parodies by nacrowe
its funny, i literally just did a DEER GOD RADIO episode on SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POP PUNK icons BLINK-182 and the group reforms with its original lineup shortly thereafter.
figures. im pretty ambivalent about it. it feels like TOM DELONGE only feels compelled to rejoin the band that made him able to pursue his LAME side projects when one of the other two core members survives a life-threatening situation. those being a PLANE CRASH with TRAVIS BARKER and CANCER with MARK HOPPUS. it seems like there is a reason this lineup split up twice and i really wonder what chemistry they still have at this point. it just smells like a cash-grab to be totally honest. and that neednt be the case since BLINK-182 had put out two stellar post-DELONGE albums with his more than competent replacement MATT SKIBA of the iconic CHICAGO PUNK ROCK band ALKALINE TRIO. id even argue that the band was on a creative hot streak with singles that matched if not surpassed the classic lineup at their peak. they managed to sound ENERGETIC, SNARKY and dare-i-say-it, MATURE. with DELONGE back in the fold its difficult to surmise a reason other than the fact that outside of GREEN DAY, BLINK-182 is arguably the most influential POP PUNK band of all-time. this line-up will no doubt allow for a cash-in unlike anything seen in recent memory. i just have my concerns of how long this will last. inevitably DELONGE will return to his yes-men in ANGELS & AIRWAVES and put out more unlistenable, D-grade U2 retread music from the profits of this coming go around. get the feeling sometimes that you're being used? i do.
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photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i discovered the JUSTIN HAWKINS RIDES AGAIN channel a few months ago on YOUTUBE and was really taken aback by how INFORMATIVE it all was. if you are unfamiliar with JUSTIN HAWKINS, he is the frontman and main songwriter for BRITISH ALTERNATIVE glam metal band THE DARKNESS who first came to fame in the 2000s along with the wave of other INDIE ROCK REVIVAL groups. whereas other ENGLISH and SCOTTISH groups from the period (including BLOC PARTY, FRANZ FERDINAND, THE LIBERTINES, THE FUTUREHEADS and THE CRIBS) seemed heavily influenced by both the POST PUNK and INDIE ROCK movements, THE DARKNESS felt like a breath of fresh air with their stadium-sized AMBITION to be more in the vein AC/DC, MOTLEY CRUE, AEROSMITH, THE CULT or especially QUEEN. they definitely stood apart and where not afraid to look absolutely RIDICULOUS (which i appreciate)! personally i still rock DARKNESS singles like "GROWING ON ME," "OPEN FIRE," "NOTHIN'S GONNA STOP US," "BARBARIANS," "ROCK AND ROLL DESERVES TO DIE" and "LAST OF OUR KIND" on regular rotation while driving to work, i just have to watch my speed in the process.
the JUSTIN HAWKINS RIDES AGAIN channel is reminiscent of RICK BEATO's channel in that HAWKINS also dives into and EXPLAINS music theory and recording / production techniques on popular songs. what differentiates it though is his sense of self-effacing HUMOR that knowingly showcases the ABSURDITY of his life's work as well as his unbridled capacity to call out musicians and industry participants. and he does such from a place of EMPATHY. in other words, he has actual first-hard EXPERIENCE being a ROCK N ROLL star and its that kind of insider KNOWLEDGE that makes his YOUTUBE channel FASCINATING. HAWKINS' channel appears to be a way of BYPASSING a BRITISH press that has long abandoned and even mocked his musical efforts. its rather BEAUTIFUL that an artist in today's DIGITAL ecosystem has the ability to CULTIVATE and COMMUNICATE directly with an audience sans middlemen and gatekeepers. i feel its also great that he has used this new platform to promote artists he's discovered (sometimes even through his audience). it was through him that i became aware of two INCREDIBLE modern AUSTRALIAN PUNK bands, THE CHATS and AMYL & THE SNIFFERS. if anything, i tend to rely on HAWKINS through his channel as a vehicle for DISCOVERING new bands, which is always a fun thing. my hope is that HAWKINS continues to be PROLIFIC with his channel and further PROMOTE an INCLUSIVE community that follows his lead as a highly IDIOSYNCRATIC, but musically KNOWLEDGEABLE and stylistically OPEN-MINDED guide to new cultural ideas and sonic terrains. i look forward to seeing where HAWKINS takes this. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
by the time the SEX PISTOLS imploded on DOOMED stateside tour in early 1978, singer JOHN LYDON had long since established himself as a BRITISH cultural ICON for the ages. even to an AMERICAN audience over several generations since, his name and image is synonymous with the PUNK ROCK movement writ large. it is absolutely staggering to think of the fact that he was still in his early 20s when he started what is possibly one of the great second acts in ROCK AND ROLL history, his INFLUENTIAL POST PUNK outfit PUBLIC IMAGE LTD.
unfortunately the story of LYDON's post SEX PISTOLS career has long been overshadowed (how could it not) and not well understood by the public. thus the recent documentary THE PUBLIC IMAGE IS ROTTEN (VERISIMILITUDE, 2017) is well situated to address this omission and provide context on one of the great artistic and PERSONA TRANSFORMATIONS. participants include past managers, collaborators (including GINGER BAKER) and members of the band as well as notable acolytes in THURSTON MOORE (SONIC YOUTH), ADAM HOROWITZ (BEASTIE BOYS), FLEA (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) and MOBY. what is well apparent is the intelligence of LYDON's lyrics and his deep involvement of curating a DECONSTRUCTED IDIOSYNCRATIC sound that incorporated DISPARATE elements including FUNK, REGGAE, SOUTH AFRICAN MUSIC, early ELECTRONIC MUSIC and beyond. i remember TOM MORELLO in an interview once said that he wanted his sound to be as REVOLUTIONARY as the lyrics being generated by his bandmate ZACK DE LA ROCHA. that intent spawned INNOVATION and transformed how he saw his instrument and its role in RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. decades before, LYDON had a very similar approach in that he was unafraid of including sounds that could be described as ATONAL, DISSONANT, DRONING or REPETITIVE. his intent was to move beyond the rehashing of CHUCK BERRY guitar licks (again) and move forward sonically into uncharted territory. it is that INTENTION and ABILITY to deliver challenging work long after what many consider his predetermined artistic and cultural shelf-life post-SEX PISTOLS is quite a legacy. you also get the sense from listening to current and former members of PUBLIC IMAGE LTD that he is/was a GENEROUS collaborator and TRUSTWORTHY leader. i think where everything career-wise gets tripped up is how LYDON deals with the media and the necessary evil of debasing himself just enough publicly to promote his projects without giving away his INTELLIGENT, SUBVERSIVE nature. television interviews by definition are conducted by and for squares, so it makes sense that he took the piss out of it on most every possible opportunity. the unfortunate downside is that his PUBLIC PERSONA doesnt mesh with the private LYDON who is loyal to his wife and family and a STEADFAST ally with his bandmates. i found THE PUBLIC IMAGE IS ROTTEN to be quite refreshing a lesson in maintaining one's AUTHENTICITY in a world (especially now with the internet) that seeks to consume and dispose of art with equal vigor. LYDON, his LEGACY and his PERSONA will endure through the ages. dude is an icon. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
like a lot of people, i was pretty bummed when the INDEPENDENT NEW JERSEY record store VINTAGE VINYL closed abruptly seemingly without warning in the middle of the summer of 2021. i had been going there for years since the early 2000s when i effectively relocated to the area for college after randomly spending my senior year of high school in SACRAMENTO. in fact part of my yearly ritual during my years teaching abroad was a trip to VINTAGE VINYL during my brief stateside vacation. id even argue the experience made me feel connected to a sense of "home."
i remember learning about the FORDS, NEW JERSEY store through a plugged-in classmate and friend of my brother, who were both still in high school at the time. in the early 2000s there was an UNDERGROUND ROCK N ROLL scene that centered around RUTGERS UNIVERSITY in NEW BRUNSWICK that included bands of varying genres (POST-HARDCORE, POP PUNK, HARDCORE and METALCORE) from various relatively nearby northeast cities such as THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN (MORRIS PLAINS), THURSDAY (NEW BRUNSWICK), MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE (NEWARK), MIDTOWN (NEW BRUNSWICK), STREETLIGHT MANIFESTO (NEW BRUNSWICK) as well as more established acts like THE BOUNCING SOULS (BASKING RIDGE) and LIFETIME (NEW BRUNSWICK) among others. interestingly bands like THE GASLIGHT ANTHEM (NEW BRUNSWICK) and THE SCREAMING FEMALES (NEW BRUNSWICK) also came from the embers of this scene years later. VINTAGE VINYL was only a ten minute drive from the heavily congested streets of the NEW BRUNSWICK campus and proved to be quite the quiet respite during my years as an undergraduate there. i can only imagine what that store meant to musicians from the surrounding area. did i mention the place also put on in-store promotional shows for UNDERGROUND and established bands? i recently came across their YOUTUBE channel which has in-store live performances by the likes of everyone from BAD RELIGION, CAVE-IN, THE USED, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, JIMMY EAT WORLD, CIRCA SURVIVE, MXPX, THE GET UP KIDS, THURSDAY, NEW FOUND GLORY and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (all embedded below) among many others. if you dig through their channel you will find in-store signings by the likes of OZZY OSBOURNE, DESCENDENTS, KERRY KING (of SLAYER), DARRYL "DMC" MCDANIELS (of RUN-DMC) and ROB ZOMBIE. its all unedited single shot tripod footage with unmixed in-camera audio. in essence its mostly uncompelling, shitty footage, except for the fact that as a cultural artifact these videos are invaluable as markers of a local and national musical culture at a certain place and time. whats sad is that the hurried manner in which the store closed, at the behest of the owner who wished to move on after 40+ years and had no interest in having it continue under new management, effectively meant that a community had no opportunity to celebrate it. there was no send-off or concert by the local musical community that no doubt had embraced this obscure INDEPENDENT establishment for many years. for me that is the unfortunate legacy of VINTAGE VINYL. it was a private, locally-owned business that was embraced by a culture and in the end the owner did not embrace them back. in the wake of VINTAGE VINYL there are several local and independently owned and operated record stores (some new, some long established) in NEW JERSEY that i frequent which have largely replaced it, including STATION 1 BOOKS & VINYL (POMPTON LAKES), REVILLA GROOVES & GEAR (MILLTOWN), LOFIDELIC RECORDS (BELMAR), VINYL ADDICTION RECORDS (NORTH ARLINGTON), FACTORY RECORDS SHOP (DOVER), SOUND EXCHANGE (WAYNE), GROOVY GRAVEYARD (ASBURY PARK), JACK'S MUSIC SHOPPE (RED BANK), THE RECORD COLLECTOR (BORDENTOWN) and yes, even the dreaded PRINCETON RECORD EXCHANGE (PRINCETON). id also include the NEW YORK record stores GENERATION RECORDS (GREENWICH VILLAGE), ACADEMY RECORD ANNEX (GREENPOINT) and LOONEY TUNES (WEST BABYLON) as well as the PHILADELPHIA store REPO RECORDS (SOUTH STREET) in the mix as well. unfortunately none of these stores have live in-store performances at the same level of impact as VINTAGE VINYL. a little over a year later it still feels like a loss. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
AUSTRALIAN-based PUNK ROCK band AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS is absolutely NEXT LEVEL. definitely the most INTENSE and ENERGETIC music ive come across in years. vocalist AMY TAYLOR is like the female reincarnation of IGGY POP (who admittedly is still very much still with us - thank god).
their sound and presence is unapologetically FIERCE and their song construction is crazy TIGHT, but keep in mind that this is definitely not the sound of musicians playing to a grid on PRO TOOLS. rather it very much feels like a welcome return to real ROCK N ROLL in both ATTITUDE and INTENTION. cannot praise this band enough. it is required listening in my opinion. AMYL AND THE SNIFFERS is most definitely worth checking out and keeping an eye on moving forward. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
MICHAEL "FAT MIKE" BURKETT of LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK veterans NOFX has long been quite the OUTRAGEOUS personality in the PUNK underground and ALTERNATIVE music scenes going back to the 1980s. in some sways that AUDACIOUS public persona, most recently exemplified by the NOFX memoir THE HEPATITIS BATHTUB AND OTHER STORIES (review linked HERE), has run the risk of eclipsing his many musical and BUSINESS ACCOMPLISHMENTS (he runs and owns FAT WRECK CHORDS to this day with his ex-wife ERIN).
what i love about his FAT MIKE'S FAT MIC podcast is that it really marries the two aspects of his personality: his need to be CONFRONTATIONAL and his artistic / BUSINESS ACUMEN. there are many examples of celebrities and musicians who have turned to podcasting as a supplementary marketing avenue or potential revenue stream, but with FAT MIKE'S FAT MIC there oddly seems to be a real effort to pull back the curtain and dare i say it, EDUCATE. interviews include discussions with collaborators involved with varying aspects of the MUSIC INDUSTRY including MIXERS, MUSIC VIDEO DIRECTION, VOCAL COACHES and BOOKERS. being a PUNK elder statesmen at this point, FAT MIKE does promote those who came before him (JACK GRISHAM of T.S.O.L., GREG HETSON of REDD KROSS / CIRCLE JERKS / BAD RELIGION and legendary ROXY THEATRE owner - and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW film producer - LOU ADLER) as well as those that came after (GET DEAD, CODEFENDANTS, THE D.O.C., OLD MAN MARKLEY, IGNITE, THE BOMBPOPS, LONG BEACH DUB ALL-STARS, BAD COP BAD COP, DAYS N' DAZE, MAD CADDIES and THE LAWRENCE ARMS). FAT MIKE also gets into TOURING, ART and POLITICAL ISSUES surrounding the ENVIRONMENT and WOMEN'S RIGHTS. the FAT MIKE'S FAT MIC podcast seems to be on a bit of a break at the moment but in my opinion it stands out not because of its BRASHNESS, but instead its THOUGHTFUL, REFLECTIVE nature about the inner-workings and limitations of the MUSIC INDUSTRY and, more importantly, as a platform (and force multiplier) to get the word out about MEANINGFUL SOCIAL JUSTICE INITIATIVES and ENVIRONMENTAL ADVOCACY efforts. its pretty incredible and FAT MIKE'S FAT MIC is well worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
the pandemic obviously killed the ability of bands to tour and generate income. the LEVITATION SESSIONS is an ongoing livestream series of live performances by various EXPERIMENTAL and PSYCHEDELIC INDIE ROCK bands that has the extra benefit of being committed to vinyl for posterity. its a pretty cool concept since it reintroduces that bit of DANGER that comes with live music that seemingly is lost with crowd-less performances. give the fact that bands are on sound-stages means that PROFESSIONAL recording standards are in play and the sound quality here is pretty STELLAR.
past participating bands include OHSEES, ACID DAD, RINGO DEATHSTARR, SLIFT, NIGHT BEATS, FUZZ, POST ANIMAL, FRANKIE & THE WITCH FINGERS and DEAD MEADOW among many others. since the pandemic has wained these sessions have transitioned to NONTRADITIONAL locations and performance venues in front of actual audiences. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
there is something LOOSE and FUN about listening to the second RANCID record LET'S GO (EPITAPH, 1994). for all intents and purposes the band came on my radar in 2000 when i moved to KUWAIT and fell in with a group of friends that were big on EPITAPH and FAT WRECK bands like PROPAGANDHI, ANTI-FLAG, PENNYWISE, LAGWAGON, RISE AGAINST, MILLENCOLIN, NO USE FOR A NAME, BAD RELIGION and NOFX among others. up until that point my foray into PUNK ROCK beyond the 1970s originators were HARDCORE groups like DEAD KENNEDYS, BLACK FLAG and DESCENDENTS as well as POP PUNK bands like GREEN DAY, BLINK-182 and NEW FOUND GLORY.
so it was a bit of an education. i always think of music as a social phenomenon that is very much centered on relationships and exposure. for me geographically, there was a period of seven years growing up where i attended something like five schools, many times on different continents. so ive always learned about stuff out of cultural context, which is interesting. for me, the act of discovery for the LET'S GO album is invariably linked to my experience first seeing them play live in VENTURA in 2001 on the VANS WARPED TOUR. there is just something undeniable about the SPARTAN quick-in-quick-out song construction but loose on-the-floor feel of tracks like "SALVATION," "RADIO," "LET'S GO" "THE BALLAD OF JIMMY & JOHNNY," and "NIHILISM" among others. thematically these songs center around stories celebrating their EAST BAY community that serve almost as allegories about living life under the duress of society's thumb. THE CLASH influence is absolutely undeniable in terms of sonics and SOCIO-POLITICAL OUTLOOK but TIM ARMSTRONG in my opinion is a much more TALENTED songwriter than JOE STRUMMER ever was. going back to his days in OPERATION IVY ARMSTRONG has had way with MELODIC and lyrical hooks that are both UPBEAT and EMPOWERING while being intensely EMOTIONALLY CHARGED. even at this early stage he was a force to be reckoned with. seeing RANCID live and hearing them play these songs shortly after hearing them for the first time was a thrilling experience and a defining cultural moment of my late teens. that summer was amazing and its still crazy to think that only a month later 9/11 happened and the world shifted, as did my time in KUWAIT. listening to this record again just reminds of that period before everything became so tragic and heavy over the next few years. LET'S GO is a record definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
once i ventured outside of listening to the original seminal PUNK bands THE SEX PISTOLS, THE CLASH and THE RAMONES in early high school, i ended up discovering THE DAMNED and the first record i came across was their third album MACHINE GUN ETIQUETTE (CHISWICK, 1979). and its interesting because given THE SEX PISTOLS ABRASIVENESS, THE RAMONES regimented sonic MILITANCY and THE CLASH's inclusive ECLECTICISM, i wasnt really sure what to expect. and i think that is something people forget about the first wave of PUNK ROCK in the late 1970s, the sheer diversity of it.
anyway, i was a bit caught off-guard when first hearing tracks like "ANTI-POPE," "LOVE SONG," "MELODY LEE" and especially "SMASH IT UP" because of their ACCESSIBLE pop hooks and TRADITIONAL song structures. maybe it was because of the fact that at the time i had also been made aware by my classmates of HARDCORE bands from the 1980s like BLACK FLAG and DEAD KENNEDYS, but my initial reaction to THE DAMNED was BEFUDDLEMENT. the accessibility of THE DAMNED seemed more in keeping with later melodic HARDCORE bands like BAD RELIGION and DESCENDENTS than their peer bands listed before. i guess with a great band named like THE DAMNED i was expecting something more like MOTORHEAD or at the very least something politically radical like CRASS. looking back it is that odd mixture of disparate elements that marks the band with members like vocalist DAVE VANIAN, guitarist CAPTAIN SENSIBLE and drummer RAT SCABIES. each looks like a member of a different band, VANIAN an iconic proto-GOTH figure, CAPTAIN SENSIBLE looks like a saturday morning children's cartoon character and RAT SCABBIES a DEGENERATE a la SID VICIOUS. in a scene that had such a massive influence on the sound and philosophy of multiple generations of musicians to come, THE DAMNED and this album specifically provides a template for how to create a COHESIVE message from DISPARATE viewpoints. i dont really understand them and decades later im still attempting to figure them out. and maybe that is what their legacy is for me. an interesting ART project wrapped around BRILLIANT pop music constructed during a unique period where rules were seemingly being rewritten. or in their case, reinterpreted. not my favorite original PUNK band, but THE DAMNED are well worth investigation and MACHINE GUN ETIQUETTE is a decent enough starting point as any. photo manipulation by nacrowe
as ive written before, i am a total sucker for a CONCISE pop hooks sung with PASSION and LOUD guitars and the LOS ANGELES-based MELODIC PUNK ROCK band THE LAST GANG totally fit that bill. on their two STELLAR FAT WRECK CHORDS releases there have been line-up changes, but what remains consistent is the INDELIBLE voice, presence and songwriting of BRENNA RED.
RED is definitely a figure i am looking forward to following in the future and seeing where her music evolves on subsequent releases. definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
this band is the truth.
i recently came across the AUSTRALIAN PUNK band THE CHATS online and was just immediately taken with their humor and cleverly arranged concise song construction which is in the tradition of not only PUNK ROCK (RAMONES) but also GARAGE ROCK (THE SONICS, THE STOOGES) and even CLASSIC ROCK (AC/DC). singer/bassist EAMON SANDWITH is an absolute revelation as he passionately sings about the mundane aspects of life down under and somehow elevates them to something altogether transformational. its so easy to feel jaded about the state of ROCK N ROLL and then something like this jumps out at you randomly and gets you excited about music all over again. definitely check out THE CHATS. i promise you they are worth your while. photo & text by nacrowe
one of the aspects i admire about DAVID BYRNE's songwriting is his capacity to write on a conceptually OBSERVATIONAL level at an EMOTIONAL DISTANCE. he always seems to be writing about events and activities from a third-party party perspective without being involved in them. coupled with BYRNE's angular AFROBEAT-influenced guitar work (which comes off oddly POST PUNK during an era that predated PUNK) and IDIOSYNCRATIC vocal delivery, the debut TALKING HEADS record TALKING HEADS: 77 (SIRE, 1977) makes for quite a UNIQUE and COMPELLING listen. standout tracks include "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT," "PULLED UP," "UH OH, LOVE COMES TO TOWN," "NO COMPASSION," and the celebrated "PYSCHO KILLER."
for me the fulcrum of the album is centered around the OBSERVATIONAL DISTANCE seen in "DON'T WORRY ABOUT THE GOVERNMENT" which celebrates all things URBAN DEVELOPMENT, CIVIL PLANNING and INFRASTRUCTURE that make our lives better. there is even a shoutout to civil servants as extensive of the narrator's family. lyrically its a very interesting song since it seems to champion MODERNITY and the underlying deliberate processes that make it happen, which are under the auspices and ordinances of local government. its very much a song about COMPLEX SYSTEMS that benefit the individual and how one should feel EMPOWERED by such. the norm within a ROCK AND ROLL context is to rally against perceived oppressive systems and advocate for change, but BYRNE here inverts that expectation which is even by today's standards very compelling and genuinely weird. "PSYCHO KILLER" similarly is an IDIOSYNCRATIC examination of the mindset of a serial killer. apparently the song was influenced by the outlandish stagecraft and persona of ALICE COOPER during this period. with BYRNE being BYRNE, audience expectations surrounding this serial killer are completely subverted. instead of being an object of commanding AGGRESSION and exposed VIRILITY, this STUTTERING, INSECURE serial killer is "tense and nervous" and just "can't relax." moreover you get the sense that this individual is highly educated (as he/she speaks french), and that this inward capacity makes it difficult for them to deal with the truly abhorred aspects, sense he/she "hate(s) people when they're not polite." in popular culture, serial killers are no different then action stars in that they are self-driven and impose societal change based solely on their own individual initiative. in "PSYCHO KILLER," BYRNE instead presents an individual whose MISANTHROPY comes with wanting to be left alone and undisturbed. personification of VIRILITY not so much. as a former secondary english teacher i love BYRNE and his ability to subvert expectations on a lyrical level. the fact that the music itself is BOUNCY, prone to quick changes in tempo and groove and highly influenced by AFRICAN and LATIN rhythms makes repeat listens inevitable. there is a reason that BYRNE is so widely celebrated among INDIE ROCK bands for the past forty years. and there is no better introduction then TALKING HEADS: 77. definitely worth checking out.
parodies by nacrowe
​check out HERE this recent streaming video episode of DEER GOD RADIO celebrating the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA POP PUNK icons BLINK-182!
​ ​​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 manipulation & text by nacrowe
this was a fun film.
BAD REPUTATION (MAGNOLIA, 2018) is a recent documentary that examines the career and cultural legacy of legendary badass musician JOAN JETT. she is that rare icon where labels like "trailblazer" or "pioneer" dont really do her legacy justice. she is basically an institution unto herself, from her late 70s all-female band THE RUNAWAYS, to her production work with the likes of BIKINI KILL, CIRCUS LUPUS, THE GERMS and, of course, her successful solo career with numerous hit singles. but what really defines her career are the glass ceilings she shattered. its absolutely staggering to consider the intestinal fortitude it took as a female teenager in the 1970s to start a band. this was during the peak of the GLAM ROCK/GLITTER scene in HOLLYWOOD and the industry was geared towards an industry that saw women more as accessories then equals on the stage. this was ROCK AND ROLL and not FOLK MUSIC from the 1960s, so JETT and her bandmates went full bore into and took the full brunt of CHAUVINISM and outright MISOGYNY head on. as teenagers. just blows my mind. and its that passion, determination and authenticity as a ROCK AND ROLL lifer, notwithstanding her own innate talent, that her public persona is built upon and has garnered her respect from generations of musicians including a murderer's row of notable participants documentary including former and current BLACKHEARTS members as well as IGGY POP (THE STOOGES), DEBBIE HARRY & CHRIS STEIN (BLONDIE), KATHLEEN HANNA (BIKINI KILL), IAN MACKAYE (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI), MILEY CYRUS, BILLIE JOE ARMSTRONG (GREEN DAY), ALISON MOSSHART (THE KILLS), PETE TOWNSEND (THE WHO), PHANIE DIAZ (FEA, GIRL IN A COMA), MIKE NESS (SOCIAL DISTORTION), LAURA JANE GRACE (AGAINST ME!) and ADAM HOROWITZ (BEASTIE BOYS). likewise the film also includes interviews with those that have commented on her LGBTQ and ANIMAL RIGHTS activism over the years including MICHELLE CHO (formerly of PETA) and GENE BAUER (FARM SANCTUARY), MICHAEL J FOX (who co-starred with her in LIGHT OF DAY) as well as notorious graffiti artist SHEPARD FAIREY. for some unknown reason disgraced TRUMP ADMINISTRATION official NIKKI HALEY was interviewed as well (?), which was more than a little weird and i may or may not have thrown up in my mouth, but thats neither here nor there. the focus of much of the documentary is JETT's post-RUNAWAYS career and her involvement with the unlikely producer and former BUBBLEGUM POP songwriter KENNY LAGUNA, who was both her confidant and familial support system throughout the rest of her career to date. theyre an odd couple of sorts, but that level of platonic intimacy and constant arguing and bickering is entirely endearing as they both care about one another. that core supporting relationship (which also included LAGUNA's wife MERYL) was what turned her career from what possibly could have been another cautionary tale to one of hard fought and enduring success. it must of been so difficult to stomach and push ahead despite male rock critics and DJS publicly debasing her work (and her physical being) along tired SEXIST tropes. and she pushed forward with such a sense of confidence and cool. i cant imagine. for me the other artist that comes immediately to mind with a similar revolutionary career trajectory is that of LITTLE RICHARD who fought his way out of MACON, GEORGIA in the 1950s as a GAY, BLACK musician and ultimately became an architect of ROCK AND ROLL itself. and i think there is reason that the JETT and RICHARDS are so cherished by ROCK AND ROLL fans beyond their music, its that idea that they fought and suffered for their art. they both had that sense of determination, passion and sheer defiance that allowed them to make their mark despite the odds. and how can you not love that. like i said, i really enjoyed this film. definitely required viewing for all music lovers. all hail JOAN JETT!
parodies & text by nacrowe
back on new years eve of 2019 i did a DEER GOD RADIO episode on one of my all-time favorite artists in MIKE PATTON. his work with FAITH NO MORE alone basically marked a turning point in my childhood, especially after listening to the glorious epic mindfuck that is ANGEL DUST (review linked HERE) when i was in middle school in the late 1990s. concurrent to FAITH NO MORE (and actually preceding it by a few years) he similarly fronted the relatively more experimental MR. BUNGLE, which likewise has maintained a diehard cult following.
whats interesting about PATTON is that he is not particularly nostalgic and is constantly and fearlessly chasing his muse, usually juggling several unrelated projects simultaneously and maintaining a virtually unmatched streak in quality for what is now decades. notable past projects include FANTOMAS (collaboration with members of MELVINS, MR. BUNGLE and SLAYER), TOMAHAWK (collaboration with members of THE JESUS LIZARD, MELVINS and HELMET), DEAD CROSS (collaboration with members of SLAYER, LOCUST and RETOX), PEEPING TOM (collaboration with members of MASSIVE ATTACK, KOOL KEITH, AMON TOBIN and NORAH JONES), LOVAGE (collaboration with DAN THE AUTOMATOR and JENNIFER CHARLES), TETEMA (collaboration with ANTHONY PATERAS) and NEVERMEN (collaboration with members of TV ON THE RADIO and DEEP PUDDLE DYNAMICS). even more varied and extensive are his guest appearances on albums by the likes of BJORK, JON ZORN, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MERZBOW, THE X-ECUTIONERS, ZU, MELVINS and JOHN KAADA. he even did a solo album where he sang classic ITALIAN film music (MONDO CANE). its quite the exhaustive discography that very much runs the gamut from ALTERNATIVE ROCK,POST HARDCORE,TRIP HOP, PUNK ROCK, METALCORE, HARDCORE, INDIE ROCK, POST PUNK, avant garde CLASSICAL MUSIC, POST ROCK and even HIP HOP. the dude has limitless range. whats funny for me is that this late 2019 episode was the second time i used this playlist (the first was in 2018 on EPISODE 8 which has since been lost to the livestream gods) and i still failed to include music from every project he had been a part of up to that point in time. it was my second attempt and i still failed! some collaborations and projects are very obscure and ive only come to learn about them recently. but this just proves as evidence of his remarkable range as a singer and artist as well as his eclectic taste in art. i pretty much look at PATTON as a compass in that anytime i feel jaded, like nothing is new and exciting, i just check out whatever is going on with his solo projects or IPECAC RECORDINGS label and i am dissuaded of that notion. cant think of a higher compliment than that. if you are unfamiliar with PATTON then the show embedded below is a good teaser but is anything but comprehensive regarding his ever growing exhaustive discography. he is most definitely worth checking out. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
with PUNK ROCK there are so many people credited with getting the initiating the genre, everyone from THE STOOGES and THE MC5 to the NEW YORK DOLLS, THE RAMONES and even THE DICTATORS. the documentary STIV: NO COMPROMISE, NO REGRETS (CHIP BAKER FILMS, 2019) takes a look at STIV BATORS, frontman of what is in all likelihood is the first PUNK band THE DEAD BOYS (as well as later outfits like SHAM 69 one-off THE WANDERERS and the GOTH-tinged LORDS OF THE NEW CHURCH). and its a sad truth that unlike his contemporaries in IGGY POP, DAVID JOHANSEN and JOEY RAMONE and later acolytes like that of JOHN LYDON, JOE STRUMMER and DAVE VANIAN, BATORS is a relative unknown. at least he was to me.
so that is essentially the raison d'être for this film, it is a sort loving effort by former band members, crew and friends to resuscitate his legacy and public profile. what is sad is that despite some archival interview footage of JOEY RAMONE speaking about his former peer, there is little in the way of interview footage by major players, which is a shame. it sort of limits the appeal of what is otherwise a more than competently constructed film which examines his rise out of rural OHIO to starting bands in CLEVELAND and ultimately infiltrating the nascent downtown CBGB's scene in NYC with a vengeance in the mid 1970s. in fact, HILLY KRISTAL (owner of CBGB's) bankrolled their debut and managed them after seeing them play his club. unfortunately that moment was the peak of their career and larger cultural relevance. the band fell apart after a few more disastrous efforts in which they were mismatched with producers unsure of what to do with them or their sound. subsequent efforts were interesting but BATORS seemed to be chasing trends (60s PSYCHEDELIA, 80s POST PUNK) rather than setting. his absurd and tragic death in PARIS seemed a fitting marker to someone steeped in ROCK N ROLL cliches (again following in the footsteps of JIM MORRISON a generation before him). after watching the documentary i am no closer to understanding why BATORS was a seminal figure in the history of PUNK. not to be cruel, but outside of his niche of devoted cult followers, there doesnt seem to be any real consensus surrounding the nature of his brilliance. i am more than a little baffled as to why this film was released knowing that there wasnt any high profile testimonials/aspersions regarding his legacy. maybe his relative unknown public profile is right where it should be. i dont know the answer to that. maybe somebody with weight on the subject could tell me because everything ive read in countless books on PUNK ROCK mention THE DEAD BOYS as a footnote to the lasting impact of other later bands in that same scene, i.e. THE RAMONES. i am still interested in the subject, but in my estimation this documentary, however well-intentioned and edited, was half-baked and could have used more credible participants.
parodies by nacrowe
up until 6th grade my family lived in the ORANGE COUNTY city of BREA. at the time being 11 the extent to which i knew of bands from SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA outside of THE BEACH BOYS were prominent bands that were being played on the local radio station 106.7 FM KROQ out of LOS ANGELES like BAD RELIGION and THE OFFSPRING. so i was utterly clueless about the underground music scene in and around my hometown during the period of my life when i actually lived in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA.
it was when i entered high school a few years later (on the other side of the country in MASSACHUSETTS) that i was fascinated to learn about notable HARDCORE bands that were not just from nearby ORANGE COUNTY cities like FULLERTON (SOCIAL DISTORTION, ADOLESCENTS, D.I.), GARDEN GROVE (THE OFFSPRING), PLACENTIA (AGENT ORANGE) and SANTA ANA (THE MIDDLE CLASS), but also neighboring LOS ANGELES COUNTY neighborhoods like LONG BEACH (T.S.O.L.), HERMOSA BEACH (CIRCLE JERKS, BLACK FLAG), VENICE BEACH (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES), MANHATTAN BEACH (DESCENDENTS, PENNYWISE) and HUNTINGTON BEACH (THE VANDALS) that i visited often as a child. it was like learning about an alternate cultural history of a place i thought i knew but learned i knew very little about. so i was pretty excited and thought long and hard about the bands i included on the LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK show i did back in early 2021. contrary to the name i also included bands outside of the greater LOS ANGELES metropolitan area and included SAN DIEGO (BATTALION OF SAINTS) and POWAY (BLINK-182) as well. what i found interesting when reading and learning about the original scene in LOS ANGELES in the late 1970s was how INCLUSIVE and EXPERIMENTAL it was. with bands like THE GUN CLUB, THE WEIRDOS, X, THE FLESH EATERS, THE BAGS and THE GERMS you had such a wide array of bands finding their distinct voice through a litany of ROCKABILLY, COUNTRY and POST PUNK influences (well not THE GERMS, they were just abrasive sonic nihilists). very much seemed reminiscent of the nascent PUNK ROCK scene at CBGBs where you had PATTI SMITH, TALKING HEADS, TELEVISION, THE DEAD BOYS, BLONDIE and THE RAMONES all sharing the same small stage and supporting one another. the following NO WAVE and especially the NYHC scene seemed to occupy the seemingly polar opposite positions relative to unbridled EXPERIMENTALISM and PUNK ROCK FUNDAMENTALISM. that same dynamic played out in LOS ANGELES with the advent of HARDCORE and all the bands from the suburbs (like ORANGE COUNTY) coming in and taking over and bringing the angry jocks contingent with them. this dynamic i have covered in several documentaries and several books listed below. definitely check them out as well as DEER GOD RADIO episode dedicated to the history LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK embedded below. definitely a highlight of my radio show. BOOKS DO WHAT YOU WANT: THE STORY OF BAD RELIGION BAD RELIGION & JIM RULAND VIOLENCE GIRL: A CHICANA PUNK STORY ALICE BAG UNDER THE BIG BLACK SUN: A PERSONAL HISTORY OF L.A. PUNK JOHN DOE KIDS OF THE BLACK HOLE: PUNK ROCK IN POSTSUBURBAN CALIFORNIA DEWAR MACLEOD MY DAMAGE: THE STORY OF A PUNK ROCK SURVIVOR KEITH MORRIS & JIM RULAND THE HEPATITIS BATHTUB AND OTHER STORIES NOFX GET IN THE VAN: ON THE ROAD WITH BLACK FLAG HENRY ROLLINS CORPORATE ROCK SUCKS: THE RISE & FALL OF SST RECORDS JIM RULAND DOCUMENTARIES CLOCKWORK ORANGE COUNTY JONATHAN W.C. MILLS A FAT WRECK SHAUN MICHAEL COLON FILMAGE: THE STORY OF DESCENDENTS/ALL DEEDLE LACOUR & MATT RIGGLE ​MY LIFE AS A JERK DAVID MARKEY PUNK ROCK EATS ITS OWN: A FILM ABOUT FACE TO FACE MATHEW BARRY & MAUREEN EGAN REALITY 86'D DAVID MARKEY WE JAM ECONO: THE STORY OF THE MINUTEMEN TIM IRWIN photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
when you consider the longevity and wildly EXPERIMENTAL nature of the music, it is hard not to be impressed by the career of seminal SLUDGE / ALTERNATIVE ROCK / PUNK ROCK band MELVINS. as the documentary THE COLOSSUS OF DESTINY: A MELVINS TALE (HELLSMORE MEDIA, 2016) attests, the narrative of the group is very much centered around the enduring friendship and artistic alchemy between BUZZ OSBOURNE and DALE CROVER. and its interesting that the film uses said friendship as its defining unifying structure as OSBOURNE is renowned for his UNCOMPROMISING, often BRISTLY public persona. the dude no doubt comes off like a born contrarian in interviews. but in a sense that distance to public perception or press critiques is what keeps his band free to chart their own course.
as a business man, OSBOURNE goes on in great detail about how producing limited run in-house publications and vinyl re-pressings is their core strategy for long-term SURVIVAL as a business venture. they acknowledge that their music is available for all in this modern digital world of streaming services and video sharing social media platforms. and that is alright. the free widespread distribution of their music is a mute point, so their focus is on artistic extensions and hands-on limited pieces for their hardcore fanbase. OSBOURNE at length defends this practice, which seems entirely reasonable to me. i cant imagine what PUNK purist would see such as beyond reproach, the dude needs to make a living. its funny that for a band that defends their art and need for control with a ZEALOUS fervor matched by few, the first thing i think of when i consider the band themselves is their unique ability to seek out collaborations. the nearest analogue to this well outside of the rock world in that id very much liken it to the NON-PRECIOUS, IMPROVISATIONAL and highly COLLABORATIVE realm of JAZZ. the documentary goes into the bands various lineups and incarnations that has included members of CLOWN ALLEY, LUSTMORD, RED KROSS, BIG BUSINESS, MR. BUNGLE and THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS as well as collaborations with everyone from JELLO BIAFRA to LEIF GARRETT. whatever incarnation, whether expanded or contracted in terms of instrumentation, it is that core musical identity of OSBOURNE and CROVER that prevails. and they are UNIQUE in that they are fearless in their ability to try anything. for me it is that dichotomy of extreme control of their product and their RELENTLESS devotion to the COLLABORATIVE nature of music that defines their cultural significance 30 years into their career at the time of filming. its pretty ridiculous that a truly exhaustive list with the likes of JELLO BIAFRA (DEAD KENNEDYS), SCOTT KELLY (NEUROSIS), DAVID YOW (THE JESUS LIZARD), GENE SIMMONS (KISS), MIKE PATTON (FAITH NO MORE, MR. BUNGLE, FANTOMAS), J MASCIS (DINOSAUR JR), MARK ARM (MUDHONEY), JG THIRLWELL (FOETUS), CHRIS CORNELL & KIM THAYIL (SOUNDGARDEN), MATT PIKE (SLEEP, HIGH ON FIRE), KRIST NOVOSELIC (NIRVANA), PAUL LEARY & JEFF PINKUS (THE BUTTHOLE SURFERS), JOSH HOMME (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), KEITH MORRIS (BLACK FLAG, CIRCLE JERKS, OFF!), SCOTT "WINO" WEINRICH (THE OBSESSED, SAINT VITUS), BRENT HINDS & BRANN DAILOR (MASTODON), LOU BARLOW (DINOSAUR JR, SEBADOH), DONITA SPARKS (L7), KID CONGO POWERS (THE GUN CLUB, THE CRAMPS, THE BAD SEEDS), COREY TAYLOR (SLIPKNOT) and countless producers, artists and former band members who all agreed to testify to such artistic and cultural relevance in interviewed segments. it seems the secret to success is surrounding yourself like-minded people with similar values and treating your business like an extended family. despite being dropped by a major label (ATLANTIC RECORDS) after three stellar records (HOUDINI, STONER WITCH and STAG), the band had advocates and friends with independent labels (AMPHETAMINE REPTILE, IPECAC) which helped support their long-term artistic endeavors. THE COLOSSUS OF DESTINY: A MELVINS TALE is most definitely worth checking out if you have any interest in the music of the MELVINS or their philosophy of making it in the music industry as currently constructed. their example is a powerful one, both in business and in terms of building a community. photo & text by nacrowe
my introduction to SST RECORDS as a teenager, like i presume with most people, was through the AMERICAN HARDCORE icons BLACK FLAG. for me the record label, much like DISCHORD, EPITAPH, ALTERNATIVE TENTACLES or FAT WRECK CHORDS, was the symbolic representation of the DIY ethic and the attached value system of SELF-DEPENDENCE and COMMUNITY-BUILDING that 80s HARDCORE epitomizes. BLACK FLAG, more than any other band of that era, trail-blazed and literally fought for a nationwide network of alternate venues that later bands of multiple genres benefitted from.
so for me reading CORPORATE ROCK SUCKS: THE RISE & FALL OF SST RECORDS (HATCHETTE, 2022) by JIM RULAND was pretty eye-opening in that it very much showcases the CONFLICTED, DUAL LEGACY of a legendary label that both opened doors for untapped talent (from DINOSAUR JR, THE MEAT PUPPETS, HUSKER DU and SONIC YOUTH to SAINT VITUS, THE MINUTEMEN, SOUNDGARDEN and OXBOW among countless others) yet effectively exploited them in turn. and it is that second legacy of EXPLOITATION that feels incongruous with the initial ETHOS and CULTURAL WEIGHT of BLACK FLAG, as the band exemplifies more than any other of its era the idea of uncompromising INTEGRITY. such is the crux of this incredible book. the band and the label both came out of a bloated 1970s cultural scene in SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA that saw radio and means of promotion being corporatized to the point that all ALTERNATIVE VIEWPOINTS were seemingly edged out of the conversation. what GREG GINN accomplished with his band and label was to promote an ALTERNATIVE COMMUNITY that appreciated different perspectives and musical ideas. his label very much promoted emerging scenes from seemingly unrelated genres of INDIE ROCK (DINOSAUR JR), MELODIC HARDCORE (THE MINUTEMEN, HUSKER DU, THE DESCENDENTS), DOOM METAL (SAINT VITUS), PSYCHEDELIA (THE MEAT PUPPETS) and even experimental NOISE ROCK (SONIC YOUTH). in turn, the CULTURAL LEGACY of the label was one of being at the forefront of culture, well beyond its HARDCORE roots. these bands mentioned are the well-known ones, for the label put out many, many more by more OBSCURE and AVANT-GARDE musicians that ran the gamut from JAZZ and ELECTRONIC experiments to IMPROVISATIONAL SPOKEN WORD performances. the label was very much over the map. which gets at the current state of SST RECORDS. a dormant label that has largely been abandoned by its founder and has not nurtured the immense cultural legacies of its artists with comprehensive re-releases of landmark albums. worse, there are rumors that it has either misplaced or improperly stored master tapes. it just feels tragic that for a label that gave so many artists access to a community it fought so hard to initiate, that in the end they left it all to rot. or worse stagnate and fester as GINN refuses to voluntarily give artists their music rights back. music that his label has chosen to sit on, in some cases, for decades. its that dual notion of GINN as both a RIGHTEOUS SUPPORTER and a CORPORATE GOON that is difficult to swallow for those on the outside. just the idea that SST RECORDS is as much a part of that soulless corporate business-as-usual approach that they supposedly were fighting against. it is unfortunate. photo & text by nacrowe
the BAD BRAINS phenomena, like all of the 80s HARDCORE PUNK scene, was one generation before me. i never saw them live. but i often feel like all of the INDIE and ALTERNATIVE ROCK music i grew up on in the 1990s is very much the ripple effect of this band and specifically the power of their seminal self-titled debut BAD BRAINS (ROIR, 1982) record. bands ranging from FAITH NO MORE, JANE'S ADDICTION, FUGAZI, SOUNDGARDEN and DEFTONES to LIVING COLOUR, BEASTIE BOYS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and NIRVANA. their sound is marked by an incredible unspoken CHEMISTRY and sense of MUSICALITY that can be described as a hybrid between a subtle and deft use of EXTREME DYNAMICS (almost JAZZ-like) coupled with an unparalleled FEROCITY and BRUTALITY that was entirely jolting and UNPREDICTABLE on first listen.
and to me it is that unbridled ENERGY that marks this legendary band. you watch old live clips and you realize this band was completely out for blood. their performances were just pure UNPREDICTABLE, KINETIC mayhem that seemed to be the result of a preternatural level of COMMITMENT and TECHNICAL ABILITY. POSITIVE MENTAL ATTITUDE indeed. watching such comes across like the unadulterated real thing. like "this" is what ROCK N ROLL should be. end stop. and it makes perfect sense that their live show was so POTENT and COMBUSTIVE that it became too much for clubs in WASHINGTON D.C. to handle, making way for their move to NEW YORK CITY where THE YELLOW TAPE was haphazardly recorded on a reel-to-reel tape at a live gig in ALPHABET CITY. this record, like much of the HARDCORE releases in general, was less about sound quality and production as it was about ENERGY. when guitarist DR. KNOW kicks in on the opener "SAILIN ON" you very much know its on. same can be said for H.R. and his uncanny VOCAL PYROTECHNICS on celebrated tracks like "BIG TAKE OVER," "PAY TO CUM" and "BANNED IN D.C." its just powerful. its the type of record you listen to from front to back and wonder where you where for the last half hour. i revisit this BAD BRAINS record often, no doubt in part due to the fact that every subsequent band i love points right back to this specific record by this unique band as a defining experience and a primal scene in their formation as a musician. THE YELLOW TAPE is required listening for anyone interested in NYHC, PUNK ROCK, ALTERNATIVE ROCK, LOS ANGELES PUNK ROCK, INDIE ROCK, HARDCORE PUNK or related genres like METALCORE and POST HARDCORE. this is a widely influential record that is most definitely worth check it out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
May 2024
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