Anyone remember Soul Asylum? No one? Well, they were actually a pretty smokin’ band at one point in their career, and from 1986-88 or so, I saw them live nearly a dozen times. They had a second life in the 1990s as a sell-out MOR/Americana band and are primarily remembered as such, when they are remembered at all. They were an absolute powerhouse live during the time of their albums “Made To Be Broken” and “While You Were Out” – raw, loud, melodic but meaty Midwestern hair-flying indie rock. I can see Dave Pirner’s greasy hair in my face right now. Brrr.
It’s probably a stretch to call New York’s SWEARIN’ an “heir” to Soul Asylum’s big-guitar 80s sound, but that’s what I’m hearing when I listen to their very solid album conveniently called “Swearin’”. Just swap out Pirner and put in a brash, confident female voice on most songs; then update the music with 25 years of “learning”, but still keep it in the Midwestern tradition of simple, hook-driven big guitar rock and roll. Usually a recipe for mediocrity, but definitely not here. Hell, the singer got herself into the New York Times a couple Sundays ago, along with her twin sister. They might be opening a Keith Richards tour, a la Soul Asylum, any day now. Listen to this song from this year’s record and let us know what you think.
I went to high school from 1982 to 1985 in San Jose, CA, right in the thick of hardcore punk USA’s flowering and implosion. San Jose, like just about everywhere else, had a “scene” of much-loved local thrashers like The Faction, Ribzy, Grim Reality, Executioner, The Drab (who were once condescendingly featured in the San Jose Mercury News, our daily paper…!) and my own high school’s MISTAKEN IDENTITY. I played little league baseball with the band’s Mike Luhring and Ricky Nakashoji, and to watch their gradual transformation from young preteen baseball dorks to rad high school hardcore punks was pretty funny at the time.
Luhring and I used to “talk punk records” when neither of us really had any idea what we were talking about, around 1981-82. He had just discovered The Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedys, but wasn’t really sure what was cool yet, i.e what was “punk” and what was “new wave”. The English comedy dress-up band “Tenpole Tudor” was one he liked because of their association at one point w/ The Pistols.
I remember being pretty bemused (and proud) when they actually got on a record, the San Jose hardcore 7” comp, “FROM THE VALLEY WITHIN”. Guys from my school, Gunderson High, on a record! Their muffled thrash-by-numbers didn’t translate any better on vinyl than it apparently did live, but I guess I wouldn’t know, because I never saw them. It was hard to see hardcore punk in my town in those days for 2 reasons – one, I was a little too much of a 16-year-old new waver, and was initially intimidated a bit by the flannel/chains/mohawk/slamming crowd; second, there just weren’t that many venues for this stuff. Usually VFW halls and that sort of thing, but because I didn’t party with Luhring and his pals, I only heard about these shows after the fact.
MISTAKEN IDENTITY followed the HC trend of forcing an acronym out of their name; a la MDC, JFA, TSOL, DRI and other popular punks of the time. They were “MID” (!). I’m proud of ‘em, and maybe still a little jealous that they were “actively contributing” while I was still making lists and avoiding human contact in my room.
So here’s a scan of the one and only record they appeared on. In looking for the image online today, I found that someone built a memorial Facebook page for the short-lived band as well, which you can take a look at here.
Terrific hard-driving new raw pop song from LA’s DEAD ANGLE, who’ve split a 45 w/ Terry Malts on Loglady Records. It’s called “Why Don’t You” and’s available for purchase over here.
There are dozens of worthy Velvet Underground bootlegs floating around of live shows; this is one of the best. Alas, thanks to the demise of “Megaupload”, it’s not available for your piracy pleasure at this moment as far as I can tell.
Memphis, TN’s USELESS EATERS put out a record earlier this year on Southpaw that we’re just getting around to hearing this week at Dynamite Hemorrhage HQ, but we’re the better for having waited. (There’s a new EP that’s come out since then that we’ll work on digesting in about 7 more months). “C’est Bon” is a blitz of minimalist punk rock, reminding one of the best stuff from TYVEK and that first A-FRAMES album.
I’ve actually been more partial to Useless Eaters side project FERAL BEAT to date, but listen to this knockout track “Daft Love” & tell me you didn’t just go bananas in your pants .
Eric Friedl behind the counter at Goner Records
In 1993, Eric Friedl (of The Oblivians) put out Japanese garage crusaders and part-time zombie hunters Guitar Wolf’s first US release, Wolf Rock!, and thus, Goner Records was born. From humble beginnings, Eric and co-owner Zac Ives have taken the Memphis imprint from label to store and now one of the most well known DIY punk fests in the world: Gonerfest, a four day marathon of the biggest up-and-coming acts you don’t know yet but that you’ll be hearing about soon. Tickets are on sale now, and a full line-up can be seen here.
One of the great straight-up, proto-punk, Velvets-workshipping songs of all time. If you’ve never heard it, posting it for you has already made my day.
I am somewhat proud to say that this became one of my favorite songs when it was in heavy rotation on KFJC back in 1981, and I once owned the 45 before selling it on eBay in a fit of money-grubbing pique. Had no idea a video for THE MO-DETTES’ “White Mice” existed before this year, though. Some outstanding “new wave” moves here for lovers of “modern music”.
From a post on thrift store Christian album covers on Voices of East Anglia blog.
