My wife often accuses me of being an anti-social shut-in who does little more than listen to records and watch the same Family Guy episodes over and over again. That position is clearly not supported by the fact that I am a dynamic go-getter who's always on the move and does more in a week than most cranky 39 year-old fatsos accomplish in a month. In support of my position, I will now relate the events of a typical weekend night in the life of me. Last night was the usual warm evening one expects during the summer in NYC. My wife & I had some friends over for dinner. After we ate, we watched an array of interesting music videos including Korla Pandit, Chuck Berry, Takeshi Terauchi, The Atlantics, Black Diamonds, Antoine and, as previously discussed on this blog, the Move. We had a few drinks & then went off to see some bands. First stop, the Lost & Found Bar in Greenpoint to see Big Fun; a very good all-girl pop punk outfit from Brooklyn. We had high hopes for the Lost & Found Bar. It offers free hot dogs with every drink order...hmmm...interesting. It has a Simpsons pinball machine and live bands with no cover charge. A winning combination if ever there was one. But, after last night, all I can say is shame on the Lost & Found Bar. First, there's a full bar but the bar service sucks. My wife ordered a Tom Collins. Sure, it's a blast from the past and not the most common mixed drink in today's Appletini world but it's not the most obscure or difficult cocktail either. The hipster douchebag behind the bar did not know how to make a Tom Collins and instead of being honest and admitting so, he made some bizarre concoction more akin to a glass of piss and tried to pass it off. It was downright nasty and when my wife returned it, he admitted he didn't know how to make a Tom Collins and gave her a bottle of beer in its stead (he should stick to simply opening bottles - it does require a bit more skill than he probably possesses but at least there's no recipe to follow so more often than not he'll get it right). Second, the sound system at Lost & Found sucks ass. The band sounded miserable but it was not their fault. I have seen Big Fun before and have their very solid 7" single, so I know what they're capable of sounding like. The PA at Lost & Found did them a great injustice, as you could not hear the bass or the lead vocal and the guitar sound was weak and thin. Though there is a stage there, the band had to set up on the floor in front of it. No big deal but it did make me wonder why the stage wasn't utilized for the live bands. Big Fun performed admirably despite the handicap of being in the middle of Lost & Found's abysmal accomodations. Bottom line: Big Fun good - Lost & Found lame. About midnight we hopped back in the car and drove out to the Far Rockaways to see Simon & The Bar Sinisters at the Tap & Grill on Rockaway Beach Blvd. Simon Chardiet is a virtuoso guitarist who has played and recorded with many greats. He's a rock-n-roller in the most basic sense, but he's a truly diverse rocker equally adept playing surf, rock-a-billy (yes, this also means psycho-billy), traditional blues, three-chord garage-style punk, etc. For whatever reason, he's been overlooked and never received a whole lot of attention for his talents. I first saw him in 1989 at the Nightingale Lounge on 2nd Ave in Manhattan. He was great then and even better now. We missed most of the set but saw enough to get excited about. An interesting crowd of locals and the omnipresent Bobcat, who is at every show I go to these days, seemed to appreciate the set as much as I did. How did the bartender at the Tap & Grill fare you wonder? He pours a mean Guinness sans pretense. Bottom line: Simon & the Bar Sinisters great - Tap & Grill great.
I recently came into possession of a bunch of Krautrock videos & live performances on DVDR. I regularly trade music DVDR's with people around the globe. Europe tends to be the most fruitful territory and that's the origin of a six disc Krautrock collection (more than nine hours!) I got a few months back, which still has me reeling. So many great bands are included: Amon Duul II, Can, Frumpy, Lucifer's Friend, Ton Steine Scherben, Achim Reichel, Floh De Cologne, Guru Guru, Tiger B. Smith ... the list goes on (unfortunately no Faust - bummer). I had seen almost none of this stuff before & I have been collecting music video for many years. One of my favorites from this lot is a live Kraftwerk performance of "Ruckzuck" from 1970. The shots of the audience members in black turtlenecks smoking cigarettes while nodding their heads to the trance inducing sounds is amazing. The band, just a 3 piece here, is phenomenal. If you are only familiar with the late 70's early 80's Kraftwerk records you might be surprised by the loose, organic and improvisational feel of early Kraftwerk. That is not to say that they were strictly an improvisational band early on, but they certainly did not have the systematic and mechanical style they were later famous for. I cannot recommend the early Kraftwerk enough. It's years ahead of its time and still sounds fresh and relevant today, as does much of the Krautrock stuff on these discs. There is also the pre-Kraftwerk band Organisation doing a version of "Ruckzuck" included amongst the videos. Organisation looks like the quintessential hippie band, bongos and all. Seeing Florian with his freak flag flying high while tooting away on his flute is something to behold. I don't have the Organisation record but I see that there is a re-issue of it available, so maybe soon I'll be doing a post about that record. Too bad that the Krautrock DVDR comps are not available commercially, because it's all great. If you are interested in getting your mitts on the Krautrock discs you can try here: Jolly Roger Trading Post. I've provided an mp3 of "Ruckzuck" from Kraftwerk 1 (1970) for your appreciation and listening enjoyment.
KRAFTWERK - Ruckzuck
Just got my hands on this little gem today. Not the most obscure single on the planet but that doesn't mean that it's not great and not worth a post on the Supernaut blog. This particular pressing is German with a nifty pic sleeve. Front man Roy Wood took great pride in his always interesting approach to fashion and he is in prime late 60's mustachioed form on the sleeve (the handsome man on the right). "Blackberry Way" was released in December 1968 and went to number one in the U.K. The song is reminiscent of the Beatles' "Penny Lane" with a much darker feel and theme. The Move is a band that I really didn't dig the first so many times I heard them. But once I developed an ear for 'em, I started to understand their appeal and they became quite addictive. "Blackberry Way" epitomizes the vocal style that makes the Move and the psychedelic tinge of the over-all production is wicked. I'm hardly an expert on the Move (or anything else I spew about) and am not in a position to give a full or even accurate history. But I do know this, they were formed in Birmingham, England in 1966 by founding members Roy Wood (voc/gtr) & Bev Bevan (drums). They never "made it" in the U.S. They had a freak-beat/psych period in the late 60's and became more of a heavy rock band in the early 70's. Jeff Lynne joined somewhere along the way and the Move morphed into ELO. Roy Wood left ELO and formed the uber glam rock band, Wizzard. The Move had some really amazingly heavy rock songs on the 1970 release "Looking On." The two stand-out numbers for me are "When Alice Comes Back To The Farm" and "Brontosaurus." Those songs are total stoner rock with a twist of mod. Awesome. In 1983 I saw Bev Bevan drum for Black Sabbath on the "Born Again" tour. I remember saying, "Who's that dork with the afro on drums?" I hope Bev Bevan can forgive me, as I now know that I am the dork. In celebration of my obtaining this single, everyone should have a listen.
The MOVE - Blackberry Way
This past Sunday my wife & I were in New Jersey for a family function. It was nice and all that but after a day of niceness we needed to be reminded that we were actually alive. We needed to see our rock-n-roll doctor. We needed to be blown away. The Hunchback and Ergs! show in New Brunswick seemed like the perfect prescription. We know (and love) Hunchback and have seen them many times. Each time they've been better than the time before. We'd heard much about the Ergs! but hadn't seen them yet. It seemed like the thing to do so we hopped in our car and sped off to New Brunswick. We arrived fashionably late and, as a result, missed the Measure, Ghost Town Trio and Delay. I'm sure they pleased the crowd, as it was a full house and the smell of those sweaty young men packed in like sardines was enough to make you sick or giddy - depending on which team you play for. The show was in some sorta yoga facility with that earth-loving hippie ethic, which really shouldn't be coupled with punk rock. But what the hell do I know. Hunchback were great as always. They're a together band and there's something unique about each song. Influences can be heard but there's inevitably some element about each song that is distinct and sets the band aside from its peers. Sometimes it's the harmonica, sometimes it's the keyboards, sometimes it's a guitar riff, sometimes it's simply the fact that each band member will take the lead vocal spot. It all works well for Hunchback. Mike Hunchback is a fantastic guitarist. He has a great sound and a multidimensional approach to his playing that adds to the individual sound that the band has. I was really ready to leave after the Hunchback set. The room was hot as hell and the all-ages crowd was chock full of pimply kids with spotty, pubic hair beards and smarmy tee-shirts. I did over-hear some interesting conversations though. Perhaps the best was this gem, "...my friend really likes big boobs but not when they're pushed together because then they look like an ass." When such pithy conversation abounds I am usually amused to no end but it had been a long day. We decided to stay, as we really wanted to see the much talked about Ergs! Well, they are a really good band - fast, tight and they really got the crowd going. The songs are simple with a pop element that is easy to digest. That being said, I didn't care for 'em. There was a kiddie punk / shopping mall aspect that I just couldn't get past. It was too much like nice, clean fun without the down and dirty danger factor that raises concern in parents. It was still a worthwhile show. It was the cure that the doctor ordered. I'm glad I got to see the bands on their home field. Almost all the shows I see are here in NYC so seeing different, unfamiliar surroundings and faces was a treat. This was the first in a series of all ages shows at this venue (Yoga Vayu, 354 George Street, New Brunswick, NJ). Hunchback will be playing there again July 15.