Review stalker:
1.To pursue music by tracking stealthily.
2.To follow or observe (a person or person in bands,) persistently, especially out of obsession or derangement.
3. To go through (an area) in pursuit of musical prey or quarry. Feedburner RSS FOLLOW: TWITTER.COM/davidurbano
It's was just a matter of time before I decided to pack my crap and move over to a proper domain. I love blogger but it was time to move and rebuild. I was thinking about it for awhile but it was more of a matter of literally finding the time to move. Crap I started this blog in 2005 so it was about time. still no money in it but whatever. I don't do it for that reason.
Overtime I'll add some bells and whistles on the new site. The basic content migration seem to go ok and now it is time to tweak this junk and will be deleting old articles but have no fear you should be able to find them and dig through the archives. Which are skinny at best.
PS If you are looking for Creative Services or Video Production help based out of New Jersey please take a look over on the Viva La Hara Creative Collective site. Probably more affordable than you think to make that video for your small business.
I had the pleasure of hosting Wesley Willis(RIP 1963-2003) a few times on his tours. You might even heard or read me tell the story that every time he managed to break my toilet seats but despite that he was a totally sweet human being. He had his moments being a diagnosed schizophrenic and all and it was quite the chore for any band to bring him out. One of those bands was a Chicago band called Today's My Super Space Out Day. Sort of a short emo band name by today's standards but actually a really powerful rock trio. Anyway, below is a jam recorded in my living room in Red Bank, NJ one morning after a rock show. Rock Over London Rock over New Jersey. Now give me a head-butt. Miss you Wesley.
"Ziggy killed the band" by Wesley Willis w/Rick Nitz on Acoustic Guitar from TMSSOD. "Henry Rollins" by Wesley from SMD Promotions CD (autographed)
ALBUM REVIEW: Huge change in what we'll call "introverted" Elvis Costello for right now on National Ransom. This music is free in form with the it's subtle blues and that driving rhythmic bass pounding found on earlier Costello releases...
ALBUM REVIEW: Working too much. Too tired to write or listen to music most of the time. I am so pathetic but i did just manage to pick-up Phosphene Dream by the Black Angels...
Lots of awesome stuff on the other side. Won't you come over to the other side. If you stay in the boat it's up to you but if you get off the boat, you will dip into the other side. I promise the water is fine.
I'm stuck trying to decide if tonight I should be The Situation or Bruce in keeping with our Jersey theme tonight. In the meantime here's some halloween songs for all of you who have decided to be your favorite political figure, a iPhone or that Oldspice Guy. Nerds.
Hallowe'en by Sonic Youth from Badmoon Rising Halloween by the Dead Kennedys from Plastic Surgery Disaster Haunted House Blues by Bessie Smith Halloween by The Dream Syndicate from The Days Of Wine and Roses It's Halloween by The Shaggs from Philosophy of the World
New hot and scary reviewstalker.com music blog over here.
Dear CMJ Friends, here's the one guy who has had the honor of drinking with Joe Strummer, seeing the music industry implode and basically keeping one of the most in depth music magazines alive for the past 30 years - The Big Takeover. This humble guy is Jack Rabid. His army of devout writers and friends have helped carry the torch for music with heart and that matters in a time when we need it the most. If you love music and understand the creation of it as one of those things that makes life meaningful. Then this is the essence what Jack and co have captured in print for all these years. I always talk "oh-crap - how did I miss this band or that band". Jack Rabid and company don't miss a beat or least twice a year they feature many not so obvious bands. What is super unique and whole reason in of itself to back-issues is he's never posted one word of the content featured in the pages of his magazine. So you'll only what I am talking about if you read and subvert this whole social media thing.
Back story: As I embarked on working on this Artist series for Ogilvy; little did a I know that myself as a super fan of his magazine, and a random music post about his 30th anniversary show that it would lead to episode in this mini documentary series. The topic is so close to my heart as the blood is in my veins that having him end up being featured has seriously made my year. So I am happy to share this video and I hope you dig it. Plus some of the others artists and tremendous talent I have been privileged to have met so far. Who should I interview next?
(The Create or Else Team: L-R Nancy H, Myself, Jack and D.Zellerford)
A short playlist for friends: I Didn’t See It Coming by Belle and Sebastian from their new one Write About Love [BUY] Second Life Life by Gang of Four from the Second Life EP [BUY] Nothin' 'bout Nothin' by Joe Strummer. This track is music Joe Recorded after disbanding The Clash. I didn't know it existed until i found this comp from Permanent Records. [BUY] Big Takeover b/w Attitude by Bad Brains self titled (1982) - [BUY] Aftertaste by For Against from Nebraska. Featured in the video above. [BUY]
I think this could be considered a ode to John Cage's thoughts on Silence. Where on UK's Remembrance Sunday for us all to think about all the troops who have lost their lives in idiotic wars. The Goal is to get a silent single to go to #1. Thom Yorke has lent his mug to give this thoughts attention to this cause. This is Bono territory and good to see him not just talk the talk. Check out the poppysingle2010 page on facebook. This is the 10 second video single for "2 MINUTE SILENCE". Help get it to Number 1 in the charts for Nov 14. Sign up at the British Legion for a friendly reminder.
"The sound experience which i prefer to all others is the experience of silence. And the silence almost everywhere in the world now is traffic..." - John Cage.
Cage is known for the piece "4:33" or yes that is four minutes thirty-three seconds which you can see here being played here by a full concert orchestra on TV. On analog clock of course!
(Photo from Aviso'Hara tours pics circa 2001, 40 watt Athens, GA - Grant and his bag-o-money. Note can of PBR in my hands. Was part of our pay... Get the rest of this Grant Hart Music Review pm the spanking new Reviewstalker.com music blog. It's very sexy Devil Dick.
I'm not a huge fanatic of Surf Music genre but there are a bunch of great bands that have kept this type of homage alive to 60's nostalgia, drive-in movies and the Hawaiian shirt. Ok a lot of images come to mind when you think of tunes drenched in fender reverb, fast guitar picking instrumentals and hot babes. Crap they'll write a song about anything. The greatest thing is the music is devoid of pretense and rarely a is there a vocal melody to be had. The guitars do the talking in it's purest of white-bread Americana.
Drag Strip by Link Ray w/ The Fenders Benders from Some Kine of Nut Vol.3. Yeah, this guy single-handedly pretty much defines quality control for Surf Music having recorded probably more than any other or even lent his gear to folks recording his kind of music. Frederick Lincoln AKA "Link" Wray Jr.(1929 - 2005) was first known for his song "Rumble."
Fathom This! by The Fathoms from Boston, Mass. Are you noticing a theme with all the water related names? Noticeable pun perhaps or just good surf marketing? Is there such a thing as bad surf music marketing? Some of these bands brought back the genre in 1990's and others are just some of the originators, which there are 100's of.
Six Pack by The Phantom Surfers. Yeah a cool a song about beer. What kind of beer? Does it even fucking matter? I could and will some day write a whole blog post about beer. From San Francisco according to their MS page and
"Better than Most Surf Bands, Not as good as Some". Have put out records on Estrus, Look-out you name it. Crap i don't even think the artwork is right but whatever...
Psychotronic by The Insect Surfers from the compilation Rock Don't Run Vol.3. A lot of great stuff on here. One song or band is more brilliantly titled after the next. Also features tracks by Los Straightjackets, Boss Martians, and The Tiki-Tones. Coming up with the kookie surf band names is a fun drinking game. TIS claim to be the longest running "modern" surf band.
Wave by Satan's Pilgrams from Around The World With Satan's Pilgrims. I was introduced to this band by Empty Records back in 94-95 and I loved them ever since. They took their name from 60's B-flick Satan's Sadists. Great shit. [Buy]
Today is 10.10.2010: Here is what earth looks like from an alien's point of view. ok this father and son duo with small team of enthusiasts figured out how to send a balloon into space with their iPhone to get this amazing footage and documented the whole thing for their own Brooklyn Space Program.
Here is some music for aliens and humans: Subterranean Homesick Alien(radiohead cover) by Easy Star All Stars from the album Radiodread Watch Me Jumpstart by Guided By Voices from Alien Lanes Like an Alien by Transilvia Body Snatcher by The Dynamites from the album Kaboom! First In Space by the band Tim from Kentucky off the record German Engineering. Crushed by the Brian Jonestown Massacre from the record Space Girl And Other Favorites Neither Heaven Nor Space by Nada Surf from Let Go(2002) Space Gun by Poster Children from Daisy Chain Reaction (1991) Wish you were here (featuring sparklehorse) by Radiohead from Lost Treasures 1993-1997.
"To be free you have to speak another language" -Henry Rollins from Get in the Van
JOHN PEEL DAY!: I did not know there was such a thing as a International John Peel Day so thanks Ted Cogswell. The music geeks will argue if Mr. Peel(RIP 1939-2004) liked the oldies over live music even though he spent his whole career hosting and engineering live bands on his John Peel sessions on Radio1. This video series has never really been seen much before but for some more go check out sheffieldvision.com It's been up on youtube for years. Anyway, as a tastemaker he forged a lifetime career listening and recording bands from around the world. From The pixies to more obscure stuff. He would champion some pretty uncomercial stuff seemingly to seek out those that took risks and as he says in this videos even groups like The Slits who could not even tune their own instruments. More about the performance and execution than the virtuosity.
Horizontal Hold by This Heat from the record Made Available(1996). For a elite few of you the cover should be familiar as Shellac borrowed the packaging idea for 1000 Hurts(2000). This Heat is considered the missing link between progressive rock and alternative because of their mix of their musical expression with instrumentals, tape loops and general choas captured here in this live jam. Start with this track and then deep dive into a record called Deceit. [Buy]
Flying Saucer by The Wedding Present(Select tracks from later era Peel sessions 1992-1995). On a quick scan it seems David Gedge performed an awful lot on his show. Then again he is from the UK. Very tight band. Friend of mine from Third Hand Films was working on a live tour concert documentary tentatively called drive but it never got any muster out of the gate which shows The Wedding Present as a hard working band. Check out the documentary trailer. Gedger should get it together. [Buy]
French Disko by Stereolab from ABC Music: The Radio 1 Sessions. In spirit of finely recorded live music this double LP is awesome. This particular track was recorded on Mark Radcliffe show but the album mixes sessions from both. I just picked this track because I love the spelling of the title. If that is not a node to Kraut rock I don't know what is...
COVERS: This is probably one of my favorite Ween songs, ok in the top 10 but it's a perfect little Bob Marleyesque ditty. I've seen Chris Hartford cover it really well what seems like 15 years ago at the Court Tavern and I even think Dave Dreiwitz was playing bass at the time. Here are a couple others plus the original from God Ween Satan The Oneness. Oh the picture above is the commemorative hat and coolie for music dorks over 40 I might make.
SET 1: The Guest MC is Mr. Rick Sanchez & I am right there in the front row inbibing beers and peeing in-between the bands(not literally between them). Sometimes maybe in a cup. Thankfully the live stream exists so I can check the scene over the weekend. Catching some great performances and then...
One of the weirder set of folks I follow on twitter are these wacky librarians who have anonymously aggregated themselves and who let you inside their very bizarre lives. Follow them on my librarians and collectors list if you want to see what I am talking about. Be warned they tweet and curse more than you average sailor so be warned in advance. Their minds are fascinating.
What is interesting to me about twitter culture is you get to be in the nitty-gritty of people's lives as much or as little you want. You follow(stalk) every random thought without the depth of a blog (yuk-yuk) unless your desire tells you to do otherwise. I love lists and librarians whole existence is about knowing where to file stuff so it can be found later. So from a social graph perspective this tickles my right brain. Sure, I am simplifying their job which from what I gather is mostly an exercise in managing people of all ages and getting lost in the stacks of books. They dread the reference . So in thinking about this list for folks who make lists I'm going to keep it simple and focus on a couple themes that come up the most. They work a lot of hours, hate most folks, drink a lot of alcohol and are also experts in the art of relaxing. This may be too easy or maybe just an excuse to make a list but it is not where I am going. The there is the whole obvious eyeglasses and plaid skirt thing to consider too but that is also too easy since some librarians are male. The good thing is they really take it to a whole other level and have these amazing minds. So what I came up with is more of is a list for music for the mind. Here is a some dreamy music to escape to which is what reading and listening to music is all about.
Sleepless in Silver Lake (mp3) by Less Savy Fav from their new record Root for Ruin (2010). I like this song because it's a destination. Makes you want to hang out and escape in LA as it captures a vapid culture of late nights and growing up hipster which could have easily been titled Sleepless in Brooklyn. Obvious chick-flick reference but allas the record is spacey and rockin at times and far from uni-dimensional. Certainly a candidate for the top 10 for this year. [ Buy ]
Candy Season (mp3) by the Librarians from Present Passed (2010). I really like this record a lot when it pops-up on the random play. this band takes you places. I always have to see who it is. Sounds sort 80's with synthes and percussive guitars. You can't pigeon hole them but it's like jazzy rock and is pretty ethereal and they hail from West Virginia. [ Buy ]
Champ (mp3) from Last Days of Summer (2010) by White Denim. A collection of b-sides and unreleased stuff available for free from the band. Some of these tracks they reworked and recorded for this while they work on their next LP. Lots of great jams on this record. Total Americana menu of acoustic and electric songs with quirky rhythms that reminds me of Captain Beefheart. If you dig it they ask that you donate so [ Download ]
Zig Zag Wanderer from Safe as Milk(1967) by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band. I admit the only 60's band I paid any attention to were Hendrix and Pink Floyd in Highschool. A class mate was always going on and on about Captain Beefheart and I always shelved them in my mind with the Greatful Dead. I had a visions of tie-dy t-shirts and really long boring jams that I could not stomach for lack of melody or lyrics I could relate to. Regardless this album is amazing; as nutty as it gets I hear influence in all the bands in this post whether they realize it or not. Safe as Milk is one of the quintisential "jam" bands executed to a whole different orchestration level. After this release Trout Mask Replica (1969) would bring them onto musical map thanks to Frank Zappa. Both great introductions to the band and Don Van Vliet (AKA Captain Beefheart).
WEIRD JAZZ MUSIC: ATTAHK(1978) and UDU WUDU(1976) are just two titles from records put forth by French composer and drummer Christian Vander in his group Magma. This music is sung in language called Kobaïan. At some point Vander claimed he was communicated messages from alien visitors telling us of our fate and the narrative present in his music if we did not do something about the state of planet or so the myth goes. So it is probably no mystery to him that our nuclear missile silos have been disarmed by aeriel space crafts since 1948. Press Invite on the subject is Monday, September 27th on Witness Testimony of UFO's at Nuclear Weapons Bases ( I can't make this up).
Maybe it is for our own good as envisioned by Christian Vander a long time ago who had this vision of "humanity's spiritual and ecological future", as given to him by people not of this earth, who we hope wish us to preserve mother earth. G*d knows we've been delinquent with oil messes, plastics, bad farming practices and terrible genocides and never mind facebook crashing all the time(that was terrible). Do they really mean us no harm? Through the scat-yodelling vocal style is a language designed to accompany the instantly alien rhythms which are equally terrifying at times in this avant garde jazz. Telling us a story of our destruction and ultimate implosion. The compositions go on to tell stories of humans fleeing earth and going to this new planet. Oh the irony if these aliens abandoned their planet and hope to share ours because of what they learned. This music is also called "Zeuhl" (Kobaïan for "celestial"), there some offspring bands from influenced bands from France, Belgium and Japanese bands also including Ruins that worked off similar constructed language.
In the track Lirik Necronomicus Kant two alien Heroes Ourgon and Gorgo Meet
Bonus: Komnigriss (mp3) from the album Tzomborgha by Ruins. Totally awesome bass and guitar syncopation instrumental on this short spastic track. Less Claypool got nothing on these guys.
Rewind: It was the mid 90's and I was chatting with my friend and roommate Ted who had just recorded some music at Noise New Jersey with Kramer and he had brought up Magma to him. Kramer mentioned when last on tour with Bongwater he saw Christian Vander get in Jaguar with a couple hookers. If you wanted to add more to the mystic of crazy jazz musician but allas. I have a couple of these releases on vinyl. One of the cool ones is a live Magma form 1976 which I found at this weird diner in New Brunswick, NJ around the same time. I went into the Mack diner to visit Charles Ewen and asked him if had any Magma records also known as All Ears Music. You could barely walk around the place. Filled with literally stacks of records from floor to ceiling. He says to me come back in a week kid. A week later I show up and looks at me and says go look in that stack over there which was 3 feet high. Thus began the negotiation. "Look kid you could spend the rest of your days looking for this or you could just call it day and give me $50 bux." - The logic was good. Sold. As of a couple of years ago the place was still there but will report in on my next trip to the good old Hub City but I fear it's been since engulfed by UMDNJ. Anybody care to report?
ZINE COMIC REVIEW:Henry & Glenn Forever is no Boiled Angel or Judy Blume but it is pretty funny I will admit. I could not resist the premise of a couple 90's indie superstars being wrung through the muck by some punk (Tom Neely). The diary entries and notes between characters are the funniest part which are hand scribbled. The artwork for exception of a few panels and cover is not so great sorry to say. The cover has obvious Pettibon sensibility and reference to Family Man spoken word cover art so if anything Danzig and Rollins should be most upset about the lack of likeness. But if you want to giggle their satantic neighbors John & Daryl Hall has potential and well making fun of Hank & Glenn is fun. You know one of them will at least deal with the truth or irony of these two muscle heads in a living situation even if it 15 years too late. Check out igloo tornado for more nonsense honestly was not a total waste of my $6 so thank you!
I know a bunch of tough guy punks and fathers these days with warn out Samhain and and black flag tattoos. Never met Glen Danzig but I did catch the rollin's band on more than one occasion. Sometimes Hank was angrier than other times but always rocked the house at some point he could not be trusted anymore. Maybe that was when he turned 30 and announced the fact at the Fastlanes II show. The point is glad to see somebody took the time to actually print a book verses just posting it on the web on some lame blog. So punk points there.
The soundtrack for reading this book: Hammer of the Gods from Danzig's new record Deth Red Sabaoth. More metal than they started and has the sing along chorus parts you would expect. For fans of the dark metal this is decent update for Danzig. This record rips. The self titled track is like the others ballads Sistinas or Mother so you won't be disapointed. Twist Of Cain by Danzig s/t. Tons of sing-a-longs on this old record that somehow all drunk preppy guys know the lyrics for. Weird huh? [ Buy it ] Slip It In by Black Flag s/t. If you got laid in Highschool to this album you are very punk. If you lasted all the way through the first song that is. [ Buy it ] Lonely By The Rollins Bands from album Life Time. This is a classic record with more brow beating guitar, bass and drum pummeling your teen angst could ever handle. Amazing bass playing by Andrew Weiss hands down a master next to Flea and Bootsy Collins imho. if you do anything download this record. Buy it.
Bonus mp3: Wartime from the album Fast Food for thought. Features Henry Rollins, Andrew Weiss, Theo Van Rock, Sim Cain by studio experimental band Wartime.
SINGLE REVIEW: Superchunk's Digging for Something off of Majesty Shredding. Love this song it's like a long lost friend who got drunk at the bar and then found their way back wearing the same cloths you saw them in the night before. ok maybe the label says reinvented by american apparel on it but they smell the same. Has the elements you'd expect from years gone by from portastatic to now from Mac and company. Never trying to be something they are not but except a indie rock band from North Carolina. No please all fucking hipsters please go die and then buy this record and all their old stuff on Merge Records. You are being made fun of by the old folks. WATCH VIDEO >>
I hate most music videos with a passion but this one is intensely nerdy and craftily creative. "This Too Shall Pass" - Rube Goldberg Machine by Ok Go. Sorry I missed them at the union county music fest yesterday. Totally remind me of the flaming lips for obvious reasons.
ALBUM REVIEW:Helms Alee Night Terror. I love heavy music that fills space like the absence of white that fills the nights sky between the stars. Sure I'm totally catching up to this band thru the interwebs but whatever. Hoz, Dana & Ben bring it on this one all the way through. If you dig later era neurosis, trail of dead and hum those would be good starting points to this brand of rocket ship guitar blasting of this co-fronted trio. The distorted bass parts are godfleshy which brings to mind old local New Brunswick faves Transylvia who were the indie rock version of Ministry. See where this going? The track "Big Spider" in particular has that twisted gated sound that if I told you it was Pigface you'd be none the wiser.
Night Terror although less gothic in its presentation thisrecord is more indie nue-metal I suppose. Ok and maybe no crazy double kick-drum or blood pellets but it's more about the razor like guitars feeding back and female vocals that drive the temptress like mini mosh-parts to some sonic depth that makes my ears perk up and pay attention when it comes. You will bang your head while arms folded and be consumed by the noise. Promise once you unfold your appendages you'll be glad you stopped letting your knuckles drag on the floor and will raise up the devil sign in honorary approval.
Left Handy Man Handle from Night Terror [ Buy it ] Instru-metal thrashing with a Don Caballero guitarscape is surely a great jam to open up a record with and that they did. Big Spider
Bonus tracks: Lionize from Helms Alee digital 7" - They could have been on a Amphetamine Reptile comp and you would be non the wiser in 1993. dogsbody corpsegas by Transilvia off of Slugchuckles Insanely. This is the shit bad dreams and good acid are made of. The Missing by Ministry off of Land Of Rape and Honey. The more well known track is the opening track Stigmata but you can go buy that.
Also, check out this FREE band compilation In Case of Evacuation presented by Exploding In Sound with a Helms Alee track "New Roll" from their NT plus other like minded ear candy which came out this past June. There is something here for everyone but here are a couple heavyish ones: Good to Die (mp3) by Red Fang channels Judiest Priest dueling guitar solos. I Should Be Coming Up (But I Keep Coming Down) by Sky parade. its what kids are dancing to these days disco rock like New Order but much less bass melodic. Good song though.
ALBUM REVIEW: Harmonious bec from Japan's record Her Strange Dreams is a winner. All the comparisons are true amongst the light sprinkling of traditional instrumentation. Her Strange Dreams is brought to you by Monotreme Records and offer a mix reminiscent of those glorious DJ Shadow record bin finds and that weird techno music present in the sound bed of Lost in Translation (at least in my imagination) for those round eyes that are paying attention. Get the rest of this Harmonious bec post on all new ReviewStalker.com Music Blog site!>>
