Motivational Jumpsuits and Cool Planets & Show # 537

The ever prolific Robert Pollard reformed Guided By Voices with their classic 1992-1996 line-up featuring Tobin Sprout, Mitch Mitchell, Greg Demos, and Kevin Fennell in 2010 for a series of live shows beginning with Matador Records 21st anniversary. In 2012, they returned in recorded form with this line-up for three albums (Let’s Go Eat The Factory, Class Clown Spots A UFO and The Bears For Lunch), in 2013 they released the EP Down By The Racetrack and the album English Little League. This album was rumored to be their last, but 2014 saw the release of two more albums with this line-up Motivational Jumpsuit and Cool Planet (minus Kevin Fennell on drums). This myriad of releases rivals some of the prolific material that the band released during the 90s, but these albums mixed more modern recording techniques with the band’s lo-fi tendencies. After six albums and an EP, Robert Pollard with the reformed line-up announced announced that the band has finally called it quits.

Released in February 2014, Motivational Jumpsuit rivals some of Guided By Voices best material drawing comparisons to material found on 1994’s Bee Thousand, 1995’s Alien Lanes and Under The Bushes Under The Stars from 1996. As with these aforementioned albums, Motivational Jumpsuit features a collection of sometimes ramshackle, lo-fi sounding recordings alongside some more studio-produced sounding efforts. This album also features plenty of Tobin Sprout written songs in conjunction with material by the irreverent Robert Pollard. The album starts off with the echo filled drums and the guitar driven sound of “The Littlest League Possible”. As Pollard alludes to baseball and the music industry at the same time this song features catchy and witty lyrics in less than two minutes (one minute and 18 seconds to be exact). But this song exemplifies what Guided By Voices do best, which are short and straight to the point songs with strong melodic hooks.

“Writer’s Bloc (Psycho All The Time)” features garage rock and post punk jabs as Pollard sings tongue-in-cheek about a subject that we might not ever have thought Robert Pollard would utter. “Planet Score” has to be one of the top songs in the bands catalog as Robert Pollard sings of the haunting musical memories in the present tense with a melodic crunch. Tobin Sprout struts a psychedelic swing in “Jupiter Spin”, a candy coated Byrdsian sound in “Record Level Love”, while “Shine (Tomahawk Breath)” features a slow pop melody with fuzzy distorted Big Star nostalgia. Additionally, Sprout adds to to several of Robert Pollard sung/written tracks on Motivational Jumpsuit such as “I Am Columbus”. These songs in addition to “Vote For Me Dummy”, “Bulletin Borders”, the lo-fi tape flutter Who influenced “Evangeline Dandelion” and the gritty hook-filled “Alex and The Omegas” all count as highlights on this release. With Motivational Jumpsuit, Guided By Voices zip up all the loose ends, but not too tightly. Featuring twenty tracks under forty minutes, this album proves that they can still make a great album twenty-one albums into their career.

In May 2014, Guided By Voices released what is now said to be their last album, Cool Planet. This album differs from the previous five that were released during this 2010-2014 period of the band. It was recorded in a proper studio. While the hiss and fuzziness of their lo-fi style may be missing from this album, the scrappiness and ubiquitous nature of Guided By Voices remains strong here. This album also differs in the line-up, drummer Kevin Fennell is not behind the drum kit for Cool Planet, but Kevin March is. March originally played with GBV from 2002-2004 and was featured on what was labeled their last release in 2004, the psychedelic melancholic Half Smiles Of The Decomposed. Fittingly he returns here for what is said to be the band’s last album, again, but a decade later.

“Authoritarian Zoo” starts off Cool Planet with a gut punch of guitar riffs and drums with a sound somewhat reminiscent to 2004’s “Everybody Thinks I’m A Raincloud (When I’m Not Looking)”. This song sonically and lyrically provides something different from the opening moments of the softer dimensions of Half Smiles Of The Decomposed and even Motivational Jumpsuit’s “The Littlest League Possible”. Elements of the song “Motor Away” from 1995’s Alien Lanes pops up on “Hat Of Flames” where Pollard sings of a mysterious character with a “Magic code to the parading masses”. This song ignites with its spark inducing fuzz garage riffs amongst Robert Pollards pop hooks. Amongst the eighteen tracks on Cool Planet, we are also visited by more Tobin Sprout originals. “All American Boy” is a spiraling pop gem featuring vibrating guitar leads and pounding piano, “The Bone Church” shows Sprout spreading his wings on the heavier side of rock, tipping his hat to Black Sabbath and the piano induced “Narrated By Paul”. This song along with several of Sprout’s recent contributions to the reformed GBV have had Beatles references, whether musically or in song title variations. This influence/reference pops up again in the echo and acoustic driven “Ticket To Hide”.

Other tracks worth of note on this album includes the windmill rush of “Pan Swimmer”, “Cream Of Lung”, which seems to compliment Sprout’s “The Bone Church”, and “Males Of Wormwood Mars” which proves to be Cool Planet’s strongest pop success. With its watery verses, and Keith Moon styled drums provided by Kevin March, this song tucks itself away near the end of the album. “Bad Love Is Easy To Do” starts off in a fashion similar to “Teenage FBI”, but showcases the songwriting abilities of Robert Pollard and Tobin Sprout as they sing of a love song in a way only they could. This song comes off with an effortless success as it balances jittery verses, pop choruses and calming breakdowns supplied by Tobin Sprout. The album ends with its title track, “Cool Planet”.

On 2004’s Half Smiles Of The Decomposed, “Huffman Flying Field” ended a chapter in the GBV discography as Bob & company sang of visiting mysterious fields and being “Closed and locked up for far too long”. In 2014, “Alex & The Omegas” ended Motivational Jumpsuit with the lyrics “Get out alright/Nothing’s on/Everything’s over/It’s the living end” drawing a gritty connection between the band and their status. Finally on the title track to Cool Planet, the band executes a ramped up fuzzy Who-like pattern in less than two minutes as Pollard sings the abstract lines of “Heroes do matter/Insects do scatter”. If these three songs can show us anything, they reveal a sense of wanting to travel down the same path, but at the same time a desire to stop and change course. Robert Pollard and Guided By Voices have achieved a rarity in music. While at times people identify sameness in the GBV sound there is also diversity in the band’s catchy, aggressive and at times lo-fi approach to music. Lyrically, GBV has ventured into all kinds of territories. We may be saying goodbye to Guided By Voices again, but after the hiss and fade out of another chapter in the Guided By Voices catalog ends, a few lines of “Littlest League Possible” from Motivation Jumpsuit provides us with an abstract clue for Robert Pollard’s approach to music and what GBV fans having been thinking for a long time. “And Meanwhile and after too much/You’d run out of gas/But that’s not possible”.

Guided By Voices Play List:

1. A Salty Salute (Live) (Hardcore UFOS - 2003)
2. Hot Freaks (Bee Thousand - 1994)
3. Everywhere With Helicopter (Universal Truths And Cycles - 2002)
4. Postal Blowfish (Brain Candy Soundtrack - 1996)
5. Draw(In)g To A (W)hole (God Save The Clean - 1997)
6. Cut-Out Witch (Under The Bushes Under The Stars - 1996)
7. Weed King (Propeller - 1992)
8. A Good Flying Bird (Alien Lanes - 1995)
9. The Unsinkable Fats Domino (Let's Go Eat the Factory - 2012)
10. Worm W/ 7 Broken Hearts (Class Clown Spots A UFO - 2012)
11. Liar’s Tale (Self-Inflicted Aerial Nostalgia - 1989)
12. Demons Are Real (Bee Thousand - 1994)
13. Kicker of Elves (Bee Thousand - 1994)
14. Robert Pollard - Back To The Farm (Superman Was A Rocker - 2008)
15. The Other Place (Forever Since Breakfast - 1986)
16. Captains Dead (Devil Between My Toes - 1987)
17. Taco, Buffalo, Birddog and Jesus (Suitcase: Failed Experiments and Trashed Aircraft - 2000)
18. My Valuable Hunting Knife (7 Inch Version) (Tigerbomb EP - 1995)
19. Shocker In Gloomtown (The Grand Hour EP - 1993)
20. #2 in the Model Home Series (Vampire on Titus - 1993)
21. Drag Days (Under The Bushes Under The Stars - 1996)
22. Drinkers Peace (Same Place The Fly Got Smashed - 1990)
23. Little Whirl (Alien Lanes - 1995)
24. Shine (Tomahawk Breath) (Motivational Jumpsuit - 2014)
25. The Sudden Death Of Epstein’s Ways (English Little League - 2013)
26. Crybaby 4-Star Hotel (English Little League - 2013)
27. Surgical Focus - (Do The Collapse - 1999)
28. Sister, I Need Wine (Isolation Drills - 2001)
29. Girls Of Wild Strawberries (Half Smiles Of The Decomposed - 2004)
30. Can’t Stop (Sandbox - 1987)
31. Sensational Gravity Boy (Briefcase - Suitcase Abridged: Drinks And Deliveries - 2000)
32. I Am A Tree (Mag Earwig! - 1997)
33. I Am A Scientist (Live at X-Fest 1999) (X Fest 99 - 1999)
34. Smoggy Boy (The Bears For Lunch - 2012)
35. Males Of Wormwood Mars (Cool Planet - 2014)
36. Teenage FBI (Original Version) (Wish In One Hand EP - 1997)
37. Game Of Pricks (Alien Lanes - 1995)
38. The Ugly Vision (Alien Lanes - 1995)

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

The Last Pogo Jumps Again Interview & Show # 536

The Last Pogo Jumps Again begins with images of fans jumping around to bands playing music while in the background we hear The Demics “New York City”. This song, when not taken at surface value reveals a message of independence and creativity within one’s environment. As we see fans jumping or pogoing in erratic fashion we are led into the beginnings of the documentary. Directors Colin Brunton and Kire Paputts show the building of a scene from nothing. The beginnings of the documentary are juxtaposed with the building of Toronto’s CN Tower and the events that led up to the Toronto punk/new wave scene in 1976. The uniqueness of a music scene like this is covered in great detail and depth. There were a lot of factors at play that resulted in the rise and fall of many of the bands that were involved in this scene that was truly DIY and alternative to the mainstream.

From what began at a theatre that used to show B-movies entitled the 99 Cent Roxy in conjunction with the Ramones playing a series of shows at a venue called The New Yorker, a chord was struck with aspiring musicians and artists alike. Both of these venues were run by who are referred to as the two Gary’s (Gary Topp and Gary Cormier), who both supported the scene and booked acts and many of the venues that they would run throughout the early parts of this scene. The Last Pogo Jumps Again leaps into coverage of several of the heavyweights in this early music scene such as The Diodes, who took their power pop influenced punk sounds to CBS Records Canada, becoming the first Canadian punk band signed to a major label and The Viletones. They took punk to new extremes, both literally and musically. In addition to the music factor of the scene, many of the artists also connected through other art related means such as fashion. Marion Lewis who was a local artist at the time describes the early parts of this scene adding further to the images supplied in the opening parts of this documentary:

“There was no culture here. There was just European based culture or American culture. So we were starting from scratch, you know. We had to start with a crumpled Twinkie wrapper on the side of the road, there’s no other place you can start. You got to start there and then you’ve got to use your intellect and your sense of yourself and your sense of your destiny to build .”

The Last Pogo Jumps Again executes the feelings of alienation and the searching for something new at the time with razor-sharp precision. Additionally, it showcases the growing of this music scene, while at the same time covering some of the bands that were perhaps not as well known to the general public back then. For example, The Scenics had their own unique sound, but were criticized by some for it. This including several other bands that had a different aesthetic such as The Government, Drastic Measures and The Curse, among others are contrasted with the conflicts of bands and situations within the scene, which caused a separation of sorts. At the beginning of the documentary the pogoing fans in the audience jump to the beat of a song at a different tempo. Throughout this documentary we see many artists moving to their own beat musically and artistically, even if there is a clash between them.

Brunton and Paputts started this project in 2006 and after six years of work the result is an informative and revealing documentary of epic proportions that clocks in at approximately three hours and twenty minutes. The Last Pogo Jumps Again burns bright with its coverage of a scene that has been grossly overlooked by many. This film searches for meaning in the spirit of the music and the scene as it moves, with every drop of sweat and every sobering grain of film.

The Last Pogo Jumps Again was recently released on DVD with an extensive amount of extras. Get your copy at www.thelastpogo.net.

Check out the interview I did with Colin Brunton:



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Drastic Measures - Flowers (Live 1978)
2. The Ugly - All Because Of You (Live 1978)
3. Brian Eno - Dead Finks Don't Talk
4. Acid Baby Jesus - Row By Row
5. Tyranna - Back Off Baby
6. The Curse - Killer Bees
7. The Viletones - Screaming Fist

COLIN BRUNTON: THE LAST POGO JUMPS AGAIN INTERVIEW

8. The Diodes - Red Rubber Ball
9. The Government - Acute Angle
10. The Scenics - Bubbles
11. Thee Oh Sees - Wait, Let’s Go
12. Bob Dylan & The Band - My Bucket's Got A Hole In It
13. Bob Dylan & The Band - I'm Not There
14. SQÜRL - Funnel Of Love
15. Damaged Bug - Photograph
16. Simply Saucer - Get My Thrills
17. The CADs - Do The Crabwalk
18. Sonny Vincent & Spite - Disinterested
19. Sleater-Kinney - I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone
20. Ramones - We're A Happy Family
21. Marching Girls - First In Line
22. Teenanger - Fly On The Wall

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

Elvis Costello & The Attractions Pump It Up & Show # 535

In April of 1978, Elvis Costello & The Attractions released the single for the song "Pump It Up". Also a part of the 1978 album This Year’s Model, this single featured an album outtake entitled “Big Tears” as its B-side. The song “Pump It Up” begins with a bass and drum intro featuring Costello’s rhythm section of The Attractions, Bruce Thomas on bass and Pete Thomas on drums (there is no relation between the two). The song picks up with spiraling and dizzying organ from Steve Nieve as Elvis Costello supplies the quirky guitar parts and vocals that are both equally aggressive and have a sense of paranoia. Lyrically, the song has been described as being “underscored with sexual menace” as stated by Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic. In the linear notes to the 2002 Rhino reissue of This Year’s Model Costello says that this song along with “Little Triggers” and “Hand In Hand” are “more cynical” and have “a guilty edge” to them as a result of the temptations and distractions of touring. This song is an excellent example of The Attractions musical abilities. Additionally, the album that this comes from is the first proper album to feature Elvis Costello and The Attractions as his backing band.

The B-side to this single, “Big Tears” is even more interesting for a few reasons. Firstly, the song lyrically is darker than it’s A-side, although both songs have an edgier construction. This song features 60s organ sounds by Steve Nieve along with the rest of The Attractions rhythm section and lead guitar from The Clash’s Mick Jones. His guitar is not noticeable at first, but once the chorus hits you can hear his undeniable style adding to the songs overall make up. Once again in the linear notes to the 2002 reissue of This Year’s Model Costello says that this song is the only “genuine outtake song from the This Year’s Model sessions. “ he goes on to say that he is not sure why the song did not make the album and adds further details behind Mick Jones appearance on this track. Costello notes that Mick’s band mates did not really approve of him being on that track and that he was originally brought in to play guitar on “Pump It Up”. “There is a version [of “Pump It Up” with Mick Jones on guitar] lying around somewhere on which he plays. However, he made much more difference to “Big Tears” Costello adds, summing up the tracks history. These two songs showcase both the frenetic and amphetamine paced rhythm abilities of The Attractions within Elvis Costello’s song writing powers.



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Useless Eaters - Walking In Circles
2. The Poles - CN Tower
3. Dan Sartain - Baby’s Town
4. Neil Young - All Those Dreams
5. Jack-O & The Tennessee Tearjerkers - Ditch Road
6. The Small Faces - Long Agos And Worlds Apart
7. Chris Crossroads - Dreams
8. Christian Bland & The Revelators - CB160
9. Paul Westerberg - Let’s Not Belong Together
10. Alvvays - Adult Diversion
11. The Twilight Sad - Pills I Swallow
12. Invasions - Born On A Wave
13. Paul Jacobs - Bag Of Bones (Do It Again)
14. The Gun Club - Sleeping In Blood City
15. The Gun Club - Mother Of Earth
16. Alex Chilton - Come On Honey
17. Teenage Head - Get Of My Back
18. Deja Voodoo - Big Pile Of Mud
19. The Mods - You Use Me
20. Actual Water - Double Negatives
21. Thee Oh Sees - Devil Again
22. The Black Angels - Bloodhounds On My Trail
23. Wreckless Eric - Grown Ups
24. The Stimulators - Loud Fast Rules
25. The Saints - Messin’ With The Kid (Live At The Hope And Anchor London 1977)
26. Chelsea - Urban Kids
27. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Pump It Up
28. Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Big Tears

To download this weeks program, visit CJAM's schedule page for Revolution Rock and download the file for November 22. Or subscribe to Revolution Rock as a Podcast.

Looking For Johnny Review & Show # 534

Looking For Johnny: The Legend of Johnny Thunders is a documentary about the dangerous life and times of the New York Dolls and Heartbreakers guitarist. Written and directed by Danny Garcia, this film delves into the human condition as it relates to Johnny Thunders. To further add depth to this analysis there are interviews with a cast of characters who had a part in Thunders life such as Walter Lure, Billy Rath, New York Dolls manager Marty Thau, Sylvain Sylvain, to Lenny Kaye, Bob Gruen and Nina Antonia, among others. Born John Anthony Genzale Jr. in 1952, the film has a quote from Thunders where he describes his upbringing in its early moments which states, “I grew up with just my mother and sister and you know, you had to fight for every inch that you, every notch on your gun I guess you could say.” New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain also provides insight after we are informed of Thunders upbringing mentioning that there was always a void that Johnny carried with him. Johnny Thunders fought for every inch of his character and his career, with guns blazing so to speak, despite the excesses throughout his life.

In the early parts of this documentary, we learn of Johnny Thunders musical beginnings with his early bands The Reign, Johnny and The Jaywalkers and Actress, until he got connected with the members that were to become the New York Dolls. We see a young fresh faced, Johnny Thunders rise to popularity with the New York Dolls, but are also presented with the things that boiled beneath the surface of the band, as layers are peeled back we see the details behind the Dolls stage gimmick to how they were as people and how they operated as a band. We learn of the opinions of the band’s first album to their overlooked second album, Too Much Too Soon. The combination of the image presented of the band on their first album cover to the difficulties of the record label marketing the band and their introduction to drugs, all added to their eventual split. We also see how the songs on Too Much Too Soon particularly “Chatterbox” would lead to the sounds explored in Johnny Thunders next group, The Heartbreakers, who took their excesses to new extremes.

Another picture that Garcia paints throughout this film is the connection with people from Thunders past that pop up at various points throughout his career such as with drummer Jerry Nolan. The two had a musical connection that some might call familial and also Walter Lure, who would play sporadic live shows with Johnny in the 80s. But, with all this presented, Looking For Johnny is not all one sided. It does not just add to the myth that was Johnny Thunders of drugs and rock and roll, it probes deeper than that bringing to light the conflicted battles he had to deal with personally and as a musician. There is a great deal of coverage of Thunders post-Heartbreakers work such as his album In Cold Blood recorded with Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, his life while living in Paris and Sweden, which also involved parts in several films to his time in Detroit as part of the group Gang War.

Bassist Adam Pearson of the English rock band Sisters Of Mercy provides a quote near the end of the film for more insight into Thunders character traits, “At the same time Johnny wanted significance, there was also this self-destructive pattern that would kick in when things were going too well.” Whether it be the early influence and popularity of the New York Dolls on what was to become punk rock, the conflicted mix on The Heartbreakers full-length album L.A.M.F. which caused drummer Jerry Nolan to quit the band, to his diverse solo career, this quote could be tied back to the beginnings of the film in conjunction with the later part of it. When we learn of the obstacles that Thunders dealt with prior to his death, we are presented with the facts and are not forced into one opinion. This method allows the viewer to contemplate and make up their own mind about Thunders controversial and tragic death.

Danny Garcia digs deep looking behind the haze of drugs that dominates the popular public opinion of who Johnny Thunders actually was. He looks behind the drugs to reveal the musician beneath, a prolific songwriter and at times a mystery. All sides are presented, the good, the bad in parts that make up the human condition in an unbiased way. Looking For Johnny helps to define the allure, but also adds to the influence of the career and life of Johnny Thunders.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. The Flaming Lips - Good Morning, Good Morning
2. The 13th Floor Elevators - Don’t Fall Down
3. Ariel Pink - White Freckles
4. Wampire - Bad Attitude
5. Drums Along The Gardiner - Fish
6. Huevos Rancheros - Raunchy
7. Cellos - Pilgrimage
8. The Francs - Situation
9. The Demics - Blueboy
10. Ex-Hex - How You Got That Girl
11. Neil Young - Payola Blues
12. Neil Young - Wonderin’
13. Bob Dylan & the Band - This Wheel's On Fire
14. The Band - Katie's Gone
15. Marianne Faithful - True Lies
16. Frankie & Jimmy - Let It Rock
17. Indian Wars - Wastin’ Time
18. Pow Wows - I Can See But You Don’t Know
19. The Prime Movers - I’m A Man
20. Hookworms - The Impasse
21. Johnny Thunders - Just Another Girl (Live August 6, 1982, Cambridge)
22. Johnny Thunders - In Cold Blood
23. Johnny Thunders - Sad Vacation
24. New York Dolls - Stranded In The Jungle
25. Wire - Lowdown

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

Ritual Howls Turkish Leather & Show # 533

Turkish Leather, the newest full-length release by Ritual Howls is an eight-track trip through the dark post-punk and new wave sounds of yesterday reintegrated into a modern context. Consisting of Paul Bancell on vocals and guitars, Chris Samuels on synthesizers, samples and drum machine, and Ben Saginaw on bass, this three piece draws their influences from bands such as Nick Cave, Joy Division, The Horrors, The Gun Club, The Cure as well as some industrial music. Detroit’s Ritual Howls take these sounds and create their own danceable macabre groove.

“Zemmoa” starts off this album with its creepy horror movie cinematic sounds before the drum machine kicks in and we are introduced to Paul Bancell’s low register voice, while “The Taste Of You” grumbles with industrial sounding drum effects, fuzz bass and creepy dark sounding surf guitar. “Helm” builds on the sounds of “The Taste Of You” with its low-key vocals, catchy watery sounding guitars, fuzzy bass and synthetic drum sounds. “No Witnesses” sounds as if it could have come from the 1984 Nightmare On Elm Street soundtrack. With its creepy crawly bass, drums and synthesizers “No Witnesses” leads us through a sound that does not feature standard vocals, apart from what sounds like a paranoid protagonist from a horror film long ago, until halfway through the song when it changes. “Turkish Leather”, the album’s final and title track ends the album with the same spooky sounds that lurched their way forward from the album’s opening track, but this song features more depth than the earlier seven tracks. The cover of this album features a person wearing what looks like a golden curtain, appearing as a ghost-like figure. Underneath the golden curtain, Ritual Howls bend and crease their sound as it drifts into different and eerie post punk directions.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. The Music Machine - Talk Talk
2. Paul Revere & The Radiers - Stepping Out
3. The Detroit Cobras - Ya Ya Ya (Looking For My Baby)
4. Scott Morgan - Stick To Your Guns
5. Guitar Army - Going To Detroit
6. Razorhouse - Girl Like A Hand Grenade
7. Vietcong - Static Wall
8. No Age - Circling With Dizzy
9. Chad VanGaalen - I Want You Back
10. The Dead Milkmen - I’ve Got To Get My Numbers Up
11. Dean Drouillard - Lost City
12. Legato Vipers - Penetang Hips
13. Outrageous Cherry - The Digital Age
14. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Calgary Hill
15. Sloan - You Don’t Need Excuses To Be Good
16. Nickel Eye - You And Everyone Else
17. The Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night
18. Foxygen - Cosmic Vibrations
19. The International Submarine Band - Sum Up Broke
20. Jakob Dylan - Ain’t No Fair (In A Rock ’N’ Roll Love Affair)
21. John Doe - Just For The Hell Of It
22. Tara Watts - Pack My Bags
23. Carl Perkins - Matchbox
24. Jimmi Quinn - Sweet Home Chicago
25. Dead Ghosts - What To Do
26. Flesh Rag - Bad Attitude
27. Death - North St.
28. Ritual Howls - Final Service
29. Ritual Howls - Helm
30. The Stranglers - Nice N’ Sleazy

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

CJAM FM 2014 Pledge Drive & Show # 532

This week marks CJAM FM’s annual pledge drive. It is the one time a year that this non-profit campus/community radio station asks for donations in order to keep providing quality programming for the Windsor/Detroit area and anyone that is streaming it online. Since CJAM is non-profit based, we are limited in our capacity to raise money through advertising and rely heavily on listener-supported dollars. The annual funding or “pledge drive” is to help pay for everyday items, equipment and general operations that take place at the station. CJAM has been operating at 500 watts for over 25 years and recently the station increased its signal 2,084 watts.

CJAM has come a long way since they first began as a carrier current station in 1974. Initially the station was only heard on the University of Windsor campus and close-surrounding areas with its 20 watts of power located at 660 AM. In 1977, CJAM was established, previously it had been known as CSRW (Canada Student Radio Windsor). With the name in place CJAM broadcasted on the AM radio band until November of 1983, where it was established as an FM station located at 9.15 FM in the Windsor/Detroit area. CJAM’s first power increase occurred in 1996, where it grew in strength from 50 watts to 500 watts allowing the station to be heard on a greater scale in Windsor and Detroit surrounding areas. In 2009, CJAM FM switched radio frequencies to 99.1 FM, establishing themselves as a campus/community station with “protected status” from the CRTC.

In terms of programming, CJAM provides a wide variety of programming that is just not heard on mainstream radio. In addition to the music programs, which cover everything from jazz to punk and beyond, there are also spoken word programs and ethno-cultural programs that provide views from all perspectives in different languages. Without a station like CJAM, many different community groups, artists and musicians would not be heard and would get lost in the mainstream shuffle of media coverage. Although the Internet has greatly improved awareness of underground artists, bands and differing points of view, whether political or otherwise, there is still a disconnect that is similar to the maligning mainstream media. Despite all of this, CJAM continues to thrive and grow with the content it covers. The station’s mandate still stands, which is to provide the community with information and music programming ignored by the mainstream media in the Windsor/Detroit area. CJAM provides you with real music by real people who are volunteer based programmers who love and want to share the music and content with the listeners and community.

CJAM is now at 2,084 watts and broadcasts in a greater radius because of the support it has received from the Windsor/Detroit communities. This year’s pledge drive is no different, CJAM is asking for your continued support. To assist CJAM reach their $30,000 dollar goal and to help CJAM to continue to grow, you can donate and show your support today. CJAM offers a wide variety of incentives as a thank you for your donation, which can be viewed on their website. This can be done by calling 519-971-3630 (in Windsor) or 1-855-DIG-CJAM (1-855-344-2526 in Detroit and out of town) or by donating securely via PayPal on cjam’s website at www.cjam.ca.

Play List:

1. Nick Lowe - Shake And Pop
2. Iceage - Simony
3. Teenanger - The Sequel
4. Thirsty Souls - Don’t Know What I Don’t Know (Yeah!)
5. James O-L & The Villains - One Horse Town (CJAM Session)
6. Monomyth - Pac Ambition
7. Chad Vangaalen - Evil
8. Chris Crossroads - Monster In The Cradle (Live CJAM Session)
9. Chris Crossroads - 20 Eyes (Live CJAM Session)
10. Chris Crossroads - Jian GhoPesci (Live CJAM Session)
11. The Black Angels - Call To Arms
12. The Stooges - 1969 (John Cale Mix)
13. Neil Jarvis - Last Song

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

Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs Gates Of Hell Interview & Show # 531

Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs most recent full-length outing features a six-piece band and a larger production sound. Echoing elements of power pop mixed with garage rock, Coffey’s vocal style has been likened to Joe Strummer and at times the music resonates with the influence of the Ramones, Elvis Costello & The Attractions and The Replacements, among others. The album opens with the title track “Gates Of Hell”, while the imagery of some of the album’s song titles portray darker connotations, the slicker production style combined with catchy hooks proves to be a vicious combination. The opening moments of this song and the album begin with a bell ringing before a speeding car brings us into an attack of cleaner guitars, bass, drums and looming organ which boils underneath the song like an engine. The opening words of the song snarl with attitude reminiscent of Exploding Hearts vocalist Adam Cox mixed with a young Johnny Rotten. Lyrically the song uses its biblical imagery to portray a relationship gone wrong, this powerful opener introduces us to several of the sounds that we will find on Gates Of Hell. The song wavers with upbeat and slower tempos as it builds to a powerful close with rambunctious group vocals that echo the words “I’m alright somebody sing it with me.”

“Hold Me Close” features country styled guitar lines alongside power pop rhythms. Drawing comparisons to The Clash, The Jam and perhaps a bit of The Black Lips, the Iron Lungs mix this with their sleazy charm and lyrics “If you can dance/Hold me close/Hold me closer” projecting a simple, yet effective message. “Get Pumped Up” blends the 60s organ driven sounds of garage rock with the spirit of 70s punk, the faster tempos here are reminiscent of a fast paced Elvis Costello & The Attractions live recording. Sam Coffey sings this catchy track in an almost drunken drawl, while “Season Of The Witch” with driving drums and echo drenched vocals conjures up images and themes of the raved up sounds once brought forth by The Sonics “The Witch” and Lollipop Shoppe’s 1968’s garage punk nugget “You Must Be A Witch”. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs take these aforementioned sounds and adds echo, dizzying organ and guitar solos for raunchy effectiveness.

“Run and tell her what you’ve done/And I’m heavy on Queen St.” portrays drama that ensues on Toronto’s Queen Street in “Heavy On Queen St.”, the seventh track found on Gates Of Hell. This song, like the others found on this album, have something familiar to them, but they are difficult to pinpoint to a tee. “Heavy On Queen St.” features stop and start song structures that blends a power pop cocktail of Elvis Costello & The Attractions, The Nerves, with a dash of The Dentists for a smooth relaxed feeling. “Calgary Hill” is one of the popiest tracks found on Gates Of Hell. With lyrics that seem to look back on the past while fighting for the present, the lyrics sound like they surfaced from a drunken realization, an epiphany of sorts as the chorus rings with the words “Calgary Hill/All I wanted/All I wanted/I always will”. This song has an indefinable quality, but one that lends itself to the anthemic songs found on Gates Of Hell, this one being the top one on the list. “17” once again builds on the albums darker imagery, but it is sung in a Robin Zander drawl ala “Surrender”, the album’s final track pulls in heavier psych influences.

Four of the album’s tracks were recorded with Ben Cook of the band Fucked Up. Sam Coffey covered the rest of the production, recording in the band’s practice space and a variety of other locations adding to the album’s character, as he has done with previous Iron Lungs recordings. Gates Of Hell covers a lot of topics lyrically and musically adds to the Iron Lungs palate. Sam Coffey originally from Waterloo, Ontario, recently relocated to Toronto and expanded his band to a six piece group. More people in the band means there could be more complication in the overall sound of the group. The band does not fall into this trap here. The band’s sound may have expanded with more members and higher production values, but on Gates Of Hell, Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs deliver an album that deals with many hellish complex subjects, whether metaphorically or bluntly throughout the album’s lyrical content. Musically they still keep the rowdy, pub-crawl spirit that drew us to them in the first place.

Check out the interview I did with Sam Coffey here:



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Link Wray - Hold It
2. The Vagrants - Oh Those Eyes
3. Personal & The Pizzas - Pepperoni Eyes
4. Carbonas - Trapped In Hell
5. Brazilian Money - Then You’ll Know
6. Cream - N.S.U.
7. Ausmuteants - Tunnel Vision
8. King Tuff - Black Moon Spell
9. The Shangri-Las - Give Him A Great Big Kiss
10. Television - Venus De Milo (Live)
11. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Gates Of Hell

Sam Coffey Interview

12. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Season Of The Witch
13. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Heavy On Queen Street
14. Demolition Doll Rods - Psycho Kitty
15. Paul Jacobs - Waiting For The Grave
16. Mekons - Abernant 1984/5
17. Stompin’ Tom Connors - Love’s Not The Only Thing
18. Bob Dylan & The Band - 900 Miles From My Home
19. Woody Guthrie - Pretty Boy Floyd
20. Tweedy - Low Key
21. Nap Eyes - No Man Needs To Care
22. The Ride Theory - I'm On Board
23. Japanese Treats - Color Glo
24. Bell Peppers - Batman
25. The Spitz - Ask Your Mother
26. The Cramps - Aloha From Hell
27. The MC5 - Motor City Is Burning

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

Dee Dee King The Crusher & Show # 530

“The Crusher” is a song that first appeared on the Standing In The Spotlight album by Dee Dee King. This was the first solo outing for Dee Dee Ramone in 1989, but it was a rap album created shortly after his departure from the Ramones. The album is infamous for its 80s styled rhymes about “Mashed Potato Time”, “Commotion In The Ocean” among other things. “The Crusher” is a song that deals with a wrestler attempting to become a champion or “king of the ring” as Dee Dee sings. The song features guitar not unlike the sounds heard on the Ramones Too Tough To Die album first released in 1984, with words rapped instead of sung. The chorus has even drawn comparisons to the song “Wart Hog”. This song is one of the standout tracks on Standing In The Spotlight, which is known for being a commercial flop. Dee Dee King released a single prior to this called "Funky Man", but shortly after this album’s release Dee Dee gravitated away from rap and formed a punk rock band called The Spikey Tops. “The Crusher” was re-recorded by Ramones for their 1995 album !Adios Amigos!



Saturday Night Play List:

1. Them - Go On Home Baby
2. Unrelated Segments - Story Of My Life
3. The Trashmen - Bird Dance Beat
4. Ronnie Spector - She Talks To Rainbows
5. The Dictators - Baby Let’s Twist
6. Generation X - Day By Day
7. Ex-Hex - Everywhere
8. Thurston Moore - The Best Day
9. Art Bergmann - Ballad Of A Crooked Man
10. Frankie & Jimmy - Down The Dirt Road Blues
11. The Wailers - Mashi
12. The Pistolrays - Night Drive
13. Legato Vipers - Talkback Mikhial
14. James O-L & The Villains - Kill The Devil
15. The Replacements - Customer
16. The Replacements - Hanging Downtown
17. Beach Boys - You’re So Good To Me
18. Creatures - Ugly Thing
19. Paul Revere & The Raiders - Just Like Me
20. Sunsets - The Hot Generation (Soundtrack Version)
21. King Cobb Steelie - Slump
22. The Young Canadians - Sharpshooter (Live 1979)
23. The Nelsons - Black Knight
24. The Dik Van Dykes - Garage Sale
25. White Fence - Raven On White Cadillac
26. The Misfits - Vampira
27. Dee Dee King - The Crusher
28. The Dirty Nil - Wrestle Yu To Husker Du
29. Coachwhips - Like Food, It Feeds
30. Allah-Las - Every Girl
31. Ty Segall - It’s Over
32. Young Rival - Black Popcorn

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

Teenanger Chris Swimmings Interview & Show # 529

Toronto’s Teenanger released their fourth album EP LP on September 9th, 2014, featuring Chris Swimmings (vocals), Melissa Ball (bass), Jon Schouten (guitar) and Steve Sidol on drums.  EP LP comes shortly after 2013’s Singles Don’t $ell which featured the band exploring the deeper elements of the new wave and post punk genres of the late 70s/early 80s. The album’s title once again is a play on music release formats, this one being EP LP, a release in the middle of a full-length album and an EP perhaps. Its title could also be seen as the band’s sound on this release, which is a cross between 2012’s Frights & 2013’s Singles Don’t $ell.  Musically the album is aggressive and at times more relaxed, but it still has an undeniable sleazy grime to it.

“Fly On The Wall” starts off this release from Teenanger. The song displays the band’s wiry post punk influenced garage sound, while lyrically it conveys something else. With words such as “You’re just a fly on the wall/You eavesdrop” and other themes that pop up in the verses of this track, it seems to be a comment on our social media dominated society. “Sky Saxon” attacks with its synthesizer-like riffs and lyrics that seem to be homage to The Seeds front man Sky Saxon lyrically, as it addresses his popularity as opposed to Michael Jackson. “Twisted” bends with its deep bass groove that locks in with the drums as the guitar fills in the gaps, while vocalist Chris Swimmings sings in a lower register. The song is also notable for its saxophone solo, which clocks in around the one minute and 30 second mark. The solo sounds eerily reminiscent of the saxophone in post punk band Magazine’s early song “My Mind Ain’t So Open”.

“Mild Survival” is the first song to be sung by Teenanger bassist Melissa Ball and features a sludgy bassline with sugarcoated vocals, while “Think About It” follows next as one of the album’s first singles. The song sneaks in like a monster jumping out from the primordial ooze of a late 80s Horror B-movie. It lyrically seems to tell the story of impatience and indecision amongst the scratchy guitars and distorted vocals. “The Sequel” is one of the longer tracks found on this album. It sounds at times like it could have come from 2010’s Give Me Pink as it bounces back and forth between up-tempo walls of guitar riff fury, mid-tempo driving bass and solid steady drums as vocals are executed in a creepy drawl. “Negative Zeros” is a rant about minimum wage and drinking in sub zero degree weather. Guitar work by Jon Schouten on this track sounds like it could have been played by Keith Levene while sliding on ice.

The final track on EP LP is the slow and sludgy “Hot Rods At The Loser Convention”. As the primal bass and drums pound away and the guitars slice and stab in the background, Swimmings sings of cliques, jocks and so called “cool” kids in a sneering satirical tone. Some are calling this track a loser anthem. The sound on this album is one that is difficult to describe specifically, it is the sound of a band in their element. On EP LP the new wave/post punk influence from previous albums is still apparent, but there seems to be more voluminous guitar riffs that are like shards of shrapnel. Basslines sound thick and at times fuzz addled, as analog sounding drums, snotty vocals by Chris Swimmings and backing vocals provided by Melissa Ball add to the overall battlefield of dynamics found here. With EP LP Teenanger does not misfire. Throughout this nine-track launch the band hones their sound and are right on target.

Listen to the interview that I did with Teenanger vocalist Chris Swimmings here:



Note: The album review in this post was previously posted here.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. The Seeds - Try To Understand
2. The Arrogants - Drunky Blues
3. Motel Beds - These Are The Days Gone By
4. The Gruesomes - Hypnotized
5. Crazy Rhythm Daddies - Deep Ellum Blues
6. The Nature Boys - Can’t Think
7. The Rural Alberta Advantage - This City
8. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Communication
9. Iceage - The Lord's Favorite
10. White Lung - Just For You
11. Metz - Rats
12. Teenanger - Fly On The Wall
13. Teenanger - Sky Saxon

Teenanger Chris Swimmings Interview

14. Teenanger - Power Trip
15. King Tuff - Sick Mind
16. DOA -New Age
17. Verdix - Lookin’ Around You
18. Female Hands - Annarea
19. Cellos - Mass Production Scheme
20. King Khan & The Shrines - Darkness
21. The Sonics - Don’t You Just Know It
22. Ex-Hex - Hot And Cold
23. Tweedy - World Away
24. The Oblivians - Call The Police
25. The Adverts - Quick Step
26. The Ruts -Bablylon’s Burning

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

Allah-Las Worship The Sun & Show # 528

The Allah-Las second full-length album, Worship The Sun, delves into a 60s California atmosphere. Blending their previous elements of the British Invasion sound, 60s psychedelics and American garage, the band also adds in hazy rhythms of folk and more surf sounds this time. Worship The Sun features a very laidback and leisurely sound that isn’t always as up-tempo as 2012’s Allah-Las release. This is what sets Worship The Sun apart from their first full-length release and is also what perhaps confuses some critics. The laidback sounds found here are highly influenced by a relatable, but sunbaked 60’s California sound, perhaps more so than when it was first explored in 2012.

“De Vida Voz” starts off Worship The Sun with heavy drones of garage feedback before launching into catchy surf and garage rhythms. Its title roughly translates into “the voice of life” as reverb drenched vocals repeat the lines “Voices carry through the canyon”. This album features many lyrics that some might call soul-searching and this song starts it off displaying elements that we will find in the remaining eleven tracks. “Had It All” brings to mind 60s psychedelic garage nuggets with catchy harmonies and Latin drum rhythms. This song blends Allah-Las early sound and new sound perfectly. “Artifact” seems to pull influence from The Chocolate Watch Band, while “Ferus Gallery” shows us the first of two instrumental tracks found on Worship The Sun (the other being the surf and slide guitar country of “Yemeni Jade”).

Other highlights include the jangly Byrds pop sounds of “Recurring”, the folk influence of “Nothing To Hide”, and “Buffalo Nickel”. This early single from the album features reverb sun-drenched guitars and song elements that some might call surf pop. The song also features the thought provoking lyrics of “And we had so much time to live don’t it go by fast/And I have so much to give but that was in the past” which seem to question and search at the same time with the background “bah-bah’s” and sprawling guitar lines. “501-415” reintroduces the fuzz guitar pedal that we first heard in the album’s opening moments. The song picks up the pace a bit, hinting at their deep 60s nugget styled garage roots.

Worship The Sun draws on influence from many bands that sound familiar, yet different at the same time. Throughout the album the sounds of The Animals, The Zombies, The Byrds and Love seem to filter in and out, while newer influences are also brought in. This is evident on the album’s final track “Better Than Mine”, which sounds like the early country rock sounds of Buffalo Springfield. The CD and digital editions of Worship The Sun also comes with two bonus tracks. There is another instrumental track, this time a cover of The Frantics song “No Werewolf” and another original track “Every Girl”, which attacks with a 60s garage clang. As a whole Worship The Sun plays into its title featuring a focused sound indebted to sunny 60s California, but with this sound Allah-Las display a new laidback sound and approach that takes a few listens to sink in. Once it does it stays with you like a vintage ride in a Volkswagen Beetle along the West Coast.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. Mark Sultan - Shadow With The Golden Eyes
2. The Amazing Snakeheads - The Nighttime
3. Echo & the Bunnymen - The Yo-Yo Man
4. What Seas What Shores - Bonaparte
5. Deerhunter - Cryptogram
6. Christian Bland & The Revelators - The Last Summer
7. Johnny West - Murder Dressed As Mercy
8. Neil Young - On The Beach
9. Leonard Cohen - Diamonds In The Mine
10. Mexican Knives - Turner
11. Big Black - The Model
12. The Unusuals - Measure For Measure
13. Frank Black - Whatever Happened To Pong?
14. La Luz - Brainwash
15. Allah-Las - 501-415
16. Allah-Las - Better Than Mine
17. The Dead Kennedys - Kill The Poor
18. Link Wray - Radar
19. The New Dimensions - Junker
20. The Cramps - Blue Moon Baby
21. Devo - Praying Hands
22. The Psychedelic Furs - Fall
23. Iggy Pop - Five Foot One
25. Paul Jacobs - Soul Catcher
26. Thee Oh Sees - Ugly Man
27. Public Image Limited - Lowlife
28. Magazine - My Mind Ain’t So Open

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

Ty Segall Manipulator & Show # 527

In late August, Ty Segall released Manipulator, which is his longest album to date. On September 22nd, he played with his Ty Segall Band to a packed house at Trinosophes in Detroit, Michigan in support of this release. The show featured three opening bands and the venues stage featured a series of amplifiers, which after each set disappeared in layers until only Segall’s combination of Fender and Music Man amplifiers remained. Like the amplifiers, the album Manipulator also contains a multitude of layers. Musically the album combines elements of Segall’s most recent projects Fuzz, sounds from the album Slaughterhouse with the Ty Segall Band, acoustic elements, and the garage sounds that he has been known for. Additionally, the influence of 70s glam rock and classic rock sounds dominate this seventeen track release. This 56 minute double album also took fourteen months to record, every other Segall release was recorded and released quickly.

As the Ty Segall band took the stage, they all came out displaying their new look, which could be called psychedelic glam. Segall wore A Clockwork Orange droog-like costume combined with early glam-era David Bowie. Lyrically the album is a journey featuring a cast of characters, the concert was no different. Following a quick sound check, a man came out in a cowboy hat talking to the crowd. Further adding to the myth of the album’s cosmic senses, he began playing the organ part to the album’s opener “Manipulator”. The song’s infectious organ riff accents the hammer-on guitar lines and crunchy choruses that reflect Segall’s garage rock influence combined with his newer 70s Bowie glam-era sound. When the song began the audience erupted. Several fans were jumping around as if they were being controlled by the loud noises from the stage. One of the PA speakers also could not contain itself, it fell over during the opening number.

Photo By Mike LeClair

“Tall Man, Skinny Lady” features salty acoustic guitars, with some guitar fuzz and is reminiscent of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” “The Singer” combines glam acoustic sounds with electric guitar stabs and orchestral string accompaniments, while lyrically it could be a commentary on Segall’s loud rock past. “Green Belly” reintroduces the character dynamic with lyrics “He’s going to make a movie/Of his entire life” and acoustic interplay, “Who’s Producing Who?’ features infectious maracas, drum beats, fuzzy bass and Thin Lizzy styled guitar solos. The album’s louder dynamics pull in the influences of bands such as Black Sabbath, Hawkwind, The Stooges and early Motorhead. “It’s Over” features a Black Sabbath influence while drawing on sounds explored on last years Fuzz album and 2012’s Slaughterhouse, “The Crawler” adds more scuzz the mix adding elements of the band Blue Cheer, while “The Connection Man” is more like a slow dirge of sounds.

At one point during the concert, La Luz was playing and the drummer got up from the drum seat. Ty Segall stepped in on drums as she crowd surfed to the back of the venue and then returned to the stage in reverse. This song seems to contain the same uninhibited chaos. “Susie Thumb” attacks with a fuzzy garage crunch that borderlines on 90s alternative rock, while lyrically it further adds to the character elements found on this album. “The Feels” is a song that plays with Segall’s acoustic, heavy rock dynamic with haunting lyrics such as “And when I look into your eyes/I realize you’re the same as me/You’ll never be free.” After launching through a large majority of the Manipulator album, another cast of characters were introduced to the live set, songs from previous Segall albums. The ending track on Manipulator, “Stick Around” features battling guitar solos with string sections. During his live set Segall battles his sounds even fighting with them with every inch of feedback and subtlety until he shapes them the way that he wants them. Prior to Segall’s live set some fans in the audience threw handfuls of glitter at each other, during the erupting opening number it was launched throughout the audience. There is a certain mystery to Segall, whether it is his lo-fi garage beginnings or his multiple side projects. On Manipulator we are taken through a journey into a world of sounds that are familiar, but new and exciting at the same time that hits us as the dust and glitter settles.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. James O-L & The Villains - The System
2. Peter & The Silhouettes - Claudette Jones
3. Great Scots - Ball And Chain
4. Allah-Las - Had It All
5. Coachwhips - 1000 Years
6. Death From Above 1979 - Government Trash
7. The Cinch - Fade Out
8. EX~PO - Your Sunny Days
9. Neil Jarvis - Young As Me
10. Tea Leaves - Death Drive
11. Karen O - Body
12. Johnny Cash - Mama, You’ve Been On my Mind
13. Stark Naked And The Fleshtones - I Broker Her Heart, She Broke My Arm
14. The Pretty Things - Get A Buzz
15. The Almighty Defenders - She Came Before Me
16. The Black Lips - Modern Art (Live At Third Man Records)
17. King Khan & The BBQ Show - Fish Fight
18. The Velvet Underground - I Heard Her Call My Name (Alternate Take)
19. She Wolf - I’m So Glad You Don’t Know What’s On My Mind
20. Guided By Voices - Chicken Blow
21. Guided By Voices - Cool Planet
22. Sam Coffey & The Iron Lungs - Hold Me Close
23. The Cigarettes - They're Back Again, Here They Come
24. Talking Heads - First Week/Last Week … Carefree (Acoustic Version)
25. The Outcasts - Self Conscious Over You
26. The Normals - Reruns (1978 Demo)
27. The Polymorphines - Saucer Eyes
28. Ty Segall - Manipulator
29. Ty Segall - Green Belly
30. Ty Segall - The Connection Man
31. Ty Segall - Susie Thumb

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

Teenanger EP LP & Show # 526

Toronto’s Teenanger released their fourth album EP LP on September 9th, 2014, featuring Chris Swimmings (vocals), Melissa Ball (bass), Jon Schouten (guitar) and Steve Sidol on drums.  EP LP comes shortly after 2013’s Singles Don’t $ell which featured the band exploring the deeper elements of the new wave and post punk genres of the late 70s/early 80s. The album’s title once again is a play on music release formats, this one being EP LP, a release in the middle of a full-length album and an EP perhaps. Its title could also be seen as the band’s sound on this release, which is a cross between 2012’s Frights & 2013’s Singles Don’t $ell.  Musically the album is aggressive and at times more relaxed, but it still has an undeniable sleazy grime to it.

“Fly On The Wall” starts off this release from Teenanger. The song displays the band’s wiry post punk influenced garage sound, while lyrically it conveys something else. With words such as “You’re just a fly on the wall/You eavesdrop” and other themes that pop up in the verses of this track, it seems to be a comment on our social media dominated society. “Sky Saxon” attacks with its synthesizer-like riffs and lyrics that seem to be homage to The Seeds front man Sky Saxon lyrically, as it addresses his popularity as opposed to Michael Jackson. “Twisted” bends with its deep bass groove that locks in with the drums as the guitar fills in the gaps, while vocalist Chris Swimmings sings in a lower register. The song is also notable for its saxophone solo, which clocks in around the one minute and 30 second mark. The solo sounds eerily reminiscent of the saxophone in post punk band Magazine’s early song “My Mind Ain’t So Open”.

“Mild Survival” is the first song to be sung by Teenanger bassist Melissa Ball and features a sludgy bassline with sugarcoated vocals, while “Think About It” follows next as one of the album’s first singles. The song sneaks in like a monster jumping out from the primordial ooze of a late 80s Horror B-movie. It lyrically seems to tell the story of impatience and indecision amongst the scratchy guitars and distorted vocals. “The Sequel” is one of the longer tracks found on this album. It sounds at times like it could have come from 2010’s Give Me Pink as it bounces back and forth between up-tempo walls of guitar riff fury, mid-tempo driving bass and solid steady drums as vocals are executed in a creepy drawl. “Negative Zeros” is a rant about minimum wage and drinking in sub zero degree weather. Guitar work by Jon Schouten on this track sounds like it could have been played by Keith Levene while sliding on ice.

The final track on EP LP is the slow and sludgy “Hot Rods At The Loser Convention”. As the primal bass and drums pound away and the guitars slice and stab in the background, Swimmings sings of cliques, jocks and so called “cool” kids in a sneering satirical tone. Some are calling this track a loser anthem. The sound on this album is one that is difficult to describe specifically, it is the sound of a band in their element. On EP LP the new wave/post punk influence from previous albums is still apparent, but there seems to be more voluminous guitar riffs that are like shards of shrapnel. Basslines sound thick and at times fuzz addled, as analog sounding drums, snotty vocals by Chris Swimmings and backing vocals provided by Melissa Ball add to the overall battlefield of dynamics found here. With EP LP Teenanger does not misfire. Throughout this nine-track launch the band hones their sound and are right on target.

Check out an interview I did with Chris Swimmings, the vocalist in Teenanger in this post. 

Saturday Night Play List:

1. Orphan Choir - Cold Book Of Matches
2. The Spooky But Nice - Sun Goes
3. David Bowie - Dirty Boys
4. Thee Mighty Caesars - This Man’s Determined
5. Spoon - They Want My Soul
6. A Sunny Day In Glasgow - Double Dutch
8. The War On Drugs - Need In Your Eye #16
9. Nap Eyes - No Fear Of Hellfire
10. Monomyth - Cigarette
11. The New Pornographers - Brill Bruisers
12. Small Teeth - Murder House
13. Marshmallow Overcoat - Knights Of Fuzz
14. Desperate Measures - Shane’s Song
15. Hag Face - Dirtbag Dreamboat
16. Siouxsie & The Banshees - Love In A Void
17. The Users - Now That It’s Over
18. Pseudos - Backdoor Man Bites The Dust
19. The Replacements - Hey Good Lookin’ (Live)
20. Lost Patrol - Second Time Around
21. Fugazi - Waiting Room
22. King Khan & BBQ Show - Anala
23. Teenanger - Mild Survival
24. Teenanger - Think About It
25. Husker Du - I Apologize
26. The War On Drugs - Baby Missiles
27. 999 - Emergency
28. The Jesus & Mary Chain - The Living End
29. Indian Wars - Walk Around The Park

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

James O-L & The Villains On The Banks Of The Detroit River & Show # 525

On August 28th 2014, James O-L & The Villains released their new album On The Banks Of The Detroit River. Prior to meeting up with James O-L to discuss the album, I pass the Detroit River. It is unseasonably cold this day and the water in the river is a strange blue-green colour. The night before there was a large thunderstorm, the weather seems to be warming up the closer I get to my interview location. We first start talking about recording, James O-L is a man of many hats, he has recorded and produced every album he has released with the Villains himself. He is also a musician and songwriter, but today James is not wearing any hats. On The Banks Of The Detroit River was recorded in Kingsville, with Brett Humber at Sound Foundry Studios and overall the album has “More of a bigger sound” and “In general the songs have gotten more aggressive”, as James tells me. Lyrically, this album pulls inspirations from its surroundings. Songs on the album seem to evoke a certain tone, one that comes with living in Essex County. Musically the album draws from the folk/country dynamic that James O-L & The Villains have displayed in the past, but it also mixes with the aggressive, punk/90s rock edge that has developed within the band’s dynamic recently.

The album starts off with “The System”. It begins slow and is melodically folk-like before launching into furies of feedback. These two dynamics battle each other much like a vicious summer storm that follows a period of intense heat. This also applies to not only the song’s lyrical subject matter, but to the album’s overall dynamics. “Manquest” follows next, this song was as James tells me inspired “By a road trip with Caleb (The Villains drummer) to Owen Sound”. It is also the album’s first single. Musically the song features mostly clean guitar, melodic basslines and steady drumming with a Jazz-like beat. The song builds into a slow burn as it picks up with guitar solos before fading out. “Late Night Drive” follows next bringing down the pace with its folk elements, mixed with electric guitar and strong vocal harmonies provided by the band in addition to Kaitlyn Kelly. The song which has been a staple of the band’s live set for a few years now, moves along like a slow drive through back roads of Essex County. At the album release show for James O-L’s solo album last year at the Capitol Theatre near the end of The Villains set a few friends shouted out “Kill The Devil” from the back of the theatre. Only a select few people in their vicinity heard this request. I asked one of the Villains guitarists, Boh, after the show about this and he told me “It’s a new surf song we wrote”. While I did not hear the song that night, this instrumental surf song does not seem out of place on this album. The song along with the Jazz-like instrumental “Kissed At The Loop” adds a smooth dichotomy to songs found on this release.

“Arts Degree” is a song that James tells me “Hits something really unique. I think it just sounds like us. A lot of people have responded it to it. “ With lyrics such as “Born for a love with the strange and the absurd/Dreamt of the colours behind this translucent world/But they’ll rob you blind” this song seems to be convey finding a voice and artistic freedom in today’s “Post modern age”. The words also help to make this one of the strongest moments on the album. “Collective Ignorance” features guest appearances from Jim Meloche (Orphan Choir/Worry) and Kelly Hoppe (Big Sugar), they blend in amongst the bands aggressive folk sound seamlessly.

Other strong points include the weary beat of “Till The Morning Light”, which echoes elements of Neil Young’s 1972 album Harvest and the album’s ending track. “The Old And The New” ends the album in a symbolic way for the band. The song intensifies with a maelstrom of guitar, bass, and drums before it nears its end and fades out. James tells me of the album’s inspiration during our interview “I was living in a house on the Detroit River… it was like 3/5ths of the band living together and jamming and stuff at that house on the water and I think that had some influence. So we named the album kind of after that time.” He also mentions midway through the interview: “I think this album might eventually be like kind of a transition album in some ways. It seems more aggressive than anything we’ve done before, but I think we’re going to go even more in that direction. “ The songs that make up this album portray the subtleties of a band mixing elements of folk, country and the heavy rains of aggressive feedback. With On The Banks Of The Detroit River, James O-L & The Villains find their voice during the in-between moments of the album, not unlike the album’s cover image which looks outward from Windsor revealing the water between Windsor/Detroit or after a summer storm.

Another version of this article first appeared in The Windsor Independent.

Saturday Night Play List:

1. James O-L & The Villains - Collective Ignorance (CJAM Session)
2. James O-L & The Villains - Manquest (CJAM Session)
3. James O-L & The Villains - Arts Degree (CJAM Session)
4. James Bond & The Agents - Wild Angel
5. Flesh Rag - Bug Man
6. Shonen Knife - Dance To The Rock
7. Elephant Stone - All Is Burning
8. The Vindicators - Hate
9. Double Naught Spys - One More Beer
10. James O-L & The Villains - Kill The Devil (CJAM Session)
11. James O-L & The Villains - One Horse Town (CJAM Session)
12. Pokey LaFarge - Central Time
13. The Gories - Train Kept A Rollin’
14. The Rolling Stones - Do You Think I Really Care
15. Sloan - So Far So Good
16. The Exploding Hearts - Sleeping Aides & Razorblades
17. The Adverts - No Time To Be 21
18. The Mongrols - Plastic Girl
19. The Junior Raymen - The Rat Fink
20. Guitar Army - I Wanna Be Like You
21. Ty Segall - Tall Man, Skinny Lady
22. Jaill - On The Beat
23. Lowlife - Thinking Naturally
24. The Sinners - No Brains Required
25. Apache Dropout - Constant Plaything
26. The Subs - Gimme Your Heart
27. X - Soul Kitchen
28. The Boys - You Make Me Shake
29. The Marching Girls - First In Line
30. The Clash - Garageland

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

Invasions No Darkness EP Interview & Show # 524

Toronto’s Invasions have been making music for quite sometime, they have put out a few releases and originally had their beginnings as a garage band. Through several line-up changes and experience, the band’s sound evolved. We saw that in full form on the band’s 2013 self-titled release Invasions, where the band’s sound added watery textures that are at times synonymous with surf rock. They blended that with pop elements that some people might call indie rock, maybe even psychedelic to a degree, but their garage beginnings still lurked in the background. In addition to all this the band began using horn sections in a style that has been described as similar to spaghetti western soundtracks. In 2014, Invasions released an EP entitled No Darkness. The EP’s artwork looks like something that has been put together from a collection of B-horror movie posters. The sounds on No Darkness seem to attack the listener at a more aggressive level, not unlike the sea monster-like creature that fills the EP’s artwork.

The title track “No Darkness” starts off the EP with the band's new surf-western dynamic that they have been developing. The song builds up with an epic Ennio Morricone-like horn section that crawls between the stop and start bass patterns and guitar riffs. This song defines the band’s developing apocalyptic surf inspired sound. The lyrics also seem to delve deep into a similar mindset. “Black Lagoon” starts off the second track on No Darkness with dirty fuzz guitar riffs not unlike The Cramps before the reverb and humid sounding horn sections invade your eardrums. Amongst the dirtier guitar riffs and horns, the bass smoothly takes us through the pools of reverb that are often accented by vocalist Alex Zen. “Unknown Pleasures” ends the EP, in a more upbeat fashion. Featuring stop and start reverb soaked guitars, the song also features organ and guitar riffs that play simultaneously. Lyrically the song features words such as “The chemicals control you in waves/Uncontrollable haze” and “These unknown pleasures have taken hold” that end the EP with a bit of a cloud of mystery. On No Darkness, Invasions crank up the reverb and add a touch of chaos. In the process Invasions create a genre that is all their own.

The following interview was done between myself Dave Konstantino (the host of Revolution Rock) and members of the Toronto based band Invasions. The answers to these questions were provided by Alex Zen, Brian Moyer and Brian Cuddy of Invasions. We talk about recording, surfing, garage rock and Quentin Tarantino movies.

RR: Invasions have been around for quite some time now and has featured different band members. Who is in the band’s current line up?

Invasions is currently made up of: Alex Zen - Vox and guitar, Matt Buck - Lead Guitar, Brian Moyer – Trumpet & Organ, Brian Cuddy – Bass & Vox, Ara Carson - Drums. We’ve had a number of changes to the line up over the years (Danny from July Talk, Alex from The Holiday Crowd).

RR: How would you compare your current sound on albums such as 2013’s self-titled album and your No Darkness EP compared to your first full-length album and 2009’s Magic EP?

There is a night and day difference between the two. I think we kept some of the pop factor found on the Magic EP, but have developed as musicians and individuals since then. A sort-of self-evolution. I’d say our self-titled album and No Darkness EP is a culmination of all that.

RR: Invasions earlier sound was more garage rock oriented. What inspired the band’s change in sound and why?

I think we grew up a little bit. We evolved as musicians, added new members and began focusing a little more on the groove of our songs. We want to make something people can really feel while still retaining the grit and energy of our previous sound. It was really a natural evolution. Plus I tried surfing for the first time and got hooked – maybe that’s actually the real reason for the change in sound!

RR: Where was the No Darkness EP recorded at and did the process differ from recording 2013’s self-titled album. Who did you work with for the recording of this EP?

We are very fortunate to have our own secluded practice space where Matt and I (Alex) grew up in Etobicoke. We fashioned our rehearsal space in an office out there beside the Hell’s Angels headquarters. After 5 everyday and all weekend we go in set up right in the office and get our groove on. We recorded a little teaser video of us recording the No Darkness EP where you can see the space water cooler included.

We decided to record both the LP and the EP essentially by ourselves with the help of Edan Schkeimei of the Dirty Frigs – check em out! The DIY approach was both a blessing and a curse: having infinite studio time to work on a record really opens up the opportunity to explore ideas but at the same time this can slow down the overall recording process significantly. I think we learned a lot from the process. We have just added a new reel-to-reel to our collection and are excited to go analogue for our next EP which should capture our live sound with a little more clarity.

RR: The artwork for the band’s last two releases has seemed more DIY style in terms of the layout. Who did the artwork for No Darkness and the self-titled album and was that something you were going for?

Our No Darkness EP was a DIY project and I felt the artwork should represent this too. Recently I have been making collages from cut outs of old magazines and the No Darkness art work was came from one I thought was especially neat. In the end we only used a small portion of the whole piece, but it still makes a strong commentary on modern society. It has a real focus on society’s cruel tandem of complacency, apathy and fetishism. Check it out. Heavy stuff, but reminiscent of some ideas portrayed throughout the EP.

RR: Your recent sound has been compared to music found in a lost Quentin Tarantino movie and as being reminiscent of music found in spaghetti western soundtracks. Would you agree with this as being accurate and what is your favourite Quentin Tarantino movie and or spaghetti western?

In almost every review we get described with that type of language. I think the main thing we try to achieve is definitely cinematic in a way. We approach song-writing like you might approach a short film with a real focus on telling a story and creating a feeling. Also, from a purely aesthetic sense, we of course are all big fans of the digging up history, whether it’s through our instrument selection (60s era Vox, Framus, Hofners) or Moyer’s attachment to finding that perfect set of vintage cowboy boots.

It’s obviously quite hard to choose a favourite Tarantino film. My favourite scene is the opening of Reservoir Dogs – that is some raw human emotion in the back of that Cadillac.

RR: Invasions recently played NXNE how was the response at those shows and what is next for the band in terms of touring?

NXNE was great as usual! A highlight for me was playing the 159 Manning BBQ in the sweatiest front room. It got so crammed we had to get up on the furniture. Seeing Tom Verlaine and Television live was a special treat – or wait was that CMW?

We followed NXNE by touring out east in Canada, in October we will be touring out west in Canada. From there we would love to make our way down to the states and Europe.

RR: What are Invasions planning next? Are you planning on recording another album?

We just got accepted for a music residency in Banff Art Centre for two weeks this fall. We are very excited about this opportunity and hope to get some major work down while we’re out there. If all goes well we should have another EP ready before the years up!



Saturday Night Play List:

1. The Smiths - London
2. Simply Saucer - Instant Pleasure
3. The Mobbs - Demobbed
4. Mainly Spaniards - That’s What Friends Are For
5. The Expendables - The Man With No Desire
6. Grey Lands - Girl From The North Country (Featuring Joel Plaskett)
7. Frankie & Jimmie - Shake Sugaree
8. Neil Jarvis - Good Years
9. No Age - C’mon, Stimmung
10. Shanghai Dog - The Closet
11. The Zantees - Cruisin’
12. The 69 Cats - 69 Guitars
13. The Tell-Tale hearts - I Get Up In The Morning
14. The Furies - What Do You Want Me To Be?
15. The Straps - Just Can’t Take It No More
16. Public Image Limited - Fodderstompf
17. Nikki & The Corvettes - Just What I Need
18. The Ramrods - Nothin’ To Do In Detroit
19. Demolition Doll Rods - If You Can’t Hang
20. Reigning Sound - North Cackalacky Girl
21. MYSTICS - Sunburn
22. Invasions - Black Lagoon
23. Invasions - Unknown Pleasures
24. The Clean - Anything Could Happen
25. Bob Dylan & The Band - Wedding Song
26. New York Dolls - (There’s Gonna Be A) Showdown
27. David Bowie - Cracked Actor
28. Teenanger - Hot Rods At The Loser Convention
29. The Hives - Take Back The Toys

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