This year is not starting off well obviously. We can’t chase time but we can enjoy it and appreciate every where Mr. David Bowie appears in our psyche for as long as we last. A reminder of our mortality.
Born David Robert Jones was/is the definition of a true musical enigma like no other that not only crossed generations, style, movies and technology; he actually connects magic and reality like a rainbow. The devoted fans of his genius and the people he affected can’t even be explained either. Let alone him. This effort is futile like the cancer that ate him. So even what I say here is meaningless honestly. He was that ether you feel when you encounter something you don’t have words for. A feeling. A love letter. A first kiss. A man who knew know boundaries. That is where the start is.
He showed Mick Jagger and Lou Reed how to be a rock stars and always be relevant birthing countless other amazing musicians alike that also are the sound track to your life. Changes One is a perfect example and just the gateway into a man who not so much tried to sell the world but change it one amazing song at a time and I’m sure 1,000’s we have not heard yet. A real artist where even his least successful albums would be impossible for the fucking bullshit mind numbing crap that gets fed as music to come-up with. The general population is enduring some of the worse music in recorded history this past decade and a half and it’s not ok. Not at all.
Bowie taught us that a real original artist should always be unsatisfied and never settle for the status quo. Actually create trends not follow them. The smallest nuances and care for your art is sometimes not perceived at first and most will stop at their first pass. 99% of what passes as music today is an embarrassment with only one goal in mind – greed. Bowie pushed the envelope of creativity making anything after him an obvious cliches to those who actually listen. That is what great art does. That is meaningful and by definition legacy.
Rest in piece David Bowie we love you.
#RIPDAVIDBOWIE
RIP: Today New Jersey Native Matthew Pinfield DJ/program director and famous MTV VJ had this to say on facebook about the passing of Ian McLagan age 69.
STONES: Miss You from Some Girls (1978 MP3 w/ Ian McLagan on keyboards
I know I’ve waited a few days to respond to the news that my great friend Ian McLagan’s unexpected death of a stroke as I was shocked and saddened when my girlfriend read the news to me. I met Mac on a connecting flight where we happened to be sitting directly across the aisle from each other. We because fast friends and that flight went fast as he told me stories of Faces and Small Faces and had me laughing all the way. He was a funny, clever and spirited man who was a master of the Hammond B3 Organ and the Wurlitzer Piano. He came to WRXP and did my live Direct TV broadcasts at SXSW with me. He gave me 2 things I would have gladly paid for anyway, his autobiography All The
Rage and the Faces box-set 5 guys Walk Into a Bar. He lived through the tragedy of losing his wife in a car crash and never lost the spark of positivity that made you love and appreciate him so much. He played on so many great records with so many other legendary artists that there are too many to mention from The Stones to Springsteen. He was getting ready to hit the road again with Nick Lowe when this story broke. Needless to say, he will be missed by friends and fans alike.
RIP – Ian McLagan from faces with words by Matt Pinfield
Classic WRSU FM Matt Pinfield 5/23/83 3 am
[mixcloud http://www.mixcloud.com/jeffwertz/classic-wrsu-fm-matt-pinfield-52383-3-am/ width=660 height=208 hide_cover=1 hide_tracklist=1]
Hard to believe that the Rolling Stones have outlived fucking The Ramones. A punk band from queens who essentiallt defined NY Punk with their image and fast rock songs. Borrowing their sound from the blues and turning it on it’s head annoying america and then conquering the world. Never will be another like them. We were lucky to have them. It’s going to be such a great show.
Here’s the whole first album
1.Blitzkrieg Bop (0:00-2:14)
2.Beat On the Brat (2:14-4:46)
3.Judy Is A Punk (4:46-6:18)
4.I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (6:18-8:42)
5.Chain Saw (8:42-10:38)
6.Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue (10:38-12:14)
7.I Don’t Want To Go Down To The Basement (12:14-14:53)
8.Loudmouth (14:53-17:08)
9.Havana Affair (17:08-19:05)
10.Listen To My Heart (19:05-21:04)
11.53rd and 3rd (21:04-23:25)
12.Let’s Dance (23:25-25:17)
13.I Don’t Want To Walk Around With You (25:17-27:00)
14.Today Your Love,Tomorrow The World (27:00-29:13)
RIP: Super sad fucking news today – Singer, Artist, and friend of Aliens Dave Brockie has left this chaotic earth for us humans to deal with without him. His roommate found him dead Sunday in his room. Details are not yet known on immediate cause of death as reported elsewhere but I’m sure we’ll know more as the week unfolds. His twitter personality the Real Oderus made that place not as boring as it could be at times. He was the lead “throat-thing” of the most dangerous band on the planet and spawned GWAR from his own alien space semen in Antartica. Even though Mr. Brockie was originaly from Ottawa, Canada he created a live experience not replicated ever before. If getting covered in space gue seems like a good time. He was also very keen to exploit human sense of moronic comedy and appeared on FOX News and other talks shows promoting his band with a dedication and “Undying” need to be the ultimate lord and master of Earth. He was much respected around the globe too metal and punks bands to mention. Municipal Waste drummer and Richmond Virginia resident Dave Witte had this to say on his facebook page this morning “I can’t believe it, I’m shocked. Dave Brockie was like a Superhero in my eyes. An icon of the arts. Creative, passionate, dedicated…one of the coolest and hardest working people I’ve ever met. I learned quite a bit from him and he was always really nice. I don’t know what else to say, what a shame. RIP Dave Brockie.” We could not agree more.
GWAR AND MUNICIPAL WASTE
“Earth is the only planet that has crack” – Oderus Orungus
Ever the political activists and not shy to stick-it to some of greats. You can find recent evidence in one of last tweet threads from yesterday.
The idea of Slayer protesting Westboro church dudes funeral makes about as much sense as the opposite. Hate begets hate, morons. #publicity
If you want to leave your thoughts and Brockie memories in the comments please do.
LYRICS TO THE ROAD BEHIND BY GWAR
Well I’m traveling down the road
And I’m carrying that heavy load I walk around in a stupor Sleazy,
I cant do the show
Hanging out backstage
I’m in a homocidal rage I signed a million dollar contract
I puked on every page
Slaughtered half the crew
Caused they ate the deli-tray
Oh Baby hey
Said I’d do the show but I Canceled anyway
[Chorus:]
You were road kill baby Till I scraped you in my arms
Just another wattle flapping
On the old turkey farm
So baby….
[Second Chorus by Beefcake]
[2nd Chorus:]
And while the wheels keep rolling
And another milepost gone
All along the road behind
Oh can’t you hear me calling
Just like the sad whale song I’m on the road behind
Well there you have it baby I’m just a sensitive guy
Y’know I snuffed a million planets
But I still find time to cry
Because there’s more to life
Then making other people die
Like a little bloody tear baby
Running out my dirty little eye
And some things baby
They don’t make no sense
Does it really matter if it bugs
Your parents?
[Chorus]
Now baby quit yer crying
Put those clown britches on
[2nd Chorus:]
Well the wheels keep rolling
And another signpost gone
Baby can’t you hear me calling
Like a sad whale song [X2]
Sad whale baby
Well it’s official; Maxwells as we all knew it is being ripped apart from the inside out. Today on the facebook Maxwells groupSteve Fallon one of the former owner posted the “execution” photo of his and our beloved music club. Time to cry a little. There are too many bands to list that played there over the past three and 1/2 decades! To try this task would be completely feutal. Anywhose, there is some action at the White Eagle building in Jersey City which is supposed to be the new location where the owners are going to open up shop one day. Which can not come soon enough! Leave a comment about your favorite experience at Maxwells if you want.
White Eagle? Photo by Mike Sylvia from Killing Horse Records
In the clubs honor we found a bunch of videos on the youtubes and converted some of the “best” sounding tracks and made this quick playlist for you. Thanks youtubers!
RIP Phillip Seymour Hoffman (1967-2014) – Heroin sucks kids. He was the actors, actor. He was a father and a dumb-ass.
The big game was a disappointment but we’re glad grunge triumphed once again. Congrats to Seattle on handing the Broncos their ass. Maybe less pot for Colorado next time?
Videogum.com calls it quits. Oh well. We never went there. Did you?
More from Fugazi live series was released with shows between 87-02 from Dischord Records; as well as Henry Rollin’s band S.O.A “First Demo 12/29/80”. This is for all you DC hardcore freaks. The band released 13 songs — three on the Flex Your Head compilation record and ten on the No Policy EP, which was Dischord’s second-ever release — and performed a total of nine shows before calling it quits in July of 1981.
DOWNLOAD: Henry Rollins –Henry Rollins- Fun With Ian MP3 Spoken word from live at luna park album. Funny stories about working with Ian MacKaye.
“How could posterity be heard in a box?” – Ian Mackaye
We can’t make this up and this knocks the crap out of any dark music placements we could ever think of — as reported, Skinny Puppy Invoices US Government For Using Their Music For Torture. via Synthotopia.
Criminal Hygiene release three new songs via Cultist on something they call Withdrawn and we review it. The are playing a crap load of West coast shows.
This is not the most uplifting of articles. This is about celebrating people’s achievements during their brief visit with us. Musicians and Artists give us so much of their soul. More than most people leave behind and affect the world of others. Through color or sound they create a world for our imagination. Giving us imagery for what NYC looked like in the hip 60’s or a song about the country side we’ve never visited.
LOUD REED (1942-2013) – Probably the one of the biggest enigmas and influences for me as a musician. He defined cool. Simply said. He had a simple way with words. He never sang his words the same exact way. Read More>>
DOWNLOAD: Lou Reed – Sweet Jane MP3 (LIVE) This version features Steve Hunter on guitar, Fernando Saunders on Bass,Tony “Thunder” Smith on drums, Rupert Christie on Keys at St Anne’s Warehouse.
GEORGE JONES (1931-2013) – This guys was so rock-n-roll he made Keith Richards look like a school boy. One of country music’s greatest song writers ever. Songs about every day dudes with their everyday problems. White Lighting man. Read More>>
JASON MOLINA (1973-2013) – Check out the review for the Songs for Molina compilation. He had a amazing body of work. This comp benefits the family he left behind. Please support the survivors here.
JEFF HANNEMAN (1964-2013) – Passed over the rocknroll hall of fame recently is probably one of the biggest tragedies to metal. Probably one of the most violent concerts I’ve ever been too as well but damn were they amazingly fast. He increased speed, brutality to metal, making speed/death metal what it is today. What every headbanger wants to be. So see you in Hell!
Ray Manzarek (1939-2013) – This guys was part of the main sound of The Doors. He made keyboards in rock bands cool. Not that all bands should have a piano player like the Stones always did. This was basically the lead instrument that all of the bass parts were played live. The counter melody to the vocals and guitars. Echo and Bunnymen were influenced by his rhythms that help tie the music together. Worth exploring if you never have.
RIP: Dead at 71 Mr. Lou Reed was an idle to the nyc art scene and beyond. Somewhere in heaven he’s telling a band they suck and all we have left is David Bowie, Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. They were from an era of music that was so original that we will never see or hear such a thing ever again. Andy Warhol’s magic and vision catapulted this other wise coffee house bound band into our collect unconsciousness not just in America but all over the world. NYC as the center of universe for many and if you never ever listened to the velvet underground you already know the music was as pure as the purest gold. Dirty but with a sparkle of magic glossed over it because in essence Lou Reed was what huge part of what defined cool for many of us that can whip out a The Velvet Underground cover at the flip of a dime.
Download several versions of “ROCK And ROLL”
“Rock & Roll” [Full-Length Version] MP3 from Loaded
“Rock & Roll ” (Demo) MP3 from Loaded Disc2
“Rock & Roll” [Alternate Mix] MP3 w/ Nico cackling in the begining.
“Rock And Roll” 10:09 LIVE version MP3 from LOU REED from Rock and Roll Animal
“Rock & Roll Part 2” MP3 by Bongwater response.
“Rock N Roll” MP3 (COVER) by The Runaways
We hope one day we can write a song as great as this one.
Lyrics “ROCK & ROLL” by Lou Reed
Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there’s nothin’ happening at all
Every time she put on the radio
there was nothin’ goin’ down at all
not at all
One fine mornin’, she puts on a New York station
and she couldn’t believe what she heard at all
She started dancin’ to that fine-fine-fine-fine music
ooohhh, her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
hey baby, rock ‘n’ roll
Despite all the amputation
you could dance to a rock ‘n’ roll station
And it was all right
it was all right
hey babe
Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there’s nothin’ happening at all
Two TV sets, two Cadillac cars
ahhh, hey, ain’t help me nothin’ at all
not at all
One fine morning, she heard on a New York station
she couldn’t believe what she heard at all
not at all
Despite the amputation
you could dance to a rock ‘n’ roll station
It was all right
it was all right
oh, now here she comes now-now
Jenny said, when she was just five years old
you know there’s nothin’ happening at all
Yeah, every time she put on the radio
there was nothin’ goin’ down at all
not at all
Then one fine morning, she put on a New York station
and she couldn’t believe what she heard at all
She started dancing to that fine-fine music
ahh, her life was saved by rock ‘n’ roll
rock ‘n’ roll
Despite all the amputation
you could dance to the rock ‘n’ roll station
It’s all right, all right
all right, all right
All right, it’s all right
all right, all right
Baby, baby
baby, baby, ooohhh
GOOD CAUSES: We all go through the exit door at some point in our short journey on earth with the living and sometime that shit just happens too fast for some and we leave some folks behind. Being sensitive to this fact Steven Vineis has put together a compilation benefiting the late and great Mr. Jason Molina formerly of the Magnolia Electric Co which you should just buy now at songsmolina.bandcamp.com
He recorded under several names at Electrical Audio in Chicago but in essence the output was all his energy and ability to crank out tunes at an amazing pace. Not just any basic singer songwriter stuff but the stuff that can make you cry. Mr. Albini had some very kind words on the news of his passing back in March of this year.
I loved hearing Jason Molina sing. He was a genius at turning a phrase and making it into something more than the words in it. Jason was almost supernaturally prolific, and several times I watched him write an album’s worth of songs in a weekend, recording them on the spot. Much of his recorded output with Magnolia Electric Co is the evidence of him and the band playing his songs for the very first time. It’s amazing, really, that it was any good at all, much less so touching and fully realized.
Jason was a unique talent and I will miss him. My heart goes out to all his friends and family, all of you I’ve met have been good people who did well by Jason.
-Steve Albini
Here is the first song on the compilation by Eastern Anchors.
The compilation is a mixed bag of covers and dedications by 39 bands for a $10 suggested donation. All proceeds go to his family to help them cope.
RIP GEORGE JONES 1931-2013: Man not much we can say but this man had what Elvis did not. He lives a long ass time. He was a man in full. We was the original rockn-rolla. Hell raiser. Drinker. He was known for his country hits but in reality he was the king. He was a badass mother-fucker. Sometimes you just need to pause and think what the hell have I done that would compare to his awesome catalog of music.
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