• Punk

    Dananananaykroyd

    Photo by Lucy Johnston

    Seriously. Do you think I’m going to come across a band named Dananananaykroyd and not share it with you? Don’t even think twice.

    The guys are from Glasgow, Scotland. They have a pretty hard/post-punk edge to them, and have been compared to Los Campesinos. Another unique feature along with their name is that they have two drummers bangin’ away. Nice.

    I just downloaded a few from their full length debut, Hey Everyone, off eMusic – and this one immediately caught my ear. Turn this one up LOUD, folks…

    Hear: Pink Sabbath (mp3)

    Buy Hey Everyone on the Banquet Records site or  Dananananaykroyd - Hey Everyone

    Visit: Dananananaykroyd on MySpace

  • Punk,  Rock

    All You Gods and Goddesses: Bloc Party @ First Avenue

    Bloc Party
    May 4th, 2009
    First Avenue, Minneapolis

    “Hello, Minneapolis! We almost didn’t make it.”

    Kele Okereke shouted this from the stage last night from First Avenue right after they finished their opening number, “One Month Off” from their new album Intimacy. One month off indeed. Bloc Party was originally scheduled to play 1st Ave on March 30th in what was to be the kick off for my six date Brit Rock Spring Wank with gentle ball cupping (Keane and Doves still to come). When they canceled due to Kele losing his voice, I checked their tour schedule to see if they could swing back through at a later time. I saw several dates in Canada and since we are basically part of that country, I thought it still could happen.

    It did.

    And it was bloody marvelous.

    Right off the bat one could see that the boys in the band felt bad for missing us on the original date. Kele promised a thunderous AND extended set. They fucking delivered playing nearly all of their new album and several tracks from their first two albums. Since I missed them the first and only other time they came through in 2005, it was great to hear them play “Blue Light”, “Like Eating Glass” and “Positive Tension” from Silent Alarm; and “Flux” from A Weekend in the City really got the pit swaying around.

    In addition to fantastic performances of “Mercury”, “Ares” and “The Prayer”, Kele and the rest of the lads charmed the crowd… carrying on conversations with people in the audience, flirting with girls (natch!) and chastising people for walking out during the encore which saw “She’s Hearing Voices” tacked on just for us Minneapolitans.

    This last bit prompted Kele to say, “Alright, that’s it! I’m coming out there.” And he did…gloriously allowing all of us to body pass him around the pit and eventually to stage left where he proceeded to run up the steps to the upper level! He paused  on the area of the steps that has always been known to elicit cries from staff saying, “You can’t stand here, dude!” Well, he not only stood there, but found a woman to dance with – continuing to run around all areas of the club with the roadie following behind him, frantically trying to give him more slack on the mic cable.

    Sure I would’ve liked to hear “Biko” from the new record and my fave Bloc Party tune “Tulips” (a shiver and a sigh), but the energy from the band and the crowd more than made up for it. Sadly, this is the last North American show for Bloc Party. They are off to Europe though, so all you Ickmusic readers there should go to see them. It will be a corker!

    Links: Bloc Party’s Official Site | MySpace

    Buy their latest: Intimacy

  • Ick's Pick,  Indie,  Punk

    Ick’s Pick (Week X): Cursive – ‘Mama, I’m Swollen’

    This week I thought I’d adventure off to unfamiliar territory again. I just couldn’t get myself all geeked up to listen to the new Kelly Clarkson or Chris Cornell / Timbaland over and over. So I decided on Omaha’s Cursive, mostly because of their label, Saddle Creek, which was founded by Conor Oberst.

    I can affirm, after a few listens, that:

    1. Cursive do indeed rock. And…
    2. Their drummer’s name is Cornbread Compton. That’s reason enough to buy this album as far as I’m concerned.

    The album kicks off with “In the Now”, featuring a feedback/effects laden intro, and launching into the repeated chorus “Don’t wanna live in the now / don’t wanna know what I know”; followed up later with “So history repeats / ‘cause present won’t repent”. It’s short, simple and ferocious, like a lot of moments on this record. I find it pretty cathartic myself.

    “From the Hips”, which the band kindly offers up gratis on their web site, starts off slow, before singer/guitarist Tim Kasher’s squealing “right?!” brings in the up tempo, double beat madness.

    “I Couldn’t Love You” has Kasher channeling his inner Robert Smith – which makes sense – Cursive was picked by the Cure to open for them on their 2004 tour.

    You won’t believe how soft and pleasant they can make a song called “We’re Going To Hell”. But there’s also an underlying doom and creepiness. The song has sort of a Pixies-like vibe going on too.

    And the boys get downright evil on “Mama, I’m Satan”:

    I’m writing out a confession
    My fathers and brothers
    Raped your sisters and mothers
    We are the sons of butchers
    All in all we’re pawns
    The darkness of mankind stirs in us all

    Songs like “Mama, I’m Satan”, “Let Me Up”, and “Mama, I’m Swollen” – and really the feel of the record – take the listener into the darkness – some ugly fugly places. I feel like taking a shower and finding a church, and I’m not even that religious. Holy smokes…

    For those looking for some quality power-indie-post-punk, and aren’t afraid to step into the shadows for a while, this album fits the bill.

    Buy Mama, I’m Swollen

    Links: Official Site | MySpace (be sure to listen to “Dorothy at Forty” – one of the rockin-est grooves I’ve ever heard) | Last.fm

  • Punk,  World

    ACL Highlight: Gogol Bordello

    What a fun &%#$ band! High energy bohemian gypsy maniacs.

    Gogol Bordello was high on my list of must-see acts at the ACL festival a couple weeks ago. Like a lot of people, I first came to know of them during Madonna’s performance at Live Earth last summer (7/7/07). She brought guitarist and lead singer Eugene Hütz and violinist Sergey Ryabtsev out to join her for “La Isla Bonita”. If you were able to ignore Madge’s annoying backup dancers, you got a glimpse of these two eccentrics, and they spurred you into finding out more about them.

    The original members of Gogol Bordello met at a Russian wedding in Vermont in 1997. From there, they played up and down the isle of Manhattan and, in the process,  got banned from the Mercury Lounge, CB/GB, Fez and the Bowery Ballroom for “being too over the mothefucking top”.

    They set up residence at a performance art space called PIZDETZ, on the lower east side. Eventually, they ended up at Menahata, a Bulgarian bar, also on the lower east side, where their weekly gig. ‘DRINK LOCALLY! FUCK GLOBALLY!’, put them through the roof, and turned Menahata into the CBGB of the Gypsy Punk scene.

    A couple months before ACL, I picked up Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike, their second album. The album, coupled with some good YouTube festival footage, got me primed for the show. On Friday afternoon at 4:30, the opening day of ACL, Gogol Bordello took the AT&T stage, and Entertainment ensued.

    I could watch frontman Eugene Hütz all damn day – such manic energy, and that great Eastern European accent flavoring his lyrics. But then there’s the seven others, including Sergey on violin, an accordion player, and Elizabeth and Pamela, the two crazy-sexy dancers who leaped and bounded to all ends of the stage.

    The ACL program put it best: if you like the Clash, the Pogues, and the Gypsy Kings, then you’re in for a treat. They tour all over the world now, so get out and see ’em!

    Here are a couple of my (and my two daughters’) favorites:

    Gogol BordelloI Would Never Wanna Be Young Again (mp3)

    Gogol Bordello60 Revolutions

    ACL Set List – 9/26/08

    Ultimate
    Sally
    Not A Crime
    Supertheory Of Supereverything
    Wonderlust King
    Mishto!
    Tribal Connection
    60 Revolutions
    American Wedding
    Start Wearing Purple
    Think Locally, F’ck Globally

    Visit: Gogol Bordello’s Official Site | MySpace

    Check out a couple Gogol Bordello albums…

  • Punk

    Games in the Forbidden City

    The Olympics got under way today. I haven’t been too in tune with who to watch out for this year, but I will undoubtedly get in the spirit over the next couple of weeks. All I’ve really seen is Michael Phelps’s Village People-riffic mustache!

    So let’s forget about that pesky issue of China’s horrific human rights record, and let’s focus on cute panda bears or something.

    Let the games begin!
    Smog smog go away!

    Joe Strummer & the MescalerosForbidden City (mp3)

    From Rock Art and the X-Ray Style

  • Pop,  Punk

    My, What Cute Lepers

    Okay, well, this band hasn’t grabbed hold of my love handles like the Hawaii Mud Bombers, but the Cute Lepers (besides the catchy moniker) lay down a nice brand of retro pop-punk. Their debut album for their new label, Blackheart Records, just came out, and they’re in the midst of a tour across this great land of ours.

    “Terminal Boredom” is their first single from the album. The affectations of lead singer Steve E. Nix – yeah, I said it – may remind you of Green Day’s Billie Joe. And if you’re like me, the verses will most certainly remind you of the Clash’s “Safe European Home” (which I listened to very loudly in the shower this morning – TMI? Perhaps).

    Do you like? Do you hate? Is it crappy, is it great? You tell me. The comments have been a tad dead lately. Liven up the joint.

    By the way, the band photo up there? The one on the left? Hands off. She’s mine.

    Cute LepersTerminal Boredom (mp3) [thanks to Shorefire for clearing the mp3 with the label. I’m too legit to quit!]

    Links: Official Site | MySpace | Buy Can’t Stand Modern Music

  • Punk

    The Ramones in London: the spark that lit the fire

    The British punk explosion of 1976-77 can pretty easily be traced to one night in London: July 4th, 1976. That was the night the Ramones came to town. It was their UK debut, opening for the Flamin’ Groovies at the Roundhouse in Camden.

    In attendance were current and future members of the Sex Pistols, the Clash, the Buzzcocks, and the Damned, among countless others I’m sure. The quality is pretty bad, but it’s still amazing to listen in on such an important night in music history. A 35 minute set that shaped the future of music. Pretty sweet.

    The Ramones
    Live at the Roundhouse, London
    July 4th, 1976

    Intro / Sound Issues
    Loudmouth
    Beat On The Brat
    Blitzkrieg Bop
    I Remember You
    Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue
    Glad To See You Go
    Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment
    53rd & 3rd
    I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend
    Havana Affair
    Listen To My Heart
    California Sun
    Judy Is A Punk
    I Don’t Wanna Walk Around With You
    Today Your Love Tomorrow The World

  • Punk

    The Sex Pistols’ Last Show

    Thirty years ago yesterday, the Sex Pistols ended their ill-fated U.S. tour with this show at San Francisco’s Winterland – a venue which would close later that year (marked by a New Year’s Eve finale show by the Grateful Dead – available on CD as The Closing of Winterland).

    In early January, the Pistols embarked on their first U.S. tour with a string of dates through the Deep South – purposely booked by their manager Malcolm McLaren to create an atmosphere of tension and hostility. Mission accomplished! Sid Vicious was deep into his heroin habit by then, and increasingly hostile to the audience. Fights would break out, people would attack him on stage. It was ugly. Johnny Rotten was increasingly disillusioned during the tour. He was disgusted by Sid’s behavior, and found himself more and more isolated from Steve Jones and Paul Cook (the other members of the band).

    By the time they made it to San Francisco for their January 14th show, enough was enough. After the final song, a cover of the Stooges tune “No Fun” (not coincidental, it would seem), Rotten famously exclaimed: “Ever get the feeling you’re being cheated? Good night.” And walked off the stage. That was it for the band – at least in that incarnation.

    The Sex Pistols
    Live at Winterland, San Francisco
    January 14th, 1978

    God Save The Queen
    I Wanna Be Me
    Seventeen
    New York
    E.M.I.
    Belsen Was A Gas
    Bodies
    Holidays In The Sun
    Liar
    No Feelings
    Problems
    Pretty Vacant
    Anarchy In The U.K.
    No Fun

  • Local,  Punk

    A Local Joe Strummer Tribute with Glass Heroes

    joe strummer and keith jackson of glass heroes

    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 singer and guitarist in Glass Heroes (that’s him with Joe Strummer above), and this is the fourth year in a row he has organized a local Strummer tribute to benefit Strummerville.

    strummer benefit at the rhythm room

    I was impressed by both bands. They’re both veterans of the Arizona punk scene, which is alive and well. Dahl’s four piece power combo tore through their set, the rhythm section of Jason Smith (bass) and particularly Russ Covner on drums laying down some ferocious punk beats. Really impressive. They kicked off the set with “Janie Jones”, then concentrated on their own material for the next 35 minutes or so.

    Keith Jackson and his Glass Heroes were next. They offered up great versions of “What’s My Name”, “Tommy Gun”, another “Janie Jones”, and “Police on my Back”. Their originals definitely showed the Clash influence. One of my faves was “Kick Down the Doors”, which I grabbed off their MySpace page. Check it out below.

    Kudos to Keith for keeping Joe’s spirit alive, and gathering the local Strummer faithful for a great evening.

    Glass Heroes – Kick Down the Doors (mp3)

    Links: Glass Heroes Official Site | MySpace | Jeff Dahl Band’s MySpace

    Have you guys and gals checked out imeem yet? It’s a social music site where you can stream music & videos. The extra bonus is that they have licensing agreements with 2 out of the 3 major labels, so you can find and listen to full songs, make your own playlists, and basically waste several additional hours of your life on another music site. Here’s a lil’ Strummer / Clash mix I put together.

  • Punk,  Rock

    Love Trilogy: to my CDs, it’s “see you later”, not “good-bye”

    Well it was inevitable I guess. My 20-month old daughter, you see, had shunned modern technology, and had embraced the Compact Disc ®. So much so that every time she set foot in our loft where the racks of my CD’s were so meticulously displayed, she would stoop to her knees, and begin to explore the inner workings of these amazing jewel cases. Nashville Skyline, Exile on Main Street, London Calling, it mattered not to this inquisitive little person. She tore into them with unbiased fervor – removing the discs, removing the inserts, switching them around with each other.

    Yes, for me – as proud I am of her for exploring this fading medium – it was time to pack them up in plastic storage bins. It is there they will remain for another 20 months, probably. Now, most of my CD’s (and a few cassettes and VHS tapes, as you can see) lie encased, merely a staging area for my little one’s adventures in Upstairs Land. Plastic drinking cups, snacks, sandals, a note pad… all play an important role.

    Nostalgia paid a visit as I packed up the CD’s. Here’s one that brings back the memories… this album experienced heavy rotation in my first couple years of college (88-89). The Uplift Mofo Party Plan was the Chili Peppers’ third studio album, and the last Chilis’ album that included their original lineup: Anthony Kiedis, Flea, Hillel Slovak, and Jack Irons. It was released in 1987. In June of ’88, Slovak died of a heroin OD, and Irons left soon after.

    This song was a staple in my dorm room “pre-parties”. I can’t remember if it was this song that shook one of my three-foot speakers off of the ledge above and on to my head. May have been.

    Red Hot Chili PeppersLove Trilogy (mp3)

    [audio:11lovetrilogy.mp3]

    Buy Uplift Mofo Party Plan (also on Red Hot Chili Peppers - The Uplift Mofo Party Plan)