I had December 27th marked on my calendar since early November. A Joe Strummer Tribute & Benefit in my own hometown? Yes please! I headed down to my favorite small club in Phoenix, the Rhythm Room, and caught the last two bands, the Jeff Dahl Band and headliner Glass Heroes. Keith Jackson is the lead [...]

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Hard to believe it’s already been five years since Joe Strummer passed away at age 50. Until it’s time for me to check out, his music will remain a huge part of my life.
We miss you Joe.
Videos:
The Clash - Safe European Home (US Festival, 1983)
The Clash - Tommy Gun (1978 or 1979)
The Clash - London [...]

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If you’ve been hanging around here a while, you know I’m a huge admirer of Joe Strummer. I never knew Joe, but through his music, video footage, and the occasional anecdote in interviews and articles, you get a good idea of what the man was all about: compassion for humanity (especially compassion for the underdog), [...]

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If you’ve been checking in with Ickmusic for a while, you know by now that I can’t go very long without a Clash or Joe Strummer post. So without much setup, here’s a great audience recording of a late 1978 gig at London’s Lyceum Ballroom. Find out a lot more background on the show at [...]

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If London Calling was the Clash’s masterpiece, Sandinista! - a three-LP, multi-genre assault on the senses (and the follow-up to London Calling) - was its stoned out red-headed stepchild. Thirty-six songs strong, Sandinista! was their chance to completely let loose and record whatever it is they felt like recording. I like the way The All [...]

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I. Am. A. Slow. Reader.
I’ve always enjoyed reading books. But damned if it doesn’t take me an eternity to read one. Especially over the last decade, as the internet has consumed any free time I previously devoted to books. And maybe it has something to do with reading right before bed. Four, five pages and [...]

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Joe Strummer was not happy when he hit the stage at the US Festival in 1983. There’s different stories about what was pissing him off so much. But the gist of it was that the Clash were upset when they heard that Van Halen took a million dollars to headline the third and final night [...]

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It’s necessary here on Ickmusic to periodically post about the late great Joe Strummer. Today, my friends, a treat. This is an afternoon in-store appearance in Portland, Oregon back in November of 1999. Joe’s first Mescaleros album, Rock Art & the X Ray Style, had just been released weeks earlier.
From Black Market Clash, a cool [...]

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Here’s a cool tidbit of Clash trivia. You know that part in “Should I Stay or Should I Go” where you hear Mick Jones yell “Split!”? It was actually an impromptu moment when Joe Strummer and Joe Ely snuck up behind Jones during the recording session, and basically scared the piss out of him. The [...]

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I finally filled my Clash collection this weekend when I picked up ‘Super Black Market Clash’. What took me so long? I have no clue. But I’m really enjoying hearing some new-to-me Clash songs like “Long Time Jerk”, as well as some cool remixes and dubs of songs like “Mustapha Dance” (a remix of “Rock [...]

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