Polvo , one of my favorite noise/math rock bands of the 90s, recently reformed. They're playing a show in Chicago tonight, and based on the YouTube clips of recent shows that are circulating, it will be amazing. (Sidenote to Chicago readers: Anyone who doesn't have tickets to the Polvo show is required, by default, to go see the equally awesome Tittsworth do it up at Smart Bar . Chicago's main man Willy Joy will also be doing a set. And actually, the mandate goes for anyone with earlier engagements [...]
(from Howard Chaykin's American Flagg! v1 #2, collected in this handy forthcoming omnibus ) The life of a retrologist may be spiritually rewarding, but it doesn't really pay well...or pay at all, actually. To meet my many and varied financial obligations, as well as to support my useless crap habit, I also work as a flagman for data streams at a public university. It's a perfect job in many ways. It's unionized, pays well, and is generally low stress -- barring the occasional meltdown on the IT end of things. The [...]
Big tip to 52nd City for this one: A link to Kopper's blog , where he waxes nostalgic on early '80s radio station in St. Louis called KWK -- and even has a downloadable MP3 (or three) of a 1982/1983-era radio broadcast of Freeform, a show hosted by John Hutchinson. So far, listening I've heard the Ramones, the Fixx, Wall of Voodoo and the Clash. Neat. -- Annie Zaleski
This week's coversfest is the most cramped yet. I present the original song with not one, not two, but three cover versions. Today's song was written and performed originally by a one-hit wonder if ever there was one. Ever heard of Wall Of Voodoo? If you have, it's either because you've heard Mexican Radio (today's song), or you're some kind of supernerd that likes relatively unsuccessful 80s pop bands. Mexican Radio is a very catchy pop song, boasting a memorable chorus, originality and delicately inventive instrumentation. [...]
I'm not sure when I bought the soundtrack to Urgh! A Music War . I think it might have been during my first serious out-of-town record-buying binge (armed with a wish list compiled from many weeks of poring over the Trouser Press Guide To New Wave Records ). Anyways, as far as I was concerned, this was the first song on the album. (The first song was actually The Police, but I didn't save my allowance for months so that I could hear "Driven To Tears.") Wall Of Voodoo - [...]
There was a (belated) Earth Day festival on campus yesterday. As per the usual protocols for these types of events, the organizers set up a sound stage in the courtyard between the student center and science building. While mostly used to broadcast repeat plays of a Best of Bob Marley CD (because no matter how mainstream ecological awareness has become, it is vital to stress its hemp-shirt-and-Birkenstocks roots), it did host at least one live musical performance, and I caught a couple minutes of their set during one of my trips to the vending machines in an adjacent [...]
I'll be at the dentist's office today. Normal service will resume tomorrow. Wall of Voodoo - Good Times (from Dark Continent , 1981) - Of the the Stan Ridgway kind, not the Jimmy Walker variety. I'm still waiting for a reissue of this album, one of the finest to come out of the SoCal punk/wave scene.
The concert film, URGH! A Music War , is a great little time capsule of the art rock scene in 1980. Punk had flung open the door to the underground and new-wave, post-punk, synth pop, hardcore and no wave, among others, were ready to burst out onto the world. The film is shot documentary style, but with no narration or explanation of what you're seeing. Just the jams, man. Just the jams. I've never actually seen it, and probably never will, considering that the legal issues involved in getting the [...]
In 1985, a bunch of my best fag hags and I went to see Adam Ant in concert at the Cleveland Music Hall. It was far from a sold-out show, as Adam was on the downslide, supporting the Vive Le Rock album that was basically DOA in the States (although I dug it). As empty as the 3,000-seat theater was during the headlining act, it was nearly desolate earlier when the opening act took the stage. It was a quintet dressed all in black, playing equally dark music with strange synth tones, scratchy guitar [...]
I didn't intend to post about the Southern California wildfires, but many of you were worried how I was doing and asked if I was okay. Thanks for your concern - I'm not in the firezone, it helps living by the ocean: A lot of people weren't as lucky. I've met many that lost their home and possessions, most look understandably dazed. Here's some amazing pics of the fire and it's aftermath: [...]
I got an email from someone asking about Urgh! and I thought that in an effort to make things a bit more streamlined and easy to navigate, Id make this post which includes every single song from the Urgh! soundtrack as well as some bonus ones. I'm not the most organized person in the world, and it shows in the haphazard nature in which these tracks were originally put up. I hope this makes things a little easier for everyone. And if anyone is still looking for the long-deleted Urgh! Yahoo! Group (wow [...]
My day so far: a brief recap in words, music, and pictures. My father stopped by for a visit, and helped me try to figure out a problem I've been having with Super Lumina. (Note: Slightly dated photo.) Wall of Voodoo - Me and My Dad (from Dark Continent , 1981) - I got my copy of the album at a local used record store for two dollars. I've seen people offering the OOP CD version for sale online [...]
Thanks to Heather over at Ugly Floral Blouse for pointing out that VH1 Classics is showing seminal post-punk/new wave concert film Urgh! A Music War tonight (10/30) at 9PM. If you've never seen it, Urgh! features performances by Echo the...
It’s 8:25; do you know where your pets are? Sure, they pretend to be all lovey-dovey and cute, but that’s just an act, trust me. They’re just biding their time, waiting for the signal to begin their mass insurrection. I’m telling you this as a man who was once attacked by a ten pound rabbit. My wife insists it was a mistake. The “poor, sweet†bunny thought I was sitting on top of his snacks, but I know better. The public at large may have mocked Jimmy Carter back in the day, but the killer rabbit threat is [...]
One of the great music videos of all time: Stan Ridgway being a twitchy freak, and that oddly disturbing face emerging from the beans near the end. You can almost smell the sweat and steam and fajitas.
VIDEO POP
Armagideon Time
A to Z
Repeat, repeat
Hello Vegetables
Utahpolis
Lost in the '80s
snuhthing/anything
The Lost Turntable
Sound Bites
'80s tunes
the Weekender ::: New music from Catcall // the National // Summer Camp
Ado – Pressure
KNIFE PARTY – RAGE VALLEY EP
The Inner Flame: A Tribute To Rainer Ptacek
