I like Steven Van Zandt! And I thought the music in the Soprano's was pretty damn cool!
I'm not going to pass judgment on this new film til I see it.

A movie on the Monks would be brilliant!

Did somebody say there was a doc on The Misunderstood??? What's the name of it?
Would love to give it a watch!

Yea the Seeds would be a great story. I mean with him going nuts and then coming back with an album like it was still 1969!
kopper said:

Hell yeah, the Barbarians. Or, for that matter, the fuckin' SEEDS. And I wouldn't mind seeing something about the Driving Stupid.

Dana V. Hatch said:

Little Steven's involvement will insure the music sucks and the story will probably be bland and nostalgic rather than specific and weird like the stories of real bands like the Monks or my fave story, the Novas, a bunch of teens who sold a quarter million of their first single then fell apart after one of them got caught with a beer. Moulty would be a great subject for a movie too (Barbarian!).They'll get the clothes wrong too, putting the band in mod threads when most of 'em either wore the same duds they wore to school or dorky matching outfits.

Lenny Kaye would have made a better choice as musical consultant. The Elastik Band would be a good choice, Spazz would be a perfect film title.

Hell yeah, the Barbarians. Or, for that matter, the fuckin' SEEDS. And I wouldn't mind seeing something about the Driving Stupid.

Dana V. Hatch said:

Little Steven's involvement will insure the music sucks and the story will probably be bland and nostalgic rather than specific and weird like the stories of real bands like the Monks or my fave story, the Novas, a bunch of teens who sold a quarter million of their first single then fell apart after one of them got caught with a beer. Moulty would be a great subject for a movie too (Barbarian!).They'll get the clothes wrong too, putting the band in mod threads when most of 'em either wore the same duds they wore to school or dorky matching outfits.

Little Steven's involvement will insure the music sucks and the story will probably be bland and nostalgic rather than specific and weird like the stories of real bands like the Monks or my fave story, the Novas, a bunch of teens who sold a quarter million of their first single then fell apart after one of them got caught with a beer. Moulty would be a great subject for a movie too (Barbarian!).They'll get the clothes wrong too, putting the band in mod threads when most of 'em either wore the same duds they wore to school or dorky matching outfits.

One thing is for sure is that when I found out about Little Steven liking Garage music it was weird. I mean the Boss guitarist actually could possibly be kinda cool? No Way! I don't particularly like his music at all but whatever. I do wish they would make a movie about the Sonics or some band like that. Then they would have to deal with all the copyrights and stuff this way they can make all the money and who knows if they get a half ass popular song then they make even more.

Thank you. I think there's a movie there, documentary or docu-drama. Some John Peel tie in, their musical mind meld book, underdogs with big dreams and bad luck. There has to be some kind of love story to tie in, no matter how loose.

The Misunderstood

DammitDave said:

Yeah or that one band with the pschedelic steel guitar...they dodged the draft, went to England, got caught on the ferry between England and France and no one would let them into the country, their music smelled like apples...what was the name of that band? I'm totally drawing a blank! I'll think of it as soon as I hit "Add Reply."

kopper said:

I would actually prefer to see a movie like this about a REAL band, though. How cool would it be to see a movie about the Sonics or the Monks (just as a couple examples)? And do it up right, like the Runaways movie. That's my only gripe about this.

Yeah or that one band with the pschedelic steel guitar...they dodged the draft, went to England, got caught on the ferry between England and France and no one would let them into the country, their music smelled like apples...what was the name of that band? I'm totally drawing a blank! I'll think of it as soon as I hit "Add Reply."

kopper said:

I would actually prefer to see a movie like this about a REAL band, though. How cool would it be to see a movie about the Sonics or the Monks (just as a couple examples)? And do it up right, like the Runaways movie. That's my only gripe about this.

That wouldn't be a bad idea either. BTW, I also really liked "The Runaways."

kopper said:

I would actually prefer to see a movie like this about a REAL band, though. How cool would it be to see a movie about the Sonics or the Monks (just as a couple examples)? And do it up right, like the Runaways movie. That's my only gripe about this.

No, I wasn't trying to bait anyone. I was just curious to know what others thought. And while I liked "That Thing You Do," I would like for this movie to be less family friendly.

ixnayray said:

Going by the title of this thread I thought YOU were pissed off with this report. Yet it turns out you're looking forward to it.

Well I couldn't care less about it personally. I'm sure with David Chase behind it, it has potential to be good. Although why make a film about a fictitious band in the first place? I'm sure there are many real bands with an interesting history?

I did have a feeling you were trying to bait us with the Little Steven thing... but I feel so indifferent about the guy to be honest. The only problem I really have is him calling his show 'Underground Garage' when it seems pretty commercial to me. I enjoyed him very much in The Soprano's though, and I quite like me some Bruce Springsteen [sue me].

As for 'That Thing You Do', well, a family movie about a fictitious band made by Tom Hanks? I'd rather peel skin and dip it in salt as i'm sure it would be a less painful experience.

Speaking of rock-and-roll movies, will we ever get to see MC5 * A True Testimonial?

I would actually prefer to see a movie like this about a REAL band, though. How cool would it be to see a movie about the Sonics or the Monks (just as a couple examples)? And do it up right, like the Runaways movie. That's my only gripe about this.

Going by the title of this thread I thought YOU were pissed off with this report. Yet it turns out you're looking forward to it.

Well I couldn't care less about it personally. I'm sure with David Chase behind it, it has potential to be good. Although why make a film about a fictitious band in the first place? I'm sure there are many real bands with an interesting history?

I did have a feeling you were trying to bait us with the Little Steven thing... but I feel so indifferent about the guy to be honest. The only problem I really have is him calling his show 'Underground Garage' when it seems pretty commercial to me. I enjoyed him very much in The Soprano's though, and I quite like me some Bruce Springsteen [sue me].

As for 'That Thing You Do', well, a family movie about a fictitious band made by Tom Hanks? I'd rather peel skin and dip it in salt as i'm sure it would be a less painful experience.

I really like That Thing You Do. If this is as a good as that it'll be a great movie. I'm going to give it the benefit of the doubt until I see it.

Really gonna try to follow this... sounds eminente! Cheers / TobbA / www.zorchproductions.com

I don't think the issue is using two microphones, it's who is controlling what they're plugged into. I think the OP is bitching about the lack separation in the instruments in some of the music he's heard lately. Meh, deal with it. Personally I couldn't give a shit as long as it's loud and nasty.

Brother Panti-Christ said:

I don't see nothing wrong with bands using two mics to create a Lo-Fi sound.

Fred Cole gave me some advice one time during a discussion about recording, goes something like this... ''You can take a bad song into the best studio with the best engineers and producers, and it's still a bad song. You can take a great song and record it with the worst equipment in the world, and it still sounds like a great song!''

'Un-listenable' sounds like a compliment more than anything.

Great live band for sure, but I think people get so wrapped up in the stage show it clouds their opinion. They are hypnotizing when you watch them, but when you just listen to the music, they still need a little more work. The songwriting needs to improve for them to take the next level. I always waiting for the payoff in the chorus, that's where they fall flat. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy them, but if they want to play for more then 75 people, they need better songs. I'm sure they are huge in Europe, but America needs hooks. I wouldn't be so hard on them, but from the way they market themselves, I think they have a lot of expectations. Then again, I could be full of shit.

I've heard them popping up on a bunch of podcasts lately. The singer's voice is absolutely fearsome. "Elemental" is a pounder.

thanks it s great!

A tale of two cities, London and New York and the birth of punk. Each city created a bastard child that marked the biggest and fundamental shift in popular music since Elvis walked into Sun Studios. ‘Blank Generation’ examines the relationship between the bankrupt New York and the class and race-riven London of the mid- 70’s and explores the music of The Sex Pistols, The Clash, Ramones, Television, Patti Smith, The Damned and Buzzcocks

Click here to watch (I wasn't able to embed it here for some reason).

I liked 'em a bit at first - then I got "Songs we Taught the Detroit Cobras" with all the original versions so now I don't need 'em anymore. Kudos to them for picking great songs to cover though.

Maybe they're better live, I haven't had the opportunity to see them.

As cover bands go I'm much more into the Del Moroccos.

dont git rid of nothin!!!!

The Driving Stupid were just BRILLIANT!!!

A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
October 15, 2010

Once again, The Black Angels deliver a psychedelic whump.

With Phosphene Dream, their third full-length album, these cosmic avengers from deep in the heart of Texas offer a more varied sound than on their previous albums. The songs are shorter too. No 16- or 18-minute sonic odysseys like they had on Directions to See a Ghost and Passover.

Frontman Alex Maas sounds more confident than ever — though he still reminds me somewhat of Jim James of My Morning Jacket.

But make no mistake. As I realized the first time I ever heard The Angels — playing at a Roky Erickson Ice Cream Social during SXSW a couple of years ago — these guys play psychedelic music in the finest sense of the word.

Like Roky’s music, this is not the fairy-fey flower-power fluff that passes for psychedelic in some deluded circles. These angel-headed hipsters play intense, throbbing, hypnotic excursions to inner worlds — true to the song that gave them their name, “The Black Angel’s Death Song” by The Velvet Underground.


Something to ponder: if Erickson wanted to make an album with a young Austin band, he should have done it with The Black Angels, not Okkervil River — as he did on his last album, True Love Cast Out All Evil. That would have been a far more powerful team. (The Angels have backed Erickson in concert. Allegedly, there’s a DVD of that in the works, and you can find videos of live songs on YouTube.)

Back to Phosphene Dream — what we have here indeed is trippy. But not all trips are happy affairs. In fact, some are downright scary. And I believe there used to be a term — “bummer” — to describe chemically induced unpleasantness. The Angels have song titles like “River of Blood” and “Bad Vibrations,” which I guarantee will never be used in a Sunkist commercial. “Drink her last tear/Yeah you die for your dear/Bad vibes around her/She’s eating hearts again,” Maas sings in “Bad Vibrations.”

But no, this record is no bummer by any means. In fact, it makes me happy. Are varied than ever. There’s more attention to melody, some of which is actually catchy. And less shoegazing and more toe-tapping.

“Telephone,” which the Angels recently performed on the Late Show With David Letterman, clocks in at less than two minutes. But it’s a minute and 59 seconds worth of sheer fun — a snazzy little garage rocker with British Invasion overtones.

“Sunday Afternoon” even has a little Texas funk in it. I could easily imagine Hundred Year Flood having a go at this one. “Yellow Elevator #2” starts out with a bass line right out of The Zombies’ “Time of the Season,” and a cheesy keyboard right out of the B-52’s “Rock Lobster” somehow evolves into a Beatles vibe. The end reminds me of “I Want You (She’s So Heavy) — and all this unfolds in less than three minutes.

What is it with The Angels’ strange obsession with snipers? On their first album, Passover, they had a song called “The Sniper at Heaven’s Gate.” Phosphene Dream ends with a disturbingly happy-sounding little number called “The Sniper.”

“Phosphene” refers to seeing lights when your eyelids are closed. Close your eyes and listen to this album. See where the lights lead you..

Also recommended:

* Slovenly Records Sampler 2010 by various artists. Don’t say I never gave ya nothin’. HERE is a link to a free 55-song mp3 sampler of punk, garage, and weird noises from Slovenly Records, a Reno, Nevada, company. The only catch is that you have to sign up for its email list.

Slovenly’s not very well known as a label, and many of the acts on this sampler are not known at all. But scattered among the artists here are several impressive names from many countries.

From Great Britain there’s Billy Childish and his latest band, Musicians of the British Empire. There are Wau y Los Arrrghs!!! and Hollywood Sinners from Spain and King Automatic, the French one-man garage band. And from these United States are Black Lips and Reigning Sound.

Some of my favorite songs are tracks by bands I had never heard of. There’s a version of the Spider-Man theme (from the old cartoon show) by a Spanish band called Los Pataconas.

“Dyn-o-mite” by the now-defunct Ape City R&B, a Washington-state band influenced by the Angry Samoans, among others, is raw snot rock with echoes of long-forgotten ’60s garage groups. Electric Crush from San Antonio plays low-fi psychedelic freakout on “Clock Stands Still.”

Most of the voices you hear on the sampler are male. Among the refreshing exceptions is that of a lady known as “Helene 33” of The Okmoniks, a Tucson band (pictured below.).


Perhaps the catchiest tune here is “Your Love," the offering from Reigning Sound, led by Greg Cartwright, formerly of The Oblivians. If you listen close enough you can hear Motown in this one.

Most ridiculous is The Ridiculous Trio, an instrumental group — trombone, tuba, drums — that specializes in instrumental covers of Stooges songs. Here the threesome does “Down on the Street.” It’s lots of fun, but I don’t think Iggy did it this way.

But don’t take my word for it. Hear it yourself. And if you like rpms better than mp3s, most of these are available from Slovenly on vinyl 45s.

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Here's The Black Angels on Letterman