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.