I loved the Strokes, but then they were my intro to "garage" in 2001.  I wouldn't have gone to see The Sonics two years ago in Toronto if it werent for them.  "Is This It" was a really good album (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOypSnKFHrE), I wont defend the other three. 

Ty Segal is amazing too in terms of new garage (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nK64JbKdNPM) and (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yj7oo_iLp9Q). 

Someone mentioned VICE, which I assume is hate for The Black Lips (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrNSjItTfes). 

Also good on the scene are Thee Oh Sees (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEtI5EZ4em4&feature=related). 

I hope I don't get banned for this post, there seems to be a lot of hate for new stuff...

Hey come on, you couldn't have lived without the British Invasion!!! The mood of your country at the time dictated it...how come no US band blew everyone away in late '63/early '64 to the same extent that the Beatles et al did? I'm not on some kind of nationalist trip, I'm not "proud" to be English [merely an accident of birth - i had no say in the matter!!], just saying that for a number of reasons and factors, the time was right for the Beat groups to find their place in the US. Wow, you WOULD NOT have the garage explosion of 65/66 without it!! A broad generalisation, but EVERY ONE of those cats was influenced by the English groups - OK, a fair point that they were bringing America's rich musical heritage back home in a sense [there's no doubt that 'rock n roll' is an American movement], but bring it they sure did.

Frank N. Stroud said:

I guess a lot of the meat of this discussion depends on what you consider garage and what you don't.

In my humble opinion, there is more to garage than just influences and all garage did not descend from the 60s British Invasion (which I think (Rock History Blasphemy Warning) we could have lived without in America) as many would have us believe. Buddy Holly was recording his songs (played in a garage) in the fifties using Lo-fi equipment and his drummer thumping a cardboard box on Not Fade Away.

For my part, if it's too clean,polished and processed, it ain't garage.

I call my music "Garage" cause that's where I write it, play it and often record it. I realize too, that the conventional definition of the "G" word probably means something different to most people.   

 

yeah god bless the hideout

great stuff! it is what we love about the entire gph. another different flavor. the bands here don't all sound alike.

well wow.. these are just MY lo fi demos. not my band.. but thanks for checking it out lol.

 

This is my band. We're going to a studio in Berlin in next month and record our first real album :)

These are our best recordings so far but it will be so much better..

The Dandelion Seeds - Beautiful Stranger [Mono] by Alex Nehru

 

The Dandelion Seeds - Love and Sweet Dreams by Alex Nehru

joe dear,

 axel's music is brilliant and that is no joke. his cover of  "you're no good" is gorgeous. his originals are just that. original. dont know about lofi. his recordings are quite accomplished. he knows exactly what he is doing.
 
Joe Willy said:

The first band you linked to are an excellent example of garagerock rock. The Velvet Underground, the Strokes, Guided by Voices all come to mind... 3 bands that epitomize "garagerock". I think the high production value of the recordings might be throwing you off, as lo-fi recordings are only a small aspect of what makes something fit the "garagerock" genre. Your band has some very poor recordings that happen to be lo-fi, unfortunately the vocals are unintellible & the mix is, well... not sure if it ever was mixed. Lo-fi recording is just a style of production, if done correctly its the song & vocals that grab the casual listener, whether you record it live in your garage or live in the studio is much less relevant in my humble opinion.

    It's true , in Chicago , they're mainly concerned about who THEY think is going to be the "Next Big Thing".     It's politics. That's why The Smashing Pumpkins (Whom I had the grave misfortune of seeing , by accident , a few months after forming.) were opening for The Buzzcocks 6 months after their first gig. That's also why Liz Phair and Veruca Salt got signed after each doing a half - dozen shows . "It's politics , not what you know , but who."- Nervebreakers.       Many Journalists want to be able to say , "See? I told ya ! I gave them their first plug!".   But , last year , I got a VERY favorable writeup in The Chicago Reader (Which used to be our main Music and Arts paper.) , from someone I barely knew , personally , and who had nothing to gain by speaking well of my act. He gave me almost as much space as The Gories , the headliners. It only took me 23 years to get mentioned in The Reader , but , I never begged anybody. One Writer on their staff expressed an interest in writing about me about 12 years ago , but , nothing came of it. Sometimes you can try too hard to make things happen , when they will happen , anyway ,  if they're supposed to.

Joe Willy said:

Band's that work like dogs and are ignored play (with few exceptions) very poor music. Either the recordings are so lo-fi, presumably in an attempt to cover up the lack of a strong melody/progression, that the words are impossible to understand, or the band lacks originality with an alluring quality to their music. All in all, band's that work like dogs should consider focusing their time/efforts on bettering themselves as artists, instead of working a hard days night to endlessly promote recordings that blogs aren't playing... perhaps there's a reason for that other than that they're ignoring you? It's just a possibility is all I'm saying.

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

axel- you CAN"T spell rocknroll rong. there is no right way. also if you are getting press ANY press! then you are really fortunate. in chicago the local reviewers write mainly about big time acts or their fellow reviewers acts. all the reviewers are in bands and thus have easy access to press. we have seen feature articles about a reviewer's roomate's drunken train wreck band thrown together for a one off night of baloney and then called the new hope of rock and roll. press space is wasted on 3rd rate FRIENDS. bands that work like dogs to achieve something are ignored.

Axel Björnsson said:

I totally agree with you.. haha I always spell rock n roll wrong.. 

Ok my band was playing at international festival in my town and by older rewiews and describes (including from ourselves) we're described as a 60's revival psychedelic rock. (ofcourse we have influence from bunce of other genres as well) But that description really tracked us down. One journalist was not happy with us.(fuck journalists by the way) I can respect his opinions and all that crap but he killed his credbillity by saying that The Piper at the gates of dawn with Pink Floyd is what psychedelic is supposed to sound and our music were just chaosistic. (has he fucking listened to 13th Floor Elevators? That's what psychedelic is supposed to sound for me thou) The chaosistic is the psychedelic.. Different opinions.

 

 But really my point is descripion can be dangerous.. at least when we're are talking about ignorant journalists..

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

Genre labels are a construct of record labels. It's a marketing technique to effectively sell more records. Any music store/iTunes music store would sure be a lot more hectic & confusing if genre's didn't exist. Also labels make it easier for people to communicate what they like - despite the fact that labeling music is an impossible exercise. If you're in a band and are worried about what genre you fit into, theres a problem with your band. A good band can say "rock n' roll" or "rock-sock hoppin' blue beat thrash" & it will not matter, all that matters is what comes outta the speakers when your band's track is queued & "play" is pressed.

The Terrorists said:

Garage is trendy because it's a safe word-- nobody ever got beat-up cause they played "garage." Unlike punk... 

I've heard many bands that are definitely punk-influenced and whose members have never heard a garage band before except for maybe The Sonics, and i even doubt that much. They don't even hear the music that those garage bands grew up listening to, which is the key to coming up with a believable sound. If you honestly don't listen to rock n roll and blues, your "garagey" sound is likely to come up quite dull.

Not only is a safe word, but it also implies you went through the trouble of listening to music that isn't mainstream, which makes you hip. If only that was true.

These people won't stop at garage, i've heard bands claim they play gospel and surf influenced music and I just dont' hear it. 

now what are we supposed to do? joe willy hates us.

Joe Willy said:

Band's that work like dogs and are ignored play (with few exceptions) very poor music. Either the recordings are so lo-fi, presumably in an attempt to cover up the lack of a strong melody/progression, that the words are impossible to understand, or the band lacks originality with an alluring quality to their music. All in all, band's that work like dogs should consider focusing their time/efforts on bettering themselves as artists, instead of working a hard days night to endlessly promote recordings that blogs aren't playing... perhaps there's a reason for that other than that they're ignoring you? It's just a possibility is all I'm saying.

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

axel- you CAN"T spell rocknroll rong. there is no right way. also if you are getting press ANY press! then you are really fortunate. in chicago the local reviewers write mainly about big time acts or their fellow reviewers acts. all the reviewers are in bands and thus have easy access to press. we have seen feature articles about a reviewer's roomate's drunken train wreck band thrown together for a one off night of baloney and then called the new hope of rock and roll. press space is wasted on 3rd rate FRIENDS. bands that work like dogs to achieve something are ignored.

Axel Björnsson said:

I totally agree with you.. haha I always spell rock n roll wrong.. 

Ok my band was playing at international festival in my town and by older rewiews and describes (including from ourselves) we're described as a 60's revival psychedelic rock. (ofcourse we have influence from bunce of other genres as well) But that description really tracked us down. One journalist was not happy with us.(fuck journalists by the way) I can respect his opinions and all that crap but he killed his credbillity by saying that The Piper at the gates of dawn with Pink Floyd is what psychedelic is supposed to sound and our music were just chaosistic. (has he fucking listened to 13th Floor Elevators? That's what psychedelic is supposed to sound for me thou) The chaosistic is the psychedelic.. Different opinions.

 

 But really my point is descripion can be dangerous.. at least when we're are talking about ignorant journalists..

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

excellent strategy for getting pub my man!

Axel Björnsson said:

gaddanmit. fuck the press..

The first band you linked to are an excellent example of garagerock rock. The Velvet Underground, the Strokes, Guided by Voices all come to mind... 3 bands that epitomize "garagerock". I think the high production value of the recordings might be throwing you off, as lo-fi recordings are only a small aspect of what makes something fit the "garagerock" genre. Your band has some very poor recordings that happen to be lo-fi, unfortunately the vocals are unintellible & the mix is, well... not sure if it ever was mixed. Lo-fi recording is just a style of production, if done correctly its the song & vocals that grab the casual listener, whether you record it live in your garage or live in the studio is much less relevant in my humble opinion.

Band's that work like dogs and are ignored play (with few exceptions) very poor music. Either the recordings are so lo-fi, presumably in an attempt to cover up the lack of a strong melody/progression, that the words are impossible to understand, or the band lacks originality with an alluring quality to their music. All in all, band's that work like dogs should consider focusing their time/efforts on bettering themselves as artists, instead of working a hard days night to endlessly promote recordings that blogs aren't playing... perhaps there's a reason for that other than that they're ignoring you? It's just a possibility is all I'm saying.

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

axel- you CAN"T spell rocknroll rong. there is no right way. also if you are getting press ANY press! then you are really fortunate. in chicago the local reviewers write mainly about big time acts or their fellow reviewers acts. all the reviewers are in bands and thus have easy access to press. we have seen feature articles about a reviewer's roomate's drunken train wreck band thrown together for a one off night of baloney and then called the new hope of rock and roll. press space is wasted on 3rd rate FRIENDS. bands that work like dogs to achieve something are ignored.

Axel Björnsson said:

I totally agree with you.. haha I always spell rock n roll wrong.. 

Ok my band was playing at international festival in my town and by older rewiews and describes (including from ourselves) we're described as a 60's revival psychedelic rock. (ofcourse we have influence from bunce of other genres as well) But that description really tracked us down. One journalist was not happy with us.(fuck journalists by the way) I can respect his opinions and all that crap but he killed his credbillity by saying that The Piper at the gates of dawn with Pink Floyd is what psychedelic is supposed to sound and our music were just chaosistic. (has he fucking listened to 13th Floor Elevators? That's what psychedelic is supposed to sound for me thou) The chaosistic is the psychedelic.. Different opinions.

 

 But really my point is descripion can be dangerous.. at least when we're are talking about ignorant journalists..

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

gaddanmit. fuck the press..

axel- you CAN"T spell rocknroll rong. there is no right way. also if you are getting press ANY press! then you are really fortunate. in chicago the local reviewers write mainly about big time acts or their fellow reviewers acts. all the reviewers are in bands and thus have easy access to press. we have seen feature articles about a reviewer's roomate's drunken train wreck band thrown together for a one off night of baloney and then called the new hope of rock and roll. press space is wasted on 3rd rate FRIENDS. bands that work like dogs to achieve something are ignored.

Axel Björnsson said:

I totally agree with you.. haha I always spell rock n roll wrong.. 

Ok my band was playing at international festival in my town and by older rewiews and describes (including from ourselves) we're described as a 60's revival psychedelic rock. (ofcourse we have influence from bunce of other genres as well) But that description really tracked us down. One journalist was not happy with us.(fuck journalists by the way) I can respect his opinions and all that crap but he killed his credbillity by saying that The Piper at the gates of dawn with Pink Floyd is what psychedelic is supposed to sound and our music were just chaosistic. (has he fucking listened to 13th Floor Elevators? That's what psychedelic is supposed to sound for me thou) The chaosistic is the psychedelic.. Different opinions.

 

 But really my point is descripion can be dangerous.. at least when we're are talking about ignorant journalists..

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

Ha that reminds me of this thread:

Is There Anything We HAVEN'T Heard?

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

surf influenced gospel is really hard to pull off. believe me we've tried.

I totally agree with you.. haha I always spell rock n roll wrong.. 

Ok my band was playing at international festival in my town and by older rewiews and describes (including from ourselves) we're described as a 60's revival psychedelic rock. (ofcourse we have influence from bunce of other genres as well) But that description really tracked us down. One journalist was not happy with us.(fuck journalists by the way) I can respect his opinions and all that crap but he killed his credbillity by saying that The Piper at the gates of dawn with Pink Floyd is what psychedelic is supposed to sound and our music were just chaosistic. (has he fucking listened to 13th Floor Elevators? That's what psychedelic is supposed to sound for me thou) The chaosistic is the psychedelic.. Different opinions.

 

 But really my point is descripion can be dangerous.. at least when we're are talking about ignorant journalists..

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

In the 60's , a lot of what we now call "Garage " bands got their asses beat by Rednecks , Greasers , Jocks and the like. I'm sure there have been many Garage bands since the 80's that have had guys who did'nt have the guts to get up on stage , themselves  , hurl bottles at them , or pick fights during , or after , the show . Why ?

 Because these poor excuses for men did'nt hear or see something
that satisfied their spoiled brat - big baby macho egos , or were threatened because maybe some of the women stopped listening to them talk about the Football game long enough to watch the band , instead.....

JJ Rassler from DMZ told me a bout a show they did with The Ramones in Cambridge , Massachusetts in 1976. These jockboys were'nt getting their satisfaction , and beat up a couple of members of DMZ during The Ramones' set. There's a bootleg of the show in question , you can hear those chickenshits , loud and clear , busting heads and breaking glass. There's always a chance for violence , whether it's at a "Punk" or "Garage" show, when you get sexually and emotonally insecure guys who've been used to getting their own way , pretty much all their lives ,thrown into the mix.  When more Jocks started getting into Punk Rock in the 90's , it became more and more the case. Hell , I had this big Football guy knock me down to the floor at a Man or Astro Man show , once . There was no "PIT" going , of course. He called foul on ME , because I pushed him back , telling me I did'nt know how to have fun. That's a laugh.

The Terrorists said:

Garage is trendy because it's a safe word-- nobody ever got beat-up cause they played "garage." Unlike punk... 

I've heard many bands that are definitely punk-influenced and whose members have never heard a garage band before except for maybe The Sonics, and i even doubt that much. They don't even hear the music that those garage bands grew up listening to, which is the key to coming up with a believable sound. If you honestly don't listen to rock n roll and blues, your "garagey" sound is likely to come up quite dull.

Not only is a safe word, but it also implies you went through the trouble of listening to music that isn't mainstream, which makes you hip. If only that was true.

These people won't stop at garage, i've heard bands claim they play gospel and surf influenced music and I just dont' hear it. 

that usually doesn't cut it with potentially interested listeners not familiar with your music. sifting through the gazillion choices requires some specific glittering shiny object word or phrase. sad and as unhappy as it may  be the term rock n roll is meaningless.( FUCK!! NOBODY CAN EVEN AGREE ON HOW TO SPELL IT!!!!!) to one person it means you may be death metal or to another you could be jimmy buffet or you could be a 1953 rhythm and blues offshoot. it would take longer to describe what you mean by rock and roll than to describe yourself. clubs, bookers, websites, bloggers and online mags or whatever will not even bother to listen to an unknown quantity without a stinkin' category marker. we really and truly do not know what category we are supposed to be stuck in. and its a sure bet that like yourself many other bands do not now what they are until someone else tells them..
Axel Björnsson said:

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

I was onetime obsessed with analyzing my music, talked endless about it. I'm still obsessed with it but I keep it to myself because I think it's dull to describe my art to another person. Recently I just tell people that i play Rock 'n Roll.

surf influenced gospel is really hard to pull off. believe me we've tried.

Garage is trendy because it's a safe word-- nobody ever got beat-up cause they played "garage." Unlike punk... 

I've heard many bands that are definitely punk-influenced and whose members have never heard a garage band before except for maybe The Sonics, and i even doubt that much. They don't even hear the music that those garage bands grew up listening to, which is the key to coming up with a believable sound. If you honestly don't listen to rock n roll and blues, your "garagey" sound is likely to come up quite dull.

Not only is a safe word, but it also implies you went through the trouble of listening to music that isn't mainstream, which makes you hip. If only that was true.

These people won't stop at garage, i've heard bands claim they play gospel and surf influenced music and I just dont' hear it. 

Idon Mine , While I love Carl Perkins , I never understood how people could only like the obvious Rockabilly , and not at least investigate the wealth of lesser - known artists in that (Cotton) field. However  , I've noticed the Chicago Rockabillies , of late , ARE warming up to Charlie Feathers. But , there's still not much in the way of wildness going on , with the exception of a few bands like The Dyes , who are'nt 100% Rockabilly , they're just as into The Cramps and 60's Garage Rock. I used to be into Psychobilly , I'll admit , but , at the time , it seemed like something new...The earlier Meteors , Guana Batz , Sharks  , etc. , really just sounded like Traditional Rockabilly , played faster . Demented Are Go I liked , they had that "Sick" edge to 'em. In fact , I'm friends with an ex - member of the group , who lives here , now , but , when I saw them , several years ago , they sounded like Motorhead. A lot of that stuff has a "Metal" edge (Not knocking Motorhead , but , I wish some of these bands could get along without pandering to Metal sensibilities. Elvis Hitler's example has not been bettered on , in my estimation , and that was 20 - plus years ago.) , and , of course , the Misfits' influence (I'm not even knocking The Misfits as such , but , how many "OH - WHOA - WHOA's" do you need?) .

I still like The Washington Dead Cats , they're from France. They're this Psychobilly ,  Psychedelia , and  Pere Ubu - drawn thing. But , I got into all that stuff 25 years ago. I don't listen to much of it , anymore. I think a majority of the new bands are terrible.

Also , I agree about just finding something cool to wear in thrift stores . It does'nt have to be high fashion. But , the "Vintage" (Hate that word) clothes , and even the T-shirts , have been just as picked over as the records in most thrift stores , around here. I used to love telling the more fashion conscious people , when they were admiring a jacket or shirt I had on , "Oh , yeah. $3 at The Salvation Army.". But , King Solomon said "All is vanity" . No , wait , he said "Let's split , baby !".

Pour Depravos De La Mour ,    I see it , now , Friday , not Saturday. I still can't make it. I did listen to some of your tunes , and advise others to do the same. Some of you might think it's "Garage" , some of you might not. I don't think anyone's going to say you can't play in the Garage Rock Treehouse if you don't meet their every exacting criteria. People talk about stuff that is'nt remotely related to Garage Rock , or does'nt apear to be , here , just to exchange ideas and opinions. And , speaking of opinions , I thought you sounded a little more  "Punk" or even early "Post Punk" , as in 70's and early 80's , not what passes for Punk , now ,  than "Garage" , but , I'd have to give it a few more listens to say who or what it really reminds me of. I do like the fact that the one song with vibes on it does'nt sound like Northern Soul. 

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

our show is FRIDAY NIGHT. tomorrow. we go on first. we hit the stage at 9:30. we have songs on our page. a click will get you a blast in the face with BEAT DOWN!

John Battles said:

Depravos De La Mour ,

Non , VOUS est playing musique Saturday at Le Rouge Line Tap , Oui ? Non mois. Not that I would'nt play there , I just don't think they're ready for me. In fact , it's a pretty safe bet they are'nt. I played at The Heartland Cafe , once , in 1989. What a colossal mistake THAT was , but , I think it was my first paying gig in Chicago . The Heartland did'nt pay me . My friend , the late Stu Coy of Oncoming Traffic , did. 

I think it's more than fair to say we all have different definitions of what is and what is'nt "Garage". That does'nt necessarily mean one party is right and the other is wrong. But , I don't think I'll be able to make it to your show , that night , as I've already made plans to go to the Music Box Massacre Horror Film Fest , and to a Girlie Calendar party , and , if I don't run out of steam , the Dreamerz reunion.

But , thank you for asking. If you have any songs on your page , I'll check 'em out , and try to see your band another time.

Chicago , of course , is legendary for it's back history of Garage bands , but , I've lived here almost 25 years , and I could count all the local bands I've seen , that filled the bill , on both hands , and still have a few fingers left over , even if I included The New Colony Six's one - shot All Garage set , last year. I knew a lot more people who were into this stuff back when Wax Trax (The Record store , NOT the label.) ruled , and the clubs were'nt spread so far apart. It's still "Indie Uber Alles" around here , even moreso than in the days when Dreamerz was the only game in Wicker Park , and Billy Corgan was still working in a crappy used record store on Broadway.

simple answer to the question: Yeah-new trend.

But don't worry. 

What is underground will be underground, and what is commercial wil be commercial. 

underground just becomes more underground hah.  can be a good thing

Depravos De La Mour ,

You may or may not have to explain to a majority of these people what "Pitchfork " is. Though , the image of bear shit on a real pitchfork sounds like a punchline to a pretty funny joke. But , friends "Pitchfork" is the big Indie Rock /whatever festival , held in Chicago , each year. Not much to recommend about it. They have thrown the record collectors a bone by hosting Os Mutantes and Mission of Burma , but , it's not enough for me  , personally , to get geeked up about. Even Lollapalooza had The Stooges , Roky Erickson and Patti Smith , one year. But , they had more money and a momentary lapse in crappy taste . But , before that , there was a one - off festival called Intonation , sponsored by Vice Records. It was a very nicely run affair , even the security people were cool , BUT , yes , it was mostly crap , musicwise - White Rappers , Cookie Monster Metal , Robert Pollard , etc. , BUT , they also brought Blue Cheer out to play their first Chicago gig in 35 years , and Roky Erickson , for his first Chicago gig , ever.  Both made the other drek irrelevant (Oh , yeah. It already was.). Pitchfork blew it out of the water, never to return. Personally , I've dealt with Vice Records . I was asked to write a Bio for Pierced Arrows (Admittedly , the only band on the label I can name.) their website , and the people at the label were very cool with me , and very helpful. I had a major computer meltdown , and they helped me through it. But , it's too bad about their festival , got to admit , it was a good time. I don't see a "Garage " festival happening , here ,  except on a small scale , like last year's "Caveman - A - Go - Go". It's always been a limited audience , here ,except in the mid - 60's , when there were "Teen Clubs" and church dances almost everywhere.

I don't know how some things got to be called "Garage". I saw The Black Lips , they were nothing like Garage Rock . And , I mean , even if you stretch it. But , they have an audience , that's cool. I saw The White Stripes several years before they made it. I thought "Well , if I want to see someone riffing on Msr. Jeffrey Evans , I'll go see The Knoxville Girls , again. At least , they meant it. ". I stood thru about half of it. It was'nt too interesting , even back then.

When they did make it , under the banner of "Garage" , I said , "HUHH?!!".   

DEPRAVOS DE LA MOUR said:

we got pointed here by you because we are trying to sell out but nobody's buying. seriously though (one eyebrow up /slanted smiles) this brings up something that is probably one of the hardest things a band must do. describing yourself. giving yourself a label that will attract people who might otherwise pass you by. this is loathesome to all of us bands as we are unique. that is what we must believe in order to keep going. we worry that maybe strictly speaking we do not belong on gph. we have heroes and inspirations that are firmly in the canon but we do not really sound like them. kopper is there a gph tribunal that passes judgement on who is really gp? we firmly believe in such a thing as good music and bad music. it is not a matter of opinion. it is a fact. facts (despite what the republicans think) are solid and immovable objects. they exist and there is nothing you can do about it. most of those whiny sensitive bear shit bands on pitchfork are BAD MUSIC. there is a terrible pretense to having soul that just makes us fucking angry. having said all that  probably none of it belongs here. just forget it.

kopper said:

Hell yeah, it's trendy as fuck right now. And it's really annoying. I keep hearing or reading of "garage" sounds or influences in bands that sound NOTHING like garage rock (or "garage punk," for that matter). I think it's just the state of the music scene right now. Bands like the Hives, White Stripes, and Black Lips (amongst others) really put "garage rock" in the mainstream, and then you had labels like Vice Records jump on the bandwagon with lots of money to promote it with the help of corporations like Scion, and BOOM. It's the "next big thing." Problem is, too many of these bands are just plain BORING, and I bet most of 'em wouldn't know a Sonics or Oblivians tune if it hit 'em on their heads.

Oh, and by the way, I never could stand the Strokes. As far as I'm concerned they were the "Pearl Jam of Garage Rock," a fabricated band, totally fake, with crappy music that might be OK when compared with the rest of mainstream "rock music," but pales in comparison to most of the real garage rock/punk out there.