DIVINE HORSEMEN advertisement from Forced Exposure, 1987. Features some fantastic Chris D collage/layout/lettering artwork, very familiar to Flesh Eaters, Divine Horsemen & Stone By Stone fans 1979 and beyond.
Jon Wahl from CLAW HAMMER, live in what I believe to be Baltimore, MD on their 1993 tour – the one they let me tag along for.
I’ve been acquainted with and a moderate fan of the records from Tim Presley’s WHITE FENCE, who records and resides in Los Angeles, but it’s only this past few weeks that I’ve crossed over from White Fence “enthusiast” to “fan”. What did the trick for me was multiple listenings to his/their first record from 2010, the eponymous “White Fence” on Make-A-Mess Records. If you haven’t heard this one yet and have spent more time w/ the Ty Segall collaboration and/or “Is Growing Faith” – or the even newer ones – I implore you to get going on this one posthaste.
“White Fence” is a trippy, warbly amalgam of Syd Barrett, Bill Direen & The Bilders and variety of 1960s thematic compilations, all set to crackle and fade and weird tape loops that sputter & cough many songs to premature ends. If you’re familiar with these comps, imagine a combination of deep 60s influences from “Highs In The Mid-Sixties”, “Chocolate Soup for Diabetics” and “Soft Sounds for Gentle People”. This modern flower child isn’t all throwback, though – it gets rough and raucous at times, most notably on a killer track called “Baxter’s Corner” that is full-on barking noise/panic rock fully of this era.
Turns out Presley’s so talented he’s even toured as a member of The Fall. I’d just retire right there, but this guy’s amazingly multi-talented and a far cut above most modern indie pretenders. Totally ready to call White Fence one of my favorite “bands”, a couple of years after everyone else started to.
Check out this absolutely demented 1961 rockabilly punk from France, right up there with Morty Shann & The Morticians, King Usniewicz, Hasil Adkins and Mad Mike & The Maniacs for raw, stupid, early 60s trash fun. They were called LES BLOUSONS NOIRS and released 2 four-song EPs that have thankfully been collected into one CD. Their English was atrocious and only adds to the genius of this thing.
The eight tracks blow by in about 20 minutes, and everyone of them will test the patience of everyone around you. You, of course, will be getting up offa that thing and onto the good foot.
I wrote a review of Dave Markey & Jordan Schwartz’s “WE GOT POWER” book of early 80s Southern California hardcore punk photos and essays on my Hedonist Jive blog. Come on over and read it!
S-S Records did the universe a real service by taking an edition-of-200 1981 Belgian cassette tape, the “FM-BX Society Tape”, and converting it into vinyl last year. The tape was released by a Belgium-based radio station back then, and hidden on it were one of the great all-female, achingly raw, postpunk DIY bands of the day – UNIT 4 – although no one heard ‘em at the time. S-S made sure that we did, now, thirty years later.
The tape/LP has four UNIT 4 tracks on it, and they give Kleenex a decided run for some new ink to be spilled on great European punk & postpunk of the early 80s. Burning out and fading away after recording only four songs, and then having those songs “discovered” again by record nerds thirty years later, has a way of ensuring an unspoiled legacy. See what you think by listening to “Rules” here. All four of their songs are outstanding.
FLYING NUN RECORDS advertisement from 1980s fanzines.
I’m sure there’s a few of podcasters or smart tech/software folks out there who might be able to answer some questions for me. I have this idea: a Dynamite Hemorrhage music podcast that would sound essentially like a radio show. I’ll play songs, break in and do the back-announce, then play a few more songs. This would remove me from having to decamp to an actual radio studio. The “show” would be available when I want it to be, downloadable here on the Tumblr and wherever else I’m able to get away with distributing it.
Is this feasible? Here’s my wish list:
This may be very possible today. You yourself may do it. I’d love to know your thoughts – please contact me at thejayhinman(at)gmail(dot com).
Cheater Slicks
Motor Away
by Stephen SlaybaughSince forming in Boston in 1987, the Cheater Slicks have spent the last quarter century refining a murky take on the kind of primordial rock & roll equally informed by bluesy primitivism and punkish fuck-all attitude. In their early days,…
Going to guess at this being a 1978 show, as by 1979 I don’t think you’d have seen The Germs fourth on the bill, playing just after Arthur J and The Gold Cups. Any Masque vets in the audience who were pogoing their brains out at this show?
AGONY SHORTHAND 