Hi fuzz friends,

"THE KNIGHTS OF FUZZ: the garage and psychedelic music explosion 1980 to now" will be re-issued as a paper book in FALL 2013 -- and we're looking for garage-psych band update info, band bios, photos, vinyl and CDs (especially from @2000-now).

More info below and at this page: 
http://www.purple-cactus.tv/garage-nation/knightsoffuzz.html

The book that helped define the garage-psych music revival will return in Fall 2013 with the long-awaited reprinting of the original Knights of Fuzz book! The new large-format paper book will feature:
● a reprint of the entire 300+ page 1995 Knights of Fuzz book
● hundreds of updates, new reviews and additional information
● new band & scene overviews written by worldwide garage authorities
● fanzine reproductions & feature articles
● new photo sections and album covers (and new book cover!)
● and many more surprises, to be announced soon!

Bands and garage record labels are encouraged to contact us with your update information & materials ASAP!

Send your photos and band bios to knights@purple-cactus.tv
and send your CDs & vinyl and band materials to:
The Knights of Fuzz
PO Box 121
Tucson, AZ 85702, USA

PLEASE NOTE: We will give priority to bands and labels that send actual vinyl or CDs to us for review. While we appreciate links to web sites and MP3 audio samples, bands and labels that send well-written bios & good resolution photos (by e-mail) and vinyl and CDs (by mail) will get our full attention! We are reviewing THOUSANDS of records and bands, and simply don't have the time for bands and labels that don't provide the materials we need.

Thank you all for your continued help!

I was amazed what a great live band they were -- and this was just a couple years ago! The spirit of real rock n roll lives in these guys, to be sure. One of the few 1970s bands worth seeing, and they are probably better now than then! :)

I absolutely LOVE stoner rock (heavy) - - just not all the time.  Makes me think of The Black Angels and Vega out of Chicago.  Denver has a pretty decent stoner-rock scene with Black Lamb.  As for metal all the way through to grunge - all that shit's deader than Dillinger.  But yes, heavy music will always be on my list.    

 dig it!

Andy Climax said:

new album out now. this is just fuckin stunning and creepy at the same time.

this is the shit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zj9IAvv32wE

yES , i MET YOUR FRIEND. In fact , I rode with him and the Bassist on a shuttle bus. The club hired a bus to pick people up at a couple of bars , and take them to the show , but , it was a new place , then , and they were advertising - challenged. THAT WAS SOME FOOT - IN - ASS DETROIT ROCK 'N'ROLL! They did'nt act deterred by such a small turnout. They did some Rationals , Radio Birdman and some solo Rob Tyner songs , as well as Morgan's newer Powertrane material. There is a video on You Tube of an earlier POWERTRANE SHOW i WAS AT , Empty Bottle , Chicago. That's when I met Scott , but I saw him twice with Scott Asheton and Gary Rasmussen , but later Scot's Pirates and Powertrane were much better. I met Rasmussen at the Stooges show in '03 in Clarkeston , Michigan. I even had a chance to meet Rock Action , IN 2000 , BUT HE WAS GETTING UP TO GO BACK STAGE , AND I WAS A BIT INTIMIDATED BY HIM....i'M USUALLY NOT , but its Scott ""The Bad Motherfucker" Asheton.

Cool! Thanks for sharing your story. That is interesting: the show in which you saw Tek, Morgan, and Gillespie on one stage is the tour that my personal friend, Al King, drummed for them (he and I were in a couple Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti bands together, The Ungodly 77s and The Devil Elvis Show). He was pretty stoked to be drummer behind such a lineup of local legends. 

IT'S EMBARASSING , I DON'T THINK I HAVE ANY OF DENIZ TEK'S SOLO MATERIAL , except for one single. I could be mistaken , tho'.  I have that Dodge Main CD (Morgan , Tek and Wayne Kramer.) , and the live Powertrane CD with Tek and Ron Asheton. I saw Radio Birdman on their first reunion tour of the states , but , it was oversold to a dangerous level , and it was mid - Summer , and the venue had no A.C.  IF I'D BEEN 21 AT THE TIME , I guess I would'nt have cared , but , it was brutal. So , when they came back a year later , to the same venue , ALSO MID - SUMMER , I TOOK A PASS.  THEY WERE GREAT , THOUGH. Never got into their reunion LP , much. Wanted to love it. Tek scarcely even seems to be ON it.

A few years later , Powertrane played here. The front line was Scott Morgan , Bobby Gillespie (Mitch Ryder , Rob Tyner.) and Tek. It was BAD ASS ! Ask any of the 12 other people who showed.

I saw The Laughing Hyaenas , once , too. Sorry , I was'nt digging it at all , but , that's just me....

What are your favorite albums or songs by Deniz Tek (Radio Birdman) or John Brannon (Laughing Hyenas, Negative Approach, Easy Action)?

Do you have any stories of memories of these bands? They have been around a while and are pretty well-respected in their circles.

Last Tuesday night, I had the pleasure of seeing a couple Michigan rock stalwarts do a rare performance at a local underground punk venue called The 3rd Death Star in Ann Arbor, Mi.: Deniz Tek (of Radio Birdman fame, also toured with Scott Morgan and many others) and Easy Action (featuring John Brannon of The Laughing Hyenas and Negative Approach).  It was an all-around beautiful night spent seeing some kick-ass live music with fellow music lovers.

Tek was touring in support of his latest album, while also playing his new custom signature model Epiphone epiphone guitar.

Both Brannon and Tek are from Ann Arbor, so their roots run deep. It was like a rock and roll family reunion, as many local veteran rockers from the area, most of which were all old friends, all showed up and hung out, enjoying excellent local rock as an audience member instead of from the stage.

The Godoy Twins filled out Tek's band, playing drums and bass guitar.

The little venue is the perfect punk rock spot: part house party, part venue, all grass roots, but way better than hanging out at a bar. Plus it is right downtown, so most people can walk to it, and it is only a few hundred yards from a liquor store (Tek even shared stories about how, as a child, he'd ride his bike to the very same store and buy comics and candy).  If you are ever touring through the area, definitely try out 3rd Death Star. The people that run it are experienced and legit, and they are willing to work with touring bands, setting up the show any night of the week, while supplying local support.  The place is well-run, totally DIY, features a great "punk style" PA system, vintage arcade games, etc.

Check out a link to the 3rd Death Star here (as well as a few photos from the show): https://www.facebook.com/3rdDeathStar

Check out this really interesting article by a local Ypsilanti blogger which explains John Brannon's experience that connects John Belushi, Saturday Night Live, Fear, Necros, and Minor Threat: http://markmaynard.com/2010/06/john-brannon-in-the-metro-times-and-on-snl/

See also: http://lineout.thestranger.com/lineout/archives/2010/06/09/uneasy-action-john-brannon-is-now-flipping-burgers

Tek write-up in Rolling Stone: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take/oz-rock-legend-deniz-tek-of-radio-birdman-burns-on-the-bowery-20120523

Cool. I have'nt seen SLF since , like 1995 , when Bruce Foxton was still in the group. It is'nt personal , I just bought one of their CDs around that time , and was underwhelmed by it. They did'nt do that many old songs when I saw them. But , I heard , later , they were doing a lot more. 

Jake Burns actually lives in Chicago , or , he did , last I heard. He'll appear at charity gigs sometimes , which is very cool. Actually , Stiff Little Fingers did a "Secret" benefit show in a bar that can MAYBE hold 100 people , so , I did'nt go. I can't stand through a lot of bad opening acts in a huge , overly macho and aggressive, crowd , anymore , plus , the chances of getting in were pretty much nil. Still , I applaud them for doing it.

I spoke with Ed , from The Vibrators ,once , and told him Burns , as well as Charlie Harper from The UK Subs , had been living in Chicago. He looked at me like "THAT'S A LIE , about Charlie".  OK , I had'nt seen him around , so I could have been mistaken, but , several people said they'd seen him , and he was staying here. Maybe only part - time.
 
Mike M said:

I used to live near and hang around with a member of SLF. The Guitarist Ian McCallum. He's a great lad.

I looked for 20+ years for The Prisoners "Thee Last Fourfathers" and "A Taste Of Pink" LPs before finding them for...not TOO much $ on the ebays.  Now I'm just waiting for that copy of "Stormy Weather" by The Five Sharps to fall in my lap!

I used to live near and hang around with a member of SLF. The Guitarist Ian McCallum. He's a great lad.

M.O.T.O had been around for centuries in Chicago before Paul moved (I forget where. ) . They started out as a two - piece , Paul and a female Drummer , then , a trio , different from the one that's best known , today. They did'nt become real popular in Chicago until they'd been around , it seems , about 10 years. I first saw them in '90 or '91 , if I'm not mistaken. Paul'sa good cat. He used to work at this real grungy record /CD store called Record Emporium. One of the last record stores of it's ilk on the North Side. We're on "The Best of Chic - A - Go Go" CD , together.
 Funny you mention "Inflammable Material " by SLF. I went to a record show , once , and that was the only thing I bought. I was'nt aware Mayo Thompson produced it.
KK Dirty Money & Las Drogas said:

Ha, that is interesting how MOTO are such underground legends. I didn't know anything about them until my band was asked to play with them at a local little underground venue in my town of Ypsilanti, MI (the same little college town that Iggy Pop is from). 

My band, Las Drogas, played with them at the Dreamland Theater a couple years back. The front man, Paul Caporino) was just touring by himself and putting together backing bands in each town he played. He performed with just a drummer that night (a local guy that was a fan and learned all the tunes before Paul's arrival in town). 

The show was fun and we really enjoyed his humorous tunes. Even the Wikipedia entry on them is kind of interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Obvious

Alex said:

Last year, I found "Kill M.O.T.O." by M.O.T.O., which I had been looking for for a long time.  Found it at a great price too.  Still looking for an original "Inflammable Material" by Stiff Little Fingers...

I used to have a massive record collection but 'lost' it all at the end of a relationship. The only piece I haven't found again (on cd, digital, etc) was a Creep Records Compilation called DAD I CAN'T BREATHE. I've spent many years trying to get it back. 

Ha, that is interesting how MOTO are such underground legends. I didn't know anything about them until my band was asked to play with them at a local little underground venue in my town of Ypsilanti, MI (the same little college town that Iggy Pop is from). 

My band, Las Drogas, played with them at the Dreamland Theater a couple years back. The front man, Paul Caporino) was just touring by himself and putting together backing bands in each town he played. He performed with just a drummer that night (a local guy that was a fan and learned all the tunes before Paul's arrival in town). 

The show was fun and we really enjoyed his humorous tunes. Even the Wikipedia entry on them is kind of interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masters_of_the_Obvious

Alex said:

Last year, I found "Kill M.O.T.O." by M.O.T.O., which I had been looking for for a long time.  Found it at a great price too.  Still looking for an original "Inflammable Material" by Stiff Little Fingers...

My friend made a movie about looking for a record.

45RPM - Teaser Trailer from Juli Jackson on Vimeo.

The only thing I can think of off the top of my head is Nervous Gender - Music From Hell. My husband let a friend keep it in high school thinking he'd just pick up another copy soon. I could get it online for $50+ but it's fun to pretend you might see it in real life.

Last year, I found "Kill M.O.T.O." by M.O.T.O., which I had been looking for for a long time.  Found it at a great price too.  Still looking for an original "Inflammable Material" by Stiff Little Fingers...

NICE !!!! Whenever  I DO see that record , it's beat to shit.....I was saying , on my page , it took me 31 years to find "Strange Boutique " by The Monochrome Set. It was my favorite song , in High School , I just had it on a tape of Dallas DJ , George Gimarc's , show. But , I was'nt sure who the song was by, tho' I knew a couple of the band's other songs. I even asked Gimarc in person. He said , without a tape , he could'nt determine what song it was. My tape was already BROKE , by then. THE TITLE IS'NT EVEN MENTIONED IN THE SONG , THE (GREAT) CHORUS  GOES "I WANNA BE YOUR DEVIL !". But , I remembered , he mentioned the album ,and I thought he was talking about something else. So , when I found an open copy about a year ago , I asked if I could hear a bit of i t, there it was !

I don't know what I'm looking for ....always something eluding me.

Hello, I'm a musician and audio engineer originally from Colombia but now in the DC area

I play guitar in The Gloom Merchants, we have played only a couple of times but written and recorded our albums in one day each. We started at Omega Studios in Rockville, MD.I recorded and mixed a Psychedelic Blues/Surf band called Dem' Foresters, they're rad. Here's the link to the recordings (and free download!!)

https://soundcloud.com/empty-home-recordings/how-does-it-feel

https://soundcloud.com/empty-home-recordings/just-another-desert-1

My classmate offered studio time for my own project and so I invited their drummer, Drew, to play drums in my songs. We understood each other musically and personally so well that we knew it was a band. We invited our good friend Rob to play drums since Drew is the front man of the band. Here are some links to our songs

These were recorded in studio

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/sets/omega-sesh

These are lo fi and recorded at home

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/selfish-needs

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/she-dont-know-anything-at-all

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/beach-party

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/didnt-you-with-fortune-look-at

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/feeling-happy

https://soundcloud.com/gloom-merchants/hall-of-bones

We also have a Facebook page. 

I hope you enjoy! 

NickR

We never recorded anything , except one show got taped. Think we played to two people , Brian's Wife and Kevin , Jr. (Chamber Strings , Mystery Girls.) who broke the record ,by seeing 2 of the 3 total shows I played on. Brian kept the band going a little while , with our Bass player , the handsome and talented Henry (WHO WAS FRIENDS WITH ARTHUR LEE , AND BRIEFLY PLAYED WITH SKY SAXON.) , and some other people, but , I don't think they recorded anything...... In fact , I ran into Brian , downtown , recently.  We're still friends , but , I only see him once  every few years. That's Chicago.

Das Volt were NOTHING like The Electric Eels. Marginally Garage - ish and , at times ,  discordant , but , overall, very Pop - oriented , as that's what McMahon is into . We did "Jaguar Ride", that was the only Eels song we ever did.
Glenn Peart said:

hey, i'm glenn and i'm just getting started on this site. i first got into rock n roll in 1967, right after the 'garage band era' of the mid 60's. i saw rock and roll die out (commercially at least by 1970) and started getting into other types of music at the time. i was happy when i first heard punk on kroq back in 1977 and it was like a breath of fresh air, or whatever it was ;) i started my radio show in 1995 and have been on once a week doing a rock n roll/punk show ever since then. it's been really fun, but i'd like to change to an an all-garage format, which would exclude all the hardcore and classic punk that i've been playing all these years. i'll miss it when i get my new show soon, but we can all probably agree on this site that 60's and retro garage punk is the best of all ;) hope to chat with some garage rockers on here soon and thanks for this site. 

Wow. You've almost got more notches on your belt than Jesse Hector. Makes no difference , as long as it's good music. i understand , tho' , at the time, one was expected to take sides , musically , in The UK. Not that it does'nt happen , here. You a fan of Sid , Baz and the boys , then?

I love Bubblegum!  People talk about the music of the late 60s-70s like it was all Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix, but Bubblegum is what actually got played on the radio (AM, at least).  It was one of the only styles that kept to three minute long 45s in the heavy heavy "prog" or whatever era, making it a real important touchstone for the first punk rockers.  I really dig K & K Super Cirkus ("Quick Joey Small" the first song The Cramps learned!)  The Shadows Of Knight's Bubblegum numbers and out there stuff like "Captain Groovy's Bubblegum Army"!  Where's the Rhino Records Boxed set on this stuff!

We're a happy Family & I don't care are my favorite Ramones tunes, it's already been said it's hard to name a bad one. Glad I saw them when I had the chance.

Gabba gabba, pleased to meet you, fun fun....

No , I don't think it's too intellectual. I think you're right on the money. Dee Dee said , when he left , "Your fantasy of The Ramones is four Brothers , but , we were really more like four ANGRY Brothers". Dee Dee admitted , as a teen in Germany, it was very easy to score Morphine and buy a syringe in a drug store without a prescription. He said he got into different drugs , sometimes only smoking pot , but developing a full blown Heroin habit in New York . This was'nt a nice foil for Johnny's anti - semitic baiting of Joey. If he'd known Tommy was also Jewish , and that most of his family died in the Holocaust , he would have had a field day . But , Joey's personal , physical and psychological problems made him an easy target , and , things like his (Then Little - known) O.C.D. made just getting out of the house and into the van increasingly difficult for all concerned. It seems like Tommy kept it low - key , and handled the interviews , because he could articulate better than the others.    Tommy needed a change . He still only knew , like , three beats. It's easy to take pot - shots at Marky , and , later , Richie , because they could actually PLAY, but , Johnny just wanted to play faster , on stage. Tommy was born to produce. When he ceased to be their Producer , yes , THAT is where the trouble started. Not every hotshot drummer could hack it with The Ramones - look at Clem Burke /"Elvis Ramone"....Monster drummer , but I heard a recording of one of the shows they did together  , did'nt work.

 I remember reading that Culture Club's future Drummer was being considered for The Ramones. No one in the band(Except Johnny.) may have had a problem with a Gay drummer, but an English one ? I think not. Their self - image WAS THAT OF the ALL - AMERICAN BOYS WHO TOOK ENGLAND ON , IN A BLOODLESS COUP , AND WON.......
 
Manu said:

Best album: "Rocket to Russia"

Best analysis: a friend of mine told me (and I found it true) that the 20-year fight between Joey and Johnny helped to keep the spirit. Johnny obvisouly acted as a conservative asshole (not all conservatives are, though) BUT thanks to him, they kept the sound, they kept the look. I love Joey but he was attracted by diversity, which is great in general but could have dispersed them. In fact, the magics comes from the balance between the pop and humanist attitude of Joey, the cool and crazy Jewish boy from Queens and the punk and autoritarian attitude of Johnny, the white trash side of the band.

All those fights may have affected their health. Maybe. But a creative tension was there. You could probably touch it. And it gave great songs, like the KKK took my baby away.

Is my analysis too intellectual? Ok sorry. So... now... 1.2.3.4!!!!!!!!!!

 

"If we like it , we'll come and pay you and Mr. McGloob a visit !".
 
Alison said:

Joey Ramone in this scene from Rock N Roll High School is one of my favorite things in the whole world.