sartain – I Wanna Join The Army
19. The Boys – Brickfield Nights
20. Generation X – Ready Steady Go
21. The Hives – Bigger Hole To Fill
22. The Rolling Stones – Don’t Lie To Me

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

Wire, Black Lips & Show # 491

Last week’s episode of Revolution Rock was a repeat. For those of you keeping count, each week the number increases on my post with each new episode of the program that airs. This week was the 491st episode of Revolution Rock, last week was a repeat of episode number 485 which had a feature on Windsor artist Paul Jacobs and was technically my 490th episode. Here is a video of Paul’s song "Sara’s Party" from his album Coffin Ride. You can see my play list and write on Paul Jacobs from that episode here.




Wire – 40 Versions (Rockpalast 1979)

“40 Versions” originally appeared on Wire’s 3rd full length album 154. The album was named after how many live shows that the band had played at that point. This video is from a live performance filmed for Rockpalast in 1979. It has been released officially and can be found on the release On The Box: Live 1979, it includes both a CD of audio and a DVD with video of this concert.



Black Lips – Boys In The Wood

Atlanta’s Black Lips are set to release their 7th studio album Underneath The Rainbow in March of 2014. The songs on the release are said to lean more towards a Roots Rock based sound, “Boys In The Wood” apparently being an ode to Lynyrd Skynrd and is about drinking bathtub gin and doing drugs. The band recently tweeted this about their new album "Just to clarify, our new album is not a country record, nor is it a southern rock album. It's elvis from the waist down."



The Play List:

1. Those Rogues – Wish I Could See You Again
2. Power Of Beckett – Lost Soul In Disillusion
3. Spiral Scratch – Still Rockin’
4. Lost Patrol – That’s Your Style (Early Version)
5. Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings – People Don't Get What They Deserve
6. The Twisters – 9 Times Out of 10
7. Johnny Burnett – Tear It Up
8. Big Star – The Ballad Of El Goodo
9. Johnny West – He Was Saved By Poultry From The Shadow Of Beef
10. Neil Young – Bad Fog of Loneliness (Live)
11. Dog Day – Joyride
12. Crystal Stilts – Nature Noir
13. Speed – She’s All There
14. Space Trees – I Need You
15. Dick Dale – Surfin’ Rebel
16. Tay Falco’s Panther Burns – Snatch It Back
17. Moods – Rum Drunk
18. In-Sect – Let This Be A Lesson
19. The Black Lips – Boys In The Wood
20. Alex Chilton – I Wish I Could Meet Elvis
21. Gang Of Four – In The Ditch
22. Hookworms - ii
23. Wire – 40 Versions
24. Buzzcocks – Breakdown (Live At Lesser Trade Free Hall – July 21, 1978)
25. Buzzcocks - What Do I Get (Live At Lesser Trade Free Hall – July 21, 1978)

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