Today, its Kay Martin "I Know What You Want for Christmas"With lyrics like - "It won't be a surprise, it should be a delight, its the same one you played with last Saturday night" - the suggestiveness is off the charts.
But...is it really what we think it is? Get your mind outta the gutter!
On April 1st, 2014, Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose was published. Co-written off of a teenage girl's diary by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, this book is a slimmed down version of a troubled girl's diary, a girl that was lonely, alcoholic, and a girl that died too young. It's sort of Go Ask Alice, but true. Like for real true. I haven't read it yet but I can't wait to.
Recently, Legs and Gillain appeared on Howie Pyro's podcast Intoxica Radio. It's a really great talk between the three and the music of course is badassery at its best. (Including the brand new Miriam Linna record - WOWIE! Can't wait to get that one and all it's total girl group glory.)
Go ahead and listen to this show. See you in two hours...
So if you listened to that, you are probably really curious about the movie Go Ask Alice. Well, I was at least. This aired on TV years before I was born, I didn't even know it was a movie. I have a mildewed copy of Go Ask Alice in my basement, but I heard it was a fake halfway through reading it and I gave up and moved on to music and biographies. Anyway, of course the movie is on YouTube in it's entirety, bless their hearts, so here you go. Yes, it's totally worth watching. And isn't that Any Griffith?
People ask me what I have been up to...I usually say working, because it's totally true. But since I claim to be "Rock and roll DJ" I truly believe that trying going to as many shows as as possible is part of my job, and fall is always great because there are so many bands touring the prime months of September-December. The spring tour time is nice too, but something about the fall air and crispy midwest leaves makes for my idea of perfect rock and roll weather.
First up, Tuesday September 23rd
King Kahn and BBQ - now known as BAD NEWS BOYS, but contractually obligated to stick to KK & BBQ for the duration of this fall tour. I saw them in Nashville last year and am looking forward to seeing them again for sure.
And by "looking forward" I really mean that I can't stress enough how much I love the music they make together, its just so raw and, as Mirima Linna once put it, it's "no bullshit rock and roll." Of course, they had been playing together for many years before becoming known as King Kahn and BBQ.
Here they are in the earliest incarnation, The Spaceshits.
King Kahn and BBQ Show - Fishfight 2004
As much as they rock, they are in fact opening for The Black Lips at that show. I have not seen them live before, despite their audacious and relentless touring schedule. They did actually play in Louisville, at some outdoor festival, and at like 2 in the afternoon, so I am looking forward to catching them after the sun has set and with cheaper bourbon available...much more appropriate.
Closer to Halloween, the good folks at Burger Records are sending a few rockers our Kentucky way. Once again at the Southgate House Revival, a small slew of bands including The Coathangers and AJ Davila & Terror Amor are playing one hell of a Saturday night show.
"Don't Touch My Shit" 2014
"Follow Me" 2014
I saw The Coathangers from Atlanta in Memphis last year, opening for Guitar Wolf. It was awesome.
And 3 years later, almost to the date, from when I saw Davila 666 in Lexington, I will see AJ Davila and Terror Amor, featuring a couple members of the now broken up garage punk princes 666, AJ and crew deliver more catchy garage pop riffs to suit any need.
2014
together PANGEA was one I was unfamiliar with, so I did the YouTube thing and they seem cool too.
"Offer" 2014
Also part of the Burger Records Caravan of Stars tour is a show in Nashville at Exit/In on November 5th, featuring Natural Child, together PANGEA, Denney and the Jets, Mozes and the Firstborn and once again AJ Davila and Terror Amor.
We all remember Natural Child.
"Crack Mountain" 2011
Their newest record really demonstrates their awesomeness in a
much greater caliber and easily put out one of the best rock and roll
records of the year when they put out DANCIN WITH WOLVES back in February.
Some shows closer to home include one of ROCK SEXY and BOTB's favorite bands out there right now BRONCHO at Zanzabar September 9th, supporting their new record "Just Enough Hip to Be Woman" and JEFF the Brotherhood returning on October 21st to Zanzabar (my ankle still hasn't healed from that night of partying the last time they were in Louisville) along with DIARRHEA PLANET whom I am stoked to see for the first time.
October 4th, power pop super cuties SHERBERT will play the bar I work at now The Cure Lounge, which is totally awesome. I will post more about that show as details are confirmed.
And my friends James and the Ultrasounds from Memphis are supposedly coming back to the Ville, but he hasn't responded to my message so I am not sure when yet.
So yeah, there's my fall.
It'll come and pass quickly, as each day life gets better and better but also time goes faster and faster. Perhaps you'll join on this rock and roll journey? Let's party.
And don't forget, we are all in this together. We are stronger together. Let's get together.
As much as I try to keep up with the times, there are a lot of avenues to take when looking for new music, and where there are a lot of avenues to take, there are also a lot to miss. Often I find out about an awesome band only to learn they played in Covington or Nashville or Indianapolis a year before, then I have to wait around until said band decides to trod along middle America once more.
Well, I was able to come across the name Fat White Family in an email from Pleasekillme.com and as it turns out, I do not think they have played anywhere near me yet. In an album review for another new band, FWF was mentioned as the only good band out there right now. I am thankfully not quite that cynical (yet), but the writer's praise of FWF was convincing enough to lead me over to YouTube. And there was this wonderfully shot, terrific sounding video of one of their performances at SXSW from this past March.
A few minutes into this live show footage had me convinced so I listened to everything on their Bandcamp page. Fat White Family BANDCAMP
Then there is this song on their limited edition 7inch of the same name on Hate Hate Hate Records that came out this past March. There were only 750 available.
You should seriously have listened to that track. If you didn't go, back and listen.
And the video is fucking weird, and great, if you can handle a little bit of butt.
As always I am excited to hear something new and awesome!
Please email me at blytheoftheball@gmail.com if you have any band/music info to share with me!
Rock and Roll Radio - Ramones
Bongo Beatin' Beatnik - Joe Hall and the Corvettes
Killer Diller - Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds
They Live By Night - Makeup
Obsesiano - Davila 666
Shut Up - The Monks
Bored in the City - Tweens
Can't Get Past the Lips -Broncho
Ghost Power - Cords
Adderall - The Coathangers
Keep On Knocking - Death
Heading for Texas Border Line - Flaming Groovies
Hang a Picture - Thee Oh Sees
My Surfing Lucifer - Crocidiles
Giggy Smile - Faust
Bored - Destroy All Monsters - Asheton, Niagara
Jesus Was My Only Friend - Gas Huffer
Send Me a Postcard - Shocking Blue
Knights of Baskerville - Thee Headcoats
Up in the Sun - Meatpuppets
Don't Sweat It - Ween
Push to Eagle Stomach - Man Man
Spider Cider - Man Man
Earth Blues - Thee Hypnotics
Kill Your Idols - Sonic Youth
And the Cradle Will Rock - Van Halen
Goat Lord - Goat
Unknown Mortal Orchestra
Alter Ego - Tame Impala
Some Velvet Morning - Lee and Nancy
Sun Structures - Temples
I'm a Baby - Acid Baby Jesus
Falling in Love - Buzzcocks
Do it Again - Steely Dan
Homecoming Queen - Julie Brown
Everything She Wants - WHAM!
Love Buzz - Shocking Blue
Baby I Love You - Ramones -
Ian Svenonius is one of my favorite musicians. Over the years, I always have enjoyed his many incarnations...Nation of Ulysses, the Makeup, Weird War, Scene Creamers, Chain and the Gang, Felt Letters, and more that I am either forgetting or don't even know about.
I was first introduced to the Makeup from the 1999 record Save Yourself.
He also is also involved in other projects.
Another one of those projects is writing books. In 2006, he published The Psychic Soviet, a collection of essays. I have not gotten around to reading that one yet. In 2013, he published Supernatural Strategies for Making a Rock and Roll Group and the title alone made me purchase it immediately.
As luck would have it, shortly after, Mr. Sevenonius went on a small tour, in which he talked about his new book, and then would later perform at a nighttime venue in the same city.
I was able to catch him in Lexington.
He signed my book.
I went back to Louisville after the book reading so that I could do my show ROCK SEXY, but the encounter made me think of my encounter with him in Louisville several years before.
In 2009, he performed in
Louisville at Skull Alley with his band Chain and the Gang. They were cool. I had not yet heard of this project and didn't realize it was Ian Svenonius and when I overheard one of my friends saying "the guy from the Makeup" and I interjected-"You mean Ian Svenonuis is here?" After the show, I talked to
him and me and a few of my friends were trying to get him
to come party at my house. He never did, but he did call us to let me know
that they were leaving town and he couldn't come hang out. My boyfriend at the time made me delete Ian's phone number out of my contacts list after that.
Anyway, as far as the book goes, it's an account of a seance Ian, a medium and friends performed, in which they communicate with rock and roll performers-dead and alive-through various means, including using wet spaghetti to spell out letters on a wall. Some of the spirits did use their voice, and at his book talk, he played those voices he recorded on one of those this little old school hand held cassette tape players. It just sounded like fuzz to the normal human ear but the medium was able to decipher the advice and philosophies being shared by the spirits. Which lead to the second portion of the book, an actual manual on starting a rock and roll group, from the mouths of those who have been in rock and roll groups, transcribed by the medium and Ian and the other participants in the seance. Where else could you get better advice?
I highly recommend this book, whether or not you are starting a rock and roll group because if you are not planning on starting a rock and roll group, this book will not change your mind, and if you are already in a rock and roll group or in the stages of planning one, this book offers some things to think about as you attempt to conquer the music industry. Of course, as Ian Svenonius puts it, this book is an "indispensable guide" for anyone trying to create a rock and roll group.
Stay tuned for the next Rock and Roll Book Club entry...Sweet Soul Music by Peter Guralnick.
This past April I celebrated the one year anniversary of my internet radio show ROCK SEXY. The radio station it is on ARTxFM.com also reached the landmark of broadcasting a live stream 24/7 for one year, as we await our FM license.
( I can't wait to help plan a party for when we land our FM license!)
I brought my camera and took a few pictures early in the night.
Fellow ARTxFM DJs (from left to right) Sean, Kara, Michael, and Sharon (el Presidente)
My friends Kelli and Jaxon (host of PARTY PANTS USA) played some records with me.
Surprisingly this is all the equipment you need to broadcast live over the internet.
