I wouldn't say the Dirtbomb's doing an all covers album of Detroit Techno songs a sellout, or the Spits putting out a horror album, or any of the other bands putting out sucky songs for the 7 inch series a sellout either. MRR has been the vanguard of Orthodoxy for most alternative rock scenes for well over 30 years. If you do anything within arms reach of the mainstream and you come from the fringe-- they will crucify you. It's was they do-- and alternative music culture is all the better for it (I think).

Alex said:

The past few issues of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll have had seriously angry rants against the whole Scion scene and the bands that participate in it, essentially claiming that they're inauthentic sellouts, and if they were true "punks" they wouldn't be taking any money from anyone.  I think it's very interesting to see the difference between those who are more into hardcore/punk and read MRR vs. those who are more into garage/rock 'n' here at the Hideout.

The past few issues of Maximum Rock 'n' Roll have had seriously angry rants against the whole Scion scene and the bands that participate in it, essentially claiming that they're inauthentic sellouts, and if they were true "punks" they wouldn't be taking any money from anyone.  I think it's very interesting to see the difference between those who are more into hardcore/punk and read MRR vs. those who are more into garage/rock 'n' here at the Hideout.

My guess is that Scion found out a good portion of their customers were young hip adults. Once that information was discovered they probably hired a outside marketing company who knew what "young hip adults" liked. That's why they advertise in art mags and get involved in garage music. Garage is about the only "cool" music scene that still has rock and roll involved. Must kids like electronic music or are really young and are devoted to pop stars. The other rock scenes are more classic rock driven, that means an older crowd. The company is more then likely made up of late 20's early 30's people who loved The Oblivions and The Dirtbombs and know the new garage bands. I'm sure they read 'zines shopped at record stores and did the same things we all did if you liked garage punk. They ape what they saw as kids and know that if has a retro feel to it, young adults will like it as well. This could go on for awhile, garage rock and lowbrow art will never be mainstream. I really don't think the makers of Scion are fooling anyone, They could give a shit how people find out about their cars, just as long as they do. I like that a company is spending money to associate themselves with garage, I get to watch their movies, read 'zines and see some of my favorite bands get some exposure that they wouldn't have gotten without Scions help. If it means one cool band can stay together longer and do what they want for a living, it's all worth it. Listen to all the so called "music" that's popular, we get to see maybe 3 bands we like make it every 10 years. The White Stripes and The Black Keys are the only 2 I can think of that really "made it" in the last few years. We are smart enough to know whats real and whats fake, that's why we hang out here. Take Scions free stuff, read or listen to it, throw away what you don't like and keep what you do. It's that easy. I think I may have wrote something like this before, so if I did I'm sorry. I'm getting too old to remember everything.

I'm still convinced the marketing guys behind this just love the music (and the other guys at the company like  rap). If they were fans of hardcore we might have Scion sponsoring Sick of It All or Suicidal Tendencies, etc. This person probably started listening to this genre about 10 years ago. This probably accounts for the lack of mention of anything pre-dating 10 years ago.  So, they are naturally going to report on the current scene, but one whiff of this criticism and I am sure they would be on the phone with The Fleshtones or Cynics to give them cred.

The Hideout should send copies of the comp to Scion and get them introduced to how it's done on the reals.

We had our first Scion promoted garage type show this past weekend here in London Ontario...it was at a trendy club that we'd never set foot in.

There was a whole table of Scion merch that was free; ear buds, a Jack Oblivian/Mannequin Men split 7" and the first 2 ishes of their print zine. The zines are about 40 pages, 14 x 18 cm, and printed on fairly good quality mat paper with many colour pics inside. The content, not much that interested me, mainly arty type stuff and lots and lots of plugs for their cars, but that's to be expected. The only thing that interested me in the 2, was an interview w/Mannequin Men. Now inside the front cover are all of the Canadian contacts, so this may be a Canadian version of the zine.

There weren't any Scion reps that we noticed, just the bands sitting at the merch table selling their own stuff.

The people at the club didn't seem to be interested in any of the free merch...i helped myself, they were more interested in being seen and talking amongst themselves. The bands, The Fine Print (who i believe are on the hideout) are from London Ontario and rocked out with their usual early Kinks meets Zombies pop and roll, then there was another awful local combo, then Elk (from Hamilton, Welland and Toronto) put on a really tight Creation on speed type set and the evening closed with Young Rival (Hamilton mod/pop/garage combo) who we didn't catch as we left early.

Ah, alright. Don't know what to make of the download only option in this case. It's a fine thing for web based zines to have a way of publishing in a less costy and inexpensive way. But here, it's just another step in a weird direction. Like, "what what do you need to get this shit out to people? Yeah a zine would be great!"

kopper said:

Is it being printed at all? I thought it was just an online thing with a downloadable PDF so you can print it out yourself...

?

Is it being printed at all? I thought it was just an online thing with a downloadable PDF so you can print it out yourself...

?

Like with the other discussions circling Scion/Vice, I think it's basically good that bands like human eye are getting some money from this to waste on their own good stuff. There's a couple of people there that love what they do enough to keep killing it without Scion. Hex Dispenders and all, you know. Some others just seem to jump boat and pick up on whatever is making them a quick buck. But there's always that. As companies go, this will be a fleeting thing. Probably lasting until the next change in the marketing direction, or until this kind of thing doesn't bring back enough.

Concerning the zine: Since that's an integral part of it, I wonder about the whole get up of this in print? Will this be a high gloss affair like vice? Or will it be printed to look cheap and "edgy"? I guess the print run would be in the high mega thousands, which also kind of speaks against the whole zine sentiment. Sure, underground magazines have made it into the nationwide sales chart at times, but they climed their way up and didn't spam events and stores of all kinds and have yet another outlet to sell ads and stuff. This would probably be better titled as a "Rolling Stone with different graphics."

I'm putting together my own little zine right now and I wanna make the layouts from clippings and with Cut an Paste methods, but what do the Veteran zine makers on the hideout say to this Scion mag? WhatWave Dave? ...I know there are other zines with profiles here, but I'm just to dumb to remember now...

Downloadable PDF format or read it online:

http://www.scionav.com/music/scionzines/index.html#general2,?zineid=51151

It's pretty much what you'd expect. Lots of articles on (or interviews with) the bands they're working with/supporting. It's not that any of it is bad, per se, but this Scion thing is just starting to get really predictable. And the focus seems to all be about the modern, cutting-edge "garage" bands (most of whom would probably like to shy away from that moniker if they could) with very little if any mention of the great garage rock & punk stuff of the past.

Thoughts?

By the way, I sent Christopher Roberts at Vice Records an interview over three months ago asking him a bunch of questions about Vice and Scion and the whole "garage" marketing scheme... he never replied (and I've resent it to him several times). I just reminded him again. Maybe he'll answer it this time, who knows. I guess if he doesn't answer them I could always just post it here and we could make up our own answers. Heh.

Reply by WolfBoy Slim 21 hours ago 

"dont know if the immortal lee county killers are still around, but they did some cool slide stuff

The ILCK packed it in a coupla years back, i got to see them right near the end of their of their career. Completely blew me away and i became a fan for life!!! I saw them when they were a trio with the keyboard player who formed the Black Diamond Heavies, another band that most of you would dig!

The Soft Cannibals an album i recently put out that sorta falls under this!

oh yeah Jim Jones is awesome! we played a show with them in Hollywood and they were awesome!

hey! Thanx for the heads up. Im-a go check 'em out. If we hear of anything cool  we'll post it as well. Its definielty a genre that could  use a little fire under it. Such a great combo Punk and Blues. Makes for some cool interesting music with vibe and  sonic bliss. Hopefully more bands out there will explore and create their own versions of songs or write their own in that vein. know of any  good comps for Punk  Blues that you could recommend?

For me it's a lot harder to find a melody then words, once you get the melody it's just like putting together a puzzle. There are only so many words, if I keep at it, some will eventually fit. Kurt Cobain made up lyrics on the spot and he did ok, lyrics mean nothing, melody, that means everything.

Hell yeah.....I would have added Shake Some Action by the Groovies 2:):):)

Killer play list ...

Murder City Nights #4 - It'll chew you up, spit you out, and leave you begging for more.
Featuring rad shit from the Hip Priests, the Phantom Limbs, Oblivians, Sonic Negroes and more!



SET LIST:

• Li'l Boys Play With Dolls - The Lords of the New Church
• Whips and Spurs - Sonic Negroes
• Bad Attitude - Testors
• What's What - The Riverboat Gamblers
• I Want You So Hard (Boys Bad News) - Eagles Of Death Metal
• Getting Hit On At The Bank - The Briefs
• Kill Someone You Hate - Redd Kross
• League By Herself - Consultants
• Uncontrollable Urge - D.I.
• Pony Dress - The Flesh Eaters
• Hot Knives and Hornets - The Phantom Limbs
• Lexicon Devil - The Germs
• XOX - Hot Snakes
• Born in '69 - Rocket From the Crypt
• Let´s Get Fucked - The Hip Priests
• Feel Free - Cheater Slicks
• Earthshaker, Yeah! - The Revelators
• You Fucked Me Up, You Put Me Down - Oblivians
• School Is for Donkeys - Will Crum
• She Said Yeah - The Rip Offs
• To Find Out - The Keggs
• Thee Most Exalted Potentate of Love - The Cramps
• Teenage Head - The Flamin' Groovies

Is "Garage Beat '66" considered a standard yet? That series and "Back from the Grave" get the best stuff out. 

"Psychedelic States" is hit or miss, and for whatever reason, whenever I find them in a shop, the discs are in really shit quality, even if they're still wrapped.

"Don't Press Your Luck: The In-Sound from Connecticut" and "We're Gonna Change the World!" are my two favorite regionals. I hate to sound like a Sundazed fanboy, but hell, I am. Oh well. 

Oh! "Ft. Worth Teen Scene!" Classics, all!

some i could think if now...

Gravel Comps

Return of the Young Pennsylvanians / Pennsylvania Unknowns

Quagmire Comps

Ikon Story

Texas Flashbacks

GYRO1966 comps!!!!

I(Axel) went 1999, after having seen the video of an earlier one(1994 I think). It was my first trip to the dirty south and that place, at least Local 506, really deserved the name. Tits, beer, booze, sweat and rock'n'roll. I have picture proof of all that. I went alone, all the way from Germany, but made friends fast, esp. Leo from the Cowslingers(who played) and his wife Jen. I was excited to get to see the Woggles finally and Nashville Pussy. Other great bands, which I had never heard of before, were Jack Black(HRW Dave's band), Twin 6(reminded me a lot on Turbonegro) and Helldorado from NYC. It was a great festival and, along with both Heavy Rebel Weekenders I went to(2 & 3), probably the best one I have been to up to this day. It's hard to believe it took place in such a small bar...I had been to Treblefest, Denver, the year before. Great line-up(Hate Bombs, Swingin' Neckbreakers, Fleshtones, Vendettas with sexy Buffy, Quadrajets, Mullens...) but the atmosphere was not nearly as 'hot' as at Sleazefest.

Oh wow! If you could post that vid that would be great! I know there was a documentary on the very first one (it's broken up in parts)...Anything you can dig up (including your other stuff) would be great material for us needy garageheads on here!

Blair said:

BTW, somewhere around here, I have the video from one of the Sleazefests.  I'll have to dig it up again.