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parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO dedicated to the iconic SYNTH POP band NEW ORDER.
​ ​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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photo by nacrowe
with MAKERSPACE.NYC closed due to an abundance of caution surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, TOM FERRIE relocated his radio show to his living room. here is EPISODE 14 of his LOCKDOWN SPECIAL that finds him taking a stab at playing one song from everything in his collection in alphabetical order. today's show continues with the LETTER T.
​ so hunker down, stay safe and socially distance yourself in comfort while listening to this special extended playlist. enjoy! and remember that past episodes of THE NOWHERE FAST SHOW as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like DEER GOD RADIO, MAKE HER SPACE, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
i came across DEATH VALLEY GIRLS while reading HOLE drummer PATTY SCHEMEL's recent 2017 memoir HIT SO HARD (DA CAPO, 2017). the band consists of her brother LARRY on guitar.
anyway, its droning psychedelic garage rock that splits the different between STONER ROCK and 70s CLASSIC ROCK. so obviously it kicks ass. check them out. 
parodies by nacrowe
the often maligned but irresistible sub-genre of POP PUNK is a sound that dates back to the very roots of PUNK ROCK with THE RAMONES and THE BUZZCOCKS back in the 1970s. check out HERE as we celebrate guilt-free the groups that have carried on the torch the last few decades mixing classic song structures and melody with the energy, excitement and aggression of classic PUNK ROCK.
​past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, and THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW are available here at the DEER GOD website. 
collage by nacrowe
when i look at the photography of WILLIAM EGGLESTON it reminds me of an AMERICA rarely noticed, not the skyscrapers, monuments and public buildings that have contrived meaning loaded into them, but the mundane and ordinary. a version of AMERICA that is stripped back of pretense and showcases the dignity of middle class exurban landscape of roads, storefronts, living rooms, restaurants and people making their way through life.
there seems to be a real problem in our culture where people look down on those that make a blue-collar living through manual labor, instead placing value and focusing our attention on the superficial "keeping up with the joneses" goals of mass consumerism. when i was in MANDALAY (MYANMAR) and you got up early enough, usually around dawn, and made your way across the river to the hilltop BUDDHIST temples of nearby SAGAING there was a good chance you would see lines of male and female monks seeking alms for the day. their one daily meal which consisted wholeheartedly of food donated by their neighbors. in the BUDDHIST worldview, allowing these monks to follow their spiritual path outside the framework of commerce was a gift with merit by their supporters. the fact that MYANMAR is a severely poor nation only goes to show how dear this daily gift is to the local community. there is a dignity in their spiritual work and those supporting it are likewise elevated. we have none of that in the UNITED STATES. we have a zero sum mentality with clearly defined winner and losers. when i see the work of EGGLESTON, i am reminded that there is a beauty and dignity in work and the ordinary lives of everyday AMERICANS, even if our bloated culture and body politic refuse to acknowledge such. his work is a celebration of it. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
the documentary AMERICAN VALHALLA (EAGLE ROCK, 2017) takes its name from a song off of IGGY POP's late-career album POST POP DEPRESSION (LOMA VISTA, 2016), which was a collaboration between the iconic STOOGES frontman and musician JOSH HOMME of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE/KYUSS fame. this documentary follows their collaboration throughout the songwriting and recording process with interviews of both conducted by ANTHONY BOURDAIN (RIP).
i guess it should be stated that while IGGY and HOMME come from celebrated bands, both are actually quite unconventional musicians. lots of bands pay lip service to expanding their sound on subsequent releases, but if you track the career trajectory of both you will see that is actually the case. when IGGY reached out to HOMME, both took it as an opportunity to experiment and see what new creations could be manifested from their respective provided elements. it was interesting that in navigating this new relationship they based much on instinct and cooked the songs quickly in short order to not overthink it. just move forward. i think this film at its core is about the nature of collaboration, especially when you have a history or legacy. it is about dismantling those expectations, both external and, more importantly, internal. i remember when i was teaching i never slept particularly well because i was constantly questioning my plans. its not that they were inferior, i knew they were sound, but the opportunity cost of it all drove me nuts. there were so many options and how could i choose the right course of action that would best serve my students. i think that drive in part is what broke my heart about the profession, the fact that so many of my peers phoned it in. taught the same thing in the same order as years before, altering nothing. i saw the classroom as a dynamic venue for exploring ideas and challenging them against new technologies and world events. opening up the curriculum to show how these classroom concepts affect our understanding of both the world and ourselves. the fact that i did this in foreign countries, never on my home court made it that much more invigorating and scary at the same time. more colors to play with. i was willing to fail and being unable to settle down completely at night was the price i was willing to pay. risk nothing you get nothing. what i am trying to say is that im well aware of this fear HOMME had in the film. how do i collaborate with an icon? make it worth his time and my time? and most frightening of all: the opportunity cost of all the other possible music i could write, that i could present to him. how do you conquer that fear? you just do it by doing it. being truly in the moment. their collaboration was all instinct, mutually respecting and sharing that creative moment. in the moment. right now. i loved that tightrope dance. i miss it. note: but i wouldnt return to teaching. dealing with administrations that didn't have the students interests at front of mind cut my heart out. repeatedly. a bad one-sided collaboration rooted in politics. great film. intriguing documentary on the nature of collaboration and cost required to make it a fruitful and meaningful endeavor. 
photo by nacrowe
with MAKERSPACE.NYC closed due to an abundance of caution surrounding the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, TOM FERRIE relocated his radio show to his living room. here is EPISODE 13 of his LOCKDOWN SPECIAL that finds him taking a stab at playing one song from everything in his collection in alphabetical order. today's show continues with the LETTER S.
​ so hunker down, stay safe and socially distance yourself in comfort while listening to this special extended playlist. enjoy! and remember that past episodes of THE NOWHERE FAST SHOW as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like DEER GOD RADIO, MAKE HER SPACE, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
BOOK REVIEW | "GIRLS TO THE FRONT: THE TRUE STORY OF THE RIOT GRRRL REVOLUTION" BY SARA MARCUS5/25/2020 
photo by nacrowe
for me SARA MARCUS' unflinching examination of the RIOT GRRRL movement of the early 1990s in GIRLS TO THE FRONT: THE TRUE STORY OF THE RIOT GRRRL REVOLUTION (HARPER COLLINS, 2010) was a challenging read.
i think part of that was the nature of the movement itself, which despite being started by a small cluster of artists and musicians in OLYMPIA and franchised out to WASHINGTON DC and various towns and cities beyond thereafter, was essentially not centralized. this meant there was no clear voice by design. it was meant to be a localized support network for women to bond over their trauma and abuse and re-channel such pain into political and creative efforts that were, again, local in scope. MARCUS gives a direct overview of the career trajectories of the major bands within the scene, namely BIKINI KILL, BRATMOBILE, HEAVENS TO BETSY and HUGGY BEAR, but only as a means of contextualizing how the brand was dispersed and ultimately transformed by those thousands of girls across the UNITED STATES that got the message. and that friction is the crux of this book to me. what started out as a personal communal idea of a connected supportive sisterhood in the face of a culture that diminished and infantilized their role in society and objectified their physical being was commendable beyond reproach. where it all broke down, as is a familiar narrative with second-wave feminism in general, was along lines of identity, specifically race. this was pre-INTERSECTIONAL FEMINISM, which essentially expanded the idea of womanhood beyond that of the white, educated, largely middle-class demographic and expanded along lines of race, education and class. and much of the conflict of this book was internal with coastal acolytes not checking their own privilege at the door. but learning is difficult even when participating in a revolution. so basically this book is complicated because the ideas they were confronting were complicated. during this period women were in danger of losing their constitutional right to control their own bodies and were the subject of harassment and increasingly elevated levels of rape and sexual abuse as teens (1 in 4 is what the book states). so to fault their efforts as imperfect or pedantic in nature is not the point. the point is they forced a conversation in popular culture that we are still having to this day and in essence, for bands today, male or female to do benefits or be outwardly vocal about their views against ABUSE AGAINST WOMEN should be accredited to their advocacy. as a guy reading this book i was constantly wondering what room their strident worldview had for male allies of the cause. such was never really addressed in the book but this is fine, not a criticism. the movement can almost be described as a primal scream against male oppression and the corporate machine that marginalizes women and markets them with messages meant to minimize them down to the physical presentation. for me i found this book to be rewarding in that it presented the worldview of this movement which still has value to this day in the work of artists and bands addressing these issues with full confidence thanks to the fearless RIOT GRRRLS and their transformation of the consciousness within the stateside PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK scenes nationwide. its the type of book i will be revisiting and thinking about long after this review is published. in essence any movement, much like in MONTY PYTON's comedy LIFE OF BRIAN is subject to the whims of its adherents re-contextualizing idea and ritual into new traditions that may not square with the original intent. its like a game of telephone and the RIOT GRRRL movement was no different. insightful read. highly recommended. 
parodies by nacrowe
tonight's new episode of DEER GOD RADIO at 8PM EST on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC is focused on the ENGLISH bands that were involved with the BRITISH INVASION during the mid-1960s. this playlist includes some well-known acts (THE KINKS, THE WHO, THE BEATLES, THE ANIMALS, SMALL FACES, THE ROLLING STONES) while also including the concurrent MERSEYBEAT scene which included several one-hit wonders.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo by nacrowe
watch HERE the SECOND EPISODE of OMFUG with MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC co-founder TOM FERRIE and his friend BOZ BOORER (MORRISSEY, THE POLECATS) spinning glam and punk vinyl from their collections. TOM in STATEN ISLAND and BOZ in LONDON.
past episodes of THE NOWHERE FAST SHOW as well as other MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC shows like DEER GOD RADIO, MAKE HER SPACE, THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG are available here at the DEER GOD website. and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
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click HERE for the most recent episode of THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC where Reed and Vince through the magic of technology host the show in quarantine from remote locations in MASSACHUSETTS and BROOKLYN.
as always, you can access all past episodes of THE SYNTHESIZER SHOW via the DEER GOD website as well as those of MAKE HER SPACE, NOWHERE FAST, DEER GOD RADIO and CLASSICAL-ISH WITH NUTMEG. ​and if you haven't done so already get the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo manupulation by nacrowe
WEEZER gets a lot of love and deservedly so. RIVERS CUOMO is a talented (if trouble and inconsistent) songwriter and a generational talent.
but i always felt that MATT SHARP got overlooked. he was WEEZER's founding bassist whose falsetto was as much a part of the sound of those iconic first two records as CUOMO's nervous croon and his idiosyncratic lyrics celebrating KISS, SURFING and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS. THE RENTALS was SHARP's side project that later turned into his main creative vehicle after later leaving WEEZER during their extended hiatus following PINKERTON (DGC, 1996). their debut album, RETURN OF THE RENTALS (MAVERICK RECORDS, 1995) plays on the POWER POP-indebted sound that WEEZER mined to great effect, yet has a decidedly more droll, assured tone and demeanor. fun fact: MAYA RUDOLPH was a touring member for this album's tour cycle. regardless, THE RENTALS are definitely worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
given that the next DEER GOD RADIO show on SUNDAY MAY 24TH at 8PM EST on MAKERARKRADIO.NYC will be celebrating the BRITISH INVASION, it seemed as good a time as ever to revisit a show six months back that was dedicated to the musical and cultural legacy of THE BEATLES.
really what can be added that hasn't already been said about them? all i can come up with is that whenever i feel jaded about art or music, like everything has already been done before (and better!), i just go back and revisit the music of the FAB FOUR and i am taken aback anew by how fresh it still sounds more than half a century later. its still startling. any era of the band. still hard to believe they were only together 8 years. reading books, watching documentaries, listening to podcasts over the years it seems i can never learn too much about the group. their personal failures, political naivety and even trend jumping only adds to their mystique since (as i've said before) they did everything better than everyone else. anyway, enough of all that. enjoy THE BEATLES. 
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back when we were experimenting with the format of doing extended performance video series with local and national artists in our OFF THE M and KREISCHER MANSION SESSIONS series, PITCHFORK's quirky JUAN'S BASEMENT series was definitely an inspiration.
their presentation changed over time, but essentially had upcoming INDIE ROCK bands playing this dude's basement at his apartment somewhere in BROOKLYN (most likely WILLIAMSBURG / GREENPOINT / BED STUY). it was interesting because 1) the sound was professional (which is not always the case with these types of shows) and 2) there was professional light and cinematography that transformed the confined space to an expressionistic live/music video hybrid. i was a fan. i really think if we had done another series it would've explored color and use of different lighting and fog techniques to showcase our subjects. KMS was more about showcasing the mansion with stark black and white shots and OFF THE M was about creatively editing live performances at a venue we had no creative control over. again, if we did this sort of thing again i'd take stronger control over the atmosphere and really play with color a la JUAN'S BASEMENT. it was quirky and interesting. i hope they bring it back. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
ECHO IN THE CANYON (MIRROR FILMS, 2019) is a documentary about the mid 1960s LAUREL CANYON scene located just outside the SUNSET STRIP in the hills above LOS ANGELES that served as a sanctuary to FOLK-inspired ROCK AND ROLL musicians. musician JAKOB DYLAN of THE WALLFLOWERS conducts the interviews with luminaries such as BRIAN WILSON, ROGER MCQUINN, DAVID CROSBY, RINGO STARR, ERIC CLAPTON, GRAHAM NASH, STEPHEN STILLS, TOM PETTY, JOHN SEBASTIAN, MICHELLE PHILLIPS, LOU ADLER, JACKSON BROWNE and most compellingly, reinterprets the songs himself of BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD, THE BEACH BOYS, THE BYRDS and THE ASSOCIATION with a roster of modern musicians including FIONA APPLE, CAT POWER, BECK, JADE CASTRINOS and NORAH JONES. as i will discuss shortly, this continuing of the cycle of interpretation and experimentation is a genius stroke as that passing of ideas is at the core of how the scene developed and was nurtured by artists back in the day. very cool stuff indeed.
what i found most interesting about this period of music history was the atmosphere of experimentation that defined it with songwriters cross-pollination and contextualizing the sounds of peers in new concoctions, moving everyone forward together. prime example: THE BEATLES inspired THE BYRDS to take FOLK chord progressions and play them in a ROCK AND ROLL setting, which found them reinterpreting PETE SEEGER in a cover of his "THE BELLES OF RHYMNEY" which, in turn, influenced GEORGE HARRISON to interpolate that chord progression and 12-string RICKENBACKER sound in "IF I NEEDED SOMEBODY." just a cycle of ideas being ping-ponged back in forth across the pond by like-minded artists. 
and for me that is the crux of any healthy scene, irrespective of outside distractions like business, fashion and aesthetics. at its core this scene nurtured artists to spread their wings and take chances. as BECK points out in the film, this may be why most of these bands have multiple singers and songwriters. they are in fact supergroups in a sense channeling the best of what they have to contribute. just take the songwriters in two of the most prominent groups: BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD (NEIL YOUNG, STEPHEN STILLS), THE BYRDS (ROGER MCQUINN, DAVID CROSBY). its pretty amazing they stuck together as long as they did.
its a complete 180 now in terms of the media landscape where artists are afraid of being explicit about their influences for fear of being sued in the aftermath of the 2013 PHARRELL/ROBIN THICKE case concerning an interpolation of a MARVIN GAYE song. or maybe im wrong in that, maybe with the internet there is a bevy of experimentation going on beneath the surface, producers trading files with musicians and rappers, songs being remixed, ideas being shared in the same way those house parties in LAURAL CANYON helped spark such a rich tapestry of music from 1965-1967 at the outset of that scene (including others not interviewed like FRANK ZAPPA, JONI MITCHELL and JIM MORRISON) which obviously blossomed in the 1970s with acts such as CAROLE KING, JACKSON BROWNE and FLEETWOOD MAC among othes. something to consider. great film. |
NICHOLAS
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