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photo & text by nacrowe
while SOUNDGARDEN's SUPERUNKNOWN (A&M, 1994) and PEARL JAM's VITALOGY (EPIC, 1994) were the first records i ever got as a child, LIVING COLOUR's VIVID (EPIC, 1988) along with the TIME'S UP (EPIC, 1990) and the BISCUITS EP (EPIC, 1991) were the first records i ever bought. this all had to be around 1995 when i was in 4th grade. i even had their VHS tapes TIME TUNNEL (SONY MUSIC, 1990) and PRIMER (SONY MUSIC, 1990) around that time as well.
i think what caught my ear initially were the guitar pyrotechnics of VERNON REID and the emotive, almost operatic vocal range of COREY GLOVER. obviously at the time i had no idea about the politics or supposed novelty of being a black ROCK & ROLL band (didn't AFRICAN AMERICANS invent rock to begin with?) or how their sound fit in with the beginnings of ALTERNATIVE ROCK with other spearheading, like-minded bands in JANE'S ADDICTION (who they famously toured with on the first LOLLAPALOOZA), FAITH NO MORE and THELONIOUS MONSTER. at the time i knew nothing except that i liked their music and the overall aesthetic of their album covers, music videos and yes, even their ridiculous stage getups. growing up until 6th grade in ORANGE COUNTY, my family didnt have MTV so my initial introduction to LIVING COLOUR was their song "CULT OF PERSONALITY" which years later was still on rotation at 106.7FM KROQ out of nearby LOS ANGELES. i find it funny now that until i saw the VHS tapes as well as a ROLLING STONE cover at the time, that i had no idea what they looked like. my first taste of their music was the actual music. listening back to VIVID recently, i feel it still holds up. standout tracks like "MIDDLE MAN" and "OPEN LETTER TO A LANDLORD" showcase a real, almost PUNK ROCK attention detail about day-to-day struggles urban, inner city life. obviously REID is renowned for his intergalactic sonic experimentalism and guitar histrionics, especially in a live context, but within actual songs his playing seems organic and never excessive in a manner not to dissimilar to his peer TOM MORELLO. i first saw LIVING COLOUR live on my 18th birthday back in 2002 at a small club in SACRAMENTO. i had some trepidation about the crowd, as months before i saw TRICKY open for TOOL and heard the local rednecks spurt out racist invectives his way. im relieved to say that didnt happen when i saw LIVING COLOUR play and the band just raged. again, GLOVER and REID are just quite the one-two sonic punch and they didnt settle in what i assume must have been a small, insignificant date on their itinerary. i find it funny that through my chance involvement with the non-profit community internet radio station MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC, out of STATEN ISLAND that i have come to be on the same station as VERNON REID. it is so full circle as his band was one of my earliest introductions to modern rock music as a child. so anyway, if you get the opportunity, definitely investigate LIVING COLOUR's VIVID album. it is definitely worth checking out again. 
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NAILS is BRUTAL. unrelentingly BRUTAL.
i was watching an interview with (now sole remaining original member) frontman TODD JAMES the other day and he was making plain his band's mission of conveying one emotion: ANGER. mission accomplished. no bullshit, NAILS is one of the most sonically punishing GRINDCORE / DEATH METAL bands ive come across in years. out of OXNARD of all places. no nuance or subtlety, no fat left on the bone, just uncompromising METAL carnage. check them out. youre welcome. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO focused on the legendary collective of studio musicians known as THE WRECKING CREW.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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 & text by nacrowe
when i moved from KUWAIT to SACRAMENTO to live with a relative shortly after 9/11 i was pretty shellshocked. it was a tough relocation and on top of that it was my senior year of high school. so i just remember being alone a lot listening to records. fortunately a few blocks away was a solid (sadly now defunct) record store called DIMPLE RECORDS where i basically spent my allowance on all things POST PUNK, GOTH ROCK, INDIE ROCK and beyond.
one of those discoveries was THE BREEDERS. i knew THE PIXIES pretty well but ended up delving headfirst into KIM DEAL's other project, specifically the POD (4AD, 1990) and LAST SPLASH (4AD, 1993) albums. along with ELASTICA, i remember listening to LAST SPLASH when going on a trip to SANTA CRUZ visit the university there. man did i want to attend that school. you had the mountains and the beach and oblique references to PULP FICTION (MIRAMAX, 1994), it seemed perfect. unfortunately i didnt get in. i was considered an out-of-state applicant. i missed the deadline by less than a week. if 9/11 had only have been 8/11 id have gotten in. i remember tutoring peers at my new high school in the afternoon who got in. it was a mess. it worked out though, RUTGERS and COLUMBIA aint half bad at all. but i cant help remembering how fun SANTA CRUZ was for that weekend. THE BREEDERS fit that vibe so well because everything about their music, visuals and lyrics was a bit askew, a little bit off. they kept the soft verse, explosive chorus of THE PIXIES, whom KIM DEAL was a founding member of, but really explored odd time signatures and interesting guitar-based textures that wrapped her husky vocals seamlessly. standout tracks such as "DRIVIN' ON 9," "NO ALOHA," "DIVINE HAMMER," "DO YOU LOVE ME NOW?" and of course, "CANNONBALL" all mined the same sources that seemed to veer from classic 1950s SURF MUSIC to recent SEATTLE ALTERNATIVE ROCK with infectious melodies and interesting harmonies. vocally the harmonies created by KIM and her sister KELLEY DEAL really provided a lift during the choruses due to the preternatural similarities between the tone of their voices. watching live videos i am always stunned to see how something i thought was a KIM vocal was actually KELLEY and vice versa. those harmonies definitely added a signature sonic element to their songs. for me LAST SPLASH is an iconic 1990s record on par with anything NIRVANA, THE BEASTIE BOYS, JANE'S ADDICTION, A TRIBE CALLED QUEST, OASIS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, THE WU-TANG CLAN or BECK put out in terms of sonic experimentation and innovation. its a cornerstone record that deserves rediscovery and reexamination more than two decades later. 
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SOUND CITY (ROSWELL FIMS, 2013) is a documentary about that on the surface relates the story of a recording studio in BURBANK and the people that worked, produced and created music there, but has aspirations for a wider dialogue about the relationship between the soul of music and its interaction with emerging technology.
i'm going to skip in large part the history lesson on SOUND CITY the studio, suffice to say that there are a wide abundant of classic albums recorded there on tape and legendary musicians (everyone from TOM PETTY, STEVIE NICKS to TRENT REZNOR and JOSH HOMME) and producers (RICK RUBIN, BUTCH VIG, JOE BARRESI, JIMMY IOVINE, NICK RASKULINECZ and ROSS ROBINSON) who all swear by its revered analog NEVE 8078 console. at some point in the 1980s with the advent of sequencers and early digital recording technology, the studio was deemed antiquated, but reemerged in the 90s with the help of NIRVANA's generation-defining NEVERMIND (GEFFEN, 1991) album, which took advantage of its warm analog sound and venerated thumping drum room. this drew countless acts over the ensuing decade. ultimately, the studio closed in the early 2010s after, largely the victim of dwindling recording budgets brought on by online piracy and powerful recording software available to consumers on their personal computers. but id argue this film is really about recording technology and the philosophy behind it. BRAD WILK of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE hit this idea home quite pointedly in the film when he states: Whatever bands that you love, go find out what bands they love, and what bands turned them on, and then you really start getting into the human aspect of it because the further back you go in time the less technology you had, and consequently the better records you had. There’s this incredible library of music thank god. and in essence that human touch is what makes music work, argues director and legendary NIRVANA drummer / FOO FIGHTERS frontman DAVE GROHL. those imperfections, miscues and "mistakes" are what make us human and recognize such in the music we love. this is not to say that the film is anti-technology. TRENT REZNOR of NINE INCH NAILS makes the case that emerging technologies expand our capacity to create, expand the colors available and with it the sonic possibilities. it is all in how you use it. and i feel GROHL is on to something with this. too often in modern ROCK AND ROLL the sounds are so "perfect" that it loses something in the process. it sounds stiff, soulless, slick and most damningly "commercial" to my ears. there is a reason why people go back and listen to raw aggression in music for inspiration, whether that be HARDCORE acts with terrible sound fidelity in their recordings or more classic acts like GUNS N ROSES, NIRVANA, THE STOOGES, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, THE ROLLING STONES, etc. these are all actual bands playing music on the spot, in the moment, especially in a live context. there is something to be said about putting yourself in that space where you are vulnerable, no netting below. modern ROCK AND ROLL is safer than milk. its boring. HIP HOP was not brought up in the film, but id argue that their use of emerging technology is within the REZNOR framework. in HIP HOP production there are literally no rules and no expectations. if it bounces and sounds killer than it works, the process be damned. lastly its hard to watch this film and not feel nostalgic, which is a sentiment i despise. its too easy to correct snare tempos, pitch guitars and autotune vocals on the back end. i just feel that some point someone out there is gonna come out of left field with the most direct, raw, undiluted, undeniable shit ever and will wipe out the phonies much like NIRVANA did in the early 1990s. i just hope i am young enough to recognize it and not too old to experience it. 
photo & text by nacrowe
the recently published CRYING IN H MART (KNOPF, 2021) by MICHELLE ZAUNER of INDIE ROCK band JAPANESE BREAKFAST fame, is one of the most heartbreaking memoirs i have read in recent memory. it deals primarily with the loss of her mother from cancer and the primal toll that trauma took on her sense of identity, especially given their tumultuous relationship and ZAUNER's status of being biracial. it is that sense of bifurcation that makes her personal narrative so compelling, being caught between two communities, two cultures and ultimately two identities. with her death there is a sense of finality that is all too cruel and just plain brutal.
as a quick aside, i used to teach at an international school in JAPAN that was primarily setup by the TURKISH community to service students that were normally socially ostracized in JAPANESE schools, i.e. students who had only one parent that was JAPANESE. i had students that were half-KOREAN, half-TURKISH, half-CANADIAN, half-UZBEK, half-MONGOLIAN and so on. the suicide rate for students such as these in private and state JAPANESE schools is shockingly high due to constant unceasing bullying (especially online) and a broader cultural sense that they didnt belong. id tell them about my own family's multiple origins (IRELAND, UKRAINE, ENGLAND) and how they weren't half anything, they were 100% both. they were special because they belonged to two communities. anyway, thats my spiel on that. ultimately for ZAUNER it is presented that food and the customs, sustenance, preparation, appreciation, and coded messages therein, are what bridged that emotional and psychic gap with her mother. both in life and in death. food is the weapon her mom used against her as a means of control as a child and rowdy teenager and it is food that paradoxically served as a form of therapy for ZAUNER in holding on to the memory of her mother after her death. in many ways this memoir is an intensely creative examination for food as a language, a means of communicating love, hope, fear, insecurity, passion, sorrow and defiance in the face of life's triumphs and tribulations. for ZAUNER specifically it is provides a sense of rootedness and identity, which is pretty profound. when returning to KOREA for the first time after the death of her mother, it is food that communicates her identity as KOREAN by her relatives where word cant, given the language barrier. its hard to even unpack the complicated relationship between parents and children, notwithstanding that of the special subset of mothers with their daughters. but the relationship of ZAUNER with her mother comes across as especially intimate despite their estrangement and cultural gap that separated them. and the manner in which food is presented as that bridge is especially touching. it makes what would be a sad story about death and displacement into a heartfelt celebration of a woman who showed her love and commitment to her daughter, however arduous, heavy-handed and miscommunicated at times, through the medium of food. easily one of the best memoirs i've come across since starting this blog. well worth investigation to self-described foodies and non-foodies alike. a remarkable achievement. 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 8PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating the experimental INDIE record label FAT POSSUM RECORDS!
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
parodies by nacrowe
join us TONIGHT at 10PM EST for an all new episode of DEER GOD RADIO on MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC with a playlist celebrating TRENT REZNOR and the creative INDUSTRIAL juggernaut that is NINE INCH NAILS.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. and if you haven't done so already, make sure and download the FREE PHONE APP for IOS/ANDROID and enjoy listening to MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC 24/7 at your convenience! 
photo & text by nacrowe
in the summer of 2001 i visited a childhood friend of mine in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA my hometown in ORANGE COUNTY. it was like a month before 9/11 and at that point i had spent my junior year of high school in KUWAIT. i didnt know at the time that within 2 months id be living with a relative in SACRAMENTO. anyway, this friend of mine was big into PUNK ROCK, specifically 80s HARDCORE. he basically opened my eyes to a whole scene of local ORANGE COUNTY and LOS ANGELES COUNTY bands id hitherto been unfamiliar with, bands like THE ADOLESCENTS (FULLERTON), T.S.O.L. (LONG BEACH), THE MIDDLE CLASS (SANTA ANA), FEAR (LOS ANGELES), THE DESCENDENTS (MANHATTAN BEACH), D.I. (FULLERTON), THE VANDALS (HUNTINGTON BEACH), CHANNEL 3 (CERRITOS), AGENT ORANGE (PLACENTIA) and, of course, SOCIAL DISTORTION (FULLERTON) among many others. it was a great trip, i got to see T.S.O.L. headline a show in POMONA with the NERVE AGENTS and saw a reunion show in SANTA ANA with THE ADOLESCENTS celebrating their iconic ADOLESCENTS (FRONTIER, 1981) with CHANNEL 3 opening. cant complain.
but i remember my friend really looked down on SOCIAL DISTORTION because they weren't a straight-up HARDCORE band, they wore their ROCKABILLY, BLUES and COUNTRY influences pretty prominently on their sleeve. so obviously i gravitated towards them. to me they stood out because of those influences, because they werent a straight up HARDCORE band. they had depth. maybe its because i spent a lot of time in NEW JERSEY, but when i listen to songs by MIKE NESS of SOCIAL DISTORTION i feel there is more than a passing resemblance to another songwriting icon: BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. both are ROCK N ROLL lifers who are very much in the business of contextualizing the traditions of the genre through prism of their experiences and the ambtions of their respective communities. for SPRINGSTEEN that was the unfulfilled hopes and dreams of the working class greasers he grew up with in FREEHOLD and mingled with along the JERSEY SHORE. his music has an aspirational quality that is a through line with his lyrics, which often focuses on characters searching and seeking a better life for themselves and their loved ones. with NESS he may be speaking within the lexicon and iconography of FILM NOIR and the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA CAR CULTURE he witnessed in FULLERTON, but its very much the same thing: his songs tend to be about establishing an identity within a new community. one he initiated. both have differing aesthetics, but harbor a belief in the gospel of glory, sanctity and regenerative nature of ROCK N ROLL. some who find fault in NESS argue that his lyrics come off a bit confessional or transparent, especially in songs like "STORY OF MY LIFE" or "BALL AND CHAIN" off of their SOCIAL DISTORTION (EPIC, 1990) album that leave little to interpretation, but for me that is the sign of someone straddling the edge. to me there is a danger in that vulnerability which is something i dont associate with 80s HARDCORE, i associate it more with classic COUNTRY ballads and DELTA BLUES dirges. i think my friend in a sense was absolutely correct in not deeming SOCIAL DISTORTION a "real" PUNK ROCK band, since to me they transcend that genre. to me they are just a great ROCK N ROLL band with all that comes with it. 
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CHICANO BATMAN is an eclectic INDIE ROCK outfit out of LOS ANGELES that has a real killer feel-good, laid-back vibe, almost like an after hours lounge band with killer FUNK / R&B chops and deft LATIN JAZZ percussion. the more i listen to them, the more i can suss out their affinity for 60s PSYCHEDELIA, POWER POP, PROG ROCK and all things CLASSIC ROCK with a distinctively diverse ANGELEÑO edge.
to my ears they sound totally original with a relaxing ambience that makes them the perfect antidote for the comedown from an energetic night out. definitely worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO focused on the massively influential RIOT GRRRL movement of the early 90s which brought a long overdue message of FEMALE EMPOWERMENT and GENDER EQUALITY with a decidedly DIY ETHIC in the best tradition of the HARDCORE PUNK ROCK and INDIE ROCK movements that preceded it.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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! 
the following bands are either adjacent to, influenced by or were themselves influences on the RIOT GRRRL movement 
photo & text by nacrowe
i remember getting REPEATER (DISCHORD, 1990) by FUGAZI at the recommendation of a childhood when i was visiting ORANGE COUNTY during the summer before my senior year of high school back in 2001. i believe i bought it at RADIATION RECORDS in FULLERTON. regardless, to my ears this record was a revelation because of its aggression, experimentation and sense of melody. since i was uninitiated into the world of POST-HARDCORE, at the time the nearest analogue i could think of was NIRVANA's IN UTERO (DGC, 1993). this record felt like a progression from that.
it wasnt until a few years later that i became acquainted with other bands like RITES OF SPRING, GLASSJAW, THE REFUSED and other seminal POST-HARDCORE bands that REPEATER gained a more apt context. i can only count a handful of times where my world changed when hearing something unique for the first time. that happened in NIGERIA when someone who worked for my parents played FELA KUTI nonstop, specifically the ITT (WRASSE, 1980) and CONFUSION BREAK BONES (WRASSE, 1989) cassette tapes. it happened when i first heard both NOTHING'S SHOCKING (WARNER BROS, 1988) and RITUAL DE LO HABITUAL (WARNER BROS, 1990) by JANE'S ADDICTION on the same trip in SOUTH AFRICA. it also happened when i discovered DEVO in high school or THE SMITHS and THE STRANGLERS from track meet trips with my dad during my elementary school years. i always wonder how much of your media diet is a reflection of your openness to new sounds, images and ideas during specific moments in your life. and who you surround yourself with. growing up moving all the time ive been around a lot of people with varying tastes and outlooks and i feel sometimes my exposure reflects such. in the case of FUGAZI, i was years late to that party. but i still find myself listening to this record especially standout tracks like "MERCHANDISE," "BLUEPRINT," "GREED," and of course "REPEATER" that all have a raw earnestness around them that is reflected in the lyrics and pummeling yet nuanced dynamism of the guitar assault. now i hear their sound in other bands all the time, so it has dated a bit since i firts heard it, which of course was more than a decade after its release. great record i highly recommend checking out for fans of PUNK ROCK and HARDCORE. 
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i first came across SLOWDIVE while watching GREGG ARAKI films like THE DOOM GENERATION (DESPERATE PICTURES, 1995) and NOWHERE (DESPERATE PICTURES, 1997). their sound had this ethereal atmospheric quality with soaring waves of looped feedback winding and unwinding itself around a floating female/male singing tandem mixed way back in the mix. it was the perfect audio bed for films about largely centered around reckless young adults and their ever-evolving identities, attitudes and emotions that seemed to swell and dissipate. that was pretty much when i got interested in SLOWDIVE.
the documentary SOUVLAKI (PITCHFORK, 2015) is an oral history of the seminal SHOEGAZE band as described by members NEIL HALSTEAD, RACHEL GOSWELL, SIMON SCOTT, NICK CHAPlIN and CHRISTIAN SAVILL, as well as CREATION RECORDS founder ALLEN MCGEE, producer CHRIS HUFFORD and mixer/engineer ED BULLER. it reveals the process behind the development behind their transcendent SOUVLAKI (CREATION, 1993) album and how the recently dissolved romantic relationship between HALSTEAD and GOSWELL informed the record. pretty standard fair for music documentaries. what resonated with me was how they describe the scene at the time, pre-GRUNGE and BRITPOP, when bands like THE JESUS AND MARY CHAIN, SPACEMEN 3, COCTEAU TWINS and MY BLOODY VALENTINE were playing small gigs in rural ENGLAND. when the sound was still underground. the band itself was made of the decidedly INDIE HALSTEAD, who grew up in a household where music other than CLASSICAL was verboten, and two local GOTHS in GOSWELL and CHAPLIN; all agree on THE SMITHS. knowing that i can definitely hear a POST PUNK thread in their sound from GOTH ROCK bands like BAUHAUS (i.e. DANIEL ASH), JOY DIVISION, BERLIN-era DAVID BOWIE and SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES. they all used sound and looped effects to make deeply evocative music that resonated on both on an emotional and visceral level. 
the documentary, like others in the PITCHFORK CLASSIC series, has the band members elaborate on standout tracks like "40 DAYS," "WHEN THE LIGHT HITS," "SOUVLAKI SPACE STATION," "DAGGER," and "ALISON." it also showcased BRIAN ENO's ability to serve as a catalyst for soundscapes that formed the basis for other songs as well. in ENO there is a figure that is purely interested in the creation of interesting sounds, period. he served as a catalyst during writing sessions with HALSTEAD, who hilariously and fortunately didn't know much about him at the time, and left. ENO's production techniques are fodder for another entry, so i wont go into that here, but needless to say his unconventional approaches and deep penchant for sonic experimentation is all over SOUVLAKI. it marks a new direction for the band which fascinatingly was influenced by DUB REGGAE and new AMBIENT acts at the time like APHEX TWIN. its all in there, you can definitely hear it.
in recent years the band has reformed and even released the stellar SLOWDIVE (DEAD OCEANS, 2017), but the SOUVLAKI record should not be missed by anyone. requisite listening for anyone interested in SHOEGAZE, INDIE ROCK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK or even AMBIENT or ORCHESTRAL music. really just great music for anyone moved by emotionally affecting sounds in general. at least it gets me every time, right back to being a teenager living in KUWAIT, an oppressive country with little freedom or ability for self-expression or creativity. NOTE: also, the post-SLOWDIVE band MOJAVE 3 is also worth your time, although they are a completely different vibe altogether. 
photo & text by nacrowe
in the aftermath of the his departure from NEW ORDER, legendary bassist PETER HOOK wrote three books: THE HACIENDA: HOW NOT TO RUN A CLUB (IT BOOKS, 2009), UNKOWN PLEASURES: INSIDE JOY DIVISION (IT BOOKS, 2013) and SUBSTANCE: INSIDE NEW ORDER (SIMON & SCHUSTER, 2017). each tackling a different era of his career, the first tackling the failure of the era-defining MANCHESTER club and by extension FACTORY RECORDS, the second his time in the iconic POST PUNK band JOY DIVISION and his relationship with troubled frontman IAN CURTIS (reviewed HERE).
SUBSTANCE: INSIDE NEW ORDER recounts his time in NEW ORDER, which in terms of years, material output, miles traveled and tours completed, was the focus of the better part of half his life to that point. i won't compare NEW ORDER to JOY DIVISION, in my mind they are separate entities each distinct in their own sound and legacy. like UNKOWN PLEASURES: INSIDE JOY DIVISION, the format HOOK provides includes a narrative based on his experience plus a timeline complete with gigs, product releases, technology utilized and noteworthy events, all annotated and provided promptly at the end of each chapter. it is lovingly done with a knowing nod towards the fanatical, completist nature of his fanbase. much respect to him for that. what struck me most about this book is the combative relationship between BERNARD SUMNER and PETER HOOK. in JOY DIVISION, both were competitive to a fault but largely acquiesced to the artistic will of IAN CURTIS and producer MARTIN HANNETT. with both of those creative forces now out of the picture early in the NEW ORDER story, there is a brief formative period where new roles are tried on and experimented with, only to calcify later and lead to pugilistic internal dynamic that led to much strife and self-sabotaging. in essence this book is about dysfunction and power. perhaps it was a toxic masculinity rooted in their upbringing in an economically depressed MANCHESTER during a particularly bleak period where in typical ENGLISH fashion men were expected to just "get on with it" and not express themselves. again and again during crucial fulcrum moments in the narrative when they should have communicated, they just "got on with it" and trudged along blindly, oblivious to the pain inflicted on each other with an almost sadistic delight. for such an iconic group that had a singular sound and reputation for innovation (twice!), they really were individuals at the end of the day worried about their own self interests. to an extent, because even as they were jockeying for power internally, externally they were aware of being ripped off by the greater apparatus, FACTORY RECORDS and their doomed investment in the HACIENDA nightclub. on one hand they had a common mission in the record label and all of the independent ethics that they supposedly stood for, yet at the end of the day this group constantly stabbed each other in the back. or in some cases in the face. a subplot throughout is HOOK's alcoholism and abuse with hard drugs and eventual recovery with the same tenacity and gusto that got him into them. his departure from NEW ORDER is very much seen as a shedding of his old public persona and identity for a newer one that was sober and awake to what was happening around him. his work in PETER HOOK & THE LIGHT is representative of that new positive focus, away from the codependency and dictatorial whims of SUMNER. and on SUMNER, he comes off looking really bad in this book. repeatedly described as a dark cloud who poisoned the atmosphere among the crew and support staff as well as suffering mightily from LSD (lead singer's disease). i'm looking forward to reading his account to see how he describes HOOK. in the end like all fans, HOOK's melodic bass-lines is a defining feature of NEW ORDER, as well as JOY DIVISION. its hard to swallow the idea that his participation in albums were not prominent and often sidelined, especially on post-REPUBLIC. its mind-boggling to entertain the idea that his bass-lines weren't viewed as an asset or even necessary internally in their camp. just unbelievable. to me its his bass, SUMNER's voice and the ingenious use of synths that distinguish them from their peers. in summation, this is a long book (over 700 pages) but it went quickly thanks to HOOK's strong narrative voice and wicked sense of humor. very dry. very ENGLISH. the sardonic tone was similar to that of the ERIC IDLE memoir ALWAYS LOOK ON THE BRIGHT SIDE OF LIFE (BROADWAY BOOKS, 2018) i reviewed recently (linked HERE) and definitely had me laughing at several times throughout, usually at his own expense. in a way, that self-effacing humor only makes you trust his perspective that much more, although again im waiting to read the SUMNER book in all fairness. great informative, invigorating read on one of the most interesting bands in modern music history. a must-read for anyone interested in PUNK ROCK, POST PUNK, NEW WAVE, ELECTRONIC MUSIC or technology in music as well. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO focused on the addictively kinetic HIP HOP and R&B production work of TIMBALAND.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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 & text by nacrowe
its funny now, but i remember that summer in 1996 when METALLICA's LOAD (ELEKTRA, 1996) was released. people forget now, but those five years between THE BLACK ALBUM (ELEKTRA, 1991) and LOAD were fairly consequential. NIRVANA and ALTERNATIVE ROCK in general had exploded and METAL was feeling a bit tired and antiquated in comparison. forget HAIR METAL, which was effectively exterminated post-1991, for it seemed like huge METAL bands of the past either followed suit and limited their guitar solos and dressed differently (cough, cough, cut their hair) or just broke up altogether. there was just one band it seemed that was flying the flag for METAL at the time: PANTERA.
in NIGERIA when i was in middle school there were a fair amount of older METAL heads from basically everywhere. places like VENEZUELA, LEBANON, GHANA, UNITED KINGDOM, SOUTH AFRICA, etc. it felt like pre-LOAD everyone was split down the middle between PANTERA and METALLICA being the best METAL band on the planet. post-LOAD everyone conceded that METALLICA were effectively over and PANTERA was it by default. just compare LOAD and THE GREAT SOUTHERN TRENDKILL (EAST WEST, 1996), or rather there is no comparison. it is almost embarrassing. arguably that claim to being a heavyweight first started with PANTERA's major-label debut album COWBOYS FROM HELL (ATCO, 1990). yes, i know about the self-releases and nobody cares about them. PANTERA effectively began as a cultural entity in 1990 when COWBOYS came out. at the time singer PHIL ANSELMO was very much in his ROB HALFORD phase with the screaming falsetto's on songs like "SHATTERED" and the "THE ART OF SHREDDING." he had yet to discover his the lower octaves of his voice and his own inner HENRY ROLLINS/MIKE MUIR which became his persona and sound thereafter. "CEMETERY GATES" is an orchestrated, epic multi-part standout ballad (and a sly reference to the similarly titled SMITHS song). who knew that ANSELMO was a closet admirer of MORRISSEY? i sure didn't at the time. the real star of the show however is DIMEBAG DARRELL, or rather DIAMOND DARRELL as he was known then, and his insane guitar work and solos which were both technically proficient and had feel for days. to my ears his grooves are like ZZ TOP on methamphetamines. listening to this album just induces headbanging. it could even be described as danceable. its addictive, contagious and really creeps up on you. case in point are my two favorite tracks "DOMINATION" and "PRIMAL CONCRETE SLEDGE." it absolutely crushes, even by today's standards. i remember when LOAD came out just how much of a let down it was. what i dont get is how anyone compared THE BLACK ALBUM favorably with COWBOYS FROM HELL, which came out within a year of each other (PANTERA coming out first). in my mind, METALLICA backed out long before 1996. but hope springs eternal i guess. if you arent familiar with PANTERA, COWBOYS is a great starting point. i'd also point you to VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER (ATCO, 1992) and FAR BEYOND DRIVEN (EAST WEST, 1993) which took their sound to even more extreme heights. seminal records by a seminal band. rest in peace brothers in METAL, DIMEBAG and VINNIE PAUL. getcha pull. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
JOSH FREESE is renowned as a studio musician of the first order having recorded and/or toured with the likes of everyone from A PERFECT CIRCLE, STING, NINE INCH NAILS, PARAMORE, THE REPLACEMENTS, WEEZER and GUNS N ROSES to BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. and that credits list literally goes on. and on. but id argue that primarily he is known as the longstanding drummer of both the LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK band THE VANDALS and the legendary NEW WAVE band DEVO.
less known or celebrated are his solo records and the one-off songs hes done over the past few years. they are often very brief, super catchy and hilarious. they are also normally off-the-cuff affairs with an almost FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE-esque POWER POP sense of melodicism and pop construction that seem designed to primarily embarrass his friends or make an ass of himself. FREESE is an uber-talented musician that is literally capable of anything. i just love the fact that when he chooses to write and release his own material that it literally has nothing to do with his day job in tone or demeanor. definitely an artist worth checking out. 
parodies by nacrowe
check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO with a playlist focused on the experimental NO WAVE scene of the late 1970s in NYC.
past episodes of DEER GOD RADIO are available here at the DEER GOD website as well as in the MAKERPARKRADIO.NYC archives. 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 & text by nacrowe
forget about how awesome the MARTIN SCORSESE film was (review HERE). in my mind opinion reducing the compositions found in PASSION (GEFFEN, 1989) to that of a soundtrack is criminal. this holds up on its own with no need for external stimuli whatsoever. not that i don't adore THE LAST TEMPTATION OF CHRIST (UNIVERSAL, 1988). it is one of my three all-time favorite films (the other's being EAST OF EDEN and CABARET).
what makes this PETER GABRIEL album so fascinating and so utterly unique is how seamlessly he blended textures, instruments and vocals from the deep musical traditions of PAKISTAN, ARMENIA, MALI, TURKEY, INDIA, EGYPT, KURDISTAN and SENEGAL among other locales. it still paradoxically sounds absolutely contemporary while being steeped in substantial depth that feels eternal. tracks such as "THE FEELING BEGINS," "IN DOUBT," and "PASSION" are such deeply evocative affairs. they are the aural equivalent of a deep yearning to transcend, which makes sense given the religious subject matter for which it was composed. "A DIFFERENT DRUM" and "OF THESE, HOPE" are pure expressions of joy, elation and ultimately transcendence. you get the sense of being put on a higher plain of consciousness. its otherworldly music. i first heard this album as a child and i still very much hold it very dear. it reminds me of going to church when i was younger and the unbounded enthusiasm and wonder i once took in the world. life seemed magical. im too jaded now, but as an adult id put GABRIEL with this record in the pantheon of great film composers, right there alongside BERNARD HERRMANN and ENNIO MERRICONE. its that great. the ensemble of talent utilized her is likewise incredible, most notably that of NUSRAT FATEH ALI KHAN (PAKISTAN), YOUSSOU N'DOUR (SENEGAL), BAABA MAAL (SENEGAL) and LAKSHMINARAYANA SHANKAR (INDIA), all arguably at the peak of their powers. there is real sensitivity on the part of GABRIEL to make this music cohesive yet entirely personal, showcasing each artist in the best possible light. if i sound overly effusive, its because this was a singularly powerful musical effort that made a great film an absolute revelation, pun intended. i could not recommend such anymore passionately. 
photo manipulation by nacrowe
MAYOR OF THE SUNSET STRIP (FIRST LOOK INTERNATIONAL, 2003) is a deeply affecting documentary about RODNEY BINGENHEIMER, the influential LOS ANGELES scenester, DJ and entrepreneur who is primarily famous for his early promotion of consequential bands ranging from THE RAMONES, NIRVANA, THE SEX PISTOLS, THE CURE, BLONDIE, VAN HALEN, GUNS N ROSES, NO DOUBT, BLUR, THE GERMS among seemingly countless others. his late night radio show "RODNEY ON THE ROQ" on LOS ANGELES' 106.7 KROQ was required listening for generations of SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA rock fans and music industry veterans. for decades he had a unique sense of the pulse of AMERICAN CULTURE and a preternatural ability to champion various movements in their infancy as they were emerging out of the underground such as PUNK ROCK, INDIE ROCK and even BRITPOP. previous to his radio show he had been known for his nightclub RODNEY BINGENHEIMER's ENGLISH DISCO which in the 1970s played host to GLAM ROCK and POWER POP royalty like DAVID BOWIE and IGGY POP.
full disclosure: my earliest memories of listening to the radio are to that of KROQ in the early 1990s. especially when NIRVANA broke big. for me the playlist of that station during that period is the soundtrack of my youth and what i remember most fondly about living in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA. that BINGENHEIMER was instrumental in the promotion of many of those bands made him immediately interesting to me. which gets to the interesting core of the film: BINGENHEIMER's apparent loneliness. for someone who was universally celebrated as such a well-regarded tastemaker he comes across as a particularly damaged individual, on obsessive and empath who channeled his fandom into a career of sorts. he is not a leech, i want to get that straight. if anything he has had a benevolent effect on the careers of scores of influential artists, gaining little other than access. what is sad is the lack of connection he has with people, no close relationships. there is a scene where he is rejected on the phone by someone who didnt see him as more than a friend. the rejection is excruciating to watch. for all his connections and celebrity acquaintances, he comes across as a vacuous individual. someone who needs validation from celebrity culture. again, i dont think he is a vulture. he has jumpstarted numerous the careers of numerous notable artists and it is apparent he is genuinely beloved and has lots of goodwill in the music industry. but there is that sense of the superficiality of it all. and it feels tragic. this is a documentary well worth checking out. its been film i think about constantly and makes me examine everything my intentions with everything i do with DEER GOD. |
May 2021
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