I REMEMBER THE FELLS.   I was helping to promote a bill they were supposed to do , here , with The Royal Pendletons and The Hentchmen , if I remember rightly. THe SHOW WAS CANCELLED , tho' not because of The Fells.

So my Panic album came in the mail about 2 days later after I wrote that. "baby please"is supposed to be on it, and it's even written on the back of it, but it's not included on the album! not sure if it's test press fuckup or not, but ah well. The entire album rules, nonetheless.

"Fells" on Estrus Records, classified as budget rock. Anyway, a really exciting and consistent album of the early 90's. I discovered it in a record shop in Brussels, the guy was playing it. A nice discovery. 

"Get attuned to our tyme" by the extraordinary, shamely unknown X-Ray Harpoons. This is their first LP, several years after an EP and a couple of singles. German folks. I saw them 3 months ago in Paris. We were 50 or so. The guys sounded great, especially the farfisa and the guitar. Plus one of the nicest voices of these days' garage!!!

yeah , you're right. He's facing this courageously. He already said he's doing better than anyone who may mourn for him.

Probably the best way to go... 

All our thoughts to Billy! 

.....I meant to say Coiro was standing in for Rath.

Billy Rath , former Bassist for the legendary Heartbreakers , one of New York's most influential Punk bands , it was just announced , only has a few months left to live. He was still performing with his latter day band , The Street Pirates , until recently , when his health toook a turn for the worse.

Rath effectively took over when original Heartbreakers ' Bassist , Richard Hell , was ousted from the group , after an unsuccesful attempt to overthrow Johnny Thunders' position as frontman. Naturally , his savage Bass parts fit right in with The Heartbreakers' Cochranized Guitar and Drum combinations. They quickly became favorites in Manhattan , challenged only by The Ramones , Dead Boys , and , later, The Dictators. They played select dates in The U.S. and Canada , and , just a few months into Rath's tenure with the group , found themselves on The Anarchy Tour with The Sex Pistols , The Clash , and The Damned. the Damned were bumped off the tour early , though , and the majority of dates were cancelled. Still , the band renmained in Britain for a year , partly because the local Punk crowd tood to them like a fish to water, but , also because addicts were treated far more humanely than in New York.

I could not tell you what has recently put his life in jeopardy , though Rath , like his fellow Heartbreakers (Barring Walter Lure , arguably.) had grappled with addiction for years. In fact , his actual whereabouts , it seems , were only known to a few , until he resurfaced in Boston , formed The Street Pirates , and became a fixture on The Beantown musiic scene. Rath was conspicuous in his absence at what would turn out to be The Heartbreakers' last reunion gig , shortly before Johnny Thunders was found dead in New Orleans. But , for the many "Rent Party" , and occasional tours The Heartbreakers did , after breaking up in the late '70s , Rath was sometimes replaced by Tony Coiro from Walter Lure's band , The Waldos (Coiro passed away recently , though Lure still plays out on occasion. ) . When asked why Coiro was standing in for Lure , Walter told Tim Stegall, "Oh , he joined The Hare Krishnas or something.....".   But , as of 20 - some years ago , Billy's current status was a mystery to most.

Rath found himself musically active , and well - liked , in Boston. But , bandmate and best friend , Jack Christoforo (aka  J.C.Ripp.), announced that Billy has gone home to be with his family , is now at peace , and is expected to go in peace. He is only expected to live for a few more months , but is asking that friends and fans do not mourn , but  celebrate his life and teh music of The Heartbreakers , as he has , adding that he is in better spirits , now , than those who've thought about and prayed for him . He is ready , he is not afraid of what lies ahead.

No , MikeL, "Cotton Candy" was by no means a cinematic triumph. It was Ron Howard getting his toes wet in the fishin' hole called  Movie Direction , in which , of course , he LATER attained respectability and widespread acclaim... I'm sure whoever reviewed it at the time (If anyone did.) must have panned it. Clint Howard said , recently , that he much preferred doing "Rock'n'Roll High School" , which he'd just come back from doing , than he did when shooting began in Dallas (Single Bullet Theory.) on "Cotton Candy". He said "My Brother used Charles Martin Smith's original music because Ron's idea of Rock'n'Roll was Bob Dylan and The Beatles ! I was into The Ramones , tehy were my kind of people !!".

Clint said that he tried to convince Ron to make "Cotton Candy" more like "Rock'n'Roll High School" , musically , but , he would'nt budge....It was a great opportunity for my friend , Mark Ridlen , and the embryonic version of Quad Pi (I don't remember what their band name was at the time.) to play the bad guy band , though all they got to do was the wretched joke version of "I Shot The Sherrif", but , nothing came of it.  I'm convinced it's never been released to VHS or DVD because Ron Howard is THAT embarassed by it.......

John, I remember watching "Cotton Candy" when it was first aired:)  I had forgotten all about it until you jogged my memory.  I liked the movie at the time, but it wasn't exactly a cinematic masterpiece.  Guess that's why I forgot aboout it.

John Battles said:

....I VAGUELY REMEMBER THE JOHN Candy / Lee Ving bonding. What movie was that ? I forget.

vING WAS IN "gET cRAZY" , TOO , AS A CARICATURE OF HIMSELF , i GUESS , "pIGGY" , AND DID A PRETTY ROCKIN' "hOOCHIE cOOCHIE MAN" (By FEAR , WHO WERE'NT IN THE MOVIE.. ).  Otherwise, the movie only eludes to Punk (And has the otherwise extremely rare "Chop Suey " by The Ramones.)....Malcolm MacDowell and Lou Reed are in it , too.

"VALLEY gIRL" CAME OUT PRETTY LATE for The Valley Girl craze , BUT IS STILL A PRETTY FUNNY 80'S TEEN COMEDY , ESPECIALLY FOR HOW BADLY Punk IS DEPICTED.

It starred a still little - known , not yet truly annoying , Nicholas Cage as thE male lead (It was best to watch it on TV, they used to censor one scene where he said "FUCK OFF!" , AND Made it say "SCREW OFF ! OKAY? JUST SCREW OFF !!". who says that?).  E.G. Daily (Pee Wee's Big Adventure) is in it , too.

"COTTON CANDY" IS STILL A CULT FLICK , Never had a proper commercial release , and I doubt it was ever re- run on Television , except maybe by local stations in need of time - filler. I don't know.

NOT AT ALL. HOPE I DID'NT GET CARRIED AWAY , BUT , THE MENTION OF DENTON BRINGS BACK ALL THESE (MOSTLY GOOD) MEMORIES , BEFORE IT BECAME , OR APPEARS TO HAVE BECOME , AUSTIN #2 (AND I HAVE FOND MEMORIES OF AUSTIN FROM A LOOOOOOOOONG TIME AGO , AS WELL.). 

Thanks for the feedback

You're right , there's no reason to fear Pop - oriented Punk , in The Buzzocks / Vibrators / Boys (and Undertones , Dickies , etc.) kinda vein , but "Pop Punk "as a genre , in all it's whiny, bed - wetting glory, detracts from the idea of real hooks and real songwriting . It'd be great if more bands could fuse the two , Punk and Pop , into something not , as we say in the states , wussy - sounding. Maybe you say the same thing !   But , The #1s aren't doing it for me that much....I intend to give them more of a chance, but, upon first listen , they're far superior to American 90's Pop Punk , though they don't sound like they're breaking any new ground.

That said , I think they'll make it. It would be cool if Ireland had an internationally popular band , again , that could make us forget U2's  inexplicable rise to world dominance (I really thought they'd peaked around 1983-4. Little did I know.) .

The comparison to Denton , Texas is interesting. I did'nt know Denton had any distinctive sound , and only learned , about 8 years ago , that they'd long since usurped Dallas as the live music center of North Texas. In 1980 - 81, when I first went to shows in Denton , with my Brother , the whole scene pretty much consisted of a then- still great Brave Combo , and  unknown , to this day , bands like The Frenetics , Chef Physique , and The Jetsons. When I read about Denton's burgeoning scene , people usually start in the early 90's , as though nothing happened there , previously. There was Bliss (Punk/Rock) , Snake Farm (Funny Punk) Charred (No Wave - ish.) , and Whirlygigs (60's Power Pop) , and myself (Trash.) . Original bands from the 80's have been wiped clean from everyone's memory. There were no places for "Punk" bands to play , except house parties , prior to then. Dallas did'nt recognize Denton , which is only an hour away , and , now , Denton is'nt recognizing Dallas.

Sorry , I know that has nothing to do with this band. I'm just reminded of when Denton was barely a blip on the radar , barring North Texas State University's Jazz Band.

The Number Ones aka The #1's

Self Titled
Static Shock (UK) 
Deranged Records (US) 

Thirty five years after The Undertones put Ireland on the Punk map another band is pushing forward with similar youthful vigor. Sure there might have been hundreds of bands of similar pop punk in the last 25 years but its still great to hear such a cohesive collection come together.
In just the first five minutes anyone that has been ruined by 90/00s pop Punk desenstization should have their faith restored in the genre of music. Songs of heartbreak and young love provide the stories. The rolling bass lines over the chorus on "Sharon Shouldn't" with the muted "woo-hoos" is probably better than most songs from like bands. The care free "Boys" is juxtaposed with punk caliber ballad's "Girl" and "Tell me Why". "Anything" even features a pretty ripping guitar solo. What seperates The Number Ones aka The #1's from the rest of the pack is what seeps in at the edges."Heartsmash" and "He's Too Good" have flavors of Denton,TX style punk (Marked Men, Early RiverBoat gamblers). "Tell Me Why" at moments gives me that same feeling that the Flamin Groovies gave me the first time I heard Shake Some Action.
This is fun and nowhere near meanspirited. This band might not ever venture out of Europe. For all intents and purposes down the line might end up on a 2014 version of Killed By Death Comp. This week The Number One's might be the best ~18 minutes of music you hear all week.

Gee, it only took the Cynics three years to notice my review of their last CD:)  Oh well, better late than never.

A news item from Bay City , Michigan , yesterday informs us that NY Journalist , Alina Simone , will be hosting BBC a documentary on Garage Gods , ? and The Mysterians. Simone graciously turned down a potentially far more lucrative assignment to do a tell - all book on former Bay City resident , Madonna , to work on this project. If there were a Grammy Award for Common Sense in Music , baby , it'd be hers. 

The irony is , that ? and The Mysterians were not based in Bay City , though "96 Tears " was originally recorded there. Various members of the group lived there , but , they eventually made their home base in Saginaw at the time (Guitarist , Bobby Balderrama , once told me the song was recorded in a band members' living room .... so , it's probable that "96 Tears" did , in fact , see the light of day in Bay City , one year before it's actual release. ), in any case ,  the BBC will descend upon Bay City (Already fully aware that The Rollers never lived there , either.), next month  . Naturally , this could have been done a long time ago for a US - based TV program. Don't look at me . I already hosted  a "Chic - A - Go Go " episode dedicated entirely to ? and The Mysterians , featuring interviews with the entire band , in '97.  Obviously , the likes of VH1 were'nt going to pick that up , but , they did do an interview with "?" ( His friends call him "Q".) for the short - lived "Where are They Now?"program (Which also featured what was probably the late , great Cub Koda's last TV appearance.) around that time.

The further irony is , we're just now learning that John Kerry is not the only prominent Politician with a Garage Rock Past.

Former Bay City Mayor , and State Representative with the 96th (yes.) Ward  , Chas Brunner , it turns out , played Drums , briefly , on tour with ? and The Mysterians , and claims that he nearly played on "96 Tears" when he was only 13 (This statement is backed by members of the group.). Given the on again - off again nature of second Drummer , The Late Eddie Serrato's relationship with the band , Brunner  ( A friend of Keyboardist , Frank ( aka Little Frankie) Rodriguez )  was asked to fill in for a doubtful Serrato (Who still had a full time job.) for the recording , but , Eddie returned , then left , momentarily , after the band had a hit. Brunner played a series of dates , then , Serrato came back.

Brunner was never officially a member of the band . In fact , Bobby Balderrama informed me that they only ever had one White guy in the group , on an official basis , and that it was'nt Bass Player , Mel Schacher , who played in a later version of the band , before going to greater heights of fame with Grand Funk Railroad. I forget his name , but you can see his picture in the Norton Records " Do You Feel it , Baby?" gatefold.

? AND THE MYSTERIANS ("THE GREATEST ROCK AND ROLL BAND IN THE WORLD , BABY !" Question Mark.) 

THURSDAY , AUGUST 16 , 7 PM , OLD CITY HALL , 814 SAGINAW , BAY CITY , MICHIGAN , FREE !!

Alina Simone and Rep. Brunner announced plans to attend. And......YOU ? 

Tyler said:

Gino and the Goons!

http://rubberneckzine.bandcamp.com/track/gino-the-goons-repeat-it-get-on-down

S'not bad!

Gino and the Goons!

http://rubberneckzine.bandcamp.com/track/gino-the-goons-repeat-it-get-on-down

http://www.manglorrecords.com

.Well , of course ,Winter was still playing clubs and venues like House of Blues until not very long ago , but , previously , he was playing on the big festivals , including Woostock.....Like Hendrix , I'll take his pre - fame sides over the more popular stuff , any day. But , I could tell he was more popular on the big concert circuit in Canada by the Late 70's - Early 80's than here. He did'nt really play to the teens , by that time.

But , Inever saw Johnny Winter. I liked his work with Muddy Waters , but , never followed him enough to consider myself a serious fan. Like I say , "Ballad of Bertha Glutz" , "Birds Can't Row Boats" , gimme more.

Yes....I saw Rush , Triumph , Wireless and Max Webster, too , when I was too young to get into the clubs.  Not something I'm proud of , no....MAX WEBSTER, I STILL KINDA LIKE. They were sorta New Wavish . NOT REALLY LIKE RUSH , THO' THEY WORKED TOGETHER A LOT. I have one Goddo LP , AND IT'S JUST  GOOD ROCK'N'ROLL , with enough quirks to set it apart from the Mainstream Rock brigade.... 

Ya John, Johnny Winter was fairly popular around these parts. He was playing the clubs in this area right up until March of this year.

Seems like everyone of a certain age has a Johnny Winter story from one of the many times they saw him. I'm the odd man out and never did see him. Unfortunatly i did see Rush and Triumph many years ago prior to getting immersed in punk/new wave right after that.

But Goddo whom i saw several times were a little different. Rejected by the punk audience in Toronto, yet they had many similarities (high energy and fuck the establishment attitude) and even played on some of the same bills. They were a band that were really good when they first started but got really boring by the time they released their 3rd LP (Act Of Goddo).

Some of my favs would be

Walking With The Beast by Gun Club.
Stand for the Fire Demon by Roky Erickson
Satan's Got You by Lenny Davis
Satan´s Theme by the Rondels
Devil with a blue dress on by Shorty Long 
....for a start

Some of our shows have faded away lately so I'm on the lookout to add some new blood to GPPR! Ever wanted to host your own podcast? Now's your chance! Especially interested in shows that have a unique angle to them, like shows that focus on a certain region of the world (Latin America or Australia/New Zealand, for example), focus on a particular era or subgenre of garage/primitive rock'n'roll, or that maybe showcase some of the NEW bands on the scene today (always sorely lacking on a lot of our shows, unfortunately). Would also love to have a Psychotronic/B-movie review show that mixes movie soundbytes with music a la the old Haunted Shack Theatre or Snake Alley podcasts of the past. And, as always, we're always looking for surf music fiends to host episodes of the GaragePunk Surfcast. Just do one or two! It's a great way to get involved and maybe hone your skills for hosting your own show down the road. Interested? Get in touch or reply below. Thanks!

The Trip! July 27th Show!

The Trip! July 27th show!  Get it here:  http://cjamlog1.cjam.ca/mp3dirnew/381-The_Trip-20140727-0000-t1406415600.mp3

The setlist: 


DAVE MITCHELL & THE SCREAMERS - THE TRIP 
KIM FOWLEY - THE TRIP 
PARK AVENUE PLAYGROUND - THE TRIP 
THE TRIP- STICK LIKE GLUE 
THE INCREDIBLE STAGGERS - TRIP WITH ME 
THE THINGS - TRIP TO MY HOUSE 
NEIL YOUNG AND CRAZY HORSE- PSYCHEDELIC PILL 
INSTRUMENTS- ANTILOCK 
THE SADIES- NORTHUMBERLAND WEST 
CHILIWACK- LONESOME MARY 
THE ACTION- ZONA ROSA 
FUZZ ALDRIN- TRAILER PARK QUARANTINE 
THE ARDELS - PIECE OF JEWELLRY 
CALAMITY JANES - LORNA OF THE JUNGLE 
M.G. & THE ESCORTS - A SOMEDAY FOOL 
UGLY DUCKLINGS - JUST IN CASE YOU WONDER 
THE SURFADELICS - FLUX CAPACITOR 
THE JAYBEES - I'M A LONER 
DON NORMAN & THE OTHER 4- LOW MAN 
THE PACK A.D.- DEER 
AMOEBA COLLECTIVE- BOBBY JOHNSON 
THE VIBRATING BEDS - BABY 
THE FROLICS - BOOM! 
EVE HELL AND THE RAZORS - GALAXY 500 

The Trip! It's Summertime Kiddies! July 20 2014

It's summertime kids!  Listen to this episode here:  http://cjamlog1.cjam.ca/mp3dirnew/381-The_Trip-20140720-0000-t1405810800.mp3

The setlist: 

godfrey- let's take a trip
gringo star- in the heat
gringo star- in the sun
pine tarts- young summer
frank sinatra- summer wind
brother jack mcduff- hot barbeque
trombones unlimited- summer in the city
chet atkins- white silver sands
los straightjackets- tailspin
the surfmen- paradise cove
ghost dance- short jeans
chuck berry- vacation
plasmatics- summer nite
cheetahs- cut the grass
beatnik beatch- beatnik beatch
matt savage- a fast car in summer (pt.1)
ash gray and the girls- born in the summer
cosmic psychos- down on the farm
david peel and the lower east side- mcdonald's farm
the frolics- sippin' lemonade

It's been a while since i've psted here, so here are the last two pocasts that I posted.  

July 26, 2014 Play List:

1. The Gears - Don’t Be Afraid To Pogo
2. The Kids - Do You Wanna Know
3. Zig Zags - The Fog
4. C’mon - Easier Said Than Done
5. Mark Lofgren - Pocketful Of Bliss
6. Vibrant Fiasco - Lizard LIps
7. The Walkabouts - Got No Chains
8. Anagram - Evil
9. Le Butcherettes - Tonight
10. Fakes - Sabrina
11. Walrus - Glam Returns
12. The Bell Peppers - Campfire Waltz
13. The Specials - Do Nothing
14. The English Beat - Click Click
15. Holy Wave - Surfin’ MTA
16. Sixpence - In The Building
17. Inexpensive Handmade Look - What Good Is Up
18. The Pretty Things - You Don’t Believe Me t
19. The Flaming Lips - Can’t Let It Go
20. Indian Wars - Bullfrog
21. The Standells - Try It
22. Ugly Ducklings - Just In Case You Wonder
23. Light Bulb Alley - Eye In The Sky
24. Lost Patrol - Sellin’ My Mind
25. Elvis Costello - I'm Not Angry
26. Undertones - I Told You So
27. Protex - Listening In
28. Nirvana - Sappy
29. Ramones - Swallow My Pride
30. Ramones - Here Today, Gone Tomorrow
31. Ramones - Teenage Lobotomy

Download/listen to the podcast here:  http://cjamlog1.cjam.ca/mp3dirnew/36-Revolution_Rock-20140726-1900-t1406397600.mp3

Check out the blog post on Tommy Ramone here:  http://revrock.blogspot.ca/2014/07/tommy-ramone-1949-2014-show-519.html

July 19 2014 Play List:

1. Generation X - Kiss Me Deadly
2. Toni McCann - No
3. The Small Faces - All Or Nothing
4. Night Beats - Hex
5. Wolf Mountains - Hold Yr Girl #2
6. Jerry Jerry & The Sons Of Rhythm Orchestra - Yap Yap
7. DA SLYME - Crazy Glue
8. The Cure - Grinding Halt
9. Crocodiles - Summer Of Hate
10. The Vaporettos - Fortress
11. Total Control - Expensive Dog
12. Jimmy and The Smack - Come Down
13. The V.I.P.'s - Who Knows
14. The Zeros - Radio Fun
15. The Normals - Almost Ready
16. Jerry Nolan - Pretty Baby
17. Guitar Army - I Am Going To Detroit
18. The MC5 - Thunder Express
19. The Kinks - Come On Now
20. The Stems - Move Me
21. Monomyth - Candleholder
22. Wedge - 400 Blows
23. The Replacements - Little Mascara
24. The Modernettes - I Can Only Give You Everything (Live)
25. The M-80s - Seeing Things
26. The Strokes - What Every Happened?
27. Cousins - At Odds
28. Paul Jacobs - Mouldy Love
29. Paul Jacobs - Ocean City
30. The Damned - Neat Neat Neat (BBC Session)
31. Young Rival - Elevator
32. Dirty Pretty Things - The Gentry Cove
33. Dirty Pretty Things - Blood Thirsty Bastards

Download/listen to the podcast here:  http://cjamlog1.cjam.ca/mp3dirnew/36-Revolution_Rock-20140719-1900-t1405792800.mp3

Check out my blog post on garage artist Paul Jacobs here:  http://revrock.blogspot.ca/2014/07/paul-jacobs-mouldy-love-ep-show-518.html