Paging Dave Kendall (or more likely, Lewis Largent)... it's a PURLING HISS music video

Here's a nice hazy vid that the Sunday post-midnight crowd should appreciate. It's a tune called "Passenger Queen" by PURLING HISS and it's from the album titled Hissteria.

It was put together by Jake Fennell in southern California.

Rare BWY gig in Cleve-o

Hey take a look at this hideous flyer. It announces the record release gig at Now That's Class in Cleveland for The Trilogy by BRAINWASHED YOUTH. Anyone wanting a copy of the record should show up, as the damn thing is just about sold out. Also on the bill: FOLDED SHIRT and FLYIN' TRICHECOS. And it says that all the bands are required to wear white pants, for some reason. Hopefully that'll distinguish the performers from their grubby audience.

Autumnal Round-Up

Well look, sometimes it can get so I can't check in at this weblog with the frequency that I'd like and that my readers demand. Sometimes there's just too much livin' to do. My hands get full of guitars and pint glasses and sometimes a pigskin and the keyboard gets neglected. And my precious and fickle readers feel scorned and they need to find somewhere else to direct their eyes. Well, fret no longer. Here's a quick entry that'll eat up a few minutes of your day and send your browser across cyberspace.

First of all, the HOMOSTUPIDS proved that world that an audio cassette doesn't have to just some stupid little spineless piss-take project in 2010. Turns out that, for the man or woman on the go, it's an essential medium for jamming the finest tunes available. A lot of automobiles once came standard with tape decks, and a good number of those are still on the road. A very lucky few of those have the pleasure of holding the 'Stupids Great Music Collection (companion to last year's Our Best Shit cassette) in its grips. It features a couple radio ads in the great Flag tradition and it's got some terrifying and raging tunes that are just too much to keep confined to a home stereo. "Doper"? "Flies Die"? The BB King inflected "Mister Payback"? These tunes are essential listening in this world. "Taping the Worm"? "Brown Items"? Those kick much ass as well. And you get the 'Stupids take on GG's "Live to Be Hated" as well. Two Goddamn Times in a row!! It's a thoroughly solid listen on a drive to work, to the beach, to the slopes, to the bar, to the dentist, or to wherever one might drive. Look for a copy at Fan Death Records. And yeah, I realize that an mp3 player can funnel music into an automobile, but it's such a hassle and then you end up skipping around like a guy with a satellite dish and a remote control...

Speaking of FDR, keep those eyes peeled for the vinyl release of CLOCKCLEANER's Nevermind. This album was recorded in about 2004 and it was originally released only on compact disc (because "People. Do not. Purchase. Vinyl") by an archetypal speciman who worships the devil and is rumored to keep a coffin (in which he intends to rest eternally!) in his living room. For extra cash he models black jeans, black t-shirts, black nail polish, and a black goatee. He also sells weak drugs to weak people. But yeah, the record is being committed to wax... In more timely news, check out FDR figurehead Sean Gray's weekly music and sports themed radio broadcast Get Up and Fight on Mondays from 7-9pm on WMUC2. Recent broadcasts have included discussions of Donovon McNabb, YDI, Ray Lewis, and Violent Apathy.

Currently zigging and zagging across the US, Perth, Australia's TACO LEG are out there holding their heads even higher than they did when we last checked in. Great combo of thrown-off guitars and monotone, upfront blurting; charm and grit all wrapped up in 3 baby-faced mates. A buddy observed that, unlike a lot of modern groups that get rolled up in the Messthetics rug, Taco Leg isn't afraid to stand their singer up front on stage and in the mix. I'd agree. Andrew is up there flailing around in the long shadow of that guy Mark Smith. Definitely worth a night out for even the most hardened and uninterested music fan.

Here's a nice surprise: A great new LP of electric guitar-based droning, vamping, and licking came through. It's titled Eyewash Silver by KING BLOOD and it's on the Ignorant Gore label. Some seemingly eastern squeals jump out from this one, and the bass and drums (maybe just one drum, certainly a cymbal) throb along to maintain head nodding. Looks to be limited. Nice listen if you can get it.

Everyone ought to know that good friend of the label KURT VILE has a new single. Its a nice maudlin offering called In My Time. It's a classy affair and the flip has some nice canned drums that bring me back to the pre-Zanghi days. This may or may not be a sign of things to come, though all reports lead me to believe that the next big KV record will have some big sounds, big guitars, big drums, and all around big things. All these pieces are building up to reveal the man beneath it all. Relatedly, WAR ON DRUGS, the work of the longest-tenured VIOLATOR (or maybe KV is the 2nd longest-tenured War on Drugs?) recently issued a tidy twelve inch of new tunes. The title is Future Weather and it's got swells, swagger, and Springsteen-moves. The propulsive drumming sounds familar... turns out Violator Zanghi shows up here as well.

Goddamn... Mike "Dizzy" Polizze took a month of from his buds in BIRDS OF MAYA to take a trip with PURLING HISS. Our man wouldn't even give a glimpse of his live outfit until he had already showed it to about 30 other cities. PH was opening for the Violators, and those guys report that it was a hell of a privilege to watch the thing gel before their eyes and in their ears night after night. "Don't diss the Hiss!" became the mantra of this crew. And so these unkempt tossers pulled back into port something fierce...

RIP

It's a topsy-turvy world, and maybe the problems of two people don't amount to a hill of beans. But this is our hill. And these are our beans!

Dec 1 in Phila

BRAINWASHED YOUTH The Trilogy

BRAINWASHED YOUTH
The Trilogy
RR//TT#28

Fucking finally. I just about dug out the grooves from the debut BRAINWASHED YOUTH single a few years ago. It was a boneheaded statement of defiance and thuggery. That one was called Life of Crime. They might as well have called it Hooligans with Guitars. This one is called The Trilogy. It starts off with an outtake from the Bonham solo in "Moby Dick" and then it kicks into some furious punk rock / oi! music that's thoroughly indebted to the Crown, the Union Jack, and all the mugs in England. It’s all courtesy of some infamous blockheads who have surfaced in groups like the Inmates, H-100s, Wolfdowners, and even Integrity.

Prices...

$7 ppd to the USA
$10 ppd to Canada/Mexico
$12 ppd to the rest of the World

Paypal to TestosterTunes AT gmail

Please allow 3 weeks for delivery or order from a reputable store or mailorder house.

Checking in with PURLING HISS

photo courtesy of Henry Owings

How the shit is it going out there?

Yo! It's great we’re driving through the desert. We just went through a border patrol and saw the Violators pulled over. Hope it's ok.

You went to Mexico?

Ha ha no there is border patrol everywhere.

Is that just what you call regular cops? Or are you in Texas?

It was border patrol, I promise. We got stopped in CA and AZ.

Yeah that's cool. Did you see a Taco Loco yet?

Not yet. I saw El Pollo Loco. And Sneer’s fav, Del Taco.

Del Taco is pretty good. Ever seen a Taco Lou?

Na haven’t seen one. We ate at a In n’ Out Burger last night though.

I respect In n' Out. No-nonsense streamlined menu.
But Taco Loco will blow your mind, man. Tecate, margaritas, and a salsa bar.

Sounds awesome man. How’s everything back home?

Phila is fine. Hasn’t gotten very cold yet.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Check PURLING HISS at an upcoming live gig...

Wed-Nov-17 San Antonio, TX The Korova
Thu-Nov-18 Austin, TX Emo’s
Fri-Nov-19 Dallas, TX Club Dada
Sat-Nov-20 Little Rock, AR Whitewater Tavern
Sun-Nov-21 Memphis, TN Hi Tone

Thu-Nov-23 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
Wed-Nov-24 Washington, DC Black Cat (backstage)
Fri-Nov-26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brendas
Fri-Dec-03 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory

Fri-Dec-17 Brooklyn, NY Death By Audio

Sub-Mission

Event Announcement

December 1, 2010

@ Kong Fu Necktie

in Philadelphia

BIRDS OF MAYA

WATERY LOVE

TACO LEG

w/ SELECTORS SULLY

& TONY RETTMAN

HISSTOURIA: Purling Hiss Hits The Highway

Tied for first (with Birds of Maya) for the absolute greatest hi-energy psych/sleaze outfit that this earth has ever witnessed, PURLING HISS ships off for 5 weeks across these United States. You'd have to be a lobotomized meathead to miss this one...

Tue-Oct-19 Charlottesville, VA Twisted Branch Tea Bazaar
Wed-Oct-20 Chapel Hill, NC Local 506
Thu-Oct-21 Atlanta, GA The Earl
Fri-Oct-22 Birmingham, AL The Nick
Sat-Oct-23 Nashville, TN Mercy Lounge
Sun Oct-24 Cleveland OH @ NOW THATS CLASS
Mon-Oct-25 Toledo, OH Mickey Finn
Tue-Oct-26 Covington, OH Mad Hatters
Wed-Oct-27 Columbus, OH Skully’s
Thu-Oct-28 Ann Arbor, MI Blind Pig
Fri-Oct-29 Indianapolis, IN White Rabbit Cabaret
Sat-Oct-30 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Sun-Oct-31 Chicago INSTORE @ PERMANENT RECORDS
Sun-Oct-31 Chicago, IL Empty Bottle
Mon-Nov-01 Minneapolis, MN Triple Rock
Thu-Nov-04 Seattle, WA Neumos
Sat-Nov-06 Portland, OR Berbatis Pan
Tue-Nov-09 San Francisco, CA Rickshaw Stop
Thu-Nov-11 Los Angeles, CA Echoplex
Sat-Nov-13 San Diego, CA Casbah
Sun-Nov-14 Pheonix, AZ Trunk Space
Wed-Nov-17 San Antonio, TX The Korova
Thu-Nov-18 Austin, TX Emo’s
Fri-Nov-19 Dallas, TX Club Dada
Sat-Nov-20 Little Rock, AR Whitewater Tavern
Sun-Nov-21 Memphis, TN Hi Tone

Thu-Nov-23 Raleigh, NC Kings Barcade
Wed-Nov-24 Washington, DC Black Cat (backstage)
Fri-Nov-26 Philadelphia, PA Johnny Brendas
Fri-Dec-03 Brooklyn, NY Knitting Factory

Most dates w/ KURT VILE & THE VIOLATORS. No KV at the Cleveland date though. However, there's going to be a british comedy marathon immediately preceding the gig that day. And here's a photo of a Violator...

The Night Train

Yo check it out. It's former Heavyweight Champ SONNY LISTON and he enjoys the music of James Brown just as much as the rest of us do.

WATERSPORTS in Philadelphia on Friday

Attention Mid-Atlantic Readers. Everyone is invited to come watch WATERSPORTS, a self-described new-age music group featuring members of BLUES CONTROL, perform at the Latvian Society in Philadelphia on Friday October 15 at 8pm. The Latvian Society stands proudly at 531 N 7th Street. This event is worth attending if only for the rare privilege of knocking 'em back at one of the most pleasant and tasteful bars in town. Also on the bill, WATERY LOVE member Meg Baird and an act called Colossal Yes.

note: Due to some errant keystrokes, the layout of this weblog has taken a turn for the worse.

it means 'good-bye' auf deutsch

me: Yo did you hear that that Auf Wiedersehn record is out?

4:49 PM Karen: yo

ya i heard the album was coing out

*coming

4:50 PM but i thought the real release date was next weekend

me: maybe it is

Karen: shows what i know

me: what the hell do i know

We'll make sure you get some copies

4:51 PM Karen: sweet

4:52 PM will you be in baltimore in a few weeks for sharkey's show maybe?

me: no

How's ol' dixie treatin ya?

Karen: it's good here. i like it lots. i can't complain.

Check your trusted sources to cop a copy. If that don't work, click over here.

enough loungin' at the barbecues, drinkin' brews... time to catch up with the mild media blitz

As previously mentioned, this web presence has been suspiciously silent. Please don't mistake a lack of communication for a period of inactivity. Things have been busy as ever around here. There's been live music gigs, catastrophic weather conditions, beer guzzling weekends, quarterback controversies, arm wrestling tournaments, LFL matches, and a pennant race to hold one's attention. Clearly, it's been difficult to find the time and attention to hunt and peck transmissions to the faithful readers and TestosterFans out there.

Thankfully, a handful of competing media outlets have been intelligent enough to know a good story when they see one.

Take a peak at the interview that WBSTYN author Tony Rettman was able to pry from the famously coy members of BIRDS OF MAYA.

PURLING HISS got a nod from the PW over here. Everybody already knows that Hissteria needs to get crammed into each and every record collection, but not quite everyone knows about HISSTOURIA. It'll be an exhaustive and exhausting trip through the US. Check back for dates and get in touch if you'd like this tour to wrap through your town. Particularly if you live in Pacific Northwest or California.

Most of those PH dates will be with KURT VILE & his world-class VIOLATORS. The Granduciel/Zeng/Trbovich lineup has cleared their plates and the continental US is in for a treat. Peak dates here.

WATERY LOVE was featured on the YellowGreenRed website over here and they'll soon be given the full treatment as the grace the cover of a yet to be published print magazine called Put The Music In Its Coffin. Some of you might like to know that WL will be playing with TACO LEG (Perth) in Philadelphia on Dec 1.

The drive-time staple, MUSIC FOR YOUR METHLAB, came to a careful and calculated halt recently. Read the story right here. And if you had failed to request a complementary copy of the 'Best of the Methlab' compact disc? You're out of luck.

And the Richie Records // TestosterTunes label itself is the subject of a recent feature at the Terminal Boredom web magazine. This one is possibly worth a cursory skim.

NL EAST CHAMPS

4 years running. Party Addiction. More to come. Go Phils.

It was fun, but it's gonna get a whole lot funner

Ladies and mostly Gentlemen.... PURLING HISS

PURLING HISS
Hissteria
RR//TT#27

Well it’s finally here. It’s the new LP by PURLING HISS and it’s called Hissteria. It’s two sides of hi-energy psychedelic punk rock & roll that manages to weld Funhouse‘s dialed-in sleaze rhythms to the hungover excess of Hendrix at Woodstock. Or Ginn at Polliwog Park. It’s full of clanging cymbals, howling vocals, fretboard heroics, and menacing vibes.
Purling Hiss is the work of a well-mannered longhair named Mike Polizze, who is best known for his reckless shredding as the guitar player for Philadelphia’s BIRDS OF MAYA. Hissteria is a suitable soundtrack for zonked drives across the dead highways of the USA. Or for predawn paranoid sessions as you pace back and forth in the kitchen trying figure out just what the hell you’re going to do, man.
Or just crank it real loud when the party gets strange. Some people will love it and the rest of them can just go somewhere else and go fuck themselves.

This record is on its way now to your favorite stores and mailorder houses. Those needing to get it direct may paypal at will to TestosterTunes@gmail.com. Please allow up to 3 weeks for delivery. Maybe longer if you live outside the U.S.

U.S. - $15 postpaid

Canada - $18

The Rest of the World - $25

And does anyone want a copy of Regulation by BIRDS OF MAYA W/ HARMONICA DAN? Well, there's some leftover. Add $5 to your order and you'll get one.

A Digital Photograph

END OF SUMMER OVERDUE UPDATE

Hey everyone, thanks for checking in. Hasn't been a whole lot of activity on this web space lately. That's because there hasn't been much to report. That all seems to be changing as a miserable summer winds down to make room for a shitty autumn. The incoming cool air is thick with inspiration and big amps are going to start buzzing anew.

Anyone visiting the Borscht Belt this weekend should check KURT VILE AND THE VIOLATORS at the All Tomorrow's Parties Music Festival.

Those in a NY state of mind should go check BIRDS OF MAYA for a rare trip up I-95 to bring their greazy circus to the Music Hall of Williamsburg on Monday September 6.

On Monday September 20, all of Philadelphia will be attending the Home Blitz gig at a place called the Ox. Australians Total Control and UV Race are also on the bill. Likewise, the Lehigh Valley's Pissed Jeans are playing.

Keep your eyes peeled for new records coming out soon by Philadelphia's PURLING HISS. Richie Records // TestosterTunes #27 will be a real banger called Hissteria.

Soon after... a single by BRAINWASHED YOUTH called The Trilogy. More on that later.

And on a bittersweet note, Philadelphia's finest two-hour weekly radio broadcast, MUSIC FOR YOUR METHLAB, is packing up its signal and going home. People with jobs have been fortunate to hear a fine mix of timeless tunes, sporting interests, weather reports, and tastefully little whacky banter during Thursday morning's commute for the past four years. We're all gonna miss it. Drive time won't be same. The next few week's should prove to be must-listen radio. So tune in for giveaways, songs by the Dicks, and a very special appearance from The Monthly Visitor.

It's all at 91.7 FM WKDU or online over here at wkdu.org. And take a peak here as well.

Philadelphia Event, Friday August 27

details over here.

More t-shirts...

Hey here's a photo of Dizzy modeling a t-shirt and playing guitar at the same time. T-shirts are available in black and in gray. Please specify what size you require and please paypal the appropriate amount according to geography.

Thanks.

To USA : $17

To Canada/Mexico : $19

To the rest of the world : $27

Paypal to TestosterTunes at Gmail

photo by Tiffany Yoon

"I think they got a bobble-head coming out tomorrow"

Remarkable Insights

HOME BLITZ in the MIDWEST HOT SUMMER 2010

photo by Tiffany Yoon

7:09 PM me: Yo thanks for sending over the dates, I'm sure that my midwest readers will flip

Daniel: no prob

some of them are a bit vague

7:10 PM but I will send you all the details when I have them

I have to go see Sex & The City 2

me: who's the lucky lady?

Daniel: who said anything about a lady?

7:11 PM me: why are you going to see that movie?

Daniel: my friend wants to

I'll tell you all about it

they go to Dubai

me: well i heard that they have a fabulous time in an exotic locale

listen man have fun

7:12 PM i'll have to tell you about my popcorn trick sometime

it never fails

Daniel: I know it

I'll save it for next time

PEACE

July 17th - Buffalo, NY
@The Mile High Clubhouse

July 18th - Cleveland, OH
apartment above Now That's Class. Whoa.

July 19th - Toledo, OH
@Woodchuck's

July 20th - Chicago, IL
@Box Social

w/ Mickey, Spike's Sweet Spots

July 21st - Milwuakee, WI
@Ground Zero
w/ AluminumKnotEye, Sticks N Stones, Little Vectors

July 22nd - Minneapolis, MN
@Fecal Manor
w/ Real Numbers

July 23rd - Omaha, NE
house show

w/ Yuppies

July 24th - Kansas City, KS
@Studded Bird
w/ Freds, Prosthetics

July 25th - St. Louis, MO
@Cranky Yellow

w/ Symptoms, Cardiac Arrest, Sweet Tooth

July 26th - Lafayette, IN
@Black Sparrow Pub
w/ Pink Reason, Mount Carmel

July 27th - Bloomington, IN
@The Bishop
w/ Proto Idiot, Moscow Moscow Moscow, Pillow Screamers

July 28th - Louisville, KY
@Skull Alley

July 29th - Columbus, OH
@Carabar

w/ Day Creeper, Vile Gash

July 30th - Pittsburgh, PA
@Gooski's

TEX

“It’s one thing to call me white and slow,” Cobb said. “But to call me a fat, cowardly, cocaine-snorting, fight fixing cheat? Who are they calling fat?”

Hey everyone. Be sure to peep BIRDS OF MAYA's new web presence at www.livebirds.org. It appears that some live recordings will be made available for download. It's sure to provide some fresh new sounds for all except the handful of seekers and dropouts who pile into a few Astro Vans and a beat-up Volkswagon to turn up and each and every BIRDS appearance.

... speaking of a live gig, be sure to arrive on time for the BIRDS OF MAYA / MOUNT CARMEL gig on monday at kong fu necktie under the el on Hooker Alley in Philadelphia. Stoic WILLIE LANE is making a rare live solo appearance. To learn more, read the latest installment in the growing body of Lane scholarship by setting your browser to http://www.philly.com/community/pa/philadelphia/netimes/Music_Row_Hear_rhythm_and_a_hint_of_blues_down_Willie_Lane.html

Weekend Party

BIRDS OF MAYA tour single and tourdates READY TO TOUR MAY 2010 !!!!!!!

Well here's a representative item from the mail bag...

Dear TestosterTunes..

Shit thnx for released Ready 2 Howl!!! 2 vinyls of hardsike fury!! That shits guitarded int he best way!!!! 1 miner suggestion tho, it's 2 DAM SHORT!! Plz giv me more & mroe blazing licks to fry my head!!

Yrs,

Lucas II in Pittsville

Well Lucas II, your prayers have been answered by your god. I present to you, your ilk, and the sentient beings of this earth a 7inch single hot on the heels of Ready To Howl. It's the third vinyl release from Phila's BIRDS OF MAYA and it's a scorching outlaw anthem titled 'Regulation'. This one finds the rock-solid Killinger/Leaphart/Polizze unit joined by Harmonica Dan, a veteran of institutions such as Boogie Witch, the Mega-Jam Booze Band, and the Philadelphia Record Exchange. Pick it up from the band at a live appearance in May.

All dedicated fans and curious gawkers are encouraged to attend one of these performances by any means necessary. It's taken these guys 12+ years to leave the mid-atlantic, and chances are it won't happen again anytime this century. This trip is nasty, brutish, and short, just like certain other things in this world...

So quit your job and do what you have to do to see these guys and pick up this little record while you're at it..

Here's the dates..

Friday May 7
HORRIBLE FEST @ NOW THAT'S CLASS in Cleveland
with Timmy's Organism, Puffy Areolas, Pop. 1280, Homostupids, Cock ESP, & more

Saturday May 8
at LAGER HOUSE in Detroit
with Johnny Ill Band, Dan Kroha (Gories, Demolition Doll Rods), The Jellyhearts

Sunday May 9
5pm

at PERMANENT RECORDS in Chicago

Sunday May 9

Nighttime

at REUBEN'S PALACE in Chicago

Monday May 10
TBA

Tuesday May 11
at CAFE BOURBON ST in Columbus OH
with Mount Carmel, Churches Burn

Wednesday May 12
at HELTER SHELTER in Pittsburgh
with The Temps, Secret Tombs

Saturday May 15
RECORD RELEASE SHOW @ EL BAR in Philadelphia
with Watery Love

Checking in with Steve-o and Johnny...

Now is as a good time as any to check in on the activities of two longtime friends of the weblog. I'm talking about Mr. Steve Peffer of the greater Cleveland area and John Sharkey, who now resides in the nation of Australia. Each of these fine fellows has embraced new media to give us the gifts of sound and the written word.

Steve has been jocking an excellent radio program called 'Night Music'. His soothing voice penetrates the airwaves from the 4th floor of the Cole Center at Cleveland State University at 89.3FM WCSB on Wednesday nights at 11pm to present a nocturnal mix of of interesting sounds both old and new. The second half of the broadcast can be especially eye-opening as your host takes full advantage of relaxed FCC rules and proceeds to play tunes that some listeners may find objectionable. Subscribe to the podcast at nightmusicradio.blogspot.com.

And Johnny? Well, he spun off his highly rated guest column on this URL into a an outlet of his very own. He's been busy watching our beloved Philadelphia Phillies on mlb.tv on a public computer in Canberra and hunting and pecking his way to an interesting and insightful weblog. They say that distance only makes the heart grow fonder, and this new web presence would seem to confirm that suspicion. Like a stern father, our Johnny celebrates the team's success and ridicules its failures. This is a nice addition to the growing literature on the Phils 3rd straight World Series run. Keep clicking on bigsharkeyshow.blogspot.com for frequent updates and adorable photos from the editor's youth.

Richie Records // TestosterTunes T-shirts for sale

Take a look at Philadelphia's best dressed music act in the new line of Richie Records t-shirts. Those are high-quality American Apparel tshirts in black and slate gray and they feature the iconic logo designed by Hawk Krall. They were expertly printed by Neil Burke of Life's Blood at Monoroid and they're now available to the general public. Size available are men's medium to extra large. There's even a few in woman's size medium in the event that a female or a dainty male wants one. So paypal TestosterTunes at gmail dot com with the proper amount and don't forget to specify size and color..

To USA : $17

To Canada/Mexico : $19

To the rest of the world : $27

Home Blitz News

photo by Tiffany Yoon

Well it's been a goddamn busy spring season for Handsome Dan and his HOME BLITZ. The new co-ed lineup is universally heralded as the finest group based in the Mid-Atlantic. They just returned from a string of highly rated gigs through the US, they're earning a reputation as one of the finest upbeat no-frills guitar acts on the circuit today, and there's a new record to add to your growing shelf of essential HB releases. Each new HB offering sets a higher standard than the one previous, and this 2-song single on the Almost Ready imprint is no exception. This one's a thick platter that boasts appropriately slick fidelity, proud clean duck-walking guitars, persistent 'Waiting For My Man'-style ivory tickling, piss, vinegar, a blazing, mournful guitar solo, and an echo of Zeppelin. Perpetual Night is a true single in the sense that it's got a bona fide hit on the a-side and a sturdy cut, in this case a cover tune, on the flip. Check the usual avenues and outlets to hear for yourself.

Here's HB's upcoming NY-centric gig schedule...

April 30 @ Death By Audio in Brooklyn

May 15 @ Glasslands in Brooklyn

May 21 @ Pi Lam in University City, Phila

June 4 @ Don Pedro's in Brooklyn

And right here is a link to download a live set from a place called Club 529 in Atlanta. Add it to your mp3 player if you want to hear them competently perform a confident set in front of a ho-hum audience. It was thoughtfully recorded and graciously shared by longtime TestosterFan Henry Owings of the Chunklet organization.

A photo of 2 handsome fans

One, a player of a Rolling Rock guitar. The other, the proud owner of a Thunderkit. Both are concerned about every pitcher but one.

A youtube clip from Monty G

BIRDS OF MAYA 'Ready To Howl'

Here's a new announcement for a new release that you can soon purchase. If you live in the USA and you simply cannot wait and you have to get it into your hands as soon as possible, you may paypal $21 to TestosterTunes at Gmail dot Com . It'll ship in about 3 weeks. Otherwise, be patient and pick it up from store or a favorite mail-order music retailer. Even better, get one from the band themselves at an upcoming live appearance..

BIRDS OF MAYA

Ready To Howl

RR//TT#25

Here it is. It's the most ambitious TestosterTunes release to date: a 3-song, double-LP by the three men of Philadelphia's BIRDS OF MAYA. It's called Ready To Howl and it's the soundtrack to an upcoming feature length film of the same name. Formed in 2002, Birds of Maya is the finest meat n potatoes neanderthal rock group operating today, and they're undoubtedly the outfit most committed to creating throbbing, thoroughly relentless, blues-based hard rock. Astute listeners will note nods to the fried power-rock of Split-era Groundhogs or the relentless garage mayhem of High Rise recorded under claustrophobic sub-Funhouse decadence. Anyone with ears will hear fried-Hendrixisms all over this thing.

Ready To Howl, the film, deals with one dude's struggles in- and outside of polite society. According to the producer, "the order of events is something like... getting off of work, partying, a parking lot bottle fight with a marine, driving drunk, the purchase of a deadly snake for purposes of revenge, hitchhiking, off road driving, car accident, the folly of vindictiveness, and finally a physical and metaphorical ascent to the highest point of the mountain." The soundtrack follows the same line, with album sides tracking Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

This is only BIRDS OF MAYA's second vinyl offering, and it's looooong overdue. Expect new music on Richie Records // TestosterTunes in 2010 and stay tuned for some out of town gigs through the midwest and in the mid-atlantic region.

Ready To Howl tracklist

1. Ready To Howl

2. Porch Dude

3. Heavy on Sunday

BIRDS OF MAYA spring gigs

Saturday April 3 @ DNA TEST FEST in Baltimore

Saturday April 10 @ Human BBQ at Pi Lambda Pi in Philadelphia

Friday May 7 @ Horrible Fest in Cleveland

Saturday May 8 in Detroit

Sunday May 9 in Chicago

Monday May 10 TBA

Tuesday May 11 in Columbus

Wednesday May 12 in Pittsburgh

Saturday May 15 in Philadelphia