Watch this space

Do check back for fascinating year-end lists carefully compiled by noted tastemakers.

Two events, lots to do... BIRDS OF MAYA & SPACIN'

Fri Dec 16th

Birds of Maya

Tin Horses

True Gold

Thur Dec 22nd

Spacin'
Boogie Witch

Both Events @

Little Bar
736 S 8th St
9PM $7 21+

MOVED TO THE LEVEL ROOM @ 2102 MARKET STREET

Double-A on drums

take it home here.

Party with these fun guys... BREAKFAST AT NIGHT

Tom Lax (left) & Richie Charles

This photo is a few years old, but these guys still look pretty much the same. The only difference is that they're more fun now. For evidence, please attend BREAKFAST AT NIGHT on Tuesday December 6 at the Little Bar in Philadelphia. At 8 o'clock, we're gonna start playing records that really have no business being played in a public setting & we ain't gonna quit until at least midnight. No cover, cash bar. Attendance is mandatory.

TACO LEG & WATERY LOVE!! New music, new singles!!

New music for the end of the year. Long-anticipated and with potential to satisfy: TACO LEG Printed Gold & WATERY LOVE Two Thrills. Each release has Aussie connections: Taco Leg is an Australian band & Two Thrills was released by Negative Guest List Records from the greater Brisbane region.
For those who wish to buy both records, scroll below and save on shipping.

TACO LEG

Printed Gold

45RPM 7" single

330 copies

Three new songs from TACO LEG, ambassadors from the city of Perth, a seaside burg in Western Australia which, as any visitor can confirm, served as a model for The Village to which Number Six has been condemned. The principle mode of travel is hot-air balloon & the locals cheer a longneck of VB with a salute to favorite son Gus Chambers. It’s a strange, isolated district inhabited by a society just a little too askew for general population.
Taco Leg visited all the major United States markets in late 2010, and this is the first blast we’ve heard from the guys since that historic trip. It's also a preview to the forthcoming album on the Fan Death label. Printed Gold is a buzzy single-noting headbanger and it shows all the confidence of a Ryan Howard home-run. In fact, in a tribute to his American fans of the diamond, the guitar player wore batting gloves for the recording session.
A certain high-ranking Aussie musician and writer pointed out to the band that their approach has a lot in common with FANG. The guys not only took the trouble to figure out just who the hell is Fang, they even learned the band’s most memorable tune & put it to tape. The result? An interpretation of “The Money Will Roll Right In” that’s a few degrees drier, more inspired, & more determined than the original. Certainly, these guys stand a chance at the film career that proved elusive to Sammytown & that crowd.


Printed Gold by TACO LEG by TestosterTunes



Here’s a clip of Taco Leg live in the USA: http://youtu.be/PeMhjThu-vs



US-8$ ppd
Canada- 9$ ppd
Elsewhere-12$ ppd 

WATERY LOVE
Two Thrills
7” single
Negative Guest List Records

We’ve got a limited number of copies of this import single from Philadelphia’s WATERY LOVE. A-side is a pounding CRAMPS cover. The flip, a chugging staple of WL’s live set called “A Condom.” Buy now or forever stalk the used bins.

US-8$ ppd Canada- 9$ ppd Elsewhere-12$ ppd

***NOTE***

For both singles..

US-14$ ppd

Canada-$16

Elsewhere-$22

Old chat with KV, online this time

Here's the contents of a quick chat I had with good buddy Kurt Vile. It took place in the autumn of 2010. This piece originally ran in the pages of Negative Guest List magazine. You're unlikely to find a copy of that pub on the shelves of any store anywhere. It's only fair to make available this enlightening discussion to a whole new generation of tech-savvy readers & music fans.

KV & daughter, 2011

Philadelphia is an American city that stands proudly on a strip of land between two brown and polluted rivers. You could cross either river by driving or even walking over a bridge. But there’s no good reason to do so. On the other side of the Delaware lies New Jersey, a state known for endless highways, shopping malls, Bruce Springsteen, and beaches where hypodermic syringes routinely wash ashore with the shredded globs of dismembered jellyfish. On the other side of the Schuylkill: an area called West Philadelphia famous for college campuses, poor grooming habits, and communal lifestyles. Between these two cultural wastelands, Philadelphia is full of a lot old buildings, some new ones, an rickety public transportation system, and old men who use their walkers to smack around young people. It’s populated with all types of inbred mutants, drug-addicted zombies, stuck-up losers, and cocky pricks from all strata of society.
One such cocky prick is a guy named Kurt Vile who plays guitar and sings. He’s a handsome man with youthful good looks and he’s got about two dozen brothers and sisters. Most of them are also musicians, but I’ve never heard any of their tunes. Anyway it’s been a real treat to hear KV chase his muse over the course of about half a dozen records and to watch him take the stage (particularly when THE VIOLATORS are behind him).

This interview was originally conceived as a real blockbuster for the front cover of NME, but Kurt proved too wily to pin down in the days leading up to his US Tour. Instead of a lengthy dose of penetrating journalism, I instead offer some volleys sent back and forth from my miserable living room in Philadelphia to Kurt’s blackberry as he hurdled through some of the more bucolic stretches of the network of the United States highway system.

What’s up tonight?

Be better once we get to Seattle. Get there late night tonight but 2 days to get there from Menneapolis, been nonstop drivin, kinda brain frying, and radio show at noon tomoro. Starting tomoro be best for interview, plus we got a TM on west coast..

My man is hoping to get it done soon. Wanna just text it?

Yeah sure, how long is it gonna be? I’ll be driving in a couple hours and I’m kinda tired now thought so I don’t know how interesting I’ll be but I can do it now if ya want..

Well why don’t you tell me a little bit about your new van...

It’s sweet. It had only 40k miles on it when I got it. It’s a dodge Ram 3500 15-passenger. A nice dark blue in color, looks beautiful at night especially. I don’t know why. I’m stoked. Never imagined owning my own. Right now Adam is driving and we’re jamming a Yoko Ono tape that I stole from you. Everyone loves it in the band except for Mike Zanghi! It’s a nice landscape right now though: Montana style.

What do you mean? It’s all flat and gray with a stunning sunset?

The Rocky Mountains, guy. Not flat at all. Mountains, rolling hills, winding highway roads, lots of green, pine trees, sunsets, cows... The whole shebang. (single tear rolls down face)

PS signal tricky round here you’ll probably get some delays, just don’t worry too much about me.

But I always worry about you. Somebody has to keep an eye on you, teach you right from wrong, etc..

Yeah but I’ve finally blossomed into a beautiful grown man. Thanks to you Richie. And now it’s time I moved on and went into the world on my own.

And I guess I was thinking about Wyoming or Utah or some other place.

Wyoming has Yellowstone Nation Park. That is similar to here and beautiful as well. I think some of Yellowstone is also in Montana but I could be wrong. I HAVE been wrong before.. Montana has Glacier Nation Park too. That’s intense.

Are you guys finding time to visit parks and take in all the natural beauty of our United States?

No time for that much. Few days off here and there but.. Violators are tight from all the gigs, that’s good at least. Gonna play live on kexp Seattle tomorrow morning. That’s why we’re bookin’ it over from Minneapolis with two days to get there. 26+ hour drive with no stops (but we stop).

Touring can be a struggle. Do you focus more on physical of mental fitness when you’re on the road.

Well... Mental fitness is good to shoot for. A lot of trial and error on that front. We’re doin’ pretty good on this run but in the past there’s been some roughish moments. Trying now to take it slow, ya know? Don’t let little shit stress you out, one thing/day at a time. And don’t talk shit behind backs. Paranoia gets evil. We’re doin’ good though! Physical? I dunno, whatevs, we’re still young...

You been eating right? You’ve got to take care of your body, man.

I try, Rich. It’s all I can do. My body craves some bad foods, now and again. But I’m only human. Wow, What a boring subject!

I’m telling you dawg: Your body is the most precious vessel you’ll ever own.

(The Philadelphia Phillies turned in an offensively limp performance to lost to the San Francisco Giants.)

Did you hear about the Phils?

Yea only cuz of my psycho bandmates. ‘Aw man I really hope they keep Werth...’

I’m impressed that you can spell the rightfielder’s name correctly.

I was wondering if I did or if you’re being sarcastic. What can I say, I just love games.

It’s like I’ve always said: All the bush league batters are left to die on the diamond.

Thanks, Shakey.

I bought a CANNED HEAT record. What do you think about that?

Cool. We just listened to hallelujah seconds ago. Check out the tune “Time Was”. One o the best tunes I heard all year..

I’ll give it an ear. I’ve been going back over some obvious tunes that I never really gave a chance. Might even listen to the Stones of of these days.

I’ll get u Beggars Banquet. Can’t deny them man. Can you imagine if all there was was the VU? That frequency all the time. Too jagged after a while.. Beggars has a jagged sound alot too (in a way) but more delta blues and a relatively new dabbling into heerion vibe. Nobody got quite close to that style of blues ever again. If there was no Keith Richards there’d be no nobody post.

You should download the song “time was” right now and jam it in headphones btw. Lemme know whatcha think. Bet it makes you feel super good.

(Turns out he’s right. Great melancholy tune.)

So are the VIOLATORS in tact for the foresesable future?

I think so. I hope so. The original lineup can NOT be beat.

That kicks ass.

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

For the deleted first draft, click here.

Next Monday. Attendance is Mandatory.

TOTAL CONTROL
&
WATERY LOVE

Monday November 13

10pm

@ Little Bar

8th & Fitzwater

Philadelphia

Catching up with DX & Total Control

Mikey, poolside. 2011.

Let me be clear: the jury in my head is still out on Total Control. The Melbourne-based act issues records that fuse guitar & electronic music in a way that is definitely interesting & worthy of consideration. It sounds to these ears like some sort of re-working & reassembly of sounds I remember from 80s radio during trips to the orthodontist & home from Little League practice. I'm thinking of VH1 heavyweights such as the Eurythmics & the Georgia Satellites. Indebted to Flock of Seagulls, for all I know. Perhaps it's better described as New Wave. It's a feel-good type of sound, all right. And I simply haven't got an ear for it. This is how it sounds on record, mind you. It's the sound of mechanized pelvic exercises. On stage, however, Total Control, as I recall, is a different beast altogether & I'll be a face in the crowd at each & every area gig from now until the sun engulfs as all. They're furious & loud up there, even if there was a tambourine & keyboard.Last time through town, they dragged about a dozen weirdos onstage. Actual weirdos. Not just a bunch of normals acting at being weird. Guitar weirdo is a humble baby-faced fellow named Mikey and he's famous for his handsome smile & sunny disposition & for playing guitar in the Eddy Current Suppression Ring. On vox, a true weirdo-Internationale called DX. He also fronts a raging HC act called Straightjacket Nation & he's one of the great Aussie thinkers, as evidenced by Distort Magazine, the recognized bible of Cult Hardcore. Last time I saw him, he looked like a member of B'last, right down to the long hair and the Uniform Choice t-shirt. The other weirdos, I couldn't tell ya too much about. They all spoke a strange version of the English language & they all had their faces stuck in a jar of Marmite.

DX was patient enough to answer some questions.

So you've been on this soil a number of times, and you've probably traveled in the US more than most Americans. What the hell for?
I grew up ricocheting from one corner of Australia to another. I saw a lot of that country. I also found American hardcore at the right age, in particular the Midwest glories, which was a sophisticated and subtle imperialism as all that shit made me want to revel in the rewards of hard work (ie. spend money) and then the rewards of being a consumer (ie. Debt) by traveling your country at every opportunity.
 I'm driving thru AZ now and I prob see this joint much like any foreigner swollen with romantic frontier notions from film (it looks like a leone film at one point, then that scene in north by northwest with the crop duster next minute).

Why drag yourself on stage and perform your songs every night for a month or two? Can it be more rewarding with each consecutive night?
You spent most of the year working and reading and thinking and making songs. A couple months on the road is good to ensure you don't become entirely introverted and useless as a writer or as a worker. It's the work side of making music. As you'd probably be aware there is no cumulative glory, it ebbs and it flows, but there is a reward in moments like my ole bud R Charles taking a couple minutes outta the day to sincerely and formally interrogate my intentions.

This past summer, about a hundred bands from your native Australia flew over and criss-crossed the US. Is that the dream of every young Aussie Rocker? To clog our highways and soak up our entertainment dollars?
I'm certainly curious how you people have received the spate of antipodean traveling bands. I guess many people want to see an empire declining, some people want to exploit a second world economy for cheap records and drugs, some people want to take advantage of the fact that the Internet age has somehow imbued Australian music with a tinge of legitimacy and maybe a pretty Midwest farmers daughter'll really make em feel alright and some people want to tour somewhere where the drives are less than 12 hours between cities and you can speed on the highways easier and the tour can last longer than a week. Some sickos really just wanna tour, sir, can ya believe that?

There was probably a time when Australian punk rock-influenced music was distinct from what was coming out of America (and other places). You're a world-traveler, a guy with an insatiable appetite for music. Is there any distinction any more? Or are we just sitting in a big melted pot of tunes?
I could generalize that American bands are generally more theatrical and euro bands less song orientated and Southeast Asian punks bands more about the collective experience but thatd probably be more about looking for exceptions to the melting pot rule that I guess Brit nerd Simon Reynolds characterized as post Internet retromania.

I understand you're a heavy reader of Terry Southern. Want to tell me why I should spend some time on him? I only know he was involved in Easy Rider and I just read a piece of his involving a visit to a baton twirling competition in Mississippi.
My buddy Brace turned me onto Southern the day I flew into San Francisco and the first line of Red Dirt Marijuana had me hooked. The same drug addled hyper macho hunter dealt with, but less obviously swinging from Hemingway's ball sack and much funnier. My favorite writer right now is Joan Didion. She is brilliant, her smarts are intimidating and she can throw a word hard. Southern ain't in her league, but he can definitely play. His short stories are strong: check out the blood of the wig and heavy put away for sleaze laughs and Red Dirt Marijuana has something on Carver. The second day I was in sf I picked up about 20 books, I'm really looking forward to reading on this tour as the last few months I haven't had much chance. Happy to talk books with ya in Philly.


Catch TOTAL CONTROL live & in concert somewhere in the USA or in the EU at ATP, especially Monday November 14 at the Little Bar in Philadelphia w/ WATERY LOVE.

 The Hammer by Total Control

Dead Cats Hangin' From Poles

carved from a pumpkin, 2011

Here's some news:

TACO LEG singles will be ready to purchase any day now. Watch this space and have your paypal trigger finger ready.

SPACIN' has been a groovy addition to the RR//TT landscape. "I will survive, I will get by", indeed.

Ben Leaphart is a criminally underused drummer.

WATERY LOVE has another single coming out soon on Negative Guest List Records. They broke silence and spoke to a nosy scribe.

Halloween remains a silly holiday and it's best to stay home candy-free and don Phil Anselmo costume.

BLUES CONTROL is off the grid.

HOME BLITZ has a new single. Of course it's essential.

Bernard Hopkins was robbed.

Catching up with Dizzy Polizze & Purling Hiss

Dizzy, in the van. Oct, 2011.

At this late date, there's not a single turntable or digital music device on earth unfamiliar with the sounds of Purling Hiss. For those readers recently returned from a stint in the clink, a season in the abyss, or an Appalachian excursion: Purling Hiss is the curiously named act fronted by a modern-day-Yngwie: Michael "Dizzy" Polizze. Begun as a late-night studio project, the Hiss had released a considerable stack of hi-energy sleazy sounds in a matter of weeks before hiring the workman-like rhythm section of Mike Sneeringer & Kiel Everett last winter and taking the show on the road.
The guys (out with Phila's War on Drugs) are on the road now, cutting a path back to the east coast and away from the burnt side of the nation. I was able to squeeze a few words from Dizzy in between cities. He answered from the van on a lifted iPad while haunting etsy.com for a purple frilly stage outfit & a translucent Dan Armstrong guitar.


So you've been playing that Mexican Strat for a lot longer than I've known you. In the past few months you've traveled & performed more than ever before. How do you enjoy sleeping on the floors of strangers?


Yo Richie I'm glad you asked. That Strat's been with me for a while. Sometimes we can avoid the floor and make it onto a couch or air mattress.


In the studio its just been you so far. You told me a while back that you play drums for a while and then put guitar and your howls on top of it. That can't be true.


Everything that ive put out has been just me on the recordings. It's pretty much been demos and loose ideas. 

We are working on new stuff and will record as a band. Its been coming along nicely.

What's the story with that new guitar?


The new guitar is a 1980 strat. I wanted a back up and found that on craigslist. I had to meet a stranger in a parking lot for the deal to go down. 

What do you jam in the van more often, Hendrix or Flag?

More flag. Listened to Slip it in yesterday.. Some Germs stuff too. I even just read Broken Summers by Henry Rollins. Got it cheap from Borders. They are going out of business.

for tour dates & other info, www.facebook.com/purlinghiss


 Limerence / Space Roots by PURLING HISS by TestosterTunes 

PRINTED GOLD

Keep your eyes glued to this web presence for news about Printed Gold, the new single from Perth's TACO LEG. It's got two originals on the a-side and a cover on the flip. The cover is an absolute anthem of West Coast Punk. The cover is West Coast USA, not AUS.

 Printed Gold by TestosterTunes

Predawn Rumblings.... Introducing Spacin'

Sometime in the heat summer, over beers in the backyard, good buddy Jason Chillinger started telling me about his latest solo music project. Evidently a full-time job, family duties, leading the Birds of Maya & the Mega-Jam Booze Band, & writing a guidebook to the art of the barbecue wasn't enough to keep him busy. As of late, he'd been battling insomnia with late-night/early-morning sessions in the basement. While I stared off at some tomato plants and swatted an army of mosquitoes from my shoulders, Jason described building rhythms from an analog tape loop and playing guitars out of a pyramid of solid state guitar amps. He had been playing hazy, basement world music. I summarily dismissed this whole development as the passing fancy of a substance using dreamer. I steered the conversation into something a little more tangible: probably something about Carlos Ruiz or my advice for enjoying tequila (neat, w/ a squeeze of fresh lime & a cerveza chaser). My host munched on hummus and cookies and we eventually went our separate ways, me to my miserable rowhome and he to his tangle of guitars and amps in a cramped underground studio.
Months later, while the city slowed to hibernate under a blanket of snow, this project actually crawled out of the basement and onto the stage. I showed up late on a Sunday night to witness the promised pyramid of amps and a grinning Chillinger, barefoot despite the sub-freezing temperature, joined by Ben L & Dizzy Polizze... the other 2/3 of Birds of Maya. This, despite his insistence in the backyard that his new project was nothing like his long-running hard rock act. He was calling it Spacin' and the trio performed circular groovy jams (and by jams I mean loosely scripted, exploratory & repetitive passages) for about four hours. There was no drumkit; Ben played a floor tom & (if memory serves) a little drum sampler. Dizzy played (what else?) an inexpensive Fender guitar. Chillinger pranced around barefoot with a guitar slung over his shoulder and he occasionally whispered/moaned into a microphone, struggling to negotiate hand & mouth coordination.
Early this past spring, Spacin' unveiled a revamped lineup. Gone are the Birds (Dizzy was accused of being too good a guitar player for this project), and introduced are 3 new faces. Among them, novice naturally gifted percussionist Eva Killinger. This was a more together outfit, certainly more practiced. In recent months, hangouts have been cut short, postponed, or cancelled so that Chillinger could go rehearse his band. They live communally work about as hard as the Afrika 70, they rehearse in the inconvenient early hours, & they pay fines for wearing wrinkled clothes.

SPACIN' will perform at an art gallery in Philadelphia called Little Berlin on Sunday Oct 9.

 Deep Thuds sample by killinger

So what's the story with Spacin'? I can remember that in the freezing cold of last winter, you told me that you were working on a solo project. I think you said that it involved a tower of amps in your basement.

ha ha. yeah. Spacin' was originally me and and these towers of amps I built out of all of the busted Megajam Booze Band peaveys that everyone leaves at my house. I soon realized that I can't play guitar well enough to play by myself.

Am I insane, or were you briefly working on something called Chillinger?

Chillinger was what I used to call my late night 4 track recordings (pre-Spacin'). That stuff is mostly country. I've never done anything with them. I made one cdr and gave it to my mom for mothers day 3 years ago, other than that, no one really knew about it. Apparently there's a dj or something using the same name, so I was briefly calling it Spacin' Chillinger which became just Spacin'.

What kind of sound are you after? It doesn't exactly rock that way that Birds of Maya rocks.

I'm not really after any particular sound. Whatever the song sounds like when it pops into my head. They are pretty diverse. It's like a mix tape where you would put fela kuti and velvet underground next to each other, not because they sound similar, but because they just rule in general. It makes no attempt to be Birds of Maya. I couldn't do that even if I wanted to. Nothing can be birds but birds. bom forever. 

This stuff is downright mellow compared to Birds. Are you getting soft?

The stuff online you might be hearing is just me. Those songs are mellower than the band is in actuality. With the full band it's still not as loud as birds, but it has an unmatched level of sloppiness. 

So you've been recording some tunes? How the hell is that working out?

Really good. As of right now it's an 8 song full length LP called 'Deep Thuds'. Hopefully it'll be done in the next couple of weeks. 

Do you play all or most of the instruments in the studio?

There are a couple songs where I play most of the instruments, but the majority of the songs feature the full live band.

Who's playing in the live band with you? I recognize some of those people.

It's me, Jason Killinger on guitar and vox, Paul Sukeena plays actual good guitar. Sean Hamilton plays bass, and my wife Eva Killinger on drums. The majority of the album and most of our shows have been that line up as well. Mike Polizze and Ben Leaphart from birds have also played live and on some of the album. 

And like in Birds, you're the only one with a microphone. What are your damn songs about?

A wide variety of heavy shit. Cheeseburgers, ego death, making a wrong turn in Kensington, getting a metal bar put in my chest, the joy of being and how I never really want to wear shoes. 

Are you jealous of Mike Polizze? The entire world adores him & Purling Hiss.

ha ha. Not jealous, but psyched for him. He sent me an email today saying he's playing in Paris tonight. That's wild. Godspeed, Mike. 

You don't have cable either. How do you keep up with the Phillies?

Scott and Larry speak the truth! Go phils.  

The Outlaw Scumfuc

detail from Violent Students poster. Circa 2005.

ATTN: WATERY LOVE FANS

Hey everybody, thanks for the patience. The follow-up effort by WATERY LOVE is finally available. It's a double sided record with one tune on each side. This is the type of record that you'll need to flip if you want to hear the whole thing. But don't try to purchase a copy from this web presence. Instead, direct your paypal dollars to this one: http://siltblog.blogspot.com/2011/08/crewcified-for-yourwatery-love-new-7.html.

There's more. Watery Love will be performing on Saturday November SEPTEMBER 24 at Johnny Brenda's Bar in Philadelphia with Meg Baird & Glenn Jones. This will be the record release event for Seasons on Earth by Meg and you should all show up and buy a copy.

Even more. There will be yet another Watery Love record before the year is over. That's right, another pair of songs to drop onto your turntable. This one will be titled Two Thrills and it'll be available from the Negative Guest List label out of Brisbane, Australia. NGL is famous for being a print magazine, but it's an entity that also releases vinyl records. Direct your gaze to this site if you want to be the first to know: http://negativeguestlist.blogspot.com/

WATERY LOVE rescheduled for Wednesday

Hey, the Hurricane blew through and was underwhelming and the bar preemptively cancelled yesterday's scheduled WATERY LOVE gig. No skin off WL's ass, but lots & lots of people were disappointed. They didn't have shit to do on a beautiful Sunday evening. To make it up to their fans, the band has accepted an invitation to appear with Kitchen's Floor on Wednesday night at a place called Little Bar at 8th & Fitzwater.

http://phonographicarts.blogspot.com/2011/08/watery-love.html

DISAPPOINTING NEWS --- STAY HOME SUNDAY

Hey, some disappointing news: Sunday's gig is cancelled. Instead, you should all plan to have a blast running around in the rain & wind. WEDNESDAY NIGHT, go to see Kitchen's Floor at a place called Little Bar at 8th & Fitzwater in Philadelphia.

WEEKEND GIG IN PHILADELPHIA

WATERY LOVE

KITCHEN'S FLOOR

SLOW TONGUED BEAUTY

5pm, sharp

$5, cheap

@ The El Bar

in Philadelphia