Bona Fide Records

York Record Riot Saturday Night 5-9 June 25th!

2011-06-20T14:58:00.000-07:00

Once again, the York Emporium hosts a gathering of vinyl enthusiasts--this time moving to Saturday evening June 25th from 5-9. Featuring a wide variety of recorded music, mostly in vinyl, this is a great place to find that elusive LP or 45, or even get rid of some surplus wax. Visit theyorkemporium.com for directions or stop by at 343 W. Market St in York, PA to get in on the fun. Come on down for some dusty old discs and maybe a few new ones-rock, soul, jazz country, you name it! Thousands of 45s and Lps of all types in all price ranges, and as always, admission is free of charge, and you check to check out the massive array of books and just plain cool stuff at the emporium too. Anyone wanting to sell or trade their old records are welcome to bring them along as there is no set-up fee to sell. Hope to see you there, and bring some friends too! Our gracious host Jim Lewin will be on hand with refreshments and some of his wife Pam's super tasty treats as well! This is our first try at a Saturday night show, and if this goes well we will make it a regular happening in downtown York!

I apologize for not making regular posts to my neglected blog, but this will change in the future, and once again I will provide a window into the world of musical wonderment on a regular basis. I promise, really.

York Record Riot Returns February 23rd!

2011-02-09T14:13:00.000-08:00

YORK RECORD RIOT
Wed. February 23rd 5-8 pm
York Emporium, 343 W. Market St.,York PA
717-846-2866
FREE ADMISSION ! Buy/ Sell/ Trade LPs 45s Cds
FREE Parking and Refreshments
Tons of Vinyl for sale!
SNOW DATE IF NEEDED FEB. 26TH 12-5pm

The York Emporium once again invites all vinyl enthusiasts for a night of recording buying and swapping Wednesday February 23rd from 5-8PM. Conveniently located in downtown York at 343 W. Market, the Emporium will host a gathering of vinyl sellers and collectors from all over with a wide array of all sizes and types of vinyl and maybe even a few cds too. This free show is always a blast, so get out of hibernation and come on down. Bring your own records to swap too! The comfy confines of the York Emporium are the perfect place to get out and have a fun evening in the middle of this awful winter! We have also added a snow date the following Saturday if needed!

Whether you are looking for that elusive soul 45, rare punk, some way out jazz, or maybe some central PA hillbilly tunes, The York Record Riot offers a great chance to browse some goodies looking to find happy homes. Surely, this time of year an escape is needed, and this free show is a great opportunity for music fans to get some new old wax to add to their collections, and you can even browse the huge book warehouse as well too!

Summer's End Brings Avalanche of Record Shows to the Mid-Atlantic

2010-09-21T19:39:00.000-07:00

Please forgive my extended summer vacation from my blog as I delved headfirst into the vinyl subculture even to the point of eschewing the online world in favor of getting my hands dirty and feeding my mind. This post is for those , who like myself, cling to their 7 & 12" slabs of vinyl as if the world was about to end, those who try to roll away the stone with a few spins of a disc. For those who truly cling, the cold, flat computer screen is just no match for a room full of records.

Our fun-filled month of shows gets started on Wednesday September 29th at 6PM with our own York Record Riot at the amazing York Emporium, 343 W. Market St. Imagine a cavernous building filled with books and records invaded by a good variety of dealers and collectors with even more records, in a friendly cozy atmosphere where one can truly dig some tunes. It's a little funky show in a big funky place where all are welcomed, especially those bringing fine records. This little local show is unlike any other, and may be the only semi regular Wednesday show around. As such, its a fine tune-up for the incredible Allentown 45 and 78 show on Saturday Oct 1!

The 23rd Semi-Annual 45 and 78 show at Merchant's Square Mall in Allentown is simply the biggest and best (not to mention first) 45 show in the country. Tears have been shed over the records that have been bought or almost bought there, and some of the finest dealers and collectors in the world will showcase their remarkable records. WFMU may have the biggest record show, but those who search for the rarest 45s visit Allentown first. And if you just happen to be looking for shiny, brand new blues 78's from the 20s, or maybe a few scratchy ones, you will be in luck too. Just bring your pocketbook and you will be rewarded. As an added bonus, the all-format show on Sunday the 3rd will expand the selection with even more dealers adding LPs and Cds to the mix to make for a fine weekend for sure.

After taking a week to recover from Allentown, Oct 10 would be a great day to check out the longest running monthly record show in the US, the Keystone Record Collectors show at the Continental Inn on RT 30 in Lancaster. This location is the best yet for this show which remains a solid place to buy and sell all kinds of records. Easy access, lots of parking, and a spacious showroom make this a sure bet. Add the fact that some dealers do only the KRC show, you really ought to go every month!

That's about it for the vinyl show roundup, unless you go to the next weekend, when on Sat Oct 16th the mammoth Yotk Book Paper Record and Comic Fair returns for its fall show. In their new digs at the Holiday Inn the shindig has it all in one big room or two. After all, you need stuff to read while listening to your new records right? Then you might as well finish a month of trolling for wax in Baltimore Sunday the 17th at the Arbutus Fire Hall, which is simply an amazing place to get some vinyl at totally fair prices! So for those who are not content to sit in front of a computer screen, or listen to their ipod, or looking for apps for their smart phone, etc etc, the Mid-Atlantic has many opportunites to dig, dig and dig some more and find a tangible piece of music to welcome into the home! It's your mission should you choose to accept it...

York Record Riot Returns May 26th With Its Righteous Record Ruckus!

2010-05-05T10:58:00.000-07:00

Due to the success of the very first York Record Riot this past February, the decision has been made to have the fun Wednesday night record swap on a quarterly basis, beginning with the May 26th show! Hosted by the multi-tasking, used books and more, warehouse the York Emporium, the first record swap was a blast, well attended and a quite cozy event all around. Essentially a wildly divergent group of folks turned up to sell and buy some old vinyl, and even swell out of the area record shops like Mr. Suit of Lancaster and Own Guru of Baltimore showed up with their wares.

So the big Wednesday night riot will return in just a few weeks, on May 26th, and it remains a lone oasis of vinyl culture in downtown York, a free event that offers a fine diversion from run of the mill fare, as one can find inexpensive wonders galore and maybe a few worthy expensive ones too. The friendly atmosphere of Jim Lewin's wonderful emporium is a big plus and his wife Pam sure can make some good brownies too! It's like the old days when all the record shows were all sort of informal gatherings, and fun and music was the order of the day. Things certainly have changed since the 45 and the LP arrived on the scene, and some of those artifacts are now valued and treasured. Crate diggers have returned vinyl to its proper place in the scheme of things, rescuing and reissuing lost treasures and giving the artists some long overdue attention.

The show at the Emporium again will have a wide range of sellers from all over, and gives the vinyl hungry crowd one little spot where they can browse a traveling record store and rediscover some lost treasures on their own. Who knows, maybe even some of the famous York records will show up, like the Loose Enz, The Chapparals, or the Blues Spectrum! I could only hope, really. Calling all you great central PA bands of the 60s like the Emperors, the Shaynes, The Centurys, the Evil I, etc., dig out your records and photos and bring them down! Things surely will be happening at the York Emporium the night of May 26th. As they say, it's all for the love of rock and roll, or soul, or jazz or hillbilly, etc. Come on down and join us Wednesday night for a little bit of action, good music and good times!

Roky Erickson Exorcises His Demons One More Time

2010-04-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

This week's release of True Love Cast Out All Evil is simply an event to be heralded: a true musical genius given a chance to shine on his own terms after a career spanning decades which included two forced vacations into mental institutions and hundreds of LSD trips--and some timeless music. The teenager who belted out (and wrote) "You're Gonna Miss Me", one of the most ferocious songs ever, is now a senior citizen who has emerged from his long strange trip stronger than dirt. I had written previously about Roky's amazing comeback all but begged a good label to pick him up, and I am so glad Anti stepped up to the plate, and with Roky's help, hit it out of the park! It seems Anti has their shit together---signing up great old farts like Mose Allison, Tom Waits, Betty LaVette and Booker T---folks that still have great music in them. Roky is no exception, and the swell guys at Anti even give you two free mp3s to prove it! You can get them right here.

Now I'll admit the first time I heard "Be and Bring Me Home" it sort of sounded like country Billy Joel with its piano and fake strings, chimes and mandolins. "Suddenly I'm not sick," Roky sings in a moment of self realization on the longest track on the LP. Its an a redemptive anthem, a bit overproduced, but still a powerful song. The other mp3 Anti's giving away is just a scorching rocker that wouldn't have been been out of place on my favorite Roky LP, the one with the Aliens on CBS. "Goodbye Sweet Dreams" could have really been torn up by the Aliens with Billy Miller splashing his autoharp all over it, but this Austin band Okkervill River who back up Roky still get a few points for their performance on this one. Unfortunately, I haven't got a chance to listen to the rest of the LP except for the 30 sec bits on Amazon, but those clips point to a vision that is unique, a voice that has something to say. You stare into Roky's eyes on the cover of his new LP and it's like you are looking into his soul. Even before the 13th Floor Elevators, Roky sang "we sell soul", and now he's doing it again, 45 years later!

It must have been a terrifying experience being subjected to shock treatment and confined to Rusk, and spooky sounding recordings from those years do appear with these newly recorded tunes. "God is Everywhere" indeed! Roky's life has been far from rosy, but the strange beauty of his music still holds its sense of wonder. Soaked in its Texas roots, True Love Cast Out All Evil is a career defining LP and a loud statement that Roky Erickson is the real deal. Roky may have shed his demons but his creative fires are still burning bright.

Rendell Appoints Waitin On A Train To Get the Party Started!

2010-04-05T10:25:00.000-07:00

I guess it would be a little too much effort for the fine folks of York to let their best hometown band to play on the stage of the Strand-Capitol, but no less than PA Governor Ed Rendell, or maybe those working for him, has elected Waitin On A Train to open the day long Governor's Arts Awards celebration on April 3rd. Though they didnt quite make it to the stage, they will be playing in front of the Strand in the middle of the closed off N. George St at 3 PM, starting the celebration in which famous Yorkies Del McCoury and Jeff Koons will be feted with awards from Governor Rendell. It's always good to be recognized, and both MCoury and Koons have made lasting contributions to our cultural landscape. It's great that they will be honored, and great that York is also giving its new blood a chance to get the party started. The foot stompin tunes of Waitin On A Train provide the perfect foil for what otherwise may turn into a pretty staid affair, and the lively deep roots driven music is the same stuff Del McCoury cut his teeth on over 60 years ago.

Clustered amongst local artists and vendors, Waitin On A Train will open the arts show with a set that truly speaks of York County's musical roots. The band's sound has been described as "urban hillbilly", but really is rooted in the traditional country string bands that predate modern bluegrass. While Del McCoury has moved to Nashville, and slicked up his sound, his early recordings for the Arhoolie, Revonah, Grassound, and Rounder labels reveal a fevered pitch and intensity that's much like Waitin On A Train's fast-paced old timey sound. Del's great voice and his affable, always smiling nice guy demeanor have served him well, and he relied on many York County musicians for years in an endless string of appearances and recordings. McCoury is a fitting honoree and his body of work, as well as his success, speaks for itself. The York County bluegrass tradition is vast and deep, requiring much more than a single post to cover, but like Del McCoury, Waitin On A Train takes that tradition and puts their own twist on it, and it serves them well.

Anyone from around here knows how tough it is to play original music in just about any local venue, but Waitin On A Train have been doing it for years, and making it look easy as they blend their own great tunes with forgotten classics of a much earlier time. The 3 piece band sure kicks up a racket, occasionally slowing down for a mid tempo ballad, but mostly flying along at a breakneck pace. Even the mournful songs, like "The Kneeling Drunkard's Plea" sound almost celebratory! Stripped down, and revved up, Waitin On A Train embodies the spirit of creativity as they, despite paying homage to an earlier time and sound, can craft songs as timeless and unique as the ones they cover. Take their latest self titled CD on Apple Snitch Records (see pic at left) for example. "You're Killing Me" has been played quite a bit on the Sirius bluegrass channel though it could have just as easy been played on their modern rock or Underground Garage channel. In fact, the Underground Garage DJ, Bill Kelly, has played "Driftin Down" from the In the Path Of Pain CD on his WFMU show, which is all rock and roll!

I can not explain, either, why the radio is not playing the hell out of "The Rocks, Sticks, Snakes and Bones" from their new CD as its simply a classic mountain tune that is begging for a greater audience. Certainly the entire CD with its genre-bending mix of the traditional and contemporary is worth checking out, as are the band's live shows. Thursday gives the band yet another chance to play for one of York's big events, and just maybe this time people will take some notice of what they have in their own backyard. Of course, you are talking about the same town whose newspapers only covered Del McCoury after he moved to Nashville, and whose papers have a strict policy of reviewing no "local" music releases--even if the All Music Guide gives them a 4 star review!

Nevertheless, Waitin On A Train continues to grow its fan base and regularly plays the Northeast corridor. Friday April 16th sees the band at Lancaster's Chameleon Club opening the show for the WXPN showcase of the Launch Music Conference on the main stage. Kind of ironic that the band is doing an XPN showcase, when the station wont even play the band! I guess talking about supporting area bands, and actually doing it, may be two different things. At least WXPN had enough sense to showcase the band at the Chameleon Club, and just maybe they'll have enough sense to broadcast it live and clue their audience in on what they've been missing! Still, the best bet seems to be the free show in downtown York on Thursday. It will be a bright sunny day, and you can hear some bright, sunny songs (that just might have a dark edge). It is certainly a good thing that PA is honoring Del McCoury, and its fitting that Waitin On A Train gets the party going with some mountain music that is reminiscent of the great bands that McCoury has led over the years.

York Book And Paper Fair (now with Records and Comics too) Moves to the Holiday Inn April 3rd.

2010-03-31T11:34:00.001-07:00

The long running York Book and Paper Fair, newly expanded to include records and comics, is departing its home for the last 25 years, the York Fairgrounds, in search of greener pastures at the Holiday Inn and Conference Center at rts. 30 and 74. The show promises to be great as always, with a wide range of books, paper records, and everything else. The bi-annual fair has always been a source of wonder for me, even before they started having record vendors. Being a collector of crime fiction and sci-fi, I was intrigued to see obscure paperbacks by my favorite authors like Jim Thompson, Charles Willeford, and Philip K. Dick to name a few. Quite a variety of culture floating about in that room for sure!

Now you can shop in the spacious rooms at the Holiday Inn, and even pick up some possibly previously elusive LPs and 45s too, and the Book and Paper Fair has graciously put a $1 off admission coupon online, and you can download that here.
The expanded focus of the show to include records, comics, and related items makes the already unique show, a bit more unique, and certainly a lot of fun to browse. The show's promoter, Jim Lewin, has been a great help to vinyl freaks in the York area with both the expansion of his Book Fair, and also by hosting the first York Record Riot at the York Emporium back in February. That event at the Emporium was well attended and all concerned had a blast. We tentatively have the next one scheduled for the last Wednesday in May. Stay tuned for more details!

So come on out this Saturday and check out the new digs of the York Book, Record, Paper, Comic, Etc., Fair and see if you can take a little bit of culture and give it a new home.

The Skeptics In A World Of Their Own Premieres March 25th at the Weinberg Center!

2010-03-21T19:27:00.000-07:00

I guess it's only fitting and maybe a bit ironic that The Skeptics In A World Of Their Own, a Keith Chester film, premieres this Thursday at the historic Weinberg Center in downtown Frederick, MD, which just happens to be the Skeptics home turf, and the same town they could barely get gigs in 25 years ago. Long part of a Frederick music scene which only seemed to ooze and fester, always with its own impetuous swagger and contempt for the routine, the Skeptics are finally getting their due in the most unlikely of places. Not only that, but the local folks now have even been calling them legendary and a "garage tour de force"! So, the world premiere of the Skeptics film, followed by a perfomance by the band, promises to be an event. From what I've heard, Chester has crafted a fitting documentary which captures the band's otherworldly dimension-- a sort of This Is Spinal Tap crossed with The Alien Factor. Of course, you would expect nothing less from a UFO researcher filming a documentary about a monster illustrator's band who named their lone vinyl LP after the mythical Snallygaster beast.

Like the beast, the Snallygaster LP itself became somewhat mythical as, although I had recorded and helped produce the LP with the helpful Don Zientara at his world famous Inner Ear studios, I was only able to secure a European release for the LP. We got 50 copies of the LP from the Netherlands company Resonance Records, run by Rory Faber, a well intentioned bloke with apparently horrible business acumen, as well as a check for $750 which covered the not-so-big budget recording. The Snallygaster LP sold well in Europe but attracted virtually no local interest here in the States. Mr. Faber's company even opened up a US branch which only lasted long enough to be sued by the Cleveland band the Pagans for non-payment of royalties. Soon Resonance was caput altogether, and the LP, like the Snallygaster itself, had suddenly dissappeared.

It seems the blame for the lack of a US Snallygaster release rests with me, as my bubble, which had been riding the crest of the 80s punk and garage band resurgence, was about to burst. After trying for years to get financing for Bona Fide, we had finally succeeded in get a pressing and distribution deal with Greenworld in Torrance California, which had been spun off from Enigma Records. They were quite excited about my projects and wanted to do them all, and they loved the Skeptics LP. Of course, things just didn't work out. Greenworld cut a deal to release the Left's Last Train to Hagerstown and I was unwilling to let them have the Skeptics LP until they kept up their part of the Left deal. Last thing I ever heard from Greenworld was an offer for me to get my tapes back (which they had only licensed for 4 years anyway) by sending them $1000 to get out of the licensing agreement. Greenworld was in bankruptcy court with $13 million in debt, and they tried to shake me down for a paltry grand just to get my Left masters back! Needless to say, this scuttled the Snallygaster LP, and my lack of financial resources prevented the LP from a US release. This sorta hurt bad cause I believed in the LP and the Skeptics, and wanted their success so badly. I never released another LP on Bona Fide till I reluctantly revived my label in 2005, a move I was forced to make to combat European bootlegs of George Brigman's music.

Now 25 years later, Keith Chester has put on film the Skeptics story, seen not with rose colored glasses, but through a wall oozing with mud and slime where the band's mere existence is surreal. Despite years of raucous rousing shows, not too many of which were actually in Frederick, the bands relative anonymity gives Mr. Chester some artistic license to be a little creative and he takes the ball and runs with it, much like the Skeptics defied convention and straddled genres, never fitting easily in any box. For those who don't know the band's story, they will most likely see a oddly warped film about an oddly warped band. Can the city of Frederick, home of America's most famous bio-terrorist Bruce Ivins, welcome with open arms a strange, otherworldly film about a band they all but shunned? Will they now embrace a band who sang about screaming transexuals, child molesters, serial killers, posion drinking snake handling worshippers, and Oreos that tasted like something that most people would never want in their mouths? Well, The Weinberg Center For the Arts is calling them legendary, and the local paper ran a huge story on the band last week so I guess the answer is Frederick MD now wants to hear more from the Skeptics.

In honor of the film's premiere, I offer for your listening enjoyment the song that inspired Keith Chester to film a video which he later expanded into his documentary. "A World Of Your Own" features some snakey guitar work from Andy McCutcheon with ghost-like harmony vocals in a self exploratory tale of a bewildered soul who's "trying to get home in a world of his own". Looks like Andy has made it home from LA for the big show and now all Frederick, or at least those in the film, are geared up for it! The other song I selected is a good companion to the film as well. "Haunted Host" is a tale about the haunting of an abandoned Frederick amusement park and shows one unique aspect of the band, their fascination with death, decay and all things grisly. You might detect a bit of Cramps influence here. After all, drummer Stephen Blickenstaff drew the Cramps' iconic Bad Music for Bad People LP cover, as well as being a demon on the skins!

Kudos to Keith Chester for shedding some dark, creepy light on the band who came real close to saying forget it. The Skeptics were an integral part of an incestuous Frederick music scene filled with talent but lacking recognition. The Skeptics, the Dusters, the Subterraneans, the Left, Monster Rock, the Voodoo Love Gods and the Gelatin Skeletons all shared and swapped members while they were making great rock and roll. At last, one small part of the big story will be told--and it will be as twisted as the bands themselves! Let's just hope that the whole world will finally see the Frederick music scene, and especially the Skeptics, ooze and fester for itself. Believe me, the Frederick Film Festival will never be the same, and neither will be the world!

World Of Your Own

Haunted Host

York Emporium Launches 1st Ever York Record Riot February 24th!

2010-02-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

In an announcement that echoed far and wide, Jim Lewin of the York Emporium unveiled his latest bright idea to make his business the epicenter of cultural awareness in downtown York, PA---the York Record Riot, a free record show on a Wednesday night in the middle of winter! A brave scheme for sure, but bear in mind that York Emporium, a huge warehouse which is ostensibly a used book store, but actually a whole lot more, has hosted events which range from the chess club and "Horrible Saturdays" to civil war reenactments, and even screaming contests! However, the only things screaming on Wednesday night February 24th will be the rock and roll, soul, way out jazz, and hillbilly music coming from the small portable players carried by a bunch of record diggers.

The resurgence of vinyl and the quest for that elusive disc has been quite a story as the recording industry proved unable to kill the format and its popularity is still growing with both the young and the young at heart. There are some things that you can't get at Walmart and Target, and if you go there looking for a John Coltrane LP, you'd be shit out of luck. The York Emporium is offering a path to enlightenment, if you will, a valiant attempt to break on through to the other side! You might find a scratchy hillbilly record from 50 years ago, a seriously deep funk record, or an LP by a band you saw 30 years ago. Yes, your mind could be opened up, or at least expanded a bit by a little slab of wax. The lure of those black plastic discs will even bring people from out of town, coming to buy or swap or just to check out the scene.

This event, the first of its kind to be attempted in York, will surely be a fun night filled with a lot of groovy tunes. Dealers from swell independent stores like Own Guru from Baltimore and Mr. Suit from Lancaster will give Yorkers a chance to see some truly different records from out of town stores that they may be unable to visit. And, of course Bona Fide will be selling rare vinyl of all kinds as well as our super releases by George Brigman, the Left, and local favorites, Waitin On A Train. It's just great that Jim has organized this event, giving the culture starved locals a worthwhile activity on a Wednesday night. Of course, Mr. Lewin is providing refreshments and several comfy chairs too, adding to the homey atmosphere, and if one gets tired of looking at piles of vinyl, there's always the books--lots of them. So what's left to do, but to head to The York Emporium, February 24th? An evening of musical pleasures awaits, and you, too, can become a part of the first York Record Riot!

Sun Ra's Arkestra Stokes the Flame in Their Hometown Before Blasting Off to Europe

2009-07-08T07:25:00.000-07:00

Awash in color and a barely controlled vibrancy, Sun Ra's Arkestra took over the ground floor of Philadelphia's Institute of Contemporary Art with an ensemble that barely fit on the large stage last Wednesday. Their surging, sprawling cosmic swing as usual defied convention and was fitting testimony that artists can succeed and thrive on their own terms while thumbing their noses at the commericial constraints of the music biz and have a blast doing it.

The 60 year struggle of the Arkestra has produced a wealth of rich recordings to savor and enjoy while offending jazz purists and classicists. Sun Ra's influence in modern music continues to loom large, a fact attested to by his Arkestra still going strong 16 years after his passing. Anchored by long time stalwarts Charles Davis, Danny Thompson, and Marshall Allen, who directs the band, the Arkestra paid tribute to both their swing band roots and New Orelans' dixieland, as well as their mentor, whose voice even made an appearance, speaking about, what else, outer space.

Marshall Allen deftly piloted his raucous crew who just refused to stay seated. Unlike a standard big band where the soloist stands and the audience applauds politely, the Arkestra's members stood at will and enmasse leaving a firey swirling web verging on chaos, deeply percussive and propulsive. (It seemed as if each member had a conga in front of him) The sound of joy was quite apparent, as the music was celebratory and extremely spirited. This was certainly an occasion to celebrate as the band was being honored in their adopted hometown of 40 years before leaving for an extensive tour of Europe, and Russia too. Highlights were many and all involved seemed to create a living, breathing creature pulsating with electricity and sparks flying everywhere. I really dug Marshall Allen's EVI (electronic valve instrument), a sorta bamboo flute with a can at the end which sounded like a cross between a slide whistle and a moog. Suprising, too, was the guitarist D. Hotep, who , when you could hear him, wrenched some distinctly unguitarlike tones out of his ax. It was great to see Juni Booth on bass too, as I had really enjoyed his work on McCoy Tyner's opus Enlightenment and Larry Young's seminal Lawrence of Newark.

Kudos are due to Philly's Institute of Contemporary Art, for not only hosting this event, but also for the remarkable Sun Ra exhibit running through August 2nd, Pathways to Unknown Worlds, a visual feast of Ra memorablia, art, video and musings, as well as a map of Saturn! Obviously Ra's and his Arkestra's contribution to music have been long standing and immense. It belongs both in a museum and on your car radio as well. The DIY ethos Ra created has been an inspiration to many, and the museum recognition of his contribution is both worthy and welcome. Not only are they sharing valuable artifacts, but also providing interactive Ra events on Wednesdays this month. Having the Ra Arkestra play in the same museum exhbiting much of his life's work was the icing on the cake--both art and music for all to savor. Further evidence of the ICA's level of excellence occurs this Saturday the 11th, when they host the Philadelphia Record Fair, simply an amazing show, and one not to be missed. You better believe, I will be there, and you should too, and check out the Ra exhibit as well. What a great way to spend a day!

When most of the Arkestra had left the stage, the band started an extended free jazz jam erupting in squealling,squawking and just plain noise, but it was a beautiful noise and a fitting coda to a fine evening. The splendor of the Arkestra's concert is even more special when you consider the advanced age of some of the originals members and I, for one, appreciate their efforts. Already Ra, Pat Patrick, and John Gilmore have long gone to the great beyond and are still missed. One can only hope this Arkestra can continue to share their otherworldy music with those on Earth for a long, long time.

Vinyl Meltdown: The Incendiary Spawn of Three Mile Island

2009-03-29T18:34:00.000-07:00

By now most of you know that last weekend marked the 30th anniversary of the worst nuclear accident in US history (not counting the Peach Bottom reactor employees who slept on the job, right here in York County), and all the hullabaloo that surrounded it. Well, just in case you weren't around back then, here in Central PA we were terrified that we'd be swallowed by a huge cloud of radioactive gas as soon as the reactor blew. Well, that never happened, but a huge cloud of gas did erupt from the populace by way of several ambitious attempts to tell the story in a musical format. The results in some cases are quite laughable and are laudable if only for the effort, while other offer biting social commentary with a catchy tune! Naturally, this short survey involves only efforts by those directly affected by the disaster; hence, an unvarnished opinion by those who live here.

Of course, our first record up does come from a little bit outside of York County, and we only have Myerstown to blame for Al Shade and his wretched song "(Potter County Was Made By the Hand of God, But the Devil Made)Three Mile Island". Using all the tricks in his book (except for yodeling and the Pennsylvania Dutch ABC's) Al crowbars his two favorite topics, Jesus and Potter County, into a tuneless ditty started by an angelic choir and driven home by Al's PA Dutch brogue. Yes, blaming the devil seems like the easy way out and Al seems to be saying our part of the state was made by the devil! Last time I checked. God made our whole state. Maybe Al was talking about the Redneck God!

I mean, this is a guy who's career highpoint was recording his self-promoting "Im A Star on WLBR" , and we see where that got him! And did he really have to trot out Potter County again? There was the Potter County Was Made by the Hand of God" LP, and, of course, My Potter County Mountain Home! and so on. Mr. Shade was so fond of this tune he issued it on 45 and also as a title cut for an LP! These thoughtful lyrics deserve quoting:

Should the bubble burst
May the devil be cursed
Was the cry heard
Throughout all this land!

Nuclear power (pronounced "par") and hydrogen gas in reactor #2
Should they escape,
what would be our fate?
May Jesus pull us thru!

Well, I guess Al prayer's might have helped, maybe. My prayers were answered when I took the needle off his record! You have to give the guy some extra points for the crude cover with the devil standing atop the Middletown sign, and a cowboy(Mexican?) driving a tractor and emptying radioactive milk into, as Al says it, the Suskeyhanna! But still, to fully grasp our pain and suffering, you have to hear from those inside the 5 mile radius.

Enter the Tyme-Aires who sing "Three Mile Island's a stones throw away from me, I can see those towers plain as a bird can see." Nothing like a local perspective from the small town of Etters with that rough basic country sound and a flat singer imparting his wisdom. True to the slow pace of life in that part of the county, the Tyme-Aires sing:

There's no need to run
no need to hide just yet
But I'm ready to roll
and head for the hills you bet.

Unlike Al Shade who's waiting for Jesus to help, this guy has an exit plan---"There's a pistol-packing mama waiting in the hills for me" we are informed(four times in fact). He's ready to boogie though he says he "aint goin nowhere till the coast is clear". I think he's more flummoxed to write a song that actually makes sense! Add some more silly lyrics about the people making a stand and thanking the lord for his role in this, and even a poorly recorded and played steel guitar solo, and a cool pic of the cooling towers on the 45, and you've got a diamond in the rough, you bet!

Thankfully, the area musical contributions were not all country, and Maxwell laid down some funky grooves with "Radiation Funk". The snappy tune features driving horn lines, popping bass, some great moog sirens, and even some old school rappin' (do you know what you're facin'? Half a state of radiation!) As you would expect from a funk song, Maxwell stays pretty basic: "radiation funk, sho' aint no junk" and the tunes bounces along to a Bootsy/P-Funk beat as the singer boasts "I got the bubble in my backyard!" All things considered, it seems that this racially mixed band just wanted to party and get in the groove and the result is enjoyable and not preachy. Quite possibly the most famous TMI song and a good tune as well! This excerpt of "Radiation Funk ", courtesy of the reformed Maxwell, is from a live recording a few years back.

While the above records simply used the accident, as an excuse for a song, and even though Maxwell did make a solid attempt to go nuclear with excellent musicianship and funny lines, still, the actual chance that we could be fried seemed to only be addressed by the unheralded Gary Punch and the Outriders. With "Goodbye, TMI" their Delta Records 45, Gary Punch and the Outriders deliver a knockout blow in the tradition of topical songs like "Blowin In the Wind" and "Eve Of Destruction." Its a rocked out tune based on the melody of "Runaround Sue"("here's my story, it's sad but true") which has some verve, and major indignation, as Gary calls out the plant operators, Met-Ed, for lying. The garagy folk-rock sends the doom filled message home:

It happened on March 28
and left us in the hands of fate
Goodbye, Goodbye
to your lies, TMI

We're breathing radioactive air,
and the world is well aware
We've been the top story on the news for weeks,
because of what they called a minor leak.

We started hearing about evacuation
they even said it on Face The Nation
Now the say they got the whole thing under control
But God knows what we still don't know!

Gary punches out "we shouldn't have to listen to another lie!" as he effortlessly merges group harmony, social protest, and spirited rock and roll, not to mention rhyming "evacuation" with "Face the Nation". Could we have had our homegrown Dylan and never realized it? I know nothing of the band and only suspect they are from York County, maybe even the town of Delta, like their label. The flip is a swell outlaw country tune, "Fallen Angels" that tells the story of a "broken-hearted man who od'ed on LSD," and evens mentions beer and a bar in its first line. A two-sided winner of true PA angst, a real people record for sure.

Yes, the world hasn't quite forgotten the TMI accident, but the unique perspective of a few iconoclasts remains but a footnote to a near tragedy. Though humorous now, they shine a light on the people's concerns, as well as just how prevalent bad country 45s from PA are. Though these songs vary wildly in both thought and execution, they document a black mark in the history of nuclear power. I wouldn't evacuate without them, you bet!

Ron Asheton Awarded Purple Heart For Fighting the War Against the Jive

2009-01-08T07:34:00.000-08:00

As Ron Asheton expired sitting on his sofa in Ann Arbor this week, it took a few days for people to notice he was gone. Ron, though, was a larger than life presence, and in the larger scheme of things, he hovers over a generation of rock and roll soldiers. In a long forgotten LP by his band the New Order that was never even released in the US, his band sang "Rock and Roll will keep you alive, we never ever give in, it would be a sin, in the war against the jive." Asheton deserves a Purple Heart for valor in his lifelong battle against the jive. Together with Fred Sonic Smith of the MC5 they were the twin towers of Rock and Roll cementing forever the city of Detroit, and specifically Ann Arbor, as the high energy rock'n'roll capitol of the world. Once scoffed at and ridiculed, now, years later, they are fawned over by bands who arent even worthy of being their roadies.

Perhaps the Stooges took the rock and roll lifestyle to the extreme and then some, and the powers that be back then, the arbiters of taste, declared them talentless, and unfit for coronation. Their sweaty, noisy, malevolent barrage, as captured in all its glory by Don Galluci (of the Kingsmen!) on Funhouse is truly hard to beat, and that remains their landmark. Stoned, piledriving psychedelic blues that rocked so hard everything else sounded like Crosby, Stills, and Nash, who just happened to be the choice of those same "arbiters of taste". It all seems so clear now almost 40 years later, the apocalyptic nature of that LP which took rock and roll places it had rarely been before. The Stooges were not cerebral, but down in the dirt and out of their mind on a Friday night. That celebration of three chords and a screaming singer propelled by a pounding rhythm section, and a guitarist who knew it was not how many notes you played, but how you played them, is truly an album for the ages. Naturally, it would be years before the impact of that LP would be felt, and way before that,the band would succumb to the pressures of their self-destructive lifestyle and an indifferent music world.

The blistering, pounding tunes contained in Funhouse were psychedelic anthems, but there was no talk about wearing flowers in your hair. It was more like having your face rubbed in the dirt and lying in the gutter strung out or just being wired and losing all self-control. Channeling all that energy , and dirt, through his fingers Ron was a true rock and roll soldier, fighting his own private war. The Stooges were just too intense to keep it up, and the great bassist Dave Alexander was the first to go, and it seemed they never were quite the same. Bowie simultaneously resurrected and ruined their career with the flat sounding Raw Power which just seemed to take the wind out of their best songs like "Search and Destroy" and "I Wanna Be Your Dog". At this time, Iggy's peanut butter and glass antics were center stage and the music maybe just an afterthtought. In retrospect, after hearing the amazing remixed and remastered reish of Raw Power, one wonders what could have been. Certainly, the Stooges were on a path of self-destruction regardless. The amphetamine rush of Funhouse caught the band at a peak that remains unequaled, and the Stooges are now, despite being reviled by many in their day, a band the whole world knows.

Ron Asheton would soldier on after the Stooges, first with MC5 alum Dennis Thompson in the New Order, whose lone 6 song LP is full of great tunes abysmally recorded, the incendiary Destroy All Monsters, Dark Carnival and the amazing Aussie/Detroit supergroup, the New Race. All those bands are defintely winners too and Asheton continued to fight his war against the jive. The Stooges reunions of the past few years gave Ron and Iggy a chance to revel in the glory that had always eluded the band. Their last LP, The Weirdness, tried so hard to revive their magic, but in the end made you want to listen to their old LPs that much more. Asheton did never give in though, and additional dates were planned for this year. Im sorry I didnt get a chance to see the band ever, but I am sure there are countless fans out there who will cherish that memory forever. Me, I got the records, still in my collection when thousands of others have come and gone. They are both a testament to and an affirmation of the glory and the power of rock and roll. Ron Asheton may have hung up his guns, but his rock and roll will never die.

Sirius About Music? Not Really.

2008-10-31T08:21:00.000-07:00

(seriously updated below)

I got my first satellite radio over 3 years ago, shortly after Howard Stern announced he was going to say bye to the constraints of terrestrial radio and the offensive actions of the FCC. It seemed like a good idea, both for Howard (who had been mercilessly been reined in and still suffered censorship on a daily basis) and for me, who welcomed something cool and new, having a car radio that actually played good music, listening to Howard uncensored, and all those music channels, especially Little Steven’s Underground Garage. I mean they actually had jazz channels (note the “s”), a reggae station, a bluegrass one, and one that actually played garage bands. For $12.99 a month, it seemed like a good deal, and I must confess I’d pay 12.99 just to listen to Howard, as there is simply no other show like it (but plenty of imitators). The multitude of music channels seemed to be the icing on the cake. Well, now that Sirius merged with its only competitor XM, you’d even get more music you would think, right? Wrong! I can buy a Best of XM package for another $4, but it doesn’t include any music stations, though it does include the Oprah channel What the hell makes them think any reasonable person would want to listen to a 24 hr Oprah station! So I get no more music stations–even if I wanted to pay more (fat chance of that!). Explain again how this merger benefits the consumer, please!

At
least I have all those great Sirius music channels yet though. Trouble is, they got a big problem with their music channels. They are all programmed and formatted to fit one little segment of their supposed listening audience and then only the most popular or well-hyped and financed bands get the airplay. Those jazz stations? Well, they took my favorite one, Planet Jazz, off the air and even that was spotty. They now have Jazz Café or smooth jazz (actually bland instrumental pop music) which sucks, a “new age” station which isn’t even jazz (Yanni!), and Pure Jazz or as they describe it, classic jazz. Well, you can’t go wrong with classic jazz, right? Wrong! Lets check in and see what they’re playing—hmmm-someone named Brad Mehldau leading a piano trio. Well the next song will be more hoppin...It’s a Jon Hendricks tune. I never really liked jazz vocalists except for Mose Allison. It seems their playlists come from some white guy picking songs out of a book or, more likely off the charts. They do slip in a Miles Davis (rarely from his electric stuff, my favorite period) or Lee Morgan, and they have a weekly Coltrane show (an hour, of course). However, a good bit of the programming seems to be complete drivel with none of the soul, vitality, and spontaneity that is the heart of jazz. They have a Blue Note HOUR every week , instead of a daily show, and most annoying is the nightly host, Les Daniels! I cringe every time he opens his mouth and tries to “educate” us on the great stuff he’s playing. I long for the glory days of Philly’s WRTI when it was a 24 hour jazz station with great DJ’s like Harrison Ridley and Ludwig Von Trikt who actually immersed themselves in not only the music but the culture as well. Their shows were both a learning experience and a celebration of the power of jazz. Stale whitebread commentary like Daniels’ even detracts from the woefully scarce good tunes he plays. My favorite decade of jazz from 68-78 gets almost no attention. Sun Ra, no. Spiritual jazz, no. African jazz, no. Soul jazz, no. Funky organ combos? No way–that’s not pure jazz! Since I love jazz, I may be being a bit harsh, but clearly the station is a bit mellow and monochromatic, as it tosses off the adventurous and avant garde as if it didn’t exist. At least, Sirius has all those rock channels, that have to have a wider variety of choices, right?

Well, they have some classic stations! Using their descriptions: Classic Vinyl (60s and 70s classic rock), Classic Rewind (70s and 80s Classic Rock), The Vault (Deep Classic Rock), Buzzsaw (Classic Hard Rock) and 1st Wave (classic alternative) Classic, indeed. You get the idea. But wait, they have a self-described eclectic/freeform station, Disorder, that surely must be something a little different, right? Not quite, imagine a station programmed by laid back old FM Djs (note the term “old FM Djs” was used instead of hippies, a gesture of kindness toward the hippies on my part). You know, those people who think Little Feat was an “important” band. They play a lot of new stuff and a little old stuff, lots of singer/songwriters, an occasional punky song (they like Patti Smith). Generally the music is just a tad too tried and true. Why not Captain Beefheart? Ornette Coleman? The Holy Modal Rounders? Joe Cuba? You can go on and on, but somehow the programming just doesn’t deliver on its freeform promise. To be fair, Disorder deserves some credit as both David Johanssen and Lou Reed have their own weekly shows which feature swell tunes from all kinds of crazy bands that you never hear the rest of the week. Dave Marsh also has a talk and music show which brings, if nothing else, a welcome Detroit perspective to the show, much like Ko Melina, the Dirtbombs bassist, does with her weekend show on the Underground Garage.

I could write the entire post on the Underground Garage, which is sort of where I tried, with mixed results, to make a little dent in the music world. A station that plays the MC5, the Velvet Underground, Roky Erickson and the Stooges surely has to great one would think. Unfortunately, I have reserved some of my harshest criticism for them. Their best shows are on the weekend when they have my favorite Djs , WFMU’s Bill Kelly, Ko Melina, and the legendary, and still kickin’ Kim Fowley. Only problem is the same shows played Saturday are just shuffled and played again Sunday The Djs are great to listen to and they have great stories when not reading off a script, but why the hell cant they have each DJ do two separate shows? Regular listeners don’t want to hear the same show twice, and the stations playlist(?? ) is so small there’s enough repetition already They might as well run infomercials Well, they sorta do. You see this is Little Steven’s station and he has a label, Wicked Cool Records, which has some good bands I like—the Chesterfield Kings, the Charms, and The Maggots, and, surprise, all those bands, in fact ,100% of his label’s output gets heavy airplay and plugs. I don’t have a problem with that as long as he does the same for the other labels that submit music to his station, but he doesn’t. In fact, the playlist seems to be so limited that his label seems to be played more than any other label period. Steven’s bands are cool, but they inhabit a very narrow spectrum of what could be called Underground Garage—basically they all have a 60s based fuzz garage sound with pop overtones. I could listen to 60s garage bands all day, but hearing an endless stream of imitators with nothing new except squeaky clean sound gets a tad bit boring. For every awesome song like the Flairz “Rock and Roll Ain’t Evil”, there must be 50 Woggles songs.

Enough is enough, really. I guess fame and fortune can buy your own radio station to promote your records and even tell people where to buy them (FYE) Fuck, wish I was rich. But those are just two of my beefs with the Underground Garage. My last major beef is that they play little Underground or Garage, and in fact could even be called the Dinosaur Graveyard Yes, the Beatles have their own show , Breakfast with the Beatles, the Who, the Moody Blues, Neil Diamond( ), the Four Seasons( ), Dion( ), the Ronettes, and, surprise, Bruce Springsteen all get regular play. Oh, Bruce has his own 24 hr station, too, along with the Grateful Dead, Jimmy Buffett, and AC/DC. True underground garage acts like Bobb Trimble, Michael Yonkers, George Brigman, Cold Sun and, even well known ones like Captain Beefheart, Hawkwind, and Can don’t get played. Bill Kelly throws an Unrelated Segments and other real garage band rarities in every once in a while, but he tells me he’s only allowed a handful of picks for his show and the rest comes off a set playlist. You know, the ones you hear a few times everyday if you listen a lot. With the breadth and depth of the real underground garage, there is no reason why the dj’s shouldn’t be allowed total freedom. You might hear some one else’s favorite bands instead of just Little Steven’s Still, the station gives much needed props to Roky Erickson, and actually lets Handsome Dick Manitoba be a dj–they do play a lot of good music, I just wish they would live up to their name. If they insist on playing new music, why not Wooden Shjips, Six Organs of Admittance, Endless Boogie, Dungen, Pierced Arrows,Wooden Wand, countless others and maybe even George Brigman’s last CD?

Of course, Sirius does have an indy rock station, Left of Center, which you might think would play some of the above bands, but they really don’t-- they play bands like Chairlift, Pinback, Deerhunter, and Crabpot Ok, so I made Crabpot up—thats my imaginary minimal wave death metal boogaloo band, but you get the idea. These are bands that people at CMJ and Pitchfork love for reasons totally unknown to mere mortals like me who would rather listen to BTO. They do slip a good song in now and then, but like the rest of the stations seem to be a bit narrowly formatted, and the range of music seem much narrower than the best terrestrial indy or college stations. It seems as if, with the glut of music options these days, Sirius is concerned with getting the most listeners possible to increase revenue, and adopted a strategy to go after demographics at the expense of diversity. The inherent problem with that approach is: people paying to listen to the radio don’t want to hear what any other station would play. Hence, the popularity of Howard Stern, who may have kept satellite radio afloat with his millions of listeners who would pay for uncensored exclusive content.

Apparently, the music stations are just window dressing. Don’t get me started on their country and bluegrass stations, or their “reggae” or latin stations. Just one (1) station for soul and R&B from the 50s-70s—you guessed it–Classic Soul & Motown. Left of Center did have a dj I really liked, the Cosmic Commander, who would play a strange mix of 80s punk, Australian rock and roll, 60s psychedelia, twisted country and just about anything, while he screamed a lot. He said his station was shit and he was the only one who played good music like Simon Stokes. Cosmo got moved to the “punk” station. (Don’t get me started on that station either, just blame it on Green Day and people who have way too much money). Well, Sirius took the Punk channel off, replacing it with a 24 hr AC/DC channel. And so much for listening to the Cosmic Commander, and one more blow against freeform radio. The ballyhoo about the merger and the allegedly increased options was just that. We got more channels offering less music options. If the powers that be at this new powerful broadcast medium would really care about their music offerings, they would offer totally unformatted stations or even carry existing terrestrial stations like WFMU who really stretch the boundaries with their varied and even unusual shows. Sirius does carry the Canadian indy station CBC 3, which is better than Left Of Center despite having to follow silly Canadian content rules. Oh wait, Sirius just announced another new music channel—The Led Zeppelin channel! Classic! No wonder Pandora and Slacker are much more fun if you’re listening to the radio for music. They’re free, too, unless you want to listen to them in the car. Sometimes you can’t win. Now if only we could get 5 shows a week out of Howard Stern, I’d quit complaining, just a little.

Update: Well, it seems Sirius has added "new" channels now while deep-sixing their Disorder station that had just a few listenable shows. "The Loft", a self-described blend of Acoustic/Eclectic Rock, is supposed to replace the only "freeform" station Sirius claimed to have. They also call it Singer Songwriter Rock and I call it boring. Kudos for bringing Lou Reed back om board, though. He played Captain Beefheart today, and it was great to hear. Shame the best and most adventurous DJs seem relegated to a 2 hour weekly shift! The Cosmic Commander has returned with a weekly 2 hour show on Faction, Sunday at 11. Typical of Sirius's musical philosophy, the Faction's music is described as "Action Sports"! In real life this means a bad headache-inducing punk/metal/skate hybrid with a Ramones song every now and then. Good to hear Cosmo again, even if its only two hours. It doesnt really seem as if any "new" stations actually are playing different stuff. We now have Willie Nelson's Willie's Place which plays some cool honky-tonk and western swing, and thats a welcome departure from all the band pop country on the rest of the dial.

The Jazz station has now become "Real Jazz", though its more like "the blandest most lifeless jazz with all avant garde or funky soul or African vibes wiped out". Im still waiting to hear my first Mulatu or even Sun Ra track. I mean, this is simply the most total pathetic excuse for Jazz programming ever, and a monkey could do a better job! The people that program the Jazz/Soul/Latin stations lazily program straight off the charts and probably Les Daniels' idea of Jazz--his listed formative experiences involve seeing Frank Sinatra and "Annie Get your Gun"! Of course, Les is on 6 hours a day, 7 days a week! Folks we are being fed a dish of crap! Its time to give subscribers their money's worth--instead of 50 stations playing someone's idea of "Classic" tunes. Play some funky music, white boys!

One more beef, then I'm done. This morning my leisurely morning snooze was interrupted by the Underground Garage's "new" show--"Breakfast With the Beatles". Its time to get rid of this Beatles crap once and for all! Yeeeccchhhhh!! I had to get out of bed and turn the radio off as "Obli-di, Obla-Da" caused me to wretch. I mean--what the hell is Underground or Garage about the fucking Beatles!! NO!! Get them and all the Dinosaur Rock off, and play some real Underground muisc--not pop CRAP! Maybe there was a reason why all those Beatles songs that guy plays didnt get released---they suck!! Little Steven--thanks for playing some true garage bands--but DO NOT call your station UNDERGROUND GARAGE and play nothing but pop crap, oldies, and every goddam band on your label! Let's open up the playlists and kiss the charts goodbye. That would be a true underground station--Imagine that--letting the DJs pick their music!

Obviously, satellite radio is still in its infancy and the jury is still out. A panacea of music it isnt. Offered as an unlimited supply of uninterupted music--its more like a ltd. supply of the same songs played over and over again on a daily basis. There are a few bright spots, but it seems as if the same bad habits from commercial terrestrial radio have a strangehold on any creative music programming. I think its time listeners vote for a change!

The Left Comes Back With A Vengeance!

2008-09-24T13:57:00.000-07:00

Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, the Left thundered into their set with a faithful, blistering version of the Stooges'"TV Eye", and, without a doubt, you knew from the very first chords, the original Left had returned for the first time in over 20 years, and they were more than ready to reclaim their rock and roll throne! The power, the fury, the spit, it was all there. The crowd that converged on Throttles Bar in rural Clear Spring, MD got to see one hell of a show, as the Left furiously pounded their way through their hits showing no signs of mellowing, only a barely under control fire, sending flame and smoke everywhere!

Folks came from all around to see if it was true, and indeed the original lineup of Hagerstown's original punks was intact for the first time since 1985. Their furious hell-bent punk rock from the 80s was politically incorrect and flew in the face of the then popular straight-edge hardcore. Their reputation, thanks to two great records and a stellar CD comp, is now bigger than the band ever was, and the band was ready to deliver the goods. There's a tangible edge, an attitude if you will, that seperates the great bands from the very good ones, and the Left have more than that edge, and a bite as well. That rock and roll glory is present in many 60s garage bands who effortlessly laid down a killer track or two. And its the edge that causes records by the Sonics and Link Wray to still pin you to the wall decades after their recording. For about 2 hours the Left reveled in that glory and took the crowd along for the ride.

They effortlessly plowed through the Left songbook, sounding like they never, uh, left, their whole catalog burned into their brain. A couple more Stooges songs done with the abandon the Stooges no longer have, and a Voodoo Love Gods song or two rounded out their set, but the band's own anthems, their pure punk rock noise, sounded better than they ever had before! The band's signature song "Hell" was reworked a bit, into a slinky, snarly bit of bile that crashed and burned its way into your brain. "5AM" exploded as Jim Swope did inhuman things to his guitar, and Brian Sefsic destroyed his tambourine. And of course, "Fuck It" was driven home with a passion that showed the band really meant it.

Few worthwhile punk bands have stuck around, and the Left never really tried as they essentially broke up even before recording their second EP Last Train to Hagerstown. All the usual bullshit went down and its now water under the bridge. I, for one, was glad to be a part of it, and even gladder now that the Left are back. Reclaiming their spot at the top of the rock and roll heap is not an easy task these days, but when the Left rocked out in Throttles, I was again in rock and roll heaven for one night, possessed by rock and roll spirits, back from the grave and spitting fire. There's no denying that the Left have returned, and the world is just a little bit better now.

DON'T MISS THE LEFT ON TOUR!

NOV. 22 The Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC

THE LEFT ON CD:

Jesus Loves the Left (Bona Fide, 2006)

It Was 25 Years Ago Today: The True Story of Bona Fide's Train to Disaster!

2008-08-15T14:42:00.000-07:00

It was 25 years ago that I started on The Train to Disaster and I never looked back. Taking the plunge to start a label having no business experience, and even less money, but with a true desire to capture a little part of a crazy scene, the Train to Disaster came about with a lot of help from my friends. My inspiration to start Bona Fide had come by the way of these groovy little 7 Psychedelic Unknowns comps put out by Harrisburg’s Billy Synth. Being a bit ethnocentric, I decided wouldn’t it be cool if I could comp some of the best PA 60s garage, and our debut release The Return of the Young Pennsylvanians was one of the first regional 60s garage comps of the 80s and shed some light on bands like the Shaynes, Loose Enz, and the Centurys, who are now established giants of the genre.

Those garage bands and their raveup sounds were beginning to influence a new generation of bands, and together with Greg Shaw’s new Voxx label and Chip Lamey’s Sounds Interesting, we each assembled some of the very first comps of modern psych garage. While Greg’s Battle of the Garages and Chip’s The Rebel Kind had wild bands from all over, The Train to Disaster was a bit more regional, relying mainly on my friends from the Central PA /MD/DC area with a couple exceptions (one from Tucson and one from Austria ). Our overall sound was a bit more unorthodox too, eschewing a straightforward 60s rip in favor of a twisted brain damaged sound that was as much Chrome as it was the Chocolate Watchband.

The tag line for our promo was “It’s not just a state of mind, but a way of life ” and I guess it was true for us all, as the music was fuzzed drenched, bitingly uncommercial, and maybe just a bit odd. From the first song, The Lone Ketamine Millipede’s ode to giant frogs who could reach into the sky and “pull a bird down” thru Billy Synth’s tale of a hypnotic mask, the Slickee Boys tale of nuclear destruction, and Ben Wah’s psychedelic beatbox squeal to the Mad Violets snakingly slinky plea to “accelerate your mind,” this was an attttempt to cross genres, demolish stereotypes and as Wendy Wild put it, accelerate your mind. Throw in some of George Brigman’s unbridled lust, a tuneful hate-filled spew by the Left, a crazy reworking (with horns ) of “White Rabbit” by Austria’s Ronnie Urini (of Dirtshit and Vogue fame ), some interstellar overdrive by the Velvet Monkeys and a few other tunes that defy description, and you got a steaming helping of juicy rock and roll pie.

Realizing the local scene needed documentation and still being in a process of discovery, the help of my friends Billy Stump aka Billy Synth and Kim Kane of the Slickee Boys was essential in seeing this project come to life. Billy gave me an exclusive on one of his best cuts, the psychotronic “The Mask” inspired by the hallucinogenic 1961 movie, and he introduced me to his bassist Roger Deller aka The Lone Ketamine Millipede who would go on to engineer The Train to Disaster as well. Though the Mad Violets were essentially a NYC band, they, too, had a Harrisburg connection in Dino Sorbello who was a friend of Billy and the Turnups as well. “Acceleration” is pure gold with Wendy Wild’s chimes mirroring her crystalline vocals, creating an otherworldly aura. Mr. Kane provided me with a great Slickees tune and also sent a cassette which had some local talent deserving recognition–the Velvet Monkeys, the Beatnik Flies, and the Embryonic Magnetos (who later became the Left).

Back in 1983 few of these bands were known even in their hometown, and many were making their recording debut, but the music possessed an urgency, spirit and a sense of adventure–an attitude if you will. Hell, the Velvet Monkeys even wound up on Columbia /Sony for a short while in their Gumball incarnation, and the Train began George Brigman’s Bona Fide association which continues to this day. His Rags in Skull CD from 2007 shows him still in peak form with several cuts matching the blistering fire of “My Cherie.” The Left went on to record 2 blasts of screaming rock for Bona Fide that are documented in all their glory on Jesus Loves the Left and the world was better for it. Some of these bands have ventured back to the oblivion they came from, but they will always be on The Train to Disaster!

Set the Wayback Machine for 1983 and you have a snapshot in time. I tried to catch the flavor of an emerging scene by loading up a record with my favorite bands. The sounds within all testify to the power of rock and roll ignited by a creative spark. It was the anyobdy can do it attitude that usually started in the basement and this time grew into something quite extraordinary. Fame and fortune seemed to elude most of us, but we certainly had a helluva party! On a lark, the first pressing of the LP included a flexi by The Page Blues Band--6:30 or so of “Black Cat Bones”, a true basement recording from kindred spirits from Exclesior Springs, MO in 1969. Now thanks to Bona Fide and Anthology Recordings hear it now uncut for the first time, along with 2 more ear numbing Page Blues Band assaults, again rescued from obscurity. Yes, it's a special digital-only expanded remaster of The Train To Disaster! Turning up for the first time here, a pre-Left recording by the Embryonic Magnetos, and one of the first recordings of another Left offshoot, the great Monster Rock! Be the first on your block to download this sonic monster! Like many of the 60s garage bands, these acts disdained the conventional and most of the ersatz trappings of the so-called scene in favor of making a bit of noise. The uncompromising music within speaks for itself and has stood the test of time. There’s not a thing quite like a ride on The Train To Disaster!

Get your copy of the deluxe, expanded 25th anniversary edition right here!

Rebel Rock Pt. 2: Ottley! and Pierced Arrows, psychedelic garage pioneers, still making vital music decades later!

2008-05-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

After writng about two deserving rockers, Roky Erickson and George Brigman, who still wave their freak flag high decades into their musical odysseys in my last post, its time to give some more credit where it is due. Ottley! and Pierced Arrows are hardly household names but between them they have contributed decades of outstanding tuneage and their garage rock pedigree cannot be denied. What cannot be denied as well, is the fact they still hold true to their rock and roll ethos in the best way when many would flounder and lose their vision. Instead, their sharp, piercing rock and roll testifies to the fact that Pete Townshend DID get old and decades after the start of their careers, THEIR rock and roll will never die. This is the stuff that dreams are made of, and while neither band will never be the next big thing, they certainly ought to be!

Ottley! takes the guitar/drum duo a bit further by adding a female singer and their stripped down rock is at the same time simple and complex, weaving melodic guitar lines, pounding drums and sultry vocals into a fine mess, on fire and on target. They're a DC band who actually live in Frederick, MD and their roots lie in some of the best 60s and 70s punk rock that ever came out of the nation's capital. Their drummer, Bob Berberich, is truly a DC stalwart who has lived and breathed rock since the mid 60s as the drummer for the Hangmen (and even earlier bands) and Nils Lofgren's first two bands, Dolphin and Grin. Seeing Ottley! at the Olde Towne Tavern in Frederick a couple weeks ago and meeting Bob was certainly a gas, as from the very first chords, their thunderous roar kicked around the corpse of rock and roll and brought it back to life. Of course, Bob had a little help from his bandmates, Martha Hull and Marshall Keith, whom some of you might remember from the Slickee Boys. It's really hard to describe the Slickees and their impact on the DC scene to anyone who wasnt there. Their records, outside of a few gems, never seemed to do them justice, but their live shows were a smirling mass of color and energy, not to mention some of the best and most frenzied psychedlic punk one could ever hope to hear. The Slickee Boys almost singelhandedly started the DC punk scene in 1976 which has spawned so many bands and the ink to go with it. When Kim Kane and Marshall Keith started the band, who would have thought their impact would spawn a scene that would go down in history. Their psychedelic sound with Marshall's snaky leads, the strangulated rhythm of Mr Kane's guitar, and Martha's hot sexy vocals defied categorization, and they quickly evolved into a top shelf act. Unfortunately, Martha didnt stick around to get all the glory, and when Mark Noone replaced her, for awhile it looked like the Slickees were gonna break nationally. It never happened; somehow, their Twin/Tone deal just never worked out and both LPs they did for them, just didnt capture their fire and sank without an impact.

Still, the Slickees live show remained the best fun you could have cheap, and I think I was peeled off the floor more than once at those great Slickees/Velvet Monkeys shows I used to go to, and, like many others, may have passed out in front of Baltimore's Congress Hotel at least once as well. Those were the days, and I also will never forget the boat cruise around Baltimore's Inner Harbor, where the Slickees literally had the whole damn boat rockin! But, back to Ottley! Older and wiser, and back with Martha, who just happened to marry Bob along the way, Ottley! is content to stay underground and not tour, playing for themselves and their fans and friends. They do it for fun now, and it shows. Dense, catchy, swirling and totally unassuming, they just kick out the jams for the hell of it, while effortlessly rocking out. Martha, standing about 5 foot four, the last four being hair, belies her small size with a big husky voice still in fine form, and her spunk never sounded better. She belted out "To Sir with Love" while the band pounded and jammed in the best Grand Funk cover tradition and I just melted in my seat! The band breathed fire and Martha did too, mixing old Slickees tunes with a few choice covers and their new tunes, mini-operas and rock and roll anthems, perfect little tunes that have you cravin more. Awesome crunch that never let up for one second! Needless to say, Ottley! put on a great show and when they tore up their final song, the Hangmen's tune the Slickees appropriated, "What a Girl Can't Do", I was in rock and roll nirvana!

While Ottley! bashes out their great tunes content to stay in their local friendly surroundings and just have a great time, Fred Cole of Pierced Arrows, as he always has done, decided to grab the bull by the horns and tour Europe and Australia in support of their debut LP. Of course Fred is no stranger to the psychedelic garage world with his career spanning, by my count, over 43 years at least 7 bands and way too many releases to count. Beginning with the Weeds back in 1965 who later underwent a name change to the Lollipop Shoppe and released the now classic "Just Colour" LP on Uni which contained the garage masterpiece "You Must Be A Witch" among others and continuing thru Zipper, the Rats and Dead Moon, Fred's unique vision was psychedelic, punk and heavy rock and roll filtered thru a DIY creed, played with an intensity that few could match. If ever there was a lifetime achievement award for rock an roll (and I mean REAL achievement, not the sort trotted out by the bogus Rock and Roll Hall of Fame), Freddy would proudly wear that badge and I'd be honored to pin it on his chest! The depth of his catalog is matched only by its variety and an exceedingly high rate of excellence. Now approaching 60, Fred's new band Pierced Arrows carries on that proud tradition in all its ear-splitting glory. Released on Fred's own Tombstone Records, Pierced Arrows "Straight from the Heart" is true to its title and makes a perfect bookend to a 40 years + career along with the Weeds/ Lollipop Shoppe reissue from the German label Music Maniac from last year, but here's hoping there's more where that came from!

"Straight from the Heart" is a biting, terribly personal statement of survival; bloodied but unbowed, Fred's desperate pleading vocals, offset occasionally by his wife Toody's thin haunting voice, anchor this melodic onslaught by a band that would be equally at home playing the Blue Cheer version of "Parchman Farm" or Black Flag's "Depression". It's all there and Mr. Cole's rock solid skills and 40 years of dues, pay off with riveting tunes from the very first feedlack laden power chords till the last note. While with Dead Moon, Cole sang about "running out of time", and he's still running, being chased by "black rainbows", "trapped" and "walking wounded". "So many stumbling blocks that we've come to expect." Fred goes on to sing about friends and dreams lost along the way, still running, chased, desperate, but clinging to life and love. Its his personal odyssey fueled by a six string attack filled with violent slashing guitar that's played as if he really was being chased by black rainbows, one step ahead of fate. Pierced Arrows play as if they were possessed by the spirit of the dead, clawing at the ground begging for a second chance. Their rock and roll resonates with fire (and thunder and high voltage energy) and vision of a seasoned pro who weathered the storm and stands defiant, wielding his axe like an assault rifle and using his words like a knife. Tossing aside Dead Moon's impressive track record in this case only meant getting a different drummer, Kelly Halliburton, and he does a fine job. Their sound didn't really change all that much, maybe just a tad more of a sorta Crazy Horse outlaw rock and roll fuzz trip, but thats just fine for Fred's at the top of his game. This is desperate rock and roll tossed off and spit back at ya with all thats missing from the current multitude of this years wannabees. Yes, Fred Cole is my American Idol and piss on those who continue to shove crap down our throat! With bands like Ottley! and Pierced Arrows around, there is hope for real music by real people and we dont need Sony or Universal to tell us what's good at all, just a cheap stereo and the latest Tombstone release or a trip to see an Ottley or Pierced Arrows show. And for those less fortunate, there's always YouTube! Long may they run!

I guess its no coincidence that I am currently reading the awesome book Bomp:Saving the World One Record At a Time and in particular the amazingingly prescient 30 page Lester Bangs' treatise on the Troggs, "James Taylor Marked For Death" reprinted from a 71 issue of Who Put the Bomp. Its a dead-on assessment of the rock scene, decrying all the pseudo intellectual BS, posturing and fake glamour, in favor of the primitive enjoyment of the rock and roll party! Bangs knew even then all the trappings of the so-callled rock culture just got in the way. "Wild Thing" was always more important than Sgt. Pepper, and bands like Ottley and the Pierced Arrows carry on that tradition in a way that would have made Bangs scream and holler!

Remaining Pierced Arrows Tour Dates

May 7 2008 8:00P
Gruta 77 Madrid

May 8 2008 8:00P
Mardigras La Coruna

May 9 2008 8:00P
Estudio 27 Burgos

May 10 2008 8:00P
Helldorado Vitoria

May 13 2008 8:00P
Menza Pri Koritu Ljubljana

May 14 2008 8:00P
KSET Zagreb

May 16 2008 8:00P
Xylourgeio Thessaloniki

May 17 2008 8:00P
An Club Athens

May 21 2008 8:00P
Muffathalle Fun For Free Munchen

May 22 2008 8:00P
Alpha 60 Schwäbisch-Hall

May 23 2008 8:00P
Eden Bar Ulm

May 25 2008 8:00P
Vera Groningen

Ottley cranks out "Ball and Chain"!

Two Giants of Rebel Rock, Roky Erickson and George Brigman, Step Back Into the Spotlight!

2008-03-27T12:48:00.000-07:00

If Roky Erickson and George Brigman had never recorded anything other than “You’re Gonna Miss Me” and “Jungle Rot”, they would both have a cherished footnote in rock and roll history. The fire, fury and drive of those tracks captured the essence of rock and rock perfectly in a 3 minute song. Though their careers took widely divergent pasts, with George wallowing in obscurity for years, and Roky having to deal with the breakup of an incendiary band, a hopelessly inept label, the law, and his own schizophrenia, the obstacles that they overcame were huge, and in 2007 the beginning of their rebirth has been a success story like no other. These two giants of Rebel Rock rose up and continued their quest for rock and roll nirvana, unwilling to be silenced while remaining viable music forces, preaching their gospel and spreading it like St Elmo’s Fire. Roky’s path to this point is simply remarkable, and his rehabilitation seems to be a true miracle.

The 13th Floor Elevators, strange at it may seem, in 1965 started on a cosmic quest to achieve immortality through their music. It worked, but only the music achieved immortality! Using a psychedelic blueprint, devised by their jug player Tommy Hall even before LSD was widely known or even illegal, they explored the meaning of life, with the ultimate goal, according to the last song on Easter Everywherebeing to “leave your body behind/” Reading Paul Drummond’s eye opening account of the Elevators and Roky, Eye Mind, it is a wonder anyone who survived the madness wasn’t thrown in jail for a long time or simply in the loony bin. Unfortunately some of them were, with Stacy Sutherland being arrested reportedly 35 times before he was tragically shot, Tommy Hall jailed as well and Roky having to be institutionalized several times. It was as if the Elevators were a real life version of the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and in fact comic artist Gilbert Shelton did model his characters after the Austin freak crowd the band was very much a part. By his own estimation, Roky believes he took over 300 acid trips, and that, coupled with constant paranoia and infighting within the band, a clueless record label, and redneck cops, created an atmosphere that caused the band to implode, but not before they created two flawless LPs that today stand hand and shoulders above the fare created by most of their better funded and more-together peers.

The chaos that resulted in those now classic LPs seems to have followed Roky as well, but it is a testament to his inner soul that he has resurrected his career once again, and at age 60, he no doubt still struggles with his demons, but he has spark of a happy man as he plays for sold out shows both in the US and Europe. On the 1st and 2nd of March, Roky had two high profile and very packed NYC shows, at Webster Hall and Maxwell’s in Hoboken, and he had previously returned from a sold out tour of Europe. Finally on his own after all these years thanks to the supreme kindness of his brother Sumner, Roky has begun to garner some long overdue respect. He is a true giant of Rebel Rock, one who has weathered many storms. The fire of his best solo work burns with the flame of a survivor who has been thru hell. The white faces he sang about, probably still haunt him, but he seems better equipped to deal with them now. It was a great thing seeing Roky on Austin City Limits looking at the camera and smiling wryly. The man has picked up the magical pieces of his career and put them back together again, and he has every right to smile. It seems to me, due to the excellence of his work with the Elevators as well as his best solo work, Roky Erickson should be welcomed back with open arms. His return is a uplifting tale of achievement despite huge odds, and his recovery from long term drug abuse sends a great message of personal triumph that it is indeed possible. The impact of Roky’s music has been profound and one can only hope we will have new recordings to cherish as well.

Certainly, George Brigman is a bit more obscure than Roky Erickson, though they share the same defiant spirit that is present in the best Rebel Rock., an in your face attitude if you will. His self released 1975 LP Jungle Rot was a bit much for Baltimore in 1975, but it’s reputation grew over the years, culminating in numerous European bootlegs in 5 countries, until Bona Fide reissued it with much fanfare officially in 2005. Hailed as reissue of the month by Mojo magazine among other plaudits, it made George’s raw bluesy psych available for all to hear. Now dubbed a proto-punk masterpiece, in 1975 the sludgy sounding mess of distortion filled mutant boogie only hinted at what was to come. As luck would have it, life intervened-- his band Split split up and their LP I Can Hear the Ants Dancin remained unreleased for years. Gone was the basement sound of Jungle Rot, replaced by swirling lead guitars jamming in a sea of feedback and distortion. Over the years this would eventually be released along with the Silent Bones EP and a European only comp, but it seemed no new material was coming. Finally in 2007 25 years after the release of his last all new LP, Brigman released Rags In Skull, yet another finely crafted and unusual work, which not only has the easily identifiable Brigman groove, but represents the culmination of a personal odyssey as well.

The epic span of years between Brigman’s releases highlights even more his personal struggle to get his music heard. Out of necessity, in the mid 80s his career took a back seat to providing for his family, though he never stopped writing songs and occasionally recording. The absence of a permanent drummer also hampered any attempt to get a regular working band going. Only after about the 5th bootleg of Jungle Rot, did George finally realize it was time to get back in the swing of things and finally get his new LP done. We set the table by reissuing both George’s LPs on CD, including a first release of the complete I Can Hear the Ants Dancin sessions and also three songs from George’s band Hogwash. Karl Ikola of Anopheles also provided for the first time, an authorized vinyl reissue of Jungle Rot straight from the original masters. Both the vinyl and CD reissues of Jungle Rot have sold out and Brigman’s reputation is now established worldwide. The fact that Rags in Skull has yet to find a wider audience is not too surprising, but it belies the fact that it smolders and smokes, crackling with the energy of George’s best work. For some of us, just the existence of Rags in Skull provides a glimmer of hope that more recordings will follow, and it is proof that the Rebel Rock scene is thriving once again.

George’s comeback, like Roky’s solo material, has a timeless quality that transcends eras and styles, making it difficult to put in a box. Is it psych? Hard Rock? Avant Garage? Jazz? His music sounds fresh, with sounds and textures blended in a turbulent sea which resonates with sometimes quiet fire. Sometimes the guitar can be blistering and the lyrics dripping with venom as in the autobiographical “Some Of My Best Friends Are Snakes” and sometimes the songs can be fragile, gem-like creations like the often willowy instrumental “Donna Leigh”. As much as Brigman’s axe wizardy has been touted, and despite the abundance of it on Rags In Skull, the highlight of this long-in-the-works comeback is the songwriting. The despair and bleakness of Jungle Rot has re-emerged, now sharper and seasoned, maybe a bit reflective, but still filled with spit and fire. A sense of survival fills the songs on Rags, though it seems tinged with weariness from the struggle. Still, George has once again staked his claim to a special spot in the rock and roll kingdom. Standing defiant and undaunted, spitting in the face of bootleggers and false friends while reveling in the power of his Gibson SG, Brigman takes a stand for all the rebels, musical and otherwise. Firing from the hip, he fucks with the carcass of over-hyped rock and injects his high octane blood and guts, a transfusion that restores some faded glory to a music scene awash with false contenders to the throne that George and Roky should be sitting on.

Here’s hoping that both Roky Erickson and George Brigman get their due 10 times over cause their visions are both unique and uplifting. Their personal struggles have been great and the attention that has been bestowed upon them is well deserved. Their contributions to rock and roll are enormous and may never be fully acknowledged by the so-called mainstream press. Here’s to Roky for going through hell and living to sing about it. Its an amazing personal odyssey through which his musical genius is obvious, and his rebirth as he turned 60 is a simply Herculean feat. Next month his double LP Halloween Live 79-81 will be out on Norton Records and you can hear him do his great demon songs backed by the Explosives at the peak of his first comeback. We are hoping that the future holds a nice fat recording contract for Roky and there will be new songs as well. As far as George Brigman goes, his health unfortunately precludes touring or even a live show , but he continues to work on new material. The Rags In Skull CD is available from our CD Baby page, and we also have a special offer of the Rags CD together with an original Blowin Smoke 45 from 1977 for sale on georgebrigman.com. I feel it's just great that Roky Erickson and George Brigman are still dishing out great music in the 00s, and their continued presence on the music scene is a beacon of hope for rebel rockers everywhere!

Ask Not What the Recording Industry Can Do For You...

2008-02-04T11:42:00.000-08:00

One can not easily avoid the cries of the coming doom looming for the record industry, and while the industry's concern is valid, whats missing seems to be the human side of the story--i.e. what happens to those whom the industry depends on for their income: the bands, the stores and especially the fans. Naturally, being a music collector even since I was 10, I feel I have supported the industry in a huge way buying everything I thought Id like. My favorites I bought over and over in every format--just take a look at the photos and you get the idea of the depth of my obsession. Lately it seems the only major label stuff I've been buying are old LPs which have not been reissued, and a good many reissues of excellent music which, unfortunately, have to be imported from Europe or Japan due to lack of a US release. Many of the current bands I like are on small labels or release their own stuff, and independent releases now even make the charts almost regularly. Do I feel I owe the RIAA anything? Have they enriched my life or merely lined their pockets with the $17.98 CD?

Should I feel sympathy for an organization that bites the hand that feeds it as they go after the evil downloaders? Well, I guess i am sort of biased being a label, albeit a small one, who is always looking for a friend or support somewhere, but still the RIAA never asked me to join their little party and they are winning no friends, other than attorneys, with their actions. It seems to me the only thing these trade associations like the RIAA and the IFPI, their European counterpart, are interested in is lining their pockets and giving consumers less choices. Their arrogance and smug, hypocritical attitudes can only add to their downturn in revenue, and that may be their well deserved just dessert.

The mighty IFPI declares a 40% rise in paid digital downloads last year (not nearly enough to offset loss of CD sales) and states illegal downloads outnumber paid downloads 20 to 1. They declare war on piracy and proudly declare over 10,000 lawsuits have been started against downloaders world wide. Their mission: "to safeguard the rights of record producers." Yes, that damn IFPI sure hates music thieves! Well, maybe only certain thieves they can get money from! If you have any CDs from the EU, and look closely at the center ring, you will see the tiny IFPI stamp that asserts "we belong to the IFPI and are not stealing music". You would think so anyway, since they state that is one of their prime objectives and reason for being. Well, it turns out sometimes the IFPI gives a shit and sometimes they look the other way! Can you believe it? I can. Every CD released on the notorious bootleg lable Radioactive has that IFPI stamp, and when I contacted the IFPI informing them that retailers were claiming the Radioactive issue of George Brigman's Jungle Rot CD had to be authorized because it bore the IFPI stamp, they simply said "that's not what it means at all". Would they be ashamed their valuable stamp was legitimizing bootlegs, and being used to claim authenticity? Of course not, they didnt lift a finger and let the bloodletting continue until James Plummer was hauled into court and made a public fool of by the Hendrix estate! Of course, Mr. Plummer's partner Steven Carr bailed only to plunder more Amercian artists with his new venture which once again most likely still has the IFPI stamp of approval.

The US IFPI, the RIAA, has an impressive record of success against consumers. Here, a Minnesota woman is fined $222,000 or over $9000 per song, for 24 songs she may have shared. In the current day's equivalent of "caught with the meat in your mouth" she was assessed $9000+ for sharing (or intending to share) a banal Journey song! The cynic in me says it served her right, having that crap on her computer, but I feel the societal embarassment was certainly punishment enough! It almost seems as if the RIAA is a modern Gestapo or thought police as once you look at the cases closely, the offenders only had to place their songs in a shared folder. Recently, the Washington Post created an brouhaha by stating that in an Arizona case the RIAA was claiming merely uploading purchased songs to a computer was a crime. The RIAA cleared the air by blowin smoke and claiming it was not illegal to rip the songs, but it was illegal to "place them in a shared folder". The mere act of placing them in a shared folder was declared illegal, not the actual sharing! Hey, revenue is down, and you have to resort to creative marketing, right? Look for new ways to increase income--you know get a piece of the band's merchandise sales, go after kids, old ladies, and music consumers, maybe rip off a few bands legally, or maybe just dont pay them!

The actions of the RIAA more than anything point out that they are a self sustaining entity and feed off the blood of consumers. As major labels ax their budgets for devoloping talent, trim their roster and court blockbuster hits, they leave the door open for real music and real musicians to sell their own wares without pandering to the lowest common denominator and conceding to label demands. Today's music scene is not in bad shape, the music industry is. Fueled by lust for profits, their attempts show they are willing to extract exorbitant settlements from everyday people with modest means to further their own parasitc existence and make some lawyers rich. As I said, the music world continues to be varied, exciting and constantly changing, and the internet provides artists with a valuable tool to sell their own work. Just look at the Bona Fide lineup, George Brigman, the Left, and Waitin On A Train, as proof that you can find great music if you dig a bit!
The music industry may soon have to change its tune if it wants to hang around. I am reminded of the great 70s campaign "Home Taping is Killing Music" directed at the makers of blank cassette tape. The crossbones below the cassette hailed impending doom! Instead, cassette culture helped the spread and creation of new music and new concepts. The strength of the RIAA lobby even got a tax passed on blank tapes! One now has to look to the Digial Millenium Copyright Act and its DRM encoding and wonder how could the industry being regulated write its own law? Surely, I dont think the RIAA or the IFPI has demonstrated they have the artists and consumers interests in mind, only their bottom line. Sounds weird doesnt it? The industry effectively writing a law that regulates their business. Hmmm...what kind of country would stand for that?

Next time you are thinking of buying a CD maybe you better check the indy shop or the used bin. Maybe a local band selling their own cd deserves your support. Better yet go check them out live. The impending doom exists for those who have encouraged it and noone else. Its time to wave our freak flags high and to support those who deserve our support! Ask not what the recording industry can do for you, but what you can do to the recording industry! Like buy more Bona Fide Cds, please!

The Lookies provide needed refresher course in rock-n-roll!

2007-12-27T08:55:00.000-08:00

As the year winds down, it's the right time to spout off about everything that is wrong or right with this world. Well, I was just kidding, but I do want to go on record as saying something profound like "the music business is just that" or maybe some wiseass quip about other hard lessons that I've learned. I really have had it up to here with epk's, one-sheets, that odious term "co-op dollars"(A label paying stores for prime end-cap positioning!) and buzzwords, all of which seem to just blow a lot of smoke. What seems to get lost is the music--as everything gets calculated, cleaned up and shoved in a box. Im glad noone tried to put the Lookies in a box as it would get messy. Their loud, rowdy shows defy easy description, unless you are just in the right mood for some hell-raising rock-n-roll.

It takes a band like the Lookies to cut thru all the crap out there. They will never win points for a clever name (from the kiddie "look-it-up" club for chrissakes!), their flashy style (t-shirts and sunglasses), or forging a new musical direction (they play rock and roll), but they manage, thru sometimes total abandon, to reinvigorate a scene filled with bands who so desperately wanna rock, but have no idea how to do it. The Lookies pre-Thanksgiving show at Harrisburg's best rock club, Smalls, ended with near chaos as the Lookies gave up their intstruments to the guys from Paper Tongue and traded vocal choruses of "I Wanna Be Your Dog" with audience members. Hardly earthshaking, but the ferocity of closing with 3 well worn punk standards(neat neat neat, god save the queen, and dog) and the ensuing melee seemed to be a refreshing reminder of the carthartic power of the electric guitar, and that no matter how much one spends on recording, promotion or management, true nirvana, or rock and roll heaven if you will, is not achieved by calculation, but spontaneous combustion. The ball of fire emanating from the Lookies might have had just a little low budget flash, but it was more of a spark fueled by the spirit of rock and roll.

The rock and roll creds of the Lookies are firmly established as their drummer, the esteemed L. Ron Rummager, aka Jay Spiegel, has toured the world with previous bands, Gumball, Ball, and the Velvet Monkeys, and has recorded with Dinosaur JR and Sonic Youth, as well as appearing on George Brigman's amazing comeback Rags In Skull! Those powerful drums anchor their sound which is sorta heavy 70s rock combined with a basic punk rock sound. With his cohorts Red on guitar and Josh on bass, Rum blasts out a grand stoner and punk rock fusion that cops from both Detroit and NYC and when Red hits the wah-wah, all bets are off! This whirlwind of sound has been captured on vinyl by Zodiac Records of Wyoming who have released a swell purple 45, 300 copies only, of the Lookies "Keep It Rollin" b/w Truckstop Love Child's "Thinking Aint Drinkin". Hats off to big Ron Zodiac for a stellar 45 that has heaps of radioactive sludge from two fine bands!

Kudos are in store too for the Lookies who somehow breathe life into a sound that is both fresh and old at the same time. Gone are the pretensions and the ersatz trappings, replaced by a stripped down pure essence of kicks, a rock n roll juggernaut peeling rubber, haulin ass and not caring who they run over. They are out of control and on fire-- rockin on down the highway that so many fear to tread!

The Lookies will be playing, along with a bunch of other bands at the grand opening of Smalls York Saturday January 26th at 9 pm! Come on out and welcome both Smalls and the Lookies to York!

Life's Passages Sometimes Too Short

2007-11-21T15:26:00.000-08:00

The recent passing of Hank Thompson at the age of 82 brought an end to an incredible 60 year career that spanned eras. Only silenced by death, Hank kept playing and performing right to the end. A few years ago I saw Hank at the Dover PA Fireman's Carnival. He was all decked out in cowboy attire and pickin and grinnin like a country fool. Smooth as can be, and forever bubbling thru his hits despite having to be saddled with Billy Walker's band who apparently didnt know the Hank Thompson songbook too well. Despite that slight, Thompson oozed downhome charm as he efffortlessly sang his classic western swing and honky tonk. It was obvious Hank was enjoying himself in spite of things. That ability, to make the best of a bad situation, and his love of music are no doubt responsible for his longevity that surpassed most of his contemporaries. It was the same tireless energy and positive vibe that emanated from Adam Sullivan, who but for a tragic twist of fate, could have had a long fulfilling career in music. Hank's death came just a few days before the one year anniversary of Adam's falling off a cliff, and naturally it brought back the sad memories from the year before.

Adam was only 19 and was enjoying life, jammin with whoever he could, playing whatever he could and soaking up life like a sponge. His bass had been anchoring, and at the same time, stretching out, Waitin On A Train for a year, and the band had just finished recording their In the Path of Pain album. I was looking forward to seeing Waitin On A Train at the First Capital Dispensing Co. later that night when their gutiarist Paul called to break the news. I had him repeat it cause I didnt want to believe it was true. Tony Staub and Paul Wykowski from Waitin On A Train were friends for years and Adam had became a good friend too. The finality of it all was heartbreaking. Waitin On A Train had evolved into a smokin rock and roll band who played bluegrss, and Adam quickly became an integral part of their unique sound. We were all devastated and in shock for awhile and the band cancelled their gigs, except for one show in Adam's memory that raised some money for Big Brothers of York.

So many people die everyday, you almost develop a numbness or insensitivity to death until suddenly it hits home. Its a grim reminder of the fragility of our lives when our loved ones die. I guess the world is a dangerous place, made even more dangerous by our own actions(now more than ever). Adam was a positive force, and I will always remember his smile and laugh. His life was way too short, but he has taught us by example, to carry on, be free and follow your dreams way. I'm glad that Waitin On A Train decided eventually to continue playing. Before long, Adam's friend
Johnny Hank would take Adams place on bass, and once again the band became a potent musical force. Johhny had already played trumpet on "John Garrett's Barn" on In the Path of Pain and he fit right in. In an attempt to get the band some wider exposure, I put their CD out on Bona Fide. The stunned music world can't figure out if they are country, punk, hillbilly, or just rock and roll. Waitin On A Train added to the confusion when the only cover on the CD was a Canned Heat song, complete with a fuzzed out mandolin solo! While the rest of the world might be just a tad slow catching on, those lucky enough to catch their live show are ready converts. Adam's
spirit still pervades their performance, and their energy level reminds me both of Adam and Hank Thompson. Two great people whose lives took separate paths. No doubt Adam's jamming with both Hanks in Hillbilly Heaven, still wearing his bibs, and my brother Bill,who also departed here way too soon, will be sitting in on mandolin as they all play "Death Don't Have No Mercy."

Dont miss Waitin On A Train if they come to your town, or pick up their In the Path of Pain CD to see what the fuss is about!

Bobb Trimble reclaims his Dreams, Tom Lucas has his Red Letter Day and other Radioactive Fallout

2007-10-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

No single post of mine has ever attracted as much feedback as "Bobb Trimble's Dreams Harvested by Others". I pressed everyone to pass on the Radioactive CD bootleg of Bobb's Harvest of Dreams as authorized editions were in the works. It must have struck a chord as I heard not only from fellow Trimble supporters like Doug McGowan who posted on his site this exceptional piece on Radioactive, but also from other bands who received not a cent while their works were bootlegged by the UK company Radioactive run by Steven Carr and James Plummer. The time has come for Bobb Trimble fans and now both his Harvest of Dreams and Iron Current Innocence are available in their entirety from the master tapes along with new photos, notes and bonus songs too, not to mention exact vinyl reissues to boot. For the first time ever, the unusual cover photo of Harvest of Dreams is in color--adding another layer yet to the dreamy other worldy mesh woven by Bobb on these remarkable LPs. Like the unicorn on the cover, the music is filled with a childlike sense of wonder, itself a mystical world all too easily shattered by some evil, dark forces. The wispy psychedelia of Trimble's is at once intense and personal--fragile like the glass menagerie he sings about on Iron Curtain Innocence. Of course, Bobb's world did sadly get shattered by the actions of Steven Carr and James Plummer, who stole these fantasies of crystalline beauty to fuel their personal greed.

Thanks to Secretly Canadian the Radioactive release of Harvest of Dreams has become totally disposable and the official reissue is a glorious event, rescuing an 80s classic that had become lost in time, standing fast in its opposition to indifference. Be it the madly out of place instruments, the odd found sounds, the noise making kids, the chime like guitars, or the lyrics always one mile from heaven, Harvest of Dreams is rich with a creative spark that glows like no other. The magnificent CD reissue and it accompanying notes and photos give us yet another window into Bobb's soul. Also getting the deluxe treatment is Iron Curtain Innocence, Bobb's first LP, itself no slouch either. Again, its sound collage seems trapped in time--guns and guitars abound and the shattered innocence themes are all over. That a jewel like this LP almost vanished into obscurity is an oversight corrected by the official reissue, allowing us latecomers to see what all the fuss what about. Its first reissue in its entirety and on vinyl to boot validates Bobb's vision of a world gone mad while its shimmery sonic beauty belies the dark themes within. The combination of folk music, psychedelia, prog rock and military themes make an aural feast that swirls round your head and goes down like candy. Kudos to Secretly Canadian for not only reissuing these gems, but paying Bobb for his music, unlike the greed shown by others in their quest to harvest Bobb's dreams.

Also fighting a Radioactive bootleg of his Red Letter Day LP is Tom Lucas who now has released his own CD editions of Red Letter Day, complete with lyrics and an extra track, as well as his previously unreissued 2nd LP Lifeboats. Predating Bobb Trimble by just a little, the 79 LP Red Letter Day has siimlar impenetrable but seemingly very personal songs on a self released LP that has acquired some stature. The piano and slide guitar driven LP has a more accesible sound than Trimble's but there still that same feeling of righteous indignation and steadfast determination that accompanies a strong spirit. Tom Lucas righteously illustrates that himself with his songs and on the front of the CD reissue where he declares, "Do not confuse this CD with a pirated CD of inferior quality, containing 9 of these songs, lacking a lyric insert, and released in 2004 by Radioactive Records UK without the composer's knowledge and iin blatant infringement of his owner's righs and the rights of the arts designer".

I can say "Amen!" to that bit of indignation and though the LP strayed somewhat from Radioactive fuzz drenched psych "reissues", its appeal and strengths lie in its twisted tunes delivered almost casually. These tunes are anything but casual though--they have crackle and pop while they muse, and sometimes shout, about loss, hope and freedom. Clearly, Tom Lucas has his own voice, and he is yet to be silenced as he currently is working on the last part of his recorded trilogy. There is no need for anyone to buy or sell the Radioactive Tom Lucas, or Bobb Trimble, CDs now--In fact there should be a backlash against those who still actively sell and distribute their product. I say caveat emptor!

Just in case anyone is keeping count, Radioactive releases are still readily floating around and being hawked by resellers, and Steven Carr's current "reissue" label Fallout has released over 75 titles in the year and a half after he has left Radioactive. I have not yet found a band residing in the US who has been paid one cent for the Radioactive "reissues" of their work. These bands/agents/artists have all been in touch to relay the info they never received a dime either: Primevil, Growing Concern, Magi, George Brigman, Faine Jade, Trees, Michael Greisman(the Deep), Peter Grudzien, Zerfass, Snakegrinder, One St. Stephen, Tom Lucas, Bobb Trimble, Golgotha,Crash Coffin and probably a few others I forgot. Maypole threatened legal action in Europe and got only a partial payment. It is readily apparent that Radioactive was systematically bootlegging US artists in an ongoing enterprise of a criminal nature, never intending to pay the artists a cent, or even look for them. That Steven Carr can merely leave and start up another company with no recriminations is surely a grave injustice, and to continue, apparently, plundering US artists, albiet those on "major" labels, is a slap in the face to both the artists and the labels that legitimately support them. If there is one band or artist out there who has been paid by Steven Carr and Fallout records, please let me know and I will post this info! On the contrary, Michael Greisman of Cicadelic wrote me to inform me the Fall Out reissue of the Deep and Hydro Pyro was a boot of material that he and the original producers, Rusty Evans and Mark Barkin, owned.

It seems that the Fallout surrounding Fallout is not good and consumers may well want to avoid their product. I will state that neither Steven Carr or James Plummer has ever offered George Brigman or myself even as much as an apology for the way we were treated (just your basic being lied to, ripped off and made fun of) or offered to pay a cent. Steven Carr still wants to pull his old tricks and I beg anyone to send me a signed contract from Fallout. I cant imagine overseeing 75 projects in 18 months, let alone attempting to secure the liscensing. Maybe Fallout is more than human, and maybe they do pay their artists, but I am not holding my breath. I know they put their shoes on one at a time, and I know they have to look at themselves in the mirror everyday.

I guess congrats are in order to Sundazed who did a excellent authorized reissue of Faine Jade's Introspection and Dark Holler has also done a great authorized issue of the Trees "the Christ Tree". Also Subliminal Sounds has just issued an expanded double lp version from the master tapes of Peter Grudzien's the Unicorn. These artist supported endeavors are to be applauded and supported wholeheartedly. On the Bona Fide side, both the CD and LP reissues of George Brigman's are all but sold out, and George's all new Rags In Skull CD continues to get raves from old and new fans as well as some great press too(more press here). This proves that with this internet age there can be success for even obscure artists, and anyone who wants to reissue rare titles can, and by all means should, obtain correct licensing before attempting to sell someone else's intellectual property! Like Bobb Trimble, I stand in opposition to indifference--the indifference that allows rogue companies to operate and sell their illicit wares, ripping off the artists who created the works they so gleefully sell.

Gone But Not Forgotten

2007-08-16T18:17:00.000-07:00

It was 30 years ago today that Elvis perished on his throne, a victim of his own excess. It is only fitting that the pop culture icon has grown in stature at a faster rate than even his waistline. Though unfortunately the Elvis worship and marketability speak not to his early promise, but only to the emptiness and commerciality of pop culture, not unlike what Andy Warhol was saying with his Campbell Soup can and Brillo boxes. Alas, the PA lottery ticket shown was a loser and a waste of $2, unlike the King Lives On wastebasket which I use in my bathroom in his honor and the decoupage Elvis clock which features a youthful Elvis long since gone. I have no such trinkets documenting Max Roach, though I have many recordings which transcend the vapidness of most of Elvis's output in many ways. The snap crackle and pop of the band he led with Clifford Brown, and the righteousness of his 60s recordings and his entire career demonstrated not only a willingness to change and grow musically, but a vision seldom seen in a music world geared toward charts and fads.

It's ironic that Max would leave the world on the same day as Elvis 30 years on as there careers followed wildly different paths and pointed out the differences between white and black, pop music and jazz. Elvis was "king" and though he didnt develop rock and roll, he certainly popularized it, while Max helped develop a style of jazz called hard bop which is every bit as timeless as Elvis' Sun recordings. During a time of social upheaval Max Roach's drive and spirit spoke to a world far removed from the pop charts Elvis dominated. It's a divide that still exists in music today as artists like Max find it ever so hard to flourish and remain true to their ideals as the quest to be the next big thing seems to trump all as the major labels struggle to survive in a changing marketplace. The smaller labels, like mine, have it even worse, trying to carve out a tiny niche to survive, not unlike Max Roach tried, unsuccessfully, with his Debut Records. One wonders if Roach were starting out today, how would he fare? I guess the message here is to cherish what we have got, and try to put hero worship behind us, throw away the charts and embrace those who have that creative spark wherever we can find them and follow your own dreams. Max Roach was blessed with a rare combination of talent and courage and he will be missed.

Radio Birdman Proves Rock and Roll Soldiers Never Die!

2007-07-04T10:10:00.000-07:00

Few people remember the New Order, a band Ron Asheton formed with the MC5's Dennis Thompson after the dissolution of the Stooges and probably even less know their song "Rock and Roll Soldiers" where they claim to be "fighting the war against the jive", but it certainly struck a chord with me as more and more it seems to be a battle to keep a working band on the road and getting your music heard. The proliferation of media on the internet and the countless bands makes it hard to gain an audience and even harder to stick to your guns. Despite all this, Radio Birdman soldiers on, now 30 years on and sounding leaner and meaner, in the midst of only their 2nd US tour ever. Their devotion to Detroit style high energy rock and roll remains unshaken and their fire burns brighter than ever!

Last saturday in Baltimore I witnessed first hand the explosive full tilt boogie of a band that has lost none of their fire and breathes rock and roll with their every step. Rob Younger on vocals shows just why he has become a cornerstone of the Australian punk scene both as a mentor and performer. Small in stature only, more than anything his voice, still strong as ever, resonates as a major part of the bands sound, a howl from somewhere very dark and dank, a banshee's wail that cuts like a knife. It's the perfect foil for the slashing guitars of Deniz Tek and Chris Masuak. The Detroit native Tek burns our eyes and ears with his powerful sound as if he had motor oil running thru his veins, turning the band into a high octane machine smoking down the rock and roll highway.

Obviously, this type of undiluted scorch has little place today in the trendy pop music scene. Like soldiers, the band remains focused and just plows thru the muck of contemporary music. Far from being retro, fashion conscious, hipsters they remain true to their calling, a bastard child born of the MC5's "Black to Comm" and the Stooges "TV Eye", and I, for one, am grateful for their decades-spanning contribution. Revered in their Aussie homeland and relegated to medium sized clubs and cancelled dates in the US, its just another embarrasment for US music fans who continue to find their best artists welcomed with open arms overseas while ignored at home. (due to Mr. Tek, I claim partial ownership of Birdman for the US!)

The rock and roll pedigree of the band is of the highest order and their assault is a testament to the sound, fury and vision of a few iconoclasts who stood the music world on its ear with their testimony, chewing up their influences and spitting them in our face. Boy, did the near capacity crowd get spat upon in Baltimore as the band treated us to ultra savage covers of Blue Oyster Cult's "Hot Rails to Hell" (here we go with more smoke and fire metaphors!), the Who's "Circles", and a take-no-prisoners rip-roaring take on the Kinks "Till the End of the Day"! Smoking, indeed! Of course, I was disappointed that there was no "TV Eye" or "Looking at You", but you cant always get what you want. It was a life affirming show I am glad to testify and an inspiration to all who aspire to carry the rock and roll torch! Kudos are due as well for the opener, Awesome Color, a New York band whose debut is on Ecstatic Peace. Their heavy fuzzed out attack proved worthy of the opening slot as their set left me only wanting to hear more, so I bought their CD. It turns out their bassist is even a George Brigman fan and their guitarist laid down some truly Brigman-worthy heavy licks as well!

So it seems to be the thing to do would be to catch Birdman on the rest of the tour if you can and pick up their Zeno Beach CD as well. To make it easy, here are the rest of their dates. If you could put the essence of rock and roll in a bottle, it would be labeled "Radio Birdman"! Do you understand?

Thur 5th: Ottawa Bluesfest - Ottawa, Ontario
Fri 6th: Lee's Palace - Toronto, Ontario
Sat 7th: Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
Sun 8th: Blind Pig - Ann Arbor, - MI
Mon 9th: Double Door - Chicago, IL
Wed 11th: High Noon Saloon - Madison, WI
Thurs 12th: Triple Rock Social Club - Minneapolis, MN
Friday 13th: The Recordbar - Kansas City, MO
Sat 14th: Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO

George Brigman Returns With a Vengeance and unleashes Rags In Skull!

2007-04-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

The release of George Brigman's Rags In Skull is an event that many, including yours truly, have been waiting for a real long time. I've been personally involved with this man's muse since I tracked him down back in 1981 and he played me some amazing unreleased recordings. The power and intensity of George's music instantly floored me, and having heard only Jungle Rot and the "Blowin Smoke" 45 previously, I realized then not only could George play a mean axe, but had an artistic vision uniquely his. I helped George release those recordings, known as I Can Hear the Ants Dancin , and tried to gain George the audience he deserved. Fast forward about 20 years and despite having released only a handful of new material, George music has remained in the public eye due to rabid fans and extensive bootlegging in Europe, the latest being simultaneous CD boots from the UK and Austria in late 2004. In the meantime, I had started up my own company, Bona Fide Records which got mothballed around 1990 and George made several aborted attempts at new recordings. Once the CD boots came out, we embarked on a plan to recapture the lost revenue, as we realized after a short acrimonious negotiation with Radioactive's Steven Carr, the chance of recovering any money from the boots was nil. So we released our own CDs from the masters and expanded as well. These 2 CDs were intended to set the table for the ultimate release of Rags In Skull, the work George had been working on for years.

So now, the CD has finally been released and Brigman's efforts are available for everyone to hear. Unlike the career retrospective CDs we released earlier, Rags In Skull features all new material and further maps out the sonic territory George has claimed for his own. The despondent downer vibe that permeated Jungle Rot is still evident though its obvious George's songwrting, singing, and guitar playing, not to mention his recording skills have grown in stature, and the new work is fully realized and shows George in command of his skills as never before! If you dont believe me, listen to what others are already saying: James Toth writng in Your Flesh Mag says "His Fred Cole-like dedication to an aesthetic would be noble enough even if the album didn’t rock so mightily, but rock it does. In short, Rags in Skull is everything The Stooges’ bogus ‘reunion’ album should have been but wasn’t, and very near the top of a relatively short list of essential 2007 releases thus far." Gregory Conner writing in Tufts Daily seemed to agree, "Brigman sounds totally stuck in the '70s on this album, but still manages to let loose, heavyweight hard rock riffs that knock out present day contenders...when you find yourself at the end of Brigman's tour through his torn up and dragged down world, you find yourself only wanting to go back down for more." Or maybe "Brigman indulges the guitar hero in everyone, the latter throwing arena-echoed ax squiggles into the sunset, showing he was always fit for that big national stage--our loss, not his." by George Smith, Baltimore City Paper

Has the rest of the world (with Europe apparently leading the way) finally caught up with George Brigman? The 4 star reviews in Mojo and the All Music Guide seem to indicate that may be the case, but the ever changing music scene still is fraught with peril for musicians of George's ilk. Brigman is surely an iconoclast beholden to noone and incapable of being placed in a bag. His bluesy, heavy, progressive rock straddles genres and is difficult to pigoenhole. Its an intoxicating mix of the earthy and the divine. Abrasive rockers that pummell you into submission alternate with deftly played slow burners that stand aside unorthodox instrumentals to create a multi-layered web of sound that's more than the sum of its parts. Clearly, the state of the music biz today with a glut of product as well as faceless, identical chain stores and rampant illegal downloading makes it even more difficult for people to pick up on George. We do our part to get the news out via this blog, our web site, George's My Space, and our brand new You Tube page. Unfortunately, George's health and lack of a permanent band preclude any touring, and that's a great loss as I've seen the man live and know what he can do!

So we offer you this live, sort of, video from 1985 featuring a lineup of Split that was short lived doing a previously unreleased tune "Make It One Day". Almost as conventional a rock song as you'll ever hear from Brigman, its an intriguing snapshot of a band that clearly could rock with the best of them. The tag at the end allows you to hear the incredible auto-biographical rocker "Some of my Best Friends Are Snakes" from the new CD. Be sure to check out the interview also posted on You Tube where George explains his success or lack of it. Only recently has his hometown of Baltimore finally realized--hey, this guy is great! So rock they do on the video, and even more so on the new CD. Far from being a boring comeback of rehashed or weak material, it is alive with sonic pleasure, a treat for your ears, and a very exciting work which still doesn't sound like anything else.

To read about George in his own words, check out the Brigman interview from Blog to Comm!

Guerilla Marketing, Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Turner Broadcasting, and Bona Fide Records

2007-02-05T13:41:00.000-08:00

Of course, I reacted with shock when the city of Boston was shut down as a result of a so-called guerilla marketing campaign on behalf of Turner Broadcasting's Aqua Teen Hunger Force. Obviously, this resulted in a good bit of publicity as well as more than a little head scratching of all involved. The question is should we be relieved or threatened by the folks in the other cities who went about their daily business unfettered by the threat from ill-mannered refugees from a seemingly ancient Atari video game? Is there a chance we may be caught off guard by terrorists with a sense of humor? Or is this just terror hysteria gone too far? Have we lost our minds as well as common sense? Regardless of the answers, the debate is quite engaging and surely a sign of the times. It seems our Brave New World is just that, and our daily challenges continue to be, well, challenging. In order to survive, Bona Fide Records would never resort to guerilla marketing, instead using our best creative juices, we use gorilla marketing---i.e. we pick up a big stick and beat people over the head with it! Yeah, that's right, we shove it down your throat and we assault you with it!

There is no need to post lite brite boards of George Brigman flipping the bird. As anyone who has ever heard George Brigman will tell you, his music does just that to the shallow, overly image conscious "contemporary music" scene. Like the best artists, music is George's weapon and he does wield his guitar like an axe, capable of major damage at any time. Gimmicks may be fine for silly cartoons assuming you dont cause a city wide panic, but a good many artists, George included, would rather have their work judged on its merits. As a result, conventional avenues may be blocked or restricted (this is starting to sound political now) as others may want to dilute or alter his music to change it into a marketable product, a flavor of the month if you will. Well, we let George make his own CD, though I did throw my two cents in along the way. The result is Rags in Skull and it is George's first all new LP in over 25 years. Admittedly being an outsider and a non-conformist, doesnt make it easy to get attention, though now, 30 years later, George's exceptional recordings have finally found his audience and Bona Fide Records is extremely proud of his achievements, especially Rags in Skull !

We will try to reach George's audience through the conventional means as well as slightly newer ways like this blog, our my space page, and our CD Baby page. Our blog is ad-free as we dont want to dilute our message which is nothing so much as support the musicians, bands, labels and such that you love and dont rip them off, and dont be afraid to go out on a limb and take some chances. Life is too short to be terrorized by cartoon characters and bland music! Dont look at the charts, make your own. Later this month on the 20th, we will cross another bridge as Bona Fide releases its first ever all acoustic recording by Waitin On a Train--In the Path of Pain. Never have we released anything remotely like this disc by a hillbilly band that doesnt sound like one, but the sheer power and great songwriting makes it a winner in our book. Their bluegrass is blue, but its a far cry from the current bluegrass scene as Waitin On a Train's deep roots branch out into a sound all their own. Imagine the Blue Sky Boys crossed with the Ramones and you get an idea of the synergistic cross-cultural mash up that doesnt quite fit easily into any mold. Stay tuned for more exciting info on both the George Brigman and Waitin On A Train CDs due real soon. In the meantime look for no guerilla marketing here, as we are above such tactics! Instead, listen to our big stick---previews of our new CDs. Here are songs from the upcoming CDs! Listen to them and once again: you can feel safe--from bad music!

George Brigman--So This Is Life

Waitin On A Train--Boot Hill Bootleggers

Driftin Down can also be listened to on

the WOAT My Space!

The Wild and Wooly Cherrystones Word CD Plucks George Brigman's Blowin Smoke from the Bona Fide CD I Can Hear the Ants Dancin!

2006-12-30T12:49:00.000-08:00

What can one do when the somewhat empty so called trendy and/or hip crate digging DJ scene casts its eye or some dark shadowy pleasure that exudes its own creepy glow? Well you grab the ball and you run with it, waving your freak flag high, reveling in the waves of sound just like DJ Cherrystones aka Gareth Goddard has done with his new Poptones comp Cherrystones Word. A total celebration of all things fuzzy distorted and just not right, Stones Word unearthes buried treasures spanning the 70s and 80s, the known and the unknown, with the main theme being a twisted vision of a psychedelic ghetto. Naturally, when talk of a psychedelic ghetto comes up, George Brigman's now benchmark ghetto vibe Jungle Rot has carved a deep niche and it's not surprising that Cherrystones has included George's followup 45 from 1977 "Blowin Smoke" on his new comp, as the propulsively funky rhythm provides a backdrop to some wicked guitar screech which is indeed Blowin Smoke! Kudos to Mr Stones and Doug Shipton too for not only snagging that great cut from the Bona Fide CD I Can Hear the Ants Dancin, but also asking permission for its use and giving proper credit! They deserve it, for unlike their fellow countryman Steven Carr of Fallout Records, they do value the artists they release and don't rip them off!

You'll find the Brigman track sandwiched between two true heavyweights, the desperate rock and roll of Fred Cole's awesome Dead Moon and the gritty avant-street punk of the Deviants, two bands who blazed brightly and will be remembered for their powerful unrelenting attacks on convention. Yet, those only offer hints of crazier and more obscure treats to come. Its a mini-tour around the world for exotic tracks from Germany (Nosferatu and Midnight Circus), San Fransisco (Chrome), Holland (Bintangs), Greece (George Ramons), Spain (Fusioon) and France(Lard Free). The amazing Lard Free track "Warinoberil" features a loping, repetitive bass line, a lone snare and a honking horn suddenly interrupted by the violent strumming of a discordant guitar which soon starts squealing. Jazz? Progressive? Psych? Funk? Yes, and its abrupt end signals the end of the roller coaster ride that is Cherrystones Word. You can call it proto-prog-punk or simply psychedelic in the original sense of the word, a sense of wonder or a state of mind. This goes beyond psychedelia and beyond freakbeat into an area that really cant be defined, pigeonholed or labeled. What these tracks have in common is an artistic vision that is both driven and innate. You cant put its feel into a jar or paint it on a wall. Its the path you chose when you realize that you are on a mission and everyone else thinks you are nuts. What can one do but dive headfirst into these sympathetic sounds?

Adam Sullivan, We Will Miss You

2006-11-17T06:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday on a gray and rainy day, Adam Sullivan was buried in his bib overalls as his family and friends sang "I Saw the Light". He was 19 years old. Over 3 inches of rain drenched York County, PA and the swirling winds necessitated a tornado watch. Only after he was in the ground did the black clouds part and a huge rainbow appeared, much like the light that Adam brought to all our lives. Adam was sorta like a tornado himself, afffecting everything in his crazy path, but with his boundless energy he spread joy and happiness instead of destruction. His short life ended at one of his favorite places, Chickie's Rock, a beautiful and occasionally deadly scenic overlook above the Susquehanna River. Adam enjoyed the beauty and peaceful serenity of nature, never more apparent than from the top of the rock. He would sneak out on the rock late at night and sit and watch the trains go by while contemplating the wonder of it all. While enjoying the view with a friend, he slipped and wound up hitching a ride on the glory bound train to heaven.

I first met Adam in August of 2005 at the annual York County Fiddlers' Convention, a celebration of all things hillbilly and always a fun time. Bands played on the main stage all day long, but, as usual, the main action was up on the hill where the pickers would roam from group to group sitting in with both friends and strangers, playing till long after dark. I was there with my friends Tony Staub and Paul Wykowski who were hoping just maybe they could jam with a bass player who would be a good fit for their non-traditional old time bluegrass harmony band, Waitin On a Train. Eventually this skinny teenager with wild hair and a upright bass stumbled upon their group and sat in, playing with them well into the night. They extended to Adam an invitiation to play some more, and discovered not only had they found an extraordinary bass player, but an extraordinary human being as well.

It was not long before Adam was playing gigs with the band and they morphed into a steamrollin powerhouse of a band, making more of a racket than anyone could imagine with just an acoustic guitar, mandolin and standup bass and an occasional electrified stomp board. What a beautiful racket it was, celebrating the old time music they all loved, like the Stanleys, Bill Monroe, the Louvins and Delmore Brothers but at the same time mixing it with a ton of hi-energy rock and roll spirit. Back in January of this year I first wrote of the band as in a few short months, they had come a long way. You can read that post here. The band continued to grow and gig a lot, writing some great songs in the process. Adam's tireless energy and love of life shone through brightly in his amazing bass work, adding a jazzy feel and occasionally taking the lead as well. Waitin On A Train continued to gig and grow as Adam's spirit, drive and amazing musicianship spurred Tony and Paul to new heights too. They gigged in rock and roll clubs, bed & breakfasts, supper clubs, street fairs and maybe even a few redneck bars and always the results were the same: No matter who was in the crowd, Waitin On A Train won them over with their unique sound. They began working on their first CD together, spolighting their raw and powerful original tunes, Path of Pain. That CD was to be the band's launching pad to bigger things, as it showcased their unusual sound, memorable songs, and some stellar musicianship. Sadly, when the CD comes out in a month or so, it will now be Adam's epitaph to his all-too-short life.

Though it's clear Adam was a stellar musician despite his youth, as I got to know him better, I found out he was a thoughtful and caring human being as well. Despite the nearly 20 year gap between Adam and his band mates, it was obvious Adam was wise beyond his years. He taught us all a leason with his always smiling and laughing demeanor as he never had a mean word for anyone. His grandpa related a story to me of how whenever he encountered a bully as a youth, he would hand them a bible, rather than fight. Adam was truly rich in what really counted and valued friendships more than material things. Not surprisingly, his grandfather found his last two paychecks, still uncashed. Adam' love of life, his zest, his endless quest for knowledge and his loving, caring, and forgiving nature stand as an example of how to lead a rich, fulfilling life. His unselfish actions speak more about him than I ever could. Hearing the parade of speakers at his funeral telling how Adam had touched their lives made us all realize the depth of his beauty. Adam Sullivan we will miss you dearly.

On Friday, November 24th There will be an Adam Sullivan Memorial Concert at Murph's Other Bar in York, PA. The show will feature A. D. Chandler, Johnny Hanks, Waitin On a Train and Horsecop. The show starts at right at 8 PM, but please check the Waitin On a Train My Space for updates. This will be a benefit and the proceeds will be donated to Big Brothers and Sisters of York County in memory of Adam who so touched our lives.

7 Inches of Black Plastic--45 Culture Erupts at the Allentown PA 45 and 78 Music Expo on September 23!

2006-09-11T11:56:00.000-07:00

Though the music business and music itself continues evolving, or maybe even devolving, the quest to seek out, discover and recover lost treasures goes ever on. In less than 2 weeks collectors from around the globe will converge on Allentown PA for the 15th Semi-Annual 45 and 78 Record Expo where both 45 and 78 culture will explode into full bloom. Grown men (and ladies too) will be seen toting Fisher Price Big Bird record players as they dig into box after box of little records hoping to find that long sought after disc or discover yet another twisted tune that somehow got embedded in wax. Though the music market for the most part has abandonded the vinyl 45, die-hard music fans worldwide still embrace the format. The rush of listening to that 7 inch piece of vinyl delivering a 3 minute burst of whatever trips one's trigger as well as holding it in your hand and staring at the cool label is really like none other, and certainly 100% more aesthetically pleasing than a 99 cent digital download.

When Bob Bosak first started this convention over 10 years ago, the idea of a record show strictly devoted to 45s was a novel one, but now the show has eclipsed its humble beginnings to become an event in the truest sense of the word. Over the years the show has expanded to include 78s as well, and the demand for the ultra rare 45s and 78s continues to grow unabated. The unique thing about 45 culture is that it involves virtually all types of music from hillbilly, psychedelia, soul, reggae, and country to rock and roll as well as being in many cases the very first (and in many cases last!) step in a recording career. These first recordings usually show the artist in his rawest, purest form.(i.e. Elvis's Sun 45s) These primal, primitive and in many cases very scarce recordings are what fuels the collector market. Our photo highlights a few such examples, mostly from PA,of a wide variety of gems of various styles of music. Like Bosak, I, too, have a great interest in recordings from the PA area which you may have deduced from our very first release in 1982 a comp of 60s 45s called "The Return of the Young Pennsylvanians". Though there have been hundreds of 45 comps, the flood continues despite the oversaturation as new comps with yet even more incredible 45s are released almost weekly. Despite the industry's attempt to bury the 45, they remain an essential aspect of pop culture and for those diggers who trace an era or a sound they are a window into the past.

So in less than 2 weeks, 45 and 78 collectors will converge in Allentown for what has almost become a ritual now. Whether it be funk, garage, northern soul or that Robert Johnson 78 on Vocalion, chances are you may find it at this amazing show! You'll see many of us armed with our battery powered portables like my dependable Fisher Price pictured at the right. Got to hand it to those Fisher Price people for making sturdy players that held up and sound great! It's an essential tool for diggers as mine has both saved me money as well as hooked me up with great shit I may have left behind! There still remain those elusive 45s that are longed for and may never turn up, but miracles do happen and this 45 show just might make someone real happy! As always, I'm looking for a few myself. I'm documenting the Central PA heavy rock scene of the 70s for a Bona Fide comp and I need clean copies of the Mourning Sun "Make Me Day" on Arpeggio, Springhead Motorshark's "Papa's Schoolgirl" on Baldwin Sound Productions(pictured bottom right--Harrisburg PA, 1973) and Larry Byron's "Alone" 45 on Red Barn. If anyone out there is from those bands or the Ashley, and the Reflection or anyone from Dimension Five Studios, please get in touch! In the meantime, I hope to see some of you at the Allentown show, and just in case you are not a 45 geek, come to the show there the next day for the regular 45/lp/CD show which is great too! See you there!

Welcome to America, Radio Birdman and Thank You Very Much!

2006-09-05T16:49:00.000-07:00

As Radio Birdman enters the final leg of their first ever US tour more than a few words are in order. One of the coolest things about blogging is that with a few keyboard strokes you can create, deflate, or anoint. PR machines, spin artists and major corporations are powerless against bloggers. In other words, yes, I have a pulpit! What ticks me off today is tomorrow the magnificent Radio Birdman start the East Coast swing of their 1st US tour ever (DC, NYC, Cambridge, and Philly) and the shows in medium sized clubs aren't even sold out(yet) and their awesome new CD Zeno Beach isn't even on a major label!(actually that might be better for them, really!) Radio Birdman is truly a seminal band in the history of Rock and Roll and they are a national treasure for both Australia and the United States, and it is time to give them their due! Wake up, America!

You need go no further than Deniz Tek's hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan to find the origin of Radio Birdman's high energy rock and roll. Imagine a wild-eyed youngster cutting his rock and roll teeth on bands like the MC5, Stooges, Dick Wagner and the Frosts, The Rationals, SRC(the Scott Richard Case), the Amboy Dukes and the Bob Seger System, and Third Power to name a few. In Tek's own words, "23 years of motor city madness." It all started with the MC5s "Lookin at You" 45 in 1966--a record so powerful it defined the genre "high energy rock and roll" and took a few years for its influence to be felt. From there a steady stream of rich guitar hungry desperate rock and roll emerged. And Deniz Tek soaked all this Detroit grease up like a sponge. Radio Birdmen took their name from a Stooges song, and years later in 1981 Tek along with vocalist Rob Younger, and bassist Warwick Gilbert joined with Dennis Thompson of the MC5 and the Stooges'Ron Asheton in the New Race--whose lone lp would not see a US release for 15 years! But thats jumpin' ahead. Somehow Deniz Tek found his way to Syndey, Australia where he formed Radio Birdman who not only helped create but also jump start the growing Aussie punk scene in 1977.

Though they were punk more in attitude than sound, the desperate vocals of Rob Younger augmented by a three guitar attack coupled with judicious use of piano and crazy lyrics about the sun, burning, crying, eskimo pies, Rolling Rock, guns and TV, created a dense, yet airy, rock and roll attack. The cryptic Radio Birdman symbol was no doubt a nod to Blue Oyster Cult whose heavy rock and roll sound and science fiction mumbo jumbo also provided some fodder for Radio Birdman to harvest. Needless to say, when Birdman's first LP came out in 1978, it was in no time relegated to the bargain bins--just like other Sire LPs--the Saints "I'm Stranded", the Dead Boys "Young Loud and Snotty" and Richard Hell's "Blank Generation". Radio Birdman's second LP "Living Eyes" a year later remains unreleased in the US. Its a quite unusual LP which rewards repeated listenings, yet it fails to capture the fury and sonic attack of their earlier recordings.

25 years later, everything has changed, still Radio Birdman seems to be merely a footnote here in the US.(a fact that Sub Pop helped change a few years ago with the release of the Essential Radio Birdman) Though they imploded as their second LP was released, Birdman's immediate influence in Australia was palpable. They inspired whole scenes as well as producing intriging offshoots like the Visitors, the New Race and the New Christs. Deniz Tek continued to record, though his best work was with vocalist Rob Younger, a fact reinforced by the incredible Deep Reduction 2 CD on Get Hip in the mid 90s. The second of two Deep Reduction releases, it betters the intial Deep Reduction(a collaboration of Tek and PA's Stump Wizards) with the addition of Younger and PA's Jonathan Sipes(ex-both the great Swag 45 and the Omega Men). The savage sound of that CD was a harbinger of things to come.

Finally, 28 years later the 3rd Radio Birdman studio LP has emerged and Zeno Beach was certainly worth the wait and they never sounded fiercer! Their guitar heavy Detroit rock and roll never went out of fashion with those in search of true rock and roll glory. The posers and trendhoppers will pass this by--indy rock it aint--but those who live and breathe for real high energy gutbucket rock and roll, their cup runneth over. Thanks to internet and the music industry the morass of faceless, talentless bands spreads across the land like a salt pancake. The real flavor of the month has been around for 28 years. Thank God, once again, for the cities on flame with the rock and roll of Radio Birdman!

Celebrate the Release of the Left CD "Jesus Loves the Left" at Lulu's Off Broadway on August 27th!

2006-08-21T18:16:00.000-07:00

This Sunday at the very fine establishment Lulu's Off Broadway in the scenic Fells Point area of Baltimore, Bona Fide Records and the Left are proud to invite all to our CD release party for our "Jesus Loves the Left" CD! Lulus features great beer and food and a swell sound system that will be blasting the Left CD as well as a few surprises too. Its a great way for fans to meet and hang with the band and talk them into doing some gigs, since they last played way back in 92! We will be selling swell Bona Fide CDs as well as our new "Real Rock! Real Loud!" T shirts and it should be a fun time for all. The Stooges influenced punk rock of the Left is something that needs to be celebrated as both their swell vinyl releases from the 80s finally made it to CD! Any punk will instantly improve with the addition of this CD! Trust me! Or read what Strange Reaction has to say about it!

I realize this blog has an international audience so for all those who cant make it, you may hear the Left CD and buy it right here! What more can you want--the entire studio recordings of an incredible punk band with 4 never released tracks, lots of photos and their whole story in a swanky 12 page book! While you're at our CD Bsby page, you can also check out our swell George Brigman CDs too! Hope to see you Sunday and thanks for the great feedback so far on both our Left and George Brigman CDs!

Jesus Loves the Left and So Do I or How I Put the Left on the Train to Disaster and We Never Looked Back(till now)!

2006-07-24T20:16:00.000-07:00

Hey, does anybody remember the early 80s?? I sure do. Fresh from my success as a bargin bin diver which got me into selling old vinyl, I soon turned to local PA garage bands, and influenced by Nuggets, Pebbles, and my pal Billy Synth's Psychedelic Unknown comps, I got the brainy idea to start a little label that would send some light on deserving local bands. Bona Fide Records was born and in 1982 our first LP, a 60s comp, The Return of the Young Pennsylvanians was released. Although mostly unknown at the time, now bands like the Centurys, Loose Enz, Shaynes and the Flowerz are known to garage collectors around the world. Even though I was a heavy collector, the modern scene also intriqued me and I was a fan of the many punk, new wave, garage and experimental bands of the time. Especially I was impressed by the Harrisburg scene in which Billy Synth and the Turnups deservedly reigned as kings--though they werent always treated as such. Billy and his pals the Turnups released their own swell records on the band's Cracked Records and I was hooked!

I was also impressed by the growing DC scene and in particular the sonic mayhem of the Slickee Boys with their psychedelic outfits and their frantic adrenaline filled live shows. So I got another brainy idea! Why not put out a comp of current bands who could actually benefit from such a release? So "The Train to Disaster" was hatched and naturally I asked my pals Billy and Kim Kane of the Slickees for help. Well, Billy contributed one of his best songs, "the Mask" and his bass player Roger Deller engineered my comp and moonlighted as the Lone Ketamine Millipede as well. Kim let me use one of my favorite Slickees songs, "Nagasaki Neuter" as well as making me a tape of other cool area bands I hadnt heard. This cassette (a cheapo brand x "re-kord" brand) featured this wild band E.M.(short for the Embryonic Magnetos). The ultra low-fi sound couldnt mask the furious energy of the Magnetos and I had to hear more. Their 3 songs on that tape had all the spirit and drive that I was looking for. "5 AM" in that early version was a hellbent plea to stay in bed and avoid dealing with the real world. "Name of the Game" sounded like some twisted NY Dolls song, "You're cheating and you're lying babe and you've got to pay!" The clincher was the 3rd song, "Give Me Head (Till I'm Dead)", an amazing murky rave-up that coulda been an outtake from the Stooges "Funhouse"! Before long I was on the phone with Jim Swope who told me "we're called the Left now!" I said could you record a track for my "Train to Disaster" LP and they glady obliged.

Soon Brian Sefsic joined on vocals and the band went to a local radio station who somehow let them record "You're So!" and they presented me with two minutes and 25 seconds of pure bliss. It was an incredibly melodic and catchy tune with a riff lifted straight from the Monkees "Last Train to Clarksville"; however, the lyrics were a profane hate-filled tirade to those who tried to tell them how to act. "Hot air blows in and out of your face, you're a fuckin blot on the human race, you're the cat's asshole!" they screamed. They described their antagonizer in hell explaining to the devil, "there must be some mistake" and wishing they could be there to watch the scene. With that one song, the Left arrived and very noisily at that. Not even out of their teens, their first official recording turned quite a few heads, mine included, and heralded the coming of a band destined for punk rock infamy. We went through two pressings of the Train and a European release and everybody wanted to hear more from the Left. The next logical step was to record some more and that's what we did.

At the time I was envious of the work Don Zientara was doing at Inner Ear Studios in Arlington VA. He had done great work with the Slickees, the Velvet Monkeys, Black Market Baby, the Teen Idles and the Bad Brains to name a few, and I was anxious to work with Don. Needless to say, It's the World, the LP that resulted from the 1st Inner Ear session, was a sledghammer to the skull of screaming rock and roll, slinky, subtle, and brutal at the same time, stradling boundaries and genres. The profanity laced record burned with true passion and the fire that branded all of the great rock bands. The Left twisted convention and defied categorization; they had one foot in hardcore punk and one in 60s garage but what emerged had their own distinctive sound, a mess of many diverse influences. The Left's buddy Fat Pat Newman completed the picture with his now classic art of the globe with a big pile of stinking shit on top of the north pole while everyone was battling each other, standing in a sea of beer cans. That struggle for survival was echoed in the tunes as well and the band played with an urgency which reflected that. The Ep was really well received and made a bunch of best of lists as we went into a second pressing, though we succumbed to pressure from retail outlets and made a new cover to appease those offended by Pat's artwork.

Unfortunately, it seems most of the best punk bands, by their very nature, had a short lifespan and the Left was no exception. I booked more time at Inner Ear to record their second LP only to be told the band was breaking up. Still they decided to record some more, thankfully, and we recorded 7 more tracks which we released in 1985 as the "Last Train to Hagerstown". You can call it their swan song or their last desperate attempt to go for rock and roll glory one more time. The songs were still venom filled, but just a bit slower. A blistering note for note remake of the Stooges "TV Eye" played tribute to their idols while showcasing the Left's mad fury like never before. The original tunes dripped with the Left's double edged sarcasm, causing some to scratch their heads, but it was no denying the instrumental barrage that slew all in its path. Trying to get the Left the audience they deserved, I made a pressing and distribution deal with Greenworld in California, only to have them go belly up $13 million in debt! Live and learn, I guess, and this business is certainly a learning experience if nothing else. I learned the Left were one helluva rock and roll band and I have the evidence to prove it, and I learned that when you are presented an opportunity like this, you take the ball and run like hell!
These recordings, now conveniently collected on a great sounding CD for the first time, capture a time,a scene, and a sound that cannot be replicated. I am quite grateful to have been a part of this mess and also glad to be able, finally, to present all their recordings in this deluxe package which finally gives the Left their due.

More info on this swell CD can be found on the "Jesus Loves the Left" page on the Bona Fide site or on the Left's My Space! This CD also features 4 unreleased tracks from a short lived 92 reunion that again rock really hard and despite their brief existence, we can certainly be thankful that the Left left these great tunes for all to enjoy. Jim Swope, the Left's guitarist and primary songwriter, has had a colorful past 20 years involved with countless other bands. He finally has condensed all his life experiences into one super band, Luckyman, and you need to watch for their debut recording coming soon. Brian Sefsic, Bill Sword and Rod Smith have been playing for quite awhile with the Voodoo Love Gods, while Kevin, Brian's bro, is in the Monster Rock-offshoot the Crypt Dwellers. Life goes on and Jesus really does love the Left!

Hendrix Estate Crushes Radioactive Records and James Plummer in the High Court of the UK!

2006-05-22T07:08:00.000-07:00

The April 24th decision in the High Court of England might signal the demise of Radioactive Records, but it hasnt put a stop to their illegal activity. Despite their statements to Bona Fide, and George Brigman, they contiue to peddle their unauthorized Brigman Jungle Rot CDs, and now are engaged in hurriedly dumping product in an attempt to dispose of it and generate cash. Most of their rare US psych reissues are merely unauthorized needle drops. Mr Plummer was also served cease and desist papers on his Bobb Trimble Harvest of Dreams CD and he continues to sell that as well. Curiously, a new CD label,Reclamation, has already released 3 Hendrix CDs not authorized by Experience Hendrix and they list Radioactive's Steven Carr as producer! What does it take to get the message out that these guys are simply ripping off everyone involved, from artists right down to consumers and retailers! I applaud the High Court of England and the Hendrix estate for exposing this corrupt operation! I wish them luck in attaining any settlement from Mr. Plummer! I encourage every legitimate distributor to just say NO to Radioactive product! They will continue to dump their shoddy, illegal product to any one willing, and we, the artists and labels affected, will actively challenge and stop anyone who wishes to sell these bootlegs. Ebay, Gemm, Musicstack and Amazon have been a great help in this struggle, and they will contiue to be allies and help when needed.

It would make sense simply to avoid any Radioactive CDs. We have a long list of bands who have not received a cent from Radioactive, and these bands are still being ripped off on a daily basis, and have no access to the legal support that the Hendrix estate could afford. The right thing to do here is to keep your own hands clean, and avoid the purchase or sale of these goods. Support the artists, not their bootleggers!

Following is the press release from Experience Hendrix, LLC, following their court victory:
UK Legal Victory for Experience Hendrix

LONDON, UK (Experience Hendrix, L.L.C.) - Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. is pleased to announce a significant legal victory in the London courts. Experience Hendrix is the Seattle based company owned by members of the family of the late James Allen ("Al") Hendrix, the father of the international rock star Jimi Hendrix. Experience Hendrix owns and administers the rights to Jimi Hendrix recordings, songs and related properties.
In late 2005, Experience Hendrix took action in the High Court in London against Sonicus Limited, (trading as Radioactive Records), and its distributor Blue Orchard Records, seeking to enjoin the unauthorized release of Jimi Hendrix recordings.

Sonicus, Radioactive Records, Blue Orchard, and Radioactive's proprietor Mr. James Plummer have agreed to a consent order that settles litigation regarding their unauthorized exploitation of various Jimi Hendrix recordings. Sonicus, Radioactive Records, Blue Orchard and Mr. James Plummer personally have agreed to immediately discontinue manufacturing, reproducing, selling, or distributing all Jimi Hendrix releases. They have agreed to forfeit and deliver up all existing copies of recordings whether in compact disc, vinyl LP, or picture disc format in their control to Experience Hendrix.

Radioactive Records had previously issued fourteen unauthorized Jimi Hendrix titles, many drawn from poor quality audio sources such as amateur, monophonic audience recordings. Radioactive claimed rights to manufacture and distribute this material under a license purportedly granted by longtime Jimi Hendrix litigant Ed Chalpin, presently acting under the guise of the Michael Jeffery estate, which he arranged to revive several years ago. Jeffery, who served as Hendrix's manager, died in 1973. Jeffery has no claim to any portion of the Jimi Hendrix estate or the rights owned and exploited by Experience Hendrix.

Mr. Chalpin instigated a lawsuit in the United States in 2001 asserting the same claims (in the name of the elderly former ancillary administrator of the Michael Jeffery estate in New York, now deceased). The New York court rejected that claim as a "meritless" fabrication.

Experience Hendrix also obtained a legal injunction against Mr. Chalpin (and his company PPX Enterprises Inc.) in July 2002 that restricts Mr. Chalpin and PPX from issuing, releasing or licensing the exploitation of any Jimi Hendrix recordings, other than 33 Curtis Knight & The Squires masters largely recorded in 1965 when Hendrix was an unknown sideman before he gained international fame in 1967 fronting the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Mr. Chalpin has since defaulted on payment of a significant costs order that was awarded to Experience Hendrix in that litigation.

Experience Hendrix is pleased that this action has now concluded, and will continue its active efforts to combat piracy of its Jimi Hendrix recordings and rights. "We are pleased that we have been able to remove these inferior bootlegs from the marketplace," states Janie Hendrix, President and CEO of Experience Hendrix. "These unauthorized releases only serve to confuse and disappoint Jimi's unsuspecting fans throughout the world. We shall continue to fight piracy and the unauthorized exploitation of Jimi's great legacy." Any retailer who continues to carry Jimi Hendrix product deriving from Sonicus/Radioactive Records risks legal action

FCC Indeceny Fines Expose Government Hypocrisy--What's Next: Illegal Wiretaps and Stifling Dissent?

2006-03-28T10:54:00.000-08:00

Naturally, I'd prefer to be talking about music today like the really great stuff that has been released like the super double CD just released by Hank III, the amazing Dub 911 CD by the Scientist, or the long overdue US 2CD comp of Ananda Shankar, the cool new Pearls and Brass CD on Drag City, etc. I might even throw a bit in about George Brigman's 4 star featured review and full page pic in the April Mojo or a few words about our greatly anticipated CD comp of the Left which is almost ready. But no, as I feel I need to make some comment on the absurdity of our government, specifically the FCC, and their simply incredible actions which basically make a mockery of our democracy and amount to nothing more than censorship. In fact, it took about a week for the "chilling effect" (or the proper word: censorship) to commence. When the government tries to control our speech, they are doing nothing more than using the Contitution for toilet paper!

Attempting to draw a line in the dirt which one may not cross from 6 AM--10PM, the FCC has become tangled up in its own syntax, failing to realize the preposterous nature of trying to regulate a language (and images) that are always changing and label such indecent according to some top secret list of dirty words and even thoughts.
Case in point: A half second glimpse of a bare breast nets a $500,000 fine. Thats the human body we are calling indecent, yet when a guest on Oprah describes a "tossed salad" as "oral sex with the anus" that is not indecent?? Reportedly one of the FCC staff said they couldn't go after Oprah cause she was "beloved"! Another case, it was ok to say the f word in Saving Private Ryan, but it was indecent when used in Martin Scorcese's blues documentary! Clearly little guidance and anything resembling sanity is coming from the FCC. They have perverted the democratic process so they only act when there are complaints. Yet, far from the majority, a very vocal minority make up most of the complaints. Threatening stations with fines due to a tiny minority who want to control what everyone sees and also being in a position to revoke or prolong license renewals gives these appointed officials undue power which has no checks or balances.

Am I the only one appalled at our tax dollars being used to split hairs over which words are indecent? Where's the outrage that govt. employees even sit around discussing a tossed salad or whether nude cartoon characters are indecent? And what is wrong with seeing a glimpse of a human breast? If the FCC is so concerned that we might be corrupted, let them make a list of the indecent words or images so we know what is banned. FCC chairman Kevin Martin says "I think that's more guidance than there was before the order...There's inherently lines that end up being drawn".
Sure Mr. Martin, please explain where that line falls and why "Dickhead" is fine, yet "Bullshit" is not. And where does "blumpkin " fit in? And exactly when is it ok to use the f word, or is it just OK in Steven Spielberg movies?

This discussion is quite shocking that its even taking place in the Land of the Free. I guess lately it seems we live in the land where those in charge are free to do want they want. The perception is that no longer do we live in a land where free expression and open discussion is the norm, but it's increasingly a hostile environment that is chipping away at our freedoms and steering our country down a slippery slope. There is no easy solution, but as long as I have a voice, I will tell anyone who listens and I will vote as well. We have too many other problems with our country now to waste any more time and money arguing about what is literally "bullshit"!

Honky Tonkin' With J. B. Beverly and the Wayward Drifters

2006-02-23T08:03:00.000-08:00

This weekend it was great to hang out at the Full Moon Saloon in Baltimore and see JB Beverly and the Wayward Drifters. I was in town to work on our forthcoming CD by the Left with Mr Jim Swope who is sharing his time these days with his own rockin band, Lucky Man, and playing git for JB. Jim's been with JB for about a month and was coaxing me to catch their act so I did. JB Beverly is yet another byproduct of the dc punk scene and even once sang with the Murder Junkies, but these days his music is straight honky tonk mixed in with a little blues and played with a rowdy punk spirit. In case anybody's been paying attention, this whole country/punk/hellbilly scene has been erupting with great bands who have building up their scene for years. JB is part of that whole crowd and is buds with the great Wayne Hancock and Hank III as well as my pals Antiseen and he fits right in with that hell raisin crew.

JB's new Cd Dark Bar and a Jukebox will be out on April 2 and is well worth checkin out. The title cut is one of those honky tonk numbers that would sound great on a jukebox in a dark bar, and it laments the fact that there's no country played on country radio. Well now at least they have Outlaw Country on Sirius where you can hear some of these great new bands(and hopefully JB shortly) as well as classic country which never gets airtime. The Wayward Drifters would sound great on a jukebox or the radio, but live you get the whole shebang and with the addition of Jimmy's twangy Telecaster, you get a shit hot rockin combo that doesnt quit. It was a helluva lot of fun seeing these guys for the first time and their love and passion for the tunes they're playing is obvious.

Check out the nut Banjer Dan saluting the audience as he gets carried away! It musta been during JB's instant classic tune of heartbreak "Fuck You (and Anyone That Looks Like You)". It's no wonder that everyone in the band has the same whiskey bent and hellbound attitude. Like Hank III they are indeed crazed country rebels! I cant wait to hear the Dark Bar and a Jukebox CD and I am sure everyone will be hearing more about these hooligans soon. I'm gonna go back for a second round or two, cause once I had a little taste, I was hooked!

Bobb Trimble's Dreams Harvested by Others

2006-02-14T11:17:00.000-08:00

Anyone familiar with the Bobb Trimble LPs from the early 80s, Iron Curtain Innocence and Harvest of Dreams, knows those self-released works are dazzling jewels of crystalline dreamlike psychedelic folk augmented by some prog rock touches, unusual percussion, and even some firey fuzzed out electric guitar. A quick check on Popsike.com shows the LPs sell on Ebay consistenly in the $300-900 range. It’s highly unusual for 80s records to go for that kind of money and it seems the cult of Bobb is ever growing. No doubt this is a testament to the almost magical quality of the music contained within. These are finely crafted songs with layers of sound that at the same time are dense and airy, and the lyrics mirror the dreamlike sounds with their fantastic tales of longing and despair. Its not unusual to have sounds pop out of nowhere–suddenly you hear the plinking of vibes, a stray flute, synthesizer squeals, a sitar, or even the voices of children. The garden of delights is indeed a Harvest of Dreams and these very personal LPs are a window into Bobb Trimble’s soul. Like his LPs it is fragile and delicate, yet strong and defiant just like the war metaphors that run thru his songs.

It’s a great shame that Bobb Trimble is now fighting his own personal war in an all too public forum. Despite the fact that authorized issues of his work in both the US and overseas (the swell comp from the above 2 LPs, Jupiter Transmissions, was issued in 95 by Parallel World in NYC and in 2002 Orpheus in Denmark released Life Beyond the Doghouse)have been available for years, the UK company Radioactive decided to give Harvest of Dreams their “deluxe” treatment which consisted of mastering a CD from a vinyl LP and shooting a pic of the cover. Naturally, in their haste to make money off Bobb Trimble’s intellectual property, they neglected to ASK PERMISSION FROM THE ARTIST! Now any reader of this blog may have picked up on the fact that Bona Fide was treated like dirt by those bootleggers who refused to pay George Brigman a cent after booting his Jungle Rot LP on CD so this news is certainly no shock. Despite the type of actions that we expect from a unrepentant bootlegger, it is particularly galling how this company has no respect at all for the artists who make the music they sell! They profess to be at the top of the pile of labels that reissue obscurities, but I am starting to get a whiff of what is exactly in that pile!

We all know the reissue scene is crowded with those of dubious legality, and in some cases the concerned parties simply cant be found; however, what we have seen with both the Bobb Trimble and George Brigman treatment, is not only that Radioactive was unwilling to do a proper search to find the artists, but also refused to deal with them in a fair and honest manner once they were caught. Harvesting Bobb Trimble’s dreams amounts once again to outright thievery and there is no excuse for any reputable business to conduct itself in this manner. The arrogance with which Radioactive treats the artists it bootlegs is matched only, apparently, by their criminal intent. Kris Thompson in Boston is working with Bobb to release authorized expanded CD editions from the master tapes of his two classic LPs. It would be a wise choice to wait for those so you can support a deserving artist, instead of ripping him off. In the meantime, if you don’t know this swell stuff, go to Bobb Trimble’s My Space and check it out!

Spazz and Slop Poll 2005: Top Three Bona Fide Releases of the Year

2006-02-06T17:32:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I was a bit miffed at being passed over in the Village Voice Pazz and Jop Poll this year, but since we've only been back for about 6 months, its no big shock. Still kudos to the Voice are in store for their irreverent editor ,Chuck Eddy, whose astute perceptions placed both our Brigman CD's in his Eddytor's Dozen and also staffers Jess Harvell, who interviewed George Brigman and myself for a fine lengthy piece in the Baltimore City Paper, and also George Smith who continues to recognize musical excellence when he sees it!

So without further ado, here are the top three Bona Fide releases of 05 as tabulated from a poll of all our employees who are old enough to drive:

1. Jungle Rot--George Brigman (Anopheles LP)
2. (tie)I Can Hear the Ants Dancin--George Brigman and Split(Bona Fide/Solid CD)
2. (tie)Jungle Rot--George Brigman(Bona Fide/Solid CD)

SPAZZ AND SLOP HALL OF SHAME! DISHONORABLE MENTIONS
Jungle Rot--George Brigman(Radioactive CD091, UK)
Jungle Rot/I Can Hear the Ants Dancin--George Brigman (Synton CD, Austria)

Looks like its a clean sweep for George Brigman! Not only that but we were kept out of the top spot of our own poll by that swell vinyl that we licensed(Bootleggers take note: that means they asked for permission and paid us too!) to Anopheles in San Francisco! Congrats to Karl Ikola for the meticulous attention to quality that resulted in a swell exact repro of George's classic album that for the first time presented the album as recorded by George the way he intended it to sound(actually not bad for a teenager who was learning as he went along). It was something I had unsuccessfully tried to talk George into for 20 years and it was worth the wait! I'd love to fly to San Fran to personally present Karl with his Spazzy award, but I will have to settle for a big Thank You! for now. THANKS! As easy as the top spot was to pick, the runner up was quite difficult. I love the Jungle Rot LP through and through but the incredible songs, psychedelic jams,and flat out rockers of I Can Hear the Ants Dancin also deserved note. The fact the Ants CD was originally one of my very first forays into the music biz back in 82 also weighed heavy. So we wound up in a dead heat, tied for second!

Admittedly, our list of releases was quite modest, though starting from scratch, trying to do give George's unique music the stellar treatment it deserved and simultaneously fighting the sale of two European bootlegs while "negotiating" with the "labels" involved was quite a daunting task.
Another big THANKS to Jade Hubertz who not only helped finance our releases but distributed them as well. He was an immense help and was quite patient while we took forever to get the sound right. I am again finding out what I already knew: its great to have friends in this business, because you certainly need them! Not every one was our friend, and unfortunately, some valued money over doing the right thing and telling the truth;hence, the need for the Hall of Shame.

There's no need to go into details again, but suffice to say if they were at all concerned with helping the artists they release, instead of themselves, all Radioactive and Synton needed to do was cut us a check and say they were sorry. That didnt happen. Radioactive said they would send us a photo of the destroyed CDs in a dumpster. That never happened and they continue to list their CD by catalog # on their site for purchase. So I ask you Jimmy Plummer, mr radioactive big shot, why did you lie to us and just what the hell did you mean by "As far as I am concerned we have pulled the title from sale" and "I will not be providing you with any evidence other than a photo of the boxes in a skip"??? Photo?? What does "There will be no further sales" mean and HOW DID UK CUTOUT/OVERSTOCK DEALERS GET THE TITLE??? Mr. Plummer, your platform shoes will never make you a big man! While I'm at it, why did you boot Bobb Trimble and put out a shoddy sounding CD of his great Harvest of Dreams LP?

Sorry, if I got off topic, but when time is at a premium and you continually have to monitor the marketplace to prevent more bleeding, you get tired off all the bullshit. Anyway I just wanted to point out a few things and give credit where due. One more thanks, a really big one, for giving us some great music that its easy to get passionate about, to Mr. George Brigman, and may the new year see you prosper like you never have before!

Ancient Indian Bronze Statue of Baal or Hillbilly Geegaw?

2006-01-27T13:09:00.000-08:00

While visitng my buddy John down in West Virginia coal country, he showed me this incredible statue he had which he got from a farmhouse in Martinsburg which was home to a bunch of occult worshipping hippies. This 10" statue appears to be of the Phoenicean or Canaanite god Baal, as it depicts the head of a bull on the body of a man. Exactly where and when this statue dates from is a mystery Im trying to unravel. The spiffy outfit is quite amazing, complete with another demonic image of a face with its tongue hanging out and cute, pointy boots!

In one hand there is an hatchet(or tomahawk if this is indeed a Native American artificact) and in the other, a pipe used for smoking. Its almost as if he's saying smoke with me or I 'll chop your head off, or maybe let's smoke and then I'll chop your head off. Or maybe, let's chop down that burning bush and then have a smoke!(and what was he smoking anyway??) I just dont know as this is a little out of my realm, but I wanted to post if and see if anyone could fill me in on this. Take note to the markings etched in the base. Is it an ancient language or just some scribbling?? The mystery beckons.

The god Baal was a fertitlity god associated with human sacrifice and other atrocities and there exists some evidence of Baal worship(or a similar deity) among the Native Americans and pre-colonial settlements though I would have to think this dates from more modern times. Nevertheless, its quite an unusual statue and it was given to my buddy by people who told him it was evil! It certainly looks demonic! Maybe I can use its magic power to achieve success for my record label without selling my soul in the process. Suffice to say there are many out there who sell their soul on a daily basis in the music biz, but not me. Id rather post crazy pics on my blog and see what kind of response I get! Its called the fast track! Its fast alright but I cant tell you which way Im heading. I dont quite know what to make of this odd relic, but I'm sure it could kick any Shogun Warrior's ass!

PA Rocks the 60s! Sounds From the Woods Documents the Scene!

2006-01-23T14:08:00.000-08:00

Sounds From the Woods is a fascinating look at the 100s of bands that Pennsylvania spawned in the wake of the British Invasion. Anyone who is a serious collector of this period knows that both the quantity and quality of records from PA during the 60s was very high. Once all but unkown, records by the Centurys, Shaynes,Magic Mushrooms, Flowerz, Loose Enz, Swamp Rats, Ognir and the Nite People, the Mystic Five et al are now heavily comped and highly sought after by collectors worldwide. Mike Kuzmin, himself a fan and collector of this era, has made a valiant attempt at the mammoth undertaking of compiling a discography of the mid 60s PA bands, focusing mainly on releases by small labels such as Kingston, Barclay, DB, Process and so on, while still including a surprising amount of major label releases and charted bands as well. The end result is a fine book that crams a ton of useful info with some classic photos and concert ads into its 165 pages. Check out the cool pic of Ognir and the Nite People whose great I Found a New Love 45 is just one of many stellar PA 45s found in this book. Also check out the cool pic of the Darts in capes which shows they must have spent more on than outfits than they did for their recording! However, all the Process 45s I ever heard must have had the same budget and engineer cause they all sound like one big racket!

For a collector or simply a fan of 60s music, this book is a treasure trove of info packed with some amusing anecdotes and a ton of rare photos. Due to the size of the undertaking, the scope of the book is limited to rock and roll mainly, with the occasional soul and pop release mixed in. The book sticks mostly to the years specified though again there is an occasional stray. For those completists out there, we still await the PA Rockabilly, PA Country, PA 70s Rock and the Soul book too; however, Kuzmin was wise to set some parameters for his book due to the epic nature of his work. In this 2nd edition, Kuzmin has corrected and clarified previous entries as well as adding new ones. The documentation of this era's music is a momentous task, especially considering the numerous one-off releases on tiny labels. The book is clearly a labor of love, made by a collector for collectors. The numerous label pics and the grainy photos from old newspapers give the book the feel of the classic zines like Hoosier Hysteria and Rebel Teen and like his predecessors the book is tribute to both the bands and the collectors who rescued the music from undeserved obscurity. The book is meticulously cross referenced too, inviting one to check other listings as the inevitable sharing of members and changing names(or in some cases having the bands name changed by others)occured and it also presents a handy index that lists the songs that have been reissued on compilations. Of course, this book asks more questions than it answers and the world still awaits definitive discographies of lables like Process, Kingston, Barclay, Murechord, Bridge Society et al. Still the digging Kuzmin has done with this book goes quite far in listing most of the known garage, rock, pop and psych 45s from PA and that in itself is a commendable feat!

Naturally, having collected this stuff for years, I feel this is a valuable and a worthy undertaking. Kuzmin's DIY approach is to be commended though publishers take note: It sure would be nice to have a cloth bound edition with pages of glossy photos! Mike's tireless obsession has resulted in a spiral bound book thats mostly complete, though he readily acknowledges some bands that remain of unknown origin but sure look like PA releases. There are certainly a few minor omissions and maybe even more bands yet to be unearthed like Chester's Adam and The Evils, unheralded and unknown, who recorded some awesome acetates. It was great to find out the Sites'n'Sounds brooding punk 45 "The Nite Is So Dark" was from York(!) and seeing pics of Ognir and the Nite People, the Darts and the Scott Bedford 4 and many others is worth the price alone. The occasional biographical note provides some more slivers of info into these elusive recordings. One reprinted poster features a bill with Morgantown, WV's Mind Garage, the Marshmellow Steamshovel, and Rebecca and the Sunnybrook Farmers! Must have been one helluva show! The small press run of this is bound to sell out quick so it would be wise to pick this up before it disappears like so many of the records contained within.
Sounds From the Woods is an excellent read for either the hardcore collector or a fan of 60s garage bands who wants to learn more about bands from the Keystone State. Drop us a line if youd like to acquire a copy for your very own!

Welcome to his Nightmare! Todd Tamanend Clark's Nova Psychedelia

2006-01-16T12:03:00.000-08:00

Todd Clark's nightmare takes up 150 minutes on this sprawling Anopheles 2 disc set of what I believe is his entire recorded output from 1975-85. The Pittsburg area Native American parlays a love for primitive electronics, rock and roll, science fiction and comic books into a spectacular dark twisted vision of a world gone mad. Imagine Simon Bar Sinister at work in his lab making yet another electronic noise machine with which to conquer the world and you get the idea. The whole thing starts with a 12 minute synthesizer/therimin piece that is a cross between 50s SCiFi and the trippy soundtracks that Goblin did for Dario Argento. Lest you think this is all stellar electro-skronk, I will tell you Todd also kicks in a healthy dose of Stonesy rock and roll too. He even tackles 2000 Light Years From Home, though in Todds deconstruction the only thing recognizable is the bass line! The subject matter is what youd expect to compliment the shimmery psychedelic sound,lots of stuff about bright flashing lights, brain waves, death, God, the zodiac, xrays and phosporesence. The overall mess of sounds tends to lump it in the catch all category/buzzword proto-punk or as the sticker says proto-cyber punk!

Certainly when he started recording in 75 TTC had very few peers. There are a few nuts that come close like Debris, MX-80 Sound and Pere Ubu and Ubu's Allen Ravenstine and Tom Herman do guest on a couple cuts. Undoubtedbly the self produced recordings' small pressings have led to their obscurity and cult status. Todd's monotone deadpan vocals may have also hindered a wider audience though I feel they are part of the attraction here, adding to the unnatural, otherworldly sound. Its a sound thats driven home by bleeps, squeals, screeches, some dynamite guitar and plenty of twisted lyrics. "X-ray Ecstasy" indeed, as this is a magical personal odyssey reveling it its own excess and overkill while making jokes all the while. Todd pays homage to his forefathers with unique covers of "Hungry" and "I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night" as well as taking the listener on a bumpy trip thru the nether regions of his psyche. Come take a trip with Todd to alchemy island!
You can buy this at fine stores or straight from Anopheles and check out Todd Clark's CD Baby page too!

Waitin On a Train---Pulling into your town soon!

2006-01-04T12:47:00.000-08:00

In these days of bloggers and myspacers it seems the constant stream of stuff gets a bit overwhelming as everyone wants to be the Next Big Thing. It's quite refreshing to hear a band like Waitin On A Train simply because they love playing old timey and hillbilly songs and it shows. Far from being calculated towards a target demographic, they instead would rather sing traditional murder ballads and play fiddle tunes. Their zest for their cover material and originals is matched only by their scorn directed at the modern cookie cutter style bluegrass bands with their soundalike tunes. More traditional country than bluegrass, their shows are an exuberant celebration of bygone times. If you are in the Central PA area this month, check out their shows:

Jan 6 2006 9:00P
McCleary's Public House Marietta, PA
Jan 14 2006 10:00P
First Capital Bar and Grill York, PA
Jan 20 2006 10:00P
Murph's Other Bar (the depot) YORK, PA
Jan 28 2006 8:00P
SUSQUEHANNA VALLEY SATURDAY EVENING JUBILEE-(above RLH Guitars) Red Lion, PA
Feb 2 2006 9:00P
Spence Cafe West Chester, PA

For those unfortunate souls who are out of the area, check out their original tune Dead on The Floor or their own instro Flying Eggs! Swell tunes. Tony, Paul, and Adam are at work on a new CD filled with their own stuff as well as a few well-seasoned chestnuts. Check back later for more info or come on down to one of the shows!

ESPN has no right to rock! Neither does the Hard Rock!

2006-01-03T12:29:00.000-08:00

I just had to comment about the pathetic New Years Eve show on ESPN. In an attempt to be cool and use rock and roll for nefarious ends, ESPN brought on board the Troggs, NY Dolls, the Chesterfield KIngs and the Mooney Suzuki Live from the Hard Rock Cafe courtesy of Little Steven's Underground Garage. First, no underground show EVER charged $300 a ticket or the even more ridiculous price of $2000 for a reserved 4 seat table. These people are killing rock and taking 4 of my favorite bands along! That alone would rate a big FU to the Hard Rock and the UG. Still, ESPNs coverage was blasphemous. Nowhere in their ads did they even mention any of the bands, as if they were embarassed to! Then they didnt let any of the bands even complete ONE song. What happened to cool shows like Don Kirshners Rock Concert and In Concert? What corporate asshole decided that I would be happy hearing song snippets from my favorite bands?? Did they really think I wanted to see Stuart Scott playing air guitar to "Wild Thing"? Please ESPN--get out of the rock and roll business and stick to sports. As far as the Hard Rock goes, you wont see me there ever! We can rock and roll without the help of those who wish to line their pockets at our expense!

In direct contrast, Sirius radio broadcast the entire Patti Smith show from the Bowery Ballroom on New Year's Eve, uncut and uninterrupted. The sound was great, and Tom Verlaine guested on guitar making it a unique event. The band really rocked on material old and new and Patti let us know how she felt about our President when she indicted him for various nasty deeds before lauching into a spirited "Rock and Roll Nigger" Their version of "mama told me not to come" was a riot as Patti rambled about someone dosing her spinach and waliking thru gelatin for 100s of years while Verlaine let rip a swampy Fogerty style solo. It again reflects the sad state of affairs in this country when we have to pay to have uncensored radio. Nevertheless, the show was great and thank you Sirius--now wise up and get more varied music programming! Its pretty bad when the Canadian station CBC RAdio 3 plays better stuff than the numerous US stations. Unfortunately even the Underground Garage seems overformatted as the DJs arent even allowed to play their own stuff unless approved by the mgmt! Thank God for 2 hours of the Cosmic Commander on Left Of Center! Nothings gonna please everybody, but hey, we are paying for variety so lets have a little more OK! And all you people who are trying to destroy music in a quest for a fortune, get lost and leave us alone!

Celebrate the Life and Music of Link Wray!

2006-01-03T11:56:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the fine folks at Joe's Record Paradise, there will be a Link Wray Tribute in Rockville MD on January 15th! This star studded event will feature many DC area greats who have played with or shared the stage with Link as well as 39 descendants and the swell A-Bones whose Norton label has the swanky 2 CD set Mr. Guitar and the archival Missing Links series. With the passing of Link and Hasil Adkins this year, Rock and Roll has lost two of the great ones. Their raw energy and rough hewn tunes are hard to beat when one is searching for primal rock and roll. Thanks to Billy and Miriam at Norton for doing such a swell job supporting and compiling Link and Hasil while they were still around. The great job they did reissuing the stuff helped cement both Hasil and Link's reputations as the titans they truly were.

The tribute will be held at the spacious El Boqueron restaraunt which holds about 600 so it wouldnt be a bad idea to buy tickets or at least check in with Joe's before the show. The evening promises to be filled with sweaty, exuberant, primal, fuzz filled rockin. What a fitting way to pay your respects to one of rock's true pioneers! Kudos to Joe's for doing all the work while running a really cool record shop too! These are the people that need our support cause they are really keeping it real! Hopefully we will be able to get a Hasil tribute off the ground too. The details are very sketchy yet, but it may come off. Check back for more later. In the meantime check out the Links to the Link show and come on down!

I Can Hear the Ants Dancin--a 19 song CD exclusively on Bona Fide!

2005-12-20T11:57:00.000-08:00

Back around 1981 I finally got to meet George Brigman after enjoying his Jungle Rot LP for a couple years. He played me the tunes on I Can Hear the Ants Dancin and I was completley captivated by the wall of screaming molten fuzz coming from dueling guitars psychotically jamming and alternately soothing and flowing. The basement sound of his now classic debut was replaced by a sharp sonic barrage with pumpin fat bass and rock solid drumming. The choatic jams were offset with flat-out rockers like "Vacation" and "Blowin Smoke" as well as slower tunes with a strange psychedelic aura. At that time George wasn't doing anything musically, as the last lineup of Split came to an abrupt end with the death of his bassist, Mitchell Myers. I told George this music was way too good to keep to himself!

Together we released these tracks on a 9 song cassette release in 1982. We got great writeups in Musician, the Inner Mystique, and Hans Klitsch's great Gorilla Beat to name a few and George was on his way to cult stardom. Eventually, in 1995 Or Records in Indiana reissued the cassette on a small vinyl run due to the demand for the music. Now Bona Fide Records is really proud to release the entire Ants Dancin' sessions on one CD for the first time ever. You can hear in gloriously remastered sound how George can make his guitar sound like nothin you ever heard before in the title track, "I Can Hear the Ants Dancin" and the previously unreleased jam "And Then Came the Rains" shows what his band can do as well. Fans of George's growled vocals have the burning riff-laden "Blowin Smoke" and "Vacation" to sink their teeth into!

This expanded edition of Ants has 14 minutes of previously unavailable materials as well as a few strays from the Human Scrawl Vagabond LP from 86, including the haunting ballad "Lazy Eyes". Full color photos of Split are published for the first time ever and the clear tray has a swell pic of George's many stomp boxes. The LP's story is told in a bit more detail too, but what remains the main drawing card is the incredible music and playing of George Brigman who created his own down and dirty psychedelic blues reflecting his own personal odyssey stretching out into territory where few musicians have ever ventured. His musical heros, Captain Beefheart and the British band the Groundhogs, were certainly influences in creating Brigman's stew of voodoo blues, jazz, and psychedelia, but the end result is something that George can call his own.

I Can Hear the Ants Dancin' expands on the foundation laid by George with Jungle Rot in a way that demonstrates that his first LP was no fluke, but only the beginning. George's career has had quite a few bumps, mostly caused by the uncompromising nature of his music and unstable lineups; however, his two new CDs finally give the world a chance to hear what the collectors have been raving about for years! Check out more on these two great CDs by going to George Brigman's site!

Jungle Rot: Underground Garage's Finest Hour?

2005-12-08T12:52:00.000-08:00

OK, That might be a little hyperbole, but what is for sure is George Brigman's 1st LP was self produced and released by an 18 year old who had only been playing guitar for a little over a year! Its primitive, yet complex, murky blend of psychedelia and the blues has acquired somewhat legendary stature in the 30 years since its initial release. Far from being your basic fuzz garage 3 chord stomper, it's filled with finely crafted gems of desperation, hallucination and determination. A lone voice crying out from the urban wasteland in songs that can be both harsh and beautiful, George Brigman drives his bleak imagery home with some mean guitar and a backwoods growl. Had George only ever recorded the screaming lust filled rocker "Jungle Rot", his reputation would be secure; however, he follows that rave-up with a distorted sea of swirling guitars in the hallucinatory "DMT" and then follows that up with the snarling proto-punk of "Dont Bother Me"!
Then just when you think you got him pegged, he follows with the slow burn of "Schoolgirl", a magical free-flowing ballad about an unattainable love. Clearly there is a reason why this LP has remained highly sought after and originals exhange hands for lofty prices. The low down psychedelic blues vibe is really like no other. The passage of time has only cemented the LPs reputation and its no wonder that LP but was the genesis of quite a talent who would continue on his own musical odyssey and lay down even more smokin tracks at the years went on. I'll fill you in on the incredible "I Can Hear the Ants Dancin'" CD in a future post.
For now, thats all. Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, and one BIG thanks to the fine folk at the Ebay Vero and the Amazon Alliance teams who booted 7 listings just this week of the Bootleg Brigman CDs on Radioactive Records and Synton. Again, no Brigman product from overseas is legal! Look for the quality trademarks of Bona Fide and Anopheles and you cant go wrong!

2005-12-06T11:33:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Bona Fide Records Blog

2005-12-06T10:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Folks! Greetings from York County, PA, home to our humble little label with the big sound, Bona Fide Records--real rock n roll for real people and no more bullshit! I like that--no more bullshit! We are artist dedicated and music driven, no holds barred rock n roll for those who want to dig a little deeper into the primordial ooze. Loud, dirty, raunchy and just plain fun is what we are after. We are the only authorized outlet for George Brigman CDS. Both his classic Jungle Rot LP from 1975 and I Can Hear the Ants Dancin are now available in expanded editions on Bona Fide. So if you like loud heavy psychedelic guitar, pounding, screamin rock, soaring ballads, and jazzy jams, look no further. George's unique sound has won him fans worldwide! Too many apparently as unscrupulous Europeans at Radioactive Records in the UK and Synton in Austria bootlegged his classic Jungle Rot. Please avoid these inferior boots and support the artist--not those who rip him off! Both the boots have been "withdrawn", but they are still out there selling the bogus ones. Only the Bona Fide CDs and the Anopheles vinyl are the real thing. Accept no substitutes! Please feel free to check out our website for more info here

Spread the word...Bona Fide is back! This January we will be releasing one helluva punk rock CD the complete studio recordings of the Left--20 songs--both It's the World and the Last Train to Hagerstown EPs plus 4 unreleased cuts--55 minutes of pure high energy rock including a shredding version of the Stooges' TV Eye! Check back for more info and we will be posting some mp3's too. We are also working on an expanded CD reissue of our 80s psychedelic garage comp The Train to Disaster for early next year as well as George Brigman's first all new LP in 20 years, Rags in Skull! Stay tuned for more.

For those in the nearby area, come on down to murph's other bar in York on Friday night December 9th to hear our pals the great hillbilly punks Waitin on a Train play along with the hardrockin Horsecop. Fans of the Stanleys, Louvins and the Holy Modal Rounders be there or be square!