The Big Takeover Turns 30!

Wow, Jack Rabid has been publishing The Big Takeover for 30 years! Impressive. I must be really old now. F*ck! To celebrate he's throwing a rockandroll party at the Bell House with all these amazing bands. I don't remember 30 but please step into the time machine over here:

FRIDAY JULY 30, 2010
THE AVENGERS – Open Your Eyes San Fran '70s punk legends, featuring Penelope Houston & Greg Ingraham!
CHANNEL 3 – Manzanar - Early 80s L.A. manic punk. Like screaming and hollering with tweeky guitars.
VISQUEEN – Beautiful Amnesia - Great singing on this track. Female-led Seattle post-punk rockers' first East Coast shows in 5 years
SPRINGHOUSE – Enslave Me - Jack playing his first show with original lineup in 8 years, playing a "normal" set.
LIBERTINES U.S. – Bad Memories Burn Are you feeling the nostalgia yet? Reformed Cincinnati '80s greats first-ever NY show!
FLOWER – Empty Head New York postpunk band’s first show in 16 years! I think i have a actual LP lying around somewhere for these guys but I do remember all the bass strumming. Cool sheet alla GVsB.
EDP - Wallflower The guitars wrangle and rattle on this one - get your zero T-shirt out and grease the scooter to catch their set. Check out New York’s hard-hitting, Jam-like, mod revival band.

SATURDAY JULY 31, 2010
MARK BURGESS – On The Beach - Get yer ecstasy broker lined up. Manchester England's Chameleons star. Playing Acoustic and full band!
FOR AGAINST – Aftertaste - A little proggy track w/ what sounds like some serious slap back on the snare from Lincoln, NE post-punk legends. Their first East Coast show in 15 years.
SPRINGHOUSE – Asphalt Angels - Jack and Co whip out the delay and phaser pedals; playing their second LP, Postcards From the Arctic, start to finish. Spoiler alert this is the opener!
THE SLEEPOVER DISASTER - Hold My Tongue This Fresno shoegazer band sounds something like Black Angels and British Sea Power. Come support their first-ever East Coast appearance.
DON MCGLASHAN – While you Sleep New Zealand’s ex-Mutton Birds in his only U.S. appearance.
STEVE DREWETT - When the Oil Runs Out by Newtown Neurotics main man makes his U.S. debut.
JON AUER – The Year of Our Demise Seattle’s Posies star and 17-year Big Star member.
THE SHARP THINGS - Now That I'm Back by New York's acclaimed orchestral poppers!
PAUL COLLINS - She Doesn't Want To Hang Around With You Big starish Poptopia track. Former member of The Nerves and of Paul Collins’ Beat fame.
THE CURTAIN SOCIETY – Cave In by veteran Boston shoegazers, also backing Burgess for part of his set. Vocals a little Bryan Ferry a little Sunnyday. Enjoy.

ADMISSION: $25.00 per night or $40 for both
LOCATION: THE BELL HOUSE @ 149 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11215
DOORTIMES: Friday @ 6:00PM and Saturday @ 4.00PM
TICKETS ON SALE: www.thebellhouseny.com/calendar.php

Radical Rock Reactionaries

Way back in the mid-80's there was a great local alternative band called Animation
that borrowed from Echo and The Bunnymen, Lou reed and whatever was hip at the time. The town benefited from having a pretty decent local record shop called the Music Staff. Life was good. Animation's release Loud Day had everything; a great intro song with a stomping bass part promised you that the rest would be great and it was with suburban themes and a cover of The Velvet Underground. It didn't get any cooler. Ok maybe, I'm lying. Westfield High School in the 80's was not a normal place when I think about it. One of the school clubs was called the Young Leftist and another one The Radical Rock Reactionaries (RRR) that was found by the Margulis Brother's Oren (88) and Gil(86). They put on shows and is where I got my taste of original live music not just attendee but as a musician. i was part of the scene and where i got to know the Don, Jerry and Bob from the Whirling Dervishes (pictured) - i probably saw them play more times than I can count. The good thing it was great every time. One of the bands RRR got to play early on was Animation who originated black T-shirt as far as I was concerned. Other bands that made appearances for RRR were Hoboken's Tiny Lights, Das Damen (SST), the Whirling Dervishes of course, Spiral Jetty, The Unemployed (haha a one off band of mine) and Psychic Fair (WHS 86-88). There were probably others and maybe I'll remember them later but in the meantime here are some selects by said "local" bands that enriched my life and introduced me to whole other world of alternative music. Another band that was in a parallel music universe to Westfield was Skunk from Maplewood, NJ. Enjoy. More later.

MP3s:
Animation - What goes on (Velvet Underground cover)
Animation - Hide & Go Seek off of Loud Day(Vital Records)
Das Damen - Gray Isn't Black from Jupiter Eye(SST)
Tiny Light - Sweet Solutions from LP Prayer for the halcyon fear
Spiral Jetty - The Hour from Dogstar LP (Absolute a go go/Rough Trade)
Skunk - (There'll Be Other Girls) Hoss from Last American Virgin LP (Twin/Tone)
Skunk - Chezone and Trevor
Whirling Dervishes - Cop from the CD Strange & Wonderful
Whirling Dervishes - Your Little Finger from the CD Strange & Wonderful