Prodigy Return to NYC for a Show on March 26th @ Roseland Ballroom

Prodigy are back with their first new studio album in five year, Invaders Must Die. The disc came out in February in Europe and topped both the UK and European charts.

The band is currently touring in Europe but they are playing three US dates this month - Toronto, NYC and Miami. The NYC show is at Roseland Ballroom on March 26th. Tickets are still available and are $42.50 in advance.

Here is a live video of "Breathe" from last year's tour in Japan


and here is the promo video for "Invaders Must Die", which is the first single from the new disc.


Links:
The Prodigy's Website
Invaders Must Die Micro-Site

Sydney, Australia's Red Riders are Playing Four NYC Shows Next Week

DOWNLOAD: Red Riders - "My Love Is Stronger Than Your Love" (MP3)

After a run of shows in both Los Angeles and at SXSW, Sydney Australia's Red Riders are playing a run of four New York City shows next week.

Monday, March 23rd – Live Nation Showcase @ Blender Theater

Tuesday, March 24th – Fontana’s (11PM)

Wednesday, March 25th – Club NME @ The Annex

Thursday, March 26th – Bell House, Brooklyn, 6pm -1am with Youth Group, The Grates, Infusion, The Fumes, The Boat People, The Art, The Resignators

Red Riders have been getting a lot of positive press in Australia these last few years and they describe themselves as "charged by anybody who pursues creative ventures with little regard for their future health or wealth. Their inspirations draw from the wide open sounds of mid-late 80s Australian bands like The Go-Betweens, The Triffids, some Icehouse, The Church and the bombast of early 90s baggy. A love/hate relationship with Sydney and living in a haunted country that's always doing its best to get rid of you also plays a role in what you will hear and see."

Here is the video for "Slide In Next To Me" from Red Riders' debut CD Replica Replica.



Links:
Red Riders' MySpace Profile
Red Riders' Website

Brown Shoe Are Playing Fontana's on March 29th (shoegazer alt-rock)

Folsom, California alt-rock shoegazers Brown Shoe are playing a show at Fontana's on March 29th. The band is touring behind their third release Jackalope which came out toward the end of last year.

Here is how the Times-Delphic (which is the Drake University student paper) describes Brown Shoe:

Although the hint of different bands can be heard here and there, Brown Shoe's songs have their own unique flavor. They don't hit you with a lot of guitar right off the bat but, instead, build each song into its own musical story. Each note and chorus builds to end with a pleasant sound of soothing vocals and what Baggaley labels "tribal drums."

"Our sound is influenced by all of the current bands, but we try to separate ourselves from the music we enjoy in order to come up with our sound," said Aaron Baggaley, the band's guitarist.

Tickets for the show are $8.00 and the show starts at 8PM.

Check out "Aquarium" - the first video from Jackalope.


Links:
Brown Shoe's MySpace Profile

Burke (featuring Jamie Burke from Bloody Social) is Playing a SXSW Warm-Up Show on Mar. 18th at Bowery Electric

DOWNLOAD: Burke - "We Are One" (MP3)

Jamie Burke and Mikki James (from Bloody Social) have a new project entitled "Burke". The band made its debut last month at Arlene's Grocery and they are playing a show this Wednesday at Bowery Electric before heading off to SXSW.

Here is a video from the band's debut at Arlene's:



SXSW Shows:
March 20, 2009, 2:00PM, Stubbs
March 20, 2009, 5:00PM, AAM
March 20, 2009, 11:00PM, Red Bull Moon Tower Party
March 21, 2009, 4:00PM, Spin and Myspace Acoustic Showcase

Links:
Burke's MySpace Profile

Throbbing Gristle - Tickets for a Second Show in Brooklyn Go On Sale Tomorrow (March 16th)

Throbbing Gristle have added one more show in Brooklyn on April 28th. Tickets for the show go onsale via TicketWeb tomorrow at Noon. Throbbing Gristle's first night in Brooklyn sold out fairly quickly so I wouldn't expect tickets for the second show to last long. The openers for this show are Alan Vega (Suicide) and Emeralds.

Here is the description of "Night One" from Throbbing Gristle's website and I would assume that the second night will follow a similar set.

"TG will play TWO sets: A new live soundtrack to Derek Jarman’s 60min alchemical film 'In The Shadow of The Sun' ( filmwork 1974, TG soundtrack 1980 & 2006) PLUS a second set of material from across TG’s history. There willl also be included in the event a TG signing: to which you are welcome to bring along ONE ITEM from your collection for them to sign. There will also be for sale special 'TG USA 2009' merchandising(all new TG CD album, TG T-shirt specific to this event, TG Tour Enamel Badge, TG Tour Embroidered Patch)"

Throwing Color: Interview with BrooklynRocks, NYC 3-5-09

Last week, I had the chance to talk with New Jersey alt-rockers Throwing Color. The band formed last year and have recently finished recording their debut EP, "The Static Seas", which will be digitally released (available on iTunes, Amazon, Napster, etc.) on April 14th, 2009.

Musically, Throwing Color plays Warped-tour style alt-pop. You can check out a couple of tracks from the forthcoming EP which are streaming on the band's Myspace page. You can also check out some live tracks from the band on Throwing Color's JamNow page.

In a recent interview with The Daily Rock, vocalist Drew Duddy describes the lyrical themes on "The Static Seas" as "deal[ing] with a lot of issues that I was facing at the time of our writing process...[o]ne thing that we tried to accomplish with these songs is to look at these issues in a positive light and let others know that they can break free from any negative life-style, no matter how difficult it may be."

NYC Press Interview with BrooklynRocks


"How To Feed a Skeleton" (First video from "The Static Seas")


Throwing Color are in Austin this week (like the rest of the music world) for SXSW and the band has a couple local area shows scheduled in April.

Here is their complete list of tour dates:

SWSX:
March 18, 2009, 1:00PM, RedGorilla Music Fest @ The Chuggin’ Monkey
March 19, 2009, 12:00PM, The Bayou
March 21, 2009, 2:30PM, RollingStone.com SXSW Showcase @ Peckerheads w/Lady Sovereign
March 21, 2009, 7:30PM, Seven Starr Management SXSW Showcase @ The Bayou w/ TV/TV, The Summer Set, and Big Surrender

(Mostly) Area Shows
March 28, 2009, 8:00PM, Loyola College Relay For LIfe, Baltimore, Maryland
April 5, 2009, 6:00PM, WSOU Juvenile Diabetes Benefit@ Dingbatz, Clifton, New Jersey
April 11, 2009, 7:00PM, Holmdel Firehouse(Moving Mountains, Bears and Bright Lights), Holmdel, New Jersey
April 17, 2009, 7:00PM, 7 @ 7 Club, Cherry Hill, NJ
April 25, 2009, 8:00PM, United Methodist Church, New Providence, New Jersey

The Wildhearts Play Maxwell's and Bowery Ballroom This Weekend

DOWNLOAD: The Wildhearts - "Borderline" (MP3)

The Wildhearts are taking a break from recording their 10th full-length album (tentatively entitled Chutzpah) in Copenhagen and are playing two shows in the area this weekend.

The first show is Friday night (March 13th) at Maxwell's in Hoboken. The Wildhearts are playing with The Dirty Pearls, Sorry and The Sinatras and The Breakers. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

The second show is at Bowery Ballroom on Saturday March 14th. Tickets are $20 and The Wildhearts are playing with J-Roddy Walston and The Business, Sorry and the Sinatras and Russo.

The Wildhearts were formed by x-(London) Quireboy Ginger and "[t]he band's sound is a mixture of hard rock and melodic pop music, often described in the music press as combining influences as diverse as The Beatles and 1980s-era Metallica."

Links:
The Wildhearts' MySpace Profile
The Wildhearts' Website

Phish: The Clifford Ball CD Boxset, Hampton, VA Show + More

I've been reading all the buzz about the Phish shows at Hampton Coliseum this past weekend. Evidently, the $49.50 tickets were being scalped for over $1,000 each. For anyone who missed the shows, high-quality MP3s of the complete shows from all three nights are available from LivePhish.Com. I got a good chuckle seeing how these free downloads fly in the face of all the 'screaming' that the RIAA has done about illegal downloading. Phish's site gives you the option to buy FLAC (for $12.95) or CD (for $23.00) versions of the show.

Last week, Rhino Records released a 7-disc DVD set of Phish performing live at The Clifford Ball, which took place in Plattsburgh, NY on August 16-17, 1997. Rhino was kind enough to send me a couple video clips from the show:

Phish - "Fluffhead"


Phish - "Bathtub Gin"


Phish - "Slave to the Traffic Light"


The Clifford Ball is available from Rhino Records' web store.

Phish is playing Jones Beach on June 4-5 and all of the band's summer concert dates are listed on Phish.com.

Wolves in the Throne Room: An Exclusive Interview with Aaron Weaver (Southern Lord)

Last week, I had the chance to talk with Aaron Weaver - drummer for Wolves in the Throne Room (Southern Lord). Aaron and I talked about the band's forthcoming CD, the ties between black metal and eco-spiritual awareness, alleged eco-terrorism in the Pacific Northwest and more.

Wolves in the Throne Room's music mixes ambience with aggressive black metal. The band describes their music as merging "Cascadian eco-spiritual awareness with the misanthropic Norwegian eruptions of the 90's". The band is about to release a new CD, Black Cascade, on Southern Lord in April.

Here is a direct link to the MP3 of the interview with Aaron Weaver and here is a link to the .

Wolves in the Throne Room are predominately touring around the West Coast this month before playing the Roadburn Festival in Holland next month. Here are the band's upcoming tour dates:

March 16, 2009 8:00PM, The Oak Street Speakeasy, Eugene, Oregon
March 19, 2009 8:00PM, Vino’s, Little Rock, Arkansas
March 22, 2009 8:00PM, Red 7, Austin, Texas
March 25, 2009 8:00PM, The Sets, Tempe, Arizona
March 26, 2009 8:00PM, Casbah, San Diego, California
March 27, 2009 8:00PM, The Troubador, Los Angeles, California
March 28, 2009 8:00PM, Slim’s, San Francisco, California
March 29, 2009 8:00PM, Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon
March 30, 2009 8:00PM, The Nightlight, Bellingham, Washington
March 31, 2009 8:00PM, Neumo’s, Seattle, Washington
April 23, 2009 8:00PM, Roadburn 013, Tilburg

Links:
Wolves in the Throne Room's MySpace Profile

As Blood Runs Black: Pictures from Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09 (Mediaskare)

I went to Saturday's show at Blender Theater not really knowing what to expect as I wasn't that familiar with any of the bands. I watched each of the bands looking to see whether I would hunt down their music after the show and/or see them again next time they came through.

I got to the venue a little before 8PM and Impending Doom were playing their last couple songs. Who would have thought that a concert would start on time in NYC? The songs that I heard from Impending Doom didn't strike me. It seemed a bit too stereotypical "grunt and growl". I have nothing against Christian metal but I was probably happier not knowing that the band calls its style of music "goreship". According to UrbanDictionary.com, goreship is "worshipping the god of the christian religion through the brutal music of Impending Doom." I'll pass on seeing these guys again.

I'm a fan of melodic death metal so As Blood Runs Black really caught my attention. The band's sound is comparable to At The Gates and Black Dahlia Murder and they have a strong live show that got the crowd and the pit moving. Not knowing their material, I couldn't put together a set list but I did recognize "Hester Prynne" (from As Blood Runs Black's 2006 debut CD), which got a strong reception, and a couple songs were introduced as being on the band's forthcoming second album (due out on Mediaskare later this year).

From As Blood Runs Black - Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09

From As Blood Runs Black - Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09

From As Blood Runs Black - Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09

From As Blood Runs Black - Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09

From As Blood Runs Black - Blender Theater, NYC 3-7-09

As Blood Runs Black is in the midst of a tour with Impending Doom, Arcadia Strain and Bleeding Through that runs through the end of March.

Upcoming tour dates are:

March 09, 2009 6:00PM, The Station, Portland, Maine
March 11, 2009 6:00PM, Le National, Montreal, Quebec
March 12, 2009 6:00PM, Reverb, Toronto, Ontario
March 13, 2009 6:00PM, Xtreme Wheelz, Buffalo, New York
March 14, 2009 6:00PM, Diesel, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
March 15, 2009 6:00PM, Peabody’s Downunder, Cleveland, Ohio
March 17, 2009 6:00PM, Majestic Theatre, Detroit, Michigan
March 18, 2009 6:00PM, House Of Blues, Chicago, Illinois
March 19, 2009 6:00PM, Eagles II, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
March 20, 2009 6:00PM, Station 4, St. Paul, Minnesota
March 21, 2009, 6:00PM, The Picador, Iowa City, Iowa
March 22, 2009, 6:00PM, The Marquis Theater, Denver, Colorado
March 24, 2009, 6:00PM, The Venue, Boise, Idaho
March 25, 2009, 7:00PM, Neumo’s, Seattle, Washington
March 26, 2009, 7:00PM, Hawthorne Theatre, Portland, Oregon
March 27, 2009, 7:00PM, DNA Lounge, San Francisco, California
March 28, 2009, 6:30PM, Key Club, West Hollywood, California

Links:
As Blood Runs Black's MySpace Profile

Hollywood Undead are Making an In-Store Appearance at Looney Tunes in Long Island Tomorrow (March 7th)

The Saints & Sinners Tour (Hollywood Undead, Haste the Day and Senses Fail) hits Long Island tomorrow. Hollywood Undead are spending their afternoon at Looney Tunes Records for their first ever in-store appearance. The meet & great/signing runs from 2PM - 5PM and there will be a Play Station 3 giveaway.

The Saints & Sinners tour plays the Crazy Donkey tomorrow. The show starts at 8PM (doors at 6PM) and Hollywood Undead hit the stage at 10PM. Tickets are $20.00.

Links:
Hollywood Undead's MySpace Profile
The Crazy Donkey
Looney Tunes CDs

Reckless Sons: Live Photos from John Varvatos Show, NYC 3-5-09

Last night, the Reckless Sons played the John Vervatos' Thursday Night Live show. It was a bit bittersweet as this was my first time being back in the old CBGB space. I probably should have taken some photos of the walls as the store tries to retain some of CB's seediness (perhaps the right word is "Bowery credibility") and it falls a bit short.

I can't complain too much though with free music and free beer - it isn't the store's fault that Muzzy pushed the club out. For anyone who hasn't caught a show at John Vervatos, the stage is on the right side of the room (I think it is right where the bar ended in the old CB's) which means that you can get caught on one side of the stage or the other and the sight lines aren't the greatest.

Reckless Sons went on promptly at 9PM and played a solid 30+ minute set, mixing new new tunes with old favorites. The room was full when the band went on and those in the front (who had a little room to move around) spent the time dancing. I didn't keep a set list but remember the band playing "Gimme A Sign" and a lengthy finale of "Blood".



Reckless Sons just finished a new EP, "Everybody Knows", which is scheduled for a May release.

Links:
Reckless Sons Website

Cursive Releases Discounted Digital Download of "Mama, I'm Swollen" (CD Release Date is March 10th)

DOWNLOAD: Cursive - "From The Hips" (MP3)

Cursive is selling advance digital copies of their soon-to-be-released disc Mama, I'm Swollen through Saddle Creek's website. This is kind of a neat promotion as the band starting selling the download for $1.00 and are raising the price a dollar a day (currently the price is $4.00). The price for the download will max out at $9.00.

Cursive is playing a handful of warm-up shows prior to heading out to SXSW. Local dates are March 9th at MHOW and March 10th at Bowery Ballroom. Both shows are sold out but there always seems to be someone selling tickets on the corner.

In addition to this run of tour dates, Cursive will be making their network television debut on the David Letterman Show on March 13th.

Links:
Cursive's MySpace Profile

Bad Flirt (Canadian Indie/Power-Pop) Plays Santos Party House on March 11th

DOWNLOAD: Bad Flirt - Mad, Mad, Madeleine World (MP3)

I love this quote: "Bad Flirt’s Virgin Talk is sort of like a kitten with rabies — cute yet vicious. The Montreal band’s second full-length release has all of the raw components of full-scale pop: hooks, harmonies and Jasamine White-Gluz’s sugar-sweet voice" -Exclaim

Bad Flirt spent a number of years on the DIY circuit and released their first full-length, Virgin Talk, last year on Kartel/Universal. The band is currently on a full US tour which includes a stop in NYC at Santos Party House on March 11th. This is an early show - 7PM doors - and tickets are $8.00.

Links:
Bad Flirt's MySpace Profile

New Art Brut Track, "Just Desserts", Available as a Free Download

DOWNLOAD: Art Brut - "Just Desserts" (MP3)

RCRD LBL is exclusively hosting a non-LP track from Art Brut, "Just Desserts", which was recorded at the Frank Black produced sessions for Art Brut vs. Satan.

From anyone who needs more Art brut - here is the video for "Alcoholics Unanimous", which is the first single from the forthcoming disc.


Links:
Art Brut's Website

Sam Bisbee - Son of a Math Teacher CD Review (le Grand Magistery)

DOWNLOAD: Sam Bisbee - "Never Fall In Love" w/ Leona Naess (MP3)

Sam Bisbee is a singer/songwriter with a solid power-pop bent whose songs are comparable to the works of Tommy Keene, Freedy Johnston and Paul Westerberg. Sam recently released his fourth CD, Son of a Math Teacher on the le Grand Magistery label.

Sam must have terrible luck with women as love and broken romances are a consistent theme across this disc. Each song tells a vignette of lives, relationships and open emotions which Sam wraps with some wonderfully melodic hooks. There are some moments of real brilliance on this disc where Sam sings ethereal Stars-like duets with Leona Naess ("Never Fall in Love") and Lucie Wainwright Roche ("Close to Me"). The Replacements-like rockers ("Parachute" and "Ringtone") are also quite tasty. Sam embraces a wide range of styles on this disc and the most diverse is that he sounds somewhat like Roger Waters on "Curves of Your Body". Try listening to this track and not thinking about The Wall.

There are a few duds like "Letter B" where Sam pulls words the start with "B" around a breakup song but these slow moments are few are far between.

Here is the first video "Oxygen" from the new disc:


Sam has been keeping busy outside of making CDs as he scored the film Paper Cover Rock which is (of course) about troubled relationships. The film was shown last year at the SXSW Film Festival. Sam also produced and arranged Cat Power's version of The Nerves' "Hanging on the Telephone" for a Cingular commercial.



Links:
Sam Bisbee's MySpace Profile

Graham Nash - "Reflections" CD Boxset Review (Rhino Entertainment)

STREAM: Graham Nash - Selected Tracks from Reflections

With the 'death' of the LP, most record companies seem to have forgotten the importance of the album cover art, lyrics that can be read without a magnifying glass and innovative packaging. Rhino obviously hasn't forgotten this as the packaging alone on Graham Nash's 3-CD retrospective is impressive. Reflections is designed to look like a weathered and well-loved book and this book folds open to reveal the three CDs nestled in full color art. The discs are accompanied by a 150-page book of photos and Graham's notes about each track.

The sixty-four tracks on this set follows Graham's career chronologically from The Hollies to Crosby, Stills and Nash (and C,S,N&Y) to Graham's solo recordings and his work with David Crosby. This is an impressive collection and die-hard Graham Nash fan who already own Graham's prior releases will likely want to pick up this box set as thirty-two of the sixty-four tracks are previously unreleased. In an interview with Rolling Stone, Graham said “I went through 44 versions of the set before I settled on this one...It was painful for me because I’m not for introspection or resting on my laurels. A lot of the musical soundtrack to my life is on this box set.”

While most of the unreleased tracks are alternate mixes or unreleased versions of familiar songs, one of the highlights of this box set is six previously unreleased songs. One of these songs includes an unreleased Crosby, Stills & Nash song from 1984 called "Lonely Man". Some of the other highlights include a new mix of "Cathedral" (originally on the 1977 "CSN" LP) and a solo version of the little heard "Right Between the Eyes" (originally on the 1971 live LP "4 Way Street").

This isn't just a greatest hits collection as all of Graham's work is given equal attention. Disc One serves as a "greatest hits" collection with songs from the original CSN(&Y) lineup and Graham's first two solo discs. Disc Two takes the listener through the Crosby/Nash partnership, various CSN reunions (and "almost" reunions - check out the track notes for "Mutiny") and tracks from Graham's two solo discs from the 80's, Earth & Sky and Innocent Eyes. The third disc brings the listener to the present and covers the more recent CSN work along with Graham's 2004 outing with with David Crosby. There are a number of unreleased Nash tunes on this last disc and the disc closes with the poignant "In Your Name". For this last song, Graham writes in the track notes "[t]he killing of human beings by other human beings in the name of their respective "God" has always seemed most unholy to me...this song is a small prayer."

Links:
Graham Nash

Reckless Sons Play Free Show at John Varvatos Store (former CBGB space) on Thurs, March 5th

Reckless Sons are playing a show this Thursday at the John Vervatos store on the Bowery (this is the old CBGB space). This is part of the store's Thursday Night Live series and both admission and beer (PBR) are free. You just need to RSVP to recklesssonsband@gmail.com. Doors are at 8PM and the show starts at 9PM.

Reckless Sons play high-energy rock that sort of reminds me of the early Dream Syndicate. BlackBook Magazine USA said "With his grainy voice and dirty hair, frontman Matt Butler is more Pete Doherty than Pete Wentz, and the band’s stripped-down sound makes for a good time (even if they’ve yet to knock up a Simpson). Despite their tender age (Butler is only 21, though his haunting voice and stage swagger suggest slightly more grizzling), the Sons have been rocking New York city clubs and bars”

Reckless Sons - CMJ Show, Lion's Den, Oct. 20, 2007


Reckless Sons released their latest EP, "Don't You Dare", last summer. You can check out some of these tracks along with new recordings for a forthcoming EP on the Reckless Sons' MySpace page.

Here is the video for the song "Blood" (from the "Don't You Dare" EP).


Links:
Reckless Sons' Website

Wendy & Lisa - White Flags of Winter Chimneys CD Review

DOWNLOAD: Wendy & Lisa - Invisible (MP3)

Wendy & Lisa's first new release in 10 years is dreamy and hypnotic and the disc's sound reminds me of many of the old 4AD bands.

This is a complex record as Wendy & Lisa build a musical landscape across the disc's nine songs. The song structures and melodies are both subtle and multi-layered and the songs flow seamlessly from one to the next. The overall tone of this disc is dark and moody and principal vocalist Wendy Melvoin sounds world-weary as she takes the listener on an emotional journey through love, longing and sadness. The disc's production gives the songs enough space to 'breathe' which prevents this from being a depressing album and provides some light in the darkness.

While most of the cuts on this disc are ambient and somewhat hazy, Wendy & Lisa pick up the pace mid-way through the disc with (Prince-ish) funk rock piece "Salt & Cherries (MC5)" and the indie-rock sounds of "Niagra Falls". Stellar production keeps the disc flowing so this transition isn't as jaring as this description may make it sound. The disc closes with the (almost) nine minute epic "Sweet Suite (Beginning At the End)", which is a haunting and beautiful piano ballad that brings the disc's sound back to the point where it started.

White Flags of Winter Chimneys is available through all of the usual online outlets (iTunes, Amazon, etc.) but if you purchase the disc through Wendy & Lisa's website, the digital version comes with four bonus tracks that are unavailable elsewhere.

Bonus Tracks
1) "Niagra Falls (Lisa Demo 4_1_1997)" (5:17)
2) "The Dream (1992 Home Demo)" (4:58)
3) "Viste (1993 Happy Birthday Maxine Home Recording)" (4:30)
4) "Waiting for Coffee (1995 Home Demo)" (4:03)

Those Darlins Play MHOW on March 2nd and Bowery Ballroom on March 3rd

DOWNLOAD: Those Darlins - Wild One (MP3)

"Not since the phenomenon of the O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack has a Nashville project had so much potential to bring hardcore country music to a trendsetting, young, broad-based musical audience. Those Darlins completely inhabit the deepest, raw roots of country music. But with primal charisma, musical chops, and easy confidence, they make these roots seem jarringly modern." -- BMI

Those Darlins have been getting a lot of notice as of late for their musical style (which combines old-school country music with punk-rock attitude and energy). The band is in town for two nights supporting Dan Auberbach (Black Keys) and are playing shows with him at Music Hall of Williamsburg on March 2nd and Bowery Ballroom on March 3rd. Tickets for each night are $20.00.

Those Darlins just recorded a live session for HearYa and the band also has a new single out, "Wild One", which is available on iTunes and at the shows.

Links:
Those Darlins MySpace Profile

Marky Ramone's New Band "Blitzkrieg" Plays Maxwell's on March 27th

I wasn't a fan of the last/current lineup of The Misfits as it just seemed so cliche to hear Jerry (who has a terrible voice) sing Ramones and Misfits songs. Marky has avoided this 'lead vocalist' problem by recruiting Michale Graves (Misfits, Gotham Road, Graves) and Blitzkreig also includes Alex and Clare from the UK glam-punk band AntiProduct.

Michale has a phenomenal voice and should be able to do justice to Joey's vocals. Alex and Clare also have established chops playing the Ramones songbook as AntiProduct have played all-Ramones sets and Clare is part of The Ramonas, an all-girl Ramones tribute band.

Here is a live video of Blitzkrieg playing "Rockaway Beach"


The show at Maxwell's is Blitzkrieg's only NYC-area show. Tickets are $15 and old-school melodic punkers The Fiendz and Ape Fight are also on the bill.

Links:
Marky Ramone's Blitzkrieg

Coyote Eyes Plays Death By Audio on Wednesday, March 4th

I just got home after a VERY long series of business meetings in Montreal these past two weeks. I was checking my mail before going to sleep and Coyote Eyes' demo "Yellow Red" really caught my ear.

Coyote Eyes is a fairly new band out of Brooklyn who have played only four shows thus far. The band's next show is at Death By Audio on Wednesday, March 4th. Also on the bill are Katie Eastburn (from Young People), Willy Weird and Buke and Gass.

For once in my life, I don't have an immediate comparison for Coyote Eyes' sound. While the band's sound falls somewhat into the shoegazer "indie-rock" category, the band has a unique take on the genre's sound. Check out "Yellow Red", which is streaming on Coyote Eyes' MySpace profile and the live videos below and you will get a solid sense of the band's sound.

Coyote Eyes - Live @ Vanishing Point 1-15-09


Coyote Eyes - "Jade Pagoda" Live @ Vanishing Point 1-15-09

Dance Club Massacre Plays Jennie's in Asbury Park on March 19th (Metal Blade/Blackmarket Activities)

It seems like there is something seriously wrong when a number of touring metal bands are skipping over NYC.

Dance Club Massacre are playing Jennie's (a southern soul food restaurant???) in Asbury Park with The Agonist (Century Media) on Thursday, March 19th. According to Dance Club Massacre's MySpace profile, the show starts at 5PM. Given the early show time (which is somewhat surprising for a weekday show) and the traffic on the Parkway at that hour, this will probably end up being a "locals only" show.

The Agonist are coming back through the area for a show in Brooklyn at Club Europa on April 14th with Woe of Tyrants (Metal Blade) and Salt the Wound (Rotten Records).

Dance Club Massacre are touring behind their second CD, Circle of Death, which was released toward the end of last year. With this release, Dance Club Massacre establish themselves firmly in the symphonic black metal territory. Gone are the grindcore flailings of the band's previous release and this has been replaced with melodic riffs and horror-movie keyboards and synthesizers. Points of comparison are bands like SOTHIS and Abigal Williamms.

The band doesn't break any new ground with this release but they do appear to have an offbeat sense of humor (which is somewhat unusual in this genre). Some of the songs titles from the new CD include "Brewtality", "Deuces Shoeless vs the Double Dribbles" and "Risk Is My Business... and Business Is Risky?. The capstone for the band's beer, horror movie, party humor is an almost 30 minute death metal version of "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall" (which is the "hidden track" that closes the CD).

With Circle of Death, Dance Club Massacre have made a major step forward with their sound. The band's next CD will be something to watch for.

Here is the official video for "Shenanigans" (from Circle of Death)


Links:
Dance Club Massacre's MySpace Profile

Witch (J Mascis) and Earthless Play Music Hall of Williamsburg on Wed., Feb. 25th

DOWNLOAD: Witch - Sweet Sue (MP3)

After playing the Luna Lounge about a year ago, Witch (which features J Mascis on drums) is coming back through town with a show at MHOW on Feb. 25th.

Witch is touring behind their second CD, Paralyzed, which was released last Spring on Tee Pee Records. This release is described as a return to the band members' past punk roots and the band's Black Sabbath sludge is now combined aggressive punk rock tempos.

Check out the interview with J and live footage from Witch's show last year at Luna Lounge (from Govnmt.tv).



Also on the bill is Earthless, who is an instrumental psych band from San Diego. The description on Earthless' MySpace profile says "We play mostly instrumental, partially structured improvised & grooved out LOUD rock-n-roll with a lot of "cosmic nodding". HIGH VOLUME BASHING. Los eardrums get ze trashing."

Last year, Earthless released a split single with Witch (on Volcom Ent. Vinyl Club) and a double-live LP on Tee Pee Records from their performance at Roadburn Festival.

Tickets are $12.00 in advance and $15.00 at the door.

Links:
Witch's MySpace Profile

HTR (Holy Trinity River) Play Castle in Hell on Friday, Feb. 20th

DOWNLOAD: HTR (Holy Trinity River) - The Shaker (MP3)

Dallas-to-Brooklyn transplants HTR are playing a show tomorrow night at Castle in Hell. The Jersey Beat describes HTR's music as "Bluesy, heartfelt, stripped down, no frills, rock...[with] each song sung from the heart, with a southern feel."

This is an all-ages show and there is FREE BEER (for those 21+) from 8PM-10PM. I got a bit of a chuckle in that Castle in Hell's MySpace Profile says "no one under 21 will be served alcohol. The shows are all ages, but the drinking is not." You can just see some 16 year-olds showing up looking for their "free beer".

On the bill with HTR are Radical Dads (which includes Robbie from CYHSY), Cinemasophia and Miracles.

Links:
HTR's MySpace Profile

Bugs in the Dark Play The Cake Shop Thursday Night, Feb. 19th (Art Punk)

It has been too long since I've seen Bugs in the Dark (who are one of my favorite local bands) play live. I seem to be out of town every time that the band plays and tomorrow's show is no exception.

I'm hoping to catch the band live soon as I'm interested to hear how their sound has evolved now that guitarists Karen and Zach have added a bass player and are playing with a new drummer. Long-time drummer Julia Lomax relocated to the West Coast last year so Zeph Courtney is now behind the drum kit and bassist, Mark Turrigiano, will be playing with the band tomorrow night.

On the bill with Bugs in the Dark are Radical Dads (which includes Robbie from CYHSY) and Cinemasophia (who have a new disc, Fits & Cycles, coming out in April).

Tickets are $7.00 and the Radical Dads start things off at 8:30PM

Bugs in the Dark - "New Words"


Links:
Bugs in the Dark's MySpace Profile

IUGO Announces "Toy Bot's $10,000 Excellent Adventure" Contest (Runs Through March 16th)

IUGO Mobile Entertainment announces a $10,000 prize for the person who completes an in-game challenge among all three Toy Bot Diaries games.

In order to be eligible to win, you must collect 25 datapads from each of the three Toy Bot Diaries games—for a total of 75 datapads. Each player must play all three Toy Bot Diaries games on one device, and must submit an email address from the same device for each of the three achievements in order to be considered for the prizes.

The first place winner of Toy Bot’s $10,000 Excellent Adventure will be awarded $10,000 US. There will be 10 second prize winners, each of whom will receive a $100 iTunes gift card and the one third prize winner will receive a lifetime membership to all published IUGO iPhone and iPod touch games, free of charge.

Toy Bot’s $10,000 Excellent Adventure ends on March 16, 2009.

Additional contest and game information is available at www.iugome.com.

The Dig Play Pianos on Feb. 18th and Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 24th (with The Mystery Jets)

DOWNLOAD: The Dig - "She's Going to Kill That Boy" (MP3)

The Onion said that The Dig "are building a reputation as one of the best young bands in New York. The songs on their (2007) EP "Good Luck and Games"...have energy and intelligence matched only by their heartfelt swagger."

The band posted a new three song demo on their website as a free download and they are playing a couple of local shows before going off on an East Coast tour. The first is a free show at Piano's on Feb. 18th. This show starts at midnight. The second show is at the Bowery Ballroom on Feb. 24th with The Mystery Jets. Tickets are $20 and doors are at 7:30PM.

Links:
The Dig's MySpace Profile

Hollywood Undead - Swan Songs CD Review (A&M/Octone)

Hollywood Underground is the "poster child" for all the bands that hope to be discovered on MySpace. The band's Wikipedia bio says that "in their first nine weeks on MySpace they had almost a million plays". Currently, Hollywood Undead's MySpace player has more than 76 million plays. As the band played their first live show only last year, these stats are insanely impressive when compared against Metallica's 42 million plays or Linkin Park's 82 million plays.

Musically, Hollywood Underground is a rap-metal band that comes across like a cross between 2 Live Crew and Linkin Park. The band features six masked MCs who trade off lyrics about sex (and more sex), drugs, broken romance and the darker side of Hollywood. It is a good thing that these guys are getting MySpace play as the majority of the band's lyrics would cause an FCC censor to blush.

Below is the video for "No. 5", which is a pretty good representation of the band's sound and the rest of the songs on this disc.


While you will notice immediately that the band's lyrics aren't deep and meaningful (No. 5- "when you're drunk, shake that ass like you know how to dance" or Everywhere I Go - "Everywhere I go, b*tches always know, the Charlie Scene has a weenie that he likes to show"), I can easily envision a young crowd memorizing and singing along with every word.

While I'm definitely out of the age demographic that this disc is targeted to, the band's catchy hooks have some staying power. I don't think there is anyone in my age group who wouldn't still recognize 2 Live Crew's "Me So Horny" now twenty years after its release. There are some songs on Swan Songs that could easily achieve this sort of recognition and notoriety.

Hollywood Undead are currently off on the Saints & Sinners tour with Senses Fail and Haste the Day. Area tour stops are:
March 7, 2009 6:00PM - Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale, New York
March 8, 2009 6:00PM - Webster Theatre, Hartford, Connecticut
March 10, 2009 6:00PM - Filmore at Irving Plaza

Links:
Hollywood Undead's MySpace Profile

John Joseph (Bloodclot/Cro-Mags) is Doing a Spoken Word Show at Webster Hall

Cro-Mags/FVK/Bloodclot (and occasional Bad Brains) frontman John Joseph is kicking off a spoken word tour next week. The NYC show is at The Studio @ Webster Hall on Saturday, Feb. 21st. Admission is $10 and the show starts at 7PM.

For anyone who (correctly) thinks that Rollins' spoken word tours get lamer by year, John is still the real deal. I saw him read from his book, "Evolution of a Cro-Magnon", last summer and he still knows how to hold the attention of everyone in the room.



Here are the upcoming spoken word tour dates:
Fri/​Feb-​20 - Phila​delph​ia,​ PA @ THE KHYBE​R.​
Doors​ @ 7:​00/​SHOW 8:00

Sat/​Feb-​21 - New York,​ NY @ WEBST​ER HALL(​THE STUDI​O)​ .
Doors @ 6:​00/​ SHOW 7:00

Sun/​Feb-​22 - Washi​ngton​ DC @ BLACK​ CAT.
Doors @​ 8:​00/​SHOW 8:30

Mon/​Feb-​23 Alban​y,​ NY @ THE LINDA​.​
Doors @ 7:​00/​ SHOW 8:00

Tue/​Feb-​24 - Cambr​idge,​ MA @ THE MIDDL​E EAST
Doors @ 7:​00/​SHOW 7:30

Links:
Bloodclot's MySpace Profile
The Cro-Mags MySpace Profile

Scott Gorham (Thin Lizzy) Announces In-Store Signing at Vintage Vinyl

Long-time Thin Lizzy guitarist has announced an in-store appearance at Vintage Vinyl on March 4th. Gorham was part of the original incarnation of Thin Lizzy, having played in the band from 1974 - 1983, and he is also part of the current-day "tribute to Phil Lynott" line-up of the band.

On a somewhat curious note, I don't think Thin Lizzy is touring the States and I'm not aware of any new Lizzy/Gorham material so I'm kind of wondering what brings Mr. Gorham to Fords, NJ. Whatever the case, I'll be at Vintage Vinyl on the 4th with my Thin Lizzy CDs in tow. The signing is scheduled to start at 8PM.

Here is a clip from the 2005 Phil Lynott tribute concert with Scott and Gary Moore playing "The Boys are Back in Town".

Eula is Playing The Charleston Tomorrow Night, Feb. 14th (Go F*ck Your Valentine Show)

DOWNLOAD: Eula - "Housewolf" (MP3)

Pop Tarts Suck Toasted describes Eula as "Equal parts punk and new wave, with a dash of the grunge sound thrown in for good measure...It's an exciting sound, one that makes you want slam dance or just plain slam things."

At tomorrow night's show, the band will be playing songs from their new EP "Language of Threat", which is due out next month. Also on the bill are Mortals and Rejouissance. Tickets are $6.00.

Here is a live video from a show that Eula did at Martini Red last month:



Links:
Eula's Website

The Besties Play a CD Release Show at Union Pool on Feb 26th (Hugpatch)

DOWNLOAD: The Besties - What Would Tim Armstrong Do? (MP3)

Brooklyn's The Besties released their second disc, Home Free, earlier this month (on Hugpatch) and are playing a CD release show at Union Pool on Feb. 26th.

On the bill with The Besties are Used Kids (who are also releasing a new CD) and The Measure. Admission is $8.00.

The Besties described themselves on their MySpace page as "60's girl groups dry humping 90's pop punk" and Time Out Chicago said that the band's sound "evokes the Go-Go's recording for Epitaph." These two quotes are a good starting point for getting a handle on the band's sound. Being originally from Washington, DC, I hear more of the Slumberland/Sub*Pop sound of bands like The Swirlies and Velocity Girl in The Besties' music but, either way, it is all good.

The eleven tracks on Home Free are incredibly catchy pop tunes and The Besties touch on a wide splash of power-punk and 60's girl group sounds. On the girl group side, there is everything from high-energy Detroit rave-ups like "Helgafell" to the torch sounds of "Birthday". On the power-punk side, comparisons to range of bands from early Blondie to Velocity Girl seem appropriate. Some of the standout power-punk tunes are "St. Francis" and "79 Lorimer" (check out the video clip below).



Upcoming Shows:
Feb 25 2009 6:00PM, The Breadbox, New Brunswick, New Jersey
Feb 26 2009 8:00PM, Union Pool-HOME FREE RELEASE PARTY W/ THE MEASURE & USED KIDS!!!, Brooklyn, New York

Links:
The Besties' MySpace Profile

Vinny Stigma Announces Shows at Generation Records and The Pyramid (Agnostic Front)

Vinny Stigma (from Agnostic Front) released his first solo disc, New York Blood, earlier this month and he is playing a couple local shows.

The first is an in-store at Generation Records (210 Thompson Street in the West Village) at 7PM on Thursday, February 26th.

The second is a hardcore matinee at The Pyramid on Sunday, March 1st. Also on the bill are Joe Coffee (Sheer Terror), The Bleeding and Last Call Brawl. Tickets are $10 and doors are at 3PM.

Here is the video for the title track from Vinny's new disc:



Links:
I Scream Records

Flipper - Blow N' Chunks CD Review (ROIR)

Blow N' Chunks was originally a cassette-only release that came out eons ago. As both this tape and my cassette deck have been collecting dust for the last decade or so, the Water Records reissues of the first four Flipper albums finally motivated me to pick this up on CD. I also hadn't heard the four bonus tracks that ROIR added when they re-released this on CD.

Listening to this "show" for the first time in years, I'm 'on the fence' regarding my feelings about this release. On one hand, it is a reasonably representation of Flipper's live set but, on the other hand, I had always thought this was a full recording from one show. The edits between the songs stand out a bit prominently as this isn't a complete show but (according to a Flipper discography site) rather a compilation from two nights/three sets that Flipper played at CBGB in November 1983.

On the positive side, this is a more coherent live document than Public Flipper Limited as there is somewhat of a flow between the songs (edits aside). There are also a couple songs on this recording which are unique to this disc (Bruce improvising "Ice Cold Beer" to the tune of "You Naught Me" and the previously unreleased "In Your Arms" and "In Life My Friend". The negatives are that the songs have been rearranged and don't follow in the order that they were played (set lists are below). The stage banter has also been edited out which is disappointing as this was an important and hilarious part of the Flipper live experience.

Here is the full set list from the two shows (from Flipper/Negative Trend Concert Chronology) that were used for Blow N' Chunks:

- 11/18/83 NY, NY -CBGB'S w/Live Skull, (S)Cornflakes
Set One:
The Lights, The Sound, The Rhythm, The Noise/Way of the World/Shed No Tears/ We Who Survive The Plague/Flipper Blues/Life/

Set Two:
Ice Cold Beer(Bruce's improv over music to 'You Nought Me')/Love Canal/Sacrifice/Ha Ha Ha/ (a much drunker set a couple of hours later)
Note: Part of this show used for the Blow'n Chunks cd.

- 11/20/83 NY, NY -CBGB'S
In Your Arms/Life Is Cheap/In Life My Friend/Get Away/
Note: Part of this show used for the Blow'n Chunks cd.

For Flipper fans, Blow N' Chunks probably falls into the "nice to have" category (but not 'essential'). Casual fans or anyone curious about the band are better served by starting with the Water Records reissues.

Links:
Flipper's MySpace Profile

Insect Warfare - World Extermination CD Review (Earache)

DOWNLOAD: Insect Warfare - "Necessary Death" (MP3)

Next month, Earache is reissuing the debut full-length, World Extermination, from Texas grind-core kings Insect Warfare.

World Extermination originally came out in 2007 and the band seemed to be gaining a strong following. They toured around the world in the first half of 2008 and followed that by abruptly breaking up. There is obviously some back story as "TRUST NO ONE. FUCK SCENES. FUCK LEECHES. FUCK BACKSTABBERS. FUCK YOU." is the message posted on the band's MySpace profile.

Musically, Insect Warfare plays straight-forward grindcore in the style of early Napalm Death. World Extermination's twenty tracks are brutal blast that are all about one minute in length and the whole disc clocks in at just under twenty-five minutes. This disc doesn't disappoint and has everything that you would expect from a grindcore band - snarled, guttural vocals, squalling guitars and pummeling blast beats. In an interview last year with Free Press Houston, guitarist Beau Beasley said “[a] lot of people say we’re not breaking any ground which is OK by me. I want to keep it primitive, simplistic, more barbaric” and that is exactly what you have here.

Similar to other grindcore bands, you aren't going to pick up on the band's lyrical themes from just listening to this disc. Beau Beasley isn't part of the anarcho-punk movement but writes about more personal concerns. He said "I play music as a direct result of things in my life. I don’t care about politics or animal rights...this is just normal stuff – feeling like a loser, lonely, frustrated…I’m not anyone special this is just the way I deal with it.” This outlook helps explain songs like "Evolved Into Obliteration", "Internet Era Alienation" and "Mass Communication Mindf*ck".

World Extermination comes out March 2nd on Earache Records.

Links:
Insect Warfare's Website

Roadrunner United: The Concert DVD Review (Roadrunner Records)

After a three year wait, Roadrunner Records recently released a 2-DVD set of their 25th Anniversary concert. The show was filmed live at the Nokia Theater in December 2005 and it featured a "who's who" lineup of metal act. There were even a few non-Roadrunner acts (Scott Ian [Anthrax] and Tim "Ripper" Owens" [Judas Priest, Iced Earth, etc.] who were part of the lineup.

It is obvious that a lot of thought went into the planning for this show as the lineup and one-off combinations of artists are unlikely to be repeated. The core band for the show was Dino (from Fear Factor and Divine Heresy), Adam (from Killswitch Engage), Roy (from Stone Sour) and Andreas (from Sepultura).

The show starts with Evan and Billy (from Biohazard) playing a straight-forward version of "Punishment". After this, things start to get going with Jamey Jasta taking the vocals on Madball's "Set It Off". From there, Keith Caputo comes out to sing on "March of the S.O.D." and "River Runs Red". I'm not biased because Keith is from Brooklyn but he has to be one of the most underrated vocalists on the metal scene as he really kills it during this concert. In addition to singing the above mentioned songs, he also takes lead vocals for Roadrunner United's "Tired and Lonely" and Stone Sour's "Bother" (accompanied by Corey on acoustic guitar).

It just gets better from here. "Ripper" Owens sings King Diamond's parts on both a Mercyful Fate and a King Diamond cover. Glen Benton sings both an Obituary cover and a Deicide song and he sings the later song in a full suit of armor. This is followed by Jesse Leach reuniting with Killswitch Engage and he and Howard trade off vocals on "My Last Serenade".

Toward the later part of the show, there is a drunken cover of Soulfly's "Eye for An Eye" by Shadows Fall vocalist Brian Farr which is followed by Rob Flynn taking the mic for Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist". Rob keeps the stage and sings on covers of Slipknot's "Surfacing" and Machine Head's "Davidian". The later is kind of cool as it features a reunion with guitarist Logan Mader. Following in this Sepultura/Cavalera family vein, the show wraps up with a cover of Sepultura's "Roots Bloody Roots".

The second disc in the set is more of a retrospective than a documentary. The 75 minute film features interviews with a number of bands that played the show who are seeing the concert DVD for the first time and reflecting back on that night. This disc runs a little long but it is nice to have this one to hear both how the concert came together and memories of the show.

This DVD set raises the bar for concert DVDs that follow. Any metalhead is going to want to have this one in their collection.

Links:
Roadrunner Records

Dogs of Winter Post First Video "Player Piano" From Forthcoming CD (Exotic Recordings)

Brooklyn hard-rockers Dogs of Winter just released the first video from their forthcoming CD Arrythmia, which should be out next month as a free download.

Dogs of Winter - "Player Piano"



Dogs of Winter guitarist/vocalist Brian Grosz is playing a solo show at Fat Baby tomorrow night (check out the video below from Brian's show at Fat Baby from 2007) and Dogs of Winter's next show is at the "Love Me, Love Me Not Jubilee" at the Parkside Lounge this Saturday, Feb. 7th. The show at the Parkside Lounge starts at 2:00PM.


Links:
Dogs of WInter's MySpace Profile
Brian Grosz's MySpace Profile

Lukestar - Lake Toba CD Review (Flameshovel Records)

I know that I'm getting old when a lot of reviewers have labeled Lukestar's latest CD as a "post-hardcore". I hate to do the 'back in my day' thing...but I consider bands like Jawbox, Operation Ivy, Big Black, etc. as post-hardcore. I would consider Lukestar to be a brilliant pop band but this disc doesn't fall anywhere close to the hardcore/post-hardcore genre.

Getting on with the music - this disc falls somewhere between the prog-leanings of Coheed and Cambria and the synth-pop of Bronski Beat. Lead singer Truls Heggero sings with a falsetto that can put both Jimmy Somervile and Claudio Sanchez to shame. Lukestar's music follows the "verse-exploding chorus-verse" format that many of the 90's grunge bands (i.e. Nirvana) rode to fame.

Rather than try and write a lengthy description of the Lukestar's music, check out a couple tracks from Lake Toba.

"White Shade" is the first song on the disc and is pretty comparable of the tracks that follow.



A lot of the 90's indie bands didn't have much of a live sound, but that doesn't seem to be the case with Lukestar.

Lukestar - In a Hologram (Acoustic)


Lukestar is based in Oslo, Norway and I don't believe that the band gets over to the US frequently. The band's last show (and only?) NYC show was a late night CMJ show last October at Cake Shop.

Lukestar's music is available in the US through Chicago's Flameshovel Records (link below).

Links:
Lukestar's MySpace Profile
Flameshovel Records

Scott “Wino” Weinrich Will Be Debuting "The Wino Band" at the 9:30 Club on Feb. 7th (Obsessed, Saint Vitus)

Wino will be playing his first live show with his new band on Saturday night (Feb. 7th) at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. Wino just released his first solo disc, Punctuated Equilibrium, on Southern Lord to strong reviews.

In addition to Wino, the other members of the band are Jon Blank (Rezin) on bass and Jean Paul Gaster (Clutch) on drums. Also on the bill are King Giant and Salome.

Tickets are $13.00 and doors are at 6PM.

Links:
Wino's MySpace Page

Flipper - Public Flipper Limited: Live 1980 - 1985 CD Review (Water Records)

Flipper's double live set is a perfect send-off to the original lineup of the band. Mostly recorded between 1980 and 1982, this set captures the band in all of their sloppy, drunken, drugged-out glory. Songs start, stop and "wander off" in all sorts of directions and all of this is punctuated by some of the funniest onstage banter this side of a Fear show.

The reviewer that described Television as the "Grateful Dead of punk" obviously never heard Flipper play live. While Flipper isn't going to go off on a 20 minute (technically precise) version of "Marquee Moon", "Sex Bomb Baby" goes for over ten minutes and other songs like "If I Can't Be Drunk" and "The Game's Got a Price" come pretty close to the 10 minute mark as well.

Most of the songs on this set were previously unreleased and there is a lot of great material here that will hopefully surface in studio form some day. The selection of unreleased tunes range from the punkish "New Rules, No Rules" to the blues grind of "Flipper Blues". In true Flipper fashion, the second disc closes with what sounds like Bruce saying "Are you satisfied yet, can we leave?"

Water Record has done a great job of reproducing the board game that came with the original LP version of this release. You can "tour" the US with Flipper and "every time you come to a town, you must stop there." The game cards were written by Will and have phrases like "Will Get Free Drugs - Plus 15 Points" or "Burned By Drug Dealer - Minus 5 Points".

Flipper is supposed to have a new disc in the can (produced by Jack Endino) so hopefully they settle on a new label soon.

Here is a live performance of "Shine" (which is one of the few songs from Generic Flipper that was repeated on the live disc) . This was recorded at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco when the band was opening for the (then) final performance of Throbbing Gristle.



On this note, tickets went on sale today for Throbbing Gristle's first ever New York show. The show is April 16th at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple and tickets are $35.

Links:
Flipper's MySpace Profile